Everything started out about as normal as you can get. I was born into a loving home; I lived with my mother, Jump Start, a unicorn electrician, and my father, a lead weather pegasus, Funnel Cloud. We lived in Manehatten, in a small apartment near the coast. There aren’t many houses in the city, and the ones that exist are a fortune, so an apartment was really our only option at the moment. I was a surprise to my parents, I wasn’t supposed to happen. My mother got pregnant far earlier than my parents wanted to, so money was an issue, and a very big one. We did alright for a short time, money was always tight, but we were keeping our heads above the surface.
Then, my father was laid off. He worked as a weather pony in Manehattan, but was fired due to the smog build-up in the city. With all that build up, nopony could fly straight. Our family wasn’t doing so well, and we had to move to a very small one-room apartment farther into the city. As I got older, more money was spent on me, and we couldn’t live on welfare forever, so my dad started picking up lots of dead-end jobs, but it didn’t help much. He had tried everything from a gardener to a soap salespony Then, one day, I heard my mom crying. I went into my living room and found her curled up on the sofa, balling her eyes out. She was holding a letter in her hooves, and took no notice of me entering the room. I later found out that my dad had left to join the R.P.G. (Royal Pegasus Guards) in order to bring money in for the family. Things were okay after that, we received a check from my dad every two weeks, and it was a lot of money. We got to move out of our small apartment, and to a townhouse, and eventually a house. Things went on like this for a few years, and my mom was staring to get used to not seeing my dad, but she was still clearly depressed.
Then, I started hearing voices. Not anything that an insane pony would hear, but they were still there. They weren’t nice voices, not in the slightest. It seemed that every time I screwed up, it knew. Even the smallest things were a big deal in its eyes.
Wow, you can’t even spell the simplest word right!
How’s the floor taste, Trips McGee?
Maybe you could levitate that apple if your brain could grasp the easiest concept!
14 years old and no cutie mark? Maybe you’re just a talentless husk of skin.
It was easy to avoid the voices at first; just to ignore them was easy. Then everything changed.
I was walking home from school. It was like any other October day, a cool temperature with a chilly breeze here and there. I was almost home, about a block away, when I saw a black van pull up in my driveway. I trotted a little faster, as I had the natural cautious curiosity that any 14 year-old would have, so I went to investigate. A large stallion got out of the car. He was wearing a light blue helmet that organized his mane into a neat mow hawk, and deep blue horseshoes. He was holding an Equestrian flag that was folded into a neat triangle, and he walked to my door and knocked, even though there was a doorbell. I trotted up my driveway towards him.
“Hello mister. Can I help you?” I said softly, still keeping my distance.
He jumped a little; I don’t think he knew I was there. He quickly repositioned himself and bent down to eye level with me. His eyes showed the slightest flicker of nervousness.
“
Hey there little filly, I’m looking for Jump Start. Is that your Mom?” He asked with a soft grin and the uttermost kindness.
I nodded my head, my mane dancing around my face. I blew out of my nose sharply to get it out of my eyesight.
“Yea, that’s Mom. She isn’t here right now though, she should be back any second now- Oh, there she is!” I raised a hoof in the direction of my mother.
Jump Start was trotting down the sidewalk at a steady pace. She was looking at the ground, as if in deep thought, and balanced two grocery bags on her back.
“Mom!” I yelled flailing my arms to get her attention.
She looked up abruptly an analyzed both me and the stallion at our doorstep. The color drained out of her already pale green face as she made a sudden mad dash for our home, dropping the grocery bags. She practically tackled the stallion.
“What? Why are you here? Oh Celestia please no…” She sputtered out at light speed.
The stallion straightened himself and put a hoof on my mom’s shoulder (do ponies have shoulders?) and looked deep into her trembling eyes.
“Ma’am, I have some bad news. Your husband Funnel Cloud was absorbed in a dark magic blast fighting in the war against King Dark Flame. He was number one in his squad in both courage, and perseverance. He would never leave a pony behind, and wouldn’t dare flinch in the face of danger. He was the noblest pony I ever knew, and I know he loved you very much.” He levitated my mom the folded flag that was decorated with various medals and awards. Jump Start looked up into the sky, tears pouring down her face, her mane clinging to the tears on her cheeks. She wept silently, and then raised a shaky hoof to her forehead, giving my dad a final salute. I was listing to all of this, but I felt nothing.
I was sick with myself. My father is dead. How can I not feel anything? What’s wrong with me? I noticed that the royal guard was staring at me, looking very concerned.
“Uh… Are you alright kid? You don’t look too good.” He nudged my mother, and pointed a hoof in my direction. I was pale and my legs were trembling. Mom rushed at me and embraced me in a warm hug.
“Oh honey, baby girl, it’ll be okay. I-I promise.” She stroked my mane and nuzzled me. Mom’s silent weeping turned into body racking sobs as she clung tight to my body.
The rest of that day was haze; I just remember a lot of crying and questions. I remember falling asleep late, being kept awake by the recent events. I reluctantly let sleep take hold of me, wishing it would bring some peace to my tired body.
I was woken up about an hour or so later by a loud crash. I was scared at first, but then decided to investigate. The crash sounded like it came from the bathroom. I hopped out of bed and walked out of my room, following the sliver of light coming from a slightly creaked doorway. I pushed the door, and it slowly creaked open.
What I saw would haunt me for the rest of my life. My mom was on the floor, a pool of blood pouring out of her nose and vomit trickling out of her mouth. The medicine box above the sink was open, and various pill bottles and boxes were scattered on the floor and in the sink. A post-it note was stuck on the mirror that I didn’t bother to read. A sickly numbing chill washed over me as I realized what had caused the situation in front of me:
My mom just committed suicide.
No, maybe it wasn’t too late. I let panic and adrenaline take over as I dashed out of the bathroom and through the front door, down the street towards the hospital. We were never too far from population in Manehatten, but the trip seemed to take ages. When I was getting close, a young stallion pegasus jumped in front of me and held me with his hooves. I kicked like mad at him as he held me steady.
“Kid, calm down! What’s wrong, what happened?” He asked, a growing look of concern slipping throughout his face, even though he tried to conceal it.
“My mom! She’s hurt! I need help!” I yelped, trying to break free of his grasp.
He pasted a brave look on his face and nodded his head. He tossed me on his back, and ran faster then I knew possible towards and through the city. In a whir of colors and sounds, I saw as he jolted straight past the hospital. I thought he had missed it through his electric speed.
“M-m-mister! I-i-i-I ne-e-ed the h-ho-hospital!” I sputtered through the wind that was rushing past my face. He laughed. Not a happy laugh, but a malicious one, like a super-villain in a comic book would laugh, and I knew I was in danger. I had ignored the most important rule, not to talk to strangers, due to the adrenaline in my veins. He started to open his wings, and I knew what would happen if he lifted: I would be stuck.
My only option was magic, and I wasn’t very good at it. Not in the slightest. I couldn’t even perform a levitation spell on large objects, let alone an adult pony! Still, I focused as hard as I could, but all that came out of my horn was a small purple fizzle.
No! This can’s be happening!
I wasn’t even scared anymore, just mad at myself and everyone else. Hate and anger surged through my veins, and I felt as if all I was capable of was destruction and pain. My blood was boiling, and I concentrated once again. I bellowed out in anger and I felt something tickling at the corners of my eyes. I opened them and looked to side. A thin trail or what seemed to be purple smoke was flowing freely from my eyes. I felt my horn light up, even though I wasn’t thinking or reciting a spell. My aura reached out and grabbed the stallion’s legs, lifting him in the air.
“Whoa, what the hell are you doing? How are you doing that?” He was looking around, trying to flap his wings and get off the ground again. I grinned, I could get out of this. Whatever spell I just used held him secure, and now I could escape and get help. I hopped off of his back, and watched him rise higher. He flapped his wings out, and two more magic tendrils wrapped around his wings, and bent them at awkward angles. I looked on, astonished. Was I still doing this? He screamed and tried to get out of the spell, but to no avail.
“Put me down! Put me down!” He screamed hysterically.
In a voice not my own, a purred, “If you wish.”
The magic cut off, and he plunged towards the ground from at least fifty feet. I closed my eyes and focused hard, casting a spell I don’t recall learning in attempt to save him from myself. But instead of a weak shield covering the ground, hundreds of small, tall spikes erupted from the ground below from an invisible opening. He plunged into them, killing him instantly. I shook my head, and the dark magic wore off.
After that, I stayed in an orphanage. My mother died, and nopony could take care of me. Nopony knew that I killed that stallion. I tried to ignore what had happened, but I always remembered how that evil magic felt as it coursed through my veins.
And as awful as it was, I wanted to feel it again.
It has been 6 years since that day.
My mother died. She ingested 30 Advil. Even if I did get to the hospital, it would have been hopeless; she was deceased when she hit the sink. She left a message for me on the mirror, It didn't say much, just what it needed to:
Dear Dark Cloud,
I couldn't live on without your father. I’m so sorry. Please find it in your heart to forgive me. Go and stay with Auntie Rose Blossom. I have only one last request:
Don’t forget me.
It didn’t mean a thing to me. She left me here alone when I needed her most, and I could never respect her for that. As for that last request, that was something I could do. As much as I despised it, I would never be able to remove her from my mind. She had such a vast part in my life, supporting me when I was bullied about my “blank flank”, but I should have known that she was the one who needed supporting all along. I miss her, to be honest, her sad eyes and fake smile still haunt me.
As for staying with Auntie Rose, whatever kind of cruel joke that was, Auntie Rose said no (in between glugs of Mojito). Rose was a big time gambler and drinker. She practically lived in those cheap casinos. What would she even do with a kid? She’d probably pimp me for more black-jack money. With nopony to stay with, I was to be heaved into an orphanage.
They were taking me away from Manehatten, as there were no safe orphanages there. I can’t say I was going to miss the murky city, but it was still home, the only memory I could still cling on to.
“Uh, so,” I said softly as I was loaded into a colorful carriage with my far-too-cheery social worker, Helping Hoof, “ where exactly are we going?”
She glanced at me, hidden sorrow in her eyes. It made me feel scrawny, and that made me angry. I had to remind myself to calm down, as I had no idea what I was capable of after that incident.
“A lovely, quiet town called Ponyville. I work there a lot. The orphanage is large, and I’m sure that you’ll make heaps of friends.” She said with a smile as artificial as plastic.
Gloom surged through me. As much as I miss my parents, I don’t want to be stuck in an orphanage until age eighteen. She didn’t say anything about me getting adopted, she was probably hoping to dance around the subject, but I was curious and irritated, so I decided to pry.
“Do you think I’ll get adopted?” I said blatantly.
She hesitated. “Oh I’m abso-LUTLY sure!” She said finally
.
I grunted and slumped into the seat, pressing my face against the cool glass window. From what I’ve understood from maps, Ponyville is rather distant from here. I decided to take a nap. I couldn’t be sad in my dreams, could I?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/)~~~~~~~~~~~~(/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The world was obscure. There was no wall, sky, or floor, yet I was still standing on something. I stepped forward. I was alarmed by a small ding as my hoof connected with the ground. I faintly glowing ripple took form and spread out from underneath my hoof. I squinted into the darkness ahead. As my eyes adjusted, I saw what looked like a pony in the distance, and a rather hefty one.
“Hello?” I called. My voice echoed and carried out to the ponies ears. It turned its head at me and laughed a bottomless, throaty laugh. I gasped. I knew that laugh! That was the laugh that had haunted me for almost a year now. The harsh voice that I had heard before had been replaced by this laugh. I awakened me at night, and kept me awake. Anger and panic churned into a lethal mixture and gushed through me. I let out a roar and charged towards the pony. As I got closer, I began to notice some distinct features.
It was definitely a stallion. He stood extremely tall and bulked with muscle. He was patterned like a zebra, but looked just like a pony. His dark coat was adorned with even darker stripes, as well as a few pinkish scars along his eyes, hooves and flank. On his head was a lengthy and sharp horn, a small red glow slightly illuminating him. Two long and feathery wings lay relaxed at his side.
As I ran, I felt that familiar tickling feeling at the crooks of my eyes. I skidded to a halt and clenched my eyes closed.
No no no no no! He wants me to lose control, I can’t let him win. Calm down, think peaceful thoughts.
He spoke.
“You will give in. I am certain of that.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was nudged by a hoof, and jumped up.
“Honey, wake up. We’re here.”
I hurried out of the transport and looked at the building that I would be staying in. It was a morbid sight indeed. The large building looked like a prison in my eyes. A sign sat out of place in the flawlessly mowed grass. In dark, shadowy letters, it read:
PONYVILLE ORPANAGE
No sugar-coating it, I guess. I thought as I shook my achy legs out. I turned to Helping Hoof, who was still settled in the carriage. I waited. She didn’t get out. I watched her nervously.
“Um, are you coming with me, ma’am?” I politely spoke.
She forced another smile as fake as her facelift.
“Oh sweetheart, you’re a big pony. You can walk in, can’t you? You’re all registered and ready. Just go in.” She waved a hoof towards the door. I puffed angry breath through my nostrils.
“Fine.” I grumbled as I stomped towards the old brick building. I reached the concrete stairs leading up to the doorway. I turned again to Ms. Hoof, only to find that the carriage I had arrived in was out of sight. Before I had time to be irate again, I heard the door squeak open. I turned towards the building, anxious to see the pony that had opened the door to the prison. To my surprise, a small filly was peering through the creaked door.
She stepped out halfway. She was an earth pony with a charming freckled face. Her flat light pink mane covered most of her face, and made it hard to establish eye contact. Her coat resembled ripe lemons, with its strange bright color. She looked up to me and smiled. She looked to be about 9 or so years old.
“Are you the new pony?” She looked up at my horn. “You’re a unicorn? That’s so cool. Can you do magic?”
Blood rushed to my cheeks.
“Uh, I’m not very good, but I can do a little.”
My horn lit up, and a blob appeared in front of her face. It slowly took arrangement, and transformed into a lemon color rose, resembling the child’s coat. I levitated it and stuck it in her mane, atop her ear. She beamed.
“Wow, thank you! That’s so cool!” She repeated, then leapt near to me and hugged my leg.
“My name’s Candy Tarts. The lady inside said that you’re Dark Cloud. I thought that you’d be scary, but you’re really nice! Do you wanna be my friend?”
Despite myself, I giggled.
“Of course. I would love to be your friend.”
She grinned and looked up at me. I almost wept at the sight of her sweet and innocent smile.
Could this child really be the first pony that I could call my friend?
