It Gets Better

After further explaining our situation, tactfully leaving out the part about us being transported from another realm by feigning amnesia, the girls decided that if we were going to be living in this town, then we might as well get a feeling for its people and layout. Joey and Lindsey had silently elected myself the speaker for our merry band of nitwits, and I promptly agreed to having them show us around town. When Pinkie Pie appeared in our faces one by one, flashing between us three newcomers and speaking in rapid-fire about parties, my two friends initially refused. However, a deflated looking girl and a stern look from me later, they quickly rectified their decisions, relenting to her plans for us. She visibly perked up, her gloomy frown instantly being replaced by a bright, bubbly smile. Having foresight to store what was deemed an ‘obvious weapon’, which excluded my chain, we headed for the town, with our small pack intermingling with the girls. Joey was taken aside by Applejack, who seemed to be interested in his ‘new-fangled technology know-how’, and she was questioning him about some of the contraptions he possessed. Lindsey, on the other hand, was being inspected by Rarity, who seemed absolutely determined to reinvent her outfit into something more fashionable. I myself was joined by the chromatic-haired speedster, who boasted about herself when I feigned ignorance of her.

“C’mon, man? How could you have not heard of me? I’m like, the fastest pegasus in all of Equestria!” She stated proudly, smiling at me confidently.

“Sorry, hot stuff. Just not ringin’ a bell.” I replied, flashing her a smirk. “But...you seem like a pretty good flyer, if even half of the things you say are true.” Before she could retort, I continued on. “So, I think I wanna ask you a favor: I want’cha to teach me how to fly. Can’t be that hard, especially when you’ve got a great teacher.” I finished, stroking her ego as I continued.

She let out a small chuckle, nodding as she looked up at me. “You know what? I like your style. It looks like you’ve already got the basics down, so I’ll just have to teach you the fancy stuff. But...don’t expect to be anywhere near as good as me. I may be teaching you, but I’ve just got natural talent.”

“I’m sure you do. Besides, being taught by the ‘best of the best’ sounds like it couldn’t turn out bad. That is, of course, unless you’re not as good as you talk yourself up to be.” I countered, looking down at her to gauge her reaction. She didn’t seem all together offended, seeing my words as more of a challenge than an insult.

“Oh yeah? You want me to show you just how good I am? I’m just as fast on land as I am in the air, and I’ll prove it to ya. See that tree just on the edge of town?” She raised a slender arm, pointing to the ‘tree’ in question, which I recognized to be Twilight’s Library. “I’ll race ya there. Whichever one of us wins gets...bragging rights.”

“Just bragging rights? Heh, that sounds like you’re afraid to wager anything big. But, I’ll still take ya up on it.” I stopped walking, and she did the same, both of us getting down into a runner’s stance simultaneously. “Hey, Joey.” I called out, causing my friend to turn around. “Clear the way, then count to three.” He did as instructed, pulling the group off of the road before confusedly counting to three, upon which Dash and I set off into a sprint, with me gaining an initial lead thanks to a quick burst from my Smoke Thrusters which launched me upwards and forwards. However, she quickly caught up to me in a matter of moments, ending my small lead.

“I gotta admit, you’re fast. But I’m faster, and I don’t even have super-powers to cheat with!” With that, she pulled ahead, gaining about a foot in front of me before keeping pace to stay there. Willing my body to dissolve, my form disassembled, becoming a mass of smoke that quickly shot forward, passing her and leaving her a few feet behind me before coalescing to form my body. I continued to run, but was quickly caught by Dash once more, who was now flying alongside me.

“Okay, that’s a little cheap, don’t you think?” She asked, looking mock-disappointed.

“Says the one flying.” I retorted, looking up at her.

“Well...I’ll give you that one. Anyway, gotta go!” She ended before flying off, leaving me behind her. Focusing on another of my abilities, I smirked as my body began to shine with a bright light. I moved faster than ever before, seeming to be nothing but a trail of light to observers. I quickly caught, and passed, the pegasus, already forming a witty retort in my mind as I finally reached the tree. However, I wasn’t able to slow down quite right, with the result of this being me tripping and slamming my face into the ground just beside the tree before I touched it. Dash arrived only a moment later, looking down at me in disbelief.

“You beat me...how the buck did you beat me?” She questioned, seeming to be in complete shock.

“You can break the sound barrier, sure...but light’s faster than sound, honey.” I replied as I got myself into a sitting position, smirking up at her. “And I can go light speed.”

While it had taken Dash and I only a few minutes to reach the library, it took the rest of our group about an hour to finish the trek from the cottage to the outskirts of the city, with the girls already beginning to scold Dash as they arrived. I intervened, however, stating that I had issued the challenge, wanting to test out more of my abilities against hers. After a few exchanged words and glances, the tour continued, with a wary eye being cast at Dash and I whenever we joined up and began to talk once more. With my knowledge of the show fading, I gathered what I could from our tour, planning to head out on the town with Joey and Lindsey to get a more personal feel for the layout. After going around most of the town and seeing the more important landmarks, I brought up a topic for discussion: living arrangements. Being new in town, we obviously had no place to stay. No money, either, which ruled out semi-permanent lodging at the local motel.

“I call the cool guy.” Dash stated, appearing next to me as she grabbed my arm. “Gotta teach him how to fly right. That means early mornings, quick breakfasts, and no naps.”

I looked down at her, locking eyes with her for a moment before we both burst out into laughter, both of us knowing immediately that none of those things were going to be happening whatsoever.

“Uh...Joey. You’re good with animals, right?” I asked my friend, being responded with by a wary shake of his hand and a shrug. “Good enough. I think that, uh…” I motioned towards Fluttershy, again feigning ignorance caused by a lack of proper introductions.

“I-I’m...Fluttershy…” She answered, voice trailing off as she hid behind her hair.

“Fluttershy could probably use some help with the massive amount of animals around her house. You could help her out there. As for you, Lindsey: I think that one’s already taken an interest in you.” I stated, pointing towards Rarity. “Whether it’s because she likes you or wants to design something for you, I can’t quite tell.”

“A new outfit, darling. What she’s wearing now is just so…unbefitting!” Rarity exclaimed, finally acknowledging the goings-on of the current situation. “And that other boy’s outfit as well. They’re both just...not fit for them.”

“What about him?” Joey retorted, sounding a bit offended as he gestured to me.

Rarity took a few moments to look me over before smiling softly. “It suits him. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it’s just so...him.”

I smirked as I looked back at him, causing him to grumble a bit and glare at me for a moment before shoving his hands into his pockets and looking around at everyone. “Well, I don’t know about you guys, but me? I ain’t getting rid of this thing: I like it.” There was a slight pause before anyone continued, with Twilight now taking the floor.

“Anyway, since it looks like we’ve got living arrangements squared away for now, we should probably let our new guests get used to their new homes. Oh, and before I forget to-” She turned to me, her horn glowing a light purple as an aura of the same color momentarily enveloped me. “Cloud-walking spell, don’t worry. Wouldn’t want you falling from the sky in the middle of the night. And yes, it’s permanent.” I nodded to her, giving her silent thanks for her aid before I was being dragged away from the group by an eager pegasus.

“Uh...alright, I, uh, guess I’ll see you guys later then.” I called out before I was finally lifted off the ground and into the sky, dangling by my arm before I freed myself, flying on my own, albeit a bit more off balance than I’d like.