Twelve Days: A Reminiscence
May 6, 2013
Time is a funny thing. The events that occurred nearly a year ago taught me that in very real ways. To be sure, anyone who has read my memoirs up to this point must feel as if I had spent months with the Equestrians I had come across. I wouldn’t blame them – a lot can happen in twelve days.
Thinking back on things now, it seems that everything that happened after I helped reunite Pinkie, Angel and Fluttershy with the Cutie Mark Crusaders happened in a blur. Certainly, things got a lot more interesting, but I’m getting ahead of myself. An awful lot happened in the weeks following the arrival of the Crusaders, but a lot happened in those first twelve days as well – things that I wish I had figured out earlier. Things that, perhaps if I had paid more attention to them, might have made a difference and spared us some of our tribulations.
Things that are important to note before going forward with the story.
That first day, April 13th of 2012, will forever be burned into my memory. I had been out camping at Burrinjuck as an early birthday present from my wife, Victoria, who had left the country on business and would be away on my actual birthday – or so I thought.
In hindsight, the pink sky and the chocolate smell should have been a sure sign of Discord, the embodiment of chaos. It would have had I known at the time that Equestria, among other worlds, was a genuine place and that the characters that inhabited it were, in fact, real. My early ignorance can hopefully be forgiven, as I now know that I am not the only one who doubted the stories of those I found.
I also now realize that I never would have believed Pinkie and Fluttershy if Pinkie hadn’t told me their names. It was some kind of unexpected side effect from the chaotic magical explosion that had sent them to Earth – none of the Equestrians could be identified unless they, or the person who found them, spoke their names. Even with Pinkie supplying their names, I still didn’t believe them until the next day when I inadvertently broke a Pinkie Promise and incurred Pinkie’s wrath. I didn’t fully understand that until Discord paid us a visit later and I was unable to properly identify him without Ashton supplying me with his name.
Over the next few days, the girls were supplied with clothing and were helped with getting used to their new bodies and walking. As it turns out, despite being able to walk on two legs as ponies, it becomes a bit more difficult when your entire body is shaped differently. Pinkie, being Pinkie, was able to adapt to her new body fairly quickly. Fluttershy, on the other hand, took a while to get used to it, and even broke down in tears at the sight of her new face. It wasn’t until later, when Sweetie Belle told her she made a ‘very pretty’ human, that she came to accept her new looks.
While we were out getting clothes, I eventually explained to Pinkie and Fluttershy about My Little Pony and how they were considered fictional characters on Earth. They both took the news fairly well, or so I originally thought. I didn’t know at the time just how deep the whole ‘fictional characters are real’ thing went, either. At any rate, Pinkie convinced me to purchase some toys of her friends for her. At the time, I didn’t think anything of it. It wasn’t until much later that I realized that the toys were a coping tool for Pinkie, and that she was falling into a deep depression. I wonder now what would have happened if I had declined to purchase them.
Pinkie’s depression would turn out to be far more important than anyone could imagine, but I was about to receive some outside assistance for coping with Fluttershy’s emotions. F.A.’s decision to directly interfere with events and ensure that Angel was sent to Earth along with the ponies worked out much better than he at first thought it did. He realized later that he had been going about things the wrong way for a very long time. Too much focus on Pinkie’s depression had led to countless failures in his quest, but sending Angel to Earth was one of the things that finally led to Fluttershy gaining her courage and staying with me. With Fluttershy firmly staying put with us, F.A. had indirectly succeeded with Pinkie.
But again, I’m getting ahead of myself. If none of the above makes sense it soon will.
After Angel’s arrival, we all packed up and headed to my home in Sydney. Along the way, Pinkie became addicted to Coca Cola, and Fluttershy addicted to Lady Gaga. Once we arrived I decided to jump online and see if I could find anything out about the other ponies that had been sent to Earth. I certainly didn’t expect to find out anything, but oddly enough, I found John, also known as Fullmetal Pony, and he had found the Cutie Mark Crusaders. This was also about the time that Pinkie began to understand written English.
I wasn’t aware of the connection between the pony fiction website and those who found Equestrians at the time. If I had been, I might have caught some of the conversations that some of the others who had found ponies were having. As it was, I had a lead and I took advantage of it. I contacted my friend Moey, and set things up so that John and the Crusaders could come to Australia.
I truly wish I had understood Moey better back then. If I did, I would have found some other way to get things done without involving him. Then again, there are plenty of things I wish had happened differently. A lot of bad things happened because of misunderstandings but, ah I am once again jumping ahead.
It wasn’t long after finding the Crusaders that I found Princess Celestia herself. I suspected early on that she would be crucial in getting the Equestrians back home, and I couldn’t have been more right. Finding out that she was in the care of DragonLS, an online friend of mine, was uplifting, as Pinkie and Fluttershy had been in an out of depression. The smart thing, though, would have been to realize that Celestia, and those who found her, would be targets. If I could figure out how crucial the princesses were to getting the Equestrians back home so easily, how was it that I didn’t stop to think that other forces would realize that as well?
Shortly after discovering Celestia’s whereabouts, I had my first run-in with Ashton. Looking back on everything, I almost pity him. The fact remains though, that for every useful thing he did for us, he did something equally unfortunate. I am uncertain as to whether I can ever forgive him for the things he has done, but I can at least acknowledge that some effort was put into making things right. Perhaps some of what he did can be blamed on Discord, but I have to wonder at what might have happened if he had never let the Spirit into his home in the first place. Perhaps it wouldn’t even matter.
The meeting with Ashton and Discord put a bit of strain on my relationship with Pinkie and Fluttershy, as I originally tried to hide Discord’s identity from them. Angel, on the other hand, knew who he was almost as soon as I did. The bunny was clever – much more so than any of the others might ever imagine. He also met F.A. before anyone else did, and led me to the note and toy that was left behind as a kind of grim foreshadowing of what was to come.
Every winner deserves her prize.
Even now, those words haunt me. I had guessed early on that they were referring to Pinkie Pie, but I never would have imagined what they truly meant. I guess in the end, F.A.’s words and gesture were proof that he possessed a little bit of humanity after all, but it does little to make up for what happened. I am still of the belief that something else could have been done.
I learned to put more faith in the Equestrians after the meeting with Discord. We had gone to the mall to get Angel some more clothing, and I thought that Angel had become lost. It was Fluttershy who convinced me to trust Pinkie and Angel to return and, sure enough, they did return safe and sound.
The next several days were very hard on us all. Pinkie and Fluttershy both fell back into depression, and I tried everything from parties to video games to try to keep them happy. A phone call with the Cutie Mark Crusaders helped, along with Angel’s determination to be able to speak. Angel’s efforts were, in part, what eventually led Fluttershy to staying with us.
Despite some progress, the girls would still have fits of depression. I thought things were looking up when we found out that Rainbow Dash and Applejack had been found and were safe, but that was before my wife returned home early from her trip to surprise me on my birthday.
Whether it was fate or sheer bad luck, she came home to find Pinkie and I in an unfortunate position. I still don’t blame her for her reaction and it’s still painful to think about. Especially considering that the next time I saw her was in a completely unexpected way. Long story short, I found myself out of a home and low on funds.
I turned to Moey in an effort to get a roof over our heads and hopefully patch things up with my Victoria, but things went sour quickly and we left his house. Perhaps I should have heard him out back then, but in my opinion his actions were inexcusable. I am still not entirely sure how I feel about him, but it is now too late to take anything back.
It is my belief that the hardships I faced in the days to come helped to firmly solidify my friendship with the Equestrians into an unbreakable bond, and were perhaps the final things that led to Fluttershy’s courage and her decision to stay with us. I wonder now if my first encounter with the Princess of the Night might have become my last if it weren’t for Fluttershy. The enormous power surge brought about by the sudden arrival of not one, but two of Equestria’s magic users had been unexpected for all of those involved.
But alas, that is yet to come. For now I will say that, while things didn’t exactly get any easier when John and the Cutie Mark Crusaders arrived, it did mark the beginning of the end of the Equestrians’ journeys on Earth, and offered us a brief moment of respite before the tragedies to come unfolded.
Are you going to wait till the other Ponyfall writers are also at the end of Part 1. Cause I have the feeling that could take a while...
2535487 They'll be caught up in no time.
Several writers have multiple chapters waiting to be approved. I've just been ill recently, but now that I'm feeling better we can probably get them all approved fairly quickly. I have a class to attend tomorrow, but afterwards I'll be free to help edit.
You know, at first I was a bit pissed when I saw that this was a recap chapter. But with everything you put in it and hinted at in here, I'm actually more interested in this than I was before... Oh, what the hell? This is one of the better written Ponyfall stories anyway. Just give me a minute here.
Incidentally, I'd say that my least favorite Ponyfall story is Draequine's Adventures in Chaos. Whether it's because of the choice of writing style or simply deficient writing (most likely, it's the former), Draequine's contribution to this is the most difficult to read, and any payoff in terms of story development isn't quite making up for it.
2535542 Draequine's recap actually inspired this one, and if you haven't read it yet – you should. It introduces an entirely new writing style for him, and the feedback from readers so far is that it is much easier to follow now.
But yeah, I feel there are a lot of hints of things that are going on that probably weren't properly explained to or caught by readers, so it was necessary for a recap specifically pointing a few things out without ruining the entire story.
I'm glad you liked it.
I hope him and his wife make up. So sad what happened.
2535535
Cool, I was for a long while afraid for the other Ponyfall stories cause I had the feeling they were a few days behind. Well, except the Fullmetal Pony's story about the crusaders.Hope that that means we will get a Twilight and Luna chapter. I have the feeling that that story is the furtest behind.
And I only now noticed that DragonLS quit the Ponyfall series (and I guess that means somebrony else will take Celestia over).
2535542
I agree, Draequine's story is the only Ponyfall story I don't follow. The writing style is just a little bit too chaotic. And I know it fits Discord it is not something I would read.
whats up with DragonLS' story. last time I checked it was on Hiatus.
is he going to be replaced?
After catching up with Fullmetal Pony's Ponyfall and starting yours, I get the feeling that this series will be one of my all-time favorites. Kinda wish I discovered this site a year ago, though, around the same time the series was started. I may have been able to write for Twilight's side of the story if that were the case, but I can see it's too late.
I could put a really deep and meaningful comment here, but I can't think of one. Instead, I shall say this:
Das foreboding, yo.
450866 Emu bitter, good beer.
STRAYA MATE
This was actually pretty useful, because with all the ongoing stories I'm reading here I forgot half of what happened in this one I wouldn't mind some sort of dedicated section for "the story so far" or "last time on ... " for every story on the website, since I often find myself having to return to a previous chapter or several to remember what was going on in any given story...
2535630 Don't worry. One of the major rules of PonyFall is jokes/innuendo is fine. Clop is not.
I am watching you, TheSlorg.
WRITE MOAR DAMNIT!!!
2535565 Yes
2535564 It got better. It got a LOT better.
2535542 It's not my favorite, but it was entertaining. And it got better.
Part of me wishes I had the chance to write for this story, ya know?
I doubt I could do better than any of the authors that are doing it, but still.
2536036 What a coincidence, I was just looking at your profile when you commented.
As for writing within the 'PonyFall Universe,' the answer remains the same for everyone for now. Eventually we might need new writers for the background ponies, and there might be room for stories that expand the universe once the sequels are complete.
2536036
Then maybe I should reconsider reading it. It completes at least the whole Ponyfall set. But it will probably take a while before I find time to read the story. On this moment I have 2.4 million words in my To-read list. And that is after my weekly clean-up earlier today.
2535564
I just got married on the frist of May and my wife and I are trying to move into our new house. Add in the fun of finishing the semester of school and and moving my sister home from her own college graduation and that really leaves one with very little time to do any writing.
The next two chapter of "Dawning of Twilight" will be out ASAP after the dust settles.
I've really enjoyed the entire Ponyfall series thus far, and there are some great moments in all the stories. There is a lot of potential for growth here, and I'm excited to see where it goes!
Personally, I like the story because there are so many different perspectives to observe the world from. It adds depth to the universe as a whole, and the way each fic is tied through chats and occasional hints (such as news stories and radio talk shows) makes it one of the best series I've read, both online and offline.
Now, question time - Fullmetal Pony and TheSlorg's groups have met up now, and it seems like they'll still be together when Part 2 begins. How will the story be written from here on out? Will you continue writing from different perspectives as you've been doing so far?
Maybe he should send this letter to his wife; it will at least make her fascinated.
Methinks stuff is gonna get crazy! Other cartoons? Other shows and media that aren't so TVY?? Maybe even potential Fourth Wall breaking with realizing they are just characters in a collab in a different universe's Fimfiction!! How meta. I wondered if you'd go down that road back when you were first freaking out about 'holy-shit-I-found-living-cartoon-characters' and getting all existential on us.
Man, if you had just run Ashton over with your car things would've been just peachy in the Ponyfall world.
I hope Moey doesn't do something stupid...
2536039 I wasn't asking, I was cursing my late entry into the fandom.
Although if that is the case... I wouldn't say no in a million years.
I wish I had found fimfiction when this first came out, this is awesome. I can't wait for somepony to stumble along IMDB.
Slorg, if you ever go penrith way, look me up. I'm buying you a beer for this story.
Read the chapter listening to "The Unsung War" from Ace Combat 5
It /almost/ fit.
2540900 Lol, true.
2540905 seems like Australia's the place to go. hot, just like home.
I can see a whole lotta crap going down in awhile.... WE'LL ALL BE DESTROYED! From what i've read, it's going to be quite the ride. WOO YEAH BABY!
THIS TRAINS ON A ROLL! WOO HOO, BRING IT ON SUCKA!
F.A. seems to be in a time loop because he can't fix it and lead to the Equestrians being reunited... thinking that Doug would've pulled a bow on him because Fluttershy ran off, just makes me think of all the bad things that could've happened, doesn't make me feel too good.
2555376 2537256>>2535572
You three seem to be the only ones who realize just how deep things are going to get. I am honestly shocked that more people haven't commented on the very obvious hints to certain things that I left in the last chapter.
This is good summing up what has been happening so far.... ive only seen that in one other story other than this!
2555521 Yup, I didn't think it was all that deep down that so few would recognize it, but I'm sure I missed something else even deeper than what I found.
A question if that's okay: has Pinkie's depression already happened in the story thus far, or are you referring to a bigger depression than the sads felt so far. I mean, yeah, it was bad, but you make it seem so much worse up there which makes me confuzzled slightly.
Plus I've been wracking my brain trying to figure FA's endgame, but I still have no clue . I think I sort of just assumed the part where Doug got the toy after the Discord part was from Discord messing with them. Hmpf... I would have looked for more clues if I'd known it wasn't.
Edit: Oh, and one final thing if you will. With all this talk about Fluttershy leaving or not staying with you guys... What exactly does that mean? Where would she have gone? I assume you're referring to other time loop things FA is apparently involved in, so I guess it'll be explained later, but still. Would she have just wandered off in desperation to try and get back home and, like, I dunno, died in the brush or something? And why did FA need to cure Pinkie's depression in the first place? I'm guessing ill just get a wait and see response to that last part though.
2557270 The fact that Fluttershy returned to the camp means that Pinkie never gets the chance to go into the more thorough depression that Doug knows would have occurred.
Up until this point, Pinkie has been basically 'faking a smile' for the benefit of the others. As Fluttershy observed: "She's exhausted. We all are, but Pinkie... she just wants to see us smile. I wish I had her bravery."
Fluttershy knows that Pinkie's pain/depression is far deeper than she's letting on. Should Fluttershy have not returned to the camp, it would have become a breaking point for Pinkie and would have led to quite horrifying consequences.
2558629 poor girls... Going through all that and being manipulated by a time traveller without their knowledge. Thanks for the clarification!
Oh my goodness...Slorg...GOOSEBUMPS, man. Dear god. The amount of foreshadowing in this chapter is disgusting. Holy crap. Some of the things that are hinted at...oh my. Just, oh my. Prepare yourselves, ladies and gentlemen, for the epicest of shitstorms.
i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag40/Shanenator777/shitstorm_zps5614a886.jpg
...Gimme the popcorn, this is about to get insane.
Loved the style of this chapter. Very engaging. And...frightening.
2536312 Congratulations to you, good man! May you have many happy years!
COR BLIMEY, MATE! You have me so damn addicted to your story! How... I don't... I finally managed to type a review up, and I don't have the right words to describe it. I think you're bloody brilliant and funny, but damn if your story isn't more mysterious than a fantasy thriller!
Much love and brohooves to you, mate.
2536039 That sounds cool, I have a delayed WIP story for Spitfire, although I might change it to Lyra, who has a good friendship with me(YouTube channel mintyheartstringz, if you didn't know).
I really do like this story.. but was it necessary to have a whole chapter dedicated to teasers and spoilers?
2570591 Judging by the overwhelmingly positive response – yes.
2551457 as a matter of fact I do dare. Though I meant no disrespect. Africans sound sort of English to me too. Besides getting offended about accents is weird anyway. I mean I never get offended when people say that I sound Spanish or Black(specifically African-American). It's just the way I talk. Not like they just said that I run a chop shop, shank people, or steal televisions. THAT would be very offensive.
2679932
I meant this chapter in particular AND the similar one in the CMC POV. My bad.
Who's F.A.?
2768207
images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110721000604/gyropedia/images/f/f9/Ponyshrug.gif
humm
This makes me feel kind of bad for F.A.. I wonder how many time loops he had to go through before he finally managed to get things right. Definitely not something I would want to go through. Plus, by the sound of things he's not done yet.