A Strange New Pony in Town

by Dark Dienen

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Waiting.

It was one of the most hated pastimes known to ponykind, a pastime loathed no matter if the pony in question was a foal or a grown adult. Understandably then, to be told one had to wait for an entire two days, for a meeting that would more than likely last barely an hour, if that, would’ve normally resulted in at very least a spate of utter fury from said pony.

Luckily, for Mayor Mare anyway, the mere idea of having time to just sit, wait, and do nothing was almost non-existent.

Since receiving Xarzith’s letter, she’d managed to push herself through the review and signing off of another two hundred and eighty four request forms, a personal record.

Given the pure amount and complexity of the fine print alone, plus their own individual subtle derivatives and connotations, which a reader could only figure out if they were to read close enough… huh, well, one would be inclined to say that such an amount of work in such a space of time, likely would’ve either broken a lesser pony, or driven them flat out crazy. Seriously. One of them for example, a residential application for a new road-side flower garden, even had a clause whereas if a passing mare picked a flower from said garden, she owed the owner a kiss.

Fine print, Discord’s favorite language.

All of this work was done in order to achieve a single goal; to push all stray questions and thoughts of the mystery stallion from Mare’s mind.

Still, the work eventually dried up all the same, and it was at that point in time which Mayor Mare presently found herself; leaning back in her chair as the day passed by outside, her steadfast companion being a cup of coffee as she now patiently waited for her mysterious guest in the comfort of her office.

Two items of interest currently lay on her desk. The first was the official zoning map of Ponyville town site and the surrounding areas, with each block of land colored according to its classification as suburban, semi-rural, or rural. To most ponies such an item would’ve been considered a virtually useless thing to have on hoof… but when each land classification had its own building code, and a grouchy somepony was trying to sue your flank for allowing their neighbor to build a wall they felt was far too high, it was a lifesaver.

Sitting directly next to said zoning map was the deed belonging to the block of land recently brought into question, along with a stack of all the relevant paperwork needed for Xarzith to buy it. She wanted to say there wasn’t much there… but that would’ve been a blatant and outright lie; after all, she’d gathered all the damnable forms together herself.

“Xarzith Ixen,” She murmured between mouthfuls of caffeinated liquid, running the curious name off her tongue. “Ugh, I swear, if this turns out to be some kind of prank…”

She snorted and shook her head of the thoughts before they progressed any further; neither second guessing nor questioning the unknown ever got anypony anywhere.

Still, given its nature, that didn’t mean she was suddenly at ease with the whole situation, as it stood then and there. There was just so much left unanswered and unexplained, and the letter honestly raised more questions than it could ever answer. So much mystery surrounded the letter and the as of yet faceless sender; why now? Why Ponyville? Why that particular block of land? Why build his own house instead of purchasing an existing one?

And just who was this character?

………………………………………………………………………………………….

Out at the front desk, Ruth was alternating between her usual paperwork, taking bites out of a hay and salad sandwich, and making sure that nopony who came in could disturb the Mayor, the middle-aged Earth pony humming quietly to herself as she did so.

If somepony were to enter, and glance upon the quaint brown and silver mare at work, they might’ve said there was no way that this pony could even hurt a fly… nothing could be further from the truth.

There was a saying amongst the Ponyville populace that if there was one pony you didn’t want to be on wrong side of, bar perhaps the likes of Twilight Sparkle or Rainbow Dash, it was Ruthann Inkedquill. Having previously worked as an assistant to the mayors of Canterlot and Detrot, before apparently deciding it was time for a change of scenery after the mid-life crisis set in, it was readily assumed and accepted that Ruth had seen, heard, and dealt with it all before.

By those in Ponyville who had connections in Canterlot, It was even rumored that the upper-crust unicorns of the capital were outright terrified of her. Apparently, it was something about how she’d dragged a particularly self-important noble out of the Mayor’s office by his tail, and then used her back hooves to send him sailing out into the street, all the while threatening to break his horn off and use it against him in… questionable ways… should his high and mighty flank ever turn up again.

Needless to say, you did not lock horns with Ruthann Inkedquill. Ever.

Upon finishing the last of her sandwich, Ruth’s ears were greeted by a sudden and unexpected knock, prompting a slight groan from her muzzle.

Upon looking up to investigate the invasive sound, however, Ruth’s annoyance morphed into something stuck between curiosity and confusion.

“Hi there… um, I’m assuming that this is the Mayor’s office, right?”

Ruthann blinked a few times at the sight of pony standing in the office doorway… or the stallion standing in the office doorway to be exact, given his tone of voice.

Though with the cloak he was wearing, nothing was a certainty.

He stood perhaps a little taller than the average stallion, say an inch or two, if her estimates of the common stallion served her right; not quite the likes of Earth ponies such as Big Macintosh, but perhaps very close to the size of Prince Shining Armor (Mare’s Weekly loved having photos of him), with an apparent build to match if his bulging saddle bags were anything to go by. Either way, he was still a rather respectable size for a pony.

Where his cloak allowed it to be revealed, his coat appeared to be a very pearly white in color, kind of like drifts of snow almost, but slightly lacking the ‘luster’ of Rarity’s… then again, that unicorn put on enough product each morning to fill Ponyville Lake twice over.

Ruth shook her head. "Ehem, it is sir… but I’m afraid the mayor isn’t seeing anypony today, she’s preparing for the arrival of a business guest in the next few hours." she told the pony as he proceeded to cross the room, using a hoof to wipe a few stray crumbs from her muzzle. “Uh… sir…”

“Hehe, sorry… see, that’d actually be me.”

It was then, as he stopped in front of her desk, that the concealing hood finally came off.

Ruth's mouth dropped open, and almost reached the floor, as she looked at the unicorn stallion in front of her. Her initial once over had been correct in one assumption, as his pelt was indeed almost as white as snow… but that was not what her eyes were presently glued to.

His own eyes were a little lighter than crimson in color, in a way mistakenly giving the impression of a rather chronic lack of sleep, and set into a fairly young face; late teens or early twenties perhaps. Admittedly, red eyes weren’t unheard of, but such a color was considered one of the rarer ones at best, and Ruth couldn’t help but find them surprising as well as somewhat unnerving.

Something that was, apparently, supposed to be akin to a light blue mane emerged from between his ears and ran down the length of his neck, but it just seemed… a little off. Ruth couldn’t confidently put her hoof on it, but its style and the way it hung just seemed a little unusual or unnatural. Perhaps it was just her imagination.

His horn though was what really caught her attention, what with being the most peculiar of his features, without a doubt; not only was it curved back where a common unicorn’s was a perfect lance, but it was two-toned; white with a blue tip.

"Well, name’s Xarzith, and I’m guessing that Mayor Mare’s been expecting me?"

Ruth’s jaw worked itself up and down. “Bwah?”

“Umm… you know; the letter? Xarzith Ixen?” The young stallion just grinned sheepishly, indicating to himself with a hoof. “Appointment concerning me trying to buy some land here in little old Ponyville?”

“Ah, yes, my… ehem… apologies for that,” Ruth murmured as quickly as she could, making a hasty scrawl in her appointments book despite her initial, and still ongoing surprise at the visitor. “One moment, sir.”

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................

*knock*knock*

Mayor Mare had been spending the passing minutes looking out her window when the knock at her door came, her mind, at that particular moment in time, lost in its own little pleasant fantasy world while her trusty cup of coffee sat nestled in her front hooves.

As such, and as one could’ve expected, she didn’t react well nor gracefully in the slightest to the sudden input of noise into her thought patterns… in short, about a quarter of the steaming coffee, which had previously been awaiting her thirst idly in the cup, ended up splashing outwards as she almost jumped out of her fur coat, said coffee soaking the fur around her front hooves.

But before she could say anything more on the matter though, or even grumble out any choice Words for that matter, Ruth’s head appeared in the doorway.

"Mayor, a mister Xarzith Ixen is here to see you."

“Ah, yes,” Mare replied through slightly clenched teeth, hurriedly shaking the hot liquid from her hooves. “Please show him in.”

I hope by Tartarus this doesn’t stain.

“Of course. If you would please step this way, sir,"

Mare’s eyebrow rose as the mystery stallion, whose letter had been doing her head in for almost two days now, finally entered the room, the oddity of a pony slowly walking towards her desk before taking the seat opposite of her, neither his red eyes nor youthful grin ever leaving her.

Mare couldn’t help but scrutinize the pony from behind her glasses. What with the rather formal nature of the corresponding letter, as well as its material, this Xarzith… didn’t exactly fit with the pony she’d initially expected; the style of writing and suggestion of wealth had suggested somepony, well, perhaps a bit older than the one before her. This one looked barely out of his younger years.

And what’s with the cloak and hoof coverings? she wondered, momentarily glancing between the respective items of black clothing.

Ugh, Rarity would have a fit.

Well, he was certainly a character either way, if that smirk of his was anything to go by.

"It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Mayor Mare."

“Yes… likewise, Mr. Ixen,” Mare cleared her throat, warily shaking his extended hoof. “Though I must say, with all due respect, you’re not exactly…”

“What you expected?” The white stallion finished as he took a seat. “Eh, I get that a lot.”

Mare’s ears flattened as he smirked and rolled his eyes; ugh, youth these days.

“I’m sure you do,” "Whatever the hay that means," Mare muttered, crossing her front hooves as she returned on formality. Being Mayor didn’t mean you couldn’t be laid back, but there was a proper time and place for such things. “Now then, Mr. Ixen, on to business. I’ve thought your proposition over for the last two days, and seeing as the land in question is not currently in use…”

“Bit of an eye sore, huh?”

Mare just huffed at his sense of humor. “More like a rather painful reminder if anything… ehem, and being situated in a residential area anyway, I see no reason not to sell it to you. The current price is eighty thousand bits non-negotiable. As I am required to do so by law, I must inform you that there will be various fees to go with everything you intend to do, all of which you are required to pay within the set deadline or you risk forfeiting your ownership of the block. Do you understand everything I have said thus far?"

“Perfectly,” The unicorn replied, apparently content to gaze around her office. “And trust me, money isn’t an issue."

“Just covering my flank from the law here, Mr. Ixen,” Mare assured; a pony his age not caring about fees draining away his hard earned bits? This stallion was proving to be quite an oddity.

“Anyway, that’s good to hear,” the Earth pony said flatly, pulling the pile of forms to the center of her desk.

If Mare wasn’t mistaken, and the stallion’s change in facial expression represented what she thought it did, then Xarzith regarded the pile of paperwork with just as much vigor as she did.

Sweet buck it all.

“Ehem, now, I have all the relevant paperwork here and ready for you to sign it. First and foremost is the land contract; this simply states that you’re buying the land from the Ponyville Council for the intention of personal residence, and not something like a future business premises… though I would think it’s a bit more then I think you wanted.”

Xarzith’s head tilted sideways in apparent confusion, his cyan mane following suit. "How so?"

"Well… It is a full acre of land… and you’re only one resident, so you alone will be responsible for all aspects of its maintenance, various utility rates included. Just a forewarning.”

“Hehe, thanks, but I’ll be fine.” Mare just rolled her eyes again.

Gingerly, she slid the green form out in front of him, along with a bundle of grey ones. “Alright, here is the respective deed and your utility agreements,” and then a copy of the zoning map. “And these are the relative zoning rights and restrictions for the block… just so you know what you can and can’t build.”

“And this one is registration of residence,” Mare explained, pushing forward the final yellow form, along with a quill and inkwell. “By filling this form out you apply to officially become a resident of the town of Ponyville, and thus accept the laws, rates, and community expectations that come with living here.”

“Huh?” Xarzith glanced up and regarded her oddly. “Um… quick question, what kind of community expectations are we talking about here?”

“Ah, of course, my apologies. There are a number of community events over the year that require everypony’s involvement in one form or another, a ‘whole town pitch-in’ if you would. These events include season changes like Winter Wrap-up, and celebrations or festivals like Nightmare Night. If you want more information on any of them, or what’s expected of you during these events, I would suggest seeing Twilight Sparkle; she’s the local librarian and chief organizing officer in that regard.”

“Hehe, thanks,” He smiled sheepishly, the quill once again beginning to scratch. “Just wanted to know what I was signing up for.”

Mare sat patiently for the next few minutes, either sipping her remaining coffee, or idly playing with her hooves, as Xarzith appeared to look over each of the forms carefully, and then fill in what information was needed. Her eyes, for the most part, spent the time darting between the scratching quill in his mouth, and his horn… which for some reason he wasn’t using.

Come to think of it, he hasn’t used it at all since this meeting began… meh.

"Um, I think I’ve filled everything out correctly.”

“Here, just let me take a quick look.” Mayor smiled, taking the form from him and hastily running her eyes over it line by line…

Or rather, up until her breath slightly caught in her throat. “Um… Mr. Ixen… might I quickly inquire as to your birthplace?”

“Oh, the Crystal Empire... why do you ask?”

She lowered the form. “Well, it’s just that from what I’ve read, and don’t take this the wrong way, but aren’t crystal ponies supposed to be, er, sparkly?”

The chance of this particular colt being a criminal on the run was minimal, but when you ran a small town in the middle of Equestria, you could never be too careful with outsiders moving in.

Much to Mare’s surprise, Xarzith just chuckled and shook his head at her question, cyan mane moving a little... unnaturally... as he did so. “Yeah, they‘re actually really, really sparkly. But you see, uh, the truth is that I grew up in the mountain’s surrounding where the city sits now, so I never got exposed to all that crystal magic that makes them sparkle… eesh, kinda’ glad too, my coat would probably blind ponies if it did.”

Mare nodded as she put the form aside. "Makes sense."

But… isn't that area a frozen wasteland? How the hay would anypony even survive in conditions like that?!

“That wouldn’t happen to be where your peculiar name comes from, would it?”

The stallion, along with his ears flopping back, suddenly went as rigid as a hitching post.

“Um, kind of; it’s drawn from my mother’s side.” He answered stiffly, seeming to suddenly find his hooves rather interesting.

Mare simply nodded in return and perused the matter no further; his behavior was giving the impression she was treading on an unsavory topic. “A-anyway. Now, this all looks to be fairly much in order… so, uh, your payment…”

“Sure. Here’s payment for everything, in full as promised,” The stallion went on after a tense moment, hefting his weighted saddle bags onto her desk, and spilling out the gleaming contents of the left one. “Um… I didn’t have a chance to get this exactly valued, but I think this should be roughly enough.”

All Mayor Mare could do in answer was sit and stare, her jaw working its way up and down a few times as her brain tried, and subsequently failed, to wrap her head around what she was seeing.

There, sitting on her desk like they were nothing but a consolidated mound of stray office paper clips, was a small pile of pale-bluish gemstones that scattered the light as it fell on them, each one measuring about the size of a bit in diameter.

Now, Mayor Mare wasn’t exactly a graduated geologist and mineral expert from the University of Canterlot, but with one of Ponyville’s primary sources of income being the gemstone deposits in the surrounding hills, the respective mining licenses of which she was responsible for… well, she had enough experience to tell a ruby from a fire opal any day, and thus could say with relative confidence just what the stones before her were.

“Bwah?!”

Eh… she could attempt to, anyway.

Ice diamonds. The same stone, the same rather valuable stone that was said to be the symbol of the Crystal Empire.

Jewelry and fashion magazines often called them the staple of the northern city-state, and it was common knowledge that they were sought after by the nobility like anything, given their limited supply….

It was kind of hard to get the crystal ponies to mine the very stone that had led to their enslavement, after all.

“Hehe, yeah, my mother’s got a knack for digging these things up back home,” Xarzith answered as he rubbed the back of his neck, apparently unsure. “Trust me though, those are the real deal…”

Mare just shook her head, trying to regain some sense of composure as she scooped the pile aside.

“I-I don’t doubt that, Mr. Ixen. I will of course need to get these properly valued and then exchanged before your purchase goes on the registry... but I’m quite confident that this will be more than enough. Besides, I’ll know where to find you should I be required to chase you down.”

“Phew, that’s a big relief. Thought I’d be in hot water for a minute there.” Xarzith smirked as he rose from his seat, pretending to wipe sweat from his brow. He extended a hoof and shook her own once more. “Well, it’s been a pleasure and all, Mayor Mare, but I know you’ve got better things to do besides talking to me all day. I’ll show myself out.”

Mayor Mare could only nod dumbly in return.

First the strangest horn she’d ever seen, then casually saying he’d been raised in an apparent frozen wasteland, and now just dumping a sack’s worth of rather rare and expensive gemstones like they were naught but spare change… after this, she was going to need a drink, a strong drink and plenty of it.

Just before he reached the doorway, however, his head abruptly turned back. “Oh, one more thing before I go, do I have to apply for a lumber license or something if I wanna cut down some trees from the Everfree?”

"Er, well… no… but I wouldn’t really suggest such a thing. The Everfree Forest is a rather dangerous place, and we do have a local construction firm if you need building materials… why?"

Xarzith chuckled, his cyan tail flicking from side to side. “The license? Heh, funny story, but not a very nice or appropriate one. As for the lumber… eh, let’s just call it a personal thing.”

And with that he was gone.

Mare just stood there for a few more seconds, her mind storing all that had happened for later recollection if need be as she watched the doorway, before virtually collapsing back into the embrace of her chair. With a final long sigh escaping her muzzle, she went for the bottle of hard cider in her bottom drawer.

What was it with Ponyville and attracting all manner of weirdness?

Comments

[demon51423]

lol ... just auteur lol

[Chaotic Note]

Loving the story so far.

[TheGreatPandaKing]

The story's looking good. There are only a few small grammar issues (wrong wording every so often) but the story altogether is looking really good. I'm also really liking the character and can't wait for more of a back story on him. You're doing great!

[Alectra24444]

What was it with Ponyville and attracting all manner of weirdness?

Its a mane attraction of course...