//------------------------------// // The First Step // Story: Ponymon: Dusk Journey // by Silverwing Strong //------------------------------// Okay, so who here is a fan of Poke’mon? Alright, now who is a fan of My Little Ponies? Good, I like the number of raised hands that I see! Then most of you would go crazy if the two of them were to be combined right? Well they have, if you don’t already know! Basically, somebody took Pokemon Firered, and hacked it, allowing him to replace the original sprites and text with ponies and such. The name is very easy to remember, as it has little originality: Ponymon. There are two versions out, Dawn and Dusk. To play them, you need a Visual Boy Advance PC emulator, which can be download free off the internet. But anyways, I’ve found the game to be quite enjoyable, even though it isn’t finished. That being said, I wanted to write a story about my journey if I was one of the trainers. I’m going with the Dusk version, mostly because of the starters, but I intend to bring the ones from Dawn over, just to round everything out. Be forewarned, this isn’t like my other story where the human gets the pony! I’m still working out that little detail. But anyways, lets enjoy the story… I do not claim any rights to My Little Ponies or Poke‘mon. Ponymon: Dusk Journey Prologue: The First Step It was a pleasant day, like most of the week had been. The sun was shining, few clouds were in the sky, and a cool breeze flowed through the small town. Opening his bedroom window from the second floor, a young teen let the beauty of the day soak into him. His name was Tory. He had a good feeling about today, and what it held in store for him. Tory leaned out the window, and felt the breeze run through his short, light brown hair, whispering promises of good things. His shockingly blue eyes surveyed the bright day that was in front of him. He quickly ducked back into his room, and redressed from his sleeping clothes, into his adventure gear. Looking in the mirror, the teen couldn’t help think of what fun he and his friend would have today. Dressed in a simple pair of blue pants and silver shirt, Tory walked into the hallway that led downstairs. Then he remembered something, and quickly reopened his door. He walked over to his computer, and opened up his internet browser, wondering if any of his friends around the region had been trying to contact him. Tory was decently known around all of Equestria, the region that he lived in now. He liked to talk on forums all the time, and evidently, people liked what he said. After seeing that no mail presented itself to him, the teen closed down his computer, and got up. Looking at his room once more, the boy also saw his signature dog tags laying on his nightstand. Snatching them up, Tory let them fall over his head and onto his neck. He loved those tags very much, as they were a gift from his aunt before she died. The front held his name in an italic style, a small cross, and his zodiac sign, Virgo. The back one held another cross that took up half of the tag, and it held a small sapphire in the center, which was Tory’s birth stone. He gripped them tightly for a second, thinking of his aunt, and praying that she was watching over him. Then he let his mind drift to what he would do today, and dashed down the flight of stairs. As he made it to the living room, Tory saw his dad watching a sports show that featured a very famous winged character racing down a large track. After seeing that, the teen grabbed his silver backpack, which was loaded with a few snacks, some water bottles, and proceeded to step out the door. The cool breeze from earlier greeted him, and he smiled. “Bye Dad!” Tory called over his shoulder. “I’ll be back at sunset!” “Don’t wander off to far, son!” his father called back. Not listening, the teen dashed over to the fence where he kept his bike chained up, and hopped on. He pushed hard on the pedals, as the gear was stuck on a high mode, and began to ride along the dirt road towards his friend’s house. Tory passed by many of the small town’s residents, waving as he passed them. He looked at the sign that stood in the center of town, which said ‘Sweet Apple Acres’. Yup, he lived in a farming town. It was also home to a few notable characters in history. But Tory wasn’t really thinking about that now. He was trying to think of what he’d do today with his friend. Lost in his thoughts, the teen didn’t notice a small golden yellow ceature wander into his path. After a voice snapped him out of his thoughts, Tory saw the little one, and veered off sharply to avoid hurting them. He crashed into a tree, and fell to the ground. That hurt! “Ugh,” Tory moaned, “Can somebody get that tree’s insurance? I think I rear-ended them.” “Oh my,” came a woman’s voice. “I’m terribly sorry Tory! I turned away for just a second, and this little one wandered off!” Shaking his head, the teen turned around to see a tall, older woman standing beside him. She wore a lab coat and red glasses, with her hair tied back. He smiled as he realized it was the assistant to a well known person in this town. “Heh, don’t worry about it,” Tory replied, getting to his feet. He looked over to the creature that he almost hit. “And who might this one be?” “Hmm?” the assistant questioned, readjusting her glasses. “Oh! This is Filly Fluttershy, one of the few remaining in my boss’ care. She wandered off when I was trying to get one of the others to rejoin the group, and well, here we are.” The little creature stared at him with big, scared, blue eyes. Her body was a golden yellow, and she had pink hair. Tory smiled at her, seeing how shy she was, and turned back to the assistant. She nodded at him, and the teen slowly walked over to the little one named Filly Fluttershy. He held out his hands with his palms face up, indicating he meant no harm, and let her sniff at him. Tory had a way with animals normally. Shy ones were usually his specialty. He had no idea why he was so skilled with them, but the teen wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth. He smiled as Filly Fluttershy looked up at him, the fear in her eyes gone, replaced with a sad look. He knew what it meant. “Don’t worry little one,” Tory said soothingly. “I’m perfectly fine. You see? No scratches or anything. It’s not your fault. I wasn’t looking where I was going.” “Well that’s good,” the assistant sighed. “Now I don’t have to worry about your dad suing me for your pain!” “He wouldn’t do that,” Tory countered with a smile. He turned back to the little one, and gently brushed her hair. “But it looks like you have to go now. Go on little one, go find your friends.” The teen watched as the assistant and golden creature walked back over the hill, and vanished from his sight. Getting his bike up, Tory let his mind wander through what just happened. He had just made contact with a Ponymon! That was his first encounter with them…ever! In Equestria, there were wild creatures known simply as Ponymon. They wandered all across the region in many different forms. Some changed when they became powerful enough, others just stayed the same throughout their life. Ponymon were special, mostly because of how different they were from other animals across the planet. Ponymon were willing to listen and follow humans. They laughed, played, and did everything together. Some humans even trained the ponies they had to fight, and pitted them in a battle against other trainers. Those humans were called Bronies, and they were quickly becoming the rising celebrities of this era. Tory wanted to be a Brony, but it seemed like all ponies just knew when he was coming, and galloped away before he could get a chance to even see them. It made the teen wonder if he was just unlucky, or if there was a deeper motive behind it. Shaking his head clear of these thoughts, Tory got back on his bike, and continued down the road, smiling. Approaching a white home, Tory skidded to a stop with his legs. The brakes on his bike had evidently stopped working after his little crash earlier, and so he had to do things the manual way. Finally getting his bike to quit rolling, the teen stepped off. He looked up at the second floor window, and smiled. “Hey Rhys!” Tory called out. “It’s already noon! You gonna sleep all day?!” The window opened a few seconds later, and out popped the head of Rhys Thompson. He was Tory’s only friend in Sweet Apple Acres, and was always up for a good time. The boy in the window stared down at him with his emerald green eyes. His long, dark brown hair blowed in the wind. He wore a simple orange tee with brown shorts that covered a bit below his knees. “Hey mate!” Rhys shouted at him with a smile. “I haven’t been sleeping, I was just toying around with my old beyblade! Give me a minute, and I’ll be right down!” Tory heard a loud pounding as his friend rushed down his stairs. Yanking open the door, Rhys came out with a piece of toast in his mouth and his orange backpack slung over his back. Unchaining his own bike, the teen looked at his friend. “Well? Are we gonna stand here like a pair of loons all day, or shall we get riding?” Rhys asked with a grin. “C’mon you dodo,” Tory taunted playfully. “We’re going to the Haven.” The Haven, a place for young teens that hadn’t left town yet. There were very few nowadays, so Tory and Rhys mostly had the place to themselves. The only other person allowed inside the Haven was Varil. But he never stopped by, saying that it was just a child’s thing. To that, Tory would say they were still children, but still Varil would reject the place. After riding about three minutes, the two friends noticed something out of place in town. There were very few people about today, which was strange as most everyone was busy with harvesting the crops this time of year. Hearing a commotion down a side road, Tory and Rhys looked at each other. A chance for adventure maybe? That was their thing. The two wanted to be Bronies, but since they didn’t have any Ponymon, they couldn’t leave town. Now forgetting that, both of them turned to follow the noise. “Hey wait!” an older voice stopped them as they began to peddle away. “You can’t go out there!” Turning around, Tory and Rhys saw an older man, probably in his fourties, running towards them. As he got close, the two teens could see the wrinkles under his eyes, and the streaks of gray that shot through his tan hair. It was none other than Professer Oak, the legendary Ponymon scientist! He was the grandfather of Varil, and as such, made the little brat arrogant and cocky because of his ’heritage’. Tory wanted to shove his personality right up the boy’s ass, but he wasn’t that kind of guy. Now his father on the other hand… “Where did you two think you were riding off to?” Oak asked them in a serious tone. “Don’t you know that dangerous ponies live out in the wild? Yes, they are in fact cute and cuddly, but they can still hurt you if you aren’t careful.” “We were just going to check out what the commotion was about,” Rhys defended the two of them. “We weren’t going to be out there long!” “Regardless,” Oak stopped him. “I can’t let you two leave Sweet Apple Acres without some sort of protection… And I might have just the thing. Okay you two, follow me.” The older scientist turned around, and began to walk towards a large mansion in the distance. Tory and Rhys looked at each other, and followed along. They eventually made it to the estate, and walked inside. Tory saw the assistant from earlier standing near a large machine with complicated controls on it. She smiled as she saw him, and returned to her work. Walking to the back of the building, Oak finally stopped when he came upon a table with three small, round objects on them. Each one was the shape of a ball, with a button in the center. The top half was red, while the bottom was white. Each object was adorned with a strange symbol. One held a butterfly, another had a small gem, and the last one had an apple. “These are the last pieces of my childhood,” Oak told them with a sad smile. “Those small things on the table are called ponyballs, and each one contains a different Ponymon inside them. Tory, Rhys, you both have reached the age where you can take on a few responsibilities. I think you two have earned the right to raise your own ponies. Go ahead, take one each.” Before either of the boys had a chance to step forward, the door behind them slammed open. Everyone in the room turned to see Varil. He walked towards Tory and the others, his short, spiky blonde hair bouncing with every step. He was a small, cocky little bastard that annoyed almost everyone he met. He wore a white jumpsuit with blue stripes running down the sleeves, and a blue cloak held down by gold buttons. The neck of his outfit was black, and went half way up the boy’s own neck. His blue eyes were upsetting, mostly because they held a greedy and cocky gleam in them. “Hey look,” Rhys whispered into Tory’s ear. “It’s our ‘Rival’. Think he‘s here to learn how to stop being such a prick?” “Doubt it,” the silver wearing teen replied. “It would take a lot of surgery and a bit of a miracle to remove that overly large ego from his small head.” “Oh grow up you two!” Varil snapped, hearing them snicker. “Hey Gramps, what do you want? I’ve got bigger things to do than visit you.” “Yeah, like learn some manners,” Tory said under his breath. “Varil?” Oak started. “Why are you here again?… Oh right! Just wait a second. You’ll see.” The older man turned back to Rhys and Tory, and motioned for them to approach the table. “Okay you two, go ahead and select your Ponymon. Since you both got here before my grandson, you get first pick.” “Sweet! Maybe that’ll make Varil shut up about how great he is!” Tory thought to himself. Rhys walked over to the table, and inspected the ponyball with an apple on it. He picked it up, and pressed the button. The ball opened up, and a white light emerged, creating something on top of Rhys’ head. As the light faded, Tory saw a small orange pony on his friend. She had a long, blonde mane and tail, with green eyes. Rhys picked her off his head, and looked at her with a smile. She smiled back, and started squirming. The orange wearing boy placed her on the floor, and she started trotting around him happily. Rhys couldn’t help but laugh at how fun she looked. “That is Filly Applejack,” Oak explained. “I raised her mother back when I was a young and aventurous Brony. Her species is really strong and trustworthy. You’ll have an interesting time raising her.” “Cool,” Rhys commented, getting down on one knee so he could get a better look at his new pony. “Hey Gramps!” Varil said loudly beside the old man. “Why should they get to pick before me, just because I was a bit late?! That’s not fair!” “Then you should learn to be quicker,” the old scientist countered, pulling his fingers out of his ears. “They got here before you, so they should naturally get a chance to pick before you. Try being more punctual next time.” “Um Professer,” Tory started quietly. “Varil can go before me if he wants. I’m not really in a rush, so I can wait.” “Are you sure Tory?” Oak asked. “You’ll only have what’s left over, you know that right?” “Then I don’t have to worry about choosing,” the silver boy shrugged. “It’s fine, really.” “Damn right I am,” Varil said in a cocky tone, walking over to the table. He grabbed the ball with a butterfly on it, and opened the small container. When the pony came out, Tory saw it was the Filly Fluttershy that he met earlier. Maybe the teen should have gone first. He was kind of envious that Varil would get the first Ponymon that Tory had seen. But when the brat saw what was inside the ponyball, he just looked at it with disgust. “THAT is a Ponymon?!” he shouted. “She looks so weak! I’m not taking her! I bet any other Ponymon in existence could defeat her!” Varil dropped the ponyball on the ground, not even bothering to return Filly Fluttershy to her container. That upset Tory, to see him treat that little pony with such contempt. The blond walked over to the last ball on the table, and opened it again. This time, a white pony with a deep purple mane and tail came out. She took an elegant pose, fluffing up her hair. Varil saw this, and took to liking her right away. “Ah, Filly Rarity,” the elder scientist said with a nod. “Her species is all about elegance and generosity. She has style in whatever she does. I knew you’d pick that one Varil. She’s so much like you.” “Now THAT’S a Ponymon!” he exclaimed. “Much better than the weak looking one, and probably able to beat down the orange one!” “Hey!” Rhys exclaimed from beside Filly Applejack. “Don’t judge a Ponymon by their looks! I bet my little pony could beat yours!” “Sounds like a challenge?” Varil smirked, looking over his shoulder at Rhys. “You’re damn right it is!” the orange boy shouted, getting up. Both Filly Applejack and Rarity took up postions in front of their newly minted Bronies. Applejack’s green eyes flared protectively at Rarity, who simply ran a hoof through her mane. Tory glared at Varil, and picked up Filly Fluttershy’s ponyball. He crouched down in front of her, and extended a hand. The little pony looked up at him, and her blue eyes sparkled when she realized who it was. Tory laughed gently at how happy she looked. Had he made that much of an impression on the litte pony when he first met her? “Are you okay?” Tory asked her quietly. She nodded, making the human smile. “That’s good. He shouldn’t have been so mean to you. In my opinion, you don’t look weak. Would you like to be my pony?” Filly Fluttershy answered by jumping up and pressing her head against Tory’s legs. He smiled as she did that, and stroked her soft mane. He looked behind her, and saw two small wings on her back, hidden by her silky smooth hair. He didn’t know that Ponymon could fly! Can the others do that as well? “So you’ve picked Filly Fluttershy huh?” Oak asked beside the human, catching him off-guard. “She was my personal favorite when I was a young Brony. I picked her too when I first started. Her mother was my best friend throughout my journies. I think you’ll enjoy Fluttershy Tory, as her species is kind, loving, and always there to support their master…Well, it seems like she’s already taken a shine to you! Usually, her kind are also shy around everyone and other Ponymon. This one was no exception, but she’s already fond of you. How is that?” “I’ll, uh, explain later,” Tory replied. He looked at Filly Fluttershy, and got up. “Right now, I need to help my friend.” “Too late!” Varil smirked, walking over to Tory. He pointed a thumb over his shoulder, indicating Rhys and Filly Applejack behind him. “Like I said before, my pony can beat any other. His was no exception!” Tory looked at Rhys, who was stroking an unconscious Applejack. She looked a bit banged up, but otherwise fine. The orange wearing human’s eyes were sad, and held a protective spark in them. Glaring at Varil, the silver wearing teen felt his anger rocket up. He got in the blonde’s face, and called out his challenge. “You think you’re such a badass!” Tory spat. “Right here, right now! You and Filly Rarity against me and Filly Fluttershy! Unless of course, you’re afraid?!” “Me, afraid?” Varil asked, every ounce of cockiness in his voice. “You wish! Fine then, I accept your challenge!” “Oh for Celestia’s sake,” Oak whispered to himself. He walked between the two of them, and pointed to the outside door. “You two take your little ‘battle’ outside! I can’t risk all of my equipment on a grudge match! I don’t even know why I let Rhys and Varil fight in here! Out, now!” The two boys took their Ponymon outside, and made their way to a small clearing nearby. Tory looked down at Fluttershy, and picked her up gently. He stroked her soft mane, feeling her squirm in delight. He laughed kindly at this, and put her down on the ground again. He got on his knees, and looked into her blue eyes. “I’m sorry if I rushed this,” he apologized to his pony. “I hadn’t intended for this to happen. I just got so mad when he acted so rudely about winning his fight against my friend. Are you mad?” Filly Fluttershy shook her head, and looked into Tory’s eyes with a kind gleam. He saw something else in them, something different. It was almost like she was trying to talk to him. He was about to speak to her again, when Varil broke into his thoughts. “Hey loser!” the blonde called out in his annoying voice. “Stop talking to your weak Ponymon, and fight me already! I want to make you suffer!” “Wow Varil,” Tory replied with a glare and a smirk. “I didn’t know you could use big words like ‘suffer’! Did you spend all night learning it?” “Oh you are so dead!” the blonde retorted. “Filly Rarity, attack him, now!” Obeying her master’s orders, the white pony rushed at Tory. She lashed out at him with a hoof, but was quickly knocked away by Filly Fluttershy, landing a quick jab herself. The two Ponymon glared at each other, one trying to attack, the other trying to protect. “Crap! I don’t know how to battle!” Tory thought to himself. “Am I supposed to just order her to do something, or are there specific things I have to say? Agh, this was a terrible idea! I just handed my pony to Varil on a silver platter!” “Urg, fine then!” Tory shouted. “Filly Fluttershy, fly up and attack Filly Rarity from above!” The golden pony spread her wings, and tried to lift off into the sky. But even though her wings flapped, she crashed to the ground in a clumsy manner. Tory ran over to her, and picked the small pony up gently. “HAHAHA! She can’t even fly!’ Varil jeered. “How do you expect to beat me with such a weak Ponymon?!” Filly Rarity looked back at her master, her eyes upset with the way he was acting. Why was he so mean? Turning back to her opponent, the white pony’s expression softened. The Filly Fluttershy was only trying to protect her master, not trying to fight. While Rarity was bound to do what her master ordered, she didn’t have to do it at her best. Maybe she could throw this fight?.. “You okay Filly Fluttershy?” Tory asked his Ponymon quietly. She nodded with a slight blush, embarrassed to be seen in such a weak state. The human noticed this, and smiled warmly at her. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to get rid of you because you messed up once. Things happen, right? Maybe we’ll practice it later. For now, just dodge her attacks. Can you do that?” Filly Fluttershy nodded, her confidence restored just a bit. Getting to her hooves, she stared down Filly Rarity, who just looked at her sadly. Why? She was winning, wasn’t she? She should be acting bold and feel confident about herself. Why did she look sad? “Let’s just finish this!” Varil shouted, annoyed at how long this was dragging out. “Filly Rarity, attack that pathetic excuse of a Ponymon!” The white pony nodded, and dashed forward, slower this time. Her attacks came in sluggishly, and often they just flew away from the golden pony. The attacks came close to Filly Fluttershy a few times, but she managed to dodge them all. Eventually, her pink mane made Filly Rarity trip, and Tory took that as a sign. “Okay, now’s your chance Filly Fluttershy!” he encouraged. “Attack with everything you have!” The golden pony’s eyes flared for a second, and she lashed out at Filly Rarity. Her hooves landed on the white pony, not even scratching her. Evidently, Filly Fluttershy couldn’t hurt another pony without good reason. Tory took this as a sign too, and told her instead to pin her down. This, the golden pony did without hesitating. “Man, I need to finish this!” Tory thought to himself. ‘But I’ve never battled before! How can I be expected to get Filly Fluttershy to defeat Varil’s pony?!” “C’mon Filly Rarity!” the blonde shouted at his Ponymon angrily. “Get off the ground and beat that weakling within an inch of her life!” Filly Rarity struggled weakly under Filly Fluttershy’s hold. It was almost like she wasn’t trying now! Tory prayed that he could think of something to help his pony win. Anything would do, anything at all! He just wanted a sign! ‘Hoof stomp,’ came a quiet voice in Tory’s head. ‘Order me to use Hoof Stomp!’ Shaking his head, Tory looked around the clearing for the owner of the voice. But the only ones around were him, Varil, and Professor Oak. The voice had been so quiet and feminine, so it couldn’t be the loud and obnoxious blonde. As far as Tory knew, the Ponymon Professor wasn’t female, so that left the human in a stupor. Remembering what the voice had said, he looked at Filly Fluttershy. Had it been her? The voice had said to order someone to use ‘Hoof Stomp’. Maybe it was her? Deciding to try it, he called out to his Ponymon. “Filly Fluttershy, use Hoof Stomp!” Tory shouted. Rearing back, the golden pony obeyed her master’s order. She slammed her hoof down violently onto Filly Rarity’s side, causing the small white pony to gasp in pain. Her eyes closed, and she passed out. Tory gave a victory cry , and dashed over to his Ponymon. He picked her up and began to swing her about happily. Filly Fluttershy smiled, and squeaked in happiness. Varil slumped to the ground, shocked that he had been beaten by a complete loser. How could this have happened?! Of all the worst possible things, THIS, WAS, THE, WORST!!! Curling into a ball, the blonde rocked back and forth, trying to shake this defeat out of his head. He kept thinking about how he needed a stronger Ponymon, and how maybe he should’ve taken that weak looking one after all. Rhys came out with Filly Applejack in his arms. She had woken up about a minute ago, and the two had came out after they heard Tory shouting. Seeing the happy expression on his face, it didn’t take long for the orange wearing human to figure it out. Quickly joining in the celebration, Rhys dashed over to his friend and starte giving war shouts. “Those two certainly are exuberant,” Oak commented to himself. “That’ll get them a long way. But if they really want to be good Bronies, they need to learn a few more things. We’ll see what time and a bit of a journey does to them…” I.I.I After enjoying Tory’s victory, the two friends made their way home to tell their parents about this. Oak had even said they should go out into the world, and experience all the wonders it held. It was just the thing that the two boys had hoped for their entire lives. Stopping outside Rhys’ house, the two parted ways for the day. Walking inside his home, the orange wearing human dropped his bag at the counter. He looked down to see Filly Applejack stare at him with those big, green eyes. She looked so adorable like that, and Rhys couldn’t help but pick her up and let her rest in his lap. The entire ride back, she had been yawning. Not surprising really, as she had taken a beating in that fight with Filly Rarity. Having never battled before, Rhys didn’t know what to do. He’d just let his Ponymon do whatever, and that had gotten her hurt. She took a strike to the face here, a kick to the gut there, and she was out like a light. It had upset Rhys very much to see his litte pony so cruelly beaten. That Varil, he was such a jerk! One day, Filly Applejack was going to show him that big talk and no walk didn’t win the match. One day… ‘Then that varmin’ will see just what ya’ll can do!’ came a strange, bold voice inside Rhys’ head. ‘Ah won’ let ya down!’ Looking down at Filly Applejack, Rhys wondered if she had just talked. Was it possible? Did Ponymon have the ability to talk? The orange pony rested her head on the boy’s lap, and soon her breathing became even. “Is all of this really happening?” Rhys asked himself quietly. “Or am I dreaming?” “Well, it looks like someone had a fun day!” came a loud, high-pitched voice behind the boy. “What happened to you?!” Wincing at the loudness of the voice, Rhys turned around to see his baby sister looking at him curiously. He quickly turned back, trying to shield Filly Applejack from her. He knew his sister, and she would go crazy if she got her hands on a Ponymon. But his action had been to late as she saw the little orange pony, and squealed loudly in delight. She kept trying to reach around Rhys to get at Filly Applejack, but the boy just batted her arms away gently. He kept telling her to be quiet, that the pony was trying to sleep, but she wouldn’t listen. Her protests and squealing woke up the small Ponymon. Rhys smacked his forehead, and quickly dashed upstairs into his room. He locked the door, and shut off the lights. Placing a drowsy Filly Applejack on his bed, Rhys got out a pen and paper. He wrote a simple message to his sister about how his pony was tired after a long day, and that she needed to rest. When he heard banging on his door, he slipped the paper under the frame, and waited for her to either continue pounding on the door, or complain that Rhys was being mean. Neither came from his sister. Instead, she walked down the hall, her footsteps pounding lightly on the wooden floor. ‘Tha’ was close!’ came the voice again. “You can say that again,” Rhys replied. “Someone needs to teach her about control…Wait a second.” he turned around, and looked at Filly Applejack. “Did you say that?” ‘Well who else can talk to ya?!’ the voice echoed in his head, as the orange Ponymon gave him a playful look. ‘What? You thought we was all looks an’ beatin’ up others? We have to talk too!’ “Th-This is great!” Rhys exclaimed. “Oh wow, I can’t believe this is happening!” Filly Applejack smiled at him, and yawned once more. She put her head down on the blanket, and closed her eyes. The human just looked at her and smiled. She gone through quite a bit today, and that warranted a nice long rest. Walking over to his computer, Rhys quickly logged into his email. He had one message waiting for him in his inbox. It was from Tory, and it said: “Tomorrow is the day my friend! You and I will set off on our own journey! Make sure you pack up everything you’ll need, as we won’t be returning for a while. See you at the town square around noon!” Sending a quick reply of ‘OK’, Rhys walked over to the mini-fridge he kept in a corner. It was locked, mostly because his sister would often sneak into his room and take some of his food, just because she liked what he had. Entering the combination into the turn lock, Rhys pulled the door open, and reached inside. He pulled out a small juice box, apple flavored, and inserted the straw. He placed it on the table by Filly Applejack, and went back to begin his packing. Rhys held many goodies inside his fridge, with juice and sandwiches being the majority. Besides those, he had a few pieces of candy, some sodas, a water bottle, a bowl of jello, and cookies. He quickly loaded up a small zipper on the side of his pack, put his water bottle in, threw in ten packs of juice, five cans of soda, and his bowl of jello, making sure the lid on top was sealed tight. He grabbed the cookies and candy, then walked over to the bed. He placed a few of the vanilla sweets on a napkin by Filly Applejack’s juice, and unwrapped the small pieces of candy. As he undid the wrappers, they crackled, making a loud noise. This caused the orange pony to wake up again, and she watched her master. When he finally noticed, Rhys smiled, and motioned for her begin eating. The little Ponymon gave a grateful smile, and began to dig into a cookie. She devoured it in two bites, not realizing just how hungry she was. ‘Thank ya, master!’ came Filly Applejack’s voice. “Please, call me Rhys,” the boy laughed. “Master makes me sound like I control you. I’m just your friend!” Giving a big smile, the small pony got up and hugged him. Rhys returned it, happy to have another friend. Like Tory, he wasn’t very popular, so the two of them were always left out. All of their other friends had left Sweet Apple Acres some time ago, setting out on their own journeys to become Brony Masters. But even still, Rhys only had two other friends: Matt and Michael. The two of them had left about ten weeks ago, saying that it was their time to take in what Equestria had to offer. Now it was time for Tory and Rhys to begin THEIR journey! The orange wearing boy smiled. He had a feeling that great things would happen to them. Breaking the hug with Filly Applejack, Rhys got up and held out his ponyball. “Honestly, it sounds kind of mean, putting you in this small thing,” he said after a second, looking at the container. “ I don’t think I’ll do that to you.” ‘It ain’t so bad in there’ the Ponymon told him. ‘There’s plenty o’ room to play, an’ it lets us see outside too.’ “R-Really,” Rhys asked curiously. He looked back at the ball, and put it beside her. “Then I’ll let you decide. You can pick if you want to stay inside the ponyball, or out here with me.” Filly Applejack replied by jumping on Rhys and tackling him to the floor. The two playfully scuffled for a second, before the pony had him pinned to the wooden floor with a hoof. Rhys smiled, and wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her head. She batted his hand away, and jumped off of him. As Rhys sat up, he smiled at his Ponymon. Yeah, life was definitely good… I.I.I Tory logged off his computer with a large smile on his face. He had just finished talking with one of his friends, and had found out that the guy had also become a Brony today. The two of them said that they should meet in person. Unforunately, Tory had no idea where the other guy lived, and he wasn’t keen about giving out the name of his town. He knew that could only lead to trouble, so the boy withheld that bit of info. The same could be said of his friend. They were both careful about what info they gave away to strangers, which they technically were to the other, never having met in person, and the other could be lying about who they were. Shaking his head clear of those troubling thoughts, Tory turned in his chair to look at Filly Fluttershy. She was sleeping quietly on his bed, having exhausted all of her energy in that battle with Filly Rarity. A big grin spread out on his face. The golden pony looked so adorable like that. He reached over, and stroked her soft mane gently. Her hair felt silky smooth his hand. Getting up, Tory walked downstairs to grab a little snack. As he walked out the door, he heard a quiet yawn, and looked back into his room. Filly Flutterhsy had evidently woken up, and now she looked at him with a smile. She got up and trotted over to him, rubbing her head against his leg. Laughing gently, Tory picked her up and carried her down the flight of stairs. As he got down the last step, Tory could smell burgers cooking, and grinned. Filly Fluttershy smelled it too, and looked like she would be sick to her stomach. The human noticed this, and set her down so she could relax a bit. “What’s wrong?” he asked her. “Don’t like meat?” The golden pony shook her head, and Tory frowned. Well, if Ponymon came in all shapes and sizes, they had to have different tastes too, right? Walking over to the fridge, the human checked to see if they had anything that the pony could eat. Unfortunately, Tory had little food stored away, as he forgot he was supposed to get supplies at the store. He marked that down as something to do later today, when he went to grab stuff for his adventure. Which reminded him… Tory still had to tell his dad that he became a Brony today, and that he’d be leaving to go on his journey tomorrow. That was going to be a bit hard, since his dad was a bit protective. Tory was the last one in his care, all of the boy’s brothers and sisters having left the household years ago. His three brothers had been the first to go, all leaving to take on different jobs in the world. His two sisters went about five years later, saying they wanted to strut their stuff. Opening the door to where his dad was, the teen saw many different types of food on the table. His father was beside the grill, watching the burgers cook slowly. Tory quickly got Filly Fluttershy around the table to where she could remain hidden until it was time to tell the man. Taking a seat, he saw lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, everything that people usually put on burgers. Smiling to himself, Tory knew that he and his dad wouldn’t eat all of this, as they never did. It would go bad in the fridge after today, since they rarely ate like this. Quickly taking one of the plates on the table, the teen grabbed plenty of lettuce, a few tomatoes, and added a pickle or two. He placed the small meal on the ground by Filly Fluttershy, and motioned for her to go ahead and eat. Her eyes expressed her gratitude, and she began to quietly chew on her meal. Tory smiled as he watched her eat. She was so adorable! He turned back to his dad, and saw the man walking over with a plate of burgers. They sizzled as he put them on the table. The teen grabbed a bun and placed the first patty he saw on it. He loaded it up with tomatoes, a bit of lettuce, and some mayo. He bit into the juicy meal, and let the warm flavors grace his taste buds. “Hey Dad,’ Tory started after finishing his first burger. “I uh, got something to tell you.” “…What did you do this time?” came his father’s question. “Hey! You’re acting like I got in trouble!” the teen said. “Usually you do when you have to tell me something,” the man commented. “So what happened today?” Deciding that he couldn’t back out now, Tory looked down at Filly Fluttershy. She had finished her meal, and was looking at him calmly. He motioned for her to hop up on the table, and she did after another second. She looked nervous when she saw how big the man was. Tory’s dad raised his eyebrows when he saw the Ponymon. He looked from her, to his son, and back. The man’s intense hazel eyes gazed deeply into Filly Fluttershy, and she cringed under his stare. He looked over at the boy, who simply stared back. Sighing once, the man spoke quietly. “How did it happen?” he asked. Tory began to tell him how he and Rhys were going out to the Haven, when they heard a commotion just outside of town. Before they could check it out, Professor Oak stopped them, and made the two teens go to his lab. Then Tory explained that he and Rhys were given a chance to pick their own Ponymon, and how Varil came in and just treated Filly Fluttershy so evilly. When he mentioned that part, the golden pony just lowered her head. The boy noticed this, and began to stroke her mane to make her feel better. It had the desired effect, as she smiled and leaned on him. “All of this happened in just a few hours?” Tory’s dad asked after the story finished with Filly Fluttershy beating Filly Rarity. “Yeah, and Professor Oak said that me and Rhys should start our journey tomorrow.” the teen explained. “…Dad, I’m going. I need to do this.” “…I was afraid you’d say that,” the man sighed. “I’m guessing there is no way I can convince you otherwise?” “Sorry, no,” Tory shook his head. “Me, Rhys, and our Ponymon are leaving town at noon tomorrow. We plan to go down Route 1 to Ponyville.” “Are you sure, son?” his dad asked, his eyes nearly begging him not to leave. “Do you know what can happen out there?” “No, but that’s part of the fun!” Tory answered, his own eyes shining at the prospect. “And if something should happen, I have my good friend and Filly Fluttershy by my side.” The teen stroked his pony’s mane once more, and she sighed in content. Tory’s dad smiled at how nice they looked together. Maybe…Maybe he could let them go? His son looked so confident when he said he had that little pony beside him. And his friend was going as well, right? That meant if something was going to happen, at least the boy could have some support. “…F-Fine.” Tory’s dad agreed after thinking about it more. “Y-you can go. Just…promise me you’ll be careful.” “Of course,” the teen smiled at him. “I know when I’m in over my head.” “Alright then,” the man said with a nod. “At least you’ll keep your wits about you. C’mon, let’s finish this up…With your new friend.” Filly Fluttershy smiled at that. She proceeded to eat some of the lettuce in the bowl, a bit getting on her face. Tory laughed, and wiped it off, thinking how fun she was. As the three of them finished their meal, they cleared off the table and walked back inside. “I think I’ll get to bed,” Tory’s dad said, stretching his arms. “I’ve got a long day ahead of me tomorrow. Plenty of apple picking to do and all that.” The older man walked up the stairs to his bedroom, leaving Tory and Filly Fluttershy in the living room. Tory smiled at her, and turned back to the door. He walked outside into the crisp evening air, and watched as the sun began to set. “Hey Filly Fluttershy, want to go for a ride?” he asked her. ‘Sure!’ came that quiet voice in his head again. Looking around, Tory tried to find who it was that kept doing that. The only one around was Filly Fluttershy though. He looked at the Ponymon curiously. He crouched down beside her and began to stroke her soft mane. “Was that you?” he whispered. “Can…Can you talk?” ‘Y-yes,’ the voice said, and Filly Fluttershy lowered her head shyly. She was blushing a bit, and Tory continued to stroke her mane. ‘I-I’m sorry! I can stop…if you want.’ “No,” Tory replied softly with a smile. “You have a lovely voice. Why would I want you to hide it?” Filly Fluttershy looked up at him with shining eyes. He looked into her bottomless blue irises, seeing himself reflected there. Tory picked up his pony, and held her close to him. She wrapped her hooves around his neck. ‘Th-thank you, master Tory.’ she said in her soft voice. “Master?” Tory questioned incredulously but softly. His eyes became gentle as he looked at Filly Fluttershy. “I’m not your master, I’m your friend. Please, just call me Tory.” ‘A-are you sure?’ the little pony asked him shyly, tilting her head to the side in an adorable way. “Yes,” he replied with a nod. “C’mon, I need to run by the general store and pick up a few things so the two of us and our friends can get our journey started.” Grabbing his silver backpack from the table beside the door, and emptied it of it’s contents. He picked up Filly Fluttershy, and gently placed her inside. Her head stuck out of the top, and she pushed out her front hooves. She looked just too adorable like that! Gently picking up the slightly heavy bag, Tory put it on, and closed the front door of his house. He walked over to his bike, and hopped on. Kicking off, he and his Ponymon went down the road, a gentle breeze blowing through their hair as the evening sun began to disappear over the horizon… I.I.I The Next Day I.I.I Just like yesterday, it was bright, clear, and felt good. It was the perfect day to start an adventure! Tory stood at the town square with Filly Fluttershy on his head. She was using her wings to give them some shade while they waited for Rhys and Filly Applejack to show up. “I hope he isn’t sleeping in again,” Tory said impatiently. ‘I’m sure he’s on his way,’ Filly Fluttershy reassured him softly. It was about ten past noon, and still no sign of Tory’s friend or the orange Ponymon he received yesterday. The teen was patient, that much could be said. But unless he could occupy his time with something small, he would lose that patience really quick. He had forgotten to grab his DS, and that had upset him. Tory was always doing something with his hands, ALWAYS. If he wasn’t writing something, he had a game controller in his grasp. If that wasn’t the case, he was tapping them against his legs. But that began to bore him as well, so he was doing nothing with them. That caused an odd sensation to run along his arms. “Maybe we should run by his place?” Tory suggested after another minute. ‘Give them time, please?’ his Ponymon begged quietly, her voice echoing inside the human‘s head. ‘They’ll be here.’ Sure enough, Rhys and Filly Apllejack came running up to them a minute later. The boy was out of breath, but his pony looked perfectly fine. She evidently had some strong legs. As they came to a stop, Rhys sat down and began to breathe in deeply. “Sorry…I’m late!” he huffed out. “Alarm clock…didn’t work! Filly…woke me up!” Tory smiled at Filly Applejack, who looked away. Rhys began to recover, and slowly got to his feet. The orange wearing boy looked at his Ponymon gratefully, and turned to his friend. “Did you run the whole way here?” Tory asked. “Yeah,” Rhys answered, mostly back to breathing normal. “It wasn’t that…hard.” “That’s good,” the silver wearing human replied. “Because it would be terrible if we had to start our adventure late. C’mon, let’s get going.” Tory and Rhys walked towards the edge of town, their Ponymon close by. Filly Fluttershy had hopped of off her master, and now walked beside Filly Applejack. The two of them made little noises that the humans assumed were part of a conversation. Eventually, they stopped at a sign under a large tree. It said: ‘Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres’ on one side, and ‘Now leaving Sweet Apple Acres’ on the other. “This is the farthest we’ve ever been from town,” Rhys said excitedly. “Yup,” Tory nodded. “After we pass that sign, we’ll officially be out of town and in the wild world of Equestria. It’s kind of daunting, isn’t it?” “A bit,” the orange wearing human shrugged. “But we can’t let our nerves hold us back.” “Agreed,” Tory replied. “Shall we?” The two humans stepped past the sign, and looked back at the town they had shared many fond memories in. It almost looked like Sweet Apple Acres was saying good-bye to them. They looked at their Ponymon, Filly Fluttershy and Applejack, and turned back to the path in front of them. Tory and Rhys walked down Route 1, and began their journey… I.I.I Author’s Note I.I.I Good? Bad? Please tell me how I did! I want to know what each of you think, how I can improve my writing, and what you liked. Say whatever you feel, be it a burn, a supportive comment, or anything in between! Keep an eye out for the next chapter… Tory Mills (Silverwing Strong)