The Not-So-Whimsical Whimby az019ChaptersA Whimsical WorldDistractionsParty TimeA FavorA Whimsical WorldThe stallion stirred in his sleep for a while and slowly awoke. His eyes opened for a couple of seconds before he took in the colorful landscape. Thinking himself to be in a dream, he tried to go back to sleep. After a couple of minutes with no luck, he stretched out his long body, thinking that he had woken up and had to get out of bed. He tried to feel for the edge of his bed, but his hooves only scraped against the soft grass. The sudden realization that he was still in what he believed to be a dream startled him enough to get him to stand up. The feeling of being on four hooves definitely felt weird and new to him, but he didn't lose his balance. It felt as easy as riding a bike for the first time in years, except that he was positive that he had never walked around on four legs in his life. He looked straight ahead for a couple of seconds, into the everfree forest which, although one of the darker parts of equestria, looked like something straight out of a cartoon. After stretching out for a few seconds, as if to stall for time, he looked behind him. What he had half expected was right in front of him--Ponyville in all its colorful glory, like a cherry on top of whipped cream. His stare remained as plain as it had since he had woken up, but his mind began racing. "I've been watching way too much My Little Pony, I'm having full-fledged dreams about it now. But wait, if I know this is a dream, why am I not awake by now? Maybe it's not a dream. No, nonononononono don't be ridiculous, dude, this is a fantasy world. So it must be a lucid dream. Then I can do whatever I want, right? No, it's never worked like that for me. So I guess I'll just play along until I wake up," he thought to himself over the course of a couple of seconds." As if on cue, upon his decision to stick around to see what happens, a cart driven by the royal guard came down from the sky. The stallion noticed Princess Celestia riding in the back, and his mind started working overtime again. "Princess Celestia wants to talk to me? Of course, she's not going to land in the middle of nowhere to inspect the grass. Oh God... or should I say oh Celestia? Whatever, doesn't matter, oh God this is my first contact with a pony, royalty no less, and I have to prepare myself, hahaha no I don't this is a dream and I don't care." After the quick reassurement that nothing he did would have any long lasting effect on anypony, he took a deep breath and trotted over to see Celestia's cart, which was just now landing. The princess walked out, finding herself smiling as she gazed at her land. She eventually turned back to the stallion, but was taken slightly aback to find him right in front of her. She didn't expect it because she was so used to everypony bowing in her presence, but she didn't mind it either, especially considering the situation. She focused on the stallion's face, which was just as nondescript as when he first awoke. Unlike the lack of bowing, this caught her completely off guard. Everypony she'd ever met had some kind of reaction to her splendor. But not this stallion. While she grew slightly nervous, his face remained as solid as those on Mt. Rushmore. Not that the princess knew what that was. Celestia would be the first one to speak. "Hello, citizen of Equestria," was all she could manage to say calmly. Even these four words made the stallion's busy mind turn in full circle. Not only because her voice was exactly like the one in the show, but because of how she referred to him. A citizen of Equestria. The stallion assumed that meant that, in his dream, he was just like everypony else. Except that he had absolutely no memories of him ever being in Equestria up until a couple of minutes ago. A fact that only served to confuse him more than he already was. This is a strange dream, he thought. He decided that if he was gonna be here for who knows how long, he might as well know who he was. But first, he wanted to have a little fun. After all, why not? "Excuse me, but I'm looking for some updog around here and I can't find any. Could you help me find some?" Glad that the stallion was capable of speech but confused nonetheless, Celestia said the only thing that came to mind. "What's updog?" The stallion couldn't help but hold in laughter as he said, while snickering, "Nothing much, how about you?" and promptly burst into laughter for a couple of seconds. After he was finished, he found that his laughter was very much like it was in his world--uncontrolled but short. He looked back at Celestia, but now with a smile on his face. Celestia once again received the stallion's action with mixed feelings. She was certainly somewhat relieved and happy to see that he was very much capable of humor and laughter, but absolutely perplexed as to why he was laughing, and his non-sequitur answer to her question. Her face still crinkled up like a bag of chips, she continued the conversation. "Am I missing something?" "No, no, it's nothing. I mean, it's just a human thing." Upon realizing that he had just revealed who he really was, his face grew more serious, more so than it had been just before cracking his joke. Celestia, on the other hand, relaxed a bit, knowing that she could go back to the reason why she came here. She saw the stallion's somewhat worried face, and decided to fill him in. "Don't worry, I know who you really are. I discovered an ancient spell in my archives and, while it took my pupil Twilight and I some time to figure out, I managed to invoke it and here you are. My aforementioned pupil and a group of her friends write letters to me often concerning what they learn about friendship, and while I'm sure they are doing their best, lately it seems like they're all just going off on whatever adventures the winds of fate take them on, and writing whatever they can dig up. I don't have a problem at all with them being happy, but I felt like I could use a new perspective, from an outsider. In essence, that is why you are here." Questions swirled in the stallion's mind. Questions that all felt important to him, but he had no idea what to start with, so he started from square one. "So this isn't a dream after all? I'm really in another world?" "That you are. Well, in a way. You see, my world exists inside of yours. With so many ponies... uh, people from your world believing in this one, it became real." "You know about my world? How much do you know?" the stallion inquired, with an unintended hint of guilt. "As much as you do as a human." Another revalation that got the stallion's brain working overtime. Does this mean she could read his mind? Is she doing it right now? "I can't read your mind, but this world exists as you imagine it." "So this really is a dream, then!" "Once again, not exactly. Unlike a dream which is mostly lost when you wake up, this world exists for as long as you do." "So if I die, you all do as well?" "Now, now. There's no need for such morbidity. Technically it's true, but it's more like our world comes to an end alongside yours." "Alright, I guess. One more thing. After I do what you need me to, do I just go back and forget all this, or stay here, or what?" "Well, both." The stallion was very much shocked by now, what with all the buildup, all the questions, and now this confusing answer. Celestia read his face and elaborated. "You will wake up sometime soon, and unfortunately, not remember this. However, you will stay in this world as well, and live a normal pony life. Well, as normal as a pony from another world can be." The stallion grew a little bit sad. "You make it sound kinda boring." Celestia couldn't help but chuckle at this point. "Like I said, other than you, Equestria is exactly as you imagine it. In other words, the normal pony life is full of fun and adventures." Celestia's face went back to a happy smile. The stallion smiled a bit as well, thinking to himself that he might like this deal. Still smiling, Celestia said, "Alright, let's get down to business. You don't remember your name at all, do you?" The stallion, who hadn't noticed this before, realized she was right and nodded his head from side to side. "A strange side effect. I'll let you decide on your name." The stallion mulled it over a bit, but couldn't come up with anything he particularly preferred. Out of curiosity, and thinking that it might help put him on the right track, he looked back at his flank to see his cutie mark. He was surprised to see that he didn't have one. "Hey, Celestia, how come I don't have a cutie mark?" "That's simple. You don't have one in your world, do you?" "Well, no... but no one else does, either." "Then just imagine what the equivalent of a cutie mark would be in your world." More brain food. The stallion thought for a bit, and then asked, "A job?" "I'm not from your world. You tell me," the princess said, proud of herself for encouraging the stallion to think. "Maybe it would be more like something I have a talent for. Well, I kinda suppose I want to be a teacher of high school kids, and I think I would be good at it. Even though I'm in high school myself." "High whaaaa?" said Celestia, with a confused expression that the stallion had well recognized by now. "High school. It's, uh, school for teenagers who are around 13 to 17 or so years old." "Hm. I see how this could be confusing for us. Luckily, because of your way of thinking, the ages in Equestria work like they do in your world. Children in your world will be children in ours at the same age, and so on." "Making me a teenager." "Right you are," said Celestia, giggling a bit. "So, will my cutie mark be a school bell, or what?" "See for yourself." The stallion looked again at his flank and found a tree with widespread roots and leaves. Somewhat confused, as both ponies found themselves often in this conversation, he asked, "What's this? Is my talent planting trees?" Celestia examined the newly appeared cutie mark, and came to a conclusion. "Actually, it's like you said. Teaching ponies, like Cheerilee does. The roots represent giving them a good foundation of knowledge to get them set, and the leaves represent preparing them to open their minds and learn new things." The stallion was content with how it turned out, and smiled. "So, I've decided. My name here will be Whim. Uh, I mean, if that's okay I guess." Celestia smiled reassuringly. "Absolutely. It is entirely your decision. If I may ask, what brought you to choose that name?" "Oh, it's just something I've been thinking about in my world for a while now. Whimsy, I mean. Something I'd like to know a bit more about, you know?" Not trying to make him feel bad about his new name, but still perplexed, Celestia stared at Whim for a moment, and then asked, as if she was having a hard time believing it, "Whimsy?" "I mean, it's when, you know, when someone blurts something out but they don't really care that much about it. Not like Pinkie Pie. When she says she'll throw a party, she really will throw a party there and then. Whimsy is like that, but without any intention to follow through." "That does sound interesting, and you seem to know a lot about it. I think the name fits you fine, Whim." Celestia smiled once again, but Whim was still somewhat unsure. "You think anypony else will get suspicious?" "No, I don't," Celestia said earnestly with her heartwarming smile that gave Whim some certainty in this new and strange world. Celestia continued. "I should be going now. But one last thing. What you do here is entirely up to you, and although I know you're a kind-hearted pony, you probably shouldn't tell anypony else about where you're really from. Not even Twilight knows about what my spell actually did. If anyone asks, I recommend you tell them you're from Manehattan. They may think you're a bit uptight at first, but if I know you well enough, you're sure to shatter that illusion," Celestia said with a wink and an encouraging gesture. "I also wouldn't mind if you could find the time to write me about this whole whimsy business, along with your take on the role of friendship in Equestria. I'm sure I'd find it interesting. You can have Spike deliver it to me anytime!" Whim gave a big, cheesy grin, glad that somepony else was interested in his thoughts. "Of course, princess. As soon as I can." The princess gave a nod and a smile, climbed back in her cart, and the royal guard flew off. Whim watched her fly away, still smiling, and then looked towards Ponyville. He gulped down a scared thought and set off, trotting down the dirt path and humming a tune as he went. DistractionsOn the way to Ponyville, Whim had some time. Time to think about where to start. He figured that he would have plenty of time to learn about friendship, since it seemed to be prevalent throughout all of Equestria. As such, he decided that he would start out by finding Pinkie Pie, the pony who, as far as he knew, most closely had a trait that resembled whimsy. This should be easy, he thought. After all, Pinkie seems like she would be the very first one to greet a new pony in town. Whim arrived in Ponyville's town square. He looked at his surroundings and saw a couple of ponies walking around. Looking at the low sun, he realized it must still be early in the morning. He walked up to Bon-Bon and asked her if she had seen Pinkie Pie around, and she responded with a bit of surprise. "Well, of course not. It's awfully early, I'm just here to meet a friend. Knowing Pinkie, she's probably still asleep, resting after a big party or something or other." Whim thanked her and began to walk away, when she said, "I haven't seen you around. Are you new in these parts?" Whim realized that he had forgot to introduce himself. "Oh, gee, I'm sorry. I never introduced myself. Excuse me for being so rude. I'm Whim." Whim smiled and put his hoof out, which Bon-Bon met uneasily but steadily. Whim thought of walking away again, but realized that, since he would have nothing to do for a couple of hours, he should probably find a place to take a nap. "I hope you don't mind if I ask a favor of you. You see, I'm from Manehattan, but I don't have a place to stay here. Could you possibly allow me to stay in your house, just for a quick nap? I mean, if you have a guest room." "I do have a guest room, but if you don't mind me asking, why are you fresh in from Manehattan without a place to stay? Are you in some kind of trouble?" "Trouble? No. Not me. It's just that, uh, I wanted to move to a new place and leave everything behind, and Ponyville seemed right. It'll just be for a while. I just don't want to have to sleep under a bench or something." Realizing that he was not doing a very good job of proving that he was not stuck-up, he interjected with an awkward "...y'all. Heh." Bon-Bon's suspicions only grew. "I don't mind letting you stay at my place, but if you're new, how come you know Pinkie Pie?" Whim thought quickly. "Well, you see, we've met before, when I came here to place an order for a wedding cake." Bon-Bon was satisfied with this explanation, and did not want to think too much of it, so she waved at Lyra, told her she'd be back in a few minutes, and led Whim to her house. Whim woke up a few hours later, feeling tired and with a rusty taste in his mouth, so he decided to go back to sleep. He couldn't help but notice the framed picture of Lyra and Bon-Bon on the nightstand, and wonder about their relationship. He brushed off the thought and drifted into a deep sleep. Whim awoke silently, and opened his eye to see Bon-Bon pushing him in his bed. He let his hooves hang off the side of the bed and listened to Bon-Bon. "You've been asleep for nearly 7 hours, did you know that? Not that it's a big deal, I just wanted to make sure you knew, 'cuz it seemed like you had something important to talk to Pinkie about." "Mm. Yeah. Thanks." Whim climbed out of bed and got up to his feet, stretching his body out as he often did when waking up. "Thank you for letting me stay, it was very kind of you." "You're welcome. I made you breakfast, or I guess it would be lunch by now." "Really? Thank you very much, I really appreciate this. You didn't have to." Bon-Bon blushed a bit. "Don't flatter me, it's just some eggs and toast. Now go on, I bet you're hungry." Whim nodded in agreement and headed downstairs. After finishing his meal, Whim put the dishes in the dishwasher. He found it surprisingly easy to pick things up with his mouth, something new that he was not used to doing as a pony. As he walked out the door, he yelled, "Thanks again!" but Bon-Bon was already gone. Whim easily spotted Sugarcube Corner, and headed over. When he knocked on the door, Mrs. Cake answered, and Whim asked, "Is Pinkie Pie here?" "Pinkie? I haven't seen her all day. Probably out with her friends. Want me to tell her you were here?" "No thanks, that's all right. I'm Whim, by the way." He considered adding that he was new in town, but thought against it, considering all the explaining he had to do with Bon-Bon. He outstretched his hoof, and Mrs. Cake shook it, smiling. "I'm Mrs. Cake. Me and my husband own this store, but you probably already knew that," Mrs. Cake said with an earnest smile, a sight that was always welcome to Whim. He thanked her for helping him out, said goodbye and walked away, thinking of where to go next for another lead. Whim figured he might as well head to Twilight's library, since it seemed like a meeting place of sorts, and even if nopony was there, at least Spike would be. He had a bit more trouble finding the tree, but after a bit of wandering about he came across it. He knocked on the door, and it opened slightly. Supposing Twilight was expecting a visitor, he poked his head in and looked around. Almost all of the books were strewn across the floor, as usual for Twilight. But more worrisome, Spike was not there. Whim thought it over, and realized that the ponies must be at their pony-pet playdate. This would explain why Spike and all the other ponies were nowhere to be found. Content with his discovery, Whim trotted down the path to the park. Whim saw the park in the distance, along with the many ponies that were there having a picnic or a walk or relaxing on the bench. However, he did not see Pinkie, Twilight, Spike, or any of the other ponies there. He thought this unusual, because he did not know of anywhere else that the ponies could take their pets... except for Fluttershy's house. Whim started walking there, continuing the search. By the time Whim had gotten to Fluttershy's house, the sun had started to set. I've been walking around all day just to find Pinkie Pie, Whim thought to himself. Most of Fluttershy's pets were lying around or playing with one another. Whim walked up to the front door and knocked three times, but nopony answered. After waiting a bit, he decided to go back, when he suddenly heard a softly spoken "Hello?" "Good afternoon! I'm Whim, and I was wondering if you had seen Pinkie Pie around. I've been trying to find her all day, but with no luck." Fluttershy slowly opened the door, and when she saw Whim's eager eyes, looked down. "Th... The last I heard, she was going to meet Applejack, at her farm." "Sweet Apple Acres, right?" "Yeah, s-s-Sweet Apple Acres." Whim smiled, glad that he finally had a good lead. "Thank you, miss Fluttershy." "Oh, you can just call me Fluttershy." "Alright. Thank you kindly, Fluttershy." Fluttershy watched him walk away, outstretched her hoof for a second, and said a little louder than usual, "Hey, wait!" Whim turned his head around. "Huh?" "Could you, maybe, tell Pinkie Pie when you see her that Gummy's finished his bath and grooming?" A bit unsure of how one could groom a baby alligator, Whim replied clumsily, "Uh, sure. See ya 'round." Fluttershy noticed the setting sun, and yelled again, "Wait! One more thing." Whim was getting a bit impatient, but didn't want to show it. He turned around and asked, "What is it?" "It's getting kinda dark, and I'm sure that whatever Pinkie and Applejack were doing is probably finished by now. I've never seen you around Ponyville. Are you new here?" "Yeah. I'm from Manehattan. I came here for a change of scenery." "So are you staying at a friend's house?" "Actually, no. I don't have any friends around here." Fluttershy remembered her life before she met her friends, and felt a bit of sympathy towards Whim. "Well, like I said, it's getting dark. Maybe you should stay in my house tonight. We can find Pinkie in the morning, and Gummy will be fine here for a night or two." Whim smiled at this gesture of hospitality. "Sounds good to me. I mean, if you don't mind." "No, not at all. I'm glad to help any animal or pony in need." Whim knew Fluttershy was kind, but he couldn't help but grin ear to ear. Fluttershy wanted to take him to his room, but he insisted he wasn't tired yet. "Whatcha doin' tonight?" "Well, I was going to go head to the market and get some food for my pets." "I don't really have anything else to do. Mind if I tag along?" "Sure. I mean, no, I don't mind. It's just that... I don't want you to get bored." "Don't be silly. It'll be fun! Besides, I can help carry some stuff." Whim looked at his bag, which bore the same cutie mark as his flank did. "Alright, if you really want to. Let's go before it gets too dark." And so the ponies set off, Whim smiling and Fluttershy looking away, still shy about meeting someone new. The ponies returned from the market, their bags filled to the brim. Fluttershy was still looking away timidly but smiling this time. As they arrived, Whim asked, "Where should I put all this stuff?" "Oh, I'll take care of it. Just leave it inside, somewhere high where the animals can't all dig into it." Whim chuckled. "All right. I'm gonna head on up to bed. All that walking has got me dog-tired." I can't remember the last time I saw a dog tired, Fluttershy thought. Applejack's dog is always running around or doing something. Whim set his bags down on top of a table and started walking upstairs. Fluttershy was relieved to have some time to herself. She was still a bit uncomfortable around Whim, but enjoyed his company nonetheless. He's a nice pony, Fluttershy thought. At least he won't be lonely tonight. Rainbow Dash burst open the door and flew in. "Fluttershy, wake up! Today's Apple Bloom's birthday! We're having a big party for her, remember?" Rainbow waited, but heard no response. "Fluttershy? Are you sleeping in again?" She marched up to Fluttershy's room and looked in, but saw nothing. Rainbow thought to herself, where could she be? She looked in the guest room and saw Fluttershy curled up in the guest bed, and a tall stallion with a concord grape coat and a maroon mane next to her, sleeping soundly. Rainbow blushed and looked down in embarassment. "Oh. Sorry Fluttershy. I'll come back later, I guess." Whim opened his eyes and stared at Rainbow. "You're awake! Heh." Whim slowly stretched and started to get up, when he noticed Rainbow staring back at him. Wondering what she was staring at, he looked around and was very surprised to see Fluttershy right next to him, still in deep sleep. He looked back at Rainbow, still staring, and realized what she was probably thinking. "Uhh, there's nothing going on here. I didn't even realize that she was here." He then whispered somewhat harshly at Fluttershy, "Hey Fluttershy! Wake up! Your friend is here!" Rainbow was not convinced. "I'll leave you guys alone. I have to go feed Tank, anyway." As Rainbow started backing out, Fluttershy woke up and stretched her arms. She saw Rainbow staring at her nervously and Whim looking at her as if to ask her to say something, and guessed what was going on. "Oh! Good morning, Rainbow Dash! I just, uh... I got scared because there was this huge thunder storm, and I went to lie down next to him. This is Whim, by the way. He's new in Ponyville, and I offered him a place to stay for the night 'cuz he had no place else to sleep. He helped me with getting food for the animals," Fluttershy said with a meek smile. By the time Fluttershy had finished explaining, Whim got out of bed and stretched himself out in his regular fashion. Rainbow Dash still had questions. "I don't recall any storms last night," she said, without trying to be rude. "Oh, maybe I just imagined it or something." Fluttershy thought right afterwards, what a dumb thing to say. Rainbow wanted to get off of the topic. "We should get to Apple Bloom's party now." Fluttershy got out of bed and started walking out. She turned her head to look at Whim, and not wanting to leave him alone, said "You're more than welcome to come with us, Whim. You can meet everypony else there." Rainbow looked at Fluttershy disapprovingly, but Fluttershy stood resolute. As they left with Whim walking behind, Fluttershy whispered, "He's new here. Give him a chance." Rainbow thought about it for a second, and then nodded in agreement. Whim pretended not to notice the exchange. Party TimeOn the way to Apple Bloom's party, Whim had plenty of time to think over the events of the past couple of days while Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash made idle chat. He didn't know much about Bon-Bon, but she seemed nice. He didn't hold her suspicions against her. They were justified, after all. He certainly had fun hanging out with Fluttershy, save for the awkward event this morning. He figured that Pinkie had gone to Applejack's to prepare for the party, and that Twilight and Spike tagged along to lighten the work load. He definitely would like to talk to Pinkie, but not before observing her for a while, and the party atmosphere wouldn't be too appropriate for a lengthy interview anyways. When the three ponies arrived, the party was already in full swing. Some ponies were dancing to an upbeat song, and others were helping themselves to cake and punch, including Spike who was lounging in a punch bowl again. Apple Bloom was talking with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, presumably about their next crusade. Pinkie Pie was walking around with a tray of red velvet cupcakes, serving them to whoever wanted one. Fluttershy went around introducing Whim to everypony for a bit. Whim gave them all a firm handshake and told them where he was from. Twilight Sparkle was especially interested, and asked him what the city life was like. Whim stalled for a second, and conveniently Pinkie Pie arrived to offer the three ponies some cupcakes. "Cupcakes, anypony?" "Er, no thanks Pinkie. I already had some cake," Twilight answered. Whim, on the other hand, was eager to get some food. "I'll take one!" Whim took a bite out of one of the cupcakes. "Silly filly, you gotta eat 'em all at once! It's much more fun that way. Just pop it in your mouth!" Pinkie demonstrated by grabbing a cupcake with her mouth and eating it. "All right, I'm game." Whim shoved the remainder of the cupcake in his mouth and found it surprisingly easy to eat quickly, as Pinkie had kindly demonstrated. With some food still in his mouth, he commented, "This is good cupcake." "Thanks! I made 'em myself. There's nothing I love more than making cupcakes! Besides throwing parties, I mean. Say, I haven't seen you around. Ohmygosh, are you a new pony? Great to meet you! I'm Pinkie Pie." "A pleasure. I'm Whim." They shook hooves as Pinkie balanced the tray on her other hoof for a second. "I can tell we're going to be great friends!" Whim smiled, heartwarmed by Pinkie's friendliness. As Pinkie walked around to give out the last of the cupcakes, Twilight tried to explain Pinkie's behavior. "She's a really hyper pony, but a great friend too." "I'm sure," Whim replied. Whim chatted with Fluttershy and Twilight some more, until it was time to leave. Twilight addressed Whim. "You don't by chance have anything else to do this afternoon, do you?" "Well, there is something, but I guess it can wait. What did you have in mind?" "I know this might sound boring, but I was going to rearrange my books. I stayed up late reading about some fascinating spells and ended up messing up my whole library. I don't mean to impose, but maybe you could come and help me out. It won't take too long, I promise." Whim didn't have to think it over. "Alright, sure. I'll come along." He didn't mind helping out, but he also really wanted to meet Spike. So they set off to Twilight's house, making small talk about Ponyville as they went. Twilight opened her door with her magic and let Whim inside. "This is the house Celestia gave me when she moved me to Ponyville." Whim could hear Spike snoring upstairs. He must have left early to get some sleep, he thought to himself. "Alright, let's make this quick." Twilight instructed him on how to sort the books on the shelves, but Whim had some trouble picking them up with his hooves, and by the time he had filled all the bottom shelves, he got lazy and started lying around, reading books before Twilight picked them up. Twilight didn't mind, as she enjoyed the company. "Wow, is there really a spell to go back in time?" "Yup. I found the spell and used it to warn myself not to worry so much about minor details, but that didn't turn out well." Twilight gave a short laugh, but Whim started thinking about the implications of such time travel. Didn't it occur to her that she would have to perfectly match what her future self said to her, or she could possibly incur a paradox? Or maybe it did, because she -did- do just that. All this thinking about time travel started hurting Whim's head, and he put the book down and stared into the distance. He wanted to clear his mind of all this paradox business. At this point, Spike woke up from his nap and started walking downstairs. Twilight noticed him and said, "Spike! We have a new visitor! Go ahead and introduce yourself." Whim got up and Spike walked over to him, outstretching his claw. "Hi. I'm Spike, Twilight's best assistant." Owlowiscious snorted at this comment. Whim chuckled at Owlowiscious's response. "Well, nice to meet you, Twilight's best assistant." He winked at Owlowiscious, who rolled his eyes as well as an owl can roll its eyes. Spike laughed. "I think I like you already." "I'm Whim, by the way." "Whim? That's a weird name." "Not as weird as Spike." They both laughed heartily. Whim liked all the friendly mares in Ponyville, but was still a bit relieved to talk to another male. Twilight was getting a bit frustrated at this point. "Spike, do you think you could lend a hoof?" "But I don't have any hooves, Twilight!" Spike and Whim laughed again. "Whatever." Twilight scoffed and went back to shelving books. Spike went back to talking to Whim. "We should hang out. Wanna go to the donut shop? It's a long way from here, but it sure is worth it." "Sure, sounds like fun, man. I wouldn't mind a good donut." As they walked out, Twilight protested. "Guys! I still need help!" Spike put his hand up as if to dismiss her comment and said, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. We'll help you when we get back." Twilight let out a frustrated grunt. "Spike, do you even -know- how to get to Canterlot?" "Of course I do, Twi. See ya!" Twilight grunted even louder. She was upset over losing Whim's interest, but soon went back to organizing. A FavorAfter going outside, Whim asked, "So do you actually know where Canterlot is?" "Of course not. I didn't pay attention last time we went. But that doesn't matter, 'cuz we're not going to Canterlot." "Huh?" "I mean, we can always get some sweets at Pinkie's, but I need -you- to help me get a date with Rarity." "Rarity?" Whim knew who Rarity was, of course, but hadn't met her yet. "Y'know, the beautiful pony at the party with the white coat and long, flowing purple mane." Spike sighed. "Oh, you mean the real stuck up one?" Whim said as a jest, but Spike got upset. "Hey, she's not stuck up! She's just... y'know... I don't know!" Spike blurted out. "Calm down, man. It was a joke. I'm from Manehattan, and trust me, I have seen plenty of ponies who are more stuck up than Rarity could ever hope to be." Spike and Whim laughed. "So how come you aren't like that?" "Oh, uh... My parents weren't like that, and they sure as hay didn't raise me to be a snob. I didn't hang out with too many snobs, either. But anyways, how come you're asking me to help you out? Couldn't you ask Twilight, or another mare?" "Nah. I don't think she really understands. Besides, I saw you at the party. You were flirting it up with all the mares!" "Uh, not really. Just Pinkie," he admitted. "And Fluttershy, and Twilight," Spike added. "See, I wasn't really flirting with them. Just being polite, making conversation, you know." Spike was not fazed and added suggestively, "I also heard about a certain somepony found lying in bed with a certain yellow coated, pink haired mare. Eh? Eh?" Spike poked Whim with his elbow to add emphasis. Whim guessed that it was Rainbow Dash who told him, seeing as how she was the only other pony who knew about the incident. "Hey man, nothing was going on there. She just got scared or something and wanted to curl up next to me." "So it IS true!" Spike started giggling, proud at getting him to admit it. "It's true that she was sleeping next to me. That's all. Like I said, nothing happened." "You just stay away from Rarity, you!" Whim sighed, and asked, "Can we please move on?" "Yeah, sure we can move on. To the subject of you setting me up with Rarity." Spike winked and pointed two fingers at him. "I haven't even met her yet." "Well, you can meet her right now. She's probably at her shop right now, the Carousel Boutique. It's that big building over there." Spike pointed at the building, and Whim saw it. "What, do you want me to ask her on a date for you?" "No, not at all! I just want you to talk with her, be polite and make conversation or whatever, and then tell her about this baby dragon you met, Spike. She already knows me, but you should tell her all about what a big, strong, and handsome dragon I am." "You think that'll work?" Spike came down to earth and sighed. "No, not exactly. Just tell her how I feel about her." "And how do you feel about her?" "Well, uhhhhhh... Just tell her that I really like her, and that I want to go on a date with her. They're showing Citizen Mane at the community center tonight, that could work." "So you do want me to ask her out for you." "Yeah. Think you can handle it?" "I can try, if you really want me to. But I think you might have better results with you as your own wingman. She might be flattered by your honesty and be more likely to agree." "Oh come on, that's lame." "Trust me, I've been where you've been. It never works." "Don't be like that, man!" Whim noticed that Spike had already adopted one of his own mannerisms. "Just do it for me. Please?" Spike didn't bother looking at him with puppy dog eyes, thinking that it probably wouldn't work on him like it does on Twilight. "Alright, I'll do it. But don't blame me if it fails." "Oh, believe me, I won't. After all, this can't possibly fail." Not wanting to say anything that could damage his hopes, Whim set off without another word to the Carousel Boutique. On the way, he thought to himself, am I really doing this? Barely a couple of days and I'm already playing matchmaker. Whatever. It'd probably be best if I at least get her to accept. So how should I go about this? Whim thought it over some more until he arrived at the boutique. Whim hesitated for a moment, but opened the door. Rarity, who was working on a new design, heard Whim enter and walked downstairs. She saw him and figured him for a customer. "Hello, and welcome to Rarity's Carousel Boutique! I'm Rarity, the owner of this shop." "Good afternoon. Could you point me to the, uh, hat section?" "My dear, why would you want a hat to cover up that beautiful brown mane of yours? No, what you need is a nice saddle to replace those boring bags." "Hey, these are practical!" Rarity stared at him for a moment. "Say, have I seen you somewhere?" Whim guessed that she saw him at the party, because there were a lot of ponies there. "Yeah, probably at Apple Bloom's birthday." "Oh, yes, that must be it. So are you new in town?" "Actually, yes. I just came here from Manehattan recently." "Manehattan? Oh, what a lovely city! I've never been, I've only heard about it. What's it like?" By now, Whim had been more prepared for these types of questions. "Busy most of the time, but all the buildings are spectacular, and it sure has one hay of a nightlife." Whim smiled sheepishly. "A nightlife? Hey, I remember you now. You're that stallion Rainbow told me about, the one who..." Whim found it hard to believe that he was going through this again. "Nothing happened between me and Fluttershy, I assure you. She got scared of the thunder and crawled into my bed while I was asleep, that's all." "Huh. I suppose I'll have to believe you on that one. Besides, you don't exactly look like Fluttershy's type. Anyways, how are you finding Ponyville so far?" This is my chance to segue into a conversation about Spike, Whim thought to himself. "It's a really beautiful city. Lots of sights to see everywhere you look. The ponies here are kind and hospitable, too. I think I've made some good friends here, especially the dragon Spike." "Spike? Oh, isn't he just adorable?" "He's a cool dude for sure. So anyway, from what I understand, there's going to be a showing of Citizen Mane at the community center tonight, and..." "And...?" Rarity looked at him expectantly. "And, I was thinking-" Rarity cut him off. "I would be honored to go and see it with such a big and handsome stallion as yourself." For once, Whim cursed his well built body. He started panicking. I don't want to let Rarity down or make her feel rejected, he thought. But I don't want to do the same for Spike, either! Whim didn't know what to do, so he simply stood with a blank stare. "You have nothing to say? That seems like something Fluttershy would do. Maybe she rubbed off on you while she was rubbing up against you." Whim protested, "I didn't even feel her touch me that night! And I would have woken up if she did, because I'm a pretty light sleeper." "Not light enough to wake up when somepony else crawls in the bed, though." Whim did wonder why that hadn't woken him up. Rarity looked at Whim's worried face, then started laughing. "Relax, darling, I'm just having some fun with you." "Weird way of having fun," Whim mumbled to himself. "I know why you're really here," Rarity said coyly. "Do you?" Whim pretended to be confused, but in his head she knew what she was about to say. He never figured Rarity for a dumb pony. "Well, I have a pretty good idea. I'm guessing Spike asked you to ask me to see that movie. Citizen Mane, was it?" "Yeah. And, yes, he did ask me to do that for him. Listen, Spike is a really nice guy, and he really likes you. It wouldn't hurt to give him a chance, would it?" Whim tried not to show any hints of desperation, but it still sounded like he was pleading a bit. Rarity grew a bit more serious. "I'm not sure whether or not I should be offended that Spike didn't have the courage to ask me himself." "You shouldn't," Whim said, getting some momentum back into his persuasiveness. "If I were you, I'd be flattered by the fact that Spike was so scared by the thought of being rejected by you that he couldn't handle being rejected in person." "You make a good point. I suppose you're right. In that case, I'm not really left with much of a choice, am I?" "It's your choice. I don't want to pressure you into it." Whim figured that, if she felt pushed into the date, it wouldn't work out well. "Tell the dear that I'll meet him there when the movie starts, will you?" Rarity's smile came back. "Sure thing. He's gonna be really happy about this, I tell ya." "Oh, I know. I just hope this turns out all right." Not wanting to make her doubt her decision, Whim walked out and headed to the library to tell Spike the good news. Whim walked in the library with a smile on his face. Twilight was taking a break on the floor from sorting her books, and there were only a couple dozen left on the floor now. Spike sat on the floor, looking eagerly at Whim. "What'd she say? What'd she say?" Whim pointed at him, and said joyfully, "You better get ready to go to the movies tonight, little dude, 'cuz she said YES!" Spike jumped for joy. "All right! Sweet! This is awesome! I knew you'd pull it off, Whim! How'd ya do it?" "I just told her the truth, man. That you really like her and that he wanted to go with you." "And that worked?" Spike's jaw dropped. "Yup. I told you, it's not that complicated." Twilight, who was watching the whole thing and couldn't help but smile, interjected. "Well, I'm very happy for you, Spike. I hope you two have a good time!" "This is gonna be the best night ever! Say, Twilight, could you whip me up one of those magic mustaches? I need to look my best for the date." Twilight snorted derisively, then started laughing. Whim giggled a bit, too. Spike was not too happy. "Every gentleman has to have a mustache!" Twilight responded, "Oh, please. You'll just look ridiculous." Spike groaned. Maybe Rarity will appreciate my unique sense of style, he thought. Twilight looked at the clock. "Say Spike, shouldn't you get going now? You wouldn't want to be late, would ya?" Spike looked at the clock behind him and jumped when he saw the time. "Gee, it's time already? I gotta go. Bye Twi! Bye Whim!" He ran out the door, which Twilight opened and closed as he went out. Twilight looked at Whim, who was stunned by Spike's extravagant exit, and said, "He'll be fine. Either way, at least he got a date with her." Whim looked back at Twilight. "Hey, sorry about just leaving you like that before. Spike's offer of donuts was pretty tempting." Twilight smiled, content that Spike would finally get some time with Rarity and that Whim had kindly apologized. "It's alright. Besides, I know how you can make it up to me," Twilight said suggestively. "Uh, and what would that be?" Whim was pretty nervous by now. "Help me clean up this mess!" Twilight said playfully with a smile, while pointing at the books still on the floor. Whim held in a groan, and got to work. Whim ended up having to throw the last book in place while Twilight watched, giggling at his futile attempt. She yawned. "I'm gonna head up to bed now. You're more than welcome to stay here if you have to, but I'm afraid I haven't an extra bed. You can use that rug as a makeshift blanket." Whim was more than happy with his arrangement, as he didn't mind sleeping on the floor. "Thank you very much, Twilight. I can't help but notice how kind everypony in this town is." Twilight walked up the stairs, yawning again. "You're welcome, Whim. Good night!" Just as Whim was about to snuggle up under the rug, Spike walked in. Whim couldn't really see his face, as Twilight had already turned off the lights. "How'd it go, big guy?" "It went alright, I think. We didn't kiss or anything, but I held her hoof through a really intense part of the movie. I asked her afterwards if she wanted to go out again sometime, but she just smiled and said 'maybe'. How am I supposed to know what that means?" "I think it means she had a pretty good time herself. Don't worry too much about minor details like those. You were happy, right?" "Yeah, but it's still gonna be a little weird the next time we all hang out." "Nopony else has to know, right?" "Yeah, except Twilight, and she's got a pretty big mouth." "I heard that!" Twilight yelled from upstairs. Whim and Spike chuckled, and then Spike went upstairs and Whim pulled the rug over his shoulders. He reflected over the events of the day. He hadn't actually made any progress as far as talking to Pinkie Pie, but he didn't particularly mind. He'd made good friends in Spike and Twilight. Comfortable with the day's progress, he closed his eyes and started to fall asleep.
A Whimsical WorldThe stallion stirred in his sleep for a while and slowly awoke. His eyes opened for a couple of seconds before he took in the colorful landscape. Thinking himself to be in a dream, he tried to go back to sleep. After a couple of minutes with no luck, he stretched out his long body, thinking that he had woken up and had to get out of bed. He tried to feel for the edge of his bed, but his hooves only scraped against the soft grass. The sudden realization that he was still in what he believed to be a dream startled him enough to get him to stand up. The feeling of being on four hooves definitely felt weird and new to him, but he didn't lose his balance. It felt as easy as riding a bike for the first time in years, except that he was positive that he had never walked around on four legs in his life. He looked straight ahead for a couple of seconds, into the everfree forest which, although one of the darker parts of equestria, looked like something straight out of a cartoon. After stretching out for a few seconds, as if to stall for time, he looked behind him. What he had half expected was right in front of him--Ponyville in all its colorful glory, like a cherry on top of whipped cream. His stare remained as plain as it had since he had woken up, but his mind began racing. "I've been watching way too much My Little Pony, I'm having full-fledged dreams about it now. But wait, if I know this is a dream, why am I not awake by now? Maybe it's not a dream. No, nonononononono don't be ridiculous, dude, this is a fantasy world. So it must be a lucid dream. Then I can do whatever I want, right? No, it's never worked like that for me. So I guess I'll just play along until I wake up," he thought to himself over the course of a couple of seconds." As if on cue, upon his decision to stick around to see what happens, a cart driven by the royal guard came down from the sky. The stallion noticed Princess Celestia riding in the back, and his mind started working overtime again. "Princess Celestia wants to talk to me? Of course, she's not going to land in the middle of nowhere to inspect the grass. Oh God... or should I say oh Celestia? Whatever, doesn't matter, oh God this is my first contact with a pony, royalty no less, and I have to prepare myself, hahaha no I don't this is a dream and I don't care." After the quick reassurement that nothing he did would have any long lasting effect on anypony, he took a deep breath and trotted over to see Celestia's cart, which was just now landing. The princess walked out, finding herself smiling as she gazed at her land. She eventually turned back to the stallion, but was taken slightly aback to find him right in front of her. She didn't expect it because she was so used to everypony bowing in her presence, but she didn't mind it either, especially considering the situation. She focused on the stallion's face, which was just as nondescript as when he first awoke. Unlike the lack of bowing, this caught her completely off guard. Everypony she'd ever met had some kind of reaction to her splendor. But not this stallion. While she grew slightly nervous, his face remained as solid as those on Mt. Rushmore. Not that the princess knew what that was. Celestia would be the first one to speak. "Hello, citizen of Equestria," was all she could manage to say calmly. Even these four words made the stallion's busy mind turn in full circle. Not only because her voice was exactly like the one in the show, but because of how she referred to him. A citizen of Equestria. The stallion assumed that meant that, in his dream, he was just like everypony else. Except that he had absolutely no memories of him ever being in Equestria up until a couple of minutes ago. A fact that only served to confuse him more than he already was. This is a strange dream, he thought. He decided that if he was gonna be here for who knows how long, he might as well know who he was. But first, he wanted to have a little fun. After all, why not? "Excuse me, but I'm looking for some updog around here and I can't find any. Could you help me find some?" Glad that the stallion was capable of speech but confused nonetheless, Celestia said the only thing that came to mind. "What's updog?" The stallion couldn't help but hold in laughter as he said, while snickering, "Nothing much, how about you?" and promptly burst into laughter for a couple of seconds. After he was finished, he found that his laughter was very much like it was in his world--uncontrolled but short. He looked back at Celestia, but now with a smile on his face. Celestia once again received the stallion's action with mixed feelings. She was certainly somewhat relieved and happy to see that he was very much capable of humor and laughter, but absolutely perplexed as to why he was laughing, and his non-sequitur answer to her question. Her face still crinkled up like a bag of chips, she continued the conversation. "Am I missing something?" "No, no, it's nothing. I mean, it's just a human thing." Upon realizing that he had just revealed who he really was, his face grew more serious, more so than it had been just before cracking his joke. Celestia, on the other hand, relaxed a bit, knowing that she could go back to the reason why she came here. She saw the stallion's somewhat worried face, and decided to fill him in. "Don't worry, I know who you really are. I discovered an ancient spell in my archives and, while it took my pupil Twilight and I some time to figure out, I managed to invoke it and here you are. My aforementioned pupil and a group of her friends write letters to me often concerning what they learn about friendship, and while I'm sure they are doing their best, lately it seems like they're all just going off on whatever adventures the winds of fate take them on, and writing whatever they can dig up. I don't have a problem at all with them being happy, but I felt like I could use a new perspective, from an outsider. In essence, that is why you are here." Questions swirled in the stallion's mind. Questions that all felt important to him, but he had no idea what to start with, so he started from square one. "So this isn't a dream after all? I'm really in another world?" "That you are. Well, in a way. You see, my world exists inside of yours. With so many ponies... uh, people from your world believing in this one, it became real." "You know about my world? How much do you know?" the stallion inquired, with an unintended hint of guilt. "As much as you do as a human." Another revalation that got the stallion's brain working overtime. Does this mean she could read his mind? Is she doing it right now? "I can't read your mind, but this world exists as you imagine it." "So this really is a dream, then!" "Once again, not exactly. Unlike a dream which is mostly lost when you wake up, this world exists for as long as you do." "So if I die, you all do as well?" "Now, now. There's no need for such morbidity. Technically it's true, but it's more like our world comes to an end alongside yours." "Alright, I guess. One more thing. After I do what you need me to, do I just go back and forget all this, or stay here, or what?" "Well, both." The stallion was very much shocked by now, what with all the buildup, all the questions, and now this confusing answer. Celestia read his face and elaborated. "You will wake up sometime soon, and unfortunately, not remember this. However, you will stay in this world as well, and live a normal pony life. Well, as normal as a pony from another world can be." The stallion grew a little bit sad. "You make it sound kinda boring." Celestia couldn't help but chuckle at this point. "Like I said, other than you, Equestria is exactly as you imagine it. In other words, the normal pony life is full of fun and adventures." Celestia's face went back to a happy smile. The stallion smiled a bit as well, thinking to himself that he might like this deal. Still smiling, Celestia said, "Alright, let's get down to business. You don't remember your name at all, do you?" The stallion, who hadn't noticed this before, realized she was right and nodded his head from side to side. "A strange side effect. I'll let you decide on your name." The stallion mulled it over a bit, but couldn't come up with anything he particularly preferred. Out of curiosity, and thinking that it might help put him on the right track, he looked back at his flank to see his cutie mark. He was surprised to see that he didn't have one. "Hey, Celestia, how come I don't have a cutie mark?" "That's simple. You don't have one in your world, do you?" "Well, no... but no one else does, either." "Then just imagine what the equivalent of a cutie mark would be in your world." More brain food. The stallion thought for a bit, and then asked, "A job?" "I'm not from your world. You tell me," the princess said, proud of herself for encouraging the stallion to think. "Maybe it would be more like something I have a talent for. Well, I kinda suppose I want to be a teacher of high school kids, and I think I would be good at it. Even though I'm in high school myself." "High whaaaa?" said Celestia, with a confused expression that the stallion had well recognized by now. "High school. It's, uh, school for teenagers who are around 13 to 17 or so years old." "Hm. I see how this could be confusing for us. Luckily, because of your way of thinking, the ages in Equestria work like they do in your world. Children in your world will be children in ours at the same age, and so on." "Making me a teenager." "Right you are," said Celestia, giggling a bit. "So, will my cutie mark be a school bell, or what?" "See for yourself." The stallion looked again at his flank and found a tree with widespread roots and leaves. Somewhat confused, as both ponies found themselves often in this conversation, he asked, "What's this? Is my talent planting trees?" Celestia examined the newly appeared cutie mark, and came to a conclusion. "Actually, it's like you said. Teaching ponies, like Cheerilee does. The roots represent giving them a good foundation of knowledge to get them set, and the leaves represent preparing them to open their minds and learn new things." The stallion was content with how it turned out, and smiled. "So, I've decided. My name here will be Whim. Uh, I mean, if that's okay I guess." Celestia smiled reassuringly. "Absolutely. It is entirely your decision. If I may ask, what brought you to choose that name?" "Oh, it's just something I've been thinking about in my world for a while now. Whimsy, I mean. Something I'd like to know a bit more about, you know?" Not trying to make him feel bad about his new name, but still perplexed, Celestia stared at Whim for a moment, and then asked, as if she was having a hard time believing it, "Whimsy?" "I mean, it's when, you know, when someone blurts something out but they don't really care that much about it. Not like Pinkie Pie. When she says she'll throw a party, she really will throw a party there and then. Whimsy is like that, but without any intention to follow through." "That does sound interesting, and you seem to know a lot about it. I think the name fits you fine, Whim." Celestia smiled once again, but Whim was still somewhat unsure. "You think anypony else will get suspicious?" "No, I don't," Celestia said earnestly with her heartwarming smile that gave Whim some certainty in this new and strange world. Celestia continued. "I should be going now. But one last thing. What you do here is entirely up to you, and although I know you're a kind-hearted pony, you probably shouldn't tell anypony else about where you're really from. Not even Twilight knows about what my spell actually did. If anyone asks, I recommend you tell them you're from Manehattan. They may think you're a bit uptight at first, but if I know you well enough, you're sure to shatter that illusion," Celestia said with a wink and an encouraging gesture. "I also wouldn't mind if you could find the time to write me about this whole whimsy business, along with your take on the role of friendship in Equestria. I'm sure I'd find it interesting. You can have Spike deliver it to me anytime!" Whim gave a big, cheesy grin, glad that somepony else was interested in his thoughts. "Of course, princess. As soon as I can." The princess gave a nod and a smile, climbed back in her cart, and the royal guard flew off. Whim watched her fly away, still smiling, and then looked towards Ponyville. He gulped down a scared thought and set off, trotting down the dirt path and humming a tune as he went.
DistractionsOn the way to Ponyville, Whim had some time. Time to think about where to start. He figured that he would have plenty of time to learn about friendship, since it seemed to be prevalent throughout all of Equestria. As such, he decided that he would start out by finding Pinkie Pie, the pony who, as far as he knew, most closely had a trait that resembled whimsy. This should be easy, he thought. After all, Pinkie seems like she would be the very first one to greet a new pony in town. Whim arrived in Ponyville's town square. He looked at his surroundings and saw a couple of ponies walking around. Looking at the low sun, he realized it must still be early in the morning. He walked up to Bon-Bon and asked her if she had seen Pinkie Pie around, and she responded with a bit of surprise. "Well, of course not. It's awfully early, I'm just here to meet a friend. Knowing Pinkie, she's probably still asleep, resting after a big party or something or other." Whim thanked her and began to walk away, when she said, "I haven't seen you around. Are you new in these parts?" Whim realized that he had forgot to introduce himself. "Oh, gee, I'm sorry. I never introduced myself. Excuse me for being so rude. I'm Whim." Whim smiled and put his hoof out, which Bon-Bon met uneasily but steadily. Whim thought of walking away again, but realized that, since he would have nothing to do for a couple of hours, he should probably find a place to take a nap. "I hope you don't mind if I ask a favor of you. You see, I'm from Manehattan, but I don't have a place to stay here. Could you possibly allow me to stay in your house, just for a quick nap? I mean, if you have a guest room." "I do have a guest room, but if you don't mind me asking, why are you fresh in from Manehattan without a place to stay? Are you in some kind of trouble?" "Trouble? No. Not me. It's just that, uh, I wanted to move to a new place and leave everything behind, and Ponyville seemed right. It'll just be for a while. I just don't want to have to sleep under a bench or something." Realizing that he was not doing a very good job of proving that he was not stuck-up, he interjected with an awkward "...y'all. Heh." Bon-Bon's suspicions only grew. "I don't mind letting you stay at my place, but if you're new, how come you know Pinkie Pie?" Whim thought quickly. "Well, you see, we've met before, when I came here to place an order for a wedding cake." Bon-Bon was satisfied with this explanation, and did not want to think too much of it, so she waved at Lyra, told her she'd be back in a few minutes, and led Whim to her house. Whim woke up a few hours later, feeling tired and with a rusty taste in his mouth, so he decided to go back to sleep. He couldn't help but notice the framed picture of Lyra and Bon-Bon on the nightstand, and wonder about their relationship. He brushed off the thought and drifted into a deep sleep. Whim awoke silently, and opened his eye to see Bon-Bon pushing him in his bed. He let his hooves hang off the side of the bed and listened to Bon-Bon. "You've been asleep for nearly 7 hours, did you know that? Not that it's a big deal, I just wanted to make sure you knew, 'cuz it seemed like you had something important to talk to Pinkie about." "Mm. Yeah. Thanks." Whim climbed out of bed and got up to his feet, stretching his body out as he often did when waking up. "Thank you for letting me stay, it was very kind of you." "You're welcome. I made you breakfast, or I guess it would be lunch by now." "Really? Thank you very much, I really appreciate this. You didn't have to." Bon-Bon blushed a bit. "Don't flatter me, it's just some eggs and toast. Now go on, I bet you're hungry." Whim nodded in agreement and headed downstairs. After finishing his meal, Whim put the dishes in the dishwasher. He found it surprisingly easy to pick things up with his mouth, something new that he was not used to doing as a pony. As he walked out the door, he yelled, "Thanks again!" but Bon-Bon was already gone. Whim easily spotted Sugarcube Corner, and headed over. When he knocked on the door, Mrs. Cake answered, and Whim asked, "Is Pinkie Pie here?" "Pinkie? I haven't seen her all day. Probably out with her friends. Want me to tell her you were here?" "No thanks, that's all right. I'm Whim, by the way." He considered adding that he was new in town, but thought against it, considering all the explaining he had to do with Bon-Bon. He outstretched his hoof, and Mrs. Cake shook it, smiling. "I'm Mrs. Cake. Me and my husband own this store, but you probably already knew that," Mrs. Cake said with an earnest smile, a sight that was always welcome to Whim. He thanked her for helping him out, said goodbye and walked away, thinking of where to go next for another lead. Whim figured he might as well head to Twilight's library, since it seemed like a meeting place of sorts, and even if nopony was there, at least Spike would be. He had a bit more trouble finding the tree, but after a bit of wandering about he came across it. He knocked on the door, and it opened slightly. Supposing Twilight was expecting a visitor, he poked his head in and looked around. Almost all of the books were strewn across the floor, as usual for Twilight. But more worrisome, Spike was not there. Whim thought it over, and realized that the ponies must be at their pony-pet playdate. This would explain why Spike and all the other ponies were nowhere to be found. Content with his discovery, Whim trotted down the path to the park. Whim saw the park in the distance, along with the many ponies that were there having a picnic or a walk or relaxing on the bench. However, he did not see Pinkie, Twilight, Spike, or any of the other ponies there. He thought this unusual, because he did not know of anywhere else that the ponies could take their pets... except for Fluttershy's house. Whim started walking there, continuing the search. By the time Whim had gotten to Fluttershy's house, the sun had started to set. I've been walking around all day just to find Pinkie Pie, Whim thought to himself. Most of Fluttershy's pets were lying around or playing with one another. Whim walked up to the front door and knocked three times, but nopony answered. After waiting a bit, he decided to go back, when he suddenly heard a softly spoken "Hello?" "Good afternoon! I'm Whim, and I was wondering if you had seen Pinkie Pie around. I've been trying to find her all day, but with no luck." Fluttershy slowly opened the door, and when she saw Whim's eager eyes, looked down. "Th... The last I heard, she was going to meet Applejack, at her farm." "Sweet Apple Acres, right?" "Yeah, s-s-Sweet Apple Acres." Whim smiled, glad that he finally had a good lead. "Thank you, miss Fluttershy." "Oh, you can just call me Fluttershy." "Alright. Thank you kindly, Fluttershy." Fluttershy watched him walk away, outstretched her hoof for a second, and said a little louder than usual, "Hey, wait!" Whim turned his head around. "Huh?" "Could you, maybe, tell Pinkie Pie when you see her that Gummy's finished his bath and grooming?" A bit unsure of how one could groom a baby alligator, Whim replied clumsily, "Uh, sure. See ya 'round." Fluttershy noticed the setting sun, and yelled again, "Wait! One more thing." Whim was getting a bit impatient, but didn't want to show it. He turned around and asked, "What is it?" "It's getting kinda dark, and I'm sure that whatever Pinkie and Applejack were doing is probably finished by now. I've never seen you around Ponyville. Are you new here?" "Yeah. I'm from Manehattan. I came here for a change of scenery." "So are you staying at a friend's house?" "Actually, no. I don't have any friends around here." Fluttershy remembered her life before she met her friends, and felt a bit of sympathy towards Whim. "Well, like I said, it's getting dark. Maybe you should stay in my house tonight. We can find Pinkie in the morning, and Gummy will be fine here for a night or two." Whim smiled at this gesture of hospitality. "Sounds good to me. I mean, if you don't mind." "No, not at all. I'm glad to help any animal or pony in need." Whim knew Fluttershy was kind, but he couldn't help but grin ear to ear. Fluttershy wanted to take him to his room, but he insisted he wasn't tired yet. "Whatcha doin' tonight?" "Well, I was going to go head to the market and get some food for my pets." "I don't really have anything else to do. Mind if I tag along?" "Sure. I mean, no, I don't mind. It's just that... I don't want you to get bored." "Don't be silly. It'll be fun! Besides, I can help carry some stuff." Whim looked at his bag, which bore the same cutie mark as his flank did. "Alright, if you really want to. Let's go before it gets too dark." And so the ponies set off, Whim smiling and Fluttershy looking away, still shy about meeting someone new. The ponies returned from the market, their bags filled to the brim. Fluttershy was still looking away timidly but smiling this time. As they arrived, Whim asked, "Where should I put all this stuff?" "Oh, I'll take care of it. Just leave it inside, somewhere high where the animals can't all dig into it." Whim chuckled. "All right. I'm gonna head on up to bed. All that walking has got me dog-tired." I can't remember the last time I saw a dog tired, Fluttershy thought. Applejack's dog is always running around or doing something. Whim set his bags down on top of a table and started walking upstairs. Fluttershy was relieved to have some time to herself. She was still a bit uncomfortable around Whim, but enjoyed his company nonetheless. He's a nice pony, Fluttershy thought. At least he won't be lonely tonight. Rainbow Dash burst open the door and flew in. "Fluttershy, wake up! Today's Apple Bloom's birthday! We're having a big party for her, remember?" Rainbow waited, but heard no response. "Fluttershy? Are you sleeping in again?" She marched up to Fluttershy's room and looked in, but saw nothing. Rainbow thought to herself, where could she be? She looked in the guest room and saw Fluttershy curled up in the guest bed, and a tall stallion with a concord grape coat and a maroon mane next to her, sleeping soundly. Rainbow blushed and looked down in embarassment. "Oh. Sorry Fluttershy. I'll come back later, I guess." Whim opened his eyes and stared at Rainbow. "You're awake! Heh." Whim slowly stretched and started to get up, when he noticed Rainbow staring back at him. Wondering what she was staring at, he looked around and was very surprised to see Fluttershy right next to him, still in deep sleep. He looked back at Rainbow, still staring, and realized what she was probably thinking. "Uhh, there's nothing going on here. I didn't even realize that she was here." He then whispered somewhat harshly at Fluttershy, "Hey Fluttershy! Wake up! Your friend is here!" Rainbow was not convinced. "I'll leave you guys alone. I have to go feed Tank, anyway." As Rainbow started backing out, Fluttershy woke up and stretched her arms. She saw Rainbow staring at her nervously and Whim looking at her as if to ask her to say something, and guessed what was going on. "Oh! Good morning, Rainbow Dash! I just, uh... I got scared because there was this huge thunder storm, and I went to lie down next to him. This is Whim, by the way. He's new in Ponyville, and I offered him a place to stay for the night 'cuz he had no place else to sleep. He helped me with getting food for the animals," Fluttershy said with a meek smile. By the time Fluttershy had finished explaining, Whim got out of bed and stretched himself out in his regular fashion. Rainbow Dash still had questions. "I don't recall any storms last night," she said, without trying to be rude. "Oh, maybe I just imagined it or something." Fluttershy thought right afterwards, what a dumb thing to say. Rainbow wanted to get off of the topic. "We should get to Apple Bloom's party now." Fluttershy got out of bed and started walking out. She turned her head to look at Whim, and not wanting to leave him alone, said "You're more than welcome to come with us, Whim. You can meet everypony else there." Rainbow looked at Fluttershy disapprovingly, but Fluttershy stood resolute. As they left with Whim walking behind, Fluttershy whispered, "He's new here. Give him a chance." Rainbow thought about it for a second, and then nodded in agreement. Whim pretended not to notice the exchange.
Party TimeOn the way to Apple Bloom's party, Whim had plenty of time to think over the events of the past couple of days while Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash made idle chat. He didn't know much about Bon-Bon, but she seemed nice. He didn't hold her suspicions against her. They were justified, after all. He certainly had fun hanging out with Fluttershy, save for the awkward event this morning. He figured that Pinkie had gone to Applejack's to prepare for the party, and that Twilight and Spike tagged along to lighten the work load. He definitely would like to talk to Pinkie, but not before observing her for a while, and the party atmosphere wouldn't be too appropriate for a lengthy interview anyways. When the three ponies arrived, the party was already in full swing. Some ponies were dancing to an upbeat song, and others were helping themselves to cake and punch, including Spike who was lounging in a punch bowl again. Apple Bloom was talking with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, presumably about their next crusade. Pinkie Pie was walking around with a tray of red velvet cupcakes, serving them to whoever wanted one. Fluttershy went around introducing Whim to everypony for a bit. Whim gave them all a firm handshake and told them where he was from. Twilight Sparkle was especially interested, and asked him what the city life was like. Whim stalled for a second, and conveniently Pinkie Pie arrived to offer the three ponies some cupcakes. "Cupcakes, anypony?" "Er, no thanks Pinkie. I already had some cake," Twilight answered. Whim, on the other hand, was eager to get some food. "I'll take one!" Whim took a bite out of one of the cupcakes. "Silly filly, you gotta eat 'em all at once! It's much more fun that way. Just pop it in your mouth!" Pinkie demonstrated by grabbing a cupcake with her mouth and eating it. "All right, I'm game." Whim shoved the remainder of the cupcake in his mouth and found it surprisingly easy to eat quickly, as Pinkie had kindly demonstrated. With some food still in his mouth, he commented, "This is good cupcake." "Thanks! I made 'em myself. There's nothing I love more than making cupcakes! Besides throwing parties, I mean. Say, I haven't seen you around. Ohmygosh, are you a new pony? Great to meet you! I'm Pinkie Pie." "A pleasure. I'm Whim." They shook hooves as Pinkie balanced the tray on her other hoof for a second. "I can tell we're going to be great friends!" Whim smiled, heartwarmed by Pinkie's friendliness. As Pinkie walked around to give out the last of the cupcakes, Twilight tried to explain Pinkie's behavior. "She's a really hyper pony, but a great friend too." "I'm sure," Whim replied. Whim chatted with Fluttershy and Twilight some more, until it was time to leave. Twilight addressed Whim. "You don't by chance have anything else to do this afternoon, do you?" "Well, there is something, but I guess it can wait. What did you have in mind?" "I know this might sound boring, but I was going to rearrange my books. I stayed up late reading about some fascinating spells and ended up messing up my whole library. I don't mean to impose, but maybe you could come and help me out. It won't take too long, I promise." Whim didn't have to think it over. "Alright, sure. I'll come along." He didn't mind helping out, but he also really wanted to meet Spike. So they set off to Twilight's house, making small talk about Ponyville as they went. Twilight opened her door with her magic and let Whim inside. "This is the house Celestia gave me when she moved me to Ponyville." Whim could hear Spike snoring upstairs. He must have left early to get some sleep, he thought to himself. "Alright, let's make this quick." Twilight instructed him on how to sort the books on the shelves, but Whim had some trouble picking them up with his hooves, and by the time he had filled all the bottom shelves, he got lazy and started lying around, reading books before Twilight picked them up. Twilight didn't mind, as she enjoyed the company. "Wow, is there really a spell to go back in time?" "Yup. I found the spell and used it to warn myself not to worry so much about minor details, but that didn't turn out well." Twilight gave a short laugh, but Whim started thinking about the implications of such time travel. Didn't it occur to her that she would have to perfectly match what her future self said to her, or she could possibly incur a paradox? Or maybe it did, because she -did- do just that. All this thinking about time travel started hurting Whim's head, and he put the book down and stared into the distance. He wanted to clear his mind of all this paradox business. At this point, Spike woke up from his nap and started walking downstairs. Twilight noticed him and said, "Spike! We have a new visitor! Go ahead and introduce yourself." Whim got up and Spike walked over to him, outstretching his claw. "Hi. I'm Spike, Twilight's best assistant." Owlowiscious snorted at this comment. Whim chuckled at Owlowiscious's response. "Well, nice to meet you, Twilight's best assistant." He winked at Owlowiscious, who rolled his eyes as well as an owl can roll its eyes. Spike laughed. "I think I like you already." "I'm Whim, by the way." "Whim? That's a weird name." "Not as weird as Spike." They both laughed heartily. Whim liked all the friendly mares in Ponyville, but was still a bit relieved to talk to another male. Twilight was getting a bit frustrated at this point. "Spike, do you think you could lend a hoof?" "But I don't have any hooves, Twilight!" Spike and Whim laughed again. "Whatever." Twilight scoffed and went back to shelving books. Spike went back to talking to Whim. "We should hang out. Wanna go to the donut shop? It's a long way from here, but it sure is worth it." "Sure, sounds like fun, man. I wouldn't mind a good donut." As they walked out, Twilight protested. "Guys! I still need help!" Spike put his hand up as if to dismiss her comment and said, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. We'll help you when we get back." Twilight let out a frustrated grunt. "Spike, do you even -know- how to get to Canterlot?" "Of course I do, Twi. See ya!" Twilight grunted even louder. She was upset over losing Whim's interest, but soon went back to organizing.
A FavorAfter going outside, Whim asked, "So do you actually know where Canterlot is?" "Of course not. I didn't pay attention last time we went. But that doesn't matter, 'cuz we're not going to Canterlot." "Huh?" "I mean, we can always get some sweets at Pinkie's, but I need -you- to help me get a date with Rarity." "Rarity?" Whim knew who Rarity was, of course, but hadn't met her yet. "Y'know, the beautiful pony at the party with the white coat and long, flowing purple mane." Spike sighed. "Oh, you mean the real stuck up one?" Whim said as a jest, but Spike got upset. "Hey, she's not stuck up! She's just... y'know... I don't know!" Spike blurted out. "Calm down, man. It was a joke. I'm from Manehattan, and trust me, I have seen plenty of ponies who are more stuck up than Rarity could ever hope to be." Spike and Whim laughed. "So how come you aren't like that?" "Oh, uh... My parents weren't like that, and they sure as hay didn't raise me to be a snob. I didn't hang out with too many snobs, either. But anyways, how come you're asking me to help you out? Couldn't you ask Twilight, or another mare?" "Nah. I don't think she really understands. Besides, I saw you at the party. You were flirting it up with all the mares!" "Uh, not really. Just Pinkie," he admitted. "And Fluttershy, and Twilight," Spike added. "See, I wasn't really flirting with them. Just being polite, making conversation, you know." Spike was not fazed and added suggestively, "I also heard about a certain somepony found lying in bed with a certain yellow coated, pink haired mare. Eh? Eh?" Spike poked Whim with his elbow to add emphasis. Whim guessed that it was Rainbow Dash who told him, seeing as how she was the only other pony who knew about the incident. "Hey man, nothing was going on there. She just got scared or something and wanted to curl up next to me." "So it IS true!" Spike started giggling, proud at getting him to admit it. "It's true that she was sleeping next to me. That's all. Like I said, nothing happened." "You just stay away from Rarity, you!" Whim sighed, and asked, "Can we please move on?" "Yeah, sure we can move on. To the subject of you setting me up with Rarity." Spike winked and pointed two fingers at him. "I haven't even met her yet." "Well, you can meet her right now. She's probably at her shop right now, the Carousel Boutique. It's that big building over there." Spike pointed at the building, and Whim saw it. "What, do you want me to ask her on a date for you?" "No, not at all! I just want you to talk with her, be polite and make conversation or whatever, and then tell her about this baby dragon you met, Spike. She already knows me, but you should tell her all about what a big, strong, and handsome dragon I am." "You think that'll work?" Spike came down to earth and sighed. "No, not exactly. Just tell her how I feel about her." "And how do you feel about her?" "Well, uhhhhhh... Just tell her that I really like her, and that I want to go on a date with her. They're showing Citizen Mane at the community center tonight, that could work." "So you do want me to ask her out for you." "Yeah. Think you can handle it?" "I can try, if you really want me to. But I think you might have better results with you as your own wingman. She might be flattered by your honesty and be more likely to agree." "Oh come on, that's lame." "Trust me, I've been where you've been. It never works." "Don't be like that, man!" Whim noticed that Spike had already adopted one of his own mannerisms. "Just do it for me. Please?" Spike didn't bother looking at him with puppy dog eyes, thinking that it probably wouldn't work on him like it does on Twilight. "Alright, I'll do it. But don't blame me if it fails." "Oh, believe me, I won't. After all, this can't possibly fail." Not wanting to say anything that could damage his hopes, Whim set off without another word to the Carousel Boutique. On the way, he thought to himself, am I really doing this? Barely a couple of days and I'm already playing matchmaker. Whatever. It'd probably be best if I at least get her to accept. So how should I go about this? Whim thought it over some more until he arrived at the boutique. Whim hesitated for a moment, but opened the door. Rarity, who was working on a new design, heard Whim enter and walked downstairs. She saw him and figured him for a customer. "Hello, and welcome to Rarity's Carousel Boutique! I'm Rarity, the owner of this shop." "Good afternoon. Could you point me to the, uh, hat section?" "My dear, why would you want a hat to cover up that beautiful brown mane of yours? No, what you need is a nice saddle to replace those boring bags." "Hey, these are practical!" Rarity stared at him for a moment. "Say, have I seen you somewhere?" Whim guessed that she saw him at the party, because there were a lot of ponies there. "Yeah, probably at Apple Bloom's birthday." "Oh, yes, that must be it. So are you new in town?" "Actually, yes. I just came here from Manehattan recently." "Manehattan? Oh, what a lovely city! I've never been, I've only heard about it. What's it like?" By now, Whim had been more prepared for these types of questions. "Busy most of the time, but all the buildings are spectacular, and it sure has one hay of a nightlife." Whim smiled sheepishly. "A nightlife? Hey, I remember you now. You're that stallion Rainbow told me about, the one who..." Whim found it hard to believe that he was going through this again. "Nothing happened between me and Fluttershy, I assure you. She got scared of the thunder and crawled into my bed while I was asleep, that's all." "Huh. I suppose I'll have to believe you on that one. Besides, you don't exactly look like Fluttershy's type. Anyways, how are you finding Ponyville so far?" This is my chance to segue into a conversation about Spike, Whim thought to himself. "It's a really beautiful city. Lots of sights to see everywhere you look. The ponies here are kind and hospitable, too. I think I've made some good friends here, especially the dragon Spike." "Spike? Oh, isn't he just adorable?" "He's a cool dude for sure. So anyway, from what I understand, there's going to be a showing of Citizen Mane at the community center tonight, and..." "And...?" Rarity looked at him expectantly. "And, I was thinking-" Rarity cut him off. "I would be honored to go and see it with such a big and handsome stallion as yourself." For once, Whim cursed his well built body. He started panicking. I don't want to let Rarity down or make her feel rejected, he thought. But I don't want to do the same for Spike, either! Whim didn't know what to do, so he simply stood with a blank stare. "You have nothing to say? That seems like something Fluttershy would do. Maybe she rubbed off on you while she was rubbing up against you." Whim protested, "I didn't even feel her touch me that night! And I would have woken up if she did, because I'm a pretty light sleeper." "Not light enough to wake up when somepony else crawls in the bed, though." Whim did wonder why that hadn't woken him up. Rarity looked at Whim's worried face, then started laughing. "Relax, darling, I'm just having some fun with you." "Weird way of having fun," Whim mumbled to himself. "I know why you're really here," Rarity said coyly. "Do you?" Whim pretended to be confused, but in his head she knew what she was about to say. He never figured Rarity for a dumb pony. "Well, I have a pretty good idea. I'm guessing Spike asked you to ask me to see that movie. Citizen Mane, was it?" "Yeah. And, yes, he did ask me to do that for him. Listen, Spike is a really nice guy, and he really likes you. It wouldn't hurt to give him a chance, would it?" Whim tried not to show any hints of desperation, but it still sounded like he was pleading a bit. Rarity grew a bit more serious. "I'm not sure whether or not I should be offended that Spike didn't have the courage to ask me himself." "You shouldn't," Whim said, getting some momentum back into his persuasiveness. "If I were you, I'd be flattered by the fact that Spike was so scared by the thought of being rejected by you that he couldn't handle being rejected in person." "You make a good point. I suppose you're right. In that case, I'm not really left with much of a choice, am I?" "It's your choice. I don't want to pressure you into it." Whim figured that, if she felt pushed into the date, it wouldn't work out well. "Tell the dear that I'll meet him there when the movie starts, will you?" Rarity's smile came back. "Sure thing. He's gonna be really happy about this, I tell ya." "Oh, I know. I just hope this turns out all right." Not wanting to make her doubt her decision, Whim walked out and headed to the library to tell Spike the good news. Whim walked in the library with a smile on his face. Twilight was taking a break on the floor from sorting her books, and there were only a couple dozen left on the floor now. Spike sat on the floor, looking eagerly at Whim. "What'd she say? What'd she say?" Whim pointed at him, and said joyfully, "You better get ready to go to the movies tonight, little dude, 'cuz she said YES!" Spike jumped for joy. "All right! Sweet! This is awesome! I knew you'd pull it off, Whim! How'd ya do it?" "I just told her the truth, man. That you really like her and that he wanted to go with you." "And that worked?" Spike's jaw dropped. "Yup. I told you, it's not that complicated." Twilight, who was watching the whole thing and couldn't help but smile, interjected. "Well, I'm very happy for you, Spike. I hope you two have a good time!" "This is gonna be the best night ever! Say, Twilight, could you whip me up one of those magic mustaches? I need to look my best for the date." Twilight snorted derisively, then started laughing. Whim giggled a bit, too. Spike was not too happy. "Every gentleman has to have a mustache!" Twilight responded, "Oh, please. You'll just look ridiculous." Spike groaned. Maybe Rarity will appreciate my unique sense of style, he thought. Twilight looked at the clock. "Say Spike, shouldn't you get going now? You wouldn't want to be late, would ya?" Spike looked at the clock behind him and jumped when he saw the time. "Gee, it's time already? I gotta go. Bye Twi! Bye Whim!" He ran out the door, which Twilight opened and closed as he went out. Twilight looked at Whim, who was stunned by Spike's extravagant exit, and said, "He'll be fine. Either way, at least he got a date with her." Whim looked back at Twilight. "Hey, sorry about just leaving you like that before. Spike's offer of donuts was pretty tempting." Twilight smiled, content that Spike would finally get some time with Rarity and that Whim had kindly apologized. "It's alright. Besides, I know how you can make it up to me," Twilight said suggestively. "Uh, and what would that be?" Whim was pretty nervous by now. "Help me clean up this mess!" Twilight said playfully with a smile, while pointing at the books still on the floor. Whim held in a groan, and got to work. Whim ended up having to throw the last book in place while Twilight watched, giggling at his futile attempt. She yawned. "I'm gonna head up to bed now. You're more than welcome to stay here if you have to, but I'm afraid I haven't an extra bed. You can use that rug as a makeshift blanket." Whim was more than happy with his arrangement, as he didn't mind sleeping on the floor. "Thank you very much, Twilight. I can't help but notice how kind everypony in this town is." Twilight walked up the stairs, yawning again. "You're welcome, Whim. Good night!" Just as Whim was about to snuggle up under the rug, Spike walked in. Whim couldn't really see his face, as Twilight had already turned off the lights. "How'd it go, big guy?" "It went alright, I think. We didn't kiss or anything, but I held her hoof through a really intense part of the movie. I asked her afterwards if she wanted to go out again sometime, but she just smiled and said 'maybe'. How am I supposed to know what that means?" "I think it means she had a pretty good time herself. Don't worry too much about minor details like those. You were happy, right?" "Yeah, but it's still gonna be a little weird the next time we all hang out." "Nopony else has to know, right?" "Yeah, except Twilight, and she's got a pretty big mouth." "I heard that!" Twilight yelled from upstairs. Whim and Spike chuckled, and then Spike went upstairs and Whim pulled the rug over his shoulders. He reflected over the events of the day. He hadn't actually made any progress as far as talking to Pinkie Pie, but he didn't particularly mind. He'd made good friends in Spike and Twilight. Comfortable with the day's progress, he closed his eyes and started to fall asleep.
