A Journey of a Stranger

As Leon is getting out of the hospital with his backpack, he thanks the doctor for letting him keep his mask, and tries to find Applejack to ask if he can stay on the farm for a while.  Something starts vibirating in one of the pockets of his sword belt.  Leon pulls out the Guide of Fate.

He says, “Not now… I have to find the Apples, and ask if I can stay with them for a while?”

The Guide of Fate glows angrily.  Leon decides to look at his pocket watch and sees that he has some time to spare.

Leon says, “Ok, I have some time.  So, where do you want me to go?”

The Guide of Fate leads him into one of the houses in town.  Leon stops in front of the front door and moves around, just in case the house was blocking the way but the compass pointed to the house.  Leon goes back to the door and knocks on it.

A beige pony, with dark blue and pink hair, answers the door.

Leon tries talking without sounding awkward, “Hello Ma’am. I’m Leon and I was guided here, for some reason.  So, who are you?”

The pony couldn’t believe what was she seeing right in front of her.  The mare says in shock, “You exist?”

Leon, trying not to sound insulted, “I’m living and breathing, so I must exist.”

A voice says as it comes to the door, “Who’s at the door, Sweetie Drops?”

A cyan unicorn comes at the door, sees Leon, and gasps in excitement.  The unicorn says, “Can you please come in?”

Leon replies, “Sure” and walks into the house.

The unicorn leads Leon to a couch and then he sits down.  Leon says, “Thanks for letting me in. My name is Leon, what’s your's?”

The unicorn says excitedly, “My… my name is Lyra Heartistrings. It’s so cool that you are here! I have so many questions. I am trying to learn everything about your kind.”

Leon is surprised and asks Lyra, “You know about my kind?”

Lyra explains,“I know about some of the human race culture… and now I finally get to see one in the flesh.  I know more than those snobs in Canterlot, who would call you a myth, but I always knew that you were real.”

Leon interrupts, “I would like to learn more about my kind, but I have to check if my friends in town will let me stay with them.”

Lyra offers, “If they don’t, I can make some room in the basement.”

Sweetie Drops says, “Lyra, we barely know this stranger, and you want him to bunk with us?”

Leon says, “I only what to learn from Ms. Lyra, since my resources of my kind are very limited.  I would be grateful if you would be my teacher.”

Lyra answers in excitement, “I would love to be your teacher and have the opportunity to spend time with you.”

“Let’s start in 2 days, so I can settle in… Oh, and don’t worry about my mask, it will be off within those 2 days.”

Curious Lyra asks, “So what happened to your face?  What do you really look like?”

“I got a zebra face after a fight.  I’ll take it off when it recovers.”

Leon says as he walks out the door, “See you in 2 days.”

Lyra and Sweetie drops, “Bye.”

When Leon gets outside, he looks at his pocket watch.  Seeing that the afternoon is going to be sundown soon, he looks for a map of Ponyville to find the Apple’s farm. But he is slowed down by his hunger.

After getting the map, Leon finally gives into hunger and goes into what appears as a theme candy store.  He goes into the store and quickly realizes it’s a bakery.  Every pony inside the bakery stares at him with fear and/or curiously.  When his stomach growls, the ponies in line break away hoping not to get eaten.  Leon sighs and goes up to the counter.

Mr. Cake asks in a stunned tone, “Welcome to… to Sugarcube Corner. What… what do you want to… to order?”

Leon replies, “Do you have glazed doughnuts, by any chance?”

Mr. Cake nods his head.

Leon says, “I’ll take a dozen of them.”

Mr. Cake quickly gets the dozen, gives it to Leon and pushes him out. He says quickly, “Don’t come back.”

Leon brushes himself off, and walks away like nothing happened.

Leon quickly finds a tree and huddles under it.  He eats donuts as he studies the map.  As Leon pays closer attention at the map, he

sees that the princess Twilight lives in a library tree.  He slowly turns and sees a regular tree.  Leon sighs in relief and looks for the landmarks, and quickly spots the Princess’s Library.  He quickly figures out how to get the Apples’ farm and makes a run for it.

When Leon gets in view of the Apples’ farm, he sees a valley of apple trees.  The view is so great; he forgets the Apple pun for a few minutes, while watching the view.

Within a few minutes, Leon is interrupted by an elderly voice, “Are ya here to sight see, or buy some apples?”

Leon snaps out of it and sees an elderly green pony in front of him.  He replies, “Hello, I’m Leon Iron Needle. I need a place to stay for a while.  Since…”

The elderly pony says, “You’re an Iron Needle?  Wait. I remember you now.  Y’er that creature Blue Eyes and Iron Compass took in.  The last time I saw ya, is when I was on my last delivery to Hollow Shades.  Y’er was the size of my old hat. And now, y’er the size of a princess.”

Leon says, “Thanks, I think so… can I stay a few days Ms…. umm?”

The elderly pony says, “Ponies around ‘ere call me Granny Smith. Any member of Iron Needles is welcome to stay with us.  Follow me please, I show where, y’ll  be stayin’ at. I can’t remember if it was a spare room or shack.”

Granny Smith and Leon go into the farm.  After a while, Granny Smith remembers they have emergency facilities on one of the orchard’s hills.  She takes Leon there and says when they get there, “Well, pick a place to rest your head in the Apple Barrel.  This place was supposed to be the original spot for Ponyville, but because of the new train system, we had to move it.  We use this place when the town gets destroyed or something bad happens to our home.”

Leon says, “Thank you for getting me my own place.  Can I map out the farm in the morning?”

Granny Smith says, “Yes you can as long you get me a copy.  In my old age, I forget where some things are, sometimes.”

Leon says with a smile on his face, “Thanks again.”

She replied, “Come down to the house nearby the barn when the dinner bell rings, alright.”

Granny Smith walks back to the Apple’s farm while Leon checks out the wooden town and finds recent "improvements" in and out the structures.  He picks a one story building on the border of the empty town with a watchtower nearby it.  Leon cleans up his temporary place and the watchtower.

When Leon barely move in, he climbs up the watchtower and looks all over the farm, with his binocular and spots landmarks for his map.

After a couple minutes, Leon spots something light blue, speeding through the sky.  He quickly cleans the lens and checks the same spot and it was gone.  Before Leon could wonder what he saw, he hears a loud bell echoing through the farm.  He leaves the tower to join Apples for dinner, and ask them a few questions.