Welcome to Batstralia

by Damaged

Study

Language check. Anything wrapped in < > in this chapter is spoken Equish, everything else is in English. Just a boy and a girl for most of this, talking about "stuff."

Before Mike knew it Friday was upon him, and furthermore it was Friday evening. "This isn't the city, Mike. This is a little country town and helping someone else with their homework is just that, helping." He rubbed his arm again; the injection mark might have faded overnight, but his left arm was still a little sore. "Damn bats."

"What?" Rosetta approached Mike. "Did you get bitten by a bat?" She looked around, suddenly looking a little worried.

"No. Mum's found a bat and is nursing him back to health." Mike mentally forced the muscle soreness from his mind, along with Tufts the bat. "So, what are we going to work on?" He got up, stuffing his books and notepad into his bag.

"Huh? Oh! Well, you were having trouble with some maths, right?" Rose smiled at Mike's nod. "And I need help with some of my Equish. Do… Do you still want to study together?"

"Of course!" Mike said it so quickly that he held up his hands to ward off the inevitable question. "I mean, I do. I really suck at this stuff, and Candela said I should do the harder maths path if I want any hope of getting a good ENTER score."

"You are going to uni? I was going to just…" Rose blew out a breath in exaggerated annoyance. "You are probably the only person I can actually talk to about this." Taking the seat behind Mike's desk, she turned sideways so she could keep eye contact, but also look away if she needed to. "We move around a lot. Mum had me and didn't get on well with my dad, so she left with me. He went to jail and mum looked for a new boyfriend."

Mike hadn't expected an unburdening session. Taking his seat again, he turned around nearly completely to face Rose. "First bit sounds a bit familiar. Mum and Dad… let's just say dad is a bastard, and leave it there."

"Ha." Rosetta barked a laugh. "So anyway. Mum is… she found Dave again. 'High-school sweethearts' were her exact words."

"Another bastard in a string of them?" The moment Mike said it he saw on Rose's face that he was wrong. "Nice guy?"

"He's awesome. In the mornings—before school—we go up to the mine and he shows me the tools. And the ponies are pretty cool, Burrow and Delves. That… that's one reason I want to learn more Equish, so I can talk with them more." Rose stopped and rolled her eyes. "And that is why I need to talk to Miss Candela about avoiding all those tests and stuff. I want to go work with Dave."

"Why don't you drop out now?" Mike pulled his chair back and to the side, then heaved the desk around so it was pressed against Rose's.

Pulling a maths book from her bag, Rose opened it up and set it where Mike could see. "Dave said if I dropped out now he wouldn't train me at all. He said I had ta do all this crap. What are you having trouble with in particular?"

"Quadratic equations. It all seems so… so maddeningly useless to learn. Candela doesn't even have a firm grasp on it." Mike pointed to the start of his nightmare: Chapter two. "Wait, we should set up a timer so you get your help too."

"That would be great." Rose pulled out her phone and flipped it open. "This thing can do that, I think…" A few button mashes later and she had a timer counting down an hour. "Alright. So let's get into this."

~~~~~+++++~~~~~

The phone's alarm shocked Mike and Rose out of their study-focus, although the latter quickly turned the timer off with a few button presses. "Okay, looks like we leave the maths there." Rosetta reset the timer.

"<Sure, so we are onto Equish then>?" Mike grinned to Rose. "<What are you having trouble with>?"

"Okay, I got a question in there about Equish, and something about a disaster…" Rose slumped down in her chair a little. "<It be lot pile turnip>." She froze at Mike's snort. "What? Oh God, what did I say this time?"

Mike tried to contain his giggles enough to talk. "You said it was a pile of turnips. Right then, we go back to basics." Getting up from his seat, he made his way to the front of the class and opened a cupboard. "Candela keeps all the stuff she used to teach us, I'm sure she won't mind us using it."

~~~~~+++++~~~~~

The alarm was expected when it sounded again, but it was still loud enough to get a jump out of Rose and Mike. Looking down at his homework, Mike blushed a little. "I hope you got as much out of this as I did."

Rose steadied herself. "<It pumpkined a lot>." The moment Mike's lips curled up she lifted a hand. "Wait, let me try again! <It filched a lot>? No, that sounds wrong even to me. <It helped a lot>." She thought about it and raised a questioning eyebrow.

"You got it right on the third. First was pumpkin, second was filch." Mike packed his books away again and hefted the desk back into position. "Are you doing anything next Friday?" As soon as he asked Mike realized it could be taken as either wanting to continue the studying or as a date.

"Well… I do have to study with this guy from school who can't add to save himself." Rose had the perfect line, but her delivery was flat. "Ugh, I mean yes. I need to keep learning this so I can catch up on everyone else."

"Cool." Mike felt his tension ease. "Will you be able to find your way home?" He fished the spare key Candela had left him from his pocket.

"Huh? Yeah. Mum will be half smashed by now anyway." Rose practically shoved her books into her bag as hard as she could.

"Are you okay?" Mike followed Rose out of the schoolhouse, turning the lights off and locking the door. "Shit. If you need anyone to talk to, just ask." He hoped he hadn't just blown a growing friendship as Rosetta stormed off into the moonlit night.

The walk home was a slow one, and Mike was plagued with thoughts and memories about his old school, and how different it had been. He was surprised at the glowing light leaping out the front door of his house as he approached it.

"Hi Mike." Misty was sitting in the night air, the light of the house washing over her. "How was your special somepony?"

For a brief moment Mike had to consider how far he could throw a young pegasus. "She isn't my special somepony. What's up inside?" He reached the door and peered past Misty, and glanced inside.

"Tufts found the bowl of grapes in the kitchen and ate so much he can barely move. Robin won't stop talking about her new friend, Kelly." Misty took a deep breath and let it out. She turned to look at Mike when he sat down beside her. "I think I miss having more ponies around my own age. Pinkakmena and Marble are a little shy around me…"

"Well, I'm heading to their farm tomorrow, do you want to come too? The best way for them to open up is to be around you more." Mike reached an arm down around Misty. Being around ponies so much meant their "friendly hugging" had been rubbing off on him.

Misty leaned into Mike. "That would be pretty cool. What do you do over there?"

From inside the house, Joyce's voice suddenly yelled, "No! Stop that!" and was then followed by some screeching—obviously from Tufts.

"For one thing I get away from this place for a day." Mike chuckled. "But we hang out, talk about things. I did a little help with the farm last time. I was going to write a letter to Princess Celestia in Canterlot, and ask her if it'd be alright if I visited."

"I heard you talking about that. It sounds fun!" Misty leaned to the side a little and stretched her wings with a sigh.

Mike paid attention to her. "Wings sore? Stiff?" When Misty just nodded, Mike took matters—or in this case the filly's back—into his own hands. Starting at her lower back, Mike started to run his hands along her fur, rubbing what muscles he could find, gently easing them with his fingers.

"Oooo… <That's really good>." Misty closed her eyes and seemed to relax into the massage. "<A little higher, just below my wings>."

The moment Mike's fingers found the tight muscles and rubbed them once, Misty nearly fell down. "<Hey, don't collapse on me>." He gave a laugh and slowed down a little. "<A bit too tense there? Softer>"

With her wings spread and limply hanging, Misty nodded. "<Mom said it's growing pains, that I'm just changing in size all over in some growth spurt. Keep going, I will try to hold up>." Misty sighed again happily as Mike's fingers worked into the tight muscles.

"<So apparently if I needed to make a living in Equestria, all I need to do is offer massages>?" Mike kept working at the big muscles until the knot in each started to smooth out.

"Mike?" Joyce's voice was a lot closer. "Ah, that was your voice. Can you help me with getting the table ready? I had to give up half the bunch of grapes I got just to buy us some time."

"<Buy us>…" Mike adjusted his language back to English abruptly. "What do you mean?" He used one hand to smooth Misty's fur back down where he had rubbed, and stood up. As he turned and opened the fly-wire door, Mike spotted the problem and started laughing; attached to Joyce's front was Tufts, and he looked to have a mouthful of grapes. "I thought he wasn't meant to become a pet?"

"He isn't. But when the sun goes down, he wakes up fully and wants food. It started when I was sorting my first-aid kit. He found the lollipops." As Joyce spoke, she fed the bat another grape.

"Are you sure he knows that? I mean…" Mike paused for effect, "he looks pretty attached to you." Joyce's groan was music to Mike's ears, it fed him with a need for more puns. "Look at him, Mum, he has you wrapped around his claw…"

"You're the worst child ever." Joyce groaned and held her hand up over Mike's mouth, muffling his next words. "Just come and help, please?"

"Alright, alright. I was just giving Misty a massage, her wings are growing, the usual kid stuff." Mike held the door open for Misty. "Come on inside, you can help me set the table, if you want, so Mum can look after her pet in peace."

Rolling her shoulders and fluffing her wings, Misty nodded. "I sure can!" She trotted past Mike and Joyce, leaving Mike to follow her.

Mike couldn't resist reaching out to rub Tufts' head a little as he passed. At the accusing look on his mother's face, he shrugged. "You were the one who said he isn't allowed to be a pet. Look how cute he is."

"You're the worst, Michael Robertson." Joyce shook her head. "Are you still going to visit the farm tomorrow?"

"Sure are. Misty wanted to come too… if Candela doesn't mind." Mike joined Misty in the kitchen, getting a pang of amusement at how easily she had slipped into "little sister" territory.

Author's Note:

So I do this "Ask x" thing, x can be any pony within the story. You can ask them anything and I they will definitely hopefully reply. Keep the questions appropriate to the age-rating of the stories and of course, I they will answer the best question(s) in the author notes of the next chapter. The more votes a comment has the more likely I will get it to the right pony to answer, try and keep it to one answer per post! I They will pick one question per chapter.

Support me on Patreon or fuel my writing on Ko-Fi!

Join me on Discord. Warning, said chat may contain NSFW material and should be considered adult in nature.

Awesome ponies who are already helping to keep me in keyboards and rum:
Canary in the Coal Mine
Daremo
Mary Rowland
Boulder
A.P.O.N.I.
Mephia
Nils
Ian
Dio-Drogynous

And special thanks to the following, for careful eyes and friendly words:
Jeffh4
Vutava
Cross Lament

Comments

[Boulder]

Misty: So do you like Mike as a sort of stand in big brother?

[Daremo]

so she keep - so she could keep

were here exact - were her exact

---

Still following along, and loving every adorable moment.

[Damaged]

8061070 Glad to hear it. Heh, I have come a long way from the 15-20 odd mistakes you used to find!

[Admiral Stoic Rum]

Well youve done well and earned your viewership, although i recommend instead of switching what the carrot and the quote represent to just fix it in one direction. It's jarring even with time between chapters.otherwise youve got some solid going on this story.

[tsaukpaetra]

See? There's a quote that goes something like, "you gave it a name?! Now that it has a name you're going to get attached to it!". And lo, the family pet was acquired!
It's odd he doesn't just write the letter and bring it over, why is it important he does so while in Equestria?
To Holder's Boulder: anyone got on you lately?
Keep going! ;)

[Vutava]

"You are going to uni? I was going to just…" Rose blew out a breath in exaggerated annoyance. "You are probably the only person I can actually talk to about this."

"He is awesome.

"Candela keeps all the stuff she used to teach us, I am sure she won't mind us using it."

"Well, I am heading to their farm tomorrow, do you want to come too?

and ask her if it would be alright if I visited."

"<Mom said it is growing pains, that I am just changing in size all over in some growth spurt. Keep going, I will try to hold up>."

Contractions suggested.

Misty Leaned to the side a little and stretched her wings with a sigh.

leaned

[Damaged]

8473480 Thanks! Got 'em all!