Rebirth

"So, Twilight, can I spend the night over here?" I ask.

"I would say so." Twilight says. "You are, in all technicalities, homeless. Where else could you go?"

"Fluttershy's."

"Oh, yeah. You did stay there the first few days you were here." Twilight scratches her muzzle. "We're going to need a find a place for you to sleep. I only have one bed."

"Do you have a couch I can sleep on?"

"I do. It's small, though."

"I'll take it."

"No. It's too small. I won't let you be uncomfortable. You're a guest. Guests shouldn't be uncomfortable." Twilight flashes a smile. "That, and you're a mythical creature. In my house…" She says that last part like a teenage girl that just met her favorite musician or actor. I know I'm pretty good looking, but am I seriously that sexy?

"You own this place. You should be comfortable. Besides, you own the bed."

Twilight sighs. "Why don't we both take the bed? I'm sure we'll both fit on it."

I can feel my cheeks warm up. "Are you just trying to get me in bed with you?"

"Huh?" She thinks about it for a second. Her cheeks instantly turn to the shade that would make a tomato impressed. "Dear Celestia, Mark! You're more immature than Rainbow Dash."

"You said it, not me."

20 minutes later, I fall asleep on Twilight's bed. She falls asleep next to me.

The next day, I wake up next to a letter rather than Twilight. It's rolled up with a red ribbon keeping it that way. I open up the letter and read it.

Dear Mark Cleveland

I have previously informed you that you will soon be the owner of your own house. By the time you receive this letter, you should legally be the owner of the house. I have arranged it so that your new home is south a short ways away from Twilight Sparkle's castle. You will know it when you see it.

Princess Celestia

I'll be honest. I was expecting something from Twilight telling me where she went. I step out of the bed and stretch. I've never been much of a morning person. Since I'm now living in a world with a goddess that can move the sun, I should probably get used to the morning.

I grab the letter, fold it, and put it in my pocket. I put my shoes on then leave the castle. I will also have to get used to the fact that one of my friends has a castle made out of crystal.

I'm just going to have to get used to a lot of things. I think I'm finally used to the talking technicolor ponies and mythical creatures. Magic is something I'll have to get used to. It's definitely cool. I'm not going to study how to use it or anything. I know that humans can't use any magic. Although Epona might have done something to my body during the arrival to Equestria… I'll have to ask that of her tonight.

I walk down the road of Ponyville, heading south. A building catches my eye. It's larger than most other houses. It's three floors as opposed to the average of two in Ponyville. This building is a dark violet, similar to the coat of Princess Luna. It's a sharp contrast to the lightly colored buildings in Ponyville. As for the shape, it's not very different from the others.

The letter said my house was south of Twilight's castle and that it would catch my eye. The other buildings aren't anything special, so this must be my new place.

I enter the building. There are a few ponies inside with construction gear on. "Hey, he's here." One of them says to another. He has a thick New Yorker accent. He turns to me. "We jus' finished here. You're free to take over."

"No furniture?" I ask.

"Nah. We're construction workers, not home decorators."

"Alright, then." I say. The workers walk out of my new house. I haven't had a place with no furniture yet. Since I've got approximately one shit ton of money, I'll be able to prevent that fact from changing.

I had to wander across Ponyville before finding a furniture store. I had enough to buy a Queen sized mattress without a frame and a small couch.

The company is kind enough to ship them to my house by themselves. It's probably because I've met three Princesses so far. That, or it's just what the company does. Either way, I give them a tip. That leaves me at a little under 100 bits. Damn. Those were expensive.

Shortly after the mattress and couch are put in my home, there's a knock at the door. I open it. "Hey, Rainbow." I say to the hovering cyan pony. "What's up?"

"Not much. I was just in the neighborhood." I have to resist the urge to laugh. I doubt that pun was intended. "I saw you coming into this house. I knew it wasn't owned and I heard you were getting your own."

"So you stopped by." I finish for her. "You're pretty fast. I just got this place a few minutes ago. The couch is also new." I gesture to it.

"Cool. Can I come in?" She asks.

"Yeah. There isn't much to look at. Just the couch and a mattress."

Rainbow lands and steps inside. She stretches her back and wings. "Can I see it? I'm pretty beat."

I nod. "I don't see why you can't."

She follows me to what will eventually be the bedroom. She jumps onto the bed and lands on her stomach. Rainbow moves her limbs around, probably to get more comfortable. "Eh. It's not as comfortable as some beds I've been in."

I lie down next to her. "Me too, Rainbow. It's definitely the biggest I've owned, though."

"Hey, do you still have that music thing?"

"Yep. Want to listen?" She nods. I put the headphones on her and play a random song. We sit there for a few minutes before either of us say anything else.

"You've got a lot of these loud songs." Rainbow says, breaking the silence.

"Yeah. I'm generally a metal fan. I don't have just metal on here. There's other genres for other moods. I've got some pop on here. A few techno songs. I think there's a classical song on here."

"Classical's too boring for me. It's all too slow and… boring. It's stuff I'd fall asleep to." She says.

I raise an eyebrow. "You think classical's boring, eh?" I ask. I grab my iPod and rummage through the songs.

"What are you doing?" She asks.

I find the song I was looking for. Requiem by Verdi. "Listen to this. It's classical." I play the song.

The instant I hit the play button, Rainbow's eyes widen. During the entire song, she doesn't say a word. "Okay. You've proven your point." She says after the song ends.

I smile. "It's what I do." Another song starts.

After some time, I notice that I'm stroking her mane like how I would with a cat. I keep doing it. Rainbow's mane is like silk. I guess it makes sense. Silk is smooth, and therefore aerodynamic.

Her wings suddenly unfold and almost hit me in the face. "Whoa, Mark. Slow down." Rainbow says. She looks at me with a slightly agitated look, and a very deep blush, on her face.

"What?" I ask. "Did I do something wrong?"

She sighs in frustration. "Just don't rub there." She says. "Mane's okay. Neck and back isn't."

"Oh, sorry. I didn't even realize I was doing that." I go back to stroking her mane and think about what she meant. The neck and back, at least for pegasi, are probably erogenous zones. I don't know how I'd find out for certain. I could just walk up to a pegasus, say 'does this turn you on?', then touch their wings, but that wouldn't be very subtle.

"That's better." Rainbow says. After a few seconds, she rests her head on my knee. She lets out a sigh of relief. "You could seriously be payed for this, Mark. I know a few ponies that would love to be in my position right now. Lyra, for one. Mostly for a chance to be with a human for a while." She says, seemingly forgetting about what just happened.

"Maybe I should. I'm kind of running low on money." I say. Fortunately, this isn't exactly a rich mare's world.

Rainbow scratches her muzzle with her hoof. "Twilight might like it, too."

"I was actually with those two earlier. I didn't get the chance to do this to them, though."

"What were they doing? I mean, what pony wouldn't want this?" She says.

"Talking about what humans do on Earth. More specifically, what myths about them that are true."

"I should have seen that coming."

"Do they do that a lot?"

"Nah. Not really. I think it's just when a mythical creature stops by."

I laugh. "It'd give them an excuse to talk about it, at least."

Rainbow nods with a smile. "Oh, have you talked to Vinyl Scratch yet?"

"The DJ?" Rainbow nods. "Not yet. Applejack told me a bit about her. Just that she's a DJ and I'll know her when I see her."

"You will. Spikey dyed hair."

"Like yours?"

"Mine isn't dyed." She says, sounding a bit annoyed. How the hell is her hair not dyed? "And hers is longer and just blue. Besides, mine's cooler." She blows some bangs out of her eyes. "But yeah, Vinyl would like some of the stuff on here."

"I'll have to talk to her later, then."

After a few minutes, the iPod stops in the middle of a song. "What happened? Did you pause it?" Rainbow asks.

I hold it up. "No. The battery died." I sigh. "Oh well. I'll charge this damn thing up and you can come back later."

She stands up. "Alright. I'll be back in a few hours." She goes outside and I follow her. Rainbow Dash waves goodbye and flies off to her home in the clouds. With the lighting reflecting off her coat, she looks beautiful.

...Did I seriously just think that? I think I did.

...Am I falling in love with Rainbow Dash? With a pony?

No. Not exactly. I'm just becoming more… fond of her. Yeah. That's it. Even if I am falling for her, is she even into guys? The mane kind of implies that she isn't. I'll have to ask her about it later. I've dealt with asking a girl about her sexuality a few times before. Most of the times, it didn't end well for me.

Although, Rainbow is different from most girls I knew on Earth. Rainbow's much more sporty and blunt. Not to mention her appearance. I mean, all those strong muscles and her beautiful eyes and those-

Dammit, Mark. Stop thinking about her. Even if she's straight, she's probably got a stallionfriend. If she does, I wouldn't be surprised. I mean, who wouldn't want somepony as attractive as Rainbow Dash?

I've got to stop doing that… Okay, I need something to take my mind off of a certain pegasus. I haven't been to Sugarcube Corner in a while.

I make my way there. Pinkie's there and I take my order. After a brief conversation, I start to eat, which starts to take my mind away from Rainbow.

Then I start to think about her. Due to my frustration with myself, I hit my head on the counter. My forehead hits the edge, causing me to cry out in pain.

"Are you okay, Markie?" Pinkie asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I say, rubbing my head. "It hurts, but I'm fine." I'll probably have a bruise by the morning. The pain only temporarily blocks out thoughts about Rainbow Dash. Maybe I am in love with her. No. It's just a crush right now. I can honestly say it's the first time I've had a crush on something that's not human. If I still lived in Washington, I'd be breaking the law. It's a good thing I'm not there anymore.

"If you need anything, just ask me!" Pinkie says with a chipper tone.

"Alright, Pinkie. I think I'll be okay for now. Thanks for the food." I say. I finish my food and leave some money, along with a tip.

I head over to Carousel Boutique. My wardrobe's probably done by now. Maybe that will help me get Rainbow Dash off my mind.

"Hello, Mark." Rarity says once I enter. "Your timing is impeccable. I finished your wardrobe just an hour ago. I must say, your proportions are the most difficult I've ever had to deal with."

"Are you saying you didn't like it?"

"Not at all. Rainbow Dash isn't the only pony that likes challenges." I guess I was wrong about being able to escape thoughts of Rainbow here.

A new thought comes to mind. "How am I going to get the clothes to my house?"

"I can take them there for you." Rarity says with a smile. "I may require some assistance, however…"

"I'd be glad to help." I say.

"Thank you, Mark. I was thinking of asking my younger sister to help us, actually."

"You've got a sister?"

"Mm-hmm. Her name is Sweetie Belle. She's just a filly."

"As in… A young pony?" Rarity nods. "Okay. I'm starting to learn your dialect."

"It must be difficult."

I nod. "Yeah. The hardest is probably having to remember all of it. I know mares are female. I already knew stallions were male. Fillies are young females. Colts are young males, I think."

Rarity nods. "You're correct on them all."

I pump a fist in the air. I only knew some of those because I dated someone that was obsessed with horses.