The Mane Six are on earth, on a search. As expected, they meet up with a human. However, there is something different about them. They are all toy sized. Shenanigans and cute moments to follow. Though something more sinister is afoot.
(Know I am planning on editing my earlier chapters with the help of two people I have met here)
Hello there, my name is Micah. Your typical Jewish fellow in Seattle. I only recently got back from a trip abroad to find a box in front of my apartment door. Apparently what was inside it were six My Little Pony figurines. Though, I soon find out they aren't figurines. They are the real thing. And, no, I got no freaking clue how they are here, nor why they are here. Only thing I am thinking of is this: Why am I tied up and on the ground of my own apartment?
And another thing that I wonder... Why won't they tell me why they are here?
Rated teen for some swearing and dark stuff in future chapters. Mostly the last two ones, which I admit are definitely darker and has violence and, well, some sensuality in it.
Gore tag added for the last chapter only. All other chapters are gore free, and even the last one is not heavy with it.
Taking a bus in Seattle is not exactly the first thing I wanted to do when I got back to the states. Oh sure, the busses used to be nice, but in my neighborhood, they have long since gone downhill. Stupid budget cuts.
Even during my time in Israel the busses ran much smoother. Some of the many things I liked about my trip there was the food, the hospitality, and the amazing beaches. Though sadly there was one thing I missed the entire time I was there.
And that very person seems to be calling me. Her number is the only one who sets off my Doctor Who ring tone when I get a call. With an eager grin I take out my cell and start talking at once.
“Hi lovely, how was your trip?”
“Awesome, as I expected it would be. It was perfect."
“Aw, you didn’t miss anything about the states?”
“Well I might have missed one lovely lady."
“Heh, good answer."
“I thought it was. I am awesome like that."
“And it seems you brought your ego back with you. That is not something I missed about you my dear Micah."
“You wound me Leah. You knew the moment we met in shul that it is a package deal. You get my smarts, my good looks, my gentle nature and my never ending love. In return you put up with my ego, occasional tardiness to dates, and”-
“Your baldness?”
Oh. Oh no she did not bring that up!
“I am not going bald! I have hair on every inch of my head!”
“Hehe, maybe but there is a lot less right above the forehead, baldy."
“Shut it. I am taking hair vitamins and getting treatment for that. Soon I will have enough hair to put Legolas to shame."
Though I hate, it she is right. It has been thinning a bit and boy she never lets me forget it. That new stuff I am taking better do the trick, otherwise I don’t think she will ever let up on me about that.
“Yeah yeah, keep telling yourself that, whatever makes you feel better."
“You are evil."
“Oh? Will you still think that even after you open the gift I sent you?”
“You? You bought me a gift? The cheapest person I know? You are the sort of person that Jewish stereotypes of money are based on!”
“Now it is your turn to shut up. When you get home the package should be right outside your door. I would have given it to you in person but the hospital is working me ragged, a lot of people got hurt in the storm a few days ago. Odd thing is that storm came right out of nowhere, sunny one moment stormy the next. Weather here in Seattle is weird as hell isn’t it?”
“Yes Miss Obvious, it is very weird”. And finally the bus gets close to my apartment.
Baruch Hashem, finally! I can get inside and rest!
“Well Leah I would love to continue this conversation but I am almost home. Got to get off the phone and carry my stuff inside."
“Alright. See you day after tomorrow like we planned?”
“Of course. This long without seeing my girlfriend, I am oh so eager for your attention."
“And you shall have all the attention you can handle. See you then love." Right before she hung up I could hear that lovely smile forming on her lips.
“See you then." Quickly turning off my cell and sliding it into my pocket, I grab my suitcase and backpack and practically run off the bus as it stops, heading straight to my apartment building.
Ok, first order of business, get inside and strip down to something more comfortable to sleep in. That flight was way too long for my liking. Though knowing Bonnie and Clyde they will probably bother me nonstop till I do what they want. Why don’t I just get rid of those two? If they were not so low maintenance I would have tossed them out years ago.
Walking up the stairs though my mind wanders back to the mention of Leah’s gift.
I wonder what it could be. She knows everything I like so it could be anything. Maybe tickets to the premier of the new Hobbit film? Maybe the original versions of episodes 4-6 of Star Wars? Or if she is just being mean she could have bought the crappy prequel films. I pray she didn’t do that.
But I will find out soon enough. Good thing about my apartment is that it is only on the second floor. I can’t imagine walking up five or four stories. Though if I was in an apartment with that many wouldn’t there be an elevator? Eh, doesn’t matter. At least I am finally-
“Come on! Can’t you get through it?!”
“I’m trying! I think I am almost there!”
“Ugh, why did this have to happen today of all days?”
“Quiet y’all! Ah hear someone comin’!”
Ok, why the hell did those voices sound so familiar? I know I have heard them somewhere before, but where?
Or did I hear them at all? The second I turn the corner there is nobody in sight. And it had to be close because the voices were quite clear and loud.
“Oy vey, mental note. Move to a new neighborhood as soon as I can. This place is a little too weird for me."
But enough of that, I see my package! And it seems to be rather decent sized. I wonder what Leah put in my package.
And I just realized how that could be interpreted in an all too dirty manner. I should stop thinking like that.
“Might as well just get this inside. Sooner I do that the sooner I can rest."
Though before I do I make sure to tap the mezuzah before entering, as always. Can’t forget that. Wouldn’t be a good Jew if I forgot to do that.
Unlocking the door quickly, I lean down and grab the package as I open the door with my other hand. And the moment I do I hear the all too familiar sound of nails on tile floor.
“Bonnie, Clyde, before you do anything I don’t have any food, so don’t ask!”
However, being true to form they do the exact opposite of what I say. Instead of listening like they should they run out towards me, meowing the entire dang time. These two are better than any alarm or alert system, I got to say that.
Clyde is the first one to get here, no shock there. He was always the faster one. So fast he often looks like nothing but a big black blur. Which of course makes it all the more funny when he runs into the wall when chasing after a laser dot, the moron.
Bonnie saunters in after him, amazing me even to this day how a fat cat like her can still move. She is so big that when she walks her belly wobbles from side to side. I don’t feed her that much yet somehow she keeps packing on the pounds. One day I worry I will come home and see nothing but a big furry blob consuming the entire apartment.
“Well you two look like you’re in good shape. Glad to see that my brother remembered to feed you. Though I have to say Bonnie that you should be put on a diet. You could stand to lose a pound or two. Or ten."
Of course they answer with their typical meow, and then proceed to rub themselves against my legs. Shortly however they change their attention from me to the package. Clyde even starts trying to climb up my leg to get to it, the brat.
“Ok ok, geez if you want to smell it that badly just give me a second."
Though, of course, Clyde doesn’t seem like he is in a patient sort of mood. No sooner do the words escape my lips does he then think it is the perfect moment to jump for the box, knocking me off balance and sending everything in my hands, and myself, tumbling down to the floor. And I swear I hear a shriek of some kind right before I hit the floor. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Fluttershy, you have to be quiet."
“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be so loud.”
“I know Sugarcube but you have to stay quiet, we don’t know what those things wanna do to us."
Out of all of the six Fluttershy has taken everything the worst. Though as always she continues to apologize whenever she utters anything that may give them away.
“Ow! Dangit Clyde! That’s it; get out of here before I kick you from here all the way to New York!”
Twilight did not know who this Clyde was. She presumed it was another one of those strange bipedal creatures that inhabit this land. Though she has not heard Clyde say a single word. The only voice that she heard was the same one she heard when the box they were in was lifted off of the ground.
A short skittering sound is heard, and as that noise fades away the box is pulled towards the voice of whomever it was who spoke a moment ago.
Looking at each member of the group, Twilight makes a zipping motion in front of her mouth, something that she has had to do a few times before in this strange new world. Everypony nods, knowing what she means. Though Rainbow Dash does not like having to do this.
Quickly the top of the box is opened, light shooting inside and illuminating all. Everypony holds perfectly still. None of them even blink from the light suddenly forced down upon them. Though a few of them risk a short glance up for a second. But it is quick enough that they are able to get a look at this strange creature above them.
Its head is the same as the other beings they have seen before. Well not exactly the same but then again no two of these creatures are exactly the same. They seem like pony’s that way.
Its appearance seems to be male, though the mane is longer than other males they have seen. It goes just a little bit down past his shoulders. Except in the front that is. For some reason that part is short and thin.
The eyes are gray and are looking at all of the Mane Six in what appears to be a mix of both confusion and disappointment. That’s not what most of them look like that Twilight has seen before.
“Collectibles. That is what Leah has given me? My Little Pony collectibles?” His face goes into what looks like his version of a hoof, and all of them hear a loud sigh coming from the creature.
“Though I must say they look extremely well done. Well, at least from what little I know of collectibles."
The creature’s hoof like appendage reaches down towards Fluttershy. It uses its several smaller appendages jutting out from its version of a hoof to grasp her, lifting her up away from the rest.
“Odd. Fluttershy is strangely warm for some reason. That’s not normal for a toy."
The creature looks over her quite closely. To Twilight and all the others it is almost as if he is expecting a piece of meat before he would eat it. During the entire time he holds her Twilight and the others just get more and more worried.
“The fur seems quite fine. How the hell did they make it like this?”
“Meow?”
The creature holding Fluttershy turns to the direction that noise came from. While those in the box cannot see, Fluttershy can tell from her peripheral vision what it is. And it is staring straight at her.
Fluttershy knows easily enough that it is a cat. However compared to her it is huge. One bite would be all it would take to finish her.
“Oh no Clyde, Leah gave me these, you are not going to have any of these for a chew toy."
Fluttershy mentally breathes a sigh of relief as she is placed back inside with her friends, and the creature backs away.
“Come on you brat, I am going to go lock you in the bathroom for now. You have caused enough trouble."
The six ponies in the box hold still until the creature sounds far enough away that they can talk to each other again.
Applejack quickly goes to Fluttershy, her eyes showing concern. “Are you ok sugarcube?”
“Y-yes, I think so. He didn’t hurt me."
“I can’t believe these ruffians! Picking us up like that without a second thought!”, Rarity says, her mane messy and tangled with what has happened to them since their arrival.
“I don’t think they mean to be rude Rarity. You do remember what we saw shortly after we came here, don’t you?”, Twilight says.
“I think it’s cool! Ever since that spell you did everything is so huge! And there are so many of us here! I need to bring the other uses here for a party!”
Pinkie Pie is being her typical jovial self. She has had the worst time holding still when they needed to do so. Twilight earlier considered trying a spell on her to make her hold still.
“I didn’t think it would last this long. But at least we haven’t been discovered yet. From what I saw earlier it looks like they think we aren’t real. It’s like they think we’re a simple story”, Twilight says.
“Meow?”
Everypony stops talking and looks up at the top of the box to see a big, chubby furry face looking down at them. And all that feline does is lick its lips hungrily while looking down at them.
“Do you see the size of that thing Rainbow? It’ll probably just eat you, and I don’t think you are that yummy.”
The cat still has its eyes locked on the six of them. With how large and overweight it is it probably is used to eating a lot. Devouring six little ponies would be all too easy.
“Now Rainbow, let’s let Fluttershy try here. Maybe she can calm this one down”, Twilight says as her eyes move towards Fluttershy.
While Fluttershy may wish to stay still, she is aware that if any of them has a chance to calm this feline it would be her. She has much experience with animals after all. But not as much with animals of this size.
“Um, I can try, Twilight.”
Fluttershy spreads her wings, flying up to eye level of the feline as its eyes dart straight to her. Its paw moves towards Fluttershy but not malevolently. More out of curiosity than anything else, as if it is about to gently tap her.
“Now now, you need to be nice, ok?”
Fluttershy can feel every breath of the cat as it stares right at her. Each breath it takes washes Fluttershy in warm air. Though it does place its paw back onto the ground.
“That’s better. You’re a very nice and cute kitty, aren’t you?” Slowly and carefully, Fluttershy moves a bit closer to the cat, and gently moves her hoof under the cats chin.
For a moment the cat’s eyes widen and she growls, making Fluttershy back away quickly.
“It’s ok. I’m not going to hurt you, I promise.”
Trying once more, Fluttershy moves closer to the cat, but slower. A growl is heard from the cat again but Fluttershy still places her hoof under its chin. This time though she does not pull back.
Her hoof gently rubs the cats chin and the growling quickly stops, and instead a new sound starts that causes Fluttershy to smile. A very loud and very happy purring comes from the cat, while it rests its head on the side of the box.
“Aw, do you like that? I think you do don’t you, you beautiful kitty?”
Twilight lets out a very relieved sigh as Fluttershy continues to rub the cats chin, and turns to the others.
“Alright, Fluttershy calmed down the cat, now we got to get out of here. Rainbow, can you carry us out of here?”, Twilight says, even though she already knows the answer.
“No problem Twilight!”
In what seems like less than a second Rainbow takes Twilight out first. Placing her on a table nearby, she quickly heads back to get all of the others out as fast as she can. Twilight however glances about the room, taking in her surroundings.
The room she is in seems simple enough to her. Not extremely spacy but if she was normal sized it would be comfortable. A large couch lies against the wall, facing some strange metal box. Said box itself has some other smaller metal boxes around it.
Out of everything the table seems to be the largest though. It easily could sit six or seven ponies. Why would someone who seemingly lives alone need a table such as this?
And on that table lies a picture of two particular creatures that Twilight recognizes. One of them being the creature that she saw not more than a minute or so ago, and the other the female that placed them into that box. The way they hold each other and smile so happily Twilight quickly reaches a conclusion.
“Hm. They must be mates. Or at least very close to each other”, Twilight says. “We must be a gift of sorts to him”.
“Ugh. If we are to be a gift I certainly hope he at least cleans us. My mane is utterly horrendous. The streets here are so unkempt.”
Turning to speak to Rarity Twilight sees that Rainbow already got all of them out. She certainly is fast, that’s for sure.
“We won’t be. We will find a way out of here and get back to doing what we came here to do.”
“Ah certainly hope so. At this rate we’ll be here longer than the apples back on Sweet Apple Acres grow on the trees”, Applejack says.
“And if he won’t let us go I will make him let us go.” To make her point Rainbow Dash stomps her hoof onto the table with a grin.
“Let’s try to not have it come to that Rainbow. Right now we should just try and find a way out of here. Rainbow, you go to the windows and see if you are able to open them. Pinkie, you and Applejack keep your eyes and ears pealed in case that creature comes back. Rarity, you and I will look around to find out what we can about these creatures”.
And with that each of them begins their work, just as Twilight instructed. Fluttershy however stays with the cat, keeping it occupied.
As Twilight and Rarity jump from the table to the chairs, and lastly to the floor Rarity speaks up.
“Well one thing is certain about this creature. He has absolutely no sense of fashion whatsoever. Even his mane was horrendous. He simply lets it flop around freely. Now I think he should”-
“Rarity, I don’t think right now is the best time to talk about fashion”, Twilight says.
Following a sigh from Rarity, she says, “Very well. I just needed to make clear my opinion.”
Twilight ignores the sigh and looks about the room. The first place she moves towards is something she was relieved to see.
“Well, this is one thing we have in common. Both of our species seem to like to read. Or at least this one does.”
The books seem to be of many different kinds. Some appear to be historical, and those seem to be the biggest by far. Other ones seem to be like a novel. The biggest of those is called ‘The Lord of the Rings’.
But one set of books are in an entirely different language that Twilight has never seen or heard of before. Out of curiosity, she uses her magic to pull out the book slowly and carefully to make no noise.
Placing the book down in front of her, she eagerly looks at the front cover to see more of the strange text, but also a very well done drawing. The drawing is that of a man with a long robe, a beard, and a staff in his hand as he holds his free hand over a large expanse of water, which seems to be splitting open to reveal a dry seabed with what looks like thousands of creatures moving on said seabed.
“So these creatures do have magic. I did not think any of them here could do use magic. And if they are able to do something like this…”
Twilight can only imagine what else they can do if they can split the sea. It is not much compared to Celestia raising the sun or Luna raising the moon, but still. That creature at least must have been very powerful.
“Alright now Pinkie, you an’ I gotta make sure that thing doesn’t sneak up on us, got it?”
“Okey dokey Applejack!”
Pinkie doesn’t seem nervous about this at all, no shock there. Very little seems to be able to scare her. And as always she is bouncing along next to Applejack like a ping pong ball.
They go further into the hall leading out of the main room where they started in, and thankfully do not see the tall creature. Though they do hear him.
“You rotten freaking cat. You are going to stay in here the rest of the day. Then you can come out. And don’t you dare jump onto my clothes as I change. I don’t want them covered in cat fur.”
“Well it seems that fella ain’t going to come out anytime soon. But if he does…”
If he does that would be quite bad. Sure, they might be able to get back in that box and stay still again, though he also might be faster than they thought. If that’s so, and he sees them all, what will he do to them?
“Applejack, Applejack! Look, I found a jump rope!”
Turning towards Pinkie’s voice, she is struck by an idea by what she sees her doing.
Pinkie Pie is near what looks like a possible form of hoofwear of that creature, and has a string going through multiple holes on said hoofwear. While tugging on it, she is shaking it up and down like a young filly with a brand new jump rope.
“Hm. Pinkie Pie, Ah would like your help with somethin’”, Applejack says with a grin while eyeing the string. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“There we go. I’ve finally changed into something more comfortable.”
No thanks to that brat of a cat Clyde. I swear he thinks of nothing but himself. But then again he is a cat so what should I expect him to do? It’s not like he is ever going to act like a dog and actually be loving and nice.
But I should probably not focus on that right now. I am home, I am in a comfortable pair of jeans and a nice t-shirt, and I think tonight would be a lovely night for a Star Trek marathon. The original series of course, nothing beats Leonard Nimoy’s Spock.
Oh! And I can’t forget that since it is Friday I better get dinner ready before-
CRASH!
“What the hell was that?!”
First I hear voices in the hall, Clyde attacks me over toys, and now this? This day is getting weirder by the minute. Might as well go see what Bonnie did out there, since it must be her. If she knocked something over I am going to drop kick that cat over the balcony.
Opening the door to the living room I walk out, saying, “Bonnie! You better not have knocked over my tv again!”
Now, for a split second I am confused. Why? Well because when I lifted my foot forward to take another step, it did not go forward all the way like it normally would. Instead it felt as if it got caught on something.
The problem with that is while my foot stopped moving suddenly, the rest of my body didn’t quite get that same idea. It tried to keep on moving forward. However, instead of going straight and forward I ended up having a lovely little meeting.
My face? Meet hard tile floor. Hard tile floor? Please meet my face.
WHAM!
Dang that hurts! I have never been punched in the face but I am pretty sure it probably feels something like this! Oh G-d please don’t let my nose be broken, please.
“Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy and Rainbow, come on we gotta”-
If I was a cartoon character I am pretty sure my jaw would have hit the floor. What I see in front of me is something that is not possible. By any way you look at this there is just no way that this could be happening.
Four of the mane six. Four of the actual mane six are in front of me right now. Or, the toys I had in that box a bit ago are right in front of me. Except instead of looking like actual toys they seem to be just as surprised as I am.
But where are Applejack and Pinkie Pie?
And how hard did I hit my head for me to be seeing this?
When I normally ask that question, whether it was in school when I had pranks played on me, or whenever Leah decides to mess around with me, I normally get an answer of some kind. It might not be the one I want but I usually get some sort of answer.
This time though? No such luck.
Behind me I feel something quickly being wrapped tightly around my feet, binding them together. Not just that, before I have a chance to turn around I feel something wrap around both of my wrists and yanking them behind my back.
“Alright, who’s doing that?!”
“Alright girls, I got ‘im!”
That voice. No, no way it could be…
It is. Glancing backwards I see none other than Applejack on my back with a shoelace in her mouth, using it as if it was a rope. Right next to her is Pinkie Pie with a huge toothy smile, and also with a shoelace.
Normally in this situation I would be struggling like mad to get loose. Though all I can do is think one thing.
How are these toys doing something like this? And, of course, more importantly, HOW ARE THESE TOYS MOVING AT ALL IN THE FIRST PLACE?!
“Well girls what do ya think? I got this here varmint wrapped up good and tight. Ain’t no way he is getting out of this”, Applejack says as she and Pinkie Pie step off of me.
“Great job Applejack! That was awesome! I heard him when he fell, wham!”, Rainbow Dash says with a wide grin before sending a glare my way.
Ok, I must be seeing things. I just, I got to be seeing things. I don’t see any other explanation for this happening. I don’t think I hit my head that hard a bit ago but maybe I did? Yeah, yeah that is probably it. I probably just hit my head hard, am knocked out and am now seeing things.
Right?
“Wait, girls. This does leave us with a problem. I mean we do have one of these things tied up now”, Twilight says, looking at me.
“But that’s great! Now we can interrogate him!”
“What? Um, don’t I get a say in this?”
“Twilight, go get something to write with”, Rainbow says, her eyes locked right on me as she flutters closer than any of the others towards me until she is only about two feet from my face.
Twilight seems to think it would be a good idea as she quickly gets a piece of paper and a pencil from the table, along with a book that looks quite familiar.
“Now listen up you hairy ape, we are going to ask you some questions, and you are going to answer every single one of ‘em, got it?”, Rainbow says determinedly, her hooves on her… I think those are her hips, I am not sure about equine anatomy.
“Uh, well, ok? In case you couldn’t tell I am not exactly in a position to disagree”, I say, and cast a glare towards Applejack.
Rainbow gives Twilight a confident smirk as she nods, and Twilight looks towards me with a somewhat shaky smile.
“Right, right….”
She then does something I thought I would never see, not even in a hallucination. Her horn begins to glow, and that same exact glow appears over my copy of the Tanahk. And…. She is actually making the pages turn, and causing it to levitate.
I think if I was a cartoon my eyes would have practically fallen out of their sockets with how wide they are right now. Magic? Actual magic? Or, well, it would be actual magic if this was real. Which it isn’t. At least it probably isn’t.
“I found this spell book of yours earlier, and have been looking through it. This one bearded figure in particular seems to be able to command an amazing magic ability. Is… Is this a common feat of your people?”, Twilight says as her magic causes the book to turn towards me, showing the page with Moshe parting the Red Sea.
I can’t believe I am actually supposed to explain this to a bunch of ponies. Ponies from a kids cartoon show of all things. Just, wow, this is all sorts of ridiculous. Though I suppose I might as well go with it.
“Oh. Well, um, his name is Moshe and he…. Well he didn’t actually use magic, exactly. That is the most common point of view anyway.”
Twilight’s eyes widen, and she looks as if she was about to speak again, however another pony beats her to the punch.
In a blur Rainbow flies right at my face, stopping no more than an inch or two away from my eyes. “What? But, how did he do something like that without magic? That’s impossible!”
“Well most humans call it a miracle. Something that no human could normally do, though he was capable of doing.”
“Oh come on, that’s just silly. Nopony can do something like that without magic!”
Well Rainbow didn’t like hearing that, that’s for sure.
But why? I do think they mentioned religion before in the show. Didn’t they have a Christmas like episode? Hearth something or other? Wait… I think that one was more of a historical play than a religious one, never mind. Maybe something miraculous? No, no that isn’t there either. Pretty much everything, if I remember right, is done with magic.
“Let me ask you this, if I may. Have you ever seen or heard of something that is just so spectacular that it doesn’t have an explanation?”
All six of the ponies turn towards each other with Twilight shrugging slightly. However, Applejack soon steps forward.
“Well Ah suppose Ah’ve always found the sunrise ‘n sunset over my fields to be a mighty stunning sight. It takes ma breath away every time.”
“Oh yes, the way the sky lights up over Ponyville, on just the right kind of day…” Fluttershy says ever so softly and with a large grin. Though, as she notices the other five and myself looking at her, she slinks back behind Pinkie Pie.
“Hm. I suppose that does make sense. It is quite a sight”, Twilight chimes in.
“True, true, it is a dazzling sight to behold”, Rarity says with her hoof to her chin.
“Uhuh! It looks pretty and dazzling and amazing like Rarity’s dresses! And as pretty as my cakes back at Sugarcube Corner! Oh Twilight, we should make ourselves a cake before we leave! A BIG cake for a BIG pla”-
Pinkie Pie is cut off in the middle of talking by Applejack, as she shoves her hoof over her mouth to shut her up. I can’t help but chuckle a bit at the sight.
Waving her hoof dismissively Rainbow says, “Yeah yeah it’s cool, sure. But that’s just Celestia working her awesome magic!”
Celestia, Celestia… Dang that name sounds familiar but why can’t I place it? Dang my memory sucks.
“Is she some sort of god or something?”
“She’s as tough as a freaking goddess buddy!”, Rainbow says as she presses her hoof against my nose, making me wince. Yeah, my nose might not be broken but is still pretty messed up.
Placing her hoofs on her hips, she continues. “She and her sister are two super-powerful and awesome super-strong super ponies! They’re alicorns, made up of all the parts of all the pony races and they live forever and can raise the sun and the moon all on their own!”
I try to not, since she will probably be upset but I can’t help but let a slight chuckle escape from my lips, with Rainbow glaring straight at me when I do so.
“What’s so funny?”
“It just is so dang weird to me is all. You think the sun revolves around the earth, and the earth stays still? You really believe that sort of thing?”
“Well duh, of course we do! We always do!”
“You know that really is odd, right? The sun doesn’t move around the earth, the earth moves around the sun. And it does so on its own”, I say, confused by that. The more they tell me the more strange they seem.
Rainbow was about to speak, but before she is able to a glow surrounds her and pulls her back with the rest of the group.
“Ok, I think that is enough Rainbow Dash. Besides, there are a lot more things we need to ask him”, Twilight says.
“Oh goody”, I say in my most sarcastic voice I can muster. This will probably take a while. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Twilight, please, for the love of G-d can we stop for now? I have been stuck here on the floor for over an hour.”
Or at least it seems like it has been an hour. And that entire time I got more and more questions from everyone.
How many humans are there?
Why is your mane so carelessly combed?
What is your form of government?
Do you have any cake or pie here?
“But Micah, we still have another very important question”, Twilight says. “It is about something we have been confused about since we got here. Why is it people know who we are? We’ve seen pictures of us, and you know who we are.”
“Oh. Uh, that would be something you would want to know about for sure. And tomorrow I will tell you about it”, I say to her. Well, if they are still here and this is not all in my head. Which I really hope is not the case.
“I understand that, but Micah this is something we really, really need to know.”
“And I swear I will tell you all you want tomorrow. But for now, I am tired. Very very tired. So I would greatly appreciate it if you would please let me up so I can go to bed and sleep.”
Twilight looks to be considering my offer, but, as before, another pony interrupts her.
“No way!”
Rainbow flies straight towards me, landing right on my scalp. She may be really small right now but she is still extremely fast.
“We should keep asking questions! We didn’t tie him all up for nothin’!”
“Rainbow Dash, we didn’t tie him up. Applejack did. And besides, we can’t keep him tied up forever”, Twilight says to Rainbow. “We can ask him more tomorrow, but… I think he is right. We have asked a lot tonight, and tomorrow we can ask him more questions”, Twilight says, and looks over to Applejack. “Applejack, go ahead and untie him.”
I glance over to Applejack and her eyes and mine meet. She seems rather apprehensive at first but nonetheless moves towards me.
Rather easily she jumps onto my back, and very shortly I feel the laces on my feet and hands loosen until they are entirely untied, and Applejack jumps off as soon as she finishes
“Oh my goodness that feels better already”, I say as I start to slowly get to my feet, but stumble for a second and place a hand on the wall to steady myself. I think my feet might have gone to sleep from being in that position for so long.
Rainbow flies off of my scalp and hovers directly in front of my nose, her hooves pointing at me. “Don’t you try any funny business. I’ve got my eyes on you!”
“Duly noted.”
Looking behind and below Rainbow, I see all the other five ponies looking right up at me. Pinkie has her typical grin and big happy eyes, no shock there. Rarity and Twilight seem a little nervous but not as much as before. Applejack is looking up at me with her hoof on one of the shoelaces, like she won’t hesitate to use it to trip me up again. I have to say she is definitely rather skilled with that.
Though I can barely see Fluttershy behind the others. She must be terrified from all this. And I just added to it when I picked her up like a toy earlier. Not to mention her being stuck in a box outside my door for who knows how long, and the cat glaring at her as well.
“Um, Fluttershy?” I slowly kneel down, keeping a careful eye on Applejack and Rainbow Dash as I do so. I don’t want to get tied up again.
I notice Fluttershy just barely peeking her head up from behind the others, just so that an eye is looking up at me. She doesn’t say a thing but at least I got her attention.
“Well, I want to apologize. If I knew you were not a toy like I thought you were I never would have grabbed you like that.”
Wow. I am apologizing to a toy sized pony. Definitely not something I was expecting to have happen today, even if I am just imagining this. I hope Leah never finds out about it.
“It’s, it’s ok.”
I can just barely make out what it is she is saying since she is so small and shy, but I can guess easily enough what it was. I must admit she does look kind of adorable like that. Save for being so scared of course.
“Anyway, I will be heading to my room to sleep now. And if you all wish you can stay here for a while.”
“Why should we stay here, huh? How do we know you aren’t going to gobble us all up when we aren’t looking?”, Rainbow says as she moves in front of my face once more.
“I am not saying you have to stay here, the offer is merely there. If you want to leave I swear I won’t stop you. But you should know that there are some nasty people out there”, I say to Rainbow as I fold my arms over my chest. She can get kind of annoying with this behavior.
“Rainbow, darling, I think we should discuss this”, Rarity says. “This man here hasn’t hurt us. And it would certainly be cleaner here than out on those ghastly streets.”
“But we can’t just stay here!”
“We wouldn’t stay here forever Rainbow Dash. But it would probably be safer here than outside”, Twilight says, and then looks up at me. “We would just be careful.”
“Well, you all decide what you will. If you are here or not when I wake up, it doesn’t matter to me.” Since that would just mean it is all a dream anyway. As I head back to my room I stop for a second, turning back. “Oh, before I forget. Bonnie, come on, you are staying in my room tonight with me and Clyde.”
The moment I open the door Bonnie waddles over towards my room, her belly swaying side to side as she does so. I follow her inside, and look at the six new guests in my home before I close the door to finally sleep. Six ponies. Six multi-colored, talking, toy sized ponies that can use a shoelace like a lasso, use magic, and fly. I think this definitely takes the cake for the weirdest hallucination ever.
I lazily reach out my hand towards the alarm clock, feeling around for it as I mumble. “Freaking alarms… Hate the dang things… So loud… So poofy…”
Wait… Poofy?
“Hiya sleepyhead!”
My eyes open just a bit, looking to see where that voice is coming from. It sounds so familiar to me for some reason. Reminds me of that dream I had last night. That was certainly one of the weirder ones I ever had.
As I turn to where the voice is coming from my vision bit by bit becomes less blurry. At first what I thought was a pink blob becomes more and more defined. The pink blob has a head, cotton candy like hair, and a tale.
“Did ya have nice dreams?”
Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie, of the mane six is in front of me. If she is here, like she and the others were last night, and I am awake....
Ok. That’s it. Time for some answers. If this happened once it could have been a very, very lucid dream, but twice in a row? I don’t think so. No way.
Grabbing Pinkie, I quickly get out of bed and see the door to my room is already open somehow. Why would they have opened the door to my room? Did they just want to keep an eye on me?
“Hey girls, he’s awake!”
Quickly I see Rainbow flying right at me, but this time I am ready for her. I raise my hand in front of her and feel her fly right into it.
“Ow!”
Before she has the chance to fly away and try again, or possibly kick me in the face I grab her as well. Unlike Pinkie though who seems to not be too worried and not struggling at all, she does not take this as well.
“Hey! What are you doing?! Let go of me!”
“Quiet down, I don’t plan on hurting you, even though you lot got me banged up last night. I only plan on asking questions”, I say to her. “Which is more than I can say you lot did yesterday.”
Rainbow continues to struggle as I enter the main room, and the moment I do so each pony looks up at me.
Twilight looks up at me from a book I must have interrupted her from reading. Rarity seems to have been looking in a window at her reflection as her mane looks halfway cleaned, and Applejack looks simply shocked, probably since I have Rainbow in my hand. Fluttershy…
Fluttershy has turned my cats into traitors. Bonnie and Clyde are surrounding her, and I can hear them purring from here. I am going to need to train those cats what they are supposed to do to intruders.
“Micah, what are you”-
“Twilight, shut up. Yesterday I let you ask me a whole bunch of questions while I was tied up on the damn ground”, I say, and glare at Applejack as I mention that last bit. “Now, it’s your turn to return the favor.”
“Return the favor?”, Twilight asks as she backs away.
“Seriously Twilight? You are a smart one, you know what I mean. I answered your questions; it is time that you answer mine. Starting with why you are here.”
“No way! You put us down now ya big ape, before I knock the snot out of ya!”, Rainbow Dash says as she continues to try to force open my hands.
“Rainbow Dash, you can’t even open my hand. And besides, if I let go of you I have a feeling you will probably just kick me in the face anyway.”
Looking at Pinkie Pie, who is not struggling, I say, “You though I will let down.”
As I place Pinkie down onto the floor, Applejack speaks up. “How are we s’posed to trust ya? Ya might tell somepony else why we’re here.”
“Oh, sure, that’s going to happen.” Adding as much sarcasm to my voice as I can, I then say, “Everybody here will believe me when I say there are six talking pastel ponies that are capable of flight and magic and are from a tv show.”
“TV show? What’s that?”, Pinkie asks as she bounces around my legs.
“I might explain later”, I say to her, and turn back to Twilight. “As I said, I want some answers. I won’t harm you, that I promise, but I do think I deserve to know what the hell is going on.”
“Micah…. I can’t tell you.”
“Oh for-why can’t you tell me? Seriously, who am I going to tell? Who will believe me if I tell them? No one will! Or if they do they are probably insane.”
Twilight looks at each of her companions, her eyes conveying much worry. Whatever reason they are here I bet it is important for her to be so secretive about this.
“I can’t tell you everything. But I can say we are in search of… Something”, Twilight says as she shuffles her hoof against the ground more.
“In search of what? Is it a person? Is it some magical item? Maybe a creature from your world? What is it? If it is something dangerous I think I should know since at the moment you are in my”-
RING RING! RING RING!
“Oh come on!” ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“After I check this we will talk again. I still expect an answer.”
Twilight looks at Micah as he walks away, opening his hand to release Rainbow Dash who immediately gives him a kick to his back as he walks away. Twilight worries for a moment what Micah would do, though all he does is glare at her before walking towards that strange ringing sound.
“What are we gonna do Twi? Ah don’t think he should know why we’re here”, Applejack says as she moves closer to Twilight, enough so that she can whisper in her ear.
“I know that Applejack”, Twilight says. “But I don’t think we could keep something like that a secret forever.”
“Why do we even need to tell him? It’s not like we have to stay here. We were alright before we wound up in that weirdo store after we got to this world”, Rainbow says as she flies over towards the others, fluttering in midair.
“Oh no, Rainbow Dash, I am not going to step out there when we could stay inside where it is clean, safe, and sheltered”, Rarity says adamantly.
“We’ll have him make a Pinkie Promise not to tell anyone”, Pinkie suggests with her ever present grin.
Sighing, Rainbow says, “Pinkie I really don’t think he’d keep that promise.”
Twilight was going to speak up again, but stops once she hears Micah speaking up once more from another room.
“Yeah, hi boss…. What? No, no I could come in if I absolutely have to but it is Saturday…. Sir, really, I will make up for that with extra hours next week but today I would really, really like to not have to come in today… Why? Uh, sir, you would not believe me if I told you…. Sir please, I have come in every other day to work there whenever you needed it, even on the high holidays, just give me this one day…. Ugh, fine, fine! I will be at the bakery soon.”
“Bakery?! He works in a bakery?! Oh I wonder if he makes the sweet sweets I make at Sugarcube corner! Does he make doughnuts, cakes, muffins or does he make all of them? I wonder what his favorite fl”-
As the previous day, Applejack has puts her hoof over Pinkie’s mouth to quiet her.
A few minutes later Micah steps back to the main room with a backpack of sorts that he puts down on the couch when he comes back.
“Alright. When I get back, I am going to expect some answers. You will have to give me at least something. I told you many, many things yesterday and you have to give me something, anything in return. I would continue to try and get you to tell me something but for now I have to go to work.”
Twilight wonders what he used to speak with his employer as she remembers him mentioning there is no magic here. But she shall speak with him about that later.
“But what if we still can’t tell you?”
Everypony looks back, seeing Fluttershy peeking her head up above the cats surrounding her.
“Well…. We will deal with that when I get back,” Micah says as he grabs his backpack again, and heads towards the door. Before stepping outside he looks back at the ponies once more.
“And Applejack, for your sake, you'd best not tie me up again when I get back.”
Micah shortly steps outside, the door shutting and locking behind him a second later. And the moment it is shut Twilight speaks up.
“Alright girls, we need to decide what we are going to do when he comes back.”
“Well I think we should tell him something. The young fellow does have a point after all”, Rarity says.
Rainbow quickly chimes in as before, saying, “No way. I still think we should get out of here.”
“Excuse me, girls? I, I think we have a problem”, Fluttershy says as she comes out from behind Bonnie and Clyde.
“Yes Fluttershy? What’s wrong?”
“I… I think we’re missing somepony.” ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Dang it I need to get myself a new job. Preferably one where my boss won’t forget the deal about not having to work on Saturday.”
Though what are the chances of that happening? Probably about the same as anyone believing me about the fact there are talking ponies from a kid’s show currently living in my apartment. So not that good.
At least I live close to the bakery. It doesn’t take more than about ten minutes walking to get there. Though walking there during rainy Seattle days is not that fun at all. Whenever it is rainy I almost always get splashed by a passing car driving through a puddle.
Shortly though I get there to see a piece of paper jammed into the door. I pull it out and read it.
Micah, we got a lot of orders when you were away. Due to some… Personal issues, I cannot come in today to work on them. I left you a list of what needs to be made today. I expect them all to be done by the time you close up.
Oh crap. Piled up orders. That is not good. Well, it shouldn’t be that much right? My boss might be annoying but he never lets things back up too badly. He hates it when that happens. Let’s see…
What?!
Cakes for a church social, cupcakes for a sweet sixteen, and doughnuts for a local bowling league?! What is he thinking?! This isn’t done with some premade mix; we have to make it all from scratch! What, did he just forget all of that?!
“There is no way I can make all of these muffins, doughnuts, and cakes in time. It’s impossible for me to do this alone.”
“I can help!”
No. No way. It can’t be. She should still be back at my apartment.
“Can we start now? Huh huh? Can we can we? If we start now that means we can have the cakes soon and if we can have the cakes soon then we can have the muffins and later we can make the yummy doughnuts!”
I turn to look behind my shoulders and see that who I thought was here is here. Pinkie Pie is sticking her head out of my now open backpack, smiling widely as she goes on and on. And on, and on…. And on.
I don’t want to risk anyone walking by seeing that I have a tiny talking pink pony in my backpack. There is no way I could explain that.
“Okeydokey!”
I quickly get the key out of my pocket and unlock the door as fast as I can, and get inside and shut the door behind me quickly.
“Pinkie, while I am here I want you to stay in the backpack, alright? Stay there and don’t move. I don’t want to be disturbed while I have to do the baking. If I am lucky I might be able to get half of it done by midnight tonight.”
The bakery we have here is rather large, but not large enough for someone to bake all I have to do on his own in one single work day. If I had maybe three other people here with me this could get done but I couldn’t do this by myself. I hope I can get my boss to understand.
“I can help you though”, Pinkie Pie says as I place the backpack down onto the floor. Crawling out of it fully, she looks up at me with her huge smile. “I love to make any sort of sugary deliciousness!”
“Pinkie, you are a pony that is so small you can fit in the palm of my hand. How in the world can you help me?”
“Oh please! Pretty pretty pretty pretty pretty please with a cherry and ice cream with extra sugary whipped cream and chocolate on top?”, Pinkie asks as she looks up at me with the widest smile I think is possible in a living creature.
Well…. What would be the worst if I let her? I could at least show her where the actual baking is done. Maybe that would succeed in quieting her down at least a bit.
“I’ll show you where we do the baking. Follow me.”
Stepping from the front of the store where there is nothing save for a few chairs and the cashier’s counter and cash register, I move towards the back as I hear Pinkie Pie hopping behind me. I think she is the only one out of her group that hops like that when walking.
As I step through to the back, I thankfully see the bakery is the same as it has been since I left. Nothing out of place, nothing missing or broken. At least I got that working for me.
The five large ovens still seem to be in good shape as always, that’s definitely good. Normally they would be fine with any amount of orders we get on a typical day, but because of this back-up of orders this will be hard as hell to do.
“Wow, those ovens are super-duper big! We can make hundreds of yummy goodies in there!”
“For those of your size, yes. But we need to make them big enough for us. We can cook a goodly amount inside there, but we won’t be able to do so in time since I have to do all of the baking and mixing and everything. That alone takes quite some time”, I say, trying to think of some way to get all of the baking done in time without sacrificing quality.
“Come on, don’t be a muddy fudgey duddy buddy!” Pinkie hops in front of me to a stool, and after that to one of the tables. Pony hooves on the exact location I am going to do mixing is not exactly sanitary.
“Pinkie, don’t you think you should at least wash your hands-er, hooves, before you cook anything?”
“Oh of course! Silly me. Where are the sinks?”
“I’ll take you to them. Um, if you are alright with it, anyway”, I say as I open my palm in front of her for her to jump onto if she is alright with it.
Without any hesitation she steps onto my hand. It is rather odd that she trusts me so willingly. If our positions were reversed I don’t think I would be anywhere near as trusting as she is. Oh my goodness, if our positions were reversed when we first met, what would Rainbow have done? That would have been very interesting.
“Here you go Pinkie”, I say, and place her in front of the sink and turn on the water for her and I, and grab the soap for myself.
As I start to wash my hands, I see Pinkie decided not to simply sit on the edge of the sink and wash her hooves. Instead, she seems to think this is just perfect for a shower, as she jumps into it right under the stream of water from the faucet.
“Pinkie, you aren’t supposed to jump into the sink”, I say as she uses it as one would use a shower.
She seems to choose to ignore me and instead continue to bathe in the sink. Yet, somehow her mane still stays poofy and bouncy and happy as Pinkie’s personality. I am not sure how she does that.
“Ok, I’m done”, Pinkie says as she jumps out dripping water. So as to not make a large mess I get her some paper towels and lay them in front of her. I am not about to dry her myself, that would be a bit too odd for me.
“I’ll be back in a bit. I have to get some milk and eggs out of the fridge”, I say as I step towards the fridge.
This fridge is something I hate about this bakery. It’s far too narrow, enough so that sometimes I feel as if I am trapped inside of it. Add on top of that that occasionally the door gets jammed, makes for a bad combination.
Well, at least the door is not jammed now. It opens fairly easily, the cold air from inside the fridge hitting me immediately. Stepping inside I walk to the very end of the fridge to get all the milk I might need. And with all we are going to be baking I will probably need a lot.
Creeeek.
That noise. I remember that noise. That’s the sound of a closing door. Please tell me it isn’t….
It is. The door to the fridge is closing shut on its own. Damnit! No, not right now!
My luck goes just as I feared it would. Before I get to the door I hear that dreaded sound of it clicking shut.
Ok, ok calm down. Maybe this time it is not stuck. Last time it wasn’t so maybe this time it isn’t either. Just take some deep breaths…. In…. And out….
Alright. Just grasp the door handle, and then open the door.
I said open the door. Open the door. OPEN THE DOOR!
Damn it. Damn it damn it, it’s stuck! No come on not now! There’s no one outside to open the door this time!
Wait…. Maybe Pinkie could get me out.
“PINKIE PIE! Pinkie Pie get me out of here!”, I shout as I bang on the door as hard as I can with my fists.
Blast it why the hell won’t she hear me?! I, I can’t be in here! I don’t want to be in here! I can just barely stand being inside an elevator let alone being stuck in here!
“Micah? What are you doing in there?”
“Oh thank G-d. Pinkie, open the door. I can’t open it from inside, so I need you to do it for me, alright?”
“How’d you get stuck sillyhead? But don’t worry, I’ll be there in a”-
“Pinkie Pie, if you don’t get me out of here right now I swear I will turn you into a muffin and feed you to my cats! NOW GET ME OUT OF HERE!”
I swear it seems like an eternity until I finally hear her hooves moving. Why the hell is she taking her time?!
Finally I hear her right outside the door, and hear what I think is…. Jumping? Wait, I think she is jumping on the doorknob to open it!
Please please please please open.
The second the door is opened just an inch I immediately fling it open wide and jump out of the fridge, and don’t stop moving until I am on the other side of the room. For now I want to be as far away from the fridge as I possibly can.
I slowly slump down to the floor, my head resting in my hands as I try to calm down. Why the hell am I like that? I can’t take being in a place like that. How can anyone stand that? Being stuck in a cold, small room with no way out. Just like when what happened in school…
Guys, let me out!
Nope! Maybe I’ll let you out after school. This is what you get for ratting on me to the principal.
Please! I’m sorry, I won’t do it again, I promise!
Yeah yeah, I know you won’t. Because if you will then I’ll just do this again. See ya later.
No, don’t go! Let me out! LET ME OUT! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When Pinkie Pie let Micah out by jumping on the doorknob until it opened, she nearly got thrown off the door onto the floor. But Pinkie being Pinkie, she just hopped off gently and easily.
“Okeydokeylokey Micah, let’s get to…. Hey, what’s wrong?”
Pinkie notices Micah just sitting on the floor, shaking slightly. Why is he just sitting there? And… Is he crying?
“Oh now don’t cry Mikey Wikey”, Pinkie says as she climbs onto his foot. “Just turn that frown of yours upside down. It’ll be alright.”
“Pinkie, p-please, just shut up”, Micah says to her as he rubs his eyes. “I don’t want to talk r-right now. I really really don’t. J-just give me a moment.”
“Talking can make it better. Talking might give you a big big smile”, Pinkie replies as she walks up to his knee. “And then when you are all smiley and happy we can start baking yummy nummy gooey goodies!”
“Why did it take y-you so l-long to open the door?”
“What? Silly, I opened it up for you quickly. I heard you being loud so I got over there to get you out.”
Micah moves his hands from covering his eyes, showing that they are watering. Pinkie’s smile, while still there is not as wide and jovial as it was a moment ago.
“You took f-forever! What w-were you doing, just goofing around when I was trapped inside there?! Why the hell d-did you take so long?!”
Pinkie’s normally permanent smile disappears and is replaced by confusion. “What are you talking about? I opened it for you super-fast.”
“I just… Never mind. Let’s just get baking. We need to get to w-work, we wasted enough time”, Micah says as he gets up and hesitantly heads towards the fridge. Before entering it again he places one of the stools in between the door and the door frame, probably to stop it from being shut again.
Coming out with eggs and milk he places them on the table before he turns towards a bunch of cupboards not far away, and Pinkie jumps right up onto a stool, then to the table.
Pinkie isn’t sure why Micah is acting like that, but she knows enough that for some reason him being stuck really scared him. And Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie, she feels a need to fix that. Everyone needs to smile.
“Micah, how’s about you go get all the sweet sugar and flour? I got an idea to make all the mixing go lickety quicky”, Pinkie Pie says with a bounce in her voice.
Pulling bowls and mixers and most every cooking utensil one would need out of the cupboards, Micah says, “Pinkie Pie I don’t think th-that you would b-be able to get this done quickly.”
“Oh yes I can! Just get everything we need and get it opened up and I can take care of it.”
Micah looks at her, confused, but nonetheless gets everything one would need to bake the cakes since he planned to start with them first. He gathers all of the flour, sugar, eggs, milk, chocolate, vanilla, and everything else one would need to make delicious goodies, and gathers all the mixing bowls, sheets to pour batter onto, simply everything.
“Thank you. Now, I want you out of here while I do all I need to do. It has to be a surprise.”
Micah goes wide eyed when Pinkie says that, and says, “You seriously expect me to j-just let you have free r-reign of the kitchen?”
“Only for five teeny weeny bitty minutes”, Pinkie says as she hops towards him.
For a while Micah thinks about how that could end. Pinkie might very well end up making a huge mess of everything, and possibly waste a whole lot of ingredients. Not just that but for all he knows her hooves might still be dirty, and if they are anyone who eats the food will get sick, he would get in even more trouble.
Though… Unless somehow Pinkie knows of a way to get everything mixed together really fast, there won’t be a way for Micah to get the orders done. So this might be his only chance.
Since she pushed me out of there I have heard weird noises coming from inside there. I have no idea what the hell it is but it sounds like she is putting something together. Though I will find out what it is she is doing soon enough. She has thirty seconds left.
“Pinkie! You better have something good in there! If I don’t get these orders done I’ll get fired!”, I shout through the door.
“Almost done! Just wait a teeny tiny bit more.”
Ugh. I really hope that she won’t make a huge mess of things. After what happened in the fridge earlier I don’t want her to screw things up any more than she did already.
Though… Maybe I over-reacted a bit? I probably shouldn’t have shouted at her like I did. She got me out pretty dang fast after all. It wouldn’t be the first time I over-reacted to being trapped. Leah certainly put me in my place after I did so to her once that happened in the hospital.
At the very least I should say sorry. She seems alright and happy but I do think an apology is in order.
“Okeydokey, you can come in! I think this will work great!”
“Alright. And, um, by the way Pinkie, I want to say…. What the hell is all this?”
That is the only thing I could say when I saw what Pinkie put together in the kitchen.
She put together some strange sort of device. I think it’s called…. A Rube Goldberg machine? Yeah, yeah I think that’s it. But what the hell is it going to do?
“Well since you have so much stuff to do I had an idea! We just need to pull this little string here”, Pinkie says as I see her on the table with a string right by her. “Then everything will be so much easier for you!”
“You’re joking right? I just got to pull this one string and it will just magically work perfectly?”
“Yep! So you ready to do this and make yummy goodies?”
Well…. At this point I don’t have much of any other option. I just hope that this will work. I pull the string as she instructed, and wait to see what will happen.
The string, when I pulled it, pulls onto another rope, which then pulls on a makeshift lever. Said lever then leads to many other devices being activated.
And after some time we have the end result. The milk is tipped over to pour into the mixing bowls, along with the right amount of sugar and eggs and everything else we would need to bake everything in the orders. Even the electric mixers start up just right.
“What the hell? Pinkie Pie, how in the world did you get everything to work just right? This… this should be impossible!”
“Sorry, not telling. But I did it because I want to see a smile on that face. You seemed so upset earlier, I thought this would make this frown turn upside down! I don’t like it when ponies don’t smile”, Pinkie says. “So you’d better smile! Or I’ll make your cake yucky!”
“Pinkie Pie, I don’t”-
“You’re not smiling. You’d better smile!”, Pinkie says as, somehow, she jumps all the way onto my shoulder and stares me dead in the face.
“Um, Pinkie I can’t exactly smile on demand.”
“Well I will make you smile! Pinkie Pie will never leave someone in a frown”, Pinkie says, moving her hoof against my shoulder while she does so.
“Hehe Pinkie Pie don’t move, please! I’m ticklish there!” My shoulders and neck are my only ticklish spots. Though since I am only ticklish on those areas I seem to be extremely sensitive to tickling there.
Pinkie’s smile turns slightly devious as she glares at me. I know that glare perfectly. My brother, sister, and Leah have all given me that glare at one time or another. And the same exact thing always follows.
“Oh no. No, Pinkie Pie don’t you-“
Pinkie doesn’t waste any time, and dashes about my shoulders and neck, tickling me as much as she possibly can. And, as I was sure was her goal, causes me to smile while she does so.
“Yay! Pinkie Pie can make anyone smile!”, Pinkie says with delight as she tries to wrap her hooves around my neck.
“Heh, I suppose that you can”, I say, as I continue to smile even though she stopped tickling me. “I think I just might have needed that.”
“Aw, you’re welcome Mikey Wikey.”
“Also, I want to apologize.”
Pinkie stops hugging me for a moment, and she backs away slightly to be able to meet my eyes. “Apologize? For what?”
“For being upset earlier and taking it out on you. Like what I said when I was stuck in the fridge. I lost my temper and I should not have done s”-
“Oh, it’s ok. But, why were you upset about being in there?”
“…. Ask Twilight to explain claustrophobia to you when you see her.”
“Well Pinkie that went way, way better than I thought it would.”
“It was great! We made so many yummy treats!”
“Yeah, no kidding. We actually got all the orders done. I didn’t think I could do that. Or, more accurately, we could do that.”
After everything got mixed the baking went much, much easier. We just had to put the pastries into the ovens and make sure they didn’t get burned. And, because of that, we were eventually able to get everything done before I closed up.
Once we finished and I closed down, Pinkie went into my backpack again for the walk home. I’m not too worried about being seen since at this point it is fairly dark, and people rarely walk about the streets this late in this neighborhood.
“But we did! We made a bunch of goodies! But why didn’t you have any of the leftover chocolate?”
“I don’t like chocolate Pinkie. Never have.”
I hear a very loud gasp coming from my backpack, and look back to see Pinkie’s jaw almost down to the sidewalk.
“What?! Why don’t you like chocolate?! Everypony likes chocolate!”
“I just don’t. Never have. Ever since I was a kid I just could never stand it, almost makes me sick”, I say as my apartment building comes into view.
“But… But not liking chocolate? I get not liking icky vegetables, but chocolate?”
As I walk further towards my apartment, and then up towards my floor I hear Pinkie continuing to ponder this new information she has heard. It is almost as if everything she knew about the universe was just proven wrong to her.
“On another note. Do you think Twilight and the others will tell me why you are all here? That’s something I would really like an answer for”, I say once we reach the door to my apartment, and I touch my mezuzah.
“Maybe. But I can’t tell you. I made a Pinkie promise not to tell anyone”, Pinkie says with a smile.
Figures. I should have expected something like that. And from what I remember of Pinkie Pie I would not be able to get her to tell me. She is not one to break a promise.
“Micah! There you are, I was wondering where you were. I knocked on the door to your apartment for a while but you didn’t answer. I guess you were at the bakery?”
That voice is one that I instantly recognize. But why is she here now? She shouldn’t be here until tomorrow!
Turning around I look to see Leah at the end of the hall. And my goodness she looks as beautiful as I remember since I left.
Her black hair is down to the middle of her back, open and flowing like usual. Her dark skin is a very interesting contrast with her choice of a white blouse. Her features are sharply defined, specifically her cheekbones. Her eyes, instead of gray like mine, are a dark brown. Leah’s body is in my opinion a picture of perfection. She has curves and certainly likes to show them. And I never, ever tire of seeing them.
“Pinkie Pie, get down in the backpack, now”, I whisper quickly to Pinkie, hoping that she will do that. I don’t know how I will explain to Leah that the ‘collectibles’ she gave me are actually living creatures.
“I missed you Micah”, Leah says as she reaches me and pulls me in for a kiss. Oh G-d, thank you for letting me feel these lips again finally. But it would have been better if she met up with me when I didn’t have these ponies in my apartment.
“And I missed you Leah. But I thought you wouldn’t be here till tomorrow”, I say after she breaks off the kiss.
Raising an eyebrow at me, she says, “Micah, are you saying you don’t want me here? After being gone for such a long time?”
“No! No, no not at all, I just, um, this is very unexpected is all”, I say with a nervous grin. “I was hoping to plan for tomorrow, to make it special, that’s all.”
“That’s very sweet of you. But you don’t need to”, Leah says as she wraps her arms around me with a grin. “Besides, I did say I would be giving you much attention, didn’t I? You gave me plenty of attention the day before you left.”
“Maybe we can wait until tomorrow, so we can give each other as much attention as the other wants?”, I say, hoping that she will go. I never thought I would rebuff Leah’s affections. This is certainly a first.
“Alright, what do you have in there you don’t want to show me?”, Leah says as she moves for the door. “You obviously have something in there you don’t want me to see, what is it?”
“Nothing, it’s nothing”, I say, trying to persuade her not to go inside.
“Hm. I don’t think I am convinced quite yet.”
Leah’s eyes narrow as she moves towards me. I know that look. And it is one look I never like.
I back away from her until I feel my back hit a wall; stopping me from moving any further whatsoever. Leah wouldn’t hurt a fly, but she can still be intimidating as hell.
“Give me the keys. You are hiding something, and I want to know what it is”, Leah says as she holds out her hand.
I really hope that the five of them still in there will know to hide when the door is opened.
I take the keys out of my pocket, and hand them to Leah who quickly puts the keys into the door, unlocking the door and opening it. Whenever Leah looks at me like that I can never say no.
I quickly follow her into my apartment, hoping that the others won’t be so foolish as to try and attack her. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“It’s her; it’s the same jerk that put us in the box!”
“Quiet Rainbow Dash, we don’t want anypony to know about us that doesn’t have to know.”
“I agree with Twilight. Really Rainbow Dash, you are already on Micah’s bad side. Should you do anything you would only make it worse.”
Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack are all hiding behind the couch as they look at the female human they saw a few days ago step inside, with Micah not far behind her. They heard her outside when she was knocking some time ago. While Rainbow Dash didn’t like it they decided hiding for now would be best.
“I mean it Leah, I have nothing to hide here. I’m not keeping anything from you, I swear”, Micah says to her as she steps further into the main room.
The five of them notice Micah put his backpack down, and notice a small pink companion of theirs poke her head out, before she goes back inside again.
“So Pinkie did go with that fella to his bakery. Ah’m glad she’s alright”, Applejack says softly once she saw Pinkie Pie.
Leah continues to search the main room for a while before she leaves and heads to another room. The moment she leaves, Micah gently takes Pinkie out of his backpack and places her with the other five.
“I don’t know why Leah’s here, but please, please be quiet. I don’t want anyone else to know about you six”, Micah says softly and moves to leave, but stops for a moment.
“And Twilight, I still expect some sort of answers once Leah leaves.”
Before Twilight has a chance to answer Micah leaves to head after Leah.
“Well, at least he doesn’t seem to be upset”, Twilight says as she watches him leave.
“Yep. He’s smiley and happy after our time in the bakery! We made so many yummy cakes, muffins, and doughnuts! Though apparently he has something called clausopobia”, Pinkie says, though is shushed by everypony.
“Clausopobia? What is…. Pinkie, do you mean ‘claustrophobia’?”, Twilight asks her.
“Maybe, that might be it. He got pretty scared when he was stuck in a freezy fridge. But I was able to get him to smile again”, Pinkie Pie says triumphantly.
“Oh my. That must have been awful for him”, Fluttershy says sympathetically.
“What the hey does claustrophobia mean?”, Rainbow asks.
Twilight was about to speak but doesn’t, as she sees Leah and Micah come back out into the main room.
“Well? Did you find anything Leah?”, Micah asks.
“No… But I still feel like something’s off”, Leah says as she folds her arms over her chest.
“Well, obviously there is nothing wrong here. But I do have a question for you. Where did you find those MLP collectibles, and why did you send them to me?”
“Oh. Well I just was out and about in Seattle like I often am and saw them in a store. They seemed a little different for some reason. Not sure why. And I know you like the show so I thought you might like them”, Leah says. “Speaking of those, where are they?”
“I still have them in the box, somewhere. I’m currently deciding where the best spot to put them is”, Micah says. “But next time, please give me something that is not a collectible. A movie, a new game, something like that might have been better. I like the show and all but it isn’t exactly my favorite.”
Leah smiles, and says, “I will keep that in mind.” Wrapping her arms around Micah, and moving a hand to caress his cheek she then says as her smile turns to a sultry grin, “Are you sure though you want to wait until tomorrow for me? I had some very lovely ideas for today that I know you would enjoy.”
“Oh. Uh, well, while that sounds amazing, um, today I might like to pass. After working at the bakery almost all day, I would like to rest”, Micah says.
“Wow. You must either be stupid or truly exhausted to pass up on that. But tomorrow I will be here, so you’d better get plenty of rest.”
Leah kisses Micah again and moves towards the door, with Micah following behind her.
“I will, don’t you worry. See you tomorrow”, Micah says as Leah leaves, and shuts the door behind her. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Oh thank you G-d, thank you so so much for not letting Leah find out about this”, I say as I slide down the door until I hit the floor.
Thank G-d the five of them were smart enough to hide behind the couch. I don’t think Leah would be upset or hurt them if she found out, but I still wouldn’t want to have to try and explain it to her.
My eyes turn to the six ponies as I hear them walking out from behind the couch.
“So I was right, that female and you are mates”, Twilight says once she and the other five get closer.
“The picture on my table, the fact she is the one who ‘bought’ you, and since I have mentioned her before didn’t tip you off?”, I ask with a raised eyebrow.
“I mean to say that her behavior confirmed it. With how she spoke it is obvious you two seem close since she clearly offered to, um, take part in certain activities with you”, Twilight says with a nervous grin.
“Heh, yeah, true. She has never been a fan of subtlety”, I say with a slight chuckle.
I get up off of my tuchus, and head towards the fridge and pull out a bottle of soda to drink. It would be better of course if I had water, but dang it I want something sweet and tasty. Pinkie Pie must be rubbing off on me.
“By the way, remember what I said earlier? About answers?”, I ask, as I get a cup out of the cupboard and pour me a drink.
After a noticeable silence from all six ponies, I turn to look at them. All save for Pinkie have a nervous look about them. Ugh, great.
“Oh for goodness sake, really, I get you have something big going on. You crossed worlds for a reason after all. And since you tied me up I think I deserve to be told something”, I say as I put the soda away and then drink from my glass.
“We cannot tell you everything. But we can let you know some things at least”, Twilight says as she looks up at me.
“Then please do. I think I deserve to know at least something about why you are here”, I say, and take another drink of soda. “Whatever it is I hope it at least won’t put me, Leah, or any of my family in any sort of danger.”
Twilight doesn’t say a word, nor do any of the other ponies. Not exactly something I was hoping to hear.
“Is it something that could put me, Leah, or my family in danger?”
“…. There is a possibility. It isn’t very likely, so long as we are careful, but there is a possibility”, Twilight says as she shuffles her hoof on the floor.
“Then tell me everything that you can. After tying me up and pinning me on the floor, I think I am owed that much.”
Fluttering towards me Rainbow butts in, saying, “But do you really think that”-
Rainbow Dash is interrupted by Twilight, who turns to glare at her.
“Rainbow Dash, we are not going to tell him everything. But he is right. He should know some of our reasons for being here. It is only fair”, Twilight says quickly.
Rainbow doesn’t say anything, though I can tell she is not exactly happy about that. At least Twilight is able to get her calmed down.
“Anyway, yes, as we said before we are here for a search. And what we are searching for certainly is dangerous. The objects of our search will be difficult to find. Even more so considering the state we are in.”
“Yeah, any search would be complicated if you are the size of a toy”, I say with a slight smirk.
“Yes. That’s very true. The spell I cast was not meant to keep us like this. Though until I can reverse it we are stuck like this. The only good thing about this is that we weren’t noticed by them when we got here. And about our search, what else I can tell you now is our search is for a group, they are very dangerous, and you should be careful. As I said before you probably won’t be in danger, but there is a chance of that.”
“Well, I am glad you have told me as much as you have. I also thank you for being honest with me about the possible dangers. However that still leaves one thing that I am sure you have been thinking about just as I have been.”
Nodding, Twilight says, “Yes. While some of us disagree, I think it would probably be best if we stay here while we do what we need to do. It would be safer for us here than it would outside.”
Yeah, this is something that I thought might happen. Not that surprised about that.
“I think I might know who among you is against that idea”, I say, looking towards Rainbow Dash and Applejack.
“Actually, Ah ain’t so ‘gainst it now”, Applejack says, to my surprise.
“Seriously? I did not think you would be saying that Applejack.”
“Well the more Ah think on it, this probably is the best for us, least for now. At least here we don’t got to worry ‘bout getting in trouble or any other of you folk finding out ‘bout us. And, well… Ah want to ‘pologize. Ah might have acted too harshly when we first met”, Applejack says, and pulls off her stetson as she looks up at me with a frown.
“That would be putting it very lightly, since you tied me up and banged my nose up rather badly”, I say, looking at her. “However, regardless, your apology is accepted. Though do me a favor, and never treat me like a rodeo animal again”, I say with a slight grin.
Applejack grins slightly, and dons her stetson once more. Well, that makes one apology. I wonder if I will ever get Rainbow to apologize.
“It is very good of you to apologize Applejack, however I still believe we do not yet have an answer about whether or not we may stay here”, Rarity says as she takes a few steps forward.
“Well, while I do wish you could find somewhere else to be, as I am certain having six ponies living in my home will take some getting used to, I can’t simply turn you away. So you may be here, but only under certain conditions”, I say and place my glass down, and sit down on the floor with the six of them.
“Such as?”, Twilight asks with a raised eyebrow.
“First, if you find out anything, anything at all that might place myself, Leah, or my family in danger, let me know at once. Two, no violence here. If you get upset that is fine, but if you get violent you are out of here. And three, while most of the apartment is open to you, you don’t go into my bedroom without my permission. Anywhere else in the house is open to you, but not my room. And last, but what I think is the most important, an apology for tying me up in my own home and getting my nose bashed.”
The six of them turn into a huddle for a moment and all I can hear from them are whispers. I can make out each individual voice, save for Fluttershy, but I do not know exactly what is being said.
Shortly after the whispering starts it ends, and Twilight turns to me with a grin.
“You are right, we did act rashly. For that we apologize. It was not right of us to tie you up like that. And, we gladly accept your terms."
Twilight puts out her hoof, though as she glances at my hand she pulls it back.
“Sorry about that. You cannot exactly do a hoof bump considering your anatomy and size, can you?”
“No, though if I could I would. Now, as this has been decided, I think I am going to go and turn in for tonight so that”-
“Um, ex-excuse me?”
“Fluttershy? I’m sorry but I can just barely hear you”, I say, and lean down a little bit closer to the six of them as Fluttershy nervously and slowly steps forward.
“Oh, I’m sorry. But, well, while you were gone all day we weren’t able to eat since everything here is so big. So, um, if it’s alright, I would really appreciate it if maybe you could make us a little something? But if you don’t want to”-
“Stop, stop. I wish that I could just go sleep as it is late, and I am tired but I can make you all a quick something”, I say, and turn to look at Pinkie. “Want to help me make something for my new roommates?”
“Pinkie Pie, how much more syrup do you need on that? At this rate all you will taste is the syrup and not the pancakes.”
“I think that is what she has in mind. Sweeter the better”, Twilight says as she, the other four, and myself eat breakfast.
One plus to having such tiny roommates is that they do not eat much at all. All I made this morning was two blueberry pancakes, and all they needed was for me to cut off a small bit of one of the pancakes for them to share amongst themselves. Far less than what my brother ate when he and I used to live together. Our food costs were ridiculous then.
“Pinkie Pie, darling, do be careful! You are going to get syrup all over your mane!”, Rarity cries out as Pinkie Pie eagerly eats up her piece of pancake.
Rarity however should have been more concerned with herself. While Pinkie Pie continues to try and get more syrup onto her own pancakes, the small cup of syrup is accidentally spilled. And, unfortunately, one white unicorn was sitting and eating right next to Pinkie Pie when that happens.
“AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!”
In my entire life, I have never heard a scream like that. A scream of pure agony. A scream of someone who is experiencing nothing but terror. Someone who would do anything to not be in that situation this moment.
“Oops… Sorry Rarity”, Pinkie says nervously as she backs away from Rarity whose white coat and purple mane is now covered with sticky syrup.
“At least it isn’t hot syrup. Now that would be messy and would also hurt horribly”, I say, looking at the usually prim and proper unicorn, now covered from head to hoof in maple syrup.
“I, I need to get clean, now. I need to bathe, I need shampoo, conditioner, and soap. Right now”, Rarity says as she stands, and tries to rub off a little of the syrup to no avail while also trying to remain prim and proper.
“Ah don’t know ‘bout that Rarity. Ah think it looks rather well on you”, Applejack says as she very poorly tries to hide her chuckling.
Rarity glares at Applejack, and I see her horn starting to glow, as does bits of the syrup on the pancakes.
Oh no, no way are we going to have a food fight this morning. I am not in the mood to clean everything up. It is far too early for that.
“Rarity, don’t you dare. I’ll take you to the bathroom and get the sink there going with hot water for you, alright? Just don’t start anything.”
“Thank you darling, please do. Though I would not have even thought of doing such an act if Applejack did not mock me”, Rarity says as she continues to glare at Applejack.
I quickly grab a napkin and gently pick up Rarity in it to carry her to the bathroom. Though before I leave I look back to leave a message for the other five of them.
“And please don’t make more of a mess, alright? Pretty please?”
All five of them nod, and I turn to head to the bathroom. Knowing Pinkie she might very well make a mess anyway, but if she does I will take care of it.
“I am so sorry for Pinkie Pie making such a mess, Micah”, Rarity says as we enter the bathroom, and I let her down into the sink.
“Ah, not your fault. It is annoying, sure, though I can clean it up. I am just glad that when she cooked with me at the bakery she was able to do so without leaving much of a mess”, I say as I then get a bar of soap for her, along with squeezing out a little bit of shampoo and conditioner for Rarity. I don’t think she would be able to lift the bottles that easily.
“And thank you again for doing this. I haven’t cleaned myself properly for ages!”
“Ages? I thought the six of you have only been here for a few days before we met.”
“Right. And each of those days I have been unable to bathe myself. Magic can certainly help somewhat, but there is nothing quite like the feel of a lovely bath or shower”, Rarity says as she looks at the faucet.
“And speaking of that, would you be a dear and start the water for me?”
“Oh, yes of course, sure”, I say and turn on the faucet, and instantly warm water starts pouring out onto her.
“Aah, yes. Thank you so much Micah”, Rarity says as she starts bathing, which leads me to ask something I should have thought of before.
“Sorry for just thinking of this now, but, would you like me to leave while you bathe? I don’t know how it is with ponies, but with humans we normally like to be left alone.”
“Well I see no reason why you need to leave. So long as you do not stare I do not mind. Though thank you for asking”, Rarity says with a friendly smile. “So humans normally bathe alone?”
“In this country we do, yes. Some places have public baths, but here we don’t. I for one definitely wouldn’t like to bathe with someone else in the shower with me.”
“Most curious. Oh! Micah, dear, I just remembered something that I must ask you”, Rarity says as she begins to use the shampoo.
“And what might that be?”
“Why do you always have your mane simply lay about like that? I have to say it looks rather… Plain, to put it lightly.”
“My mane? You mean my hair? Well, um, I just always have it like this.”
I may have had some people who have told me to cut my hair short before, but I have never had someone tell me it looks plain. However I would much rather have someone say it seems plain than just simply say I should chop it off.
“Well Micah that simply will not do”, says Rarity as she finishes rinsing out the shampoo and starts with the conditioner. “We must change that immediately. That and get you some new clothes.”
“Ok, hold on. You have only been here for a few days, and you expect me to trust you to both decide a new hairstyle for me, and new clothes? What do you know of human fashion?”
“Oh, you wound me with your words darling. I just know I can come up with a new outfit for you. And of course, I will think of something wonderful to do with your mane. And don’t you worry, scissors shall not be involved.”
Well, this is certainly a first. Getting fashion advice from a pony. I never, ever thought I would be putting those words together. But I also never thought that I would ever be having a conversation with a pony at all.
“Well… Maybe you could give a few tips. Before Leah and I meet up today I was planning on going to the store to get a few things, so you could come along. I will be going by the clothing section after all.”
“Wonderful! I know that with my expertise we shall change you from being drab to fab!” Rarity seems to be practically beaming from the information, like a small child hearing they are getting a new toy.
“Drab to fab? Do I really look like that to you?”, I ask, and look down at my regular sort of outfit, a pair of old, slightly torn jeans and a plain black t-shirt.
“Alright now… I got my sweater, wallet, keys, I think that is just about it.”
“I do wish I did not have to hide in your pocket.”
“Sorry Rarity, I don’t want to risk anyone finding out about you. You could always stay in my crammed backpack like Pinkie was yesterday, if you prefer that”, I say with a smirk.
Rarity’s silence is a good enough answer for me, as I turn to Twilight and the others.
“Well, while Rarity and I are gone you five can do as you wish, so long as you don’t cause trouble or leave a mess. Should I cook something for you to have while I am out?”
“No, the pancakes were fine, thanks”, Twilight says, and then looks towards the window. “Though could you maybe open a window for us?”
“I don’t see why not. But try and shut it should it start raining. I don’t want a bunch of rainwater in here when I get back”, I say as I head to the window, and open it for them. “There is no screen though, so you better make sure no insects get in.”
“Yeah yeah, whatever. Stop worrying so much”, Rainbow Dash says as she looks out the window, grinning.
“And Rainbow, if you go out there, be careful. You are small enough you would be a snack for any hawks or other large birds”, I warn her.
“I’m not worried, nothing can catch me!”, Rainbow boasts with a grin.
Not wanting to provoke Rainbow, I leave it at that for now. Besides, while she is at times too risky, she isn’t stupid.
Most of the time.
“Well Rarity, you ready?”, I ask her as I place my hand in front of her.
“Yes Micah, I am”, says Rarity as she lifts her hoof to step onto my hand. Though she stops before doing so.
“You did wash your hands, didn’t you?”
“Seriously? Rarity, you were soaked in syrup not that long ago. Besides, I promise you my hands are clean. And you do remember that you are going to be inside a pocket the entire time, do you not?”
Rarity thankfully does not protest any longer, instead daintily stepping onto my hand. I lift her up to my sweater pocket, and she looks into it for a moment, seemingly inspecting it before she steps into it. Once she does so, she fits into it perfectly, her head just barely poking up out of it.
“Micah, dear, you must clean this sweater. There is far too much lint inside it.”
I do hope I won’t regret doing this.
“Well, see you all later. Remember not to break any of the rules we agreed to while I am gone”, I say as I head to the door.
“Bye bye! Have fun you two!”, Pinkie says as the door opens, and Rarity and I step out.
“I don’t know if fun is exactly how I would describe going shopping…”
After some time walking, since buses no longer run on Sunday (Stupid budget cuts), we arrived at the shop. Living on a small salary that one makes at a neighborhood bakery, one wouldn’t get a lot of cash. Definitely not enough to shop at a mall or anything like that. So, since working there I have always gone to this single place for clothes.
“It’s called a thrift shop. It isn’t great, but it has cheap prices”, I say as we enter the old building. “Though because of one guy named Macklemore they have become somewhat more popular up here.”
“Macklemore?”, Rarity asks, her confusion fairly clear.
“He’s just a musician from this city is all. And shh, stay quiet please. I don’t want anyone to hear you”, I say as one of the cashiers waves at me as I enter. After going here long enough they have come to recognize me.
“Hey Micah. How are you doing? Anything I can help you with?”, the cashier says as I walk past him.
“No thanks. I got a new friend who gave me some advice on what to get. Going to try and change my style some. From ‘drab to fab’, as she said”, I say to him with a grin as I head towards the shirts.
“Well if you want anything let me know.”
After nodding politely I head deeper into the store. When a few minutes pass, and making sure I am out of earshot of anyone, I look down to Rarity in my pocket.
“Alright, now it should be fine. Sorry about that.”
A sigh comes from the white unicorn as she pokes her head up, and she says, “It is so dirty in here, oh the sacrifices I am making for youOOOOO! Darling, what are these things?!”
“Shh! Not so loud!”
I take a quick look around, and thankfully no one is glancing over here. Thank G-d for that.
“I’m sorry Micah, but… These, things, they are just horrid! I cannot allow you to so much as touch them!”
The shirts we are looking at don’t look awful. They look odd, I admit, and some of them do look a bit old. Well, more than a bit. Some look like shirts that hippies wore in the 60’s, and some pants have the hippie floral design.
“But they are just shirts, coats, sweaters and pants. I know it isn’t the best but it’s all I can afford.”
Though she is right I have to admit. They are not that great. I usually get the plain, simple clothes since everything else is pretty bad. But with my limited fashion sense I couldn’t really tell if something was any good to begin with.
When I look at Rarity though I can only imagine what her thoughts are about the clothes. Well, her thoughts other than her utter disgust.
“Ugh. Alright let’s see what there is that I can work with. First of all, I tell you now, do not so much as touch anything in front of you”, Rarity says, waving at all of the clothes in front of us, along with almost all clothes in site, which excludes half of the entire shop.
“Rarity, I like that you are willing to help, but I do not need anything fancy. Just something that looks a little bit nicer than what I currently have on”, I say as I grab a black collared shirt, one of the few normal bits of clothing in front of us.
“No! I cannot allow this! You will only touch what I permit. Meaning you shall drop that bland thing this instant!”
“Ok, ok. What is it that you recommend then? And please, quiet it down a bit”, I say as I put it back.
“Nothing in sight, that is certain. Head to somewhere else in the store. Nothing here would be flattering for you.”
“This is going to take a while, isn’t it?” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Now we are in the dressing room, go and put on the clothes. We shall not leave until we find something that will make you look fabulous.”
“I will, don’t worry. But could you turn around please?”
“Turn around?”
“Remember what I said when you were cleaning off the syrup? Humans don’t really like having others look at them when they don’t have clothes on.”
“Oh! I’m sorry darling, of course I’ll turn around.”
Well at least I can get started with this now. Rarity was able to decide on a few shirts and pairs of pants for me to get. Though it took her almost thirty minutes to decide even on those. Hopefully it won’t take her as long to help me decide on what final outfit to buy.
“I am sorry that the selection here is not that good. Most everything here is second hand”, I say as I strip off my sweater, t-shirt and jeans and shoes.
“It would be better if we could go somewhere better. And certainly to a place that is cleaner”, I hear Rarity say, putting emphasis on cleaner.
“Heh, well, if I find a place that is cheap and meets said requirements I will let you know”, I say, and pull on the first set of clothes. “Alright Rarity, I got the first set on. What do you think?”
Rarity turns around and looks at me, from my feet all the way up to my neck. The first outfit she chose was something that even I, with a limited fashion sense, know is crap. It is a pirate satin orange shirt that I swear would blind most people, and the pants are of the overly baggy sort.
“Rarity, I -”
“Darling, you don’t need to say a word. What was I thinking? Get rid of that travesty, and try the next set. I am certain one of the sets I chose will make you into a fabulous stallion but that is certainly not it”, Rarity says, and turns around once more.
“I certainly hope so. It would be annoying if all this time was spent for nothing. But I think we have a chance with your fashionable taste”, I say as I pull off the shirt and pants and grab the next set.
“Why thank you darling. You are quite kind.”
“I try. You and the other five are my roommates now after all. Though I wonder how long it will take for Rainbow to come around. I can understand being suspicious but she at times seems to go overboard”, I say as I start putting on the next outfit.
“Now now Micah, she will come around. I know Rainbow Dash can be like that, but she will be friendly enough in time.”
“Let’s hope so.”
I finish putting on the outfit, and, while not great, it is a little bit better than the previous one.
“Alright Rarity, what do you think?”
As she turns around, I think she doesn’t dislike this outfit as much as the previous one. Though, I don’t think someone could pick something a whole lot worse than what I had on a short time ago.
“Hm. The shirt is rather plain, and the purple jacket does not work as well as I had hoped. And those trousers you have on, what are they called?”
“Jeans. Though I don’t know why you chose jeans this skinny….”
“Jeans then. They do appear far too fitted. This won’t do, we want to leave something to the imagination after all. On to the next set!”
“I concur.”
Once Rarity turns around again I do the same routine as before, sliding off the old clothes for the next set.
These clothes are ones that I actually think might look alright. Well, alright with what one can get in a thrift shop. A pair of somewhat form fitting jeans, but not too tight, converse high top shoes, and a plaid button up shirt. Not one of those with a bright, outlandish fashion, but a more subtle one.
“Well Rarity, what do you think of this one? I think it looks alright”, I say with a grin as I wait for her to turn around.
As soon as she does so Rarity smiles, and says, “Why my dear this is much better! Not exactly great, but with our limited selection I am not sure what more we can hope to find here. Before we are done though, please turn around for me.”
“Huh? Um, why turn around? We both agree it looks fine as is don’t we?”
“Yes, though I need to make sure the jeans you have on are not too tight over your dock.”
“‘Dock’? What is the ‘dock’?”
“Well for ponyfolk it would be right where our tail starts. With you, it would, um… I do not know your exact word for it, though for you it is your derriere.”
….. Did she just say she needs to check my ass?
“Um…. Why do you need to do that?”, I say, taking a few steps back.
“It is only to make sure the jeans do not hug your body too tightly. They do not do so with your legs, but I need to make sure it does not hug you tightly on your dock either”, Rarity says politely, still grinning. “There is no reason to worry, I do the same thing with the mares and stallions back in Ponyville. I always need to make sure their clothes fit perfectly.”
I can’t believe this. I never thought that I would have a toy sized unicorn checking my tuchus to make sure it fits right in new clothes. But I suppose that is not the wierdest thing to happen in the last few days.
“Fine, fine. Just, no crude comments, alright?”, I say, and turn around like she asked. Oh goodness, if Leah hears about this somehow she will tease me about it for years.
“Yes, these will work just fine Micah. I only wish I could do more”, Rarity says after only a second or two, and I turn around again the moment she does so.
“Good. I will buy these then, and after that I will do the rest of the shopping, then head back home to drop you off. And thanks for not making any snarky comments or crude remarks”, I say with a thankful smile.
“Really Micah, you never need to worry about that. The only remark I would ever say would be if your clothes need work. I would not make the sort of remarks that you are insinuating.”
“Still , you have my thanks Rarity. Both for being polite and assisting me with getting these clothes. I hope that Leah will like them too”, I say as I look down at myself.
“Trust me darling, your mare will find your current attire far more appealing than what you had before. Now, about your hair…”
“No, Rarity, I won’t let you use makeup on me. That is one line I shall not cross.”
I shouldn’t have even mentioned it. I had to mention makeup while walking home, didn’t I? I just had to do it. Even though it was all in jest, she hasn’t let up since.
“But Micah, it would do wonders for your skin! Truly, it can work wonders!”
“Again, Rarity, I must decline. I don’t want to-”
“SHUT THE WINDOW! SHUT THE WINDOW!”
Oh no. Rainbow, what did you do?
Quickly I run inside my apartment to see all five ponies pressing hard against the open window, trying to close it. At this rate it will take them some time to do so.
I run towards them and shut it quickly, and I do so not a moment too soon. Almost as soon as it is shut a hawk lands right outside the window, staring straight at Rainbow Dash. That must be what made Rainbow yell earlier.
“I did warn you Rainbow. You remember, right? I did warn you”, I say, smirking a bit.
“Aw shut up. I was fine, I only came back to make sure this slowpoke wouldn’t come in the window after everypony else”, Rainbow says, and then turns to the hawk.
Fluttering towards the window, and glaring at the hawk, Rainbow says, “You’re lucky I had to come back here. I would’ve beaten your feathery butt!”
The hawk just looks at Rainbow, it’s head turning at one of those odd angles that only birds seem capable of. However it soon responds in the only sound that a hawk seems capable of making. That being a painfully loud screech while keeping its eyes locked solely on Rainbow.
Five of the ponies back away when the hawk does so, even Rainbow Dash. However, one little pegasus flies up, staring at the hawk.
“How dare you! How dare you be so mean, picking on something so much smaller than yourself! Especially when they are my friends!”
I have never seen a hawk back away from something as small as Fluttershy before. It is certainly interesting to see. I don’t know if the hawk is scared, but I swear it is at least having second thoughts.
“Now you fly away, and think about what you've done. Go on, shoo!”
Surprisingly, the hawk does just that. Though it doesn’t simply fly away. It actually steps backwards, almost as if it is scared slightly of Fluttershy. Except it didn’t look behind itself, and steps onto nothing but air and falls out of sight before it flies up and away. It looked like something out of a cartoon.
“You actually scared the hawk into falling off a ledge. I don’t think I have ever seen anyone do that before”, I say as I look at the hawk fly away, before looking down at Fluttershy.
“Oh, um, thank you. I was only doing so though to make my friends safe”, Fluttershy says quietly as ever as she slowly flutters back to the other four.
“Ya certainly did a dang fine job there sugarcube”, Applejack says with a smile to Fluttershy.
“Yes, she did. That hawk was big enough it might have been able to carry Bonnie away”, I say as I look at said cat lying on the couch, lazy as always.
“Um, I am sorry for interrupting, but Micah, darling, would you be a dear and let me out of your pocket?”
Looking down, I see Rarity looking up at me from my sweater pocket, bits of lint hanging on her mane as she is forcing a grin.
“Oh my, um, sorry about that Rarity”, I say as I gently pick her up and place her with the other five.
The moment she is placed on the ground she starts plucking off all the lint, and says, “At least one of us has improved their looks.”
“Yes, that I have, thanks to you. Again, I do apologize for keeping you in there, but I did not know what else I could do.”
“I know dear, I know”, Rarity says as she grins slightly at me.
“Well, um, anyway…. Twilight what have you been up to while Rarity and I was away?”
“While you two were gone I was attempting to understand your technology. Specifically the large box over there”, Twilight says, and points her hoof towards the television. “What is its purpose, and how does one activate it?”
“Oh that? Um, it is called a television. It is used mostly for entertainment purposes, and for listening to the news. And don’t ask me how it works. I admit I am an idiot when it comes to how most technology works.”
“Would you mind showing me please?”, Twilight asks with a smile.
“Sorry, I can’t do that. I don’t really have the time for it. I have to meet up with Leah. After yesterday I think that I need to make it up to her.”
“Oh. Ok”, Twilight says, still smiling, though I can tell she seems a little disappointed.
“Well… I guess I can at least turn it on quick, but then I have to leave. Also, please don’t keep it up too loud”, I say as I head towards the television, and turn it on for her.
“Too loud? So you are capable of changing the volume of it?”, I hear Twilight ask once I turn it on.
“Yeah, I can”, I say, and pull out my cellphone, and look at the time. Whoa, I better get going, much more time here and I will be late.
“Well, see you girls later, gotta go see Leah. Remember the rules, alright?”, I call, and head to the door as I hear a collective ‘yeah’ or ‘alright’ from behind. Hopefully they will keep to that and not make a big mess or anything.
“Why thank you for noticing Applejack. It took far too long to find something that would work with him, but alas, I succeeded. I do think he shall pleasantly surprise his mare tonight.”
“I don’t get why they even need clothes”, Rainbow Dash says as she flutters towards Rarity and Applejack. “Everypony else doesn’t need them.”
“Well when Micah was trying on the new clothes I picked out for him he only did so when my back was turned. I believe it is because of modesty. He even needed to be talked into allowing me to check to make sure his clothes fit him correctly”, Rarity says, recalling the experience from earlier.
“He seems pretty weird to me”, Rainbow says, landing next to Rarity. “I mean, sure he has been alright, but he’s just odd.”
“RD, dontcha think that you probably are weird to him too?”, Applejack says, turning to Rainbow.
“I’m not weird!”, Rainbow protests. “I’m just awesome and cool! Nothin’ weird about that.”
“Darling, don’t-”
“Girls, you have to come see this!”
Curious what it is that Twilight wants them all to see, all five of them quickly head towards Twilight, who is watching the metal box that Micah turned on a short time ago. While before it had a simple black screen, now it is bright and colorful, with moving images across it.
“Landsakes, what’s that thing?!”, Applejack says, her jaw almost on the floor.
“I don’t know… I’ve never seen anything like this before. It seems however to be a series of pictures placed very closely together, while also playing the appropriate sounds at the exact same time”, Twilight says as she writes down all that she sees. “A fascinating bit of technology.”
“Oh look, cake!”, Pinkie says as on the screen, an image of a human pulling out a cake from an oven is shown. She immediately dashes straight towards it, practically glued to the screen as she licks at the cake with the widest grin possible.
“Pinkie Pie, dear, I do not believe that is a real cake. It’s nothing more than a picture”, Rarity says, grinning slightly from the amusing sight before her.
“Blech! And a bad tasting one too! It tastes nasty!”, says Pinkie Pie as she gets off of the screen, prancing back to the others.
“Look, the picture's changing!”
“Quiet Rainbow Dash, I think I hear somepony speaking”, Twilight says, shushing everypony else.
“Truly, the tales and songs fall utterly short of your enormity. Oh Smaug, the stupendous.”
As the images continue to flash in front of them, everypony stays quiet, save for the occasional gasp from one of them. Twilight is amazed by how real everything appears. She did not think humans were capable of technology such as that. Only magic has ever been able to replicate things with such realism!
Rarity, while interested as well, is interested for a different reason. She is enamored with the clothing depicted on the screen. The humans there have such different outfits than what she has seen other humans wear here, but she loves it. Specifically the short glances she got of one male human with a long blonde mane. The outfit is amazing to her. She only wishes she could see more of it.
Fluttershy only looks while behind Bonnie and Clyde. She cannot deny it seems interesting, but it also frightens her. Mostly because it looks so violent. And while it was obviously not real, it comes as no comfort to her. The part that frightens her the most is the end, when the creature she thinks is a dragon spoke and short forth fire. She actually lets out scream at that part. Or as much as Fluttershy is capable of screaming.
Pinkie Pie just appears giddy to see something new and interesting, but Applejack is the most interested, especially during the action packed bits. She lets out many hoops and hollers while watching the images in front of her.
Rainbow Dash however seems to not be too interested. While Applejack was very vocal about it, she did what she could to not show how much she enjoys it. It looks like it is a geeky, nerdy thing that only eggheads would like. Not like the Daring Do books. Now those are cool.
Though even she is interested. She just doesn’t plan on letting anypony else know.
After Fluttershy and everypony else watched the metal box for a time, they each went to doing something different on their own. Twilight went about organizing all that she wrote, being very meticulous as always. Applejack has been speaking with Rainbow Dash about what they recently saw, with Rainbow feigning disinterest. Rarity went towards Micah’s room to see what else he might have for his wardrobe, though stopped herself when remembering his rule about his bedroom. And Pinkie has since been in the kitchen looking for any sweets that might have been hidden away.
Fluttershy however has been staying with Bonnie and Clyde, or she would have if Bonnie stayed still.
That cat for some reason has been unable to stay still lately. She has been running towards Micah’s room again and again, each time taking something from the main room with her. Usually a blanket, or loose sock, or just about anything soft that you can lay on.
“Now Bonnie, those aren’t yours. Why don’t you let them stay out here? It’s not nice to take things that don’t belong to you”, Fluttershy says to bonnie as she grabs a pillow on the couch between her teeth, and starts dragging it towards Micah’s room.
“Now what’s up with that critter? She’s grabbin’ anything she can get her claws on”, Applejack says, noticing it now as well.
“I’m not sure”, says Twilight as she drops her pencil, looking at the feline going in and out of Micah’s bedroom.
“Well animals do that sometimes. Though they only do that when…”
Fluttershy’s widen, realization finally setting in. She remembers the times near her cottage when animals have done that. Every time it was a female, and a they always showed the same type of behavior as Bonnie is now, gathering materials that could be used for a nest.
Everypony is speaking with Fluttershy when they heard the news. Almost everypony is so excited to hear the news, and looking forward to when the new kittens would get here. All save for one, that is.
Pinkie Pie is too wrapped up in her search for any sweet goodies to hear. Normally if she heard she would have been excited as everypony else. Though when she is determined to find sweets, she is not going to stop.
“Where would he hide his goodies?”, Pinkie Pie says to herself as she jumps from the floor and up to the counter, using the drawers she pulled open as stairs.
Each drawer near the floor she has checked has nothing sweet. Each one has kitchen utensils, regular wheat bread, or canned vegetables. Where are the sweets?!
While on the counter Pinkie has no more luck than when she was on the floor. So, she of course decides to go to the next best place, the cupboards. But how to get up there?
Pinkie needs think on that for only a second as she suddenly gets what is in her mind the perfect idea. Pulling open every drawer, she pulls out anything she can grab and carry. Be it a loaf of bread, a small pan, or a spatula. She turns them into a tower for her to use to climb up to the cupboards to access whatever she might want from them.
And as she opens the first cupboard, she hits the jackpot immediately.
Many delectable delightful delicious dishes are discovered, ranging from wrapped up corn bread to whipped cream covered muffins, to many kinds of non-chocolate doughnuts.
If anyone asked Pinkie Pie she would swear that she saw the light of the sun itself coming off of the delicious sweets in front of her. But now she has to think of another issue.
How is she going to get all of these goodies down? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Her being pregnant would explain her behavior. And it would explain at least part of her being so heavy. Any creature when pregnant would put on weight, regardless of how much they weighed before.”
“I know Twilight! I am so happy we will have more adorable creatures around! I wonder how many she will have…”
“Fluttershy, you should calm down. I haven’t seen you this excited for-”
CRASH!
“What in Celestia’s name was that?!”, everypony yells, hearing a crashing sound from the kitchen which everypony runs towards.
Applejack runs in first, saying, “What in tarnation happened in he-WHOOOOA!”
When Applejack ran into the kitchen, instead of stepping onto tiled floors, she instead stepped onto a slippery, cold substance. And unfortunately for her she was unable to keep her footing and went sliding on the floor, right into a pink pony who herself is covered in frosting as well.
“Heya Applejack! You want some sweets too? There’s a bunch of ‘em here, I found cupcakes, muffins, doughnuts, sweet br-”
“Pinkie, what are you doing?!”, Twilight shouts as she looks at the huge mess in the kitchen. “How did you make such a mess?!”
“Oh… Well, I was looking for some sweets, and I didn’t find any. So I decided to climb up up up to the cupboards. But to do that I needed to make myself a ladder and so I went and got a bunch of stuff to put together for a ladder and climbed reeeealy up high to the cupboards and found so many yummy nummy sweet treats! But there was so much and I accidentally-”
“You accidentally tripped and everything fell down, right?”, Twilight finishes for Pinkie with a sigh.
Pinkie nods with a nervous smile, while Applejack tries to get to her feet. For a moment she is able to stand, but she quickly falls back onto her stomach, casting a glare at Pinkie Pie.
“Hehe, sorry.”
“Well, we might as well start cleaning up. We better make sure it is all clean before Micah gets back”, Twilight says.
“Ugh, alright. By the way Applejack, heh, I like the new look”, Rainbow says as she snickers at the frosting covered Applejack. Or she was before her face was covered by frosting, followed by another pony snickering.
“Well, I’m certainly glad we got that all cleaned up. It wouldn’t have been good if Micah got back only to see all the frosting and the food all over the floor.”
“Yep Twilight, and I am glad I still got to eat so much of it! It was super yummy!”
After the accident which left such a mess on the kitchen floor, everypony quickly started cleaning everything up. It took them some time, and a food fight started between Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Pinkie Pie, but after some time they got it all cleaned up.
“Just do us a favor Pinkie. Dontcha go and do that again, alright?”, Applejack says as she heads back to the main room from the kitchen.
“Okey dokey Applejack! No problem!”, Pinkie Pie replies as she prances back towards the main room as well.
Stretching her legs, Twilight says to herself, “Now that we got that taken care of, I can get to work on that spell I’ve been thinking of. If I can get it to work right, it will definitely help find those we are looking for. And the sooner we find them all the better.”
Or at the very least it should. It certainly won’t hurt their efforts none.
While talking to herself however, Twilight is interrupted when she hears grunting from the windows.
“Urgh, come one, almost got it open enough!”
Twilight facehoofs upon hearing the voice, immediately knowing who it is and what she is doing. She jumps onto the table, and from there onto the windowsill, eye to eye with Rainbow Dash pushing the window open bit by bit.
“Hey Twilight”, Rainbow says dismissively as she continues to push open the window. “I’m going to go flying a bit.”
“Um, Rainbow, you do remember how a hawk almost caught you earlier, right? And that happened because you were outside?”
“Oh that was only because I wasn’t paying attention. I’ll be more careful this time, don’t worry so much. Besides, you do remember why we are here in the first place, right? We need to keep looking”, Rainbow says as she pushes the window open just enough for her to get through.
“We do need to do that, yes, but not like this. I really don’t think that’s a good idea. You should probably stay here. We can go out together some time later, or maybe have Micah take us to different places, but you shouldn’t go right now. And besides, I am working on a spell that will help us.”
“I’ll be right back, calm down. I won’t go that far away from here anyway.”
Rainbow doesn’t wait for Twilight’s answer as she starts to move outside, though stops as she feels Twilight grabbing onto her tail with her magic.
“Rainbow, no. I can’t just let you go outside after what happened earlier. It’s too dangerous for you or anypony else right now. So get back inside and-”
“Twilight, I found another bit of frosting!”
Before Twilight can say anything Pinkie shoves a hoof covered with frosting into her mouth, breaking her concentration and her control of her magic. Rainbow, of course, takes advantage of the situation immediately.
“See ya Twilight! Don’t you worry, I’ll be fine!”
Before Twilight has the chance to restrain Rainbow, she already gets far enough away she wouldn’t have a chance of holding her back. Soon Rainbow becomes nothing more than a blue dot in the sky.
Pinkie waves at Rainbow as she flies away, before turning to Twilight.“Hey, where is Rainbow Dash going Twilight? Um, Twilight, why are you hitting your head against the wall?”
“Leah, you have no idea how much fun I had today.”
“Especially just an hour or so ago?”
“I think you already know quite well what I thought of that bit. I swear you hypnotized me when you moved your hips like that.”
“Hehe, if it is that easy maybe I should do it more often.”
“Well it’s not like you won’t get anything out of it either. You do get to enjoy my stunning good looks after all whenever I am in your company.”
Those clothes Rarity got me certainly did seem to be an improvement in Leah’s eyes. Well, they were anyway for most of the day. After spending some time outside, and just talking… Let’s just say they did not stay on for too long once we got back inside. She can be very convincing. I am only now putting on my clothes again.
You know how some people have a girlfriend who can convince them to do anything given the right motivation? Yeah, that’s the type of lady I have. Now she doesn’t ever make me do anything bad or wrong, but she knows she can convince me to do anything she wants. And if she wants to have it happen fast she certainly knows how to motivate me.
Though she rarely ever has to. I don’t know why but since we first met I was just bewitched by her. That service on Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of the new year was when it happened. I don’t know about many others but that day was certainly the start of more than a new year for me.
“You would look far better if you had some more hair, baldy.”
And sadly that new start involved many ‘going bald’ comments.
“Leah, I’m not bald. My hair is just thinning a bit. That’s all. I don’t care what it takes though, I will get thick, gorgeous long hair”, I say as I pull on my shoes.
“Let’s hope so. You’re only twenty five after all. I would still like to have some hair to grab onto when we are in bed together”, Leah says, and I feel her fingers going through my hair. “I don’t want your head to look like a pale white basketball.”
Turning to her with a smile, I say, “But if I did I would at least look like a sexy pale white basketball. Or would it look more like a matzah ball?”
She chuckles for a moment, then says, “Who knows. I do hope that you turn into neither. I would have far too much explaining to do to my parents.”
“You know, as much as I love to stand around and listen to you make fun of my hair problems, I got to go home. I want to make sure I am well rested for tomorrow”, I say as I pull on my other shoe.
“Ah, right, you got work tomorrow. I hope it goes well for you. I got most of tomorrow off, save for one meeting. For some reason I was the only doctor at the hospital called in for it. But I got the rest of the day off so I’m not complaining.”
“Lucky you then. I got to be at work by seven in the morning.”
“Then you better get a good amount of rest toda-”
BOOM!
I jump into the air at that sound, almost landing into Leah’s arms as that sound echoes throughout her apartment. That thunder just sucks!
“Geez I freaking hate that thunder! It scares the hell out of me!”
“I’m not too scared of it, but I don’t like being out in it. Would you like me to drive you home though? You don’t have to walk you know.”
“Thanks, but no. See you again later this week?”, I ask as I head to the door.
“That you will Micah”, Leah says as she kisses me once more on the week with a smile. “I look forward to it.”
“And I look forward to it just as much”, I say, stepping outside and shutting the door behind me.
And the second I do I see that there is much more than just thunder outside. There is rain as well. Great, I am going to be soaked by the time I get home. Rarity probably won’t be happy once I get home with these new clothes waterlogged. Maybe I can get one of the other ponies to help me out so Rarity won’t kill me.
Rainbow has been ecstatic since she got outside. The moment she left she has been flying and exploring much of the city. Of course, she has been careful to not be spotted by anypo- er, anybody else. She has stayed fairly high up and away from any windows the entire time.
Though she has yet to get on with searching. She will eventually, though as of now she is just loving the chance to be outside again. Having the wind blow through her coat and feathers, seeing the humans walking below, and the sky far above her. She also loves seeing the tall buildings here. Each building here is far taller than anything she saw in Ponyville, and she thinks they might even be taller than the buildings in Canterlot.
One building that gets her attention is one somewhat odd shaped building. It has an odd, very wide base with a lot of humans walking inside. Though while the base is very wide it is extremely narrow as it goes up, then is wide once more at the very top, with a needle of some kind at there. She also notices a strange machine lifting the humans up from the ground all the way up to the top, where there is a restaurant inside. Now this is a nice idea, having a place to eat up this high. Has Micah ever been up here?
BOOM!
Rainbow lets out a short scream from the loud thunder that seemed to crack out of nowhere. Why does the weather here seem to change so much? And it happens without anypony changing the weather on their own. She is still getting used to that.
She figures that with the lightning it might be a good idea to head back for now, and do the searching later. And if Twilight asks? Well, she can just say while flying she didn’t find anything. Which is the truth, after all.
The pegasus quickly flies off, back towards Micah’s apartment. Along the way however, she sees a certain human walking along the sidewalk, through the rain. If this was in Equestria a light bulb would have appeared over her head from the idea she just got, causing her to smile as she looks down at him.
Quickly she flies down, right behind him. Thankfully she doesn’t need to worry about being spotted as the rain seems to have sent all the other humans inside. She now only needs to wait for the right moment.
“Note to self, next time Leah offers to drive me home, I should take the offer”, Micah says as the rain continues to fall.
BOOM!
Micah jumps for a moment upon hearing the thunder, then says, “My goodness it sounds as if it is getting closer and closer! I wouldn’t be surprised if the next one hits me.”
Grinning wide enough to make even Pinkie Pie nervous, Rainbow takes a deep breath, leans in close to Micah, and then…
“BOOM!”
Rainbow Dash nearly falls to the pavement from laughing so hard as Micah lets out a scream like a little filly. She would swear it looked like he is jumping almost ten feet in the air out of fright! Even more funny to her is when he gets back down to the pavement, he slips right onto his back as if a banana peel was under his foot.
“Rainbow, what the hell is the matter with you?! You scared me almost to death!”, Micah says as he gets to his feet, wiping dirt off of the back of his shirt.
Trying to stop from laughing so much, Rainbow flies towards his face.
“I, hehe, I just couldn’t help it! It was the perfect moment! And, and your scream was, haha! Besides, you weren’t hurt were you?”
“No, no I was not. At least not too badly. But I could have been”, Micah says, and starts walking again, with Rainbow flying right next to him. “And what the heck are you doing out of the apartment? Did you already forget about when you were attacked by that hawk earlier?”
“Ah I’m not worried about that. I didn’t run into that featherbrain when I was out flying. I did see a very odd building earlier. It had a bunch of you humans eating at the top of it. It also had some kind of needle on top for some reason.”
Micah says,“You are talking about the space needle. It is the only building I know of in Seattle that is like that. I will say I have been wanting to go there for a long, long time.”
“Well why dontcha? There’s a machine that carries humans up there so you could get up there no problem”, Rainbow says, confused. If humans can get up there so easily why hasn’t he?
“Money. I get paid enough that I can afford my apartment and some small luxuries, but not enough to eat up there. One meal can cost… Um, I don’t know how much you can buy with a bit in Equestria, but here it would cost me about fifty units of our currency, a dollar, to have a meal up there. And for a baker, that’s a lot of cash I can’t afford to spend.”
Rainbow’s ears flatten upon hearing that. She didn’t think much about how that could be the reason.“Oh. Uh, sorry. I thought that-”
“Don’t worry about it. I sometimes whine about it, but my financial situation isn’t awful or anything. I have enough money to allow me a steady enough income that lets me live in the city, close to my family and Leah.”
“Yeah yeah, whatever. Still, I bet even you would like it there. The view is awesome!”
“I bet that it is. Though you know that is not the highest building in the city right?”
“Yeah , I know. It just looked weird and got my attention so I flew up to the top to check it out”, Rainbow says. “What’s wrong with that?”
“Heh, nothing. Just makes me wonder what else might get your attention, that’s all. I thought Pinkie was the weird one of you lot”, Micah says with a grin.
Gasping, Rainbow moves in front of him, accusingly pointing a hoof at Micah.
“I’m not weird! You’re the weird one!”
“Rainbow Dash, you are a toy sized, talking, blue, rainbow haired pony. In this world that makes you weird. You and the other five are all weird, in your own ways.”
“What are you talking about?”, Rainbow asks, not getting his meaning.
Sighing, Micah moves under cover momentarily so as to be out of the rainfall. He leans against the wall, folding his arms over his chest as he starts speaking.
“You, for starters, can fly so fast you seem to break the sound barrier, or magic barrier or whatever it is. Fact of the matter is that is really, really weird. Pinkie Pie? I don’t even need to go into detail. Rarity is very strange with her detail to fashion and keeping clean at nearly any cost. Twilight is the biggest bookworm I have ever heard of. She lives in a treehouse/library for goodness sake. Applejack is obsessive over her family farm and work. And Fluttershy can talk to every animal. Need I go on?”
“But, you, I… You’re weird too!”
Micah flashes her a grin, and says, “And you think I don’t know that? I know I am weird. I am having thinning hair at the age of 25, I am a major fantasy nerd, I have six toy sized ponies in my house, and I keep to dietary laws written over three thousand years ago.”
“And that doesn’t bother you that I think you’re weird? I don’t get that”, Rainbow says, confused. “I wouldn’t want anypony to think I’m weird.”
“The way I see it, everybody is weird. At least in some way. Even you, Rainbow”, Micah says and starts to scratch the underside of her chin gently. Or at least tries to.
Rainbow however doesn’t let him, and instead backs away and looks at him in confusion.
She isn’t weird, is she? Yeah, she can do the sonic rainboom, but that’s just an awesome thing only she can do! That’s not weird, is it? Right? No. No it’s not weird. Though it is good for him he doesn’t mind being weird. If he is going to be, he might as well be glad about it.
“Whatever. I think we should just get going now. Rarity is going to be ticked when she sees your new clothes all soaked and messed up. You better hope she isn’t too angry”, Rainbow says, smirking as she looks Micah up and down. He truly is drenched.
“Yeah, um, I was actually hoping that maybe you could help me out with that. I don’t want Rarity to be angry at me, you know? I don’t want to know what she is like when angry”, Micah says, almost shuddering at the thought.
At first Rainbow just stares at him, surprised. Shortly though she changes from being surprised to laughing.
“Are you scared of Rarity?”, Rainbow asks as she covers her mouth with her hoof while she laughs. “You, a big guy, scared of Rarity?”
“I, I just don’t want to stress her out is all. I don’t like seeing any lady, or mare in your case upset. Though I admit I have yet to see anything more terrifying than an angry woman”, Micah says. “Nothing can stop an angry woman.”
Rainbow grins, and “Well, I will might help. If you say please.”
Micah lets out a sigh, but says, “Please Rainbow Dash, will you help me out with Rarity?”
“Hm, I’m not sure I believe you. I think you should ask me again”, Rainbow says while floating in front of Micah still.
“Oh for-fine, fine. Please please Rainbow Dash, help me with Rarity. Pretty pretty please”, Micah says with another sigh.
Rainbow leans in close to Micah, no more than three inches from his eyes as she speaks once more. “Now, say that you are a scaredy colt who is terrified of tiny little Rarity and needs tough and awesome Rainbow Dash to protect you.”
Micah’s eyes go wide, not expecting Rainbow to demand something that humiliating.
“What?! Oh hell no, I am not doing that much. I will just handle Rarity on my own.”
Micah starts off again into the rain, and hears Rainbow Dash right behind him, laughing slightly as she flies right to the side of his head.
“Hey, calm down, I was only joking with the last part. I’ll make sure Rarity won’t be too upset”, Rainbow says with a smile. “Though you are still a scaredy colt.”
“And you are still an annoying sack of-”
BOOM!
Both Rainbow and Micah let out a short shriek at that one, as it seems the lightning was getting closer and closer. That one sounded as if it struck almost right behind them. Micah also feels something grabbing onto his shoulder.
Apparently Rainbow felt the urge to grab onto the closest thing. That being Micah himself.
“So, Rainbow, I am a scaredy colt? I think you screamed more than I did there. Does that make you a scaredy filly?”
Thankfully when I got home Rainbow kept to what she said, and helped me deal with Rarity. And thank G-d she did too. My goodness was Rarity ticked when she saw the shape of my clothes. Thanks to Rainbow however, I did not get in trouble. In part because Rainbow actually took some blame for me, saying that I got wet only because she knocked me down. Which is not a total lie, anyway.
And when I got back I of course was told about some of what they got up to when I was away. I was really glad when they told me they are interested in possibly seeing The Hobbit film. For some time I thought I would have to see it alone. And add to that the fact that apparently Bonnie is pregnant, I was one happy guy last night. I bet those little kittens are going to be adorable.
However tonight, after I got back from work and relaxed a bit, I had an idea I just had to try. I haven’t had anyone to play with for a while, and I know just the pony to do so with.
“Rainbow Dash, I have an idea”, I say as I walk towards her as she stares lazily out the window.
“What? What are you talking about?”
“We’re going to play a game. It is nothing complicated, don’t worry, but this is something that I know you will lose.”
I do not remember everything about the show but one thing that I do remember, is that Rainbow is one very, very competitive mare. If you issue her a challenge she just has to take you up on it. And after I got back home from work today, I knew just what to go against her in. It is nothing difficult, nor will she be at a disadvantage due to her size. Though I just know that unless she cheats there is no way she can beat me.
“Excuse me?!”
Rainbow flies straight at my face, her front legs folded over what I think is her chest.
“You think you can beat me in something? Well bring it on buddy! I can take you!”
I simply grin, and walk to the couch, where an Xbox controller is currently sitting. I plop right down and look to Rainbow as I point to the controller.
“Than take a seat Rainbow. I know you are small, but you should still be able to press the buttons easily enough”, I say with a smile, as I turn on the console with the controller, and the Xbox logo shows up on the television.
Rainbow lands right next to me, and right next to the controller. As she looks over it, the other five walk towards us, looking towards the television themselves.
“What are you two up to?”, Twilight asks as she jumps up onto the couch next to Rainbow Dash.
“I am going to beat Rainbow Dash in a game”, I say with a smirk, looking down at said pony who quickly responds.
“No way, you aren’t going to beat me in anything! Whatever you have planned, I’m going to do better!”
“Alright now, this is somethin’ Ah gotta see”, Applejack says, jumping right next to me. “Ah put down ten bits on Micah here, Rainbow Dash, for when we get back to Equestria.”
Huh. I certainly did not expect that from Applejack.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence Applejack, much appreciated”, I say with a grin and gently scratch her back with my finger.
“Mm, that feels rather fine, Micah”, Applejack says as she leans into my finger. “Ah wish ponies had fingers like you.”
“Applejack, knock it off! Micah and I are going to have a competition. And when I beat him I don’t want to hear him whining that he lost because you distracted him”, Rainbow says, glaring at Applejack. “Now I want to start taking Applejacks bits. What sort of game are we playing?”
Applejack returns Rainbow’s glare, but stops when I catch her gaze. I don’t want them to get into an argument. Thankfully Applejack sits back down next to me, dropping the issue.
I hear a collective “Huh?” from all six ponies once I say that.
“What manner of game has the name ‘worms’?”, Rarity says, her confusion quite clear.
“A game with worms as the characters you play as, of course”, I say with a grin, and start the game up.
“So, this game, you play it on this television of yours?”, Twilight says, her eyes locked on the television, then turning to the controller in my hands. “And do you use that to control your moves and actions?”
“That’s correct. The way this game is played is in turns. We each have four worms. The goal is to eliminate the other teams worms. And you do so with a variety of weaponry, such as rockets, dynamite, holy hand grenades, and explosive sheep.”
“It seems rather violent to me”, Twilight says while looking at the screen. “Why would you play this?”
“Because it’s fun. Think of it like a more interactive version of the game battleship. It is all cartoony and such, and not serious. And in case you are wondering, no, we do not have any explosive sheep in real life”, I say. I still find it odd that that is a weapon choice in this game.
“Why do you find this fun?”
“I have two reasons Twilight. One, it is ridiculous and silly and is good for a few laughs. Seeing a bunch of worms on screen fighting each other can be rather funny. Two, it is the only game I have that I have never been defeated in.”
“Until today! Now let’s get started already! What do we do?”
“First thing we do, Rainbow, is that we name our worms. We each have four, and we can name them almost anything we want. I already have my worm names in from previous games. You can look at them now.”
I cycle through the menu to ready a game, loading a team I have used often in the past. I take a quick glance at Twilight, who, no surprise, has her eyes locked on the screen.
“Why do the names have both letters and numbers?”, Pinkie asks.
“I have no real reason for it. Just felt like it really. I take it you find it a bit odd?”
Rarity speaks up fast, saying, “Well I do. ‘Moshe’sTh3Man’, ‘Imthebest’, ‘3verythingsKosherhere’, and…. ‘Ki$$meImJewish’?”
Oh. I can’t believe I forgot about that last one.
“Heh, um, yeah… I might have been a little drunk on Manischewitz wine when I made that one, sorry”, I say, feeling the eyes of the ponies all staring right at me. Except for one, who I hear snickering, before she bursts out to full on laughing.
“And it says your team name is ‘SexysuperJ3w’? You’ve gotta be kidding me! That’s ridiculous!”
“Shut up Rainbow Dash. Nothing wrong with telling the truth”, I say, and grin as I look down at her. “Just like there would be nothing wrong with you choosing something truthful for your team name. Like ‘TheRainbowCrashers’.”
Thankfully that shuts Rainbow up very fast, and her laughter is replaced by that of Applejack and Pinkie Pie.
“Oh shut up you two. Now give me that thing so I can choose my names”, Rainbow says as she starts pulling on the controller.
I hand it over to her, and try not to laugh at her. It is just funny to see her trying to get her names in while using a controller that is just about the same size as she is, if not a bit bigger. I try to help her out but she will have none of it. Though, eventually she figures it out and gets her worm names and team name in.
“So, Rainbow, you have named your team ‘Wonderbolts’, no surprise there, and your worms ‘Rainbowisawesome’, ‘Cool’, ‘Radical’, and… Oh Rainbow you are so dead. You dare name your last worm ‘Micahsucks’?”
Rainbow looks up at me with a smug grin. “But I thought you said there’s nothing wrong with writing the truth.”
Oh. Oh it is on now.
As the map for our match starts up, I say, “Alrighty Skittles, time to beat your furry flank back to Equestria.”
Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie did not expect this at all.
Shortly after they started, and Micah explaining the controls, Rainbow has been able to keep pretty much even with Micah. Whenever Micah shot a rocket or sent an exploding sheep against Rainbow, Rainbow was able to respond with equal force. While they each started with four worms, Micah now has only two, and Rainbow is down to her last one.
At first Micah thought it was just luck, though he did seem to get noticeably more nervous as more of his worms were killed. Nopony expected Rainbow to get the handle of this so quickly.
“Skittles, don’t you dare use that bunker buster. Don’t you even think about taking out ‘Imthebest’. He’s the best, you can’t take him out!”, Micah says, his eyes glued to the screen.
“Heh, I think you should have named him ‘Imtheworst’. He can’t hide from me!”, Rainbow says as she has ‘Micahsucks’ call in the bunker buster on ‘Imthebest’.
The bunker buster falls straight down, and tunnels through the dirt until it hits Micah’s worm, resulting in an explosion. The last bit of health that Micah’s worm has goes down to zero, causing a scream to come from Micah.
“Damn it Skittles! You will pay for this!”
“Ah don’t see how she will sugarcube. Rainbow looks to be in darn fine shape right now”, Applejack says.
The shape that Rainbow is in is really good. She has her last worm in a spot on the map that has cover above her so no air strike can get to her, and since Micah already used his bunker buster earlier he can’t hit her with it now. Nor can he go underneath her last worm as that would take too long and she would be able to get to counter him rather easily.
And that turret right in front of her will cause a lot of trouble if he tries to get at her in any straightforward manner. With his last worm already down to seventy five percent health, he has to be careful.
“Micah… Um, I, I have an idea.”
Fluttershy flies up to Micah’s ear, whispering to him.
“Fluttershy, what are you saying to him?”, Twilight asks.
Fluttershy doesn’t answer her however, and instead keeps talking to him. Everypony notices while she does so, Micah’s eyes slowly widen.
“Of course. It’s perfect. I don’t know how I didn’t notice that thing before”, Micah says, a grin forming on his face as he gently places a hand underneath Fluttershy. “Fluttershy, you are one wonderful pony.”
He gently places her on his shoulder, looking at her once more with a smile before taking his turn in the game and he decides to…
Stay still?
“Micah, buddy, Ah know it seems difficult but ya shouldn’t just up and quit. Ah still got ten bits ridin’ on ya”, Applejack says, prodding his side with her hoof. “Come on now, don’t quit.”
Micah says nothing to her, or anypony else. He simply places the controller back in front of Rainbow Dash, and leans back on the couch, his hands relaxed behind his head.
“Your turn, Skittles”, Micah says with a smirk as he looks down at her.
“Why do you keep calling her ‘Skittles’?”, Twilight asks, raising an eyebrow.
“Her hair is the same color as a common type of candy here on earth that is called ‘skittles’. I think the nickname fits.”
“Micah, call me whatever you want, because I am going to destroy you! Nopony is going to beat Rainbow Dash!”
With a wide grin, and a rather heavy dose of pride from seemingly beating Micah, Rainbow moves her last worm out of her little tunnel, towards Micah’s last worm. At this point Rainbow only has close ranged weaponry, but with a single shot from any of those Micah’s last worm would be dead.
“You look awfully calm, Micah. What is it that Fluttershy told you?”, Twilight says. She didn’t expect Fluttershy to be giving out advice on something like this, but whatever it is, Micah definitely seems to agree with it.
Micah doesn’t say a word to her, or anypony else. He simply watches the screen as Rainbow’s worm continues crawling forward towards Micahs last worm.
BOOM!
Or she would have done that, if her worm did not seemingly spontaneously combust.
Rainbow flies straight at the television, her eyes almost bulging out of her face. “What?! What happened?! What the hey happened?!”
Micah jumps off of the couch, and runs right towards Rainbow. “You walked right on a mine, dumbass! You sent your last worm right over a mine! Ahahaha! I am truly the SexysuperJew!”
“Yeah! RD, Ah think ya owe me ten bits when we get back”, Applejack says with a grin.
Seemingly stunned, Rainbow doesn’t even seem to hear Applejack and instead looks straight at Micah. “But… But how? I almost beat you!”
Micah doesn’t answer her, instead gently grasping Fluttershy in his hands. “Oh you wonderful pony you! I dedicate this victory to you Fluttershy! For seeing that mine and giving me such wonderful advice!”
Blushing, Fluttershy squeeks, “Um, th-thank you Micah. Glad I could help.”
Pinkie is the next to speak up, as she hops up and down. “Oh! We need a party! We need a ‘Micah beat Rainbow Dash in a video game’ party! Can we Micah, can we can we can we please please please? We’ll make cakes, muffins, and so many other yummy sweets!”
“I think that is a great idea Pinkie Pie”, Micah says, and turns to Rainbow. “And Rainbow, since you put up an awesome fight, I will cook you anything I am capable of.”
Rainbow raises an eyebrow from hearing that, and flies onto Micah’s shoulder. “Seriously? What’s the catch?”
“No catch, I just want to do that. It’s been a while since I have had a challenge. It was annoying, but rather nice as well, I must admit. And, don’t take the ‘dumbass’ comment earlier to heart. When I play video games I call even my own brother and sister worse names than that but I never mean any of it”, Micah says as he lets go of Fluttershy.
“Hm, well, I think I might be ok with it. Though you better expect me to keep calling you some names if you do that to me, ya big ape”, Rainbow says as she nudges the side of his neck with her hoof, eliciting a giggle from Micah.
“Heh, don’t touch me like that Skittles, I’m tickli-”
Micah covers his mouth with his hand as he realizes what he almost says, and he locks eyes with Rainbow who now has a very, very evil grin.
“You’re what, Micah? Ticklish?”, Rainbow says as she glares straight at him.
“Um, uh… Ladies, um, can you lend me a hoo-AH!”
Micah doesn’t have a chance to say anything else as Rainbow dives under his shirt, with non stop giggling coming from Micah as he tries to get her out. While trying to get her out he ends up falling down to the ground. Of course, the other five ponies stay where they are, most of them laughing at the sight before them, and Twilight making a mental note on how easy it seems to be to subdue Micah just by tickling him, and wondering if other humans are just as susceptible to that.
“Alright, alright Rainbow, stop!”, Micah says as he continues to roll on the ground. “I give, I give!”
Soon, he stops rolling on the ground, and Rainbow crawls out of the top of his shirt, standing on top of his chest. She looks down at him with a triumphant smile before she starts speaking.
“You give up because I’m awesome, right? I’ll stop if you say ‘Rainbow Dash is the most awesome pony ever, and is better than Micah at everything’.”
“Rainbow Dash is the most awesome pony ever, and is better than Micah at everything”, Micah says, somewhat out of breath from rolling on the ground.
“Good”, Rainbow says, and flies off of him and towards the kitchen, though looks back at him with a smirk. “Now let’s go make some food, ya big ape.”
Micah sends her a glare for a second, but his expression quickly changes to a grin. “Alrighty Skittles. I got an idea for something. How does Rainbow casserole sound?”
“So, ladies, I presume that everything is in order and to your liking?”
“Mhm, thank you Micah, that was very nice of you.”
“Darling, you are quite the cook. Everything was exquisite.”
Following Fluttershy and Rarity, everypony else also voiced their enjoyment of the food. I am just glad that they all enjoyed it. After spending time cooking, no one wants to hear that their efforts were all for nothing. Ask any cook and they will all say the same.
Skittles was actually as helpful as Pinkie Pie in the kitchen. Even though she had a habit at times to toss some flour and sugar at my face, I didn’t mind. She is actually growing on me a lot lately. And the fact that I tossed some sugar at her as well probably helped too.
“What did you make for yourself Micah?”, Twilight asks as she takes another bite out of her food.
I respond as I sit down with my bowl and plate of food, “Nothing fancy. Just some porridge and toast. With extra sugar in the porridge of course.”
And now, time to taste it. I dip the toast, lightly toasted, and not too much butter of course, into the porridge. I know it sounds a bit odd, but I don’t care, it tastes amazing. With a wide smile I take a bite and the flavor is just as good as I remember it.
The porridge is not too thick or too thin. That is the problem with porridge, it is difficult to reach that point. So often people make it so that it is almost as thin as water or so thick that you could dig it out and eat it with a fork.
Thankfully my ima taught me how to do it properly. When you cook it you have to add just enough milk and porridge to get it right, and whatever you do, don’t ever stop stirring it. You stop for too long and it will thicken up really fast. Only when it is done can you stop.
The sweetness level is also perfect. It is small enough that I won’t make a face from having it, but not too much that it would even make Pinkie Pie go crazy. Or more crazy than is normal for her.
“Mm, delicious. I just love this so much. So simple, so good”, I say with a wide smile.
I am brought out of my almost blissful state when I notice Twilight looking at me, her eyes most inquisitive. When she notices she has my attention she starts speaking.
“Um, Micah, not to be too forward, but do you remember how some time ago you mentioned I could ask some more questions?”
“Hm? Oh… Oh! Yes, right, sorry. I don’t know how I forgot that. I did say I would answer some more of your questions. Well, uh, what would they be about, might I ask? Government? Human anatomy? More things about religion? Or maybe technology?”
“Actually, I was wondering if we could know more about you.”
It is a good thing I wasn’t drinking any water at the moment, for if I was I would have done a spit-take.
“Say what? Why would you want that?”, I ask with a raised eyebrow.
“You are the human that we are staying with, after all. And when we eventually go back we will have a record of all that happened to report to Celestia. I feel part of that report should be about you, since you have been helping us”, Twilight says with a smile. “If you don’t want to though, I-”
“No. Twilight, get a piece of paper and a pencil, and let the interview commence. Ask whatever you wish”, I say with a smile.
Twilight grins, and quickly gets off the table. Though it would seem that not everyone is glad that this interview is about to start.
“Ugh, this is going to take forever”, Rainbow says with a groan, and looks at me. “I hope your answers won’t be too boring.”
“I can only say I shall tell the truth. I promise no more than that.”
“Well now that’s always a darn good thing to hear”, Applejack says, tipping her hat to me.
“Alright, let’s get started!”
Twilight gets back onto the table, pencil and paper levitated in her magic as she looks at me with a very eager smile.
“What would your first question be?”, I ask as I get into a more comfortable position in my chair. I have a feeling this might take a while.
“First just some basics. Where you were born and raised for starters.”
“Born and raised right here in the city of Seattle. I occasionally left for trips and such, like when I went to Israel, a country thousands of miles away”, I say, recalling that trip.
“Oh, about that, how were you able to afford that? From what you have told us, you do not make exactly a lot of money”, Twilight asks as she writes everything down.
“Well I had some help. There is an organization called Birthright that helps young Jews like myself who have never gone before to be able to do so. It was quite an amazing trip I got to say. I think you might have liked it too Twilight. We got to see a lot of historical sites. Later I can talk about it more, as I am sure you have more questions.”
“I would love to hear more of that. It’s nice to see somepony else who is interested in history and learning”, Twilight says as she scribbles down all that I said.
Rainbow speaks up before Twilight has a chance to ask anything else. “History is boring. I can barely hear anypony talk about it without falling asleep.”
“Nobody, or nopony in your case Rainbow should be averse to learning history. In this world we have a saying; ‘Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it’”, I say to her.
“Well said Micah. I agree wholeheartedly. Now, next question”, Twilight says as she looks up at me. “How long have you and your mate Leah been together?”
“Ah, well, she and I have been together for a little over a year”, I say. “I do rather like her. Even with all the bald jokes she makes.”
“Oh, and about that, darling if I may ask, why are you already having thinning hair when you are so young?”, Rarity asks.
Oy vey I had a feeling that one of them might ask that.
“No idea. With humans it is somewhat random, as far as I know. Some of us don’t go bald until they reach fourty ears old or more, others go bald early like me. I don’t like having hair like this. I wish it was like the… How do I put this, um… Oh! You remember that commercial you saw for that fantasy film, how some of the male humans have long flowing hair? That is what I wish to have”, I say.
The sides and back of my hair is thick and in good shape, but gosh darn it the front and parts of my scalp is far too thin to pull off that look. But one day, one day I will have that long flowing hair.
“Darling that is a wonderful choice. I believe if you can get thicker hair you can certainly pull off that look. I only hope that I might be able to style it for you. Oh my, what I could do with all of that hair… I would be the first pony ever to be a humans stylist!”, Rarity says, the look in her eyes that of pure glee.
“It would be an honor, lady Rarity”, I say with a grin. I think she actually would be able to do that fairly well. If anypony has a chance at that it would be her.
“Well, how nice. A stallion with proper manners”, Rarity says, smiling. “Blueblood could learn how to treat a lady properly from you.”
“I have my mother to thank for that. She really made sure I know how to treat a lady.”
“That is something else I was wondering about. What is your family like?”, Twilight says as the pencil continues to write.
“They are all good folk. My mother, named Sarah, was born in Tacoma. My father, Joseph, was born here. She was twenty two and he was twenty one when they got married. They claim it was love at first sight, though I have a bit of a hard time believing that. I also have an older brother named Solomon who is a veterinarian, and a younger sister named Deborah who is a police officer. We all get along pretty well, save for of course the occasional bickering that is pretty much standard with all families. You should have seen Hanukkah last year, that was not pleasant.”
I hear a small, quiet voice that must be Fluttershy say, “Um, excuse me, but, I am wondering, what kinds of animals does your brother take care of?”
“All kinds, actually. Usually he takes care of cats, dogs, mice and such. But sometimes he is called in to take care of other animals like deer, racoons, those sorts of animals. You would probably like being there. Maybe I could take you there some day before you leave so you can see some of our animals.”
“That would be wonderful. Um, if you want to, since you of course don’t have to”, Fluttershy says with a smile.
“I wouldn’t mind at all. He would probably love to see you. So, Twilight, what would you like to ask next?”
Twilight looks apprehensive about something, as she rubs the back of her neck with her hoof. “Pinkie Pie mentioned a few days ago that you have claustrophobia. If it is alright, could you tell me why you have that fear?”
Damnit. Why did she have to ask that? I should have mentioned that that is one thing I don’t like to talk about at all. It even took me a long time to feel comfortable enough to explain it to Leah.
“I’m not going to answer that one. I don’t like talking about that fear, nor why I have it. I might explain it to you some other time, but not today.”
Twilight opens her mouth, I guess to try and get me to tell, though she doesn’t. She seems a bit disappointed, but thankfully does not decide to press the matter at all.
“Okay then”, Twilight says with a small smile. “Next question.”
For some time all six of the ponies asked him many different questions. None of them at all were invasive or rude, and the conversation was pleasant all the way through. Save for that one question about Micah’s claustrophobia.
“I think that’s about enough for tonight Twilight, if you don’t mind. Though I would be fine answering some more tomorrow, if that’s alright with you”, Micah says as he steps away from the table, and starts picking up his silverware.
“Alright. I enjoyed our conversation by the way. I would also like to learn more about the history of the area as well, if you don’t mind”, Twilight says as she places the now text covered paper and pencil down.
Micah responds once he has the silverware in his hands and heads to the kitchen, “I don’t see why not. Maybe I can take you to a museum in the future before you go. We got quite a few in this city and in the surrounding areas.”
Twilight was about to voice her eagerness to go to the museum, though stops when she hears a ‘clink’ sound of a knife in Micah’s hand slipping and colliding with the ground..
“Oh do be careful dear. You keep that up and you very well might blunt the knives”, Rarity says as she looks down at the knife.
For some reason unbeknownst to the ponies, Micah doesn’t say a word. He just slowly looks up from the knife towards Rarity. Very slowly, his mouth curves up into a smile. Not an average smile, but almost as close as a human can get to a Pinkie Pie smile.
Micah leans over the table towards Rarity, and says, keeping up the smile, “Did you just say, ‘blunt the knives’? Please, please tell me I did not hear that wrong.”
Rarity, not totally comfortable with how close Micah is, nearly backs all the way off of the table while saying, “Uh, yes, yes darling, I did.”
Micah then gently places all the silverware on the table, and with that, Micah dashes away from the table towards his bedroom without a word. Each pony just looks at the others, trying to understand why he is behaving so oddly.
“Now what’s up with that feller? He ran off faster than a dog runnin’ away from a bath”, Applejack says, looking towards his room.
“It is not rude in human culture for me to say such a thing about knives, is it?”, Rarity asks, a worried look in her eyes, her ears down.
“I don’t think you offended him Rarity. You just seemed to have excited him is all. But I don’t know why”, Twilight adds as she again grasps her pencil and paper with her magic.
Nopony else though has a chance to say anything as Micah comes running back towards the table with just as much speed as when he left. Except his stop is quite abrupt. Abrupt meaning, he trips and falls flat onto the ground.
“Oh dear, are you alright?”, Fluttershy asks with concern as she flies down to him, Applejack following her and speaking right after she does.
“You took quite a tumble there pardner, do you need anything?”
Micah though just gets back up, seemingly unharmed or ignoring any pain. He gently grasps Applejack and places her on the table as he says, still grinning, “I would like your assistance in this short musical venture I am about to undertake.”
“What are you talking about?”, Rainbow asks as she flies up to his shoulder, perching there.
“Thanks to the lovely Rarity I have an excuse to sing a song I have been wanting to sing for over a year”, Micah says, while raising a small, metallic, and slightly old looking rectangular object in his hand.
“What is that? And why would you wait so long to just sing?”, Twilight asks as she writes down more and more.
“It is a device called an iPod that plays music. I will explain the way it works later as best as I can, but for now I need to play the song.”
Pinkie gasps, and rushes towards him with just as wide a smile as he has.
“A song?! Can I sing too? Can I can I?”
“I doubt that I could stop you if I said no, Pinkie. Besides, I was hoping that you would say yes. Just copy my words as I sing them as best you can, alright?”, Micah says as he places his iPod on the table, and pushing it’s screen. “And the rest of you can join in if you want. Either sing, or kick the plates, cups, and silverware towards me. Don’t worry about breaking them, they are rather sturdy”
Before anypony can say anything else, music starts coming forth from the device he calls an iPod. It is a strange music, a sort of beating sound than anything else. Micah then picks up some of the silverware, and what he does next surprises everypony, save for Pinkie.
He doesn’t carry the silverware to the kitchen. Instead, he throws it towards the sink, in time with the music.
While singing.
All of the ponies look at him, at first with surprise though very soon Pinkie Pie joins in with him. Not only does she sing with him, she kicks some of the plates right towards him, which he is able to catch perfectly.
Applejack joins in, not with the singing but with the plates and silverware at least. As more of the kitchenware is sent towards Micah, he practically turns it into a dance. He twirls and turns, and while it looks somewhat silly he actually never trips or gets hit with a single plate.
Twilight of course is writing down everything she sees eagerly, glad to be able to observe this. She hasn’t seen any human dancing or singing before, whether in person or on the television. And she is certainly not going to just let this opportunity pass her by.
Rainbow Dash joins Applejack and Pinkie Pie, and she actually tries singing along as well. Though most of her effort is spent kicking the plates on the table. Unlike Applejack who is being careful, Rainbow is not doing so. Once or twice she nearly sends a plate straight at Micah’s face, though he grabs them each time.
Fluttershy however doesn’t sing, nor does she take part with the dishes either. Though anypony glancing at her can tell she does find it at least amusing.
Rarity however is having the opposite reaction. She alternates between yelling at them all to stop this, and ducking down to avoid getting hit by any flying cutlery or crumbs of food. Rarity doesn’t get how just earlier Micah had such good manners and now he is acting like this.
When the song ends, everypony, minus Rarity of course are at least chuckling, with Pinkie Pie laughing. Whether laughing at Micah, or out of just being happy, all save for Rarity are doing so.
Micah though is laughing the hardest, holding his abdomen with one hand while placing his other one on the table to steady himself. “Hahaha! Oh, oh you ponies, I have been wanting to do that since I heard that song!”
After his laughter eases up, his gaze moves to Rarity.
“Uh, heh, sorry about all that. I hope you didn’t get messed up or any food in your hair. I just… After you said that, I just felt like I had to do that song. It was the absolute perfect moment”, Micah says, sitting back down to the table.
“Well, um, it, it wasn’t awful or anything, but do at least give me a proper warning before you do that. I was almost struck multiple times!”, Rarity says.
“Oh calm down Rarity, you weren’t hurt none. Sometimes it’s rip roarin’ fun to act silly like that”, Applejack says, smiling.
Micah then turns to Rainbow Dash, and says, “Though please be careful next time Skittles, you almost clocked me a few times there.”
“Oh stop worrying. You grabbed each thing I sent at ya. I wouldn’t have done that if I didn’t think you could catch ‘em”, Rainbow says with a grin.
“I did not think you could do that so easily! It looks like you have actually practiced that before”, Twilight says with a smile.
“It looks like that because I have. My brother and I saw the movie this song is from over a year ago and he and I have actually practiced that in our spare time. We are that nerdy”, Micah says as he leans back in his chair.
“That was fun! Can we do that every time we need to clean the dishes?”, Pinkie asks as she jumps onto his chest, looking up at him with puppy dog eyes.
“Well, I don’t see why not. It will definitely make cleaning the dishes more fun, and since I got you all here, I can actually do it in a group, which is always far more fun”, Micah says as he gently rubs Pinkie’s head with his finger as she looks up at him with her adorable smile. “And I don’t think I could say no to that face.”
Pinkie gladly lets him rub her head so, while Twilight walks towards Micah, dropping her paper and pencil.
“Micah, while I will not expect any more answers tonight, there is something that I think we have waited quite some time to know.”
“And? What might that be Twilight?”, Micah asks as he continues to gently pet Pinkie Pie, who stretches out on his chest.
“How is it that from when we first met, you knew our names, and know so much about us? That was something you did say you would explain eventually.”
“Oooh. Right… I think it’s time to show you. Just do me a favor, and don’t freak out or go insane, alright?”
“Alright Twilight, you will be the first to see this.”
“But why me? And why do you not want anypony else to see whatever it is you’re going to show me?”
“Because I feel that you are the most level headed out of all of everyone here, and the most rational. At least most of the time.”
This is it. After Twilight asked me that question after we ate I couldn't really wait any longer. If I did there was a fairly good chance that she and the others might have found out by watching the television. This way at least I will be able to calm her down if she goes nuts from seeing this.
But… If she does freak out how the hell am I going to calm her down? Am I supposed to just come up with some magic words to make her feel better? How would I do that? If it was me who heard something like this about my life, I know I would freak out. I mean, yeah, I would calm down eventually, but I would have so many questions still.
I put such thoughts out of my mind for the time being however while I get my laptop, and bring it over to Twilight. Back when I was more interested in MLP I downloaded the first two episodes. Though even when I stopped really liking it I still kept those episodes on my computer. From the episodes I remember they are still my favorites.
“Micah, can this thing show images similar to the ones on the television?”, Twilight asks as she looks at my computer screen, and then onto the keyboard. “And I presume that you press those keys to input commands and such, correct?”
“Right on both counts Twilight. This is in my favorite piece of entertainment technology. It shows images, information of all sorts thanks to the internet, and if you have the appropriate software you can create art on here as well. I might show you some of that”, I say, and turn on the computer, the typical Windows opening showing on the screen.
“Ooh. Very interesting”, Twilight says as she moves closer to the screen. “The quality of the image seems to be equal to those on your television.”
“That’s correct. Now, give me one moment to put in my password please”, I say, and angle the screen so that only I can see it. Though Twilight tries to sneak a peek, no doubt out of her curiosity.
After I put in the password it starts up, and takes me to my homepage. I angle it back so that Twilight and I can both look at it, and quickly she asks another question.
“What is that picture from? I haven’t seen any buildings of that sort while we were outside. It seems most odd compared to those I’ve seen in this city”, Twilight says, her hoof under her chin as she analyzes the picture.
“Oh that? It, well… It would take a while to explain, but long story short it is a very, very important place for me and those of my faith. It is one of the oldest sites I know of in that country, and somewhere I wish I could visit. I didn’t get the chance to when I went abroad as I got sick the day we were going to go there. I bet you would love it if you could visit. There is a lot of history there.”
“It would be amazing if I could go there. There or any other city in your world. Oh! If we could bring you with us, I just know you would love it if you could see Canterlot, Ponyville, Manehattan, or any city in Equestria! You wouldn’t believe it if you saw them!”, Twilight says with a smile as she turns to look up at me. I never tire of seeing that smile. That purely happy smile, either from her or the other five.
Though if only she knew about what I am going to show her.
“Heh… Right… And, about that, well… Watch.”
And then, with one click on the mouse pad, I start it.
Twilight appears transfixed as music comes forth from the speakers, though that appearance quickly fades away once Celestia’s voice is heard and the opening images are shown. Her eyes go wide, and her mouth hangs open. She walks over my computer keyboard and presses against the screen with her hoof.
A small part of me wants to pull her back though I quickly toss that thought aside. She is most likely freaking out enough as is. It would probably be best if I leave her be for the moment.
“How… How is this possi-ah!”
Twilight jumps back slightly as the intro music suddenly starts blaring out of the speakers. Ugh, that is one thing I have to say I dislike. I never liked that intro. Couldn’t the makers of the show have made a better one?
“Micah, I have many, many questions, but first of all, what is this?”, Twilight says as she points her hoof towards the screen, which is still showing the intro.
“It is an intro for the show. Each part of the show, or rather each episode, has it.”
“I need everypony else to see this”, Twilight says worriedly, and before I have the chance to say a word more she dashes away out of the room.
“Twilight wait, I wanted everypony to see it one at a time!”
Crap, this isn’t going how I planned it. This would have been a lot easier if I could have shown this to one pony at a time rather than all at once. Oh G-d I just wonder how Rainbow will react to me keeping this from them. Thank G-d she is toy sized, if she was normal sized and she gets angry, that would be awful.
I hear shouting out of my room, and quickly Twilight rushes back in with everypony else right behind her. Twilight jumps almost right on top of my keyboard, Pinkie jumps onto my leg, Applejack sits right next to Pinkie with Rarity on my other leg, and Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy each on a shoulder.
“Alright now Twilight, what didya want all of us ta see so… badly?”, Applejack says, as her reaction mimics that of Twilight from earlier, and the other four all react in a similar manner.
“Oh… Oh my goodness.”
“My dear Micah… What is this?”
“How the hey is this going on?”
“Hehe, you look like a big worry wart there Twilight!”
Or all except Pinkie react like that. I should have guessed she wouldn’t have been as worried.
Oh, how I wish I had an idea what to say to all of them. I don’t got a clue however. How would one talk to somepony who is seeing this for the first time? I wish I had some sort of magic words that would work perfectly.
“This is so similar. I… I don’t know how this is possible”, Twilight says, her ears down against her head while she stares at the screen, which right now has Twilight landing in Ponyville.
“Similar? So it’s not exactly the same?”, I ask as on the screen Pinkie Pie walks up to Twilight for the first time.
“Well, not, not exactly. It’s close, but not all the words are the same, and-and Spike and I spoke for a while in the carriage before we landed in Ponyville.”
I hear Pinkie start laughing once she sees Twilight introducing herself to Pinkie for the first time, followed, of course, by Pinkie gasping and running off.
“Well that part happened just like that! I remember that, I saw a new pony and I walked up to her because I thought ‘I don’t remember seeing her before’ and I realized she was new and I just had to get a party ready for her because everypony who is new to Ponyville deserves a party and-mph!”
“Alright Pinkie Pie, we get it”, I say, my finger over her mouth.
I hear a chuckle from Rainbow Dash, and she leans over towards my ear, and asks with a whisper, “I don’t know how you are showing this, but will we see me in this?”
“Yeah, you’re in it. It shouldn’t be so long until we see you, though first we will be seeing… I think Applejack”, I say.
No sooner do the words leave my lips, we see Twilight and Spike walking through Sweet Apple Acres and I hear one of them gasping.
“That’s Sweet Apple Acres. And… There’s me!”, Applejack shouts as on the screen it shows her bucking one of the trees.
“Micah. I want you and I to talk. Alone”, Twilight says as she jumps off of my bed, walking out of the bedroom towards the main room.
“Oh crap this isn’t going to be good.”
“I… I am sure she will be alright Micah. Though you should go to her, like she said. Twilight must have a great many questions”, Rarity says, glancing up at me.
“Though what about you mares? Are you seriously saying you don’t have any questions?”, I ask, raising an eyebrow.
“Course we do, but Ah gotta agree with Rarity. Twilight probably needs your help more than we do”, Applejack says as she looks up at me, same as Rarity.
“But I, I don’t know what the hell I am supposed to say! Will she be angry and I should let her just go at me, will she be needing me to say something comforting or will she be needing something else entirely?!”
“You’ll think of somethin’”, I hear Applejack say, looking up at me. “An’ though we got a lot of questions too, Twi needs ya most.”
“Ugh, Applejack, I have no idea what to say. I know in stories and such people always know what to say at the right moment, but I don’t. I’ve got bupkis. If you put bupkis and squat together, and they had a kid, I would still have less than that.”
“Just listen, and speak kindly. Sometimes that’s all anypony needs. Oh, and don’t say anythin’ stupid.” Applejack’s expression changes slightly, her lips curling into a smirk when she says, “You can do that can’t ya?”
“Oh, so funny Applejack. Oh so funny”, I say sarcastically as I get off of my bed. “Wish me luck everypony.”
Each of them says their well wishes as I head off towards Twilight, leaving the show playing for them to watch. And then my mind goes back to what I mentioned just a moment ago.
What the hell am I going to say to Twilight?
I really did not think this through. Why the hell did I just show this to Twilight without any plan? I knew I would have to explain this to her somehow so why didn’t I think of anything? Ugh, this sucks! Why did I have to be a baker instead of a scientist, or someone with a basic knowledge of this sort of thing?! Gah!
Just, just don’t think about that right now. Just try to be there for Twilight, and listen to her and help out if you can.
“Um, so, Twilight, you said you wanted to talk. I’m all ears”, I say as I step into the main room, and see Twilight.
She’s laying on the couch, curled up with her ears lying flat against her head. I cannot see her eyes however as her tale is covering most of it, save for her ears. Twilight reminds me a bit of my cat when they are tired, curled up in the same manner with the tale next to the head. I can’t help but think that looks adorable.
I move towards her, sitting down on the floor so my face won’t be so far above her and is closer to her own level. That would probably make her feel a bit more comfortable at least.
“I would ask if you are alright, though I think the answer to that is rather obvious”, I say softly.
The unicorn moves her tale from over her head, glancing towards me. Thankfully she does not appear sad or angry, but I do think nervous would be an apt description.
“Hi. I guess you have no idea about how… How your world shows such images as that from Equestria, do you?”, Twilight asks as she gets to her feet.
“You have no idea how much I wish that I could answer that. But I have no idea. There are such things as the multiverse theory, but I for one don’t put much stock in such things as that”, I say, recalling that theory. I wonder how people think that sort of stuff up in the first place.
Twilight sighs, keeping her ears flat as she moves to within no more than a foot away. She doesn’t look as calm as she was just a moment ago. I definitely don’t like that look in her eyes.
“Micah, please, are you sure you can’t think of any reason for how this is possible? I just, there has to be some reason. There has to be!”
I jump back a bit at Twilight’s ending shout, not expecting that from her.
“I, I am sorry Twilight. I said before and will say so once more, I don’t know. The only thing I can say is that before I met you I… I never imagined that any of this was possible”, I say, and edge away from her a bit, scooting away from the couch.
Twilight looks more and more worried the longer she looks at me, her eyes locked with mine. I only wish I knew what was going through her head right now. I mean, yeah, she is obviously upset, and anyone would be. Though I just wish I knew what the hell to say.
“Twilight… I-”
I let out a short gasp in shock when I see a purple blur leaping straight at me, landing right on my chest, her magic grasping my shirt collar.
“Micah, please, please tell me we’re not just your imagination!”, Twilight shouts, her eyes showing a mix of fear, anger and sadness.
“What? Twilight, why in the world would you think that? You’re too smart to buy into something like that”, I say, picking her up off of my chest, gently holding her in the palms of my hands.
“But here we’re just a show! We’re nothing more than something for you to watch and laugh at for entertainment!”, Twilight says, as she continues to shout. Though at least now she isn’t yanking on my shirt collar.
“That may be but that doesn’t change the fact that I know you are not just my imagination, or from the imagination of others”, I say softly.
“But how do you know? What if after you hit your head when you fell, you were just hallucinating? What if you still are? You said yourself you thought you were dreaming!”
“Though only for a while! When I woke up the next day I figured out I wasn’t. Trust me, you are real.”
Wow, this is getting repetitive. There are only oh so many ways I can say that I know she is real. There has to be something I can say to help calm her down.
“But you don’t know that! All of this, it might just be one big dream! I, I just-”
“Twilight, calm down!”, I say, placing my finger over her mouth. “Just, just give me a second to think, alright? Please?”
Slowly I remove my finger from her mouth and thank G-d she stays quiet. Though it is now that she is quiet I am better able to see how she is faring.
I notice there are tears forming in her eyes. Actual tears. This is the first time I have seen her or any of the others ever cry in person. I remember that Pinkie looked somewhat upset before at the bakery but she never had tears in her eyes.
But Twilight? She was one of the more serious ones. I cannot remember many moments when she was like this. I mean, sure she would get emotional sometimes, after all who doesn’t? Though this is still rather odd for her.
However that doesn’t change the fact that I can’t show her any concrete proof for how I know she is real.
Just listen, and speak kindly. Sometimes that’s all anypony needs.
If this was a cartoon, a lightbulb would have just appeared over my head. I better thank Applejack for that idea when I see her next.
“Let me tell you some things that Pinkie, Rarity and Skittles and I have done the last few days. Will you let me do that? Will you please let me do that, with no interruptions?”, I ask softly, gently wiping away a tear of hers.
Twilight doesn’t speak, but she slowly nods in the affirmative, her breathing getting a little steadier.
“Thank you”, I say, smiling.
“First, Pinkie Pie. You remember when she went to the bakery with me, right? That day when she hitched a ride in my backpack?”, I ask, speaking as softly and as gently as I can. Again, after I speak Twilight nods.
“Did I tell you about the stuff she and I got into when we were there? Exactly what happened? I know you are aware of me being in the fridge for a while since I got accidentally locked in, but did I tell you about some other things that occurred?”
“No. No you didn’t speak much about it. I, I just know that she helped you at the bakery”, Twilight says as I hear a sniffle from her.
“Ah. I guess then I didn’t tell you that she helped me with a huge order by somehow creating one of the weirdest contraptions ever? One little action by her and suddenly all the mixers were mixing, and all the right ingredients were pouring into the bowls perfectly. Ah, and after that, to make me smile, she tickled me silly”, I say, my lips curling up into a smile as I recall that event.
Twilight, for a short moment, like a split second actually shows a smile. A small, very slight grin. It was there very shortly before her expression changed back, but it was there. So what I said seems to be working, at least a little bit.
“What does that have to do with-”
“Ah ah, Twilight, I’m not done yet. Next, is Rarity. You should have seen her reaction when she first saw the clothes at the thrift shop. She just seemed terrified! Her reaction to them was similar to when she first saw your messy mane. She actually screamed from the sight of the shirts!”
That was definitely an odd day. I remember I was weirded out from the fact that I had a tiny unicorn helping me pick out clothes. Specifically when she had me turn around to check my tuchus to make sure the pants fit me right. Though the clothes were nice, I have to admit. And Leah also certainly liked them too.
Twilight laughs for a moment, wiping away some of her tears as she says, “That sounds like her Micah, but still I don’t-”
“Now now, Twilight”, I say, placing my finger once again gently over her lips. “Still not finished. You agreed I could speak until I am done.”
“Alrighty now, time to regale you of my time with Skittles. You remember when Skittles flew outside, when it was extremely rainy, right? I got back into the apartment and I was totally soaked from head to toe. What I didn’t say is that Skittles scared the hell out of me by flying right behind me, and right after a strike of lightning she imitated the sound. I wouldn’t be surprised if I jumped almost as high as Pinkie Pie can, she scared me so much. You should have heard Skittles, she was laughing like crazy. But she also took the blame for my clothes being soaked, so Rarity wouldn’t get ticked.”
Like before, Twilight's expression changes. I hear a slight chuckle coming from her, even though her eyes stay watery.
“That definitely sounds like Rainbow. I thought that Rainbow Dash wasn’t telling everything that happened”, Twilight says with a smile and wipes away a tear with her hoof. “She actually made you jump from being scared?”
“Oh yes, she did. And after making me jump I tripped and fell flat onto my back. While I was ticked at her I have to admit that was pretty funny”, I say, glad to see her cheering up a little, even if her tears remain.
And the fact I threw Rainbow’s own logic for a loop afterwards was rather nice too.
“But I still don’t see why you talked about that. It, it doesn’t change anything”, Twilight says as her smile goes away once more.
“I said all of that for two reasons, Miss Sparkle. One was just to cheer you up since you were upset, like anypony else would be from hearing such news as what you have heard. And I know it helped a bit, don’t think I did not see you smiling.”
“And what’s the other reason?”, Twilight asks, taking one step towards me.
“I do not feel that my imagination would be able to think up those sort of things. Especially because I have not seen all that much of the show, nor do I remember much more than the basics about the show, and the six of you. If you were only my imagination I do not believe those events could not have occurred.”
“But, but that still doesn’t change that you don’t know. You, you still don’t know!”, Twilight shouts, her eyes closing and crying. I can feel her heart beating away fast like a drum under her coat as I once again move a finger gently over her.
Wait. I don’t know if that will do anything, but, it is the only thing I can think of right now.
I bring Twilight, still crying, close to my face as I continue to gently and soothingly move my finger over her, similar to how one would do so with a pet or moving a hand over a troubled friend.
“Twilight listen to me. You are real. You are not a figment of my imagination. You are not simply a work of fiction made for children to laugh at. I have yet to meet anyone or anypony like you.”
Slowly, Twilight looks up at my face, our eyes meeting once again. I only wish those eyes weren’t filled with tears.
“You are a wise, intelligent young mare. You have a passion for learning that is greater than nearly anyone or anypony else I have seen. When you want to learn something you never stop until you know the answer. I don’t think such things can ever be replicated by ones imagination.”
“And there is something else right now that I feel. I can feel the very beating of your heart. I can tell from that, from it beating like a drum how worried you are. Along with that I can tell you have a strong heart. You would have to have one to have gone up against all the threats you have faced”, I say, as she wipes some of the tears from her eyes.
“Nopony with as strong a heart and mind as yours could be my imagination. I know, I truly know, you are real. Not my imagination, not a piece of fiction, but you are rea-”
Before I am able to finish speaking, Twilight jumps towards me once more. This time she grabs onto my cheek, holding tightly as she can. I gently place a hand around her to help hold her up.
She doesn’t speak a single word, and all I can hear is her still sobbing. For a while as she holds me I don’t know exactly how she feels. At least that is the case until she speaks.
“Thank you, Micah. Just… Just thank you.”
“Aw, that’s so cute!”
Turning towards the sound of the voice, I see five little ponies looking at Twilight and I from the hall. Each one of them has a smile, Pinkie’s of course being the widest.
“Um, might I ask how much you heard?”, I ask, as Twilight also looks towards the five of them.
“We heard every bit of it since y’all started shoutin’”, Applejack says as she and the others walk towards us. “Was dang hard not to hear y’all.”
“Yeah… I suppose it would be, wouldn’t it?”
“Are you alright now Twilight?”, Rarity asks, as I let Twilight down next to her and the others.
“I don’t know exactly”, Twilight says to Rarity, before turning to look up at me. Slowly though, her lips curve up into a slight smile. And then she says something that is at least a somewhat positive sign.
“But I think I will be.”
Now it’s my turn to smile as I see her finally seeming at least somewhat happy. Though, as seems to happen often as of late, before I have the chance to say something, somepony else beats me to it.
“Group hug!”
Pinkie grabs Twilight and the others somehow all on her own. With Pinkie, I no longer question that sort of thing. She pulls them all into tight enough of a hug that I swear Twilight is starting to turn a slight shade of blue.
Then however, Pinkie looks up at me, saying, “You too big guy!”
Well I did not see that coming.
“What? Really? I wouldn’t want to-”
Next thing I know, I have Skittles, Pinkie, and Applejack grabbing my shirt collar and trying to tug me down. It is rather amusing to see them try to do that. If they were normal sized I don’t doubt they could be able to pull me down, but now all they can do is tug just a bit.
“Come on Mikey Wikey, we need a full group hug!”, Pinkie says as she continues to try and pull with Skittles and Applejack.
“Are you sure? I don’t think I am small enough for you to hug”, I say with a smirk.
“Oh come on now and get down here”, Applejack says as she lets go and rejoins Twilight, Rarity and Fluttershy.
“Well, since you asked so nicely.”
To get down close enough to them I have to lay down fully on my stomach, my face close to them for any sort of hug to be possible. It’s a bit odd, but it should work. And almost as soon as I do that, I feel all six of them around me. Each one of them smiles and has their eyes closed, save for one.
Once again, Twilight’s eyes and mine meet. But, now there is one difference. One wonderful, oh so welcome difference.
There are no tears.
She says no words. Not a one. But just her having no tears is enough for me right now. She simply smiles before closing her eyes and getting in closer, holding me closely.
I don’t know how long we stay there. We don’t say a word to each other, not any of us. We just stay there, holding one another. And While I do not have all the answers for them, though I wish I did, I do know one thing.
I will be here for them. I shall always be here for them. For as long as they are here, I shall be there for them, and help them as much as they need me. My friends. My very little ponies.
(So everyone knows, the link I put in later is not needed for understanding the chapter. It is there for those who don't know the game that well. Also, there is swearing in that link, a lot of it. And, yes, I reacted just like those two in the video when I first played games like that. I am a wimp.)
“Make sense? Oh what fun is there in making sense?”
Cue collective gasp from everypony around me.
After we finished our hug, everypony and I went back to the bedroom. While every one of them is still understandably unnerved by what they have seen, they all want to see more. A lot more. Each and every episode that they can, to be exact. So, yeah, we have been at this for a while now.
I have also been learning about their world in reality as opposed to the show. While the events happen similar in the show as in reality, there are some differences. For one, they spent a fairly long time in the Everfree Forest the time they went against Nightmare Moon. It wasn’t short as portrayed in the show.
Though funnily enough the funny moments happen almost the same in the show as they do in reality. I have to say that bit is not that surprising.
“Discord was one of the worst creatures ever to roam Equestria”, Twilight says as she sits on my shoulder, her eyes glued to the computer screen.
“I imagine so. A foe with Discord’s power would be most frightening.”
“He was. I am just glad we were able to defeat him.”
“That you did indeed, Twilight. You are a tough little pony after all”, I say with a smile, scratching her behind her ears with my finger. She and all the others do definitely seem to enjoy it when I do that, enough that they all lean into my finger when I do so.
“He was such a brute. The way that he changed us into the opposite of who we truly are was… Ugh, I loathe the memory of it”, Rarity says, sitting on my knee.
Hm… Idea! She will probably be upset at me for bringing this up, but I just have to. I have to know if this one particular event happened. I absolutely need to know.
Leaning forward, I move the episode farther ahead, to when they are already all in the maze as I say, “One moment ladies, I am going to fast forward to a certain part.”
Where is it, where is it…. Ahah! Yes, exactly what I am looking for!
“Why did you skip so much Micah? Why are we watching- OH NO. No, no no no please tell me we are not going to see what I fear we shall see!”
Instead of showing the six of them the part with Celestia and Discord in the castle, now it is showing Rarity. Specifically, Rarity when she walks straight into a wall of stone with three gemstones on the surface of it. Hehe, I wonder how upset she will get.
“Hm, Ah reckon that we’re ‘bout to see you findin’ Tom, Rarity”, Applejack says with a snicker.
“Oh this is so embarrassing! Micah, darling, can we please not see this?”, Rarity says pleadingly. “I don’t want to ever be reminded of this moment!”
“Rarity, I am sorry, but I won’t skip this. I for one can’t help but find it hilarious!”, I say, and start laughing as Rarity on screen starts digging out the boulder from the stone wall.
“Look Rarity, there’s Tom!”, Pinkie Pie shouts, giggling at the sight of the now dirty Rarity and grayish on screen.
Rarity face-hoofs before looking up at me. Her eyes narrow as she glares, and her horn glows. Quickly my shirt collar is enveloped by her magic before being yanked down. Or, rather, before Rarity tries to yank me down towards her.
“Never, ever, speak of this again”, Rarity says, almost in a growl. “Not to us, and not to anypony else.”
“Heh, I give no promises Rarity. Something like this is far too good to never mention again. Oh, what’s her name um… Sweetie something? Maybe I should tell her?”, I ask, not quite remembering her sisters name.
After a short gasp from Rarity, I see her right on my face, her hooves grabbing my cheeks as she stares straight at me.
“Don’t you ever mention this to Sweetie Belle! Ever! She must never, ever know!”, Rarity yells. “Never speak of it again!”
“Um, Rarity, maybe you should calm down a little bit”, Fluttershy says to Rarity as she flies up to her and I.
“But what if he tells Sweetie Belle? Honestly, I will never live that down!”
“Rarity, I was joking. I wouldn’t embarrass you like that”, I say with a chuckle from the amusing sight.
Rarity’s demeanor changes almost instantly, as she raises an eyebrow in confusion. As she loosens her grip, I place a hand underneath her to catch her as she slides off of my face. Once she lands on my hand, she moves her hoof into her mane, smoothing it out.
“Um, my apologies, Micah. I just truly don’t want Sweetie Belle to know about that. Oh, that was so embarrassing for me! Carrying around that huge ugly boulder, thinking it was a gem. A big, shiny, beautiful gem”, Rarity says, grinning, seemingly recalling that time.
Or, she does for a little while, before she realizes that everypony around her is staring at her.
“What? It’s not as if I want to go back to that. But… It did seem like a beautiful gem at the time.”
“Um… I have an excellent idea, everypony! Let’s go back to watching the show!”, I quickly say.
Thankfully I get words of affirmation from everypony assembled, and we go back to watching the show.
I’m not surprised at all that Rarity was upset, but it was still pretty funny to see her act like that. I wonder what it would be like if I did tell Sweetie Belle about that. Oh, the look that I bet would be on Rarity’s face when Sweetie finds out and tells everypony else, that would be hilarious! I’ve got to say I am somewhat tempted to do that.
Though… I can’t do that. Or at least I probably can’t. After they go back to Equestria, will I ever see them again? Is whatever magic they used to get here easily controlled, or is it a fluke that they are here, a mistake or happy coincidence? I don’t think I ever asked them that.
And what would happen when they go back? Would the show end up showing a bit of what happened here, would their being here change things? Or will this not show up at all? Will they tell anypony else about me? I mean, sure, they will tell Celestia about me, that’s a given, but is she the only one?
To add on to that, what the hell am I going to do when they are gone? It’s not like I will be able to tell anyone about this. Even though my family, Leah, and myself are all close, there is no way they will believe me if I tell them. My family would have to see all six of the ponies themselves if they are to believe me.
And if it was a mistake, or fluke, or if it is simply difficult to transport to different worlds or dimensions or whatever the hell it is… I probably won’t see them again. The time that they have here with me is probably it.
“Micah, you okay there?”
“Huh? What?”, I say, looking down to the pony who spoke.
“Ah said, ‘you okay there’? You seemed kind of zoned out there partner”, Applejack says, looking up at me.
“Oh. Yeah, I’m fine Applejack, don’t worry”, I say, trying my best to put on a reassuring grin. “My mind just wanders at times, that’s all.”
Applejack glares at me for a while before turning back to look at the screen. Thankfully however nopony else says anything. Whether it is because of them not really caring or not wanting to continue the matter however, I do not know.
Though I bet that Applejack knows something is up. If anyone can tell when someone might be lying, it would be her. Maybe after we watch this for a while, she will forget about it.
“Oh, Micah, can we watch a little more please? Just a little bit?”
“No. That’s enough for today Twilight.”
Thankfully while we were watching more of the show, Applejack didn’t bring up what happened earlier, when I was lost in thought. She didn’t actually say much of anything. Well, at least she isn’t mentioning it for now. Though with my luck she probably will mention it at some point.
But for the time being I can’t watch anymore of the show. Don’t get me wrong, at this point I am starting to like it more and more as I watch it with the six of them, but after hours and hours it gets tiring.
“Micah, what else can you do with this machine of yours? Can it only show images like the ones we’ve already seen, or can it do more?”, Twilight asks as she jumps from my shoulder onto the bed.
“It can do a lot more than that. This thing right here can do quite a lot. Thanks to something called the internet it can allow me to access any information I want with just the push of a few buttons.”
As soon as those words left my lips, Twilight has a huge grin that could possibly even make Pinkie Pie jealous. And it would seem that everypony else notices it at the same moment I do.
“Twilight, don’t do anything crazy now, alright?”, Skittles says, her eyes locked on Twilight as the purple pony looks at the keyboard, while still grinning.
Of course however, Twilight doesn’t listen for even a second. She dashes at the keyboard, her hoof moving over the finger pad to move the mouse on the screen, while another hoof presses against the different keys on the keyboard.
“Twilight knock it off!”, I say, and quickly grab her as she opens something on the screen, not letting go for a second as she continues to try and squirm out of my grasp.
“But I just want to learn! I just want to see what’s on this internet, that’s all! Let me go!”, Twilight says as she squirms, getting a hoof loose.
“Later, not yet! You are a little overzealous right now Twilight”, I say as she continues to squirm, and I just now see what it was she opened on the computer screen.
Slender. So that’s what she clicked on. I haven’t played that game in a while. Better get out of this, I don’t think that anypony would want to try this thing out. I can only imagine what would happen if Fluttershy watches one of us play this.
Or I would have if Rarity did not get in front of the finger pad.
“Micah, what is this?”, she asks as she looks at the screen.
“It’s a video game. A horror video game, to be specific”, I say, and hear a very quiet ‘eep’ from Fluttershy.
“A, a horror game? Why would you play that?”, she asks softly, partially hiding behind her mane as she looks at the screen.
“Well, scary things sometimes can be fun. I don’t know exactly why, but that is why I like them. Now, if you don’t mind, I am going to turn it off for now. We can look again later, but I think the computer has been on long enough for today”, I say, and move my free hand down to the computer to turn the game, and the computer itself off.
I don’t want them to be playing this. Fluttershy would flip out, Twilight would ask more and more questions, and Rainbow would play for a long time until she was able to beat it.
“Hold on a second!”
As soon as I hear those words two blue hooves slam into my hand right before I placed the mouse on the ‘exit’ option. She might be small but dang it that still hurts!
“Geez Skittles, what the hell was that for?!”, I say, snapping my hand back, rubbing the spot where she kicked. “You didn’t have to kick me.”
“You said it was a game. What kind of game?”, Skittles asks as she looks at the screen.
“Ugh, it’s a horror game, like I said. You walk around collecting pages while a monster of sorts is after you. You have to collect all the pages before he finds you, otherwise you lose”, I say to her.
For a while, Skittles looks at the screen, until eventually she turns back to me, and says, “I want to try it.”
“Say what now? Skittles, I think that the computer has been on for enough tonight. Tomorrow maybe we can have it on again, but-”
“Come on Micah. Just one game? That won’t take long”, Skittle says. “Please? I know it won’t scare me.”
“... One game? You promise? Just one?”
“Yep, just one. Please? After that I’ll be done, promise!”, Rainbow says with a smile.
Oy vey, I hope I won’t regret this.
“Just one. Though you will probably need another pony to help you play, as you will need to push many buttons to do so”, I say, looking at everypony else.
“Ah’ll do it! Ah ain’t scared of this thing!”, Applejack quickly says as she walks next to Skittles, and looks at all of the keys.
“Alright, alright. Just let me explain the controls for you before you actually start playing. Trust me, you will want to know how the whole thing works. Oh, and Fluttershy?”
“Yes?”, she asks in her always quiet voice.
“I think you should leave and maybe be with Bonnie and Clyde. I think you would probably get too scared from watching this. I will let you know when we are done though”, I say to her as she takes flight.
“Thank you for letting me know. You are right, I, I probably shouldn’t watch that”, she says, and leaves the room quickly.
“Um, Micah, aren’t you forgetting somepony?”
“Oh… Heh, sorry about that Twilight”, I say as I put her down on the bed.
“It’s alright”, Twilight says as she gets comfortable, and sits next to Applejack. “Now, I do have a question. How would collecting simple pages be difficult? That doesn’t sound all that difficult to me. Unless it was in a full library of course, now that would be quite challenging”, Twilight says, a hoof underneath her chin, seemingly pondering that.
“Ah. Good question. It is because the game is set in a forest, and the pages are scattered all throughout the forest. It took me many tries to complete the game.”
Many tries being about twenty. I was rather poor at it when I started. Not to mention how much Slenderman creeped me out when I first played. Nowadays he is not so scary at all, but when I first played…. Ugh, that was one creepy creature.
“Hm. That could be quite challenging. Would you mind if I take some notes while they play?”, Twilight asks with an eager grin.
“Go ahead. Now, Applejack, Skittles, let me explain the controls to you.”
As Twilight goes to get some paper and a pencil, I explain what each button does what to Applejack and Skittles. After I do so, Skittles decides she will be the one who makes the character look around and such and control the flashlight, while Applejack will push the buttons that make them walk, run, and pick up pieces of paper.
“Now, are you two ready?”, I ask, about to start the game for them.
“Darn tootin’ I am!”
“Yeah! Let’s go!”
And with the click on the play button, it begins.
“Alright Applejack, let’s go… This way”, Skittles says as she points the character into the forest.
With the click of a button Applejack sends them on their way into the forest. The only sound that we hear is the footsteps of their character on the forest ground, and the sounds of crickets. Just as it should be.
“Where is the monster? Shouldn’t it be here? I don’t see it”, Skittles says as they walk.
“Oh, trust me, you will find it soon enough. Or it will find you”, I say with a grin.
“What?”, Rarity asks, one trimmed eyebrow raised. “How so?”
“You shall see Rarity. You shall all see. And you know what? We need to add a little atmosphere to this”, I say, and get off of the bed, and move towards the light switch on the wall.
Twilight, Pinkie and Rarity look at me, confused, with Twilight saying, “What are you doing Micah?”
“Oh, just going to make the lighting in the room fit with the game”, I say, and flick the light switch to ‘off’, shrouding the entire room in darkness.
“Ah, mimicking the game's lighting! That would definitely add to the experience”, Twilight says with a smile as I sit back down next to them.
“Hah! I’m not scared! Oh, Applejack look! A page!”, Skittles says with a wide smile as she points them towards a tree with a page on its trunk, which Applejack picks up.
“Yeehaw! One down, now let’s go round up the rest of ‘em!”
Skittles’ enthusiasm definitely meets that of Applejack.
“Awesome! How many more are there Micah?”
“Hm, if I remember right there should be about eight of them spread throughout the forest”, I say. “Some of them however are in a small hut, on tankers, or such things as that.”
“Micah, how many of them do you think they will get?”, Twilight asks.
“I think they will probably get about three. At most.”
Though it is possible they will do better. With how good Skittles did with Worms, she might very well surprise me again with this. I wonder if she has a natural knack with video games as she does with sports?
“RD, Ah think we oughta go lef-AH! WHAT IS THAT?!”
And there he is. I was wondering how long it would be until he found them. Once they just took a turn, there was the fellow, Slender. A tall, pale faced, very thing creature in a suit. Oh, that reaction they are having is one so many people have had as they first play this game.
“Holy horseapples what is that?!”, Skittles says as she freaks out, her hoof moving all over the pad and therefore making the camera go all over the place.
Applejack starts hammering the different keys on the keyboard, their flashlight going on and off and running into a wall from Skittles making the camera move around. “RD stop moving the camera like that! We need to run! RUN!”
“Then run! Ah, there he is again, hurry!”, Skittles says once they turn a corner, and he shows up once more.
Rarity and Twilight quickly move behind me, with Pinkie Pie joining them very shortly.
“Sweet Celestia Micah, what is that thing?!”, Rarity screams.
“It is Slender. And he is after our two ponies that are playing the game”, I say, as my lips form a grin.
“Why is he such a meany? A nice pony wouldn’t do that!”, I hear Pinkie say.
“He’s the bad guy, Pinkie. Sort of his job.”
And it would seem he is doing a really, really good job of it. They repeatedly try to run away, though of course he always catches up to them. And each time he does both of them let out a scream which makes me grin more and more. I know I shouldn’t, but it is just funny to watch them freak out like this.
“Rainbow, stop shakin’ the camera, we keep running into trees! Ah, what’s that sound?!”
“Shut up and keep running! Maybe there’s a page over-”
Once again, they have been found. However, I do not think they will be able to get away this time, for one specific reason.
“AH! HOW’D HE GET IN FRONT OF US?!”, Applejack and Skittles scream in unison at the sight of Slender’s face engulfing the camera. However, that is not the best part.
They grab onto each other. Skittles and Applejack actually grab each other, and hold each other as close as possible. As cruel as it is, I can’t help but laugh at the site of those two actually being so terrified and hugging each other so.
“AAAAAAH!”
“Ok, ok I think that’s enough of that now!”, I say through my laughter, and quickly pause and exit out of the game before looking down at Skittles and Applejack, who are still embracing one another.
The two of them glance at each other, and seemingly only now realize the position they are in. Upon realizing it, they let go of each other at once and quickly back away from one another.
“Um, Ah don’t think we need to play that again anytime soon”, Applejack says, glancing at the computer.
“Yeah… Yeah I think we had enough for tonight. But I wasn’t scared though!”, Skittles says as she looks up at me.
“Oh, of course not. The two of you were just screaming like little fillies out of joy. Right, little scaredy fillies?”, I say with a smile as I am able to stop laughing.
Skittles glares at me, and quickly flies straight up at me, stopping right in front of my face.
“I’m no scaredy filly!”, she says with as much bravado and gusto she can muster.
“Well you didn’t exactly exude courage while playing, Skittles. It was pretty hilarious to see you get so scared from a game.”
Applejack speaks up next, before Skittles has the chance to. I notice that as she is the element of honesty, she is really bad at lying. And by really bad, I mean just awful. I’ve seen grade schoolers who are better at lying than she is.
“Well, uh, Ah wasn’t scared none. Ah only grabbed Rainbow ‘cause Ah thought she was goin’ all crazy like!”, Applejack says, trying to smile confidently.
“Oh my goodness… Applejack, you have the worst poker face of anypony or any person I have ever seen. I pray to G-d you never try playing poker or any sort of card game, you’d lose everything in a few hands! Or hooves, as the case may be.”
“We’ve played games like that before! Every time we play Applejack tries to bluff but she just can’t do it right because she always goes ‘I have a great hoof of cards!’ but then she always has that face and everypony around goes ‘Oh, she has a bad hoof’ and every time she loses and-”
“Pinkie, darling, please do calm down”, Rarity thankfully says, and covers Pinkie’s hoof with her mouth.
However, even though Pinkie for now is silent, everypony else starts chatting once more. Twilight starts asking me questions about the game, like how it works and if there is anything more to it. Rarity, thankfully, spends her time trying to restrain Pinkie who continues to try and speak up again. Skittles though spends her time speaking to everypony else about how she wasn’t really scared, to which I call bullcrap.
I notice that Applejack is the only one who stays quiet. All she does is look up at me, and motions with her hoof for me to come towards her, which I do. Enough so that my ear is right by her.
Whispering in my ear, Applejack says, “Ya should know, Ah know you were thinkin’ bout somethin’ earlier. Ah know you were lyin’, and Ah think ya should tell me what you were thinkin’ bout.”
Dangit! I was worried she would be bringing this up again. Yeah it is something I want to ask, but I don’t want to bother everypony here at once with it!
“Micah? Applejack to Micah, do ya hear me?”
“Right, sorry about that. You are right, I was thinking about something earlier, something important. But, I really would prefer not to talk about it with everypony else here. I wouldn’t want everypony else to deal with it after what happened with Twilight earlier, when I told her about the show.”
“Ok, I need to go to the store. There’s not all that much in the fridge, other than eggs and a bit of milk. And there’s not all that much I can do with that.”
One negative about living on a bakers salary, is that while you can get enough to live on, you have to be sparing with how much you buy with each grocery trip. And the fact that I need Kosher food makes the costs go up all the more. I wish it wasn’t so labor intensive for the food to be certified Kosher.
“Oh, get lots and lots of sugar! Don’t forget to get a lot of cupcakes and sweets please!”, Pinkie says.
“I’ll get some Pinkie, don’t worry”, I say, and I look at Applejack, standing next to Pinkie.
“What are ya lookin’ at me for?”, Applejack asks.
“Well, I was thinking that while I am shopping you and I could have a little chat. Do you remember yesterday, I told you that I wouldn’t mind talking today?” Hopefully she will remember.
“Oh. Oh! Right, Ah remember. So when would ya like to get goin’?”, Applejack says as she walks towards me.
“I wouldn’t mind going right now actually. Sooner we leave the sooner we can get back after all”, I say as I reach down and pick up my shoes.
Applejack might not know much about magic, but she should have at least some manner of answers for me. If nothing else this will give me a chance to get this question out into the open. Often I feel better if I am able to just talk to someone about an issue. I don’t always need immediate answers. Though, immediate answers are rather nice.
As I slip on my shoes, Fluttershy moves in front of my face, saying, “Oh, um, there is something else you should get too. If, if that’s alright.”
“I’m open to any and all suggestions Fluttershy. What is it you would like?”, I ask after I tie my shoes.
“Well um, if it is alright, you’re running low on cat food. I’ve noticed Bonnie has been eating a little bit more lately. You should probably get a little bit more for them”, Fluttershy says softly as ever.
“Ah, right. I shall do that. Thanks for the reminder Fluttershy. It’s good of you to always look after them for me, like when I’m gone and such”, I say with a smile as I reach for my sweater I have left on a chair.
With how Bonnie has been eating more lately, I do wonder how long it will take until she gives birth. Hopefully it will happen soon. There is nothing quite like the adorableness of newborn kittens. I really hope that she will have a bunch of them.
“Well now, we better get going”, I say as I turn to look at Applejack and Pinkie. “Oh, and Pinkie, do me a favor please, don’t let Skittles get outside. I don’t want to have a hawk nearly get inside my apartment again.”
“I heard that!”
“Good, I’m glad you heard it Skittles! I mean it, stay inside! I don’t want a repeat of that!”
As I hear no comeback from her, I drop it at that. Hopefully she won’t try going outside again. I wouldn’t want to risk that thing getting in here.
“Alrighty Applejack, would you prefer to be in my pocket, or a bag, or something else or what?”, I ask as I place my hand down next to her.
“Pocket would be alright with me. I ain’t fussy ‘bout that sort of thing”, Applejack says as she steps onto my hand.
“Certainly different from Rarity. She complained about the lint inside. Good to know that you won’t do that”, I say with a grin as I place Applejack above my chest pocket, and let her jump inside of it.
“Ah ain’t fussy like Rarity is. Ah get way more messy than this on Sweet Apple Acres any day I work. Now let’s get goin’!”
“Indeed, let’s. Well ladies, have a nice time while I am out!”, I shout out to them as I step out of the apartment.
As I shut the door behind me, I hear shouts of ‘goodbye’ or ‘see you later’ from the mares inside. I do like those mares. Pinkie is funny and always has a smile on her face, and Twilight’s eagerness to learn is something I have to admire. Rarity, while a little I must admit is a little annoying at times, is certainly helpful and polite as all the others. Skittles can be a big freaking pain in the tuchus, but the more time I spend with her the more I don’t notice those things, and the more I like her. And while Fluttershy has not spoken much at all, it is adorable how much Bonnie and Clyde have bonded to her. Also Applejack...
Hm. I haven’t spent much time with Applejack at all, now that I think on it. While I have not spent much time with Fluttershy either, that sort of makes sense. Her name sort of describes her being so shy, so I most likely wouldn’t be able to speak with her anyway.
But why not Applejack? She and I have chatted every now and then, but never for that long like I have with Pinkie, Rarity, Skittles and Twilight. Well, at least now that she and I are by ourselves we can talk.
“Micah, you alright?”
Hearing that country voice pulls me out of my inner monologue, and I look down to see Applejack looking up at me from inside my pocket.
“Ah think you zoned out again.”
“Oh. Sorry about that Applejack. I was just thinking about stuff. I didn’t mean to zone out like that”, I say apologetically.
“Ya seem to do that a lot partner”, Applejack says with a grin. “What were you thinkin’ about?”
“Well, I was just thinking that I have spoken with you the least out of everypony else. I was wondering why that is”, I say as we reach the stairs, and start walking down.
“Hm. Ah never really noticed, but, you’re right. You and Ah never spent more than a second here or a moment there to chat.”
“Yeah… Sorry about that. I don’t know why I didn’t. I mean, you’re nice, polite, and you obviously care greatly about the other mares.”
As we reach the bottom of the stairs and step outside, I hear a slight snickering. As I glance down I see Applejack looking up at me with a slight smirk.
“Ah got a hunch why”, she says, keeping up the smirk.
“Oh? And what’s that?”, I ask with a raised eyebrow as we start walking down the sidewalk.
“Maybe it’s cause you’re still sore ‘bout me tying you up faster than a hog in a rodeo?”
“What?! You know as well as I that only worked because of how surprised I was! If I was not surprised I would have gotten out of that easily! It isn’t every day I get hogtied by a talking cowpony with a stetson hat!”
“Now now, don’t worry ‘bout a thing big guy”, Applejack says, her smugness clear. “Ah won’t tell anypony ‘bout that. Probably.”
“Oh, your humility and kindness is astounding Applejack. Utterly astounding”, I say, trying to match her smugness with my sarcasm. I don’t really know if I can, but I might as well try.
“Ain’t it just though? Ah’m plum glad you finally realized that”, the mare says with a tip of her hat.
“You are a very odd and interesting mare, I’ll give you that.”
“Why thank you. But Ah’m guessing that ain’t what you wanted to talk about”, Applejack says, her tone quickly shifting. “What do ya really want to talk about?”
And now we come to it. At least this way I don’t have to think of some way to begin this chat. Hopefully Applejack will be able to give me some sort of answers.
“Well, first of all, how much do you know of magic?”
“Ah don’t know much. Why would you ask me ‘bout magic anyway? Twilight would be better.”
“Do you remember what happened yesterday when I showed her the television show I thought the six of you were from? I didn’t want to add to all that. I think she had enough to deal with yesterday.”
“Oh… Right”, Applejack says, her ears laying flat. “Ah see.”
“And I feel that if anypony will give me a straight honest answer it is going to be you”, I say with a reassuring smile.
“Why thank you Micah. So, what is it about magic you want to know ‘bout?”
“Teleportation magic, specifically. Like the kind that was used to get you and the other five mares here”, I ask her.
Her eyes widen for a moment before going back to normal, and again speaks up.
“Ah, Ah don’t know much ‘bout that sort of thing. But Ah know that regular transportin’ ain’t difficult for Twilight.”
“So, it would be easy for all of you to come back here after what you need to do is done?”, I ask hopefully, smiling.
“Ah don’t know ‘bout that. Ah don’t think it’s that simple”, Applejack says as I notice her eyes aren’t meeting mine any longer.
“How so?”
“Ah just remember Twilight said that it usually ain’t safe to use the type of magic that brought us here.”
Damn it. I really was hoping that wouldn’t be the case. But, just because it’s dangerous doesn’t mean that it’s also difficult right? Maybe it is dangerous but can and has been done many times before!
“But it has been done many times before, right? I mean, come on, with something that can take you to many other worlds it has to have been done many times. I know if I had that ability I would use it all the time”, I say.
“If it happens a lot Ah ain’t ever heard of it. Don’t think the other girls did either.”
“Are you sure?”
I quickly look around, and thankfully see nobody nearby. I reach into my pocket and gently pull her out, into the palm of my hand. Before I say anything else though I move between two buildings, so nobody will see if someone walks by.
“Are you really sure about that? Just… Are you sure? You can’t think of any other time that anypony from Equestria ever went to another world, or dimension, or whatever the hell this is, safely and returned?”, I ask, hoping that she might be able to think of one instance when that happened. Just once.
“Micah, why are ya askin’ that? You’re soundin’ more worried than a cat in a room full of rockin’ chairs”, Applejack says, her concern clear in her voice.
“Applejack, just answer the question.”
For a time, she just looks at me, as if analyzing me. Though soon enough she speaks.
“Ah am sure. Ah’m definitely sure.”
“That… That was not what I was hoping you would say”, I say to her as I bury my face in my free hand.
Why? Just, just why? I have these six fun and funny and kind ponies in my home, and it seems that once they get back, they won’t ever come back here. If it’s so difficult to teleport as they did to get here, and if it is dangerous, why would they come back? Hell, Twilight said the only reason they are here is because they are after something that is extremely dangerous.
So if Applejack is right, and it is as difficult as she says… I won’t see them again. This is it.
Feeling a hoof on my chin, I look and see Applejack gazing at me. She looks worried. Not scared or anything like that, but definitely worried.
“Wanna tell me what’s goin’ on in that head of yours sugarcube?”, she asks, smiling gently.
“I just, I was really hoping that you would not have answered like that is all”, I say, my frustration coming out in my tone of voice.
“You care to tell me why? Ah don’t think that’s the only reason”, Applejack says.
“I am just wondering… Do you think you could ever come back?”
“Ah know Ah would love to. This place ya got here, this huge city is mighty interesting. What pony wouldn’t want to come back here if they had the chance?”
“That’s not an answer. You are saying you would love to, not that you can. Don’t think that I didn’t notice that.”
Applejack takes a few steps back before sitting down on my palm.
“Ah… Ah don’t think so. Ah would want to, but Ah don’t think Ah could with how hard it must be”, she says, her voice hushed and no longer meeting my gaze.
“But if it’s so hard why did you come here? If it is so damn difficult why even risk it if it would be so hard to get back?!”, I say with a shout, frustrated with a lack of a real answer.
Applejack seems taken aback by my abrupt change in tone, but only for a moment. Her eyes narrow, and she steps as close towards me as she can without falling off of my hand.
“Now you listen here big guy. It ain’t my fault that magic works that way. Ah don’t have no say in that. So don’t get all mad at me for somethin’ that ain’t my fault”, Applejack says as her eyes narrow in frustration.
“For goodness sake Applejack I’m not blaming you for this! I just don’t understand this! And you aren’t exactly doing a good job of explaining!”
“If Ah ain’t to blame then why are you shoutin’ at me?! If you wanted a good explanation, why didn’t you just get Twilight instead?!”
“Well excuse me for thinking you might have some sort of idea!”
Really, was it so much of me to think that she might have some idea? And I can’t believe she is acting like I’m blaming her! I’m not blaming her! She should just know that it makes no sense of her to have on answer!
And on top of that, why is she and everypony else so damn secretive about why they’re here? Don’t they trust me by now? Seriously, I think I have earned their trust at this point. I’ve never harmed then, and I’ve been kind! Hell, with Twilight yesterday I was able to stop her from going nuts when she heard about the show!
Putting Applejack back into my pocket, I continue walking. I’ll deal with this crap later. Might as well get the groceries out of the way as no matter how angry I might get I still need food.
“You know Ah’m right! You don’t got no reason to be angry with me! And Ah can tell there’s somethin’ else ya ain’t tellin’ me!”
“Oh for goodness sake Applejack shut up! I don’t want to hear anymore of it!”
“TOO BAD!”
Applejack manages to climb up my shirt, grabbing onto my hair with her hooves. I can’t help but think, how does she do that with no thumbs?
“Listen Micah, Ah ain’t going to just let you yell at me! You know it ain’t right to treat me like a dog that you’re angry at! You decided to have me be the gal to tell you ‘bout this, and Ah did. Don’t get angry at me for not likin’ the answer!”
Applejack actually seems a little… Scary. I don’t know how, but she actually does. I have never seen anypony get as angry as she is right now.
But that doesn’t change anything.
“You could at least tell me something! You’ve lived in Equestria your whole damn life, you gotta have some kind of idea! I’m no scientist but I still got a basic understanding of how that works!”
“Your fancy science and magic ain’t the same thing! Now stop being angry at me and tell me why you’re really angry!”
“Applejack just shut up! I don’t want to hear about this anymore! I only wanted to bring you here because I wanted to say how worried I was about not seeing you all again! Not to hear you shout at me!”
Any and all anger immediately leaves Applejack’s eyes. Instead of anger she seems to show… Sorrow?
“You could have just told me that pardner”, she says as she slides down, and my hand catches her.
Before speaking, I take in a deep breath to try and calm down a bit. “I know, I know”, I say, and sigh. “I just was upset and frustrated at what you told me and instead of dealing with it like I should have, I lashed out at you.”
“Ya didn’t have to be a tough guy and deal with it yourself. You should’ve told me the second we were alone.”
“I was going to tell you. But, when I heard that you probably couldn’t come back, and you couldn’t explain why-”
“Ya’ll went and got upset, and instead of bein’ calm ya went and acted like a little filly.”
“... I wouldn’t be so blunt about it, but, yeah, you’re right.”
Applejack’s lips slowly form into a small smile, and she says, “And the reason you acted like that is ‘cause you’ll miss us, won’t you?”
“Yeah”, I say as I lean against a nearby building wall. “I know you six have only been here a few days, but you have been a lot of fun. I, well, I wish that there was a way for you to come back.”
Instead of speaking again, Applejack looks down, and shuffles her hoof for a while.
“Applejack? Hey, I mean what I said. I really am sorry about my behavior, truly, and I do really, really wish that you could come back sometime.”
“Ah know, don’t worry. Ah was just wonderin’ somethin’”, she says as she looks at me once more.
“Care to tell me what that is?”
“Well since we got here, Ah think that you could maybe, if you wanted to… Come back with us.”
My jaw drops from her words. Out of all the things she might have said I certainly wasn’t expecting her to say that.
Eventually I regain my senses and I say, “W-what did you say? Me, go to Equestria?”
“Yeah. After all, you are definitely helpin’ us out. Ah don’t think Celestia would mind none”, Applejack says with a gentle smile.
“Applejack that’s…. I just…. I don’t think I could”, I manage to say.
Applejack’s ears flatten the moment my words leave my lips, and her smile leaves swiftly. She doesn’t look angry, but does look disappointed.
“Why? Are you worried ‘bout how you’d live? Ah promise you we could get you a job no problem. Pinkie’d get you a job at Sugarcube Corner, and ya might be able to live there too for a while! And if anypony messes with you, you just tell Rainbow and Ah and we’ll-”
“Applejack, please, stop”, I say, placing a finger over her lips. “I, I don’t doubt you’d do all of that, but still, I don’t think I could.”
Brushing my finger away from her lips, Applejack continues.
“But why? Now you’re the one who ain’t answerin’”, Applejack says as she points a hoof at me.
“Don’t get me wrong Applejack. Truly I, I am flattered by that offer, truly I am. It is very kind of you, and I believe you. But I couldn’t do that. With how you talked about the magic that got you here, if I used that to go back to Equestria which I honestly doubt would work, don’t you think the chances of me getting back here would be pretty dang low?”
Immediately Applejack face-hoofs, and I hear her muffled voice speak.
“Ugh, horseapples, don’t know why Ah didn’t think of that. Ah remember you got yourself a family, a pretty mare, and a whole life here. You can’t just up and leave ‘em.”
“Right. It would be as if I asked you to leave behind Big Mac, Granny Smith, and Applebloom to stay here. While it would definitely be interesting to have you here, I know you couldn’t stand to leave them”, I say to her.
“You got that right. Ah know Ah would hate it if Ah couldn’t see ‘em again”, she says before placing her hoof back down. “And you pardner feel the same way with your family.”
“Right. I do wonder what will happen once you all go back. There is no way I am just going to forget about all of this. But I can’t tell anybody about this either, as anyone I tell will think I am insane.”
“Sometimes ya gotta keep things secret. Ah reckon we ain’t gonna tell nopony but Celestia ‘bout the show you got here.”
“I know. But still, I just… I know I will probably not see you again, but by G-d I wish I could. I really don’t know exactly what I will do if I am not able to see you ladies again. I wish so much there was some way-”
This time I am the one who is interrupted, when Applejack places her hoof over my lips.
“Ah get ya Micah. Trust me, I do”, she says with a smile. “But not everythin’ can go the way we want. Sometimes we’ve gotta just keep on going best we can, and have a great time doin’ it. Worryin’ won’t help a thing.”
“So, you say that instead of spending a lot of time worrying about this, I should focus more on the present. Stop worrying about something I can’t help and just enjoy the time I got with you all now.”
“Ya got it”, she says, still smiling.
“I like how you think”, I say as a smile of my own shows on my face. “Makes sense.”
“Micah! There you are!”
Oh my gosh Leah had to come around now?!
Immediately I put Applejack into my pocket, and turn around to see Leah stepping out of her black truck. Dang it all, why is it she has to be out and about today?! And how the hell did she know I would be walking down this street?!
“Um, hi, Leah. How have you be-hmph!”
Well this is a little unexpected. Before I have the chance to say anything Leah grabs my sweater collar, pulls me close and plants her lips on mine in a kiss. And this isn’t some regular, ‘Hi sweety I love you’ kiss. It’s the sort of kiss that almost always leads to needing the door locked. Or as is often the case with Leah and I, locked, bolted, and nailed shut with soundproofing.
After a while she pulls away, and I see a wide smile on that lovely face of hers. She is definitely in a good mood for some reason.
“Well Leah I must say I never tire of meeting you with a kiss”, I say as I match her smile with my own.
“I would hope you wouldn’t. I’d be insulted if that were the case”, she says, her hands on her hips.
“And I definitely wouldn’t want to do that”, I say with a smile, and give her a quick peck on the cheek. “What are you doing here? Kind of odd you just happened to come across me.”
“I was just driving home from the hospital. And since I saw you on the sidewalk I figured I should check on you”, she says, and then runs her fingers through my hair. “You know you should really fix your hair. Maybe you should shave it till you get the entire thing fixed.”
“Oy vey, Leah, please, for the love of Hashem please stop the bald comments”, I say with a sigh, burying my face in my palms.
“You know I’m only joking. So, what have you been up to the last two days?”
“Oh, not much. Work, playing video games, the usual. Hanging out with some new friends as well.”
“New friends? What are they like?”
“Well, there’s a bookworm, a country lady, a tomboy, a kooky girl, fashionista, and an animal lover. Met them a few days ago.”
“Quite a lot of ladies there Micah. Not thinking about replacing me now are you?”, Leah says with a pout, as she embraces me in another hug.
“I’d never do that. No lady could ever compare to you”, I say, and give her a kiss. “And I doubt I’d live through your wrath if I did.”
“I’d never hurt you. I’d get pissed and contemplate re-enacting the story of Jael and Sisera, but I wouldn’t actually do anything.”
“Note to self, don’t piss you off”, I say with a grin.
“Smart man. Though, now I gotta get back home. Take care, and I’ll see you later this week alright?”, Leah asks as she steps back towards her car.
“Definitely.”
Before turning back she blows me a kiss. While walking towards the car I can’t help but notice how she moves her hips. I cannot think she is moving those hips that much accidentally. I don’t think that would be possible, to have hips moving like that, back and forth, back and forth… Back and forth...
“Micah, you can stop starin’ now.”
“Hm? What? Sorry Applejack my mind was, um... Somewhere else.”
“Ah’m betting in your bedroom with your mare, right?”
“Twilight, you ask some of the strangest questions, you know that?”
“I’m just curious, that’s all. So, could you answer please?”
“No! I’m not telling you about our ‘courtship rituals’, as you call them!”
“It’s not as if it is something to be ashamed of. We have our own. Along with simple dates we also-”
“Twilight, please, no more details.”
Twilight is one really curious pony. She hasn’t been annoying about it exactly, but she has been vocal about asking a lot more questions, mostly about Leah and I. Applejack mentioned how I was... attentive to Leah, and Twilight has been asking many questions about our relationship.
“Mikey dear, I need to ask you something.” I hear Rarity interject.
I turn to face Rarity on the couch, very glad to have a distraction from Twilight’s interrogation.
“Yes Rarity?” I inquire.
“Well, while I do not mind these accommodations, I do have something to request of you. Would you mind taking us out into the city?”
“The city? I can’t take you everywhere. You know that. This city has hundreds of thousands of people. Though…”
I think I might know of a place. Depending on the time of day we go it could be a bit less crowded, and the stalls will still be open. Oh why not, I might as well take them there. The market is a nice place to go, and anyone visiting Seattle needs to go there at least once.
“Rarity, how would you like to go to the local market?”
“The market? I was hoping that we could go somewhere else in the city, like a shop to get you better clothes. Or maybe a barbershop for your mane,” Rarity states.
“Rarity, I can’t afford that sort of thing at the moment. I know that you would like to do that but we can’t right now. The market is a rather nice place though, and has some affordable goods,” I claim and glance at Twilight.
“And it is a fairly large part of this cities culture,” I state with a grin.
Twilight smiles immediately, asking, “May I come along please? I would love to see what a human market is like.”
“I don’t see why not,” I state and turn back to Rarity. “So Rarity, what say you? I know it’s not what you would prefer, but it would get you outside at least for a while. And it would get you a look at human fashion that is not from a thrift shop.”
Rarity seems to ponder that for a moment, as she places her hoof under her chin in contemplation.
“Well I suppose. I do hope you are right about there being more high-quality garments at the market. What you have is alright but could certainly be better,” Rarity says as her eyes scan me from my feet up to my head.
“I should have known that you would want to do that, but if it gets you to come along with me I’m not going to complain,” I state with a grin as I get off of the couch.
“Oh! Can I come too? Can I can I can I can I?”
Looking down at my feet I see Pinkie Pie dancing about, hopping over my feet and between my legs.
“Um, I’m not sure about that Pinkie. I worry what you’ll do when you get to the market. I don’t want you to dive into one of the stalls just because you see some sort of sweets,” I say as I reach down to pick her up.
She happily hops into my hand. “Please? Please please please please please? I’ll be a super duper well-behaved pony!”
“Pinkie, I’m not sure it is a good idea. I really think that something will go wrong.”
I only wonder what it is that she will do if she finds the candy stalls. Pike Place Market is quite a varied spot, with everything from fishmongers, craft stalls and candy vendors, to farmers selling their goods and a bunch of family restaurants. If she gets loose and goes crazy, I just know it wouldn’t end well.
“Yep, my mind’s made up. Sorry Pinkie, but you’re not going, not this time. I think you’ll go nuts from everything at the market.” I place her on the table and move to get my shoes.
I ignore her protests as I pull on my shoes. I get that she doesn’t like it, but I can’t take the chance of her coming along. If she got outside in the market and saw the candies that are out there, I really don’t think she could stop herself.
“Micah, just so you know, there is another reason I want to come with you and Rarity,” I hear Twilight say, and I turn to see her walking towards me.
“What might that be? So long as it won’t cause any trouble I don’t think I will have any problem with it,” I state.
“While we are with you in the market, I would like to use some spells. You don’t need to worry. It’s nothing loud, nor is it flashy at all. It’s a simple detection spell,” Twilight claims.
“Detection spell? How do you use it? Do you need to be close to that which you wish to use the spell on?” I ask her as I finish pulling on my shoes.
“No. I have been able to strengthen it enough to get a reading up to… I think from what I have learned of your measurement system, approximately a thousand-foot radius.”
“Well so long as you’re right and that it won’t make a show of any kind, I don’t mind. Cast it as often as you wish,” I state with a smile.
I have got to get her to tell me why the hell the six of them are here. I won’t press the matter when we are out, but she is going to eventually tell me. What exactly is it that she and the others are here for?
“Oh, Micah, darling, I have a question,” Rarity says as she steps towards us, tossing her mane behind her with all the elegance she can muster.
“Yeah Rarity? What is it?”
“How exactly will you carry us? I would not like to be in your pocket again. I made that sacrifice for you when we went to the thrift shop, though I certainly would not like to do so again.”
“This hat is rather old, and has quite a few small holes in it. They are small enough you can all look out without anyone seeing you at all.”
I haven’t worn this old fishing hat for years. It is rather ratty in appearance, but it should easily fit Rarity and Twilight inside of it. Hopefully Rarity won’t protest this.
Rarity steps towards the hat I am holding. She moves a hoof over it, taking in every single detail of the hat. She definitely does not seem overly enthusiastic about being inside of it.
“If my only choice is being underneath this, or in a lint filled pocket, well… I would prefer this. At least there isn’t any lint inside this hat of yours,” Rarity says as she looks inside of it. “However, you really must get yourself a new hat.”
“I’ll keep that in mind Rarity,” I say with a smile, and place my hand down in front of her to step onto.
Smiling back at me, Rarity steps onto my hand. I take her up to my head and she steps onto my scalp, and Twilight steps onto my other hand.
“Once again, thank you for taking us with you.”
“No problem. If you remember, I planned to bring you both along anyway,” I state as I place her next to Rarity on my head. “Do let me know if it doesn’t fit right for you two.”
The hat fits on my head perfectly, and from what I can tell it fits enough that Rarity and Twilight shouldn’t be uncomfortable at all.
“Ugh, Micah, when we get to the market you are going to get a new hat. I won’t allow you to leave without one,” Rarity utters, her voice muffled under the hat.
“Yeah yeah, sure. But you are at least comfortable, right?”
“Yes Micah, Rarity and I are fine. It is not as big as I’d like but it will do.”
“Good, good. Well, you’re both nice and comfy, and I got my shoes, wallet and keys. So, with that, allons-y!”
“Allo-what?” I hear Twilight utter, confused.
“It’s French for ‘let’s go’. I got it stuck in my head after watching a certain doctor,” I say as I head out towards the door.
“Please! Pretty please please please please please please please please let me go with you!”
“Oh crap.”
Glancing behind me I see Pinkie Pie dashing towards me. That look on her face seems to be a mix of frustration, eagerness, and I swear just a sprinkling of insanity.
“Uh, sorry Pinkie can’t let you come along!”
I quickly dash outside of the apartment and slam the door behind me. Almost a second after the door is shut, I hear a loud smash from behind, followed by a sliding sound of some sort.
“Rarity, Twilight, did Pinkie just slam into the door?”
“I do believe so Micah. She can be rather overzealous, can’t she?” Rarity observes.
“Oh yeah. To put it mildly.”
We leave the apartment, heading towards the street quickly. As we make our way down towards the bus stop, Twilight speaks up.
“Micah, are we going to walk to the market? Or are you going to use one of the motorized carriages I have seen in this city?”
“Carriage. Specifically a bus. A bus is used for public transportation, mostly for those like me who either do not know how to drive or do not have their own method of transportation,” I say as I step onto the sidewalk.
“Which is it with you? Financial difficulties or not capable of driving?”
“Um… Both, actually. I don’t have the money to afford my own car when you take into account the cost of the initial purchase, the upkeep needed, and constant refilling of gas. I also just don’t like driving after I had an unfortunate accident.”
“What manner of accident?” Rarity inquires.
“Well, my mother had me in the car with her to practice driving for the first time when I was sixteen. She had me practice in a school parking lot. It was going alright for a little bit, and I was actually enjoying learning how to drive. In my inexperience, I stepped on the gas in excitement as I was turning a corner in the parking lot.”
“And? What happened after that?”
“I’ll tell you once I can remember the rest of that day.”
We-I mean I continue walking towards the bus stop, and soon enough it comes within sight. Though there is one little problem: the bus is almost there as well.
“Oh damn it!”
As fast as my feet can carry me, which sadly is not that fast as I’m not that muscular, I run towards the bus stop. As I do so my hat nearly falls off, and I feel my hair being yanked on.
“Micah! Slow down! We’re going to fall off!” I hear Rarity shriek as once again I feel another sharp tug on my hair.
I put a hand over my hat to keep Rarity and Twilight from tugging on my hair any further. “Rarity, please shut it! You’re going to be fine!”
I increase my pace as much as I can to reach the bus as it is just starting to pull pass the stop. Oh come on, don’t pull away! I don’t want to have to walk all the way towards the market; that would take forever for me to do.
And then, of course, I trip. I don’t know whether it was because of a stray rock on the sidewalk, a simple slip on the concrete or what. But before I can say “face, meet concrete,” I hit the ground. Hard. I am surprised that I didn’t break my nose from the impact.
“G-d damn that hurt!” I shout, moving my hand over my face, checking for any and all manner of cuts or scrapes. And, what a shock, there are a few there.
I also notice as I move my hand over my face that I no longer have my hat. Once my hands go over my scalp, I also feel no tiny ponies either.
Quickly I scan the ground and find them inside my now upside-down hat. From what I can tell from their faces, if this was the cartoon they would both have little birds flying about their heads. Though as I think on it, I probably would as well.
“Ugh, are you two alright?” I inquire as I pick up the hat with the two dizzy ponies.
“Uh, yeah, I think so. But I-oh! Micah, are you ok?” Twilight says with a slight gasp, covering her hoof with her mouth as her eyes widen.
“Do I look alright? From what I can tell I got quite a few scrapes from that fall,” I declare as I rub my nose, wincing for a moment. This is the second time I got my nose banged up.
“Micah, maybe we should head back to the apartment. Fluttershy should take a look at you,” Rarity says as she tries to smooth out her mane, her eyes showing concern the same as Twilight.
“Maybe that would be a good idea. We aren’t too far away from-oh crap!”
Without wasting a moment’s more time, I pull the hat on with a short ‘whoa’ from Twilight and a shriek from Rarity.
“Micah, what’s going on?” Rarity asks.
“How did Leah happen to come down this part of the city two days in a row?”
I can see her black truck coming right towards us, and see her hand waving out the window. It is pretty odd that she has come here two days in a row. Good thing I noticed her when I did, otherwise she would have seen Twilight and Rarity.
Leah steps out of her truck with a smile, and strides towards me. “Hey Micah. How are--damn, did your face decide to pick a fight with the sidewalk?”
“Very funny. I was trying to catch the bus to go to Pike Place Market, but tripped. Got a little bit messed up,” I say, motioning to my face.
“Hm. Well I don’t see why you should have to walk back home because of that. I’ll drive you, and clean you up a bit,” Leah states as she grasps my hand and pulls me up.
“What? No, no you don’t have to do that. I think I would prefer to just walk home, thanks,” I nervously utter, and try to form a convincing smile.
“Oh come on, you want to get to the market, so I’ll get you to the market,” Leah declares as she drags me into her truck, shutting the door as I am pulled inside.
Well, this definitely isn’t how I originally planned for this day to go. First I trip and fall face-first onto the sidewalk, now I am in Leah’s truck. And to top it all off, I got two tiny talking technicolor equines in my hat.
“Now hold still, I’m going to put some disinfectant on the cuts. It’ll sting a bit,” Leah says as she pulls out a first-aid box from under her seat, and grins at me as she pulls out a ball of cotton and a vial of disinfectant. “You behave and you’ll get a lollipop.”
“Oy vey. Leah, I’m not a five-year-old, ok?”
“Come on, you know I’m joking with you, so stop complaining,” she says, and douses the cotton with seemingly much more disinfectant than needed.
“If you’re joking, you need a refresher course on being funny. I don’t recall me-OW!”
It’s odd how much that simple disinfectant hurts. Really, couldn’t someone invent a kind that doesn’t sting?
“You might not be a five-year-old, but you still react the same way kids do when they get this stuff put on their cuts,” Leah states while she dabs the cotton over all my cuts and scrapes.
“Ugh, be quiet. It stings alright? I think it’s normal to voice one's displeasure to pain.”
Thankfully Leah ceases her efforts, and tosses the bloody cotton ball to the floor of the truck. Soon her demeanor changes from that of a caretaker to lover, by means her lips forming a rather sultry grin.
“Well then, maybe I should give you a reason to voice pleasure,” Leah says as she places a hand under my chin.
My eyes widen immediately from her being so forward. I mean, it’s not like I don’t mind this at all. I am a guy, but still. We haven’t done anything of this sort in a car for quite a while.
“Now? Here? Leah, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Anyone could see us,” I say, scooting away a bit from her.
“Don’t worry so much. If anybody comes by we’ll stop. Besides, I’m not planning to totally strip you. I just want to have a little fun,” Leah declares as she slides her hand down from my chin towards my chest.
“Well, um, while that is certainly tempting, and I would not mind doing so at your place or mine, right now I would very much prefer if we could just go to the market. I really, really would.”
“Seriously? You’re not joking? How hard exactly did you hit your head?” Leah inquires as she brushes a bit of loose hair behind my ear.
“Not joking. Now, if you still are interested, I would love to meet up with you later in the week. Would that work for you?” I ask Leah, and gently grasp her hand and place it away from my chest.
“Hm. I think that could work quite nicely,” Leah says as she keeps up the same grin, looking me over as she starts up her truck.
“Glad you think so,” I utter, relieved that she dropped the subject.
Most days if she ever wanted to get passionate I would eagerly join her, but with Twilight and Rarity right on top of my head? Hell no. I am not about to ever let those ponies see that. I can only imagine what questions Twilight would have afterwards; and that’s if my hat somehow managed to stay on during that, which I really doubt would happen.
The drive to the market street area is mostly uneventful, filled with nothing but small talk along the way. Work, family, what we have been doing in our spare time, the usual. I try though to keep all of our conversation short and simple, just wanting to get to the market as soon as I possibly can.
Leah parks the car once we reach the market, and reaches over to open my door. “I hope that you have a nice time at the market. And I look forward to later this week.”
I send a smile her way and lean towards her, planting a kiss on her cheek. “I do too. And in return for putting up with me, I’m willing to do anything you want when we meet.”
“You better. Now go and enjoy the market.”
“Will do love,” I say as I step outside.
As Leah drives off, I look about the market. It doesn’t look like all that much from the street, though once someone walks inside it is obvious how large it truly is. With multiple floors and so much space I am not surprised they were able to fit in so many different stalls.
“Leah seems to be very eager to mate with you, Micah. Is such a libido normal for your species?”
Sighing, I walk towards the market. “I can’t answer that as I don’t know enough to speak of my entire species. Sure there would be some who have less of a libido, though there would probably be others who have even higher ones.”
Rarity speaks up next. “Well you certainly did choose a decent mare. She looks quite lovely. Her hair is amazing, long and black as it is. Oh what I would give to style human hair such as that!”
I continue to make my way towards the market entrance. “Well, if by some miracle my scalp sprouts a lot more hair before you go you may practice on me.”
“Why thank you Micah. I do hope that eventually you-what in Celestia is that?!”
As soon as she shouts, I already have a hunch why. Looking towards the fish market area, my hunch is confirmed. The workers there are already selling their goods. However, the way they handle the fish with themselves and customers is different compared to most places I have gone to. Most stores or stalls gently hand the fish to each other. Not the case here.
Less than a second after I hear those words I see a flying sockeye salmon soaring through the air. It leaves the hands of one employee and lands perfectly in the waiting hands of another who quickly wraps it, then hands it to a customer.
“They seem to be enjoying themselves. Do they always work like that?”
“Every single time I have been here they have. They are kind of a tourist attraction for the city. One nickname for them is the ‘Flying Fish Market’. They have very fresh fish, always of good quality.”
Twilight responds with a distinct nervousness to her voice, “There is something else I am wondering Micah. How, well, exactly how much meat do you have in your diet?”
“Ah. Well, uh, don’t get upset with me please, but humans in my country at least eat a lot of meat. A little too much for our health, actually. I eat only kosher meat however, which limits my options quite a bit.”
Rarity speaks up next before Twilight has a chance. “Kosher? Micah, what does that mean?”
“Um, just some dietary laws that I keep to. It would be sort of hard to explain.”
There is no way in Sheol I am going to tell them about shechita. No way. I don’t want them to freak out about that. Wait, hold on a second.
“Why don’t you seem so upset about me eating meat? In your world a lot of animals we eat, like cows, chickens and such seem to be fairly intelligent, if not downright sentient like you.”
“Not all beings are herbivores. It isn’t like we should expect every creature we come across to eat like we do. I admit, if the animals you ate were as smart as we are, or as they are in Equestria I would be upset. But obviously things here are different. Just, please don’t try and feed us any meat.”
“You don’t need to worry about that Twilight. I promise you I won’t be doing that at all. You won’t be getting anywhere near meat while I’m aro-”
“Heads up!”
I quickly glance up, just in time to see a salmon soaring straight towards me. This could be a bit of a problem.
My hands fly up to try and catch the flying fish, and thankfully I am able to do just that. However, it being a fish, and a freshly caught one at that, it is rather slippery. Though I was able to catch it, the fish continued to slip about in my hands, the end result of that being it hitting me in the face, to the amusement of those around me.
I toss it back towards the stall from whence it came. “There are many reasons why I don’t much like fish. This is one of them.”
Not wanting to hear their laughter at my embarrassment, I quickly step away towards other parts of the market, specifically towards where I think I remember the clothes are at.
“Micah you absolutely must wash your hands before you touch me again. I don’t want any vulgar fish smell on my fur.”
“Well excuse me. It was either grab it with my hands or just let it fall onto my torso. I think getting my hands dirty is far more preferable, don’t you agree?”
“Well… Yes, you are right.”
I allow myself a smug grin as I step further into the market. The further down in my chosen direction I go, the stalls change from food to that of clothing, trinkets and carvings. Most stalls try and get my attention, however I do what I can to ignore them. I only want to spend money on a new hat. After that, I’m going back to my apartment.
“Micah, I think that it would be best for us not to stay here too long.”
I lower my voice a we walk further and further into the market, so as not to draw too many prying eyes. “Why is that Twilight? It’s just the market. I’ve been here many times before”.
“My spell has gotten some positive readings. We’re not in any great danger, I promise, though I believe it would be best if we get back.”
“We will Twilight. We will. Just let me get a new hat, and then we can go, ok?”
“Really Twilight, we can wait for a while longer. A chance to improve one’s fashion must never be denied! Micah deserves it!”
I smile at her statement as I continue walking. Rarity can be a little uppity and snobbish at times, but she’s a good mare. Certainly deserving to be the bearer of the Element of Generosity.
“Ok, ok. Just, don’t spend too much time out here please?”
“That, my friend, I can do.”
And it would seem we will be able to leave sooner rather than later. Without going too much further into the market I come across a rather well-stocked hat vendor. Said vendor has fedoras, bowler hats, ball caps, and many, many more.
“Now there must be something I can get for you here Micah. Maybe... Hm. What do you think?”
“You’re asking me that Rarity? I don’t have a clue about all of this. You’re the fashion expert.”
“Oh! Oh, there Micah! Get that one right there!”
“Rarity, we are under a hat. Unless he is psychic I don’t think he knows where your hoof is pointing.”
“Oh… Right. Sorry about that, Micah. Let’s see, how do I describe it to someone with no fashion sense…”
“Ok, let’s narrow it down this way. Is it one of the upper or lower racks?”
“Upper racks. Top most one to be precise.”
I scan the top rack, seeing still a dozen different types of hats. “Alright then, that narrows it down. What’s the color?”
“Brown. ‘Tis a rather unassuming, modest hat, not flashy at all. I do not think you would like a flashy sort of hat. Am I correct in thinking so?”
“Yes, you are,” I state as I grasp the only hat that fits that description. “Would this be the one you are speaking of?”
“Yes, that is the one. Do you like it? I think it would look rather dashing on you.”
“Yeah, I think it will work.”
The hat is a rather simple kind. I think it might be, what is it, an ascot cap? I think that’s what it’s called. Nothing fancy, as Rarity said, but it looks decent enough. If there weren’t any people around I would toss the hat I am wearing now into the garbage and replace it with this.
“Maybe if you go see that new movie you want to see so much, you could wear this. Or perhaps next time you go to the store. Or anytime you go out really. There is never a day when a pony shouldn’t look their best.”
“I think you mean, ‘when a human shouldn’t look their best’, Rarity,” I declare with a smirk.
“Of course, of course, right. Well, Twilight, we have a new hat. Are you sure we can’t stick around to maybe get Micah a few more things? Maybe a nice shirt?”
“I really think we should get going. I’ve got a lot of positive readings here, and I don’t want to stay here any longer.”
“Twilight, eventually you have got to tell me everything. You owe me that much.”
“I will, I promise. Eventually I will. You have my word.”Man, I'm surprised Micah took this humbly. This sounded like a thinly-veiled insult.
What's the co-she just said what the color was at the end of the last line!
Frick, sorry about that. Glad I got an editor now
How do I keep making these mistakes?
Mistakes are common when writing out an idea. In fact, they're expected.
Worry not, for I too make mistakes like this. They nag at me quite mercilessly too.
Working at a bakery can lead to many different experiences. Sometimes the work is simple, and you don’t have to do any fancy orders. Days like that are very enjoyable. It is still work of course, but I never feel rushed or stressed on those days.
But sadly this day was not one of those days. Today was the opposite. We had a ton of orders we had to make and get out fast. Cakes, doughnuts, muffins, all of it. And the boss was, well, he was a jerk. For the life of me I can’t imagine why the hell he has been such a pain lately. I haven’t been slacking off work or anything. He actually yanked off the new hat I found thanks to Rarity! I got it back later, but why the hell did he do that?
Well, at least I am back at the apartment now. And as I do not hear any shouting or sounds of frustration I think today everything should go smoothly.
“Hello everypony, I’m home,” I declare as I open the door, kicking my shoes off onto the floor.
I am immediately greeted by Skittles as she zooms straight towards me, smiling. “Hey there big guy!”
I wave at her as I make my way to the main room, taking off my sweater and letting it drop to the floor. “Hi Skittles. I really hope you didn’t get in trouble today, like having a hawk chase you, or making a mess, or any other possible thing such as that. Not in the mood to deal with that right now.”
Skittles sighs as I fall onto the couch. “No, Micah, nothing like that happened. What’s up with you? You look pretty tired.”
Placing my hands behind my head for a pillow, I look at Skittles. “Long day at work. My boss was surprisingly rude today. I don’t have a clue why he acted the way he did. And now that I am home, I want to relax and take it easy for the rest of the day. Maybe make myself a nice snack, watch a film, and go soak in a nice hot bath for a while.”
“That sounds boring,” Skittles says as she lands on my arm.
“Boring, maybe, but relaxing. And relaxation is something I desperately want right now. No drama, no driving anywhere, nothing.”
“Sounds good to me.”
My eyes move to the side, seeing Twilight walking towards me. “Hey there Twilight. How are you doing right now?”
“I’m good. And I think your idea of relaxing sounds good to me,” Twilight states, and makes her way up the couch.
“What do you need to relax for? I’m the one with a job. I’m the one who takes you ponies places, and I also have to deal with a boss who is becoming more of a pain in the tuchus every damn day it seems,” I say as I move from sitting to lying down on the couch.
Twilight walks over my leg onto my abdomen before stopping. “And I have to worry about our search. With all that I have to worry about I need to relax too.”
“Hm. Yeah, I suppose that makes sense. At least yesterday when you and Rarity were out and about with me you got some, what was it you said, ‘positive readings’?” I inquire as I raise a questioning eyebrow.
“Yeah, that’s right. That will definitely help us out. Though it’s still going to be pretty difficult,” Twilight says as she shuffles her hoof.
Skittles flies down to my abdomen, landing right next to Twilight. “We’ll do fine Twilight. Since you got me along there’s no way we’ll lose.”
I crack a smile at Skittles’ confidence. “It’s good to see you are so eager. While I don’t know if I can be of much help when you find who or whatever it is you are looking for, I am glad I can help you with this,” I say, pointing back at myself.
“You definitely have, and I am very glad for that. I’m also glad that your mate Leah never found out about us when she drove you to the market.”
“Aye. Though I am starting to think I should tell her eventually. She’s my girlfriend after all. And if events like what happened with you and Rarity yesterday, or with Applejack the day before that occur more often, she will probably find out.”
“Um, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Skittles says, a surprising hint of nervousness in her voice.
“I think we can trust one person with you six being here. She will probably freak at first but I think that-”
“No.”
Oy vey, of course Twilight had to interject.
“Twilight, come on. I know you are cautious, and I get that, but eventually she will find out.”
Twilight steps further up, moving towards my chest. “Eventually yes. But it would be best for us if she didn’t know until after we left.”
“And then she will think I’m insane and I won’t ever be able to convince her I am telling the truth.”
“Micah… We already have put much faith in you. And we are glad that you have helped us as much as you have. But we don’t want to risk anyone else knowing about us.”
“Twilight, really, think about this. I only wish to tell Leah. She is my girlfriend, and if she finds out that I kept this a secret from her, she is going to be pissed. I don’t want to have to deal with that.”
“Still I don’t think that you-”
“MRROOOW!”
I immediately dart off of the couch, grabbing Twilight so that she doesn't fall onto the ground. “What the hell?! I’ve never heard any of my cats do that!”
Skittles flies over towards the bedroom where the sound came from. “Are the two cats in a fight or something?”
“I don’t think so. Bonnie and Clyde have never fought before,” I state, walking towards my room, carrying Twilight.
“Micah!”
I raise an eyebrow in both surprise and confusion. “Was… was that Fluttershy? Yelling?”
Fluttershy flies straight towards me, her eyes showing great worry. “Micah! You said your brother is a vet, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right. Works on a lot of animals. Is something wrong with Bonnie or Clyde? What is it?”
“The kittens! Her kittens are coming!”
My eyes widen immediately from those words. “W-what d-did you say?”
“The kittens are coming! Bonnie is in labor!” Fluttershy states, her wings flapping harder as she seems to get more nervous.
I place my hand on my forehead, surprised and not sure exactly what to do. “W-well, you can h-help her, right? You live w-with animals!” I say, hoping and praying she can.
“I… I can’t do much at this size. And she doesn’t look so good right now. Please, you need to get your brother here!”
I quickly pull my phone out of my pocket, searching for Solomon on my speed dial. “R-right, I-I can call him. He will get here soon.”
“Please, hurry!”
Placing Twilight down on the couch as the three ponies look at me, I dial Solomon’s number. “Come on man, pick up the phone!”
“I hope that your brother will get here soon Micah. The poor creature didn’t look so good.”
I turn to see who spoke while keeping my ear to the phone, and see Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie Pie coming out of the bedroom. At least this is one instance I can understand them going in there without my permission.
“But she’s j-just having kittens.”
“She still don’t look good Micah. Do ya think your brother will get here soon?”
“I won’t know until I actually talk to him,” I say, and continue to hear nothing more than the phone ringing, with no voice of my brother being heard for a time.
Until, thankfully, I hear the ‘click’ that one hears upon a person answering the phone.
“Hey Micah, what’s up?”
“Solomon! Oh baruch Hashem, thank you for picking up the phone. You remember my cat Bonnie, right?”
“The cat with so much of a belly it actually jiggles as she walks? Micah, she’s a little hard to forget.”
“Well I’m glad you remember her, because she is having her babies right now. Get your tuchus over here.”
“OH! Understood, I’ll be right over there, don’t you worry,” I hear Solomon say, and before I have the chance to say anything else he hangs up the phone.
“Will he be here soon?” Fluttershy inquires, her ears flat against her head in worry.
“I hope so. I think that he will be here quickly. I just hope that traffic won’t be too bad. If it is he will take a while longer to get here.”
Twilight quickly speaks up before anypony else has a chance to do so. “Micah, please don’t tell him anything abou-”
“Oh for G-d’s sake Twilight, just stop it! I am not going to tell him, alright? I just wish to tell my girlfriend about this eventually. I don’t get why you are so against me telling one person,” I say, facepalming in annoyance.
Twilight’s eyes narrow as she glares at me. “I am looking out for my friends! This place is dangerous!”
“You can look out for your friends without being a pain in the ass! It’s not that hard!”
Twilight’s eyes widen in what I think is shock. Probably from the fact that while I have gotten annoyed with her and the others I have never actually spoken to Twilight with such language or anger. Though she sure as hell deserves it right now.
However her eyes soon narrow again. “You just don’t get it. We can’t let anyone know about us. You remember that show you showed us? If anyone else finds out about us, we will probably be turned into celebrities here. That’s something that we really, really don’t need.”
“You seriously think that will happen from just one person finding out about this?! I don’t want to keep lying to my girlfriend! Why don’t you understand that?!”
“Alright now you two, that’s enough!” Applejack says, quickly moving in front of Twilight. “Come on Twi, let’s go.”
“And that’s enough out of you now Micah,” Rarity says as she walks towards me. “There is no need for you to use such vulgar language.”
“I’m not done yet Rarity, I’m not-”
“You’re done right now Micah. AJ, you take Twilight with you. Rarity and I’ll talk to Micah,” Skittles says as she folds her front legs over her chest.
Twilight seems to be just as annoyed by this as I am. “But Rainbow, he-”
“Come on now Twi, let’s go. Ah think you need a talkin’ to,” Applejack states, pushing Twilight away out of the main room.
I can’t help but allow myself a slight smirk at Twilight being shooed away. “Good. Maybe you can get some sense into her.”
“She is not the only one who needs a talking to, Micah. You need one yourself, so sit down,” Rarity says as she points her hoof at the couch.
“You’ve got to be kidding me Rarity. I’m in the right here, not Twilight. She won’t let me tell one single person about you mares!”
“Because it would be stupid to let anypony else know!” Twilight shouts as Applejack hurries her along down the hall, Pinkie Pie now helping Applejack.
“Don’t be so mean Twilight. Mikey Wikey’s just a bit upset,” Pinkie states as she prances on, holding Twilight’s mane with a hoof as they disappear down the hall.
Fluttershy however doesn’t go with Twilight, nor does she stay with Rarity, Skittles and myself. “Um… I-I think I’ll go stay with Bonnie until your brother gets here,” Fluttershy says as she heads back into my bedroom.
Well this day has definitely not gone as I hoped it would. First I had to deal with crap at work, my cat is having trouble giving birth, and now Twilight is being a pain in the ass.
“Micah, please sit. We need to talk,” Rarity says, her hoof pointing towards the couch.
Sighing, I lay down on the couch. “Talk away, I’m not apologizing. Twilight deserved every word of what I said.”
“I wouldn’t say that Micah,” Rarity states, and jumps up onto the couch and walks onto my abdomen.
Skittles soon joins Rarity, landing right next to her. “Twilight may have gone a bit overboard, but so did you.”
“Oh really? I don’t think so. Twilight doesn’t get it. Maybe if she would realize how annoying this all is she would get why I am upset with her.”
“I believe that Applejack and Pinkie Pie will help her understand, though Rainbow Dash is right. You still went overboard dear,” Rarity says.
“No I did not. I was in the right,” I say, getting annoyed more and more with this. I wonder though what Applejack is saying to Twilight.
(In the bathroom with Twilight, Applejack and Pinkie Pie)
“Twi, you gotta calm down. Micah’s right to be upset.”
“But he doesn’t understand! It’s too dangerous for anyone to know! I only told him what we are doing is dangerous because that was all I could tell him!” Twilight declares, stamping her hoof in frustration.
“Twilight you don’t need to be so loud. Unless you want me to bring Micah here! Want me to go get him Applejack?” Pinkie Pie asks as she hops near the bathroom door, where they are speaking privately.
Applejack sighs, and facehoofs. “No Pinkie Pie, this is somethin’ that only we should hear right now.”
“What is it then Applejack? I see no reason to tell Micah anything, or be fine with him telling his girlfriend,” Twilight says with an annoyed sigh.
Applejack speaks with a hint of curiosity. “Twi, have you ever had a special somepony?”
Twilight raises an eyebrow before responding. “Not that it’s any of your business, but, no. I, um, I haven’t had a special somepony. I’ve never met the right stallion.”
“Well that explains a lot. Do you know one of the most important bits of having a special somepony?” Applejack asks.
“No. But I think you’re going to tell me, aren’t you?” Twilight inquires as she sits, presuming this might take a while.
“Darn tootin’ Twilight. One of the biggest parts of having a special somepony, is that you don’t keep big secrets like this from each other. It never ends well,” Applejack states, shaking her head.
Twilight leans in closer to Applejack. “So Micah and Leah can speak to one another about it when we are gone!”
“Twi, if he does then his mare will think he’s crazy as you were the day you thought the princess was gonna send ya back to magic kindergarten.”
Twilights ears flatten, her eyes looking away from Applejack. “That… That was not something I’m proud of.”
“Ah get that. And I ain’t saying Micah should have used such foul words with ya. But you need to see where he’s comin’ from. Ah can tell that he loves his mare. And Ah don’t think ya wanna risk ruining that for him.”
“Oh! Applejack are you saying that Twilight is Micah’s special somepony?!” Pinkie Pie asks with her wide toothy grin.
“What?! No, no I’m not his special somepony! I don’t have anypony I like like that!” Twilight states adamantly, backing away from her a bit.
Applejack sighs, face-hoofing once more. “Pinkie Pie, Ah was talkin’ ‘bout his mare Leah, the one that brought us here in the first place? Ya remember her?”
“Ooooh. I remember now, yeah! She has really long black hair and Micah thinks she is very very pretty!”
Applejack rolls her eyes before looking back at Twilight. “Anyway, Twi, do ya get it? If Micah keeps us a secret the entire time we’re here, it ain’t gonna end well for him. His mare might even leave him,” Applejack says as she takes a step closer to Twilight.
“I don’t mean for his mare to leave him. I just… Applejack, you know why it’s so dangerous for anyone to know about us. I don’t know if we can risk it.”
“One single human? Ah think that is one risk we can take. Maybe you can tell him he can tell her, but just wait till the right moment,” Applejack says, and places a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder.
“Well… You may be right. At some point I suppose he could tell her. Though I have a question for you Applejack. The way you were talking, it sounds like you got that knowledge from personal experience,” Twilight states as she raises an eyebrow questioningly.
“Ugh, Twi, it’s common sense. It’s just somethin’ Ah know. You may be book smart but ya don’t know much else do ya?” Applejack inquires with a slightly smug grin.
“I know plenty, Applejack. But I admit I didn’t know about how that would affect Micah. I’ll go talk to him, and apologize.”
“If you think I went overboard, please, explain to me how I did so. Really, go ahead,” I say, gesturing towards Rarity and Skittles.
“Micah, darling, answer this. Have you ever had to lead a group of six in a world you have never been to before?”
I place my hands behind my head as a makeshift pillow, as I think this might take a while. “No, Rarity, I haven’t. I thought that was rather obvious. A fellow like me would never do that. It is sort of out of my league.”
“Then you do not understand what it is that Twilight has to do here. She has a lot on her mind,” Rarity says as she motions to her forehead.
I raise an eyebrow questioningly, and say, “And that gives her an excuse to be a pain in the-”
“Micah please, stop using such language. It is not right for a gentlecolt such as yourself,” Rarity says, shaking her head in what looks like dissapointment.
Skittles speaks up before I have the chance to say anything more to Rarity. “He can say what he wants, Rarity. Lay off a bit.”
I allow myself a smug grin. “Thanks Skittles, I’m glad that-”
“But I’m gonna say what I want too. You shouldn’t have gone off at Twilight that much.”
“Seriously Skittles, you too? Listen, I think that she can take what I said,” I say as I fold my arms over my chest.
“It doesn’t matter whether she can take it or not, Micah. Regardless of whether she can or not, that doesn’t mean she deserved it,” Rarity says, climbing over my arms onto my chest.
Skittles flies and lands next to Rarity. “Rarity’s right. And I don’t think she was excusing Twilight’s behavior, right Rarity?”
“That’s right Rainbow Dash. Twilight also was in the wrong. But, back to what I was trying to say earlier, you do not understand all that Twilight has to do.”
I allow myself what I believe is a much permitted sigh of frustration from this. “Ugh, fine then. What is it that she has to do, since you are so intent on telling me?”
“Twilight has to manage our safety. You know she’s in charge, and as such she is worried about our well-being. At the exact same time she has to also seek out the threat we are pursuing. Don’t you think that affords her a little bit of an excuse for stress?”
I sit up on the couch, placing my hands under Skittles and Rarity as I do so they don’t fall. “I don’t deny that. I just… It is really, really annoying how I can’t tell even my girlfriend about this. I at first didn’t think I would tell her, but now I don’t think I can hide this from Leah.”
Rarity smiles up at me slightly. “I understand. And Twilight will in time as well. Just give her some time to not be as worried. I promise, eventually she will come around.”
“I really hope that you’re right Rarity. I don’t want to have to keep this a secret much longer,” I state as I get off of the couch, now standing up. I also notice Skittles looking back.
Skittles raises a hoof towards the hallway. “Why dontcha go and ask Twilight now?”
I move my gaze to where Skittles is pointing, and see Twilight, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie all walking back towards us. At first I was worried that Twilight might be upset or angry, but actually there doesn’t seem to be a trace of anger upon her face. I can definitely say I wasn’t expecting that. Whatever Applejack and Pinkie Pie said must have worked well.
I place Rarity and Skittles onto the couch before walking towards Twilight, and sit in front of her. Twilight shuffles her hoof for a moment before being prodded gently by Applejack.
“Micah, I’m… I’m sorry. I did not think about how keeping us a secret could possibly affect you and your mare. I wouldn’t want you to lose your relationship with her because of us, and I am very sorry for that,” Twilight says, not meeting my eyes with hers.
My eyes widen as I definitely wasn’t expecting that. “You are? Truly? You’re not joking or anything?”
“Truly. I just didn’t want anything to go wrong. I didn’t realize that having to keep a secret like us from your mare was so difficult for you, but thanks to Applejack I do now. And should you decide to tell her about us while we’re here, I understand,” Twilight softly states, and looks up at me.
I glance back at Rarity and Skittles. Rarity makes a ‘go on’ sort of motion with her hoof, as does Skittles, before she flies over towards me and perches on my shoulder.
“And, I also want to say sorry Twilight. I didn’t think about what exactly you are going through, and it was rather immature of me to swear at you as I did. So I apologize for that. Had I thought more about that I wouldn’t have gone at you so harshly,” I declare as I absentmindedly twirl my hair.
Twilight smiles slightly before speaking again. “Thank you. I suppose we both messed up, didn’t we?”
“Heh, I think you are right. I think we should have spent more time talking and less time shouting at each other,” I say with a smile.
“Definitely. I don’t plan on acting like that ne-”
“Micah! Micah come in here!”
I get to my feet at once upon hearing Fluttershy’s voice. Without wasting a single second I move as fast as I can towards the bedroom. Oh please please G-d don’t let anything be wrong with Bonnie. I’ve had her and Clyde for too long, I don’t want either of them hurt. As I rush inside my room, I worry what will be there.
And what is here, is utterly adorable.
“Bonnie’s really tired right now. But she did a really good job,” Fluttershy says as she rubs Bonnie’s head with her hoof.
It’s rather hard to focus on what Fluttershy is saying. I am too focused on Bonnie. Or, rather, Bonnie and six of the most adorable kittens I have ever seen. One kitten is totally black, like Bonnie. Two of them are striped with a mix of black and white, and two more are mostly black but with random white blotches on their bellies and faces. The last one is also mostly black, save for one single white paw. All six of them however are so tiny.
Pinkie Pie quickly jumps right next to Bonnie and the kittens. “Oh! They’re so cute! Happy birthday kitties!”
Pinkie Pie somehow pulls confetti from somewhere in her mane, tossing it up into the air in celebration before leaning right in front of the single black kitten which is wandering about along Bonnie’s belly. “I wonder what your name’s going to be!”
“I… I don’t know what their names should be, but right now I don’t care. These little guys are just adorable,” I say, smiling from ear to ear as I gently pick up one of the kittens, the one with the single white paw who immediately starts mewing ever so quietly in my grasp.
“Oh now now, it’s ok, it’s ok, don’t cry,” I say very softly as I gently move a finger over its little head.
“Oh my stars, the little things are so cute,” I hear Rarity state as she and the others join Pinkie Pie in looking at the newborn kittens. “Though, Fluttershy, why are their eyes closed?”
“All newborn kittens are like that. Their eyes don’t open for a while,” Fluttershy says softly. “Their ears are also stuck shut for a little bit too.”
I place the kitten in my hands back with the others and its mother. “Regardless of that, they are still adorable. I think baby animals are always adorable.”
As all the ponies start checking on the kittens, I see Skittles trying to nonchalantly get closer to one of the black and white striped kittens that has wandered off on its own a little away from the rest of the litter. I notice her looking around, as if to make sure nopony else is looking at her, before she smiles and whispers towards the kitten.
“I know you can’t hear me, but I bet that you’re going to be the coolest. You’re already super brave, going off on your own like this. But don’t tell anypony I said that,” Skittles says and rubs the kittens nose with hers for a split second.
Heh, it looks like nobody, pony or human can resist the adorableness that all baby animals have. Not even the great and powerful Skittles.
“I am glad I was able to help her so much. I was really worried about her,” Fluttershy states.
“Well, I am not that surprised. After all, you are great with all sorts of animals. Though just to be safe I will still hand her, the kittens, and Clyde over to my brother. Better safe than sorry, even though they all look healthy,” I say.
“Hang on, where is Clyde anyway?” Twilight questions.
I do not have to answer however as said cat slowly saunters into the room, but not before letting out a yawn. I guess he must have been in another room sleeping the entire time.
Clyde walks towards Bonnie, and leans his head towards the kittens. He gives each of them a sniff and a short lick before looking at Bonnie, who he tries to lick as well. Though, she does not let him. When he gets closer, her ears flatten against her head, and she growls. The last thing she does however surprises me the most.
She rears back, and slaps him across the face with her paw loud enough I would swear it makes an audible ‘slap’ sound.
I don’t know if cats can look surprised, but if they can, Clyde does right now. He shuffles back, tail between his legs as he meows in what I swear is a confused tone.
I allow myself a laugh at the rather amusing sight. “Fluttershy, I don’t know cat language, but I think Bonnie just said either, ‘Where have you been?!’ or, ‘Look at what you put me through!’”
“Honestly Micah… I don’t think you’re that far off.”
Thankfully all of the kittens are doing well, last I heard from Solomon. Each and every one of them is healthy, and Bonnie is doing quite well also. Clyde of course is good as well, the lazy slob. And of course, as Solomon is my brother, he won’t charge me a penny for looking after the little creatures. That is a major benefit of having a veterinarian as a brother.
Along with that I am extremely glad that Twilight and I were able to ease the tension between us. Though it would be far better if the apology wasn’t interrupted by Fluttershy. Sure, we got the basic ‘sorry’ out of the way, but still.
I would like to think of something that I could do for her. Something that she would really enjoy that she wouldn’t be able to do in Equestria. And as I think of that I notice that there isn’t all that much she can do in Equestria that she can’t do here. I mean, yeah, she won’t have the technology here in Equestria, but there should be something else that she would love.
Maybe one of the other ponies would have an idea.
I leave the bedroom to look for them. They should have some manner of an idea for what Twilight would like to do. And shortly I see five of the ponies. Twilight is not amongst them, as she has gone back to my collection of books.
“Hey there ladies. What are you talking about?” I inquire, sitting down next to them.
“Howdy Micah. We’re talkin’ ‘bout the kittens. They were some of the prettiest little things Ah’ve ever seen,” Applejack states with a smile.
All of the ponies echo murmurs of agreement, and all smile just as Applejack does.
“Do you think we can see the little babies before we leave Micah?” Fluttershy asks, flying up to my eye level with a hopeful smile.
“I don’t see why not. And when you do you will probably be able to see all the other animals, which I bet you will definitely like. But before I forget I have a question for all of you,” I state as I look towards Twilight, still reading.
“What would that be dear?” Rarity asks, before following my gaze towards Twilight. “Would it by chance concern Twilight?”
“Yep. I’m trying to think of a way to apologize to her. I want to do something for her that she won’t be able to do back in Equestria. Do you have any ideas for that? Any at all?”
“You and I can bake her a delicious super duper yummy cake! Wanna do that?” Pinkie Pie asks as she somehow jumps from the floor up to my shoulder in nearly the blink of an eye.
“Um… No thank you, Pinkie. I want to do something else for her,” I say, and gently place Pinkie back on the ground with the others.
“She is a major egghead. Maybe you can take her to a library? You have those here, right?” Skittles asks, flying up towards me.
“Yeah, we have those. But she has libraries in Equestria, and has read plenty of my books already,” I state, pondering my options.
Applejack speaks up next. “Do ya’ll got any museums ‘round these parts?”
Lightbulb!
I quickly grab Applejack, bringing her up to eye level. “Applejack, that’s a perfect idea! I know just the one to take her to! It’s not too expensive, nor is it too far away! It will be perfect!”
“Whoa now, steady there pardner, take it easy,” Applejack says as she steadies herself. “Ah don’t want you to go and drop me from bein’ all excited.”
I calm myself, and place Applejack back down carefully. “Sorry, sorry. That was just an awesome idea. I know she will love it.”
“Who will love what?”
I look at Twilight, and see that she has left her reading, and has walked over to us. “What are you talking about?”
I smile a very wide smile, and say, “Well, Twilight, how does going to a human museum sound to you? Would you like that?”
Twilight’s jaw instantly drops. “A-a human museum? An actual human museum? Really?”
“Heh, yes Twilight. An actual human museum. The one I have in mind isn’t as grand as some of them, but I think that you would probably enjoy it. So would you like to go?”
Twilight begins prancing about in circles, a very happy smile on her face which definitely gives me my answer. “Yes! Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes!”
Applejack and I laugh at the sight, which gets Twilight to stop. A visible red blush appears on her cheeks as she looks slightly embarrassed.
Twilight sheepishly grins. “Um… Yes, please.”
“Alright then. It will take at least an hour, maybe more to get there. I’ll go get ready right now,” I state as I get up to get some cash and my shoes.
Pinkie jumps onto my leg as I get up and grabs my pants, looking up at me wide eyed. “Can I come with you? I bet it will be super duper fun!”
“Pinkie Pie, I don’t think you’d like it that much. It is a museum. It would probably be pretty boring for you,” I state as I pry her from my pants, causing her then to cling to my hand.
“But I want to go outside! Please! I wanna go with you!” Pinkie Pie begs, pouting.
“Well… Twilight, what do you think? Should I let her come with, or should it just be you and I? Your choice,” I say, looking to Twilight as I try to pry Pinkie off of my hand.
“Of course she can come! Everypony can come with us! Oh, maybe I should bring a pencil and some paper! Do you think I should take notes? Could you maybe take notes for me? No, no I always prefer to do it myself. Will we have enough time to see all that is inside?”
Twilight continues to list off any and all concerns I think anybody could have. I, meanwhile, look at the other five ponies.
“Well, you want to come along? Twilight is obviously fine with it so I see no reason for you all not to come along,” I ask them all.
“I think it would be a lovely outing. I will gladly go with you both,” Rarity says.
“I’m definitely going! Thanks Mikey Wikey!” Pinkie Pie ecstatically states, hugging my hand tightly.
“I-I don’t know, but, since you are all going, I guess I’ll come along too,” Fluttershy says with a slight smile.
“Ah don’t see no reason why not. Sure, Ah’ll come along with ya,” Applejack follows up, nodding.
“I don’t know. A museum sounds boring to me. I don’t think that’s my thing,” Skittles says. “I’m not sure if I want to go.”
“Are you sure about that Skittles? You’d be stuck here by yourself, that’d be pretty boring as well,” I state as I move to grab my shoes, Pinkie Pie still happily clinging to my hand.
“I know. But a museum? A bunch of old stuff that is just there to look at and nothing else? Boring.”
“What if I told you we had flying machines of our own there that you can look at? They don’t exactly work now of course, but they are still interesting to look at,” I say, suggesting pretty much the only thing that she might be interested in there.
That seems to catch Skittles’ attention, as she flies up to my shoulder. “You’re not lying, are you?”
“No Skittles, I’m not lying. I would never do that with Applejack nearby,” I say, glancing at said pony who has gone back to conversing with the others.
“Well… Alright, I’ll come with ya. It better not be too boring though!” Skittles says with a smile, flying off of my shoulder.
“Good. Well everypony, get yourselves ready. The moment I get my shoes together, it’s off to the museum!”
“Here we are ladies. I hope the bus ride wasn’t too annoying for you,” I ask the mares, who are in a shoulder bag. It has enough space to hold them all, thankfully.
“Ugh! Micah, really, next time you must carry us in something more clean,” Rarity states in disgust as she pokes her head out of the bag.
“Hey, get back in there! We’re going to go inside and I don’t want you seen by whoever’s at the entrance!”
Rarity protests as I gently push her head back into the bag. “Oh, so much dust and lint in here!”
I allow myself a chuckle as I go into the entrance of the museum. It isn’t anything great or magnificent compared to many others in the state, but it has history, which is something I enjoy greatly. Prices are fairly decent as well, which is definitely a bonus.
“Hello sir. Just yourself I take it?” the ticket handler asks me as I approach.
“Yep. Just me.”
I give the required amount of cash, and I quickly step through. Thankfully this place doesn’t require you to leave your bags at the front or out of the museum entirely. It would be hard to bring the mares in otherwise.
Twilight pops her head out of the bag, as does everypony else. The first thing they see is of course that which everybody else sees when they first enter.
“‘In those days when the earth was young, trees were scarce; the land at large was open and easy to go over; there was no moon, no sun and the people lived in a kind of perpetual twilight. They mingled with the animals; birds, beasts and men having a common tongue’. I presume that this is a part of a tale of your people?” Twilight asks, after reading off the entire sign.
“Not my people really, but that of the first people here, aye. Native Americans, as they are called today. However that is a broad term for quite a varied people, I admit. We have some artifacts and cultural items of theirs here,” I say, looking in the direction where they are.
Twilight grins wide enough to rival Pinkie Pie’s, and actually jumps out of the bag. Though I catch her before she gets away.
“Micah, you can let me go, really. I will be fine here!” Twilight adamantly states as she tries to squirm out of my hand.
“Twilight, I don’t want to risk you getting seen. There aren’t many people here today but I don’t want to risk it.”
“Yeah Twi, ya should calm yourself down a notch,” Applejack interjects as I place Twilight back in the bag.
“Sorry, sorry, I just, I want to see everything!” Twilight says, trying to get a good view while still being in the bag.
“I get that Twilight. Just try and calm down a little bit, ok? I will take you towards the exhibit,” I say, and start doing so immediately in hoping that Twilight won’t try to jump out again.
No sooner do we arrive at the exhibit does Twilight begin to examine everything in front of us. Everything from traditional masks, to tools, old daggers, and clothing, along with a life size recreation of an old Native American house is there.
“Well, Micah, they certainly dress far differently than you do. What material are those made of, pray tell?” Rarity inquires as she and the other ponies all look about the different artifacts around us.
“Um… To be blunt, the clothes here at least are made of deer skin. I know that sounds odd to you, and probably freaky, but please let me explain.”
All of the ponies look up at me, and at first I worry they will be rather upset, though Rarity speaks up first and surprises me.
“Micah you don’t need to be so worried. While I admit I wouldn’t ever wear something like that, I know that things are different here. You do remember when we were in the market and you mentioned that you ate meat, do you not?” Rarity asks.
“Good point. Though still, as I was saying, I will explain why. Back then they did not have stores like we do now. So they had to make the most with what resources they had. I got to say they definitely lived up to the saying, ‘waste not’.”
“They definitely sound like some hardy folk,” Applejack says. “Looks like they got themselves some farmin’ tools there.”
“Quite right Applejack. The first people here mostly fished, but some did farming as well,” I say to her, and glance down at Applejack and the other four ponies.
Wait. Four ponies? Oh no. No, she didn’t.
“Twilight! Where the hell did you go?!”
Thankfully it does not take me long to find Twilight. However she is right where I wish she wasn’t. She is just about to climb onto one of the mannequins.
“Very interesting. How long ago did the people of this culture live here?” Twilight asks as she looks up at one of the Native American mannequins.
“Well I believe they first lived here thousands of years ago however, very few live here now. Sadly for quite some time their culture has been in a decline,” I say as I pick her up, and place her back into the bag.
“Really? Well then, what happened to them?” Skittles asks.
“Let’s just say other humans came along after a while and things didn’t exactly go well,” I state, and move on towards another part of the museum.
“What happened though? They didn’t just disappear did they?” Twilight inquires as she is put back into the sack with the others.
“No. What happened was that while these people were here first, after a while others started to arrive. And the new arrivals decided they were the ones who should own the land, and through a mix of lies, disease and war they ended up taking almost all of the land they have,” I state as my eyes move over the mannequins and artifacts.
“Though they aren’t all gone. Things are pretty hard for them nowadays but they are still around. Like you said earlier Applejack, they are a hardy folk. These folk in particular are from-”
“Oh come on Micah, let’s move on! You said you have some flying machines to show us!” Skittles adamantly states as she flies out of the bag.
“Rainbow, I think we should stay here. I want to learn more about this culture,” Twilight states as she sends Skittles a glare.
“We can always just circle back. It’s not like we are in a big hurry after all. I think the plane chassis is in this direction,” I say, and move towards the more modern part of the museum, out of the Native American and early settlers exhibit.
“Oh, but I want to see more of this! Human culture is so interesting!”, Twilight whines, but says no more as we continue on.
Thankfully the layout of the museum is just as I remember it and I am able to arrive exactly where we need to be. This room is set up for the WW2 history of the state, mostly factories and such things. And also some other things I am definitely not proud of.
“Where is the flying machine? I don’t see it,” Skittles asks as she looks both left and right.
“Try looking up, Skittles,” I say with a grin as I point and look straight up.
“Whoa!”
A rather simple statement, though an understandable one. I had the exact same reaction when I saw the life-size recreation of a World War 2 plane. I don’t know exactly how large it is nor do I know what manner of plane exactly, but it is at least able to fit a crew of four.
“This thing can fly?” Skittles asks as she flies up towards the plane. “How can you make this big hunk of junk fly?”
“With powerful engines and propellers, and many other things I have no idea about as I am just a baker. This one is pretty old. Nowadays we have planes that can fly faster than the speed of sound.”
“You have a machine that can do that? How? I have never heard of any machine that could possibly go that fast!” Twilight says, seemingly amazed by this information.
“I thought only I could do that! Does it make a sonic rainboom when it goes that fast?” Skittles asks me as she flies back down to my eye level.
“This one doesn’t, though we have some that can. I wonder if they could go as fast as you. They also don’t have any rainbow behind them as they fly. However they definitely could take more of a punch than you could, them being made out of metal and all,” I say.
“Well anypony who wanted to mess me up would have to catch me first! And nopony ever will!” Skittles states with a smile, and to drive the point home she zooms about the room, becoming nothing more than a rainbow blur.
“If they did they would have to endure even more of your boasting,” I say softly so she does not hear.
“Micah, um, excuse me, but what’s that paper on the wall?” Fluttershy inquires as she points her hoof towards said paper.
“Oh… that. That is a news article of a rather awful bit of history here,” I say as I walk towards it, and begin to read it aloud.
“‘Attention all citizens and residents of Japanese racial origin; take notice that under Executive Order 9066 all persons of Japanese racial origin are to report for relocation immediately. The head of each family, or the individual in whose name most of the property and possessions is held, and each individual living alone, will report to the Civil Control Station to receive further instructions.’ The rest is mostly military and government jargon,” I say as I scroll my finger down the paper.
“I don’t understand. Did your government force people to leave their homes? Why would they do that?” Twilight asks me, her confusion clear from the look in her eyes alone.
“My government did do that, yes. During World War Two, a very horrible time, my country was at war with another nation, called Japan. Out of racism and fear and hysteria, my government decided that it was in the nation’s best interest to imprison those living in this nation who were Japanese. Even those who were American citizens, which the majority of those who were imprisoned were. In my opinion it is amongst the most shameful parts of our history.”
Though there are of course others. Near genocide of the natives who were here first, slavery, no real rights for women until the twentieth century, and even more. It always annoys me when people try to whitewash history. That is one of the worst things a person can do.
“Ah don’t understand. Why would anypony make someone lose their home? It just… It just ain’t right,” Applejack says, shaking her head in confusion.
“We humans have our faults. We have done great evil, no one can or should deny that. It mainly stems from our differences, be they a different nationality, ethnicity, religion, or even different genders. As long as folk are different it shall always continue. I do not see it ending anytime soon.”
“Micah, while I know you aren’t like that, are all human governments like that?” Twilight inquires, looking at the paper.
“Sadly a lot of them were like that until about a few centuries ago. Even back then they were not that great. At that point we started to not be as insane, and began to be fairer. Though in the last hundred years we have seen the greatest improvements. Religious freedom has increased, rights for women has grown, and in any decent country slavery has been outlawed for a long, long time. So we have been able to improve our governments, and ourselves. Even though it took quite a long time to do so.”
“So you have learned from the wrongs of the past to make yourselves a better future,” Twilight says. “Every society should do that.”
“Aye, that’s right. Thankfully, while we have a ways to go, we as a whole are quite willing to learn from our mistakes,” I say as I look down to Twilight and the other three ponies.
Three? Hold on… Skittles is still in the air, looking at the plane, and in my bag are Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack and Rarity.
“Damn it Pinkie Pie! Where are you now?!”
“I don’t know. She can be surprisingly sneaky when she wants to be,” Fluttershy says as she looks around for her.
“Choo choo! Let’s go!”
I quickly run towards the voice, up the stairs towards the second floor. “Oh no no no no don’t be where I think you are!”
“Where are you going Micah? Pinkie should be fine,” Skittles says as she easily keeps up with me as I continue to run up the stairs.
I reach the top of the stairs and run towards where I just know Pinkie Pie is located. “This is a museum, Skittles. I don’t want to risk Pinkie Pie messing up anything!”
“Oh hi there Mikey Wikey! I’ll be done in a while, don’t worry!”
Yeah. I was right. She found the model train station. It is a recreation of the old train station that used to be here. It existed for quite some time before it was eventually renovated into a courthouse. The model of it is the old station, the surrounding areas, and the train itself is actually large enough for Pinkie Pie to fit inside. Which she is, in the conductor’s compartment.
The train stops right in front of us, with Pinkie Pie leaning out the window, and (I can’t believe) she is wearing a rather bad-fitting conductors hat. “All aboard everypony! Let’s go on a ride! Two bits per pony!”
“Pinkie Pie, what are you doing? You can’t just mess with a museum exhibit like this,” I state with a sigh, and follow up with a facepalm.
Sadly Pinkie is not the only one that is interested in the train. “This is quite a very well done train set Micah,” Twilight says as she moves right next to Pinkie Pie, looking over the train.
“Twilight, please, get away from the train set. I don’t want to risk any damage to any part of the museum,” I state as I look down at my bag to see if anypony else decided to jump ship. Or bag, in this case. Though it would seem everypony has left.
“Well Ah’ll be, this train is the perfect size for us. Ah don’t got any bits Pinkie, but when we get back ya got my word Ah’ll pay,” Applejack says as she walks onto the train with a smile.
Everypony else walks onto the train, and surprisingly Skittles does so as well. I have to wonder at this point if there is any point in me trying to get them to stop. Most likely no matter what I say they will still do this.
Twilight peeks her head out of one of the train windows. “Micah? May I tell you something?”
“Ugh, yeah, Twilight, ask away. What is it?” I say with a sigh as I lean against the wall.
“I just wanted to say thanks for bringing us here. I love it, and I hope I will be able to see the whole thing,” Twilight asks with a hopeful grin.
“Well… Ah screw it, alright. But only as long as you do not get onto or try and ride any more exhibits,” I declare as I grin slightly.
Pinkie Pie quickly speaks up before anypony else has the chance to say anything. “Oh! Mikey Wikey! You want to ride with us?”
“Um, no thanks. While I appreciate the offer, I will pass. I don’t think I would be able to fit, nor would I want to be shrunk down so I would fit,” I state to Pinkie.
Twilight is the next to speak. “Why not? I don’t think it would be too hard.”
“I don’t know if you would be able to properly shrink me, along with my clothes. I know you might be able to, but I don’t want to risk that. I’m not about to let you have a chance, however small, to see me in all my naked glory,” I state, preferring to be blunt about that.
My statement apparently might have been a little to blunt, as everypony blushes slightly. I think I also might have spotted Applejack glancing at a… Certain area. Though of course she only did so for a second. First Rarity checked my tuchus, now Applejack takes a glance.
“Oh. Um, I, I understand Micah. Fair enough,” Twilight says as she looks away.
Skittles speaks up, quickly changing the subject. “It’s been a long time since we were in a train. We haven’t been in a train since-Mph!”
Rarity has her hoof shoved into Skittles’ mouth, and I can see from Rarity’s face how much she hates this. She pulls her hoof away as Skittles’ gets the message, and tries to vigorously wipe her hoof clean as she looks at me.
“My apologies, dear. It’s just… Not quite ready to tell you everything yet. We will though, I promise you,” Rarity states once she finishes cleaning off her hoof as best she can.
“Hopefully before I eventually tell Leah”, I state.
Twilight speaks up next. “Certainly. Though you are right, Rainbow. It has been a long time since we have been on a train like this. It hasn’t been since we were in Equestria. I do hope when we get back the library will be in good shape."
Twilight's eyes slowly begin to widen in some form of realization, until I swear they take up almost her entire face. "Oh no… the books must be in horrible shape! I will have to do so much work to get it all perfect again! And Spike, oh, I hope he’s alright!”
Pinkie Pie is the next pony to speak up, and surprisingly does not smile. “I miss Sugarcube Corner. I miss all the yummy goodies," Pinkie Pie states as she licks her lips, seemingly remembering. "But I also miss the Cakes. Do you think they miss me? I hope they do. When I get back I’m going to find Pound and Pumpkin Cake and cuddle with them and play with them all night!" Pinkie's eyes then widen to match Twilight's, as she states somewhat worriedly, "Oh, and I really hope they remember to take care of little Gummy too.”
Rarity joins in as soon as Pinkie finishes speaking. “As soon as I get back I will have so much work to do. My boutique will have such a backlog of orders! My creativity has been utterly stifled the entire time I have been here."
Her tone changes swiftly, and she tries to put up something of a smile, though her worry shows through. "I am just thankful that dear Sweetie Belle will have mother and father to look after her.”
Once Rarity ceases, Fluttershy is the next to speak in her typical quiet fashion. “Thankfully the animals are all able to look after themselves, if they have to. Or… Or at least most of them can."
Fluttershy suddenly gasps, her hooves covering her mouth in fear. "Oh my, the little babies, some of them are orphans! They can’t look after themselves!”
Fluttershy starts shaking slightly from worry, though she ceases doing so after Rarity embraces her. It is always adorable to see that sort of thing.
Applejack pats Fluttershy’s back with a hoof before she speaks with a slight grin. “Ah miss Sweet Apple Acres. Ah just know as soon as I get back there will be a lot of work to do."
Her grin however soon changes to a more somber expression. "Big Mac, tough as he is, can’t work the whole orchard all on his own. Granny Smith ain’t gonna help. Too hard for her. And lil Applebloom can’t work yet. Though it will be definitely worth havin’ so much to do to be able to see ‘em all again.”
Even Skittles’ seems to be a bit worried about things back in Equestria, though she does not seem to be as willing to show it. Not really a surprise. “I think everypony is going to be alright, but, I do hope I will be able to help when I get back. I haven't exactly gotten a lot of flying practice while I have been here."
Skittles' worry begins to show the most though, with her ears flattening against her head as she continues on. "But I do worry about Scootaloo. I hope she will be ok.”
It is not often that the six of them are like this. Having them all be worried like this is never fun. Not when they first saw the show, or now. Sure it is better they actually voice their concerns rather than keep them bottled up, but it doesn’t make the worry lessen. At least not by much.
Pinkie Pie seems to notice everypony being a little upset, and begins shouting in her typical jovial fashion. “Come on everypony! Let’s stop worrying and start moving!”
Without a word more, Pinkie Pie starts the train. “Bye bye Micah, see ya later!”
Rarity and Fluttershy actually fall back a bit from the sudden movement, and quickly they all start moving away down the track. They all look rather cute doing that.
It has been quite some time since we went to the museum. About a week and a half to be precise. Since then I have taken Twilight and the others out for Twilight to do her scanning, and to show them more of the city. However, I do not think she has found anything conclusive, as she does not seem to have any leads right now. Or none that she can act on at any rate.
Though for now I am not thinking about that. Today shall be a great day, and I won’t allow such thoughts to ruin it! And the fact my package has arrived makes it all the better. It almost makes me forget that after we head out today I will need to head to work.
I immediately open the newly arrived package, a wide grin covering my face. “It is here. Finally. At long last it is finally here! I have waited for it! I have been wanting it for so long, and now I have it! And it arrived on the perfect day!”
“What day would that be?”
“Why Twilight, the day I take you, the other ponies, and myself to see The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug!”
Fluttershy gasps, and I notice she actually begins to shake slightly. “You, you mean the film with the big, huge, fire breathing d-dragon? Micah, I d-don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
“Fluttershy, it’s ok. It is only a movie, it isn’t real. And if any time during the movie you wish to look away, you can, I promise,” I state with a friendly smile.
Skittles flies towards Fluttershy, placing a hoof comfortingly on her shoulder. “Don’t worry about it Fluttershy, it’ll be fine. Besides, you did go up against that huge dragon before, remember? You made it go away just by scolding it.”
As Fluttershy calms down a bit, Twilight is the next to speak with a smile. “I think that sounds like a wonderful idea. I would love to see a film such as that.”
“Good. Oh, by the way, you know your wizard in Equestria, Star Swirl the Bearded?” I ask her as I open the box, and grin from ear to ear upon seeing the contents that lay inside. Everything is as it should be.
Twilight raises an eyebrow before answering. “Yes. Everypony knows about him. He is one of the greatest wizards ever. Why do you ask?”
“Because I am going to dress up as my world’s most famous wizard who is even greater than Star Swirl,” I declare proudly as I head off to my room to change.
Twilight gasps, and tugs on my pant leg with her magic to get my attention. “What?! Now just hold on there Micah, Star Swirl the Bearded was one of the greatest magical minds in all of Equestria! Your wizard is just a fictional character! I’ll have you know that he-”
“Twilight, I was joking, alright?” I say as I place a finger over her lips. “I was just joking. I was just nerding out a little bit is all.”
Twilight grins sheepishly as she backs up. “Oh. Heh, sorry about that.”
“No problem. Oh, Rarity? Do me a favor, and don’t say anything about my costume when I come out. It isn’t made to look fancy,” I say to Rarity as I once again move towards the bedroom door.
Rarity smirks as she speaks, “I make no promises Micah. None at all.”
Smiling still, I head to my bedroom to put on the costume. “Well, at least cut down on the remarks, ok?”
I do not wait to hear a response and instead shut the door behind me. I don’t want to wait another second. Now that I finally have this outfit, I want to try it on. Oh boy oh boy, I feel like a little kid on Halloween! The package even came with the staff!
First I strip, not wanting to wear my regular clothes and this. I would be overheated in no time if I wore everything normally. Underwear stays on though of course, and a tank top as well. Other than that however I don’t need anything else. The costume will take care of the rest.
Alright, here are the leggings, time to slip those on. Thank G-d those fit well. I was a bit worried at first they wouldn’t. Now the first layer for my torso, a long thin tunic; that goes on nicely. Next is a slightly thicker tunic of the same grey color as the first one. You know, as I put more and more of this on, I realize I will be boiling in the theater.
Now the robe itself. It, like everything else, looks exactly as it did in the movie. This is definitely worth every single penny spent, no question. I am going to look awesome in this. Just as awesome as Gandalf is.
I turn to look at myself in the mirror, and I definitely approve of my look. Now I need my beard and wig and scarf and hat, and my costume is complete! I will be the perfect wizard!
After some time I am able to get the beard and wig on. My goodness this stuff is really itchy. Can’t wigs and fake beards be made with something that is a little more comfortable? Well, at least it won’t come off easily; that definitely helps.
Now, at last, the finishing touch, Gandalf’s scarf. A very small thing, but for any true Hobbit fan dressing up as Gandalf, you absolutely must have every single detail correct. And no honest Hobbit fan can forget the hat. And the hat is a perfect fit, as it should be.
And in the package lies the last thing that any true Gandalf costume needs: his staff. Just as long as it is in the film, and recreated perfectly. It even feels that it is made of sturdy materials, and it even has the little stone Gandalf uses for light in the film! Awesome!
“Micah, darling, can you please come out? You are taking quite some time, and I would like to see what you look like,” I hear Rarity state from behind the door.
I chuckle slightly as I take a last look at myself in the mirror. Hm, I wonder how many Hobbit or Lord of the Rings quotes I will be able to say.
With staff in hand, and one final glance in the mirror, I fling the door open and speak with my best wizard voice. “A wizard never takes too much time, my dear Rarity! He arrives precisely when he means to!”
Everypony looks at me, and each one does so with a shocked expression. Rarity however changes from shocked to purely analytical very quickly. I cannot say I am exactly surprised by that though. Whenever anything involving clothes occurs, she is a stickler for every detail.
“Hm. Rather plain looking. Just grey, grey and more grey. You should really spruce it up with some more color, and maybe make it more form-fitting as well. When you are covered up like that we cannot hope to show off your positive features. You look more like a homeless fellow than a wizard, I must say,” Rarity states as she circles me, taking in every detail of my outfit.
Quickly, I raise my staff and pound it back down onto the ground as I don a more angry expression. “Do not take me for a mere homeless man who lies upon the street! For I am Gandalf, and Gandalf means me!”
Everypony steps back as I speak, and for a moment Fluttershy looks slightly frightened. That was not what I was going for. I probably should have done something else.
“Um, sorry about that Fluttershy. Didn’t mean to scare you. I was just trying to get into character. I’m, well, a bit of a nerd about this,” I state as I sit down in front of her.
“It’s ok. I was just a little surprised is all. Your costume is rather nice though,” Fluttershy says as she flies up and around me, examining my costume.
I get back up to my feet, smiling from Fluttershy’s compliment. “Thanks Fluttershy. I have been waiting for this a long time. And now I finally have it. Ever since I saw the first movie, I just knew that I had to dress up as my favorite wizard for the next one. I had no choice.”
“Micah, you are such an egghead,” Skittles says as she perches on my staff. I don’t know how she does that so easily with no claws, but it is impressive.
“Bite me. So, Twilight, would you like to join me in seeing what is sure to be the cinematic highlight of this year?” I inquire of her with a wide grin.
Twilight’s grin easily matches my own, if not surpassing it. “Of course! It will also give me more time to do more scans while we watch the film. And please, Micah, don’t give us any spoilers about what might happen. I want us to be surprised.”
“I shan’t do that Twilight, you have my word. So, if everypony else is ready, we shall head to the theater to see The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug!”
Oh my goodness I am finally here. It is really happening, I am going to see the film. Finally I am here at the theater. My smile has only gotten bigger, if that is possible. As I have been waiting in line, some of the other customers have backed away from me a bit. Maybe it’s because I have been trying to see if there are any other Hobbit/LOTR nerds in line nonstop.
Though my happiness and excitement is cut down somewhat by the drone of the fellow at the ticket counter. “Good evening. What movie and how many tickets for the movie?”
While I wish I did not have to deal with a boring employee, there is one good thing about this. I now have a chance to do more Gandalf quotes, and I have the perfect one.
As I lean on my staff, I say, in my best old man voice possible, “What do you mean? Do you mean to wish me a good evening, or do you mean that it is a good evening whether I want it or not? Or perhaps you mean to say that you feel good on this particular evening. Or are you simply stating this is an evening to be good on?”
The young man stares at me blankly. The sort of stare that you only see amongst those who are stuck in a dead-end job and almost seem robotic in their mannerisms. I’m glad I never ended up like that in my time at the bakery.
“One ticket for The Hobbit it is. Enjoy your film, it starts in ten minutes,” the young man drones on as he prints out a ticket and hands it to me, after I give the required amount of cash.
I don’t bother saying ‘thank you’ as from what I can tell he most likely wouldn’t have even acknowledged me. Instead, I just walk into the theater, staff and ticket in hand.
“Micah, you have to let us out of here soon. It is way too hot in here. I don’t like being stuck on your head like this.”
“Now you know how Rarity and I felt when we were at the market, Rainbow Dash. Not the most comfortable thing, is it?”
“Ladies, please be quiet until we are actually in the room where they are playing the film. I don’t want anymore people staring at me than those who already are because of my costume,” I state quietly as I already see I am the only one in the theater right now who is wearing any sort of costume.
Thankfully the ponies all stay quiet as we walk through the lobby towards the spot where the film will be playing. I am very, very glad that Pinkie Pie can’t see everything around us. If she could see the sweets for sale she would probably go insane.
We arrive in the correct theater where the film will be shown. As expected, the room is all dark, but thanks to my staff I can still navigate with no difficulty.
“And he said, ‘Let there be light, and there was’.” With a push of a button on my staff, light pours forth from the top of it. So far it works just as it was advertised.
“Are we going to watch the film soon? It won’t take much longer will it?” Twilight asks as I use the light to help me find my way to a seat in the back where nobody will be around us.
Eventually I arrive at the seat and gladly sit down. Thankfully this one is next to an air conditioning unit. “It shan’t take much longer at all Twilight. Just do me a favor and don’t talk all the way through it, alright?” I request of her and the others as I take a look around to ensure nobody is here, and lift up my hat.
Everypony immediately jumps down. Twilight and Rarity each occupy a shoulder, and Fluttershy decides to curl up in my fake beard. Pinkie Pie decides that she would be the most comfortable on my arm, with Applejack right next to her. Skittles, like in my apartment, decides to use my staff as a perch.
I take a look at all of the ponies, glad to see them all smiling, even Fluttershy. I suppose she has calmed her nerves. That is definitely good, since now she can actually enjoy the movie.
With a wide smile, as the movie starts and I turn off the light, I declare quite gladly, “Rarity, Skittles, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Applejack, my friends. This will be a night to remember.”
This film has been well worth the wait. I have utterly adored every single moment of it. Even the pairing of Tauriel and Kili I like. I thought I would hate it but since they handled it well enough and the actors did a good enough job I actually love that pairing.
And thank G-d the ponies all love the film as well.
Applejack and Skittles enjoyed the action scenes the most. As far as I could tell they loved the barrel sequence the most. Can’t say that I disagree with how much they liked it; that sequence was amazing. The way it was put together was great, and it was wonderful to see Legolas back in action again.
Twilight, no surprise, likes Gandalf the most out of everyone. She was very intrigued by the way the film showed him using magic. While she says that Star Swirl is superior, she does understand why I think Gandalf is an amazing wizard, even though he is fictional.
Pinkie Pie, hell, I don’t know what she liked most. She seemed to enjoy every part of it equally. There were a few moments when we were watching it when I had to cover her mouth because she almost got everypony spotted.
Rarity mostly mentioned the different outfits she saw and which ones she liked and disliked the most. The basics of it were, ‘elven clothes good, Laketown bad’. But at least she enjoyed the film too.
I was the most worried about Fluttershy however. But, thankfully, she did not get as scared as I thought she might have been. Sure, she buried her face in my beard when Smaug first appeared, but at this point she no longer does. Though she does hold my fake beard tightly.
“This entire film has been amazing. I can’t believe we’re going to see the attack on Laketown by Smaug! I have been waiting my whole life to see that on the big screen!” I state ecstatically as I stare at the screen, seeing Bilbo Baggins now speaking.
“What have we done?”
And then… black screen.
Wait. What? No. No they did not. Peter Jackson you better not have done what I think you’ve done!
My jaw drops. Were this a cartoon it probably would have hit the floor. “They, they couldn’t have. There is no way, they wouldn’t do that!”
Skittles flies down in front of my eyes. “Micah, what gives? Why did it just end? Is the story over?”
I bury my face into my hands, not listening to Skittles one bit. “Peter Jackson you damn tease! I’ll have to wait until next year to see the attack on Laketown!”
“What? You mean there’s going to be more?” Twilight inquires as I feel her walk onto my lap.
“Yes. Next year there is going to be more. I just, I, why? I knew that it would be split up into three, but why did they have to split it up like this? It just sucks,” I say, and pull my face away from my hands. “Well, at least it was a great film. We better get going now though.”
The ponies all groan or sigh, though they do not protest. I gather them all under my hat like when I got in here and start walking out. I still can’t believe they ended it like that. I mean, yeah, it means we get a whole other film, but I have to wait an entire year for the next part with Smaug and Laketown! What the hell?!
Twilight speaks up next under my hat, bringing me out of my inner monologue. “Micah, you really shouldn’t be so upset. It is just a movie. Sure, it is annoying, but you can see the next part next year.”
“You don’t get it. I have been wanting to see these films for years. Ever since I read the book as a kid I wanted to see the entire book as a film, and now I can. And the part we didn’t see was the part I wanted to see the most! Now I will have to wait until next year to see that!”
Apparently I am speaking rather loudly as just about everyone in the theater is staring at me. Most days I would feel embarrassed, but not today. Nope. I think my frustration is rather justified.
“What? Have you never seen a man talk to himself before?” I ask everyone staring at me. Thankfully they all look away as my eyes meet theirs.
I think for now I will just get home. After I get back and change I will head off to work. I hope my boss won’t be such a pain once I arrive like he has been the last few weeks. I still don’t know what happened to him to make him such a jerk.
My thoughts however change the moment I step outside. It is cold enough now that I can see my breath when I breathe. It is a good thing that I got all these clothes on otherwise I would be extremely cold right now. The weather in this city can change in an instant. At least it isn’t freezing, but still. Some consistency would be pretty nice.
I hear Twilight speaking from under my hat as I continue walking through the cold air. “Micah, if it’s alright I think I will do some more scans while we are out.”
“Sure, I don’t see why not. Just let me know if we could be in danger, aright? I doubt we will be but still, it would be nice to know,” I state as we near a street corner.
Twilight speaks up as I assume she starts her magic. “Will do. Scanning now and-OH. I, I think it might be wise to hurry up Micah.”
One of my eyebrows raises curiously, surprised at the fast result as I arrive at the corner. “What? Your scan is positive? That was fast. You know that I would be far more willing to walk at a quicker pace if you told me what it is that you are--”
WHAM!
Note to self, don’t walk and talk any longer. It does not work well. Specifically, it ends with me walking headlong into someone and then falling flat on my tuchus. Not exactly an enjoyable experience.
Once I gather my senses I look at the young man I collided into. It looks like he got hit as badly as I did.
As I rub my head, feeling the already forming bump, I say, “Agh, sorry about that, I didn’t mean to--”
“Son of a bitch! Watch where you’re going you--what the hell?”
The eyes of the young fellow would give Pinkie Pie a run for her money. Though, that begs the question, why are his eyes bugging out like that?
Following his gaze, I see exactly why his eyes are like that. And I wish so much that this didn’t happen. My hat is laying on the ground, and right next to it are the ponies. Every single one of them, just as shocked as I am, and they are all looking straight at the young man.
‘Shit’s about to go down’ would be the understatement of the millenium.
Slowly I move my hand towards my staff. I hope I won’t have to hit this guy but I just might. “Okay, look, nobody needs to know about this, ok? Just... just turn around and walk away.”
He looks to me, and then to the ponies once more. For a moment I think that he might actually leave. Though that thought is fleeting. His eyes narrow and I can tell what he is going to do.
He’s actually going to try and take them.
With a surprising amount of speed he gets to his feet and lunges for the ponies before I have the chance to react. Everypony quickly tries and move out of the way, and most of them can, save for two.
Skittles flies after him while shouting, “He’s got Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie!”
As quick as I possibly can I scoop up Twilight, Rarity and Applejack and run after that bastard. If he thinks that he is going to get away with Fluttershy and Pinkie he is very, very mistaken.
Continuing to run as fast as I can, I shout at Twilight, “Twilight, can’t you use your magic?! I can only run so fast!”
Twilight responds, but not with words. As I glance down at her, her horn glows and a dark purple beam shoots out from her horn. Twilight’s aim is true as her magic hits the bastard right in the shoulder, burning a hole in his shirt. He stumbles which allows me to catch up somewhat, but he soon gets back up again.
I follow him as fast as I can as he turns down an alley. “How did he get back up so easily? He should have been dropped from that! Any normal person would!”
“He’s not a human Micah! Be careful!” Twilight shouts as I round the alley, and see him trying to climb a fence.
I have no idea at all what the hell she means by ‘not a human’, but I sure as hell am going to find out after all this. I’m not going to wait another moment. And she damn sure better not try and avoid it again.
As Skittles continues to try to get him to stop, Twilight fires off another blast of magic. The beam hits the young man, or whatever the hell he is, in the leg, causing him to drop and loosen his grip on Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy that both of them are able to run or fly towards me.
I place the ponies nearby, and move myself between the kidnapper and them as I slowly move towards him. “Who the hell are you and why did you try to kidnap my friends?!”
I can hear him groaning as he gets up, and see him rubbing his wounds. Once he gets to his feet, his eyes meet mine.
“I am serving my liege, as a good soldier is supposed to do,” he says as he continues to rub his wounds.
Before I have the chance to say a word Twilight speaks up, loudly and angrily. “Enough! Tell us where the others are! Now!”
Twilights words are, not surprisingly, ignored by… whatever this person really is. All he does is grin for a moment, before he does something I definitely did not expect. He bursts into green flame!
I shield my eyes from the bright flames, but not so much that I cannot see anything. What I can see though both confuses me, and, I must admit, scares the crap out of me.
The creature is actually transforming. I don’t know how this is physically possible, but it is. What used to be human arms and legs have been turned into pony legs. Or, some disgustingly diseased pony legs. These legs are riddled with holes from what I think is called the shoulder all the way down to the hoof. Even its wings are rather revolting, as they are bug like.
What catches my attention the most however are the teeth. Those teeth are sharp as knives, if not more so. If it wanted to that thing could probably bite my fingers off with absolutely no trouble. Even the teeth seem as if they are sick and disfigured, as they are yellow and twisted.
Lastly, even the eyes are bug-like. They appear like the eyes of a fly, making the beast as a whole appear all the more like a bug.
My eyes wander over all of that in no more than a few seconds, as I pay a lot more attention to its horn. Not because it stands out a lot, but because it is glowing exactly the same as Twilight’s horn did before she shot off a bolt of magic.
Twilight shouts loudly and says the very words that I was thinking. “Micah get down!”
I do that the moment the words leave Twilight’s lips. I get down as fast as I possibly can, and see a green bolt of sorts go right through the air where my head used to be not a moment ago. Thank G-d for Twilight speaking up there and snapping me back to reality.
As I hit the ground I see a purple beam, most likely from Twilight shooting towards the creature. It flies out of the way, its wings buzzing as it heads straight at us. Or, as I suppose is more accurate, straight towards me.
Immediately I try to swing my staff at him though he just ducks right under it, and lands right on top of me. The moment his hoofs hit my abdomen I feel just how heavy this thing is. I don’t know what the ponies weigh normally but my goodness this thing weighs a lot!
My goodness, seeing this creature up close like this… I don’t know what caused these creatures to look like this but they are even more hideous in person. Now that it’s this close I see even the fur looks different. Though my eyes are drawn to its mouth.
Or, more the teeth that are inside of its mouth which is moving down towards my face very, very quickly. I raise my arms up, stopping the creature from reaching my face as its jaws now open, furiously snapping at the air between its face as mine. With all this going on I can feel my heart pounding away as fast as it can go.
“Somepony help!” I scream, as its teeth slowly get closer and closer.
As it gets closer towards my face, I am extremely thankful to hear Skittles. “Get off of him!”
Skittles flies into my view, and she aims straight at the eye of the creature and hits him perfectly. It lets out a shriek as it tries to hit Skittles with its hoof, and its horn once again glows green, preparing to use magic once more. Though I don’t know whether or not it will use magic against me, or the ponies.
But it doesn’t matter right now. Skittles was able to distract it enough that I was able to swing my staff at its jaw and I hit it dead on. Twilight follows up with a beam of her own magic striking the creature right in the face, knocking it back and all the way off of me.
I get to my feet and ready my staff to hit it again, but realize quickly that that was a bad idea. No sooner do I get to my feet than I see the back hooves of the creature kick me right in the abdomen.
CRACK!
I clutch my abdomen in pain as I fall down onto my back, and try gasping for air to refill my now empty lungs. If you have never been kicked or punched hard enough to have the very air knocked out of your lungs, I’m telling you now, it hurts. Add to that what feels like a broken bone of sorts at my abdomen, and right now I feel like crap.
But as I look up I get a bit of relief. The creature has actually turned around and is flying away!
Twilight though does not seem as relieved as I am however. “Get back here!” she shouts, as she fires off another beam of magic straight at it, just barely missing as it flies over the fence and gets away.
Twilight sounds pissed as she continues to shout. “Oh ponyfeathers, he got away!”
“I’ll go after him. He won’t hide from me!” Skittles shouts as I get back up into a sitting position, groaning all the while.
“Ugh, don’t even bother Rainbow. He’s a changeling, you won’t be able to find him. He probably already changed form and is heading back to his hive,” Twilight says, pounding the concrete ground with her hooves in anger.
Twilight, Skittles, and the other ponies all start talking and arguing, all the while I keep holding my abdomen. Damn, what the hell did he do when he kicked me? It hurts like hell!
“Oh my, Micah, what’s wrong?” Fluttershy inquires as she lands on my shoulder, her ears flat and eyes showing her worry.
“I-I don’t kn-know. My s-stomach hurts p-pretty bad. I h-heard a cracking sound,” I state as I prop myself up against the alley wall. “What d-do you think happened?”
Flying down from my shoulder to my stomach, Fluttershy looks up at me. “I’m going to check something. Tell me if this hurts, ok?” I nod in the affirmative, and she begins to prod my lower ribs. While it is tender, it doesn’t hurt too much. Maybe it isn’t as bad as I--
“GAH! Careful Fluttershy!”
Fluttershy immediately flies back and begins to shake slightly. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt you, sorry!”
“N-nevermind Fluttershy. I might have o-overreacted a little bit. B-but what d-do you think is the problem?” I ask, and take a deep breath to try and calm down, and stop stuttering.
Fluttershy, still shaking, flies a little bit closer to me. “Well, um, I’m not sure, but I think one of your ribs is hurt pretty bad. It-it might be broken.”
“Well that’s just freaking fantastic now isn’t it?” I say, glad that my stutter has gone. “Sorry for snapping, Fluttershy, I just, why the hell is that thing here?”
I hope that at least Fluttershy will tell me what the hell is exactly going on, but she doesn’t say a thing. She just looks away. And the other ponies are all still speaking amongst themselves. Oh yeah, thanks a lot, ignore the guy who was kicked in the stomach and nearly had his face bitten off!
“Maybe you can do more of your scans Twilight? That might work to find him again,” Skittles suggests to Twilight.
“Rainbow, I already told you that won’t work!”
“Twilight, I think that’s it time to answer some questions,” I say through gritted teeth.
“I think we need to just get out of here and head back to Micah’s apartment.We shouldn’t stay outside anymore ton-”
“HEY! TWILIGHT! GET OVER HERE!”
Finally that gets the other ponies attention, and they all snap around to look at me. Each pony walks or flies over here, with Twilight in the front of the group, her head down.
“Micah, I know you are upset and I will tell you-”
“Upset? That is one major understatement! In case you didn’t notice I got kicked in the gut by that thing! Not to mention how it almost ripped my face off!”
Twilight backs up a few steps, though Rainbow flies straight at my face. “Hey, she said she gets why you’re upset! Besides, she was going to say she’ll tell you what you wanna know!”
“Rainbow, back off. If I want to be upset, I am going to be upset,” I say as I keep my eyes on Twilight. “Now, Twilight, I have some questions, and you damn well better answer them as I won’t wait another second. What the hell was that thing, and why is it here?”
She had better answer all of my questions now. After this, I deserve it.
“It’s a changeling. One of many. We know they are able to transform into ponies and humans, and they should able to transform into other creatures as well. They are very, very dangerous,” Twilight states, her expression far more serious than normal. “Their leader even defeated Celestia with her magic.”
Ok, I was not expecting that at all. Changelings. Actual changelings. And they have a queen that is actually able to beat Celestia? How strong would someone have to be to do that?!
I try and get up, to move closer to them but quickly decide against it as my rib still feels too much in pain for that. “Alright, next questions. Why are they here, and why did I not see them in the show?”
“I do not know. It would seem that if it would cover what happened, it might not have arrived to that point yet. As to why they are here, it is sort of a long story,” Twilight states, shuffling against the ground with her hoof.
“Tell me. We are not going anywhere until you do,” I say, my eyes narrowing.
Twilight sighs, presumably readying herself before she speaks. “Before we came here, there was a wedding. It was between my brother Shining Armor, and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. Cadance was my foal sitter when I was young, and when I met her again I immediately knew something was off.”
Rarity speaks up next, stepping next to Twilight. “She was the only one. I thought her behavior was nothing to be worried about. I should have listened to you, Twilight.”
Twilight smiles at Rarity for a moment, before continuing her tale. “Eventually, at the wedding rehearsal I confronted her, and of course she denied everything. Though everypony believed her. My friends believed her, Celestia believed her, even my brother did. And… and I did as well. Though I quickly learned I shouldn’t have.”
While I am angry, the more that Twilight talks I do feel a slight amount of pity for her. To be outsmarted like that, for a pony like her would be humiliating. And I feel that as I hear more of this tale it shall only get worse.
Still doesn’t make me any less pissed off however.
“To shorten it, I was imprisoned below Canterlot Castle, where I found the real Cadance. Eventually we broke out, and stopped the wedding, but not before her entire swarm of changelings invaded Canterlot. She almost succeeded, but thanks to my brother and Cadance, she failed.”
I was going to ask her her exactly how the changeling queen was defeated, though that is a conversation for another time. For now I just want to know exactly what got them here.
“She knew that she had to act fast, and she used a type of magic that is very rare, and extremely dangerous. She used a mass teleportation spell, that affected her, all of her changelings, and caught us in it as well. Such magic is very, very dangerous because it can at times be unpredictable.”
Applejack interrupts her, glancing at Twilight and then to me. “When we first got here, we were up in the air. If Twi, Fluttershy and Rainbow weren’t here, we would’ve been turned into pancakes from hittin’ the ground. It’s a darn good thing that--”
“Wait wait wait, back to you Twilight,” I say, interrupting Applejack. “You said, ‘all of her changelings’? Exactly how many changelings were there?”
It is not exactly comforting when you ask something like that and the pony you are talking to doesn’t answer. “Twilight, I asked you a question and I really, really don’t want to wait any longer.”
Twilight takes in a deep breath before staring straight at me. “It was an uncountable amount. They were flying through the sky, they were on the grounds of the castle, they were everywhere. And, now they are here.”
Uncountable? An uncountable amount of creatures that can change shape into just about anything, and they are here in Seattle. For all I know my own family could be amongst them. My brother, Solomon, my sister Deborah, and my parents. They could have taken anyone, even-
“Leah.”
Oh no. She might be one of them too. Meaning that if she sees me again, and if she is one of them, who knows what she’ll do?! If she is like that thing she could take me out easily! Especially if the ponies aren’t with me when that happens.
But what if it is the opposite? What if she hasn’t been taken yet? Or what if she isn’t a target right now at all? If she isn’t I have to warn her. But if I go to warn her and she is a changeling, then I’m screwed.
Oh, curse me for being in love!
I get to my feet, ignoring the pain in my abdomen as best I can. “I have to tell Leah.”
Rainbow at once flies straight towards me. “Whoa whoa whoa! Come on Micah, it’s too dangerous! She might be a changeling!”
“Rainbow, shut up. I am going to go to her now. I know it’s dangerous, but I am her boyfriend. I can’t take the chance of not helping her if she is not one. I just have to do this,” I say as I start walking, staff in hand, each step causing me a bit more pain in my abdomen.
I look at Rainbow as she flies back to Twilight. “Twilight, come on, tell him that it’s a bad idea. You know how dangerous it is!”
“Of course it is dangerous. But there is a chance that his girlfriend is not a changeling,” Twilight says, then looks towards Applejack. “And while I’ve never had a special somepony, I’ve come to understand now how important it is to somepony who does have one.”
I stop at once upon hearing those words, as Twilight and the others walk towards me.
“I don’t know exactly what will happen. But I’ll be there with you, regardless,” Twilight says, and smiles slightly.
Everypony else nods in the affirmative. Rainbow does so last, but she does eventually do so.
“Know this. I still am pissed. And it will take quite some time to forgive you,” I say, as everypony’s smile vanishes. “But I would definitely prefer you be with me when I speak to her than not be there.”
Smiling once more, everypony trots towards me, and I pick up all of them. As I do, though, Pinkie Pie feels the need to add in her two cents.
“Hey Micah, if your special somepony is a changeling, does that mean when you were kissing her that you kissed a changeling, or does it not count since she was a human?”
I swear I feel my eye twitch at the thought. Not just because of what Pinkie said, but also considering Leah and I have done a lot more than just kiss since the ponies arrived. That would mean I-I slept with--
It took quite some time to walk all the way to Leah’s place, since I have no car and the busses don’t run this late, but at least I am here now. However, now that I am here, I can’t help but feel a sense of dread, a creeping feeling throughout my body.
I need to know whether Leah is one of those things or not. I can’t just walk away. I can’t call the police either, as they won’t believe me. Some of the police might even be changelings. I wish this could be easier.
“Micah, when you speak with her, I will do the scan. That way we will know for sure. And if she is a changeling, don’t worry. We’ll help you,” Twilight says from under my robe as I continue walking towards her home.
As I’m about to voice my appreciation of that, I notice someone coming out from Leah’s door. At first I can’t tell, as he is turned away from me but once I can see his face I know exactly who he is.
“That’s my boss! What is he doing here? He shouldn’t be here. He doesn’t even know who Leah is,” I say, and move into a small alley as he walks by. Once he does walk by I step back out, and Twilight speaks up once more.
“Micah, I just did a short range scan. I-I think your boss is probably a changeling,” Twilight says as she peeks her head out for a moment.
Damn it all! Now the very person I work for is a changeling too?! And he was in Leah’s house! Crap, this isn’t looking good.
Though, I still head towards Leah’s door. “Twilight, you said that if anything happens you’ll help out right?”
“Of course Micah. You don’t need to worry about that, I promise,” I hear her say softly as I ready myself to knock on the door.
I allow myself a very relieved breath, and then knock, each knock seeming far too loud too me. It’s most likely from my nerves. Saying they are a little frayed right now would be an understatement.
I hear Leah’s familiar voice behind the door. “I’ll be right there!”
Oh man. Almost time. Ok Micah, ok, when you see her, just be blunt about it. Don’t beat around the bush at all, just be up front and forward with her. And besides, if anything goes wrong, I got Twilight and the others right here with me.
The door opens wide, revealing Leah with a most confused look. “Who the hell are you?”
“Sorry about that, forget about the wig and beard,” I say as I take off the fake beard and wig. “Hope you recognize me now?”
Immediately Leah changes from being confused to being happy, a very prominent smile on her face. “Let me guess, you just got back from The Hobbit, right?”
“That’s right. Um, may I come in? There’s something I need to tell you,” I say, trying to hide my nervousness.
“Yeah, sure. I will have to go soon, but you can come in for a bit.” As Leah turns around she immediately heads towards her living room. And, as often happens when I am around her, I find myself looking downwards. Really, I don’t think it is humanly possible for someone to move their hips like that accidentally.
And Leah seems to have taken notice. “Easy there Micah, you can wait a little. I don’t think you came here just to stare,” Leah says with a smirk as she sits down at the couch, placing her truck keys nearby. I guess she was going to head out.
“You are correct, I haven’t,” I declare as I sit down next to her, laying my staff down next to the couch. “Leah… What I’m going to tell you is going to sound very weird. You might not believe me, but I swear I am telling the truth.”
I worry at first what she is going to do but thankfully she just does what I expect her to do. “It’s alright Micah. You can tell me anything,” Leah says as she gently brushes a bit of my hair behind my ear.
It is amazing how a simple thing like that can help to calm me down. And now that I am calmed down a bit I notice that Twilight hasn’t tried to stop me, nor has she even moved. Maybe everything is alright!
Smiling, I go for it. “Alright. On the way here, I ran into a creature. It first looked human, but it turned into a pony-like creature. It was all black, had bug-like wings, and its body was riddled with holes. On top of that its teeth were--”
I am stopped by Leah placing her fingers over my lips. Her expression quickly changes to absolutely neutral. “Wait. Was it just recently? And did you tell anybody else about this?”
I move back a bit, groaning from my rib acting up once more. “No, no I didn’t tell anybody else about this. You are the first. I would not have gotten here if I didn’t--”
“Shh, Micah. I don’t think that you should talk about this anymore,” Leah says with a smile. Ok, I don’t know why, but her eyes are looking weird.
What the hell is up with her? “What? Seriously? That’s all that you have to say about this? Not, ‘what the hell?’, or ‘Micah you must have been drinking’, or anything?”
“Not at all. I think you should just relax and forget about all of that. Don’t you?”
At this point I just want to leave. But for some reason, I can’t. All I can do is just look at those eyes. Those beautiful, strange eyes. Those… those green eyes.
“Just forget about it. And, when we are all alone, don’t call me Leah. I have another name I would prefer you use when you address me,” Leah says softly as she sits on my lap, her hand under my chin, angling my face to keep my eyes locked with hers.
But at this point, there’s no need for her to do so. Those eyes look so beautiful. So otherworldly. Even the eye shape is looking different than that of a human. I can’t imagine looking away from them.
Slowly, she leans her beautiful face down to mine, so close that nearly all I can see are those perfectly-made emerald eyes. And then, she speaks ever so softly.
“Call me Chrysalis.”
Suddenly, everything seems different. One moment all I could see were those beautiful eyes, and then next, I saw a bright flash.
“Wh-what? What the hell happened?” I say, rubbing my eyes, and no longer feeling any weight on my lap.
I hear Twilight shout at me as my vision returns. “Micah, you need to get out of here!”
Now that my vision is back, I can see what Twilight did. Leah, no, Chrysalis, is on the floor, her hand over her eyes. And as I see her, I feel like an idiot.
What the hell was I doing?! Why didn’t I get out of here when her eyes were going all weird?! It was as if I couldn’t look away. I didn’t even want to look away from her. And who is Chrysalis? Obviously she is a changeling but I don’t recall Twilight mentioning that name before.
Though Twilight is right, I’ve got to get out of here. But if I just run out I am going to get caught by her easily. There has to be something else I can do, anything!
Wait a second. Her truck keys!
As Chrysalis gets back up, I grab my staff and the keys, and run outside as fast as I can. I have not driven for a long, long time. Maybe its like riding a bike, once you learn you never forget.
(So you know, this chapter and the epilogue are darker than the previous ones. I know it is not everyone's cup of tea. But I chose this path, and I decided to stick with it.)
“Dear G-d please don’t let me crash too b-badly!”
I quickly use the keys to unlock the truck door and look back at the house door, hoping that Chrysalis won’t be coming out anytime soon. For our sakes I really hope that Twilight’s spell will have a lasting effect.
“Micah hurry up! I don’t know how long that spell will work for!” Twilight shouts as I hurriedly unlock the door and step into her truck.
As soon as I step into the truck the ponies get out of my robe and look back at the house door, presumably to see if Chrysalis has come out. I am extremely grateful that she hasn’t. It’s a dang good thing that she did not seem to expect that spell from Twilight.
Grabbing what I hope is the correct key I put it into the ignition and turn it. I smile widely as I hear the car start and immediately step on the gas. Though there is a problem.
The car isn’t moving.
Rarity seems about as happy about this as I am. “Micah, this isn’t a time for dramatic tension! We need to move!”
“It won’t start!”
Oh dang it what the hell makes the car go?! The key works, the engine is on, what do I do?! And why are there so many buttons and and two levers for something that can only go forward and backwards?! What’s the point, what’s the purpose?!
“Wait, I remember Micah! I can do this!” Twilight shouts as she grabs one of the levers with her magic, and pulls it downwards.
I open my mouth to ask how she knew how to do that, but I end up not doing so. Mostly because I realize I kept my foot on the gas, and the moment she pulls down the lever we end up moving. But am I lucky enough to have us move forward? No! We end up going backwards!
The car zooms backwards and ends up running right over the sidewalk and straight into the wall of another home with a loud crash, jerking everypony about the truck. It does the same to me as well, as I forgot to buckle up.
“Sorry sorry! This should do it!” Twilight shouts as she grabs the lever again with her magic and moves it slightly.
I pray that she did that correctly as the door to Leah’s home is opening once more.
“Time to g-get the hell out of h-here!”
I step on the gas once more and hear the tires screeching, but shortly we are off down the street as I see Chrysalis in the rearview mirror as she steps out of the door. Curiously however she does not follow.
“T-Twilight, why isn’t she following us?” I ask as I do my absolute best to not drive us off of the road, which is easier said than done.
“I don’t know. It might be because we’re already going fast, or because she knows if she uses magic in the open it would draw quite a lot of attention,” Twilight says as she moves towards the front of the car, climbing up to the dashboard.
I try to keep my mind focused on driving while I talk to Twilight. “Yeah, yeah it would. I-it is not o-often that one would s-see a weird mutant pony th-thing on the street.”
As I continue to try and drive, I go over everything that just happened today. First, I was exposed to a being that can change its shape into almost any living thing. Second, I was attacked by said creature which gave me a broken rib. And last, apparently, my girlfriend has been a changeling for some time.
My girlfriend is actually a changeling, one of those things. Oh no, that actually means that in the last week when we were together, I didn’t really sleep with Leah. I actually slept with--
“Micah, car!”
Applejack snaps me out of my monologue in time to see that I have drifted into the left lane, and another car is zooming right at me. As fast as I can I move us back to the right lane, hearing the tires underneath screech once more. The oncoming car zooms by us, its horn blaring as it does so and the driver sending me a rather rude hand gesture.
I try to steady the car, and keep my eyes locked on the road ahead of us. “I h-hate driving these th-things!”
I hear Rarity shout at me as the car continues to swerve while I try and keep it going straight. “Micah, dear, you have to try to calm down! You can’t focus when you are so stressed!”
What? WHAT?! Did she just tell me to calm down?! Ok, that’s it!
I slam my foot on the brakes, the tires screeching once more as the car comes to a sudden stop. The ponies, save for Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, all go forward off of the seats onto the floor from the stop. I meanwhile grab my abdomen as my rib sends me another spark of pain.
“That was fun! Let’s do that again sometime Mi--”
“Shut up Pinkie!”
Pinkie does exactly that as those words leave my lips. Everypony stares at me, with Fluttershy staying behind everypony else, her face partially obscured by her mane.
“Rarity, I will say this one time, DO NOT tell me to calm down,” I state, glaring at her and the others as well. “Right now I got a right to be worried. The woman who I thought is my girlfriend is a changeling, and there are an uncountable number here on this planet who could be taking the place of anybody I know right this second! I have no idea what the hell I should do since now she knows I am aware of changelings, and, to top it all off, some damn weird magic was just used on me by that one back there that made it so I found her irresistible! So don’t tell me to calm down!”
I have rarely shouted like I just have at them, but it was definitely warranted now. How could she expect me to just calm down? It’s not like it is an easy thing to do, considering all that has happened. Specifically what I have learned about Leah.
My stomach feels like crap, and not just because of the pain in my lower rib from when I was kicked by the changeling. The thought that I slept with one of those things, spoke to her-it, lovingly and passionately, makes me feel sick. I never wished to be like that with anyone except for Leah. Not one of those creatures.
“Alright then Micah. You’re mad, I get that. But we still need to do something. And I don’t believe going to your home is an option. Their might be changelings there already,” Twilight states, speaking softly but firmly.
With a sigh I place my face in my hands. “I know that Twilight. Going to my home would be a stupid idea. But, I just, I don’t know where I should go. I can’t go home, I can’t risk going to any of my family. I wish that I could tell my sister Deborah since she is a cop, but even that is too dangerous. I really don’t know what I should do.”
“Um, Twilight, you said that his boss was a changeling, right?”
I pull my face from my hands, and see Fluttershy speaking to Twilight.
“Yes, Fluttershy. He is. But why did you--”
Twilight takes on a look of sudden realization mid-sentence. Soon though she begins speaking again.
“You are suggesting we try to find him, aren’t you?”
Fluttershy nods in the affirmative, to my surprise. “I, I know it’s dangerous but I don’t know what else we can do.”
Twilight looks towards me, as does everypony else. I can both see and even feel their eyes on me.
“Micah, I know that because of us you have been through a lot. You have been hurt, and been put through a lot of danger. And now your girlfriend has been replaced by a changeling,” Twilight states as she walks onto my knee.
“I know that by now you have every right to be angry, but, please, help us with this. We are going to need your assistance if we are to find a way to beat them,” Twilight states as she looks up at me pleadingly.
“Did you truly believe that I would just give up and not help you?” I ask her with a sigh. “It is not as if they are a threat only to ponies. Obviously they are a great threat to not just this city, but this entire planet. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that. It’s just that I…”
“What? What is it Micah?” Twilight inquires with a somewhat worried look.
“Nothing, Twilight. It-it’s nothing. But you are right, we should probably head after him as honestly, right now I have no idea what else I should do. I don’t know where he lives, but I do know he should be at the bakery soon. I was scheduled to work tonight after all,” I say as I start the car up once more.
Glancing at Twilight before I start driving once more, I can tell that she is still worried. Whether about myself, the others, her own safety, or all combined I do not know however.
Though regardless of which it is, I am worried too.
The drive towards the bakery is not exactly a boisterous one. For the most part the drive has been rather silent the entire way through the streets. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow speak up occasionally, but they are the only ones to ever do so. It would seem that everypony is understanding just exactly how much crap we’re in.
“We’re not going any further in the truck,” I say as I stop the truck a ways away from the bakery. “I don’t want to risk us being seen.”
“I think that he is in there. The spell has been positive, so there is one around here, at least,” Twilight states as I notice her horn light up.
“Good. Then we can get going,” I say as I open the door, grab my staff and get out. I wish I had something better than this for defending myself. A fake staff isn’t exactly that great. If it could do magical stuff like Gandalf’s real staff that would be a different story.
All of the ponies pile out of the car and into my robe, as expected. “Alright, if we have to, I expect you all to help me fight him if it comes to that. For now though I just wish to follow him.”
“Alright. But Micah, what was it you were going to say earlier? You just stopped all of a sudden mid-sentence,” Twilight inquires of me.
I sigh once once as I step towards the bakery. “It’s nothing, Twilight. Don’t worry about it.”
Applejack speaks up next, poking her head out of my robe. “You’re lyin’ Micah. What’s up?”
“I told you not to worry about it Applejack,” I say through gritted teeth. She doesn’t seem to buy it, but she does go back into the robe.
I really don’t want to tell them the truth. The truth being that I’m scared. Not just scared, actually I am pretty much terrified about all of this. How are we going to beat these things? We can’t get any help, and Twilight is the only one of them that can use magic in any offensive, combative manner. And all I have is this staff!
Hopefully Twilight can think of something. But even if she can’t we would have to try. It’s not as if we can just ignore all that is going on here.
“It is a good thing I have a key to this place,” I mutter to myself while I unlock the door. “I wouldn’t want to break a window or something.”
I slowly open the door, and have my staff at the ready if I need to use it. The lights are on, so the changeling impersonating my boss must be here. Hopefully I will be able to just follow him and find something, anything out and not have to worry about fighting him.
“I did a short range scan, Micah. I think he might be in here,” Twilight says softly. “Make sure you be careful.”
“Obviously I will be,” I state as I start to step through the bakery as softly as I can, past the front counter and through the baking area towards where my boss’ office is. I wish we had more of a plan than just listening in, though at the moment I am really not sure what else to do with--
“What?! What the hell do you mean he knows?!”
Well this will make it a bit easier to find out something at least. Perhaps I will be able to learn something about what they have planned or some way to stop them.
I quietly move closer to his office, so I will be able to hear better. As I do so, Twilight and the others poke their heads out of my robe to hear better as well.
“And he got away in the truck?! How did… N-no, no your majesty, I didn’t mean that. It was a mistake, I won’t speak like that again, my apologies.”
“Wait a second, ‘your majesty’? Did he seriously just say that? So Chrysalis, the changeling who took the place of my girlfriend is also the queen you mentioned?” I ask Twilight softly as I look down at her.
“It-it would seem that is the case, yes,” Twilight states as softly as I do.
Great, the thing I slept with is not only a diseased-looking creature, but is their leader as well. This just gets better and better. Hold on, if she was able to hypnotize me earlier, could she have done so other times as well, and I just don’t remember it? If she did, then she might have made me have sex with her when she… Oh my word that is disgusting.
As seems to happen more and more I am snapped out of my thoughts and to the now. The door to my boss’ office is opening.
“Micah, we gotta hide!” Rainbow says urgently, her eyes revealing her worry.
She’s definitely right, but where in the world can I hide? It isn’t exactly like there are a lot of places to do so! The cupboards and drawers are a no-go, and we can’t just run without hearing anything else. That just leaves… Oh no.
I can’t go in the fridge. I just can’t, it’s insane. I’ll... I’ll be trapped and won’t get back out again. It’s way too small there, I-I might not be able to breathe! There is no way that I am going to go into that thing!
“Micah, we have to go in there! You’ll be fine, I promise! But we can’t let him see us!” Rarity says as she points her hoof towards the fridge.
“No, no I c-can’t! You don’t get it! I’m terrified of small spaces!” I state adamantly as the footsteps get louder and closer.
Fluttershy flies up gently smiling, seemingly trying to hide her own worry. “Micah, you’ll be ok. We’ll be right there with you. Everything will be alright. It’s only for a little while.”
I definitely do not want to go there, but… But we don’t have much of a choice. “I-I just… Alright!”
As fast as I can I move towards the fridge. I open the door carefully so as not to make too much noise, and freeze. It’s just so tight in there. So cold, dark, and small. Like a prison cell, only instead of bars to allow you to see what’s outside. Is it me or does the air seem like the air is getting a lot thinner?
Everypony runs inside the fridge as fast as they can, and, even though I dread this, I follow them. Twilight uses her magic to grasp the doorknob and shut the door. The sound of the door shutting echoes seemingly forever.
I sit down and hear the ponies talking to me, though I can’t discern what the words are. The words are muffled, and now all I can hear is the blood shooting through my veins and arteries. My heart feels like it is going to burst out of my chest. And is it just me or are the walls moving?
It’s almost as if it is getting tighter and tighter. The walls shouldn’t be able to move but damn it I swear that is exactly what they are doing. My goodness it’s so tight in here. It’s like that time back in school.
“Guys, come on, th-there’s no n-need for you to d-do this. I’m sorry, really. I’m v-very s-sorry.”
A part of me wonders whether I should have not told the principal about what I saw. About how I saw that group of boys harassing the new girl. Maybe I deserved it because I, like others, saw it happening for a while and didn’t say anything because it wasn’t my business. The reason I told the principal about it was because those guys tried to grope her once and only stopped because a teacher was nearby. I told the principal afterwards and the group of boys were punished.
Somehow though they found out that I was the one who told.
“What’s that? I think you should say that again, I can’t understand you when you are blabbering like a baby,” he said with a grin as he grabbed my hair so I couldn’t move, which back then was thicker and much longer.
“I s-said I’m sorry a-and there’s n-no need t-to do this. Please j-just let me go,” I pleaded with him, trying to get him to let go of me.
All he did was look down at me, smiling the sort of smile a person with something really, really bad planned would. And as I heard something opening my eyes widened in fear.
One of the other boys opened a locker. Not one of those roomy lockers either, but one that would force someone to curl up and have practically no room if he were forced inside.
The boy holding me by my hair starts dragging me towards the locker while I continue to try and get him to let go. “It may be a tight fit, but we can make do with it, don’t you think?”
Realizing I couldn’t get out of his grip, I did something that I rarely ever did before. I punched him as hard as I possibly could right in the face. My hand hurt horribly afterwards from how hard I hit him but I have to admit it felt good.
Though, while it hurt him it mostly succeeded in doing one thing. And that was getting him pissed off. After groaning for a bit and recovering from the hit, he glared at me. I don’t know why I didn’t run. Maybe I was too stupid, scared, I don’t really know for sure. But I shortly knew I should have.
“You damn kike!”
His shout caused my heart to start pumping like crazy out of fear, and I turned to run only to be grabbed by my hair once more, and was slammed down onto the ground.
The other boy with him started dragging me by my shoulders into the locker. I kicked and tried to get free but couldn’t do anything. I was shoved inside the locker, and though I pushed against the locker door as it was being closed, I couldn’t stop it from being shut.
There was hardly any room for me to move. I could barely even bang my fists against the locker door. Though G-d knows I tried.
“Guys, l-let me out!”
“Nope! Maybe I’ll let you out after school. This is what you get for ratting on me to the principal.”
“Please! I’m s-sorry, I won’t d-do it again, I promise!”
“Yeah yeah, I know you won’t. Because if you will then I’ll just do this again. See ya later.”
I can hear the footsteps of him and the other one walking away, causing me to bang on the locker door harder and harder, enough so that after I got out I saw I had bruises on my hands.
“No, don’t go! Let me out! LET ME OUT!”
I didn't know how long I was stuck in there until I got out. What to me felt like hours was really twenty minutes. If it wasn’t for a rabbi who was coming to get his grandkids I might have been there a while longer.
While inside the locker I for some reason had a very, very hard time breathing. It was as if all the oxygen in the air was sucked out. I didn’t know why back then but I was told that is called hyperventilating, and it happens sometimes when one is scared.
Twilight urgently speaks to Fluttershy. “Fluttershy, he can’t breathe! He won’t calm down!”
She’s right. I can’t. It’s like when I was in school, everything is closing in. The walls are so tight and close, and they are only getting closer. They won’t stop!
“Micah, Micah it’s ok, but you need to relax,” Fluttershy states as she lands on my shoulders. “The changeling impersonating your boss is right outside, it’s too dangerous right now for us to go out.”
“F-Fluttershy, I c-can’t stay here,” I state as I shakily get to my feet my eyes locked on the door. I need to get out of here so bad I ignore the pain from my rib.
Fluttershy flies right in front of me, her concern clear. “Micah, if I can help you, will you not open the door?”
All I am able to do is nod. If she is able to help me calm down I’ll definitely let her, no question at all about that.
Smiling gently, she speaks very softly. “First, just try and breathe slowly, alright? Just in, and out.” She does so herself, breathing in and out deeply.
I try and copy her, breathing slowly, softly and deeply as I can. Doing so is much, much easier said than done.
“You are having everyone meet up at the hive? Right, right I will be there soon,” I hear my fake boss say outside. “Yes yes, I know, in the sewers.”
The sewers? We will have to follow him down into the sewers? More closed spaces, more dark areas for me to get stuck in where the walls will just get closer and closer while--
“Hey Micah, it’s ok, ignore him, look at me. Just keep breathing, and think of something else. Maybe think of the movie we saw together, or you and Leah together. Just try and think of that, and breathe. In, and out,” Fluttershy softly and gently states, and I once more try to do as she does.
“I kn-know Fluttershy, I-I’m just… I’m just s-scared. I’m so s-scared,” I state as I continue to try and do as she does, my vision clouding up from new-formed tears.
“Yes I remember which one to head towards, the manhole cover at the corner of South Jackson and 20th Avenue. I’ll be there soon.”
I hear him stepping out towards the exit. Each step seems to take forever. The moment that I think I hear him leave the bakery and step out I immediately grab the handle and thank G-d that it didn’t lock itself by accident.
The door swings open and I run out as fast as I can, finally able to breathe easily. Thank G-d I am finally out of there! I hate that damn fridge!
I turn on a nearby light and pull over a stool for me to sit on. I take several deep breaths, and feel my heart beginning to slowly calm down. Though the tears in my eyes do not stop as I bury my face in my hands.
After this is all over I am not ever going to go into a place that small again. Short of G-d alone nothing will make me do so. I feel almost as if I’d rather die than go through that again.
However while I think on that I feel a tiny hoof brushing away a tear that has been running down my cheek. I remove my hands, and see Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash flying right in front of me, and below them on the ground are all the others.
“I knew you were claustrophobic Micah, but I didn’t know it was that bad. I’m so sorry about what happened,” Twilight states as she moves towards me.
“I-it wasn’t just th-that. I mean, yeah th-that was a lot o-of it, but it’s e-everything. It’s that I h-have no real way to def-fend myself against these things, that th-there are only s-seven of us against who knows how many ch-changelings, and, and just e-everything. I haven’t e-exactly had experience w-with this sort of thing,” I declare as I try to calm down and stop stuttering.
Rainbow lands on my lap and looks uncharacteristically understanding. “It’s alright. If any changeling tries somethin’ I’ll take care of it.”
I don’t really see how she would but still, it is a kind sentiment. “Still. It, I, you, ugh, it’s scary. Terrifying, really. And I’ll h-have to go i-into the sewers, w-where it’s narrow, dark, a-and so small. I kn-know we need to at le-least check it out, as we have n-no other leads, but--”
“But that don’t make it any less scary, right?” Applejack asks as she sits down near my feet.
“Right. Very, very right. Again, d-don’t get me wr-wrong, I know we need t-to do this. I j-j-- oh damn this stutter!” I shout as I slam my staff onto the ground, the sound reverberating throughout the near-empty bakery.
Though I soon realize I shouldn’t have shouted as loud as I did. My ribs definitely did not like that. If they could speak they probably would be cussing me out right now. After all this is done I definitely should go to a hospital.
“Hey. Don’t look so down like that,” Pinkie Pie says as she climbs up onto my lap. It might be just me, but her mane doesn’t look quite as puffy as it normally is. “I don’t like it when you are sad like this. After this is all over I will throw you a big thank you party, ok? And do you think you could you give me a smile? I don’t like seeing you like this.”
Pinkie Pie looks at me not with one of her goofy, toothy grins, but a comforting grin. Like the sort a close friend would give when they know what kind of crap you are going through.
I cannot help but smile slightly at that. “I th-think I can do that much for you Pinkie Pie. But th-that doesn’t change that I’m s-still scared,” I say as I gently scratch the back of her neck.
“There’s nothing wrong with being scared. And I certainly would prefer not to go into such a filthy place as the sewers but we probably won’t be in there for long,” Rarity states with a grin.
T’would certainly be interesting to see Rarity in the sewers I must admit. Her reaction would probably be very amusing.
“And while we are there I have a spell I can use that would help. I didn’t use it before because I did not want to be spotted, but down there we won’t have to worry about that sort of thing,” Twilight says as she steps closer.
“Whatever it is p-please do it. If it will help, I h-have no problem with it. But I suppose th-that we should get going, sh-shouldn’t we?” I ask as I get to my feet, and reach down to pick up my staff.
Everypony nods, and I bend down to pick them up, holding my still-hurting abdomen as I do so. I scoop them into my arm with Rainbow, as I presumed she would, landing on my staff. I always find it cute how she does that.
“Remember, any changeling tries somethin’, I’ll take care of it,” Rainbow says with a grin as she punches the air with her front hooves.
“Thanks Skittles,” I say with a smile and gently scratch her under her chin, eliciting a smile from her.
I climb into the car and place the ponies onto the seat next to me. As I start the car I cannot help but wonder what is going to happen in the sewers. Hopefully we will be able to get some more information, and then get out of there. The thought of being in a hive of changelings chills me to the bone. And worst comes to worst we can haul tuchus out of their, I suppose.
I start the engine, glad to hear the truck still working. “I s-suppose there isn’t a-any point in stalling, eh?”
And with that, I press on the gas, ready to go. Or, we would be doing so, if the engine wasn’t grinding against something.
Twilight clears her throat, and as I look down her hoof is pointed at the lever she moved when we first were getting away room Chrysalis. “I think you need to move this thing.”
“Wh-when this is all o-over, I am never setting f-foot in a truck a-again!”
Driving sucks! I freaking hate this crap! While we were driving over here I almost ran over a dog crossing the road, ran two stop signs, got onto the curb thrice, and I think I once saw a cop following us for a bit! I have absolutely no clue how anybody drives these things! It’s way too complicated!
Looking at Rarity for a second, she does not seem to be looking good. She seems to be turning from white to green in her cheeks. “Oh my stars Micah, please tell me we’re almost there! I can’t take much more of this!”
A loud screech from the tires is heard as I try and slow down gradually, but of course fail and we end up burning rubber before we stop almost on the sidewalk. I can only imagine how many times I would fail the test to get a driver’s license.
“Micah, ugh, please, try and learn a better way to drive. I felt sick through the whole thing,” Rarity states as she wobbly gets to her hooves.
“W-will try, Rarity. Though after all this I d-don’t think th-that I will b-be driving again any t-time soon” I say as I turn off the ignition, laying back against my seat.
“Is the entrance that the changeling mentioned nearby?” Twilight asks as she looks out the window.
“Yeah, yeah it’s th-there. I hope your m-magic can open it Twilight,” I state as I take the keys and open the truck doors, taking the ponies out in one arm and my staff in the other. It’s a good thing this part of the city is very inactive at night.
Checking to see whether anybody is around, I don’t see a single soul out and about. Quickly I head towards the manhole covering, and place the ponies down near it. This one thankfully is just sealed tightly, so it should be easy enough to get through with Twilight’s help.
I glance at Twilight. “Twilight, t-take care of this please?”
She nods and the manhole is enveloped with her magic as she takes care of it. Skittles speaks up as she does so. “Hey, why are you still stuttering? I thought you only did that when you are really scared.”
“It might be be-because I am still s-sort of scared. Ah who am I k-kidding, still v-very scared a-actually. But… I d-don’t know why I’m st-still st-stuttering, normally I w-would be f-fine by now.”
Maybe all of this is getting to me even more than I thought. Hopefully it goes away soon. I definitely don’t want it to become permanent.
Thankfully Twilight takes care of the seal rather easily, allowing me to get a good grasp on the cover. Though I immediately regret lifting it up, as it weighs quite a lot. The second I try to move it my rib acted up again.
“Um, Twilight, c-could you and Rarity handle this please? M-my rib isn’t exactly l-letting me.”
I don’t hear Twilight speak though she does answer with her magic, as does Rarity. The manhole cover is enveloped with their magic, and the two of them lift it out of the way easily.
The second it is removed however my worries become stronger. As I look down into the hole, I can see that while I will fit, it is still very tiny. At least the entryway certainly is. I can only pray that the spot we will actually be walking through will be bigger.
Twilight looks to me as the magic on her horn goes away. “Are you ready Micah?”
I glance at her before looking down at the small entrance below. “It’s not as if I c-can just l-leave. But, we won’t s-stay down th-there long, right? Just try a-and f-figure some st-stuff out and l-l-leave right?”
“We’d best not stay down there. After this is over I will need to bathe for an entire day!” Rarity interjects.
I can’t stop myself from chuckling at that. “Heh, thanks R-Rarity, I th-think I needed that. Your coat will probably get very dirty while down there,” I say with a laugh, imagining that.
“Please, dear, don’t remind me,” Rarity states as her ears flatten.
“W-well, no more point in waiting. L-let’s go.”
Skittles flies down there into the sewers at once, her typical confident smile showing. After I gather everypony else up, I drop my staff down into the sewers, and start climbing down. I hate how these things have to be so tight. Wouldn’t it be worth the money to make the sewers a bit wider?
And oh my goodness the smell! I know it’s the sewers but still, I did not think that it would stink this bad!
“Oooh, this smell is going to take forever to get out! Micah, as soon as we are out of here you are going to find me a place to get clean!”
Heh, at least Rarity can help a bit.
Once I get down to the bottom of the ladder and step off, the smell hits me even harder. My word I am surprised that it somehow doesn’t rust the covering! I should have brought a gas mask!
Along with the smell, I notice that it is not as closed in as I thought. I can’t stand up fully, but at least I’m not on my knees and it is fairly wide. I suppose this one must be a maintenance tunnel. Though it is really, really tight in here.
“Micah, remember, it’s alright. Just breathe. We won’t be staying in here long,” Fluttershy says as she flies onto my shoulder with a comforting smile.
“I kn-know that F-Fluttershy. Still… I d-don’t feel great. The th-thought of running into one of th-those ch-changelings isn’t exactly comforting,” I say as I pick up my staff, trying to shake off some of the filthy water that has got on it.
“Well, now that we are down here where we don’t have to hide, it’s time to use that spell I spoke of,” Twilight states as I place her and the other ponies on the ground on the cleanest spot I can find, Rarity walking as daintily and carefully as she can.
Ah, that’s right. She mentioned that earlier. “What s-s-sort of spell exactly?”
Twilight’s horn immediately starts to shine, and a slight aura envelops her and all the other ponies. “We aren’t going to be so little, now that we don’t need to hide.”
Before I have a chance to ask for any more detail, a flash of purple light covers them all. It’s bright enough that I have to look away and cover my eyes. Whatever Twilight is doing it doesn’t hurt them at least.
As the light dies down I look back at everypony. And, they are exactly the same, save for one single thing. They are all normal-sized now.
Well, normal-sized, and stuck one on top of the other.
And Rarity is right on the bottom of the pile. “AH! Pinkie Pie, Applejack, everypony get off! My coat is getting filthy!”
Everypony gets off fairly quickly, and it is then that I see exactly how tall they all are. Applejack stands right next to me, and if I was standing upright I’d guess that her head reaches halfway up my torso. With me bending down as much as I have to she and I are at the same eye level.
“W-well Twilight, I wasn’t expecting this. Why didn’t you do this before?” I inquire as I look from Applejack to everypony else, smirking a bit as I see Rarity frantically trying to search for a clean spot to place her hooves, which I don’t think is possible.
“Up above we needed to make sure we would not be spotted. Down here the only ones that we would run into are those who already know about us. So, to make sure we are ready in case we need to fight, I had this spell ready,” Twilight says with a proud smile.
“W-well that will c-certainly help,” I say with a smile as well. “It is m-much better to h-have you all normal-sized r-rather than toy-sized. Though… With h-how narrow th-this all is I might l-like it if I was smaller, so ev-everything would appear bigger.”
“Um, I don’t think it would be a good idea to do that. And if we come across a changeling we will probably need your help,” Twilight says.
“I s-suppose that is a g-good point. I didn’t r-really think th-that you could or w-would, I just… You know h-how I am with tight spaces,” I say as I look down the sewer tunnel.
I know it doesn’t really do this, but I swear that the farther down the tunnel goes, it seems like it gets narrower and narrower. And if should we go down there, it looks as if we would eventually be stuck from the narrow confines of the wall.
Stuck down here, in a sewer, with little light, and no idea of how long it might take to get out. If we get out. If we don’t get out, would we ever be found? Or would we--
I am drawn back to the present by the feel of something furry brushing against my arm. Looking at said arm I see Applejack.
“Sugarcube, Ah don’t mean to bother you none, but we should be going. The sooner we start the sooner we can leave,” Applejack states with a friendly smile.
She is right, we can’t stay here forever. We need to get going. Though, as I look up at the ladder that seems to be begging me to climb it and get out, a nagging feeling just won’t leave me. A nagging, dreadful feeling that if I walk down this tunnel, I won’t be climbing back out again.
But I can’t go back. I cannot in good conscience just leave the six of them here alone. I do not believe I could live with the guilt if I did. Yes they are responsible for getting me into this position, but still. They did not exactly ask for it themselves either. I can’t really blame them for all of this.
Grasping my staff tighter, I turn on the thankfully still-working light which illuminates fairly far down the tunnel. After a final look back at the entrance, I begin walking down the tunnel.“We have b-but one choice. We must f-face the long dark of the s-sewers.”
Twilight adds her own magical light to the light from my staff, illuminating a fair distance ahead of us. As I walk, I can immediately feel my heart pounding harder and harder. Oh G-d I beg you don’t make me have a repeat of what happened in the fridge.
Any of my fears however are momentarily gone as I hear Pinkie Pie. “Lets go find some changelings!”
She goes prancing ahead of the rest of us, seemingly without a care in the world. I don’t know how she is able to do this, but I am jealous. I wonder sometimes if anything can scare her.
“Let me know if you think you are going to have a repeat of what happened earlier, ok? I’m right here,” Fluttershy says with a smile. “Just try to do what I said earlier, alright?”
“I kn-know Fluttershy. It’s just e-ever since an event in sc-school I don’t do well in t-tight spaces,” I say as I try and breathe as she instructed earlier.
Skittles walks next to me as she speaks up as well. “What happened? It must not have been good if it made you freak out like you did in the fridge earli--OW!”
I can’t help but smirk for a second when Twilight clocks Skittles on the back of the head with her hoof. “Rainbow Dash, don’t talk like that! He didn’t freak out, he just--”
“N-no Twilight it’s ok. I d-did freak out. It r-reminded me of a t-time when I was st-stuck in a locker by some b-bullies. It was a p-p-pretty bad moment,” I say, though I try not to remember.
“That really sucks. And Twilight, you didn’t need to hit me. I didn’t mean anything by it. But it did look like he freaked out. I mean, he could barely breathe!”
Twilight was about to respond though I cut her off before she has a chance to. “M-maybe we can stop t-talking about that, ok? I would rather w-we talk about a-anything else.”
Rarity apparently has something she certainly wants to talk about. “Ooh, maybe we can talk about why in Equestria the sewers here are so nasty! My hooves… They will never be clean again!”
“Oh hush up Rarity. Back on the farm my hooves got dirty every darn day,” Appplejack states, her annoyance clear in both her face and her voice.
Rarity seems about to send a retort, though before she can, Pinkie Pie up ahead speaks up. How exactly did she get so far down the tunnel so fast? “Come on everypony! Hurry up, let’s go!”
Everypony else and I quicken our pace a bit, though… I can’t help but take a last glance at the spot where we entered as we near a corner in the tunnel. After we walk past this corner, I shan’t see it again until we get out.
“Micah, uh, sorry about what I said earlier. About you freaking out,” Skittles says as she moves a bit closer to me.
“I-it’s ok. Don’t worry a-about it. But thanks,” I say as I look at her with a grin, and mess up her mane with my hand.
Skittles shakes her head to try and get her mane into its slightly more-fixed look it had before. “I gotta say I don’t get why you’re scared of a place like this. But you do seem to be better than you were earlier.”
“I think th-that might be because y-you are all bigger, and s-since I am not f-forced to be here. And p-probably since I know I’m n-not locked in,” I say, and look over Skittles. “A-and do me a f-favor please.”
“Yeah? What sort of favor?”
“While you are n-normal sized, please d-don’t k-kick me or anything. It wasn’t b-bad when you were tiny, b-but s-since you are bigger, now you’d p-probably bang me up pretty bad.” She packed enough of a punch when she was tiny. I don’t want to know what it would be like to get a full-on kick from her at this size.
“Ha! No problem. But before we go I’ve gotta go one-on-one with you in that game of yours again. What’s it called? We were usin’ a bunch of worms,” Skittles asks as she ponders her thoughts.
“Worms, Skittles. The g-game was called W-Worms. Though I c-can’t blame you f-f-for forgetting it after you l-lost. It m-must have been traumatic for the g-great Rainbow Dash,” I say with a smirk.
Skittles eyes widen in shock at my assumption, before they narrow in an accusatory manner.
“Hey! I wasn’t traumatized, I just--”
“Rainbow Dash, Micah, quiet!”
Skittles and I immediately shut up when Twilight speaks up. Even Pinkie Pie stays quiet, as does everypony else. The only thing making a sound is a rat skulking about a few feet away.
“The spell is positive. The changelings are pretty close by. Be on your guard,” Twilight states as she looks about the tunnel, as I do as well.
“Close by? I don’t see anything,” Rarity states as she steps forward a few paces ahead of the rest of us. “All I see is more of the filthy sewer splitting off into separate tunnels.”
As I take a few steps closer, to where Rarity stands, my staff shows exactly what it is she meant. Ahead of us the tunnel splits off into three separate ones. “Oh great. This will t-take us even l-l-longer to find out anything.”
“Maybe we should split up. Three of us down one tunnel, two down another, and two down the last one. Go down a while and see whatever you can, then come back here,” Twilight suggests as she looks down there.
“Might as well. But who will make up each group?” Rarity inquires as she continues to search for any spot that might be the least bit clean.
Twilight seems to ponder that, but for only a few seconds. “Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and myself will go down the left tunnel. Applejack and Rarity, you two go down the middle tunnel. Rainbow Dash and Micah, you two go down the one on the right.”
A quick look at Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy seem to show that they are fine with that arrangement. Applejack and Rarity seem to have no problem either, though I think I noticed Applejack looked slightly annoyed for a moment.
Twilight steps forward, stopping in front of the tunnel that Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and herself shall enter. “Remember girls, and Micah. The changelings are very close, so be careful. Don’t stick around if you think you are in trouble. If you have to, get back here and wait if you can, though get out of here if you need to. We can meet up later. And good luck, all of you.”
With that, Twilight lights up her horn to light up her tunnel even more, and Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy follow her down the tunnel. Rarity and Applejack do the same down theirs, leaving Skittles and I in front of ours.
“You ready big guy?” Skittles asks me as she takes a few steps and looks back at me.
“R-ready as I’ll e-ever be, Skittles,” I state as I slowly step towards the tunnel, very grateful to have my staff.
As we walk, Skittles speaks up. “I never like being in a place like this. If we were above ground I could zoom around super fast. But down here I gotta go slow.”
“So sorry for b-being slow, Skittles. I can’t exactly m-move as f-fast as y-you can,” I state right before I trip and nearly fall down onto the disgusting sewer floor, but thankfully Skittles moves just so that I am able to grab onto her.
“You know, Micah, maybe after this you should go see a doctor. You seem to fall down around me a bunch,” Skittles says with a slight snicker as I steady myself.
“Hm… F-falling down when I first m-met you all, then f-falling over in the r-rain when you s-scared me, and right now. I w-wouldn’t exactly c-call that a lot,” I declare as I once again start walking.
Skittles laughs at the mention of those moments. “Heh, I remember that time in the rain. You got scared so easily! I should do that again sometime.”
“Oh, I w-wasn’t the only one who got scared Sk-Skittles. Don’t you r-remember when you and I s-screamed from the sound of th-thunder? And don’t s-say you weren’t sc-scared Sk-Skittles. I know you w-were.”
“But I wasn’t scared! I’m not scared of some lightning!” Skittles sternly declares as she flaps her wings a few beats.
For a while, Skittles and I continue to talk. I think she is one of the reasons why I am doing alright down here. I mean, yeah, I still don’t like it and I want to get the hell out of here soon. But still, she is helping me keep my mind off of that.
On top of that, while I speak to her I notice how much the relationship between the two of us has changed. When we first met she and I didn’t like each other much at all. It was rather annoying actually, how much she distrusted me. But since then she has gone from not liking me or trusting me at all to actually being one of the ponies I like most. Sure I like all of them, though I do feel rather comfortable around her.
But it’s rather hard to concentrate on those thoughts or our conversation with that rat walking behind us this whole time. Oddly enough, that same rat has been following us this entire time since I first saw it when Twilight told us all to be quiet. That’s rather odd.
I am brought out of my thoughts though as I feel Skittles bump into my side. “Micah? Rainbow Dash to Micah, you hear me?”
“Yeah Sk-Skittles, I hear you. I was j-j-just thinking,” I say as I glance once more behind me.
“About what? The only thing back there is a rat.”
The rodent stops at once, and looks at Skittles, then to me. I definitely have not seen any rodent act like that before. Suddenly though, it bolts away like a mouse running away from a cat.
I chase after it as fast as I possibly can, with Skittles following me. “Skittles, don’t lose sight of that rat!”
While I try and go as fast as my feet can carry me, Skittles quickly outpaces me. “You don’t have to tell me twice!”
Ignoring her words, I simply try and follow her as fast as I can. I knew she was fast in the air, but she is extremely fast on the ground as well. I do not think anypony could go as fast as she is now, save possibly for Applejack.
She runs fast enough that eventually she gets out of my sight as she turns a corner. As I try to catch up to her, I hear her say, “What the hay is this?”
Eventually, and very out of breath, I turn the same corner as Skittles did to see…
“A dead end?”
I don’t get it. We were chasing right after it and following it for some time, only to arrive at a dead end? This doesn’t make any sense. There isn’t even any grate or something for the rat to go through. So where the hell could it have gone?
“Skittles, d-did you see wh-where it went?” I inquire as I look about, searching for any possible way it might have gotten out.
“No. I don’t see a thing. But I know it was right here! I chased it right to this spot! It couldn’t have gotten away!”
“Well o-obviously it did Skittles. O-Otherwise it w-w-would be right here,” I state as I lean my staff against the wall nearby, as I continue to look around.
Though as I search it is rather difficult for me to see. All the light has suddenly vanished. Is my staff on the fritz or something?
“Hey could you check your staff? It’s kind of hard to see when it’s super dark like this,” Skittles asks as we both search for any possible opening.
“S-sure, give me a sec,” I state as I turn around to reach my staff.
Or I would, if it was still there.
I look to Skittles, who seems just as confused as I am. “Wh-where did it go? I p-put it right h-here.”
Skittles walks towards the wall where I put it. “I didn’t hear it hit the ground or anything. It’s not anywhere here. Did a changeling come take it when we weren’t looking?”
“A-and l-leave us here unharmed? I d-don’t think so.”
But I don’t know how else it would have been moved. I had it in my hands just a bit ago, then set it down on this wall, and now it just disappeared. How the hell does that happen?
“I d-don’t get it. I put it right here, on this wall,” I say as I look to Skittles as I point to where I placed my staff. But, for some reason Skittles eyes just went wide as they possibly could be.
“Micah, I think you should take a look at your hand,” Skittles says as she points her hoof straight at the wall.
“What? Why should I t-take a l-look at my ha-WHOA!”
My hand is actually going through the wall! I don’t even feel the wall touching my hand at all! It’s as if it… isn’t there…
I put my arm in further, all the way up to my elbow. I meet absolutely no resistance, and feel nothing but air. “It’s a f-fake wall! There’s a s-secret entrance h-here!”
Skittles punches the air with her hoof as she smiles greatly. “Oh yeah! Great job!”
I return her smile with one of my own as I slowly move my head through the fake wall. It is hard to make out from no light, but I think that this is a secret tunnel that goes down, though how far down I cannot tell. The air doesn’t seem so foul down this passage either.
“When in d-doubt, Skittles, al-always follow your nose,” I say with a smile, quoting my favorite wizard. “W-we should probably g-go back and tell Twilight about th-this.”
“Yeah. Now we know how to find them! You’re awesome big guy!”
You know how something happens, and the moment it does you are aware something awful will follow? What follows is one of those moments.
As I looked down the hidden passage, my feet were on the edge of the passage. And I had one of my hands hanging on to the real wall the entire time. So I am in a precarious position at the moment, though unless an outside force interferes, I should be fine.
No such luck.
Skittles probably meant to just give me a pat on the back. But, of course, as she is bigger now, she obviously has a lot more strength. Enough so that I end up going headfirst down into the tunnel.
As I slide down I try and grab onto anything to stop my rapid descent. I can feel small grooves but while I fall I can’t get a good grip onto any of them! Why did the changelings have to make this tunnel so slick?!
I look back up towards the top of the tunnel and see Skittles looking down at me, terrified. “Micah! I’ll get the others, we’ll be down there as soon as we can!”
The only sounds I make are shouts from the pain of impacting against the walls of the tunnel as I continue to slide down before I eventually hit ground, which stops me immediately.
I lay there, my hands on my abdomen as my broken rib screams in pain. “Damn it! Why d-do broken ribs hurt s-so much?!” I say through gritted teeth. I bet that by the next morning I will have quite a lot of new bruises.
After a while the pain dies down, and I move to get up to my feet. As I do so, and press against the ground with my hands, I notice the ground here is quite different than the sewers above are. Here they feel dry and also the smell here is far less prominent. I just wish I had my staff so that I could see more than a few feet in front of me.
What also gets to me though is how quiet it is. All I can hear right now is my own breath. Up in the sewers I could still hear water moving, and the sounds of little insects skittering about underfoot. But here, nothing. Just a black pit.
Part of me wants to try and climb out of here, but with how easily I fell down, I don’t think that I should. I bet that if I tried to do that I would just fall once more. But considering where I am I can’t exactly stay put either. Staying put here would be begging for trouble, considering this is where that changeling went, there must be other ones down here too.
So, that pretty much leaves walking through a chamber in which I can barely see more than a few feet in front of me. Sounds just peachy. Maybe if I am lucky I can find my staff and turn it back on so I can have some light.
With that, and with my hand on my abdomen I slowly start walking, trying to be as quiet as I possibly can. I wish that Twilight was here, if she was she could cast some manner of a silencing spell. Then again if she was here she could probably find a way to get me out of here so I wouldn’t need said spell to begin with.
While I move, I do not know if it is real or whether it is just in my mind, but I swear each and every step I take creates a rather loud echo in this room, or chamber. And from the way it sound and how long it lasts, this is one fairly big room or chamber.
At least nobody seems to know I am here. If they did I would probably not be just walking around like I am right now. Maybe my luck will hold and Skittles and the others will get down here soo--
Thunk!
I jump back for a second as I feel my foot connect with something, worried that whatever it was might jump at me. But thankfully, nothing happens.
“W-what might this be?” I say softly to myself as I place my hands down where my foot was a bit ago, and I smile the second I realize what it is.
I immediately know that this is my staff. It must have accidentally turned itself off as it fell down here! I hope that the light still works. I press the button, and do a small prayer that it works, and…
It does! Hah! Yes! Thank you Weta Workshop for such a good product! When I get out of here you are getting one damn good review!
But, my joy quickly is replaced by dread from what the light reveals. It is not a changeling in front of me ready to attack. Nor is it a dead body, or some other gross, ugly thing of that nature. But cocoons. So, so many cocoons. Most of them, the vast majority actually, hold sleeping changelings. I know not what the cocoons are made out of but they might very well be soundproof if they did not hear me and wake up.
But, others are filled, though not by changelings. Humans are inside them. Some old, balding and with gray beards, some of them young folk about my age. Though the human filled ones seem to be in the minority. I can only see about nineteen or twenty of them out of the great host of them in this chamber. They also are all lined up. Maybe they are taking their time with trying to find those to switch with, so as to be careful. They wouldn’t want a repeat of being forced to retreat.
But where is Leah? She’s not here, but I know that she was replaced by Chrysalis. Where the hell did they take her?!
“They are here! And they brought the human with them! They might be very close by!”
The second I hear that voice, whatever it might be from, I turn off the light of my staff and dive between some of the cocoons. Once more my rib screams at me for my actions, though I bite my lip to stop from so much as uttering a sound.
“What?! If Her Majesty finds out… We have to stop them now! All of you follow me!”
“What of the human? He belongs to the Queen. Should we kill him with the ponies, or capture him?”
“Capture him if you can. Her Majesty has for some reason taken a particular liking to him. Now move!”
Suddenly I hear the buzzing of wings, similar to that of a fly, or a bee. I didn’t notice that before in the alley because it left so quickly, but those wings are loud. Imagine the same sound as a bee’s wings, but multiply that by a lot. And then have what sounds like at least twenty or so of them at the exact same time flying right by you and you get one scared young man.
G-d, if you can please not let these things see me I’ll be really, really grateful. I’ll start donning tefillin each day, I’ll remember to use the tallit, attend synagogue more often, all of that. Just please, I beg you, don’t let these things spot me.
I don’t even risk breathing as they fly right by me and over me, for fear of them hearing it. One by one each of them flies no more than a yard away from me. If I wished to I could reach out and touch them. But, eventually, they stop.
Not wanting to do anything risky, I wait a little bit to see if anymore of them show up, but thank G-d, none do. I slowly get myself back up, and look at the passage the changelings must have gone through.
They are going to encounter the six of them any time. I don’t know how good the ponies are at fighting but for their sake I really hope they know how to kick tuchus when the time comes.
“I kn-know I just asked y-you to save my t-tuchus back there, wh-which you did, but would you m-mind helping out the ponies too? I know you p-prefer peace to violence, but you have d-d-definitely helped others f-fight at times. So give the s-six of them some h-help would you?”
You know, while I am religious moments like these does make you more a lot more likely to ask the big guy upstairs for some help. When I get back home I am definitely going to use the tallit my dad gave me. A deal’s a deal, and as I made a deal with the big guy I don’t think it would be wise to go back on it.
Though it would be nice if he could have given me a way out of here. The only way out is that passage and I really doubt I could climb up that thing. Meaning that now the only thing I can do is go forward.
Turning the light from my staff on once more (though not as bright), I move forward through this chamber. Each and every step I take I feel more and more worried about what I might see. Is Chrysalis, that queen of theirs down here? Or would there be another regular changeling that just didn’t leave with all the other ones?
If there is one of them down here still I will need to make sure that I am not caught off guard by it. If one of them is down here and it catches me by surprise I am pretty much screwed. One human with a broken rib versus a changeling is not exactly a good match up.
Or even worse, what if the changelings that are in these cocoons wake up? Oh my goodness I don’t want this to be a replay of the Aliens movie, with them all hatching from the cocoons and making me run like crazy through the hive!
“J-just don’t th-think like that M-Micah. Just look around, s-see if you can f-find anything out,” I say softly as before.
I immediately regret speaking however as I hear something. I do not know what it is but I know I heard something moving ahead of me. The second that I hear it I turn off the light. I may not be able to see much of anything without it but at least I won’t be easily seen either.
There is no sound of buzzing wings that I heard when the other changelings flew, so at least it isn’t airborne, that’s definitely a plus. As it is on the ground I have at least a chance of living.
I turn my head to the left as I hear a clop clop sound, similar to the sound that the ponies make when they walk. It sounds a bit closer than before. My grip on my staff tightens as I continue to move. Though with each and every step I take the changeling sounds closer and closer. It probably won’t be much longer until I come across it.
The changeling seems to step closer to me as I move forward. The sounds of its hooves hitting against the ground are louder and more frequent. It’s no longer walking.
It’s running.
As fast as I can I turn the light on my staff to its brightest, lighting the entire area. And it does so just in time, for in front of me is a charging changeling with bared teeth and eyes locked right on me.
Without hesitation I swiftly move to my right and swing my staff straight at it with as much strength as I can muster. I both see and feel the impact, though it does not hit nearly as hard as I was hoping. It only succeeded in a glancing blow on its horn.
Immediately the changeling turns to face me again. Before it has a chance to move at me once more I swing my staff straight at its head. If I can get a blow like that in it would certainly hurt like hell. Though as the staff moves straight towards it, the changeling doesn’t move. Its horn glows green, but doesn’t send out a blast of magic.
And the green magic flows onto my staff, stopping it mid swing. The changeling doesn’t speak. But it smiles a twisted smile and reveals its fangs.
This won’t be good.
Suddenly the staff is nearly yanked out of my hands. I tighten my grip as much as I can so as not to let go of it. But while I focus on the staff and not trying to lose it, I am not prepared for the changeling getting onto its hind legs.
The image of a changeling on its hind legs seems like something straight out of a nightmare. Its teeth seem sharp as knives, and its horn, should it wish to, could easily be used like a spear. Add to that the fact that when it is on its hind legs its head reaches up rather high and I just know I am having bad dreams from this tonight, should I get out of this.
Its front hooves land on my chest and send me falling flat onto the ground, my head impacting against the ground with a thud. In reflex I at once move to grab at the changeling and both of my hands land on its horn and I grip it tightly.
The changeling, like the one in the alley, tries to move and get at me with its jaw but my grip on its horn is strong enough that it cannot move forward. Though G-d knows it is trying as it snaps its jaws like a feral dog trying to get at a steak. But still, my grip does stop it from moving forward.
Even though its horn seems strangely warm. And getting warmer. Okay, now it’s hot, really freaking hot!
Looking from its jaws to its horn I see it glowing green with actual steam coming off of it. It’s trying to burn my hands to make me let go! And DAMN that hurts! I won’t be able to hold on long at this rate!
The changeling smiles as my grip weakens and he slowly inches closer and closer, enough so I can feel his breath on my face. “Can’t take the heat, human? Give up now and I won’t make it hurt so bad!”
It is then, however, that I get an idea. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before.
I move my legs so that my feet are right underneath the changeling, right under his belly as my hands quiver from the burning sensation from his horn. “Y-you should know, h-humans aren’t q-quitters!”
With as much strength as I can gather I kick him off of me and into the air. With a thud he lands on one of the cocoons and appears dazed from the impact. I do not waste a second and move to grab my staff which still lays on the ground.
I grab it quickly and my hands scream the second I do so, but I ignore it as best I can. I can deal with the pain later. The moment I look back at the changeling he is starting to get back up.
With staff in hand I swing as hard as I possibly can. The changeling looks up at me, though this time it does not have a chance to react as my staff connects with its face with a loud crack. The impact is hard enough that it sends the changeling flat onto the ground. I wait, expecting it to come back up, though it lays there. I must have hit it hard to knock it out with one hit.
Now that I see I don’t have to worry about that I drop my staff and look at my hands to see what damage was done. And I nearly gag from the sight.
My hands, which are normally pale as the rest of my skin tone, are severely burned. They don’t look like a third-degree burn, but damn does this thing hurt. The skin on my palms is really screwed up and I think I am definitely going to have blisters on them. After this is done I have got to get to a hospital or something. I can’t just ignore this.
“T-two near-death ex-experiences in one day. This is n-not what I h-h-had planned,” I state with a groan as I feel the pain again as my hand wraps around the staff. “Th-then again I had no pl-plan other than go see the movie.”
I think at this point it would probably be best if I just sit and wait for the others to get here. I don’t want to get banged up any more, and if I continue to look around that will probably continue to happen. But the question now is where to hide.
Should I just go and hide amongst the cocoons again? It might have worked one time but I don’t think it would work again. I know I wouldn’t be able to just crawl back up the passage either. Dang it all! Why couldn’t this place have some more chambers for me to hide in? Shouldn’t a big bad villain have a huge bunch of secret rooms or something? I mean this one lone cocoon for instance, why would they have it by itself in the main chamber?
Wait, a lone cocoon? What’s that doing here?
As most anyone would do when seeing something out of place I make my way towards it. From this far off I don’t see what is inside but it’s probably a changeling. But why would a simple changeling cocoon be here all by itself, separated from the others?
“So, you found your way down here.”
I spin around as fast as I can upon hearing that new voice. Or, more accurately, I try to move. All I am able to move is my head! Looking down I see my entire body is enveloped by a green field. It isn’t painful at all but I can’t move a muscle!
I try in vain to look behind me, but fail. “Wh-whoever you are, l-let me go!”
From behind me I hear the clop of hooves against the ground. Whoever it is behind me knows that I can’t do a damn thing and is definitely taking their time. That voice also sounds different than the other changelings.
A chill flows through my body as I feel a hoof suddenly touch the back of my neck. “Now dear, why would I do such a thing? After all, you must have come here to find me,” the voice states as I feel the hoof trail slowly down from my neck to my waist.
Once more I hear the hooves move against the floor as I now see the one holding me still. Upon looking at her, or I guess it is a ‘her’ as the voice and body shape are more like the female ponies, I at once guess who she is. Her height is the exact same as mine, with her twisted, gnarled horn reaching a foot and a half or two feet above my head. Her mane is longer than any other ponies I have seen or the changelings, and hangs loose about her head, partly obscuring her green eyes.
“And here I am. I must say I do wish we could have finished our encounter in Leah’s home. I am rather hungry,” Chrysalis says with a grin.
I strain against her magic as much as I can. “Where is she?! W-what did you d-do with her?! Why isn’t sh-she with the o-others?!”
Chrysalis just sighs. “Your stuttering is horrendous. You sound like a frightened child. I cannot imagine how Leah put up with such an annoyance.”
I glare at her, wishing I could move. “Answer me! Where is she?! T-tell me!”
She smiles again, this time her teeth are quite visible. They are just as sharp as those of the other changelings. “I see no reason why I should do that. Neither is there a reason for you to want her. Do you not remember a few nights ago? You seemed rather taken by me,” she says as she moves close enough that it seems as if she is about to kiss me.
“Only b-because you dared to look like L-Leah,” I say as I try to lean back.
The way Chrysalis looks at me changes. It seems she is analyzing me now as her horn glows green. In less than a second the magic around me is gone, allowing me to move.
“Do not think of moving against me human. I removed the magic because I wish to make you an offer,” Chrysalis states as she begins to circle me.
As she circles me I keep my eyes on her so as not to let her out of my sight. “And wh-why should I even l-l-listen to this offer?”
Chrysalis laughs at my question as she speaks. “Ha! Do you really believe you have a choice? You might have bested one of my changelings in combat. But you know as well as I that you stand no chance against me,” I hear her say as I feel her tale rub against my legs.
As much as I hate this, she is correct. “Wh-what manner of offer are you t-talking about?” I say as I try and think of anything else other than her tale moving against me.
She stops right in front of me and tosses her mane out of her eyes before she speaks. “We changelings feed on love. That is why I took the place of your lover,” Chrysalis states with a smile. “She was rather shocked when she saw me looking exactly like her.”
I swear that if she keeps going on like this I won’t care what happens. I will deck her.
“When you are with me, whether it was when I saw you on your walk, or when I drove you to the market, I felt stronger. Though only slightly so. Each time we kissed and you thought I was her I was invigorated,” she states as her eyes wander away from mine, lower until she looks at my groin with a smirk. “And each time we were in rapture together I fed off of it.”
“Get to the p-point!”
“Watch your tongue Micah. We may be on your planet but I am still a queen, and shall be spoken to as one,” Chrysalis says with a hiss. “My offer is to let you live, even after seeing this and knowing where we are.”
I am not about to agree to anything, but I ask anyway. “At what c-cost?”
“You will not leave here. You shall be given food and water to survive but you will not leave, until we return to Equestria, stronger than before.”
“Wh-what? Ignoring h-however you plan to g-get back there, do you t-truly e-expect me to take you up on that offer?” I ask as I tighten my grip on my staff.
Chrysalis steps closer towards me, making me back up away from her. “It is not as if you won’t gain something from this as well. The screams of pleasure from you were quite amusing. You are rather easy to please, did you know that?”
“Shut up! J-just shut up you BITCH!”
In less time than it would take for me to blink I find myself on my back on the ground. Before I have a chance to get up Chrysalis appears over me. Her eyes only show one emotion. Fury.
Chrysalis roars at me as her face is no more than a foot from my own. “You will not speak to me like that again! Do you even understand what it is I am offering you?! My subjects would die for the chance to lay with me!”
“M-must have l-low standards,” I say strained, my head throbbing from hitting the ground so suddenly.
Chrysalis glares at me before her glare transforms into a smile. A hoof of hers raises and she slams it straight down into my abdomen, right onto a spot I wished she would not have hit.
I hear a snap from my abdomen as I scream in pain. Along with hitting my already broken ribs I think she just broke at least two more! How the hell can that hurt so much?!
“That is what happens to those who disrespect me,” Chrysalis says as she smiles and through the pain I feel something brushing against my groin. “But to those who show me proper respect, they are always rewarded.”
Looking down I see what it is. She is using her tail to rub against me. I try once more to get up but she holds me to the ground. “No m-matter what you do, I w-won’t agree.”
Chrysalis leans down while still smiling, her tail still moving. “Now now, don’t fight it. You don’t remember, but there was one time I was in this form. You needed some… convincing, but eventually you did every single thing I wanted.”
“Y-you mean you h-hypnotized me, and forced me,” I manage to say.
“Forced isn’t a word I like to use. I prefer to say I brought out your inner desires. And I must say, you were very, very good,” Chrysalis says as she… Oh damn she actually licks my neck. “Are you certain you won’t reconsider? For your own sake, you should. It is the only wise choice.”
After all this has happened, there is only one reasonable thing for me to do. And unlike other times when I have to make a hard choice, every part of my mind is unanimous in what I should do.
“There is only one w-woman I love. And I w-won’t betray her. Nor w-will I betray m-my friends,” I say, and spit straight into her face.
You know how you at times are aware how bad things are going to get, but for a split second you don’t care? This is one of those times.
For about five seconds Chrysalis just seems shocked. I really do not believe she thought I would say no, considering my predicament. It is so great to see her seem just utterly bewildered. Though that only lasts for a few moments.
Chrysalis encases me with her magic and makes me drop my staff as she levitates me up to her eye level. “You ungrateful ape!”
With a kick from her hind legs she sends me flying backwards. At this point my ribs feel as if they have been reduced to fragments of dust, the pain excruciating. My back is the next to feel pain as suddenly I hit something.
I turn around to see I hit the lone cocoon. But I am shocked at what I see inside of it. I expected it would be a changeling, or a human. It is neither. The ponies mentioned that she was beaten by Chrysalis but I did not think that she would be here!
It’s Celestia. They brought her here with them? Why the hell is she here? How could she have even gotten here in the first place?
I don’t have time to think about it further, for soon Chrysalis yanks me off of the cocoon onto the floor. She looks down at me with pure anger and rage. “No one denies me!”
I try to reach for my staff, even though I know it’s out of my reach. The first I feel is a hoof pounding down onto my injured hand. And many, many more follow. I try as best as I can to get out from under her but I can’t.
Her hooves coming down on me feels like being repeatedly hit by the heaviest hammer one can imagine. I use my already-ruined arm to protect myself, but it does little to halt her assault. My arm and body are utterly pummeled from her assault. Glancing up I see her rearing onto her hind legs, about to slam her hooves down one final time.
But before she has a chance to, a blue streak tackles her, sending her straight into the ground. Five other blurs of color follow shortly after. It must be Rainbow Dash and the others! I do not know what took them so long but finally they have gotten here.
But what can they do against Chrysalis? They are tough, sure, but what can they do alone? I don’t know what they could ever do to her. They’ll need help.
Celestia. Maybe she can help. I don’t know what difference it would make but I have to try and get her out of there. She was beaten before but maybe now that Chrysalis is fighting the others, she will get weaker and become distracted.
I don’t see what else I can do.
Slowly, and with my body screaming at me to stop, I crawl towards my staff. Each inch I move seemingly takes an hour to make. Eventually my fingers finally grab the staff, and I turn towards Celestia’s cocoon.
I hear more shouting behind me, and I think I hear somepony yell my name. But I do not focus on that. I have to get Celestia out of there! I just have to!
Once I reach the cocoon I feel something dripping from my nose. Looking down I see blood, from what must be my broken nose. Odd, I feel like shit and the only thing I know for sure has happened is that I got a broken nose.
Fighting through the pain I slam my staff down on the cocoon as hard as I can. With what is the last of my strength, my staff is able to break through the cocoon. And with that my last bit of stamina is gone, and I fall straight onto the floor.
My eyelids are heavy, as if they are made of iron. I try to stop them from closing, but I can’t. I can’t do anything now, except for one last thing.
I barely move my lips. “Celestia, if y-you can hear me… Help.”
I awaken with a gasp, expecting to see Chrysalis or any of the multitude of changelings from earlier around me. But what I don’t see is what surprises me.
There is nothing. No Chrysalis, no changelings, no ponies. The only thing I see is the chamber and the cocoons. I get up quickly and grab my staff, not believing this for a second. There is no way that these things are gone. But that leads to another odd realization.
My wounds are healed. I’m not hurt! I feel fine! I felt like I did before I met that first changeling! My ribs are fine, my nose isn’t busted and my arms aren’t weak any longer!
But how is that possible? Last I remembered I was nearly stomped to death by Chrysalis. I passed out next to the cocoon that Celestia was in. Wait, I should probably check that out too, since all of this is just too freaking weird.
Looking over at it though I see it’s empty! There’s no one inside it! But, it isn’t broken, and neither is it opened. How could this cocoon be empty if it wasn’t opened or broken? Even the cracks I made on it are gone.
“This is getting to be all kinds of crazy. Wait a second, now my stutter is gone? I was stuttering like crazy earlier, what the hell?”
Ok, ok Micah, don’t worry about this. Regardless of what exactly is going on, everything should be alright. You aren’t being beaten by a changeling so this is obviously a great improvement. Just try to find the ponies.
I head towards the passage from the sewers that lead me down here quite some time ago. “Girls, can you hear me?! Are you there?!”
…
Ok, that silence is not good.
“Girls! This isn’t funny, where are you?! Answer me!”
“They cannot hear you, young man.”
Did that voice just come from inside my head?
“Who are you, and where the hell are you?” I ask as I look around the entire chamber, but see absolutely nothing but the cocoons.
“There is no need for you to be so nervous Micah. You have no reason to fear me. After all you have done, my sister and I owe you greatly.”
“You and your sister? Again I ask, who are you?” I ask as I walk around, trying to find out where that voice could possibly be coming from.
“I am Princess Luna, Micah. As I believe you know, Celestia is my elder sister.”
“Luna? The Luna? Ok, that’s one question answered, but--”
Without warning of any kind, suddenly I feel the ground shake. I quickly steady myself against a wall as everything around me continues to shake. It is as if I am at the center of an earthquake!
“Luna, what’s going on?!” I shout as even the ground itself is showing cracks, and as I look about the very wall behind me is actually beginning to crumble.
“Micah, stay calm. I know you are frightened but I swear you are safe. You will not be harmed.”
“There’s an earthquake occurring right now, so are you sure about that?!” I scream as the very ground falls away in front of me. “Luna!”
I claw at the wall behind me to try and get a grip, though my efforts are in vain as I fall down into the abyss below me. I try and reach out to the sides of the abyss or pit or whatever the hell it is to get a grip but I feel nothing. It’s as if I am clawing at air!
Soon though I see something coming up at me rapidly from below. It looks to be brown or oddly black. Regardless of what it is, I know if I hit it at this rate there is no way that I can survive. Damn it there has to be a way to slow down or something!
I do not stop falling, and actually continue to go faster and faster as I descend until the surface below is almost upon me. “Luna! Luna, help!”
I close my eyes to not see what happens… And nothing happens. No pain, no death, nothing. I open my eyes to see myself standing in what appears to be an old, long-abandoned field of some sort. The grass underfoot is brown and dried out, and the sky above was blood red.
“Micah, do not move. I am nearly there. I am sorry for what happened. Doing this with a human is different than with a pony. It is more difficult.”
I look about for Luna, trying to see where the hell in this field she is. “Doing what?! What the hell is all this?!”
“You are dreaming Micah. I am joining your dream, though as I have said it is more difficult with a human. From what I have learned from you, human minds are similar yet different from that of ponyfolk. To enter into your dream and speak with you I had to try something... different.”
“Different how? And how could a dream be this real? I have never had as realistic a dream as this before,” I state as I bend down and feel the coarseness of the dead, dried grass under my palm.
“Normally with ponyfolk I can enter into their dreams with ease, though it is a one-way door. They cannot enter into my dreams or mind. With you it is not so for some reason. The human mind seems to be able to find doors in rather strange ways.”
“So then where I am is--”
“My dream and mind, yes. Though as with your mind there are certain things I cannot and will not do. Mostly all I can see is what you are currently dreaming of, or something from your past that you would permit me to see. It is the same with me. You are capable of seeing my dream, were I to dream now. And if I lost control, memories as well.”
“Alright, alright. But, why am I here? And, and what happened to Celestia, and Twilight and the others? Are they alright? Are they hurt?”
“They are safe Micah.”
Without hesitation I turn around with my staff at the ready, but quickly breathe a sigh of relief. “Luna. Uh, sorry about that,” I say as I lower my staff.
Yes, this is definitely her. There is no possible way to mistake that. The dark blue coat, the wavy mane with stars seeming to be inside of it. She also wears the regalia only Luna would have. Seeing her in person like this, it is certainly obvious why she has the title ‘Princess of the Night’.
“There is no need for an apology. I have been told what you have been through. Your caution is certainly understandable,” she states as she steps towards me, smiling gently.
“I am most glad that you understand Princess Luna. Wait…” For goodness sake I can’t believe I forgot this bit! She’s royalty you idiot! You’re supposed to bow!
I bow towards her and think I hear her chuckle softly as I do so. “I thank you for your manners and courtesy Micah. Though for now we can dismiss such things. There are some things that I need to speak to you about.”
Raising up I speak at once. “That is quite true. There are a number of things I am curious about. Such as first and foremost right now, since I know that Twilight, Celestia and the others are safe, how the hell are you doing this? If you could talk to someone far away on other worlds, why not do so with Twilight? She could have certainly used your help.”
Luna’s smile, a moment ago rather happy and gentle, immediately vanishes. She isn’t even so much as looking at me now. Her eyes are downcast towards the grass at her hooves.
This can’t be good.
“Princess Luna, why aren’t you answering?” I ask, worried what the answer might be.
Looking at me, she begins to speak. “Micah, you must understand, your wounds were horrible. Chrysalis caused much damage to your body. Not just broken bones. Celestia knew you would not last long and needed to get you medical attention and stop the changelings both as soon as possible. She had to make a very quick decision.”
“A quick decision? What are… No. No, she didn’t,” I say as I back away, realization starting to wash over me.
Luna steps closer for each step I move away from her. “Micah, please. You were nearly dead when you got to the hospital. If you arrived at a human one the damage would have been too great for them to repair.”
I shout at her as I back away, collapsing onto the grass. “N-no. No she didn’t. This is impossible! Twilight told me how dangerous and risky such magic is, she told me! When they first got on Earth they were up in the air! No one would willingly take such a risk!”
This can’t be true. They wouldn’t have done this. I didn’t want this, and I told Applejack I didn’t want to leave! She has to be lying right now, she has to be!
“It was a risk she had to take. I am so sorry,” I hear Luna say and feel a wing on my shoulders. I look up at her, and see what I must admit is a true expression of sorrow, and I think a bit of empathy.
But… But it can’t be true. “NO!”
I get back to my feet and glare straight at her. “You’re lying! There is no way that’s the truth! You’re not really here! This has to be a dream… you’re just a dream!”
Luna seems that she is about to speak, but before she does I hear what sounds like thunder echoing throughout this place. Though there is something else that gets my attention. Something far behind Luna.
Behind Luna, in the distance of this dreamscape is a large, towering black cloud. No, no not really a cloud. It seems as if it is a huge, unending shadow. One that is slowly getting closer and closer, and larger and larger.
Luna looks to me with what seems to be actual fear. Why would she be afraid of something in her own dream? “Micah, your questions will be answered later. For now our meeting is over.”
“Broken bones, internal bleeding, lacerations, and so many other things. Keep an eye on him will you Redheart? The Princesses say he deserves our best care.”
“Of course. I never do anything less with any of our patients Doctor Haywick.”
“I know. And don’t tell him of what has happened in Princess Celestia’s absence. He will have enough stress as is when he wakes. There’s no reason for us to add to it.”
“He will know sooner or later.”
“Yes, yes. But only after he adjusts. I haven’t heard everything, but he has been through a lot already.”
