Chapter One - "Welcome to Ponyville!"
A Brony’s Tail
By Dark Dawn
Chapter One - “Welcome to Ponyville!”
Our story starts, I suppose, fifteen years ago.
Well, actually no, our story starts fifteen years later, at the time of my death, but thats not important right now.
So, yeah, where was I, oh yes, fifteen years ago, on my fourteenth birthday, there I was, black hair in its usual mess, blue eyes, tall - about six foot - with black-rimmed glasses and a depressed look about me that could be only found on those who had been bullied in high school.
Yeah, I was bullied; I was a nerd, I mean come on - I came with the glasses and everything - it was the usual, big ‘chavvy’ guys who knew someone as weak as me would, and could, never fight back. It was a different kind of hell, I ended up trying to find other ways to walk home, as all the main roads always have the same guys there, every single day. Even my weekend was a hell, as my parents would always force me out of the house.
“Go play with your friends, instead of being inside all day.” They said. “Go on, I’m sure they are all dying to meet you.” They said.
They were dying to meet me, and not because I was there friend, because they knew I always had money or something else for them to steal off me, and if I didn’t have anything, thats when the blood started to fly, I always lied about that, saying I tripped when playing football with the guys or something, I knew my mother would be upset, and my dad would make a big deal out of it, when it was nothing. I kept telling myself that, it was nothing.
Anyway, the turning point of our story was on my fourteenth birthday, that was when I discovered My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, which changed my life forever.
The show brightened up my world like a torch in a never ending void of darkness, the bright colors, the smiling faces, the whole thing was so happy and bright it almost blinded me, I became happier after that, told my parents anything, and I was right, my dad did do something, he moved me out of that school into another, there I met people more similar to my intelligence and open mindedness. They told me that lovers of the show were called ‘Bronies’ and welcomed me with open arms. The bullying scarred me though, every time someone raised their hand close to me I flinched, anticipating the pain again, but it never came, I was among friends now, among people who could understand me.
That same year, my baby sister was born, bringing another light into my life, her gurgling laughter as my parents played with her always brought a smile to my face, and she was everything, my little sister.
You’d think that would be it, that I had found my place in life, and I’d grow up, continue to watch the show with my friends and get a good job and have a good life all in all. But real life doesn’t come with a happy ending, it never has.
Three years later, when I was seventeen, my parents moved again, and not yet having a job of my own, I had nothing to support myself on, and moved with them. I was still happy though, I still had my sister, who sat and watched the show with me every now and then, she laughed at Pinkie Pie’s antics and Rainbow Dash’s coolness, and it was fun. I didn’t have my friends, we moved to far for me to go and see them any more, and most of them had found jobs by then.
A few months later, driving home from the shop, there was a car accident and... I was the only survivor.
My god, she was three. My little sister was three years old. Laughing and gurgling next to me in the car, as I pulled one of my funny faces, and tickled her causing her to laugh.
I still smile at that memory, as it was the last memory I shared with my family. In, I suppose you could say ‘In ten seconds flat’, but it felt like an eternity as the lorry appeared out of nowhere, beeping its horn loudly.
I’ll never forget the slow, mournful sound of the lorries horn, or the gut-wrenching metallic crunch or metal against metal as it made contact with the car...
The doctors told me I was suffering from trauma from the incident, and then turned me loose into the world, as if it wasn’t anything. It was something to me, I had lost the only people in the world who ever truly understood me. When we had moved we left my old world behind, and my brony ‘friends’ had long since forgotten about me, growing up, forgetting the show, leaving me behind and carrying on with their lives, I had no one anymore.
I got a job, I had qualifications, mostly things to do with computers, and my life continued in a repetitive routine
Wake, breakfast, work, home, dinner, sleep. Wake, breakfast, work, home, dinner, sleep. Wake, breakfast, work, home, dinner, sleep. I didn’t have time for My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic anymore, I had to support myself and keep the house and the belongings, which were my only reminder of my long lost parents.
I sunk into a depression, not caring for the world anymore. I bought myself a pair of headphones and went basically everywhere with them. The sound of people being alive, while my family was dead, was too much, I couldn’t even stand the sound of my own heart, beating steadily against my chest over and over, never stopping. I found myself wishing my heart would just stop, never to beat again, just so that I wouldn’t have to listen to the fucking thing anymore.
Thud. Thud. Thud. THUD! THUD! THUD!
Over and over again, the days began to blur together, days becoming weeks, weeks becoming months, months becoming years.
Thud. Thud. Thud. THUD! THUD! THUD!
Twelve years to be exact. I got fired from my job, something about ‘Not listening to the manager’, couldn’t the stupid asshole see that I have headphones on? They then told me that the music wasn’t aloud, and I was ‘let go’.
I didn’t care, I sat at home, slowly diminishing what little food I had left, living off money from the government.
I started watching the show again, but that made my depression even worse, the show was too happy, the colors too bright, it hurt to look at them knowing my life would never be like that, never be that happy.
And so we finally come to where I story should have started, the time of my death.
I stand here, on the edge of the highest point in our village, which isn’t a building but a tall cliff, overlooking the village, far, far below.
My tears fall like rain from my eyes, splattering the hard ground below.
Thud. Thud. Thud. THUD! THUD! THUD!
It had become too much, no job, no hope, no family. I wanted to be there, be in that magical world of ponies and pegasi, of unicorns and princesses that could raise the sun and the moon, I wanted that place as my own, this world was horrible...
Thud. Thud. Thud. THUD! THUD! THUD!
...the humans taint it with their filth, there life and their hatred for all things alive, we don’t deserve this world, I am ashamed to even be known as a human being.
Thud. Thud. Thud. THUD! THUD! THUD!
“I’m sorry.” I whisper, the tears blurring my words, and jump.
Thud. Thud. Thud. THUD! THUD! THUD!
The ground rushed closer, I could see the shocked faces of some people bellow, watching me plummet to my death.
Thud. Thud. Thud. THUD! THUD! THUD!
The hit the ground with a dull ‘Crunch’, ending my life once and for all.
Thud. Thud. Thu-
“I think he is asleep. I like sleeping, but not as much as being awake, I love being awake, being awake is where all the fun is at, what do you think Dashi-”
“Asleep? From that height? Really? He might have those wings, but nopony can live through that!”
“Oh my gosh, is he bleeding? Is that blood? I don’t want blood on my coat!”
“Now lets all calm down, shall we? Everypony stand back, I’ll see if I can wake him up.”
I feel something hard touch my head, and see purple light shining through my eyes. Had that voice said ‘Everypony’? I flick open my eyes and rise into the air screaming.
“NO! NO! Get away, what are you-”
I stop at the sight before me.
Below me stand six... creatures... gazing up at me with shock in those large, round eyes. Well, shock, all apart from one of the creatures - which was such a bright pink I almost covered my eyes with my hooves - which bounced up and down repeatedly, looking at me cheerfully, mouth open in the biggest smile I had ever seen.
Wait... they were below me, really far below me, how did they get down there? I look around, and see two objects growing from my back, keeping me aloft. In shock, I close them, unable to believe what I was seeing, and plummet to the ground, landing painfully on the grass.
I hear guffawing laughter from above me, and look up, blushing from my accident. One of the creatures - a cyan colored one, with feathered wings growing out of its back, and the most amazing rainbow hair I had ever seen - was laughing, tears pouring from its eyes.
“Haha - Looks like somepony - hahaha..” She tried, to speak through her tears of laughter, but it was almost impossible and she collapsed to the floor, laughing, then tried again; “Looks like somepony forgot how to fly!” She managed, before rolling over, laughing once more. “T-T-haha-The look on his face! Hehehehahaha!”
Ponies.
They were ponies, not normal ponies from my world, no. These were the colorful, smiling cartoon ponies. I couldn’t believe it, I sat there, staring at them all, mouth open like an idiot.
The purple pony in the centre of the group, with a horn in the centre of her head, looked disapprovingly at the cyan pony, rolling around on the floor, gasping for breath.
“Rainbow! Don’t be rude, the poor pegasus obviously had an accident! Anything could have happened!” She turned to me, “I’m sorry for my friend... sir? Are you okay?”
“I think he’s in shock, must’ve been the fall.” An orange mare with blonde hair, at the back of the group spoke up.
I sat there like a fool, staring at the ponies, unable to comprehend what I was seeing.
Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy were all standing there, large as life, looking down at me.
“He looks a little down, perhaps he needs a welcome party!” Pinkie Pie shouted gleefully, producing a cannon out of nowhere, setting light to it before anyone - anypony, even - could protest, showering me in streamers, balloons and various candies.
I lept back in surprise at one of the candies - a small pink lollypop - hit me on the nose, I scrambled to my hooves, but continue staring at the ponies, unable to even blink incase the sight vanished forever.
Wait... I scrambled... to my hooves...
I looked down and around at my body. White fur, a long, messy tail, as black as coal, and judging from the show, my mane would be the same.
Long wings protrude from my back, I sense the extra bones there, and spread them, getting used the the feeling of the wing joints, I look down at my hooves, yes, hooves.
My head was spinning, unable to take in the sudden shock of discovering... I was a pony.
The purple pony in the centre of the six ponies in front of me speaks up again.
“My name is Twilight Sparkle.” She held out a hoof for me to shake, I took it, dumbfounded, “Welcome to Ponyville.”
End of Chapter One.