//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Hidden Wonder // by ChancellorSC //------------------------------// “...Are you sure this will work...?” “...I’m not sure, but it has to...” “...What if we get caught again...we’ll have nowhere else to go...” “...” “...I see...” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Two ponies emerged from the Everfree Forest, one a pegasus with a melancholy expression on his face, the other a very nervous looking ‘unicorn’, darting his eyes around in the dark. “I don’t know if I can do this,” said the nervous stallion, gulping harshly. His friend turned to him and said, “Look, there’s nothing to worry about. It’s midnight and nopony would be out this late anyways.” He gave the unicorn a reassuring pat on the back and continued forward to the sleeping town of Ponyville. “If you say so...” the twitchy unicorn mumbled to himself and quickly made his way to the side of his companion once more. The two ponies walked down the path that enters the main square of the town. “I think we should find a place to rest; an inn or something should do,” the pegasus said. “I don’t know,” replied the unicorn hesitantly . “What if the innkeeper catches us? Then she’ll call the police, and the police will call the royal guard, and the royal guard will have us killed-” The pegasus shoved a hoof into his mouth. “We’re gonna get caught if you keep yelling like that,” he removes his hoof. “now just shut up and keep calm. They’re not going to let in some twitchy unicorn into their inn. They’ll think you're planning to rob the place or something. Now just stand up straight and follow my lead.” The unicorn just nodded his head in approval and followed him to a dimly lit building down the road. After a very silent walk down the road, a bell signaled that the inn’s front door had been opened and the once sleepy innkeeper stood straight up at attention. “Welcome to the Sunnyhoof Inn, best beds in all of Ponyville. How can I help you two this fine night?” she said with a smile. The pegasus stood forward. “Well, me and my friend here were just looking for a place to spend the night. How much for a room?” “A room for the night is twenty bits. The whole week is a hundred”. The pegasus looked at his partner and he shrugged back, “Alright, one week it is” he replied as he threw a bag of bits on the counter. “Alright heres your key. Your room is the last door on the left. All I need now is your names.” She stated as she pulled out a quill and dabs it in ink ready to hear their response. The pegasus simply stated “Pheedy and Smart Cookie.” She gave a slight chuckle. “Not what I would have named you but a names a name,” she replied, sliding the key to the pony and closing her record book. The pegasus replied with a small smile and quickly trotted off to his room with a quiet unicorn in tow. As the duo entered the room, Smart Cookie gave a sigh of relief. “I’m glad thats over,” he exclaimed as Pheedy struck a match and lit a candle. Pheedy gave a light laugh. “That was a single pony in the middle of the night, and I was doing most of the talking. I can't wait until tomorrow morning,” he replied, all with a sly grin on his face. Cookie gave a light punch to his shoulder as the room was finally bright enough to see. Both ponies stared at each other, one covered in dirt, the other, not so much. The dirt covered pegasus was Pheedy, average height, dark blue coat, long deep purple mane and tail, emerald green eyes, and a black and red shield for a cutie mark. Nothing really stood out of the ordinary with him, just a normal pegasus trying to get by. The unicorn was Smart Cookie. Same height as Pheedy but with a clean white coat, bright red and yellow mane, fiery orange eyes, and a golden crown for a cutie mark, but with something that made him stand out from the rest of the crowd; something that didn't quite add up. His horn was broken, snapped in two, and unfortunately for him it attracted a whole lot of unwanted attention. Cookie gave a nervous smile. “I think you need a shower Pheeds...” he said quietly. “I would, but I’m afraid to leave you alone in a room for longer than twenty seconds.” Pheedy replied with a big toothy grin. “Don’t worry, I think as long as I don’t break character, I’ll be fine,” Cookie answered, sighing the last few words. “Alright, but try to go to bed, we've got a long day ahead of us, and I don't want you trudging along like a zombie.” The unicorn smiled and gave a nervous nod. Pheedy smiled back and walked to the bathroom. Cookie heard the faint sounds of a shower running as he maneuvered under the covers of one of the beds. He laid his weary head down on the cool pillow and stared at the ceiling, thinking. Thinking of all the past towns he had been to. Thinking of all the friends he had made. Thinking of their reactions when they found out the truth. Thinking of the same cycle that has gone on for many a year. He thought and thought, and as he thought his eyes slowly closed shut, and he drifted off to sleep. Pheedy emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, steam flowing from the room and his mane wrapped in a towel. He smiled as he saw his friend, resting calmly in his bed. He threw his towel lazily back into the bathroom and trotted to his bed. He quickly made his way under the sheets and took one last look at his companion. He was sleeping, as calm as the summer sea. Funny, he had never seen him this calm in a long time, ever since the first incident in Canterlot. Pheedy rolled over and began to stare at the ceiling. He thought of his adventures with his friend and all the trials and tribulations he had been through. But this time it was different, he felt something different about this place, something...welcoming and accepting. “I think this is the one” he whispered to himself as he too slowly closed his eyes and went to sleep. “...What the- oh no...” “...What was-WHA GET AWAY...” “...please...don’t...” “...Somepony help!...” “…Cookie, we need to go now!...” “...not again...” Smart Cookie shot up from his bed, sweating and breathless. Another one of the same nightmares he has had for the past few months. He looked out the window to see the sun just rising from the horizon and some ponies out in the market square setting up their stands with various merchandise, ranging from basic produce to exotic jewelry. He looked at Pheedy, sprawled out on his bed, still fast asleep. He sighed. As much as he wanted to leave the comfort and safety of his room, he just didn't feel comfortable without his pegasus companion. So he did what he does everytime this happens: he got all spruced up, looking as ‘normal’ as possible, looking himself over for any imperfections that might give himself away, and stares at the ponies outside, trying to learn from them so he can fit in and not look like the odd card out. Then he waited, waited for his friend to get up so they can start the day anew, just like they have done many times before. Sometimes he waits for a few minutes, sometimes its hours, but to Cookie, as long as he's safe, he doesn't care. Luckily for him, Pheedy woke up rather quickly and gave him a concerned look. “Another nightmare, eh?” Cookie just nodded and lowered his ears. “Don’t worry about it, I have a good feeling about this place!” he exclaimed, trying to cheer him up. Cookie just gave him a blank stare. “Thats what you said last time...” he replied quietly. Pheedy scrunched up his snout. “You know what, lets just put that all behind us and get us some breakfast, okay?” The duo left the inn after a brief chat with the innkeeper about their stay so far. It was around seven o'clock according to Pheedy, and they decide to go to the bakery in the middle of town; something called the ‘Sugarcube Corner’. As they stepped inside they were overwhelmed with the smell of freshly made bread and frosting. Cookie gave a big toothy grin and sat at a nearby table. Pheedy gave a reassuring smile and sat across from him. After a while, a plump blue mare walked up and gave them both menus and pulled out a notepad to take their order. “Hmmm, I think I’ll just have some coffee, extra cream,” said Pheedy. “I’ll have a stack of pancakes with extra syrup please,” Cookie said proudly. The chubby pony smiled. “Say, I don’t recognise you folks from anywhere. Are you from out of town?” she asked, putting the notepad away. “Yea, I guess you could say that,” replied Pheedy. “Well it’s a good thing I found ya first, cause if Pinkie were here she’d probably want to throw a-” she was interrupted as a pink pony jumped out of her mane onto the table. “PARTY!” the strange pony shouted into the air. “I absolutely positively love parties!” she said loudly right in Pheedy’s face. “I also love meeting new ponies!”, she said noisily, now in Cookies face, him flinching back. “Wait a minute,” the pink pony said to Cookie, still inches away from his face. “Something’s off about you...” she said squinting at him. He felt his heart beating faster as he tried to think of a way out of this situation as peacefully as possible. He looked at Pheedy. All he did was shrug his arms with a blank stare. “W-Whatever do you mean miss?” he asked nervously. “You...you look like you like to party!” she said loudly into his face. He exhaled quietly, “Actually I-” he was abruptly cut off as a pink hoof was placed over his mouth. “You don't need to tell me anything mister, I’m already way ahead of you,” she said with a dash of pride. “I already invited at least fifteen ponies to your ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party, I just need to finish the banner, all it says is ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ and a big white space where your names are supposed to be. I should really get to that,” she said, finally dismounting from the table. She calmly trotted away to a back room behind the cashier's counter, leaving Pheedy and Cookie staring awkwardly at each other. A few moments passed and the blue pony began to speak. “Sorry about that, that’s just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie,” she said, rolling her eyes. “You’ll get used to it around here.” Her eyes shot open “Oh!, I’m terribly sorry, I never got to introduce myself. My name is Cup Cake and I run this bakery along with my husband, Carrot Cake, but everypony just calls us Mr. and Mrs. Cake.” she said. Pheedy extends a hoof for a hoofshake. “Very nice to meet you Mrs. Cake. I’m Pheedy and my friend here is Smart Cookie.” She shook his hoof and turns her head to face Cookie, who in return, turns his head in the other direction. “Sorry about him, he’s shy,” Pheedy said. “Oh that’s quite alright” she reassures him. “Now I think I’ll go and get your order.” And with that she walked to the same room where Pinkie Pie did before. Not even a second passes and the mysterious pink pony shot out from under the table and gazed at the shocked duo. “You’ve got funny names,” she giggled. With that she walked up a staircase out of sight, leaving the two staring at each other in confusion. After a remarkable breakfast, the duo wandered the town for a little sightseeing. They went to the town hall; they went to the park; they went to an apple orchard, and overall just wanted to kill some time. They saw many different ponies. They saw a magenta colored earth pony guiding some fillies and colts through town hall. They saw a mint colored unicorn sitting oddly at a bench at the park. And they saw a buff red pony kicking some apple trees at the orchard. And in all, it was a calm, peaceful day. They ended their walk at the library, which was oddly in the hollowed out shell of a large tree. Pheedy was a huge reader and Cookie, well, should try to read more than a book a year. They entered the door to see a lavender unicorn tucking a small purple dragon into a little bed. Don’t see that everyday. The unicorn looked back at the intruders, “Oh, I didn’t realize there were customers, I’m sorry, were closed for the day. Another one of Pinkies parties again,” she said with a sigh. “I think it’s for some newcomers in town. All Pinkie said was that they had funny names, then she just hopped off.” Cookie blushed a little, and Pheedy kicked at the ground in silence. Her eyes widened, “Oh! You must be the new ponies. I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” she said quickly. “No need, we get that a lot,” said Pheedy. “I’m Pheedy and this is Smart Cookie,” he said calmly. The unicorn stifled a laugh, “My name is Twilight Sparkle, pleasure to meet you” she said regaining her bearings. “Well now that we’ve gotten acquainted, how about we go to that party?” asked the pegasus. “Oh, right, I almost forgot. Lets go,” Twilight said. It was a quiet walk to the bakery. Pheedy and Twilight gave some idle chit chat, but nothing too interesting. Cookie kind of trudged behind them keeping his head down, thinking of ways he could avoid this party. If there was one thing he dreaded most, it’s to be the center of attention in a room filled with strangers, who could maybe even see the real him. “Hey Cookie” The voice caught him off guard as he jolted his head upward, only to dilate his eyes at the sight of the bakery in front of him. He stood there with his mouth agape. “Uhhh, Cookie?” the voice repeated. He blinked and shook his head. Pheedy stood there in front of him with his usual concerned look. “You feeling okay?” he asked. Cookie just nodded his head slowly, a sweat bead sliding down his temple. Pheedy knew Cookie, he knows when he’s lying to him, he has very obvious signs: sweating, quiet, shaking, the usual stuff. He motioned Twilight to go in without them as he walked closer to Cookie. Pheedy gave him another look which was enough for him to crack. “I’m not nervous about parties, I’m nervous that they will notice me, or I’ll blow my cover or something,” he managed to say. “Look,” Pheedy started.” I know you're nervous, but you're overreacting. I’m sure you won't break your cover. You've done this many times before, just relax and enjoy some cake or something.” Cookie only gave him a reassuring smile, and Pheedy realizing that this was as good as its going to get, dragged him inside the bakery. There was a blatant ‘Surprise!’ that the guests did, confetti and everything. There were about ten guests, guess the other five didn’t make it. There was Pinkie and Twilight, a rainbow maned pegasus talking to an orange earth pony near the punch. A white unicorn chatting about a big order of some sort. There was a yellow pegasus in the back, keeping to herself. There was that school teacher again. And there was three fillies talking about cutie marks or somthing like that. Pheedy did most of the talking, learning names, having a good time, telling stories about him and Cookie. Cookie kind of just stood near the cake, occasionally taking a slice and eating it at a nearby table. There was dancing, games, you know, party stuff. An hour or two passed. Then ,after most of them left, Pheedy (knowing most of the names now), Twilight, Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash remained, having a conversation. “So why is your friend so quiet anyway? I don’t think I heard his voice once today,” asked Rainbow Dash. Pheedy thought for a second, the other three waiting for a response. “He’s been through a lot,” Pheedy finally said. “Like what?” replied Twilight, curious to know about this shy ponies past. “I don’t think he’d be too happy if I just told you,” he responded “lets just say that somethings happened and he doesn't trust ponies as much as he used to.” Pinkie’s ears drooped. “Awww, thats no fun.” she said, pouting her face. “Now I’ll never know.” Pheedy chuckled as he looked out the window at the gazing moon in the sky. “Whelp, I think it’s about time we turned in for the day,” said Pheedy, stretching his hind legs. Cookie shot up from his cake and quickly made his way back to the side of his friend. Pheedy rolled his eyes and waved the remaining party guests good night. Another quiet walk down to the inn. Pheedy had a blank stare the entire way there. Cookie sulked and lowered his head once again. He doesn't like Pheedy like this. “You could have talked to somepony,” Pheedy said breaking the silence. “You can’t be like this forever. If you want to fit in, you’ve got to learn to face your fears, open your shell, and talk to ponies.” Silence. “Her name was Fluttershy,” Cookie said. Pheedy almost tripped at the statement he had just heard. Did he actually talk to another living being? “She was nice,” he continued “she lives near the Everfree, and takes care of animals,”. Pheedy could only smile. He knew his gut was right; he knew this was the right place from the very beginning; he knew this was where their past will stop, and their new future begins.