//------------------------------// // Town Next Door with Jude // Story: Shadow // by Blue_Hearts_Belle //------------------------------// As I walked through Appleoosa I noticed that there were more dragons than before! I walked toward the mayors door, a path of rocks led my way. "Mayor Cherry? Are you in here?" I knocked on her front door. "Yes? Oh Jude! It's so good to see you. Come in, come in." she beckoned. "Glad to see you're back from that dreaded war, my dear. What did you need, my boy?" "I need to hold a town meeting. This is very important and you're help will be appreciated." I said trying to keep the steady tone in my voice. I didn't want to go to war again but this was important. "You can hold a meeting in the square. But what is this for lad?" "Mayor, I don't know how to put this. But if I must, I must. Mayor..." "Ohh just call me Cream, much less formal." the tan mare informed me. "Okay, Cream? Have you noticed any ponies missing?" I questioned. "Why yes, yes I have. Why do you now where they are?" "That's just the thing Mrs. Cream, I do. But I want to tell everyone at once, Rally all the ponies, Mrs. Cream, I get Coffee to help, too. We need to hurry." The pegasus nodded and flew off hollering "Everypony to town square now everypony to town square." I left the house and went down to town hall where Mr. Coffee Cream worked as Sheriff. "Umm... Miss?" I asked politely, It had been a while since we had lived in the south and my accent was finally showing, It always did that when I said stuff to pretty young mares. But when i saw this mare... I don't know... somethin just clicked. "My name's Dawn." the dark blue mare said typing away on her keyboard. Her voice sounded like bells. She had glorious light blue eyes looked like she had little blue gems for her eyes and I found myself not being able to look away. "Umm.. Miss Dawn... can you call for Mr. Coffee Cream?" "Yes I can." She pressed a button and talked into the microphone. "He'll be up in a moment." she finally looked at me. She had a beautiful short white mane that made you look at her face, she had bangs and freckles. I have never said this about any pony, but she was beautiful. "You can have a seat right over there." But I couldn't move. I was hypnotized. "Umm... is there something else you would like?" My moment of stupid had finally come to a peak, and in a very serious moment of stupidity I said, "You." in a hushed tone. "What?" she said sounding like she was questioning the thought that she was pretty. "I want you." I said. "You're gorgeous. Can I get your number?" I murmured. "Yes." she quickly grabbed a piece a paper and a pen and jotted something down. "Here." the unicorn said shoving the piece of paper into my hoof. "Ohh... Jude. What a surprise? Did you need me?" Sheriff Coffee said stepping out of the elevator. "Yes, I need you to gather all the ponies outside in town hall," I said looking around at the very luxurious hall. "Wait! I have an idea!" I ran up to the fire alarm. "I have always wanted to do this!" and with that I pulled. The sirens blared and ponies screamed. "Sheriff, go unlock the jail cells we need everypony we can get. Dawn, you come with me we need to get everypony out of this building!" She nodded and we ran up the steps to the first floor. "We need to get everypony out into town square. Everypony please leave this building." and with that ponies got up out of their seat and walked down the steps, nice and orderly. Who in the world taught these ponies how to escape a fire! "You ponies are crazy! Run!" Progress, Finally! At ground level the ponies broke the glass doors and ran over the loveseat I was told to sit on earlier. Once we were outside I halted the ponies and told them that I needed everypony in the square. The ponies nodded and took off and a few selective pegasi flew away to get friends and family. A few minutes later with most ponies accounted for I made my speech. "Ponies of Appleoosa, Have you noticed lately that there is a couple of ponies you haven't seen around?" I got a couple of nods. "My sister, Faith Marie Shine, has found a dragon living very close to home." That got gasps. "She has found out that this dragon isn't a dragon at all! But a pony, turned into a dragon by a witch! Faith says that to turn her new found friend back into a pony we need to kill the witch!" Cheering. "But why are ponies disappearing?" "Good question! They are disappearing because she is creating an army of fire breathing dragons, those dragons are ponies forced to do her bidding. My sister has gone to Ponyville looking for help. Please we need all the help we can get. For all we know there could be fillies being tortured. Please! Help us, Help you. Because if we don't stop her, she will eventually rule the Equestria. Please help!" Continuous cheering, ponies one and all stomped their hooves. "Join Hooves Hope!" "Where do we sign up?" "Sign right here on this paper with the name of our army, 'Hooves Hope', on the podium and then after you sign up, you state your name into this here microphone." Ponies of all ages signed up and stated their names. "Dusk Sky." a stallion unicorn. "Rainbow Swirl!" a mare pegasus. "Ruby Shores!" a mare unicorn. "Minty Hooves!" a derpy stallion earth pony. "Sunrise Skies." a stallion pegasus. "Vanilla Wind!" mare Earth pony "Golden Moon" Mare earth pony "Indigo Sun" Stallion earth pony. to me, Golden Moon and Indigo Sun looked acted like siblling twins but they didn't look at all alike. "Marshmallow Beam!" a stalion Pegasus. "Dawn Flower." a unicorn and also my soon to be girl friend Everyone soon was signed up. I told everyone for the next few months to have a buddy and to tell the mayor if anypony went missing. I started to leave but I sooon heard, "Please don't leave yet. I don't have a buddy." I turned around to see Dawn. "Dawn, I have to go. My family needs me." "Then I'm coming with you." She insisted. "But they need you here, Dawn." "No! I'm coming with you!" I started to objected, "And that's final!" That was that and I was okay with it. "Okay, come along then." And with that we left for home.