//------------------------------// // The Fox in Town // Story: The End of The Long Road // by Cobalt the Kitsune //------------------------------// It was a peaceful day in Ponyville, no monster attacks, no magical explosions coming from the direction of Princess Twilight's Castle, it was great. A breeze blew into Ponyville carrying with it a shower of sweet smelling cherry blossoms. Cobalt blew in as well, stopping at the top of the hill and looking down at the town. It hadn't been there when he had left, yet another reminder how much things had changed. But he couldn’t dwell on that when he was so close. He pulled his traveling cape from out of his saddle bag and laid it across himself to obscure his wings. There was no need for everyone to gawk at him while he was just passing through. As the path beneath his hooves shifted from dirt to cobblestone, he looked at the thatched roof houses at either side of the street. “You know...” he said to himself in a low voice. “I was never a fan of communities with this sort of forced exterior design...but it's actually rather quai-oof!” As he had not been paying attention to where he was going he ended up stumbling head over hooves over one of the smaller ponies, a pink one with an especially plush and frizzy main. “oww...I think I sprained something...” He moaned as he laid on his back. “Wowize wow mister!” The Pink pony said as she sprung up almost immediately before going over to help him up. “Are you okay? That was quite the tumble.” “Yeah. I've been in Saddle Arabia so long...” He said as he and the pink pony worked together to get himself back on his feet, standing up to his full height, nearly twice her’s. “I've forgotten how diminutive ponies are here.” “Wow, you are tall!” She said as she bent her neck back to view his full height. “I don't think I've seen anypony as tall as you, well except perhaps Princess Celestia.” “I suppose that's so,” He said smiling warmly. Though this pony had made the comparison from him to his estranged sister, he supposed that she really doesn't suspect anything. He had become all but legend in other regions he visited, he was sure that he probably was totally forgotten in his own country. That could have been a sad thought it suited his purposes or now as it helped him keep a low profile. “Hai thar Pinkie Pie!” An orange pony with a freckled muzzle and a straw blond mane called out as she pulled a cart full of apples onto the scene. “Who's this stranger you're talking to.” “Oh him he's just some pony I ran into just now.” She giggled a little and then added. “Literally!” “Honestly it was my fault for not watching where I was going.” He admitted with a red shade of embarrassment coloring his cheeks before he nodded towards the cart. “Did you grow all these?” “Yep!” Pinkie said, cutting back into the conversation . “Applejack and the rest of her family grow the best apples in all of Equestria!” The animated earth pony had reared up and opened her legs so wide for emphasis that she was in danger of falling over. “Well... I suppose that's true.” Applejack said as she crossed her front hooves and beaming proudly. “We pride ourselves in the great care and love we put into our crop.” “That sounds lovely.” He said smiling and licking his lips hungrily, he hadn't eaten since last night and since he’d be walking most all day he was very hungry. “I been traveling so much I’m not even sure how a farm fresh apple tastes...much less how my favorite type tastes...” “Well I have all types here,” Applejack said unhitching herself from her wagon and began gesturing at each bucket of the different types of apples in turn. “Gala, Golden Delicious, Mcintosh, Fuji-” “Well umm, I don’t think you’d have it...” He said, referring to the zap apple, as he poked through the barrels of apples. Her sisters and him had their own grove full back when they still lived in Everfree. He of course didn't realize that the Apple family had found them growing wild and had cultivated grown their own crop of the rainbow colored fruit. “It's awfully rare...in fact, I think it might not even exist anymore... I’ll just have one of these.” He said taking an apple from the top of a barrel. “Though umm I don’t have any bits on me...perhaps I have something of value to trade...” “Ah, sucks don’t worry about it. Have it on me. ” Applejacks said smiling warmly at the stallion. “Really? That’s very kind.” He said before taking a bite out of the rich juicy apple, chewing it with relish. “So what brings you to Ponyville?” AJ asked as a few more ponies came up to her stand to purchase her produce. “Well I’ve done a bit of traveling.” He said before realizing he still had apple in his mouth. Blushing, he swallowed and continued. “I felt that it was high time that came back and see how things were here at home, catch up with my sisters and all that.” “Ohh what kind of places have you been to?!” Pinkie said excitedly, hoping to hear all about the adventures her new friend had been on. “Oh, Yakyakistan, Japony, the Pearl Islands, Saddle Arabia.” He said listing them off nonchalantly. “Really just all over.” “I say!” A white unicorn with a gently curled, royal purple main, wearing a pastel yellow sun hat said as she trotted up to the stand. “That makes you quite the well traveled stallion doesn't it?” “Howdy Rarity.” The farm pony said welcoming her. “We were just talking with umn...what's you name again?” “Oh, I don't think I've given it yet.” The stallion said after finishing another bite of apple. “My names Cobalt.” “Well Cobalt, let be the first one to say your really do have a sense of style.” Rarity said approvingly stallion before lifting up his cape so she feel the fabric in her hooves. “This is the most marvelous material I've ever seen! Is it a type of silk?” It was true that the material was quite spectacular. It was colored sky blue, but its peculiar sheen almost gave the illusion of white clouds moving across it. “Well,” Cobalt blushed nervously as used his magic to take his cape back gently. There was no need for this pony to look beneath his cape to see the wings he was trying to hide. “I do have a few bolts of similar fabrics if you'd like to see them.” He said quickly pulling out the fabric for his saddlebags, that he had used magic to increase the size of, and present them to Rarity. Similarly to his own cape, these fabrics also had interesting, illusory effects. One bolt was gold, with bright fiery splashes of orange and red flaring when the sun hit it a certain way. The other had a deep midnight blue color. It could be seen shimmering with specs and bands of light that almost made it look like the night sky. “Surely you can't be giving these to me!” The fashion pony said, in shock as the stallion hovered them over to her. “You-you must have had some purpose for them!” “Well... I was going to have them made into dresses for my sisters but...” He said sighing a little and running the back of his head. “I kinda realized a bit ago that I don't really know their gown sizes...” “Oh no matter. When you meet up with them you can send me their gown sizes and I can make the dresses!” Rarity said as she set the fabrics on her back. “It's the least I can do after you've given me the fabric to make them.” “Wow umm thank you.” Cobalt said with a smile. “I'll be sure to get those to you.” “Hey what's going on down here?” A rainbow maned Pegasus, followed shortly by a yellow Pegasus with a long pink mane and tail. “Oh Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Darlings.” Rarity called as her flying friends touched down on the ground. “You simply must meet Cobalt! He's quite ‘cool’ as you would say.” “Well I wouldn't say that...” He said humbly chuckling, he was certainly causing quite the crowd now. So much for just passing through... “Well as the local authority on total coolness” Rainbow said pridefully smiling. “I think I can determine for myself weather he’s cool or not.” “Well, I can say that you're definitely...interesting...” Fluttershy said as she looked the tall stallion up and down. She kinda felt ambivalent towards him, his tall stature and all around wild look made him a bit intimidating, but also had the features similar to a cute little fox. She didn’t know how to feel about him, only making a little more scared of him. Cobalt was going to open his mouth to try and make some excuse to get away, but then he saw something that stopped him short. Trotting along the street, looking at what looked like very scientific charts and maps, was another alicorn! Then something even more surprising to him happened, the pink pony, the one that he had stumbled over, called out to her. “Hey Twilight, why don’t come over here and meet Cobalt!” “I’m sorry Pinkie.” The lavender alicorn said not looking up from what she had right in front her. “But reports have been coming in from all over Equestria about wild weather patterns forming. I’ve got to get to Canterlot right away.” “Which reminds me!” Cobalt said speaking up as he shuffled away from the group, getting a head start. “I also need to catch a train to Canterlot...See my sister’s and all that...I’ll definitely come back around once I get settled down.” And like that, he was galloping off like a bolt of lightning. Pinkie smiled looking at all her friends that had gathered around here. “I like him.”