Hello, Everyone! Welcome to chapter sixteen of "The Day I Went to Equestria". So far Kaleb has met just about everypony in Ponyville. However, there is one character he hasn't met yet. It's a certain character who happens to be in a certain forest. And I bet you know who it is. But that will have to be for another chapter. Without further ado, let's begin! Disclaimer: I DO NOT own "MLP: FIM". All rights go to its respective owners.
Chapter 16: Swimming Plans
The next morning came as Celestia's sun rose high in the sky. Kaleb was sleeping on the couch when the sun shone through the house. He then began to slowly wake up. He opened his eyes and sat up. He yawned, rubbed his eyes, and stretched.
"A good night's sleep is just what I needed." He said to himself as he got up.
He looked towards the stairs. He noticed that Rainbow and Gilda haven't come down yet.
"They're probably still asleep." He thought.
He then looked towards the kitchen and got an idea.
"Maybe I can surprise them with a good breakfast."
Kaleb walks into the kitchen and tries to think of what to make for breakfast. He went over to fridge and opened it. He looked around until he saw a carton of eggs.
"Maybe I can make some scrambled eggs."
He takes the carton of eggs out and sets it on the counter. After closing the fridge, he looks around for something else. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a loaf of bread. He also saw an unplugged toaster.
"I guess I could also make toast."
Just as he was about to start, he realized there was one place he had not looked yet; the freezer. He looked at the fridge and saw the freezer on top of it. He walked towards it and opened it. He looked around until he saw a box. He took it out and saw that it was a box of frozen waffles. He sets it on the counter and closes the freezer. After that, he put a hand on his chin in thought, trying to decide what to make.
"Which one should I make?" He asked himself.
Suddenly, he got another idea.
gasp* Maybe I can make all three!"
He looks at the waffles, then at the bread, then at the eggs. He nods.
"Okay. Let's get this started!" He said with determination.
He began making breakfast.
Minutes later, upstairs, Rainbow Dash was in her room sleeping. She slowly opened her eyes and sat up. She then yawned and stretched. After getting out of bed, she walked to her door and opened it. Once she got out, she saw Gilda's door slowly open as well. Gilda walked out of her room. The two friends looked at each other.
"Morning, Dash." Gilda greeted.
"Morning, G. Did you sleep well?" Rainbow asked.
"I slept pretty good. You?"
"I slept like a baby."
Gilda chuckled.
"I'm sure ya did." She said.
She suddenly caught a scent and sniffed the air.
"You smell somethin', Dash?" She asked.
Her friend sniffed the air too. She smiled and licked her lips.
"I sure do. And whatever it is, it smells good." She said.
The griffon looked at the way downstairs, then at her friend.
"Well, let's go see what it is then." She said.
Rainbow nodded.
"You read my mind."
The duo started to walk downstairs. It was when they got close to the last stairs that the scent became stronger. They got a clear whiff of it.
"Mmmm! That does smell good." Gilda said.
They followed the scent to the kitchen and they were surprised at what they saw. They saw Kaleb standing there with a triumphant smile on his face.
"Surprise! Breakfast is served." He said.
The duo looked at the table and saw three plates. On each of them were scrambled eggs, toast with butter, and waffles with butter and syrup. Once Kaleb sat down in his chair, his friends sat down as well. The pegasus and griffon looked at their plates with delight.
"This is really good, Kaleb. Did you make this?" Rainbow asked as she began eating her breakfast.
"Sure did." Kaleb said as he was eating.
"I gotta say, Kaleb, for your first time, you did an awesome job. You're a really decent cook." Said Gilda.
"I guess those two years of cooking class finally paid off."
"Sure looks like it."
"No offense when I say this, but hey, we can't have scones and pancakes for the rest of our lives." Kaleb said.
Gilda laughs a bit.
"None taken. Also, it's kind of a miracle none of us found a piece of your shaggy hair in our food." She said.
"Hey!"
Rainbow and Gilda laugh.
"Hey, Rainbow. Just out of curiosity, do you have any pets?" Kaleb asked.
"As a matter of fact I do." Rainbow said as she was halfway done with eating. She stopped and got out of her chair. She started walking towards the stairs. She glances back at the boy.
"I'll be right back."
She turned back to the stairs and walked up them. Kaleb turned to Gilda.
"Do you know what her pet is?" He asked.
"You'll see." Said Gilda.
As soon as she said that, they heard the flapping of wings and turned to see Rainbow flying downstairs carrying something in her hooves. Once she got in the living room, Kaleb got a better look at it. It was none other than a tortoise. Rainbow flew a little bit towards Kaleb, then stopped in midair. Kaleb looked at the tortoise in astonishment.
"A tortoise?" He asked.
Rainbow nodded.
"That's right. Kaleb, this is my pet tortoise, Tank." She said as she introduced the turtle to him.
She turned to Tank.
"Tank, Kaleb."
Tank looked up at Kaleb. Kaleb then tried to pet his head with two fingers.
"Hello, Tank." He said.
Tank then got a scared look and hid in his shell which caused Kaleb to pull his hand back a little.
"Oh. Sorry about that, Rainbow. Guess I kinda scared him a little." He apologized.
"It's okay. It's not your fault. He gets scared around strangers sometimes." Rainbow said.
She looked at Tank.
"It's alright, Tank. He's my friend. He's not gonna hurt you."
Tank stuck his head out of his shell a little, still looking at Kaleb.
"I promise I won't hurt you, Tank. Besides, if I did or even tried to, I guarantee you Rainbow would have my ass." Kaleb said, sincerely.
Rainbow chuckled.
"You're damn right I would." She said.
The tortoise stuck his head out all the way. Kaleb slowly moved his two fingers towards Tank's head. Once he touched it, he then began to gently stroke the tortoise's head. Tank smiled, knowing he had nothing to worry about.
"I have to say, Dash, you have one nice tortoise." Kaleb said.
"Something tells me he adjusted to you pretty well and pretty quick for that matter." Said Rainbow.
"That's great. Where did you get him?"
"I got him from Fluttershy a long time ago. The main reason being I wanted a pet because back then, everypony else had a pet except me. I told Fluttershy about it and she agreed to help me. Originally, I wanted a really fast pet. You know, to keep up with me. The problem was I couldn't decide which animal should be my pet. So, I decided that the best solution to it would be to have a pet race. Whoever could run through the Ghastly Gorge would be the winner." Rainbow explained.
"Really?"
"Really."
"How did the race go?" Kaleb asked.
Rainbow's expression slowly changed to one of sadness.
"For the most part, it went well. That was until we got to the Ghastly Gorge. When I was flying through it, everything seemed fine. But then, without warning, some huge rocks came crashing down on me and I was hit. I had a few scrapes and bruises, but I was alright. Then I realized to my dismay, my wings were pinned down under a huge rock. When Tank appeared, I really thought all hope was lost for me. I thought 'how could a simple tortoise help me?'" She said.
Rainbow then smiled.
"And then it happened."
"What happened?"
"Tank slowly walked over to the boulder, and did the unthinkable. He lifted the boulder off of my wings with his shell. Ever since then, I was really proud to call him my pet. I owe my life to him. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here today."
"She's right." Gilda said.
Kaleb turns to her.
"Tank isn't just some tortoise. He's a hero!"
He turns back to Tank.
"I gotta say, Tank. You're one heroic tortoise. And for saving Rainbow's life, you deserve a thank you and a medal." He said.
Rainbow chuckles.
"I think just a thank you would be enough." She said.
Kaleb nodded and looked at the tortoise again.
"Thank you, Tank."
Tank smiled and nodded as if to say "You're welcome." A couple of minutes later, and after Kaleb changed his clothes, the trio walked outside. Rainbow and Gilda went out first and Kaleb followed. Once they were out, he shut the door. He then turned to his friends.
"So, does anyone have any idea what we could do today?" He asked.
Rainbow put a hoof on her chin while Gilda put a talon on her chin, trying to figure out what to do. Then Rainbow got an idea.
"I've got an idea. How about we all go swimming at the lake?" She suggested.
She turned to Gilda.
"Whaddya think, G?"
"Sounds like fun." She said.
They looked at Kaleb.
"Sound like a plan, Kaleb?" Gilda asked.
As soon as he heard that, he got kind of an unsure look.
"Um..."
"What's wrong?" Rainbow asked, concerned.
"Um... that really does sound like a good and fun idea, but there's just one teensy little problem." Said Kaleb.
"What?"
"For me, no spare underwear, and no swimming trunks." He said as he counted two fingers.
The duo then got looks of disappointment.
"Oh, yeah. Crap." Said Rainbow.
Just then, Gilda's face brightened and she turned to her friend.
"Hey, Dash."
Rainbow turned to her.
"Yeah?"
"I think I've got an idea. Maybe Rarity can help." She said, "Think about it, she's a fashionista right? So that means she designs clothes and probably makes them sometimes. I was thinking maybe she could not only make Kaleb a pair of swimming trunks, but a spare pair of underwear too."
Rainbow thought about it for a minute then her face brightened.
"You might be right, Gilda. I didn't even think of that. That sounds like a great idea." She said.
They turn to Kaleb.
"What do you think, Kaleb? Sound like a plan?" Rainbow asked.
He then put his hand on the back of his head and got another unsure look.
"Um, well... to be honest, I can kind of see her making the trunks, but I doubt she'll be willing to make the underwear." He replied.
The duo nodded.
"Maybe so. But we'll never know until we try." Rainbow told him.
Kaleb thinks about it for a minute before speaking.
"Well, I suppose you're right." He said.
"Okay. Now let's get this show on the road."
Rainbow was the first to fly. Kaleb and Gilda looked at each other and nodded. They fly off, following their friend.
Later, the trio were flying on their way to Rarity's. Rainbow was flying in the middle, Gilda was flying on the left, and Kaleb was flying on the right.
"Hey, Gilda?" Kaleb called.
The griffon turned to her right to look at her friend.
"Yeah, Kaleb?"
"This may be a stupid question, but is flying always this good?" He asked.
"I'm not gonna lie, most of the time, flying can be great! Especially when you're trying to get somewhere. Also, you can feel the wind in your fur and you have a lot of open space." She said.
"But isn't it dangerous sometimes?" Kaleb asked.
Gilda nodded and got a serious look.
"You better believe it, wolf boy. When it comes to flying, not everything is so sweet. There is always the hazard of crashing into people which could injure you and the person you bump into. And there's also the chance of you crashing into things like a helicopter, a building, a mountain, and so on. And if that happened, you would probably be injured. Or worse, killed." She told him.
Kaleb was shocked and a bit nervous at the same time. He had no idea there would be cons to flying. Although getting blasted in the shoulder and falling into the Everfree Forest should have been proof enough. Gilda closes her eyes and smiles.
"But despite all of that, flying can be a really effective way to get from place to place. It also can be really fun sometimes too." She said.
Kaleb chuckles.
"Heh heh, I bet." He said.
He looks over at Rainbow and notices she has a sad look on her face.
"Rainbow?"
The pegasus turned to him.
"Huh?"
"Something the matter, Dash?" Kaleb asked, concerned.
"Oh, uh... No. Nothing's the matter. I'm fine." Rainbow lied.
The boy's eyebrows furrowed.
"You are not fine." He said, "I saw the look on your face. It's obvious something's bothering you. It's okay, Rainbow. You can tell us. We won't judge you."
Rainbow sighs.
sigh* "Well... I was thinking about the pet race." She said.
"You mean the one that involved the Ghastly Gorge?"
"Yeah. I've been thinking about it and to be honest... I kinda feel... guilty." She said, "Because think about it, if I had just made up my mind and hadn't suggested that stupid race, those animals probably wouldn't have been in any danger. Sure, I may have ended up finding the right pet for me, but that still doesn't change the fact that I put those animals in danger all because I couldn't make up my stinking mind."
Kaleb couldn't believe what he was hearing. Rainbow was blaming herself for what happened during the pet race.
"Rainbow."
"Yeah?"
"You can't blame yourself for what happened. You didn't know that the rocks were going to fall and you sure as hell didn't cause them to fall either." Kaleb told her.
"I never said I did." Rainbow said.
"I know. But what I'm saying is you don't need to blame yourself and beat yourself up over it. Like I said, you didn't even know it was gonna happen. Also, look on the bright side. It wasn't all bad. If it weren't for that race, you probably wouldn't have met Tank. And if he hadn't saved you when your wings got trapped under that boulder, I doubt you would consider having him as a pet. Bottom line is it was just a mistake. Nothing more, nothing less. Shoot, I made a bunch of mistakes in my time and some of them were not pretty." Kaleb said.
"Kaleb's right." Gilda said.
Kaleb and Rainbow turned to her.
"I've made some mistakes too. However, I'm not beating myself up over them either. No one's perfect, Dash. Hell, I'm not perfect. Even though you made kind of a stupid decision, some good came out of it. Now you have a pet. That's all that matters." She told her.
"Yeah."
Rainbow turned to Kaleb.
"You have a super strong tortoise. I bet he has the strength of the incredible hulk!" He said.
"The incredible what?" Rainbow asked, confused.
"I'll tell you later."
A small smile formed on the pegasus's face.
"Thanks a lot, guys. I really needed that." She said.
"Hey, what are friends for, Dash?" Said Gilda.
Sometime later, the trio eventually arrived at the Carousel Boutique. Kaleb was the first to knock on the door. For a minute, he heard nothing. He turned back to his friends.
"Are you sure she's here?" He asked.
"She should be. Otherwise she would've left a note." Rainbow replied.
The boy tried knocking again, but a little louder this time. They heard the sound of hoofsteps coming near and the clicking of the doorknob. The door opened to reveal a little unicorn foal. She looked around to see who had knocked.
"Hello?"
Kaleb cleared his throat and the filly looked up at him, shocked. She had never seen a creature like him before.
"Um, hi." Kaleb said.
"H-hello." Said the filly.
Gilda walked towards the filly.
"Hey, Sweetie Belle. Is Rarity home by any chance?" She asked.
"Oh, yeah. She is. You can come on in." Sweetie Belle said, snapping out of her shock. She stood aside and let the trio in. She shut the door behind them.
"How have you been doing, Sweetie Belle?" Rainbow asked.
"I've been doing fine, thanks for asking." The filly said.
She looked at Kaleb.
"Oh, I almost forgot. Who are you?" She asked.
"My name is Kaleb. Kaleb Clouse." The boy introduced.
Sweetie Belle gets a surprised look.
"Kaleb? THE Kaleb? The Kaleb that Applebloom and Scootaloo told me about?"
"Yep."
"Wow. I have to say it's really nice to meet you." She said.
"It's nice to meet you too, Sweetie Belle." Said Kaleb.
The kid started looking Kaleb over.
"My friends told me about you. They also told me you were really tall and that you were part wolf. What's it like?" She asked, curiously.
"Well, it's kinda strange but cool at the same time." Kaleb replied.
Sweetie Belle saw Kaleb's tail.
"You even have a big brown bushy wolf tail! That's amazing!" She cried.
Kaleb chuckles.
"Yeah. That does sound amazing. I also have sharp teeth and claws, paw padding on my feet, eyes that turn yellow sometimes, you name it." He said, "Sure, it's a little different than what I'm used to, but hey, at least you won't see me drinking out of a toilet."
Saying that caused everyone to laugh. Sweetie Belle then got a look of realization. She turned to Rainbow and Gilda.
"Oh! Just out of curiosity, what are you guys doing here?" She asked.
"We came here because we want to ask Rarity something. Can you go get her?" Rainbow asked.
Sweetie Belle nodded.
"Sure thing. I'll be right back."
She then went upstairs to get her sister.
"Are you sure Rarity will be willing to make the trunks and underwear? Because like I said, I can see that she would make the trunks, but the underwear, maybe not so much." Kaleb said.
"All you can do is ask." Said Gilda.
Just then, they heard hoofsteps coming downstairs. They look up to see Sweetie Belle coming down first. Once she's downstairs, she tells them that her sister was coming down. They heard hoofsteps again. They look up to see Rarity who was coming down next.
"Oh, hello, everypony." She greeted.
"Hey, Rarity. It's nice to see you." Said Kaleb.
"It's nice to meet you too, Kaleb."
She turned to Rainbow and Gilda.
"Same to you, Rainbow Dash and Gilda." She said.
"Hey, Rarity." Said Rainbow.
"We came here because we want to ask you something." Gilda said.
"Really? What is it?"
The duo looked at each other and then at Kaleb. He nods and so do they. They turn back to their friend.
"Well, the thing is Gilda and I thought it would be a good idea if we went swimming at the lake today and we just wanted our friends to join us. Whaddya say, Rarity?" Rainbow asked.
"That actually sounds great!" Said Rarity.
"Can I come too? Pleeease?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"I don't see why not."
"Yes! Let me get my swimming gear."
The filly runs upstairs.
"Be sure to get mine too!" Her sister called. Rarity turned back to her friends.
"That sounds like a plan."
Rainbow nodded.
"Okay. But before we do that, we want to ask you something. It's something for Kaleb." She said.
"Oh, okay. What is it?" Rarity asked.
They all looked at Kaleb who had kind of a nervous look.
"Um, well..." He tried to say.
"What is it, darling?"
The boy turned to the pegasus and griffon.
"It's okay, wolf boy. You can tell her." Said Gilda.
Kaleb sighs and turns back to Rarity.
"Okay. Well, here's the thing; I don't have any swim trunks. So, I was wondering if you could make some for me. If you don't want to, you don't have to." He said.
Rarity thinks about it for a minute.
"Hmm, I see. Well, if you really need them, then of course I'll make them." She said.
"Really? You'll do that?"
"Anything for a friend."
"Okay. But there's another thing I need you to make." Kaleb said.
"What's that?" Asked Rarity.
"Um... how should I put this... some... spare underwear."
"What?"
"If you don't want to, you don't have to. It's just that I only have one pair and it's the only pair I have. So I thought if I had another pair, I wouldn't have to swim in this one. I was hoping you could make me another one." Kaleb said.
"That's new." Rarity said, "No one's ever asked me to make underwear before. But I'll be willing to make some."
"Really?"
"Yes, sir."
"That's great. Thanks."
"You're welcome. Now what kind of underwear are you wearing?" She asked.
"Briefs."
Rarity nods.
"Okay. I don't have the materials for briefs yet. But I do have the materials for boxers. Will boxers be okay?"
Kaleb nodded.
"Sure, Rarity. That'll be fine." He said.
"Alright. Just give me a few minutes. I'll try to be as quick as I can."
"Oh, there's no need to rush. Take your time."
Rarity turned and went into her sewing room to make the trunks and underwear. Kaleb turned to his friends.
"I guess I was worried for nothing." He said.
"Looks like it." Said Rainbow.
Sweetie Belle came downstairs carrying her and Rarity's swimming gear. The trio turned to her.
"Hey, guys. I got the swimming gear. Where's Rarity?" She asked.
"She's just in the sewing room fixing up some swim trunks for Kaleb." Said Gilda.
"And some spare underwear." Kaleb added.
"Yeah. What he said."
"Okay. That's new, Rarity's never been asked to make underwear before." The filly said.
"That's what she told us." Said Kaleb.
Some minutes later, they heard the door to the sewing room open and a cheerful "Ta-daaaa!" They turned to see Rarity carrying the new swim trunks and underwear on her back.
"The clothes are done." She said.
Kaleb walks towards her to get the clothes.
"Thanks, Rarity."
When he picked them up, he noticed something about them. They were orange.
"They're... orange." He said.
"While I was making the clothes, I remembered that I didn't ask you what your favorite color was. So, I just went with orange to see if you would like it." Said Rarity.
Kaleb looked the clothes over.
"Actually, blue is my favorite color. But orange will do." He said.
Rarity smiled.
"Glad you like it. By the way, you're welcome." She said.
"Is there a changing booth anywhere?" Kaleb asked.
The unicorn nodded.
"Yes, there is. There's one right over there." She said as she pointed to her left. Kaleb looked to where she was pointing and saw a changing booth. He walked towards it and went in. After a few seconds, he came out wearing the underwear and trunks.
"How do I look? Cool?" He asked.
"You look great, Kaleb." Said Rainbow.
He then looked down behind him to see his tail sticking out of the back.
"Hey, you even cut holes out for the tail! Thanks."
"Well, I figured with you having a tail, it would be appropriate to do."
He turned to his friends.
"Is everyone ready?" He asked.
"You bet we are!" Said Rainbow.
They heard the door open and looked to see Gilda going out.
"Where are you going, G?" Rainbow asked.
The griffon glances back at her friends.
"I'm gonna go get our other friends and tell them we're going swimming. Chances are they'll be totally psyched." She said.
Rainbow chuckled.
"I bet they will be." She said.
Gilda turned away and was about to fly off.
"Here I go. See ya at the lake!"
She flies away. Kaleb gestures to the doorway.
"Ladies first?" He asked.
Rarity nods.
"Sure."
Rainbow, Rarity, and Sweetie Belle walked to the entrance and went out. The last one to leave was Kaleb who ducked under the entrance frame and shut the door.
Author's Note: Man, that was a long one! But nevertheless I got it done. Like I said before, Kaleb's going to have to meet the next character in the next chapter. Originally, I was going to have him meet said character in this chapter, but it was getting too long. Also, before I go, sorry about the whole Rarity making the underwear and trunks thing. If I said or did anything wrong, please let me know. With that being said, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter and be sure to read and review. Constructive criticism is welcome and be sure to keep watch for chapter 17. Until next time, see you later, my fellow bronies and pegasisters!
