//-------------------------------------------------------// The Story Of White Vinyl -by White Vinyl- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Early Life //-------------------------------------------------------// Early Life I grew up in a small town called Ponyville which lay right under the royal city of Canterlot. For quite a while I never knew what was so special about Ponyville. At that time I hardly knew much of anything about the place that I lived. The only things I knew about the town is where I lived, where the school that I go to is, where the library is and where the bakery called Sugar Cube Corner is. Sugar Cube Corner is always packed with ponies of all ages sitting with friends and enjoying the various sweets and drinks that were for sale there. That was all that I knew. The library in town was run by a very intelligent purple unicorn named Twilight Sparkle. She was never alone though. She had her assistant Spike, a baby dragon; help her out a lot in the library when she was busy with other things. She also had an owl, with a name that I could never pronounce correctly; carry letters that she would send out almost daily. Spike said that those letters go to Princess Celestia in Canterlot. I never knew what those letters truly contained. All I was told is that they were results of some kind. What were the results for? What was the experiment? I constantly had questions running around in my head that I was sure I would never get the full answer to. The school that I went to was fairly small. It had only one class of less than twenty students and only one staff member. Miss Cheerilee was our only teacher. She taught us what she said to be everything that we would need to know for the next seven or so years. And that after we left we would go to some high school in the next town. The high school in the next town would then teach us everything we would need for the rest of our lives. But we weren’t to worry about that yet. We first had to pass the primary grade. I was a fairly small colt for my age. I was a white unicorn with a white and blue mane and tail and I had deep maroon eyes. I also had light green tribal swirls on my neck, legs and forehead. I didn’t have my cutie mark but I had a feeling that it would be related to music somehow. I loved listening to music, no matter what kind it was. I could feel a connection between me and the music. I always kept my mane and tail short so it would be easier to maintain in the mornings when I was getting ready for school. I was quiet and calm for the most part with occasional bursts of high energy which were never explained to me. I just thought it was natural. I didn’t know what it was like to have friends. My father has forbidden me to have them. I never figured out why he didn’t want me to have friends. And he never told my mother the reason. But nevertheless, my mother encouraged me to meet new ponies and make some friends. But the fear of my father’s actions kept me from making friends for a while. The parents I had were an odd set for a unicorn colt. My mother was a pegasus pony named Lightning Dancer. She was a light grey pony with a lightning yellow mane and tail with sky blue eyes. Her cutie mark was a storm cloud with rain and lightning under it. She was usually cheerful and hummed or sang while she did various tasks around the house. You could say that she was carefree, but deep down inside something was bothering her and I could see it. My father was an earth pony named Rocky Hooves. He was a fairly big and muscular pony. He had a deep stone coloring and a rust red mane and tail with slight deeper ocean blue eyes. He was one of the most serious ponies in Ponyville. He was a site forepony at the construction sites on the west side of town. He would often bring home copies of the blueprints for what he was building. He would always tell us how his day went at work while we were sitting at the table eating dinner. I never really did care about how his day went. I kind of only cared that he came home in one piece and that we didn’t get a notice from his site that he had been taken to the hospital. I was always nervous around my parents though. I was never sure how they would be acting that day. My mother was easier to predict then my father. My mother’s mood swings and changes would be gradual and was easier to handle. My father’s on the other hoof, his mood would change very rapidly and was often violent. I kept my distance when talking with my father. Whenever I did something that my father didn’t like, no matter how small the action was, he would become enraged and either gets the broomstick out of the hall closet or get the cat-o’-nine-tails out of the cupboard in the kitchen. After he had his weapon of choice he would grab me hit me repeatedly with it until I was either bleeding or until my mother had stopped him. I could never feel much pain. And no matter how hard he hit me I couldn’t feel the entire blow. I only felt any pain after he stopped hitting me. Afterword’s, my mother would take me to the hospital to get patched up. Living with my father was hard and every day beheld a new challenge. I only had one friend at the time I started school. She was the only unicorn asides from me in the school I went to. Her name was Angel Night. She was also a white unicorn with a bluish-silver mane and tail with dark amber eyes. Angel had her cutie mark. It was a waxing crescent moon surrounded by an angel’s halo. She was very quiet and shy. She was also very nervous around other ponies. Every other pony in the class was either a pegasus or earth pony. So the two of us were teased and made fun of constantly. Who would’ve guessed that such young ponies could be so mean or know such harsh words. We were harassed everywhere we went, even when class wasn’t in session. Angel and I were the two best students in the class. So naturally we got teased about that too. Being the only unicorns in the class sure didn’t help matters. We were teased on just about every subject you could imagine. From being horn-heads to know-it-all’s, whatever they could use against us was what they did. The fact that they did it didn’t bother me at all. I was somehow immune to bullying. It only bothered me because the bullying was hurting Angel’s feelings. And every time it affected her it affected me as well. It enraged me to see that the adult ponies didn’t care how the other fillies and colts acted towards us. I wanted to protect Angel from them and I did my best. But it seemed like it wasn’t enough. She would cower behind me every time the bully’s came around, trying not to be seen. But they knew if I was there, she was too. They would shout out mean things in attempts to make her feel bad and after a while of that she would run away from them. I would always follow her to wherever she stopped just so I could make her feel better so she would be happy again. With Angel being my only friend, we did everything together. We would down to the park and walk through the gardens and enjoy the scenery, or we would go down to Sugar Cube Corner and enjoy some cupcakes. We would often go down to the library for some quiet time to study for class or to just get away from the chaos of the town. Whatever we did together was more meaningful then just doing it by myself. When we were together we would talk about anything and everything from the schoolwork to what happened at home. We didn’t hide anything from each other. We didn’t have secrets. I kept a journal, or diary as some ponies called it. I would write down everything that happened that day. I would even write down the small details. And if I had a bad day, I would flip to one of the earlier entries to read a cheerful entry to make myself feel better. Angel and I would share journal entries the next day and compare our previous day’s mood and actions. I could read her emotions though. I could read anyponies thoughts and emotions. So I could tell when she had a bad time at home. She would try and cover it with a fake smile or something like that. Little did she know that she couldn’t hide her thoughts from me. But I never used my ability to take advantage of anypony. I didn’t want to hurt anypony so I was quick about it as well. I took what I needed and analyzed it in my own mind. I didn’t know much magic at first. I could do simple levitation and appearance spells. I went to the library often to read about new spells and with the help of Twilight Sparkle I was quick to learn them. Soon after a while I became really good at levitation, teleportation and even a shield spell. Twilight told me that the shield spell was able to protect me and a small area from whatever my attackers could dish out and that after awhile I could control the size of the shield. Twilight also taught me a few basic attack spells that I was to use in defense of myself. I hardly used my magic outside of my lessons with Twilight mostly because my father hated magic. But I used my magic to practice when I was in my room so I could become better at it. I thought that maybe my magic could help me earn my cutie mark. //-------------------------------------------------------// High School Life //-------------------------------------------------------// High School Life As we started high school we found out that the campus had dorms that ponies from another town could use so they wouldn’t have to walk back and forth from their town to the school. The dorms had enough space for two ponies so I thought that Angel and I could share a dorm room. I found out shortly after arriving at the campus that we had separate dorm rooms. One block was for the stallions and the other block for the mares. We had some of the same classes so it turned out to be ok. My roommate turned out to be a Pegasus named Star Hunter who was taking some time away from Cloudsdale. He was a dark blue pony with a lighter blue mane, tail, and eyes. We talked constantly of our life back home and about time in class. I could tell that we would soon become friends. And I was ok with that. I knew that not all pegasi and earth ponies were mean. He was a sociable pony that liked to do things that not everypony would do. He, in essence was a darepony. I had finally gotten my cutie mark, only two years ago though. It’s a vinyl record with a red label. I knew it would have to do with music. It was just only a matter of time. After settling into life on campus and finalized my classes for the year I started taking personal music lessons in the music room on campus. At first I was taught by my history teacher, but he was soon replaced by an even more eccentric pony named DJ Pon-3. She was an off white unicorn with a blue mane and tail with light blue streaks. I was never sure of her eye color though. I never saw her eyes. She always wore a pair of glasses with a purple tint. She taught me how create my own mix tapes and tracks using the sound equipment that she had the administrators put in at her request. Just after the start of my fourth and final year of classes, I received a letter from home. It was delivered by Owlowiscious to the administration office and then was delivered to my dorm room. After getting back to my dorm with Angel, I found the letter in my mailbox. I set the letter on my desk and got us something to drink. I sat down at my desk grabbed the letter and looked at it. “It’s a letter from home. Twilight wrote and sent it this morning via her owl. I guess she thought it couldn’t wait like a normal letter.” I said as I opened the letter. “What does it say Vinyl?” Angel asked with slight excitement in her voice I read the letter aloud with a hint of confusion in my voice. “Dear White Vinyl, You are receiving this letter to inform you of the unfortunate passing of your father Rocky Hooves. Your father was involved in a tragic accident while working at one of his construction sites on the west side of town. Shortly after the accident he was taken to Ponyville General Hospital in hopes that they could help him. After a few hours in surgery Doctor Stable came out to announce that the patient might not survive. He died this morning. Nurse Redheart said that he had passed away in his sleep. I am truly sorry for your loss. You are excused from the next week of classes and lessons with no consequences to your grades or attendance reports. Your mother has requested that you come home for a few days. If there is anything that I can do, write me a letter or come see me in person. Your mentor, Twilight Sparkle” I sat the letter down on my desk and looked away as tears ran from my eyes. Angel came over and sat next to me putting her arm around me and pulled me closer to her. “It’s going to be ok Vinyl. I Promise. I’m here for you.” She said it as she hugged me tighter. It was quiet in the room. I could hear the sound of my tears hitting the desk and wooden floor. We sat there as the rain lightly tapped against the window as it fell from the heavens. The silence was broken as my roommate opened the door and walked in. “Vinyl? Are you here?” he said as he walked through the door and closed it. “Vinyl?” He walked around the corner and saw us at the desk. “Are you ok Vinyl? Did something happen?” he said with deep concern in his voice. “Star, you know how I told you about my dad? How I told you that I despised him? And that when I was younger I wished that he would disappear?” I said as I looked up to him as tears ran down my cheeks. “Yeah, I remember” he looked at me with a sense of concern in his eyes. “Did something happen to him?” “He uhh… He passed away this morning.” I said with a trembling voice. “I never did think that he would die. Not like this at least. I thought that he would have died of old age.” “What are you going to do Vinyl?” Star said as he sat down on his bed. “I’m going to write a letter to Twilight asking her if Angel can come as well. And if she can we will leave the day after tomorrow.” I said as I looked around the seemingly dark room. There was a loud knock at the door that obliterated the silence that fell across the room. I had a feeling I knew the pony that was knocking so loud at the door. Maybe it was an administrator with a news bulletin or maybe it was just one of Stars’ friends wanting to know if he wanted to go out somewhere. “White Vinyl?” It was Twilight. ‘Now what is she doing here? Why is she here and not with my mother?’ I thought to myself as I got up and walked towards the door. The knocks came louder and faster. I opened the door with my magic unsure what to say when I saw her face. “Please, do come in.” I said as we made eye contact. Her eyes not being the normal purple but more of a reddish hue is visible. “Did you get my letter? I wasn’t sure if you did. Owlowiscious came back with the parchment with my letter. You did get it right? Have you read it yet?” She said as she walked in. She talked which a sense of extreme urgency, like something even worse happened. “Yes I did get your letter. And yes I did read it. I was going to reply to your letter in a few minutes but I guess that it is not necessary seeing that you are here. And how am I supposed to read a letter if I didn’t get it in the first place?” I spoke with a calm voice as I closed the door. I walked back down the short hallway leading spacious dorm. I flipped on the lights illuminating the room with a light blue color. “What were you going to tell me?” Twilight said as she sat in the chair, that just moments ago I had occupied. I leaned against the wall of the hallway looking down at Twilight. Angel rose and walked to my bed. She laid on it, sighing to herself. “I was going to ask you if you could excuse Angel from school as well. That way we both could go back to Ponyville and spend a few days with my mother. Now with the passing of my father, I am concerned about the health of my mother. She never spent much time alone. She had only a few hours to herself during the day but I was the first to return home every day.” Twilight got up and started walking towards the door and opens it. “I will talk to the administrators to see if they approve of me taking both of you back home for the week. I will return shortly.” She walked through the door and closed it behind her. “Well that was unexpected.” Angel said as she rolled her eyes. “So that is Twilight Sparkle?” Star said with confusion. “Yeah, that was Twilight. She usually isn’t as frantic or hyped up like this. She was always more relaxed, especially when she was teaching me.” I looked at Star as I spoke those words. “It really surprised me when she was on the other side of the door. I thought that it was an administrator.” Some time passed as I waited for Twilight’s return. I sat at the end of the hall and stared out the window as the rain continued to fall. It was a beautiful night. I wanted to go outside for a stroll around campus. Silence had fallen in the room again. There was another set of knocks at the door. I turned around but stayed at the end of the hallway looking down it at the door. I opened the door from where I sat with my magic half-expecting Twilight to burst in as it opened. With the door open she walked in. “Please do come in again.” I said with no emotion in my voice. As Twilight walked down the hall, I closed the door and waited for her to stop in front of me. I quickly read her thoughts getting all that I needed. I looked over my shoulder to Angel. Angel looked back with wonder in her eyes. “Angel?” “Yes Vinyl?” Twilight had by this time stopped in front of me and started to pull something from her bag. “Go to your dorm and pack some things to take with us back to Ponyville. And then come back here when you are ready.” I said with a little bit of cheer in my voice. “Ok. I will be back soon.” She got up and walked briskly passed me and Twilight. I quickly opened the door and closed it as she walked out. I looked back at Twilight. Twilight had quite a bit of surprise in her eyes as we made contact. She held a scroll beside her with her magic. The light purple aura of her magic dimly lit the dark hallway. “How did you do that?” She said with upmost surprise and volume. “Do what?” I simply said. “Know what I was going to say before I even said anything?” Her volume just a little lower this time. “Didn’t I tell you long ago that I had the ability to read minds? I thought I told you when you started teaching me about magic.” I watched as her facial expression changed. “MIND READING?! YOU CAN READ MINDS?!” She dropped the scroll and levitated herself off the floor as she yelled loud enough to be heard down the hall. “WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME YOU COULD READ MINDS?!” I stood tall and looked sternly into Twilight’s eyes. Star was unsure what to think. He sat quietly in the corner of his bed watching on. “I can also alter current emotions.” I calmly said as she made contact with the floor. “Yelling at someone is impolite. But yelling at me is unwise Miss Sparkle. Sorry about that Star. I forgot to warn you that she can lose her temper fast.” “It’s ok Vinyl.” Star said as he returned to the side of his bed. “Who taught you mind reading?” Twilight spoke with calmness back in her voice. “Nopony taught me mind reading. I have been able to read minds for as long as I can remember. Now, about that scroll that you dropped.” I picked up and opened the scroll and read it quickly before Twilight spoke again. “It’s the train ticket for us to return to Ponyville. We leave tomorrow at 08:00. Be at the station before then so you won’t get left behind. I will be waiting for you guys. Take care. I will see you then.” She opened the door and walked out. Before the door could close Angel walked back in with her saddlebags ready for the trip. “What was that yelling about? I could hear it all the way down the hall.” She set her bags next to my desk and sat on my bed. “Twilight got a little upset after you left because she wondered how I knew what she was going to say before she spoke. I told her I could read minds. She got mad in a hurry. But I quickly calmed her down before the situation got out of hoof.” I set the tickets on the desk and opened the door to the balcony and stepped out. “We leave by train in the morning.” “Ok.” She said with the intention of going to sleep soon. She laid her head on my pillow and was quickly lulled to sleep with the help of my scent embedded in the pillow. Star restlessly tried to sleep but couldn’t so he walked out onto the balcony and sat beside me. We both looked at the starry night. I was sure I was paying more attention to its beauty than he was. But I knew he was tired so I stayed quiet. After awhile he went back inside and tried to sleep. This time he was more successful. I stayed on the balcony and watched as other ponies walked back and forth, from class buildings to dorm blocks. I occasionally spotted other animals that lived on campus. //-------------------------------------------------------// The Trip Back To Ponyville //-------------------------------------------------------// The Trip Back To Ponyville Night quickly passed and I was still awake. I hadn’t stayed up all night in a long time. And I soon realized why. I walked back in as the alarm clock started blaring for us to wake to start the new day. “I’m alive!” Star exclaimed as he jumped out of bed and fell onto the floor with quite a thud. “Morning Star. How did you sleep?” I asked as I turned off the alarm. “As soon as I fell asleep I was fine.” He said wearily as he got up off the floor and stretched. “Go for a nice flight?” I asked jokingly. “Very funny Vinyl. Don’t forget you have a train to catch.” He gave me a sharp look. “I’m aware of that. I still have some time before we have to leave. I just have to wake up somepony.” I nudged Angel trying to wake her. She muttered something then rolled over and went back to sleep. I nudged her harder. “Wake up Angel. We have to get ready to leave.” “Ok. Ok I’m awake.” She said as she slowly got up. Her beautiful mane was tangled up and was really messy. I never saw her when she first wakes up. I still think she is really pretty. She took a few minutes to straighten out her mane and tail. The three of us ate breakfast at the café on campus and talked about our plans for the day. The plans after we got back to Ponyville were to go to the flower shop and get a bouquet of chrysanthemums for mom and to get home quickly. We said our goodbyes before we left for the station. We took our time getting to the station but we were still early like Twilight had requested. I pulled the tickets out of my bag and looked at them quickly before I put them away for safe keeping. I could hear hoofsteps behind us. I looked at the clock on the wall. It was 07:45. We would be leaving soon. “Where is Twilight?” Angel asked quickly. “She is right behind us.” I turned to see the purple unicorn standing only a few feet away from us. “I wondered how long it would take for one of you to notice that I was here.” Twilight said as she walked around the bench to our side. “I knew that you were standing there for quite some time. I actually knew when you walked into the station. I just chose not to say anything.” I said as I studied her. “You didn’t sleep, did you Twilight?” “No I didn’t. I was too busy studying to sleep.” “That’s fine because I didn’t sleep either. I was thinking of every aspect, preparing myself for what lies ahead of me.” I quickly looked down after saying that. I tried to hold back my tears. “I was also thinking of all the good memories I had with my father. I can’t believe that he is gone.” “It’s going to be ok Vinyl. I promise.” Angel put her hoof on mine. I looked at her and smiled slightly. The P.A. system in the station crackled to life. “The train for Ponyville is now boarding. That is all.” We stood up and stretched. Twilight went first. Angel and I followed behind her. Twilight gave the conductor our ticket slips without an exchange of words. He motioned for us to board, so we did. Twilight must have been in a hurry. She ran aboard and found us a table in the corner. “Hurry up.” Twilight said as we walked in. We didn’t change our pace. “What’s the rush Twi?” I said as I sat down in the corner. Angel sat next to me resting against me. “We need to talk.” She said with a serious yet quiet tone. “Something really bad happened the other day.” “Well… What happened Twilight?” I looked at her concerned. “I got a letter from Princess Celestia a few days ago. It contained a file of somepony from long ago.” She took the letter out of her bag and put it in front of me. “Read it.” I took the letter and read it quickly. “Dear Twilight Sparkle, I’m sure that you remember your encounter with Nightmare Moon and how you and your friends used the Elements of Harmony to defeat her in the ruins of the ancient castle of the royal pony sisters. Well I have bad news. Nightmare Moon is back yet again. But this time she does not reside in Princess Luna. She resides in some other pony. But we are not yet sure in who she resides. But we do know one thing. She is in Ponyville. It is up to you and your friends, including your student White Vinyl to find her and stop her. I am sending you some of my guards so that you have authority to do whatever is necessary. Do not let me down Twilight. The fate of Equestria rests in your hooves. I will be waiting your response. Good luck my student. Your teacher, Princess Celestia” I put the letter down and looked at Twilight. I wasn’t sure what to feel. I felt scared but I had another emotion. I just wasn’t sure what it was. “I told the princess about your ability. She wants you to take part because she believes you can use your ability to find out who Nightmare Moon is hiding in.” She spoke with severity and urgency. “This is why I am bringing you back to Ponyville.” “Did you lie to me about my father’s death? Did you lie to me when you said that my mother had asked me to come home for a few days? Is that what this is? A lie just so I would help you? You told the Princess that I had this ability just so I could become a tool at Her Majesties disposal?! IS THAT WHAT THIS IS ABOUT?!” I looked at her with rage in my eyes and voice. “Calm yourself White Vinyl. To answer your question about your father, I did. But I didn’t lie about your mother. She wants you to come home for a few days. Just so you guys could catch up on how life at school is. She asked me to give you a letter when I next saw you. This isn’t how I wanted to see you though. I thought I would just be able to stop by and say hi. But it didn’t quite work out that way. Celestia sent me the letter before I left to visit you. I knew I had to do something so I could get you away from the school. I used the ploy of your father’s death to make you want to return home.” She looked away. “I didn’t plan for you to become emotionally hurt by it though. I now know that what I did was wrong and I understand why you are mad. And I am terribly sorry about this.” ¬¬¬¬“Not only am I ready to return home but I am ready to tell my parents and Princess Celestia what you did. I’m going to write a letter to the princess and I will hand deliver it to her. Just so she knows what happened. I am very disappointed in you Twilight.” I still had the rage in my voice. “I’m sorry. I had to think of something to get you to come home right away. This was the first thing that popped into my head. I’m so sorry White Vinyl.” She now spoke with sadness in her voice. “I didn’t plan for Nightmare Moon to return again. We all thought that she was gone forever. But that wasn’t the case. Now she is back. And she needs to be stopped for good.” None of us spoke for the rest of the ride into Ponyville. All I did was look out the window and watched as the scenery quickly passed us by. Sometimes I would look at Angel and she would smile at me and I would smile back. She didn’t say anything during the entire journey mostly because she wasn’t sure what to say. I was glad she could come along though. I guess you could say that I loved being with her. No matter what we did, I was happy to have her with me. I like her a lot and I want to tell her. I just don’t know how to tell her though. I wasn’t sure of what lie in wait for us when we got to Ponyville. All I knew is that I was not going to assist in the banishment of Nightmare Moon. I, at this point personally didn’t care that she was back. But all of that is because of Twilight. All I was going to do was tell my parents what happened and write the letter to Celestia. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to deliver the letter to her though. When we arrived at the Ponyville train station, I was relieved to be able to walk around. There was nopony at the station that I knew. But I did see a few of Celestia’s Royal Guards there waiting for Twilight. They followed her to wherever she went. This was fine by me. The only ponies I wanted to be with were Angel and my parents. We walked away from the train station and towards where I lived. I lived on the south side of town in a fairly nice two story house with only my parents. I had no siblings to my knowledge. As we walked down the path which led to my house I took in all the sights and sounds of the place I called home. I was glad to be home. But it was only for a short time. I would soon have to return to school to finish my education. I knew I wouldn’t want to leave but I would have to. We soon arrived at the door of which I passed through countless times every day. The house still looked the same, like it had never aged a day. As I opened the door I remembered my entire foalhood. It hit me like a tsunami wave. I immediately burst into tears and stumbled to the ground. “What’s wrong?” Angel asked with extreme concern. My mother stood in the doorway unsure of what just happened. “Hi Mrs. Dancer.” Angel said quickly to my mother while trying to help me up. “Hi Angel. What happened to him?” My mother asked calmly. “I’m not sure. He opened the door then burst into tears.” Angel said. I saw my father standing behind my mother. I quickly got up, ran to him and hugged him tight. “Vinyl? Are you ok?” My mother asked with worried. I released my father and pulled out the letter that Twilight had sent me the day before and I set it on the table. “Read that and maybe you will understand.” I said slowly. My father took the letter and opened it and cleared his throat. He read aloud. “Dear White Vinyl, You are receiving this letter to inform you of the unfortunate passing of your father Rocky Hooves. Your father was involved in a tragic accident while working at one of his construction sites on the west side of town. Shortly after the accident he was taken to Ponyville General Hospital in hopes that they could help him. After a few hours in surgery Doctor Stable came out to announce that the patient might not survive. He died this morning. Nurse Redheart said that he had passed away in his sleep. I am truly sorry for your loss. You are excused from the next week of classes and lessons with no consequences to your grades or attendance reports. Your mother has requested that you come home for a few days. If there is anything that I can do, write me a letter or come see me in person. Your mentor, Twilight Sparkle” He dropped the letter after he finished reading it. My mother let out a squeal of shock. “She wrote that letter so I would come home. So I could help her with something important.” I said with slight anger in my voice. “I will write Princess Celestia informing her of her most faithful student’s actions.” I wanted my father to say something. But this time, silence had fallen upon him. I could tell that my mother was ready to give Twilight a piece of her mind for writing that letter. I went up to my room to write a letter to the princess. Angel followed me up the stairs to my room and sat next to me as I wrote the letter. “Dear Princess Celestia, I am writing this letter to inform you of the actions of your ‘Most Faithful Student’ Twilight Sparkle. She wrote me a letter yesterday (a copy of which will be included) stating that my father had died. And that I was to come home. Little did I know at that point I was to be included in an operation or action group to find and defeat Nightmare Moon. Yes I am aware that she has returned. I am also aware that she is residing somewhere in Ponyville, hiding in some other pony instead of Princess Luna. I would love to be involved in this but now I choose not to because of how she approached the subject of her needing my help. She stated that she told you of my ability to read minds and that you had requested that I take part because you believed that I could use my ability to find Nightmare Moon faster. After reading the letter that you sent Twilight (she asked me to read it) informing her of Nightmare Moon’s return. I asked her if she used a ploy of my father’s death to be able to get me away from school long enough to help her. It is safe to say that I was enraged with her actions and that I am very disappointed in her. Please do something. At least write me back. With all due respect, White Vinyl” I set the quill and folded the parchment carefully and put in an envelope. I labeled the envelope with the words ‘Princess Celestia’. I put a copy of Twilight’s letter in the envelope as well. I sealed with a stamp and put it in my saddlebag. “I am going to Canterlot. I want you to stay here in Ponyville. What you do in town is up to you. I should return by morning.” I said quickly as I walked to the door and opened it. I turned around and looked at Angel. “I love you Angel.” She ran up and kissed me on the cheek. I instantly smiled and blushed slightly. “I love you too.” I walked out the door closing it behind me. As I walked down the stairs I could hear my parents talking about Twilight. As I reached the bottom stair they grew quiet and looked at me. “I am off to Canterlot to deliver my letter to the princess. Angel will stay in town. I will return by morning.” I walked across the main floor towards the door. I walked through the already open door. “Ok. Please stay safe.” She called as I left. I walked away from the house until I saw nopony around me. I quickly teleported myself to the north side of Canterlot. //-------------------------------------------------------// Canterlot //-------------------------------------------------------// Canterlot As I arrived in Canterlot, I quickly surveyed the area and spotted the castle to the west. I walked down the main road that went straight through the royal city until I hit the main crossroad. I turned west walking towards the castle. I could see all the other ponies as I walked past the cafes and stores. They were all really polite for the most part. Most of them did say ‘Good day’ or something of the sorts when I walked by them. I always replied to be polite. I liked Canterlot. I came here often to see the sights and sounds of the city. Other ponies said that Manehattan was a better place to tour then Canterlot. I had no interest in Manehattan so I stayed away from there. As I walked to the castle steps the guard ponies glanced at me but quickly looked back straight ahead. I noticed a larger presence of guards throughout the city than normal. It was understandable seeing how Nightmare Moon had returned. I walked through the castle doors into the large entry hall. I walked past the ballroom and the gardens to the flight of stairs that led up to the throne room. As I approached the doors of the throne room, the guards at the door snapped up to stand tall and open the door for me. I walked through the door and I could see Princess Celestia sitting on her throne. Next to her, sat her little sister Princess Luna on another throne decorated how the Princess of the Night had wished. I stepped closer and bowed to the princesses. They stood and returned the bow. “I bet you are wondering how you made it into the castle with such ease.” Celestia spoke out with dignity. “Yes, as a matter of fact. I was wondering about that.” I spoke as I stood back up. “I had just received a letter from Twilight saying that you would be coming. She said you had something you needed to tell me.” “Yes princess. I do.” I pulled the sealed letter out of my bag and used my magic to give it to Celestia. I spoke as she took it. “That envelope contains a letter that I had written before my arrival to Canterlot. It also contains a copy of a letter that Twilight wrote to me the other day. She sent as soon as she was finished with it. I didn’t receive it right away because it was sent to my dorm room. I read it as soon as I returned to my dorm though. I was unhappy with what the letter contained.” Celestia took her time reading both the letters. Her facial expressions changed every now and then. She looked at me when she finished reading. “It is true that she told me about your ability. And it is true that I wanted you to take part in the defeat of Nightmare Moon. But only if you felt like you were up to the task. I didn’t want to force you to do anything that you didn’t want. I am sorry for her actions. I will talk with Twilight about her actions.” Celestia spoke sincerity and a sense promise. Luna never spoke, she only stared at me and I wondered why. “Do you find me interesting? Is there something in my mind that strikes you as odd? Or is there something else that you are so focused on?” I asked unsure of what Luna was doing. “I believe she is trying to understand your past.” Celestia said softly. “Judging by her level of concentration, she must have a difficult part.” “I am going through his recent history. There is a pony that I am seeing very often.” Luna said while maintaining her focus. “There is a very strong connection between you two. A connection of what I believe to be love. You, my little pony, are in love.” “You’re not the only one that has noticed that connection Luna. I noticed it only a few days ago when I was told about his ability.” Celestia said quickly. “I wonder who the other pony is.” “With all due respect your Highnesses, I don’t think I need to be told that I am in love with somepony. I think I would notice that.” I quickly stated. “It also should be noted that my memories and past are meant to be secret. Only one pony asides from my parents know of my full past. And I keep it a secret for a reason. The reason you are only finding happy memories is not because that is all my past contains. It also contains some very dark times that I keep locked away so nopony can access them.” “What kind of dark times?” Luna asked with wonder. “Dark times that if told to a normal pony they would both break down in tears and stay depressed for quite some time, or they would become enraged with the thought that they would have to do something to stop it from ever happening again.” I said looking away. “I had some really dark times that even when I remember them I still break down. Usually I could just push them away, but sometimes I just break down to a point where I can’t get back up for a while. I try my best to put on a smile but it doesn’t always work. Forgive me for I must leave. I have to return home.” “Goodbye and good luck.” Celestia called as I ran out trying to hold back the tears. After I was far enough away from the castle, I found an alley and entered it stopping after I had gone far enough that I couldn’t see the street. I sat down, thought to myself and cried. I could feel myself shaking as I cried tears of sorrow and despair. As I sat in that alley and cried, I could hear the happy voices and shrieks of young ponies. As they continued to play in the street, I remembered more of my foalhood which made me cry even harder. I looked up to the sky as the sun was quickly falling behind the horizon. I got up and attempted to shake those memories away for the time being and walked out of the alley. I decided to home that night. But I would first walk around the city so I could clear my head before I left. As I walked south on the main street I noticed that everypony acted as the sun was still in midday position. They didn’t move from where they sat with their friends for most of the day. This didn’t bother me. But what did was that they stared at me as I walked past. I ignored them at first, but after a while it started to creep me out. I wondered why all of them stared at me, but I wasn’t extremely concerned with it. I looked at my reflection in a puddle on the ground and saw that eyes were not my normal color, but pure white. I quickly looked away from the puddle. ‘Well that is for sure different. I haven’t seen this before. I never even heard of pure white eyes. I should see Twilight. Maybe she will know about this.’ I thought to myself as I pulled my pair of sunglasses out of my bag and put them on. I continued to walk around the city. I took in all the sights and sounds before heading back to the north side of the city. As I arrived to my destination just outside the city I readied myself to teleport back home. Before I could finish I was interrupted by a passing guard. I quickly hid behind a tree to avoid detection. As soon as the guard walked away I teleported myself back home. //-------------------------------------------------------// The Library //-------------------------------------------------------// The Library The town in which you grew up is one of those places that you should feel safe at. But this time it is different. I don’t feel as safe now with Nightmare Moon on the loose. Even as I walk down the path to the library, it has a very different feeling. Though the citizens of the town act like nothing bad will happen I can sense a feeling of uncertainty in everypony. The further I walk down the path the more I remember the stories that Twilight told during my magic lessons. She had a variety of stories that ranged from myths and legends to current and historical events. And she always told them with great detail. I always listened with great interest to the story of the day. I even remember her telling me about her original encounter with Nightmare Moon. How everypony was tested to their respective Elements of Harmony. She told me that the power of friendship allowed her ignite the spark that defeated Nightmare Moon. The power of friendship is said to be the most powerful force in the world. And from what I heard from Twilight, I could easily agree with that. The door to the library was open when I arrived. The only time the door was ever open was when somepony was either entering or leaving. With the door already open I walked in and surveyed the room. I took off my glasses and put them away. As I looked around the vast room I noticed that almost nothing was in its correct place. Not a single book lay in place on the shelves. They look as they had been torn into by somepony desperately looking for vital information. “Twilight, are you here?” I called out into the poorly light room. With no answer, I walked farther into the library. I tried to be careful not to step on any books, but I didn’t have much luck with that. After stepping on just about everything I couldn’t see I decided to illuminate the room. With more light I could see where I was going. The walls looked like they were attacked by something with sharp claws. ‘I don’t like the way that this looks.’ I thought to myself hoping that this was only a joke. After walking through the library I entered the study room. As I walked in I stepped into a puddle of something on the floor. I looked down at my hoof and saw that it was stained dark red. I immediately thought of blood. I could hear dripping sounds coming from one corner of the room. I increased the power of my illumination spell and I saw that even this room was not spared. The room was in worse shape than the rest of the library. The remains of a fire smolder in the corner under a closed window. The scent of blood was so thick that it became hard to breathe. As I looked I could see that everything was coated in blood with various patterns. There were also blast marks on the floor and walls and in one spot I could into the next room. ‘The evidence of a battle is plain to see. But who battled? Who won and who lost? And did anypony die?’ I was scared of what I would find but I wanted answers. And I wanted them now. I walked around the corner and saw something odd hanging on the wall. As I walked closer to it I noticed it was the remains of body. It was tied up to two hooks that were driven into the ceiling. I examined the body and the area surrounding it and I noticed that it was badly tortured and even the skin was removed. One of its rear legs was removed rather carelessly and thrown to the other side of the room. I watched as blood dripped off the other rear hoof into a puddle on the ground. I noticed that the body was stabbed and sliced many times, and judging by the blood pool underneath, he did live very long after the torture began. The cuts were very jagged so it must have been very fast and possibly even done mercilessly and without regret. I was able tell that it was a stallion. But who was it? Is it somepony I knew? Or was he just a random victim who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time? I heard hoofsteps behind me. I quickly turned around to see that Twilight was standing in the doorway. She looked at me with a sense of contentment. “I swear I just found this.” I said as I looked away from her. I was scared of what she would say or do. “I know you didn’t do it because I left him here. I am surprised you have not yet gone for help though.” She said with a half-smile on her face. She walked closer to where the body was. “I was going to get… Wait. What?” I looked back at her confused. “You left him here? You did this? And where are the guards that are supposed to be with you?” “That is my guard. I left him here because I went to the park to clear my head of what I just did.” She was now standing in front of me. “You killed a royal guard? Why?” I backed away from her slowly. I was in a shocked state. I could not believe that she would kill a guard. Or be able to get away with it for the time being. “He was staring to annoy me, and wouldn’t be quiet with his stories about his time in the royal guard. And he wouldn’t listen to me. Plus I never wanted to be escorted by anypony especially royal guards. I can’t get any private matters done because they are following me. They are only useful when I need somepony arrested or a building searched for evidence. Any other time, they become a nuisance.” I could tell that she was still quite lost and upset about what happened, but I felt no pity for her. I had only one thought running in my head. She turned and looked at me, then walked out of the room. ‘Don’t just stand there Vinyl. You have to do something about. You can’t just let her get away with murder.’ I walked out of the library with an image of the room etched into my brain. I wanted to pretend as if nothing had happened and that this is all just a twisted nightmare. But I have this strange inkling that this will happen again. But when, and who will be the next victim? //-------------------------------------------------------// Cancellation //-------------------------------------------------------// Cancellation It hurts me to do this but, I have to cancel, for a few reasons. 1. I had a few chapters ready but then my computer broke and I lost everything. 2. I have hardly worked on it at all in the last few months. Maybe only working on it at most once a week. 3. Being in school and now with a part-time job leave almost no time for my personal matters. And finally 4. I just pretty much gave up writing and drawing. I unfortunately don't find it a pleasurable as I used to. I am truly sorry to those who loved or enjoyed it. //-------------------------------------------------------// Prologue //-------------------------------------------------------// Prologue The life I have now is filled with peace, happiness, and serenity. I am always surrounded by my friends who are just as happy as I am. The times we have together are always memorable no matter what we do. But this isn’t about the life I have now. It’s about the life I had when I was younger. My life back then was very different. It was filled with most things you would either find in horror films or nightmares. Little do I remember of my first few years of life or even my birth. I’m not even sure I was born. To this day I still believe I was created in a top-secret science lab hidden deep underground or in some forest or something of the sorts, working for Her Majesties Crown to build weapons of mass destruction or something. All I know of those years is that the parents I had couldn’t possibly be my birth parents, if I at one point even had birth parents. But more on them later.