I thanked Discord and Fluttershy for their wonderful hospitality, we waved our goodbyes, and I closed the door to the cottage as carefully as I could. As I hovered along the path away from Fluttershy's home, I realized I had nowhere to go. I shrugged, and continued to follow the cobblestone path.
I decided to take the scenic route, and it paid off. If one were to describe Equestria, it would be multiple forms of the word serene. The sun wasn't beating down nor letting up, but slightly shining across the luscious countryside. The emerald grass was perfectly trimmed, and every tree in sight only added to the marvelous view.
I floated forwards at an even pace. Usually on such long walks I would daydream, letting my imagination run wild, but here the world around me was too beautiful to miss. It was a good thing I was paying attention too, or I would have ran right into an apple cart in the middle of the road. Said apple cart was also lodged in a mud puddle.
Applejack was behind it, trying to push the stubbornly stuck cart. Luckily for the cart, Applejack was probably just as stubborn. I waved at Applejack, who had stopped to rest. She waved back, and I sidled up to the cart.
I sat down next to her. "Need some help there?"
Applejack shook her head, "No thank ya, I can get this darn cart out just fine."
Looking over Applejack, she appeared very fatigued. Wiping the sweat from her brow, she rose back up and started trying to remove the vehicle from the mud.
I doubt she could dislodge this cart, never mind pulling it.
I swiftly hovered over to the front and grabbed a hold of the reigns. I pulled back, and the cart budged slightly, knocking Applejack to the ground. She huffed and clambered to her hooves.
"Hey, careful now! What the hay are you doin'?"
I glanced over at her. "I'm helping!"
I pulled on the reigns again, and the cart moved forward slightly.
"I think."
I continued to drag the cart, until finally with a wet popping, the cart flew free of the puddle. It was about to start rolling off down the road, but I held tight to the ropes, stopping it in it's tracks.
"Whoaaa girl." I laughed.
Applejack walked over to the cart, inspecting it thoroughly over to make sure nothing was damaged. She nodded and tipped her hat.
"Well, thank you for the assistance, mister...?"
"Glitch. Lenkar Glitch."
Applejack paused and bore an expression of confusion of her face.
"Well that's a mighty strange name ya got there, Glitch. I'm Applejack. Still, I thank ya for helping with mah cart."
I nodded. "It was no problem. Where are you taking that, anyway?"
Applejack hooked herself up to the cart, and pointed an auburn hoof towards a small town. It looked similar to the medieval era-type structures, but with more vibrant colors. It was interesting to see such an old form of architecture, although I could only guess as to why they used it.
"I'm taking it to the market in Ponyville."
Wait, what?
"Ponyville? Really, now? That's the name of your town?"
Applejack looked back towards me and raised an eyebrow. Which I found odd considering ponies don't have eyebrows. Or at least most Ponyta don't. She attempted some form of a shrug and began trotting towards Ponyville.
"It's a fine name, doesn't bother me none. Why? Ya got a better name?"
As I followed next to her, I put an arm to my beak in thought. After coming up with no ideas on an alternative name, I shrugged as well.
"No, not really."
"Well alrighty then."
We both walked, mainly Applejack doing the walking, in relative silence. It was only when we reached the town did Applejack speak up.
"Well, here we are, welcome to tha' Ponyville Market."
It was a lot to take in.
Booths, tents, and carts were set up all over the town square. A multitude of diverse ponies, featuring all kinds of shades and colors. The whole place was positively bustling, like a sea of rainbows. I looked about the market, and saw an assortment of wares. Fruits, vegetables, and other produce had it's own section, while other knickknacks were sold in another area.
The noise of the crowd wasn't deafening, but it was certainly loud. Ponies were running back and forth, trying to obtain their items as quickly as possible. Some were taking it slower, buying whatever caught their eye. I noticed three types of ponies, and the strange currency they were using that looked like gold coins.
Applejack bucked the cart, and it somehow became an apple stand right on the spot. I wondered if Discord was up to anything, but when I went over to examine the stand, I noticed it had a hinge system in place for easy transport.
These ponies were ingenious!
"Whoo boy, we made it just in time for the lunch rush! Say, ya wouldn't mind helping me sell mah apples, would ya?"
I was momentarily taken aback by the question.
"Oh, uh, well I'm not sure I'm one for selling apples." I rubbed the back of my head.
"Oh come on now, you'll do fine." She cheerfully nudged me with a hoof.
I thought for a moment about this.
Well let's see, I helped get her cart out of a mud puddle, and I'd like to learn more about this world. Hmmmn...
I heard the clinking of coins nearby.
I guess I could start with the economy.
"Alright, I'll help."
Applejack nodded and put a jar on the stand. She turned to me.
"So, ya got any questions?"
I nodded. "Yes, actually. What is your currency referred to as?"
Applejack chuckled, "You have a lot ah fancy words there, mister! They're called bits."
She held up a coin. I picked it up out of her hoof, examining it closely. An idea occurred to me.
"Lock-On."
My vision was suddenly filled with information, telling me the material composition of the bit, or my "target" as the readout was calling it, and it was made of solid gold.
I stared at the small fortune in my limb with renewed awe. Applejack tapped me on the shoulder. At least I think it was a shoulder.
"Uh, hey, ya ok there? You've been staring at that for quite a while there."
I suddenly leaped into the air.
"I'M RICH! I'M RICH! I'M RICH! I'M--Oh wait." I remembered where I was.
Everypony was now staring in confusion at the weird blue and red bird hovering in midair holding a bit.
Sheepishly, I flew back down and held up the bit in front of Applejack.
"Applejack, this coin is solid gold. Back where I'm from, gold is worth a veritable fortune."
Her jaw dropped, shocked.
"Really now? How much we talkin'?"
I looked over the shiny gold coin in my arm. Lock-On had already worn off, so I tried to come up with an estimate.
"I'd say around a thousand or so."
I swear the farmer nearly fainted. She regained her composure and said, "I may not be very good with numbers, but golly, that is a lot o' money."
I spun the bit in the air, and it landed on the ground. I noticed an inscription on the bit. It looked like a sun, with strange lettering written in a circle around the edges of the coin. I flipped it over, and on the other side was a crescent moon with a slightly different variation of letters. I couldn't read either of the inscriptions, considering it was in a written language I had never seen before.
"Hey Applejack, what does this say around the edges?"
She handed a mint-green unicorn a few apples, and dropped the bits she received into the jar.
"Ah dunno, I never really paid much attention to that."
I picked up the bit and tried to pocket it; only to be met with no pants.
I tilted my head. "Do you know where I can buy some clothing?"
Applejack handed some more apples to a customer. "Sure do. Mah friend Rarity makes clothin' for a livin'. Although I doubt you'd like what she's got, it's kinda..."
Applejack motioned her hoof in a circle, looking for the right word.
"Frilly."
I chuckled a bit. "So it's kinda Frillish then?"
Applejack nodded, not catching my joke. She pointed at a large building near the center of town. It was a modest lavender shaded building, with pony mannequins decorating the exterior.
"The place is called Carousel Boutique, ya can't miss it."
I noticed the shape of the building resembled a tent, and I nodded.
"I agree with you there."
I glanced around, and noticing that the jar was nearly filled with bits, I slapped my forehead.
"Gah! I forgot to help you sell the apples, didn't I? All I've been doing is sitting here screwing around."
Applejack picked up the jar, which was quite full, and set it aside. She shook her head. "No, you did mighty fine. After your little scene, everypony wandered over to investigate the ruckus, and I sold more apples than I would have otherwise!"
She patted me on the back. "Ya' did fine. Now, run along to Rarity's, I can take care of everything from here. You were a great help."
I beamed. Or at least as well as I could with no mouth.
"Er, you're welcome Applejack. Anytime."
I flew over towards the boutique, as Applejack waved goodbye.
[|||]
Princess Celestia had just finished Day Court. The nobles were even more troublesome to deal with than usual, considering their panic about the explosion. The Solar Princess had yet to receive any news about the phenomenon from Twilight, and was fearing for her safety.
As if on cue, smoke wafted in through a window, and a scroll appeared in front of Celestia. Picking it up in her magic, she looked over the letter.
Dear Princess Celestia,
The explosion was caused by the entrance of a strange creature we found in the Everfree Forest. We haven't been able to talk to it yet, as it is currently staying at Fluttershy's house. Rainbow Dash had attacked the creature without warning, knocking it unconscious. It does not seem dangerous yet, but me and the girls will keep an eye on it just in case.
Sincerely,
Your Faithful Princess
As Celestia reached the bottom of the bottom of the letter, she chuckled at how Twilight still kept true to form in her letters.
She rolled it up, and sent it to her office. Leaning back in her throne, she decided a moment's rest would do her good.
Right before there was a knock on the large doors leading to the throne room. Celestia sighed.
"Send them in."
[|||]
I knocked on the elegant door. No, really, it was very ornate. It had all kinds of patterns along the edges, and a heart shaped window with a pink border. The walls of the boutique were a pearly white, while the accouterments of the place were a pale blue, even if I had been mistaking them for purple from afar.
There was a sing-song voice from within. "It's open!"
I pushed open the door, and was met with quite a sight.
"Oh, uh, sorry. Am I interrupting?"