//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Welcome to Ponyville! (Party not included, but recommended) // Story: Blue and Bass // by Brandon Sky //------------------------------// “How did you know I would be here?” Bass asked as Blue landed in front of him. “A friend of mine gave me a tip of someone new arriving today, so I thought I’d see if that was true.” Blue replied. “I swear that friend might be a bit psychic sometimes. I’ll introduce you to her later.” The two walked alongside each other, away from the train station and into Ponyville proper. Their first stop was where Bass’ new home, across the hall from Blue in the small cottage apartment. “Huh, so the one I’m sort of roommates with was the one to have a psychic pony find me. Small world, isn’t it?” Bass commented. Blue shrugged. “Well, it IS a small town. You can leave your instrument in there for now if you want.” “Actually, I like taking it with me wherever I go.” Bass declined the offer. “Doesn’t it get tiring to hold that case?” Blue wondered. “I mean, I know it’s not that heavy, but it might hurt after a while, right?” “I’ve slowly gotten used to that slight soreness. An Earth pony’s gotta be strong in some way, right?” Bass laughed as the two left the house to continue the tour. Blue pointed out the various buildings and the people who run them, including Sugarcube Corner, the town Library, the Carousel Boutique, among plenty of others. She then pointed out the Everfree Forest and its many dangers, with the not-totally-ironic shy, animal loving pony being the one living right outside of it. Bass hadn’t thought much of the names of most of the “Mane Six” as the town apparently liked to call them, but Fluttershy especially let the naming discussion creep back into Bass’ mind. He thought he might ask Blue about it sometime later, but not now, for he had a tour to finish. “As a tip for later, I suggest you go check on that cottage.” Blue pointed out, referring to a single cottage in the middle of town. “Two of our town’s most notable musicians live there, so you might be interested.” “Ponyville musicians, huh? What are their names?” Bass asked, curious of who they are. “Oh, their names are-sweet Celestia, get down and cover your ears.” Blue deadpanned, seeing someone in the window with a grin on her face, though it wasn’t directed at them. Bass tilted his head at her, seeing the windowed mare raising a hoof up as if she’s about to slam it down somewhere. Blue, seeing her instructions failing, quickly backed up and charged at Bass, taking to the skies and grabbing him on the way up. “Wha-what are you doing!?” Bass yelled. “EARS!” Blue merely said, to which Bass merely followed instructions this time. Right as he did so, the window below opened, bellowing an insanely loud set of what the mare in the window would call “wubs.” Blue retreated to their house, letting Bass down once only a foot hoof above the ground. She panted for a few seconds, hoping that clarinet hadn’t added extra weight to the flight. Bass was a little bit shaken up, having been suddenly flown at a fairly decent speed. He sat where he landed, sighing in relief. “I guess that would’ve been ten times louder up close?” He asked Blue. Blue nodded. “Sorry, I didn’t know her dishwashing time was right now…” She said, seeming to baffle Bass. “D-DISHWASHING!? What kind of dishwasher produces DUBSTEP of all things!?” Bass shouted, more than a little worried about the status of those musicians’ state of hearing if they can survive that. “Vinyl Scratch’s, that’s whose kind of dishwasher can.” Blue told him. “She insists on cleaning with…wubs.” She said, placing extra emphasis on the wub. “I hope that doesn’t deter you from meeting her, though. She’s really cool, as is her more classical roommate, Octavia.” The latter name seemed to ring a bell to Bass. “Octavia…Philharmonica?” He confirmed. “Oh, you know her?” Blue said, not sure whether to feel surprised given the whole musician thing. “I have a record of her ensemble’s performance at the Grand Galloping Gala a couple years back. I had no idea she lived in Ponyville.” Bass said, realizing something in horror. “M-my records, I FORGOT TO BRING ALL OF THEM!” He yelled, attempting to resist saying something else. “…HORSEAPPLES!” He yelled to the sky. Blue blinked at him, her eyes a little widened by his sudden despair. She got why he was upset, but this might’ve been pushing it on easily-replaceable records. “Maybe you can ask to have PegEx ship it to you?” She asked. “I either have to wait to ride back to Manehatten and embarrassingly say to my parents ‘Hey, I forgot my music’ or wait too long and spend too much to ask them to ship it. I think I’d rather buy replacements ASAP…” Bass said, his face covered by his hooves. Blue smiled. “Well, good thing I know a place for that! I’ll take you there tomorrow! You can get some other things for your instrument there, too.” She said, happy to keep up her tour guide routine for a second day. Bass smiled, uncovering his face. “Thanks, Blue. I’d probably manage to get lost in this small town without you.” He said, taking Blue’s hoof and being lifted up when prompted. “Actually, just this once, I’ll travel without the clarinet. Just let me put it away.” “Go right ahead.” Blue waved, waiting outside. She noticed the inside was dark after Bass opened the door and found it to be odd. “I didn’t turn off the main lights…BASS, DON’T HIT THE SWITCH!” Too late. “SURPRISE!” A large group of ponies yelled, scaring the clarinet right off Bass. He fumbled with the case as he tried to catch it, managing to eventually keep it in his hands, but falling to the ground to do so. “That one was really good! We were like “SURPRISE!” and you were like “AHHHH!” and then you tossed the box up and caught it like a hoofball star and it was super exciting!” Pinkie Pie said, lifting Bass up off the ground. A little frightened by the pink pony’s surprise, he hesitantly responded. “Wh-what’s…this about?” “It’s a party for you, silly! My patented Welcome to Ponyville party! ...Patent pending.” Pinkie replied, mumbling the last two words. “Do you do this for everyone?” Bass asked her. “Eeeeeeeeeeevery last pony in Ponyville! Even the ones that were here before I came here, I gave them all parties, too!” Pinkie beamed, hopping around. “I’m so happy I got to do one of these again, Blue was the last one for a WHILE and that made me super-sad because-“ “PINKIE, I think he gets it!” Blue sky said, putting a hoof over her mouth. “I forgot to warn you about this, sorry.” Bass looked around at the waiting crowd of ponies in the main hall, then back at Pinkie and Blue. “I guess I have no choice but to accept.” He said in a fake lack of enthusiasm as the crowd cheered and dispersed throughout the room to chat. Bass trotted over to Blue and Pinkie, who were still waiting for him. “Are you the ‘psychic pony’ that Blue told me about?” “I don’t know, am I Psychic? I thought I was a Normal-type, being an Earth pony and all like you!” Pinkie said, confusing Bass a little bit. She made an “Ohhhh” response when she got the point. “A lot of ponies think my Pinkie Sense is psychic, but it’s just that, a sense! And I’m ‘sensing’ you’re gonna have a lot of fun here, Bass!” “Wait…how did you know my name?” Bass asked, wondering if this was another ‘psychic’ trick. “Blue told me, silly filly!” Pinkie said, muttering an “Oops” when she had to change the gender. “Huh, I forgot I never made one like that for boys! I need to make one right away! Enjoy the party, and I hope Ponyville is your Forte!” Bass smiled as he watched Pinkie trot away. “I think it will be.”