Veil

I squinted my eyes as I held the solder in between the LED and the electronics board. It was a simple task, make a circuit with a light and add a battery snap to power it.

But of course, I burn my hand again. I couldn't feel it though; I had been taking anti-depressants for a long time now. Long enough to take 5 times the recommended dose and look like nothing is different in the eyes of everyone around me.

But even though I looked fine, there were still problems. The pills changed me. Made me numb to almost every pain, but not emotion. I was as low a point emotionally as ever and the pills that I prescribed myself weren't working at all. If anything, the addiction to them made my problems worse.

Connor noticed that I had burned my hand with the soldering iron and knew that that would swell up bad if I didn't get water on it… he always was the smart one; the caring friend everyone wished they had. I was lucky Connor was around, even though I took his friendship for granted at times.

A fine example of this is whenever we are in the school's library, I often give him a hard time about his minecraft creations not being 'up to snuff' in my view, when in reality they are better than most modern art pieces put together. I knew I was a bad friend, but couldn’t ultimately say sorry for what I had done; I was a coward.

"Jesus! Get that under the tap, bro!" he said pointing to my lightly burnt hand. "Umm… yeah. Okay." I replied as I hurried to the sink in the corner of the classroom. The reason I sound so shy is because I’m just one of those people. I relate to Fluttershy, my favourite pony in the mane 6. It was something I had just grown up with, I guess. Being shy, I mean.

The boys behind me were snickering at me behind my back; again. This isn't the first time. They always laugh at me at every single possible chance they can get, whether it be dropping my books or something more serious like self-harm.

Connor knew how much I was hurting; not physically, but emotionally. He could see right through me and my coat of false happiness that the pills provided. “You alright?” “Yeah… I’m fine. Well… I would be if it wasn’t for those laughing assholes over there.”

“Forget about it; they’re just joking around.” They weren’t. Not to me. If only they knew how I was feeling, then how would they act? Would anything change?

“Come on; class is over anyway.” I nodded, and began to pack the things off bench to the shelf behind me. Common clean up routine, nothing strange about that at all. Other than my missing computer and new headphones.

I knew what had happened to them; I left my laptop, or netbook rather, on the desk. It was open, and displaying my Derpy Lava Lamp screensaver. Of course the bullies would have my netbook; they always look for every chance to toy with me.

Now the problem was finding them and my netbook. I didn’t care about my headphones; even though they cost me like 50 dollars, the cost of happiness is priceless.

By happiness, I mean the world of Equestria and the joyful smiling beings that it nests. It’s like I realised that this world sucks. It is colourless, boring and everywhere you look is hate.

After 20 minutes of looking with Connor, we found them. On the top of the roof looking down at us. And there it is. My netbook dangling from the self-proclaimed ‘Head Bully’. I knew he would throw it, no matter what I said. “Well, shit. Aren’t WE in a pickle?” he said mockingly.

He released it and I watched it fall. It collided with the ground and broke into nearly 20 different pieces. But the screen was still flickering my screensaver; Derpy. And then, it flickered for the last time. It was completely destroyed. That was it.

The end of my joy; my colour. I knew my day would be just that little bit darker. See, the thing is, I couldn’t care less about the $800 potato, and all I cared about was the connection with the citizens of Equestria.

“Fuck! What have you done!?” I began to frantically to try and salvage what was left of my netbook; left of my happiness. It was hopeless. Too many pieces to get it repaired by the IT technicians at school.

I hadn’t cried in weeks. It felt like the world was going to end. If not our world, then Equestria. If the IT technicians could fix it, emphasis on if, it would take days. But the chances were slim; I would have to get a replacement. All the work I had done, gone. All the music I have of Alex S, gone. I don’t know how I’m going to continue to function.

I threw my bag onto the bed and let out a sigh. My roommate wasn’t in for the first time for days. Jack O’Brien: the sportiest kid I know. He hates my little pony, but I play the music anyway; just to piss him off. He deserves it, I think, because he always wakes me up at 6:00am so he can go to sport.

The pills had worn off. The first time I have had a clean mind for as long as I can remember. I pulled out the shoddy replacement they issued me for schoolwork and placed it onto my desk. I plugged in the power cord and opened the lid to be greeted with a generic windows background.

At least I can get some of the essentials of the internet: music, wallpapers and most importantly, the episodes.

I put on some music. Alex S is my favourite artist.

I sat there for a while and revelled in the soothing electronic music. Like if I listened long enough my problems would go away.

I eventually took off my school clothes and put on something more relaxed; jeans and a red and black flannel long sleeve shirt.

Much better.

I glanced at the almost full bottle of anti-depressants, thinking about them being a possible escape. I took the bottle in hand and opened the lid. I emptied its contents on the desk and counted 18 little white pills.

Should I?

If I’m correct, the more I take the happier I get, so taking all these pills will make me ecstatic.

Well, not happy; these pills only make you think you are happy. But in reality…

I filled my cup with water and threw 3 pills into my mouth. Mouth of water, gone. nothing.

3 more. Nothing.

3 more. Starting to get dizzy.

3 more. Music is starting to sound strange.

3 more. Huh… nearly the end of the song.

3 more. And that’s my cue; time to sleep.

I collapsed on the bed, and the room swirled into blackness.

I opened my eyes and groaned because of the ridiculously bright light. it took me a few moments to adjust and get my bearings. I’m in a forest, around noon judging by the sun high in the sky. Now comes the problem.

Where am I?

I still have my clothes, that’s a start.

I began to run forward through the brush, occasionally looking left and right to look for some signs of life. It seemed like I had been running for 20 minutes now; I was tired and starting to think that survival was the only thing to worry about was finding some sign of life.

It was strange; I had so many pills. I should be throwing up and stumbling right now; not running straight with a clear head. Maybe I had just gained a resilience to it that is so advanced I can take a handful of the things and still survive.

I can’t think about it; I just have to keep moving or I’m going to die out here. Alone. No one should die alone. Although, I guess nothing has changed since I am at school. I still have the only person I need; myself. I wish Connor was here, though. He always knew a way out of a situation, whether it be avoiding a fight or a confrontation all together.

“HELLO!?” I screamed at the top of my lungs; scaring off all the birds in the area. No response. I was starting to get scared. I had no idea where I was, and no idea if I would make it out of there at all.

I was exhausted. After almost an hour of wandering aimlessly through the dense forest, I sat on a fallen tree and buried my face in my hands. I just let it all out; the fear in the situation, not having Connor around… I just cried for what seemed like forever. By the time I was done crying, it was dusk.

“WHY? WHY IS THIS HAPPENING!?” I screamed into the vast empty forest. That’s when something I least expected happened. I heard a sound; a voice. It was faint, but it was there. It sounded like it was saying hello. It must have come from where I was running from. I began to backtrack; calling out as loud as I could. The voice replying to me was getting louder and louder too.

I had to stop to catch my breath. I’m not a sporty kind of guy; I play video games and various instruments. The voice was right on top of me. I looked around; left right, nothing. “Hello? I’m lost! Can you help me? Where are you?”

“What are you?” the voice asked. “Wh… what? What do you mean? I’m human, if that is what you mean.”

I heard several branches of the tree above me snap; something was falling.

And then it hit me.

I lost consciousness.

“Wow. You really hit it him hard, didn’t you?”

“It wasn’t me… I swear. Is he okay?”

“He’ll be fine; just needs some rest.”

I let out a groan of pain; my head felt like it had been hit over several times with a brick.

“I guess he will make it. Hey, try to open your eyes.”

I tried so hard but the pain was so severe I rolled on to my side and threw up my lunch. A burrito will do that for you.

“Eeeee! It’s on my hoof!”

Hoof? A hoof?

I opened my eyes and the light nearly blinded me. And when my eyes adjusted, I saw what looked like the Ponyville Doctor and Fluttershy standing over me.

Not knowing what to do in the bizarre situation I have found myself in, I screamed at the top of my lungs. Partly because of joy, and partly because I didn’t accept this was happening.

“Calm down! You have had an accident. This pony here found you out in the woods, alone.”

Fluttershy began to wash the burrito off her hoof. Words can’t express my apologies for that.

I just shook my head. I couldn’t take it all in. “So… um… how did I lose consciousness, Doctor?”

“Well, somepony here says a large branch fell onto your head. But judging by the marks, it seems somepony hoofed you on the head at a high velocity.”

Fluttershy began to cower behind her hair, as she did in the first episode with Twilight Sparkle. I didn’t blame her for hitting me; I would rather wake up in a confined space surrounded by ponies than die in the woods.

“It wasn’t me… you have to believe me…”

“Fluttershy, don’t worry. I believe you. You are my favourite pony in the mane 6, after all.”

That caught them off-balance. The Doctor tilted his head quizzically.

“Umm, how do you know her name? And what is the mane 6?”

I struggle to explain this to others of my kind, so I don’t know how I’m going to explain this to the characters themselves.

So I told them. I told them all about my world, all about how I got here and how I know everything about them. I told them about my problem with anti-depressants too and how they made me take interest in their world.

And then that was it. All I had to tell.

“So now what do I do?”

“We find a way to get you back to your world, of course!” The Doctor said with a smile.

“But WHY WOULD I WANT TO LEAVE? THIS IS A DREAM COME TRUE!” I said, unable to keep back my joy.

“But… getting back to your loved ones…”

I just shook my head. I knew what I left behind. Sadness and hatred.

“I have a friend named Connor; did he make it here?”

It was a long shot, but spending time in a wonderland wasn’t really worth it if your best friend isn’t there to experience it with you.

“Not that we know of… but you may want to ask the citizens of Canterlot if they have seen him; Ponyville has a railway line, but it costs an arm and a leg for a ticket.”

I knew there was a railway line… now the problem is making enough money to go on this wild goose chase for my friend.

“Human, you may want to ask around for work… I’m sure somepony will employ you.”

“And where am I meant to stay? I mean, I have slept in the street before, I know what it’s like.”

“That is why I asked Fluttershy to house you TEMPORARILY. I’m sure you two will get on like two peas in a pod.”

Wow. First I get knocked unconscious by this pony, and now she is letting me stay with her. She really is the kindest pony in the mane 6.

“Umm… I just hope Angel doesn’t mind your company. She doesn’t really appreciate guests as much as she should… Sorry.”

I smiled and gave her a courteous nod to show my appreciation. I was scared if I said anything I would sound crazy. Like ‘I LOVE YOU! YOU ARE MY BEST FRIEND!’. Lucky I model my personality after her.

“Well, there is no point keeping you in bed any longer.” The Doctor said as he pulled the sheets of the bed. Still have my clothes; thank sweet Jesus for that.

My head still ached, but it was much better than when we started this conversation. I don’t know where the pain went, maybe the shock of being in Equestria made me forget about it long enough to heal.

I sat on the side of the bed and stretched my arms.

“Your shoes are in the corner, Human.”

I smiled and said thanks under my breath.

So I stood, stumbled a bit which scared Fluttershy to death, and then slowly made my way to the corner of the room where my shoes were. i then proceeded to put my shoes on. They seem so colourless in this colourful world; like I’m out of place.

“Well, it’s time to get out there and explore, Human.”

Said The Doctor while he opened the door to the hallway.

“Umm… Doc? Thank you.”

Me and Fluttershy stepped out into the world. I guessed she was my tour guide, but Fluttershy is, well… shy. “Come on. Let me show you around Ponyville”. I already knew a vast majority of the town, But a little validation of my memory would be great. I can’t rely on myself here; I need the help to find Connor.

“So… Fluttershy… do you also have the nagging feeling that Pinkie Pie will jump out of nowhere right now and burst into song? I have that feeling.” I knew it was only a matter of time before that happens, so I may as well soak up all the sights before it does.

“Not really… Pinkie Pie IS spontaneous, but today is Gummi’s after after after birthday party, so she is occupied.”

Wow. Pinkie Pie isn’t going to jump out of nowhere and bring the welcome wagon. That is the most relieving thing I have heard all day. Don’t get me wrong, Pinkie Pie is a great pony, I just don’t want to be put on the spotlight.

The streets were busy with ponies. I could see ponies no matter where I looked; and they were looking at me. Similar to Fluttershy, I tried to hide behind my rather long fringe; looking at my feet as I walked.

as looked down at my feet, I noticed my shadow was a perfect circle. That makes sense; I am in a cartoon world, so having a circle for a shadow is logical in an illogical way.

“…and there is Twilight Sparkles house.”

Whoa. I totally forgot I was on a tour.

“Umm… do you think we could stop by and say hello?” I asked, not sure it would be a yes. I am a human, after all. I don’t want to scare her or something.

“Sure! Twi would love to see a ‘real life’ human!”

I’m not sure if that was a compliment or not, but at any rate, I get to see a ‘real life’ Twilight Sparkle.

She took me up to the entrance of Twilight’s house and knocked on the door. There was definitely someone inside the house, I could hear the closing of various books and clip-clop of a pony.

Sure enough, Twilight Sparkle opened the door.

“Hey Twi… I think I found something you might find interesting. He’s a human!” I gave a small smile and waved shyly. I never thought this day would come.

“It’s nice to meet you, human. Please come in.” she said with a large smile. I thought it seemed legit, but I don’t know… she seems oddly agitated. But that is Twilight Sparkle for you; she is always reading, but she is always right as well. Me and Fluttershy entered the house and then stood there in awe.

There were books everywhere. Opened books flooded the room and Twilight was rushing in between them all, using her magic. Searching for something; a book in particular. I have no idea what she was searching for, and quite frankly I don’t care. I’m just having trouble keeping back laughing in joy.

“I’m sorry you caught me like this, I have misplaced my most important book: my diary. And I think someone has stolen it.”

“Ask The Cutie Mark Crusaders… they might know...” I chimed in, not sure if this would alter history and send me back to my world or something terrible like that. But she was grateful.

“Thank you, Human. I’ll do just that. Goodbye!” she said goodbye while she was nearly halfway down the street, so she must have something important in that diary. The cutie mark crusaders might have taken it; they did take Rarity’s, so why stop there?

“What’s with all the commotion?” queried a voice from up the stairs. I guess it’s Spike; sounds deceptively like him. I know Spike; and I knew his habits. Probably busy eating ice-cream while Twilight is busy. Why she didn’t ask him to help out is unknown to me.

“It’s okay, Spike, we were just leaving.” Said Fluttershy.

I saw his head pop up from the top of the staircase and his eyes went wide. I really didn’t want to hang around to hear the usual ‘OH MY GOD! A HUMAN!’ that this place constantly greeted me with.

So Fluttershy and I just left him there with his mouth wide open and his head tilted slightly. He was obviously confused.

Fluttershy showed me around all Ponyville. Showed me the town centre and the marketplace and even bought me lunch. She still needs to try to be more assertive, but it isn’t for everyone. I am a prime example. I will do anything to avoid confrontation.

“We should look to finding you a job!” I knew she was right. I was only 16, but that doesn’t really matter now; I can be whatever I want. But that was a good question. What DO I want to do? I never really thought about a job that Ponyville offers… maybe just doing odd jobs around town.

“Well… I don’t really have any idea where to start.”

There was always Pinkie Pie; but that would be a last resort.

I sat down on a bench next to one of the colourful buildings in the town centre. All the ponies in the area were confused. Many of them didn’t know what I was, and I wasn’t surprised. But the ones that did know were more confused than that of the others.

I just kicked one leg over the other and began to think about the situation. Why was I here? Was there some purpose? Why do I have the urge to travel to Canterlot and search for my friend that may not even be here at all?

These questions will just go unanswered until I look in Canterlot.

“I hear you are looking for work.”

I looked up and saw a pony; that wasn’t peculiar. What was peculiar was his mane. He had it in a long Mohawk coloured green and blue; rather unusual colours. I have never seen this pony before, and judging by his cutie mark, which was a guitar coloured blue with 5 good strings and one broken, he looked like a musician alright.

“Yeah. Nice to meet you, mister…”

“Smile. Lenny Smile.”

He offered me his hoof, which I politely shook.

His last name was strange; different. I couldn’t put my finger on it. Like his name got straight to the point, whereas other names ponies have are slightly reminiscent of something material or joyful.

“So what do you do, Lenny?”

“I’m a musician of sorts. I try my best to organise and play in concerts around Equestria, but lately I haven’t had any luck. That’s where you come in.”

I could see where this is going.

“I want you to liven up my act. Can you play any instruments? Sing? Dance?”

I couldn’t dance or sing. But I haven’t played guitar in almost a year. But I didn’t tell him that; I wanted to get out of here to Canterlot; and this looks like the only option that suits me.

“I play guitar; 6 years’ experience. But since I came to this world, I haven’t seen any buskers or guitars. If you can get me a guitar, one that a human can play. Then I’ll gladly come with you.”

It was a long shot. I’m sure nopony knows human anatomy, and better yet, making a custom guitar for someone they don’t even know.

“You’ll have it by tomorrow evening. Meet me here again and ill have the best guitar you have ever handled in your life.”

Something about him seemed shifty; like I couldn’t trust him but had no choice. I knew he was the only way to get to Canterlot, be it on the train by myself, or on tour with him as his own personal entertainer. I didn’t like it one bit, but hey; I’m in Equestria.