//------------------------------// // chapter 1 // Story: Pinkie back home // by Guillderay //------------------------------// ”Please find her”... Those were the last words they said to me before i closed the door, and started walking towards Ponyville. I can’t help but to think of how they are doing now, or even more importantly, how’s the old man doing? I knew he wasn’t as strong as he used to be, but I thought that he was just getting older. They’ve taken such good care of me all these years. They’ve given me a home, food, work and a family, so seeing Mrs. Pie with tears in her eyes was one of the most heart crushing things I have ever witnessed. “He’s not going to get out of bed. Not this time”, she said before issuing me with this task. I can’t say that I have much to go on. If I even manage to find this so called “Ponyville”, will I even be able to find her in time? All Mrs. Pie could give me as help to find Pinkamena, was a picture of a young, sad filly. The picture makes me somewhat sad when I look at it. I know life on the rock farm isn’t full of fun, but this filly seems to hide many deep feelings, as if she is reaching out for something more than just the rocky wastes. I can hardly blame her for leaving the rock farm, as the only thing keeping me there was the bond I have with Mr. and Mrs. Pie. It feels like I have been walking for hours now. It might be a good idea to have a look at the map, so I know if I’m getting any closer. As I take off my saddlebags, I decide that this place is a good spot to eat my lunch. The weather here is nice, but then again, I can see plenty of weather Pegasi soaring through the sky, playfully attacking every cloud they see. I can’t help but envy them a little. Even though I’m a Pegasus myself, I can’t fly and I probably will never be able to. Last time I tried to flap my wings, I ended up dislocating both of them, and severing some muscles. Now I know that I can only unfurl them, but that’s as far as I can take it. One of the Pegasi seems incredibly acrobatic and fast to me. As far as I can see, she’s the fastest of the lot, and she makes doing loops and spins seem like child’s play. It also seems like there’s a rainbow trailing her path, but that must be my eyes playing tricks on me. As I finish up my lunch I have come to a conclusion. I have no idea where I am, and I am lost. I’ve got to find somepony to show me directions, because this map is too old to be reliable. It took me about 5 minutes to figure out, that the path I’m following isn’t even on this map. “That’s a mighty old map you’ve got there” The deep voice entering my left ear startles me. How could I not have heard this big stallion approach me? He’s huge. In fact, he’s almost as big as I am. As I turn around to face the red giant, I notice that he’s carrying two big saddlebags, filled almost to the point of bursting, with big, red apples. “Uhm, hi!” I say surprised. “I’m sorry to bother you sir, but could you point me to the direction of a town called 'Ponyville'? I seem to have lost my way”. The orange haired stallion quickly answers me “Ponyville, eh? I’m heading there right now. you’re welcome to follow me”. It seems I can finally get to Ponyville. ** ** ** ** As we enter Ponyville, I’m almost cursing my navigation skills. Was it really this close to where I had met this guy? We have only been walking for a couple of minutes, and we are already here. I can’t help but looking around, taking in the scenery. This town is so full of life. I had no idea how big this place was, but then again, I never really left the rock farm. The only occasion I left it, was a trip to the hospital, but I didn’t really see anything, since I was too focused on the pain in my wings at the time. After a long time of silence, the red stallion finally speaks. “so, what’s your name stranger?” This is the first time in many years someone has asked me that question. “I’m Breeze. What’s your name?” “Macintosh, but my friends call me Big Macintosh” he replied with a gentle smile on his face. I can’t imagine this guy has conversations often, so this must be a happy experience for him. As I get my mind back on the task at hand, I reach into my saddlebag to find the picture of Pinkamena. As I show it to Big Macintosh and ask if he knows this filly, he stares at it for quite some time. He states that she does look familiar, but he’s not sure if he knows her. “I’ve never seen a pony with hair like that, and the name Pinkamena doesn’t ring a bell. Maybe my sis knows. She knows everypony in this town.” As he says this, we’ve reached something that looks like a market place. There are all kinds of grocers here, every single one of them selling different products. The area itself seems to be quite large to for such a small town. I guess we are in the center of Ponyville by now. “There you are, big brother. What took you so long?” the female voice comes from one of the shop carts. I had imagined this guy’s sister being somewhat huge, but to my surprise she looked just like an average earth pony, except for the brown cowboy hat resting on her head. “Just helped a lost pony find his way here, sis.” The gentle giant said, still with a smile on his face. The orange mare can’t seem to take her eyes off me, and I can’t blame her. I wish it were my stunning good looks that had taken her breath away, but I can’t imagine that she sees ponies that rival her brother in size that often As the blonde cowpony snaps back to reality, she quickly shakes my hoof to break the awkward silence. “Well howdy, stranger. My name’s Applejack. Welcome to Ponyville.” For a pony her size, her hoof shake is ridiculously strong. “Hi. My name is Breeze.” I reply, my words coming somewhat shaken out of my mouth due to the rough handshake. “So big guy, what brings you to our fine town?” I show her the picture of the sad little filly from the rock farm, and she identifies the pony faster than her brother could say her name. “That there’s Pinkie Pie. She’s always throwing parties and making everypony smile.” The description didn’t seem to match something I’d see in this picture. Could this emotionally crushed filly throw parties, and could she make other ponies smile, when she clearly had nothing to smile about herself? Or am I just judging this pony from a picture? I think about these questions I have for a second, but one thing does make sense. Pinkie Pie does sound kind of close to Pinkamena Pie, so it could be her. The orange mare pads me on the shoulder to get my attention. “I’m heading for the library to meet the gang. Pinkie Pie might be there, so why don’t you tag along?” while I’m wondering how she can just abandon her store in the middle of the day, Big Macintosh is already selling apples to customers from the same spot, so I let that go and follow Applejack. ** ** ** ** When we get to the library, Applejack knocks on the door. Her strong hooves can sure knock gently when she wants them to. “Come in.” I hear a female voice yell from inside. As we enter the library, I can’t help but be amazed at how many books there are in this place. There’s everything you would need to know, and even more. I’ve never been inside a library before, so this is pretty amazing for me. The only books I’ve read are about rocks. While Applejack is greeting her friends, I am still checking out this wonderful place, as if it was the last time I’d ever see a library. From what I can hear, there are 4 other ponies inside this room except for me and Applejack. 3 of the voices I have never heard before, but one sounds familiar. As I turn around, Applejack is introducing me to her friends. “Everypony, this is-“ “ BREEZE!!!” one of the ponies interrupts Applejacks introduction with a scream of joy. When I look around to see where this voice is coming from, my eyes finally find her. My eyes start producing small pearls of tear when I see who it is. Who would have known that she had been here for all those years? I am so happy, that I can’t pronounce her name. after all, I haven’t used this name in at least a decade. The 4 other mares stare at their friend with priceless expressions of a thousand questions on their faces. I don’t blame them, to be honest, because this particular pony used to be very shy, and probably still is. As the tears start streaming down my cheeks, I can finally find the name I’ve not said for several years. At long last, I get to address my dear childhood friend again. Running towards her to embrace her in a hug. I finally utter her name in a happy shout. “FLUTTERSHY!!!”