Activities
Tyrone arranged to have more flying lessons over the weekend. With determination, he was learning rapidly but, as his stern instructor pointed out, he still “flew like a wounded foal”. So he was surprised when Black Nimbus offered to take him to a hoofball game the next day.
“I’m not familiar with the game – should I be?”
The black-coated pegasus grimaced. “All red-blooded stallions follow a hoofball team. If you’re gonna fit in with us, you gotta know us!”
“Okay, if you say so. It’s not as if I don’t follow football back home. Where’s it played? I haven’t seen any stadiums around Ponyville.”
“That’s because you’ve been looking in the wrong direction, mate. I’m not talking about the ground-pounders like the Comets. I mean the real thing – the aerial league! Pegasi, griffons, and hippogriffs like you. There’s your stadium.” He pointed up at the sky roughly in the southerly direction where a very large isolated cloudbank was hovering in an otherwise cloudless sky.
Tyrone’s eyes bulged. “That’s a stadium?”
Nimbus nodded. “Finest in Equestria. They moved it there yesterday to prepare for the game between the Baltimare Ravens and the Canterlot Cannons tomorrow.”
“How do you make a sporting arena out of water vapor?”
“With construction-grade clouds, of course.”
“Of course. Ask a silly question…” Tyrone grimaced. “Okay, you’ve got me curious. Do you really expect me to fly up there though?”
“Hah! Fat chance. It’ll take a lot more lessons before I trust you to make that flight. I’ll borrow a carriage and fly you up.”
“Won’t the other flyers wonder why you’re towing up a healthy hippogriff though?”
“We’ll put a bandage on one of your wings and tell anyone who asks that no injury was keeping you from watching the game!”
“That will work, I suppose. I’m in.”
Nimbus grinned. “That’s the spirit. We’ll fly up straight after your lessons tomorrow. You’re buying the beer and the carrot dogs!”
Tyrone turned up bright and early the next day to find Nimbus already waiting outside the Baltimare factory with a carriage that was normally used to transport materials down from the mountains. It was more than roomy enough for the hippogriff and, after the application of the fake bandage, the two were on their way to the aerial stadium.
Nerves almost ruined their arrival though when Nimbus told Tyrone that he could leave the carriage. Despite seeing the pegasus nonchalantly standing on nothing but cloud, his brain was screaming at him that this was impossible. Although he had already flown with wings that should not have been up to the task if it wasn’t for magic, this was a whole different kettle of fish.
“C’mon, mate – ponies are staring,” Nimbus urged.
Tyrone swallowed hard and gathered his courage, cautiously extending one taloned foreleg from the carriage until it met the strangely dense cloud… and came to a springy halt. His eyebrows lifted in surprise at the sensation before putting weight on it, then following it up with the second foreleg. Confident that the cloud was indeed going to support him, he stepped completely out of the cart and stood firmly on the trampoline-like surface.
“This has got to be the most amazing thing I’ve ever done,” the hippogriff murmured.
“Don’t just stand there like some drongo,” Nimbus chided. “If we wanna get good seats, we have ta get our tickets now.”
Tyrone grinned and followed the impatient pegasus, his head swiveling constantly to check out the wonder that was this colosseum built entirely out of clouds.
The game itself was exciting and semi-familiar. While it had elements of American Football, the three-dimensional nature of the play added many features from other sports. As the game progressed, Nimbus explained the rules and tactics employed by the teams. By the time the Ravens had won the match, Tyrone was hooked and he arranged to go to next weekend’s game with his new best friend.
Jewel pushed open the door to the Carousel Boutique. The bell tinkled, announcing her presence that fine Saturday morning.
The proprietress looked up from her work and gave the visiting unicorn mare a welcoming smile. “Come on in, darling! I’ve made a start on those designs that I showed you over lunch yesterday. I think you’re going to love them!”
“I’m a little nervous about this, Rarity. Everyone keeps saying that I look like a fashion model, but I’m still learning what it is to be female.”
Rarity came over to urge Jewel inside. “There’s no need to be concerned, my dear. I consider it my goal to bring out the confidence in the shyest of my clients with fashions made exclusively to highlight their best features, and darling, you are nothing but best features. I am so excited to be working with you. Come! Let me show you what I have put together so far.”
Jules knew next to nothing about human fashions – his fanciest men’s clothes were business casual. Women’s clothing was right out of his purview. However, as Rarity involved Jewel in the design and fitting of the custom-made outfits, she found herself getting excited and swept-up in the creation process. When she noticed that she was making suggestions to the fashionista, Jewel realized she was hooked, and by Rarity’s knowing grin, she knew it too.
With only a pause for lunch, the two worked on the new line of clothing that ranged from casual chic to ballroom gowns. Jewel modeled all the finished items while Rarity took photographs. The statuesque unicorn admired herself in the mirror and decided that she looked fabulous in everything. She loved it! Never in all his/her life would she have believed that being a fashion model would be so fulfilling.
Jewel turned to Rarity. “How am I going to repay you for all of this? I don’t know much about what fashions like these would sell for, but I’m sure it’s a small fortune.”
Rarity tut-tutted. “Nonsense, darling. I said that you inspired me and that does not obligate you in the slightest. I have enjoyed this day immensely and all I ask in return that you show them off at Prince Mark’s next fashion show. I hope to have Fleur de Lis, a professional model, present at the showing. I’m very much looking forward to seeing her reactions.”
“Isn’t she the mare whose build you say resembles mine?”
“She is the very one. And if she likes the designs, I’m sure that I will have a very enthusiastic customer as well as an admirer of my art.”
Jewel giggled. “Rarity – if you can convince me, I believe you could convince anyone that you can do magic with fabric!”
Michelle luxuriated in a long sleep-in on Saturday. She had finished decorating and furnishing her Houston apartment the night before and felt she deserved it. She spent a couple more hours reading a novel with her body propped up by pillows before finally starting her day. After a hearty brunch, she decided to explore her new neighborhood with a particular eye out for the nightlife. Michelle found a few clubs which she came back to try that evening, but left a little disappointed. Nevertheless, they had burned off her restless energy that day and she went to bed late. She slept solidly until it was nearly eleven. While she had a long, hot shower, she considered her options. Tyrone was the only person in town she knew and she wasn’t about to socialize with the man, especially as he was married. That left either checking out more local venues or seeing what Equestria had to offer.
An hour later, Michelle crossed over to the other universe. Although Baltimare likely had many possibilities, she decided to start with someplace semi-familiar first. Thus, she was soon striding on her cat paws into Ponyville where the friendly locals were happy to point out the options. The Bucking Mare sounded promising and she headed there. Only the need to get some rest before going to work on Monday forced her to leave her new favorite club.
Joy had gotten an invitation to join Pinkie Pie’s family for the day and she turned up at her friend’s home on Saturday morning. The two pink mares greeted each other exuberantly but a couple of notches less nerve-wracking to the neighbors than previously. She was introduced to Pinkie’s husband, Guffaw, an evolved changeling from King Thorax’s hive, and their ponyling foal was a real heart-stealer.
The reason for the gathering was two-fold. Pinkie’s sister, Maud, was visiting after one of her geology expeditions, and the party mare wanted to introduce her new friend, Joy, as well as have a small private celebration of the occasion. Maud entertained the family with some of her stand-up humor. She had some new material that she had excavated (her words!) during her field trip.
“You’re right, Pinkie,” Joy said as she regrettably had to leave that evening. “Your sister is a riot!”
Sunday was Meet-the-Neighbors day back in Los Angeles. Jolene had taken every opportunity to introduce herself while moving in and found the families in the nearby apartments to be a friendly lot on the whole. She organized a barbecue with about a dozen of the families and Jules was dragged along only a little reluctantly. Jolene was the life of the party, instantly finding ways to engage with the other guests as well as getting her co-worker to open up more to them. The afternoon event stretched well into the evening after one of the attendees made a run to the supermarket to stock up on more food and drink. Much to the delight of Jolene, the cheerful group attracted the attention of more of the locals and they were invited to join and contribute.
If it wasn’t for the fact that most families had children to get to bed, the party may have lasted hours longer. As it was, Jolene went to sleep that night a tired but very happy woman.
A product release notice and an announcement of the opening of the two new branches during the training week meant that the new managers hit the ground running on Monday. Each was introduced to their receptionist/secretaries – both transfers from the Charlotte headquarters. Estelle López took the position in Houston because she had family in the area, while Imani Williams, an African-American, liked the idea of living on the West Coast. The pay raise didn’t hurt either. Both were very experienced with Harmonic Composites’ workings and they were chosen to ensure that the new managers could concentrate on their jobs and not all the other intricacies of running an office.
Of course, there were also the warehouse workers. There were two temporary local hires for each facility to deal with the initial surge. Once that passed, they expected to cope with just one and offer the best performer a full-time position.
Once the four managers had organized the new employees, they set to work dealing with the influx of inquiries. It kept them so busy that no one had time to visit Equestria until the end of the day. Tyrone had a flying lesson arranged with Black Nimbus, but he made sure to phone his wife before going to the portal. Michelle headed straight back to her apartment to have a long hot bath. Jules and Jolene accepted an invitation to dinner from Fast Mover and soon after the warehouse workers and Estelle had left, a unicorn and an earth pony traveled to the Vanhoover factory to meet up with their host. After arriving, both got dressed for the occasion, with Jewel wearing one of Rarity’s creations. It amused Joy to see how unconsciously her friend wore the fine dress to such great effect.
They were greeted at the door by Fast Mover’s wives – a unicorn and a visibly pregnant pegasus. After giving him a hug and kiss each, they turned to their guests.
“Aren’t you going to introduce us, Mover?” the unicorn mare asked.
The stallion grinned and said, “Loves, I’d like you to meet Jewel and Joy Leap. Ladies, this lovely unicorn is my wife, Golden Touch, and my pegasus herdmate, Subtle Breeze.”
Golden Touch held out her foreleg, inviting a hug. Familiar now with the touchy-feely nature of the ponies of this world, Jewel and Joy accepted the hug and did the same with Subtle Breeze.
“You may call me Goldy,” the unicorn mare told them.
“And I answer to Breezy,” the pegasus added with a smile. “I think I can already tell how you earned your Equestrian names.”
The stallion said, “Come on in and meet the foals. We can chat until dinner is ready.”
“Yes,” Golden agreed, “And you can tell us about how you caught our Mover’s eye, Jewel. Although I think it’s quite obvious.”
Jewel came to a halt and her eyes widened. “I did what now?!”
# # # # # # # # #
Hmmm... I think Fast Mover's name doesn't just refer to his competence in the factory. 
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Oh my it sounds like some one is going to be getting a proposal to join a heard.
Oh Uh..that can be an issue
Warning, this is a plot complication.... warning, this is a plot complication...
And we see what happens when Sgt. Murphy moves around here in the FIMfiction worlds with his brand of "chaos".
Goldfur you had me intrigued with this story.
Now you have my attention.
Not just Ponies have to settle in quickly?
Seargent Murphy?
Dont call me Sir, son, I work for a living?
Eventually i can imagen Equestria vs the worst kind of humans.
Chrysalis is going to rock!
Snrk, their orientation didn't prepare them for that! Poor Jewel never even had the thought to ask what it would be like to be sought after.
This all certainly be interesting...
11317392
We see what you did there. 🙃
Jewel won't know what hit her!
Jewel is a sexy model that is still free, since she and Joy have no Stallion. No wonder the social circel trys to claim her.
A Changeling seem to be perfect for Joy & Jewel. Literally the best match, plus a adapting lover can than tend to both aspect of the newly minted Mares rather than the other way around...
With the way housing prices have lost their sanity in Cali over the past decade, that pay raise better be substantial.
11320780 Erm, I never mentioned religious inferiority, not sure why you mentioned it. I will say that Sikhs are generally not represented well enough in modern society. And as far as radicals go, anyone who uses religious doctrine as an excuse to be an @$$-hat should be flattened by a hydraulic press.
11320785
I mentioned only as a point of attitude by bigots.
11320804 Ah, fair enough. I am unfortunately familiar with groups like Westboro 'Baptist Church'. Who do not follow the tenants of the Bible and instead espouse hatred, bigotry, racism, sexism, etc. So I do get your point.
11320689
He already picked those who could do the jobs he just trying not to look like he favoring one sex over the other. For ponies girls are more in charge and for humans it the other way.
i seem to remember a "Cloudosseum" in a different story...
oh, and a "Thunderdome".
11321071
You must be from around the Midwest if you're familiar with them. Haven't heard much about them lately for good or ill. Hopefully after Fred's passing they withered on the vine.
11531187
Oh they're abouts, doing their thing, its just pretty much noise at this point. Whatever attention garnered for them seems largely from novelty then actual sway over things. And with the head dudes passing (and frankly no doubt finding a unpleasant finding at the Narrow Gate) much of the wind has been taken from their sails