The screeching against tracks and sudden deceleration made me wake up from my nap. With groggy eyes, I looked over to the mounted clock that hung from my sleeper cabin wall. It read 2:36. Thinking aloud, I said slightly annoyed at myself, "Ughh...I was hoping to stay awake for the ride. That was a lot quicker than I expected." And indeed it was, for as large and hectic as Manehattan transit was, the small and quaint Ponyville Express line always seemed to run on time according to the ticketmaster. "Huh, on time.....something I'm definitely not used to..." Sitting up comfortably, and patting my ever scruffy looking mane into something a little more presentable, I gathered my belongings, or what little I brought really, and made my way to the train car's exit.

Immediately after stepping off the train, a sweet earthy smell hit me. I'd say it was something relatively new, but I had visited the Equestrian country side before. I just never really bothered to take in scents, since back in Manehattan, a pony never really knew what kind of putrid smells could be lurking just around the corner. Looking around, I also took notice of my new visual environment: Wide open spaces, small cottages, huts and buildings, all with thatched roofs. In the distance, I could see an open marketplace of sorts where ponies all seemingly pranced about their business, each with a smile on his or her face. The sun, unobstructed by tall skyscrapers, shined down on the town, making everything light up, magically. Yeah....definitely a long way from home.

I made my way off the bustling platform, careful not to get my hooves too dirty from the lack of paved roads. Opening my saddlebags and searching around the clutter for what seemed like an hour, I pulled out a really saggy piece of parchment. "Great, my stupid canteen is leaking again.....Hey, wait a sec!..." My blue eyes widen with horror. "Nonononononono, these are the directions to my new place!" Placing the parchment on the ground, I began to blow on it, hoping to dry it out. But it was no use. The writing on it was already faded and blurry to begin with. Nervously, I began pacing in a circle. "Now what? I don't know where to go! Umm....uh.....quickly, find somepony and ask for directions genius!"

"Hello!"

"Hi," I responded back without paying too much attention, "sorry, but I'm trying to find somepony to help me out."

"Oh, well maybe I can help!"

Quickly, I turned around and found myself face to face with a lavender unicorn mare. Her mane a dark purple with a brilliant rose streak, and her cutie mark, a star with surrounding smaller stars, almost resembling a compass. Big, violet eyes looked at me intently behind an even bigger smile.

Sheepishly, I responded, "Geez, I'm sorry I didn't notice you there. My mind tends to lose itself a bit when I'm panicky about things....not that I...you know, panic...or anything...." My eyes broke from hers as I glanced around.

She giggled as my cheeks turn a crimson red. Wait, am I blushing? Really Blaze? I think to myself.

"It's okay," she answered back with a smile, "I'm sort of guilty of the same thing myself...Anyway, I'm Twilight Sparkle! It's nice to meet you.....?" She held out a hoof. The traditional pony greeting.

I slowly held out mine in return, and we shook for a split second. "Oh, uhh....I'm Blaze! Pony extraordinaire!" I blurted out jokingly as I puffed out my chest.

Twilight held back a small laugh as she said, "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Blaze, Pony Extraordinaire!!"

Thinking to myself, I said, Oh ponyfeathers! Blaze you moron, what in the hay was that?! You've been in this town for what? Five minutes now? And already you've managed to leave an idiot's impression on a mare you just met! Speaking of which....she's pretty cute....ok, wait, what now? Besides, she's just a random, really friendly mare who seems to want to make conversation. Definitely a little out of the ordinary coming from Manehattan...

Or maybe, she's just trying to distract you while her friends close in on me and mug me!

No, look at her! She seems sincere in what she's doing right? RIGHT?

Yeah, so do drug addicts when they're asking for money!

HEY BLAZE, STOP BEING AND IDIOT AND STAY POSITIVE!

"Umm...are you okay Blaze?" Twilight asked as she cocked an eyebrow.

I shook my head and tried to stop fidgeting as much as possible. "Huh, yeah! I guess I'm just tired from the train ride over. I don't usually travel much. My old job kept my schedule a bit tight."

Twilight's interest seemed to pique as I said this. "Ooh, where did you work?! Was it at a university, or maybe a laboratory of some sort? I know, you're an author aren't you? I know I've seen Blaze somewhere on one of the books at the library!"

This time, it was I cocking an eyebrow. *Ahem* I cleared my throat to get her attention.

"Sorry! I tend to get carried away..." She looked down at the ground sheepishly, with a clear blush showing through her coat.

"Hey, it's okay!' I said. "But umm...no unfortunately. Not that I don't consider myself a scholar or anything. I graduated from Manehattan University almost at the top of my class, but I never took an interest to plopping myself behind a desk all day writing! I'm an earth pony, so as you can well imagine, I like to work! That's why instead, I joined the ranks of the great Fire Department of Manehattan! Like most of my family before me." I finished quietly.

Instantly, Twilight's eyes lit up again. "A Fire Pony!" she said. "I've always wanted to meet a fire pony! Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!" She started to prance around in a circle, eyes closed happily.

Amused, I let out a small chuckle. "Umm...it's not that a big deal is it?"

"But of course it is! All the brave stallions and mares, risking their lives to save people they don't even know! That's more than a big deal, that's amazing! And an earth pony like yourself! Strength, bravery, dedication! I'm sure you feel a lot more rewarding than any pegasus or unicorn for that matter when out on the job. You have to rely on your crew and work as a team!"

I cringed at the word 'crew'. Luckily, Twilight was too lost in her own little world to notice. I cleared my throat again to get her attention.

"There I ago again! Sorry Blaze....well umm.....how about that help you needed? Sorry we got so off topic again."

"Sure," I remarked smiling, happy that I wasn't being probed any more. Holding up the piece of soggy parchment, I mentioned, "These were the directions to my house...and well..I uhh...don't really know where to go. I have the address, so I was hoping somepony could point me in the right direction."

"Of course!" she exclaimed happily. "I happen to have a spare map or two of Ponyville back at the library, if you'd care to come with me. I'd be more than happy to give you one as a small welcome gift!"

I nodded and smiled in appreciation.

And with that, both Twilight and I set off into the heart of town, quickly coming upon a large tree.

It seemed odd to me that somepony had managed to turn such a colossal tree into an inside living space. Even more odd that every single wall inside was occupied with neatly organized bookshelves, each one filled with novels, textbooks, guides, and just about every text that was known to ponies. When Twilight had led me to the middle of town where the tree house stood, I didn't think much of it, maybe that she was using it as a landmark to make our way around town, but not that it happened to be the Ponyville library, and much less her home. Then again, what would I know about small town accommodations. The lack of tall buildings and abundance of sunlight and fresh air would take a little getting used to.

"Spike!" Twilight called out. No Answer. She sighed and called out one more time, in a tempting voice: "Spiiiiiiiiiike! I've got a biiig, tasty ruby for you!"

I heard a quick scurrying of what sounded like little hooves coming from the upstairs room, and then the creaking of a door being open. A few seconds later, a pair of scaly feet and claws, not hooves, appeared at the top of the staircase and began their descent, slowly revealing what could only be a small, purple, baby dragon.

"Whoa....", I exclaim out loud. "Is that a....."

"A dragon?" Twilight finished, with a grin on her face. "Why yes it is, and also, it is my assistant here at the library! Right Spike?"

"And IT, is a HE, and that HE is SPIKE!" shouted the dragon, groggy aggravation clear in his voice. With droopy eyes he looked at me for a split second and then back at Twilight. "Hmmph, I should have known you were kidding about the ruby. Come on Twi, that's the fourth time you've woken me up this week! What super important, fate of Equestria, thing is going on now?"

Twilight rolled her eyes and points a hoof at me. "We've got a guest Spike! Just arrived in Ponyville not too long ago, and I was hoping to make some friendly introductions so he wouldn't feel too bad about not knowing anyone, but I guess that's as good as any that I'm getting!"

"Hey," I interrupted, "it's cool really. I'm just surprised to see a dragon so far away from the dragon realm." I turned to look at Spike. "Hey Spike, I'm Blaze. Pleasure to meet you!"

From the bottom of the steps Spike looked at me cautiously, and squinted his eyes as if trying to get a closer look at me. His eyes finally widened, and he quickly sprinted back up the stairs.

"Umm....I didn't do anything wrong, did I?" But before Twilight could answer me, Spike came racing down and stopped directly in front of me, holding what looked like a newspaper. We stood there looking at each other, both of us with a surprised expression, until he finally spoke up.

"Dude! I knew I'd seen you before, I just didn't remember where! And then it hit me, about this story I read like a month ago in the Equestria Daily paper!" Spike lifted up the paper just enough for me to see the headline.

DECEMBER 18 - EQUESTRIA DAILY SPECIAL EDITION

TRAGEDY STRIKES MANEHATTAN FD AS FOUR FIRE PONIES LOSE THEIR LIVES IN BUILDING COLLAPSE

The picture underneath showed the faces of four ponies, my former mates, each smiling as if nothing had ever happened. All of their smiles forever etched in my head.

"Hey Blaze, come here! I want to introduce you to someone!"

I looked up from my task of filling the air tanks and turned around to face Captain Pike, a sly smile across his face. Next to him standed a scrawny looking earth pony stallion, probably no older than 18, with a powder white coat and light brown, short cropped mane. Fresh out of recruit school.

"Oh fun!" I say, a bit over-excited. "Fresh hooves to push around?"

"You know it B!" responded Captain spike, sounding just as enthusiastic as I am. "I need you to show him the ropes and whatnot. Let him know what he needs and doesn't need to do around the firehouse." He faced the probie and said, "Take it easy kid!" A hearty laugh escaped him as he leaves the garage.

Looking at the kid, slightly unimpressed, I spoke up. "What's your name again?"

"Uhh...Bonfire." He held out a hoof.

I just stood there, with a stern look on my face, but secretly laughing on the inside. "Sir." I said.

"Pardon?"

"Sir. From now on, everyone else in this firehouse shall be referred to as 'sir', got it?"

Slowly, Bonfire lowered his hoof to the ground as all the color flushed from his already white face. I contemplated on continuing my small tirade, but I'm usually not a mean pony, so I give it up. I start laughing.

Bonfire looked at me, with a surprised look.

"Cheer up kid! There's something you should know! Never try and take anything too seriously when we boss you around, unless it's a direct order. So just relax, eh?"

"Sorry sir, you really had me going."

"Damn straight I did! Anyway, I'm Blaze in case you didn't hear. I'm guessing you've already met everypony else since the Cap has me babysitting you now?

"Yes sir."

"Awesome. Alright, let's get down to it then, shall we? There's a few rules here in the firehouse you should know. Just keep in mind these only apply to you. Number one: Everyday you work, you're the first one here, and the last one to leave. Two: You weren't hired to have a voice and give opinions. This isn't a democracy, so unless you've got a legitimate question, keep your snout shut and keep your ears open. Three: You're here to work, not relax. If we're not out on duty, then you're hear doing what needs to be done to keep this place in working order, or studying. Light's out when we say it is. And that brings me to the fourth and final rule: Any and all responsibilities, including but not limited to cleaning, cooking, dishes, washing, checking the equipment, etcetera, are now your best friends. That's all on you buddy. We good on that?"

The probie looked at me, with mouth open, and slight disbelief in his eyes. "So....I'm basically a...housemaid....?"

"Aww come on kid," I said while laughing. "I wouldn't call it that." I hoofed him an air tank and said, "You know what to do!" before walking out.

"Blaze! Are you ok?!"

Upon opening my eyes, I saw Twilight, and the dragon, Spike, standing above me, worry showing across their faces. I blinked a few times and stood up, trying to gain my composure, but my knees were too shaky to do so. My mane was soaked apparently, from a cold sweat. My head, buzzing. I feel....depressed...again. In a very low and shaky voice, I asked "Wh...what....h...happened?"

Twilight drew in onto my side, helping me to get up. "Blaze, are you ok?" She looked like she was on the verge of tears. "You kinda blanked out for a sec...and then you just....collapsed and...started to twitch a lot..."

I raised a hoof up to my head, rubbing a very specific spot, buried underneath my mane. "Oh..." is all I managed to say.

"I'm so sorry dude....I didn't know that would happen....I mean...I should have known that you would react in a bad way, especially since it wasn't so long ago."

"I'm okay Spike, really, and you too Twilight. I just...." Unable to stand up fully, I felll back on to my haunches. I struggled to get back up, but a pair of hooves kept me grounded.

"No, no you need to rest Blaze. I can't have you walking around in the state you are, so please, take all the time you need." Twilight now faced me, a sincere look in her eye. "Please?"

After what seemed like hours of silence, I finally resigned to taking Twilight's offer. Slowly, I stood up with help from both her and Spike's help, and made my way to a couch in a corner of the library. Strange I thought to myself,  I don't even know this mare and she's more than happy to help and feel with a complete stranger. And yet, I made some impression there. Breaking down in the middle of her home, and now I feel horrible. But I'm really in no condition to go anywhere....what the hell was that anyway?! .....No, nothing. Just push it back....just push it back.... I turned my attention to Twilight, silently resting on the ground next to me.

"That usually doesn't happen you know...I'm sorry to scare you like that." I said.

She gave me a soft smile. "As long as you're okay."

"Maybe." I muttered under my breath.

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Listen, I don't mean to overextend your generosity, you know, by walking into your house and then passing out on your floor, but I do think I should get going, before the sun sets."

"Are you sure you're feeling up to that?" Twilight asked with a worried tone.

"Yeah, definitely. Besides, I only came for a map remember?" I smiled at her, as best as I could.

She smiled back. "Well, okay Blaze, but if you ever need anything, anything at all, you can always come by the library and I'd be more than happy to lend a hoof. Also...one more thing. Tomorrow, my friends and I are having a small get together in Ponyville Park, around noon, and well, you're more than welcome to come. I'd love to introduce you to everyone."

"Oh...umm....yeah, sounds great!" I guessed it wouldn't be so bad meeting some new ponies.

"Great!"

Twilight whispered something to Spike and the dragon bolted into the other room, and came back a few seconds later holding up a rolled piece of parchment. He walked over to me and placed the parchment in my saddlebag hanging over the couch.

"I'm really sorry dude..." Spike trailed off.

"Don't worry yourself over it okay? Things happen and it wasn't your fault, so we're cool! Brohoof?"

"Brohoof!"

We both laughed as hoof and fist connected. As I made my way to the door, Twilight came over to me and gave me a quick hug. Huh, well wasn't expecting that, but it was nice.

"See you tomorrow Blaze!"

"You too Twilight! Thanks for watching out for me. I really appreciate."

As I turned the corner and left sight of the library, I thought to myself, I wonder if all the ponies in this town are equally as nice, or normal for once, for that matter.

Next Chapter: Introductions Estimated time remaining: 24 Minutes