//------------------------------//
// The Village of Town 
// Story: Finding a Home 
// by Jeckard Cain 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 4: The Village of Town

Sparrow stared across the large open expanse in front of him. Though it was still a little dark out, he could still make out what looked like two rows of houses and one large house at the beginning of the rows. Whoever designed that eyesore needs some serious help Sparrow thought to himself as he walked towards it. I may as well go there. After going through that ravine my feathers are all out of sorts sniffing himself Sparrow almost gagged definitely a bath too 

As sparrow continued his walk towards the town, he noted how he looked as far as his head would turn to let himself see. Clumps of mud had caked his fur and matted his feathers. Thorns on some of the vines had torn into Sparrow's skin as well and small bits of his blood dripped down his side. Seeing the blood worried Sparrow greatly, aside from his wing he'd never gotten any kind of injury that caused bleeding or much pain. The bullies had usually left him alone since they couldn't catch him. However now looking at himself he saw how broken down and torn he had become from only two days of traveling. Of course most of the injuries came from the ravine, but the mountain had tried to kill him as well. Sparrow was quickly realizing how much the world did not favor the unprepared.

Sure Sparrow! Just leave town on a whim without any other preparations, such a great idea! Now becoming irate with himself for the whole situation Sparrow realized he didn't have anyone else but himself to blame. He continued to walk towards the town as the sun rose above the valley and began shining down on him and the rest of the area.

Sparrow mainly kept his eyes to the ground muttering to himself and cursing often. He didn't have anything else to do; once he reached the town that would give him something to do and get his mind of this whole debacle. "Right," Sparrow started "As soon as whoever lives here realizes I don't have any money they won't give me the time of day. But," Sparrow raised a talon to his chin "maybe they're like Auronipsie and will help me for free. King Grover I hope so..."

"Halt! Who goes there!" A distinctly male voice shouted out. Sparrow looked up to see not only had he reached the outskirts of the town; there was also a pony on guard. A white skinned and white haired pony with three snow flakes as his cutie mark. He stared at Sparrow threateningly, ready to fight if he had to.

"Sparrow of Griffonstone oh mighty knight! Please don't slay me." Sparrow bowed down and flared his one working wing in a sarcastic gesture. He raised himself up and smirking to receive a deadpan look from the pony.

"Well Sparrow" said the pony while eyeing Sparrow from head to toe "You came from the mountains. Did you happen to see a lavender colored mare with a dark purple mane and blue streak? Her cutie mark is a single star with a blue wisp of smoke rising up. You'd better tell me now or the whole village will think you're working for her."

Sparrow nonchalantly approached the pony's right side and threw his left wing over him before he could move away "That's awfully specific but I think after walking across some plains and through a ravine, not mountains, I can honestly say. I don't work for any lavender mare. Unless she paid well." Finishing Sparrow gave a wide grin as the pony nudged him away.

"Well from the looks of you," the pony started "you definitely went through the ravine like you're saying. In any case let me be the first to welcome you to Our Town. My name is Double Diamond." he finished while pointing a hoof  to his chest.

"A pleasure DD." Sparrow said as he took the pony's hoof and shook it with vigor. "So glad you don't suspect me anymore; hey your town wouldn't happen to have some kind of public bath and sleeping area would it?"

Pulling his hoof away from the eager griffon Double Diamond put on his best smile "Well firstly, don't call me DD please-"

"Sure thing DD!" Sparrow said while giving a faux salute and began snickering.

Double Diamond sighed "Fine, DD but only from you, if you let it start catching on I'm done with you." He finished while smiling at the griffon. Sparrow stopped his antics and decided to play it straight, he didn't want to anger his host. "Secondly, we don't have a public bath, ew, and thirdly, we sort of have a sleeping area but..." Double Diamond trailed off

Sparrow looked at him quizzically "But what?"

Double Diamond frowned "That mare I mentioned to you, she used to live here in this town. She used this building for her brainwashing to turn innocent ponies to join her cult. It was nasty business," the pony shivered "She would use a spell to take away our cutie marks, then force us to think that we were better off without our special talents. That is until six mares from outside showed up and reminded us all of how we used to be. I used to be a skiing champion until that mare took it away from me. Now I'm sort of the town's only guard and I go skiing in the mountains nearby on my free time." He stopped and realized how long he'd been talking "Sorry heh, you're the first newcomer we've had in a while and I guess I got carried away in my own exposition."

Smiling reassuringly Sparrow patted the pony's shoulder "Hey, I find myself going into monologues in my head all the time. No worries. Any chance we could go into the town now though? I'm kind of bleeding here and in a lot of pain."

Double Diamond shook himself "Oh man! Sorry, I completely spaced out there telling the story. Ya let's go." he motioned for Sparrow to follow him. They passed the first large house at the beginning of town. Or end of town, Sparrow couldn't tell the difference honestly. "To our right was that mare's old house where she 'watched over us' such baloney." Sparrow noted that it was larger than all the other houses in town as they passed. The early morning sun shone down the street but left only small shadows of street lamps and tables on the ground as the two rows of houses only left their shadows reaching outside of the town for now. As they walked one of the doors opened and a pink mare with a purple mane that reminded Sparrow of Pinkie Pie's own cotton candy poofiness. "Hey there Sugar Belle!" Double Diamond called out to her before turning back to Sparrow who looked curious "She's our resident baker. Makes all kinds of delicious treats, but her specialty is cupcakes as you can see by her cutie mark." 

The chipper looking mare waved back at the two "Hi there Double Diamond! Who's that you've brought with you," she took a look at Sparrow before covering her mouth with a hoof "Oh my you're hurt!" looking crossly at the pony to Sparrow's left she started fuming "Double Diamond! The first guest we get here after those six mares and you don't get him settled for somewhere to rest right away? What were you thinking?"

Double Diamond just blinked "Uh, I wasn't thinking." he offered as an explanation

Sugar Belle shook her head and smiled "You're such a doofus Diamond." She approached Sparrow and he looked down to see her joy filled maroon eyes looking back at his, "Hi, I'm Sugar Belle," she offered a hoof which Sparrow shook as he smiled. "Sorry about Diamond, he's a nice guy, but sometimes he doesn't see things that are clearly in front of him. What was your name again?"

"The name's Sparrow," he said jabbing a talon at himself "came here through the ravine so if you know a place I could go wash off all this mud and sleep for a while I'd really appreciate it. But..." Sparrow drooped as Sugar Belle looked to him curiously "I don't have any money so if you just have some kind of pond or something that's fine."

Suddenly Sparrow was booped on the nose by Sugar Belle's hoof "Come on silly, I'll show you where you can stay. Hold on for one sec though okay?" Sparrow nodded as she disappeared inside her house and Diamond finally approached him again sighing.

"Sorry, I didn't even consider your injuries, or even how long you've been traveling. I think I know where she means to have you stay though." Double Diamond finished as he pointed a hoof towards the large house at the beginning of the town.

"No way," Sparrow whispered. This was the second time someone had helped him without asking for anything in return. This seemed to be turning into a common theme for him. Being poor back in Griffonstone had gotten him nothing but looked down upon. Out here in Equestria though, ponies and creatures alike were happy to show Sparrow kindness anytime. "You can't honestly mean to let me stay there without any charge."

Double Diamond smiled at the griffon "Why not? You're in need of help and we have the things you need to get better. We might as well." As he said that he could swear he saw a tear appear on the griffons eye before he raised a talon and wiped his eyes.

Sugar Belle came back out of the house panting for breath smiling. "Did you run a marathon Sugar Belle?" Sparrow asked, she shook her head and motioned towards the large house at the beginning of town. "That's where you want me to stay?" Sparrow already knew the answer from Double Diamond but he wanted to double check. The vigorous nodding let him know that he indeed was going to stay there.

The three walked down along the street towards the large house as the sun continued to rise behind them. Finally having caught her breath, Sugar Belle nudged Sparrow to get his attention "Hey so, how'd you get so beat up? I mean you've got blood on you and mud and your wing looks pretty bad."

Sparrow looked to his right wing and gave it a test wiggle, it didn't hurt much anymore. Now it was just sore. Sparrow smiled at the mare "My wing actually isn't bad anymore, I hurt it trying to fly over the mountains by Griffonstone. Then I spent the night walking down the mountain range, and I spent the next night walking along the shoreline by this valley's mountain range before passing through a ravine to find this area and your town. I met a giant, um, creature, and he put a poultice on my wing to help it heal. I'm about ready to fly again though, maybe one more day and I should be good." Finishing his little story Sugar Belle looked even more worried than before. "Hey I'll be fine," Sparrow reassured her, "I'm sure that staying in such a nice place will make me feel right as rain tomorrow"

Sugar Belle smiled at the compliment to their town and turned to Double Diamond scowling "Still can't believe you didn't just have him stay at the house right away," her features softened "but I'm glad I saw you two first. Else I wouldn't have been able to make some preparations." Double Diamond eyed her curiously before smiling and shaking his head.

Once they had reached the house Sparrow could swear he smelled baked goods. Double Diamond and Sugar Belle both approached the door and looked back to Sparrow smiling at him. He gave an awkward smile back as they motioned for him to go in. He gripped the doorknob to the simple looking cottage and pulled the door open. Sparrow was greeted with a simple looking house with a hearth in the back corner and two doors on either side of the small living room. In the center of the room however, was a small table, all set with food and baked goods.

Sparrow looked back at the two ponies behind him now both in the house with him. "Is this what you were doing Sugar Belle?" Sparrow asked the pink mare.

She beamed proudly at him "Hey how are we going to be great hosts if we don't even get you some food. They were just done in the oven too so I thought I would share them."

Sparrow walked slowly to the table with the ponies following him "The door to your right will lead upstairs, in there is a bath and a bed so you can rest for a bit," Double Diamond started explaining "But you look ready to drop from exhaustion so why don't you eat? Sugar Belle's food never disappoints since she got her talent for it back." he elbowed Sugar Belle playfully as she batted his hoof away then smiled to Sparrow again.

Sparrow approached the small round table and saw all the food that was on it. Two muffins with blueberries poking through on the tops, a cupcake with pink frosting some orange juice that looked freshly squeezed and even a sandwich with seeds and some flowers in it. He figured Sugar Belle didn't really know what griffons ate so she just played it safe with what ponies usually eat. 

Sitting down on the other end of the table the two ponies sat down with Sparrow. "Why are you guys being so nice to me?" He asked, genuinely curious "In Griffonstone the only other one who's taken care of me is my mother, and she stopped doing that after I reached adulthood."

"We're not allowed to be kind?" Sugar Belle tilted her head at him "As I recall, you're the one in need of help. So we have what can help you, simple as that." She almost repeated what Double Diamond had told him word for word "Please eat, I just want to hear what you think of my baking, then we'll get out of your feathers." She finished grinning maniacally.

Sparrow chuckled at her over the top nature before reaching down with his talon to pick up one of the blueberry muffins. Bringing it up to his beak and taking a bite, the fluffy texture washed over his tongue and it took all his resistance to not devour the tasty morsel in one bite. As he chewed he looked at Sugar Belle and to Double Diamond, two ponies who knew basically nothing about him and yet they had helped him so much already. He felt the first tear begin to streak down as he said finally to Sugar Belle "It's good. It's really really good." It was all he could get out before Double Diamond reached his hoof over and held Sparrow's shoulder. His kind smile and strong energy helped Sparrow as he looked to him and back to the muffin in front of him. Then he felt a smaller much more gentle hoof on his left shoulder holding him. He looked over to see Sugar Belle reaching out to him as well. 

It was safe to say that Sparrow had never experienced something like this before. Was this, friendship? True friendship? Deciding on what to do next he set the muffin down and pulled the two ponies towards him into a large group hug. "Thank you. So much." his tears fell down onto the table and the ponies held him and he held them. They didn't care that he was covered in muck and grime, they saw someone in need of a true friend and they acted on what a certain group of six had shown them.  

"Hey, a friend in need right?" Sugar Belle said to him as Sparrow released the two ponies and the backed away wiping their own tears.

"I'm your friend?" Sparrow asked, he honestly didn't know. He'd never had any, all he knew is that these ponies were showing him kindness not unlike Auronipsie the giant.

It was Double Diamond who responded "Hey, anyone who's never been treated with kindness and needs it can definitely be my friend." He smiled at the griffon.

"Friends," Sparrow said, trying out the word. It felt so foreign to him but it carried a weight that he found powerful. "Ya, I can try friends." He finished grinning at his two new friends at the table while wiping away the last of the tears.

"Well eat up, you'd better not let my baking go to waste" Sugar Belle said to Sparrow in a stern voice before breaking into a smile again.

"Okay, did either of you want anything?" Sparrow offered the other muffin to the ponies. He was incredibly hungry, but he thought he could try sharing as long as he was trying friendship as well. Double Diamond reached out and took the other muffin before splitting it in half and giving the other half to Sugar Belle. 

The three of them sat around the table swapping stories and enjoying the food laid out. Plenty of questions were directed towards Sparrow about his trek through the mountains and about the giant Auronipsie. Sparrow in turn asked questions about the town itself and what had happened when six mares had shown up and started breaking the mold that this so called town's "leader" Starlight Glimmer had created. Sparrow was increasingly curious once he'd heard the name of one of the mares. Rainbow Dash, she'd been here. He asked the two ponies to describe her and it was definitely the same mare he had seen outside Griffonstone. "How fast was she though?" Sparrow asked his friends, his competitive spirit coming back to him.

"She wasn't," Sugar Belle told Sparrow and he tilted his head in confusion "well until she got her cutie mark back. You know that mountain waterfall you passed on your way here?" she asked as Sparrow nodded "Once she had her cutie mark back, she flew from town to the top of that mountain and back in under ten minutes." Sparrow's eyes widened "Ya she was pretty fast after she got her cutie mark back." Sugar Belle repeated smiling and giggling at Sparrow's reaction.

"Why do you ask?" Double Diamond nudged Sparrows side "Thinking about asking her out?" 

Sparrow blushed and sputtered for a moment before responding "Wha- No! I'm going to race her and win!" Sparrow found his resolve as thrust a talon at himself

"Well well, that's a pretty tough order you've got for yourself then. Maybe you should work on getting your wing healed up first?" Sugar Belle said to Sparrow, snapping him out of his fantasy.

"Ya I suppose you're right." Sparrow said while finishing the last of his sandwich. The three of them sat and talked for a little longer before Sparrow started yawning often, interrupting the flow of conversation and earning him a few giggles from Sugar Belle. The two ponies, no, his two friends both waved goodbye as they closed the door and left Sparrow to go clean himself up. Now that he had a full gizzard he felt alive again. Nothing but seeds for a few days will do that to you Sparrow thought to himself as he walked upstairs and into the bathroom. He spent an hour washing himself in the bath, he'd had to remove his bandage around his wing and throw it in the waste bin before stepping into the warm water. He scrubbed away the aches and pains of his travels and let himself relax for a bit before stepping out and drying himself off with the nearby towel. He noticed a small lavender spot on it where it looked like some make up had been wiped off with it. 

Lying down on the bed Sparrow pulled the sheets up and around himself, nestling under their warmth. Friends! He had actual friends. Sparrow could hardly believe it. Not even a few hours into the day and he'd made two friends, whereas his whole life had been spent without friends before. He couldn't imagine life without them now and he resolved himself to trying to make more before he ever went back to Griffonstone. 

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