Nope, no waiting: here it is.
A pin dropped in Cloudsdale would've been heard in the seemingly endless silence. Marc knew that if he moved an inch, mass panic wouldn't be far away. He watched the multicoloured herd as a few of the ponies began backing away, and whispers started to become screams of fear.
But then, pink fate intervened.
"Oh, hi Marc! Did you like my confetti cannon? It sure can come in useful for all sorts of things!"
Pinkie Pie ran up to the prone human and threw a hoof over his shoulder. "Hey, everypony! Come and meet my new friend, Marc! Don't be afraid! He just dropped in to visit!"
Pinkie stopped when she heard her own pun, then burst out laughing and fell over.
The ponies seemed torn between what their instincts told them and what Pinkie was saying. Luckily, Applejack stepped forward too. "Howdy Marc. You could'a made a better entrance, but now you're here, lets get you cleaned up."
She trotted over and offered a shoulder to Marc so that he could pull himself upright. His stature set more ponies whispering, much to the annoyance of Applejack. "Hey now, don't be rude, He won't hurt ya none. Ya'll heard there was somepony special stayn' out in that cottage by the forest? Well, this here's 'im! C'mon now, be neighbourly!"
Marc pulled himself upright and got his balance after the fall. He looked over to where Rainbow Dash and Derpy were trying to untangle themselves.
"Hey, would someone help those two, they look a sight." At this, the ponies seemed to decide that Marc couldn't be much a threat. After all, Applejack had said he was fine and she was honest as they come.
Still, the majority stepped away uneasily and went about their business. But some stayed.
A dark coloured Pegasus stallion trotted around and helped Rainbow to jump away from the awkwardly positioned Derpy, happy to be rid of the clumsy mare. "Thanks Thunderlane... Derpy! why didn't you stay away like I told you!"
Rainbow Dash was incredibly mad. Derpy had just made her crash in front of her entire town, fail the mission the Princess had given her, and drop her friend, nearly to his death! Before anyone could stop her, she turned and flew off with tears of mortification in her eyes.
Thunderlane growled at the grey pegasus huddled on the ground before turning back to rejoin the crowd of milling ponies that continued to give Marc a wide berth.
Marc had a clear sight of the poor Derpy as she slowly regained her hooves with a little stagger. Rainbow had landed mostly on top of her and she was a bit beaten up.
Marc walked over to her
"Hi, I'm Marc. Are you okay, Derpy?" A few ponies stopped and watched.
Derpy looked up at Marc with surprise in her golden eyes. Then her eyes unfocused and she looked down, saying, "I-Im s-sorry crashed you into, I mean...Sorry."
She looked miserable as she began to slink away. "Hey, I thought you wanted to talk to me?" Marc said. He'd had experience with humans with much the same problems at the Orphanage.
Derpy turned to look at him again, looking confused. "wha'?
Marc sat on Pinkie's Party Cannon, now in the centre of the abandoned area around him. "Come and sit with me, then we can talk a little bit, since you're the only pony not scared of me. you aren't scared, are you?" Derpy shook her head and trotted up to sit on the other end of the cannon. Unfortunately, her weight on the end of the barrel caused the entire contraption to tip down, throwing Marc over the once again sprawled-out Pegasus. Marc sat up and looked aghast at Derpy. "Wow, you have one hell of the skill there."
"Buck it.." Derpy whispered as she sat up. "...s-sorry again..."
Marc smiled, "Don't worry about it, this ground is actually more comfortable anyway. So, Derpy-"
Ditzy...' she said with some vehemence. "M-my name's Ditzy Doo, n-not Derpy"
Marc realized that Derpy must have been an insulting name that had just stuck. He nodded apologetically, "I'm sorry, Ditzy, I'll remember that from now on."
He smiled at her until she finally got the nerve to look up at him and smile back.
"Aww! That's too cute!" It calls for a cupcake! And Ditzy, I got you a muffin!" Pinkie Pie ruined the moment slightly, but at least she added some cheer to it. Ditzy fell to her muffin like she'd lived through a seven year famine, And Marc couldn't help but laugh at that.
Applejack noticed a distinct shift in the crowd's attention, towards the area more or less abandoned since Marc's startling entrance. Thank Celestia for Pinkie Sense, she thought.
Now, she pushed her way through the the press of ponies beginning to surround her to watch in amazment as Marc sat with Pinkie Pie and Derpy, enjoying a snack and laughing like old friends.
"Good job, there, Marc." she whispered to herself, grinning.
Marc's head shot up when he heard the speakers turn back on with a buzz of static, followed by a voice over the massive sound system. Marc looked over to the stage.
"Well, go-o-od evening Everypony! We had an interesting interuption there! My good friend Rainbow Dash says its time to introduce our infamous gate-crasher! Marc! You better hoof your ass over here, I wanna see an alien!"
Marc got up and walked towards the stage set up in front of town hall. He noticed that the voice came from a white unicorn with a shockingly blue mane dancing about in the sound booth. Shades on a pony. Now I've seen everything, Marc thought, knowing it wasn't the truth.
It took a while to move through the now curious crowd of ponies, but soon he was standing before the stage, looking up at a slightly annoyed grey pony holding, of all things, a cello. He guessed he was holding up her show. The other band members looked just as peeved. Suddenely a microphone hit him upside the head. He instinctively grabbed it and glared at the unicorn in the sound booth. She just grinned.
Marc held the microphone awkwardly, and said into it, "Hiya every...pony."
It was the right thing to say. One or two ponies cheered (Marc recognized Applejack and Ditzy in there), and then a smattering of the crowd followed suit.
Marc spoke again. "Now, I'm pleased to meet you all, and I hope you'll forgive my accidental landing. I didn't mean to scare anypony."
A little more sporadic cheering, but mostly an awkward silence.
Marc cleared his throat and said. "Well, I think I'll bid you all a good night." Marc walked over to the sound booth and handed up the microphone to the pony there. She looked at him curiously. "Hey, dude, lookin' rough...Tell ya what, come to my place tomorrow, yeah? Rainbow said you were staying at Rosewood Cottage, if you look out the kitchen window, you can see my place; its the one with the lightning rod by the big tree."
Marc was very surprised to get and invitation like this. "Thank you, may I ask your name...?"
"Uh, sorry dude, chat tomorrow, gotta get to work, SEE YA!" She shouted as a massive wave of sound blasted from the speakers around her.
The concert started up again. As he quickly scuttled to a slightly less noisy location, Marc wondered how Rainbow had gotten hold of that pony when she had already left. Soon, he was gathered by Rarity as he walked through the crowd, still getting nervous looks. she ushered him out of the square to where it was a little more quiet.
Then she turned to him and said rapid fire, "Well, darling, that plan went completely awry! Now, don't worry, the Princess comes out at the end of the show , that was when Rainbow Dash was meant to lead you onto stage, now she'll cover for you. Anyway I will lead you to the cottage up the road here-"
"R-Rarity?"
"Rarity looked annoyed at Ditzy's interruption, "Please dear, I'm talking-"
"Can I t-take Marc to R-Rosewood? I mean, I-I live t-there an' all."
Marc looked at Rarity, "I think Ditzy can handle it, right? Dont worry, things went far better than I ever expected. I thought I would be chased away, actually."
Rarity tossed her mane, "Oh please, ponies are far to polite for that sort of thing."
She thought for a second, "Well. if Der...Ditzy is going home too, then I don't see any harm in her taking you there. Just don't get lost again, Ditzy."
And with that, she headed back to the concert. Marc looked over the roofs of the cottages and saw a tell-tale spray of confetti. Pinkie pie.
"S-should we go?" Marc followed Ditzy Doo up the road in silence or a while before she spoke, much more confident than before, "Um, thanks for not shouting at me or anything, and I-I'm sorry I crashed into you and Dash. I'm just a little clumsy sometimes..."
"It's okay Ditzy, we all make mistakes. But please try not to hit into me again, it really hurt."
Ditzy raised one wing and scowled at all the crushed feathers. "Yeah. I know."
Marc laughed along with her at that, and patted her on the shoulder."C'mon Ditzy, lets see what Rosewood is like."
She smiled gratefully, saying. "Oh, Rosewood is great! all the ponies are nice there! Scootaloo and m'sister Dinky... and all sorts of fun ponies s-stay there!"
Marc realized something then. Rosewood cottage.
The town Orphanage
When he got there, he didn't even hear Rainbow Dash as she greeted him from the roof where she'd been waiting: He stormed through the door and collapsed on the bed a confused Ditzy offered him.
He didn't hear or feel anything around him, he could only think as he cried silently to sleep:
Even here, I'm an Orphan.
Not again.
There I go again, breaking my own rules...Oh well. if any of these chapters feel a little rushed, it's because they are! I just can't help myself! Anyway, seriously, please review so I can get an idea of what I can improve on; the story will only get better if you do! Have good one.
