A New Town, a New Start

by OceansBreeze

Pretty Powerful Party Ponies

"Pinkie, please! I can walk myself you know," I protested to her vigorous pulling.

The inside of Sugarcube Corner was quite similar to the outside, in that it was very reminiscent of a gingerbread house. The outside was almost a perfect scale model of your run of the mill gingerbread house, even topped with a cupcake tower with a circular window and three candles on top. The roof looked like it was made of chocolate shingles lined with white icing, almost giving the impression that it had recently snowed. The walls were cream colored with brown trimming and the windows were tinted pink with darker pink shutters. The door was pink and divided into three different pieces, a bottom half and an almost saloon style top half. Once inside, the general design remains the same. Cream colored walls, brown trim, and candy cane pillars. The floor was a teal wooden design that was a nice complement to all the brightness going on everywhere. There were several shelves and displays with all kinds of pastries and delights. Off to one side was a set of actual saloon doors leading into a kitchen area, and on the other side was a staircase leading up to the second floor. The main space of the bottom floor was mostly open, save for a few tables stocked up with all kinds of goodies. Savory cakes, cupcakes, muffins, scones, danishes, eclairs, fritters, and many other tasty treats. A punch bowl with a pink concoction was placed on a separate table with several glasses already filled for convenience. Another table off in the corner, almost as if it was meant to be hidden, was housing a small pile of presents all wrapped in various ways. Balloons, confetti, and streamers littered every other available space they could fit in. Ponies were chatting and milling about in sparse groups all throughout this contained mess, many more than I had thought would show. Some were giggling around the punch bowl, some were playing pin the tail on the pony, and some were just enjoying the many confections that were provided. All in all it seemed like one heck of a party.

"Oh sorry, I'm just so eager to make sure you get a chance to meet everypony here!" she said, finally relinquishing her firm hold on my foreleg. "So! Who do you want to meet first?" she grinned, bouncing up and down in place.

"Um," I stalled, not really sure what to say in reply to that as I scanned the ponies mingling around the room. There were actually a few ponies I had met already, including Lyra and Bon Bon. I just simply smiled and gave a wave at them as they glanced towards me. They smiled and gestured in return before returning to their conversation.

"Already met Lyra and Bon Bon, huh? Great! That means you're doing great already!" she exclaimed at our gestures. "I guess we should start with somepony else then since we have so many ponies for you to meet."

"Ok then, lead the way," I replied, readying myself for a first impression.

Pinkie suddenly bounced toward a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail. She had a multicolored lightning bolt coming out of a cloud as her cutie mark and rose colored eyes. All the colors definitely demanded attention from my eyes, as I had seen her coming in. She was making casual conversation with an orange filly with a purple, shortly cut mane and a multicolor shield as a cutie mark. The filly seemed quite entrapped in whatever the blue mare was saying, soaking in every word.

"Dashie! Come say 'Hi' to the new pony in town!" Pinkie gestured her hoof towards me as she said this, putting me on the spot.

"Um, salutations!" I offered with an awkward smile. Salutations? Good one Dusty.

"Um, hi there," she sniggered at my greeting. "I'm Rainbow Dash, Wonderbolt extraordinaire and the fastest pony in Equestria!" she puffed her chest out at this declaration with a confident grin. The little filly beside her started grinning from ear to ear, almost as if she were the one who was a Wonderbolt. If her purple eyes had gotten any bigger I'd be willing to bet they'd just fall right off her face.

"Oh wow, are you serious? A Wonderbolt? That's awesome!" I replied with earnest, genuinely impressed, provided it was true and not just a tall tale. "What's it like being a Wonderbolt? I assume it's pretty great."

"It's awesome! It can be a lot of work sometimes though, uh...what was your name again?" she raised an eyebrow at me.

"Oh I'm sorry, where are my manners? My name is Dusty Tome, nice to make your acquaintance," I sheepishly offered to her. I just can't seem to nail conversations today, can I?

"Dusty, huh? I like it. Nice and stately. But yeah, it can be a lot of work sometimes being on call all the time. How about you? You ever tried to become a Wonderbolt?" she asked me with a twinge of what sounded like a challenge, but I wasn't too sure.

"Well naturally when I was a young colt I dreamed of maybe one day flying with the Wonderbolts just like everypony else, but I've never been the fastest of flyers. I am pretty good at long distance flying and weather manipulation though, so there's that I suppose," I answered. "I did get first place in our little town mareathon race, but I only won thanks to my endurance. For the majority of the race I was pretty far behind but the others were speedsters and couldn't last that long without a break. It was a matter of just simply passing them up shortly before the finish line."

She gave me a downtrodden yet interested look. "Aw, that's too bad, I was really hoping for a challenge out of you. I'd like to see this famed stamina later, huh? Well, I am Ponyville's resident weather captain so if you ever need a little bit of work, just hit me up!" she offered with a little more pep in her step.

"Ya hasslin' the new guy, Rainbow?"

I jumped at the sudden voice over my shoulder and whipped my head around to see that an orange earth pony with a tousled blonde ponytail and a stetson was standing behind me smirking at Rainbow Dash. She had a thick southern accent and exuded an aura of strength and a general sense of being down to earth. Her emerald eyes sparkled with mischief, like Rainbow and her were always picking on each other. She had three apples on her flank which vaguely reminded me of something I had seen before but couldn't quite recall. Behind her was a cream colored filly with a red mane and an absolutely ginormous pink bow. The bow was almost the same size as her head, the poor thing. She had a multicolor shield as her cutie mark as well, which really threw me for a loop. Upon closer inspection of both cutie marks I noticed that the little orange pegasus had a feather and lightning bolt inside her shield, and the little yellow filly had an apple inside a heart. So they were different after all, but only slightly so. Intriguing, to say the least.

"What?! I was just asking about his hobbies, not interrogating him," she protested to the mare's question with a scowl. Pinkie merely giggled and snorted at Rainbow.

"Yer always lookin' for a race out o' everypony, Rainbow. Can't you think bout nothin' else?" she said with smirk. Turning towards me she smiled a large, genuine smile and took my foreleg in hers and started shaking my hoof and said, "Well, welcome to Ponyville. My name's Applejack. I run Sweet Apple Acres just outside o' town with my brother Big Mac and Granny Smith."

Again, something was ringing bells in my head about this mare and especially the name Sweet Apple Acres. Maybe they sold something I'd seen before? I decided to ask as soon as we finished introductions.

She let go of my hoof and continued on, gesturing towards the filly behind her, "This here is my little sis, Applebloom." The filly merely waved a disinterested hoof before trotting over to the little pegasus and started an eager conversation. "She's never been the best at manners, 'specially when her mind's set on an adventure with her little friends," she said with a huff. "So, what 'bout you?" she asked, seemingly fine with just letting her sister go.

"Well, my name's Dusty Tome and I just moved here from Fort Vandercolt up north for a change in scenery, and so I could open up my bookshop," I introduced.

"Yeah! I've already seen the shop, it's very homey," Pinkie added in with a hop. She had wandered off sometime during mine and Rainbow's conversation, and was making rounds around the whole room. She didn't even stop to say it, she just hopped on by adding in her two bits.

"Tryin' to open up a business here in Ponyville, huh? More power to ya, sugarcube. We got our own little economy here in Ponyville, it really is a great place to settle. Ya know, my Granny founded this place with a lil' help from her famous zap apple jam, and Stinkin Rich's shop too I suppose," she said with a grin. Zap apple jam! That's it! I'd had a jar of zap apple jam one time when I was a foal for my fifth birthday party. It was one of the best things I had ever eaten! That's why her mark and home was so familiar. I'd seen them on the jar's label.

"Oh wow, really? I've had your zap apple jam once before. They really are some amazing fruits, zap apples. Do you think maybe you could show me the trees some time?" I asked with admittedly a little too much childlike enthusiasm. What can I say, I like to see the way things are done.

She merely chuckled at my outburst and nodded, "I reckon so, that is, when they bloom next season. It's still a few months away from zap apple harvest, so you'll have to wait a bit."

That was a shame but I was content with waiting a while. I was going to be living here after all, I wasn't going anywhere. "Sure thing Applejack, just let me know and I'll be ready."

"So what did you do back home? Did you always run a store?" she inquired as she shifted her weight to one side and crossed over her legs. Well she certainly wasted no time in getting comfortable and casual. It was nice, seeing a mare with that much confidence and still being humble and casual about things.

"Well for the most part I was a student at Draft's School learning about business and general sciences, but when I wasn't studying I would either help my father with his job on the weather or my mother with her farm on the back land. She always enjoyed a good home cooked meal. I would always be there to help with the more higher up chores, since she was an earth pony. She would always tell me that was the reason she let me be a pegasus, like it was her choice. She likes to poke fun at me, just like every other mom I suppose. So, no I haven't ever run a business, just a farm with my mom but that only adds to my excitement of being independent."

Applejack was a great listener, she hardly ever broke eye contact and would nod or smile from time to time. Not much the same could be said about Rainbow once I got around to the farming business. She seemed a little distracted, off in her own thoughts. She had her head in the clouds, so to speak.

"Well ain't that just swell? Got another farmer in town too, Rainbow," she said with a slightly raised voice directed at Rainbow, jarring her back to reality.

"Wha- oh, yeah! That's pretty cool I guess. Seems like you and Dusty here have a lot in common. So I'll uh, just leave you guys to it and uh, be seeing you," she said as she started meandering towards the snack table, her stomach giving a rumble in earnest. Guess she was just thinking about food. That's alright I guess, I do understand the many pleasures and wonders of good food.

Applejack just merely rolled her eyes and addressed me, "Don'tchu mind her none. She's a good friend who'll be there when you need her, just maybe not when you want her." She chuckled good-naturedly. "So, what all did you and your mom grow in y'all's farm?"

"Well..." was all I got out before there was a sudden explosion of confetti followed by a sudden fanfare of trumpets at the door. I jumped at the sudden noise and turned to see what in Equestria was going on and I was completely dumbstruck. There, flying just in the doorway with his arms in the air, a big grin on his face, velvet robe and jeweled, golden crown atop his head, was Discord himself. He was even more interesting to look at than I'd previously thought he'd ever be. His head was the only part of him even vaguely pony. He had a lizard leg and a goat leg, a red, scaly tail ending in a white tuft of fur, a lion's forepaw and an eagle's claw, a bat wing and a blue feathered wing, a white antler and a baby blue horn similar to that of a ram. Needless to say he was by far the strangest creature I'd ever had the pleasure of seeing. I was completely speechless.

"Ta-da! The party has arrived!" he announced to the room as a red carpet materialized and rolled out in front of him. He strutted forward into the room and stopped in the middle before turning around to face the door. A yellow pegasus tip-toed into the building, hiding her face in her generously long pink mane.

"Why does he always feel the need..." she muttered to herself as she trotted up to catch up with him. "Discord, I thought we agreed, 'No giant flares, explosions or parades when entering a building'," she chided him with a pout.

"Oh, but where's the fun in that Fluttershy? Everypony came here for a party and I'm bringing it!" he dismissed her as he turned to the rest of the room eyeing up the partygoers. "So! Who's the lucky mare?" he said with a toothy smile.

"Discord, you silly-billy!" Pinky hopped up to him with a giggle, "This isn't a baby shower, it's a Welcome to Ponyville party for Ponyville's newest stallion!"

"Oh how silly of me, of course." he cleared his throat. "So, who's the lucky mare?" he said once again with a mischievous smile.

Pinkie merely giggled some more before shockingly replying, "Guess we'll have to wait and see!" before motioning towards me and Applejack in the corner with a smile. "This is Dusty Tome. He's the new pony in town."

My heart skipped a beat. Maybe even two.

Discord turned towards me and bowed his head whilst pulling a newly materialized top hat off of it and twirling it in his claw, "Pleasure to make your acquaintance. I'm Discord, Spirit of Chaos, Disharmony and Good Times."

"Uhh...hi?" was all I could manage to spit out in my confused and jumbled thoughts. I now realize how rude it was but give me a break. I was not prepared for this. Or what else was to come.

With a sudden pop Discord disappeared and reappeared just beside me with a magnifying glass in his claw and a hat very similar to Sherclop Pones. He walked around me like I was some sort of specimen to be studied, looking me over with a scrutinizing eye. I was still in somewhat of a state of disbelief so I made no cry of discomfort. There was a few snickers in the crowd, but I was a little more concerned with Discord's antics than their amusement.

With a heavy Trottingham accent he proclaimed,"Yes, he will do nicely. I believe this pony shall be fit for any town." Another hat popped up on top of Applejack's stetson, a black bowler hat, and a pad and quill floated in front of her muzzle. "Trotson, my dear colleague, will you make a note of this fine gentle pony?" he inquired to Applejack. She merely frowned and removed the bowler hat. Clearly she had dealt with Discord's antics before and was not a fan.

The pegasus named Fluttershy piped up, "Discord I think that's enough for now, don't you?" She said this with a small hint of authority and Discord merely groaned in response before snapping his claw, making all the additions to the party disappear.

"Dearest Fluttershy some day you will come to understand my hilarious jokes," he offered as he joined her side once again.

Just as I thought I might get a breather there was another ring of the doorbell as two royal guards ponies marched into the room before taking positions on either side of the door. What in Equestria could they possibly be here for, except maybe Discord, but he was reformed now, right? I got my answer mere moments later when the tall and regal figure of Princess Celestia herself walked into the room followed by Princess Twilight. Now I was fairly certain I may have a breakdown.

Author's Note:

Sorry for the delay but college and work can do that to you. Thanks as always for reading, every view matters to me.

Comments

[TheBoldBeholder]

Dear god you wrote Discord amazingly! Can't wait for more chapters, keep up the good work mate!

[OceansBreeze]

8058266 thank you so much! He was one of the characters I was most anxious about. He has a very particular attitude that's kinda hard to replicate but it was pretty fun to do

[Knight Shade]

nice job bro~ a lot better than mines going to be >_<