New In Town
For Tristan, the simple task of walking had proven to be anything but. Even with Twilight Sparkle constantly at his side, the newly-formed unicorn had taken more than his fair share of trips and tumbles. Flights of stairs had proven to be even more of a challenge, which, much to his chagrin, there were plenty of in the castle. Twilight's patience had been tested thoroughly throughout this ordeal, but she found Tristan's cluelessness somewhat adorable and her assistance worthwhile. After what seemed like forever for the two, they finally reached the castle door.
"I think I'm finally starting to get this walking thing down!" Tristan beamed. Nearby, a Royal Guard glanced incredulously in their direction before resuming his patrol.
"Good," Twilight said, smirking. "You're gonna be doing a lot of that." She faced the large, wooden door that stood between the two, separating them from the streets of Canterlot. She looked back towards Tristan. "Are you ready?"
Tristan drew in a deep breath, then expelled it as he set his focus on the door. His heart raced with anticipation. He swallowed nervously then simply nodded. Twilight gave Tristan a reassuring nuzzle, then used her magic to push the door open. Tristan gasped in awe at the scene that was presented before him.
A stone street lay before him, populated by dozens upon dozens of well-dressed ponies. Colorful buildings that housed high-end shops and fancy restaurants extended in both directions as far as Tristan could see. He expected as much, but the sight of it all still really put everything into perspective. He took a nervous step through the doorway and out onto the street, Twilight Sparkle just a step behind him.
Through the bustling streets of Canterlot, Twilight led Tristan to the train station. There, her fellow Elements and Spike were waiting for the next train to Ponyville. Spike took notice of their arrival and ran over to them.
"The train for Ponyville should be here any minute." he informed. "I think you're gonna like it there, Tris. Er, I mean, Star Skipper."
"You guys don't have to call me Star Skipper, you know." Tristan corrected. "You all can still call me by my human name, if you want. I'll just have everyone else call me Star Skipper so I can fit in a little easier."
Applejack smiled at him. "Ya mean everypony, there sugarcube." she corrected.
"Haha, yeah. Everypony" he repeated. "That'll take some getting used to, as well."
A train whistle sounded as their transportation slowed to a stop. Shortly after, the conductor, along with a multitude of passengers, stepped off of the train.
"All aboard for Ponyville!" the conductor boomed. Spike bounced in excitement and ran back to join everyone else, who had begun to board the train. Tristan looked over the colorful transport, then, with a playful nudge from Twilight, also boarded. Everyone migrated to a cabin in the back which had been specially reserved for the group by Princess Celestia herself. They took their seats and a few minutes later, the train began it's journey to Ponyville.
Tristan found himself pressed to the glass of a train window for most of the trip. He watched in fascination as rocky mountains devolved into the beautiful rolling hills of Equestria's countryside. With the others chatting among themselves in the cabin, Twilight mainly kept her attention on Tristan, finding entertainment in his captivation.
"Oh, you'll just love it in Ponyville." Rarity said, peeking up from her seat behind Tristan. "It's such a lovely place. There's a spa there where you can-"
"I highly doubt Tristan is into all that girly stuff." Rainbow Dash objected.
Rarity shot Rainbow Dash a sinister smirk. "You seem to enjoy it, Rainbow." She bounced her eyebrows tauntingly.
"I-I do not! You guys made me get that hooficure! You know how much I hate getting my hooves touched!"
"That's not what Aloe and Lotus tell me..."
Tristan chuckled to himself as the two continued their argument. He had just returned his attention to the scenery outside the train window when he received his first glance of Ponyville. It appeared to be a quaint little town, much different than Canterlot. Houses and small businesses lay scattered over grass fields and dirt roads. The train gradually slowed to a stop at the Ponyville train station and the passengers began exiting their cabins.
Tristan drew his first breath of fresh, Ponyville air as he stepped off the train with Twilight and Spike. His lungs received it well, a pleasant change from the polluted, city air he had been used to. The other Elements soon followed behind them, and they all gathered together near the ticket office.
"Ah'd love ta stick around, y'all," Applejack began, "But Big Mac needs mah help somethin' fierce back on the farm. You should come by sometime, Tristan, get ta meet the kinfolk. But Ah'll see ya tonight for yer party."
"The party!" Pinkie Pie remembered. "I almost forgot! I have so much to do! Come by Sugarcube Corner later this evening and everything will be all set! See ya later!"
Before Tristan could even respond, she had sped off into town. The others also disbanded, each with their own business to attend to before the party. Twilight had sent Spike home to take care of a few chores while she gave Tristan the grand tour of Ponyville. Twilight looked over at Tristan and gave a warm, yet excited smile as the two began making their way into town.
Twilight pointed out some key locations as they strolled down the dirt street that ran directly through the center of Ponyville. Tristan made mental notes on the buildings as they were named off to him: Town Hall, the Carousel Boutique, Sugarcube Corner, and the Marketplace had been covered in thorough detail. They were approaching one of Twilight's favorite shops when a perplexing thought voiced itself.
"Quills and sofas?" Tristan asked aloud. "What an odd mix. But I guess if he's getting good business, then-"
Before Tristan knew it, he found himself tackled to the ground. He was blindsided by a pegasus who had apparently flew too low and wasn't paying attention to their flight path. Letters and other pieces of what appeared to be mail lay scattered around him. Confused and in a slight amount of pain, Tristan looked back at his attacker, who had landed just a few feet past him.
He was about to give the pony what for, but stopped his train of thought when he observed her a little closer. The pegasus had a light gray coat and a long blonde mane. Furthermore, he noticed that her yellow eyes seemed to be confused as to which direction they were looking, which might explain the collision.
"Oops! My bad!" she apologized. "I didn't see you there!"
The gray pegasus hopped back up to her feet while Twilight levitated the envelopes back into the mail-mare's carrier bag. Tristan shakily regained his stance as the pony trotted up to him.
"You okay, mister?" she asked. Tristan nodded slowly, not removing his eyes from hers. The mare shifted her head to the side and squinted her eyes, inspecting him. She then perked back up and flapped her wings excitedly. "I've never seen you around here before!"
"He's new to this area." Twilight explained, joining the two.
"Oh! A new pony! My name's Derpy Hooves! What's yours?" The gray mare blinked a few times, her eyes changing positions.
"I'm Tris-, er, I mean, Star Skipper." Tristan replied. "Nice to, uh, meet you."
"Nice to meet you, too!" Derpy cheered, giving her wings another flap. "Has Pinkie Pie given you the offical Ponyville welcome yet?"
"Pinkie knows me."
"Of course!" Derpy replied, as if the answer was obvious. "She knows everypony! Well, I gotta go make more deliveries! See ya!"
Derpy took off clumsily, zig-zagging through the air as she flew out of Tristan's sight. He gave Twilight a concerned look, to which she simply chuckled.
"She's actually pretty good at what she does." she assured. "Come on, I think it's time for lunch. You probably need it."
The two unicorns reached the cafe a short time later. They took seats at a table that the owners had set up just outside. It was certainly nice enough weather for an outdoor meal, however, Tristan found himself fidgeting in discomfort on top of the pile of hay that he sat on.
A young earth pony approached them carrying two menus in his mouth. He gently laid them on the table and proceeded back into the cafe. Twilight magicked her menu up to eye level and began skimming through the selections. Tristan placed a hoof on top of the other and slid it closer to him.
Tristan looked perplexedly at the menu for a few seconds before attempting to open it up. He tried hooves, mouth, and even an awkward attempt to blow it open before Twilight took notice of his frustration. She smiled to herself and opened it for him with her magic. Tristan sighed and began reading.
"You know," Twilight said, returning her menu to it's previous place on the table, "We're gonna have work on your magical abilites."
Tristan cocked his head to the side, taking his attention away from the menu. "Magical abilities?" he echoed.
Twilight nodded. "Why do you think you have that horn for?" she asked. "Decoration?"
Tristan shrugged. "I'm still wrapping my mind around being here, let alone being able to use magic. I'm not sure if I'm ready for that quite yet."
"Why not find out now?"
"Right now?"
"Yup! It's pretty easy once you set your mind on it."
"What if I accidentally make something explode?"
"I think you'll be fine." Twilight replied, smirking. "Lets start with the menu. Try levitating it."
Tristan returned with an incredulous look. "You're crazy."
"Just try it." Twilight pushed. "It's essentially using your imagination. Imagine it floating, then make it happen! Simple as that!"
Tristan narrowed his eyes, then sighed. "Alright, fine." he said, defeated. Tristan pushed the menu towards the center of their table with his hoof and began staring menacingly at it. He furrowed his brow, gritted his teeth, and even grunted a few times, but the menu did not move.
Twilight shook her head. "Try not to force it so much," she advised, "And just picture it happening. Mind over matter."
Tristan regained his focus on the menu and did exactly as Twilight instructed. He pictured the menu gently rustling to life, then slowly ascending. He replayed the sequence in his head again and again. Suddenly, his felt a warm sensation in the middle of his forehead.
Much to Tristan's surprise, he noticed that his imagination had become reality. The menu was surrounded by a silver cloud of magic and had been floating high above the table. Tristan jumped in disbelief, causing the magic to disappear and the menu to gently flutter back down to the table. He stared at the menu for a second, then flashed a wide smile to Twilight.
"I-I did it!" he said, breathless. "I used magic!" Tristan bounced around on the small haystack victoriously while Twilight let out a soft giggle.
"See? It wasn't that hard. You did great." she said, smiling. As Tristan continued celebrating to himself, Twilight couldn't help but melt from the sight. Seeing him with such high spirits sent a warming sensation throughout her body. A few moments later, their waiter re-emerged from the cafe.
"Sorry about the wait, you guys." he began. "It's packed in there and-"
"I can do magic!" Tristan blurted. The waiter returned his interruption with a look of confusion.
"Uh, yeah, that's... great. Anyway, what can I get for you guys?"
"I'll have the daffodil and daisy sandwich."
"Ah, the usual, eh, Twilight?" the waiter said, taking mental note. He turned to Tristan, who had finally simmered down.
"Um... I'll just have what she's having." Tristan said, scooting the menu next to Twilight's.
The waiter picked up the menus with his mouth and carried them back inside. Twilight hummed softly as she glanced around occasionally waving at familiar faces. This carried on for a few minutes before Tristan spoke.
"It was your idea to bring me here, wasn't it?" Tristan asked suddenly.
The unexpected question made Twilight snap back around to face him. Her heart rate increased.
"Look, I can explain!" she answered quickly. "I didn't mean to-"
"It's fine." he said, calmly. "I'm not mad at you."
Twilight wore a puzzled expression. "You're not?"
"Of course not." he replied. "I may have lost a few things since I left my world, but I'm already gaining so much from this one. I'm happier now than I have been for a long time," Tristan placed a hoof in the middle of the table. "And it's all thanks to you."
Twilight blushed a little and smiled, placing her hoof on his. A smile came across Tristan's face, followed by laughter.
"It was probably your idea to name me Star Skipper, too." he joked.
Twilight glanced away from Tristan quickly as a different waiter burst through the cafe doors. This one was a unicorn, using his magic to levitate their orders to the table. He gently laid the plates down in front of the two.
"Here you are. Sorry about the wait." the new waiter apologized. He quickly ran off into the cafe again without another word. Twilight shrugged and took a bite of her sandwich. After a couple more bites, she noticed Tristan had not even touched his meal.
"It's good, I promise." she said. Tristan stared at the sandwich before leaning down and taking a bite. He wasn't sure if it was the sandwich itself, or the possibility of his taste buds going through a mutation of their own, but Twilight was correct. He happily finished his lunch in time for Twilight to do the same. Twilight magicked a couple of gold pieces onto the table and hopped from her seat.
"What's that?" Tristan asked, staring at the gold Twilight had left behind.
"They're bits." she replied. "That's the currency here in Equestria."
Tristan slowly slid off of his small haystack and joined Twilight, still looking at the gold bits. "That's crazy." he said, disbelief lingering in his tone. "Back in my world, those two little things could pay off my rent for a good while."
Twilight giggled to herself. "Come on. There's still a few things we need to see before your party tonight."
Later that evening, Sugarcube Corner had closed its doors to any further businiess, but not to Pinkie Pie and her friends. They ran about the establishment, some ponies decorating while the others prepared refreshments. Applejack had just pulled an apple pie out of the oven when Pinkie Pie bounced into the kitchen.
"How's it coming, AJ?" she asked cheerfully.
Applejack set the pie on the counter and wiped a bead of sweat from her brow before answering her fellow earth pony. "Just got done with the pies." she reported. "Ah'm about to bake the fritters now."
"Great!" Pinkie said, bouncing again. She turned to Fluttershy, who was tossing ingredients into a massive punch bowl. "What about you, Flutters?"
"It's all done!" she quietly replied.
Pinkie Pie nodded and began bouncing her way back into the main room, where Rarity was using her magic to place streamers and balloons across the walls and ceiling.
"Rarity?" Pinkie asked.
"Just a second, dear. I'm in the zone." Rarity returned. Pinkie Pie waited for a few seconds in rare silence, then sighed and turned to the gigantic pair of speakers set on either side of a small table that held intricate electronics.
"Ready to rock, Vinyl?!" she cheered.
A white unicorn with edgy blue hair and purple glasses popped out from behind one of the speakers and took her spot behind the table. "Aw, yeah!"
Rainbow Dash burst through the doors, wearing an expression of annoyance as she landed in front of the pink pony. She removed the messenger bag that hung from her neck and dropped it to her side.
"Well, that was pointless." she declared.
"Did you get those invitations delivered?" Pinkie asked, completely oblivious to her friend's despair.
"That's just it!" she exclaimed. "I went to deliver the invitations you gave me, and everypony I went to told me that they've already got one from Derpy earlier!"
Pinkie Pie put a hoof to her chin as she glanced up in thought. "Oh, yeah. I did send the invitations out already, didn't I?" She giggled to herself as the cyan pegasus simply rolled her eyes and made her way into the kitchen. A few moments later, there was a knock at the front door.
"We're closed!" Pinkie Pie called.
"No, we're here for the party!" a voice replied from the other side of the door.
"Oh! Lyra! Be there in a sec!" Pinkie trotted to the door and pushed the lock over. Upon opening the door, she saw the aquamarine unicorn standing with a large group of ponies lined up behind her.
"Junebug said she just saw Twilight and the new guy leaving Froggy Bottom Bog on her way here." Lyra advised. "We better get ready."
Pinkie nodded and stepped aside to let in the crowd. After the last of the ponies was inside, she slammed the door shut. "Okay, everypony," she announced, "Get in position!" The other ponies did so as Pinkie Pie killed the lights in Sugarcube Corner.
Outside, Tristan and Twilight Sparkle caught sight of Sugarcube Corner as they passed around the Town Hall. Tristan noticed that there was no light coming from inside. Their approach slowed a bit.
"Are you sure they said Sugarcube Corner?" Tristan asked.
Twilight nodded. "I'm sure they'll be coming any time now." she assured.
"Unless it's a surprise party." Tristan thought aloud. He smirked at Twilight. As they reached the door, Twilight chuckled a little to herself.
"At least act surprised." she said. Tristan winked and pushed the door open. The two unicorns walked into the darkness of Sugarcube Corner, only to be greeted with sudden light a few seconds later. The room had been packed with ponies, which caught Tristan off guard.
"SURPRISE!"
Despite knowing about the party, Tristan was genuinely surprised. Everything looked amazing, from the decorations to the snacks that lay all along the counters. He was overwhelmed that they had put so much thought and effort into his party. Pinkie Pie bounced up to him and Twilight, grinning from ear to ear.
"Are you ready to party?!" Pinkie squealed. She nodded to Vinyl Scratch, who clicked a button on her equipment. Electronic music began pumping from the speakers and a the windows shook slightly from song's powerful bass. The lights were dimmed and ponies took to the middle of the room to dance. Tristan nudged Twilight towards the middle of the floor and the two joined in on the festivities.
About an hour into the party, Tristan started back towards the punch bowl for much needed refreshment. He had made multiple trips before to quench his thirst, but he felt like he couldn't quite shake the need for more. After knocking back another glass, Rainbow Dash flew over to him.
"Hey, Tris. You... don't look so good." she said cautiously.
Tristan spun around to face the pegasus, a goofy expression spreading across his face. "Nah! I'm great! Errythin's great!" He teetered back and forth a bit before Rainbow Dash steadied him. She growled and looked back to the crowd of dancing ponies.
"Berry! I told you no funny business!" she called.
A plum-coated earth pony staggered away from the crowd towards them, sharing the same symptoms as Tristan.
"I musta missed that on tha invitation..." she said, her words slurring worse than Tristan's. Twilight Sparkle noticed the commotion from across the room and quickly trotted over.
"What happened?" Twilight asked.
"Berry Punch happened." Rainbow Dash replied, glancing over to the other drunken pony who now sat on the floor.
Twilight looked down at Berry Punch, then back up to Tristan. She sighed and quickly trotted back to the DJ booth. Twilight whispered into Vinyl's ear, and soon after, the music was cut. Groans from disappointed ponies sounded throughout Sugarcube Corner.
"Sorry, everypony," Twilight announced, "But this party's officially over! Thank you all for coming!"
The mumbles of discontent arose from the crowd as they filed out of the front door. Once the last of the party-goers had left, Rarity magicked the door shut. Twilight raced back to Tristan, who had regained little stability.
"Come on, let's get you home." she said, taking to his side.
Tristan let out a goofy laugh as Twilight hiked one of his legs over her shoulder. Spike ran and opened the door for the two unicorns as they started through the main room.
"Thanks for the party, you guys." Twilight called. "I'll see you all tomorrow."
The others waved goodbye as Spike, Twilight, and Tristan made their way outside. Pinkie Pie shut the door behind them and turned to her friends.
"Well, that was fun, right?" she asked. He giddy inquiry was met sighs of exhaustion.
"I'll take that as a yes."
The walk home was tiresome for everyone involved. There would be many times when Tristan would sway away from Twilight's side, leaving Spike to shove him back her way. The group reached the door of the Golden Oaks Library and let out a collective breath of relief. Spike flung the door open and illuminated the inside of the hollow tree. He got halfway to the stairs before turning to Twilight.
"Where are we gonna put him?" Spike asked bluntly.
Twilight froze for a second in thought. "W-Well.... I'm not sure..."
"Do we still have that spare bed? You know, from when Rarity and AJ stayed with you?"
"No, I gave it to Big Mac since he accidentally destroyed his old one."
"I'm surprised that didn't happen sooner."
Twilight glanced around, her frame growing weaker from holding up Tristan. "I can't just leave him on the floor..."
Spike scratched his head. "What about your bed?"
Twilight Sparkle's face grew instantly red at the thought. "Wha?!"
"Yeah," Spike replied. "You let me sleep with you sometimes when I have a bad dream."
Twilight narrowed her eyes. "This is a tad different, Spike."
"How?"
About that time, Tristan lost his consciousness. The full weight of his body shifted away from Twilight and he began falling to the floor. Twilight quickly levitated him with his magic, catching him with hardly an inch to spare. She shot a look at Spike.
"I guess my decision's been made for me." Twilight said, breathless. "Let's go."
Spike nodded and ran up the stairs ahead of Twilight, flinging open the door to their room. Twilight trotted in behind him with Tristan in tow. She levitated him onto her bed and released him of her magic. Panting, she approached the bed and cautiously climbed in the unoccupied side.
"This feels so wrong." Twilight whispered. "What if he thinks I tried something? I don't like it."
Spike sighed and flopped into his tiny bed, cocooning himself in its blankets. "I'm sure he'll understand. Just get some... sleep..." With a yawn and a fluffing of his pillow, Spike was soon fast asleep.
Twilight looked over at Tristan, who lay sleeping himself with two hoofs hanging off of the bedside. Twilight smiled a little and kissed his forehead before turning away. She, too, let out a small yawn, and slowly drifted to sleep.
Author's Notes
Sorry this took longer than usual, you guys. I've been extremely busy this past week, so my writing time has been supremely limited. Still, I hope this chapter makes up for it.
I kinda enjoyed writing this chapter. There was a time where I was thinking about making this a two-parter, but for "Making Adjustments", I'm going to try and strictly limit the amount of times I do that, so expect chapters this long (or possibly longer) in the future as the story develops.
Another thing: DERPY HOOVES! *Fanboy Face* I wanted to slip her into the beginning somewhere, just so Tristan could get a more in-depth sense of how crazy things can get in Ponyville. Also, by throwing Vinyl Scratch, Berry Punch, and Lyra Heartstrings in the story, I'd like to think I've made a decent start at covering some fan favorites. I have plans to bring in more as the story progresses, but I'll keep those details to myself ;)
In the next chapter, Tristan meets everyone's favorite trio of fillies, and is thrown headlong into one of their crazy misadventures. Obviously, silliness will ensue, so I hope you guys check it out!
Thanks again for your continued support in this story! Keep the comments and such rolling in and I'll see you in the next chapter!
Keep being awesome!
- Spazzy Jamz
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Ya New chapter will read later because First!
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....
.....that is all
Success!
1556922
Now that I have read it there is jut one thing...
I would love to hear more about Derpy's goat.
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Fixed
"Of course!" Derpy replied, as if the answer was obvious. "She knows everyone!
is not everypony?
still a nice chapter
Once again: Loved It!
Heh heh, I foresee that they will wake up in an awkward position in the morning.
Personally, I prefer reading 4k+ words chapters, so It's no problem for me if you take your time.
Still, do you mind telling me why are you stubbornly using full stops where commas should be used? Like here:
I have read multiple guides where what you do is considered an error (although very simple to correct). Perhaps it's the common practice where you are from? Although, if I tried to write in style that is considered proper in my country, my story would probably land in 'train wreck explorers' here. This gets a little annoying after a while and could be distracting to some people - every time I see it I involuntarily draw a comma in the air with my hand...
So, here's a fragment of a guide that I've read:
I hope this helps.
1560918
Thanks for that. I guess it's just a rule that keeps slipping my mind. Hopefully I can fix that in the next chapter
dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_TwilightWut.png Soooo...
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.... Yes?
1567242 i forgot
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All my yes.... ALL OF IT
!!!
Twilight: *Throughs Tristan into the bed*...*Climbs in bed with Tristan and has a 'bad' thought*
Me:
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Liked it that much, eh?
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1571576
....
Take the damn compliment
1573404
Wait, who does RD have a crush on..........I'm guessing it's not Tris...I mean Star Skipper, otherwise there would've been
some sort of conflict by now!!
1715024
actually I think that rainbow DID have a crush on Tristan, but got over it, or just is hiding her true feelings
2773408
she could have a crush on someone else...
My AppleDash senses are tingling.
3013241 Agreed
