//------------------------------//
// Chapter I : New Beginnings  
// Story: My Little Cry : Fear is Magic 
// by Nyc Clarke 
//------------------------------//

	 Just another rainy day as I sat at my laptop reading the news. I heard the rain hitting the side of the window outside as I sat in my chair with the light from my computer illuminating my face. My name is Nick Flash and I am an Earth pony with a black, scraggly mane and tail. My eyes were dark brown that from afar, blended in with my pupils. My cutie mark was that of a red lightning bolt, curved down to an edge with three drops of blood coming from it. I don't remember how I got my cutie mark all of those years ago. I barley remember waking up from a nightmare and suddenly had it. I was scrolling through some news since I don't watch TV and I haven't been updated in a while. Even if I did watch TV, I wouldn't get any signal. Ever since an 'Incident' I haven't payed any bills or anything like that. I even have a stack of bills and unopened letters on a table in the kitchen. I am under Depression and there isn't anything that can help me as of now. I have always been alone and I think that is what is causing it. I don't know if I like it, but all I know is that ever since I was little, I have always liked to be alone. Always inside while the other foals were outside playing. Even in school I was that one quiet kid in the back of the classroom. I was almost picked on because of it, until I bashed some kid's face in with a lunch tray. I claimed it was self defense, but the kid's parents were threatening to sue if I didn't receive some kind of punishment. I got suspended and they stopped the bullying and left me alone all together, and I think this was worse. And ever since my parents died, the depression deepened. It happened about a year ago.

It was my mothers birthday and my dad thought it would be nice to take her out for dinner in Canterlot. We lived in Manehattan and the thought of going to Canterlot was a good idea. On the way back, the train hit an intersection and collided with another train. Most of the ponies on the other train survived, but the train my parents were on flipped and the bottom of the train collapsed on itself, killing everypony. My parents weren't all that loving to me, but they weren't abusive or bad, they just ignored me. I was sent a letter to an orphanage, but I didn't dare leave the apartment. I was only in my freshman year of high-school when I dropped out. No parents, nopony to pay for school. But I am 15, not 6 and know how to take care of myself. How do you think I survived a year without parents? It would be better not to tell. I still haven't payed any bills and am surprised that my electricity still runs.

I stopped to read about a pony, who is going to be released this week from the mental hospital. His story says he shot two cops who interrupted his attempted suicide. His doctors say he was having a psychosis. As I read on, I discovered that "Simon Henriksson" suffered through the same kind of depression I am experiencing. If I can find him when he gets out, I could probably convince him to help me out with my depression. 
"Well shit" I groan, rolling my head to the side. As I read on I find out that he is in the Ponyville hospital for the mentally ill. I didn't even know they had one.
But here's the thing, Ponyville is all the way across state. I had no other choice other than to pick the train. I looked outside and the rain settled down. I figured that I better get going before the storm picks up again. I went into my room and retrieved my grey zip-up hoodie, a knife my only friend gave me before he moved, I also took my phone and charger. Lastly, I took my tan saddle bag, which I put my items in. I also took my bag of bits from my drawer that I "Borrowed" from around town. I went over and shut down my laptop and put it under my bed along with its cord. I turned off all of the lights and said my goodbyes for now. I pulled my hood over my head and left.

As I left, I put my spare key in the artificial plant on the window seal.  I walked down the metal stairs from the back of the apartment complex. This was my faster way of travel around the city, I couldn't say that it was all that safer than the roads, but it did have less traffic and it was faster. There was stairs that led to an abandoned building that I always use when traveling. Now, I wouldn't say I am doing Parkour, but I can maneuver through the city well. Surprisingly, I didn't run into anypony in the back alleyways. Some could call these graffiti littered walls home but not one pony was in sight. I came up to an end alleyway that led out to the streets and had nowhere else to go. I didn't like the streets, too many ponies to see me, but not like they would anyway. I'm usually ignored, even at school the teachers would mark me down absent even if I was there. I didn't like most of the ponies I lived around either. My apartment was on the edge of the ghetto, and on the beginning of the middle class section. My parents didn't consider themselves poor, or rich either. But we did have enough to go by.

I arrived at the Train Station and I was relived to find at least somepony was here. The streets looked abandoned, and there wasn't any sign of anypony out and about in the streets. The only pony I saw was the ticket manager and I gladly walked up to him. 
"Excuse me. Could I get one ticket to Ponyville?" I ask.
"Yes. That will be thirty bits." He asked looking at me suspiciously. I reach down and fiddle with the bits until I count them all out, and scoot them towards him.
"There you are" I say and he gladly takes them.
"You alright kid? You seem on edge." He said, hoofing me my ticket.
"Yea. Just, a lot on my mind right now" I sigh and take my ticket.
"Alright. The train leaves in five" He said as he went for a magazine.

I went to a greenish painted bench which I sat down at. I took my hood off my head and leaned back. I sat there until the whistle of the train rang through the air. I put my hood back on and walked towards the train. For me, the train was right on time, for the storm hit as soon as I gave my ticket to the conductor. I then looked for my seat, which was easy because I could only see one other pony on. I decided to take the seat across the isle from her. She was very young, her fur was brown. Her mane and tail was cut short and looked pinkish purple. She had freckles and looked tired. I noticed that I was tired too and decided to take a nap while I was here. I propped my feet up on the seat across from me and turned so I was facing the window. The rain was not letting up and it was getting dark. I summed up that we would get there tomorrow since we have multiple stops to go through. I yawned then drifted into sleep.

I wake up to find myself in a strange black room. The room was pitch black and it only had one door in front of me. The door looked like it was crudely drawn with white crayon.
"This must be a dream" I whispered to myself.
I looked around to find nowhere else to go and decide that the door was my only option.I emerged to find myself in another room that looked like a basement of somewhere. I looked around just to find blood on the walls and floor. It wasn't like painted, it looked like a bloody rag was dragged across, leading to an unlit part of the room. There was this awful smell that smelled like burning flesh, blended with urine and crap. Amongst the horrid smell, there was a scent that I recognized. It smelled like.... Gasoline? I remembered it from some motors they used back home. The smells came from the pitch black part of the room and so I started to back up. I backed up until my flank touched the wall. I then turned around to find that the door was no longer there. I could feel my heartbeat increasing and I started to get scared. I heard the roar of a chainsaw and quickly turned around. Suddenly, the back lights turned on and revealed what was once pitch black. There was a tall, pale pony standing on its hind legs. It was holding the already revved up chainsaw, the worst part that I saw was how torn he was. It's body was mangled and torn like it was run over by a train multiple times and then cut up. It's face didn't have any physical eyes just bloodied sockets where they should be. It's mouth was expressionless, but what really made it stand out was that it's head was covered in nails on the top and bottom. It started charging at me releasing a screech that was only imaginable by a banshee. It was about two feet away when it swung its saw in an arc at my head.
"SHIIIT" I yelled. But before the saw could connect, I was being shaken awake by somepony.
"HEY! Are you alright?!" I heard a feminine voice say to my right.
I shook my head then looked up to find a unicorn. She looked around the same age as me, she was brown and had blue eyes and an icy blue mane. She also was wearing a waitress' outfit.
"Yea, just a bad dream" I said 
"Well that's good, you looked dead. Tough day?", the waitress replied as she sat down next to me.
"Yeah. These past few days have been tough for me." I sighed as I woke up a bit more. I shifted so she had more room to sit.
"Well, we are about an hour away from Ponyville. I work at the station there so we can talk later if you want?" The girl said.
"Alright. I guess I could use a talk. But I don't think I got your name." I say not fully awake yet.
"Oh, It's Snowbreeze. What's yours?"
"Nick Flash. Nice to meet you" I say unsure of what to do next.
"You look like you need a friend. When you get to Ponyville, do you want to get some coffee at Sugarcube Corner? But I'm not asking you out, you just look like you need a friend." 
"I don't know where that is, but sure I could go for some coffee. But as friends." I say as I extended my hoof. She took it and shook it.
"Alright, I gotta go. See ya." and with that she was off.

Man, I hope all of the ponies in Ponyville are as nice. Just not too nice. Only time will tell.