//------------------------------// // Cheers to Change! // Story: The Clydesdale // by Ocean Heart //------------------------------// Okay...lets recap. So I pull a Disney and end up in a new world with magical ponies that can fly...if I've gone crazy, then this is one intense fever dream. Twilight Sparkle might have a way for me to go home....I guess I'll have to decide later if I want to go back or not. Rainbow Dash...yea I'll just keep that plan and stay away from that ball of crazy. Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy though...I guess they're the only sane ones so far. Maybe I can make the best of this though, the pink one talked about a party, and judging by her looks, a party was something she specialized in. Oh! I still didn't get her name...guess I can ask Rarity once I find that shop she was talking about. Jake couldn't thank Applejack enough for letting him go and explore the town, if he had to guess, the farm pony was already plotting out chores for him to help payback his stay. After his sudden near breakdown, she knew that he needed time to adjust at his pace...while being big and intimidating was one thing, he was actually easily panicked and just a little outside his comfort zone... So far, Jake got to meet with a few vendors on the streets. Taking a particular liking to the Cakes when they gave him a sample of the delicious treats they had planned for the party tonight. It took him longer than expected, but he eventually found the home of the fashionista, Rarity. The building was full of elegant designs and a mix of purple and white colors, all of it a bit more girly than Jake would feel comfortable entering on his own; still, he entered after a few light knocks. "Hello? Rarity, you home?" He said as he pushed open the door. Suddenly a tiny, white coated foal rushed from another room and was tailed by two more fillies; one orange and the other...Applebloom? "I told you he would be here!" The white one said proudly. "No you didn't! You said he wouldn't be caught dead in this place!" Applebloom said, the orange one nodding and glaring at her friend. Thankfully, Rarity followed in with an annoyed look on her face, trot brisk to get the fillies out of Jake's mane before they scared him away. "You three, go play in Sweetie Belle's room. Jake is here on business, if he wishes, you three can talk later; now off you go." Rarity added a shooing motion with her hoof to make sure the crusaders would listen. The fillies all groaned in disappointment and marched up the stairs,talking in hushed tones to gossip. Jake was a little curious about the three,but he let that wane for a conversation later on. Right now he just wanted to talk and get himself fixed up for the party, and if anypony could help him...maybe drama queen could. Seems though she was more suited to mares, judging off of a few mannequins standing with frilly dresses. "Hey, Rarity...I came by hoping if uh..." Rarity leaned forward, waiting to hear the words she ever so loved from every customer... "If you could help fix myself up proper for the party..." Jake said, looking back at the door and starting to re-think his choice of visiting Rarity first... Still, she practically squeed with delight and used a bit of her magic to drag Jake along into her salon. It had a single chair, a large mirror, and the biggest assortment of girly, fancy products that Jake had ever seen cluttering the whole area around it. There was even a small stage behind it so that a client could test her look after the styling. Before Jake could argue, he was flung into the chair, needing to lean down in order to see himself in the mirror... woah.. Jake had to take a moment to understand what he was seeing...it was him...but he was a lot softer looking, a lot more rounded and smoothed; frankly...he looked a little cartoonish. Rarity wasted no time though, this was of course, a once in a lifetime chance. To create the image of Ponyville's newest guest, the guest from another world! No way she would let him walk around town with that mess on his head he called a mane... "Wait, Rarity!" Jake yelped when the chair suddenly leaned back, a thick layer of facial cream blinding him. "It's quite alright, darling. Just relax and let me work my own magic." She said musically. While Jake was blind,Rarity was already using her scissors and comb to trim up the wild mess...humming as she worked. _ _ Now Jake wasn't completely sure how it ended up like this...but he sure wasn't arguing about it either. The warm waters of the spa soaked his fur and made every anxiety he had about this world melt away. Granted that he alone was taking up most of the space, Rarity though, was still working behind him to give the finishing touches to her masterpiece. The stallion sunk his neck deeper into the small pool, hind legs jetting up lazily in the air with steam pouring off them. Hooves polished, coat shined and damn near asleep in the comforting waters of the hot tub. With a last snip, Rarity gleamed happily and let the scissors float down and take their place on the mirror stand again. "And with that, I can proudly say...I have transformed this raggedy visitor, into yet another trend setting and faaaabulous stallion!" Jake lifted his head up, the things on his eyes still blinding him, seems though that the dreamy relaxation was over... With a worried sigh he sat up, just to get sat back down with a assertive force of magic. Jake yelped and flattened his ears, Rarity sounded done...so why was she keeping him blind and clueless? A splash of water and high pitched cry made him sit up quickly to avoid the splash, eyes widening under the mask and cucumbers when something heavy and soft landed in his lap. "Oh drat! ..Excuse my language, I can't believe I could be that clumsy." Rarity said with a frustrated groan. Jake was getting a lot hotter than the spa was making him...face stark red and trying desperately to control the shaking in his hooves. Was this seriously happening?! How could it come to this so quickly? ...Did she do this on purpose? All these questions ran though Jake's head rapidly. "Jake? Are you alright..? I didn't hurt you, did I?" She asked puzzled... Jake nodded slowly, gulping and refusing to take the mask off himself.... Rarity tilted her head and lifted the cucumbers off his eyes with a small use of her magic...Leaving Jake face to face with...a soggy towel and solid looking mirror folded in his lap, the mirror just hanging on after being dropped. Jake blinked in disbelief...until a boisterous laugh escaped him, making Rarity more confused. "No no...I'm fine, Rarity. Thanks for asking though..." Jake said when the short laugh was over. Rarity looked like she had another question, but kept quiet, simply perking her nose up in the air and regaining her high class composure. Jake tilted his head over to look at his new style...his white mane looked pure as snow with a single black lock straightened back with the rest of the hair, all of it curved back smoothly; leaving the small part hanging by his neck to spike as it swooped out. Soon she brought over another towel and helped Jake get out of the spa, making impulsive comments when Jake tried to dry off his mane. "No!!!" She shouted as loud as she could. Jake froze with the towel in his hoof and halfway raised to his head, eyes wide and body petrified... "Erm...just, do be careful..." She said with as innocent a smile as she could make. Jake decided not to argue, drying off his neck and tossing the towel on his back. Leaving him to ponder the new look...it was less girly than he expected...still, there was just something he found missing.. The black streak popped out of place and arched in the air over his eyes...Rarity's eye twitching and smile replaced with a horrified look of shock... "Wait wait! Rarity! ...I kinda like it like this..." Jake said sheepishly as he looked up at the bouncing lock. Rarity looked up at the out of place strand with worry and stress...and even though it went against her better judgment, it was his choice. Jake smiled brightly when Rarity sighed and gave up. Now, he had the look, and as Rarity walked him back out; it was something he could hopefully keep intact during the party tonight. The party! Jake stopped after ducking under the archway and stepping back into the main floor of the shop. "Hey, do you know that pink mare's name by any chance?" Rarity smiled softly and nodded next to him. "Indeed I do, Pinkie Pie...she may seem a bit of a mess, but she always means well, and has a kind heart." Jake repeated the name a few times in his head to let it sink in, he started noticing that the names of this world were a bit odd. They seemed more like labels of personality than just titles; what if he needed to change his name? The ponies were quick to accept him, but what if he needed to change to truly become some semblance of normal in this town...? "Got another question, Rarity." He said frankly. Rarity tilted her head curiously.. "I get the feeling that my name stands out just as much as I do...should I change it?" Rarity mulled the question over silently but shrugged. "It's up to you, darling. I don't think anypony would have a problem with your real name..." A new start...a new life, look and a new group of friends...whats a name? But what name would fit him? It had to be something that would mean a lot to him, something that held a piece of himself. Well...he had a lot of strength, a lot of kindness and...well he felt he had courage. Rarity was looking a bit worried when Jake fell into his thoughts, wrapped up in his biggest step yet...maybe even his final. Nearly fifteen minutes went by, Rarity was frantically trying to snap him out of the trance, a gleam in his eye and excited way in his step. Jake jumped up and looked down at Rarity in front of him. "I got it! What about Second Chance?" Rarity sighed quietly to remove the stress on her face, letting a bright smile show. That was perfect, it was who he was, just a pony given a new life...and he was going to make sure he wouldn't waste it. "It is a lovely name...Now I've kept you here for far too long, go on and enjoy the rest of the day; I bet tonight's festivity will be more than enough excitement for you after such a drab afternoon." Rarity looked a little remorseful for keeping Chance for so long in her shop, even though he was oblivious to the time. In turn, it made him feel a little bad for taking so much of her time...finally Chance spoke up after an awkward silence. "No, it's fine, I can't thank you enough!" He said excitedly. Rarity smiled in thanks, about to offer more kind words until a loud crash and the sound of three fillies landing on the ground took her attention to the staircase. Scootaloo, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were piled on top of each other,dazed and confused from the short tumble. They all looked up soon at the stern face of a disapproving mare, all three of them trying to laugh as if nothing happened... "Girls..." She said with anger seeping into her tone. Sweetie Belle jumped up with her best apologetic face on, her eyes wide with the watery shine coming off them, slight pout and lip quiver nearly making Chance double over. Scootaloo stood up with Applebloom and started explaining while Sweetie worked her magic. "We're really sorry, Rarity..." Scootaloo started. "But we just wanted to talk to Jake, I mean...how often can you talk to a pony from another world?!" The farm filly finished. All three of them joined forces in putting on The Look...and while Rarity was accustomed to such underhanded tactics, Chance was defenseless; heart weighing heavily and jaw hanging slack. In all his years, he never thought a filly could break down his willpower so quickly with just one look, so before Rarity could scold them on manners in front of a guest... "It fine! Just...please make them stop..." The three cheered and rushed the stallion with question, all of them he was happy to answer as long as it meant he would be spared that look. Rarity just shook her head and sighed...it was still his choice after all, though she knew that he would regret this one... _ _ It took hours before the fillies finally let Chance go, every question they could possibly have about him and Earth explained as best he could.The tree seemed really curious about the fact that he didn't have a cutie mark, unfortunately he couldn't find an answer to that question. Funny thing...he wasn't as exhausted as he expected to be after such a long interrogation, the fillies hung onto every word, it made him feel strange...rarely was his life interesting by any definition of the word, yet these three made it seem like his life was one big and exciting prelude to moments like this. Chance even found that the three had their own adventurous lives, soon it was flipped around and he found himself listening intently and enjoying the many tales of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. It was his time to leave though, the sun was setting slowly and while it cast orange hues across the sky; streamers and balloons hung from ever light post in sight. The sheer amount of color the town had received was mind boggling to the giant farm horse..not even humans had this level of party...and it made him all the more excited. Chance started a brisk trot, eyes switching from the streamers to ponies already enjoying the festivities; even the multitude of tasty looking snacks had a flare to them. "I can't believe-" A loud explosion behind the stallion made him yell out in shock and duck his head on the dirt and under his hooves, the bubbly giggle from behind him left unheard while the confetti cover him. "Jake! You scream like a mare.." Pinkie said, laughing more. Chance peaked up and saw the colorful paper littering the ground before standing back up slowly, face slightly red when he turned to face the party mare with a scowl. "Yeah yeah...how was I suppose to know that you would start blowing things up behind me." Pinkie smiled brightly atop her party cannon, seeming proud of her little prank. "How do you like the party? I hope you like it, I spent a lot of time thinking of what a giant pony like cause who ever throws a party for a giant pony, right? Then it hit me! Just take a normal party and blow it up!!" Another fire from the party cannon sent the mare back a few feet and a pile of confetti and streamers in his face, blowing his mane back. Pinkie Pie giggled when she rushed back up to him, shaking the mess off his head and laughing. Chance couldn't help himself, he laughed harder than he can remember ever laughing. Pinkie gleamed with joy, her mission accomplished and Chance wiping a tear from his eye when he calmed back down... "Wow...Just...you're something special, Pinkie." He said with honesty. Pinkie sat straight on her cannon and pointed her nose in the air with pride. "Indeedely I am." Chance took a deep breath to slow his heart back down, remembering that she called him Jake still... "Oh, and if you don't mind...I wanted to try out a new name-" "Oh! What about Scardy Cat? Or or! ..Um...Oh! Husky Fluff, cause you're so big!" Chance tilted his head in pure confusion...was that a fat joke? "Just call me Second Chance." He said slowly, trying to recover. Pinkie blinked and looked back at Chance in confusion, whimsically shrugging in agreement. Enough stalling, tonight was his first night in a new world, even better, it was his first real party. The induction into a new society with open arms, colorful ponies and incredible smelling food. Chance couldn't wait any longer, and with Pinkie getting a broad smile when Chance said.. "Now let's PARTY!" Many hours later... "Oh my goodness...Spike, can you get a blanket for him?" The dragon sighed heavily, nodding and walking for the broom closet; hoping the spare sheet wasn't dirty. The party was a big hit, it lasted nearly to sunrise; yet was a bit too much for some ponies...the giant passed out stallion in Spike's tiny bed was one such pony. Chance had a lampshade on his head, and empty bottle of cider held safely in his hooves while he slept quietly. Spike begrudgingly tossed the sheet over Chance and looked up at Twilight with concern in his eyes. "I know...but the Princess hasn't responded yet, so i'm not sure what we can do at this point. Come on, you can split my bed for the night, deal?" It was a bit childish to share a bed with his adoptive mother...but with his own currently occupied, Spike didn't have much of a choice. Spike huffed and hung his head, climbing up into the bed clumsily and finding a comfortable spot closer to the window.. "Since he broke my bed..does this mean I can finally get a big one like yours?" Spike asked with an excited revelation seeping into his tone. Twilight rolled her eyes and laughed, dashing all hopes of a that king sized mattress with feather down pillows he dreamed of at night... "No, silly..but I will get you a new bed by tomorrow afternoon." Spiked groaned in frustration and tuned his back to her,taking the blankets tight over his shoulder. Twilight shook her head and climbed into the bed as well, careful not to move Spike too much and set him off into a full tantrum. Chance rolled over, and Twilight could hear the sounds of the small bed underneath him snapping and breaking a bit more. Twilight looked over at Spike in worry...but soon found a soft smile spreading across her face...the dragon was already asleep. Twilight's baby dragon was still young enough to be most comfortable, sleeping next to his mother... "I'm gonna hate it when you grow up..." She said to herself. Twilight put her head on her end of the pillow and let out a soft sigh to calm her mind. Letting her drift to sleep after a few short moments. _ _ The sounds of paper and hooves woke Twilight, the sun had yet risen and somehow...Chance was no longer in the remains of Spike's bed. Twilight looked around the room but found no trace of the giant pony, she yawned and slowly got out of bed, wandering downstairs to see what the noise was about. Second Chance had dozens of books spread out on the ground around him, just from the bindings, she could tell what books he was reading., Magic History, Equestrian Lore, The Rise and Fall of Nightmare Moon, Discord the Terrible... The rest of were books on traditions from all over the world, from zebra tribes to gryphon keeps...all of it information he was immersing himself into. To say Twilight was surprised would be an understatement, she was floored that even after such a night..he was awake, studying to learn everything he can about his new environment. The stallion's curiosity knew no limits, it made Twilight rethink how she saw Chance...just as he flipped a page and began reading, she stepped down the rest of the stairs, alerting Chance to her presence. "Hey, Twilight...." He said, most of his attention still on the book. Twilight smiled..she knew that tone all to well. "You should go back to bed, Chance..." The giant pony shook his head and looked up, eyes bearing dark rings and gleam in his smile. "Heck no! I can't believe how many insane things happen here...how do you guys even manage all this?" Twilight recalled a few near breakdowns and that persistent twitch she got when things got hairy..maybe saying they managed things, was a bit overplaying it. "I want to meet this Princess Celestia sometime, from what i've gathered, she's the one who can figure out what happened to me." Chance said proudly. The purple unicorn laughed a little and sat down.. "I've already sent word, she should be here by tomorrow afternoon." Chance beamed, smile broadening and ears perking up. "Perfect, can't wait to see her." He said smartly. Diving back headfirst into the circle of books, Twilight laughed quietly and shook her head; there was no point in arguing with a bookworm. Knowing first hand what was going though his head right now, the wonder, the wealth of information and unbelievable history that flew off the page. Chance was in for a exciting morning if he stuck to those books. Twilight walked over to Chance's circle and began organizing his mess, Chance looked up, a little put off when a book he was reading was lifted into the air in a purple swirl. "Hey..." He said quietly. Twilight re-arranged the books into a neat stack and put the one he was currently reading on a podium. Chance woke her up..why not help him learn? "If you're going to keep me up with all this racket, I might as well do my best to help you absorb the knowledge, rather than letting you gorge yourself on it." She said with a eager smile. Chance sat down and tilted his head slightly, he had never been to a human school before; was she doubting his ability to read? Oh course he could read! ...Mostly...there were some words he didn't understand, like the book about the Canterlot...castael...? That whole section he skipped due to a lack of understanding...so maybe a tutor was a good thing. Twilight seemed elated to help, and why would she steer him wrong? So Chance nodded in understanding and smiled again, Twilight clearing his throat and getting nothing but butterflies in her stomach..she was living her ultimate dream, to be a teacher. Oh my gosh, this is going to be so much fun! Twilight had to resist the urge to trot in place with a giddy squee, starting off the lesson to distract herself as quickly as possible. Spike just groaned in frustration as he rolled over in Twilight's bed, trying desperately to go back to sleep.