Gaining Experience

by CornerEngy

Rating: everyone
Tags: Applejack, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance, Original Character, Comedy
Length: 11086

The story of a pegasus and his new life in idyllic Ponyville

Level Up is a pony with a different way of thinking. He can take a problem and turn it into a game inside his head, seeing his way to solving it. He's also rather into video games, a relatively recent craze in the magical land of Equestria.
So, when he's offered a golden opportunity to take a crack at doing something he loves, there's only one thing to do, right?
It's time for Level Up to level up!

Massive thanks to Sketchy Sounds for inspiring me to write this story and providing me with help and motivation to keep improving myself.
And another set of massive thanks to MechatheTecha for creating the fantastic cover art for this fic.
Go check out Mecha's blog over at Ask Robot Octavia-MK5
And go and read the story that inspired this one, Sketchy Salad Symphony

Published 2016-04-28 23:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2016-11-06 22:17:05 UTC

New Game

A figure in clad in dark robes approaches. It stops a good distance from you.
''Nice to see you again. It's certainly been a while.''
A pause. The figure stares at you.
''What, you've already forgotten who I am?''
The figure walks closer.
''Then allow me to remind you.''
The figure takes off the hood covering its face.
''Look familiar? It should, since you're the one who left me behind.''
Another pause.
''That's right. Nice to see that you DO remember. But do you know what happened when you walked away from me?''
Yet another pause.
''Let me show you.''
The figure pulls out a weapon. The sound of metal striking metal is heard. Battle begins.

''They couldn't make that twist any more transparent? I knew that was gonna happen when I saw that guy in the box art!''
The stone grey pegasus set the controller onto the floor. He walked over to the window in his room and opened it, letting the warm summer air in to ruffle his already messy black mane. The pony let out a sigh and looked out into the distance. The view he beheld was one he had grown up with, but it had always been a beautiful sight. The sun was high up and painted the fields around town with a golden brilliance as the crops were growing big and plentiful. It wouldn't be long now until they could be harvested. The Sun Princess had given her subjects a very warm and bright summer, and the local weather ponies had made sure that there was enough rain to keep the crops from dying. Away from the fields were the other buildings, such as the town hall and the school. Various houses spread out from the central square, spreading out in a circle. From his window the pony saw all sorts of ponies out and about, be they working, chatting or just in transit. The village wasn't big, the total number of residents being closer to a hundred. It wasn't a bad place to live in, but due to its size nothing big ever happened. The river outside the village was flowing at the usual pace, only interrupted by the waterwheels of the various mills built alongside it. Said mills were a part of what gave the village its name. The grey pegasus cast his eyes onto the town hall.
''Wonder if there'll be a dance tonight...'' He muttered to himself. He wasn't really interested in dancing, but it was pretty much the only event in town aside from the harvest celebration.

The pegasus was snapped out of his musings by a voice calling to him from downstairs.
''Dear, could you come down here for a bit?'' A soft feminine voice called.
''Be right there ma.'' The pegasus answered and walked over to his television. It had been a good while since the scientists at Celestia's School had come up with the machine, and it had grown to be immensely popular. Various entertainment systems had already been developed and they were how the pegasus passed his time when he was not needed it the fields or in the weather team. He pushed the button on his tv to shut it off and then did the same to his console.
''I'll finish that game when I'm feeling up to it.'' He muttered to himself as he headed down the stairs.

At the base of the stairs was the one the pegasus had addressed as 'ma'. The lime green earth pony had her orchid colored mane cut short and a kept a lily-of-the-valley in her hair, as she often did.
''What'd you need ma?'' The grey pony asked.
''Your brother and I just got back from town hall. You remember your grandparents in Ponyville?''
''Of course I remember, but what about them?''
''Well it seems that they have moved to Manehattan. You know how they are, very spry for their age.''
The pegasus nodded, gesturing to his mother to continue.
''They sold almost all of the houses they owned in the area, save for one.''
''And then they remembered that'd I'd love to move out and be on my own.''
''That's the most likely explanation.''
The grey pegasus thought of the possibility of his own house. It would certainly be a dream come true, but he knew there was something behind all this.
''What's the catch?''
''Well...the house is not in the best of shapes. Your grandfather bought it with plans to renovate it later, but he never got around to it. And now he figured he'd get at least a part of the money back by renting it to you.''
The pegasus sighed. His grandfather was a shrewd businessman and he gave nothing away for free, not even to his family.
''I knew there was something up with this. He isn't the type to give away stuff out of the kindness of his heart.''
''Well, real estate is how he earned his living.''
''Yeah, even his name says that. It would've been weird if a pony with a name like Real Estate was plowing a field in some sleepy little town.'' The stallion said with a chuckle. ''Still, this is a chance I doubt I'll get again. I'll just have to work harder than ever to get the place cleaned up.''
''Your brother and I would love to help you get settled in, dear.''
''I know, but I can't rely on you two forever. And besides, it'll most likely take hundreds of hours of work, and I can't expect both of you to stay away from here for an extended period of time, not this close to harvest season.''
The stallion walked up to his mother and drew her in for a hug.
''I'll be fine, ma. I'm a big stallion who can take care of himself.''
The green mare sighed and returned the gesture of affection. ''I know. But at least promise me that you'll try to make some friends who could help you. I don't want to see you breaking your back trying to do everything by yourself.''
''Come on ma, when have I done that?'' The pegasus asked with a smile.
''All the time.''
The stallion laughed and hugged his mother again. ''I guess you're right. I'll do my best, just for you.''

The pegasus let go of his mother and galloped back up to his room and started going through his drawers for the stuff he'd be bringing with him. His mother trotted up as well, a slightly troubled look on her face.
''It's all well and good that you're enthusiastic, but you'll need a job while you're there. You can't just sleep all day and play those, what did you call them again?'' The earth pony asked while pointing a hoof at the console on the floor.
''Video games. That's what they are. And as for a job, I already know what I'll do.''
''Join the weather team?''
''No, you silly.'' The pegasus laughed and pointed at his flank. ''This mark o' mine isn't one I got for kicking some clouds.''

The pegasus's flank was decorated with a handful of red sparkles. Had he been a unicorn, one might have mistaken it as a mark of magical talent. But, since he lacked a horn, his calling was elsewhere. He'd been the last of his class to get a cutie mark, which had caused him a fair bit of bullying as a colt. Then one day, as he'd been doing homework, he noticed that if the thought of the problem as something in a game, he could come up with an answer rather quickly. This realization had spurred him to complete his homework in record time, and it had even impressed his teacher. He later noticed that if he applied the same mentality to other problems he encountered, they became easier to deal with. He then realized that his talent was in problem solving and logical thinking, and with that realization his flank had started to shine and the red sparkles appeared.

''So what're you gonna do then?'' the green mare asked her son.
''It's simple, really. I like all sorts of games. Foals like games, and parents like having something that they can use to reward their little ones that doesn't get old quickly. So, I'm gonna give the house gramps and granny are renting me a little makeover and set up a shop.''
''You'll become a shopkeeper?'' The mare asked with a puzzled look. She somehow couldn't see her son sitting behind a counter all day.
''That I will.''
''Are you sure it'll work? A shopkeeper needs to be ready to talk to his customers on a daily basis, and we both know how shy you are.''
''My shyness is just another problem I need to solve. And that's what I'm good at.''
''But how will you know that you'll be able to make a living with a shop? They might have a shop there already that offers all you're going to offer.''
''Which is why I won't offer just games. I'll also offer my knowledge of them and my skill with the machines that run them.''
The pegasus' mother shot him a puzzled look. ''What do you mean?''
''I mean that since I know a fair deal about games, I can ask ponies to pay for advice, or if their console is broken I can see about repairing it.''

His mother watched him go back and forth around the room, sorting out stuff and putting it into the big saddlebags near his bed. She then let out a sigh. ''I guess you've really thought this through.''
'''course I have. Can't expect to leave this place without a solid game plan, now can I?'' The grey pegasus replied. His answer elicited a chuckle from the lime green mare.
''I won't stand in your way then. You can head over to the town hall to pick up the documents and the key for the house. They'll be expecting you.''
''Thanks ma. You're a gem.'' The pegasus said as he walked over and gave her a peck on the cheek.
''So are you, dear. Be sure to say goodbye to your brother before you go. Oh, and to father as well.''
''Will do!''

Once the pegasus had gotten all he needed, he ran back down the stairs and through the house into the backyard. An earth pony with a brown coat and a sand-colored curly mane was fixing a plow.
''Hey bro!'' The pegasus called out.
''Hey. Ma told you about what we were told at the town hall?''
''Yup. Guess who's gonna move out?''
''Ain't hard to guess.''
The pegasus grinned. ''I'll miss you two. Might even get homesick, at least for the first few weeks.''
''We're gonna come and visit you, so that should alleviate some of that homesickness.'' The brown pony said as he got up. He scratched his stubble a bit before continuing. ''Might take us a while though. We ain't got wings like you and dad.'' He said and gave the other pony a playful push.
''It'll still take me at least four hours to reach Ponyville. I ain't fast nor durable. My forte is agility after all.'' The pegasus said while puffing out his chest with pride.
''Most likely you'll still be faster than us. Unlike you, we need a road. Plus we can't just sleep on a cloud if we get tired.''
''Okay yeah, I'll give you that.''
The earth pony let out a chuckle. ''I'm gonna miss you lil' brother.'' He said as he ruffled the pegasus's black mane.
''I'm gonna miss you too, big bro. You and ma better come visit me.''
''We will. Now go and say bye to dad before you stop by town hall. Ma and I'll be here to send you off once you get back.''
The pegasus nodded and galloped back inside the house.

He ran back into his room to grab his saddlebags. He'd need to get the key to his new house, as well as arrange the delivery of most of the stuff in his room. As much as he might have wanted to, he wasn't strong enough to carry all of it to Ponyville on his own. He ran back down and towards the front door. Before he reached it though, he stopped in front of a drawer. On top of the drawer was a photo of the entire family, taken long ago since he was but a foal in it and his brother having just started school. Next to the picture was another one, this one a portrait of a pegasus stallion with a big smile.
''It's really happening, dad. I'm leaving. I get to experience a life outside of this village. One of my dreams is coming true.'' The pegasus said to the picture. Tears started rolling down his cheeks as he looked at the photo of the stallion.
''I just wish you had been here to send me off as well.''
The pegasus kept crying, trying to muffle his sobs with his hooves as best as he could. His father had passed a few years after his birth due to an illness. Near the end of his life he had lost most of the feeling in his nerves, making stuff like flying quite dangerous. The illness eventually lead to a cardiac arrest that finally claimed his life.

The pony wiped the last of the tears from his eyes after he had calmed down.
‘’I’m gonna make you proud. I promise.’’ He said as he opened the door and galloped down the hill towards the village.

Because the village was so small, it didn’t take long for the pegasus to reach the town hall. He opened the door and inside he found a few locals talking to the mayor about the upcoming Harvest Festival. This was of little concern to him seeing as he was going to leave, so he ignored them and headed for the mayor’s assistant.
‘’Hi. I was told that my grandparents had a house for rent.’’
‘’One moment please.’’ The white mare said and adjusted her glasses as she started going through the paperwork in front of her. ‘’What are their names?’’
‘’Real Estate and Sugar Wonder.’’
The assistant flipped through several important looking papers before she pulled one out of a folder and presented it to the stallion.
‘’Sign here please.’’ She said and pointed to the bottom of the page. ‘’By signing you agree to the contract and agree to follow the rules set by the owners.’’
‘’Can I see the contract?’’
The mare pulled another paper from the folder and showed it to the pegasus. He eyed it and read it through several times before he was satisfied.
‘’Grandpa can be stingy as heck but at least he is fair.’’ He said before picking up a pen with his mouth and signing the first paper.
‘’Thank you sir.’’ The assistant said as she inspected the paper. She then put it away and handed the contract to the pegasus along with a pair of keys. ‘’The bigger one is for the front door and the smaller one is for the back entrance.’’
He grabbed the paper and the keys and put them into his bag before thanking the mare and heading off. He still had a few things to do before he was ready to head towards his new home.

His first step was to head to an acquaintance of his mother’s who ran a shipping company. Upon entering the establishment, he noticed that everypony was hard at work due to harvest season being right around the corner.
‘’Excuse me, is Ballast around?’’ The pegasus inquired from a passing pony. The pony nodded and called out for the one called Ballast, who soon descended down a flight of stairs. He had a thick, oaken colored coat and short silver mane which contrasted his long flowing tail. Once he laid eyes on the pegasus, he flashed a smile and trotted up to his new customer.
‘’Hey there young’un. What can I do you for?’’
‘’Hi, I’d like to have some of my stuff delivered to Ponyville.’’
‘’Ponyville, eh? That’s a fair ways along, so it is. We’ll have to get your stuff to the nearest train station and send it to Ponyville from there, and once it gets there my boys will need to pick everything up and deliver them. I’m afraid that’ll cost you a sizeable sum.’’
‘’Umm, how much are we talking about?’’ The pegasus asked in a nervous tone.
‘’Lemme see…’’ Ballast said as his brow furrowed in thought. ‘’About 120 bits will cover it.’’
The pegasus’s eyes widened in surprise. ‘’That’s...a lot indeed. And how fast would you be able to deliver everything?’’
‘’Depends on how much stuff you have, but it shouldn’t take more than two days for a place such as Ponyville. And lemme tell you, it would’ve been a lot more expensive to haul stuff to Canterlot or Manehattan.’’

The grey stallion sighed. Delivering his possessions to his new house would eat up quite a bit of his finances, but it was better than flying back and forth himself. He agreed to Ballast’s prices and followed him to sign the necessary paperwork and to pay for the delivery. After he was done setting up the delivery, he stopped by a bakery to pick up something to fill his belly with during the journey. A four hour flight was relatively short, but he knew he’d get hungry during it since he’d be flying as fast as he could almost all the way. After he had treats sorted, he headed back home. Soon he was ready to take to the skies and head to Ponyville.

When he got back home, his mother and brother were outside waiting for him.
‘’You got the keys?’’ His brother asked.
‘’Yup. Also arranged for the delivery of my stuff. Everything is well in hoof.’’ He replied with a smile.
‘’I packed some food and linens into your bags. Can’t have you starving or not sleeping well now can we?’’ The lime green mare said to her younger son.
‘’Thanks ma. You’re a gem, you know that?’’
‘’I get that a lot.’’ She chuckled and drew the pegasus into a hug. ‘’Be good now, you hear? And make lots of friends.’’
‘’I will endeavor to, ma.’’
‘’You heading off right away?’’ The earth pony asked his brother.
‘’That was the plan, yes. The sooner I leave the more I can look around Ponyville before it gets dark.’’
‘’You’d best hurry up then. It may be summer, but Princess Luna will still be raising the moon.’’
The mare headed back into the house for a bit and returned with a pair of saddlebags.
‘’Can you carry all of these?’’ She asked with a hint of concern.
The pegasus nodded. Four saddlebags would be a pain, but he knew he could do it. And with his new life in sight, he was ready to take on some aching muscles.

The earth pony took the bags from his mother and helped his brother get them onto his back. The pegasus groaned a bit at the added weight, but stayed upright.
‘’I’m gonna miss you both. Be sure to come and visit me when you can. But send a letter first so I can clean up the place before you arrive.’’ The pegasus said as he hugged both his mother and his brother. They both returned the gesture with a smile on their faces.
‘’We will.’’ The earth pony stallion said as the mare wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.
‘’I said this before and I will say it again: be good now, you hear?’’ She said as she gave the pegasus a kiss on the cheek.
The pegasus nodded before he unfurled his wings and with powerful beats took to the sky.
‘’I’ll be seeing you.’’ He said while hovering above his family. ‘’I love you both.’’ He added and started his his flight towards the north, towards Ponyville.

He had only flown a short distance before he realized that he should put his goggles on to avoid getting anything into his eyes. The goggles he wore were something that his father had given to him just days before he passed, so they were among his most prized possessions. As he put the goggles on and adjusted them appropriately he saw something out of the corner of his eye. It looked like a tall, well built pegasus standing on a cloud with a smile on his face, or so he thought, because as he turned his head to look in the direction of this pegasus, there was nothing there. The young pegasus hovered in the air for a moment while looking around confused. Had he seen a somepony, or was the sun playing tricks on his eyes? After he spent some time looking around and checking under, and inside of, clouds, the young pegasus figured it must’ve been a optical illusion. He turned and continued his journey towards his new home, not even realizing the tear flowing down from under his goggles.

As he flew, his thoughts were filled with things he would need to do in Ponyville. His life was about to change, and he’d have to face new challenges. During this he muttered to nopony in particular: ‘’Looks like it’s time for Level Up to level up.’’

Level 1 - The start of something great

It had been a long flight from Miller’s Creek to Ponyville, but it was about to end. The town was now in sight and Level Up sighed with relief.
‘’Thank Celestia. My wings feel like they are on fire.’’
As he cleared the last few clouds between him and the town, he could see his new hometown in all it’s glory. The tall tower-like building that dominated the central square had been the first thing he had seen, and it was a magnificent sight. He rather quickly deduced that it had to be the town hall, as few other buildings could be in such a central location or be so big. Near the square he noticed and river, and following it his eyes landed on a rather large farm.
‘’Wow. Wasn’t expecting to see something like that.’’
Upon closer inspection the farm was not so much a farm but rather a sizeable orchard. Level Up squinted his eyes and made out the shapes of apple trees. If somepony had asked him to estimate how many there were, he would’ve had to give a number close to or over a hundred. The size of the orchard easily dwarfed even the biggest farm back at Miller’s Creek, which made Level Up a tad happy.
‘’It’s a big new world and it sure shows.’’ He mumbled to himself.

After looking around a bit more, Level Up decided to land before the pain in his wings became too much. He had been flying almost nonstop for the last four hours, and his body was aching to have a moment to rest. He flew down and landed in the outskirts of the town. To him this was the best way to do things, since it allowed him to have a look around and to avoid landing on any locals who might’ve still been up and about. It was rather late and Level Up was sure that any minute now Princess Luna would allow her sister to rest and raise the moon and light up the stars.
‘’Better find my new home before it gets really dark.’’ He thought to himself as he fished out the rental contract from one of his bags. After a quick look he found the information he wanted: 16 Chestnut Lane. Now that he knew what he was looking for, Level Up headed into town. Soon enough though he realised that he was a bit over his head. The town had looked smaller from up high, but now that he was on the ground everything had become much bigger.

‘’Oh horseapples.’’ Level Up said to himself. ‘’You could’ve at least picked up a map of the place you’re gonna be living in, you numbskull.’’
He had been wandering around for about half an hour now, and the moon was now rising from beyond the horizon. Most ponies were already inside, and the few that weren’t were busy heading home.
‘’The longer I spend looking for my house, the more suspicious I look. Usually only the ones who engage in some unlawful acts wander the streets at this hour.’’ Level Up muttered as he walked along a road, hoping to find a signpost that pointed him to Chestnut Lane.

‘’Crap crap crap crap.’’ Level Up said to himself as he ran around town, trying to find his way. He had been doing this for the sum total of an hour now, and he was no closer to finding Chestnut Lane.
‘’I know Ponyville is bigger than Miller’s Creek, but come ON!’’ He nearly shouted out loud, just barely catching his voice. He was getting rather exhausted from running around, and the flight to Ponyville was just adding to that.
‘’If Chestnut Lane is not around the next corner, then screw it, I’m sleeping outside.’’

As Level Up reached the next intersection, he looked at the signpost and sighed in defeat as he saw that Chestnut Lane was not written on it.
‘’Snoring under the stars it is then.’’ He said in a defeated tone as he unfurled his wings and took off. His muscles were still sore from the flight but he did his best to ignore the pain for now. Luckily there was a small cloud close to him that seemed like it would offer at least a bit of comfort for the tired pegasus. Once Level Up reached the cloud, he curled up almost immediately and closed his eyes.
‘’Tomorrow I’ll…’’ He muttered before trailing off and slipping into peaceful unconsciousness.

‘’...ey….HEY! Wake up!’’
‘’Wha...who…..what?’’
As Level Up stirred back into consciousness, he was greeted by the rosy eyes of a cyan pegasus. The pegasus was eyeing him with suspicion in her eyes.
‘’Why are you sleeping on my cloud?’’
‘’Uh...wha...your cloud?’’
‘’Yeah, my cloud. I’ve claimed it as my roost. Look, I even wrote my name on it.’’ The pegasus said as she pointed at the edge of the cloud. On it there was a big circle that had the words ‘Property of the Awesome Rainbow Dash’ written inside of it.
Level Up’s face went pale. Trespassing on another pegasus’s roost was considered a personal insult towards the owner, and sleeping on it was even worse. Level Up was trying to come up with a way to solve this peacefully, but he didn’t have enough money to offer as an apology nor anything else of real value that the lady in front of him would consider an adequate form of compensation. The fact that he was still groggy from having just woken up was not helping.

The cyan pegasus flashed a smile towards Level Up and his mind went blank. She had come up with something that he could do to repay her, but his instincts took over. Just as the other pegasus was about to open her mouth to say something, the grey stallion lept back off the cloud and unfurled his wings.
‘’I’m so, so sorry!’’ He said in a panicked tone and with a powerful beat of his wings, headed down towards the town in a nosedive.
The mare was left flummoxed by Level Up’s actions, but she shook her head as she realized what had just happened.
‘’H-hey! Come back!’’ She yelled as she dove down after the stallion.

Level Up may have had a head start, but he soon noticed that the rainbow-maned mare was closing in on him at an alarming rate. He tried dodging between buildings, but the mare was relentless and she kept catching up to him.
‘’I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry…’’ Level Up kept saying as he tried in vain to get away from the angry pegasus. He hadn’t even been in town for a day, and already he was sure that he’d spend quite some time in the prison of the local guard detachment.
Level Up realized that he couldn’t outrun the rainbow pegasus with his speed. She was faster than anypony he had ever raced against and relentless to boot. He started to think of a way out of this predicament, and true to his talent he soon started to see things through the eyes of a game character.

‘’Option a) Outrun her. Impossible, my speed cannot compare to hers. I don’t think anypony could match her in terms of pure speed.’’
‘’Option b) Try to talk this through. A thing to consider, but I don’t think I could effectively converse with her, not in this mindset at least.’’
‘’Option c) Offer monetary compensation. I doubt I have enough bits to calm her down. And I do need to eat.’’
‘’Option d) If not with speed, then with agility. Use my agility to my advantage and try to lose her. She may be faster, but I don’t know if she can do sharp turns all that well. Could try to do this.’’

Level Up weighed all the options in his head for a brief moment before he made up his mind.
‘’Here we go.’’ He said to himself as he burst out from between the houses and into a street. The cyan mare was so close behind him that if she had slightly longer legs she could touch him. Just as she was about to reach him Level Up extended a hoof out and grabbed hold of a nearby signpost and, using his momentum, spun around and shot off back into the alleyway he had just burst out from. It took the mare a second to register what had happened but as soon as she did she curved and flew back into the alleyway to chase the stallion.

‘’You reckon we can sell all these apples before noon? Ah promised Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle that we’d meet up at noon at the clubhouse fer our Crusaders meetin’.’’ Apple Bloom said as she was walking next to a cart full of delicious looking apples.
‘’Don’t you worry yer pretty little head with that, Apple Bloom. These apples’re gonna get sold faster ‘n Rainbow Dash can clear a straight line.’’ Applejack said in a reassuring tone to her little sister.

Just then a grey pegasus burst out of an alleyway and flew past them with such speed that Applejack had to hold onto her hat to stop it from flying away. The pegasus looked behind him with worry clear in his eyes, afraid that his chaser was right behind him. And she was, since no sooner did Applejack let go of her hat than another gust of wind caught it and sent it flying high into the air.

‘’What in tarnation-’’The mare was about to ask when she saw the familiar rainbow mane of her friend who was going after the grey pegasus that had passed them just now.
‘’If that’s how fast she clears a straight line then we are in for a busy day. But why was Rainbow Dash flyin’ after that stallion?’’ Apple Bloom pondered out loud.
‘’That’s what Ah’d like to know as well, but I reckon that they’re having a race of sorts. But if that’s the case then that stallion is gonna end up bein’ very sorry he challenged Dash.’’ Applejack said as she watched the pegasi race down the street and past the bend onto another street.
‘’Well, we’d best keep goin’. These apples aren’t gonna sell themselves, now are they?’’
‘’But what about your hat?’’
‘’Ah think ah’ll be fine.’’ Applejack said. At that exact moment her hat floated down and landed on her head where it should be.

Level Up flew between the various ponies walking up and down the street in an effort to throw off the blue pegasus who was still chasing him. He flew towards the sign of a store and as soon as he reached it, he used it as a springboard and set off back towards where he had come from. Much to his dismay though the pegasus mare had already grown accustomed to his tricks and was still chasing him. She was gaining on him more and more each second and he was slowing down. While he was still fueled by adrenaline, fatigue was starting to creep up on him. Level Up realized that he was at his limit and decided that it was time for a make-or-break maneuver. Like many other pegasi, he had been practicing a trick to call his own and, while it was far from complete, this was the best time to try if it would actually work.

Level Up rose up towards the open sky and as he did so, he turned his back to the ground below. The cyan mare rose up after him and as she got closer, Level Up shot back towards the ground. On the way down he did a loop, then another, and then one more, all while flying upside down. This gave his chaser a moment of pause, but not enough for him to escape her sight. As Level Up flew towards the outskirts of town, the mare finally caught up to him and tackled him to the ground. They tumbled for a bit before the blue pony had the stallion pinned to the ground.

‘’Finally caught you! You sure know how to avoid capture. I mean, all those tricks and turns you did made it hard to catch a hold of you.’’ The blue pony told the downed stallion.
Level Up didn’t say a word as he was too busy trying to catch his breath, the fatigue of the chase having fully claimed him at this point. All he could do was, with watery eyes, look at the rainbow-maned pegasus whose roost he had trespassed on.
The mare looked down at the grey pegasus and realized why she had started to chase him in the first place. ‘’Oh gosh, I almost forgot!’’ She exclaimed as she got off of him and offered a hoof to the grounded pegasus. ‘’C’mon, get up so I can explain everything.’’

Having exhausted all his options Level Up grabbed the extended hoof and rose up to his feet. Whatever the mare was going to do with him, he deserved it. Or so he thought, since as soon as he was up the mare rubbed the back of her head and looked down, embarrassment clear on her face.
‘’Sorry for getting you all worked up like that. That cloud isn’t my roost, I just wrote it there to mess with you. It just seemed like the perfect setup for a prank.’’ The mare explained as she extended her hoof again, this time as an apologetic gesture.
It took Level Up a moment to process what had happened. The chase they had just had through town had been nothing but a misunderstanding and if he had just stayed still the other pegasus would’ve explained everything then and there. A part of him was furious at the mare for pulling such a tasteless prank, but he was too exhausted to stay angry. Instead he accepted the mares apology and shook her hoof.
‘’I’m sorry for just up and running away like that. In hindsight, having to spend the night outside in a town I’m not familiar with wasn’t the best idea I’ve ever had.’’
‘’Wait, you’re not from around here?’’
‘’Oh, uh, no. I’m from further south, from a small village called Miller’s Creek.’’
‘’Oh boy, if all the local pegasi there are like you then the Wonderbolts should look for recruits from there.’’ The mare said with glee.
‘’Heh, thanks.’’ Level Up said with a hint of embarrassment. ‘’I’m Level Up.’’
‘’And I’m the one, the only, the awesome-est of awesome pegasi, Rainbow Dash!’’ The mare said as she did a little flip.

It then finally dawned on Level Up that he had just been chased after by the bearer of the element of loyalty. While he, like the rest of Equestria, was very familiar with who the bearers of the Elements of Harmony were, his mind had not connected the dots until just now. His eyes grew wide with awe as the element of loyalty hovered in front of him.
‘’You, uh, okay in there?’’ She asked the stallion.
‘’Y-yeah.’’ Level Up said as he shook his head as if to shake away the shock of meeting a celebrity. ‘’Yeah, I’m fine. Just surprised to meet one of the element bearers.’’
‘’Heh. Well get used to it, since you are gonna be seeing a lot more than just me. Especially when Pinkie Pie sees you.’’
‘’Why’s that?’’
‘’You’ll see. I’m not gonna upset her by spoiling the surprise.’’ Rainbow Dash said with a smile on her face.

It was at that moment that Level Up’s stomach decided to remind him that he had not had any breakfast yet and that he had just spent quite a bit of energy flying around. The roar of his stomach was loud enough to make Rainbow Dash laugh out loud. The cheeks of the stallion became bright red as he tried to hide his embarrassment from the other pegasus.
‘’Kinda skipped breakfast did you?’’ The mare asked as soon as she could from her laughter.
‘’I kinda did, yeah. Wasn’t expecting the sort of wake up that I got, that’s all.’’
‘’Hey, how about I treat you to breakfast? As both an apology and as a friendly gesture to a fellow acrobat.’’
‘’I’m not gonna say no to that offer.’’ Level Up said with a smile, his cheeks having returned to their normal grey color.
‘’Let’s go then! I’ll lead the way.’’ Rainbow Dash said as she headed off back towards the town, the stone grey stallion right behind her.

As they were walking towards the town square, Rainbow Dash turned to Level Up.
‘’So where did you learn to do the triple inside-out loop?’’
Level Up looked back at Dash with a confused look. ‘’That trick has a name?’’
‘’Well yeah, it was the signature move of an old Wonderbolt. I thought you had looked it up from a book or something.’’
‘’And I thought I had come up with it on my own. Horseapples, now I’ll need to start working on something else. I can’t claim the move of a Wonderbolt as my own.’’
‘’Hey, if nothing else you could try to name those tricks you used when we were flying.’’
‘’Hmm….’’ Level Up mumbled as he dove deeper into his thoughts, determined to find something that he could call his own. The things he had done while Dash chased him were indeed impressive displays of agility and control, but he himself felt like they were lacking something.
‘’Look, don’t worry about it. I’m just impressed you could pull it off in such a situation.’’ Rainbow Dash said and gave the other pegasus a pat on the back. ‘’And besides, we’re here.’’
Level Up snapped out of his inner musings to notice that they had indeed arrived at the town square. The air was filled with all sorts of wonderful aromas from the different food vendors gathered there and ponies were busy walking to and from the different stalls spread around the town hall.
‘’Why don’t we get you some grub to quiet that stomach of yours?’’ Dash asked her companion who replied with a quick nod of his head, his thoughts already on the array of food that lay all around him.

‘’Come get yer apples! Only the best are good enough to be sold by Sweet Apple Acres!’’ Applejack yelled as ponies walked past. She and Apple Bloom had already sold most of the apples and apple pies that they had brought with them, much to the joy of her little sister.
‘’Buy some apples!’’ The filly shouted, eager to be of assistance to her sister.
‘’Hey there AJ! Hi Apple Bloom!’’ A familiar voice called out to the sisters. They both turned to see Rainbow Dash approaching them, a grey pegasus stallion right behind her.

‘’Morning Rainbow Dash! Ah see ya managed to catch yer mystery stallion?’’ AJ said and pointed at the other pegasus.
‘’Of course I did! Or did you already forget who’s the fastest flyer in all of Equestria?’’ Dash replied and puffed out her chest with pride.
‘’Ah didn’t, but ya kinda seemed like you were having a bit o’ trouble keepin’ up.’’
‘’I wouldn’t call it trouble. It was more like getting to see some awesome aerial maneuvers up close. This guy here might not be as fast as me but he sure can do tricks like noponies business.’’ Dash said and pulled Level Up closer.
‘’If ya say so, Dash.’’ Applejack said and turned towards the stallion with an extended hoof. ‘’Howdy there. Ah’m Applejack, and this here’s Apple Bloom.’’
Level Up returned the gesture with a smile. ‘’I’m Level Up. A pleasure to meet you, Miss Applejack, Miss Apple Bloom.’’
‘’Now now, no need to be so dang formal.’’
‘’Sorry, I’m just not used to meeting famous ponies, and now I’m here talking to two of the most famous ponies around.’’
AJ let out a laugh. ‘’We ain’t exactly the most famous ponies ya can find ‘round here. Ah mean, we aren’t as famous as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.’’
‘’But you are element bearers and close friends of Princess Twilight.’’
‘’And remember that one of us is also in the Wonderbolts!’’
‘’Y’mean yer in the reserves. Ya ain’t a Wonderbolt yet, Dash.’’ The earth pony pointed out to her flying friend.
‘’I’ll be one soon enough.’’

Suddenly the conversation was broken by a loud grumble. The two earth ponies look surprised but Rainbow Dash was simply amused and Level Up tried to hide his face, the red color returning to his cheeks.
‘’Right, we still haven’t gotten breakfast for you.’’ Dash mentioned.
‘’Wait, why on Equestria haven’t y’all had breakfast yet?’’
‘’That’s, umm, my own fault. I kinda took Miss Dash’s prank the wrong way and ran away.’’
Applejack looked at the blue pegasus with a disapproving gaze, clearly not amused by her actions. ‘’Dash, ya really ought to think more about who ya pull yer pranks on.’’
‘’I already said I was sorry.’’
‘’Really, Miss Applejack. It’s fine.’’
AJ sighed. ‘’If y’all say so. And didn’t ah tell ya to stop being so gosh darn formal?’’
‘’I’ll try, Mi...Applejack.’’ Level Up said with a hint of a smile.
‘’That’s better.’’
‘’We should get going. I promised to buy breakfast for Level Up as an apology for the prank, and judging by the sounds of his stomach it’s best if we get it sooner rather than later.’’ Rainbow Dash said and motioned for the other pegasus to follow her. ‘’I’ll see you later AJ. Take care Apple Bloom.’’
Level Up did a small bow before turning to follow Dash.
‘’Hold on fer a moment, sugarcube.’’ Applejack said quickly. As Level Up looked back at the earth ponies Applejack brought him a small pouch with some apples in it.
‘’Consider this a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ gift from Apple Bloom and m’self.’’
‘’Oh, ah, thank you.’’ Level Up said as he took the pouch from the mare and put it into one of his saddlebags. He then bid farewell to the sisters and ran to catch up with the blue pegasus.

‘’So, where do you want to have breakfast?’’ Rainbow Dash asked Level Up as she floated next to him.
‘’To be honest, I have no idea where to go. Remember, I only arrived into town yesterday evening.’’ The stallion replied.
‘’Oh, right. Well the cafe around that corner serve some really tasty sandwiches, so if that’s up your alley we could get those.’’
‘’At this point I’d eat small rocks if they were fit for consumption.’’
‘’They might be for some ponies. But enough about rocks, let’s go eat!’’ Rainbow Dash exclaimed and headed towards the cafe she had mentioned. Level Up followed close behind, eager to sink his teeth into a good sandwich.

‘’What kind of sandwich strikes your fancy?’’ Dash asked as they sat at a table with the menus in hoof.
‘’I think I’ll go for a daffodil sandwich with some salad in it for good measure.’’ Level Up answered, his mouth already watering from the thought of food.
‘’Oh those are really good. I think I’ll have the same.’’ Dash said as she motioned for a waiter.
‘’What would you like to drink?’’
‘’Water will do, thanks.’’ Level Up said, not wanting to ask for something really pricey simply because he was being treated to a meal.
‘’Simple taste, eh?’’
‘’Something like that.’’
Rainbow Dash nodded and informed the waiter of their order. As the pony left to fulfill the order, Rainbow turned back to her new acquaintance.
‘’I haven’t asked about what brings you to Ponyville yet.’’
‘’I’m moving in, to put it as simply as possible.’’
‘’What, not enough excitement back home?’’
‘’That’s part of the reason, yes. Also there wouldn’t have been much of a market for what I plan to sell.’’
‘’You want to be a salespony?’’ Rainbow asked. ‘’You strike me more as somepony who would be aiming for the Wonderbolts, what with the whole ‘making your own trick’ thing.’’
‘’Nah, I’m not Wonderbolt material.’’
‘’Excuse you.’’ The mare said with a huff. ‘’You are a fantastic flier, and I know fantastic when I see it.’’
Level Up blushed at the compliment, especially since it came from one of the most well-known pegasi in Equestria. ‘’Thanks, but I don’t think I’m anything special. I’ve got agility, yes, but that’s about it. In terms of speed and endurance I’m found wanting.’’ The stallion said as he stared at the ground. He had never been really confident in anything but his agility and his skill at video games, and the latter would certainly not help him get into the Wonderbolts. He thought back to how his mother had taken him and his brother to see the Wonderbolts one time when they were on tour. Sure he had dreamt of joining the team as a filly, but as he grew he realized that he wasn’t made of the stuff that was needed for the team.

Rainbow Dash kept insisting that the stallion should go and sign up for training at the Wonderbolt Academy, but Level Up kept refusing by saying that he wasn’t good enough. Just as Dash was about to make another argument, their food arrived. She thanked the waiter and passed a sandwich to her companion.
‘’Eat up. You’ll feel better about yourself with a full belly.’’
‘’We’ll see.’’ He replied and bit into the sandwich. The combination of daffodils and salad tasted divine in the stallion’s mouth, which was to be expected since he had been running on fumes after the chase just a few hours before. He quickly wolfed down the sandwich as if it was his first meal in ages, though his speed caused him to nearly choke on the bread. Rainbow Dash quickly passed him a glass of water, which the stallion gulped down in a hurry. Luckily it helped his food go down and as he coughed to clear his throat, Rainbow Dash leaned over to him.
‘’Are you going to be okay?’’ She asked with worry clear in her voice.
‘’I will once my lungs decide to stop trying to climb up my throat.’’ Level Up answered in between coughs.
‘’So long as you don’t keel over. I don’t want your first day in Ponyville to end with you being six feet underground.’’
As the stallion’s throat settled, he looked away from the other pegasus with a depressed look on his face. Any time somepony brought up death in some way, his mind brought back the day his father had passed away. He had been but a little colt at the time, but that day was burned into his head. He remembered visiting him in the hospital, and the last words he had heard his father say:
‘’I’ll be back home soon, so keep that chin up and never stop trying.’’
The memory was painful, and the corners of Level Up’s eyes began to tear up. Before Rainbow Dash could ask about what was troubling him, he wiped his eyes clear of tears and turned back to the pegasus mare.
‘’Sorry, death is a…..bit of a difficult subject for me. Brings back a memory everytime it’s mentioned in some way.’’
‘’Crap, I’m sorry. I didn’t know that…’’ Dash said before Level Up cut her off.
‘’It’s okay. It’s an old wound that heals slowly, that’s all.’’

Rainbow Dash was about to console the stallion, but then her eyes caught the bouncing form of a certain pink friend of hers.
‘’Well I might not be able to cheer you up, but I think I know somepony who can.’’ She said as she rose from her seat and quickly flew over to the pink pony. Level Up turned around to see who Dash was talking with, but as he did she already flew back, with the pink pony happily bouncing towards their table.

‘’Level Up, meet Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie, this is my new friend and a fellow aerial ace, Level Up.’’ The pegasus said as she introduced the pegasus to the bouncing pink pony.
‘’Hey! It’s so nice to meet a new pony! I knew you must be new in Ponyville as soon as I saw you because I know everyone, and I mean, eeeeveryone in Ponyville! When did you get here? How did you and Dashie meet? Do you like kumquats? Or cherrychangas?’’ Pinkie Pie rapidly fired off as she shook the stallion's hoof.
‘’H-hold on, you’re talking too fast.’’ Level Up managed to say as his entire body shook from the force of the pink pony’s hoofshake. Pinkie released his hoof and stared at him, clearly expecting answers to her volley of questions.
‘’Sooo….?’’ she said, tilting her head and nudging Level Up.
The stallion let out a sigh. ‘’I arrived late in the evening yesterday, I met Miss Dash this morning, I like kumquats as much as the next pony and I have never had a cherrychanga.’’ he supplied.
‘’You know, you don’t have to call me ‘Miss Dash’ all the time. Like Applejack said, no need to be so formal.’’ Rainbow Dash chimed in.
‘’Sorry, it’s a force of habit. I’m still not used to being around celebrities.’’
‘’Well get used to it, since you’re most certainly gonna see more of me.’’ Dash said with a smirk.

‘’So Level Up! Dashie said you’ve just moved into town! Where are you gonna be living?’’ Pinkie Pie asked.
‘’Oh, my place is at Chestnut Lane. House number 16. Or rather, that’s where I would live if I could find the darn place.’’ Level Up said with mild annoyance.
‘’You don’t know where Chestnut Lane is?’’ the pink pony asked with a giggle and a roll of her eyes.
‘’Haven’t got a clue. In hindsight, I should’ve brought a map with me.’’ the pegasus replied, a little annoyed at Pinkie Pie’s seeming disregard of his situation.
‘Well yeah! I mean, you can’t get where you’re going if you don’t know the way, and if you don’t even bring a map, well, then you’re just gonna get totally hopelessly lost!” Pinkie Pie declared. “But hey, you got lost in the right place, cos I just know we can help you out. I mean it’s not that hard to get there! All you gotta do is take a left here at the crossroads then a right halfway down that street there then follow the road for about two hundred steps—or maybe one-seventy-five for you? I mean you’re bigger than me and all and I know when I once told Big Mac the way he got lost cos he took two hundred of his steps! Hee hee!—and then you take a right then a left then keep going straight til you see the library then turn left there and go on past Sugarcube Corner—which is where I live! Come by and get some baked goodies some time!—and then… uhm…” she trailed off as she noticed Rainbow Dash gazing steadily at her with an expression that read “aren’t you forgetting something?”, while Level Up just stared in a slightly awestruck fashion at the pony’s incredibly high-speed delivery.
“...ahaha! Of course, how silly of me! You could just fly I guess! I bet Rainbow Dash could take you to your house.’’ Pinkie said, flashing a wink at the blue pegasus. It didn’t take more then a second for her to understand what the pink pony wanted to do.
‘’Yeah, I can take you there. And hey, maybe I oughta show you around town so you’ll be able to find your way next time.’’
‘’I’d like that. It would be good to know my way around this place since I will be living here now.’’ The stallion answered his friend and turned to the pink one. ‘’Would you like to join us, Mi...Pinkie Pie?’’ Level Up asked, remembering what both Rainbow Dash and Applejack had told him about being so formal around them.
‘’Oh gosh I’d totally love to show a new pony around town, but I’m totally utterly super duper busy with something real important that I gotta take care of! But don’t worry, you’ll be in good hooves. You can manage on your own, right Dashie?’’ She asked her pegasus friend.
‘’Yup. You can count on me.’’
“OK! Then maybe I’ll catch you two later, hmmmmm?” Pinkie Pie said, flashing another very conspiratorial wink at her friend. She then giggled and waved goodbye to the two pegasi before bouncing away while humming a song.
“...what… was that about?” Level Up ventured after the bouncing pink pony had headed a little way down the street. ‘Oh, that’s just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie.” Rainbow Dash grinned. “Right! Since we’ve had food, why don’t we get going?’’
‘’Sounds like a plan to me.’’Level Up said. As Dash headed inside to pay for their food, Level Up stretched his body and straightened his wings. He could feel his strength returning little by little, which made him quite happy. The fact that he had managed to make friends already was also a contributing factor to his good mood. After he was done with his stretches he had a look around him. There were several ponies eating and a having a good time in the cafe. From what he could tell, it was around lunchtime, so it made sense for ponies to be here. Everypony looked really friendly and Level Up figured that if he was to go introduce himself, they would happily welcome him to Ponyville much like Applejack and her sister had done.
‘’Really glad I moved here.’’ He muttered to himself.

Soon enough Rainbow Dash returned and the two pegasi headed off, with Level Up eager to see his new house.

As the two pegasi were touring the town, Rainbow Dash turned to her friend and asked:
‘’So you mentioned you’re looking to set up a shop here, right? What are you gonna sell?’’
‘’I plan on selling video games and consoles as well as offering to repair the consoles if they break.’’
‘’Hey, that doesn’t sound too bad of an idea. We have an arcade here but I know a few ponies who have gotten a console or two, and they need to go to Canterlot if they want anything for them. You’ll definitely have customers.’’
Hearing that the ponies of Ponyville could use a gamestore made Level Up very happy. He had been slightly worried whether or not his idea would work, but hearing Dash’s words had wiped that worry from his mind.
‘’I’ll still need to do a lot of work before I’ll be able to actually open my store. First order of business will be to clean and fix the place.’’ Level Up said as he walked along the other pegasus.
‘’I don’t know about fixing it, but I bet that cleaning will be quite easy.’’ Rainbow Dash said with a smirk.
The stallion looked at his companion with a puzzled expression.
‘’Do you know something about my house that I don’t?’’
‘’Nah, I just have a gut feeling about it.’’
‘’You sure it’s not the sandwich you had earlier?’’ Level Up said with a smile.
‘’Hah! Who knows, it might be that.’’ The mare laughed.

The two pegasi continued to wander around town as Rainbow Dash showed her friend some important landmarks. Level Up made a mental map of them and slowly the map of Ponyville started to form in his head.
‘’You think you’ll be able to find your way around town now?’’ Dash asked.
‘’I reckon I will. Thanks for this, Rainbow Dash.’’
‘’Eh, it was nothing. But now we should head over to Chestnut Lane so we can get to your house. I bet you’re anxious to see it.’’
‘’You don’t know the half it it.’’ Level Up said with a chuckle.
‘’Well follow me then!’’ Rainbow Dash said as she took to the sky. Level Up unfurled his wings and took off into the sky right behind his friend.

After a short flight the duo of pegasi arrived on Chestnut Lane. From there they only needed to head down the street for a short while before they were standing in front of the house marked 16.
‘’Wow, this place has seen better days.’’ Level Up said as he laid eyes on the building. The house was painted blue, but a lot of the paint had flaked off from age and lack of care. Some of the brown windowsills were hanging loose and one of the windows on the upper floor was broken. As Level Up looked at the roof of the house he saw that the chimney was slightly crooked and was missing a few tiles, and the roof itself needed patching in a few places. The least broken part of the whole house seemed to be the front door which Level Up surmised to be made of oak.
‘’Note to self: Send gramps a letter thanking him for the house and fill it with sarcasm.’’ Level Up muttered with annoyance.
‘’Hey, least the house is still standing.’’ Rainbow chimed in.
‘’You do have point there.’’ The stallion sighed and turned to face the blue mare. ‘’Thanks for showing me around town. And for treating me to lunch. It’s been an amazing day.’’
‘’Hey, my pleasure.’’ Dash said with a smile. She then looked at the house briefly before turning her attention back to the stallion. ‘’So, aren’t you gonna invite a lady in?’’ She said with a sly smile.

Level Up’s cheeks turned bright red in an instant and his eyes widened in surprise. His mind was trying to process what the mare had just said, and all sorts of thoughts raced back and forth.
‘’I, um...well….uh….I...what?’’ Was all he could finally say.
Rainbow Dash’s smile grew wider until she burst out laughing. ‘’Bwaaahahahaha! You should see your face right now!’’ Dash laughed as she fell onto her back in a fit of laughter.
It took a moment for Level Up to realize that he had been pranked by the cyan mare for the second time today.
‘’Y-you…..Ugh!’’ Level Up groaned and started to walk towards the front door.
‘’Sorry, sorry. It was just too good on an opportunity to pass up.’’ Dash apologized as she got up and quickly caught up with the stallion at the front door.
Level Up sighed. ‘’Eh, don’t worry about it. Wasn’t the cruelest prank that has ever been done to me.’’ Before Rainbow Dash could ask a question, the stallion turned towards her. ‘’So, will you be staying the night?’’ He asked with a sincere smile.
Now it was Dash’s turn to get wide-eyed and flustered. She couldn’t form any words to respond to the stallion’s offer. She shook her head to clear her thoughts, but right as she was about to answer Level Up interrupted her.
‘’Gotcha.’’ He said with a devilish grin on his face.
Dash stared at the stallion for a good while before she closed her open mouth and formed a big smile on her face.
‘’Oh you’re a clever one aren’t you?’’ She said and poked Level Up on the chest.
‘’I try.’’ He said with a smile. The two pegasi then laughed together before Level Up asked if Dash would actually like to have a look inside, to which the mare responded with a yes.

Level Up opened the door and walked in with his friend and much to the surprise of absolutely no one, it was too dark inside to see anything.
‘’Hold on, lemme try to find the switch.’’ Level Up said as he reached out towards the wall next to the door. Luckily there was a switch there and Level Up flicked it. In response to the switch, the lights in the room lit up.

‘’SURPRISE!!’’ Yelled a group of ponies gathered in the room.
Level Up’s eyes grew wide yet again. The house which he had figured to be empty was full of colorful confetti and ponies with cheerful expressions. Level Up noticed the pink pony he had met at lunch standing in front of the others with the biggest grin of them all. However, she was the last thing the stallion saw before his eyes rolled back and he fell backwards as he passed out.

‘’Level...Level!’’ A voice called out.
‘’D’ya reckon we might’ve gone a bit overboard?’’ Another one asked.
‘’This is a first even for me! I mean, everypony is always surprised when they get a surprise welcome party but I’ve never had a pony just faint like this. Maybe I should’ve used less balloons...or streamers.’’ A third one chimed.

Level Up groaned as he was starting to regain his senses. As he opened his eyes he noticed Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Applejack looking over him.
‘’Hey! He woke up!’’ Pinkie exclaimed.
‘’What...what happened? I remember putting the lights on and hearing a herd of ponies yell ‘surprise’ but...nothing after that.’’
‘’You passed out.’’ Rainbow Dash explained.
‘’Oh……..well that’s embarrassing.’’ Level Up said.
‘’Lemme help ya up.’’ Applejack said as she extended a hoof towards the stallion. He grabbed onto it and the orange pony lifted him up from the floor.
‘’Thanks.’’ The stallion said as he got back onto his hooves again.
‘’Yer welcome. But how come ya just up and fainted like that in the first place? ‘Side from Dash, ah don’t really think we look all THAT scary.’’
‘’Hey!’’ Dash yelled in response to her friend’s verbal jab.
‘’Oh, it wasn’t your appearance, you all look very lovely. I think it was the sheer amount of ponies in a house that I had assumed to be empty.’’ Level Up explained.

‘’I told you to only invite a few ponies.’’ Rainbow Dash said to Pinkie Pie.
‘’I did! I only invited his new neighbours. And a couple ponies down the road. And half of the patrons of the local pub. And a couple of ponies who live on the other side of town. You know, now that I think about it I might have invited a few ponies too many.’’ the pink pony pondered.
Rainbow Dash sighed. ‘’What are we going to do with you?’’

‘’Well now that the issue with you fainting has been solved how about you go and socialize?’’ Dash said to Level Up.
‘’Umm…...I’d rather not.’’
‘’What? Why not?’’
‘’Because all this is a bit too sudden for me. I mean, I appreciate you doing this for me, Pinkie, but I...don’t think I can handle so much social activity so soon.’’
‘’Oh…..I’m sorry.’’ Pinkie Pie said as her mane seemingly deflated.
‘’So yer gonna go hit the hay then?’’ Applejack asked.
‘’No no, I’ll be happy to stay and hang out with you three. But, just you three. I mean, I already know you so it’ll be easier for me.’’
‘’That sounds like a plan to me.’’ Applejack said as she put her hoof around Level Up. ‘’Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. Ya can go and talk to the townsfolk when ya feel ready.’’
‘’Thanks.’’

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie explained the situation to the other ponies, who agreed to respect Level Up’s wishes and bid him farewell and a good night as they headed back to their homes. Once the last pony had left Level Up stayed and hung out with his new friends well into the evening. But eventually even they had to leave.
‘’Well, ah reckon it’s high time I head back home.’’ Applejack said as she looked at the time. It was already past 11pm and Princess Luna had lifted the moon into the sky a good while back.
‘’I’ll head home as well.’’ Dash said.
‘’Me three.’’ Pinkie chimed in.
‘’Thanks again you three. For...well, everything you did for me, although you didn’t know me.’’ Level Up said as the three mares were leaving.
‘’No worries! Just be sure to come and visit once you’ve settled in.’’
‘’Yeah! You should totally come by Sugarcube Corner sometime. I’ll make you some more of the ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ cupcakes. Although at that point I should call them ‘Welcome to Sugarcube Corner’ cupcakes.’’ Pinkie pondered out loud.
‘’I’ll be sure to visit the both of you.’’ Level Up said with a smile.
‘’Hey, don’t even think about not poppin’ by Sweet Apple Acres when ya can! I’ll treat ya to some premium cider and introduce ya to the Apple Family.’’
‘’Wouldn’t miss it for the world.’’

After the trio had left Level Up wandered around his house a bit until he found the bedroom. He then dusted off the old bed before collapsing onto it, exhausted after a long but very satisfying day. As he started drifting off to sleep a smile formed onto his lips.
‘’It’s happening dad….’’ He muttered before fully falling asleep.