My Lucky Pony

My Lucky Pony

By Lux

Chapter 1 – Creative Spark

It was a simple idea that entered Shaun’s mind as he sat on the couch in his apartment one Saturday morning. He was watching his favorite show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic when it was as if a voice spoke in his mind saying, ”Why don’t you create your own pony like the ones in the show?” It wasn’t a new idea as Shaun had seen online on art sires and Tumblr accounts other fans of My Little Pony making their own ponies and even going as far as to create whole sections devoted to these ponies’ lives, these so-called “original characters.”  When he started his interest in the fandom about two years ago, he was mainly focused on fans drawing and writing about the characters seen in the show like the Mane Six, Princesses, Cutie Mark Crusaders, and even a few background ponies. Yet the more he delved into the creativity that was displayed, the more the idea of ponies created strictly out of the imagination came to light.

“Maybe I should create my own pony,” Shaun said as the credits rolled on yet another My Little Pony episode, “It shouldn’t be that hard. All I have to do is draw her and come up with a reference sheet about her.”

Turning off the TV, Shaun got up from the couch and sat down in front of his computer system. After the computer booted up, Shaun went right to his art program as he set before him his art tablet. He had drawn ponies before, ones that were from the show, and at least in his mind was starting to do so quite well. But this wasn’t just drawing something that already created many times before by the show and by the multitude of fans. This was to be his own creation, his own interpretation of a pony living in Equestria.

“Ok, first of all should I make this pony male or female?” he asked as he began to sketch the body and head of the pony. Without giving it a second thought, he drew a female muzzle on the pony which transformed the rest of the otherwise basic genderless form into a feminine creature. He didn’t know why he chose a female pony. Maybe it was because many of the ponies in the show were female and he felt comfortable drawing one. With a shrug he added the legs, one curved line flowing into all the others, before drawing the eyes, nostril, and a cute smile.

“Alright, next the pony type,” Shaun said satisfied so far with his creation. Instinctively he drew a horn on the pony’s head making her a unicorn. He always found them to be interesting with their allure to magic. Watching a pony on the show move objects or teleport amazed him and in a way made him feel sort of jealous that magic didn’t exist in his world.

The young man then got to work on the mane and tail, two things he knew defined a pony, separating them from the rest of the herd. He decided on a long flowing mane and tail that cascaded like a waterfall from the pony, giving her form a cute look.

The man then stopped as he realized that there one more things that he needed to complete this sketch: a cutie mark. This was the most important part of the pony, the thing that defined their talent and their personality. Shaun frantically wracked his brain trying to come up with an interesting mark and talent for his pony, looking around his apartment for anything that could inspire him. His eyes then settled upon a certain bookmark that rested on his desk. It was of a four leaf clover pressed onto a white background and a laminated front. He remembered that his mother gave him the bookmark when he graduated from high school, telling him that it would make him have good luck.

“Maybe that’ll work, a pony that can give others good luck,” Shaun said as he sketched out an image of a four leaf clover on the mare’s flank. He now everything to make this pony: a gender, a pony type, a unique mane and tail that defined the character, and most importantly a cutie mark. But a sketch wasn’t enough for him. Shaun was the type of person who was not willing to settle on doing things halfway. To make this pony complete, he had to color her.

“Ok, I need lucky colors for a lucky pony. So, I guess green and gold then.”

He began to go over the sketch, outlining the pony in the selected colors. He then selected yellow for the body and green for the mane and tail. After choosing a lighter green for the cutie mark he then used the same color for the eyes. Shaun then sat back to take a look at his new pony he drew, at all the little details he put into the art. After putting in a simple background another thought entered his mind.

“Hmm… I think I’ll call this pony Lucky,” he said as he added her name to the drawing and finished it. Now his little pony was complete and he knew that this would be the start of something great in his life. But every great pony needed a great story and so Shaun quickly typed up a story about how lucky grew up in Ponyville and how she got her cutie mark after finding that she was a very fortunate pony and how she could spread her luck to other with her magic. Finally Shaun added the most important part of her biography: her personality. She wanted her to be a happy optimistic pony but not overly hyperactive. She has to be smart, kind, caring, brave, and maybe a little on the mischievous side. Shaun found it odd that in making her personality, he found that he was giving all the qualities of what he thought would make a good friend or even a girlfriend. He could only shrug at this irony as he finished Lucky’s biography.

“Welcome to the world Lucky,” Shaun said as he printed out his picture of her and her bio, “I’m sure you and I are going to have fun together.”

Little did he know that soon he would be in for the surprise of his life.