//------------------------------// // Ch.1: Small Beginnings // Story: Mark // by xCRAZYxFACEx //------------------------------// Mark Chapter 1: Small Beginnings The time was 7:48 AM. The sun had risen less than an hour ago, its soft glow permeating through every corner of Ponyville. The small town was starting to awaken for the new day. Soon the markets would fill up and the town square would be occupied by hundreds of ponies going about their daily business. It would be a peaceful day for Ponyville, which could be considered a small miracle given how often the town had been threatened over the past few months. As the sun rose higher above the landscape, a single shadow found itself approaching the town at a deliberate pace. The town remained blissfully unaware of the fact that the peace left by the early morning dew would soon be shattered. The shadow was cast by a dull red earth pony, whose dark blue mane appeared below the cloak that covered his body and head. He walked slowly, steadily. His hooves beat against the ground at a rhythmic tempo, never slowing down, and never speeding up. His face was haggard, and by merely looking at his hazel eyes one could see he needed more than just a few hours of sleep. In all aspects, his appearance matched his cloak: worn and in need of some stitches. As the pony crossed the bridge into Ponyville, he gradually became aware of all the inhabitants. He felt their happiness, their simple pleasure in being alive and beginning their day. In a small corner in the back of his mind, he felt happier. The peace that was apparent among the populace was sweet and pure, something he could relish from afar without detracting from it. The majority of his mind, however, felt nothing but disgust. Not because he truly despised the positive feedback he was receiving, but because he knew that eventually it would all come to a screeching halt by his doing. He merely hoped that he could conclude his business in the modest village before he started the inevitable. As he continued to walk through Ponyville, he could see a few foals running past him, leaving their parents scrambling after them. The dull red pony pony allowed himself a small smile. So innocent and carefree, he thought. He continued to plod against the ground. He had entered the marketplace, and was strolling against the crowd casually. This proved to be rather easy, as the majority of ponies whom he encountered gave him a wide berth. They avoided him, as though he were projecting a faint aura of darkness. The cloaked pony was used to it, though. He simply ignored their stares and set his gaze upon a small stall. The owner there was selling daisies. The owner herself had a light pink coat with a green mane, set up in stylish curls. Her cutie mark was two white flowers with yellow center. The dull red pony stared at her cutie mark for a few seconds, unconsciously reaching out with his mind and acquiring the information he sought. Daisy, he thought with a smirk. It seems fitting. She sells daisies here, grows them at her house, has two best friends. . . Rose and Lily. Time for breakfast. The cloaked pony approached Daisy. She noticed him approaching, and she put on a practiced smile. She felt uneasy with the stranger, but she wouldn’t lose a potential customer due to rudeness. “Hi there! Looking to buy?” she cheerfully exclaimed. The cloaked pony grinned and nodded. “Hello, ma’am.” No need to startle her. “Yes, I was looking for breakfast. How much for five daisies?” “That will be three bits, please.” The covered pony reached into his saddle and threw out the stated amount of bits onto the table she was standing behind. He took the flowers and started to munch on one, storing the rest. “Mmm, this is delicious!” he expressed with a small amount of joy. “I haven’t had a proper meal in some time.” She simply nodded in agreement. “So, are you a traveler? Not to sound rude, but you look like you’ve been living rough.” Her astute observation was met with a chuckle. “I am. I decided to stop in town before continuing on. Supplies, gear, that sort of thing.” Daisy nodded again. “Well, I hope you enjoy your time in Ponyville. It’s always nice meeting a new face. If you have time before you leave, I’d say you should stop by Sugarcube Corner. The mare working there, Pinkie Pie, is sure to throw you a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party! She’s always glad to meet new folks, and she would be simply devastated if she heard someone new had come by without saying hello.” The dull red pony smiled. “Thank you for the welcome. I might consider staying for a while, if- “ He was suddenly cut off as a beige earth pony with a dark red mane walked up to Daisy. Her cutie mark was a rose. He stared at it. Rose. Sells an assortment of flowers for cosmetics. Also sells perfumes, scents. One of Daisy’s friends - explains her interruption - A town gossip. Overreacts, regards strangers with heavy distrust. . . oh my. As he came out of his private thoughts, he overheard the last bit of what Rose had said to her friend. “- need help setting up my stall, I got up late today. Oh, sorry, did I interrupt?” she inquired. She noticed his vacant stare. His wide eyes, his gaping mouth. He looked terrible, uncouth even. In her hyperactive imagination, she immediately connected the dots and drew in a breath to scream. The cloaked pony could only look on in despair as the inevitable happened. “ZOMBIE-PONY!!!!!!!” Rose shrieked at the top of her voice. Everyone in the immediate vicinity stopped to stare at the stranger she was now pointing at. “EVERYPONY RUN!!!!” “Now wait a second-” the cloaked pony’s denial was cut off as every pony heeded Rose’s warning and ran. The ground shook as every one sped off in a panic. Daisy looked on in utter confusion, right until Rose grabbed her by the tail and dragged her away from the stall. The dull red pony simply stood there and watched as everyone rapidly disappeared into their homes and tried to avoid the stranger in their midst. As the last foal was dragged inside and the door shut, the dull red pony closed his eyes, lowered his head, and sighed. “Damnit. That normally only happens on the third day.” ---------- On the other side of town, a certain pink-maned pony was hopping along to the town square. She had gotten up extra early that day because she had a feeling something important would happen. As it turned out, something DID happen. “EVERYPONY RUN!!!!” Pinkie Pie turned to face the direction the yell had come from, and was rewarded with the sight of hundreds of ponies running in a panic. She giggled with excitement. “Ooh, is it the Running of the Leaves already? Aww, I should have gotten Twilight’s balloon out! I’m going to miss out on being the commentator! Maybe if I hurry... Wait a minute, wasn’t that a few months ago?” Pinkie stopped her musings long enough to realize that every pony had already disappeared. She looked at the town market in curiosity, wondering what had happened. “Hey, where’d everypony go? They were all here a second ago!” Pinkie Pie brought her hoof up to her chin and pondered the situation. A bright lightbulb abruptly appeared over her head as she raised her hoof up and exclaimed, “I know! It’s time,” -she donned her deerstalker hat and pipe- “to go sleuthing!” With her mind made up, Pinkie started to hop towards the center of all the commotion. ---------- The dull red earth pony walked through the now empty streets, condemned to continue his journey without resting. He knew what had happened was inevitable no matter where he went, he just hadn’t expected it to occur so soon after entering a new town. He sighed. At least they didn’t drive me out with torches and pitchforks like they did in Fillydelphia... He stopped and shuddered. Those were some of his worst memories, and he certainly didn’t want to remember them, not when he had been rejected again so recently. His resolve hardened as he accepted the fact that he needed to leave the town. He glanced back towards the way he came, debating whether he should leave the same way or go out a different exit. After a moment of hesitation, he decided to continue forwards rather than backtrack the way he had come in. Just as he was getting into his rhythm again - a well honed ritual that kept him from over thinking as he walked - he heard a strange sound that was coming from his left. He paused, and lifted his head to look at the source. There was a pink pony, happily bouncing across grass and dirt towards him. With every jump she took, a small, almost comical bouncing noise accompanied her. While it would have been absurd with any other pony, it seemed to fit her perfectly, complimenting her frizzy mane, bubbly happiness, and her cutie mark - three balloons. He stared at her, quickly gaining an understanding of who she was. Pinkamena Diane Pie. Prefers Pinkie Pie. Loves to laugh, smile, make friends. Knows everyone, bakes treats at . . . Mr. and Mrs. Cake’s bakery, Sugarcube Corner. Five best friends. He scrunched his forehead as he concentrated. Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity. Special bond . . . Elements of Harmony. His eyes widened. Element of Laughter. He certainly couldn’t deny that last part. Everything about her screamed joy and happiness. But deep inside, he could sense a small but very deep pocket of insecurity, of unhappiness. She might be compensating, or making up for lost time... He decided to shake away those dark thoughts, and instead concentrate on the sheer exuberance she radiated. He instantly felt happier, her thoughts and feelings rubbing off on his psyche. Before he knew it, he was smiling with the same intensity she was. It made it all the easier for her to sneak up on him. “Hey, it’s not nice to read other people’s thoughts!” He crashed back to reality in an instant, and found himself face to face with the pink pony. She gave him a look, as if berating him for his rudeness. “Didn’t your parents ever teach you some manners?” she demanded of him. “I uh... well...” he hesitated, not wanting to give an answer to the startling mare in front of him. She huffed. “Well, the very least you can do is apologize, you know!” He was left absolutely flabbergasted. “How in blazes did you know I was reading your thoughts . . .  er, emotions?” The cloaked pony was starting to feel outmatched by this pink prodigy. Never before had he been confronted on his unique abilities. She immediately lightened up and let out a loose laugh. “Oh, silly! The same way you would read a book! After all, the author doesn’t really guard his screen, so I’m free to look whenever I want!” The red pony gave her a blank look. “Um... sure. Anyways, so you’re Pinkie Pie?” She gave him an enthusiastic nod. “Well then... hi?” He felt incredibly awkward all of a sudden. “HI!!” she yelled. Then she giggled. Then she snorted, and started to giggle again. “Right... well then...” he was at a loss for words. What could he possibly say that would make this go more smoothly? He decided to go with the first thing that popped into his mind. “So, why haven’t you ran off like everyone else?” Inwardly, he groaned. Great. Now you’re going to scare her away too. She stopped her incessant giggling for a moment and gave him a serious look. “I thought it might be because you caused everyone to run off in a panic.” Her eyebrows wiggled, giving him the impression she was asking, ‘Well, did you?’ He sighed, and started to explain in a monotone voice, “No, I was simply getting breakfast when this mare looked at me and suddenly yelled ‘Zombie pony!’” he said, going through the effort of mimicking her high-pitched scream. “Before I could say anything, everyone was panicking and fleeing like it was the end of days.” He looked at her with pleading eyes. “Please, I’m just looking for a place to stay, for even a few nights. I’ve been traveling for weeks straight, I need to rest.” She gave him an appraising look, and replied, “Yep, that sounds like good ol’ Rose for ya! Anyways, the bakery has more than enough room for a guest! Wanna stay over for a few nights?” The cloaked pony couldn’t believe his ears. A pony that was actually willing to take him in, free of charge? It sounded too good to be true. “Wow, uh... that’s very generous of you!” he replied. “Are you sure I won’t be a burden? I mean, I don’t want to impose...” Despite his relief, he still felt bad, like he was taking advantage of someone. “Don’t worry about that, you silly goose! I’ll just have you help around the bakery!” She had given him an offer. A real, honest-to-Celestia offer. He was hungry, tired, and in sore need of a bath. Who was he to reject it after all of the troubles he had been through? He nodded. “In that case, I’ll take you up on your offer, Pinkie. Thank you.” He had rarely felt so genuinely thankful for something someone had done for him. It was liberating; he felt like his hopes and desires had finally come true after years of wandering. “No problem, new friend o’ mine!” She cheerfully exclaimed. Then, all of a sudden, she halted. She looked at him, and said, “Well, you can’t really be my friend until I know your name... So, what is it?” She gave him a reassuring smile. He held her gaze steadily, and then slowly grinned. “I’m sure with your …. talents, you should already know.” He wasn’t willing to drop his guard around her quite yet, despite her kind offer. “Oh, silly! I don’t have time to go back to the previous chapter! It would take me at least a few minutes. Besides, it would mean a lot more if it came from you personally!” He wasn’t sure what to do. He had never given his name out, not to those he didn’t know well enough. But then again. He caught her gaze again, and noticed she had putten up sad puppy dog eyes. He knew she was just trying to abuse her cuteness to get an answer from him, but he couldn’t resist. I might be many things, but a heartless bastard isn’t one of them. He sighed. “Alright Pinkie. My name’s Mark. It’s a pleasure to get to know you.” She squealed in happiness. “Yay! A new friend! Oh my goodness, we’re gonna have SO much fun it’s unbelievable! Ooh, I need to show you all my friends, and then we can show you your room, and then I can introduce you to the Cakes! Oh, this will be amazing!” Pinkie continued to ramble on with excitement, leading her new friend back to the bakery. He didn’t fully realize what he was getting into, but he knew enough to be nervous. In either case, the pony in front of him was exuding enough joy to keep him calm. Well, I have a friend, and I haven’t been driven from the town as quite as fast as I had feared. Maybe this will work out for the better for once.