I awoke to early morning light spearing through a gap in my curtains. I wriggled around under the covers and pulled them up above my head. For a long moment I huddled there, until the air I was breathing was too warm for my liking and I kicked the blankets off, taking big gulps of the cold air around me.
Excitement started to go off inside of me like fireworks. It was my birthday! Yesterday I was just like any other average nine year old, but today was a new day. I was ten years old, and this wasn't any old age. Today I could start my Ponymon adventure. I'd travel to new places, meet new friends, and experience the thrill of all thrills. I sat there, legs curled under me, eyes wide with amazement. I hadn't even gotten out of bed yet, and today was the best day of my entire life so far.
"Red! I heard my mother calling for me from down the hall. I shook off my tingling sensation, staggered across my room and out of the door, racing down the hall to her voice.
She was sitting on the sofa in front of the tv, her hands settled in her lap gently. Her eyes shone with pride and I couldn't help wriggle with excitement as I bounded up to her.
"You'll be going to see Professor Oak today, huh?" She said quietly, moving so I could sit down beside her. "That's a big step you know. Being alone in the big wide world. Are you sure this is what you want to do?"
I met her stare, feeling more wise than ever. "I wont be alone, mom. I'll be with my Ponymon. And together we'll have the best adventures."
A thin, aged smile appeared on her face, and she hugged me tight until I giggled. "We'll visit, I promise!" I said, squeezing out of her grip.
"Then go, Red. Go get ready, and I'll be here to cheer you on. Tell Professor Oak I said hello, and have fun."
* * *
When I left the house, I'd eaten, showered and dressed, and said one final goodbye to mom. My red cap on, and my black backpack slung over my shoulders, I set out down the path, a skip in my step. Up ahead, I could see a small crowd gathering outside of the laboratory.
"What's all the commotion?" I said aloud, shouldering past a group of people.
"We wanna see Blue's Ponymon!" They squealed excitedly.
I dipped my head down so the shadow of my cap hid my face. I didn't want to be part of this group, obviously someone popular had gotten their Ponymon as well today. I struggled through more people and into the lab, looking around with nervous eyes. Mom's question echoed in my head. Was this really what I wanted to do?
"Welcome, young lad! You must be Red, the neighbor's son!" Said a man with very short brown hair, wearing a white lab coat, and a friendly smile on his face. Beside him was a boy that looked by age with spiked brown hair, leaning against a bench, smirking.
"Hello... I'm here to get my Ponymon." I said shyly, glancing at the boy.
The professor grinned. "Of course! See those six PonyBalls?" He pointed to the bench, where the PonyBalls were laid out. "You're allowed to pick two!"
"Hey gramps!" The boy sneered. "I thought you said I was getting my Ponymon now?"
"After, Blue! Be patient."
I shivered and looked them over. There were little notes with pictures besides each ball.
The first one read:
Twilight- 'The Magic Ponymon' Psychic Type
The second:
Rainbow- 'The Loyalty Ponymon' Water Type
The third:
Pinkie- 'The Laughter Ponymon' Rock Type
The fourth:
Apple- 'The Honesty Ponymon' Grass Type
The fifth:
Flutter: 'The Kindness Ponymon' Flying Type
The sixth:
Raribell: 'The Generosity Ponymon" Poison Type
Behind me, I could hear Oak explaining something about the land of Equestria. "Here we participate in double battles as trainers, thus why we always have two starters. Pick two, don't be afraid."
I looked them over, then reached for Twilight and Rainbow. Oak nodded slowly, smiling. Blue hissed and shouldered me out of the way.
"If your going to have them, I'll pick these two!" He swiped Apple and Pinkie from the table, looking cross.
Oak blinked, then shrugged and looked between us. "This wont be easy. You'll have to care for these Ponymon deeply. The fate of their lives is in your hands." He picked something up from the table behind him and handed them to us. "These are PonyDex's. They'll record the information of each Ponymon you encounter and catch. Farewell, both of you. Travel together to Canterlot City, and catch some Ponymon along the way!"
I glanced at my rival, and he glared back. I swallowed the lump rising in my throat and tucked the PonyBall's into my backpack without looking up. I was scared of travelling with Blue, but it was all in good luck. I was on a Ponymon adventure!
Canterlot City. Who would of guessed that overnight I could go from being just another kid on the block to someone with their whole life ahead of them, one I was to share with my Ponymon. I glanced ahead at Blue, who was a few steps ahead of me, and walking at a slightly faster pace, the distance between us gathering as time ticked by. He seemed rather unnerved, rushed to get away from me. I didn't understand at first, but he was my rival. I had to expect him to be edgy.
I stared around, taking deep nervous breaths of the morning air. Grass fronds leaped up on either side of the path, and trees provided shade from the sun high overhead. I longed to go running into the long grass, but I was barely ready to be ambushed by wild Ponymon.
"Blue... can we stop and have a look at our Ponymon?"
He stopped, then turned at me with a smirk. "You can, Red. But I'm heading straight to Canterlot City. I have stuff I have to do. Smell ya later." He turned without letting me reply and hurried off even fast than before.
I blinked, then let my bag slump to the ground. I dug around in its contents, full of things I probably wouldn't need, but mom was convinced she needed to pack as much as possible. My hands found the smooth, cold PonyBall's, and I pulled them out and set them on the dirt path. I sat beside them and my bag, crossing my legs. Many moments passed, me just staring at them, a little unsure of how to go about this.
Eventually I reached out, clasped the first ball my fingers touched in my hand, and pressed the button in the centre, throwing it up in the air. A beam of colorful light shot out in all directions, mostly over my and the surrounding ground. I held up my arm to shield my arms, and I skid back as a creature appeared in front of me. A lavender colored Ponymon with long navy hair stood in front of my, sniffing nervously at things around me. Her eyes were wide with wonder, and when they met mine, she froze with fear.
"I-it's okay. I won't hurt you." I said quietly, words catching in my throat.
She sniffed me, then began to mouth my bag. I looked her over, taking in her deeper features. She had darker feet than the rest of her body, and a small horn protruded from her forehead. There was a gold ring around the base of the horn, and it sparkled gently.
Careful not to spook her, I reached for my Ponydex, which had slipped out of my bag as she picked it up with her mouth. I flipped the lid open, and held back a gasp of surprise as it lit up instantly.
Twilight, the Magic Ponymon. Twilight are easily scared and care must be taken during their training.
Slowly standing, I saw she only came up to my knee. She trotted towards me, abandoning the bag and proceeding to nibble my jeans. I chuckled and leaned down to pet her head. I wasn't sure if she let me because she trusted me enough, or because my clothing was too interesting to jump away from. I ran my fingers through her silky mane, then glanced at the second ball, still cast aside on the ground.
I tried to reach around Twilight, but she leaned up and tried to chew my nose. I pushed her back with one hand and reached for the ball, but she scuffled forward at my touch, and I tripped forward, straight over her and onto the ground ahead. Oak sure was right when he said this wasn't going to be easy. I could barely get to see my Ponymon without getting so head over heels; literally.
Finally managing to get my hands on the PonyBall, I scrunged up in a ball and held it tighter. I listened ever so intently, but I couldn't hear anything over my own breathing. I peered around, panic rising as I struggled to see Twilight. I prayed she hadn't run off. How would I explain that to Oak? First day on my Ponymon Adventure and I'd already lost one of them. What a failure.
Suddenly, up ahead I heard something rustling in the grass. There was a cry, one of a Ponymon, and I knew instantly that it was Twilight. I ran to the sounds of her anguished 'Twi, twi!', the second PonyBall in my hand. I grew colder on the inside as I got closer to the sound, throwing myself through the long, wild grass. I couldn't see her anywhere. Then I saw a flash of black. And another. Something hit me in the back and I went staggering forward as a third and final flash whizzed above me.
Three Ponymon, charcoal gray, almost black, had leaped past me, hissing and spitting. They pounded through the grass, hooves hitting the ground that made it vibrate. I rushed after them, terror clawing at me from the outside in. What would they do to Twilight? I threw myself past a tree, grabbing one of its branches to save me from sliding over with the sharp turn. On a patch of shorter grass between the bushes and the undergrowth, Twilight was writhing in the soil, four of the foul creatures swarming over her.
"Twilight!" I yelled, running towards her, but one of them let go and snapped at me, causing me to fall back, the unopened PonyBall sent flying from my hand.
It bounced on the grass and opened, letting out the same aura of light, blinding me for a few seconds before my second Ponymon was revealed. In the same amount of time it had appeared it was gone with a flash of rainbow color. For a dreaded moment I though all of my hope had drained away into the ground. Wild Ponymon were threatening me and Twilight, and my last Ponymon had fled the scene. Then with a gust of wind, it was back, landing on the ground heavily and letting out a touch snort.
This sky blue Ponymon was something completely different from the shy Twilight still wiggling under the other Ponymon I had yet to identify. It had small compact wings on its back, a flowing rainbow colored mane and tail that was slightly frizzy, and a gold strip across its forehead like a headband, rather like the one on Twilight. Rainbow.
I would of grabby my Ponydex, but I'd left that and my bag back on the track. All I had was myself and my Ponymon. I wasn't going to give in!
"Rainbow, use Tackle!" I yelled, pushing myself onto my knees.
She darted forward, bucking out her hind legs and charging full speed towards the imposters. Her head struck one and sent it bowling backwards. With a triumphant cry, she whirled around, eager for more orders that I felt too slow to give.
"Uh... Rainbow, use... Quick Attack!"
With equal speed of before she was off her feet, whizzing at the other two creatures who were trying to get themselves at Twilight, who was dumbstruck with fear. She smacked into one, which toppled into the other, sending them both to the ground like dominoes.
I summoned up the courage and jumped to my feet as all four Ponymon came slithering back, and I yelled at the top of my lungs. "Rainbow use Water Gun, Twilight use Psychic!"
The wild Ponymon froze in their steps as the magical light of Twilight's move sealed around them, and I glowed with pride on the inside to see her in a battle stance, head arched with her horn pointing right at them. Rainbow aimed, and let out a torrent of water, which sprayed me with droplets as it hit the creatures and sent them crashing into the bushes. I heard them snarl cruel words, then rush away into the depths of the forest.
As my adrenaline began to fade, I found myself feeling tired and wary. I glanced at Twilight and Rainbow, who were staring back expectantly, tails swishing. "Good job, guys." I breathed, then fell to my knees, greeting the cold earth as I pressed my cheek to it and dug my fingers in.
I felt a wet lick on my face, and Twilight was curling up next to me, her eyes round. Rainbow paced circles around us, looking superior. What Oak would of said about me leaving Blue's side just to get into trouble like this, I didn't dare think. All I cared about now was getting out of here and to Canterlot City, to the Ponymon Centre.
Author's Note
The Ponymon will not look exactly like the ponies they are based off, so I don't expect to see comments telling me that Changelings don't have this or that, or Twilight looks like this etc.
