Saving the ponies Chapter 2: I'm falling for you!
#2 of STP
Saving the ponies A series by mavinator5
The next chapter of my new series. I really like this one; the series that is, and I hope you're all liking it too. Enjoy.
Chapter 2: I'm falling for you!
Maverick could see the shadows of the Pegasi above him. They seemed somewhat larger then Rainbow's shadow. "Well what do you have to say for yourself, human?" The pony who had called him out said. He was standing over Maverick and glaring at him in a menacing manner. "What's my crime?" He retorted as he stood. Too late, he wondered if being hot headed was a good idea in his present situation. The pony in front of him was a huge stallion. He made Rainbow seem like a young filly. The top of Maverick's head barely cleared his back. He was a dark red Pegasi with an even darker mane, and he was clearly not someone that should be crossed. "Don't talk back to me, human, or I'll shove you off this cloud. You rode on the back of a pony. The fact that the pony let you ride makes her just as unwanted, but you, a human; to think you would commit such a terrible crime! This is unacceptable." He ranted. "I didn't know it was a crime to ride a pony. You can't just-" "Silence. It is not an official crime, but our gang punishes those that the law cannot. We of the lightning wing do not kill without reason. But be careful, human; if we ever find you riding another pony, we'll force you out of our world. Ponies are not the play-things of humans. Only those of great stature are permitted to ride on the back of a pony, and I advise you not to test my patience with you." He said. "But how am I supposed to get off Cloudsdale if I can't fly with a pony? Who are you to tell me what to do? You're just some random gang." Maverick said. He regretted it quickly. "Do NOT insult the lightning wing, human, or we will kill you where you stand! It does not matter to us whether you have a way to Cloudsdale or not. If we ever see you riding a pony again, you will no longer live in Equestria, one way or another." "MAVERICK!"
*****
Rainbow was flying as fast as she possibly could. The curtain was slowing her down a lot because of its shape, and she considered ditching it so she could speed up. In the end, she kept it, only because without it, Maverick would have to sleep in her living room, and that felt wrong somehow. Cloudsdale came into view too slow for Rainbows liking. She zoomed through the gate, ponies around her still glaring at her; her earlier scandal must have gotten around the city. 'Let them glare.' She thought. 'When one of the 6 finally convinces a human to stay, they won't be glaring anymore.' Once she finally reached her house, she dropped the curtain on the floor and spun around, leaving again without even checking or him. She flew up a little to try and see the lighting wings. If she found them and they weren't confronting Maverick for something, then that would probably mean he was safe and she could start looking for him. 'Please be okay, Maverick. I don't want to lose you yet; not after you just got here!' She thought. She flew from one street to the next. The lightning wings presence alone halted all the traffic in the immediate area, so as soon as she found empty air, she would find them. And she did, and they weren't alone. "...If we ever see you riding a pony again, you will no longer live in Equestria, one way or another." Said Scorched. He was towering over Maverick and glaring down at him. "MAVERICK!" She shouted. All the ponies in the area turned to stare at her; to interrupt the lightning wings was as good as signing a death wish. "Scorched, I'm so sorry. He's brand new, just arrived today. He didn't mean to offend. Please, let me take him-" She was cut off. "Rainbow Dash. I should have figured it was you." Rainbow froze. That voice, it was the voice of the leader of the lightning wings. But he NEVER came to the city; he hated to be around a group of ponies asides his groupies. "Lord Icewing, please allow me to punish her." Scorched begged. "Now now, no need to be hasty." Icewing replied. "Rainbow Dash, I've heard the oddest rumour lately. It seems you, you of all ponies, have let a human ride upon your back. Is this true?" He asked. His slow, kind tone of voice indicated that he was relaxed, so Rainbow knew she might still get them both out of this unharmed. She turned to look at him. Icewing was the most famous Pegasus in the world because he led the only Pegasus squadron that managed to kill a dragon. He was, however, the only survivor, and upon his return he left the armies of Equestria and established the lightning wings. They are a gang of justiceers who seek to correct the ponies who commit crimes but who escape the reach of the law. Icewing himself is a pale blue Pegasus pony. He is very strong and very tough, and his body is covered in scars from the many battles he has fought for both the Equestrian army and the lightning wings. "Yes, my lord. I couldn't think of any other way to bring Maverick to Cloudsdale, so I allowed him to ride me up to the city." "I see. You did not think of using a chariot to get him here? Although still degrading, it is not quite as bad." He said, lazily looking around at the assembled ponies. "I, I did not. I was not thinking clearly at the time, my lord. I was pleased since I had been picked as a main pony for the first time, and it clouded my judgement." She replied. "Quite understandable. Maverick, is it?" He said, turning to Maverick. "You are the first ever human to see Cloudsdale, as well as the first human to ever pick Rainbow Dash. Is this a surprise to you?" He asked. "Actually, yes, it seems quite unlikely, lord Icewing. Rainbow is my favorite pony of the main 6, and she is also the preference of the majority of my kind, if I am not mistaken. I find it very surprising that she has not had a single human pick her." Maverick replied, being courteous. "This news pleases me. I was scared that Fluttershy was the only representative of the Pegasi, but now I know that Rainbow is well known as well. I'm sorry for how my subordinate treated you; it appears you are quite a fine young man. Rest assured that we shall not harm the two of you for your actions today, Rainbow. Even the best ponies can make mistakes." He smiled to the pair of them, and Maverick heard Rainbow sigh in relief. "But lord Icewing, that human has insulted the honor of all ponies by riding one!" Scorched protested. "And Rainbow Dash has done the same by allowing him to ride her. Surly we cannot let this merely pass by and do nothing about it!" "I see no reason to punish this human, nor this pony. If anything, I believe he should be allowed to ride. It is clear he does not think of us as mere animals, and he is willing to admit he requires our aid, are you not, Maverick?" Icewing asked. "Yes, I do require the help of the Pegasi. I believe that to help one-other is a noble way of life. There is no shame in aiding those who need it, and none in asking for help from those who can give it." Maverick explained. "But, but my lord!" Scorched began. "You shouldn't question the orders of your leader, Scorched. He is clearly a very kind and intelligent pony." Maverick said. Scorched turned to Maverick, rage blazing in his eyes. "You hold your tongue or I'll-" "What? What will you do, Scorched? You leader has forgiven me, and since you are his underling, you should as well. That is the mark of a good servant; he follows his master without question." Maverick was quite openly insulting Scorched, and the latter was not taking it well. "Say one more word, human, and I will kill you!" Scorched threatened. "Scorched, if you wish to retain your position in the lightning wings, you will do no such thing." Icewing intervened. "But my lord, he is insulting our honor!" Scorched protested. "No, Scorched. He is insulting your honor, not mine. I have no quarrel with this human. In fact, I like this human. If you wish to remain a high ranking officer in the lightning wings, you will apologise for your actions and walk away from this battle." Icewing said. "That's right, Scorched, you follow your masters orders like an obedient little pet." Maverick goaded. "Maverick, stop it. What are you trying to do, get yourself killed?" Rainbow asked. "Just shut up. You've already impressed the greatest Pegasi in history; don't push your luck." "I'm in no danger, Rainbow. Lord Icewing clearly keeps his servants in line." Maverick taunted again. Scorched was getting quite riled up at this point. In his eyes, he had two options available to him. Either he could swallow his pride and apologise to the human, or he could disobey his leader and try to kill the human. As much as he loved his leader and his gang, his pride was too large to allow him to simply walk away from the challenge. "Get ready, human. You will die by the end of the next five minutes." Scorched said. "Will I now? How about we set some conditions for this fight then? If you kill me, then I'm dead and you've won back your honor. However, if I force you into submission, for I will not kill you if I can avoid it, then you will never again try to harm me, you will admit I'm worthy to ride on the backs of ponies, and you will go crawling back to your master and beg his forgiveness. Does that sound fair?" Maverick asked. "Whatever you say, human. You will die here, and I will show the world of Equestria that your kind are nothing but talk. "Maverick! Stop this. You-" Rainbow began, but she stopped as she felt a hoof press against her side. Icewing had approached her during the conversation, and now he said: "Do not interrupt them, Rainbow Dash. This is a battle that pits Scorched's honor against Maverick's determination. He clearly wishes to prove that he can hold his own against the pony who challenged him, and now he cannot back down. If you intervene, you will disgrace him in front of all these ponies. Live or die, he feels he must fight to prove himself to the ponies of Equestria and, if I'm not mistaken, you in particular." "M-me? Why would he need to prove himself to me?" Rainbow asked. Icewing did not reply, instead watching the scene before him with great interest. He had no love for Scorched; the misguided pony did not understand the point of the lightning wings. Their job was to punish criminals, not uphold the honor of everypony in Equestria. He had been hoping a pony would come along that would return Scorched to the right path, but instead he had gotten this human. After this battle, Icewing had a feeling that Scorched will have learnt a lesson in humility. "Well, are you ready yet?" Scorched asked. Maverick turned to Rainbow. "Don't help me, Rainbow, even if it appears I'm going to die. I have a few plans." "Maverick..." Rainbow whined. Maverick returned his attention to Scorched. "I'm ready." He put his fist up. Maverick had never had a real fight in his life, but he had always wanted to. He liked imagining battle strategies, and now he was going to put some into effect. 'His greatest strength is his greatest weakness.' Maverick thought. 'He knows that he can rely on his wings, so if I shut those down, he'll panic, and I can take the win at that point.' Maverick started to formulate a strategy. 'I've got it!' He knew exactly how to make him vulnerable. Scorched was just standing there, waiting, so Maverick decided to take the advantage by making the first move. He ran at Scorched, who smiled and started to run at Maverick. When there was only a few meters left between them, Maverick jumped in the air and whispered "Heavy". His strategy involved the fact that Scorched only weighed a few pounds at most. As they closed in, Scorched lowered his head, as if to head-butt Maverick. Unfortunately, because of the weight difference, when Maverick swung his fist forward, Scorched went flying. Just before Maverick hit the clouds, he whispered "Lighter". Since weight doesn't affect fall speed, Maverick could hang in the air in heavy form for a few seconds, and that was more than enough. Scorched clambered back to his feet. "Nice trick, but it won't work twice." As they ran at each other again, Scorched jumped at Maverick, obviously planning to copy Maverick's idea. To counter this, Maverick stepped to the side. As scorched passed by in front of him, Maverick waited until he was about to touch the ground, and then he jumped and punched him in the side. Scorched went flying again. "What was that about not working twice?" Maverick taunted. Now he had to be careful; those were all his time killers. He had to goad Scorched into rushing him near the edge of the clouds. Maverick began to angle himself so his back was to the nearest edge. Scorched rose again, seeing red. "Enough with the games. This time, you won't get the best of me!" He sprung into the air and began to flap his wings. 'Perfect, now I just need to let him find an opening.' Maverick thought. He backed up, attempting a look of confusion. "What's your plan, Scorched? Going to stay off the clouds so I can't get to you? That seems like a pretty cowardly idea." All he needed was for Scorched to charge. Suddenly, he felt his foot slip a little. "Uh oh." He said. Scorched, seeing an opening, fell right into Maverick's trap and charged him. He flew at Maverick's chest, intent of pushing him to his doom. From the sidelines, the assembled ponies were watching with morbid curiosity. The ponies of Cloudsdale disliked Scorched; he abused his power frequently, and they were almost happy to see Maverick give him a thrashing. Almost without noticing, the assembled ponies began cheering for Maverick. Rainbow was less enthusiastic. She didn't want to lose her first human, and she was terrified for him; all he'd done so far was make Scorched look stupid. His hits looked good, but it would take more than that to hurt a Pegasus pony. Even with the weight difference, the punched didn't appear to be having any effect. 'What are you thinking, Maverick?' Rainbow thought. As Scorched charged and Maverick slipped, the assembled ponies gasped. Rainbow tried to surge forward, but Icewing had two of his other subjects hold her down. "Let me go, I have to help him!" Rainbow cried out. Scorched collided with Maverick. Everypony assumed it was over, but nopony expected what Maverick did next. As Scorched hit him, Maverick grabbed him around the neck. Without missing a beat, he swung himself around and landed on Scorched's back. He sat down and wrapped his legs around Scorched's wings as soon as he flapped them downward. "Heavy" He said, and the two of them began to fall down towards the earth below. "MAVERICK!" Rainbow shouted, throwing off the ponies that had her pinned as she ran to him. Icewing grabbed her tail in his mouth, stopping her again. "LET ME GO!" She kicked out, connecting powerfully with his muzzle, but he held firm. She hit him another time, and another, and finally he had to let go. She flew off after the pair, but they were already out of her reach no matter how fast she went. "What are you doing, you fool!" Scorched shouted. "It's quite simple, actually. You have two choices; either we plummet to our deaths together, since I won't let you go if I'm not going to live. Your other choice is to admit defeat and fly us both to safety. Make a good choice, Scorched. What's worth more to you? Your honor, which will be tarnished either way since you couldn't beat a human, or your life? Perhaps if you had been less arrogant, you could have avoided this." Maverick said. "Also, if you choose surrender, I want you to shout it to the heavens, so everypony hears you." The ground was rapidly approaching. Scorched had less than 10 seconds to decide before it would be almost impossible for him to break the fall in time. His honor was gone, blown away by this human, but if he lived, he could remake his honor. If he died, he would go down as the stupidest pony ever; a Pegasus pony that fell to his death. "I SURRENDER!" He shouted, making sure everypony heard so Maverick would be satisfied. Maverick hopped forward, liberating Scorched's wings, and whispered "Lighter." He was glad Scorched has chosen life; he wasn't ready to die yet. Scorched's wings flared and slowed their fall. They still had quite a few meters between them and the ground by the time they reached a full stop, at which point Scorched angled himself downward so he could land. The Pegasi up on the clouds cheered and flew down after the pair, following Rainbow. As they landed, Scorched turned his head so he could see Maverick. "You are truly worthy of riding on the backs of ponies, human. I see now that I've been causing harm to those I was trying to protect. I'm sorry for what I said before. Don't worry; I will remake myself from scratch, and I will become a better pony then I ever was before. Thank you for opening my eyes." He didn't smile, but perhaps a small grin crossed his face. "Maverick!" Rainbow called out. She landed heavily on the ground a little ways away and ran over. As Maverick dismounted from Scorched she tackled him to the ground and glared at him. "Why would you do such a stupid thing? There was no reason! Don't you ever make me worry like that again or I'll leave you on top of the tallest tower in Cloudsdale for a few days and we'll see how you like that." She said. Maverick saw tears streaking her fur. "I thought I was going to lose you." She whispered. Maverick saw the scene of them kissing in his mind once again as she said this. 'HER FIREND, NOTHING MORE!' He reminded himself. 'She's just sad because she was going to lose the first every human that picked her. She doesn't feel like that. And even if she does, it would never work out.' He told himself. The other ponies started to land around them. Maverick was surprised to see looks of admiration in most of their eyes. Over the next few minutes he was treated ponies telling him how brave he was and how smart he was and thanking him for setting Scorched straight. "Well well. It appears you've gained some respect, Maverick." The ponies around him fell silent as Icewing came forward. "I must admit, you are quite the fighter. It's not all about strength; if it was, I would never have beaten that dragon. If you have time another day, I would like for you to come to the training hall in Cloudsdale. A nice, long chat is something I look forward to." He said. "Also, as the greatest currently living Pegasus pony, I believe I am entitled to give you this privilege; I, Icewing, hereby give Maverick permission to ride on the back of anypony willing to carry him. Let those gathered here today spread this news across Cloudsdale." Once he finished his announcement, he moved past Maverick and the assembled ponies to Scorched. "Scorched, for disobeying a direct order from me, I hereby strip you of you rank in the lightning wings and return you to an initiate. If you wish to return to your previous ranking, you will need to try twice as hard as ever before." He said. "I will. I will try a hundred times as hard, and I will do it all in the greatest of humility, my lord. To all the ponies here, please forgive me for the mistakes I have been making over the past few months; I have not been thinking straight, and I apologise. I will try my hardest from today on to prove to everypony that I am still worthy of being in the lightning wings." He said. "Good, I will expect a lot from you, Scorched." Icewing spread his wings, and the lightning wings gathered around him. "For those who are curious, I have not returned to the city for nothing. Starting today, preparations are to be made. I am officially organising the next great competition of the Pegasi." He stated before flying off. "Remember, Maverick, I will be expecting you. Come by soon." He said. As the lightning wings disappeared, the assembled ponies spoke to each other in exited, high-pitched voices. They were clearly excited about this competition. "Maverick." Rainbow came up beside him. "Get on, I need to talk to you, and I don't want this gaggle of over exited ponies interrupting me." She kneeled down for him. Maverick mounted Rainbow, and together they flew off to Rainbow's house. The ride there was silent. Maverick was unsure of how Rainbow had taken his actions; the idea behind them was to impress the ponies so they would forget about how he had ridden her, but he had also wanted to prove himself to Rainbow. Once they got there, Rainbow let him off, still without a word, and led him inside. "Why did you do that?" She asked, her voice deceptively calm. "I wanted to prove myself." He responded. He wasn't inclined to tell he wanted to prove himself to her; after all, she was just his friend. "To who? To the ponies of Cloudsdale, to Icewing?" She asked. "To everypony that was present. I wanted them to know I'm not just some pushover. I wanted them to know that I will be the human to liberate them." He said. "What about me? Didn't you consider my feelings at all? What if you had lost that fight and died? Do you have any idea how that would make me feel? I let my first human die on the first day. Can you imagine the guilt I would have had to live with?" She asked. Her voice was getting angry. "Rainbow, I didn't mean to hurt you. I just... Back on earth, I was always the super scared wallflower that never did anything. I liked my life because it was simple and easy, but it was boring. I never rebelled, I never broke the rules, I never had a girlfriend. I was a sheep that toed the line my whole life. I didn't want to be the same person over here. I want... I want to have... I don't know. I just want something different." He was coming very close to confessing his attraction. "And you think the best way to do that is to bet your life on some stupid life or death battle? I thought you were intelligent, but to do something so stupid... Why do you think your life will be the same in this world? You are going to live differently here, I can almost guarantee it. Almost every male we get is a videogame player, but we don't have any here. As such, you need to find a new way to kill time. What we end up doing is bringing you along to our get-togethers. You'll learn to talk with other ponies and pass time by hanging out with friends. Trust me, no matter what you're used to, this will be completely new for you." "I'm sorry. I know that the fight was unnecessary." Maverick said. "I really didn't think you would be so affected by it. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" "Yes, there is. Promise me you won't do something as stupid as that again." She asked. "Alright, I won't goad someone into a fight, I promise." He said. "It's a start. Come with me; I need your help to get our room ready for tonight." She said. "O-our room?" "Yes, our room. You'll be sleeping with me in my bedroom. Twilight gave me a curtain to hang between us so we can have our privacy." She said, picking up said curtain, which had returned to full size during her absence. "Here, help me set it up." It took almost an hour to get the curtain in place. Rainbow couldn't figure out how she wanted too divide the room, and once she did, moving the curtain proved to be quite a challenge. It was so big that it took them three tries to get it in the room, and lifting it was hell. "Finally!" Maverick shouted as they got it in place. "Well, I'm not sure about you, but I'm hungry." Rainbow said. Maverick hadn't realised it, but he was indeed quite hungry. "Yeah, I'm starving. But, what do you eat here in Equestria?" Suddenly, Maverick had visions of grass sandwiches and carrots. "I'll make you dinner. Something I loved as a kid and I still love as an adult." She said. Maverick watched as Rainbow made what she called and "Apple salad". Maverick couldn't quite understand the name. The dish was basically a bunch of cut up apples put into a bowl. After she cut them up, she dropped them into some sort of liquid, and once the bowl was full, she dribbled something on top of it. "Now, I want you to tell me the truth about how it tastes. I've never fed a human before, so I have no idea if this is for you." Rainbow said. Now that the battle was behind them, she was being positively cheerful again. "Okay then..." Maverick was a little scared. His mother had experimented with her cooking quite often, and more often than not it would come out completely inedible. He tentatively took a handful, no utensils, and bit into it. "This is AMAZING!" he said. He took handful after handful for the rest of the meal. It tasted like candy, but not the type that gets old after a few bites. He could honestly say that this was in the top 10 things he had ever eaten. "I'm glad you like it. I made a lot, so take as much as you want." Rainbow replied, smiling. She begun to eat hers, sticking her snout right into the bowl. As the meal came to a close, Maverick realised there was still quite a bit leftover. "What do you do with that?" He asked. "You don't have fridges here, do you?" "It doesn't go bad as quickly in our world, probably because of the cream I douse them in. We can eat this again for breakfast if you want; it's very healthy." Rainbow responded. "Sounds good to me. So, um, now what?" He asked. "Well, it probably around 6:30. We could go flying, sit here and talk or we could go shopping, since you didn't spend the money I gave you." She said. "I bet back on earth you would be playing video games right about now." "Yeah, they were really my only time killer. That and reading. I love to read." "Just like Twilight, and you like animals too, like Fluttershy. I bet you'll along fine with everypony in the 6. Here, come with me, we'll get you some books for when I'm not here." Rainbow said she got up. "Not here? What do you mean?" "I have a job. It's to help with the weather control. Pinky Pie is a cook with the cakes and Rarity sells her dresses. The other three don't really have jobs; Twilight lives off the money princess Celestia gives her, Applejack has her apples and Fluttershy grows her own food, which she sells if she ever needs money. So while I'm gone out to work, you might get caught home alone if no one is available to hang out." She explained. "Do you think I could get a job somewhere? I don't want to freeload off of you." Maverick asked. "Don't be silly, you're not freeloading. After all, you're trying to save my whole race. I think that's more than enough payment." She replied. "Still, a job would make me feel better, and I might not end up home alone as often. Do you think there's somewhere in Cloudsdale or Ponyville that would employ a human?" "Oh, there are quite a few places that would employ you now that Icewing has approved of you. In fact, you might want to consider the Training hall. You could ask to work there and you could learn more about us while you're working." "That sounds good, when can I go?" "Wait until Sunday. I have a shift on Sunday, so you can go and talk with Icewing and look for a job at the same time. Now common, I want to make sure you have something to do while I'm not here."
***** Earlier that day *****
Twilight watched as Rainbow flew out the door with the curtain. As soon as she was gone, Twilight called for Spike, her baby dragon assistant, and Owlicious, her owl assistant. "Spike, go get Pinky Pie and Rarity and tell them to meet us at Fluttershy's house. Owlicious, you go warn Fluttershy that we're all coming to her house. I'll get Applejack and meet you there." She instructed. "Hoo." Owlicious flew off. "Got it Twilight. What's the emergency?" Spike asked. "Rainbow is. I'll explain it all when we get there." Twilight said. "Alright, see you soon." Spike ran out the door. He had the two closest ponies to each other, but he would still need to hurry. He ran straight to Mr. and Mrs. Cake's shop. Mr. Cake greeted him at the door. "Hello Spike, here for a treat?" Mr. Cake asked. "Not today, Mr. Cake. I need to see Pinky Pie, there's an emergency." Spike answered. "I'll go get her." "No need, Mr. Cake, I'm right here." Pinky Pie said. She was eating a cupcake at the cash register. "What's the emergency spike?" Pinky Pie asked. Pinky Pie is a pink earth pony. She loves to party and laugh, and she can turn any situation into a fun one if she wants to, which she usually does. "Twilight wouldn't tell me. She only said that it was about Rainbow. She wants us all to meet up at Fluttershy's house, and I still need to get Rarity." Spike answered. "Get on; it'll go faster this way." Pinky Pie said, kneeling down. "Thanks Pinky. We need to go fast; Twilight sounded scared." "Bye Mr. Cake, I'll be back later, maybe." Pinky Pie shouted. "Bye Pinky." Pinky Pie and Spike ran over to Rarity's boutique. As they arrived, they saw two ponies leaving in matching gowns, except one was blue and one was red. "Rarity!" Spike shouted. "Rarity, are you here?" "Oh, Spiky, and Pinky Pie, what's the occasion?" Rarity asked, coming out from behind her designing booth. Rarity is a white unicorn with purple hair. She's a fashion designer who's always ready to help a pony in need. Spike has a thing for her, but he's far too young. "Twilight called an emergency meeting at Fluttershy's house." Pinky Pie said. "Something about Rainbow, and she was sad." "Scared." Spike corrected. "Whatever, let's go go GO!" Pinky said. "You're not busy right?" "Nothing important." Rarity's horn glowed and a 'closed' sign flew out and stuck itself on the door. "I'm ready, let's go." The three left for Fluttershy's house. "What's the situation, Spiky?" Rarity asked. "I don't know. Twilight just said that something was wrong." Spike said. The two ponies and the dragon were almost out of the city when they saw two very familiar purple and orange coats. "Twilight, Applejack!" Pinky Pie yelled. "Oh, Spike, that was fast." Twilight said. "Very quick, well done spike." Applejack said. Applejack is a very honest pony who works at an apple farm. She has an orange coat and yellow hair. "So what was the problem Twilight?" Rarity asked. "I'll tell you once we get to Fluttershy's, but let's just say that the new human will either be our savior or our end." Twilight said. The other 4 gulped, intimidated. As soon as they got to the woods, they found Fluttershy waiting for them. "Twilight, what happened, Owlicious told me there was an emergency meeting." "It is an emergency. Can we go inside?" She asked. "Of course." Fluttershy led the way to her house and opened the door. Once the 5 ponies and the dragon were inside, she closed it again and asked: "So what's the problem?" "So, you're all aware that Rainbow's just begun to recover from her depression, right?" Twilight said. "She used to be on the verge of suicide, owing to her desire to find a mate but her inability to find a pony she liked. But she was getting better. We sent the message to Kyle after the arrival of the previous human to stop sending them until she got better, and we thought she was on the right path, right?" "Yes, we all know this. What happened; did the new human send her back into the pit of despair?" Rarity asked. "No, it is far worse than that. Rainbow was on the road to recovery; a new human who failed to choose her would have been a setback, but she would have recovered from it eventually because this human only came here due to Kyle's drug being stolen, and after him she would have all the time she needed. No, this human will doom us if he leaves, no matter which way he leave; intentional or not." "How do you know this?" Fluttershy asked. "Come to think of it, which one of us did the human pick?" Applejack asked. "...Oh no, he didn't." Pinky Pie started. "Yes, he picked Rainbow." Twilight finished. The 5 assembled ponies understood the reason now why this human held their very lives in his hands. If he chose to leave, Rainbow, after tasting what it would be like to have been chosen, would fall deeper than ever into the pit of depression that had formed. "But, but surely it wouldn't guarantee our end? I mean, we would have to wait for a long time before we could call out to humans again, but would she really suicide? Maybe we could convince her that things would be going better, and that surely she would be picked again." Rarity argued. "Maybe it would be like that, if it ended here. However, Rainbow fell in love with the human; she told me herself. If he leaves her, before or after she confesses, it'll all be over." Twilight said. "After all, to lose the one you thought you loved..." Twilight's face grew somber, and Pinky Pie's face became awash in sadness. "I know you two lost someone important to you, but we can't take time right now to reminisce about Trevor and Jayce. What are we going to do about the human? We need to make sure he stays or it's all over." Fluttershy interceded. "I'll go make some food for everypony; it's getting late, and we're going to need to focus if we want to come up with ideas." With that, she flew off to her garden. "The easiest thing to do would be to just make him happy as much as we can." Pinky Pie said. "So long as Rainbow doesn't confess, we can probably keep him here if we all try our hardest. What type of human was he, Twilight?" "I don't know; she fell in love with him after knowing him for all of 30 minutes, so he must be something. Or maybe she just fell for him because he picked her. Whatever type of human he is, we must make sure he stays, no matter what. Whether or not Rainbow confesses, we must keep him happy." Twilight was beginning to regret her earlier decision to tell Rainbow to try him out, but there was no way she could take it back now. "Once we have a better idea of what he's like, we can prepare a proper strategy for keeping him happy. Until then, nopony do anything stupid, if that clear?" Her gaze came to rest on Rarity. "I wouldn't do anything bad, Twilight. Not now that our lives are in danger. I may not like humans, but I'm not stupid." Rarity said, annoyed that Twilight would assume something like that. Pinky Pie suddenly sprang up. "I've got it, why don't we throw him a welcome party? That was we can make him happy and learn about him. And it should give us time to tell Rainbow not to out her attraction." "Pinky, that's a great idea!" The other three chorused. "Well duh, I don't say stuff because it's stupid." The other three's faces turned incredulous. "You did NOT just say that. Please tell me she did not just say that." Twilight said. "She did." Rarity said. At that moment, Fluttershy flew back inside with a basket of vegetables. "Anypony hungry? I just need a second to wash them; nothing complicated today I'm afraid." She caught on to the incredulousness of the other 3 ponies and Pinky Pie's face that seemed mad. "Did I miss something?" "Nothing important." Applejack laughed. "Are you up for a party tomorrow? We thought it might be a good idea to throw the human a welcome party so we could cheer him up and learn about him." "Cheer him up? Is he already sad?" "No no, just to make sure he's happy is what I should have said." Applejack corrected herself. Once they were washed, the 5 ponies dinned on the vegetables, with Spike and Owlicious eating some gemstones and meet respectively. "Well, we'll leave it to you then, Pinky, since this is you area of expertise. Just don't overdo it like you always do. Remember, it's just a welcoming party, and we need to be able to learn about him." Twilight said. "Got it. Don't worry Twilight; I've got the perfect idea." Pinky Pie said. The 4 other ponies thanked Fluttershy for the meal, and they went their separate ways. Once she got home, it was already past 9, so Twilight decided to go to bed. "Hey Twilight, do you think we're all going to be deleted?" Spike asked. "I can't be sure Spike, but if Rainbow handles the situation well and keeps her love a secret for now, I'm sure we'll manage well enough tomorrow at the party. Pinky will set it up well; we can trust her with much. She might go a little overboard some times, but we can count on her to hit the nail on the head when we need it." Twilight responded. "Go to sleep now; there's no need for you to worry about anything until we get to the party." "Okay, goodnight Twilight." Spike said. "Goodnight spike."
*****
Pinky Pie was rushing as fast as she could. She had managed to convince the Cakes to let her use the shop for the party on the premise that the world of Equestria was now in danger, and if she messed up the party, they could all lose their lives. "It needs to be as close to perfect as I can get it." Pinky Pie was showing off the one side of herself that the humans had never captured on film; her cold, calculating party planning side. "I'll leave myself an error margin of 15%. It'll take most of the night, but I can get this ready before tomorrow. If only I knew a little bit more about the human, I could erase the error margin completely." She said. It was 2 Am before Pinky Pie was finished. She had had to use all of her emergency party materials, and she had had to go collect some natural alternatives from around Ponyville, but in the end, the party was ready, and the error margin was only 18%. "Better than what I was hoping for when my supplies ran out. I can't believe I let myself run so low." She criticized.
*****
Rainbow and Maverick walked through Cloudsdale, talking and searching for a bookstore. Maverick quickly noticed that all the conversations around them were about the upcoming competition. "What is this great Pegasus competition?" Maverick asked Rainbow. "It's a series of tournaments that the Pegasi will compete in. There are competitions for speed, strength, intelligence, agility and more. Most of the Pegasi in Cloudsdale will be going, either to watch or to compete. There are also prizes for the winners of each tournament." She explained. "Will you be participating?" Maverick asked. "Probably. I usually try out for the speed competition, although I know I won't win; the Wonderbolts usually win the majority of the competitions. They're the best of the best after all. You might want to consider signing up for a competition if you can find one you're good at." She said. "But I'm not a Pegasi. How can I compete?" "The intelligence competitions should be within your range of abilities. Also, there are fighting tournaments that AREN'T to the death. You could look into those too." She said. "Can we go and watch the competitions together?" He asked. "The one's we're not in, although I don't think I'll be competing." "Sure, if you want. I go every time the completion comes around. Oh, here we go; the bookstore." Maverick browsed the aisles of the book store, searching for Fantasy. It was his favorite genre, and if he found one he liked, he would be able to finish it in a matter of hours, no matter how long it was. He picked out one called "Legacy of the MetalPony" and "Timeskip". They both looked interesting, so he decided to get them both. Then another book caught his eye, and he turned a little red as he read the title: "Forbidden love; a pony desires a human". He considered taking it too, but instead opted to come back alone at a different time so that Rainbow wouldn't know. He brought his selection up to the pony that was in charge of the store and bought them, and then he went to find Rainbow. She was in the comic section, reading a joke book. As soon as she saw he was done, she returned her book to the shelf and they left. They roamed around the city some more, occasionally sharing words, but silence prevailed for the majority of their trip. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence; in fact, both parties appreciated it. They were both happy just being together. "You know, Maverick, I've been a little down before you got here. I think I might have been depressed. Now that you're here, I feel much better, and I just wanted to thank you for that." Rainbow said. Maverick wasn't sure what to say. "I'm glad I could help. Why were you feeling down?" "I've been getting worse overtime as humans continued to pick the others as their main pony. I guess I was just sad because I felt unloved. You see, I've never had what you humans call a boyfriend. All the others in the 6 are currently either in a relationship or starting one, all but me. I guess I was just jealous of them, and since they're all a little busier with their men, I was starting to feel lonely. But now you're here, and it made me feel better." She said. Maverick wasn't sure how to reply again. Could this mean she felt for him like he did for her? "Rainbow, I-" Suddenly, she turned around and pushed him up against a wall. "Rainbow?" He asked, a little frightened. They were in an alleyway with no other ponies around. "I'm sorry, Maverick, but I can't stand it if you don't know any longer." "What are you-" He was cut off as she pressed her muzzle up against his lips and tried to kiss him. Maverick's eyes opened wide. He felt his heart race and his mind went blank. Rainbow was watching his reaction, and she was starting to regret her impulsive decision until he dropped the books he was holding and pulled her in tight, kissing her back as best he could. She melted into his arms, happy that he was willing to love her back. Since they were both inexperienced and of different species, the kiss was really awkward. Still, Maverick had seen enough movies to know the general idea of what to do. After he pulled her in close, he pulled his fingers through her mane, trying to make it feel better for her. The slight moan he got in response told him he was doing the right thing. Rainbow pushed in harder against him, unable to follow suit due to her hooves, but desperate to make it feel better for Maverick as well. Finally, after what seemed like a solid minute, Rainbow pulled away and gasped, and Maverick did the same. *pant* "I like you, Maverick. Just encase the message didn't get across." *pant* Rainbow said. "I like you too, Rainbow. I've liked you for a long time." Maverick returned, and pulled her in close again, for a hug this time. They stayed in the alleyway for a few more minutes, catching their breath, before Rainbow led Maverick out and back to her house. "It's late; we should really get to bed." Rainbow said. "Um, back home, before bed, I would brush my teeth. Do you have tooth brushes here?" Maverick asked. "Yeah, we do. You can borrow mine if you want." Rainbow gave a tentative smile to her new boyfriend. After their teeth were brushed and they were ready for bed, Rainbow led the way into her room. When Maverick tried to go on to his side of the curtain, Rainbow blocked him and instead motioned to her bed. Maverick smiled and followed her in, getting snug under the covers with her body pressed up against his. "Remember when I told you I've never had a girlfriend? It means I'm not sure how to be in a relationship." Maverick warned. "Don't worry; I have no idea what I'm doing either. Shall we go at our own pace? Just tell me if you're not ready for something and we won't do it." Rainbow offered. "Same to you then. I don't want to make you uncomfortable." Maverick replied. Rainbow smiled and gave him a not-so-quick goodnight kiss, and they fell asleep in each other's arms/front legs.
*****
Twilight tossed and turned in her bed, unable to shake an uneasy feeling. She woke with a start. "Oh damn, it was just a dream." She said, curling up into a ball. It had been ages since she had last dreamt of HIM. "Oh, it was a dream alright, and so is this." Twilight's head whipped to the left. Trevor was leaning in her doorway, staring her down. "Y-you!" She said, pulling the sheets up to cover herself as much as she could. "Me." He said with an arrogant smile. "Your world is dying, Twilight. You're not worrying about the right thing right now." "What do you mean?" She said, her voice hardly a whisper. "Why are you here?" "I'm here to warn you. Your subconscious has me painted as the true image of fear for you, so I'm here to tell you about what you should be fearing right now. The human might hold your lives in his hands, but Rainbow can handle him for now. No, right now, you need to fear a much bigger problem." He said, still arrogantly leaning on her doorframe. "What is it, what should be feared more than death?" "Nothing is to be feared more than death, but death doesn't just come in one package. Be it a box or wrapping paper, a letter or a safe, the package is different, but the content is the same." "Stop speaking in riddles. What do you mean?" Twilight insisted. His smile widened, and suddenly he was gone. Twilight could feel her body sinking away from the dream. Just before she left, she heard his voice right next to her ear. "General Mantycus." He whispered as she left him. "Lord Carrion." He added. "And let's not forget, Darkness." Twilight sat straight up, her heart racing. "No, they can't be coming, not again." She jumped up from her bed and grabbed her quill.
Dear Princess Celestia...