Across the Divideby Sparkle FireChaptersThe Premise [Read First!]Coming to the U.S.A. [pt 1]Coming to the U.S.A. [pt 2]Coming to the U.S.A. [pt 3]Day OneThe Premise [Read First!]28 May “Good evening.” A prominent political figure was standing in front of several news cameras as well as a throng of journalists armed with notepads and pencils. His sharp-cut suit and red tie distinguished him from the crowd as he pulled out a folded piece of paper out of his jacket. He took a second to compose himself while he unfolded the paper, wiping a layer of sweat off his brow. “Tonight, we can say with confidence that we have successfully negotiated, alongside the Principality of Equestria, as well as her allies and neighbours, a cultural exchange program that will allow our two nations to grow closer together and develop a mutual cultural understanding. “This program was negotiated very carefully, keeping cultural norms and political sensitivities in mind. Given the current situation with a close neighbour of Equestria as well as other security concerns, their input was considered during the course of negotiations. “Other than those slight bumps in the road, I personally think the negotiations went very well.” He then continued on with the specifics of what this program would offer. “Through this program, Equestrian citizens, roughly of high school age, will have the opportunity to increase their understanding of American culture and society as well as broadening their social horizons. On top of that, I’m sure that Equestrians selected to embark on a journey such as this will forge friendships that will last a lifetime. “Equestrian citizens will also be immersed in the cultures and customs of Equestria’s immediate neighbours and gain a vital understanding that will be beneficial in the years to come. On a diplomatic level, we can use the knowledge obtained from such exchanges to diffuse conflicts and to otherwise bring America, Equestria, and other nations closer to each other in that regard… “Once we get word of the full list of applicants that have been accepted into our program, the governments of both America and Equestria will conduct a rigorous background check and interview process to ensure that these applicants can faithfully and truly serve in their roles as foreign exchange students, as young ambassadors, and as representatives of their family and of their home country. “In the coming days and weeks, host families will be sought and vetted for this program. Should they choose to accept, we recommend that they be well-prepared to experience a new culture as well as give a new cultural experience to whoever is chosen to live with them over the course of their ten months of exchange. They’ll be responsible for providing accommodation, meals, and a stable family environment. “Even though the concept of a cultural exchange has its drawbacks - culture shock being one of them, which could happen regardless of how much preparation is made and how much knowledge they may have about the new culture - we’re sure that the benefits from this program will be reaped for years to come. Sure, it may take some adjusting at first, but experiencing a new culture like this will be of immeasurable value, not only to the students, but also to both countries. “And so, with that, I’ll take questions from the audience.” The throng of reporters barraged him with questions at the mere mention. • • • • • 2 June It was a lazy day in Equestria; the warm air, the summer sun, and the gentle breeze made it ideal for Rainbow Dash to take one of her signature naps. Derpy came by in the afternoon while on one of her mail runs, intending to deliver the sleeping mare a letter from Canterlot. Of course, being her ditzy self, she couldn’t manage to find the front door to her cloud mansion. However, knowing where her bedroom was, she popped in through the window, rudely interrupting Dash’s sleep in the process. “Mail for you,” Derpy said before profusely apologising for her intrusion. Rainbow simply rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She crawled off her bed and picked up the letter, which was printed on extra fancy paper and sealed with the royal crest. It read: Dear Rainbow Dash, I am pleased to inform you that your application for the Equestrian Friendship Exchange has been accepted. At the moment, a host family is being arranged in the area that the Exchange has determined to be the most safe for Equestrian students while abroad. As far as the remainder of your application goes, the following will need to be taken care of before 31 July: Scheduled interviews - one with a program coordinator, as well as one with the embassy of the country you’ll be staying in throughout the course of the programRecommendation letters, or references from schools or employersParents’ letterMedical forms, a complete physical/medical screening, plus up-to-date immunizationsHost family preferencesVisa application (preferably a long-term student or an educational visa)Passport Once all this is turned in, you’ll be sent a packet containing all the necessary information concerning the program and what to expect. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact myself or the program coordinators. In the meantime, feel free to contact Maria Escovedo, our “local contact”, using the information included on her business card, which I've enclosed in this letter. Sincerely yours, HRH Princess Celestia • • • • • 19 June Rainbow Dash was lounging in her office-doubling-as-a-second-home, slaving over reports when her work phone rang. At first, she wanted to simply throw it out of her window, but then she picked it up. The voice on the other end belonged to Maria, her exchange coordinator; she’d been expecting a call from either her or Celestia herself concerning fine details of her trip over. “Hellooooo…” “Hi Rainbow! This is Maria.” “Oh hi Maria, how ya doin’?” Rainbow’s ears perked right up. “I’m doing fine, thank you. I have some very good news that I’d like to share.” “Which is…?” “I’ve found you a host family!” “Really?” Rainbow nearly lept of her chair when she heard those words cross her ear. “Who are they?!” she demanded to know. “Well, they live out in the country somewhat, so the area’s fairly relaxed,” she began to explain. “They’re a very nice and inviting family; they’ve got a fairly big house with a hot tub, so you may want to bring along a swimsuit.” Her eyes went wide, and her mouth started to gape open. Maria went on. “They live in an area with lots of kids and teenagers, so you’ll probably make some new friends while you’re there… it’s really beautiful, if you ask me. I live on the same road that they do.” “Go on…” “They’ll also have, possibly, another foreign exchange student with them, so be prepared for that.” “I can do that, trust me.” “But I’m getting off topic here. As for your host family, there’s a really nice couple, Chris and Kath Van Driessen. They have a son your age, called James. I’ve known these people for years, and they jumped at the chance to host you… “There’s grandparents and cousins and sisters and brothers and school friends and so on that like to visit from time to time, so you’ll have plenty of company!” “Cool!” “One more thing… are you allergic to animals?” “No -- why?” “I’m asking this because they have a dog and a cat in the house.” “That shouldn’t be too much of a problem.” “Good.” Maria talked some more. “The house is amazing -- two bed, three bath, walk-in wardrobes, you name it, they’ve got it. Those two are often into business overseas, so they can afford it.” “Awesome! When can I start packing?!” she said, practically bursting with excitement. “Your flight leaves on the first of August -- you’ll have plenty of time. I’ve managed to put you, Gilda, Argie, Brolly Brella, Surprise, Derpy Hooves, Billy, Hoops, Quarterback, and Lyra on the first one, while the others will be on the second flight out, which will probably be on the third of August, but I’m not sure of it yet… “I can anticipate both of the flights going to Pittsburgh -- that’s in Pennsylvania -- with orientation being somewhere in the neighborhood of the seventh or eighth of August. This, however, has yet to be decided.” “I can’t thank you enough,” Rainbow Dash beamed. “You’re awesome!” “That’s great! I’ll see you in America,” Maria said. “Great! Bye-bye...” Dash ended the call and slammed the phone down on its hook. The reports were the furthest thing from her mind; she’d explain it to Cloudsdale later if they found out. At this point, perhaps the aforementioned host family should be discussed. Chris and Kath have several years of experience hosting foreign exchange students, so this year (supposedly) is no different. Because of their business savvy, they were incredibly influential in their community since moving here from Cosarara twenty-five years ago. In a way, their hosting of foreign exchange students helped them with their business because of the greater understanding of culture. For James especially, friendship was the reason; he enjoyed all the new friends he made because of his exposure to new cultures and new people. As an added bonus, he’s able to speak at least four other languages fluently. His grandparents also hosted exchange students from the Soviet Union and other communist-aligned countries back in the day. With a background like this, the Van Driessens didn’t hesitate to welcome her in; they considered it a point of honor. They were also enticed because of the allure of the new experiences they’d have. James was more than looking forward to it all. As far as James goes, he’s one of the most popular guys at school. He was on the student council, coming off his recent election as student body president; he was a member of a service organisation, and was it also mentioned that he was the drummer in a band?! His senior year was going to be his best one yet! One of the drawbacks of this popularity, of course, is the enemies made. Whether it’s his slightly off-kilter accent, his well-off parents, his outspoken views, or his perceived rich-kid lifestyle, the way he stood out from the crowd -- even leading it at times -- seemed to draw the ire of the jealous. Fortunately, he had his friends by his side -- Jeremy Prema, the student body vice president, Richard Pottinger, the captain of the football team, John Grant, whom James has known since middle school, Chris Taylor, who lived for basketball, Jason Alessandro, passionate about nature, David Gresson, who was obsessed with anything Star Wars and Star Trek related, and a myriad of others. His closest, however, was Maria Escovedo, a family friend to the Van Driessens and next door neighbor; more importantly, the one who convinced the Van Driessens to host foreign exchange students in the first place. She was like an aunt to James -- so much so that she even went on family vacations with them; their friendship deepened when the Van Driessens began hosting six years ago. She taught him a great deal about the cultures of the kids she worked with, which in turn helped him understand and grow closer to his exchange brothers and sisters. When the student left at the end of their exchange year, she helped him cope with his emotions by having special days together. All in all, Rainbow Dash and James would be the best of friends. • • • • • 23 June First contact with hosts As soon as Rainbow Dash got home from her Weather Patrol shift, she fired up her laptop and logged into Facebook, eager to chat with her new host brother. His name was James, and according to his profile, he was seventeen years old, very handsome (from his pictures), and incredibly fond of the family pets - a dog, Priscilla, and a cat, Elvis. Looking through his pictures, he seemed to be quite popular. There were photos of him with the football team, working with the student council, and doing fun things with other foreign exchange students. It reassured her to know that he’d be a great friend and host brother to her. With that, she opened up the chat window and began: Rainbow Dash Hi James! James Van Driessen So you’re my new “sister” You mean host sister Gotcha I’m really excited to come to the USA I bet How old are you? 18 I’m 17, and I’ll be turning 18 in October Sweet How are your parents My parents are cool That’s good How was the whole application process? it was alright, I guess but VERY long Eurgh I was sent an application form (by that I mean a book) Go on… I had to fill out a ton of forms Like “why you would be a good exchange student”, “experience of different cultures”, things like that I bet that wasn’t quite fun I love fun things! :) I’m talking about the application stuff Oh The school that I go to had to write a recommendation letter And how did that go OK The principals were more than happy to do that for me b/c they don’t like me very well Hahaha and wanted me out of their manes for Celestia’s sake, I could hear them having a party in the teacher’s lounge afterwards *tears of joy* What was that I’ll explain later What else did you have to do? I had to convince my employer to be a reference of sorts (Funny story about that, both my team leaders, both of whom I work with, and their superior, had a massive argument about my performance) Hahahahahaha (which varies) Where do you work? Just asking Ponyville weather patrol Wonderbolts trainee Currently a member of the Wonderbolts reserves, but I’ll be a official member next year Interesting On top of that, I have to fill out a HORRIBLY complicated medical form I also have to get a LOT of injections and immunity tests Which hurt, btw Just putting that out there Not looking forward to that I don’t blame you Those HURT! I always hated going to the doctors’ because of that You’re really funny You know that My friends tell me that all the time!!! Just putting that out there But enough of that What else did you have to do? About a week ago, I had an interview with one of the exchange coordinators I was very nervous, but it wasn’t that bad Her name was Maria I think You mean my neighbor Maria? The one with the curly hair and all that? OMG she’s your neighbor? Maria Escovedo, was it? THAT’S THE ONE!!! IT’S SO AWESOME!!! She told me all about you just yesterday while we had her over for dinner That’s when we found out we’d be your host family Brb -- wingboner!!! Having a “who do you think you are” moment, Dashie? And what’s a “wingboner”? It’s a pegasus thing Don’t worry about it OK then I can already tell that you’re gonna be a great host brother It comes with experience I guess We’ve hosted before, so it’s no different this time around Which reminds me, I also had to fill out this paper about what I’d want in a host family Let me guess: we fit the profile? Maria certainly thought so We were the first people she came to I don’t think the other ponies know who their host families are yet They shouldn’t lose any sleep over it. Maria says that most exchange kids don’t know who their host families are until at least 2 weeks before they leave I’ll be sure to keep that in mind But I AM worried about leaving all my friends and family behind Homesickness? Basically That’s perfectly normal I’m also worried about not fitting in with the culture and all that Well, our culture IS unique, so it’ll certainly take some adjustment But I’m very excited to go I JUST CAN’T WAIT! That’s great! Did you have to do much else? I got a bunch of stuff from the program The exchange program? Like, what to expect and how our cultures are different Basically, yes They told me, also, the “Absolutely No” stuff -- running away, expulsion, drugs, weapons, preggo, self-harm (whatever that is) -- that would get me sent straight home I would hope so I got my visa a couple days ago And how did that go? First, I had to fill out this HUGE application It was very easy, I just ticked the right boxes and that was it “Are you a terrorist?” Nope “Do you live in a hollowed- out volcano on a stranded island in the South Pacific?” Nope “Do you possess nuclear weapons?” Nope OMG JAMES STOP IT! YOU’RE MAKING ME LAUGH AGAIN! [color=#6aaadBut seriously, tick the right boxes and you’ll be fine Hahaha I then had to go to the American embassy in Canterlot That was a couple days ago, right? I had to be over there by 9:30 in the morning The trip over wasn’t that bad at all I had to wait in a line and go through security Luckily, I had a friend with me to hold all my stuff while I waited for my interview Was it Gilda? Who else but her She’s on the program, too, and she has her interview sometime in early July How’d the interview go? They gave me a little visitor’s badge, and we went up some stairs to a waiting room of sorts I handed in my paperwork to the receptionist lady there Was she scary? She seemed friendly So, they escorted me to the interview room, and I handed in my paperwork again to the guy who worked for the embassy Is there a lot of paperwork? A mountain of it I also had to take a picture of myself to the interview I also had to buy a special envelope to hold everything in for when they send it all to the U.S. Did you do good? He didn’t ask me too many hard questions, I was in and out in about 5 minutes Had to wait for a long time though How long was it? An hour and a half Wow, that’s a long time And he was really nice to me, which was good Plus, I knew at that point who my host family was, so that made it so much easier Nice! Also, on the way back, Gilda and I stopped at the mall and got pina coladas which was awesome Cool I didn’t know that you guys had malls Heheheh We have highways, railroads, and big cities just like yours (Our neighbors have a LOT of money so they did that for us) Now I’m even more excited for you to come! When do you leave? Maria called last week when she was arranging all the flights and stuff There’s two groups of ten coming over I’m with the first group, which leaves 1 August The second group leaves 3 August, I think Excellent It was nice getting to talk to you Maybe I can add you on all my social media I’m going to go to bed now Take care! :) Visions of adventure and passion danced in the young mare’s head as she drifted off to sleep that night. The same was true for James. Coming to the U.S.A. [pt 1]1 August Rainbow Dash and her exchange friends were sleeping soundly at the hotel up the road from Canterlot’s airport. The sky was a lovely purple-pink hue, and the sun would be peeking over the horizon soon. Their first flight would be leaving in just two hours; therefore, Gilda was awake fifteen minutes before everyone else, charged with waking the rest of the group so that they'd be able to catch it. At 5:30am, coffee mug in her talons, she pounded her fist on each bedroom door. “WAKEY WAKEY EGGS AND BAKEY!” she could be heard shouting. Everypony slowly rose from their slumber, discombobulated. Gilda opened the door to the room where Rainbow Dash was sleeping and proceeded to excitedly shake the last of the drowsiness from her. “Our first plane leaves in two hours! Can you believe it?!” the griffon nearly squealed in delight. “Me neither,” Dash replied with a groggy voice. She reluctantly crawled out of the comfy hotel bed and proceeded to stretch her muscles and wings. After that, she took the last can of iced coffee out of her saddlebags and chugged it down the hatch for good measure. The next order of the day was moving all the ponies’ luggage into the lobby; once that was taken care of, they could make their way to the airport to catch the first plane. Dash, having packed literally everything into her suitcase as well as her carry-on bag - which, by the way, reached nearly her allotted weight limit when combined together - was physically straining to heave her luggage down the corridor towards the lobby. Once everything was ready to go, Rainbow Dash, Gilda, Lyra, Argie, Brolly Brella, Surprise, Derpy Hooves, Billy, Hoops, and Quarterback hauled their luggage individually to the airport, a short walk from the hotel. For Dash, it was a horrifying experience in itself. She managed, though. They met with their escort when they reached the terminal. At that point, while the luggage was being carried over, Dash pulled out her phone and texted James… About to get on the plane! See you in Pittsburgh! -RD The gang had an incident-free, hour and a half-long trip to San Diego, where they would catch another plane that would take them to the Burgh. Meanwhile, the Van Driessens were well on their way to Pittsburgh. James was in the back seat, ecstatic to the point of shaking and grinning from ear to ear. Kath was driving, Chris was asleep in the passenger side, and James was texting Jeremy and Richard back and forth. Following them were James’s grandparents, his aunt Jennifer, and Maria. James was in the middle of a mini-argument with Jeremy about their favourite TV shows when Kath pulled into the airport parking lot. The family was ready to surprise her when she got off the plane with a big sign that read “Welcome, Rainbow Dash!” in big, bold letters saturated with glitter. The walk to the terminal, as well as the wait for the plane to arrive, was unbearable. At 4:30pm, after nearly three hours of waiting, the big plane landed and was taxiing towards the terminal. It was only a matter of time before a bundle of blue fur and prismatic rainbow mane would appear, suitcases in hand, ready to be welcomed… And there she was! “James!” Rainbow Dash dropped her bags on the spot and flew into James’s open arms. He pulled her into a warm and tender hug almost immediately, gently squeezing her lithe, athletic body. “You made it,” James said happily. Dash patted him on the back, and the slightest hint of a blush appeared on his cheeks. Chris and Kath exchanged hugs with her soon after. “How was the trip?” Chris asked. “Not that bad, when I think about it.” James was still smiling. “I know we’re going to be great together. Speaking of which…” He panned over to Chris, his father. “...are we doing anything for dinner?” “Does Cheesecake Factory sound good?” the older man asked. “That’s a great idea,” Maria, the exchange coordinator, beamed. “That way, Dashie can get her first taste of American food.” Dash snorted lightly, for this was the first time outside of her native Equestria that she had heard that nickname. “Shall we be off, then?” Kath said. With that, Rainbow Dash’s bags were stuffed into the back of the aunt’s van; it took three tries to get them to fit into the boot, mainly due to the sheer weight. The drive to the Cheesecake Factory was loaded with traffic; the interstates through the city centre proved to be slower than gravy because of rush hour. To occupy themselves, Dash and James spun tales about their friends, laughing the whole way there. When they finally reached the restaurant, it was roughly 5:30pm. Kate crossed her fingers, hoping to not encounter a long wait to get a table. The hostess escorted the lot of them to a table near the back of the restaurant large enough to fit them. “Can I start you off with anything to drink?” the hostess asked. “I’ll have the lemonade, please,” James started off. “Same here,” Dash echoed. Everyone else ordered a soft drink, with the exception of Maria, who had a glass of iced tea. Once they came, Kath asked the young mare about her trip over. “Well, it all started yesterday afternoon. I arrived at this hotel in outer Canterlot down the street from the airport. I met our group, everypony said goodbye to their parents, everypony got checked in… We stayed the night at the hotel, and Gilda woke us all up at 5:30 the next morning.” “Bet no one was very happy,” James quipped. “If I recall correctly, it was an hour and a half to San Diego, which was where the connecting flight was -- and that flight was delayed…” she just barely remembered, “an hour or so, and hour and a bit.” “What’d you do in the meantime?” Chris asked. “Mainly waited around at the airport, buying useless tat we didn’t need.” She pulled out a road map that she’d bought in San Diego to prove her point. “I don’t quite understand the business of getting to the airport early to check in, then waiting around for no reason,” James echoed Dash’s sentiment. “Me neither,” Dash said. “Maybe it’s how you guys do things here?” “Try telling my parents that -- they moved here before I was even born and they still don’t understand parts of American culture. They simply go by whatever the norm was in their home country and go from there.” Rainbow Dash continued with her story. “We then had to wait on the plane itself for about forty-five minutes because the wind was a bit too vigorous. The flight here took about six and a half hours, I think. I slept almost the whole time, so it wasn’t that bad at all.” “But you’re here now, and that’s all that matters,” Kath said. James reached over to pet his new host sister tenderly on the head. Her eyes closed and her ears perked up. Rainbow Dash and James chatted some more, primarily about their respective cultures, friends, governments, and economies, while their food was being prepared. Small arguments often broke out over insignificant misunderstandings, but other than that, the two laughed and had a good time. After everybody’s meals were well and truly consumed, Maria ordered some chocolate cheesecake for the lot of them. Dash and James absolutely loved it, savoring every last bite, even feeding each other pieces of cheesecake. Kath couldn’t resist the temptation of taking a photo with her phone. Click. The pair dropped the act almost immediately, visibly embarrassed. She snickered lightly under her breath. Maria smiled. It was then that all the cheesecake had been consumed, Chris paid the check, and everybody walked out to their cars. Rainbow Dash, overtaken with jetlag, leaned her head on James’s side. “Wait until the car, Dashie,” James gently told her. In response to that statement (and the chilly breeze in the evening air), she unfolded a wing and wrapped it around him, making him blush. James climbed in the backseat, Dash following him. As they rolled down the highway, the mare rested her head in James’s lap and fell asleep, softly snoring after a while. James silently yawned and grew drowsy as the sun set, his hands gently resting on her back and on her head. Neither of them noticed Kath reaching back and sneaking another photo of them napping. When they got home after a two-hour drive, Jennifer jostled the pair from their sleep. “I see you slept well…” she teased. Reluctantly, they rose from their slumber and helped unpack the big van. Rainbow was once again reminded of her ineptitude when it comes to packing when she lifted her bags up to where she would be sleeping. “You can set those in my room,” James told her, still a bit groggy. “It's no biggie.” “Thanks,” she replied, nuzzling him affectionately. She set her bags in James’s room. “Nice place you've got here.” “Thanks. Need help unpacking?” “I could use some right about now,” she said. He dug out her laptop and phone, along with all the charging equipment, and set them on his desk, next to his computer. While she set out her toiletries in the adjoining bathroom, he took a few minutes to prepare a new place on the wall above his stuff to adorn with his upcoming memories with the spunky, athletic young mare -- just as he had done with the other foreign exchange students his family hosted over the years. Six arrangements of photos lined that wall, one arrangement for each kid that he could remember; from left to right, there was Sammy (from Portugal), Jean-Pierre (from France), Ambra (from Italy), Max (from Greece), Marina (from Russia proper), and Heidi (from Germany). A small tear formed in his eye just looking at it. Memories bubbling up, he made a beeline for his bed. He knew exactly what he was looking for. Under his nightstand was a photo album that his grandparents gave him when he was twelve years old. In it contained pictures from when his grandparents hosted exchange students from the USSR, along with a hoard of other items from that era. He was just about to open it when Rainbow Dash entered the room. “Whatcha doin’, James?” she wondered. “Oh, it's just an old album from when I was growing up.” “Nice room you’ve got here!” she said, as she looked around. She saw the small walk-in closet, the posters on his wall, his desk, with computer, printer, and school stuff for the upcoming year; she also saw the flat-screen TV on top of the dresser. James’s bed, inviting and comfy, was the only one in the room. “Thanks… there’s only one bed though.” “I can see that…” she said, awkwardly and nervously. “Luckily, I’m used to sharing my bed.” His memories turned to the first time having to share his bed with Sammy, and his face automatically flushed. “Aww, you’re blushing,” she noticed, reaching over for a quick peck on his cheek. Her wings stiffened and became erect, and she giggled. He regained his composure slightly before asking, “Would you like some tea, maybe some coffee?” “Sure!” They bolted downstairs to the kitchen, where the Keurig was. Demonstrating how to use it, he opened the top lid, poured water from his favourite mug into the well, and closed it. While that was going on, Dash trotted over to the cabinet and reached for a box of tea bags. “Can you find the red box of English breakfast, please? That’s my favourite kind,” James told her. After she hoofed the box over to him, he took out two tea bags from the box, one in his mug, the other in a “World’s Greatest Dad” mug that Rainbow had found. James put two lumps of sugar in his mug. “How much do you want in yours?” “I usually have three,” she said. He put his mug under the spout on the Keurig and pressed Brew. “While we’re waiting for the magic to happen, why not team it up? I usually have a little cake or even a croissant to go with mine,” he suggested. “Do you have cinnamon buns?” He opened up the fridge to find a plastic baggie full of leftover cinnamon rolls. “Is this what you’re talking about?” Her mouth immediately watered. James walked over to his finished mug and set it aside, motioning for Rainbow Dash to come over. She poured her water in the Keurig, like her host brother had done, put the tea bag and three lumps of sugar inside her mug, and pressed the magic button as before. Meanwhile, James took her cinnamon roll out of the microwave, where it had been heating up. He grabbed a croissant on the way out. They gathered everything up and made their way back upstairs, being careful to not wake Chris, who had fallen asleep while watching sports. They set their fixings on James’s desk. He turned on the TV. “Now, the pièce de résistance,” he said as he channeled his inner Jean-Pierre. Using the remote, he logged onto Netflix. Rainbow was nothing short of amazed. “Net…flix?” It didn’t seem to catch on at first, as she’d never heard of it up until that point. “You like?” “We don’t have anything like that in Equestria,” she told him matter-of-factly. “When we ponies want entertainment, we go to a show or something… either that, or flip on the radio or TV and pray to Celestia that something good was on.” “Now see, you’re developing just as we are,” James explained. “Do video games exist in your home country?” “Somewhat.” “Good,” he said. “Because my cousins would flip a table if you told them that you didn’t have video games, let alone TV or the Internet.” The mare giggled a little. “So you guys can watch whatever you want?” she asked as she went for her cinnamon roll and tea. “Basically, yeah.” He put on an old episode of Orange Is the New Black, then reached over for his croissant and tea before sitting on the bed. “Mind if I snuggle next to you, James?” “Not at all…” She put a big pillow against the wall for him to lie against so that he’d be comfortable; she pressed her body gently against his, nearly curling up on his lap. With that, they relaxed there, eating and sipping on tea. They set their empty mugs on the nightstand about three-quarters of the way through. James put the mugs on the kitchen counter downstairs while Rainbow was brushing her teeth in the bathroom that they would be sharing. When he came up the stairs, he could hear her struggling to pull or yank something, presumably her mane from how matted and unkempt it was. He went into the bedroom and changed into his flannel pajamas, throwing his day clothes on the computer chair. When he was going into the bathroom to brush his teeth, Dash was sitting on the toilet, struggling to brush the mat out of her mane. “I can help you with that in my room,” he offered. “Just let me get this out of the way.” She made her way into their room, leaving him to take care of his business. She pulled out her prized robe, slipping it over her body and tying the string together; she took out her slippers as well, sliding them onto her hooves. She set the brush on their bed and awaited his arrival. James, from the bathroom, could tell that it was beginning to get dark, from the way the sunlight was dying as it crested over the horizon, leaving a dark shroud of purple and pink hues in its wake. He made his way into the bedroom, and there she was, in a cute little purple robe. “Mmm, hey there James.” He could feel his jaw beginning to drop. “Brush my mane, big guy,” she said. He hopped on the bed and leaned back on the pillow as before, with Rainbow Dash nuzzling her head into his lap, just like in the car. He took the brush, channeling his inner Bob Ross, allowed it to dance and play within her prismatic mane, making her gasp in delight. His touch was rougher when he came to the particularly matted areas. Gentle but firm, he made his presence known. Some of them gave way by rubbing with his fingers; with others, he had to use the brush quite vigorously. Eventually, her mane smoothed out and became much more easier to work with. Rainbow Dash’s eyes lulled shut, intoxicated with the sheer feeling of him brushing her mane. After nearly a half hour of brushing, James had begun to grow drowsy as well. “I'm about ready to hit the sack,” James informed her. “Me too.” The mare let out a little yawn. They shifted around on the bed so that Dash would be lying right on top of James. Because of the pure awkwardness of it, she had opted to simply lay astride him, with her head on James’s chest. He may have gotten used to foreign exchange students sleeping in his bed with him, but this time was different. He had precisely no idea how she’d react, but she seemed to like it. And so they laid in bed together, James embracing Dash in his arms, his heartbeat drawing her in closer to him as they both said “Good night” to each other. At this point, Kath ventured upstairs to check in on them, unprepared for the sheer cuteness of what she was about to encounter. “Awwwwww!” Author's Note Hope you're liking it so far. Second part will be the orientation, and the third part will more than likely be some family-related stuff -- that is, if all goes according to plan. Coming to the U.S.A. [pt 2]7 August James and Rainbow Dash were still sleeping together, Dash’s head on James’s chest, as they’ve been accustomed to since the young mare arrived in America last week. The early-morning sun, just beginning to crest over the horizon, peeked through the window and illuminated the computer desk. Elvis, the family’s black-and-white cat, wandered upstairs and hopped on the bed. From the way he was pawing James’s face and meowing, one could tell that he wanted fed. The cat rubbed himself around James’s face, played with his hair, and sat on him in an attempt to wake him from his slumber. “Hey there Elvis, you want fed?” Elvis meowed sweetly in response. James, in turn, roused Dash from her sleep. The first thing they noticed was the irresistible aroma of pancakes being cooked. She was salivating in an instant. Both of them rushed downstairs and into the kitchen. Kath and Chris were both making small stacks of fluffy, golden, delicious pancakes on an electric griddle while maple syrup was being heated up on the stove. “Oh cock,” James said, “the pancakes aren’t quite done yet. Want some coffee?” “I’d kill for some coffee right now,” the mare told him, “that’s as rich and bold and vibrant and sweet as you are.” James stopped in his tracks. Chris looked over his shoulder in surprise. “Rainbow Dash! You’re not trying to seduce my dearest son, are you?” “It ain’t my fault he’s so handsome,” she retorted, making him chuckle. James made his way towards the sink, where he washed his mug. He popped off the top lid of the Keurig to pour in his water before reaching over towards the cupboard and retrieving a portion of coffee and some Splenda. After a few minutes, his coffee was brewed. From the fridge, he took out a bottle of milk (he hated coffee creamer) and splashed some into the coffee, then stirred it all together. Dash did almost the exact same, but with a mug that Chris and Kath gave her as an impromptu welcome present after she’d accidentally used Chris’s favorite mug. The mug had an American flag painted on one side, with a mini-portrait of the Royal Sisters on the other side, and she adored everything about it. Soon enough, breakfast was ready; James and Rainbow Dash were ready to eat. Both of them had a stack of pancakes with maple syrup ladled all over, with coffee at the ready. It only took about fifteen minutes for them to finish their pancakes and gulp down their coffee in the midst of all the somewhat restrained anticipation of what was to come. Today was the day that the Van Driessens would be leaving for Washington, D.C., the United States’ capital city, for the official Equestrian Friendship Exchange orientation. It was incredibly different from other orientations they’d been to. Usually, the exchange kid would go to a camp somewhere for their orientation before meeting them or their host family; for this program, the exchange kid and their host family went to orientation together. James thought, at one point, if it was because of the sheer difference between ponykind and humankind, or maybe because of ideological or political differences. All the uncertainty was overshadowed, however, by all the excitement for the trip. James, at Kath’s request, packed a small bag with a few changes of clothes, his sandals, his sneakers, his Ray-Bans, his fedora, his pajamas, his tablet and phone, including the chargers for them, and a plastic baggie for toiletries. Rainbow Dash packed a similar-sized bag, the big difference being that she packed most of her Wonderbolts fan-gear, not leaving much room for her other belongings. Both of them were loaded in the back of the car. When their parents’ suitcases were loaded into the boot, there was just enough room left for the rear door to fully close. James then went through the house, turning off all the air conditioning, lights, appliances, and electronics; he locked every door and window in the house, leaving the back door unlocked so when Jeremy arrived to watch Elvis and Priscilla, they would be taken especially good care of. When he emerged out the back door, Chris, Kath, and Rainbow Dash were raring to get moving. James hopped in the backseat, next to the mare. He plugged his earbuds in, offered her one of them, and turned on a playlist of James’s favourites, including some older stuff that his parents were into. Over the course of the four-hour drive, it was almost serene; the four of them drove over the mountains on the winding country roads, past the majestic scenery and all the trees. She perked up with excitement when she saw a windfarm out the window. “They have those back home, James,” she beamed. “Do they make electricity like ours do?” James asked. “Thank our neighbours for that.” He chuckled, settled down, and put on some Genesis for the time being. As they passed through two little towns in the mountains, he was barely able to notice the other earbud (the one he’d offered to Rainbow Dash) fall out of her other ear Soon, the road straightened out. James knew all too well what that meant. Chris looked up at the rear-view mirror and shot a look at James, saying, “Ya ready?” “Hell yeah, bruv!” James shouted back, changing over to heavy metal to fit the occasion. As soon as he said that, Chris shoved down on the gas pedal. A delightful noise erupted from the engine as the car picked up speed. When they reached a particularly sharp curve, Chris squeezed the power through it, giving the car just a dab of the handbrake to keep it under control. Rainbow Dash, clearly liking the experience, was egging Chris on to go faster. “I’m already going ninety miles an hour,” Chris said. “Given how fast we’re going now, it looks like we’ll have to stop for fuel.” He slowed down when they reached a big coal-fired power plant; that landmark, plus the dam that held back its cooling water, was the sign that they were about to enter the small town of Liberty. “James…” “Yes?” “I’m gonna stop for gas. Do you want anything? Does Rainbow want anything?” James panned over to her host sister, who was now having a midday snooze. “Hmm, Dashie’s napping.” “I was sure she’d get over her jet lag by now,” Chris said, a nonplussed look on his face. “But I am quite thirsty. I’ll buy myself something while I’m here, I guess.” With that, Chris pulled into the petrol station. James took out his earbuds, turned off his phone, and headed inside while his dad was refueling. He took out his wallet for some money, bought a bottle of sweet tea, and was out the door fairly quickly. He opened the car door and was surprised to see her awake. “Oh hey there, I didn’t expect to see you awake.” “Where are we?” the mare asked, not knowing where she was. “We’re at a petrol station,” he explained, “and we’re still in the mountains. When we get onto the highway, we’ll be in Virginia in roughly an hour.” “Sweet.” “Keep looking out the windows, though. This part of the state is still very beautiful.” At that point, Chris had come back from the petrol station and was ready to roll again. He found his way to the surprisingly uncongested motorway. To their convenience, there was a scenic area right nearby, just beneath the commandeering stature of the windmill-topped Allegheny Front; that was exactly where he stopped the car. Kath, ever the opportunist, had an idea. When they first picked up Rainbow Dash from the Pittsburgh airport, she originally wanted to take a picture of her and James at the state line going into West Virginia; however, that was thwarted when they’d fallen asleep in the back seat on the initial trip back. She whipped out her camera. Channeling her inner director, she had James and Dash stand beside each other, with the rolling hills in the background. “Say cheese!” She took a few more with Chris in the picture, and after that, she handed the camera off to her partner so she could get in them as well. Once that was over, James and his rainbow-maned mare friend (two words, mind) put the earbuds back in, and put on some Hootie and the Blowfish. That was how it was -- Chris and Kath chatting between themselves, James and Rainbow listening to music -- until they reached the interstate highway leading towards Washington itself. The traffic began to slow to a crawl, packing the road, much to Rainbow’s dismay; it was precisely the exact opposite of the gracefully winding four-lane from earlier. “What’s going on?!” the mare demanded to know. “This is rush-hour traffic,” James explained. “It gets jammed like this when people commute to and from work. An everyday occurrence, yes?” “Well, how long is this gonna last?” “Same thing happened in Pittsburgh when you first got here. It’s nothing to worry about,” Chris interjected. Rainbow, still quite tense and impatient, tried to cope with the fact that it was going to be very slow for the rest of the way to the hotel they’d be staying at for the orientation. Luckily for her, she had James as her host brother and companion. She moved over to his side, nuzzling her head into his chest. This had a relaxing effect on him. “Mmm, that feels nice,” he moaned softly. He was feeling incredibly comfortable despite the traffic outside the car windows. He scratched the mare’s ear, eliciting a gasp. He then ran his fingers gently through her mane, separating the individual colours and straightening out unruly strands. “You’re doing great,” Rainbow whispered. Just then, an idea came to James’s mind. He pulled the lever that adjusts the seat and leaned back, allowing her better access to him. She cuddled close to James again, and James let her have it… He ran his fingers slowly and lightly up and down her back, occasionally stopping to admire her wings and how soft they felt. “That’s awesome,” Rainbow whispered, almost soundlessly. In response, James gave her a quick but loving peck on the cheek. She sighed whilst in her bliss, and fell asleep with him continuing to stroke her back; traffic was still moving at a snail’s pace on the seemingly vast expanse of suburban highway. • • • • • The Van Driessens managed, somehow, to reach the Washington Hilton with time to spare. A bell boy was already at the front door, ready to carry luggage. The lobby was already stuffed full of guests. Besides the throng of families and splotches of businessmen in suits and ties scattered throughout, the remainder of the ponies from the Equestrian Friendship Exchange (as well as their host families) were preparing to check in for the orientation. Since Kath made the wise decision to book their room in advance over the Internet, their room was already being prepared. Rainbow Dash looked at the schedule that Maria gave her the day before, and decided, given the fact that she and James were already there, to introduce her host brother to a few of her friends. She beckoned him along to where a pink pegasus mare was sitting amongst her luggage. Rainbow reached out a hoof and shouted, “Hey, Firefly!” “Hey Rainbow, what’s up?” “Not much,” she said. “Just got here, and getting checked in. I’m just introducing James here to some friends of mine.” James waved meekly at Firefly, giving the most awkward grin of his life. “Firefly, this is James, my host brother.” “Nice to meet you,” she said, shaking his hand as James continued to smile. “She’s one of my closest friends from the Cloudsdale Flight Academy. We’re on the hoofball team together!” she declared with a measure of vivacity. While she was gushing over her glory days at the Academy, James dithered over their official schedule. Rainbow Dash was scheduled to receive more cultural awareness training from 11:00 until 2:00 in the afternoon along with the first round of Equestrian exchange students that came to America as well as other exchange students from other programs; in the meantime, the other half of the group were free to explore the city at their leisure. “Hey, James,” Firefly nudged him. “What’s up?” “I really want to get to know you better. While Rainbow here’s getting orientated… whatever that is…” James giggled. His host sister wasn't amused. “Maybe we can go see some stuff?” He pondered for a moment. “The Natural History Museum has some pretty interesting stuff. I went there once on an overnight class trip in the eighth grade.” “How was it?” “I remember it well… partially because we had Jean-Pierre that year and I translated some things into French for him because he didn't speak English as well as I could.” “At least you helped out.” “I'd love to go there. But I need to go take care of a few things first.” “Alrighty!” Firefly beamed. “Go do that.” With that, it was set. But first things first: the luggage was hauled up the elevators to the seventh floor, down a long hallway, and to their room, which was at the end of said hallway and part of a block of rooms set aside for the Equestrian exchange students and their families. James nearly collapsed under the weight of the stuff he was carrying when Chris opened the door to the room. Walking inside, they feasted their eyes upon the glamour of the inside; the cozy, sophisticated atmosphere was augmented with a giant chocolate-colored couch, a swanky kitchenette-type area, a flat-screen TV, and a pair of warm beds to snuggle on. The windows offered an excellent view of the pool and the Kalorama area, not to mention the not-too-far-off Dupont Circle. James unloaded his chargers -- one for his phone, the other for his tablet -- and plugged them into the outlet next to the nightstand; his tablet would be on the charge for the time being. He grabbed his phone, making sure it was fully charged before placing it in his pocket, before he walked Rainbow Dash to her orientation. He dropped her off at a conference room where the orientation was being held, and said hello to Firefly again as she joined the group of students that came over on the first flight. James looked back through the schedule to gain a sense as to the time they’d be out. “Let’s see… Dash and first group have their orientation until 2:00. Dash wants to meet us at the McDonald’s on 17th Street for lunch, then you’ve got your orientation at 3:30, which should be done by 6:00. After that, Maria wants to take us lot to see all the monuments all lit up at night.” “Mmm, that’ll be cool,” Firefly said. The two made their way out the front door, through the line for valet parking, and onto Connecticut Avenue. “My parents told me that they’d be going to the Gallery of Art, so they left us some money for admission and lunch... y’know, things like that... while we’re in town,” James declared proudly. “Sweet,” Firefly told him, appreciating their generosity. “Hop on my back.” At first, James raised an eyebrow at her, not knowing what to think, mouth agape. “I’m serious, dude.” Apprehensively, he mounted the pegasus mare, seating himself on her flanks, silently scared out of his mind. She spread her wings to ready herself for takeoff. “Okay, now reach up and hold onto my neck with your hands… I dunno if this’ll affect my balance, but it’s worth a try. Here we go!” James audibly swallowed a lump in his throat, and he shuddered. Firefly carefully flapped her wings until the two were airborne, then flew over Dupont Circle. “This isn’t half bad,” he shouted as they were flying over the avenue. “I’m actually starting to like it!” “See, all it took was that first step,” she said. “Now where’s that museum?” “Keep going straight, but don’t get too close to the White House...” Their flight path took them directly over the North Lawn. He tugged on her mane to try and redirect her away from that area. “...or else the Secret Service won’t be very happy. Now back this way...” Firefly went down 15th Street, as directed. “...make a left here, and it’ll be the second big building on your right. You can land right on the sidewalk -- no, actually, go round it, the entrance is on the other side.” She landed on the staircase like a bird approaching her nest. He dismounted and scratched her ear, earning a few odd looks from passersby, before they walked towards the entrance together. • • • • • About an hour and a half later, James and Firefly came out of the Natural History Museum having thoroughly enjoyed the experience. James hopped back onto the mare’s back and she took off again, this time towards the Capitol, being incredibly careful to not drop him. “There’s where most of our hot air comes from,” James said, referring to the tense nature of American politics. He also pointed out where both the House of Representatives and Senate chambers were. “What do you mean by ‘hot air’?” “If there’s one thing you need to know about America, it’s the fact that we often like to put stupid people in charge,” he said jokingly. “and their natural habitat is here in Washington.” Firefly laughed as they turned about the Capitol dome, which was undergoing renovation. “Do they have stupid people in Charleston?” “Our state capital? Sure, we have our fair share of ‘em, but they’ve taken over the place as of late.” “Right…” she dismissed. “What time is it?” James pulled out his phone to check that it was going on 2:25. “We’d better be going if we’re going to meet RD in time!” She picked up her speed immediately after his impromptu time check, messing up both of their hairdos in transit. It was about 2:30 when everypony arrived at McDonalds. James ordered his usual, a double cheeseburger with large fries. Rainbow Dash and Firefly ordered salads, since they were naturally averse to meat. “So how was orientation?” James asked when he arrived at their table. “Not half bad,” Dash told him whilst digging into her salad. “I've sat through worse.” James was sipping his Diet Coke when Firefly asked, “How is school like?” “Well, it’s pretty cool,” he began. “Unlike some of the teachers there.” Rainbow peeked her head up from the salad bowl. “Don’t worry about it. He’s on the Student Council, so he knows most of the teachers by name.” James’s eyes bulged open and his smile widened from ear to ear, happy with that bit of praise. He was the student body president, after all. Firefly then asked, seemingly out of the blue, “Soooo… James and I had an interesting conversation on the way up here.” “We were talking about…” he said, just before he stopped mid-sentence to avoid what could have been one of the most awkward discussion topics in the history of mankind. “...y’know what, never mind.” He returned to indulging in his double cheeseburger and fries. Soon enough, they were finished with their meals. Firefly retired to the hotel for her orientation, so he and Dash had the perfect opportunity for quality time… and Dash had the perfect idea for that. “C’m’ere,” she told him, escorting him outside to the walk. “I want you to hold on tight, okay?” The mare directed him to grab onto her front legs while she carried him under her. It felt strange, though, to be hanging in the air as he was, considering that his very first experience with flying came earlier that day; consequently, he was in for quite the surprise. She flapped her wings to thrust them both into the air before staying there for a few minutes to let him become accustomed. “This is gonna be so awesome… you’ll love it,” she said, raring to go. James gulped audibly. She started off at an incredible speed, rising slightly and to the right towards the Lincoln Memorial before descending a bit, veering to the left around the Washington Monument. That turn spat them out towards the Capitol, where she performed a tight helix round the iconic dome. James was close to fighting motion sickness at this point, but there was more… She approached the Botanic Garden for some airtime, then peeled back towards the mall, increasing her speed. After that, she pulled her wings up and shot skyward -- hard and unforgivingly -- for about a half-mile, causing James to scream in terror. “WHAT THE HELL ARE WE DOING UP HERE?!” He still clung steadfastly to Rainbow’s body, afraid of falling to the ground. She then oriented herself in midair so that he was facing the sky. The sun was about to begin its daily disappearing act that gives way to night... “Turn around.” He flipped himself around as he was directed, albeit still shaking from what he’d just experienced, to see his host sister’s eyes looking right through him. In an instant, he shifted into the perfect position to deliver a soul-fulfilling kiss on the lips, which deepened as their tongues danced and teased one another. He felt the curve of her face while Dash ran a hoof up and down his back. Breaking the kiss to catch his breath, James asked, “Is this why you brought me up here?” “Pretty much, yeah,” was her simple response. “Alright…” James dismissed the thought, and the couple continued their excursion on cloud nine, literally. • • • • • The sky became a Bob Ross painting as the sun set over the National Mall. The impeccable group gathered under the Washington Monument, where Maria did a quick headcount before discussing the game plan. First, they would be visiting the World War II Memorial and walking along the reflecting pool to the Lincoln Memorial. After pictures, stops were planned at both the Korean War Veterans Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Following that, they intended to backtrack through the Constitutional Gardens to the Washington Monument and head towards the Jefferson Memorial. Simple enough, James thought to himself. With that, they were off. Crossing the street wasn’t an easy matter; the pegasi could fly across, and the unicorns could teleport themselves. To protect the handful of earth ponies, some of the parents stood guard at the nearby crosswalk while they negotiated the crossing. The first landmark, the World War II Memorial, consisted of an elliptical water feature with a fountain on either side, flanked on its ends by two granite arch towers, representing the Atlantic and Pacific Campaigns, respectively. Twenty-five granite pillars ringed the memorial in two semicircles, each equally divided down the middle by the arch towers; the pillars represented the 48 states (at the time of the war), D.C., as well as overseas collectivities. Snapshots from the war adorned the memorial on all sides, reminding all who visited about the human cost of not only WWII, but war in general. The lights began to turn on around the memorial when Rainbow and Firefly finally finished taking photos with James and his family under West Virginia’s pillar. James rode on Rainbow’s back during the walk down the reflecting pool towards the Lincoln Memorial. Because he’d fully conquered his unease with riding his pony friends, James was yammering on about a similar experience in D.C. during a class excursion. “...and I remember that well, mainly because Jeremy had to use the bathroom the whole damn time and Richard was snogging her latest girlfriend…” She was beyond annoyed with James’s seemingly endless locution, so once they reached the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, she let him go. He took a few selfies and photos with Firefly, Lyra, Bonbon, and the group of athletic colts from earlier. Maria insisted on a group photo of all the exchange ponies, so James went off to the top of the steps of the Memorial to take photos of the beautiful night skyline; he could hear the roar of a 747 overhead, preparing to land at the nearby airport, as he experimented with the camera in his phone. Maria’s camera, unbelievably, was still going. Rainbow, clearly growing impatient, demanded that he caress her hair on their way to the Vietnam Memorial. This monument was engraved with all the names of the young men who fought and died in the Vietnam War. At various points, roses were left by the names of fallen servicemen, possibly those of sons, fathers, uncles, nephews, cousins, and friends. “I don’t know if we told you this,” James began, “but I had an uncle who fought in Vietnam.” “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said. “Did he die in the war?” “Not really. He’s still around.” “Okay.” The group walked along the length of the wall stoically out of respect for the dead. “While we’re on the topic of my family, my great-granddad fought in World War Two.” “Really! Where did he go?” Dash asked curiously. “He fought…” James searched the recesses of his memory for the answers he needed. “in… the south of France, I think… or was it Normandy?” “Normandy,” Kath corrected him. “He was also in Italy for a while.” “Cool! I didn't know that!” Dash exclaimed. Combined with the fact that, from a genealogical standpoint, she could possibly be related to Commander Hurricane, one of the original founders of Equestria, this made it all the more interesting. When they reached the Korean War Memorial, James had another interesting fact to share. “Y’know… my granddad was in the Air Force.” “You mean your granddad?” “The one on my Mom’s side,” he clarified. “He didn't actually fight in Korea, but he was stationed.” “Really? Where?” “In Turkey, I believe. Maybe spent some time in Morocco, though I’m not sure about that.” James reflected on that as he and the rest of the group walked amongst the lifelike statues that made up the memorial. From there, it was a short walk back towards the obelisk. Rainbow and her host brother exchanged kisses, nuzzles, and touches the whole way. When the exchange kids were reunited at the Ellipse, Maria conducted a meticulous headcount to ensure that all were present and accounted for. By then, everypony was exhausted; all the parents and family members that had come out for the orientation were feeling the same. James was drifting in and out of consciousness; thankfully, Rainbow Dash was there to carry him on her back for the long march back to the hotel. But he didn’t fall asleep. The state of limbo that he encountered at that particular moment was a result of the eventful day he shared with not only her host sister, but a group of ponies that had already grown to befriend him. The streetlights illuminated the nation’s capital city in light when as whole group returned to the hotel and crossed the threshold into the lobby. The short trip back to the hotel room, thankfully, was the last leg of the journey. Rainbow Dash entered the room first, and promptly plopped herself onto the bed that she and James would be sharing, absolutely exhausted. James was right behind her, putting his phone on the charge. As his parents hobbled in, he went to the mini-fridge to grab a soda. “Ya want anything, Dashie?” he yelled in the mare’s direction. “No thank you,” she replied weakly. He walked back over, cracking open the soda and taking a tentative sip. He drank some more of it before sitting the aluminum can on the TV stand (next to Dash’s phone, which she wasn’t allowed to have during the orientation for some reason) and sat down next to her on the bed. Once he situated himself, he retrieved his tablet and put on Netflix. Dash’s eyes, ears, and wings perked up, and she leaned in right next to her host brother, making him slightly uncomfortable. “What’cha gonna watch?” Dash said, with a hint of curiosity in her voice. “Old episodes of Innocence Hill,” he said. “I’ve been re-watching on and off since school ended last year… especially after Heidi left. You remember me telling you about Heidi, right?” The mare nodded. “I’m on the episode where Kevin and Brandon get into a fight over who fathered Renée’s baby… and, get this -- Renée was cheating on Kevin with Brandon while he was stationed in Pelican Bay!” “No way!” Dash said, surprised. Even though he’d watched the entire series, all nine seasons, front to back, six times, this episode in particular gave him chills every time he would watch it, and this time around was no exception. He tapped the screen to start the video. Barely able to contain his excitement, he shook around in the bed. The mare wrapped her front legs around his broad shoulders and squeezed him tightly to calm him down. Whilst Kevin and Brandon were commencing their shouting match on screen, Dash rubbed her head around the crevice of his neck, snuggling into him further. After fifteen minutes, when it reached the point where the big fight broke out, she reached a hoof to his head, and turned it to where he was directly facing her. Dash nuzzled him sweetly on the nose before giving him a tender kiss on the lips. James was drawn in closer, reaching a hand around her athletic body to stroke her back while she intensified the kiss. At that point, neither party was concerned about Innocence Hill… nor did they even notice Chris turning on the TV to watch sports highlights. The tablet itself was set aside on the edge of the bed. The only thing that mattered to them was the moment that they shared -- together. They broke the kiss, heavy breathing and raging hormones between them. James then moved his head up to one of her ears and nibbled ever so gently on the lobe, causing Dash to let out a gasp of pleasure. “That felt nice,” she told him, surprised. “Where’d you learn that from?” “Firefly told me about that,” James said when he released her ear from his grasp. “We were having a chat on our way to meet you at Macca’s about each of the pony races and what makes them feel good.” Dash chuckled. “Bet that was enlightening.” “It was,” he told her. “I was very surprised to learn just how sensitive you guys are.” “We’re a ‘physical’ species, after all. We’re built to be touched and loved and all that other mushy stuff.” James bit his lip gently. “For example, apparently pegasi like it if you play with their wings… unicorns like it if you fiddle around with their horns, and earth ponies have to rely on their hooves, their manes, their tails, their ears, or whatever.” “Now, you do realise that the hooves and mane thing applies to all three species, right?” “Yessssss,” he said exasperatedly. “I am aware of that.” “And you can stroke their bodies pretty much anywhere and it’d feel nice?” Meanwhile, on the tablet, Kevin was locked and barricaded in Renée’s apartment bathroom while she made out with Brandon in her bed, being mindful of her baby bump. Dash and James could barely discern the sounds of the passion being played out on screen while he softly touched Dash’s neck with a hand. “Could you take your shirt off, James? I love feeling your chest,” she told her host brother sweetly. “I gotchu fam,” he responded in kind. He pulled off his Mountaineers t-shirt, tossing it onto a nearby chair. He swigged some more of the soda while he was at it. When he picked up the tablet again, Brandon was fast asleep following their on-screen romantic tryst, his head nestled between her bosoms and his hand on her belly, feeling Renée’s unborn daughter (of disputed paternity) move for the first time. Towards the end of the episode, neither of them had the energy nor the strength to fight off sleep for a second longer. They both conked out, Dash’s head on James’s chest as usual. • • • • • A few minutes past six in the morning, James suddenly jolted awake. Nothing seemed close to being right -- he was still in his street clothes, his tablet was almost out of battery power, and, upon further investigation, still on Netflix. “Did we fall asleep and not know it?” James quietly said to himself. The TV was off, the parents were still asleep, and Rainbow was still snoozing on his chest, which was awfully cute. Nevertheless, he gingerly moved her body off of his, shimmied to one side, and crawled out of bed, placing his tablet back on the charge. The first thing he did was head for the small kitchenette, where the Keurig had been set up, and turned on a small overhead light. He brewed his favourite morning coffee as usual. He then noticed a slight rustling from the other side of the room… “James… James… where are you, buddy?” he could hear Rainbow saying in her sleep, tossing about and worrying herself to death. He ran back to her side and picked her up, cradling her to him. “I’m right here,” he said, soothing the mare; he ran his fingers up and down her back to reinforce his feelings. “You’re so warm… and so handsome, you know that?” she whispered. James moaned sweetly in response, kissing her on the forehead as he comforted her; when he heard the coffee finally being squeezed out of the machine, he let go of her. “That’s my coffee…” He went towards the Keurig and grabbed his mug to make further preparations. “You can have some, if you want.” The young mare declined his offer, opting to cling to him for warmth while he stirred in a splash of milk into his mug, enjoying the stillness of the early morning. The sun was barely peeking over the horizon, not sufficient enough to illuminate the room yet. The pair decided to sit down on the couch and bask in the security of their shared warmth. James sipped his coffee with Rainbow Dash snuggling against him and nuzzling his side from time to time. About thirty-five minutes later, Kath rose from the other bed and roused Chris from his slumber. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she explained the plan for that morning. “We need to get these bags packed,” she said groggily. “Right this second?” interjected Dash in the same sleepy, half-awake manner. “We have to be checked out by eight because Chris wants to beat the morning traffic.” She nodded in agreement, and James finished his coffee to go help Kath with the luggage. Everyone’s clothes and toiletries were jammed back into their respective bags. James made sure to gather the chargers for his phone and his tablet; he also grabbed the charger for Dash’s phone since she had a tendency to forget about things of that nature. With that settled, the fridge was emptied, the Keurig was packed, and they made their way to the lobby. While Kath was going through the motions of checking out, Chris and James loaded the car that had been driven to the front by a valet. They went back inside so that Dash would be able to say goodbye to some of her friends, at least until school started, while Chris went to the doughnut shop on the other side of T Street to get coffee. “Take care!” “You too!” “Don’t worry, I will!” Short and sweet conversations along these lines helped to pass the time while Chris was at the doughnut shop. With those little pleasantries out of the way, James and Rainbow opted to stand outside the door, underneath the canopy, waiting for Chris to arrive… Which he did, after about five minutes, with a cup of piping hot coffee in his right hand. “Shall we be off, then?” “I’ll get Kath.” • • • • • On the drive back home to West Virginia, James mostly listened to music on his iPhone while Rainbow Dash was more than happy to lay her head on his lap. The heart-warming scene was enough for Kath to sneak a picture. Coming to the U.S.A. [pt 3]21 August To celebrate the end of the summer, it was nothing less than a tradition for the Van Driessens to fire up the grill and have a barbecue. Usually, all sorts of American delicacies, such as hamburgers, chicken wings, hot dogs, potato salad, crisps, and the like, graced the outside tables that would be set up on the back porch, alongside the sort of cuisine from the countries that their foreign exchange students would come from. Maria was almost guaranteed to be there, as well as their neighbours, family, friends, other foreign exchange students and friends from James’s school. This year, the atmosphere was slightly different; it was less of an end-of-summer barbecue and more of a welcoming party of sorts for the Equestrian Friendship Exchange. All of Rainbow Dash’s and James’s friends came by, as well as their new classmates. James was off to one side, chatting with Richard and Jeremy over ginger beer. “I can’t believe school starts Monday,” Jeremy said, slightly depressed. “Same,” James and Richard seconded, almost at once. “But look on the bright side,” said James. “I get to start shouting at homeroom reps pretty soon, I’m gonna have a new office…” “But I… have the keys,” Jeremy interrupted. “It’s usually the vice president that has the keys to the student council offices.” Richard chuckled softly. “That means you can practically lock him out whenever you feel like!” “Now that I won’t do,” Jeremy said. “And even then, why would I do that? He’s been a friend of mine for years…” Rainbow Dash flew up next to James and nuzzled into his side, eliciting an “Awwww!” from Richard and drawing him and Jeremy out of their little disagreement. “Hi James.” “You’re being awfully cute this evening,” James remarked as he turned around ever so slightly on the ball of his foot. “I see you brought some of your friends along.” “That I have.” James could recognise Firefly’s pink coat and cobalt blue mane in an instant; he recalled Derpy and Gilda from when they met at the orientation. He turned his head in Firefly’s direction. “Hey, I know you.” “Rainbow told me all about you,” Firefly said, excitedly. “We met at orientation, didn’t we?” “Had lunch together an’ all that,” he remembered lucidly. “Dash picked me up and flew me around the National Mall.” “And you were screaming and shouting the whole time --” “That I did,” James admitted, embarrassed. “After I’d gotten used to it, I let her fly to friends of mine, into town, to the mall. It’s the greatest feeling in the world, to be honest.” Rainbow Dash grinned from ear-to-ear, squealing in delight. “See? I knew you’d like it!” James smiled and took another sip of his ginger beer. “And these two are Richard and Jeremy. I’ve known them since I was little.” “Pleasure,” Jeremy said, extending a hand. “Pleasure,” Richard said, with almost the same enthusiasm. “I take it you’ve met Rainbow?” James put forward, the others assenting. Rainbow motioned for Surprise, Derpy, Lyra, and Bonbon to join them and make themselves known to her host brother. Surprise (a pegasus mare; white coat, a puffy yellow, arguably blond, mane and tail; incredibly spunky and hard to keep up with) was delighted to meet him. Lyra (unicorn mare; minty green mane and tail; had a knack for the harpsichord), recognising him from one of the lunches she and Bonbon treated him to when they were in DC, gave him a gentle nuzzle on the cheek; Bonbon (earth pony mare; creamy coat with the body to match; deep blue and pink, almost candy-like, mane and tail; exactly what her name implies) rubbed her head along his chest. James was suspicious as to what their intentions were -- he wasn't used to this kind of affection, even from his parents. “Do you guys do this all the time?” he asked Rainbow, a sense of urgency in his voice. Her mind was muddled for a short second as she came up with a response. “Don't worry your pretty little head about it. We often greet friends like this.” “Really?” He was beginning to get uncomfortable. “We're biologically wired this way, silly britches,” Firefly explained, manoeuvring up and leaning in close to James’s body. “Naturally, we’re a physical species,” Rainbow continued. “Parents in Equestria get physical with their children, and special someponies have their own ways of being physical simply because it's in our nature. I don't know if that's how it works here --” “If you think that's…” Richard interrupted, pointing towards James and the two mares rubbing themselves on him, “simply ‘being physical’, wait until you see prom!” James cracked a goofy smile and chuckled under his breath, recalling the scandalous dancing from last year’s prom and watching Jeremy and his date being literally dragged away from the dance after a principal became disgusted with their suggestive manner of dance. Richard laughed at the memory. “Good times…” “What’s a prom?” Derpy could be heard saying. The ditzy grey mare was behind him, so he simply waved it off, replying “I’ll explain later,” assuming it was a confused Dash asking that question. He felt a tapping on his shoulder. Turning round on his heels, he saw Firefly in his line of sight. “Hey James,” she told him, motioning for Derpy to come over, “I want you to meet Derpy. She’s a very close friend of mine.” “Nice to meet you,” he said, extending a hand. She then nuzzled her head into it; he instinctively responded by stroking his hand up and down her neck, playing with her ears, and running his fingers through her mane. He was properly introduced to everypony else -- by that, we mean everypony else -- as the evening went on. He met all the stallions (Argie, Brolly Brella, Billy, Hoops, and Quarterback), and ran into Gilda. “This is a really close friend of mine, Gilda,” Rainbow Dash said, introducing her to the griffon for the first time. “Oh hi there,” James said, slightly reluctant, pointing at a barbecue sauce stain on her face. “You've got a little something on your… uhh…” Gilda noticed just in the nick of time, wiping away the stain with her talon. “Whoa… thanks for pointing that out.” “Don't sweat it.” He noticed that his glass was empty, and asked Dash politely to refill it for him. “To the brim, if you please.” The conversation shifted back towards him and the no-excuses griffon. “When I first found out I was accepted, the first thing -- literally the first thing -- I did was go on YouTube and look up videos about American public schools…” James innately knew what was coming, so he acted to avert the latest exchange student problem. “Let me tell you something right now, brudda,” he said, leaning in to her, as if to tell her a shocking secret. “If you think it's gonna be like High School Musical or any of the stuff you see on the Internet or on the TV, you're dead wrong.” Judging by the low, gravelly tone of voice he used, she could tell he was serious. “It's the same with every exchange student almost every damn time,” James explained. “Every student we hosted had all these expectations about this country, only to be extremely disappointed in the long run. “It's thanks to this kind of crap that I have to dispel all the stereotypes… Jesus H. Christ on a Harley,” he said sternly, concluding his mini rant. James went back to talk with Rainbow Dash for the rest of the evening, newly-replenished drink in hand, introducing her to the rest of his family. Since they were already acquainted with his parents, James decided to chat with his grandparents, Paul and Lisa, while the rainbow-maned mare buzzed off to acquaint herself with some more of her host brother’s friends. “Do you guys like Rainbow Dash?” he asked. “I think she’s great,” said Lisa. “She warmed right up to you,” remarked Paul. “Usually, it takes a while for you and the exchange student to get to know each other.” “I noticed that too,” James added. “I’ve no idea if it’s the species gap or whatever, but the warming-up was pretty quick. “Speaking of which… I remember Jean-Pierre when he first came here.” He took a swig of his ginger beer and treaded carefully with his next words. “He was just coming off smoking at the time, and he acted like a hermit n’at.” “Oh yeah,” Lisa could recall. “And Max was always flirting with the ladies. What a wild one.” “I v to vremya kak my nakhodimsya na temu «wild», tam byla Marina,” Paul said, his memories of hosting Soviet students and personally bridging the gap between East and West bubbling back up as the conversation between the three of them progressed. “Prekrasnyy doch’ Rossii, ne ona?” recalled Lisa. “Ya tochno znayu? Ona byla nechetnoy, i ona ne govorit’ ochen’ mnogo angliyskom snachala,” James said, trying his best to remember. “No kak tol’ko ya vspomnil vse, chto vy i papa nauchil menya, Marina, i ya boltali, kak staryye druz’ya.” The three chuckled a bit. The youngest of them smiled in appreciation of the relationship they shared; he knew for a fact that the rest of the family tree wasn’t as cultured as him, Maria, his parents, and, it could be argued, his grandparents. Throughout the course of the evening, most of the food was wolfed down, leaving small scatterings of leftovers. James and Maria did the most of the tidying up, no different than from years past; the drinks were put away, the grill was switched off, the leftovers were placed in the fridge, and all the trash was gathered up and tossed to the curb for the garbage men who collected every Monday. Once the tidying up and all other related tasks were completed, Maria bid James, Chris, and Kath adieu and retired to her home. James, ready to wind down after the day’s excitement, went into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of moscato before making his way into the living room. However, the sight of Rainbow Dash lying face-down on the couch, accompanied by the sound of her faint crying, held him in a still trance. “Hey Dashie,” he said, setting his glass down on the coffee table and kneeling at her side. “What’s wrong?” She rolled her head in his direction and opened her eyes. “Can we talk, James?” “Sure thing, hun.” He retrieved his wine and sat in the middle, the mare putting her head in his lap so that she had him in her direct line of sight. “I miss my friends back in Equestria,” she told him with tears beginning to form in her eyes. “And Soarin’ especially…” “There, there, I’ve dealt with this before. They’re all homesick at first, you’re not the only one who does,” James reassured her, kissing her sweetly on the cheek. She wiped away some tears with a hoof, continuing while he sipped and swirled his wine. “Thanks for understanding…” “Aww, it’s no big.” “It’s just that… I’ve been thinking about all my friends back home… and how I miss them so much…” Cue the waterworks again. “Go on…” “And Spitfire… and Soarin’ too…” “Whoa, calm down. You’re getting tense.” He set his glass down for a brief moment. “Sorry about that,” she digressed slightly before restarting the conversation. “When I found out I was going to be a Wonderbolt, I was in nothing less than pure ecstasy. My best friends were, putting it mildly, elated, even Fluttershy.” “You’re talking about the little yellow one who’s in Worthington?” She nodded in the affirmative. “Mmm-hmm. She and Brolly video-chat all the time.” He moistened his lips and took a rather noisy sip of his white wine before swishing it round his mouth, trying his best to subdue the burn of the alcohol, his breathing somewhat heavy. “Now what of these… Soarin’ and Spitfire characters? Tell me about ‘em.” “Captains of the Wonderbolts,” she told him matter-of-factly. “Spitfire’s in charge, and Soarin’ is her wingpony. Those two have become like close friends and family to me… I even asked Soarin’ to be my special somepony a few months ago, and we’ve talked about starting a herd together with him and Spitfire…” A brief pause. “I see now…” James rose from the couch, leaving his wine at the table and seemingly leaving Rainbow Dash to her conflicted and clouded thoughts. He ran upstairs to their shared bathroom to grab his mare’s favourite brush, the one that he used the first night they were together in America. He went back for the couch and resumed from where he had left off. “Soarin’, from the looks of it, is your boyfriend…?” “Special somepony,” Rainbow corrected him. James went to work brushing her mane. “Yes… and with him and Spitfire being away, plus the fact that you’re away from your friends and family,” he postulated, “you need someone different in your life to fill that void.” She turned her head to him and said, “Is that all there is?” “And I’ve been thinking…” He scrunched his eyebrows, deep in thought. “What if… I was like a significant other for you?” “So, my special somepony?” “If you put it that way, I guess so,” he told her. “Wow… you mean it?” “I mean it. But if -- and only if -- you’re willing to go through with it.” The young mare hadn’t the slightest clue what to think at that point in time, as if the world were frozen in time. She shook her head in disbelief, breaking James’s concentration. He finished his wine in one big gulp and set the empty glass back on the coffee table. He was eagerly waiting her decision… “You want to be my… special somepony?” she asked. James clutched her in his arms, holding her head to his chest and gently stroking her neck with his hand. “Yes. But the question is, do you want to be my special somepony?” She could hear James’s dull heartbeat through his shirt. Her eyes began to droop and grow heavy. She softly whispered… “I think that'd be so awesome…” A tear fell down her host brother’s cheek as he smiled. As if by instinct, he brought her head up to his and planted a tender, sweet kiss on her lips. In the stillness of the moment, one could hear the faint sound of sports scores being read off in the other room, as a result of Chris watching TV in the master bedroom. The two broke the kiss, their breathing slow and steady, emotions seeping through their thoughts and their bodies as well. Rainbow Dash’s voice ended the silence permeating the room. “Can we go to the mall this weekend?” “Sure, I'll ask my mum first thing in the morning. For now, let's just wash up and go to bed.” “As long as you can put your phone down for five seconds!” James chuckled. I take it you enjoyed your welcome, he thought, grinning. This year was looking to be an awesome one indeed. Day One24 August The alarm on James's phone pierced through the silence of the early morning. Rainbow Dash was still sleeping on his chest, so he had to be careful in order to reach over to his nightstand and turn the alarm off. His moving about roused the mare on top of him. She sat there, slightly awake, as he trudged down the stairs and gently made his way towards the kitchen. With all the lights still turned off, he took his mug off the hook on the side of the cupboard. He filled it with water, flipped open the lid on the Keurig, and poured the water inside. He went for another cabinet and retrieved a coffee pod and two packets of sweetener. He returned to the Keurig machine and tore open the sweetener before preparing everything else. He pressed the Brew button and went back upstairs to wake up Dash. “Wake up, honeybuns,” James said. In response, she rolled over onto her back like a dog and groaned under her breath. “Just five more minutes…” “Come on Dash, you know we have school in the morning. I explained it, like, a thousand times.” She remained motionless. “Alright… I guess we'll have to do this the hard way…” James hopped up on the bed and tentatively tickled Dash’s belly, making her toss and turn, laughing softly. Eventually, she was wide awake. “I've got coffee downstairs,” he told her. “Awesome,” she said. In the kitchen, James's coffee was ready. He took his mug, went to the fridge, and poured in a splash of creamer, swirling it around to ensure it was fully incorporated. He then went back upstairs while Dash made herself coffee. He set his coffee on the nightstand, picked up the TV remote, and turned it to the local news; he often had this in the background while he browsed Reddit on his tablet, sipping his coffee all the while. About a half hour later, he gulped down the last of it, then went into the bathroom, Rainbow following him in. The two brushed their teeth, and he helped her brush her mane and tail. When she offered to take both her and James’s coffee mugs back to the kitchen, he went back into their shared bedroom, where his clothes for the day, a bright green polo shirt and cargo shorts, were laid on Rainbow’s bed since she no longer had any intentions of using it. He slid those on and turned off the TV. He prepared his school bag by stuffing inside it all of the school supplies that he and Rainbow bought the week prior (she had her own saddlebags to carry what she bought). He also mentally reminded himself to take his phone, tablet, and the chargers to both. He descended the stairs into the living room, where Rainbow Dash was raring to go; however, James popped into Chris and Kath’s bedroom, where they were both still sleeping, to say goodbye. “Mom… we’re going now.” He gave Kath a brief, but loving kiss on the cheek. The two that were awake went to the garage with their school supplies in hand (or hoof). James pressed a button on the wall to open one of the garage doors. “Soooooo… how do you like my wheels?” he asked of Dash, pointing to his shiny (and slightly seductive) BMW M3, which sported an exquisite red paint job, twenty-inch rims, a retractable roof, leather seats, and chrome detailing. She instantly fell in love with it. “Wow! You're such a cool guy,” she exclaimed, which made James grin from ear to ear. He unlocked it and opened the back doors to load their collective stuff before he and Dash hopped in the driver’s and passenger’s seats, respectively. He started the car, jammed the transmission into first gear, and pulled out of the garage. “I’ll turn on the radio as soon as I shut the garage door,” James told Dash. “Sure, I'd like that.” He ran back in, closed the door, and came out the front. As soon as he got back in, he tuned the radio to his favorite morning radio show before shifting the car back into gear and prepared for the drive into town. James made a left, then took his nifty little piece of German engineering down the mountainous, curvy one-track road, passing his old elementary school. Once he reached the road’s intersection, he turned left again, this time slamming the gears at high speed for a touch of excitement (especially on Rainbow’s part), but calming down slightly coming into town. James had to stop behind a school bus at one point, causing him to stew a little. Luckily, the bus wasn’t too much of a worry coming into town. At Rainbow’s request, James opened the retractable roof as he made his way down the main street and downtown. He turned right onto the main road, crossing the railroad tracks, until he reached the donut shop that he swung by every morning before school, aptly named the House of Donuts. The drive-through window was deserted when James pulled up. A nice lady noticed the two in their car. “James! Can it be…?” “Yes, it's me. I'd like my usual, please,” he said instinctively. “Who's the other one this time?” “This is Rainbow Dash, from Equestria.” Meekly, she said hello. “And what would you like?” “I guess… I’ll have a jelly donut,” Rainbow said, unsure of what was going on. “... with sprinkles and chocolate icing.” She quickly focused her attention back to James. “Who was that?” “The folks who work at the donut shop?” Nonchalantly, he shrugged and answered, “Most of them know me. Same thing happens when Jeremy comes here. Since we’re both on the Student Council, they’re always happy to go the extra mile whenever we need it.” “For, like… dances and stuff?” “Pretty much,” he said. “Jeremy knows most of the people that own the shops in town, so they do us favours all the time.” At this point, the worker handed a paper bag through the window for James to grab. Once he paid the appropriate amount, he opened the bag and reached inside to give Rainbow Dash her jelly donut. While she was happily munching away at it, her host brother took a massive gulp of the piping-hot coffee in his hands before shoving one of the two glazed donuts left in the bag into his mouth and breaking off a sizable bite. “This jelly donut is so awesome,” the mare squealed in delight. “I know!” James said, echoing her sentiments as he shifted the BMW back towards the main road and closed the roof back up. “This place makes the best damn donuts in the state.” Rainbow then took an unusually large bite out of her donut, which squirted the filling out of the other end with enough force to land on James’s sleeve. “Oh, come on!” Being the jokester that she was, she laughed out loud. James wasn’t amused, grumbling under his breath as he went up the hill. The route to school traversed a few more hills and passed a big warehouse before he reached the approach road, at which point he’d consumed both of the donuts and the coffee was beginning to take its miraculous effect. Easing up the hill, there it stood: an imposing, two-story, boring beige brick school building with a number of accoutrements sprouting from it to accommodate the gym, the auditorium, and the art and music wings. The athletic complex was close by, consisting of a good-sized stadium for football, soccer, and other games of the sort, an Olympic swimming pool that the locals often used during the summer months, a few tennis and basketball courts, a baseball/softball field, and a pair of intramural fields for various purposes fringed with picnicking pavilions and barbecue spits; on top of that, the school was ringed on three sides by woods, which made it perfect for hikers, bikers, and cross-country runners. Farther off, a farm, complete with a barn and a few sheds, was used by the Future Farmers; there was also an amphitheatre on the other side of the stadium, although both places were difficult to see from a distance. Right beside the school, the parking lot flanked both the stadium and the school building itself. He parked in his preferred parking spot - right next to one of the side entrances, within sight of the courtyard. He was a giggling little schoolgirl inside, knowing that this spot was truly his after having to fight off the underclassmen and a handful of teachers for it. He shifted the BMW into neutral, turned off the engine, and he and Dash gathered everything they needed to start off the school year off right. He and Dash made their way through the door, where a teacher let the two in. James then set his bags down in the base of the nearby stairwell to retrieve his schedule; she was doing the same with her saddlebags. “Let’s see… I’ve had the same homeroom for the past three years,” he said to himself. “That’s upstairs. But as far as Dashie…” “I’ve got it!” she half-shouted, causing James to have to pause his train of thought. “Ah, there you go.” He went over to her and pored over Dash’s schedule, comparing the two before making a startling discovery. “Well, would you look at this… we have the same homeroom.” The young mare’s eyes grew wide, and a smile crept onto her face. At this point, she couldn’t wait another second. Luckily, he knew the exact location of the room in question, so she let him lead the way. They went up the stairs and found room 216, which was in an incredibly easy-to-miss-if-you’re-not-careful sort of hallway. Inside, students’ work, motivational posters, school-related announcements, bookshelves, cubbies, and other various storage devices lined the walls. Most of his friends and closest acquaintances were already sitting at the three tables, most in varying stages of consciousness, others already hopped up on coffee and chatting amongst themselves. John was fighting off sleep at the same table as Chris and Jason. David fist-bumped James on the way in. At the next table, Lyra was texting away on her phone alongside Bon Bon and Christina, a fellow senior. Richard, who would sit at this table, made many fruitless attempts to woo Christina over the years. Dash shook off her saddlebags and set them under the third table at which James preferred to sit. He did the same thing with his own bags, setting his binder and notebooks in front of him. Jeremy (the student body vice president) came stumbling in, situating himself on the adjacent side of the table from James. Firefly arrived shortly after. The last one in was Ashley, a beautiful long-haired girl who was James’s longtime neighbour and, from time to time, lover; this history became apparent from the way she sauntered over towards James, caressed his meticulously clean-shaven jawline, and leaned down to give him a steamy kiss on his lips before taking her seat on the side adjacent to Dash. The mare was visibly confused, her eyes bulging out, and her ears bending downward. “Umm… who was she?” “I’ll explain later who she is,” James dismissed. Their homeroom teacher of three (going on four) years, Mrs. Beaumont, entered the classroom, large coffee in hand, just before the tardy bell rang. Her maturity and wisdom, as well as her pixie-cut blonde hair and sharp physique, served as the only reminder of maturity in a school environment that changed from year to year, or month to month. “Good morning, scholars,” she called out, acknowledged by the faint, half-arsed mumbles of the barely-awake students. “I hope we have a fantastic year,” she said, with a hint of optimism, perhaps because of the coffee. “I’m going to run out to my car to grab a few things, I’ll be right back…” “She’s a really cool teacher,” James told Dash. However, the mare’s mind was fixated on only one thing at that moment. “But… who was that girl who kissed you?” James went into near-shutdown mode for a minute, scratching his chin at times, before explaining: “Ashley… is my next-door neighbour. She moved here when I was in the… fourth or fifth grade, if I recall correctly, and she liked me. A lot.” Rainbow’s ears perked up. “The summer before we both started middle school, we did things, we fooled around, we even dated. Her parents were cool with everything…” “On top of that, I had my friends, she had her friends, and we both had our significant others. We were always there for each other, and she was like a sister to me. Every breakup, every breakdown, every problem, I always confided in her.” Dash processed all the information while Mrs. Beaumont was passing revised class schedules around the room. “Wow… she must be really special.” “Putting it lightly,” James replied. “She also made my eighth grade promotion really special.” Her head was already swimming in thought, despite the early hour of the morning. “Did she…?” James nodded in the affirmative. “Wait… don't high school relationships fail after the first two weeks?” “I've no idea whether or not that's true,” he said, “and while it may be true back home, over here, we tend to stick with the one person we see ourselves spending the rest of our lives with.” “That’s cute…” James mumbled at a level that Dash couldn’t hear; he didn’t take into account her sensitive ears, which detected his noises. “What was that, dude?” He tapped the table, sighing heavily. “Now I remember you telling me that you were… polygamous or something.” Dash facehoofed, rocking her head back and forth. “I’ll explain that later…” • • • • • James’s first class that day was Health, in room 131. The teacher, Ms. Tuohy, knew James for about three years; she possessed jet-black hair, perfectly sculpted makeup, and flawless eyebrows. Inside, Christina was sitting in the front row, so he took his seat directly behind her. Several other seniors, the lot of whom were little more than acquaintances, rushed in and claimed all of the seats at the front of the room. The two Equestrians in the class (Argie, a colt with a grey coat and a brown, slightly orange colored mane, and Derpy, the incredibly ditzy one) settled for seats closer to Tuohy’s desk. This class lasted from 8:20 to 9:05. James’s lit-comp English class was in room 105, in the other corridor. Her ladyship, Ms. Courtney, the old battle axe, ran an incredibly tight ship in the English department; she knew James well, because she served as the student council advisor at one point. The decorations were few and in-between, mainly a few discolored motivational posters from the 70s, a bookshelf that was falling apart from years of neglect, and tables littered with carvings, Sharpie graffiti, and dried-up gum stuck underneath them. James sat beside Jeremy at such a table. Jason and Chris filed in shortly after that, taking the table directly in front. Everyone else were either acquaintances or nobodies. This one lasted until 9:55. His next class was in the science department, in room 208 to be exact. Mr. Sweeney, James’s chemistry teacher, was another one of these battle-axe types. He was slightly bald, and very well respected despite him being somewhat of a mad hatter. Cabinets stocked with equipment lined three corners of the room, with lab stations in the middle where the class were to sit. Chris sat beside James at one of the lab stations at the middle of the room just as the latter was putting his binder in a compartment underneath the counter. At the lab stations behind him and to their right, respectively, sat Billy and Gilda, and Hoops and Quarterback. Three of them were bulky, athletic, and muscular-types; Gilda, from the Griffonian confederation within Equestria, was in an on-and-off romantic relationship with Billy, the jock that was sitting beside her. While Mr. Sweeney was explaining expectations and the like, Billy kept pestering James by reaching a hoof over his lab station, poking him on the back, to make him squirm in his chair; this caused Gilda to chuckle under her breath. Next to him, the other two were sputtering with amusement. The teacher simply ignored the lot of them and continued with his lecture throughout the entirety of their taunting of James. At one point, Chris turned around to face Billy and ask him nicely to stop in order to keep James from blowing his top. Luckily for James’s sanity, Sweeney paused and marched to where the brown-coated bully was sitting. “Not in my class,” he said, simply and sternly. Billy seemed to get the message. Thankfully, the rest of the class, which lasted until 10:45, transpired without incident. James had to rush down the stairwell and through the cafeteria, bags in hand, to the realm of Mr. Rochester, the school’s resident art aficionado. In his stupor, he bumped into Rainbow, causing him to fall flat on his bum and his belongings to scatter. “You okay, dude?” Rainbow asked him, concerned. “Ah’m alright,” he said. He got back on his feet without any difficulty. Firefly, who was just behind him, helped James with his stuff; he scratched her ear as a token of thanks. Once inside the art room, one could see just how chill the art teacher was. Soft, relaxing music was playing in the background, the smell of fresh, wet paint, the way the sunlight naturally illuminated the room without the aid of the fluorescent lights, his overall easy-going demeanor -- all dominated the senses, the tension in James’s body from the jocks’ teasing and taunting vanishing from his mind and body. Believe it or not, James nearly fell asleep during Mr. Rochester’s introductions. He managed to get a fifteen-minute nap in before suddenly being shaken awake by the vibrating of his phone. He fumbled in his pocket to pull it out, unlocked it, and a smile could be seen on his face to see a text from Dash; she had apparently figured out how to take a selfie. Said selfie happened to be first in a long string of pictures of either herself, Firefly, Gilda, or a combination of the three. Until 11:35, when that class ended, James exchanged selfies with his exchange sister and her friends, paying scant attention to what Mr. Rochester was saying. He left that room with a smile on his face, the jocks’ taunting far behind him. • • • • • Like a homing pigeon, he found his way to the table where he and the “lunch bunch” ate every lunch period. James’s self-packed paper bag lunch stood out amongst the rest of the gang, who carried identical plastic blue trays after filing their way patiently through the lunch line. Because of this, he was always the first to arrive. He dug out the pulled chicken sandwich he’d prepared the night before from what was left of the barbecue leftovers; he also produced a bag of chips to accompany it along with a bottle of sweet tea. While he was eating and scrolling through Twitter with his phone, Rainbow Dash found him. She was carrying a fully-stocked tray of salad in her maw, so she gingerly set the tray down on the table, occupying the seat next to her host brother. “What’s up, big guy?” she said. James set his phone down. “I’m doing great. Liking my classes so far.” Richard and Jeremy approached the table shortly after, setting their pizza and breadsticks down in front of them, directly across from Dash and James. Chris, David, John, and Jason took their places as James finished his chips and took a big swig of his tea. The lunch bunch chatted about classes for a while before another figure came to the table. Judging from the cobalt-blue hair, one would easily notice that Firefly was about to join the lunch bunch… And so was Surprise and Derpy. James’s sandwich was about three-quarters of the way consumed when Derpy warmed up to Jeremy, accepting his offer to scratch her ear. Firefly allowed Richard to pet her and run his fingers through her mane. “I heard that you two are sleeping together in the same bed,” Jeremy said teasingly to Dash and James, to their surprise. James was not very amused. “Oi… not like you’re thinking,” he rebuffed, eyebrows tense and scowling as he pulled out a pair of cookies from his lunch bag. “Maybe I like sleeping on his chest,” Dash added, coming to his defense, “while his hands move up and down my back. Did you think of that?” The curly-haired one stood there, dumbstruck. Richard’s cheeks heated up, and a smug smile grew on Surprise’s face. James patted Dash’s head lightly. The conversation turned to teachers and the freshmen; Dash, Firefly, and James were in the middle of a debate over whether Ms. Courtney was rude, incredibly dense, or both. At 12:25, with lunch consumed (for the most part), the bell rang for multipurpose period. For multipurpose period, James would attend a meeting of the school’s service club twice a week, with the other three days being reserved for “field guidance” as part of his duties as Student Council president. To clear up any confusion: this is when any number of the Student Council officers drops in on another club or meets with the members of a sports team (the football team, for example) to have a look around, or, perhaps, to give short speeches. When the Student Council began the tradition of “field guidance”, it was originally a responsibility given to the President; nowadays, all the student body officers took part. He had some idea of what to expect when he was secretary… he now felt that it was up to him to put his own spin on the practice in a way that felt natural to him. Before last year’s president was elected, “field guidance” was a boring, uninteresting affair; this time around, the bar was raised sky-high. Besides simply advice and suggestions, the Council actually made an effort to connect with the students that elected them to their office. The new style of leadership proved to be popular with the teachers as well as the students -- so popular, in fact, that such events were scheduled more often, from once a week from the start, to twice a week last year, to three times a week this year. As the new Student Council president, he was prepared to make the best of these visits and use his sociability and outgoing personality to his advantage. For the time being, however, there was more important matters to attend to. • • • • • James's maths teacher, Mr. Brown, was a bit old-fashioned. He occupied room 115, he always wore a dress shirt and tie (and a vest on occasion), and his brown hair was always slicked with hair grease that made it shine under the fluorescent light. He had a fancy projector and a mobile computer lab; other than that, the room itself was as bland as a dry biscuit. Mr. Brown was sitting at his desk silently in front of his computer, taking care of business from the morning. He knew about eighty percent of the people that were in there, which pleased him, but only just; John and David sat on either side of James at a table right beside the window. Each table had one computer, which was connected to his own through a network in a way such that Mr. Brown could see what was happening with each computer and the students could see, at least on their screens, what he was doing at the front of the room. Knowing that cell phones were strictly verboten during his lessons, so James made sure that his phone was on silent before he stuck it in one of the various pockets on his cargo shorts as class began. The next forty-five minutes passed in a blur, accented only by the occasional confiscation of some poor chap’s electronic device for one reason or another, concluding with the bell ringing at 1:45. Government and politics was certainly James's forte, so he got along well with this particular teacher, Mr. Davis. He taught at the school for many, many years, and his age, physique and his slight tinge of grey hair proved it; he was also the head football coach, so football memorabilia lined his desk. Samantha, the senior class president and the school’s cheer captain, took a seat right beside him. On his other side, Lyra nuzzled the side of James's face before taking the other empty desk. Directly across from him was Bonbon. When he turned behind him, he laid eyes on a girl he'd never seen before; her green eyes, wavy blonde hair, and curvy, well-developed womanly physique were ingrained in his memory like a photograph. “Uhhh… hi,” James said in his nervous state of mind. “Call me Alizia,” the girl replied. He could pin down the accent fairly well, which sounded somewhat European, but couldn't figure out any specific nationality. Not knowing what exactly to say next, he clammed up, pattering his hands on the desk in front of her before sloppily tossing together his next question. “Soooo… uhh… where d’ya come from?” “Cosarara,” she said simply. “I’m from Southampton.” James was overtaken with excitement at the idea of a foreign student from Cosarara, his parents’ old stomping grounds, his native land. He had to step back, tense up his entire body, and squeal as if he were a nine-year-old girl at a One Direction concert. He hyperventilated intensely. He didn’t calm down until the bell rang at 2:30, at which point he sat down in his seat with a second-grade smile on his face. James was still shaking with excitement on his way to the Student Council room as Rainbow Dash split off down the hall to her last class of the day. He rounded two corners before reaching room 210, the door of which was already wide open. Four office-style desks, complete with state-of-the-art computers and -- much to his surprise -- separate phones, surrounded a small conference table situated in the centre of the room. At the table, Jeremy was already sitting beside a middle-aged man with just the slightest touch of orange in his blonde hair, the teacher-advisor; the vice principal, Mrs. Wallin, was standing nearby. James placed his things on the table. The teacher-advisor, Mr. Harper, introduced James and Jeremy to the student body secretary, Lisa Christiana, and Amy Katrinka, the student body treasurer. They were both high-energy juniors; Amy was the captain of the girls’ soccer team, and Lisa was an active member of the art club at the school. Concerning the desks, Mr. Harper explained that the vice president’s desk was the closest to the door, and facing directly across from the president, in accordance with Student Council tradition. The secretary and treasurer also sat across from one another. James, caught up in the moment, whipped out his phone to snap a pic of his new desk while the other three were attentively listening to their new advisor. As he was preparing to text Rainbow Dash, Mr. Harper added that the desks and the areas surrounding them could be decorated to suit the councilors’ fancy. James perked up even more at the realisation and increased the pace of his texting. Once he was done, he sent his massive wall of text, picture attached, to the mare he was sharing his room with. The orientation ended as briefly as it started, with Mr. Harper quickly retiring to his classroom. Thoughts of marble paperweights, plastic palm trees, and mini-fridges danced in his head when he pulled up a chair and squeaked in next to Jeremy. “So… how was today?” “I'm liking my classes so far,” he told him. “My art teacher kinda reminds me of Bob Ross.” “I can see that. I've seen him smoking grass in the parking lot before, so I'm not that surprised.” “Also, everybody tells me that my maths teacher’s a bit of a dick, but once you really get to know him, he's actually a really chill guy.” “That's easy for you to say,” Jeremy rebutted. “Really?” “Sometimes, he has to scream at the freshmen,” Amy said. “Speaking from experience, of course.” James chuckled at Amy’s comment, then reached for a packet of paper that Mr. Harper had dropped on the table during the orientation. Upon further investigation, it contained preliminary information concerning Homecoming (which was approaching quickly), a list of class officers, as well as elections for the other various representatives on the Council. “How’re we doing these?” Jeremy asked. James was still mentally buried in the packet. Lisa and Amy both stared at him intently, awaiting some sort of response, until he suddenly slapped the papers down onto the table and rose out of his chair. “I’ve got an idea… and it’ll take a while to explain, so just bear with me.” He made his way towards a cabinet behind Jeremy’s desk and retrieved a dry-erase board and marker. “Oh boy,” Jeremy said, “Here he goes…” James scowled at the vice-president for a moment before beginning his lecture. “I was thinking that we could have…” He began scribbling and chicken-scratching on the board. “all the homeroom reps, club reps, the class officers, the sports reps, and perhaps an exchange student rep or two -- that is, if we manage that -- every one of them, be elected through secret ballot…” “Bullshit,” Lisa interrupted. “Just wait for it,” he told her. “They’ll meet in the auditorium, shall we say, once a week. We’ll run the whole thing much like the Legislature, complete with the bells and whistles and all that shit.” “That’s good and all,” Amy commented, “but I have just one question.” James paused for a second, preparing to answer. “Will we have teachers and the principal watching us?” “Naturally, they’ll want to ‘supervise’,” he explained, using air-quotes for emphasis. “I’ll have Harper and a couple other teachers help me maintain order.” “You mean like a sergeant-at-arms?” “Exactly.” He resumed his drawing. “As far as the delicate question of alliances…” He roughly tapped Jeremy’s shoulder, causing him to grumble slightly. “Can you remember, Jezza, the alliances we had in the Student Council? I can’t remember for the life of me.” The curly-haired one’s response was like rapid-fire. “The Liberal-Progressive Coalition, the Middle Road, the Conservatives, the Buccaneers, the American Patriots, and some independents here and there.” “Now you know that even though the principals just barely tolerate that sort of thing, it’s just for show, right?” “Suuuuuure…” Jeremy said, mentally relishing in the fact that the LPC (the group that himself, James, and the others were part of) were the ones truly in charge. After that, James explained further that each candidate could affiliate themselves with any one of the above groups and be elected to the Student Council. As far as oversight, Mr. Harper and the Executive Council would be responsible for making sure elections are conducted fairly and honestly. “It's brilliant,” Jeremy said of James's plan. Lisa and Amy fully agreed. “So it's settled, then.” The discussion turned to dates. “The only question is, when will the election be?” “I’m thinking sometime in September,” Lisa said. “That way, we’ll have time to get into the groove before we take on the whole council.” “The middle of September, perhaps?” Amy added. Jeremy pondered this for a moment, while James was cleaning up a few details on the whiteboard drawing he’d made. “I think that’s about right,” he finally said. “Somewhere around the third week… yeah, that’ll do nicely.” James was already putting the timetable together in his head. “Right… I think this is what we’ll do.” He proposed a week-long campaign period: candidates would declare the Friday before the election, with three days for campaigning within homerooms. Voting would occur on Thursday, with the results announced on Friday afternoon. Lisa proceeded to write down a draft of the plan on a piece of notebook paper. The plan was approved unanimously, James offering to type up the final copy within the week. On Friday, they would present this plan to Mr. Harper, Mrs. Wallin, and all of the freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior class officers to formally vote on the plan. James paused the meeting momentarily to check the time, and to text Rainbow Dash, who was currently in Physics, trying (for the most part) to stay awake in class. [Once class lets out, meet me at my Beemer.] Send. “Okay, now that we have that out’ the way… let’s talk Homecoming!” • • • • • At 3:15, James was waiting by the red BMW for Dash’s arrival, his school bags already packed in the backseat. Unbeknownst to him, the blue mare was sneaking up behind him while he was twirling his keys in his hand. She waited for the right moment before she pounced. “Boo!” Dash interjected, causing James to leap in the air and scream. “Damn, you nearly scared me,” James said. The mare laughed incessantly, while her host brother didn’t seem amused in the slightest. “Just get in the car already…” With that, the pair hopped in James’s car. When Dash tossed her saddlebags into the backseat, the two made their way back towards home. After the twenty-minute drive (attributed mainly to the after-school traffic rush), Dash made her way inside while James parked the car in the garage. Dinner was already being made at this point, so he went back out to the Beemer and retrieve all the school related materials so he could set them upstairs in the room that they shared. James felt his phone vibrate in his trousers as he arranged all his binders and folders on his desk. Digging it out, he could see that it was Ashley calling. “Hello?” “Hi, James…” Ashley could be heard saying over the phone. “I was just wondering if I could come over tonight.” “No, not tonight,” James let her down gently. “Dash has football practice tonight, and I’m driving her over.” “Oh.” “But are you still on for this weekend?” “Absolutely. I’ll get a reservation together and everything. Does Basil’s sound good?” “That sounds splendid,” James said. “Does Friday work for you?” “Friday’s good...” “And you’ll give a call if plans change?” “Certainly.” “Then I’ll see you Friday… buh-bye.” “Buh-bye.” James then hung up and went downstairs for dinner. Once dinner was consumed, Rainbow Dash gathered up all of her football stuff in her athletic bag. She and James, after telling the parents that they’d be back before nightfall and making sure the critters were fed, hopped into the BMW. They arrived at the stadium with no problems. While Rainbow was in the middle of warm-up stretches alongside Richard, Firefly, Derpy, and the rest, James was chatting with Jeremy on the phone. “I’m at football practice with Dash, and I won’t be home till dark. What’s up?” “Well, I just got off the phone with Amy,” Jeremy said. “Yes…” “And she told me of a rumour that’s been going around that the principal could be hand-picking the class officers.” “Why would that be?” James queried suspiciously. “Here’s the thing… She told me that one of the other vice-principals -- not Mrs. Wallin, it’s somebody else -- somehow wanted the class officers to stay as they are…” “You mean the ones that were elected before school let out?” “Yeah, but apparently they want us to be non-partisan, meaning we’d have to drop our party affiliations. All of us.” “Wait a minute… that must mean…” James’s head was spinning around in circles, and he was trying to steady it by waving at Dash as she was pushing a particularly heavy impact sled down the turf. He got back to the subject fairly quickly. “...they’re wanting to appoint student councilors!” “That’s unbelievable,” Jeremy could be heard exclaiming. “Y’know, I also heard that some of the teachers didn’t like how the LPC won almost every single student body officer and class officer spot, so they’re trying to hijack our plan so that it invalidates all that and lets the faculty appoint replacements for us.” “You’re on crack!” “No, I’m not… I’m not kidding. The first day, and already, people are wanting us gone.” James exhaled loudly through his nose, as the rumoured upheaval affected him personally. “I’ll tell you what… I’ll talk to Mr. Harper and see what he knows, and you can talk with Lisa, Amy, and maybe Samantha and ask them about it.” “Alright, will do,” Jeremy confirmed. “Mrs. Wallin, too?” “Better safe than sorry,” said James. “Anyways, are we still on for this weekend?” “Yeah, sure… I’m going out with Ashley on Friday. I’m taking her to Basil’s.” “Nice!” James smiled a bit. “She’s gonna love it.” “I know she will… you always treat her nice. Come to think of it, Rainbow Dash seems like a nice pony. We should do lunch on Saturday or something, and invite Richard down.” “That sounds great… I'll ask her about it after practice.” “And I'll be damn sure to quash this rumour.” “Alright…” At this point, James felt a tap on his shoulder. “I've got to be going now. See ya.” He hung up and looked over his shoulder to see Mr. Davis standing right beside him. “Would you mind coming with me for a moment?” “Sure.” James followed his teacher/head football coach into the football building, then into the weight room. The door swung shut behind the two with a heavy metallic thud. “I’ve been talking with Richard and a few of his friends.” “And?” “They’re telling me all these wonderful things about you,” he said unwaveringly. “Why would they not?” James retorted with a chuckle. “I’m the president of the Student Council, an awesome student, and my life’s great. What more could you want?” Mr. Davis paused for a moment, clearly thinking about what he was going to say next. “Listen… they really want you to be the football team manager. Rainbow Dash literally begged me to offer you the job.” “But why me, when I know nothing about football? I’m not the kind of guy who likes sports, or even cares about sports!” James raised his voice, slightly irritated at the suddenness of it all. “Our first game is in two weeks,” Mr. Davis began to explain. “Every year, we have to get sponsors, maintain our equipment, and arrange transportation to all of our games, among other things. The Boosters, thankfully, take care of most of it, but what we really need is a foundation… a cornerstone, if you will… that’s where you come into play.” “How?” James felt compelled to ask. “Richard thought that you, being the Student Council president and having all this logistic experience, would be the perfect fit for such a job.” James simply stood in place and let the machinery in his head run at full power. “Well, I do have experience, what with helping with prom and Homecoming…” “That's a start. You might personally know some of the business owners, so you could secure sponsorships for us.” “Maybe I could.” “You could also help with practices; that is, helping with equipment and uniforms and securing refreshments -- ” “Like water?” James interrupted. “Yes,” Mr. Davis said, “now we're getting somewhere.” He had James's full attention at this point. “The biggest role you would play, besides the sponsorships and stuff, is cheer on our boys -- ” “And girls,” James was quick to correct the record, acknowledging the fact that Rainbow, Firefly, Derpy, Surprise, and the others were now considered players. “Can't forget the girls… that's right… the biggest job here would be cheering on our team and being a big supporter and advocate for us. You'd also be working closely with team leaders and the boosters for arranging fundraisers, dinners, transportation to games and things like that.” James exhaled and rested his back against the concrete wall. “That's quite a tall order,” he said with a hint of concern. “I personally think you can handle it. Can you?” James nodded his head up and down. “I take that as a yes, then?” “I'll certainly have to think about it, that's for sure…” Sensing the hesitation, Mr. Davis offered one last parting olive branch. “Oh, and James?” “Yeah?” “If you can let me know about your decision by Wednesday that'd be great,” he said. “Sure.” They both left the weight room. During the drive home, his head was spinning with doubts -- about how to incorporate this new job into his current responsibilities as Student Council president and not become a complete bloody nervous wreck by the end of the year. But that took second fiddle at the moment to giving Rainbow Dash the best experience of her life in the little slice of America he called home. Knowing this, a smile crept onto his face. Author's Note My apologies for not having a chapter up for a while... a lot of things happened, keeping me busy and making me lose my writing mojo for the most part. Hopefully this chapter makes up for it! ~ Sparkle Fire ~
The Premise [Read First!]28 May “Good evening.” A prominent political figure was standing in front of several news cameras as well as a throng of journalists armed with notepads and pencils. His sharp-cut suit and red tie distinguished him from the crowd as he pulled out a folded piece of paper out of his jacket. He took a second to compose himself while he unfolded the paper, wiping a layer of sweat off his brow. “Tonight, we can say with confidence that we have successfully negotiated, alongside the Principality of Equestria, as well as her allies and neighbours, a cultural exchange program that will allow our two nations to grow closer together and develop a mutual cultural understanding. “This program was negotiated very carefully, keeping cultural norms and political sensitivities in mind. Given the current situation with a close neighbour of Equestria as well as other security concerns, their input was considered during the course of negotiations. “Other than those slight bumps in the road, I personally think the negotiations went very well.” He then continued on with the specifics of what this program would offer. “Through this program, Equestrian citizens, roughly of high school age, will have the opportunity to increase their understanding of American culture and society as well as broadening their social horizons. On top of that, I’m sure that Equestrians selected to embark on a journey such as this will forge friendships that will last a lifetime. “Equestrian citizens will also be immersed in the cultures and customs of Equestria’s immediate neighbours and gain a vital understanding that will be beneficial in the years to come. On a diplomatic level, we can use the knowledge obtained from such exchanges to diffuse conflicts and to otherwise bring America, Equestria, and other nations closer to each other in that regard… “Once we get word of the full list of applicants that have been accepted into our program, the governments of both America and Equestria will conduct a rigorous background check and interview process to ensure that these applicants can faithfully and truly serve in their roles as foreign exchange students, as young ambassadors, and as representatives of their family and of their home country. “In the coming days and weeks, host families will be sought and vetted for this program. Should they choose to accept, we recommend that they be well-prepared to experience a new culture as well as give a new cultural experience to whoever is chosen to live with them over the course of their ten months of exchange. They’ll be responsible for providing accommodation, meals, and a stable family environment. “Even though the concept of a cultural exchange has its drawbacks - culture shock being one of them, which could happen regardless of how much preparation is made and how much knowledge they may have about the new culture - we’re sure that the benefits from this program will be reaped for years to come. Sure, it may take some adjusting at first, but experiencing a new culture like this will be of immeasurable value, not only to the students, but also to both countries. “And so, with that, I’ll take questions from the audience.” The throng of reporters barraged him with questions at the mere mention. • • • • • 2 June It was a lazy day in Equestria; the warm air, the summer sun, and the gentle breeze made it ideal for Rainbow Dash to take one of her signature naps. Derpy came by in the afternoon while on one of her mail runs, intending to deliver the sleeping mare a letter from Canterlot. Of course, being her ditzy self, she couldn’t manage to find the front door to her cloud mansion. However, knowing where her bedroom was, she popped in through the window, rudely interrupting Dash’s sleep in the process. “Mail for you,” Derpy said before profusely apologising for her intrusion. Rainbow simply rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She crawled off her bed and picked up the letter, which was printed on extra fancy paper and sealed with the royal crest. It read: Dear Rainbow Dash, I am pleased to inform you that your application for the Equestrian Friendship Exchange has been accepted. At the moment, a host family is being arranged in the area that the Exchange has determined to be the most safe for Equestrian students while abroad. As far as the remainder of your application goes, the following will need to be taken care of before 31 July: Scheduled interviews - one with a program coordinator, as well as one with the embassy of the country you’ll be staying in throughout the course of the programRecommendation letters, or references from schools or employersParents’ letterMedical forms, a complete physical/medical screening, plus up-to-date immunizationsHost family preferencesVisa application (preferably a long-term student or an educational visa)Passport Once all this is turned in, you’ll be sent a packet containing all the necessary information concerning the program and what to expect. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact myself or the program coordinators. In the meantime, feel free to contact Maria Escovedo, our “local contact”, using the information included on her business card, which I've enclosed in this letter. Sincerely yours, HRH Princess Celestia • • • • • 19 June Rainbow Dash was lounging in her office-doubling-as-a-second-home, slaving over reports when her work phone rang. At first, she wanted to simply throw it out of her window, but then she picked it up. The voice on the other end belonged to Maria, her exchange coordinator; she’d been expecting a call from either her or Celestia herself concerning fine details of her trip over. “Hellooooo…” “Hi Rainbow! This is Maria.” “Oh hi Maria, how ya doin’?” Rainbow’s ears perked right up. “I’m doing fine, thank you. I have some very good news that I’d like to share.” “Which is…?” “I’ve found you a host family!” “Really?” Rainbow nearly lept of her chair when she heard those words cross her ear. “Who are they?!” she demanded to know. “Well, they live out in the country somewhat, so the area’s fairly relaxed,” she began to explain. “They’re a very nice and inviting family; they’ve got a fairly big house with a hot tub, so you may want to bring along a swimsuit.” Her eyes went wide, and her mouth started to gape open. Maria went on. “They live in an area with lots of kids and teenagers, so you’ll probably make some new friends while you’re there… it’s really beautiful, if you ask me. I live on the same road that they do.” “Go on…” “They’ll also have, possibly, another foreign exchange student with them, so be prepared for that.” “I can do that, trust me.” “But I’m getting off topic here. As for your host family, there’s a really nice couple, Chris and Kath Van Driessen. They have a son your age, called James. I’ve known these people for years, and they jumped at the chance to host you… “There’s grandparents and cousins and sisters and brothers and school friends and so on that like to visit from time to time, so you’ll have plenty of company!” “Cool!” “One more thing… are you allergic to animals?” “No -- why?” “I’m asking this because they have a dog and a cat in the house.” “That shouldn’t be too much of a problem.” “Good.” Maria talked some more. “The house is amazing -- two bed, three bath, walk-in wardrobes, you name it, they’ve got it. Those two are often into business overseas, so they can afford it.” “Awesome! When can I start packing?!” she said, practically bursting with excitement. “Your flight leaves on the first of August -- you’ll have plenty of time. I’ve managed to put you, Gilda, Argie, Brolly Brella, Surprise, Derpy Hooves, Billy, Hoops, Quarterback, and Lyra on the first one, while the others will be on the second flight out, which will probably be on the third of August, but I’m not sure of it yet… “I can anticipate both of the flights going to Pittsburgh -- that’s in Pennsylvania -- with orientation being somewhere in the neighborhood of the seventh or eighth of August. This, however, has yet to be decided.” “I can’t thank you enough,” Rainbow Dash beamed. “You’re awesome!” “That’s great! I’ll see you in America,” Maria said. “Great! Bye-bye...” Dash ended the call and slammed the phone down on its hook. The reports were the furthest thing from her mind; she’d explain it to Cloudsdale later if they found out. At this point, perhaps the aforementioned host family should be discussed. Chris and Kath have several years of experience hosting foreign exchange students, so this year (supposedly) is no different. Because of their business savvy, they were incredibly influential in their community since moving here from Cosarara twenty-five years ago. In a way, their hosting of foreign exchange students helped them with their business because of the greater understanding of culture. For James especially, friendship was the reason; he enjoyed all the new friends he made because of his exposure to new cultures and new people. As an added bonus, he’s able to speak at least four other languages fluently. His grandparents also hosted exchange students from the Soviet Union and other communist-aligned countries back in the day. With a background like this, the Van Driessens didn’t hesitate to welcome her in; they considered it a point of honor. They were also enticed because of the allure of the new experiences they’d have. James was more than looking forward to it all. As far as James goes, he’s one of the most popular guys at school. He was on the student council, coming off his recent election as student body president; he was a member of a service organisation, and was it also mentioned that he was the drummer in a band?! His senior year was going to be his best one yet! One of the drawbacks of this popularity, of course, is the enemies made. Whether it’s his slightly off-kilter accent, his well-off parents, his outspoken views, or his perceived rich-kid lifestyle, the way he stood out from the crowd -- even leading it at times -- seemed to draw the ire of the jealous. Fortunately, he had his friends by his side -- Jeremy Prema, the student body vice president, Richard Pottinger, the captain of the football team, John Grant, whom James has known since middle school, Chris Taylor, who lived for basketball, Jason Alessandro, passionate about nature, David Gresson, who was obsessed with anything Star Wars and Star Trek related, and a myriad of others. His closest, however, was Maria Escovedo, a family friend to the Van Driessens and next door neighbor; more importantly, the one who convinced the Van Driessens to host foreign exchange students in the first place. She was like an aunt to James -- so much so that she even went on family vacations with them; their friendship deepened when the Van Driessens began hosting six years ago. She taught him a great deal about the cultures of the kids she worked with, which in turn helped him understand and grow closer to his exchange brothers and sisters. When the student left at the end of their exchange year, she helped him cope with his emotions by having special days together. All in all, Rainbow Dash and James would be the best of friends. • • • • • 23 June First contact with hosts As soon as Rainbow Dash got home from her Weather Patrol shift, she fired up her laptop and logged into Facebook, eager to chat with her new host brother. His name was James, and according to his profile, he was seventeen years old, very handsome (from his pictures), and incredibly fond of the family pets - a dog, Priscilla, and a cat, Elvis. Looking through his pictures, he seemed to be quite popular. There were photos of him with the football team, working with the student council, and doing fun things with other foreign exchange students. It reassured her to know that he’d be a great friend and host brother to her. With that, she opened up the chat window and began: Rainbow Dash Hi James! James Van Driessen So you’re my new “sister” You mean host sister Gotcha I’m really excited to come to the USA I bet How old are you? 18 I’m 17, and I’ll be turning 18 in October Sweet How are your parents My parents are cool That’s good How was the whole application process? it was alright, I guess but VERY long Eurgh I was sent an application form (by that I mean a book) Go on… I had to fill out a ton of forms Like “why you would be a good exchange student”, “experience of different cultures”, things like that I bet that wasn’t quite fun I love fun things! :) I’m talking about the application stuff Oh The school that I go to had to write a recommendation letter And how did that go OK The principals were more than happy to do that for me b/c they don’t like me very well Hahaha and wanted me out of their manes for Celestia’s sake, I could hear them having a party in the teacher’s lounge afterwards *tears of joy* What was that I’ll explain later What else did you have to do? I had to convince my employer to be a reference of sorts (Funny story about that, both my team leaders, both of whom I work with, and their superior, had a massive argument about my performance) Hahahahahaha (which varies) Where do you work? Just asking Ponyville weather patrol Wonderbolts trainee Currently a member of the Wonderbolts reserves, but I’ll be a official member next year Interesting On top of that, I have to fill out a HORRIBLY complicated medical form I also have to get a LOT of injections and immunity tests Which hurt, btw Just putting that out there Not looking forward to that I don’t blame you Those HURT! I always hated going to the doctors’ because of that You’re really funny You know that My friends tell me that all the time!!! Just putting that out there But enough of that What else did you have to do? About a week ago, I had an interview with one of the exchange coordinators I was very nervous, but it wasn’t that bad Her name was Maria I think You mean my neighbor Maria? The one with the curly hair and all that? OMG she’s your neighbor? Maria Escovedo, was it? THAT’S THE ONE!!! IT’S SO AWESOME!!! She told me all about you just yesterday while we had her over for dinner That’s when we found out we’d be your host family Brb -- wingboner!!! Having a “who do you think you are” moment, Dashie? And what’s a “wingboner”? It’s a pegasus thing Don’t worry about it OK then I can already tell that you’re gonna be a great host brother It comes with experience I guess We’ve hosted before, so it’s no different this time around Which reminds me, I also had to fill out this paper about what I’d want in a host family Let me guess: we fit the profile? Maria certainly thought so We were the first people she came to I don’t think the other ponies know who their host families are yet They shouldn’t lose any sleep over it. Maria says that most exchange kids don’t know who their host families are until at least 2 weeks before they leave I’ll be sure to keep that in mind But I AM worried about leaving all my friends and family behind Homesickness? Basically That’s perfectly normal I’m also worried about not fitting in with the culture and all that Well, our culture IS unique, so it’ll certainly take some adjustment But I’m very excited to go I JUST CAN’T WAIT! That’s great! Did you have to do much else? I got a bunch of stuff from the program The exchange program? Like, what to expect and how our cultures are different Basically, yes They told me, also, the “Absolutely No” stuff -- running away, expulsion, drugs, weapons, preggo, self-harm (whatever that is) -- that would get me sent straight home I would hope so I got my visa a couple days ago And how did that go? First, I had to fill out this HUGE application It was very easy, I just ticked the right boxes and that was it “Are you a terrorist?” Nope “Do you live in a hollowed- out volcano on a stranded island in the South Pacific?” Nope “Do you possess nuclear weapons?” Nope OMG JAMES STOP IT! YOU’RE MAKING ME LAUGH AGAIN! [color=#6aaadBut seriously, tick the right boxes and you’ll be fine Hahaha I then had to go to the American embassy in Canterlot That was a couple days ago, right? I had to be over there by 9:30 in the morning The trip over wasn’t that bad at all I had to wait in a line and go through security Luckily, I had a friend with me to hold all my stuff while I waited for my interview Was it Gilda? Who else but her She’s on the program, too, and she has her interview sometime in early July How’d the interview go? They gave me a little visitor’s badge, and we went up some stairs to a waiting room of sorts I handed in my paperwork to the receptionist lady there Was she scary? She seemed friendly So, they escorted me to the interview room, and I handed in my paperwork again to the guy who worked for the embassy Is there a lot of paperwork? A mountain of it I also had to take a picture of myself to the interview I also had to buy a special envelope to hold everything in for when they send it all to the U.S. Did you do good? He didn’t ask me too many hard questions, I was in and out in about 5 minutes Had to wait for a long time though How long was it? An hour and a half Wow, that’s a long time And he was really nice to me, which was good Plus, I knew at that point who my host family was, so that made it so much easier Nice! Also, on the way back, Gilda and I stopped at the mall and got pina coladas which was awesome Cool I didn’t know that you guys had malls Heheheh We have highways, railroads, and big cities just like yours (Our neighbors have a LOT of money so they did that for us) Now I’m even more excited for you to come! When do you leave? Maria called last week when she was arranging all the flights and stuff There’s two groups of ten coming over I’m with the first group, which leaves 1 August The second group leaves 3 August, I think Excellent It was nice getting to talk to you Maybe I can add you on all my social media I’m going to go to bed now Take care! :) Visions of adventure and passion danced in the young mare’s head as she drifted off to sleep that night. The same was true for James.
Coming to the U.S.A. [pt 1]1 August Rainbow Dash and her exchange friends were sleeping soundly at the hotel up the road from Canterlot’s airport. The sky was a lovely purple-pink hue, and the sun would be peeking over the horizon soon. Their first flight would be leaving in just two hours; therefore, Gilda was awake fifteen minutes before everyone else, charged with waking the rest of the group so that they'd be able to catch it. At 5:30am, coffee mug in her talons, she pounded her fist on each bedroom door. “WAKEY WAKEY EGGS AND BAKEY!” she could be heard shouting. Everypony slowly rose from their slumber, discombobulated. Gilda opened the door to the room where Rainbow Dash was sleeping and proceeded to excitedly shake the last of the drowsiness from her. “Our first plane leaves in two hours! Can you believe it?!” the griffon nearly squealed in delight. “Me neither,” Dash replied with a groggy voice. She reluctantly crawled out of the comfy hotel bed and proceeded to stretch her muscles and wings. After that, she took the last can of iced coffee out of her saddlebags and chugged it down the hatch for good measure. The next order of the day was moving all the ponies’ luggage into the lobby; once that was taken care of, they could make their way to the airport to catch the first plane. Dash, having packed literally everything into her suitcase as well as her carry-on bag - which, by the way, reached nearly her allotted weight limit when combined together - was physically straining to heave her luggage down the corridor towards the lobby. Once everything was ready to go, Rainbow Dash, Gilda, Lyra, Argie, Brolly Brella, Surprise, Derpy Hooves, Billy, Hoops, and Quarterback hauled their luggage individually to the airport, a short walk from the hotel. For Dash, it was a horrifying experience in itself. She managed, though. They met with their escort when they reached the terminal. At that point, while the luggage was being carried over, Dash pulled out her phone and texted James… About to get on the plane! See you in Pittsburgh! -RD The gang had an incident-free, hour and a half-long trip to San Diego, where they would catch another plane that would take them to the Burgh. Meanwhile, the Van Driessens were well on their way to Pittsburgh. James was in the back seat, ecstatic to the point of shaking and grinning from ear to ear. Kath was driving, Chris was asleep in the passenger side, and James was texting Jeremy and Richard back and forth. Following them were James’s grandparents, his aunt Jennifer, and Maria. James was in the middle of a mini-argument with Jeremy about their favourite TV shows when Kath pulled into the airport parking lot. The family was ready to surprise her when she got off the plane with a big sign that read “Welcome, Rainbow Dash!” in big, bold letters saturated with glitter. The walk to the terminal, as well as the wait for the plane to arrive, was unbearable. At 4:30pm, after nearly three hours of waiting, the big plane landed and was taxiing towards the terminal. It was only a matter of time before a bundle of blue fur and prismatic rainbow mane would appear, suitcases in hand, ready to be welcomed… And there she was! “James!” Rainbow Dash dropped her bags on the spot and flew into James’s open arms. He pulled her into a warm and tender hug almost immediately, gently squeezing her lithe, athletic body. “You made it,” James said happily. Dash patted him on the back, and the slightest hint of a blush appeared on his cheeks. Chris and Kath exchanged hugs with her soon after. “How was the trip?” Chris asked. “Not that bad, when I think about it.” James was still smiling. “I know we’re going to be great together. Speaking of which…” He panned over to Chris, his father. “...are we doing anything for dinner?” “Does Cheesecake Factory sound good?” the older man asked. “That’s a great idea,” Maria, the exchange coordinator, beamed. “That way, Dashie can get her first taste of American food.” Dash snorted lightly, for this was the first time outside of her native Equestria that she had heard that nickname. “Shall we be off, then?” Kath said. With that, Rainbow Dash’s bags were stuffed into the back of the aunt’s van; it took three tries to get them to fit into the boot, mainly due to the sheer weight. The drive to the Cheesecake Factory was loaded with traffic; the interstates through the city centre proved to be slower than gravy because of rush hour. To occupy themselves, Dash and James spun tales about their friends, laughing the whole way there. When they finally reached the restaurant, it was roughly 5:30pm. Kate crossed her fingers, hoping to not encounter a long wait to get a table. The hostess escorted the lot of them to a table near the back of the restaurant large enough to fit them. “Can I start you off with anything to drink?” the hostess asked. “I’ll have the lemonade, please,” James started off. “Same here,” Dash echoed. Everyone else ordered a soft drink, with the exception of Maria, who had a glass of iced tea. Once they came, Kath asked the young mare about her trip over. “Well, it all started yesterday afternoon. I arrived at this hotel in outer Canterlot down the street from the airport. I met our group, everypony said goodbye to their parents, everypony got checked in… We stayed the night at the hotel, and Gilda woke us all up at 5:30 the next morning.” “Bet no one was very happy,” James quipped. “If I recall correctly, it was an hour and a half to San Diego, which was where the connecting flight was -- and that flight was delayed…” she just barely remembered, “an hour or so, and hour and a bit.” “What’d you do in the meantime?” Chris asked. “Mainly waited around at the airport, buying useless tat we didn’t need.” She pulled out a road map that she’d bought in San Diego to prove her point. “I don’t quite understand the business of getting to the airport early to check in, then waiting around for no reason,” James echoed Dash’s sentiment. “Me neither,” Dash said. “Maybe it’s how you guys do things here?” “Try telling my parents that -- they moved here before I was even born and they still don’t understand parts of American culture. They simply go by whatever the norm was in their home country and go from there.” Rainbow Dash continued with her story. “We then had to wait on the plane itself for about forty-five minutes because the wind was a bit too vigorous. The flight here took about six and a half hours, I think. I slept almost the whole time, so it wasn’t that bad at all.” “But you’re here now, and that’s all that matters,” Kath said. James reached over to pet his new host sister tenderly on the head. Her eyes closed and her ears perked up. Rainbow Dash and James chatted some more, primarily about their respective cultures, friends, governments, and economies, while their food was being prepared. Small arguments often broke out over insignificant misunderstandings, but other than that, the two laughed and had a good time. After everybody’s meals were well and truly consumed, Maria ordered some chocolate cheesecake for the lot of them. Dash and James absolutely loved it, savoring every last bite, even feeding each other pieces of cheesecake. Kath couldn’t resist the temptation of taking a photo with her phone. Click. The pair dropped the act almost immediately, visibly embarrassed. She snickered lightly under her breath. Maria smiled. It was then that all the cheesecake had been consumed, Chris paid the check, and everybody walked out to their cars. Rainbow Dash, overtaken with jetlag, leaned her head on James’s side. “Wait until the car, Dashie,” James gently told her. In response to that statement (and the chilly breeze in the evening air), she unfolded a wing and wrapped it around him, making him blush. James climbed in the backseat, Dash following him. As they rolled down the highway, the mare rested her head in James’s lap and fell asleep, softly snoring after a while. James silently yawned and grew drowsy as the sun set, his hands gently resting on her back and on her head. Neither of them noticed Kath reaching back and sneaking another photo of them napping. When they got home after a two-hour drive, Jennifer jostled the pair from their sleep. “I see you slept well…” she teased. Reluctantly, they rose from their slumber and helped unpack the big van. Rainbow was once again reminded of her ineptitude when it comes to packing when she lifted her bags up to where she would be sleeping. “You can set those in my room,” James told her, still a bit groggy. “It's no biggie.” “Thanks,” she replied, nuzzling him affectionately. She set her bags in James’s room. “Nice place you've got here.” “Thanks. Need help unpacking?” “I could use some right about now,” she said. He dug out her laptop and phone, along with all the charging equipment, and set them on his desk, next to his computer. While she set out her toiletries in the adjoining bathroom, he took a few minutes to prepare a new place on the wall above his stuff to adorn with his upcoming memories with the spunky, athletic young mare -- just as he had done with the other foreign exchange students his family hosted over the years. Six arrangements of photos lined that wall, one arrangement for each kid that he could remember; from left to right, there was Sammy (from Portugal), Jean-Pierre (from France), Ambra (from Italy), Max (from Greece), Marina (from Russia proper), and Heidi (from Germany). A small tear formed in his eye just looking at it. Memories bubbling up, he made a beeline for his bed. He knew exactly what he was looking for. Under his nightstand was a photo album that his grandparents gave him when he was twelve years old. In it contained pictures from when his grandparents hosted exchange students from the USSR, along with a hoard of other items from that era. He was just about to open it when Rainbow Dash entered the room. “Whatcha doin’, James?” she wondered. “Oh, it's just an old album from when I was growing up.” “Nice room you’ve got here!” she said, as she looked around. She saw the small walk-in closet, the posters on his wall, his desk, with computer, printer, and school stuff for the upcoming year; she also saw the flat-screen TV on top of the dresser. James’s bed, inviting and comfy, was the only one in the room. “Thanks… there’s only one bed though.” “I can see that…” she said, awkwardly and nervously. “Luckily, I’m used to sharing my bed.” His memories turned to the first time having to share his bed with Sammy, and his face automatically flushed. “Aww, you’re blushing,” she noticed, reaching over for a quick peck on his cheek. Her wings stiffened and became erect, and she giggled. He regained his composure slightly before asking, “Would you like some tea, maybe some coffee?” “Sure!” They bolted downstairs to the kitchen, where the Keurig was. Demonstrating how to use it, he opened the top lid, poured water from his favourite mug into the well, and closed it. While that was going on, Dash trotted over to the cabinet and reached for a box of tea bags. “Can you find the red box of English breakfast, please? That’s my favourite kind,” James told her. After she hoofed the box over to him, he took out two tea bags from the box, one in his mug, the other in a “World’s Greatest Dad” mug that Rainbow had found. James put two lumps of sugar in his mug. “How much do you want in yours?” “I usually have three,” she said. He put his mug under the spout on the Keurig and pressed Brew. “While we’re waiting for the magic to happen, why not team it up? I usually have a little cake or even a croissant to go with mine,” he suggested. “Do you have cinnamon buns?” He opened up the fridge to find a plastic baggie full of leftover cinnamon rolls. “Is this what you’re talking about?” Her mouth immediately watered. James walked over to his finished mug and set it aside, motioning for Rainbow Dash to come over. She poured her water in the Keurig, like her host brother had done, put the tea bag and three lumps of sugar inside her mug, and pressed the magic button as before. Meanwhile, James took her cinnamon roll out of the microwave, where it had been heating up. He grabbed a croissant on the way out. They gathered everything up and made their way back upstairs, being careful to not wake Chris, who had fallen asleep while watching sports. They set their fixings on James’s desk. He turned on the TV. “Now, the pièce de résistance,” he said as he channeled his inner Jean-Pierre. Using the remote, he logged onto Netflix. Rainbow was nothing short of amazed. “Net…flix?” It didn’t seem to catch on at first, as she’d never heard of it up until that point. “You like?” “We don’t have anything like that in Equestria,” she told him matter-of-factly. “When we ponies want entertainment, we go to a show or something… either that, or flip on the radio or TV and pray to Celestia that something good was on.” “Now see, you’re developing just as we are,” James explained. “Do video games exist in your home country?” “Somewhat.” “Good,” he said. “Because my cousins would flip a table if you told them that you didn’t have video games, let alone TV or the Internet.” The mare giggled a little. “So you guys can watch whatever you want?” she asked as she went for her cinnamon roll and tea. “Basically, yeah.” He put on an old episode of Orange Is the New Black, then reached over for his croissant and tea before sitting on the bed. “Mind if I snuggle next to you, James?” “Not at all…” She put a big pillow against the wall for him to lie against so that he’d be comfortable; she pressed her body gently against his, nearly curling up on his lap. With that, they relaxed there, eating and sipping on tea. They set their empty mugs on the nightstand about three-quarters of the way through. James put the mugs on the kitchen counter downstairs while Rainbow was brushing her teeth in the bathroom that they would be sharing. When he came up the stairs, he could hear her struggling to pull or yank something, presumably her mane from how matted and unkempt it was. He went into the bedroom and changed into his flannel pajamas, throwing his day clothes on the computer chair. When he was going into the bathroom to brush his teeth, Dash was sitting on the toilet, struggling to brush the mat out of her mane. “I can help you with that in my room,” he offered. “Just let me get this out of the way.” She made her way into their room, leaving him to take care of his business. She pulled out her prized robe, slipping it over her body and tying the string together; she took out her slippers as well, sliding them onto her hooves. She set the brush on their bed and awaited his arrival. James, from the bathroom, could tell that it was beginning to get dark, from the way the sunlight was dying as it crested over the horizon, leaving a dark shroud of purple and pink hues in its wake. He made his way into the bedroom, and there she was, in a cute little purple robe. “Mmm, hey there James.” He could feel his jaw beginning to drop. “Brush my mane, big guy,” she said. He hopped on the bed and leaned back on the pillow as before, with Rainbow Dash nuzzling her head into his lap, just like in the car. He took the brush, channeling his inner Bob Ross, allowed it to dance and play within her prismatic mane, making her gasp in delight. His touch was rougher when he came to the particularly matted areas. Gentle but firm, he made his presence known. Some of them gave way by rubbing with his fingers; with others, he had to use the brush quite vigorously. Eventually, her mane smoothed out and became much more easier to work with. Rainbow Dash’s eyes lulled shut, intoxicated with the sheer feeling of him brushing her mane. After nearly a half hour of brushing, James had begun to grow drowsy as well. “I'm about ready to hit the sack,” James informed her. “Me too.” The mare let out a little yawn. They shifted around on the bed so that Dash would be lying right on top of James. Because of the pure awkwardness of it, she had opted to simply lay astride him, with her head on James’s chest. He may have gotten used to foreign exchange students sleeping in his bed with him, but this time was different. He had precisely no idea how she’d react, but she seemed to like it. And so they laid in bed together, James embracing Dash in his arms, his heartbeat drawing her in closer to him as they both said “Good night” to each other. At this point, Kath ventured upstairs to check in on them, unprepared for the sheer cuteness of what she was about to encounter. “Awwwwww!” Author's Note Hope you're liking it so far. Second part will be the orientation, and the third part will more than likely be some family-related stuff -- that is, if all goes according to plan.
Coming to the U.S.A. [pt 2]7 August James and Rainbow Dash were still sleeping together, Dash’s head on James’s chest, as they’ve been accustomed to since the young mare arrived in America last week. The early-morning sun, just beginning to crest over the horizon, peeked through the window and illuminated the computer desk. Elvis, the family’s black-and-white cat, wandered upstairs and hopped on the bed. From the way he was pawing James’s face and meowing, one could tell that he wanted fed. The cat rubbed himself around James’s face, played with his hair, and sat on him in an attempt to wake him from his slumber. “Hey there Elvis, you want fed?” Elvis meowed sweetly in response. James, in turn, roused Dash from her sleep. The first thing they noticed was the irresistible aroma of pancakes being cooked. She was salivating in an instant. Both of them rushed downstairs and into the kitchen. Kath and Chris were both making small stacks of fluffy, golden, delicious pancakes on an electric griddle while maple syrup was being heated up on the stove. “Oh cock,” James said, “the pancakes aren’t quite done yet. Want some coffee?” “I’d kill for some coffee right now,” the mare told him, “that’s as rich and bold and vibrant and sweet as you are.” James stopped in his tracks. Chris looked over his shoulder in surprise. “Rainbow Dash! You’re not trying to seduce my dearest son, are you?” “It ain’t my fault he’s so handsome,” she retorted, making him chuckle. James made his way towards the sink, where he washed his mug. He popped off the top lid of the Keurig to pour in his water before reaching over towards the cupboard and retrieving a portion of coffee and some Splenda. After a few minutes, his coffee was brewed. From the fridge, he took out a bottle of milk (he hated coffee creamer) and splashed some into the coffee, then stirred it all together. Dash did almost the exact same, but with a mug that Chris and Kath gave her as an impromptu welcome present after she’d accidentally used Chris’s favorite mug. The mug had an American flag painted on one side, with a mini-portrait of the Royal Sisters on the other side, and she adored everything about it. Soon enough, breakfast was ready; James and Rainbow Dash were ready to eat. Both of them had a stack of pancakes with maple syrup ladled all over, with coffee at the ready. It only took about fifteen minutes for them to finish their pancakes and gulp down their coffee in the midst of all the somewhat restrained anticipation of what was to come. Today was the day that the Van Driessens would be leaving for Washington, D.C., the United States’ capital city, for the official Equestrian Friendship Exchange orientation. It was incredibly different from other orientations they’d been to. Usually, the exchange kid would go to a camp somewhere for their orientation before meeting them or their host family; for this program, the exchange kid and their host family went to orientation together. James thought, at one point, if it was because of the sheer difference between ponykind and humankind, or maybe because of ideological or political differences. All the uncertainty was overshadowed, however, by all the excitement for the trip. James, at Kath’s request, packed a small bag with a few changes of clothes, his sandals, his sneakers, his Ray-Bans, his fedora, his pajamas, his tablet and phone, including the chargers for them, and a plastic baggie for toiletries. Rainbow Dash packed a similar-sized bag, the big difference being that she packed most of her Wonderbolts fan-gear, not leaving much room for her other belongings. Both of them were loaded in the back of the car. When their parents’ suitcases were loaded into the boot, there was just enough room left for the rear door to fully close. James then went through the house, turning off all the air conditioning, lights, appliances, and electronics; he locked every door and window in the house, leaving the back door unlocked so when Jeremy arrived to watch Elvis and Priscilla, they would be taken especially good care of. When he emerged out the back door, Chris, Kath, and Rainbow Dash were raring to get moving. James hopped in the backseat, next to the mare. He plugged his earbuds in, offered her one of them, and turned on a playlist of James’s favourites, including some older stuff that his parents were into. Over the course of the four-hour drive, it was almost serene; the four of them drove over the mountains on the winding country roads, past the majestic scenery and all the trees. She perked up with excitement when she saw a windfarm out the window. “They have those back home, James,” she beamed. “Do they make electricity like ours do?” James asked. “Thank our neighbours for that.” He chuckled, settled down, and put on some Genesis for the time being. As they passed through two little towns in the mountains, he was barely able to notice the other earbud (the one he’d offered to Rainbow Dash) fall out of her other ear Soon, the road straightened out. James knew all too well what that meant. Chris looked up at the rear-view mirror and shot a look at James, saying, “Ya ready?” “Hell yeah, bruv!” James shouted back, changing over to heavy metal to fit the occasion. As soon as he said that, Chris shoved down on the gas pedal. A delightful noise erupted from the engine as the car picked up speed. When they reached a particularly sharp curve, Chris squeezed the power through it, giving the car just a dab of the handbrake to keep it under control. Rainbow Dash, clearly liking the experience, was egging Chris on to go faster. “I’m already going ninety miles an hour,” Chris said. “Given how fast we’re going now, it looks like we’ll have to stop for fuel.” He slowed down when they reached a big coal-fired power plant; that landmark, plus the dam that held back its cooling water, was the sign that they were about to enter the small town of Liberty. “James…” “Yes?” “I’m gonna stop for gas. Do you want anything? Does Rainbow want anything?” James panned over to her host sister, who was now having a midday snooze. “Hmm, Dashie’s napping.” “I was sure she’d get over her jet lag by now,” Chris said, a nonplussed look on his face. “But I am quite thirsty. I’ll buy myself something while I’m here, I guess.” With that, Chris pulled into the petrol station. James took out his earbuds, turned off his phone, and headed inside while his dad was refueling. He took out his wallet for some money, bought a bottle of sweet tea, and was out the door fairly quickly. He opened the car door and was surprised to see her awake. “Oh hey there, I didn’t expect to see you awake.” “Where are we?” the mare asked, not knowing where she was. “We’re at a petrol station,” he explained, “and we’re still in the mountains. When we get onto the highway, we’ll be in Virginia in roughly an hour.” “Sweet.” “Keep looking out the windows, though. This part of the state is still very beautiful.” At that point, Chris had come back from the petrol station and was ready to roll again. He found his way to the surprisingly uncongested motorway. To their convenience, there was a scenic area right nearby, just beneath the commandeering stature of the windmill-topped Allegheny Front; that was exactly where he stopped the car. Kath, ever the opportunist, had an idea. When they first picked up Rainbow Dash from the Pittsburgh airport, she originally wanted to take a picture of her and James at the state line going into West Virginia; however, that was thwarted when they’d fallen asleep in the back seat on the initial trip back. She whipped out her camera. Channeling her inner director, she had James and Dash stand beside each other, with the rolling hills in the background. “Say cheese!” She took a few more with Chris in the picture, and after that, she handed the camera off to her partner so she could get in them as well. Once that was over, James and his rainbow-maned mare friend (two words, mind) put the earbuds back in, and put on some Hootie and the Blowfish. That was how it was -- Chris and Kath chatting between themselves, James and Rainbow listening to music -- until they reached the interstate highway leading towards Washington itself. The traffic began to slow to a crawl, packing the road, much to Rainbow’s dismay; it was precisely the exact opposite of the gracefully winding four-lane from earlier. “What’s going on?!” the mare demanded to know. “This is rush-hour traffic,” James explained. “It gets jammed like this when people commute to and from work. An everyday occurrence, yes?” “Well, how long is this gonna last?” “Same thing happened in Pittsburgh when you first got here. It’s nothing to worry about,” Chris interjected. Rainbow, still quite tense and impatient, tried to cope with the fact that it was going to be very slow for the rest of the way to the hotel they’d be staying at for the orientation. Luckily for her, she had James as her host brother and companion. She moved over to his side, nuzzling her head into his chest. This had a relaxing effect on him. “Mmm, that feels nice,” he moaned softly. He was feeling incredibly comfortable despite the traffic outside the car windows. He scratched the mare’s ear, eliciting a gasp. He then ran his fingers gently through her mane, separating the individual colours and straightening out unruly strands. “You’re doing great,” Rainbow whispered. Just then, an idea came to James’s mind. He pulled the lever that adjusts the seat and leaned back, allowing her better access to him. She cuddled close to James again, and James let her have it… He ran his fingers slowly and lightly up and down her back, occasionally stopping to admire her wings and how soft they felt. “That’s awesome,” Rainbow whispered, almost soundlessly. In response, James gave her a quick but loving peck on the cheek. She sighed whilst in her bliss, and fell asleep with him continuing to stroke her back; traffic was still moving at a snail’s pace on the seemingly vast expanse of suburban highway. • • • • • The Van Driessens managed, somehow, to reach the Washington Hilton with time to spare. A bell boy was already at the front door, ready to carry luggage. The lobby was already stuffed full of guests. Besides the throng of families and splotches of businessmen in suits and ties scattered throughout, the remainder of the ponies from the Equestrian Friendship Exchange (as well as their host families) were preparing to check in for the orientation. Since Kath made the wise decision to book their room in advance over the Internet, their room was already being prepared. Rainbow Dash looked at the schedule that Maria gave her the day before, and decided, given the fact that she and James were already there, to introduce her host brother to a few of her friends. She beckoned him along to where a pink pegasus mare was sitting amongst her luggage. Rainbow reached out a hoof and shouted, “Hey, Firefly!” “Hey Rainbow, what’s up?” “Not much,” she said. “Just got here, and getting checked in. I’m just introducing James here to some friends of mine.” James waved meekly at Firefly, giving the most awkward grin of his life. “Firefly, this is James, my host brother.” “Nice to meet you,” she said, shaking his hand as James continued to smile. “She’s one of my closest friends from the Cloudsdale Flight Academy. We’re on the hoofball team together!” she declared with a measure of vivacity. While she was gushing over her glory days at the Academy, James dithered over their official schedule. Rainbow Dash was scheduled to receive more cultural awareness training from 11:00 until 2:00 in the afternoon along with the first round of Equestrian exchange students that came to America as well as other exchange students from other programs; in the meantime, the other half of the group were free to explore the city at their leisure. “Hey, James,” Firefly nudged him. “What’s up?” “I really want to get to know you better. While Rainbow here’s getting orientated… whatever that is…” James giggled. His host sister wasn't amused. “Maybe we can go see some stuff?” He pondered for a moment. “The Natural History Museum has some pretty interesting stuff. I went there once on an overnight class trip in the eighth grade.” “How was it?” “I remember it well… partially because we had Jean-Pierre that year and I translated some things into French for him because he didn't speak English as well as I could.” “At least you helped out.” “I'd love to go there. But I need to go take care of a few things first.” “Alrighty!” Firefly beamed. “Go do that.” With that, it was set. But first things first: the luggage was hauled up the elevators to the seventh floor, down a long hallway, and to their room, which was at the end of said hallway and part of a block of rooms set aside for the Equestrian exchange students and their families. James nearly collapsed under the weight of the stuff he was carrying when Chris opened the door to the room. Walking inside, they feasted their eyes upon the glamour of the inside; the cozy, sophisticated atmosphere was augmented with a giant chocolate-colored couch, a swanky kitchenette-type area, a flat-screen TV, and a pair of warm beds to snuggle on. The windows offered an excellent view of the pool and the Kalorama area, not to mention the not-too-far-off Dupont Circle. James unloaded his chargers -- one for his phone, the other for his tablet -- and plugged them into the outlet next to the nightstand; his tablet would be on the charge for the time being. He grabbed his phone, making sure it was fully charged before placing it in his pocket, before he walked Rainbow Dash to her orientation. He dropped her off at a conference room where the orientation was being held, and said hello to Firefly again as she joined the group of students that came over on the first flight. James looked back through the schedule to gain a sense as to the time they’d be out. “Let’s see… Dash and first group have their orientation until 2:00. Dash wants to meet us at the McDonald’s on 17th Street for lunch, then you’ve got your orientation at 3:30, which should be done by 6:00. After that, Maria wants to take us lot to see all the monuments all lit up at night.” “Mmm, that’ll be cool,” Firefly said. The two made their way out the front door, through the line for valet parking, and onto Connecticut Avenue. “My parents told me that they’d be going to the Gallery of Art, so they left us some money for admission and lunch... y’know, things like that... while we’re in town,” James declared proudly. “Sweet,” Firefly told him, appreciating their generosity. “Hop on my back.” At first, James raised an eyebrow at her, not knowing what to think, mouth agape. “I’m serious, dude.” Apprehensively, he mounted the pegasus mare, seating himself on her flanks, silently scared out of his mind. She spread her wings to ready herself for takeoff. “Okay, now reach up and hold onto my neck with your hands… I dunno if this’ll affect my balance, but it’s worth a try. Here we go!” James audibly swallowed a lump in his throat, and he shuddered. Firefly carefully flapped her wings until the two were airborne, then flew over Dupont Circle. “This isn’t half bad,” he shouted as they were flying over the avenue. “I’m actually starting to like it!” “See, all it took was that first step,” she said. “Now where’s that museum?” “Keep going straight, but don’t get too close to the White House...” Their flight path took them directly over the North Lawn. He tugged on her mane to try and redirect her away from that area. “...or else the Secret Service won’t be very happy. Now back this way...” Firefly went down 15th Street, as directed. “...make a left here, and it’ll be the second big building on your right. You can land right on the sidewalk -- no, actually, go round it, the entrance is on the other side.” She landed on the staircase like a bird approaching her nest. He dismounted and scratched her ear, earning a few odd looks from passersby, before they walked towards the entrance together. • • • • • About an hour and a half later, James and Firefly came out of the Natural History Museum having thoroughly enjoyed the experience. James hopped back onto the mare’s back and she took off again, this time towards the Capitol, being incredibly careful to not drop him. “There’s where most of our hot air comes from,” James said, referring to the tense nature of American politics. He also pointed out where both the House of Representatives and Senate chambers were. “What do you mean by ‘hot air’?” “If there’s one thing you need to know about America, it’s the fact that we often like to put stupid people in charge,” he said jokingly. “and their natural habitat is here in Washington.” Firefly laughed as they turned about the Capitol dome, which was undergoing renovation. “Do they have stupid people in Charleston?” “Our state capital? Sure, we have our fair share of ‘em, but they’ve taken over the place as of late.” “Right…” she dismissed. “What time is it?” James pulled out his phone to check that it was going on 2:25. “We’d better be going if we’re going to meet RD in time!” She picked up her speed immediately after his impromptu time check, messing up both of their hairdos in transit. It was about 2:30 when everypony arrived at McDonalds. James ordered his usual, a double cheeseburger with large fries. Rainbow Dash and Firefly ordered salads, since they were naturally averse to meat. “So how was orientation?” James asked when he arrived at their table. “Not half bad,” Dash told him whilst digging into her salad. “I've sat through worse.” James was sipping his Diet Coke when Firefly asked, “How is school like?” “Well, it’s pretty cool,” he began. “Unlike some of the teachers there.” Rainbow peeked her head up from the salad bowl. “Don’t worry about it. He’s on the Student Council, so he knows most of the teachers by name.” James’s eyes bulged open and his smile widened from ear to ear, happy with that bit of praise. He was the student body president, after all. Firefly then asked, seemingly out of the blue, “Soooo… James and I had an interesting conversation on the way up here.” “We were talking about…” he said, just before he stopped mid-sentence to avoid what could have been one of the most awkward discussion topics in the history of mankind. “...y’know what, never mind.” He returned to indulging in his double cheeseburger and fries. Soon enough, they were finished with their meals. Firefly retired to the hotel for her orientation, so he and Dash had the perfect opportunity for quality time… and Dash had the perfect idea for that. “C’m’ere,” she told him, escorting him outside to the walk. “I want you to hold on tight, okay?” The mare directed him to grab onto her front legs while she carried him under her. It felt strange, though, to be hanging in the air as he was, considering that his very first experience with flying came earlier that day; consequently, he was in for quite the surprise. She flapped her wings to thrust them both into the air before staying there for a few minutes to let him become accustomed. “This is gonna be so awesome… you’ll love it,” she said, raring to go. James gulped audibly. She started off at an incredible speed, rising slightly and to the right towards the Lincoln Memorial before descending a bit, veering to the left around the Washington Monument. That turn spat them out towards the Capitol, where she performed a tight helix round the iconic dome. James was close to fighting motion sickness at this point, but there was more… She approached the Botanic Garden for some airtime, then peeled back towards the mall, increasing her speed. After that, she pulled her wings up and shot skyward -- hard and unforgivingly -- for about a half-mile, causing James to scream in terror. “WHAT THE HELL ARE WE DOING UP HERE?!” He still clung steadfastly to Rainbow’s body, afraid of falling to the ground. She then oriented herself in midair so that he was facing the sky. The sun was about to begin its daily disappearing act that gives way to night... “Turn around.” He flipped himself around as he was directed, albeit still shaking from what he’d just experienced, to see his host sister’s eyes looking right through him. In an instant, he shifted into the perfect position to deliver a soul-fulfilling kiss on the lips, which deepened as their tongues danced and teased one another. He felt the curve of her face while Dash ran a hoof up and down his back. Breaking the kiss to catch his breath, James asked, “Is this why you brought me up here?” “Pretty much, yeah,” was her simple response. “Alright…” James dismissed the thought, and the couple continued their excursion on cloud nine, literally. • • • • • The sky became a Bob Ross painting as the sun set over the National Mall. The impeccable group gathered under the Washington Monument, where Maria did a quick headcount before discussing the game plan. First, they would be visiting the World War II Memorial and walking along the reflecting pool to the Lincoln Memorial. After pictures, stops were planned at both the Korean War Veterans Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Following that, they intended to backtrack through the Constitutional Gardens to the Washington Monument and head towards the Jefferson Memorial. Simple enough, James thought to himself. With that, they were off. Crossing the street wasn’t an easy matter; the pegasi could fly across, and the unicorns could teleport themselves. To protect the handful of earth ponies, some of the parents stood guard at the nearby crosswalk while they negotiated the crossing. The first landmark, the World War II Memorial, consisted of an elliptical water feature with a fountain on either side, flanked on its ends by two granite arch towers, representing the Atlantic and Pacific Campaigns, respectively. Twenty-five granite pillars ringed the memorial in two semicircles, each equally divided down the middle by the arch towers; the pillars represented the 48 states (at the time of the war), D.C., as well as overseas collectivities. Snapshots from the war adorned the memorial on all sides, reminding all who visited about the human cost of not only WWII, but war in general. The lights began to turn on around the memorial when Rainbow and Firefly finally finished taking photos with James and his family under West Virginia’s pillar. James rode on Rainbow’s back during the walk down the reflecting pool towards the Lincoln Memorial. Because he’d fully conquered his unease with riding his pony friends, James was yammering on about a similar experience in D.C. during a class excursion. “...and I remember that well, mainly because Jeremy had to use the bathroom the whole damn time and Richard was snogging her latest girlfriend…” She was beyond annoyed with James’s seemingly endless locution, so once they reached the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, she let him go. He took a few selfies and photos with Firefly, Lyra, Bonbon, and the group of athletic colts from earlier. Maria insisted on a group photo of all the exchange ponies, so James went off to the top of the steps of the Memorial to take photos of the beautiful night skyline; he could hear the roar of a 747 overhead, preparing to land at the nearby airport, as he experimented with the camera in his phone. Maria’s camera, unbelievably, was still going. Rainbow, clearly growing impatient, demanded that he caress her hair on their way to the Vietnam Memorial. This monument was engraved with all the names of the young men who fought and died in the Vietnam War. At various points, roses were left by the names of fallen servicemen, possibly those of sons, fathers, uncles, nephews, cousins, and friends. “I don’t know if we told you this,” James began, “but I had an uncle who fought in Vietnam.” “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said. “Did he die in the war?” “Not really. He’s still around.” “Okay.” The group walked along the length of the wall stoically out of respect for the dead. “While we’re on the topic of my family, my great-granddad fought in World War Two.” “Really! Where did he go?” Dash asked curiously. “He fought…” James searched the recesses of his memory for the answers he needed. “in… the south of France, I think… or was it Normandy?” “Normandy,” Kath corrected him. “He was also in Italy for a while.” “Cool! I didn't know that!” Dash exclaimed. Combined with the fact that, from a genealogical standpoint, she could possibly be related to Commander Hurricane, one of the original founders of Equestria, this made it all the more interesting. When they reached the Korean War Memorial, James had another interesting fact to share. “Y’know… my granddad was in the Air Force.” “You mean your granddad?” “The one on my Mom’s side,” he clarified. “He didn't actually fight in Korea, but he was stationed.” “Really? Where?” “In Turkey, I believe. Maybe spent some time in Morocco, though I’m not sure about that.” James reflected on that as he and the rest of the group walked amongst the lifelike statues that made up the memorial. From there, it was a short walk back towards the obelisk. Rainbow and her host brother exchanged kisses, nuzzles, and touches the whole way. When the exchange kids were reunited at the Ellipse, Maria conducted a meticulous headcount to ensure that all were present and accounted for. By then, everypony was exhausted; all the parents and family members that had come out for the orientation were feeling the same. James was drifting in and out of consciousness; thankfully, Rainbow Dash was there to carry him on her back for the long march back to the hotel. But he didn’t fall asleep. The state of limbo that he encountered at that particular moment was a result of the eventful day he shared with not only her host sister, but a group of ponies that had already grown to befriend him. The streetlights illuminated the nation’s capital city in light when as whole group returned to the hotel and crossed the threshold into the lobby. The short trip back to the hotel room, thankfully, was the last leg of the journey. Rainbow Dash entered the room first, and promptly plopped herself onto the bed that she and James would be sharing, absolutely exhausted. James was right behind her, putting his phone on the charge. As his parents hobbled in, he went to the mini-fridge to grab a soda. “Ya want anything, Dashie?” he yelled in the mare’s direction. “No thank you,” she replied weakly. He walked back over, cracking open the soda and taking a tentative sip. He drank some more of it before sitting the aluminum can on the TV stand (next to Dash’s phone, which she wasn’t allowed to have during the orientation for some reason) and sat down next to her on the bed. Once he situated himself, he retrieved his tablet and put on Netflix. Dash’s eyes, ears, and wings perked up, and she leaned in right next to her host brother, making him slightly uncomfortable. “What’cha gonna watch?” Dash said, with a hint of curiosity in her voice. “Old episodes of Innocence Hill,” he said. “I’ve been re-watching on and off since school ended last year… especially after Heidi left. You remember me telling you about Heidi, right?” The mare nodded. “I’m on the episode where Kevin and Brandon get into a fight over who fathered Renée’s baby… and, get this -- Renée was cheating on Kevin with Brandon while he was stationed in Pelican Bay!” “No way!” Dash said, surprised. Even though he’d watched the entire series, all nine seasons, front to back, six times, this episode in particular gave him chills every time he would watch it, and this time around was no exception. He tapped the screen to start the video. Barely able to contain his excitement, he shook around in the bed. The mare wrapped her front legs around his broad shoulders and squeezed him tightly to calm him down. Whilst Kevin and Brandon were commencing their shouting match on screen, Dash rubbed her head around the crevice of his neck, snuggling into him further. After fifteen minutes, when it reached the point where the big fight broke out, she reached a hoof to his head, and turned it to where he was directly facing her. Dash nuzzled him sweetly on the nose before giving him a tender kiss on the lips. James was drawn in closer, reaching a hand around her athletic body to stroke her back while she intensified the kiss. At that point, neither party was concerned about Innocence Hill… nor did they even notice Chris turning on the TV to watch sports highlights. The tablet itself was set aside on the edge of the bed. The only thing that mattered to them was the moment that they shared -- together. They broke the kiss, heavy breathing and raging hormones between them. James then moved his head up to one of her ears and nibbled ever so gently on the lobe, causing Dash to let out a gasp of pleasure. “That felt nice,” she told him, surprised. “Where’d you learn that from?” “Firefly told me about that,” James said when he released her ear from his grasp. “We were having a chat on our way to meet you at Macca’s about each of the pony races and what makes them feel good.” Dash chuckled. “Bet that was enlightening.” “It was,” he told her. “I was very surprised to learn just how sensitive you guys are.” “We’re a ‘physical’ species, after all. We’re built to be touched and loved and all that other mushy stuff.” James bit his lip gently. “For example, apparently pegasi like it if you play with their wings… unicorns like it if you fiddle around with their horns, and earth ponies have to rely on their hooves, their manes, their tails, their ears, or whatever.” “Now, you do realise that the hooves and mane thing applies to all three species, right?” “Yessssss,” he said exasperatedly. “I am aware of that.” “And you can stroke their bodies pretty much anywhere and it’d feel nice?” Meanwhile, on the tablet, Kevin was locked and barricaded in Renée’s apartment bathroom while she made out with Brandon in her bed, being mindful of her baby bump. Dash and James could barely discern the sounds of the passion being played out on screen while he softly touched Dash’s neck with a hand. “Could you take your shirt off, James? I love feeling your chest,” she told her host brother sweetly. “I gotchu fam,” he responded in kind. He pulled off his Mountaineers t-shirt, tossing it onto a nearby chair. He swigged some more of the soda while he was at it. When he picked up the tablet again, Brandon was fast asleep following their on-screen romantic tryst, his head nestled between her bosoms and his hand on her belly, feeling Renée’s unborn daughter (of disputed paternity) move for the first time. Towards the end of the episode, neither of them had the energy nor the strength to fight off sleep for a second longer. They both conked out, Dash’s head on James’s chest as usual. • • • • • A few minutes past six in the morning, James suddenly jolted awake. Nothing seemed close to being right -- he was still in his street clothes, his tablet was almost out of battery power, and, upon further investigation, still on Netflix. “Did we fall asleep and not know it?” James quietly said to himself. The TV was off, the parents were still asleep, and Rainbow was still snoozing on his chest, which was awfully cute. Nevertheless, he gingerly moved her body off of his, shimmied to one side, and crawled out of bed, placing his tablet back on the charge. The first thing he did was head for the small kitchenette, where the Keurig had been set up, and turned on a small overhead light. He brewed his favourite morning coffee as usual. He then noticed a slight rustling from the other side of the room… “James… James… where are you, buddy?” he could hear Rainbow saying in her sleep, tossing about and worrying herself to death. He ran back to her side and picked her up, cradling her to him. “I’m right here,” he said, soothing the mare; he ran his fingers up and down her back to reinforce his feelings. “You’re so warm… and so handsome, you know that?” she whispered. James moaned sweetly in response, kissing her on the forehead as he comforted her; when he heard the coffee finally being squeezed out of the machine, he let go of her. “That’s my coffee…” He went towards the Keurig and grabbed his mug to make further preparations. “You can have some, if you want.” The young mare declined his offer, opting to cling to him for warmth while he stirred in a splash of milk into his mug, enjoying the stillness of the early morning. The sun was barely peeking over the horizon, not sufficient enough to illuminate the room yet. The pair decided to sit down on the couch and bask in the security of their shared warmth. James sipped his coffee with Rainbow Dash snuggling against him and nuzzling his side from time to time. About thirty-five minutes later, Kath rose from the other bed and roused Chris from his slumber. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she explained the plan for that morning. “We need to get these bags packed,” she said groggily. “Right this second?” interjected Dash in the same sleepy, half-awake manner. “We have to be checked out by eight because Chris wants to beat the morning traffic.” She nodded in agreement, and James finished his coffee to go help Kath with the luggage. Everyone’s clothes and toiletries were jammed back into their respective bags. James made sure to gather the chargers for his phone and his tablet; he also grabbed the charger for Dash’s phone since she had a tendency to forget about things of that nature. With that settled, the fridge was emptied, the Keurig was packed, and they made their way to the lobby. While Kath was going through the motions of checking out, Chris and James loaded the car that had been driven to the front by a valet. They went back inside so that Dash would be able to say goodbye to some of her friends, at least until school started, while Chris went to the doughnut shop on the other side of T Street to get coffee. “Take care!” “You too!” “Don’t worry, I will!” Short and sweet conversations along these lines helped to pass the time while Chris was at the doughnut shop. With those little pleasantries out of the way, James and Rainbow opted to stand outside the door, underneath the canopy, waiting for Chris to arrive… Which he did, after about five minutes, with a cup of piping hot coffee in his right hand. “Shall we be off, then?” “I’ll get Kath.” • • • • • On the drive back home to West Virginia, James mostly listened to music on his iPhone while Rainbow Dash was more than happy to lay her head on his lap. The heart-warming scene was enough for Kath to sneak a picture.
Coming to the U.S.A. [pt 3]21 August To celebrate the end of the summer, it was nothing less than a tradition for the Van Driessens to fire up the grill and have a barbecue. Usually, all sorts of American delicacies, such as hamburgers, chicken wings, hot dogs, potato salad, crisps, and the like, graced the outside tables that would be set up on the back porch, alongside the sort of cuisine from the countries that their foreign exchange students would come from. Maria was almost guaranteed to be there, as well as their neighbours, family, friends, other foreign exchange students and friends from James’s school. This year, the atmosphere was slightly different; it was less of an end-of-summer barbecue and more of a welcoming party of sorts for the Equestrian Friendship Exchange. All of Rainbow Dash’s and James’s friends came by, as well as their new classmates. James was off to one side, chatting with Richard and Jeremy over ginger beer. “I can’t believe school starts Monday,” Jeremy said, slightly depressed. “Same,” James and Richard seconded, almost at once. “But look on the bright side,” said James. “I get to start shouting at homeroom reps pretty soon, I’m gonna have a new office…” “But I… have the keys,” Jeremy interrupted. “It’s usually the vice president that has the keys to the student council offices.” Richard chuckled softly. “That means you can practically lock him out whenever you feel like!” “Now that I won’t do,” Jeremy said. “And even then, why would I do that? He’s been a friend of mine for years…” Rainbow Dash flew up next to James and nuzzled into his side, eliciting an “Awwww!” from Richard and drawing him and Jeremy out of their little disagreement. “Hi James.” “You’re being awfully cute this evening,” James remarked as he turned around ever so slightly on the ball of his foot. “I see you brought some of your friends along.” “That I have.” James could recognise Firefly’s pink coat and cobalt blue mane in an instant; he recalled Derpy and Gilda from when they met at the orientation. He turned his head in Firefly’s direction. “Hey, I know you.” “Rainbow told me all about you,” Firefly said, excitedly. “We met at orientation, didn’t we?” “Had lunch together an’ all that,” he remembered lucidly. “Dash picked me up and flew me around the National Mall.” “And you were screaming and shouting the whole time --” “That I did,” James admitted, embarrassed. “After I’d gotten used to it, I let her fly to friends of mine, into town, to the mall. It’s the greatest feeling in the world, to be honest.” Rainbow Dash grinned from ear-to-ear, squealing in delight. “See? I knew you’d like it!” James smiled and took another sip of his ginger beer. “And these two are Richard and Jeremy. I’ve known them since I was little.” “Pleasure,” Jeremy said, extending a hand. “Pleasure,” Richard said, with almost the same enthusiasm. “I take it you’ve met Rainbow?” James put forward, the others assenting. Rainbow motioned for Surprise, Derpy, Lyra, and Bonbon to join them and make themselves known to her host brother. Surprise (a pegasus mare; white coat, a puffy yellow, arguably blond, mane and tail; incredibly spunky and hard to keep up with) was delighted to meet him. Lyra (unicorn mare; minty green mane and tail; had a knack for the harpsichord), recognising him from one of the lunches she and Bonbon treated him to when they were in DC, gave him a gentle nuzzle on the cheek; Bonbon (earth pony mare; creamy coat with the body to match; deep blue and pink, almost candy-like, mane and tail; exactly what her name implies) rubbed her head along his chest. James was suspicious as to what their intentions were -- he wasn't used to this kind of affection, even from his parents. “Do you guys do this all the time?” he asked Rainbow, a sense of urgency in his voice. Her mind was muddled for a short second as she came up with a response. “Don't worry your pretty little head about it. We often greet friends like this.” “Really?” He was beginning to get uncomfortable. “We're biologically wired this way, silly britches,” Firefly explained, manoeuvring up and leaning in close to James’s body. “Naturally, we’re a physical species,” Rainbow continued. “Parents in Equestria get physical with their children, and special someponies have their own ways of being physical simply because it's in our nature. I don't know if that's how it works here --” “If you think that's…” Richard interrupted, pointing towards James and the two mares rubbing themselves on him, “simply ‘being physical’, wait until you see prom!” James cracked a goofy smile and chuckled under his breath, recalling the scandalous dancing from last year’s prom and watching Jeremy and his date being literally dragged away from the dance after a principal became disgusted with their suggestive manner of dance. Richard laughed at the memory. “Good times…” “What’s a prom?” Derpy could be heard saying. The ditzy grey mare was behind him, so he simply waved it off, replying “I’ll explain later,” assuming it was a confused Dash asking that question. He felt a tapping on his shoulder. Turning round on his heels, he saw Firefly in his line of sight. “Hey James,” she told him, motioning for Derpy to come over, “I want you to meet Derpy. She’s a very close friend of mine.” “Nice to meet you,” he said, extending a hand. She then nuzzled her head into it; he instinctively responded by stroking his hand up and down her neck, playing with her ears, and running his fingers through her mane. He was properly introduced to everypony else -- by that, we mean everypony else -- as the evening went on. He met all the stallions (Argie, Brolly Brella, Billy, Hoops, and Quarterback), and ran into Gilda. “This is a really close friend of mine, Gilda,” Rainbow Dash said, introducing her to the griffon for the first time. “Oh hi there,” James said, slightly reluctant, pointing at a barbecue sauce stain on her face. “You've got a little something on your… uhh…” Gilda noticed just in the nick of time, wiping away the stain with her talon. “Whoa… thanks for pointing that out.” “Don't sweat it.” He noticed that his glass was empty, and asked Dash politely to refill it for him. “To the brim, if you please.” The conversation shifted back towards him and the no-excuses griffon. “When I first found out I was accepted, the first thing -- literally the first thing -- I did was go on YouTube and look up videos about American public schools…” James innately knew what was coming, so he acted to avert the latest exchange student problem. “Let me tell you something right now, brudda,” he said, leaning in to her, as if to tell her a shocking secret. “If you think it's gonna be like High School Musical or any of the stuff you see on the Internet or on the TV, you're dead wrong.” Judging by the low, gravelly tone of voice he used, she could tell he was serious. “It's the same with every exchange student almost every damn time,” James explained. “Every student we hosted had all these expectations about this country, only to be extremely disappointed in the long run. “It's thanks to this kind of crap that I have to dispel all the stereotypes… Jesus H. Christ on a Harley,” he said sternly, concluding his mini rant. James went back to talk with Rainbow Dash for the rest of the evening, newly-replenished drink in hand, introducing her to the rest of his family. Since they were already acquainted with his parents, James decided to chat with his grandparents, Paul and Lisa, while the rainbow-maned mare buzzed off to acquaint herself with some more of her host brother’s friends. “Do you guys like Rainbow Dash?” he asked. “I think she’s great,” said Lisa. “She warmed right up to you,” remarked Paul. “Usually, it takes a while for you and the exchange student to get to know each other.” “I noticed that too,” James added. “I’ve no idea if it’s the species gap or whatever, but the warming-up was pretty quick. “Speaking of which… I remember Jean-Pierre when he first came here.” He took a swig of his ginger beer and treaded carefully with his next words. “He was just coming off smoking at the time, and he acted like a hermit n’at.” “Oh yeah,” Lisa could recall. “And Max was always flirting with the ladies. What a wild one.” “I v to vremya kak my nakhodimsya na temu «wild», tam byla Marina,” Paul said, his memories of hosting Soviet students and personally bridging the gap between East and West bubbling back up as the conversation between the three of them progressed. “Prekrasnyy doch’ Rossii, ne ona?” recalled Lisa. “Ya tochno znayu? Ona byla nechetnoy, i ona ne govorit’ ochen’ mnogo angliyskom snachala,” James said, trying his best to remember. “No kak tol’ko ya vspomnil vse, chto vy i papa nauchil menya, Marina, i ya boltali, kak staryye druz’ya.” The three chuckled a bit. The youngest of them smiled in appreciation of the relationship they shared; he knew for a fact that the rest of the family tree wasn’t as cultured as him, Maria, his parents, and, it could be argued, his grandparents. Throughout the course of the evening, most of the food was wolfed down, leaving small scatterings of leftovers. James and Maria did the most of the tidying up, no different than from years past; the drinks were put away, the grill was switched off, the leftovers were placed in the fridge, and all the trash was gathered up and tossed to the curb for the garbage men who collected every Monday. Once the tidying up and all other related tasks were completed, Maria bid James, Chris, and Kath adieu and retired to her home. James, ready to wind down after the day’s excitement, went into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of moscato before making his way into the living room. However, the sight of Rainbow Dash lying face-down on the couch, accompanied by the sound of her faint crying, held him in a still trance. “Hey Dashie,” he said, setting his glass down on the coffee table and kneeling at her side. “What’s wrong?” She rolled her head in his direction and opened her eyes. “Can we talk, James?” “Sure thing, hun.” He retrieved his wine and sat in the middle, the mare putting her head in his lap so that she had him in her direct line of sight. “I miss my friends back in Equestria,” she told him with tears beginning to form in her eyes. “And Soarin’ especially…” “There, there, I’ve dealt with this before. They’re all homesick at first, you’re not the only one who does,” James reassured her, kissing her sweetly on the cheek. She wiped away some tears with a hoof, continuing while he sipped and swirled his wine. “Thanks for understanding…” “Aww, it’s no big.” “It’s just that… I’ve been thinking about all my friends back home… and how I miss them so much…” Cue the waterworks again. “Go on…” “And Spitfire… and Soarin’ too…” “Whoa, calm down. You’re getting tense.” He set his glass down for a brief moment. “Sorry about that,” she digressed slightly before restarting the conversation. “When I found out I was going to be a Wonderbolt, I was in nothing less than pure ecstasy. My best friends were, putting it mildly, elated, even Fluttershy.” “You’re talking about the little yellow one who’s in Worthington?” She nodded in the affirmative. “Mmm-hmm. She and Brolly video-chat all the time.” He moistened his lips and took a rather noisy sip of his white wine before swishing it round his mouth, trying his best to subdue the burn of the alcohol, his breathing somewhat heavy. “Now what of these… Soarin’ and Spitfire characters? Tell me about ‘em.” “Captains of the Wonderbolts,” she told him matter-of-factly. “Spitfire’s in charge, and Soarin’ is her wingpony. Those two have become like close friends and family to me… I even asked Soarin’ to be my special somepony a few months ago, and we’ve talked about starting a herd together with him and Spitfire…” A brief pause. “I see now…” James rose from the couch, leaving his wine at the table and seemingly leaving Rainbow Dash to her conflicted and clouded thoughts. He ran upstairs to their shared bathroom to grab his mare’s favourite brush, the one that he used the first night they were together in America. He went back for the couch and resumed from where he had left off. “Soarin’, from the looks of it, is your boyfriend…?” “Special somepony,” Rainbow corrected him. James went to work brushing her mane. “Yes… and with him and Spitfire being away, plus the fact that you’re away from your friends and family,” he postulated, “you need someone different in your life to fill that void.” She turned her head to him and said, “Is that all there is?” “And I’ve been thinking…” He scrunched his eyebrows, deep in thought. “What if… I was like a significant other for you?” “So, my special somepony?” “If you put it that way, I guess so,” he told her. “Wow… you mean it?” “I mean it. But if -- and only if -- you’re willing to go through with it.” The young mare hadn’t the slightest clue what to think at that point in time, as if the world were frozen in time. She shook her head in disbelief, breaking James’s concentration. He finished his wine in one big gulp and set the empty glass back on the coffee table. He was eagerly waiting her decision… “You want to be my… special somepony?” she asked. James clutched her in his arms, holding her head to his chest and gently stroking her neck with his hand. “Yes. But the question is, do you want to be my special somepony?” She could hear James’s dull heartbeat through his shirt. Her eyes began to droop and grow heavy. She softly whispered… “I think that'd be so awesome…” A tear fell down her host brother’s cheek as he smiled. As if by instinct, he brought her head up to his and planted a tender, sweet kiss on her lips. In the stillness of the moment, one could hear the faint sound of sports scores being read off in the other room, as a result of Chris watching TV in the master bedroom. The two broke the kiss, their breathing slow and steady, emotions seeping through their thoughts and their bodies as well. Rainbow Dash’s voice ended the silence permeating the room. “Can we go to the mall this weekend?” “Sure, I'll ask my mum first thing in the morning. For now, let's just wash up and go to bed.” “As long as you can put your phone down for five seconds!” James chuckled. I take it you enjoyed your welcome, he thought, grinning. This year was looking to be an awesome one indeed.
Day One24 August The alarm on James's phone pierced through the silence of the early morning. Rainbow Dash was still sleeping on his chest, so he had to be careful in order to reach over to his nightstand and turn the alarm off. His moving about roused the mare on top of him. She sat there, slightly awake, as he trudged down the stairs and gently made his way towards the kitchen. With all the lights still turned off, he took his mug off the hook on the side of the cupboard. He filled it with water, flipped open the lid on the Keurig, and poured the water inside. He went for another cabinet and retrieved a coffee pod and two packets of sweetener. He returned to the Keurig machine and tore open the sweetener before preparing everything else. He pressed the Brew button and went back upstairs to wake up Dash. “Wake up, honeybuns,” James said. In response, she rolled over onto her back like a dog and groaned under her breath. “Just five more minutes…” “Come on Dash, you know we have school in the morning. I explained it, like, a thousand times.” She remained motionless. “Alright… I guess we'll have to do this the hard way…” James hopped up on the bed and tentatively tickled Dash’s belly, making her toss and turn, laughing softly. Eventually, she was wide awake. “I've got coffee downstairs,” he told her. “Awesome,” she said. In the kitchen, James's coffee was ready. He took his mug, went to the fridge, and poured in a splash of creamer, swirling it around to ensure it was fully incorporated. He then went back upstairs while Dash made herself coffee. He set his coffee on the nightstand, picked up the TV remote, and turned it to the local news; he often had this in the background while he browsed Reddit on his tablet, sipping his coffee all the while. About a half hour later, he gulped down the last of it, then went into the bathroom, Rainbow following him in. The two brushed their teeth, and he helped her brush her mane and tail. When she offered to take both her and James’s coffee mugs back to the kitchen, he went back into their shared bedroom, where his clothes for the day, a bright green polo shirt and cargo shorts, were laid on Rainbow’s bed since she no longer had any intentions of using it. He slid those on and turned off the TV. He prepared his school bag by stuffing inside it all of the school supplies that he and Rainbow bought the week prior (she had her own saddlebags to carry what she bought). He also mentally reminded himself to take his phone, tablet, and the chargers to both. He descended the stairs into the living room, where Rainbow Dash was raring to go; however, James popped into Chris and Kath’s bedroom, where they were both still sleeping, to say goodbye. “Mom… we’re going now.” He gave Kath a brief, but loving kiss on the cheek. The two that were awake went to the garage with their school supplies in hand (or hoof). James pressed a button on the wall to open one of the garage doors. “Soooooo… how do you like my wheels?” he asked of Dash, pointing to his shiny (and slightly seductive) BMW M3, which sported an exquisite red paint job, twenty-inch rims, a retractable roof, leather seats, and chrome detailing. She instantly fell in love with it. “Wow! You're such a cool guy,” she exclaimed, which made James grin from ear to ear. He unlocked it and opened the back doors to load their collective stuff before he and Dash hopped in the driver’s and passenger’s seats, respectively. He started the car, jammed the transmission into first gear, and pulled out of the garage. “I’ll turn on the radio as soon as I shut the garage door,” James told Dash. “Sure, I'd like that.” He ran back in, closed the door, and came out the front. As soon as he got back in, he tuned the radio to his favorite morning radio show before shifting the car back into gear and prepared for the drive into town. James made a left, then took his nifty little piece of German engineering down the mountainous, curvy one-track road, passing his old elementary school. Once he reached the road’s intersection, he turned left again, this time slamming the gears at high speed for a touch of excitement (especially on Rainbow’s part), but calming down slightly coming into town. James had to stop behind a school bus at one point, causing him to stew a little. Luckily, the bus wasn’t too much of a worry coming into town. At Rainbow’s request, James opened the retractable roof as he made his way down the main street and downtown. He turned right onto the main road, crossing the railroad tracks, until he reached the donut shop that he swung by every morning before school, aptly named the House of Donuts. The drive-through window was deserted when James pulled up. A nice lady noticed the two in their car. “James! Can it be…?” “Yes, it's me. I'd like my usual, please,” he said instinctively. “Who's the other one this time?” “This is Rainbow Dash, from Equestria.” Meekly, she said hello. “And what would you like?” “I guess… I’ll have a jelly donut,” Rainbow said, unsure of what was going on. “... with sprinkles and chocolate icing.” She quickly focused her attention back to James. “Who was that?” “The folks who work at the donut shop?” Nonchalantly, he shrugged and answered, “Most of them know me. Same thing happens when Jeremy comes here. Since we’re both on the Student Council, they’re always happy to go the extra mile whenever we need it.” “For, like… dances and stuff?” “Pretty much,” he said. “Jeremy knows most of the people that own the shops in town, so they do us favours all the time.” At this point, the worker handed a paper bag through the window for James to grab. Once he paid the appropriate amount, he opened the bag and reached inside to give Rainbow Dash her jelly donut. While she was happily munching away at it, her host brother took a massive gulp of the piping-hot coffee in his hands before shoving one of the two glazed donuts left in the bag into his mouth and breaking off a sizable bite. “This jelly donut is so awesome,” the mare squealed in delight. “I know!” James said, echoing her sentiments as he shifted the BMW back towards the main road and closed the roof back up. “This place makes the best damn donuts in the state.” Rainbow then took an unusually large bite out of her donut, which squirted the filling out of the other end with enough force to land on James’s sleeve. “Oh, come on!” Being the jokester that she was, she laughed out loud. James wasn’t amused, grumbling under his breath as he went up the hill. The route to school traversed a few more hills and passed a big warehouse before he reached the approach road, at which point he’d consumed both of the donuts and the coffee was beginning to take its miraculous effect. Easing up the hill, there it stood: an imposing, two-story, boring beige brick school building with a number of accoutrements sprouting from it to accommodate the gym, the auditorium, and the art and music wings. The athletic complex was close by, consisting of a good-sized stadium for football, soccer, and other games of the sort, an Olympic swimming pool that the locals often used during the summer months, a few tennis and basketball courts, a baseball/softball field, and a pair of intramural fields for various purposes fringed with picnicking pavilions and barbecue spits; on top of that, the school was ringed on three sides by woods, which made it perfect for hikers, bikers, and cross-country runners. Farther off, a farm, complete with a barn and a few sheds, was used by the Future Farmers; there was also an amphitheatre on the other side of the stadium, although both places were difficult to see from a distance. Right beside the school, the parking lot flanked both the stadium and the school building itself. He parked in his preferred parking spot - right next to one of the side entrances, within sight of the courtyard. He was a giggling little schoolgirl inside, knowing that this spot was truly his after having to fight off the underclassmen and a handful of teachers for it. He shifted the BMW into neutral, turned off the engine, and he and Dash gathered everything they needed to start off the school year off right. He and Dash made their way through the door, where a teacher let the two in. James then set his bags down in the base of the nearby stairwell to retrieve his schedule; she was doing the same with her saddlebags. “Let’s see… I’ve had the same homeroom for the past three years,” he said to himself. “That’s upstairs. But as far as Dashie…” “I’ve got it!” she half-shouted, causing James to have to pause his train of thought. “Ah, there you go.” He went over to her and pored over Dash’s schedule, comparing the two before making a startling discovery. “Well, would you look at this… we have the same homeroom.” The young mare’s eyes grew wide, and a smile crept onto her face. At this point, she couldn’t wait another second. Luckily, he knew the exact location of the room in question, so she let him lead the way. They went up the stairs and found room 216, which was in an incredibly easy-to-miss-if-you’re-not-careful sort of hallway. Inside, students’ work, motivational posters, school-related announcements, bookshelves, cubbies, and other various storage devices lined the walls. Most of his friends and closest acquaintances were already sitting at the three tables, most in varying stages of consciousness, others already hopped up on coffee and chatting amongst themselves. John was fighting off sleep at the same table as Chris and Jason. David fist-bumped James on the way in. At the next table, Lyra was texting away on her phone alongside Bon Bon and Christina, a fellow senior. Richard, who would sit at this table, made many fruitless attempts to woo Christina over the years. Dash shook off her saddlebags and set them under the third table at which James preferred to sit. He did the same thing with his own bags, setting his binder and notebooks in front of him. Jeremy (the student body vice president) came stumbling in, situating himself on the adjacent side of the table from James. Firefly arrived shortly after. The last one in was Ashley, a beautiful long-haired girl who was James’s longtime neighbour and, from time to time, lover; this history became apparent from the way she sauntered over towards James, caressed his meticulously clean-shaven jawline, and leaned down to give him a steamy kiss on his lips before taking her seat on the side adjacent to Dash. The mare was visibly confused, her eyes bulging out, and her ears bending downward. “Umm… who was she?” “I’ll explain later who she is,” James dismissed. Their homeroom teacher of three (going on four) years, Mrs. Beaumont, entered the classroom, large coffee in hand, just before the tardy bell rang. Her maturity and wisdom, as well as her pixie-cut blonde hair and sharp physique, served as the only reminder of maturity in a school environment that changed from year to year, or month to month. “Good morning, scholars,” she called out, acknowledged by the faint, half-arsed mumbles of the barely-awake students. “I hope we have a fantastic year,” she said, with a hint of optimism, perhaps because of the coffee. “I’m going to run out to my car to grab a few things, I’ll be right back…” “She’s a really cool teacher,” James told Dash. However, the mare’s mind was fixated on only one thing at that moment. “But… who was that girl who kissed you?” James went into near-shutdown mode for a minute, scratching his chin at times, before explaining: “Ashley… is my next-door neighbour. She moved here when I was in the… fourth or fifth grade, if I recall correctly, and she liked me. A lot.” Rainbow’s ears perked up. “The summer before we both started middle school, we did things, we fooled around, we even dated. Her parents were cool with everything…” “On top of that, I had my friends, she had her friends, and we both had our significant others. We were always there for each other, and she was like a sister to me. Every breakup, every breakdown, every problem, I always confided in her.” Dash processed all the information while Mrs. Beaumont was passing revised class schedules around the room. “Wow… she must be really special.” “Putting it lightly,” James replied. “She also made my eighth grade promotion really special.” Her head was already swimming in thought, despite the early hour of the morning. “Did she…?” James nodded in the affirmative. “Wait… don't high school relationships fail after the first two weeks?” “I've no idea whether or not that's true,” he said, “and while it may be true back home, over here, we tend to stick with the one person we see ourselves spending the rest of our lives with.” “That’s cute…” James mumbled at a level that Dash couldn’t hear; he didn’t take into account her sensitive ears, which detected his noises. “What was that, dude?” He tapped the table, sighing heavily. “Now I remember you telling me that you were… polygamous or something.” Dash facehoofed, rocking her head back and forth. “I’ll explain that later…” • • • • • James’s first class that day was Health, in room 131. The teacher, Ms. Tuohy, knew James for about three years; she possessed jet-black hair, perfectly sculpted makeup, and flawless eyebrows. Inside, Christina was sitting in the front row, so he took his seat directly behind her. Several other seniors, the lot of whom were little more than acquaintances, rushed in and claimed all of the seats at the front of the room. The two Equestrians in the class (Argie, a colt with a grey coat and a brown, slightly orange colored mane, and Derpy, the incredibly ditzy one) settled for seats closer to Tuohy’s desk. This class lasted from 8:20 to 9:05. James’s lit-comp English class was in room 105, in the other corridor. Her ladyship, Ms. Courtney, the old battle axe, ran an incredibly tight ship in the English department; she knew James well, because she served as the student council advisor at one point. The decorations were few and in-between, mainly a few discolored motivational posters from the 70s, a bookshelf that was falling apart from years of neglect, and tables littered with carvings, Sharpie graffiti, and dried-up gum stuck underneath them. James sat beside Jeremy at such a table. Jason and Chris filed in shortly after that, taking the table directly in front. Everyone else were either acquaintances or nobodies. This one lasted until 9:55. His next class was in the science department, in room 208 to be exact. Mr. Sweeney, James’s chemistry teacher, was another one of these battle-axe types. He was slightly bald, and very well respected despite him being somewhat of a mad hatter. Cabinets stocked with equipment lined three corners of the room, with lab stations in the middle where the class were to sit. Chris sat beside James at one of the lab stations at the middle of the room just as the latter was putting his binder in a compartment underneath the counter. At the lab stations behind him and to their right, respectively, sat Billy and Gilda, and Hoops and Quarterback. Three of them were bulky, athletic, and muscular-types; Gilda, from the Griffonian confederation within Equestria, was in an on-and-off romantic relationship with Billy, the jock that was sitting beside her. While Mr. Sweeney was explaining expectations and the like, Billy kept pestering James by reaching a hoof over his lab station, poking him on the back, to make him squirm in his chair; this caused Gilda to chuckle under her breath. Next to him, the other two were sputtering with amusement. The teacher simply ignored the lot of them and continued with his lecture throughout the entirety of their taunting of James. At one point, Chris turned around to face Billy and ask him nicely to stop in order to keep James from blowing his top. Luckily for James’s sanity, Sweeney paused and marched to where the brown-coated bully was sitting. “Not in my class,” he said, simply and sternly. Billy seemed to get the message. Thankfully, the rest of the class, which lasted until 10:45, transpired without incident. James had to rush down the stairwell and through the cafeteria, bags in hand, to the realm of Mr. Rochester, the school’s resident art aficionado. In his stupor, he bumped into Rainbow, causing him to fall flat on his bum and his belongings to scatter. “You okay, dude?” Rainbow asked him, concerned. “Ah’m alright,” he said. He got back on his feet without any difficulty. Firefly, who was just behind him, helped James with his stuff; he scratched her ear as a token of thanks. Once inside the art room, one could see just how chill the art teacher was. Soft, relaxing music was playing in the background, the smell of fresh, wet paint, the way the sunlight naturally illuminated the room without the aid of the fluorescent lights, his overall easy-going demeanor -- all dominated the senses, the tension in James’s body from the jocks’ teasing and taunting vanishing from his mind and body. Believe it or not, James nearly fell asleep during Mr. Rochester’s introductions. He managed to get a fifteen-minute nap in before suddenly being shaken awake by the vibrating of his phone. He fumbled in his pocket to pull it out, unlocked it, and a smile could be seen on his face to see a text from Dash; she had apparently figured out how to take a selfie. Said selfie happened to be first in a long string of pictures of either herself, Firefly, Gilda, or a combination of the three. Until 11:35, when that class ended, James exchanged selfies with his exchange sister and her friends, paying scant attention to what Mr. Rochester was saying. He left that room with a smile on his face, the jocks’ taunting far behind him. • • • • • Like a homing pigeon, he found his way to the table where he and the “lunch bunch” ate every lunch period. James’s self-packed paper bag lunch stood out amongst the rest of the gang, who carried identical plastic blue trays after filing their way patiently through the lunch line. Because of this, he was always the first to arrive. He dug out the pulled chicken sandwich he’d prepared the night before from what was left of the barbecue leftovers; he also produced a bag of chips to accompany it along with a bottle of sweet tea. While he was eating and scrolling through Twitter with his phone, Rainbow Dash found him. She was carrying a fully-stocked tray of salad in her maw, so she gingerly set the tray down on the table, occupying the seat next to her host brother. “What’s up, big guy?” she said. James set his phone down. “I’m doing great. Liking my classes so far.” Richard and Jeremy approached the table shortly after, setting their pizza and breadsticks down in front of them, directly across from Dash and James. Chris, David, John, and Jason took their places as James finished his chips and took a big swig of his tea. The lunch bunch chatted about classes for a while before another figure came to the table. Judging from the cobalt-blue hair, one would easily notice that Firefly was about to join the lunch bunch… And so was Surprise and Derpy. James’s sandwich was about three-quarters of the way consumed when Derpy warmed up to Jeremy, accepting his offer to scratch her ear. Firefly allowed Richard to pet her and run his fingers through her mane. “I heard that you two are sleeping together in the same bed,” Jeremy said teasingly to Dash and James, to their surprise. James was not very amused. “Oi… not like you’re thinking,” he rebuffed, eyebrows tense and scowling as he pulled out a pair of cookies from his lunch bag. “Maybe I like sleeping on his chest,” Dash added, coming to his defense, “while his hands move up and down my back. Did you think of that?” The curly-haired one stood there, dumbstruck. Richard’s cheeks heated up, and a smug smile grew on Surprise’s face. James patted Dash’s head lightly. The conversation turned to teachers and the freshmen; Dash, Firefly, and James were in the middle of a debate over whether Ms. Courtney was rude, incredibly dense, or both. At 12:25, with lunch consumed (for the most part), the bell rang for multipurpose period. For multipurpose period, James would attend a meeting of the school’s service club twice a week, with the other three days being reserved for “field guidance” as part of his duties as Student Council president. To clear up any confusion: this is when any number of the Student Council officers drops in on another club or meets with the members of a sports team (the football team, for example) to have a look around, or, perhaps, to give short speeches. When the Student Council began the tradition of “field guidance”, it was originally a responsibility given to the President; nowadays, all the student body officers took part. He had some idea of what to expect when he was secretary… he now felt that it was up to him to put his own spin on the practice in a way that felt natural to him. Before last year’s president was elected, “field guidance” was a boring, uninteresting affair; this time around, the bar was raised sky-high. Besides simply advice and suggestions, the Council actually made an effort to connect with the students that elected them to their office. The new style of leadership proved to be popular with the teachers as well as the students -- so popular, in fact, that such events were scheduled more often, from once a week from the start, to twice a week last year, to three times a week this year. As the new Student Council president, he was prepared to make the best of these visits and use his sociability and outgoing personality to his advantage. For the time being, however, there was more important matters to attend to. • • • • • James's maths teacher, Mr. Brown, was a bit old-fashioned. He occupied room 115, he always wore a dress shirt and tie (and a vest on occasion), and his brown hair was always slicked with hair grease that made it shine under the fluorescent light. He had a fancy projector and a mobile computer lab; other than that, the room itself was as bland as a dry biscuit. Mr. Brown was sitting at his desk silently in front of his computer, taking care of business from the morning. He knew about eighty percent of the people that were in there, which pleased him, but only just; John and David sat on either side of James at a table right beside the window. Each table had one computer, which was connected to his own through a network in a way such that Mr. Brown could see what was happening with each computer and the students could see, at least on their screens, what he was doing at the front of the room. Knowing that cell phones were strictly verboten during his lessons, so James made sure that his phone was on silent before he stuck it in one of the various pockets on his cargo shorts as class began. The next forty-five minutes passed in a blur, accented only by the occasional confiscation of some poor chap’s electronic device for one reason or another, concluding with the bell ringing at 1:45. Government and politics was certainly James's forte, so he got along well with this particular teacher, Mr. Davis. He taught at the school for many, many years, and his age, physique and his slight tinge of grey hair proved it; he was also the head football coach, so football memorabilia lined his desk. Samantha, the senior class president and the school’s cheer captain, took a seat right beside him. On his other side, Lyra nuzzled the side of James's face before taking the other empty desk. Directly across from him was Bonbon. When he turned behind him, he laid eyes on a girl he'd never seen before; her green eyes, wavy blonde hair, and curvy, well-developed womanly physique were ingrained in his memory like a photograph. “Uhhh… hi,” James said in his nervous state of mind. “Call me Alizia,” the girl replied. He could pin down the accent fairly well, which sounded somewhat European, but couldn't figure out any specific nationality. Not knowing what exactly to say next, he clammed up, pattering his hands on the desk in front of her before sloppily tossing together his next question. “Soooo… uhh… where d’ya come from?” “Cosarara,” she said simply. “I’m from Southampton.” James was overtaken with excitement at the idea of a foreign student from Cosarara, his parents’ old stomping grounds, his native land. He had to step back, tense up his entire body, and squeal as if he were a nine-year-old girl at a One Direction concert. He hyperventilated intensely. He didn’t calm down until the bell rang at 2:30, at which point he sat down in his seat with a second-grade smile on his face. James was still shaking with excitement on his way to the Student Council room as Rainbow Dash split off down the hall to her last class of the day. He rounded two corners before reaching room 210, the door of which was already wide open. Four office-style desks, complete with state-of-the-art computers and -- much to his surprise -- separate phones, surrounded a small conference table situated in the centre of the room. At the table, Jeremy was already sitting beside a middle-aged man with just the slightest touch of orange in his blonde hair, the teacher-advisor; the vice principal, Mrs. Wallin, was standing nearby. James placed his things on the table. The teacher-advisor, Mr. Harper, introduced James and Jeremy to the student body secretary, Lisa Christiana, and Amy Katrinka, the student body treasurer. They were both high-energy juniors; Amy was the captain of the girls’ soccer team, and Lisa was an active member of the art club at the school. Concerning the desks, Mr. Harper explained that the vice president’s desk was the closest to the door, and facing directly across from the president, in accordance with Student Council tradition. The secretary and treasurer also sat across from one another. James, caught up in the moment, whipped out his phone to snap a pic of his new desk while the other three were attentively listening to their new advisor. As he was preparing to text Rainbow Dash, Mr. Harper added that the desks and the areas surrounding them could be decorated to suit the councilors’ fancy. James perked up even more at the realisation and increased the pace of his texting. Once he was done, he sent his massive wall of text, picture attached, to the mare he was sharing his room with. The orientation ended as briefly as it started, with Mr. Harper quickly retiring to his classroom. Thoughts of marble paperweights, plastic palm trees, and mini-fridges danced in his head when he pulled up a chair and squeaked in next to Jeremy. “So… how was today?” “I'm liking my classes so far,” he told him. “My art teacher kinda reminds me of Bob Ross.” “I can see that. I've seen him smoking grass in the parking lot before, so I'm not that surprised.” “Also, everybody tells me that my maths teacher’s a bit of a dick, but once you really get to know him, he's actually a really chill guy.” “That's easy for you to say,” Jeremy rebutted. “Really?” “Sometimes, he has to scream at the freshmen,” Amy said. “Speaking from experience, of course.” James chuckled at Amy’s comment, then reached for a packet of paper that Mr. Harper had dropped on the table during the orientation. Upon further investigation, it contained preliminary information concerning Homecoming (which was approaching quickly), a list of class officers, as well as elections for the other various representatives on the Council. “How’re we doing these?” Jeremy asked. James was still mentally buried in the packet. Lisa and Amy both stared at him intently, awaiting some sort of response, until he suddenly slapped the papers down onto the table and rose out of his chair. “I’ve got an idea… and it’ll take a while to explain, so just bear with me.” He made his way towards a cabinet behind Jeremy’s desk and retrieved a dry-erase board and marker. “Oh boy,” Jeremy said, “Here he goes…” James scowled at the vice-president for a moment before beginning his lecture. “I was thinking that we could have…” He began scribbling and chicken-scratching on the board. “all the homeroom reps, club reps, the class officers, the sports reps, and perhaps an exchange student rep or two -- that is, if we manage that -- every one of them, be elected through secret ballot…” “Bullshit,” Lisa interrupted. “Just wait for it,” he told her. “They’ll meet in the auditorium, shall we say, once a week. We’ll run the whole thing much like the Legislature, complete with the bells and whistles and all that shit.” “That’s good and all,” Amy commented, “but I have just one question.” James paused for a second, preparing to answer. “Will we have teachers and the principal watching us?” “Naturally, they’ll want to ‘supervise’,” he explained, using air-quotes for emphasis. “I’ll have Harper and a couple other teachers help me maintain order.” “You mean like a sergeant-at-arms?” “Exactly.” He resumed his drawing. “As far as the delicate question of alliances…” He roughly tapped Jeremy’s shoulder, causing him to grumble slightly. “Can you remember, Jezza, the alliances we had in the Student Council? I can’t remember for the life of me.” The curly-haired one’s response was like rapid-fire. “The Liberal-Progressive Coalition, the Middle Road, the Conservatives, the Buccaneers, the American Patriots, and some independents here and there.” “Now you know that even though the principals just barely tolerate that sort of thing, it’s just for show, right?” “Suuuuuure…” Jeremy said, mentally relishing in the fact that the LPC (the group that himself, James, and the others were part of) were the ones truly in charge. After that, James explained further that each candidate could affiliate themselves with any one of the above groups and be elected to the Student Council. As far as oversight, Mr. Harper and the Executive Council would be responsible for making sure elections are conducted fairly and honestly. “It's brilliant,” Jeremy said of James's plan. Lisa and Amy fully agreed. “So it's settled, then.” The discussion turned to dates. “The only question is, when will the election be?” “I’m thinking sometime in September,” Lisa said. “That way, we’ll have time to get into the groove before we take on the whole council.” “The middle of September, perhaps?” Amy added. Jeremy pondered this for a moment, while James was cleaning up a few details on the whiteboard drawing he’d made. “I think that’s about right,” he finally said. “Somewhere around the third week… yeah, that’ll do nicely.” James was already putting the timetable together in his head. “Right… I think this is what we’ll do.” He proposed a week-long campaign period: candidates would declare the Friday before the election, with three days for campaigning within homerooms. Voting would occur on Thursday, with the results announced on Friday afternoon. Lisa proceeded to write down a draft of the plan on a piece of notebook paper. The plan was approved unanimously, James offering to type up the final copy within the week. On Friday, they would present this plan to Mr. Harper, Mrs. Wallin, and all of the freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior class officers to formally vote on the plan. James paused the meeting momentarily to check the time, and to text Rainbow Dash, who was currently in Physics, trying (for the most part) to stay awake in class. [Once class lets out, meet me at my Beemer.] Send. “Okay, now that we have that out’ the way… let’s talk Homecoming!” • • • • • At 3:15, James was waiting by the red BMW for Dash’s arrival, his school bags already packed in the backseat. Unbeknownst to him, the blue mare was sneaking up behind him while he was twirling his keys in his hand. She waited for the right moment before she pounced. “Boo!” Dash interjected, causing James to leap in the air and scream. “Damn, you nearly scared me,” James said. The mare laughed incessantly, while her host brother didn’t seem amused in the slightest. “Just get in the car already…” With that, the pair hopped in James’s car. When Dash tossed her saddlebags into the backseat, the two made their way back towards home. After the twenty-minute drive (attributed mainly to the after-school traffic rush), Dash made her way inside while James parked the car in the garage. Dinner was already being made at this point, so he went back out to the Beemer and retrieve all the school related materials so he could set them upstairs in the room that they shared. James felt his phone vibrate in his trousers as he arranged all his binders and folders on his desk. Digging it out, he could see that it was Ashley calling. “Hello?” “Hi, James…” Ashley could be heard saying over the phone. “I was just wondering if I could come over tonight.” “No, not tonight,” James let her down gently. “Dash has football practice tonight, and I’m driving her over.” “Oh.” “But are you still on for this weekend?” “Absolutely. I’ll get a reservation together and everything. Does Basil’s sound good?” “That sounds splendid,” James said. “Does Friday work for you?” “Friday’s good...” “And you’ll give a call if plans change?” “Certainly.” “Then I’ll see you Friday… buh-bye.” “Buh-bye.” James then hung up and went downstairs for dinner. Once dinner was consumed, Rainbow Dash gathered up all of her football stuff in her athletic bag. She and James, after telling the parents that they’d be back before nightfall and making sure the critters were fed, hopped into the BMW. They arrived at the stadium with no problems. While Rainbow was in the middle of warm-up stretches alongside Richard, Firefly, Derpy, and the rest, James was chatting with Jeremy on the phone. “I’m at football practice with Dash, and I won’t be home till dark. What’s up?” “Well, I just got off the phone with Amy,” Jeremy said. “Yes…” “And she told me of a rumour that’s been going around that the principal could be hand-picking the class officers.” “Why would that be?” James queried suspiciously. “Here’s the thing… She told me that one of the other vice-principals -- not Mrs. Wallin, it’s somebody else -- somehow wanted the class officers to stay as they are…” “You mean the ones that were elected before school let out?” “Yeah, but apparently they want us to be non-partisan, meaning we’d have to drop our party affiliations. All of us.” “Wait a minute… that must mean…” James’s head was spinning around in circles, and he was trying to steady it by waving at Dash as she was pushing a particularly heavy impact sled down the turf. He got back to the subject fairly quickly. “...they’re wanting to appoint student councilors!” “That’s unbelievable,” Jeremy could be heard exclaiming. “Y’know, I also heard that some of the teachers didn’t like how the LPC won almost every single student body officer and class officer spot, so they’re trying to hijack our plan so that it invalidates all that and lets the faculty appoint replacements for us.” “You’re on crack!” “No, I’m not… I’m not kidding. The first day, and already, people are wanting us gone.” James exhaled loudly through his nose, as the rumoured upheaval affected him personally. “I’ll tell you what… I’ll talk to Mr. Harper and see what he knows, and you can talk with Lisa, Amy, and maybe Samantha and ask them about it.” “Alright, will do,” Jeremy confirmed. “Mrs. Wallin, too?” “Better safe than sorry,” said James. “Anyways, are we still on for this weekend?” “Yeah, sure… I’m going out with Ashley on Friday. I’m taking her to Basil’s.” “Nice!” James smiled a bit. “She’s gonna love it.” “I know she will… you always treat her nice. Come to think of it, Rainbow Dash seems like a nice pony. We should do lunch on Saturday or something, and invite Richard down.” “That sounds great… I'll ask her about it after practice.” “And I'll be damn sure to quash this rumour.” “Alright…” At this point, James felt a tap on his shoulder. “I've got to be going now. See ya.” He hung up and looked over his shoulder to see Mr. Davis standing right beside him. “Would you mind coming with me for a moment?” “Sure.” James followed his teacher/head football coach into the football building, then into the weight room. The door swung shut behind the two with a heavy metallic thud. “I’ve been talking with Richard and a few of his friends.” “And?” “They’re telling me all these wonderful things about you,” he said unwaveringly. “Why would they not?” James retorted with a chuckle. “I’m the president of the Student Council, an awesome student, and my life’s great. What more could you want?” Mr. Davis paused for a moment, clearly thinking about what he was going to say next. “Listen… they really want you to be the football team manager. Rainbow Dash literally begged me to offer you the job.” “But why me, when I know nothing about football? I’m not the kind of guy who likes sports, or even cares about sports!” James raised his voice, slightly irritated at the suddenness of it all. “Our first game is in two weeks,” Mr. Davis began to explain. “Every year, we have to get sponsors, maintain our equipment, and arrange transportation to all of our games, among other things. The Boosters, thankfully, take care of most of it, but what we really need is a foundation… a cornerstone, if you will… that’s where you come into play.” “How?” James felt compelled to ask. “Richard thought that you, being the Student Council president and having all this logistic experience, would be the perfect fit for such a job.” James simply stood in place and let the machinery in his head run at full power. “Well, I do have experience, what with helping with prom and Homecoming…” “That's a start. You might personally know some of the business owners, so you could secure sponsorships for us.” “Maybe I could.” “You could also help with practices; that is, helping with equipment and uniforms and securing refreshments -- ” “Like water?” James interrupted. “Yes,” Mr. Davis said, “now we're getting somewhere.” He had James's full attention at this point. “The biggest role you would play, besides the sponsorships and stuff, is cheer on our boys -- ” “And girls,” James was quick to correct the record, acknowledging the fact that Rainbow, Firefly, Derpy, Surprise, and the others were now considered players. “Can't forget the girls… that's right… the biggest job here would be cheering on our team and being a big supporter and advocate for us. You'd also be working closely with team leaders and the boosters for arranging fundraisers, dinners, transportation to games and things like that.” James exhaled and rested his back against the concrete wall. “That's quite a tall order,” he said with a hint of concern. “I personally think you can handle it. Can you?” James nodded his head up and down. “I take that as a yes, then?” “I'll certainly have to think about it, that's for sure…” Sensing the hesitation, Mr. Davis offered one last parting olive branch. “Oh, and James?” “Yeah?” “If you can let me know about your decision by Wednesday that'd be great,” he said. “Sure.” They both left the weight room. During the drive home, his head was spinning with doubts -- about how to incorporate this new job into his current responsibilities as Student Council president and not become a complete bloody nervous wreck by the end of the year. But that took second fiddle at the moment to giving Rainbow Dash the best experience of her life in the little slice of America he called home. Knowing this, a smile crept onto his face. Author's Note My apologies for not having a chapter up for a while... a lot of things happened, keeping me busy and making me lose my writing mojo for the most part. Hopefully this chapter makes up for it! ~ Sparkle Fire ~
