//------------------------------// // Welcome to Ponyville! Do you have a ticket? // Story: Golden Love // by enigmaMystere //------------------------------// There are many ways one can describe Ponyville, but one word no one ever seems to want to use despite its accuracy is... excitable. You'd be surprised how crazy the town can get over things like strangers, bunnies, or even a simple scrap of paper. Today is one of those days, as a crowd with feverish emotions gathers outside the local library, all clamoring to get at the paper. Of course, the reason why is lost on a newcomer to the town, who had just turned the corner and is watching the crowd from a distance. A frown forms on the edges of his charcoal-colored beak. "...what is going on over there?" He unfurls his golden wings and carefully flutters closer, deciding it'd be easier to talk to one of the flying ponies. "Hey, what's going on? Is a new book out?" The spring green mare turns to him, the excitement in her eyes flickering out of existence for a moment as she notices his eyes, each like a bronze moon in a starless sky. It takes her a split second to remember to flap, shaking her head to clear it. "No! The New mare has a spare ticket to the Grand Galloping Galla!" He blinks, looking at her in confusion. "...tickets to the what, now?" "The biggest ball of the year held in Canterlot!" She gestures wildly with her hooves. "How could you not know?!" He just stares at her, bringing a talon up to tap his beak. "Because I'm not from here, I'd say?" "Oh.. okay, well... I'm going to get back to trying to get the ticket, okay?" She smiles at him before darting back down and peeking in a window. Tilting his head to the side, he just shrugs and lands on the ground, looking around. Realizing just how lost he is, he sighs in defeat and decides to approach another mare, gently tapping her on the shoulder. "Excuse me, where do I go to get a place to live?" "Huh?" She turns to him. "Oh, umm... the mayor maybe? Town Hall's the official looking building over there." She points him in a direction that looks like it's deeper into town. He smiles and bows to her. "Thank you, Miss. I hope your day turns out as lovely as you are." He turns and walks away, missing the quiet pout a nearby mint green unicorn directs his way. The mare he had spoken to just giggles, touching her chin as she does so. He slowly makes his way through the streets, looking around at all the similar buildings. "...how do ponies not get lost around here..." He sighs and walks through the abandoned tents of what he assumes must be a marketplace, and he takes the time to carefully observe what there is for sale. As it was founded by farmers, many of the stalls are food and related wares, with a few vendors still selling, but some had apparently been swept up in that strange rush about the ticket. He stops by one of them, smiling warmly as he points at the direction he's going. "That's the way to town hall, right? No twists or turns or anything?" She nods. "Yep, big old tall building." He nods, placing a claw on her hoof. "Thank you." He glances at what she's selling. "Honey? Is it as sweet as you?" He closes his eyes as he beams at her, hoping to hide his slight grimace. She blows a small raspberry. "You're not the first one to try that, but thank you. Sample?" She offers him a tiny cup of honey. "Can't blame a griffin for trying." He takes it in a claw, waving to her with a wing as he walks away. "Come back for more if you like it!" He nods, absently licking from the cup as he wanders the streets, hopefully getting closer to the town hall. Finally, it seems to be coming up in the middle of a plaza ahead of him. He immediately brightens up and hurries to get there just a bit faster. The area seems largely open and uncrowded, with the quietness of a public office building a little more present than usual, but not unsettling. He makes it to the door without incident, pressing it open and making his way inside. "Hello?" He looks around nervously. "Anyone here?" "Hmm?" A stallion at the desk looks up. "Yes, how may I help you?" "Yea, I'm looking for a place to live?" He walks over to the desk, resting a claw on it. "Anywhere that's renting, currently?" "Hmm... I believe we do have a few. Were you looking to rent a room or a house?" "Eh..." He scratches his cheek. "...which one comes with a bed? I don't exactly have many possessions..." "We have options for either. Did you have any specifications you wanted to try and accommodate?" He flips a few pages. "A veranda, maybe, where I can work on art?" He smiles brightly at him. "It's sort of my thing." "Oh, an artist? Let's see if we can get you a house, then..." After flipping through a few more pages, he nods. "Here we go. I think this will be to your tastes." He tilts his head, reaching over and carefully picking up the page in question. It has a picture of the house, looking not really different than the variety he saw on the way over. It does have the balcony requested on the second floor, overlooking the backyard. He blinks, leaning closer to the building before glancing at the pony in front of him. "Is that the library beside it?" He points to what looks like a branch that made its way into the shot with a birdhouse and balcony of its own on it. Peeking at it, and paying more attention, the clerk nods. "It seems so." "...you know what? It's probably quiet near the library." He pauses for a moment, frowning a bit. "...current mob notwithstanding. I'll take it." He reaches towards the bag under his wing. "How much is the down payment?" He tells him a reasonable number. "Do you know how long you'll be staying?" "I haven't the foggiest." He shrugs, giving the requested amount to him. "A while, at least." He nods. "That's fine. just sign here, rent is due on the first, and welcome to Ponyville." The final statement is accompanied by a key. "It's nice to be here." He smiles warmly, patting the stallion on the hoof before turning and walking away towards his new home. "I wonder if all ponies are this welcoming?" The town seems calmer on his way home. The crowds are either dispersed or in the process of it as the large tree library comes into view. As he approaches his door, six mares exit the tree, all with satisfied smiles and a ticket. His eyes widen for a moment before a lazy grin forms on his beak, stopping right in their path. "Hello, ladies, wonderful evening, isn't it?" The lavender unicorn in front giggles at him, her mood light. "Yes sir, yes it is." He just continues to smile, bowing to all of them as respectfully as possible. "And where are lovely ladies such as yourself heading off to at this time of night?" He takes the time to look at each mare in turn, starting with the pretty purple one standing right in front of him. "We're just headed to the bakery to grab some celebration snacks." Her smile is ever present as she speaks to him. The griffin just blinks, tilting his head to one side. "Celebration for what?" "For all of us getting tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala, the bestest party that ever happened in Canterlot but only because I haven't been there to throw one yet!" He takes a half step back at the sudden outburst from the pink pony beside the first unicorn, his eyes wide and owlish in stunned silence. "...o... kay?" He looks to the others, brow furrowed slightly. "Is it really that good a party?" "Are you kidding? The Wonderbolts are gonna be there!" The mare with the rainbow mane frowns, crossing her forelegs and glaring down at him. "Don't you know about them in Griffinstone?" "I... can't particularly say I do." He scratches at his chin. "Can't speak for everyone else, though." "He could be from somewhere else..." The yellow one speaks up, barely audible. The rainbow maned pony is cut off by the pink one, who jumps forward and takes the griffin by the shoulders. "Hey, why don't you join us? You might not have a ticket, but that's no reason to not have fun!" He blinks, counting on his talons for a moment before looking at the purple unicorn, an eyebrow raised. "...I can't tell... was that grammatically correct?" She nods. "It was." "Good." He tilts his head, then smiles warmly. "Is it safe to assume you're as smart as you are adorable?" "Well... I am educated." She answers, unsure. The orange mare behind her just laughs. "Phew, piles it on, don't he?" "To be fair, you're all lovely mares." He chuckles, placing a talon on his chest. "Oh, but where are my manners? My name is Flick, and I just moved here-" A loud gasp fills the air and the pink pony has knocked him over, leaving him dizzy. "A new pony in town?!" The white mare off to the side speaks up finally. "Griffin, darling." "You say tomato, I say new friend!" She hugs him tight, then gets off him with a grin. "Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie! Welcome to Ponyville!" "How's it look from the other side, Twi?" The mare with a hat asks. The purple unicorn laughs. "Refreshing." Shaking off his bout of dizziness, he gives the rest of them a nervous smile. "So... who are the rest of you, if I may ask?" "Oh, well, I'm Twilight Sparkle. It's nice to meet you Mister Flick." She gives a small bow of her head. He holds out his claws, smiling at her. "The pleasure is all mine." He closes his eyes and, feeling a hoof get placed in his grip, he lifts it up and pecks it. "Oh my." The refined voice makes him blink and look at the other unicorn in surprise. "Such a gentlecolt! My name is Rarity, and it is wonderful to meet you." He blushes a bit, giving her a nervous grin. "It's always nice to find a diamond." He lets go of her and looks to Twilight, claws scraping at the ground. "Ah'm Applejack." The mare behind the one he's looking at states bluntly, tipping her hat. The blue pegasus lands beside the farmer, puffing her chest out. "I'm Rainbow Dash!" Flick stares blankly at her. "...somehow, I expected that." The last mare doesn't seem to be introducing herself, instead opting to hide behind her friends. He just looks to Twilight, gesturing to the lady pegasus in concern. "She's Fluttershy, she's... well, shy." She smiles sheepishly. "Ah, that... actually makes sense." He nods, then glances at the library with a raised eyebrow. "...is there someone still in there? Why are the lights still on?" "Oh! Spike!" She turns just in time to see the a small drake run out of the library, his own ticket in his hand. The griffin blinks, looking at all the mares in confusion. "...what's a dragon doing in the library?" "He's my assistant," she explains. "And they live there," Rarity supplies. "...wait," the griffin points at the purple pony standing right in front of him, "so you're my neighbors?" "Oh, do you live near here?" She is clearly intrigued by this turn of events. "Yea, just on the other side of the library." He points to the building in question, only to frown as he realizes it's shrinking. He quickly realizes that it's just getting further away. He turns and sees Pinkie pulling on his tail. "Come on, it's a party!" She grins brightly. "You need at least one when you're living here!" The other girls laugh, following them.