I had to leave. My time in Manehattan was soon to be over. The city life was not for me, too frantic and with no place for me to practice magic in peace. All of the arrangements were made. I was to leave for Ponyville after one more night under the stars, lying beside the lone tree that stood in the center of a remote field beyond the outskirts of the metropolis that would soon be behind me.
The next day came almost too soon. It was as if only yesterday I originally thought of leaving, but the day was finally here.
“I never thought this day would actually come, our little colt moving out.” My mother stated. Sounding fairly crestfallen as my father replied with a faint nod and look of dismay.
As I had finished packing my last few belongings, I made my way down the stairs to find my parents standing on either side of the front door. Both seemed as if they were defiant of the fact that I was actually going.
My father approached.
“Well son, I've got to tell you I’m going to miss you around here.”
“I’ll miss you too dad.” I replied sincerely.
“Now you remember to stay safe and keep in touch okay?” My mother called
“I will mum, I’ll be sure to be careful and write to you when I can. I’ll come back and visit from time to time.” I uttered with a quivering lip.
“We’ll look forward to hearing from you, Night Spark.”
I found it difficult to conceal my emotions as I turned and climbed into the carriage I had hired to carry my luggage to Ponyville. Mixed thoughts of my Manehattan home filled my head for the duration of the journey, some glad to escape the clutter of the city and some sad to be leaving my family.
The past was behind me. My new life in Ponyville was soon to begin.
It was only mid-afternoon when I reached Ponyville. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I had not noticed that the carriage had stopped outside my new home.
The house was well worth the bits I had paid for it, very welcoming and with sound décor. The interior was fairly small but cosy and would feel completely homely once the movers had finished putting in the items I had brought with me.
The movers went about their work.
I decided to visit the local cake shop, Sugar Cube Corner to pick up some treats for later in the evening and to fill time while waiting for my house to be ready.
A relaxing trot to the shop seemed to lift my mind completely off all anxieties. As I arrived at Sugar Cube Corner, the smell of fresh baking enticed me even further to want to walk away with a delicacy. Upon entering the shop a warm welcome was received.
“Why hello! I don’t believe I’ve seen you around here before!” said a voice which was upbeat and with an inquisitive tone.
“I just got in from Manehattan.” I replied to the blue coated and pink maned pony standing before me.
“Well I’m Mrs Cake, what can I do for you?”
“Ooh I think I’ll have some blueberry muffins please.” I answered with audible joy.
Mrs Cake nodded and pulled a box of muffins from under the counter.
“That’ll be four bits.”
I put the bits on the counter and headed towards the door with a smile.
“Goodbye Mrs Cake!” I called.
“Bye dear!”
Sugar Cube Corner was to become very familiar to me as of that day.
A pleasant breeze was felt flowing through my mane as I trotted home. The street was fairly empty, giving me plenty of personal space. It was a pleasure I had rarely felt in the city due to the usual congestion.
All was calm until I tripped over a stone in the ground, causing the muffins on my back to launch out of the box as my face hit the floor.
“*Gasp* muffins!”
I looked up from the floor only to see a light grey blur pass my eyes and I had to blink twice to make sure my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me.
My eyes did not deceive me. In front of me was a mare straddled out in what looked like a backwards crabwalk. She had caught all of the muffins; they had landed on her knees except for one which laid on the underside of her chin. Two ponies sat at a café on the side of the road had the same look of astonishment that had captured me as the mystery mare stood up to hand me back my muffins.
“Phew, lucky catch huh? Are you alright?”
“Yeah I’m fine, thanks by the way.” I responded.
“Don’t mention it.” She said cheerfully.
There was something about this mare that was different from anypony else I had come across, her eyes were offset and her blonde mane was a little scruffy. I had no idea who this pony was but I was compelled to find out.
“I’m Derpy.” She stated.
Derpy had a delicate voice. I had finally noticed what she sounded like after I dusted myself off from the fall.
“My name’s Night Spark. Nice to meet you.” I declared happily whilst offering to shake her hoof.
After our hoof-shake Derpy giggled and asked if I wanted to hang out with her, an offer I could not refuse. I liked this pony. She seemed to have quite a joyful and carefree manner about her that I found hard to come by back in Manehattan. I had a good feeling about Derpy.
Derpy and I decided to go to a small café near the roadside for a drink and a chat. Although I originally planned to save the muffins I had for later, we ended up sharing them as soon as we sat down with the box emptied surprisingly quickly. We stayed for a while and told stories of our lives, including a story of how Derpy managed to get herself into a snow globe. When I later mentioned that I was from Manehattan, Derpy’s ears pricked up with interest.
“Manehattan? You mean the city of Manehattan?”
“Yep, that’s the one.” I responded welcomingly to her query.
“Ever since I was a filly I always wanted to know what it was like to live in a big city! I’ve only ever lived in Ponyville, so I have no idea. What’s it like?” Derpy was clearly intrigued by what I was about to say and looked intently at me as I thought about my answer.
“Well there is a lot to do, I’ll give it that but it can be very overwhelming.” I said somewhat resentfully.
“What do you mean?” Derpy leant on the table in order to get closer to hear my reply.
“I just mean that it’s a nice place, but it can be a bit overcrowded and too noisy a lot of the time.” I answered thoughtfully.
“Is that why you moved here, Night Spark?”
Derpy had read me like a book. She seemed to be much smarter than her name suggested.
“Yeah, that and the fact that there wasn’t really anywhere to practice magic in the city without being interrupted half the time. I thought that Ponyville would be much more laid back and peaceful and well, here I am.” I stated before we both shared a brief laugh at my last comment.
“So where in Ponyville do you live?” Derpy asked cheerfully.
“Just down the road from here, I can show you the house if you like. The movers should be done by now.” I said invitingly.
“Sounds great!” Derpy was clearly excited, so without wasting a minute we began to make our way to my house while Derpy asked me about what the house was like.
I had almost become lost in conversation before Derpy called out; “Is that your house?”
I looked straight ahead and saw that my house was ready as the movers had begun to set off. We went inside and I showed her around. There wasn’t too much to show because the house was only small, but Derpy seemed to like it.
“This is a really nice place!” Derpy announced admiringly.
“Thanks Derpy!” I was pleased to see that I was not the only one satisfied with my new home.
Derpy and I proceeded to sit in the main hall and talk for a while. She told me more about Ponyville and the surrounding area, even with a story about the Everfree forest and all of the dangers that lie within. We talked into the night, not realising how dark it was getting until I got up to get a drink. I looked at the clock tower across from my house and was completely shocked by the time shown on it. Derpy must have known what time it was because soon after she informed me that had to get home.
“Oh my! I’ve got to get back! It was great meeting you today, but can I ask you a question?” Derpy had an almost concerned tone in her voice as she asked the question.
“Yes Derpy?” I replied inquisitively.
“Do my eyes bother you?”
“Why would they bother me?” I questioned confusedly as I honestly quite liked her eyes and how they were often askew. I even thought it was cute.
“That’s alright then, it’s just that some ponies don’t give me a chance because they think my eyes make me seem weird but you’re not that judgmental. I like that.”Derpy remarked with relief.
“Well I’ve got to go, but I’ll see you soon. Goodbye!” Derpy called as she walked down the road.
My first day in Ponyville was much better than I expected it to be and I had even gained a friend in a very short space of time. A new chapter of my life had just begun and I had a good feeling about the future.