Prologue: A frost bitten camp
Ok just one hoof in front of the other common man keep up, i said to myself, i raised my head to find my partner barreling through the knee deep snow, it was amazing how he could do this but it is kind of expected from a earth pony that has been working in a field since he was a colt.
i continued to follow in his footsteps i from over the howling wind i herd my stomach growl, i had eaten very little this morning due to the troop being snowed in. Making meals turn into rashons, but thankfully the blizzard let up so Iron Hammer and i could make a supply trip. why are we camping in the frigid north you might ask well its simple... i am a Colt scout not much of a colt but its what we do its a place that leads up to the equestrian military, all of us are gearing up for it. Everything else you could imagine.
I started to catch up and my hopes were lost when my hoof sunk further than the others, i pulled it out to find a black hole, this was terrifying not only am i walking on ice its thin ice weakened by my friend. yelling would be useless since he has a bad ear and were in a blizzard, i created another path around the hole, being careful not to let my weight go to one side. I reached a slight hill where i knew was land looking over my shoulder i sat my tracks had wet spots in the bottom. only then did i realize Hammer was a silhouette and his tracks were filling in. I sped up catching him just before he entered the Forrest where we were camped.
Hammer plowed through the snow bank and dropped his pack on the Forrest floor, four others came to help, all that consisted of the troop to be precise. I lowered my snow goggles to my neck and unzipped my coat, the other four opened the packages of bread, oatmeal and other condiments and began placing them over the fire.
After dropping my pack i headed strait for the scout masters tent, i tossed the flap aside and entered closing the canvas behind me.
stone arrow looked up "so how did it go?"
I glare out the window of the train, the terrain bounces and zooms past me like a streaked painting of some unknown forest. I glanced down to my paper, which was a plank music paper with the standard twenty groups of lines. My gaze shot at my instrument case that sat just under the seat to my right, the top right corner poked out from underneath, showing its trademark stamp in tin located along the top of the front side. My music bag leaned against the train wall. With my destination coming up I decided to pack up. Moments passed until the train finally came to a slow stop. I followed the other ponies as they flooded the train station, stepping out of the car seemed to inspire me a bit as I took in the sweet smell of the famed ponyville apples. I took a town map from the dispenser on the wall next to the exit sign. Stepping aside from the path I opened the map and looked for the City hall where I could obtain my house. Destination planned I decided to take an extended trip “wasting” my time.
I trotted into view of the fountain statue passing Quills & Sofas along the way not expecting anything until it actually hits me. My head buzzed, vision blurred. Not only did I realize that my glasses were lying several inches away, but my back ached as if some pony had dropped a piano, from the top of a three story house on me. Regaining my head and oddly being handed my glasses to me, I found myself before a cyan mare; red, orange, green, blue, and purple streaked her mane.
“Are you alright?” she asked
I took a moment to clear my head while unable to not notice a red bandanna around her neck.
“I’m fine… um… if you don’t mind me asking”
“No go ahead.” she replied
“What were you doing with the bandanna?” I asked as she held up the scarf with a fore hove.
“Ooh… uh, I was trying to fly blindfolded.”
“How is that working for you?” I asked
“I need a little more practice”
“Practice makes perfect” I stated
“Yes if i'm not really already perfect… you’re a musician aren’t you”
“I am” I replied proudly
“Ok...um I seemed to have dented your instrument case.” she pointed out with a kind of a relieved tone. My instrument case sat on its side with a pebble dent in the corner.
“I'm not worried about that did my instrument hurt you?”
“No…Im fine those kinds of things im kind of used to.” She is used to running into things… ok.
“Do you run into a lot of ponies then?” I said making a joke. She laughed a little
“No I practice to hard at times and accidents happen” she replied I nodded
She changed the subject “ok it was nice meeting you…” she lifted off the ground a few inches.
“Silver Trumpet” I added
“Rainbow Dash, But I really should get going” I picked up my instrument case and my music bag.
“I hope we meet again under less inconvenient circumstances.” I said.
“Uuh… yeah… ok I’ll see ya around” the mare said flying into the clouds. I fixed the position of my saddlebags then continued my journey.
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“What do you mean the mayor isn’t here?” I asked the assistant
“She left several days ago and wont be back for another five days.” she replied
“Ok before I leave I just have one question… what kind of mayor does things that takes a week plus another half to be away from her city? She knew I was coming but no pony bothered to right me a letter.” I said in a frustrated voice
I paused to let her think about that as the door opened behind me, I turned almost spontaneously to find the newest princess… the leader and keeper of the Elements of Harmony. I immediately bowed for the sign of respect. But I was quickly shot down.
“Oh get up” she grumbled as the lavender pony walked up to the desk. I did as ordered but something about her confused me.
“Is there a problem here?” Twilight asked
“No the mayor is out of to…” twilight stopped the assistant mid sentence
“Yes yes I know I meant with you sir” she said turning her gaze towards me catching me completely off guard
“Oh um I came here to claim my house and now that I just found out the mayor isn’t here I have no bits to rent a hotel room.” I exclaimed
“Ah wait were you the one that bought that house over by the north eastern windmill?”
“Yeah cross the first bridge and you’re practically there” I said
“You might want to check that place out before anything.” twilight began to walk out when she stopped at the door. “If you need anything…swing by the library” she said with a smile. I smiled back nodding to the assistant I walked out I made my way to my new house after crossing the bridge I found out that I had just bought a sewage pond.
Everything outside was intact but the inside had multiple colors of mold including water stains, there were a few puddles, cockroaches scurried across the floor, dead mice wallowed in the turbid substance the smell even with the door closed was rancid. The whole house had to be gutted and redone, I then considered that offer of help from twilight…well that’s all I really could do.
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“Was it bad?” Twilight asked
“Try green mold and rotting wood.” I replied
“Sure you can stay in the extra room across from mine” Twilight replied while walking upstairs, I followed.
“I can even pay rent if you would like” I said. With the money that I don’t have. I said to myself.
She was standing in front of a door her body facing it but looking at me, “no its fine you would need the bits more than I would”
“Thanks twilight I don’t know how to repay you.” I said
“You’ll figure it out besides however long your stay might make up for it, if you decide to help the community” she said. I only nodded and went inside she closed the door behind me as I checked out the room. There was only a single bed a table and a dresser. I took my instrument case out of my saddle bag and slid it under the bed, I then took my music bag and placed it on the desk I opened the only curtain in the room and plopped on the bed. How could this day get any better? I said sarcastically to myself, I sat there for what seemed like only a few minutes but when I glanced at the clock it turned out to ten had gone by I then took out my sheet of paper from earlier with only a tempo and a clef on the first line I began to get inspired from the small town and began righting notes down.
