I was driving home one evening and my car runs out of gas. So I try to get more, but as I was walking to the gas station, I get zapped by a purple lightning bolt and end up in a world of talking ponies. How did this happen? And why does this world lo
I was driving home one evening and my car runs out of gas. So I try to get more, but as I was walking to the gas station, I get zapped by a purple lightning bolt and end up in a world of talking ponies. How did this happen? And why does this world look awfully familiar, like it's some sort of kids cartoon? Well, I am stuck here for while...maybe more than a while actually.
*Category tags are to change/to be added as story progresses*
Music. How can I describe it? I guess I can say it's like electricity. When it hits you, it's just so...energetic. And it's like a current. Music goes from the laptop, into my headphones, through my ears, and to the rest of my body. It just fills me with so much...that's just it. Music is so powerful, that I can't just use one word to describe how it makes me feel.
But the music that is currently going through my ears, it's missing words. And it is my job to fill that wordless void.
Keeping in rhythm, I spit bars into the silver ball of a microphone that is just six inches away from my mouth. I recall every word of the song, not having to look at a reference. I try to be careful. Don't miss a beat or syllable Nick, just keep going and focus.
As my verse ends, my friend, Loretta, finishes it off with her singing into her own microphone. She leaves a powerful ending impression for the song. Though her time is a bit brief, her voice and the emotion she is using really gives the song that extra 'umph' to it.
As Loretta finishes, the instrumental starts to slowly fade away. I look to her and she gives me a nod with a huge smile on her face. I look to Pat, who is by the laptop, and do a slashing motion across my throat, telling him to cut off the mics. With a smile on his face too, he looks down at the computer and hits a single button. And the second he does that, celebration ensures.
"AWW YEAH!!" I shout, feeling like I'm on top of the world. Pat runs to me and gives me and Loretta a high five each.
“That was awesome!” My bud, Connor, says, clapping his hands together a couple of times. He's Loretta’s boyfriend.
“Totally,” I say, taking off the headphones covering my ears. “And that was only the third take of that cover. And it was so dope! How many songs did we record today?”
“About fifteen songs. Hip Hop, R&B, Rock, Contemporary, Pop, were the main genres. And there was that one show tune as well.”
“And those are the only genre’s we should stick with,” Pat says. “Cause almost every other genre sucks!”
“So true,” Connor, Loretta and I say. What me and my friends are currently doing, or what we just finished, is recording cover songs and a little bit of original material to post on SoundCloud. The four of us record in Connor’s basement because it is very roomy (and well isolated) down here. There is also plenty of space to set up microphones, laptops, headphones, the usual equipment for home recording.
Me and my friends here share a passion for music and love singing. But I am a bit of a black sheep because I also enjoy rapping. I can not express how much I love hip-hop and rap music. I've been told I'm a good rapper and a good singer. I'm a bit of a renaissance boy, and I want to put myself out there. My dream is to be on a stage in front of hundreds, even thousands of people, all wanting to hear me perform. Normal life is boring, living in the limelight is how I wanna live it.
I take a look at my sliver watch and notice it is nine sixteen at night. “Guys, I gotta run,” I say, heading toward the staircase. “See y'all Monday.”
“See you later Nick,” Pat says. I walk up the stairs, pull out my iPhone and check my messages. No new messages tonight. Good, less of a distraction while I'm on the road. The cool thing about my phone is that I have a special case on it so it can charge up. The battery for case is solar powered, so it only works in the presence of light. An acquaintance of mine was able to hook me up with one of these. I heard that cases like this, are only available China.
I exit Connor’s house by this point and walk down the driveway, toward my car. It's an old, and kind of beat up, Honda civic, but it's great on gas. I insert the key into the slot, turn it left twice and the car unlocks. I open the door, get in and shut the door. "Good night," I mumble. I put the key into the ignition and turn the key until the car purrs alive. I flick that knob on the stick that is on the wheel to turn on my headlights. Alright, all systems are ago. I back out of the driveway and start diving home. It is only a fifteen minute drive. Easy peasy.
So, while I am on the road, I might as well give some introduction. I am Nick, I'm seventeen years old with a couple months left in my junior year, great looking, and doing good academically. My wardrobe has a bit of an urban vibe to it: solid red t-shirt, Phillies snapback on my head, brown cargo shorts and some red Reebok's. But the urban look isn't complete without some bling: class ring with a ruby, my silver cross necklace and my silver watch. Now, back to the road.
About halfway home, my car is starting to slow down for some reason.
"The Hell?" I utter. I take a look at the dash board for any sort of indication as to why my car slowing down. And it turns out, the gas gauge is pointing to E. “Well great,” I say sarcastically. I pull over to the side of the road, put on my flashers and keep the car on. Just the battery, not the engine.
I get out of my car and pop open the trunk to pull out a gas can. I keep an extra one in the back in case of an emergency like this. I never had to use it, but now is the time. I open the lid of the can and see that it is empty. I let out a sigh and put the gas can on the ground. “Just perfect.” I thought I would have a nice, peaceful drive home from my friend’s house, but this happens instead.
I aimlessly take a look around my surroundings. I am on a road next to an open field with trees surrounding it. It's quite nice out here tonight. Peaceful really. Stars are shinning bright, along with the moon, a very calm and light breeze flows through my hair. It's a sensational night. Well, it would be sensational if I had some damn gas! Then, I remember something.
“On the other side of this field, is a town. If I just go across the field into town, walk about a block or so, a gas station should be there and…am I monologuing again? I need to stop doing that.” I tend to monologue once in a while. It's become a bit of a habit of mine. That’s what I get for being a theater kid.
So, with a plan in mind, I turn off my car, keeping the flashers on, and walk across the field holding on to the gas can. Walking through a field with my own thoughts is very peaceful and nice. But this does not last too long because a storm cloud starts to form in the sky.
“That’s weird,” I think to myself. “I checked the weather earlier, and they said clear skies for the next two days.” I start to quicken my pace so I can try to avoid any potential rain. As my pace quickens, a a bright and oddly coolerd lightning bolt flashes almost ten feet in front of me! I drop the gas can out of being scared. “I have to get down!” But before I could, a different bolt zaps me right on the head. Nothing but electricity and heat surge through my body. It hurts like a mother f##ker! I feel my entire body spazzing and hurting in more ways I can think of. Then POW! I'm out like a candle.
I slowly open my eyess, vision blurry. I can hear the faint chirps of birds in the distance. Am I outside? "Ulg, what happened?" I say groggily. I try to sit up, but I feel pain rush and surge through my head. I grab my throbbing noggin with my hands and try to ease the pain by rubbing my fingers around my temples. It takes some time for the pain to subside, but my vision is fully regaining now and I can see. Trees as far as the eye can see. Apple trees to be precise. I'm just gonna go out on a limb and say this an apple orchid.
I sand up, slowly, and take in my surroundings. How'd I get here? And what and where is here?
My stomach growls for a moment, it being a little loud. It must be breakfast time. Well, I am in an apple orchard, I guess having an apple wouldn't hurt.
I walk to the closest tree and look up. The closest apple is not too high up, but I do need to jump for it. I do a small hop, hold on to the apple, and it snaps off from the branch. “Easy peasey.” I take a bite and it is probably one of the best apples I have ever had. It has good flavor and a nice crunch to the bite. Just the way I like it. I take another bite and start to think. “Something doesn't add up. One minute I'm in an open field, and now, I am in an apple orchard. Did I go into a coma and apple trees grew during that time? No, someone would have noticed me and I would be in a hospital bed.” I take another bite of the apple. “Maybe I'm currently in a coma and this is the dream state. Or this is just a regular dream?”
Before I can take a third bite, I hear two feminine voices coming my way. “I’m glad that spell worked. That storm became way out of control for me to handle,” one of the voices says.
OH CRAP! That may be an owner! And I'm on their property without permission. I'm screwed! I have to hide. Quick, think!
I look up at the tree again. My shorts match the bark and my shirt and hat are the color of the apples. I could blend in! Well, let's put this plan into action.
“Alright, time to hop up,” I mumble to myself. I jump and I take hold of a branch. The bark feels surprisingly smooth against my skin. I pull myself up quickly. I go up a couple more branches and I sit on one of them. Now, I'm in the bush of the tree and just in time too, because it sounds like the two talking are right underneath me. I hope they don't see me. Looking down, I see two ponies walking with baskets on their backs. And the weird thing is, they are oddly colored ponies. One is orange with a stetson and the other is purple. “What? Were they the ones who were talking earlier," I mumble quietly. "That can't be right." There is something oddly familiar about these ponies, but I can’t put my finger on it. Have I seen them before!?
“That storm was pretty crazy! Glad you took care of that,” the orange pony says in a southern accent. “Also, thanks for helping me out with the apple bucking today Twi.”
“No problem Applejack,” The purple pony says. Okay, those names sound really familiar! But from where have I heard those names? I see the two walk over to a tree near the one I'm in and they place the baskets under it. The orange one stands in front of the tree and kicks it with their back legs. Apples rain down from that tree and pile into the baskets the two ponies set down. Damn, that one’s got power.
“Well, we should also…” the orange one stops talking and walks under the tree I'm in. She notices the apple I ate! Oh crap.
“I forgot to get rid of it!” I shout in my head. And now my headache gets worse.
“Hmm.” The orange one examines the apple I ate. I am praying to God that they don’t see me. Then, the orange one gets in front of the tree I'm in and kicks it. I hold on to the branch I'm on very tightly. I don't wanna fall. The entire tree shakes violently, I feel that I may slip, but thank God, I don't. “I think somepony or something was here Twilight.”
“What makes you say that?” The purple one asks walking over to the orange one.
“Look, somepony or something came here and got a nip at an apple.”
“It’s just one apple out of the hundreds you have in this orchard.”
“I know, but still, they should have asked if they wanted one.” Fair enough. “Well, lets get these apples back to the house.” The purple one’s horn on their head now has a purple aura around it and I see the baskets now have a purple aura. The baskets move to on the ponies backs. Okay, weird but pretty cool. I must be tripping though. No way all of this is possible.
As they walk away, I grab the pendant of my crucifix necklace and kiss it. I don’t care if this is a hallucination, a dream or reality, I am thankful they didn't see me.
“Oh thank you God,” I whisper joyfully. I could hop in joy, but I shouldn't. The branch rustling may alert those talking ponies.
But after I whisper that one line, the branch I am on starts to snap a little. “Oh crap. Please not now,” I say still whispering. The branch still slowly makes snapping sound. If I move, I’m screwed. I just hope for the best. Unfortunately, the best hasn't come. The branch fully snaps and I fall to the ground, hitting a few other parts of the tree on the way down. Not a pleasant experience. As I hit the ground back first, all I feel is pain. It shoots to every body part of mine. Everything feels like agony. I make a few grunting sounds, but my fall and grunting doesn't go unnoticed.
“Hey!” the orange pony says running up to me and getting up in my face. She isn't that tall really, she looks like she is about three feet tall. Yet the face she is making is telling me she is ready to kill. “What do you think your doing little vermin?” I am in shock, I don’t know what to say or do. “Equestrian vermin, do you speak it?!” ...Okay, did she seriously just reference Pulp Fiction? WAIT! Multi-colored ponies that talk, strange powers, references...how did I not see this before? I’m in the My Little Pony world!
*Flashback to Saturday at 5:30 P.M., New Jersey*
My family got home from church about half an hour ago. It's the afternoon and my parents have left to go out for a movie and dinner date. They know that I am leaving to go my friends house for a recording session, so my younger brother is in charge while I'm gone. As I'm leaving to go into the garage so I can hop into my car, I pass my little sister who is watching My Little Pony. Dear God that show can be so annoying. “Sis, how can you watch this? Is there any sort of intelligence to it?” I ask teasing her.
“Oh like The Walking Dead has any sort of intelligence to it?” she retorts.
“It shows me how to kill people out of self defense and how to kill people who are half dead.”
“That’s not a good point.”
“Oh whatever, I have to go.”
“Aren't you going to have dinner?”
“Connor is ordering pizza for me and my friends at his house. See ya’.”
*Back to current time period*
Looks like karma came back and bit me in the butt, and it bit me hard. Does karma enjoy My Little Pony? Well, that’s not the point. “Look, let me explain,” I say, trying to sound like I'm harmless. The two ponies gasp in surprise.
“You can speak?!” The orange one asks a bit astonished.
“You’re the one who asked if I could speak.”
“...Right.”
“Look,” I slowly stand up. Everything still hurts, but I can sort of keep balance. “I woke up here. I was walking through a field, a storm cloud suddenly appears, I get zapped by lightning and I end up in this place.”
“Was there anything suspicious about the cloud?” the purple one asks. If I remember from what my sister told me about the show, the purple one is Twilight or something like that, and the orange one should be Applejack.
“Not the cloud itself, but the lightning was a faint, purple color if I remember correctly.”
“Hmm..." The unicorn brings a hoof to her chin, looking like she's deep in thought. "I think I may know what happened. I was working on a weather spell yesterday, but it got out of hoof. I knew a universal teleportation spell to get rid of it. It required some supply for it to work, but I had all of that handy at the moment. I sent it away, but I didn't expect any magical lightning to strike someone.”
“Okay, but that doesn't explain how I got here.”
“Maybe it's the fact that it was two spells mixed to one. And since the it was a combination of a weather spell and a universal teleportation spell, maybe the bolt was a result of the two and is what sent you.”
“Can’t you send me back?”
“The supply to get for the spell takes about a week to both get and prepare.”
“Perfect,” I say with a huff, putting my hands on my hips. “I guess I am stuck here for a while. Ain't this just bright and dandy."
“Figuring you'll be around for a while, where are ya’ gonna’ to go?” Applejack asks. She she raises a good point, I don’t have anywhere to go. Even if I choose to go somewhere, I would stick out like a sore thumb. “I would let you stay at my place, but now is not the best time at the moment to let anyone stay.” Even if her house was good, I don’t think I would want to stay with her. She just scared the ever living hell out of me. On the show, they make her look so nice and sweet. Maybe it is just because she is just defending her property. I would be like that too in all honesty.
“We can sneak you through town and get you to my home,” Twilight suggests. “Most of the town should still be asleep. We can sneak you in no problem.”
“What about Spike?” Applejack asks. “No doubt he will notice him.” Who the heck is Spike? A pet or something?
“Princess Celestia needed him for some royal business. He won’t be back until late tonight.” So Spike is a someone and not a something. “Come on, let’s get you to my place.”
Fifteen minutes later
I shut the door behind me fairly quickly. The three of us are in in Twilight’s house. It’s actually a library that is inside an oak tree. “That was easier than I thought,” I say. I'm quite surprised we got into town with no problems.
“Like what I said earlier, tt is still early in the morning, most of the town is still asleep,” Twilight says. Fair point.
“I’m glad no one saw us,” Applejack says. The orange pony brings her attention to me now. “Hey, uh, I’m sorry about getting up in your face earlier.”
“Ah, don’t worry about it. You were just protecting your property, I would have done the same.”
“Well I have to get back to the farm. Those apple ain't gonna buck themselves.” She opens the door, but she turns around and walks up to me. “I didn't get ya’ name yet sugar cube. What is it?”
“Oh, I didn't properly introduce myself to you two. Where are my manners? I’m Nick.”
“I’m Applejack.” She extends her hoof. I grab it and shake it. Like I said, I already know who she is, but I think it is best if they don’t know that they are part of a children's TV show. “And this here is Twilight Sparkle, but we all call her Twi for short.” She and I exchange a smile for a few moments until she lets go of my hand. "Well, time to get back to the farm. Take care y'all." Applejack leaves the library and now it's just me and Twilight.
I take a look around the library, books beyond belief. It looks really nice organized. “I kind of like this place,” I say.
“Really?”
“Yeah. I enjoy books, and I like how you keep this place is nice and tidy.”
“Thank you.” There is a slight pause between us. But her face goes a tad wide, as if some sort of realization falls upon her. “You know, my friends are going to find out about you eventually, and maybe the whole town.” She is right. I can’t stay hidden for too long. I have no idea how they're going to react to me. But then, it hits me.
“I have an idea.”
“Go on.”
“Maybe you could invite your friends to dinner tonight so you guys can get to know me.”
“I am not sure how they'll react." She looks to the wooden door and then back to me. "Maybe it is too soon to be introducing you.”
“I just think it'll be better to get it over with soon so we don’t have to keep this bottled up and have the cap fly off.” She looks like she is in deep thought but lets out a hopeful sigh.
“I guess you’re right. I'll make some arrangements.”
“I have never seen anything like you before,” Rainbow Dash says flying around me. Twilight did agree to the idea of inviting everyone over. As soon as the other ponies saw me, they were shocked, but introductions went smoothly when Applejack vouched for my character. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were pretty excited to see me. For Fluttershy, she found a new creature and it seemed to have made her day. For Pinkie, she saw me as a new friend, which is nice. She was a little up in my face, but her intentions were pure. All of us are in the main room of the library, conversing and socializing while Twilight is preparing dinner.
You know, like what I noticed before, these guys are not that tall. They stand a little bit above my waist. Roughly three feet I think. “Standing on two legs for that long! How does he do it?” The rainbow pony continues to ask.
“Just part of his bone structure maybe,” Fluttershy quietly says.
“Where did you guys find him?” Pinkie Pie asks in a very bubbly tone.
“He said he woke up in my apple orchard this morning,” Applejack points out. “Twilight claims that it was a combination of the weather spell and the universal teleportation spell that sent him here.”
“I guess that make sense,” Rarity says. She walks up to me and eyes me up. “I say, you have a decent sense of fashion.” I will admit, I can be a bit of a fashion bug. I kinda want to dress how you would see modern singers and rappers. Celebrities in general really. They have some of the best fashion sense in my opinion...except Lil Kim. But I don’t wear the expensive stuff like Gucci or Jordan's or things like that. I just go for that urban look.
Rarity touches the bottom of my shirt with her hoof, feeling and examining the color and texture of the fabric. “The colors go well together. Is this one hundred percent cotton?”
“Yep,” I respond.
“It’s very nice, and soft to the touch.”
“Umm, can I ask a question?" Fluttershy asks both nervously and quietly. I nod to give her my approval. "What is your kind called anyway? I'm kind of curious to know what you're called.”
“I am known as a human.”
“How many of you are there from where you’re from?”
“Over seven billion of us are on my home planet.”
“That’s quite a lot of you,” Applejack says amazed. That is a lot to take in. Billions of others like me, all walking around on a blue and green ball.
“Dinner’s ready,” Twilight calls from the kitchen. I can hear a chorus of little boys singing a song about the glory of food...well, in my head that is.
The six of us walk to the kitchen and I notice that the table is set low. Really low. Not quite what I am accustomed to. There are cushions on the the ground and are neatly surrounding the table. I am assuming that you have to sit on the floor to eat over the table. Oh, it’s like old school Asia; I like it!
So I take a seat between Twilight and Fluttershy. My eyes scan the assortment of food placed on the table. I see apple turn over and apple cider to drink,(I wonder who supplied that) along with salad, soup, and small corn muffins.
“Everything looks great,” I say. "I can't wait to eat!"
“Well, lets dig in,” Twilight says. Out of habit, I do the cross motion with my right hand and quietly say grace. I make sure to thank God for the food and the company I am with. When I finish with grace, the six ponies look at me as if I have five heads. Then I realize what I am doing is a foreign to them.
“What was that all about?” Applejack asks.
“Sorry, it is something I do at home before I eat dinner back home. Part of my beliefs.”
“Oh, nothing to be sorry about hon. I’ll respect that.”
“So, Nick was it?” Rarity asks. I nod my head. “I'm sure all of us would love to get to know you better. So to get the ball rolling, I'd like to know if you do anything interesting back from where you're from?” While she asks her question, she levitates a corn muffin to her plate.
“Actually yes,” I reply. “I do some acting for…”
“You’re an actor!” Pinkie Pie shouts with a mouth full of food. She swallows realizing her slight mistake for talking with food in her mouth. “Are you a professional?!”
“No, just for high school performances," I say awkwardly. I have no idea how to respond to someone asking a question while shouting. Shouty much?
“Interesting...”
“But my dream is to be a pro actor. I just do plays and musicals at school for the time being.”
“Do you play any sports?” Rainbow Dash asks.
“I used to. I used to have all the time in the world for sports, but now that I'm older, I can't seem to find the time.”
“What other interesting things do you do?” Twilight asks then taking a bite of salad.
“I also make music with my friends.”
“What kind of music?”
“All kinds. There’s Rock, Pop, Hip Hop, R&B, and contemporary. It’s mostly cover songs though.”
“So you’re not just an actor, you’re an, overall performer,” Applejack says.
“Oh, I just love performers,” Rarity announces. “They’re always good for business. Are you famous from where you're from?” For a split second, I could have sworn her eyes twinkled.
“Not really. I'm locally semi-famous though. A good amount of people from my hometown know who I am and I am also well known around my school.”
“Does that make you popular?” Fluttershy asks.
“To an extent, but not really. There are some people that don’t like the music I make. You can’t be a total crowd pleaser.” I pick up a fork and take a bite of the salad. After one swallow, I can conclude that this is some good stuff. “I will admit that I have been bullied about my music. Kids saying I can’t rap or sing to save my life.”
“Well that’s rude,” Applejack says, taking a bite of a muffin.
“But I don’t let it bother me. I was in the musical, that means I have to have some sort of talent for singing. Besides, they're more than likely saying that stuff just to degrade me.”
“Haters hate, but it don’t bother ya’! I like that," Rainbow Dash says.
"A rapper once said a song of his: 'You gotta get that dirt off your shoulder'. What I take from that is: don't let others discourage you. Brush off your shoulders and keep pushing."
"Drink to that." The rainbow pony takes hold of her cider mug and takes a swig. I promptly do the same, raising my mug to her first, then taking a swig.
After Dinner
Dinner ended a little while ago. We talked about what the ponies did and anything else that I do back home. As of right now, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack and Pinkie Pie are walking home. Well, in Pinkie’s case, bouncing home. Jeez, she bounces more than a basketball. “Thanks for dinner Twilight, and it was nice meeting you Nick,” Rainbow Dash says “I’ll be seeing you around.” And and on that note, she flies away.
“Good night you two,” Fluttershy says.
“See you guys later,” I say waving to the other ponies. After the goodbyes, I close the library door. “I told you it'd be a good idea." I make sure to say it like I was right.
“Guess I was proven wrong,” Twilight says and then lets out a hearty yawn. “And I guess it’s time for bed too. I've arranged your accommodations in another room. I think the bed should be big enough for you. Just follow that hallway.” She lets out another yawn, and because of that, I yawn. “See you in the morning.” She walks upstairs to her room and I assume she falls asleep when she meets her destination.
I follow the hallway and find another room. It’s pretty simple. A bed (it’s purple, so it is the best bed ever), an oak desk, and a couple of bookshelves with books in it. I walk over to a window that is just a few feet away from the bed. I open the glass pane and poke my head out. I especially make sure look up at the glistening stars and moon in the night sky. Though I'm in a different world, the sky still reminds me of home.
“Good night mom, dad, Tony and Joan,” I say in my head. I know I am going to be staying here for about a week, but I am going to have to adapt to here. It is going be be different than Earth, but I think I can manage. I have already made some friends today...at least I hope. Even though they are fictional, I believe they are friends. Wait, fictional? I'm in their reality, so would that mean that they are not fictional? Or is it not 'their reality', and this is still just reality in general. I probably shouldn't think about it too much, just thinking of this hurts my head.
I crawl into bed and put my arms over the covers. The bed is fortunately big enough for me, just like what Twilight said. I'm surprised that there is a bed here this big. Eh, I shouldn't compl-Oh crap! I'm going to have a lot of homework by the time I get home. Damn...
“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MAKE SOME NOISE FOR MY F##KING HOMEBOY, NICKYD!” Snoop Dogg shouts into his mic. I walk out onto the stage with my right fist in the air and my microphone in my left hand. That’s my performing name, NickyD. Sometimes, instead of Nick, people will call me Nicky and the begging of my last name ends with a D. Just put the two together and there’s my performing name.
“WHAT THE F#### IS UP LONG BEACH!?” I shout into my microphone. Hundreds beyond hundreds of people are shouting off the top of their lungs. Their roaring and screaming practically makes the area rumble. “I am honored to be with the legendary motha' f##king Snoop Dogg!”
“So you and I did a cover of one of my songs a little while ago, and it blew up online.”
“Oh, I know which one you’re talking about.”
“Should we drop it?”
“I think we should drop it like it’s hot!” The DJ drops my track version of ‘Drop it Like it’s Hot’. The crowd cheers wildly, almost ear peircing. “Come on ‘yall!”
The audience roars with applause and cheers. Their screaming pierce my ears and quite frankly, I like it. “MAKE SOME MOTHA-F##KING NOISE FOR MY HOMEBOY-" The rest of Snoop's sentence is replaced with trumpet music. That was weird. It sounds like the trumpet tune you hear to wake up soldiers in the armed forces. Snoop pounds his chest a little and clears his throat.
“Ay yo Snoop, you good?”
“Yeah, must’ve been something I-" And there it is again, louder!
Dream Sequence Interrupted Ponyville, Equestria Monday 8:30 A.M. (No more adult language)
I sit up straight in bed and put my hand to my forehead to salute. “YES SERGEANT!” I shout. Then, I realize something: I’m not a marine. I hear some laughing and turn my head to where I hear it. I see a small, purple and green dragon on the ground, holding his stomach, laughing with a trumpet near by. I would (and should) question why the Hell a small dragon is here, but then again, I am in a world of talking horses, I shouldn't question it. This is probably a reoccurring thing, maybe. “DUDE! Not cool!” I just decide to play this off casually. It would probably be the best approach.
“Sorry, I wanted to make the first impression with a prank!” The little guys says, still laughing a little. “Good one right?” I do have to give him credit for making a somewhat good first impression, but I had to be during one of the best dreams ever?
“It was good, but I was having the best dream of my life. I was on stage with Snoop Dogg!”
“Who?” ...HOW COULD HE HAVE NOT HEARD OF SNOOP DOGG! Okay, time for a very quick crash course.
“Snoop Dogg. You know, 'Drop it Like It’s Hot', 'Gin and Juice', friends with Dr. Dre, the biggest rapper ever.” The little dude has the look of confusion on his face. Then I remember... “I forgot that I’m not on my home planet." Whoops. "Forget I said that."
“Noted...So, well, I’m Spike. Nice to meet you” He extends his hand, er claw, and I shake it. It feels a bit rough and scaly, but it isn't uncomfortable. So this is Spike. Huh, he seems like a guy who would have a good sense of humor. I mean, he just pranked me. He has to have a good sense of humor.
“The name's Nick.” He still shake for a second or two and then we let go.
“So Twilight says because of some spells and being at the wrong place at the wrong time, is why you’re here, right?” I nod my head. “Ah. She also said that you met the other girls too?”
“Yes, I did meet the others.”
“What’cha think?”
“They were good company to be around. Pinkie Pie though…”
“You’ll get used to it after a while. Just her being her.”
“Breakfast is ready boys! Get it while it’s hot!” Spike and I hear Twilight call from downstairs.
“Awesome, I’m starving!” Spike says. I throw off the sheets off of me and hop out of bed. Spike and I walk downstairs and head into the kitchen too see Twilight magically placing two, cooked eggs on a plate and then setting them on the table.
“Good morning boys,” She says very chippy. Clearly she’s a morning person. “Did you sleep well for your first night Nick?”
“I did actually, until someone decided to wake me up with a trumpet.” I playfully glare at Spike. The little dragon lets out a couple snickers.
“Spike!” Twilight gently scolds.
“Hey, he said it was a good prank,” Spike says defensively.
“I did said that it was,” I say. Twilight gives off one of those sighing groans and continues to talk.
“Well, breakfast is ready.” The three of us sit around the table and the contents of the breakfast consist of warm, over easy eggs with lightly toasted toast. The three of us dig into our food. “Spike, I have a couple of errands I need you to run later today. I have some work that needs to be done and I don’t have too much time on my hoofs at the moment to get through everything I need done.”
“No problem, just give me a list,” Spike says with a mouth full of eggs. Twilight giggles at that and then looks to me.
“Would you like some coffee Nick?” Twilight asks, magically holding a coffee mug and a coffee pot with a purple aura around both items.
“Sure. Thank you,” I say.
“How do you like it?”
“Sweet and creamy please.” She pours in the cream, sugar into the mug first (she does that too!?) and then pours the warm, delicious, light brown liquid. When all the ingredients are in the mug, she gives it a stir with a spoon and magically hands it to me. I take a sip, and it is so good. I can feel my taste buds doing the cha cha. “This is some good coffee.”
“Thanks."
11:27 A.M.
Twilight is working on, what appears to be, some sort of chemistry work. She's adding liquids and solids and a bunch of other stuff into a beaker. She says this concoction is an enhancer that can help bring me back to my home planet. Says its part of the spell. I would love to help her, but chemistry is not really my strong suit. Besides, she looks like she knows what she is doing, best not to interfere. So I'm just laying down on an available table, listening to the music from my phone.
You know, the minute I pulled out my phone, Twilight was asking me a hundred questions a second. She was all like: "What is that thing?", "What's it do?", "Are all of them like that?". After telling her to relax, I calmly told her that it is a cellphone. I just simply explained that it is my source of entertainment and a way to contact friends and family from long distances. I couldn't get too technical with it because I just know that it only makes calls, displays things on a screen and plays music; nothing about those weird green plates on the inside. She did get most of the questions she wanted answered and thought the information given very informal.
Come to think of it, I doubt my service provider would reach out as far as fictional worlds. So I can't call home from here, but I'm not surprised since Equestria doesn't seem to have the technology to create satellites or cellphone towers. Anyway, back to what's going on right now.
“Alright, this is just a step closer to getting you home," Twilight says after a purple puff cloud comes out of the beaker. "I just need some other materials and components, but that's going to take a while to get."
"Some progress is better than none," I say putting my phone and ear buds away.
"I guess so." She starts walking to a different table and notices something. "Oh no," Twilight says in a dreadful tone.
"What's wrong?"
"This book. Applejack told me the other day that she needs it for today, but I don't have the time at the moment to give it to her." Twilight face palms, or face hooves in this case, out of frustration.
"I could give it to her," I quickly suggest out.
"What?" She brings her gaze to me.
"I can give it to her no problem. I remember the way to her house when you snuck me into town."
"Are you sure? There's no doubt that others will stare and look at you funny."
"So what? It's something that they're going to have to deal with for the week since I am stuck here." There is a pause while Twilight thinks. It won't hurt to stretch my legs, and I'd love to see the down in the daylight.
"Are you absolutely sure?"
"Of course. You're busy with your work and Spike is taking care of things for you. Plus, I can't stay cooped up in this library for seven days." Twilight lets out a a long 'hmm' and puts a hoof to her chin to think. After a couple seconds of thought, she reaches her verdict.
"Okay Nick, you can deliver the delivery. Applejack needs this book on old fashioned farming and agriculture." Twilight magically floats the book in front of me and I take hold of it.
"Alright, consider it done."
"Thanks Nick."
"No problem. I'll be back in a bit." I step out of the library with the book in my right hand, taking a deep breath of fresh air before I go on this walk. As I stroll through the streets Ponyville, I get stares and side whispers from the other residents, just like what Twilight said. I don't let them bother me, I just smile. It's just something they need to get used to, even though the stay here isn't going to be for long.
Sweet Apple Acres, 11:52 A.M.
I stand in front of the farm with the remembrance of this being Applejack’s property. Her all livid and up in my face, meeting her and Twilight, good times. “This is her place,” I say aloud as I walk through the entrance. Yesterday, I didn't really take in the surroundings of the farm. It looks pretty typical with some pens for animals, a red barn not to far off from a larger red house that looks like a barn itself and apple trees as far as the eye could see. It's a pretty sweet place really.
As I further myself into the property, I see a small, young, yellow pony with a red bow in her hair running with a dog, laughing to her hearts content. The little pony is probably playing with the canine. Maybe she can help me with Applejack’s whereabouts. “Excuse me, can you help me out?” She stops running looks toward my direction. The very instant her orange eyes see me, she gives off the loudest shriek I have ever heard.
“MONSTER!” She shouts and hides behind a nearby barrel, and the dog follows in suit. “APPLEJACK, OUR FARM HAS A MONSTER!”
“What in tarnation is going on here?” I hear Applejack voice coming out from a short distance. I turn my head and see the orange pony trotting up to us. “Oh, howdy Nick, nice seein’ ya’ again.”
“Nice to see you too.”
“Wait,” the yellow pony says coming out from behind the barrel, shaking and still a little scared. “You know the monster?”
“Nick? A monster? Apple Bloom, he ain't no monster. Far from it. He’s a...a...what did you say you were again?”
“Human," I answer.
“That's it.”
“Never heard of a human. Sounds like a monster," The presumed Apple Bloom says, shaken and still scared.
“He’s nothing but a nice guy. Say hi to him. Nick,” she shifts her attention to me, “this is my sister, Apple Bloom.” I gingerly place the book down on the ground and get on one knee so I would look less intimidating.
“Hey there Apple Bloom,” I say in a calm tone that one would use to talk to a young child. “I’m Nick. Believe me, I’m no monster. Far from it.” She approaches me slowly. “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you.” She gets a little closer to to me and looks me in the eyes. I love kids. They’re always kind and meaning well. Whenever I see a kid, a smile is always plastered on my face, and right now, I'm wearing a nice one. After calming down a little, Apple Bloom has a smile on her face as well. She suddenly went from scared to freaking adorable!
“There ya’ go,” Applejack says. “See, Nick is nothing but a gentle soul.” She walks up next to me now. “So, what brings you to the farm?”
“Oh, right.” I grab the book from the ground and stand up. “Twilight said you wanted to see this book.”
“Oh yes, thank ya’. Just leave it on the barrel for the time being. I'll take care of it later" I place it on the barrel and see the dog still behind it. I smile at the doggy and turn back to Applejack.
“Well, I think I should get going. I'll see you guys around.” I'm just about to leave but then…
“Actually, I, or we, need your help with something?”
“With what?”
“Tell me, ya' got a sweet tooth?”
In the kitchen of the Apple family's house
“We’ve been tryin’ a new recipe, but we feel like it’s missing something,” Applejack says cutting a piece of cake. How does she do that with just her hoof? “It’s an applesauce cake. Me, Apple Bloom, Bic Mac, and Granny Smith tried it multiple times. It’s great and all, but we feel like it’s missing somethin’. We may need a fifth party decision. Care to be that fifth party?”
“Sure,” I say. Applejack hands me a piece of the brown applesauce cake that lays on a white dessert plate. I take hold of the plate in my right hand and the cake slice in the left. I lift the dessert to my mouth and take a bite, taking in the flavors. It is really good, but Applejack is right! It is missing something. “How much applesauce did you use?”
“A cup and a half. We didn't want the cake to get too soggy.” Seems like a fair amount of applesauce to use. I take another bite, chew, think, then swallow.
“What about cinnamon? How much did you use there?”
“Just a teaspoon,” Apple Bloom says. Seems like a good amount there. I take another bite with a thoughtful look on my face. After a few chews, allowing the flavors to move around my mouth, I think I have an idea to improve this cake.
“What about adding some small apple chunks?”
“Hmm," Applejack places a hoof to her chin to think. Her face brightens up in just a few seconds. "That sounds like an interesting idea. Granny Smith! I think we might have our breakthrough!”
One baked cake, with meeting Bic Mac and Granny Smith, later
“Alright kids,” Granny Smith (took me a while to see that the name is a play on words) says. “Let’s see if this young colt's idea is a breakthrough.” She cuts each of us a slice and gives it to us on some dessert plates.
“Cheers,” I say holding up my slice and then bringing it to my mouth. As we chew, all five of our mouths water with delight. Now that is what I call an applesauce cake. That's what their calling it, right? Well, it doesn't matter. Everything is perfect. The softness of the cake is perfect, the sweetness of the cinnamon brings out the true flavor of the applesauce, and the apple chunks give the cake an extra kick to the flavor.
“Yep, that is definitely a breakthrough,” Applejack says.
“Eeyup,” Big Mac agrees. Upon meeting this guy, I notice he only says two things most of the time: "Eeyup" or "Nope", and that was within only couple minutes of meeting him. His vocabulary has such variety.
“Oh yeah,” Apple Bloom says delightfully.
“I couldn't figure it out for weeks. It just needed apple chunks! Thank you deary,” Granny Smith says with that southern-old folk accent of hers.
“It’s no trouble at all. When it comes to desserts, I know how to critique,” I say a bit bashful, yet egotistical.
“You did good today sonny. How would you like to take some slices home?” Granny Smith asks.
“You sure?”
“Why of course. It’s the least I could do.”
A few minutes later
“Thanks for the cake. It was very nice meeting all of ya’,” I say as I walk and wave from Sweet Apple Acres. I have a brown paper bag of some cake slices in my left hand to take home.
“Don’t be a stranger!” Applejack says with her and her family waving back at me. “Feel free to visit us whenever you like.”
“Will do. See ‘ya!” And with that, I leave the property. As I am walking back to the library and returning to the main part of Ponyville, I put my ear-buds in and listen to my music. I don't know what it is, but I don't just hear the music, but feel it. It's like a surge emotions rushing through my body and I love it. Just something about music makes me fell that way. I guess that's why I love performing.
Anyway, I start to groove when “Suit and Tie” comes on. But, because of my grooving, it causes me to bump into someone. I look down to see its Rarity. “Oh, sorry Rarity. I didn't see where I was going.”
“It’s quite alright darling,” she says with her eyes closed. “At least it was a friendly face that-” She opens her eyes and looks at me with her head moving up and down. “You. My boutique. Now!”
“What?”
“No time. Fashion waits for no one.” She gets behind me and jabs my back with her horn. That actually hurts. It's like a needle. Her horn doesn't look like it would hurt, but it does!
“OW!” I say, rubbing my back to ease the pain throbbing in my back. “What gives?!”
“Now’s not the time for questions! Now is the time for fashion!” She pokes my back again.
After a good five or ten minutes of Rarity poking me in the back, we make it to her boutique “Agg, was poking my back in order to get me here necessary?” I ask rubbing my lower back while putting the bag of cake on the ground next to the door. My back is gonna hurt for quite some time now. I hope I can get some sleep tonight.
“I needed to get you here in somehow," the unicorn says. "You're going to need new clothes if you’re going to be here for a while.” Is that why she brought me here? Well that's awfully kind of her.
“If I'd would've known that I was going to be transported to a different world, or dimension, I would've packed my other threads.” Rarity looks at me confused and with a raised eyebrow.
“Other whats?”
“It’s a slang term where I’m from. Threads mean clothes.”
“I see.” She levitates a pair of red glasses and measuring tape with her magic. Going off record, I still think that levitating stuff in this world freaking awesome. She places the glasses on the bridge of her nose starts to measures me. Though I shouldn't tell a professional how to do their job, I point out a couple of areas for her to measure since ponies and humans have two different types of anatomy. “Okay now I just….” She stops talking for a second and looks like something just came to realization for her. “I have nothing. I just jumped right into this and didn't think about what your clothes would look like.” She magically pulls up a red cushioned couch and falls on it, very dramatically. “I never had designers-block like this before.” I don't think that's even designer's block, but I think I know a way to help her.
“Well, allow me to help you with that,” I say with a smirk. I pull out my phone and open up my photos.
"What's that thing?" Rarity asks.
"My cellphone. It's a device that I use to contact friends and family. I can also store photos on this. These photos that I have here could be some sort of inspiration to you." I sit next to her on the soft couch and show her the pictures of the clothes I wore on earth. I also have a couple photos of celebrities on my phone (cause I’m weird like that) and show her the clothing they wear. The celebrities range from people like rappers to pop stars, to other icons because their sense of fashion is popular. Snap back hats, plaid buttoned shirts or basic colored shirts with a couple of patterns once in a while, cargo shorts, sweat shirts, and so on.
I show her these pictures so she can have an idea of what is trending in the human world and so she can have some future ideas. Hopefully show won't be critical about my fashion sense. Besides, my fashion game is on fleek.
“This is a favorite of mine,” I say showing her my favorite outfit from home. It is a purple and white, plaid colored short sleeve shirt that is a button up with a collar. It is usually worn with either bluish grey cargo shorts or blue jeans along with purple basketball shoes.
“You must like purple.”
“Well, it is my favorite color.” Rarity lets out a humorous 'hm' and changes the subject real quick.
“Speaking of purple things, how is Twilight treating you?”
“Very nice. Nothing but a heart of gold.”
“All six of us and Spike, have nothing but hearts of gold. Not to toot my own horn or anything.” She hops of the couch and walks over to a desk for sketching clothing ideas. I follow in tow. “I think I have a couple ideas for…” She stops mid sentence again and she sniffs the air a couple of times. “Pardon me, but do you smell something?” I smell the air and detect a very slight, yet somewhat foul stench. It smells near by. I smell my forearm and realize it is me. I haven’t showered in a while. I was planning on showering the night before I came here. But other trials and tribulations got in the way. I blush out of sheer embarrassment.
“I’m so sorry Rarity. I haven’t showered since I got here.” Truth be told, I have good hygiene. I shower everyday, brush my teeth thoroughly, and all that jazz. But, I haven’t since I got here. Whoops.
“Well, I can let you use my shower if you want,” she says with a smile. Is she serious?
“Really? Are you sure?”
“Absolutely! Next to fashion, hygiene and being fabulous is a must. The shower is upstairs, first door to the left. Just make sure you lock the door, I wouldn't want to accidentally barge in on you. Also, feel free to use my mane dryer too.”
“Thank you.”
“By the time you get out, I should have your first outfit done.”
“Can you work that fast?”
“Darling, I have been able to pull off various miracles in the past. You can trust me.”
“Okay.” I start to walk up the spiral staircase that leads to the bathroom, but I turn my head really quick. “Hey Rarity, thank you very much for the clothes and shower.”
“It is no problem darling. Now run along, you smell like Applejack’s farm.” Well, considering the fact that I was just there like ten or twenty minutes ago.
Twenty Minutes Later
I step out of the steaming hot shower with a soft towel wrapped around my waist. I walk over to the mirror and take a look at my reflection. I touch my face a little. It feels a tad bit stubby. I wonder if they have razors here? I would check for them, but I don't want to look through Rarity’s personal belongs, aside from the mane dryer she allowed me to use.
The mane dryer, speaking of, is already on the counter. Convenient really. I firmly grasp it and turn it on. The hot air rushes through my hair. I point the dyer towards my right side so the air can sweep it to the right a little. I would say may haircut is sort of a a John Lennon bowl haircut.
It takes less than two minutes to dry my hair. That mane dryer works fast! Better than any other dryer I have ever used. I put the dryer down and feel my hair. It's very warm, soft, and smooth. I groom my hair really quick to get it in the style I want it. I put my clothes back real quick and jog back down stairs.
As I make my way downstairs, I hear Rarity humming a tune. I don’t know why but her humming reminds me of Mary Poppins. Probably because of her slight, upper class tone. For the record, Marry Poppins, best Disney musical ever.
She turns around to see me and a smile is on her muzzle. “I thought I heard someone coming down,” she says putting on the finishing touches on the first of my new outfits. Damn, she does work fast. “I hope you like it.” Truth is, I don’t like it. I love it! It’s simple, but very stylish and too my taste. It is a white v-neck t-shirt with black cargo shorts that comes with a belt.
“You got all of this done in twenty minutes?” I ask.
“Like I said, I can perform miracles. Go try it on behind the dressing screen.” I follow her instructions. I take off my other clothes put on the new clothing quickly and emerge from the screen. “I think we have a winner.” She pulls up a long mirror with her magic. I take a look at the clothing she made for me in as many different angles as I can. “Do you like it?”
“More than like. I love it.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. It's great.”
“I’m so glad you like it!”
“How much?” I ask.
“I beg your pardon?”
“How much for the new threads?”
“Free of charge, and so are the next few outfits that I’ll be making for you.” For real? She's not charging me for this? She must, no, has be kidding. I have to make sure.
“Are you serious?”
“Like a heart attack.” Okay, that was a weird comparison to use. “Please, you need clothing. I charge for customers. Friends get in for free... that or discounts.”
“Well I…” Did she call me her friend? I've only known the white and purple mare for a day, and she already considers me her friend. Making friends in this town must be easier than I thought.
“Is there something wrong?” With her taking me out of a trance, I stumble to find my words for a second.
“Sorry, it’s just, the fact that you already consider me a friend after knowing me for only a day.” Usually for me, I take the time to get to know someone to see if they should be considered a friend. But I guess she has already proven herself. Providing me with clothing and a shower right off the bat, and being good company. Sure there was earlier when she took me hostage to get me here, but regardless.
“Please, I can already tell you and I are going to get along just fine.” I think she is right.
“Well I’ll get back into my other clothes and…”
“Oh no you’re not! I would recommend you wear the new clothes I just made. Your other ones are smelly. I’ll wash them up and have them cleaned by the time I have your other outfits ready."
“Are you absolutely sure?” I ask with a hint of uncertainty. I mean, she's already making me new clothes and she's offering to wash my other set of clothes. If there was a word for being beyond generous, she'd be that.
“Don’t worry, everything should be ready within thirty six hours or two days.” I guess she can work fast.
“Well okay. If you absolutely insist”
“And I do." She pauses for a moment to look at a nearby clock. "You should also get going. Twilight might be wondering where you are.” I look at my watch to check the time. It is twenty minutes to one!
“Yeah, I should get going. Thanks again Rarity. I really appreciate what you're doing for me.”
“It’s no trouble at all Nick. Now run along now. I have your order to get started on. So many ideas are going through my head now.” She jogs in place out of excitement.
I smile leaving Rarity's boutique, making sure to not forget the applesauce cake.
By the time I reach the library, I see two, white pegasi in front of the entrance, both standing at attention. It looks like they are wearing some sort of armor. Gold armor to be exact. There is a bright gold colored carriage parked next to the library as well. “What is going on?” I mumble to myself. To figure out this little mystery, I walk to the entrance, only to be stopped by the guards who quickly extend their wings, blocking the entrance. I jump at get a little startled at this sudden action.
“Stop. Who goes there?” The left one says sternly.
“Hey, I live here...well, for the time being.”
“We cannot have anyone enter this-'
“What’s going on?” I hear Twilight’s voice cut off the guard. The top part of the door opens and Twilight appears to be behind it. “Oh hey Nick. Sorry about this.” She shifts her attention to the guards. “Let him through.”
“As you wish,” the right guard says. The two pegasi retract their wings and Twilight opens the rest of the door. I enter the library and see...something odd. I see, what appears to be, a tall, white unicorn with wings, along with a crown upon her head. Her mane is sort of like Rainbow Dash’s, but consists of a light green, light pink, light green and light blue. It also seems to be flowing. There's no wind, so why is it flowing?
“Hello there,” she says softly. Holy crap, it's the female, pony version of Bob Ross! Her voice is so...calming. “You must be Nick.”
“Uh...hi,” I say awkwardly. “Um, not to sound rude or anything, but who are you?” She lets out a slight chuckle.
“Allow me to introduce myself,” the pearl white pony says standing up and walking over to me. She stands at about maybe six inches taller than me. “My name is Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria and goddess of the sun.”
“Well it’s nice to-” I stop mid sentence when I realize what the white pony just said. “Did you just say you’re a princess?” She slowly nods her head. Dear God she is! “Your majesty,” I say getting on one knee and bowing my head. I will admit that is a bit over dramatic, but I have never meet royalty. I don't know what the protocol is.
“Oh, please, no need for that,” Princess Celestia says smiling. I get back up on my feet.
“Sorry, it’s just that-wow, I-I never meet, or been in the presence of royalty.” I say this excitedly. “Dear God, wow!” I realize how I am acting in the face of a princess. I try to calm myself now. “Sorry about that, just, really excited.”
“It is quite alright,” she says. “So I understand that my student sent you here by mistake.”
“Student?”
“Twilight Sparkle. She is my personal student. She has been living in Ponyville for a while now for her advanced studies.”
“Oh okay.”
“Honestly, Princess Celestia,” Twilight starts off, “it was a mistake from that storm spell I was trying the other day. I sent it away with the universal teleportation spell. The combination of the two must have sent him here.”
“The universal teleportation requires supply to perform, does it not?” Celestia asks.
“Yes it does.”
“Doesn't it also require...oh never mind, I’m thinking of a different spell.” That’s weird. It sounded like she was sure about what she was about to say. Eh, whatever. “So I understand that you are a new species to visit Equestria.”
“I guess so, now that you mention it,” I say. I haven't exactly realized that I am the first of my kind to be here in Equestria. Jeez, talk about not being aware of what's going on. I let that one fly over my head.
“If I may ask, what is your race called? Ever since Twilight told me about you, I have become curious to know about your kind. Come and sit with us for a discussion.” I take a seat on a purple cushion already set for me and the other two follow in suit. “So starting with my first question, what is the name of your species?”
“I am known as a human, the dominant race of my home planet.”
“And what is your home planet known as?”
“It is known as Earth.”
“I am going to have to check to see if Earth appears in any of the books and archives back in Canterlot. Your planet’s name does sound sort of familiar.”
“I wasn't able to find anything about Earth in the books I have,” Twilight mentions. “Maybe somepony checked it out or it just isn't here.”
“The libraries in Canterlot may have something,” Princess Celestia points out. “Now what I'm really curios about is your form of government. How does that work?” I don't know why she would want to know about government specifically. Maybe so could better understand how us humans function as a society is my best guess.
“Well, depending on what part of the world you’re from,” I start off, “ you’ll have a different form government. Where I’m am from, it is a presidential system where we vote for our country's leaders. Other parts of my planet use this practice of government as well. Some nations still do have royalty, but they are usually symbols and don’t really make many or any executive decisions. And there are some nations that are, unfortunately, under dictatorships.”
“And what are those?”
“Well, hmm,” I know what dictatorship is, but I never been asked to define it. Let's see how well I can define it. “The only way I can think of describing it is that when a single person rules the government. They are not elected, so they force themselves into power. They are the ones who make the law. Dictators are cruel and vicious. In this type of government, there are little to no rights unless you are a certain individual. If you speak out against your country that is under a dictatorship, you would be either thrown in jail or worse, killed.” Twilight and the princess both grimmise at that. “Fortunately, in my country, you have the right to say whatever you wish and you won’t get killed or thrown in jail for it. My country is nothing like those of a dictatorship.”
“Well, it is good to hear that you are from a brighter side of your world,” Princess Celestia says with a sigh. Amen to that. “What about your species in general? Can you generalize your species?” Now that’s a really tough one.
“You can’t really make much of a generalization about a species of seven billion people. But I will say this: a good portion of people on my planet are good and decent people who are loving, nice, tolerant, and accepting. Some are even very charitable. But when there’s a positive-”
“-There is a negative,” the Princess finishes. I nod my head slowly and seriously.
“Yes. Unfortunately there are people who only care for themselves, hate, disrespect others or discriminate others for who or what they are without actually getting to know them. Some people even take their hate out on others through violent acts, but I don’t want to get to into that.” Princess Celestia nods in understanding. “Fortunately, I was raised on the idea to be caring, nice, considerate, liberal, and respectful to others. Some people may not agree with what I have to say or what I believe in, but that is their opinion and I’ll respect it.” Princess Celestia nods her head again.
“Well, it is also good to know that you come from a positive side of your species.” Amen to that as well.
An hour and a half later
We discussed a lot of thing about my home planet (to the best of my ability of course). Things ranging from government and society, to politics and the actions of others. I have told them that there are periods of time for peace during sporting events called the Olympics. When I talked about that, her highness mentioned they have something similar called the Equestrian Games where athletes from all over Equestria compete in sporting events in a time of peace. There are more parallels to my world and this world than I thought. Then again, this is a kids TV program, so there has to be somethings to relate to.
I would have also talked about that horses on my planet can be used for sporting events, but I am not sure how they would react to that, so I don’t mention that. I also didn't mention the human diet. Thank God they didn't even ask about it. The ponies here appear to be vegetarians. There are chickens, cows and pigs here too, but they are not used for food by the looks of things.
Come to think of it, I am craving some meat. I can really go for a spicy chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-a, or a Bic Mac from McDonalds, maybe all the Locos Tacos from Taco Bell. Going off topic, sorry.
By the end of the conversation, Princess stands up and walks to the door. Twilight and I stand up as well. “Thank you for talking to me Nick,” she says. “You’re species is quite interesting and very complex. I look forward to seeing you again, if I get the chance.”
“It was nice talking to you too your highness,” I say while doing a respectful bow.
“Twilight, keep up the good work.”
“Of course Princess Celestia,” Twilight says. “Have a safe trip back to Canterlot.” Princess Celestia magically opens the library door and tells the guards to prepare the carriage. The two guards latch themselves on to the wheeled transport, Princess Celestia steps on, and they fly away. Twilight and I watch this from the entrance of the library.
“She seems nice,” I say.
“She is. She can be stern, but only when she needs to.” She looks at me for a second. “I meant to ask you sooner, but when did you get new clothes?”
“Oh, well I helped Applejack and her family with something and that took a while, then on my way back here, I bumped into Rarity. She sort of held held me hostage to get me to her shop. And she made this for me in twenty minutes. She said she is also making some more clothes for me as well.”
“Well that's nice of her. She isn't known for her generosity for nothing.”
I am having a rough night's sleep at the moment. I'm tossing and turning in bed. It's not because of the pain my back that Rarity afflicted, it's this odd dream. It's unlike any other.
Dream Sequence
I open my eyes slowly and see nothing but white. I notice I am laying on my back, looking straight up. I turn my head to the right and see nothing more than just whiteness. Am I in some sort of void? Purgatory maybe?
I get up and look down my body to see that I am in all black clothing. I have black Nike shoes on, solid-black jeans, a basic black t-shirt, and an unbuttoned black varsity jacket. I feel something on my head too. I grab it and hold it a foot away from my face. It is a black, Philadelphia Phillies snapback with a light grey P on it. Interesting.
I put the hat back on (backwards because I'm cool like that), and start walking. "What is this place," I say in my mind. "And why am I here?" "Hello!" I shout into the void, it carrying out a "Hello...Hello...Hello" This place has a nice echo. I cup my hands around my mouth to get more volume out of my shouts. "Hello!...Hello...Hello...Hello...Echo!...Echo...Echo...Echo…Now batting...batting...for the Philadelphia Phillies...Phillies...Ryan Howard!...Howard...Howard...Howard...Cool." After my fun with the echo of this void, I hear a voice that isn't mine.
"Follow the sound of my voice," it says.
"What? Who's there?" I turn around in various directions to see if I can find the source of the voice. "Show yourself."
"I shall reveal myself if you walk in the direction of my voice." Well, I got nothing to lose. So I do what the voice is tells me to do. I turn on my heel and start walking to the sound of that voice.
I don't know how long I have been walking. It could've been ten minutes, it could've been thirty, but I notice a dark speck in the distance. So, I start to jog towards it to save time. As I get closer to my destination, the speck gets bigger, and is taking shape. By the time I reach to where I want to be, I see the speck is not a speck, but instead, it's another pony. This one looks a little bit like Princes Celestia, but she's different. This one is shorter than her and has a deep blue color to her fur and her mane is as blue as the night sky with sparkles in her hair that look like stars. Her manes is flowing as well. Her horn reaches to my nose, but her head reaches about an inch or two lower than my shoulder. She also has wings like the princess. "Hello there," she says calmly and with a smile.
"Were you the one talking earlier?" I ask. She nods her head.
"Allow me to introduce myself, I am Luna, princess of the night and sister to Celestia." Sister?
"You're Princess Celestia's sister?" She nods again. "Hmm...Wait, how'd you get here?"
"As princess of the night, I am able to present my self in any resident of Equestria's dreams." Great, we got the pony version of Freddy Krueger here, except she seems less homicidal. At least I hope. "Please, walk with me." She turns around and starts walking, and I promptly follow her. After a minute or two of silence, she speaks. "So, how are you adapting to this new world?"
"I would say I'm adapting alright. I'm still getting used to the idea of magic and flying ponies being a real thing."
"I'm assuming that creatures like us are fictional or non existent where you are from?" I nod my head. "Were you shocked to see talking ponies when you arrived here?"
"Very shocked really. At first I thought I was hallucinating, but then I accepted the "weird" reality I am enduring."
"What is considered weird to you maybe normal to us."
"I guess that's true." I change the subject really quick. "So why are you here, in my dream?" Why is she here? Is the Night Princess just here for small talk or is there something bigger?
"I come here with a warning." I stop walking and so does Princess Luna.
"A warning?" What could she foretell?
"It is not something you have to worry about until the end of your stay here in Equestria."
"Well what is it?" I know she did just say that it is something I don't have to worry about, but by God she is making me paranoid already! I need answers.
"By the end of your stay in Equestria, your greatest fear will be in your presence for the rest of your life."
"Greatest fear? What do you mean? Snakes? My family is going into poverty? Chris Christie becoming president? What is it!?" She jumps and starts flapping her wings, ascending into the void. "Come back! What is it!? I need answers!"
"You do not have to worry about if for the time being. Just enjoy the stay in Equestria!" she says flying away, getting smaller as she gets higher with her voice fading.
"WAIT!"
End Dream Sequence
"COME BACK!" I shout, popping my head off the pillow. I am breathing a bit heavily and I'm covered in cold sweat. I take a look at my surroundings and see that I am still in "my" bedroom. "That was weird." I take a look outside the window and see that it is dawn. So it's only what? Five? six in the morning? Whatever time it is, I want to try to get a few more z's in before I can start the day.
But what was Princess Luna talking about? Was she actually in my dream, or was that just part of the dream? I was aware that I was just in a dream, so maybe she did appear in there? I don't know, I'm still getting used to this new world or dimension, or whatever place this is.
I know she said it isn't something I need to worry about until the week is over, but what it is that she isn't telling me, that's what is driving me crazy. My biggest fear will become a reality? I have quite a few fears, but what will become a reality? And how am I supposed to enjoy my stay in Equestria with that hanging over my head?
"It just keeps getting weirder," I mumble before returning to my slumber. I just hope it isn't anything too bad.
By this point of the day, I have already gotten a shower and had breakfast. I am still wondering what Luna was talking about last night. My greatest fear becoming a reality, and she told me not to worry about until the end of the week. How in the Hell am I not supposed to worry about a great fear of mine becoming a reality? Seriously, if you are aware that something bad is going to happen in the future, you will be more paranoid than Ty Dolla $ign...bad pun. Forget I said that.
While these thoughts are racing through my head, I hear a few light knocks on the door. I open the door, only to reveal Rarity. "Hey Rarity," I say with a smile, trying to hide some anxiety. In all honesty, I am glad to see her. Nothing like a friendly face to help relive some bad feelings.
"Good news Nick, I finished your outfits way ahead of schedule," she says positively and happily. "I told you I work fast."
"Guess you weren't kidding."
"Lets get going! I'm so excited to show you my work." She gets behind me, very quickly, and it looks like she is ready to poke my back again. Before she rams her horn into my back once more, I grab it and she stops just a couple of inches before impact.
"Please not again. I have no idea how I was able to sleep last night due to my sore back. So please, no more poking." She removes her horn from my hand and blushes out of embarrassment.
"Sorry, I'm just really excited."
"I can tell you are very enthusiastic about me seeing your creations."
"I can be like that with anypony really." Understandable. When I dropped my first cover song, I was enthusiastic and told everyone I knew about it. The next day, I asked people if they listened to it very excited like. I even asked the same people twice by accident, or on purpose. Anyway…
"Well, lets go." The two of us walk through Ponyvillie to get to Rarity's boutique......or house? Housley boutique? A boutique like home? Oh whatever, you know what I mean.
The atmosphere of the residents seems to be a bit different. Slightly less, "judgey", if you ask me. It looks like I am receiving less stares from some of the residents. A good majority of the ponies here are still staring at me, whispering to other residents, but a there are some who seem to be comfortable around me. The six ponies that I have meet along with a couple of others must have a good reputation in Ponyville. I mean, they are the protagonists. I guess I met the right peop-ponies.
11:05 A.M.
The two of us reach her boutique within minutes. I open the door for her say, "Ladies first."
"Thank you very much," she says. She walks in and I follow in suit. There is a curtain circling around that stage thing with the mirrors. She walks over to where a rope is suspended from near the curtain. "A few new outfits for are behind this curtain. I really hope you like them. Are you ready?" She asks this with much enthusiasm. I nod my head, ready to see what is in store.
She pulls the string which pulls back the curtain. Behind the suspended fabric are four new, awesome outfits dressing plastic models that resemble a human. (How she got those?) Two of them I can tell are her own original creations and other two she made must have been inspiration from the photo's I showed her the other day. "A made a couple directly from your home planet so you can feel a little more at home."
The first outfit is a full out Los Angeles Lakers uniform. It is a yellow sleeveless jersey with the sides being purple. The team name, "Lakers", are printed in purple letters. The shorts are the same, mainly yellow with a purple side. The number on the Jersey is a twenty-four in white print. Oh yeah, Kobe Bryant, love that guy as an athlete. The back of the jersey has bigger, white numbers and Bryant's name on the back. It comes with matching yellow and purple basketball shoes too! I do remember showing her a picture of a couple of basket ball players yesterday. She must have kept Kobe in mind.
The next one is directly from my home planet as well. It's my favorite outfit from home! The purple one I told her about. She replicated it perfectly. The purple and white plaid shirt that is buttoned up, with the grayish blue cargo shorts. It looks great!
These other two outfits are her own, but inspired from my home planet. The first original outfit is a green t-shirt that has a grey cross on its right side with a light grey background design around it. It comes with brownish-tan cargo shorts, which you can never go wrong with.
The last one consists of: an open, green, no zipper short sleeved hoodie, with a white t-shirt underneath along with red cargo shorts. She even made green, white and red basketball sneakers to go with the outfit. This whole attire looks like the Italian flag! My heritage.
"So, what do you think?" Rarity asks, trying to hold her excitement in by what I can tell. I examine each one of her outfits thoroughly. She had done a great job and has outdone herself. The designs on each outfit are great, the stitch pattern is professionally done, the shoes are on fleek! Nothing negative can be said about these clothes.
"These...look...AMAZING!" I say excitedly. "I love these!"
"Well, try them on! Try the green, white and red one first!" I don't even argue and get behind the changing screen. I take off the other outfit Rarity made me yesterday, put on this fresh new one and emerge from behind the screen. This is cozy one. The shoes fit great too! Original, custom made shoes...well not exactly personal custom, but custom made by the designer. I really feeling this one, it makes me feel like I am in touch with my roots.
"I'm really liking this one." I turn around and look at the back, admiring Rarity's work. "It's comfy and very stylish. The colors compliment each other very well."
"I remember seeing a picture of a flag from that weird device you have. The color scheme looked interesting and the idea for this outfit immediately popped into my head."
"Well, I say you have done a great job my friend."
"Why thank you darling, now, lets try the other ones!" For the next couple of minutes, I try on the other outfits that Rarity has ever so generously made for me. Every outfit fits very well and they look awesome! She holds her hooves up as if she is holding a camera and is telling me to do poses. I go along with it, just having some fun. The last outfit I try on, and keep on, is the purple one. "Oh, Nick darling, I have washed the clothes that you came here to Equestria with. They're in this bag," she says lifting up a large, brown paper bag with her magic.
"Rarity?" I hear a child-like voice say coming down from the steps. "Have you seen Op-" The voice stops speaking when the owner of that voice takes notice of me. She might be Rarity's sister because she looks a little bit like her. Pearl white fur, a styled yet curly mane, unicorn horn, and so on. I wave at her, to show that I am harmless, but she just screams. "RARITY, A MONSTER IS IN THE HOUSE! GET IT BEFORE IT HURTS US!" Holy crap, her voice squeaks more than my clutch pedal. And that thing squeaks a lot.
"Sweetie Bell, what in the name of Celestia are you talking about?" Rarity trots over to me and stands by my side, both of us are facing, who I'm presume is Sweetie Belle. "This is Nick. He is known as a human and he is from a different planet. Nick is a nice colt and won't hurt you or me." Rarity turns her head to me. "Nick, this is my younger sister Sweetie Belle." I walk a couple of steps and get on one knee. I think I should use the same approach with what I did with Apple Bloom the other day. It worked her, might as well work with Sweetie Belle.
"Hey there Sweetie Belle. I'm Nick." I give her a warm smile, hoping to let her know that I am harmless. She walks a little closer to me and looks into my eyes and I look into hers. The light green iris' in her eyes stare right into mine. It takes, maybe, a minute, but she is now smiling at me. I can tell she is already warming up to me by just looking into my eyes.
"There you go," Rarity says trotting up to us. "You see, Nick is harmless." Suddenly the door of the boutique bursts open (startling the three of us) only to reveal Rainbow Dash flying in.
"What's going on?!" She asks sort of worried, but at the same time, ready to take action. "Is everypony okay!" She looks around the boutique and sees nothing wrong. "I heard screaming. What happened?"
"Sweetie Belle saw me and panicked," I say.
"Oh." She walks up to me and takes a look at the purple shirt I'm in. "Nice shirt. Rarity's work?" I nod my head. "Of course. Welp, since things aren't bad here, I guess I should be off." She turns around and heads for the door, but she stops her self. She then turns her head to look at me. "Actually, Nick, has anypony given you a tour of Ponyville?"
"Uhhh no." I haven't really been around that much of town now, have I?
"How about I give you one?"
"Really? When?"
"When you're done with Rarity. I'll wait outside for you." She zips out of the boutique faster than Usain Bolt.
Rainbow Dash didn't give me much of a choice, so why not? "I think I'll take Rainbow Dash's tour offer," I say.
"Sure thing, hold on for a second," Rarity says. She uses her magic to fold my new outfits and my other two outfits, puts them into other large, brown paper bags and she hands them to me. "That should be your wardrobe for the week. Free of charge."
"Thanks a bundle Rarity, I owe you big time!"
"Oh pish-posh, you don't owe me anything. Now run along darling, I hate to keep Rainbow Dash waiting for you." I pick up the bags and look at Sweetie Belle and Rarity.
"Thanks again Rarity and it was nice meeting you Sweetie Belle." The two smile warmly at that. "See you guys around." I exit the boutique with bags in hand. I look around for Rainbow Dash and she is just on my left. She's suspended in the air, flapping her wings.
"Ready for an awesome grand tour?" She asks.
"Sure, just let me drop these off at Twilight's first, then we can go. Sound good?"
"Sure." The two of us make our way to the library.
11:37 A.M.
Throughout the time for the both of us to get to the library, Rainbow Dash just flies. She doesn't really stay on the ground that much. I ask her why and she responds by mentioning that she just likes being in the air more. She does admit that her head can be in the clouds a lot (literally and figuratively) and her pet tortoise, Tank, keeps her grounded every once in a while. It's good to be grounded every here and there.
By the time we reach the library, we notice a piece of paper taped to the front door. Out of sheer curiosity, I grab the note and read it out loud.
"Out for supplies,
Should be back at around two in the afternoon.
-Twilight"
I see if I can try to open the door, but it is locked. "Don't worry Nick, I know where she keeps a spare key," Rainbow Dash says. Who said said I was worried?
She puts her forehoof into the shrub on top of the door and it looks like she is trying to grope or feel for something. After a minute she pulls out a key from the shrub and drops it into my hand. I insert the key into the slot of the lock and give it a nice twist, unlocking it.
"I'm going to put these clothes in the room I'm staying in, then we can get started with the tour." Very quickly, I jog into the library, head into the guest room, place the bags on the bed, head back outside, lock the door and place the key in the shrub above me.
Rainbow Dash and I walk a short distance away from the library to be meet face to face with a shop that almost looks like a gingerbread house. "First stop: Sugar Cube Corner," Rainbow Dash says. "This is a bakery that sells various baked goods ranging from brownies to cakes. This is probably the best and the most awesome bakery in all of Equestria. Pinke Pie works here too. Wanna' step in?"
"Sure," I say. The two of us enter the bakery and the instant aroma of baked goods assult my nose. The savoring scent of cakes, the wondrous whiffs of cookies, the amazing aroma of brownies...I could die right here and die happy to be honest. I wonder if they have cannolis here?
The set up for the interior is nice and simple. There is a table to my left for customers if they want to sit down and eat. To my far right is a counter and behind it are shelves stocked with what appears to be candy. In front of me must be the main counter for main purchases. The set up is very nice and I like the architecture that goes with it.
Rainbow Dash and I approach the counter and no one is there, but from literally no where, and I mean no where, Pinkie Pie pops up from behind the counter, which scares the ever living crap out of us.
"Hey guys, welcome to Sugar Cube Corner!" she says happily and bubbly. I take quick and deep breaths because of her scare. I put two fingers on my neck and a hand over my heart to see if I'm still alive. Fortunately, I am.
"Don't scare me like that Pinkie Pie," I say in between breaths. "I'm too young for heart attacks." Pinkie Pie just giggles at my suffering.
"Sorry, seeing you two here has me excited."
"Pinke, do we have customers?" A female voice calls from the back of the store. The voice's owner appears at the doorway behind the counter. She is a blue pony with pink hair, or mane rather, and a pink tail. Her hair is styled to look like cupcake icing. In one of her forehooves, she is holding a cream colored baby pony that has a brown mane, brown tail and brown eyes, complete with wings.
Wait, aren't baby ponies called foals or something like that? Whatever the case is, the blue pony has a deer in headlights look, but then she relaxes and smile forms on her face. "You must be that new guy I have heard about." So she has heard of me. Then again, I wouldn't be too surprised if the entire town knew who I am by this point. "Well, welcome to Sugar Cube Corner. I'm Mrs. Cake, and this little guy in Pound Cake." The baby in her arms makes a high pitched "ahh" sound after its name has been said. The little guys looks at me with a smile.
"Nice to meet you Mrs. Cake, and nice to meet you Pound Cake." I say the last part like how a mother would talk to their infant child. I know it's weird for a guy to be talking like that, but I can't help it if it is something adorable like a baby. I'm a sucker for anything cute. "How old is the little guy?"
"Nine months by next Sunday," Mrs. Cake says.
"Hey, where's Mr. Cake and Pumpkin Cake?" Rainbow Dash asks. Okay seriously? They own a bakery and all of their names have to revolve around cake? Very cliche. Great job at being an original Lauren Faust.
"Mr. Cake had to make a run to the market and Pumpkin Cake wanted to come along with him," Pinkie Pie says. "So what made you two stop by?"
"I'm giving Nick an awesome and grand tour of Ponyville. This is our first stop, and we wanted to say hi before we move on to the next place."
"How about you take some freshly baked brownies for the road?" Mrs. Cake asks.
"Sure, I 'll take a few. How much?"
"Five bits please." Rainbow Dash pulls out five gold coins from...somewhere (how does she do that?) and drops the coins on the counter. Mrs. Cake grabs the coins and places them in the register, with Pound Cake still in her arms. With Pinkie Pie doing her part of the job, she places four brownies from the display case into a white paper bag and hands it, or hoofs it, to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow grabs the bag by her mouth. Weird way to hold on to something, but whatever. "Take care you two."
"Nice meeting you Mrs. Cake, and it was nice meeting you Pound Cake," I say, still saying that last part like how a mother would talk to an infant child.
"It was nice seeing you too Nick. Hope to see ya' around a little more."
"See you guys later," Pinke Pie says waving to me and Rainbow Dash while the two of us walk out of the bakery. We stop outside for a minute so Rainbow Dash can open up the bag. She takes out two brownies and "hoofs" one over to me.
"Cheers" I say. The two of us bump the brownies like we are toasting and the both of us take a bite of the treat. My mouth instantly waters with delight. "Oh my God! This is the best brownie I have ever had," I say with a mouth full of brownie. I swallow and take another bite. The flavor is so good. It's soft, warm, chewy, chocolaty, delicious, mouthwatering. There are so many adjectives to describe its goodness.
"Told you they're good." Rainbow Dash says. I nod my head in agreement and take a third bite. If one could describe heaven in a two by two inch square, it would be Mrs. Cake's brownies. "Believe it or not, this is nothing compared to their bigger desserts. Their cakes are the best in all of Equestria."
"I'll take your word for it." The two of us finish our brownies in no time. Can one even top the heavily taste of these brownies? I doubt it.
After the two of us finish those chocolaty delightful squares, we continue the tour. She points out to a couple of stores that are near Sugar Cube Corner. One of them having merchandise that is solely quills and sofas. How...wha...no words can describe how silly and stupid that sounds. Just quills and sofas? Before I even question the silliness of the store, we stop a distance away from two bridges. "See these two bridges?" Rainbow Dash asks.
"Yeah."
"They lead to different parts of Equestria. The left one leads to a city called Canterlot. That's where Princess Celestia and high class ponies live. And the bridge on the right leads to Fluttershy's Cottage and the Everfree Forrest. We'll visit Fluttershy at the end of the tour."
"Good to know." The two of us make our way to the next stop which is Town Square. This plaza has many more shops and houses with, what appears to be, a town hall in the middle of it all. There are dozens of residents here walking, or trotting in this case, going all around town square either meeting friends, shopping, et cetera.
There are many ponies here and I stick out like a sore hoof. A lot of the townsfolk are still staring at me. Some of them don't really pay much attention to me and just continue on their business. I just shrug off the staring and judgmental attitude. I can't blame them really. If one of these pastel colored horses appeared in my world, no doubt people would stare. It would be the same one way or another.
The two of us make our way to the front of the tall building that I think is the town hall. "You can probably guess that this is town hall," Rainbow Dash says. CALLED IT! "We don't really use it all that often, but still, it's needed. Who knows when a town meeting needs to be conducted or if an important speech needs to be addressed."
"Speech?" I inquire
"Well, whenever someone needs to conduct a speech, it's usually outside the town hall."
"Oh, okay."
"This must be the new young colt I have heard about," I hear a elder, yet feminine voice say approaching us. Me and Rainbow Dash turn our heads to see a tan mare with whitish, grey hair. She has a white collar with a puffy blue thing on it (I don't know what it's called). "Ah, Rainbow Dash, you must be showing this young colt around Ponyville. Am I right?" Colt? I'm a human male, not a male horse. I guess that's just their dialect or something like that.
"That's right mayor," Rainbow Dash says. Mayor? Okay, so I have been in this frikin' world since Sunday and I have already meet two princesses and a political figure. Wow! I guess princesses and political figures must be abundant. "This is Nick. Nick, I want you to meet the mayor of Ponyville, Mayor Mare." Seriously? Mayor Mare? I guess I shouldn't be surprised.
"It's nice to finally meet you," the tan mare says extending a hoof. I comply by shaking it.
"Likewise," I say.
"So how is Ponyville treating you so far?"
"Pretty good. Most of the ponies I have meet so far have been really nice and hospital to me. The ones I haven't really meet are just staring at me."
"Really?"
"Take a look behind you if you don't believe me." I point to a teal colored unicorn and a cream colored pony that are behind the mayor. These two have been staring at me, Rainbow Dash and the Mayor for the the past minute. The Mayor looks behind her and looks at those two other ponies. Almost after she takes a look at the pair, they strike up a conversation among themselves in half a second, almost acting like they weren't looking at us.
"Hmm." She turns back to me and Rainbow Dash. "I see what you mean. I do apologize."
"Apologize? Why? It's understandable why they're acting like this. A new creature from a far away planet is now in their town. Of course they are gonna' stare at something that is out of the norm."
"At least they're taking it better than when Zecora came here," Rainbow Dash says bluntly.
"What happened when this Zecora character came here?"
"Everypony either hid in their houses or head for the hills."
"How come?"
"Everyone just found her weird and different because she was a Zebra and that she talked in her native tongue." So we got racism and talking Zebras here too. Wow! Maybe this place isn't all sunshine and lollipops like how I thought it was. Who would have thought: racial and cultural issues and boundaries in a kids show? "But now she is treated like a regular citizen and she's actually really cool. No one looks at her in an odd way." Oh, if they patched things up in the end, I guess that's okay. I don't condone the fact that the town acted the way it did, but like what I just said, if they patched things up and if things worked out, I guess it's a happy ending.
"I'm sure Ponyville will stop looking at you like this in due time," The mayor says. "If the Zecora situation was resolved, I'm sure your situation will be resolved in no time."
"If you say so," I say.
"Well, it was nice meeting you Nick, but I have some business I need to take care of. I just came out here to stretch my legs and it's time to get back to some work. Rainbow Dash, show him a good time around here. Okay?"
"Yes ma'am?" Rainbow Dash says while doing a salute. Is that really necessary?
"It was nice talking to you young lad. Rainbow Dash, it was nice seeing you again." After she says that, she leaves to attend whatever business a mayor attends to.
"She seems nice," I say.
"Well she is," Rainbow Dash says. "She's a great mayor and a fine politician if you ask me."
"Quick question, where does this Zecora character live? She sounds like someb-I mean somepony I can relate to on this planet and I would like to meet her."
"She lives in the Everfree Forest, but it's pretty dangerous to go in there alone. After we stop by Fluttershy's cottage by the end of the tour, I'll introduce you to her. But we should be super careful if we do." I am very curious about this Zecora character. "Alright, next stop!"
Ten Minutes Later
The two of us stop in front of, what appears to be, a school house. It kind of reminds me of the ones you would see in the 1800s era. "I take it this is the school?" I ask
"Yep! I'm sure Miss Cheerilee is still here. There has been an in-service yesterday and today for the school." So that's why Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were home around noon time and not in school. "Miss Cheerline is really nice. I'll introduce you." The two of us walk to the entrance.
Rainbow Dash knocks on the door of the school house. If the teacher is anything like the Mayor or Mrs. Cake, I should be on a hot streak with getting along with the other residents. The door opens and a light, maroon colored pony is at the door way. "Hello Rainbow Dash," Miss Cheerilee says. "How are-AAHHH!" She looks at me and slams the door shut. I think I hear a lock click on the other side.
"Well that went well," I say sarcastically, yet humorously.
"Heh-heh, let's try that again," Rainbow Dash says. She knocks on the door once more.
"THERE'S A MONSTER AT THE DOOR!" I hear the school mare shout on the other side. And to think I was doing so well today. I only made one scream today, yet I was able to settle them down, and I also got along with two complete strangers right out of the gate.
"Miss Cheerilee, this is not a monster. His name is NIck. He's known as a...a…a…"
"Human," I remind her.
"Human. That's right. He's harmless and a really cool guy. He hasn't caused harm to anypony and I am giving him a tour of Ponyville. He's eager to meet you and discuss the differences of the education systems between ours and his world."
"That's ri-wait, WHAT?!" I'm not that eager and I don't want to discuss education differences. "No, I'm not too interested in education system differences. I'm not well educated on how my education system functions. I just go to school, learn, socialize, do my homework, that's it."
"I'm just tryin' to help you out," Rainbow Dash saying in a sort of whining tone. "I thought that you two should start off on some sort of common ground."
"Well you shouldn't assume stuff." Then again, I am the one to talk.
"Just tryin' to help you out bro, cut a sister some slack." Oh geez. Can't she...wait, I hear something behind the school door. Is that...giggling? Does Cheerlie find me arguing with Rainbow Dash funny? This teacher has a weird sense of humor.
"Oh my Celestia, this is priceless!" I hear her say, still laughing.
"She seriously finds this funny?" Rainbow Dash asks. I am questioning that too. Hey, maybe Rainbow Dash and I could get on Vaudeville with arguing like this. The door of the school opens and a huge grin is on Miss Cheerilee.
"I'm sorry about the way I acted. Please come in," she says in between giggles. So arguing in front of others is another approach to get on a citizen's good side or have them not fear you? Wow. This planet and it's inhabitants are twisted six ways from Sunday. Maybe its just this one pony, I'm not too sure really.
Rainbow Dash and I enter the school. Well, the school is just a single class room with many small desks for the students. There is a larger desk in front of the classroom for Miss Cheerilee. It's pretty much a basic class room. "Once again, I apologize for my actions. It's just that you are new, very new might I add, and you kind of...surprised me and I sort of... overreacted," Cheerilee says apologetically, still having a smile on her face.
"It's fine," I say. "It's understandable really. Me being a new species in a different world, everyone's actions are pretty reasonable. If I saw an odd creature walking around my home town, I don't know how I would react."
"Fair enough. So, I'm sure Rainbow Dash told you who I am."
"Yes, Miss Cheerilee, correct?"
"That's it."
"I'm assuming you're doing work here, but on an in-service day?"
"Some teachers do have work to do on in-service days. I'm not too far away from wrapping up."
"So I'm curious, what do you teach here in this school?" Even though I said I don't want to know how their education system works, I do want to know what she teaches.
"Reading, writing, a little of arithmetic, history, life lessons, stuff like that."
"Sounds like most of my elementary schools back at home. I guess the way both worlds educate their students aren't too different."
"Do they teach what I teach back at your school or school?"
"Mostly. History, arithmetic, literature, science classes, and so on."
"What's your favorite class?"
"Definately history." It's true. I am a fan of United States history to be exact. I am well educated on the John F. Kennedy assassination and a lot of the conspiracy theories around it. JFK is one of my favorite US Presidents as a matter a fact. He pushed for Civil Rights, he donated his presidential salary to charity, he handled the Cuban Missile Crisis and so on. John F. Kennedy was freaking awesome! He also...am I going off track again?
"What intrigues you about history?"
"Just how different groups are able to advance and make changes through technology, art, science or through trials and tribulations. Plus, my mom is a history teacher, so that kind of wore off on me."
"Have you read on any Equestrian history?"
"Actually no. I probably should now that you mention it."
"Equestrian history is quite interesting if you ask me."
"History, shmistory," Rainbow Dash says, uninterested. "History isn't that important. It's not like I would need that egghead stuff to get into the Wonder Bolts." Wonder Bolts? Who or what the Hell are the Wonder Bolts? I'll ask her about it later.
Miss Cheerilee and I look at her with dissaproving faces. Rainbow gulps and rubs the back of her neck. "Heh heh, I mean, history is great," Rainbow Dash says, lamely. Wow, weak recovery Dashie. Hmm, I wonder if I should start calling her that. It sounds like a cool nickname. Maybe I should wait a little while until I get to know her better so I can actually call her nicknames.
"Weak save Rainbow Dash," Cheerilee and I say at the same time.
"Okay, I'll admit, that was a bad save. Sue me for having an opinion!" Me and the maroon colored mare roll our eyes.
"So I want to know what extra curricular activities you do after school hours." Does everything revolve around school with her?
"Well, I do theater programs at school. Musicals and plays to be exact."
"Oh, you sing?" Her face brights up even more. I guess that being in a musical gives off the automatic assumption that one can sing. That is technically true though.
"Yeah, he told me and the others that he's a performer," Rainbow Dash chimes in.
"Hmm...prove it." Wait, what? I never have had any requests to sing on the spot. I just sing or rap whenever I feel like it. Ah, what the Hell, why not? I would ask her what song she would like to hear, but I doubt that I would know any of this planet's songs.
"I'll sing a bit of one of my favorite songs," I say. Rainbow Dash and Cheerilee show anticipation. I think for a minute about which one of my favorite songs I should sing. Then, the perfect song pops into my head. "Okay this one is probably my all time favorite." I clear my throat.
(Due to copyright, I am not allowed to post song lyrics.)
"Whatcha' think?" I ask.
"That's pretty good," Rainbow Dash says.
"Very good," Miss Cheerilee comments. Very? I'm a decent singer at most. A lot of people have told me that I am good, but when I listen to myself on my recordings, I sound a lot different. Then again, that's just my opinion. To be completely honest, I am quite flattered by their response and I blush a little. "Did you say that song from your planet?"
"I said it's my favorite, I never said that it was from my planet."
"But you probably have not listened to our music yet. And your favorite music must be from your home planet"
"Well played teach. Well played." She just lets out, yet another, giggle.
"Well, it was nice seeing you again Miss Cheerilee," Rainbow Dash says. "I don't wanna' hold you up, especially when you have work that you need to finish."
"Well alright," the maroon colored mare says. "Nick, it was nice meeting you. We should meet up again soon."
"I'm gonna have to keep that in mind," I say. "It was nice meeting you too Miss Cheerilee. Like what you said, we should definitely chat again."
"Indeed. I'll be seeing you two around." After that, Rainbow Dash and I leave the school.
"So where to now Rainbow Dash?" I ask. But after I the last word leaves my mouth, my stomach rumbles. Must be lunch time.
"How about someplace to eat? I know of a few good places to have lunch at," Rainbow Dash says.
"Wait wait wait," I say to Rainbow Dash. The two of us are at a small cafe waiting for our food to arrive. I ordered a cucumber sandwich, because that sounds like it's the only thing I can eat in this place. Rainbow Dash ordered something called a daffodil sandwich. "So you and Rarity were competing at the same time in the contest, her magically crafted wings burned in mid-air, so you had to save her and three elite fliers?" She already gave me the whole Wonderbolts talk about who they are the best fliers in Equestria. She even mentioned she was able to part take in the trials to join, which is a big deal to Rainbow.
"That's pretty much it," Rainbow Dash says.
"Boy, that's really something," I say impressed.
"I know right? Okay, now you have to tell me a story. Something really interesting."
"Hmm." I rub my index finger and thumb on my chin. How can one top a story like that? Saving a friend, and a few others, from an almost certain death? Come to think of it, I'm not sure if I have too many interesting stories. I have already told her that my highlight in my life is that I am an entertainer and a performer. "I don't know."
"Oh, come on! You have to have something. You're a performer for goodness sake. You have something interesting. Some funny behind the scenes stories maybe?"
"Well...I do have something that is both awkward and humorous. Interesting, I don't know."
"Alright, lay it on me Nick. I wanna hear it."
"Okay, so during one play practice for a production I was in , the cast and crew were on break. We just finished a scene that involves background music and it's a fun song . So during break, the guy who is in charge of playing the music plays the song. The cast and crew of the production are all dancing, having fun. Me and my friend, Kayla, were dancing with each other, having fun and all. As the two of us are dancing, I have a strange feeling someone is behind me. I turn around and notice my buddy Connor, who is shirtless and is sort of-scratch that, IS rubbing his bare, hairy chest on my shoulder." I see Rainbow Dash trying to contain a couple chuckles.
"You have some weird friends." Calling us weird? I'm the one talking to a Pegasus who should be the new Skittles mascot. Then again, that's considered normal here, and she is right.
"A lot of us theater kids are weird."
"Why would he do that?"
"I don't know. Like what you said, weird friends." I then take a quick sip from my glass of water that the two of us received earlier when we were seated.
"To be honest, your friends seem normal compared to Pinkie. No disrespect to her, of course."
"How so? She just seems very energetic if you ask me."
"She is able to break any and all laws of physics for one thing. For example, she was able to squeeze herself into a mailbox."
"Okay, that is pretty weird, but that's-"
"She once had a flying contraption to fly up high enough to the clouds."
"I'm not sure how-"
"That contraption was no where in sight when I saw her on the ground. She literally pulled that contraption from nowhere."
"Maybe she-"
"She also at one point made clones of herself and the town was a muck because of it." She did that?
"How did she do that?" I ask, finally being able to complete a sentence.
"Something called a Mirror Pool, but that's a story in itself."
"Okay, so maybe she's a bit abnormal."
"If you want my opinion, "a bit" is an understatement." I think I should just take her word for it now. By this point, we see a waiter levitating a tray full of food. Rainbow Dash and I look at that waiter with anticipation, hoping he'll lay that sliver tray on the table we sit at. But he walks right past us to another table.
"Ah man. Thought that would be our food," I say sarcastically disappointed. "Happens almost every time I go to a restaurant."
"I've been there before. I think they purposely do that do disappoint their customers." Her stomach growls pretty loud now. "Now, I think I'm hungrier than earlier."
"Me too, I'm starving. Our food shouldn't take this long. They're sandwiches for goodness sake! It should literally take two minutes to make both of them."
"Well, it's a tad bit more crowded than usual. They have to serve others too."
"True." There is an awkward pause for a moment. I just look around aimlessly, just taking in the surroundings. Rainbow taps her hooves on the table, making a beat. She keeps the beat going on. It's steady and easy to rock to. "Dash keep that beat going."
"Umm....okay," She says unsure-like. The pegaus keeps tapping her hooves in that beat and rhythm. I know what must be done. here. I rock my head easy and formulate what I'm gonna say.
"Uh, uh, check it, check it, Now I'm chilling with the girl they call RD, Not looking like it, but damn she's a smarty, Giving me a beat, I give out rhymes, Y'all ready for story time?"
Rainbow rocks her head to the beat and my rhymes. A huge smile is plastered on her face, clearly enjoying this. Time to put on a show.
"Sometime ago, I was hit by a bolt, Caused by Twi, but it wasn't her fault, Landed in an acre, owned by the Apples, Confused, leaving my brain all rattled, Twi introduced, me to the crew, With my time here, what we gonna do? Rarity creating, Pinkie Pie baking And a solution, that Twi is making Music my passion, here outlasting, My words...are blasting One final thing that I have to say: Where's our food? Is it on the way?"
"Oh my goodness!" Rainbow almost belts out, leaving me grinning. "Dude, that was awesome." She puts her hoof out to me and I bump my fist to it.
"Thanks. I don't free style often, but I give it a whirl when I can," I say being modest as I can.
"Hey dude, that is some talent right there."
"Thanks." Rainbow and I sit in silence again for a few moments, until I see two ponies take their seats behind Rainbow. Getting a good look at them, I see that it's the two ponies that were behind the mayor earlier. The cream colored one's back is towards me and the teal colored one is facing my way.
"Hey, aren't those the two ponies we saw when we were talking to the mayor?" I ask Rainbow Dash in a whispered voice. She turns her head slightly and looks out the corner of her eye, then turns back to me.
"Yeah, it looks like it."
"Do you know them by any chance?"
"Sort of. If I remember correctly, the teal one's name is Lyra and the cream colored one is Bon Bon." I take a quick glance at the presumptive Lyra. The second my eyes make contact with her golden ones, she puts her head down and buries her face into a menu. I can barely hear her mumble something through her menu. She's probably whispering something to Bon Bon.
"I wonder what those two are talking about?" I whisper.
"Maybe they're nervous that you noticed them." Rainbow Dash points out.
"If they're nervous, then why would they be at the table behind us?" I inquire.
"Hm...maybe they're not nervous, but curious," the pegasus suggests.
"Curious about what?" Rainbow Dash now gives me one of those looks that say: "Seriously? You're joking, right?"
"You're a creature from another world. It's not too hard to figure out why they're curious, buddy." Well...I guess I sounded stupid for a second.
"Oh...right. Is it me entirely, or just one thing they wanna know?"
"Can't say." As discrete as possible, I try to get another look at the two mares behind RD. Bon Bon looks like she is turning her head. I can tell that she sees me looking out of the corner of her eye because she whips her head back to Lyra's direction. It's hard to tell, but I think she's whispering something to Lyra. Oh well, ponies are gonna talk, so let them.
I hear some sort of weird sound and some writing in front of me. I look up and see the teal colored pony levitate a pencil and writes, what I assume, are notes on her napkin. Then, she whispers or mumbles something to her friend. Observations and note taking too? Wonder what they're writing?
Rainbow turns her head slightly and sees what the unicorn is doing. "Seriously?" Rainbow mumbles. "She's taking notes?" RD brings her attention to me. "Want me to ask her to stop?"
"Nah," I say, swatting a dismissive hand. "She isn't bothering me."
"You sure? 'Cause I-"
"Nope," I interrupt her. "Just let her do her thing. She isn't hurting no one."
"If you say so." She and I have another moment of silence. Until she opens her mouth once more. "You know, can I ask you something?" My rainbow maned companion asks.
"You just did." Dash chuckles at the witty one liner.
"Funny. Well, I was at Applejack's earlier today and she said that you were calm when you first met her. I mean, you didn't freak out at the fact you were in a world unfamiliar to you. I mean, why so calm?"
"Well, I kind of freaked out, yes. But here's the thing, I was in a tree when I first saw her. I quietly panicked in my head, but I kept my cool. Panicking does not help at all. If I scream, she would scream, and things would just go downhill from there."
"Sir and ma'am, your food is ready," the stallion waiter says walking up to us and placing two plates in front of us. "If you need anything else, please don't hesitate to ask."
"Thank you very much," I say. As he walks away, I turn back to Dash. "Like that. When the waiter first saw me walk through the doors of this place, he looked like he was close to having a heart attack."
"His reaction was priceless," Rainbow says, snickering.
"But I kept calm. If I don't freak out, then it would be less likely he would. I did the same thing with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. They looked like they saw a monster when they saw me, but I kept my cool. If I do that, they would keep their cool."
"But what about Cheerilee? You didn't keep calm there." Dashie says this in between chews of her sandwich.
"She lost her cool. We were arguing. That is different."
"Fair enough." I take a bite of my sandwich. It's pretty good. The cucumbers where nice a cool, some white stuff what spread on the while bread. Quite tasty. Kind of wish I had some tea to go with this. "But not with Princess Celestia. I heard you sort of overacted when you met her."
"Well I didn't panic. There is a difference between panicking and overacting. It was just the fact that I have never met royalty."
"Really?"
"Yep. But back to the topic at hand, if you don't show any fear when others have no idea who or what you are, then they won't fear you. The best thing to do is to keep your composure and stay calm. If you do that, then others shouldn't have anything to worry about." I take another bite of my sandwich.
"I guess that makes sense."
Six minutes later
"Would you two care for dessert?" The waiter asks. Rainbow and I have already finished our quite delicious meals.
"Whatcha' say Nick? Got enough room in your stomach, 'cause I sure do?" the pegasus asks, patting her tummy.
"You're paying right?" I ask.
"Of course I- "
"What's on the dessert menu garcon?" I say interrupting my friend. Dash laughs at my little antic. I do have a bit of a sweet tooth. I do prefer healthy foods like good salad, a good portion carbs, and a great serving of protein is the way to go. But make sure to have some fruit and dairy in the mix as well. But I do like a good dessert at the end of the day.
"I'll fetch the dessert menus for you two," the waiter says, then walking away to get Dash and I some menus.
"Sweet tooth?" Rainbow Dash asks. I nod my head. "A lot of us in Ponyville have a bit of a sweet tooth. Especially Pinkie Pie." That kind of does make sense. Her being as energetic as she is, it's probably because of the sugar. "I love sweets as much as the next pony, make sure I don't have too much of it. It's bad for my health and could ruin physique." Amen to that sister.
The waiter returns to our table with two dessert menus in his hoof and he gives one to each of us. After thanking him, he moves on to another tables, leaving me and Dash too look over what delectable treats they serve here. There's chocolate cake with a scoop of your choice of ice cream, a build your own ice cream sundae, two cinnamon buns for the price of one, a root-beer float with vanilla ice cream and too many other things to list. "See anything you like Dashie?"
"I think I'll have cinnamon buns. You?"
"I think I'll take the root-beer float."
"Is that all?" I hear a voice say. I turn around and it's our waiter, and he gives me a bit of a jump scare.
"Yo! Dude, not cool," I say slightly hyperventilating. The waiter just snickers. How nice it is to laugh at my suffering.
"You're orders should be ready in a little bit." He writes down our orders and walks back to the kitchen to fufil our requests. .
"Was he behind me the whole time?" I ask Rainbow.
"Yes," she says with a huge smile. "I just didn't want to tell you."
"Why?"
"Because I thought you're reaction would be funny." Wow. Rainbow Dash has an odd sense of humor.
Five Minutes Later
"Your desserts," the waiter says placing our treats on the table. "Enjoy you two." And with that, he walks away. I take sip of the root-beer float through a straw and it tastes delicious. Probably not the number one root-beer float I have had, but it's still very good none the less. The vanilla ice cream and the brown, carbonated beverage compliment each other pretty well. Match made in heaven really.
"How is it?" Rainbow Dash asks.
"Really good," I reply. "How are the cinnamon buns?"
"Good as well. I can never refuse a good cinnamon bun."
"My brother would say the same thing." Seriously, when you mention cinnamon buns around my brother, he'll see who said it and constantly ask where they are until he finds them. And the second he finds them, he'll dive in. It's like Marshawn Lynch and skittles.
"He likes cinnamon buns?"
"Yeup. Whenever they are available at restaurants or parties, he almost always goes for them. And when he goes for them, there is no stopping him." Rainbow Dash chuckles and continues to enjoy her treat.
Two Minutes Later (a lot of time skips aren't there?)
"I'm full," I say putting up my hands after I set my glass down.
"Me too," Rainbow says, throwing her hooves up in the air. "I got the check. Garcon, check please." Our waiter walks over and places a piece of paper on our table. Rainbow Dash pulls out a sum of gold coins from nowhere (Seriously! How does she do it!?) and pays for the bill.
"Thank you for dining with us and have a good day," our waiter says and then walks away.
"You ready to continue the tour?" RD asks.
"You bet, lets go," I say. The two of us get up and start to make our way to the exit, but then that teal colored pony from earlier stops us.
"Umm…" She says shyly. "You're Nick right?'
"Yeah…"
"I just wanted to say, welcome to Ponyville. I'm Lyra Heartstrings, and that's my friend Bon Bon."
"Well, thank you very much for the welcome Lyra, and it's a pleasure to meet you," I say in a chippy tone. "Hey, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure."
"What were you writing down? I noticed earlier, as you were looking me, you were taking notes or something. What was that?"
"To answer you question, I have to ask, are you a human?" Answering my question with a question? Interesting. Let's see how this plays o...wait, she knows about humans?
"Uh, yeah. How'd you know what I was?"
"There are some folk tales, stories and myths of humans. I always believed humans existed despite them being fictional, but everyone, especially my good friend here thought I was crazy." She points to Bon Bon and she gives me a smile with a wave. "Guess I was right all along Bon Bon." So there are stories about humans in this world? That's some crazy stuff there. If or when I get the chance, I should see if I can find any of these stories and see how Equestria depicts my race.
The earth pony leans closer to me and I lean closer to her. Looks like shes going to whisper something to me.
"I wont be hearing the end of this any time soon," she quietly tells me. I can't dispute that. Lyra is going to be boasting how she was right to any and everyone for a while.
"Well gals, it was nice meeting you," I say, "but Dash and I have a tour to finish up." As she and I exit, the two mares wave to us and we wave back, each of us with smiles on our faces.
By the time Dashie and I leave the cafe, I lean down and say, "Those two seem to be pretty cool."
"They appear so," Rainbow says. "So Nick, you ready to continue the tour?"
After our lunch at the cafe, Dash and I make our way to Fluttershy's house. As of now, Rainbow Dash is telling me a little about Fluttershy and her home. The other night was just mostly about me and I sort of got to know the others. So I'm going to use the time remaining of the tour to have a better insight on who these ponies are. "...It is almost a zoo there," Rainbow Dash says, finishing her statement.
"That many animals?" I ask.
"Yeup. She has everything from small bugs, to rabbits to various birds and even more than that."
"She must really like animals."
"Well, her cutie mark tells her that her she is the one that's good with animals." A what tells her to be good with animals?
"Cutie-what now?"
"Her cutie mark." I stare at Rainbow Dash confused and blankly. What the heck is a cutie mark? "You know." She points to the 'rainbow-bolted-storm-cloud' tattoo on her thigh. I point at it with a quizzical look on my face and she nods.
"That's this 'cutie mark' thing?" She nods again. I have noticed almost all the ponies in town have one on their thighs. I just thought that it's a weird (and silly) fashion statement. Boy was I wrong. "And it tells her what to do?"
"Well, that's not the right choice of words I should have used. A cutie mark is a special marking somepony gets on their flank when they find their special talent."
"So you get this mark when you find out what you're good at?"
"Pretty much, yeah. Mine tells me I was born to be the fastest flyer I can be. What about you? Do you humans get cutie marks?"
"No. Well, actually there are these things called tramp stamps that tells other people you're a prosti-actually, I shouldn't tell you about that!" Nice save there Nick. You almost brought in something R-rated in a TV-Y seven show. Great going. Think before you speak man. Think before you speak.
"Why?" Rainbow asks, raising an eyebrow.
"Trust me. Ignorance is bliss. But to answer you're question, us humans don't get cutie marks."
"Then how do you know what you're good at?"
"Just through life experiences. I found out I was good at acting when I actually tried it. Same thing with singing, except that one took some practice. A lot of practice." Seriously, two years ago, I couldn't sing to save my life. It was worse than IceJJFish's singing. I didn't take any lessons, I just sang the music I liked and just got better at it.
"That's interesting."
"But how does it get there?" If it is not a tattoo, does it just appear there? Oh come on! That would be the most redicu-
"It just appears when somepony finds out their special talent." ...No comment.
Three Minutes Later
We have reached our destination: Fluttershy's house. Actually, it's more of a cottage. It sort of looks like it was made from a tree, kind of like the library. Except that this one does look more like a house and someone just added a big ass bush on the top.
One thing that I notice about Fluttershy's cottage is that it is very secluded from the rest of town. I have picked up on the fact that Fluttershy is a bit, well, shy and she sort of strikes me as a pony who does not go out in public that often (This is all based on first impressions). So maybe her shyness is in reasoning of buying this house in the first place. Secluded and doesn't have to worry about facing the crowd where hundreds eyes are on her.
As we get closer to the house, I hear something. It's very rhythmic, angelic and very pretty. It kind of sounds like singing. Well, I'm pretty sure it is singing. Whoever it is, they have a really good voice. "Is that singing I hear?" I ask Rainbow Dash.
"Yeah. It sounds like it's coming from the back yard," she says. "It might be Fluttershy feeding some of the animals. She sings when she feeds at times." The two of us make our way up to the front of cottage and hide behind a corner. We slowly make our way to the side of the house, still undetected. That singing voice is really good! It's light, but very pleasant to the ears.
"Move over Beyoncé, you got competition," I think. Wait, WHAT?! NO! One does not compare the goddess-like voice of Beyonce to anyone! You just can't! I deserve to be thrown out a window for even thinking that.
The two of us keep slowly sneaking around the house se can detect where the voice is coming from. Rainbow Dash's suspicious are right as the yellow mare is indeed feeding animals and singing while doing so. Just taking a look at her backyard, she has a lot of animals. It practically IS a zoo here! I see birds, chickens, squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, beavers, ducks, a bear, some insec-wait, A BEAR!?
"This ain't no Winnie the Pooh bulls##t here, a f##cking full grown bear! Dear God, how has that thing not mauled her to shreds yet?!" Must be one of her pets I guess. I never have seen a full out bear before unless it was something in a movie.
"Nick, you okay?" Dashie whispers. I shake my head, sort of erasing the shocked look from my face.
"I'm good, it's just the fact that Fluttershy is taking care of such a ferocious beast," I say, still undetected by Fluttershy and still sort of shocked.
"A ferocious be-oh, you're talking about the bear?" I nod. "He ain't ferocious, quite the opposite really. Fluttershy is great with animal obedience. She has this ice-cold stare she gives to animals and they obey her when she gives that stare."
"Really, that sounds like something I-" I am cut off by a third voice.
"What are you two doing?" Fluttershy asks right in front of me, scaring me and taking the air out my lungs. Damn, is today give Nick a heart attack day? First, it was Rainbow Dash when she bust through Rarity's boutique; then Pinkie Pie in the bakery, the waiter from the cafe, and now Fluttershy too? If it is 'Give Nick a Heart Attack Day', everybo-everypony is doing their fair share. I really need to get that phrasing down.
"Geez Fluttershy," I say slightly catching my breath, "you scared me."
"Oh, I'm so sorry," she saysvery timidly and very scared like.
"It's fine, you just caught me off guard. That's all." I'm trying to play this off and not be so rattled. The last thing I want to do is make her feel bad for unintentionally scaring me. She's pretty fragile and I don't want to hurt a delicate pony like her.
"Um...if I may ask, why are you guys here?" she asks very quietly. Did she seriously ask for permission to ask a question? I know she's timid, but seriously? She lives up to her name, that's for sure.
"Well, Rainbow Dash is giving me a tour of Ponyville and we just wanted to stop by to say hi. Then after that, she's going to introduce me to Zecora." At the mention of her name, Fluttershy gasps. "What? Is there something bad about Zecora I need to know about?"
"No, it's not that. Zecora is a good and nice mare, it's just that she lives in the Everfree Forest." She points her hoof to the forestation next to her house. It just looks like any other forest, just a shade or two of a deeper green.
"So what? It's just a forest."
"It's not just a forest. It's a forest that has some of the most dangerous creatures you would ever encounter." Dangerous creatures in a kids show?
"What, is it some sort of lollipop monster?" I think.
"There's cockatrices, timberwolves, ursas, hydras, manticores and other dangerous creatures that live there." And forget what I just thought. I remember hearing about creatures like these in fairy tales back home. But they're just fairy tales, right? Then again, I thought pegasi and unicorns, along with the My Little Pony TV show, were fictional, so I'm wrong there. This place really isn't all sunshine and lollipops, is it? When it comes to creatures like manticores and cockatrices, I guess not.
"Really, well...wait, why would Zecora live in a forest that is home to these dangerous creatures?"
"Because the forest also has special herbs she needs to make potions and medicines. She lives in a hut that is close to all those herbs."
"She's a potion maker? Well I guess that sort of makes sense. Living near the ingredients she needs and all." I still feel a little skeptical about going into that forest though. I'm also pondering on how she could live in a forest with the creatures that Fluttershy just described? Maybe she lives in a certain part of the forest to where she doesn't have to worry about being harmed by those things."
"Don't worry Fluttershy, I'll keep Nick safe and sound," Rainbow Dash says, trying to be heroic. "And you don't have to worry about running into those creatures either Nick. Zecora isn't too deep into the Everfree Forest, it's less than a ten minute walk from here really."
"That makes me feel a little better. But come to think of it," I turn my attention back to Fluttershy, "why would you live near an area that has those dangerous creatures?"
"Well, for one thing, the creatures and critters in the forest don't really go into Ponyville…"
"Except for that one time with the Parasprites," Rainbow Dash interrupts. "And the other time when Snips and Snails brought in the Ursa Minor into Ponyville."
"...as for why," Fluttershy continues, "it's just that I like living close to and with nature." She does seem to prove her point with the way her home is. I mean, living with a ton of animals, she'd be lying if she said she didn't live close to, maybe even with, nature. Come to think of it, if she can handle most of these creatures she takes care of, including that frickin' bear, I bet you anything she can handle anything the Everfree Forest can throw at her.
"Well, whatever floats your boat Fluttershy."
"Um...I don't own a boat." ...Is she seriously this naive too?
"No, it's a figure of speech Fluttershy. It means 'whatever works for you'."
"Ohh...never heard that one used." The yellow pegasus cutely blushes, being embarrassed not knowing the phrase. "I might have to use that at some point."
"Well Fluttershy," Dash says, "I think I'm going to introduce Nick to Zecora now. You ready?" she asks me.
"I guess so. I'll see you around Fluttershy," I say.
"Okay Nick, just be careful," the yellow mare says. Geez, she sounds like my mother every time I go out for a drive. But, I probably should be careful. The last thing I want is to face a manticore and tear me up into bite sized pieces (And not to mention, ruin these sweet ass threads Rarity made for me).
Rainbow and I walk on a pathway to, what appears to be, the entrance of the dreaded Everfree Forest. I let out a quick yet deep breath. "Ya' good?" Dash asks.
"Yeah," I say. "Lets go." So the two of us make our way into this forest.
Now, it's the beginning of the afternoon and the sun is shining as brightly as it can. However, the deeper Rainbow Dash and I tread into this forest, the darker it gets. The sun doesn't shine too well here. It's not so dark to where it's the point I can't see six inches in front of me, but it is very difficult to see. The bark of the trees are a very dark brown from what I can tell and the leaves are a very dark shade of green. It's not really spooky, but I do feel that if something were to jump out in this forest, it would scare the daylights out of me.
"How ya' holding up buddy?" My rainbow-maned friend asks.
"Doin' good," I reply. But suddenly, something brushes against my hand, causing me to jump in fright and give off a holler.
"What's wrong?"
"Something just brushed against my hand."
"...Nick, that was just my ear," RD says, flatly.
"Oh, hehe, sorry."
"It's fine, don't worry about it. Just try not to get spooked so easily. It seems like you're the type that gets scared easily."
"When it comes from nowhere I do." Jump scares are usually what get me.
Seven Minutes Later
Okay seriously, do one-third of the Ponyville residents live in trees? Because this hut is made from a tree. But the weird thing that sticks out about this hut, is that there's a yellow and red wagon that is parked outside of the hut. And attached to the top of that wagon is a sign with a light-blue crescent moon. "Oh no," Rainbow Dash says, sounding like she regrets coming here.
"What's wrong?" I ask, wondering what has her like this.
"Trixie's here," she says this so bluntly, that is sounds like she isn't too fond of this 'Trixie' pony.
"Whose Trixie?" Rainbow Dash lets out a sigh, sounding a little annoyed.
"Just traveling performer who thinks she's the best around."
"Did you say performer?" She nods her head. "Yes, someone I can talk to about the fine arts of the stage!"
"But did you hear the last part? She thinks she's the big cheese when she really isn't."
"So she's one of those types of peo-ponies with the big ego?" Dash nods again. None of my fellow performers I have worked with have had big egos, so I have no idea what people like that are like. But I do want to get to know this Trixie. "Why is she at Zecora's hut come to think of it?" I ask curiously.
"I don't know. Let's find out." The two of us walk up to the door and Rainbow Dash gives it a couple of knocks. After just a couple of seconds, the door opens to reveal a zebra about the same height and size as Rainbow. She has a mohawk mane, two gold earrings on each ear, a set of rings wrapped around her neck, and a some wrapped around her right foreleg.
"Rainbow Dash! The pony of loyalty! Why have you stoped by to see me?" The zebra says. Heh, that ryhmed.
"I have a new friend I want you to meet." Rainbow Dash gestures her hoof to me. Zecora takes notice of my being and her facial expression is a little weird. I can't tell if it's pure awe, curiosity or nervousness.
"Zecora, what about Tri-" Another voice says approaching us. Another mare has appeared from the hut and she takes notice of me. This mare is a shade or two of a deeper blue than Rainbow Dash. And she has this purple wizard hat and cloak on with yellow and white stars printed on the articles. Seems to me that she's auditioning for the Sorcerer's Apprentice. I'm just gonna' go out on a limb and say that this must be Trixie. "Uhhh…" She's speechless. Zecora clears her throat so she can start speaking.
"This is a creature I have never met. Rainbow Dash, is this your new pet?" Zecora asks. Does she speak in rhyme? That's kind of... wait, did she call me a pet? Seriously? Rainbow Dash just lets out a light chuckle because of the zebra's reaction to me.
"No, this my new friend Nick. He's from from a different world and he's a really cool guy." Why thank you for vouching for my character Rainbow Dash.
"Another world?" The other blue mare asks Rainbow Dash. She then turns her attention back to me. She is looking at me as if she is studying me. "Well, Rainbow Trash, tell the Great and Powerful Trixie why it came here to Equestria." She now directs her attention back Rainbow Dash. Trash?
"I got this one Dash," I say, causing Zecora and Trixie to gasp.
"It speaks?!"
"Yes." Their facial expressions are a bit more clear now. They're in pure awe. "The reason why I'm here is because my friend Twilight accidentally combined two spells and I ended up in this world. To put it in a nutshell." At mention of Twilight's name, Trixie lets out a low grumble. I decide to change the subject. I don't think she is fond of Twilight and I don't think I want to hear why. "Uh, like what Rainbow Dash said, my name is Nick. What about you two?"
"I am known as the Great and Powerful Trixie!" She says projecting her voice and rolling the 'R's in 'Great' and 'Trixie'.
"My name is Zecora. May I ask why you have come over?" Zecora pleasantly askss
"Well Rainbow Dash is giving me a tour of Ponyville and she thought it would be a good idea to introduce me to you."
"Ah, I see logic in Rainbow's action. Two outsiders meet, so they can have a friendly attraction." That would make sense. I stick out like a sore thumb, err hoof, in this town, and with the conversation I had with the mayor earlier, Zecora seemed to have trouble fitting in as well. So I guess Rainbow Dash wanted us to set up some sort of common ground.
"So Trixie," Rainbow Dash says, "what are you doing here?" She asks with a point of view of not being too happy around her.
"Well, if you must know, Trixie came here to Zecora's hut to get some medical supply. You know, medicine and some raw herbs before I resume my travels." Is she referring to herself self in the third person, or pony? Who is she, The Rock?
"You travel?" I ask.
"Trixie is a traveling performer. Trixie must have enough medical supply in case I get ill."
"Makes sense. You know, I'm a performer too, I'm no stranger to the stage."
"Really?" For a brief second, I could see a twinkle in her eye. She seems interested.
"Yeah. I'm an actor from where I am from and I do a lot of stage work. What about you? What do you do in the performing arts?"
"Well, I, The Great and Powerful Trixie, (still rolling the Rs) am a world class magician. I can perform magic tricks like no other. They don't call me the Great and Powerful Trixie for nothing." Sounds like she has a bigger ego than Kanye's. That or too much confidence in her self, one or the other. Or would that considered the same-forget it. I'll figure that out later.
"Except that Twilight showed you up twice," Rainbow Dash mumbles. I give Rainbow Dash a jab with my elbow as a way to tell her to keep her quiet.
"You know, I am more of a play and musical person, but I am curious to see some of your magic tricks." I have heard of a few great magicians from my planet: Penn and Teller, Houdini and David Copperfield are the big ones, but I have not become avid fans of them. I'm more of a music, movie and TV show guy.
"Really?"
"Yeah. Actually, I would love to see a performance of yours at somepoint."
"Nick, she's nothing but a fake," Rainbow Dash says with a warning tone.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, for one thing, she claimed to have taken down an ursa major with her magic once before. And when she faced one here in Ponyville, she fled."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Snips and Snails, who are two young colts, brought in what they thought was, an ursa major so she can take it down. But she just ran for her life. Then Twilight showed her up by sending the that ursa back into the Everfree Forest. And it turns out, it was only an ursa minor, not even an ursa major." As Rainbow Dash tells this story, Trixie grumbles even more. She even looks like she's on the borderline of being pissed off.
"Rainbow Dash, you may want to stop, it looks like Trixie's blood vessels are about to pop," Zecora points out, probably feeling uncomfortable with the situation. Scrach off what I thought earlier,Trixie does look like she's really pissed, but then takes a deep breath to calm down.
"She is right though, I have lied about some of my past achievements. But I can proudly and honestly say that I have graduated from Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, at least."
"There you go. That's an achievement to be proud of." Sounds like a very prestigious school. Attending a school for the gifted under her majesty must be a huge honor.
"Indeed. Only the best of the best can get in."
"I bet." There is an awkward pause after that. What else is there more to say?
"Well, the Great and Powerful Trixie must be on her way now. Trixie must resume her travels. Zecora, may Trixie have her medicine, please?" Zecora retreats to her hut for a moment and comes back out with a semi-large sack that makes some light clinking sounds. The medicine must be in glass jars. Trixie magically levitates the sack and stows it inside of her wagon. And in return for Zecora's services, Trixie presents to her ten gold coins. What were they called again? Bits? I remember hearing Mrs. Cake call the coins bits at Sugar Cube Corner.
Trixie trots to her wagon with her head held high and her eyes closed proudly. She attaches the yoke like thing on her back and makes her way out of the Everfree Forest.
"So what do you think Nick, of the mare who performs tricks?" Zecora asks.
"Well...she seems...different," I say. "She seems to have a personality that I am not used to. However, I still may want to see a show of her's before I leave this up and coming Sunday."
"She's a fake Nick," I hear Rainbow Dash mumble. I just ignore it. Fake or not, this dark blue mare has caught my curiosity. It sucks that I did ask to see a couple of examples, but we got too enticed into a different subject, that we got side tracked. It's almost like a terribly written story...
"Well, our time together has to stop, I need to get back to brewing the crops," Zecora says politely.
"Oh, okay," I say. "It was really nice meeting you Zecora. I would like to meet up with you again some time." The mare of grey and black stripes smiles, bids us good day in rhyme and retreats to her hut. "She does seem like a nice gal."
"Told ya," Rainbow Dash says. "Ready to head back?"
"Sure."
Town Square (15 Minutes later. Time now is 1:52 PM)
"Well, I think that's about it," Rainbow Dash says.
"Well, thank you very much Rainbow Dash for the-" I was cut off by a loud, and I mean loud, bass drop! It caught me off guard and almost gave me...a heart attack. I'm starting to get the idea that everyone in this town is trying to kill me through the element of surprise. "Where is that coming from?" I ask over the loud noise, trying to figure out where its source is.
After taking a couple of seconds to collect ourselves from the surprise, the two of us find the source of this music, and it is coming from a house. Someone must be turnin' up.
Almost thirty seconds after that bass drop, a grey pony with black hair and a small-pink bow tie walks out of the house, rubbing a hoof on her forehead. She doesn't look too good. "Are you okay?" I ask the grey mare.
"Yes I'm-" She doesn't finish at the sight of me. I'm kind of used to it by this point. "You're that human creature I have heard about, aren't you?" Her voice kind of reminds me of Rarity. It's sophisticated and has a hint of an English accent. But her's is a little thicker.
"Umm...yeah. The name's Nick. You?"
"My name is Octavia, first chair cellist for the Royal Canterlot Symphony." Awesome! Another performer who's no stranger to the stage.
"First chair?" She nods. "That's a pretty big deal. Congrats."
"Oh, why thank you."
"So do you live in the house where that loud music is coming from?"
"Yes. My roommate, Vinyl Scratch, is the one playing that so called music."
"I hate to assume, but I'm just gonna' go out on a limb and say you're more into sophisticated music while your roommate is more into party music."
"Right on the dot. I just want to get away from that noise for five minutes."
"I can relate." I'm not too into whatever noise is coming from that house. Sure, hip-hop music can be like that at times, but sometimes, there are just some songs that are just plain up obnoxious. This Octavia seems to be more into classical music. Not really my cup of tea, but its way better than most electronic music (Daft Punk I can tolerate though). After a couple of moments, the music stops playing.
"Octy, come back insi-" A voice shouts from the house. The owner of the voice has her words cut short when she peaks her head out the door and notices Rainbow, Octavia and I. The voice's owner is a white unicorn with a two-shaded blue mane and purple sunglasses. "Oh hey, it's the human guy I heard of!" She trots up to the the three of us. I'm not offended by her calling me 'human', she doesn't really know my name. Doesn't bother me anyway. "I've been waiting to chat with you, just never found the time." Her voice sounds really familiar. I think I've heard it on the internet somewhere. "I was talking to Lyra and Bon Bon earlier today and they mentioned meeting you. Nick, right?"
"Yeup, and your rommie, Octavia, mentioned that you're Vinyl, right?"
"Corecto-mondo bro! But, my stage name is DJ-Pon-3."
"Stage name?"
"She's a DJ," Rainbow Dash and Octavia say in unison, except Octavia sounds a little more annoyed with mentioning it. Wait, another performer?! Does everyone in Ponyville share a liking for the stage as much as I do? Well, that's three in one day: Octavia, Trixie and Vinyl!
"Really? Well, I got a stage name too. It's NickyD. I mean, I'm a performer from where I'm from." The grey and white mares share a gasp of appreciation.
"What do you do?" The two ask at the same time, sounding eager to know.
"Act, cover sing and cover rap." Vinyl gets all jumpy at the mention of rap.
"You're a rapper? That is SO cool!"
"Ehh…" Octavia lets out. I can tell from the second I laid eyes on her, she isn't into hip-hop, or anything modern for that matter.
"But I do enjoy a good classical piece once in a while." Octavia's face brightens up a little at mention of a slight appreciation for classical music.
"How good are you?" Vinyl asks.
"He says he's decent, but I think he's pretty good," Dash says, putting in her two sense and patting my back.
"Hmm, you know, there's a block party next Tuesday. If you want, you and I could do somethin'. Ya know what I mean?"
"I'm getting what you're putting down, but I'll be gone by then. My friend, Twilight, is working on a way to send me back to my home planet. I'll probably be gone this coming Sunday." Speaking of which, Luna's words echos in my mind again. Greatest fear coming by the end of the week. I'm still paranoid at this and it still gives me a bit of a shiver.
"Um, you okay?" The disk-jockey asks. I shake my head to get back to my senses.
"Yeah, I'm good. But back to what you're saying, sorry about not being there next Tuseday."
"Ah, it's cool man. Don't worry about it." She puts her hoof up and I give her a fist-to-hoof bump. "Ya' know, you seem alright. Shame we don't have much time to get to know each other."
"You and I may not share the same taste in music," Octavia starts off, "but I can tell you are a nice colt and very understanding for other's tastes." I smile at her statement. I can be a very understanding person. (Modest, aren't I?)
"How about this. Stop by my place tomorrow during lunch, and we can talk about our music and you can maybe lay down something if you feel like it. Sound good?" Come to think about it, it would be interesting to see the differences between Equestrian music and music back on earth. And I do want get to know this mare and her friend better.
"You know what, that does sound good. I'll stop by tomorrow."
"Alright! See ya later bro!" She turns around and retreats to her home.
"Later home girl!" I sort of shout back. Octavia gives a light chuckle at my remark back to Vinyl.
"I'm going to go for a little stroll through Ponyville," Octavia says."I'll see you two around." The cellist mare makes her way to wherever she chooses to in town.
"Now, where were we?" I ask Rainbow Dash.
"About to thank me for the awesome tour of Ponyville," she answers.
"Right. Thank you very much for the tour Rainbow Dash. It was fun."
"Don't sweat it. It's the least I can do for a new friend. Well, I should get going now."
"Okay, fly safely Rainbow." And with a mighty lift off, she takes to the skies of Ponyville, looking like a free bird.
In the inner-north section of Ponyville, there stands an ordinary house that homes two ordinary ponies. Well, one of those ponies has been considered to be a tad abnormal for a while. That one pony is a teal unicorn who goes by the name of Lyra Heartstrings. She is known to believe in these non existent creatures called humans that only exist in Equestrian fairy-tales. Everypony in town thinks it is a little immature to believe in such folklore. However, Lyra has been proven to be correct today, when the bipedal 'fairy tale' walked right through Ponyville.
Lyra has been doing her very best to contain her excitement by being nervous around the human whose dubs himself by the name of Nick. Lyra and her friend, Bon Bon, followed this human into a local cafe. He was having lunch with a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane. Lyra has eavesdropped on the human's conversation with his new pony friend to collect as many notes as she can, and then she mumbles them back to Bon Bon.
As of right now, the two mares are in the living room of their house. "I told you, I told you, I told you," Lyra says pacing back and forward, smiling wide as ever.
"Okay, I get it Lyra," Bon Bon says with a hit of annoyance. "You have proven me, and almost all of Equestria, wrong. Humans exist. You're not crazy. You have been, literally, saying that since noon."
"Sorry, but I'm just so excited!" Lyra jumps up and down with a joy. "I still can't believe humans exist!"
"Well, what if he just one of his kind? You know, the only one that exists?"
"Still, even if he is just one, he still proves my theory and shows that those fairy-tales are true." Lyra's grin is from ear to ear by this point, maybe even wider.
"I kind of wonder where he came from?" Bon Bon asks, bringing a hoof to her chin.
"When I did my eavesdropping, I heard his friend say that he's from a different world."
"Well what about the fairy tales? What do they about where humans live." Bon Bon asks, getting up from the couch she was sitting on.
"The fairy tales say humans are original born descendants of Equestria who have gone extinct hundreds of years before the Royal sisters were born." Bon Bon lets out a whistle at her response. "Yeah, I know."
"Do you think this Nick guy could be related to the ones in the stories?"
"I doubt it. If he came from a different world, than he would more than likely be non-related to the Equestrian humans in the stories." The two friends pause for a few moments to collect their thoughts, until Lyra speaks. "Well, different world or not, he's still a human and I have been proven right!" Bon Bon lets out a sigh with a smile to show that she finds Lyra's boasting to be a little humorous.
"You know, with you going on about this, I am curious to meet up with this guy."
"Really?!" Lyra asks with much excitement. She never knew that Bon Bon would share some sort of curiosity for humans, and the teal colored unicorn gets even more excited when the thought of her friend sharing the same interest goes through head.
"Yeah, and who knows, he may make a good friend. He seemed pretty nice in the cafe, and if we do end up being friends with him, he would give us a good chance to expand our social circle too."
"Yes! He totally would. But when should we talk to him?" Bon Bon raises an eyebrow at Lyra's question. "I have heard rumors from around town that Nick's time in Equestria is limited."
"Really?" Lyra nods. "I suppose the next time we happen to see him out and about. We should make sure to utilize the time he has here."
"Aww, but I hate to jump on him so suddenly."
"Hmm. how about we just ask him about his plans and then he could figure out when we can get together?" Lyra puts a hoof up to her chin and looks off to no where particular, looking thoughtful.
"That can work. I'm in!"
"Great, but lets do it tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay."
2:15 P.M. in a house located near Town Square
Octavia is now returning from her walk through Ponyville. Her roommate and best friend, Vinyl Scratch, thought it would be a good idea to blast her party music and Octavia could not bare the obnoxiousness of it all. Though Octavia is more of classy mare and Vinyl can be rambunctious, they still find a common ground of respect for each other. In this case, opposites do attract.
"Vinyl, I'm home!" Octavia calls into the house.
"I'm in the living room," Vinyl calls back. With that in mind, Octavia makes her way to the living room. It is a simple yet modern little area (by Equestrian Standards) with a comfy couch, a fireplace, an armchair and a few knick-knacks around liven up the living room.
Upon entering the living room, Octavia sees Vinyl Scratch reading a some sort of magazine on the couch. "Hey Octy, enjoy your walk?" Vinyl asks with her eyes still fixed on the magazine...actually, it's hard to tell if her eyes are on the magazine since she still has her sunglasses still on.
"I did. You know, I did a little thinking while I was walking."
"Oh? What was running through your head?" Vinyl gives Octavia her full attention now, tilting her head a little.
"You know how you and the human, umm...what's his name again?"
"Nick," Vinyl responds quickly.
"That's right." She responds just as fast. "Well you know how you and Nick are going to have a discussion about Equestrian and human music?" Vinyl nods her head for her answer. "I was wondering if I could join in the discussion? He does seem to be diverse when it comes to music."
"He only told us that he sings and raps though. How can you be so sure he's diverse?"
"Well, singing could apply to many genres, rapping...well that one's just plain obvious, and he did say that he does enjoy a good classical piece once in a while." Vinyl takes a moment to think about Octavia's statement.
"I suppose he is diverse in music….well, I say you can join our convo."
"Really?" Octavia beams with excitement.
"Of course! I was gonna' ask ya' anyway. I had a feeling you would want to join us."
"Oh, this is great! But if you play your music, try not to blare it so loud, please." Octavia rubs her head again from the possible headache she has gained from Vinyl's, what she calls, 'wubbing'.
"Come on, what's wrong with being turnt' once in a while?! Let lose Octy."
"I can be lose. I can be turning up! I'm down with the 4-1-1 my homie girl." Octavia's attempt at being hip results in Vinyl facehoofing. That attempt of being hip is the textbook definition of embarrassing, if one asks Vinyl.
"You know what, never mind. I think I like the regular, more prissy you, than somepony who tries to be cool."
"Excuse me for trying." Octavia lets out a humorous "hmph" sound. "Well, I'm going to get some cello rehearsing in. If you need me, I'll be in my room."
"I'll just be down here."
Meanwhile at the Schoolhouse
Cheerilee is now finishing up her lesson plans one month in advance. She neatly places her papers on the lower-right corner of her desk and smiles at the work she has now just completed. "Finished at last. Next month's lesson plans are made and everything is smooth sailing from here," the maroon teacher thinks. She looks up at the clock and sees that it is only a quarter past two. Her day of work does not end for another hour. "Well, what to do now? I have an hour to kill before my workday is done. What to do? What to do?"
By just pondering on how she should occupy her last work hour, Cheerliee's mind wanders to the fact that she met a human being! A being that is from another world! "A new creature to Equestria! And here in Ponyville too! I still can't believe I acted like that to him at first. He looks like a nice colt...or guy, or however humans call themselves. And I just slammed the door in front of his face." The schoolteacher frowns and flattens her ears on remembering her actions from earlier. "Hopefully Nick wasn't too offended by what I did.
"But he did accept my apology and we did get to know each other better within a short time span. He and I share an appreciation for history which is really great!" Cheerliee smiles at the remembrance of the conversation she and the human had earlier today. "He and I should definitely meet up soon. Maybe I can even showcase him to the class! I bet the kids will have so many questions for this guy. Yeah...I could ask him if he would like come in on Friday and the class and I can do a little Q and A with him." Cheerliee puts her hoof up to her chin and thinks.
"Come to think of it, will I have time for Nick to come into the classroom?" The maroon teacher looks over her lesson plans again and and skims through them. Fortunately for her, she doesn't have too much planned for the up and coming Friday. "Perfect," she mumbles with a smile on her face. "I can have him come here after lunchtime...I probably should ask him first. I'm getting way too ahead of myself." She giggles at the fact that she is getting ahead of herself before she even sets her plan into stone. But Cheerliee is quite satisfied with the idea she has in mind. "I think me, the class, and Nick could all benefit from this little Q and A."
Twilight isn't back yet, and I'm assuming she took Spike along too, because I don't see him in the library either. So it's just me here, or so I thought.
A minute or two after I enter the library, I see an owl in front of me, just sitting on a perch. Now, I have been in this library since Sunday, and I haven't noticed this owl yet? Well, might as well introduce myself. "Hey there buddy. I'm Nick, what's your name?" I ask. Do owls even talk in Equestria?
"Hoo," it responds. This one is just like any other owl. You know what, let's have some fun. I've always wanted to have a conversation with someone where I know they'll say only one thing.
"You. What's your name?"
"Hoo." I laugh at how silly this is. Me talking to an owl, it's ridiculous.
"Alright, it's clear your vocabulary is limited."
"Hoo."
"Yours."
"Hoo."
"You, dumbo." Man, this is so silly, but I love it. "Ah whateves. Later tater." Did I seriously just say that? I'm starting to sound like my old man.
So I'm just nulling around the library, taking a look at the various books my purple, pony friend has. I wonder if she has read every single book in this library. I mean, with her living in this place, I wouldn't be too surprised.
There are many types of books here: history books, fictional novels, non-fiction novels, realistic-fiction novels, spell books (never thought I would ever see those in my life), some chemistry books, DIY books, a few comics , plays, even some cookbooks, the list goes on. Some books that stick out to me are these Daring Do books. I take a look at a couple of these ones and it sort of gives me the idea that the dark-tan pegasus on the front is the pony version Indiana Jones.
Here swinging on a vine with a satchel around her body, trying to escape some sort of doom or danger. Very Indy like to me.
A couple of other novels catch my attention, but here's the thing: they're pony puns. Like on earth, there's The Great Gatsby. Here, it's called: The Great Stalspy. Here's a math equation to better understand it: Gatsby plus stallion equals Stalspy.
I also notice they spoofed J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series. The author of the Daring Do series is A.K. Yearling. That sounds awfully a lot like J.K. Rowling if you ask me.
But I digress, the knowledge and entertainment Twilight keeps in this library is quite vast.
I pick a book from the history section and the title reads: Equestria's Icons. Sounds pretty interesting. I open the book to a random page and I cannot believe what I see. I face palm at the sight.
There, in the middle of the right hand page, is a picture of a pure white earth pony with short, blond, curly hair in a white dress with white high heels. She has a small mole, or beauty mark, not to far away from the left side of her face. She also has red lipstick on her lips and her eyelashes are definitely defined with mascara. Her name, dear God, the name is the kicker. Her name is Marelin Monroe...This world ponified Marilyn Monroe, the most beautiful woman of all time. "F##king pony puns," I silently mumble.
I flip through a couple of the book's pages, hoping I can avoid seeing anything like that again. I stop on this other page when I see Princess Luna and Princess Celestia are on a page. There is also a third individual on this page. A pink alicorn to be precise. I'm guessing she has to be a princess too. I mean, the caption under her picture says: Princess Cadance. I never knew Equestria has a third princess. But I'm found wrong when I read more about this pink princess. She isn't a princess of Equestria per sae, she is actually the ruler of the Crystal Empire, a kingdom that is away from Equestria. An entire empire made of crystal?! Jewel thieves would have a field day at that place!
I continue reading about Cadance and see that she's also married to this stallion named Shining Armor. I read about him too and he is a unicorn stallion who is the commander for the Canterlot Royal Guard. There is even a little section where Shining Armor did an interview with the author and I decide to read a little bit of it.
The interviewer asks Shining Armor what he enjoys most when he isn't caught up in his royal duties or guarding duties. He responds by saying, and I quote: "I enjoy just having fun and relaxing. I especially love spending quality time with my parents, my beautiful wife, Cadance, and my little sister, Twilight Sparkle." Twilight? The Twilight I know? She's related to the commander of the Canterlot Royal Guard and is an inlaw to a princess?! That is so cool! How could she not tell me about this? She should have bragging rights for this. Twilight could boast about it until her heart bursts...but I guess she just doesn't want to rub it into other ponies faces. Hey! I think I got the dialect down.
I skim through the book again, and funnily enough, Twilight is in this book too. Not just her, everyone else is in it. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rarity. The heading of this page in entitled: The Elements of Harmony. This I have to read.
I might as well make myself comfy while I read. I grab two cushions and place one against the wall, so I can lean my back a bit. I use the other one for setting my rump down. I reopen the book and start reading about the Elements of Harmony.
2:43 P.M.
To put it in a nutshell, the reading says that the Elements of Harmony are supernatural artifacts that represent the six aspects of friendship and harmony. These aspects are: loyalty, laughter, magic, honesty, generosity and kindness. Each one of my friends represent one of these elements. Rainbow Dash is the element of loyalty, Rarity has generosity, Pinkie's element is laughter, Fluttershy gets kindness, Applejack is honesty and Twilight is the element of magic.
These elements are known for their magical uses to stop the spread of chaos, corruption and evil. When the six elements are joined together and are held by the one's who properly possess the element, the magic in those elements can be used to stop any sort of evil.
So that's why this show is called Friendship is Magic! Because the traits of the Elements of Harmony are traits that represent friendship and it can be magical. That makes sense. Props to the creators and producers.
I read about the times the elements were used in the past. The usage of these artifacts were mostly used on this foe named Discord, the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony. This guy has brought mass chaos to Equestria in the past. He made streetlamps walk, clouds rain chocolate, turned corn stalks to popcorn, had houses flipped upside down and float and even more than that! A Terry Gilliam cartoon appears normal compared to this guy.
He was defeated by the Elements of Harmony and the punishment for his actions was being turned into stone...twice. I knew my new pony friends were pretty cool, but I had no idea they were full out bad-asses! Well, the first time was Celestia and Luna, but the second time was done by my friends. But this Discord guy intrigues me. I do have a book of icons, he might as well be in here.
And he is. Just a couple of pages after the Elements of Harmony. I read up on this guy and his picture...well...how does one describe what he looks like? A leg of a lizard, another of a deer, a lion paw, an eagle claw, brown, snake like body, pegasus wing, bat wing, a deer antler and some other horn is the best way I could sum up this guy's appearance.
The more I read about him, the weirder and more evil he gets. He has been known to cause disharmony and chaos throughout Equestria. He was able to get Twilight and the others to turn on each other at one point. But Twilight was able to bring them back together and were able to stop his reign of chaos. Man, Equestrian history is exciting! "This guy really sounded like he wanted to cause trouble," I say out loud, sort of chuckling.
"Believe me, I did," a very glib voice says. I jump at the sudden voice, then freeze for a second or two. I slowly turn my head to the owl, still sitting on its perch.
"Was that you?" I ask sort of shaken.
"Hoo," It responds.
"Didn't think so."
"Down here," the voice says again. I look down at the book. More specifically, the picture of Discord.
"Was that you talkin'?" I ask the picture. Jesus, I'm talking to pictures. This is just plain stupid.
"Why yes my young lad," the picture of Discord responds. Never mind, this isn't ridiculous. I quickly slam the book shut and an 'Ow' escapes from it. "That really hurt," the book says muffled. Suddenly, half of the full figure of Discord arises from the book, like how a genie would come out its lamp. "Hasn't your mother ever taught you to not to slam things in other's faces?" I drop the rest of the book, with him still in it. I try to stagger back, but the wall has me pinned.
"Jesus Christ!" I exclaim, with my eyes wider than saucers. "What do you want?!"
"Calm down there my lad. I'm not here to hurt you." He gets the rest of himself out of the book. He looks like he would be as tall as Shaquille O'Neal. Definitely not as big in width, but definitely just as tall. "Here." He snaps the fingers of his claw and a chocolate ice cream cone appears from literally thin air. "Something to calm your nerves with." He hands it to me and I gently hold on to the cone.
"You're the master of chaos. How do I know this thing won't explode in my face, or a tree will grow out of my stomach if I eat it?"
"I would not think about doing that."
"Likely story," I say sarcastically.
"Believe me, I am being reformed. My dear friend, Fluttershy, is helping me change my ways of evil and chaos and she is urging me to use my powers for the purpose of good."
"Fluttershy? Yellow pegasus, pink mane, very shy, good with animals? That Fluttershy?" He can't be talking about the same pony I know.
"Why yes. She is the only one out of the group of your new pony friends who would give me a chance." Now I see why Fluttershy is the element of kindness. She is willing to help this guy change his ways for the better of Equestria, and possibly, himself. Wait, that last part he said?
"How do you know that I'm friends with the Elements of Harmony?"
"I'm Discord! I can do anything and I know almost everything. I can even do this." With another snap of his finger, almost everybody part of him changes. His wings and arms swapped places, and his legs and horns swap places. If he didn't look ridiculous before, he certainly does now. Then, he quickly changes back to his 'usual' self. "Plus, you are bunking with Twilight Sparkle, I would assume you would be friends with them. And Fluttershy also told me about you living here." Figures.
"You didn't answer my other question. What do you want with me?"
"Nothing really. I was just waiting for someone to open that book to give them a scare." For real? That is so stupid. But at the same time, it's Discord. His antics are very questionable.
"How long were you in there?"
"Umm..what's today?'
"Tuesday."
"Since Monday morning's dawn."
"You've been inside the library since Monday?" I sort of feel like my privacy has been invaded. Not just mine, but Twilight's, Spike's and the owl's.
"Why yes. Fluttershy told me you were staying here in the library and I knew you would pull out a book eventually. So, I just hid in the pages and waited for you to open up." This guy must have a lot of patience for waiting inside of a book that long. Not even the rides at Disney World have that long of a wait time.
Come to think of it, why would Fluttershy tell a former foe of her's about me living with Twilight? Then again, news would travel when word gets out that a new being from a completely different world comes to another one. I wouldn't be too surprised if all of Equestria knew about me by this point. It just would have been a matter of time really.
The door of the library opens up to reveal Twilight and Spike, both pulling in wagons of...things. "Hey Nick, hey Discord," Twilight says casually. She stops pulling her wagon for a second and she notices the weird looking creature. "YOU!" She shouts. "What are you doing here?!"
"Relax my dear friend, Twilight," Discord says calmly. "I'm just giving this young lad a little welcome to Equestria."
"I have a name you know," I say. He doesn't have to call me "lad" or "young lad" all the time.
"I know. Fluttershy told me your name is Nick, but I enjoy calling you "lad". It has such a nice ring to it."
"He didn't hurt you, did he?" Twilight asks me.
"If you count giving me ice cream hurtful, then no," I reply, showing her the ice cream cone Discord gave me.
"Any good?" Spike asks. I give the ice cream cone a lick and I'm surprised. It's pistachio flavored!
"Pistachio?" I look at the cone confused as ever. The ice cream looks like chocolate, but it tastes like pistachio!
"Like what I said, I'm Discord, I can do anything," the spirit of Disharmony says proudly. "I could turn a fish into a whale, make a window pane talk back to you, even make ice cream look like one thing, but taste like another. Be lucky the flavor isn't rotting wood." That would have been disgusting. I shiver just at the thought of rotting wood ice cream. "Well, I should be off. Fluttershy may be wondering where I am, and we have tea time today. Take care my young lad and goodbye my little pony" With a snap of his lion's paw, he vanishes.
"Well, that little encounter was odd," I say.
"He's Discord. Everything about him is odd," Spike says.
"How'd he get in here?" Twilight asks.
"He said he hid in the pages of that icon book over there," I say, pointing to the book Discord appeared from. "I was just reading about him and the next thing I know, he emerges from the page." Twilight lets out a sigh. An annoyed one.
"That's Discord for you. I still don't trust him. Fluttershy said the strides he is making to change are big ones, but I still feel uneasy around him."
"Yeah, this guy is certainly strange." I take another lick from my the pistachio flavored ice cream that looks like chocolate. "I have to give him props for making good ice cream. So, what's in the wagons?" I want to change to a more, light hearted subject so we don't have to play 'Twenty Questions on what Discord did to you'.
"Oh these,? It's just some more papers, quills, and some supply to help send you back home."
"Oh, cool."
"So, what did you do while we were out? I know Rarity wanted to show you your new outfits, but what did you do after that?"
"Well Rainbow Dash gave me a tour of Ponyville, I met Mrs. Cake and her son, meet Lyra and Bon Bon, Sweetie Belle, the Mayor too, Octavia and Vinyl Scratch. Dash also introduced me to Cheerilee and Zecora and we saw that Trixie is in town."
"She is?" Twilight asks raising an eyebrow.
"Well, was. She only stopped by just to pick up some medicine from Zecora for her travels. After she got her medicine, she left."
"Huh. Well, sounds like your day was pretty eventful."
"Yeah. I've already made plans to see Vinyl tomorrow."
"Look at you, getting to know everypony here," Twilight says, nudging me with and giving me a wink.
"I get around." The two of us chuckle. Then, the owl flies over to us and lands on my head.
"Hoo," it says.
"Oh yeah, I also met this guy." I point up to the owl resting on my head. How the owl is not digging its claws into my scalp is a mystery to me. Still, its kind of funny to see an owl on top of me.
"Oh, that's Owlowiscious," Twilight points out. "He's my nocturnal assistant. Whenever Spike is away or asleep-"
"Heard that!" Spike interjects from another room.
"-Owlicious is here to help me out."
"Nice to see you're on top of things," I say to Owlicious, looking up. "Literally."
"Hoo," he lets out.
Twilight trots over the the book Discord was in and magically levitates it to us.
"Did you learn anything interesting from the book?"
"I learned about Discord, the Elements of Harmony, and the fact you have a brother and a sister in law who is a princess." Twilight smiles a little more.
"I meant to tell you, I just haven't found the time. Were you surprised?"
"Very! I never knew you had brother in the royal guard, or a princess for an in law." Twilight giggles.
"I'm not one to brag, so I don't really boast about it." Very humble of her.
"It's still pretty cool though." Seriously, her being an in law to a princess and being related to the Royal Guard's commander is like finding out your second cousin is Paul McCartney! I still can't believe it though. I'm probably making it a bigger deal than it needs to be, but still! "When I read the interview from your brother's section of the book, it sounded like he cherishes the time between him and his family."
"We always had fun when we were kids. I always cherish the fun times he and I share, just like him. I mean, he is my B.B.B.F.F."
"Bee boo what now?" I have never heard that one used before.
"B.B.B.F.F., big brother best friend forever."
"Oh."
"You know, I actually wrote to him yesterday while you were out. Even discussed you a little bit."
"Really? Did he reply back?"
"Not yet," Spike says, returning to the main room . "I didn't get a letter from him yet, but I know it'll come soon." Him getting the letter? Won't the mail pony just give it to Twilight? I guess I'll find out what he means in due time...hey, I got the pony dialect right again! I think I'm getting the hang of this.
"What's he like?" I ask.
"Shining?" Twilight asks. I nod. "He is one of my best friends." Not like you already said that. "He is super nice and friendly to everypony he meets. He treats everyone like family or a good friend. But he does know when he needs to be stern and firm. Being a leader of a royal guard and ruler and all."
"And what about Cadence?"
"I've known her ever since I was a filly. She and I are close friends. Sister-like really. She is super sweet and super kind. So kind, she gives Fluttershy a run for her money." Wow, sounds like this mare is up to snuff when it comes to being a princess.
"I'll take your word for it." Twilight finds the respective shelf for the the icon book and gingerly puts it back.
"And I just swipe my finger across the screen to go to the next page," I say to Twilight and Spike, doing a demonstration. I have decided to show Twilight how my iPhone operates. I just answered a few questions about it the other day, but I didn't get to show her how it actually works. I can't get too technical because, like what I have said, I have no idea how operating systems work, or whatever they're supposed to be called. "I would also demonstrate a phone call, but I don't think I can."
"How come?' Spike and Twilight ask.
"I doubt my service provider goes beyond my planet?"
"Service what?" Spike asks.
"A service provider is a company who allows me to make these phone calls, but since they are more than likely not on this planet, I can't."
"Oh, okay." Come to think of it, what I would give to call my friends and family. Seeing what's going on, to see how they're doing without me. I have been away from my family for days when I was going on vacation with friends, but it was only as far as Hershey, Pennsylvania or Bush Gardens in Virginia. Those were only drives that take a couple of hours. Equestria is God knows how many miles away from my home planet. No, I shouldn't let these thoughts get to me. I'm not going to be in this world much longer. I'll be back home soon.
"How does sound come out of it?" Twilight asks.
"I just know it goes through the speaker," I answer, point at the little gray area at the top of the phone. I go to my music and play a song to demonstrate the speaker system.
"Fascinating." About thirty seconds into the song, I am just about to pause it but Twilight stops me. "Keep it playing. This has caught my attention." Throughout the song, I see her tapping her hoof to the beat and Spike is snapping to it. Good to know they enjoy it. I mean, how can one listen to Frank Sinatra and not snap or tap to the beat? This guy is a legend, he...off topic again. Sorry.
When the song ends, Twilight asks me: "What else can it do?" A little broad, but I can definitely answer that.
"I can do these things called voice memos. Do you have tape recorders here?"
"Yeah," Spike answers.
"It's pretty much like that. Watch." I open the application and tap the red button. It's recording and I speak into the microphone. "Test one, two. I am here with two new friends of mine, Twilight and Spike. Spike say something." I point the microphone end of the iPhone to Spike.
"Hello everypon-po-pu-blech" I pull my phone away in the nick of time before green flames could get to it. But when the green flames disappear, a scroll with a red ribbon appears. What? "Oh, Cadence must've replied." I stop the recording and huh?
"Wait, I'm confused." I say. "You just belched fire and a scroll appears? What?"
"Spike's fire doesn't burn unless he wants it to. It's mostly used for delivering letters."
"So it's magic fire?"
"Pretty much." Well...okay...that's strange...Well, you learn something new everyday.
"So what's it say?" I ask. Twilight magically picks up the scroll, opens it and reads it aloud.
"Dear Twilight Sparkle,
Shining Armor and I have received your letter the other day and are intrigued with the human dubbed as Nick. We would love to stop by tomorrow for a visit, but unfortunately, Shining Armor has a meeting with the delegates of Saddle Arabia and will not be back until Thursday. But, if it is okay with you, we would love to see you then! Please respond to the earliest of you're convenience.
With Love, Your Sister in Law, Princess Cadence"
"Do we have anything that day?" Spike asks.
"I don't think so. Check my calendar for me Spike." Spike runs over to a nearby desk and grabs a calendar. I see his eyes skim across the calendar to see the weekly events.
"Nope, we're all clear for that day."
"Then pencil Shining and Cadence in for Thursday." Spike pulls out a quill from literally thin air (still questioning how they do that) and scribbles down the event of the day.
"There we go. Oh Nick, did I accidentally burn your phone?" I look down at the Apple device. It's still in one piece, not charred at all.
"We're good," I say. "If you want, I can play back the recording." Spike nods his head and I play the recording. Twilight seems to be impressed with the things my phone is capable of. "I can even take pictures on this too. I'll show you some of mine." I open the photo app and show them some pictures.
"Good quality photos," Twilight points out. I show them, mostly, some pictures of me and my friends, but I stop at this one photo. It's my recent family vacation photo with me and the family in front of the Washington Monument. "Is that your family?" Twilight asks. I nod my head. "Is the little one your sister?"
"She isn't that little. She's only younger than me by four years," I say. "I'll point out my family by name. The big bald one is my dad, Michael; this here is my mom, Sofia; my sister here is Joan and this guy is my brother, Tony." Memories with my family flood my mind. Playing baseball with my brother and dad, cooking with my mom, playing video games my sister. They're pleasant memories, but thinking about them kind of makes me sad. Why am I being purged with these reminders of my family? I'm going home by Sunday, I shouldn't be worried. Maybe I'm just feeling a tad homesick and I just don't realize it. I let out a sigh.
"You okay Nick?" Twilight asks softly. I nod slowly.
"Yeah Twi, just...thinking about them makes me a little homesick. I mean, I've been away from my family before, but I was only within a couple hours distance. I'm many worlds away from where I'm from."
"Don't you worry Nick, I'll get you home to your family. You'll be with them again by the end of the week, that I can assure you. I even Pinkie Promise." How can she Pinkie Promise if she doesn't have any fingers? "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," she says this while doing gestures that correspond with the words. Based on how silly it sounds, I'm guessing Pinkie Pie made that up...OOOOOHHHHHH! Pinkie Promise! I get it now!
But I digress. I smile at Twilight. I'm grateful to have her send me back home. Hmm...when I get back, what's gonna' happen? Am I just going to brush this off and act like this whole experience was nothing? Should I tell people I was stuck inside a kids TV show? Then again, if I did, I would have a one way ticket to the loony bin. But I'm actually experiencing this. If I told everyone the reason I was gone for a whole week was because I got magically sent to this 'pony world', they would think I'm crazy. I'll figure something out, in due time.
Come to think of it, I wonder if those Brony guys would be jealous of me? I'd imagine it's their dream to come to this world, and yet, a non-Brony is here in Equestria. Ha, suck it Bronies! I beat you to it! A non-Brony in Equestria baby! WOOHOO!
Actually, does coming to Equestria and befriending the main characters automatically make you a Brony? Ah well, if it does, so what?
That Night (Dream Sequence) Mount Dora, Florida, 12:21 A.M.
Me and my friend, Jermaine, are parked in front of a mansion. Other cars that are a lot more expensive and sporty litter the street and driveway and not to mention that there is music is blaring from inside the house. I was invited to this party and I asked my host if I could bring a friend, and he said he can come. "Dude, I can't believe we're here," I say to my friend, taking a deep breath.
"Neither can I man," Jermaine says back. "I still can't believe you wanted me to come."
"I'm still having a hard time believing that this guy, a legend, would invite some Joe like me. There's mainly celebrities here and I'm an internet celebrity. I don't think that applies."
"Are you complaining?"
"No. I'm just, shocked." The two of us stare at the house for a moment or two. "Other celebs are gonna be here too, no doubt."
"You think Kevin Hart will be in there?"
"More than likely." I did hear a lot of people are coming here to this guy's party. I wouldn't be too surprised since the host is a legendary basketball player. I kind of do hope Hart is in there because that guy is fun to watch. "Ready to go in?" I put my hand down.
"Let's do it bro," Jermaine says dapping my hand, then we snap. The two of us get out of the car and walk to the front door. I ring the doorbell. "Ya think they're gonna hear it? The music is pretty loud."
"Dunno." After five more seconds of waiting, our host appears at the door. Shaquille O'Neal.
"Hey Nicky! You made it!" he says. He puts his hand out to do a dap and I comply by dapping him and doing the 'pull in hug'.
"Hey Shaq. Thanks for inviting me. Oh, this is my bro Jermaine." Shaq looks at Jermaine then back to me.
"I think your mom has some explaining to do." Jermaine and I chuckle at his remark. I always knew Shaq has a sense of humor.
"He's a brotha' from anotha' motha'," Jermaine says, going along with the joke and dapping Shaquille O'Neal.
"Well, you two come in. Come meet some friends of mine." He moves to the side of the door and we enter the mansion. Now, this place is chunk full with people. I do recognize some people here. And like Jermaine's guess, Kevin Hart is here. He's talking to some girl, who might I add, is HOT! Kevin is divorced, go get 'em tiger.
"Hey, I know you," I hear a voice from behind me. I turn around and see a music legend approach me. It's Usher! "I've seen your stuff online." I am starstruck right now! For one thing, I had no idea that Shaq would invite Usher. Another thing is that I LOVE Usher! He's amazing!
"Y-you saw my stuff," I stutter.
"Yeah man, it's dope." Usher Raymond likes my music! Holy crap! If I died now, I would die a happy man. I don't show my excitement on the outside, so I just smile. If I react how I want to, he would probably just walk away and think I'm nuts.
"Thanks man," I give him a dap. "I appreciate it. Hey, lemme introduce you to my fri-" I can't finish my sentence because Jermaine disappeared. I quickly scan the place for him and see Jermaine talking to a Miami Heat cheerleader. Well, guess I'm on my own. "Well, it looks like my friend is flirting with a cheerleader at the moment." Usher chuckles a little.
"How about I introduce you to someone. Hey Trey!" From a small group of people, I see Trey Songz walk over to me and Usher. OH MY GOD, TREY SONGZ! This guy is great! Keep your cool Nick. Just like you, he's a person. Take it easy. "Hey Trey, this guy is NickyD. That internet guy I told ya about."
"Oh, I've heard of ya," he says. Even when he talks, he has the voice of an angel. Damn it Nick, keep it together! "Haven't heard you're stuff yet, but I did hear some good things about you."
"Thanks man, I appreciate it," I say calmly, yet happily, and not trying to fan girl. "How long has the party been goin' on?" I ask.
"About an hour now. More people are on the way." Even more celebs! Oh, this is gonna be a good night. I can guarantee it.
3:00 A.M.
So throughout the party, I have meet a lot of people. I meet some of Shaq's family members, who are the coolest people ever! I meet some athletes like Lebron James, Magic Johnson and Mike Tyson . Even some music icons like Eminem to 50 Cent. It's amazing how many people are here! This is a big ass house, so he can fit a lot of people. I also find it amazing that some of these guys have heard my stuff, and like it! Having them like my music means so much to me. Though it's mostly cover music, it's still a good thing that they enjoy it.
So right now I'm with a group of people and Jermaine is finishing up a joke. "...So then the guy goes, 'she ain't your bae'." All of us in this group laugh until our lungs couldn't take it. My sides hurt, water floods my eyes, and it's impossible to breathe.
"Whoo man," a family member of Shaq says, wiping some tears away. "That's good man."
"My bro here has some funny stories," I say, regaining my composure and letting some air back into my lungs. "Oh, you should tell them the one when Denzel was dragging me by a bungie-"
"Excuse me. Pardon me. Sorry." That voice. It sounds too familiar. Where have I heard it?
The voice gets closer and...is that hoof steps I hear? From the crowd of people behind us appears Princess Luna! "Hello Nick," she says to me, smiling. What's she doing here?!
"Who brought in the unicorn?" Another member of Shaq's family asks.
"I'm an alicorn."
"Can you guys excuse me for just a second," I say getting up. "Follow me," I whisper into Luna's ear. She does follow me as we make our way upstairs. Aside from the group of people I was just with, is anyone else acknowledging the fact that a talking alicorn is in Shaquille O'Neal's mansion?
We make our way to a small balcony and I finally ask: "What are you doing here?"
"I was sensing that somepony is having an extremely pleasant dream. I usually leave those alone, but once in a while, I'll come in and see if I could make the dream even better for them or to just simply check up on somepony."
"You just wanted to come to the party didn't you?"
"Yeah." Figures. Wait, Princess Luna's here. I could use this time to my advantage. Maybe I can squeeze some more information out of her to see what she meant the other night.
"Princess Luna, can you tell me anything else about what you told me the other night?" She lets out a sigh.
"I had a feeling you would ask that. But I have been told to keep that information classified." You gotta be kidding me.
"Why can't you tell me? As a matter of fact, why bother coming here if you knew I was going to ask you about my greatest fear becoming a reality?" This alicorn really knows how to get on my nerves.
"For the first question, like what I just said, the information is classified and it would be best for you to stay in bliss. For the second question, I was reluctant, but I figured since I told you not too worry about it, you would just follow my advice. I mean, when any princess gives you advice, you should take it and use it." I guess that is a general rule of thumb. When a figure of high authority gives you wisdom or advice, one should heed by it. Besides, she's hella old. Her wisdom surpasses mine by centuries.
But by GOD, it's killing me not knowing what she's talking about. "And the party looks like it's fun. I mean, what's wrong with having fun in another one's dream?" I guess there isn't much harm to tha-she's trying to change the subject. Focus.
"Luna, I'm begging you. Are you worried I'll get hurt because of what you say?"
"Mmm, I don't think I'm at liberty to say that either."
"Luna, please."
"I'm sorry, but my sister and I have agreed to keep this information hidden." She won't break. There has to be something I can use.
"Yo Nicky," I hear Shaq call up to me. "Fifty and Tyler Perry are having a pizza bagel eating contest. You commin'?"
"One sec!" I call down. I turn back to face Luna, but she's gone! Damn it! I look away for two seconds and she leaves. Great. What is it that she's hiding? Worst fear becoming a reality...this is definitely gonna plague my mind.
"Nick, hurry up!" Jermaine says, having one Miami Heat cheerleader wrapped in each arm of his. "You're gonna miss it."
"I'm comin!" I say. Hopefully the ridiculous idea of Tyler Perry and 50 Cent having a pizza bagel eating contest will ease everything that's purging my mind.
A/N: This is the music discussion chapter. So there are going to be a crap ton of music references. I know referencing up the wazoo is a rookie move, but it is just part of the story. So deal with it! Enjoy the chapter though.
Wednesday, 9:00 A.M.
I slowly eat my breakfast with my head being propped up by my left arm. F##king Princess Luna is tearing my mind inside out. What is she not telling me? Why is she not telling me anything? Dear God, can't she be anymore-
"Are you okay Nick?" Twilight asks, interrupting my thoughts. "You're eating rather slowly. Is something wrong with your breakfast?" I snap out of my thoughts, sort of giving off a surprised reaction. I look at Twilight, who has concern in her eyes.
"Uhh...no, it's fine. The food's fine. It's nothing really," I say, trying to let go of the topic. Twilight raises an eyebrow.
"Nick, I may not be the Element of Honesty, but I can tell if somepony's lying. Something is bothering you and I want to know." I let out a sigh. It's probably better if I tell her, just to let it off my chest.
"Well, a couple of nights ago, Princess Luna came into my dream and gave me a warning."
"Of…?" Twilight asks, trailing off.
"My worst fear becoming a reality. I don't have much of a clue on what she means by it. I do fear quite a few things, everyone does, but a fear of mine becoming a reality is what has me puzzled. And she even came back into my dream last night. I tried to get more info out of her, but she's so darn persistent on being confidential. What ever she's hiding has me paranoid beyond anything." I drop the fork I am holding onto the plate and rub my temples with my fingers. What she is hiding is driving me to the point of insanity.
"And she also mentioned that it won't happen until the time I'm leaving." I rub my temples a little harder to cope with the situation and calm myself. Suddenly, I feel a soft, warm embrace around me. I look to my side and see Twilight's head resting on my shoulder with her forelegs wrapped around my torso.
"Don't worry Nick, everything is going to be fine. Whatever happens, I'll stand beside you. Not just me, but Spike, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and all of us will be there for you too. Though we may have only known you for half a week, we all consider you a good friend and we'll do anything to help you and each other out." ...Wow, she and the rest of the girls are willing to stand beside me in a time of need. These girls are a lot like my friends back in Jersey. They have been nothing but loyal and kind to me throughout my life and these fictional ponies are just like them. Quite frankly, and I never thought I would mutter these words ever, but I consider these fictional characters my friends too.
I wrap my arms around Twilight and lightly pat her on her back "Thanks Twi. It means a lot that you're doing all of this for me."
"It's no trouble. Hey, even if you're stuck here longer than expected, I would still want you to stay here." Room-mating with Twilight even longer? That sounds awesome really. But I think a week in Equestria is a good amount of time for a any human to be here.
"It means a lot that you would do all of that too," I say letting go of the hug, but keeping my hands on her shoulders. "I have no idea how to repay you for everything."
"Your friendship is payment enough." With that in mind, we hug one more time. You know, hugging a pony is sort of like hugging a teddy bear, but ponies aren't as fluffy or squeezable. But anyway, I greatly appreciate that Twilight is willing to keep a roof over my head and give me food to eat for the time being.
Town Square 12:03 P.M.
After brushing off the events of this morning, and Twilight easing my nerves, I make my way to Vinyl and Octavia's. I do have a lot of music on my phone, but it wouldn't even be scratching the surface with all the music that's back on earth. But it should give them some sort of baseline to understanding human music.
However, for some of the songs, I had to use the clean versions or radio edits 'cause I don't think this world needs swearing. I mean I am inside a kids TV show after all, I'd hate to see little kids repeat swear words. Dear God, the very thought of Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle swearing sends shivers down my spine.
Anyway, I arrive at the house that erupted party music yesterday and knock at the door. I hear hoof steps approach from behind. The passageway to the home opens and Octavia is at the door frame. "Oh, hello Nick," she says warmly. "Please, do come in." She steps to the side and allows me to enter. I step inside the house and it seems like it's a nice, simple house. Standard, yet very homey. "Vinyl has been looking forward to you to coming over all morning and, quite frankly, I have been too."
"You're taking part of this as well?" I ask. I had no idea Octavia would want to become part of our discussion.
"When I came home yesterday, I asked if I could take part of it and Vinyl had no problem with having me here."
"Well, well, well, how about we stop this idle chit-chat, and talk music?" An awfully familiar voice says belonging to a disc jockey. Octavia and I turn our heads to see Vinyl approach us. She doesn't have her purple sunglasses on. Instead, I see two bright red irises looking up at me. "Sup Nick? Sorry I couldn't be at the door with ya, I had to get my equipment ready."
"Equipment?"
"Her Wubs," Octavia points out, flatly. What? "Wubs are the equipment where the sound comes out. She also has this thing called a mixer that, well, mixes the music. She plugs the mixer into the wubs and there you go! Vinyl has music."
"Oh, sweet," I say.
"So lets head into the living room, that's where everything is set up." So the three of us take a five second walk to the living room and it seems like they have pretty cozy digs. Very modern, by Equestrian standards I guess, with a few odds and ends for decoration. I see those "wubs" are set up in a corner and a cello in another corner. Oh, hopefully Ocatvia will give me a demonstration of her music.
"Alright everypony, lets take a seat," Vinyl says. Vinyl and I take a seat on the couch and Octavia sits in a recliner. "Alright bro, before we get to listening, I just want a sense of music genres you humans have." A sort of easy base to start with.
"Where to begin is the question." I tap my chin to think. "Well, I'll start off with some of my favorite genres and then I'll talk about the other stuff. Some of my favorite genres are: Pop, Rock and Roll, R&B and Soul, Hip-Hop, Contemporary and Broadway."
"Broadway?" Octavia asks.
"A better term would be show tunes. I'll tell you what Broadway is in a little while. But yeah, those are my favorites. There are other genres like: Country, Techno, Dubstep, Classical, Gospel, Jazz, Cultural, Indie, Punk, Grunge, Metal, I could go on."
"I think that is a good enough list to go off of," Vinyl says. "There is not too much of a difference genre wise really. We have those types of music in our world as well." Okay, so genre wise, we're not too different. "What about sound?" Oh, the fun part!
"Well, I have some songs from my favorite genres, wanna hear a few?"
"That's what we're here for." She says, with a hint of anticipation.
"Which do you want to hear first?" Vinyl puts a hoof up to her chin and thinks.
"I wanna here some Hip-Hop." Excellent choice. I pull out my phone and then Vinyl asks the most obvious question.
"What's that?"
"My cell phone," I answer. "It has many purposes, but it's purpose for today is playing music," I explain, and then receiving a nod from Vinyl. I open my music and scroll through the huge playlist of music I have. I stop my scrolling when I see the perfect song to play. It's a true reflection on what Hip-Hop should be: Changes by 2Pac Shakur.
Not only will they get a feel of Hip-Hop, they would also get an idea of how some humans think about society. "Okay, here's the first song, it's a Hip-Hop song with a powerful meaning. You two ready?" The two show mares nod and I play the song.
I remember when I first discovered 2Pac. I was on YouTube one day, and I see this video of this hologram that performed at Cochella. Out of curiosity, I play the video. And it was within that instant, I became a fan of Tupac Shakur. I started listening and downloading his songs and I couldn't get enough of him. The messages he portrays though his music are humanistic and full of morals that everyone should carry through their life. He's actually one of the reasons why I wanted to become a performer.
So Vinyl and Octavia are listening attentively. I am rocking my head back and forward to the beat while I also lip sync to the lyrics. Vinyl is rocking her head to the beat as well and I can tell Octavia is listening very closely to the lyrics. She's more than likely trying to figure out the message Tupac is trying to convey.
When the song ends I ask, "So whatcha' think?"
"I really like it!" Vinyl says. "But what is he talking about exactly?"
"I do wonder that as well," Octavia points out. "I did get that he said 'Let's change the way we eat, let's change the way we live, and let's change the way we treat each other' but what about the rest of the song."
"He was describing racial issues throughout a song. Let me ask you guys a question, what color is my skin?''
"White," the two say in unison.
"The artist is talking about people who are my opposite skin color, black. Well, the proper term is African-American. But anyway, African-Americans from where I'm from tend to be a target for police, because they are, unfortunately, labeled and profiled for being criminals. And he is discussing that issue here. That is the reason why I like this song and Tupac himself, he teaches valuable lessons on how people shouldn't discriminate someone on the content of their skin color." I pause to let the two mares take in the message.
"Wow, that's...that's deep," Vinyl says. "Is all Hip-Hop that deep where you're from?"
"A lot of it is. There are upbeat, positive songs, but this specific one is what I believe what true Hip-Hop should represent. What is Equestrian Hip-Hop music like?"
"There aren't really any songs that are too political or meaningful, but there are some that are strong motivators for ponies to get out there and do something with themselves." That's not too different from home either. There are a couple like that. "Well, what else ya got?" I scroll through my music to try and figure out what else to listen to. How about something more appealing to Octavia? My thumb stops moving and I find the perfect song.
"Okay, I think I found something that Octavia may like," I say. "It's one of my mom's favorite songs too."
"Well, by all means," the cellist says. I play the song and I let the music fill the room.
I notice Vinyl isn't really taking too much of an appeal for this song, but I see Octavia with her eyes closed, letting the music move her. She has a smile on her face and she is tapping her hoof to the gentle beat of the song. It honestly is a beautiful song and I just can't see anyone not liking this. Well, Vinyl is probably the only exception.
The song ends and I ask, "What about that one?"
"I personally think it is a marvelous piece," Octavia says. "That beautiful piano playing at the beginning and how it sways me. Oh, it's beautiful."
"Eh," Vinyl says. "It's okay." I'm not too surprised that Vinyl would say that. "There are definitely some mushy songs like that here." Mushy? "Anything else interesting?" Hmm, how about something Pop worthy? Oh, I got it!
"Okay, here's a good one." There isn't anyone I know who doesn't know this song. "It's probably one of the most iconic pieces I can think off."
"Well, play it!" Vinyl exclaims.
"With pleasure." I press the play button and the urge to dance fills me up.
This is honestly one of my favorite songs. I know the entire Motown Anniversary dance routine for this as well. And, as if it needs to be added, I LOVE Michael Jackson! He was another inspiration for me getting into music. It is a shame that I became a fan of his some time after his death. If I could go back in time, I would tell my eight year old self to listen to Michael Jackson. But that's off topic...moving on!
The song plays and I tap my foot to the beat. I see Octavia and Vinyl bop their heads to the rhythm and they both look at each other, sharing a "not-bad" look. I would stand up and dance right now, but I'm afraid I'll just make a fool out of my self. Like what I said, I do know the routine, but just bursting into dance out of no where might be a little weird.
By now the song wraps up and I ask, yet again, (this is getting redundant, isn't it?) "Whatcha' think?"
"I thought it was nice," Octavia says.
"Ditto," Vinyl says. "It was very poppy and funky. Not usually my style, but I really dig the tune." I still can't believe that the types of music here are parallel to the music at home. Though we may not have the same songs, the types of songs and sounds are quite similar.
"Well, what about your stuff," I say. "I want to hear some of you guys material."
"Aww come on, one more?"
"I don't know. I think three songs are en-"
"Please." Vinyl is pleading with puppy dog eyes. Okay, I'd be lying if I didn't say that looked adorable. I'd also be lying if I say it didn't work.
"Okay, one more." So once again, I look through my music. Since this would be the last song I want to play, I better make it a good one. What is the best song of all time? I got it! Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley...Just kidding. Though I actually don't mind that song really.
What should it be though? Smells like Teen Spirit? Too grungey. Stairway to Heaven? Too long. Tears in Heaven? Too sad. Dancing Queen? How'd that get on here!? F##k Tha Police? I don't think I should bother with that one. To Succeed on Broadway? Too much Jew bashing. Imagine? It's a great song, but it's a little too soft. Oh, I think I got it! "Alright guys, last song, then I wanna hear you guy's stuff. Alright?'" I ask.
"Alright," Vinyl says, accepting my wager. I press play and a group of four people start the song, acapella.
Though Vinyl may be more of a Party Music junkie, I definitely think she would get a kick out of this. I mean, it's Queen for goodness sake. How can anyone hate Queen? Octavia seems to be impressed with the opening vocals and the piano playing that comes in a little bit after the song starts.
Vinyl seems to be impressed to with the vocal work here as well. Okay, so far so good. It's not going to be gentile and soft for long girls.
Fast forward to the song's end
"Well?" I ask. Let's see what the reaction is.
"That...was...AMAZING!" Vinyl exclaims. "Holy cow, it was all soft like this and then it went all like, bew dadada bew dadada bew with the guitar solo! Oh my Celestia that was amazing!" She plops her back onto the couch with a contempt sigh. I take it that she really enjoyed it.
"What about you Octavia?" I ask, giving the cellist my full attention.
"That was very interesting," she says with an impressed tone. "The vocals were quite sublime. Though the Rock and Roll part wasn't my favorite part, it kept the song moving at the pace it wanted to go at. I thought it was interesting to go from slow, to fast and back to slow again."
"Glad you enjoyed it." I turn my attention to the collapsed disk jokey next to me. "You ready to show your stuff?"
"Oh yeah!" Vinyl says excitedly. "Alright, prepared to be blown away!" Vinyl trots over to her equipment, but Octavia motions me to lean close to her.
"She literally means that," Octavia whispers. "Find something to hold onto."
"Oh please," I whisper back, "it can't be that lo-"
I am cut off with the music coming from the "wubs". The first eleven seconds are soft, but then it really starts to kick in. I feel my hair blowing back and I see the same for the grey mare who foretold this. I think this is what skydivers experience when they go into free fall, the skin on your face just pulls back along with everything else. Though this type of music isn't really up my alley, I'm impressed at Vinyl's DJ skills. She does have a lot of talent, I can give her that, but she's blowing out my ear drums.
After three minutes of her playing her music, my hair is whipped back and so is Octavia's. "Whuwuwah, whuwuwuwah," is all I heard from Vinyl, who is still behind her wubs.
"WHAT?!" I shout. I'm barely able to hear myself.
"Shwupwupwuwha, wuwuwuwa!" Octavia tries to say to me. I have no idea what they're saying. They sound like those off screen adults in those Charlie Brown cartoons.
"HANG ON A SECOND!" I put my index finger in my ear and jiggle it a little, hoping to regain my hearing. I remove my index finger from my ear and ask, "What did you guys say?"
"What did you think?" Octavia says, enunciating each word. Good, I didn't go permanently deaf.
"It was something else, I'll say that much." I run my hands over my hair, trying to get it back to it's previous state. "There is definitely music like that back on my home planet."
"Even the party music is the same?! That's so cool!"
"Well, if I may interrupt," Octavia says, "I may want to show Nick some music that is more refined and proper."
"Alright Octy, go for it." Octavia trots over to the cello that sits upon its stand. She gingerly moves the bottom of it to the ground and holds it up. To my amazement, she is able to stand on her two hind legs, hold the bow in one hoof and control the strings of the cello with the other. Quick question, how do hoofs work? She shouldn't be able to hold a cello bow like that? Ah screw it! I'm in a kids cartoon for God's sake, not all logic has to apply here.
Within mere seconds of her playing, I am amazed at her cello playing. It is a beautiful piece of music and quite frankly, I feel like I'm being serenaded. It is classy, majestic and...umm….if there's a better word for amazing, I would use it, but I can't seem to think of one. Point is, Octavia's musical piece beautiful and moving.
When her piece ends, I immediately get up and clap for her. "Brava! Brava!" I shout. "That was great Octavia!" She blushes a little at my compliment.
"Why thank you Nick. It's always good to hear positive feedback."
"Meh," Is all Vinyl could say. These guys are polar opposites when it comes to music, aren't they? "Not much of an ear for the classy stuff." 'Nuff said. "So Nick, I wanna ask ya, what got you into music?" That's not too much of tricky question, but it is one that sort of came out of left field. Answering it regardless though.
"Well, I guess when I found out I had a singing ability I really got into it. I have only discovered that I can sing only in the December that has just past."
"Why that month?"
"Because I was auditioning for a musical, and lucky for me, I got in."
"Oh," Vinyl lets out.
"I started to sing more, and I loved it. I started singing all the music I enjoyed and, well, that's it there. With rapping, I started to do that about two or three years ago. I remember when I first heard about rap music, I didn't like it. But as I matured, I started to appreciate it a lot more, and practice it until I got better. The same could be said with a lot of other genres I enjoy. And even before that, I learned how dance."
"You can dance?" Octavia asks.
"It's pop dances really. You know that Billie Jean song we were listening to a while ago?" Octavia and Vinyl both nod their heads. "I only know the dances by the guy who sings it. I dance to his music very often. And even before that, I used to play the saxophone and piano. So, it's safe to say that music has had an influence on me for a while, but I only just recently let my full "musicality" come out."
"Wow. That's really somethin'," Vinyl says.
"So how long have you been a DJ?" I ask. I am curious to know how long this white unicorn has been DJing.
"Ever since I was a filly really." So she's been surrounded by music since she was a child. "When I first listened to the party music, my inner conscious was saying 'this is your calling'. And ever since then, I have been at the wubs. I have worked hard when I was young and I was able to make a name for myself. Heck, I was able to DJ for Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armour's wedding."
"You DJed at a royal wedding?" I ask this sort of surprised. Vinyl nods her head. "Yo, that's cool! Must be a huge honor."
"It was. And the pay was good too. I was able to take off two months mortgage because of that night. It was all thanks to Pinkie Pie."
"Pinkie Pie got you the gig?"
"She was the one in charge of setting up the reception. Every reception needs music and she asked me. How could I turn down an offer like that? And of course if Pinkie is planning any sort of event, I'm her go-to music gal. She has parties almost on a daily basis and I get asked to do my work for almost every one." Jeez, Pinkie must like working her to the bone for parties. And since Pinkie has parties on a daily basis, I bet she is a go-to event planner.
"That is something. What about you Octavia?" I turn my attention to Octavia, who was listening attentively. "When did you get into music and performing?"
"Let me think," She says, putting a hoof up to her chin. "I started getting into music when I was about seven years old. I was at yard sale with my father and I saw this cello. It was a beautiful cello made of dark, mahogany. I have never seen anything like it before. The cello itself was a piece of art. I begged my father to buy it for me. He he'll only buy the cello if I learn how to play it.
"So I promised him I would learn how to play it. It wasn't easy, learning how to play the darn thing. My hoofs wouldn't allow me to pick up the bow, but I learned a little trick to hold on to it and then it was smooth sailing from there.
"I practiced almost daily and I loved every second of it. I played for school events, local charities, and so on. I got recognized by the Royal Canterlot Symphony in my teenage years, and they offered me a chair. I could not turn down the offer, so I said yes. From then on, I have been a cello player and a member of the Royal Canterlot Symphony."
"Sounds like your destiny was made at a young age," I say. That is quite a story and just comes to show, that if you love something at a young age, it will stick to you for the rest of your life. I guess that applies to all three of us really.
2:06 P.M.
For the last couple of hours, we just hung out and talked. Vinyl and Octavia did want to hear a couple more songs from the human world. So I played a few for them, when they asked. I did make sure to tell Octavia what Broadway is and how amazing the productions are. Funny enough, they have their own Broadway called Bridleway. Not surprised at the pony pun for it, really.
As of now, I am just getting ready to leave. "Thanks for inviting me over you two. It was really nice getting to know ya'," I say.
"No problem man," Vinyl says. "I learned quite a bit about human music today. You have some good tastes. And you know what, you're a pretty cool guy."
"Of course I am." Heh, I love pretending to be egotistical. Vinyl snickers a little at my remark. "Well, I'll see you two around." I turn around, open the door, step out, wave to the two mares one last time, close the door, and I make my merry way back into the town.
So after visiting the disk jockey and the cellist, I decide to just take a stroll throughout town. By now, the townsfolk are used to seeing me and are just treating me like an everyday citizen. I wonder if Mayor Mare talked to the Ponyville residents at all? Or if they're just used to me by this point. Either way, whether the mayor vouched for me or not, it looks like a thousand eyes won't be staring at me twenty-four seven. Which I don't mind really. I'm a theater kid for goodness sake, I'm used to having all eyes on me.
So anyway, I find my way into Ponyville Park. I'm surprised that Rainbow Dash didn't point this out during the tour, but it's whatever. She probably forgot to mention it, no big deal. It's actually not too far away from Town Hall.
The park itself isn't anything too special. It's just a nice, little, communal area with a few benches, a fountain, a gazebo, and a few other odds and ends for a community park. There aren't any swings or slides around though. It's not like the parks I went to as a kid where one would see slides, swings, basketball courts and all that stuff. It's more like those parks that are just for walking and socializing.
I take a seat on a bench that is in front of fountain and take in the scenery. The beauty of the park is really quite sublime. The slender and tall trees surround the area, the occasional yellow and pink flower bush gives the area some character, and the running water of the fountain just tells you the park is both alive and calm. I may be a suburban boy who wants to live the city life, but I don't go out and enjoy nature as much as I should. I would love to go outside more often, but school work is a pain in the ass...
I have a lot of school work to catch up on too! I have missed three days worth of classes and I don't remember where I left off. And trying to catch up isn't going to be too easy. Missing soon to be five days worth of school work is going to be troublesome no doubt. But, I should just go with it, and face it head strong. When you miss something, you have to make it up one way or another.
But I digress, just taking in the scenery is quite peaceful and relaxing. I don't think I have ever felt this relaxed since...I can't think of the last time I was this relaxed. Note to self: relax more often.
I also find this very meditative. I usually have my mind clear when I exercise in the summer time. I focus on that and nothing else really. I just plug in my ear buds, exercise and nothing else comes into my mind.
I just sit like this for a while until I hear hoof steps approach me. To my amazement, it's that teal pony from the other day. If memory is on my side, her name is Lyra. "Hey there Nick. Nice seeing you here," she says with a smile on her face. She remembers my name, I have to at least have the decency to remember her name.
"Nice to see you too...Lyra?" I say snapping my fingers once.
"You remembered my name." She lets out a soft laugh. "Mind if I sit next to you?" she asks, pointing to the open seat next to me. I gesture her to sit down, being welcoming. She places herself on the bench and...wait, is she sitting like a human? Don't ponies lay on their stomachs and tuck in their front legs when they sit? Or at least sit on their haunches?
"Umm…" Is all that could escape my mouth.
"What?"
"It's just the way you're sitting. I haven't seen a pony sit like that yet."
"It's just what I'm comfortable with. I like sitting like this. Others usually keep all fours on the seat. I like to dangle my hind legs and keep my fore legs up here."
"Well...what ever floats your boat Lyra." She smiles and looks directly at the fountain. Probably in some sort of thought.
"So can I ask you a question?" she asks just a moment later.
"Sure," I respond.
"I was wondering if you would like to meet up with me and Bonnie and some point this week?" Bonnie?
"Whose Bonnie?"
"Bon Bon. It's a nickname I have for her." Now I'm up to speed. Well, I have no objections with meeting up with her, but is she going to do more notes on me? "You don't have to worry about me taking studying you." Okay then, she's answering my questions before I ask them. You know what, I think I should get to know her and Bon Bon a bit more. I mean, it doesn't hurt to make new friends. Even if they are ponies. Plus, I can't hang out with the Twilight and the others all the time. I should expand my horizons a bit, aquatint myself with the other townsfolk.
"Sure thing, I'm in. When do you want me over?"
"Actually, we were wondering if you wanted to meet up for lunch. When exactly? That's up to you." Okay, so I pick the date.
"Tomorrow, Princess Cadence and Shining Armor are coming over," I think to myself. "So I can scratch off Thursday. Sunday I'm going back, so I can scratch that off. Friday and Saturday are open. Those seem like they are my best bets." Which should I choose? "How about Saturday?" I think that may be good.
"Saturday is perfect! Oh, I can't wait!" She claps her hooves together like they're hands. "It'll be so much fun. Meet up with us at Sugar Cube Corner. Okay?"
"Sure thing."
"So...now what?"
"I don't know. I guess, just relax." Good enough for me. The two of us sit in silence, enjoying each others company for several minutes. Until Lyra hops off the bench.
"Well Nick, it's been nice seeing you. I have some errands I need to run since I'm out and about. See you Saturday?"
"You know it. Take care Lyra." She gives another smile and walks off to wherever she chooses.
I just decide to stay here for a while. But I start to feel my eyelids get a little heavier. I'm not sleepy or drowsy, but I think I'll just close up the old eyes for the time being.
3:25 P.M.
I didn't fall asleep fortunately, but I feel like I did. My eyes shoot open because I feel a tap on my leg. "Nick, ya' there?" a familiar voice says. I look down, and too my surprise, I see Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and...an orange pegasus in front of me.
"Oh, hey Apple Bloom, hey Sweetie Belle. How you guys doin'?" I ask
"We've been doing pretty good," Sweetie Belle says. She turns her attention to the orange pegasus. "I told you we knew him."
"Okay, okay, you two were right," the orange one says, annoyed. Her voice kind of reminds me of Rainbow Dash's. Both scratchy and tomboyish. She turns her head and looks up to me. "So you're that human that's been the buzz of the town?"
"Guilty as charged," I say, raising my right hand. "You know, I've meet Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, but I haven't met you yet."
"No you haven't. The name's Scootaloo! I didn't get your name. What is it again?"
"Nick."
"Nice to meet you pal!"
"Right back at ya Scootaloo." She brings her small hoof up to me and I fist bump it. "So what are you guys up to?"
"We're crusadin'!" Apple Bloom exclaims. They're what?
"Crusading?" Please tell me they're not trying to take over Jerusalem.
"For our cutie marks," Sweetie Belle points out.
"If you haven't noticed," Scootaloo continues, "we don't have our cutie marks yet. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and I formed a little club to task ourselves to get our cutie marks." That's cool. A little group for them to complete a common mission.
"What's the name of your group?"
"WE'RE THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!" they shout in unison. Oh God, my ears! As adorable as that is, it is also ear piercing! It may not compare to Vinyl's music from earlier, but yikes! I kind of regret asking now.
"Well, for the sake of curiosity, what have you tried already to get your cutie marks?" I ask rubbing a finger in my right ear.
"Hang gliding was one," Scootaloo says. Hang gliding?! At their age?! "We also tried performing, but that was a disaster." I could've helped with that. "Carpentry." That isn't so bad. "Rounding up chickens." Okay, that seems harmless.
"Well, seems like you guys really do some interesting activities. So what are you guys doing today?"
"We're trying to get our marathon running cutie marks!" Apple Bloom says. Marathon running? "Our starting point is here in the park and our finishing point is Ponyville Clock Tower which is the the other end of town." Another thing Dash didn't point out during the tour.
"Isn't the other end of town more like a couple miles?" That I did know for a fact. The diameter of town isn't too long.
"Beg your pardon?"
"Marathons are usually close to being twenty-six or twenty-seven miles long. The other end of town is probably about three or four miles."
"I told you guys!" Scootaloo says.
"Well, maybe we could get our cutie marks in long distance running," Apple Bloom says, trying to compromise. She turns her attention to me. "Wanna' join us Nick?"
"I would love to! But I'm not properly dressed. Wearing cargos, a cotton t shirt, basket ball shoes and a short-sleeved hoodie aren't ideal exercise clothing."
"Than, what is the ideal clothing for exercise?" Sweetie Belle asks.
"Usually something loser, like half polyester and half cotton for shirts or something with nylon. One-hundred percent cotton, what I'm wearing now, is too heavy. Running shoes are a must. Long distance running in basketball shoes, aren't the best idea. I had personal experiences with that, not fun. Cargo shorts are too heavy too. Polyester shorts are the way to go."
"Humans need different types of clothing for everything don't they?'
"Pretty much. But sorry about that though."
"It's okay. It probably would feel weird if you're not properly dressed for the occasion." I do wish I could go running with them, but I'll tire myself twice as fast without the right clothing. I could go for some sort of exercise actually. Maybe after Cadence and Shining visit, I'll throw on the basketball outfit and do some sort of workout. It'll have to due for the time being.
"Well we're going to get started on our long distance running. See ya' Nick," Scootaloo says. And so, the three fillies run to wherever their starting point may be in the park. I do wonder what those fillies are capable of. What would their cutie marks in the future be? Apple Bloom's might revolve around apples, being part of Applejack's family and all. Sweetie Belle's might be something on the creative side, maybe. Scootaloo, that could be almost anything. I don't know about her.
Well, whatever the case may be, I wish them luck in their "crusading". Finding your talent is a journey no doubt. I had no idea what my talent would be until later in life. But that was only a couple of years ago. It's kind of weird for them to be searching for what they're destined to be at such a young age.
Man, I wonder what the other differences are between worlds. Other than age for your destiny, government, education and...ponies being the common race apparently. I wonder if they got a good healthcare system? Wait, what does that have to do with anything...oh right, differences between worlds.
"How long have I been sitting here?" I mumble to myself. I look down at my watch and see that it's now half-past three. "Twilight is gonna' wonder where I am. I should get back to the library." So I stand up from the bench and start walking back. But as I make my way through town, the friendly face of Cheerliee stops me.
"Hello there Nick," the maroon mare says, chippy as anything.
"Hello Miss Cheerliee. How you doin' today?" I ask.
"I've been well, thank you for asking. What about you? How have you been?"
"I can't complain."
"Well that's good to hear. Listen I have a little request for you?" Curiosity is now striking me all of a sudden. What is this little request?
"Sure, what is it?"
"I was wondering if you would like to come to my class Friday to do a little Q and A with the kids. You know, give them the opportunity to know a creature outside of this world. Er, no offence."
"None taken," I reassure her. "Well, I am open Friday. What time do you need me over?"
"About two-thirty in the afternoon. Would that suffice?"
"That's perfect! I'm in!" I don't need to think about it for a second.
"Really?" I see a twinkle in her eye. She must be real excited.
"Sure, it's for the kids. I love kids!" No lie. If it's for the kids, I must do it...well, I kind of contradicted myself earlier. But this is for the sake of education!
"This will be great! I look forward to seeing you Friday." She extends her hoof and I shake it to seal the deal. "Well, I have to go now, I have some chores that need to be taken care of at home. Ta-ta."
"See you then teach." She turns and leaves to the direction of where her home is and I do the same, except it's for Golden Oaks Library.
"How could you do this to me!?" I shout at Twilight with venom. "I can't believe this...MY OWN FRIEND TOO!"
"N-Nick, I-I-I'm sorry. I-I'm so, so very s-sorry." Twilight stutters weakly, taking a step or two back. I see her eyes are starting to water and her lip is quivering a little. Shame and regret is plastered all over her face. It has no effect on me.
"Sorry doesn't cut it! Sorry doesn't make up for what you have done!"
"C-Can't we just talk about this casually?"
"Casual?! Ain't that a load of- you know what? Our friendship is done! I'm outta' here!" I turn around, with my arms and hands up, me walking to the door. Before I lay my hand on the knob, I feel Twilight's hooves on my shoulders.
"Nick, it was a mistake, an honest mistake. Please don't go," she begs, putting her forehead on my back. I feel her tears bleed through my shirt and wets my skin a bit. I tuck in my lips, still angry.
"Goodbye Twilight." I shake her hooves off my shoulders and open the door. Before I even take a step outside, I slam the door shut, turn and smile. "And scene! That was quite convincing Twilight. You're a pretty good actress." I change from a more positive mood in an instant, and so does she. We were bored, so I thought Twilight and I can do an improv for fun. I want to see how convincing of an actress she could be and I also want to show her my acting abilities.
"Really? Well, thanks. I can see your acting talents really shine during that improvisation."
"What about you Spike?" I turn my head to Spike, who is sitting on a cushion, observing. "Whatcha' think about the scene?
"I loved it," my purple-scaled friend says, throwing his claws up. "I was really convinced that you were angry at her."
"I did feel like was sorry for what I have done during the scene," Twilight says.
"If you can convince yourself, you're golden," I say.
"Can we try another improv?" she asks.
"What do you have in mind?"
"I have an idea," Spike exclaims. "Maybe you guys could try-" Before he could finish his sentence, there is a knock at the door. "Who could that be?"
"Is it Cadence?" Twilight wonders out loud. She trots up to the door and opens the top part of it. "Cadence! Shining!" She practically shouts. "Can you hang on for just a second?" She closes the top part of the door, gingerly, and starts bouncing around the room like she's Pinkie Pie. "Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!" She went from calm to excited real quick.
"She must be really fond of Cadence and Shining visits," I say to Spike, folding my arms with a smile.
"Oh yeah," Spike says. "She gets like that almost every time." Twilight stops bouncing, and lands in front of me.
"Okay Nick, you're about to meet my sister in law and my brother. Try not to be dramatic like the last time you meet somepony regal." With the remembrance of me introducing myself to Celestia a couple days ago, I tug the collar of my shirt out of embarrassment.
"Yeah, I should try to avoid that," I say out of, well, what else than embarrassment?
"Just relax, I'm sure they'll like you."
"Okay," I say after taking a quick breath. To be honest, I'm a bit nervous. I have no idea what to expect from this visit. Hopefully I don't make myself look like a fool in front of her relatives, as I did with Celestia. Well, I didn't make myself look like fool in front of her highness, it was just my introduction with her was a bit dramatic. If I avoid that, I should be alright.
Twilight walks back to the door and opens it fully. "Twilight!" I hear another voice say. I take a peek and see a pink alicorn with purple tipped wings. Her mane and tail are highlights of light yellow, dark pink and purple. I also notice she has a crown on the base of her horn and I also take notice of a necklace around her neck. She must be Cadence. She looks like her picture from the icon book.
Next to her, I see a white unicorn stallion with a navy blue mane and tail with a highlight of a light blue...I'm sorry but holy crap, this guy is buff! I can see why he leads the Canterlot Royal Guard. With a build like that, he is just saying to his enemies: "come at me bro"!
"Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake. Clap your hooves and do a little shake," Twilight and, who I'm pretty sure is, Cadence say while doing movements that correspond with the words. That must be their hand-er-hoofshake. It sounds a little childish though. It might be a long lasting relationship that has lasted since they were kids. That would make sense. "It's so good to see you again Twilight."
"Likewise. Like what you said last time, we should get together more often, when the fate of Equestria is not in the the balance." The two giggle at the remark. What do they mean by that? "Cadence, Shining Armor, allow me to introduce you to Nick." She gestures her hoof to me and I do a respectful bow to them.
"It's uh, it's a pleasure to meet you your highnesses," I say, slightly nervous.
"The pleasure is mine," the pink alicorn says. She walks closer to me and I can get a better idea of what her height is. She's several inches taller than Twilight, so she reaches to the lower area of my rib cage. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Princess Cadence, the Princess of Love and ruler of the Crystal Empire."
"And I'm Prince Shining Armor," the white, unicorn-stallion says. "Co-ruler of the Crystal Empire and husband to Princess Cadence." He puts his hoof around Cadence's neck and rubs his cheek against hers. "So you're the one who's been staying with Twili for the past couple of days?" I chuckle a little.
"Twili? Is that a nickname you give to her?" I ask. I never knew she had a nickname like that.
"Yeah." He brings a hoof to the back of his neck and starts rubbing it. "I have always called her that really. I can't really think of the last time I called her by her full name."
"I know what you mean. I can't remember the last time I called my younger siblings by their full names."
"Oh, you have siblings too?" he asks, tilting his head and raising an eyebrow.
"Yeup. I grew up with a younger brother and sister. Let me tell you, they're a pain in the arse, but I love them regardless."
"Really? Growing up, Twili was never really a nuisance. She's my L.S.B.F.F." What? "Little sister best friend forever in case you were wondering." Oh, that makes sense.
"So Nick," Cadence says to me, "how are you enjoying Equestria so far?" Well that was a quick change of topic.
"To be honest, I really like it here. I have made a bunch of friends already in such a short amount of time. I'm also thankful that I stumbled upon Twilight. I mean, if it wasn't for her, I would be who knows where." I see Twilight blush a little out of the praise I'm giving her.
"It was awfully nice of you to give him a roof over his head, Twili." Shining says to her. "I bet mom and dad would be pleased with your sense of hospitality." Shining directs his attention back to me. "So Nick, when are you returning home?"
"Sunday is when I'm heading back. Twilight is working on a spell that should send back home by then."
"Hmm..." I hear Cadance muse. It didn't sound like it was an amusing "hmm", it sounded more like those thinking or concerned "hmms". Weird, when the spell was mentioned to Princes Celestia, she sounded like she corrected herself on something she was sure about. And here, Cadence sounds concerned. Strange…
"How about we worry about that stuff later," Shining announces. "The point of this visit is to know you better. So why don't we do that?"
"Well, what would you like to know?" I ask.
"How about interests? What do you like to do in your spare time?" Cadence asks with curiosity.
"Well, I guess mainly: sing, rap, hang out with friends, exercise, act, read every here and there, listen to music, and….I think that's about it."
"You sing?" Shinning and Cadence chorus.
"Yes I do," I answer in a matter of fact way.
"You know Nick, I haven't heard you sing yet," Twilight adds. "You mentioned it when I had the girls over Sunday, but we haven't heard you demonstrate. So this maybe an experience for all of us, if you want to sing that is." Oh boy, here we go again. Just like with Cheerilee and Dash the other day. You know what? F##k it, I'll do it.
"Alright, let me think of something." What should I sing for them? Something PG at least. Oh, I got it! "I think I have something in mind." I pull out my phone and immediately, Shining Armor asks the holy grail of questions:
"What's that thing?"
"He calls it a cell phone," Twilight answers. "It's supposed to be a device to call other humans on his home planet. But it's way out of range to actually call others. The device does have other purposes, like playing music."
"Exactly," I say. "I have the instrumental track of one of my favorite songs here, and I'll just fill in the vocals." I unlock my phone and open up the music. I scroll through an instrumental playlist and try to find the track.
After a few flicks of the thumb, I find the track I'm looking for. I press play and the cymbal with the drum start and a brass ensemble follows. I let the music sway me a bit and I start my song.
I pause when the song ends and I hear vigorous stomping. Twilight, Shining and Cadence are sitting on their haunches and they stomp the wooden floor with their forelegs while Spike is clapping. "That was good Nick!" Twilight says amazed. "You have a pretty nice voice." Well, I'm no Sinatra, but...
"I think that was great!" Cadence says. "But what is a "New York"?" Okay, time for a small geography lesson.
"Well, New York is a city on my home planet. It's one of the biggest cities ever and is home to more culture than you could count. It's actually about an hour away from where I live."
"Really? Have you been to it?"
"I have once. It was so much fun. Seeing the sights, meeting the people, seeing the Statue of Liberty."
"The statue of what?" Twilight asks with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh, it's a landmark, a national monument even, that is in New York. It also goes by the name of Lady Liberty." Twilight gives off a snicker with her putting the side of her hoof to her mouth.
"Sorry, it's just similar names. We have our own Statue of Liberty and it's nickname is Filly Liberty." ...I have said it once and I'll say it again, f##king pony puns. I just let out a forced chuckle though.
"That's kind of funny," I say. "Do you have your own New York? I mean, that's where my statue is, I would expect something similar."
"Well, our statue is in a city called Manehatten." Oh God! You're kidding me, right?
"Manehatten?" I ask, just to be sure I heard it correctly.
"Yes. Why?" Oh, they're gonna love this.
"Well, New York has different parts and sections to it. One of them being called Manhattan."
"Really?" Cadence asks, giving off a few giggles. "That is kind of funny. I like these human puns."
"Human puns? I think they're pony puns."
"Tomato, toemato." At the mention of the red fruit, or vegetable (I don't know), I hear my stomach grumble along with Shining Armor's.
"I guess it's lunchtime," Shining says letting off a couple of light chuckles.
"I'll have Spike make us something to eat," Twilight proclaims.
12:01 P.M.
Okay, so I'm trying not to choke on my cheese and lettuce sandwich, 'cause I am laughing hysterically at the story Shining Armor is telling. We're all just eating at the table in the kitchen and still converse while we enjoy our food.
"So we try to take a picture in front of the pool at the hotel," the stallion says. "We ask this unicorn to take it. He says he'll do it, magically lifts the camera and has a good view of us. We're posed, looking cute and all, and this volleyball clonks Cadence on the head, bringing her into the pool water." Twilight, Cadence, Spike and I are laughing very hard. I end up on my side, on the floor. I pound the side of my fist to the ground out of the hysteria. I pull myself back up and wipe a few tears from my face. "And the best part is, the unicorn took the picture as soon as she plummeted into the water. The ball is still in the frame too. It was timed ever so perfectly."
"Even though I was the victim," Cadence starts saying, still giggling a little, "I still was a good sport about it. Sometimes, you just have to laugh it off."
"Wow, that's-that's priceless," I say, now at the "slight laughter" stage of laughing. "You know, something similar happened to my cousin."
"Do tell."
"Okay, so my family was over at my grandparents house for this holiday called Labor Day. It's a holiday where we honor and pay tribute to our soldiers in the armed forces."
"Ohh," Shining muses out of interest.
"So me and my cousins were in the pool, just having fun. Another cousin of mine is standing near the edge of the pool and her dad is behind her. Now, one thing you have to know about us humans is that we wear a certain attire of clothing to go swimming. Swimwear is what we call it. My cousin, she didn't have any swimwear on, just regular clothing. So anyway, she kneels down near the pool to grab a pool noodle. So her dad feels a little mischievous and with his foot, he pushes her into the pool." The three equines and dragon burst into laughing fits.
"He just pushed her in?" Spike asks hysterically.
"Just a little push and then splash! She's in the water. She came up soaking wet" I chuckle at the little remembrance of that one Labor Day Holiday. That was a good day. "She was laughing it off too, so she enjoyed it."
"That's funny," Twilight says giggling.
"Yeah...What about you Twilight? Anything like that?"
"Hmm." She puts her hoof up to her chin and thinks. "I can't really think of anything where I was pushed into water, pushing somepony else into water, or saw somepony do that to somepony else. But I did hear this story about Pinkie Pie jumping into water in a weird way." I give her a look of confusion. So does Shinning Armor.
"How do you jump into water in a weird way?"
"I was about to ask the same thing," Shinning says.
"Well," Twilight begins, "this from Rainbow Dash. One time, her and Pinkie were hanging out at the pond. Rainbow Dash wanted to relax for a bit, so she asks Pinkie to try and keep the noise down if she goes swimming. So how did she do it? She jumps in the water, in slow motion, right before she even hits the water." I just stare at Twilight wide-eyed.
"She jumped into the water slower than the rate of gravity?" I have to make sure I'm hearing this correctly.
"Pretty much, yeah." Is there nothing that Pinkie Pie is capable of? First there were clones Dashie told me about, then appearing from thin air, now jumping into water slower than the rate of gravity? If the laws of physics were taken as seriously as criminal justice laws, she'd be a criminal. Hell, she could be tried in front of the Grand Jury.
"Okay, well...um…" I am at loss of words. Maybe the next time I see Pinkie, I should ask her how she does all of that hullabaloo. Then again, I don't know jack s##t about all the physics laws she breaks, or physics in general. I'd probably suck at it.
"I know, those were my thoughts too." There is a bit of a pause after that. I have no idea how to continue this conversation. How about we talk about something else?
"So Princess Cadence, Shining Armor, what's it like to rule an entire empire?" I ask curiously.
"It can be, stressful at times," Shinning says. "But it does have its perks."
"Like?"
"We don't have to wait in line at the donut shop," Cadence says in a joking tone. We all giggle at her remark. "But in seriousness, it isn't always that glamorous, there are times where you almost have to risk yourself for the good of the kingdom."
"Well, a monarch must always look after their subjects."
"Indeed. The most recent time where I had to look out for the lives of my subjects was when Sombra came back." I see Shining, Cadence, Twilight and Spike shiver at the name.
"Whose Sombra?" They shiver again. It's like saying Voldemort isn't it?
"Well, a thousand years ago, King Sombra was the original ruler of the Crystal Empire. He was a vicious and abusive leader who was hungry for power. He was banished to a place called the Frozen North, so he would not reign over the empire anymore. He placed a curse on the empire before his banishment, making the entire Crystal Empire disappear. But when the empire returned, so did Sombra. He tried to take back the throne, but I was not willing to let that happen. Though I was tired and weak beyond anything, I made sure Sombra wouldn't win."
"So how'd you pull through?"
"Easy, I made sure the Crystal Heart was in me and Spike's possession."
"Crystal what? And Spike was in on it too?" Okay, now she lost me.
"The Crystal Heart is what gave the city life, you could say. If Sombra had the heart in his hooves, he would have taken over the entire kingdom and darkness will reign once again. Fortunately, Spike was able to get the heart before Sombra could even take hold of it. After the Crystal Heart was put in its proper place, courtesy of Spike, the magic held inside the heart brought the Empire back to its once peaceful state and Sombra was no more." This guy sounds scary. I wonder if he was in that icon book? I probably missed him.
"He seems like nice guy," I say sarcastically.
"A fine fellow," Shining says back, speaking in a sarcastic tone as well. "I wasn't able the help my wife because of him. He crystallized my horn, rendering it useless. I would have helped Cadence with the barrier, but I wasn't able too because of him."
"What barrier?"
"Did we mention the barrier?" Shinning looks at Cadence with a raised eye brow.
"Nope."
"Oh," Cadence says. "Well, remember when I said I was tired and weak at that point?" I nod my head to answer. "Well, I had to use my magic to hold up a magical barrier so Sombra couldn't get into the Empire. I kept it up for days. I couldn't sleep or eat." Yeesh, that sounds terrible.
"So how'd he get in?"
"I fainted, so the magic kind of "turned off" you could say." That makes sense. "But I got up, Spike and I saved the day, and all is good again." She pets Spike's scaly head and he gives off a little snicker.
"He-he, yeah, I'm awesome like that," Spike says proudly. I think Rainbow Dash may be rubbing off on him.
12:22 P.M.
"Wait! Hang on a sec, Celestia raises the sun and Luna raises the moon?" I ask. making sure I understood what I heard completely. Lunch ended not too long ago, so we made our way back to the main library area and just talk around a table. I don't remember how we got onto this topic, because I am really interested in how the sun and moon work here for some reason.
"Yes. That is correct," Cadence says.
"Well that's odd."
"How so?"
"The sun and moon work differently from where I'm from. It's all about gravity and orbiting. My planet orbits the sun, and the moon orbits my planet. While we orbit, our planet rotates. So...hmm…." How can I better explain this next part? "Twilight, you wouldn't to happen to have a pencil and some paper handy?" With her magic, Twi levitates a piece of paper and pencil and places the utensils in my hands. I lay the paper on the table and draw three circles. One very large circle in the middle, a smaller one near it, and an even smaller one next to the "medium" sized circle. "Okay, so here is the sun, earth and the moon," I say pointing to the circles in the order I drew them. "The sun stays completely still, while the earth orbits the sun." I draw an outline of how the earth orbits. "The moon orbits the earth." I draw a similar outline for the moon around the earth.
"Exactly how does that work?" Twilight says.
"The sun's gravitational pull makes the earth orbit the sun and the same thing can be said with the moon around earth. Okay, now we get into rotation. One rotation is a day. So if the sun is directly facing this spot," I place a dot on the circle so it directly faces the sun, "It'll be noon here. But on the other side, it'll be midnight. And you can see the moon then. As the night goes on, you'll see the moon in different spots. It rises in the east and sets in the west, just like the sun. Except our position of our rotation depends when and where we'll see the sun and moon rise and set."
"Fascinating."
"It's nothing too big. This is really just third grade science on my planet."
"Well, what is third grade to you is something more complex to us." For a second she sounded a little like Luna from a couple of nights ago….Luna….
"Your greatest fear will become a reality," I hear her voice echo in my head again. I feel some sort of sadness overshadows me and spreads across my face.
"Are you okay Nick?" I hear Cadence ask. I snap back to reality with a quick shake of my head.
"Umm, yeah, I'm good. I…" I trail off. I think I need to be alone for a minute or two. "I'll be back in a sec." I get up and make my way to the bathroom. I close the door and lock it. I take a step or two towards the faucet and turn on the cold water. I cup my hands and put them under the faucet, having water fill up my hands. I splash the cold liquid on my face and sigh.
I swear, Luna is trying to give me some sort of anxiety attack. What's today again? Thursday? The end of the week is Sunday. So that's only three days away. Three days until I get to see my family again. And three days until my greatest fear becomes a reality. What is she trying to foretell?!
"Why can't you just tell me Luna?" I think. "What are you hiding? Why aren't you telling me anything. For the love God, just f##king tell me?!" I tightly grip the porcelain sink and grit my teeth out of my frustration. I look at myself at the medicine cabinet mirror, just staring at my reflection. I see my facial hair is growing out a bit more, I really need to shave soon. I feel and look like a wreck actually, and I think I feel a headache coming on. I need some ibuprofen.
I open the medicine cabinet and mumble the contents quietly. "Aspirin, vaseline, toothpaste, bandages, decongestant, sleeping pills...there they are." I grab the bottle of ibuprofen and read the instructions on the side of the pill container. It says only take one pill every six hours.
I open the bottle and pour one pill into the palm of my hand. I put the pill in my mouth and lean down near the faucet the take a swig of water to easily bring the medicine down. I sigh escapes my mouth after I swallow the pill. I put the bottle back in the the medicine cabinet and close it. Then, I hear a knock at the bathroom door.
"Nick? You okay in there?" I hear Spike's voice say from the other side. "You kind of got up and bee-lined for the bathroom. You good?"
"Uhh...yeah. I-I'm fine. Really," I say, sounding like I'm unsure of myself.
"You sure?" Nope.
"Yeah, I'm good. Just uh-just give me a minute. I'll be back down."
"Okay." I hear him walk away and I let out another sigh, but one more stressful.
"Great, I probably have everyone worried about me by now. Perfect."
I take a couple of steps towards the door and place my hand on the knob. Before I even open the door, I look up at the ceiling. "What are you hiding?" I whisper, before heading back to the group and keep the highness's visit a pleasant one.
Cadence and Shining Armor left about a half an hour ago, so its just Twilight, Spike and I once again. When I returned from the bathroom, Twilight, Spike and their majesties were a little concerned about me and asked if I was okay. I told them it was nothing and that I just had to use the bathroom real quick. They could probably tell I was lying 'cause I noticed that the three ponies exchanged a glance. I assured them that I was okay though.
After that, we continued the get together like normal. I got to know them better, they got to know me better and all that jazz.
By the time they left, we left off on a good note and bid each other best wishes. I think everything went well overall.
So what am I doing now? Well, I am tying up my yellow and purple basketball shoes that Rarity made for me. I already put on the the basketball uniform because I am going to get some exercise in. I never really had too much time on earth to do it because of school work and after school activities. I usually get my workouts in during the summer, which is swimsuit season (hello ladies). But since I have time now, best not to waste it.
I finish tying up my shoes and then, a realization hits me; where am I going to get some exercise in? I don't exactly have the right running attire on. Like what I told the crusaders yesterday, long distance running and basketball shoes aren't a good combo. So I can scratch that one off. What about the low hanging trees around the library? I could hang myself upside down and do some hanging sit ups. I could do a wall calf exercise against the base of the library. I can also do pull ups on the branches. I can probably figure out some other things while I'm outside. Perfect! I have a plan.
I make my way downstairs and see Twilight working on the concoction that should help send me back. I wonder how it's gonna work? From what I can gather, unicorns use magic with their horns, not from other things. Maybe it's some sort of enhancer to help "up" the spell, so to speak. "Twilight," I say to her. She takes her attention away from the concoction to look at me. "I'm going to be outside for a bit to get some exercise in."
"Sure thing Nick," she says. "I'll be in here working on this." I head outside and start to stretch. It's always good to stretch out your limbs before you exercise. I used to be on my school's track team before I became a theater kid. Stretching is important because you make your limbs nice and loose so you don't pull a muscle. Pulling a muscle mid workout isn't fun. Take my word for it.
I do a few lunges, arm circles, back of the upper arm, some calf stretches and some high legs. Now, it's time for the real workout.
Let's start with the pull ups now. I head over to a low branch and jump up, hanging on with a reverse grip. Surprisingly enough, the bark doesn't feel splintery. It feels really smooth, like a dining room table that isn't slippery.
"One," I say as I pull my chin up above the branch. I bring my head down to my elbows, and I repeat the process. "Two. Three. Four. Five Six. Seven. Eight." I let go of the branch and drop to the ground, still on my feet. Eight reps. I think that's the average amount. Not bad. Lets move on to the next exercise: hanging sit ups.
I pull myself back up on the branch and put my legs up. I let myself dangle for a second or two, so I can get used to this sensation. I put my hands behind my neck and I bring my self up to my knees and do another count. "One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Sev-"
"Watcha' donin' there Nick?" I hear a familiar, southern voice cut me off. I bring myself back down and see Applejack, upside down. Well, she's upside down in my eyes. Behind her, I see the dog Apple Bloom was playing with the other day. The little one is hiding behind Applejack's hind legs. The poor little guy, or girl, must still be afraid of me.
"Hey Applejack. Hi doggy!" I say the last part happily, trying to tell the dog I'm harmless. "What are you two doing out and about?"
"Just giving Winona a walk through town." So that's the dog's name. "Why ya hanging upside down like a vampire bat?"
"I'm getting some exercise in. It's a hanging sit up. Watch." I do two more sit ups do demonstrate what I'm doing. "It's good for the core." I lift myself back up and put my hands on the branch and remove my legs from it. I hang onto the bark by my hands for half a second and let go, sending me back to the ground.
"How long have ya been going at it?"
"Not to long. Just a couple of minutes."
"You know, I didn't think you were the type to work out." Yeah, I don't come off as the physical type, do I?
"I usually do it during the summer. Other times, school work gets in the way and I wouldn't have time for it. But since I'm here, I might as well use this time to my advantage and burn some calories." I lean my torso and head to the left and see the dog, still cowering behind Applejack. "Hey there Winona, I'm Nick." I get on one knee, using the same method I did with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. "Come here, uhh…" Seriously, is Winona a boy or a girl?
"Winona's a girl," Applejack whispers.
"Come here girl." I extend my hand and do a "come here" motion with my fingers. The brown dog comes out of her hiding and slowly makes her way towards me, still afraid. I take a look at her face and just give her a smile. I lay my hand on her head and pet her, slowly. She then lets out a smile out of enjoyment along with a cute whimper and a tail wag. "Good girl," I say. "Aren't you just adorable." Winona is a very cute dog no doubt. She moves her head from my hand and nuzzles herself underneath my chin. Her soft, silky fur tickles a little bit, and I let out a chuckle.
"See Winona, Nick is nice." Winona lets out a happy bark as I pet her back. I do this for a bit, enjoying her soft fur underneath my hand. "Alright, come here girl." The dog obeys her commander and walks back to Applejack. "She's a good girl, isn't she?" Applejack starts to pet Winona herself now.
"Very. She's so adorable." Winona sticks out her tongue with happiness plastered on her face.
"I'm going to get back to my workout now. Wanna' spot me?"
"Sorry Nick, I haveta' get back to the farm. I got some harvesting to do."
"Oh, that's fine. Good luck with your harvesting."
"Thanks. Have fun with your workout." She then walks off with Winona in toe, or hoof really. Now where was I? Right! Hanging sit ups. I hang myself back on the branch, upside down of course, and start over.
"One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten." I get down and take a breather. "Pace yourself Nick," I mutter. "Don't wear yourself out just yet. Upside daise." I hang myself upside down again and I do more set of hanging sit ups, but this time, a tad bit slower. "One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten." I bring my self back down and feel my stomach. I feel it getting stronger and starting to burn a little. Is it rock solid? No. I'm far from that. But I am close to a six pack. The lines are just "faint", one may say.
Let's get some push ups in. My arms are probably not strong enough to do my usual set of push ups, which is twenty, since I just used them for the pull ups. But let's see how far I can go. I get into position with my hands on the ground, shoulder length, and my toes are pointed to and are on the ground. I bring myself to the ground, arms forming their own ninety degree angle, and bring myself back up. "One." I repeat the process. "Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten." I made it to ten no problem! Let's do some more. "Eleven. Twelve. Thrit-blag!" I feel a heavy force hop on my back, making me plop on the ground.
"Come on, ya pansy!" I hear a familiar tomboy-ish voice say. "You can do better."
"Seriously Dash?" I say, sounding like air is slowly escaping my lungs. Jeez! How much is she? One-ten? "Can you get off me?" My voice is starting to sound hoarse...no pun intended.
"Do two more, and I'll get off." You know, when one does a push up, they are practically bench pressing three-quarters of their body weight. I weigh close to one-thirty. So I am benching close to ninety or a hundred pounds. Plus, another hundred pounds, and then some, that's like lifting two hundred!
"You're killing me Rainbow Dash."
"No pain no gain." God, how much I hate the fact that she's right. Okay lets do this. I use my arms to push myself up.
She's so heavy! This is a struggle because I feel my arms wobbling like crazy! "You're almost there ya sissy!" She shouts like a football coach. I finally push all the way up and plop myself down.
"One!" I say tiredly. I haven't pushed this hard since I had to lift that tire my freshman year for track. We had to do those types of exercises. But that's unrelated, moving on.
"Come on 'dust-for-bones', put some muscle into it."
"I don't care for that name," I say.
"Come on! Just one more, and I'll get off." Okay, lets get this over with.
With every ounce of my being, I muster up as much strength as I could and try to raise myself. My arms are still wobbling and I feel like gravity is working against me. I have to fight it! During my battle with gravity, a surge of adrenaline rushes through my body and I complete a successful push up. I hold it for a couple seconds and I plop myself back onto the ground.
"Two." Dash gets off of me (finally), leans down and looks at me, giving me a stupid grin.
"Good work." She pats my head with her forehoof. I just groan out of annoyance.
"May I ask why you did that?"
"No reason," is all she says.
"Huh!" I jolt up to stand and look at her. "No reason? You saw me exercising and thought 'I'm going to plop on top of Nick for no reason'," I say that part with one of those mock imitation voices.
"Yeup!" She just grins a little more. "You looked like you could have used a challenge." Oi vey.
"Well, thank you for almost crushing my lungs and rib cage!"
"Any time buddy." She gives off a little snicker. "So, you getting a workout in?"
"Yeah. Since I have time now, might as well utilize it."
"Need someone to spot you?"
"Uhh…" I'm not sure if I should have her spotting me. After that stunt she just did with the push ups...then again, it doesn't hurt to push yourself. Screw it! "Sure."
"Okay! First thing I want you to do: twenty suicides. From the base of the library to the base of that house." She uses her fore hoof to point to a house that's about thirty feet away. An exercise that's pretty simple. I used to do these when I played basketball as a kid. And it's not long distance running. I think the shoes I'm wearing should be alright.
I set my right foot on the base of the tree and have my left one in front of me. "Tell me when."
"Ready?" I nod. "Set. GO!" I jolt out of my starting position and start sprinting. What I learned from track comes back to me out of instinct. Run on your toes, hands go from your waist to face, high knees, and breathe through the nose and out the month. I get to the house and get down low to touch the base. "One!" I hear Dash shout. I sprint back to the library, lean down and touch the base of the library. "Two." I do this eighteen more times, getting a tad slower as I get closer to the end. I think each suicide was only a couple seconds, but getting progressively slower.
By the time I finish, I feel a little out of breath. "Very nice Nick," my rainbow maned coach says. "Okay, ready for the next exercise?"
"Just a sec," I say a tad winded. "Lemme catch my breath." I but both hands behind my head so I can catch my breath more easily. After a few deep breaths with my hands behind my head, I regain a bit of my stamina. "Okay, what's next coach?"
"Crunches."
"How many?"
"As many as you can do."
"Alright. Hold me down?"
"You got it!." I get down on the ground with my knees up and the rest of my body flat on the ground, hands behind the head once again. Rainbow Dash is holding down my feet so I won't move. "I'll count." I lift my shoulder blades off the ground and go back down. "One." I do the same thing again. "Two." I repeat this process about thirty more times, core heating up as I go. "And thirty-two." I stop here because I feel my stomach starting to burn. Doing thirty-two crunches and close to twenty hanging sit ups will definitely put a burn on the core.
"Whoo!" I let out while I hop back up on my feet, feeling pumped.
"Feelin' the burn pal?"
"Yeah I do, and I love it! Whoo! Let's go baby!" I do a quick clap. I must have some sort of adrenaline rush going on now. I'm starting to sound like Terry Tate.
"Alright bud, take a chill pill."
"Sorry Dash, but I'm pumped!" A smirk slowly forms on her muzzle. She's going to make me work hard now isn't she? I think I smell a montage coming on.
"Alrighty then, let's have some fun with that energy spurt you got goin'."
Okay...now I hear montage music playing. Okay...that's weird. Not sure why- f##k it! It's a cartoon, this stuff happens all the time. Sometimes I keep forgetting that I'm in a children's TV program. I should just go with it.
As the song is playing (wherever from), Rainbow Dash is making me do exercises that have me sweat buckets and make me feel more tired as we progress. She's making me do two sets of ten for each exercise: jumping jacks, leg raises, leg pull ins, the jump ins exercise, climbers, and she even had me bench press her for five reps. She also makes me spend time with the wall sit and planks. I hate that plank exercise with a burning passion now.
By the time all this is done (music dying out too), I am tired, breathless and dizzy. I see that everything has a more pale tint to it for some reason and everything is sort of moving on its own. Yeah, I'm ninety-five percent sure that that's a dehydration side effect. I should've brought some water out here.
I sit down and lean my back up against the tree."You okay Nick?" Rainbow Dash asks, concerned.
"I just need," I stop my self to wheeze in a breath, "some water." She quickly flies into the library and comes back out with a tall glass of water in nearly ten seconds. Damn, she's fast!
"Drink up pal, you deserve it!" I swipe the glass from her hoof and chug the cold liquid down. "You worked hard today Nick."
"I don't think I have ever had that hardcore of a work out before. Then again, there was that time when I was on the track team my freshman year. For one practice, the team had to run various distances while holding up hurdles the entire time. That was fun."
"That last bit was sarcasm, wasn't it?" She says, stating the obvious.
"Of course! It was a terrible practice. I felt like dropping dead that day." No joke. "Every fiber in my being was sore for a few days."
"Yeesh, you're coach must've been tough."
"He was, but that was his process to make champions. Except for me. I quit track after that one season and pursued theater the next school year. Best choice of my life to be honest. Now, I just work out for fun." Rainbow Dash raises her eyebrow, giving off a questionable look.
"Work out for fun?" I nod my head. "Ponies do it to lose weight and look good. Is working out for fun something that humans do?"
"In my case it is. For others, they do it to maintain a healthy lifestyle, look good and lose weight, just like what you said. I do it for those purposes too I'll admit, but I mostly do it because I think it's an enjoyable experience, for the most part."
"Ah, I see! You know, when you think about it, if you're having fun with it, it seems less like something of a chore."
"That is a factor to!" I exclaim. She catches my drift. "It feels less like a requirement and more of something you want to do." I take another big swig of water, feeling a lot more refreshed...and feeling like I need to freshen up. "I'm gonna hit the showers."
"Good. That sweat is going to make you smell worse than a diamond dog." Diamond Dog? Like that David Bowie song? "Catch ya later than. And try not to pass out." She takes off to the skies and does...whatever Rainbow Dash's do.
I shakily get up and, using the tree as something to keep my balance, make my way inside. I see Twilight is still working on a concoction. It's now glowing for some reason. What did she put in that? A glow stick? "Hey Twi," I say. She turns her head to me, smiles, then giggles at me. Probably because I look like a mess with all of this sweat.
"Let me guess, Rainbow Dash was coaching you?" She asks. I nod as she giggles again. "I thought so because she busted in here and zipped out before I could even utter a word to her." She lets of a little sigh.
"I'm going to get a shower. I feel sweaty and disgusting." I start to make my way upstairs and I hear her call out to me.
"Don't forget to wash behind your ears!" She says this sing-song like.
"Yes Mom!" I can hear her burst into laughter and I make my way into the bathroom. Finally! One way ticket to cold shower city please.
Best shower ever! I'm not usually partial to cold showers, but after a workout like that, I needed it so my body can cool off.
I step out, wrap a towel around my waist and walk towards the mirror. I stare at the reflection of myself. I still look stubby. I think it grew out a bit more these past couple of days. I really need a shave.
I hear a few light taps at the door. "Hey Nick?" I hear Twilight call on the other end.
"Yo!" I say back.
"I've noticed that your facial hair has been growing a bit this past week." So she's noticed too. "The other day when I went out to get supplies, I picked up some razors and shaving cream for you. They're in the cabinet under the sink." I hear the clip-clop of her hooves start to leave, but then she continues to speak. "Make sure to get around the neck area too. There's a few hairs there as well." I hear her hoof steps becoming more faint as she walks away.
Taking in her words, I kneel in front of the cabinets that are under the sink so I can face them. I open up the one on the right and sure enough, there's a shaving razor and a can of shaving cream sitting at the base of the cabinet. "Thanks Twilight," I mumble to myself. I take one object per hand and bring myself up, closing the cabinet with my knee.
I place the shaving equipment on the edge of the sink. I then proceed to fill the sink with hot water. When I feel there is enough water in the white porcelain bowl, I shut off the faucet. I splash the hot liquid on my face so my face would not be tense. Shaving with cold water is not a good experience.
After my face feels nice and warm, I press my index finger on the nozzle of the can and the white foam dispenses on my other hand. When I have the right amount of cream, I let go of the nozzle. I place the white substance on my face and start spreading around. I make sure to get under my chin, on my cheeks, the side of my face, anywhere where hair is visible on my face. Especially the neck.
When the shaving cream is evenly spread on my face and neck, I lightly splash the razor in the hot water. I then bring the blade to the right side of my face. Slowly, I bring the razor down. I feel the blades dice off the hair from my face. It feels a lot more...what's a good word to use?...Exposed. I can feel feel the temperature of the air now that I'm ridding myself from facial hair.
I keep this up for a few moments until I have a shaving cream goatee. "I'm the one who knocks," I mutter quietly, while doing a mock Walter White impression, then letting out a few chuckles. I always crack myself up whenever I do that. I proceed to shave what is left after my little fun with Walter White.
By now, my entire face and neck is clear of facial hair. I touch my face to make sure. No stubbs or any other traces of hair. And thank goodness I didn't cut myself doing so. That's such a pain for me.
I drain out the water that is full of hair and shaving cream residue. I turn the water back on and cup my hands under the warm, running liquid. I splash it my face again because there are still a few, small traces of shaving cream present. It only takes a couple splashes to get them off.
I look at myself in the mirror once again. Man, I look good! I could never pull off facial hair.
I admire my reflection for a bit and another tap is at the door. "It's Twilight again," I hear her say. "I'm opening the door slightly and giving you some clothes." The door opens a bit and I see a purple aura around some clothes of mine, that are magically floating. I take hold of them, one hand on top, the other on the bottom.
"I got 'em Twilight. You can let go." The purple aura around the clothing immediately disappears. "Thanks Twi. And thanks for the shaving material, I really appreciate it."
"Your welcome." I hear the clip-clop of her hooves move away from the door once again. I take a look down at the clothing and it's the one's I wore when I first came to Equestria. I still can't believe all of this has transpired. A teenager, almost done his junior year, has been transported to a fictional world. Man, I wonder how I'm going to tell my friends this. They gonna' ask me where I've been in the past week no doubt. If I tell them I was transported to the My Little Pony world, they'll think I'm crazy.
I'm sure I'll think of something. Maybe I'll just say: I decided to spend a week in Hoboken. It's more convincing than saying I was sent to a cartoon world and then became friends with the main characters of said world.
After hanging the towels up, I put on the red V-neck and brown cargos, along with the red Reeboks. My necklace, watch and ring are on the edge of the sink and I put them on the respected body parts. I take one more look into the mirror and say, "Looking good there buddy." Oh how much I love saying I'm good looking.
I walk downstairs and see Twilight reading a book of some sort. She must be done with that weird concoction for the day and is moving on with her daily activities. "Whatcha' got there Twilight?" I ask.
"Just a book," she replies. "Princess Celestia lent it to me. I haven't read this one yet. So far, it's really good."
"What's it called?"
"Death of a Salespony."...You're kidding me right? I facepalm at the ridiculous title. "What?" she asks.
"Remember how I mentioned there were similarities of cities between this planet and mine earlier today?"
"Yeah." She raises an eyebrow at the weird questioning.
"Well, I guess it's the same with books too. There's a book back home called Death of a Salesman. What's yours about? It may be different than my planet's."
"It's about a salespony who has been struggling with selling merchandise and is dealing with a lot of stress at home. His two sons are old enough to move out, but aren't going to any time soon, adding to his stress. What else is there?...Oh! He wants to pay off the mortgage to the house soon, so that adds to his want to sell the merchandise he could never sell. He also-"
"I think I get it," I interrupt her. She's speaking so excitedly and passionately about it. Does she always act like this when it comes to books? It kind of reminds me of Belle from Beauty and the Beast: loving and passionate about every story book she picks up. "Everything you've said is present in my world's version. What part are you at?" I remember reading Death of a Salesman for my honors English class and really enjoying it. I remember almost everything from the book.
"I'm at the point where Willy Lopony-" Oh God! "-is having a flashback to when his son found out that he was cheating on his wife." If I remember correctly, that's a bit past the middle of the book.
"Isn't he having the flashback when he's in the restaurant restroom?"
"Correct."
"That's a very interesting scene. The book gets better from there." Hmm...with all of this talk, I want to tease her a little. "You know, by the end of the book, Willy-
"Hey! No spoilers!" I crack up immediately at her response. It's priceless. I think I feel my sides starting to hurt a little. "That's not funny!"
"I was kidding. I wasn't going to spoil anything. I was just teasing you."
"Still not funny," Twilight says sternly. Geesh, butthurt much?
"Okay, sorry." Not really. "So, what are going to do for the rest of the day?"
"I usually read. I'm probably going to finish this bad boy up in an hour or two. What about you?"
"I don't really know." I look around the library, trying to think of something to do. I could read a book for myself. "I guess I'll do some reading."
I make my way to a bookshelf and skim through the tiles that have been embedded on the spines of these paperbacks. A certain and familiar book catches my eye. It's the icon book I was reading when Discord popped out from it. I'm a bit hesitant to pull it out. Maybe he isn't between the lines this time?
I slowly pull out the icon book, carefully open it, preparing for the worst, and….nothing happens. That's a relief. I open it too a new page and come across something I haven't read yet. It somepony called Nightmare Moon. "Hmm." With curiosity striking me, I head over to a table and plop the book down. I place my finger to where I want to start reading and...well...start reading.
"Nightmare Moon is the darkness and hatred that overshadowed Princess Luna a thousand years ago. Jealous that the ponies of Equestria were enjoying Princess Celestia's day and not being awake to enjoy her night, Princess Luna gave into hatred and jealousy to become Nightmare Moon.
"She fought against her sister, who tried to coax her to lower the moon so she could raise the sun. Nightmare Moon refused to do so. Feeling that there were no options left, Princess Celestia banished her sister to the moon for a thousand years using the Elements of Harmony.
"During Luna's, at the time Nightmare Moon's, banishment, Celestia took the duty to lower and raise both the sun and moon for a thousand years.
"After the thousand year banishment was over, Nightmare Moon returned during the Summer Sun celebration, which was in Ponyville at that time. Princess Celestia did not appear and Nightmare Moon took her place.
"In order to stop Nightmare Moon, the Elements of Harmony were to be used so she can return to her previous ego, Princess Luna. However, just after Nightmare Moon's banishment a thousand years previous, the Elements of Harmony were stowed away and turned to stone. Only a spark could bring the elements back. And that spark was the magic of friendship.
"The spark brought back the Elements, courtesy of Twilight Sparkle (See page 84), back to their usable state. Once usable, Twilight Sparkle and her friends (also located on page 84) used the Elements on Nightmare Moon to eliminate her, causing Princess Luna to return to her original state.
"The two sisters reunited in that instant. They now co-rule the land of Equestria in peace and harmony, all thanks to the Elements and the six ponies who wielded them."
Princess Luna was like that once? Overshadowed with jealousy and hatred that she changed herself to some sort of monster? Jeez! She seemed like a nice pony in my dreams. She probably is a likable mare, it's just when hatred and jealousy overshadow her is when one should run to the hills frantically. "Is this all true?" I ask Twilight, raising my head from the book.
"What's that?" she asks, raising her head from her book.
"Princess Luna becoming a psychotic alicorn who was power hungry, banished to the moon for a thousand years, and you along with the others reforming her with the elements after her banishment?"
"Oh, that?" I nod. "Every word...well, I'm not too sure about the psychopath part. It's kind of disrespecting Luna." It kind of is now that she mentions it. "But it was no easy task. Yet me and the girls defeated Nightmare Moon and were able to bring Princess Luna back to original self."
"Wow that's...that's…" There's a word for this. "That's pretty wild." I wonder what other interesting things are here in this book.
4:00 P.M.
I avert my eyes from the book for a second to look at my watch. I see that it's four o'clock. So I've been reading for a little less than an hour. Within that time, I have learned quite a bit about a couple of historical figures like Starswirl the Bearded, Enemies to Equestria like Sombra and Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings, along with a few other odds and ends.
Chrysalis is an interesting character. She is a leader of this colony in a far off land called the Badlands. The colony she leads consists of these shape shifting creatures called Changelings, who feed off the love of other ponies. She even tried to ruin Shining Armor's and Princess Cadence's wedding according to the text, just so she could be able to suck the love out of Equestria. She even knocked out Princess Celestia in the process. What a c##t. Thank God that Shining Armour and Princess Cadence were able to take her down and send her back to where she came.
Everything that Shining and Cadence said about Sombra is present in this book too. Everything is pretty much on the dot.
The most interesting one is Starswirl the Bearded. He's like the Dumbledore of Equestria and was alive more than a thousand years ago. So Celestia and Luna must have met him at some point. He is best known for creating spells and doing a banishment spell.
I found that little bit quite peculiar, so I further read on. Basically, there were these creatures called Sirens who feed off the negative energy of others through their singing voices. They're like the Changelings, but without the shape shifting abilities and more singing. With them causing so much chaos and trouble that Discord would be both impressed and jealous of at the same time, Starswirl banished the sirens to another world.
Who ever is in that world, they're boned because if those creatures were able to cause so much chaos and trouble here, that said world would be amuck. May God help them.
"OH MY GOSH!" Twilight shouts. Her sudden burst startles me and makes me fling the book to the ground by mistake.
"What?" I ask worried, raising my head and seeing she still has her face buried in her book.
"Willy just committed suicide!" Oh, she's just reacting to what's going on the the book. Good.
"Oh, good. I thought something bad happened."
"Willy committed suicide! That's pretty bad!"
"Well…" Crap, I cornered myself. Think of a way out! "I mean, that's bad for Willy and his family." Nice save.
"Of course it is!" I see her eyes frantically moving from side to side, flipping to a new page in a matter of seconds, reading worriedly no doubt. After a couple short moments, Twilight speaks again. "She used the insurance money to...to pay off the mortgage. They're free…" she trails off. She closes the book and lets out a sigh. "Wow. That was... that was a really good book."
"Yeah, I remember enjoying it too. Why did Celestia send that book to you again."
"Well, one day, Princess Celestia was leisurely reading it and thought it is a well written piece of literature. Knowing me too well, she thought I may enjoy it. And quite frankly, I really did like it. This book is already a new favorite."
"What about it did you enjoy?"
"The characters. Definitely the characters. The sons are both idealists, but have different approaches, the way the uncle is what Willy wanted." I smile at her appreciation of the literary work.
You know, upon arriving in Equestria, I thought I wouldn't have anything in common with the pony folk of this world. Surprisingly, I was found wrong. Twilight enjoyed Death of a Salesman (in her case Salespony) as much as I did; Vinyl, Octavia and I were able to find a common ground for music; Rainbow Dash and I have an appreciation for sports; Trixie and I both love the stage; Rarity and I like being fashionable; and so on. I never really noticed how many bonds I have made until now.
The friendships I have made already and the ones that will come as the rest of the week unfolds are definitely ones I will keep close to my heart. But the one thing I haven't taken into account for is the parting of my pony pals. I am not sure if I'll be able to physically see them anymore by the time I leave. I just know by the time I say goodbye, it will not be easy.
But that's life. Sometimes you have to let go. But even if you won't be seeing them for either a long while, or the rest of your life, friendships you make will remain.
I'll no doubt miss them, and I probably won't be seeing them again, but that doesn't mean our friendship will drift away into nothingness. They're my friends no matter where I am throughout the cosmos.
The earlier hours of today were uneventful. Just like the past few days, Twilight has been working bit by bit on that concoction. She has informed me that it is in fact an enhancer. When applied, the magical effects used for any spell are multiplied by thousands. Teleportaton on oneself is fairly simple, if you're a unicorn that is. Teleporting something or someone with said unicorn magic is a tad more difficult. Just sending one thing or living object across dimensions is very difficult. This enhancer makes it all easier for Twilight to send me home.
There’s today, tomorrow and then Sunday. Sunday means home. Each hour that passes old father time means I’m getting even closer to going back to my friends and family. Though I honestly can’t wait to get back to South Jersey in the good ol’ United States, I kind of feel sad that I’ll be leaving Equestria behind. But, that’s life. You have to leave some things behind to move on.
So, what am I doing now? Well, it’s Friday and Cheerilee asked me the other day to come to the school and speak to her class. I told Twilight about it this morning, and she almost freaked out. Extra emphasis on almost. She asked me a bagillion questions ranging from: am I ready? If I had any sort of spreadsheets set? Making sure I know exactly what I’m saying. I had to reassure her that it’s going to be fine. Though I didn’t plan anything out, they’re just kids for goodness sake, how complex are their questions going to be?
So I make it to the door of the schoolhouse and check my watch. It’s now two twenty-five. Good, I’m five minutes early. I give the door a few light knocks and wait for a response.
“One second,” I hear muffled response from the other side of the door. It sounds like it’s Cheerilee's voice. “And that’s how you square a number. Now if you can just excuse me to answer the door.” I hear the clip-clop of hooves approach the door. The hinged wood opens only to reveal Cheerilee at the door frame. “Oh! You’re here!” She exclaims somewhat hushed. “Just hang on for a second, I want to introduce you to the class.” I nod and she closes the door once again. I bring my ear close so I can better hear what Cheerilee and the class have to say.
“Who was that Miss Cheerilee?” I hear one of the students ask.
“Class, we have a special visitor today.” The class ‘ohhs’ at this inquiry. “Some of you might have seen him walking around town this past week. He is even the first of his kind to visit Equestria. Our guest is here today to talk to us about who he is, where he is from, and to answer any sort of questions you may have for him. I’m going to let him now. Are you ready class?”
“Yes Miss Cheerilee!” The class says excitedly. This gets me excited too! It’s like their excited energy is being transferred to me.
“Let’s do this,” I mutter to myself.
“Alright Nick, you can come in now,” the school teacher calls. I lay my hand on the door knob, take a quick yet deep breath, and open the door. I take a few steps inside then close the door. I look to my left too see the desks all filled with small fillies and colts. Out of the entire class, I am able to identify three students: Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Those three are grinning while everyone else has their eyes wide as saucers. That or gaping mouths.
I make it to the front center of the classroom and look at everyone. It’s not too big of a class, it’s actually a reasonable size for their age group. I give them a bright, friendly smile.
“Hello class,” I start off, “my name is Nick and I’m today's guest. I have to say, I am honored to be here, talking to you guys about where I come from. I’m sure you guys are excited to hear my story and so is Miss Cheerilee, so I’m going to get right to it. But before I do, any questions?” No hooves are raised immediately. I wait a few more seconds and still no hooves up. “Don’t jump in all at once.” The class giggles a little at that comment. I honestly didn’t expect to get a reaction for that. One or two hoofs are raised. I point to one student who is a grey with grayish white hair and has blue glasses resting on the bridge of her nose….muzzle? Eh, tomato toemato. “Yes.” I say pointing to her. “May I ask your name?”
“Silver Spoon,” she says. Her voice is a bit high pitched in my opinion. “So, exactly what are you?”
“Excellent starter question. Like what your teacher said, I am the first of my kind in Equestria, so I am a new creature to your land. But to be more specific, I’m known as a human.”
“Human? Creatures like you were only in the bedtime stories my parents used to tell me.” There are stories about humans? How did I not bother to research that? Maybe Twilight was right about doing some sort of preparation, because that statement took me a bit off guard. Let’s see how I can play this off.
“Really? I never heard these stories about humans. I should probably take a look into them later. You know, it’s kind of funny, talking ponies, unicorns and pegasi are in fictional stories where I come from!” The class “oohs” at this inquiry.
“So technically speaking,” Miss Cheerilee says, “we don’t exist in your world?” More than non-existent Cheerilee, more like characters on a kids TV show.
“From where I come from, yes. And it’s the same with me being in front of you guys. Technically, I don’t exist. However, with me being here, we seemed to have proven each other wrong.” I pause for a moment to the class can absorb what has been said. “Any other questions?” A few more hooves shoot up into the air. All of them are anxious to get picked. I scan the room and see Apple Bloom’s hoof is up. I point to her. Everyone else brings their hooves down.
“So exactly, where are ya from?” she asks.
“That is what I wanted to start the conversation with. So I’m from a different planet called Earth. But where on Earth exactly? Well, there is this country called The United States of America, and that’s where I’m from. Now, the neat little thing about the USA is that it is separated into fifty states. I live in one of the smaller states on the east coast called New Jersey.” Scootaloo’s hoof shoots up into the air the second I utter the name of my home state. “Yes?”
“Why is it called New Jersey. What happened to the old Jersey?” ….Crap! So much for a good answer for this one.
“I actually don’t know. I wish I had a proper answer for that, but unfortunately I don’t.”
“Can you tell us how your country got started up?” Cheerliee asked.
“That I can answer.”
Half an hour later
So I give Miss Cheerliee and her class a short, abridged lecture on how America was made. I covered the inhabitants of 1770s America wanting independence from the country of England to the revolution that won America's independence. I made sure to go into too much detail because I didn’t want to scare the poor kids. Them learning about such a bloody and deadly revolution that may scar them, no way Jose.
After my coverage of the Revolutionary period, I was bombarded with questions about what else happened. I covered topics such as the Civil War and how the Union and Confederacy fought over slavery. I made sure to be careful with this because I don’t think these fillies and colts are familiar with that subject and I don’t think I want to give them any sort of bad impressions. I did make sure to tell them that slavery was abolished. But after that was the Civil Rights movement. I did tell them about the amazing leaders during that time, such as Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Robert F. Kennedy and John F. Kennedy. And answering any questions the students had for me in the process. I find it funny that I was able to talk about a country’s upbringing in almost half an hour. I guess I’m that good of a teacher.
I have to say, talking to these young fillies about a place they’re not from and wanting to learn about it, it’s quite amazing. I bet they don’t look this interested during math or science.
“...and in the end, Civil Rights for African Americans were passed in the 1960s.” I gaze upon the classroom and all of these fillies and colts have the faces of awe and amazement.
“I have to say Nick,” Miss Cheerliee says, “your home country sounds very interesting. I mean, America has gone through many social reforms, different laws passing, wars, and as able to come out alright.” Um...
“Sure we were able to fix and reform America is still not a perfect country. There are still a whole bunch of things that need to be fixed, but I believe that we’ll become a better country over time.”
“It’s good to hear that you have faith in your country.” The maroon teacher looks back to her students. “Alright class, let's thank Nick for being here with us.”
“Thank you Mr. Nick!” the class choruses happily. Mr. Nick? Hmm....not a bad title. Has a bit of a ring to it.
“Alright everypony, class dismissed. Enjoy your weekend!” The class cheers hearing they don’t have to come back to the rest of the day. Chunk by chunk, the young fillies and colt leave the school building and make their way home or meet up with their parents to take them home. Before I head back myself, I turn to Cheerliee, who's putting some papers in her desk.
“Hey Miss Cheerliee?”
“Yes?” she says, looking up to me.
“I just want to thank you for inviting me to talk to your students about my homeland.”
“Thank you for accepting. I have learned so much about your homeland and I am quite intrigued. It’s a shame, we won’t be able to discuss more since you’re leaving Sunday. “
“Yeah...well, how about this? If I ever get zapped here again, I’ll remember to bring some history textbooks and we can have another class discussion.” Cheerliee giggles at my little crack and so do I. Oh how I love humoring people...er, ponies.
“Well Nick, if I don’t see you again by the time you leave, I just want to say: take care.” Cheerliee extends her forehoof towards me. I grab her hoof and give it a good shake.
“Thank you. Good luck with your classroom. Tell the kids on Monday that it was an honor being here and that I miss them.”
“Will do. Take care now.”
“You too.” I let go of her hoof and give her one last smile. She does the same. I turn around and head for the door. Opening it up, I turn around once more and see Cheerliee still standing where we were just conversing a few seconds ago. I bring my hand up and do that quick two second good by wave and she does the same with her foreleg. I let myself out the door, closing it behind me and see what is outside the building. Parents picking up their children, kids walking home themselves, the usual after school catch up and such. I do see one familiar face among all these ponies. I see Rarity with the Crusaders. Well, might as well say hi.
“Hey Rarity!” I exclaim to the posh unicorn. Upon hearing her name, she lifts her head up from the conversation she was having with the three fillies and looks towards my direction. She smiles as soon as she catches sight of me.
“Nick, darling!” she says, happy to see me. “The girls were just telling me about your visit to their classroom and how much they enjoyed it.” I couldn’t help but blush at this statement.
“It was so amazing. I liked it when he talked about that Malcolm X guy. Man, he sounded awesome!” Scootaloo exclaims.
“Seriously? Robert F. Kennedy was the best out of all those guys!” Sweetie Belle says argumentatively.
“Crusaders, crusaders, please!” Apple Bloom intervenes. “Come on, it doesn’t matter which one was best, both pushed for equality and are great in their own way. Sound fair?” Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo look at each other, then to Apple Bloom, then back to each other.
“Fair,” the pegasus and unicorn chorused. Points for Apple Bloom for keeping peace. Rarity giggles at their little fiasco about Civil Rights leaders.
“Looks like they already found something to debate on,” Rarity points out. Uh oh, Rarity, you shouldn’t have said that. I see those fillies faces brighten up at the same time, all of them sharing the same thought. I cover my ears, getting ready for what’s to come.
“CUTIEMARK CRUSADERS DEBATERS!” The three shout out. Even though my ears were covered, I think they still managed to damage my ear drums. I’m not too sure what has more volume: The Crusaders or Vinyl’s wubs. Rarity did not see this coming and didn’t protect her ears. As a result, she starts to rub one ear with a forehoof with the look of annoyance.
“I should have seen that one coming,” she says. I find it amazing that I can still hear. I don’t think my ears can take another Cuitemark Crusaders chant. “Girls, would mind waiting for a minute, I would like to speak to Nick for a moment.” The three fillies nod their heads obediently and Rarity walks towards me. “How are you doing today Nick?”
“Doing good Rarity, doing good.”
“That’s always nice to hear. How are the clothes I made for you?”
“Great, I have never meet such an amazing seamstress.” Rarity blushes at my comment. “It’s true! You have done an amazing job with my clothes for the week and I am real grateful for it.”
“Oh why thank you darling, anything for a good friend.” Man, she’s awesome. “You know, I have been getting ideas lately off of your clothing apparel?”
“Really?”
“Oh yes. I have a new fashion line already planned. It’s a little outside what I’m used to, but what’s the harm in trying new things?”
“Well what is it?”
“As of right now, I call it: ‘Rarity’s Hip-Hop line’!” A hip-hop line! For real?! That’s awesome! “The name is still a work in progress but I already have some ideas just based off of the clothing you like.” Okay, I need to see this.
“Rarity, if I may, can I see them?’
“Oh absolutely! I would love to get your opinion on my ideas. Let’s go. Oh girls!” She calls to the three fillies, getting their attention. “Nick is coming back with us to the boutique.” Wait, all three of them?
"Yay!” they shout in a way that isn’t obnoxious, but real cute.
“How come all of them are coming back?” I say hushed and in a low voice.
“Sweetie Belle has been planning a sleepover with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo for weeks. They all decided it would be tonight and fortunately, I’m not busy today so I can keep my eye on them.”
“Good. Goodness knows what type of hijinks they’ll get into.” Rarity giggles at my comment and turns her attention to the fillies.
“Alright girls, ready to head to the boutique?” Eagerly, the crusaders nod. “Alright, let's go.”
As the five of us walk to Rarity’s boutique, the Crusaders discuss topics to debate on while Rarity maintain small talk. Topics ranging from the town, the weather, stuff of that nature.
By the time we reach the boutique and Rarity opening the door, the Cutiemark Crusaders rush through the doors cheering. Guess they’re excited for whatever happens this weekend. That and most definitely the new crusading idea Rarity “gave” them earlier, I have a feeling they will be doing much of that later.
“I have a folder with a couple of ideas right here, darling.” She leads me to desk and opens (using her magic of course) a drawer full of files. She picks a folder out of the drawer and levitates it to me. I take hold of the folder and open it up. I take a good look at the outfit I see.
The model on the drawing looks like her typical mannequins, but the clothing she has in mind for it really catches my eye.
To start off, Rarity has a hat in mind for this outfit. It is a black baseball like hat that has rhinestones on the forehead. On the body of the model, there is a puffy, windbreaker jacket that is pink, and the inside is a black shirt with a gold necklace. The bottom part of the model is a pair of black yoga pants and there are pink and black basketball shoes on the bottom of the hind legs. You know, I can see Nicki Minaj wearing something like this. That or Salt and Peppa.
“I really like this one. The colors really seem to pop out and compliment each other really well.”
“That was the first one that popped into my head and I already have a good feeling about it. Take a look the next one!” I don’t even hesitate to pull out the next design.
The torso of this model is wearing a varsity jacket. The main torso of the jacket is a light blue and so are the cuffs while the arms are white. The bottom is part from the waist down is a pair of black jeans that have that have those slightly faded thighs.
“I like this one too! Totally fits women's hip hop, at least in my opinion.” Just because I enjoy people like Nicki Minaj or Iggy Azalia, doesn’t automatically mean I know anything about women's hip hop clothing. They just look accurate from my perspective. “You have a real good start here Rarity.”
“And these are only a couple of ideas. I have so many more in mind that I haven’t gotten them drawn down yet! I just hope these hip-hop outfits will sell.”
“You kidding, with your reputation and eye for design, everyone and their mother will be lining up to buy these clothes.” I see Rarity’s cheeks get a little red. Guess I might be embarrassing her a little.
“Oh, you make me blush darling,” she says, bashfully. “You really think so?”
“I know so.” Since I have like, sixty hours left in this world, might as well leave these ponies on a good note.
“Thank you very much darling. You just gave me an extra confidence boost.”
“It’s what I’m here for, isn’t it?”
“You’re here because Twilight accidentally brought you here.”
“I was just playin'.”
“Oh.” Rarity giggles at herself for a second. “Right.”
“Well,” I start off, “good luck with everything. If I don’t see you Sunday, I just want to say, it was awesome getting to know you. And thanks for everything.”
“It was a pleasure getting to know you to Nick.” I open up my arms and the white unicorn complies by giving me a tight embrace. One can question my masculinity as much as they want, I am a huger and I don’t care. There may be times I act tough or look like (or impersonate) a guy that's straight outta’ Compton, but in actuality, I’m just a teddy bear.
She and I let go and I head for the door. By the time I reach it, I turn my head to the unicorn. “Rarity, I’ll see you around.”
“Have a good evening Nick,” she says, waving. I wave back.
“You to.” I open the door, look at Rarity one more time and flash her a smile. She does the same. I step out and close the door. I turn my head and look at the boutique behind me. I look back ahead and promptly walk back to the library, ready to tell Twilight today was a cinch.
Dream Sequence Southern New Jersey Saturday, 11:00 P.M.
“Man, I love this film,” Connor says chuckling while pointing to Pat’s TV screen. He, Pat and I have decided to get together for a movie night. I'm on the recliner in Pat’s living room while the other two are on the sofa that is parallel to the wall. We’re watching “The Music Man” and it is currently the scene where everyone in River City, Iowa is singing about trouble. I haven’t seen this film since middle school, but Connor and Pat have seen it multiple times.
“I remember seeing this scene for the very first time,” I say with nostalgia. The first time saw this film, in fact, was at the end of seventh grade. I used to be in band and at the end of the year, when there was no more shows to perform, the person who was leading band would show us some movies, and, one of them was “The Music Man”.
“You know, Sinatra was supposed to be the lead in this movie,” Pat says.
“I heard about that too,” Connor adds.
“Really?” I inquire. “Huh….well I can’t see Sinatra as Harold Hill.”
“I said the same thing! Sure it’d be cool, but I don’t think Frank Sinatra can pull off a character like Harold Hill.”
“Oh absolutely not,” Pat adds. It gets quiet for a moment and we return our attention to the movie.
“Hey, where’s Loretta?” I ask Connor after five minutes of being quiet. “Isn’t she supposed to be here?”
“Yeah, she should have been here by now.” Both Pat and I look at Conner. He just shrugs his shoulders. He then reaches for his pocket to pull out his cell phone. He gives out a grunt after looking at the screen.
“She’s still at work. She had to cover for someone for a while,” he says annoyed. Pat and I give out a groan. “She should be here in half an hour.”
“She missed a good chunk of the movie.”
“Hey boys, I’m ordering some pizza,” Patrick's mom calls from the other room. “You boys want any toppings?”
“Sausage!” Connor and Pat shout simultaneously.
“What about you Nick?”...I don’t know why, but I could have sworn, when Pat’s mom said my name, she had Twilight’s voice for a second. “Nick,” Twilight's voice calls out again. “Nick.”
End Dream Sequence Ponyville, Equestria Saturday
“Nick, wake up sleepy head,” Twilight says, both chippy and lightly shaking me from my slumber.
“Uhh, five more minutes,” I grunt.
“I think you had plenty of sleep there pal. It’s 11:30 in the morning.”
“Oh come on that’s…..what time did you say it was?” I have to make sure Twilight said what I think she said.
“11:30.” OH CRAP!!
“I have to get ready!” I throw the covers off me and quickly get out of the bed.
“Ready for what?” Twilight asks confused. I run over to one of the bags of clothing and take off my shirt.
“I’m meeting up with Lyra and Bon Bon for lunch! And it’s almost lunchtime!” I rummage through the bag to find something good to wear. There’s the cross shirt, my red v neck, OH, let’s go with the “italian flag” outfit. I throw the white t-shirt and green short sleeved sweatshirt on. I’m hesitant to change my into my red shorts because Twilight is still here. I turn to look at her who is looking at me somewhat confused and lost.
“Twilight, can I have some privacy so I can finish getting changed?” She snaps out of some sort of trance the second I utter her name.
“Oh, sure!” She trots out of the room and magically closes the door behind her. Good, I can get changed without feeling watched. I don't mind taking off my shirt in front of others, but pants are a different story.
I take off my current shorts and put on the red cargos. Once they’re secure, I slip on the red, white and green basketball shoes. Man, this outfit is on point.
I jog out of the room and head into the bathroom, taking a quick look in the mirror. Clothing looks neat, I have my ring, watch and necklace on. I just need to comb my hair and brush my teeth quickly. I open one of the draws from the vanity and grab a comb. I turn the faucet on and put the comb under the running water for a couple of seconds. I bring the comb to my hair and let it run through my locks a few times. I pat my head once or twice to make sure my hair looks neat.
I grab some toothpaste and my toothbrush next. I squeeze the blue paste onto the bristles of the brush. I run the brush under the still running water for half a second. Oh hey! No toothpaste fell off the brush! I bring it up to my mouth and do the usual routine: get the back of my mouth, then front and back of the teeth to finish off. I do this for about two minutes and spit. I put my mouth under the running water to let some in. I swish the liquid around my mouth for a few seconds and spit that out. I look up and look at myself in the mirror. Hair looks good, clothing seems fine, nothing stuck in my teeth, everything seems okay. I don’t want too look ridiculous in front of Lyra and Bon Bon.
I jog downstairs and see Twilight who has a her face in a book. Nothing too different there. “Okay Twilight, I’m getting ready to go.”
“Before you leave,” Twilight says, “I have two things for you. One, take this.” She levitates a small brown sac to me. I take hold of it and feel something in there. I hear a little jingling in the sac too. It’s possibly something metallic. I open up the sac and see a small sum of bits inside.
“What’s this for?’ I ask.
“It to cover your tab.” Oh boy, she’s acting just like my mom. Whenever I go out to eat with my friends, she’ll always give me, like, ten or twenty bucks to pay for my portion of my meal, even if I have enough to pay for it myself. Then again, I don’t have a source of income here. So give out a light chuckle and grin at her.
“Thanks Twilight. And what’s the other thing you wanted to tell me?” She gives me a big grin and trots to me.
“It’s ready! I can send you home by tonight!”....is she serious? The spell enhancer is ready?!?! I can go home tonight?!?!
“I-It’s ready!?!?” I repeat to her, stuttering a little. “I-I can go home by tonight?!”
“Indeed. The solution just needs to settle. It’ll be ready by evening. Dusk at the earliest.” I don’t know what to say...this is amazing! My instincts are telling me to hug Twilight….and the next thing I know, I’m picking her up and giving her the tightest hug ever. I spin her around a little too. I’m so happy right now. I think there’s a tear in my eye. “I’m guessing you’re glad to hear that.”
“What gave it away?” I humorously say. This is incredible! I can go home tonight! I get to see my family and friends again. I know it wasn’t that long from seeing them, but knowing I get to see them after a while is an amazing feeling. I’m going home! “Thank you so much Twilight! You...you are truly amazing!”
“Aww, thanks Nick.” I place Twilight down and let her go. I can see she’s grinning. I guess my happiness is rubbing off on her. Or that she is happy to help someone in dire need. One or the other. “Okay, I’m holding you up, go see Lyra and Bon Bon and tell them I say hi.”
“Sure thing Twi. I’ll see ya when when I get back.” I quickly give her one more hug, then jog out the door, feeling like an almost free bird.
I reach Sugar Cube Corner in less than a minute. I stand about thirty feet from the entrance with my hands on my hips, eyeing up the establishment. I want to have a nice, good look at the store before I go home. Wait, maybe I don’t have too. After all, I am in a show’s world, I can just watch it on TV! I won’t exactly be seeing it in person, but I’ll still be seeing it regardless.
After twenty seconds of looking at Sugarcube Corner, I enter the establishment, looking (and smelling) the same as it did when Rainbow Dash showed me this place. I quickly find Lyra and Bon Bon at that little side table. Bon Bon has her back towards the entrance while Lyra is able to see me come in. She waves to me and Bon Bon turns around. “Hey girls,” I say, walking over to the table. I see an empty chair in between the two mares and point to it. “Saved me a seat?”
“Of course we did,” Lyra says. “Come sit down.”
“Thanks.” I take a seat in the empty chair and take quick glances at the two mares. Both smiling at me and me smiling back at them.
“You seem to be in a good mood,” Bon Bon says.
“How can you tell?”
“Well your grin is bigger than your face for starters.” Really? Is my grin that big now. Geez... “And we saw you ginning outside when you were looking at this place.” Must of saw me through a window.
“I think it’s obvious Bon Bon,” Lyra says. “The reason why Nick is in such a good mood is because he knew he was going to hang out with us today.” I chuckle a little at Lyra’s joke and Bon Bon gives out a light hearted chuckle. “That or something else.”
“Well, I did get some good news today,” I say.
“So, you're not in a good mood because you’re hanging out with us?” Lyra does a fake sad face, frowning, and flattening her ears. Aww...that’s actually kind of cute. I let out another chuckle and pet Lyra’s mane a little.
“Well I am happy to hang with you gals.” Lyra’s face does light up a little. Of course I’m just humoring her for her joke. “And, I found out I am able to return home today!” Two mare’s eyes go a little wide and their mouths open in surprise. I can tell it’s in the good way by just looking at them.
“Really? That’s great!” The two say simultaneously. They booth look at each other. “Jinx! Jinx again! Stop it….Stop repeating everything I say.” The two stop and squint at each other. Slowly, both of them say: “Mary had a little lamb, whose fleece was white as….PICKLED ONIONS!!” Lyra and Bon Bon both groan out of annoyance. Funnily enough, both groans lasted the same length and are in the same register. Okay, this silliness needs to stop.
“Alright girls, it's a draw.”
“But in seriousness, that’s great you're going home sooner than expected,” Lyra tells me. “And the best thing about it is that you're spending your last day in Equestria with us.” She just loves to joke about herself sometimes, doesn’t she? Heh, reminds me of me at times. Suddenly, I hear somepony’s tummy rumbling. I notice Lyra putting a hoof over her stomach.
“Someone’s hungry,” I say. “So, what are we havin’?”
“Take a look at the menu,” Bon Bon says. “We haven’t ordered yet.” It wasn’t until Bon Bon said the word “menu” that I realized that there were a few white and pink colored menus laying on the table. Seeing no reason not too, I grab one and look over what they have. I’m a little surprised that they have a little more than desserts. They have small sandwiches (on bread or bagel), teas, fresh fruit cups, fresh fruit salads and parfaits. What to choose, what to choose? I may need some recommendations.
“What do you guys suggest I should have?”
“I really like their fruit salads,” Lyra says. “Fruit is always freshly cut and prepared just right. They got some watermelon-” WATAMALON!! “-apples from Sweet Apple Acres, fresh grapes courtesy of Berry Punch-” Who now? “-strawberries, honeydew, and some other fruits that I can’t think of right now.” I should ask if there are any bananas in it. Can’t have those.
“Sounds good.” I turn my attention to the cream colored mare. “What about you Bon Bon? What do you recommend?”
“Just like Lyra, I really enjoy the fruit salad, but I like the parfaits the most. They let you choose the yogurt you want and whatever you want layered in it.” Sounds tempting. “I like the vanilla yogurt and have granola layered on the top and their succulent strawberries in the middle.” Mmm...tasty!
“Hi Bon Bon! Hi Lyra! Hi Nick!” A familiar, bubbly, high pitched voice says very quickly. I turn my head and see none other than Pinkie Pie. You know, I haven’t seen much of Pinkie Pie this week aside from Sunday and the couple of minutes I was in here with Rainbow Dash. I spent most of my time with Twilight, Applejack, Rarity and Dash. I haven’t seen too much of Fluttershy or Pinkie. Shame really. I’m leaving today and I didn’t connect much with Fluttershy or Pinkie. “I hope everyone’s doing super today! ‘Cause I am!”
“Well that’s always good to hear!” I say.
“We’re all doing ‘super’ today,” Bon Bon says. “I think everyone’s ready. You two are ready?” Lyra nods her head for her answer.
“I think I am,” I say.
“Well, what can I get ya! Whatever your hungry bellies crave, I shall provide!” she says that as if she is willing to honor a queen her service. What a silly pony she is.
“I’ll take the fruit salad,” Lyra orders.
“Parfait for me with vanilla yogurt, oats and strawberries,” Bon Bon says.
“I think I will have the fruit salad as well,” I say. “Tell me, are their any bananas in it?”
“Yes there are,” Pinkie answers. “Why?”
“I am slightly allergic to bananas. Could you hold the bananas on my fruit salad?”
“No problem. So that’s two fruit salads, one hold the bananas and one parfait with vanilla yogurt, granola and strawberries.” Wow, she didn’t even need to write any of that down. If it were me, I’d need a pen and and pad. “I’ll have all of that on your table in just a few moments.” She bounces back to the kitchen, sounding like a spring as she goes.
“You’re allergic to bananas?” Lyra asks me.
“Sort of. Most people when they have a certain food allergy, they can not touch that food or else they’ll get an allergic reaction. But with me, I can still touch it, but eating it makes the roof of my mouth very itchy.”
“That must be annoying.”
“Oh it is! But when I have banana yogurt or put bananas in my cereal, it doesn’t really affect me.”
“Huh...that’s weird.”
“I know right?”
“Here’s your orders!” Pinkie says trotting up to us with a tray of food in one hoof. She carefully and quickly puts each order in front of us, with the proper utensils to use. I gaze at my fruit salad looking at all the colorful and yummy fruits that are all different shapes and sizes.
“This looks great Pinkie, thank you.”
“You're welcome Nick. If you need anything, just call for me.” She bounces back to the counter and looks like she is surveying the contents inside the glass case. Probably seeing if everything is in order.
I take hold of the fork and jam it into a grape, a blueberry and a watermelon slice. All looking like a fruit kabob on a fork. I put the contents of the fork in my mouth and chew. The juices of each fruit combine in my mouth as it makes a flavor that is very sweet, but is also a little tart.
“Mmmmm,” I let out. “That is some real good stuff there.”
“I know right?” Lyra says. “One of my favorite combos: apples, grapes and strawberries on one fork.” She brings a forkful of that combination of fruit to her mouth, using her magic. She munches on it delightfully and sighs in content after swallowing.
Just looking at her after she swallows that combination of fruit is convincing enough for me to try. I use my fork to dig around for an apple, grape and a strawberry. I find a strawberry and a grape easily. The apple slices are a bit tricky to find. Jeez, I can't seem to find-wait….oh, they’re cubed apple slices! Interesting. I jab the apple cube with the fork, not it is on the end with the grape and strawberry behind it. I put the fruit pieces in my mouth and take in the flavor. It’s a bit more tart than the other combination, but still is good.
“Mmmm, tasty,” I say, with my mouth still slightly full of food. I take a swallow before I continue. “That’s a good one.” I turn my head to Bon Bon, who is using her hoof to use the spoon to eat the parfait (man that’s hard to say). Must be difficult to use your hooves to use utensils. The advantage to having hands...or if you're a unicorn, telekinesis.
“How’s the parfait?” I ask her.
“Delicious,” she says smiling. “The granola is lightly coated in honey which gives it that sweet taste, the yogurt is quite tasty and the strawberries just gives it that extra kick to make your taste buds dance.” This girl must love her parfaits.
“So Nick,” Lyra starts off, “tell me, what is your world like?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“I’m intrigued. See, I’m a little curious about humans and where they come from. I want to know what your world is like. Is it good, is it bad, is it a fiery inferno where only those of thick skin can survive in?” What? Is she serious on that last one? I look at Bon Bon and give her a look that says: “is this chick for real?” and she just shrugs.
“Well,” I begin, “it is not a fiery inferno. I say it’s a good place. It isn’t too different from here. I mean, we still have a sky with clouds, a sun and moon that both rise and set, plants to either eat from or for nice scenery, people living in towns and cities, big and small businesses, schools, the list goes on.”
“But is it a good place to live?” Uh oh, she wants details. Great.
“Well, it depends on where you live.”
“Okay, what about where you personally live? What’s that like?”
“It’s a nice little community. I have some great friends both in and out of there, rarely anything bad happens.”
”Bad like what?” Bon Bon asks.
“Robberies or uhh...something worse.”
“Ulg...I remember when Lyra and I took a trip to Fillydelphia and someone, while we were gone, tried to rob us of our couch. Of all things to rob, why a couch?”
“Jeez! Did you guys find the perps?”
“We did actually,” Lyra says. “Turns out it was a few young colts who lost a bet and were dared to do it. Bon Bon gave them a good scolding and had a nice, long talk to each of their parents. We only found out because we asked Derpy to watch our house while we were away and she arrived just in time to see the little guys leave through the door with the couch on their backs.” Derpy…why does that name sound familiar? Derpy, Derpy….ah ha! I know who that is! I see that blond haired pegasus with crossed eyes on the internet almost all the time!
“Thank goodness she was right there.”
“I know!?” Bon Bon says. “We would have been couchless if she wasn’t there. I paid over six-hundred bits for that thing!”
“Well, back to the original conversation, what else can you tell us about your world?” Lyra asks.
“Anything specific?”
“I have a few ideas.”
My conversation with Lyra and Bon Bon was very similar to the conversation I had with Princess Celestia the other day, except it was a little less political. She wanted to know more about culture, technology and a little bit of sociology. I told her that I am no expert on everything in the human world, but I told her whatever I knew. And during our conversation, I have noticed Pinke bolted out of the shop after Mrs. Cake came in with a slip of paper for her. She read it and next thing I saw was Pinkie sprinting out of Sugarcube Corner. Not sure what that was all about.
By this point, we have finished our lunches and I am quite satisfied with my fruit salad choice. “Was everything good you three?” Mrs. Cake asks, trotting up to us. She took over for PInkie after she left for whatever reason.
“It was great Mrs. Cake,” Lyra says. “Can we have our check please?”
“Absolutely.” She trots back to the counter to write up our bill.
“I can cover my own meal girls,” I say pulling out the bag of bits Twilight gave me.
“You sure?” Lyra asks me. “I was the one who offered for you to come, I should be-”
“Nope, I have it.” I smile at the teal unicorn to reassure her. Mrs. Cake has the bill griped in her teeth and she lays it down on the table. I look at the fruit salad price and its says it was only four bits. Reasonable. I open my bag of bits and put the appropriate amount on the table. Lyra and Bon Bon do the same. Mrs. Cake collects the bits and brings them to the cash register so she can put them in. I bring my attention back to the two mares sitting with me. “Listen, thank you girls so much for inviting me to have lunch with you two today.”
“Thanks for coming!” Lyra exclaims a little. “We’ve learned quite a bit about your home world and have enjoyed your company.”
“Want us to walk you back to the library?” Bon Bon asks. I don’t really need someone to escort me back to the library, but some company would be nice.
“Sure, why not?” I say getting up. The other two ponies hop out of their seats and take a few steps to get next to me. “Mrs. Cake, take care now.”
“Alright sweetheart, it was nice meeting you. Have a nice trip home,” she says. I shoot her a smile and walk out of the sugar house with Lyra and Bon Bon in tow. I take a step outside and take a nice deep breath of that Equestrian air. I exhale, feeling satisfied. I scan the town and see...no one.
“Hey, where is everyone?” There are literally no ponies out and about, aside from Lyra and Bon Bon. The two scan the town themselves, both looking surprised.
“I….don’t know,” Bon Bon says. “I wonder where everypony is?”
“Hello!” Lyra calls out. “Anypony around?” No response. Isn’t this how The Walking Dead started off? The city was quiet for a little bit, and the next thing Rick sees are walkers everywhere? Is that what I’m gonna’ see? Zombies?
“Let’s get to the library,” I say with a little uneasiness. The two nod and walk to the library. Fortunately it is only a short walk. We make it to the library in like, two minutes. The three of us step inside and...I can’t see anything. It’s dark. “That's weird, why are the lights out?” I mumble to myself. “Yo Twi, forget to pay the electric bill or something? Where it that light-”
“SURPRISE!!”
The lights flash on and the random, numerous voices startle the hell out of me. I look around and I see...looks like everyone who resides in Ponyville, including Applejack, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie. There are some balloons and streamers, hanging and floating around with some confetti littered on the floor. Everyone is smiling and looking happy. What is going on?
“What’s all this?” I ask.
“A PARTY!” Pinkie Pie shouts, bouncing up to me. “I never threw you a ‘Welcome to Equestria Party’, so I thought we should have a ‘Belated Welcome to Equestria Party, but also going away party’!”
“You said party twice.”
“You know I did! What do you think?” I take a look around again, seeing the decorations she set up, all of these ponies to bid me farewell, the food tables that I just took notice of look great, and doing all of this in a short time. I wonder if planning this party was on that paper Mrs. Cake gave Pinke. I look at the Pink earth pony again, who is giving me a HUGE smile. I can’t help but smile back at her. Before I can say anything, I give her a tight hug.
“It’s great PInkie! Thanks!” She and I let go of each other.
“Well, it was all Twilight's idea. I just put together everything else. It’s my specialty. ALRIGHT EVERYPONY, LET'S PARTY! DJ, SPIN THAT GOOD STUFF!” And within that moment, party music fills the room. Ponies are bopping or dancing to the music in that instant. I make my way to the punch bowl, I’m feeling a little thirsty. I grab a cup and the ladle in the bowl. I bring the ladle to the cup and pour the punch into the cup. I bring the cool liquid to my lips and take a sip. Mmm, tastes good to me.
“Good afternoon Nick,” I hear a posh voice, similar to Rarity’s, say. I turn to my left and see Octavia walking towards me. I couldn’t help but smile at the music mare.
“Hey Octavia! Doin’ alright?”
“Indeed I am. Excited to go home?”
“Oh absolutely. I will admit, I’m gonna miss this place.” I never thought I would say that about a cartoon world. “I met some awesome ponies here and I’m going to miss you guys.” Octavia blushes a little at my compliment.
“Oh, well, a lot of us are going to miss you. You were quite a guest to have in our town.”
“Funnily enough, I should be the one saying that,” Mayor Mare says walking up next to Octavia, smiling. “Nick, I must say, having you living in our town was a pleasure, like what Miss Octavia has said. On our behalf, we have a little, parting gift for you.”
“Oh mayor, you didn’t-” Mayor Mare stops me mid sentence by raising her hoof.
“I insist.” From seemingly nowhere, she pulls out a bag (cartoon logic) and pulls out something from it. It’s a hat! A white, snapback hat with black letters saying “Ponyville” on the forehead. “Just something to remind you of your time here.” She extends her hoof to give it to me. I grasp the hat into my free hand and look at it. I gingerly place it on my head. It’s a little big, so I take it off, adjust the size a little and place it back on my head. Perfect! “I say it looks good on you!”
“Thanks Mayor Mare, I appreciate the gift,” I say.
“You are quite welcome," she says appreciatively. "Well, I’m going to go mingle. If I don’t see you for the rest of the party, have a safe travel home.” The mayor trots off to some other part of the party to go talk to some other citizens.
“Well, I’m going to enjoy the rest of the party too,” Octavia says, trotting off. She stops for a second and turns her head to me. “Take care, you hear me?”
“Yes ma’am,” I say happily. She walks off to go talk to some other ponies. I take another sip of my punch, feeling happy that I was able to talk to them once more.
“Hey, haven’t been able to talk to you yet.” I see a light, lavender pegasus fly towards me and she’s next to a black, male pegasus with blue hair. “Cool to finally talk to you. I’m Cloud Kicker, and this is my pal, Thunderlane.”
“Sup bro,” the presumed Thunderlane extends his hoof. I comply by fist bumping it.
“Hey dude,” I say back. “So, if I may ask, how did you two learn about my glorious presence in Equestria?” The two snicker at my fake ego.
“We were on cloud duty with Rainbow Dash. Thunderlane and I were just doing our thing and Rainbow Dash tells us about this “awesome" new being in Ponyville and she told us how you two got to know each other Monday.” There is something from the show that I do know from just the small glimpses I took of it, and that was the pegasus ponies controlled the weather and that they can walk and sit on clouds, which is awesome. And I had no idea Rainbow Dash thought I was awesome, I mean, I know I’m awesome but it’s pretty awesome to have someone else call you awesome….I’m overusing awesome aren’t I?
“And for the rest of the week,” Thunderlane continues, “we’ve only been able to catch glimpses of ya. RD told us you were a pretty cool guy, would have been great if to hang out with ya.”
“Hey, the party’s still young,” I exclaim a little. “The purpose of a party is to hang out, so let's hang!” Cloud Kicker and Thunderlane both crack a smile. We walk off to another part of the library where chairs are set up and the three of us take a seat.
We just talked about ourselves, family, what we did, shared some funny stories, and all that good stuff. I made sure to tell them the story I told Rainbow Dash, the one where my friend rubbed his bare, hairy chest on me during play practice. Once in awhile, somepony would join with us for a little bit. I was also able to talk to Roseluck, Doc, Caramel, Berry Punch, Derpy, Carrot Top, the list goes on. Hell, I might have met almost everyone in Ponyville through the duration of the party.
By this point, it’s evening and the party is starting to end. Some of the party guests are starting to leave and are wishing me safe travels. Lily, Roseluck and Daisy even got me some parting flowers. Very nice of them to think of me. I made sure to thank them put those flowers in a safe place until it’s time for me to go home.
Right now, I’m helping Vinyl put away her equipment. “And you can just put those records in the sleeves,” she says. I grab one record off the turntable and read the label in the center.
“Sapphire Shores’ Greatest Hits,” I say, reading the label out loud. So that’s the name of this person, er, pony Vinyl was playing. She’s got some soul to her. Now she is like the Pony Beyonce….not as good but still VERY talented. “She’s got a heck of a voice.”
“I know right?!” Vinyl replies. “You know, Rarity is her designer.”
“Get out! No way?”
“Yep! She’s been her designer for I don’t know how long.” I had a feeling Rarity made a bit of a name for herself, but I had no idea she was able to make herself known to a pony superstar.
“That’s pretty cool.” I continue to put respectable records back into the sleeves. After I finish that, the crusaders are walking up to me, looking a little tired from the partying.
“Hey Nick,” Apple Bloom says. “Me and the Crusaders are gonna’ be heading home now.” She lets out a quick yawn. Bet she wants to go home and rest up from this party. “Listen, it was really great meetin ya’!”
“It was great meeting you too.”
“You have a safe trip back pal,” Scootaloo says. Before I knew it, the Crusaders are hugging my legs. I can’t help but bend down and give them a group hug.
“I’ll miss you guys.”
“We’ll miss you too,” Sweetie Belle says. “And, sorry about mistaking you for a monster when we first met.”
“Same here,” Apple Bloom adds.
“It’s alright girls,” I say, still holding on to them. “You’re reactions were pretty just. I’m not mad at ya.”
“Thanks for forgiving us.” I hold on for a few more moments. I want to remember this, holding these three adorable fillies for a heartfelt goodbye. After I feel like it’s been long enough, I let go and so do the crusaders. I hear some sniffling...is that Vinyl sniffling. I turn my head and see the blue-haired disk jockey holding a tissue to her eyes.
“Are you crying?” Is she seriously getting emotional seeing this?
“No!” she slightly shouts, defensively. “Something’s just in my eye.” If I had a nickel for every time I heard that, I would have enough to buy a mint 70s Malibu and and an Eldorado. I just simply roll my eyes. Sure, something’s in her eye. Anyway, I look back to the crusaders who are chucking a little. I guess they found the little scene amusing.
“Alright, we’re gonna get going. We’ll see you around,” Scootaloo says.
“Goodbye Crusaders.” The three turn around and exit the library, making sure to tell their sisters they are leaving. “Good luck on your future crusades,” I mumble. I turn back to the disk jockey and see that she is done packing up. “All done?”
“Yep! I should be good now. Hey man, it was cool getting to know you.” Vinyl extends her hoof outward to me. I bump my fist to her hoof.
“It was cool getting to know you too Vinyl. Need any more help?”
“Nope.” Her horn lights up with a light purple color and so does her equipment. Using her magic, she lifts up everything. “I got it.”
“Well… alright then! I guess it’s goodbye Vinyl.”
“I’ll be seeing you around dude. Take care of yourself.” With her equipment lifted by her magic, she exits the library. I scan the library and see that the only ones left in here are the Elements of Harmony, Spike and I. There is also nothing to clean. They must have cleared up everything when I was helping Vinyl pack up. I take a good look around the library. I want to make sure I have a one nice, long look at it. It’s pretty nutty to think that I spent the week in this library, in this town, in this world! I have made some awesome memories here and made some good friends too, even though they’re fictional.
“How are you feeling Nick?” A soft voice asks me. I look to my left and see Fluttershy with a smile on her face.
“I’m feeling alright Fluttershy,” I respond.
“Are you ready to see your friends and family again?”
“More than ready! I will be honest Fluttershy, I’m going to miss this place.”
“We’re going to miss you too.” Aww, that’s so sweet. “Do you think you would want to come back?”
“Well…” How should I answer this? “To be honest, I do like this place....how about this: If I had the option or opportunity to come back here for a few days, I’d take it. Sound good?”
“I like that.” I flash her a smile and she gives me a slightly bigger smile.
“Nick, it should be ready now!” Twilight says, trotting to me. “You ready?” I look at her, then Fluttershy, then the other ponies and Spike, all of whom are giving off wide grins. I grin back.
This is it. I’m going home today! I get to see my friends and family again. After six days of being stuck in the My Little Pony cartoon, I get to go back to the real world. I get to go back to my car and drive around in it, get to see my friends back at school, I’ll get back to my family, the many things I have been missing out on while I was stuck in cartoon land, I can come back to. Get ready earth, NickyD is coming home!
I’m making sure everything is set and ready to go. All the clothing Rarity made for me are in the bags she put them in. I made sure they were nice, tidy and folded. Hate for them to get all wrinkly. I slap my pockets to check and make sure I have everything I came here with: phone, wallet, keys. Yep, all are accounted for.
I brought the flowers that Roseluck, Lily and Daisy gave me up here too. I look at the beautiful bouquet that they made. Many flowers of many bright colors are in this “going away bouquet”. White tulips and red roses are accounted for, a few white-petaled daffodils are here, and a couple more flowers I can’t name off the top of my head right now. It was really sweet of them to think of me and give me flowers. But it’s a little weird because I didn’t even have one conversation with them, aside from me talking to Roseluck during the party with Cloud Kicker and Thunderlane. And yet they still give me flowers for a parting gift. It was really nice of them to do that.
Once everything seemed to be in order, I make my way to the door. I stop myself at the frame and take one, last look at the room I stayed in since Sunday. It was super nice of Twilight to accommodate me for these past several days. I don't think I can ever repay her for what she has done for me. I mean, all of this for some third world dude she doesn’t even know. I should make sure to mention that when I say my final goodbyes.
After my final look at the guest room, I head downstairs to the main library area, where Spike and the girls are just making some small talk.
“Hey guys,” I say, getting their attention. The seven of them look at me, all with grins on their faces.
“So, are you ready to go back?” Twilight asks me.
“I am. But first, I just have a couple of things to say.” I take a few steps closer to the group and put my belongings down. “You guys have been great to me. I’m not sure where I would have ended up or what I would have done if I didn’t stumble upon you guys. Applejack…” I direct my attention to her, “...we may have had a bit of a rocky start when we first met, but I’m glad we smoothed that out quickly.” She gives off a light chuckle of the memory of she and I first meeting. “I’m really glad I got to know you this past week and I am also glad I got to meet your family too. I’m gonna miss you.”
“Aww...come here sugar cube.” I take a couple steps towards her and she gives me a tight hug. I return it with the same amount of strength. She and I share a good, ten second embrace and we let go. I see her wipe a tear away from her eyes. I turn my attention to Rainbow Dash now.
“Dash, I have to say, are one awesome pony.”
“You know it,” she says. Oh how I’m gonna miss her cocky attitude.
“It was really cool hanging out with you, and being my coach the other day, I’m going to miss you.”
“I’m gonna miss you too.” She brings her hoof up to me and I fist bump it. I had a feeling she isn’t the type of pony get too emotional or affectionate. Understandable, she has a reputation to keep. I bring myself to Rarity now.
“Rarity, you have made clothing for me to cover myself when I only came here with one set. I offered to pay you back, but you thought nothing of it and didn’t ask for a single bit from me. I appreciate your generosity and I am glad I was an inspiration for your next fashion line.”
“Oh darling, you make me blush,” the fashionista says with blood rushing to her cheeks.
“I’m serious. Thank you so much.” I open up my arms to her and she complies by giving me a nice, tight hug. “I’ll forever be thankful.” Okay, a little over dramatic, but I’m serious, I am so thankful for what she has done.
Rarity and I stay hugging for a few moments and we let go. I go over to Fluttershy and Pinkie. “Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, I may have not spent much time with you guys, but I want to say that I did enjoy the little time we shared. I especially want to thank you Pinkie for helping Twilight, getting that whole party together. You can throw one heck of a party.”
“Pinkie’s the name, partying is my game!” she says. I chuckle at her happy and bubbly attitude and then bring my direct attention to Fluttershy.
“Like what I said, we may not have spent much time together, but I am glad I was able to spend some time with you. You two rock.” I give Fluttershy and Pinkie a hug at the same time and they hug back. I like group hugs. Just like Rarity and Applejack, I hold on for a little while until I let go. Then I come to the baby dragon, Spike. “And then there’s you. The one who woke me up from my best night’s slumber.”
“Still laughing at that buddy,” Spike says, giggling like a schoolgirl.
“I’ll admit, it’s still humorous. I have to say, meeting you was pretty cool. Putt’er there pal.” I put my hand down for a low five. Using his claw, he slaps it and and smiles. Now the final pony: Twilight. “Twi, I just want to say how thankful I am. If I didn’t come across you at Applejack’s farm, I don’t know where I would have ended up. You have given me food to eat, a roof over my head, and most of all, you have become a great friend to me. And you offered it all to some guy you didn’t even know. I’ll forever be in your debt. Come here you.” I walk up to her and give her the tightest hug I could muster and she hugs me back with an equal amount of strength..
“You are very welcome Nick,” she says. “It was so great getting to know you.”
“Right back at you Twilight. Hey, can you make sure I send my best wishes to the princesses and Shining Armor?”
“Will do.” She and I stay hugging for a few more moments. After I feel like I have hugged her long enough, I let go. Take another look at the six ponies and the baby dragon. This is it. This is my last moment I will be sharing with them. It’s finally time to go-
“Are you forgetting someone?” a familiar and glib voice says from seemingly nowhere.
“Oh lord,” I mumble. I remember that voice. With a quick, white flash brightening up a small area in the room, the ever so chaotic Discord appears. Why is he here?
“I have heard that this young lad is heading home and I just want to wish him safe travels and my best wishes.”
“Well...thanks,” I say uneasy. Not sure if I should be happy to see this guy or not. “Let me guess, Fluttershy told you I was leaving today?”
“Very good young lad! You guessed right!” Just like Gatsby calling Nick, from the book, “old sport”, he calls me “young lad”. I guess it does have a bit of ring to it, recalling my first encounter with the Master of Chaos. “I want us meeting with each other to still be fresh in your mind.” I have been sent to a world where everyone thought it was some fictional universe. I can bet my car that everything I have done in this world will stay fresh in my mind for the rest of my life. “And for you to keep that reminder,” from seemingly nowhere (that darn cartoon logic again) Discord pulls out a Polaroid camera, “we should take one big group photo.” The room is silent, everyone (except Discord) is exchanging glances. Ah, what the hell, he seems pretty serious about it.
“Okay, sure.” I look at everypony else, to see what their responses would be.
“Ah what the hay,” Applejack says. “I’m in.”
“Me too!” Pinkie and Rainbow Dash say. Everyone else also gives their vocal approval. I get on a knee while Applejack and Twilight are next to me (Applejack on the right, Twilight on my left). Pinkie is and Rarity are on Applejack’s side while Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are on the other. Spike stands on Fluttershy’s back and Discord is behind us all. To make it look more friendly, I put one arm around AJ’s neck and the other around Twilight’s. I even notice Discord putting his claw/paws on the ends of the line. One big happy group is what we are.
“So who’s going to take the picture?” I ask.
“I got it,” Rarity says. Using her magic, she levitates the camera, having the lens face us.
“That’ll work.” I make sure to look directly at the camera and smile. Have to look nice for the camera.
“Alright everyone,” Discord says, “big smiles, happy smiles! On three, everyone say ‘human’ okay? One...two...three…”
“Human!” We all say. With a clicking sound, the camera flashes and blinds me for just a second. I rub my eyes really quick, I’m seeing some spots. That’ll go away soon. Usually does.
“Let’s see how it looks. May I take the camera back Miss Rarity?” Rarity gives her approval by nodding. Discord grabs the camera and the photo prints out the second he takes hold of it. He pinches the photo and gives it a few shakes, so the picture can fully develop. After a few moments and a few shakes, he shows us the picture. All of us close together as friends, I love it.
“It looks great,” I say.
“Here, ” Discord says, giving me the picture. “As a little reminder of your stay here. Consider it my parting gift.” I look at his paw that holds the picture. I take the picture, expecting something to happen. Knowing this guy, you should expect the unexpected. I pinch the picture in my fingers and...nothing happens. That’s a relief. “Well, I should be heading off. I don't wish to hold you up on your return home. Have a safe trip home my young lad.”
“Thanks Discord, and thanks for letting me keep the picture.”
“No problem at all...hmm…” he puts a claw to his chin. What is he scheming? “I have an idea!” He snaps his paw and within that moment, many copies of the photograph are made, one for everyone. “Now all of us can properly remember you.” All of us exchange happy smiles.
“I’ll make sure to get a nice frame for this,” Twilight says, levitating her picture and putting it on a library table..
“Alrighty now, I really should be going. I don't wish to keep you here any longer now. Ta ta my young lad.” With another snap of his lion paw, he vanishes in a flash. Goodbye Discord.
“Well, I guess it was kind of nice for him to stop by,” I say.
“He’s right about one thing,” Twi says, “and that is we’re holding you up on getting you back home. Spike, go get me the enhancer.”
“Coming right up,” the purple drake responds. He runs off the the kitchen and comes back in a few moments with the enhancer. It looks like a purple liquid and it is being held in a glass jar.
“We had to make sure it stayed at a cool temperature.” Twilight levitates the jar from Spike’s claws and carefully examines it. She makes sure to get a good look at it from every angle she could get. “Alright, it looks good.” That’s good to hear. “You all set Nick?” I make sure to take hold of my bags and flowers again.
“I am now.”
“Alright. Here’s what’s going to happen: I need you to close your eyes and focus on where you want to go. It’s very simple, but very crucial. Do you have your destination in mind?’
“I got it,” I reply back. I already know where I want to end up. On the front lawn of my house back in New Jersey. Back in that small and great community where my great family is. I have it practically burned in my memory.
Twilight dips her horn into the jar, covering her horn with the the concoction. She pulls it out and her horn glistens a little in the room’s light. She gives me one more look. “Ready?” she asks. I nod and close my eyes.
“Goodbye,” I say under my breath. I can hear her charging the spell and feel a sense of warmth engulf me. It must be working! I keep the image of my house burned under my eyelids. “My home back in Jersey, my home back in Jersey, my home back in Jersey,” I repeat to myself in my mind. I hear a loud pop and a sound similar to electric bolts; simultaneously is how i hear it.
Did it work? Did the enhancer pay off? Am I on my front lawn? I made sure I kept that image focused in my mind. The suspense is killing me, I need to know!
Slowly and carefully, I open one of my eyes, and then the other. I see...
...I’m still in the library?... What?... This doesn’t make sense, why am I still here? Twilight said the enhancer would work, I had where I wanted to go practically implanted in the back of my eyelids and burned in my mind. So why didn’t it work?
“What?” Twilight blurts out of complete shock. Everyone else shares the same surprised look. “This...this can’t be.”
“Try the spell again,” I quickly suggest. “Maybe I need to focus harder.”
“Uhh... okay. Remember, concentrate.” I close my eyes again and try to focus harder. I hear Twilight charging the spell and unleashing it. I open my eyes again. Nothing. What’s going on? “I don’t get it, I followed the instructions to a T, shy isn’t it working?... Spike, get me the book.” Without having to be told twice, the purple dragon heads over to one of the book shelves and grabs the spell book Twilight has been referencing. She levitates the book from Spike’s claws and vigorously flips through the pages to find the enhancer directions. “Here it is.” She stops flipping through the book and puts her hoof on the page. I see her eyes skimming across the paper, mumbling the words on it.
“Anything?” I ask.
“I followed each and every step here. I don’t see-” she stops herself mid sentence, her face going wide and pale. “No… no…. no no no no no NO! How did I miss this?”
“What’s wrong?”
“I missed this side note on the page.” WHAT!?!? SHE MISSED WHAT!?!?
“What’s it say?” I have to know what she missed.
“It says here that a solar eclipse has to occur. This allows universal transportation. When the moon and sun are aligned, it allows the item or one in question to be slingshot to set destination through space. The eclipse also has to follow the lunar and solar calendar.” Really, that’s it?
“Okay, then we can wait until the next solar eclipse occurs. Right?” Those are pretty rare, but not super rare.
Wobbly, Twilight shakes her head for her response. Oh no…
“Solar eclipses happen only once every five hundred years.”
“Once in five hundred- okay hang on a second. I was brought here because of the same spell, but it was combined with a weather spell because that spell became too much to handle.” Twilight nods. “Then you sent the storm to my world using the teleportation spell on Sunday.” Twilight nods again, but then her faces shows surprisement, as if she remembered something important.
“That was when the last solar eclipse was!” ...Are you kidding?
“Did you even notice the side note then?!” The purple unicorn is starting to cower a little. She’s starting to tremble like a leaf and takes a step back.
“N..n-no, I didn’t. I..I guess I l-lucked out there.” I need to see if I have this whole situation correct.
“Okay, so because something was overlooked, the teleportation spell won’t be able to work.” Nervousness is starting to build up in me, I can feel it. “And the next solar eclipse won’t happen for the next five hundred years.” Twilight nods for her response. I see her eyes starting to water. This, is not looking good. “So what you're saying is...that I’m stuck here in Equestria...for the rest of my life?” My nervousness is causing me to breath heavily and make my head feel a little light.
“Nick...I-I’m...I’m sorry...I-I-I’m so sorry,” is all a Twilight could say with a cracked voice. I can’t believe it. This can’t be. This can’t be happening! I have to be dreaming. I’d pinch myself but my body has gone numb and I can’t move it. I can however feel something cold and moist on my forehead and palms. Is it sweat? I think it is.
I see everything starting to look like it has a pale tint to it. It's like everything is a shade lighter than it was earlier. Everything is spinning too. It’s like the ground is going in circles around me and I’m having trouble staying on my feet. The dizziness gets to me and I collapse onto my hands and knees. My breathing starts to get heavier now. Actually no, it’s getting harder to breath. It’s like my windpipe is closing. Every breath I take, it gets harder to breathe. I clasp a hand to my throat, I feel like I’m being choked. Everything is starting to get a bit fuzzy, my vision is starting to go. I can barely see two sets of orange and yellow hooves approach me.
“Wuuu alwwww sugaww cuww,” I hear. It sounds like Applejack’s voice, but it all muffled, slowed down and sounding like some slurred gibberish. I can’t tell if it’s her or not.
I’m not feeling too well, I need some air. I have to get up. I bring one knee forward and put a hand on it. I prop myself up, but I still feel off balance.
“I-I-I…” I sputter out. “I need some air.” Frantically, I make my way to the front door. I open it, take some steps outside and close the door, fast. The fresh air feels better, but not by much. I feel the strength in my legs start to go again. I let my backside fall against the bark of the tree and I slide down. I sit with my knees propped up. I lean my head back against the bark, and my breathing is slowing down a bit. I bring my hands to my face and cover it. “...F..f##k,” I utter quietly.
Back Inside
The group of seven have all witnessed the same thing: their human friend receiving the news that he won’t be able to go home. He was having a breakdown and had to go outside to get some air. All seven of them are looking at the door, all of them sharing a similar look of worry for their human friend.
“It’s my fault,” Twilight utters. Her eyes are starting to water more than they were a short while ago.
“Twilight-” Spike says in a comforting tone, but Twilight doesn’t let him finish.
“I brought him here by mistake and now he’s stuck in this world for the rest of his life! All because of me!” The tears in her eyes stream down her cheeks and she is starting to sob. “It’s all my fault, and Nick probably hates me! I ruined his life!”
“Twilight…” Spike trails off. Before he could even say anything else, Twilight runs up the stairs of the library without another word. The sound of a door being slammed shut can be heard from the the main room. The rest of the group share looks of worry and concern for not just their human friend, but for Twilight too. They are silent for a few more moments.
“What should we do?” Fluttershy asks to the group. Applejack takes a look at each one of her friends, then the main entrance door of the library, and then the stairs that go to the second floor. She closes her eyes, lowers her head and sighs. She opens her eyes back up.
“I’m gonna talk to Nick and see if he’s alright,” Applejack says. “Spike, can you and Fluttershy try to talk to Twilight?” The two nod for their response. “I guess the rest of you should just clean up here and just be here to support Nick, if or when comes in.” The other ponies nod too. Applejack trots to the door. Before she opens it, she takes a deep breath to ready herself. After doing so, she steps outside.
Back Outside
I can’t believe this is f##king happening. I’m stuck in the My Little Pony world for the rest of my God d##m life. I can’t go home. I can’t see my friends or family again, I won’t be able to graduate high school and go to college, I won’t be able to see Italy or Ireland ever, I won’t be able to get a girlfriend or get married, I won’t be able to achieve my dream of performing in front of thousands, I won’t be able to see the Eagles win a Superbowl or see the Phillies win the World Series again! The opportunity to see or do any of those things, or do anything else back on Earth have been taken away from me. F##k.
I am still sitting against the tree, my knees still up and my elbows are resting on them. I keep running my hands through my hair, just trying to cope with this unbelievable reality. This feeling leaves a rock in the pit of my stomach and makes my eyes sting a little. I’m doing my best to not cry. I know it's not healthy, but I can’t show weakness. Not here.
Why did I not prepare myself for this? Why wasn’t there any foresight to this? Why was...hang on a second…
"By the end of your stay in Equestria, your greatest fear will be in your presence for the rest of your life," Princess Luna’s voice echos in my head. Is this what she was talking about? Is this what she was keeping a secret from me? Being stuck in Equestria? Come to think of it, did Princess Celestia give out any hints either?
“Doesn't it also require...oh never mind, I’m thinking of a different spell.” Hmm, maybe she wasn’t thinking of a different spell. Did those two know I would be stuck here the whole time? No, they wouldn’t do that. Would they? Would they purposely hide information from me? Or Twilight for that matter?
As I continue to try to deal with the news, I hear the library door open and close, then the clip clop of hooves approach me. I just keep my head down, I don’t bother to look at who it is, but I can see a bit of orange out of the corner of my eye. It’s probably Applejack. I don’t say anything.
I hear her hooves stop and I assume she sits next to me. I hear her let out a sigh. “You doin’ alright sugarcube?” Applejack asks. I can hear the worry and concern in her voice. I take a breath before I can answer.
“I don’t know Applejack,” I say a bit somberly. “I mean...ullghh…” I rub my brows with my index fingers. “It sucks. I thought I’d be going home. I thought I would be able to go back to my friends and family, I thought I could follow through my ambitions back home, but now...I can’t.” I can feel my lip quiver and more water is starting to well up in my eyes. Just verbally saying that sentence emotionally hurts. It’s like stabbing yourself through the heart. “And I didn't even say goodbye to anyone…” That sudden realization hits me like a ton of bricks, plus the stab. The water welling up in my eyes starts to slowly roll down my cheeks. I begin to sob as I put my hands on my face. “O-o-oh God why?!” I continue to sob. Why am I being like this? I shouldn’t be all ‘woe is me’, but I can’t help it. The reality of not being able to go home and being possibly eons away from it puts a huge emotional toll on you. “I’m only seventeen for God’s sake! I can’t be on my own yet...I...I…” I can’t seem to form any more words. This state of mind has put me in such a state of sadness, I can't seem to complete a sentence.
Before I knew it, I feel something embrace me. I move my hands away from my face and see Applejack giving me a tight hug. Her face is buried into my shoulder, I can tell she’s letting out a few tears because they’re bleeding through my shirt. “I’m so sorry that this is happenin’ Nick. I can’t imagine what your going through. All I can say is how sorry I am.” Huh?
“Why are you being sorry? It’s not your fault.” The orange earth pony lifts her head from my shoulder and looks at me. I see the streams of tears on her face. I wrap my arms around her and return the hug she still has me in.
“Aren’t you mad though?” I let out another sigh.
“I am mad, but it’s at the situation that I’ve been thrown into. I'm just mad about that."
“So you’re not mad at Twilight?”
“Wha-no! I’m not mad at Twilight.” Applejack’s reaction is one of surprise.
“You’re not? Even after all of what's happened?”
“Applejack, Twilight made a mistake. That’s it, a mistake. I shouldn’t hold that against her. Like what I said, I am mad but it’s not at her, it’s at my situation. Why would you think I’m mad her?”
“Well...after you ran out here, Twilight got the idea that you hated her and that she ruined your life.”
“What?... oh no…” I trail off. Now I feel a little guilty. Twilight is upset because of me. “Is she still inside?”
“Yeah, but she’s locked herself in her room. I’ve asked Spike and Fluttershy to see if they can try to talk to her.”
“Did she come out?”
“Don’t know, I asked them to talk to her right before I came out here.” I take a moment to take that in: Twilight is upset because she feels all of this is her fault. I have to make this right.
“I’m going to talk to her. If Spike and Fluttershy can’t get her to talk, I probably could.”
“You think you can?” I give her a nod.
“Let me go and I’ll see.” Applejack looks at me for a few moments before nodding. She lets go of her embrace of me and I stand up, feeling the strength and balance return to my legs. I re-enter the library with Applejack in tow. I see everyone look at me the second I open the door. Everyone is present, except for Spike, Fluttershy and Twilight. All the ponies who currently occupy the room share a look of pity on faces. I give them a somber nod. Pinkie rushes up to me and tightly gives me a hug while she buries her face into my stomach. I hug her back.
“You alright Nick?” she asks, her voice muffled by my stomach.
“I guess...I just want to talk to Twilight.”
“Spike and Fluttershy have been trying to talk to her for the past few minutes,” Rarity says. “They’ve unfortunately been fruitless in their attempt.”
“I’m gonna try to talk to her. Pinkie, can you let go?” Pinkie promptly does so and looks up at me and I give her an assuring nod. I go to the steps and walk up, hearing Spike’s and Fluttershy’s voices get closer. The tone in their voices are of begging someone to come out. By the time I make it to the top, I see Spike and Fluttershy in front of Twilight’s door.
“We just want to talk Twilight,” Spike says. “Please come out.”
“Just go away,” I hear Twilight say behind her door. “I want to be alone.” I can hear the sadness and shame in her voice. It even sounds like she’s crying. Man, she must be real broken up about this.
“Twilight please,” Fluttershy begs. I put a hand on Fluttershy’s shoulder and she turns her head to me.
“I got this,” I mouth to her. I twitch my head a little to the right, telling them they should go downstairs. She and Spike look at each other and nod. They back away and head downstairs. I step to the door, bring my knuckles to the wood and give it a few light taps.
“I said go away,” Twilight exclaims. I can still hear the shame and somberness, but there’s a hint of anger or frustration mixed in it too. Damn, she must really feel bad.
“Twilight it’s me,” I say. “Look… Applejack told me how upset your are and how you think you ruined everything. I’m not mad at you Twilight, please understand that. Please understand that I don’t hate you. You made a mistake, alright? We all make them. Please for the love of God open the door.” I can feel the tears starting to come back. They’re blurring my eyes a little. “I can’t stand to see you upset. I don’t hold it against you Twilight, I honestly don’t. Please open the door.” I place the pinkie side of my fist to the door and lightly thud my forehead against the wood. “Please…” I just need to see Twilight. She has to know I’m not mad at her.
I hear a latch click on the other side of the door. She’s opening up!
The door opens with a slow creaking noise and Twilight is only a couple of inches away from the frame. I see the stream of tears on her cheeks and her eyes look a little red. She must have been crying a lot. I get on my knees and keep my back erect while I open up my arms to her.
“Come here,” I say quietly. Twilight takes a few steps towards me, still looking sad, but also confused and uneasy. She stops just inches in front of me and looks at me dead in the eyes. “Come on,” I say a little more quietly. She rears up and wraps her forelegs around my torso, placing her chin on my shoulder. I wrap my arms around her. One hand on her back and the other on the back of her head. I rub her back slowly, trying to comfort her.
“I’m so, so sorry Nick,” she says, sobbing. “I-I-”
“Shhh...It’s alright.” More tears are streaming from my eyes and they fall onto her shoulder. “I can’t bear to see you like this. Please just stop blaming yourself.”
“But I brought you here-”
“By accident.”
“And I overlooked a crucial step in the spell to send you back.”
“Which was just a mistake, we all make them. Look, you tried, I know you did. You did your best.”
“But that wasn’t good enough.”
“Stop it!” I move my chin from her shoulder and look her directly in the eye. Her purple irises are looking a little glassy. I can almost see my reflection in her eyes. “Look Twilight, even though you couldn’t bring me home, you tried your best and you looked out for me. You gave me a roof over my head, a bed to sleep in, and friends to have during my time here. You have helped me out so much. How can I hold resent towards someone who's helped me?” Quiet. That’s all Twilight is. She must have listened to every word I said. At least I hope she did.
“So...you don’t hate me? You’re not mad?” All do is shake my head.
“No...I don’t hate you and I’m not mad at you. The only thing I am mad at is the situation.” Twilight moves her eyes to the floor.
“I still feel guilty.” Hearing her speak lowly of herself feels like a dagger being driven through my gut. It hurts. I place my finger on her chin and I lift her head to me so we can have eye contact again. But she just moves her irises to the lower right corners of her eyes.
“Look at me,” I say quietly. She does. I flash a weak, but hopefully reassuring, smile to her. Twilight embraces me once more and I promptly return it. I should be saying some more encouraging things to her. “Listen Twilight, you have to forgive yourself. You’re letting one mistake ruin you. Like what I said, I am not holding anything against you.” I move my head so I can look at her again. She looks back down at the floor, then back to me. She flashes a weak smile herself. It’s a start. “There we go.” I put my head on top of her mane and rustle it a little. “Let's head back downstairs and let the others know everything’s alright, okay?”
“Okay,” she responds. Good, she’s willing to see everyone else. I stand back up and face the stairs. I turn my head to get another glimpse of Twilight. She still has a weak smile on her face, but its assurance enough for me.
After everything has settled down, everyone heads home… well, almost everyone can go home. Applejack is trotting back to Sweet Apple Acres with her head hanging a little low. With all that has transpired minutes ago, the only emotion running through her is pity for her human friend. She’s glad she tried to comfort him, but she can’t help but feel bad for him. The poor guy has been torn away from everything he's loved and was in total bliss to it for the entire week.
She can’t help but imagine what it would be like to be in Nick’s horseshoes… well, just shoes for that matter. Not being able to return home where your family and friends are. Just the very thought of her being separated from Apple Bloom, Big Mac or Granny Smith is scary. Heck, the thought has never crossed her mind until today. She’d hate to be separated from her family or friends for the rest of her life.
Applejack makes it to the door of her home and enters the abode. She closes the door behind her with one of her hind legs and takes a few steps to the center of the living room. She lets out a sigh and continues to walk through the room. Applejack takes notice that her sister is sitting by a window looking up at the night sky. A beautiful night it is no doubt. The moon is in full glow, stars are shining bright, the temperature outside was perfect, it seems like it’s the ideal spring night.
“Whatcha’ still doin’ up sugarcube?” Applejack asks, walking to her sister and sitting next to her.
“Just thinking. Nick is probably floating around up there somewhere,” Apple Bloom says. So she’s thinking of Nick too.
“Yeah, about that…” Apple Bloom turns her head to face her sister with those young innocent eyes of hers. “Uh… Apple Bloom, Nick can’t return to his home world. He’s stuck here.” Apple Bloom lets those words sink in.
“He’s stuck here?” Apple Bloom thought. “But, didn’t Twilight-”
“She thought she had it, but something was overlooked. Because of that, Nick can’t go home.”
“Oh… wow…” Apple Bloom says with the tone of disbelief. “He can’t go back to his family?” Applejack just shakes her head for her response. Hearing what Apple Bloom just said emotionally hurts. No one should be deprived of seeing their family, but Nick unfortunately is living in that reality.
“He can’t go back to them.” In one quick motion, Apple Bloom wraps her forelegs around her sister and buries her head into Applejack’s chest. Applejack is, at first, taken by surprise, but quickly returns the hug and nuzzles her nose on top of Apple Bloom’s head. “You know, it kind of shows how lucky we are.”
“We are?”
“Mmm hmm. The poor feller can’t see them again, but we can always see each other.”
“...” Apple Bloom never realized how lucky she is, now that Applejack says it. She is always with her family and friends who sees her every day. Nick on the other hoof, can’t anymore. She wonders if there is anypony else in Equestria going through what Nick is. “What do you think we should do?”
“I think the best thing we can do, Apple Bloom, is just be there for him, if or when he needs us. If he needs to talk to someone, we’ll lend an ear, if he needs a shoulder to cry on, we’ll be there, you get what I’m sayin’ sugar?”
“Yes Applejack.” Apple Bloom nuzzles the top of her head to Applejack’s chin and Applejack tightens her embrace of her sister, wishing she could just stay like this for the rest of her life.
With Rarity
Very quietly, Rarity enters her home and shop. She doesn’t want to make a sound, knowing Sweetie Belle is asleep. Just to make sure, she trots up the stairs to Sweetie Belle’s room. She gingerly opens the door and sees her younger sister, fast asleep in her bed. She looks content as she sleeps, dreaming pleasant dreams no doubt.
Knowing her sister is out like a light, she closes her door as quietly as possible and walks back down stairs. Rarity isn’t ready to go to sleep yet, too much is on her mind. What’s going to happen with NIck? Will he be okay? How will he manage here? All of these questions are purging her mind. She wants to do something, but she just doesn’t know what.
Rarity can not imagine what it would be like to be in her human friend’s place. Finding out you can’t go back to the home you love is probably one of the worst things to happen to someone.
She is pacing around her work quarters, just thinking on what to do, when something catches her eye. That something is just some loose fabric laying around on the ground. Next to the loose fabric is a spool of thread, layered down to the last bit. That very fabric and spool were used to make Nick’s first outfit the other day.
“Wait a second,” Rarity mumbles. Outfits… “Idea!” Rarity knows how she can help out Nick! Not only that, maybe she can do more for him. “Where did I keep that note pad?” She trots to her desk and opens the top drawer, the notepad being the first thing she sees. She levitates the note pad and flips through it to find her human friend’s measurements. She reads over them a few times. Satisfied with knowing what to do, she says, “Alright Rarity, lets make some magic!”
Later that night with Nick
I slowly open my eyes, vision a little fuzzy. By the time my eyes become clear, I just see white. Wait a second… white! Frantically, I get to my feet and look down at my clothing. It’s all black. Black clothing, white all around me, last time there was all of this, I was with Princess Luna. Is she here? She has to be.
“Princess Luna!” I call out into the white limbo. “Are you here? Hello!” I have some questions for the Princess of the Night. “I know you’re here Princess. I need to talk to you.” I hear the clip clop of hooves in the distance. I turn around and see the night princess approach me. When she gets closer, I see she has a face of pity and sadness. A little regret to, I can tell. “Did you know?” I ask her. A simple nod is her response. She did know! “Why didn’t you tell me? Why keep it a secret?” I say with venom at the tip of my tongue.
“Would you rather know right from the start, or stay in bliss for a week?” she asks.
“I would have preferred it if you were honest and upfront with me.”
“And I was. I told you you’re greatest fear would become a reality by the end of your stay in Equestria.”
“... Guess I didn’t realize my greatest fear would be being separated from my family and friends.” I pause and look down at the floor, keeping an expressionless face.
“How are you handling the news?” I look up and stare into her light blue eyes.
“To be honest, it sucks Luna. I mean, I’ve been torn away from everything I loved. I don’t know what’s going on back home, I can’t do the things I always wanted to do back there, I don’t know how everyone else is holding up, I just…” I can’t finish my sentence. I don’t know what else to say really. All I do is just run my hands through my hair, frustrated.
“I can help fix that.” My gaze returns to Luna.
“What, am I like some sort of beacon or link to my world that allows you to see what’s going on?” I ask sarcastically.
“Actually, yes.” Wait what? “We couldn’t quite figure it out, but your presence in Equestria allows me and my sister to look into your world. Strange anomaly really.”
“Wait wait wait wait wait, so you and Princess Celestia can see what is going on in my world?”
“Indeed. I’ll demonstrate.” Her horn lights up with a blue aurora and a bright flash appears, blinding me.
In mere seconds, I hear cheering. Lots of it. I open my eyes and look down to see I am on top of a green wall both tall and wide. People are on my right and left, overlooking something. I take a look at the direction most of these people are facing, only to see I am overlooking a baseball diamond. I see a guy running towards second base and sliding into it. The second baseman tags the guy with the ball in his glove, but the umpire calls it safe, causing the crowd around me to cheer. I squint my eyes to see who’s on second. the jersey says…
“Victorino?” I recognize him!! He used to be on the Phillies! Now he’s on the Red... Soxs. Wait a second, Shane Victorino is here, me and Princess Luna are overlooking a baseball field on top of a tall and wide wall that's green. “This is Fenway Park. Are we in Boston?” I ask.
“Yes we are. What you and I are seeing are visions of what is currently going on in your home world.” This is amazing!! I can’t believe it! As I am enticed in this amazing thing, some dude walks through me. I mean, kind of like how Moaning Myrtle is able to pass through Harry Potter. Trippy.
“So, they can’t see us?” I ask, padding my my body, making sure I was still intact. Luna shakes her head.
“We are merely observers.” Okay. So it’s not exactly like coming back home, but I have to say, it’s still pretty cool.
“Hey Luna, how did you know this was Boston?” I asked her if we’re in Boston and she knew we were. How, is what I want to know.
“Well, I have done some research on you humans by watching your world. I have visited your schools and universities and sat in at lectures and lessons . I also picked up a lot from just listening to your species. I have to say, you humans are very interesting and can be very complex.” Huh.
“Really?” I kind of want to test her. I want to see how much she’s picked up. “Okay Princess Luna, name a Running Back for the Philadelphia Eagles.”
“Darren Sproles.” Okay.
“Who was the United States President from 1960 to 1963?”
“John F. Kennedy.”
“Who were the Axis Powers during World War Two?”
“The main Axis Powers were: Italy, Germany and Japan.” Looks like she has been doing her research.
“Who is the current leader of Russia?”
“Vladimir Putin.”
“Hmm… Okay, I’ll take your word for it.” I wonder, how much did she learn? I mean, those were questions that were just out of the blue and she answered them without hesitation. She must know plenty. Wait, does that mean…
“I want to ask you Nick, is my world entirely fictional in your world?” Uh oh…
“Umm…” S##t.
“So I guess I wasn’t the only one holding information.” Touche Luna, touche. “Upon doing research of your world, I have noticed there are these moving picture programs and it seems that our world is one of them. It has quite a… fanbase as you call it.” So she didn’t just find the show, she found the bronies too. Oh boy, this will be fun.
“Yeah. You guys are fictional characters on a TV show. No one knows you actually exist. But the reason why I held that information is because I don’t know how everyone else will react. I mean, it’s kind of like prying into people’s personal lives, you know? If it was a fan in my place, he would know something Fluttershy, or somepony else, did on the show. It’s a little weird.”
“I understand. Only Princess Celestia and I are aware of these moving picture shows and the somewhat odd fan base around it.” Understatement of the year. “This information must stay between you, me and my sister. Like what you said, who knows how everypony would react if they learned that their lives were some source of fiction. Kapish?” She picked up on some lingo too, that's kind of cool.
“Kapish,” I respond. She’s taking it rather well.
“Good.” Both Luna and I return our gazes to the ball game. It’s been awhile since I’ve been to Citizens Bank Park to see a Phillies game. The times I saw them they lost, but I still had a good time. I remember my dad taking me to a game when I turned fourteen. I forget who they were playing, but it was bucket hat day and I got a Phillies bucket hat for free. Good memories.
I feel worse now. Thinking about my dad and family again. How I may never have time with them again. I wonder how they’re holding up. Wait…
“Hey, Luna?”
“Yes?” she responds, looking at me.
“Is it at all possible for me to see how my family’s holding up?”
“I can take care of that.” Her horn lights up again and bright flash blinds me. Taking only a few seconds to recover from my temporary blindness, I see I am in my living room back in my home. I’m facing the TV and see a program is on. It’s Law and Order.
“My mom watches Law and Order quite a bit.”
“Turn around.” I do so and see her! My mom is on the couch, laying her head against my dad’s shoulder, him embracing her with one arm. It appears that the both of them are watching TV. Maybe they’re trying to keep their minds off of me. I don’t think Law and Order will help, Lennie’s wise cracks can only do so much.
“You okay sweetie?” my dad asks my mom, rubbing his hand on her arm.
“I’m just worried about my baby,” my mom says, somberly with a tear rolling down her cheek. F##k, that hurts to both hear and see. “It’s almost been a week and the police still haven’t found him.” Search parties are out there?
“He’ll turn up,” my dad tells her, trying to speak comfort. He kisses the top of mom’s head. “It’ll be alright. Someone will find him.” I don’t know about that dad.
“I miss him.” Seeing my mom like this causes tears to fill up my eyes. It’s unbearable. I take a quick glance at Luna and she has a couple of tears rolling down her cheeks.
“I miss you too mom,” I say, voice cracking a little with more tears flowing. “I miss all of you guys. I love you.”
“Your entire family has been praying day in and day out for your return,” Luna says. “Your parents have been asking other family members it they know anything, your siblings have been asking everyone at your school for information. Your parents also asked your teachers and principal if they know anything. Each member of your family even asked your closest friends if they know anything.” That’s right, because I was with them the night I went to Equestria.
“How are they?”
“They’ve been doing the same as your family, praying for your safety and return while asking anyone with any information. Heck, your entire school is worried for you. All your teachers, peers, every one. They’re all really concerned.” I let out a lengthy sigh. Well ain’t that comforting. I’m missing from earth and everyone I know, and a couple hundred more, are worried sick about me. Great.
I look back at my parents. My dad has my mom in a full embrace, rubbing her back too. I can hear her letting out some more sobs. Loud ones too. That’s it, I can’t take it anymore.
“Luna, take us back to the limbo, I can’t bare to see this anymore.” Luna nods her head and in a flash, we’re back to where we were earlier. I bring my thumb and index finger to my eyes and try to wipe away the tears.
“I’m sorry that you are going through this Nick,” the Princess of the Night says. I try to wipe the tears away, but they don’t want to stop. I just lower my head.
“They don’t know what happened to me. They may never know. They-they won’t have any closure on it and they’ll just be guessing for the rest of their lives and I won’t be able to tell them! God d##m it all!” I turn my back to Luna, breathing heavily from frustration. I put my hands on the back of my head.
“Well… that’s not entirely true.” I swing around and look at Luna dead in the eye.
“Come again.” Is she saying there’s a solution?
“By tomorrow at nine, a chariot will be in front of the library. It will be for you. The chariot will take you to our castle in Canterlot. Me and my sister will explain everything once you arrive.” Jesus, more hidden info from these damn princesses!
“Why can’t you just tell me now?!” I almost shout with some edge.
“It’s going to be a surprise. Trust me, I think you may enjoy this one.” A grin spreads across her face. Why this little... might as well just go with it.
“Fine. I’m still pissed off at you guys for not telling me anything about my situation sooner. You and your sister owe me big time.”
“Understandable. I must go now. Take care of yourself my little human.”
“Yeah, whatever,” I mumble. She takes a giant leap and flaps her wings, flying off into the abyss leaving me alone. “Wait, what am I supposed to do all by myself here?”
I sit up in bed and rub my eyes. It’s the first official morning of my new life. Stuck in pony land for the rest of my existence, being eons away from family and friends. Peachy.
I take a look out the window, seeing the sun above the horizon with its morning glow. I can hear the chirping of birds outside, those little bastards singing their typical morning song. I don’t give off any emotion or facial expression. No smile, no frown, just...nothing.
Deciding I should get this day started, I throw the bed sheets off my body and get up. I arch my back in and hear a satisfying crack from the motion. I let out a “Mmm” from the cracking noise. That felt kind of good, my back doesn’t feel tense.
I’m still feeling a little lousy. Maybe a shower to freshen myself up would work. Maybe...
I make my way to the bathroom and knock on the door. I don’t want to accidentally intrude on Spike or Twilight if they’re in the middle of something. I don’t hear any response, so I step in. I close the door behind me and lock it. I don’t want those two (or Owlicious) to walk in on me. I strip out of my clothes and accessories and step into the the tub. I turn the shower faucet on and let the water heat up. A hot shower this time, so I can let off some steam.
When the water gets to the right temperature, I turn the shower nozzle on. the water strikes the top of my head and feel an instant rush of warmth. “Ahhh, that’s nice,” I coo. The water engulfs my body in warmth and rushes down to the bottom. I feel like I needed this. I’ve been nothing but tense for the past twelve hours and there’s nothing like a hot shower to ease yourself. It won’t help my situation, but it helps alleviate my mind.
I grab a bar of soap and lather myself up. I get my arms, armpits, legs, chest, other areas and such and rinse the soap off after thoroughly scrubbing. I put my hands to the water to wash them of soap. I grab a bottle of shampoo off the ledge, pop the cap open with my right thumb and squeeze about a quarter size amount into my palm. I put the bottle back on the ledge and bring my left hand to the top of my head. I rub the hair care product around my head with both of my hands until my head is a white mess of shampoo. I lean my head back into the falling water to get the lathered shampoo out of my hair. The shampoo is a two and one, so I don’t worry about conditioning.
There is nothing else really to clean, so I just stand here in the hot shower, alone with my own thoughts while steam slowly fills the room.
I just can’t stop thinking about all that is happening. Me stuck in a cartoon world for the rest of my life… just…. damn...
I want to try and be more optimistic about this, but how can I? I mean, I was just torn away from everything I loved and everything I worked for. My friends and family are worried sick about me, not knowing where I actually am, people back on earth are searching for me, and the worst part of it all was seeing my mother cry last night. Jesus lord, that was unbearable. Those tears flowing down her cheeks, God that was agonizing to see. I hate seeing my mother cry, I hate that more than anything.
What did I do to deserve this? What did my family and friends do to deserve this? I just rub my temples in my frustration. All of this stress and uneasiness is starting to hurt my head.
I look down at my hands and see they are a little prune. Guess I was in here longer than I thought. They’re not raisins, but they will be if I stay here any longer.
I turn the faucet off and the water stops hitting whatever is in its path. The only thing coming from the shower head is the slow dripping of excess water. I let out a sigh and do a quick, counterclockwise head roll. My neck felt a bit tense, and that neck roll loosened it up a bit.
I step out of the tub and grab a towel, hanging from a hanger. I wrap it around my waist and take a few steps to the mirror. I see a reflection of myself. You know, the only human interaction I will ever have from this point forward is with a guy with brown hair, hazel eyes and looks just like me. My freaking reflection.
I bring my hand to the mirror and my reflection is doing the same. I rest my hand on the glass and just stare into my reflection’s eyes. That’s all I do, just stare, looking at my blank, expressionless face. I bring my forehead to the glass and just leave it there for a few moments. I don’t know why, but I feel like something should happen with the mirror. Like I fall into it and I end up back in my world.
Nothing of the sort happens.
I get a little desperate and push my head against the glass a little. Still nothing.
Seeing that just leaving my forehead against the mirror is pointless now, I lift it off from the glass. I dry myself up with the towel around my waist so I am not dripping wet. I put the towel back around my waist, gather the clothes I was just wearing earlier, along with my accessories, and head back to my room. Unseen, fortunately.
I toss the other clothes away, along with the towel, and go through the bags to pick out what to wear. I just go for that green shirt with the cross and the cargos that came with it. I get my accessories back on too. I slip on the green, white and red basketball shoes because they go really well with the shirt.
Now that I am dressed, let's get this friggin day started.
I walk out of “my” room and head downstairs. As I get closer to the kitchen, I can smell something baking. I take a whiff and I recognize it. “Waffles?” I utter. Once I get into the kitchen, I see Twilight sitting at the table with a half eaten waffle in front of her. Not paying mind to much from what it looks like. I look over to the other side and see Spike on a stool by the counter, taking a fresh waffle off the iron.
“Uhh… morning,” I say. Twilight's and Spike’s attention is grabbed and they look towards me. The two give off soft smiles. Probably pity smiles.
“Good morning,” the two say in unison.
“Want a waffle?” Spike asks. “Just finished making one.” As if on cue, my stomach grumbles, really wanting food. I don’t know why, but I couldn’t help but chuckle a little. It’s like something you would see in a cartoo-right….
“Yeah, I can eat.” I go to the table and take a seat on a chair, next to Twilight. I take a glance at her and she looks a little blank too. Not giving off too much emotion. “How are you, Twilight?” I’m still concerned for her. I know she knows I’m not mad at her, but I still feel that she is still blaming herself.
“I’m doing okay,” is all she says. Nothing more, nothing less. I hope she really is okay.
Breakfast was silent. The only sounds that were made were from the forks and knives scraping against the plates. Not one of us talked. We just sat and ate in silence. No one made eye contact either. Twi, Spike and I just kept our eyes on our waffles for the most part.
Every once in awhile, I would take my gaze off my waffle and take a quick glimpse out the window. Ponies were nulling around the town, some in they sky, flying or moving clouds. Nothing exciting really.
Right now, I’m just putting me and Twilight’s dishes and silverware in the sink.
“Thanks for breakfast Spike,” I say to the small drake, on his stool again, with his claws in the hot sink water, cleaning the dishes.
“No problem Nick,” he replies.
Thump Thump Thump
“That must be for me.” I walk out of the kitchen and lightly jog to the front door, remembering what I discussed with Luna last night.
“Who is it?” Twilight asks, trotting up behind me.
“Luna made arrangements for a carriage for me. She and Princess Celestia need to see me today in Canterlot.”
“Probably about what happened yesterday…” she trails off, ears falling a little flat. I feel bad for the girl, I really do.
I open the door and see two pegasus guard ponies at the entrance, both with firm faces. “Nick, I presume?” the one on the right asks, sounding firm. I give a single nod for my response. “Your carriage is waiting.”
“Thanks.” I bring my gaze back to Twilight, still looking a little glum. “It’ll be fine Twilight. I’ll be back soon.”
“Okay,” she whispers. I step outside and see a carriage similar to the one Princess Celestia was using the other day. This one has a seat in the back of it. Since her’s was flat so she could sit on her haunches, this one must have been made for special passengers to ride. It also has a door on either side of it. Kind of looked like something straight from Downton Abby.
“I must ask sir,” the guard asks, “do you have a fear of heights?”
“Not really.” I’ve never had a problem with heights. Back home, whenever I went to an amusement park, I would always enjoy a ride that let me have a good view of the park. Especially a rollercoaster that had some good height to it.
“Then we should have no worries.” The other guard opens a door for me. I give him a thank you nod and step in. I take my seat and see the two guards latch themselves onto the carriage and check to see if everything is secure. Once everything seems so, the two look back to me.
“You ready?” the other guard asks me. I nod once again to respond. Nodding back at me, they now bring their attention to the road in front of them. They rear up and start to gallop at a brisk pace. They’re going at a pretty good speed. Now the two open up their wings and start flapping, powerfully.
It doesn’t take long to feel like I’m being lifted. I see the two guards are starting to lift off the ground. I look down and see the wheels of the carriage lose contact with the ground below and lift off into the air.
The higher we go, the more windy it gets. It’s an odd feeling to be super high in the air and have the wind crash against your face. It feels different than opposed to a windy day on the ground. I can’t really explain why, it just feels like that. Guess you have to experience it to believe it.
Looking at down below, everyone looks like multi colored dots and there are trees as far as the eye can see. Heights never really bothered me. Why would anyone be afraid of heights? From up high, you get to see amazing landscapes that you only dream of seeing.
Ever wanted to see what Philly looks like from an aerial view? Go to the Comcast Center and take a look out of the highest floor. Breathtaking view.
Speaking of amazing landscapes and views, I’ve only been in this carriage for only a couple of minutes and I can already see Canterlot come into view. It’s looks like a utopia. Everything looking all luxurious, white and pretty. The buildings look both noble and regal, giving off a high class atmosphere... This place is full of republicans, isn’t it? Damn it...
As we get closer, I can see the princess’s palace. Or castle, or whatever they call it. It kind of blends in with the rest of the city, kind of makes it hard to see. Maybe it’s supposed to be a metaphor for the princesses, saying they are one with the city. Or that they are one with their subjects.
The whole ride didn’t really last that long. Five, six minutes maybe. We start to descend and the wind that was crashing against my face starts to lessen, until we touchdown and there is no more wind. Lack of flying is my guess.
“We have arrived sir,” the guard says. I hop off the carriage and take a look at the castle in front of me. Just like the city, it looks regal and white. Very large too. It reminds me of those castles I would see in Disney films.
“I’ll escort you, just follow me.” I nod and follow the guard. The first door we enter through leads us to a room with red carpet forward, downward and side to side, directing to different parts of the castle. Banners are draped from the wall, having royal colors. Some are royal blue, some are royal purple.
“Typically, I escort guests to the throne room, but there is a special room set aside for your meeting with the princesses at the other end of the hall. They are already there.”
“Lead the way,” I say. We ascend the stairs and take a left. After walking down the hallway that looks very similar to the foyer of the castle, we reach a set of tall double doors. They seem to be reaching twenty feet tall at least! I get royalty likes big things, but Celestia is close to my height for God’s sake! She doesn’t need doors this big.
On either side of the door are two more guards ponies, who are unicorns, standing at attention, each holding a spear. Both of them have stern and firm looks on their faces, not showing any sort of emotion. Almost threatening really.
“Open the doors. The princesses has made time today to see this young colt.” Good, he’s not calling me a thing or an it.
The two guards at the door nod and their horns glow along with the doors. Using their magic, they open up the gateway to the other side.
“Thanks,” I say to them. The guard and I take a few steps in and see the two princesses with their backsides to me, both whispering to each other. I can’t really make out what they’re saying, they’re being real hush-hush with each other.
“Excuse me, your highnesses, the human colt is here.” The two princesses raise their heads and pivot to face me, both having even faces.
“Thank you guard,” Princess Celestia says. “You are excused.” The guard bows to the princesses and leaves the room, closing the door behind him. I take in my surroundings really quick. It’s very similar to the foyer, banners draping from the ceiling, tall and thin windows, red carpet across the floor, I wonder if a lot of the castle rooms look identical to each other? I bring my attention back to the princesses.
Feeling I should at least be respectful to royalty, I give the two a humble bow at the waist. “Your highnesses,” I say.
“How are you this morning, Nick?” Celestia asks.
“All things considered, all right. I mean, I am breathing and living, so I am alright in that regard, I guess." Celestia closes her eyes and slowly does a single nod.
“How is Twilight?”
“She’s holding out okay. She still feels guilty.” Celestia and Luna’s eyes shift to the side, looking a little guilty themselves. “If it isn’t too much to ask, why didn’t you tell her that the enhancer wouldn’t work?” Celestia lets out a hefty sigh.
“How else would she learn? One of the best ways to learn is through mistakes.” Hmm…
“Okay, I understand the principal, but I was left in the dark and blindsided by not knowing this information prior.”
“I told you last night,” Luna starts off, “would you rather live a week in bliss or know right from the start?”
“Well me not knowing this info made me feel like I was screwed over!” I exclaim. “I can’t go home, Twilight is miserable, the other elements are concerned for us, everything sucks!” My anger is getting the best of me. I need to subside it, Sure I’m frustrated, but I shouldn’t lash it out at royalty. I’ll just dismiss it for now. “You know, forget it. I came here because Princess Luna contacted me last night in my dream. Said you two were going to explain some other stuff?” Celestia nods her head.
“Yes. It does involve your current situation.”
“Yeah. So what’s going to happen with me?” I don’t really know what is beyond this point. I’m not sure what’s going to happen. “I mean, is there really no other way to send me back home?” I ask with a little disbelief. The two princess lower their heads and shake them. I let out a heavy sigh and put my hands on my waist. “Great…”
“Though we can’t send you home, we do have something for you that can help with any sort of closure that you need.”
“And that is...?” The princess's both sidestep, Celestia to the right, Luna to the left. What’s behind them is a white marble pillar with a white box on the top.
“Luna, if you please.” Princess Luna’s horn glows a midnight blue color and lifts the box using her magic. Under the box is an orb, the color of the night sky with little glistening stars in it. It looks like the stars inside are swirling around, kind of like the night princess’ hair. The orb itself rests on top of a small red cushion.
“What is it?” I ask, taking a few steps closer to it for further examination.
“It’s called a Dream Orb,” Luna says. “This took days to construct. It is made purely out of alicorn magic.”
“Does it serve a purpose? I mean, it just looks like a coffee table centerpiece?” Celestia lets out a humorous chuckle.
“It does have a purpose, Nick. When you are asleep with this orb in your grasp, you will have my powers of being in other’s dreams. But it’s only from those in your memory and the ones you keep close to your heart.” Wait, what?
“So, what you’re saying is that-”
“You can talk to your friends and family in their dreams.” Okay, what!?! I can see my friends and family in their dreams!? I can still talk to them?!?! I’m not sure if that is a good thing or a creepy thing. I mean, I can now talk to them, so that’s a good thing.
“Wow that’s uhh…” I’m a bit loss of words. This is a lot to process. I mean, I can now talk to my family and friends once again. I mean, it’s great. My goodness, I can’t believe the princesses have done this for me! My friends and family will have closure. Heck, even more than that! We can still talk! Oh my God this is great!! Something’s blurring my vision and I can feel it run down my cheek. I think it’s a tear. It’s like my sadness has completely diminished.
“You okay there?” Celestia asks. My sights are focused on the orb on the pillar, but I can see her from the corner of my eye that she’s approaching me. I don’t look at her just yet, I just gaze into the night sky that is inside this orb. “It’s yours. You can touch touch it you know.” She doesn’t have to tell me twice.
I approach the orb and reach out for it. I lower my palm on top of the orb, feeling the round glass under it. I lower my fingers, having full grasp of it. Doesn’t weigh much and it’s about the size of a softball. All I have to do is go to sleep holding this thing and I’ll be able to visit family and friends dreams. Amazing!
“Nick?” Celestia asks. Before I knew what even came over me, I swing around and wrap my arms around her neck and give her a tight hug. I let a few more tears flow out of my tear ducts. Not sad tears, but tears of happiness. I can feel her place a hoof on my back, so she must be returning the hug.
“Th-thank you,” I stutter. I know it’s a tad creepy to go into friends dreams, but it’s the closest thing I have to speaking with them once again. I’m thankful for it.
“Well it wasn’t me who made it. It was mostly Luna’s work here. I just lent her a hoof when she needed it.” I ease off Celestia, arms still around her, and turn my gaze to Luna, who is smiling at the scene in front of her. I can’t help but smile at her since she was the one who made the orb for me.
“What, do I not get a hug?” Luna asks humorously. I roll my eyes and let go of the Sun Princess. I walk over to the Moon Princess with open arms and wrap them around her in the same way I hugged Celestia. Luna wraps her foreleg around me and gives me a tight squeeze.
“Sorry I lashed out at you guys a second ago. It was uncalled for.” The way I acted towards them was very rude. I hope an apology can at least make up for what I said.
“It’s alright. We understand you are going through a lot right now. You need to vent out your emotions one way or another.” I think Luna is a little too understanding, and I am okay with it. It kind of makes me think she’s with me throughout all of this. Oh what am I saying? Of course she is. Celestia too. Why else would they go through the trouble of making this Dream Orb for me?
Luna and I stay hugging for a few more moments until we hear the double doors loudly creak open. I let go of Luna to see who is on the other side. It is a white, unicorn stallion, with amazingly blond and flowing hair He seems to just be wearing a tuxedo collar around his neck. Seriously dude, just the collar?
“Aunt Tia,” he says. “I was wondering where you were. I have some….” He trails off when he takes notice of me. Our eyes seem to be locked. His blue eyes staring into my hazel ones. He raises a brow and has a bit of a disgusted look on his face. This is going to be interesting. “Ask if I may, what is that?” At least he asked for permission to ask a question. Polite, I hope.
“Blueblood,” Celestia starts off, “this is the human from Ponyville that we’ve been talking about. Nick,” she brings her attention to me, “this is my nephew, Prince Blueblood.” Price? I had no idea Celestia had a nephew. I should at least be respectful to royalty. I give him a bow at the waist.
“Your highness,” I say.
“Hmm,” Blueblood hums. He trots closer to me until he is only a foot away from he. He seems to be very close to Shining Armor’s height. If not, the same height. He eyes me up and down, inspecting every detail of me. He then starts to trot to my right still eyeing me up. He makes a complete circle around me, and does it once more, as if to see if he missed anything. I have to say, it’s making me a little uncomfortable. Probably should lighten the mood.
“Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” I say. Blueblood stops trotting when he’s at my left side and he stares wide at me. I can hear Celestia and Luna giggle like school girls.
“I beg your pardon?” he asks, as if he was offended. “Is that a way to talk to royalty?” Oh boy, he’s one of those princes.
“Easy there my nephew,” Princess Celestia says. “He was just trying to humor you.” I only talked to Celestia a handful of times and she already gets me.
“She’s right, your highness,” I say respectfully. I doubt he’s going to give me much respect, but I should at least respect him. One wrong word and I could have my head chopped off. Do they even do that here?
“Hmm,” he hums again. He walks past me and then faces me again, looking at me dead in the eye. “The way you were describing him, Aunt Tia, I thought he would do those old stories justice. I have to say I’m a bit disappointed.” My eyes go a little wide at what he said. The princess's eyes do the same as well. Did this mothaf##ka just insult me?
“I’m sorry, what?” I ask.
“From the stories I was told as a young colt, humans were legends and were made out to be mighty, muscular and bold. You just seem average, very disappointing.”
“What, like your IQ?” Okay, f##k respecting the b##ch. I just took this mofo to church without any respect and I don’t regret it.
Luna and Celestia crack up at my remark to him. Guess they aren’t fans of their own nephew. HA! Got the Sun Princess and Moon Princess on my side. Chalk two up for me.
“You dare show disrespect to royalty? Aunt Tia, Aunt Luna, aren’t you two going to help me out here?” Celestia is the first to calm her laughing fit and collect herself a little.
“Sure. How about I get you some ice cold water?” she says, with a few giggles in her sentence. Is she going somewhere with this?
“For what?”
“For that sick burn.” OHH! SHE WENT THERE!! SHE TOOK HIM TO CHURCH TOO!!
“OH MY GOD!” I shout, cracking up and throwing my hands in the air, still holding on to the orb. And Luna, oh my god, she’s rocking back and forward on her back holding her gut. She’s losing it!
I walk over to Celestia with my free hand low, palm up. “Yo Celestia, gimme some.” She slaps her hoof on my palm and she has a lowered hoof for me to slap. And I comply.
“This is- this, just, arrgghhh!!” Prince Blueballs seems to be pretty pissed and he storms out of the room without another word. The three of us take a few moments to collect ourselves after he leaves. I’m wiping tears away from my eyes, Luna is rubbing her stomach and Celestia clears her throat.
“Good laugh gals,” I say.
“I apologize for Blueblood’s behavior. He isn’t, well…”
“Polite,”
“Considerate,” Luna says.
“Compassionate.”
“Caring.”
“Civil.”
“Understanding.”
“Noble.”
“Point is,” Celestia interjects, “he isn’t much of what you two listed already and I apologize, Nick. He still has much to learn about his duties as a prince. It’s more than just smiling and looking pretty.” Luna leans close to me to whisper something.
“That’s only half of it,” she quietly says, obviously joking. I can't help but snicker a little. I had no idea the princesses would have such a sense of humor. Laughing with them and roasting Bluebutt (gonna be giving him a few nicknames) was great. That’s a memory I’m putting in the vault.
“Hey, once again, thank you so much for the dream orb. I’ll make sure to put it to good use.”
“You are quite welcome,” the Sun Princess says. “You should make your way back to Ponyville. I don’t want to keep you here too long.”
“Your majesty,” I say bowing. Funnily enough, the two return the bow, probably just to say goodbye. “I guess I’ll be seeing you two later.”
“Safe travels my little human.” Really? She had to say that? “I hope we run into each other once again in the near future, where circumstances, for you, are much better.”
“Thank you once again, I really appreciate it.” I turn around to leave. When I reach the door frame, I turn my head to them once again and give them a little goodbye wave, which they return. I continue to make my way out and the guard from earlier escorts me out of the building.
I thought everything was going downhill for me. I thought I wouldn’t be able to see friends and family again. But with this orb, I can still talk to them. God those two are amazing.
I wonder if I can see the ponies (the one’s I’ve meet) dreams? Could I try to see Rainbow Dash’s dream? Or Big Mac, or Vinyl Scratch or... Vinyl Scratch… Hmm.
The carriage takes an easy landing right in front of the library. I quickly hop off and head up to the pegasus guards. “Thank you very much sirs,” I say. Don’t want them to leave without me thanking them. The two guards nod in appreciation and take off back to Canterlot.
I head inside real quick. I should tell Twi what happened and show her what the princesses gave me. After that, I need to see a certain music mare. Said mare gave me a proposition the other day and I want to see if that is still on the table.
I open the library door and the first thing I see is Twilight at a table. A book is propped up by a holder. It looks like its the same spell book she used to make that enhancer. Poor mare is still not happy with what happened.
“Hey Twilight,” I say. Her ears perk up and she looks up from her book.
“Hey Nick,” she says, not very enthusiastically. “How was your meeting with the princesses?” I walk up to her and take a knee. I make sure to have direct eye contact with her.
“Everything’s fine Twi. They gave me this.” I extend my hand with the orb resting in my palm. Twilight gazes at the Dream Orb in curiosity. I can see the little stars in the orb twinkle in her eyes.
“What is it?”
“Princess Luna said it’s a Dream Orb. It’ll allow me to talk to my family and friends back home. I have to hold this when I’m asleep, and then I’ll talk to them in their dreams.” Twilight just dawes in amazement.
“That’s amazing,” she whispers.
“We also talked about… well… you know.” Twilight shifts her eyes from the orb to the floor. “They knew Twilight. They wanted you to learn and they aren’t angry at you. I guess the princesses just wanted to teach you that everyone makes mistakes.” Her head is lowered a little and her ears fall flat. I really feel bad for her.
I put the orb on the table or moment and I wrap my arms around Twilight to hug her tightly. “You need to stop beating yourself up over this Twi. Like what I said the yesterday, I don’t hate you and I’m not mad either. You learned, we can move on.” I keep my arms around her for a while. A few moments later, she wraps her forelegs around me in, almost, a vice grip. She nuzzles her muzzle into my shoulder too. Guess she’s thankful for what I’m trying to tell her.
“I needed to hear that Nick. It’s going to take some time to get out of this.... phase, I guess you could call it, but I do feel a lot better. Thank you.”
“No problem Twi. You’re my home girl, I want to look out for you.” Speaking of home girls… “Hey Twi, I have a little errand I need to run. Can you keep your eye on the orb?” She nods, smiling. There’s the Twilight I know and love. “Alrighty, I’ll be back later.” I let go of the unicorn and get up. I make my way outside. To save time, I decide to jog to to my destination,
I pass by many ponies and I hear them whisper comments like: “What’s Nick still doing here?” “Isn’t he supposed to be back on his home planet?” “Did something happen?” Stuff of that nature. I’ll talk to ‘em later and explain, if I have time.
I make it to my destination and knock on the door very quickly. I move my hand from the door for a few seconds, then knock again. Almost immediately after my second set of knocks, Octavia opens up. Looking at me, she seems very surprised. Then again, so does everyone else in Ponyville.
“Nick?!” She exclaims.
“Surprised?” I ask.
“I thought you were-”
“I know. Let’s just say there have been compilations. Don’t really feel like talking about it much.”
“Umm... alright… so what brings you here?” She doesn't want to press and is straight to the point. I appreciate that.
“I want to talk to Vinyl. She offered me something the other day and I want to see if it’s still on the table. Is she here?”
“Just a second.” Octavia turns her head inside. “Vinyl, the doors for you!”
“Be there in a sec!” I hear the disk jockey's voice call from somewhere else in the house.
“She’s in the kitchen right now. She’ll be-”
“Octavia, I am a genius!” Vinyl turns a corner to face the door frame. She has something caught in her magic telekinesis. It kind of looks like a burger. “I have constructed the ultimate breakfast hay burger. Hay topped with cheese, eggs an-” She cuts herself off when she takes notice of me. “Nick?”
“Howdy.”
“Dude!” Vinyl exclaims, somewhat enthusiastic. “What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be-”
“Like what I told Octavia, there have been some complications. So I’m here for a while.” Longer than a while really. “I came here ‘cause I wanted to ask you something.”
“Uh, sure! What do you need to know?”
“Do you remember what you offered me when we first met?” Vinyl puts her hoof to her chin, trying to remember what she asked me. Then her face lights up when she remembers.
“Yeah! I remember asking you about the block party on Tuesday and if you were interested in doing something with me.”
“Can we still do that?” Vinyl's eyes go wide and drops her “breakfast burger” out of surprise and gladness.
“Really!” She responds to my inquiry first, then she looks down at the ground to see her breakfast burger is in ruins, splattered on the floor. “Dang it… was looking forward to eating that.” She looks so disappointed. But her face lights back up. “Eh, I can just make another one later.”
“You’re the one cleaning it up,” Octavia says. Vinyl swats a dismissive hoof and brings her attention back to me. That was a quick recovery.
“So, you wanna do something for the block party?”
“Yeah!”
“Alright, how about we finish breakfast and then we can talk.”
“So we have to establish what we’re doing. I doubt you know anything from our planet.”
“And I’d be more comfortable doing stuff from my planet.” Vinyl rubs her chin with her hoof. Looks like she’s thinking.
“Can I see that music box thing? What you brought the other day?” She wants to see my cell phone? I wonder where she’s going with this. A little reluctantly, I pull out my cell phone and unlock it. My phone opens to my music app.
I hold it out and she takes hold of it in her magical aura. She inspects it for a few moments, looking at if from different angles, and then nods. She may have an idea. I hope she knows what she’s doing.
Vinyl goes over to one of her wub machines and stands behind it. Vinyl places a record in the player and makes some adjustments on the equipment. She closes her eyes and her horn starts to glow. It starts off as a soft light, but then it gets brighter, and brighter. It’s at the point where light blinding. The record and my phone are starting to flash bright lights too. I shield my eyes and I hear a soft pop. I move my hands and see a satisfied smile on Vinyl's muzzle.
“What just happened?” I ask. Vinyl reduces her smile to a smirk and doesn’t tell me anything. All she does is move a needle to to record and her wubs start playing music.... My music!
“Magic.” oh...duh. But anyway, this is real cool! She put my music on that record. “It’s a converting spell. All I had to do is copy the music from your uh… whatchamacallit and put them on a blank record with tons of space on it.”
“Are the instrumentals on there?” She expands her smirk a little and moves the needle away from the current track it's on and moves it to a different one.
A-freaking-mazing! She was able to convert all the music on my iPhone and put it on a vinyl record. It’s like burning music to a CD from a computer. Man, magic is cool!
She lifts the needle from the record and the music stops. “Vinyl, I have to say, that is pretty dope.”
“Well it is me who did it, so it has to be,” she says rubbing the edge of her hoof on her chest. I roll my eyes at her. She’s sounding like Rainbow Dash. “So, any ideas on what you want to do?”
“I think I have a couple songs in mind.”
As Vinyl and Nick rehearse, Octavia is sitting by the kitchen table, reading the local newspaper, not paying any mind to the two. Nothing too interesting in the news. One article about the new movie at the cinema, another one about how Celestia needs to lose weight, the cartoons parodying politics. The usual.
“Eh, nothing too interesting,” she says aloud. She closes the paper and places it back on the table, in case Vinyl wants to read it later.
She leans back in her chair and idly stares at the ceiling. She’s getting awfully bored. There isn’t anything to do, but she would like to do something. That is until her ears perk up. Leaning into the sound, she can hear Vinyl and Nick’s rehearsing. Though it sounds too… energetic, for her taste, Octavia’s curiosity rises after each passing beat.
She gets out of her chair and trots to the source of the sound, that being the living room where Vinyl’s equipment is.
She peeks around the corner and tries to hold a slight giggle. She sees her human friend using a spare mane brush to substitute for a microphone.
As she continues to listen in, she takes note of every detail of their performance. The beat is catchy, no doubt about that. But the words Nick are saying seem to be ridiculous. He’s talking about “losing yourself”, a rabbit, and then it somehow goes to how all types of girls should go to the dance floor.
“What even is this?” Octavia asks over the music.
SCRATCH
Vinyl and I stop mid song and see Octavia by the living room entrance, looking at us as if we had twelve heads. An eyebrow of hers is raised and a look of confusion is plastered on her face. Vinyl and I share a glance, then back to Octavia, back to us, and then back to Octavia. I’m not gonna lie, me holding this hairbrush like a mic is a little embarrassing. It’s almost like having a solo dance party in your room and your brother catches you mid act when all they wanted was to borrow something.
“We’re just going over some potential material,” Vinyl says. Then she folds her forelegs almost disapprovingly. “Nick was killin’ it and you threw off his grove. The heck Octy?”
“Know what, yeah,” I join in. Might as well try to save face from looking like a fool with that brush. I fold my arms and say, “The heck Octy?” almost imitating Vinyl. Octavia’s mouth gapes open in shock, like she is offended. I glance to my side and see Vinyl snicker and grin.
“Well I never!” The gray mare turns around, nose high and stops off to somewhere else in the house. When she’s out of earshot, I can’t help but let out a few laughs, same goes for Vinyl.
“Hopefully she isn’t angry with us.”
“Nah, she’ll be okay. She knows we’re just messing with her.”
“Alright… let’s see if we can get some other ideas together for the block party.”
2:08 P.M.
“Think we really got a lot of material covered today,” I say, walking up to the front door.
“Tomorrow, we should narrow down what you’re gonna do for the block party bro,” says Vinyl. I’ve been here for a few hours now. We’ve been going through all of my instrumentals, going over songs I may want to perform at the party.
Octavia, who got over what transpired earlier, generously made lunch for us. She even was our practice audience. Though she was cringing at some of the music, I can tell she enjoyed the energy and passion I put into my performance.
“Sounds good,” I say to the disk jockey. “What time?”
“Will one be okay?” I nod my head to answer. “Great! I’ll see you then.”
“Alright! I’ll see you then.” I lay my hand on the doorknob, but before I turn it, I turn my head around and give Vinyl one more smile, which she returns. It’s starting to become a habit to smile at the ponies after I leave. It’s kind of like a thank you smile or a gratitude smile. Anyway, I leave her home and head back to the library.
I want to try to get to bed early tonight. I want to give the Dream Orb a test run. The question is, who should I talk to first?
“Let’s hope this thing works,” I say quietly. I’m sitting up in bed looking at the orb that rests in my palm. I have to admit, I’m a little nervous. If this does work, what would I say to the people I’m going to talk to tonight? What will they say? How will they react?
Well, I did figure out who'll be the first person I'd talk to. After careful consideration, I’m going to talk to my brother first. I feel that I am closer to him in some regards and he can better grasp what I will say. He can take news very well and is very mature, so he’s the first one to go.
“Alright, here goes something.” I lay down on my back and adjust myself to get comfortable. I close my eyes and wait for sleep to take over. And that doesn’t take long
I wake up in the white limbo, back in those black clothing articles once again. I’m laying on my my back, looking up. I get up and look around. Now, the limbo must have gotten an interior decorator, because I see doors on my left and right. Different colors and sized doors on either side of me. There are even pictures on the top of each door. On my right side, I see a picture of my Aunt Sophia above a brown wood door, my Grandfather above a green one, my cousin Daniel above a grey one. On my left side, it’s my friend Connor above a black and white door, Pat’s picture is above a white one, and it just goes on from there. So the left side is my friends and the right is my family.
“Okay, let's see where my brother is.” I jog down the row of doors to see if I can find him.
It doesn’t take long to find his picture above a dark brown door. I just sand in front of the it for a few moments. I need to mentally prepare myself for whatever happens. Who knows how he’ll react or what he will say.
After taking a few minutes to prepare, I open the door and a bright flash appears before my eyes, blinding me. I shield them for a moment and I start to hear something. It sounds like a group of people cheering. A large group of people really, hundreds maybe. I uncover my eyes and look to my sides, seeing different people of all sorts cheering and applauding. Some are even waving banners and flags.
I look to where everyone is gazing at and it looks like an indoor track and field event. It looks very familiar. I think this is The Armory in New York. My brother has talked about this place quite a number of times. I wonder where he is in this stadium?
I look at the event going on. It looks like one of the long distance events. I see two guys running ahead of, maybe twenty, other runners. But the one in first is a guy a couple inches taller than me, has buzzed hair and is much more tanner than me. That’s Tony! My brother’s in first!
I decide to get caught up in the hype and cheer him on. The guy could use all the support he could get, despite it being a dream.
He gets closer to the finish line, approaching it at a sprint. I keep shouting “GO! GO! GO!!” He is going really fast, legs moving like they were a machine. He’s almost there! And… HE WINS!! I jump up and down from my seat along with the rest of the crowd. “THAT”S MY BROTHER!! THAT’S HIM RIGHT THERE!!”
Tony’s teammates race over to him and huddle around him, hugging him and congratulating him. Tony’s hugging everyone back with the biggest smile on his face.
You know, I’m glad he’s dreaming about his sports. He’s probably trying not to worry about me, so he’s keeping his mind occupied with something else.
Well, I should walk up to him and see what’s up. Would security be altered if I just came onto the field? What am I saying? This is a dream, doubt they could care less.
I walk down to the railing and hop over it and successfully land on the ground. I jog across the track to where my brother's teammates are starting to move away from him so they can prep for their own events. Now’s the time to break the ice.
“That was a good race there man!” I say. Tony’s back is turned to me as he finishes talking to his last teammate. After doing so, he turns around and he looks like he’s seen a ghost. His eyes are as wide as I have ever seen them and his mouth is agape. It’s priceless really. All I can do is smile at him. Though this is a dream, it’s good to see him again.
“N...Nick?” he asks. I grin a little wider and open my arms out to him as he has the shocked look on his face.
“Hug me brotha’,” I say to him. He and I, at a brisk pace with open arms, get close to each other and when we get close enough, we embrace in a tight hug. It’s warm, comforting really. I’m so glad I am back with him.
“This is an insane dream,” he whispers.
“This may be a dream, but I’m one hundred percent real.” He and I move away from the hug, still holding onto each other's shoulders. He still looks confused and shocked. I would be too. “Dude, it’s me! I am no figment of your dream. I’m the real thing. I am in your dream bro.”
“This-this is…. This is nuts. This is just a dram. You aren’t actually him.” That kind of puts a dagger through my heart, but I’m not letting it phase me. I know I can-
“He speaks the truth, young one,” a female voice says. It’s Luna’s voice! She’s here? Me and my brother turn our heads and the both of us see the Princess of the Night trot up to us.
“Uhhh….”
“Let’s clear up the stadium,” I suggest. “Then I’ll explain everything.”
“...and then that takes me to this moment now.” Tony, Luna and I are just sitting on a middle section of some bleachers. Since it’s Tony’s dream, he’s the one who can make everyone disappear. It was weird, he just snapped his fingers and everyone just evaporated. Man, dreams are real trippy.
The whole time I talked, Tony was silent. Same with Luna. She didn’t really add anything to the conversation. I guess she was here to physically prove to my brother I’m telling the truth or in case I need her. Either way, I’m glad she’s here.
“So, that’s pretty much it.” I have to admit it, it was difficult at times to discuss some things. Like not being able to go home was emotionally difficult, but explaining being stuck in the My Little Pony world was just difficult overall. But like what I said, Luna kind of makes it easier to prove. “So?” Tony is quiet for a few moments. He just looks down at the floor and runs his hand through his buzzed head, probably thinking over what I explained to him.
“Jeez dude…” he says, not looking at me and sounding a little distraught. “You seriously can’t come back?” I shake my head. “Man… this sucks!”
“Tell me about it.”
“What about everything you worked for back at home? What about us?”
“I want to come back more than anything Tony!” I look at him seriously with a hint of sadness on my face. “I miss you, Joan, mom, dad, all of you guys. You think I wanted to be whisked away into a kids show? I have to start my life all over again.” I cup my hands over my face and run my hands through my hair. Just talking about this is starting to put me back into that dark place from this morning.
“God man…”
“I know…” I just stay quiet for a little while. There’s more I need to say to him. “How’s Joan been?”
“Just like mom and dad, she’s worried sick. She’s not taking it very well. She hasn’t assumed the worse but she is beyond worried.”
“Guess I should see her next. I’ll talk to mom and dad after.” I stand up and pace around for a few moments.
“What’s it like?” Tony asks. “Living in a world of ponies that is?” I turn around and look at him. It looks like he really wants to know.
“Well… to be honest, it isn’t all that bad. Where I’m living, Ponyville...” Tony cringes at the name, “...it’s actually a pretty nice community. Very welcoming and kind.”
“Well, at least you’re in a good place.”
“Yeah…” Tony and I stay silent for a while. I’m probably overstaying my welcome here. “Yo Tony, I’m gonna get going. I’m going to see Joan, mom and dad.” I walk back to him and look at him square in the eyes. “Don’t worry about me, I’m perfectly fine. I’ll drop by again soon.”
“Alright man. Glad to see you’re okay. Though, it’s weird you are in a land of talking ponies and that you now can get into other people’s dreams, but you’re okay at least.” He gets up and and embraces me once more and we hold on for a while, savoring the moment.
The hug lasts about thirty seconds and we let go, looking each other in the eyes. “Take care of mom for me, okay?” Tony nods in understanding. I look at Luna because I need to ask her: “How do I go back to the limbo?”
“Just close your eyes and focus,” she says. Alright, with her simple instructions, I do just so. I think of the limbo and the doors and in a flash, I’m out of Tony’s dream and back to where I started.
It’s good that I was able to talk to my brother once again. I’m missing out on so much and I’ll miss out on more no doubt, but as long as I am using this orb, I can still at least talk to my loved ones. I feel that it is unhealthy, in a way, to not talk to the ones you care for.
Any way, I should move on to Joan now. “Now where is her door?”
Monday 6:50 A.M
I have to say, going from dream to dream is weird as hell. My family seem to dream about the weirdest things. Joan, for example, was having a dream where Sonic the Hedgehog, Mickey Mouse and Jack Skellington were debating over whether or not Russell Crowe was a good Javert in Les Mis. So glad I was able to interrupt that because that was just getting weird for me.
My dad was having a U2 concert dream. This was actually something that happened because he told me this story many times before. U2 was having a concert at JFK stadium in the 1980s I think it was, and before the concert started, there’s this gigantic beach ball being bounced around the stadium. When the ball got to my dad, he hit it so hard, it popped. That was the only one and 10,000 people at JFK stadium were booing my dad. That was something interesting to witness.
My mom, had an interesting one. She dreamt she was in a hotel very similar to Fawlty Towers. The servant was from Barcelona, the owner had a bushy mustache (and talked like John Cleese), there was a confused Army guy who lives there. It was weird, but good.
Luna was with me the entire time when I talked to them. I made sure to tell my family what I already told Tony: that I’m safe, alive, well and that I am in a good community. Sure it was hard for them to hear that their eldest son/sibling was unwillingly whisked away to a fictional world, but I assured them that I will be okay. Luna backed up whatever I had to say and they all seem to trust her.
My sister, when she saw Luna, went nuts! She was asking her so many questions, telling her how much of a fan she was, it’s like a fifteen year old meeting Justin Bieber for the first time. Joan even told me she’s actually a little envious of me. I don’t blame her all that much since she’s been a fan of My Little Pony for a few years now and I’m living in the actual show.
Back to the original topic, my family was able to get some closure on what happened and you know what, I think they will be okay.
I think just talking to my family tonight will suffice. I’ll talk to my friends tomorrow and tell them the same thing. But only so many at a time, I don’t want to abuse the power Luna has gifted me.
Sitting up in bed and placing the orb on the nightstand, I rub my eyes and look out the window to the new day. I use this time to reflect on everything that has happened in the past week. I end up in a cartoon world where I can not return to where I once was, but I have become friends with a lot of the townsfolk, like Octavia, Lyra, Thunder Lane, Rainbow Dash, and most importantly, Twilight.
It may not be a complete loss. I still have so many peo-ponies in my corner here and my loved ones back home are with me in spirit. They’re going to support me whether I’m ten feet away from them or ten million light years away from them. It may not be as bad after all. I shouldn’t be so pessimistic, I have a fresh start now and new possibilities await my future. I’m going to take this world on, headstrong. Look out Equestria, this human is going to take advantage of his situation… right after I shower and get some breakfast, my tummy is getting the rumblies.
After going through my usual morning routine, I hear rapid knocking from the front of the library. The sound is comparable to a woodpecker. I quickly go to the door and answer to see… Rairy? She has a couple bags and dark circles under her eyes and her mane is disheveled.
“Rarity?” I ask.
“The one and only!” she explains in an upbeat tone. Her attitude is better than her looks.
“What happened you? You look awful.” She exhales a tired sigh.
“I’ve been up since Saturday night.”
“You haven’t slept since Saturday!?” I ask shocked. What was she doing?
“Yes, I’ve been up working on a huge project. But it’ll be well worth it!” She stops her hoof on the ground with determination. “I just need you to see it.” Wait what? “Trust me it’ll be worth your while if you see what I’ve made.” I raise a brow, kind of questioning why she would need me to see it. But what that “it” could be, kind of piques my curiosity. Ah what the hell? I don’t have anything to do until this afternoon.
“Alright, let’s see it.”
As the two of us walk into the boutique i just see a huge, purple felt, curtain drawn, covering half the store. Okay, that’s weird.
“Is what you wanted to show me behind the curtain?” Rarity nods very giddy like. She seems really excited to show me whatever she made. “Alright, so let’s see what you did!” Nodding, she goes to a nearby rope that is suspended from the ceiling. Using her magic, she quickly yanks the rope and the curtain opens in a swift motion.
With them being drawn back, I see a s##t ton of clothes on multiple racks and hangers. There’s casual stuff like v-necks, standard t-shirts, cargo shorts and several pairs of khaki pants and jeans (black and blue) all that good stuff. Those take up about four racks. There’s even a few polo shirts in the mix. There are even athletic clothing pieces like lightweight shirts, loose basketball shirts and even see two new pairs of shoes, both being black crossfit shoes
I even see some fall and winter gear. Like, there are some sweatshirts that range in different colors and thicknesses. A couple heavy coats too for cold winter days.
Off to the side I see a few other things. One is a rack of different snapbacks, ranging in colors and logos. Under the rack of hats are a some more new sneakers in coordination with the hat colors. To the right of the shoes, I see some undergarments like socks and underwear.
To be honest, I am amazed at what I am seeing. All of this, Rarity has done in a span of almost....what? Thirty hours? It’s astounding! But what was this all for?
“Rarity, I have to say, you put a lot of heart into this, but who is the one who needs all of these clothes?” The mare in question just giggles a little. What’s so funny?
“It’s for you darling.” Huh? “You see, with you being here for quite some time, I made you a wardrobe that will last a year.” ...I’m speechless. She did this for me? Wow...just....wow…Okay, I have to show her thanks somehow.
“Rarity, I have to pay you back.” I look back to the clothes and throw my hands to them. “I mean, look at all of this. I have to pay you back somehow.”
“Well, there is one thing you could do for me...”
“Anything!” I burst out. To Rarity, she finds it humorous because she lets out an, admittedly, adorable giggle.
“...and it would be if you accept my job offer.” A what now?
“What job offer?”
“The job offer I’m about to offer.” That doesn’t roll off the tongue well. Rarity clutches her tongue in between her teeth and has a sour look on her face. Bet she doesn’t like the redundancy of how that sounded. “I was thinking, Nick, with you now living in Ponyville, you may want to find a way to get some sort of income on your own. So I figured I can give you a job here.” Is she serious now? She’s willing to give me a job. I would leap at this opportunity, but I should see what I will be diving into.
“Well, what would I be doing?” I ask.
“You’ll be like an assistant. Helping me get fabrics, making sure my inventory is organized and plentiful, help with measurements, keeping track of invoices, stuff of that nature.” So like an assistant with a little secretary work. That doesn’t seem bad. Actually, it’d be a good job to have.
The only downside is that I don’t have any work experience aside from helping neighbors and relatives with some around the house chores and paying me for them. But with this job, I could actually get some real work experience.
And Twilight won’t have to keep giving me bits whenever I go out. AND, this could teach me how to responsibly manage my finances. Know what? My mind is made up.
“Alright Rarity, I’ll take the job offer. When do I start?”
“You start tomorrow at nine in the morning. You should also be aware that we usually close at two, but we’re closing an hour early because of the block party. I’m getting the decorations set up for it.” Hopefully Vinyl and I can work out some rehearsing.
“Well, I look forward to working with you ma’dam Rarity,” I say in joke like stiffness as I extend my hand to her. She giggles again and places her hoof in my hand to shake it. She lets go and we look back at the large array of clothes. “So how are we going to get these back to the library?”
“...You know, I didn’t really think that far out.”
“Thanks for helping us out guys,” I say to Thunderlane and Carmel. They were just passing by the boutique and Rarity and I thought they could give us a hand...hoof? Point is, they agreed to help us out. Now most of my clothes have been folded and put into bags. Carmel has a few bags on his back and a couple more gripped in his mouth. Thunderlane has a few bags gripped in between his teeth as well, but he's carrying more by his arms, and he’s flying instead of walking. Rarity is using her magic to carry some of the winter and fall gear.
As for me, I am carrying a lot of boxes. Rarity decided to put my new kicks and hats in boxes, and it’s quite a tower. You know, this looks like something from a cartoon, where some poor bastard is carrying a tower of things and he’s looking like he’s struggling.... You know, I’ve said “like a cartoon” about a gagillion times and I keep forgetting I’m in one. Anyway…
“Anything to help a pal out,” Caramel says through his grit teeth.
“Mmhmm,” Thunderlane lets out, agreeing with Caramel.
It does take some time, but all of us get back to the Library. But there is one problem. “How the heck am I supposed to get this through the door?” I ask. This stack of boxes tower the door, so it’ll be super difficult to get through. Even if I crouch, it won't work.
“Let me help you out with that,” Rarity says. Using more of her magic, her magical aurora wraps around more than half the stack of boxes and levitates them with the rest of the clothing she has in her telekinetic grasp.
“Thanks.” I only have four boxes in my grasp now. It’s a little tricky to get to the door handle. So what I do, I raise my left knee and have the small sack of boxes rest on it while my left hand and chin on top of the stack is keeping balance. I use my right hand to open up the door and it’s easy as cake. The four of us make it to my room in seconds. I use the same method to open the front door and we step inside. “Just set everything down on the bed guys, I’ll put them away in a bit. “ They do so and everyone orderly lays the bags on my bed. “Thanks a bundle boys.”
“No problem!” the two chorus.
“And Rarity, thank you once again. I really appreciate what you’re doing for me.” I crouch down and give the white mare a tight hug and she returns it in almost equal strength.
“Aww…” Thanks for being the peanut gallery boys.
“You are quite welcome Nick,” she says. “So I’ll be seeing you tomorrow at nine?”
“Is the grass green?” Rarity giggles at my remark. She knows I’ll be there at nine sharp.
“Take care of yourself. You hear me?”
“Will do Rare.” She and I let go of our embrace and just smile at each other for a couple moments.
“Do you need any help organizing your new clothes?”
“I got it. You should get going, hate to hold you up.”
“Alright. See you tomorrow morning darling.” She turns and trots out of my room and out of the library, Caramel and Thunderlane following in tow, bidding me good day. Now it’s just me in here with nothing but new clothes.
“That woman is way too generous,” I say to no one in particular. I look around my room and realize, I don’t have a place to put my clothes. No dresser or closet. Welp, I just figured out what I’m spending my first paycheck on.
After Rarity dropped off my clothing yesterday, I spent the rest of the day with Vinyl, rehearsing our set. She’s deejaying for most of the party, and about mid way through it, I do my thing, and she’ll do her thing after that.
We really narrowed down our choices more. We’ve selected three songs for me to do with her, and I think it’ll be a blast. Really looking forward to it. Am I nervous? Not in the slightest. Performing is what I live for. If I can perform in a theater that occupies 700 people, I can handle performing in front of a small town.
That night, I talked to a few of my friends in my dreams. They were praying for my safety for the past week and I’m truly grateful for their prayers. I assured them I was fine and, just like the night before, Luna was with me to make things easier.
My friends were more than weirded out at what I have told them, but they came to terms with it relatively easily. They were also very disappointed to hear that I am stuck here in Equestria and that I’m not back home. There’s so much stuff I wanted to do with them back on earth, but I made sure to let them know I am not going to let this whole “stuck in another realm” business hold me back from my ambitions.
So what am I doing now? Well, it’s early in the morning, I grabbed a shower not too long ago, I’m sitting in the kitchen and there’s a plate of half eaten eggs and toast in front of me. It doesn’t take a genius to figure this one out.
As I’m eating the eggs, Twilight lowers a mug of coffee for me. I told her yesterday that Rarity offered me a job and that I accepted, and she wanted to get up when I did to see me off and get some breakfast ready for me. Really sweet of her to do that.
“Thanks for making me breakfast Twi,” I say with a mouth full of eggs. She chuckles a little at my muffled voice.
“No problem Nick!” Twilight's says warmly as I sip some coffee. She turns back to the stove and cracks two eggs into the pan to make her own food. “Excited for your first day of work?”
“To be honest, I am looking forward to it.” Like what I said, I never really had an actual job, but now that I have one, it’ll be a good experience.
“Good to see you are going in with a positive attitude.” If I didn’t, I’d be in for a crappy day.
I finish my breakfast as Twilight starts hers. I put my plate in the sink and check my watch for the time. It’s only twenty minutes ‘till eight, but maybe I should get ahead of time. If I want to be a good employee, I should be there earlier than expected.
“Twi, I’m going to head over now. I should make sure to get there nice and early.”
“Alright Nick. Good luck on your first day!” She hops out of her chair and gives me a quick hug, which I return. The gesture isn’t really necessary, but it’s greatly appreciated.
We let go and then, I’m off to my new job.
I check my watch one more time and it reads seven forty-three. About fifteen minutes early (if you round it). Perfect! I step in the establishment, hearing the little bell chime as I open the door, and scan the room for my employer. So far she is yet to be scene.
“Rarity? You alive? Where are ‘ya?” The second I stop talking, I hear two sets of hooves, clip clopping down the stairs. Must be Rarity and somepony else.
Apparently, the source of the clip clopping is Rarity and Sweetie Belle. I see the younger unicorn with saddlebags on her back. She must be getting ready for school.
“Goodness Nick, you are here nice and early!” Rarity says.
“Just wanna be a good employee,” I tell her. I look down at Sweetie Belle with a smile. “Hey Sweetie Belle.” Before I knew it, she gallops to me, leaps into my arms and gives me a tight hug. She’s got a good jump!
I’m a little confused though. Why is she hugging me? “Everything okay Sweetie Belle?” She nuzzles her muzzle into my chest a little, minding her horn.
“I heard about what happened Saturday night,” she says with her voice sounding somber. “I just want to let you know I’m here for you.” Don’t you dare cry Nick. You are a strong man. But her sweetness is making it so hard.
What I do: I wrap my arms around her and give her a tight squeeze. “Thank you Sweetie Belle,” I say quietly. Her and I’s embrace is warm and comforting. Glad she is by my side. Sweetie Belle and I stay like this for a moment or two until Rarity clears her throat.
“Sweetie Belle, it’s time for you to get to school.” Feeling like it’s time to let go, I let her down gently and get one last look into those green eyes of hers. I flash her a smile that assures her everything will be fine.
Smiling herself, she trots out the door and makes her way to school. God bless that child. Feeling I should get into work mode, I turn to Rarity.
“Alright Rare, it’s my first day on the job and I want to know what to do. Lay it on me.” Nodding, she levitates a clipboard and pencil to me. Attached to the clipboard is a piece of paper, listing threads, fabrics, etc on the left side of it. On the right, there is a set of numbers going down the sheet and the middle is blank.
“So this will be your first task to do: checking my inventory. And this will be your first task when you come into work each day. The numbers on the right side of the sheet says how much I had at the beginning of the week. The center is left blank for you to write in the current inventory. By the end of the week, I will have all of those papers showing how much material I used and how much I need to order to restock.” Seems simple. Center area is current inventory, right area is inventory at the start of the week. “Just go to the supply closet and take your time with it. This is a simple task, but I need you to double, even triple check your work, so it may take a while. Follow me so far?”
“Yes ma’am,” I say with a bit of enthusiasm.
“There are a few sheets of paper on that clipboard, so you can probably guess I have quite an abundance of supply.” Feeling that I should check, I lift the page from the clipboard and see some more papers with inventory lists. Well, as somepony who makes dresses, she needs to have a lot of supply. “Since it is the beginning of the week, the numbers should be matching.”
“Alright Rarity, I’m ready to start!”
Two Hours Later
Surprisingly, this closet doesn’t get hot or stuffy. Not that bad in here really. I’m going over the last piece of material and triple checking it. “One, two, three, four, five, six,” rolls of this green fabric called “alpaca”. Probably from an alpaca sheep I’m assuming.
I look down at the item and the numbers next to it. Six is what I wrote down and the number Rarity started with is six. Just like what she said, the current stock is the same as the starting stock, with the exception of one or two items. I’ll make sure to bring that to Rarity’s attention.
I flip through the pages on the clipboard and see that everything is accounted for. Feeling like my work in here is done, I get out and see Rarity doing some stitching on a dress that is on a mannequin. Looks like a shiny red cocktail dress that shimmers in the light. It sort of reminds me of Jessica Rabbit's dress but doesn’t have a huge set of tits and it doesn't show as much leg.
“Hey Rare, I just finished with the inventory. Pretty much everything is accounted for except for a couple of things.” The mare in question perks her head up and gives me a glance, and me noticing red glasses resting on the bridge of her snout.
“May I see your clipboard please?” she politely asks. I walk up to her and show her the low inventory items. “Shoot. I knew I forgot to restock those.” She looks away from the clipboard to face me. “No worries darling. I’ll put in an order before the end of the day.”
“Seems like a plan. So where do you want this?” I ask teeter tottering the clipboard with my hand.
“Just on a dresser. I’ll put it away later.” I do what I am told and look back at this dress that she is preparing.
“If I may ask, who’s the pony you’re making this for?”
“Big Mac,” she says casually.
“Ah… Hold up, what?!” Big mac needs a dress? Bruh what?
“I’m just teasing darling. Big Mac in a dress? Ha! That’s ridiculous. The dress is for Roseluck.”
“She needs a dress?”
“Well she told me, her and her sisters are going up to Manehattan next week for an old friend’s birthday. They are going to a distinguished club and the idea for a cocktail dress came to mind. What do you think?” Right now, I’m only looking at it from the side. I should look at it differently. So I circle around the dressed mannequin, slowly, inspecting every little detail about it. It's so sparkly, grips the mannequins barrel nicely, I think Roseluck would look hot in this… wait, what?
“You did a pretty good job Rarity,” I say giving the fashionista a compliment. I want to forget that I thought a cartoon horse would look hot in a cocktail dress. “I like how it shimmers in the light. I think Rose’ll like it.”
“She’s stopping by later today to pick it up, just to let you know.”
“When?” Rarity raises an eyebrow in thought and looks at at a nearby clock hanging from the wall.
“In about half an hour from now. Do you mind moving the mannequin to the stage?” Not having to be told twice, I grab it by the stem that’s under the belly and easily walk it to the stage, placing it down easy in the dead center. I take a step back and feel I should angle it a bit. And I do so.
Presentation is everything to everything. When you are a chef, how you present your food is everything. When you are at a party, how your present yourself if everything. When you have your first performance, wearing something that is you is everything. The same comes to fashion. If you are going to be selling a dress, how you present it will make or break the sale. Heh, I wonder if this is like a Project Runway episode?
“Hey Rare, how can we wow Roseluck with this dress?”
“Leave it to me darling. I have a way with words and presentation.”
“Come right this way Roseluck,” I tell the mare, who was surprised to see me both still in Equestria and working here. I just explained to her there were complications, Rarity offered a job and enough said there. She seemed to respect that and we proceed inside the boutique. “I saw the dress Rarity made for ‘ya, I think you’ll really like it.”
“Knowing Rarity, I have a feeling she did a good job.” She and I approach the stage and the curtain has been drawn around it, hiding the dress from Roseluck. Time to show her what waits behind the curtain.
“Alright Rarity! Show her what ya got!” In one swift motion the curtain is drawn, with Rarity next to the dressed mannequin. With a quick zap of her horn, the lights are dimmed and a single spot light shines down on the dress, it shimmering a bit brighter than earlier.
“Wow…” I hear Roseluck whisper.
“So Roseluck, I have designed this dress to fit you and only you,” Rarity starts off. “I feel this shade of red compliments your fur and is a close match to your hair. The color also does bring out the green in your eyes. A girl's best feature is their eyes. Plus, with the shimmering this dress provides will make you the gem of the club. So, what do you think?” Jesus, this is Project Runway isn’t it?
Roseluck climbs onto the stage and gets a closer look at what Rarity made. She looks at it from almost every angle from any distance. She keeps at this for a few moments until Rarity suggests:
“Why don’t you give it a try on, darling?” How else would she know if she wanted to get it? Suddenly, all the lights turn back on and Roseluck, with Rarity’s help, take the dress off the mannequin. The unicorn guides Rose to the changing screen and we leave her alone for a few moments for privacy.
It doesn’t take long for her to get in the dress. When she emerges from the screen, let me say, this dress looks really well on her. Everything is what Rarity imagined it could be on her. The fashionista, using her magic, slides a mirror in front of Roseluck. She takes some turns, viewing it from every angle, all while smiling.
“I love it,” she says. We made a sale! “It’s absolutely perfect!”
“So glad you like it darling. Come with me and we’ll work on payment.” Rarity moves her attention from the customer to me. “Nick, do you mind putting the mannequin away?”
“Where do you want it?” I ask.
“Just put it in the closet for now.” Following orders, I get on the mini stage and grab the mannequin the same way I did earlier and I walk it to the closet. After opening the closet and setting it down with a light thud, I leave the small storage room, closing the door behind me and head back to Rarity to see what else needs to be done.
1:00 P.M
“Alright darling,” Rarity calls over to me. “That’s it for your first day.”
“Alrighty,” I call out. I finish putting the file away and walk to my employer. She asked me to make sure orders and invoices were in order and everything seemed to be right where it should be.
I head up to her and see a brown sack about the size of a softball with a threat tied around the top, levitating next to her.
“Pay for the day, darling.” She levitates the bag to towards me and I take hold of it. I loosen the thread and see the sack is filled with bits. “Your pay is fifteen bits per hour-” SAY WHAT?! “-and since you worked four hours today, your pay is sixty bits. Since we’re closing early today, your pay tomorrow will be seventy-five bits.” Okay, so seventy five bits a day, assuming this place is open during the week and not on weekends, that’ll be.... somewhere around three or four hundred bits per week. I need a calculator.
“Wow, Rarity that's-”
“Up bup bup.” She raises her hoof and cuts me off. “Darling, I’m worth it.” Still feeling the need to thank her, I lower myself and give her a tight hug. She seems a little surprised because she let out a light ‘oh’ but she returns the hug in an equal amount of strength.
We hold on to each other for a couple more moments until Rarity says: “Okay Nick, I have a block party to decorate for.” Seeing she is needed soon, she and I let go. “Will you be attending?” More than that.
“Yeah, absolutely.”
“Good. I think it’ll be good to socialize a bit more.” She and I head outside and we see some ponies already getting a head start on some things. A few are getting some decorations up, booths for games are are in the middle of being set up, concessions are being made, I even see Vinyl setting up the sound systems on the stage. “Well, take care darling. See you later.” And with that being said, she trots off to where she needs to be.
I should go to Vinyl and ask her if she needs help with anything. Maybe if we’re done early, we can get one more rehearsal in.
“Testing, testing,” Vinyl says into the mic. The block party starts about two hours from now and I want to help out as much as I can. Vinyl is testing the mics and I’m at the soundboard. Seeing the sound gauge go up to yellow when Vinyl talked, I think the gain for the mic is okay. “Yo Nick!” she says, averting her head from the mic to look at me. “Turn up the mic a bit more.”
“I think the microphone should be okay Vinyl,” I say sort of matter of factly.
“What’s wrong with it being a little louder? Turn it up! Speakers too!” Rolling my eyes, I bring my focus to the soundboard, seeing all the knobs, buttons and switches, just waiting to be pressed and messed with. Brushing off a child like urge, I find the knob of the mic Vinyl is using and turn it up a couple of notches. I do a quick jog to the speakers and turn up the volume dials on them as well.
“Alright, go for it.” I quickly go back to the soundboard. I don’t want my ear next to that speaker.
“Testing testing!” she says into the mic, the sound coming off louder. It isn’t ear piercing and there was no feedback, yet it still has a good amount of volume. “Alright, that should be good.”
“‘ight!” I just wave my arms by my side, looking around aimlessly, not needing to say anything. That is until something crosses my mind. “So Vinyl, when will I know to come up here?”
“You’ll know when you see it,” she says with a smirk. She changes her expression to a thinking one fairly quickly. “Mmm, hear it would be the better terminology.” I was just about to say that.
“Okay, cool. Need help with anything else?”
“Nah, I think I got everything else covered. Why don’t you see if anypony else needs some help. Or you can chill out until the party starts.”
“I’ll go around and see if somepony needs anything.”
“Okay. Just keep your ears open for your cue.”
“You got it dude!”
3:30 PM
“Alright everypony!” Pinkie Pie yells ecstatically. In the center of town, everypony has gathered around for the block party to kick off. Pinkie Pie is the one to get it started with her, so called, “Party Cannon”. Let’s see what that bad boy can do.
“Let’s get this party started!” The second she finishes her sentence, a loud squeal or blast (not sure which) comes from the blue cannon. The cannon also shoots confetti and streamers into the air. Gravity does its thing and the paper items fall to the ground like snowflakes.
Party music is blaring through the speakers and the party is underway. I know I should start this party with some socializing, but my stomach is making other plans. I want food.
I casually make my way to the display and my mouth waters instantly. Many delectable and colorful looking treats are spread. Fancy looking fruit bouquets are set up, cupcakes with icing from every color of the rainbow, a freaking chocolate fountain (oh sweet mother Jesus I’ll have fun with that), and so many other things.
I grab a plate from the edge of the table and snatch a couple pieces of fruit from the bouquet (strawberries, grapes and apple slices), a chocolate cupcake and a couple of gumdrops. I pop a grape in my mouth and the sweet flavor fills my mouth with delight.
“Fresh from the garden,” I hear a female voice say. I take my gaze off my plate and see Berry Punch approach me. “Good eh?” I swallow the grape before I respond. Shouldn’t talk with a full mouth.
“Very tasty, Berry. Nice flavor and texture to it. Straight from your garden you say?”
“Indeed. Those are some of the best grapes I use for my juices and wines.” There’s wine in Equestria? Oh that is dope! My grandfather and my dad make homemade wine and it’s some good stuff.
“Well, best fruit makes the best product.” I pop another grape in my mouth. Man, these are good, so sweet and tasty. Juicy to and not mushy. Hate mushy grapes. “You wouldn't've happened to have some of those juices here, would you?”
“It’s at the drink table. Follow me and I’ll show you.” The violet colored mare escorts me to where the drinks are, and saying hi to a couple of ponies on the way. Just like the snack table, there is a wide display of drinks. Ranging from just simple water bottles, glass bottles of soda, punch in punch bowls, juice in wine bottles, the whole nine yards.
“This is my favorite one,” Berry reaches out for a juice bottle and hands it to me. The image on the bottle matches her cutie mark.
“Flavor a combo of grape and strawberry?”
“Mmm hmm! But I have a couple of other ones if that one doesn’t tickle your fancy. There’s strawberry and orange, white-cran with peach, and this one is a mix of pineapple, grapefruit and mango.” All sound interesting and refreshing. I am not partial to grape flavored drinks, so I don’t think I’ll have that first one. The cran and peach one does, however, sound good.
I put the grape and strawberry juice bottle down along with my plate of food. I need my hands free to grab a cup and the juice bottle I want. I pour the juice and the color is sort of an off pink. I place the bottle down when the cup is half full. I take a quick second to inspect the juice before I drink, and it looks quite refreshing. I bring the cup to my lips and take a sip, letting the cool liquid run down my esophagus with a satisfying taste. It’s mostly sweet, but it has a bit of a tart kick to it as well. I take another swig and and try to better grasp the flavor. I can taste the cranberries no doubt. I think that’s where the tart is. The peach flavor is more prominent though and that is the sweetness of the juice.
“Mmm, that’s good. Do you sell these?”
“Yep! At the open market every day.” I might have to buy a couple of bottles of these. It’s pretty damn good.
Some Time Later
Not only are ponies socializing and dancing in the streets, some games have been set up for some entertainment.
I over heard that Mayor Mare volunteered herself for the dunk tank and I just have to see how well this plays out. I find out where it is and see that most ponies were fruitless in their attempts to get the mayor in the water below her. She’s dry as sand. I see Applebloom taking a gander at this.
She’s eyeing up the target, keeping her eyes on the prize. With a solid white ball in her hoof, a lick of her lips and the narrowing of her eyebrows, she throws the ball at an impressive speed, but misses the target by a few inches to the right.
“Dang!” she exclaims while the crowd around collectively says ‘aww’. “Ah well, worth a shot.” She steps off to the side for the next pony to go, which is Lily. She throws the ball, but it falls short of the target by a foot or two.
“Shoot!” she says. “You got lucky Mayor Mare!” The mayor lets out a chuckle with a smug look on her face.
“Come now Ponyville,” the mayor says in a cocky tone. “Someone has to dunk me.” Getting impatient aren’t ya Mayor?
“I’ll give it a shot,” I say raising my hand. Why not partake in some festivities?… jesus, I sound like an old man. Anyway, I should be having some fun, it's a party for goodness sakes. And besides, this will probably be the only chance in my life to get a girl wet… God I hate myself.
Somepony (didn’t see who) places a ball in my hand. Time for me to take a shot at this. I step about fifteen feet in front of the target and see that white and red circle just waiting to get hit by the ball. It’s asking for it. No, begging to get hit by the ball.
I grip the sphere with my right thumb, index and middle finger. I have my left hand over my right one, kind of looking like a pitcher (need to channel Roy Halladay here) and not keeping my eye off the target. I take a slow and deep breath, calming myself. I take another for good measure. I bring my left leg back, then arch it up. I plant my left foot on the ground, toes pointing to the target and I let go of the ball. It’s going a very quick speed, it looks like it’s going to hit it!
It doesn’t. The ball is just inches shy of the target.
“Bruh,” I let out. It looked like such a good throw! There was a reason I was in the outfield when I played little league. That right there was it. I was a terrible pitcher.
“Better luck next time human boy,” Mayor Mare proclaims. No need to rub it in now.
I walk off to the side for the next pony to take a shot at it.
“Nice try there Nick,” Lily says, walking up to me. “You had a good form from what it looks like.”
“Yeah. I wonder who's going to be the one to dunk-”
THUNK! DING! SPLASH!
Lily and I move our eyes away from each other and look at the dunk tank. Mayor Mare is in the water, soaked from head to hoof with her mane clinging to her head. I look to where the crowd is and see the pony who dunked the Mayor is-
“Derpy!?” Lily and I chorus.
“YAY!! The crossed eye mare cheers, while throwing her forelegs up in the air for celebration.
“How-but-she-I…” I am at a loss of words. How can someone with eyes more crossed than a crucifix accurately hit a target? “This world is full of surprises, ain’t it?” I ask to no one in particular.
“Yep,” Lily says. It was a rhetorical question, but whatever.
Next scene after a time lapse
“Okay guys, just be patient with me, I haven’t done this since I was like, seven,” I tell the crowd of ponies around me. Another game that’s set up is bobbing for apples, Of course, Applejack helped out with this one and she’s monetizing the crowd. A few other recognizable ponies (Rainbow Dash, Cloud Kicker, Noteworthy and Carrot Top) were watching too. I figured I should give this a whirl since I haven’t done this for so long.
“Alright Nick,” AJ says, “you got fifteen seconds to get an apple in your chompers. You ready?”
“Is Celestia a princess?” I answer. She got a good giggle at that. She puts her hoof on a button that’s used to start a large stopwatch, and that’s all next this huge water filled bucket of apples.
“Alrighty, ready?” I grip the edges and have a determined look on my face. “Get set.” I lower my face to the water, nose just inches away from the liquid and apples. “GO!” I plumet my head and the water and sweet Mary and Joseph it is cold! My face feels a bit numb! No matter, my objective is to get an apple and by God I’m going to do it.
I maneuver my head around the water trying to find an apple. I can’t see super well in here, so I have to use my face to try and touch other ones.
After about three or four seconds of moving my head, I feel a rounded object touch my nose. BINGO! I arch my head up a little and try to get this apple in between my teeth. It’s to wet to get it. I take a few more chomps and still nothing.
I’m not sure how much time I have left, but I have a gut feeling it isn’t much. With as much determination as posible, I go full out Jaws mode! My mouth goes wide as possible and I rush the apple, sort of like a defensive tackle sacking quarterback. It seemed to have worked ‘cause I feel something round lodge into my mouth. I got it!
I firmly grasp the apple in my teeth so it can stay in my mouth. In one second, I get my head out of the water and fling it back sort of like Ariel. I rub my eyes for a second and wipe the water off my face with my hands. I bring my right hand to my mouth and clasp the apple. My mouth lets go of it and I hold it up in victory.
“YES!” I shout! The ponies around me are cheering, saying things like ‘nice job’ ‘good catch’ all that jazz.
“And you have a couple seconds to spare,” Applejack says. I bring the apple back to my mouth and take a bite of it. It tastes very tart for some reason. Getting a good look of it, I see that it’s a green apple. Mmm, I love green apples.
“Victory tastes good!”
Do I really have to say it?
“...but the university keeps shooting down my work,” Doc tells me, sounding a bit miffed. “I have conducted so much research, that it could, in fact, change the way we look at life and the world. They say it’s too extreme or convoluted, but my numbers say otherwise!… I’m sorry dear boy, what were we talking about?”
“I said lovely weather we’re having,” I deadpan. I say something simple and next thing I know, he’s blabbering on how the University of Canterlot keeps denying his work.
“Oh, well yes, it has been very nice out.” He aimlessly looks around and something seems to catch his eye. “Oh, chocolate fountain. Allons-y!” He gallops towards the fountain and I’m just left here all confused.
“What the f##k just happened?” I mumble to myself, perplexed.
“Alright party ponies! You having a good time or what?!” Vinyls voice blares over the speakers. Oh, maybe it’s my cue to come in.
As I jog towards the stage, everyone is cheering and saying ‘whoo hoo’.
“Good that you guys are having fun! I figure I should mix things up for you guys for a little while. That okay?” Once again, the party goers cheer for their answer.
“Nick!” She points to me and Ponyville lays their eyes on me. Alright, it’s show time! “Get up here and let's have some fun!”
“Oh, you know it!” I shout out. The crowd is cheering for me, telling me to get up there and perform. This is what I thrive for: being in the limelight, but having fun in it. It’s go time!
