Chapters I was a young colt, full of life, ignoring the problems life threw at me and pushing past them. Doing whatever I could, having fun, eyes full of innocence. I bounced about happily in the parks of Manehattan. I chased bugs and various critters differing in size and color, rolled in the grass, and just enjoyed life for what it was…
Then simply came the worst day of my life… Funnily enough, it was the day I got my cutie mark. It was a rainy day, and I was terribly bored. The wind was howling out my creaky window, and I could hear the muffled thumps hitting the glass. I hated days like this. I couldn’t go outside and play, and I was just constantly trapped in my room… I suppose some good did come out of it though. This is how I discovered my love for reading… However in the end that ended up working out for the worst.
I started cutting myself off from others, the friends I had once had became mere acquaintances. I started enjoying being inside every day, and despised going outside just because it meant I couldn’t read. I lost many friends, but I didn’t care. I was lost in the world of literature. I had read the full Daring Do series, the entire Marey Potter series, and dozens of other books. I enjoyed enveloping myself in other worlds, and ignored my sad and lonely one.
⎠
It was a bright and sunny day, I was eighteen years old now and still loved reading. I had a job of course, but it was a simple one. A waiter at a local restaurant. I now lived in Ponyville; I had moved here because I heard tell of a local librarian who was rumored to have nearly every book published. So I took the long move from Manehattan to Ponyville. I had wished my old man goodbye, and moved on.
That was a few months ago, but sitting here alone in my room I can still recall my first day here… I trotted calmly through the simple cobblestone streets, my hoofsteps making a soft titter tatter and I listened and rejoiced in my rock music. I only had one suitcase, full of my necessary items and a bag full of bits to buy a house. Making my way over to what I had assumed was town hall given it’s structure and seemingly important looking exterior, I was stopped by a fellow Pony which I suppose it not too surprising considering the name of the town is indeed Ponyville… Anyways where was I? Right, anyhow; I was stopped by a pink pony who looked delightfully cheerful. I pulled out my earbuds and greeter her with a simple
“Hello.”
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…
…
One of my many mistakes in my time, I assure you.
“HIMYNAMEISPINKIEPIEINEVERSEENYOUBEFORESOYOUMUSTBENEWINTOWN!OHMYGOSHYOUARENEWINTOWNIREALLYNEEDTOTHROWYOUAWELCOMEPARTYANDHAVETONSOFCAKEANDOHMYGOSHWEWILLBETHEBESTOFFRIENDS!”
Jumping back in surprise, I yelped out
“Is that even Equestrian?!”
To this, she giggle and snorted. What would that be called, Snortergig, Gigsnort, Gigglesnort, Who knows? Anyways, she did… that and replied simply.
“Sorry, I guess I can get a little excited. My name is Pinkie Pie, what’s yours?”
“You can call me… Unknown.”
“Unknown? OHMYGOSH! Do you not know your own name?! That’s SOOOO sad! I mea-”
I cut her off right there, Unknown is my name so don’t get confused. And if I let her go on I would be sitting here for hours when I have business to take care of.
“No, no you misunderstand. Unknown IS my name, I was named Unknown for…. unknown reasons.”
I still don’t forgive myself for that.
“Ooooh, okay! Well… thanksfortheinfogoodbye!”
And with that, she darted off at seemingly impossible speeds; leaving me standing there in confusion like a young one going to a new school. Oh well, a town is always going to have a few crazies… only a few, right?
Dismissing that thought, I continued on my way. As I approached the doors to town hall, I admired the craftsponyship. It has a subtle, yet elegant design on it’s wood frame. I pushed the doors open, and stepped inside. The air in the room was crisp and cool, kind of like a nice spring day.
Snapping me out of my internal thoughts, a bored and tired voice spoke up.
“Hello and welcome to Ponyville town hall, how may I be of assistance?”
Noting that this pony didn’t really want to waste her time on me, I got straight to the point.
“Hello ma’am, I’m here to purchase housing and see what’s available. I’m moving here from Manehattan, and I wish to see what housing is currently available.”
“Big city too much for you, huh? Please follow me.”
She got up and led to down a dusty little hallway with doors lining on either side. She stopped in front of a door with a dull little sign above it that read “Housing and Residence”
“This is it, step inside and the pony at the desk should help you.”
I politely thanked her, and opened the door. Stepping inside I noticed that this room had a much more cheery vibe as opposed to the boring stature I was introduced to.
The pony as the desk was huge, And I mean HUGE. Like, ENORMOUS; I was surprised he even fit in the building. Though it was pretty comical looking when he sat in a puny chair obviously many sizes too small for him to sit in.
Taking a seat in front of the desk, I cleared my throat and spoke.
“Hello sir, I’m here to see if there’s any available housing for a cheap price, but not completely broken down? I can do a bit of fixing by myself for minor repairs, should need be.”
Staring at me for a second longer than I was used to, he opened a drawer and pulled out a folder labeled “Empty housing”.
He spoke in a high, nasally voice which caught me by surprise and looked up to address me. It must have shown, because he simply rolled his eyes as I blushed and averted my gaze.
“Here we go, I’ve got about five houses for you to choose from. There are pictures and descriptions of the houses, take your time and pick… it’s not like we’re very busy.”
Quietly thanking him, I looked down and scanned the photos. Three already didn’t fit my interests, being in the middle of town which only left two… Great, the hardest choice I could possibly make. Pick one or the other, fantastic.
There was a tiny little house that was cheap and affordable by a decently sized lake on the outskirts of town. It looked to be in more than average disrepair however, which really didn’t help me any, but it was very cheap and very affordable. My bit bag had a total of 15,000 bits, since housing usually tended to be cheap here anyways. The house was only 3000 bits due to how broken it was. Thankfully, I had a friend once back up in Manehattan who taught me plenty on repairing and fixing homes.
Looking at the other house, it was in town which I didn’t like… but it was close to a bakery! Now if you don’t know this about me, I have a major sweet tooth. Like seriously, I was nowhere near chubby believe me but all in all… I was a skinny fatflank. So that’s why that offer was tempting… Be as it may however, I went with the house in disrepair, paid the 3000 bits, and exited town hall. And then I realized I was lost. Oh well, I could get a look around town anyways. With that, I took a deep breath and started walking. A new chapter in my story… might as well meet it head on!
I suppose I should start from the very beginning, back a few months ago. You already know the first day, so from here on out let me tell you just exactly how I found out who I was.
⎠
I had trotted home, and set my Suitcase and Bit Bag down. I looked around the roomy, yet broken house and sighed. This would take quite a bit to fix but… I suppose it will have to do. The area and view was worth it though. Stepping out on to the creaky, wooden porch I looked out over the lake. The water was a beautiful, glistening baby blue that reflected off of the clear sky. The wind had drifted lazily, and the sun shined and spread its warmth throughout the entire area.
Turning back around, I assessed the damaged made upon the front porch. The right window was shattered to pieces, and the floorboards weren't much better. I’m surprised I hadn't got a splinter yet. I noticed that the porch was seemingly empty, so I decided I would personalize it later. Entering the house, I scanned around and noticed the lack of couch… This would be a major problem in the future. Other than that, the living room seemed fine to me. Taking the hallway to the left, I found what would be a bedroom and a bathroom. I went into the bathroom first, and the only thing that really needed to be done is some simple cleaning. Going into the bedroom however… It reminded me of my old room but instead of books everywhere it was just dust, extra bits of wood, cobwebs… The place was a mess. I went over to my suitcase, and opened it up. Reaching a hoof inside, I was able to find my Saddlebags, in which I needed. I took out said item, and from them pulled out an old piece of parchment and a quill. I made a quick checklist of all that I wanted for now, and walked out the door…. not after rightly hiding my stuff that is, since the door literally had no handle and could be pushed open using barely any force.
I made my way into town, wading my way through the bustling town. For a seemingly small place, there sure were a lot of ponies here. Nothing compared to Manehattan I assure you, but nonetheless plenty of Ponies. Anyhow, I looked upon the rows of stores, searching for any place I can purchase furniture. My eyes laid upon one sign that read: Quills and Sofas!
…
My mind went furious. WHY WOULD ANYPONY IN THE HISTORY OF EVER, PUT QUILLS AND SOFAS IN THE SAME STORE?! WHY IS THIS A THING?! THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE… But I do need a sofa I suppose…
Ugh, words can not describe how much I hate everything.
Entering the store, I saw many couches of eternal pleasure… Okay, that sounded weird. Walking along I looked around. A few had managed to catch my fancy, but they were very, very expensive. I saw a simple red, cushioned couch and did the main thing anypony would do… Flopped right down on top of it. My everything melted into it and I sighed in content. This was the life.
“So does that one suit your needs?”
Shrieking in what was totally the manliest way possible, I jumped off of the couch, doing a roll in mid-air, and landed flat on my muzzle.
“Oww….” I whimpered, eyes close in a futile attempt to stop the dizziness.
I heard a chuckle behind me, and a stereotypical salesman voice made itself known.
“Sorry about that my boy, are you okay? Ah of course you are. So this couch tickles your fancy yeah? Well that’ll be 500 bits.”
Still lying on the ground, I reached a hoof into my Bit Bag, and sloppily presented 500 bits… Why were there dancing, flying Elephants?
“Thank you my boy, where will we deliver it to? Also, you might have a concussion, so see about getting that checked. Onto more important things! Oh right, where is it needed?”
I told him my address and laid on the ground for a minute longer. Getting up and brushing the dust off my faded purple coat. Walking out, I wondered just what would happen next.
“I suppose I ought to look for a legitimate furniture store… without needless other supplies.” I mumbled to myself.
Scanning the immediate area, I saw a sign with a picture of an elegant chair on it. Walking inside, I was pleasantly surprised to see tons upon tons of beautiful, expertly hoofcrafted furniture. Passing the counter, a rather cute red and white maned mare greeted me. She looked to be a bit around the same age as myself, and she a nice grey coat tinged with a bit shade of red in certain areas.
“Hello, and welcome to Pony Brothers furniture! How can I assist you?”
“Hello ma’am, I just recently moved in. Uh, is there anything you would reccomend for a new resident in need of well… almost everything?”
Hours upon hours passed in that store, all picking out furniture and getting to know the mare. Turns out, she really, really like strawberry ice cream. Huh, who knew? Anyhow, it was around midday, and I was sitting alone, bored at my house. I knew that most of the deliveries were going to come by tomorrow, so I was stuck. It was at this time that I remembered the library supposed to be around. Walking out the door, I once again trotted upon the cobblestone streets. It took me about 10 minutes, but I eventually came across the library. I looked at the sign which simply showed a picture of a book with the text on it: Golden Oaks Library. Oh yeah, did I mention that the library was A FUCKING TREE? Now if that isn’t the coolest shit, you can get right out.
I walked into the building, and I was completely astonished at the selection of books! Ignoring everything around me, I adorned a giddy smile on my visage and bounced around happily and excitedly, browsing through every single piece of literature I could find! There was Fiction, Non-fiction, Adventure, Romance, Mystery, anything! There was literally at least one of every type of book in this library!
“Well, someone seems excited.”
Once again for the second time that day, I yelped and leaped up into the air, and once again slammed my muzzle onto the cold, hard floor.
“Ow… I have really got to stop doing that.” I mumbled under my breath.
“Oh my gosh! Are you okay, you’re not injured are you?”
Next thing I know, I was being hovered in the air, being turned about and about. I felt like I was going to hurl, fortunately for me and the unicorn levitating me, they stopped.
“I’m so sorry oh my Celestia I didn't mean to scare you!”
The unicorn gently set me down, and I took a few generous second to regain my balance. After finally focusing, I looked up to see a purple unicorn mare, hopping back and forth using her left and right legs, a nervous and worried expression.
“It’s okay, it’s okay! Relax, I’m fine, see? I smiled a sheepish smile, but it seemed to do the trick seeing as she calmed down considerably.
“Okay good, I’m glad you’re okay. Anyways, how may I help you? Are you looking for something specific, or just browsing?”
I assumed she was the local librarian, considering her authoritative voice and whatnot. If not the librarian herself, then the assistant.
“I’m just browsing, I’m a huge nerd when it comes to reading. If it’s not too much trouble though, could you show me the adventure section?”
She simply nodded, and looked a bit annoyed at the "nerd" comment, but still pointed over at a bookcase.
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After what seemed like years upon years of reading some fantastic adventure stories, I realized it was getting late. I checked out a few books, and made my way back home. I sighed as I realized I have to check if they have a hardware store around here to repair all of the damages… How I forgot about that I will never know. Hopefully they have something like Home stable around here. Oh well. I set my Saddlebags down, and laid my head upon them. It would be uncomfortable, but I don’t really have a choice I suppose. With that thought leaving my mind, I feel into an unpleasant sleep…
⎠
“YOU. ARE. WORTHLESS! YOU SHOULD NOT EVER HAVE BEEN BORN!”
“Please… no… stop! I’m sorry okay?!”
“YOU ARE SCUM, CHILD! WHAT KIND OF MARK IS THAT?! YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO THIS FAMILY, LEAVE! I DON’T EVER WANT TO SEE YOU ANYMORE!”
…
I’m sorry...
Youtube Video
I woke up breathing heavy, eyes watery and crusty, heart racing as if I had just run a marathon. Sitting up slowly I winced as my back cracked and ached, the dull, throbbing pain just another thorn in my side. I leaned against the wall, and sobbed my poor, pitiful heart out. I don’t know what I did wrong… I was just me… Why was this so bad? I still don’t understand… I closed my eyes as I faded into a flashback…
⎠
It was a bright, sunny day as usual. Little fillies and colts were running around, partaking in the daily activities as usual. Ignoring them, I went straight to the local library. Trotting at a slightly faster pace than normal, I rushed to the library. The news report over the radio played itself back in my mind over and over again.
“Hello, and thank you for tuning in. Here in Manehattan, a local library was burned down today. It’s rumored that there were no survivors.” The host casually stated, as if he didn’t care. Then again, who did anymore?
I had to be sure. I had to find out. There was no way, it just couldn’t be… Could it? You see, my parents were both in the Royal Guard. After finding each other, they eventually quit and settled down. They eventually found out about my love for books, and today… well… Today was my birthday. Not one for surprises, they knew what I wanted and they were going to get it. Unfortunately… you know what now happened…
Breaking from a faster than normal trot, I sped into a full on gallop, tears welling up in my eyes. I approached the library, which was scorched in black, areas still on fire. A enormous, dark cloud floated above in the sky, seemingly taunting me with it’s soulless gaze. I took in the area with fading breaths… Fireponies worked as fast as they could, but it wasn’t enough. I watched as they dragged out charred bodies on stretchers, the sight tearing me apart, and almost making me vomit. Why? Why did this have to happen? I rushed up to one of the Fireponies, and asked about two ponies in particular…
The firepony I had asked looked at the ground solemnly, essentially confirming my worst fears… I has lost them, and I was now alone… Why? After all that being told I was worthless, why did I still care? Feelings of anger and rage built up inside me. The only one who was ever good to me was my father anyways. I wished him goodbye the day of his funeral and left.
⎠
There was a knock on the door. It was soft, but its presence was still noticeable. The knock came again, a little harder this time. I lazily got up, and regrettably walked over to the door. Opening it slowly, I looked up to meet the depressing gaze of that pink pony again… What was her name? Oh, right. How could I forget?
“Hello, Pinkie Pie. What brings you here?”
She just stared at me with the saddest gaze, and pulled me into an embrace. I noticed it was dark, looked around 2 A.M. and it was raining. Hm, cliche. Then there it was, the softest whisper, something I've heard so many times before, but for once not said by me.
“I’m so sorry.” She whispered.
“What for, and how did you know I was here, and awake?” I inquired.
“That’s a story for another time, just please stay strong, okay?”
…
“I’ll try.”
With that, she said her goodbyes, and went back from where she came. I get the feeling I’d be seeing her a lot more often now… Her actions have not gone unappreciated. I’d make it up to her somehow. With that, I closed the door as much as I could, and laid back down. I might as well try to get as much sleep as I could before I was tired all of tomorrow. With all said and done, I closed my eyes and drifted into a restless slumber…
Goodnight.