//------------------------------// // August 13, 2015 (Josh) // Story: You've Got to be Foaly Kitty Me: From Home to Equestria // by Josh Crapo //------------------------------// The time after Zecora's place yesterday was a chore to sit through. I had to wait five hours just to see if it was midnight that I finally could start talking. As a result of drinking that remedy that was extremely heavy at first, I wasn't able to eat or drink anything until I knew I could talk, because if I did before I knew I was able to talk, the remedy would dissolve. As of now, it's about seven forty in the morning. I'm sitting on my bed in the guest room of Twilight's castle as I think back to last night with a smile glued to my face. I was successfully able to talk after midnight. I don't remember a thing I said last night, but everyone celebrated and cheered their hearts out while I just smiled. The door knocks in my room. "Come in." The door opens with Twilight and Spike coming in. "Glad to see you're back to talking, albeit not that much talking." I nod. "Say, just wondering if you have enough energy to fly yet." I nod again after a little thought. "Great! Let's go see Rainbow Dash! She's an expert on flying." I stand up and walk out of the room after Twilight and Spike. We get to Rainbow Dash's place to see if Rainbow Dash is home, which she is. "Hey, Josh! So you're lookin' to flyin', huh?" I nod. "Well, you're in luck. I've been flyin' ever since I was a little filly, about Tail Flight's age, maybe even younger. All you've got to do to learn how to fly is to run and jump." Why does that "run and jump" phrase ring a bell? I shrug and start to check my wings, and see if they work in a good way. I start to run just like RD told me to and prepare a huge leap. As I leap, I check my wings to make sure they flap in a circle. And they do. I close my eyes and expect to land on the ground just like I had when I jumped over a gap where a block of sidewalk was supposed to be. I feel nothing on my feet. I open my eyes to see I'm still rising in the air. I look at my wings again and see that they're flapping just like they're supposed to. All I have to do is gain control of them. "How's about you slow the flapping down?" I slow my wings down, causing my rising to slow down. "How about moving it double perpendicular?" Double perpendicular? Does that mean a completely different direction pointed to as opposed to where my back or sides point? Better try it out. I flap my wings diagonal down away from my back now, accelerating me forward. I flap in the opposite movement, sending me backwards now. "Looking awesome out there Josh! There's one more technique to learn now! Double parallel!" Wait, double parallel? Oh, that would mean putting one wing parallel to my back and the other parallel to my side. Okay, I got that. I try to get my wings to go left, but I turn right. Oh wait. Now I get it. Turning wings left means turning right, so turning wings right means turning left. It was a good thing I lowered how much I flap my wings. They are getting tired. I fly over to Rainbow Dash and lower my flap speed more. "Alright. Time to land." I sink to the ground slowly and brace my feet for impact, almost as if I were going to land on the other side of the gap I thought about earlier. My feet slowly touch the ground as I close my eyes. I start to smile so much, my cheeks are going to hurt for the third time this week. "Wow! That went awfully well for your first try, Josh. Your reaction may've been slow, but it looked like you knew exactly what you were doin' out there." I start to blush. "Thanks Rainbow Dash." Deja vu! Why would something like this feel so familiar? I haven't even been to Rainbow Dash's house before. I've only seen it because of the show. "Great work out there Josh. I think you're already getting the hang of your wings." Twilight wraps her hoof around me blocking my wings. "Thanks, Twilight." Wind Rust and Tail Flight come over and hug me. "Josh!" Tail Flight, full blast, blows Twilight's grip to my back out by hugging me tightly, rolling around along the way. "Wind Rust? Tail Flight?" "EEEEEE!!!! He's getting better!!!" "Calm down Tail Flight. His voice sounds a little hoarse. But he sounds more comfortable talking today." I wipe my hand through my forehead. "Wow, you guys look like ants up there." "Wow Josh! I didn't know you were actually flying. I thought that would've been somepony like Fluttershy." Rainbow Dash and Twilight gawk at Tail Flight. "Yeah, Fluttershy's been flying since your age, Tail. You do know that, right?" Tail Flight shakes her head. "Perhaps, maybe she remembers being with Josh longer than she actually was, because I sure do. And we both remember being flightless back in the day. And even back then, we didn't hear any clip clopping when we were outside." I think back to before I met Tail Flight and Wind Rust as of their figures now, because of Wind Rust. The cats that I remember, from May and earlier. named Eve and Rusty respectively. "Well, this must've been an interesting alternate past of yours. We can all agree though that you had your own past with us. Tail Flight, you met with us in Baltimare, right after Winter Wrap Up. Wind Rust, you've met us in Las Pegasus, that was before it got exceptionally hot over there. And I thought I was gonna get heatstroke just from sitting down and drinking water." Wind Rust has a particularly strange look on his face, almost as if he remembers there being some absolutely hot days. That's the final straw. I go up to Twilight in question of that day. "Was there a travel ban over at Las Pegasus when you were there?- Ow." My throat is still somewhat soar especially when talking in longer sentences. I clear my throat a little to ease the pain. "There was none. I don't think we've had one since Tirek came around." I remember that. The other of the six ponies warned every pony in Ponyville to stay inside, which fits as a travel ban in my world. "Oh, I think I know how it went. Didn't Las Pegasus announce a travel ban after that? All I remember was going to your guys' place after getting a copy of some newspaper." This is crazy! How does Wind Rust remember that? I thought he only had Rusty's memory. Maybe there's just enough memory to give everyone a recall on what happened. "Twilight, let's get to Las Pegasus town hall." Twilight shakes her head. "Can't do it. It's the seventh travel ban announced this summer, and it's still going after two days straight." Rainbow Dash nods. "Yeah, too hot down there. I'd feel sorry for you Rust if you still lived there. We just so happened to get you an empty house in Ponyville because of that." Tail Flight changes the subject. "Does Wind Rust actually remembering Las Pegasus relate to me actually remembering ton gum plants." "Maybe it does." "Well, I'm sure that Tail Flight remembers those plants. The only reason it's used as a solution to what Josh had was because it kills cells. However, it doesn't mean just the mutated ones. Josh was just lucky because's a human... well, a human with wings. In reality, to a pony, those things are for MOD's only." I know that abbreviation anywhere, which means that if I were turned into a pony, one good thing that could come out of that would be that I'd get to see Sugar and Sydney again. Now I feel lucky to be a human. "Well, nopony's going to have an MOD when I'm around." A very familiar voice comes from behind me. I turn around. Discord! I get to meet him in the flesh!! This is the best day ever! Okay, better keep my cool like I've done with the six ponies. "I hear you're finally getting better." "At what?" I ask. "Well, your voice. I heard you were sick, so I got some seeds at the Saddlantic coast and went all the way back to Ponyville to plant them in the Everfree Forest. And I knew exactly what you had. I know what it's like to not be able to move my lips, but really that was being trapped in stone." "So, you were the ones who planted the ton gum plants?!?" Tail Flight looks shocked. "But of course Tail Flight. Would I not do that for a friend?" "Uh, how did you know her name?" Rainbow Dash faces Discord with a blank face. "Why, I'm the master of chaos, remember? That's why I'm named Discord." "Well, thanks for getting Josh the ton gum plants Discord." Tail Flight wraps her hoof around Discord's back. I nod at Discord. "Yeah, I don't know what I'd say if I couldn't move my lips." "And I supposed that zebra friend of yours helped deliver that plant?" I nod again. "But if Zecora got a letter from Princess Celestia, shouldn't you have gotten it?" "Good point Tail Flight, but I believe my senses told me there was a stiff jaw around in Equestria. And that someone who had said stiff jaw was Joshua here. And don't ask how I knew his name because it's going to be the exact same answer as last time if you do. But finally, Wind Rust. I'm so sorry about your father getting kicked out of the Wonderbolts." "My father? Who?" Rainbow Dash starts to fly at an increasing altitude elaborating her questioning. "Oh, so you remember Las Pegasus, but not your father? Still, I don't know how you remember the very town you lived in before your disappearance at the final night of May. But maybe it's for the best that you don't remember your father." "Oh, yes. I remember what happened to the three. I think it was a senior prank." How does Discord know about the senior prank from last school year? I told him squat about that. "Where is Wiretap anyway?" "At his house in Marechias." Rainbow Dash smiles. Discord smiles now. "Road trip to the Crystal Empire anypony?!?"