//------------------------------// // Tour // Story: Stuck // by NickyD //------------------------------// 11:40 A.M. Rainbow Dash and I walk a short distance away from the library to be meet face to face with a shop that almost looks like a gingerbread house. "First stop: Sugar Cube Corner," Rainbow Dash says. "This is a bakery that sells various baked goods ranging from brownies to cakes. This is probably the best and the most awesome bakery in all of Equestria. Pinke Pie works here too. Wanna' step in?" "Sure," I say. The two of us enter the bakery and the instant aroma of baked goods assult my nose. The savoring scent of cakes, the wondrous whiffs of cookies, the amazing aroma of brownies...I could die right here and die happy to be honest. I wonder if they have cannolis here? The set up for the interior is nice and simple. There is a table to my left for customers if they want to sit down and eat. To my far right is a counter and behind it are shelves stocked with what appears to be candy. In front of me must be the main counter for main purchases. The set up is very nice and I like the architecture that goes with it. Rainbow Dash and I approach the counter and no one is there, but from literally no where, and I mean no where, Pinkie Pie pops up from behind the counter, which scares the ever living crap out of us. "Hey guys, welcome to Sugar Cube Corner!" she says happily and bubbly. I take quick and deep breaths because of her scare. I put two fingers on my neck and a hand over my heart to see if I'm still alive. Fortunately, I am. "Don't scare me like that Pinkie Pie," I say in between breaths. "I'm too young for heart attacks." Pinkie Pie just giggles at my suffering. "Sorry, seeing you two here has me excited." "Pinke, do we have customers?" A female voice calls from the back of the store. The voice's owner appears at the doorway behind the counter. She is a blue pony with pink hair, or mane rather, and a pink tail. Her hair is styled to look like cupcake icing. In one of her forehooves, she is holding a cream colored baby pony that has a brown mane, brown tail and brown eyes, complete with wings. Wait, aren't baby ponies called foals or something like that? Whatever the case is, the blue pony has a deer in headlights look, but then she relaxes and smile forms on her face. "You must be that new guy I have heard about." So she has heard of me. Then again, I wouldn't be too surprised if the entire town knew who I am by this point. "Well, welcome to Sugar Cube Corner. I'm Mrs. Cake, and this little guy in Pound Cake." The baby in her arms makes a high pitched "ahh" sound after its name has been said. The little guys looks at me with a smile. "Nice to meet you Mrs. Cake, and nice to meet you Pound Cake." I say the last part like how a mother would talk to their infant child. I know it's weird for a guy to be talking like that, but I can't help it if it is something adorable like a baby. I'm a sucker for anything cute. "How old is the little guy?" "Nine months by next Sunday," Mrs. Cake says. "Hey, where's Mr. Cake and Pumpkin Cake?" Rainbow Dash asks. Okay seriously? They own a bakery and all of their names have to revolve around cake? Very cliche. Great job at being an original Lauren Faust. "Mr. Cake had to make a run to the market and Pumpkin Cake wanted to come along with him," Pinkie Pie says. "So what made you two stop by?" "I'm giving Nick an awesome and grand tour of Ponyville. This is our first stop, and we wanted to say hi before we move on to the next place." "How about you take some freshly baked brownies for the road?" Mrs. Cake asks. "Sure, I 'll take a few. How much?" "Five bits please." Rainbow Dash pulls out five gold coins from...somewhere (how does she do that?) and drops the coins on the counter. Mrs. Cake grabs the coins and places them in the register, with Pound Cake still in her arms. With Pinkie Pie doing her part of the job, she places four brownies from the display case into a white paper bag and hands it, or hoofs it, to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow grabs the bag by her mouth. Weird way to hold on to something, but whatever. "Take care you two." "Nice meeting you Mrs. Cake, and it was nice meeting you Pound Cake," I say, still saying that last part like how a mother would talk to an infant child. "It was nice seeing you too Nick. Hope to see ya' around a little more." "See you guys later," Pinke Pie says waving to me and Rainbow Dash while the two of us walk out of the bakery. We stop outside for a minute so Rainbow Dash can open up the bag. She takes out two brownies and "hoofs" one over to me. "Cheers" I say. The two of us bump the brownies like we are toasting and the both of us take a bite of the treat. My mouth instantly waters with delight. "Oh my God! This is the best brownie I have ever had," I say with a mouth full of brownie. I swallow and take another bite. The flavor is so good. It's soft, warm, chewy, chocolaty, delicious, mouthwatering. There are so many adjectives to describe its goodness. "Told you they're good." Rainbow Dash says. I nod my head in agreement and take a third bite. If one could describe heaven in a two by two inch square, it would be Mrs. Cake's brownies. "Believe it or not, this is nothing compared to their bigger desserts. Their cakes are the best in all of Equestria." "I'll take your word for it." The two of us finish our brownies in no time. Can one even top the heavily taste of these brownies? I doubt it. After the two of us finish those chocolaty delightful squares, we continue the tour. She points out to a couple of stores that are near Sugar Cube Corner. One of them having merchandise that is solely quills and sofas. How...wha...no words can describe how silly and stupid that sounds. Just quills and sofas? Before I even question the silliness of the store, we stop a distance away from two bridges. "See these two bridges?" Rainbow Dash asks. "Yeah." "They lead to different parts of Equestria. The left one leads to a city called Canterlot. That's where Princess Celestia and high class ponies live. And the bridge on the right leads to Fluttershy's Cottage and the Everfree Forrest. We'll visit Fluttershy at the end of the tour." "Good to know." The two of us make our way to the next stop which is Town Square. This plaza has many more shops and houses with, what appears to be, a town hall in the middle of it all. There are dozens of residents here walking, or trotting in this case, going all around town square either meeting friends, shopping, et cetera. There are many ponies here and I stick out like a sore hoof. A lot of the townsfolk are still staring at me. Some of them don't really pay much attention to me and just continue on their business. I just shrug off the staring and judgmental attitude. I can't blame them really. If one of these pastel colored horses appeared in my world, no doubt people would stare. It would be the same one way or another. The two of us make our way to the front of the tall building that I think is the town hall. "You can probably guess that this is town hall," Rainbow Dash says. CALLED IT! "We don't really use it all that often, but still, it's needed. Who knows when a town meeting needs to be conducted or if an important speech needs to be addressed." "Speech?" I inquire "Well, whenever someone needs to conduct a speech, it's usually outside the town hall." "Oh, okay." "This must be the new young colt I have heard about," I hear a elder, yet feminine voice say approaching us. Me and Rainbow Dash turn our heads to see a tan mare with whitish, grey hair. She has a white collar with a puffy blue thing on it (I don't know what it's called). "Ah, Rainbow Dash, you must be showing this young colt around Ponyville. Am I right?" Colt? I'm a human male, not a male horse. I guess that's just their dialect or something like that. "That's right mayor," Rainbow Dash says. Mayor? Okay, so I have been in this frikin' world since Sunday and I have already meet two princesses and a political figure. Wow! I guess princesses and political figures must be abundant. "This is Nick. Nick, I want you to meet the mayor of Ponyville, Mayor Mare." Seriously? Mayor Mare? I guess I shouldn't be surprised. "It's nice to finally meet you," the tan mare says extending a hoof. I comply by shaking it. "Likewise," I say. "So how is Ponyville treating you so far?" "Pretty good. Most of the ponies I have meet so far have been really nice and hospital to me. The ones I haven't really meet are just staring at me." "Really?" "Take a look behind you if you don't believe me." I point to a teal colored unicorn and a cream colored pony that are behind the mayor. These two have been staring at me, Rainbow Dash and the Mayor for the the past minute. The Mayor looks behind her and looks at those two other ponies. Almost after she takes a look at the pair, they strike up a conversation among themselves in half a second, almost acting like they weren't looking at us. "Hmm." She turns back to me and Rainbow Dash. "I see what you mean. I do apologize." "Apologize? Why? It's understandable why they're acting like this. A new creature from a far away planet is now in their town. Of course they are gonna' stare at something that is out of the norm." "At least they're taking it better than when Zecora came here," Rainbow Dash says bluntly. "What happened when this Zecora character came here?" "Everypony either hid in their houses or head for the hills." "How come?" "Everyone just found her weird and different because she was a Zebra and that she talked in her native tongue." So we got racism and talking Zebras here too. Wow! Maybe this place isn't all sunshine and lollipops like how I thought it was. Who would have thought: racial and cultural issues and boundaries in a kids show? "But now she is treated like a regular citizen and she's actually really cool. No one looks at her in an odd way." Oh, if they patched things up in the end, I guess that's okay. I don't condone the fact that the town acted the way it did, but like what I just said, if they patched things up and if things worked out, I guess it's a happy ending. "I'm sure Ponyville will stop looking at you like this in due time," The mayor says. "If the Zecora situation was resolved, I'm sure your situation will be resolved in no time." "If you say so," I say. "Well, it was nice meeting you Nick, but I have some business I need to take care of. I just came out here to stretch my legs and it's time to get back to some work. Rainbow Dash, show him a good time around here. Okay?" "Yes ma'am?" Rainbow Dash says while doing a salute. Is that really necessary? "It was nice talking to you young lad. Rainbow Dash, it was nice seeing you again." After she says that, she leaves to attend whatever business a mayor attends to. "She seems nice," I say. "Well she is," Rainbow Dash says. "She's a great mayor and a fine politician if you ask me." "Quick question, where does this Zecora character live? She sounds like someb-I mean somepony I can relate to on this planet and I would like to meet her." "She lives in the Everfree Forest, but it's pretty dangerous to go in there alone. After we stop by Fluttershy's cottage by the end of the tour, I'll introduce you to her. But we should be super careful if we do." I am very curious about this Zecora character. "Alright, next stop!" Ten Minutes Later The two of us stop in front of, what appears to be, a school house. It kind of reminds me of the ones you would see in the 1800s era. "I take it this is the school?" I ask "Yep! I'm sure Miss Cheerilee is still here. There has been an in-service yesterday and today for the school." So that's why Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were home around noon time and not in school. "Miss Cheerline is really nice. I'll introduce you." The two of us walk to the entrance. Rainbow Dash knocks on the door of the school house. If the teacher is anything like the Mayor or Mrs. Cake, I should be on a hot streak with getting along with the other residents. The door opens and a light, maroon colored pony is at the door way. "Hello Rainbow Dash," Miss Cheerilee says. "How are-AAHHH!" She looks at me and slams the door shut. I think I hear a lock click on the other side. "Well that went well," I say sarcastically, yet humorously. "Heh-heh, let's try that again," Rainbow Dash says. She knocks on the door once more. "THERE'S A MONSTER AT THE DOOR!" I hear the school mare shout on the other side. And to think I was doing so well today. I only made one scream today, yet I was able to settle them down, and I also got along with two complete strangers right out of the gate. "Miss Cheerilee, this is not a monster. His name is NIck. He's known as a...a…a…" "Human," I remind her. "Human. That's right. He's harmless and a really cool guy. He hasn't caused harm to anypony and I am giving him a tour of Ponyville. He's eager to meet you and discuss the differences of the education systems between ours and his world." "That's ri-wait, WHAT?!" I'm not that eager and I don't want to discuss education differences. "No, I'm not too interested in education system differences. I'm not well educated on how my education system functions. I just go to school, learn, socialize, do my homework, that's it." "I'm just tryin' to help you out," Rainbow Dash saying in a sort of whining tone. "I thought that you two should start off on some sort of common ground." "Well you shouldn't assume stuff." Then again, I am the one to talk. "Just tryin' to help you out bro, cut a sister some slack." Oh geez. Can't she...wait, I hear something behind the school door. Is that...giggling? Does Cheerlie find me arguing with Rainbow Dash funny? This teacher has a weird sense of humor. "Oh my Celestia, this is priceless!" I hear her say, still laughing. "She seriously finds this funny?" Rainbow Dash asks. I am questioning that too. Hey, maybe Rainbow Dash and I could get on Vaudeville with arguing like this. The door of the school opens and a huge grin is on Miss Cheerilee. "I'm sorry about the way I acted. Please come in," she says in between giggles. So arguing in front of others is another approach to get on a citizen's good side or have them not fear you? Wow. This planet and it's inhabitants are twisted six ways from Sunday. Maybe its just this one pony, I'm not too sure really. Rainbow Dash and I enter the school. Well, the school is just a single class room with many small desks for the students. There is a larger desk in front of the classroom for Miss Cheerilee. It's pretty much a basic class room. "Once again, I apologize for my actions. It's just that you are new, very new might I add, and you kind of...surprised me and I sort of... overreacted," Cheerilee says apologetically, still having a smile on her face. "It's fine," I say. "It's understandable really. Me being a new species in a different world, everyone's actions are pretty reasonable. If I saw an odd creature walking around my home town, I don't know how I would react." "Fair enough. So, I'm sure Rainbow Dash told you who I am." "Yes, Miss Cheerilee, correct?" "That's it." "I'm assuming you're doing work here, but on an in-service day?" "Some teachers do have work to do on in-service days. I'm not too far away from wrapping up." "So I'm curious, what do you teach here in this school?" Even though I said I don't want to know how their education system works, I do want to know what she teaches. "Reading, writing, a little of arithmetic, history, life lessons, stuff like that." "Sounds like most of my elementary schools back at home. I guess the way both worlds educate their students aren't too different." "Do they teach what I teach back at your school or school?" "Mostly. History, arithmetic, literature, science classes, and so on." "What's your favorite class?" "Definately history." It's true. I am a fan of United States history to be exact. I am well educated on the John F. Kennedy assassination and a lot of the conspiracy theories around it. JFK is one of my favorite US Presidents as a matter a fact. He pushed for Civil Rights, he donated his presidential salary to charity, he handled the Cuban Missile Crisis and so on. John F. Kennedy was freaking awesome! He also...am I going off track again? "What intrigues you about history?" "Just how different groups are able to advance and make changes through technology, art, science or through trials and tribulations. Plus, my mom is a history teacher, so that kind of wore off on me." "Have you read on any Equestrian history?" "Actually no. I probably should now that you mention it." "Equestrian history is quite interesting if you ask me." "History, shmistory," Rainbow Dash says, uninterested. "History isn't that important. It's not like I would need that egghead stuff to get into the Wonder Bolts." Wonder Bolts? Who or what the Hell are the Wonder Bolts? I'll ask her about it later. Miss Cheerilee and I look at her with dissaproving faces. Rainbow gulps and rubs the back of her neck. "Heh heh, I mean, history is great," Rainbow Dash says, lamely. Wow, weak recovery Dashie. Hmm, I wonder if I should start calling her that. It sounds like a cool nickname. Maybe I should wait a little while until I get to know her better so I can actually call her nicknames. "Weak save Rainbow Dash," Cheerilee and I say at the same time. "Okay, I'll admit, that was a bad save. Sue me for having an opinion!" Me and the maroon colored mare roll our eyes. "So I want to know what extra curricular activities you do after school hours." Does everything revolve around school with her? "Well, I do theater programs at school. Musicals and plays to be exact." "Oh, you sing?" Her face brights up even more. I guess that being in a musical gives off the automatic assumption that one can sing. That is technically true though. "Yeah, he told me and the others that he's a performer," Rainbow Dash chimes in. "Hmm...prove it." Wait, what? I never have had any requests to sing on the spot. I just sing or rap whenever I feel like it. Ah, what the Hell, why not? I would ask her what song she would like to hear, but I doubt that I would know any of this planet's songs. "I'll sing a bit of one of my favorite songs," I say. Rainbow Dash and Cheerilee show anticipation. I think for a minute about which one of my favorite songs I should sing. Then, the perfect song pops into my head. "Okay this one is probably my all time favorite." I clear my throat. (Due to copyright, I am not allowed to post song lyrics.) "Whatcha' think?" I ask. "That's pretty good," Rainbow Dash says. "Very good," Miss Cheerilee comments. Very? I'm a decent singer at most. A lot of people have told me that I am good, but when I listen to myself on my recordings, I sound a lot different. Then again, that's just my opinion. To be completely honest, I am quite flattered by their response and I blush a little. "Did you say that song from your planet?" "I said it's my favorite, I never said that it was from my planet." "But you probably have not listened to our music yet. And your favorite music must be from your home planet" "Well played teach. Well played." She just lets out, yet another, giggle. "Well, it was nice seeing you again Miss Cheerilee," Rainbow Dash says. "I don't wanna' hold you up, especially when you have work that you need to finish." "Well alright," the maroon colored mare says. "Nick, it was nice meeting you. We should meet up again soon." "I'm gonna have to keep that in mind," I say. "It was nice meeting you too Miss Cheerilee. Like what you said, we should definitely chat again." "Indeed. I'll be seeing you two around." After that, Rainbow Dash and I leave the school. "So where to now Rainbow Dash?" I ask. But after I the last word leaves my mouth, my stomach rumbles. Must be lunch time. "How about someplace to eat? I know of a few good places to have lunch at," Rainbow Dash says.