The main entrance to Ponyville was modest. That’s how Kydose would describe it. He stood just outside the town, looking over the welcome sign with a hint of curiosity. It wasn’t all that special, merely saying “Welcome to Ponyville!” in cursive writing. The font itself looked like something you would find outside of Canterlot, yet here it was, plastered to a wooden sign and very obviously spray-painted gold. It’s almost gaudy, the stallion thought, as the words reflected in his sea-green eyes.

He was about to continue his walk into town when something caught his eye. Looking back, he saw a piece of wood sticking out from behind the sign. His curiosity piqued, and he approached the welcome sign and stuck his hoof behind it, fishing for whatever was tucked away. After a moment he caught hold of it and dragged it out, revealing what looked to be the old welcome sign.

This one was much smaller. The wording was the same, but the writing was simple and legible, and it had a hoof-written charm to it. Looking towards the town, it seemed like a much better fit. With a light smile, Kydose began cleaning the old sign off.

He brushed the dirt off and did his best to scrub out the weather stains. After several moments of cleaning, the sign was mostly free of dirt and grime. There were still signs of aging, like cracks in the wood or fading on the letters, but overall it was in a much better state.

Kydose took a moment to be proud of his work, then propped the old sign next to the new one. The old sign still had stakes in it, so with a few quick taps, he secured it in the ground. Stepping back, he looked over the ‘new’ welcome sign he had created.

“That looks a bit better. More charm to it, I think.” Satisfied with his work, he gave a brief smile and continued his original trot into Ponyville.

Upon entering, Kydose immediately noticed the atmosphere that the town held. The buildings all had an older style of architecture, unlike anything he had seen in a while. They were all small buildings, never more than one or two floors, and they all had straw roofs. Every direction he looked, it was like a piece of country art.

Very cozy! he thought, trotting past a few more houses.

The few ponies he saw had greeted him, with either a wave or a smile and a hello. At first it caught him off guard, because he wasn’t used to that sort of random kindness. He quickly

caught on, though, and returned the greetings in kind. And also very inviting, he added to his first thought. This is already one of the nicer places I’ve visited.

He kept walking through town, not quite sure where he was going to end up. He’d neglected to look at a map or ask directions, so he could only let the road lead him. It had always been like that, really. Wandering from town to town, without even a second thought as to where he’d be next. Now, though, he felt strangely happy that his hooves had brought him here.

Kydose’s ears perked up as he heard a low rumble not too far away. After listening more closely, it sounded like a small crowd. Deciding to see what all the fuss was about, he headed in the direction of the noise.

The sounds brought him to what he assumed was the center of town, and market day was in full swing. There were vendor stalls and ponies everywhere, with bags of groceries in tow. Over the dull roar of the crowd, he heard prices being shouted by the sellers, each of them advertising their products. From what he could immediately see, there were various fruits and vegetables, along with baked goods and treats. Kydose decided to look around the market and see what Ponyville had to offer.

The market area itself was circular, with stalls placed all around the outside. There were a few ponies that mingled in the center area, but the majority of the action took place on the outer rim. Kydose trotted to the left, deciding to go around it in a clockwise path.

The first stall he approached had a large picture of cherries above the awning, and sure enough, a big box of the fruits was laid out. A few ponies were looking over the goods, but the one who caught Kydose’s eye was the stall owner himself.

He was a fairly large brown stallion, donning an apron, red bow tie, and a blue cap. He had obvious five o’clock shadow, and watched those at his stall like a hawk. Kydose gulped, as for a stallion he was rather small, and this was very intimidating. Maybe I won’t have cherries today, he thought, quickly passing the stand up. The last thing he wanted was to confront someone much bigger than he.

The next stall he found seemed more inviting. Similar to the previous one—and all the rest, now that Kydose looked around—it had a sign above the awning that showed what was being sold. This time, it was carrots.

As he approached, a pale yellow mare with a curly orange mane greeted him. “Hi! Care for a carrot?” she asked, beaming at him. “We’ve got a buy one get one free sale, today only.”

Kydose smiled politely and shook his head. “Just browsing for now, thanks. They look delicious, though.”

That seemed to make up for his lack of purchase. “Thanks a bunch,” she said, looking over her products. “I try to provide the very best for my fellow townsponies.” The mare then studied him for a moment and cocked her head. “Now that I think about, I don’t think I’ve seen you before. You new here? ‘Cus I would definitely remember someone as purple as you.”

Kydose glanced away and rubbed his violet mane, then looked at his coat, a faded shade of indigo. “I, uh, I’m just passing through is all.”

“Ah! A traveler, huh? How’s the rest of the world doing?” She took out a few more bushels of carrots and placed them on the stand.

He took a moment to answer. “Fine, I guess… could be better.”

“That’s the truth if I ever heard it,” she muttered, adjusting the carrots.

She’s passionate about carrots, that’s for sure, Kydose thought, watching her focus. It looked like she was trying to perfectly align them on the table. After watching her stack them with the utmost care, a thought occurred to him. By this point, he was probably loitering. He cleared his throat, getting her attention. “Thanks for the chat, but I should get going.”

“Well alright then!” She still had the cheesy smile on her face. “Good luck on your travels.”

He nodded and said his thanks, then trotted away. There were still other stalls to see and goods to look at. So far, he had been impressed with the quality. The merchants here cared about their goods and wanted to provide the best. It wasn’t something he saw often, but it was a welcome change.

After browsing the shops for a while, his stomach loudly reminded him that he hadn’t eaten in some time. Time to get something to eat, but where from? He looked around, and right in front of him, just a ways away, was a building with tables outside and ponies eating at them. The sign out front depicted three clovers, so he imagined that’s what the restaurant was called. Without wasting any time, he began trotting towards it, focused only on getting a meal.

As Kydose approached the restaurant, a cream colored stallion came out of the building and looked around. He had a blue, slicked back mane, and a thin mustache of the same color. Around his neck were a bowtie and tuxedo, which Kydose found a bit strange. Why would you be so dressed up for a restaurant like this?

The stallion then looked in Kydose’s direction and nodded. He ducked back into the building for a moment, then came back out with a single menu. Oh. Waiter, Kydose realized. The waiter trotted over, head held high and expression serious. He was clearly a pony who cared about quality and appearance.

“Welcome to The Three Clovers, monsieur. Will it be just you today?” He had a clearly noticeable Prance accent, but not so much that he wasn’t understandable.

“Yes, just me,” Kydose said, glancing to the menu that the waiter held. He only got a peek as the waiter immediately spun around.

“Follow me, please.” He then began walking towards a nearby empty table, with Kydose trailing behind. Once they arrived, Kydose took a seat on one of the bales of hay situated around the table. It wasn’t the fanciest solution, but for outdoor seating, it fit quite nicely. “Here is your menu,” the waiter said, placing a laminated sheet of paper in front of Kydose. “I am your waiter, Horte Cuisine, so if you need anything, do not be afraid to ask. Would you like to start with something to drink?”

“Uh… just water, thanks.”

Horte nodded, jotting the order down on the notepad he had produced from his jacket pocket. “And do you know what you’d like, or shall I give you some time?”

Kydose took a moment to glance over the menu, and before long, had found something. “Yes, I’d like the vegetable medley, please.”

Another nod came from Horte as this was marked down as well. “Your order will be out shortly.” Kydose handed him the menu with the light a smile, then sat back as it was taken and Horte went off to the kitchen. He was alone again, with only the vase of flowers sitting in the center of the table to keep him company.

Steepling his hooves, he rested his chin on them, then looked around. Various other ponies were either eating or waiting for food, some alone and some with a group. Two mares in particular caught his eye, sitting at the table far across from him. One was a similar color to Horte, but her mane was both blue and pink.

The other mare was a minty green, with brilliant gold eyes and a two toned mane of white and faded blue. Her mouth moved quickly and her hooves went just as fast. Clearly, she was excited about something. All the while, the cream-colored one sat quietly and nodded, with a thin smile on her face. Sometimes she chimed in, and other times she blushed and glanced away.

Look at those two, Kydose thought, a frown going across his face. They seem so happy together. It makes me wonder if I’ll ever have somepony like that one day. He sighed, but shifted his frown into a smile. Still, I’m glad they have each other. Let’s just hope it lasts…

He pulled his vision away from the happy couple, focusing on another table instead. This one had a group of four young ponies sitting at it, all colts from the looks of things. One was tall and lanky, and it seemed he was in a staring contest with his opposite, a short and squat one. The other two egged him on, one with a brown coat and sporting a pinwheel hat, and the last one light grey with a dark, slicked back mane.

The staring contest went on for another few more moments before the lanky colt crossed his eyes and fell over, much to the amusement of the other three. Even Kydose couldn’t help but smile.

Just as he was about to observe a different table, he spotted the waiter walking towards him, balancing a silver platter on one hoof. “Your food, monsieur,” Horte said, setting down the platter in front of Kydose. He whisked the top away, revealing a glass of water and a bowl full of steamy vegetables.

“Thank you very much,” Kydose said, taking a whiff of the food. It smelled delicious, as all of the ingredients mixed and blended together into one amazing scent. Even though it wasn’t the most complex dish, it was just what he needed. Simple, down to earth, and filling. It almost reminded him of himself.

Wasting no time, Kydose dug into the meal. It was just as good as it smelled, if not better, so he planned to enjoy every bite of it. After a while, he had finished the last bite and washed it down with the remainder of his water. Smiling, he gave the dish a light push, then sat back and looked around again.

“Did you enjoy the meal, monsieur?”

Kydose jumped in his seat, not expecting Horte Cuisine to be right next to him. How did he even get there so quickly? Once the initial shock and embarrassment wore off, he looked to the waiter. “It was great. Thank you.”

Horte nodded, taking the dishes from Kydose’s table and replacing them with a small slip of paper. “Do come again. The Three Clovers will always welcome you.”

“I’ll be sure to,” Kydose replied, with a chuckle. As Horte walked away with the platter, Kydose flipped over the slip of paper and glanced at the number on it. Not bad, he thought, pulling out a couple bits and placing them on top of the paper. After a moment of consideration, he took out a few more and added them to the small pile.

Instead of leaving immediately, he instead sat at the table, thinking about his day so far. Ever since he had gotten to Ponyville, things worked out great for him. The ponies were friendly, the atmosphere was beautiful, and everything about the town was nice. Inviting. That didn’t often happen. Normally he didn’t stay around a single town for more than a few days, but Ponyville was different. Ponyville seemed to want him there.

He looked around, unsure of where to go next. Clearly, he had a reason for being here, and he was going to find it. Unfortunately, he had no idea where to even begin. Glancing to the buildings, he decided to follow landmarks until he had found… whatever it is that was calling him. His eyes moved from rooftop to rooftop, until he spotted one far in the distance that seemed to stand out.

It was obscured by other buildings, but he could definitely make out a red flag on top of a spiraling yellow cone. Whatever held that cone and flag up was a mystery, but they were the only leads he had. Keeping the flag in mind, Kydose starting walking towards it, intent to find out what it was that brought him here.

- - -

The building he was in search of turned out to be much farther away than he thought. His path brought him past the market and through another busy section of town, but the flag never seemed to get any closer. Just have to keep walking, he thought, keeping the spring in his step.

One thing he noticed about Ponville was that even though the buildings all had a similar style, every so often there would be one that stood out from the rest. Near the market, it was a large building that was shaped like a gingerbread house, complete with frosting and candy shaped decorations. Earlier, he had considered going there for lunch, but it was rather crowded at the time.

These ‘landmark’ buildings seemed to identify different parts of town, and since it was a fairly small one, they were invaluable to travelers like him. Looking around, Kydose contemplated what other kinds of unique looking places he would find.

As he walked, he couldn’t help but overhear some of the things that the ponies around him were saying. Most talked about their days or what was for dinner or how tough work was, but others seemed to have something else in mind.

“The Gala is tonight!”

“You going to the triple G tonight? Nice, nice.”

“Oh, the grand gala… how I wish I could go!”

The Grand Galloping Gala. Kydose was familiar with it. It was a large ball thrown every year in Canterlot, and it was practically exclusive only to those high up in the world, or personal friends of the princesses. There would be expensive suits and dresses, musicians paid top bits to play classical music, and only the best of fine dining. On top of that, performances by some of the most popular ponies in Equestria, such as the Wonderbolts.

It almost made him sick.

He began to frown as he walked, thinking about the horrible event. What purpose was there to it? To show off how much money you could throw around? To impress one of the alicorns and make your way up on the social totem pole? At the end of the day, the event meant nothing. It was superficial. Gaudy. Nothing more than a display of class.

It was an awful event, and he could never imagine himself attending it.

Despite his underlying hatred, he now couldn’t escape the talk of it. He soon passed a couple that seemed absolutely thrilled about.

“For the first time, we’ll among royalty!” the stallion said, eyes lit up and smile beaming. “We’ll have all the fancy food we want, and maybe we’ll even meet some important ponies!”

The mare standing beside him giggled. “Oh yes, it’ll be the party of a lifetime. I still can’t believe you won tickets for it!”

Kydose shook his head and walked a bit faster, trying to get out of earshot. He just couldn’t understand why anypony would want to go there, and be surrounded by others who would only care about your social status. It was a mystery, to be sure.

He continued walking through town, and eventually came upon a clearing that held a tall building, multi-layered and professional looking. It wasn’t the building he was looking for, as the  flag was still in the background, but it was something. After a short search, he found the sign indicating that this was Ponyville’s town hall.

It was easily one of the largest buildings in town, and it was designed in a similar style to all the other homes. Tan in color with dark brown support beams. Up above, two blue flags floated gently in the breeze, making the faintest flapping noise. Kydose observed the quaint building for a few more moments before moving again.

The red flag he had been looking for ended up being not too far away. Once he passed town hall, he spotted the flag over some trees just a short walk away. It brought him over a small bridge with a river underneath, and then he was in a different area of Ponyville. There were still houses here, but a bit more spread out.

His heartbeat quickened as he neared the treeline, but he had to remind himself that what he was looking for wasn’t guaranteed. He may have just been on a wild goose chase the whole time, searching for a reason to be in this town. It was very possible that there was nothing here for him, other than a quiet atmosphere and some friendly ponies.

Deep down, though, he wanted there to be a reason to his travels. Maybe if it wasn’t here, it was somewhere else in town. Who knew? Either way, Kydose pushed past the trees and found himself in another clearing, but this one had exactly what he was looking for.

The building before him was beautiful. Multiple layers, like the town hall, but designed like a carousel. Various designs and textures adorned the face of the building, while the top layer was supported by spiraling columns with styled metal at the tops and bottoms. The upstairs floor even had two carousel ponies, held by more styled bars. Finally, on top was the red flag, held by a yellow spiraling cone which had blue accents at the bottom.

It caught Kydose off guard, and he was lost in bewilderment for several moments. No other building in Ponyville was as beautiful as this, and it stood out from the rest in all of the right ways. Even if he didn’t find what he was looking for here, just seeing the artfully constructed building might have been a good consolation.

Okay, I’ve found the building. Time to look around, he thought, starting to walk again. As he neared it, he couldn’t take his eyes off the designs, and the little details became more apparent as he got closer. Truly, it was a work of art. Maybe I’ll visit it later and see what’s inside. It’s bound to be just as beautiful as the outside.

Once he had finally pulled himself away, Kydose passed the building and looked forward, hoping to continue his search without any interruptions. What he saw in front of him, though, was even more stunning than the building.

There were three stallions there, one blue, one lighter blue, and the other gold, but that wasn’t what got his attention. What his eyes were focused on was the mare talking to them.

She was nothing short of amazing. Her coat was was a very light grey, but such a color that she seemed to be pure white at times. It was shiny and well groomed, with not a single hair out of place. Her mane and tail were a brilliant purple, and they were expertly styled into large curls at the ends which bounced as she talked. On her hip was a cutie mark of three blue gems, arranged in a diamond pattern. Finally, there were her gorgeous eyes. They were a deep, piercing blue, like a lake on a clear day. If he was closer, Kydose would have been able to see his reflection in them.

The mare before him was beautiful. There was no other way he could describe it. His thoughts were lost to her features, and he couldn’t even be bothered to check if his jaw had dropped or not. All he could focus on was her.

That’s when it clicked. She was what had been drawing him to Ponyville. She had to be. If this mare wasn’t the reason he had come to this town, he had no idea what was.

Kydose had to meet her.