//------------------------------// // Ponyville Part 2 // Story: The Maria Chronicles: Book 2 Origins // by Sea Pony //------------------------------// After telling my story to Aloe, which surprisingly she believed easily, I meet up with Daring Do and we once again made our way to the town hall. Without her dashing off like a idiot this time. We were interupt along the way by a giggle. "Oh Vinyl stop that!" I look in direction of the noise and instantly blushed in embarrassment. In one of the back alley a deep purple Earth Pony filly with a raspberry pink mane was shamelessly making out wit a pure white Unicorn filly with a neon blue mane and wore a rather large pair of glasses on her forehead she had probably place them there to properly kiss her lover. As I look at the two teenagers I couldn't help but feel a sting of jealousy. All my life before Equestria I had to keep my sexuality more or less secret so that we didn't have a mob with pitchforks at our front door and here they were. Making out like two mares in heat without repercussion at all. I guess I couldn't blame them. If anything I should blame the stupid apes that through that opression would cause anything but misery! I gasp as soon as I through the words. As I realised I through of my old race not only as mere animals without common sense. But all the while thinking of them as some distant culture I disliked. Had I been in this world long enough arleady to make myself believe I was a Equestrian? could I really be starting to forget my human legacy and embrace my new life just like that? I knew it wasn't the pony body that made me accept my new species so easily, Afterall even if a new body do tend to change a person. It wouldn't change anybody more than any other type of life-changing event. I think what really made see myself as a Equestrian was my visit in New Eden, I think in a twist way my mother disowning me was what I needed to fully accept my new life. "Enjoying the show girls?" The white filly ask us with a lustful wink and I realised I've been starring blankly at them for the last minute. "N-no! We were just on our way! Come on Daring." I said quickly and ran away from the awkward scene I put myself into. Even if I may begin to accept who I become. I'm a long way from recovering from what Celestia did to me. I will not return in Canterlot t'ill I earn my cutie mark. In the meantime I will wander this brand new world where I will probably stay for the rest of my possibly extremely long life. Or as long as Equestria exist. Who know how long I will live now that I'm in a world where nopony can die of natural cause? The point is that I've been present with a prospect that probably almost every writers dream of at least once in their life: Living in a fantasy world and I won't let this opportunity slip by. - - - - - Like Daring Do had predicted close of the town hall was a large wooden board with a multitude of posters pinned on it. The jobs were anything between finding missing pets, foalsitting and a couple in search of a baker for the grand opening of their bakery called Sugar Cube Corner. My eyes lit up as I saw a certain poster. Ponyville was in search of a librarian. Probably for the library those Unicorns were hollowing earlier. I could be a librarian for a while. Not only would I work with books, the library had also a bedroom. It's was as if they had made the place just for me. - - - - - As I stare at the glumy thing in front of me I had a second of hesitation. It's been two weeks since I accept the job as a librarian. The Unicorns had to finish building the thing. After that I had received a shipment of sixty books and it's was my job to place all the books on the shelves. Now that I was installed for the next few months, Daring Do and I decided to visit the infamous Everfree Forest. It's wasn't as bad as the stories make it out to be. Well as long as you stay on the dirt road that is. I don't know why but the beasts of the forest seem to avoid the road as if it's was cursed. Maybe somepony enchanted it or something. But then we came in face of Celestia's old castle. It's looked as if it would come crashing down as soon as we make a step inside. "Come on! Don't be scaredy pony. It's just a old castle!" Daring state confidently before trotting inside the castle. I gulped and followed her. The castle was probably beautiful in it's former glory. But now it's was a relic of the past. It's was a miracle that the castle was still standing after so many years. "I wonder why Celestia through it's was a good idea to build a castle in the middle of the most dangerous forest in Equestria. Not a lot of her subjects would want to come all the way here just to have an audience with her." I said with a frown. Daring Do responded in a lecture mode. "Well one thousand years ago the forest didn't exist. Around the castle was Everfree city the old capital of Equestria. After Nightmare Moon banishment the forest began to grow for a reason or another and most of the ponies found a new place to live since the city was becoming a target to all sort of nasty monsters. After Celestia noticed that most of the building of her city was abandoned she build another castle on the top of a mountain and soon enough Canterlot formed around it." I stare at her with mouth agap. I was suppose to be the 'nerd' of the group and here she was, making a full blown historical lesson. Daring looked at me with a annoyed look. "What? I want to be an archaeologist like my father before he died, did you really think I wouldn't study about the past of Equestria?" "S-sorry with your normal attitude I tend to forget about your passion of old civilisation and magical artifact." Her eyes soften at that and she sigh. "So what was the reason we came all the way here?" Daring Do ask before looking around the dark castle. "I through since the plant grow, the animals care for themself and the clouds move all on their own maybe the forest would have some similarities to Earth. But now I know it's not the same thing at all." I looked at the ground dejectedly and Daring put a comforting wing around me. The moment was interupted by what sound like a foal crying his eyes out. Daring Do jumped in surprise before looking around nervousely. "Maybe we should go back to Ponyville. This place begin to give me the creeps." "What? And let the baby starving here alone?!" I look at her in shock. "For all we know it's a ghost or something trying to lure us in the castle." She replied nervousely. I stared at her flatly. "Let me get this straight. We just walk through a forest full of creatures that should only exist in story books. Creatures that could easily tear us up in shred or turn us into stone. But you're afraid of the possibility of a ghost." "Well at least we can fight those monsters that want to eat us. But a ghost on the other hoof, we can't even touch it!" She exclaimed in panic. "Well if you're too scare, I can go see what making the noise while you stay here, all alone." With that I slowly trot in direction of the sound. Daring eyes widden in horror and ran after me. "Wait! Don't leave me alone!" While we walk I saw that some painting were on the wall. For a moment I through the eyes of the painted ponies were following us. But I dismiss it as my imagination. I heard Daring Do screaming and I turn my attention at her. "What the matter this time?" I ask in annoyance. But she didn't respond instead she continue to stare at something ahead with wide eyes. I look at where she was staring and gulped. In front of us was a pony-like shadow that rose from the ground and was glaring furiously at us with yellow glowing eyes. Maybe Daring's fear of ghosts was justified after all. The Pony of Shadow lifted a hoof and stomp it on the floor. One of the brick of the floor was pushed down and the ground bellow us gave way. What await us bellow was something I hadn't expected: A giant underground slide. Me and Daring Do screamed all the way down like two fillies. The slide came to a rude stop as our body collided with a wall. "What the hay?! A giant slide, really?! I'm begining to think Celestia was completely insane a thousand years ago." I said angrily. "What was that thing upstair? Do you think it's was a ghost?" Daring ask worriedly. "I don't know, don't you know of any rumor about this place?" I ask while looking around. We were in a hall full of pony legs made of stone or something. Why would Celestia ask to do something like that in her castle? "Well I heard about a legend that when Nightmare Moon was banished not every bit of magic went with her. And that every night that magic come to life and become The Pony of Shadow. But that ridiculous, magic can't come to life, right?" She ask while looking at me nervousely. "Right" I lied, I knew that a pony soul was in fact made of magic. So it wasn't farfetched to think that magic could create a ghost. Heck we could technically consider Author a ghost since he's a giant ball of energy without a body. But right now Daring didn't need to know that. The crying start once again and I followed the sound with Daring not far behind. We came in front of a door where the sound of crying came from. I open the door and inside was what looked like a small labotary or what was left of it anyway. My eyes widden when I saw what was making the noise. The creature had black scales, some small claws was at the end of his four limbs, he had reptile-like green eyes. I was in face of a living breathing baby dragon. Daring Do noticed a piece of paper close of the small dragon and read it out loud. "Dear scientists from the future. We for the first time in history tempted time travel. The dragon you have been sent came from the nest of a beast who attacked Everfree city. We don't know how far the thing will be sent but if you could tell what year you are in and what changed it would be apreciated. If you can't tell us for fear of paradoxes we understand. We assume you have mastered time travel since we sent the dragon. So don't worry if the monster is still alive sent it back and we will deal with it now that it acomplished his role to see if a living thing can survive time travelling. With great anticipation Starswirl the Bearded." My blood was boiling at the end of the letter. How could they treat this innocent thing like a monster that needed to be put down? "It's decided. I'm adopting this baby dragon!" I exclaimed. "What! Are you sure it's safe to take some pet under your care while we're preparing to wander around the country?" I glared at Daring and she recoil. "He's a sentient being. Not a pet and I can't let him here just because of my personal quest." "How do you know it's a he?" She inquired curiously. "Females don't normaly have a dick," I responded bluntly, which make Daring blush. Another thing strange about Equestria is that everypony is naked most of the time. Yet a lot of ponies are still embarassed about their genitalia being exposed, go figure. I levitated the baby on my back and we began to trot out of the castle. The Pony of Shadow didn't try to stop us on the way out. I wonder if it's because it want to be rid of the loud sound the baby produce or if it's movements are limited since it's just a pony made of shadow. We may never know and to be honest I don't plan to find out.