The Return
The bright sunlight shined through the phalanx of green leaves above me, casting a spotted mixture of the colors green, black, and some golden light through my windshield. It was a very nice day; not too hot, nor too chilly, just perfect. There was a light, pleasant breeze coming in from the east, sifting through the landscape, and bothering the tall blades of grass in the pastures and fields that surrounded me.
My old, blue Volkswagen Beetle, found its way out of the tree and field-flanked road, and into the suburban area of Bartlesville, Oklahoma. I was looking forward to seeing my home again. But there was one thing I knew would break my spirits, if only for a moment: that house.
Eventually, I found my house among the uniform buildings that my neighbors called their homes. It was a light cyan, the door and windowsills white. Not the manliest of colors, but it sure helped your mood in the morning. It wasn't me who painted it like that; previous owner was hocked up on LSD or something, and, as of now, I am both too poor and too lazy to change it. It's not really that big of a deal, like I said, helps keep your morning mood on the positive side. Among these nearly-identical buildings, the only thing to distinguish one from another was the color, and, of course, the address number.
As I drove my vehicle, the good 'ole Volkswagen, old and ugly, but dependable and trustworthy, into the driveway, I noticed something: the house to the left of mine, that one, was no longer for sale. When I left for Russia a month and a half ago, the building had begun falling into disrepair, its previously gray paint chipping away, the lawn had fading away into a revolting brown, weeds conquering the entirety of the property. There had been a giant "For Sale" sign staked out front.
What I saw now was almost polar opposite. The entire thing was painted several shades of blue and purple. It was really well done. The lawn, not only was alive again, but thriving. Green newly-cut emeralds, and not a single weed or thorn in sight. There was also an impressive flower bed surrounding the building, with many colorful roses, purple hydrangeas and butterflies. I even spotted a Koi pond out back.
And, of course, the sign had been removed. A smile found its way onto my face; I had a new neighbor.
I quickly unpacked what bags I had left in the trunk of my car. Didn't take long, seeing as most of the things that I had brought with me to Russia had either been consumables and lived up to their name, money, or things that I had lost. Or stolen. So, as you might have been able to guess, I didn't have much luggage. Russia, one of my favorite places to be. It was quite a beautiful country, the language is awesome, as are the accents. Visit the Red Square if you ever find yourself there.
A few moments later, all of my bags were rather unceremoniously dumped in the living room. I immediately dashed to the thermostat and cranked it up. In my absence, it had grown unbearably frigid.
I flipped open the long deserted cupboards, praying that my cookie sheet was still usable. It only took me a moment to find it, It was my house and I knew what to expect from it. What I did not expect was the sudden crash as the shelf snapped from the sudden disturbance, or the thick layer of dust that now coated my kitchen. It doesn't matter. I'll dust later. Now, the time has come to bake...cookies!
I know, I know, that was a little inappropriate for the situation. These cookies were nothing to be worried about. Not to brag, but I'm a brilliant pastry chef, so, even though they were all made in haste, they were pretty good. After eating one I gotta say, I was quite satisfied by the result.
I found a paper plate in my cupboard, complete with a soft, flowery pattern, and then proceeded to pile it on with as many treats as gravity would allow. Any saran wrap that I had wouldn't fit. Like a certain Sesame Street character's diet, there were simply far too many cookies. I eventually gave up and decided that they could survive the trip, Issac Newton be damned!, and made my way to the front door.
I opened it and stopped for a bit; It was still bright. I was forced to remove one hand from my plate of delectable treats to shield my eyes. I gave my eyes a few seconds to adjust and took in a deep breath of the summer air. The birds were chirping, the bees buzzed, I hate bees, by the way, deathly allergic, and I could spot the spires of the city off in the distance. The nice day, coupled with the fact that I had a new neighbor, but a massive smile on my face. The fact that I had just made some pretty darn good cookies helped out a bit too.
Despite the niceness of the day, there was not a single person outside. Kids these days...
It was a short walk, neighbor, duh, as was the trip up to the door. Just like mine, the door was paneled. Of course it was, these buildings were uniform. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing; the contractor was brilliant. It helps when you're visiting someone's house and need to use the restroom, I tell you what.
A smile still plastered on my face, my stomach filled with positive anticipation, I raised my fist and gave the heavy piece of wood three light knocks.
A few seconds later, I heard something from within that kind of confused my for a bit: clopping. Like, hoof-steps. What happened next surprised me even more: some weird magical, aura-type thing enveloped the door, and it swung open. Standing there was a pretty purple pony.
Of course, this was perfectly possible, seeing as the Equestrian ponies and the humans had known about each other for a few decades now, and had lived together in harmony since then. There were ponies on Earth and there were humans in Equestria, it's just...not common to see one here.
The entire city of New York only has...oh, one hundred and twenty-two ponies living there, as opposed to the eight million, two hundred forty four, nine hundred and ten humans. did most of the larger cities like San Francisco, so you might be able to imagine my surprise at a pony living here in the small suburban of a small city. Bartlesville, Oklahoma: Thirty six thousand, hundred ninety nine humans, and one purple pony. See!?
Thankfully, I forced to the "what?" look off of my face before her, pretty sure it was a she, eyes found mine, but she had no such luck wiping her own "what?" look away before our eyes met.
She was mostly purple, lavender, though her mane and tail had a streak or two of lighter purple. Whether it was dye or natural, I did now know. With her she carried the scent of lilacs and book paper, both old and new. There was a hint of chocolate in there too. It was an..enticing combination.
I noticed a light purple horn parting her bangs.
A Unicorn. Huh. This should be interesting.
After a second or two, her confused expression melted away into a warm, though somewhat shy, smile. I smiled back, equally as warm, though without any shyness. I loved meeting new people. Or, in this case, ponies.
"Hello there, my name is Aaron, and it appears as if I am your new neighbor," I said, lowering my hand for the standard salutatory shaking.
The lavender mare looked at the ground, but kept her smile and lifted her own hoof. I took it and shook it gently. It was quite soft, like silk, and super warm too. I saw a bit of a crimson shade in her cheeks and smiled even wider.
"Ha, don't worry, I don't bite," I assured her, "...most of the time."
She lost her shy stance, giggled and answered, "Well, if you say so. My name is Twilight Sparkle.
My smiled broadened even more. Cutest name ever.
"Alrighty then, it is my duty as your new neighbor, and as a decent human being, to introduce myself, and then give you cookies."
Her eyes widened and her nose twitched a bit, freaking adorable, and she asked "Ooh, what kind?"
"Assorted. I made them myself."
I brought them out from behind my back where I had been hiding them and presented them to her. Then, after waiting expectantly for a few seconds, my head clicked.
Wait, she can't pick this up, can sh-?
The cookie-loaded plate lifted itself from my hand, the very same purple aura that had enveloped the door cradling it. I must admit, I jumped a little.
The unicorn blushed again and said, "Whoops, probably should've warned you," and giggled a bit.
"Ah, don't worry about it, it's fine," I took a deep breath, "Well, it was nice to meet you, see ya 'round."
I slipped my hands into the pockets of my leather jacket and started back home. I didn't get halfway down Twilight's driveway before I was stopped by a curious, and somewhat hesitant voice.
"Wait!"
I frowned. Maybe something was wrong? I turned around and called back, "Yeah?"
"Would you mind coming back here for a second?"
I shrugged and returned to the door.
"What is it that you needed?"
Whatever it was, it was something that she was hesitant to ask. Her ears were down and she kicked at the ground with her hoof before answering, "Well...I was kind of wondering if you and I could talk a bit more. You see, I've only been here for a few days, and I had some questions."
I thought about it for a moment. I didn't really have anywhere to be, and Twilight seemed like a nice enough Lady. Or mare. Or Filly. I shrugged again and said, "I don't see why not."
The unicorn smiled and stepped aside. I crossed the threshold and the door shut behind both of us with a light thud.