As I slowly regain consciousness, bright light was pouring into my right eye and as the doctor shines the light in my left eye I see nothing, and from the perspective of sight that I have, it seems that I've gone blind in my left eye. I close my eyes as the doctors' presence leaves my senses and I reminisce on the events of the days before. Though at this time I cannot remember, it comes to my attention that all my movements hurt and my skin feels tight in some places, then my memory slowly starts piecing itself back together....
The Darkest Day
During my late childhood, happiness was something I never experienced, my life was beaten to a pulp and cowering in the corner, my heart ripped to shreds, and my mind branded with horror. That horror being my parents, saving me from an oncoming car as it lost control, pinning them both against a building. I was allowed to live on my own because of the fact that my parents lived by a police man who said he would watch over me until I graduate high school. But, since then I've been lonely and with none of my relatives wanting to take me in, I'm having to tough it through life and what high school brings...
This particular day was one that I won't soon forget, other than from being in a medically induced coma for about a week.
Waking up to an empty house has been normal for me for the past 5 years, the first light of day had not yet struck the sky, I look out the window and look up at the sky remembering my parents and how they loved to look at the stars with me. The moon was still out, tonight it was a crescent shedding a very dim light over my small neighborhood, it looked so peaceful and I wish it would last. Too bad it was a Monday and I had to go to school and try to survive another day of emotional beatings.
I walk through the light layer of snow, hearing the crunching of it beneath my feet, on my to school which was just a few blocks away. When I get about two blocks away from my house, I hear the squealing of tires and I see the accident scene play in my head.
I was ten at the time, my parents and I were going shopping after Christmas so I could buy something with the money my parents gave me.(my other relatives had never sent me anything before, they flat out just didn't like me)As we were heading for another store, we had to walk near a busy street going in front of the small strip mall, the plows had not yet been by, the reason being was that it was still snowing. The roads were slick and some dumb ass teenager wanting to show off in his big pick-up was revving his engine in the parking lot. The only thing I heard was the squealing of his tires as my parents throw me out of the way, then a blood curdling scream that could wake the dead.
Then, snapping back to reality, as I hear the tires squeal a yell can be heard, "You better run ya little freak before you end up like mommy and daddy.", one of the three shouts. The truck changes gears and is racing towards me, I only have a few moments to think, in my frantic thoughts I start running but I can hear the truck gaining on me. On quick thinking I dash into the trees parallel to the road just before the moment of impact would have arrived. I see the truck drive off in the direction of the school, wails of laughter pouring out the open windows.
I walk up to school taking a deep breath before entering hoping things will turn around just for a day, but it couldn't have ended worse.
Walking into the last class of the day and am surprisingly greeted by a...a girl and she seems as though she actually wants to talk to....me!
"Hi, my name is Katie. I'm new in this class and someone in here told me that you were a very interesting person."
By the way she looked she was very attractive but used too much makeup and her clothing looked as though you could almost see right through it. I hear a bit of laughter from the back of the room, its the same guys from the truck this morning, I could have guessed. So they are now trying to humiliate me in front of everyone, so be it, might as well try to have a little fun.
"So sorry to disappoint but ever since my parents died I wasn't left with much money so I think your $20/hour is a tiny bit out of my budget."
The look on her face and the silent stares from the guys in the back was all I needed to find the courage to walk around Katie and find my seat. The shifting of chairs behind me got me to turn my head a little and I can see that all three of them are walking up to me, one with hands clenched in tight fists.
"That's my girlfriend you were just talking to, smart ass", he exclaims.
In my false sense of bravado I try and think of a smart ass come back, so I say, "And your selling her out to people already, such a waste of beauty."
BAM!!! A strong left hook jabs me in the side of the head leaving a ringing in my ear.
"I have had enough of you over the past few years, freaks like you just aren't people. You are always talking to yourself, you wear the same ratty clothes, you are an embarrassment to yourself if you don't put yourself out of your misery then I will.", he said.
The words stung and left me wide eyed and I sat there wondering what in the hell did I get myself into this time.
I walk inside the door to my house, still empty. My footsteps echo up the staircase as I walk over to the couch occasionally stepping on a squeaky floor board. I turn on the TV to find a deafening static, cables out, so instead I do the homework that was assigned for today. When I'm finished I look at the clock its 8:30 p.m so I decided to get to bed early after a long day.
In my sleep I can hear voices coming from outside but, I don't wake up, the voices are muffled and I can't make out what they are saying so I fall into a deeper sleep and return to my dream. Then my deep slumber was interrupted once again this time I can hear a crackling noise, and again I don't pay any attention to it and fall again into a deep sleep. In an instant my dream is filled with smoke, I cough as I open my eyes, they are instantly filled with the fumes, all around me is fire. There are no windows in my room so the only way out is through the front door, all the way downstairs. I start to panic knowing that there is no way in hell that this will end well. I get out of bed and slowly skirt around the fire trying not to get burned and failing at doing so. I begin to cough again from the smoke, then I hear a crash come from downstairs, something fell, as I look around at the ceiling everything seems unstable. I start to walk faster while still being cautious. I hear a loud crack come from the ceiling above me, I look up just in time to see a wooden support beam come loose, I try and dive out of the way but, midway through the dive it had caught my legs. The searing pain of my flesh being burned away was agonizing, I try and turn to get the beam off I manage to get one leg out before and antique mirror falls from the attic, shattering on its way down, the shards of glass slicing through my skin and one sticking out of my left eye. I pass out from the blood loss and shear pain.
I sit up in my hospital bed, wincing at the pain, to check out the damages. With my limited sight it is hard to inspect myself all at once, but it appears that my right leg had to be amputated from the burning beam, most likely burning through my flesh and exposing bone, I also realize that I am very short of breath and I'm not sure as to why. I lie back down and hold up my right arm, then my left, they both have burn marks and cuts all over, I can hardly move them the skin is so tight. Moving this much and being in so much pain mad me tired so I closed my eyes and rested. I hear the doctor speaking to someone I do not know and I over hear some of their conversation.
"So doctor, how is your patient doing?", asked the man.
"Well, the news is grim and if he ever wakes up it will be hard to tell him. His wounds are just too severe, we were able to amputate but, it doesn't seem that we got all the infection so he may die a slow and painful death from that alone. Either that or all the smoke he inhaled may be causing his lungs to shut down from being coated in it."
I open my eyes with a start and start to panic. Am I really going to die? In my panic I start to choke on my own breath, and my coughing draws the doctors attention.
"Ah so you are wake, I have some news to tell you that I'm sure you will not like.", said the doctor.
"I alr- *cough* already heard you explain it to that man *cough* out there.", as I point to the man standing in the doorway.
"Oh, well in that case are you comfortable?", asked the doctor.
"Yes, I am thank you", I say.
"Well then, I shall be back to check in with you in a few hours, just push this button if you need anything.", he said pointing to a red button on my bed.
I nod, he walks out and the man with him follows.
As I lay in the bed I try to think about what has just happened but while thinking of this I wasn't realizing that my breaths were becoming slightly more shallow. In mid thought I hear a voice call my name."Gavin, Gavin my son you have not yet found what every human soul searches for, happiness, your whole life I have been watching you suffer through life and now you are about to die unfairly without ever being happy. So I shall put you in a place where happiness is everywhere." After the voice is gone only then do I realize that my heart monitor is now just a long beep and my breathing has stopped, I.....I've died. But I can still see everything, then all of a sudden I'm beginning to float upwards towards a light that is shining down on me, the everything goes bright, and as the I regain the sense of color in the only eye i can see out of I feel wind underneath me, I look down only to realize that I'm falling.
I look down at my hands which are starting to tingle and the feeling soon spreads up my arms as they are being transformed. Within seconds my hands are gone and replaced with........hooves??? My feet are undergoing the same transformation into hooves. As this sensation moves up my body and into my back I am noticing that I now have fur, it is a dark grey color, but when I look closer I notice that there are some patches without fur, in its place there are scars. I hear the voice again.
"Those scars were on your heart, they were formed from sadness, each an empty chasm causing a void to form within you. A scar will go away only when you find happiness to fill each void, the last one will disappear when your biggest void is filled and then your soul will be set free."
"What is my biggest void and how do I find happiness.", I question the disembodied voice.
"That is for you to find out for yourself, my child"
My transformation continues as I fall, getting closer and closer to the ground. I feel things slowly start to appear on my back and I am able to move them, I look back to see....wings!
"I should be safe, now that I can fly I wont crash into the ground," I say to myself. As I unfold my wings to try and stop falling, a burst of pain comes from where my wings would be, just a guess considering I've never had wings. Sure enough as I look back they are torn to shreds and appear to be broken. "Well that's just great.", I say with false enthusiasm.
Finally the tingling makes it up to my neck and head and I start to see my hair, well because I'm a horse of some kind now I guess it would be called a mane. When it comes into view I can see that it hangs down off to the right of my eye and is jagged and has two different colors, an electric blue and dark red, seems to fit me, I guess, my tail is the same color, its a shorter bushy tail. I also seem to have a pounding headache, I reach up with my hoof to feel a bump in the middle of my forehead that is growing, a horn soon emerges then shatters to dust leaving a jagged stump. Then finally my transformation is complete after my mouth stretches into a muzzle. Then all of a sudden the sides of my ass start to tingle and an image appears on what are now my "flanks". The image is of what appears to be a bleeding rose in front of a broken heart. Thinking about this, it really describes what happened when I was alive, maybe someone will be compassionate in this new world.
Looking down with hope in mind, I brace for impact, as I make contact with the ground dirt flies everywhere as my momentum digs a crater easily five times my size. I lay there motionless, along side the ruble in a daze. A few minutes pass and I struggle to get up from my hard landing. With dirt in my fur and mane I look terrible, and the scars don't make it any better, to me I look like a monster. Then I hear something above me towards the edge of the crater then a voice,"Are you okay down there?"
Turning my head in pain, I see a grey mare with long blonde hair, her yellow eyes are bright and full of joy, I couldn't help it, I smiled.
Author's Note
This is my first story I hope you enjoy. More chapters will be coming out soon, I am open to constructive criticism, anything to improve future works.
I'm going to need some help coming up with a name for the main character, I will give credit where credit is due to the person whose idea I choose.
Chapter 1: The New Beginning
I turn toward her and trying to walk out carefully though I stumble, I finally make it out. I was about to speak when I looked into her eyes and saw the sparkle of the sun that was rising behind me. That sparkle in her eyes had me at a loss for words, to me it didn't matter that her eyes were crooked she looked cute all the same.
"Hi, I'm Derpy Hooves. I deliver the mail around here and I couldn't help but notice you fall from the sky into the ground, are you okay?"
Well this is something I really wouldn't expect, her coming up and talking to me even though I look like this. Truly I was shocked but, finally I regain the ability to talk.
"Nice to meet you Derpy, I'm.........I'm......I don't know who I am to be honest." I said. I guess the fall made me lose my memory, though I remember falling and what the voice said to me, anything before that I can't recall.
"Well, I better get going I don't want to be late on my route," says Derpy, "I'll see you later."
She turns to go and pulls an envelope out of her bag, she holds it in her mouth as she joyfully skips away. My only though was, "Wow, shes amazing.", and before she was out of earshot I could hear her humming an unfamiliar tune.
I start making my way towards the town Derpy was headed to, maybe somepony could tell me where I am and possibly who I am. I get to the edge of town and I look around and I see a sign that says, "Welcome to Ponyville". I'll be damned if there weren't ponies here, everywhere you looked there are ponies. There were some Pegasai, they were so fast that all you could see was the trail of color they left behind. Some were unicorns, their horns glowing as they performed their magic. This town was huge, there were houses and shops as far as the eye could see. There were apple orchards and others with other plants like wheat growing alongside the trees.
Just then something caught my eye, a trail of rainbows appeared off to my right. This trail, lead by a Pegasus, who was faster than the rest and accomplished tricks so amazing I couldn't help but stop and watch. As I stare, open mouthed at this amazing pony doing flips and twists, I didn't notice her mess up.
"LOOK OUT!"
I felt a sharp pain on my head as the pony came crashing from the sky and I was knocked back quite a ways. Coming out of the confusion of what just happened, I open my eyes to see a stunning cyan Pegasus with a rainbow mane.
"Are you alright? I'm SO sorry for crashing into you like that, I lost control while flying. Are you hurt? Because you look like your hurt really bad with all those scars.", Says the pony.
"I'm alright, I just have a headache now but it's fine.", I say as I roll off of my back and stand up.
"Oh no, did I break your horn and your wings! I'm super sorry if I did.", she says, looking sad about what she thought she did, but then she looked confused.
"No you didn't break my horn or my wings, they broke during my fall from the sky.", I said causing her to give a sigh of relief and another puzzled look.
"Wait, that was you falling from the sky! We thought it was some sort of meteor, man you must have crashed hard. So, whats your name tough stallion?"
"To tell you the truth, I don't have a name, I lost my memory after I crashed. All I know is that I'm not from around here.", I say, "and whats with all those weird looks?"
"Well, it's just that I realized that you're an Alicorn and normally they all live in Canterlot. I mean Celestia, Luna, and Cadence are all Alicorns and they are royalty, so why would you be in Ponyville? If your an Alicorn that should mean that you are royalty, right?" Rainbow Dash said trying to piece things together that I wasn't aware of.
"I don't think I'm royalty, at least I don't feel like it and I don't even look the least bit regal. So I wouldn't see how I could be any kind of royalty." I said confused as well.
"Oh well never mind then, by the way, I'm Rainbow Dash, future wonderbolt and most awsome pony in Equestria! Nice to meet you No Name!", she exclaims holding out her hoof. So I hold out mine and she shakes it vigorously.
"Nice to meet you Rainbow Dash, and I must say you looked amazing doing all those tricks."
"Oh it was nothing," Rainbow Dash said blushing. "Just wait till you see my Sonic Rainboom."
"With me being new around here I have to ask, what is a Sonic Rainboom?" I said. It sounded really cool and coming from Rainbow Dash and what I've seen her do, it can't anything short of amazing.
"It's only the most awesome thing EVER!" she announced.
"Well then I can't wait to see one, but I best be on my way. I need to figure out somethings about this place and maybe I can find a place to stay." I said.
"I know someone who can tell you almost anything about EVERYTHING!" she exclaimed. "See that big tree over there?" She points a hoof towards the middle of town and well I don't know how I missed it. (Must have been too amazed at Rainbow's tricks.) "That's where Twilight lives, she knows EVERYTHING."
"Thanks Rainbow, I'll go check it out. I'll see you around." I said and started down the street.
Getting closer to the giant tree, I could see some windows protruding out of the leaves and wood, there were two balconies and at the very top, a platform with a telescope on it. I walk up to the door and I knock, from inside I hear, "Who is it?"
So I reply with, "I would tell you if I had a clue myself." Just then the door opened, a smiling purple mare with a purple mane with a pink stripe stood in the door way. Just as I was about to say 'Hi' her expression changed to one of pure terror, let out a high-pitched scream and slammed the door rattling the leaves and branches.
"Is there something wrong?" I ask. Completely forgetting my body was filled with scars, my wings were mangled, my horn busted, and realizing now that my left eye looked like it it was gauged out from what I could see in the glass. Backing away a little bit, I could see most of my figure and it was truly gruesome. "I'm sorry if I startled you, I can't help the way I look. A Pegasus named Rainbow Dash told me to come and see you, I can also explain some of why I look like this." The door started to creep open a little, just enough so she could peek out to get a better look at me. She opened the door fully and let me in, she was also smiling again.
"So what is it you would like to know?" Twilight says.
"What is this place?" I asked. I hear her giggle, apparently, asking this question made me look stupid.
"This is the land of Equestria. Right now we are in a small town called Ponyville. Also not too far away from here is Canterlot, its a royal city where the princesses live." she says factually. "Now I have a question for you. Who are you? And where did you get those scars?"
"Well to your first question, I don't know myself, I don't even have a name. As for your second question..." I explain to her how I got to the land called 'Equestria' from the time I heard the voice tell me about the scars up until now.
"So let me get this straight, that wasn't a meteor that fell from the sky today?" she said quizzically.
"Nope, it was me." looking a bit embarrassed.
"And those scars just appeared there. What about your eye?" she asked.
"From what I know, it was there from the start of my memory. I don't know what happened to it, but it just has a hole in it, the rest of it is still there. Though I am completely blind in it. Also, please don't tell anypony about my scars or how I fell from the sky because, they will think I am crazy for telling such a story. The only reason I am telling you is because you look trustworthy."
"Okay, I won't tell anypony I pinkie-promise. 'Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my OWW' I always do that." Twilight says, rubbing her eye with her hoof.
It was funny and I have to admit I laughed. Even shoving a hoof in her eye could not wipe the smile off her face, and what a beautiful smile it was. A stone cold heart would melt at the sight of such a beautiful thing.
"So is there anything else you needed to know?" Twilight asked.
"Well, since I am not from this land I am going to need a place to stay, do you know where I could find one?"I ask, hoping for a positive answer.
"The last I checked, the inn was full, I don't know of any where else."
"Oh, I guess I'll just have to look around I guess and just see what I can find." I say with a smile.
"If you don't find anything just know, your always welcome to stay here until you do." Twilight said with her same beautiful smile, I couldn't help but smile back. Just then, I felt a tingling around my right hoof. Looking down I saw little sparkles around one of my scars, then a flash of light and the scar was gone. So, this was happiness, a warm feeling that makes you want to smile. "What was that?" she asked.
"Remember what I told you about my scars? Every time I find happiness a void of sadness gets filled and the scar goes away. You made me happy by your kind gesture and accepting me for me and not for what I look like. Thank you." I said, smiling.
"That's what friends are for, and you know what they say, 'friendship is magic'." Twilight said.
"Thanks again, for being my friend Twilight. I'll see you around but for now I shall go explore the town." I said
"Goodbye." Twilight said as I walked out the door.
I didn't know where to start first, the town was so big so I picked a path and went with it. Walking along this path, off to my left I see a small shop. The sign above the window said "Mr.Breezy's Fan Shop". I guessed by the name that it obviously sold fans of different varieties. I walked towards it for a closer look. I saw a stallion with a stylish checkered hat on confirming a purchase of a customer.
I start to walk farther along the street and my mind starts to wonder about my future in this small town. I agreed with myself when it came to needing to stay here. I must have crashed here for a reason. Until I find out why I should probably stay here. It seems like a nice town to live in temporarily. Suddnely I was pulled out of my reverie by the alluring smell of cooking sweets. A sugary cloud met with my nose and my mouth started to water. What is that delicious smell and where did it come from? I look to my right where a comical sight graces my eyes. It appeared to be a large as life gingerbread house, complete with a frosting roof.
I look to the sign that hung at the edge of the building, a cupcake adorned the piece of wood. 'Must be a bakery' I thought. I walk up to the tasty looking house of candy and experimentally nibble at the corner of it. Just when I realize its not actually candy I hear a joyous giggle behind me. I turn around to see a pink earth pony who had a smile the size of a continent on her face. If her smile would be a sentence it would have and exclamation point on the end, maybe two. As I look closer I see she is repeatedly jumping up and down. Just watching her made me dizzy.
"Well hiya there! You do know that Sugarcube Corner is not to eat right? My name's Pinkie Pie! Are you new here? Omygoshomygoshomygosh, you are new here! That means I need to throw you a PARTY! There will be balloons and cake an' Ice Cream, and the Pony Pokey, and..." As this 'Pinkie Pie' continued to speak about the many things that would be in a party I apparently was having, I started to loose focus. I wondered if she ever got tired. How the hell did one pony have so much energy? I came back to reality and saw that she was still speaking.
"aaaaand STREAMERS! Hehehe, this will be sooooo much fun! OH! I gotta go plan, bye!" And with that she left in a woosh of air; leaving behind a Pinkie-shaped pink dust cloud. 'Well that was... Interesting." I think to myself as I start to leave the Candy House. I look back behind me and make a mental note to go back there and try a baked sweetly things.
Now rounding a corner, I made it to what seemed to be the town square. There was a lot of ponies here all of them milling around finding shops or just going home. The magnificent colors of each pony amazed me, they were so bright and all of them were happy, or at least they were smiling. Making my way through the crowd wasn't as hard as I thought, most just parted to the side and gave me a path and kept walking, but others confused me. They would move to the side, stop and bowed like I was.......royalty? I couldn't tell, either that or they were shielding their eyes from the sight of me. I wouldn't blame them, I guess its not a pretty sight to see.
Finally making it out of the crowd everything was pretty quiet, not many ponies came this way I guess. Off to my left was that huge apple orchard that I saw when I first came into this town. It went on as far as the eye could see, but in my case it was only as far as 'one' eye could see. Still from what I could see, the trees stretched over hills on both sides of a big barn and around the back side of it as well. Every once and a while a tree would shake and some apples would fall, and in between each time a tree shook, through the leaves a flash of an orange coat could be seen.
I decided I would visit there later. A little ways up the road I could hear laughter, getting closer I saw it was a school house and all the little foals were exiting. A little yellow foal with a red mane walked into the apple orchard, while one headed in the direction I was intending on walking she was a white foal with a light purple and white mane. Not wanting to scare anypony I hid around the corner and waited till they all had passed. When all the laughter had died down quite a bit I was about to get back on my way, when from around the corner came a cute little sigh.
"*Sigh* I wish I had a place to go home to. I mean all of my friends have a nice warm home, loving parents, and even brothers and sisters. Then there is little old Scoots' with no where to go." says the little pony. Not being able to see her made me curious, thoughts crossed my mind about if she would be scared or not of what I look like. So I decided to speak up and find out for myself.
"Well at least I'm not the only pony." I said. I heard a brush against the dirt path, I guess I scared her. "Sorry to startle you." I say politely. Just after saying this, from around the corner peeked the head of a little orange pony with a purple mane.
"So, you don't have a home? Or parents? Not even brothers or sisters?" She asked. With a nod of my head she seemed relieved. "Well, my name is Scootaloo, whats yours?" She asked.
"Take a seat, why don't I just tell you the whole story." I said. I couldn't help but smile after I said 'story', because her eyes got really big and she came and sat next to me eager to hear what was to be told.
Author's Note
Sorry this update took so long to come out, school keeps getting in the way and creativity comes at the worst times and leaves shortly after. The next update shall take long as well for I am going to write another story along with this one, so please bare with it.
A BIG thank you to my editor Cirrus_Brony for the great inputs on this chapter and an idea for the next. I hope you all enjoy and look out for his first chapter coming out hopefully soon.
Editor's Notes:
HEY LOOK ITS THAT FUNNY MAN IN SUNGLASSES THAT CALLS HIMSELF AN EDITOR!
Yes yes, guilty as charged. Now this was fun to edit and I thank you people that realize this story is good stuff.
Now before I leave this to be published I want to thank DisHarmonize for the oppertunity to edit this and everypony look for his new story "Discord's Key". Thank you all! Have a nice day (or night).
