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Saving the ponies A new series by mavinator5

Okay, I'm trying to get the MLP dialogue and accents right, so if anyone is familiar with how they sound and is willing to tell me if I have the right idea, that would be brilliant. Also, want a song that describes this story super well? Glad you came by the Wanted is the story from Rainbow's eyes.

Chapter 4: Party in the Cake shop.

Rainbow and Maverick walked into the Cakes' store. Rainbow had been expecting a lot of things: Ponies to jump out at them and carry them around; ponies to be playing pony games and eating food and such. But in the end, it was... calm, and Rainbow was sure she must be dreaming. There was a pleasant atmosphere as the 20 or so ponies talked and joked and ate cake, but nopony was bouncing off the walls, no pony was breakdancing in the middle of the room. 'Something must be wrong.' Was the first thought that entered Rainbow's mind. Pinky Pie hated it when her parties were calm. "Rainbow!" Twilight hopped over. "Glad you could make it. And this must be Maverick." She said as she beheld him. "Come in. I know what you're thinking; too calm for a Pinky Pie party. That's what we thought too, but get this; She doesn't want it to be over the top. Apparently this really is just a get together where ponies that haven't seen each other in a while can catch up." She smiled at Rainbow. "We couldn't believe it ether, and neither could any of the other ponies that came." Rainbow sized Twilight up, trying to determine if she was lying or not. In the end she gave her the benefit of the doubt. "Well, if that's the case, then I suppose this should go well; Maverick just finished telling me how he's not one for loud, boisterous parties anyway. Isn't that right Maverick?" Rainbow said as she dragged Maverick into the conversation. "Yeah, I'm not a very social person." He said as he looked away. Maverick wasn't a very open person normally, and after what happened at his last party, it was understandable that might feel a little uncomfortable. In many ways he resembled Fluttershy much more than Rainbow. "Well, don't just stand there, come in." Twilight said as she guided the pair inside. "It's nice to finally meet you, Maverick. It's been a while since we've had a human in Equestria. Do you know who I am?" Twilight asked. "You're Twilight Sparkle, if I'm not mistaken. The student of princess Celestia?" He asked. Of course he knew this, but Maverick decided to play it cagey. "Twilight, why would you ask something like that?" Rainbow asked. "The humans Kyle sends through always know about us." Rainbow was putting Twilight on the spot to see if she was hiding anything. "Yeah, but Kyle told us that one of his drugs got stolen. This might be the human who got sent through because of it." Twilight said. "Well, I am." Maverick said. "But I was a closet Brony back home, so I know a lot about the show." "Hey, is that the new human?" Pinky Pie bounced over. "Hey there, I'm Pinky Pie, but you already know that. Hungry? We have anything you could possibly want along the lines of pastries. And we have tons of juice and water and stuff." She took a random glass from a table, filled it with punch from another, and tried to hand it to him, but Twilight stopped her. "And how much Perka is in that glass?" Twilight accused. Pinky Pie just smiled sheepishly. "Alright, alright. I'll be back later." With that she bounced back over to another group of ponies and instantly joined their conversation. "What's Perka?" Maverick asked as Twilight set the glass back down. "Pony alcohol." Rainbow said. "Which means you can't have any since you're still underage." "Sure sure. So Twilight, you're like, the librarian for the city, right?" Maverick asked. "Yes, that's about right, why?" Twilight answered. "Because I like to read, so I might stop by every once in a while." He said as he gave his head a slight tilt and smiled. "Uh, now that I think about it, how's he been getting around, Rainbow?" Twilight asked, genuinely curious. "I've been carrying him, obviously." Rainbow answered. Twilight's look of mute horror was well worth it. "Don't make that face; Maverick has permission from Lord Icewing to ride ponies." At that, Twilight's face grew even more amazed. "What?" Rainbow asked. "HE MET LORD ICEWING?" Twilight managed to make her whisper the loudest anypony had ever heard. "And he's not dead? What happened that day with the lightning wings?" Rainbow gave a bark of laughter. "It should be fine, Maverick, if you go and socialise a little. I'll tell Twilight the story while you're gone." Suddenly, Twilight's eyes narrowed without the other two's noticing and she nodded to Rarity, who was watching with rapt attention. Rarity nodded back. It was the signal to mean they were separating. Now Twilight just had to trust that Rarity would keep her eyes on him and track his movements, learning about him. Rarity watched as Maverick glanced around tentatively. He slowly made his way in her direction, stopping briefly at a buffet table to snatch up a drink. She considered plucking him out of the crowd so she could talk with him, but decided against it so she could see what he chose to do. He kept glancing around and behind as if he was scared somepony was watching him. Then a pony blocked her field of vision for a moment, and when he passed, Maverick was gone. Rarity glanced around franticly for a second, and was just about to get up when... "You're Rarity, right?" She whipped her head around to see him right behind her. "I saw you watching me, so I decided to surprise you." He said with a huge smile. "Well you've certainly managed that dear." She replied. So he chose to come speak to her in the refined part of the party. Did that mean he was high class? "I must admit, this part of the party seems more... calm then the one over there." He pointed to the livelier party section. "And I don't care for insects." He said, indicating the natural section. "Although the kitties are cute." So he chose this section because the other two displeased him more. 'Odd.' Rarity thought, making a mental note of it. "So you know who I am. Does that mean you aren't the human who received the stolen drug?" She asked. "No, it was me. It's simply pure luck that I'm a closet brony, so I know the show." Maverick said, taking a seat. "You know, humans seem to have made quite a few mistakes with your character." Maverick said. "How so?" Rarity asked, interested despite herself with this human. "Well, in the show, you're the spirit of Generosity, and yet, in more than one episode, you make selfish choices, such as when you had to make Twilight's dress for her birthday and you chose to stay in Canterlot instead. No other examples pop to mind, but I know there are other mistakes." Maverick said. "Hm, I do believe you may be right there darling. But you must understand something; the 6 spirits that are in the show actually exist, but we cannot simply call on them. They must come to us and permit us to use them. We've never seen the real elements of harmony, but we know of their existence." Rarity said. "Really? That's pretty awesome." Maverick said. Rarity was surprised to find that this human was actually pretty nice. She felt surprised when her usual hate towards his race didn't surface. 'I think I can understand why Rainbow fell for him.' She thought. "I didn't catch your name, dear." She said, trying to remember that only Twilight, Pinky Pie and Rainbow knew Maverick's name. "It's Maverick." He said as he stood. "It was nice talking to you." "Likewise, Maverick." The name sounded weird to her as she pronounced it. Maverick left Rarity's table and slowly made his way back over to the buffet table to refill his now empty drink. He was intercepted halfway. "Hey Maverick. Are you having a good time? I can see that you're not busy right now. Want to play a game of darts?" Pinky Pie shot off question after question. "Um, hey. Yes. You're right and sure." Maverick said, answering each question in turn. "Great!" She said, either understanding what he had done or just taking the last part of his answer. She led him over to a part of the party that was particularly rowdy as about 6 ponies shot darts at the dartboards. Maverick noted with some surprise that each pony held some sort of blowgun in their mouths and shot the darts from there. The adaptations in Equestria were quite interesting. After a brief moment passed, a dart board freed itself up, and Pinky Pie asked, quite reasonably, if anypony had been waiting. When she got negative responses, she invited Maverick over. "It's funny; you're the first human to ever play darts with me." Pinky Pie said. "I'm not quite sure why. I haven't asked many of course, but-" She was surprised as a dart whished part her head and hit a perfect bull's eye. "So, that's 50 for me, right?" Maverick said with a grin. Pinky Pie's mouth fell open, and for the first in a long time, she was speechless. The ponies around them all turned when they heard her sudden stop. "Oh, it is SO on!" She said, flipping a dart gun into her mouth and shooting her own perfect bull's eye on the board right next to Maverick's. They took turns after that aiming for the 60 point zone with three shots, just like in regular darts. In the end, they both hit 1000 right on the same turn. "Draw?" Maverick offered. "Sounds like a deal." Pinky hopped up and gave him a shove in the shoulder. "Why are you so good?" "Practice." Maverick simply stated, smiling. "You're pretty good yourself." "I have to be good at party games. What type of host can't play her own games?" Pinky asked. A little way's off in the party, a pony called for Pinky. "I'll see you later." She said, bounding off. "She's quite something ain't she?" Applejack appeared at Maverick's should. "I ain't never seen such a good game of darts in my life. You're quite something." "I do my best." Maverick said. "So, you're the strongest pony in Ponyville, correct?" Maverick asked. "Right-o. That's me." Applejack said. "Why, you up for a hoofwrestle?" "Not a chance in the world. I can't even beat my best friend's brother who's four years younger than I am." He said. "I doubt I could beat you if I had both hands and you weren't even trying." Maverick said. "Well, that's either quite the compliment to me or quite the insult to yourself." She said. "Let's go with half and half." He said, laughing a little. Suddenly, Maverick's ears picked up on something. "That song sounds disturbingly familiar." He said. "Could be. Kyle sometimes sends songs in with the humans he sends." Applejack said. "I must admit, I actually like this one. I think I'll go over to it. Care to join me?" She asked. "So long as I don't have to dance. I hate dancing so much." Maverick said. "Oh, really? That's too bad." They moved steadily over towards the music, a song by Beyoncé, which was coming out of... "Speakers? I thought Ponyville wasn't advanced on a technological level." Maverick said. "We have a few exceptions. This is one of them." Applejack said. "Now then, why don't you like dancing?" "I'm not good at it. I've been made fun of in the past when I tried to dance, and it gave me a permanent scar on my confidence. I don't dance because of that." He said. "Well, nopony's gonna make fun of your dancin' here, and if they do, I'll smack um one for yeh." Applejack promised. Maverick smiled. "As nice as the intent is, it's just not something I can do." He said. "Not with anybody watching anyway." As the song ended, Maverick and Applejack steadily made their way back to the buffet. "I haven't seen Fluttershy yet." Maverick said. "I'm guessing she's probably deeper in the nature section?" He asked Applejack. "I reckon so. Ain't much point in going to look for her; she don't like stran-" Applejack cut herself off as Fluttershy slowly edged out of behind a table, frightened but trying despite herself to make a good first impression. 'Wow, that's almost as amazin' as Pinky Pie askin' for help to throw the party.' She thought. Maverick gave Fluttershy a small smile, which she returned. He then stooped down and picked up a kitten, holding it snugly and safely and petting it too. It began to purr. "You take good care of your animal friends." Maverick stated. "Unless that's another thing the humans made up." "Oh yes, I always make sure they're healthy and happy. Humans actually downplay the amount of care I give them." Fluttershy said, somehow not stuttering at all. "Well, I can't deny that I love animals too. I'll have to drop by sometime and learn a few tricks." Maverick smiled again, a little stronger this time, but Fluttershy wasn't intimidated; she could feel that this human was trustworthy. "Oh yes, my door's always open for a friend, especially one who likes animals." Fluttershy smiled again. Then she noticed a dish on the table that hadn't been there before. "I think that one's meant for you." She said, pointing. Maverick turned about and saw a hotdog on the buffet table. At first he didn't get it, but after his brain kicked itself into gear, he realised that ponies didn't eat meat. "That's funny; I don't remember Pinky making any meat." "Actually, I made it." Twilight said as she appeared out of the blue. "I was reading a cookbook at some point earlier today and decided to try out one of the more popular human dishes." She glanced over at Maverick. "Will you try it?" "Sure, thanks Twilight; hotdogs are one of my favorites." Maverick thought he saw a look of pleasure pass over Twilight's face. Maybe she was happy that she guessed at the right dish. Maverick picked up the plate with the hotdog. "Um, do you have ketchup in Equestria? I always put ketchup on my hotdogs." Maverick asked. "We do, but I'm not sure if Pinky-" A pink blur flew by, and suddenly Twilight had a bottle of ketchup in her hoof. "Here you go." She said, handing it to him. "Is she always like that?" Maverick asked as he poured out some ketchup. "Pretty much. Rainbow tends to exaggerate when she explains how much the show is off by. They actually do a pretty good job of capturing our general personality." Twilight said. Both Applejack and Fluttershy were gone, leaving the other two alone together. Maverick bit into his hotdog. He could tell instantly that it was moderately overcooked, but he ate it anyway. It wasn't that bad, just a little burnt. "How is it? Be brutal; we need to learn how to cook these things eventually." Twilight said. "It's a bit overcooked, but asides that perfectly fine." Maverick said. "But why haven't you learned how to cook meat by now? Surely, with over 100 humans to your name, you would have learnt how to by now?" Maverick asked. Twilight shook her head. "They mostly insist on following our diet. I've been wanting to try out cooking meat for so long now, so I made this before you could try and adapt to our way of life." That wasn't true at all. In fact, it was normally the ponies that insisted humans give up meat, but Twilight had decided that it was best for Maverick's happiness if they bent that rule a little. "Well, considering it's your first ever try, I don't think I could have hoped for anything better." He said, intending it as a compliment. Twilight decided that he had aimed at a compliment and not tried to insult her. "Thanks. So, have you met everypony?" She asked. Maverick shook his head. "I've only met the main 6 at this point, and a few assorted others, but none of them are at the party." "That's what I meant." Twilight saw her friends beckoning her over to a table. "Shall we go take a seat?" She asked, indicating the offenders. "That would be nice."

*****

Rainbow had just finished the tale of how Maverick had fought Scorched. "And you let him?" Twilight asked, exasperated. "I told you before, if I had intervened, it would have made Icewing mad." Rainbow replied. "As soon as he went over the edge, I was trying to free myself. Twilight, if I could have prevented it, don't you think I would have? There's no way I want my first human to be my first failure." Rainbow said. "Have you told him yet? About your feelings, that is." Twilight asked. "No, he doesn't know yet, and I intend to keep it that way until I discover if he's okay with a human-pony relationship." Rainbow lied. She was frustrated now that she couldn't ask Twilight for advice on relationships. "Well, I have something for you." Twilight said, summoning the three books she had wrapped up earlier. "When the party's over, take these home with you and read them. They belong to the library, so I can't give them to you; consider it an indefinite loan." Twilight said. "What are they?" Rainbow took control of the enchanted books, staking them up by the door so she wouldn't forget them. "One's a book on human nature and how to play with them. One is a book on human emotions, how to recognize them and how to recognise that they mean. That one should help you with your relationship issues. The last one is a human cookbook, in case you want to try making him food from his home world." Twilight said. "Thanks Twilight." Rainbow said. "It's nothing. I made him a hotdog and I want him to try it out, so I'll be going now." Twilight said as she trotted away. "Rainbow." Rarity was beckoning from a table. Rainbow sat down next to her. "So, how does it feel dear?" She asked. "What?" Rainbow asked. "To be in charge of a human of course." Rarity explained. "Well..." Rainbow thought about the fight. "They're certainly a handful. But it's worth it." She said. "Good luck with him dear. You'll soon find out that they're more trouble than they're worth." Rarity said. "Oh, I don't know about that. Humans can be pretty fun if you get lucky!" Pinky Pie had sat down on Rarity's other side. "He's good at darts, at least." She added. "I must admit, this human hasn't jumped out to me as repulsive like the rest of his race." Rarity said. "I think I may be able to tolerate him, maybe even befriend him." "He hasn't done nothin' wrong in my eyes, and he even managed to coax a few words outta Fluttershy." Applejack added as she and Fluttershy sat down too. "I reckon he may stand a chance at making the two week mark. After he does that, we'll see how long he might last." "He's nice." Fluttershy said. "And good with animals." "I think he might just be the one to make it." Rainbow said. "But then again, we said that about Jayce too..." The 5 that were present shared a brief moment of grief for their lost friend. "Oh, there he is. Why don't we get him over here?" Rainbow said as she saw Twilight and Maverick through the crowd. She waved them over before the others could say anything. "Hey girls." Twilight said as she sat down, leaving only two spots open for Maverick. He could either sit between Pinky Pie and Fluttershy or between Rainbow and Twilight. Obviously, he chose to sit next to Rainbow. The others made mental notes of the decision. They had been keeping good track of him all afternoon. "Have you tried any of the pastries?" Pinky asked. "They were made by me and Applejack." Maverick nodded. "I wasn't that hungry, but I did try a few of the small cupcakes, and a slice of apple pie." More mental notes. "Well? Were they good?" She asked. "Yeah, very. I love apples, and cakes." He said. Twilight, fearing that Maverick and Rainbow might begin to cotton on to their plan if they questioned Maverick too deeply about the taste of the sweets, changed the subject. "So, had any good sex lately?" She asked. Maverick, who had been sipping at his drink, spat it out all over the table. Rarity and Rainbow, who had just taken a bite of cake and pie respectively, almost choked. Fluttershy whimpered and Applejack just gave Twilight a "Really?" look. Pinky Pie was, as always, oblivious. "What?" She asked. "You don't ask that type of question when you first meet a person, and definitely not at the table and with others around!" Applejack said. Rainbow was coughing terribly, as was Maverick. Rarity had managed to clear her through and was now trying to catch her breath. "It was supposed to be a joke." Twilight said, shying back a little at her failed attempt. "That's also not the type of thing you joke about when you meet someone new. And it tends to be a joke that's used only when same-sex ponies are around, dear." Rarity explained as Applejack slapped her hoof against her head. Pinky, still oblivious to Twilight's social faux pas, went over and tapped Maverick's back lightly as he finally managed to catch his breath. Rainbow was still wheezing, but she managed to shoot a stink eye at Twilight from beneath her bangs. "Sorry." She said, her ears down and he head a little bowed. As Maverick finally regained his breath, he managed a few weak chuckles. "Oh, that was precious. It's this sort of thing that really got me attached to the show. The quirks of each pony." He said, still chuckling weakly. "You liked my joke?" Twilight asked. "Not so much the joke as the reactions it brought out. Oh, that was funny. I wish I hadn't been drinking at the time, but the pain was so worth it." He said. "That's the type of joke my father would have made. Or at least, those are the reactions his jokes get." A silent sigh of relief went up from the 6 ponies, and Twilight gave herself a reminder to read up more on jokes before she tried another one. The day was steadily moving into night when the party finally disbanded. Everypony said goodbye and thanked Pinky for the nice opportunity to catch up. The five main ponies, asides Rainbow, gathered up at Twilight's house to discuss their findings. "After you separated him from Rainbow, he came to me first." Rarity began. "I think he came over to the high end part because he disliked it the least: he said that Pinky's part was rowdier and that he didn't like insects." She summarised. "Then he told me about how he thought that humans do a poor job with my character in the show, pulling up the episode where I choose to stay in Canterlot instead of returning for Twilight's birthday as proof of a selfish decision." "So he's attentive to details like that, and he avoids things he dislikes over going to things he prefers." Twilight said. "Then I hit him up while he was going back to the drinks table." Pinky Pie said. "I challenged him to a game of darts and we tied. He was like, a professional or something; he didn't miss once!" She said. "Well, the distance for humans when they play darts is a little longer." Twilight said. "If he really does play the game often, it's no surprise that it was easy for him." "Well, after he finished with Pinky, I spoke to him for a little. He told me he was weak, he picked up on the music and said he couldn't dance because other humans used to make fun of him for his dancing and now he has a scar on his confidence, or some hooey like that. Oh, and he was surprised that we had speakers in Equestria." Applejack recited. "So he's weak, he can't dance and he doesn't know about our technology." Twilight was writing down what they had learned about Maverick on a piece of paper. "He's good with animals." Fluttershy added. "And good with animals." Twilight wrote. "And then, he ate the hotdog I made him, saying it was slightly burnt. We all sat down, he chose to sit next to Rainbow, and then he talked about his taste in food, and finally, he thought my joke was like his father's." Twilight read through the list aloud to the other 4. "Did I get everything?" The others nodded. "Has Rainbow told him yet?" Fluttershy asked. "No." This was met with sighs of relief. "I gave her a few books on humans so she would have an easier time reading him and reacting to his decisions. It does include some relationship advice, but by the time she's sure about it, he'll either be gone or rooted in, hopefully. So, we know what we learned about him, so the question that now comes to mind: Could he be the one?" She asked. "I can't see why not. He's nice, he's fun, he hasn't left yet... I think he's definitely got a chance." Applejack said. "He doesn't seem like the type who abandons a friend in need. I think that if we don't give him a reason to leave, he'll stay because of that." Rarity added. Fluttershy just nodded, and Pinky Pie was looking thoughtful. The other four stared at her until she noticed. "What?" She said. "You haven't given your opinion. That's not like you." Twilight said. "I was just thinking about how he still holds all of our lives in his hands. It's like, he could leave whenever he wants and kill us all." "Yes, we already know that. That's why we threw the party sugar cube." Applejack said. "Well, I was just thinking about the other side of the coin. If he stays, Rainbow will be back to normal, and she'll eventually have a boyfriend. It's funny because he can be so bad or so good." Pinky attempted to explain her logic. "So, what now?" Fluttershy asked. "Do we let Rainbow take care of him or do we get involved?" "Let's just do what we normally do when a new human arrives. We just live like we always do; hangin' out, workin', you know; life." Applejack proposed. "It's not like we can have a super huge impact on his decision anyway." "Well, I've heard a rumor that the Great competition of the Pegasi is starting soon." Rarity said. "If that's true, we won't have to worry about him all that much; the games usually last around 5 days, and Rainbow never misses it; it's an easy way to watch the Wonderbolts, and maybe even a chance at recruitment if she places well. Until the games are over, since they apparently start within the next week, we shouldn't have to do anything." She turned her gaze to Fluttershy. "You might want to consider going to watch the games this time dear; you could help keep an eye on Maverick, and the tournament is the perfect excuse for you to gather more information." Then she turned her gaze to Twilight. "You should go too. You can say it's part of your studies." "Actually, I have been meaning to study up on a few things about Pegasus flight. This works out really well." Twilight said. "Hm, before we all leave, let me tell you the story Rainbow told me.

*****

"And she let him do it?!?" Rarity asked. "That's what I said." Twilight said. "Anyway, that means that we can let him ride us if we ever need to." "Asides Jayce, no human has ever died in Equestria." Applejack said. "I thought he might be the one, but if he's gonna pull stupid stunts like that..." "He said he'd never do it again though." Pinky Pie interjected. "Besides, he seems like a reasonable human, and now that has some respect, ponies shouldn't be challenging him as lightly, right?" "Whatever. It's not super important so long as he doesn't do it again." Twilight said. "So, Fluttershy and I will go watch him during the Pegasi games. After those are over, we can decide on a new course of action." The proposal was accepted, and the 4 guest at the library returned to their own homes. "Now all I have to do is wait for the princess's answer." Twilight said as she watched her friends file out the door. "Hello Twilight."

*****

Rainbow and Maverick flew off from the party with Rainbow's temporary books in tow. They had both enjoyed themselves, and their secret was still safe, so all in all a good afternoon. Rainbow decided to take a longer route back home. She hadn't been out for a joyride in ages, and the feeling of flying just for the sake of it reminded her of times past when she had always been happy. Memories of her days as a young filly surfaced, and as she followed the track of her life, she realised that since the humans had first arrived, her life had become nothing more than sad event after sad event. She flicked her head to send the memories away. Her life had been sad before, but now she had Maverick, a new, miniature sun to help brighten the dark times. She cast a furtive glance backwards, watching him as he gazed around in wonder. He seemed so innocent, and from what he had told her, they resembled each other quite a lot; they were both seeking love and had both recently considered suicide. Maverick had done it because he thought finding a lover was too much work with too little reward. After all, how could he possibly fine someone who fit the bill when his desires were so numerous and yet his own contributions so few: he wanted a girl who was a furry. He wanted her to love him and he wanted to love her. He wanted someone pretty and kind. He wanted her to be exactly as he imagined her, the only problem being that whenever he imagined his perfect mate, she wasn't human. And because he couldn't talk to animals, it would be impossible for him to find his perfect match. He may be able to settle for a human, but she would have to be flawless, and since Maverick considered his appearance unpleasant, he knew that flawless was out of his reach. On Rainbow's side, she couldn't find many ponies who were willing to love her in the first place. The hatred for her was so strong throughout Equestria that her pool of potential mates was miniscule. And amongst that pool, most of the ponies were the disgusting type that nopony would ever consider dating. She knew Scootaloo had a lot of respect for her, and quite frankly, if she was a little older, Scootaloo would probably have been her first choice. Rainbow eventually just started dreaming that a random pony would come by one day and sweep her off her hooves. She hadn't been that far off. "You know." Maverick said, pulling her out of her memories. "That you still owe me an explanation, right?" "Oh yeah, about Ponyville. It's the same thing for every city the humans have ever filmed in; they aim for the idea that Equestria is a land that isn't super highly populated, but if you ever visit any of the cities anywhere, you'll notice quickly enough that this is not true. There are a few million ponies across Equestria, with the largest concentrations being in Cloudsdale and Canterlot. These are the main cities for Pegasi and unicorns. Earth ponies are spread out across the land since they tend to be farmers, and farmers need space. But back to the main question; Ponyville is much bigger than in the show simply because the humans chose Ponyville as their main filming location. Once this was known, the city's population exploded since everypony wanted to be in the show. This was before we learned about the true nature of the human race. "Cloudsdale and Canterlot are the same; the humans cut out most of the cities'. Since the humans are aiming at a small community idea, only a few ponies are selected to be in each episode of the show. The others live in the surrounding parts of the cities. Also, something that tends to throw most humans off is the time flow in Equestria. We have well over 2500 years of history in Equestria and an uncountable number of years before Equestria was founded. However, since the moment the show began two years ago, the flow of time had been nearly halted. Ponies only age for the first few years of their life, and then when they near the age of the Cutiemark Crusaders, their aging slows down dramatically. The point of this is to keep the main 6 at the same age, as well as the other characters in the show. This is wreaking havoc on the young fillies and colts. Now they're stuck at the same size and maturity level forever, and as such they've been in school for much longer then they should be. It's also disrupting the arrival of cutie marks. The humans decided to take the three of the Cutiemark Crusaders as tools to use for their episodes, trying to show just how important a cutie mark is for our young, and how much not getting one can upset them." Rainbow explained. "And this is the truth of Equestria..." Maverick said sadly. "Will the time flow return to normal when I free you?" "We don't know. Some think we may be stuck like this forever, but obviously we hope that it will return to normal. Many of our kind have chosen to stop having children until everything is fixed." Cloudsdale was just around the next patch of clouds, but Rainbow was really enjoying her flight, despite the conversation, and wasn't keen for it to end. "Hey, want to eat out tonight?" She asked. Maverick's mind, which had been in the gutter since the moment Rainbow talked about children, jumped to the worst possible conclusion. He turned red and tried to figure out if that had been what she meant. After a few uncomfortable moments he managed to puzzle it out. "Yeah, sure. Where were you thinking?" He asked. Rainbow turned around before Cloudsdale came into view. "It's a nice little bar that serves excellent fruit meals. They have other stuff too, but their fruit is to die for. And it's usually pretty empty at this time; it fills up overnight." "Won't that cost a lot? I already told you I don't like leeching off of people." Maverick protested. "Don't worry; the owner owes me a favour, and I doubt he could ever come in handy with anything else." She said. Maverick thought of something that made him turn red again. "So, is this like, a date?" He asked. Rainbow's face got a little hot as well. This did seem like a date. She loved Maverick a lot, and because of that, this could unveil their love to the other ponies at the bar. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realise it would look like that." She said. "No it's fine. All we have to do is hide it, right? The ponies will just see one of the main 6 trying to make her human happy." Maverick responded. He couldn't understand what was wrong with him. He'd kissed this pony already, and yet the idea of a date made him uncomfortable. Rainbow was mentally beating herself up for not noticing the implications of her idea. She had outings with her friends all the time, but Maverick wasn't used to that. Of course he'd see it as a date. It felt odd to her. Now that she considered it a date, she felt as if she had to act differently; as if more was expected of her. 'Now I understand why he was against it. Normally the stallion pays for the date, not the mare, and of course he can't do that without money.' Rainbow flew on anyways. She took another long detour, trying to enjoy the flight, but the conversation had just set her on edge. She didn't know how to perform on a date, and she doubted Maverick did either. "Hey, do you think it would be okay if we just saw this as an outing between friends?" Rainbow asked. "Yeah, I'd prefer that." Maverick hadn't wanted to ask because he thought she might find it weird, but the idea of being on a date had just made him feel like he was going to be sick. Unknown to Rainbow, Maverick had been on one date a while ago. It hadn't gone well, and it had ended horribly. Maverick wasn't quite ready for another yet. "What's the name of the bar?" Rainbow giggled a little. "It was named after the man who first kissed his pony inside. "Jayce's Bar" Not a very original name, but it's definitely one of the most popular bars in Equestria." She said as a city came into view. "That's Manehatten. It's probably the pony equivalent of Las Vegas; Bar's, casino's, hotels. It even has prostitutes." "You think you know a TV show..." Maverick began as he saw it. Maverick had never been to Las Vegas, nor had he really seen that many pictures, but this definitely seemed like the right idea. Neon signs were at every corner. Ponies were walking everywhere. As they got closer, the noise grew to a deafening level, and it was still light out. "How many..." "About 3% of Equestria's population lives in or near Manehatten. It can be a little difficult to orient yourself if you get lost in here, so I suggest you stay nearby. Also, be careful; ponies in Cloudsdale might be a little more open to you, but I doubt the new has spread to Manehatten. Even if it has, the ponies here are often drunk, and when they're drunk, they do stupid things. Keep your eyes open." Rainbow cautioned. "Oh, and don't accept ANYTHING from anypony there. Spiked drinks are more common than unspiked ones. Only take the drinks that the waiter will bring you, and keep your eyes on it. One last thing; don't order anything alcoholic. Humans can't hold down our stuff as well. What would make a pony a little tipsy will make a human pass out." "So basically be super paranoid about everypony there and keep my drink under surveillance?" Maverick summarised. "I hope this bar it worth risking my life for." He joked. Rainbow landed near the outskirts of the city. As soon as she was on the ground, everypony in the vicinity was glaring at her. "It's Cloudsdale all over again." Maverick said. "Don't worry; there's not a gang in the world that would dare mess with the lightning wings. As soon as we tell them who gave you permission to ride, they'll back off." Rainbow assured. "Still, best to not fly through the whole city. There's no point in aggravating every pony." The pair set off at a leisurely walk. The city was even brighter, louder and more crowded at street level. Maverick was surrounded from the moments they left the residential district and entered the main plaza. Most of the ponies ignored him, but every now and again one would smile at him or one would glare at him. More than once along the way, Maverick spotted a drunken pony in the distance. Half the time they had somepony chasing after them, usually the police ponies. "Manehatten has the largest amount of law enforcers in the world of Equestria, and even at that it still has the highest crime rate. This is the city that resembles human tendencies the most. Gambling, brawling, stealing... all these things are omnipresent in this city." Rainbow explained as they walked on. Maverick eventually managed to filter past the crown of ponies to see those who had more discreet trades. He saw a stallion follow a mare into a hotel, a grin on his face. He saw a pouch of pink powder exchange hooves, along with a very large sum of money. He thought he saw a group of ponies eyeballing him, but after he lost sight of them for an instant, they were gone. Then he saw the glint of metal. A large knife was being drawn from a sheath in the back of an alley, followed by several others. When he pointed it out to Rainbow, she turned to a police pony who was right next to them and alerted him to the scene. They walked off before Maverick could see what happened. "Like I said, dangerous city. Humans created us with themselves in mind, and unfortunately there are some habits we simply cannot shake. Crime is one of them." Rainbow said. "We're here." Maverick looked at the front of the bar. It looked just like every other shop front in the city, the only difference being the sing that was hung. They stepped inside to a bar, obviously, but Maverick had never been in just a bar before. He was used to bars in restaurants, but this was totally new to him. It resembled a restaurant, with the table in arranged in a neat, orderly manner. It had a few card tables here and there, as well as some pool tables. Maverick saw the special customized cues so the ponies could play. But the main attraction was the HUGE counter along the left side. It was as long as the restaurant and had glistening wine glasses, bear mugs and other assorted cups. It also had hundreds of bottles, all slightly different from the one next to it. Three bartenders stood serving the few ponies that were already present. "Rainbow." A rather large pony bellowed as she entered. "What can I do for ya?" He then noticed Maverick. "Friend of yours?" He asked. The pony was a dark grey with an even darken mane. A stallion by Maverick's guess, he was an earth pony and was wearing expensive looking beads that appeared to be woven into his mane and tail. "Maverick, this is Shademane. He's the owner of Jayce's Bar. Shade, this is Maverick, my first ever human." Rainbow made the introductions. Shademane smiled. "Any friend of Rainbow's is a friend of mine. She got me out of a bad spot a few months back. Whatcha' here for Rainbow? Can't be the atmosphere, it far too early for that." "I'm calling in the favor you owe me. I want Maverick to taste your fruit paradise, but I'm too low on cash to buy it normally." She said. "Then until the morn, anything you want is on the house." Shademane said. "Take full advantage of it Rainbow, I owe ya at least that much for what you did for me." "Thanks Shade, I think we will. Two fruit paradises please, as well as a bottle of Litsy." Rainbow ordered. She then led maverick to one of the tables. "One thing I don't get, why are the chairs in Ponyville exactly the same as those in the human world?" Maverick asked as he sat down. "Not all of them are. You've just seen a lot of places that get regular human visits, and of course this bar is named after the most loved human in Equestria, so obviously it will have human chairs." Rainbow said. "Besides, ponies don't need chairs. Most ponies are fine with standing or sitting on the ground. If there's a chair and the pony doesn't want it, they just move it." Rainbow stood and pushed her chair away a little and then sat back down. "Alright, I get it. What's Litsy?" Maverick asked. As he did so, the bottle and two glasses were set on the table. "It's a non-alcoholic beverage that I'm sure you'll love. It's pretty strong, so if you don't like it, tell me and I'll have them bring you something else." Rainbow pressed down on a little tab sticking out of the bottle and the cap popped off. She then poured it for both of them. Maverick watched, amazed, as she handled the bottle with her two hooves. "How do you do that?" He asked. "The bottles are enchanted too. It's very hard to drop them. Most of everything you have in the human world that's not a technological advancement, we have in Equestria, with a few modifications." She took her glass in one hoof, even though it looked like it should slip right out, and drank a mouthful. "Twilight tried to explain it to me once, but I've just grown up with it like that, so I didn't pay attention. Have some Litsy, it's good." Maverick took his cup and sipped at it. The liquid inside was almost tasteless, like water, and clear as well, but as he drank it, he felt a warm tingling in his stomach. "What is that?" He asked. "That's Litsy. It doesn't taste like anything; it's the sensation that you fall in love with." Rainbow explained, finishing her glass and pouring another. "This is the type of thing you can drink to get ready for alcohol, since ponies only really drink the stuff for the buzz anyway. The only difference is this won't make you drunk." She passed Maverick the bottle. "We have as much as we want tonight, but one warning; in high enough doses, this will begin to act like alcohol. If you feel your thoughts clouding over, stop drinking it." With that, she drank her second glass. "Won't it ruin you appetite if you drink too much?" Maverick asked. "Normally it won't. It's pretty light, and ponies have larger appetites and quicker digestive systems then humans do because of our diet. You may want to take it a little slower though." She said. "That's why you gave me the bottle..." He said as he took another sip of Litsy and passed the bottle back to Rainbow. After she finished her third glass, the food came out. Maverick almost managed to stop himself from gasping. On the plate was what appeared to be a building made entirely out of fruit, the cream Rainbow had used for her apple salad and graham crackers. It started with a road of thinly sliced strawberries bordered with a fence of blueberries and surrounded by a field of grass, like actually grass. The road led up to a moat made of raspberries that were pealed apart. Over the moat was a graham cracker bridge, and on the other side was a wall of blackberries and pomegranate seeds. Inside the wall was a castle that had 5 towers. The four minor towers were each made of their own combination of fruits: the first was apples and bananas, the second was pears and peaches, the third was a collage of berries and the fourth was pineapple and oranges. The center tower was twice as large and high as the other 4 and made up of all the other fruits combined. The whole thing could probably feed four or five people. "There is no way I'm going to eat all of that." Maverick said, making the waiter and Rainbow laugh. "Don't worry, remember that we have all night, and we can take home what's left; it won't go bad for a few days. I've never managed to finish mine in one shot either." Rainbow said as she scooped up a few strawberries and ate them. "You wouldn't happen to have human cutlery here, would you?" Maverick asked the waiter, a unicorn. A spoon, fork and knife came out of the apron he was wearing and placed themselves around Maverick's rather humongous plate. "Thank you." He began to peal apart the road. Maverick liked all the fruits on the plate, but he had the sinking suspicion that living on a diet consisting entirely of fruits would grow old quick. He resolved himself to ask Rainbow about other foods that he might be able to procure during his stay once the meal was over. After half an hour, Maverick had barely managed to make a dent in his castle. A quarter of his apple/banana tower was gone, as well as most of his road, a large portion of the moat and the bridge. He looked over to Rainbow and found that she hadn't managed to finish one tower, although all the roofs were gone, as well as the whole road, the moat and half the wall. "Breakfast, lunch and dinner for two days." She said as he gazed at her. She picked up the third bottle of Litsy, which was now only half full, and filled another glass for herself. He could see that she was comfortably full and probably on the verge of falling asleep. He was also feeling rather drowsy, and he hoped that they would be on their way soon. Around them, the bar had steadily gotten more active. At this point, most ponies were just starting to reach the point where the rest of night would be a blur by the next morning. A few had already passed out and were now being carried to a room in the back, the purpose of which Maverick didn't understand. "They sleep there, under the watch of a few employees, to make sure nopony dies overnight." Rainbow said as she followed his gaze. "It's a very common job, and it pays well too. Before you ask, I've never slept in one of those." She said, anticipating his train of thought. "So, what now? I can't eat another bite, I'm moderately sure you can't either, but you don't look too steady. Are we going to fly back to Cloudsdale?" Maverick asked. "I was thinking of staying the night. The bar doubles as a mini hotel where hookers and prostitutes can get a room for cheap and a sensible pony, few as they are, can stay if they're still awake. Most everywhere you go around here will have that. Even actual hotels have cheap, one night rooms." Rainbow explained. "I'll just check with Shade to make sure it's okay." "And he won't take that the wrong way?" Maverick asked. "Naw, I'll make sure he understands. Even if he does take it that way, he's got nothing to prove that we're into each other." Rainbow said as she got up. She wobbled just a little as she made her way over to the bar. While she was gone, Maverick took a moment to size up his leftovers. They would easily last him 5 days, probably a week. 'She should have ordered one for the pair of us.' Maverick thought. 'There would still be plenty left over.' He glanced over to the billiard tables and saw a few ponies trying to hit the balls, most of the shots missing entirely. The few that connected barely ever sunk anything, but Maverick thought he saw one pony that was doing okay. He shot a quick look between its legs, since this was the easiest method to tell ponies apart, and came up with a female. She seemed to be taking long draughts from her bottle between shots, but she kept hitting straight. The ponies playing with her kept handing her coins, so Maverick assumed she was cheating by not drinking. "Room's ready." Rainbow said as she appeared behind Maverick. "And Shade doesn't think anything's going on between us. Ready to retire?" She asked. "What room is it? You go on ahead, I'll be there in just a sec." Maverick said. "M'k, it's room number 8. I'll see ya soon." Rainbow said as she moved to the back of the bar and climbed a staircase Maverick hadn't noticed before. Maverick picked up the bottle of Litsy on the table and finished the little bit that was left. Then he took it with him to the bar. "Hey Shade, can you do me a favour? There's potential money involved if it goes well." Maverick said. "What did you have in mind?" Shade responded, all ears.