Chapter 1 ~A new pony comes to town~
Equestria, a wonderous land of extreme beauty and peace filled with magic, wonder, and endless adventure. No matter where you go or what you do in life, there is always a place for you. Residents of this land are charitable, kind, and as wonderous as the land itself. Three factions make up this amazing world, the pegasus ponies, keepers of the skies and lords of the clouds, the unicorns, ponies who wield the awesome power of magic and help to keep balance within the world, and the earth ponies, protectors and nurturers of the land and all that live upon it. Together these three races band together each and every day to forge a brighter and happier tomorrow.
Though the kingdom of Equestria is vast and its residents many in number, there is one town in particular famed nearly as much as the capital of Canterlot, the peaceful town of Ponyville. Ponies from all over come to live here and as such has become a sort of pinnacle of good will between all sorts of ponies no matter where they've come from or where they're going. Whether they be a pegasus, unicorn, or simple earth folk, Ponyville welcomes everyone with open arms and outstretched hooves.
It has been an exceptionally busy day in Ponyville as everyone is set to preparing for the oncoming fall season and the unfortunate close of the summer festivities. Shops are starting to push out their fall necessities such as various types of ciders and in some cases fall fashions. No matter which way you look its obvious that every pony around has something important to do. So much so that nobody really notices the newcomer trudging his way into town.
Through all of the chaos of the busy thoroughfare a single colt makes his way through the crowds pulling a modestly sized cart covered by a tarp to keep its contents dry and safe from harm. The cart itself is nothing special, just a simple wooden cart. The colt pulling the cart is probably the most fantastical thing about the whole scene, and thats not saying much. This colt is quite tall, not so much so to warrant attention, but tall. He has a dark red coat of hair and his black mane shimmers in the midmorning sunlight. His forelock sweeps mistily over his brow, thick and swaying ever so slightly with each step he takes. His wings are snapped tightly to his sides to accomodate the cart hes pulling, even though they seem small, when unfurled become a sight to behold. After all, the bigger the pony, the bigger the wings. His eyes are a shade of red slightly darker than his coat and to top it all off, hes built like a barn, sturdy and bold. Even though he is the newcomer he doesn't seem to have trouble blending into the surrounding crowds and passing by unnoticed which was fine with him by all means. He never liked getting the "new guy" attention he always recieved when coming to a new destination, its not that he is antisocial, he just doesn't really like being in the spotlight all that much.
Although he is doing a decent enough job keeping a low profile, he can't hide the blatant fact that he was hopelessly lost. He had come to this town hoping to move in for a while, but to do so he needed to talk to the mayor of Ponyville in order to obtain a living arrangement, Mayor Mare is the one he's looking for, or so he believes. Even though he was lost, he couldn't help but admire Ponyville, from its wonderful buildings to its clear skies to its tall and gorgeous trees it really is a sight to behold.
For a while the newcomer forgot where he was in relation to the crowds, and as a consequence ran right into a shop stall filled to the brim with apples of the finest quality. Though the impact was slight and the damage was minimal, it didn't stop a number of apples from spilling out let alone causing a sizable uproar from the collision. As the newcomer regained himself he could see an able looking filly wearing an apron and a brown leather cowboy hat coming his way with a mixed look of frustration and mild concern. When she finally got to him he thought there would definately be a scolding and possibly a few harsh words all strung into a number of sentences aimed in his direction, he braced himself for the worst. But to his surprise, the golden maned filly stuck out her hoof to the indisposed newbie.
"Took a mighty fine spill there didn't ya'? Need some help?" Her expression changed from slight concern to a wide smile reinforced by her exceptionally kind eyes.
"Yeah, Thank you." He took her hoof in his and was expecting her to have some form of trouble helping him up due to his large stature, but this filly was full of surprises. Without giving the slightest hint of a struggle the filly helped the newcomer to his hooves. He looked at the mess he had created and gave the wonder filly a sheepish smile.
"Sorry about that, I wasn't paying attention." The newcomer started to pick up the apples that had been strewn about the ground. The filly also stepped into action and within minutes all of the spilled apples were back in the cart with not a single bruised one in the bunch.
"Well that was mighty kind of you stranger. Now that you mention it..." Wonder-Filly looked the newcomer up and down, searching her memory for any kind of name to put to this face. Yet no matter how much she tried, she couldn't figure it out. Wonder-Filly gives up after a short while with a smile.
"I don't think I've ever seen you 'round these parts. You new to town?" Newbie was afraid this sort of thing would happen,
if theres one thing he disliked more than being in the spotlight it was being asked questions whilst in said spotlight. He sighed under his breath in silent defeat, after all it was going to happen sooner or later.
"My name is Spades, I've decided to move here from Phillydelphia." With that the filly in front of him brightened right up.
"Well then, let me be the first to welcome you to Ponyville. Name's Applejack, I help to run the local apple orchard just ouside town with my family, Sweet Apple Acres." Applejack held out her hoof and Spades took it without hesitation. The two share a vigorous handshake with Spades being left feeling like he just got done handling a jackhammer. Having to once again gather himself, Spades positions himself back into the cart. Though he was more than ready to move on, he didn't forget his manners.
"Well its been a pleasure meeting you Applejack, but I have to see the mayor about a living arrangement. Though I seem to be having a bit of trouble actually finding the place I need to be." Spades digs out a piece of paper from underneath his right wing. It looked old and weathered like it had been through quite a journey. Spades looked it over again with a grimace of confusion and frustration.
"I got these directions from my old land lord back in Phillydelphia but I can't make heads or tails of them." Spades hands the piece of paper to Applejack who reads it in earnest.
"Well theres yer problem," Applejack hands the paper back to Spades with a reassured smile. "You just need to find Sugar Cube Corner, the local bakery." Applejack ponders something and after a brief moment lightens up. "How 'bout I just take ya to the mayor's office? I could give ya the ten cent tour along the way?" Spades didn't really know what to say exactly so he decided that it would be best. He really wasn't good with directions.
"Sure, thanks alot!" He tried to sound as grateful as possible, but for some reason it wasn't very hard.
"Its no problem sugarcube. Follow me." After Applejack closed up shop, the two made their way further down the main thoroughfare, Applejack pointing out every landmark along the way.
First they past Sugar Cube Corner, an audaciously designed building that served as the town's bakery, apparently run by two of the nicest ponies in equestria, the Cakes. After the Corner, the two walked past a lavishly designed house made out to resemble a carousel. Applejack explained that one of her good friends lived there and that if he was lucky, Spades might be able to meet her. Before too long the duo passed the school house, the majority of shops, as well as the park, and coming to a rest in the very center of town.
The town square was larger than Spades could have imagined from a small town. Applejack explained it was to accommodate not only the ponies in Ponyville, but the ponies who live on the outskirts of town like herself. From the central fountain you could look in any direction and see almost all of Ponyville, you could even catch a glimpse or two of the barn in Sweet Apple Acres, as well as a small cottage near the entrace to the forboding Everfree Forest. From here, Spades could almost feel himself falling in love with this place. He had been to alot of different places in his life, but this one had to be one of the most beautiful and diverse he had ever laid eyes upon.
Applejack had made herself busy telling stories to Spades while resting at the fountain. Not only has Spades seen alot of places but he also heard alot of stories in his time. Yet none of the stories he heard before could even compare to the ones this filly was weaving. Stories of dragons and cockatrices, evil mares and awesome power. But through it all the same cast of characters appears in each and every story.
"Sounds like you and your friends are pretty close." Spades was almost jealous of the kind of friendship Applejack and her friends shared. Applejack paused for a moment to think about it, not that she needed too much time.
"I guess you could say that. Heck, they're all like family at this point. I don't know what I'd do without that crazy bunch." Applejack stood up from her sitting position. "Well, you ready? Its not too much farther now." Nodding an affirmative, Spades gets up on all four hooves and starts pulling his cart, Applejack leading on just a little ahead of him.
Just as the mayor's building comes into view, Applejack and Spades pass by a very interesting building. Interesting mostly because it was really just a tree. Applejack explained that this was the local library and that one of her friends from Canterlot was staying here studying abroad. And not just seconds after she got done explaining that a violet colored head poked out one of the second story windows.
"Applejack! Whos your friend there?" The mystery head called down.
"Twilight! Come on down! We got a new arrival I'd like you to meet!" Applejack called back up. Within seconds the head disappeared and out the front door of the library came a pony roughly the same age as Applejack. She had a lavender coat and a mane of deep violet with a pink stripe running through it. She was a unicorn with deep purple eyes. She wasted no time with her introduction.
"Hi there! My name is Twilight Sparkle, welcome to Ponyville!" Twilight gave a genuine welcoming smile that made Spades'
initial nervousness fade away.
"Hi, I'm Spades." The two shake hooves, a little more civil this time around. Applejack continued on telling Twilight all about the current situation. After the story was over, Twilight looked cheery.
"What a coincidence, I was just about to go talk to Mayor Mare myself." Twilight opens the door to the library. "Spike? Are you ready to go?" Shortly after the summons a purple dragon with green spines comes walking out of the library carrying a saddle bag with a buckle resembling Twilight's cutie mark. He sounded flustered, like he'd been doing this type of thing all morning.
"Yeah, everything is all set." Spike catches a glimpse of Spades, the new guy in town. "I don't think I've seen you around here before."
"He's new to town, his name is Spades." Twilight chimed in. Spike gave Spades and appraising look a few times over. At this point Spades was beginning to think if the entire town was nothing but jewel crafters or professional appraisers. At some point Spike decided that Spades checked out and the two shook hands. After some discussion the small group finally make it to the home of Mayor Mare. Ditching his cart just outside the door, Spades and the others walk in with a polite knock and a gentle entrance.
The inside of Mayor Mare's home was very neatly done in a new age western look. Contemporary furniture adorns the walls and pictures of a modest taste hang from various places around the room. Mayor Mare sits at her desk along the right wall, her back to a beautifully crafted ornate window of the royal seal, the princesses circling the land of Equestria. Looking up from whatever business she had on her desk, Mayor Mare welcomes her long time residents. She pauses however when she catches sight of Spades coming in around the corner.
"What have we here? A visitor?" Mayor Mare walked over to Spades. "Welcome to Ponyville young sir, if there is anything I can do for you don't hesitate to ask."
Spades gave a smile and returned her hoofshake in earnest. "Actually I wasn't really planning on visiting Ponyville, in fact, I came here to possibly move in to this community as a new resident?"
This was news to Mayor Mare, usually she was given some sort of warning ahead of time to make preparations for living arrangements. She looked at Spades with genuinely appologetic eyes.
"I'm sorry to say that I'm not exactly sure where we could accomodate you at this time. Most of the residences here in Ponyville have been taken and the few that are left are in quite a state of disrepair." Spades thought that something like this would happen, after all, just walking into town and expecting a place ton live was a little steep. Its not that he didnt understand the situation he had created, but it made his heart sink all the same.
"Oh, I see. Well if theres some hotel here I could stay in for a while I would greatly appreciate it." Before Mayor Mare could comment on the to be agreement, Twilight Sparkle spoke up.
"Wait, I don't think that will be necessary." Twilight's horn began to sparkle and shine and out from her bag came a scroll sealed with the a royal marking, the one used by Princess Celestia herself. Twilight went on with her plan.
"I've been looking around at some of the old buildings here in town and I've noticed that one of them is the old community center that hasn't been used in years." Twilight opened the letter and floated it over to Mayor Mare's desk where she bagan reading it in earnest. Twilight kept going.
"I thought that getting the community center up and running would be a good idea for bringing Ponyville closer together as a whole and even to help organize town events such as the upcoming running of the leaves. So, I wrote Princess Celestia a letter asking her what she thought of the subject, and she sent me this telling me all the different ways we could get started. She even went to all the trouble to make sure whoever we found to run the center would be taken care of much like I am with my studying." Twilight finished just as Mayor Mare finished reading, light in her eyes. Everyone looked to Spades with an expecting look.
This isn't what Spades had in mind at all. He just wanted to live a normal uninteresting life. But considering the circumstances he really didn't have much of a choice. Besides, he thought, it could end up being fun in the end. Giving a small shrug and donning a sheepish smile he voiced his answer.
"Could be fun. I'll take the job!"
Cheers from the girls and a smile from the mayor were his reward. Applejack walked over to Spades and crossed her foreleg over his shoulders pulling him in with a playful hug. "Can I pick 'em or what?"
Twilight came over and gave Spades the largest smile yet. "Looks like everything turned out all right in the end. I hope you will consider us friends?"
Spades didn't really know what to say. He never really had any solid friends before, at least none he could truly count on.
But Applejack went out of her way to help him and Twilight gave him a place to stay. Hope to be friends? To Spades, they were already family.
"Of course, friends." Spades gave his widest smile yet and after a few more words with the mayor on the status of the community center it was decided that Spades, through volunteer elect, would be the one to repair all of the damage. Twilight and Applejack both offered to help with the reconstruction and the next day the work would begin. Luckily enough Applejack offered to let Spades stay on her farm as her family had plenty of extra space in their home, which was well accepted by Spades and his tired hooves. Leaving the Mayor's office the group walked back towards Twilight's home. Somehwere along the way the two girls decided to have a huge get together at Sweet Apple Acres in celebration of Spades' residency. Without too much protest Twilight left to get preparations in order while Spades and Applejack made their way to the farm.
"Thanks for putting me up for the night Applejack, Its good to know that I have friends in this town." Spades glanced over to Applejack as they walked side by side. Looking back at him Applejack gave a little smile and a reassuring giggle.
"Now its no trouble at all the family and I are always here to help should you ever need us. Speaking of I think introductions are in order." Applejack and Spades finally made it to the heart of the orchard where a mighty barn stood flanked by a matching house. All around the farm Spades saw pponies working their hardest doing the daily chores of farm life. Applejack took the liberty of pointing out every last pony in sight giving names all related to some form of apple food item, it was really rather cute.
After the introductions were made Spades and Applejack moved to the house were Spades was shown his room for the night. It was right next to Applejack's older brother Big Macintosh's bedroom at the end of the second story hallway. Spades had the pleasure of meeting Big Macintosh outside, he was an enormous pony with a bright red coat and blonde mane. He chewed a piece of wheat absent mindedly and seemed of the strong silent type. Though intimidating he may seem Applejack reassured Spades that Big Macintosh was a really nice guy at heart and he couldn't hurt a soul even if he wanted to.
Settling into the guest room was easy. Spades kept his cart underneath a lean-to attached to the side of the barn to keep it dry and safe from the scheduled thunderstorm that was supposed to happen later that night. He had packed a small saddle bag that held his most valued possessions. Placing the bag between the large bed and the end table to avoid easy detection he stole a glance out the second story window and saw the full moon set the world ablaze in silver fire. He looked at it with a sort of longing, the slightest traces of hope glittered in the back of his eyes. He spoke to himself absent mindedly.
"Soon, I might be able to finish this journey and go home. I have a feeling-"
Applejack's voice cooed through the doorway. "Who ya talkin' to?"
Spades' heart skipped three beats, this pony could be a professional assassin if she wanted to. He didn't even hear her come upstairs.
"Oh, just some old story I was remembering." Spades looked her full on and gave his best false smile he could muster. Applejack must have taken the bait.
"Well Pinkie Pie just showed up so the party is officially under way, and we can't have a party without the guest of honor." Spades let loose a real smile this time, his shoulders unlocking from the nervousness of the lie he told.
"Yeah, I was just getting settled in a bit. I'm ready to party!" With that the two shared a little high hoof and left downstairs with Spades in the lead. Though before she left after him, Applejack noticed the bag between the table and of the start she gave Spades, the bag fell over and some of the contents spilled out. This normally wouldn't have bothered Applejack if it weren't for a tattered old scroll hanging halfway out of the opening.
After all, the scroll was sealed with the royal crest.