Chapter-7 Out on the Town
I looked up at the building tower above me. Its structure reminded me of old greek architecture with all the pillars and whatnot. The building also is home to the second-largest source of information behind their national archives. It certainly was a building deserving of such knowledge, knowledge that I would soon consume.
Fleetfoot and I walked through the large white doors and into the central atrium, a large, round circulation desk greeting us, bordered by towering bookshelves on either side. The scale of the library left me speechless. Its endless expanses of bookshelves never seemed to end, each covered in thousands of books only to end and be followed up by another row of shelves. This was only the first floor too. The second level was only about half the size but equally as impressive. I sure had my work cut out for me. I also realized I should have had a slightly better idea of what I wanted to search for, or else I would be reading everything in here until the end of time.
"I'm going to be looking around in the aerospace section. Do you want to come with me?" Fleetfoot asked.
"I'm going to explore other areas if that's alright."
"That's fine with me. Come meet me over at aerospace when you want to leave."
"Alright, see you soon," I responded, knowing darn well that I would be in a universe of my own for possibly the next several hours.
I didn't even notice that my legs had begun to move down the aisle. I quickly began scanning each sign at the top of every shelf. Cooking, art, engineering, and dozens of other categories passed before I stopped in front of the aisle I was after.
Before me stood hundreds of books on the history of Equestria, I would never be able to read a fraction of these if even if I spent the rest of my days reading.
As I strolled down the aisle, I noticed a bright yellow cover that stood out from all the others, and walking up to it, I saw that it read The Complete History of Equestria… For Featherbrains! It even that a little sketch of a pegasus on the front. This seemed like a good starting place, it’s not like I had anything else in mind. I pulled it down from the shelf, placed it on my back, and strode over to one of the reading areas.
The book fell off my back with a thud as it landed on the small coffee table in front of me, causing a few of the other ponies around me to glance up before diving back into their books. Sitting on the ground, I flipped the book open to the first chapter.
I blinked a few times, my eyes feeling like they would fall out of their sockets if I had to read one more word. It had easily been two hours since I had started reading about the history of Equestria. Still, two hours of constant reading had taken a toll. I needed a little break, and I saw a little coffee shop near the front of the library. I decided I would go ask Fleetfoot if I could get a drink as well as if I could check out this book. I saw that I was on page eighty and closed the book, placing it on my back before I went. First, I had to find out where the aeronautics section was.
As I walked back towards the central aisle, I saw a little map on the side of one of the shelves. I walked up to it and saw a flat layout of the library, and it looked entirely handmade. It was hard to make out the words through cursive writing, but I could read them. After a few minutes of deciphering the map, I grunted in frustration as I had yet to find what I was looking for.
I sighed in frustration and turned around, heading toward the circulation counter. I decided to save myself the hassle and ask someone where the aeronautics section was.
I strode up to the counter, a peach-colored pony scribbling away on a piece of paper, paying me no mind. I coughed a bit, getting their attention.
"Wh-" she stuttered before spotting me, "oh, I'm sorry. Do you need help with something, mister?" She asked.
"Yeah, do you know where the aeronautics section is?"
"Yes, I do. The entire second floor is dedicated to aeronautics. Is that all you need?"
"Yes, thank you," I responded before turning around and heading back toward that map.
I walked back up to the map and looked at the outline of the second floor. I had failed to notice that the entire floor was labeled as aeronautics. I had been looking at the aisles. Looking at the chart, I realized there at least a hundred aisles on each side, each one possibly containing Fleetfoot.
"Dang, she at least could have given me a general area," I grumbled, walking toward the large staircase further down the aisle. It would certainly take a while to find her unless I was very fortunate.
I climbed up the stairs, reaching the top and gazing upon the task at hand. I sighed before quickly making my way down the rows, casting a glance down each side as I quickly trotted past. Ponies filled some of the aisles, but I still could have spotted Fleetfoot. However, I felt my brow furrowing as I continued to not see any signs of Fleetfoot. Each aisle, book after book, and yet no sign of Fleetfoot.
Once I reached the end, I prayed that she just happened to be in the last aisle, but I groaned when she didn't appear like she was supposed to. So, I hastily trotted back the way I came, thinking I may have just missed her. But by the time I returned to the other side, Fleetfoot had still evaded me.
If Fleetfoot wasn't here, maybe she had just wandered off to another section, I thought. So I decided I would just sit in one of the areas in the open near the entrance so she would see me if she came looking.
As I descended the stairs, I glanced out the large windows above the stairs and spotted… Fleetfoot? She appeared to be headed toward the entrance to the library, causing me to quicken my pace and make my way in the direction of the entrance.
I hurriedly bounced down the stairs and trotted around the circulation desk and toward the front door, where I saw Fleetfoot signing something for someone before she turned and spotted me.
"Oh," she jumped, "hey there, buddy, you startled me!"
"Where were you?" I asked as I walked up to her.
"Well, I-"
"Hey! Did you check that book out!?" Shouted one of the librarians, causing me to notice the yellow book, still balanced on my back.
"Sorry, just give us a second," I said back, redirecting my attention to Fleetfoot.
"Well," Fleetfoot continued, "as I was saying, I just needed to run an errand real quick since we were in the area."
"I thought I lost you. I looked in the aeronautics section and couldn't find you!" I quipped back, frustrated that she couldn't have at least told me.
"I would never leave you. I came back didn’t I?" She motioned to herself as a matter of factly, "anyways, you're a brave little colt. I knew you'd be fine here for a little on your own. But I am sorry, I still should have told you." She said, pulling in for a little hug, which I embraced, although somewhat forced.
As Fleetfoot freed me from her embrace, I stepped back and saw her looking into my eyes. She really was sorry, although nearly all these ponies had cute eyes that did that. Though Fleetfoot seemed more genuine. Her body language and her attitude showed she really cared.
"Do you still want that book?" She asked, "I have a library card and can check it out for you." She then pulled a small, white, rectangular card from her turquoise saddle bags. I didn't even realize she had saddlebags on the way here.
"Sure, I would like to read more of this," I said as we walked back over to the circulation counter, the librarian giving me a glare to which I could only sheepishly smile back at.
"Was there anything else you wanted to do today?" Fleetfoot asked as she slid her library card to the librarian.
I stared into space for a few seconds, "Could we go to the Wonderbolt store?"
"Why do you want to go there? You got one standing right in front of you!" She exclaimed, standing in a stoic pose, her features faltering a few seconds later, followed by her laughs.
"Well, it's not for me…." I began, "you see, right before I punched that kid, he poured my friend's milk all over her Wonderbolt notebook. I thought it would be nice if I got her a new one. I was the reason the bully came up to us anyway."
"That sounds like a great idea. They give us a steep discount on our merch anyway, so maybe we can get a few extra goodies too." She replied, causing me to smile.
It was pretty evident that Misty didn't come from a particularly wealthy family. Her school supplies showed years of wear. On top of that, she only had the bare minimum. Heck, she even got the free school lunch, and that stuff is essentially sludge. Even the sandwich was only a few bits extra.
The librarian finished scribbling on the little card in the back of the book before sliding it across the table along with Fleetfoot's library card. And before long, we were headed to the Wonderbolt store.
The library was right in downtown Cloudsdale, and enormous buildings rose up into the sky on either side of the building. Its seemingly old aesthetic was very different from the modern design of the skyscrapers. I wondered if they still called them skyscrapers even though they were floating in the sky. A question I would never get answered.
Fleetfoot and I walked down the sidewalk, one of the few non-cloud surfaces. Pegasi seemed to fly over sky where the road should be as if they were in their own little mobiles, obeying traffic lights and other signs floating in the sky. I would never get over the sheer absurdity I was experiencing, but I liked that in some ways.
As we passed storefront after storefront, we finally came across a large glass storefront with the Wonderbolts emblem front and center. It was a massive, two-story store filled with seemingly everything and anything they could slap a logo onto. It was like those stores you would see at NFL stadiums. Hopefully, this place was less grossly overpriced.
Fleetfoot and I walked through the revolving door and into the store, only getting a few steps before nearly every pony seemed to turn and stare in our direction. Oh boy, I thought to myself as I realized that a Wonderbolt had just walked into a store centered around admiring them.
"Go pick out what you want to get your friend and meet me by the checkout when you're done." Fleetfoot hastily said to me as the crowd began to close in. "Get a few things for yourself too!" And with that, she shoved me away just as a mass of ponies engulfed her.
I looked back at the crowd gathered around her. I even spotted one holding a little flag with Fleetfoot's cutie mark.
I gazed upon the wonder that they had as they kept crowding around Fleetfoot. I wondered what it must be like. Pretty cool, but I could see how it's annoying. According to these ponies, I was living the dream.
I snapped out of my little daydream, turning around and walking down the central aisle.
On either side of me was row after row filled with merchandise. I was currently in the jersey and uniform section. Various blue and yellow jerseys adorned with the names of the Wonderbolts went by. I stopped and checked the price on one and saw that it was several hundred bits. I was still getting familiar with bits, but I knew that was absurd. Some things continued to hold true to Earth standards.
I quickly passed this area, making my way into the accessories section. That is just what I was looking for.
I trotted past a few tables of various nick-nacks, ignoring the cheap garbage and making my way toward the stationeries.
I stood in front of the towering shelves, each covered in every conceivable stationary item that they could fit a Wonderbolts logo on. I quickly realized that I would be confined to the lower levels as I was short and could not fly, and with the top shelf being about eight feet high, I knew I'd be best not trying to climb the frame.
I scanned the shelves within a distance, looking for something to get for Misty. Not too long after, a bright blue notebook with the standard Wonderbolt logo caught my attention.
Trotting up to where it lay on the shelf, I examined it and saw it was a standard notebook. Perfect. I quickly grabbed it and balanced it on my back, making sure it wouldn't slide off the first step I took.
I continued down the aisles, grabbing a few items here and there. Another notebook, a case of pencils, a folder, and a water bottle. By the time I grabbed the water bottle, I had realized there was no way I would balance it on my back without causing everything else to come toppling over.
Thinking back to my Tetris days, I gave it my best thought, but I just decided to carry the bottle in my mouth. I was going to buy it anyway, so what difference does it make?
I soon found my way back to the front of the store, items in tow. I saw that they had put Fleetfoot behind the customer service counter while Fleetfoot still greeting and taking pictures with fans.
I trotted over to the counter, deviating toward the side that was significantly less crowded. I placed the water bottle on the ground and shouted Fleetfoot's name.
Despite the crowd around her, my voice caught her attention, causing her to look in my direction and smile when she saw me. After announcing that she had to go, she made her way over to me.
"So, you find everything you wanted to get?" She asked, pushing through the little door and from behind the counter.
"Yeah, I got everything, but can you carry this for me?" I asked, pointing to the bottle.
"Sure, but we better hurry. I don't know how much longer the staff can keep the crowd at bay," She said as she gave a side glance toward the ponies trying to make their way over to us, only being held back by a few store workers.
We hurriedly made our way to the checkout and paid, only escaping the store with a few moments to spare.
They tried to follow us, but after a few blocks, most either gave up or got caught in the general foot traffic of Cloudsdale. It appeared that only the most dedicated fans spent their bits at that store because nobody else seemed to pay us any mind outside of there.
"So, how much was all of that?" I asked as we paced along with the crowd.
"About a hundred and fifty bits," She responded nonchalantly.
I winced at that number, and to think that was with her discount as a Wonderbolt. That merchandise is just legalized robbery.
"Don't worry about it," She said, seeing my response, "I make more than enough bits as it is."
"It's not just that," I responded, "but I can only imagine how Misty felt when her stuff was destroyed."
"Yeah, we have been trying to lower the price of our merchandise, but the company that makes the stuff put a loophole in the counteract that gives us little control over the price." She got closer to me, "But if I'm being honest, I've stolen probably a few thousand bits worth of merchandise and given it away."
"Really?!" I laughed, "And you don't get in trouble?"
"They forget that we have free reign of the entire stadium whenever we want," She said with a sly demeanor, "even if they did catch me, I would just pay for it."
I laughed at how Fleetfoot was technically a criminal. Still, I knew that if she hadn't been caught already that nobody really cared.
I sat at the dinner table, and a steamy hot plate of fried alfalfa sat before me. I dug in and was rewarded with another delectable sensation of Fleetfoot's cooking.
It still felt weird to me that I was eating alfalfa which is just animal feed on Earth. I knew I was an animal now, though humans are animals too. Still, this is another one of those things that reminded me of how out of place I was.
"You like it?" Fleetfoot said, taking a bite of her own food.
"Yeah, I love it!" I responded truthfully.
We had come back from downtown after the merchandise store. Fleetfoot had explained how she loved her fans but wished that ponies wouldn't treat her as some high and mighty celebrity all the time. She hoped I would see her as an average pony, to which I agreed. Fleetfoot was more remarkable than average, being a celebrity. Still, I had no genuine appreciation for her celebrity status as I had only briefly met her and this world.
I quickly scooped the rest of the food into my mouth. I placed the empty plate and silverware in the dishwasher, before making my way toward my room.
“Goodnight Fleetfoot,” I said as I walked up the stairs.
“Goodnight buddy, don’t let the cloudbugs bite!” She said back as I walked into my room just before closing the door.
I fell onto my bed, letting out a deep sigh of relief. It was nice to finally lay in bed, after walking around all day I was pooped.
I realized I forgot to brush my teeth, but didn’t care as I felt that the wonderful embrace of sleep was close.
I looked around, the ethereal abyss of space greeting me. Every direction I looked was filled with the same vastness. My body seemed to be floating, nothing holding me down.
Suddenly I felt my hooves touch down on an irregular surface, and looking around, I saw a field of gray. Craters dotted the horizon, but other than that, everything else was a fine gray powder. I still felt strange, as if gravity didn't fully grasp me. I bounced around a little, finding that I had jumped higher than I should have been able to.
The ground around my hooves poofed out from under me as I landed softly, the dust lingering in the air. I looked around again, only to spot a dark silhouette in the distance. I blinked, only for it to disappear.
I shrugged and turned around, only to bump into a large mass. Looking up greeted me with a sight of luscious, purple fur, accompanied by gray shoes and a dark purple tiara. The pony easily stood twice my height, casting an unreadable gaze upon me.
We seemed to stare at each other for hours, not a sound or disturbance. Her teal eyes stared back into mine, her very essence seemingly piercing my very being. I returned the stare but was met with a stone wall of emotionless eyes.
Finally, the pony seemed to visibly relax a little. Her chest unpuffed slightly, a less judgemental and warm, though still cautious, expression adorning her face.
"Thou art a mysterious one…" she whispered to herself, causing me to raise an eyebrow. "What is thy name?" She asked, intrigued by something.
"Uhm, Evan?" I hesitantly responded. I just had a staredown with this pony, a pony I felt like I recognized. I knew I knew this pony, but it was as if something was stopping my mind from grasping the memories associated with this pony. I had never felt so sure of something I didn't know before.
"Evan… quite a peculiar name, alas, I have heard thousands more so." She said as she stared off into the vast expanse of space.
I tapped my hoof, looking around in every direction. Nothing changed as I looked around, only seeing more and more of the endless gray expanse as I looked around.
I stopped in place, my body freezing as I looked up. In the sky was a floating blue and green orb. It was Earth. Only, it wasn't Earth. The continents looked… off. It was familiar, yet different enough that it was clearly different.
"Thou hooves are on a surface upon which nopony but I have stood upon." Came the dark pony.
Realization dawned on me. I was on the moon. How am I alive? How did I get up here? How did I… and a thousand more question rang through my head.
"Thou art dreaming, young one," She said, seemingly pulling my thoughts out of my mind.
She shushed me as I opened my mouth to ask more questions before responding, "I have but one question; what art thou?"
"I am a pony," I responded simply.
"Do not lie to me," She responded sternly. "I can sense thy emotions in thy dreams. If thou art a threat to Equestria, I will give you one chance to admit thy guilt and surrender peaceable."
"I'm not dangerous…" I stuttered. How had she known? She didn't know what I was but knew if I was lying. I wasn’t dangerous. Maybe she got lucky.
But she is… in my dream. She's just a figment of my imagination. Of course, she knew everything. She was just a figment of my mind.
"I am not of thy own creation," She stated, interrupting my thought.
How had she… but she's me. Is she? How would I-
My eyes sprang open, searching the environment around me. I was in my room. No gray dust, no dark pony, not a single thing was out of place. Actually, the only thing out of place was me. I was lying on the floor next to my bed. I slowly felt my breathing begin to slow. I was in my room at Fleetfoot's house. Nobody knew anything. It was all a dream.
I slowly got to my hooves and slid back under my blanket.
It was all a dream. Nobody knows anything.
Nobody knows…
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Guess her name is Nobody now
I think Luna's approach is far too aggressive here. In the long run, a softer approach would have definitely been wiser. Because if you introduce yourself that hostile, it's the best way to create enemies.
I can't wait for him to see fleetfoot perform at a show. I can see him comparing their tricks to stunt flying maneuvers.
Awesome ch thank u 💕💕💕💕
AWESOME new chapter, I love it!
So post EOH
*fine
YAAAAAAAAAY another chapter! thank you! i loved it :3
Hey, TankFBI! TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY!
Definitely looking forward to more! Well done so far, author.
Of all the ponies to figure out your secret Luna isn't exactly the worst one to find out I mean she wasn't known as Equestria's shield for a reason