//------------------------------// // Chapter - 12 - Cloudsdale // Story: I Treasure Your Love // by Hawker Hurricane //------------------------------// THE NEXT MORNING Connor woke up early just as the sun was rising. The night before Spitfire, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash gave Connor a few quick lessons on basic wing control. He was a little rusty at first but within a couple of hours he was able to move them in and out with relative ease. There were occasions where his wings would spring out much to the amusement of Rainbow Dash, in one instance his wings unintentionally hit Fluttershy in the face. Connor getting rather panicky started apologising profusely. Fluttershy wasn't hurt though and she didn't hold Connor at fault but accepted his apology nonetheless. He and the gang all talked about things in general for the rest of the night. Spitfire left for Cloudsdale to see to the last of the preparations for the competition. Connor got out of bed and gave his limb and wings a stretch. He made his way over to his Wonderbolts flight suit and put it on. After struggling for a few moments getting his wings through the slits in the back he zipped the front up and put the goggles over his head, letting them rest just above his forehead. The boots and belt quickly followed, he took the gloves but left them off for now. He made his way downstairs to the kitchen where he could smell food. Connor walked into the kitchen to find Twilight making breakfast, "Hey Twilight, did you sleep well?" Twilight turned round to Connor, "Hi Connor, yeah I slept ok. Well there were grunts of annoyance coming from the guest bedroom which disturbed the peace but apart from that there was a peaceful tranquillity to the night." Connor narrowed his eyes, "Very funny Sparkle Butt, just you wait until you get a pair of wings and you'll react the same." Twilight laughed," Me becoming an alicorn? Don't be silly." "You never know," said Connor, "It could happen." "It's highly unlikely, I've never heard of a pony becoming an alicorn." "It doesn't mean it can never happen though," Connor replied. "True but let's discuss this another time. I'm hungry. Oh and I see you decided to wear your flight suit now, we don't leave for a few hours." Connor nodded, "Yes. Well it's just that Rarity put a lot of effort into it the least I could do was get as much use out of it as I could." Twilight smiled, "You don't have to explain yourself to me, besides you look good in it, it suits you. You could even pass for a genuine Wonderbolt." Connor laughed at that, "Maybe. What does Rainbow Dash think of it? She hasn't really said anything which is quite surprising." "She's excited but she didn't want to make you feel uneasy. She's also quite pleased you're dating Spitfire." Connor's face went a bright shade of red, "We're not really dating besides I don't see her like that." Connor was obviously lying and he knew it. And if the raised eyebrow on Twilight's face was anything to go by she knew it as well. "Connor," said Twilight, "I may be what Rainbow calls an 'egghead' but I'm still a mare. I'm old enough to know when a stallion shows an interest in a mare." Connor looked at Twilight and sighs, "Is it really that obvious?" "Pretty much, yes," said Twilight as she walks over to Connor and rests a hoof on his lap, "But don't worry, we're here to help you." Connor put his hand on Twilight's hoof, "Thanks Twilight. Should we have our breakfast now?" Twilight nodded, "Absolutely, do you like bagels? Oh and here's a pot of tea." The two of them had their breakfast in which Twilight talked about some of the books she had been reading, all of which went over Connor's head. "Where's Spike?" asked Connor. "He's having a lay in, he did stay up late after all, and he's still quite young so he needs his sleep. Besides were not going anywhere or doing anything until lunch time." "Fair enough, I think I'll go over to Sugercube Corner later before we go. Is it OK if I can read some books in the meantime?" "Of course you can, this is a library after all. I would give you a library card but you need to have been a resident of Equestria for six months to get one, sorry if that offends you." "I'm not offended, a similar thing applies in my country." Twilight smiled, "It's good that you're understanding." "I might be understanding but I'm not perfect." "I wouldn't expect you to be. Ponies aren't perfect either." Connor smiled, "We are more alike than unalike." "Indeed we are. Now you get yourself in the library while I wash up." "I can help with the dishes." "And risk getting your flight suit dirty, do you want to know what Rarity would do to you if that happened?" "Point taken," replied Connor, "I take it this wasn't cheap to make?" Twilight shook her head "No it wasn't. It uses the same material as the actual Wonderbolt's flight suits. The material itself is very expensive and has magical enhancement to aid the wearers' body to breath at altitude as well as keep the wearers body temperature at a comfortable level." Connor nodded in understanding, "So this suit isn't a replica it's essentially the real deal." "Yes. After everything you've been through I think you deserve a little luxury." "Do they actually sell replica Wonderbolt flight suits? In my world replica merchandise is extremely popular......and financially lucrative." "Yes they do. There's a huge range of Wonderbolt merchandise that you can get, replica flight suits are best sellers. They're made from a similar material to yours but without magical enhancements." "Does Rainbow have one?" "I think she did as a filly but as an adult no. She said she wanted to wait until she's become a Wonderbolt to wear one." "Do you think she'll do it?" "Absolutely." ------------------------------------------------------------ A FEW HOURS LATER Connor woke up on the sofa just before lunch and woke up a scene of utter chaos. Books and scrolls were scattered all over and the Spike and the Mane 6 expect Rainbow Dash were in the library. He also noticed Rarity with interesting additions. "Rarity?" Rarity turned around, "Connor you look splendid. I dare say you could be mistaken for an actual Wonderbolt." Connor blushed, "I wouldn't go that far. I'm just your average Joe, there's nothing special about me." "You're much too hard on yourself darling. Everypony is special in their own unique way and each has a special talent that defines them. You are no different." "I told him the same thing a few days ago," said Twilight. Connor sighed, "I know it's just that it's difficult to be positive when you've lived with a lot of criticism." "We know darling and we want to do everything we can to help you." Connor smiled, "Thanks guys, it means a lot. Oh and nice wings by the way." Connor's compliment brought out a huge smile form Rarity, "Thank you darling, they're made from gossamer and morning dew and they look absolutely smashing." Connor looked around the library, "By any chance would Rainbow Dash have caused this mess? Where is she anyway?" Twilight was the one to speak up, "She was practicing some tricks for the competition when she lost control. According to Rarity she was having stage fright so long story short we decided we'd all go to Cloudsdale to support her. Non-Pegasi can't walk on clouds so I used a spell to allow Rarity to grow wings. I used a modified version on you, I figured feathered wings were more your style." Connor nodded in understanding, "Ok, what about Applejack and Pinkie?" "There's a simpler spell I can use on them that allows them to walk on clouds." "Are you entering the competition Rarity?" asked Connor. "I may actually. She may feel much better with a friend competing with her." "I'm sure she'll appreciate it. When do we leave?" "We leave in about an hour in a hot air balloon." "Do you want any help cleaning up?" Twilight smiled in delight, "It would be appreciated, thank you Connor." ------------------------------------------------------------ One hour and a clean library later the girls and Connor set off in the hot air balloon towards Cloudsdale. Connor had brought with him his laptop and phone as he planned to show the Wonderbolts human technology, and to finally let the girls listen to human music. He had already decided what he would show to each girl. Connor was leaning over the side of the balloon getting a good view of Equestria, he could see the sprawling Metropolis that was Canterlot. Canterlot is a lot bigger than you think, about the same size as York. "Enjoying the view?" asked Twilight. "Definitely, Equestria is certainly something to look at." "That's great to hear. Are you looking forward to the competition?" Connor's face lit up, "I'm definitely looking forward to seeing Spitfire again." The girls all looked at each other trying not to giggle, Twilight spoke up again "I asked if you were looking forward to the competition?" Connor's face went red, "I uh...well....what I meant was...uh...” The girls’ ability to contain their giggles failed and soon the balloon was filled with the sound of laughter. Connor wasn't laughing however, he felt a bit embarrassed and like he'd been made a fool of. Something that did not sit well with him. He turned away from the girls and looked back out of the balloon with a blank expression to Canterlot on the distance. He said nothing as the girls continued to laugh. It lasted only for a few seconds before Pinkie spoke up. "Connor are you OK?" she asked. "I'm fine," he said in a neutral tone. The girls looked at each other and by the looks on each other's face felt they may have crossed the line by laughing. Twilight spoke up, "Connor are you sure you're OK?" Connor suppressing his temper replied with the same neutral tone, "I said I'm fine." The girls said nothing more and the rest of the journey went in silence, Connor not once moving away or turning around. ------------------------------------------------------------ After arriving in Cloudsdale much to the surprise of Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, who gave the girls got a tour of the cloud city, Connor went off on his own without saying a word to anyone. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, seeing their new friend walk off without saying anything to them asked the rest of the girls what was wrong. Twilight explained what happened and the six girls agreed that they should let Connor be by himself a bit as confronting him may do more harm than good. Connor was walking along some clouds, still amazed he can do that, when he noticed a lot of ponies looking at him. Must be the outfit or the fact that I'm a human, or both He ignored their looks and continued walking when he turned onto what appeared to be a shopping street that sort of looked like Stonegate in York. There were a fair range of shops including a specialist fudge shop with dozens of different flavours, a chocolate shop, antiques, furniture, pubs, cafe's, tea shops, barbers, bakeries, fashion outlets and unsurprisingly a Wonderbolts merchandise store. Connor walked along the street clearly showing his enthusiasm at what he was seeing. He spotted the fudge shop and made a beeline for the place. All the while getting inquisitive looks form the nearby ponies. He entered the shop and almost immediately gained the attention of those inside. He went to the deli style cabinet containing many of what the store sold and was quite surprised at all the different flavours there were available including orange and chocolate, vanilla, orange and pineapple, lemon and lime, coffee, toffee, hazelnut, strawberry, raspberry, cola and Connor's favourite, mint and chocolate. One of the workers spoke up, quite amazed that, from her perspective, a Wonderbolt was in her store. She had never met this creature before but he was in a Wonderbolts get up that didn't look like a replica. Pegasi have a very keen eye for detail and can tell the real deal from the replicas. What she saw was the real deal. Steadying her breathing she spoke up. "May I help you sir?" asked a light gold Pegasus mare with a chocolate brown mane and tail and brown eyes. The mane was tied up into a bun, most likely to keep the mane out of the fudge. Her Cutie Mark looked like Caramel swirling around fudge. Rather fitting considering her occupation. Connor looked up to the mare, "Yes, could I have a pound of the mint and chocolate please and another two pounds made up of seven equal sizes of any other flavours please." The imperial system. So good it's used in another reality. Take that metric system. The mare took the requested choices and cut them to size accordingly before wrapping each individual piece in greaseproof paper. "That's quite a choice sir," the mare said as she put the wrapped-up fudge into a paper bag, "Are some of them for friends?" Connor nodded, "Yes. They've done a lot for me in the last few days so I thought I'd get a little thank you for it. I'm getting them other gifts as well mind you." "That's very nice of you sir, that'll be 30 bits please," Connor handed the mare the appropriate amount, "Are you performing today?" "Performing?" he asked confused as he took the paper bag from her. "Well you are in a genuine Wonderbolts flight suit so I was wondering if you were performing today." "No I'm not performing. I'm not a Wonderbolt anyway. How did you know this was genuine and not a replica?" The mare looked at Connor surprised, "You're not a Wonderbolt?" Connor shook his head. "Then how did you get a genuine flight suit?" "A friend made it. She herself got hold of the material and tailor made it for me. It came as a huge surprise to me." "Well you certainly pass for a Wonderbolt. And your wings look truly impressive. You must take extremely good care of them for them to be as radiant as they are." Connor chuckled, "Actually I wasn't born with wings. Another friend cast a spell so I would have a pair temporarily. It was also a surprise, my friends conspired together to make two related surprises and this is the result." The mare looked stunned, "Well you have damn fine friends. And even though you're not a Wonderbolt, you certainly could pass as one. And that's not just because you have a genuine suit and wings, it's the way you carry yourself." Connor smiled at the compliment, "Thank you. I'm Connor." The mare smiled and held out her hoof which Connor shook, "And I'm Caramel Fudge, owner of Caramel Fudges' Caramel Fudge." "Nice name. Is Caramel Fudge your signature fudge?" "Indeed it is. Here", Caramel said as she cut some fudge, "Have some of my signature flavour fudge, a bit for now and a bit for later, on the house." Connor took the two pieces of fudge, "Thank you," he said before trying the Caramel Fudge. Connors' face lit up which brought a fit of giggles from Caramel, "I take it you like it then?" Connor nodded vigorously, "This is brilliant, you may have just got yourself a new regular." This brought a huge smile from Caramel who only just managed to refrain from hugging the air out of Connor. "Thank you sir." "Please call me Connor." "Very well Connor, then call me Cara. I'll let you get to your business now. No doubt you will want to look around a bit more. Oh and to answer your question from earlier, I knew your suit was genuine as we Pegasi have a very keen eye for detail," she said as she winked at Connor. Connor blushed which brought out more giggles from Cara, "Don't worry Connor, I'm only teasing you. I know you've got your eyes on another mare." Connor looked surprised, "How did-" "It's in your eyes. Besides, as I said we Pegasi have a very keen eye for detail plus I'm a mare so I know the look a stallion gives when he's got a mare on his mind." Connor chuckled, "Yeah you're right. She's amazing, we're not officially dating but I'm thinking of asking her later. I hope it's not too soon." "How long have you know her?" Cara asked. "Less than a week. Long story short I was in Canterlot, she accidently flew into me which forced me on to the ground and knocked me out. I woke up in hospital with her there. I left for Ponyville, she took some leave to visit me and we started hanging out." Cara nodded in understanding, "What does she do?" Connor rubbed the back of his neck uneasily, "Errrrrm she's a Wonderbolt." Cara's face lit up, "Very interesting. Which Wonderbolt, tell me tell me tell me." Connor help his breath before answering, "Spitfire." Cara went wide eyed, "SPITFIRE!!" Connor nodded, "I'm not sure if I should ask as it's rather soon, I don't want to come off as too strong or desperate." Cara took on a serious look and tone of voice, "Don't worry about that. If she took a leave of absence to spend time with you then she is very interested in you. She loves her job as Group Captain of the Wonderbolts and wouldn't take time off without good reason. Ask her when you see her later. Don't miss your opportunity with her because believe me you'll regret it." Connor took in what Cara said and nodded, "I'll ask her later after the competition." Cara went back to her bright and bubbly self again, "Excellent. Now shoo, the crowd outside is waiting." Connor looked confused, "What crowd?" Cara pointed with her hoof towards the window facing the street, "That crowd." It was Connor's turn to go wide eyed, "Oh Shi-" "Come on Honey Bun get your plot outside and meet your fans," said a rather amused Cara as she pushed Connor towards the door, much to his dismay. "No, please don't send me out there." ------------------------------------------------------------ Connor stood there as about three or four dozen ponies just stood there looking at him. Cara was watching with glee from inside her store. "So......" Connor started, "How is everypony?" There was a chorus of 'OK's' and 'I'm good's. A small colt in a replica Wonderbolt's outfit approached Connor looking a little nervous. "Excuse me mister," he started, "Are you a Wonderbolt?" Connor looked at the colt and then to the assembled ponies, all looking rather quizzical. He looked back to the colt and smiled, "No I'm not a Wonderbolt but I am a friend of one. This flight suit was a gift form a friend. And the wings were a result of a friends spell." The gathered ponies all seems intrigued. The colts and fillies in particular. "What are you Mister?" asked the colt. "I'm a human. We don't have wings though, these are like I said a result of a friends spell. And I didn't know we could walk on clouds either." "Ooohhhhh," said the colt, clearly in awe of Connor. "Are you seeing the competition later?" asked Connor. The colt became very excited, "Yeah, my mum and dad are taking me. It's my birthday today as well. They got me this Wonderbolt Flight Suit and a poster of Spitfire. I hope she can sign it later." "What's your name?" Connor asked, already forming a plan in his mind. "Swift Wind sir." "I'm Connor," replied Connor, "Hoof bump." Connor held out his fist and Swift Wind bumped his hoof with Connor's fist which brought out giggles from the young colt. "You're funny," said Swift Wind before running back to his parents. The ponies were all in good spirits after seeing this strange creature be so good with a young colt. Connor quickly found himself surrounded by many other colts and fillies, all of whom wanted to hoof-bump the 'freaky awesome monkey' as one young filly put it. Connor wasn't the slightest bit offended by that, not when it came from the innocence of a child. The fillies' and colts' parents all watched with amazement as Connor took time and spoke to each colt and filly. "OK little ones, who likes fudge?" asked Cara, who had been watching Connor since she pushed him outside. There was a sudden rush of jubilant foals as they excitedly made their way into the store including the birthday colt Swift Wind, none of the parents seemed to mind and decided to spend the time talking to each other. Some even struck up conversation with Connor and asked him questions about where he's from and what he does. They were quite surprised to find out he's from a different world and even more thrilled when he said he was friends with Princess Celestia. It was clear to Connor that many if not all ponies held Celestia in very high regard. After spending a few minutes talking to the parents he made his way to the tea room he spotted and like before he attracted many eyes but no-pony bothered him. He relaxed with a pot of tea and read the newspaper that was at his table. It was your typical tabloid with your typical tabloid content. While reading he noticed an article reporting on the existence of a 'furless monkey'. I can't imagine who that could be Connor finished his pot of tea and left the tea room, but not without being enthusiastically thanked by the staff first. Connor made his way over to the bakery and spotted two cakes with one having Celestia's Cutie Mark and the other having Luna's. He got one of each, one for Luna and the other for Celestia. The mares who ran the shop offered him a 'Wonderbolt's discount' but Connor politely declined on grounds he wasn't a Wonderbolt. The mares were confused, they told him they knew he was wearing a genuine flight suit and not a replica so Connor explained how he came to be in a genuine Wonderbolt's flight suit. Cara wasn't kidding, Pegasi really can tell the difference The mares understood but insisted he still have the discount as 'a gesture of goodwill'. Connor relented and thanked them for their generosity. He looked at his watch and saw that it was less than an hour before the competition. Deciding not to risk running late he headed over to the stadium. It's not like he could miss it, it was rather large. The Coliseum was like the one in (Ancient) Rome but made of clouds instead. Pegasi culture and architecture seemed to be a blend of Ancient Greek and Ancient Rome, or so Connor thought. Connor was able to walk the way to the stadium. He was reluctant to use his wings even though he could consciously move them, he obviously wasn't a natural flier and didn't want to embarrass himself by flapping his wings only to plummet to the ground. Besides if he damaged his flight suit he dared not think what Rarity would do to him. As he got closer to the stadium the crowds of ponies got larger and larger meaning more and more eyes fixed on Connor. As he was just outside he was approached by what appeared to be Cloudsdale police officers. "Excuse us sir, what are you doing here?" asked one of the four officers. A confused Connor just looked at the officer, "Pardon?" "Shouldn't you be with your team getting ready? Never mind we'll escort you there." "Wait," Connor said quickly, "I'm not a Wonderbolt and I'm not performing but I do have a VIP pass." Connor got out the VIP pass and showed the officers who looked very confused. "Why do you have a VIP pass if you're a Wonderbolt?" asked one of the other officers. "I'm not a Wonderbolt," repeated Connor, "I just want to go to the VIP section." The officers looked even more confused, "If you're not a Wonderbolt then why are you in a genuine Wonderbolt flight suit?" "It was a gift from a friend." The officer scoffed at Connor's response, "A likely story, a how did you get your hooves on a VIP ticket?" "That was a gift also, from Group Captain Spitfire." The officers looked at each other and laughed, "Yeah right. More likely you stole the material to make a flight suit of your own and you stole a VIP ticket just so you could see celebrities and Princess Celestia." Connor looked at the officers dumbfounded by their words, "I know Princess Celestia, she's my friend and the ticket and flight suit were gifts from other friends." "Of course they were, ape. You're coming with us." The officers removed Connor's belongings and two of the guards went behind Connor and very quickly tied his wrists together and secured his wings. Connor started to panic and tried to resist which only resulted the guards to tie the knots tighter. "You can add resisting arrest to your list of charges. You'll be spending a long time in the Canterlot Dungeons ape." Connor was staring to lose control of his anger, "ON WHAT CHARGES? I HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING WRONG!" The officers all smirked at each other, "Impersonating a Wonderbolt, theft of a VIP pass, lying to a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, claiming friendship with Royalty, shouting in public and possession of suspicious items." He was furious and struggled against the officers who had a firm hold of him, not to mention the ropes tying his wrists and wings were very tight and digging into him, "Those last three aren't even crimes." "They are if I say they are," replied the lead officer, "Take him away." The two officers holding Connor started to take him away leaving the two other officers gave each other smug looks. The whole incident attracted the attention of many ponies, many of whom had looks of confusion on their faces. They were unable to see what the strange creature did wrong and voiced their complaints loudly. The lead officer wasn't having any of it, "SILENCE OR YOU WILL BE TAKEN AWAY WITH HIM!!" The ponies very quickly became silent much to the amusement of the lead officer. As Connor was being taken away, a very familiar white alicorn appeared on the scene. The assembled ponies all bowed to Celestia, Connor did not. "BOW BEFORE THE PRINCESS CRIMINAL SCUM!" shouted the lead officer. Connor was pushed to his knees and hit the ground harshly, good thing he's on clouds because had the ground been concrete his knees would have been shattered. Celestia looked in the direction of the outburst and was very surprised to see Connor tied up by Cloudsdale police. "What is going on here?" she asked as she walked over to Connor. The lead officer spoke up, "This criminal is guilty of impersonating a Wonderbolt, theft of a VIP pass, lying to a law enforcement officer, claiming friendship with Royalty, resisting arrest, shouting in public and possession of suspicious items." Connor was worried, if Celestia believed him he would see the inside of the dungeons for sure which would no doubt please Blueblood immensely. He continued to look at her while she looked at him. Her face completely neutral. "Officer," Celestia said as Connor held breath, "release him immediately." The officers all looked flabbergasted, "Princess you can't be serious. This hairless ape has committed several crimes and must be punished." Celestia ignored the 'hairless ape' comment as these ponies are in enough trouble and narrowed her eyes, "He has committed no crimes you describe here. I know so as I have been watching him from my chariot. So I will tell you again, release him at once!" The lead officer grit his teeth and nodded to his officers who promptly untied him. Celestia walked over to Connor with concern, "Are you OK Connor, you are not harmed are you?" "I'll be fine. A little rattled but nothing you need to be worried about." "I'm pleased to hear that," relied Celestia as she gave Conner a wing hug, which Connor responded by wrapping his arms around her neck. The assembled ponies all looked on in amazement that this strange creature was friends with their princess. The police officers all looked at each other with worried expressions. Celestia turned to her guards, "Take Connor to my chariot and take him to the VIP area of the stadium. Ensure no harm comes to him." The guards wing saluted and followed her order. "Don't worry Connor," said Celestia, "I'll join you shortly, there is a matter that needs to be dealt with." Connor looked towards the police officers whose facial expressions were that of a child caught their hands in the cookie jar. Connor walked with the Royal Pegasi Guards to the chariot where they promptly took him to the VIP section. He looked over to the side of chariot to see Celestia having a few words with the officers. Connor wasn't in the chariot for long before they reached their destination. He thanked the guards who responded with a wing salute. Connor walked towards the VIP lounge and no sooner than he entered were there dozens of eyes set upon him. Most of the ponies where Pegasi who seemed to take an interest in Connor. "Hey buddy, come to join your friends before the show?" asked a large green Pegasus stallion. "Friends?" asked Connor. "Your fellow Wonderbolts, they're round the corner," replied the stallion who showed Connor the way. The stallion pointed in the direction of the Wonderbolts and found them in a corner drinking and eating. "Thank you," said Connor to the stallion. "No problem," replied the stallion as he went back to his friends. As Connor walked towards the Wonderbolts, they looked at him with wide eyes. "Is he the one you were talking about?" asked a white maned blue furred mare. Another mare turned around and her face lit up and she bolted towards Connor who barely had time to prepare himself. "Connor it's great to see you again," Spitfire said as she gave Connor a firm hug. "I'll take that as a yes," said the blue furred white maned Pegasus. "Who's that?" asked Connor. Spitfire turned around, "Connor let me introduce you to Fleetfoot. Fleetfoot this is Connor." Connor waved at the Wonderbolts who waved back. "Come on Connor let me introduce you to the rest of the team," said Spitfire. The other Wonderbolts made room to allow Connor to sit down and each of them introduced themselves. There were about ten Wonderbolts there and each of them listened to the story of how Connor came into this world and what he's been up to since his arrival including the incident with the Cloudsdale police. They were all in agreement that Connor looked great in his flight suit and that he looked like one. "You're not the first ponies to say that today," Connor said. "Well it's true," said Spitfire, "Practice flying and you could become one for real." Connor smiled, "I'll keep that in mind." "Anyway," said Spitfire, "Me, Soarin and Misty Fly had better get going, we're the celebrity judges this year." "Who decides who judge?" asked Connor. "As Group Captain I always judge but the others we simply pull names out of a hat." Connor nodded, "That seems fair enough. What are the rest of you who aren't judging or performing doing in the meantime?" "Well just hang out here and drink cider and eat food," replied Fleetfoot. "Sounds good," replied Connor, "Mind if I join you?" "Course you can," Fleetfoot replied, "You don't need to ask, you're practically one of us." Connor chuckled, "I wouldn't go that far, I can't even fly." "You will when we've put you through some drills," replied Spitfire as she wrapped her hooves around his neck, "You have Wonderbolt written all over you." "Still, I'd rather go through the academy I earn the right to be one rather than it be just given to me." "That's great to hear, we'll look forward to having you," said Soarin, "It'll be nice to have another stallion in the team." "AND JUST WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?" asked Misty Fly. Soarin went wide eyed as he realised what he said could be interpreted differently than he meant it. While Soarin was trying to splutter out an excuse to the Wonderbolt mares who had surrounded him, except for Spitfire who sat next to Connor who had an arm/foreleg wrapped around each other. They were watching Soarin be verbally roasted when a Royal Pegasi Guard approached. "Excuse me Sir, Princess Celestia has requested your presence in the Royal Box." Connor turned back to Spitfire who spoke before he did, "You better get going Sleepy Head." "Yes Ma'am," Connor said jokingly, throwing in a salute as well. Spitfire laughed at Connor's antics and they gave each other one last hug, "I'll see you later then Milkshake." ------------------------------------------------------------ Connor followed the guard up to another section of the stadium. He looked at the signs overhead and noticed he was being led away from the Royal Box, not towards it. "Aren't we going the wrong way?" he asked the guard. "No sir," replied the guard, "I am to take you to the Princess first. Her Majesty said she would take you the Royal Box herself." "OK, continue leading the way then." "Aye sir," replied Connor, not as an order but more as conversation but the guard knew that. Connor followed the guard into a room that looked like a hanger bay, which Connor confirmed when he saw Celestia's golden chariot. And the Princess herself. Running towards the Princess he called out to her. "Princess!" Celestia turned around just in time for Connor to wrap his arms around Celestia hugging her tightly. Celestia returned this affection with a wing hug and a huge smile, "My my, somepony is in a good mood. What is it that's got my little human in such a good mood?" "You," replied Connor still hugging her. "Oh," replied Celestia, "How so?" "You showed up again just as I needed you. Not for the first time either. You seem to have a talent for showing up just when you're needed. How do you do it?" "It's a Royal Secret." Connor laughed and let go of Celestia, "Even for me?" Celestia giggled, "I'm afraid so, and might I say you look splendid in your Wonderbolts Flight Suit, you look the part in it." Connor smiled, "Thank you Princess, anyway your guard said you wanted me in the Royal Box?" Celestia nodded, "Indeed, how would you like to enter with me?" Connor's face lit up, "I'd love to." Connor made his way to the chariot which brought out more giggles form the princess, "We're not going in the chariot my little human but you may leave your belongings in it. I assure you no-pony will dare take it." Connor furrowed his brows in confusion, "Then how are we getting there?" "Like this," Celestia replied and she used her magic and lifted Connor out of the chariot and onto her back, "Are you comfortable?" Connor took a moment to compose himself, "Yeah I'm fine. I thought for a moment my amulet would cut the magic out." "The amulet knows when to do so and when not to. I know I tried explaining it but it's difficult to explain. You could say that the amulet has a degree of self-awareness and 'just knows' when to act. You have nothing to fear from me Connor. I will never harm you." Connor smiled and gently patted the back of Celestia's neck, "I know Princess, and you’ve done so much for me I'm not sure if I could ever repay you. And thank you for those bits. It's helped a lot." "You're welcome Connor and just so you know you don't need to repay me. You being friends with my little ponies and you being happy are more than enough for me." Connor stayed silent for a moment, "I'm going to ask Spitfire if she'll be my girl....marefriend." Connor couldn't see it but Celestia had a huge smile on her face upon hearing this, "I am delighted to hear that. I hope it turns out well for you." "Thank you, should we get going then?" "Indeed. If you are comfortable then let’s get to it." "Wow this fur is so soft and silky. "Thank you my little human. You are such a gentlecolt," replied a cheery Celestia. Connor went beet red, "You......heard that?" "Indeed I did." Connor felt like a teenager caught reading gentleman's literature by thier mother. His embarrassment though was short lived when he heard the stadium announcer. "Fillies and gentlecolts please rise and join me in welcoming our beloved Princess Celestia and her special VIP guest Connor the Human!" Celestia flapped her wings as she descended to the Royal Box flanked by two Pegasi Royal Guards, Connor was sat on her back and completely in awe of the sight. He dismounted Celestia and stood at her side and waved to the crowd and spread out his wings just as Celestia did. "Please welcome our celebrity judges for The Best Young Flyer Competition, the Wwwwwonderboooooolts!" Connor watched as they flew upwards into the sky and saw them do their stunts finishing with what he could only describe as a Starburst. He continued to watch as they took their seats in their own Box, keeping an eye on Spitfire in particular. "See something you like?" asked Celestia. "Not really, but somepony yes." Celestia lit up her horn an out of nowhere appeared a tea set. "You know me to well Princess." Celestia laughed, "I wouldn't go that far but I do know you enjoy a cup of tea." "That I do," said Connor as he sat himself down next to Celestia. Celestia and Connor watched each competitor admiring the skill of each one when they eventually saw Rainbow Dash and Rarity enter the arena. The music started and it was obvious that they were sent out together and that Rarity had chosen the classical music. Rarity seemed to go for grace and elegance in her moves while Rainbow went for speed and aerobatics. Rainbow seemed to difficulty, she hit a cloud pillar when slaloming and crashed into the arena wall. When she went higher up and started spinning clouds a part of the cloud came loose and hit her in the face, sending her rolling backwards. She regained her control but the cloud headed straight for Celestia and Connor, the cloud seemed to disintegrate when it hit Celestia's horn. Rainbow then moved on to her final piece, the Sonic Rainboom. Rainbow was building speed until she heard screaming below. She looked back and saw that Rarity's wings had evaporated leaving Rarity in freefall. Rainbow immediately stopped and sped towards Rarity. Rainbow also saw three knocked out Wonderbolts. She knew if she didn't get to them in time that they would be seriously injured if not killed. She went faster and faster until she hit the sound barrier and the entire stadium was lit up in a flash of Rainbow colours and the resonating sound of a sonic boom could be heard for miles around. Rainbow caught the four ponies just in time and safely brought them back to the stadium. Once there other Pegasi took care of the Wonderbolts and Rarity, the Wonderbolts were taken to the stadium medical wing while Rarity was OK if a little shaken up. Connor meanwhile was held firmly against Celestia who had her forelegs wrapped tightly around his waist. When seeing Rarity fall he instinctively tried to go after her but no sooner had he moved did he feel himself being held firmly by Celestia. He assured her that he reacted on impulse but Celestia kept a firm hold of him just to be sure. Connor wasn't mad with Celestia, if anything she did him a favour as his jumping off after Rarity could have caused more problems than solve. As soon as Rarity and the three Wonderbolts were safely back at the stadium Celestia released Connor and he made a beeline for the medical wing. He hoped Spitfire was OK. ------------------------------------------------------------ Spitfire woke up about thirty minutes after being knocked out. She woke up to find Connor sat at the foot of her bed. "Hey there Milkshake, feeling better?" he asked. Spitfire slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes with her hooves, "Heh, I'm fine Connor." Connor smiled, "That's good to hear, it would seem this time I'm the one to see you wake up after being knocked out." Spitfire giggled, "Does that mean we're even then?" "It would seem so," replied Connor, "Now, how about we get you out of bed, you have a winner to congratulate." Spitfire nodded and with Connor's help she got out of bed and walked out with Connor. There were some other Wonderbolts waiting outside including Soarin. "Hey Spitfire," said Soarin, "You feeling better?" "Yeah I'm fine now, did you get knocked out as well?" "I did, so did Misty Fly. She's fine though. Rainbow Dash saved us all including that Unicorn." Spitfire's eyes widened in realisation, "Rainbow Dash, I've spent the last few days with her and her friends. I wonder how she'll feel if she's won." Connor didn't need to wait to speak up, "She's a big fan of the Wonderbolts. So big I'm surprised she didn't bombard Spitfire with questions when you were with us. There's no way she didn't know who you are." Spitfire nodded, "We'll have to ask her. Anyway, let's go and meet the winner." Connor and the Wonderbolts made their way to the arena just in time to see Celestia crown Rainbow Dash the winner. ------------------------------------------------------------ ONE HOUR LATER Back in the VIP Lounge Connor was with the Mane 6, Celestia and the Wonderbolts. Spike had also turned up. Apparently Celestia sent a chariot to bring him so he could join in the celebrations. Connor sat alone a few feet away having a quiet rest. That is until Twilight approached him. "Connor?" Connor opened his eyes to see Twilight, "Yes?" Twilight took a deep breath and sighed, "I just want to apologise for our actions earlier in the balloon, and we shouldn't have-" Connor raised his hand motioning Twilight to stop, "There's nothing to apologise for, I should have known you meant nothing by it. I should be the one apologising for ignoring you and walking away." Twilight shook her head, "Your reaction was understandable you don't need to apologise." Connor smiled, "Then why don't we both admit to making a faux pas and move on?" Twilight smiled, "I agree. Come on back to the group, you'll be able to show everypony your human technology." Connor got up and followed Twilight back. "Hey Connor sit here," said Spitfire pointing next to her. Connor sat himself down next to Spitfire and gave her a hug which she happily returned. "How is everypony?" asked Connor. Celestia was the one to speak up, "We are fine thank you Connor." "Anypony want to see some cool human stuff?" There were are chorus of yesses so Connor got out his laptop and promptly showed the group several film trailers, pictures and some games. He got his phone and connected some ear-phones. "What is that?" asked Twilight. "A mobile phone. It allows communication with anyone anywhere on my world. It also plays film, takes and shows pictures, connects to the internet, plays music, it has a calendar that allows me to set reminders for appointments and key dates, it can play games, record sound and video and so on." Connor looked around to see a sea of wide eyes until Rarity spoke up, "Surely you are bluffing?" Applejack spoke up, "Nope, he's telling the truth." Connor briefly explained to the best of his ability how it worked but he wasn't clued up on tech, fortunately the ponies understood that. "Who wants to listen to some music?" asked Connor. A sea of hooves shot up into the air. "Ok, one at a time. Princess would you like to go first?" "I would like that." Connor walked over to Celestia. The ponies watched with fascination as Connor's nimble fingers delicately placed the ear-phones in her ears. Connor picked out one song he thought Celestia might like. Super Trooper by Abba. As the song was playing Connor explained the ear-phones allow the wearer to hear the music but not anyone else, unless it's really loud. The group watched as Celestia closed her eyes and gently swayed her head back and forth to the music. When the song finished she opened her eyes to find many pairs of eyes staring at her inquisitively. "That was a truly fine song Connor." "It was made by a group called Abba. They are one of the most successful bands ever selling hundreds of millions of albums." The ponies were amazed at this and couldn't wait for their turn. "Pick me pick me," shouted Pinkie. Connor removed the ear-phones from Celestia and out them in Pinkie's ears. Connor picked out the song 'Barbie Girl' by Aqua. Pinkie enjoyed it. How she knew the lyrics though mystified Connor. Connor repeated the routine for each pony picking out a song for each one. For Rarity he chose 'Uptown Girl' by Billy Joel. For Rainbow Dash he chose 'Don't Stop Me Now' by Queen. For Applejack he chose 'Oh What a Beautiful Morning' from Oklahoma. For Fluttershy he chose 'Circle of Life' by Elton John. For Twilight he chose 'Piano Man' by Billy Joel. Each of the mane 6 seemed to really enjoy the song chosen for them. Connor had one song in particular for Spitfire. He carefully placed the ear-phone in her ears and cheekily scratched her ears as well. Which got him a playful punch in the arm. He chose his favourite song, 'Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through' by Meat Loaf. Spitfire listened intently to the lyrics. Seeming to really take them in. After the song finished she gently removed the ear-phones and handed the phone back to Connor. She looked a little pensive but when asked insisted she was fine. The rest of the Wonderbolts listened to some music as well. After hearing one song each, Connor played some music from his laptop for everyone to hear. He played some Metallica, DragonForce, Meat Loaf, Elton John, Pink Floyd, Queen, Bon Jovi, Bach, Mozart and Beethoven plus a few others. Whilst everyone didn't particularly like each type of music they were still impressed nonetheless. Rarity took an interest in Metallica which surprised Connor. Celestia took an interest in Pink Floyd, Bach, Beethoven and Mozart. Pinkie seemed to like everything. Fluttershy liked Elton John and for some reason DragonForce. Rainbow liked all the 'cool' songs. Twilight liked Billy Joel and Bon Jovi. Applejack wasn't really fussed what she listened to. Spitfire liked Meat Loaf. The rest of the Wonderbolts also took interest in specific artists as well. Connor then gathered everypony around and he told them he would show them a human film he was sure the Wonderbolts would enjoy. The film in question is called 'Top Gun'. ------------------------------------------------------------ The Wonderbolts did enjoy the film. A lot. It was helped by the fact that Celestia cast a spell that projected what was on the screen onto a projection screen. That Pinkie pulled down out of nowhere. Connor was pleased he took the advice of his friends and not question Pinkie. "What did you think of that?" asked Connor. "IT WAS AWESOME!" shouted Rainbow. "I'll second that," said Spitfire, "Human flying machines are truly impressive." "Those aircraft are nothing compared to the Saturn V rocket or the Space Shuttle," replied Connor. "The what?" asked Spitfire. Cue more video footage. Connor showed the group launchings of the Space Shuttles. "There's also a film called Apollo 13. It is based on true events on that took place before and during the Apollo 13 mission, the third planned mission to put man on the moon. It didn't go as planned. I'll show you it sometime but not before Luna gets to see it." The ponies all just nodded at what Connor said. Celestia didn't say anything but she was delighted that Connor thought of Luna in such a friendly manner. She has been struggling to reintegrate back into Equestrian society and Connor may just be the one to help her. "So," Connor continued, "what are we doing now?" "WE'RE GOING TO PARTY!" shouted Pinkie. Out of nowhere she got her party canon and blasted away. Within seconds the VIP Lounge was ready for a 'Yay for Rainbow Dash winning the Best Young Fliers Competition Party'. How Pinkie did this was beyond even Celestia's understanding. Connor and the rest of the group decided to enjoy the party and again congratulate Rainbow on her performance earlier. The party was going well and everypony made time to talk to each other. Vinyl Scratch had turned up and with the assistance of Pinkie pulling the correct lead out of her mane, connected Connor's laptop to Vinyl's DJ system. This allowed him to play music to liven up the party with awesome human music. Connor also took the chance to give the mane 6 the fudge he got them earlier. They were delighted with the gesture. Connor then gave Celestia the cake with Luna's cutie mark. Connor explained that he thought it would be more fun to give them each other’s Cutie Mark cake. Celestia agreed and then gave Connor a body crunching hug, squeezing the air out of him. Celestia continued to very tightly hug him for several minutes before finally speaking, "Did anypony ever tell you I like cake?" After finally being released from Celestia's Death Hug he was able to respond, "No, I was not informed of that." "Well you do now. If you'll excuse me I'll be eating my cake. Thank you, my little human," Celestia said with a huge smile. She merrily trotted away and promptly began to stuff her face with cake, not giving a damn if anypony was watching. It was quite funny though watching the Princess of the Sun stuff her face in such an unprincessy manner. It was just as fun watching Twilight watch Celestia. Connor couldn't help but wonder what Twilight made of her mentor enjoying herself in such a way. Celestia teleported Luna's cake back to Canterlot. Celestia assured Connor that Luna would enjoy and appreciate the cake. ------------------------------------------------------------ CANTERLOT CASTLE Luna was sat upon the throne dealing with very boring nobles wittering on about how bitterly unfair it is that they should pay higher taxes due to their higher earnings. Earlier in the day a noble was disappointed to be told he couldn't knock down an orphanage to build his fourth home. That's his fourth home in Canterlot, not Equestria. Another noble wanted free school meals scrapping and redirect those funds to increase travel expenses for the nobility when they travel around Equestria on government business. Luna rejected that petition also on grounds that a foals' health was of far greater importance than further deepening the pockets of the rich. There hadn't been one single petition accepted all day. Luna felt as though her day had been wasted. She eagerly agreed to fill in for her sister but it seemed to be one of those days when nothing worthwhile happened. After court had finished for the day Luna made her way out of the throne room when he horn lit up. A box materialised in front of her. Opening a box she found a letter and something wrapped up. Opening the letter she saw it was from Connor. Dear Luna I was shopping in Cloudsdale earlier today and saw something I thought you would enjoy. PS: I thought you would enjoy this one more than your own. Connor Confused by what he meant Luna unwrapped the item. He face lit up and was adorned with a huge grin. "WE SHALL ENJOY DEVOURING THOU'S CUTIE MARK SISTER!!" Rather than return to her own room, she went to Celestia's. Before she went in she turned to Celestia's day guard that were on duty outside the room. "GUARD, WE SHALL REMAIN IN SISTER'S ROOM UNTIL HER RETURN, WE HAVE IMPERATIVE ROYAL BUSINESS WE MUST ATTEND TO!!" She went inside Celestia's room and threw herself on the bed and promptly began devouring the cake in a very unprincessy way. ------------------------------------------------------------ Connor was sat at a table on his own reminiscing over the events of the past few days. So much had happened in so little time. He came into an alien world through unknown means. He accidently gets knocked out by a celebrity flier, meets royalty, makes friends with some very important figures in this worlds society, becomes friends with said figures, gets made into what is essentially an unofficial member of an elite flying team and to top it off he's falling love with a fiery maned Pegasus with the name of the most famous aircraft in history. Falling in love. With a pony. Never saw that one coming. His thoughts began to drift over to that of Spitfire. He began to think of how he felt about her, especially when he was with her. He remembered when she affectionately hugged and nuzzled him back in Canterlot. He remembered how she acted strangely pretending to have left her flight suit at home. He remembered when she cried when he saw her Cutie Mark could also represent her warm hearted nature. He remembered how she picked him up with ease and flew him to Sugercube Corner when he suggested getting Banana milkshakes. He knew he had feelings for her not too long after he arrived in Ponyville. It wasn't until earlier today when he admitted that he did like her. It wasn't until now when he realised he didn't just like her. He loved her. The words of Cara earlier flashed back in his mind. "Don't miss your opportunity with her because believe me you'll regret it" Connor had made his decision. Spitfire was alone. He walked slowly over to her and stopped just a couple of feet away. "Spitfire." She turned around to see Connor looking a little pensive, "Hi Connor, are you Ok?" "Yeah I'm good," he replied whilst fidgeting around, "I was just wondering something." Spitfire slowly walked up to Connor, "Wondering what?" Connor tried to get words out but came up short each time. "Connor what's wrong?" Spitfire asked deeply concerned. "Errrrm......it's about us. I was wondering if you wanted to be my marefriend." "I'm sorry I didn't hear that, could you repeat it please?" Connor took a deep breath, "Spitfire, will you be my marefriend?"