Prologue
[A/N]: Well, this is my first story, I kind of want to write it in order to improve my English – I'm from Germany and English is only my second language. I appreciate every critique, it doesn't matter at all if you point out a plot hole, or only a spelling mistake or rather grammatical issue.
Feel free to play the wise guy here! Well, everything's said, let's start the story.
[x][x][x]
"Dude, wake up, eh!"
A loud voice attacked your eardrums and made you fall down from your seat. You, still being more asleep than awake, picked yourself up from the floor, to keep at least some pride. The barcolt looked angry at you.
"Bar's closing, get the buck outa here, eh!"
Without much time to act, you grab your drink, down it fast and get your saddlebags. You paid the piper and got out on the street.
"Some ponies really have to get a marefriend and a better sexlife...", you mutter to yourself.
The borough was calm at this hour, no surprise, it was 2 AM. You wandered around in the town, searching for some distraction, but eventually you got... well that was the point where you didn't remember anything anymore.
[x][x][x]
You opened your eyes, but that was a mistake. You could feel the bright light literally burning your retina. Out of reflex you put your hooves on your eyes, to not let them suffer any further. After some seconds passing, you tried to open them again, they eventually adjusted to the light and you could see a room. You couldn't recognize anything in that room, the furnishings seemed to be medieval and the bed was only a pile of hay.
"Where the buck am I?", you thought to yourself. "What is this crap?"
You tried to calm yourself down, obviously surprised that you hadn't had a hangover, but what's not there, can come later.
You took a closer look at your surroundings, as you noticed a mare standing in the door frame. The circumstance that she wore something like a kilt killed your last stallionness. Your 'morningsurprise' died with your nerves. The mare looked at you curious and her appearance was, besides looking ridiculous, some kind of wise.
The obvious raced through your mind. "I hope we didn't... and if that we used at least three condoms..."
The mare looked annoyed, she opened her mouth and what came out of it, scared you more, than the first sight of her cloths. "No, we didn't and thank you for your kind thoughts about my appearance." The bearer of the dry voice glared at you. "By the way, what's a condom? Is that what they use in the south to pleasure their royal plots?"
You couldn't get a word out of your mouth, which stood open. Your astonished facial expression said enough. A wave of thoughts attacked your mind "Can... she read my mind? How does she do it? Dear god, she's looking so ridiculous, but as well adorable in her kilt... Why am I here? Oh I hope she can't read... HORSEAPPLES she can!"
A tiny giggle came from the door frame, cut of by a cold voice, as she caught herself again "Well, to answer your questions, I simply can read minds, get over it. For the answer of your last question, I don't know, your mind is too distracted to get it out of it. I suggest that you get out of here, before you think something that you'll regret."
You got up, trying to not think, a desperate attempt to not embarrass yourself any further. Slightly disappointed in your failed try, you thought of the previous night. Nothing. Not the slightest idea what could've happened.
"Well", the female voice once again disturbed your line of thought, "Could you please stop thinking? I'm trying to concentrate over here and with your thoughts I can't even listen to mine. To answer your thoughts, you'll just have to wait. You've got a concussion, which comes with nausea and amnesia. In addition, the normal effects of alcohol won't help you the slightest to remember anything for the next time. Now get ready, you won't have much time until the next wave comes in."
Shock, as well as relief swam through your mind and anger shattered your last clear thoughts. "OK, I'm slightly pissed of right now, but i can resist the temptation to strangle you right now. I don't have any time to talk to you, after all I have to move today. Anyways, I just want to know where I am right now, maybe I can find my way back to my house. By the way, what do you mean with wave?"
She chuckled slightly, as she once again opened her mouth to come up with something, but before she could say anything, a huge explosion deafened your ears.
After the long high pitched beep faded out, a man burst in the room."THE NEXT WAVE IS COMING, TWO DRAGONS ARE ABOUT TO EXTINGUISH EVERY LIFE IN THIS VILLAGE, GET IN THE BASEMENT, MARE!" He ran to you and urged you out of the door. "AND YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO FIGHT!"
From the outside you heard somepony yelling, but before you could get yourself under cover, a mighty shout blew you into a shortlived unconsciousness.
"FUS RO DAH!"
The explosion brought your eardrums to their maximum amplitude and the blast wave knocked you over. "GET UP! FUS RO DAH! GET UP!"
[x][x][x]
You groaned.
You got up.
And threw your alarm clock against the nearby wall.
"I've got to change that annoying alarm sound..."
You fell back into the bed, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes.
"Ugh, how often will I wake up like that? Anyways, last day, should get going fast..."
You looked around. In your own chamber, much to your delight. Modern furnishings, your desk, on top of it a huge pile of boxes, a comfortable bed, although it was wet because of a... well it wasn't really a wet dream, was it? You groaned as your inner cinema disturbed your mood for the rest of the day.
"I really should stop playing the Alicornscrolls series... these dreams!"
And there it was, the sign that you're still a mortal. Nausea, a throbbing headache and the knowledge that you'll have to brush your teeth. After a look at the clock on your desk, you got up and made your way to the bathroom. After a cold shower, the decision that you won't ever use the toothbrush again and two pills of aspirin, you were ready to start the day.
"The relaxing Saturday, after a long night of fridaying..." you sighed.
As you prepared yourself a small breakfast, you turned your little audio system on, something of the last still montaged things in your house, and enjoy your meal to Scavenged Sevenhoof. You chuckled as soon as their song 'Nightmare' started and you remembered your very weird dream. You slightly began to bob your head to the intro, then out of the nowhere a loud guitar riff echoed through your residence. You stopped headbanging as soon as a pulsing vein remembered you that that won't be helpful to overcome your hangover.
After satisfying your hunger, you got up and looked around in the living room. "Well, I think the biggest part of the furnishings are packed, I better get the moving guys here."
[x][x][x]
You didn't really like the idea of leaving your hometown, but you'd to, in order to get the bits in the house. In Howdyan aren't many possibilities. Your father had known that, but he wanted to live in a quiet area in the north. He mainly lived with his money put aside, as well as you did. But as the time went on and still no growth reached the region, you had to leave. Your father passed away thirteen years, four months and three days ago, you inherited the house and most of the furniture. Your heart ached, as you once again thought of old memories of the childhood, a childhood without a mother, but still it used to be a happy time.
As you made your way through the town you still thought about the possibilities of your destination. You won't have much time to get a job, because your savings weren't as big, as they used to be. You waited until the last moment, before leaving the town of your roots. You loved it, it was a little, cozy and lovely town, a little bit in arrears, but still it was your home. Eventually you came to the office and informed the guys about being ready to move, the boss only grunted and called two muscular abominations.
"Enjoy your new home, eh.", he said monotonously, as if he had rehearsed it in front of a mirror.
Leaving wasn't hard because you had to leave friends. You hadn't many friends in this town, firstly because of not being socially competent, furthermore because there weren't many ponies in your age to be friendly with and finally because you broke the hearts of those few, who really cared about you.
Your mind always stayed around that one topic, it was a part of your life, a part you tried to leave behind. You were so desperate about it that you decided to let the topic romance be, unless you're fully and independently employed in your new home. You didn't want to ruin your life once again, it already happened once and you had to learn of your mistakes.
"A dying community and once again one part of it leaves", you mumbled to yourself.
You ironically chuckle, as you realize that you've never really been a part of the community. You got called cynical many times in your life and you once got to the point in your lifetime, when you actually admitted it. You caught yourself before drifting away once again.
You just passed the graveyard of the little town, you chuckled de novo, earning misunderstanding glances by the two stallions following you.
"He, two things are growing, the moving companies and the graveyard, you two are some lucky bastards. You're part of the winnerteam!", you say to them, now earning serious glares.
As you got home with the two paranormal... things... behind you, you explained them what to do and you got yourself a little bit of spare time. You walked back to the graveyard to enjoy the presence of your father the last time. It was an old habit of yours, but it has always helped you to overcome your fears, it used to sooth your sorrow and grief.
You remembered the day of your school enrollment, the memory wasn't as vivid as it once was, but you could remember the long walk with your father to it. The fateful day, which erased your life and created a new one, with less laughter, kindness, loyalty, generosity, honesty and most of all, friendship.
[x][x][x]
"Dahaad? What do you think, how will school be?"
"Well, Son, it's a very long time ago, since I got in the elementary school, mostly it was exciting, and the teachers were very kind, but I got to admit, sometimes it was very boring!", he chuckled as his eyes got a little bit distracted and unconsciously he began to walk slightly faster.
Which meant for you that you actually had to trot to keep up with his long legs.
"Do you want to tell me some stories, when I get back home?", you stumbled upon a stone as you searched for the eyes of your father.
"Why, yes, I could even tell you a story now, since the way to your school is so long, but you'll have to tell me the story of your day, too!", he chuckled once again, as he helped you getting up. A smile appeared on his face, as soon as he saw your confident grin.
"Well, well, well, don't get too overexcited, it won't be about my school enrollment!"
(Be GONE with your bad Inception-jokes.)
"Hm... if I remember everything right, it started with my first day in grade 8b in Winnietail, you know, before I moved to Howdyan I lived there with your grandparents. I just shifted schools, because we moved from the northern end of Winnietail to the southern." Again his eyes lightened up in nostalgia. "Anyways, I was completely new in that school and nobody knew me, so for the first weeks it was quite the hard time. I hadn't already entered puberty, so beside being completely new, I was the weakest. It took the bullies in my school about three days to realize that I was the one they were waiting for. I was an easy victim for the boredom of their desolate lives." He looked at you and realized that he was only creeping you out and put his wing on your back, to reassure you.
"Now, now, I'm confident that this won't happen to you! Besides, I haven't finished my story yet, have I?" His smile and his beaming blue eyes remembered you of the day, when he taught you the importance of patience. To be patient was one of your grits and it was one of the most important things he'd ever taught to you. Besides to that were pride, civility and eagerness. He used to joke about your qualities to get a royal guard.
"Where did I stop again? Umm..." He brought his hoof to his chin and paused thoughtful.
"You were about to explain, how you put an end to the mockery!" You could remember the blurry eyes of your father immediately getting sharper, as he got back to the story.
"Ah yes, of course! Well, it had to begin with something bad, the light mocking went further with the time and I got regularly beat up by my class-" He obviously stumbled upon his own words and searched for a word.
"-mates? Is it that what you search, Dad?"
He cringed as he heard your appendix of his words, he clearly didn't appreciate it to call them his mates, his friends, or anything else like that.
"Well, I wouldn't really call them mates, but well let's go on with that word. Well, I stopped at.. yeah! Until a new mare came to our school, I'll be honest with you, at first I didn't really like her, but she was nicer, than the other colts. I don't want to sound shallow, but back then I had no other thoughts about her besides she being just... radiant.", your father sighed and brushed away a tear.
"Maybe you know it already, but I'm going to say it out loud. She was the first and only mare in my life, your mother. I told you the story how I admitted my love once, but how I originally met her... well, you do know now."
He started to search in his saddlebags to get a necklace with a sapphire out of it. He thoughtfully held it in one hoof and then drifted away in his thoughts only to once again have to grab a hold on himself.
"You may have seen some photos of this necklace, it used to be your mothers. I'd like to give it to you, so that you can give it to somepony, who is worth wearing it. Please honor thy mother, honor thy dead."
Freudian slip. You didn't realize that. You were such a foal.
You didn't realize how he gave points to his words. You didn't realize that this was the point where everything would change. Looking back to this one event, was a heart-wrenching process. If you were able to turn back the time, you would've done it right now, just to hug him once more. You just weren't ready back then.
Your eyes grew wide as he bent his knees, to see into your eyes and embraced you to collar you. After a short peck on your forehead he let go of you. "I'll tell you an other story later, okay?" You, slightly embarrassed, got up, nodded and whispered a quiet thank you and bye, and careered into the schoolhouse.
[x][x][x]
He never heard of your day.
Tears began to well up in your eyes, as you remembered the rest of the day, parts blackened out, but you appreciated the self built wall, which hindered you to remember the worse parts of the story of your first day at school, your first day as orphan.
He knew that he would die. To be honest, you didn't even know, how he accomplished accompanying you.
You said goodbye for the last time and got off your knees to walk away strengthened and relieved.
But then something else came into your mind. A place you and your father were often able to get found before the fateful day. A simple hill, but you both carried emotions with it. Here, on top of the hill between Winnietail and Howdyan, your parents confessed their love. Your father once told you the story, as you and he were camping on top of barrow, he liked to tell you stories of his life. Inspired by his heart-touching story of a long dinner, firework and a beautiful stargazing night, you too confessed your love to a special mare of your life. "O Tempora, O Mores", you sighed, as you remembered her inept reaction to your admirable admission.
You got up from your stomach you lay on and walked slowly and solemnly away.
[x][x][x]
You got home, lost deep in your thoughts. You looked satisfied at the result. Everything was already loaded on the carriage, the movers were just about to get the furnace onto it.
"Sir, it's going to be a long ride, you definitely should get some sleep, eh.", one of the stallions mentioned.
But you didn't even think of sleeping, you woke up just four hours ago, after all. You grabbed a book out of the many crates and read it, while enjoying the landscape.
[x][x][x]
After about two or three hours of reading Shakesmare's Romeo et Juliette, you started to skip through the chapters, letting plot go and you began searching for some action. "Oh Action, Action, wherefore art thou, Action?" You mumbled slightly amused. After finding the popular suicide scene you closed the book and threw it onto the pile of the others. You grabbed the next one and started once again to read, teased by the title, confused by the plot. Another book flicked over your shoulder. You ended up with an assembly of poems written by Goathe.
The carriage arrived in Canterlot to take a break. The stallions got into the next best bar to get a hold on two or three drinks, you got to the nearby market to get something to eat. You then decided to get some apples from the Sweet Apple Acres you were looking forward to see in about two more hours. You sigh and eat the delicious apple and got into the bar as well. Your companions were already at their fourth drink, so you decided to get going soon, worried about to get to your goal.
The sun about to descend, you could see the lovely red sky, fitting to the romantic poems from the storm and stress period, you were about to lose yourself into. The celestial sun disappeared behind the mountain to your left, only to reappear half an hour later again, as you notice that you're in fact riding over a hill as well. You got up from your lying position, to see a town appearing.
Your destination, Ponyville.
[A/N]: I don't know if I'll find the time to update it regularly, I'm still a student and I'm going to get into my a-levels, so it could be that I'll be absent for a whole week and come up with a new part out of the nowhere. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the story so far, sorry for the length, but everything's said for an expositionchapter. You can give a guess what shipping this will be.
