//------------------------------// // Introductions // Story: That Blue Pony's Story // by KartalTheWriter //------------------------------// Hello, My Name Is Noteworthy OR How I Got My Wings The Best Young Flyer competition was coming up. Every pegasus, especially a certain rainbow-maned favorite, was busy getting ready for the competition. The winner would get to hang out with the Wonderbolts for a full day. Isn’t that fantastic? Is it? Well what about the lowly earth ponies? The unicorns console themselves with the knowledge that they can do magic no other can do. They could fly if they really tried, levitating themselves and whatnot. But the earth ponies really have no hope. They can’t fly unless they use a hot air balloon or ride awkwardly on the back of a pegasus friend. I read an article once about how earth ponies are actually the most powerful ponies in Equestria because they have the most potential or some hay like that. It was written by an alicorn. I’m not saying I’m complaining. I’m really okay. I swear. But seriously, sometimes I wish I had a little bit of hope to aspire a little bit further from the ground than the top of my head. Now, it would be really ironic if I mentioned my phobia of heights right now, so I won’t mention the blinding dizziness I feel if I even jump too high. Oops. Too late now, isn’t it… “Noteworthy, you’re not making any sense.” Lucky says. I just managed a shaky laugh and wondered whether something else was wrong with me. “What’s so great about flying anyway?” Caramel says. I want to believe him more than I can express. “Look, you’ve got to stop letting this obsession control your life.” My subconscious moans. What? Okay, I’m getting a little too drawn in now. “Yeah, like really.” “Chaauh.” “Shut up!” I tell the voices. These two are called Blue and Gold. I hate Gold a lot. He doesn’t say much but when he does he can’t ever get past the letter ‘CH’. “Hey Noteworthy, Lucky heard the girls are going to go do something magical. They might want us for background color. You want to follow them?” Caramel was waiting for me to follow him on one of his ‘stalking expeditions’. Well, that’s not what he calls them, but that’s what they are. It’s where we basically watch the mane six doing cool stuff so we forget about how boring our lives are. “Sorry, Caramel, the voices say you talk too much.” As usual, Caramel just sighs gently. “Noteworthy, they’re doing magic. Don’t you want to see some more magic?” I have to admit I could use some magic right now. “No! I want to sit in this ditch and I’m going to enjoy it!” “Notewor--” “Enjoy it!” It’s then I remember I’m sitting in a ditch. I have no idea how I got into this ditch. “I bet Pinkie will be there. Maybe if you wait for her to come back out you’ll get a chance to talk to her.” I didn’t answer for a moment or two. I know that’s suspicious. “She’s says she’s everypony’s friend, but I still don’t understand!” I burst out of the hole suddenly without any recollection that I had been trying to get out of it this whole time except the fact that my hooves were covered in dirt. Again. “See there, Noteworthy, you want to come with me. There’s magic there, and Pinkie Pie, and I’m sure Lucky will be able to fill us in on whatever we missed.” Caramel said, nudging me forward. I decided to help him out. He’s been trying so hard to help me ever since the voices moved in. Suddenly, that sudden fear came on me like an overexcited puppy. I turned to my friend as if my life depended on his answer. “Caramel, am I ugly?!” Caramel didn’t hesitate in shaking his head. For some reason I believed him when he answered. “Noteworthy you’re a beautiful stallion. Now move those legs before I bite them off!” I never believe him. Something must be different today. And with that, Caramel and I set off towards Twilight’s house, the source of most of our entertainment. But not for the reason you’re thinking. We saw Lucky hidden in the shrubbery around the library steps. When he saw us he beckoned us over, mouthing ‘they’ve just started’. Caramel and I squeezed in carefully and all three of us lifted out heads just far enough to see inside. Twilight’s eyes were glowing so we knew whatever spell she was casting was going to be good. There were sparkles and swirls wrapping loosely around one of the other ponies…it looked like Rarity. They were getting tighter and you know me, that made me feel claustrophobic. Ironically, that just made me huddle closer to Caramel, who pushed me off with strange tolerance. In the corner of the room, the remaining ponies were watching the magic, some looking scared, some excited. Pinkie Pie looked her usual self; bouncy, beautiful, and oh so happy…how could she be so happy? It was enough to make me have hives from the cuteness. “Noteworthy, you should get those looked at.” Lucky muttered on my left side. “No, that’s normal.” I said back, not taking my eyes off the cotton candy haired mare in the corner. “Shh,, Rarity’s visible again.” Caramel whispered. Yes, the mist around her was definitely dissolving. Suddenly, all three of us gasped. So loud was our gasp that we would have aroused suspicion if everyone in the room wasn’t also gawking at Rarity’s…wings? “They’re like a butterfly’s…” Lucky murmured, transfixed. “My eyes have received their daily sparkle limit.” Caramel blinked with difficulty. “The girliness has been doubled.” I whispered. My eyes flashed to Pinkie again, whom I suddenly realized was looking at me. Or maybe she was just looking at us. I mean, we weren’t supposed to be there in the first place. “Guys, Pinkie sees us.” I said in a panicked voice to the others, who still hadn’t taken their eyes off Rarity’s wings. But with the mention of possible exposure we all bolted at the same time, not taking care to be quiet. The last thing I saw before looking away was Pinkie’s confused expression. Just what was she thinking? And suddenly, inexplicably, I felt lightheaded. “Whoa!” “Hey!” “Help!!!” All of us were suddenly screaming for no plausible reason. I had shut my eyes, but I think I was the only one because then I heard some voices that weren’t The Ones. “L-l-l-ucky…? You’ve got something on your back…” Caramel was the first to recover his speech from whatever traumatic experience we had all just been through. “Noteworthy, you do too…” “What?!” I opened my eyes and looked behind me. There was definitely something there. And it wasn’t a saddlebag. “Wings.” Lucky said finally. For some reason, that was when I realized that we were all about four feet in the air. Realizing this, I promptly started shaking and grabbed the first thing I could find to hold onto. Poor Caramel; he never saw it coming. “Get off me, Noteworthy! I shouldn’t even have to use those words in a sentence!” Caramel then tried to pry me off him. “We’ve got wings…” Lucky was still marveling. His new wings were flapping slowly, barely keeping him aloft. “I’ve always wanted to know what it’s like to be a pegasus.” Suddenly he screamed and yelled and flew around us in circles, whooping joyfully. “How’d you even know you could do that?” Caramel, having given up on me, was looking at our companion with confusion in his eyes. “Just lucky, I guess.” He said, looking bashful. “It’s really easy. Try it. It’s just like running, only you can go up and down as well as right, left, forward and backward.” All Lucky’s flapping around was making me dizzy. “I just want to go down now. Please, how do I get down?” I whimpered, shivering. At this point, Caramel, getting an idea, bucked me off with his back legs. I lost balance in the air, if that’s possible, and somehow fell to the ground. “Ha! The ground! I missed you so much!” I heard Caramel and Lucky land nearby me on the ground. Their landings were just a little bit less clumsy than mine. Lucky, at least, stayed on his hooves. There was a rustle as we all tried to fold our wings away comfortably. “Hey guys, I didn’t know you had wings.” A gray pegasus mare appeared suddenly. Her eyes were more than a little off, but she still managed to land on her hooves. Of course, she had had a lot more practice landing. Her whole life, presumably. None of us could respond to Derpy’s statement so we just gaped at each other like fish. Derpy flicked her wings as if waving the matter aside. “You guys are doing really well. I love your style. Your landings were perfect. Except you, Lucky, you landed on your hooves; it’s more fun if you land on your tail.” We kept gaping at each other at the lack of things to say to the pony--who’s not the best flyer herself might I add--praising our disastrous first flight. “I like this part you’ve added. It’s very realistic. In fact, this is about how my first flight went. You guys are naturals! Well, see you later. Keep up the good work!” And with that, the ditzy pegasus was off. Lucky was the first able to speak again. “You guys all saw Derpy just now, right?” Caramel and I nodded. Lucky sighed. “Then I guess we’re either all having the same dream or this is really happening.” “It must be real then; I think as soon as you mention to yourself that it’s a dream in a dream you start to wake up. And we’re all still here.” Caramel pointed out. “Maybe, but when you have to have the conversation about whether or not it’s a dream you not only run the risk of it waking up but you also risk becoming conscious of yourself dreaming and you can start imagining things and sometimes you get good things, but sometimes you just get your masochistic side which makes you want to have a nightmare just so you can hate on yourself that much more when you wake up and you think ‘I finally get the opportunity to dream about something awesome but all I’m getting is imagined horror’.” I said in one breath. “I’m sorry Noteworthy; could you be any more specific?” Lucky muttered sarcastically. I sighed. “Look, I think we should go back to Twilight and ask her if she knows anything about this. I mean, she put wings on Rarity, didn’t she?” Caramel suggested. “But Rarity’s wings were like a butterfly’s. We have actual pegasus wings.” Lucky said, fanning his wings out again. I took another experimental look at my own wings again. Yep, still creepy. And real. “I agree with Caramel.” I was suddenly feeling very depressed again. Caramel, forever trying to make me feel better, put his hoof on my shoulder. “Don’t worry, Noteworthy. We’re going to get through this. Twilight knows what she’s doing, and even if she doesn’t, she has direct contact with the Princess. We’ll be earth ponies again before you know it.” Earth ponies again… Does that make me unhappy or excited? If I’m an earth pony, Pinkie and I will be equals. But if I stay a pegasus, I’ll always be a step ahead of her. Always, she’ll watch from the ground. No. If it’s meant to be, I want it to be in a world we can share. “Come on, Noteworthy. We’re going to see Twilight.” Lucky said. Caramel put his hoof down and started following Lucky. When I finished arguing with Gold, I followed too.