The House on Mayberry Hill

by Alexander

The House

The House on Mayberry Hill

Chapter 1: The House

It sits empty and decrepit. It sits alone and absent of joy. It is overcome with vegetation and it is slowly falling to pieces. So it was, the house on Mayberry Hill was destined to fall into the mysterious void of history. The house on Mayberry Hill.

There is a story of it that has been passed down through the decades and it tells of a tragedy. The story of tragedy that like so many other things, has been changed and warped so now, no pony knows the exact truth of it. It is a sad fate. This old house, once so full of life and of love, is now resigned to its final years of loneliness and fear. This old home, this old house on the hill, is legend to have a ghost. It is this ghost, this legend, that draws most of the ponies fear. The story of the old home says that on cool nights, when the wind is still, if you look up to the old house you might just see her watching. So now, on those cool nights when everything is sound and still, the house is stayed away from unless passage is absolutely necessary. It is truly a sad fate for the house that used to sit full of life and love.

******

The morning was drawing near and in her loft above the town's library, Twilight Sparkle slept, her mane ruffled from the pillow. A swallow landed on the window sill and began to sing its morning song. Twilight drowsily swiped it away with her hoof and rolled over away from it. She returned to sleep and began to snore.

The swallow picked itself off the floor, gave a snort to his unappreciative audience, and flew back out into the morning. A thick fog had rolled in off the river during the night and had settled over the entirety of Ponyville and in the glow of the morning sun, it was dyed a sensuous hue of pink and orange. Not a single thing stirred except for the morning birds that were beginning to sing their songs. The slow river trickled by and sighed as it went on its long journey to the sea. A slight breeze was blowing through the valley and the wind chimes hanging from the back porches of homes were slowly chiming, waking the deep sleepers from their slumber. It was a peaceful morning in which everypony was content to merely lie about and enjoy it. But the day continued.

Twilight Sparkle groaned as she rose herself from her bed. Her blankets fell in a disheveled heap onto the floor and muffled her steps as she made her way to the window. She looked out to the beautiful scene of all of Ponyville as it slowly stirred from its blanket of fog. She scratched her mane, rubbed her eyes, and tossed the blankets back onto the bed with a quick flick of her horn. She turned away from the window and walked to the bathroom. In the mirror, she fixed her messy bed-mane and splashed water onto her face. She dried with a wash-cloth and took a long look at herself in the mirror.

Her lavender coat was matted with sweat and her purple eyes were lined with bags. She had stayed up late into the night and she was regretting it. She had been too caught up in a book to register the time and it wasn't until Spike got up for his nightly restroom break that she finally closed the pages. With a quick wipe of her coat with a brush, Twilight left the bathroom and descended down the stairs to where she had left the book on the front counter. She picked it up, flipped through the pages till she found where she was, placed a marker, and placed it back on the shelf. She would certainly finish it later that night. She walked to the front door, unlocked it, and flipped the 'open' sign. With a shake of her head to rid herself of left over sleep, she sat down at the register. The day was soon to begin.

******

"Rarity, I don't think that this is working," Twilight struggled to say as her friend was fighting to fit her into a dress.

"Nonsense!" Rarity cried, her purple mane bouncing as she fought to tie the strings. "You'll look absolutely marvelous when I'm done with you!"

"Rarity, no . . . " Twilight strained, the strings and ribbons around her breast and neck now getting too tight for comfort. "No Rarity. It's just not going to work. It's too tight."

"Nonsense! Nothing is too tight when it comes to fashion!"

"Rarity . . . please . . . "

"There! Finished! You look amazing! There's the mirror; now go have a look at yourself!"

Although she was in obvious discomfort with it, Twilight did not want to disappoint her beaming friend. She painfully crossed over to the mirror and gazed in astonishment at her reflection. Her mane was brushed and styled up into a tall bun, her coat was brushed neat and waxed, her eyes were lined with a green liner, her hooves were sprinkled with some sort of glitter, and the ornate dress hung in dramatic folds. She never thought she'd look good in something so dramatic, but even so, Twilight couldn't help but feel beautiful. She blushed a little.

"Well?" Rarity asked, clearly expecting a positive review. "What do you think? Is it ready for the showing?"

Twilight turned to her friend with a smile. "Yes. I think it's absolutely wonderful."

"I knew you'd like it. But now, is it ready for the showing? You know I've been worried about getting it ready for Hoity Toity's showing. Is it ready?"

"I'm sure it will be fine."

"Oh good," Rarity said with a relieved sigh. "I was afraid I'd never finish it in time," she added as she picked up the left over ribbons and fabric strands and placed them into a bin.

"Can you please take it off now?"

"Oh but why when you look so marvelous in it?"

"Rarity, it's too tight for me. I can't breathe right," Twilight explained, beginning to fidget with the knots.

"Oh fine. Fine," Rarity finally consented and with a flick of her horn, the tight ribbons and strings were untied and the ornate dress was removed to hang from the rack. "Better now? Oh yes, I can see where the strings were definitely too tight. I'll replace them with some longer ones."

"Please do," Twilight said as she rubbed the areas where the tight strings had cut in.

"Why did you come over?" Rarity asked after a while of fitting longer strings onto the dress. "I know it wasn't just to try on something. I can tell when you're thinking about something."

Twilight continued to rub at the marks left behind by the dress. She sighed. "You know that story about the house on Mayberry Hill? That story that's suddenly becoming popular all of a sudden?"

"The one that goes:

"Many years ago, before Ponyville existed, there existed a home atop Mayberry Hill.
It was so grand and full of life, no pony dreamed of sadness,
But on Hearth's Warming Eve, tragedy struck upon that home.
Some say she dropped dead of illness,
Some say she dropped dead of poison,
Some say she dropped dead of fright,
Some say she dropped dead of a broken heart,
But the exact reason why,
No pony knows. But even to this day,
On still cold nights, when you are walking by old Mayberry Hill,
Look to the old house and look and see,
You might just see her watching."

That one?"

"Precisely."

"What about it? It's just a silly old tale about that abandoned house on Mayberry Hill that's been empty since even before Ponyville sprung to life. Why bother me with it?"

"Well," Twilight embarrassingly said, unsure of what to say after that. "Well . . . Fluttershy seems to think that it's a true story . . . about the ghost and all . . . "

"So then why not speak to her about it?" Rarity asked as she trotted back to the main floor of the boutique.

"Well, I've already tried to but whatever I say, I don't think she's coming around. Plus, I just thought that you'd be the more interested in that sappy love-tragedy stuff," Twilight responded, sitting down at the head of a table.

"And you thought right. It is a lady's job to seek love and to be moved by it. I love those kinds of stories, but in the end, they're all just stories and nothing more. Tea?"

"Thanks," Twilight said as she took the mug of steaming tea that had been offered to her. "But still though, Fluttershy thinks that it's a real story about something that really happened."

Rarity sighed and took a long sip from her own tea. "Twilight, I can't help you with this and you know this. I know nothing about it except for the old story. If you want to know the truth about it, go speak with Granny Smith. She's the oldest pony in Ponyville; maybe she knows something about it."

Twilight took a swig from her mug. "Yeah. I'll go see if she knows anything."

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you so worried about whether or not the silly old story is true?"

Twilight shuffled her hooves on the floor. She wasn't quite sure why. "Honestly, I don't know."

"So you have no idea why."

"No idea . . . although I think that may be curiosity."

Rarity raised her eyebrows. "You better be careful, Twilight. You know what everypony says, 'Curiosity killed the cat'."

Twilight finished the last of her tea and stood up. "Now Rarity, that's just silly. I'm not a cat." With that and no more, she said farewell to her friend and exited through the door out into the day.

******

The afternoon was hot as it beat down on the ponies of Ponyville. Twilight Sparkle was heading down the road, breaking every now and then to wipe the sweat that slid from her mane-line. It was three in the afternoon and business was going as it always should. Twilight found herself in the midst of the town's square and she observed the stark difference there was from earlier that day. The thick fog from that calm morning had lifted with the rising of the sun and was now replaced by the crying of the cicada. The wind had picked up its pace as the day progressed and the slow river continued on its slow trek to the sea.

The town square was alight with ponies, many of whom were passing their time in the shade trying to evade the heat of the morning sun. Some ponies were sitting around at the cafes enjoying a cold drink, some were in the various shops looking at the merchandise and wondering about what to get themselves as a present. Some ponies were enjoying a nice chat with a friend while the rest were content with lounging about and watching the hours pass. This was their day and they were going to make the best of it. Twilight Sparkle trotted past all of them as she made her way down the road.

Further down along the road from the square was the park. The ponies that were not in the town square were here enjoying their day with their pets and their friends. The only differences between the square and the park is that there were less buildings and no shops to draw in window-shoppers that took up most of the space. Instead, trees, bushes, and the rolling hill were the norm and to all the ponies that frequented, this place was above all else the best. Even Twilight and Spike had come out this way some afternoons to escape from the confines of the library. She continued on.

Further down the road was the school house for the young colts and fillies. It was painted red and only had one room, but despite this, it was the best school in Ponyville. Even in the hot day, the bell in the bell tower shown bright as light from the sun reflected from its polished surface. Twilight had always been fascinated by the ornate bell ever since she arrived in Ponyville. She was amazed by the intricate detail the metalworkers had inlaid on the bell. Every single line and edge had been delicately punched and hammered all by hoof. She had no idea how long it must have taken to finish it, but Twilight smiled at it as she passed by. Inside, she could hear Miss. Cheerilee teaching. She smiled again. Twilight remembered when she had been a filly and how she had spent many hours reading from large heavy books.

Further down the road and finally, was Sweet Apple Acres and it was here that Twilight stopped walking. A bead of sweat rolled from her mane as she stole a glance at the large sign. She wiped the sweat away with a swipe of her hoof and she set down the dirt road to where she was confronted with the large barn. She gazed up to the tall doors of it and noticed a wasps nest that had been built in the corner of two intersecting beams.

"Hi ya Twilight!" a familiar voice called from her side. "What can I do you for?"

"Hi Applejack, you've got a wasps nest up there." Twilight said as she turned to greet her friend. Applejack was carrying behind her a large cart stocked full of apples. "Did you buck all those?" she asked as she staggered at the large amount of apples.

"Not all by myself, and yeah, I know it's there. Big Mac took a nasty sting from one of 'em the other day when he was trying to bat it down." Applejack explained as she drew up to the doors of the barn. "Big Mac's out there helpin' right now. He should just about have another cart or two ready by the time I get back."

"I see," Twilight said as she understood. "How bad was the sting?"

"That sting was nothin'. We've lived up here on this farm ever since we were born. We've all had our share of stings and bites. It's nothin' to go and get in a fuss about."

"I see."

"Eeyup," Applejack said with a smile, copying her brother's famous quote. "So anyways, what can I do you for?"

"Oh yeah," Twilight said, remembering why she had come here in the first place. "Do you know where Granny Smith is? I've got something I wanna talk with her about."

"Sure I know where she is," Applejack said as she unloaded her cart of apples. "She should be up in the square by Sugarcube Corner selling the Apple family apples and jam. If she ain't there, then she's probably inside taking a nap. If she ain't there then I don't know where she is."

"Thanks," Twilight said as she turned to leave. She was stopped by a question.

“What’s this you wanna speak with Granny Smith about?”

Twilight spun around and saw that her friend had adorned a quizzical look on her face. “Well . . . you know that house on Mayberry Hill?”

“Yeah I’ve heard about it. So what?”

“I just wanna know what really happened there in that old house and Rarity thinks that I should speak with Granny Smith about it since she is the oldest pony in Ponyville.”

“Uh sugarcube . . . I’m not too sure even Granny Smith knows much about that house but you’re free to go and ask away if you really want to.”

“What makes you think that she won’t know anything about it?” Twilight asked as her spirits began to sink.

“Well that house is even older than she is and besides, whenever she’s told Big Mac and myself the story she would just say that it’s an old pony-tale. So that said, I don’t think she knows more about that we do," Applejack explained, retying the straps to the cart. "Ain't that right, Big Mac?" she added as her brother walked up to them, carrying behind him a train of apple-laden carts to unload.

"Eeyup," he blankly said as he unloaded his own carts.

"Well if that's all you want," Applejack said, turning to head back to the sprawling orchards. "Then I'm gonna go and I'm just gonna let you go and speak with Granny Smith if you still want to."

"Thanks."

"No problem." With that, Applejack and Big Macintosh headed back down the long rows of apple trees, leaving Twilight Sparkle alone. She looked at the large pile of apples that the two had deposited, took a glance up to the hanging wasps nest, and left the farm. She walked back down the rough dirt road, kicking up a little cloud of dust as she went. She hopped back onto the main road and headed back to the town.

******

The disheveled office room was hot and stuffy as the hot sun shown in through the windows and as the government ponies crowded around the desk in the middle. The walls were a pasty red wallpaper and the brown carpet on the floor smelled of stale air freshener. Along the walls were file cabinets that had been tightly packed together and some stacked one atop the other. There were other cabinets of other kinds. The two that stood out the most were two tall cabinets that stood along the right wall. The first of the cabinets was the taller of the two and it had been detailed with fine ornate decorations, all meticulously carved by hoof. It was stocked full with bottles of Applejack Daniels and other whiskeys from all over Equestria. The other cabinet, while not as tall as the first, was decorated with a carved dragon that winded itself around the door frame. Inside this cabinet was nothing too special: papers for filing, changes of clothes, and several pairs of glasses. There were glasses for reading, for looking far away, and for looking close up; glasses for every occasion.

"Mayor!" cried one of the government ponies who had her mane tied in a tall bun. "Use your head please!"

"Terra, calm down. I've heard your concerns . . . "

"I don't think you have, Mayor! That house needs to go! It's proving to be a nuisance for the environment around it!"

"So what?" Mayor Mare asked, raising her eyebrows at her adviser. "That house has been there for decades upon decades and has done nothing to harm anything or anypony. It's just sitting up there waiting for its own time to fall down. I see no point in spending money to demolish it when it's already so close to doing so on its own."

"Mayor Mare . . . " Terra said, rising to her full height. But even at her full height, she wasn't very imposing.

"I agree with Mayor Mare," the heavily built Tourism Adviser stallion said, twisting in his seat to look at the two.

"Not you too, Tour!"

"Yes me too. I see no reason why that old house should be torn down. It's up there all on its own and as a matter of fact, that old house has garnered a little following of ponies who travel from all over just to see it. I bet you that during the next strong thunderstorm them weather pegasi put together, that old house is gonna fall right over. There's no reason to tear it down."

"No reason! Is that what you council members think?"

The council sitting around the stuffy office nodded in unison with the exception of two. "There's absolutely no reason to," said the small Business Adviser stallion. "Business has been steady in Ponyville for years now. And even recently with the publishing of the most recent Earnings Report, there's been an increase in business around Ponyville. I'm pleased with the way things are going and from where I sit, there's no point in tearing down that old house."

"I'm actually going to agree with Terra on this one," spoke up one of the mares that had not nodded. She was the Parks and Recreation Adviser. Spring was unnaturally tall. She towered above all the other mares and even rivaled the height of even the tallest stallions. "That old house is an eyesore and it has really got to go! Instead of that dirty old hole taking up the hill, we could finance the building of a new park or a new series of recreation areas."

"There's a lot of money involved with that," Mayor Mare said, rubbing her temples with her front hooves, her forelegs propped up on the surface of her desk.

"A lot of money?" Spring asked. "How much money is 'a lot of money'?"

"Tens of thousands of bits," Mayor Mare explained. "That's how much. First we'd have to hire a crew to tear it down, then hire another crew to clear the ground and get the hillside refurbished, and only then would we be able to begin work on the park. Too much time. Too much money."

"And you have a better idea?"

"Yes: Leave the old house alone."

"Mayor! That's ridiculous!" Terra cried, sitting back down in her seat.

"It is not."

Terra held her head in her front hooves and sighed as if giving up.

"Does anypony have anything else to add to this weeks meeting?" Mayor Mare asked her advisers that had crowded around her office. "If anypony has anything else to add, then say it now, if not, then I announce this meeting as fini . . . "

"Wait," Terra said, removing her head from her hooves, revealing an odd sort of smile. "I have something to add."

"And what would that be?"

"A reason to tear down that old house. Since you obviously won't listen to my concerns about the state of the ecosystem around the house, then will you listen to this?"

"And just what is this 'this'?"

Terra looked around the room at her fellow advisers before turning back to look at the mayor. "Here's just a little way we can demolish that old house and still end up putting thousands of bits in our own pockets."

"Are you suggesting we do something corrupted that's not going to profit this town in any way?" Mayor Mare asked, her voice rising a little.

"No, no," Terra said with the same odd smile. "It'll profit . . . I'm sure of it."

"Then what are you suggesting?" the small Business Adviser asked, his interest piqued. "What are you suggesting?"

"I'm suggesting that we tear down the old house so we can plant more mayberry bushes."

"I don't get it."

"How can you not get it?" Terra asked, her voice excited. "Ponyville is renowned not only for its apples but also for the jellies and jams that are made from its mayberries. Don't you see? If there are more mayberries then there will be more business."

"I still don't see how that will profit us," Loan said, shifting slightly in his seat in discomfort with his sitting posture.

"I'm not following it either," Mayor Mare said, also shifting in her own seat.

"What we do is we tear down the old house, clear the area, plant more bushes and then when business is up, we use the money to pay for the hill."

"And what about profits? At best, that just sounds like it's only going to make us break even with it," Loan said uneasily.

"We rise the price of the berries."

"We have no control over their prices," Mayor Mare said, wiping her eyes. "The prices of things are controlled by the stock market. Terra, this is ridiculous. That idea is just nonsense. The best way to make any kind of profit is to just let things go as they will and then when the house has fallen on its own, then we plant bushes. That's the only way we're ever gonna make a profit on that."

"Well suppose we just mess around with the stock market. Then we could control things as we choose to."

"That's all very tempting, Terra, but we've got an oath to uphold," Loan said, sternly now. "We were elected to provide laws and propositions built around common-sense and selflessness. What you're proposing with messing around with the markets is preposterous."

"It is not. Even you said it yourself just now. It's tempting."

"It is tempting but no further than that. Mayor, I believe it's time we end this council meeting before our desires become even more twisted."

"You're right . . . but even so, we must take Terra's proposal into consideration and vote on it," Mayor Mare said with a sad sigh at the selfish ambitions of her adviser. "All those in favor of Terra's proposal?"

To her astonishment, most of the council members raised their hooves to signal their approval of it. Had they really snooped so low as tweaking with the markets for their own gains. Mayor Mare sighed. "Motion passed."

******

Twilight Sparkle trotted back to the town square where she had passed through just an hour ago. Not much had changed during her absence. Some new ponies had taken residence there while some of the others had already left to do whatever it is that they do. Other than that, nothing had changed.

Twilight slowly made her way through the crowds, sweat pouring from her coat from the heat of the day. She stretched her neck, peering through the various ponies in an effort to find old Granny Smith. She had no luck and she resigned herself to several minutes of fruitless searching. She eventually broke down into a chair that was hidden in the shade of one of the cafes.

"Excuse me," she said to a passing waiter.

"Yes," he said as he turned around. "How may I help you?"

"I'd like to order a cold water," Twilight replied as she wiped away the sweat from her brow. With the heat on her shoulders, a cold water was the least she could do.

"Right away."

Twilight patiently waited for a minute, watching the other ponies go about their own lives. Now that she was doing it, it didn't seem so weird to her. The waiter swiftly returned with a large glass filled with water and large chunks of ice.

"Thank you."

"Enjoy your water, ma'am."

She quickly took a very long swig of it and instantly felt a wave of relief from the heat wash over her. She took another long drain and hurriedly flagged down the waiter again.

"May I help you?" he blankly asked as a bead of sweat trickled from his own brow. He quickly wiped it away.

"I'd like another cold water please," Twilight requested as she finished the last of the water she already had.

"Right away, ma'am."

Twilight Sparkle watched her waiter go before turning her eyes back to the large crowd. If she was going to find Granny Smith, she was going to do it from the shade to spare herself time out in the heat. She shifted in her seat and tried to look through whatever openings in the crowd she could find. But it was to no avail.

"Thank you," she said again when her waiter returned with another water. She took a long drain from it before placing it on the table. She continued her search.

When the large bronze bell from the school's bell tower rung out across the square, Twilight stood up and placed some bits on the table. She sighed deeply and stretched. She had certainly been sitting still for far too long and her body protested at the sudden movements. As she was preparing to leave, her eyes fell onto a light green unicorn mare pulling behind her a wagon of apples. Twilight shook her mane, wiped away the sweat, and walked over to the light green mare with the wagon.

"Hello Lyra," Twilight said as she approached.

"Oh hi ya Twilight," Lyra said, stopping in her tracks and wiping away the sweat from her brow. "It's a hot day isn't it?"

"A little too hot," Twilight agreed readily.

"Yep. That's what I was trying to tell Bon-Bon earlier today," Lyra said as she nodded.

"Why do you have so many apples?" Twilight suddenly asked, changing the subject from the weather.

"Oh. Bon-Bon likes making little candies and such from the Apple Family apples," Lyra joyfully explained. "I ran into Granny Smith just now and so I decided to buy some and surprise Bon-Bon tonight."

Twilight looked to the wagon-full of apples and smiled. "I see."

"So . . . um . . . Twilight. You look like you've got something on your mind," Lyra said as she examined Twilight's face and loosened the harness.

"Do I?"

"Oh yeah. It's actually pretty obvious. What's up?"

"Oh it's nothing," Twilight said, a little more shyly than what she would have cared for.

"Twilight, you're no stranger here in this town," Lyra reassured her. "You have done a lot for this town and everypony's grateful for everything you've done. If you're troubled by anything, you can just ask around."

"Thanks Lyra."

"So what's up? But please be quick with it. I have to get home soon."

"Alright. Do you know where Granny Smith is?" Twilight asked, feeling incredibly stupid. Of course Lyra knows where Granny Smith is; she had just come from there.

"Uh . . . yeah . . . " Lyra said, looking a little dumbfounded. "Uh . . . is that all you were worried about?"

"Well no," Twilight hurriedly said. "I've actually got something to speak with her about and so . . . "

"What kind of thing is this 'thing' you got to talk about?" Lyra asked, beginning to refasten the straps to the harness. "That is if you don't me asking."

"Well you know that old house on Mayberry Hill?"

"Oh by Celestia!" Lyra suddenly cried as she covered her ears with her hooves. "Please spare me it. I am so tired of hearing about that silly old story. It's all Bon-Bon talks about now-a-days. It used to be that she'd talk about me and compliment me and call me 'pretty' and 'beautiful' but now it's all about that silly old house!"

"Oh well I'm not really much interested in it," Twilight was quick to say, feeling a little sorry for Lyra. "I just wanna find out the truth about what really happened there and the history about it and so I was thinking I should go and talk with Granny Smith about it."

Lyra looked sceptically at Twilight before sighing deeply and pointing down the street with her hoof. "She's just a little ways down that way."

"Okay. Thanks, Lyra," Twilight said before trotting off in the direction that Lyra had pointed and she heard Lyra sigh again. Twilight looked back over her shoulder to see Lyra walking again in the opposite direction, her cart kicking up dust as it went.

Twilight continued on her trek down the road, occasionally stopping to wipe the sweat that poured from her mane-line and brow. She quickly stepped into the shade of a house to cool down. She sat down and wiped more sweat away. She turned her head and looked a little further down the road and could make out the familiar apple stand. It was the same as it had ever been. It was an ordinary stand situated on wheels but it was heavily decorated with painted-on apples. It had two stands off to the side of it, both were laden with apples of various kinds, and as a new feature for these hot days was a large awning that cast a large area of shade. Under the awning was a large crowd of ponies. Twilight was a little apprehensive about heading over but she puckered it up and slowly crossed the street to where the apple cart was.

"Granny Smith," Twilight strained to say as she fought her way up to the front.

"Hmm? Who's 'zat?" Granny Smith absently asked as she turned around to see who had spoken. "Oh hi Twilight. How are you today? Want some apples?"

"Oh no thanks," Twilight said as she waved away Granny Smith's offer. "I've actually got something to talk with you about."

"What now?" Granny Smith asked, raising her hoof to her ear. "You want twenty apples?"

"No," Twilight insisted. "I have something I want to talk with you about."

"You have a thing with a hat?"

"No! I have something to talk with you about!"

"You have something you want to talk about? Then why didn't you just say so?"

Twilight pressed her hooves into her eyes and loudly sighed. "That's what I've been trying to tell you all along," Twilight said as Granny Smith finished giving change to a brown pegasus stallion.

"And what do you want to talk about?" Granny Smith asked.

"It's actually something I want to speak with you in private about."

"Well I'm actually pretty busy as it is. How about you come back at dusk when the crowd starts to thin and go home."

Twilight watched as Granny Smith addressed a small grey filly with a long white mane that lazily drooped over one of her eyes. Twilight watched the small grey filly as she ordered a large red apple, pay the bit for it, and run off with a large grin plastered on her face. Twilight smiled and retired back to the shadows across the street.

The minutes seemed to pass like hours as Twilight impatiently and anxiously sat in the shade waiting. As she sat and as the sun began to set in the far-off horizon, the temperatures began to cool off. Although she had spent most of the time bored out of her mind, Twilight had been somewhat entertained. For one thing, about an hour after she resigned herself to the shadows, a young mare with her young colt had been constantly trying to prevent him from magicking whatever he could point his horn at. Later, she sat and laughed as Snips and Snails kept tripping over each others hooves as they tried to walk down the street. Later, she had watched as two pegasus colts got into a heated argument about whose wings were bigger. After watching this and that and everything in between, Twilight did have to admit to herself that it hadn't had been that bad of a wait.

Just as Granny Smith had predicted, as dusk blanketed the town, the ponies underneath the large awning began to disperse and head on with their own lives. Twilight waited until the very last had left before crossing the street again.

"Granny Smith," she said as she neared the old mare who was busy counting the revenue for that day. "Granny Smith," Twilight said again when the old mare did not respond. "Granny Smith!"

"Oh what's going . . . oh Twilight. How nice to see you. Do you want some apples?"

"Um no . . . I actually have something I want to talk with you about."

"And what would that be, dear?"

"That old house on Mayberry Hill."

Granny Smith stopped counting the bits and sighed. She turned away from Twilight and picked up her saddle bags. For being as old as she was, that didn't stop Granny Smith in the slightest. When she had finished, she turned back around to Twilight and gave her a sad look and sighed again. "That's an old story," she said before flipping over the 'closed' sign on the cart and closing the panels to the apple stands. She locked them with a turn of her key and sighed again. "That's an old story," she said again.

"So you do know about the old house?" Twilight asked as she got nearer to the closed stand. The sun had set now and everything was cast into shadow. "Can you tell me about it, please?"

"Of course this old mare knows about it," Granny Smith said sadly. "I was here and around when that old story got going around. I was a young filly then but I can still remember the day I first heard that story. It was a hot summer day, much like this one here was today, and my family and I were out picking apples. This young filly, much like myself when I was younger, was walking down the street with one of her friends and they were talking about it. I went over and asked them about it and they told me. Yup. They sure did."

"So you heard it when you were a filly . . . so other than the story," Twilight said as she sat down on her haunches to hear more. "Do you know anything specific about the house?"

Granny Smith looked sadly to the ground and began to walk down the street as fast as her old legs would carry her. Twilight stood up and followed her as she went. "Yeah I know a little about it," Granny Smith sadly said as she kicked up some dust. "But you gotta remember, that house was around long before my family and I started up our farm. I think you heard that old story. My family and myself were wandering around Equestria looking for steady work. One day, we went up to Canterlot and the princess had a taste of what we were selling and you know how things went from there. She really liked it and she gave us some land down here in this valley and it was there that we started up everything. By the time we arrived, that old house had already been there for some time and was already abandoned . . . so you see, I can't really tell you much about it personally, but . . . "

"But what?" Twilight Sparkle asked suddenly, cutting off what Granny Smith was saying. "Are you saying that there's somepony who knows about the house?"

"If he's still alive, then yes," Granny Smith, even more sadly than before. "If he's still alive then he's the person you should speak with."

"What do you mean 'if he's still alive'?"

"Well I haven't seen that old fart in decades. He and I met when I was younger mare," Granny Smith explained with a smile. "Oh he was a nice young stallion when we met. Oh yes. He was as tall as the tallest stallions and he was stronger than all the rest. He was the most handsome stallion my eyes have ever laid on."

"What was his name?"

"Bindweed Orchid."

"Bindweed Orchid?"

"Yes. Bindweed Orchid," Granny Smith responded with another smile. "Yes. He was a handsome stallion."

"How do you know him?" Twilight asked, her interest piqued.

"Well once again, it was a hot summer day, much like this one here, and I was in town selling some apples. It was about time I was beginning to load up and go back home when there was a knock on the stand. I turned around and standing there was this really handsome stallion. He asked for some apples before I closed up the stand entirely and so I obliged. After that evening, he came back to the stand everyday for the next couple weeks and you know how things go, you're a mare. You should know."

"I'm sorry but I don't know," Twilight said with a little blush.

"Huh? You don't know?" Granny Smith asked as if she couldn't believe a word she was hearing.

"No," Twilight shyly asked, her blush deepening.

"Well anyways," Granny Smith continued on. "He came by everyday and things just sort of ticked. He and I began meeting up some days during my breaks and we'd go and walk around Ponyville. We'd just talk and we'd just have fun. Those were good days although things never really turned physical except for a kiss every now and then. And then several months after we started up, he left one day and I haven't seen or heard from that old fart since," Granny Smith said with a bitter tone in her voice.

"Where do you think he went?" Twilight asked as she felt a little sorry for the old mare.

"Heavens should I know! He didn't leave me a note or anything. He just up and left like a fart in the wind."

Twilight laughed at that. "So you have no idea where he could be . . . "

"Nope. I haven't a single clue as to where that stallion's gone off to."

Twilight kicked at the ground. "Well that doesn't help me at all. Did he tell you anything about the old house?"

"Nope," Granny Smith was quick to respond. "One of the few things he told me about that old house was that he was the grand-colt of the mare that supposedly died up there in that house. Other than that little piece of information and some more of this and that, he didn't tell me anything."

"That really doesn't help my situation at all."

"Well I'm sorry Twilight," Granny Smith said lightly. "But I can't help you as much as I would like to. I'll see you tomorrow if you stop by the cart. I should be closer to the square tomorrow if you want to stop by. But for now, I'm gonna head down the road and fall asleep in my rocking chair."

Twilight looked around and found herself in front of the large Sweet Apple Acres sign. Had they really been walking for that long? "Oh okay," she said as she turned around back towards town.

"I'm really sorry I can't help you more than that," Granny Smith said before she started her way down the dirt road to the farm.

Twilight looked to the dark sky and sighed. She was no closer to finding out the truth about that old house than she was when she spoke with Rarity earlier that day. She walked on and as she walked, the lingering promises of the day vanished beyond the horizon. The moon was rising and the stars were shining. A thin veil of fog was beginning to roll in off the cool river as it, just as it always had and always will, slowly drained out to the sea. Some businesses were still open as Twilight re-entered the town but most had already closed up for the day. She marched up the steps of the library and unlocked the door with a quick flick of her horn. She slowly went up the stairs to her loft, completely ignoring the book she told herself that she would finish, and flopped down into the bed.

"Twilight, where have you been today?" Spike asked as he came out of the bathroom.

"Out."

"What do you mean by 'Out'? You just up and left. Do you know how many ponies stopped by the library while you were gone?"

"No."

"A lot. That's how many," Spike said as he curled into his own bed.

"I'm sorry, Spike. I had a lot to figure out."

"Figure out what? If you had something to figure out, then why didn't you just stay here at the library with all these books around?"

"It's not something I can figure out with a book," Twilight said.

"Well then what is you were trying to figure out?"

"Nothing really important."

"Then why worry about figuring it out?"

"Because I want to."

Spike shook his head and laid down completely in his bed. "Well whatever then. Good night, Twilight."

"Good night, Spike," Twilight said as she opened the window beside her bed. She got out of bed and crossed over to the window. She propped her head up onto the sill and gazed out at Ponyville. She really was no closer to finding out the truth about the old house. She had no idea who this Bindweed Orchid pony was, she had no idea where she would find him, she had no idea where he could be, she had no idea if he was even still alive, and even if he was, he might be addled and have no memories about the house. Twilight deeply sighed and let the first cool night breeze kiss her face. She let it wash over her coat and through her mane, she let it enter the room and lightly rustle the papers on her desk, and she closed her eyes. Twilight removed herself from the window and crossed back to the bed. She plopped down into it again and let all thoughts about the house fall away. She fell to sleep.

Comments

[Lucefudu]

Found this in The Writer's Group and decided to give it a try.
I'm glad I did that too. I'm sensing a lot of suspense coming from this story... It will certainly evolve into something nice.
Your writing is simply wonderful (better than my own) and you clearly know how to grasp your reader's attention and how/where to lead the story.

(Now I wonder why stories like yours aren't recognized, while shitty cupcakes spin-offs or HiEtP Mary Sue, self-inserts make fame)

Tracked and [heavily] recommended.

[Alexander]

255078

Wow. That is the best comment I have EVER gotten

You've just given me a HUGE boost of willingness to work on the second chapter and all subsequent chapters. I cannot thank you enough for that

(And on a side note: Yeah. Sometimes I also wonder why. Every reason I think of just seems to slip away before I can grasp it. It is a bit disheartening )

[FamusJamus]

I'm enjoying it so far. Caught a couple of errors though:

- "Mayor! That's ridiculoud!" Terra cried, sitting back down in her seat.

- "If anypony has anything else to add, then say it now, if not, then i announce this meeting as fini . . . "

Close together, about halfway down.