Somebody

Wanda was scared out of her wits... and yet her instincts kicked in and she began to run. Not knowing, nor wanting to find out what the creeper would do to her, she ran forward from the way she came, going further down the rabbit hole in the same direction. Fight-or-flight reflexes sent her adrenaline level through the roof, and she ran faster than she had ever run before, screaming in terror all the way...

Wanda continued down the long path and reached a room that was dimly lit in purple. It was difficult to see, but she could just make out a figure on the floor. Hopping over to it, she spoke out. "Just what is this? What can you tell me about--" As she got within a few feet of the creature, the horror of the creature was fully revealed to her. Eyes hanging out by their optic nerves and spine protruding from its back, the creature was staked to the floor by some kind of alien-looking device. Frozen in time, she could only let out a helpless scream of terror.....

Room 1: Wanda watched closely as the crazed human stripped apart the bed with no tools whatsoever. As a metal rod was suddenly flung her way, Wanda jumped to the right in an attempt to dodge the attack. The rod nicked her left back leg. All she had a chance to do was mutter some choice words as the human ran away, flailing wildly. Wanda simply looked in the direction of the door, her head cockeyed. "What the hell was that...?" she asked no one in particular. Looking over, she noticed the red one had apparently lost one of his 'lives.' "Level up..." she said, sarcastically as she headed out the door. "I'm going left. Nobody follow me, got it?" And with that, she put up a magic barrier behind her, around the leftward hallway so no one could follow her. "Hmph..." she trotted off by her lonesome to see what lay beyond...

Room 1: Wanda was tired of all these creatures and things ganging up on her. She didn't care who was fighting for whom; somebody had set her up, she couldn't trust anyone. In particular, this thing that was chewing on her neck was most aggravating. Thinking quickly, Wanda's horn glowed a bright red, and a magic field appeared around the group. The field held still for a moment, then exploded, throwing both the human and the reddish pony away from her long enough so she could slip out from underneath their grasp. Standing up quickly again, she looked at everyone angrily. "Now who's gonna tell me what this is all about?"

Room 1: Noticing that no one had responded to her threats, a most angry expression came over Wanda's face. Looking around to see if anyone would listen to her, she noticed a piece of paper hanging from the ceiling over her bed. She jumped back up onto the bed and casually grabbed it in her teeth. It slipped out of her grasp and fell onto the bed. As she looked down to read it, she noticed it said..........? The cryptic note only fueled her anger. She had an idea who might know what it meant, though. Wanda walked calmly over to the funny-looking creature known as a "human" (Amanda). As she approached it, she eyed it from head to toe. "Pitiful creature," she said coldly. Turning away for a moment, she prepared herself. Without a moment's notice, she whipped her arm around in an attempt to backhoofedly smack the poor creature. She put enough force into her strike to knock the human to the floor, were it to hit...

Wanda woke from her peaceful slumber, still clinging to her warm bed. Not wanting to get up, she flipped over onto her belly, buried her face in the sheets and pulled her pillow up over her head. A muffled voice could be heard from beneath, "Leave me alone! I don't wanna get up!" Then she suddenly realized this wasn't her bed. The sheets were not as soft as the normal high-thread-count luxury ones she was used to. This blanket was anything but the finest goosedown comfortor... Turning back over, she sat up and looked around. This place was like a prison cell, compared with her bedroom, although there were no bars or chains, and the bed was not that bad... fit for a commoner, she supposed. Looking around the room with a mixture of contempt and confusion, she saw there were no cracks in the floor, no seams between the walls, and most eerily, no shadows. The walls themselves seemed to emit light... Wanda then gasped in shock as she looked to the other side of the bed, where only a few feet away stood three upright tanks that each housed a naked copy of herself. Suspended in fluid, none of them appeared to be awake. Somehow, she knew that somebody, somewhere would have her head if they were to see this. But how did she know this, and why? She had no knowledge of even the concept of clones, and yet she knew they were illegal... why? She looked to the other four creatures in the room, each of which had their own set of clone tanks. Jumping out of the bed, Wanda glared at the other four, assuming a defensive stance and ready to defend herself with magic, if necessary. "Which of you set me up? Somebody's gonna pay... who's going first?"

I walked through the aisles, looking for my cherished object of affection to no avail... Wandering aimlessly, searching and searching for my beloved. Where could she be? I thought I left her right here. Was I to search the hallowed halls of Rollbacks for all eternity? Then suddenly, SHE appeared to me. My lovely, how I missed her so... there she sat, in the center of the aisle. Had this been a K-Mart, she would have had a glorious and shining blue light hovering over her, but alas, she stood against a backdrop of the simple beauty of the cardboard sign with the sunny smiling face... The SCREWDRIVER. How I missed her so! How I longed for the glorious twisting of the Phillips head... and she was to be mine, and mine alone, never to leave my toolbox again. ...Long story short, I bought the thing, but it fell out of the back of my truck before I got home. I was sad. The end.

((OOC: @, not at all! She really is quite the drama queen.)) ********** As the Doctor pulled his hooves out of Flaire's delicate grasp, she continued sobbing. Without thinking, she reached over and held onto him again, this time with considerably more force. Though as her captive spoke to the eavesdropping one, her musician's ears happened to overhear him speak of a "drama queen." "Drama queen?" She suddenly stopped her profuse weeping and stood up. "I'll have you know, I am the drama queen. Have you any idea how many Golden Saddles I have won in my day? Zey are only given out to the finest performers in the theater arts." Keeping a surprisingly cool demeanor, despite having cried a river only moments before, she examined her front hoof as she held it before her eyes. Needs a pedicure again, she thought to herself. Turning only her eyes to meet those of the Doctor's, she stared at him for a few seconds, then smiled mischievously. "Though I am sure you knew all that, Mister..." she looked down at the ground with disappointment, "Smith..." she looked back up at him, her smile restored. "You are quite lovely, yourself, if I may say so, Mister Smith." Flaire said, giggling knowingly at such an obvious and distinctively out-of-place alias.

Flaire looked at the flower pony. "How could zis possibly be from ze Princess?" She asked, frantically. "The Princess would never write such a thing!" She tended to revert to her thick accent when confronted with anything. "How could ze great Celestia allow herself to be taken prisoner by such fiends!?" Suddenly, a thunderclap could be heard in the distance, rumbling from the dark clouds that loomed to the west. They were growing more prominent, and it looked as though they were headed toward Fillydelphia. Flaire gasped in a most dramatic way. "Do you know what zis means?..." Flaire asked in an equally dramatic tone. "Do you know what zis means!?" She grabbed the Time Pony's shoulders and looked him square in the eye. "It means Canterlot has been taken over by those... those... things!!" She let go of him and looked down at the ground, tears filling her eyes. "Zey are all so icky and... bugish and..." Dropping to the ground, she wrapped her arms around the Time Pony's legs and sobbed profusely. "Please tell me it isn't true! Why-y-y-y-y...." Tears poured from her eyes. "How will anyone ever come to see me, now zat zey are all insects!!??" Flaire gasped again and looked up at the Time Pony. "What if zey take me too? I will die in captivity..." She put her arm across her forehead in despair. "It is useless... all is lost... put me out of my misery and let zem have ze shell that was once... Violetta Rose..." She buried her face in the Doctor's hooves and continued sobbing...

I noticed that after I posted it, but it was just to get the leg structure down, nothing more. Future attempts will have four legs, trust me.

I have decided to take Lauren Faust's advice on art, and aim for a thousand drawings before I consider myself really good. This is going to be my collection of arts, as I pursue true quality drawings. I'm good with other types of drawings, and eventually, I want to take commissions... but I need lots of practice before I get can do it with ponies. I also plan on drawing in digital, but first I need some more practice on paper. So I'm going to be posting stuff periodically here, and I need your feedback! So feel free to comment on my progress. This is my first attempt at ponies... though I consider it #0... Unfortunately, Ashling ended up with spaghetti leg syndrome in that one... ... After some feedback, I tried drawing a simple pony of no particular identity... ...#1 of 1000. Opinions please, fire away. ... After some feedback from some friends, I reworked the second picture. The legs were a bit funky, so I fixed it a bit... #2 of 1000. Not much more I can do with it, time to move on to the next one.

Flaire walked briskly towards the center of town, and the fountain that was set as the rendezvous point. "Changelings in Equestria? It's impossible!" she said, increasing her pace. "But what can I do about it? Shouldn't ze Royal Guard be handling this? Why does Celestia need me to take care of zis problem? I am no soldier!" She was galloping at full throttle, now. When she took a corner to the left, there was an apple stand, where the owner was just closing up shop. Unfortunately for Flaire, she failed to see it in time and plowed straight into it. Apples flew every which way from the impact, a couple of them landing in the saddlebags of a couple of bystanders who were obliviously absorbed in whatever they were doing. "Hey, watch where you're going!" called a stallion wearing a farmer's hat. Clearly he was the owner. Stepping out from behind the wrecked stand, he looked over at Flaire, who was sitting on the ground, rubber her forehead. "Owwwww" she moaned. "Why do zey put these things here..." She continued rubbing her head. "Now how am I supposed to--" The farmer stopped as he took a good look at the purple face before him. "Well now, isn't this a surprise... I know you! I've seen you up on the signs at that fancy place over yonder!" "Yes, that would be me..." "Well it's a pleasure to meet'cha, my dear." He extended a hoof to help Flaire up. She obliged, and dusted herself off when she was up. "Thank you so much, but you see I am in--" Flaire looked over and saw what had happened to the stallion's cart. "Oh no, I am so terribly sorry." She looked through her bag and brought out a purse. From it, she pulled out a checkbook and quill, and started writing. It was remarkable, how she was somehow able to write without the use of magic, though she always did it so fast that no one could ever figure out how she managed. Tearing off the check, she handed it to the stallion. "Please accept my sincere apologies. Zis should cover everything." The farmer looked at it, and when he saw the numbers, his eyes widened and his hat jumped from his head. "Well, I'll be a sly, son of a..." Looking up, he spoke to thank the purple one, but she was already gone, running toward the fountain. Fortunately for Flaire, the fountain was in sight. Taking care to avoid touching the grass, she made her way over the paved walkways and was soon standing before a pair of ponies. They were suspiciously hanging around, next to the fountain. Angrily pulling the letter out of her bag, she unrolled it. "My coat is full of dust, my mane is..." Not knowing what her mane looked like, she pulled out a mirror and examined herself. "Oh! I am ruined! The shame of it all..." She put away the mirror. "And now that I have done exactly as this letter has asked of me, I only want to know who is responsible for zis nonsense!" Flaire slammed the unrolled letter down on the bench, next to the stallion, her eyes glaring at him like a pair of lasers... (OOC: @, that would be you.)

I wouldn't worry about changing much. Her face looks different enough from Fluttershy, I think. If you want to make her more original, I would give her some accessories you'd never see Fluttershy wear. Like a big hat or something.

That has to be among the most beautiful things I've ever read. It would take an equally gorgeous person to write that. Key, I don't need to see your face to know you are an amazing person. If I were there next to you, I'd give you a big hug. You've left your mark on this place, and for the better. No one can ask any more of you than that.

Flaire was returning from her concert, another triumphant success. She was offered a ride back to her hotel in a carriage, but she decided to walk back alone and take in some of the sights instead. The sun was beginning to set, which cast a lovely orange glow across the city. While some considered Fillydelphia to be rather neglected as far as appearances went, and there certainly were parts of it that left much to be desired, there was a certain homey feel to the place, at least as far as Flaire was concerned. She was quite used to city life. The concrete jungle was her home. She stopped at the train station, where she decided to take a rest and watch as other ponies went by. As she sat on a bench, several ponies went by who recognized her, most likely from some public event or another in which she performed at. Fortunately, she was a rather well-liked individual, with pleased looks from anyone who knew her face. She had been to Fillydelphia so many times, she could hardly count them anymore. Over the horizon, she looked out to see dark clouds to the west. They all seemed to gather ominously in one place, for some reason. The rest of the sky was perfectly bright and happy, though, which made Flaire raise an eyebrow in suspicion. The Cloudsdale Weather Brigade must have been neglecting its duties... "Oh!" She exclaimed, remembering the letter one of her fans had given her... Flaire pulled it out, an eager smile on her face. She loved getting fan mail, and she was known for meticulously writing back to as many as she could. Taking a closer look at the seal, her eyes widened. She knew that mark--everyone knew it as the royal seal! Perhaps it was an invitation to perform at Canterlot! Breaking through the seal with glee, she hastily opened the letter and read it, her facial expression progressing from happiness, to surprise, to fear... and then to miffed. "Vhat is this?..." she asked no one in particular. "Who..." Flaire looked upon the letter with disdain. "Who would send me such a beautiful letter, only to fill it with such rubbish?" She quickly rolled it back up and tossed it in a nearby garbage can. "I should report zis," she thought out loud. "Somepony is using the Princess' likeness, and..." she looked back to the garbage can, which now was emitting a golden glow from the top. "Zen again, it would be awfully hard to forge ze signature of ze Princess." Flaire got up and pulled the letter out of the can, all of which was now eerily cleaner than it was before... She looked back toward Canterlot and its dark clouds hanging overhead. Her eyes widening, she quickly started in the direction of the park. "It is not true... no way it is true. I-I shall go to ze park and prove it!" Flaire exclaimed, her voice now quivering with fear. "I shall prove to everyone that someone is using ze Princess' likeness. Despicable forgers! Yes, zat is what it is..." she mumbled as she hurried toward the park.

I hear you. This is just one part of a little research project that I'm doing. I'm taking everything into consideration. I've just realized that some of the nicest people I've ever met have been bronies... so I figure whatever works.

I've seen bronies from just about everywhere in the States, but curious about the numbers. I'm considering relocating, and I want to know where most bronies are... because to me, that will indicate which area has the most nice people! So where are you from? Don't worry, it's a private poll, no one will see your answers. Also, I tried to be complete, but if I missed a location, please let me know. EDIT: derp, I forgot Alaska and Hawaii.

The owl resumed his search for the source of the baking pies. Looking all around as he was doing so, he noticed another pony who looked odd in the crowd. This one was pulling a cart behind her, filled with the most beautiful flowers. He just had to slow down and hover over them so as to take in their delicate scents. Flying slow circles around Alice, he eventually stopped and hovered in front of her. Delicate eyes, this one had. Just as much so as the flowers she cared for. The owl knew this would be a journey, and every adventure requires at least one delicate, female touch. There was also an unmistakable elemental signature emanating from her... generosity. The owl knew she was just who he was looking for. Gracefully levitating a glowing letter from his bag, he let it slowly fall in front of her and hover above the ground. "Who..." The owl closed his eyes and lightly bowed in respect, then resumed his flight. (OOC: @, that's for you! ) The aroma of baking pies led the owl further into town. He knew he was getting close, because the scent was getting stronger. Soon, he found himself flying over a park, and just in time for a performance! The owl hovered and watched as the pale blue unicorn did some antics with water and ice. Somewhat impressive, he figured. He had seen it before... but the ease with which the pony did this intrigued him. He flew closer to get a better sense of who he was looking at. This one was arrogant and still had much to learn, he figured... but the same was true for every wizard, no matter how skilled or experienced. The wise old bird could tell the pony had great potential as a wizard, which was by far, the most important thing for a spellcasting unicorn, a pony of which would prove most useful--if not essential--on a quest such as this. The owl continued on his flight, but made sure to fly just over the pony and drop a magic letter in front of him. (OOC: @, that's your cue. ) As the owl continued his search for the pies, he flew past a fancy-looking art house theater. Hearing music from inside, he decided to fly through an open window to investigate. As he flew through the hallways, he could hear a lovely voice singing a bouncy song. Gliding through the halls and into the ballroom, he perched himself on a chandelier, unnoticed by anyone. As he watched the flamboyant pony on stage sing and dance, he could see she was putting all her heart and soul into this performance. Admirable, he thought. Such dedication might prove useful. Not to mention that music, and sometimes even fashion sense were useful skills in dealing with certain monsters and enemies. As the mare finished her performance, the owl jumped from the chandelier. Thinking quickly, he flew around and grazed the lightswitch, turning off all the lights in the room. A few moments later, the lights were back on, and the owl was gone... but Flaire found herself holding a glowing letter. Apparently someone had delivered fan mail to her with perfect timing... "Why... thank you!" Most surprised, she looked around amidst the applause, but no obvious courier could be seen. Looking at the letter, she somehow knew this was important. Just how important however, she hadn't the slightest idea. (OOC: Yes, this one's mine. ) The owl knew he was extremely close to the pies now. As he turned a corner, he finally saw what he was looking for: a pie sitting on a windowsill. He quickened his pace as he approached the pie, its strong aroma filling his nostrils. As he reached the window, he perched himself on the sill. Just as he was about to dive into this wonderful pie that sat before him, he glanced inside the house and noticed a golden mare baking more pies. This one had an air of experience about her, as though she had been through a great deal of turmoil--something he could relate to. Celestia knew he was older than the hills; even she was unsure of his exact age. This mare bore emotional scars, and yet she carried herself with a certain air of sureness, as though she no longer mourned, but had accepted whatever events had scarred her. This was a wise creature who deserved to be on the team. Suddenly, he realized he had forgotten about the pie he was about to devour! Quickly pulling a letter out of his bag with his beak, he set it down haphazardly on the windowsill. The owl then proceeded to carve out a slice of the pie using his finely sharpened beak. Sliding the piece into his mouth, he gulped down the whole piece, picked up his bag and flew away as fast as he could. The last thing he needed was to be hit with a frying pan or something. That sort of thing hurt; and he would know, with all the pies he'd stolen in his lifetime... (OOC: @, that one's yours! ) Finally, the owl had flown through most of the city, yet he still had one last letter. He could see no one else who looked deserving of it, so he figured he'd take a break and read it for himself. After all, he had not seen Celestia's writing in a while; he wondered if she was still as regal with a quill as she always had been in the past. Stopping on a nearby chimney, he perched himself and pulled out the letter. Breaking the seal that bore the silhouette of the Sun Princess, he unrolled the letter and began to read it: The owl looked to the western horizon, sadness in his eyes. He pondered what fate his dear Princess might be in for. Suddenly, he perked up; he was receiving another coded message. After a few moments, he looked down at the letter. He knew there was no more time to find a recipient for this one, so the ones that had been handed out would have to do. Abandoning the letter to the roof of the house, he quickly took flight in the direction of Canterlot. A dark sky loomed on the horizon. Things had only just begun.

The mysterious letter-carrying owl was approaching Fillydelphia, his explicit instructions known only to himself and Celestia. Regally flying over the countryside, he calmly watched down below as a few travelers went about their business. He had a job to do, however, and there was little time for sightseeing. Still, there was a purpose to his actions; he had to find the select few ponies who would carry out Her Highness' mission with the utmost regard for the safety of Equestria, and leaving no stone unturned was part of that task. As he flew over some train tracks, he noticed a train heading in the same direction as he was. He moved in to get a closer look, for the train's leisurely pace made it easy for him to keep up. Making sure not to fly in the path of the smoke from the locomotive, he carefully looked inside one of the passenger cars. Some of the younger ponies pointed out there was a majestic flying creature looking in on them. The owl had a feeling about this car... He got closer and closer--so close in fact, that he neglected to watch for the smoke trails. As he unwittingly entered a plume of black smoke, he violently changed course. Elegantly performing a quick loop-de-loop in the sky, he then looked down to see one of his letters falling through the air. It was too fast to catch, even for him. Somehow, the drafts and turbulence of the train pulled the letter straight into one of the windows of the passenger cars. Not sure what to do in response to this, he followed the train for a mile or so, until it reached a tunnel carved into a mountain... he had no choice but to discontinue the pursuit. Still, the wise old creature knew there was no such thing as a coincidence, so he calmly continued on his journey to Fillydelphia. (OOC: @, that letter is meant for you! ) Eventually, the owl reached his destination. As he flew past the city limits, he began to descend and slow his flight. Owls had an uncanny ability to fly as slowly as they pleased, even hover in one place if they chose to. Flying low through the streets, he began his search. Only a few moments later, he noticed an unmistakable smell of pies baking. The deliciously sweet aroma of berries filled the air, something even a creature as disciplined as himself could not resist. Following his nose, he changed course to find the origin of the baking. While searching for the source of the aroma, he noticed a pair of ponies walking away from the train station. They looked distinctly out of place, clearly they were not from around here. Hovering over them, he noticed the one with the scars was rather timid, but the one escorting her appeared to be caring for her quite well. Such a caring demeanor was enough to convince the owl to levitate one of the letters above them, and drop it right in front of them. It glowed and sparkled with the magic of the Sun Princess so brightly that no one walking in its path could miss it. (OOC: @@Sky Warden, @, that letter is meant for you two! ) (OOC: I'll get letters to everyone else, and I'll reveal what's in the letter. Just give me a little time to finish this later today. I'm posting it now so I don't lose my progress. xD )