Under Construction

Finally, I have enough written to constitute a proper chapter! This took a while, considering I moved from the end of my latest chapter of S.C. right into the next. Not a lot of time to daydream, lately. Anyways, here it is, bronys. Enjoy!

****************************************************************************************************************************

o/` I think I'm on another world with you, with you

I'm on another planet with you, with you... o/`

Blink 182 – Another Girl, Another Planet

Chapter 5

Welcome to the World

“Ohcrapohshitohfuckohdamnohhellohfuck...” I cursed under my breath as I ran aimlessly into the open mall, leaving Tammy and the stuttering cashier behind with my cart full of food. For a moment, I stood there in the center court, noticing in my panic for the first time just how large this place really was. Looking in front of me and to the left and right, I noticed how I almost couldn't see the main stores at the far ends of the halls. My heart suddenly sank at the very real prospect that I lost my orange little charge on her first trip into the real world.

“Oh, God... this is terrible... this is bad... this is terra-bad...” I started to moan to nobody in particular. I asked myself where I'd go if I was a stranger in a new world and left alone to my own devices in a loud, crowded, hectic place like this. Yeah, that idea worked. There's like, a MILLION places she could go in this friggen' labyrinth! The one coherent idea I had told me that I should probably get a better view of the area. Seriously, how hard could a flying, orange pony be to spot in a mall full of humans? I ran over to the up escalator, looking around as I allowed it to take me to the second floor, several different doom scenarios playing over in my head all the while.

“She was probably grabbed by some old Asian dude at a take-out restaurant who know a cure for impotence by snorting powder from ground-up pegasus wing bones. Or some KKK redneck asshole probably found her and beat the crap outta her because she not a white, Protestant male. Or... Oh God...” I thought, a cold chill running down my spine. “... what if she was grabbed by... FURRIES?!?!” In my mind's eye, I could imagine photos surfacing on E621 of Autumn posing in suggestive, awkward positions, dressed in skimpy and provocative outfits. I quickly shook the images from my head as I almost fell backwards, the escalator finally reaching the second floor.

I scanned the shops on the first floor from my higher vantage point, looking In each shops behind me as I went. A cold sweat started to form on my brow as I searched, my inner-logic trying to calm me down in this desperate situation. “Alright Jeremy, think this through. She's smart, right? I mean, so far, she's been like an orange, flying, four-legged Amish girl; intelligent, but ill-informed on the delicate inner-workings of our modern human world. She would probably know enough to avoid anything that was stupid or dangerous.” I looked around again, hoping to catch a glimpse of orange coat or blue mane, coming up empty again. “God, I hope she would.”

Coming up short with finding Autumn herself, I thought I'd change strategies. Maybe if I couldn't see her, I might notice different behavior amongst the human shoppers walking around the mall. I scanned the crowds as I walked through, picking up snippets of conversations as I walked. For the most part, everything seemed normal. No panic, no screaming, no nothing! Well, except for me. My twisted mind kept going over every way Autumn could have been hurt. Or  killed. Or worse!!! That's when I finally saw it; the flash of orange.

Across the hall from me, on the cell phone of some teenage girl, there she was. I only caught a passing glimpse of it, but it was enough to draw my attention. The photo on the screen clicked off before I could make out the great detail, but as I nonchalantly got closer to the two girls, I picked up snips of their conversation.

“... totally awesome. He says she's in the arcade right now!”

“Sweet! Let's go check it out!”

The arcade. Perfect! That was all I needed to know. Before the two could even get up off their bench, I took off like a rocket down the hall. Years of skateboarding when I was younger served me well as I swerved in and out of pedestrian traffic, maneuvering around strollers and hopping over benches and trash cans to avoid the wait. In no time at all, I could see my target before me; The Top Dog arcade.

From spending countless hours and hundreds of dollars in quarters here in my childhood, I knew the Top Dog well. Located in the very center of the top floor of the mall, the arcade was a popular hangout for kids to socialize as they waited for their folks to finish shopping. Outside, hanging above the entrance were three large flat screen TVs, each of which could be tuned to show the action on any given game machine at any time. And sure enough, as I pushed my way past the unusually large crowd to the entrance, I noticed the bouncing blue mane of Autumn.

“Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!” The kids inside were gathered around in a circle, fist pumping in the air as I pushed past them. As I entered the front, I found out the reason for their excitement. I also found out the reason for why Autumn's mane was bobbing when I found her. There she was, safe and sound. Smiling, laughing, having the time of her life. I didn't know whether of not I should be gratefully relieved or absolutely furious.

Autumn...

…

…

… was playing Dance Dance Revolution.

I watched as my little pony friend dueled some green-haired, size 16G ear gadge wearing, chain swinging black punk-rock dude to a standstill. Effortlessly, Autumn managed to switch from four-legged to two legged mode, matching the character's moves on the screen perfectly. This particular machine had a camera lens facing the player. When a certain warning appeared on the screen, the player had to mimic the motions of the dancing character on screen for extra points. A concept that Autumn managed to pull off flawlessly.

Occasionally, Autumn would extend a wing to give her extra balance as she spun and stomped around, the falling arrows lighting up as she hit every point perfectly. I couldn't help but grin as she continued, her dance partner beside her seeming tired and out of breath. Finally, the song stopped, the defeated punker giving her a fist-to-hoof bump as he stepped off the machine, Autumn following close behind. As she received various congratulations and accolades from the crowd, I quickly moved in closer to her, not knowing whether I should be relieved or furious.

“Autumn! What the hell are you doing?!” I hissed through clenched teeth, careful to only allow her to hear me. My ploy to sound intimidating and serious didn't work, however, her face lighting up with a large smile upon seeing me.

“Jeremy! You should have brought me here, first! This 'mall' thing is a blast! And Why didn't you tell me humans came in different colors?” Autumn said, giggling as one of the punk girls from the crowd came up and noogied her mane.

“Autumn, girl! You're pretty good on that thing! Not bad at all for your first time.” she said, Autumn responding with a gentle swipe of her wing.

“Yeah, somepony gotta be! You guys obviously got no game!” As the two laughed at their good-natured ribbing, I could feel a certain blood vessel in my forehead start to throb. Remember when I said I didn't know if I should be relieved or furious? Well, the needle was starting to fall towards the latter mood. I calmly put my arm around Autumn and leaned in to speak.

“Autumn, what were you thinking? I thought something terrible happened to you!” Alright, I lied. There was nothing calm about me right then and there. The orange alien girl's expression grew a little more serious as I continued, I guess recognizing exactly how I was feeling at the moment. “I thought some goons from a science lab abducted you for some experiments or something! I panicked when you disappeared! Do you have any idea how worried I was?!” Autumn's eyes went wide at my last words, her expression quickly melting into one of understanding and... comfort? Fore some reason, I could feel myself blush as I stood up and away from her, composing myself. “That is... I mean... I'm responsible for you, after all.”

“Aww... you were worried. So, I take it you like me, then?” I stammered at her sudden remark, not expecting her to be so flippant at my poor attempt at anger.

“Bu... I... You... THAT'S NOT THE POINT!” I finally managed to force out. “I specifically asked you NOT to go into the mall! And what do you do?! You disobey me, and run into the EXACT kinda people I DIDN'T want you to!”

“Hey, what's that supposed to mean, man?” the punk Autumn had been dancing against walked over and stood next to her, arms folded. “You make it sound like we'd hurt our Autumn, here!” The large thug bumped into her side, eliciting a return nudge from the little pony. “When we saw her walking around the courtyard, we just had to introduce ourselves. Hell, we're glad we did, now! These aliens are WILD, man!” His sentiment was echoed by half a dozen of his friends, all seeming to regard the orange equine with warm affection.

“Yeah, Jeremy. These guys flipped when they saw me. I asked them where the coolest store in the mall was, and they brought me here. We've been playing games and talking about Equestria ever since.” Autumn lowered her head slightly, her ears folding back as she lowered her voice. “I didn't mean to make you worry, but I was just so curious about this incredible 'mall' building. I'm sorry, Jeremy.” Ugh.... those.... 'D'aww' eyes... can't... resist... I finally let out an exhausted sigh. No point in trying to continue acting annoyed.

“Ugh... fine. Apology accepted.” I said defeated. “But now, we really need to get going back to grocery store. Tammy won't be able to hold our cart forever. Besides, we gotta get some of that food into the freezer when we get home.” A collective, disappointed moan came from Autumn's new punk friends, obviously not liking that their little buddy had to leave.

“Aww, really? Can't I stay and do just one more game, Jeremy? Please...?” Grr.... I can just FEEL the diabetes setting every time she gives me those sweet eyes. It probably would have killed me right then and there, if not for the several other pierced and tattooed faces behind her, attempting to give me the same pleading look, each one failing miserably. This time, I didn't even attempt to act unphased, laughing out loud at the ridiculousness of it all.

“Alright, alright! Just turn off the soul-melting eyes. You can have just one more game.”

“Yay!” Autumn said with a little bounce.

“But,” I suddenly added. “you're playing against me.” Autumn's face lit up at the suggestion, the pony immediately springing up on her hind legs, grabbing my hands and pulling me to the machine.

“Alright! Hey, Chain? Would you do the honors?” The little alien spun me around into place on the dance mat as she hopped up and took the spot next to me. The punk she had been playing against popped four quarters into the slot, causing a list of songs to generate up on the screen, the select arrow thankfully coming up on my side of the screen. Good, I can pick a quick one and get this over with. Autumn continued to bounce as I scrolled down the list, her bright attitude almost forcing me to smile. This was quickly becoming a noticeable trait of hers; the ability to instantly infect anyone around her with a smile and happy mood. I looked around quick at the group she had attracted in my absence; punks, jocks, thugs, some emo kids and... was that an honest to goodness cheerleader chick in the back? Holy shit... These kids would NEVER associate with each other under normal circumstances. And even though Autumn told me unicorns were the ones able to do magic, there was no denying the presence the little pegasus carried with her.

As I made my way down the list, I found the shortest song. I could be out of here in a few minutes, cashed out and back on our way home. Then, I made the mistake at looking over at Autumn. Her bright eyes and happy smile... penetrated my brain... made me do things... (sigh)... Ah, what the hell, I'll pick a crowd pleaser.

***

With a wave of hand and hoof, Autumn and I bid Tammy farewell as we walked from the grocery store. God bless her, the girl let us go with a full order without paying! That'll never happen again in a million years. She told me it was to make up for the cashier walking away from Autumn when she went to pay for the order. I guess something good came out of my relationship with Erica.

“Wow... that was really fun, Jeremy. We have to go again sometime soon. I'd like to walk around and see what other stores that mall has.” Autumn said, a bounce in her step as she trotted along side of me. I looked over at the little pony, glancing at the several dozen cell numbers, e-mail addresses and Twitter and SpaceBook accounts the teens in the arcade wrote on me so Autumn could keep in touch. How did I get elected to be the walking message board? “And you told me that there might be some humans that didn't like me, just because I'm a pony.” I took out my key fob and unlocked the door to my truck. I sighed as I opened the door and tilted the seat forward, loading the second row seating with our order. Oh, boy. Time to break the news.

“Um... actually, Autumn... that's not entirely true. Remember that cashier that suddenly had to run to take her break, just as you showed up to cash out?” I pushed the seat back, allowing her to climb inside the truck. I moved around to the other side, climbing in before I continued. “Autumn, she didn't have to to on a break. She ran away... because you freaked her out.”

“'Freaked her out?' I... freaked her out?” She asked, doe-eyed as she connected her seat belt. I let the truck sit there for a moment, allowing the statement to sink in before we took off again. I noticed Autumn's ears slowly fold down, a dejected look on her face as her shoulders slumped. “Well... I guess I can see that happening. She probably never saw a pony up close before. Poor thing must have been stunned when I hopped my fore hooves up on the counter.” A weak grin suddenly formed on her face, her bright green eyes meeting mine. I just looked at her with a blank expression.

“Um... wow. You're really taking a pretty mature stance on this. I thought you'd me more upset or... angry, maybe?”

“No, no... I'm alright.” she said, perking up a little. I gotta say, I was surprised at just how mature she sounded. “I guess I should be grateful her instinctive fight-or-flight reaction told her to run instead of punch me in the snoot. I really hope I didn't suddenly give the poor thing hippophobia or something...” I blinked at my little roommate in shock. Fight-or-flight? Hippo... what? She must have picked up on my confused expression, because Autumn suddenly broke into a laugh.

“Heh... Sorry, Jeremy. I tend to slip in and out of psychoanalysts mode fairly easily. I'll try to keep an eye on that.” she said, any remaining negative feelings she held about my revelation vanishing as I reached for the gear shift. Well, guess I'll give credit where it's due.

“Yeah, well... I'm sorry, too.”

“You're sorry? What for?” she asked. I backed out of the parking space and turned toward the lot exit, turning the radio lower.

“Well, you said you're 16 years old, right?”

“Yeah, and...?”

“Well, 16 in human years means you're just old enough to make some really bad decisions. Humans aren't really grown up enough to take care of themselves when they're 16. I keep forgetting on your world, you already graduated college and could start your own business.” I held up my arm, twisting it to show her what all her new friends had written there. “Hell, this phone book on my arm shows you have enough of a way with people to take care of yourself.” We turned on the highway, heading back home with our spoils. This time, Autumn seemed more at ease, in spite of the many speeding cars on all sides of us.

“Don't forget I can drink alcohol, too!” she gingerly added. “But yeah, I guess I could count those kids in the arcade as the far opposite end of the spectrum. They're the ones that think I'm just so dang awesome just because I'm an alien species.” Autumn stared out the window, watching as a guy on a crotch rocket zoomed down the shoulder of the road past the line of traffic. “Then, there's the ones like you warned me about; the haters, the fearful...”

“The confused?” I added. “Ya know what, Autumn? Screw those kinds of people. They'll just gonna have to get used to you. You're not the one with the problem, they are. You're not the only pony they'll ever see, now.”

“All the more reason to get out there and see as much of your world and as many humans as I possibly can.” The determination in her voice was loud and clear. That little snag in her first day in the human world wasn't going to get her down. “Jeremy, do you think we could go out after we get the groceries home? I'd still like to to out and explore some more. Well,” she said, her expression suddenly turning a bit nervous. “unless you have some other plans...” I must say, I was impressed with her persistence. This little fire plug still wanted to go out and have a good time. And I did kinda promise to be her tour guide while she stayed here...

“Yeah, fine. I still got a nice bit of cash saved up and burning a hole in my pocket. Ya know, since I had somebody, or should I say, somePONY cover my rent this month.” I said, emphasizing 'somepony' and making Autumn giggle.

“Awesome! Let's get home and unload these groceries, then. I got a city to see!”

***

Ya know, I gotta be honest with you guys; that first weekend was one of the best ones I had in a long, LONG time. I never really bothered much to stop and look around at the same old city I frequented every single day of my life. It was always just... there. I'm kind of ashamed to admit I always took it for granted. But taking Autumn around town and showing her what life was like on Alpha Earth, it was like looking at Boston like it was brand new again.

After we put away the order of groceries(with a noticeable lack of any meat products), I decided we'd start with the basics; a walking tour of the local neighborhood. I know, I know. Just asking for trouble, right. Well, I would never have suggested it if I wasn't confident she'd be safe. Besides, she was with me, and I've done more than enough favors for enough locals that I would be recognized and left alone. Seriously, some times I feel like a friggen' RPG hero. “Can ya fix my roof? Can you help find my cat? Can you pick up some spark plugs?' Anyway, back to me and Autumn.

The two of us left our apartment building and started down the street towards the local  business district. Like I mentioned before, my neighborhood was kind of a dump, but if you go down just a block or two, you start seeing signs of life again. I showed her the local news stand, the library, the bakery, the best cafe, the bodega-turned-mom and pop store. You know, the basics. And sure enough, we got some weird looks. Mostly, it was from the older locals, most of them still not even used to seeing black or Latino people walking around, let alone an orange, talking flying pony. Others simply looked a bit longer than they normally would. One lady in a car snapped a photo with her phone, I think. But was most surprising, a quartet of little girls playing on the sidewalk ran right up to Autumn, completely unafraid. What is it about girls and ponies, seriously? I was going to tell them to beat it, but Autumn seemed to love the attention. Apparently, she thought little 'human foals' were absolutely adorable. She talked with them, answered their questions. She even let one of the girls hug her. Alright, alright. That WAS kinda cute, I gotta say. The fun ended, of course, when the kids' parents called them back. Good thing, too, because I don't know if they would have let her go, otherwise.

The next stop in the early evening was the downtown area. I noticed now that Autumn clung a little closer to me here, probably because of the larger volume of cars and people walking around. Still, as the little pony got the feel for the area, she eased up a bit. This time, I told her to go out and explore while I followed behind. Much to my surprise, it almost seemed like she fit right in. I noticed a lot less people staring at her in shock and surprise. Yeah, she still got looks, but not nearly enough as she got early in our expedition. However, there was one notable exception. As we made our way around one particularly busy street corner... Autumn got singled out by a street preacher. Yes, I know I should have avoided that corner. That whack job usually stakes out that corner every Saturday evening, barking at every passerby. So who do you think he singles out? That's right; Autumn. The bright orange fur was like a beacon to the screwball.

“Even from ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, the call of the Lord is heard, loud and clear!” I tried to move Autumn away, but an opening line like that drew her in like a moth to a flame. Sure enough, as soon as he saw she was looking, he upped his game.

“It's a dark, cold world out there, people. We ALL need to have that STRONG HAND to hold on to. Now, tell me, my fine feathered friend;” Oh boy, here it comes... “have you found Jesus yet?”

Oh... my... God...

Did he really just ask her that? He... he just asked her that, didn't her? Is this guy blind, retarded, an asshole, or all of the above? He HAS to see what she is, here! Obviously, that's probably his whole idea. Making an Omega Earth citizen look like a godless fool in public would get him some attention. Good or not, he obviously didn't care. However, this is one instance where Autumn's lack of knowledge about our Earth came in handy. Without missing a beat, she looked up at him with the sorriest eyes I could imagine and answered.

“Oh, no... I'm sorry, mister, but I didn't.” Autumn reached up and touched her hoof to his folded hands, speaking to him in the most sincere of tones. “I didn't even know he was missing. I'll keep an eye out, and if I find him, I'll tell him you're looking for him.” I... had to bite my knuckle to keep from laughing. The wacko preacher's mouth dropped in shock as Autumn turned, walking away from the crowd that gathered from his tirade as she leaned closer to me and whispered. “I sure hope that man finds his friend. Poor guy.”

“Yeah...” I managed to choke out, barely able to stifle my laugh. “I hope so, too... Autumn, babe?” My little companion turned to look at me as we continued away from the rapidly dispersing crowd. “Just for the record, from now on, anytime you wanna go anywhere, all you have to do is ask. Anytime, anywhere, I'll take you.” Autumn smiled at me as we slowly started making our way home.

“Aww. Thanks, Jeremy. That means a lot to me.” I gave my pony pal a pat on the back in response. Hell, if she was going to come off with remarks like THAT during these outings, I'd take her wherever she wanted to go in a heartbeat.

***

The rest of the night went by relatively quick. After we got home, Autumn and I talked a little as I made us dinner. Nothing fancy, just a simple spaghetti with marinara sauce, which she loved. Apparently, this is the first time she had it with noodles instead of hay. Now, I ain't no Gordon Ramsay, but even I coulda told you that! Dinner conversation consisted mostly around me asking her general questions about her world, mixed with some vaguely personal questions. This WAS only the second day I knew her, so I didn't wanna probe too deep into her life story just yet. So far, however, I learned she hailed from a city in the country of Equestria called Cloudsdale, which is not only the pegasi capital city, but entirely made of clouds. Her parents both work in the Cloudsdale weather factory, where they help to produce the weather for all of Equestria. Apparently, her father is one of only a dozen ponies that knows the formula for rainbows, which they also create. I probably would have questioned that... if not for the fact that I was I was talking to a pony.

Autumn asked me about some other human social hot-spots. I told her about clubs, bars, stadiums... all of which they had on her world in one way, shape or form. I promised to take her around and show her some of them in the morning. This time, Autumn opted to sleep in her bed instead of my couch. We went to bed early that night. 9 o'clock! Holy hell, I haven't gone to bed that early since I got drunk the first time at 15! Well, I suppose hanging out and keeping up with an overly-excited alien pony will do that to ya.

***

The next morning, I awoke in the usual manner; yawn, stretch, scratch, get up, and walk to the bathroom for a shower with the usual morning wood. What? Don't give me that look! Like you never did before! Anyways, I did have the consciousness to actually grab a shirt and pair of pants from the top of my dresser. I pulled my door open and stepped out, the sound of an overly chipper voice greeting me, instantly waking me up quicker than coffee.

“Morning, Jeremy!” Autumn smiled and waved from a stool in the kitchen, a bowl of Apple Jacks in front of her. My eyes shot open immediately as my face turned red. The only saving grace was that I was holding my clothes in a ball right around my waist, carefully hiding my boner from my house guest. Thankfully, the equine seeming none the wiser. “Wow... no wonder you humans wear so much clothes. You have almost NO body fur.” Without a word, I bolted to the bathroom and hopped into the shower, turning on the water and quickly pulling the curtain closed behind me. After a brisk shower, and an awkward explanation of my brief understanding of evolution, we were ready to make our way back out into the world. Again, I had to help her with her seat belt as we entered the truck and headed out.

This time, I figured we'd do something simple and calming. Something... normal. So, of course, I took her for an espresso. One of the quaint, cute corner up-scale coffee shops in the downtown area served as our first stop. I ordered a simple large black, with plenty of cream and sugar. Autumn ordered the same, adding sugar and creamer in the same amounts as I had. My plan for this morning? People watching. Autumn and I would simply sit and look at the people passing by, and she'd ask me questions about them. I figured I wouldn't lose her so easily with her sitting right in front of me. Also, on a more practical note, this would give the locals time to look at her. I know, I know. She's not some side-show attraction. But consider this: the more humans around town see her, the more likely they'll get used to seeing her. Plus, I'm sure some of the passing people would text or tweet about seeing Boston's newest resident, thus making it less strange for other humans to see her in our future outings.

Apparently, creatures from Omega Earth are more popular with humans than I thought. More than once, I overheard people talking as they went by us. 'Is that one of those alien ponies?' 'I think it is!' 'Wow, that's not what you'd expect an alien to look like.' ' They're actually kinda cute.' Now, if I heard it, I KNOW Autumn must have heard it, too. A few times, I noticed her ears bending in the direction of some comments. She didn't seem to let her bother her, however. She just keep on smiling, continuing our conversation without interruption.

She asked me the basic questions about the normal morning scene, seemingly amazed by the shear number of cars that drove by us. Taxis, trucks, cars, vans, police vehicles. She seemed particularly interested in a passing fire engine. That is, until I explained what it was for. “Oh... fighting fires? Oh... OK.” Autumn looked timidly at the ground in awkward silence, her ears folding back slightly as she averted her eyes from the massive truck. Well, that was kinda weird. I would have probed a little deeper into what made her so upset if she hadn't quickly changed the subject herself.

“Hey, I'm about ready to head to our next stop.” she said, pushing the empty cup away from her to the center of our little table. I thought for a moment about pressing the issue, but decided against it, pushing my cup beside hers.

“Yeah, let's get going.” I pulled out 2 bucks from my wallet, placing them under my cup as a tip. “C'mon, pony girl. I think You'll like where we're going next.” Together, we got up and headed back to my truck, the two of us heading to our next destination. Though there were some pangs of worry still playing at my mind, I decided that Autumn was mature enough to experience one of the most basic forms of human entertainment. “Next stop, the movies.”

***

Autumn beamed as I explained our next activity to her, practically bouncing in her seat as pulled into the parking lot.

“So, humans pay money to go sit in the dark for two hours in front of these huge screens and watch these moving pictures?” she asked, grinning ear to ear.

“What, they don't have these in Equestria?” I asked, actually surprised to finally find something my world had that her's didn't.

“Well, nothing as ADVANCED as what you're describing. Mostly simple films for education. Our motion picture industry is still quite a bit away from building specific places to view them.” We walked across the lot and entered the movie theater, catching the usual odd looks that I've come to expect from some curious movie goers. We bought our tickets and killed some time playing a few arcade games they ad in the lobby. Autumn is turning out to be quite the gamer, it seems. She actually beat me at Samurai Showdown. SHE beat ME, at a fighting game! My spider-sense is tingling, my friends. This may or not be trouble down the road...

The movie was your standard romantic comedy. Two guys, frenemies all their lives, fall for each others' little sisters. For the most part, Autumn got the standard goofy, sexy, silly jokes. Equestrian and English are incredibly close, not only in terms of composition, but different forms of slang. Something about 'shared intellectual evolution,' or something like that. I don't know. Basically, she has a solid 90% grasp of the language, so it's cool. Unfortunately, that 10% might get her into trouble. As we left the theater, right in the middle of the large crowd of people, she turned to me and asked me what a condom was. Boy, what an interesting shade of red I turned!!! Needless to say, there was still much she had yet to learn about human society.

After one awkward conversation, I decided it was time to show Autumn where she'd be going to school. Next stop, Cambridge. The campus was mostly deserted, save for a few students moving about between buildings and a pair of security guards. Autumn felt the need to walk up and start a conversation with them, despite my advice to leave them alone while they worked. In hindsight, it was probably better she did. That way, they could spread the word around the other campus guards about their unique soon-to-be student. After a quick tour around campus, I was just about ready to take Autumn home, when she stopped me just before we got in the truck.

“Jeremy?” she started, trying to sound sweet. I stopped before my door, the keys still in my hand. “I'd like to try something.” O... kay. I'll bite.

“Try something? Like... what?” I asked cautiously.

“I'd like to try flying home.” Well, this was new. I only seen her hover in place a little since she got here, and now she wanted to fly?

“What brought this on?” I asked, the subtle hint of worry in my voice. Autumn traced her fore hoof in the grass, innocently.

“Well... it's been really nice, you driving me around yesterday and today. But, if I'm going to get anywhere on my own when you're not around, I'm gonna have to get a better lay of the land from the sky. It IS how us pegasi usually navigate around where they live, after all.” I stood there silently for a moment, my mind not knowing what to make of this new decision. She... wanted to get around without me. After driving her everywhere all day yesterday and most of today, I... didn't know what to make of that. The idea of Autumn getting around without me made me feel... strange.

“Well... alright, I guess. How... do you wanna do this?” I asked.

“Well, I was thinking maybe I'd just fly over the buildings and follow the truck back home. Is that OK?” What could I say. She had a point. I wouldn't be there all the time, and I needed to trust her to get around on her own, eventually. I just guess I didn't expect it to be so... soon.

“Alright. Just keep an eye on me as I drive. I tend to have a lead foot.” I said, jokingly. The orange filly giggled back.

“Yeah, I noticed.” Autumn arched her back, closing her eyes as her as she slowly unfurled her wings. After giving her body a quick shake, she ducked down and sprang back up a good five feet into the air. Just as she started to fall, she gave her wings a single strong pump, stopping the fall as she went seamlessly into a steady hover in front of me. “I think I'll be fine, though. Ready when you are.”

I don't know what made me stare like I did just then. I've been hanging out with her for the last two days, and didn't feel anything more than respect and curiosity for her and her species and world. But now, with her truly flying right in front of me, there was something else. I don't know if I didn't expect her to be able to really fly with those wings of hers. They always looked so small tucked at her side. Being fully put to use, they were actually pretty... is 'beautiful' the right word? I don't know if it was maybe a bit of jealousy. I was never really afraid of heights, so long as I had something solid under my feet. Hence, my roof sanctuary. Flying, though, terrified me. You couldn't PAY me enough to get on a plane or hang glide or skydive or whatever else. But maybe, just a little, it was that this was her first step towards becoming independent in our world. She'd learn how to get around the best way she knew how; using the wings that nature, or God, or whoever gave her. That means... she wouldn't need me so much from now on. That didn't sit well with me. I wasn't sure if I liked that.

“Alrighty then, Autumn. If you're sure you can keep up, then let's go.” I opened the door and got inside, rolling down my window as she hovered over to me. “If you're ready, then let's roll.” She gave me a salute before turning skyward, then zoomed up into the open air. I leaned slightly out my window, watching as she soared higher, stopping a few hundred feet up. I barely made out a wave, my friend signaling her readiness. I settled back into my seat with a sigh, putting the truck into gear.

“This is just gonna get weirder and weirder as we go.” I thought, pressing my foot to the accelerator and taking off.