//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: The beginning of it all // Story: The Lost Pony: Misty on Earth // by Movingtarget Productions //------------------------------// The Lost Pony: Misty on Earth Written by: Movingtarget Productions Chapter 1: The beginning of it all Y’know, life is weird in a way. Always either knocking you down haymaker style or letting you walk along. Or life throws a curveball at you occasionally, like what happened to me one rainy evening on Dremel Road in rural Virginia… Date: Tuesday, July 24th, 2025 Time: 19:42 Location: Middle of nowhere, Virginia Matt Fedrick was driving his 2007 Ford F-150 XLT down a back road in Virginia. The sky was gray with raindrops on the windshield, the road was a bit slick from a shower or 2, and the 28-year-old was listening to some newer country music while gently drumming along with the beat as the Midnight Black truck traveled down the hilly road. Matt glanced at a small My Little Pony figurine that he had glued onto the dashboard facing the hood, he then glanced at his fuel reading on his full OLED Gauge display, the thing reading, “21.4 MPG, 53 Miles to E.” “Great, need to get gas,” Matt grumbled as he approached a main road intersection with a small gas station around the corner. He hung a left into the station, drove to the 4-pump fuel island, and stopped the truck before getting his debit card out and putting it in the card slot. The pump didn’t recognize the card so Matt walked into the mart that was attached to the station. Once inside he took note of the male cashier behind the counter and a cooler of energy drinks. Matt walked over to the cooler and grabbed a 24oz can of Monster along with a same-size Red Bull before walking over to the register and setting the drinks down. “Good evening sir, is that all for you?” The cashier asked. “Hey, just these drinks and $100 on pump 3” Matt responded before taking out his card again. “Alright, your total is $113.05 this evening. And you can get a sandwich on the way out free of charge.” “Alright, thank you, man,” Matt said as he went back outside with goods in tow. Matt hopped back into his truck sometime later after filling his main and auxiliary tanks and cranked the engine, hearing the sound of 8 pounding pistons and the low whine of the turbocharger spooling up. After getting back onto the road, Matt continued down the quiet road, occasionally glancing at the speed which hovered at about 58 MPH. Matt hooked his beaten Nokia C110 up to the aftermarket touchscreen infotainment system and started playing his Spotify playlist, with an Eric Church song coming on first. After a while of driving, Matt noted that the truck was sliding occasionally so he reached down to the 4WD knob and switched to 4WD, he listens for the clunk of the transfer case engaging and leans back up once he hears it to keep his eyes on the road. He then notices something jump into the road and Matt slams on the brakes which puts the truck into a slide. He manages to swing his tail in the other direction to avoid the object in the road and he slides to a stop. Matt puts the truck into Park before getting out and rushing to the thing that has collapsed in the road behind him. What he saw was a blueish unicorn with pink accents and the coat looked pretty dirty. Matt gasped slightly, he knew exactly who this was and he knew he had to help this pony. And so, with a slight grunt, Matt lifted the pony up and carried it, no, HER, to the truck fireman style, he struggled to open the rear passenger door and he laid her down on the bench seat, wrapping her in a blanket as well. He then shut the door softly and got back in the truck. After ensuring that his new cargo was safe in the back, he put the truck in Drive and headed for the highway. About an hour later… Matt merged onto Interstate 64 and set his cruise to 65 before taking a sip of his Red Bull, and then glancing at the rearview mirror at the sleeping pony in the back seat which he had to admit was adorable. He then resumed his playlist at a much lower volume so as to not wake the mare. After about an hour of driving, Matt took note of the time and yawned, he then took note of an exit coming up that had a Super 8 nearby. Though he hated Super 8 with a passion, it was the closest hotel to him and he figured he would suck it up for a night. And so with a flick of the blinker, Matt slid over to the exit lane and took the exit, turning right onto the road and turning left into the hotel parking lot. After paying another 100 bucks and receiving his keycard, Matt walked out of the lobby and got back into the idling truck, driving to a spot closest to his room and parking. The truck sounded the well known Ford tone as Matt turned off the truck and turned the headlights off. Matt got out of the truck and opened the rear Driver’s side door, hauling out the still knocked out pony and shutting the door. Matt then took her inside and put her on one of the beds before pointing his key fob out the front door and locked the truck, enabling the theft alarm. After closing the door and locking it, Matt went into the bathroom to take a shower. While doing so, he began to think about the unicorn on the bed. “How the hell is this possible?” Was his first thought, “How is it that my favorite pony from Gen 5 suddenly appears in this world, only for me to rescue her from the middle of the road in Virginia of all places?” Was his next thought. He pondered for a bit then he said to himself, “Why, why is it Misty Brightdawn of all ponies needs to have this experience?” He finished showering and dried off, putting back on the same clothes from earlier. Matt then looked at his phone which read 23:54 on the lock screen. Turning off his phone, Matt laid down in the other bed and turned off the light, mentally preparing for what might come in the morning.