Us and Them

Chapter 2

A Day on the Town

Part 1-

The Curse of Knowledge

As I walked from the place where my new-found “friends” and I parted ways for the day, I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen to them. No, I didn’t expect any trouble but- oh who am I kidding? That blasted red pegasus was going to get somepony mad, and raise an incident. I didn’t even want to think what trouble the little mare would get into. She always seemed to be running around, doing something. At least the big pony seemed agreeable.

I headed for the library. If there was anypony in Ponyville who I wanted to meet soon, it was Twilight Sparkle. I knew where it was, and I wanted to go, but dang if I didn’t get distracted at every turn. I could learn so much more about the town now that the ponies were out and about, rather than listening to the mayor’s speech.

I saw ponies I knew, buildings I recognized, and sights, sounds, and smells I could only dream of. Heaven on Earth, I thought. Then I realized I wasn’t on Earth anymore. This did renew my resolution to meet up with Twilight, but to my dismay, when I went to the library, where I hoped to sit and have a cup of tea and a chat with Twilight, Spike answered saying that Twilight was out with her friends.

“Well, do you know when she’ll be back?”

“All I know is that she said there was a party she’s supposed to go to tonight. She’ll be back before then I guess.”

“Ugh. fine. You’ve been a real help Spike.” I said genuinely. I’m sarcastic, but when somebody’s no help, but they tell you all they can, I don’t get mad.

“Wait. How did you know my name?”

“I... umm...” Crap. I really need a quick blanket response for whenever that slips out. “I was looking for Twilight so I could get her advice for a spell I’m practicing, and when I asked somepony where to find her, they said that ‘Her assistant Spike will probably answer the door. He’s a baby dragon, but he’s harmless.’”

“Oh. Yeah, that makes sense. I’m usually the one to answer the door.”

“Right, I’ll be on my way then. Thanks for the help!” I quickly said as I left. That was scary as all heck. Apparently my knowledge of the town is as much a curse as it is a blessing. Leaving that experience behind me, I went on exploring the town. I didn’t know what to expect. The Mane 6 were out doing some adventure, so I wouldn’t be likely to run into any of them for the day. The other three ponies I met earlier must have tried to hide from me, as I hadn’t seen any of them.

I kept wandering until I reached the park. There I found a park bench that I remembered seeing Lyra and Bon-Bon on. I decided that since I had nowhere to go and nothing to do, that I might as well sit back and enjoy things for a while.

I tried lying down on the bench, like Bon-Bon does. It felt like I was slacking off or something. Something about it felt wrong. So I tried sitting up. It wasn’t comfortable, but it sure felt natural. All I got in return were strange looks, except for a certain mint-green pony who just happened to walk through the park and gave me a brohoof for sitting the right way.

I thought of saying something, but I figured that, at least for Lyra, this was the best impression I could leave. I came to the realization that all of my knowledge on the ponies was almost useless since you shouldn’t know anything about them if you’re meeting them for the first time. This made me angry, but not at anything in particular. I just... I just wished that everypony would stop thinking I’m weird.

Part 2-

When I Learn to Fly

“Right. Go walk the town. Make friends. Woo, how exciting.” Sure, I was talking to myself. No I didn’t care. If there’s anything that know-it-all “human” Historia taught me, it’s that anytime I complain, I’m just gonna get yelled at. So, I just kept walking.

After a bit, I got bored of walking. That’s when I remembered I had wings. Not that I really knew how to use them (I can’t remember anything before today, not even my name. Do you expect me to know how to fly?). I had all day to learn. So I went off to the park to go practice flying. Or, well, I was headed for the park. I think. I dunno. Anywhere that didn’t have ponies who would see a fully-grown pegasus trying to learn to fly.

Eventually I happened upon a wide meadow. By wide, I mean freakin’ huge. It’s perfect, I thought. Nice open air, soft grass for any... failures, and not a pony in sight.

I moved my wings. It wasn’t as hard as you might think. It’s just another muscle I guess, kinda like moving your legs. I just had to give them a nice, big flap and I was airborne. I kept flapping to gain a bit more altitude, then moved my wings so they pushed me forward more. It was instinct I guess. I honestly had no clue what I was doing. And it showed.

A few feet into my glide, I realized that I was losing altitude. This made me panic and overcompensate. Now I was a good 40 feet in the air, and still with almost no clue what I was doing. I decided to tilt my body down a few degrees and slowly glide down. I figure an experienced pegasus could have pulled it off. I was certainly not experienced however.

When I tried, I went a few degrees too far, and picked up a little too much speed. I tried flapping my wings to slow myself down. Well it probably softened the landing. Still hurt though. Yeah, I crashed into the ground after a dive. Woo hoo. If you laugh at me, I will find you and buck you in the face.

“Ugh. This flying stuff’s a lot harder than they make it seem.”

“You just need more practice. Most ponies don’t get it on their first try. I mean, I did of course, but most don’t.”

“Wha- Wait! Who are you!? How did you find me!?” I asked as I turned around to get a view of my spectator and critic. It was a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail. Honestly, I thought it looked kinda tacky. But I think that about most things here.

“Name’s Rainbow Dash, and I’m the best flier in Ponyville. I was headed home to avoid doing some stupid adventure-mission-thing” (she waved her hoof in the air to emphasize her apathy.) “with my friends. Today they’re going to help out bunnies or something. Lame, right?”

“Pffft. No kidding. Well, I don’t remember anything, not even a name- let alone how to fly.” I said.

“Well then. Looks like you could use a mentor.” And then she added (to her credit, she at least tried to say it under her breath and hide it) “And maybe, the Wonderbolts will see me helping train you, and they’ll think how great I am, and they’ll invite me to join them for being so great and helpful.”

“Right... So are we gonna get started, or are you just gonna sit there all day, dreaming?”

“Right! I’ll start with the basics. Taking off 101.”

Well, at least I had somepony to help me learn. Even if she does seem a little insane. But I guess being insane is pretty much a prerequisite if you want to live in this town. Maybe, when I master flying, I’ll just fly away to get away from all this insanity.

Part 3-

A Lovely Stroll

“Well the smart one said to walk around town, meet some ponies, and have a good time. Guess I should probably take her advice.” Now, I’m not dumb, I just call her smart because she sure as hay knew what was going on a lot better than I did.

I’m not shy, just quiet. When I walked through town, I knew I stood out. I was the tallest one there. I didn’t start any conversations though. When people walked up to me and said hi, I replied, but I didn’t say much. I just kept walking. I guess it just helps me stay calm. I tried to take it all in, see as much as I could, and remember most of it. I tried to remember some faces, and tried to listen in to see if I could get a name. I tried to remember the town’s layout, and where the landmarks were. I knew where Sugarcube Corner, the Town Hall, and Carousel Boutique were. I figured those places would be enough to navigate the town.

I let my mind wander as I kept walking. Clearly I got a little too lost in thought, because before long, I was walking down a road out of Ponyville. When I finally noticed, I looked around myself. The road went on in two directions, but I couldn’t see Ponyville either way. I didn’t want to be late to the party, but I had no idea what time it was or how far I was from town. It sure felt like a long time.

“Oh well, I should have plenty of time.” I just kept walking. If worst came to worst, I could just gallop back to town.

I kept my eyes and thoughts on the walk ahead of me. As if a response from some higher power, there was a building up ahead. The sign outside read “The Halfway Inn.” I stepped inside.

The person behind the counter appeared about as old as the building itself. He was aging- not quite “old” but was certainly approaching that point sooner than he wanted to. “What brings a strapping colt like yourself to the Halfway Inn, sonny?” That last word really made him sound old.

“Well, I’m looking to head to Ponyville. Could you tell me how to get there and how long of a walk it’ll be?”

“Heheh. Ponyville? Well you’re halfway there from Canterlot. That’s why I called this place the Halfway Inn.”

“Clever.”

“Yep, I like to think so. To get to Ponyville, you’ll need to turn left when you leave here. But you’ll want to leave tomorrow. It’ll take you a few hours at least.”

“A few hours? What time is it?” Just how long had I been walking, anyways?

“Oh, it’s about six.”

“Oh, you’ve gotta be- thanks for everything, sir!” I couldn’t miss this party. If there was anything I knew, this party seemed important. Besides, I was one of the guests of honor. It wouldn’t make much sense for me to miss my own party. Hopefully, if I galloped, I could make it before the party ended.

Part 4-

A Singsong Day

I was So excited to see the town! I couldn’t help myself from galloping as we went our separate ways. I didn’t get far. I was so excited as I galloped, I forgot to look right ahead, which a tree promptly reminded me I should be doing.

I must have been running pretty fast, because on top of the stares, something fell on my face from the tree. “Ponyville Singing Competition! Today at 3! Open registration! First prize is an all-expense paid trip for four to Equestria’s capital, Canterlot.”

I remembered what the blue pony said. “You should try and do whatever you can while out on the town today.” Or... well, something like that. I was too excited, and I was never good at remembering details. Whatever. It seemed like fun, so I started galloping around, looking for the school where the stage was set up.

It wasn’t too long before I found the stage. It was about 2:30 according to the school’s clock tower. “Am- am I in time to- to register for- for this- competi- competition?” I was a little out of breath. I had been running through the entire town looking for this place. In hindsight, I probably should have asked somepony.

The purple pony with pink hair looked at me and chuckled a little before saying “Sure. Let me explain how the competition works. You’ll go backstage to wait for your turn. When you get called up, just sing any song you want, and myself and two other judges will rate your singing.”

“Okay! Sounds like fun!”  I was getting more and more excited as she talked, and I wasn’t even backstage yet.

“Alright, you’re number 20. When your number is called, you can come up on stage.”

“Okay!” I happily skipped backstage. When I got there, my spirits dropped like a rock. There were 19 other ponies, all warming up their vocal chords, getting ready for the competition.

each one sounded like they had been practicing for years.

“Hey, I’ve never seen you around before!” A little white unicorn called out to me. She had poofy, pink and lavender hair and a voice so squeaky, I wondered if she could actually sing well.

“Uhhh... yeah, I’m new here.”

My name’s Sweetie Belle. Are you in this competition too?”

“Yep, I’m number 20.”

“Really? I’m 19. And Scootaloo here is 18.” She motioned to another little pony, an orange pegasus with purple hair.

“Well good luck then.”

“What are you gonna sing?”

Oh Crap. It hit me like a stack of bricks. I didn’t remember my name, I sure as heck didn’t remember any songs. “I... Uh... Don’t want to ruin the surprise...” Should I just step out? But what would Historia think if I did? Oh, I just don’t know.

That’s when I decided what I’d do. I’d listen to one of the earlier contestants and sing one of their songs. That way I wouldn’t look stupid.

Contestant after contestant went up and sang their songs, but most were too complicated for me to sing. I realized that maybe I should just step out.

“18! You’re up” The MC called out

“Go get ’em Scoots” Sweetie Belle encouraged as she shoved a nervous Scootaloo through the curtains. I thought this would be the one. It had to be. If I couldn’t remember this one, I only had Sweetie’s song to memorize, and I don’t think I would have time to remember it all.

What I heard next was the most horrible, earsplitting, off-key song I had ever heard (though I guess I had only heard 17 really good songs before then, so take it as you will). Scootaloo sang the “Cutie Mark Crusader’s theme,” but it was so horrible, I hoped that the “cutie marks” they wanted didn’t need good singing.

Afterwards, She came back a little sad, saying that she got a twelve. Cheerilee gave her a ten (apparently she only gave tens) she said, but the other two both gave her ones.

“Alright,19! Your turn!”

“Alright, kick some flank Sweetie!” Scootaloo encouraged.

“It’s not a fight you dodo!” Sweetie countered.

“I told you to stop calling me that you dumb dictionary!”

“Cool it you two, Sweetie, go up there and sing.” Well Somepony needed to be the voice of reason.

What she sang was the polar opposite of Scootaloo’s song. It was apparently a lullaby, but she really put her soul into it, singing with a full-bodied voice I wouldn’t have guessed she had. I was too entranced by her amazing voice to even try to memorize the song. I listened close for the judges reactions.

“Simply marvelous. A beautiful voice indeed! I give it a perfect ten!”

“You did great Sweetie, I’m very proud of you. Ten points!” That was the voice of the purple pony from up front. Apparently her name was Cheerilee.

“Yeah, it was great, but it didn’t quite feel right with me. I’m just gonna give you a nine.”

“That score of 29 puts you in first place, with only contestant 20 left.”

“20! It’s your turn!”

I sheepishly stepped through the curtain, Sweetie slipping through when I did.

“Begin whenever you are ready” The left-most pony said. A gray pony with black hair and a purple bowtie.

I sighed, and decided it was too late to turn back. Too late to resign. I had to go through with it now. I had to come up with something to sing.