- Roseluck Chronicles Chapter 1:That Faithful Day
- Part 1: A Magical Night
- >Another long day.
- >It's just a job, you think to yourself
- >The only reason you have the blasted job is so you can make it though college and start up your own business.
- >Exhausted, you slowly walk out of the office building where you work.
- >You have been working as a desk jockey here since you started college
- >The work is remedial and repetitive
- >But it’s a job you can do for some money until you graduate
- >You start to make you way back to your apartment
- >A usually short and uninteresting chore.
- >You're preoccupied with thoughts about the future
- >As you pass by an alleyway something happens
- >Something magical
- >A bright flash and a loud crack emanate from the alleyway
- >The suddenness of this knocks you out of your thoughts
- >As you stare down the now dark alleyway you swear you can hear something struggling
- "Hello?"
- >Ok you know you heard someone say that.
- "Hello, is somep0ny out there?"
- >Did they say somep0ny?
- >You must have heard it wrong
- >None the less, sounds like someone needs some help
- >You start to walk down the alley
- >"Hello?" you say into the darkness
- >"Do you need some help?"
- >You hear some clanging coming from a nearby dumpster
- "Oh good, somep0nys there, I seem to be stuck inside of this metal box."
- "If you could give me a helping hoof, I would appreciate it."
- >Now you know that someone had said somep0ny, but did they also say hoof?
- >You slowly approach the dumpster
- >You grab onto the lid and lift it open and peer into the darkness
- >In the low light you can make out the vague shape of what appears to be a four legged creature
- "H-Hello..."
- >The voice now sounds shaky
- >You slowly extend you hand down into the dumpster
- >You feel something move into it.
- >Its soft and fur covered.
- >You start to pull the creature out of the dumpster
- >As you pull it out into the light you get a better look
- >You nearly let go when you see her
- >She looks like a horse
- >But that’s impossible, horses don't talk
- "W-what are you..."
- >you lose your grip leaving her hanging half out the dumpster
- >"You can talk!
- >She seems to be able to get herself the rest of the way out of the dumpster and jumps down to the ground
- >You can now make out her full appearance
- >She appears to stand at around the height of your waist when on all four
- >Her coat is a pale yellow, her mane is two shades of pink, and you can barely make out the shape of a flower on her flank.
- >"That’s impossible! Horses can't talk!"
- >She appears to be taken aback by this
- "I'm not a horse, I'm a pony. And you haven't answered my question."
- >In all the shock, you nearly forgot the question she asked you.
- >What are you...
- >"I'm human..."
- "What's a human?"
- >You can't think straight, you still can't get over the impossibility of the situation.
- >You are standing in an alleyway, in the middle of the night, talking to a pony that you pulled out of a dumpster
- >There was only one logical explanation for it all
- >You job has finally cost you your sanity
- >Why not play along...
- >"Humans, I guess we can be described as intelligent, talking apes."
- >Yeah that sounds good
- "Ok, where am I at? This doesn't look like Ponyville. Is this even Equestria?"
- >Equestria, right...
- >"You’re in Chicago. It is a city in America. On a planet called Earth."
- >Your starting to have some fun with this, and why not, if you're going to go insane might as well have some fun along the way.
- >She looks around nervously
- >"What’s your name, and what’s with the tattoo on you flank"
- >She tilts her head to the side when you mention the word tattoo
- "My name is Roseluck, and what do you mean tattoo?"
- >"The rose, right there." You point to the rose
- "Oh that's my cutie mark. It means my special talent is growing and selling roses. I just love flowers."
- >Cutie marks, special talents, roseluck...
- >Yep you're definitely headed to the loony bin.
- >You look at your watch, it’s getting late.
- >You don't want to leave her out her, even if she was a figment of your insane mind.
- >"It's starting to get late; you shouldn't stay out here at night like this."
- >"Come with me back to my apartment. We can figure everything out in the morning."
- >She slowly nods and follows you out of the alley
- >The rest of the walk back to your apartment was silent.
- >You climb the stair case leading to your apartment
- >Behind you the sound of hooves reminds you of your delusion
- >You open the door and let yourself and Roseluck into your studio apartment
- >Your apartment is spacious and kind of bare.
- >You have set up some temporary walls to make the place feel like it has separate rooms
- >You have your semi-combined kitchen/living room, some office space, and your bedroom.
- >You lead Roseluck over to your couch in the living room.
- >"you can sleep here tonight, I'll get you some blankets and a pillow"
- >"The kitchen is over there, if you’re hungry I think I have a salad in the refrigerator."
- >You walk over to your bedroom and grab a few blankets and an extra pillow.
- >When you return you find roseluck already half-asleep
- >You place the pillow under her head and cover her with the blankets
- >As you do so you catch her scent in the air
- >She smells of roses
- >You quickly undress and crawl into bed
- >Your final thoughts as you drift off to sleep are of your delusions and the smell of roses.
- End of Part 1
- Part 2:The Next Morning
- >You awake from a restful sleep
- >As you slowly stretch one thought goes through your mind
- >Roseluck
- >It must have been a dream
- >There is no such thing as talking ponies from a land called Equestria
- >You were really tired
- >You must have walked all the way home, collapsed into your bed, and dreamt the whole thing
- >It is the only explanation
- >It's a good idea for a TV. show though
- >Maybe you can write a story about it and sell it and make millions
- >Yeah...Right...
- >You roll out of bed and quickly throw on some shorts
- >Time to enjoy a nice Saturday morning
- >You walk into your kitchen not even taking a glance at the couch
- >You pour yourself a cup of coffee that the machine has already made for you
- >You turn around and lean against the counter and look out into the living area
- >That’s when you see it
- >The blanket
- >The pillow
- >The Pony
- >You really have lost it
- >You feel yourself go numb as the coffee cup slips from you hand
- >It falls and crashes into the floor, shattering upon impact
- >The sound of breaking glass wakes up the sleeping Mare
- >She's up with a start and looking around at her surroundings
- >Her eyes finally settle on you
- >She looks just as shocked as you feel
- "So it is real then?"
- >You slowly feel yourself nod
- "I'm not in Equestria, I'm on Earth."
- >Again you nod
- "And you're a human."
- >You nod again
- >"And you're a talking pony"
- >Your voice sounds foreign and distant
- >Pull yourself together Anon
- >You have a talking pony inside your apartment
- "You never told me you name last night?"
- >"Wha..." You barely comprehend the question
- >For some reason she speaks slower
- "Your name..."
- >Work brain, work! What is our name?!
- >You finally manage to utter your name.
- >"Anon"
- >She nods and continues to stare at you
- "Well, what now?"
- >Now, I call a doctor to get my head examined...
- >A talking pony, in my apartment
- >For some reason your brain can't get passed with thought
- >"Are there more of your kind?"
- >Stupid question anon
- "Well yes, equestria is filled with all different kind of ponies"
- >"Different kinds of ponies" you repeat slowly
- "Well yes, I'm an earth pony; there are also Unicorns, Pegasi, and Alicorns"
- >You nod slowly, trying to take in all the information
- >You walk over and sit down the couch next to her
- >The smell of roses fills you nostrils again
- >For some reason the smell is calming
- >To take a deep breath, lean back, and carefully listen
- "Unicorns have horns, which they are able to cast magic from."
- "Pegasi have wings, and are able to control the weather."
- "Alicorns have both, most are considered royalty."
- >You start to slowly digest the situation
- >"And all of you have these cutie marks, which denote your special ability..."
- "You’re starting to catch on!"
- >Right, I'm starting to catch on.
- >Never mind that this is insane and impossible
- >"How did you get here?"
- >She hangs her head and shakes it
- "I don't know, one minute I'm taking care of my flower garden, the next I'm stuck inside of that metal box."
- >All of the events from last night are in clear focus in your mind
- >It finally dawns upon you that this might all be happening
- >Your mind still needs one last thing to be sure
- >Your hand slowly reaches out to touch her
- >At first she recoils from your outstretched hand
- >But then she moves closely towards it.
- >Her mane feels like silk between your fingers.
- >Slowly you start to pet her mane
- >with each pass, she presses herself against your hand
- >You slowly move your hand down to her back
- >She is soft
- >So very soft
- >She arches her back against your touch.
- >You feel something begin to build inside of you
- >What is this feeling?
- >Whoa! No, you can't have that feeling.
- >She's...she's a pony
- >A talking pony
- >But still an animal
- >You remove you hand from her
- >She looks at you in a mixture of surprise and disappointment
- "Is something wrong?"
- >No, nothing’s wrong...
- >I just had strong feelings for a talking pony that magically appeared in a dumpster last night
- >Yes, there is something terribly wrong
- >But, all you can utter is "No, not at all."
- >A sudden thought crosses your mind
- >"Do you think that you're the only one that came to this world?"
- >She looks at you in puzzled
- >She brings her to front hooves up and shrugs
- >"Well if there are more of you here, the news will have caught wind of something."
- >You reach over and grab the remote and flip on the T.V.
- >You surf the channels to the nearest news station
- >It looks like your suspicions were right.
- >Ponies
- >Ponies Everywhere
- >As the news reports it, last night at the same time around the globe, ponies appeared
- >They all came in a pallet of different colors.
- >Earth ponies, unicorns, pegasi, a few alicorns.
- >All each having a unique cutie mark
- >"Well, looks like I'm not going crazy after all."
- >Roseluck looks at you with a tilted head
- "You thought you were going crazy?"
- >"Well yes, how insane is it that there are talking ponies
- "How insane is it that there are talking monkeys..."
- >Touché...
- >"Are you hungry?"
- >Almost as if on cue her stomach growls
- >She makes the funniest and maybe cutest face you have ever seen...
- >No, not those feelings again...
- >"Let me get you that salad. It looks like we have a lot to discuss."
- End of Part 2
- Part 3: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
- >You get up off the sofa and make your way to the kitchen
- >As you walk into the kitchen you nearly step on a piece of your broken coffee cup
- >Ok, step 1 clean up mess from coffee
- >You slowly bend down and start picking up the larger pieces of the cup
- >Your thoughts drift off
- >There is a talking pony sitting on your couch
- >She smells of roses
- >Her and a bunch of ponies from the land of Equestria have magically appeared in your world
- >No matter how real it feels
- >No matter how you try and logic it out
- >It still doesn't feel right
- >Maybe it isn't, maybe your still dreaming
- >That’s it, this is still a dream
- >A really complex and vivid dream
- >But a dream none the less
- >You finish picking up the pieces of glass and you throw them away
- >You grab a few paper towels and start to mop up the spilt coffee
- >Your mind continues
- >What about "that"
- >You stop mopping up
- >You take a look over at the mare sitting on your couch
- >She is engrossed in the news about her people on earth
- >You go back to your cleaning
- >It was nothing
- >Are you sure about that...
- >You slowly start to push "those" thoughts to the back of your mind
- >Yes, I'm sure any kind of feelings I have can be explained by this being a dream
- >She is nothing but an animal, an intelligent talking animal
- >My feelings need to reflect as much.
- >Plus at any moment, I'll wake up and this dream will fade away into distant memory
- >I might as well enjoy this dream while I have the chance.
- >You finish cleaning up the coffee
- >You walk over to the refrigerator and pull out the salad
- >Do ponies even like salad?
- >You look up from the salad to ask and notice that roseluck is already staring at you.
- >She looks worried
- >"Is something wrong?"
- "It looks like chaos out there"
- >You nod in agreement
- >"Talking ponies appear overnight, people aren't going to handle it well."
- "What about you? You seem to be handling it just fine."
- >You nod to yourself
- >Yes what about me
- >Whatever you do don't tell her you think it's a dream
- >It might end it early
- >"I don't know, maybe it’s because I watch a lot of sci-fi movies..."
- >"Not to say that I'm not freaked out about this, it’s just maybe I can handle it..."
- >"I mean there's a talking pony in my apartment..."
- >"And talking ponies just randomly appeared all over the world..."
- >The more you talk the more light headed you get
- >"And now it’s all over the news...
- >"And I think the realization of the whole situation just hit me..."
- >Houston we have a problem...
- >"You’re a talking pony, from another world..."
- >"The whole idea of it is impossible...
- >"Insane..."
- "Didn't we just go over that?"
- >"I think... I wasn't... This isn't..."
- "I don't understand it either..."
- >"I’m just having a hard time now...
- >"Talking about it doesn't seem to be helping any..."
- "The talking box says that everyp0ny is gathering at some park downtown."
- >Park, downtown right...
- >"Which park did they say?"
- "Millennium Park."
- >Ok relatively close by.
- "I would like to see if any of my friends are down there, maybe Mayor Mare or even Princess Celestia."
- >Mayor Mare? Princess Celestia? Who?
- >"I'll walk you down there... I could use some fresh air..."
- >"You might want to eat first before we go."
- >You can hear her stomach growl across the room
- "Good Idea."
- End of Part 3
- Part 4: The Millenium Park Speech
- >You and roseluck start eating some breakfast
- >Your slightly surprised when Roseluck asks to have some of the eggs you made
- >"I thought ponies would be vegetarians"
- "Well, we are, but we also eat animal by-products as well"
- >You and Roseluck quickly eat and start to make your way down to Millennium Park
- >As you exit the apartment you notice you are not the only whole with a pony
- >Some ponies are indeed by themselves or with other ponies,
- >But several are accompanied by humans.
- >Looks like you weren't the only one to make a friend
- >You probably aren't the only one who thinks that they are going insane either.
- >You begin to take in the sights of a world now with ponies
- >Honestly not much has changed
- >Except for the inclusion of ponies
- >As you walk you notice a group of ponies being led my another pony with a map
- >A map that is floating in front of the lead pony.
- >Roselucks words about Unicorns comeback to you
- >Not only are you in a world of ponies now
- >You are in a world of magic.
- >You head still swims trying to comprehend the implications of ponies and magic
- >Something catches your eye above you
- >You see several brightly covered streaks zoom through the air
- >Those aren't birds
- >Those must be pegasi
- >One seems faster than the rest
- >It also stands out the most from the rest too
- >Its streak is colored like a rainbow
- >Ponies everywhere, magic wielding unicorns, flying pegasi
- >You stumble a bit from all the thoughts that cloud your head
- >You look down at your pony companion
- >She doesn't appear to be faring any better
- >"It’s a lot to take in, isn't it?"
- >She sounds almost breathless
- "It’s so big..."
- >You chuckle slightly
- >"The fresh air doesn't seem to be helping..."
- >She coughs slightly
- "This is fresh air? It feels like I can hardly breathe"
- >Pollution and smog, they probably don't have it...
- >"Do you use fossil fuels in equestria."
- "What are those?"
- >That confirms it
- >"Humans haven't been the nicest to our planet..."
- "What do you mean?"
- >"It’s a long story, I'll explain later..."
- >If there’s a later...
- >As you approach Millennium Park the number of ponies and humans begins to swell
- >You also the notice an increase in one other department
- >Police officers
- >Most of them appear to be outfitted in normal patrol gear
- >But as you get closer and closer to Millennium Park you begin to notice slight increase in armaments
- >What are they expecting?
- >You don't think that the ponies would hurt anyone
- >No, it’s not for fear of the ponies
- >Humans were the x-factor here
- >They are here to protect the ponies from us
- >It appears that all of the ponies are gathering around the amphitheater
- >As you approach you can hear several voices calling out different names in the crowd
- "Has anyp0ny seen Lyra anywhere?"
- "Applebloom! Applebloom! Where are you sis?!"
- "Oh Celestia, why is this happening"
- "Roseluck, Lily?!"
- >There to your right.
- >"Roseluck over here, I heard your name."
- >Roseluck follows you through the crowd
- >You eventually find a pink pony, with green hair.
- >She has two daisies as a cutie mark
- "Daisy!"
- >Roseluck runs over and puts her front legs around Daisy's neck
- "I’m so glad I found you!"
- >You notice that daisy doesn't appear to be alone; a man is with her also
- >"I'm glad you found one of your friends Roseluck."
- "Oh, Daisy this is Anon, he saved me from a metal box last night."
- >You smile at daisy and she smiles back
- >The two ponies begin to converse with each other about their other missing friend.
- >The man who is with daisy looks around nervously
- >"Something wrong buddy?"
- "I-I don't like crowds much. Plus doesn't this strike you as kind of weird"
- >"Well, yes, ponies appear everywhere across the earth overnight does strike me as kind of weird."
- >He laughs nervously
- >You turn and look at the stage.
- >Up on the stage you can make out two figures.
- >One is the Mayor of the city
- >The other is a pony who is tan colored with a white mane
- >The Mayor of Chicago approaches the podium
- "Good Morning citizens of Chicago. As you may or may not have noticed we have a few visitors with us today."
- >You hear a few nervous chuckles from the crowd, but it’s mostly silent now.
- "I have been told that they are from the land that they call Equestria."
- "I have also been told that they are quite friendly."
- "I am officially offering my hand in friendship to our new visitors"
- "Without further ado, I present Mayor Mare, to have a word with her people about the current state of affairs."
- >The mayor walks over and extends his hand down to Mayor Mare
- >The mayor extends her hoof and they both shake.
- >That will probably be the picture on the front page tomorrow.
- >Mayor mare walks over and then takes the podium
- >She clears her throat and begins
- "Good morning Fillies and Gentlecolts, I hope that everp0ny out there is safe and sound."
- "As Mayor Emanuel stated, I am here to talk on the current situation."
- "We still do not know how we all ended up here."
- "We don't know exactly how many of us got transported here, or where all the rest of us are."
- "I know some of you are missing friends and family members."
- "Every effort is being taken to reunite everyp0ny with their scattered families."
- "Most of all, we don't know where and of the Princesses are."
- >At this an audible gasp goes through the crowd
- >Murmurs spread and begin to get louder
- "Please calm down everyp0ny, we are looking for them, if they are here we will find them."
- "Finally comes up the question of shelter."
- "Mayor Emanuel has assured me that temporary shelters are being set up for us in several places around the city."
- "But, if you can find some hosts that are willing to take you in, we highly encourage this."
- "Thank you everyp0ny for your patience."
- >Mayor Mare steps down and Mayor Emanuel takes the podium again
- "Citizens I encourage you to be good hosts and open your homes to our visitors."
- "Thank you."
- >He steps down from the podium.
- >As he does there is a few moments of claps and some hoof stomping
- >But that is quickly overtaken by the rising clamor of voices shouting out names again.
- >You turn to Roseluck, who is already staring at you
- >"Well, it’s your choice Roseluck, what do you want to do."
- >She looks down at the ground and back up at you.
- "If you wouldn't mind, Anon, I would like to go back to your place."
- >You nodded and start making your way through the crowd.
- End of Part 4
- Part 5: The Long Road Ahead
- >You and Roseluck make your way out of Millennium Park.
- >As the crowd begins to thin out, you turn around to Roseluck.
- > “So if we are going to be staying together, we had better go and get some groceries.”
- >Roseluck nods silently
- >”So what do Equestrians like to eat besides salad and eggs?”
- “We eat all kinds of fruits, vegetables and flowers, and as I said before some animal by-products.”
- >”You eat flowers?”
- “Yes, what do you use flowers for?”
- >”We use them as decorations; we also use them to display affection for another.”
- >”So does that mean the flowers that you grew were for food.”
- “Yes, they were the best flowers around. I won several prizes for my flowers.”
- >”Impressive.”
- >”Thank you, Anon.”
- >You both continue to walk along in silence until you arrive at a small grocery store.
- >You, with Roseluck’s guidance pick up groceries suitable for the diet of a pony.
- >After leaving the grocery store you and Roseluck make your way back the apartment.
- “I really wish I had my bags with me so I could help you carry the groceries Anon.”
- >”It’s no trouble at all Roseluck.”
- “I appreciate you helping me out Anon.”
- >”Well, I just couldn’t leave you in the dumpster could I?”
- “It’s not just that, for letting me stay with you until they can figure out what to do.”
- >”Like I said, it’s not trouble at all.”
- >The rest of the walk home is relatively quiet and uneventful.
- >You eventually reach your apartment and begin to put away the food that you have bought.
- >There is something that you have forgotten.
- >It has been bothering you since you left the park.
- >But what was it…
- >Oh that’s right…
- >You probably should have checked with your landlord before agreeing to let a pony stay in your apartment.
- >Wouldn’t want to violate your lease by letting a talking pony from another world stay here.
- >That would be bad.
- >The more you turn that thought over in your mind the more alien it sounds.
- >Talking ponies, Equestria, and magic.
- >This is going to take some time to get used to…
- >You shake your head clear and turn to Roseluck.
- >”I’ll be right back Roseluck, I probably should have checked with my landlord to see if it would be ok if you stayed here.”
- “What’s a landlord exactly?”
- >”Well, I don’t own the apartment we are in, someone else does. I pay him for letting me stay in it.”
- >”He makes the rules about things we can do in his apartment.”
- >”So, I really should have seen if talking ponies are against the rules.”
- >She chuckles at the last statement.
- “If he is as nice as you are, there shouldn’t be a problem.”
- >”I don’t see one either, but its better if I do the courteous thing and check first.”
- >She nods and continues to put the food away as you exit the apartment.
- >Mr. Williams lives on the first floor of the apartment complex.
- >He’s a very nice and understanding man.
- >He’s even been a little lenient when you’re late with the rent.
- >There really shouldn’t be a problem.
- >You get down to the first floor and knock on Mr. Williams’ door.
- >He quickly answers it.
- ”Hello Anon, how are you? Seen the news lately? Crazy stuff going on out there. Anything I can help you with?
- >”I’m fine Mr. Williams. The news is actually why I’m here.”
- >He chuckles…
- “Let me guess, you took one of them in didn’t you and you wanted to check with me about it?”
- >You scratch you head as he says this.
- >”Well, yes, but how did you know what I was going to ask?”
- “You’re not the first one to come knocking today.”
- “All I ask is that you keep no more than one, and any damage that they might cause you are liable for.”
- >You smile and nod.
- >”Thank you Mr. Williams, have a good day.”
- “Have a good day Anon.”
- >You make your way upstairs to tell Roseluck the good news.
- >As you enter the apartment you find Roseluck is once again watching the news.
- >She doesn’t notices your entrance into the apartment until you speak.
- >”Anything new about your people?”
- >She shakes her head.
- “They aren’t people their ponies.”
- >Right ponies, need to start trying to use the right syntax.
- >She turns and looks at you.
- “Good news?”
- >You smile and nod.
- >She smiles and continues to look at you.
- “Anon, about what you said earlier…”
- >”What do you mean Roseluck?”
- >She laughs.
- “Stop calling me Roseluck, call me Rose.”
- >For some reason this sends you back to a moment in time watching the Titanic.
- >You’re barely listening to Rose as you play some of the scenes from the movie in your head.
- “Anon, are you listening to me?”
- >”Wha-“
- >She sighs.
- “You said that you would tell me about your planet and how you haven’t taken care of it later.”
- >You nod.
- >You really don’t want to tell her about the faults of humanity.
- >Especially to someone who hasn’t even been in this world for not even a day.
- >You realize a little too late that you are wearing your thoughts on your sleeve.
- >She is still staring at you.
- “Is it really that bad?”
- >She can see your hesitation at the question.
- >Your willingness to lie to her about the state of the world.
- >You finally are able to get out the words.
- >”It’s too early…”
- >She looks down at the floor from your answer.
- >”I’ll tell you someday, but I want you to see the world for yourself before you hear my opinion on it.”
- >She nods silently.
- >”I would love to hear about Equestria, if you would like to…”
- >She shakes her head, when she looks at you can see tears forming in her eyes.
- ”It’s too early, I just…”
- >That was too much for her.
- >She begins to cry.
- >Good job Anon…
- >You walk over and sit down on the couch next to her.
- >As you do she reaches out and hugs you around the neck.
- >Her tear streaked face buried into your shoulder.
- >The smell of roses once again fills your nostrils.
- >Your surprised the by action.
- >You can barely make out the words between her sobs.
- “Wha-what if we ca-can’t go b-back…”
- “Wha-what if we-were st-stuck here…”
- >She continues to sob uncontrollably.
- >Your brain is slow to react.
- >You slowly begin to stroke her mane.
- >”Its ok, Rose, they will find a way to get you back home.”
- >”And, if they can’t we will just cross that bridge when we come to it.”
- >She continues to sob into your shoulder.
- >Her whole body trembling underneath your hands.
- >It’s an all too human emotion.
- >Wait…what…
- >No, she’s an animal…
- >A talking, sentient, animal, from a magical land called Equestria.
- >But an animal, none the less.
- >You look up and stare at the news.
- >It shows pictures from all around the world of gatherings of ponies.
- >Just like the one you were just at.
- >You can only comprehend one thought at the moment.
- >Between the mare sobbing in your arms and the ponies gathering all around the world.
- >Everything just got a lot more complicated.
- End of Part 5
- End of Chapter 1