The new day began like any other, the sun peaking through the trees that bordered my small one bedroom home. I rolled over and dropped off the side of my bed, landing all four hooves on the soft carpet of my bedroom and walked into the bathroom. I enjoyed a short shower before brushing my short black mane and grey coat, making myself slightly more presentable. Like every other morning I headed for my kitchen to make a small meal to fortify myself for the coming day.
As I walked out of my home I looked around to see the same sights that greet me every other morning, ponies walking about with smiles on their faces and bright and cheery decor everywhere. Occasionally other ponies would wave and say good morning to me and I would wave back while forcing a smile onto my face before as always, seeing a slight grimace make its way on their faces. I knew why they looked at me like this, why I received pitying glances and pained smiles every time somepony noticed me. Nopony in town would ever bring it up, as if to talk about it would make things worse.
It’s not like I don’t want to make friends, in fact I would love to have somepony around to converse with. It’s not as if I can’t write out the things I want to say, but I never get that chance. I’ve tried to going around and make friends but I can never stand up to those pitying looks, each one digging deeper into my soul. So I put on this mask of a smile and pretend that it doesn’t hurt.
So today, like every day I walk over to the mayor's office where I work as a filing clerk. This is my sanctuary, a world of words and numbers where the things I do matter. Here I know the rules and converse in my own special way. Here I can help the town I belong to even if nopony knows what I do. A clerk may seem like a small unimportant job, one that many ponies do just for the small sum of bits they collect at the end of the week, but this is where I truly feel like I can accomplish something worthwhile.
I’m interrupted from my thoughts by a voice accustomed to their higher position, I look over and see the Ponyville mayor, Silver Scroll.
“Good morning, Tidy Scroll. How is my favourite nephew today?” She asks with the same pained smile everypony in town reserves just for me.
I reply by bringing my masks smile onto my face and nodding to her.
“That’s good, you’re doing so well here. Keep up the good work.” She says before walking off.
Like every other pony in town the length of our interaction is minimal, nopony can seem to stand being around me for any significant amount of time. But I continue my work, letting the hours drift by as I sort and label the papers that continue to be added to my desk. Reading over each to decide where and who they all need to go to and before I notice a bell rings, interrupting me from my work. Five times the bell rings and I know my work day is over, but that’s ok. While work may be my happy place there is one other thing to look forward to in my day. So I pick up my saddlebags and head out.
Walking out of the town hall, I turn and walk out to the edge of town. The businesses are soon replaced by houses and then nothing as I walk out to somewhere few ponies dare to tread, the Everfree Forest. But I know in this place the forest is safe, it is always safe in this area. A hundred metres in I find it, a small clearing with a thin river winding through the centre. While work may be by happy place, this is my calm place. Somewhere I can go and just be myself, nopony comes here and so I don’t have to be submitted to the pity and looks of a town that doesn’t understand how lonely I feel.
Hours can drift away as I lay by the river and today, like most days I barely notice the passage of time. The sky gradually darkens but I barely notice, I know my way home like the back of my hoof. Time continues like this and night takes over the land, the familiar sound of water running down the river and leaves rustling in the wind leave me in a state of perfect calm.
But this night as it is, is not meant to last as a bright light envelops the clearing around me before condensing into a orb about 3 times the height of your average stallion. As the light clears I see a shape that gains definition before the light falls away completely revealing a strange creature. It’s tall, and is standing on two legs like a minotaur but is significantly less bulky. Actually it appears almost too thin, it’s long limbs looking akin to twigs and strange spider-like appendages coming out of them. It’s skin was a light pinky colour almost white in it’s paleness and a messy shock of black hair not unlike my own stuck up out of it’s head. Even more strangely the creature was almost completely covered in black clothing.
“Uhh, what the hell just happened?” It asked, presumably to itself.
I jump back, shocked that this strange creature was speaking in Equish. On another note I assume it’s male from the deep tone of it’s voice.
It noticed my movement and repeated my motion, jumping back in shock.
“Ok? Am I on drugs? Because there’s some weird horse creature in front of me.” He asked incredulously, seemingly still talking to himself.
Realising I could understand him but unable to talk to, I reached back into my saddlebags, pulling out some parchment and a quill given to me that was enchanted to never need ink. I began to write.
‘Hello, are you friendly? Please don’t hurt me.’ I wrote with the quill in my mouth before pushing it towards the creature with a hoof.
He took the parchment and looked back up to me with a surprised expression on his face.
“You- You can understand me?” He asked.
I nodded in the affirmative a small, nervous smile on my face.
“I promise I won’t hurt you, but I don’t know where I am. I was walking home when a man ran past and knocked me over and the next thing I knew I was standing here in the middle of a forest. Ohh if you can understand me I should introduce myself, my name is Brian Phillips.” The creature said with a smile replacing the shocked expression.
I pointed to the parchment in his hand with a hoof before pointing back to my mouth, hoping he would understand what I meant and worried about the reaction I would get if he did.
After a moment a look of realisation passed over his features.
“Ahh, you can’t talk can you? Thats ok, here.” He said, passing the parchment back and moving over to sit beside me.
I took it back and wrote my response.
‘Sorry that I can’t talk to you verbally, if I could I would. But anyway, my name is Tidy Scroll. It is nice to meet you Mr. Phillips.’
“It’s ok Tidy, and you don’t need to call me Mr. Phillips, just call me Brian.”
‘Ok… Brian. It’s nice to meet you. Umm, may I ask what species you are? I’ve never seen or heard of anypony who looks like you before. I’m a pony by the way, an earth pony to be exact.’
“Well my species is called Human or Homo Sapien, but human is easier to say.” He answered easily, his smile never wavering.
I sat there thinking about what to say next. If he had no idea where he was he probably didn’t have anywhere to stay. Noticing me take a while to reply his expression changed to a worried frown.
“Is something wrong Tidy? Did I say something to upset you?”
I quickly grabbed the parchment after shaking my head.
‘No, not at all. I was just thinking that you might not have anywhere to stay and night has already taken over. If so, would you be opposed to staying in my place? I have a large couch that could fit your tall frame.’
“If that would be ok? I would rather not stay in the cold forest and get sick. Thank you my new friend.”
I sat back on my haunches with shock at his words before regaining my wits.
‘You want to be my friend?’
“Of course, someone so kind and willing to put me up for the night so soon after meeting. How could I not want someone so nice to be my friend?” He answered my question with a big smile, further stunning me for a minute before I was able to write a reply.
‘Thank you Brian, it’s been a long time since I’ve had a friend.’
I smiled as I led my new friend back to my home, feeling a sense of belonging and hope that I hadn’t felt in years.