//------------------------------// // Chapter four: A tour around town and fitting in. // Story: Season 10: Dawn of a new generation of Harmony // by xombiekilla //------------------------------// "I don't have much time before leaving. Twilight just summoned Smolder and me to Canterlot. You'll be fine here. My husband Sunburst can see you. Equestria may have a chance, thanks to you, Hero." Starlight reached out for Smolder as she grabbed her forearm, and they both teleported away. "Alright then. I'll be sure to look out for him." Hero said as he went to the castle's center and saw two ponies. It's as if they knew he was there and were waiting for him. "Hero, right? Pleased to meet you. The name's Sunburst and this here is my daughter, Luster Dawn." She looked like she wanted to be anywhere else but here. "Umm.. is she okay?" "Oh, she's fine. We're trying to help her find some friends. She doesn't think that having friends is important. It's a work in progress." Sunburst had a pretty long beard and looked like the elder. There's no doubt about it. "It's fine, and I'm not here to make her uncomfortable. Maybe I can get a tour of the town." "Certainly. But a word to the wise: Pinkie can get a bit... eccentric sometimes. She's not dangerous. But since she's going out to see Twilight, you likely won't meet her yet." "Righto then." They made their way out of the castle and Town Square. "This is the Town Hall. This is where our staff manages all the official legal and business affairs." Sunburst then guided Hero to a giant carousel-like building. Only to see a unicorn mare coming out in a hurry. "Hey there, Rarity." "Oh, hello there, Sunburst, darling. I don't have much time for introductions as I have to get to Twilight's Castle. But I'll see you two later." "That was Rarity. A fantastic seamstress and tailor. And she's the Element of Generosity." "Really? That's kinda cool." "Indeed. You remember all of the elements, right?" "Y-Yeah, I was told a story like that by my mom.. before she left. The fabled story of Equestria's saviors: Kindness, Loyalty, Magic, Laughter, Honesty, and Generosity, right?" "That's not all of them. The Pillars were the heroes before we were." "Pillars?" "Starswirl and his friends." "Never heard of him or them." "You haven't heard of the legendary Starswirl the Bearded?" Sunburst was in genuine shock, which, in all fairness, was understandable. "Nope. Was he powerful?" "Oh, he certainly was and is. And he's still alive, even after all this time. They sacrificed themselves and were trapped in limbo, so they're here now." "Can I meet them?" "Actually, no, you can't. You don't meet them. They meet you. Whenever you're summoned by Starswirl, which is extremely rare, that would mean that Equestria is in danger." "I see." They were then going to the other houses, seeing all the other cheerful ponies and creatures waving to them as they soon made it to a cottage on the edge of Ponyville. "This is Fluttershy's home. She's the Element of Kindness." Sunburst shows Hero her house, and it appears she's already gone. There were, however, a few of her animals there. "Well, she would have said hi to us if she didn't have somewhere she needed to be right now." "Yeah, I get it. For just being an honestly quaint little town, it's surprisingly big." "Dad. When are we going to go home? I'm honestly not in the mood for a walk around town. I prefer to tend to my studies." Luster intervened as she was getting impatient. "It'll be okay, Luster. I'll show Hero around the elements' houses and then take you back to the castle." "You promise?" "Yes, honey. I promise." Luster seemed satisfied as she tagged along for a bit longer. Sunburst and company then made it to a house that looked to be made of gingerbread, even though it was made from bricks. But the decoration made Hero want to take a bite from the building. Then came the tantalizing aroma of freshly baked goods. This, for obvious reasons, had gotten his attention. "H-Holy.. that smells so good." "I know. That's Sugarcube Corner. This is where Pinkie Pie lives with Cheese Sandwich. The mare that I briefly mentioned before we left the castle. She's already gone, but I can see that Cheese is home. Hey, Cheese!" Then, a slightly-orange stallion came out with a spongy brown mane and confetti strings stuck in it. This guy looked like he had just come back from a party. "Hey there, Sunburst. Who's the new kid?" He gestured over to Hero with his right forehoof. "His name is Hero. He's been approved for permanent housing by Starlight." "Well, howdy-do then. Name's Cheese, Cheese Sandwich. Welcome to Ponyville!" He raised his left forehoof as Hero brought out his right one to shake. There was a jolt to his systems as his mane and tail had spiked out briefly, causing Luster to giggle at the display. "Whoops. I forgot to take off the joy buzzer, my bad." Meanwhile, Hero collapsed onto the grassy ground, dazed with dizzy swirls in his eyes, kicking his left hindleg out as he was knocked out. The Hero woke up inside the lobby of Sugarcube Corner; he blinked to clear his mind and looked at his surroundings. "Ugh... oh man. That thing had some serious kick behind it." "Hey, I'm sorry about that. My joy buzzer has been a bit too peppy as of late. Well, you don't have to worry about falling asleep, right?" "Gees, I've discovered the opposite to be true." "Tell you what then, I'll get you something on the house. Anything you want." "Well... I don't mean to impose. But if I'm offered, that cinnamon roll looks promising." Indeed it did; that roll looked fresh on display, and soon it would be all Hero. "You're a lucky ducky. We just put that one out on display, too." Cheese then grabbed the cinnamon roll and placed it onto a dish. Then he brought that over to the table Hero was sitting at. This thing was huge, and there was no way he could eat it all by himself. "Can I have a knife for it, too?" "Right, sorry. My bad." He returned to Hero and gave him the knife. He used his magic to cut the roll into four equal pieces and grabbed only one part. "There. Now, there's one for everyone here." They were a bit surprised, especially Luster, who looked reluctant to take a piece at first, but then she smelled how good it was and couldn't resist. "Wow, Hero. That was nice of you." "Not a problem, Sunburst." "So, Luster, how is it?" Sunburst looked at his daughter as she had a look of contentment, sinking her teeth into the soft and warm roll. "I'll take that as a compliment." "Well, thank Pinkie, she's the one that made it. It's made with love." "Yeah. I've noticed that. Man, she is skilled." Hero said as he took one bite, then another, until his piece was all gone. The other three did the same, too. When he finished his treat, Hero went with Sunburst and Luster as they got up and left the bakery. "See you later, Cheese. Say hi to the cake twins and the owners for me." Sunburst bid themselves farewell as they left Sugarcube Corner and returned to Town Square. "Man, she can make the best sweets. So can Applejack." "You've tasted her food too?" "I sure did. She offered me lunch before I went to the castle to warn Starlight." It was then that Sunburst looked to Hero to ask. "You were the one to mention this great new evil, huh? I was just briefly informed and was told to wait for you." They were on their way to what appeared to be a large gathering of clouds with a rainbow-colored set of water flowing from its top and a house atop. "What's that place up there?" "That's Rainbow Dash's house. She's the Element of Loyalty." Sunburst said, "Since you've already been to Applejack's, it's unnecessary to go there." Sunburst then led everyone back to the castle just as Hero saw another colossal building adorned by waterfalls next to the court. "That place looks cool." "Oh, that's the Friendship Academy." He then looked over to Luster and asked, "Honey, you wouldn't mind one more trip, would you?" "Because it's the academy itself, not at all. I like it there." Luster Dawn had agreed as they made plans for one more place to visit. Everyone at the party had agreed to visit the academy to check it out. Once they opened the double doors, they were greeted with creatures of all kinds. This was an enjoyable and welcoming atmosphere. Then they walked to the Head-Mistress's Office. "Alright then, Hero. This is the Head Mistress's office. If you're going to visit or check in as a student, you'll need to visit here first." "Well, if she's the owner of this place, I guess that makes sense." They opened the door to see a blue mare with a purple wizard's hat and matching purple dress attire, with yellow stars lined with the hat and dress. With periwinkle-colored mane and tail. She looked to have everything under control. She was sitting at her desk, looking to see us walking in. "Ah. Sunburst. What a delight to see you here. What can the Great and Powerful Trixie do for you today?" "Must you insist on still using that old title, Trix?" "But, of course, from time to time. It's that little entertainer in me that I cannot get rid of. And I can see that there's somepony new that you've got with you." "Yes. Trixie, this is Hero. Hero, this is Trixie." Hero and Trixie both had a brief exchange of looks at each other. "Well, Hero, it's impolite to stare at Trixie. Have you anything to say, or does Trixie's flair for the performance seduce you?" "I-I well... you do look flashy. Very eye-catching." "Well, that is the general idea of being a performer, getting ponies' and creatures' attention." As it seemed to be, she was delighted to meet Hero. "I can't explain it, Hero. But there's something about you. Like a flair that's unique only to you." "Really? How can you tell by just looking at me?" "Trixie knows when she sees a very powerful pony-to-be. And you feel very powerful to Trixie." "So then, Trixie. You think Hero would make a good student here?" Sunburst asked Trixie. "Well, Sunburst. An education is required to live in this town, ordered by Starlight herself. So I've got no choice but to approve of Hero." "I see. That is true, and it was one of the more recent laws. So then, Hero. You think that you'll like to be a student here?" Sunburst looked to Hero for his input. "I'm not sure... I guess it'd be okay. I'm not so sure what I'd be able to do here. But, I guess I can give it a chance." "Awesome. That's a good go-getter attitude." "Then, by my authority as Head Mistress of this school, I now approve of your inclusion in this School of Friendship." "Well, thanks. I appreciate it." "It's not a problem at all. You'll begin your first day tomorrow. How does this sound to you?" "Sure. I'd like that. So long as Luster here goes with me." "I've been here much longer than you. Of course, I'm going." She snapped. "Luster Dawn. Manners. Please be nice to Hero, okay?" "Okay then. Sorry, Hero. No hard feelings?" She reached her forehoof out to shake his as he shook hers in return. "It's alright, no harm done. I'm just happy that we're getting along."