Author's Note

Well, I think you saw this coming.

Shorter than most other entries, but that's all right. I think I've conveyed the information I need for the moment. In the end it was inevitable that we'd get here. Maybe in the next installment of ONAY we'll find out the details. =O

Or maybe not. One thing's for sure, it won't be for a while yet. I've nothing like a schedule.

Romy Pie

Romulus di ser Ignazio da Murgese was not, by most standards, a very "Romulus di ser Ignazio da Murgese" kind of pony.

Romulus di ser Ignazio da Murgese was a name for a pony with poise and breeding. A pony who was raised by old money that looked down his long nose at other ponies and considered himself above them all.

While it can be honestly said that Romulus di ser Ignazio da Murgese possessed poise and breeding - after all, his family was one of the wealthiest in all Equestria - it was not something especially evident in him, as he avoided that life and that ideal. But it was true that Romulus di ser Ignazio da Murgese had never looked down his nose at anyone, apart from the normal way in which one looks down one's nose.

Because Romulus di ser Ignazio da Murgese knew in his heart of hearts that he was not that kind of pony. His friends called him Romy Pie, after his old Granny Pie on his mother's side, because he was very much a "Romy Pie" kind of pony. He was the kind of pony who loved to see other ponies smile. The kind who would go above and beyond the call of duty to turn a sad frown upside down. Yes, sometimes he could be too aggressive in his attempts - after all sometimes, ponies just want to be left alone - but he had always done his best to avoid annoying anyone. At least more than necessary. Well, usually. Well, quite often. Look, the point is, he does his best and that's all you can really ask of a pony.

His friends did not know about his past; they never thought to ask. And if his love of parties caused him to spend more money than can be found in the salary of an apprentice baker, they tended to chalk it up to Romy Pie being Romy Pie. It was a catch-all phrase that could be used to dismiss his eccentricities, and it was one that found itself in use quite often.

Deciding to come to Ponyville was the best decision of Romy Pie's life, if you had asked Romy Pie.

He had many friends, but few were as close as those he had gained on the day of the Tenth Centennial Harvest Moon Festival. Dusk Shine, Kingston Black, Prism Blitz, Timide and last but certainly not least, Vestige.

The others, save Dusk Shine who was newly arrived from Canterlot at the time, had lived in Ponyville for many years and knew eachother casually, but were not really friends, with the exception of Timide and Prism Blitz, who had grown up together in Cloudsdale.

It was not until the Harvest Moon Festival when Tyrant Helios broke the thousand year old seal that had been placed upon him that the sextet had come together (if reluctantly on Dusk Shine's part), and discovered the Elements of Harmony, which they used to defeat Tyrant Helios, rescue the long lost Prince Apollo, free Princess Artemis from her imprisonment by the former and earn themselves commendations from the newly reunited royal siblings and a shiny stained glass window in the royal castle at Canterlot. Not bad for a day's work.

On this particular day, Romy wasn't quite sure what had happened, but he was sure things would work themselves out. Lots of ponies were screaming and his friends were wrestling for some reason, and he was about to join in - roughhousing was always fun - when he saw a pony he had never seen before and his brain defaulted to his usual reaction.

"Hi there!" He said excitedly as the large stallion walked up to him. He was an earth pony. Very large, bigger than Princess Artemis. "I've never seen you before and I know everypony in Ponyville what's your name I'll get my friends together and throw an officially official Welcome To Ponyville party and we'll get to know you and become good friends just like when Dusk Shine came to live here from Canterlot and now we're the bestest of best friends!" Romy stopped and took a deep breath, as he was running rather low on oxygen. His wide grin never left his cheerful face.

The stallion merely stood there, looking down at Romy with a hint of confusion. The stallion had met a great many ponies in his time, but there was no pony in Equestria quite like Romy Pie.

"I'm afraid I'm just passing through." he said. "I have a very busy schedule and am just dropping by Ponyville for an appointment."

Romy's grin grew, if anything, wider as his restless energy got the better of him and he began to bounce a circle around the new pony in town. "Is it an appointment with Mayor Stallion because he's always really busy and never has time for parties and is a big old meany head because when I tried to throw a One Year Since You've Been Elected party for him after he beat Mayor Mare in the election and he was really angry with me and I don't know why but I think it might be because I threw it in his house while he was asleep and maybe forgot to tell him about it before I did it so maybe he's not really a meany head but I still say it was very rude of him to kick us all out right in the middle of a party by the way you didn't tell me your name."

The grey stallion's look on confusion deepened as he tried to decipher some sort of thought-line in Romy's words. The pink pony talked a mile a minute, rarely pausing for breath. "My name is Enbarr."

Romy continued to bounce excitedly around him. "That's funny because I saw a book in Dusk Shine's library the other day that was talking about a pony called Enbarr but I doubt it was you because that Enbarr is called Enbarr of the Flowing Mane and he's supposed to come for you when you die and-" Romy stopped cold as his memory of what had happened returned and realization hit him.

"Then you know." Enbarr said calmly. He seemed to do a lot of things calmly.

"Does that mean that..." Romy began, but he couldn't finish his sentence. It didn't bear thinking about. He knew the answer anyway.

"It does." Enbarr said, confirming Romy's suspicions.

"So what happens now?" Romy asked, drooping slightly.

"Now I take you to the next step." Enbarr said.

"Will there be parties?"

Enbarr remained as stone-faced as ever as he nodded. "Yes, there will be lots of parties."

Romy wasn't stupid. He recognized a lie when he heard one, but he was okay with that. He thought Enbarr probably didn't know either.

Enbarr continued. "If you wish, you can wait up for your friends. They'll be along in hardly any time at all. A few decades on the outside."

"That's an awfully long time." Romy said.

"Relatively speaking it's hardly any time at all." Enbarr said.

"It was an accident, you know." Romy said sorrowfully.

"I know." Enbarr said as he turned to leave. Romy followed after him. There was no point in staying in Ponyville, but he wasn't planning on going all the way. He was sure that Enbarr would find him a place to wait until he could be reunited with the guys, then they could all make the journey together.