-Chapter XXXV- Ponyboy

-Ponyville, Equestria

-March 30th, 2012

-12:36 P.M.

-Nicholas

"I am so NOT fine!" I yelled angrily into the early morning air, crunching a variety of leaves beneath my four hooves while I stomped along angrily as my words echoed throughout the air. Stealth, unfortunately for him, bounced atop my back as I bobbed up and down.

I stopped on a hill overlooking a small town that, though it seemed a well sized-village, I could see the entire town all at once. I continued along until I was at the city-limits, where I examined a sign that read:

Welcome to Ponyville!

"Lord help me." I muttered as I continued into Ponyville. Upon entering the town, I was welcomed by nearly everyone that I met with warm smiles and bright eyes as the ponies went along their ways. "Uh...hi." I awkwardly said as I made my way through the streets full of ponies, trotting towards their individual destinations. "Hi...oh, hi. How ya doin? Ahaha...yeah uh, hi."

I swiftly made my way towards the first building that I could see, towering over some of the other buildings around it that seemed in the center of all of the storybook-like scenery. It was strange, seeing everything so bright and shiny, for Skyrim was a dully-coloured, nearly lifeless, always hostile world to live in while here, everyone did seem like they would like to make friends, despite the fact that they hardly knew me.

As I neared the tall and well-decorated building, I noticed other ponies gathering around behind me. I stopped, abruptly turned around, and stood on two hooves so that I seemed taller than the rest of them and accidentally knocking Stealth off of my back. "What are you all looking at?" I asked, dispersing the throng of brightly-coloured horses nearly instantly. I sighed bitterly before realizing there was still one more pony standing before me, looking over me suspiciously. The mare was a bright-blue with a rainbow-coloured mane, examining me with pink eyes. "What?" I asked before she reluctantly turned around and flew away. "God-forsaken magical talking horses..." I muttered irritably before pushing open the heavy wooden door to the building.

I found myself standing in somewhere that almost looked like a chapel, seemingly almost empty save for a single pony standing on the other end of the room. "Uh...hello?" I asked, getting the mare's attention.

"Oh! Hello! Are you new here?" she asked as she looked up from the book she was writing in.

"Yeah, but how'd you know?" I asked.

She smiled, "Well, I'm the mayor! I know almost, if not everypony here in Ponyville."

"Mayor, huh?"

She nodded. "My name is Mayor Mare."

"Mayor...Mare?" I repeated in disbelief. "Wow...what a name."

The mare with the coat colour similar to my own and gray mane looked over me through thick glasses. "What would your name be?"

"I'm Nicholas Swiftsword."

"Nicholas...Swiftsword...what a strange name for an Equestrian pony." she commented, trotting to where I stood.

Now why does that sound familiar... I thought.

I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess I get that a lot."

"And who is this little guy, then?" she asked, leaning her head to the side to examine Stealth on my back.

"Uh, this is Stealth."

Mayor Mare smiled. "Well, it's nice to meet the two of you! Are you staying here or just passing through?"

I thought about how I should respond, hesitating before saying, "Just passing through."

"Ah, well, I hope you enjoy your stay, Nicholas Swiftsword." she said with another smile.

"Yeah..." I trailed off, turning to leave. "Oh, and also?" I asked.

"Hm?" I heard.

"What building is this?" I asked as I turned back to her.

"This is the Town Hall."

"All right...so where'd the library be?"

"Turn right, follow the street, and it should be the second left turn. It'll look like a tree house."

"Okay, thank you." I said before leaving.

Well, THAT was weird... I thought, thinking about how she found my name strange. And why does that sound familiar?

"Hi!" I heard from outside my thoughts. I was stopped by a younger gray mare with a blonde mane and tail standing in front of me, looking at me with yellow, crossed-eyes and a basket covered with a cloth in her mouth. This one was another pegasus.

"Um...hi?" I said with a forced smile.

The pegasus mare set down the basket and took the cloth that covered its contents, revealing a large assortment of muffins. "Muffin?" she offered with a smile.

"Uh..." I chuckled a bit at the randomness of the offer, "I'm good, thanks." She smiled happily, showing her teeth, and replaced the cloth and picked the basket back up with her mouth.

"Ah, so you must be the new pony that Pinkie had told me about!" I heard a voice say in some sort of accent that I couldn't recognize. It wasn't Nordic and it certainly wasn't American.

"Uh, yeah, that'd be me." I said uneasily as I searched around for the pony that I was conversing with. I looked back to the pegasus to see that she was joined by a stallion just taller than both her and I. He was a light brown with a darker brown mane and tail. "Whoa, hi." I said, surprised by his presence.

"Greetings! And welcome to Ponyville. This is Derpy Hooves, and I am Doctor Whooves."

I looked at the two confusingly, "Hooves? Are you two together?"

They both look surprised at me, exchanged glances as they blushed, and looked back at me. "No, no. Completely coincidental, my friend! Derpy's last name is spelled differently than my own. Mine has a 'W' at the beginning, while hers does not."

"So it's spelled 'Who'?" I asked. "So you'd be like Doctor Who?"

He laughed at this accusation, "Not likely, Doctor Who is a copyright completely different. Most ponies just call me Doctor, though."

"Copyright?" I asked, my question completely ignored.

It was Derpy's turn to speak now, "If you'd like, we could show you around Ponyville!"

"Ya know, that sounds great, but-"

"Great! Let's begin then, shall we?" Doctor Whooves said excitedly.

"Doc, I appreciate it and everything, but now's-" I was stopped when I found myself being pulled forward by Derpy, who happily hovered just above the ground with her wings. I let out an exhausted sigh, and allowed the young mare to pull me towards their first marker, which appeared to be some sort of two-story gingerbread house-style bakery.

It was becoming late by the time the "tour" was over and I politely, yet still happily with a false hint of sadness, told them that I had to be going. They bid me farewell as did I, and I quickly escaped their view with Stealth on my back still. I galloped back up and down a street while looking for some sort of sign to tell me where I was, seeing as how I had lost my direction and leaving me confused as to where I was. "Well..." I whispered when my search ended fruitlessly and I stopped on the sidewalk, "...crap." I looked up at Stealth and he pointed behind my field of sight, leaving me to follow his finger and to see a stallion and a mare trotting across the street. I quickly began to gallop across the road, but was stopped when Stealth pulled on my mane, allowing a pony-drawn pony carriage to pass by. I looked at him, gave a nervous smile, and began to gallop back to the pair. When I caught up, I took a few seconds to catch my breath, and when the air was returned to my lungs, I began to talk to get their attention, still taking deep, heavy breaths. "Excuse me...w-would you happen to know where the library is?"

"Sure do!" the mare said, she held out a hoof to the left of where I stood, "right over thataways a bit, you should come to a cul-de-sac with a tree in the center of it. That's where ya wanna be." she assured me.

"Ah, thank you very much." I said quickly, turning to gallop in the direction given to me.

All right, so if I could just get to the library, hopefully before it closes, maybe I can learn about these...these Elements of Harmony...things...perhaps I won't have to be in this hell-hole any longer than I have to be...right?

I stopped abruptly when I saw the tree-library that I was told about twice now, and slowed to a light trot, catching my breath again. Four hooves was hard to get used to, and even more exhausting than normal walking. I neared the tree, examining the bark on the outside and marveling about how realistic it seemed before realizing that is actually was real. "Whoa..." I whispered in awe. I shook my head to get out of my quick daze and immediately went straight to the wooden door. There was a circular window at eye level on it, and I peered through to see only darkness beyond the glass. "Sonova-" I began, but stopped and let out a sigh to relax. I began to turn around, feeling the leaves of the plants that were on either side of the door that were part of the garden that circled the tree. But I heard something from the other side of the door. I stopped as Stealth got off of my back, and we exchanged glances, his curiosity filtering through my cautiousness. "Oh...why must you always do that?" I asked the dragon as I slowly outstretched a hoof to open the door.

Not knowing what to expect, I, go figure, went in like some sort of ninja spy, jumping through the doorway and landing on my hind hooves while my front two were positioned for a fight with my sword readied in my mouth. Of course, I quickly lost balance and fell to the floor of the dark room, and as I got up, the lights shot on all at once and a large group of ponies awaiting my arrival as they burst out loudly "SURPRISE!"

HOLY SON OF A-