Ponies on Earth and their New Horizons

by TikiBat

Chapter 4: Picture if You Will

It was reaching the middle of their trip and Sapphire had suggested that the group visit the large structure known as the Superior Dome. Scarlet and Silver had immediately agreed, noting that spending time in a large heated building and taking a short break from the cold was probably for the best.

And large it was. The Dome had been designed for American football and was apparently the largest wooden dome in the world. Its beautiful wooden structure was proudly on display, creating a latticework of triangles and walkways that encircled them overhead. The silver skin that was pulled tight over the skeleton to keep out the elements was even visible from inside.

Silver sat with his family next to Sapphire’s and thousands of others on the bleachers, enthralled by the exciting game of hoofball that was going on below on the astroturf field. He had never really been much for watching sports play out at home, but seeing them in person? That was an entirely different case. In person you could really feel the energy of the crowd, and even though he didn’t really understand the game itself, he couldn’t help but cheer along with the rest of the group.

The buzzer suddenly rang out, signaling that it was half time and it startled Orion enough for him to frightfully try to climb under the bench. The colt gave up when it stopped and looked around in worry, earning a laugh from Silver.

He pulled the frightened colt back next to him and pulled him close to give Orion a reassuring pat on the back. “Hey don’t worry buddy, it’s just half time, I know you’re not used to all this noise but it’s fun!”

He took a few more nervous glances and then calmed down some more, snuggling up between his parents.

Scarlet smiled, “See? It’s not that bad.”

Emily stood up, “I’m going to grab something to drink, you guys need anything?”

Silver nodded, “Just a few waters please.”

She nodded and trotted off to grab them.

Sapphire looked over to the trio, “So what do you think so far?”

“I think it’s amazing— I mean just look at the way it’s built! Almost reminds me of the one back in Long Beach.” Silver answered as he excitedly looked all around.

“The building is nice, but I’m still trying to understand what’s going on. I mean I’ve never seen this before.” Scarlet cut in.

Sapphire raised an eyebrow, “What do you want to know about?”

“Well it looks like soccer but what’s with the buckets the goalkeepers are using?”

“It’s an Equestrian thing. Earth’s version is kind of a mix between soccer and a sport in Equestria called buckball. Though that is only ever played with three ponies on each team. Basically the earth ponies and unicorns defend while the pegasi kick the ball to try and score. Neither of them can use their abilities or magic except for the goalies. That’s why the pegasi are all running instead of flying. The buckets are just another way to try and stop the ball from going into the goal.”

Scarlet nodded, “Interesting. It’s definitely different, but not really in a bad way.”

Sapphire continued, “Pegasi will get a penalty if they fly or get past the other team’s defense and unicorns will too if they use their magic to directly grab the ball. Winged ponies don’t have to be the forwards but since we tend to be faster, it’s how things tend to turn out.”

“I’ve never really been much of a sports guy but this is actually kind of fun to watch. Seems like there’s a ton of strategy involved, gotta make sure you have the quickest pegasi making the run and the strongest earth ponies keeping a close eye on the ball… this might make for a fun pastime back home, I can already think of a handful of ponies that would be up for trying it out sometime. What’s it called anyways?” Silver excitedly interjected.

“Hoofball. Not really the most inspired name but it works well enough. Are you thinking of trying it out sometime?”

Silver gave a quick half nod, “Maybe, It might be a fun thing to try.”

Scarlet tried to stifle a laugh, “You’re gonna try and play this? Not that there’s anything wrong with that but… you’ve never really struck me as the… athletic type.”

He frowned in mock indignation, “I don’t really know if I should be insulted or not. But I mean I might as well try it out, I’m not going to quit my day job or anything but it looks fun.”

She smirked, “Well if you want to do something productive, I sure won’t stop you.”

“It might be a challenge if you don’t have a lot of night ponies back in the Oasis, unless you’re coordinating it when you’re awake with the others.” Sapphire added in.

“Well it’s worth a shot, I don’t know how many will actually be interested, but worst case it’s just an occasional event that we break out every once in a while,” Silver added.

Scarlet turned to ask Sapphire another question, but was interrupted as a small group of ponies trotted up to the blue pegasus and asked her something that Scarlet couldn’t quite hear. Deciding to let her take care of that, Scarlet simply looked back around the arena. As she glanced back down to the turf she smiled as an idea came to her. With a smile, she turned back towards Orion, “I know this is all a lot for you, but why don’t we go play in the grass for a little while? Does that sound fun?!”

Orion nervously looked around and gave a quick flap of his wings as Scarlet lifted him up and began to fly down towards the field.

---

The next few days seemed to fly by, and before they had even realized it their brief week long vacation was almost at its end. Sapphire was off getting the tickets, leaving the family and Emily alone. Silver, Scarlet, and Orion stuck out like a sore thumb in their cozy sweaters, but they didn’t care in the slightest. As warm as they were, the cold wind that would blow in every once in a while would still send them into a flurry of shivers. Despite the chilling wind, Orion was still as curious as ever over the new area they were in now.

“You know, if you’re too cold they’ll have blankets you can borrow on the boat.” Emily added as she looked on at them.

Silver looked over to Scarlet and Orion, and then back to Emily. “Yeah, that’d be a good idea. Just in case it gets too cold for us out on the water.”

She nodded, “Oh it will as soon as the boat gets moving.”

Silver took the opportunity to snap a few more photos for his album while Scarlet chatted over some of her notes with Crescent.

Emily looked down at Orion who was currently looking around at the tour boats with wide eyed curiosity. “Has he... ever been on a boat before?”

Silver shook his head, “Nope, we’ve been hoping to get some boats out at the lake back home but that really hasn’t been a priority. I don’t think we’ll have to worry about him though, looks like he’s already excited for it.”

“He’s definitely trying to win the cutest foal award.”

Silver raised an eyebrow, “So how long’s the boat ride anyways?”

“About two and a half hours, so it’ll be a long one. If you need to use the restroom you better do it now.”

Silver smiled at the thought of a nice relaxing boat ride, bringing back memories of his childhood spent at lakes and rivers with his parents. “That sounds relaxing, I bet we’ll have plenty of time to chat and just enjoy the nice weather.”

Scarlet nodded, “I can’t wait.”

Silver watched as Orion excitedly took a few steps off the path onto the grass, stopped, then eagerly approached the dock. Scarlet was also keeping a close eye on him, but despite their worries he didn’t run off too far before returning to them. The cold wind blew on them again, causing a few more shivers, but the blankets that were draped over their entire body and secured around their necks kept them reasonably comfortable. They had received them earlier in the week from Sapphire along with a few pony-designed sweaters, and Silver was still getting used to looking like a little horse with them on.

“You ready to go buddy??” Silver asked as Orion finished coming back to them.

Orion made an excited squeal and bounced as they continued towards the dock.

Scarlet laughed, “I’ll take that as a yes.”

Sapphire chose that moment to come flying in, landing with a small hop. “Tickets are all set, let’s get in line.”

The pair nodded and walked forward, keeping Orion close while they strode down the long dock to board the boat. The last thing they needed was for the colt to randomly run off and cause trouble. They stepped aboard and took a blanket that was lying in a pile next to the entrance, then took a seat next to Emily.

Silver turned towards the pastel pink night pony, “So we’ll get to see the rocks at sunset?”

She nodded before replying with a hint of sarcasm, “We are going on the sunset cruise, so yes.”

“Alright, just making sure.”

“Just relax and enjoy the cruise, I’m sure you’ll love it.”

Silver nodded, “Alright, I’ll take your word for it.”

He glanced over towards Orion, who was peeking over the side railing. “Watcha looking for buddy? Trying to see if there’s any fish like back home?”

The colt didn’t give a response but instead continued to glance around at the lake’s surface as if he was entranced by it. Occasionally glancing out in the distance where the water became the horizon with a look of fascination that Silver couldn’t help but feel proud of.

“Looks like he’s still trying to figure out what’s up with all the water.” Sapphire added.

Silver let out a chuckle, “You think? I kind of wonder what’s going through his head, he went from the desert to a big metal tube in the sky to a cold area with lots of water around. It probably feels like a completely different world for him.”

“I hope he’s not too attached to this place, he might be a bit bummed once we’re back in the hot desert.”

Silver smiled, “Well I guess that just means we’ll have to come back here again.”

---

The boat was quite full but Sapphire had negotiated reserved seats on the upper level open to the elements. Silver was definitely happy to have the extra blanket as the boat began cutting through the water out onto the lake to follow the coastline heading East. To the West, the sun was just starting to turn the sky orange, and would be setting sometime towards the end of the cruise. A few minutes in and they began passing by the cliffs along the lakeshore, already beginning to glow with a golden light. Emily’s insistence at saving this for the final day was definitely worth it, both Silver and Scarlet were immediately in awe of the beautiful sight.

“Wow, you really weren’t kidding Em, this is beautiful!” Scarlet exclaimed, helping Orion up higher to more easily see the towering sandstone cliffs that contrasted against the dark blue water and the green trees above.

Silver pulled out his camera and started snapping pictures, letting out a happy sigh. “This is amazing. Definitely nothing like what we have back home.”

Silver snapped a few more pictures before quickly passing the camera over to Sapphire. “Could you get a quick picture of us please?”

“Just one quick picture?”

He nodded, “Just so we have this memory saved forever.”

She shrugged, smirking slightly, “Alright, get together and I’ll snap it for you.”

The family leaned in close while Sapphire snapped a few photos, handing the camera back over to Silver.

“Thanks Sapphire, I know it’s corny but Silver really wants to make sure we have these memories recorded. It’s kind of a big deal to him.”

“It’s alright, I get it. You gotta make sure you capture all those special moments.”

“Exactly! He’s only going to grow up once, I just want to make sure we can spend as much time making these memories as we can.” Silver gazed back over towards the sunlit rocks, “You know, I’m really going to miss this place. Even if it’s been a little cold at times but that was kind of a nice change of pace.”

“Cold… right,” Sapphire smiled.

Emily let out a small yawn, “So what do you guys think of it? Was it worth getting up early to see?”

Scarlet nodded her head while Silver snapped a few more photos, “Oh absolutely, you really weren’t kidding when you said we’d have to see them at sunset.”

“Yeah, as much as I love seeing the valley at sunrise the whole… package of this place blows it out of the water.”

“So is it right back to work when you get back or did you at least give yourself a few extra days to rest?” Emily asked

Silver shrugged, “Not exactly, we reorganized how we operate things after you guys left so now I have a lot more time to spend with my family. We’re still working a few things out, but it’s really going well so far. Cuts out a lot of the stress now that everything’s spread out amongst the team a little more evenly.”

“Well that’s nice at least, you won’t have to jump right back into it.”

“Absolutely. I know it might be a little premature, but I would definitely want to get a small vacation home up here someday. It’s just such a nice area and Orion sure seems to love it.”

Sapphire nodded, “I can probably put you in contact with somepony who could help with that. We have more than enough space.”

“I don’t think that’s even a question to be honest. We will be coming back.” Scarlet added in with a smile.

Crescent spoke up, “We’ll be missing the area as well.”

“What do you mean?” Silver asked

“Normally we go to Equestria to celebrate Hearth’s Warming with my family in Cloudsdale. Usually it’s only for one month but I have a guard evaluation in Canterlot that will extend it to two and a half.”

Scarlet raised an eyebrow, “So uh… what’s Equestria like anyways? I mean I’ve heard all about it and I’ve been studying the language as best I can, but I’ve never had the chance to actually ask about it. Is it really all that different from Earth?”

He nodded his head, “I have heard many human visitors say that we seem caught in time. In a way that is correct. While there are many similarities, our magic means many of the inventions humans created have no reason to exist.”

Scarlet’s face lit up in intrigue, “I never would have thought of that, but it makes a lot of sense now that you say it.” She paused for a moment, trailing off in thought. “Um, hey Crescent? I kind of have a big favor to ask.”

“Hm? What would that be?”

She glanced down to her well worn notebook, the overpacked tome threatening to burst at the seams, “So… this is kind of a long shot but I figured there was no harm in asking. I’ve been asking you so much about the stars in Equestria and I’ve been studying so much… would it be possible to maybe see them for myself?”

“Are you asking me to help you visit Equestria?”

She nodded her head, “I know it’s asking a lot but that would be such a big dream come true for me… not to mention how useful it could be for astronomers and scientists here. —It’s okay if you can’t though, I understand.”

Crescent paused for a moment, as Scarlet felt a lingering feeling of nervousness well up inside. Finally he broke the silence, “I can put in a good word but that’s it. Princess Luna has invested in a new observatory with Earth technology and she was seeking out a handful of astronomers to aid in its operation. I wouldn’t think to promise anything, but if you’ll allow me to pass along your notebook for her review, perhaps she would be interested and impressed enough with your work to include you as she begins mapping our sky.”

“You want to show the Princess my notebook!?” she excitedly yelled out, earning a series of confused looks from the other passengers onboard. With a nervous expression she lowered her voice, “—I mean that’s fine, it’s a bit rough but as long as you bring it back in one piece I’m perfectly okay with that.” She paused for a moment, “So you’re sure that this won’t be any trouble at all?”

He shook his head, “None at all. In fact, having another pony who’s awake all night would probably be even better for this project. I will get back in contact with you about it as soon as I have an answer.”

She excitedly nodded her head, “Thank you so much! This is seriously like a dream come true!”

---

The group sat and enjoyed the sights until it was time for them to return to shore, chatting back and forth during the ride back. All too soon the boat pulled back into its place at the dock and they disembarked. Orion and Aurora both badly needed to visit the little ponies room after being stuck on the boat for hours. Their ride wasn’t going to be there for a little while longer so they went to sit at the small park on the shore. Silver and Sapphire led their respective foals off, leaving the others alone at the park.

“If anyone else is interested, I could really go for a quick bite to eat before we head out. I’m going to head over to Muldoon’s and get a pasty, you want me to pick you up one?” Emily asked as she looked towards Scarlet and Crescent.

Crescent shook his head, “I’m not hungry, but thank you for the offer.”

Scarlet nodded, “Sure. I can’t say I’ve ever heard of those so go ahead and grab me one too, I’m not a picky eater.”

Emily began to walk over towards the shop, “Alright, I’ll be back.”

Scarlet took a seat on a nearby bench with Crescent and idly flipped through her notebook, making sure that everything was in order before she handed it over to Crescent. “Okay, please take good care of this, I know it doesn’t look like much but it’s really special to me.”

Crescent carefully took the notebook and gently deposited it in his saddle bag, “I’ll be very careful with it, promise.”

Scarlet’s face held a look of worry at first, which softened to a smile once she saw how careful Crescent was being with it. “Thanks. This really means a lot to me.”

The other parents returned, and Silver took a seat next to Scarlet with Orion. Sapphire, and Crescent began to follow in Emily’s hoofsteps, leaving the family alone for the time being.

Waves gently rolled in to crash along the shore, the sun beginning its final descent turning the entire sky a dark red. The warm color bathed everything in a soothing glow and a light breeze continued to blow off the lake encouraging Silver to cuddle with his family.

Scarlet gazed off into the distance and leaned in closer with Silver and Orion, wrapping her wings around them. “You know, I’m serious about wanting to come back. Sure it’s cold here, but it’s such a nice area and I think I could get used to it over time.”

Silver smiled, “Well, if you insist… for real though I’d be perfectly fine with that, I could absolutely go for a week of peace and quiet out here every year.”

The pair snuggled closer squeezing Orion a little too tightly causing him to give an angry squeal. Laughing nervously they gave the colt some space, letting him settle back down. It was a little sad that their vacation would soon be coming to an end, but they were both happy to have been able to experience something new and to solidify friendships.

Comments

[ProgAltRocker]

Scarlet's going to get the chance at work in Equestria. Pretty exciting stuff