A new beginning
By Da Bunnana King
Chapter One: The first step on a long journy
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I lay on my back just like what I would've done a week ago, under a hot tin roof. But no... now I was on my way to Equestria to start a new life. It was almost like a dream come true. No more men hunting you, no more bounty on your head and no more having to eat rotten food. Now it was going to be a nice life in Equestria, free as a pony could be.
The last words made a frown form upon my face. These ponyisms had began to get on my nerves, sure everypony... or... well I guess it was everypony now but it was still annoying as heck. I guess that was one of the prices of ponifying, having to use their words and language. Well I guess its what I signed up for, even if I did ponify myself.
I rolled over and looked at the slumbering filly on the hammock. She had a silver mane that you could almost call steel and a sage green coat that looked like dark green grass that once populated the Earth. She had hazel eyes that were like the color of tree trunks, to say the least, she was adorable and I was glad that she decided to come alone with me and not wanting to stay with the PER*.
I rolled back onto my back and stared up at the wooden ceiling of the boat that was faring me to Equestria. The ship rocked gently back and forth almost trying to lull me back to sleep in my hammock, but instead made sleep much harder. I couldn’t stand the constant motion which made me feel sick to the stomach.
I slowly rolled off the hammock which made a small clop noise when my hooves connected with the ground. I still couldn’t get over the fact that I now walked on all fours and had hooves instead of hands. I still felt like I had fingers but I guess it was like ghost limb syndrome or something where the patient could still feel his limbs even though they weren’t there.
I looked at my hooves, they were the same pale navy blue that they were in the dream. It was strange how the hooves matched the color of my coat, and how I could almost feel the wood beneath my hooves. Must have been some sort of magic, it was how I ended up in this mess in the first place.
Thaumatic radiation sickness was the term for when a human is exposed to lethal amounts of magic and I was the unlucky colt kid who got hit with the stuff. Lucky me, that and I was also being hunted by the head of a group bent on revenge who also killed my father. I guess when the universe was handing out luck, I got the shortest straw that was made out of nails.
But I put that whole ordeal behind me, right now I just wanted to get some fresh air before my lunch came back up. As quietly as I could I crept out of the cabin that we had claimed for the ferry ride to Equestria.
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I trotted up the deck as the sun began to slowly set over the horizon lighting up the sky in a red haze along with the sea. It reminded me of that small tin house I called home, but that was behind me now. Even though I got rid of somepony chasing my tail I instead picked up another.
I trotted up to the side of the ship and placed my forelegs on the side and stared off into the sunset as a small tear began to form in my eye. It reminded me so much of home and all the good times I had as a child. I could feel it rolling down my muzzle, I raised my hoof and smeared it across my face.
I could feel the soft breeze toss my mane idly as I continued to stare into the sunset with a look of grief upon my face as I remembered all the fun times I had.
“Hey, why the long face?” asked a pony as he trotted up next to me.
“Nothing, just remembering the old days before Equestria and the HLF** knocking down my door.” I responded as I could see a burgundy muzzle and a brown mane which I could barely see in my peripheral vision.
“Sounds bad,” he said as he rested his forearms on the oak railing of the ship.
“Yeah, usually when the HLF are involved thing end up dying or blowing up around you.” I responded as I could feel the pain inflicted by them over my short life as a human.
“I’m guessing they took something away from you,” he said with a sincere tone of voice.
“Well it’s kind of a long story,” I said as I turned my head towards him.
“Well it’s a long boat ride and I do like stories.” he said as the large earth pony turned towards me.
“Well it all started three years ago when I joined the Australian Defence Force.” I began,
I told him about my time in the Army and the hard life it was enforcing martial law on the civilians of Australia. Then I told him about Equestria emerged and the government collapsing, but there was one part in my life important before that which I tiptoed around as it hurt to much to go back to that week of my life.
“Wow, thats one heck of a life,” he said as I continued my story.
“Yeah, but that’s before I had to...” I said as I could feel the pain coming back from that day.
I told him about how I wondered upon that HLF safe house and stormed it killing several high ranking officers. It was a feat that most riflemen dream to achieve, which is how I earned a promotion and a nice bounty. I hated it but one officer survived and he came after me like a bat outta hell. I told him about that night and how he killed my father, critically injured my mother and left me to hang as an example of those who would defy the Human Liberation Force. I could see in his eyes the dread and fear that my story inflicted, I wasn’t surprised because it even made most people I told it to sick to the stomach.
“Wow, sounds like this guy really hated you.” he said as he gulped in fear of what horrors my life would reveal.
“Don’t worry, it gets better... kinda, but this all started a few days ago.” I began again as I told him about the small tin roof I called a home and how I ran to the closest Convention Bureau to seek a new life.
There I was told I had advanced Thaumatic radiation sickness and where my mind split in two, one side I was my mind and the other was Rose. She was the voice in the back of my head that told me to use common sense but the magic made her voice audible. Shortly after the news the HLF decided to attack the bureau in a futile attempt to kill me.
I told him about how I ran out of that bureau and sought help from the Ponification for Earth’s Rebirth where I had some friends who got me in the front door without being covered in a thick layer of ponification serum.
I explained to him what my plan was that I told the Knights of the PER, most of them were in favour of storming the HLF’s headquarters but I told him my ulterior motive of exacting revenge on the man who killed my family.
“Wow, you work quickly. I mean you did all that in under two days, heck it would take the Royal Guard to do anything like that a week at the most.” he said,
“Yeah well when you have the possibility of not waking up tomorrow. It usually makes you work faster.” I said as a land mass began forming out of the horrizon.
“So you were going to tell me about that attack,” he said as he moved his mane out of his eyes as the wind began to pick up.
“Well theres not much to tell. I walked in there threw the potion bombs, exact my revenge and downed the potion,” I said as I waved my hoof.
“Well I saw you come aboard with a foal, is she your sister or something?” he asked as I forgot to tell him about Remi.
“Oh well you see,” I said as I flattened my ears against my head, “Remi was in the base when the PER attacked it and she was caught in the crossfire. Her mother abandoned her and I found her crying in a corner. I took her with me because she needs a family and I don’t trust that the PER has good moral standards. They may be nice but I don’t think I foal should be raised there.”
“I see, I know what you mean. I have a little sister I found when I was doing a job in the Everfree forest and I’ve been raising her ever since.”
“Oh, well what happened to the parents?” I asked,
“Well... It wasn’t pretty but it looked like a griffin attacked them and little Leapfrog was left to fend for herself so I took her in.” he said,
“Right... wait I don’t think we properly introduced ourselves.” I said as I had no idea who this mountain of an earthpony was.
“Oh right,” he said as he held out a hoof, “My name is Aegis Exemplar.”
I took pressed my hoof against his , guessing it was the pony form of a handshake and replied with, “Blue Rune.”
“Well it’s a pleasure to meet you Runey,” he said as I could already feel that nickname was going to slowly become my real name in no time.
“How’d you know what Remi calls me?”
“I heard her call you that when you both boarded, but I guess you want to hear about me.” he said as the land mass slowly began to grow larger as the sun lowered ever so slowly.
===
He spent hours talking about his exploits as a freelancer in Equestria and how the Royal Guard was a both a military force and a regular police force at the same time. After that I asked about Equestria and whatnot and from what I heard it was just a peaceful land with ponies and full of fun and laughter. It really sounded like a ‘Garden of Eden,’ if God was taking drugs and was into watching childrens shows.
“So that’s how Equestria was made, according to legend.” Aegis joked as I began to laugh,
“Oh that’s never going to get old.” I laughed as I saw the sun began to set and a small port beginning to emerge from the landmass which had crept up on me.
“Looks like we’ll be on Equestrian soil soon, so I better get my things ready.” Aegis said as he stretched out his forelegs.
“Yeah and I better get Remi up, I know how long it took me to get up. I can only imagine how long it’s going to take her,” I said chuckling as I began making my way towards the lower deck.
“Hey! You have any idea where you’re going to stay in Equestria?” yelled Aegis as he galloped over to me.
“Well my mum said she was staying in a town called ‘Ponyville’ last I heard.” I said as I pushed open the large oak door.
“But I thought you said your mother was dead.” he said,
“I said ‘critically injured’ and didn’t I tell you she got ponified?” I asked as I walked up to the cabin that Remi and I had claimed for the trip.
“No but I think we could travel together since I don’t think you even know how to even walk properly.” Aegis said as he playfully punched me in my shoulder as I was quickly introduced to the ground again.
I brought myself uneasily back to all four, “Yeah, that and it would be nice company instead of wandering around in circles as Remi tugs on my mane asking ‘Are we there yet?” I said as I returned the playful punch.
“Right, well I’ll see you on the docks.” he said as he continued down the hallway.
===
I trotted into the cabin and began to pick up some of our things we had taken out to reach the blanket.
Remi was still there silently sleeping snuggled up in her blanket as if she was attempting to make a cocoon with it. I walked up to her and gave her a little nudge as I whispered into her ear, “Remi, were going to be in Equestria soon and we have to leave the ship so five more minutes of sleep.”
“Mmmhmh, noo. Carry me there,” she mumbled as she pushed my muzzle away with her hoof.
“I’ll be back and you better be bright eyed and bushy tailed.” I whispered back as I began to pack the saddle bags for the journey ahead.
Remi slowly began to stir from her blanket cocoon and unravel herself which nearly made her fall off the hammock. I walked up to her as she clung on to my neck to get down onto the floor, she was light but she made me feel like my neck was going to pop off from my body.
“Come on Remi, wakey wakey. We’re nearly there.” I said as she grabbed the blanket with her teeth and dragged it over herself and fell asleep once more.
I shook my head as I knew she was wanting me to carry her on my back, but it was a cold night so I ignored her as I finished packing our saddle bags.
I fastened the two brown bags to my back and wrapped up Remi carefully, as I placed her on my back. I could feel her wrapping herself into the blanket as she wrapped her hooves around my neck.
‘I think that’s everything,’ I mentally said to myself as I quickly checked the room for any of our belongings that we left behind, ‘No that looks like it, now to find Aegis then off to Ponyville we go... god I hope mum doesn’t have a heart attack when she see us.’
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Author’s Notes: Well here we go again, and thanks to Aegis who is going to now edit it so if it looks bad with grammar then blame him.
Editor’s Notes: Please don’t blame me, I can only do so much!
Author’s Notes: Blame him, blame it all on him... Now get back to work slave.
Editor’s Notes: But... I already finished...
Author’s Notes: Excellent.
Terms:
*Ponification for Earth’s Rebirth
** Human Liberation Force