Eight days had passed since I had the surprise visit from Golden, my new neighbour. And even though I loved to think back to the simple but still good time, it fell more and more into the background. Let’s just say, I had little hope that she would come again for tea.

So, instead of looking forward to something that might never happen, I put my focus on my everyday business. Get up, work, spend the evening alone, sleep.

What a life, I thought.

Right now, I was sitting in the cafeteria and eating a canapé and an apple from the lunch stand. The energy it provided was nowhere near enough to get me through the day, but I had lost my appetite a long time ago. That along with much more.

When I had lost my positive spirit, it had also taken my motivation with it. I didn't go outside as much as I used to, put less joy in cooking, spent more time just lying around and paying less attention to my health. Just to name a few things.

I gave a sigh and started to draw with my hooves some invisible Kiranji signs on the table. Freshly learned yesterday. It was something I still did to keep me at least a little bit busy. Mostly because I could execute it while laying around lazily.

I looked up and spotted Quick Rush. Just like me she was also, like always, sitting alone. But I had figured out a long time ago that, unlike me, she had friends. This was more because she had no friends HERE. She actually has a group of friends she had known (of course) for years. The only problem is that they don't work here in the textile mill. All of them worked somewhere else.

So, Quick spent her time here, alone, and after work she could have her social time. And instead of gathering some courage and trying to find some new friends during work, she preferred to spend the time alone and doing something else. Just like now, as she was reading the newspaper.

I rolled my eyes and continued to paint more Kiranji signs on the table with my nonexistent ink. There was no point in dwelling on such things. It wouldn’t make it better. Even worse, it would just depress me more.

After some more drawings lunch time was over and I went back to work. Since I was fully incorporated there wasn’t much reason for me to talk with Creative or any other coworker anymore. This meant that I often did my task alone and in silence. This didn’t mean that we hated each other, but our “friendship” was just based on proximity. We were friendly to each other, were able to have a meeting, helped each other out when needed and had even had some nice chats here and there.(Except with Creative.) But that was all.

And today wasn’t much different. Fulfilling my task until the work hours were over and then everypony went their own way.

Including a single kirin who also makes his way back home, I thought.

And that’s what I did. I walked through the snow filled streets and the only “interaction” I had was the glares the ponies gave me. Sure, I had lived here since summer and everypony had seen me at least once, but these side glares were as much a part of the inhabitants of Maren as swimming is for a Koi fish.

As I trotted past my neighbour’s house, the one Golden now lived in, I gave it a quick examination. It looked exactly the same and nothing said that there was a new pony living there now. But to be fair, I never saw more of the house than the outside.

I shrugged it off and instead made my way to my front door. I stepped inside, used my kirin magic to float my winter jacket to the racket and gave a look through my own four walls.

There was actually a huge mess in my home. Or at least huge by my definition. Dishes laying dirty in the sink, the books I had read were just lying on the sofa or the couch table, the floor needed sweeping and some furniture to be cleaned of dust. Besides of all the things I lost motivation for, cleaning was also one of them. Sure, I never had enjoyed cleaning too much but in Hono tidiness had been very important to me.

“A clear home means a clear mind”, was something I had always said.

I gave a heavy sigh and floated the broom out of the corner (that had also gathered some dust) with my kirin magic.

Better get it done. It’s not like I have something better to do, I thought and started with my chores while humming an old kirin melody.

Cleaning a whole house took a while but sooner or later I had just one room remaining. The bedroom. I opened the door and stepped inside. Like always it was quiet in there. Quiet with a calm aura of nothing. But since that day when I had hosted the Ruishou party, had burned my kitchen down and then had laid here in the bed to cry… Since that day I had my huge melt down and had felt depressed, the aura in here had been infected. There was also this feeling of sorrow and pain now in the air now. Barely noticeable but it was here and broke the silence. Like a dripping faucet.

Since that day it was hard for me to meditate in the bedroom. No matter how much I tried, my mind was unable to find peace in here again. And even though I had tried to fix this aura, balance it with positive spirits, I had never been able to. Most likely because there wasn’t much positive energy, I could give to it...

Since then, I was also not too keen on going into my bedroom. The corrupted aura bothered me more than it should since I didn't enter the room except to sleep. But that didn't stop the dust from settling or the sheets from getting smelly. No matter how little time I spent in here, this room still needed cleaning like every other place.

It would make it all better if I had a more positive mood, I thought.

And as if it was summoned, there was a knock on the front door.

This cannot be! This has to be somepony else! But not Golden! It's impossible, it can't be her! she said that she would show up again, but it can't be her, I thought doubtfully.

But still, deep inside I hoped that it was the happy pegasus mare. I just didn't want to get my hopes up if it turned out to be a ding dong ditch or a firefighter who somehow forgot their helmet in my kitchen. (Even though I was pretty sure this was not the case.)

Still, I noticed an increased speed in my trots as I made my way down the stairs. And indeed. As I opened the main door the sight of a white pegasus with a long golden mane greeted me.

“Hello again Spring. I am here to collect the tea you promised me”, Golden greeted me with a smile.

Her positive mood spread to me faster than fire through a dry forest and I had to smile too.

“I actually didn’t think you would come again”, I said honestly. There was no reason for me to hide the truth.

“Yes, sorry about that. I wanted to come sooner, but the last few days have been very busy. Arrange the furniture, start working on the new place and doing some shopping. You know how it is when moving to a new place”, Golden responded.

“Yes, I understand. It is just that when living here… never mind…”, I broke off my own sentence while giving Golden some space to invite in. Luckily, she stepped inside without questioning it any further.

“Wow, you have it clean in here. Special made for me or are all kirins so proper?”, Golden asked and placed her blue striped scarf, the same one as last time, on the rack.

“Let’s say, you are a bit lucky”, I answered and closed the door.

“Still. Not every day you enter into a home of somepony who keeps order”, Golden said and then made a short pause as realisation hit her. “Wait, Is somepony the right term now? Or should I say somecreature?”

This made me also think a bit. Nopony had ever asked me that. They always had gone with the word “somepony” to me without even questioning it.

“Somekirin, if you want to be correct. But you can also say somepony. I will not mind.” Again, I answered honestly.

Golden gave a nod in understanding and made her way to the kitchen. I followed but not without floating the tea set from the living room with me.

Golden took a seat and just like last time I prepared the tea ceremony. Brining water to the boil, washing out the tea set, carefully combining the water with the tea leaves and then pouring it into the tea pot. That all without the use of magic and without saying anything. And just like last time, Golden also didn’t say a single word. Which was something I was really grateful for.

It wasn’t until I gave a nod with my head that she took up her cup and gave a small sip.

“Different tea than last time?”, she asked.

“Not really”, I admitted. “I don’t have too many tea bushes. This one just had a longer dry process which might give it a different taste than last time.”

Golden gave a nod and another small sip.

“So, how have your first days been here in Maren”, I carefully tried to approach. I was unsure what kind of respond I would receive.

“Oh very different”, Golden started to tell. “You see, I moved here from Manehattan. A huge city full of skyscrapers. This here is kind of the opposite of what I am used to. A small, unknown, half country village. But I guess that is what I was hoping for.”

“How so?”, I continued to ask.

“Well, Manehattan is a great city, don’t get me wrong. But that’s also what it is. A city. It is loud, crowded, stressful and the only tree you will see is when you go in a park. I guess I was just not made for the big city life. So, I have always dreamed of moving somewhere else. To move into a small and quiet village.”

Golden gave me a smile. It was another one of those smiles that felt warm and welcoming. A true smile.

She is so open, friendly, cheerful and always carries this positive aura with her. She is so different from every other pony I have met so far. Very much the opposite of the ponies here in Maren, I thought.

For a moment I considered if I should ask her about it. If she also felt the distance the ponies had here. If this was just here in Maren or if everypony in Equestria was like that and she was just an exception. But I didn’t know how I could ask this in the right way, without making it sound offensive or racist. So, I dismissed the idea.

“And what made you choose Maren?”, I asked instead. But also, with the hope that when we would talk more about Maren, Golden might mention something about the inhabitants.

“Simple! The job. I am an instrument manufacturer. Mostly string instruments but I also have knowledge with other types. And with such skills, it is hard to find a job. Luckily Maren has a small factory where they produce instruments and a very good paying one as well. So yes, I applied for a job and had the luck of getting the house next to yours. And so I ended up here, as your new neighbour.”

I gave a confused look.

“I didn’t know Maren had a place where they produce instruments”, I admitted and refilled our teacups.

I had taken many walks through Maren, but I had never seen any instrumental factory. (Or however this is called.) But maybe I just didn’t pay too much attention. I liked music but it wasn’t my strong suit.

“It’s a small and inconspicuous building. Barely recognizable when looking at it from the outside. Not too far away from here. But well, what is not far away from here? That is the advantage of living in a small village”, Golden laughed and thankfully took a sip from her newly filled cup.

“Still, must have been hard to decide to move here”, I said.

Golden’s smile faded a bit.

“Of course it was. As said, Manehattan is great, but I don’t like to live in a big city. A small village like here, this is more what I prefer. But still, I grew up in Manehattan and called that place home since forever. Of course it’s a big step to leave it.

But besides that, I also have my friends and family still in Manehattan. The ponies I love and care about and who also care about me. Sure, we will write letters to each other, and I plan to visit them from time to time but it is not the same. Leaving them behind was maybe the hardest part of all. I mean, don't you miss your kirin friends back in Hono?”

My expression also hardened as I tired not to show my sorrow when thinking back to my old kirin village. Still. I had to look away.

“Yes, I do”, I said.

More than you can imagine…

Author's Note

Thank you all for reading.

Remember that comments are like food for autors. Positive reviews give motivation to keep us going and negative reviews are able to tell were the story can be improved.