Chapter 4: Friendship

Chapter 4: Friendship

By: Calamity Jay

"Sometimes, all you need are some friends to be there and help when you need it,"

Sunlight seeps in through the blinds and shines on to your face. You begin to stir as you can feel the light and slowly open your eyes. The hospital seems to have woke up as well since you once again hear the noises ponies (not people) moving around and attending to other patients in the hospital. However, you simply sit there and twiddle your thumbs because well you quite literally don’t have anything to do. You can’t watch television because they obviously don’t have that… right?

About thirty minutes pass and you perk up when you hear voices outside your door. You listen closely to make out what they were saying. “So um what’s it’s name again, Twi?” A high pitched feminine voice speaks up.

“His name Rainbow, and its Leroy, look please try to be as welcoming as possible. I want him to feel comfortable here in Equestria." You hear Twilight demand.

“Honestly Rainbow Dash, please use whatever manners and politeness you can muster up. I’d hate for our guest to feel unwelcome." An elegant woman voice speaks up.

“Don’t you worry now Rarity, Ah’m sure Twilight here and the princesses have already rolled out the welcome wagon for the what is he called? Hoo-man?” A voice with a southern drawl rang out. You were slightly amused when she tried to spell the name of your species.

“Its pronounced hue, Applejack. And yes me and the other princesses made sure he was welcome.” Twilight giggled.

“Ooh Twilight! Think he’d wanna be my friend?! I wonder if he likes parties? Do you think he likes parties?! I hope he likes cake ‘cuz I looooove cake! With extra icing and layers with a whole bunch of sprinkles on top of it-ummpf!” the light speed, girly, and somewhat unusually chipper voice was suddenly muffled. Perhaps one of them had shoved a hoof in her mouth to stop her from rambling on and on? You were kinda glad since you could barely keep up with her words. Huh imagine having an argument with this girl.

“Jeez, cool it Pinkie! I’m sure he’ll like your party when you throw him one. He’d be pretty dumb if he didn’t enjoy them.” The voice called Rainbow Dash assured. You assumed she was the one who shut her up; to you a party sounded like a pretty good idea, it had been a while since you actually went to a decent party.

“Okay well if we’re all ready, want to go in and meet him?" Twilight asked.

“Yep!’

“Sure.”

“Of course, darling.”

“Ready when y'all are Twilight.”

“Um he’s not dangerous is he Twilight?” A timid-sounding voice asked. Who was this? You could barely hear her voice over the others.

“No Fluttershy, I assure you he is absolutely harmless.” She reassure her friend. “Okay girls, he may probably still be asleep. So let’s go in quietly okay everypony?”

“Can we just go in already Twi?” Rainbow asked impatiently. A bit brash isn't she?

It was here that you became a bit nervous and your mind started drawing up worst case scenarios. 'Oh man, I'm gonna meet her friends! Are they gonna like me? What if they don't? Oh I'm terrible at making new friends while sober! Then again I think I made a new friend with Twilight right? I don't know! This is gonna suck so much ass! Fuck!' You chew your nail nervously and you hear the door knob shaking, causing you to start panicking. 'Fuck! Okay, stay cool. Everything will be fine. They're just a bunch of talking cartoon ponies, what is the absolute worst that could happen? Alright, fuck it. I'm going to pretend I'm asleep!' You quickly turn and cover yourself with the bed sheets, trying your best to look natural. The door opens and your whole body freezes, your eyes clenching shut. To make it seem a bit more believable, you exaggerate your snoring a bit, your mouth slightly open. You hear the clopping of hooves on the floor as they approach your bed.

“Oh dear it seems like he’s asleep, should we come back later?" You hear the voice of Rarity ask.

"Yeah, Twilight." You hear Applejack agree. "I don't think he'd take too kindly to waking him up so early."

"Oh, I'm sure he won't mind." Twilight assures. "Besides, he was looking forward to meeting you guys! So, who wants to wake him up? Any volunteers?" This does not bode well and you already made them think that you are asleep. If you woke up all of a sudden you might frighten them, giving them another reason not to like you. So with that in mind, you decide to just let things unfold.

"I don't think I have the gall to disturb this poor creature." You hear Rarity speak up. "How about you, Applejack?"

"Uh, Ah dunno 'bout that, what if he gets violent? And didn't you say he eats meat, Twi?"

"Yes he does, but he says he also eats plants too, Applejack. And don't worry! He's harmless!" Twilight reassured.

"Well if you're so sure then why don't you wake him up?" Rainbow chides, snickering a bit.

"Oh no, I can't do that. How would I even go about it?"

"How about I use my party cannon?" The hyper active mare suggests. "I think that oughta get him up and at em!" You fought the urge to give in and sit up, but still you laid there frozen.

"No, Pinkie Ah don't think he needs a heart attack, especially the way he looks right now with those bandages on his face and everythin'."

'What?! I have bandages on my face?! Why didn't Twilight say anything?! God damn it, why didn't I feel them or something?'

"Hey, you said he's a colt right?" You hear Rainbow ask, causing you to feel a bit nervous.

"Yeah he is, but- wait what are you planning?" Twilight asks with a bit of apprehension in her voice.

"I don't know, but if he is asleep, I'm sure he won't mind if I-" Before she could even dare to finish that sentence and put her plan into action, you bolt straight up into a sitting position.

"I don't think whatever you were planning will be necessary!" Your sudden outburst causes them to gasp and you see a creme blur duck down under your bed accompanied by a small 'eep!'. "Sorry for the surprise, just didn't want you to do... Whatever it was that you were planning." You chuckle nervously at the cyan mare, who you assumed to be Rainbow Dash since she had quite the colorful mane and tail. Her mane seemed a bit unkempt and had almost the same bangs as Twilight, but was a bit scruffy looking. Her eyes were a rosy violet and were just a wide as Twilight's were. Then again most of their eyes were big as well.

"Meh, whatever! I knew you weren't asleep anyways!" She giggled. "I mean c'mon you looked like a foal who was trying to skip out on school!"

"Well, I was uh, a bit nervous to meet you all. I mean you should've seen what happened when I first met Twilight here."

"We know, darling." The snow white mare, with the curly purple mane and cerulean eyes spoke up. She struck you as quite the looker even for a different species! She seemed to take quite good care of herself and her figure, looking very slim yet healthy as well. "Twilight told us all about the fiasco that was your meeting. Quite amusing if you ask me."

You flushed and shrugged your shoulders. "How could you blame me? As I told Twilight not everyday I get to meet a talking pony. Or ponies in this case. By the way, it is very nice to meet you all. I understand you are all friends of Twilight?"

"Yep! We've all been friends for a while now, going on about three years." The orange mare with the Stetson hat answered. She had a blonde mane which was tied up into a... Ponytail. There's a bit of irony in this, somewhere. The mare looked quite in shape and you could see the tone in her muscles on her back and shoulders, and you took a strong guess she worked on a farm. Seriously why else would she be wearing a cowboy hat?

"Wow, that's quite a long time. What are your names by the way? I'd like to know."

"Hey there, Ah'm Applejack, but y'all can call me AJ if ya like. Nice to meet ya." Applejack greeted.

“Hello there darling, my name is Rarity. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Pleasure is all mine." You smile, making sure not to show teeth. "What about you?"

“Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie!" The exuberant pink mare with the poof mane at the front of your bed chirps. "You wanna be my friend? I know you're new to this world and I have no idea what you are, but you wannabe my friend? Huh?"

It was difficult to keep up with her words, but you can manage a response. "Uh, sure sounds great." She only grins in response and you look to her right, where you can see a bit of pink mane peeking out over your bed. "Umm, who is that next you Pinkie?"

"Oh! Here ya go!" She grabs with her hooves and pulls her into view, a creme coated pegasus mare with a flowing pink mane.

"So, what's your name?" You are only greeted with silence as she stands there avoiding your gaze. "Uh hello?"

"Umm..." You can barely hear what she is saying. "My name is Fluttershy..."

"Come again?"

"My name is Fluttershy..."

"Excuse me?"

"Urgh, her name is Fluttershy." Rainbow speaks up. "Sorry, she can be a bit, uh, shy at times."

"Oh, its alright. Nice to meet you, Fluttershy." You give your softest smile and thankfully she gives you one in return, however a bit a sheepish. "And what's your name?"

"Name's Rainbow Dash!" She states proudly, puffing up her chest. "The fastest flyer in all of Equestria!"

"Really? Sounds impressive, nice to meet you Rainbow."

"Same here, dude." She says with a friendly grin.

"So we told you our names, mind tellin' us yours?" Applejack asked.

"Not at all. My name is Leroy, Leroy Evans. You all can call me Leroy, pleasure to meet each and every one of you."

"Likewise, darling." Rarity agrees.

"So, what do you all do for a living?"

"Ah run a farm called Sweet Apple Acres in Ponyville, where we plant, grow, and harvest apples and make 'em into delicious treats." She stated proudly.

"Really?" You ask, remembering your days on Earth, eating apples on a regular basis. "What kind of treats?"

“Oh jeez, you had to ask,” Rainbow groaned, putting her hoof to her face. You were about to ask what she meant, but the jubilant look on Applejack's face answered your question.

"Sweet Celestia! Where do I begin?" Applejack exclaimed. "We make apple fritters, apple pies, caramel candy apples, baked apples, apple cinnamon crisps, apple strudel, and the best darn apple cider, fermented and unfermented, you ever tasted! Oh Ah don't even know what to list anymore!"

"Damn." You mire, amused at her excitement when telling you about her farm. "You must take a lot of pride in your farm."

"Darn tootin'! I work hard to make muh farm the best it can be."

"Sounds like you do. Remind me to come and visit if I get out of here." You smile at her and look over to Rarity. "What about you Rarity?"

“I am a fashion designer, I can make any kind of clothing for anypony! From dresses to suits and much more!” Rarity said, “And speaking of clothes, I would love the opportunity to take your measurements! It would give me the chance to make some clothing for you and to broaden my horizons in design!"

“Hmm, I might take you up on that offer Rarity, I’m probably gonna be here for a while and well I might need clothes." You smile sheepishly at the fashionista. “And you Fluttershy?"

“I umm, I take care of the animals for Ponyville,” she whispered, blushing a little and hiding behind her mane.

'Jeez, she really does live up to her name.' "Animals? Ah that's great I like animals."

“Oh, you do? Well maybe when you get better you could… come visit?” She asked sweetly.

“I will make it a point to do that, once I get my legs moving,." You let out a laugh and turn to the pink earth pony. "So what about you Pinkie Pie?”

“I throw the bestest parties you will ever see! Just wait and see what I have planned when you get released!” she exclaimed, jumping into the air a little. So a party planner huh? Interesting…

“Can’t wait, haven’t been to a real party in a while. So I’m curious to see what you have planned." You chuckle at her antics. “Okay, what do you do Rainbow Dash?”

“I’m the weather captain for the pegasi in Ponyville. And I’m also in the Reserves for the Wonderbolts!” She exclaims proudly.

“Uh, what are the Wonderbolts?” You ask, curious of what exactly they are. This was obviously a trigger for her as she looks at you dumbstruck, as if you were the biggest idiot in the world. What happened next was inevitable.

“Are you kidding?!” she leaps into the air and hovers in front of you, her eyes peering into your soul, but you could not help but give her an amused look. “The Wonderbolts are like the greatest team of flyers to ever come out of Cloudsdale! Only the best pegasi in all of Equestria are allowed to even be considered to be trained as a Wonderbolt!” She exclaims flailing her forelegs in the air for emphasis, her voice cracking slightly.

“So I’m guessing you had already gone through all that? And you’re in the Reserves? Not bad Rainbow, congratulations.” You say giving her a sincere smile.

“Heh, thanks Leroy. I hope they come to their senses and recruit me soon." She lands on the ground and sits on her rump.

“Wow, you all have some very cool jobs. I’m kinda jealous actually." You admit to the six mares.

“And why is that sugarcube?” Applejack asked raising an eyebrow.

“Yes darling, please tell us.” Rarity begged.

"Well, long story short, I never really found something that I was genuinely good at. Yeah sure I finished school and all that, got my degree and found a job that I didn't even like, but in the end everything that I went through in high school, all the tests that I took and notes I had to memorize were all for nothing. Two years after I got out of college, I just spent my days working and well, drinking at a bar on my days off. I honestly didn't feel very happy with how my life turned out. I didn't know what to do, I spent a lot of money getting through college with the hopes of getting a good career. After I graduated, I couldn't find a good job, got the one that I had, I didn't like it, but my debts were catching up so I had no choice. I guess after all that I never had time to find what I was really good at. So, there you have it. That's my story, well uh, most of it anyway."

"Goodness, that doesn't sound very fun at all, darling."

"Gosh, sounds like you had a rough time there, pardner."

"Well, I did my best to get by, but I don't want you guys to worry about that. The past is the past." You assure them.

“That sounds bad and all, but can I ask you something, Leroy?" Rainbow asks.

“Sure go ahead." You concede.

“What’s all that fur your head? And why you do you have patches of fur on your face too?  But you don’t look like have that much fur anywhere else, its kinda weird.” She leaps up with her wings and ruffles your curly black hair with one hoof and touches your facial hair with her other. Wow, these ponies have no sense of personal space do they? But what were you going to do? She was just curious, its not like everyday a human comes into their world.

“Rainbow, what are you doing? Careful with his bandages!” Twilight exclaimed.

“Having fun there, Rainbow?” you ask, amused at her curiosity.

“What? His fur is all curly on his head, and the fur on his face is so weird. And don't worry I'll be gentle." Rainbow replied, still messing with your hair and growing stubble.

“Okay, Rainbow as long as you’re having fun." You sigh. Before things could get anymore awkward, the door opens and in walks Doctor Soft Hoof. Rainbow stops toughing your face and she turns to look back at the doctor

“Ah hello there everypony, certainly nice to see all the Elements of Harmony greeting our new guest, whom I need to speak to at this moment,” Soft Hoof said.

“Please doctor, don’t let us stand in the way,” Twilight encouraged.

“Yes, now Mr. Leroy, you seem to have made progress. Your concussion does not seem to have affected you. Your bones have mended nicely, your wounds have healed as well, and from what I can see you've made good recovery,” Soft Hoof informed.

“Well that’s good, so am I cleared to leave?" You ask hopefully.

“That’s the thing though before you can you need to regain your strength and mobility. Being in bed 5 days in a row can really affect your muscles. And there is something else I need to ask you about Mr. Evans,” Soft Hoof asked. You look at Twilight with a concerned expression. She reassures you with a smile and a nod.

“Ok, give it to me straight doc."

“Well, since you are a new species in Equestria, we had a bit of a tough time trying to heal you,” Soft Hoof levitated his clipboard, “And during the scans, we saw that your bone structure is a little more frail than a pony’s. Since you were in critical condition we didn’t exactly have any time to study your anatomy properly, so we immediately had to find where the injuries were located quickly. As soon as we found the injuries, we had to apply class III healing spells to them,”

“Class III healing spells?! Those are only used for severe injuries!” Twilight exclaimed.

“Jeez Leroy, what’d you do? Get mauled by manticore?” Rainbow asked incredulously.

“Uh no? I got ran over by a car,” you corrected. What in the world is a manticore? This world is getting stranger by the second.

“What’s a car?” She asked, tilting her head in an adorable fashion that almost made you shed a tear.

“Uh, n-nevermind. Tell ya later,” You promise her.

“Well then, as I was saying, his bone structure is not as strong as ours. So from what we saw he is not as resilient, and therefore we had to apply them. In spite of this I must ask you to stay longer than needed,” He said, adjusting his glasses with a stern expression.

“What? But I’ve been here a week already. Why do I need stay longer?”

“Here at Canterlot General, we also do a bit of research in order to make advancements in the medical field. I’ve asked the Princesses along with Princess Twilight, and the other doctors here if they would like for us to perform tests on you. They all agreed to do so. However, we cannot allow you to leave if do not comply. We do not know if you are carrying any pathogens or diseases that may bring about a pandemic. So I'm afraid we offer your an ultimatum: either you comply with our request and be cleared to leave after we are done. Or you will have to stay here until you do. And, please do not take this personally, Leroy. We are merely doing this for your safety and our safety as well."

"Well uh, given those choices," You chuckle. "I don't think staying here longer than I already have is a good idea. So I guess I'll do it, but you're not gonna like, cut me open to see my innards are you?"

“Uh no we don’t need to do that. We used X-Ray spells to view your bones and organs, we only cut you open if we need to perform surgery,” Soft Hoof assured you. Still, the thought or your organs being put on display made you shudder.

“Okay um, what kind of tests will you be performing on me?”

“Well, you will have to regain your mobility to perform any kind of physical test, so we will be testing your range of movement on your limbs first and measure your total body length and weight. Then we will test your mental abilities, then your reaction to different medicines and injections, and some other tests,” he said looking at his clipboard.

“Huh, that doesn’t sound so bad. Ok then, when do we start?” You ask confidently.

“Tomorrow, but first I need to see something. Mr. Evans, I would like for you to stand up,”

“Yeah I guess I should. It’d be a great first step to moving around again,” you begin to pull the sheets away when you realize something. You don’t have underwear on! Thankfully, the hospital gown is long enough to cover your privates.

“Please do move slowly, I’d hate to see you fall and hurt yourself,” Twilight said worriedly.

“Don’t worry Twilight, I got this,” You smile reassuringly.

Twilight moves out of your way as you pull back the sheets. Your arms are still strong enough to move and you swing your legs over the edge of the bed. You take a deep breath as you lift your rear off the bed. Immediately when your feet are placed flat on the ground, you feel your legs give out and you stagger around. Twilight comes up to your side. You marvel at how small she is, as she only comes up to just below your stomach. And you find it kinda cute how she looks up at you with those beautiful violet eyes-okay back to the task at hand.

“Here, you can lean up against me,” she offered. Rainbow Dash hovered around behind you and wrapped her hooves under your armpits.

“I’ll be back here to keep you steady big guy,”

“Thank you both,” you smiled. You then placed your hand on Twilights back just below her wing joints and leaned on her a little. Step, after staggering step, your legs were burning and were begging for you to just lay back down on the bed. The other four mares were looking on in worry, hoping that you would not hurt yourself. "Whoa, that hurt a lot more than I thought it would."

“Hmm, it seems as though you are more strong than I thought. Good work Mr. Evans,” the doctor said as he scribbled down notes. Unfortunately, your legs decided you had had enough and you fall to one knee.

“Leroy! Are you okay?” Twilight gasped. You groan in pain, your knees on fire.

“Yeah yeah, just getting back my land legs,” You say trying to regain balance.

“Careful there big guy, don’t hurt yourself,” Rainbow said. For someone who's as brash as she is, she sure is caring. Rainbow and Twilight help you back on your feet and guide you back to the bed.

“Very well done Mr. Evans, but you will have to take foal steps for a while. Another thing, you are quite tall by the way. Taller than I remember actually,” Soft Hoof mused scratching his chin. It was true, Soft Hoof and the other ponies only reached up to your waist. So you had to look down at them all.

“Yeah, you’re actually… pretty big Leroy,” Rainbow observed, with a small hint of… interest? Strange...

“Uh thanks, Rainbow,” You said.

“Right well, that will be all for now, we will continue tomorrow,” Soft Hoof said putting away his clipboard, “Oh before I forget, Mr. Evans?”

“Yes?”

“I don’t know if Princess Twilight has informed you of this, but she will be joining me and the other doctors during our research on you. Due to her interest in learning more about your species and anatomy, she has requested to be apart of the testing,”

“Really? Cool,” You say smiling at Twilight, who responds with one of her own.

“Yes it is… ‘cool’, makes the whole thing about twenty percent cooler I believe,” Soft Hood chuckled.

“Hey! That’s my line!” Rainbow exclaimed, flaring her wings.

“Oh dear, forgive Ms. Dash, I did not know,” The doctor apologized.

“Consarnit Rainbow, would ya relax?” Applejack said giving Rainbow a scolding look.

“What? C’mon AJ, that’s like my catch phrase!” She argued.

“Rainbow, Ah swear Ah’ve only heard ya say that once,”

“Nuh uh! I’ve said it plenty of times! Right Fluttershy?” Rainbow turned to her pegasus friend.

“Umm, sorry Dash. I agree with Applejack, I think you only said it once,” She said giving a blushing smile.

“Ya see? Told ya so!” Applejack smirked.

“Uggghh, whatever,” Rainbow said sitting on her rump folding her forelegs. You had to admit, it was pretty amusing watching them bicker and you laughed at their antics. Back home you enjoyed watching people argue about ridiculous things. Only reason being is because you literally had nothing better to do, however you did have some shred of integrity when it came to certain situations. You did know when and where to be serious man and a comedian.

“Wow, you guys should get your own stand up comedy show. I’m getting a laugh out of just watching you guys argue over this,” You say chuckling.

“Ehh, Ah dunno ‘bout that sugarcube. Ah ain’t the funniest mare in town, but Pinkie over there will get ya gigglin’ like a foal in a second,” She said motioning to the pink party pony.

“Hmm, a party planner and a comedian? Welll done,” You compliment her.

“Thanks! Not only do I love throwing parties for everypony, but I do my best to make sure everypony is happy!” she said proudly. A very noble cause indeed.

"Right then, I will be taking my leave. Mr. Evans nurses will be coming in to prep you for tomorrow." The light brown unicorn informed as he opened the door.

“Okay, thank you doctor,”

“Princess Twilight, we will begin tomorrow whenever you are able to arrive,”

“Yes, I will arrive early in the morning,” Twilight said.

“Very well Princess, I will see you all again some other time, goodbye now!” he said as he closed the door.

ooo000oo000ooo

Twilight and her friends stayed with you for a few hours, all of them having questions about you and where you came from. You gladly answered their numerous questions as best as you could. They also answered some of your questions as well. It turns out besides just being Twilights friends, they were all heroines of their world. There were these gems known as the Elements of Harmony, all of which represented different characteristics of friendship, were once able to be wielded by Celestia herself. What shocked you was the story they told of you Luna, how she once tried to take over Equestria and how she transformed into the evil goddess Nightmare Moon. Celestia had to use the Elements to banish her sister to the moon for a thousand years. The elements were lost to time, until Nightmare Moon’s return from her thousand-year banishment. It was then Twilight had to find the elements and use them against the evil goddess. She was going to find them alone, but it was when her friends, whom she met on her trip to Ponyville, offered to help find the elements. Reluctant at first, she accepted their help and journeyed to find the Castle of the Two Sisters to find the Elements. It was during their confrontation with the Moon Goddess, did they discover their virtues.

Applejack’s truthfulness made her the Element of Honesty.

Rarity’s willingness to give, made her the Element of Generosity.

Fluttershy’s tenderness and caring, made her the Element of Kindness.

Rainbow Dash’s refusal to leave her friends behind, made her the Element of Loyalty.

Pinkie Pie’s ability to remain positive in any situation, made her the Element of Laughter.

Twilight’s unmatched magical prowess, made her the Element of Magic.

They also told you that the Element of Magic was the Key element to activate them. So? you’ve made friends with six mares who were considered heroines all throughout Equestria… things were definitely looking up around here. It was when they all had to leave due to their responsibilities, did you begin to feel a little lonely. Already they were growing on you, and you couldn’t wait to see them again. Well, right now you had other things to worry about, so hanging out with them would come later. Tomorrow was a big day, and you had to be focused so you could give them the best possible results. Your body was in good condition when you left Earth. Despite your constant trips to the bar, you managed to avoid the beer belly with a few workouts here and there. Also due to the fact you lived alone and only ate when you had to; that and you didn’t have much in the first place.

Twilight stayed behind after her friends after you chatted with them for an hour or two. While you and Twilight were talking, a nurse walked in, like Soft Hoof said and checked you to make sure that you were okay for tomorrow. Shortly after the nurse finished her work and left, Twilight said goodbye and took her leave, which meant that you could finally go to sleep and rest up for tomorrow. You lay there on your bed, thinking about the great time you had talking with Twilight and her friends. Eventually you begin to feel your eyelids grow heavy and you decide to turn in for the night, and rest up for tomorrow.