It was a rainy day when the creature wandered out of the everfree forest into Ponyville, pushing with them a large wheeled basket, made out of an odd sort of metal mesh. Clothed in an all concealing cloak, the creature took advantage of the storm to wander through the empty streets, looking for a certain building.
Eventually, it finds it, a large circular building, surrounded one one side by a river, and on the other side lay a fountain. The building fit the description he was given perfectly. The creature walked up the short flight of stairs, carefully maneuvering his odd basket up as well, before approaching the door and knocking. Hearing no response, the creature paused for a moment, before opening the door to the building, finding it unlocked. Opening the door, his vision was met with a long corridor. I suppose that the person-Ah, pony. I suppose that the PONY I need to see is further inside.
Well, he needed to get out of the rain anyways. At this rate his cloak would be soaked and he would catch a cold. And he had better things to do than get sick. The creature slowly pushed his cart into the building, humming as he began searching for the offices of one Mayor Mare.
Mayor Mare was mildly bored. The storm had left most of the ponies indoors, and combined with the fact that it was the weekend and most of the other ponies who worked at the town hall were enjoying their day off, she was the only one in today.
She gazed down at the permit application she had to sign off on. Somepony wanted to construct a pool or something. Why, she had no idea. Fall was almost over, after all. Besides which, she was fairly sure that building it at the requested location would violate zoning laws. She sighed and stamped a quick 'deny' on the permit, taking note to find the pony later and discuss alternative locations. After all, the town could really use a pool..
Next year. When it was warm. And in a spot that didn't violate several rules. She moved on to the next piece of paperwork, this one a petition, and sighed. Another request to renovate the old abandoned library. She set it aside. The problem with renovating the library was that despite her best efforts, she couldn't find somepony to be the librarian.
She was about to read the next piece, something about a noise complaint, when she heard a knock. Looking up, Mayor Mare blinked. She had been fairly certain she was the only one who came into work today, meaning that somepony had weathered that awful storm to visit. "Come in!" she shouted, glad for the brief reprieve she'd be getting from looking over paper work.
She froze when she saw her visitor. An impossibly tall, thin creature, its head almost reaching the ceiling, face hidden in shadows, covered by an old raggedy cloak, pushing an odd cart with them. It looked like a monster out of a storybook for foals. And then she heard it speak. "Ah, are you Mayor Mare?" It said, in a soft, scratchy voice, like it had swallowed sand.
"U-um. Y-yes, I'm Mayor Mare," she stammered, quietly panicking about this strange being in her office and its intentions.
The thing gave a brief tilt of its head in what Mayor Mare thought might be a nod. "Are you busy? I can come back later," it asked in that soft, yet rough voice. Mayor Mare gave a dry swallow.
On the one hand the creature didn't...SEEM to have ill intentions. The mayor took a deep breath to calm down. Besides, if it did have malevolent things planned, best to not have the thing return later, when there might be other ponies at the town hall who might get hurt. "No, I have time."
The creature gave a brief nod and stepped further inside, pushing the same cart as before. "Thank you, then. I, ah, am told you are the pers-PONY, the pony to see about purchasing a house in this town?" It asked, before pausing. "Apologies. I, uhm, am from a very distant land, and I'm still getting used to the plurals Equestria uses."
Mayor Mare blinked. This creature wanted...to purchase a house? "Um. Alright?" Worried that this might be a trap, she opened a drawer in her desk, and quickly browsed the files, looking to find a building that was currently unoccupied or for sale. "Any requirements?" She asked.
"If you could find one with a slightly taller ceiling, it would be appreciated. Otherwise my only real request is that it have plenty of space," the creature replied.
The Mayor nodded, quickly looking through potentials. "Well, we have a open three story on Hoofmeyer Street. It's near the local market, so it'll be a bit noisy during the day."
The creature visibly perked up. "It sounds perfect. How much will it cost?" It asked, with something in its voice that the mayor couldn't identify. Eagerness?
The mayor quickly looked at the listed price and winced. "It, ah, will cost..." How to break this gently.
"...Seven hundred thousand bits." The mayor said before flinching, expecting the figure to grow upset at the exorbitant price, only for it to nod, and stretch one long gangly limb to its strange wheeled basket, fishing around before it pulled out a small pouch and placing it on Mayor Mare's desk.
"Will this be satisfactory? I have no idea how valuable it is in Equestrian terms." He asked, opening the pouch to reveal...
Mayor Mare's eyes widened at the treasure in the pouch. In the past she had dabbled in coin collecting, and could recognize the currency of old Equestria, carefully crafted coins of platinum and other extremely rare metals, mixed with a variety of rare gems.
She was fairly certain that this would MORE than pay for the house, seeing as even one such coin could go for as much as fifty thousand bits. "Yes. That will almost certainly be satisfactory." Mayor Mare took a deep breath. "I...assume you want to move in immediately?" She ventured to guess.
The creature nodded. "That would be preferable. I assume I need to sign something?" It asked.
The mayor shook her head. "No. I can handle that bit, I think. I WILL need a name to put on the forms, however."
The creature paused. Mayor Mare couldn't see its face or whatever thoughts were going through its mind, but the fact that it had to pause at all told her a great deal.
This creature didn't want to use its actual name. At the very least, it wasn't sure about it. Which led to more questions. Was this creature a criminal? A monster on the run?
She would have to look in for it, contact someponies she knew to search into the matter. For now, better the creature stay where it could be monitored. "A pseudonym is perfectly acceptable," she lied.
It nodded. "In that case, for now, put me down as...Lamp Lighter, perhaps. If necessary, I can change it later, yes?"
The Mayor nodded, and quickly filled out the paperwork. "Alright, you are now the proud owner of 245 Hoofmeyer. Do you have any business?"
The creature shook its head. "Not now, I don't think. Thank you for your time." It briefly glanced out the window, noting that the storm seemed to be clearing up. "And with that, I think it time to bid you adieu." It stood up, going to leave, pushing its strange basket with him. But before he could leave the Mayor's office, he paused. "Ah. I, uhm. I don't know where the house I just purchased is," the creature said.
The Mayor sighed. "Fine. The storm's letting up, so I can go show you where the house is." She stood up from her desk and began walking out. "Follow me."
As the storm let up, Ponies stopped hiding away in their houses. Some wore raincoats. Others used umbrellas. Some simply went without, whether due to an enjoyment of the light rain or a lack of anything to keep them dry.
They were more than a little surprised when they saw Mayor Mare escorting the creature through the town. Some gawked, others whispered amongst themselves, others simply bolted. Throughout, there was an air of confusion and worry.
"Who is that?"
"WHAT is that?"
"What does it want?"
"Where is it going with the mayor?"
"Whats with that basket thing?"
The creature ignored their comments. Its to be expected. After all, I'm something they haven't seen before. Being nervous is normal.
"This is it," Said Mayor Mare as they came upon the house the creature had bought. It had a white wooden fence surrounding it, the paint dry and cracking, and several of the windows were cracked or otherwise needing replacement. The yard wasn't much better, covered in weeds and overgrowth. It was apparent that no one had lived here in several years.
However, to the creature it was perfect. Sure, it needed a little maintenance, but compared to the place he had been staying it was an absolute palace. He turned to the pony who had led him here, and gave a brief nod. "It's amazing. Thank you for helping me find it." He said, his voice heavy with emotion. An actual home! He'd need to go find furnishings tomorrow, see about fixing the windows, but the fact that he owned an actual house filled him with a warm, light feeling.
"If there's anything you need, Mr. Lamp Lighter, feel free to ask." Mayor Mare said giving a large smile. Lamp Lighter nodded.
"I will, thank you. Have a nice day." With that, he slowly pushed open the gate and, shoving his basket along, disappeared into the house.
Mayor Mare stood there for a second, watching him enter the building, still holding the obviously fake grin on her face until he was gone, and holding it a bit longer, before dropping it with a sigh. Right. Now to contact someone to keep an eye on this...Lamp Lighter. And do a background check. AAAAAND find someone to appraise the treasure the creature had paid for the house. She turned and began the trek back to her office as the sun slowly came out, whispers surrounding her.
"Did that creature buy the house?"
"What did Mayor Mare call him? Lamp Lighter?"
"I don't think the mayor would let him stay in town if he was dangerous. Maybe he's friendly?"
'I hope he's friendly. I REALLY hope so." Mayor Mare thought, worry in her heart.