A New Town, a New Start

by OceansBreeze

Moving In

The gentle spring breeze rustles the leaves above causing the shadows to dance about in a lazy ripple. My mane gently sways in the wind, cooling my forehead from the warm sun making its path through the wispy cirrus clouds up high. This season surely is a sight as I take it all in. The morning dew still glistening on the tips of grass blades, sparkling like miniature diamonds. The pungent yet still soothing aroma of the many wildflowers growing by the dirt road. The tall oaks shading the path in sparse patches giving momentary relief from the heat. It was the middle of April and the scent of the petrichor wafted up as the road dried from the previous nights drizzle. It was quite the delightful morning, with the exception of the wagon harnessed to me. It wasn't overly heavy, just personal items from home, haphazardly tied down. Still, the weather could have definitely been appreciated further without it.

I pull out my map to see where I am as I pass by an oddly shaped, very large tree that looks to be a landmark. Sure enough, this tree was on the map indicating that my destination, Ponyville, was just over the next hill. I sped up slightly at the thought of at last arriving at my potential new hometown, not to mention a cafe with some refreshing iced lemonade. The top of a large spire peeked over the crest of the hill like a sun rise and slowly gained height as I trudged on. Taking the last step over the ridge revealed to me a small and quaint looking village of thatched roofed cottages and an assortment of varied shops. In the center of town was what appeared to be town hall, the spire that I had seen previously proudly protruding above all others. That was to be my second stop once within city limits. First things first, a refreshment.

"Welp," I proclaimed to the air, "here I am at last."

Walking through town, few ponies payed me much mind aside from a kind smile or wave. I was liking this place already with such friendly ponies wandering the streets. Passing through this small residential segment of town I came upon the more commercial area with all the diverse shops and restaurants. I wasn't particularly picky about where I stopped, so I just picked the closest cafe and unharnessed myself from my burden. Walking towards the entrance, I was greeted by a pretty mare with a snow white coat, dark purple curly hair, a wide brimmed sun hat, and three diamonds for a cutie mark who was sitting at a nearby table.

"Why, hello there!" the mare greeted merrily. "I say dear, are you new around here? I don't believe I've seen you around before."

I didn't want to be rude so I stopped and turned to face her fully. She had incredible sapphire blue eyes with long eyelashes and an obvious interest in who I might be. Her hair was coiffed in such a way that clearly showed she knew her way around fashion. The sun hat positioned upon her head only reinforced that thought. It was an eggshell blue with a canary yellow ribbon. I hesitated for only a moment while analysing these things before responding.

"Oh, yes, well I am new in town. Just arrived, actually, and figured I could stop to get something to quench my thirst." I responded.

"Well, it's always a pleasure to meet new ponies. I know! Why don't you join me this lovely morning? It's always better to share such splendid weather with nice ponies don't you think?" she grinned at me, fluttering her luscious lashes. I couldn't quite tell if it was flirtatious or not, but either way she seemed like a kind pony.

"Sure! Always better to make friends early on rather than later." I proclaim drawing back a chair with my wing and sitting down across from her.

"Well, how can I be your friend if I don't even know your name yet, hm?" she playfully inquires.

"Oh, my apologies. My name is Dusty. Dusty Tome. What's yours?" I ask in response.

"Dusty? What a lovely name! So unique! My name is Rarity, and I am the proud owner of Carousel Boutique, a dress shop just up the road." she proclaims rather happily. Clearly she takes much pride in her business. I made a mental note to check it out at a later time.

"Well, it's a pleasure making your acquaintance Miss Rarity. I actually plan on opening my own store once I settle in and find a place to rent." I offer up as conversation just as our waitress arrives with a small pad of paper and a pen.

"What can I get you two?" she brightly says with a smile.

"I would like a nice cinnamon and chai tea please. Iced this time. It's a rather warm day today." Rarity replies without hesitation. She has the menu memorized I assume and clearly knows this mare.

"And what for the stallion?" she asks turning to face me with her joyous grin.

"A simple iced lemonade please." I say in turn.

She nods briskly and trots inside. I turn to face Rarity to see that she is studying me.

"So, where are you from?" she asks, clearly interested.

"I'm from Fort Vandercolt up north." I inform her.

"Ooh! I've not met many ponies from Vandercolt. I imagine it's much chillier there than temperate Ponyville?" she inches a little closer to the table, her elbows propped up.

"Oh definitely. I think the snow would be just now melting at home." I respond.

"I'm not sure I would like that much snow and ice." she says with a small frown.

"Oh it's not all that bad, but that's probably a biased opinion seeing as I grew up there," I lightly chuckle.

"Well, I was born and raised here in this very town," she proclaims gesturing to the open road. "I've always admired the high society of Canterlot and Manehattan though." she states, lighting up.

"I'm not much of a fan of the hustle and bustle." I confessed with a sheepish grin.

"Oh well, that life is not for everypony," she waves dismissively just as the waitress comes back with a tray and two drinks.

"Here we are!" our waitress proclaims lowering the drinks on the table. "That's one bit a piece," she relays.

Just as I'm about to pull out my coin bag, Rarity puts a hoof on my own and stops me in my tracks.

"Do not worry darling, I'll handle this," she assured. I tried to protest but she had already placed the bits in the waitresses waiting hoof who sauntered off.

"I certainly could have payed myself, Rarity," I protest sincerely.

"Now, now. You have done me the favor of sitting with me and conversing which is more than I thought I was getting today, darling," she counters after taking a small sip of her iced tea. "It is my pleasure!"

Seeing the determination and certainty in her eyes I concede defeat. "Well that's very generous of you Rarity, thank you."

We both take drinks of our respective beverages and continue where we left off. "So," Rarity starts. "What made you decide to move to Ponyville? Change in scenery perhaps?"

"Well I just recently finished college and decided to settle down somewhere. Ponyville seemed like a very quiet and lovely place to live, and might I add that the residents are even better than I imagined." I wink at her jokingly. She giggles at this which makes me wonder if she saw the 'joke' in the wink. Oh well.

"Well Ponyville is normally a very docile place but it has been known to be...turned upside down, for lack of a better term." she admitted. "It's not an everyday occurrence though, dear," she comforts me having seen the slight worry in my eyes.

"That's the reason I moved here is the peace and quiet this place exudes," I clarified.

"Than your stay will surely be pleasant!" she beams. "Maybe we can have these talks more often then." she winks at me over the rim of her tea glass as she takes another sip.

The clock tower at the far end of the road strikes eleven and Rarity starts at the bell's great ring. "My my my! Time flies when one is having fun," she frets glancing at the clock. "Well it has been an absolute delight to meet you Dusty and I hope to see you again very soon, but I must get back to work. Many things to sew," she nodded, giving me a quick smile before heading off in the direction of her boutique. Still unsure of the nature of the smile, I quickly down the remainder of the lemonade and reharness myself to the wagon. I decide now is a good time to head off towards Town Hall. It is one of the taller buildings of Ponyville with a wrap-around porch, intervaled windows, and two story high, cream colored walls. The velvet roof of Town Hall is curved into a tall spire with a flag waving lazily in the gentle breeze. Parking the wagon in front, I approach the large red double doors and peek through to the inside. The main foyer is mostly barren save for the single desk directly to the left with a receptionist scribbling on parchment. More curtained doors spread out around the room. Deciding it best to talk to the receptionist, I approached the desk and cleared my throat.

"Um, hello there, I just arrived here in Ponyville," I manage to come up with. Not the most eloquent but hey. "I have a deposit on a new home here in town and was wondering if you could help me locate it and the landlord."

She glances up from her furious scratching and looks me up and down. "You the one with the two story in the market district?" she chimed at me before looking back down on her prey. The scribbles only picked up in speed which made me wonder how late she must be with that form.

"Yes ma'am, I am." I confirmed, fascinated by the ferocity in her eyes as the quill blurred over the paper. She suddenly and abruptly stopped and looked at her work in a calculating fashion. With a slight nod she held it up for all to see. 'All' being myself at the present moment. It was in fact not paperwork, but a sketch of what looked like a manticore in a regal and proud pose. It was indeed very well drawn and it was apparent she was quite proud of it herself. I guess the day had been running slow and she had found a hobby to indulge in in the passing time.

"Well," she huffed, "Now that that's out of the way." She casually tossed the art piece aside like it was a dime a dozen and focused on me, who was still entranced by the sketch. Snapping back to reality I tried to regain my composure.

"Well yes, umm..." was all I managed before she brightened up.

"Oh yes, the key to the residence. It's right here," she produced the key and offered it to me. It seemed like any other key.

"Thanks," I replied, not quite sure what to say next. "You wouldn't happen to have a map of town would you? I just arrived so I don't know my way around just yet."

She gestured to the small end table next to one of the two purple chairs in front of her desk and said, "Right on that table there are some maps. Need anything else?"

"Um, no. Thank you for your help though!" I exclaimed over my shoulder as I headed towards the exit with my new map. She simply waved a hoof before procuring another fresh piece of paper and started to draw once more. Part of me wondered what she would produce next.

Standing on the porch once again, I scanned the map for the street my new residence would be. It seemed to be on the same street as the Golden Oaks Library, which snagged my attention. A library. Well, the more the merrier in the book business. I'll have to check it out once I'm all set up. Hooking the wagon on once again, I started off in the direction of the library. Using the map as guidance I only managed to make one wrong turn but eventually found the correct street. What I wasn't prepared for was the library itself. It was a burnt hole in the ground. There was no library at all, just a sign that said Golden Oaks Library and a hole in the ground where something obviously used to be. Very confused and a little sad that it was destroyed, I turned to walk towards my home to see an even bigger shock above the rooftops. Down the street, towering above every other building in town, was a humongous, crystal, tree house castle. It rang a few bells in the back of my head but the rest were a little occupied trying to get over the shock. How could I have missed this?! WHAT is this? WHO'S was it? And that's when it all clicked. A facehoof was definitely in the works for this one. Ponyville. Duh.

"How in Equestria did I forget this! It's a princess' castle, who forgets that?" I mutter to myself, picking my jaw off the ground.

This was Princess Twilight's castle, in her home in Ponyville. I knew this, yet somehow forgot when I decided to move here. What a pleasant self surprise. Well if Princess Twilight is here that also means the other Elements of Harmony are here too. What were their names again? Eh, I'm sure I'll remember later. Now though is the time to settle in, then sort this out later.

Doing my best to ignore the sparkling castle above, I continued on looking at the mailboxes for the house numbers. 306, 308, 310, 312. Here we are! 314, my new home here in Ponyville. It didn't seem all too special in comparison to the other houses on the street aside from one minor detail. Directly next door was the short path to the castle.

"What are the chances?" I sigh in resignation. Oh well, at least I can say my neighbors are a gem.

The house itself was standard cream colored with a thatched roof, two stories tall. The bottom floor had a wooden door and two-foot by four-foot window with a display. Perfect! There was a short cobble path from the front steps to the street with small azaleas lining it. Cozy was the word I'd use to describe it. Leaving the cart outside, I unlock the door and peek inside. The sunlight coming through the window illuminates the whole first floor providing an adequate view of the groundwork. It's a fairly spacious area with a sectioned off counter area to the side. Clearly the ponies who owned this place previously had a shop of their own. There was a storage room in the far back corner next to the counter which had empty shelves from the floor to the ceiling. Also perfect. Aside from that the first floor was completely barren, which was alright with me. Less to clean and organize. I headed up the stairs to the second floor which had many more rooms than the first floor. The stairs led up to a hallway with a room to both sides. The room on the left was the bathroom which just had standard arrangements: Tub, sink, mirror, toilet. It had checkered tile floors instead of wooden floors like the rest of the building so far. Moving across the hallway I entered the next room to see it was empty, aside from a small wooden desk in one corner and a bookshelf in another. Both were in great condition with little to no wear. There didn't appear to be any closets, it was just an extra room. I decided then it probably would become my study. Moving on down the hallway there was one final door. Pushing the door open with a creak I peered inside into what I could only assume was the bedroom. Lo and behold, it was in fact the bedroom, complete with closet. There was a large window on the wall opposite the door with lavender curtains pulled to the side to let in sunlight. There was a large ovular purple rug with stars along the circumference which reminded me of Starswirl the Bearded's cloak. There was no furniture in the room which I have to admit I was a little disappointed about. Who doesn't like free stuff? Satisfied with the setup, I headed back downstairs only to nearly stumble down as I looked over the railing to see a pink mare with a slightly darker pink, curly and unruly mane studying the room. She had three blue and yellow balloons for a cutie mark and was giggling to herself like she had just told a joke to somepony.

"Uh..." was all I managed to say as I came down the last couple steps. "Who are you, may I ask?" I compose myself. She turned around to look at me and smiled a huge smile. Her blue eyes lit up as she took in a breath.

"Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie and I'm sorry if I just walked in unannounced like this but I saw a wagon outside and I thought to myself, 'There hasn't been anypony living in here has there? No there hasn't,' and I figured if there was a wagon it meant there was a new pony in town and I just had to come in and welcome you to Ponyville because you're new and if you're new that means you could use a friend! I'm friends with just about everypony in town and I make it my own pinkie promise to always greet newcomers to Ponyville. So, hi! Welcome to Ponyville!" All of this came spewing out of her like a valve had been opened and the floodwaters were let loose. Being an avid reader I was used to reading fast and fast talking wasn't all too different, so I picked up everything she spouted, thankfully.

"Hello. I'm Dusty Tome and yes, I am new in town. How are you?" I replied, a little flustered she had just walked in and made herself at home so quickly.

"I'm doing super duper mister! Would you like some help with your stuff?" she pointed outside to my belongings.

"Oh no I'm fine, thank you for asking though," was my reply but she had already dashed outside and was balancing boxes on her back, walking back inside. Oh well, it is nice to have help. Me and Pinkie made record time hauling all the boxes inside the main room. I was a tad tired but Pinkie looked like she could run a marathon and still have energy to spare. I blame that on the traveling. She started sifting through a box that had knick knacks in it and pulled out a snow globe that read Fort Vandercolt on the bottom.

"Ooh! You've been to Fort Vandercolt? That's so cool! I've never been there before. Is it fun? Did you go ice skating?" She grinned as she shook the snow globe making a miniature snowstorm in the tiny town.

"Actually, Pinkie, that's where I'm from, and to answer your question, yes. I did ice skate and it was a very fun sport." I admitted. I began pulling other trinkets out that I would want to use on the bottom floor.

"What other cool things have you got?" she probed, peeking into the box once more. She procured a small wooden figure of a military pony in a captain's uniform.

"Careful with that one please," I instructed,"That's a model of my father that my mother made. He was a captain in Celestia's royal guard back in his time. He's retired now though."

She carefully placed it back in the box before turning to me with another bounce.

"You know, one of my bestest friends' brother is a captain of the royal guard!" she offered, before suddenly stopping in place.

"Oh! I almost forgot. We have to throw you a party! A welcome to Ponyville party! I'll invite my friends over and we can have cake and ice cream and punch!" she exuded getting more and more excited as she went on with the list. Any more and I was afraid she may just simply burst in a cloud of confetti and streamers.

"Oh well I don't mean to impose, Pinkie. You barely even know me. I haven't done anything to deserve a party," I objected.

"Well, what better reason to have a party! It's not every day somepony new moves into Ponyville, so I love it when we can have a party to celebrate such an occasion," she interjected. Can't argue with that logic.

"Well, ok then if you really want to. When will it be?" I asked.

"Tonight silly. You won't be moving in tomorrow if you move in today will you? When else would we do it?" she questioned like it was an obvious answer. How she was going to plan and throw a party in just a few hours I did not know but she clearly seemed to know what she was doing.

"Alrighty then, if you say so." I relinquished over to Pinkie Pie. She screamed in delight before taking off out the door. What kind of party would that pony throw?

Giving a slight chuckle I returned to my unpacking. A large portion of my belongings were books, which were carefully placed on the shelves along the walls. I decided not to worry about organizing just yet so they were haphazardly bundled onto whichever shelf was closest. By the time I had removed all the books from my wagon there was only a few things left to unbox. I put the rest of my stuff in the bedroom to be sorted through later. Well now I just needed some furniture. Heading outside I pulled out the town map to see that the nearest furniture store was Quills and Sofas just a few blocks down. I trotted in that direction and met a pair of mares just outside the establishment. One was a unicorn and had mint green fur and a green and white mane with a lyre for a cutie mark. The other was an earth pony and had cream colored fur with a purple and magenta mane and three candies for a cutie mark. Both looked my way and smiled.

"Oh hi!" said the green mare,"are you new in town? I don't think I've seen you around." She seemed like a very perky individual with a genuine smile.

"Yes I am, nice to meet you. I'm Dusty Tome." I replied with earnest. "What're your names?"

"I'm Lyra Heartstrings!"

"I'm Bon Bon!"

They said this in unison and giggled at each other. They seemed to be very close friends.

"Well I'm just getting some furniture since I've got a new house." I say after their laughter subsides.

"Oh! Would you like some help?" Lyra says lifting a hoof up.

"Well I don't want to impose..."

"Nonsense! Having a unicorn around is very handy with large lifting and I happen to be one of those," Lyra says proudly. While I don't want to have a mare do my work for me she does make a very valid point. Magic is extremely handy at times. Darn logic getting in the way of my moralities.

~

Well after a few minutes browsing I made my purchases of various household furniture and together we all, with the help of one of the employees, moved all of it to my place. Lyra made quick work with getting everything inside and after much pleading from me accepted payment for her help in the form of a book over primates. She seemed to have a fascination with them. Said they were very intelligent creatures.

There were now a few more shelves in the middle of the ground floor and a lounge area on the opposite side of the room from the counter. There was a blue oval rug with a couch and few armchairs around it, with a lamp on an end table between them. My study now had the oak desk that was already there now complete with chair and kerosene lamp. There was only a few books on the shelf in here. My personal collection of Predictions and Prophecies, Magic for the Non-magic Users, the Astronomical Astronomer's Almanac to All Things Astronomy, and many other classics. My bedroom now had a queen sized bed and trunk at the base. What? I like my sleeping space. Don't judge. There was also a bedside table with a picture of my family and a candlestick on it. My closet, however, remained barren since I didn't bring any clothing articles with me. Maybe I'll pay Carousel Boutique a visit later some time.

Suddenly there was a knock on my door followed by the sound of the mail slot clanking. Mail? I just moved in, who could possibly be sending me mail already? Trotting down the stairs I looked to the door and sure enough there was a pink envelope on the welcome mat.

"But who..?" I muttered to myself while lifting the letter. When I opened the seal confetti popped out, startling me into taking a step back. Recovering from the initial shock I pulled out the parchment and unfolded it to read it.

Hi! It's me again Pinkie Pie! This is your official invitation to your 'Welcome to Ponyville' party! This party will be hosted at Sugarcube Corner by none other than me at 6:00 this afternoon this afternoon. There's gonna be games and cakes and balloons and punch! Also I've invited my bestest of friends to come and help me welcome you! See you soon!

Your friend,

Pinkie Pie

Well apparently it is possible to plan a party in just a few hours. Now that I'm done with the furniture I guess I could find Sugarcube Corner a little early. It's only 5:45 but hey, better to get there early than to get lost and not show up for my own party. Talk about being a buzzkill.

After much searching and the eventual assistance from a wall-eyed gray mare, who just so happened to be the mail-mare that delivered the letter, who kindly assisted me in directions, I arrived at Sugarcube Corner at 5:58. Threaded the needle on that one.

I hadn't gotten more than one hoof through the doorway before there was a great pair of blue eyes in my field of vision.

"You're here! Now we can finally start the party!" Pinkie exclaimed as she hopped in place with exuberance. "I'll introduce you to everypony!" she said while dragging me stumbling across the floor.

Author's Note:

Well, so it begins. I would like to say thanks to anyone who got this far. Seriously, I never would guess anyone would want to read this, but if you are thank you.

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

If Dusty Tome was voiced, what would he sound like?

[OceansBreeze]

7985130 Basically a weak canadian accent as I made him to be from a more northern city, but not too noticable