Culture Shock

Chapters

Lucid Dreams
About last night...
American Classic
On the edge
Impulse
Official stop of progress
Note from Author

Lucid Dreams

MorsTactica here

I didn't change too much, but it is different. Worth rereading. Enjoy!

Leon popped his back while the loading bar for a round of deathmatch filled. He snapped back to the action, instantly running into battle with a virtual AK-47; eliminating his enemies with great efficiency. He called in his attack chopper, then yelled out “Grenade!” to his teammates as a frag landed at his feet. Leon mashed the sprint button to no avail, his Spetsnaz soldier flung by the grenade, dead on impact. He let out a small curse and switched to his sniper class, armed with an accuracy international rifle. Seven minutes later Leon picked up his empty Mountain Dew can for the third time, realizing his mistake when the container was halfway to his mouth but attempting to get just a drop more without having to abandon his thirteen kill streak. Bad choice, as he was knifed from behind, the obvious eleven year old child squealing in delight over the voice chat.
“Well, I'm done.” Leon said in an agitated manner. He closed the game, then opened YouTube with a yawn. “It's getting early.” Leon thought with a chuckle, seeing that the time was in fact one in the morning. “Just a few more videos -” He yawned again “- then bed.”
He decided on re-watching Winter Wrap Up. Leon drew his blanket closer to him against the chill, leaning forward in his chair.

Leon awoke, pulling his face off his keyboard. He rubbed his eyes and removed his headset, then rotated his office chair towards his bed. At first he thought it an apparition, some sort of figment leftover from a strikingly odd dream. Leon blinked a few times in disbelief, staring at an all too real unclothed woman with oddly colored rainbow-like hair going down past her shoulder. "I have to be dreaming. There's no way. Not in my life." Leon mused. She was sitting on his bed, looking at herself, then the room, then him, and back over again with confusion and shock plainly written on her face. "Why is she naked? I don't even clop. Brain, you sure are odd sometimes."
"Is there something wrong with my eyes? Mayb- Oh Celestia, what is this thing?!" shrieked the odd woman, staring at her lifted right hand. "Did Twi's magic do this? I swear when I get a hold of that pony!" Leon attempted to ask who she was, what was going on, how she got here, and a thousand other questions at once. All that he could voice was a rather weak and uncertain sounding “Uhhhh...?” The woman stared back, her large violet eyes piercing him with their intensity.
“My wings.... What are these things?” The woman wriggled her fingers, extending her hands as far away they would go away from her.
“Those are, uh... Hands. These things -” Leon moved his fingers in a similar fashion “- are fingers.” Leon coughed, then continued. “Wings?”
“Yeah, my wings. They are my favorite things in the whole world and they are...” She choked up, then attempted to look at her back, and looked like she was straining against something. “I can still feel them...” Dash looked forward and down, and her back slumped.
“I, uh... What's your name?” Leon inquired, sympathy in his voice.
“You don't know?... Oh yeah. I'm Rainbow Dash, but ponies call me Dash too.” She said in a sorrowful tone
“You need some clothes uh.... Dash.” Leon stated, averting his eyes from her naked body.
“What's the occasion?” Rainbow Dash replied, sounding uncertain and confused, still staring her new body with a disgusted interest.
A rather shocked Leon retorted “What do you mean what's the occasion? In our world people wear clothes all the time. It's called being decent.”
“Oh well, I mean... Hey, I didn't exactly pack for this.” Offered Rainbow Dash
“Right.” Leon stood up and opened a drawer, attempting to suppress a smirk.
Rainbow Dash looked up.“What?” She raised an eyebrow.
“Nothing. Here.” Leon tossed his shirt to Dash who caught it, then unfolded it and looked at the front. There was a picture of Rainbow Dash in a more familiar form, and under it was the caption “Twenty percent cooler” Rainbow let out a small, sad laugh.
“You do know me. How? It was just me and Rarity in the room, how do you know I said that?” she sounded almost angry.
“Well uh... You see...” Leon scratched his head “Your life, along with your friends, is the basis of a show, in my world.”
“That's silly, hmmp hm pmmh show about our lives.” Leon let out a laugh, the shirt came nearly to the petite woman's knees.
“Come again?”
Rainbow tilted her head slightly to one side “There's a show about me and my friends?”
“Yeah, it's called...” Leon looked rather abashed. “My Little Pony.”
“Show me.” Dash crossed her arms, there was doubt in her voice.
“Put on some underwear first.” Leon tossed her a pair of black and red plaid boxers. She put them on awkwardly. “Come over here.” Leon walked back to his computer, and then handed her his headset.
“What is this thing?”
“A headset. You put it on your head and you hear the stuff on the computer. May I?”
“Eh', go ahead.” Said Dash, suppressing numerous questions.
Leon took the headset and then put it over Rainbow Dash's ears. He then started Winter Wrap up from the beginning. She slowly sank into his office chair, and her normally peircing violet eyes grew dull as tears built up. She struggled against them to no avail.
“Turn this computer thing off...” Dash looked down, a single tear fell onto her thigh. Leon stopped the video.
“What is it, Rainbow?”
“It's just... My friends, my house, everyone I know is there, in Equestria, and I'm here in who knows where? Looking at them through some..." She pointed at the black, slightly reflective surface of his now deactivated LCD monitor with a fist as if she still had a hoof to point with. "Mirror!” Leon removed his headset from her ears, and then set it down on his desk.
“I know what it's like to lose people you care for...” said Leon, looking up at his ceiling fan.
“This feeling sucks, I don't like it.” pouted Dash.
“Yeah.” Leon looked down, staring at his bare feet. Dash stood up, and then put her foot next to his. “Yours are a lot bigger!” Exclaimed a less gloomy Rainbow.
“Yeah. These are feet, and these -” He moved all his toes up and down once “- are toes.” Leon looked down at Dash, whom withdrew her foot.
“Hands and feet are weird. Why don't you ponies just have hooves like normal?” asked a repulsed Dash.
“Because we, and you now, are humans, and we are different. Our world is different... I fear you won't like it.” Leon trailed off
“Why is that? How do I not know your name yet?” awkwardly asked Dash
“Leonidas Miller, but I go by Leon.” Leon spoke casually, rubbing his arms against the coldness of the air conditioned house.
“Okay, Leon. You said I wouldn't like this world. Why won't I? You seem nice.” asked a once more confused Rainbow Dash
“Because not everyone else is like me, I guess. Everybody's different, but we've got more than our fair share of bad people here.” said Leon, with a force to his words not previously there.
“I'm sure I’ll be fine. You pon- eh'... people sure do talk weird. ” stated Rainbow Dash, narrowing her eyes.
“I suppose we would think that you ponies speak oddly too.” replied Leon, shrugging
“Hmm.... True.” Rainbow Dash rubbed her chin, then She and Leon simultaneously yawned.
“I think it's about time to hit the hay Dash.” said Leon, as if bed would be about the best thing that could happen at this point, besides the fact he just met his favorite pony in person.
Dash yawn again, then spoke. “Yeah, I’m about to pass out... Thanks for being so cool about this, I don't know what I would've done if this were reversed.” admitted Dash.
“I'll take the couch, you take the bed. We're going to have to break the news that you exist tomorrow to my mom.” Leon said, his obvious dread drawing out the sentence. “Sleep well, I’ll get you in the morning. We'll figure this out, don't worry. Everybody's going to come out of this A-okay.”
Dash nodded and crawled under the covers. With a smile Leon turned off the light and closed the door softly, as he already heard light snores coming from his pillow.
“If this is a dream I hope I'm in a coma.” thought Leon, grabbing some bedding from a closet and then lying down on his couch, falling asleep right after he sat his alarm clock down.

About last night...

Mors here again

This may still seem a bit rushed, if so sorry guys. :/

Leon awoke to the Marty Robins hit “Big Iron”, its western sounding guitar strums pulling him out of a deep sleep. He rolled over, tossing the blanket to the end of the couch. Leon deactivated the alarm on his phone, then went to his bedroom, treading quietly as not to awaken his mother. He opened the door of his bedroom and saw Rainbow Dash cuddling his pillow like a newborn cuddles a plushie. "It wasn't a dream. This is crazy." Leon mused, then he slightly smiled, unsure if he should wake her up. There was a smile on her lips that he hadn't seen yet. He observed her for a moment, then realized he had 40 minutes to be at school.
“I should shower, it'll help me think. My mom still doesn't know about her. How can I even explain this?” Leon thought. He quietly grabbed a new pair of boxers from his dresser and exited, closing the door as quietly as he had opened it. He showered, dried off and put on his boxers before reentering his room. Leon opened his closet, and of course one of his airsoft rifles fell, smashing one of his toes. He yelped and hobbled back ward, then fell on the floor, still clutching his toe. A sleepy Rainbow Dash's laughter filled the room, dying rather quickly. Dash pulled herself to the edge of the bed and looked down at Leon, biting her lip to keep from laughing more.
“You okay Leon? That was a pretty great way to wake up, even if it sucks for you.” She let out a few short giggles, rolling back over onto the bed, then sitting up.
“Yeah yeah, good morning to you too Dash.” Leon said, a bit agitated. “My mom will be up for sure now.” groaned Leon, picking himself up and walking back to his closet, putting the G36-K mock up back on its rack, next to various other airsoft rifles. He grabbed a random shirt and a pair of jeans, and then put them on. “I've got to go to school, you're going to have to stay here for the day. I'm going to talk to my mom.”
Leon stepped to the door, but Dash grabbed his arm, then let go quickly, blushing slightly.
Dash crossed her arms. “I'm stuck here all day? What am I supposed to do, stare at your posters of weird carriages and humans in weird clothes carrying things like what you dropped on your foot? Not my thing, sorry.”
“Those carriages are called cars and you have to stay here, where can you go? You don't even have pants!” Exclaimed Leon, pointing at her boxer clad legs for emphasis. Leon exited the room before she could object, and went to the kitchen to grab something for breakfast.
His mom was still in her PJs, the smell of the hickory smoked bacon wafting from the cast iron skillet. “What was with the commotion? Did I hear laughing?” Leon's mom stepped away from the pan for a moment, inspecting her son. “Did you even look at what you put on?”
Leon grabbed some bacon. “Oh, I just knocked over something on my foot. I was laughing at my stupidity.” Leon shrugged, munching on the small breakfast.
“That laughter was rather high pitched dear, are you su-” She dropped her spatula, then pointed at a aggravated looking Rainbow Dash “Who on God's green earth this girl Leon? Did you sleep with her?!” Mrs. Miller Exclaimed, shocked.
“Oh geez mom, I uh... No. That's Andrea... She's the Norwegian exchange student I told you about, remember?” Leon's face turned red and he locked his eyes at the floor.
“There was no such conversation Leonidas Dale Miller!” said Mrs. Miller, scornfully.
Dash walked up next to Leon, looking rather abashed.
“Andrea's flight was late, some sort of snowstorm in Norway. I had to pick her up late last night, and they lost all of her luggage.” Leon scratched the floor with his foot, still looking down.
“Yeah, crazy snow. Everywhere. Leon was nice enough to lend me some stuff to wear.” Dash chimed in.
“Well, Andrea. This is rather unexpected, as my son did not inform me you would be staying with us. I guess it'll have to make do. You need to get ready dear, I could lend you some clothes for today. We're about the same size, thank goodness.” Mrs. Miller said, picking up her spatula and rinsing it off before flipping her eggs. “Leon be a dear and show her my closet.” Mrs. Miller began to hum, obviously lost in tending her breakfast.
Leon turned around, poking Rainbow Dash. He lead her to his mother's closet, then spun to face Rainbow Dash. “You're lucky that went as well as it did, you nearly got me killed Dash! Hurry up and get dressed, I guess you're going to school.” Leon took a step back, out of the closet's doorway.
“Don't get snippy with me. You didn't really expect me to stay in the room all day. And Andrea? Honestly? That isn't even a cool name. Why didn't you just tell her my real name?” Asked Dash as she looked through his mother's closet for something suitable to her tastes.
“Well, it was what came to mind. People generally have names like Andrea or John, not Apple Bloom or Twilight Sparkle. It's just how we do things.” Leon said, observing Rainbow tearing through the clothing.
“You guys are weird... Your mom needs a better wardrobe. Nothing cool in here.” Rainbow Dash said, dropping her hands down.
“You need to hurry, I’ve got class in 20 minutes.” Leon tapped his foot impatiently, looking at his phone. Dash grabbed a cyan top and a pair of jeans, along with a pair of tennis shoes. She put them on, awkwardly as pants were a new thing to her and the boxers bunched up. Leon grabbed his backpack, and then he and Rainbow Dash went through the kitchen to the garage.
Before they made it through Mrs. Miller asked “Aren't you going to eat Andrea?” Leon nudged an unaware Dash, whom nodded and then replied
“Got any carrots?” Suddenly realizing she was, in fact, very hungry.
“Sure, in the fridge. Help yourself.” Mrs. Miller exited with her plate.
“This thing.” Leon grabbed a bag of baby carrots from the vegetable drawer of his refrigerator and handing it to Rainbow. “We've got to go Dash.” Leon opened the garage door and walked under it to his flat black truck with RD in tow, crunching through carrots.
“That's cool. Is this a car too?” Dash mumbled through a mouthful of orange mush
“It's a truck, but same concept. Get in.” Leon said, opening her door. She climbed in and swallowed her food.
“I could’ve got my own door ya know. I'm not Rarity.” Dash said with mild distaste, popping a few more carrots in her mouth. Leon closed her door, then got in on the other side and started the truck, the old Ford rumbling through modified pipes.
“Yeah, I know. I'm old fashioned, get over it.” Leon said jokingly, turning on the radio. Metallica's “For Whom the Bell Tolls” filled the cab of the truck, and Rainbow Dash nodded her head as it played.
“I like this, whatever it is.” enthused Rainbow, closing the nearly empty bag of carrots.
“It's called Metal. I listen to it sometimes, it's pretty good. This is Metallica, they're old but some of the best out there.” Leon tapped his steering wheel in accordance with the lead guitar, humming with the lyrics. “You're lucky school just started, teachers won't ask too many questions. Just remember you are Andrea, and you're from Norway. The capital, Oslo I think. You don't have an an accent because your mom was American.” The truck came to a stop at a red light and Leon looked over at Rainbow, making eye contact. “Got it?”
“Yeah, I guess. I'm Andrea, and I’m from Norway. My mom is from America, wherever that is.” Dash broke eye contact, looking forward. “The light thing turned green.” Dash pointed at the traffic light.
Leon looked back at the road, resuming his drive. “This is America. We speak English. We're in the state Oklahoma.” Leon explained, pulling into a parking space at the school. He killed the engine and hopped out, taking his keys. Dash came around the other side of the truck, and then stood rather close to Leon, whom was waiting for her.
“Trucks are cool, I like the sound. This place is huge! What's it called?” Asked an awed Dash
“Ronald Reagan High School, it's an, eh... educational area. We usually call it RRHS, because that's less of a mouth full.” Replied Leon, who began walking toward the front door where other students were funneling in. “It's not that large. Dash, if I were you I’d ignore the other people, and only speak to them if they ask a question. They're going to make fun of your hair most likely.” Leon informed her, with a bit of anger at the end. “They poke fun at anything not what they deem normal.”
“Who are they? Why would they make fun of my hair, it's cool!” Rainbow grabbed her hair and inspected it, as if something had changed.
“They are the preps. Popular people. Generally jerks, but some are alright.” Leon said, grabbing the door for Dash again as they entered the crowded main hall, then coming in behind her. Leon continued “Stick close, you'll go to your classes with me. Luckily I have cool teachers, they'll accept your story pretty quick.” Leon took the lead, weaving through the crowd. Dash followed close behind, ignoring snickers that came from various girls in the hallway. Dash accidentally bumped into about the worst possible girl she could have, whom dropped her books.
“Watch it Skittles! Who dyes their hair rainbow anyways?” The prep exclaimed, bending to pick up her books.
Leon stepped forward, separating Dash and the prep before Dash gave her a piece of her mind. He grabbed her shoulders and whispered “Remember what I said RD. Stay cool, stick to your story.”
“Skittles? I don't even know what those are! Is that some sort of insult? She must be a snob, I see what you mean.” angrily replied Rainbow Dash. Leon turned around and helped the flustered prep pick up the books.
“Sorry, Andrea here is a Foreign exchange student, she was just trying to get her bearings.” Leon handed her the last book and grabbed Dash's hand, leading her away before the prep said something she'd regret.
“Let go Leon, I’m not that much a hothead.” Dash pulled her hand back and Leon released it, blushing.
“Sorry, I just didn't want there to be a fight on your first day here at RRHS. She's Mary, captain of the cheer team. Really full of herself.” Leon continued walking, shifting his backpack on his shoulder.
“Yeah yeah, whatever Leon. What's our first class?” Rainbow said, moderately blushing as well, turning her head to conceal it.
“Uhh... Math. Right here, room 203.” Leon gestured to the doorway. Dash walked in after Leon and took a seat in the desk next to him, near the back of the class. Leon handed her a pencil and some paper. A man wearing a sports jersey entered the room, Leon stood up.
“Hey Leon, who's the new girl? Nice hair!” said the man, walking to Leon and looking at Rainbow Dash.
“Thanks.” Rainbow Dash said with a smile, turning to face the two men.
“Jack, this is Rainb- Andrea, she's an exchange student from Norway. I was chosen to be her host, so she's crashing at my place for a while.” Leon said, grabbing a book out of his backpack.
“Oh, you lucky bastard. I didn't hear about an exchange student.” Jack said, extending a hand to Rainbow Dash.
Dash took it and shook it rather strongly, Jack did his best to mask a flinch and gave a weak smile.
The teacher walked in as the bell rang, and everyone took their seats.
“What do I do Leon?” whispered Rainbow Dash, looking uncertain.
“Just do what he says and don't stand out.” Leon whispered back, pointing at the teacher.
The teacher walked to the front of the class, coming to a stop behind a podium to left of a projector screen. “Today we have a new student, whom isn't on the roster. Rainbow Hair, will you please give me your schedule? I don't think you're in the correct class.”
“Schedule? I uhh... I'm an exchange student... from Norway. My name is Andrea.” Dash awkwardly stated, looking at Leon for help.
“Yeah, you didn't hear about the exchange student?” Leon said casually, as if it were already done.
“I suppose they forgot to put you on my roster then, sorry Andrea. Today we will be taking a pretest, I want to see what you remember of Algebra II.” The teacher began handing stacks of papers to the first person in each row. “Don't be nervous, anything you aren't sure of will be gone over. Just because this isn’t a grade does not mean you shouldn't do your best. I expect 80s out of all of you, at the least. You may begin.”
The teacher sat down at his desk once more, beginning to type on his keyboard. Soon the sound of pencil scratches was heard throughout the room, with an occasional cough or rustle of paper being turned over and folded. 50 minutes later the teacher stood back up and went to the front of the first row. “Alright, it's four minutes to the bell. Pass up your tests and get ready to leave.” Everyone did so.
“That wasn't that bad. Reminds me of those horrible aerodynamics tests at flight school.” Rainbow said, a slight hint of remembrance in her voice.
“Yeah, math isn't that bad. Glad it's easy for you.” Leon agreed, passing up his paper.
The bell rang and the students left the room, Leon and Rainbow being among the first out.
“School isn't that bad, except it's so boring. What next?” Asked Rainbow Dash, walking next to Leon.
“We've got... Science. Anatomy.” Leon put his schedule back in his backpack, and they began walking.

American Classic

Your least favorite author MorsTactica here!

You may or may not enjoy this one, and the ending is mean. Leave a comment below if you like it, or what I've done wrong. Can't fix what I don't know is broken! Enjoy.

Two hours and many questions later Leon and Rainbow Dash walked back out to his truck, the sun beating down at them from its noon perch.
“School is out already? Awesome!” Dash exclaimed, hopping in the truck.
“Not yet, it's lunch break. We have about three more hours after we get back.” Leon said, starting the truck and pulling out onto the road.
“Oh, well that sucks. School sucks, all you do is sit all day. Very boring.” Dash pouted, leaning against her door and looking out of the window. “I miss flying...” Dash trailed off, lost in thought.
Leon pulled his truck into the parking lot of a restaurant, “Scott's Diner” was written on the sign above the door. “This place had been here forever. Good food. C'mon Dash, some lunch will cheer you up.” Leon hopped out and stood at the hood of the truck, waiting on Rainbow Dash.
“I'm not hungry Leon, you go ahead.” Rainbow pouted through the now rolled down window.
“Come on, don't be like that. You'll see, a little food and some music, you'll be fine.” Leon gestured to the door, as if Rainbow Dash didn't where they were going.
“Fine, I’m not eating though. I'll get some water.” Dash got out and they walked into the Diner, looking around Leon saw the lunch rush was a bit non-existent today. Older styled country came from the speakers.
“Hey Leon, the usual?” Asked a waitress leaning against the bar, obviously bored.
“Yeah, and a salad.” replied Leon, pointing at Dash, who was taking a seat in a booth by the window.
“Who's the pretty lady?” came a voice from the kitchen, obviously male. Leon looked through the window at the cook, a man in his late forties. He was wearing a white T-shirt with a grease stained apron over it.
“That's Andrea, she's new here. I'm buying her some lunch.” Leon said, walking up to the counter.
“Oh, she -is- that kind of friend.” said the cook, with a hearty chuckle at the end.
“Rick it's not like that, I’m just being friendly. I mean, she's very pretty and all...” Leon said, his face turning red.
“Geez Leon, don't turn into a tomato. I was just playing around son.” Rick laughed some more, then flipped a burger.
“Yeah yeah, don't burn my food.” Leon pushed himself off the counter and then sat down across from Rainbow Dash, his face restored to normal pigmentation.
“You alright Dash? I mean, I guess that's a stupid question...” Leon sat back, checking his phone and returning some texts.
“Yeah, I guess. I want to fly. It's a feeling like no other, you know?” Dash put her chin on one of her hands, looking over Leon.
“Actually, I do. Flying is awesome, I know.” Leon sat his phone down as the food arrived, a burger with fries and a salad. “Thanks, looks great. An American classic right here.”Leon stated with a smile, pouring some Ketchup on the edge of his plate by the fries, eating a few.
“How do you know about flying, Leon?” Dash inquired, looking at the salad and then back at the window.
“We have things called airplanes. They're kind of like cars but they have wings and can fly.” Leon replied, biting into his burger.
“So what's a burger anyways?” Dash said, looking at the burger with interest, inspecting the contents.
Leon swallowed. “One of the best foods in the world when done right, and this place does it right, that's for sure. Try it!” Leon offered the burger, looking at Dash with expectancy. Rainbow bit into the burger, then chewed slowly, and swallowed.
“What is this stuff? It's good and all but we don't have anything like it in Ponyville.” Dash looked at the burger suspiciously.
“Beef. Meat. Cow. It's non-vegetarian.” Leon explained. Dash dropped it as if it were aflame, wiping off her hand on her jeans.
“But cows talk! They are like ponies Leon, how can you -eat- them?” Dash exclaimed, shocked and appalled.
“Not here, they're very dumb and can't talk or anything. They just do what they have to so they can survive. And they're tasty! Everyone eats them, it's common practice.” Leon resumed eating, a satisfied smile on his face.
“Well... I still don't like the idea...” Dash picked up a fork and poked at her salad, not eating any of it. “ I think I lost my appetite.”
As they wrapped up their meal, or rather Leon did, he continued, “So, thoughts on school?” Leon wiped his face with a napkin, tossing it on his empty plate.
“Boring. How long will we have to go?” Dash said casually, pushing her nearly full bowl of salad away.
“A long time, you'll get used to it Dash.” Leon stood up, handed the ticket and some money to the waiter at the register. “Keep the change.” Leon and Dash exited with a wave to Rick.
They hopped in the truck, and Leon started it up and then turned on the radio. Some unknown artist's strings rocked through the speakers, a catchy tune about running from the law his new muscle car. “My last class is pretty long today, you might want to pick up a book from the library. It goes till about four thirty.” Leon said, absentmindedly.
“You know that I’m an egghead?” Dash replied, surprised, looking over at Leon.
“You're not an egghead, Dash. Anyone can read. I read too, and I’m a sporty guy.” Leon spoke dismissively, as if it were something already discussed.
“Oh are you? Show me. All I've seen you do is school work and talk with your friends. Your friends are weirder than you by the way.”
“You'll see at football practice. No-one can touch me.” Leon ended his sentence with a small laugh, pulling into the parking lot of the school.
“You play football? That's funny Leon.” Asked Dash, hopping out of the truck. Leon got out and they began walking to their fourth hour class.
“You'll see, today is scrimmage day.” Leon gleefully stated with a sly smirk.

The sun beat down on Leon's helmeted head as the players exited the locker room and stepped onto the football field, the field's AstroTurf radiating the Oklahoma August sun back at the players as they took their positions to stretch. Leon waved at a bored looking Rainbow Dash, whom waved back and then leaned back, waiting for something to happen.
“Hey lover boy, you gonna stretch today?” taunted Jack, punching Leon in the arm playfully. Leon punched him back and laughed, but was cut off by a whistle.
“EVERYONE ON THEIR FACES, MILLER AND BARNES WANT TO FLIRT!” Yelled an over-zealous coach. Everyone groaned and did so, holding themselves in the “up” position. “Pretty hot today boys. Supposed to be about 102 degrees. When I say go will do a pushup and say 'THANK YOU FOR FLIRTING ON SCRIMAGE DAY!', Got it?”
The football team answered “Got it!”
“WHAT?” Yelled the coach, taking a drink from a sports bottle.
“GOT IT!” Yelled the team in response, wanting the ordeal to be over. Leon looked over and saw Dash cracking up, clapping her hands and laughing.
He grunted and looked down at the artificial grass. “GO!”

On the edge

MorsTactica, who else you sillies!

Got this out today. Leave a comment, positive or negative expect a reply!

Leon intercepted the ball, then juked right, narrowly avoiding being tackled by a linebacker. He sprinted forward, weaving through the defenders like a rodeo horse through barrels. He ran onward, drawing out his strides till he seemed to fly, only skimming the surface of the ground, getting from one end of the field to the other in no time, with the nearest defender still 20 yards behind him as he crossed the end zone. He heard Dash cheering from the stands and couldn't help but laugh. He jogged back with sarcastic slowness, waving at the defenders whom were doubled over and attempting to catch their breath.

“You've done it again Leon, you gotta teach me how to do that!” exclaimed an out of breath Jack, leaning on a bench by the sideline.

“I've told you man, I just run.” Shrugged Leon, tossing the ball to the Coach.

“ALRIGHT LADIES! GOOD PRACTICE! GET OFF MY FIELD!” Yelled the coach, opening the locker room door. All the players filed in at a jog, quickly stripping out of their sweaty pads and into various fresh clothes.
Leon put on a pair of athletic shorts and a muscle shirt, slinging his gear bag over one shoulder and his backpack on the other. Leon stepped outside to see Rainbow Dash waiting by the door, sitting on the curb and drawing on the sidewalk with a rock.

“Hey Dash, let's go.” Said Leon, offering a hand to help her up. She denied it and stood up by herself. They began walking to his truck.

“When you run... It reminds me of flying. That was crazy, you left those guys in the dust!” Dash looked at Leon, whom tossed his bags in the bed of his truck. He leaned against the side of the truck and looked over at Rainbow Dash, who did the same.

“I have always been able to run. I dunno why. Comes natural.” Replied Leon, who entered the truck and started it, then cranked up the A/C. Rainbow hopped in and looked over at Leon. Tears formed in her eyes, and a few sobs escaped her mouth. Rainbow looked as if her favorite puppy was just ran over. Her shoulders slumped, she began to cry in wracking sobs that shook her whole body.

"I can't do this!" Rainbow exclaimed, bawling, and latching onto a surprised Leon.

"You can't do what? Talk to me RD." Leon said softly, putting his arm around her in an attempt to provide some sort of comforting touch.

"My life is gone! Everypony! Everything! I have always been able to fly, and now I never will again! I'm a Pegasus in a Human body!" Dash sobbed, pushing Leon away angrily. "I bet you did this! That's why I appeared in your house! It doesn't even make sense! I was just out flying and then... You turned me into this.. this... thing!" Dash was yelling now, pointing at Leon angrily.

"I didn't even! How could I? I was just as surprised as you! I don't know what is going on!" Leon replied, with a bit of anger in his voice. "How could it be my fault? I didn't ask for you to come here!" Leon looked angry as well now, his eyes narrowing.

"How else can this be explained?!" Rainbow dash shouted back through tears, tossing her hands up in outrage.

"I don't think it can. This has all been so confusing and I've been trying to play it off, I don't know... I just don't know. What I do know is we are in this together." Leon stated with finality, some of the anger backed off of his voice

"I... I guess you're right. Whatever. Sorry for snapping at you." Rainbow finished with a sad note, then crossed her arms and leaned against the door of the truck. Leon blasted the radio of his stereo all the way to eleven, heavy metal shaking the glass of the doors. He backed the truck up and began driving home. He parked the truck in the road in front of his house.
"Home at last." Leon breathed, shutting off the truck. Rainbow got out of the truck and began walking to the house. Leon hopped out and caught up with RD. "Hey, what gives? I thought we were cool."

"You have no idea what I'm going through. You don't know what loss is." Rainbow retorted, coldness in her voice.

"I may not have lost everything, and I guess I never will. You have no right to say I don't know what loss is!" Leon got a hard look on his face, and he seemed to be staring at something infinitely far away. "I lost my father, my brother, and my mother all one day. My mom may be alive, but that isn't her. She hasn't been herself since... Nevermind. I know what that feeling is. I didn't lash out at people trying to help me though." Leon stormed into the house, slamming the door after him.

"Leon, what's wrong? Where's Andrea?" Leon's mother asked, looking at him from the sofa.

"Outside. I'm going to the guest room. Don't bother me." Leon replied, exiting. Rainbow Dash entered a moment later.

"What's going on?" Inquired Leon's mom, sitting up.

"I don't know and I don't care. I'll be in his bedroom." Rainbow left as well.

"Well I never..." Mrs. Miller sat back on the couch.

Leon stared at his phone, the only source of illumination in the otherwise dark room. The digital clock on screen said 20:23. "Get up and fix it. Talk to that girl." He could hear it now, in his father's gravely, Oklahoman accent. His mom had offered dinner but he had declined, sitting in the silence. The clicking of his phone simulating a keyboard on its digital screen shattered the silence. "So what do I do man? Speak to her?" Leon texted, sitting up on the bed of the guest room.
The phone dinged. The screen displayed "Jack: I don't know Leon. You're better with girls than I am. I would try to talk with her, but what do I know?"

Leon pocketed his phone and opened the door, walking to his bedroom. He knocked.

"Who is it?" came a reply, gruff in nature but betrayed by tears.

"It's Leon. Open the door." Leonidas said back, leaning against the wall.

"No! Go away!" Rainbow Dash half-yelled with a sniff.

Leon sighed and sat down in front of the door. He texted Jack again. "She won't let me in. Literally." He sent it and then leaned back against the wall. Ding.

"That sucks. Let her be then, it's Friday night anyways. She needs space probably."

Leon read the text and then put his phone in his pocket once more, leaning against the doorframe with his head, slipping into a rough sleep.

"Son? Get up. the hallway is no place for sleep." Leon's father stood over him, his Marine Corps BDUs still dusty from the Afghanistan desert.

"When did you get home, dad? I thought it would be at least three more months." Leon stood up and hugged his dad, almost needing to stand on his tippy-toes to put his arms around the neck of the tall, imposing man.

"That doesn't matter. Let's take a walk." Leon's father turned around and took militaristic steps toward the front door. Leon walked behind him, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. They stepped out onto the porch, then the road.

"So what's up dad? Kinda weird to go walking on the road at this time of night." Leon stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"I like the night air. It's not filled with sand. It's also a lot quieter here." Leon's father looked over at Leon.

"You take my advice and go play football son?"

"Yeah. I'm a receiver and a tight end, just like you said I'd be. Pretty good apparently. I'm always told I'd make you proud."

"You're having some trouble? Even teenage boy don't generally sleep in the hallway for no reason."

"Girl trouble, what else? She... Andrea... I don't know. She's very depressed and won't let me talk to her."

"Well, one time your mother wouldn't speak to me for about two weeks. Her great grandma died, you know the one that is responsible for that great cobbler she makes? I didn't think we'd ever speak again."

"How'd you get her to talk to again?" Leon inquired, coming to a stop.

"I gave her time to heal, and once she was ready a shoulder to cry on. Women are strange creatures. Just don't push anything. Be there for her but don't smother her. She needs time to think things out. She'll need some of your strength to make it through the day sometimes, and some days she'll need to know she can make it on her own." Leon's father began walking back to the house.

"Okay. What about until then?" A car rolled by, going a bit fast for the residential street.

"Like I said, just show you are there for her. Who is this girl anyways? She live here in town?" They were almost to the steps now, and Leon looked very nervous.

"Andrea, she's an exchange student. She lives uh... Here" Leon pointed to the house.

"Why wasn't I alerted of this? That explains you being in the hallways though. Always the gentleman, you." Leon's father took a seat on the couch. Leon sat next to him.

"So what about your bags? Did you drop everything and fly yourself home?" Leon laughed a bit at the end.

"Dead men need no baggage. Hey bud, I'm going to need you to wake up." Leon's father casually spoke, turning on the TV.

"What? What are you talking about?" Leon sat forward, looking at his father.

"Wake up Leon! You're blocking the doorway." Dash was standing over him, silhouetted by the dawn. Leon quickly wiped a few tears out of his eyes.

"Were you crying? Why were you crying?" Dash took a few steps back and sat on his bed.

"Nothing. I uh... Nothing. You're speaking with me." Leon said with moderate surprise, then he picked himself up and began to walk down the hallway. Dash followed him silently. They arrived in the kitchen.

"Yeah.. I did a lot of thinking last night. Being a jerk to you isn't going to help me. So... I'm sorry." Leon turned to face Dash.

"It's no problem Dash. I want to help. I'm here for you." Leon looked down at Rainbow Dash.

"Hey now pal, don't get lubby dubby on me. I was just apologizing for being mean is all." Leon got a slightly disappointed look in his eyes, and crossed his arms.

"Well, I wasn't coming onto you. I was just saying RD. No need to get defensive. You'd think you had a thing for me or something." Leon chuckled at the end and then got down some bowls from a cabinet.

"Well I don't, so don't get any ideas. What are the bowls for?" Rainbow inquired, leaning against the bar.

"Cereal. You don't have a problem with milk do you?" Leon walked to the pantry, shuffling boxes. He stopped to pop his back, then resumed his search.

"Nah. It's used in cake and stuff. Doesn't it cover that in our show?" Rainbow yawned, then scratched her head. Leon grabbed some regular mini-wheats from the pantry and poured them into the bowl.

"Yeah, but I felt like I should ask." He acquired the milk from the fridge and filled to bowls to the appropriate levels, then put the milk back in the ice-box. Leon grabbed some spoons and put them into the bowls, then slid one to Rainbow Dash.

"What is this exactly?" Rainbow held the spoon in front of her face, inspecting a bit of the cereal.

"Mini-wheats. It's good, dig in." Leon began to eat, and did so rather ravenously. He was refilling his bowl as Rainbow Dash was just beginning to eat.

"This isn't too bad." Dash mouthed around cereal.

"Right?" Leon nodded and then rinsed out his bowl, sitting back against the sink.

Impulse

A very tired MorsTactica here

I think you guys will like this chapter. A bit short I know, but Real life stuff has been eating up my writing time. Drop a comment, like, dislike, just do something! Above all, enjoy.

"This isn't too bad." Dash mouthed around cereal.

"Right?" Leon nodded and then rinsed out his bowl, sitting back against the sink. Rainbow finished her cereal, and following Leon's lead, rinsed her bowl as well. Leon walked back to his bedroom with Rainbow Dash in tow. He took a seat on his bed, near the pillow. Rainbow dash sat opposite to Leon, and leaned back on the wall.

"So, what are we doing today? Sitting here isn't high on my list." Rainbow said.

"Well... We don't have anything planned. I thought we could go to the Air and Space museum. I could show you how us humans fly."

"Museums aren't really my thing Leon."

"Flying is. C'mon, it'll be fun. There are airplanes, and a lot of other cool stuff. Just trust me." pleaded Leon.

"Oh fine."

Leon got off the bed and grabbed some clothes out of his dresser. "You still need clothes. Maybe we should take care of that first."

"Ya think?" Dash sarcastically asked.
Leon exited the room for a minute, then came back jeans on but shirt in hand.

"Forgot socks. You don't mind do you?" Leon opened a drawer and got a pair of socks, then sat in his computer chair and began to slip them on.

"Leon what is up with your stomach?" inquired Dash, looking at his chest.

"What do you mean? Never seen abs before? Oh, right... Well it's because I'm kinda muscular. MCJROTC and football do that."Leon stood up, looking for his shoes.
"Can I touch them? They look weird." Rainbow stood up and approached Leon. He laughed.

"Sure I guess. They are nothing special, I'm not even that strong." Rainbow nodded and put a hand on his lower chest.

When she touched my chest it was... different. No girl had ever really touched me, except for hugs. I hadn't ever been too interested in the girls at school, and the ordeal with my father put girls in the very back of mind. RD was different though. I hadn't really given it too much thought when I was watching the show. Okay, maybe a few times, but I dismissed it on the grounds that it was, after all, just a show. It's kinda funny, really. I don't know why I did it, but I dropped my shirt in the chair, and I picked her up in a hug. She started to object but didn't seem to mind too much when our lips met. I didn't mind when she went in for a second one either. I think that was about one of the best things that ever happened. Top five, probably.

So I'm just going to start this off by saying it's all on Leon. Anyways, Leon was a pretty cool guy. Treated me like I was made of glass and that got on my nerves. But he was cooler than the stallions in Cloudsdale. I mean hey, I'm Rainbow Dash, the fastest and best flier in all of Equestria and all, but I still want a special somepony to cuddle with when I get home. Back to what I was saying, I went up to Leon and put a hoof-no, hand, on his stomach, it was hard and muscle-feeling. He looked at me weird for a second, then he picked me up in a hug. I was about to tell him to put me down, but Leon cut me off with a kiss. I'm not going to lie, I liked it. So when he stopped, I got another. Leon's face was probably the color of the red in my hair when he put me down. Kinda odd, making a move on a woman like that and then being embarrassed by it. I couldn't help but laugh, and he laughed a bit too. All in all, about one of the coolest things to happen here in America. Top five, probably.

Leon sat Rainbow Dash down, and they laughed. He resumed getting dressed.

"So, anyways, we need to get you some clothes." Leon stated, tying his shoes.

"Yeah. Where do you people get clothes?" Inquired Rainbow Dash, who took a seat on the bed once more.

"Well, a lot of places. I guess we should go to the mall." Leon made a disgusted sound.

"Shopping... How fun." Rainbow unenthusiastically said.

"You need to find something else to wear while we shop today, let's go." Leon stood and exited the room, with Rainbow Dash not too far behind him. RD entered his mother's closet and returned shortly after in a pair of jeans and T-shirt.

"Okay, let's do this. Quickly, I hate shopping nearly as much as I hate... Well, shopping." Leon laughed a bit at the end and they exited, walking through the living room.

"I see you two have fixed whatever was going on." observed a tired looking Ms. Miller, sipping at a mug of coffee over the newspaper.

"Yup, gotta go." Leon said without stopping, walking out to his truck.

"Those kids, I swear..." Ms. Miller trailed off and then returned to her newspaper.

They took the highway to the mall, seeing as the closest one was in the city. The drive to the highway was rather uneventful.

"Hey, this truck can go kinda fast." Rainbow Dash said with mild excitement.

"This is only seventy-five, I can get up to around 145-150 out of her generally." Leon patted the dash of the truck.

"Still doesn't have much on me though."

"Yeah, I know." Leon turned the radio up a bit, leaning back and taking one hand off the wheel.

"So what happened back there Dash?" Leon asked, looking over at RD.

"I dunno Leon, you started it. I thought it was... Nice." Rainbow replied with a blush.

"It was nice. Maybe we could do that more often?..." Leon looked back to the road in time to steer around a minivan doing forty-five in the fast lane.

"Yeah, I guess we could do that Leon. Not anyone else I would want to... Uh, anyways." Rainbow threw in a rather forced sounding laugh at the end.

Leon looked back over at her, then the road. "Are you nervous about this Dash? You, -the- Rainbow Dash, nervous about having a boyfriend." He chuckled a bit.

"I'm not nervous, it's just something new. Never had, or really wanted a special somepony in particular. I'm still pretty shook up about all this..." Rainbow added in.

Leon slipped his arm around her shoulder. "You'll be fine. Don't worry." Rainbow nodded and leaned against Leon, allowing him to embrace her.

"Make sense I guess. When we get to the mall let's try not to stay too long. I generally come here once a year, tops. Place is crazy. Nothing fun either, there's not even a arcade." Leon stressed the last bit as if it were a crime against humanity.

"Arcade?"

"A place where you can play videogames, generally they charge a quarter or two per game, and for a set amount of time or until you die in the game."

Leon pulled the truck into the parking garage, slipping into a spot and killing the engine.

"This is a lot of cars!" Exclaimed Rainbow

"Yeah, it is. Let's go."

And so my horrible romance skills come to a close.

Official stop of progress

MorsTactica Here

I am no longer a Brony. I attempted to get back into but it simply isn't my thing. It is likely to blame that I mostly enjoyed MLP during, well, summer, and therefore it was mostly filling in my boredom. In the update I will include a plotline I had laid out. I will allow anyone who wishes to finish it, and credit would be appreciated. I apologize for not finishing it myself, but as I said, MLP isn't within my interests. Look for me on FanFiction, or more likely, Fiction Press. I should be uploading more stories within those portals. I always go by either "MorsTactica" or "Mors Tactica" so that's how you'll know it's me. That's all I have. Here's that plot:

Dev Notes:

|UGMC| Mors Tactica: His mom is pretty cool too, average house wife. Had to pick up a job after her husband died. The stress of it caused her already shaky pregnancy to end early, and the baby didn't make it. She spoils Leon because she feels like a horrible mother and it's the only thing that keeps her from drinking or something
|UGMC| Mors Tactica: It's plot device to allow RD to live with Leon-until the house her “House” burned in Norway, then permanent.
|UGMC| Mors Tactica: But a sad one
|UGMC| Mors Tactica: :'(
DrReinmann: "Hey mom, can this former pony then only recently clothed lady with rainbow hair live with me? "
|UGMC| Mors Tactica: These things are only being stated so directly because we're character building, I'm a much better writer than for him to say "I'm Leonidas Miller, aka Leon Miller. I'm a moderately HC gamer, I play a lot but never do any competitions. I'm moderately patriotic, and I may enlist. I'm is not really any one caste as far as a grouping, I just have friends. Most are not very popular. My hobby is shooting, I'm a born deadeye. I am also very familiar with weapons, and I'm thinking of being a weapon designer professionally after college. I am interested in flying.”
|UGMC| Mors Tactica: His dad was... Cool
|UGMC| Mors Tactica: He was in the Marines, flew Ospreys. Was shot down in Helmand in 08.
|UGMC| Mors Tactica: Didn't make it back home.
|UGMC| Mors Tactica: His dad took him flying when he was home, and Leon loved it. His dad loved to fly, and was very patriotic so -dream job-
12:25 AM - |UGMC| Mors Tactica: Ok so, Leon is a average bro, good for our situation, Ms. Morris is a widow and kind of crazy but had good intentions, daddy Morris is a dead hero of war, and RD is a necked confused lady with new genitals
9:01 PM - |UGMC| Mors Tactica: I have it!
9:01 PM - |UGMC| Mors Tactica: Ian, it's so simple
9:01 PM - DrReinmann: Oh, hi
9:01 PM - DrReinmann: What?
9:02 PM - |UGMC| Mors Tactica: I have a conflict!
9:02 PM - DrReinmann: With?
9:02 PM - |UGMC| Mors Tactica: Leon's mother will start dating a changling!
9:02 PM - |UGMC| Mors Tactica: It will lead to the discovery of the way Rd got through
9:03 PM - |UGMC| Mors Tactica: And RD will have the chance to go back, or if I want it to be a tragedy, she'll have to
9:03 PM - DrReinmann: Fancy.
9:03 PM - |UGMC| Mors Tactica: Too cliche?
9:03 PM - DrReinmann: Nope.
9:03 PM - |UGMC| Mors Tactica: Happiness
9:03 PM - DrReinmann: Well played.
9:04 PM - |UGMC| Mors Tactica: I need a villian name. Something Italian.
-Much debate-
9:08 PM - DrReinmann: Aloysius Molinelli

The plot from the Mall onward:
Saturday: Date/romantic non-sexual ending

Sunday: Character building, general day. RD learns more of human society. Less implied misanthropy.

Monday: mostly skipped school, come home late to meet changeling. All seems fine, RD picks up on something odd. It is dismissed. Sicily.

Tuesday-Friday: General romantic crap, along with serious character building and displays of how strong or not strong RD and Leon's relationship is. Possible seconds thoughts or breakup, doubtful though. Too much Drama.

Long term:

1 month
Aloysius and Ms. Miller get closer, but the young couple's doubts grow.

2 Months
Real conflict introduced, Leon doubts Aloysius but does nothing

3-4 months
Confrontation, conclusion. Could be sequel.

Note from Author

MorsTactica here,

I have been so busy that I have lost real life friends. I never got to update this, and in all honesty, don't want to. I have fallen out of broniness. As soon as Season Three starts up, I should be back in it. For now consider Culture Shock, as well as myself, "In Hiatus." I apologize to my readers, for the late update, and i'm sure the lack of updates is frustrating. It frustrates me. However, November isn't too far away, so Rejoice! The Brony community will swell once more, and we will be strong once more. I personally am hoping for more Dash episode, for obvious reasons. Until then, Love and Tolerate friends. I'll be among you again soon.

MorsTactica