XXX
A lone figure sat in front of a brightly lit computer screen, the glistening light reflecting off black-rimmed glasses. His name was Christopher Sampson, a third year at the University of Florida working towards his bachelor degree in animation.
In all his twenty-two years of life, Christopher had never known the sweet tang of a girl's lips against his. He'd never felt the warmth of a girls body against his. Going one step further, he'd never had a girlfriend. In his mind, he didn't care so much. He'd seen plenty of those two-legged, longhaired vixens in action and none of them caught his attention in a way that could be called endearing or sexual.
That's not to say Chris was ugly or anything, quite the opposite. He was a nice height, had flyaway away brown hair, and five o'clock stubble that was in no way intentional. He had a good smile, a nice, if somewhat introverted demeanor, and was relatively slow to anger.
It was more of a choice not to interact with others of the opposite sex, a choice that his friends were desperately trying to turn around for him. His roommate, Duncan, was constantly trying to get him to go here, to mingle there, talk to this person, laugh at this joke, and call this girl back because she seemed the 'right' one for him.
Chris smiled.
Chris didn't care for a world outside of his passion.
Chris was a brony.
It wasn't a fact that he tried to hide but he didn't go out of his way to tell others either. If the topic came up, it came up; if it didn't, then they didn't need to know. Just by setting foot into his and Duncan's room would let anyone know their standing. Where Duncan's half, the 'strong' right half, was decorated in memorabilia from just about every single sport imaginable, Chris's side was in stark contrast.
His bedsheets were pink with a picture of Pinkie Pie's smiling face over the front; he had posters of the mane six strung up like streamers; his computer he'd personally 'ponified' with decals, wallpaper, and even little avatars of the pony's that played over his screen. Surrounding his computer were little figurines, only four though as his whole collection had to be put in storage for fear of leaking into Duncan's side.
Odd as it sounds, Chris preferred interacting with what could never talk back than actually going out and talking to other people, other humans. He found that with his pony idols the laughs and smiles came easier. There was never any disappointment, never any pain.
Rainbow Dash never gawked at the jagged scar that ran over his neckline.
Pinkie Pie never questioned why his mother tried to kill him all those years ago.
Rarity was too much of a lady to ponder why his dad took pleasure in beating him just for smiling.
Fluttershy, being too timid, never asked why he had been locked within the basement a good majority of his life and fed scrapes like an animal.
Applejack couldn't care less that Chris had virtually raised himself since he could walk. She was always just trying to get him to eat apples, which were his favorite fruit.
And Twilight Sparkle, being the adorkable brainiac that she was, already knew the reason as to why he had to visit the hospital every month for a check-up concerning the fractures in his spine.
No, Chris could lose himself to imagination here. He loved Equestria, loved all the ponies within that magical world that was so close yet so far away. Twilight Sparkle and the rest had invaded his very dreams—but he didn't mind so much. Whenever they appeared, whatever nightmare he'd previously been having was instantly pushed aside, bucked by Applejack's strong legs while Fluttershy led him into the wondrous light that was ponyville where he would laugh, and run, and play, and smile.
Those pony's had saved his life. He loved them. He owed them far more than he owed anyone here on earth. All around him he saw faux smiles and heard laughs that made the back of his teeth itch. Why was everyone so...so human? It hurt to see the world spiraling into this maw of despair where people stabbed other people in the back just to ascend, where people laughed at other's misfortune while offering nothing, where those with all gave to none.
Chris had shut himself off to that part of the world. He only wanted happiness, he felt he deserved happiness, and My Little Ponies granted him such a kindness where others only shunned him. They welcomed him with open hooves and heartfelt smiles that soothed his worries, eased his stress, and nulled the pain.
His fingers tick-tacked over the keyboard, a small smile playing over his lips as he inched closer and closer to a goal that many of his brony friends around the world were waiting for.
His 1,000th fanfic.
While Chris attended college and studied animation with hopes of one day making a show that displayed the happiness equal to or greater than that of My Little Pony, he also had another side. A side that feverishly loved to write stories, and not just any stories, but fanfics concerning his only source of sunshine.
To date, he'd written over nine hundred and ninety-nine stories concerning his object of affection, posting them on virtually every fanfiction site he could find. Everything was slow going until around story ten or twelve when he wrote the hit called Sparkle Around the World. It told the comedic, if somewhat tragic, tale of Twilight Sparkle as she found herself in the human world after a backfired spell, trying desperately to find her way back; she traveled far and wide, changing hearts and assisting wherever she could, cutely oblivious to her growing popularity.
It lasted over three hundred chapters, was completed in a span of two years, and had generated a fandom all its own. By the end of its legendary run, the story had garnered over five million hits and an untold amount of reviews; fans from all over the world sent him gifts and donations thanking him for crafting such a loving story that, in someway or another, had an impact on their very lives.
Chris had been overwhelmed as he watched what started out as a one shot blast off into this internationally known piece of literature. His email, usually barren, started seeing two thousand messages a day from people commissioning him to write epilogues and give extensive details to what happened after Twilight had found her way home. At one point, he found himself shaking hands with Lauren Faust and other creators of the show, each expressing how they enjoyed his work. They wanted his permission to make an animation out of it, to turn his dream into a movie for all to see.
Chris refused. He had his reasons, and while most of his fans were highly disappointed he stated that the idea was not completely gone. Just on hold. On hold until he completed one of his own personal dreams. He told the shows creators that after he finished his 1,000th fic he would be back, clear-headed and ready to give Sparkle Around the World his complete and undivided attention. At that time, he'd simply had too many ideas jumping around in his head and became afraid that they would somehow find their way into a story that was best left to its roots.
So he returned home and turned those extra ideas into fics that, one after another, became successes.
That was four years ago. My Little Pony was entering its seventh season, the fanbase as enthusiastic and prosperous as ever. It was mind-bending when Christopher learned that a charity group named directly after his story had been started up, raising close to a million dollars each year. To this day, Chris still received a weekly phone call from the shows directors asking when he would be done. The usual answer had always been, "Soon". But just a couple days prior when the obligatory call came through, his roommate picked up the phone and said, "He needs one more week, then he'll be done." Christopher remembered crying as the director got off the phone to elated yells from the ones eavesdropping on their conversation.
Yes...it was almost done, this latest story, this last story. After this, he would be helping them turn Sparkle Around the World into the best movie/mini-series it could be, then possibly go on to turn more of his work into canon as well. He would be busy. Too busy to write at his leisure anymore. That both elated and hurt him emotionally, so much so that when he came to the sobering conclusion he withdrew from the world for two days.
Coaxed out of his depression by mental projections of the mane six, he soon realized that this wasn't the end. This was only the beginning, the beginning to something grand, something that he never saw himself doing when he thought back to the hell he'd been raised in.
Popularity, for reasons that still confounded him, put the misguided notion within people's mind that they just had to throw themselves at whatever happened to be hot at the moment. With his raise to fame, Chris was accosted by a fresh storm of fake smiles, fake hugs, and fake words of thanks, all of it a ploy to share his limelight, share in that taste of fame.
They could have it. He didn't want it. He only wanted to keep doing what made him smile.
The door to his room suddenly opened and, standing in the lit entryway, was his roommate Duncan, a guy who was kind of on the short side with a shaved head and many ear piercings. Christopher looked up, adjusting his glasses with a finger, and saw an entourage of no less than ten people in Duncan's shadow.
Chris said nothing, only shaking his head once before returning to his computer. He was one page away from being done. His dream was so close that his eyes stung with the urge to cry.
Not yet...not yet.
"Oi, Cutie Mark Chris!" called Duncan to guffaws from his friends, using a nickname that Chris had earned around the campus.
Christopher cringed. Cutie Mark Chris. That name had followed him for a good majority of his life, beginning as an insult that was spewed while being chased around the house by his mother wielding a machete. He couldn't remember what he had done wrong back then. He'd only showed her a picture of the two of them holding hands with Rainbow Dash when she suddenly flew into a rage and tried to kill him. From there, the name continued to be used while others beat him, kicked him, called him a freak, and spit at him.
When he rose to fame, he found it amazing how it quickly flipped to a term of endearment and watched with wide-eyes as those who persecuted him only months ago came running with open arms, embracing him and saying they were sorry and wanted to be friends.
He wanted to snap on Duncan but he was one of the rare 'true' friends he had and couldn't find the strength. He listened only partially while Duncan entered the room and went on about this party that everyone was throwing for him, in celebration of his 1,000th fanfic.
Chris's immediate reaction was no. The very idea of being around so many fake smiles and being forced to make conversation with people who used to laugh at him and his lifestyle was almost enough to make him vomit. No. No way. Not now. He had a story that needed to get done.
Duncan tried again, choosing the 'friend' bait, appealing to the fact that he had taken up for Chris where no one else had when he fist came to the university.
"C'mon, man, it's just one little party!" he encouraged, throwing an arm around Chris's shoulder while simultaneously moving his hands away from the keyboard. "Think of it like your swan party. After this, you'll on your way to fame and stardom, buddy! No time for the small fry anymore."
Chris fixed Duncan with a look of annoyance and explained that he didn't care about fame, or stardom, or who was a small or large fry. He only wanted to keep smiling.
"Then make me smile and do this one last thing!" pleaded Duncan.
In the end, Chris stood from his computer, defeated and highly agitated but Duncan was his friend. He may not have been a brony, and thus didn't quite understand Chris's commitment, but he had helped Chris through some rough patches. He owed him at least this much before they parted ways.
Only one page away...I guess it can wait.
The door to dormitory room 89 closed with a snap, leaving the only source of light to come from Christopher's computer screen.
A screen that began to warp as something bright and cyan-colored pushed its way through, crossing borders and dimensions until it tumbled out and onto the floor.
"Ouch! Dang it, Pinkie, I said don't push so hard!"
A giggle echoed around the room and suddenly, a pink something was forcing its way into the real world, landing on all four hooves next to their friend. "You were taking forrrreverrrr—I thought you got stuck!" she laughed.
Rainbow Dash sighed as she gazed around the room, beaming at the many posters and wallpaper displaying her awesome face. "Sweet, I'm all over the place!"
"Yeah, but I'm a bedsheet!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, leaping onto Christopher's bed, sporting a smile to match the knitted one. She started rolling around. "Mmmm, I'm sooo soft and warm, I could lay on me forever!"
Shaking her head, Rainbow Dash approached Christohpher's computer table, sighting his very last fanfiction. She snickered as she read certain parts, particularly the parts concerning her and her totally rad display of abilities. Then her rose-colored pupils drifted down to all the sticky notes Christopher had written just before leaving. They were the answers being given while Duncan pleaded with him to come enjoy one last party.
A small frown touched the rainbow pegasus. She remembered the first time Princess Celestia had allowed her and other five to visit Christopher. Not in person, but on just the other side of his screen where it acted like a two-way mirror. She, along with Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie were overjoyed to meet the person who had brought a brighter light to their world with his fantastic tales of their adventures.
They watched as he typed, thinking it another story, but their happiness soon turned to sorrow when they realized that Christopher...that he lost the ability to speak when he was younger. Rainbow Dash in particular was crushed to learn that it was the picture of her that had sent his mother into a rage causing her to cut him in the throat. The trauma ruptured his larynx and left him mute.
They remembered the tears he shed, that they themselves shed as his pain washed over them. A lonely child only wanting to experience the fleeting concept known as happiness and love.
Rainbow Dash continued to journey back and forth between her world and just behind Christopher's screen, mostly because she loved watching him write, watching as his lips parted in a laugh that she would never be able to hear, and mostly because she had grown fond of Chris as a person.
His story's touched the hearts of millions over the world, taught lessons of kindness, of forgiveness and friendship. Everypony found it amazing that such rich lessons could be taught from one who was denied them all his life.
Princess Celestia wanted to fix that.
Upon hearing that he planned to write 1,000 stories concerning them, she decreed that he would be the first in what would hopefully span into a wide movement of allowing those of the pure-hearted into their world. There was no better way they could think of to celebrate all he'd done for them, for this world and theirs, other than welcoming him with open arms and warm smiles.
Rainbow Dash's eyes began to glisten with tears and she uttered a soft laugh as she reached out a hoof to one sticky note in particular that was stuck to Christopher's computer. "Come back soon, Chris," she urged softly as Pinkie Pie joined her side, nuzzling her in the neck. "Come back soon and finish….The princess said she'd heal you, make you be able to talk. I know that'd make you happy, and then you'd be able to come live with us. You'd be a pony, like us, and then—and then you'd find happiness...and love," she added tentatively, allowing herself a small sliver of hope.
Pinkie Pie nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! And the party—don't forget the party! I've been planning his for almost two years now! It's gonna be the party of the decade—no, the century—everyone'll be talking about this one for years to come!" she exclaimed happily.
Rainbow Dash nodded at her friend as she felt something behind her chest ping with an almost ringing vibration. That was the call. Time for them to go back. Go back and wait with baited breath until he placed that last period to burst out and tell him the good news.
Following her friend as she disappeared through the screen once more, Rainbow Dash paused, turning her gaze back to that one sticky note. She smiled at it, a single tear escaping. "Hurry and come back and I will. I swear it…."
The room was empty again yet faint spectrums of cyan and pink remained, illuminating the notes all around Christopher's computer table. There was one that stuck out from the rest, one that had been written using every color of the rainbow. It was stained with watermarks and the handwriting was very jagged, but Christopher had been reduced to tears when the doctors told him he would never speak again. His only possessions at the time were a box of crayons and he used it to write his very first message. All of his hopes and dreams...he condensed it into a single line:
Fly me over the clouds, Rainbow Dash.
The End.
A/N: So I decided to add a second part, a conclusion of sorts.
Chapter 2: To My Fans
XXX
The party turned out to be a lot less condescending than Chris previously thought. Oh sure, there were still the people who only greeted him because it was the ‘nice’ thing to do—when just a couple weeks prior they were shoving and taunting—but Christopher had learned lessons from My Little Pony and appreciated their reluctant efforts all the same.
The party was held in the campus lunchroom, a vast area where the back wall was nothing but a floor to ceiling window which provided a breathtaking look into the surrounding hills. He carried around his notepad and pen in one hand and a cup of fruit punch in the other. There were copious amount of alcohol, of course, but he turned down the tart liquid. He was, however, surprised at all the people in attendance and the rather large banner hanging between two pillars near the glass window. It showed Chris smiling surrounded by the mane six ponies of the show, his arms photoshopped to be thrown around Twilight Sparkle and Applejack’s necks in a big hug.
Even he had to admit that it was a spectacular piece of artwork, one that he would love to take back to his dorm room.
“Who made that?” he scribbled onto the notepad, showing it to his roommate.
Duncan, who had chosen to stick close to his bud, read the message and smiled. “Oh, yeah, it is pretty swagtastic, ain’t it?” He pointed into the crowd towards a longhaired blonde. “That, my cutie mark crusader, is your artist. For the life of me I can’t remember her name but I do know this,” and he leaned in close with a chester cat grin, “she’s single.”
Chris was walking away before Duncan could finish. He didn’t care about her relationship status, not even an ounce—all he wanted to know was what he needed to do to get that banner.
She was surrounded by a tight circle of people, many of whom Chris could hear giving her praise over the artwork and for setting up the party. His eyebrows cocked at that. She...was the one who set this up…? Who was she? Didn’t look like anyone he knew As he forced his way through the crowd, some bowing away when they saw the guest of honor among them, Chris noted the girl’s looks. With lengthy white hair that seemed to shine, she was dressed in attire suited for someone going to a ritzy art show, complete with a light auburn beret. She was terribly beautiful but it wasn’t just her looks that struck Chris stupid. There was...something else, something he couldn’t quite put his finger—
“Oh, Chris!” she exclaimed, turning as though sensing his presence. She stared him up and down with luminescent lavender pupils. “How do you like your going away party?” Without a word of warning, she threw her arms around him. “I called up everyone I knew, sent out fliers, broadcasted this thing all over the news—I’m honestly kind of sad that the entire world isn’t here!”
Her remark earned a laugh from everyone nearby. She pushed him back, clutching him gently by the shoulders and called out for everyone to hear, “Alright, ladies and gentlecolts! Gather round, it’s time for a toast!”
There came a mass movement like the sound of stampeding buffalo and Chris found himself in the middle of all the partygoers, feeling uncomfortably in the spotlight. His cup of punch had been mysteriously replaced by a glass of what looked like wine and he looked up to see Duncan smiling stupidly.
“It’s your day, bro! Gotta make it right!”
The woman lifted her glass and in unison, everyone followed. “For those of you who don’t know why we’re here today, first of all, shame on you ponies!” she scolded jokingly to their laughter. “We are here to celebrate the fantastic achievement of this little stallion right next to me! His self-made story called Sparkle Around the World actually caught the attention of the creators of the hit TV show My Little Pony!”
She paused as cheering erupted with all the force of a battle drum.
“Such an awesome piece of fiction is going to be turned into a side-story movie tie-in! It’s a dream come true for bronies and pegasisters everywhere! Honestly, even if you don’t like the show, it’ll be worth more than a look as Chris has got some real talent with a pen and paper, or should I say keyboard?”
Chris had yet to lift his glass, staring over at the woman as another wave of laughter swept the room. She smiled at him and he felt something spark behind his chest. Who was this woman? She seemed years older than the oldest student here yet she blared a chic grace that commanded the utmost respect.
“So now we toast to his bright future, for following his dreams, and, most importantly, for spreading the message of love and tolerance to all four corners of the world! To Chris!”
And then there were glasses clinking, drinks spilling, rapturous levels of laughter, and from somewhere near the food carts, where a stage had been set up, a four man group began to play the My Little Pony theme with a catchy rock edge.
Shortly after they’d begun, Chris found his hand trapped within that white-haired woman’s as she quietly led him away from the others, pressing a finger to her mouth for silence. That annoyed him somewhat as what noise could he possible make being unable to speak? Yelling for help, something he really wanted to do, was out of the question leaving him with little choice but to follow her as she tugged him out the lunchroom, down hallways, and up flights of stairs.
Where is this lady taking me? he wondered, knowing he could overcome her easily in terms of strength yet...there was something about her touch that felt reassuring and compelled him to follow.
“Here we are!” she pronounced grandly, extending a hand out in front of her.
Chris had tripped a ways back leaving the woman with no other choice but to drag him the rest of the way. Scowling, Chris climbed to his feet, brushing debris from his shirt as he looked around, confused as to why they were in front of his dorm room. He pulled out his pen and pad of sticky notes.
“Why are we here?” he asked, showing it to her.
She smiled, opening the door that Chris knew for a fact had been locked when he’d left with Duncan earlier. “Well, that’s an easy answer, Chris,” she began, pulling him after her. “It’s about time you achieved your dream, isn’t it? The reason you didn’t take the gracious offer Hasbro laid down was because you wanted to finish your 1,000th fic.” It wasn’t a question yet Chris still nodded, now completely dumbfounded. “Well, now you’ve had your goodbyes, your friends—if you can call them that—are all pleased, and so forth and so so forth. I do believe it’s time to finish your last work, Chris.”
Still stunned, Chris watched as she took an elegant seat on Duncan’s bed, bringing her legs up while pointing at his computer. The screensaver had kicked in showing a picture of Rainbow Dash, drawn to make it seem as though she were about to burst from the screen.
“After you, Chris,” she offered politely.
Once again, he felt compelled to follow her orders and found himself seated at his computer table. Hands trembling, he clicked the mouse and the wallpaper vanished, replaced by a lengthy wall of text that only needed a couple more paragraphs to be complete.
Chris’s heart skipped a beat as cold realization struck him.
Complete.
Such a fascinating term.
Complete was...it was just that, complete. The end. Nothing more to journey towards once he strung together those last few words. Nouns, pronouns, adverbs—maybe he could even sneak in a few synonyms and—
“There is no reason to be afraid, Chris,” soothed the woman behind him and Chris jerked, glancing back to see her eyeing him patiently. “Just do what you’ve done all these years. Just...write.”
Her words chilled him to the core and his quivering ceased. A previously locked chasm in his mind burst open and words began to form, words which he expertly typed, putting them into their place with great dexterity. As his fingers flew over the keyboard, the very first story he’d ever written flashed before his mind; it then quickly shifted to the next, and the next until all of his previous works were jumbled around him, each shouting in voices that were high-pitched and full of cheer.
...and Twilight Sparkle looked out over the buildings of Ponyville. She saw the sun rising in the distance, beheld the smiles of her friends and she knew...oh yes, she knew. Without any clear evidence, she knew in her heart that everything was right in the land of Equestria.
Chris hit the save button and exhaled a breath he didn’t know he’d taken in. His soul felt worlds lighter, there wasn’t so much a burden behind his chest. He felt—what was that word from earlier? Oh, right. He felt complete.
He pulled his pen and pad forward and scribbled down, “It’s finally done!” Then he tore the sticky note off and whirled around to show the woman.
Only there was no woman in the room.
Right where she’d been sitting was now a mare, a rather large mare with a pure white coat the same shade as that woman’s hair. Both its mane and tail were comprised of an aurora of bright colors that flowed where there was no wind..
The sticky note fluttered from Chris’s hand as his mind struggled to keep him breathing properly. His entire body was frozen, he couldn’t think, could hardly put what he was seeing into proper context. Just...just what was he seeing? A pony? Surely it couldn’t be a real life one—it looked as though drawn using Flash animation or something and—and there was just no way!
“It is time, Christopher,” it spoke and Chris immediately recognized the voice of that woman from before. “You have finished your 1,000th story. Now, you can follow without regret, right?”
A brief moment of sanity returned to Chris and he whirled back around, cursing his inability to speak as he jotted down a quick note and spun back to show her:
“Are you princess Celestia?!?!?!”
The princess nodded with a small laugh that set fire to Chris’s heart. Chest heaving, he quickly tossed the note and scribbled another:
“What’s going on why are you here how is this even possible???!”
She laughed again. “Your handwriting has a habit of regressing in times of stress I see. To answer what I suspect are three questions, allow me to explain.”
And she stood, descending to the floor. Chris instinctively backed up but found he moved not more than three inches before bumping into his computer table. The princess was a couple feet taller than he was sitting down, an observation that greatly unnerved him.
Given the space of the room, standing put her less than a foot away from him and she fell back on her haunches clearing her throat. “I shall make this brief for the sake of those wishing to see you.” The confusion was prominent over Chris’s face and she lifted her head slightly. “Christopher Beckins, for all the hard work you’ve put into your one thousand works of fiction, for all the attention you’ve brought to me and my people, and for all the magic of love and kindness that you’ve spread worldwide...I, Princess Celestia of Equestria, made it law that when you finally finished your last piece you would be inducted into our society. That includes, of course, being turned into a pony of your choice. My plan is to find more like-minded little bronies such as yourself who shine with dedication to begin a sort of colony to bridge our two worlds together. You, Christopher, are the first and will spearhead this operation. Do you accept this?”
Tears sprang to Chris’s eyes and he tried to rub them away, an attempt that proved futile when the flood increased, his shoulders trembling as he silently cried. It took him a moment to compose himself long enough to scribble down his answer on another sticky note:
“YES!!!”
Celestia sported a tender smile as she once again stood, getting closer to him. “Silly child, I will need a vocal answer,” she told him and Chris’s heart sank like a rock, his face falling with pained disbelief. Before he could fret any further, Celestia put her horn to his adam’s apple. “Here, allow me to assist you with that, little one. Brace yourself.”
For one fleeting second, Chris thought she might gore him—a notion that was punctuated when a white-hot pain pierced his throat. He opened his mouth to yell and a strangled gargle issued forth; it lasted for a second before expanding into a full blown howl of agony.
“Aaaaah! That hurts! What’re you do—stop!” he yelled, clutching at his throat as she backed up. He coughed, splattering his pant legs with droplets of blood. “Dang it, what did you...you….”
Freezing, Chris looked up into Celestia’s beatific face in time to see her step to the side. In that same instant there came a great movement from behind him and suddenly, Chris was tackled out of his chair and to the ground, covered by two smaller ponies.
“It’s about dang time!” yelled the cyan blue one, hooking her front legs around Chris’s neck in a fierce hug. “We never thought you’d finish with your story!”
Surprise and pain crashed into Chris all at once leaving him highly disorientated, but all of that was drowned out when he found his airway being constricted by the fierceness of Rainbow Dash’s hug—
Wait a—Rainbow Dash?
Christopher’s eyes flew open, falling upon the little cyan-colored mare splayed out on top of him. She was laughing, almost uncontrollably so as she pushed her head up under his chin.
“Well, howdy partner! Took ya long enough!” called a rustic voice and Chris looked over to see a bright orange mare standing at his head, this one wearing a brown cowboy hat.
“A-applej—”
“No!” shouted Rainbow suddenly and she pushed herself up on her hooves, staring down at him with a desperate expression. “Not hers! It’s—you finally got your voice back, right? The f-first name outta your mouth...it’s, well...it’s gotta be mine! P-please?” she added softly.
How did that one meme go? Chris’s heart exploded from the cuteness. He knew Rainbow Dash was not one to show a submissive side—or admit her feelings at all really—but the way she stared at him, hoping against hope that he would grant her wish….
He worked his throat, ignoring the stinging residual pain, and uttered, “Rain...Rainbow Dash.”
Chris was no stranger to Rainbow Dash’s popular ‘fangirl squeal’ having seen it in the show and on youtube videos but hearing it in real life...his heart exploded. Twice.
“Well land sake’s! Ah thought Ah’dda sold the farm before that little hardhead cried again,” Applejack laughed, pointing to the thin streak of tears rolling down Rainbow Dash’s cheek.
“Sh-shut up, hay-sniffer,” Rainbow retorted with a watery smile, rubbing at her red eyes. “I’m not cryin’! I just...it’s s-something else!”
Applejack snorted. “Right, right, I guess this place is powerful dusty.”
“Okay, girls, we’ve wasted enough time,” Celestia spoke, moving over to Christopher’s table. “The going away party won’t be ending for a while but no doubt somepony’s already figured out that Christopher isn’t there anymore. Before they come looking, I think it best to return home.”
As Rainbow Dash hopped to the ground, Chris climbed to his feet, noticing how the cyan-colored mare nuzzled against his waist. He almost wanted to cry but choked the urge, turning instead to Celestia.
“What about here?” he questioned hoarsely, enjoying the discomfort that came with actually being able to speak. He’d happily suffer it for the rest of his life. “What about my life here? Sparkle Around the World was going to be a—”
Rainbow Dash suddenly took flight, the motion effectively stunning Christopher into silence as she hovered up to face-level. “Don’t worry about that now,” she said, touching her forehead to his. “Remember the very first note you ever wrote? The one in crayon?”
Of course Chris remembered that. Besides being the first thing ever transcribed since losing his voice, it also held his most dearest dream. What confused him was how Rainbow Dash knew of it….
“Yeah, I do, but what’s it—”
“And what type of pony do you want to be?”
“What? I, uh, I’d want to be a pegasus but I still—”
“Then that’s all that matters,” Rainbow concluded valiantly, turning towards the noble white mare. “Right, princess?”
“Quite. I will handle everything on your end, little one,” smiled Celestia, touching her horn to the computer. On contact, the screen seemed to melt away giving birth to a bright light that hurt to lay eyes on. “Sparkle Around the World will be made into a movie, that I can promise. Now...go.”
Applejack moved first. “Ah’ll go on ahead and let the others know the guest of honor is on his way. Pinkie Pie’s ‘bout ready to burst at the seams and Rarity’s got some new fangled dress or somethin’ she wants to show you.” She climbed up on the table and put a hoof in the brightness; Chris expected her to recoil and scream but stared when she seemed to sink into it. “You’ve got a lot of fans in our world, sugarcube! Hope yer ready to meet ‘em all!”
And just like that she became engulfed and was no more than a few orange sprinkles of light in the air.
“When you pass through the portal, you’ll find yourself in your desired form of pony,” explained Celestia, her regal voice compelling Christopher to walk forward, being pulled gently by Rainbow Dash who had a chunk of his shirt between her teeth.
“I...I don’t know what to say,” Chris began awkwardly, flashing an indebted smile that he felt conjured up from his heart. “If I go into that screen and find out that I’m not dreaming, I might go insane….”
Rainbow snorted in her hoof.
“You are quite awake and breathing, child,” assured Celestia with a little giggle of her own.
Chris nodded nervously, placing his hands on the table and leaning forward. He could feel a great warmth flowing from the portal and he closed his eyes, a few tears escaping, dripping onto the keyboard.
“This is so...cool.”
“And I’m about to make it twenty percent cooler,” Rainbow promised from his side.
Nodding at her words, Chris detached himself from apprehension and pushed his face into the portal; he felt the room lurch up and soon his slow, controlled descent became a free-fall into a thermal abyss.
XXX
Dear Sticky Pad,
This is Chris. I just want to thank you properly for being with me all these years I’ve been unable to talk. You provided me a very convenient way of keeping in contact with other people where my voice failed me. It’s almost been a month since Princes Celestia restored my ability to talk and since then I’ve gotten somewhat used to my new body. I’m a pegasus! Can you believe it? I’m a real, live pegasus! My wings are so awesome, they flutter and flap and even hold me afloat when I fly!
I’ve met tons of ponies since being inducted into Ponyville. Twilight is a bigger egghead than the show made her out to be but she’s always ready for any situation. True to all the fanfic’s me and other’s have written, Pinkie Pie’s exuberance can really make you question reality and the laws of physics (she’s such a random loon, I swear). Fluttershy is a sweetie and I really enjoyed how she helped me come out of my shell when I first arrived...even though she was just a shadow for the first couple of days. To strengthen my new pony form going to the Apple Farm to help them apple-buck was a necessity and, surprisingly, I had a blast doing it! And last but not least there’s Rarity who was eager to provide me with enough clothing accessories to last my entire life. Everyone here is so nice and the kindness they show me...it’s real. I can see it, I can feel it actually. Every smile has an abundance of love behind it and everypony (ha! I’m using their language!) is always so eager to help.
Of course, the one who’s most at my side is Rainbow Dash. Outside of being my tour guide, she’s also helping me with my flying skills. Because I was’t born as a pegasus, or a pony at all, the feats that come naturally for them take a bit longer for me, but she said that I have massive talent for it. I can’t tell if that’s just her trying to make me feel better or if she really means it but it makes me smile either way.
Speaking of that, I’m smiling a lot more. It seems that every minute here brings an entirely new reason to laugh. I love it, I love this place, I love my new friends. I do miss Duncan—he was one of the rare ones who actually understood and accepted me—but there’s always hope he might be brought over too! If he stays the goofball I remember that is.
Also...I am terribly afraid. Outside of the fun and laughter, I always fear that one day I’ll go to sleep and wake up to find that this was all a dream, just a wonderful concoction of visuals thrown together by my cracked brain. As each new day begins and Celestia raises the sun I find those fears slowly ebbing away. This...all of this can’t be just a dream. It feels too real for that. I’m eating apples on the Apple farm and they taste so sweet; then I’m trying some of Pinkie Pie’s freshly made cupcakes—the first time made me seriously ill as I’d never had anything so sweet before but after time my body got used to it and even now as I write, I crave one. Go figure.
It’s funny because...at the end of the day when I’m all done expelling my fears of waking from this wonderful world, I roll over in my bed of clouds and smile at Rainbow Dash as she smiles at me. She really is an amazing mare and for the life of me I don’t know what she sees in a socially awkward guy—I mean, stallion like me but I’m not questioning it. Every moment I get to spend with her as we soar over the clouds and assist our friends...it takes my breath away. I...it’s really stupid to be committing these thoughts to paper but...I think I love her.
How is it possible I’ve never felt that way for a human girl before but this mare...this enchanting mare with the rainbow mane...she brings about feelings that I had to research in one of Twilight’s books. My quivering hooves, lack of breath, flushed cheeks, her laugh constantly in my thoughts and dreams….I thought I was sick, the book told me it was lovesickness. Well, either way I was right. It was a sickness. But...I didn’t mind so much. Actually, I didn’t mind at all.
Ah, drats, I’m rambling. Sorry, I just wanted to make sure I got the important stuff. I don’t know what’s going to happen from here on out, whether more humans will be accepted into Equestria or not, or if me and Rainbow Dash will take our relationship further but I do know this...dreams do come true if you work at them with all your heart and never give up. No matter the ridicule, no matter if people tell you what you’re doing is childish or impossible...as long you believe in it then it’s okay. I achieved my dream of flying over the clouds the day I came to this land, and it was all thanks to Celestia, Rainbow Dash, and my millions of fans back on earth.
This is the last note I’ll ever write and I’m going to leave it somewhere on earth as a reminder to keep hope alive. Maybe someone will find this, find you and continue the legacy? Ha...that’d be awesome. So thank you all for reading, thank you all for listening, and thank you, Sticky Pad, for staying with me throughout this journey. I’ll never forget you.
Love,
Christopher