Author's Note

For those confused by Spike's appearance and some of the things in this story, it takes place a few years after the show ends. Spike's growth will be touched on in this story.

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A New World

A New World

Ponies. Ponies everywhere. That's what Arthur saw as he and his two escorts walked through town. It was surprisingly larger than he had thought it was before, and it amazed him that these cute creatures had made all of these buildings themselves.

There were ponies of all kinds. Regular ponies that had no special features like horns or wings, ponies that had just wings, and ponies that had only horns, but there weren't that many of those types around. Actually, there were more ponies that had none of the two.

“So, you said that this town is called Ponyville?” Arthur asked Twilight.

“Yes. It was originally a settlement for earth ponies, but these days ponies of all types live here,” Twilight explained.

“Earth... ponies?” Arthur asked, confused by the term.

“Oh, sorry,” Twilight said sheepishly, “I forgot you're not familiar with the terms. You see, there are three main types of ponies. Pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies. They're the ones that don't have horns or wings.”

So earth pony was the term used to describe what Arthur knew as “normal ponies”. He then took note of the princess walking next to him, “I'm curious though. You have both wings and a horn. Are you special or something?”

“Twilight here is extremely special,” Spike said, “She's an alicorn, which has the magic of all three types of ponies.”

“Magic? You have magic?” Arthur asked.

“You saw it when I moved the pillow for you to sit on,” Twilight explained, “That was basic unicorn magic though. Nowadays I can cast much stronger spells.”

He wanted to voice his disbelief in magic, but then he remembered two things. One, like she said, he saw her move a pillow without actually picking it up. Two, he was talking to a purple pony princess and her dragon vassal. The concept of magic was the most normal thing since waking up this morning.

The thing that really got to him was how pleasantly clean it was. He had been in a stable before, and while he had loved being around horses, the smells were too strong for his liking. He had expected a town filled with these creatures to be similar, but no. He smelled flowers, nature, and cooked bread.

Wait... bread? Why did he smell that?

He stopped walking and followed the scent, which lead him to an odd looking building. It was shaped like a giant cake, and actually looked edible. He half expected the smell to be coming from the building itself.

“Twilight? What is this building?” he said reading the sign, “Sugar Cube Corner?”

“Oh, that's my friend Pinkie Pie's shop,” Twilight said walking up to it, “She inherited it from the original owners when they moved to Fillydelphia.”

Fillydelphia? Arthur stilled his tongue before he said anything about the name and instead decided to walk in. It was really lively inside. Ponies sat down at tables talking about various things and eating an assortment of treats. Some of them looked up when Arthur walked in, but beyond a curious glance most of them smiled and greeted him positively.

“What, are you nervous or something?” Spike asked, now standing upright putting him and Arthur at close to the same height. Spike was a bit taller than him though.

“Well, I don't know the customs of this place, so...”

Spike used his tail to push Arthur forward, making him stumble a bit, “Just walk up to the counter. Pinkie Pie won't bite. Me on the other hand...”

“Spike, stop scaring him,” Twilight said walking past them to the counter.

“But it's fun teasing him. Come on Twilight,” Spike said walking after Twilight. Arthur walked up to the counter after them, where he saw a pink pony with a dark pink mane and tail talking to Twilight. Her mane and tail were really puffy, almost like a cloud. On her hips was a picture of three balloons. When she looked his way, she waved animatedly.

Arthur couldn't help but smile as he waved back.

“Hello Pinkie Pie,” Twilight said.

“Heya Twilight!” Pinkie Pie said brightly, her voice high and cheery, “Spike, did you grow again? You seem bigger.”

Spike groaned, “For the last time, Pinkie Pie, I won't have anymore growth spurts after that last one. This is as big as I'm gonna get.”

“Huh... okay then!” she then turned to Arthur, “You're a new face! In fact, you're completely new! I've never seen anything like you before in my life! Which is really saying something! I'm already twenty-two and I've seen a lot!”

“I see...” Arthur said smiling awkwardly. She didn't miss a single beat, and was clearly unfazed by Arthur's presence. Even less than the ponies in the shop.

“So! What brings you to Ponyville? Are you here to save the world from a great crisis that hasn't been revealed yet? Or are you visiting in order to rediscover your passion for life and love?”

“Um... definitely not the first one...” Arthur said, “But you're pretty good on the second one I think. I'm still trying to figure out how I got here, and whether or not this is a dream.”

“Well, duh! I can tell you for sure that this isn't a dream! I mean, I'm pretty sure I'd know if I were a dream! At least, I think I would. But if you're in someone else's dream, wouldn't you think that you're real in the dream? But then what if you actual are self aware in the dream?”

Arthur turned to Twilight and whispered in her ear, “Is she okay?”

“Trust me, this is her mellow,” Twilight whispered back to Arthur, “I'm showing Arthur around Ponyville and introducing him to everyone.”

“Great idea! That gives me time to plan a party for him!”

“A party...?” Arthur asked.

“Yeah! I throw parties for everyone when the first come to Ponyville! I also throw parties for birthdays, holidays, weddings, graduations, Cutie Marks, new jobs, anniversaries, and anything else that I feel like!” Pinkie Pie said with the biggest smile.

“That's... a lot...” Arthur said, “Well, it was very nice meeting you, Pinkie Pie,” Arthur said, “I look forward to getting to know all of Twilight's friends, and that includes you.”

“I'm looking forward to getting to know you too! I can just tell you and I are going to be best friends!”

Pinkie Pie walked out from behind the counter, got on her hind legs a bit, and actually hugged him. It was a tight hug, one that spoke of true friendship. He returned the hug with a smile, and then let her go.

“I better get back to work,” Pinkie Pie said, “Things are going to get really busy in a few seconds.”

“How do you know-” before Arthur could finish his sentence, the door burst open and a group of younger looking ponies walked into the shop.

“We'll see you later then, Pinkie Pie,” Twilight said Spike waved to Pinkie Pie as well and they walked out. Arthur was taken aback by how well she timed that, but she looked really busy now so he decided to let it go.

“Bye Arthur! Have fun on your great adventure!” Pinkie Pie called out, confusing him even more. What adventure was she talking about? And how did she know?

When he got outside, Twilight and Spike were waiting for him.

“Don't ask,” Twilight said suddenly.

“Excuse me?”

“We know,” Spike said, “Whatever questions you have, don't ask them. It'll save you a lot of grief later on. Just accept it and move on.”

“So... that's normal for Pinkie Pie?” Arthur asked.

“Very normal,” Twilight said, “She probably only contained herself because she was at work though.”

If that was her mellow, Arthur was afraid of what would happen if she was actually on a sugar rush. He wasn't sure he'd survive that. Hell, the entire town might not survive that ordeal.

The next stop on their trip turned out to be another oddly shaped building. Arthur didn't know how to describe its design, but he felt that the name “Carousel Boutique” was oddly appropriate. According to Twilight, another one of friends lived here, this one being a unicorn named Rarity.

When the reached the door, Arthur was aware that they were missing someone. He and Twilight turned around and saw Spike standing a bit away from the door.

“Is something wrong?” Arthur asked.

“Uh... how about I wait out here? You guys don't need me to go inside with you,” Spike said laughing nervously. Did Arthur miss something?

“We don't know how long we're going to be,” Twilight said, “It'll be weird having you wait outside while Arthur and I are in. Besides, I'm sure Rarity would love to see you.”

“Yeah, I bet she would...” Spike said to himself looking way. Arthur recognized those mannerisms, as he got the same way whenever Olivia was nearby during the later part of their liaison. Clearly there was something about the pony inside that had him nervous.

“Spike? Are you afraid of the pony who works here?” Arthur asked. He half expected Spike to deny it. Instead he looked at Arthur with a look of pure terror.

“You don't know, Arthur! The mare inside there is terrifying! She'll eat me alive if I go in there!”

“Spikey? Is that you out there?” a high, proper voice asked from inside. Arthur recognized it as one of the voices he dreamed about. It wasn't the one voice, but it was very pleasant.

Which made Spike's look of sheer terror that much odder.

Spike jumped behind a bush and hid right before the door opened, revealing a very fancy looking unicorn. If Arthur could describe her look in a word, he'd have to use desirable. She was close to Twilight's height, if not a bit taller, her coat was white as snow, she had a purple mane and tail that were both long and curly, and she wore a touch more make-up than Twilight, wearing light blue eyeshadow and mascara. Her figure was one Arthur could tell was very attractive in this world, and her hip had a symbol of three diamonds.

Why the hell were his pants getting tighter looking at this pony?

“Twilight, darling! It's always a pleasure,” the unicorn said hugging Twilight, who returned the hug with one foreleg and her wing.

“Likewise Rarity,” Twilight said smiling. Rarity looked up at Arthur with a look of recognition.

“He's finally up then?” Rarity asked.

“Yes, my name is Arthur Ravenot,” Arthur said bowing to the unicorn before him, elegantly taking her foreleg into his hand, “It's an honor to meet you, m'lady.”

As he kissed her foreleg, the white mare started giggling, “Oh, what a gentleman. Sadly, I'm accounted for, so if this is an attempt to court me, I'm afraid I must decline.”

Oh finally! Someone who actually spoke his language! He didn't say anything about it, but everyone's ways of speaking were so different he wasn't ready for it. Rarity here sounded almost like she came from his world.

“My apologies, Ma'am, I'm merely trying to be a gentleman,” Arthur said, thinking of how odd the prospect was of him attempting to court a talking horse. The idea was preposterous.

“Well, I appreciate it. Certain men could learn a thing or two from you. Speaking of which,” Rarity started looking around, “I could have sworn I heard my Spikey Wikey out here a little while ago.”

“Spikey... Wikey...?” Arthur asked turning to Twilight, who was suppressing a giggle.

“Spike! I know you're out here!” she called out, “You can't hide from me!”

Arthur saw a small white cat walk out of the shop into the bush that Spike was hiding in. A second later, there was an audible crunch and Spike rolled out of the bush, the white cat biting his tail.

“YEEEEOOOOOUUUCH!!!!!” Spike screamed rolling around.

“Good girl, Opal,” Rarity said sauntering over to Spike. The cat let go just as Rarity stood over him.

“Ugh... thanks for the heAAHHHH!!!” Spike cried out backing away from the white unicorn, who's demeanor completely changed to that of a predator eying her prey.

“Hiding, are we?” Rarity said, her voice much lower than before as she gave Spike the most dangerous smile.

“H-h-hey Rarity...” Spike said still backing away, “I was just... searching for something in the bushes. That's right. I uh... dropped some change back there... and I was trying to get it...”

“Mmmhmm,” Rarity nodded, clearly not convinced. Even Arthur had to admit, it was a pretty poor lie.

“Um, are they...?” Arthur asked Twilight.

“Spike used to have a major crush on Rarity when he was little. After his growth spurt, Rarity began pursuing him,” Twilight explained.

“That sounds like a dream come true for him though,” Arthur said confused.

“Well... Rarity is a little... pushy, if you get what I mean,” Twilight said. Arthur nodded in understanding and turned back to the spectacle before him. Now Rarity was on top of him practically straddling him out in public. He wasn't sure how he felt seeing that, as she seemed so ladylike earlier, but now she was almost too straightforward. Were things more relaxed over in this world.

Arthur was beginning to really like this place.

“You've been a very naughty boy, Spikey Wikey,” Rarity said seductively, “I may have to take you upstairs and punish you.”

“Um... please don't Rarity,” Spike begged, “You know I bruise easily.”

As much as he was enjoying the sight of the big scary dragon cowering in fear of someone smaller than him, he had to bail him out.

“Um, Spike!” Arthur called out, “Weren't you going to show me your favorite spot next?”

It only took a second for Spike to realize what Arthur was doing, “Yep! That's right! We're on a tight schedule, so I gotta jet!”

Rarity pouted, “You're leaving me so soon? I'll miss you, Spikey Wikey.”

“I know... but you know how it is being the vassal of the Princess of Friendship.”

“That... has nothing to do with showing Arthur around,” Twilight said frankly.

“Well, I understand that you're a busy dragon,” Rarity said with a sigh, “I'll let it slide this time, but you're not going to keep running away from me Spike,” she got in real close to his ear, “You are mine Spike, never forget that.”

Spike just gulped instead of answering that. Rarity stood up and sauntered back to Arthur and Twilight.

“Do take care, Arthur,” Rarity said, “I look forward to getting to know you better.”

“Yes... I'm looking forward to getting to know you better as well,” Arthur said, suddenly understanding why Spike was so terrified of Rarity. She was the exact opposite of Olivia, which was terrifying in of itself.

“Twilight, do keep those two out of trouble,” Rarity said to Twilight.

“I will Rarity,” Twilight said with a giggle.

Rarity sauntered back to her front door, but she turned to Spike and blew him a kiss before going back inside. Spike shuddered as Arthur walked over to him and held out his hand.

“She is terrifying,” Arthur said as Spike took his hand and was pulled up.

“Tell me about it,” Spike said, “Absolutely stunning, but she's definitely a wolf in sheep's clothing,” Spike rubbed the back of his head, “You really bailed me out there, Arthur. You're an okay guy.”

“Sadly, that's not the first time I've dealt with that sort of woman,” Arthur explained, “I couldn't let you suffer through that pain.”

“Glad to see the two of you getting along now,” Twilight said walking up to them, “So Spike, wanna take Arthur to your special place so I'm not a liar?”

“Sure,” Spike said, “Follow me.”

As they walked off, Arthur gave one more glance at Carousel Boutique. He didn't know what disturbed him more. The shift in Rarity's demeanor when she was with Spike...

Or the bulge in his pants as she carried on like that...

Spike lead Arthur and Twilight to a large open field. This wasn't what Arthur had in mind for Spike's favorite spot. He was expecting a cave of some sort, probably with gemstones in the walls to add color. An open field like this though?

“My,” Arthur said looking around, “It's absolutely beautiful here.”

“This is where I come to clear my head,” Spike stated, “It's also where I spend most of my time with Applejack.”

“Who's Applejack?” Arthur asked.

“She's an earth pony that runs the nearby apple orchard,” Twilight answered, “She and I have been friends for years now, but lately she's really taken a shine to Spike here.”

“It's not like that,” Spike said blushing a bit, “Applejack and I just like spending time together is all,” he then turned to Arthur, “She's a breath of fresh air compared to how aggressive Rarity is.”

Arthur could only imagine how refreshing that was. Olivia was the only woman to have ever given him the time of day, so he wasn't ever lucky enough to spend time with another woman that wasn't Olivia. Maybe that was the reason why he tried so hard to make it work with her.

Maybe that was what he was searching for. A breath of fresh air.

“So, when can I meet this Applejack?” Arthur asked.

“Pretty soon actually,” Twilight said pointing outward, “That's her and Rainbow Dash over there.”

Arthur looked and saw probably one of the oddest things he had seen yet. Two ponies, both standing on their hind legs, punching and kicking one another as if they were training. The sight actually looked pretty natural for them, and they were moving in a way that a normal horse back home wouldn't be able to.

One of the ponies was a pegasus pony with a light blue coat and a multicolored mane and tail. On her hips Arthur saw a white cloud with a tri-colored thunderbolt coming down from it. Her style threw Arthur for a loop, as it wasn't very feminine in the slightest. She almost looked like a boy from this distance.

The other pony was an earth pony with an orange coat and a long blond mane and tail, both of which tied into a ponytail (or whatever you'd call that style over here). On her hips were three apples. Arthur figured that was Applejack.

The three of them approached the two ponies watching their training session. Arthur was amazed to see ponies move with such agility and grace. He had read books about Chinese Martial Arts, and it looked like that was what these two were doing, but they were ponies. At one point, Applejack even jumped into the air to fly kick the rainbow colored pony, who did a fancy back flip kick knocking Applejack back later on in the fight.

Watching them move was astounding. How they could balance on their hind legs like that, how they stood, posed, and bent, it was amazing.

The rainbow colored pony did a jumping spin kick, knocking Applejack off balance, and then threw her hoof forward to Applejack's face stopping short of hitting her. The earth pony was frozen in shock.

“Let's call it a day,” the rainbow colored pony said, “Sides, we attracted an audience.”

“Huh?” Applejack turned to look at Arthur, Twilight, and Spike. Immediately her face turned red, “S-Spike!”

“Looking good Applejack,” Spike said smiling. Applejack got back onto her forelegs and rubbed the back of her head.

“Aw, thanks Spike,” Applejack said smiling, her face still red. Arthur took note of her accent, which was nothing like he had ever heard before in his life. The rainbow colored pony walked up to Applejack placing an odd hat on her head, and then turned to look at Arthur.

“So, he finally woke up, eh?” she asked.

“Yep. Girls, this is Arthur Ravenot,” Twilight introduced, “Arthur, these are my friends Applejack and Rainbow Dash.”

“It's a pleasure to meet you both,” Arthur said, first elegantly taking Applejack's hoof and kissing it, getting a pleased giggle from her. When he went to Rainbow Dash though, she pulled away immediately, “Um... I'm sorry?”

“I... don't like ponies or... people in general I guess touching my hooves,” Rainbow Dash said, “Also, that elegant stuff ain't my thing, ya know?”

“I... see,” Arthur said feeling really awkward now. She was so up front he didn't know what to make of her.

“We were showing him around Ponyville,” Spike said, “I wanted to show him my favorite spot, which is why we came here.”

“Ah see,” Applejack said, “W-well, Dash an' Ah were plannin ta go back ta mah place for lunch.”

“I'm not-” Applejack hit Rainbow Dash in the side shutting her up.

“Maybe... y'all wouldn't mind joinin us?” Applejack continued, looking down a bit covering her eyes with her hat. It was clear to Arthur what was going on, even if she was trying her hardest not to show it.

“I don't mind at all,” Spike said, “But it's up to Twilight and Arthur here what they want.”

“We have been walking for a while,” Twilight said, “Taking a break sounds like a great idea.”

Before Arthur could say anything, his stomach growled, “Um... I think my stomach spoke for me...”

“Alright then,” Applejack perked up immediately, “Ah'll lead the way.”

Applejack walked up to Spike taking his hand/claw and galloping ahead.

“H-hey! I'm coming, I'm coming!” Spike said.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, “So that's what's going on. She coulda just said something,” Rainbow Dash turned to Arthur, “So, you're a human, eh?”

“Yes,” Arthur said as they walked after Applejack and Spike, “Have you seen humans before?”

“Not personally,” Rainbow Dash said, “I've heard of 'em, but Twilight's the only one who's actually seen one. What about you? Have you seen a pony before?”

“Actually, yes I have,” Arthur stated, “However, the ponies in my world are... different than you.”

“Different? How so?” Twilight asked now walking next to Arthur.

“They're not... hm... how do I describe it? They're not as... smart... is what I want to say. They're just animals... if that makes any sense.”

Twilight nodded, “That goes with what I learned in the other world,” Twilight said to herself. Arthur was really curious as to what she was talking about, but he'd have to ask her about it later.

“So what you're saying is,” Rainbow Dash said to Arthur, “ponies in your world aren't as awesome as moi, right?”

“Um... I guess...?” Arthur had no idea what she was talking about, so he just smiled and nodded.

“See Twilight? Even ponies in his world can't compete with my overbearing awesomeness.” Rainbow Dash continued to brag, as Arthur realized exactly what she was doing. Twilight's eye roll may have also given that away.

“Why did you say that?” Twilight asked Arthur.

“I didn't know! She's using terms I'm unfamiliar with!” Arthur defended.

“Well, here we are,” Applejack said catching everyone's attention, “Everypony, welcome ta mah humble abode.”

Arthur looked up at the blue and white house. It was two, maybe three stories tall, simple, and very cozy looking. Much like Sugar Cube Corner, this place had a very pleasant scent coming from it.

“It's lovely,” Arthur stated, making Applejack giggle.

“Aw, it ain't nothin special,” she said, “Glad ya like it though.”

“Oh, Applejack,” a soft voice said to their side, one that made Arthur's heart leap out of his chest. He turned and saw the prettiest site he had ever seen walk up to them.

She was a pegasus like Rainbow Dash, but with a slightly thicker build. She had a yellow coat and the longest pink mane and tail Arthur had ever seen, and they looked thick too. On her hips were three butterflies, and her eyes were the most interesting color being almost blue and green.

Oh my... that's the one who found me...

“Fluttershy,” Applejack said, “Golly, Ah'm jus' runnin inta everyone today, huh?” Applejack said plesantly, “How 're ya doin?”

“Oh, I'm doing fine,” Fluttershy said, “Busy, but fine.”

Her voice is so soft...

And that name... Fluttershy...

She turned to Arthur, and her eyes went wide with shock, “Oh! You're awake!”

“Y-yes...” Arthur said, suddenly his heart racing for some reason, “Um, you were the one who found me, right?”

Fluttershy nodded, “I'm so happy you're okay,” Fluttershy said, “My name is-”

“Fluttershy,” Arthur said suddenly, surprising the yellow pegasus, “I'm sorry. You had introduced yourself when we met before, and Applejack here said your name, so...”

“Oh, I see,” Fluttershy said with a nod, “Not that I thought anything weird, but...”

“You were surprised, I know,” Arthur said, suddenly realizing how rude he was being, “Shoot! Uh... how rude of me. You don't even know my name. Um, I'm... Arthur Ravenot, ma'am.”

“Arthur...” Fluttershy said taking in his name. God it sounded so nice coming out of her mouth, “You have a very nice name.”

Now Arthur's face had turned red, “Thank you Miss...”

He was sure that he heard Rainbow Dash snicker next to him.

“So, what brings ya around here?” Applejack asked.

“That's right,” Fluttershy said turning back to Applejack, “I'm trying out a new recipe, but I need some more apples for it. Some of the animals ate the last ones, so...”

“Say no more,” Applejack said, “When do ya need em?”

“Oh, not until tonight,” Fluttershy said, “Think I could pick them up in a few hours or so?”

“That's fine. Ah'll have 'em ready by then.”

“So, in the meantime,” Rainbow Dash spoke up, “We were all about to go get some lunch. Did you want to join us?” she asked with a slight sly tone in her voice.

“I'd love to, really,” Fluttershy said, “Sadly I still have a lot of work to do, so I have to get going.”

“That's too bad,” Rainbow Dash said, “Isn't that too bad Arthur?”

“What?!” he hadn't even realized she was talking to him, as he just couldn't take his eyes off of Fluttershy, “Oh, um... yes. That is too bad,” Arthur took a deep breath, accidentally taking in the sweet yet natural scent of the pegasus in front of him, “Too... bad indeed...”

My God she smells so wonderful...

“Maybe some other time then,” Fluttershy said, “I would like to get to know you better. Would you like to come visit me later?”

“Yes!” Arthur said, suddenly calming himself down, “I mean, if you would have me that is.”

Now everyone was snickering at him.

“I'd love to have you over,” Fluttershy said, “My house is right down this road, next to the Everfree Forest. I'll see you later.”

“Yes...bye...” Arthur said. Fluttershy said her good byes to everyone there (but Arthur didn't pay them any attention) and then walked off. As she walked, Arthur found himself unable to take his eyes off her wings or tail, or the way she walked away. It was unlike anything he had ever seen.

He was snapped out of his daze when Rainbow Dash burst out laughing, “Oh man, you should have seen yourself!”

“Um... excuse me?” Arthur asked.

“Man, I thought Twilight was obvious with Flash!” Rainbow Dash continued, “I could actually see the hearts!”

“Hearts?!” Arthur stepped back, realizing what she was implying.

“It... was really cute,” Twilight said looking away smiling, before glaring at Rainbow Dash, “And I wasn't obvious!”

“Someone's got a crush,” Spike teased, making Arthur even more embarrassed.

“What?! Now look here, I don't...” he then thought back to Fluttershy, thinking about how saddened he was that her presence was gone, and how he reacted to her. It was almost like how he felt about Olivia before...

No way! He didn't have feelings for a pony. She was cute, the cutest thing he had ever seen, and he was reacting to that. That was all it was.

“Now come on y'all,” Applejack said, “Let's get inside so "Lover Boy" here can get some grub.”

Damn it, now even Applejack was making fun of me. As everyone walked inside, Arthur turned back to look at the path Fluttershy was walking down. He had to admit, he was looking forward to seeing her again.