//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: Somewhere Along the Way // by GrimPInkamena //------------------------------// This time around, walking through Ponyville was an uncomfortable experience. Something was following you, but you could never catch a glimpse of who or what it was. Twilight hadn't noticed your paranoia at all it seemed, as she was walking a few feet in front of you the whole time, absorbed in her own thoughts. On the outskirts of town you could still hear rustling from a tree. The thought that it was some shy, curious pony trying to figure out what you were struck you as the most likely possibility, but this was making you uneasy. You wanted to find out who this pony was. You stopped in the middle of the road. Twilight didn't hear gravel settling under your feet anymore and turned around. "What's the matter?" Twilight looked a bit worried. "Nothing, it's just... I think something is following us." Twilight looks around, trying to spot anything moving. Nothing. "I don't see anypony. Maybe it’s just your imagination?" You look around, then fix your eyes on the tree you had last heard a noise from. "I know you're there. What do you want?" The right side of your vision was suddenly blocked by something bright coloured. In surprise you quickly stepped back to see what it was. Pinkie Pie. She had a serious look on her face and a magnifying glass in front of her, glaring at you with a huge eye. Your heart's first reaction was to leap with joy at seeing her, Pinkie Pie was here! '...but what's with the serious look on her face?' Pinkie disappeared from sight. Now behind you, you could feel her studying the back of your head, grazing through your hair with her hoof. Turning around you didn't see the pink mare, as she was now on the ground, studying your shoes. You only stare at Pinkie in confusion as she got up, seemingly done with examining you. "Erm... Pinkie Pie? Is everything alright?" Twilight looked at her with a confused look. The pink mare's expression quickly changed from gloomy serious to joyful, as she started to bounce around you and Twilight. "Nothing's the matter, silly! I was just very curious to find out how he knows me." A lump forms in your throat. 'What did she just say??' "What do you mean? It's probably because I've been telling him about you." "Noooooo, that's not it. He must have known from before that." She stopped bouncing and put a hoof to her chin as one could hear the wheels in her brain turning. "Maybe it's cause he is really good at guessing games! He had already guessed he was going to meet us and figured out who we were even if he hadn't met us yet, even where I lived! You're good, mister!" "What are you talking about Pinkie? He just arrived here yesterd-" Twilight was interrupted by Pinkie suddenly being up in her face, with a huge eye staring at her from behind the magnifying glass. "Exactly!" Pinkie exclaims in a loud dramatic voice. Twilight looked at her friend, not able to assert what Pinkie was trying to say. You, on the other hand, knew exactly what it was she knew. How could she know? Pinkie turned her attention to you. Her smile widening. "It doesn't really matter how anyway. What's important is that we get to know you! We can't have friends who know their friends but their friends not knowing you, that could lead to awkward situations and awkward situations could lead to sadness which leads to loneliness and lonely ponies eat their cupcakes alone and no one should have to eat their cupcakes alone." It was impressive to look at the pony not biting her tongue while ranting on. At least it seemed like you were out of danger for the moment. With Pinkie's talking going silent for a couple of seconds, Twilight took her chance to get in a word. "Aaaanyways, this is Pinkie Pie." "Nice to finally meet you, Pinkie." With the worry of being found out nearly gone, the feeling of excitement took over once again. Pinkie stood in front of you smiling. She looked just like you had imagined, her mane and tail looked fluffy like cotton candy, and you could sense a sweet smell in the air since she showed herself. Just by being in her presence you could feel an aura around her that made you brighten up, making it impossible not to smile. "Hi, nice to meet you too! I'm having a party tomorrow and you should totally come. We'll play games, listen to music, dance to music, eat edible decorating paper. It'll be a blast!" You chuckle at her fast and random rambling. This was one interesting pony alright. "So I heard, I'd love to come to your party." Pinkie's smile widened even more from hearing you accepting her invitation, and before you could grasp any movement, she had embraced you in a hug. 'If I die tonight, it will be with a grin on my face.' The hug had left you dazed. It was the first full on contact you had experienced with a pony since arriving here. Except the crash with Rainbow, but that would hardly count in this context. Pinkie was soft, and the scent of candy was strong and seemed to originate from her mane which was right under your nose. It felt like being hugged by a teddy bear, only this was way better than any teddy bear. She broke the hug after only a few seconds, but for you it had felt like an eternity of bliss. Pinkie looked at you, satisfied with her hug as you stood completely still with your eyes half closed and a big grin on your face, then she turned to Twilight. "Are you guys going to see Fluttershy?" Twilight, who was looking at you in spite, was a bit startled by the question. "Yup. Since we don't have the resources here to reverse the spell today, we're touring around Ponyville. And Fluttershy's cottage was next on our list." She gave the pink mare a gentle glare. "Do you want to tag along with us?" Clearly she wasn't very fond of the idea of her tagging along. "As much as I'd like to, I have somewhere else I need to be." Pinkie seemed oblivious to Twilight's gesture of slight resentment. Snapping out of your trance you look over at your former hugging partner. "Well, we'll be there at the party tomorrow. Guess we'll see you then." Pinkie stood up on her hind legs and waved her front hooves furiously at you and Twilight. "Be there or be square, then be there! I have to go deliver these cakes to Cranky so I have to fly. See you tomorrow!" Pulling out a basket from nowhere and putting it on her head with a strap under her chin, Pinkie bounced away. You and Twilight only stood still and watched the pony leave, then looked at each other. "She's rather energetic isn't she." Your mask was starting to crack as the warm smile you usually wore in these situations were far wider than you meant for it to be. "She's Pinkie Pie. There is no better way to define what she is. Believe me, I've tried." Twilight turned around and started walking along the path in the other direction. You walked quickly to catch up and walk by her side. "I'll take your word for it then." You smiled and look down at Twilight, who only looked straight forward with a scowl. "Is something the matter, Twilight?" Twilight's cheeks turned a shade of red and she looked away. "Nothing's the matter." she said, then turned back to you. "It's nothing. I just have a lot on my mind is all." She forced a smile while saying it, but it looked more sincere after a short moment. 'What was that about. Did she have a falling out with Pinkie? Pinkie didn't look like she had a grudge against Twilight though. Was she jealous of Pinkie's hug?' The thought that it might have been something you did bothered you. You didn't want Twilight to be mad at you, or feel any kind of unhappy in general. "You sure?" you pursued with an indication of concern in your voice. "I'm sure." She looked like her happy self again now, maybe it was just you over thinking things again after all. It wasn't very long until you reached a wooden bridge that made path over a small creek. On the other side you could see a house almost completely camouflaged in the nature surrounding it, only betrayed by the paved pathway and fence that lead up to the front door. A second look showed the blue curtains behind the clear windows, though the brightness of the sun outside made the inside of the house seem dark and vacant. The outside of the house however, was very lively. Everywhere you looked there was a critter of some sort, and clucking sounds from the chicken coop gave the chickens' presence away. The contrast between the blue sky and different shades of green nature was stunningly pretty. All the animal sounds together with the sight of it all gave the whole scene a sense of tranquility. Your observant eye caught movement in a curtain on the second floor of the cottage. "I think somepony saw us coming." you remarked, pointing at the window you had made your observation. Knowing this pony was very shy by nature, you had hoped you could at least get close to see Fluttershy before she ran away after noticing you. "Let's see if she answers the door then." Twilight's voice indicating she didn't have too high hopes that you would get a response. "Let's." All the excitement your body felt today had made you quite tired, and the feeling was much more diluted now walking up to the cottage door than it was the first time you had seen Rainbow Dash this morning. Twilight raised a hoof and knocked on the red two-part door with three solid knocks. Talking could be heard inside, though it was too low to hear what was being said. When it gradually became louder it sounded like someone having a conversation... or an argument. Fluttershy wasn't alone in there. "... -not going out there, I won't know what to say, what if he doesn't like me, we don't know what he does to ponies he doesn't like." "Don't worry Fluttershy. I met him this morning and he didn't seem remotely dangerous." 'Somepony I met this morning?' The door knob twitched a little, then it went silent and the sound of a struggle was coming through the door. Shortly after, the door flung open, and in the opening stood Rainbow Dash. You were a little surprised seeing her here, but Twilight didn't seem to remark it as anything special. Behind Rainbow was a trembling pink and yellow lump of fur. The thrilling feeling of experiencing something otherworldly emerged once again. Seemed you still had it in you after all. You braced yourself for meeting the scared pony with your friendly poker smile. Rainbow Dash was the first of the two pegasi to greet you. "Hey! We meet again. Fluttershy, why don't you say hi." The pink maned pegasus got up with a fresh breeze of confidence and walked towards the door with her eyes fixed on Rainbow. "Fine Dashie, but I really don't like you forcing me into these things. I'd really like to do things at my own - Eek!" Looking up at you for a moment, Fluttershy gave off a startled squeal and hid back behind Rainbow, who closed her eyes in a heavy sigh at the quivering pegasus. Not an entirely unexpected reaction, you thought. "Consider his feelings for a second would you Fluttershy?" "It's alright, I get that I look unusual." "Well yea. But now we know you're cool. So it shouldn't be such a big deal, should it, Fluttershy?" Fluttershy slowly stood back up and walked up besides Rainbow Dash in the doorway, switching her eyes between the floor and you every other second. "Well, um... I guess not. I'm sorry. Hello Twilight, and welcome." You try to give her a reassuring smile. “Don't worry about it. I’ve been getting strange reactions all day.” Rainbow Dash gave Fluttershy a gentle pat on the head, making sure not to mess up her mane. "Hi Fluttershy." Twilight said smiling trying to lighten up Fluttershy's mood, but she now only stood crouched in the doorway looking to her right, making herself as small as possible and hiding her face behind her mane. Rainbow spoke up since Fluttershy had shied away into silence. "It's nice to see you both. So what's up?" Before Twilight could answer you wanted to try an ice-breaker. "Twilight is showing me around Ponyville today, and so far I haven't seen anything as pretty as your garden and the area surrounding it, Fluttershy." She carefully looked back up at you to acknowledge your compliment. "Um, thanks." "And you have a lot of critters I see. I'm an animal lover myself, are you friends with all of them?" Hearing your statement, Fluttershy looked up at you with more interest. "Why, yes. All the animals and critters around here are my friends. I feed them and take care of them if they fall ill." "That's pretty impressive. I've never had any more than a couple of pets at most, and that alone is hard work." It seemed the tactic worked. It was the first time you really felt the knowledge from the TV show had really helped out. Though you felt a little dirty, because in a way what you did was cheating. "Oh, it's not a problem, they are all well behaved, and most of them don't need that much looking after." The yellow pegasus had the softest, gentle voice. Just hearing her speak could make one feel relaxed. Impressed by your crafty diplomatic skills, Twilight looked at you with big eyes in surprise before turning to the pair standing in front of her. "Could you perhaps show him around? You know these woods more than anypony." "Sure Twilight, anything for a new friend." Good chills ran through your body as Flutteshy's words reached your ears. 'Best. Day. Ever.' Your mind did a victorious fist-pump action. Today had been well spent making new friends, of your dreams! Fluttershy's garden was much bigger than expected. It took almost two hours to see all the sights Fluttershy had deemed worthy of presenting. Rainbow Dash had tagged along as well. Fluttershy had taken you to an old tree in the midst of the forest about a ten minute walk from her cottage. She had told you what you were going to see, and you had become quite skeptical if it was worth the trouble of walking through the woods for so long to see a tree. Any skepticism was removed once you entered a clearing in the forest that roomed a tree with a very thick trunk. It's ancient looks gave it a magical presence. The bottom branches had no leaves growing on them anymore, but the top was green and thriving. At the base of the trunk, the roots had reached out wide to form small caves under the huge tree, in which groups of deer had taken residence. Fluttershy floated over to them and kept them calm as you approached, giving you a chance to pet the tame animals. Time passed by quickly while seeing all these beautiful places. You were on your way back to the cottage when Rainbow Dash's stomach started to growl, quickly followed by your own. Twilight give a light sigh. "Maybe it's about time for dinner. I am getting pretty hungry myself." Fluttershy gently glided back around from her position at the front of the pack to land besides you. "Oh, I can make us dinner." Fluttershy suggested with a gentle smile. Rainbow Dash was quick to land besides the yellow pegasus and pointed a hoof out in protest. "You made dinner yesterday, 'Shy. I promised that I'd make you dinner today. I'll just make a double portion since we have guests." "Well, that's true. I guess, if you really want to, it's fine." Rainbow Dash nods, then closed her eyes in thought for a moment. "Twilight said something about humans not being able to eat a bunch of stuff this morning though. So what can we cook up?" While Rainbow Dash was inside the cottage making dinner - with help from Twilight - you were outside befriending Fluttershy's bird collection. You had birds sitting all over your head and outstretched arms when Fluttershy's smile dimmed down to a little more serious look than you were used to seeing on this mare. You looked at Fluttershy and exert yourself to speak without moving too much, in an attempt to not frighten the birds. "What's the matter? You seem not so happy all of sudden." The pegasus looked up at you. "It's just, you know, I'm just sorry how I acted when I first saw you. I was judging a book by its cover." "I told you it was alright didn't I?" You smile reassuringly at her. "That’s not all I want to say though. Even after I got a bit distracted by the fact that you loved animals, I was a bit worried. But now I'm just curious really." "What is it?" "Well, one of the first things I noticed when I saw you..." She took a short pause looking away from you, then looked back into you eyes. "You have carnivore teeth." What Fluttershy was saying surprised you, but maybe it shouldn't have. She was a master with animals after all, of course she would have noticed something like that. She continued, "Does that have anything with you not being able to eat hay and the like?" Your face turns serious as well. This isn't a subject you can shove or joke away. You have to reassure her somehow without telling the entire truth. The fact that you actually prefer a good burger would probably freak somepony out. "You're right Fluttershy." You let your arms down and the birds fly away. You couldn't look serious with twelve birds on your arms. Fluttershy didn't look scared, she bore a face of anticipation, waiting for you to come with some explanation. "Where I am from, using my teeth for what they're designed for, is a choice. Lots of humans go through their entire lives eating nothing but what grows out from the ground. It's actually becoming more and more common, but our digestive system can't break down hay and flowers the way yours can." Fluttershy's face showed off a smile again, looking like she was happy with what she heard, though you weren't sure if you had explained it well enough. "That's good to hear at least. I wasn't really worried, I was just curious. I know you wouldn't hurt anypony, I can see it in your eyes." Captivated by her words, you could understand why she would be the element of kindness. Dinner was served on a picnic rug outside the cottage. The appetizer was a salad, seemingly mixed with different fruits and vegetables, not something you were used to, but completely edible. For the main course the ponies had made pasta with mushroom sauce. And it was pretty darn good. After not leaving any scraps, everyone laid back in the grass. Some small talk were exchanged, and without you realizing, it you drifted to sleep. You woke up just as gradually as you had fallen asleep. The only give-away that you had slept for a while, was the sky starting to turn orange as the sun was almost setting. Not hearing anypony, you sit up to look for them. You hadn't even gotten half way up before you noticed Twilight. She was laying with her back turned towards you just a couple of feet away. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy was nowhere to be seen, and the picnic rug was gone. Stealthily you lean over Twilight to check on her status. Fast asleep. You take a while to admire the cute sleeping pony. She looked so peaceful, if you had any place to be you'd probably delay it, since it would involve waking her up to get there. You moved closer to her and laid back down, your cheek nearly touching her back. Reaching out a hand you want to touch her coat, but you retracted it, thinking she might be insulted by it somehow. You didn't know pony etiquette, so why take the risk. In the middle of a grassy field, you laid with one of the ponies of your dreams. You felt the calm summer breeze perfectly nullifying the heat from the summer sun. Leaving just the right amount of warmth on your skin. 'Wonder if the pegasi actually calculate all this stuff.' You didn't realize how long you rested like this, as you drifted in and out of consciousness and the sky became a darker shade of orange every time you opened your eyes. Twilight sure smelled nice.