What do you do when you can’t say the words you want to say most? A writer who's confidence was shattered by hate, moves to a new home to try and get away from his failures and start anew.
Playwright always enjoyed writing since he was a foal and he once had high hope for himself as a writer. But everything changed when his first work was ruthlessly criticized, shattering Playwright's confidence and leaving him with self doubts of his skills, despite his early successes. But when he moves to Ponyville for a fresh start, he encounters a variety of friendly faces and in the process, finds his passion again to pursue his dream as a writer once again.
“WELCOME TO PONYVILLE!” The dark room suddenly burst to life as almost, maybe even all of Ponyville was now in my house to welcome me. This band of lively party-goers was led by a pink mare with the puffiest mane style imaginable and the most insane levels of happiness to match. Given my inability to handle that amount of attention at one time, I started to breathe heavily and my heartbeat picked up immensely.
“Welcome to Ponyville I’ve never seen you before so I was all like who’s the new pony oh I just have to throw them a welcome party so he could feel welcome…” I could barely keep up and understand what she was saying and with my breathing getting more out of control, I felt my vision blur a little and I could hear my heart in my ear. She then began to push me and spout something about meeting other ponies but I really couldn't understand her ecstatic rapid fire speech and my heart sounding like a drum solo next to my head.
Everypony in the room felt like they were creeping closer and closer and I just felt smaller and smaller as I continued to be pushed on. The second she stopped pushing me, I fell to the floor and passed out from all the pressure and attention. I simply couldn't handle it all.
What did I do to deserve this?
Ever since I was little, I loved to write short little stories and soon after I discovered that love, my cutie mark took shape with a black pen on a piece of paper. My parents and my older brother who had just started his own successful business were right there and supported what I was going to do. They even helped me file for the name change that I was allowed when I acquired my cutie mark.
As I grew older, my skills got better but when I finally got out of school, I published my first collection of short stories about anything I could think of… and it was a disaster. The book was panned heavily by critics and it didn't make me any money to support myself. My first work turned into my first failure. Even with my family’s support of me afterwards, it was still all downhill from there.
With my confidence in myself shattered, I became even more reclusive than I ever was before. I hated being in public as a foal, and my failure only made it become fear. I was afraid of not only crowds but being the center of attention anywhere. My speech skills were even worse as I barely uttered a word to anypony outside my family. The devastation to know that the skill that I was told was what I was best at… was completely useless to anypony else had such a profound effect on me that I just wanted to fade away forever and never be seen again... that was till I moved to Ponyville.
With my rich brother’s loving support, I was able to afford a house out in the quiet town of Ponyville and live off the money he sent me on a bi-weekly basis until I could finally find a way to live off my own power. He recommended I go somewhere quiet and small to help inspire myself.
His words helped me when I needed to hear them the most. So I bought a ticket and got on the first night train I could get. I wanted to make extremely sure I didn't draw attention to myself so I chose a time when I could just sleep most of the ride. Just before I got on I took one look at the train.
'Am I really doing this?' I thought to myself, unsure that what I was doing was really going to help me. 'What's the point? This isn't going to work... How is moving to some small town in the middle of nowhere going to help me?' Before I could continue to contemplate getting on, the conductor shouted for everypony to get on. Even with my doubts, I pushed them aside and got on.
"Oh good: Enclosed spaces that I can't escape. My favorite. I began to snark in my head. Thanks heavy saddlebags that prevent flight. I handed the ticket to the conductor and headed to my seat. I took a good look around at my surroundings on the train. The walls were deep velvet red that went well with the orange paneling on the window frames. Lanterns hang above the aisle as the only sources of light in the train car. The floor was wooden but in the aisle was a bright turquoise rug that ran up and down it that stopped inches before the doors leading to other cars. I looked out the window as the train began to move. I waited for sleep for a little while before it finally caught me. It was probably the only thing that would have kept my growing anxiety from making me go cuckoo bananas.
I wished that it brought me something pleasant but my hopes were never fulfilled. The only dream I remembered was me standing in a dark, empty field alone and cold. I cried out for anypony but never received an answer. The only sound I could here was my own echo, getting fainter and fainter with each passing second till it finally vanished. The silence sent a chill down my spine as it left me feeling… scared. All I could hear was wind blowing softly by me as I started to walk around the field to find anypony. I would have been just as happy to find something small like a rabbit or a house cat.
I looked around to see nothing else before looking up at the bright moon. It wasn't round but was instead shaped like a book. The surrounding night sky was covered in stars that faintly resembled ponies that I knew. As I stared back at the moon in awe, it suddenly turned to shock when it started to fall towards me. The shock woke me up in a cold sweat and left me breathing heavily. I thankfully didn't wake any of the other passengers so no attention was brought to me. I leaned back into my chair uneasy and wiped some of the sweat of my face with my orange hoof. I stared out the window for the rest of the night, too afraid to return to sleep.
When the train got to the station the next morning, I got off and wasted no time getting to the town hall, so I could go see what houses they had for sale. Being on a train is unpleasant but being in public feels nightmarish to me. The sooner I could be off the street and out of the eyes of the world, the better. I didn't bother to make eye contact with anypony or say hello back to them. I didn't even bother to register whether or not the streets were even that lively. I stopped as I felt like somepony was watching me. I didn't want to stay there long so I shrugged off the feeling and continued for the town hall.
I walked up to the town hall and went straight in, only to see it wasn't too busy, which caused me to sigh in relief. I took a number and sat down, while I looked at the number that I picked, which was three. I looked at a little counter on the wall that said “2” on it.
‘I’m next,' I thought, as I sat back in my chair and took a good look around. The room could be summed up in two words: Basic beige. The only thing that was a different color were the chairs that were a more lively shade of crimson. On the wall was a bulletin board covered in rather colorful pamphlets that appeared to advertise the various businesses in town. At the front of the room was a wooden desk with a receptionist behind it filling out paperwork. After a while, I finally heard my number called.
“Next! Number three?” I sat up and rolled my travel case over to the front desk. The mare behind it gave me a bright and happy smile. “How may we help you, sir?”
“Um…I’m looking to buy a house to move into,” I nervously replied. The receptionist then nodded, before opening a file and began to sort through the papers.
“Okay, we currently have three houses up for sale right now,” She showed me the files, each with a description and some pictures of the front and their interior. The first house I looked at was big and spacious like a small mansion and almost immediately, I wasn’t impressed by it, due to its sheer size and I didn’t need that much space. The second house I looked at was rather small like a shed and I could only frown in response; what kind of pony would want to live in a place that barely has enough room?
Only one of the houses came fully furnished and it was one down by a creek. This one was the one that caught my interest the most. It had a nice, warm spring green paint that went well with the grassy surroundings with a small bridge leading up to it. The roof and shingles were painted a pleasant looking bright bronze brown that also felt right.
“Where’s this one?” I inquired. The mare then handed me a map of Ponyville. I opened it up and her hoof landed just outside of town.
“Right there. It’s probably the quietest place in town,” she commented. “Though be careful; the neighbor loves animals,” I nodded. After all, It was the only house that I was looking for.
“I’ll take it,” the mare seemed taken aback by my suddenness.
“You don’t want to check it out or anything?”
“I-It’s fine.” I tried to assured her nicely. “The pictures are enough to convince me,” The mare shrugged as she seemed to understand. She handed me a few papers and a pen and asked me to fill them out. I took a seat and spent the next twenty or so minutes answering questions ranging from payment plan to sources of income. When I finished, I handed her the papers and the full payment for the house before she gave me the keys.
“Hope you enjoy your new life here in Ponyville, Mr. Playwright!” The receptionist said happily as she waved goodbye. I waved back before heading for my new home. It was quite a walk and with me trying to get through town as fast as I could I really couldn't take in the scenery of the town but it was worth it as I got my first real look at my new home.
It was a small house but considering I was the only one living there, it was perfect. I could feel myself cheer up a little from just looking at the house and I hadn't even seen the inside.
I then began to hear sounds coming from next door. I looked to see all sorts of animals happily playing around in the yard. The receptionist back at the town hall did warn me about this. I paid it no more attention than this as it was cute but I wanted to see the inside of my new home.
I walked over the bridge and up to the door. I got the keys out but found my door was already unlocked. I started to get worried on what was coming next. I opened the door and saw that the whole house was dark. Curtains drawn, lights off, no light anywhere except for the light coming through the door. I shut the door and got the shock of my life. You could pretty much guess what happened then.
I awoke from my sudden coma in a room I had never seen before in my life. I sat up so I could get a good look around as I moved my azure blue mane out of my green eyes. It didn't look like a hospital room so I had to assume that it was my own room. It was a basic wooden interior with only a wood desk and a nightstand as the only furniture besides my bed. The blankets were a basic white with nothing else really interesting about them. On the side wall was an empty closet that looked like they were made from a different type of wood than anything else in the room. It was a very basic, old looking room.
I leaned forward and looked down at the blankets before smacking myself in frustration and then threw myself into my pillow.
"The one thing I didn't want was the draw attention to myself." I thought aloud in irritation with my new predicament, too angry with myself to keep it in my head. "Now the entirety of the town probably thinks there's something wrong with me! If I'm extremely lucky, they'll all want to "help me" and "talk to me" and want to "improve my life here". Best first impression evah!" I said in an irate sarcastic tone.
I was suddenly startled when I heard the door leading into the room suddenly open. I sat up and looked at the door and was left dumbstruck. In walked the most beautiful mare I had ever seen in my life. Her light rose mane bounced as she walked into the room, humming an incredibly peaceful and joyful tune with her eyes closed. Her creamy coat seemed to just glow with such shine I wasn't sure I could look at it straight on. I could feel my face start to heat up and the room seemed brighter and more pleasant as she continued to walk.
My fantasizing was brought to an abrupt end as she suddenly noticed I was awake. She started to stutter but I couldn't make any words and before I knew it, she was gone in a flash. It took me a few minutes before I noticed she had left a tray with a lid on it that I hadn't realized she brought in.
I got out of bed and walked over to it. I removed the lid to see a delicious looking grass sandwich and some fresh apple juice. I looked at the tray for so long as questions ran through my mind. But one stood out:
After eating the food I was left by what I could only describe as an angel, I walked downstairs to see if anypony else was in my house. I took one look around before sighing in disappointment.
“Those pictures lied to me…” I said, frustrated. The walls were bare as there was no paint or wallpaper. Fully furnished? Not even close. There was no furniture in the living room at all. Just bare wooden walls and floors. I walked to the kitchen which was the only sufficiently furnished room in the whole house. The only thing I could see in the kitchen was a fridge, cupboards, and a sink.
The only other furniture I could find in the house was a small dining table that was covered in cards. I walked over to it to see they all said “Get Well Soon” on the front of them all. They also looked to be made from scratch like how little fillies and colts do in school. “How long was I out?” I asked myself.
“The entire night,” A voice behind me spoke suddenly, scaring me as I nearly fell over the table. My breathing picked up as I slowly turned to face the voice and saw the beautiful mare from earlier with two others. One was the hyperactive pink… thing from earlier and the other one was probably the biggest surprise I could have seen coming. She was a pale mulberry alicorn with a dark sapphire blue mane that was cut just above her eyes with brilliant rose and violet streaks through it.
Princess Twilight Sparkle… honestly wasn’t expecting it though considering where I was it made sense. She kind of stared at me with her clear, violet eyes before speaking again. “You okay there?” she asked concerned. Before I even got a chance to answer or show respect for her, the pink mare was in my face again… causing me turn away from her.
“I’m so sorry about what happened yesterday I had no idea you were going to passout! We’re so sorry please forgive us!” I could see the tears in her bright cerulean as she practically begged me for forgiveness…I think. I really could barely make any of that out.
“P-please,” I managed to get out, hoping it could stop the madness. She seemed to hear me even though I was about as quiet as a mouse. “I-It’s fine… I-I’m fine,” She perked up immediately.
“Really?!” She asked as the tears seemed to disappear completely and her wide smile returned, more joyful than ever. “You mean it?!”
“Y-yeah just… t-talk slower please,” I said a bit louder than before, though I really wished she took a step back…or eight.
“Oh…key… dough…key… low…key!” She said as slowly as possible. Twilight put a hoof on the pink ball of energy’s shoulder before getting her to thankfully back up.
“Sorry about Pinkie.” Twilight apologized “She tends to do that.” After the two backed up a bit and I was able to control my breathing again, I turned back to face the mares. I bowed my head courteously to the princess which caused her to giggled. "There's no need for that. I may be a princess but I don't need to be treated as one everyday by everypony," I raised myself. still feeling awkward and didn’t really want to talk but at least I was feeling calmer. “Oh how rude of me! As you've figured out, I’m Twilight Sparkle,” she motioned to herself, leaving out her title, “This is Pinkie Pie,” Pinkie waved to me very quickly. She then gestured to the mare from before who kind of backpedaled behind her. “And this is Fluttershy,” I could see Fluttershy’s lips move but I didn’t hear anything. Twilight seemed to sigh at her friend before turning back to me. “And you are?”
“P-Playwright…” I said quietly, still a little nervous.
“What?” Pinkie asked as she got uncomfortably close to my face again. “Claybright?”
“N-no, it-it’s Playwright…” I repeated. Twilight seemed to chuckle.
“Déjà vu,” I looked at her questionably, wondering what she meant.
“Pardon?” I asked confused.
“It’s nothing,” she waved it off, her small smile staying. “So with a name like that you must be a writer?”
“Y-yeah...” my answer lacked any confidence on the matter though. Even so, Twilight smile still didn’t fade. If anything it got a little wider.
“Now that’s something that’s definitely new here!” Twilight said in a joyful tone that seemed a bit… too joyful but I would eventually come to think that her reaction was actually muted compared to later.
“Oh!” Pinkie suddenly sprang to life. “We should introduce him to the others! They’ll be happy to see that Wrighty’s up!”
“Wrighty?” I said confused.
“She does that too,” Twilight explained. “Though I agree with Pinkie!” Before I could even react, I was being dragged out the door by Pinkie Pie with Twilight and Fluttershy following suit.
“Lah! Hey let me go! I have four working legs!” I shouted, hoping she would realize this fact and let me go. She didn’t listen and even though Twilight tried to get her to stop, she still dragged me around till we came to a farm called “Sweet Apple Acres”. After she let me go, I dusted myself off and gave her a look of annoyance even though it was like giving it to a tree. Although the raw strength she used to drag me here could be compared to a bull.
“I wonder where AJ is at,” Pinkie said as she gave the farm a good searching. “APPLEJACK!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. I covered my ears as the scream was so loud that you’d have to be deaf or on the other side of the country not to hear it. We waited patiently for a little bit but this “Applejack” was a no-show.
“She must not be home,” Twilight reasoned. “Or she’s way out in the apple fields. Let’s wait a little longer,” I did have some questions but I really couldn’t think of any reason to ask any of them. The only questions I had were “what they were doing in my house after what happened” and “where did they get all the get well cards”. None of it really mattered so I just kept my mouth shut.
As much as I didn't want to meet anypony, I knew if I tried to run I wouldn't get very far. So I walked over to a nearby fence and just planted my butt there till something happened. I didn’t have to wait long.
“What’s all the ruckus?” another female voice shouted as a brilliant orange body came through the trees. She wore a cowboy hat over her blonde mane that was tied up and fell to one side. She was followed by a towering crimson pony with a giant working collar around his neck. A smile immediately took to her face when she saw who her guests were. “Hey girls, what’re y’all doin’ here?” she spoke with an accent that was a little thick but not too much that I couldn’t make out what she was saying.
“We came to introduce you to the pony from the party yesterday,” Pinkie Pie said with her normally overjoyed tone. Applejack looked surprised as she finally noticed I was here. I waved hello before she got closer but she thankfully kept enough distance compared to Pinkie, who seemed to be on a personal mission to invade my space at any given opportunity.
“That was quite the scare you gave all of us, partner,” Applejack said in a sincere tone. “It’s the only time I can remember where we had to cancel one of Pinkie’s parties,” Pinkie Pie turned sad for a quick moment before returning to her normal self. “Wait, why do you look like you’ve been showered with dirt?” she asked concerned as she saw how dirty I was from Pinkie dragging me all the way here. My annoyed glare fell on said mare that wasn’t looking in my direction and just giggled obliviously. “Well he’s certainly a talker, right Big Mac?”
“Eeyup,” said the huge crimson pony called Big Mac.
“Oh, this is my brother, Big McIntosh,” Mac looked at me with a friendly smile and that’s about it.
"Oh AJ, I need to talk to you about something," Twilight said with a bit of urgency in her voice.
"Why don’t you keep our guest company, Big Mac,” Big Mac nodded as he sat down next to me. There was a shock wave so strong that it actually caused me to get airborne for a split second. The mares all walked away to talk about something important. I looked at Big Mac who was just staring at nothing in particular. Though I liked the silence, it was starting to get awkward.
I took a few glances at the giant to see that he was inspecting the nearby apple trees
We sat in silence till the mares finally came back. Minus Applejack who walked off into the fields again, causing Big Mac to get up and go back to work.
“Okay now let’s go introduce you to Rainbow Dash,” Twilight suggested as we all began to walk to wherever they were taking me. At least I was allowed to walk this time... as much as I didn't want to meet any more ponies.
After walking for a little while, we came to Rainbow Dash’s house. It was made of a humongous cloud that hovered over the open field. It had rainbows pouring out of it every which way like waterfalls.
“Hey Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie shouted. No answer came back and nopony came out. That didn’t stop her from trying for a half hour. “I wonder where she is,”
“E-Excuse me, Twilight…” I began, as the alicorn turned her attention towards me. “B-But what kind of pony is this Rainbow Dash?”
“Rainbow Dash is one of the fastest pegasi in all of Ponyville and inspires to become a member of the Wonderbolts,” she said as she spoke of her friend. “She’s also capable of creating the sonic rainboom, an aerial stunt so fast, that it creates a rainbow explosion,”
“You should really see her in action!” Pinkie suddenly spoke, literally jumping into the conversation. “She gets super duper serious when it comes to flying and she’ll be from one place to another in seconds! Did I mention that-” Fortunately for my ears sake, Twilight spoke up, interrupting the conversation right away.
“Pinkie, we can come back here later,” Twilight suggested as she was tired of waiting. “Let’s go talk to Rarity for a while,”
'There's more?!' I shouted in my head. 'How many ponies am I going to need to meet?!' I was on the verge of tears as I desperately need to think of a way out. I didn't come up with one as Pinkie made sure I started walking.
“Okay!” Pinkie said happily as she bounced towards town. We made our way right in front of an elegant boutique shop after a few minutes of walking. "I hope she won't mind if we drop by," said Pinkie Pie, before taking a deep breath and shouted. "Hi Rarity!" I looked at the door and saw a doorbell right next to it.
’Does this crazy mare do anything subtle?’ I thought as I rubbed my aching ears.
"I'm coming, Pinkie Pie dear," Rarity responded through an open window on the second floor, as we waited for a while before the front door opened, revealing a unicorn with light grey coat, indigo mane and blue eyes. "Honestly, please try knocking or ring the doorbell for a change… OHOHOH! Lookie here! The young stallion is awake!" she said excitedly. Now I was really nervous and was especially sure I wanted to go home.
"Playwright, don't be rude," Twilight whispered to me, noticing that I was nervous right away. "Just calm down, take a deep breath and relax." Her advice, as much as I would like to follow it, didn't help me at the slightest. She put me on the spot and that just made it embarrassing. I couldn't even find any coherent words to use.
"Isn't that cute! He's just like Fluttershy!" Rarity pointed out.
Now both of us felt uncomfortable if her face was anything to go by. She quickly hid her face before Rarity continued to talk. I could feel my face getting warm from embarrassment as the blood ran to it. It was then that she noticed my look of discomfort on my face and realized what she did.
"Oh my, I apologize for making you feel uncomfortable. Please, come inside and make yourself at home," We all went inside thought I was the last one in mainly because I contemplated running home as fast as I could and locking the door. As tempting as it was, these ponies didn't deserve that kind of rudeness. “So where are you from, Mr. Playwright?” Rarity inquired. It was clear that she wanted to know a bit more about me.
“C-Canterlot,” I answered simply as it wasn’t that big a deal to me. But it was to her.
“Canterlot!” she spoke loudly and suddenly with surprise. Her reaction kind of scared me but it was then I realized I hadn’t told anypony where I was from as they all seemed pleasantly surprised. “So Playwright dear, do you know anypony from Canterlot? Surely you must have met a few well known ponies back home.” she said in a very joyful tone as I was now the only pony in the room that she was focused on. I rubbed my head sheepishly before answering.
“I-I guess you could say m-met in the loosest sense of the w-word possible…” I answered with my voice getting quieter with each word and myself trying to avoid eye contact. While I did meet some well known ponies, I never really got to do anything more than say hello.
"That’s marvelous, but what brings you over to Ponyville, Mr. Playwright?" Rarity asked me. I hesitated with my answer as I wasn’t sure if I wanted to give my true reasons for coming.
"...I-Inspiration... I guess," I spoke quietly, but loud enough for the unicorn to hear.
"What did you do for a living, darling?" Rarity continued to ask me.
"I'm a writer," I responded after calming myself down a little.
"I'm sure you and Twilight will become very good friends with an occupation like that," Rarity said simply. I was surprised, wondering if she meant what I thought she meant.
"Rarity!" Twilight seemed to think the same thing.
"What?" Either she's acting dumb or she did it unintentionally. "So Playwright," Rarity tried to get the conversation back on track. "Do you have any family back home?" Rarity showed us to some chairs and couches which we each took a seat in.
“…My parents… and a brother,” I was starting to feel less awkward now that I got to sit down.
"Do you plan on writing a letter to them when you get the chance?" Twilight asked me. I shrugged as I really hadn't thought about it.
"I guess... maybe when I have something to say," Only now did I realize that my parents probably missed me. Though I didn't have much time to think about it as Pinkie sprang to life.
"Oh we have to tell Rarity about the thing," Pinkie reminded Twilight about something.
"That's right!" Twilight agreed. "Excuse us," I saw this as my opportunity.
"Actually, I should be getting home. Importing writing stuff to do nice meeting you all kay bye," I said really quickly with a big fake smile on as I walked out the door and immediately headed home.
"Bye-bye then, Wrighty," Pinkie Pie called out. I turned around to see her sticking her head out a window before going back in. I let out a sigh of relief now that all the awkwardness was over.
‘I can relax finally,’ I muttered under my breath. I took to the sky to avoid being found in case they came looking for me. I figured going home right away wouldn't get me any alone time as that would the first place they'd look. After all, I was still unfamiliar with some parts of Ponyville. Plus, I could use some fresh air before heading back.
After flying around for a while to learn the layout of the town, I landed on a hill and looked towards the horizon. I saw the orange sun setting as the sky around it changed from orange to yellow to blue. It was truly a beautiful sight and I had the best seat in the house. I felt... happy to see the sunset from where I was. 'I should come here more often,' I thought to myself with a smile on my face that felt way overdue.
I decided to make a mental note, making sure that I don't forget right away. After the sun had set and Luna raised her moon, I felt it was safe to go home as I doubted that anyone would come looking for me.
After a few minutes, I finally arrived home, but much to my surprise, I saw Fluttershy standing right in front of my house. Why she was here was a mystery. But that didn’t stop my heart from kick starting just from seeing her. Before I could say anything she noticed me and was immediately taken by surprised and started stuttering her explanation although this time I could make it out though only just.
“Oh I-I-I-I’m so sorry… I-I was j-just… c-checking to see if y-you were home… i-if that’s okay with you…” she said it so quietly I didn’t think I heard her right.
"I-I'm sorry, but c-can you repeat that?" I asked Fluttershy, hoping she would at least speak up a bit more.
"I..." she started backing up so I did the same hoping it would calm her down.
"Is this better now?" I asked once more. She nodded her head as we now had a good twenty feet of space. "Alright then; can you tell me what it is again?" I called out to her.
“I-I got to get h-home and make sure the animals are well fed. If that’s alright with you…” Fluttershy said as she circled around me and didn’t wait for a response before flying home at breakneck speeds.
"Alright then," I said to myself, a bit weirded out by Fluttershy's behavior. "She certainly lives up to her name..." I said as I walked into my house and remembered that I was still dirty from Pinkie dragging me around. I headed upstairs and took a quick and refreshing shower. After drying myself, I wasted no time crashing on the bed with a sigh.
As I rested on my bed still trying to comprehend all that happened today, my mind couldn't help but drift to a certain pegasus mare. The beautiful mare who was kind enough to take care of me after the little surprise last night, just so happened to live nearby. “I didn’t even thank her… or any of them for that matter. I should really apologize tomorrow,”
But as my thoughts continued to drift back to Fluttershy, I had to shake my head to get rid of the delusions. "Get it together, Playwright. You barely even know her. You shouldn't be thinking such things about somepony. At least not until you have a conversation with her. Who am I kidding? I passed out yesterday! There's no way in Equestria that I would be able to hold a conversation with her. I couldn’t hold a conversation with that Big Mac guy from earlier!” I sighed as I continued to stare at the ceiling in frustration. “Maybe I should just go to sleep and think about this later,"
I rolled over onto my side and tried my best to fall asleep. It seemed like forever before sleep finally grabbed hold of me.
Morning came as it usually did when I didn’t want it to and every bedroom, for some reason, has every window all pointed to the east, so the sun will get right in your eyes and forced you out of bed. I guess they don’t want ponies sleeping in.
But this morning felt so much different, as I suddenly felt an urge; an urge that I hadn’t felt in so long: I wanted to write something. It felt so alien to me after not writing anything for at least six months and now out of nowhere, I can feel my typewriter calling out to me.
I got myself out of bed and set up the typewriter by complete reassembling it back together because it was the only way it was going to fit into my saddlebags, before going into the other side of the bags (which I really needed to get around to unpacking) and pulled out two bracelets. Once I put them around my hooves, two little sticks came out, allowing me to actually press individual keys without accidentally pressing like six at once.
I sat down in front of the typewriter, before another feeling came over me: apprehension. It’s like one of those stories about sticking your hooves over an open fire; after you feel the pain, you’re not going to just do it again without a good reason. Good thing I found that reason.
“I don’t need to show it to anypony,” I reminded myself aloud with a smile, “I just need to get this feeling out, that’s all.”
With that in mind, I let myself go and just started typing.
In Equestria, there was a meadow that seemed to stretch on for several miles, with the horizon being visible in all directions. The ground was decorated with flowers of various colors and in the middle of this beautiful meadow, was a great oak tree. It was the home of a colony of caterpillars. Every day, they would climb the tree to get the leaves at the top. For some, the trek was little more than an inconvenience. For others, namely the ones at the bottom, the trek would take all day and there was no room for errors.
Three of these caterpillars, all of whom were brothers, would start their day by climbing the tree, hoping to get enough food in their bellies to survive the night. With only a slight breeze to slow them down, it wasn’t that hard for the first day, as long as the three were together. After filling themselves to the brink, they all went back to their own little home at the bottom of the tree. On the way back, the youngest of the brothers asked why they needed to live so far away. The middle brother said he couldn’t answer because he didn’t know. The eldest brother could only think of one thing to say and that was to reassure his little brother that life will get better eventually, just like it did for their mom, who was now a beautiful butterfly and would no longer ever have to climb up a tree to get her food. This brought a smile to the younger brother’s face, as the three went into their little hole for the night.
“Good morning, Ponyville!” I heard a feminine voice shout outside, pulling me away from my story. What followed next is what really got my attention.
*BOOM!*
Out of nowhere, a huge explosion suddenly shook my home, even shaking the floor underneath me. But what’s worse is when I went to cover my ears, I accidentally shoved the two typing sticks into my ears, preventing me from fully covering them and probably doing more damage.
“Ow! Where did that come from?!” I frantically asked, as I tried to push myself off the floor, when I suddenly noticed a breeze in my house. I look over to the window on the other side of the table to see that the window was completely blown out. Whatever that explosion was, I was lucky I wasn’t close to it.
I ran outside, the ringing in my ears finally stopping, to see what just happened. I looked up toward the faint remnants of what appeared to be a rainbow, but it had dissipated before I could get a good look at it. The sun being in my eyes wasn't helping matters much either. But it didn't really matter at this point, as I now have a new problem: My windows were completely destroyed. I went through the house and found that only my two front facing windows were actually destroyed, but the rest were relatively unharmed.
‘At least it wasn't a total disaster,’ I thought to myself, as I took my bracelets off and searched the house for a broom. Thankfully, this house at least came with one of those, as I eventually found one in a closet in my living room. I swept all the glass shards into a little tray and walked outside to dumped them, when I noticed Twilight in the distance with a cyan blue pegasus with a rainbow-colored mane and Twilight didn't look…pleased with her. I could just barely make out what they were saying.
“I can’t believe you did a sonic rainboom that close to the ground! Do you know how many windows you destroyed?! I don’t even want to know what you did to anypony’s hearing!” Twilight wasn't just mad, she was flat out livid.
“I’m sorry, alright?! I was just so happy to be home that I got carried away! The news I had was just so great that I couldn’t resist!” the pegasus responded energetically. Whatever news she had, it must have been very good news.
“Well you can wait until we get everypony together. Right now, you’re helping me fix all the windows you smashed,” Twilight lowered her tone, but I could still tell even from my distance that she was still very much angry. “Now let’s go Rainbow-” she stopped herself, as she saw me standing on my porch, staring and I could only think to wave at them. Her demeanor perked up a little after my wave. She walked over towards my house and waved as she came over.
“Hello Playwright,” she greeted, looking happy to see me though it seemed a lot less happy once she saw what was left of my windows, “I see Rainbow Dash got your windows too.” I turned and realized I had set the tray full of shards on the ground behind me. “Oh! By the way, this is Rainbow Dash, the pony we tried to introduce you to yester-” Twilight didn’t finish, as she was cut off by Rainbow Dash, who began to show off, which I could only assume was to wow me with her flight skills. I’ll admit, they were definitely top tier flying skills, as she basically cleared up the sky and made all the clouds look like her face, before exploding out of the cloud, leaving nothing but a clear sky behind her.
“As Twilight here said, I am the one and only Rainbow Dash, Ponyville’s fastest flier and future Wonderbolt!” Well...she certainly seemed full of herself, but her face softened as she landed on the ground. “Though it’s more like “Official Wonderbolt” now!” Twilight smiled, as it was very big news indeed. Getting into the Wonderbolts is no small feat and for most pegasi, it was a childhood dream that you needed to work at your whole life just to realize it.
“That’s great, Rainbow Dash!” Twilight seemed just as happy as Dash was at this news. I’ll admit, even I felt happy for her, despite breaking my windows.
“Oh and sorry for all the showing off,” Rainbow Dash looked towards me with a much lighter smile instead of the cocky grin she had a minute ago. “It’s just that now that I’m an actual Wonderbolt, I think I need to make my introductions as awesome as I am.”
“T-that’s not necessary, really,” I spoke up, which caused Rainbow Dash to jump back in mock surprise.
“Oh my Celestia, he actually talks!” Not really surprised by that reaction. I hadn't said a word for most of this conversation, which made me kind of chuckle. “For a while I thought he was a mute or something.”
“Oh, be nice, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight spoke calmly with a smile, realizing that Dash’s joke wasn't offending me. She looked down towards my hooves before saying anything more. “Are those what’s left of your windows?” I looked down to see that the tray of shards were still right at my hooves. I almost forgot that they were still there. “Let me fix that for you,” Twilight’s horn suddenly started to glow a light purple, as did all the shards. Then, right before my eyes, Twilight put all the pieces of the windows back into place and fixed them, almost as if the explosion never happened. “That’s better, isn't it?” Twilight spoke as she enjoyed her handy work with even a small task like fixing a broken window.
I still had yet to find the right words to say, so I just pick the simplest to avoid making it awkward, “Thank you,” Twilight nodded back at me with a smile.
“Well, we need to be going now, as I need to deliver some books to Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash has to help me fix all the windows she broke,” Twilight mentioned, before the two waved goodbye.
“It was nice talking to you both,” I waved back, but what I said seemed to get a chuckle out of Dash, though she looked like she was trying her best to hide it.
I went back inside, feeling a little better, but it was time I got back to the story I was writing. I looked over what I had wrote and remembered what I wanted next.
The next day came and the three brothers looked to work their way up the tree again, but to their surprise, some of the leaves fell on the ground, near the base of the tree. They could easily have just climbed down a little and grabbed them. The three brothers quickly went to the leaves and feasted, happy that they didn’t have to work so hard for food. But then, a huge bird flew overhead with its gigantic shadow tipping the defenseless caterpillars off to their predator. The group split up, with the middle and younger brother running for home, while the eldest gave himself up to draw the bird away. The two brothers made it home safe and wouldn’t leave the hole they called home until the next morning. The oldest brother, however, never returned.
*Grumble*
“Really? You’re hungry now?" *Grumble* "And apparently you have a sense of timing too! Stupid stomach; telling me I need food to live!" I angrily get up from my seat, before realizing I looked like an idiot and I was glad no pony was around to see me yelling at my stomach. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, as I hadn't eaten anything yet today. But then another problem came up: I hadn't bought any groceries. Well, it was time I fixed that. I grabbed my saddlebags and threw them on my back, checked to make sure I had a decent amount of money and headed out, hopefully to fill up my fridge and cabinets with food.
I walked outside to see the mailmare delivering a letter into my mailbox, before flying over to deliver Fluttershy’s mail. I opened the box to see a package addressed from my parents. It was pink and decorated with various flower designs, no doubt to remind me of my mother’s flower shop back home. I put the package inside the house and would see what was in it when I finally sat down to eat. At least that’s what I told myself.
I walked into the marketplace to see it bustling full of ponies, big and small, young and old, trying to get their shopping done. The crowd wasn’t too big that you couldn’t get to the stands, but it still felt cramped to me.
I hated crowds since I was a colt, but I needed food for my house, so I pressed on through it. I walked for about a minute, before I saw a familiar face that made my worries fly away; it was Fluttershy and she seemed to be doing her shopping today as well. I thought it might be a good time to get to know her a bit better, so I maneuvered through the busy street until I was in earshot of her.
“H-Hey Fluttershy,” I managed to stutter out. I seemed to surprise her, before she turned around and smiled. Though she didn’t look me in they eye, I could tell that she was happy to see me.
“O-oh, h-hi Playwright. Y-You must be shopping today too,” she still seemed nervous around me, still keeping a modest distance from me. It must be after I caught her outside my house last night. I shouldn’t bring it up until she felt a bit more comfortable around me.
“Y-yeah, I realized I didn’t have any food in the house, so I decided it might have been a good idea to go and get some. What are you shopping for?” Food, idiot. What else would she be there for?! Why did I ask that?!
“Well, I needed to make sure I had food to feed the animals, but I also needed to pick up some detergent. I needed a new blanket for my bed after the last one got…a little more brown,” Fluttershy made sure that last part wasn’t said too loud, but I heard her loud and clear anyway. It’s almost like she was ashamed that one of her animals, for a lack of a better way to say it, took a dump right on her bed.
“Ew...That poor blanket,” I expressed sympathetically. “You need help getting the stains out?”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s really not too big an issue. It’s nothing a lot of washing can’t fix,” she assured me, but she seemed almost like she was embarrassed that I even asked to help her. I guess nopony does unless they had a reason. Heck, I wasn’t even innocent of this since I did want to get to know her better.
So we continued shopping together, as she helped pick out foods that she thought I would enjoy. Various fruits and vegetables went into my saddlebags, as we continued to talk about each other. Eventually, after we finished buying all of our stuff, I summoned up the courage and decided to ask Fluttershy something that I almost immediately regretted.
“Hey Fluttershy, you want to get something to eat?” I wanted to punch myself in the face. I doubted that she would say yes and her shocked expression and blush didn’t make it feel any better either.
“O-Oh… I-I am feeling a bit peckish…sure! I know a restaurant that would be nice.”
What? She actually accepted my offer? And she even sounded enthusiastic? I couldn’t believe my luck! I actually felt confident that I couldn’t screw this up. I was just hoping Fate and Life would pick on somepony else for a change.
We both walked over to the restaurant Fluttershy told me about and it didn’t seem too busy. We sat all our groceries on the ground next to an outside table; I was thankful that Fluttershy didn’t suggest about eating some of our groceries. The tablecloth was yellow and had a pink flower in the middle. A vase filled with a few bright flowers was also on the table. Reminded me a lot of home…and Mom.
A waitress came up not too long later and set down a couple menus for us to look through. “I’ll be with you two in just a minute,” she told us both with a smile. I set the menu down, while Fluttershy began to look at hers. I decided that I should at least try and get a conversation going.
I did feel a bit more comfortable talking today then I was before, but I’m not exactly sure why. Maybe the initial shock of being dragged everywhere and being forced to meet everypony was over, I could actually decide to talk to ponies on my own terms.
“So Fluttershy, what are your animals like?” I just needed something to get her talking. Thankfully, this did it more than I had anticipated.
“Oh they're all such sweethearts!” Fluttershy exclaimed...well compared to her normal quiet tone anyway. “They’re normally well behaved and sometimes bring me things that I needed from the nearby forest, such as free honey, wild berries and sometimes, they even can bring me these lovely flowers.”
“Do they ever cause any trouble on their little foraging trips?”
“The younger ones will sometimes steal from other animals from the forest and I’ll have to go and calm them down, but they’re just young that don’t know any better yet,” she sounded a little…exasperated like it happens way too often and took a lot out of her.
“Any particular stories that stick out in your mind?”
“So what will you two be having?” the waitress came back and it had occurred to me that I hadn’t even looked at the menu once. Whoops. Nice prioritizing there, Wright.
“Uh…I’ll have a hay sandwich and apple juice,” I replied quickly, reading off the first two things my brain registered from the menu. Lucky for me, the waitress didn’t care.
“I’ll have a fruit salad and some water,” Fluttershy answered calmly, making me feel a little silly.
“Okay! I’ll be back with your drinks in a bit,” The waitress went back inside and left us alone.
“As I was saying,” I decided to get the conversation back on track.
“Well...there was this one time with Angel and the flying squirrels.”
“Angel?”
“He’s my pet bunny!” she responded with an angelic smile, “He’s so adorable but can be a bit of a hoofful sometimes.”
“So what did he do to these flying squirrels?” I didn’t even care that I was adding nothing to this conversation. I just wanted to keep her talking.
“Well, one morning, I was filling Angel’s bowl, but I realized he wasn’t around. After looking all over for him, I found him with a few acorns for some reason, but he was being chased by at least a dozen flying squirrels. After he hid behind me, the squirrels ended up attacking both of us, but I eventually managed to calm them all down and Angel returned their acorns.”
“Oh wow… I’m sorry to hear about that,” I wasn’t expecting to hear she literally got assaulted by squirrels out for nuts.
“It’s okay, as I wasn’t really hurt by them, but I couldn’t figure out what Angel was trying to do as he wouldn’t explain.”
“When did this happen?” I inquired. The waitress had returned and set down our drinks.
“I think it happened a day before you came to Ponyville,” she stated as she took a sip of her water.
“That recent?!” I wasn’t expecting something like that to happen. I was even more astonished when she moved her mane back to reveal a little bandaid on the back of her neck.
“Who would’ve guessed that squirrels were so vicious when their acorns are taken,” she joked, trying to play it off like it’s nothing. She’s obviously been through some crazy things. This mare was in a league all her own.
“So, do you have any stories of your own…if you don’t mind telling?” She seemed curious about me. I thought about any stories that would be good but…my life isn’t exactly the most exciting…or the happiest for that matter.
“I don’t think I can top a squirrel attack but…I don’t know if you’d want to hear this kind of story from somepony you just met a couple days ago.” I could’ve swore I saw her pupils expand and her leaning a little closer.
“Is it a bad story?”
“It’s not a happy story, so I doubt you want to hear me whine about it.”
“I would never say you were whining, but I won’t pry if you don’t want to say anything,” she smiled, letting me feel a bit lighter. I smiled back in return.
“Thanks Fluttershy,” I simply said, just as the waitress had finally returned with our meals.
“Enjoy!” she said cheerfully and sat down our meals. We both ate our meals while we shared some more small talk about Fluttershy’s friends and my life back in Canterlot. I tried my best to pick the happiest parts while keeping the sad parts to a minimum. After our meals were finished, we both packed up and went back home, stopping at my house first.
“Well, I’ll talk to you later, Fluttershy,” I said from my porch as I waved goodbye.
“I would like that!” she smiled as waved back and proceeded home. I went inside and looked at my typewriter and my bracelets. I remembered I hadn’t finished my short story yet and I should probably get to it. I quickly put all the groceries away, while finding out this house doesn’t have any dishes either so, I had to get some of those too, before sitting back down at the typewriter.
I read back what I had wrote down in my head before thinking of something.
“I know just what ending I want…”
The brothers continued to try and survive for the rest of the week. Rain came to wash them away, but they would not allow it. Wind tried to blow them away, but they would not budge. The wildlife was on a feeding frenzy, but they would not let it end. They continued to fight and survive until one morning, they got a sight they could not believe.
The eldest brother had returned, not as a caterpillar, but as a beautiful butterfly, free of the restrictions that had once been imposed on him and his brothers. He explained after he got away from the bird, he found an empty hole to make a cocoon in. He wanted to tell his brothers that he was okay but something told him they would be fine. The two younger brothers both cried as they saw their brother tell them not to give up and that life will get better, just like he said. The eldest bid them farewell as he flew off to explore the world beyond this oak tree that at one point was nothing more than a prison. The brother was finally free.
The two younger brothers followed his example, growing to become butterflies as well, determined to see what lies beyond the endless meadow. To see the world in all its beauty. To follow their brother’s example and become more than they used to be.
The three brothers were all finally free.
I looked at the paper in front of me, satisfied with it. I looked outside, before remembering my mother’s package. I walked up and peeled off the tape before looking inside. In it was a letter and a picture frame. I opened the letter and read it.
Dear Playwright,
I hope you are enjoying your time in Ponyville. Tinker said it would fit your liking. Have you met anyponies that made you feel welcome?
We miss you, you know. You haven’t even been gone a week and it already feels like you been gone a year. I realize you must still be a little down about what happened but don’t worry, your family will always support you, even when we’re far apart. I hope you find whatever it is that you need to find because me and your father just want to see you happy.
They say that parents are their proudest when they see their children leave the house but…I think I only felt sadness. But Tinker was right when he said that you needed to find a place where you could be happy, not stuck at home with all of us, no matter how much it hurt to see you go. I hope you’ll come visit us soon. Or maybe we’ll come visit you! Your brother would love to have us all come visit! I think that’s what will do then! Send us a response if you’d be okay with that. There’s a stamp in the envelop if you need one, as well as a spare envelope in the box.
Love,
Mom
I couldn’t hold back the tears this time…I felt like I abandoned my parents when Tinker and I decided to have me move to Ponyville to try and figure out what exactly I wanted to do. I didn’t think about before, because I was being too much of a whiny little colt. But why would my brother suggest me going to a town where everypony knows each other for me to get away from ponies? That sly dog. He sent me so I could meet more ponies and get out of that funk I was in. I can’t tell if I’m angry for being deceived or happy that he’d go this far for me.
“Thanks bro…thanks Mom.”
I went over to the typewriter and put a new sheet in.
Dear Mom,
I’m enjoying my stay in Ponyville. It started out pretty bad when my agoraphobia kicked in when one of the more…energetic ponies threw me a welcome party, but since then, the ponies have been super nice and I’ve even been getting some inspiration out of this. I’ll admit, Tinker got this one right. I’m feeling much better and I would love for you guys to come here, but right now, my house is a little lacking in the furniture department, so I really don’t have anywhere to stay. I think it would be best if I came to you guys until I got more furniture…whenever I get around to it. I’m sorry to make you sad, but I’d love to visit. How about two weeks? Say the 12th?
Love,
The more happy Playwright
I pulled the envelope and stamp and got the letter ready to send. I flew to the post office and dropped in the send box before heading back home. I went through the box for the picture frame and saw that it was a picture of the family painting my grandmother made. Everypony from every branch of the tree was in that painting, including a little colt me. I went upstairs and put it right on the nightstand.
I felt content. I had some friends and I’m starting to get that writing spirit back. Either this town is really good at making ponies happy or I’m really just quick at getting over bad things in my life. Probably the former.
