Short Hilt the pegasus has always had a dream of creating her own town for ponies and other creatures to live in harmony. She will travel as far as she can to find the perfect spot. What awaits her beyond the horizon? Will she succeed?
Short Hilt, an eager pegasus mare with an even more eager ambition, sets off to find the perfect spot to build a town. At first her original intentions were just to run a normal city like Ponyville. However, that changes to hopefully bringing equality to even rarer species of ponies as well as other creatures. She's a small pony with a big heart, and plenty of it to go around. However, there are hardships she hasn't come to terms with, and she will have to deal with them as they come.
Along the cobblestone streets of Canterlot, a young pegasus was on her usual morning route to get her groceries. Except this time, her venture was a little different. Her coat was a pale violet and her brown mane was cropped to a short length. It had a blond stripe over the top of it, and her tail was long and loose. She sported a purple bag with a latch similar to her sword cutie mark, with plenty of room for supplies.
She stood on her hinds and placed her hooves on a vendor's wooden stall, "Hey, Buckshot! Lovely weather, huh?" She flapped her wings as the stallion turned to her.
"Ah, Short Hilt! Yes, it is quite nice out today," His auburn coat shone brilliantly as he came out of the shadows, "What can I getcha? The usual bushel of apples?"
A smile tugged at the sides of her lips, "Actually, I need travel supplies today. I'm finally leaving." She was both delighted and heartbroken, but she had to follow what her heart was telling her.
"Leaving? I-I'm sorry, I don't think you ever told me about this," Buckshot's eager tone was replaced with concern, "Where are you going?"
Her hoof slammed to her forehead, "Oh! That's right...I'm sorry. I can be a bit featherbrained about keeping ponies in the loop. For the last few months I've been asking Princess Celestia for certification to create my own town. She told me there were a few spots I could scout out, though she was just as vague as usual," She stifled a laugh and continued, "So I decided I may as well get ready to go today!"
Buckshot sighed, "Are you sure you really want to? Starting your own town is a big responsibility."
Short Hilt sputtered, "Pffft of course I want to! My gut's never lied to me before~!" As if on cue, her stomach growled loudly, "And it seems she's hungry."
He laughed, "Well, I'd better get you a few things," He returned to the back of his stall and rummaged through his shelves and chests, as well as his fruit carts. He levitated the supplies and set them on the counter in front of his customer, "Here is plenty of food to last you for at least a few days. And here is a map and compass in case you get lost. Do you need anything else?"
She thought for a moment, "Nah, I think I'll be fine. I'm just planning on scouting out possible locations. Plus I don't think I can fit any more," lifting a small pouch out of her bag, she set it on the counter, "What's the damage?"
"How about forty bits?"
"Sounds fair to me," She smiled and counted out a few coins from the pouch.
Buckshot levitated the supplies and placed them into her pack for her, "Be safe, okay?"
"Of course. Thanks Buck. For everything," She lifted of the ground, saluted, and bolted off to the west.
Short Hilt inhaled deeply, enjoying the flight. She kept her eyes scanned on the horizon for any potential building spots. Jagged mountain overlooking a fiery valley? Adventurous, but no. Nope, still jagged. Still barren. She began to grow weary and rested on a cloud. It was still mid-morning, which still gave her plenty of time. She took an apple out of her bag and began to eat it. Smiling, she kept looking around. Each mile spread before her was unpleasant. Her smile faded as she looked down at the half-eaten apple. Did she really know what she was getting herself into? Did she really want to do this?
She shook her head, answering to an unknown entity, "No. I want this." She bit the last bit of her apple and flew off, leaving the core to fall to the lava bed below.
Finally beginning to see green again, her excitement swelled. She eagerly darted her gaze back and forth, waiting for the perfect spot with the right amount of water and resources.
The flight continued on. Still nothing. She was getting that sinking feeling back again, "Please...please just something..." She closed her eyes, as if making a wish. Upon opening them, she saw a valley that instantly called to her, "Wait...Oh my gosh!" Short Hilt sat upon a cloud overlooking the area, "It's...it's perfect..." The valley was incredibly large and a lake was just to the edge. A river flowed right beside it, and there were plenty of trees for construction. A very tall mountain with a crashing waterfall was also a wonderful addition.
Short Hilt flew off the cloud and landed near the edge of the forest. With a large grin, she couldn't contain herself, "Oh, the shops will be on that side, homes will be over there...I can see it now!"
"Ahem."
She spun around, not sure if she was hearing things, "Uh...hello?" Seeing nothing, she kept glancing around.
"What are you doing here?"
"Okay that was definitely something!" She spun around, putting up her guard. She noticed a figure in the shadow of the trees. Her brows furrowed, ready for a ferocious beast to appear. She did let her imagination slip at times.
A tall pony emerged. Her coat was a brilliant cerulean blue. She was an alicorn, as well. Her long ice blue mane hung low and messy, and her eyes were ocean blue with a tinge of fear and false intimidation. She spoke again, but her tone changed to conern, "What are you doing here, young pegasus? Are you lost?"
Short Hilt's eyes widened, "Oh! A local!" She flapped her wings and landed in front of her. She was puny in comparison, "This is perfect!"
The pony before her scowled, annoyed with her new guest, "My patience is thin for outsiders. What are you doing in my home, girl?"
She was taken aback, and finally calmed herself, "Oh, um...I'm sorry. It's just, I was looking around for a place to build a new town and this place is absolutely perfect. I'm sorry, I didn't realize there was somepony living here." She glanced around, "Wait...I don't even see any houses or anything...If this is your home it must be pretty lonely by yourself." She gave her a sympathetic look.
The alicorn sighed, "...My kind is used to it. Equestria claims to be tolerant of all creatures...but it seems as though naturally born alicorns are the exception. So, to avoid unnecessary attention we tend to live alone. Isolated. I have contemplated leaving in hopes of change, but I fear I will only be disappointed."
The purple pegasus thought for a moment. Her eyes beamed with a sudden epiphany, "I just got a great idea!" She flapped about excitedly, "This town of mine...it could be a refuge for all sorts of ponies and non-ponies! A place free of discrimination!"
The alicorn's expression turned to confusion, "Do you really think that will work...? There are some ponies that can be pretty hard set in their beliefs that some don't deserve to exist..."
Short Hilt smiled, "Of course it'll work!" She paused, "So, what's your name? Mine's Short Hilt!"
"Patina." She answered simply.
"Nice to meetcha!" Her smile kept on going, "Now I just need to think of a name!"
Patina tilted her head, trying to actually keep up with the sudden intrusion. But deep down she actually craved companionship. She was eager to learn more about this pony's ambitions.
"Oh, I know! Ponymunity! 'Pony' plus 'Community!'" She beamed.
"I like it," Patina smiled warmly.
"So, I hope you don't mind me asking what your talent is. You've got quite the impressive cutie mark!" Short Hilt noted the mark on Patina's flank, which was a grey figure of an alicorn, "Is it turning ponies to stone? OOH! Or making pony golems??"
Patina lifted her wing and smiled nervously, "Oh, no-no, it's sculpture. That's a long story, though. And, what of you? Yours is rather nice."
"Oh, y'know, saving ponies in distress, fighting monsters, protecting ponies, mostly," She smiled, still in the air.
Patina laughed, "Sounds heroic!" She felt light as a feather. She had the potential to make a new friend, "I must admit, I am very happy you made your way here, Short Hilt. You seem very ambitious and hopefully ponies from across Equestria can benefit from what you're--"
"Alright, time to get to work!" She interrupted and took her new friend by the hoof.
Short Hilt stopped and grabbed some paper from her pack, as well as a pencil. She gripped it in her mouth and began to write.
Dear Princess Celestia, Hello! This is Short Hilt! I managed to find the perfect spot to build, what I'm calling, Ponymunity! I would like to request the aid of some construction ponies in Cloudsdale, as well as railroad ponies from Appaloosa. I found a local who had been living here, but she seems fine with letting me go through with this. She sent this message to you for me. Here are the coordinates and I hope to hear from you soon!
She rolled up the paper neatly and looked up at Patina, "Well, time to send it off~!"
"Um...to who?" She raised a brow, confused.
"To Princess Celestia, of course!" She smiled, nudging the letter closer to her.
Patina levitated it, "Oh! She is in Canterlot, yes? I was once there as a filly, I hope I can teleport it to the correct location..." She closed her eyes, and in a flash the letter was gone.
Short Hilt felt a pit in her stomach, "Oh, yeah, I forgot. Well, if it doesn't get to her, at least the pony who finds it can send it her way."
----
Princess Celestia gazed out of her window high atop Canterlot. She smiled at all the happy faces below and reminisced about the times she walked those streets as a filly. 'I should go down for a visit someday,' she thought, still smiling elegantly.
A hoof knocking on the door grabbed her attention. She turned to the sound's direction, "Yes?"
"Princess Celestia, a letter arrived for you," Shining Armor gave her a slightly annoyed look, the letter attached to his horn, partially open revealing who it was to. He lifted the paper carefully and allowed Celestia's magic to relieve him of it.
"Thank you," She laughed slightly. She scanned the writing and was delighted to hear the news, "Shining Armor, could you do me a favor, please?"
-----
Several hours had passed, and Short Hilt was beginning to panic. She paced back and forth, "Why hasn't she replied?? Did she get it? Ohhh..."
Patina sat on her haunches and looked down apologetically, "I'm...I'm sorry...I probably sent it to the wrong area. I was only at the castle gates briefly and that was many years ago..."
The pegasus was frantically flitting about like a hummingbird, "What if it blew away in the wind?? What if somepony stepped on it and now it can't be read?!" She put her hooves up to her ears and gasped loudly, "WHAT IF A DOG ATE IT???"
"Calm down, Short Hilt..." Patina walked over and placed a hoof on her shoulder, easing her down to the ground, "You are worrying and stressing far too much...I say if she does not send help tomorrow, you should go back and tell her yourself."
She finally got ahold of herself, taking a few breaths to regain her sanity, "You're right...wait, why don't you come too? I'm sure she would be deli--"
"No." She refuted simply, "I am...not ready yet. It's a miracle I've even let you stay..." Patina's eye glistened with a forming tear.
Short Hilt sat on the cool grass, tilting her head, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have suggested. I mean, since we have some time, could I ask you why you're out here all alone? I know you said you decided to live alone, but, why? Even though you're sporting a wing and horn combo I don't see anything wrong with you."
"But my family and hometown did," Irritation rose in her voice, "I was never made to feel welcome."
Short Hilt's green eyes looked down sadly, acknowledging the fact that Patina might not have had a decent fillyhood. Though, she dared to inquire further, being careful with her tone, "So...what happened? It feels better when you tell others what's on your mind. I'm here to listen."
With shaky breaths, Patina clamped her mouth shut, as if unable to speak of her past. Short Hilt was just about to drop the subject as she began, "I...guess there is no harm in it...You see, I was born in a small village called Feather Fall. My mother and father were less than pleased to see they had produced me, an alicorn. My mother soon warmed up to me, but my father outright refused to call me his. So, he left. I don't remember what he looked like, but I was told by my aunt that I have his eyes. My mother carted me around just like any new mom. But as word spread, so did the disdain for my mother. They called her irresponsible for raising an alicorn and should have just left me in the woods."
Short Hilt raised her brow, "But, wait, I still don't understand WHY alicorns are so hated. I mean, I've only heard of two alicorns, Luna and Celestia, but why are natural born ones so bad? I would think it would be awesome!" She collected herself and cleared her throat.
"Sadly...not everyone shares your view, Short Hilt. According to our village, natural born alicorns are considered an abomination. One is born earth, unicorn, or pegasus. Being alicorn means your bloodline is tainted with either heinous deeds of your ancestors, or worse, inbreeding. The shame falls upon the mother of the foal, sadly. Which is why my father left. He must have felt that her bloodline was impure, and our village takes it very seriously. I don't know about other lands, but ours is very harsh." a small tear dropped to the ground, "My mother...she was so ashamed that she eventually had to leave me, too. I didn't understand at the time, of course. I was given to my aunt, who never made me feel welcome in her home. I was even denied the privilege of going to school. To everyone, I didn't deserve an education. I either had to work or leave. So, when I became old enough...I left. At first I didn't know where to go. Every village I passed either treated me with disdain or outright refused to let me in. I assumed they had similar beliefs. So, I came here, and lived in that cave over there," She pointed to the tall mountain with the cascading waterfall.
Short Hilt was lost for words. Never had she imagined such malice would come from ponies. She felt a fire in her heart burning, aching for her to try and reason with them. She shook her head and gave her a sympathetic look, "I'm...I'm sorry you had to endure that. If anypony tries belittling you for what you are in front of me, I'll teach 'em a lesson." She punched her hooves together with a loud 'clop.'
Patina kept her gaze to the ground, "No...you can't force someone to change their view. They have to be shown, not bullied. But...I don't know how to prove to anypony that I'm not...tainted."
"Hey, I found nothing wrong with you when we first met this morning. Sometimes you don't have to prove anything to anypony. You just have to be honest and be you," Short Hilt smiled, "Also, you're right. I can't build this town and expect everyone to get along right away...but, I'll do my best to show them the best side of every pony they meet and at least teach them to be civil."
"That is all anypony can hope to do," Patina looked up and smiled, "Perhaps there is hope after all..."
"Ponymunity, huh?" Came the inquisitive comment from a dark grey unicorn. His blue mane was flowing gently in the breeze. He examined the flyer taped to the side of the cobblestone building. It claimed to welcome all who would like to live there, and this unicorn smiled to himself, "Well, I guess that's one way to get me out of here."
He jotted down the time the first train would leave as a reminder, and he headed back home. The streets of Canterlot were a little less lively than usual, but he preferred the silence. As he made his way to the residential district he began to smile, "I could open my own shop there..." He pushed the door open to his home. It smelled familiar and welcoming, but he knew it was time to leave, "I'll show him...I'll quit tomorrow morning."
And with that, he began to pack his things.
----
Short Hilt's eyes grew wide. She was impressed that the construction ponies were so quick to build houses, shops, and even a town hall. She barely had to give them any instruction and she was bursting at the seams. She couldn't wait to see the whole town filled with ponies and various other creatures filling the streets.
"Okay, next on the list is to get trade going," She smiled and wrote another letter to Celestia asking for a trade route to be established.
Patina meanwhile, was gathering a few things from her cave. Smiling, she levitated a small figurine of her mother. It was crudely made, but the first thing she did and she was very proud. A small tear fell from her eye and she wiped it away. The feeling of nostalgia was quickly waved off as the breeze from Short Hilt's wings caught her attention, "Ah, hello Hilty. How is construction coming?"
"Fantastic!" She beamed, handing Patina the letter, "Could you send this to Celestia please?"
Without a word, Patina made the letter disappear with a flash, "I certainly hope the pony who keeps receiving these isn't bothered...I should visit Canterlot again if I am to be our only messenger yes?" She quickly retracted her statement, "Oh, no...nevermind."
Short Hilt laughed, "Oh I'm sure there will be other unicorns that have been there that would love to be our messenger!" Her grin wouldn't subside, "Oh, and the tracks going out towards Ponyville should be finished sometime tomorrow. We'll be connected to Appaloosa and Canterlot soon, too!" Her squeals of joy were echoing in the nearly empty cave.
Patina looked somewhat somber. A feeling in her gut had returned. She didn't quite know how to approach other ponies yet and certainly wasn't ready for a whole train full, let alone all of the workers who had volunteered for their efforts. She sighed, "I...hope you don't mind if I stay in here until work is finished?"
"Of course, you can come see everyone when you're ready. I'm not going to force you, though I did get a few interested ponies who wanted to meet you. But, I understand," Short Hilt landed on the rocky floor. She kept forgetting how small she was compared to Patina. She noticed the small figurine her tall friend had delicately placed in her bag, "Hey, what's that?"
"O-oh, this? This was the first thing I made out of clay," She smiled fondly at it as she levitated it out of the bag, "I...gave it to my mother before she left but...she forgot it. I want to find her and give it back someday."
It didn't have any color. It was a standard clay gray and it resembled what Short Hilt assumed to be Patina's mother. The details were crudely made, but it was obvious it was made with loving intent. Short Hilt did notice a large crack along the midsection of the pony though, "Wait, did it break before?"
As if not wanting to remember, Patina pinched her eyes shut, "Y-yes..." For a few moments she was silent, "My...aunt...she threw it on the ground one day when she got angry at me for wanting to go to school like the other ponies. She nearly shattered it to pieces before I managed to pull it away from under her hooves. I can't exactly remember how it ended, but I spent the whole night trying to find glue to fix it. I eventually had to sneak out and find some tree sap to hold it together temporarily."
"Oh...I'm sorry," Her ears pulled back sadly, "I didn't mean to--"
"It's alright, you were only curious. I shouldn't be upset about it anymore, it happened long ago," She managed a smile and went around the cave looking for a few more small things to pack away for her eventual move into a real home, "Have you eaten yet, Hilty?"
"Nope! I'm definitely hungry. That food I bought didn't last as long as Buckshot said it would," She gave a sheepish grin, "I think I saw some apple trees somewhere..."
Patina laughed, "Oh, Hilty, I know where to get food. I did live here before, you know."
"Oh. Right. Yeah," She bonked her own head playfully, sticking her tongue out, "I keep forgetting that. It almost feels like I've known you for years!"
"Hilty it has only been four days..." She blurted.
"And I make lifelong friends in two!" She flapped her wings and lifted herself off the ground, "So, let's go get some grub!"
Patina slept soundly for the first time in years. Her new home was such a relief from a dusty old cave. She felt like for the first time she was actually home again, and even with the morning sun shining brightly into her room, she still basked in a comforting slumber.
With the last bit of her dream fading, her consciousness returned. Her gorgeous blue eye opened half-way to make sure she was still in her new bed. With a squeaked yawn, she managed to pull herself out of bed. She stretched her wings and looked out the window, happy to see the construction ponies still about their business on the other end of town where the shops would go. Patina wandered to her washroom and levitated a brush to comb her messy hair. Laughing to herself, she brushed it while thinking of what to have for breakfast.
----
"Alright miss Short Hilt, everything should be good to go now!" Cloud Spur yelled enthusiastically from her post near a finished building. Her blue coat was dusty from all the dirt and saw dust.
The purple pegasus jumped up excitedly, "At last~!" Short Hilt flew over to the group of ponies that were exhausted but proud of their work, "As soon as our shops start to produce a profit I'll send extra funds your way, but here's a few to at least compensate for now," she reached into her pack and pulled out her bag of bits.
Cloud Spur took the bag and nodded, "Most appreciated! Perhaps later down the road I'll think of coming back here. It would be fun to live in a town I knew I helped build."
"Of course! I'd be happy to have you," She smiled brightly. As the construction ponies all flew back to Cloudsdale, Short Hilt began to notice how empty her town had become without all the guests, "Welcome to Ponymunity...population: two," she mumbled sadly and sighed, her head held low.
"Miss Short Hilt!" Came a shout from behind her. As she whipped her attention over to the earth stallion trotting up to her he continued, "I'm happy to let you know that the tracks leading towards Canterlot and Ponyville are complete, as well as to Appaloosa and Manehattan. You should be connected to every major city now. I believe the first train should arrive tomorrow!"
Her heart fluttered a little, "Oh wow, really?" She turned her whole body around to face him, "Thank you so much!"
The stallion nodded, "I think we'll all be headin' back to Appaloosa once we've had lunch. You're welcome to join us if ya like!" He turned to go back to the others.
Short Hilt thought for a moment. She wasn't particularly hungry due to the encasing lonely feeling creeping in on her. If it wasn't for Patina to pal around with, the first few days would have been brutal for sure. Short Hilt enjoyed her privacy, yes, but she always craved the companionship of others. Now that it was just going to be two of them, she was eager for the first train to arrive filled with new residents. She shook her head, deciding not to have lunch with them. She found her way over to the town hall. Ponymunity was still rather unfamiliar, even though she saw it built from the ground up. Glancing around her, she realized she had forgotten where Patina's new home was. Laughing to herself a little, she walked into the building. She smiled at how pretty it was, but it was still rather empty. No artwork decorating the halls, no plants to liven it up, and nopony at the front desk to greet her.
Patina noticed Short Hilt on her way to the hall. She tried waving at her, but she was preoccupied. She glanced around and walked up to her, "Is something wrong, Hilty?" Patina entered the doorway, "You seem upset, did something happen?"
"Oh, no, it's nothing..." She grew quiet for a few moments, seating herself on the cold marble floor.
"That silence says otherwise," Patina walked over and placed her hoof on her friend's shoulder, "What has you so down?"
She looked up at her, "It's...just so lonely right now...I was half way expecting new residents to be here already..."
Patina smiled, "Oh, Hilty. I know you're just eager to make new friends and have more ponies living here, but you already know that things don't always work like that."
"I was also expecting some of the ponies here already would move in...Cloud Spur said she might but I think that was juts a kind gesture," She shifted her wings, trying not to get too upset. She finally stood and began to walk out the door, head still low.
Patina followed, "Yes, I know. But this will give you time to get acquainted with where everything is, yes? I'll go with you if you like."
"Thanks, Patina. I'd like that," Short Hilt lifted her head up and smiled.
----
"Aaaaaalll aboard!"
A shout from the conductor caught the attention of a grey unicorn Stallion who was sitting on a bench reading his newspaper. He smiled, putting the crisp paper back into his pack. He levitated his bags and walked onto the train. Glancing back at Canterlot he smiled, "Good riddance ya old duffer."
The train to Ponymunity was mostly barren. A grey unicorn with a light blue mane was occupying his time by reading his newspaper. He particularly liked the comics, but unfortunately he was almost through with them. Stops at every town along the way made the journey all the more lonely.
"Looks like I'm the only one moving in today," he muttered to himself.
Appaloosa was around the corner. For the first time the whole journey, as the train slowed to a stop, a pony boarded. His coat was bright red and his mane flared up with a similar red color and a lighter red in the front. His tail was reminiscent of a piece of bacon in its pattern. He cleared his throat and sat quite a distance away from the gray stallion.
"Heading to Ponymunity too, huh?" the grey unicorn smiled at his new train-mate.
"You betcha!" he grinned, patting the suitcase next to him, "I've been waiting my whole life to get out there and live in a town where no one knows me."
"From Appaloosa then? Yeah, living in small towns really gets boring I bet. I'm from Canterlot, myself."
"Wha-uh, no, I'm not from Appaloosa. I'm from Manehattan. I was just on a, uh...business trip and decided just to...y'know, take the bare essentials and not go back home," the red earth pony was visibly nervous.
The grey unicorn lifted his eyebrow. Something about that didn't make sense. He brushed it off, "Name's Rolling Thunder."
"Pepper Blaze..."
The rest of the trip was silent. Pepper Blaze shifted awkwardly in his seat. He knew Rolling Thunder picked up on his fib.
------------
Short Hilt sat eagerly at the train station. She had been waiting since the sun rose and bags of sleeplessness hung on her face. She sighed every few minutes as if in a trance. She couldn't take her eyes off the track. What sort of founder would she be if she didn't greet her first trainload of guests?! Each minute that went by, however, began to drain on her. Would anypony even be coming today? Her stomach growled, but she ignored it.
-------------
Several hours passed and Short Hilt was asleep at the platform. The loud horn of the train jolted her awake. Her face lit up in excitement and she bounced up and down. She flitted into the air and with a huge grin on her face, she began practicing what she would say to her new residents, "I'd like to welcome you all to Ponymunity! Yeah, that's it, got it! I'm the founder, Short Hilt. I'll show you to the--" she gasped as the train rolled up.
She inhaled sharply and prepared to let out her speech. She stopped mid-sentence when she saw only two ponies, "A-oh...only two?" she drooped and slowly descended. While she was happy to have at least somepony show up, she was certainly expecting more.
"Short Hilt?" Rolling Thunder smiled.
"Thunder??" She beamed.
"Wow, I didn't know you were the pony behind this! That's awesome!"
"Yeah, I finally got up the funds to start this place up! I'm so glad you could make it, I was going to die of boredom!" She looked over at Pepper Blaze, "And who's this?"
"Pepper Blaze," he introduced himself, "Thank you for the opportunity for me to start off on my own. I hope I'm not being too pushy but I'd like to see where I'll be living."
Short Hilt flew up, "Sure thing! I'll give you guys the tour!"
Patina landed on one of the homes in the residential district. She wasn't quite ready to go and meet a whole group of ponies, but she noticed that Short Hilt was leading two stallions into the area, beaming the whole time. Patina sighed out of relief and gathered up her courage to greet them. She landed in the clearing, trying her best not to look intimidated.
"Oh, Patina! You're just in time!" Short Hilt bolted over to her, "These are our new residents, Rolling Thunder and Pepper Blaze!" she motioned to each of them respectively.
"H-hello, welcome to your new home," Patina muttered.
Pepper Blaze raised his brow, "Ahhh hello there!" sidling up to her, he tried putting on his charm, "Come here often?"
Thunder rolled his eyes, "Don't mind him. It's nice to meet you, Patina. It's a pleasure meeting yet another princess."
"P-princess? I'm not a princess, just a...normal...alicorn..." she retreated away slowly, head down and ears pulled back. She knew they were going to call her a classless freak or worse. Without letting them continue she flew away back to her original cave.
"Did I say something wrong?" Rolling Thunder frowned, "I didn't mean to upset her..."
Short Hilt shook her head, "It's alright. She's just not used to ponies accepting her. She was told to leave her hometown once she was old enough to survive on her own. She was luckier than most. Where she's from, natural born alicorns are considered freaks of nature. They aren't royalty by any means."
"Oh..." Pepper frowned, "That's terrible...should we follow her?"
Short Hilt nodded, "It's better to let her know that she's totally welcome here sooner rather than later. I'll let you guys pick your homes out and then we'll go see her."
The two stallions nodded and quickly chose their houses. Pepper Blaze settled with a single-bedroom cottage that had a large basement. Rolling Thunder went with the home with the observatory so he could keep an eye on the weather. Once they set their things down they regrouped with Short Hilt in the clearing. All three of them headed for Patina's cave where they found her lying down on the cold, rocky floor.
Their hoofsteps echoed in the darkness. Patina lifted her head, her cheeks stained with tears, "I'm sorry..."
Short Hilt walked up to her friend and placed her hoof on her shoulder, "It's ok, we know you're wary around new ponies. But we all talked and they certainly don't think anything bad of you. We're all friends here," she smiled widely and flew out of the cave, "Now c'mon, you don't live here anymore. Let's get you back into town, ok? This place is cold and dark. Not suitable for such an awesome pony."
Patina gave her a nod and stood, wiping away her tears. She smiled at the stallions, following them out.
---------------
Over lunch, the group sat and discussed upcoming plans for the town. Short Hilt explained her idea of having a leader for each of the main pony groups. She would be the voice for the pegasi, Rolling Thunder for earth ponies, and Rolling Thunder for the unicorns. The two of them agreed and they each discussed their duties.
"Oh! I almost forgot, what's your talent, Pepper? I know Rolling Thunder can use his magic to alter the weather, but what's that flame cutie mark for?" Short Hilt asked.
Pepper Blaze looked around, slightly nervous. After a brief pause he said, "Firefighting. I'm a fire fighter. I fight fires."
"Whoa, cool! That'll really come in handy in case of an emergency! Ok, so you'll be in charge of keeping ponies safe from harm," she smiled widely.
"Yeah..."
Patina chimed up, "So...um...what shall I do?"
Short Hilt pondered for a moment, "Well, since there aren't that many alicorns out there, you could be the leader of all the non-pony species like griffins and such," she squealed, "Oooh, I hope we get some griffins!"
"That sounds agreeable to me," Patina nodded.
"So now, we just wait for more ponies to show up!" Short Hilt bolted for the train station again. The trio of ponies left in her wake all sighed with awkward smiles on their faces.
The following morning, Rolling Thunder made his way over to Short Hilt's home. He had finished unpacking and wished to discuss opening a shop once more ponies moved in. While in Canterlot he hated being pushed around by his ex-boss. He hated his business practices that just treated ponies like bits, rather than friends and valued patrons. The day he quit would remain in his mind forever. One last day of toil and scrutiny as a server at the Golden Trough. He bid farewell by placing his apron on the front desk and without a word, he left the establishment to begin a new life in Ponymunity. He never did hear back from his boss, nor did he want to.
He knocked on the door and Short Hilt promptly answered as if she were standing there waiting for him, "Good morning, Thunder!"
"G-good morning, Hilty...say, um," he cleared his throat, "would it at all be possible for me to open up a shop here in town?"
A giant smile spanned across her face. It almost seemed manic, "Of course! What kind of shop do you wanna open up?"
"Well, I dabble in potion making every now and then so I was hoping to open a shop with useful potions and salves. In case anypony gets hurt or sick I at least want to be able to offer medical services before we get an actual hospital up and running."
"That sounds like an awesome idea! Did you have a storefront in mind?" Hilty flew over and landed behind him.
"No, I haven't been to the shopping district yet. Do you know of one that would suit a potion shop best?" Thunder turned around and smiled.
Short Hilt pondered for a moment, "I think I have one in mind. Follow me!" She led the dark grey unicorn into the eastern side of the town where many empty storefronts lined the streets. She pointed to the shop with the blue roof just a few buildings down, "How about that one?"
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Pepper Blaze awoke with a jolt. A nightmare kept him from sleeping most of the night. He sighed with relief that it was finally morning. He tried recalling what his nightmare was about, but he had forgotten. All he knew was that there was a sinking feeling in his gut. Perhaps breakfast would help. He opened his bedroom door which led to the living room. His house was still bare aside from his bed, a chair and small table in the kitchen, a couch, and basic kitchen supplies; all pre-furnished. In his haste he had totally forgotten about furniture, but at least it was covered for him and he didn't have to sleep on the cold floor. His hoofsteps were loud on the laminated floor of his kitchen, "I should get some music," he muttered. His fridge was barren since he had only brought some apples with him. He closed the door and with a loud 'thud' his head made contact, "Ugh...I had no idea moving was so hard. I really don't want apples..." His stomach growled and beckoned him to go on a search.
He walked out of his home and was greeted by the bright morning sun. Making his way to the shopping district, he finally realized, "Oh, wait...none of the restaurants are open...dang it," he kicked a rock with his hoof sadly, "Maybe there are some supplies somewhere. Where's Hilty at...?"
As if it were planned, Short Hilt and Rolling Thunder emerged from the new potion shop. Short Hilt's attention was immediately set on the noisy galloping coming from the red earth pony. He skidded to a stop, "I'm hungry!" he blurted.
Short Hilt smiled, "I know where to get some apples, oranges, and peaches if you like! Patina showed me an awesome orchard just beyond the waterfall! I was actually talking to Rolling Thunder about getting a harvest going."
