//------------------------------// // Chapter I: Beginnings // Story: A Guitar In A Thunderstorm // by Maerx //------------------------------// Chapter 1: Beginnings I smiled to myself as I walked down the main drag of Ponyville, my black sweatshirt clinging to me like a newborn child. I was dressed in that, earth jeans of a light blue color, a grey undershirt and a tribal necklace that hung around my neck. The air was crisp and fresh, which was expected for an early Equestrian Autumn. Today was September the 23rd, the beginning of the Harvest was only a few days away and can say that I was readily looking forward to it, as I had never experienced one personally. As I continued my stroll down the dirt road to my usual coffee shop, I cast my gaze around the surrounding buildings that made up downtown Ponyville. My sharp eyes caught sight of a dentist, a pet care center, the town chiropractor, a spa and the local library off in the distance. Chuckling silently, I continued to saunter towards Sugarcube Corner, my usual coffee shop. I can say for a distinct fact that it was the most interesting designed building I have ever seen. The room was a deep brown with waves of frostings, dotted with gumdrops. The walls were a bright pink with white undertones, with two heart shaped windows in the front of the building. It was the easiest building to spot out of the typical blandness of Ponyville, besides the cloud house of Rainbow Dash sitting off in the distance. Anyway, let me tell you a little about myself. My name is Jackson Mills. I'm 22 years old, and I'm a human; from Earth living in Equestria. I arrived here just under two years ago, crash landing on the border of the Everfree Forest. It was quite the interesting couple first days of adjusting to my new life in this strange new world; well with the constant stream of questions and what not. There were three humans in total living in this world; one was stationed in Stalliongrad, the other living in Seaddle. I hadn't met them in person, but had rather exchanged letters with them. It was quite interesting to hear of their experiences in Equestria as well. I can say for certain that I adjusted to Equestrian life quite easily, as it was oddly reflective of Earth. With the help of Pinkie Pie and her friends, I quickly became accustomed to the world, as the town became accustomed to me. I approached the front door of Sugarcube Corner, pushing the heavy pink wooden door aside with my right hand, keeping my left safely tucked in my front sweatshirt pocket. The first thing that greeted me was the warm smell of freshly baked goods as well as the strong aroma of coffee brewing. I glanced around to see ponies of various colors idly chatting with each other, seemingly oblivious to my presence. It was a pleasant feeling, having the ability to seemingly mesh oneself with the general pony population. "Hey Jackson! What's up?" an excited female voice called out from the kitchen. A smile spread across my slightly red tinted cheeks as I instantly recognized that voice. It belonged to Pinkie Pie, Ponyville's premier party pony and one of my closest friends. The pink ball of energy and sugar literally bounced up to me, greeting me by raising herself on her hind legs, and gently throwing her arms around me. When she stood on her hind legs, she was almost as tall as me, which I can say was not unusual. She smelled of jelly beans and coffee, her usual scent. Her cotton candy mane was overflowing and gently poking me in the my left temple while her sapphire blue eyes met mine with a warm, friendly gaze. When I had first arrived in Equestria, Pinkie was one of the first to befriend me, even throwing a sort of welcome party the first night I was here. There I had made a ton of new friends, even meeting Twilight Sparkle and her bunch, among many others. I can safely say by the end of the night that I had made more friends in a few hours than I had in several years back on Earth. She had also helped me get used to the customs of Equestria, as they were oddly reflective of Earth, as well as giving me a tour of the town. She was always so nice with me, I couldn't find a way to pay her back for all that she has done for me. "Hiya Pink," I replied still smiling. "Just dropping in to see what's up". She giggled and tossed a stray bit of her mane out of her muzzle. "The usual I presume?" Her upbeat demeanor was almost toxic, as she always seemed to lighten up any situation. She was the Element of Laughter after all. I chuckled again as I simply nodded in response. "Coffee, black, 3 splashes of milk and two sugars please." She bounced back to the kitchen, her pink mane tossing from here to there as she went. I couldn't help but smile as she went about her work. I sat down in the stool at my usual table, two heart shaped windows being at either of my shoulders giving me a panoramic view of Ponyville. It was always nice to see the town bustling around with life, ponies trotting about going on with their lives. I smiled and fiddled with the necklace that lay around my neck. It was one of few trinkets that had made the trip with me to Equestria, and it had special value to me. Given to me by my grandmother just before she died, I held it in the highest regard of value. My gaze lazily surveyed the town out in behind me, until it came unto two mares, trotting up to the cafe. One, a blue unicorn, eyes connected with mine and instantly broke out into a smile as she darted for the door. The other, a pale lime green unicorn simply shrugged and followed suit. "Hey Jackson! Fancy seeing you here!" Colgate trilled as she approached me. Her friend, Lyra had gone off to buy a batch of cupcakes at the counter, leaving the two of us alone. Colgate was a very pretty mare; her pale blue coat matching perfectly with her deep sapphire blue eyes. I suppose she got her nickname "Colgate" from her mane and tail, which were two tone white and blue, resembling toothpaste. She sported an hourglass cutie mark and a slim, athletic body. Minuette, as she liked to be called, which was her real name anyway, was a very outgoing, feisty mare: always one to poke fun at her friends. But in reality, she was very down to earth and honest. I valued our friendship dearly, as she had shown me compassion when I first arrived, aside from the constant poking. I chuckled and put my hands behind my head, supporting them as I lay back in my chair. "Well hey there Minuette. I'm just hanging out here before I go for my walk. What are you up to today?" I asked, cracking my neck from left to right as I began to relax. Minuette smiled somewhat impishly, as she sat down on her stool, her red scarf that she was wearing falling gently over her body. "I was actually about to ask you the same thing!" She replied. "Me and a bunch of the girls are going to a fly-in movie tonight in the Ponyville Square. And uhm.. I-I was wondering if you wanted to go." Her voice cracked once at the last sentence as a slight pink blush appeared over her muzzle. I had the day off from work at the farm, as the Harvest really didn't heat up until a few more days, so I really didn't have anything planned. I suppose it would be cool to get out and spend some time with my friends. I looked at the pale blue mare as she fidgeted to get comfortable on her stool. I cracked a tiny smile as her eyes met mine. "Sure, Minuette. I'd love to go!" I replied simply. Almost instantaneously after I gave my response her posture went from tense and nervous to an almost relaxed state. She tried her best to hide it, but I saw her utter a slight sigh of relief as her peripheral vision caught Pinkie Pie and Lyra returning to the table. Pinkie was carrying a tray on her back, which contained the coffee I ordered along with a cupcake for Minuette. Lyra held a brown paper bag in her mouth, full of cupcakes if I had to make an educated guess. The bouncing pink mare smiled as she slid the coffee mug right in front of me with perfect accuracy. Colgate got up to go, following a signal from Lyra. She threw one more glance at me as she began to head for the door. "8:30, Ponyville Square alright?" she asked simply, tossing her mane out of the way as her magic levitated her scarf around her neck. "Of course!" I replied. "See you there." With her left hoof raised, she closed her eyes and gave a satisfactory snort before exiting Sugarcube Corner. I grabbed my coffee and took a small sip of the steaming hot liquid. It was the perfect temperature: not hot enough to burn my throat, and not cold enough that I would disapprove. Pinkie always knew just how to make each of her friends happy. "Hey Pink!" I shouted, grabbing the mare's attention almost instantly. She darted over to my table, blue eyes wide with wonder. "What's up?" "Colgate mentioned a movie tonight," I explained taking another sip of coffee. "Are you going as well?" Pinkie giggled and fluffed her mane out of her eyes again, then gave me a soft punch in my right shoulder. "Oh of course I'm going silly! Me, Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, Twilight, Sweetie Bell and company, Colgate & Lyra all have this set up! Ohmygosh, I heard you talking to Colgate about it. Sound like a date to me!" I chuckled as she continued on her tangent, taking another sip of coffee. The warm drink definitely did its job: shaking lose any cobwebs that were lying around. "I wouldn't call it a date Pink, just an outing with friends," I replied simply. I threw a glance outside to see ponies happily going about their lives, smiling and waving their hooves as other ponies past. I smiled. Since I had arrived here in Equestria, I had found it to be much more laid back and easy going than Earth was. Everyone could take their time through the day, planning what shenanigans would be gotten up to that evening. I for one had participated in these adventures with Twilight and her friends, always having a good laugh or two. Over the last few months, I had formed close bonds with each of Pinkie's friends. It was an amazing feeling to be accepted by others of a different species, yet feel so included. I had grown especially close with Lyra and Colgate, two close friends of Rainbow Dash. We hit it off one day when Dash and I were out for a run. Colgate was the type of mare who was quite feisty, but knew how to remain subdued and calm. That's what I liked about her. My train of thought was derailed by a gentle hoof on my shoulder. My gaze turned to meet Pinkie's, her gentle blue eyes had a look of slight annoyance in them as she giggled. "Oh Jackson, you humans can be so dense sometimes. It's too obvious to the rest of us." I raised an eyebrow at her comment. Colgate and I had indeed become very close, but not as close as she was suggesting. I furrowed my brow, deepening in thought. I always considered her as a friend, but I guess anything was possible. I shook my head as I made for the front door of Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie had disappeared back into the kitchen, hurriedly making sure everypony else was satisfied with their service. I slipped out of the door, a brisk autumn wind greeting my face as my long brown hair blew around. I zipped my sweatshirt up and began to stroll down the main street of Ponyville. It was only 10 in the morning, but ponies were already bustling around with their lives, happily carrying out their own chores. A chuckle managed to escape my lips as I continued to saunter down into Downtown Ponyville. My gaze slid across a sea of ponies, bustling about. I shoved my hands into my sweatshirt pockets as a thought entered my mind. I should probably go to Sweet Apple Acres. Gotta make sure I don’t have any work today. I continued to muse to myself silently as I changed direction for the outskirts of Ponyville, heading towards the cozy, family farm.