//------------------------------// // ... And into the Whirlpool // Story: Birthday Surprises // by Tower of 0 //------------------------------// Vinyl was just about done washing up, and for a pony who hasn't gone camping, she was actually enjoying the serenity of the outdoors. The wind rustling in the trees, the bugs making their noise, the birds chirping, and the running of the water she was bathing in. Calm, peaceful, perfect. Nature had it's own music, and Vinyl enjoyed it. Sure, her money was made in her music that pumped up dancers, really got them going, but when did she ever take time to enjoy this? Really to enjoy the music of nature? Never, that's for sure, well, until now that is. The creek she had found emptied into a sizable pool, just deep enough to go up to her neck. Nice, and cool, even the glow was nice. Wait, glow? Since when does water glow? Before Vinyl could think about any further, the glow in the water got bright and started to form a whirlpool around her. Casually sucking her in in a somewhat slow pace. The mare started to panic. Derpy and Justin heard a scream that sounded much like Vinyl and quickly sprang into action running/galloping towards the source of the noise. They finally made to see one of Vinyl's hooves get sucked down into a glowing whirlpool. "Vinyl!" Both somehow synced their response well. Derpy was the first to dive into the whirlpool, Her wings sprung open and she leapt into the air, gaining altitude before performing a nosedive into the center of the pool. "Dammit!" Justin was next. He quickly discarded most of his clothing, keeping his boxers on in case, and dove right in. Swimming after the two ponies. Deeper and deeper he went into the pool. Justin could have sworn that this pool wasn't as deep as this. Nonetheless, he swam deeper, not too long before the glow got brighter, then, darkness. Justin felt his conscious come back to him, a tingling sensation was present and light was present through his eyelids. Not too far did his hearing finally come back into play, listening in on his surroundings. He could hear muffled voices, agitated, argument maybe? Justin's hearing soon came back in full force. "...o brought back the human?" "That voice, it sounds familiar." Justin collected his thoughts in full. "Well maybe if you didn't spawn a sudden whirlpool when I was bathing, we wouldn't be in this mess!" "That's Vinyl, which means....." "He doesn't belong here!" The other voice hissed. "Well, it doesn't seem that he belongs back in his world either!" "There's good ol' Derpy." "Fine, if you want to keep him, YOU can watch him. I don't have time to be looking after the human." "So I'm stuck in Equestria... AGAIN. Well, atleast there are ponies I know and I'll probably be living with-" Justin's train of thought was soon brought crashing down like him when he got woke abruptly by a magical force throwing him from wherever he was. His eyes shot open to be caught in Vinyl's blue aura and a glaring face of Twilight Sparkle. Ahem, Princess Twilight Sparkle. Justin was soon placed on his feet gently and looked to Twi as if she was going to say something. Derpy nudged his hand, "C'mon, we should leave." "I agree," Justin looked down to Derpy, then Vinyl, "seems like I'm not welcomed here." "Yeah, well, somepony is just in a bad mood because she can't study no more." Vinyl shot a smug look behind her. The three were soon covered in a purple flash and appeared outside of the library. Justin smiled, knelt down on one knee, and took up both the mares in a hug. The hug was soon returned by the unicorn and the pegasus. Both ponies nuzzling either of his cheeks lovingly. "So, I guess you're coming home with me then." Derpy said softly. "And why's that?" "Because I don't have a spare bedroom like Derpy here, unless you don't mind sleeping on a couch shorter than you." Vinyl broke out. "I'm pretty sure a bed wouldn't be long enough for me anyway." Justin commented, both mare nodded slightly in agreement, "But I never really got any one-on-one with Derpy the last time I was here. Soooo...." Later that evening night "So.... I'm here in one of my favorite place of all-time, again." Justin muttered to himself, looking out the window in Derpy's bedroom. He sat with his limbs wrapped comfortably around the grey pegasus as they sat on the bed. Just looking out unto the night sky. Justin still had his boxers on, thankfully, and Derpy sat with her back against him. She looked like she was deep in thought, but by the sound of his comment, Justin was deeper into thought. "Justin?" Derpy spoke up. "Yesh, Derps?" "What's the human world like, and not what you told the foal, what's it really like?" Justin sat for a moment in silence, his mouth opened and a deep breath left his lungs. "Horrible, all I will say." Derpy turned in her spot, her muzzle facing him, her wings came and draped over his shoulders. This caused him to look at her from the corner of his eye. All she did was tuck her head under his chin and nuzzle his neck, encasing his torso in a warm hug. Now mind you, he doesn't have any toned muscles, just the ones he inherited, which weren't much, but because he wasn't built, it made Justin comfortable to her. Derpy closed her eyes and left out a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry." She spoke, barely audible. "For what?" "For dragging you back here, and Vinyl says that Twilight might send you back, and... and I don't want that.." Tears were starting to form. "Derpy, look at me." She did as she was told, yellow meeting brown, a hand stroking her cheek, "I would give anything in the world to stay with you two. You both are amazing friends and obviously care for me deeply. That's all I can ask for and return myself. I'm not really cut out for the human world as it is, but I can adapt, and adapt I shall." Derpy smiled a little bit, letting his thumb wipe away a forming tear and burying her cheek into his palm. "But how do you plan on staying?" "Let's not worry about that and focus on cheering you the hell up." Justin said with a wink. "Turn around and extend a wing for me if you will." Derpy didn't try to question why or what he was doing, but instead catered to his request and did so. "Thank you." Justin took a tip of one feather into his teeth lightly, causing Derpy to shudder and blush wildly. Her blush not visible from where he was. "Nibble, nibble." Justin managed to sound out, flicking the feather tip with something. Justin continued his 'assault' on each of Derpy's wings, each one causing her to shudder even more that the last. His hands were on her sides. More or less rubbing her cutie mark in reality. Oh how he loved that her cutie mark were bubbles. Derpy was suddenly brought to a disappointing and sudden stop. "Why'd you stop?" Derpy heaved. "If I kept going, you might've made a mess on your bed." Justin teased, as she beaned back. She looked up at him and he looked down at her. "Tease." Derpy smiled and stuck her tongue out. "Oh yeah? I'll show you teasing!" Justin exclaimed, starting to tickle the pegasus in his grasp. Derpy started to squirm and squeal in delight as the young man used his fingers in a nimble manner to tickle her without any signs of mercy. A wide grin splayed across his face. In the farthest reaches of his subconscious, a memory started to play out again. Approximately three months and two ago Justin's first month in Equestria wasn't so bad, but today, he felt like relaxing. Despite the park benches not really meant for someone of his size, he still found them relaxing. A cartoon-like land has never been so appealing to him until he's lived it. The blue skies have never looked better. He let out a long, relaxing sigh. Despite his recent barrage of questions of the once unicorn mare know simply as Twilight Sparkle. He paid no mind to the group of foal that had just approached his outstretched figure. One bumped his leg, his eye met three more pairs accompanied by three big smiles, Then, what he called, 'The Horde.' The first foals spoke up, to him, a filly with a Southern Belle, ""Cuse us mister, be we was wonderin' if y'all could tell us about yer kind." Justin looked at her with a raised, "You... want to know about... huuuumans?" He said 'humans' in a funny tone, stifling some giggles from the other foals. "Well duh!" The orange winged one piped up. "Okay okay, jeeze. Hold your...." He paused for a moment, pondering about his pun. "Err... anyway. Humans, what can I say about my own kind? Well, we are strong, amazing, wondrous, and somehow he hold prideful even after most disasters." "Big whoop, we've survived disasters too." "Oh yeah? Come back to me when you've survived a hurricane, or a tsunami!" Justin looked down at the orange filly with a grin. "What's a tsunami?" A colt asked. "A tsunami is a mammoth of a wall, made of water and very, VERY, VERY destructive to anything in its path." Justin's grin soon faded into a grimace, "But humans can be disgraceful with how we treat one another. Being an industrious species comes at a big cost." Justin sat back in his seat with a sigh, the horned, white filly with peridot eyes spoke up next. "What's the matter?" "Nothin'. Run along now children, I'd like to be left alone in peace." Present Day The tickle assault on Derpy had dies down after a while, She had taken up to laying on Justin's chest, gazing at his features. Moreover his eyes. Their color left her to wonder just as to how to they became so beautiful, and why she wanted to stare at them all night.. No, forever. Well, that might be a bit drastic. All night would do just fine. "Justin, why are your eyes so beautiful and dark?" "I have only a phrase for the that." Justin said calmly, then with a smile, "The eyes that have cried the most, are the more beautiful, the smile that has frowned the most, is the more pleasant." "Is that why I want to keep staring into them?" "You wanting to stare at my eyes darkness has nothing to do with that phrase." Justin removed his hands from behind his head and laid them across Derpy's backside. "But they can't compare to the amount of adorableness you have." Derpy's cheeks flushed again, "What counts as 'normal' in human society?" "Normal? I don't believe that there is a true definition for normal. So, I say, dammit all to hell." Justin let out a smirk. "So.. you wouldn't mind if we...?" Derpy mumble the last of the question under her breath. "Huh?" Derpy rolled her eyes, somehow and lurched forward. Justin's eyes went as big as saucers when he realized the sight before him. Derpy had, in a way, locked Justin in a kiss. Not just any kiss, one packed with a fire that has just started and didn't plan on getting extinguished. "About damned time you made a move." He thought as she broke away from his lips. "Hopefully this hasn't damaged how you see me now..." Derpy looked away, her blush raging like a fire across her cheeks. A hand came to her chin and gently urged her to look back at him. "Never in a million years." Justin said with a smile. Derpy suddenly focused out, her face gone completely serious, "I crave chocolate milk." Justin sat there for moment, staring at her, "Yeah, me too." "Let's go get some." "TO THE KITCHEN!" Justin exclaimed, jumping off the bed in a heroic manner before rushing out of the room.