Storm's Rising

“Life always offers you a second chance. It’s called tomorrow.” -Unknown

Chapter #1: Introduction

I hung suspended in mid-air, upside down. Peacefully dangling above the floor by my tail having a wonderful slumber. Then, to my dismay, my sleep was rudely interrupted as I felt a sharp pain of someone repeatedly poking me in the back.

As I began to softly rock back and forth, I forced my eyes to remain shut as I tried to ignore the constant pecking in an attempt to go back to sleep.

Naturally, when someone tries to arouse me while in a state of torpidity, they wouldn't get a positive response.

This particular example was no exception.

This individual wouldn’t give up so easily. No matter how much I bit with my fangs, growled with my mouth, or swatted with my hooves, they seemed persistent in wanting me to join the waking world.

As it turns out, the intruder of my slumber had, at some point, gained the audacity to start nudging at my shoulder, poking at my sides, and blowing into my ear.

As the chances of me ever returning to my sanctuary of great imagination, drool, and dreams began to dwindle; so did my patience.

I struggled to force myself out of the hard place between consciousness and slumber as the feeling of dense, thick, callus-covered hooves set me in an upright position, as I forced my eyes to open.

“What do you want?” I demanded as I got to my hooves and angrily stared at an older, eye patch wearing bat pony.

“We’re almost in oune of Equestreia’s ports!” A thickly accented voice exclaimed dramatically. “Aren’t you excieted?”

After about a full minute of drowsiness, my brain adjusted to the familiar nasal covenant that is the English language mingling with French-born speaker.

I dropped from the bunk bed that I was hanging from and landed hooves first with a pleasing thud. I felt myself move even further away from the cavernous crevices of dormancy.

“Oui.” I replied groggily with a yawn and a light stretch.

Yes.

“Vous ne semblez pas excité.” He said jokingly, unconsciously slipping to his native tongue as he adjusted his eye patch to a more comfortable position.

You don’t sound very excited.

“I'm tired,” I said, getting up, and heading for the door to our shared room that lead to the hallway.

“Le capitaine dit, nous arrivons bientôt. Tu Fais tes valises.” He stated, following behind me.

The captain said we will arrive soon. Pack your bags.

“I already washed all my clothes in the ship’s laundry room and bagged them. Blaze took care of all my other stuff.” I said automatically as I turned down a corridor, half-heartedly nodding to other passengers of the ship as I passed them.

If I had been in a more wakeful state, I probably would have noticed the upturned noses and untrusting, beating stares they sent my way as I passed.

“Tu ne parle pas Français?” My dad asked, as he jubilantly followed me down the hall with a pep in his step.

Why won't you speak French?

“I prefer English. It's spoken in more countries. This one included.” I replied, stumbling over to the coffee station with my dad following not to far behind.

The more I moved around the more I became aware of the uncomfortable atmosphere that formed upon my entry.

Despite all of this, my dad continued to speak, oblivious to the thick tension that was present in the room.

“Peu importe. Traître.” He scoffed, beginning to make himself a cup of coffee.

Whatever. Traitor.

There was silence as I began to pour pre-crushed coffee grinds into the metal cylinder.

Surprisingly, he hadn't even noticed the passengers, that once formed a nice, neat line to the coffee table, had since dispersed to the far corners of the room.

“Juest think of all the poussibilities that Equestreia will give us.” My dad started off, finally giving up on French for the time being.

I pressed the lever on the simple machine, glaring at a group of young cats who thought it would be funny to spread curry powder on their necks and make deathly expressions and gurgling noises.

“Vwhe can speak our mind without fear of being persecuted,”

“Yeah, dad. That's great.” I said, pouring the coffee into the biggest cup I could find as a small clutch of curious baby dragons were pulled away from the table as they crawled towards my tail

“We can go anywhere we want and do anything our heart desires without someone watching our every move.”

“Um-hm. That's great.” I droned as I poured two packets of sugar and a thing of cream into my beverage.

A family of hippogryphs entered the room, the male looked around the room and scoffed as he walked next to us.

To my surprise, he hadn't made a move to provoke me as he peacefully made his coffee and minded his business.

“Zhe can find housing anywhere zhe want, zhe don't have to live on the streets or cheap hôtels!” My dad said, almost squealing with delight, not even noticing the new arrival.

“Sounds good.” I murmured, stirring my coffee with a straw and nodding to the hippogryph with a large scar that blighted his eye, giving it a wispy grey color.

I tried my best to ignore the griffin staring a hole into the back of my head as he protectively shielded his wife and young ones from whatever a threat a young bat pony may cause a full-grown Griffin.

“Tough day?” The hippogryph asked.

I scoffed. “Tough trip.” I said, fumbling around as I looked for the stirring straw that I dropped on the table, finally finding it by one of the French Press machines.

As I looked around, the lone griffon wasn't so alone in this endeavor. I discovered as I took a taste test of my coffee, other dominant males in we're room were making an effort to shield their young ones and/or significant others.

“Don't focus on them and what they think. Focus on yourself and what you can do to make yourself better. That is how you beat them.” The hippogryph told me as I took a precarious look over my shoulder.

“I find it too hard to look away. It feels like someone is always there, judging my every action even though I haven't done anything wrong.” I said, glancing from left to right.

“It's because they are. They always will, you just have to find a way to deal with them. Show them that you're better than they think you are. Don't give them the satisfaction of knowing they got under your feathers. That is how you succeed.” A cat said as he went for an empty cup.

“Just look at your dad over there. He's got the right idea.” The cat said pointing as he passed the cream to the hippogryph using his tail.

My dad was too preoccupied on talking to me about “the wonders of Equestria” to just about anyone who would listen to even notice what was going on around him.

Ignorance must truly be bliss.

“We actually have control over what laws get passed.” He said exuberantly with a shake of his hoof.

“Don't even acknowledge the dirty looks or whispers, focus on what you're good at, and suddenly you realize, it has all stopped being about you.” The hippogryph said with a definitive nod of his head.

“As time passes, the longing stares will become envious and the whispers will be about your accomplishments, not your prejudices.” The hippogryph said.

To be honest, I was not interested in the slightest in what my father was saying at this point, I was just here for the free coffee and the advice from these two newcomers.

“I can finally get my hooves on a secure job. One of the rulers has been hiring bat ponies in the hundreds! I can find a legitimate job again!” He exclaimed as I finally tuned him out.

I started to tense up as anger and anxiety began to build around the room as many of the passengers were getting impatient as I took my sweet old’ time to make some coffee.

“Just relax young one. Take a deep breath.” The cat said, purring as he calmly grasped my hoof. I didn't even realize I was trembling as he tightened his grip to stop me from shaking.

I closed my eyes and did just that. My heart was beating so fast, it was hard to synchronize it with my shallow, choppy, shaking breaths.

“Kid. Just relax. We're here for you. They can't hurt you. There's nothing they can do to hurt you.” The Griffon said.

“Don't think about anything around you. They can not get to you if you don't let them bother you.” The hippogryph said.

The racial stigmas and stereotypes associated with Bat Ponies have really bothered me over the years. After suffering years of torment, bullying, outbursts of anger, self-loathing, and senseless fights. I've learned to just get used to it. Nothing good ever happens to us anyhow.

This “Equestria” is really nothing special, probably just a bunch of tiny horses, doing a bunch of tiny horses things that tiny horses do. Yet, I was willing to give this whole “freedoms” thing a chance even if it is probably all just a lie to get poor saps like my father and me into the country.

“And most importantly. We don't have to hurt anyone anymore.” My dad continues on.

“Fine with me.” I droned nonchalantly to my dad as I put a lid on my coffee and took another sip. Nodding at the taste after a few more stirs.

When my dad got his coffee, we trotted back to our room to find that one of the porters was on his way out. What was left of our luggage trailed behind him in a field of magic.

“Ship docks into Manehattan in five minutes. Make sure you're ready for departure. Oh, and Welcome to Equestria.” The porter said to us with a kind smile.

We made our way to the aforementioned part of the ship in a rush to get to be one of the first to view the city from a distance.

When we got there my dad eagerly peered over the railing to get his first glimpse of the port city as I started sipping on my morning cup of coffee.

After taking a minute to actually look over the edge of the ship. I saw a large array of doctors, guards, trains, and Equestrian locals at the dock.

“Today is going to be a very long day.” I thought to myself, taking another sip of the not-so-black beverage as Equestria’s biggest port began to grow closer and closer to the hull of the ship.