"Ya see em there, Golden?" she asked, never letting her eyes stray from the house on the other side of the street.
Golden Delicious nodded. "Eyup. Always nice ta meet new folks here. Think we oughta say hi?"
The green mare beside her shook her head slightly. "Nah. Not yet. Let em settle in first. Don't want the whole town swampin' em on their first day after all." The two mares, sitting together on a bench on the side of the street, kept close watch on the new arrivals who were unpacking from their carts just a short distance away. Ponyville was no stranger to having other ponies come here, and it was always something of a sight for the established locals to cast an eye that way to get a feel for them. Today though, there was something rather different. For these were no earth ponies, but a pair of unicorns. The mare and stallion, whoever they were, looked happy enough, especially when they were talking with one another, and totally oblivious to the fact that they were being watched. But even so, Smithy couldn't help but seem deep in thought over their arrival, scratching the back of her head slightly before finally breaking the silence between her and her companion. "Golden...we ever get unicorns in Ponyville before?"
Golden shook her head. "That'd be a big ole nope, Smithy. Earth ponies as far back as ah can remember."
Smithy nodded, again keeping her eyes on Ponyville's latest pair. "Where ya reckon they come from?"
Golden tapped her chin a couple of times. "Ah think ah heard that Pear fella say somethin' bout a couple o' unicorns from Canterlot comin' over at some point. Guess that's them."
Smithy smirked slightly. "Canterlot, eh? Fancy." Then her smile faded a little as she finally turned to look to the mare beside her. Pear? Don't tell me yer talkin' ta that cranky stallion?"
Golden shrugged. "Come on, Smithy. Yer gonna have ta let things go eventually."
Smithy frowned as she looked away. "Not after he insulted mah apples ah won't!"
Golden chuckled to her friend's remark, but again looked over to the other ponies, who were carrying an especially large box of belongings into their new house. "So...this is the first time anypony but earth ponies have come here."
Smithy, who was no longer looking or feeling irritated, gave a single nod. "Eyup. Don't blame em though. Ponyville's pretty great."
Looking around, and seeing the especially gorgeous day they were having, Golden smiled. "Yeah, it is, isn't it?" Then she looked back to Smithy, seeming more curious than anything else. "Guess that means the old rules ain't really happenin' anymore, right?"
Smithy turned to her, arching an eyebrow. "Rules?"
Golden shrugged. "Ya know, the traditions an' stuff? Earth ponies live in places like this an' Manehattan. Unicorns in Canterlot. An' pegasi in Cloudsdale."
Smithy chuckled. "Ah don't think there were ever any rules bout that, Golden."
Golden rolled her eyes. "Ya know full well what ah mean, Smithy! It's how...how it's been done!"
Smithy nodded, giving a quick shrug. "Yer right, it was. But..." She gestured to the unicorns across the street. "Guess things are changin', ain't they?"
To that, Golden cast her eyes upwards, to the sky. "Think we'll get some pegasi livin' here one day?"
Smithy too looked up, a small smile appearing on her face shortly afterwards,. "Guess so. One day." She then laughed. "Maybe we'll have an Apple go on an' live in Canterlot too or the like. Wouldn't that be somethin'?" The two shared a laugh, but it was abruptly ended when, all of a sudden, they heard the sound of some loud struggling, causing them to look ahead and see the unicorns strain to carry an especially large box out of their cart. Smithy, taking on a determined look, leapt out of her side of the bench, and before Golden could stop her, she was off, charging forward. The two unicorns were in the midst of almost dropping their box, when out of nowhere came Smithy, who took hold of one corner of it and gave it just enough support to keep it from crashing onto the floor. As the unicorns looked to her with surprise, she smiled to them. "Let it never be said that Ponyville don't help its own."
The unicorn mare smiled. "Oh! Thank you so much!"
Smithy chuckled. "No worries, friends." With a quick heave, the three of them managed to get the box carried into the doorway of the house, and after they gently set it onto the floor, they gave a collective sigh, after which Smithy reached out with her hoof. "Name's Smith Apples. Friends call me Smithy. Welcome ta Ponyville!"
The two smiled to her, with the stallion being the one to take her hoof and shake it. "Thank you so much, Miss. I guess ponies really are more friendly out here."
Smithy's chest puffed out a bit with no small amount of pride. "Well, ah don't know bout that, but..."
The mare giggled as she stepped forward. "Oh, trust me, ponies back in Canterlot would never have offered a hoof like that to help us. We thought it would be a lot better for our foal if they grew up somewhere nice and without all that huffiness you get in the capital."
Smithy raised an eyebrow as she regarded the mare, and then noted just the tiniest bit of bump in her belly, leading to a smile. "Well, congratulations, you two! Got any names worked out?"
The two looked to one another, and after silently smiling, it was the mare again who spoke. "Well, we haven't thought of any colt names, but if its a filly, we were thinking of maybe Cookie Crumbles?"
Smithy chortled. "Well, either way, y'all couldn't have picked a better place fer a foal ta grow up than Ponyville!"
The stallion nervously scratched the back of his head. "You're very kind for saying so, but I hope we don't seem like, well...an intrusion into your home?"
Smithy waved him off. "What? Pfft! Think nothin' of it! Yer welcome as far as ah'm concerned. Ah mean, heck, if y'all think it's better ta live here than Canterlot, then yer okay in mah book!" They all shared a laugh together over that, and when it was over, Smithy looked over her shoulder, seeing Golden still sitting where she was before. An idea popped into her head, and she smiled to her two, and soon to be three, new neighbours. "Say, how bout ah introduce ya? There's a lot o' ponies who'd love ta meet ya!"
There was hesitancy with the two over that. "Oh, we wouldn't want to impose," the mare remarked.
But Smithy wasn't having it, and took her hoof gently. "Ain't no trouble. It's the least we can do."
After looking again to each other, the couple smiled to their new guide. "In that case, lead on, friend," the stallion said.
Nodding, Smithy gave them a warm and friendly smile. "Sure thing. An' ah know ah already said it, but in case nopony else says it, welcome ta Ponyville!"
