//------------------------------// // Chapter One // Story: Charm Bracer // by CharmBracer //------------------------------// Chapter One Sitting in the bumpy train car I'd so stealthily jumped on (don't look at me like that, I'm short on bits), I thought about my destination. I know I've heard of this "Ponyville" before, but only in a Geography lesson. I wonder if it's far away... I hope so, I hate that city. My mind was doing laps around what I'd learned about the place while my heart was copying, only my heart was doing it out of nerves. The main reason I was so nervous about arriving in Ponyville was that my free ride would end. I was worried that as soon as I hopped off of the train, the conductor would shout, "FREEZE!" and it would all be over for me. Back to my "oh-so-charming" life in Manehatten... I bet all the ponies there would woo all over me as soon as I got back. "Oh Charmie? Where had you gone?" "Oh man, Charm! I missed you!" they would all say. Let's just say I was very much against the idea of returning. My heart - and of more importance, my sanity - was set on getting to Ponyville now. If I couldn't get there, both would be crushed. Returning to my train of thought, hehe... I hadn't learned much about Ponyville, other than the fact that I could probably have walked there. I face-hoofed. I was already on the train though, and I couldn't possibly bail off the thing at this speed. As my mind and heart raced at almost the same speed, I found my vision slowly fading. I shot up for a second, realizing that I was falling asleep. I looked around and decided that I was safe to fall asleep here. My mind and heart slowed as I finally drifted off to sleep. *** The sound of a whistle violently tore me from my dream world. Why was there a train whistle in my bedroom? Grazer... I thought bitterly. Grazer was my lazy-bones roommate who never did anything for himself. I remember one time when he... no... that's a story for a different time... Anyways, after a couple takes of my surroundings I realized two things. 1) The train had stopped moving. 2) I was in Ponyville. I slunk out of the train car like a snake. Silent and stealthy. At least I was stealthy... "HI THERE! You must be new to Ponyville! I know it because I know EVERYPONY in Ponyville, and I haven't seen you around before, what's your name? My name's Pinkie Pie!" "BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" I yelled as a bright pink pony, apparently "Pinkie Pie"... burst out of the bushes I was behind. "What's your cutie mark for? Is it for being a jeweler? Maybe it's for being a snake charmer? Or maybe a gold charmer!? I was a rock farmer once, it w-" "Well, first off, my name is Charm Bracer. Secondly, yes, I am new to Ponyville. Thirdly, what does a rock farmer have to do with a snake charmer? Fourth, stop staring at my flank," I said as I hugged my hind quarters close to my chest, "fifth..." I stopped after I realized that I had run out of hooves to point to. "'Charmer' and 'farmer' rhyme, silly! There are tons of things that rhyme with 'farmer'! 'Charmer', 'barmer', 'starmer', 'karmer', 'yarmer'..." as the frustrating pink pony drabbled on and on about non-existant things that rhyme with the word 'farmer', I realized that I disliked her more than my cutie mark. "And now I have to throw you a "WELCOME TO PONYVILLE" party!" "Woah woah woah. Stop right there," and to my suprise, Pinkie Pie stopped her incessant bouncing in mid-air, "how are you doing that? Wait! Got to stay on track here. No. Parties. Hear me? Not a single party is to be thrown for me." "But I throw parties for EVERYPONY in Ponyville! It would be against nature or something to not throw you a party! It would be against my Pink-stincts! I have to thr-" the pony stopped mid-sentence, her tail twitching, "move over a couple steps if ya' please." I looked at her funny but stepped to the side. Just then, a piano landed right where I was standing a second before. "Sorry about that!" yelled a pegasus above us. "How did you know that was going to happen?" I shouted in disbelief. "It's my Pinkie Sense! When my tail is twitcha-twitchin', something's gonna fall!" Pinkie explained. Right... well. I've decided I can't take any more of this, so I tried to get out of the conversation. "Well Pinkie, I need to go get to my new house," a lie, I have no house here... horseapples! I have no house here! I'll solve that crisis later, "so I'll be off... oh yes. No. Parties. Okay?" The pink party pony's resolve didn't seem to even quiver. "We'll see about that when you get there!" she said. She dove right back into the bush she came out of. I looked around hoping somepony else had seen what had just occured. I poked cautiously at the bush, but no pink pony sprang out of it. I stuck my head in and took a look. No Pinkie Pie's were inside the bush. "Don't worry about that, she does that whole 'unnaturally disappearing' thing a lot," said a voice above me. I tilted my head up to look at the pegasus who'd just said that, but the only thing I could see was a light bluish coat. The pegasus was accompanied by other pegasi, obviously here to pick up the piano. "Really? Do you ever get used to it?" "Honestly? No," replied the pegasus. As she flew down to talk to me face-to-face, I was stunned. Her mane and tail were rainbow coloured! I'd never seen a pony like her in all my life! She looked at me, obviously in anger. "Are you staring at my flank? I oughtta buck you in the face!" she yelled. "I wasn't staring at your flank! I was staring at your tail," I retorted, "and your mane... so beautiful..." "Well don't get any bright ideas, pallie," she leaned in close, "I'm not exactly 'into' stallions." I drove my face into the ground. I was being charming again. Thank Celestia that wouldn't work on this pegasus, maybe she and I could be friends? I pointed my hoof over to the piano. "You guys here to get this piano that almost crushed my being?" I asked in a very rude manner. "Yeah, sorry about that. Derpy Hooves dropped it when she was delivering it. Good thing you were standing by Pinkie Pie, her Pinkie Sense saved me tons of times!" she said, jumping into the air and doing a series of spins before landing. She must be some sort of stunt-pony. "So, what? Are you some sort of stunt-pony? Like a Wonderbolt or something?" I asked. Her face lit up at the mention of the talented flight team. "I wish! It's only my all-time DREAM to be a Wonderbolt! Are you a Wonderbolt fan? Who's your favorite? Mine's Spitfire!" she squeed in fangirlism. "I'm not particularly fond of them, but I think you should already be a member. I mean, you fly so well and all," I replied. She looked at me angrily again. "What did I tell you, new guy? Don't try any funny stuff," she leaned in close again, closer than before, "you don't want to wind up like the last colt who tried anything with me." I gulped. My natural instinct told me to turn tail and run... and that's exactly what I did. I heard the pegasus shout something at me, but the wind in my ears blocked it out. My mind shot to the first important thing. I had to find a job, and I had to find a house. *** I was hoping that there would be some sort of bulletin board in the Town Square, so that's where I headed first. Away from that haughty pegasus... I shuddered at the thought of her. The path to the Town Square was full of ponies, and I mean FULL of ponies. There was hardly and space to breath let alone move. I decided to slink around behind the buildings of the town. It was a lot quieter back there than I had expected. Back alleys for me were usually full of thugs and pickpockets. I made it with relative ease - albeit a few fences and angry dogs - to the Town Square where, thank Celestia, there was a bulletin board. I ran up and checked the postings. "Let's see here. 'Lawn chewer', 'painter', aha! 'Baker'! 'Baker needed! If you are a skilled baker, please, don't hesitate to visit the local bakery, better known as Sugarcube Corner. Lodging provided'! Perfect!" I squealed in happiness. Not only did I get a job, but I got a job doing something I'm relatively good at, and a free living space! "Off to Sugarcube Corner!" I shouted as I trotted away proudly to the bakery. When I arrived there, the mere outside of the place overwhelmed me. The entire place looked like one big cake! It was stunning! I read the sign on the door. It said 'open' so I strolled right in. I was again getting overwhelmed by the look of the inside until I heard a familiar voice. "Hi! Welcome to Sugarcube Corner, Charmie! Want a cupcake?" asked the annoyingly familiar voice. I whipped around in alarm, only to see the new pink bane of my existance nose-to-nose with me. "Gnah! Get your face out of my face!" I yelled in shock. She looked a bit discouraged for a second, but then she lit right back up. She pointed at the "wanted" poster. "Are you here for this? I really could use an extra hoof around here! It's gotten about wacky and wild by myself," I nodded slowly, "GREAT! I'll show you all the way around the Corner!!! I'll show you my room and your room and the kitchen and the dining room and the front desk an..." Her words melted away as my mind reeled. I was going to have to work... to live... with Pinkie Pie. The most socially apt pony in ALL of Ponyville. There was no way I could get out of that party now... or is there?