//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Back when It all began // Story: An Extra Splash of Color // by Azure_Shadow //------------------------------// Well where to start? Well, I believe the best place would be my apartment in Manehattan. My apartment was the size of a shoebox compared to the size oh my house was, it was two room, with a bathroom and a small kitchen in one of the rooms. It was always a mess, it had dozens of paintings, paints, brushes and newspapers and the like scattered all around it. I had just gotten out of college myself, and this shoebox was all that I could afford at the time of graduation. I was in my bathroom, staring at my features. I was a young stallion, maybe one or two years older than you are now Vivi. I still had the grey mane I have now, and I had a jet black coat. I was preparing to meet with some lawyer later that day, so I thought I had to look somewhat presentable to the public. I quickly combed my mane, and then I went out of the door to my apartment after putting on my only hat, a brown fedora, and walked into the hallway. I made my way out of my building to the 'Swift Justice and Co. Law offices' building , a small brick building with the title of the office on a plaque in gold lettering. I walked into the office, where I saw an aqua blue unicorn with an amber colored vest was reading some sort of document before looking at me as I was coming through the door. "Ah, hello! Mr.Blank Slate I presume?" asked the unicorn. "Yes, that's me." I replied. "Nice to meet you, I'm Blue Blitz." said the Unicorn as he shook my hoof. "Pleasure's all mine." I said as I took my hoof away. "Well, I'm a bit busy today, shall we get right to it?" asked Blitz "Sure." We walked into his office, a small room filled with shelves of books, a window in the back, and a small oak desk with two chairs in front of it. I quickly sat in one of the chairs as Blitz sat behind his desk, and brought a folder up from one of the drawers of his desk. "I'm sorry about your uncle." said Blitz in a sympathetic voice. "He seemed like a good stallion." " He was a really nice guy, always willing to lend an ear to whoever needed it, I just can't believe he's gone." I replied, "Death is always hard to believe, especially if it happens to someone close to you, or someone you may have just seen a day prior." said Blitz. "Can we move on to the legal stuff now please, I really don't want to talk about this." I quickly said. "Of course, I apologize." said Blue Blitz as he opened the folder in front of him. "From what I can tell, your uncle didn't have a lot in terms of personal possessions." said Blue Blitz. "He was a stallion of simple needs, never took more that what was necessary." I replied. "But, he did have something that he wanted you to have." said Blitz "What is it?" "Your uncle owned a house, and a few acres of land close to a town called Ponyville, and its says right here on this document signed by him, that he wanted you to have it." said Blitz who then looked up at me. My half closed eyes shot open with disbelief, "His house!?" I replied, shocked to my core. "Yessir, says that he thought that owning and living in a house in Ponyville would be good for you." That was so like my uncle, always worrying about other ponies more than himself. I wondered briefly about how my uncle said that owning a house in Ponyville would be good for me, but then it hit me, In my letters I sent to him, I always wrote on how I was sick multiple times while in Manehattan. "So what do I do now?" I asked Blitz. "I recommend that you go to the house, and see how you like it. The mortgage on it is paid in full, and Ponyville is a beautiful town from what I hear." replied Blitz. "You think so?" "Why yes, If you like the house, than stay, but If you wanna stay in Manehattan, that house can turn into a nice bundle of bits in a snap!" "Alright, I guess I'll have a look." I sheepishly replied. I signed a few official legal documents, shake hooves with Blue Blitz one last time, and head back to my apartment. I looked around the small entry room of my apartment, there are paintings and art supplies everywhere. I look at the picture of the house I got from Blue Blitz, I took a good long look at the picture for what seemed like hours. "I...used to spend every summer in that house." I spoke to nopony in particular. I decided that I wanted...no, needed to go to that house. My uncle always sent me letters, saying how he wanted me to come over and visit him, how it was so beautiful there all year-round. He kept asking and asking for me to visit, and I was never able to, and now I never would. I felt a deep combination of regret and sadness swell in my gut. So, I decided that I'd be on the next train to Ponyville.