A New Dawn

Chapter 1  ~Welcome to Ponyville~

September 2

6:34 am

South of Ponyville

Daylight Dusk

I had not seen a morning in my life.  Since I knew I had to conceal my presence for a little longer, to avoid too many questions that I couldn’t answer, it was Mother Celestia’s creation.  Nothing more than just the black of night lightening to the blue of day- no orange or other beautiful colors to accompany it.  I’ll be doing that once I can explain everything to my parents in the past.

It was easy to conceal my wings, since the cloak was large and baggy.  The horn, however, was not so easily hidden- I’ll have to pass as a unicorn for now.  There was no doubt in my mind that the townsponies would question the presence of a strange Alicorn, let alone the first male one.  The memories given to me from Mother Luna confirmed that much.

The mark on my flank, my cutie mark, resembled the sun being covered by the moon- an eclipse.  Some ponies might question that as well, so I shifted the cloak to conceal my flank.  I made slow progress towards the village, rehearsing lines in my head to say.

“Hi, I’m wondering where I can find Princess Twilight.  Can you tell me?”  No, a little too inquisitive.  “Do you know where Princess Twilight lives?  I need to deliver a message.”  No, too urgent.  “I’ve been sent by Princess Celestia to warn Twilight Sparkle about urgent matters.  Can you point me to where she lives?”  A half-truth.  My mother did tell me to warn her, but the one in the future, not this time.  No doubt Twilight would try to confirm with Mother Celestia about that.

“What should I do..?”  I asked myself.  Fortunately for me, fate was on my side, and provided an answer for me.  I heard a faint scream in the distance, coming from the East side of town, near the Everfree Forest.  I galloped in that direction, headed towards the voice.

“H-Help!”  The faint voice screamed.  It was too soft to be heard in the town, and the owner of that voice must be a timid pony.  I rounded a turn in the road, to see a peculiar sight.

A butter-yellow pegasus mare was cornered by a bear.  She was obviously trying to calm him down, but it wasn’t working.  She hid behind her pink mane, and when I saw her eyes, I knew who it was from the gifted memories.  Fluttershy, the Element of Kindness.

My thoughts told me she was rather good with animals, and has handled situations like this before.  But this bear was different.  As I peered at it, I felt nothing but malice radiating off it.  Something had angered it, but I wasn’t sure what.  Nonetheless, I was running over to the scene, and jumped between the bear and the frightened pegasus.

“Why don’t you try picking on somepony more your size?”  I asked the bear.  It roared in response, raising a paw to attack.  But that’s when I saw something behind it.  Or three things, to be exact.  Cubs.  I dodged the paw swipe, grabbing Fluttershy’s tail in my mouth to take her out of the danger area with me.

“W-Who are you?”  she asked me timidly.

“I’ll tell you after I deal with the bear.”  I said, walking over to the cubs.  They looked frightened, and cowered back.  The mother looked at me, but didn’t dare attack me for not wanting to accidentally hit her cubs.  “You’re just trying to protect them, aren’t you?”  I asked the bear.

I got a nod in response.  “And you thought Fluttershy here was hurting them, didn’t you?”  Another nod.  “Don’t worry, she would never do that.  Right, Fluttershy?”

“O-Of course!  I would never hurt  anypony or animal.”  The she-bear calmed down, and took her cubs away.  She looked back, in annoyance, anger, or curiosity, I couldn’t tell.  The mare I saved walked up to me and thanked me. “I just don’t know what happened.  One minute I was helping those cubs find their mother, but then she attacked!”

“Sometimes you do drastic things to protect others.”  I said.  “I’m Daylight Dusk, to introduce myself, Fluttershy.”  I thought about what I said after I did so.

“It’s nice to meet you, I’m Fl-“ she hesitated.  “How do you know my name?  I don’t remember meeting you.”

I looked around, looking for some reason.  I then spotted her house, a small cottage covered in plants.  “It was on your mailbox.”  I said quickly.  Not a lie, as it is there on the mailbox, but I’d better be more careful in the future.

“Oh.”  She shyly shifted her hooves.  “Well, I do have to thank you for saving me… would you like to stay for lunch?”  she asked.  It was already mid-morning, and I hadn’t eaten since I was created- barely a day ago.

My stomach growled.  “I guess I’ll take you up on your offer, Fluttershy.”  I said.  That brought a smile to her face as she walked inside her house.  I followed in, my nostrils flaring at the scents of many different animals filling the small wooden hut.  It wasn’t unpleasant, but just unexpected.

A short hour passed as I read in a book Fluttershy had on her shelf.  It was a guide to taking care of chickens- not that I was particularly interested, it was just that the mare seemed to want to avoid me until lunch.  When that time came, she called me into her kitchen, where a small table had been set for the two of us.  I smelt soup, and sure enough, that was lunch.

“Thank you, Fluttershy.  It’s been a while since I had a good, hot meal.”  I said.  I used magic to levitate a spoonful of the broth to my mouth, and drank.  It was pleasant, hay and some sort of berry mixed into it.

“It’s no trouble at all.”  She murmured, barely audible.  “So… what brings you to Ponyville?”  she asked, trying to make conversation.

This was a difficult question to answer without giving myself away, but I quickly came up with a lie.  “I’m travelling from town to town, looking for work.  Anywhere’s fine, but I’d like something that’s long-term so I can settle down.”  I drank some more of the soup, the bowl now half-empty.

“Oh!  My friend Applejack and her family own Sweet Apple Acres.  Maybe you could go to them for work?  They’re always busy there.”  She said.

“That sounds like a good work opportunity,” I started, also realizing that I was short on bits.  By short, I meant completely broke, since I was not given any after I was made.  “I’ll be sure to tell… Applejack?”  I asked, receiving a nod.  “Yeah, I’ll tell her you sent me by.”  I felt something nudge my leg.  Looking down, it was a small, white rabbit.

“Oh, Angel, I almost forgot about your lunch, I’m so sorry…”  Fluttershy said, flapping her wings softly as she rose to a high shelf, retrieving a carrot.

Angel was looking at me curiously.  Perhaps animals could sense a powerful magical presence like myself?  Being an Alicorn automatically gives me that much.  Maybe that’s why the bear was so quick to leave- she was scared of my Aura!  It made more and more sense when I thought about it.

“Are you alright?  You’re just staring at nothing…”  Fluttershy asked.

I shook my head real quick, to wake up.  “Yeah, I’m fine.  I’m just prone to deep thought.”  I got up from the chair, and bowed slightly to the mare.  “I thank you for your hospitality.  But I must leave  now.”

She blushed, probably unused to people thanking her by bowing.  I left the house after she mumbled something unintelligible, and I walked into Ponyville itself.  First impression: it’s a humbling town.  The homes weren’t too tall or fancy, save for one, and it seems like everypony who lives here knows everypony else.

I was walking down the main road when it happened.  I felt something hit me, knocking me to the ground.  When I opened my eyes from the shock, I was staring straight into the blue eyes of a pink earth pony.  “Hi, who are you?  I’m Pinkie Pie, and I know everypony in Ponyville!  But I don’t know you, so you must be new here!  Where’re you from?  Where are you going?  Why are you wearing a cloak?”

This mare talked too much.  I gently pushed her off me, and tried to be friendly.  “A pleasure to meet you, Pinkie Pie.  My name is Daylight Dusk.  I’m from Canterlot,”  I lied- but it would hopefully be true after I get there.  “And I moved here for a more relaxing setting.  I was just going over to Sweet Apple Acres for work.”

“Omygosh!  You’re going to Sweet Apple Acres?”  That’s what I just said, and I nodded. “I know Applejack!  She’s the best over there, you wouldn’t believe how good she is.  But I’m getting sidetracked.  You need a Welcome-to-Ponyville Party right now!”  she was going to throw me a party?

“Uhh, thanks for the offer, but I’m not really a party pony.”  I said.  “It’s nothing to do with you,”  no, definitely not, “I just don’t like parties all too much.”  As it turns out, I should NOT have said that last part.

“You d-don’t like parties?”  she whimpered.  Her mane, from big, bouncy pink, fell into a straight form and darker shade.  “How could you not like parties?”  she asked.  I could sense an aura of sadness replace the bubbly one from a few moments ago.

“Uhh, well, you see-“  I tried to explain.  What in Mother’s name did I do?  “I’m not an active pony at parties.  I didn’t want you to throw a party for a pony who’d probably just sit on the side and not participate much.”

She sniffed.  Then, almost instantly, her mane fluffed back up into a frizz, and she bolted back up.  “So… it’s okay if I throw the party?”

I chuckled.  “Yeah, it’s fine.” Anything to avoid seeing her like that- the depressed state is about twice as worse her hyperactive one.  “Just not today, alright?  I’m headed to get a job, remember.”

“HOOOOOORAY!”  she screamed, hugging my neck with her forehooves.  I found it hard to breathe, and I was gasping for air after she let go and bounced off.

“There’s something wrong with that mare…” I muttered to myself, getting back on track as I walked on a dirt path.  The signs told me that the farm was not far, and it was mid-afternoon when I saw the front gates to Sweet Apple Acres.  “Hello?”  I called out, not wanting to trespass.

“Jus’ a minute!”  I heard from inside the orchard.  Another mare’s voice, but stronger-sounding, and with an accent I couldn’t place.  Soon enough, an orange-coated mare appeared, with a blond mane tied back in a -excuse the pun- ponytail.  A hat, like those of the Western settlers, rested on her head.  Her cutie mark resembled three bright red apples.  “Name’s Applejack, stranger.  What can I help ya with?”

“My name is Daylight Dusk, and I’ve just moved to Ponyville.”  I started.  “I was looking for work, and a mare named Fluttershy sent me your way.”

“Fluttershy sent ya here?”  She asked.  I nodded.  I told her about the bear incident.  “Well, that was mighty kind of ya.  Anypony who’s got Fluttershy to open up to them must be a kind soul too.  I’ll check in with Granny Smith, and see if we can’t arrange somethin’, even for a unicorn like yourself.”

I responded, “I can’t work normally because I’m a unicorn?  I’m stronger than most.”

Applejack tipped her hat.  “Apologies, then.  The only unicorns I know of now that Twi’s been made a princess are livin’ easy in the cities, except my friend Rarity who’s Ponyville’s dressmaker.  Now C’mon, follow me.”

The mare led me across her farm.  It was a peaceful setting, with nothing but apple trees as far as I could see.  I was led to a large ranch house, next to a bright-red barn.  I was told to wait out front, as Applejack walked inside, screaming Granny Smith’s name.

I thought about this.  I really was just wasting time here, I didn’t need a job.  But, I needed to secure an audience with Mother Celestia- The easiest way to do so was through Twilight Sparkle and her friends.  I couldn’t just march into Canterlot castle…  Could I?

~End of Chapter~