Saving the ponies Chapter 1: Love at first flight?
#1 of STP
Saving the ponies A new series by mavinator5
My new story about MLP. Started this one thanks to the inspiration I got from two special furs; Foxohki for his helping people with their depression gave me the idea for the plotline; Eragon13666 for his Brandon in Equestria story for starting me on MLP in the first place. Just so everyone knows, I've not yet read Eragon's story, so if his and mine are similar, it's not intentional. The whole reason I started watching MLP was so I could understand Eragon's story better. Here's a quick link to their pages: Foxohki: http://foxohki.sofurry.com/ Eragon13666: http://eragon13666.sofurry.com/ Thanks for the inspirations guys! On another, different note, I'm going to try writing in the third person. I like first person more, but I find this story calls for the third. Anyway, hope you like it :D
Chapter 1: Love at first flight?
'Wow, that was some wild party last night.' Maverick thought as he woke up. It had been his best friend's birthday the day before, and since his friend was a crazy wako, he had insisted on getting his older brother to buy them liquor for the party. They were all underage, only 17 at the oldest, so they couldn't buy their own alcohol, but Brandon, who was Maverick's best friend, has an older brother who was willing to get the good stuff. Maverick was the only person who was invited to the party who was still relatively pure; he's a virgin, he's never drank nor smoked, he even avoided swearing as much as possible. He's the shining angel of the group. 'I'll be the only one who won't be puking today.' He thought as he struggled to get his eyes open. 'Still, can't say I'm feeling too good. They sure did a number on me.' A play fight had broken out during the party; feats of strength had begun after everyone was nice and drunk. Maverick had decided to try one of them out; a wrestling match. Well, he had sure regretted that choice. His body had multiple bruises, and he ached a little all over. 'At least it was fun. I'd go to another one.' He thought as he finally managed to pry his eyes open. "What the... did I fall asleep outside?" He said aloud as he saw a bright blue sky above him. 'No, I'm sure I made it back home. Could someone have spiked my drink?' He thought. Suddenly, a memory came forth. It was Brandon, telling everyone of the one condition to getting in. "Everybody had to take a glass and fill it with something they're going to drink. Once that's done, you'll all step out for a second and I'll throw something in a random glass. It'll be the best night for whoever gets the surprise." 'I told him not to put in mine, and he agreed. That jerk!' He thought. Still, Maverick couldn't remember feeling any better than normal last night. 'Well, he did say that he had no idea what it did, only that the man that had sold it to him had called it "Horsemane. This little sucker is so powerful, it'll bring ya strait to another world. It just takes a while to kick in." That's why he had insisted on using it right at the start of the party.' Maverick tried to get on his feet, but his legs felt like jelly. 'That jerk really did give it to me. Oh, just wait until I get my hands on him.' He managed a sitting position, trying to stop the world from spinning. 'Ugg, this is why I don't do drugs; the aftershock sucks.' His vision was finally clearing somewhat. 'Oh god, where am I? I don't recognise this place at all.' He was surrounded by small hills that were dotted with trees. Rolling planes of grass were visible where the hills were lower than he was, and in the distance he could see huge mountains. 'This doesn't ring any bells. Have I been here before? It certainly doesn't look like Ottawa. I must still be drugged.' Then he clued in to something. "Horsemane. This little sucker is so powerful, it'll bring ya strait to another world." 'To another world. Surely he can't actually mean I've changed planets, or dimensions or whatever. No, it must be a hallucinogen. These are just images conjured up by my mind and the drug. I'll be back to normal once it wears off. I bet I'm just sitting down like an idiot in Brandon's house while he's passed out drunk.' Yet for all his reassuring, Maverick couldn't shake an uneasy feeling. He sat there for the better part of ten minutes before he got fed up. 'If I'm really at Brandon's, if I walk around, I'll bump into something.' With this logical solution in mind, he tried to stand again, finding it much easier than it was the first time. 'Look at that, the side effects are already wearing off.' He started to shuffle around, searching for a wall or table. He fixed a distant point in his vision and started to walk towards it, that way he wouldn't be going in circles. After 5 minutes of walking, he gave up. 'I can't have changed worlds, I just can't. We don't have the technology for that sort of thing yet.' He thought, giving in to panic. "Hey, can anybody hear me?" He shouted. "HELP!" He kept shouting for a while, but when it was clear he was alone, he gave up. "This can't be happening. I can't survive in the wild; I won't last a week." He sat back down on the ground, bringing his legs into his chest and letting a few tears leak out. His whole life he'd been a role model for others to follow: Good grades; healthy lifestyle; kind, generous and reliable were all word used to describe him by almost everyone he knew. Now, after one messed up party, after one drug that he didn't even know he had taken, his whole life was over. "Humf, another one. It's been a while since the last one of your kind came through." Maverick's head shot up. Standing in front of him was... something. It was wearing a long, flowing coat that concealed everything, but its body was shaped in the oddest manner Maverick had ever seen. It looked like it had the form of a horse, but horses didn't talk, or wear clothing. "Hello human, welcome to our land." The horse-thing said. "I trust you had a safe journey?" "W-w-w-where am I? Who are you? How did I get here? WHAT HAPPENED TO ME?" He shouted, fearful but grateful that he might still live. "Whoa, slow down. Didn't Kyle tell you everything before he gave you the drug? Every human before you has known what happened to them." It said. "Kyle? I didn't even know I was drugged. Someone spiked my drink at a party." Maverick replied. "Ah, I see. Kyle did send word with the last human that one of his drugs had been stolen. I'm sorry about this; those drugs aren't meant to be used by anyone who's uninformed. If you wish, I can give you another drug that will send you right back to earth." It said. Its voice, which up to this point had been annoyed and resentful, acquired an edge of compassion. "To earth? Where am I?" Maverick asked. "It's of no consequence. The best thing to do would be for you to just go back before you learn too much. The more you learn, the more you'll have to suffer after taking the reverse-drug. It clears your memory of everything you learned while you were here, but that cleansing is a painful and lengthy procedure. Here, I actually have a reverse pill with me. We're required to give one to every human who arrives, since they are free to leave whenever they please." It fumbled around in its getup for a moment before magically dropping a pill at Maverick's feet. "Hold on, at least tell me what happened. Why did I change worlds, why would you want me here, where IS here? Please, at least tell me that much." Maverick begged. "I shouldn't; each of those will only make the cleansing all the worse." It replied. "Your seller's incompetency is what got me caught out here. I realise this will make me hurt more, but the least you could do is answer my questions." Maverick pointed out. "Oh, fine. But don't blame me if your cleansing hurts. This is the land of Equestria. It's home to-" It began, but was cut off. "HA HA. EQUESTRIA. That's a good one. What's next, tell me you're Rainbow Dash and Celestia is coming to kiss the ground at my feet? Ha, Equestria." Maverick laughed. He was a closet brony; no one knew about it, but it appeared someone had found out and was now torturing him with it. "Your stupid drug must have knocked me out while you brought me here. Well, you have me alone, what now? Going to beat me? Rape me? Kill me? Who are you, a brony hater? Take off that stupid cloak and let me see your face!" He shouted. As a response, the creature took off its cape. *GASP* followed by a shocked silence. Standing before Maverick was Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash is a Pegasus pony. She has blue fur and a rainbow coloured mane and tail. She's usually short tempered and can occasionally seem quite lazy, but she's also super competitive and hates to lose. She's a pony who'll always stand up for her friends who can't do it themselves. "Well, good enough proof for you, human?" She asked, her voice tough like steel. "I-impossible. Am I really in Equestria?" He asked. "Yes, this is Equestria, land of the ponies. You humans created Equestria, did you know that? Your stupid television show is an actual world created by humans. Only a remote few humans know about this." She said. "And, is it just like in the show? Are Fluttershy and Applejack and Twilight all here too? And Rarity and Pinky Pie?" He asked. "Yes, we all live here. But make no mistake, human; the world we live in is nothing like your stupid television show. Your show is divided into episodes that reflect a moment in time created by humans. The events that happen during the episodes cannot be linked back to our world. You humans use us to film the episodes before you put them on Television, but they are all setups. We have many more quarrels then your show demonstrates, and they don't always end happily. We have gone for months at a time without speaking to each other. However, in the end, you humans come back and force us to film another episode, and when you do, we must forget our difference and act as friends again, else the humans will shut us down and we will all be DELETED. For you, our show is a funny way to relax. For us, it is our only means of survival." She said. Maverick just stared in silence. 'How cruel, to force them into this way of life.' He thought. "Hatred runs strong in Ponyville and all of Equestria. Hatred for humans runs strongest, but hatred for the 6 of us, the 6 main characters, runs strong as well. You see, human, it is possible for us to liberate ourselves from our fate. You asked before why we brought you here? I will tell you. The only way for us, the ponies of Equestria, to free ourselves is if we can convince a human to live in Equestria. They must choose to remain here for a year, and then after that, they must choose to live here forever. Should this come to pass, we will be free from the tyranny of humans forever. This is the responsibility of us 6. However, even after two years and hundreds of humans, we have been unable to keep one here for longer than a month. They become overwhelmed with the fact that our world isn't the perfect utopia they expected. They long for the technological advancements we lack here in Equestria. They wish to see their families, or they seek the companionship of a human friend that they miss. In the end, we have given up hope that a human sympathetic to our cause will show up. We still try when a new human appears, but with each failure we grow more and more unbelieving. So, human, you who came here without knowing the situation, will you stay? We can have as many humans here at the same time as we wish, although you are currently the only one, so you need not fear that you will be wasting our time. Will you try and save the ponies of Equestria?" She asked. Maverick was still processing the information, but his lack of response angered Rainbow Dash. "Don't think you will be disappointing anypony if you say no; we are used to failure. We understand that the chances of us every becoming free are zero. Just take your pill and leave us; you won't even remember our plight once you are gone." With that, she turned and spread her wings, preparing to fly off. "WAIT! Hold on, I was just thinking. It was hard to follow what you said. Don't leave yet, I haven't decided to leave yet." He said. As she slowly closed her wings and turned back, he noticed something. "Why do you still look somewhat animated? If this is a real world, shouldn't you look like a real Pegasus?" What he said was true, and now that he looked around, everything had a slightly animated quality to it. It resembled the real world, but there was a slight difference; just enough for a person to tell it wasn't reality. The grass was too perfect, too green. There was no brown in sight. And Rainbow Dash looked exactly like she did in the show, except now she was in 3D. "You have a good eye, human. Most of those we get here do not notice this until we are in Ponyville. This is our reality, so for us, we cannot notice this "animation" you speak of. However, it is always mentioned eventually by you humans. You have not answered my question, and I'm getting tired of waiting. Will you stay or will you go?" She asked. "What happens next if I choose to stay? A year is a long time. Do I just lead a normal life here in Ponyville? Do I have to buy a house and work to survive, or do I get special privileges, or do I live in the wilderness? What happens?" He asked, stalling for time to think. "If you choose to stay, I will guide you to the pony of your choice, and you will live with them. You can pick any of the main 6, or you can choose to live alone. Most of the humans we get choose to live with a pony. The girls, who we tend to get more of, usually pick to stay with Rarity, Pinky Pie or Fluttershy. The men prefer Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle and Applejack. In order, the list of popularity goes like this: Fluttershy is the most popular, getting over 50% of the humans. In second is Twilight, who gets about 30%. The other three split up the remaining 20% between them." She said. "What about you? You didn't mention yourself." Maverick asked. Her demeanour, which until now had been aggressive, assertive and annoyed, became resentful and depressed. "Not one human so far has chosen me. They like me, don't get me wrong, but every human has always picked one of the other 5 as their main pony. The other five are understanding of my situation. They usually console me when a new human appears and picks one of them. Fluttershy, who already hates being the center of attention, dislikes her popularity with humans. Twilight is ambivalent; so long as the humans don't interrupt her studies, she doesn't care. Rarity enjoys that she doesn't get many humans since she hates humans more than any other member of the 6. Applejack and Pinky Pie both wish they were more popular, but they deal with it. I suppose I've led you a little astray; I said that the show reflects poorly upon us, and it does, but they haven't gotten everything wrong. They got the idea behind each of our personalities, but they push them to the extreme. If you come into our world with prejudice towards anything, you'll find out quite quickly that most of them are wrong. But I've spoken enough. If you intend to stay, say so and we'll get going towards the house of the pony you choose." She said. "Well, I can leave whenever I want, right? If so, there's no reason for me to leave just yet. I might as well try this out, just to see how it is. One question does pop to mind though. What happened to them me in my world? Did I just disappear, or am I still there?" Maverick asked as he stood up. "You remain in your world even while you're in ours. If you choose to leave, your memories since the moment you arrived will disappear and be replaced with those of the you in your world. It will be as if you never left your world." She said. "Now, since you intend to stay, you must pick a pony. Do I need to define them all to you, or do you know enough about us to decide without that?" She asked. "Well, you said that everyone's not exactly the same as the show, so if you could tell me about everyone's house, and maybe a little about each pony that I might not know, that would be great." He said. Despite his request, Maverick already knew which pony he wanted to stay with. He was just buying time to make sure that he wanted to stay. "Then I shall begin with Twilight. She lives in the same house you see in the show. Since she is accustomed to having humans with her, she has multiple bedrooms in her house. She is a pony who is not uncomfortable with solitude, and she often avoids being the center of attention, like Fluttershy. She is very cautious, but also very curious. She isn't afraid to experiment to satisfy her curiosity. If you choose her, you won't need employment, as she often recruits humans to aid her with her research. "Fluttershy is next. She is very cautious and hates attention of any kind, but she's also very kind. She is very shy and will avoid strangers at all costs. She has many bedrooms in her house since she is popular with humans. She lives in the forest so she can be near her animal companions, and she lives the furthest from Ponyville of the main 6. She will try her best to welcome you, but don't be surprised if she avoids being around you for the first few days. If you choose her, so long as you are content with living on vegetables, you won't need to seek employment since she grows her own food. "Now we have Applejack. She's an honest pony that gets along well with almost anypony. She's always willing to accept new humans at her barn, and she's willing to employ them to help with the apple picking, planting and so on. She's kind and easy going, and she'll help anypony in need. She lives in a barn that has many typical farm animals and it's surrounded by a large forest of apple trees as well as many plots of land for cultivation purposes. Even if you choose to refuse her employment as a farm hand, she'll feed you for free. "I'll tell you about Pinky Pie next. She's a fun loving, unpredictable pony. She does whatever she wants without thinking about it beforehoof, and more often than not, she'll end up in trouble because of her decisions. Still, she's somewhat reliable, and always a good way to cheer up when things look glum. She lives in a bakery and helps out around the shop with Mr. and Mrs. Cake. She's always willing to hire an assistant for her crazy cake ideas, and she'll also feed you for free is you turn down her employment, but sometimes her meals are a little... unnatural. "Finally, there's Rarity. She's a perfectionist who loves to create beautiful dresses for ponies everywhere. She works alone when it comes to her art, and she's the only pony with which you'll need to seek employment elsewhere to survive. It's one of the reasons she's so unpopular. However, it's not unheard of for her to hire an assistant from the few humans she's had. She's a hardworking pony who'll do a lot for a pony in need. She lives in her boutique and she only has one spare bedroom that is sometimes occupied by her sister, Sweety Bell. Her sister, however, is more than willing to share her room with strangers. "Well, there you have it, your choices." She said. While she outlined the places Maverick could be living soon, they had started to walk towards Ponyville. The city was still out of sight, but Rainbow Dash made Maverick stop. "Now you must pick. If you intend to pick Fluttershy, we have to turn at the crossroads that is coming up." She said. "You left yourself out. What if I wanted to stay with you?" Maverick asked. "Don't be silly, no human has ever picked me and no human will. Please don't tease me and pick a pony already." She said, sadness colouring her tone of voice. "Well, I DO want to live with you. You've always been my favourite pony in the show, and you're the one who came to get me despite the fact that you assume you won't have anybody pick you. So, how do we get to your house?" Maverick asked. "Don't pick me just because you feel sorry for me, human. Remember that you must live with the pony of your choice for the duration of your stay. Also, I'm always the one to get the new humans because I'm the fastest and I'm the most unbiased. If another pony were to come, they would try and guilt the human into staying with them or with another pony, based on what they wanted. Since I never get a human, it's perfect that I should be the one to welcome them. Now then, make your proper decision." She repeated, unwilling to believe Maverick's decision. To counter her disbelief, Maverick sat down. "Fine then, I see no point in going any further if you won't believe me. I want to stay with you, and if you won't accept that, then I will sit here until you decide to believe me." With that he crossed his arms and stared her down. Rainbow stared back at him. 'What's this human thinking? Is he trying to mock me? Maybe he pity's my situation. Surely he can't actually wish to stay with me?' She thought. Yet, as time passed and he stayed put, her certainty began to waiver. "Why me?" She asked. "Like I said, you're the pony I like the most. I envy your ability to fly, the speed with which you soar through the sky. You always look so happy when you're flying. And you're a vicious competitor. I love to compete, so in that light we resemble each other. You love to have fun just like Pinky Pie, but you go about it in a more rational way. And you'll stand up to anybody. That's something I wish I could do. Also, I think you're kinda cute..." He finished, barely saying the last part and looking away as he did so. Even though he said it so lightly, Rainbow Dash heard him. "Y-you think I'm cute?" Her face turned purple, a nice contrast between her blue fur and the red of the blush. When he nodded, still not looking at her, she felt her heart melt a little. She had been so mean since he got here, and now she realised that he must really want to stay with her. "T-thank you. So, you want to stay with me? Okay then, I guess we must go find Specklecoat." She said. "Hm? Why do we need to find her?" Maverick asked as he got back up. "We must find her so she can enchant you. Something you humans got right in your show is that only Pegasi can stand on clouds, but the reason is not what you humans think it is. We Pegasi have the ability to change our body weight at will. We can weigh as much as a regular pony if we want, or we can weigh much less. When we fly, we must lower out body weight dramatically or we would fall like stones. When we stand on clouds, we must lower it even more. This is a skill that Pegasi are taught from the moment they are born. It usually takes only a few days for them to understand it; it's very instinctual. We've never given this ability to a human before, but if you are to live with me in Cloudsdale, you must possess this power. Hopefully it'll work out well." She said. In her mind, Rainbow Dash was still trying to understand this human. He'd picked her as his main pony, and that made her ecstatic. She'd never had a human pick her before, but now that he had, she began to worry; her house was very small, since she didn't tend to use it. She only slept there and ate there. It was comprised of a bedroom, a kitchen/living room and a bathroom. She wouldn't have anywhere for the human to sleep. 'After I get him to Cloudsdale, I must speak to Twilight. She'll know what to do.' She thought. "I'm sorry for my behaviour earlier. We haven't had a human in a little while, so we began to worry that something had happened to Kyle. We'd completely given up hope, and then you appeared. As soon as I sensed your arrival, I came as quick as I could, but it scared me when you revealed that you didn't see Kyle. If anything were to happen to him, we would never be able to free ourselves." She said. 'Plus I was in a bad mood.' She thought to herself. "It's fine. I can understand why things are a little tense here." In the distance, Maverick could see what he imagined was little hut. "Is this where Specklecoat lives?" He asked. "Yes. She's the unicorn everyone comes to when they need a spell cast. She's a very nice pony, and she doesn't charge for her spells. She just likes to help. Once we get you enchanted, I can fly you up to Cloudsdale." Rainbow Dash knocked on the door. After a brief moment, it opened. "Oh, hey Rainbow. How can I help you?" Specklecoat asked. She was a brown unicorn with little beige dots colouring her fur. "Hello Specklecoat. This is... um." Rainbow Dash paused, then smiled in an embarrassed manor. "I never did get your name." "It's Maverick." He replied. "This is Maverick. He needs an enchantment. The one for weight control, like the one all the Pegasi have." She explained. "Hm, enchanting already? Didn't he just get here? Shouldn't you bring him to his pony choice first? In fact, why does he even need the weight control enchantment?" She asked, confused. Before Rainbow could answer, Maverick said: "I picked Rainbow as my pony. She needs me enchanted so she can bring me to Cloudsdale." Specklecoat just stared for a few moments, and then she jumped at Rainbow and gave her a hug. "I TOLD you you'd get chosen eventually. Congratulations! Oh, where did I keep that book? I haven't done this enchantment in ages, so I'll need a refresher." As she fumbled around, Rainbow avoid Maverick's gaze, timidly staring away. "Aha! Here it is. Okay, let's see... ah, the weight control enchantment. It's actually relatively simple. Here, just give me a moment..." There was a glowing around Specklecoat's horn, and then Maverick felt a tingly sensation in his brain that extended slowly through his whole body. "Andddd done! Okay, let's try it out. Rainbow, explain to him how it works." She said as she returned the book to its shelf. "Sure thing. Just imagine yourself getting lighter. That's how I make it work." Rainbow explained. "Okay then..." Maverick imagined himself getting lighter. "How do I know if it worked?" He asked. "Here, get on my back. If you feel heavy, we know it hasn't worked yet." She said, kneeling down so he could get on. I small gasp went up in the room. Maverick and Rainbow turned to look at Specklecoat, who had a look of shock on her face. "Surely you're not thinking of letting him ride you? Rainbow, ponies everywhere will hate you if you stoop to that level." "How else am I supposed to get him to Cloudsdale? Obviously I'm going to fly him up there." She replied. "No, you can't. Rainbow, your honor will crumble if-" "It's not like I'm not hated enough already. Of the 6, I'm the most hated pony, since I scare off half the humans that come here before they even get to the city. Do you really think it matters if I let Maverick ride on my back?" Rainbow angrily cut Specklecoat off. Specklecoat just stared in silence, biting her lip a little. "I won't tell you what to do Rainbow, but I bet you will come to regret this decision. Good luck." With that, she returned to whatever she had been doing before the interruption. Maverick turned back to Rainbow, who was still kneeling. "Are you sure? I don't want to cause trouble for you." He said. "It'll be fine; I really don't care about what other ponies think of me. If I did, I wouldn't have survived this long in Equestria. Common, the sooner you get on, the sooner we can get going." She replied. Maverick stepped up beside her. When she was standing tall, her head was just a bit higher then Maverick's, and her back came up to his chest. On her knees, her back came up right next to his waist. He looked at her awkwardly, unsure of how to proceed. He swung one leg up over her body, careful to avoid her wings, and settled in right at the base of her neck, trying his best to maneuver in the small amount of space he had. "Okay, I'm on, I guess. Now wha- whoa!" He exclaimed as she stood up. She grunted. "No, you're still full weight. Try again." And he tried again, and nothing changed. "Try something else; even we Pegasi have different tricks to make it work. Some like to think they're floating, others jump a little to reduce their weight." "Light!" Maverick said. "Oh, there you go. That's much better. I should be able to fly with this, but it won't be enough for the clouds. Can you go lighter?" She asked. "Lighter." Maverick said. "Wow, that pretty impressive. I was scared we would have to find a home on the ground for the first few nights, but it looks like that won't be a problem. Alright, let's get moving." Rainbow walked outside, turning her head slightly so she could see Maverick on her back. "Thank you, Maverick." "For what?" He asked. "For deciding to stay. I almost sent you home before you even knew anything. You could have taken the easy way out, but you chose not to, and now we have hope once again in Equestria." She replied. "Hm, I wouldn't trade this opportunity for much. I know this might sound weird, but I've always wished something would happen to spice up my life; I've been bored for a while now. Being a closet brony has its downsides; I can't talk to any real people about it. I've been feeling more and more lonely, but now I have a new chance to remake myself, and with the creature I admire the most in all the universes. So thank you, Kyle, and you Brandon, for giving me this chance. And thank you, Rainbow, for welcoming me." He said. Rainbow smiled, her wings spreading out to her sides. "You're quite welcome. Are you ready? I'm going to takeoff now." She warned him. "Um, actually, I just remembered that there is indeed one large problem with this situation." He said. "Oh, what's that?" Rainbow asked. "I'm absolutely terrified of heights." ... ... ... "And you didn't mention this earlier because...?" She asked, annoyed. "I was too stunned by the turn of events. I'm not really scared of heights; I'm only scared of falling. If I don't have to worry about falling, I can go as high as I want." He replied. "You have nothing to worry about; I won't let you fall." She said, smiling reassuringly. "Are you ready?" Maverick looped his arms around her neck and pressed his face into her mane, closing his eyes. "As ready as I'll ever be." Rainbow began to flap her wings. With the added weight, she had to reduce hers to her cloud level for the takeoff. It was much more difficult to do a takeoff at a standstill, but she didn't want to scare or jostle Maverick. She was already panting by the time they finally left the ground. 'This will be good training; I'll be much stronger if I have to carry him around all the time.' She thought. Once they started moving, it became easier to stay aloft. "You really should look, the view is beautiful." She said to Maverick as she gained altitude. Maverick fearfully pulled his head away from her mane and looked down. The ground was miles away, and every tree looked like an ant from the height they were at. He found that he was able to look without too much fear, but as he tried to loosen his embrace a little; his stomach flew up into his chest. "Well, I can look. It really is nice, to fly." He said as he started glancing left and right. "Look ahead of us. That's Cloudsdale. Can you see it?" Rainbow asked, pleased by his newfound confidence. Maverick looked forward and saw. Cloudsdale was huge! Even though they were still very far away, it filled his field of vision. A wave of pure white, dotted here and there by splashes of colour and occasional flashes of light. Maverick could see a huge gate that had many ponies entering and exiting it, and he assumed this was the entrance to the city. "You live there?" He asked. "Yes, but my house is pretty small. I don't spend much time indoors; I prefer the open air to the dry, closed of walls of my house." They were entering Cloudsdale now. As they passed through the gate, all the ponies present stopped and stared at Rainbow and Maverick. All the faces around him bore looks of shock which quickly transformed into looks of rage and hatred. However, despite their appearance, no pony challenged Rainbow, nor did they even say anything. Every pony resumed flying, but they still cast glares at Rainbow as they passed her. "I knew it; I've caused trouble for you." Maverick said as he witnessed the scene unfolding before him. "And I've already told you, I don't care. Let them think what they want; you chose me as your pony, and if this is what I must do to make your life here in Equestria easier, then so be it." She replied. Maverick stared at the back of Rainbow's head with admiration. This was a pony he understood well, and one he would do almost anything for. She was everything he wished he could be and more. As she flew them through the city, he let himself daydream a little about how he would live his new life in Equestria. He wanted to spend as much time with this pony as possible. He wanted to become her best friend, or maybe even more... 'No, I can't do that. Just letting me ride her has made her hated by her kind. If we were to become more then friends, who knows what they would do to her?' He thought. 'No, I will be satisfied with being her friend.' And yet, Maverick could see himself with her, sharing a drink in a restaurant or flying through the sky. He could see them talking for hours about their pasts. He could see them lying together in bed, kissing and... 'NO! Her friend and nothing more!' He thought to himself. 'I won't ruin my chance to live the pony of my dreams. I WILL be content as her friend!' On Rainbow's end, she was having trouble imagining her future with Maverick. This boy had made her happier then she had been for years, and she wanted to get to know him well. She would spend all of her free time with him, and they would become the best of friends. Maybe even more... 'No, I must remember what happened all the other times. Every time one of the 6 falls in love with a human, it always ends tragically. No, I can't let my emotions cloud my judgment. This human must never want to leave, and if the relationship got rocky, who knows what would happen? No, I shall be satisfied with being his friend.' She thought. And yet, she could see them together, living in her too small house, sharing stories of their pasts by the window or playing games together in the living room. She could see them lying down on the grass under the stars. She could see them turning towards each other and... 'No, absolutely not. It is my responsibility to keep him happy, and I won't complicate his life by adding unnecessary problems. All he did was pick me as his pony; why did that make me so happy? I don't even know him!' 'But he knows you.' A voice whispered in her imagination. 'He knows a little about you. He chose you because he knows about you. He said you were cute. What if he wants it too?' '... I, I want him. But I won't give in to my desires. If he show's that he wants me too, then maybe... No, I must remain strong. I have responsibilities.' 'What if he becomes sad because you won't have him? Surely becoming a couple will only reinforce his desire to stay?' The voiced continued to coo. Rainbow couldn't think of an answer. 'I'll let him make the first move, and from there, we shall see.' She decided. Onwards they flew, with both parties wrapped up in their own imagination. Maverick hardly noticed all the sights the city had to offer; the stadium where the ponies competed; the numerous shops lining the roads that crisscrossed the city. He was so lost to the world that when Rainbow finally stopped, he didn't even notice. "We're here." She said, snapping him back to reality. They were stopped in front of a hole in the clouds. As Maverick looked around, confused, he realised that there were many holes in the clouds around him. "This is the residential district for ponies who just want a house for the sake of having one. The houses here are low quality and compact, but they serve their purpose without being too costly. I know it's not much, but..." She trailed off awkwardly, not sure where she was going with the sentence. Maverick dismounted slowly, fearfully looking at the clouds below him. He doubted that they would hold even his reduced weight, but Rainbow had said they would. He put his foot down, still clinging to Rainbow as he tested it. To his surprise, they felt surprisingly hard for clouds. "The clouds that are trampled more often tend to get compact over time. You could probably increase your weight here and still not fall, but I wouldn't recommend it." Rainbow explained. She led the way inside, beckoning him with her wings. The interior of the house was bland; just white cloud walls with very few decorations. A table was set in against the far wall, and Maverick thought he saw what appeared to be a couch to his left. As he walked further in, the clouds beneath him began to soften. "This is the main room of the house. I don't tend to have company, so it's really just here because of the lay of the house. The bathroom's over there." She gestured to her right where Maverick saw a curtain-like wall closing off his view of the room. "And back here is the bedroom. It's the most used room of the house." She shifted another wall-curtain. The bedroom was much more furnished then the rest of the house. Maverick saw a bed of clouds that had some sheets on it, as well as a nightstand and a ceiling lamp, also made of clouds. On the left wall were some pictures of what Maverick assumed was Rainbow and her family, as well as a wardrobe. The right wall had picture of the main 6 ponies. On the floor he saw a rainbow coloured rug. Most of the far wall was bare, until Rainbow pulled a cord that opened the wall up, making a giant window. "This is where I live when I'm at home." She said. Maverick thought her saw a worried look on her face, as if she was waiting for his opinion. "I think it's brilliant. I've never liked big, high maintenance houses either; too much room with nothing to use it for is as good as a waist." He said, hoping he had said what she wanted to hear. It seemed to be. The worry vanished to be replaced with relief. "Good. I need to go see Twilight for a few minutes. Here, take this and go look around Cloudsdale." She reached into her nightstand and took out a bag with her mouth, and then handed it to Maverick. "It's a little money I had saved up. The ponies might not like humans, but none of them would dare harm one. Still, don't walk near the edge of the clouds, just to be on the safe side. I'll be back in less than an hour." She hurriedly explained. "Oh, um, okay. I'll see you soon." He said as she flew off. Maverick slipped the money into his pocket with no intention of spending it, it wasn't his after all. Instead, he set out along the road in the reverse direction in which he arrived. Once he got out of the residential district and back into the main plaza, he quickly became overwhelmed by the sheer size of the city. Within minutes he was completely lost with no possible chance of backtracking, and he hoped Rainbow would be able to find him once she got back. Instead of worrying though, he decided to look around. The shops that lined the streets had no doors, nor a front wall. Everything was very open, giving off a feeling of welcome. Even so, as he circulated, looking from one display to the next, he could feel accusing glares boring into his back, and sometimes the ponies didn't even try to hide their dislike. Maverick did his best to ignore them, but it was difficult seeing as he was the only non-pony around for miles. Or so he thought, until he came to a pet shop. Figuring it would be a nice change of pace, he walked inside. There weren't many customers, and to his delight, they were all too busy to stop and glare at him. He took to browsing the aisles, and he quickly discovered that the majority of the pets were birds, not really to his surprise. They came in many different shapes, sizes and colours, but none of them were the big, carnivorous brand such as an eagle or a raptor. Maverick was pleased that he could tell some apart, like a humming bird in one cage and a blue jay in another. He was also pleased that some of the birds didn't look like they existed on earth, such as one labelled "Ontigarus. Warning, it bites." "Can I help you?" Maverick jumped and looked to see a yellow pony with bright orange hair standing nearby. She wasn't glaring at him like the other ponies; in fact, she seemed quite pleased by his presence. "No, I was just looking. This one here, the ontigarus, it doesn't exist on earth, does it?" He asked. "You would know better than me. I've never been to earth, nor has anypony. We know very little about the world of our birthfolk." She moved closer. "I've never seen a human before; none have ever come to Cloudsdale. You know, most ponies don't appreciate your kind. But I know better; maybe they enslave us, but if it wasn't for them, we wouldn't even exist. Most ponies tend to forget that." She smiled and winked. "So, you like animals?" "I love animals. I love anything that's cute and cuddly." He replied. "Odd that you would choose Rainbow over Fluttershy, but who am I to judge? Do you like big animals as well, or just the cute ones?" She asked "It depends. I love tigers and wolves and stuff, but I don't like all big animals." Maverick wasn't usually one who could just make friends like that, but this pony seemed pretty nice. He talked with her about animals for a few more minutes, but then she had another customer. She asked him to come back sometime so they could continue their discussion, and he promised he would. As he left the store, he saw and odd scene. All the ponies outside were landing and crouching down on the ground. As he watched, Maverick saw a group of Pegasi walking through the city, and all around them the ponies bowed to them. They were slowly making their way in his direction, and he debated what to do. He could probably still re-enter the shop, or he could bow to the Pegasi, or he could just stand there. In the end, he decided to avoid causing any problems and just bowed to them. But apparently that wasn't enough...
*****
Rainbow flew off from Cloudsdale with her heart and stomach in knots. She had to get to Twilight as quickly as she could; Twilight knew about humans, and she'd loved before. She could help Rainbow sort out her feelings, as well as help her provide proper accommodations for the human. "Maverick..." In less than an hour, this random human had saved her from her depression and given her a reason to keep trying. With just one choice, he had sent her heart into overdrive and reminded her what it felt like to be wanted. She didn't know how humans judged potential mates, but to her, he looked perfect. He was kind and forgiving. But she couldn't have him. She had responsibilities to her friends; responsibilities that came before her own happiness. The weight of those responsibilities suddenly felt much heavier now that they divided her from her desire . Without realising it, she had covered all the distance between her and Ponyville, and she was rapidly approaching Twilight's house. She returned her attention to the sky, making sure she didn't hit anything while taking the shortest path. Finally, she landed. She slammed open the door, not caring if it broke, which it didn't. "Twilight!" She shouted. "Twilight, I need your help!" "What is it, Rainbow? Did the new human pick me?" Twilight said as she came into the room. Twilight Sparkle is a unicorn pony. She has purple fur and very dark purple hair that has a streak of pink and purple through the middle. She's a bookworm, always seeking to know more about everything. She's a highly rational pony who's good at finding middle ground and settling arguments. "I sensed their arrival. Did you come here to deliver it to me?" She asked. "No, Twilight, you won't believe what happened." Rainbow replied. "You didn't scare them off again, did you? Rainbow, you ne-" "Twilight, he picked me!" She interrupted. Silenced reigned in the room as Twilight stared at Rainbow's face, which had distraught written all over it. "Then why do you seem so upset?" She asked. "Twilight, I have no idea how to care of a human! Where will he sleep? My house is puny! What do they eat? What do they do? I don't know ANYTHING about humans!" She panicked. "And that's not all. Twilight, this human; I think, I think I'm in love with him! Oh Twilight, what do I do?" She collapsed on the floor and began sobbing. Twilight rushed to her friend's side, trying to reassure her as best she could; Twilight had never seen Rainbow so scared. She'd never seen Rainbow cry so openly. She'd never seen Rainbow cry at all! "It'll be fine, Rainbow. I can teach you how to care for a human. After all..." Twilight's face seemed to darken. "I've loved a human too." Rainbow was still crying on the floor, but she managed to calm it down a little. "I'll teach you the most important things first. Humans can eat like us, but they can also eat meat. Their taste buds are much more developed then ours; you need to discover what they like by having them try different things and watching for their reaction to each dish. That, or you can just ask them. As for sleep, I have an idea. Your room is large enough to be divided in two, so you can use a large shower curtain and just hang it between the two of you. I just happen to have one with me. Other than that, humans have mostly the same needs as we do; they need to have fun, they need to relax, they need love and affection... you get the idea. Just imagine him a pony and do what you would do for one of us." She said. "A-and what about my feelings? I-I'm scared that if I tell him, he'll get scared or be disgusted with me. Even if he doesn't, what happens if we have a fight? He might leave out of anger. Twilight, I know we're not supposed to ask, but what happened between you and Trevor? Why did he leave?" She'd done it; Rainbow had asked the unspoken question. Twilight's face became a mask of hatred. She had once been chosen by a human who had seduced her into loving him. One day they we're so close, everypony was sure he was the human that would free them. The very next day, he was gone. The other 5 had arrived to find the house empty with Twilight standing outside, staring out into space with bloodlust in her eyes. Twilight had never shed a single tear over the whole ordeal, or at least, not in front of anypony. Nopony knew what had happened, and nopony had dared ask. "Please Twilight. I know you loved him, and I know he hurt you, but I need to know how. I've never been picked, and I might never be again; I need to get this perfect on the first try." Rainbow pleaded. "He didn't love me." Twilight said. Rainbow was shocked into silence; she hadn't expected her friend to answer. "He had never loved me. He seduced me like males from his planet do to any female they find appealing. He lured me in with false promises and lies. He promised me love and care forever; he promised me he would never lift a finger against me. He painted an illusion of heaven. The only problem was, it was all lies. As soon as were alone, he made his true reasons clear. All he wanted was a sex slave. He wanted to be weighed on hand and foot; he wanted everything delivered to him on a silver platter. He wanted me to throw away my life and dedicate it to him. He told me that if I did that for him, he would save Equestria." She said. "I refused. He tried to force me into submission, tried to rape me, but he forgot that I'm the strongest unicorn in Equestria, asides the princesses. I beat him half to death, and after he apologised and begged for his life, I forced the reverse-pill down his throat and sent him back to the hell he came from." Twilight fell silent, and silence reigned over the room. "So Maverick doesn't really love me..." Rainbow said. "I knew it, somehow. I knew I shouldn't get my hopes up; nopony has ever loved me, why would some random human come through where nopony has?" She got up, her face awash with devastation. "I thought, maybe, just maybe, that I had found someone. Thank you Twilight, for saving me from heartbreak." She started to leave, her head, tail and wings drooping pathetically. "Rainbow, don't be stupid." Twilight said. As Rainbow turned, confused, Twilight tackled her to the floor. "Ah, get off me, Twilight. Can't you see I'm not in the mood for-" *slap* Rainbow felt the force behind the hoof Twilight had hit her with. It wasn't meant to hurt, but inside, it had hurt a lot. "You idiot. Trevor and Maverick are probably nothing alike! Don't you remember him? Trevor strutted around town like he owned the place. He was an arrogant, cocky asshole. He would do anything to anypony because he was protected by his humanity. Is Maverick anything like that? Does Maverick make you feel like you should obey him just to make him happy? Does he make demands? Think, Rainbow. Just because Trevor was one bad egg, it doesn't mean that all the humans of the world are the same! Have you forgotten Jayce? Jayce was the most amazing human ever! He's the only human that didn't abandon us by choice; he was forced into it! Maverick might end up like Trevor, or he might be like Jayce, or he might be something new entirely, but no matter what, if you don't try to win him over, you'll walk away from this and it will be your biggest regret ever." She paused to get up off of Rainbow. "Humans have a saying, Rainbow. 'It is better to have loved and lost then never to have loved at all.' If Maverick isn't your future mate, that's too bad. But you'll never know, unless you give him a chance." She looked Rainbow straight in the eyes as she got up. "Go to him now. Don't throw yourself at his feet, and don't toss him aside; be careful. Watch him, try him out. If he's not for you, don't continue with him. If he's your match, stay with him. But no matter what, you need to give him a chance!" Rainbow just stared at Twilight, dumbfounded, for a few moments. Then, slowly, a smile formed on her face. "I knew there was a reason I chose to come see you. Thank you, Twilight. I'll make you proud; I'll make sure he's the perfect creature for me before I commit to anything! Even if it takes the entire length of his stay; by the end of it, I will know." She ran over and gave her friend a hug. "I knew I could count on you." "Yeah yeah, just get back to your man. Oh, and I almost forgot; the shower curtain." Twilight's horn began to glow, and after a few moments and some crashing noises, a super long shower curtain flew out of the door Twilight had come in from. "Give me one second and I'll enchant it for you so it won't fall through the clouds. And I might as well shrink it down until you get there while I'm at it." One flash of light later and the curtain was smaller than Rainbow's wing. "Thanks Twilight." She took in her maw. "Oh, I almost forgot. Where did you leave Maverick when you came to see me?" Twilight asked. "I told him to look around Cloudsdale while I was gone." She relied, dropping the curtain. As she registered the look of horror that passed over Twilight's face, her heart started to race. "What, what's wrong?" She asked, nervous. "Rainbow, don't you know what day it is? What time it is? It's 3:30 PM on Thursday!" Twilight shrieked. Rainbow's heart skipped a beat. "The lightning wings!" She gasped. "But the odds of him running into them are low; Cloudsdale is huge!" "It doesn't matter; GO! Make sure he's okay! They wouldn't normally hurt a human, but if Maverick made them mad by not showing respect..." She didn't finish her sentence; Rainbow had her curtain and was already out the door.
*****
"Well, well. Lookey what we have here. You think you can get away with this, human?"