Chapter 1: Welcome to Ponyville!
The days were growing hotter in the rural town of Pheonix Arizona, this early May. Sitting in the cramped, stuffy bedroom of her two bedroom apartment was Mini Rose, or so she called herself. Her real name was known only to her frantic alcoholic mother, and her teachers at school. Whilst she waited for her mother to return home with one of her usual "clients", Mini was sitting atop her bed. With her laptop resting in front of her, she glued her eyes to the screen of the empty word document.
Mini had been trying for hours to come up with any sort of plot or story line, but the ideas were just not coming to her today. She was too focused on the heat, too focused on the dangers lurking all around her as she nonchalantly sat there with her legs sprawled out on the bed. Yet, despite knowing how dangerous it was for her to be here, she stayed in position, as if asking to be hurt by unknown forces; taunting them by simply breathing.
For a girl in high school, Mini was ordinary in stature. Her long, brunette hair was a bit disheveled at the moment, tangling itself in many knots underneath the tightly wrapped hair tie. Her deep ocean blue eyes were constantly flickering back and forth from the window to the fan, to the computer, to the door. The freckles sprayed across her cheeks and nose were only slightly darker than her already tan skin. As an Italian, she was prone to tanning quite nicely. Her chest and waist were slightly smaller than the plastic women from school. Spoiled by their rich parents, they were given exactly what they needed to look gorgeous. Mini had no such luck, however; she was lucky to get a meal from her mother without getting barked at for eating like a pig.
Taking another look around her bedroom, Mini finally let out a sigh and leaned back into the uncomfortable spring mattress beneath her. Perhaps it was the heat getting to her, but she just didn't feel like writing today, she felt like sleeping instead. She didn't care about the consequences, she only wanted to close her eyes, even for a moment. When she was asleep, all of Mini's troubles seemed to float away into nothing. Her mother was gone, her father's death wasn't looming over her head all the time, and the constant torment she experienced on a regular basis didn't matter. She was free to dream of whatever she wanted when her eyes were closed.
Taking a deep breath, Mini let her eyes close gently into a black blur. When her eyes peeled open once again, she was no longer inside of a smoldering building, but instead, she was outside in a humid, yet breezy forest. Her hooves tucked gently beneath her chest, Mini gave a gentle shake of her long hazel mane as the wind whistled through her ears. Taking a quick glance at her new appearance, Mini smiled at the fingerless hooves and her elongated muzzle, now in front of her face. This was where she was happiest, this was her home.
... ...
Mini trotted along the long dirt path hoping to find some sign of where she had last left her home. Each time she closed her eyes in the real world, she was brought to a new location in the forest that she didn't recognize. This troubling dilemma only wasted time, for Mini knew that she would only have an hour in real time before her mother came barging into their apartment. It would only take one swift shake to wake her from such a magnificent dream, and that was the last thing that she was looking forward to on such a beautiful day.
Taking off as fast as she was able on four legs, Mini raced ahead to try and find any signs of her home. After a good few minutes of racing along the paths, the young mare stopped abruptly in the middle of an apple orchard. Breathing heavily from her brisk run, she cautiously stepped through the trees trying to gather her bearings. This was all new to her; Mini had never strayed this far from home before. Usually, it was a quick trotting distance from her location to the treehouse she had come to acknowledge as home; but this time she was in a place entirely new.
Stepping lightly through the grove of freshly picked trees, Mini continued her journey, hoping to find any sign that she would return home. For a moment, there wasn't even the soft chirping of the crickets in the grass. It was becoming unsettling being in this lovely, yet desolate area, alone. Fearing that she would never find her way, Mini began to panic and fret for her safety. Her breathing became short and quick as her eyes darted left and right trying to find the exit.
Backing away from what could potentially be her last moments, Mini's flank bumped into that of another young mare, around her age. Startled, she turned and faced the yellow mare with terrified stares. Her heart racing, her body shaking, she looked like she was about to faint.
"Whoa, there fella!" Applejack blinked at the strange young pony.
"Wah! I-I... I am so sorry! I didn't mean to... I-I mean it was an accident, I didn't mean to intrude. I swear!" Cowering, Mini lowered her head to the ground, covering her eyes with her front hooves.
A stunned Applejack looked at the frightened pony and gave an empathetic smile. "Hey now, come on. I ain't mad at ya for anything," she replied softly, lowering her head so their noses were at the same level.
Removing one hoof from her eyes, Mini gulped, "Y-You mean you aren't mad at me?"
"Course not. Lots of people come running through here all the time. You just startled me is all." the Earth pony let out a soft chuckle.
Lowering her defenses a bit, Mini stood back and stared at the young pony before her. Her long golden mane was tied off at the end with a red hair tie. She was wearing a cowboy hat atop her head, as her bangs danced beneath the edges of said hat. Mini couldn't help but notice her bright green eyes and of course, the three apples as her cutie mark. Just who was this stranger she had bumped into suddenly? She wasn't used to being near a village before; perhaps she made a wrong turn in the forest?
Perhaps this wasn't such a bad thing, it seems that this pony, despite her strong demeanor, was not intending to harm Mini in any way. So letting her guard down just enough to introduce herself, Mini took a deep breath and moved her muzzle around in circles nervously.
"O-Oh. I see. Well, I am sorry to have kept you from your work. M-My name is Mini... Mini Rose." the young mare breathed in relief.
"Mini huh? That's a strange name for a pony now isn't it?" Applejack smiled kindly.
"I-I'm not exactly from around here. I-If you haven't noticed." Mini blushed.
"I noticed. I know just about everybody in Ponyville, and I sure ain't seen you around before. So you're a unicorn, huh?" Applejack asked, taking notice of the small horn on Mini's head.
"O-Oh. Yes, I am." Mini smiled, "You see, I was trying to find my home in the forest when I got lost. Somehow.... it drove me to this beautiful apple orchard."
"Well gosh, thanks. We try our best to keep this place in top shape."
"I can tell. I have never seen an orchard so well kept before. You really prove your cutie mark proud there miss...."
"Applejack."
"Right. So, you mentioned a Ponyville, is that where I am at?"
"Yup. The one and only."
"Oh, so I really don't know just how far I am from home..." Mini sighed sadly to herself.
"Aw, now come on, don't be like that. Why I have a couple of friends who could help us to find your home if you'd want."
"R-Really? You would really help me out like that?"
"Well of course. If you come along with me, then I'll see who I can rustle together for a search party."
With a nod of her head, the two girls took off for the center of Ponyville. As they walked through town, Applejack explained a little bit on what and where things were in town. To Mini, it was all beautiful! The thousands of times that she had gone to sleep, she never imagined such a beautiful city before. She was in total awe at the majesty of everything.
Applejack went to a bakery, two houses, a clothing shop, and finally to the center of town, trying to find all of her friends. When the six all gathered together, Applejack introduced her new still slightly reclusive friend. She asked that they all help to find Mini's home somewhere in the woods. Shortly after agreeing to aid in the search, the six went their separate ways. Mini stuck close to Applejack, who she was becoming quite familiar with by this time.
"So you mean to tell me that each time you come here, you end up in the forest somewhere?" Applejack started.
"Well yeah..." Mini smiled nervously playing with her mane. "B-But it's different each time. When I sleep I go to this strange place.... I don't even want to think about it." she turned her muzzle away.
"I see...." Applejack started to get nervous as the conversation slowed to an instant halt. She looked around for anything to spark up a conversation again when she noticed Mini's Cutie mark. "I like your cutie mark. You know what it means yet?"
"Oh, this." Mini nodded and smiled. Her cutie mark was a partially open book with a rose on the cover. "I love to write books. It's kinda my thing."
"Wow, then you and Twilight will surely get along."
"Really?"
"Oh yeah, she doesn't write that I know of. Usually, Spike does that for her, but she sure does love to read. I'm sure if she were to read one of your books, she would be happier than a dragon with gold in his cave."
Mini blushed, "O-Oh... wow... I sure do hope so."
The two mares looked around for as long as they could, but the sun was starting to go down. As the moon rose into the sky, Mini was starting to prance about. She was nervous, but no pony could tell why. When everyone regrouped in the middle of town, they all relayed their information. Mini shook, terrified as the moon rose high into the night sky, overhead.
"Umm, Mini?" Twilight called out softly.
Mini gasped and turned around to the main six, and they tried their best to calm her. When settled, she gave a gentle sigh. "S-Sorry ponies... I just don't like going to sleep... It ugh... isn't a very pleasant feeling..."
"Well duh!" Rainbowdash smirked flying high into the air. "When you sleep you get to miss out on a lot of cool stuff! But if you stick around until tomorrow, then we can hang out some more."
Mini smiled at the thought of hanging out with a bunch of ponies all day, but then suddenly she stumbled on her feet. The other six look at her puzzled and worriedly as she stumbles back into the wall of a building. When up against the wall, she slides down and passes out, collapsed on the ground.
"Mini!" the six shout frightened.
Mini could feel it happening, her mother's rough grip shaking away at her arm. For the third or fourth time now, her Mother screamed at her to "wake the hell up". When she opened her eyes, she saw her mother standing there, a beer in her left hand as her eyes drunkenly strayed around the room. She couldn't see clearly, meaning it was about her tenth beer of the night already.
The young teen sat up quietly and kept her nose pointed at the floor. This time she was in serious trouble, she had slept through the afternoon and through the night! She was thinking her mother would wake her long before then, but apparently, she was out with a client all evening. Mini sat there with her head drooped guiltily. Her mother, still angered about her ungrateful daughter, suddenly grabbed hold of her arm with serious force.
Mini yelped as her mother dragged her over to the closet, "Now get your shit on and get ready for school before I beat the ever loving hell outta you child!" she hollered.
Afraid for her life, Mini nodded slowly and grabbed some clothes out of her closet. Dressing quickly, she gathered the things she needed for the day and ran out of the apartment before her mother could shout at her anymore. Once outside, Mini quickly made her way down the road to the school building three blocks away.
To Be Continued....