His red and green mane rustled in the gentle breeze as he dragged his belongings along the narrow, winding trail. His head was lowered, and he looked gloomily at the ground below him as he walked, his frown not visible to the smiling ponies who passed by every once in a while, but for the young colt who trudged along with his cart, it seemed like an eternity. It had only been an hour since he set off from Meire, but he was exhausted, sweating in the gleaming sunlight. This would have been a day for fun, games and happiness, but instead, it was a day for moving to a new town that he'd never been to before. He knew nobody there and had nowhere to stay. He had no job and no money. This really was hell on earth, or so he thought.
This young colt's name was (well... is) Old Sparky. He did not know why he was called OLD Sparky, but he assumed it was because he was just plain Old Sparky. Nothing special and nothing going for him. He was always known for having low self confidence and low self esteem. Sometimes he even hated himself for it. He continued walking.
Suddenly, he noticed another pony's shadow at his hooves. Slowly, he lifted his head a little. He wanted to avoid interpersonal communication, and so didn't look at the pony standing in his way.
"Move," he asserted, "I have no time for this. What do you want?"
He felt a hoof push his chin up and found himself blinded by the sunlight.
"Are you alright? You seem a bit pale," said the pony opposite him. Sparky didn't recognise the voice, but could tell that this stranger was female. He squinted to try to block the sun out and allow him to see the face of this drifter. He could only make out minor details at first, but over time his eyes adjusted. Eventually he could tell that her coat was a kind of aquamarine, and her mane the same, but with a white stripe running along one side. She reached for her saddlebag, and her hoof emerged containing a bottle of water with a hat covering it.
"Here," she said, holding out the items. Reluctantly, Sparky took the hat and placed it on his head, immediately blocking out the sun and allowing him to see his companion in full. She had her head tilted to one side and a welcoming smile. Her mane seemed to glisten in the sunlight. She placed the bottle of water in the shade and gestured at Sparky to take it. As he leaned over to pick it up Sparky soon realised that they were on a bridge, only a few hundred yards away from Ponyville. He opened the bottle and took a large gulp. The water was freezing cold. It was as if she had put ice in her saddlebag to cool it.
"Thanks," he said, taking a deep breath and looking back down at the ground. Soon he heard the clopping of hooves and he looked back up quickly, only to see the mysterious wanderer trotting back into Ponyville.
Sparky sighed and began traipsing towards the town, depressed as he was, his movements got slower and slower as he neared. He wondered what the pony's name was. After crossing the bridge, he turned and progressed into a field, where he found shade under an apple tree. He sat up against the tree and put his head in his hooves.
"What did I do to deserve this?" He cried, "I've lost my job, I've left my home and my family. All I have left is my camera, a few pieces of furniture and a pen." He threw the pen across the field in frustration and lay on his back on the soft grass looking up into the blue sky in an attempt to calm himself down. He regretted this immediately. He needed that pen for his job.
"What do I do?"
He rubbed his hooves through his mane before standing up and looking around for any sign of life. All he could hear was the hustle and bustle of the main street, which must have been on the other side of the houses to his right. He thought it would be a good idea to go around there, hopefully someone would help him find his hooves.
Sparky retrieved his belongings and set off for the market. There was nopony at all in sight as he set hoof on the soft dirt track once again. He pulled the cart slowly around the corner, struggling with the weight of the contents of it. The heat made it even more difficult. He wished this had happened at a later time of the year when it wasn't as hot.
The colourful surroundings hit Sparky like a train. The place was beautiful. Ponies of all ages wandered around the main street. Some were drinking tea and eating cakes, others were shopping for celery, carrots, cherries and all other types of fruits and vegetables. Some ponies were buying clothes for special occasions, and some were getting treated at the local spa. It seemed like a really nice place, Ponyville.
Sparky soon realised he was the only pony present who lacked a smile. He sat against the flower bed and watched the smiling ponies go about their daily lives. Communicating, shopping, laughing, working, having fun. Whatever they were doing, they looked like they were enjoying themselves. It was noticeable that some ponies got all the attention, while others sat quietly at tables, sipping their drinks and munching away at their lunch. Cakes, sandwiches, you name it and they had it!
Day soon faded into night. Shops were closing and the ponies cleared up their surroundings. The street which was once crammed with ponies was deserted, but for left over rubbish that some careless ponies left behind. Sparky was soon overcome with the exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep on the side of the street. Nobody helped him out or asked him how he was the whole time he sat there. He didn't care though. First sleep in Ponyville.
Milestone.
"Psst... Hey... Blue colt... Wake up!"
Sparky sprung from his sleep. It was still very dark. He adjusted himself and looked around.
"Psst... Up here! It's me!"
Sparky scanned directly above him and caught a glimpse of the mare who was hanging out of the window above him. It was the stranger from earlier. Her orange eyes lit up in the moonlight, and she smiled down at Sparky. She beckoned him inside and closed the window. Sparky was shocked by this. In all of his life he never imagined that anything like this would happen. What was it that made this feel so surreal?
He stared into nothingness wondering if any of this was really happening. Had he really lost almost everything he had? The door creaked open and the aquamarine coloured mare stood. There was something about her which made her very welcoming. Sparky skipped up the steps and through the open door.
"My name is Lyra Heartstrings," she whispered, "and you are...?"
"Old Sparky, you can just call me Sparky though. Thanks for allowing me in."
"My pleasure, make yourself at home!"
Lyra smiled and started walking up the stairs as quietly as she could. Sparky nervously creeped into the living room and lay down on the blue settee. It was strangely warm, like someone had been laying here before him. The house was surprisingly clean. Everything was neatly packed away in corners or cupboards. The house smelled of fresh flowers, which was very soothing. The nice atmosphere meant he drifted away faster than a feather in the breeze. He liked it here. He really liked it.
Morning came faster than Sparky could have imagined, but then, so did Lyra...
"Rise and shine sleepy head!" Sparky opened his eyes to see Lyra towering over him, "We've got a long day ahead of us! We haven't even introduced ourselves!"
Sparky grunted and yawned, "Miss Heartstrings, I'm really hungry, can I have something to eat?"
Lyra giggled and smiled, "Please, call me Lyra, and of course. Two pieces of toast with apple jam coming right up."
Sparky sat up on the sofa and stretched himself out. He felt like he had been imprisoned in a tight space for an extremely long time and was only now emerging. No matter how far this was from the truth, it felt like it.
The smell of toast quickly hit Old Sparky, and it made him feel even hungrier. He hadn't eaten since the previous morning, and all that was was a rushed Pop Trot. He waited patiently, playing with his mane. Lyra appeared from the room on the left holding a plate of food and a mug of tea.
"I couldn't help but notice you still haven't got a cutie mark, and at your age, my age!" Lyra exclaimed, setting down the food and drink beside Sparky.
"I was a journalist, and I was sure that was what I was good at, but it wasn't my special talent. I gave up searching and went on with my life as a journalist, but I lost my job, and now here I am with you," Sparky reluctantly replied, taking a sip of his tea and then moving onto his toast, "I can see yours is a Lyre. You'll have to show me why one day."
"And where are you from?" Lyra enquired, "you're obviously not from around here, and have you got a place to stay? I let you in because I was worried. You can stay here until you find a place, I'll be glad to have you."
"I'm from Meire," he replied, "It's to the south. I have no place to stay, which is why I'm so glad you let me crash here. I'll try to get a job soon."
Lyra smiled as she put her hoof on Sparky's, "Don't worry. Everything is going to be ok. You go out and get yourself together. Find some things to help you on your way. Keep all your things in the basement while you still have nowhere to stay. You can get through this, alright! I'll help introduce you to the locals too."
Well Lyra had one thing going for her... She was as reassuring as reassuring can be.
After breakfast, Sparky stored his furniture in Lyra's basement and put his camera around his neck. He loved his camera. It had captured some of the greatest things he had ever witnessed, and made him famous throughout Meire... Now it was not much more than an accessory.
Sparky left the house at midday. At this stage the residents of Ponyville were already out in full force, enjoying the day they had been presented with. The sky here was much clearer than Meire, which Sparky found very strange. He first went to Quills & Sofas, a store in the middle of town, to buy a quill with which to write his CV to apply for a job. Quills & Sofas, how silly, he thought, though they seemed to do good business with the locals.
Suddenly, as Sparky was walking down the street, a pink pony whose puffed up pink mane smelled like cotton candy appeared out of nowhere, "Hey, I don't know you. That must mean you're the new pony in town!"
"Uh, ye--," Sparky was interrupted.
"Welcome, welcome, welcome! A fine welcome to you! Welcome, welcome, welcome, I say how do you do? Welcome, welcome, welcome, I say HIP HIP HURRAY! Welcome, welcome, welcome to Ponyville today!!!" Sang the pink pony, "Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie, what's your name!?" She asked excitedly, maybe over-enthusiastically.
"I'm Old Sparky, nice to meet you."
"Well a big, big welcome to you Old Sparky, I hope we can become great friends!"
Sparky trotted away, faster than he usually would. He felt uncomfortable after that welcome. He hoped that would be the end of it, but he hadn't even gotten back on his hooves yet. Still though, he wasn't far away from it.
All thanks to Lyra Heartstrings.
