Gaining Experience

A figure in clad in dark robes approaches. It stops a good distance from you.
''Nice to see you again. It's certainly been a while.''
A pause. The figure stares at you.
''What, you've already forgotten who I am?''
The figure walks closer.
''Then allow me to remind you.''
The figure takes off the hood covering its face.
''Look familiar? It should, since you're the one who left me behind.''
Another pause.
''That's right. Nice to see that you DO remember. But do you know what happened when you walked away from me?''
Yet another pause.
''Let me show you.''
The figure pulls out a weapon. The sound of metal striking metal is heard. Battle begins.

''They couldn't make that twist any more transparent? I knew that was gonna happen when I saw that guy in the box art!''
The stone grey pegasus set the controller onto the floor. He walked over to the window in his room and opened it, letting the warm summer air in to ruffle his already messy black mane. The pony let out a sigh and looked out into the distance. The view he beheld was one he had grown up with, but it had always been a beautiful sight. The sun was high up and painted the fields around town with a golden brilliance as the crops were growing big and plentiful. It wouldn't be long now until they could be harvested. The Sun Princess had given her subjects a very warm and bright summer, and the local weather ponies had made sure that there was enough rain to keep the crops from dying. Away from the fields were the other buildings, such as the town hall and the school. Various houses spread out from the central square, spreading out in a circle. From his window the pony saw all sorts of ponies out and about, be they working, chatting or just in transit. The village wasn't big, the total number of residents being closer to a hundred. It wasn't a bad place to live in, but due to its size nothing big ever happened. The river outside the village was flowing at the usual pace, only interrupted by the waterwheels of the various mills built alongside it. Said mills were a part of what gave the village its name. The grey pegasus cast his eyes onto the town hall.
''Wonder if there'll be a dance tonight...'' He muttered to himself. He wasn't really interested in dancing, but it was pretty much the only event in town aside from the harvest celebration.

The pegasus was snapped out of his musings by a voice calling to him from downstairs.
''Dear, could you come down here for a bit?'' A soft feminine voice called.
''Be right there ma.'' The pegasus answered and walked over to his television. It had been a good while since the scientists at Celestia's School had come up with the machine, and it had grown to be immensely popular. Various entertainment systems had already been developed and they were how the pegasus passed his time when he was not needed it the fields or in the weather team. He pushed the button on his tv to shut it off and then did the same to his console.
''I'll finish that game when I'm feeling up to it.'' He muttered to himself as he headed down the stairs.

At the base of the stairs was the one the pegasus had addressed as 'ma'. The lime green earth pony had her orchid colored mane cut short and a kept a lily-of-the-valley in her hair, as she often did.
''What'd you need ma?'' The grey pony asked.
''Your brother and I just got back from town hall. You remember your grandparents in Ponyville?''
''Of course I remember, but what about them?''
''Well it seems that they have moved to Manehattan. You know how they are, very spry for their age.''
The pegasus nodded, gesturing to his mother to continue.
''They sold almost all of the houses they owned in the area, save for one.''
''And then they remembered that'd I'd love to move out and be on my own.''
''That's the most likely explanation.''
The grey pegasus thought of the possibility of his own house. It would certainly be a dream come true, but he knew there was something behind all this.
''What's the catch?''
''Well...the house is not in the best of shapes. Your grandfather bought it with plans to renovate it later, but he never got around to it. And now he figured he'd get at least a part of the money back by renting it to you.''
The pegasus sighed. His grandfather was a shrewd businessman and he gave nothing away for free, not even to his family.
''I knew there was something up with this. He isn't the type to give away stuff out of the kindness of his heart.''
''Well, real estate is how he earned his living.''
''Yeah, even his name says that. It would've been weird if a pony with a name like Real Estate was plowing a field in some sleepy little town.'' The stallion said with a chuckle. ''Still, this is a chance I doubt I'll get again. I'll just have to work harder than ever to get the place cleaned up.''
''Your brother and I would love to help you get settled in, dear.''
''I know, but I can't rely on you two forever. And besides, it'll most likely take hundreds of hours of work, and I can't expect both of you to stay away from here for an extended period of time, not this close to harvest season.''
The stallion walked up to his mother and drew her in for a hug.
''I'll be fine, ma. I'm a big stallion who can take care of himself.''
The green mare sighed and returned the gesture of affection. ''I know. But at least promise me that you'll try to make some friends who could help you. I don't want to see you breaking your back trying to do everything by yourself.''
''Come on ma, when have I done that?'' The pegasus asked with a smile.
''All the time.''
The stallion laughed and hugged his mother again. ''I guess you're right. I'll do my best, just for you.''

The pegasus let go of his mother and galloped back up to his room and started going through his drawers for the stuff he'd be bringing with him. His mother trotted up as well, a slightly troubled look on her face.
''It's all well and good that you're enthusiastic, but you'll need a job while you're there. You can't just sleep all day and play those, what did you call them again?'' The earth pony asked while pointing a hoof at the console on the floor.
''Video games. That's what they are. And as for a job, I already know what I'll do.''
''Join the weather team?''
''No, you silly.'' The pegasus laughed and pointed at his flank. ''This mark o' mine isn't one I got for kicking some clouds.''

The pegasus's flank was decorated with a handful of red sparkles. Had he been a unicorn, one might have mistaken it as a mark of magical talent. But, since he lacked a horn, his calling was elsewhere. He'd been the last of his class to get a cutie mark, which had caused him a fair bit of bullying as a colt. Then one day, as he'd been doing homework, he noticed that if the thought of the problem as something in a game, he could come up with an answer rather quickly. This realization had spurred him to complete his homework in record time, and it had even impressed his teacher. He later noticed that if he applied the same mentality to other problems he encountered, they became easier to deal with. He then realized that his talent was in problem solving and logical thinking, and with that realization his flank had started to shine and the red sparkles appeared.

''So what're you gonna do then?'' the green mare asked her son.
''It's simple, really. I like all sorts of games. Foals like games, and parents like having something that they can use to reward their little ones that doesn't get old quickly. So, I'm gonna give the house gramps and granny are renting me a little makeover and set up a shop.''
''You'll become a shopkeeper?'' The mare asked with a puzzled look. She somehow couldn't see her son sitting behind a counter all day.
''That I will.''
''Are you sure it'll work? A shopkeeper needs to be ready to talk to his customers on a daily basis, and we both know how shy you are.''
''My shyness is just another problem I need to solve. And that's what I'm good at.''
''But how will you know that you'll be able to make a living with a shop? They might have a shop there already that offers all you're going to offer.''
''Which is why I won't offer just games. I'll also offer my knowledge of them and my skill with the machines that run them.''
The pegasus' mother shot him a puzzled look. ''What do you mean?''
''I mean that since I know a fair deal about games, I can ask ponies to pay for advice, or if their console is broken I can see about repairing it.''

His mother watched him go back and forth around the room, sorting out stuff and putting it into the big saddlebags near his bed. She then let out a sigh. ''I guess you've really thought this through.''
'''course I have. Can't expect to leave this place without a solid game plan, now can I?'' The grey pegasus replied. His answer elicited a chuckle from the lime green mare.
''I won't stand in your way then. You can head over to the town hall to pick up the documents and the key for the house. They'll be expecting you.''
''Thanks ma. You're a gem.'' The pegasus said as he walked over and gave her a peck on the cheek.
''So are you, dear. Be sure to say goodbye to your brother before you go. Oh, and to father as well.''
''Will do!''

Once the pegasus had gotten all he needed, he ran back down the stairs and through the house into the backyard. An earth pony with a brown coat and a sand-colored curly mane was fixing a plow.
''Hey bro!'' The pegasus called out.
''Hey. Ma told you about what we were told at the town hall?''
''Yup. Guess who's gonna move out?''
''Ain't hard to guess.''
The pegasus grinned. ''I'll miss you two. Might even get homesick, at least for the first few weeks.''
''We're gonna come and visit you, so that should alleviate some of that homesickness.'' The brown pony said as he got up. He scratched his stubble a bit before continuing. ''Might take us a while though. We ain't got wings like you and dad.'' He said and gave the other pony a playful push.
''It'll still take me at least four hours to reach Ponyville. I ain't fast nor durable. My forte is agility after all.'' The pegasus said while puffing out his chest with pride.
''Most likely you'll still be faster than us. Unlike you, we need a road. Plus we can't just sleep on a cloud if we get tired.''
''Okay yeah, I'll give you that.''
The earth pony let out a chuckle. ''I'm gonna miss you lil' brother.'' He said as he ruffled the pegasus's black mane.
''I'm gonna miss you too, big bro. You and ma better come visit me.''
''We will. Now go and say bye to dad before you stop by town hall. Ma and I'll be here to send you off once you get back.''
The pegasus nodded and galloped back inside the house.

He ran back into his room to grab his saddlebags. He'd need to get the key to his new house, as well as arrange the delivery of most of the stuff in his room. As much as he might have wanted to, he wasn't strong enough to carry all of it to Ponyville on his own. He ran back down and towards the front door. Before he reached it though, he stopped in front of a drawer. On top of the drawer was a photo of the entire family, taken long ago since he was but a foal in it and his brother having just started school. Next to the picture was another one, this one a portrait of a pegasus stallion with a big smile.
''It's really happening, dad. I'm leaving. I get to experience a life outside of this village. One of my dreams is coming true.'' The pegasus said to the picture. Tears started rolling down his cheeks as he looked at the photo of the stallion.
''I just wish you had been here to send me off as well.''
The pegasus kept crying, trying to muffle his sobs with his hooves as best as he could. His father had passed a few years after his birth due to an illness. Near the end of his life he had lost most of the feeling in his nerves, making stuff like flying quite dangerous. The illness eventually lead to a cardiac arrest that finally claimed his life.

The pony wiped the last of the tears from his eyes after he had calmed down.
‘’I’m gonna make you proud. I promise.’’ He said as he opened the door and galloped down the hill towards the village.

Because the village was so small, it didn’t take long for the pegasus to reach the town hall. He opened the door and inside he found a few locals talking to the mayor about the upcoming Harvest Festival. This was of little concern to him seeing as he was going to leave, so he ignored them and headed for the mayor’s assistant.
‘’Hi. I was told that my grandparents had a house for rent.’’
‘’One moment please.’’ The white mare said and adjusted her glasses as she started going through the paperwork in front of her. ‘’What are their names?’’
‘’Real Estate and Sugar Wonder.’’
The assistant flipped through several important looking papers before she pulled one out of a folder and presented it to the stallion.
‘’Sign here please.’’ She said and pointed to the bottom of the page. ‘’By signing you agree to the contract and agree to follow the rules set by the owners.’’
‘’Can I see the contract?’’
The mare pulled another paper from the folder and showed it to the pegasus. He eyed it and read it through several times before he was satisfied.
‘’Grandpa can be stingy as heck but at least he is fair.’’ He said before picking up a pen with his mouth and signing the first paper.
‘’Thank you sir.’’ The assistant said as she inspected the paper. She then put it away and handed the contract to the pegasus along with a pair of keys. ‘’The bigger one is for the front door and the smaller one is for the back entrance.’’
He grabbed the paper and the keys and put them into his bag before thanking the mare and heading off. He still had a few things to do before he was ready to head towards his new home.

His first step was to head to an acquaintance of his mother’s who ran a shipping company. Upon entering the establishment, he noticed that everypony was hard at work due to harvest season being right around the corner.
‘’Excuse me, is Ballast around?’’ The pegasus inquired from a passing pony. The pony nodded and called out for the one called Ballast, who soon descended down a flight of stairs. He had a thick, oaken colored coat and short silver mane which contrasted his long flowing tail. Once he laid eyes on the pegasus, he flashed a smile and trotted up to his new customer.
‘’Hey there young’un. What can I do you for?’’
‘’Hi, I’d like to have some of my stuff delivered to Ponyville.’’
‘’Ponyville, eh? That’s a fair ways along, so it is. We’ll have to get your stuff to the nearest train station and send it to Ponyville from there, and once it gets there my boys will need to pick everything up and deliver them. I’m afraid that’ll cost you a sizeable sum.’’
‘’Umm, how much are we talking about?’’ The pegasus asked in a nervous tone.
‘’Lemme see…’’ Ballast said as his brow furrowed in thought. ‘’About 120 bits will cover it.’’
The pegasus’s eyes widened in surprise. ‘’That’s...a lot indeed. And how fast would you be able to deliver everything?’’
‘’Depends on how much stuff you have, but it shouldn’t take more than two days for a place such as Ponyville. And lemme tell you, it would’ve been a lot more expensive to haul stuff to Canterlot or Manehattan.’’

The grey stallion sighed. Delivering his possessions to his new house would eat up quite a bit of his finances, but it was better than flying back and forth himself. He agreed to Ballast’s prices and followed him to sign the necessary paperwork and to pay for the delivery. After he was done setting up the delivery, he stopped by a bakery to pick up something to fill his belly with during the journey. A four hour flight was relatively short, but he knew he’d get hungry during it since he’d be flying as fast as he could almost all the way. After he had treats sorted, he headed back home. Soon he was ready to take to the skies and head to Ponyville.

When he got back home, his mother and brother were outside waiting for him.
‘’You got the keys?’’ His brother asked.
‘’Yup. Also arranged for the delivery of my stuff. Everything is well in hoof.’’ He replied with a smile.
‘’I packed some food and linens into your bags. Can’t have you starving or not sleeping well now can we?’’ The lime green mare said to her younger son.
‘’Thanks ma. You’re a gem, you know that?’’
‘’I get that a lot.’’ She chuckled and drew the pegasus into a hug. ‘’Be good now, you hear? And make lots of friends.’’
‘’I will endeavor to, ma.’’
‘’You heading off right away?’’ The earth pony asked his brother.
‘’That was the plan, yes. The sooner I leave the more I can look around Ponyville before it gets dark.’’
‘’You’d best hurry up then. It may be summer, but Princess Luna will still be raising the moon.’’
The mare headed back into the house for a bit and returned with a pair of saddlebags.
‘’Can you carry all of these?’’ She asked with a hint of concern.
The pegasus nodded. Four saddlebags would be a pain, but he knew he could do it. And with his new life in sight, he was ready to take on some aching muscles.

The earth pony took the bags from his mother and helped his brother get them onto his back. The pegasus groaned a bit at the added weight, but stayed upright.
‘’I’m gonna miss you both. Be sure to come and visit me when you can. But send a letter first so I can clean up the place before you arrive.’’ The pegasus said as he hugged both his mother and his brother. They both returned the gesture with a smile on their faces.
‘’We will.’’ The earth pony stallion said as the mare wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.
‘’I said this before and I will say it again: be good now, you hear?’’ She said as she gave the pegasus a kiss on the cheek.
The pegasus nodded before he unfurled his wings and with powerful beats took to the sky.
‘’I’ll be seeing you.’’ He said while hovering above his family. ‘’I love you both.’’ He added and started his his flight towards the north, towards Ponyville.

He had only flown a short distance before he realized that he should put his goggles on to avoid getting anything into his eyes. The goggles he wore were something that his father had given to him just days before he passed, so they were among his most prized possessions. As he put the goggles on and adjusted them appropriately he saw something out of the corner of his eye. It looked like a tall, well built pegasus standing on a cloud with a smile on his face, or so he thought, because as he turned his head to look in the direction of this pegasus, there was nothing there. The young pegasus hovered in the air for a moment while looking around confused. Had he seen a somepony, or was the sun playing tricks on his eyes? After he spent some time looking around and checking under, and inside of, clouds, the young pegasus figured it must’ve been a optical illusion. He turned and continued his journey towards his new home, not even realizing the tear flowing down from under his goggles.

As he flew, his thoughts were filled with things he would need to do in Ponyville. His life was about to change, and he’d have to face new challenges. During this he muttered to nopony in particular: ‘’Looks like it’s time for Level Up to level up.’’