The residents of Manechester recount their reasons for moving in.
In this collection of short stories the residents of Manechester recount why they chose to move to Manechester to a curious little purple filly who appears and disappears constantly.
Dawning Mage and Pearl Morning looked at the little purple filly with curiosity. She had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, catching them off guard.
”That’s a pretty long story, are you sure you want to listen to such boring adult talk?” Dawn cooed at the filly in a motherly tone.
The filly nodded excitedly and laid down in the grass in front of the pair.
”Yeahyougottatellthestoryforexposition!” She giggled out too fast to understand. The twins exchanged an amused look before settling in the grass as well.
”Well it all started when we got our cutie marks. We studied many things hoping to find our talent, but naturally since it was in politics it took us quite some time to actually get them.” Pearl began; her tone was a-matter-of-fact in nature. Dawn nodded getting a far off look in her eyes.
”Indeed, I got my cutie mark during our government class, while I was arguing with the teacher about whether or not the decision to force the nocturnal races to assimilate to our cultural norms was a just legal decision. I showed an affinity for seeing the imbalances in our political world and calling out the injustices. Hence the Liberty Scale cutie mark.”
”I got mine much later into that same school year while I was helping plan the Hearts and Hooves Day Formal. I was assigning each member of our rag-tag planning committee to the area of planning that they would be able to excel in. I showed an affinity for knowing how to read other ponies’ cutie marks and knowing how to plan accordingly. This explains why I got my Clipboard cutie mark.”
The twins paused once more, Dawn got up and retrieved refreshments from a near by shop. She returned with juice for everyone and after each had their fill of the cooling liquid the story continued.
”After school we took to traveling town to town looking for our place in the world. We knew our talents; it was just a matter of where to employ them.” Pearl started, her voice tinged with sadness.
”Unfortunately, wonderful and peaceful a place as Equestria is we were at an impasse with the majority of the nations views on a lot of topics. There was injustice and stigma rampant everywhere we looked.”
”To make matters worse even our fellow politicians would laugh us out of their offices when we made propositions. We were rookies as far as those old pros were concerned and as such our voices didn’t matter.”
”We returned home for a time to decompress from our discoveries. Mom and Dad were glad to have us back. We bother took brushing up on equestrian law in our spare time.”
The twins took another pause to drink, their explanation was about to get even more long winded and confusing.
”It was during this visit when I discovered something interesting in the laws. If you found land that was not claimed, you could legally found a town there with permission from the High Council.” Pearl continued her voice sweet and cheerful.
”I was skeptical at first, our peers laughed us out of their offices, what would the council do in the face of our ‘silly’ beliefs? Mother ended up being the one to convince me it was worth a shot. First we had to find land.”
”Father proved to be invaluable in this regard. Navigation was his talent, but he didn’t just know equestrian lands from infancy. He had detailed land holding maps going back years and years, he got a recent one and marked suitable places for us.”
”We took a family trip to each place; when we got to the Summer Woods we were sold. It was so nice there, warm and calm. They were nothing like the infamous Everfree.”
”It was here we ran into an acquaintance as well. Night Spark was already camping out in the woods. We had run into him up in Manehatten the year before. He expressed a desire to live in the woods themselves, not the clearing we had been eyeing.”
”So we struck a deal with him. If we got the go ahead to found a town, we would help him get set up in the forest as well. In turn he would help us with the building of the town, he agreed.”
The filly tilted her head then squeaked out an interruption.
”Why would Night wanna live in the sticky hot woods?” She chattered confused.
Pearl and Dawn sipped at their drinks as they mulled over how to answer that. Dawn found her wits first.
”That’s a story for Night to tell. You should try and catch him this evening.” Dawn commented calmly.
”After we settled that here in the Summer woods was where we wanted to set up a town Dawn went before the council to get legal permission to continue. I don’t know what she said but it must have been fantastic for the council to allow 2 young politicians and a hoofful of random citizens to start our own village.”
”Following that Pearl and I went around to the towns we had previously inhabited and talked old friends and new into starting a village with us. For some it was a chance to get out of family shadows, others it was a shot at calm rural life.”
”Whatever their reasoning everyone banned together wonderfully and soon we had many ponies helping us, including Night Spark. The next pitch was a bit harder, asking some ponies to change their instincts to fit a nocturnal schedule.”
”When it was all said and done however, everyone was glad they agreed to the plan. With half working day and half working night we got the first essential buildings done in record time. After that we started setting up homes for those that were staying.”
The little filly interrupted once again “What were the first buildings if not homes? It seems stupid not to build homes for the workers…”
Pearl and Dawn laughed a little. Pearl responded to the question this time.
”Silly I know, that we didn’t build housing first. We were planning to but there was an agreement that the weather here was nice enough to camp under the stars and sun. So we built town hall and the first shopping district to start. Then once that was settled and we had a base of operations, we built the next ring which was all housing.” Pearl said with mirth.
”Aside from the motels on the east and west end of that ring that is. Once all those houses and shops were settled we built the final ring of that first surge of construction. These were 2 story buildings for any larger families that wanted to settle.”
”Once we had the buildings and paths, Mother got the gardening talent ponies together to plant flower beds and put in a few trees that wouldn’t get too large but would provide some nice shade in the residential rings.”
”And that’s how we founded Manechester.”
The twins relaxed giving the filly time to digest the story. Finally she nodded and grinned “So do ponies listen to your beliefs now?”
Dawn laughed “A story for another time. I need to make rounds, the town is due for inspection soon and I don’t want anyone blindsided.”
Pearl nodded “Why don’t you go talk to Dollop? I’m sure he has an interesting story to tell~”
The filly grinned and bolted off “OKAY THANKS BYE!”
“Why did you move to Manechester and build a Tree Café?”
Dollop jumped dropping the rolling pin he had been working the dough flat with. He turned to look at the lavender filly baffled.
“How- I- What?” He stuttered out confused.
“Why did you move to Manechester and build a Tree Café!” The filly questioned insistently.
“…. If I answer your questions will you answer mine?” Dollop asked raising his eyebrows.
“Imakenopromisesbutsureletsgowiththat.” The filly squealed out quickly.
“…. I’ll take that as a yes. Well the first question is simple enough. My parents are traveling weather ponies, I’ve been to basically every other town in Equestria save some of the other small communities and Manehatten. I decided I liked the smaller towns better, less ponies asking about my wings since word spreads quickly in small towns. When I saw the newly established Manechester, which had the motto of “Everypony is an Important Pony.” On their sign for the longest time I decided this place would be a nice place to get my cooking career underway.”
“My parents got my extended family to help me build the place, we found a tree near the edge to use a hallow out spell on, my cousin married into a unicorn family, and then we built the interior and the outdoor platforms. Simple as that.”
Dollop paused to catch his breath then moved on to the second question.
“As for why a tree café, I love trees. You can get so high up and feel like you are in the clouds without the impossible drop a cloud gives. I wanted to build a café that other grounded ponies like me could experience the weightlessness of the sky while still safe. All the outdoor tables on the platforms of varying height give that experience. The cloud shaped chairs and tables too, only since they aren’t actual clouds everyone can use them.”
Dollop smiled at the filly, cleaning the rolling pin off to begin using it again.
“Now. My turn. How did you get in, I haven’t unlocked the doors yet and Why didn’t I hear your approach?”
Dollop waited for a response, when none was forth coming he spun around to find the filly had fled.
“THAT WASN’T OUR AGREEMENT!” He bellowed after her, none the less he turn and laughed putting the now clean, dry and flour dusted rolling pin on the dough again.
“Who are you kidding Dollop, That filly’s more mysterious than Celestia and Luna themselves. No one gets answers out of her.” Dollop returned to his work wondering who the filly was going to bother next.
“It’s too early to get Night, and Lacy to talk about their experiences. I’m willing to bet she got the twins first. Hmm that just leaves Shadow Trick. Why did she come here? I hear she had a pretty successful magician career going for herself. Then again an illegitimate child probably rustled a few feathers. Hm…”
“Why would you give up being a traveling Magician to live in a small town?”
Shadow turned to glance over her shoulder at the filly settled on one of her audience pillows. She had seen this filly in the crowds of foals before but never saw the foal leave with parents.
“Well… that’s a pretty short answer. After I became a mother I felt it was not a smart idea to remain a traveling magician with a foal. Besides Mirage needed to have an education and a traveling life does not allow for a very effective education.”
The filly tilted her head “Why not leave Mirage with your parents or his father and keep travelling and earning money during the carnival season?”
“I’m not a welcome member of my parent’s household. I’m not in contact with Mirage’s father.”
The filly narrowed her eyes; it couldn’t be this straight forward “So that’s it. Have a baby with random stallion, move to small town, and act as storyteller to foals?”
“Basically, yes. That’s exactly what happened.”
The filly eyed Shadow Trick, “Kay…. What are you hiding?”
Shadow smiled staring at the filly calmly. “Nothing…. Why is it so hard to believe I just moved here for the benefit of Mirage?”
Lacy glanced at the filly staring at her, she was bandaging up another cut Mythic got tumbling around playing.
“I didn’t really… I got attacked not far from here, Night heard the commotion rushed over with Viral. Their arrival scared off the changeling that was attacking me and they took me to Night’s house to tend my wounds.”
Lacy kissed Mythic’s cheek and sent him off playing again.
“One thing lead to another and I found myself pregnant with Mythic. I had already been considering staying with Night and Viral forever but the pregnancy made my mind up. I would settle here and start a family with my boys.”
Lacy smiled as Mythic swung a stick around scaring bugs and critters out of the yard.
“Night got a few friends together and we expanded his home into our home. The twins were willing to give me a chance to prove I was just like other ponies. When I did they warmed up immediately and helped us get everything we needed to be prepared for foals. They also registered me as an official member of their town, though I believe I’m written off as a piebald.”
Lacy shifted, giggling as Mythic looked around confused, wondering where all the creatures had gone.
“I believe that answers your questions little one. Go find Night now and be done with this section.”
Night jolted glancing at the plum filly watching him from further along the path. He closed the glass casing, locking in the little flame providing dim light to the path. He gave it a once over ensuring it was shut tight and the fire wouldn’t affect the trees.
“For the fireflies, they naturally live here nearly year round unless the Pegasi make the winter particularly harsh. I love the little bugs and their Morse code butts.”
He moved to the next casing and opening it, lighting the wick within and closing it once more.
“I had heard rumors up in Manehatten of woods that were warm as summer year round and how you could find many warm weather bugs and animals there year round.”
He once again double checked the casing to ensure the light giving lamp wouldn’t become a hazard.
“I followed the rumors until I discovered the place they spoke of. Well I suppose discovered isn’t the right word, until I…. hm… until I arrived at the rumored location.”
Night smiled and continued moving down the path, following the same pattern with each lamp.
“I set up a little camp where my house now rests. The twins arrived a few months later, considering the clearing for a town location. We struck our deal and made our homes.”
Night glances back the way he came making sure all the previous lamps still burned.
“That’s all really. I wanted to be close to the bugs I admired and I got my wish. I can’t make much use of my skill for Morse code so the twins assign me other odd jobs I can carry out in the night.”
Night smiled at the filly.
“If that was all I need to finish lighting all the lamps for any night wanderers. You should probably be heading home; it’s rather late for little fillies to be out.”