My Little Pony: The Acceptance of Friendship

The next morning, Neo was sleeping peacefully in the hospital bed. It was a beautiful day in Ponyville and all the ponies were starting their daily lives.

Nurse Redheart came into Neo's room with a cart with a plate of buttermilk pancakes for Neo. She saw that Neo was still sleeping and he was apparently talking in his sleep. He seemed to be talking about his concerts and the music he performs.

Nurse Redheart giggled and said, "It's amazing what everypony can dream about.”

She pushed the cart by Neo's bed. She gently put her hooves on Neo, shook him lightly and said, "Excuse me sir, it's time to wake up,"

Neo woke and stretched. He looked around the room and saw the white pony nurse. He was startled for a second, but remembered where he was. He sat up and faced the nurse.

"Good morning nurse.”

Nurse Redheart smiled warmly at Neo, making him blush a little bit.

Then he realized that his massive pain was gone. He still had his bruises and cuts from his accident, but they were no longer hurting. He wasn't dizzy anymore and his concussion seemed to be gone.

“How are you feeling this morning?" the nurse said with a smile.

"I feel great, I've never felt better in my life. That must have been some damn good medicine you gave me.”

The nurse gasped at his cursing but she was happy he felt better.

"What was that pill you gave me last night?" he asked with curiosity.

"It was an all purpose painkiller, it cures even the slightest bit of pain. It does put you to sleep, but when you wake up, you'll feel just as wonderful as can be." the nurse explained with a smile.

“What is it a magic pill?”

"You could say that, here, I brought you some breakfast.”

The nurse gently placed a tray on Neo's bed with a stack of buttermilk pancakes and a glass of chocolate milk.

Neo started to eat the pancakes. His eyes opened wide which caused the nurse to gasp.

“Oh no, are they too hot?" she asked with concern.

Neo didn’t respond, he just kept eating the pancakes.

She was surprised as Neo's shocked face went to eating joyfully, he really seemed to like the pancakes.

He stopped eating for a second and said, "These are so good, these have gotta be the best pancakes I've had in years. Thank you so much.”

Nurse Redheart brushed her forehead with her hoof in relief.

"Why thank you, I'm so happy you like them.” she said, grinning happily.

A gentle knock came at the door, the nurse answered the door and said, "Welcome everypony, please come in.”

6 ponies walked into the room including Twilight Sparkle and the nurse left the room.

Neo was surprised at how many ponies came with Twilight. He noticed that the ponies seemed a little nervous, but at the same time, they felt compassionate about him.

Twilight went to the side of Neo's bed.

"How are you feeling?"

“I feel better now.” Neo replied. “All my pain is gone, the nurse gave me some really strong medicine. It cured the pain from my injuries and my concussion is gone."

Twilight sighed with relief and said, "Thank goodness, I was worried you might have gotten worse. I'm so happy you're feeling better."

Suddenly one of the ponies in the room began bouncing around the room in a hyperactive way. "Ooh, what is he, does he like parties?"

Neo flinched in response.

"Pinkie Pie, not right now, can't you see he's hurt?” Twilight said, trying to calm down the hyperactive pony. “Be a little compassionate, the poor boy has just been in an accident.”

Neo giggled at the pony's behavior but covered his mouth with his hand.

"Sorry about that, she's very excited.” said Twilight. “Let me introduce you to my friends, this here is Pinkie Pie." Pointing her hoof at the hyperactive pony.

Pinkie Pie said in excitement, "Hi, my name is Pinkie Pie and when you get out, we're gonna have a welcome party just for you." Bouncing up and down as she spoke.

Pinkie Pie was a pink colored pony with a puffy rose magenta mane and she had bluish cyan colored eyes.

"And this is Rainbow Dash." said Twilight, pointing at a colorful pony.

Neo was starstruck by Rainbow Dash's appearance.

She was a Pegasus with wings, her coat was pale cyan, her mane and tail were rainbow colored and her eyes were a strong rose color.

She hovered over Neo and said with a grin, "That's me, I'm the fastest Pegasus in all of Equestria.” Sounding proud of herself and she sounded kind of like a tomboy.

Neo didn't say anything because of her amazing rainbow colors. Rainbow Dash smirked at Neo's priceless face.

Twilight giggled, "Okay that's enough Rainbow Dash, remember he's not from around here and we have a lot to explain to him.” Anyway that's Rarity."

Twilight pointed her hoof to a white unicorn with a indigo and dark violet mane and Azure colored eyes.

Rarity smiled and said, "Hello dear, I want to let you know I had your clothes cleaned, I have them here in my bag and I made that hospital dress you are wearing.” She spoke in an English accent that Neo seemed to like.

Rarity's horn glowed and Neo's clothes floated out of her bag and floated towards Neo.

Neo gasped and flinched as he saw the clothes float magically float towards him.

Rarity placed the clothes on his bed and she made a concerned look on her face.

"Oh my, I wasn't going to hurt you dear, I'm sorry if I frightened you.”

"It's okay, it was just so sudden."

The ponies were silent for a second, then Twilight said, "Okay, let me introduce you to Fluttershy."

Fluttershy was a pale amber yellow Pegasus, she had a pink mane and strong cyan colored eyes.

She had a frightened look on her face, Neo knew what she was thinking. She didn't really trust him and she was very shy (which you can tell from her name).

"H-hello," she whispered.

Neo whispered hi back to her, understanding her shyness.

Twilight looked back and forth at Neo and Fluttershy as if Neo were reading her mind. She shrugged it off, pointed at the last pony and said, "And that's Applejack.”

Applejack was a orange colored pony with a yellow mane and she was wearing a cowboy hat.

"Howdy, nice to meet yah."

"Sweet Stuff told us about you.” said Rainbow Dash. “But we couldn't understand what she was describing.”

"Who?"

"Sweet Stuff, she told us about you."

Neo remembered that when he got here and before he had his accident, he saw 2 ponies playing in the field. One was blue and the other was turquoise and they saw him drive off from the field.

"Oh, is she that blue pony I saw playing in the field yesterday?”

Rainbow Dash nodded and said, "Yeah, that's her."

"She couldn't come with us, but you'll meet her later.” said Twilight.

The ponies began talking to each other about Neo, but Twilight cut them off and said, "Alright girls, settle down."

Neo watched them, he began to feel comforted by them.

“It must be great to have friends.” he thought to himself.

Rainbow Dash hovered over Neo, "So, where did you come from, what's your name?"

The ponies focused their attention to Neo, Neo wasn't sure where to start.

"Well, my name is Neo Anderson, I'm a male and I'm a famous singer, I travel the world, putting on show and concerts. I came from a country called America.”

The ponies were amazed by the information.

Pinkie Pie got excited. "You're a singer, ooh, we would love to hear you sing, I love music. Would you sing for us, oh please, please?"

Twilight cut her off. "Pinkie Pie, this is not a good time for that, he needs time for his wounds to heal.” Twilight turned to Neo, "I'll explain the pony races later, right now we need to find you a place to stay."

Neo didn't think about that.

Twilight thought for a second, "I know, you can stay at my house."

"Are you sure?” Neo said with concern. “I don't want to burden you."

Twilight smiled, "Of course I'm sure. You won't be a burden, I would love to have to stay at my house."

Neo smiled, "Thank you so much."

Twilight gasped, clapped her hooves and said, "I know, let's have a sleepover at my house tonight." sounding like a school girl.

"YAY, LET'S HAVE A PARTY!” Pinkie Pie shouted, bouncing up and down like crazy.

The ponies talked about their sleepover and Neo stayed quiet, not wanting to ruin their moment.

Neo sighed for a minute. “Why are they being so nice to me, I'm a complete stranger.” he said to himself. “I'm practically an alien to them, but they still want to help me, as if they want to be my friends. That would be so wonderful, all of the friends I have are either gone or deceased. I really could use a friend, I've been so alone all these years."

A tear went down Neo's face, Applejack noticed and her face was very close to Neo.

"Are ya alright sugercube, ya seemed spaced out, got somethin' on yer mind?"

Neo gasped when he saw Applejack's face in his view.

"No, it's okay, I'm fine, but thank you for your concern."

She saw that unhappy look on his face. She didn't seem to believe him, but she nodded.

Nurse Redheart came back into the room with a smile on her face. "I have wonderful news. It seems you're well enough to leave, you may leave whenever you're ready."

Neo slowly got out of bed and put his feet on the cold floor. He stood up and was able to keep his balance. The ponies were astonished at how tall he was.

"Wow, it's amazing how you can walk on 2 hooves." Rainbow Dash said with an astonished look.

Twilight facehooved herself. "Rainbow Dash, he's not a pony. They’re not called hooves for him, they are called.... uh.... oh what are they....... Neo what are they called?” asking sheepishly.

“They're called feet."

"Feet, that's right." Twilight giggled.

The ponies laughed but Neo didn't know why.

Neo was about to take off his hospital dress, but then he remembered that the room was full of girls. His face turned lobster red.

"Uhh, can you girls please leave for a second so I can change my clothes?" He asked nervously.

The ponies look confused by his question.

“You want us to leave?" Twilight asked.

"Just for a second."

"But why?"

"You know, you're girls and I'm a boy."

Rarity quietly gasped, "Come on girls, let's give Neo some privacy. Come out whenever you're ready darling."

"Thank you Rarity."

Pinkie Pie bounced out of the room, humming cheerfully to herself while the others just trotted out of the room.

Neo sighed with relief when they were out of the room.

He took off his hospital dress and started putting on his clothes. He put on a black shirt that said, "I love horror movies.” with a heart that had a knife lodged into it with blood dripping from it. He put on a pair of black shorts and black tennis shoes. He wore a lot of black since he was into Gothic style.

After Neo was dressed, he peeked out of the door and saw that the ponies were waiting right outside the door for him. At first he was nervous to go outside. He was just as shy as Fluttershy, so he waited a second.

Neo looked at the mirror and saw his bruises and cuts, he was surprised by how he looked. Then he accidentally knocked over a glass that was sitting on the table. The glass fell on the floor and shattered loudly.

"Shit.”

The ponies outside heard the noise. Rarity gently knocked on the door and said, "Neo darling, are you alright in there?"

"I'm okay, I just knocked over a glass."

"Oh dear, are you okay, can we come in?"

"Yeah, you girls can come in, I'm dressed now."

The ponies walked in and saw Neo on the floor picking up the broken glass.

Rarity gasped "Neo are you alright? Don’t pick those up, you’ll cut yourself. Let me clean that up for you dear."

Rarity bent down to the floor and used her magic to pick up the broken glass.

Pinkie Pie went up to Neo, "Hi Neo, nice clothes you have there." smiling cheerfully at Neo.

"Thank you.” He responded, surprised that she liked what he was wearing.

"Sorry folks, I gotta get back to work, see ya'll later." said Applejack.

“I must be going too.” said Fluttershy.” I have to feed the animals. Goodbye.”

After Rarity finished cleaning up the broken glass, she said, "Goodness, I'm late for work, I must be on my way as well. But I would like to see you again for your future clothes Neo. Goodbye darling,"

As Rarity left, Rainbow Dash hovered over Neo. "You'd better not do anything funny with Twilight mister or I'll take you down in 5 seconds flat.” and with that, she zoomed off like a rocket,

Pinkie Pie gasped. "Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh, I'm got so much to do, gotta bake cakes, gotta bake cupcakes, gotta make milkshakes, bye bye Neo, see you later.” she winked flirtatiously at Neo and goodness knows how she ran off.

Neo walked out in the walkway and stood still for a second. He stood silently with Twilight by his side, he seemed worried about what was to happen.

"Don't worry Neo.” Twilight said with a warm smile. “Everything will be alright, you're gonna love it here. Come with me, I'll show you around Ponyville."

Neo walked with Twilight down the hallway, but he wanted to see Nurse Redheart for a second.

He went up to the nurse and said, "Nurse, I just wanted to thank you everything you've done for me, especially since I'm new here.”

Nurse Redheart giggled sweetly. “You're very welcome dear. I'll always be here for you if you get sick or injured. You were a pleasure to take care of, you take care of yourself now."

He waved goodbye to the nurse and he walked with Twilight out of the hospital.

And so Twilight took Neo around Ponyville, showing him the sites and meeting more ponies of the town.

Some of the ponies stared at him. Some ponies welcomed him with open arms and some didn't care. Some ponies asked him questions and he did his best to answer them.

He didn't like the ponies staring at him, they were staring at him like he was some kind of freak.

As the sun was going down, Twilight said, "Oh my, it's getting late, we'd better get to my house."

As Twilight got him out of the crowd of ponies, 2 familiar ponies came to Neo and said hello to him.

Neo recognized them, they were the 2 ponies he saw playing in the field when he first came here.

The blue pony introduced herself, her name was Sweet Stuff and the other pony's name was Fizzy. Neo said it was nice to meet them.

Sweet Stuff and Fizzy always liked meeting new ponies. Twilight said they had to be going, but they wanted to see Neo again some time. So Twilight and Neo said goodbye to Sweet Stuff and Fizzy and they went to her house.

When they got to her house, Neo said with a confused look on his face, "You live in a tree house?"

Twilight chuckled "It may look like that from the outside, but inside, it's the local library and me and Spike's home."

She went up to the door, opened it and gestured her hoof at the door.

"After you sweetie."

Neo went in and it was dark inside the house, he couldn't see anything. Neo looked around and said, "Where the hell are the lights?”

Suddenly, Twilight came in and shouted, "NOW!"

Then the lights came on and Neo was greeted by a huge, "SURPRISE!"

Neo flinched and saw over 20 ponies in the room including, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity and Rainbow Dash. He looked around in amazement, he just couldn't believe they threw a welcome party just for him.

Pinkie Pie went up to Neo with a huge grin on her face and she said, "Hi Neo, I made this party just for you."

“But why?"

Pinkie Pie made a face like he was asking a stupid question. "This is a welcome party silly.”

He noticed all the ponies smiling warmly at him. For once in 10 years, he actually felt happy.

A tear went down Neo's face along with some other tears, the ponies were concerned about him.

"Neo, are you okay, why are you crying?" Pinkie Pie asked with concern.

Neo wiped his tears. "Nothing, my eyes are burning.” then he smiled. "Thank you so much girls, this is the best party anybody has ever given me in 10 years."

Neo and the ponies partied for a hour and he had a wonderful time. He was greeted warmly by the ponies, had some good food and drinks and played some fun games with the ponies.

He realized that the reason the ponies left the hospital in such a hurry was not only to get back to work but to also get ready for the party. Twilight knew about it the whole time and showed him around the Ponyville to give them time to prepare for the party.

About and hour later, everypony left except for Spike, Neo and the mane 6.

"All right everypony, let's get to sleep." Twilight said to her friends.

"But what about this big mess?" asked Neo.

She flopped her ears down and laughed in an embarrassed way and said, "Oh yeah."

"Don't worry, I'll clean it up." Spike said with a smile.

Neo went over to Spike. "You're Spike right?"

"Yes, that's me, you're Neo Anderson."

“So you remember."

The girls giggled at them, it seemed like they were friends already.

Neo volunteered to help Spike clean up. At first Spike refused and said he could do it himself, but Neo said that the quicker they clean up, the faster they can get to bed. Then Spike accepted Neo's help.

Neo told the girls they could go ahead and get some sleep and Twilight told them not to stay up too long.

The girls went to bed as Neo and Spike cleaned up the mess from the party. As they cleaned up, Neo has an idea.

Neo took a peek into the room the girls were in and saw them sitting in a circle on the floor like most girls do.

Neo and Spike brought some drinks to the girls.

"Oh Neo, Spike, you brought us refreshments, thank you so much." Twilight said with a smile.

“No problem, good night girls." said Neo

"You’re welcome your majesty." said Spike in a sarcastic tone.

"I-what?"

Neo and Spike laughed at what Spike just said. Then Neo and Spike got into a bed.

Neo pulled the covers over him while Spike sat on the end of the bed, leaving the girls looking at each other. They giggled at each other.

Twilight covered her mouth with her hoof. "Those silly two." giggling sweetly.

It was midnight and everypony was fast asleep except for Neo. He couldn't sleep, he had a lot on his mind. He patted his forehead and stared at the sleeping ponies and Spike next to him, he needed some fresh air.

Neo quietly crept out of bed without making a sound. He slipped on a pair of shoes and he crept down the stairs. He quietly opened the door and exited the house without making a sound.

Neo breathed some fresh air and it felt really good. The air was so fresh, it was nothing like the air on Earth.

He looked up at the night sky and saw a sky full of stars and half of a moon. He liked it a lot better than Las Vegas or anywhere else he had traveled over the 10 years. Most cities he visited were noisy but it was quiet and peaceful here in Ponyville.

Neo wouldn't mind living here for the rest of his life, that would be a dream come true for him. He knew he would have a happy life here in Equestria.

Neo walked to town and came to the town square. There weren't any ponies around, they were all at home asleep. So it was quiet and peaceful.

He sat down on the steps of the town hall and took a box of cigarettes out of his pocket. He lit a cigarette and smoked as he sat on the steps.

As he smoked, he heard something coming to him. He looked and saw it was Twilight. She had a concerned look on her face as she walked up to Neo.

"Neo, why are you out this late, what's wrong?"

"I just needed some air.”

Twilight saw smoke coming from Neo's mouth, she gasped and said, "Neo, are you breathing fire?”

Neo laughed. "No, I'm just smoking a cigarette.”

Twilight noticed the cigarette he had in his hand.

"What's a cigarette?"

"They're drugs filled with tobacco. A lot of humans smoke these, usually for comfort."

Twilight got curious. "Can I have one?"

"No, you'd better not."

"Why not,"

“Because these are bad for you, they're bad for me too."

Twilight got concerned. "Well, if they're bad for you, why do you smoke them?"

"Because they relax me, and once you start smoking these, you get addicted. You just can't stop smoking them, I've always wanted to quit, but I just can't."

"Why not?"

"Because these are all I have for comfort. I've been smoking these for 3 years and I can't stop, and I smoke them because I'm so lonely and they make me feel better.”

Twilight sighed. "I'm sorry about that, but don't worry, I'm here for you and I'll help you quit smoking these. That’s what friends do."

Neo looked into Twilight's eyes. "Friends, are we friends? I haven't had any friends in 10 years."

Twilight's eyes widened. "What, how come?"

"I don't know. I use to have lots of friends, but that was a long time ago. I has some friends that lived with me, they were wonderful. But one day we got separated, and since then, I've been searching for them as I travel, hoping that one day, I will reunite with them. I had some other friends, but most of them are all deceased."

Twilight felt really sad about that and she apologized for his suffering.

"Oh Twilight, I'm been so lonely for the past 10 years, and all I ever wanted was a friend to hang out with.”

Neo started to cry a little. "I'm so lonely."

Twilight had the deepest compassion for Neo. She had been learning about friendship in Ponyville under the teaching of Princess Celestia, and she knows just how important friendship really is.

Neo cried some more, Twilight put a hoof on Neo's shoulder and said, "Oh Neo, don't cry, you have lots of friends now. You have me, and Spike, and Rarity, and Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie, and Applejack, and Rainbow Dash. As long as we are your friends, you won't be alone. We’re all here for you, and I will always be here for you."

Neo looked at Twilight with tears in his eyes. She was right, he had friends now. They didn't even know who or what he was but they quickly accepted him as a friend and treated him equally. He felt like Ponyville was where he belonged.

He stopped crying and hugged Twilight.

"Oh Thank you Twilight, thank you so much, you're wonderful.”

Neo and Twilight hugged each other for a few minutes, seeing just how wonderful friendship can be.

End of chapter 3, chapter 4 coming soon.