To The Other World

Chapter 2: Let's Get Going!

After the little group hug was over with, they all decided to get out of the forest. Along the way, in order to try and get them to be a bit more friendlier, Emerson talked a bit more about himself and where he was from. They all listened carefully to him, more so Twilight, who seemed to literally be absorbing all the new and surprising information he had to offer. He revealed a lot about Earth; the 8 billion population, names of countries on the top of his head, and the 7 wonders of the world. He told about the oceans, the mountains, and the everything between them. He laughed as Twilight had been taking notes on a parchment with an ink quill, causing her to smile and blush lightly.

He described St. Louis and Missouri, the busy city life but having a bunch of interesting things to explore and visit. He told them more about baseball, a sport he enjoyed watching and partly to please Rainbow, and that St. Louis had one of the most respected teams in the sport, though they had gone a bit downhill since he was a kid. Rainbow Dash loved listening to the excitement of the sport, having to be so precise and timed, and then to run as fast as possible. Her jaw dropped at learning that fastballs (pitches thrown as quick and straight as possible) had an average of 91, and that players could pitch 100 mph, the limit that the human body can take before the arm's tendons start to rip.

Fluttershy, who had been hiding behind Applejack the entire time (Emerson chuckled internally thinking that Fluttershy was such a fitting name), had perked up and hovered next to Emerson as he told of the animals of the world. Canines and felines, bats and birds, reptiles and amphibians. She gushed at the cuter ones, and said 'Oh, my.' at the scarier ones, like polar bears and bob cats. He mentioned that there was ponies that existed on Earth, but humans were the only sentient species. Animals could definitely feel emotions and stuff like that, but only humans had the intelligence to progress and speak. Twilight thought it was amazing to see a new dominant species, and that her own were just animals on his world. She made sure to write it all down. He said he wished he had a pet, and Fluttershy was quick to offer one of hers. He was a bit confused at first, until she told him she had a cottage full of animals that she takes care of.

"Hey Emerson?" Twilight asked, looking up at him. She had been walking next to him for a while, nearly close enough for his side to be touching her. He looked towards her, admiring the eyes the ponies had. They were really vibrant and pretty.

"Yeah?"

"Is every human as...nice as you?"

Emerson looked at his feet, putting his hands on his hips. He closed his eyes and shook his solemnly.

"No...they aren't. Think of humanity as divided into three categories: Nice people, me included, nice exterior, and just plain mean people. Some people are nice, and I enjoy them a lot. Some people act nice, but once you get to know them, they start to take advantage of you. And mean people are just mean and ruthless. I can't lie, some people really are good, but some people really are bad. I like to stay away from them. I learned over the years you can't really change people mentally, so don't try at all. I'm glad I met you guys, though. Is every pony as nice as you guys?"

Rarity cleared her throat, and trotted forward. "Well, some ponies can be uncouth, but here in Ponyville and Equestria, almost everypony works and gets along. And I'm sure they'll get along with you just nicely, dear." She said, smiling at the human.

He smiled, and put his hands behind his head, just leisurely strolling at this point. "I wonder what will happen when I get there. I wanna impress them first. If I impress everypony, and it is everypony, right? That's the right word?" He said, looking at Twilight. She nodded. "Then, they'll like me quicker than usual. Ponies, if they're anything like people, like a show, something to enjoy."

"Wow, that's a pretty good idea. So, what are you going to do?" Asked Twilight.

"Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! I have an idea! Pick me, pick me! Me me me me me me!" Pinkie said, bouncing around him as she held her hoof up, like a child at school, excited to answer a question. He laughed at her antics, and sighed contently.

"Yes, Pinkie Pie?"

She stopped, and clapped her hooves together. "Okay, so can you play an instrument? Ponies love instruments! I can play lots of them! Banjos, tubas, harmonicas, accordions, cymbals, tambourines, and so much more!" She then turned around, and magically, had equipped and attached all of the instruments she had listed. He decided to ignore her antics, but thought about what she just said. He could play an instrument, really well in fact. He nodded his head slightly, thinking about the idea more and more.

"I can play an instrument. That's not a bad idea at all, Pinkie!" He said, smiling.

She beamed and led the group, her polka-style music leading all of them out of the forest.

"So," Applejack started, "what kind of instrument are ya thinkin' of playin', Emerson?" Realizing that he didn't have it with him, he groaned and put his hands on his face. The others looked at him and sighed.

"Well, I do know how to play an ocarina, but I don't have one with me. Do you guys happen to have one?" As if on cue, Twilight cleared her throat, and took a stance. He raised a brow, until he saw her horn begin to light up. It was covered in a purple, mystical essence. The light emanating from it grew in size, concerning Emerson and slowly backing into a tree, running around it and peeking his head out. A bright flash then enveloped the space in front of her, and when he saw what it was Emerson jaw dropped in a smile as Twilight was levitating a perfectly made ocarina.

"Holy crap! How'd you do that Twilight?"

She giggled and placed her hoof on her chest. "I'm excellent at magic Emerson! It's my special talent, and that's why it's my cutie mark." She rotated her body to show her flank, emphasizing the purple, six-sided star that had 5 other white stars surrounding it. He looked at it, then to Twilight, then back again.

"Sorry, I don't know what that means. What's a cutie mark?"

"Well, it's somethin' a pony gets when they discover their special talent. My cutie mark tells everypony that ah'm dedicated to the farm, and to mah family!" Applejack said, showing him the three apples on her flank. He nodded, starting to understand.

"So, I'm guessing Pinkie's is because she loves to party?"

Pinkie appeared from in his hair, ruffling it. "No, silly! That's just my personality!" She bounced onto the ground. He didn't even realize she had left the lead. "My cutie mark appeared because I love putting a smile on everypony's face! That's why I'm Ponyville's popping pony party planner!"

"Oh, uh, sure thing. What about the rest of you?" Rarity then stepped forward, clearing her throat and waving her mane around in a graceful manner. Like it or not, it was a pretty stylish mane.

"My cutie mark, dear, came to me when my horn started to glow and led me to a giant rock. Finding jewels and such on the inside, I grew an amazing inspiration well up and burst from inside! Working with these jewels and incorporating them into my designs earned me my cutie mark." She turned her flank and showed me hers, those blue cluster of crystals seemingly shining in the sunrays peeking through the trees. He was interrupted by Rainbow Dash, who flew in front of him and did several flips in the air, posing when she was done.

"Well, MY cutie mark has an awesome story behind it!" She said in a gloating manner. Emerson didn't really like gloating, since he always thought that was a bit arrogant for a person. He really didn't feel like that about Rainbow Dash, though. It was just her personality, he guessed.

"Give me the short version, okay? We still need to get out of this forest."

Her face fell at his request, then crossed her arms like she was pouting. "Fine. I got it when I realized that after I performed my first Sonic Rainboom, I loved to win!"

Emerson chuckled at her dismay. He turned towards Fluttershy, who was hiding her mane and carefully and quietly walking.

"Hey Fluttershy?" She jumped a bit with a surprised look on her face. She hid her face again.

"Um, yes Mister Emerson?"

"Are you okay? I didn't scare you did I?"

She softly shook her head. "No, I'm jus..." Her voice trailed off.

He put his hand to his ear, leaning a bit closer to the buttery yellow pegasus. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Oh, I'm just...shy." She stressed the last word out, like her throat refused to speak at all. He nodded and left it at that. Seeing her cutie mark, he could guess that it had to do something with all the animals she takes care of on a daily schedule.

Emerson took a moment to try and collect all of his thoughts together. So, why did he end up in Equestria? How the hell did he even get here? When he was hiding inside the closet, it felt like hours, but he knew it could only have been a minute or so. He remembered the headache he got, that weird swirling sensation is his head. Maybe that could've been it? He really didn't care. Having an answer was good, but he was just the kind of person to accept things as they were. Unlike his brother.

Thinking about his brother made him breathe heavily, and more tears started to come out. He sniffled and wiped them off. Now wasn't the time. He could reflect all he wanted later. Looking at the fashionista in front of him, he got an idea.

"Hey, Rarity?" She turned her head to look at him.

"Yes, darling?"

"We're getting close to your boutique right?"

She giggled and nodded. "We are quite close. And I am hoping you will allow me to accommodate you for a new wardrobe later on?"

He popped his fingers, stretching his back. "Well I AM in need of new clothes." He thought of what to say next, something to make Rarity want to do this as soon as possible. "And I can't just go looking like filth when I try to meet everypony, that wouldn't do me any good at all." He grinned. "Maybe we can go to your boutique first? That way you can have an opportunity right away."

She gasped, clapping her hooves together. "Why of course! Something hip, yet fashionable. Stylish yet something to fit your needs."

"Well, in exchange for lack of currency, why don't I draw you some fashion from my world? Something that could be used to make pony clothes instead?"

She smiled and bounced on her hooves, like Pinkie. "Oh yes please! The new inspiration, the ideas, it's going to make me famous in the fashion world!"

Emerson chuckled and nodded. He was starting to get somewhere, and that he liked. He noticed that everything was brighter, and looking up, they had reached the end of the forest. He couldn't see much, but he could see part of the town from here. There was a plethora of buildings, that had cream colored exteriors and revealed the wood frame of them. They all looked very cottage like, sort of medieval in a sense, the way they were designed. The windows were pretty intricate as well, though some were a regular square pane. He rubbed his chin.

"So...how to get from here to the boutique."

Pinkie raised her hoof again, and seemingly from thin air (a fact that was starting to scare Emerson) pulled down a sheet, like one from a classroom, which had a giant blueprint on it. It displayed an aerial view of Ponyville, and a set of directions from here to another building. "Ooh, so in order to sneak around Ponyville without anypony knowing you're here, me and Emmy hide inside a giant dragon costume and travel to the Carousel Boutique!"

He rubbed his forehead, resisting the urge to chuckle at how stupid this is. "Pinkie, why would I do that?"

"Because, silly, everypony would be so confuzzled that they won't notice us at all! It's a perfect plan!"

Twilight shook her head at her pink friend, and tapped Emerson's leg, getting his attention. "Emerson, I'm an alicorn, remember?" He nodded. She had graciously explained to him a little while ago that there were three main pony subspecies: earth ponies, peagasi, and unicorns. He understood all of these terms already, simple enough, but she then explained that she and a few select ponies were alicorns, and are considered royalty, even though they were just a combination between a unicorn and a pegasus. "That means I can perform magic. Why don't I just teleport you there? And save us the embarrassment..." She said, rubbing her forehead. He agreed, sighing before Emerson smiled and gave her a thumbs up, then feeling stupid having to explain to her that meant good luck or confirmation when he saw her confused expression.

"Alright sugarcube, ah reckon we'll see ya soon. See ya around town!" Applejack said with a tilt of her hat.

"Yeah, catch you later. I overslept today, and finding you meant that I was late for my afternoon nap." Rainbow saying as she flew off somewhere, a streak of rainbow following her. Emerson laughed, his hands behind his head.

"Really? Late for a nap?"

Fluttershy stepped forward timidly. "Um, yeah. She's been like that since I've known her. And I have to go to, my precious little Angel bunny needs me. Bye, Emmy." He watched her fly away in the opposite direction of them. Pinkie Pie followed suit and bounced away.

He put his hands over his mouth and called out, "Yo Pinkie! Where you headed?"

She looked back and waved, not answering his question and just bouncing away. He shook his head and turned towards the two unicorns. Rarity and Twilight both stood at the ready.

"Ready to go, Emerson?" Twilight said, with Rarity next to her.

"Yes he is, darling! I can't wait to study his clothes and get to work!" She said very giddily. He shrugged his shoulders and stood next to them.

"Alright, I'm ready."

Twilight smiled, and started to focus on her magic again. Her horn grew brighter and brighter, before a white flash of magic engulfed the 3 of them.

He swore to hell that that had to be the absolute worst he ever had in his entire life. He gripped his stomach, hoping that he wouldn't vomit all over where he was. Curious, he opened his eyes, and saw the building he was in. It was a pink and white floor, with a plethora of dark pink curtains. In the middle of this room was a changing station, and next to it, a platform for somepony to stand on, complete with mirrors surrounding it. Intricate designs and hearts decorated the interior, giving a soft and friendly feel of the place. Purple walls and a majestic looking staircase led to another floor, but overall, this definitely had the feel of a little girl boutique.

Rarity trotted forward, turning around and waving her hoof to show off her amazing business. "Welcome, Emerson, to the chic and magnificent Carousel Boutique! The most amazing and stylish boutique in all of Ponyville!"

He put his hands to his hips and whistled slowly.

"Wow, Rarity! This is quite the business you have here! Some real haute couture!"

"Thank you so much, darling! Now, let me go get some supplies to prepare for your new outfit." She said, trotting away with a small measuring tape in her magical grasp. He still found it a bit hard to believe that unicorns actually exist, seeing that they're just fairy tales on Earth. He turned towards Twilight, who was busy looking over all the notes she took earlier. He bopped her on the snout with his finger, causing her face to squirm and look at him in surprise, making him chuckle.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to spook you."

"No no, it's okay. Whatcha need?"

He rubbed his chin, scratching a bit of his goatee. "No, it's just...I was wondering if sometime you'd want to hang out a bit?"

Twilight smiled, and put her things away in a saddlebag that was on her back. He didn't see it before, maybe she got it through magic or whatever. "Of course we can, I would love to become better friends with you!"

He sighed heavily, and looked at her again. He was serious this time, because now he needed someone to hear him.

"Twilight, I need help. We can always talk about me or you or Earth or anything. Hell, even the politics. But I'm scared." He hushed quietly, making sure Rarity didn't hear him. "Try and understand. I'm new to a world full of creatures, and on this planet, I'm the alien. I'm the odd one out. I've just been through a lot within a couple of hours. Hours. I need somepony to talk to, someone to talk to. And, I don't know who else to talk to. I trust you, because you seem to be the one that has a real interest for me, even if it is just scientific research."

Her smile faded as she listened to him talk, her eyes focusing on him. She saw the look in his eyes, and she saw a lot of pain. Emotional and recent pain. She nodded slowly.

"I do care Emerson. I want you to feel welcomed, and I want you to have friends, like me. If you want to talk to me about anything, don't be afraid, okay?" He nodded in response. She smiled and stepped on her hind legs, now nearly face to face with the man. He looked surprised until she wrapped her hooves around him and hugged him. He smiled softly, hugging her back. Her fur was very soft, and she smelled like a cool night before the rain. They let go of each other, and she waved goodbye, her horn shimmering before disappearing in a bright flash. He shielded his eyes, and now that she was gone, he felt a tad better. He felt a little lift off his chest, and breathed through her nose.

"Darling? Come up the stairs, I'm ready now." He heard Rarity call out. He nodded to himself, and proceeded up the stairs, ready for whatever she was going to do to him.

As he got up the stairs, he was met with a flurry or flying objects, controlled by Rarity's magic. The room was pretty small, purple walls and a giant blue rug smack dab in the middle. Several smaller-sized archways lined the walls, white and lilac diamonds decorating them. Purple curtains and white and purple pillars. It was a very nice and upbeat room. She had a large bulletin board with tons of paper pinned to it. Different colored fabrics, sewing scissors and spools of thread. He looked on as Rarity adorned a pair of red eyeglasses. She looked up just as he dodged a couple stuff here and there.

"Ah, Emerson! Perfect timing, I just got the dressing room ready for you!" She pulled out a large, circular changing room, one that just barely covered his head. "I know it may be a bit small, seeing as I haven't properly prepared for a...man of your physique."

"It's fine, so how do we begin?"

"Well, that's what that is for darling. It's a dressing room." She said. "Go. Get undressed and let me see our garments."

He blinked a couple of times hearing that, then slowly nodded. He looked down at himself, his clothes (and body, he would need to bath later) were covered in dirt, and had various holes in it. He grimaced, seeing how posh Rarity is. He stepped inside and lifted his shirt off his shoulders. He looked at it, the faded grey v-neck torn up in some places. He stepped out, and held it close to his chest. The stylish pony was still gathering fabric and other materials.

"Um, here you go."

She turned around, he swearing she would've gotten whiplash. She saw him holding his shirt, and she levitated it away from him. She had a quick view of him, and noticed that he had some visible muscle. She gave a tiny smile, and the teeniest of blush popping up on her cheeks. He went back to the dressing room, and she started to write the measurements of his shirt.

"So, uh, Emerson dear?"

"Yeah?" He replied, unbuttoning his jeans.

"How long have you been toning your muscular build?" She asked, looking out of the corner of her eyes.

"Oh, well, I've always exercised as a kid. And I gotta take care of my body for the ladies, right?"

She giggled pretty loudly. "My, you're a typical stallion!"

Emerson chuckled and rubbed his head, saying, "Yep, sure am. And here you go." He held the jeans out, and let them go as she took them as well.

"Wow, these are such new clothes! These feel like cotton."

"Yeah, they are. And do you need my, um, undergarments?"

There was a brief pause before he heard her say, "Yes, I will need those later. Why don't you keep them on for now? And please don't take this the wrong way, but you you may want to take a quick bath before you put these on."

Yep, there it is. He sighed, and grabbed the robe that was given to him. It was meant for a pony, so he just wrapped it around his waist like a towel. "Where is your restroom?"

"Downstairs, then left of the door."

"Alright, thanks again Rarity."

"My pleasure."

He stepped out, covering himself as best as possible, and hurried down the stairs. He found the bathroom, and stepped in. It was a pretty fancy bathroom, except the shower was extremely tiny.

"Figured."

He stepped out of the shower, feeling like a new man. He had all the grime and dirt off of him, and he could nearly feel the gleam coming off of him. He used the towel that was next to the tub and dried himself off. He wrapped the robe around his waist again, and was about to step out to get his clothes when he saw something on the sink. His pendant was sitting nicely on a pile of new clothes. He picked them up. On top was his underwear, which was the same pair but they had been washed and dried somehow. Slipping those on, he looked at the vibrant and newly colored blue v-neck, same size as the old one. He put it on, and he felt very nice. The jeans were there too, and she even matched the denim. He slipped those on too, and grabbed the belt he had. He slipped his socks on (also washed) and his shoes. He bent down and looked in Rarity's full body mirror. His hair was still a bit wet, but he ran his fingers through it, a vain effort in styling it. Overall, he looked nice.

Emerson wondered when she would've had the chance to put these in here. He didn't dwell on it too long, and stepped out. Waiting for him was Rarity, taking off her eyeglasses. She smiled, looking him over. He smiled and posed a bit, showing off his new clothes. She laughed and floated her glasses away, trotting up to him.

"Not bad Rarity! Copied them to the core!"

"Well, I do enjoy a challenge here and there. It was really a good experience to make clothes for somepony new! Although, I have to say, these clothes aren't tailored to you, are they?"

"Please, I couldn't afford any tailored clothing."

She gasped, and glared at him. "These will simply not do anymore! For exchange for your help, I will tailor you a new wardrobe. No questions asked!" She said, and started to lead him out the door.

"Rarity? Thank you."

"Oh, speak nothing of it. Just something to get you out of those rags."

"No. I mean, thank you." He said, looking at her. "I really appreciate what you've done for me right now. Nobody would've done that back on Earth I think. And I'll make it up to you, no worries."

She was a bit surprised, but nodded anyway. "I understand that. It is my element, after all." He raised a brow. "Ask Twilight, dear, she'll explain it."

"Okay then, see you later Rarity."

"Bye bye!"

They waved as he walked out. He headed away from her place, as he saw a pink blob bouncing towards him. He smiled as Pinkie Pie was right on time.

"Hey there, Pinkie."

"Hiya! I was just coming to get you! And this is for you."

She reached into her mane...and pulled out the ocarina from earlier. He seriously wanted to question it, but he figured what the hell. He took it, and they went downtown. "So, you're looking pretty spiffy there, Emmy!"

"Oh, uh, yeah. Rarity did a hell of a job copying my stuff."

She smiled and slowed her bouncing to a trot. "She's amazing when it comes to clothes! You should see the dresses she made for us for the Gala!"

He looked down at her, fidgeting with the ocarina. "Gala? Like a dance gala?"

"Yepperoodle snickerdoodle! The Grand Galloping Gala is a huge event for ponies! And it's in the capital city, too."

"Huh, neat." He replied rubbing his chin.

As they walked, a couple ponies looked at him mysteriously. Some gasped at him, others hid their kids behind their arms. He didn't look too much, and he thought it was cool, seeing all of the ponies and their weirdly colored fur. Neither Pinkie nor Emerson really spoke to each other, they just walked until they needed to stop. And they needed to stop as they arrived at a little statue. It had a stone, circular base with a happy pony on it. He guessed it was like a meeting place for ponies, or the middle of town. He looked down at Pinkie, who simply smiled and winked at him, and bounced into the crowd that had already formed around him. He gripped the instrument tightly seeing all of these ponies. There must have been a hundred or something, just looking at him and whispering to each other. He caught stuff like 'Look at that thing.' and 'What is that?', even 'Is it safe?'

He nodded to himself, swallowing his nervousness. It didn't really help him, but he breathed in through his nose, and slowly exhaled. Hesitantly, he put the instrument to his lips, and his fingers on the right places.

He blew into the ocarina.