Charcoal: Chapter 1

>you’ve been walking for two days now
>your legs have already given out several times by this point
>you’re hungry, tired, cold, and lost
>not to mention the amnesia
>you arrived in the city a few hours ago
>it’s pretty late at night
>there’s not much to do
>nobody’s willing to help you, despite your disheveled appearance
>after pleading stops working, you resort to loudly coughing or something of the sort
>you have to catch their attention somehow
>unfortunately, this just annoys people
>in fact, as you walked past some large man, you cough even louder than before
>he certainly looks tougher than the other people
>he glares at you
>”Little fucker coughed on my shoes!”
>he kicks you in the side
>hard
>you go tumbling down a nearby alley and hear him laugh to himself as he walks away
>what a jerk
>you lie there, your side burning like someone set it ablaze
>despite your best efforts, you can’t stand up
>you don’t try to
>you just lay there in the snow, growing colder and colder
>as soon as you’re about to go unconscious, you notice something
>a warm glow coming from a hole
>you rush over, and your knees buckle under you
>you resort to dragging yourself to check it out
>it’s fairly large
>in fact, if you just squeeze down…
>you press yourself as low as you can go and begin pushing yourself through
>your head goes in first
>what you see before you is a truly strange sight
>a ton of fluffy ponies seem to have…set up camp
>it’s an old basement or something
>there’s lighting set up around the room
>little beds made of all sorts of things
>and even a torn open bag of fluffy chow spilling onto the ground
>what is this place?
>you decide to get closer
>you wedge yourself in a bit more and fall about ten feet
>onto a soft mattress
>where did they find a mattress?
>regardless, the impact hurt
>as you get up, you hear a fluffy start screaming
>you turn your head, and see him run over to his friends
>at least, you think they’re his friends
>they all hop up and charge at you
>you instinctively flinch, but they stop right before making contact with you
>the group parts and a unicorn steps in front
>”Stop! Wah noo fwuffy doin’ hewe?”
>new fluffy?
>is that you?
>you don’t answer, and just stare at him
>you don’t really have any answers
>”Hoo awe woo?”
>again, you don’t know
>so you stay silent
>”Teww smawty fwiend!”
>you glare at him
>”Fwuffy no know. Fwuffy forgeh everyting.”
>his stern expression changes to one of surprise, but only for a second
>he puffs out his cheeks at you
>”Wah yoo wan hewe?”
>”Nummies. Wahm. Wawa. Home.”
>he gets even angrier
>”Why yoo wan fwuffy stuff? Dis owhs!”
>suddenly, something clicks inside your head
>”Hewd?”
>he gives a smug nod
>”Best hewd evuh! We stwong! We smahties! We stwong!”
>he said they were strong twice
>they must be really strong, then
>a smart, strong herd could be exactly what you need
>”Wan join.”
>he’s confused
>”Why?”
>”Find daddeh. Daddeh gone, and fwuffy no can find.”
>he thinks it over for a second
>”Okay. But yoo nee a name.”
>what is your name?
>”…No have one.”
>he analyzes you
>”You bwack an gwey…yoo name Coaw.”
>a fluffy in the crowd shouts “Charcoaw”
>”Chawcoaw! Das good name for yoo!”
>you nod
>well,
>welcome to the herd, Charcoal