Chapter 1. The Transition
Chapter 1
The Transition
“Another day another dollar,”
I grumble to myself as I walk out of the McDonald's and start the long walk home. It was 2:00 am and as usual I had to work late because the other workers at the drive through didn't know the meaning of the words “On Time”.
Looking around at the dark world around me I see old buildings with more vines then bricks for their walls and my shoes crunch the pebbles from the sidewalks and the litter lining the streets. As I neared the corner to my 100 year old apartment building I look at the open sewer drain which was never finished and left to rot like the rest of this town. I smirk at how things that were put at the top of the list were now off the list and into the trash entirely.
The streets here used to be beautiful. Back then, when the sun was out you could see kids playing in the streets while their dads wheeled out grills to have a barbeque with their neighbors, filling the street with a savory smell of cooking stake that tantalized everyone else around.
But now on a sunny day you can only see people rushing to their destination with their eyes on the sidewalk pretending that everything was back to the way it was. And I can't blame them for it. I wish the same thing. Entering my house I lock the bolt behind me and turn on the few lights in the house giving it the illusion of happiness. A picture of my family hanged in the doorway, it was a picture of my family. Or rather what it used to be.
After mom's passing, my dad's drinking and gambling habits returned running us out of money. Blaming me he usually beat me while screaming swears and other nasty oaths, I found the streets more comforting then my own home back then. Then he got attacked by drug dealers for starting a fight, he didn't make it.
Setting the keys on the rickety pine table with a book to try to balance it out I plopped down on the photon in the living room and grabbed my ancient laptop I got when times were better. I open it up per-buffered so I would not have to wait an hour for the videos to load. Smiling as I see my salvation from my world of pain I hum along to the tune of My Little Pony's theme song as rainbow dash, my favorite pony zips through the clouds in the intro.
After 20 minutes of pony I close my laptop thinking that happiness was just beyond that screen and that I might someday be able to reach out a grab it. But then I snapped back to reality and put my laptop aside and shut my eyes as I remember the friends I used to have, and the mom I once loved.
The next morning I had my usual breakfast, cheaply filtered coffee with 2 week old cream and year old cereal. Then slipping off my tank top I step into the shower and feel the icy water running down my back as I realize they turned my gas off again. Slamming my fist into the wall, I repeat over and over again,
“Why do they have to do this now?”
I turn off the water and grab the dirty towel and dry off. I toss it back onto the ground, Grab my wallet and my keys and leave the house not bothering to lock the door behind me.
“What else could possibly be taken from me.”
muttering to myself. My thoughts then start to turn towards my only source of temporary happiness. Thinking of rainbow dash and how awesome it would be to see her in person I barely noticed the hundred dollar bill on the ground until I step on it. Looking down I give a small shout of excitement as I bend down to pick it up. It blows away, chasing after the bill shouting random things like
“Come here Mr. Bill!”
I chase it down the old gray roads with weeds coming out until I get to the sewer hole where it falls in. looking down into the abyss of the man-hole I sigh realizing that I was really doing this. Times made me this desperate, I grab the top rung of the ladder and climb down into the darkness. The hole stretched onto what seemed like forever, after a couple of minutes of going down the rungs it was pitch black.
“How long does this go on?”
I ask myself as I continue to descend. After a while I just say screw this and start to climb up, only to slip on the moist rungs of the ladder, smack my head on the wall and fall into the blackness unconscious.
Groggily I open my eyes to stare at a bright blue sky, trying to gain back some composure after that fall I hold my hands to my eyes and rub. And feel something that shouldn't be there. I open my eyes and gasp at my... Hooves.
“No way this isn't happening, it isn't possible I just.. fell down a hole”
panic starting to creep into my voice I run to the stream I hear nearby and look into the water, and there I was, or rather the pony I became. I went from a 17 year old who could barely enjoy his life, to a white colt with... concern spreading across my face I look to the river realizing I didn't have a horn.
“Oh please let it be...”
Turning to look at my back I see a strong looking pair of white wings.
“YES!”
I didn't care about anything else at the point, my wish had come true. I finally got some how transported into the world of My Little Pony. Shouting I jumped into the air as best as I could in my new body, which was feeling rather battered and clumsy now that I think about it. I Close my eyes thinking. I needed to find out if this was really real or not. Biting my self I scream
“OOWWWW”.
Rubbing my sore arm, well foot know, I realized this isn't a dream.
“OK Nic, now lets see if those wing's of yours work.”
Looking to my wings I focus on flapping them, and nothing happens.
“Aw man please don't tell me that my wings are duds. That would REALLY suck.”
I say to myself. Looking up I can picture myself in the sky soaring through the clouds and I feel a slight breeze blowing. I close my eyes in content as the gentle breeze passes through my black and red mane and realized the breeze was staying. Opening my eyes I saw the ground getting farther away from me and the clouds getting closer to me.
“What How?”
I put two and two together, and realize how this flying thing works.
“Oh I get it, when you want to fly you think about the sky and-”
My wings start flapping even faster and I start to panic as I lose control.
“oh god just please back to the ground, back to the ground wings!”
I balance my self and think of the ground where I just was and start to descend.
“Huh so that's how I control them.”
Thinking of the sky again I float back up and look around. I can see that I landed in a forest bright green, using my bronie logic I think to my self that it's to peaceful here for the Evergloom. Deciding it must be a different one I look to the left and see it. Ponyville was dead ahead.
“Ponyville here I come!”
Chapter 2. A new world a New Song
Chapter 2
A New world, A New Name.
Flying rather clumsily towards Ponyville I ended up losing control and crash into the ground, again.
“Ow! You know what, I think I'm going to walk”
I stand up and flap my wings sending the dust and dirt off of me and walk towards the town. Looking around at the calm and serene landscape I remember my old home where everything was gray and reduced to rubble. Taking a deep breath of the fresh air I relax and enjoy the long walk ahead of me. On the way I wonder what sort of event could have happened to transport me here, could it have been magic gone awry or just a weird space time paradox? Or maybe it could have been discord.
“Ha ha yeah right, why would he even do that? Have me spy on the ponies?”
Laughing at the fleeting thought I walk on towards the village. After awhile I stop at the nearby river and take a big gulp of water, and then jump in to clean myself of the remaining bits of dirt from all my flying attempts off of me. Stepping out after the dip I shake myself free of the water and ruffle my wings to shake out the extra water. Looking back at my wings I realized that they were still wet. Sighing in the realization that they were still feathers so they locked in moisture I stretch them out so they could dry while I walked. I continued on towards the giant windmill in Ponyville with high hopes of whats soon to come.
Barely able to contain my excitement towards the ever-closer town my walk turns into a trot, and then eventually a full on dash towards the town. Normally going this fast I would be tired quickly, but whether it was the different world I was in or me turning into a horse I felt like a million dollars.
After about 10 ten minutes of my full on dashing I started to grew tired so I slowed down to a walk again just as I arrived in Ponyville. A huge smile grew on my face as I saw the bright and cheery town with all of its equally bright and happy pony citizens walking about. Trotting into the town I explored every inch of it, from rarity's dress boutique to sugar cube corners and everything in between. But after my exploration I realized something, I had nowhere to sleep tonight, and I would hate having to sleep in the streets on my first night here.
Looking around town I looked for a job so I could make some bits to rent a room at a inn or something like that. Walking up to a job board I found on one of the buildings in the market, I see a good amount of jobs on it that I could do. There was everything from roof repairs to assistant's for an assortment of jobs. Unfortunately I had no idea of how to do any of those.
“Well this is lame, how am I going to get a job when I can't find anything I can do?”
Saying this out loud to myself I didn't expect to hear a voice behind me ask,
“Are you any good at singing?”
“What?”
I turn around and see a earth pony with a tan body and a blue mane holding a basket with a bunch of fliers in them.
“Singing, are you any good at it?”
She asked with a more reassured look in her eye.
“Well I did take a couple of voice lessons a while ago but I don't thi-”
“Great! Try outs are soon, don't miss them!”
Shock was evidently clear on my face as the pony hopped away handing out more fliers to other ponies. Looking at the poster I see pony's in suits singing in a choir, along with a time. Looking at the poster again I saw the location; Canterlot's stadium.
“Well it is a good thing that I decided to explore ponyville first otherwise I would not be able to find the train station.”
Trotting off towards the station I pass more pony's who give me a bunch of pleasant, “Hello's” I nod and smile at them in reply and think about how friendlier everypony is here then back where I was. Arriving at the station I just barely catch the train before the doors close and before I know it I'm on my way to Canterlot. But the question remained, could I sing? Having to find out and glad for the empty cart I got, I decided to practice singing a couple of my favorite songs, from my little pony's Winter Wrap-Up to Can't Smile With Out You, I must have sung over twenty songs!
Having practiced singing for a long time and all the events that has happened in the pass day, I go to the sleeping cabins and lie down and close my eyes, resting for the day to come. What I didn't notice was the red musical cutie mark which appeared on my flank while singing.
The next day I awoke to the sound of the train's whistle and the conductor shouting,
“Canterlot Ahead!”
Stretching I walk of the train and look around for someone who would know in which direction the stadium was for the choral tryouts. Spotting a guard I walked over to him, he looked exactly liked the guards in the show. He was clad in golden armor with a fancy trim and had no expression on his face.
“Excuse me sir, but could you point me in the direction of the stadium where the singing tryouts are?”
“Of course, from here you take a left and go down the path there for three streets, then take a right and its straight ahead.”
“Thanks for the help,”
I say and walk in the directions he told me. Walking I noticed all the clothing stores and the fancily garbed ponies around me. Taking the left I could have sworn I passed Fancy pants talking to his friends in the “sophisticated” accent that most Canterlot ponies get. Walking on I examine how everything here seems to be set in perfect order, the shops lined up and completely tidy, the ponies with their fancy cloths and even the streets were clear and sweeped.
Taking the right that the guard said I saw the stadium dead ahead of me and gaining nervous energy I walked towards the stadium and end up running in through the wide entrance greeted by the sight of a bunch of pony's who I assume will be my rivals. There were a lot of them. Apparently they were my competition and from the looks of them, they were trained and ready to sing.
“Well some friendly competition is in order.”
Panic in my voice evident, I walk up to the registration area and check in. Its all or nothing now, I could win and according to the poster get a small home to stay in, or I could lose and have to do a job I have no idea how to do. They call me to the stand placed in the center of the arena. With a deep breath I walk onto the podium and begin to soig, and everypony's jaw drops.
