//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: The Big Book of Ponies // by Prince Colgate //------------------------------// THE BIG BOOK OF PONIES THE TALES OF EVERYPONY MUTTON PIE Cork’s notes: It wasn’t too difficult to get directions to the nearby Rock Farm. It was relatively close to Manehattan, which made my job relatively easy. When I arrived, I was greeted by Mutton Pie himself. I introduced myself, told him I was a documentarian and I was making some sort of documentary, and asked him for his life story. Surprisingly, just like everypony else, he obliged (weird how that works.) Name: Mutton Pie Race: Earth Pony Occupation: Rock farmer Cutie Mark: Rock hammers (Note to self: Cutie Marks tend to be very straight forward.) Personal Account: I was born on this ‘ere Rock Farm like my father before me. I raised a family here, three beautiful daughters. There’s Maggie Pie, Blinky Pie, and Pinkie Pie. Pinkie’s called Pinkie because she’s pink. Maggie and Blinky, just good names. Pinkie done left the farm a few years back. So did Maggie. No idea what they’ve been up to lately. Probably for the best that they leave this place, the farm ain’t doing so well. Not many ponies need rocks no more. This really strange Gentlecolt came by a few days ago and bought a whole lotta rocks. Only reason we’re still in business. Wouldn’t say his name. Just said he were The Doctor. Strange fellow. This place was real sad before Pinkie happened. She was such a happy lil filly, she made everypony around here feel so excited. Pretty sure that’s her special talent, making ponies happy. Things haven’t been the same since she left. Blinky stuck around to help on the farm. Her cutie mark showed up and it was a rock, guess she’s the heir to the family business. That’s basically it. No need to talk about my childhood. Nothin’ exciting there. I live here alone now with Maggie. I really don’t know how much longer we’ll last.” Closing statements: The old stallion seemed to care more about his daughters than anything. I noticed something pretty big missing from his story, somepony he just completely redacted from his story. I would have to hunt down Blinky or Pinkie, since Maggie seemed to be busy with farming... Rock farming... Such an unusual profession. SCOOTALOO Cork’s notes: I flew back to Cloudsdale. I was getting better at flying. Much better. I was headed back to Cloudsdale, and that’s when I met this little scamp. She was flying through these little cloud rings. She was just a little filly, and I could tell she wasn’t that great at flying yet. I hadn’t really gotten a chance to interview a child yet. It seemed like a good idea. Name: Scootaloo Race: Pegasus Occupation: Student Cutie Mark: N/A Personal Account: My name’s Scootaloo, and one day, I’ll be the fastest, coolest flier in Equestria! Just like Rainbow Dash! Yeah, I was born and live here in Cloudsdale. I have friends down in Ponyville though! Tons of them! Well, two, we are the Cutie Mark Crusaders! On a quest to find out who we are! “My Dad worked in the weather factory. He died in a horrible Rainbow accident a few years ago... My mother works at the Cloudsdale bakery. She’s a baker. She bakes food. [GO FIGURE!] I wonder if my special talent is one of those things. I’m not a good baker, and I’m sort of been banned from the weather factory ever since the incident with the snowflakes... I SORT OF broke half of the snowflakes in the factory and almost caused a drought... But not quite, so I guess that’s something to be proud of. Rainbow Dash is the coolest pony ever! She knows what it’s like to not have parents, and she was there for me when I lost my father. She always acts so cool, because she is, but she can be caring too! She’s always been like a big sister to me. Sorry though, I have to go. Don’t wanna keep my mother waiting! Bye, mister! [And she ran off.]” Closing Statements: Scootaloo was definitely an interesting child. She was so peppy and energetic, even though she lost a parent not too long ago. I can’t say I would be that optimistic at that age. One other thing caught my attention though. She mentioned Rainbow Dash not having parents. I remember Flat Hat telling me about a blue hot shot pegasus at the Orphanage for a few years. Simple deductive reasoning tells me that Rainbow Dash wasn’t in Cloudsdale visiting her family afterall, but was instead visiting a little orange filly. Perhaps it’s time I meet up with Rainbow Dash again. SOARIN Cork’s notes: In an attempt to locate Rainbow Dash, I went to the Wonderbolts performance in Cloudsdale. For living in Canterlot, they sure spent a lot of time here in Cloudsdale. Unfortunately, no sign of Rainbow Dash. Afterwards I checked into the Cloudsdale Inn. Of course, the Wonderbolts were staying there as well. In fairness, there weren’t many other places to stay. It was at this point that I realized I was going to need money soon. I guess that would mean I would need a real job... Oh dear. Anyway, so, Cloudsdale Inn, the Wonderbolts. I take advantage of the situation to get an interview with another member of the Wonderbolts, Soarin. A male. (Note to self, a gender section may be useful in future entries.) Name: Soarin Race: Pegasus Occupation: Wonderbolt, performance flier Cutie Mark: N/A, he always wears his uniform. There is no way I’m going to ask a MALE to take his clothes off. Even if most the males I’ve met are already naked. Personal Account: “Well, let’s see. I was born in Cloudsdale, like the majority of Pegasi. I graduated Flight School at the normal time, I wasn’t early like Spitfire. [He gives a slightly indignant look] Anyway, I impressed the Wonderbolts by winning the Best Young Fliers competition. I’m a few years older than Spitfire also, so I was a Wonderbolt first. When I was flying with them, Jetfire was still in charge.” At this moment, curiosity pushed me to do something I don’t normally do. Ask a question. “What ever became of Jetfire?” “Oh boy” Soarin’s eyes widened. “Jetfire was an amazing Pony. Faster, braver, and more agile than any I’d ever seen. But... There was an accident. Spitfire... She thought she could show him up. She went too high, showing off. There’s no oxygen way up there, ya know? She stayed up too long... She passed out and came plummeting down. Jetfire jumped in and rescued her, but when he caught her, it through him off his balance. He hit the ground and broke both legs and a wing. Spitfire was fine... But Jetfire was done for. He never fully recovered. It was terrible. He became a recluse, didn’t talk to anypony anymore. Because of the incident, no one wanted Spitfire to be in the Wonderbolts... Except for Jetfire. He insisted she be let in. Of course, over time, she grew on us. She felt guilty for what happened. She’d become less reckless, more under control. With that, she became more mature. We grew to like her pretty quickly. Now, her and I are the closest of friends. As for Jetfire, well, he lives near here actually. A small cloud mass to the north, just outside of Cloudsdale. Nopony goes there, he doesn’t talk to anypony. Ever.” Closting statements:: I feel bad for caring more about Jetfire than Soarin himself. At this point, I’m not entirely sure what to do next. I want to continue my search for Rainbow Dash... Though I also want to find this Jetfire. The main difference is I actually knew where Jetfire was. Ultimately, I decided to head over and pay a visit to this mysterious stallion. JETFIRE I found the small cloud cluster relatively easily. There was a medium sized cottage built on it... Not really what I was expecting. I was expecting a glorious cloud mansion or something. Anyway, I summoned up a fair ammount of bravery and knocked loudly on the door. Surprisingly, he answered. Well, for once, just asking for his life story didn’t work exactly. A sort of... Dialogue insued. Name: Jetfire Race: Pegasus Occupation: Retired Wonderbolt Cutie Mark: Orange Lightning Bolt Personal account: “Yeah, I’m Jetfire. You clearly already know me, or you wouldn’t be here. I have a question of my own. Answer this, and maybe I’ll talk. Who exactly are YOU?” The question caught me off guard. It had been a long while since somepony had asked that. “My name’s Corkscrew. I’m a Documentarian.” “Corkscrew? That’s an odd name for a Documentarian. That’s an odd name in general. I hope you’re not lying to me.” “No, of course not. I’m Corkscrew the Documentarian Pegasus.” “Uh huh... Well then. I’m sure you’ve heard all about my accident then?” I nodded. “So, I assume you want to know what I’ve been up to since I retired?” I nodded again. “Nothing. That’s what.” “... Nothing at all? Really?” “I responded to a lie with another lie.” “What do you mean?” “You lied about your name, so I lied too.” “... You’re a clever one. Very clever.” “Quite. So, are you going to tell me the truth then?” “... No.” Was my only response. He smiled and shut the door. I was Corkscrew now, whoever I was before doesn’t matter. Why should I talk about myself anyway? This book is about Ponies, not humans. Closing statements: Jetfire retired after his accident with the Wonderbolts. Let it go down in history that he has accomplished nothing at all since he retired. RAINBOW DASH PART 2 Cork’s notes: I left Jetfire’s cottage feeling slight tinges of regret. Was it really so much for me to just tell him who I was? Yes, it was. I felt a little better when I got to Cloudsdale and saw a familiar blue pegasus. I flagged her down, ready to confront her with everything I knew. It felt pretty cool, it reminded me of this video game back on Earth, where you gather evidence and stuff then present it to people to make them talk. I felt like an investigator. I should have named myself Gummyhooves. Anyway, back on topic, I confronted her, told her about what Flat Hat said and what Scootaloo had said. It was great, because, just like in that video game, her expression went from all chill and happy, to worried and anxious almost instantly. Score one for Corkscrew. And then, I finally got a good personal account from her... And I can’t say I’d fully expected what I got. Name: Rainbow Dash Race: Pegasus Occupation: Weather Worker Cutie Mark: Rainbow Lightning Bolt coming out of a cloud. Gender: Female Personal Account: “Alright, it’s true, I didn’t have parents. I still don’t... Obviously. I spent some time in the Cloudsdale orphanage, and the Manehattan orphanage, before finally just breaking out and living on my own. I couldn’t stand the confinement. I needed to be free... The outside world wasn’t as awesome as I’d thought. I had no food, no shelter, nothing. I was alone in the world. Just a filly who was too cool for the rest of the world... [She gives a half-hearted chuckle] I stayed around Manehattan for a while, but eventually headed back to Cloudsdale. This is where I was born, so I considered it to be home. I couldn’t fly great yet. Yeah, surprising, I know, but I was really young. Still a little blank-flank. It was easy to escape the orphanage, since they don’t really care about us there. But while I was walking to Cloudsdale, I came across this awesome stallion! He was the coolest pegasus I’d ever met! He was fast, he was cool, he was a Wonderbolt! He took me under his wing. He taught me to fly and to be cool and everything. I respected that bright orange stallion like no other! Finally, I used everything he’d taught me to stand up for a little yellow pegasus who could hardly fly at all. I flew in a race in her honor, and did a Sonic Rainboom! It was SOOOO AWESOME! I... I wanted to tell Jet what had happened, but I couldn’t find him. He was just, gone. I searched for him, but could never find him.... I... I figured he was... Gone... I didn’t mope though. He wouldn’t have wanted me to. I went on to become the new coolest pony in all of Equestria, just like he was! And one day, I’ll be the captain of the Wonderbolts, just like he was! Closing statements: I smiled and thanked her for telling her real story. It always felt good to get others to open up to you. It’s one of the best parts of being a documentarian. There was something I couldn’t ignore though. Cool, orange, Wonderbolt captain named “Jet”? Small world, isn’t it? This confused me greatly... And almost made me wish I HAD given in to Jetfire’s request and told the truth. However, if I could get Rainbow Dash to talk through gathering information, I can do the same to Jet! For I am Detective Gummyshoes! … Not really, I’m Corkscrew. I find myself rambling a little more, becoming more random. What has this world done to me? A LETTER FROM OCTAVIA Cork’s notes: I received a letter at the Inn in Cloudsdale. It was from Octavia. I’m not sure how she knew I was in Cloudsdale, or if she just gave it to Ditzy and told her to find me. Either way, I was happy to receive a letter from sompony I knew. “Dear Corkscrew, I found my good friend Ditzy Doo and asked her if she could find you and deliver this letter to you. [One question down] I’m sure she’ll succeed, she’s an excellent mail-mare. Anyway, I have a friend I’m sure you’d like to meet. She’s a little bit... Unusual, but I told her about you and your documentary and she said she’d really like to be part of it. We’re currently in Canterlot, and we probably will be for quite a while. It would be wonderful if you could meet us there. Your friend, Octavia Closing statements: Alright, I’m famous! TWILIGHT SPARKLE ON OTHER PONIES Cork’s notes: I was on the train heading to Canterlot, and it passed through Ponyville. There, a familiar Purple Unicorn boarded the train and sat across from me. I decided to take advantage of the opportunity. This entry is a little different than most other entries. In this entry, I get Twilight Sparkle’s opinion on some of the other ponies I’ve met, or ones I’ve heard of. I didn’t ask about all of them though, just a few particular ponies. Twilight on Ditzy Doo: “Well, she’s a little... Unusual, but she’s really nice, and a wonderful mail-mare. She also makes the BEST muffins. She tends to crash a lot, due to her wall eyes, but other than that, she’s fantastic! Twilight Sparkle on Rainbow Dash: “Rainbow can be a little cocky at times, but she usually is actually as good as she says she is. She’s probably the loyalest pony you’ll ever meet, too!” Twilight Sparkle on Jetfire: “I’m sorry, but I have no idea who that is.” [Go figure... Wait, no, that was actually rather unexpected.] Twilight Sparkle on Princess Luna: “Princess Luna is in charge of the night sky. A little bit over a thousand years ago, she was overcome by jealousy and turned into the evil Nightmare Moon. She came back recently and was defeated by the Elements of Harmony.” Closing statements: As usual, the interview was cut short by the train arriving at its destination... Trains move FAST around here it seems. Note to self: Learn more about the Elements of Harmony. VINYL SCRATCH (AKA DJ P0N-3) Cork’s notes: I found Octavia just outside of Canterlot University. I’m not entirely sure why, maybe she was just passing by. She was there with her friend, a DJ pony. Quite honestly NOT what I was expecting. I was expecting another high-class musician or something. Name: Vinyl Scratch, Stage name DJ P0N-3 (Honestly, with a name like Vinyl Scratch, why would you need a stage name?) Race: Unicorn Occupation: DJ Cutie Mark: Two black eighth notes Gender: Female Personal account: “YO! I’m Vinyl Scratch! The best DJ pony in Canterlot. Well, the only DJ pony in Canterlot. Not a lot of call for DJs around here really. Anyway, yeah, DJ P0N-3! I was born and raised in Canterlot, but moved to Manehattan at a young age for schooling... I was expelled from Canterlot elementary. Absenses, I showed up about four days a semester. Then I went to Manehattan Elementary and found a reason to show up. A friend, Octavia! We were VERY different ponies, but we both had a love for music, VERY different kinds of music though. We had another thing in common. Neither of us really had friends. Octavia was too stuffy to make many friends, and, well, I was just too cool for everypony! We were best friends until we graduated from Manehattan High School and went our separate ways. I came to Canterlot to become a DJ, but I work outside of Canterlot too. If you ever need a DJ, I’m your mare. Here, I’ll give you my mailing address. [She magicked a pencil and paper from her saddlebag and wrote down a number, and handed it to me. I thanked her, and we parted ways.] Closing statements: The only thing I really found enlightening was that Octavia clearly DID have at least one friend, despite what Lyra said. This is something worth noting. Also, I would almost say that Octavia does have at least one other friend. A little pegasus named Corkscrew. … And suddenly I consider the ponies friends. I’m clearly becoming localized, or institutionalized... Or... Ponilized. I made that word up. CORK’S NOTES Alright, so, I’m taking a short break from actual entries to outline my actual plans for upcoming entries. Here are things I need to do: 1. Get information about Jetfire. 2. Learn about the Elements of Harmony. 3. Locate either Blinky Pie or Pinkie Pie. 4. Figure out what exactly a Time Lord is (this one just recently crossed my mind. I think I’d mostly forgotten about The Doctor.) 5. Find a more efficient way of recording information. Carrying this type-writer around is getting exhausting. As for number 1, let’s look at what I know already: 1. He’s Spitfire’s brother 2. He was Rainbow Dash’s idol 3. He dissapeared at the same time that Rainbow Dash achieved glory. Perhaps another coincidence, those are rather common in this world it seems. 4. He is very clever. That is quite literally all I know, unless I’m forgetting something, or overlooking something huge. I’ll review my notes when I have time. I’ve been in this world for approximately three and a half months. I am now broke. I plan to return to Cloudsdale and get a job in the weather factory or something. SNOW SNIPS Cork’s notes: I went back to Cloudsdale and got a job in the weather factory or something. Everypony in Cloudsdale seems to know me now. It seems word of my work has spread. My boss in the weather factory, Snow Snips, asked if he could be in the book. I agreed, of course. The more ponies the better. Also, if it gets me a job, then it’s fine by me. Name: Snow Snips Race: Pegasus Occupation: Snowflake maker Cutie Mark: A snowflake (I feel like saying “go figure”, but I feel like I’ve worn that phrase out) Gender: Male Personal account: “When I was young, my father was a stunt flier. Not a Wonderbolt, he was part of a different team called Team Blizzard. It was a strange name, but it was started because all of the team members had close relatives who worked in the weather factory. My mother was the head of Snowflake production, and when she retired, the position passed on to me. My story’s not that interesting, I’m afraid. Team Blizzard competed against the Wonderbolts back when Jetfire was still around. [Always Jetfire. EVERYPONY loves Jetfire] The Wonderbolts won of course, but not by a whole lot! My girlfriend is a Wonderbolt. My family has a history of snowflake makers being with stunt fliers. I just happened to be the first to be with a Wonderbolt. We’ve been together for so long, I think I may propose to her soon! [I don’t dare ask which Wonderbolt in particular he’s referring to. I feel like I already know] Anyway, here at the weather factory, each snowflake is hand made to be 100% unique! It’s a fun job, and it pays well. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.” Closing statements: I have not actually enjoyed the job. It’s actually rather tedious. But the pay is good, and I get three day weekends, so I’m not complaining. THE TRUTH OF THE ELEMENTS OF HARMONY Cork’s notes: I returned to Canterlot during one of my weekends. I’ve gotten quite good at flying, and now find it easier to fly than to take a train. I headed to Canterlot University, with the intention of visiting The Doctor, and perhaps interviewing some other teachers. However, my intentions changed when I found a book of old Pony-lore at Canterlot University Library, and found an article in it called “The Truth of the Elemenets of Harmony”. I decided to read it. Here’s what it said: “There are 6 Elements of Harmony. Kindness, Loyalty, Laughter, Honesty, Genorosity, and Magic. Despite most stories, the Elements of Harmony were not objects, but ponies. The six original Elements were as follows (the names are very old Equestrian names): Kindness: Docterell (Male, Earth Pony) Loyalty: Jetier (Male, Pegasus) Laughter: Vinalyia (Female, Unicorn) Honesty: Octrella (Female, Earth Pony) Genorosity: Sapphira (Female, Pegasus) Magic: Celestia (Female, Alicorn) These are the elements of harmony who combined their powers to defeat Nightmare Moon and imprison her in the moon. In doing so, the power of the elements was lost. However, legend says that a small bit of the power stayed with each one of them, granting them all eternal life. These ponies are now referred to by those who know of them as The Immortals.” Closing statements: The only name I recognized was Celestia. Princess Celestia, no doubt. I think it’s about time I take my documentary to the highest authority. Coming soon: Princess Luna, Pinkie Pie, Spitfire Part 2, Bon-Bon, Jetfire Part 2, and more!