Author's Note

Well, it's finaly here. Sorry for the delays, I supposed to have this done much earlier in the month, but between my computer breaking and the internet crashing, I had a lot to deal with first. at least I had fun writing it.

Beware of typos, and enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 3 - The River, The Town and The Pink Pony

The sounds of the woods accompanied me through my walk, from the creaks of wood and rustling of leaves to the chirping of birds and the sound of small paws running on the ground. It must have been only a couple of hours since I first arrived in this new world, the sun rose taking his place on the blue sky as I travelled south, and as the morning progressed the temperature increased slightly but it remained comfortable.

For the duration of my walk, there was no certain path or road to guide my, admittedly, still bumbling hooves. The woods although not very dense, didn't provided much in terms of landmarks in order to orient myself, but I was happy that it also didn't impeded me with a number of obstacles for me to work around, and so I was able to cover a decent amount of ground.

I walked at a steady pace, paying as much attention at my surroundings as possible, a fact made easier for what seemed to be a more accurate sense of hearing given to me by my new form, although as the day became brighter I found myself squinting when under some of the less protected patches of land by the canopy of trees. I didn't feel threatened, since I got here I had a constant feeling of calm around me, my attention was instead focused on finding food and appreciating the scenery.

It wasn’t long before my sensitive ears picked a very low sound, unconsciously flickering in its direction. I was able to discern it as the low hum of moving water. Realizing now of how thirsty I really was, I moved toward the sound. Picking up my pace to an almost gallop, the oak trees and shrubbery of the woods parted to give way to the welcoming sight of a stream.

I stumbled to a halt as I approached the stream. The clear water flowed at a gentle pace, allowing me a view to the river bank below. The water appeared to be safe to drink, but I still lowered my head and gave it a sniff. Making sure I couldn't smell anything on the water, I dipped my muzzle into the river taking big gulps to satiate my thirst.

The first mouthful came with a bit of sediment stirred from my enthusiasm, but the others came clean. The water was fresh and I was a bit disappointed that I didn't have my canteen in order to take some with me. The canteen was, of course, inside of the STATS, and it was unavailable for use.

With a last drink of water, I raised my head again, using the back of a foreleg to wipe its remains from my lips. My thirst sated and happy that I was able to find a good source of water, I decided to look around the river that run through the forest, until something caught my eye. Drawing my attention to its waters was my reflection, for the first time since I arrived in this world I could see how I really looked like.

The creature that looked me back could be a pony, but it was very different from any that I have seen before. The dark gray fur that covered my body spread to my head, which although recognizable as a pony's was rounder with a larger forehead than a normal pony. My eyes now big and expressive changed from light blue to a dark, almost jade, green and its pupils were slitted like a cat's.

From the top of my head sprouted two fluffy ears. My muzzle was smaller than one would think, square in its proportions with a pair of fangs peeking out of my mouth. My curiosity perked I opened my mouth and slid my tongue through my teeth, they were mostly flat with the exception of the canines, the fang like teeth were surprisingly sharp.

Looking at my reflection it was bizarre to think of myself as the creature that stared at me back from the water. I looked, dare say, cute.

Shaking my head, I moved away from the water before more intrusive thoughts could take hold. Next to the stream on the tree line there was a few berry bushes, deciding that it was a good time as any for a break I made my way towards them. Pulling the branches of the bushes with my hoof, I ate directly from them, carefully to pick only the berries that looked ripe.

I pondered my situation. Following the river seemed a good idea, it would keep me close to a source of water and these berries seemed to grow alongside it. A meager source of food, but food nonetheless. The only question is which way to go. The river cut the woods east to west and either direction seemed equally promising.

In my experience, civilization can be build basically anywhere, but are more common to the south and east cardinals, being next to a river only increases my chances. Finishing my snack, I decided to follow the river east.

Trotting alongside the stream was easier than making a path straight through the woods, the river side was clean of littering, only with fallen leaves and bushes to block my way. The walk was pleasant having the sun on my back to warm my wings, and a light breeze so not make it too overbearing. If I had to make a guess I would say it was mid-spring. The sky was mostly free of clouds, the weather was not too hot and a bit humid. Yes definitely spring.

Distracted as I was I suddenly tripped on a fallen branch, almost sending me straight into the river water. Collecting myself from my stumble, I was reminded that I was yet to familiarize myself to this body completely. Which required that I focus on where I’m going instead of thinking about the weather.

I groaned due to my own carelessness, and promptly returned to my path east alongside the river.

~~*~~

It was a couple of hours after I had my little break, and the mid-morning sun was a third of its way from its zenith. My decision of following the river proved to be a wise choice, although not father from where I rested the river made a slight bend becoming wider and its waters faster. Travelling on its shore indeed allowed me to make much more progress than weaving through the middle of the woods, my only oversight was thinking that the berry bushes I had found before were plentiful.

There was indeed berry bushes growing alongside the river, but they were few and far between, not enough to satiate my hunger, only providing a little relief. If I wish, I assume I could hunt one of the small animals that roamed the woods, I'm not entirely against bunny meat. But I'm not sure that would be agreeable with my new body, unfamiliar with my new anatomy as I am.

I know for certain that in some circumstances horses are capable of eating meat, but is this applied to alien ponies from another dimension? I rather not risk it yet.

Placing my concern of the alimentary habits of my new form aside, I was astounded how similar this world is to others I have visited. Walking through the forest, I observed both plant and animal life, trees and bushes, flowers and grass, birds and squirrels, so many similar species to other worlds. This should not be a surprise, I found worlds that were almost carbon copies from one another, similarities are to be expected, but what confuse me in this one is with all the raw magic that freely flows, one would expect a more arcane-centric number of species. Be it animal or vegetal, I am still to found one that evolved in order to adapt to the excessive amount of magic.

I was still following the river when the trees began to become more scarce, soon the woods gave way to grassland, grassy hills as far I could see encompassed by a mountain range to the north. The river followed along through the new terrain, coursing through where I could see the silhouette of a town in the distance.

The sight filled me with excitement, making my wings flex eager to take to the skies and fly straight towards the buildings. I resisted the impulse, deciding it was better to approach the village, slash possible town, cautiously than to land right in the middle of it. And yet I found myself yearning to take to the skies, to feel the winds blowing under my wings and the total sense of freedom.

Since I first got my wings years ago, flying is one of my most pleasurable hobbies, and I wouldn’t give it up for anything. My wings flexed again and I finally surrendered to its wishes and with might flap I took flight. Flying as a pony was a bit different than as a human, and once again I found myself trying to compensate for a center of gravity that wasn’t there.

Once I stopped fighting my instincts and let my body right itself on the air, I flew towards the town. I could see the pastel colored buildings spreading across the valley between the mountain range of north and hills on the south. The river actually passing through town before making its way south where I could see lots of farmland, including an extensive orchard.

I couldn't help but to be nervous. Here I was, about to make contact to whatever beings live on this world. I've had such encounters before, but I can't say that all of them went well. Sometimes small cultural differences or even a slip of tongue was all it takes for any interaction to go sour. Add the fact that I'm not even in my original body and it's enough to make my nerves fray.

I landed heavily on the very outskirts of town, trying to avoid anyone to see me just yet. I stumbled out of my landing, never had been good at it to begin with, and started to look around. Thankfully there was no one in the immediate area, only having a few houses around. The houses were more akin to cottages, made of timber framed wood and thatched roofs, most of them had little gardens adjacent to them growing flower and vegetables alike.

The town looked quaint, very reminiscent of an old style farming village and yet retained some sense of modern organization to it, having even a few lamp posts here and there. I looked around as I walked through its streets towards the town center, trying to absorb more of the scenery, when I heard an intake of breath from my side.

“Oh my gosh! I found you!”

I wiped my head around to the source of the voice, only to have two big blue eyes immediately overcome my vision. Startled I took a step back, to see next to me a bright pink pony.

“Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie! You must be new in town, because I know everypony in town and I don't know you. And just this morning I was baking a fresh new batch of cupcakes for Mrs. Cake, when my knee got twitchy and my nose got itchy, which made me go like ‘Gasp! New Pony!’. I went all around town searching for the new pony, but I couldn't find him, or her, anywhere and was starting to get sad thinking that the new pond had already left, until I saw you landing over there and thought ‘Hey, I don't know this pony. He must be new!’ and now that you are here, I can finally give you your welcome to Ponyville!”

The pony spoke in an high pitched voice, which made me assume it was female, before giving an excited squeal and plastering a huge grin on her face.

I was aware that my mouth was hanging open. The pony in front of me looked much like what I think I’ve been transformed. She was a bit smaller than I was, having a light pink coat with bouncy darker pink mane. Her eyes were a vivid baby blue both having a gleam of happiness behind them that spoke of intense desire to spread it. She bounced in place with an almost endless energy share only by her ability to talk without stop to take a breath.

Was that per chance how the inhabitants of this world look like? Have I've been transformed in one of them? By whom, or what? Was it because of magic? These questions raptly crossed my mind, but I didn't had time nor the means to answer them for the pony, Pinkie Pie, resumed talking.

“So, what's your name?” she asked, and briefly stopped bouncing.

“Uh… Nero. My name is Nero Swordhunter.” I answered still a bit wary of the pink pony.

“Ooh, Never had heard a name like that before.” she said with surprising interest. “Where you from? Going to stay on Ponyville for long?”

At first I would be nervous to have someone come at me out of nowhere and started making these kind of questions, especially after I just arrived in town. But the way that she looked and talked betrayed nothing but genuine interest, curiosity and excitement. Relaxing a bit I said:

“Well, I'm traveler, but I'm kind of looking for someplace to settle down. So, I may be staying for awhile.” I said trying dodge the first question and sticking to my usual story.

“Oh! You should definitely move in and come live on Ponyville. This is just THE most friendly place in all of Equestria!” she said excitedly and then struck a proud pose “We ponies of Ponyville, proud ourselves of being the most friendly and welcoming ponies around. Never anypony visiting our dear town was left without a warm welcome, a big smile and a party!” she ended in a serious tone and then bursting into giggles.

I couldn't help but to chuckle along. She sounded so serious and yet with a lightheartedness that was both heartwarming and funny. She seemed pleased at my laughter and beamed even more at it, returning to bounce in place. When our laughing fit died down I decided to ask her some questions.

“So Pinkie, this is the first time that I'm visiting Ponyville. Do you know anyplace that I could spend the night?”

“Oh yeah! You could spend the night on Ponyville Inn. They got a bunch of rooms for rent very cheap! And they aren't usually crowded, so it must be fine.” she said nodding her head.

That sounded great actually, a warm bed and a good meal were exactly the things I needed. But I had no way for paying for any of it. I suppose I could find some work in town, but I don't know if I would be receiving any payment early enough for me to spend the firsts nights on the Inn. Maybe I could sell some items, but with almost all that I have digitized on the STATS that would be impossible.

My worries must have been showing, for Pinkie stopped bouncing, concern filled her features, especially her eyes which looked at me meeting mine directly. “Is something wrong?” she asked me, her mane slightly deflated. Alarmed by her sudden change of behavior, I was quick in trying to assure her.

“Um… yes Pinkie, everything is fine. It's just, recently there was an accident, I'm fine I assure you, but most of my gear got lost. So I don't have any money on me right now, and that got me a bit worried.” I said rubbing the back of my head.

I wasn’t expecting what happened next, for Pinkie crossed the distance between us engulfing me in a tight hug, pinning my forelegs and wings under the embrace. I actually caught me blushing at the sudden proximity, she was soft and her coat warm to the touch. The fact that she smelled of powdered sugar and baked goods also didn't helped anything.

“Oh, your poor thing.”she said hugging me even tighter, to the point it made me worried that one of my ribs would break. She then suddenly let go, and without any support I fell to the ground free of her grasp, but struggling to stand. With a foreleg still around my whiters she spoke again, smiling once more. “Trust me, everything is going to be fine. Here have a cupcake, it always makes me feel better when I'm sad.” Pinkie then promptly pulled a green frosting cupcake out of her puffy mane.

“Uh, Thanks?” I said as I holded the offered treat on the flat of my hoof. I was confused of why would she keep a cupcake on her mane, and a bit skeptical on eating it. It did look good though, without any signs of strands of pink hair on it.

“Uhm. If you can’t stay on the Inn, maybe you could stay with me or one of my friends!” Pinkie said as she lightly rubbed a hoof under her chin. “I would have to ask Mr. and Mrs. Cake if you could stay there for the night. Or maybe Rarity or Applejack could, they have very spacious houses. Oh, maybe Twilight could help!”

“Listen Pinkie.” I interrupted her after finishing the delicious lime frosting creme filled cupcake. “I'm grateful for the offer, but I really don't want to impose on er- anypony. Besides, I was thinking on taking a job in town, maybe I could find somepony, willing to pay me enough for a day's work so I could rent a room at the Inn.” She seemed a bit disappointed at that, but kept smiling and nodded.

“Okay. That could work too, many ponies in town need help. But if you need, my offer still stands, allright? she said in a reassuring tone.

It was my time to smile at her “Agreed. So, Uh, if is not too much to ask. Do you mind showing me around?”

She perked up almost instantly at my request. She jumped a pony's height in the air giving a thrilling affirmative, then bounced around me for a moment before turning to town and motioning for me to follow. There was something about Pinkie that made me like her. She was a person, well pony, that wore her heart on her proverbial sleeve. In this brief moment which we talked, she surprised me with a very sweet personality and exuberant attitude. If all ponies are like this maybe my stay on this world won't be so bad. I adjusted my saddlebags on my back and followed her into Ponyville.

I followed close to Pinkie Pie as we made our way to the town proper, keeping up with her wasn’t difficult despite her energetic behavior. I eyed my companion and guide with interest, due to our proximity I was able to notice an image of three balloons on her flanks. I found it odd, and considered asking for its meaning but thought better of it.

We chatted amicably as we walked, she seemed really interested in getting to know me better, although I avoided any questions that could indicate I'm not from this world. Instead I would redirect the conversation towards others subjects, like where she worked, or what she liked to do around town. If she notice anything she didn't say, and was happy to indulge me.

The further we got into town, more my view would be filled with ponies. Although the streets of Ponyville was not a bustling chaos like many cities, there was plenty of ponies walking around, doing various activities. For my surprise, there wasn’t just a type of pony, both unicorn and pegasi shared the space with normal ponies like Pinkie. For a moment I was worried for I didn’t see anypony with leathery wings and fangs like me, but it didn’t bother Pinkie and other than a few curious looks no one had said anything.

It was interesting to watch this community, the very sense of familiarity mixed with the novelty of it all. Ponies would walk about taking care of their business, the pegasi would normally fly around, unless when accompanied by an earth bound companion like I was. Most fascinating were the unicorns, where pegasi and normal ponies would carry things on their backs, wing, or hooves, unicorns would wrap items in a magical aura using their horns and lifted them around. I momentarily observed as a mint green unicorn accompanied by a cream colored mare lifted two bags, of what I assumed to be groceries, and walked away chatting.

Curiously, all the ponies I could see had some kind of tattoo on its flanks. They ranged from the mundane to the completely strange. From plants and flowers to stars, clouds and music notes. The pegasi appeared to have tattoos more related to the weather while the normal ponies had more down to earth types and unicorns ranged more esoteric symbols. There was clearly some interchanging between them and the types of ponies, so I could assume the type of symbol was not exclusive to any kind of pony. It made me wonder if these tattoos hold any purpose or meaning, and what is the relation between the tattoo and the pony.

I wonder if it will be a problem since I don't have one.

Sometimes during our conversation, Pinkie Pie would break into a tangent, speaking in the same breathless and excited tone of when we first met. I found a bit difficult to follow some of her line of thought or jumps of logic, but it was a endearing sight and all I had to do to stop her was ask a question or a change of subject. Another thing I noted was that while we walked she would smile and wave to passing ponies, which in turn they would greet her with a smile of their own.

As a guide Pinkie did a good job, she may not have the expertise of the fabled Urban Rangers I've met, but she clearly knew Ponyville's layout like the back of her hand. Well, hoof. More than once she would stop to point out certain locations or buildings, like a park which, according to Pinkie, was the best place to relax and have a picnic with friends. A cafe which had the best daisy sandwich in town for a fairly cheap price, or Sugarcube Corner, a building with a gingerbread house appearance, able to make my teeth hurt just by looking at it, where she both lived and worked as a baker. Which I thought to be appropriate for the pink mare.

She also pointed out the big building in the center of town, the big circular structure served as Ponyville's town hall and where most big events such as conventions, reunions and weddings took place. Close to the town hall was Ponyville Inn, it was a two story building, a bit bigger than most but still following the timber framed, thatched roof theme that was common throughout town. It had a rustic feeling to it, and just by looking through the outside I could already tell that it was nicer and tidier than most Inns I've been.

Soon our tour of Ponyville ended in a open air market, very reminiscent of the market back on Malpetrim. Several stalls lined up along the area designed with a big open space right in the middle where shoppers could walk and mingle. In contrast to Malpetrim, where goods from all over were sold in the mercantile city, most of the items on Ponyville's market were fresh produce that I assume came from the farms just outside town with the odd pony selling some nicknacks or other miscellaneous here and there. The familiarity the market provided me was comforting, and this was the perfect opportunity to seek for work.

We came to a stop more or less in the middle of the market, I was still taking a look on all the goods the merchants had to sale, much of which were fruits and vegetables, when Pinkie Pie turned to speak to me, a grin on her face.

“And this is Ponyville's market, you can buy almost anything here! It is also the best place for you to find a job, so I decided to make it the last stop we should make while showing you around.” she said excitedly, her grin never leaving her lips. She then looked at me with almost pleading eyes and asked.

“So, what'd you think about Ponyville? Will you be staying?”

I could almost laugh at the way she was basically begging me to stay in town, but instead I simply shook my head and smiled. “Yes, Pinkie.” I said with maybe a bit more amusement than I wanted. “I will be staying for a while. Ponyville seems very nice, I think I will like it here.”

At that the pink pony seemed to brighten even further, her smile stretching across her face almost splitting it in half. Pinkie once again jumped a pony length in the air, giving a high pitched squee, before settling to bounce in place once again, much for the confusion of a few bystanders.

“This is great! You'll see, there's no better place in Equestria to live than Ponyville. I will make sure to prove it to you, and then maybe you can move in for real. And now that I know you will stay, I can start planning for your welcome to Ponyville party! There will be cake and streamers and games, and you get to meet everypony in town!” she started talking in that same breathless and excited voice that I came to know in the last couple of hours as we toured through Ponyville.

As she beamed down at me, I started to feel nervous at the prospect of a party trow for me, especially one that, according to Pinkie, would involve all ponies in town. It sounded like a perfect opportunity to let some information of my origins slip, a prospect that I was not yet ready to face.

Before I could voice any of my objections, Pinkie Pie seemed to see something behind me. Her excited smile became brighter and her eyes lit up at the sight, she then started waving and calling to someone behind me. “Hi, Applejack!”

I turned to see a orange pony mare with a long braided blond mane trotting through the market wearing a cowboy hat and saddlebags full of what appeared tools, nails and some groceries. She turned to face us, when her eyes met Pinkie's she immediately broke into a smile and waved back. She calmly made her way to us, and only seemed to notice me much later than Pinkie, shooting glances between us. When she got close enough she spoke.

“Howdy, Pinkie Pie! Who's your friend?” she asked Pinkie Pie with a distinct southern twang in her voice, as she eyed me with interest to which I only gave a polite nod.

“Applejack, this is Nero Swordhunter. He just got to Ponyville and was thinking to move in, so I was showing him around town. But he needs a job, so we came to the market to try to find some kind of job that can pay him today so he can pay to stay on the Inn because right now he can't afford it.” Pinkie Pie said, being able to summarize almost my entire history in this world in a single phrase.

Applejack blinked in surprise, her brain trying to process the information the pink pony had given her. Surprise gave way to understanding, and Applejack turned to face me with a smile and soft eyes.

“Well then, Nice to meet you Swordhunter! Any friend to Pinkie Pie, is a friend of mine.” she said offering a hoof towards me, in what I assumed was meant as a greeting.

“Nice to meet you too, Applejack.” I said extending my own hoof to hers, only for it to be grasped in her forelegs. She shook my hoof vigorously making my whole body quake, with a strength that I, at first, didn't think she possessed. It was only after my head stopped spinning that I could notice how muscular the orange pony appeared to be.

“If you really looking for a place to move in, Ponyville is a nice place as any. We may not have much fancy stuff like big cities the likes of Canterlot or Manehattan, but folks here in Ponyville are as friendly as it can be.” Applejack said, a hint of pride slipping into her voice.

“Well, like I said to Pinkie, I still don't know yet. Ponyville does seems nice, but right now I need to find a job. I got no money at the moment, and I'm all out of supplies to even afford to keep traveling.” I said rubbing one of my forelegs.

Applejack hummed to herself, raising a hoof to her chin seemingly to ponder something for a minute. “If is work you're looking, Ah reckon there's plenty of ponies in town that need help, but if you don't mind a good day of hard work, we could use some extra hooves back in the farm. Especially now.”

“Oh? How come?” I asked, my curiosity perked.

“For beginners, cider season it's just around the corner. We need to gather as many apples we can before we start squeezing them into cider. Not to mention all the other chores around the farm, including fixing the barn after last week's storm.” she said calmly, before grimacing and said. “Also, there is a lot of weeds growing in the orchard lately, strange stuff too. Granny Smith said it looks like plants right from the Everfree, but that's just impossible. Anyways we spend almost half day just plucking out these weeds, we surely could use some help.”

“Sounds like you have your ha- hooves full.” I said returning her smile with a smirk of my own. But my next word came a bit more bashfully, making rub the back of my head with my hoof. “I don't mind some hard work, I would be glad to help out, but I do need to ask for the payment of at least a day's work today. Like I said, I'm all out of money.”

Asking for payment is not something that I'm proud of. Normally I expect to get something done before asking for anything from people that employ me. Sometimes I don't ask for anything at all, but circumstances force me to uphold this decision. What I didn't expect was Applejack simply chuckling at my request.

“Don't worry sugarcube. Ah know you need it, and Ah be happy to pay you today. We will probably need your help 'till next Wednesday when cider season starts, so Ah will be paying at the end of each day of work. How about that?” the proposition was very enticing. Applejack then extended her hoof again.

“You have a deal.” I said smiling genuinely and raising my hoof to meet hers sealing the agreement.

Suddenly two pink hooves shoot around our necks, pulling us into a fuzzy pink body. Both Applejack and I stared bemused at each other before our attention was draw to a very happy looking pink pony, who was holding us tightly in a three-way hug. Pinkie Pie giggled happily before speaking. “Yes! I knew we could count on you Applejack!”.

“Urgh.. No problem Pinkie. Always.. ack, happy to help.” Applejack struggled to say in Pinkie's bone crushing grasp, letting out a strained chuckle as she kept squeezing us. I was still trying to get a proper breath in, when as quick as we were seized , we were freed from Pinkie's death grasp dropping us to the ground. I got to my hooves as I gasped for air, happy to be free of the death hug, to see Pinkie excitedly bouncing.

“Good, now that you have a job you'll be able to stay in Ponyville! And now I can start to prepare everything to your ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party! It will be so much fun. Take good care of him Applejack, I let you guys know when to come. See ya guys soon!” and faster than we could react, Pinkie Pie zipped into town disappearing, leaving a pink cloud of smoke behind.

“Is she always like this?” I asked Applejack, while watching the last evidence of Pinkie even being here dissipating into thin air.

“That's Pinkie Pie for you. Don't worry about it, folks here in Ponyville are used to it, and Ah bet that you also will be pretty soon.” she briefly looked up, measuring the sun's position. “Land snakes, gotta get back to the farm. There's a lot of chores to do 'till the end of the day.” she then turned around and started walking before turning to look at me “You coming, sugarcube?”

I nodded at her, following her through the streets of Ponyville, our destination being what I assumed was her farm and the place where I would be working for the next few days. At least it will give me time to work things out. I still had my sword to find, and my equipment to fix. Maybe Applejack could even lend me some tools that I could use for that.

Speaking of Applejack, meeting with both her and Pinkie Pie were a stroke of good luck. Both were incredible nice ponies, even with their wildly different personalities. For while Pinkie may be enthusiastic and hyper in her actions, Applejack seemed more calm and down to earth. I'm actually a bit surprised that they are such good friends, but then again I could see Pinkie Pie being friends with everyone, or should I say everypony.

It truly has been a crazy day, but I'm guessing that it is just the beginning.