My life, where do I begin? Its hard to explain because from a young age my life has been completely different than everyone elses, but maybe that was for the best. Let me tell you about it.
To fully understand this, you have got to look at my life from a different angle. I come from a remote place in England. So, I have little contact with people. Also, I was home schooled by my Dad, and thanks to this I was able to help him with his work. And ever since my Mum died, I guessed that’s what he wanted. To keep me close.
Now you are wondering: what kind of work could a seven year old homeschooled boy help with? Easy, baking. From that age I was taught all of the secrets of baking, It became my special skill. Something that I hoped I would be able to pass down one day. But I was limited to just putting the ingredients together and then moving them to the mixer. Dad wouldn’t let me use it or the oven - probably because he wanted to protect me.
The place where he worked was a small bakery that he owned in the middle of a small village. Being the only proper place to get baked goods from, this became the centre of shopping for most of the residents. They then became aware of my existence and accepted me. A simple little boy, just wanting to be the best for his Dad.
But this doesn’t seem that out of the ordinary yet, does it? Just hang in there for a moment, I’m getting there. So, I am a homeschooled seven year old bakers son. That’s a mouthful. But that was the thing. I was homeschooled, in a village with barely any children! Meaning that I had no real friends. My Dad introduced me to some people and tried to get my social life into a better state, but there was another problem - I was incredibly shy.
Shyness can be nice, and cute. But when you have it around the few people who could be your best friends for life - it can mess with you. Even to the point where you are left with no friends. And thats exactly what happened to me. A boy with no friends because he couldn’t get the courage to talk to others. I just didn’t feel like they would ever be trustworthy. I couldn’t stay with them and feel relaxed. I was seven, so that wasn’t a surprise.
But with time going on and my mind beginning to gain some consciousness I started to want a friend. Someone who could be there for me, be with me for life. I was almost prepared to go ahead and make friends with those people. I was determined to make things right. This time it was for real. And with that inspiration I was away.
I had finally made a friend. He was about the same age as me and shared some of my interests. That was mostly eating sugary foods and watching trains. Oh, how I loved trains. Yet I still can’t figure out why. The friendship seemed strong. It was like we could be proper friends. Well, at least it got my Dad to talk to his parents and make some new friends.
Then it happened. Like it was meant to, it just happened. He moved away. The father of that family got some really good work in a far off place and the family decided to go there as well. I didn’t get to say goodbye. It was more like my Dad telling me that I was probably not going to see him for a long time. A very long time.
Devastated, I ran away into the nearby forest. I ran without looking back, not even giving it a second thought. I was gone. What was I going to do now? I had no friends - it was almost unbearable. Being a kid made me have the weirdest of reasons to run away from things, but this time I wasn’t running away from something, I was just running. The ground was wet and the air was moist as tears streamed from my eyes. The muddy ground made me slip and topple to the ground.
After a brief second of getting up I hid inside a nearby tree trunk. It was hollowed out so that people could stay in it if they were caught out by the rain. It wasn’t raining when I got in there, but when it did - everything became blurred. Being cold and hungry - I waited there. Letting my feeling speak on my face. No friends - no happiness. Nothing.
My attention then turned to the sky, It was night at the time. Meaning that I had been away for quite some time. If I wasn’t at home, my Dad would go mental. He wouldn’t lose the last part of his family. He would even die to save me and keep me alive. But I was young, stupid, arrogant. Probably not worth saving to be honest. I had nothing that would make the world better. And I would never even get the chance without someone to keep me going. My Dad already had enough to deal with - owning the shop and educating me.
But then I realised that the stars were coming out, or at least there was one star in the sky. It released a continuous beam of light, a light that caught my eye and almost asked me what I most wanted in the world. The universe had much at its disposal, being so vast and incredible. So much still to be discovered. And so much that could make everywhere better.
My mouth opened and I spoke my mind, what I had felt. The torture that I never wanted to endure. And then I asked the stars for something. I asked them for a great thing that would be too much for most to understand. I just wanted to have a friend. A friend that would be there for me, comfort me and let me do the same for them. A friend that could make me smile once more.
When I was finished, all that could be heard was the rain. It hammered on the roof of the trunk and all around it as it dispersed around the world. I waited for a couple of seconds before digging my head into my knees again. Rolled up and alone I began to wait. Had I been heard? Was I too quiet? Or was it just me wanting wishes to really come true. Was there magic in this world, enough to extend its mystical hand out to me in the name of friendship?
Everything then stopped, literally. The rain stopped falling, the tree’s stopped swaying and the animals stopped speaking. For they had all fallen silent as a miracle was in place. It took me a short while to realise what was going on, there was magic. It was listening to me. The forest was listening, heck - for all I knew the universe was listening to me. Everything had stopped to let my voice be heard, and so, once more I spoke. I asked for the thing that I desired most, the thing that would make my life perfect. I asked for a friend.
A ripple in the sky appeared, the stars all came out as the universe set its plan in motion. A friend you say? It accepted this challenge, for it felt my pain. It wanted to heal my scars with something that would bless me and the world. A gift that would be mind blowingly amazing. Yeah, that’s how awesome this gift would be. And the best thing would be, that it would be my special gift.
A burst of white energy plummeted from the sky, hitting the ground and causing it to rumble. My hands naturally shielded my eyes from the light, yet I still looked over the arm to see the amazing light. The brightest of lights, from the stars. A wish being made a reality. Could this be real, no I must be asleep, right? But everything felt real. Everything felt like it was really there: the rain on my face, the dried tears on my eyes. This was real magic.
The light then parted and dots of this magic spread everywhere, the immediate area of the forest came alive as I stared at what the universe had given me. I stumbled out of the trunk and walked towards the object that waited in the middle. I quickly realised that it wasn’t an object. It was doing one thing that set it aside from inanimate objects - It was breathing. Damn, it was alive! A living, breathing friend had been given to me. The starlight then hit the forest and the moon showed its lunar light. Then I saw her, for the first time.
Was this real? Could this really be here, it just didn’t feel like it was meant to be here, yet it felt perfect. I knelt down and looked at it a little closer. It was then, when it opened it’s eyes - two big blue eyes staring straight back into mine. I didn’t run, didn’t scream or even cry. Looking down at this colourful creature all I could do was smile. Out of everything here, it stood out. But there was a problem - she was scared. When I put my hand out to touch this creature, scared out of its mind, it pulled back and looked at my hand then back to me. That fear was what kept it from being with me. It then scrambled to its feet and ran away.
“Wait!” I called out to it, but it continued to run. I then found myself running after it. I wasn’t going to let another potential friend run out of my life. No, never again. “Please come back!” I shouted, but it continued to run - so did I. As seconds passed, the distance between us grew. I then began to run out of breath. This lead to me stopping and falling to the ground. I was out. I had lost. Rolling onto my back, tears started streaming from my eyes again. This was cruel - giving me hope and then taking it from me. All this promise was for nothing. And now my heart had to pay the price.
Again I found myself walking back to the tree trunk, now very cold. I was shivering, wanting to go home, be in my own bed, but I was now way too cold to even move. I was hurt. My heart was pounding as it tried to keep me breathing. Snuggling back into the tree I continued to wait. My head then gained weight and pulled my eyelids down with it. I was tired and alone.
My head then snapped back up as I heard a twig snap. My eyes raced around as I tried to find what had woken me up. Was it the creature? No, it was gone. Maybe my Dad had come to find me - it had been about a hour now. I was really starting to freak out. I held myself a little tighter as I tried to keep any body heat in me. My brown eyes were losing their spark as my breath appeared in front of me, crystallizing instantly in the harsh coldness of the air.
Then it happened, the moment where my life changed for good. I looked up again, I couldn’t remember why, there wasn’t any sound or light. Just a feeling that made me look up again. Then I saw it again, shivering like me it slowly approached the trunk. Still uneasy about being around me. Another harsh burst of air hit the forest and caused the creature to freeze and duck down. I then bit my lip and took the chance.
Walking out into the open, I took my coat off and put it on the creature. It jumped as I did it but then calmed down as the heat sinked into it. I then began to get really cold, blisteringly cold. I dropped down to my knees and let another tear fall from my eye. This then lead onto many more tears - I was shaking like mad now. I then looked at the creature and saw it looking back at me. For the first time, we connected. Related. We were both in the same situation.
I closed my eyes then, wanting this all to be over. Until the most unusual sensation came upon me. It was warm, comforting. Upon my chest I could feel the beating of something. When my eyes opened I could see the pink hair of this creature. I then returned the motion of putting my arms around another. I could feel something that felt special, really special. I felt her tears on my back as my tears fell onto hers. She then squeezed tighter and I did the same. I didn’t want to part as this felt so nice. So right.
But we would die if we just waited out here, we had to find shelter. We then released from our holdings and I looked back to the trunk that had been holding me. I crawled over to the trunk and crawled inside of it. Turning back to the creature I gestured for it to come over to me. It was still incredibly scared, even after what it did. I then crawled out again and knelt in front of it.
“It’s ok, you can trust me” I said as I reached my hand out to it. Again it fell back a bit, unsure about what it should do. “It’s ok” I repeated as I kept my hand out. For a moment we connected again. Looking into each others eyes, looking for answers. It then closed its eyes and leaned forward. Letting me place my hand on its forehead. This moment, this perfect moment lasted for a minute. Although it felt like forever as we felt each others warmth again, it was amazing.
She then pulled her head back again and opened her eyes to look at me again. I then moved back into the trunk again, but this time she followed me. The trunk was a lot warmer now, with both me and this creature with me. I spread the coat over the both of us as we huddled together. Warm and content. All of a sudden it seemed like our problems had been sorted. We were both warm and I felt like I had a friend. I then turned my head to her and smiled peacefully. She then attempted to smile for herself, although she then ducked her head when another brush of wind battered us. Maybe I could attempt something else.
“My name is Ray, what’s your name?” I asked, hoping that I could begin some kind of conversation. Even though I was terrible at talking to others. She pricked up her ears and looked at me again. Opening her mouth she coughed and then sniffed. How polite.
“Ray...” She spoke with her soft voice. “I’m Pinkie Pie” Again, she buried her head into my shoulder as another gust of wind flew by. Then the moment came, this moment was the one that really did change my life.
“Will you be my friend Pinkie?” I asked. I then felt her nod as she went “Uh huh”, a smile then blushed across my face as the realisation hit me. I once again had a friend. And from that moment, my life became so much sweeter.
Of course I had to go home and I brought Pinkie with me. My Dad was so happy to see me as he found me half way into the forest. Angry that I had run away, but he was so happy to have found me safe. But then he saw Pinkie, he had the same reaction as me. Trying to figure out if she was real. I then asked if we could keep her, like the way you would ask your parents if you could keep a stray cat. She then snuggled into me as she didn’t want to part with me. It was very clear how we felt. And then he accepted her into the family.
Even though she was the most confusing thing on the planet, my Dad still welcomed her into the family. She was my friend more than anything. I wouldn’t say that she felt like a sister at all, because that would be a different feeling. This was the feeling of having a close friend - one that felt right. One that I could trust.
All that was a good fifteen years ago, and a lot has happened since then. A lot has changed. Pinkie is still my closest friend, and I still work at the bakery, but something else is now missing. When I was twenty my Dad fell sick. To begin with it wasn’t anything much - just a light cough. He said it was nothing much, Pinkie instantly believed him and moved along. But then it got more violent. Both me and Pinkie noticed this and before we knew it - he was on a hospital bed.
For so many hours I had been crying at his side. Pinkie was there too, sitting beside me. When he was covered I broke down onto my knees and couldn’t stop crying. But she was there for me. She was there to let me cry into her. She took it all in, heck - she was the best friend that I could ever ask for. Even though the next few days were quiet in my house, she still stayed there with me. All that time she stayed by my side and kept giving me smiles. Giving me hope, and that is exactly what I needed.
Even though my Dad was gone, he had left so much behind for Pinkie and myself: The house, the money and the bakery. It was all ours to work with. When I finally parted with my Dad for the last time, I was determined to make him proud. I was going to make the bakery the best one in the world. That was my goal. With Pinkie by my side we were going to make this future amazing.
Now that you know my life, you can understand the pain that I went through to get to where I am now. Plus, thanks to Pinkies social attitude, she has helped me become less shy around others. That’s probably another thing that makes her a great friend - she helped me to overcome my problems. I still have some slight issues as no one is perfect, but that’s what you need in order to be interesting, right?
That is how my story began. And now, this is how it continues...
My life, how do continue? Now you know that I have lived with a pink pony since I was seven, and that I was homeschooled. Wow, that’s a lot to take in. Plus I live in a crazy remote place in England. Meaning that barely anyone knew about Pinkie’s existence. But for the people who did know her, she seemed to get along well with everyone. And by that I mean she could make just about anyone smile when they came into the bakery. Just her presence was enough to make anyone grin and have a spark of happiness in their soul. That perky attitude and bouncing appearance could bring a smile to anyones face.
Even though she was a pony, I had never kept her from doing just about anything that a human could. From as long as I can remember, she was always into learning about baking. I taught her how to make delicious treats and amazing baked goods, as my Dad once did. She learned quickly, really quickly. Maybe she was a quick learner because she was a pony. I don’t know really. But when she did bake, the things that she made were amazing. I never knew that a cupcake could taste so delicious until she began to make them. Maybe because she experimented with adding different amounts of certain ingredients(That’s how I learned).
Another thing that she began to develop was a delightful singing voice. It was nice to listen to, even though it could be annoying at some times. Other times it would be the best thing to happen all day. Mostly the second option came into play. Because how could I get annoyed at the most amazing thing that happened to me. It just couldn’t happen. But anyway, I have only talked about what she had developed, how about me.
When I was about ten I began to get into drawing. It began with pencils and leaves and pretty much anything that would stay still. I preferred to draw when it was quiet and dark. So it would be in the middle of the night, when everyone is asleep. I would proceed to get my sketchbook out and draw. And as the years went on, so did my skill in drawing. It then came to the time when I began to draw living things. I was about fifteen when this started to happen. I would go out into the forest with Pinkie and we would search for the wildlife. When we found the right ones, I would begin to draw, where she would just watch me draw. She became ever so fascinated in my abilities as they got better and better. Then all I would need to do is sign my name off at the bottom: Ray Blackburn.
As I grew up, technology grew up around me. So many things just happened in a short amount of time - it was rather amazing how we used to have bricks for communication. And now we have little tablets - mind blowing. Of course, Pinkie had to grow up around this as well, no surprise here as she embraced it like I did. I can almost remember the time when my Dad brought home our first game console - the almighty Nintendo 64. That was pretty awesome, it really brought out a different side in both of us. There were so many games that we both loved to play on, even though we both were terrible half the time. There was Pokemon, Zelda and even Mario. I never really got into many other things - but life is life.
When I was about eighteen, I got into computers. Probably the worst time to get into them as they were on the turn of becoming the most advanced things on the planet. Plus the internet was becoming a big thing around the world, used by many. I found some websites where I could show my art off, and I got plenty of feedback from it. I then slowly became more and more detached from the internet as my life took a lot more time with Pinkie and my father. I’m glad it was that way for the last two years of being with him.
Then, when my Dad passed, I got control of the bakery, the house and the money. I even got a car. Since I got my drivers licence I was allowed to drive it. All I needed was to keep it in good condition. Anyway, less about the car.
I walk to the bakery every morning. It’s only a brisk walk down to it and then boom! I’m there. On the door there is the “open” sign and the times for when the place opened. Hanging above, is a sign that says “Blackburn’s Bakery”. I was considering putting an extra part to it soon saying “and Pinkie’s”. Because after all, she was doing a lot to help me keep it running. We didn’t ask for any help running it, because we could keep it up ourselves, being two grown up adults.
Now we get into the days of now, because now is the most important time. It was the middle of August and the morning was shining. As in the sun, that is. The light began to creep into my room as I lied in my bed, surrounded by the soft plush cover. My head was burrowed into a pillow and my body was laid across the entire bed. Comfortable, and cosy. But then something happened, I noticed this as another source of light appeared from my door. The sound of hoofs could be heard for a moment, I cracked open one eye to only close it again, because of the light. A shadow the drew itself above me, blocking the light sources and disturbing my peace. I reached over to the lamp at the side of my bed and flicked it on.
“Good morning, sleepyhead!” exclaimed the pink pony that was above me, I blinked to get myself a bit more awake so I could figure out what was going on. After yawning once I sat myself up and looked into the joyful eyes of the pink pony.
“Morning Pinkie” I responded in my tired voice, being a little dry. After yawning again I placed one hand on my face and wiped it down. I guess another advantage is that I have a pony alarm clock that wakes me up every morning. “Any particular reason that you wanted to wake me up?”
“Well duh! Because it’s morning!” She replied in a happy tone.
“You don’t say!” I responded in a cheerful sarcastic manner. The two of us shared a small laugh as we enjoyed the little joke.
“So, is there anything that you really wanted to wake me up for?” I asked again, with a warm grin on my face. There, I was already smiling and I had been awake for thirty seconds.
“Well, I know how you feel about me getting near the cooker...” she began. Oh yes, I remember that very well - I guess we needed to get a new cooker after that. Never again.
“Yeah...” I inquired, showing that I was paying a lot of attention. I mean, really, if the cooker is involved and its this early in the morning - it can only mean two things.
“And I wanted to make some pancakes - but then I remembered what happened last time I tried to cook something” She explained, thinking back to the memory in the process.
“Don’t remind me” I added as I rolled my eyes.
“Come on Ray, it’s not like you didn’t burn down your first kitchen when you tried to cook for the first time” She whined. I looked at her with a face that suggested that I knew otherwise.
“No, I’ve never burned down a kitchen” I announced, smirking a little at Pinkie’s new face of her being annoyed. I could almost feel the wubs of emotion coming off of her. Then again she was now in my face, so it was kind of hard not to notice.
“Well, I guess it might be different for me!” She said cheerfully. How she was able to change emotions so quickly was beyond me. But personally I prefer it when she is happy. But she is always happy, at least around me.
“I guess so” I concluded. She then fell back and smiled, showing her rows of pearly white teeth. Cute. That’s exactly how she was - meaning that she wanted something. But when I put two and two together - it makes perfect sense. “You want pancakes, don’t you?” I said with a slightly amused tone.
“Well of course, you make like the best pancakes ever” She began. Now, something that Pinkie can do sometimes is begin to go on about something continuously - but this can be done in a very quick manner. All that energy, builds up to these moments.
“Cause, if you knew someone who could make the best pancakes ever - why wouldn’t you want them. I mean, come on! There are pancakes for crying out loud. One of the best things on the planet”.
“Ok Pinkie - I get the idea” I exclaimed quickly as I whipped the covers off and stood up. She now stood there with a large grin on her face, like she had just made a massive accomplishment. Well done Pinkie, well done.
I apologize for this chapter being so short, but I will make the next ones a lot longer. When I get my head in gear then I will begin to write this one out properly. Thank you.
