//------------------------------// // 1. Prologue Part 1 // Story: Blaze the Pony Tale // by Wolven5 //------------------------------// Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! A hand slammed down on the source of the obnoxious beeping, which had stirred the hand’s owner from a blessed slumber. Although the alarm was silenced, another irritation roused him as the sun glared through the blinds of his window, and unfortunately they were close enough to lighten up the inside of his eyelids. He considered trying to ignore the sunlight and go back to sleep but the fog of sleepiness cleared enough for him to remember that if he didn’t get up after the alarm his sister would rouse him from bed with a method more unpleasant. He groaned in irritation but forced himself up, blowing his long hair out of his face, feeling that annoying cling of static, and throwing his feet over the side of the bed. He stretched out his morning aches from his arms and shoulders while taking notice of his clock. It showing the time to be 8 am. A few short hours before he had to go to work. He got started on getting through his morning rituals. Relieving himself in the bathroom, brushing his shaggy brown hair, washing his face, getting dressed. “Wolven!” “In here,” he call from the bathroom and in walked his sister, Jade. She gaped at him in a comical way, then cried, “It’s alive, it’s alive!” Her laughing provoked a small smirk from Wolven as he shook his head. When she had her laugh, she asked, “I’ll get breakfast started, the usual?” “Please,” her brother muttered as he carried on. Several minutes later, they were sitting at the table where Jade had prepared their usual breakfast, scrambled eggs, buttered toast, microwaved bacon, and glass of good ol’ OJ. As they eat, Jade said, “Good morning, by the way.” “Uh-huh,” her brother replied, and she must not have liked his tone. “Well pardon me for living,” she pouted but she knew her brother wouldn’t fall for it. “Look, T-” “I told you before, don’t call me that,” he reminded her. “Fine, Wolven,” she says, throwing up her hands. It wasn’t his actual name. T. G. Wolven was his pen-name, the one he planned to use once he became a published author. “Look, I get it – You’re feeling like you’re in a slump, and I’m sorry you got turned down from the publisher. But ya gotta buck up, big brother!” “I’m just so sick of it, Jade,” he growled. He honestly was! He hated his job, he’d been suffering writer’s block, his work got turned down. Life, for some reason, just hated him at the moment. He didn’t say so to her however. He didn’t want to worry her. “I’m just wishing – Hoping! – for… something more.” “I get it,” she said understandably, reaching over and giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “I don’t like my job either. It sucks having to deal with the customers like I do, so you should count yourself lucky in a way.” “I polish silverware, Jade,” her brother remind her. “Every day, every shift, I polish silverware and distribute it to the stations.” The both of them worked at a high-end restaurant where she was a hostess while he was a busser. But every day, he took up the job of polishing and distributing silverware because it was simple, it gave him an excuse to not have to deal with the customers, and because no one else wanted to do it. He still got paid the same as his fellow bussers, but every day he would watch the clock, agonizing for the shifts to be over. He appreciated how simple his role was, but it was just getting to the point where he felt like a machine! He could only imagine how much worse it would be if he was a full-timer. The shifts they got would alternate. Sometimes it was morning shifts, sometime evening shifts. Both had their upsides and downsides. Morning shifts meant getting his lazy butt out of bed, slugging through morning rituals, eating a lousy breakfast, and then going. But then he would have the rest of the day and evening to goof off. Evening shifts meant he got to sleep in and prepare at his own leisure. But then he’d be stuck there late into the night, and was often part of the wrap-up team for closing. After breakfast, he went to his room to get into his work clothes, and just like the job he hated them too. Especially having to stuff his shirt into his pants and tie up with the apron. No one can see that my shirt is untucked because of the apron so what’s the point?! He mentally raged as he tucked the shirt in, feeling the discomfort. Even though was a morning shift, he also grabbed his sheathed throwing knives. There had been occasions when the evening shifts would end quicker but either Jade had to keep working or she wasn’t in at the time, forcing him to either hitch a ride with one of his coworkers or walk home. He always brought his knives because he’d rather have them and not need them than need them and not have them. He also made sure to have his keys, wallet, and cellphone before heading down but he also put his iPad mini into the interior pocket of his apron and his Bluetooth earpiece, putting it on his ear. Among his coping techniques with work was to listen to music, and his Bluetooth enabled him to listen to the music he’d bought and collected with iTunes. Among his favorite songs were the ones from my Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, a cartoon based on the old girly toy but revolutionized by the visionary, Lauren Faust! She worked on “Quest for Camelot, “Cat’s don’t Dance”, “The Powerpuff Girls”, and “Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends”. How she turned what had always been considered a cartoon and franchise that had always been directed at girls into something amazing, beloved and appreciated by fans of all ages and both genders, was well beyond him. He recalled how when he first heard of the show, he was like ‘it’s a fad, it’ll blow over’. How wrong he was. He’d kept ignoring it for a while. But every day he would see or hear something of the show, partly because of his high school chum who kept submitting her own MLP fan art on DevArt. So, he caved and gave it a chance and watched the first episodes, and boy howdy was he glad he did! After watching the beginning, he had to watch more. he found himself liking the art, the stories, characters, their development, the funny situations, and the honest lessons they learned at the end of each episode! So he started writing fan-fiction, or rather FIMfiction! He created his own ponies, as well as an OC he regarded as his Ponysona (Pony + Persona) – Midnight Blaze, a unicorn pony. Midnight Blaze was everything he wanted to be, based mostly off of his favorite character on the show, Twilight Sparkle. Granted, each of the Mane Six had been an inspiration but Twilight was the one he felt he related to most of all. They were both intelligent, hard on themselves, both of them were (as Rainbow Dash would put it) eggheads because of how much they liked to read, and he honestly liked unicorns most out of the ponies in the show, because of their ability to actively use magic. Magic, he thought to himself. Such a simple word yet entailed complexities of endless potential. Out of all genres, he loved Fantasy the most. It was why he was a writer, why he wanted to be an author and write children’s books, because there was nothing quite so special as to see his imagination come to life in the pages of a book. But recently, his manuscript for a fantasy story he wrote got turned down from a publishing company. They said they were sorry, said he’d obviously put a lot of work into it, but they said they had to be extremely selective of the books they considered to publish and for reasons he could not imagine they decided his story couldn’t make the cut. So yeah, it put a damper on his passion. Work went by as it usually did, slow, boring, irritating, kept bearable only because he could listen to his music without disturbing his coworkers, and occasionally he would steal into the employees’ restroom to read a little now and then. Besides watching the show and its songs, he loved to read others FIMfics, and marvel at others’ imaginations of the show. Among his favorites were the ones about humans ending up in Equestria (the land where the show takes place) and often being turned into ponies themselves! He couldn’t help but feel an envious longing for that to be him. If I could become a pony in Equestria, he mused, go on adventures, hang out with all my favorite characters...! But reality was a cruel and mocking reminder of the life he was stuck in. Of course, he had plenty in life to be thankful for and happy about, he loved his family an’ all… but it was an honest truth of what he felt. If someone came up to him and gave him the honest and genuine way to Equestria and become a pony, he’d take it without a second thought! “Wolven!” He yelped as Jade snapped at him and he realized it was time to go. As they got into the car, she was saying, “Wolven, I know things aren’t going well lately, but ya just gotta stay positive! Before you know it, things’ll be looking up.” He just sighed and grumped, “Let’s just go home.” He didn’t like being mister grumpy-pants but he just wanted to get home and relax his aching fingers. Jade took the wheel and pulled them out into the busy street. She kept a sharp vigilance once they came to the first intersection, the red lights causing them to come to a still. He checked his pad to look for a song they might play when the green light flashed. Then everything went wrong. As they started to pull towards the left, they came to an abrupt stop, seeing a man and woman attempting to cross the street. However, their sudden stop clearly surprised the guy behind them as they felt him total the back of their car. You'd think they might have gotten out to snap at him but fate didn’t give them the chance. As he started to undo his seatbelt, he heard Jade shout, “Wolven!” he looked at her and saw she was looking out his window with a look of horror. He turned to see a semi-truck barreling their way. A coldness grasped his heart like a vice as he looked back to Jade. And the horror on her face was the last thing he saw before everything went black. The first thing he experienced was a sound. A bird singing, if he wasn’t mistaken. Then he felt warm, the kind of warmth from a nice sunny day. He opened his eyes and realized he was lying on his back, staring up at the sky. Wait, I’m alive? He breathed in, and felt his lungs inflating with a nice breeze that smelled of flowers, and breathed out. Okay, so if I’m alive, how did I wind up… wherever I am? The last thing he recalled was being in the car, going home with his sister, Jade. Jade! He remembered she was in the car too, just before they were hit by that truck, and he sat up, instantly feeling a little lightheaded, and reached up to rub his head. But instead of his fingers, he felt something hard on his forehead, and at the same time he could feel that something bump onto something above his forehead! He opened his eyes again and look at his hands. Except they were not hands. They were hooves! Black hooves, at the end of his arms, which were covered with blue fur. He looked down at his body and saw that he was covered in fur. His feet had been replaced with hooves as well, and he bolted up to stand, only to stumble and fall flat on his face! Okay… slow and steady Groaning, he repeated the process a little slowly this time and he realized he was standing on all fours. He reached up and touched his face, which was now a muzzle. “No way…” he muttered as he thought of something. He looked around and found himself in a field of flowers. The distant babble of a brook nearby caught his attention. “Is it possible?” He slowly made his way over, being careful not to trip over his hooves again, before he looked into the water. What he saw looking back at him was not a human – it was a pony! It’s me! he realized. But then he recognized the pony that is his reflection. It’s my ponysona… I’ve become my ponysona, I’ve become Midnight Blaze! The same mane, black with dark blue highlights, the same tail with dark blue streaks on either side, he could see he had a horn so he was certainly a unicorn, and his eyes were turquoise blue. But then he realized there was just one thing wrong here. I don’t have a cutie-mark! He thought as he peered over and saw for himself that he really was a blank flank! He recalled the cutie-mark he made for his ponysona, a crescent moon on its back facing upwards, with a five-point star in the crux of the crescent, surrounded by five white twinkles. Yet, for some reason he could not for the life of him figure out, he'd become a pony without a cutie-mark! He recalled the stuff he’d learned about cutie-marks from the show as he puzzled, Let’s see… Every young filly and colt must learn for themselves exactly what their talent is, and what it is that makes them special. Only when they find that revelation about themselves, whether they know it or not, do they earn their cutie-marks which glorify their flanks. Until then, their flanks are blank. Sighing, he sat his rump down as he look around some more. Whatever doubts he had were dashed when he saw a distant mountain upon which sat what could only be Canterlot. “I really am in Equestria!” he smiled but then looked around. “But that doesn’t answer exactly where I am right now.” He looked the way opposite Canterlot and saw a nearby dirt road. He ambled over, managing to adequately walk on all four hooves, as he looked down the road, and saw it bordered a dense and dark forest. “I wonder if this could be the infamous Everfree Forest. If it is, then perhaps this road leads to the exact place I wanna be right now.” Moving on four legs and hooves turned out to be a wobbly and trippy endeavor. But after falling on his face or butt only seven or eight times he somewhat managed to get the hang of it. He’d been walking – or is it trotting? – for a few minutes when he saw something ahead. It looked like a cart with a big pie on a spring on top of it? Curious, he stepped up his pace to get a better look, and he could hear steps ahead of him. Someone was pulling this cart! He was just behind it when it came to a stop, causing him to skid to a halt. He peered around and was met with a pair of green eyes. “BWA!” he stumble back, hearing a similar ‘bwa’, and fell on his rump. He looked and could only gasp! It was a big red earth pony, with a short ginger mane and tail, a green apple sliced in half taking up his flank, and a workhorse collar around his neck, and he realized he was looking at one of his most favorite characters from the show. “Big Macintosh…!” he whispered. The farmer stood up, dusting himself off, and gave me a look. “Have we met?” He realized Big Macintosh must’ve heard him, and quickly brainstormed. “Uh! Uh…No, but…” I don’t know what to say! He recalled Big Mac being an excellent judge of character, and he honestly didn’t wanna lie to him. But I have to tell him something without sounding crazy! …Or like some demented stalker. “I’ve… heard of you, yeah!” He answered, “Sweet Apple Acres and the farmers who run it? You produce the best apples anywhere!” Big Mac gave this blue stranger a small smile and held out his hoof. Seeing he was being helpful, the blue unicorn grasped his hoof in his and was effortlessly hauled to his feet. The farmer was definitely stronger than he looked, and he looked plenty strong. “Well then, ya know me, what’s yer name?” “Uh…” he stalled, pondering. Should I tell him my real name? Or… should I become my ponysona in body as well as name? He considered but concluded his name didn’t sound like a pony name, and so said, “Midnight Blaze, pleased to meet you.” Big Macintosh jerked his head in a way that said ‘follow me’ and he started pulling his cart as Midnight walked alongside him. “So, where ya from?” This is gonna be harder than I thought. So Midnight was forced to use the one thing that guaranteed a clean slate. “Well, you see… I don’t know.” His brow rose in curiosity, and Midnight continued. “See, it’s strange… Did you pass by a field of flowers and a small brook earlier?” “Eeyup,” his iconic phrase he was so well-known for. Hearing it in person – or is it in pony? – was amazing but he contained myself. “Well, I woke up in the field of flowers,” Midnight was making this up as he went along but continued to explain, “and… besides a few things, I have no idea who I am or where I come from.” “Ya get bonked on th’ head lately or sumpin’?” “Now that you mention it,” Midnight made a show of rubbing his head, feeling no bumps, “no… I mean, I felt a little light-headed when I woke up but… All I remember is, my name, somehow I know yours, and I also remember a place called Ponyville and your home, Sweet Apple Acres.” “Hmm,” he chewed on a piece of wheat he has in his mouth (which he didn’t have earlier) and said, “Maybe ya got a spell put on ya? But wha’ really has mah attention, is yer lack of a cutie-mark?” Midnight looked at his flank and felt his ears droop. “I don’t know! I woke up and… nothing. I don’t even remember what it was!” “Well, why don’cha come wit’ me an’ we’ll see wha’ we can do fer ya,” Big Mac offered with a friendly smile. “Well, that’s very kind of you, Big Macintosh,” Midnight replied, yet for some reason he feel hesitant. “But I don’t wanna be a bother.” “Nnope,” he asserted with a smirk. “Yee stickin’ wit' me like candy on an’ apple. Ah’ll be glad ta’ help y’out, Midnight.” Midnight smiled gratefully, and said, “Okay, thanks. So where’re we headed?” “Well, Ah jus’ made an apple pie-delivery,” he explained, “so Ah’m headed home ta’ Ponyville. Fact, wer’ almost there. Jus’ over this next rise.” Midnight looked ahead and saw they were ascending a hill. He couldn’t help but feel his heart begins to pump in excitement! In no time at all, they reached the top and he gasped as he take it all in! “Welcome ta’ Ponyville,” Big Mac declared.