Nexus of the Void

by Dragonchampion01

Chapter 1: Lost Memories

Chapter 1: Lost Memories

Rain began to drip from great grey storm clouds above the Everfree Forest, falling down into a clearing where a pony slept, his purple form contrasting sharply against the green grass around him.

The rain awoke the young stallion from his slumber, the tiny droplets falling upon his royal purple coat and sliding off quickly. Around him, the leaves and grass of a large clearing began to capture the water, drops hanging off their leaves and glittering like crystals in a morning light.

The stallion opened his eyes slowly. Looking around, attempting to find any trace of where he was. Large trees towered around him, and above him he could see a large opening, the rain falling down on his face as he looked into the cloudy sky.

“What… am I doing here?” he asked himself, wracking his mind for the possibilities. His mind came up blank, void of any reason why he was sleeping in the middle of the forest.

Walking over to a tree, the stallion sat down. Diving deeper into his mind, he attempted to make some sense of his situation, searching even the deepest parts of his consciousness for any clue, any hint, or any information.

Suddenly, his eyes snapped open and went blank. He saw fragments of memories; a bright flash, a fall, and… darkness.

The darkness had surrounded him, penetrated him. And then, he was lost. He couldn’t remember anything past that point, rubbing his forehead as it began to send tendrils of pain around his mind.

Suddenly, he froze. Something was on his forehead, attached to his skull above his brow.

Rubbing it, the stallion found as he touched it a sharp sound echoed through his ears, as if he had head butted a piece of metal.

Walking over to a puddle of water, the stallion looked at his reflection. His crimson eyes scanned his face as he noticed a large ruby, the size of a golf ball, embedded in his brow.

“What the buck?” The stallion said, reaching up and tapping the crystal a bit harder this time. The sound echoed again, causing him to hold his ears in pain. The ringing stopped after a few minutes, causing the pony to groan.

“Alright. A giant crystal is stuck in my head. That’s new. At least, I think it is,” the stallion said to himself, walking over to another tree.

Suddenly, something glinted in the center of the clearing, close to the spot where he had awakened. Ignoring the rain, the stallion ran over, noticing the glint was from a gold symbol emblazoned on a black bound book, the symbol shaped like a unicorn’s head with two rubies for eyes.

“And what might you be?” The stallion said quietly, picking up the book and hurrying back to the trees, out of the rain. Shaking off a few raindrops, he opened the book to the first page, which had writing on it written in black ink, the letters slightly smeared from the water.

A single word seemed to stand out to the pony. Looking at it carefully, the stallion spoke it aloud. “Alern.” The word seemed oddly familiar. The stallion continued to read the written words.

“Alern. Change. This book tells of the past, and the follies of the future. Change must do his part. Alern must do his part. You, my friend, are change. You, my friend, are Alern.”

The stallion shook his head. The book addressed him. Whoever had left this book had meant for him to receive it. The stallion weighed the name the book gave him carefully. Alern. Change. It had a ring to it, a familiar tone that the stallion felt named him well.

Turning the page to the title, Alern continued reading.

“Chapter 1: Faust and the Beginning,” Alern read, turning the page.

“In the beginning, there was naught but darkness. Then came Faust, who gave the breath of life that brought forth creation. This breath took the form of a smear of though, a wisp of memory. This thought became the world.”

“In the darkness before time, the world was barren, populated by plants and animals of little sentience. However, things changed after the Breath flowed across the land, and magic began to flow around living creatures.”

“Firstborn were the Deer, their fragile bodies formed of near-pure natural magic. Taking that magic, they formed the basis of Equidoe, their ancient country. Here on the southern continent they remained, isolated and apart from the other races that would surely come.”

“Second came the Diamond Dogs, creatures of jewel and stone, who took the lands beneath the northern mountains for their own. Carving wondrous cities for themselves from living rock, the Diamond Dogs remained hidden to outsiders, for fear of theft and greed.”

“Third came the stars, dotted among the skies like an elegant tapestry. Forming the spectral creatures, these creatures too were given the breath of life, coming to the world and hiding within the darkest corners of forests and the deepest corners of the world.”

“Fourth came the Ponies, who separated themselves into three tribes. The Unicorns were powerful with magic, their strength compounded when they discovered their powers could move the sun and moon across the heavens. The Pegasi were the swiftest, discovering they could bend the weather and sky to their will. The Earth Ponies were the strongest, having the endurance and drive that far outstripped their companions. These three tribes relied upon one another for the weather, sun rising, and food, forming an uneasy tension that would escalate in later years.”

“Fifth and Sixth came the Zebras and Camels, making their home in the great southern deserts. Fighting over limited farmland, food, and water-“

Alern closed the book as he heard a rustling in the trees beside him. Quietly hiding behind a tree, he saw a shadowy form walk out of the underbrush on the other side of the clearing. The figure was that of a wolf, or canine, with glowing eyes and glittering points across its body.

Almost instinctively, Alern felt the name of the beast come to the front of his mind. “Lupus Minor,” he thought, watching it carefully.

As the beast began sniffing the ground where Alern had laid as the storm started, he silently thanked the gods or whatever stars might be watching out for him that the rain hid his scent. Carefully backing away from the clearing, Alern placed the book between his wings, holding it tightly while he began running away.

Alern gasped as he backed into a dry branch, the loud snap revealing his escape. The Lupus Minor’s ears flickered for a moment, and then pointed toward the sound.

“Horsefeathers,” Alern cursed, breaking out into a full gallop as fast as he could.

The Lupus Minor howled at the storm clouds above him, running after Alern with its paws thudding across the wet earth. Several other howls sounded moments after, and Alern noticed two other Lupus Minors appear from the forest around him, attempting to cut off his escape.

“No no no! This isn’t happening!” Alern said, spreading his wings frantically. Beating them as hard as he could, Alern felt his body being carried into the air.

However, he was not fast enough. Leaping onto a fallen tree, one of the Lupus Minors snapped at Alern’s wings, its large jaws crushing bone and flesh with a single bite. Screaming in pain, Alern fell to the ground, the three Lupus Minors staring at him hungrily.

“Not good. Not good.” Alern said, staring right back at the Lupus Minors, planning on giving them at least some bruises to go with their meal.

Suddenly, Alern heard the sounds of blowing wind around him, whipping around the celestial wolves in a fury. Hearing their whines of confusion and fear, Alern opened his eyes to see a massive tornado around him, tearing at them furiously. The icy winds buffeted their hides as it whirled around furiously until finally they turned tail and ran, yelping in fear as the tornado blew after them.

The leaves in the trees shifted, shining light by a large oak, revealing a single cloaked pony standing behind a tree, quietly watching the outcome.

“A lucky pony you must be, to survive an attack by Lupus three.” The pony said, pushing back a brown hood to reveal stripes down her mane and coat.

“You’re a zebra!” Alern said with amazement, quickly forgetting his fear as it was replaced by curiosity.

“A zebra I am, as you can see, but away from here, we must flee. Those Lupus Minors were a part of a pack, and soon I fear they will be back.”

Alern nodded as she turned around, following the zebra as she walked away. As they walked, Alern started noticing the remnants of a dirt path beneath their hooves, quickly widening the more they traveled.

“What sort of magic did you do?” Alern asked after a while.

“I did not use a magic spell. Special herbs work all too well.”

“Herbs? What herb can cause a tornado?” Alern asked, surprised.

“A small green flower has such a skill, the rare and beautiful Wind Chill. While the name warns against approaching the flowers, the seeds indeed have mighty power.”

“So this Wind Chill plant has the ability to create winds?” Alern asked, clarifying the zebra’s odd rhymes.

The zebra nodded. “The flower itself is very rare. Consider yourself lucky that I was there.”

“I do consider myself lucky,” Alern laughed nervously. Soon, the path branched, and the zebra walked down the smaller of the two, leading Alern to a large house, carved directly from a tree.

“The path we just walked leads back to town, or you are welcome to hang around.” The zebra said, walking in. Alern thought for a moment, looking back toward the path, and then to the small hut. With a slight sigh, Alern walked in.

Looking at the shelves of books, vials, and masks, Alern saw the zebra preparing a large cauldron of a viscous green liquid which bubbled furiously.

“So you stumble into my domain. I welcome you all the same.” The zebra took out a purple flower as she spoke, putting it into the brew.

“Yeah, I wanted to ask a few things before I left, Miss…” Alern said, realizing awkwardly he had not asked her name.

“Zecora is the name I have been given. But what is yours that you have kept hidden?” Zecora asked, turning to the purple stallion.

“Oh, I haven’t been hiding it… It’s Alern. Sorry,” Alern said sheepishly.

“Alern you say is your name? An odd name indeed, but one all the same.”

“Odd? What do you mean?” Alern asked.

“Ponies around these parts do choose, names that describe their own personal views. Cloud Kicker, Thunder Head, and Corn Cob; all names that are similar to the pony’s job.”

“Alern is a perfectly respectable name. I mean, your name is Zecora, after all,” Alern retorted.

“Zecora is a name from over the sea, in my ancient home without a single tree. All I could see were dunes and sand, until I came to this wonderful land.”

“Alright, alright, sorry,” Alern said. “Listen, what I wanted to know is…” Suddenly, a sharp pain flashed from Alern’s wing, and he remembered how the Lupus had bitten into it before. A few drops of crimson blood hit the dirt floor, and Alern lifted the wing.

The cut had reopened during the walk, and the feathers that made up his wing were deep red from the lost blood. Alern felt a little giddy at the sight.

“Your wing is injured, a baleful sight. I might have something to help this plight.” Zecora walked over to her shelves of potions, taking a small jar with an odd slime-green salve. Opening it up, Zecora took a dollop and spread it along Alern’s wing.

Flinching from the cold salve against his boiling hot wound, Alern held a deep breath as the pain shot through his head.

“Hold still young stallion foal, or you will make me drop the bowl!” Zecora scolded, forcing Alern to sit on the ground.

“I’m not a foal,” Alern snapped through clenched teeth.

Zecora ignored his statement, and finished spreading the salve. Closing the jar as she finished, she carefully replaced it up on the shelf.

“The ointment I placed upon your wing, will stop the bleeding and remove the sting. Your wing will heal well and sound, but until it does stay on the ground.”

Alern shrugged, an action that caused his wing to protest weakly, the salve beginning to soak into the muscle and relax it. “Now, about that question I had…”

“You appeared in this forest a night before last, and returned to the clearing before the skies became overcast. I do not know where you went, but you did go somewhere, I relent,” Zecora’s words were quick and precise, knowing exactly what he was going to ask.

“Wait. You mean I did something last night? What did I do? Where did I go? And why did I come back here?” Alern asked, his mind a flurry of questions.

“Questions like that are not mine to tell. That is something for you to know well. Your memories hide what you do not wish to see, and it is up to you to face that misery.”

Alern looked at Zecora, his face twisted in confusion. “I have absolutely no idea what you just said.”

Zecora sighed. “My rhymes are not something ponies often see, but the reason why I do them is a reason for me. The storm is quickly releasing its power. You will be able to leave within the hour.”

Alern winced. Perhaps he had misspoken.

“I apologize for any insulting words I said, Zecora. Your rhymes are just… difficult to understand,” Alern said, smirking sheepishly.

“I understand your current plight, but some things you just cannot fight. Rhyming is an act of my clan. It is something you must choose to understand. Ponies come for advice from me, but they must be the one to see.” Zecora then turned back to her brew, focusing on adding a few more ingredients as it continued to boil.

Alern began to think of the sentence she had spoken before, about himself. When he thought about it…

“So you mean for me to search my own mind for the answers I seek?”
Zecora nodded slowly, continuing to add ingredients to the brew before a large pink cloud was released.

Taking a glass jar, Zecora quick bottled some of the liquid, placing it on the shelf beside the other vials and jars. Taking a second, smaller vial, Zecora scooped up another and handed it to Alern.

“Minotaur’s Essence is a powerful draught, it can give you strength when you believe you have naught. Take this with you, when you leave. For luck, and for times when you are in need.”

“Thanks, Zecora.” Alern said, placing it beside his book. When the vial began to slide off, Alern grimaced as his wings could barely hold the small object without it falling from his back.
Zecora laughed, walking over to a shelf and taking a small green bag from it.

“Take this bag with you to town. Return it when you have a replacement found,” Zecora placed the bag gently behind Alern’s wings, strapping it to his back and placing the vial and his black book inside.

Privately, Alern was surprised to see his book still held by the hollows between his wings. He was sure he had lost it when the Lupus Minors attacked.

“Thanks so much, Zecora,” Alern said, bowing politely. Alern could also hear the rain beginning to stop, the pattering of drops falling to the forest floor slowly dwindling.

"The storm has stopped for now, you'd best get to the town. But before you leave, I must say, to hide that crystal beneath your mane. Magical powers are an uncommon sight, when used by a creature capable of flight." Zecora said, looking out her window.

Alern nodded, and walked toward the door, quickly making sure the crystal was hidden by his platinum mane. With a few final thanks, he walked outside and began following the path to where he had traveled to Zecora’s house.

Rounding the corner, Alern began to think. “Alright, I have no memories of who I was, or even what I did before waking up. Why am I going to town? And can that zebra be trusted?” Alern stopped for a moment, looking toward the end of the path and the exit of the forest. He inwardly did not know why he was being pushed to town.

“I have absolutely no idea what I am doing,” Alern said, shaking his head at the truth.
Alern began weighing each of the past events in his mind. “One. I have no memories. That is a given. Two. I have nowhere to stay, or any method to make money for food or shelter. Three. I have no idea what this town is, or why I am here.”

Alern nodded, releasing a quick breath. “Alright, let’s look at things logically. First, I should explore the town, see if anything brings back my memories, or gives me a reason that I came here. Two, I should look for some form of shelter or work. With a bit of coin, I can probably rent some sort of shelter, if only for a while. Three, I should find any evidence stating who I am or where I came from,” Alern said, nodding.

“Alright, that’s as good of a plan as any. Let’s get going,” Alern said to himself, walking out of the forest.

The first thing he saw was a large tree-house; much like Zecora’s and built directly into the tree. Around the tree, multiple animal burrows and pens were scattered, and Alern could see dozens of different creatures around the outskirts of the house.

Alern walked up to the house, knocking on the door with a hoof. The door opened slowly and just a crack, and a pair of scared teal-blue eyes stared at him.

“Excuse me, but I am looking for anypony that knows where I might find a job, or a place to stay? I am quite new to town, and…”

A slight murmur drifted to Alern’s ear, and the door slammed shut in his face.

“Hey!” Alern said, knocking on the door again. This time, there was no answer.

Alern quickly placed his hoof up to his head, remembering what Zecora said about the crystal.

Feeling his mane hiding it well, Alern felt confusion enter his mind. “What’s her problem?” Alern asked himself.

Walking down away from the house, Alern went back to the street. “Perhaps she’s a recluse. She does live near the forest, after all,” Alern said, shrugging. Looking down the road, Alern took a deep breath, and continued on.

As he neared the center of town, Alern looked around. Noticing pegasi in flight above him and unicorns and pegasi walking around the streets, Alern smiled. “This place doesn’t seem half bad.”

Suddenly, Alern felt himself collide with another pony, the two of them sprawling across the ground as their heads cracked against each other. Alern groaned for a second, stunned.

Shaking the stars out of his eyes, Alern quickly stood up, noticing the pony he had collided with. Around them, dozens of books were scattered on the ground where they had fallen after their mishap.

It was a violet mare, her horn plainly showing through her deep blue mane with a single streak of violet along the center.

“Pardon me, miss,” Alern said, reaching down to help her up.

“It’s quite alright,” the mare replied, picking up the books that had scattered around her with her magic. Alern quickly helped, stacking the ones near him into a neat pile.

Alern and the mare quickly finished picking up the books, the mare casting a spell to pick them all up when the task was complete.

“You have one hard head. Almost as if it was made of rocks,” The violet mare said with a smirk, rubbing her forehead tenderly. Alern smirked nervously, pretending to rub his own head, but instead making sure his crystal was hidden beneath his mane.

“Yeah, I’ve been told that on more than one occasion,” Alern said, grinning. “Listen, I’m sorry I walked into you. I was watching the sky, not paying attention to where I was going. Can I possibly help you out and carry those books for you?”

The mare grinned. “A gentlecolt? In this day and age? How strange. I’m not one to refuse such an offer, though,” The mare grinned, handing the books to Alern. “My name’s Twilight Sparkle. Are you new to Ponyville?”

Alern put the books onto his back, noticing how heavy they were. How much magic did that pony have to hold this much weight? Grunting a little, Alern grinned. “Sorta. Just wandered into town this morning.”

Twilight smiled. “Do you need any help finding out where everything is? Ponyville is pretty big when you first visit,” Twilight gestured around her.

Alern smiled in return. “I think that would be great. But first…” Alern gestured to the books on his back.

Twilight giggled. “The library’s not far from here. Just follow me.” Walking down the road, Alern followed, the weight on his back supported by his wings, the wounded one twinging slightly at the exertion.

The two quickly arrived at the library, Alern noticing it, too, was a large tree, the library itself built into its trunk. With a smirk, Alern quietly mumbled to himself, “What is with Ponyville and trees?”

Twilight quickly opened the door, holding it with her magic as Alern brought the books through the frame, setting them down on a table nearby. Twilight smiled as Alern began looking around the library, the different books filling his gaze.

“You have quite a collection,” Alern said, walking over to the shelves. Twilight smiled, and walked over. “Yes, I suppose I do. A lot of these books where here when I moved to Ponyville. Others I’ve collected over the years, forming the basis of this library. The books you brought in were several I just ordered from Canterlot.”

Alern nodded, grabbing a book off the shelf and skimming through it.

Twilight smiled. “I said I’d show you around Ponyville, don’t you remember? There’s time to read books later, even though I can understand wanting to read them.” Twilight giggled lightly.

Alern nodded, replacing the book and walking over to the door. Opening the door, Twilight quickly shouted up the stairs, “Spike! I’m showing a friend around town! Keep watching the library for me, will you?”

Alern heard a muffled voice shout back from upstairs, “Alright, Twilight,” before she turned back to him. “Now, let’s go.”

Alern and Twilight walked down the main road, the gravel crunching beneath their hooves as they walked along. Twilight began speaking, attempting to start idle conversation to pass the time.

“Where did you live before this?” Twilight asked.

The question caught Alern off-guard, hesitating for a few seconds before he quickly blurted out the first name that came to mind. “Canterlot.”

“I have a few friends who live there. I used to study there, before I moved here.” Twilight turned forward, smiling.

Twilight and Alern continued on for a few minutes more before she stopped in front of a large building with what appeared to be a carousel rotating on the top of it. “This is my friend Rarity’s boutique. She handles clothing and fashion. She’s really good at designing clothing, too. A lot of famous ponies wear her dresses and costumes.”

“I’m not much of a fashion fan,” Alern said, smirking.

Twilight laughed as well, the two of them continuing on. “I’m not either. I’d rather be reading then worrying about the latest fashion trends.”

As the tour continued, Alern began feeling a flickering memory in the back of his mind, just beyond his grasp. The feeling returned multiple times, when Twilight brought him to the market, to the hospital, and many other prominent locations. Each place he visited seemed to bring a feeling of déjà-vu.

Finally, Twilight brought him to a large building, near the outskirts of Ponyville. The ringing of metal on metal could be heard as smoke billowed above the building.

“This is Bright Metal’s workshop. He does most of the metalworking here in Ponyville. He even makes some of the armor and gear for the palace,” Twilight said, waving at the grizzled old smith, who put down his hammer and returned the gesture.

Alern felt the flicker of a memory return, hammering against his head the closer he looked at the forge itself. The burning embers seemed to call to him, imploring him to remember his forgotten memories. The feeling was tempting against the back of his mind, almost as if could reach out and reclaim what was once his.

Alern closed his eyes and sighed. This forge… he remembered it. There was no doubt in his mind. He would have to get a closer look.

“Can you pardon me for a moment, Twilight? I would like to ask him something,” Alern said, reopening his eyes.

“Alright, go ahead.” Twilight said.

Alern quickly nodded, walking toward the forge as the old pony plunged a glowing metal bar into water, sending off a furious hiss. “What d’ya want?” The grey unicorn asked, using his magic to thrust the cold iron back into the forge.

Alern bowed politely, speaking quickly. “Was I here before? At any point in the past?”

The smith seemed surprised by the question, dropping the iron bar into the forge. “What d’ya mean, kid? Do I remember if you were here before or not? What sort of daft question is that?”

“Sir, I have this strangest feeling that I have been to this forge in the past. In fact, this feeling seems to tell me I have also met you before. I know it sounds strange, but please, could you answer my question?”

The smith looked at Alern carefully, grabbing the iron from the forge and walking it over to an anvil nearby. “Nope. Can’t say I recognize ya.”

Suddenly, Alern noticed a small irregularity in the iron the smith was pounding, a flaw in the red-hot steel. “What’s that?” Alern asked, motioning toward the oddly-shaped mark.

The smith put down his hammer, eying the mark. “Well, I’ll be. That’s a magic blister. Happens sometimes if the iron has been hit by magic. Good eye, kid, if I had hit that it would have ruined the blade.” The smith walked back over to the forge, placing the iron rod against it before bringing it down, hard, against the inside of the forge, breaking the mark and sending sparkles of energy flying out of the mark.

“I could use a kid with a good eye around here. You up for a job?” The smith asked, turning to Alern. Alern nodded quickly.

“Come back tomorrow at sunrise. I start workin’ then.” The smith quick grabbed the rod with his magic again, returning to the anvil, where he began pounding it furiously.

As Alern walked out of the forge, the smith turned, eyeing him as he left. “Hey, kid.”

Alern turned back to the smith, who nodded. “Good luck finding your memories.”

Alern froze. “Wait… how?”

The smith grinned. “Been a lot of talk of amnesiacs appearin’ around Equestria. You just confirmed to me you’re one of em.”

Alern clamped his mouth shut, walking back over to Twilight, who immediately questioned Alern.
“So? How’d it go?”

Alern grunted. “Went fine.” Twilight smiled, and walked with Alern down the road, continuing the tour.

* * *

Twilight and Alern stopped at high noon, right in front of the Town Hall, the massive structure shading them as they stepped beneath its eaves.

“So I can get a house here?” Alern asked, pointing at the building.

“Well, yes. I’m surprised you came here without any place to stay,” Twilight replied, sitting on a wooden bench. “What brings you here, anyways?”

Alern grinned nervously. “Oh, just… wanting a change of scenery.” Alern inwardly scolded himself. Why lie to Twilight? Why not explain the situation?

“Because she must not tell the Princess about you,” came a hissing response from inside his mind.

Alern froze, immediately attempting to pinpoint who exactly said that. The voice was definitely not his own, but more of a sinister hiss, something that chilled him as he thought of it.

Another question that came to his mind was: The Princess? Why would she listen to a violet pony from Ponyville?

“Alern? Are you alright?” Twilight asked, snapping him out of his trance. “What? Oh, yeah, I’m fine.” Alern quickly turned back to Twilight, smirking.

“You seemed dazed for a second,” Twilight replied, looking at him carefully. “Are you sure you aren’t sick?”

“I’m fine, Twilight,” Alern replied. “I was just thinking.”

Twilight nodded. “I think I’m heading back to the library, if that’s alright with you. Spike is probably wondering where I am.”

“It was quite considerate of you to show me around,” Alern said.

“It was my pleasure,” Twilight smiled once more, and walked off toward the library, leaving Alern alone.

“Well, I suppose now it’s time to see about some sort of shelter for tonight,” Alern said to himself, walking toward the door. Opening it quickly, Alern walked inside, lush carpets muffling the sounds of his hooves as he walked into the massive town hall.

Dozens of ponies behind desks both large and small dotted the first floor, writing and reading scrolls, letters, and books. The entire room was strangely quiet, save for the sound of rustling paper.

Quietly walking to the closest desk, Alern waited patiently for the pony, a light blue mare, to notice him.

“May I help you, sir?” The pony asked, the tones of her voice hinting annoyance as she kept her eyes on the papers she had on her desk.

“Yes, I was wondering where I would go to look for a home in Ponyville?” Alern asked quietly, ignoring the tone.

“Real Estate is the one you want. He’s the green stallion, last desk on the right. Now please leave me to my work,” The pony said, pointing behind Alern before returning to her papers.

“Oh! Thanks,” Alern said, gritting his teeth walking down the rows of desks.

Alern soon came to the dull green pony, who wore a smart black tie around his neck. Compared to the papers on the other pony’s desks, Alern noticed Real Estate’s was nearly empty.

“Excuse me? Are you Real Estate?” Alern asked softly, calming himself down with a quick breath.

“Why yes, yes I am,” The stallion replied, smiling. “Can I help you?”

Alern sat down in a chair in front of the desk. “I’m new to Ponyville, and was looking for a place to stay. Is there anything available?”

Real Estate nodded, taking a large stack of pictures from his desk drawer. “Why yes, there are several apartments, a few rooms for rent, and I believe there is one… small house as well.”

“What would be required for me to own the house?” Alern asked as the stallion placed pictures down in front of him, noting his hesitation.

“Well, homes in Ponyville are free to those that can use them, but you would need to fill out a proper identification form, and also I am required to warn you about some parts of the house.”

“Warn me?” Alern asked, surprised. “About what?”

“The small fact… that the house is haunted,” Real Estate said quickly.

“I don’t believe in that sort of superstition,” Alern replied. This green stallion was beginning to get on his nerves.

Turning toward the pictures and examining them, Alern continued. “Is there anything else about the house I need to know?”

Real Estate quickly continued. “The house is located near the forge on the edge of town, you can’t miss it. It used to be owned by a rather rich pegasi family, who gave up ownership after their daughter died tragically.”

Real Estate took out a large scroll and opened it with a single fast movement. “I will need your name here, your race, and your current occupation. Sign here, here, and finally here,” Real Estate said, pointing out the dotted lines where Alern signed.

“And that’s it? I own the house?” Alern asked, surprised. He had been sure there would be more steps than that.

“Yes, you now own the house. It’s as simple as that!” Real Estate said, rolling up the scroll and sealing it with a large gilded stamp. Grabbing one of the pictures and writing on it, Real Estate handed it to Alern.

“This is your address, simply follow the main road-“

“I know how to get to the smithy, thanks. It should be simple to get to it from there, as you said,” Alern snapped.

“Very well, sir. Have a pleasant day!” Real Estate returned to several papers, placing the pictures back into his desk drawer. Alern stood up, and walked toward the door.

Opening the door, Alern felt a large gust of wind come from outside, sending the papers on the ponies’ desks flying everywhere, filling the room with sheets upon sheets of papers which slowly floated down to the floor.

“Sorry!” Alern said quickly, running out the door and slamming it behind him. Inside his head, Alern could have sworn he heard a soft snicker.