Our Lives, Our World

by maddox078

Prologue: Hayfield

The name “Hayfield” doesn’t exactly strike anyone with excitement, wonder, or any other enticing feelings. That’s because Hayfield is just your run of the mill town, settled by all walks of life 40 miles southwest of Ponyville. It’s a town run mostly by agriculture, and has remained untouched by the cultural ripples of modern technologies, however few they may be. Most roads, save for Main Street, are simple but well maintained dirt pathways. They crisscross at apathetic angles, lazily guiding ponies to their destination with as much nonexistent haste as its travelers have. The buildings are all either simple cottages with thatched roofs or wood-paneled ranch homes, but still allow a certain grace to themselves.

It’s a quiet town, for sure, but it’s also been my home for as long as I can remember. Sure, I’ve lived briefly in other, even smaller towns, but 17 of my 20 years have been spent here.

The sun’s shining brightly today, making blinding crystals that dance on the ripples of Angel Lake. The air is a bit warmer than what I’d like, but is carried on a firm breeze in amends.

It’s good having an excuse to be out on such a bright day, one that ushers all folks from their homes and out into the glory of the goddess’ sun. As I make my way down one of the larger dirt roads in town, I allow a polite nod to those whom I pass on the street, none seeming all too busy today. Everyone’s usually pretty happy here, and so am I, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve realized my need to explore.

Not much happens in a town of less than a thousand, within a year you’ll likely see all the faces these fields and homes hold. They’re amicable, no doubt about it, but now that I’ve aged and finished with all my schooling I want to learn what can’t be held in words. Ponykind has a wide vocabulary, but I seek knowledge in my heart, what words can’t explain. I want to witness the beauty of my world and know more than just these thousand faces.

---

It’s 11 A.M. and I’ve only just got up. I jumped on, well rather slothed about, upon the idea of having no work today. Being a shelf-stocker in a general store isn’t particularly interesting. What makes it all worth-while is my boss, Alexander Hoofington. A stallion of his mid-fifties, with the brain of a youthful scholar, he’s one of my dearest friends in town.

As I walk across the street and through the trees along the middle, I catch a glimpse of Alexander through the shop’s open doors. He’s behind the counter, rummaging through the space underneath.

Moments later he sees me and greets me with a big hello as I walk into cozy shop.

“Ah Dusk, what brings you over here? Aren’t you supposed to be packing for your big trip?”

A smile crawls upon my lips as I walk up to hug him in greeting.

“I’ve packed all of my things already, but I’ve still got some baggage to deal with.”

He nods then walks the two of us over to an old wooden table with a set of equally worn chairs. Once seated across from me, he puts his chin on his hooves in attention. I continue on.

“What I mean is, I need to say my goodbyes to everyone here. I’m not saying anything bad will happen while I’m gone, but-“

“But you’re not a stallion to chance such things.”

“Heh, right, I just want to have a chance to say goodbye in case I don’t get any others in the future. But I mostly just have something I need to tell you.”

An indiscernible look appears upon his face, but he remains in silence, coaxing me on.

“You know how grateful I've been of all the work you've given me, and how much you’ve been there for me over all these years.”

He smiles shyly and shifts his eyes away from mine.

“Ever since my dad….ever since my dad died shortly after we moved here you’ve been the father that fate has taken from me. You’ve helped me learn, mature, and teach others about the vast wisdoms you’ve shared with me. It was lonely at first, just mother and I in that cabin on the lake, too big for two people. But you found me that one night, on a makeshift raft staring up at the stars. I told you how I could hear a soft song emanating from them; it was angelic, and boasted a wide array of tones and voices. After sitting there captivated by the song for nearly half an hour, I felt a twinge of heat on my flanks and noticed my cutie mark had appeared. In my excitement I fell off the raft and panicked from the shock of the cold autumn waters. You heard me from your porch and paddled all the way out there to bring me back to shore. You’ve saved me many more times since then, and I won’t forget a single one of them.”

Alexander subtly bit his lip and closed his eyes hard for a moment. When he looked back up, my reflection showed upon his glistening eyes. The tears startled me at first, but I soon saw the bittersweet look upon his grey, aging face speak the gratitude to me that his own words could not.

He reached across the table and hugged me tight, before silently whispering, “I love you, son.”

Five years of well-wishes and encouragement from that stallion, and none of it came close to the value I placed those four, near inaudible words.

---

It was hard walking out of that dusty old shop and throwing out a last good-bye, but I had to stay positive, this was a beginning after all, not an end.

I made my rounds to all corners of the town to say my goodbyes, from old school friends, to relatives I didn’t really know that well but who always seemed to know me. Everyone in town knew of my leaving, and many kids these days were packing up and heading out to bigger towns with more prospects. However, it was always a big deal for such a small community to lose even one person.

The last stop, and one I was to enjoy the most, was to my fellow pegasus friend’s hillside abode. We’d been inseparable since we met nearly ten years ago, after I moved back here in elementary school. I prepared myself for yet another difficult farewell.

Even a quarter mile away I could see her tending to a set of hanging gardens she had along her house and the steep hills it was built into. I made it to the porch before her tan ears perked up and she whipped around with a big smile. She energetically dove down into a rather aggressive hug which uprooted me from my stance. As the ground said its farewells to me, I felt her uncanny strength pulling me in.

“Dusk! So good to see you. Surely you’re not already leaving right?”

Her face fell as she realized why I was here, for one last time.

“Afraid so June, but it’s not a guarantee that I’ll stay away forever. You’re not THAT repulsive.”

She hit me on the arm with once again unprecedented strength for a female pegasus.

“You can’t refrain from being a butt even now? After I was so nice to you?”

I rubbed the offending spot on my shoulder as I continued, “Crushing my spine in a bear hug to keep me from leaving is hardly considered ‘nice.’”

She gave me a playful smirk and another quick hug.

“Boy I guess you DO know me pretty well, huh?”

“You’re as predictable as the rest of this town.”

At that she looked off down the steep hill and at the sparse collection of shops and homes below, leaving her long auburn mane to face me.

“I guess that’s why ya gotta leave huh? Nothing really does change here…but that’s how some of us like it, you know? The simple pleasures of life and all of its wonders are enough for many.”

Her thoughtful look never faltered.

“I understand, and you know that I feel similarly, but it’s never a bad idea to expand your life. There’s more than just the horizon, the whole world lies just beyond it. There’s much I want to know, much I want to see, things that just can’t be found here. Not better, not worse, just...different.”

June seemed to copy Alexander’s bittersweet expression as she reached over to me to satiate her hug addiction. Someone really ought to stage an intervention with that mare.

She remained silent, still looking out over all that is Hayfield. A good few minutes passed with no other sounds than the elevated breeze that was trying to climb its way up the hill, combing through the array of velvety flowers hung about.

“I understand completely Dusk, and I’d never stop you. Just, be sure to write ok? Please?”

Her face fell in concern, concern that I wouldn’t be who I’ve been for nearly half our lives, her best friend.

“Of course I will, I’ll send a postcard from every town I see.”

A gasp escaped her as an epiphany struck and she excused herself to quickly dash inside. My head half followed her retreat until she returned only moments later with a camera under her wing.

“I don’t care about getting some cheaply printed photo in the mail, I want you to take this and make your OWN photos and memories. Then, send them back here to little ol’ miss unadventurous.”

She transferred the camera from her wing to mine and leaned in to give me one last gift, a small peck on the cheek.

“I’ll come find you if I don’t see any photos of the great wild wonders of Equestria sitting on my fridge in two weeks’ time. And if you thought that hug was rough, you haven’t seen anything yet.”

My smile grew to the largest it had been, a slight blush still filling my cheeks as I hugged her one last time and turned away from her to walk down the hill for what I truly hoped was not the last time.

---

Angel Lake is one of the bigger lakes in the region, stretching almost past the horizon in some spots. Many ponies have made their homes along the gentle sands and the shading pines and cedars. My home lies at the edge of the lake closest to town, not far from Alexander’s. The bright, white, wooden structure came clearly into view. I walked up the small porch and threw open the screen door. I noticed a figure sitting in the corner chair to my left, amongst a few bags scattered on the floor of the somewhat rustic living room. My mother sat reading a book, patiently waiting for me to finish my rounds of goodbye’s before she said her own. As soon as she saw me, a familiar pained expression showed up among her features, in her dark blue eyes, and in her brows buried under the bangs of her yellow mane as she looked up from her book and saw me.

She got up from her chair, and closed her book without paying any mind to where she was and approached me. She looked me over from head to toe, as if seeing me for the first, and not the last time.

“Son, I want you to know that I’m proud of your courage to make such a journey, to fight for yourself. Life here in Hayfield…it hasn’t always been easy,” her face fell at the memory of her lost love, “but you’ve always fought for me, working to keep us afloat and in this nice house in a good town.”

She briefly looked away, her eyes disappearing behind the charcoal fur of her eyelids as she composed herself.

“I’ll be fine on my own, you know that, but I’ll miss the company most of all. I know you’ll visit, and if not, I’ll get your strong pegasus friend to come bring you back forcefully.”

She smiled at her own comic relief as she looked back up at me.

“Threat’s already been made, accounted for, and feared mom. Don’t worry,” I moved my hoof up to her shoulder, “I’ll be back soon enough, and maybe I’ll have even learned some new exotic dish to make for a return dinner for you and Mr. and Mrs. Hoofington.”

She didn’t say another word, just reached down to grab my bags and gently lay their bulk across my back. I straightened up with the added weight and tossed the camera up on top, resting loosely inside of my clothes bag.

Silence again prevailed as I turned around and headed for that old screen door, not feeling the extra weight on my back, but in my chest. I turned around as I reached the end of the wooden porch that dug into the sands of the lake.

One last hug.

“I love you, son.”

With my heart weighing heavy, I left my prints in the sand as I walked away to a gradually setting sun.

Author's Note:

Hello readers, thanks for taking the time to check out my story, I'll keep this relatively short. My main goal for this story is for you to explore all of the different locations and landmarks that I've dreamed up to fit in with the rest of the known Equestrian world. It is a little less focused on the main character, and more about eliciting fun mental imagery. There will still be personal changes to both the main character, and both his old friends and the new ones he meets along the way. Also, the character list isn't entirely accurate as of now, I can only completely assure you of the main six being in the next chapter, the rest are reasonably defined OC's of varying races and personalities. I have a lot of ideas, most of which are already completely fleshed out in my head, but since this is my first time with a serious attempt at an extended writing project, I want to wait before I write too much on the chance that my story isn't successful with its audience. So please, if you enjoy and want to see more of what I've dreamed up, please message me with thoughts and opinions and rate the story however you see fit. Thank you very much, and enjoy!