//-------------------------------------------------------// A whole new world to discover -by TheBlueGamer- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// A whole new world to discover //-------------------------------------------------------// A whole new world to discover A Whole New World to Explore By Myles Black a.k.a TheBlueGamer I looked down at my paper. A graduation? Wow! I never thought i’d have one in Dodge Junction, It was just a great feeling. I looked over and saw a few others jumping up and down in bliss, and I soon felt I had to join. It was a long time I had been in school, but being out wasn’t the last thing I wanted. I always knew learning was essential to get a job, so when we moved to PonyVille from Dodge Junction, I say a great opportunity to learn about the things around me, to meet other ponies I was destined to meet when I moved, and to contribute to society. I looked back at all the things I had done, and all the nostalgia I had over the past few years. I teared up, remembering, reminiscing, and reflecting the things I had done in the past. I closed my eyes, and I saw myself in what seemed like another dimension.  Back when I was in Dodge Junction, my body remained the same from when I was born, to when I moved out. I was still a young filly when I learned how to fly and talk, but I soon realized we were going to move. There was a lot of panic in the household as things were getting ready to get moved to a location far away. I hadn’t gotten my cutie mark, I could barely speak. We packed up, sent out letters and foods to loved ones to remember us, and even visited the local cemetery to put flowers on nameplates. We were going to have a whole new world to explore. However, what I would experience during those 15 years would shape my life.         When we finished unpacking, I was laying down, as carrying some of the furniture was very hard to do due to it’s sheer weight. I almost fell asleep when a two-shaded pink blur sped by my parents, almost knocking me over. This was followed by a Multicolor stream of colors that passed by as well. The draft from the wind caused me to fall out of my chair, and I fell unconscious.         The first day of school came by faster than that rainbow blur. I was extremely shy, and that proved it when a few fillies came over to me. They noticed my absence of a cutie mark and I prepared for a bullying issue. Instead, one of them came over and said “Hi” in a non-hostile fashion and introduced their names. Their names were Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom. They said they had siblings who were friends with an alicorn, which I didn’t believe at first. When the alicorn, Twilight Sparkle, introduced herself, I was irrationally excited. They all left and as I looked back, there was another group harassing them, calling them “blank-flanks.”         As I came home about a year later, what seemed to be a utopia for my grades and well-being, there was a note that contained the following message, written in blue ink: My Dearest Running Loose; Myself and Dad have gone out. It turns out we had forgotten something at the house of vital importance. We must get it. We will be back in a year or so, so I had the most Educated Pony in Ponyville tutor you and help you with your troubles. Even though we may be gone, i’ll always be with you. -Mom and Dad         I put down the note. A year? A whole year? I couldn’t believe it. And who was the most educated?         As I walked in, the room was dark. We only had a one room house that housed three ponies of large size. I bumped into something of flesh-like tenderness. I figured it was just me, tired.  My attention turned to a small cupcake in the center of the room. It was obviously filled with cream of a sort, however, I suffered from extreme lactose intolerance. I went on the couch, almost fell as-         “SUPRISE!”         Man, I nearly had a heart attack! I was excited to see everypony there at the party. The pink one walked up to me and said a long string of words I couldn’t understand. I figured out her name was Pinkie Pie, and she organized the party. I was able to meet four more, Rainbow Dash, who is obviously very agile and impressed with my flying skill;  Applejack, the Ponyville Fruit Picker; Rarity, the fashion designer for the area; and Fluttershy, a rather shy pony that easily went past my levels of passiveness. We all chatted and had fun, and I even ended up eating that cupcake. Turned out they knew (somehow) and it was actually a form of liquefied candy.         I went to my bed after the party ended. An hour later, I had decided to get myself a glass of warm milk. There I was greeted by a purple alicorn that named herself as Twilight Sparkle. I nearly passed out. An alicorn? In front of my very eyes? I couldn’t believe it. I refused to believe it. But I had to. And for that very reason, I felt content. She gave me a proper introduction, unlike her saying “hi” at the school, and we became close friends. Finally, I had other friends other than the “Cutie Mark Crusaders”. It was truly a tide turned. I then pulled out the note from my pocket  and it became apparent that I had forgotten to read the P.S on the back. P.S. I hope I come back home, I might have to stay here until we’re sure we have a permit. I love you, Running Loose.         I had been abandoned.         Three years later.         We were about to graduate the first level, the required one. It turned out that the bullies had used a monopoly in information and we were wrongly alerted that the school we attended was mandatory and that a higher level was available to us. After raising bits, doing hard work for almost three years, and keeping track of the things, we were done. We had the cash for all but one of us to attend the school. All but one. All but one.         They went. I decided that I wasn’t a native and therefore was not worthy of an advanced education. I went back to my house, more mature now. Twilight went there every so often to check on me and make sure I was okay from the things that bothered me like bullying, rumors, and the like.         It was a beautiful morning. I went out on a nice, warm Saturday. It seemed perfect. Rainbow was at the lake at north Ponyville, Twilight wasn’t studying, instead leading a conversation, and Applejack was picking apples. But when I walked to the Apple Stand outside the farm entrance, it wasn’t there. I didn’t know what to do other than ask if anypony was thee. I heard a voice in Applejack’s accent that said something along the lines of “I’ll be right there”         When she was there, we brohoofed and I asked what happened to the stand. Apparently there was a shortage of apples that weekend, so they couldn’t sell. Applejack had to pick with Big Mac, so nobody could sell it. I decided to help pick apples every day with them, and I heard Applejack shriek in joy. It was truly hard work.         I went home after helping Applejack pick apples. I didn’t turn a profit, but it was enough to keep my alive because they allowed me to eat the apples, so that was enough of a profit. The majority of my learning came from outdoor chatter, and I soon discovered a way to get to the school.         Turns out Sweet Apple Acres had actually stopped selling their apples because of a lack of a seller. I asked them if I could sell. Granny Smith (I think that’s her name) said that only a true member of the apple family could manage apples, and by picking them, made them get bad luck. I had to sell them though, and eventually, I was assigned not only to harvest the apples, but to sell them too.         And Celestia, it was a lot of work.         I had to work 12 hours a day, with an hour break at noon. It was hard, but I guess I pushed through and was able to get the job done. To enter the school I had to raise a whopping 1,000 bits. I was only at 327.         Two more years had passed since I started working, Twilight giving me basic skill for higher levels, and Applejack had provided me with a steady income of food and bits.         I reached almost 900 bits, and then a catastrophe happened.         Twilight was too busy to notice the warning for a flash flood and violent wind, so she didn’t brace for the storm, save hear about it. When it commenced, a root from the tree was soaked, causing it to spring up. The wind from the storm made it flick up, tearing it from the tree and shoving it into her window, knocking her out.         At the hospital, she was treated. You’d think that Royalty would get a discount, but getting hurt was so rare they had to turn a large profit off of anypony who went to the hospital. They made good money, so good I almost considered working there. However, I didn’t formally meet anyone who works there, so the choice for me was obvious. But then I looked at her. I’d broke my wing before, and it hurt in extreme severity. However, she was in a coma. A coma is a state of deep unconsciousness that can last for a prolonged period of time, and it can occur from serious illnesses, or severe injury. She got out of it after a month. We were all very happy. She was still in bed, taking medicine to get more strength to fight any illness or infection she could have had. We didn’t care about the medicine. We were called up when we were told she regained consciousness, and when she opened her eyes, we had a moment of silence, then a shout for joy.         She was charged at the hospital. The whopping bill was 535 bits. She almost passed out on the spot, and I assumed she didn’t want to because she didn’t want to be charged again. I looked at the school. A nice school, a great school. Wonderful education was promised to anyone who went there, and their skills were so proficient they often got high paying jobs, like some of the nurses at the hospital.        535 bits. Nobody in Ponyville was that rich. Even some people at Manehattan were poorer than that. However, Applejack pointed out that I had about 890 bits from working at the farm and I was pressured. However, the choice was easy and obvious. Help a friend who may be jailed regardless of royal status, or go to a fancy-pants school. I paid the bill not only that, but also for the window broken and the impact crater on the desk she had, a total of 735 bits. It was worth helping a fellow pony in need of life, and I was content over everything I had done except for one thing. The bill was 735 bits.         I had 158 bits. I was back to square one.         Another year passed. It was a little rainier than usual, so the turnout was absolutely great.  I was at almost 500 bits now, halfway there. I discovered that somepony there was cheating(Not any of the CMC, I hoped), and it was due to new students wearing attire that gave hints. They announced they wouldn’t be accepting students for a year.         However, during that year, I discovered that that a huge storm was going to rock the town with rain reaching at least four inches, a large flood. By the next morning, almost all of the ponies around had sandbags, sorted or unsorted, to prevent flooding of houses. Since I paid Twilight the bill, she was able to get her own. The CMCs and Rainbow Dash have elevated houses so that’s out of the way, Fluttershy’s house was already braced, and Rarity was easily able to afford bags due to her steady income. Sweet Apple Acres was on a hill, so they only had to worry about flash flooding. However, Fluttershy made her bits by babysitting animals, and that wasn’t a good paying job. I could afford her bags, and I paid for them. Once again, back to square one.         While I was walking in the Everfree Forest, I found a cliff hanging about 200 feet off of the ground. Little did I know, a timber wolf was behind me, not ready to strike, but ready to troll me. I felt and heard a deep breath, and I was knocked off. I was unable to fly due to getting knocked on my side really hard, and that was reflected when I realized I couldn’t fly. I saw my life flash before my eyes, and I heard a loud boom, like an tunnel explosive going off at my feet.          I woke up in the hospital, ready to get up. The nurse told me not to. That boom was rainbow dash’s sonic rainboom. She happened to be flying trying to successfully break the sound barrier again, and she did just that. The force of the boom may have knocked me out, but she boomed right next to me, within breathing distance. The force of the blow knocked me back to Ponyville.         I was carried to my house after my funds were taken, and I had only 4 bits left. I was in a bad condition to work, and I couldn’t fly at all. I went to my house. It was a dark room, a cake in the middle. This again. I could almost smell the strength of Twilight’s shampoo, and that gave it away. I took in a nice, big whiff, and mentioned about how good her hair felt, and kept complimenting her. She blushed, and the red in the black gave away her position. She was under a window. I went in that window and bumped into her on the way in. I was somehow able to make her keep quiet, and she didn’t talk. About a minute later, I got up.         “Yeah, I don’t think Running’s Coming. Wanna just go home? Heh…”         A huge surge of joy, cheer and surprise blended finely filled the room. We chatted and I met a few other ponies.         One day, my life would change.         I was walking around Ponyville at night. A bright, waxing three-quarter moon lit the sky and I felt good. However, that was stopped when I noticed a young filly playing on the tracks with a train coming in at full speed. It was now or never. I knew I could confront death or even severe injury, but it wa my call for help. The train came closer and closer. It was decided within my spirit I should help. I ran as fast as I could until I could fly, and I flew at full speed. I realized I wasn’t going to make it. I had to go faster. Only one second later, the thud came to me.         I woke up in my house, with Twilight Sparkle. I realized I had a huge bruise on my hind left leg, and I must have been carried to my house. She said about how courageous I was and how that must have hurt. It’s irony since I only heard the thud. The impact knocked me out before the pain. We chatted a bit, and then I noticed the moon was a waxing crescent. I asked how long I was out for.         Three years.         In that time, everything changed. The CMCs got their cutie marks. Granny Smith was older and could not speak correctly. Twilight looked more mature.         However the biggest thing of all:         The school was going to close this year.         I had one more opportunity. I worked my butt off for almost 16 hours a day, I helped around town, and I got richer and richer. However, I was faced with a more severe situation than anything else.         Fluttershy had been stung with a Dark Violin. She was faced with a several year-long coma if she did not recover. She suffered from passing out frequently, nausea, vomiting, and other nasty stuff that I didn’t know had names. She could also face permanent hospital stays, which meant to her: No pets. No animals. No friends. Just a nurse and some close friends.  A pony I barely knew. Just somepony going to go in a long, long sleep. However, I had to. I had to save a life from the toil and trouble of a scar that will last. Against my will, I had to pay the nurse the 1,800 bits and carry on.         I woke up the next morning, went outside to check the mail, and saw a letter. I thought it was a normal letter, but it had the school logo on it. To Running Loose: I understand your fear of not being able to attend our school. However, several ponies, including: Princess Celestia Applejack Twilight Sparkle Fluttershy Scootaloo Sweetie Belle Apple Bloom have requested and paid ahead so that you can come here and study at a cost free price. You only have to pay for travel. That’s all I remember. That’s all I will remember. That’s all I can remember. I looked back up, tears filling my eyes. I was one of the last groups to graduate from here. I saw the Mane Six cheer me on. I saw the Cutie Mark Crusaders Chant for me. I saw me singing for me. However, I am only ¼ done with my life. I still have a whole new world to explore.