A smile is all it takes

Chapter 6

“Yes, I’m sure I saw them heading this way, now hold on tight!”

“That’s easier said than done, you know?”

* * *

Mike led the purple unicorn to the living room; she was still carrying the yellow Pegasus.

“Thanks again, I’m not sure what would’ve happened if I didn’t get Fluttershy some place warm.”

The unicorn said as she struggled to keep her balance. She must have been carrying the Pegasus for a while now.

Pinkie’s curiosity had gotten the better of her and she was now downstairs, agape at Fluttershy’s condition.

"W-what happened to h-her?"

The pink pony asked with a trembling voice as she slowly walked over to her friends.

Twilights ears perked up at the familiar voice.

"Pinkie Pie?"

Twilight quickly turned around.

"Twilight!"

Twilight Sparkles eyes lit up.

A few seconds of silence occurred as the two ponies embraced each other.

Only to be broken by Mike.

"Not trying to interrupt two good friends re-uniting, but what brought you to THIS exact house? I mean, no offense, but it seems like an awfully big coincidence."

He inquired.

"Oh, I’m sorry." The purple unicorn broke the hug and turned around to face Mike.

"My name is Twili--"  "Mike, this is Twilight Sparkle, One of my bestest friends! But ofcourse you already knew that!"

Pinkie Pie began bouncing around again, seemingly forgotten about Fluttershy's condition.

"And the pony on the couch is Fluttershy! She is also one of my be.." Pinkie trailed off as she laid her eyes on Fluttershy.

It wasn't a pretty sight; her left wing was disjointed and had a couple of broken feathers, deep cuts covered most of her back, a large strip of skin was missing from her cutie mark and a stick had pierced through the skin on her hind leg.

The rest of her body was bruised and had several smaller cuts.

"I found her like that when I woke up; she was laying at the edge of a forest only a few hoofs away from me."

Twilight said as she too fixated her look on the butter-yellow pegasus."

Pinkie Pie slowly walked over to Fluttershy who was on the couch, resting on her side and breathing heavily.

She gently nudged the Pegasus' chest with her muzzle.

"Come on Fluttershy, get up... Just a few scratches..."

Pinkie started sniffling softly.

Twilight Sparkle walked over to Pinkie and laid her hoof over her.

"Don't worry Pinkie, she'll be fine, I'm sure."

The Purple unicorn said, trying to seem as optimistic as possible.

She was however unsure of what she just assured her friend was true.

Pinkie Pie seemed to feel better; she nuzzled Fluttershy and looked at Twilight Sparkle.

"Come on."

Pinkie sniffled one last time before rubbing her watery eyes dry.

"I gotta show you something!" She continued in her usual cheery mood.

Pinkie Pie walked out of the room and signaled Twilight to follow her.

"Yeah, sure, don't mind me. I only helped you in and all.."

Mike said as he turned his head around to look at the wounded, butter-yellow Pegasus on the couch.

His breathing stocked for a second as he noticed the bad condition she was in; he hadn't really gotten a good look at her until now.

Fluttershy seemed to be in shock, she was shivering and her coat looked a lot paler than in the show.

Her eyes were closed and her breathing was erratic.

Mike stepped over to Fluttershy and knelt down in front of her.

He closely examined her wounds; they looked dirty.

Mike got up and walked to the cupboard to get some gauze and beta dine.

* * *

"What exactly am I looking at, Pinkie?"

Twilight said with a puzzled look on her face as she stared at the various Playboys Pinkie had lain out in front of her.

Pinkie Pie merely shrugged in response.

"Mike only said that they were 'bad magazines'."

The pink pony got her face closer to the explicit magazine and inspected it with squinted eyes.

"Maybe it holds some strange magic powers!" Pinkie's eyes widened. "Maybe THAT'S why I keep looking at it!"

Twilight Sparkle gave Pinkie Pie a sarcastic look. "Well, I doubt THAT."

"I don't know, Twi. Remember when I told you about my Pinkie sense? You doubted that too, but who was right in the end?"

Pinkie sat down on her haunches.

Twilight sighed, her horn began to glow and she used her magic to turn the first page.

"Hmm... Index on the first page, seems about normal so far."

She continued looking over the page before turning it to the next.

"I'm not sure what this is though."

Twilight remarked as she floated up the magazine, turning it around and around, trying to make something out of it.

"Maybe this is some nature magazine, displaying the anatomy of... whatever Mike is."

"Human!" Pinkie interjected.

"But they are in such odd positions, unlike any nature magazine I've ever seen."

Twilight Sparkle continued.

"Oh! You should see the middle of the page! It has a big poster thingy!"

Pinkie put in.

"You mean the centerfold?" Twilight Sparkle corrected.

Pinkie simply nodded in response.

* * *

Mike carefully cleaned the large gash that ran along Fluttershy's back before applying some beta dine and gauze.

"She has remained awfully quiet."

He began to worry.

"Fluttershy, can you hear me?"

The only response Mike got was some cringes of pain and discomfort.

  * * *

"And just look at how limber she is!"

Pinkie exclaimed.

"I should take notes, this is all pretty interesting."

Twilight Sparkle mumbled.

She began to write down some sentences on a blank piece of paper, lying around in Mike's room.

"Whoa!"

Pinkie suddenly yelled.

"What, something wrong?" Twilight inquired.

"Ear flop, knee twitch, eye flutter! And a twitchy tail!"

Pinkie continued with wide eyes.

"W-what does that mean?"

Twilight asked as she nervously walked around, looking up to the ceiling as if she was expecting something to crash through it.

"I'm not sure, must be something big!"

Pinkie Pie responded. She too was walking around nervously.

* * *

"...And that's how I flunked histo--"

*--CRASH*

"What the..."

Mike whispered as he looked at the curtain covered window.

He slowly opened the curtains to reveal a large crack in the window and two figures lying on the ground.

It was pretty dark outside, so he couldn't really see them well. Although one of them appeared to have wings and rainbow colored hair.

"You've gotta be.."

Mike didn't think twice and quickly walked over to the front door.

Upon opening it he peeked around the door opening.

He didn't see anything, or anypony for that matter.

"Hello?"

Mike yelled with a sense of discomfort.

"I'm not gonna--"

A blue flash shot at Mike, tackled him, and nailed him to the ground.

Mike gasped for air.

"What did you do to my friends?!'

Shouted the blue Pegasus that held Mike to the ground.

Mike pushed the rainbow maned Pegasus off of him and continued to gasp for air.

He got up.

"Why do I constantly get this shit?! I'm only trying to help!"

He held on to his stomach; that is where Rainbow Dash impacted with him.

Rainbow Dash looked up at Mike.

"So you didn’t hurt them?"

Rarity walked around the corner of the house, looking disoriented and disheveled.

Apparently she softened the impact with the window for Rainbow Dash.

"Oh, there you are Rarity."

Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle came walking out of the door-opening, each of them carrying a multitude of Playboy magazines in their mouths, which they immediately dropped upon seeing their friends.

"Girls! I'm so glad to see you here!"

Twilight exclaimed.

"Look at what I have here, you'll love this!"

Pinkie Pie yelled out over Twilight at the same time.

"I told you, Rarity.

I told you I saw them heading here! “

Rainbow Dash taunted Rarity.

"And I suppose you also knew you were going to smash us into a window?"

Rarity retorted.

"Well, I was trying to awesomely dodge the window at the last second, but your weight wouldn't let me."

Rainbow Dash replied.

Rarity gave her an offended look.

"Are you saying I'm fat?"

"--Girls!"

Twilight interjected to avoid further arguments.

“Sorry.”

Rainbow Dash muttered

“What happened to Mike.”

Pinkie asked, looking at Mike who was leaning against the wall, trying to catch his breath.

“Mike?”

Rarity and Rainbow Dash asked in unison.

Pinkie pointed at Mike.

“She tackled me… in my stomach!”

Mike said in between breaths, giving an angry look at Rainbow Dash.

The rainbow maned pony took a step forward.

“You’re lucky I didn’t go for your--!”

“--*cough*”

Twilight interrupted Dash.

“What, I was gonna say ‘chest’!”

Rainbow Dash put in.

The purple unicorn rolled her eyes.

“Anyway, how did you two find us?”

"Easy, I cleared some clouds and could see everything that happened on the ground."

Rainbow Dash patted herself on the chest.

"Besides, everything here looks so dull and gray; it's hard to not notice you."

"Then why did it take you so long to find them?"

Rarity snarled, obviously still upset about the impact with the window.

"I knew where they were the whole time, I just needed to make myself look even cooler... Totally nailed it."

The cyan Pegasus replied with a smug look on her face.

Pinkie Pie giggled, whereas Rarity groaned at this.

"Wait, where is Applejack?" Twilight inquired as she tried to look behind Rarity.

    * * * One day earlier * * *

"Oof! What in Tarnation?"

Applejack looked around at where she fell from mid-air.

"Where am ah?"

She found herself to be in a barn.

"Big Mac?" She nervously asked.

"Apple bloom? Granny Smith? Anypony?"

Applejack hopped off the giant hay bale she fell on and approached the barn door.

"Everythin' looks so much.. bigger."

She remarked as she continued to look around.

Applejack bucked open the large door.

As she stepped outside her eyes had to adjust to the light a little.

"Yup, it's a farm alright. But why does everythin' look so.. Grey?"

She shook her head.

"Ah'm probably just a lil' woozy from the fall."

The farm pony took a deep breath, only to break out into coughs seconds later.

"What's that awful smell?"

She disregarded it when she suddenly heard the neighing of horses.

"Ah hope somepony can tell me what's goin' on here, or where ah am!"

Applejack mumbled as she followed the neighing.

Soon enough she found where the sounds came from.

"What the hay?!"

She exclaimed at the sight of the horses she saw in front of her, kept behind a fence.

They didn't look anything like the horses from Equestria, let alone ponies.

"Hello?"

Applejack greeted the horses, expecting some sort of response.

Nothing.

"What's goin' on here?"

She hung her head.

"Ah don't think ah'm in Equestria no more."

* * *

"Well, this is the staircase that leads to the first floor. That's where my parents' bedroom and my bedroom are located."

Mike said as he opened the front door.

He said he'd just show the ponies around the house a little so they wouldn't get up all in his stuff, Like Pinkie Pie did with his Playboy stash.

As Rarity had regained her posture and was feeling a little less dizzy, she noticed Mike's attire as she said it and became instantly fascinated with human fashion.

"This is the hall, and the toilet is over there..."

Mike pointed to a door left to him.

"...And this is the scullery, don't open it, there is a dog inside there that seems to not like ponies."

Mike said a bit comically.

Twilight eyed him with a puzzled look.

"Ask Pinkie."

He returned.

Rarity looked around, amazed at all of the human designs and the subtle differences between Equestria's and this world's.

She couldn't stop thinking about all of the beautiful and unique styles of clothing she could make when she returned to Ponyville.

She barely heard what Mike was saying as her attention drifted to a neatly folded dress that was laid down on the stairs.

"Hmmm... I wonder if there are any more of these upstairs...”

Rarity thought as she turned her head to the upper floor.

“I’m sure that he won’t mind me getting a little look.”

When Mike turned his back to continue his brief tour Rarity slowed down until the group left her, nopony noticing, and she darted upstairs.

"Here is the kitchen..." Mike pointed to his right and opened the door.

Rainbow Dash was growing bored of all this.

"Just some boring guy talking about his boring house."

She said to herself and she continued to follow the group.

She looked at Twilight and Pinkie who didn't seem to mind the tour.

Rainbow Dash then noticed the magazines both Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle were carrying.

"Anything beats listening to this guy..."

She tapped Pinkie's shoulder.

"Hey Pinkie, what do you have there?"

"Oh thesf really coowl magazines!"

Pinkie's voice was a bit muffled from the magazine in her mouth.

"Cool, huh? Mind if I take a look?"

Rainbow Dash continued.

"Sure Dashie!”

Pinkie responded, dropping the magazines on the floor.

* * *

Rarity trotted over the landing, looking through every room.

She peeked into one door opening and noticed it was the bathroom.

"Not what I wanted... but that design is good."

Rarity said, using her magic to pick up a towel with a very intricate and colorful looking design on it.

She continued to trot down the hall, looking in the different rooms for items she might be able to use to make different designs with.

She looked in Mike's room.

"Why this place is just a disgusting mess!"

She exclaimed.

As Rarity prepared to leave Mike's room she noticed a bag with the My Little Pony logo stitched on it. "This on the other hand..." she said, "This could work."

She grabbed the bag and put all of her collected items into the bag.

Rarity made her way to the final room upstairs, she sighed "They have to be in here... unless they are all downstairs. Oh I should have followed Mike."

She opened the door and squealed in delight, she found an open wardrobe filled with dresses, each one just as beautiful as the one she'd found on the staircase yet each one with a different design than the rest.

She ran to the wardrobe and began to pull dresses out.

Mike heard the squeal and turned around worried.

He saw Twilight following him and down the hall Pinkie looking at Rainbow Dash, whose wings were spread wide as she looked through a magazine.

The squeal pulled Rainbow Dash out of the trance and noticing her wings open and wide she quickly pulled them down to her sides, her blue face turning a deep red.

Mike and the other three ponies quickly ran upstairs trying to find the source of the noise,

Mike ran into his parents’ room and the other ponies followed.

There he saw Rarity deep inside his mother's wardrobe, her many dresses filling up his My Little Pony bag.

"Whoa! Rarity! That's my mom's stuff!"

Mike yelled out, shocked at the mess of clothes that was occupying his parents’ room.

Rarity didn't even hear him; she was caught up in the moment tearing the dresses out of the wardrobe.

Pinkie Pie suddenly busted out of the wardrobe.

"Hey Rarity! What are you doing?"

She asked with a bright smile.

This sudden appearance made the fashion pony jump back in surprise.

"Oh Pinkie it’s just you, I'm taking these dresses. Do you see these designs? They are absolutely beautiful! Just imagine what I could do with them back in Equestria!"

Mike approached Rarity.

"That's my mom's stuff, and she's going to be pissed when she sees this mess, let alone a couple of dresses missing from her collection!"

Rarity laughed

"Oh please Mike, she has so many beautiful dresses she won't notice if a few were to... mysteriously disappear. And you wouldn't tell her I did it would you?"

Rarity gave him a duck face.

"Of course I wouldn't tell her it was you!"

Mike said.

"Oh I knew you wouldn't!"

Rarity exclaimed.

"That would probably get me in the insane asylum or several appointments with a shrink!"

Mike responded with panic.

"Why would you be locked up in such a horrid place for that? You're not the one who stole something."

Rarity asked, not understanding yet that Technicolor equines weren't normal or existent in this world.

"Ask Pinkie or Twilight to explain, after you put the dresses NEATLY back in the wardrobe."

Mike felt like he was an overworked father teaching his kids manners.

Rarity sighed sadly "Please please please please please, may I have one of your dresses?"

She asked Mike, giving him the cutest duck face she could.

Mike however was unfazed by this, just like he was unfazed and disgusted by the many duck faces he encountered on Facebook.

"No."

He said coldly.

Rarity now tried a different more seductive approach.

She looked at him

"Oh please let me have at least one of the dresses, I'll make it up to you some way."

She said.

"I don't even want to KNOW what you mean by that. Just put them back and I'll take it into consideration. I really need to check on Fluttershy."

Mike responded, getting more agitated by the second.

"Fluttershy? What’s wrong with Fluttershy?"

Rarity asked, the dresses completely out of her mind now.

Rainbow Dash's ears perked up.

"Follow me girls."

Twilight Sparkle said with a somber tone

Rarity quickly ran behind Twilight ready to check on her best friend.

As they finally arrived at the living room, Rainbow Dash and Rarity both looked in shock as they saw their friend in such a bad condition.

"Oh, don't worry girls! Twilight said she's gonna be just fine!"

Pinkie Pie assured her friends, looking at Twilight Sparkle.

"Not if she doesn't get medical help soon."

Twilight confessed, looking at the floor.

"Then what are you waiting for?"

Rarity asked, as she turned to Mike.

"Get her to a hospital!"

She continued intimidating.

"Look, I know that this is a very stressful situation, but I'm not even sure if the veterinarian is still open."

Mike said, feeling a little uncomfortable under the pressure.

"VETERINARIAN? SHE ISN'T JUST SOME ANIMAL! NOW WE'LL TAKE HER TO THE DOCTER AND THEY HAD BETTER BE THERE!" Rarity yelled at Mike.

He winced a little at this sudden outburst.

Twilight jumped to Mike's defense.

"Listen Rarity, In this world Doctors don’t treat ponies, but humans. Animals go to the veterinarian."

"What?!"

Rarity exclaimed, "Don't they realize that we're just as "human" as they are?"

She was getting somewhat disgusted at how much different ponies were treated.

"I can try to get her to a veterinarian; I'll just have to use my parents' car."

Mike said, still a little stressed.

This cause Rarity to only get angrier.

"TRY?! Oh you will do more than try!"

Pinkie pulled a ring of keys out of nowhere and held them up in front of Mike.

"How did you... Never mind."

Mike responded, as he got the keys from Pinkie's mouth and walked over to the living room.

Rarity moved over to Fluttershy, trying to comfort her friend. "Fluttershy, it’s me Rarity.

I'll make sure that you get the best care possible. You'll be okay."

"Who will move Fluttershy?"

Mike asked, as he peeked inside the living room.

"Rainbow Dash is the strongest; I believe she should do it."

Rarity said.

Rainbow Dash beamed.

"Then again, she did smash me into a window earlier."

Rarity continued.

"Twilight, I'm sure you're capable of carrying poor Fluttershy?"

With a bit of effort Twilight Sparkle lifted up Fluttershy with her magic, and floated her over to the doorway.

Rainbow Dash was taken aback by all this.

Her best friend since flight school, hurt badly and in shock.

She watched helplessly as Twilight Continued to move Fluttershy to the door.

Twilight Sparkle wasn't feeling much better about it herself.

Mike opened the front door and walked to his parents' car, opened the passenger doors and shoved some of seats back.

This big ugly car finally felt useful.

Pinkie hopped outside and followed Mike.

Pinkie Pie was then followed By Rarity, Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash.

Mike opened the door to the driver's side and the front-passenger seat.

"Shotgun!"

Pinkie Pie yelled as she took seat next to where Mike was about to sit.

The rest of the ponies waited outside the car as Twilight laid Fluttershy down in the back and strapped her in firmly with a seatbelt after Mike pointed out that it’s safer that way.

The rest of the ponies then went in the car with Rarity and Rainbow Dash sitting next to Fluttershy to make sure she was alright, and Twilight closer to Mike and Pinkie, asking them questions about this strange new world.

"What the hell am I doing here? I don't even HAVE my driver’s license yet!"

Mike said.

"I can't do this."

Rarity's horn glowed a deep bright blue and she moved it closer to Mike's head.

"If you don't get her to the hospital this instant, I swear to Celestia I will do things to you that will haunt you for the rest of your life!"

Rarity growled.

"You're the boss!"

Mike squeaked out, feeling genuinely scared.

Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash looked at their friend, shocked of this uncharacteristic behavior she was showing.

Fluttershy cringed and made sounds of discomfort.

"Drive."

Rarity said.