1st Assignment
Hello, my name is Carla. I am a Veterinary Technician student. Well, my first attempt at life was finishing a bachelor’s in Natural Resources Management. A couple years after obtaining my degree, I was still working part-time at a convenience store, ended up having to move back in with my parents, because of school loans that weren’t being paid off, and feeling like I wasn’t making a difference to society. So, since I am still young, I decided to go back to school and obtain an associates as a Veterinary Technician. I really hope this works out because I am loving everything I am learning. Then things get interesting.
One day, I was venturing around an antique store with my mother. She was trying to find some new furniture to add to the upstairs of our house that we just rearranged. Ever since my two sisters and I grew up and left the nest, she wanted to rearrange it into an elegant guestroom. There I was roaming around the antique store as my mind was starting to roam into its own world, I came across a very large mirror.
The mirror, prompted up against the wall, was just as tall as I was. Covered with dust and about as gangly and gaudy as any other antique in the store that has seen its better days. Something on the fame of the mirror catches my eye. Upon further inspection, the hinged mirror was also being held up by an awkwardly placed two-by-four board leaning against the over hinge. As I pull my hand back, it brushes by the board and the two-by-four falls to the ground with a “Crash!” As I bend over to quickly pick the board up, out of the corner of my eye, I can see the mirror shifting downwards towards me!
I quickly turn to try and correct the problem, but to no avail, the last thing I see is a picture of me rapidly getting larger, an ear-splitting noise, a white light, and then complete darkness and silence.
“Is she okay?”
“I don’t know I found her in my basement with a massive bump on her head.”
Two kind sounding voices kept talking in the background. I lay there on what it feels like a plush bed. As I listen to their conversation more, I start to recognize them. I knew who they were, but no one from my world. Who I heard, was a something I could reflect from my past as a child.
“She’s moving! I think she’s awake!”
I slowly open my eyes to reveal that my suspicions were true. Gathered around me was a few pastel colored ponies that reminded me of the show I like to watch, “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.” The bump they were referring to started to ache and I reached up to massage it. I try to massage the area, but my fingers weren’t working. I bring my hand down into my field of vision and it wasn’t my hand, but my green hoof! I was a pony too!
I notice a vanity mirror sitting on the dresser. My adrenaline was moving exponentially, forgetting my pain, I raced over to the dresser and peered in. My hypothesis was correct: I was a green coated pony with a blue mane and tail, with darker green highlights. I yell, “How could this be?”
A purple pony, who I know from the show and goes by the name of Twilight, steps forward, “What do you mean? I found you in the basement of my castle all covered in glass.”
I stare at her.
“You didn’t wake up for a week! You certainly didn’t look like a thief.”
Long story short, I somehow ended up in this fantasy make-believe world and crashed a one-of-a-kind mirror that has now given me 30 moons stuck in their world until they get the mirror magically fixed. That’s roughly two and a half years, at least it wasn’t seven. To not confuse ponies with my actual name, I decide to name myself, “Cottonwood” so I could fit in better.
While I stay there, they are very kind to let me stay at a spare room in the castle. Since the castle was just newly and suddenly built, they still had yet what its purpose in the small town of Ponyville. After being there for about a week, I wonder around the town and see things up close. If I’m stuck here, I might as well enjoy it!
I walk down the street and everything about the town is amazing. It’s small, but main street is filled with little businesses. The citizens, all multicolored ponies, were all very friendly and would smile and wave at me as I passed by. Behind the town was a very large apple orchard, with apples ready to be harvested. As I made my way back to the castle, I passed a large building that was called, “The Gazebo.” This was mostly the equivalence to the town hall or an event center.
As I pass by, I can hear some unfamiliar voices talking, rather angrily behind the cracked open door.
“It’s not fair, just simply not fair!”
“I agree, Mayor Mare has been the mayor of Ponyville for as long as I can remember, who are we supposed to go to now that Princess Twilight Sparkle has a new castle!”
I didn’t like how he emphasized the word princess; it sounded mean.
“What is this going to impact our small town of Ponyville! Pretty soon the town will be as big as the city of Canterlot—there are two princesses there!”
“Well, there goes the town, small businesses can just kiss their wages goodbye. With a rapidly growing town, competition will move in because of the ponies being drawn here by the new princess!”
I have heard about as enough as I could possibly hear. The perfect town of Ponyville apparently had some issues that were being neglected and at the price of gossip, it couldn’t end well. I raced, or galloped rather, back to the castle and reported what I had heard to Princess Twilight. She agreed that there was something that needed to be done, but somehow her role in Ponyville has also been neglected.
“Why not have a town meeting?” I ask, “Invite Mayor Mare and other stakeholders that contribute to the town of Ponyville.”
“Stakeholders?” Twilight inquires.
“Yes, ponies that own businesses, farmers, and any citizen that wants to contribute should all come. Then, they could all have a say on where they want to see their town go in the years to come.”
“That’s actually not a bad idea,” she smiles, “I’ll make an announcement and have Mayor help me spread the word. We can hold the meeting at the Gazebo in town next week.”
The night of the meeting went as planned; various ponies showed up. To my surprise, Mayor Mare appointed me as the meeting’s Chair-pony of the meeting since I wasn’t from Ponyville until just recently and I would fit perfectly into the neutral position. All I had to do was keep the conversations of the meeting running smoothly and not run off course.
Up on the make-shift stage, I walk up to the podium and rap my hoof on wood a couple times to get every-ponies’ attention, “Good evening, mares and gentle-colts. This meeting will now come to order. I would like to welcome all of you to the first annual meeting of the shareholders of Ponyville. I am Cottonwood, chair-pony of –“.
“Chairs?” Pinkie Pie, an ethusastic party pony interrupted, “But you’re not even sitting!”
“As I was saying,” emphasizing my annoyance by clearing my throat again, “I am chair-pony of Ponyville’s Board of Directors, and I will be presiding this meeting.”
“Upon entering, each of you was presented with an agenda and a list of rules of conduct for the meeting. We ask that you abide by these rules to be fair to the other shareholders present and so that we can conduct an orderly meeting. As stated in the rules of conduct, shareholders should not address the meeting until recognized.” I toss a glare over to Pinkie Pie in the corner to see if she catches my hint. She awkwardly smiles and slouches in her seat in submission.
“If you want to ask a question or speak during the meeting, please wait for the appropriate time in the agenda and raise your hoof. After you are recognized, first identify yourself and your status as a shareholder, then make your comment or ask your question. As stated in the rules of conduct, we ask that you restrict your remarks or question to one minute and that they pertain to the item under discussion in the agenda. Do we have an agreement?” All present in the Gazebo nod their heads in agreement. “Thank you for your cooperation with these rules.”
I continue, “Seated to my left is Madame Mayor Mare and to my right is Princess Twilight Sparkle.” I motion my hooves towards them introducing them. “The first order of business is Mayor Mare’s role now that Twilight Sparkle is princess.” I turn to address Twilight, “Princess, would you like to make a statement?”
Twilight nods and stands up, “I came to Ponyville without any intention or even knowing that I would end up as Princess. I do not wish to replace the mayor, because she has been doing a good job before I even started. If anything, I would rather continuing being your friends I have grown to know. When issues arise you should ask Mayor Mare, when things are above Mayor Mare’s control then my expertise will be next.”
I turn to the mayor on my left, “Mayor? How were do you stand?”
The mayor clears her throat, “I can certainly live with that. That’s pretty much how things have been going until we have put it in words until now.”
I face the audience, “Any questions or comments?” After a moment of content silence I continue, “All who agree to Mayor Mare being first line and Princes Sparkle being second line of defense say ‘Aye’.”
The crowd sends out a hearty “Aye!”
“All opposed say “Neigh!”
Silence, but I think I heard some crickets in the background and they don’t count as stakeholders. “Motion carried!” I rap my hoof on the podium again.
The meeting continues with various questions regarding capitalism and other confusing topics, but it all runs smoothly without any interruptions. After I adjourn the meeting every-pony files out of the room and the air is filled with sounds of content laughter and a familiar pink party pony saying that she has an “After-a-Boring-Meeting-Let’s-Fill-the-Rest-of-the-Night-with-Fun Party.” They all make their way to the party and file out of the Gazebo.
“Are you coming?” Twilight playfully yells back as me.
“Wouldn’t miss it!” as I run after her, I stumble over my own hooves and topple down the stairs in the front of the building. The inertia of my speed kept me rolling and my head landed on the hard gravel road, hitting my still soft bump that I had acquired from a glass mirror not long ago and my vision went black again.
Sounds of soft, annoying beeps soon invaded my ears. I could sense I had found my way into another bed. Except, this bed was much harder and the sheets were light. I could smell the unforgettable, disinfectant smell of a hospital. I could feel something tight around my arm. I slowly opened my eyes to reveal an IV in pumping fluids and also looked down to my hands. They looked like I had just punched a window. I lifted my head to see that my mother was sitting, or rather sleeping, in a chair next to me. I quietly choked out, “What happened?”
Her eyes snapped open, “Oh, thank goodness you’re okay!” Her eyes started to water, “You were out for a couple days due to a really bad concussion!”
“No wonder my head still hurts.”
“Just get some rest, I’ll go get the doctor and tell him that you have awoken.”
“Hey Mom!” I flagged her down before she could exit. “What happened to the mirror and the antique shop?”
"Well," she hesitated, “You broke it, so we had to buy it.”