Best of Days (Art Showcase!) · 12:55am Sep 9th, 2017
Arted by Sugary Violet!
Here's a quick story I whipped up on my phone, no proofreading or drafting done or anything. It's rough, but includes some previews for the settings in the HNE sequel I'm working on. Enjoy!
January 12, 2014
Eliza's head was spinning as she played Equestia Online with her boyfriend, George. There was so much to this game she never expected.
She directed her earth pony, Apex, back home from Fluttershy's cottage. The yellow pegasus had offered to train Apex in wildlife management, which surprisingly entailed much more than feeding bunnies and counting deer.
George's pony, Hopscotch, was her "special somepony," as companionships were called in Equestria. He accompanied her on her way back to their home village, Colt Creek. Eliza was still learning the Equestrian customs, as well as the geography.
Their shard of Equestria was vast. They traveled through the Everfree completely, passing through the heart of Thicket, the deer kingdom, with its magnificent spires built into and onto trees, and its glistening gilded gates and strange magical lights.
Then as they exited the Everfree, they entered the Sound Valley. West they traveled, passing through a sleepy wooded shire, Heartwood. It was an alchemist's paradise; Princess Luna once told Apex that most of Equestria's medicines were exports from this very village. Its small size enshrouded its vast impact on the planet of Equus, as it was called. Hopscotch and George both visibly brightened as they passed through... the prospect of practicing medicine in Equestria Online was alluring to him, and Eliza loved it when he became enthusiastic about his studies.
West still, they took in the sights of the valley, passing through a tough earth pony town of Rein Hill. Its specialty was mining and masonry, and it teemed with activity in its stone homes and forges. As in Heartwood, a deep culture existed there; Eliza had lived in a small town all her life, certainly long enough to know that.
And finally, their trek returned them to their own town, Colt Creek, where most of their friends and family played and resided. It was a simple town, a logging town, quaint, and hosted a chapel where the colts and fillies studied. Apex and Hopscotch bumped hips playfully as they walked past a flyer advertising a talent show for the school. Eliza and George giggled together at the shows of affection by their ponies and mimicked them by nudging their heads together lovingly.
Across the town's central square, Eliza saw Sugar Song, her sister's pink earth pony, standing in front of the town's tavern with some sort of device in a hoof. Eliza called out to her, and Apex did the same. Sugar turned and beamed, trotting over excitedly.
She raised the device. "Think fast," she said to them both. "Say cheese!"
Oh, Eliza thought, in hurried surprise. It was a camera! She quickly flashed a smile, and her pony threw a hoof around Hopscotch. George did the same, clinging to Eliza and grinning from ear to ear. "Cheese!" he said, as he beamed.
In polaroid style, the camera audibly shuttered and flashed. The game console, the handheld ponypad tablet, flashed white briefly, and Sugar's camera reeled out the photo. She offered the photo toward Apex and Hopscotch with a grin.
The screen filled with the photo.
Eliza and George grinned together. At that moment, a pop-up appeared. 'Would you like a physical copy of this photo, free of charge?' After a moment of astoundment, Eliza giggled. "Wow. Really?"
"I told you," George replied. "This game is awesome!"
It was such an adorable photo that it wasn't even a choice. She just had to have a copy for her desk. Eliza tapped 'Yes.'
As sweet and deep as it is tragic. Congrats on the fanart!
Really should've led with that, IMO.
[excited noises]
4662854
Good suggestion. Fixed!
I wonder how that timing happened.