Broken's Journal

Day 1 and 2

I must have pissed God off somehow. Wake up in the middle of a strange, rural town. Ponies. Ponies everywhere. At first, I figured it was a dream. I mean, I love ponies, and sometimes wished I could meet Twilight Sparkle. The only thing is, it wasn't a dream. It was very real. I know because I knocked myself out within the first few minutes of being there, and woke up several hours after. I came into this world a Unicorn. A "magic-user". I still looked like myself to a small degree. Same eyes, same brown hair tone (although it's now a mane and tail), and my skin tone has become the color of my coat. I lack a cutie mark, but that's no surprise. So, all hopped up on "IMINEQUESTRIANOWANDEVERYTHINGISAWESOME" feels, I charge up the new horn and figure I'll see what happens.

 

Apparently, an explosion. Well, they tell me the horn will grow back over time. I hope so. This is embarrassing. The nurses have taken to calling me "that Broken guy". I guess if the horn doesn't grow back, I might as well own it and make it a signature, rather than something everypony (and that's weird to say) can make fun of. Call me Broken, then.

 

So, I'm not the only "human pony" in Equestria. Celestia and Luna don't seem to trust us, though, and they're shipping us off to the frontier to create a new civilization. Here I was hoping to frequent a certain Librar-tree and discuss esoteric magi-scientifical stuff with a local beauty, but I guess that's not happening now. Le sigh. On the plus side, the other ponies here are helpful. This one guy, Mad Stan, helped me to figure out a few things with the horn. I can pick up my quill, at least, and that means I can write in my log. The problems are that we have next to nothing, and my horn sparks, sputters, and has kickback whenever I try to do anything other than lift the quill. I heard them say there's some old ruins to the northwest. I might want to check those out tomorrow. In the meantime, I spent the day stripping branches from trees so that the others could turn them into logs for making buildings. Had to stop for a break when I nearly had another explosion. This is going to be difficult.

 

What do we even call ourselves though? We're ponies, but we're humans. Humies? Ponemen? Screw it, in a decade or so, they'll all forget where we came from and we'll be Equestrians like the rest of them.

 

Day 3-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Princess Celestia,

So, from what I've been hearing from the other Cannonites, you're going to be reading every one of these journals, like the letters from your subjects in Ponyville. So, I figured I'd write it in the style of a letter. Today, I tried to make myself useful. I was originally planning to go through those ruins to the northwest (as I said in my previous entry), but Nova Flux said we needed bricks and clay to make plumbing, so I spent a good chunk of my day building bricks out of the mud.

 

Getting used to pony anatomy has been hard, but not as hard for me as it is for the other Cannonites. In our old world, I developed a habit of using body parts other than the hand to do less detailed manipulations, so it isn't too much of a shock when I can only use my hooves to walk and grasp things. On the same side, though, making bricks is alot easier with hands. More adept at shaping things, you know?

 

No, I guess you wouldn't. To be honest, I feel pointless, Celestia. None of my skills really transfer well into this environment. They don't need an artist, especially one that isn't an accurate model-maker. This gets even harder since my main source of dexterity is now a bludgeon. I know I should be using my magic to write instead, but this busted thing is really touchy. Too much effort, and it turns into a roman candle tied to a stick of dynamite. I haven't had any more "incidents" since my first day, but I'm always afraid of what it'll do next. Tried to ignite a fire to bake those bricks... The spot of wood I used my magic on coated in frost. Did you have to go through this? Oh well, bricks made and I'm looking for a place to lay my head.

 

What did I learn today? I guess I learned that, despite the stupidity we humans displayed in our own world, these pony/humans really are a nice folk. So many of them have been helpful. That Enderborn guy is disturbing, though.

 

Your neighbor in Four Cannon,

Broken

 

PS: Please don't tell Princess Twilight about the stuff I said in my last entry. Can we keep that between the two of us?

Day 4-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Princess Celestia,

 

Today, we lost another one of our own. I know I didn't talk much about Schett Poschter, but he was a good guy who died before his time. Map Maker died today, and it really hit us hard. He really contributed alot. He mapped out the whole area, and even made plots of land on his map for us to take as our own. I don't know what took him, but it was awful sudden. I just wish I knew about why that ruined town got abandoned like it did. Was it a disease? A monster? Political upheaval? This world is filled with so many new dangers. I mean, compared to earth, Equestria is a death planet.

 

I never did manage to find a home last night. I woke up today on a pile of dirty hay, and saw the commotion. Just dead, with the latest version of his map next to him. No wounds or sign someone killed him. Just... Dead. Makes me wonder: If we die here, is it final? Do we go back home? Does Equestria have a heaven or hell? So many questions that we didn't really have answers for in the old world.

 

I didn't really know Map Maker that well. Just a nod here or a fly-by there. He knew of me, sure. So, behold my surprise when I look at the new map and find, on top of the cliffs to the northwest of the town, there's a little shack with my name on top of them. Broken's Shack. Close enough that I can be a part of things, far enough away that I won't hurt anybody. I'm a big stallion, and I'm not afraid to say that touched me. Almost cried.

 

Today, I learned that friendship is something you can't take for granted. Not just because they can die at any moment on this suicidal nightmare we call our new home. Because friendship can come in subtle ways: The little things we do or don't do that make people's day. I guess that's why magic is an element of harmony. It's not the power of magic. It's seeing the little magic in other people, and making it grow into something more.

 

Your Neighbor in Four Cannon,

Broken

 

Day 5-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Princess Celestia,

 

More bricks today. I'm getting pretty good at it, but I only spent the first half of my day at the task. Spent the night in my little shack, and it's far better than open skies and dirty hay. Someone mentioned my shack was in a great location to be a sentry, watching out for creatures coming from the hunting ground. That got me to thinking, being on a raised hill like this, I could make a watchtower. Keep everyone safe by keeping them warned of danger.

 

The second half of my day was devoted to building my new watchtower. Knocking down trees is a bit harder, since I'm not as strong as an Earth Pony, and I can't build up the momentum of a Pegasus. Instead, I had to dig out the roots and knock it over. After that, I had to strip it down and somehow get it over to the build site. That wasn't working. Actually had another incident while trying to move it. The explosion shoved it most of the way, but knocked me silly.

 

That's when I met Bucky. I don't really know what he did before, but he sure was strong. Like, Big Mac strong. I tried to help him by lifting it while he pulled, but it really only made it a touch lighter. He said it wasn't necessary, and I should just keep clearing off the trees. Five massive logs are now piled up outside my front door. I offered Bucky some help some repairs to his shack tomorrow.

 

Really, I was guilty of something in my old life. We called it my Turtle/Atlas Syndrome. I took every problem I saw and made it my own. "Don't you dare share my burdens" was the way I lived my life. That still haunts me here, but for different reasons. I'm afraid of hurting people. The more I rely on them, the more I'm around them. And the more likely I am to have another accident near them. I'm trying to learn to control it. I really am. But until then...

 

Your Neighbor in Four Cannon,

Broken

 

Day 6--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Princess Celestia,

 

The construction of the watchtower is well underway, thanks to help from Bucky and my two new neighbors: Feather Duster and Blazing Sky. Now, when I say neighbors, I don't mean they live next door. Feather showed up after digging happily into the side of the cliff about 100 meters down. The guy's kinda creepy, but that's just his sense of humor. Kept saying how he'd watch me while I slept and stuff. I get him. I used to do the same things in the old world. Blazing Sky, or Blaze, is an Instructables kind of dude. DIY. I like the way he thinks.

 

But you don't know what that is, do you? Well, DIY is when you jury-rig something, re-purposing it to solve a different problem. It isn't always elegant, but it's effective. Instructables is a website where people discuss and show off their... I need whiteout. Anyways, Blaze is one cool pegasus. Don't know why he lives on the edge of the forest, but everyone is entitled to their privacy, right?

 

So, with the help of Feather's diggan' skills, Bucky's strength, and Blaze's wings, we got the support pillars in place for the watchtower. Based off of Ikea's designs, it uses Pentapod construction, so each of the five legs rests against each other mid-way up. The open area between them in the top half is where I'll build the floor of the watchtower. Getting up there might be fun. Maybe a pulley system. Dunno.

 

Tonight also marked a momentous occasion in Four Cannon history. We created a bill of rights. You see, where we come from, we consider government to be a contract between the peoples of a country and its leaders. So, we have a document that lists our rights. It was a hard debate. Especially since it started with an argument over weather of not to allow a brothel in the town. Now, this is where things get a bit sticky. Some people saw it as a valuable source of revenue. They figured we should "do things as we did on earth". That means debauchery left, right, and center. Something stirred in me, though. That we shouldn't just be the same people we had been before. You gave us this land to start fresh on. We're new creatures. We should take this opportunity to become what we always should have been. To throw away the sins and the heartache caused by them.

 

To my surprise, others agreed.

 

We may have been a sad bunch of degenerates focused around a little girl's show before, but these desperate times really have brought out the best in these people. We are more now, Celestia. And we will grow into something even greater. Maybe that's all we needed. A chance, and a light for the road.

 

Your Neighbor in Four Cannon,

Broken

 

Day 7--------------------------------------------------------

Dear Princess Celestia,

 

Today I went out to Red Blast Valley to try to figure out this horn of mine. Originally, I was going to go alone. I mean, no sense in risking anyone else.

 

That brings up another issue. We had been having a discussion about the issue of mitigating the damage cause by estrus. I know, touchy subject. There was talk on the table of clearing out the caves under the town and using them as a shelter for the stallions during that time. There had already been an expedition to the caves, and it didn't end well. Some thought that we could try to cave in portions, but we still haven't developed a gunpowder. I hope you know what that is. So, I volunteered. I mean, two blow-ups in a week. It must be all this thing is good for. Silver Tongue said I couldn't go.

 

Here's my logic. I'm not a productive member here. Not really, not like everyone else. Really, I'm a danger. So, if I go down into the caves and make things a little safer, it's kind of a win-win for the community. Either the caves get cleared out or I seal off the bad side and die. Either way, dangers are averted. No need to risk the lives of more important members of the group. It makes sense to me. So why wouldn't Silver Tongue let me? He said I was a good person, and he wouldn't let me throw my life away on that. But In my mind, a good person recognizes that they're a detriment and eliminates the problem in the best way for everyone.

 

Well, today, I decided I was going to train. There was going to be another expedition to the caves, and I was going to be part of it. But first, I needed to learn how to control my horn. Somehow, Bob and Nova Flux got wind and came along. It was fun. Nova made friends with a feral cat, we got attacked by a swarm of mad squirrels. Laughs were had.

 

My horn did some weird things, though. While trying to pick up some mushrooms, it polymorphed them into snakes, which then burst into flames. I tried to cause a blow up, but under control. It was a blow up, just no control. My second attempt was even stranger! It made poor Bob bald, and it gave me a trim!

 

Then, I talked to it. It's something I do when I'm frustrated, I talk to the object that's bothering me. Don't judge. I asked the horn why it hated me and it started glowing for no apparent reason, and then it started to rain. It's like this thing has a mind of its own! Bob thinks that this is all a subconscious thing. That I can't control my horn because my mind doesn't want me to. That's a hard road to go down. A unicorn with no magic?

 

What did I learn from this? It's hard to say. I feel I've gotten closer to the members of this community. I'm not sure if that's a good thing. For them, I mean. On the plus side, I got a hoof full of bits, a matchbook, a nifty statuette, and a bag out of the run. Turned up out of the dirt after the explosion.

 

Your Neighbor in Four Cannon,

Broken

 

PS: I heard another group went on an expedition to the Old Town today. If it isn't an inconvenience, could you ask Luna to keep an eye on them tonight?

 

Day 8--------------------------------------------------------

Dear Princess Celestia,

 

Well, it's been a new day. We've got a bunch of new people. Hearth Fire is using the bricks I made to make charcoal, so she can make glass. Slow Dive is going to make that glass into a greenhouse. We have someponies starting up a theater and a massage parlor. It's actually shaping up to be a real, legitimate civilization out here. That being said, I somehow fell into the role of the new Map Maker. Strange how that went full circle.

 

My trip to the Red Blast Valley yesterday left me with a lot to think about. If Bob was right about it being my own subconscious blocking the way to using my horn right, and not actually a busted horn, then dealing with those issues is a high priority for me. If it isn't my own mind keeping me back, then the horn has a will of its own. And that scares me. It's proven capable of doing things I don't even know if I can do, and at the worst times. I've started doing meditation on top of the Watchtower for about half an hour at a time, followed by a half hour of mapping. Hopefully, this will mellow out my stress a bit and help me make sense of this situation.

 

The expedition to Old Town came back fine. They were nearly killed by giant ants and a nasty Will'o Wisp. Got out alive, though, and that's what counts.

 

-cont.