Burnt Orange Juice

by Mike the Red

The Curious Tale of Aurora Belle

I stood before the class, taking note of their reaction. Most seemed to be attentive, though Snips and Snails were talking to each other about something or other -- I couldn't quite hear them, but paid them no mind. I knew they wouldn't be interested in what I had to say, anyway. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon wore looks of mild bemusement, perhaps waiting for me to reveal something they could taunt me with later. Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo seemed to be on the edge of their seats, waiting for me to speak. A few others were equally attentive -- upon seeing Twist, I had to stifle a giggle. In a way, she reminded me of myself at that age.

"Right. As Miss Cheerilee stated, I am Aurora Belle, twin sister of Sweetie -- wait, wait -- we were separated at birth, and I was sent to live with my Aunt and Uncle on a chicken farm. We raised chickens, selling the eggs to ponies and some of the chickens to griffons," I began. I waited for a response or a question.

"How come Mom and Dad didn't tell me about you?" asked Sweetie Belle, still somewhat shocked by my presence.

"You might want to ask them yourself, but -- I'd be careful about that, unless I'm there with you. Truthfully, Auntie Cluckin' never told me why we were -- and Uncle Taco would always dodge the question. If I may continue?"

"How many chickens did your family raise?" asked Apple Bloom.

"Usually about three hundred or so -- feeding them became a bit of a chore, as did cleaning up after them. I went around gathering the eggs in the morning, though some would be saved for new chicks. There was one day when a particularly sharp dressed griffon came around and bought a hundred chickens from us all at once -- we ate real good after that for quite awhile," I grinned.

"Is that why you're so fat?" asked Diamond Tiara, sensing an opening.

"Auntie Cluckin' told me I'm not fat, just big-boned," I replied, glaring sternly at the pink filly. "Why not let me see your tiara to see if it's real or not?"

"Hmph. Of course it's real! My daddy wouldn't dream of buying me a fake one!" she retorted. Using my magic, I snatched it off her head and brought it to me so I could examine it. "HEY! GIVE THAT BACK!" she shrieked as I turned it over and examined it. I drew loud laughs from the Cutie Mark Crusaders upon doing that, though a harsh glare from Silver Spoon and a couple of other classmates. A look of shock was on Cheerilee's face before she managed to regain some composure.

"Hmmm. Made in Griffonia. I shouldn't wonder," I mused as I returned it to the distraught filly, who snatched it out of my aura before whimpering lightly. "Those stones aren't real, either -- they're rhinestones. They're set in plastic which resembles silver -- I think your daddy bought a box of those for five bits and sells them in his store for ten bits apiece."

"Miss Aurora, please -- that was uncalled for!" the teacher admonished, giving me a look of disappointment. The pink filly whimpered a little as she took the opportunity to examine her tiara more closely. She scowled at me.

"My tiara IS real!" she shouted at me. "Sterling Silver! Made in Canterlot!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. If I may continue?" I grinned, earning a few more giggles from the other fillies. A hint of a smile crossed the teacher's face, though it disappeared just as quickly.

"Right. As I was saying --" I began before Twilight entered the room, interrupting my flow.

"I've been listening," she scowled. "Tell them the truth, Michael!"

I rolled my eyes at her. "A-hem. As I was saying, things were going pretty well for us in Trottingham -- Auntie Cluckin' and Uncle Taco were planning to take me and my cousin Silver Belle to Dismareland. They had saved up enough money for a long vacation, and we were all set to go when lightning struck the house, setting it on fire," I said, tears beginning to well up in my eyes. I sniffled for effect. "I was the only one who made it out alive. A fire brigade pony found me and took me to the orphanage. It was only when I heard about the exploits of one Twilight Sparkle that I requested that I be entrusted to her care."

The librarian sniffled a moment at my explanation, as I had been particularly convincing with my story. I even saw Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo tear up as well.

"Miss Twilight is the best pony I've met so far -- even nicer than Auntie Cluckin' -- she's even been kind enough to teach me some of the basics of magic use and elementary language skills," I commented, drawing a smile from some of my classmates and a big grin on the lavender unicorn's face. "I sincerely hope she will be kind enough to allow me to remain in her custody, as she is my favorite pony."

"Michael, I am touched by your sincerity," Twilight offered. "Though I was hoping you'd tell your classmates your human story."

"I'm getting to that, Miss Twilight -- give me a moment to prepare, please," I responded as I drew myself to stand as best I could, something which nearly stunned the class. "As you may have noticed, Miss Twilight has referred to me by a name I used to carry as a human. As you can probably tell, I am standing in the fashion most humans do. Trust me when I say that this position is actually quite painful for me to maintain for any length of time," I stated matter-of-factly as I returned to standing on all fours. "And as Miss Twilight has said, I have a long history as a human -- one which spans nearly 50 years. Miss Cheerilee, I might suggest a break for the class -- and I would like a glass of water. This story is a long one."

"All right. Class, we will break for ten minutes," Cheerilee stated as she trotted over to me. "I don't know what to call you," she opined, half in awe, half in curiosity.

"You may continue to call me Aurora, until such time as I may be returned to my human form -- if that's even possible. Miss Twilight, I might request you refrain from calling me by my human name, if you would be so kind," I requested as I stared at the mare. She nodded her head, though her smile bespoke of mischief. Sweetie Belle trotted up to me, a big grin on her face.

"I've always wanted to meet myself," she chirped. "Where did you come from?"

"Sweetie, I'm about to tell you and everypony else in the class my story -- this one's real, not made-up like the one I just told you. I apologize for lying to you about a possible Aunt and Uncle," I said. Her expression dropped when I told her this. "Cheer up, Sweetie, I'm sorry for that -- what, are you disappointed? Perhaps there may be some truth to my story -- but we'd have to ask your parents about it," I offered.

"Oooh, I sure hope so! Even if it's not -- it's still a really interesting story! I wonder what they'd think if they met you," she mused.

"I think they might be a little confused by seeing two of us, but -- my guess is they'd be pretty cool about it. Your big sister, on the other hoof -- well, I don't really know how she'll react to seeing two of us."

"Well, why not come to my house when school's over? I wanna see what she does when she sees two of us!" the filly giggled.

"Miss Twilight? May I accompany my doppelganger to the boutique?" I asked.

"Well -- I guess so -- but come straight back to the library when you're done over there," she replied, adding a stern look to punctuate her request.

"What if Miss Rarity wants me to stay over there?" I asked.

"Tell you what -- I will give you one hour after school to meet Rarity -- and another half-hour after that to get to the library. If you're not home by then, I'll come get you -- but I won't be happy about it."

The teacher returned with a glass of water for me, which I took with my telekinesis. My magic seemed to be improving as I took a sip from it and placed it on the desk. "Aaaah, much better. Thanks!" I exclaimed cheerfully. Cheerilee nodded and smiled before going outside and calling the class back in. It took a few minutes for everypony to return to their seats as I returned to my position from before.

"Are we ready?" I asked, once again taking stock of the fillies and colts. "Very well then. My human name is Michael Walker -- I spent nearly 50 years living on a world where the only sapient species is human. There are other animals on the planet -- too many to list, too numerous to mention -- save for the fact that none of them have been able to communicate with humans on anything other than a very rudimentary level," I stated.

"What does that mean?" asked Apple Bloom. "Do the ponies on your home world talk?"

"Perhaps they do, Apple Bloom -- but if they do, no human can understand what they talk about. Scientists were trying to find ways of determining animal thought, analyzing animal behavior, perhaps in an attempt to finally engage in intelligent conversations with them. As far as I know, very little progress has been made in that attempt. Miss Twilight, a question?"

"I must have forgotten to ask you this yesterday, Aurora, but -- didn't you tell me about a movie you had seen where certain animals were able to communicate with humans?"

"The 'Planet of the Apes' movies -- that's a subject for another time -- that was just fiction, a story depicting an alternate future universe where apes developed super-human intelligence and enslaved what few humans remained after a nuclear war," I replied.

"If you spent so much time living on a world filled with humans, what made you want to come here?" asked Cheerilee.

"Um, well -- there are too many reasons to list for that, but -- truthfully, ever since I became aware that such a place existed, I silently expressed a desire to visit, if only for a short period of time. I had no idea that a bunch of wishes I made the night before last would be granted -- I have made so many wishes in my life that I simply accepted it as fate that they would never be granted."

"You -- you actually -- wished to come here? And -- that wish was granted?" the teacher asked, her incredulity growing.

I hung my head and sighed. "Yes, Miss Cheerilee -- and now that I'm here, and in the body of Sweetie Belle, no less -- I'm a little disappointed to discover that things were not as I had hoped."

"Then why not wish to go back home?" asked Diamond Tiara. "You wished to come here and now you wanna go back home? What, are you a crybaby?"

I narrowed my eyes at the filly and growled. "I might look like a filly, but I have the mind of a 50 year old man in here. To hear you even countenance the thought of referring to be by such a moniker -- you're a rotten little brat, you know that, don't you?"

"Aurora! Control yourself!" Cheerilee admonished.

"Then tell Miss Tiara to behave herself -- in the world where I came from, there are many instances of those who were bullied bringing weapons to school to exact revenge upon their tormentors -- to the point where quite a few children were killed in those schools and lawsuits were brought against those school districts for tolerating the presence of bullies and doing nothing to correct the behavior, which led to a hostile learning environment," I commented. "I don't want to see the same sort of thing happen here."

The teacher and librarian stared at me in shock -- Diamond Tiara gave me a worried look.

'Um, you're not going to, uh, try to take revenge, are you?" she asked almost fearfully.

"No -- I went through twelve years of schooling on my home world. I have only discovered that what I learned there doesn't necessarily apply to this world -- meaning, I'll have to learn just about everything all over again, including how to read and write Equish. I only speak a language which is compatible by sheer luck," I replied. "It is not my desire to make enemies -- and I would hope you would seek to make friends instead of enemies yourself," I advised. I saw quite a few of the fillies and colts nod their heads in approval.

"Why would I want to make friends with these ... losers? I have enough friends of my own as it is," the pink filly replied haughtily.

"Because these "losers" as you call them might one day be able to help you when you might actually need it -- and if they remember you as being one of the meanest little ponies to treat them with such disrespect, contempt, and derision, you will find yourself alone with nopony to help you in your darkest hour," I replied firmly, narrowing my gaze at her. "I've seen your type before, Miss Tiara -- they went on to lead absolutely miserable lives when they reached my age -- or worse, they committed suicide." That last bit drew gasps from everypony, and even Diamond Tiara hesitated for a moment before she regained a little composure.

"Hmph. We shall see when that day comes -- but I'm willing to bet it won't," she huffed contemptibly before turning her back to me.

"It disappoints me to see this sort of behavior coming from you," I noted sullenly.

"Don't patronize me!" she shouted at me. "You think you're better than me just because you're older than me? What do you know?" she asked angrily. "You didn't even think my tiara was real!"

"That's because I was trying to get a rise out of you -- it worked, of course -- but mark my words, little filly -- I'm just trying to save you from yourself. If you choose to ignore my advice, don't come crying to me when I tell you I told you so."

"Aurora, I think that's quite enough. Class is dismissed for the rest of the day. Miss Aurora, I need to speak to you," Cheerilee declared quite sternly. The rest of the class exited rather hurriedly, happy to get out of there. I think my mood might have soured them a little as I trotted over to the teacher.

'My apologies, Miss Cheerilee -- I don't like seeing bullies do what they do -- it bothers me tremendously. That's why I was trying to shame her into acting a bit more friendly -- perhaps I shouldn't have beaten her over the head with my advice, but in some cases, that's what's needed to get bullies to see the damage they do to those they torment. I've always wanted to tell one off, but --"

"Spare me your explanations, Michael -- I suggest you accompany Twilight back to the library. I was hoping your story would be amusing for the class -- I must have been mistaken. Please, do not return tomorrow. I'll take care of the paperwork for you. Twilight, if there's any instruction she needs, please see to it yourself. I think she's a bit overqualified for my classes."

"I apologize for troubling you, Cheerilee -- come on, Michael, I guess I'm stuck with you for right now," the librarian sighed.

"Sorry," I offered as I trotted to follow Twilight out.

"Your explanations are quite interesting, but -- they're more for mares and stallions, not fillies and colts. Perhaps I might pay you a visit later on to learn more about you. You seem quite intelligent," the teacher noted as I left, but not before giving her a sincere thank-you.

Comments

[WorldWalker128]

I would think that given Twilight's canon nature Twi would want to keep his origin a secret for AT LEAST the first two weeks Mike is present and study him/her to make sure that:
1. He/she isn't going to be a menace to society personality-wise
2. He/she is in fact, 100% NOT a Changeling
3. She'd could find out what or who REALLY brought him over to their world
4. She/he isn't just an utter lunatic and should not be given to a mental facility to be rehabilitated
5. If, assuming that he/she is telling the truth, that whatever force caused him to be transformed will not have further effects such as for example, him spontaneously combusting in the middle of a well-populated area.
Him/her appearing, along with (he/she says) being transformed, and also claiming to be from another world is a barrel full of unknowns, and like any smart scientist, such an event, and those related to it should be treated with utmost caution.

Right now your version of Twilight is being quite irresponsible with this. And a bit pushy, and stupid. The pushy I can understand, given that she's dealing with someone that looks like a foal, and yet has a fully developed mind. These two by princepal kinda contradict, and she might not know how to deal with that.
Stupid, because: Does she seriously think that anyone will believe him/her when he/she says that he/she's from another world with NO SOLID PROOF to back up what he claims beyond knowing bits of information that he otherwise should not know (which could be explained away by someone claiming he/she is a Changeling or is allied with them as a spy)?
"Well, he/she is quite a bit smarter than most ponies his/her age."
So what? So was Twilight when she was that age (though obviously for very different reasons).

Please don't take what I write as being mean. That is not my intent. I'm trying to be helpful. I know it's more than a bit late, given how far along your fic is, but that doesn't stop me from caring.

[Pinklestia]

5731368

Twilight is learning about friendship and one of those virtues of friendship is honesty.

[KvAT]

Well Cheerilee's position just dropped down the toilet in my books. True, Michael really shouldn't've brought on stuff like suicide and school shootings, but the two literally saw and heard how DT was acting. Calling the class off was a right call, but she should've explained that fillies and colts are not ready to hear about stuff like death and humanity's evils. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, after all.

Btw this rant is towards the character, not necessarily the writing itself. It reads more like a character flaw than a writing flaw, which is a good sign of competence.