After a day and a half of walking, you finally make it to your destination: Ponyville. From what you’ve heard, it’s supposed to be a quiet little town and not as noisy or busy as the city was. Just the way you wanted it. The winding road leads you to the outskirts of town and you relish the thought of being able to rest your hooves. They taught a lot at Canterlot Medical School, but teleportation magic wasn’t on the curriculum and you’ve been walking for almost a full day. Taking in a deep breath, the country air was a nice change from the thick, stagnant air of the Manehattan. Just as you begin to daydream of lazy summer days, sitting on your front porch without a care in the world, a voice cries out to.

“LOOK OUT!”

Looking up, you see a rainbow colored streak coming towards you and coming towards you fast. Before you have a chance to react, it hits you and knocks you off your hooves. You and the unidentified flying rainbow tumble through the streets of Ponyville, knocking over at least three other unlucky individuals who got in the way.

“What just hit me…” you mumble as you rub your head. You try to get up but feel a weight pressing down on you. Opening your eyes, you find yourself staring at a blue pegasus with a rainbow colored mane lying on top of you.

“Sorry about that!” she says as she helps you up “I’m trying to nail down this new trick I’m working on and…” she stops and looks you over a few times. “Hey, you’re new here aren’t you?”

You chuckle as you dust yourself off and pick up your saddlebag.

“That I am. And thanks, you sure know how to make a stallion feel welcomed. You wouldn’t happen to know where the nearest hospital is, would you?”

The mare’s eyes widen in horror. “Oh come on! I couldn’t have hurt you that badly! You’re not going to tell them it was me, are you? Oh man, Mayor is going to fire me and-“

“Hey, hey, hey! It was a joke, honest.” you say, trying to calm her down. “But if you could point me in that direction, that would be great. I’m looking for work.”

She blinks a few times, trying to wrap her head around what you’re saying.

“I’m a doctor.” you tell her “I came from Manehattan to get a change of scenery and settle down.”

“Oh, I see.” she says with a nod “So you don’t know where anything is, do you? Well, lemme show you around Ponyville. You know, like the grand tour! It’s the least I can do after plowing into you like that.”

You can’t help but smile, not believing how nice she was being. No pony has ever been this friendly to you. “Thank you very much Ms…”

“Ms…Oh! Duh!” she says as she brings a hoof to her forehead. She jumps high into the air, does three front flips, sticks the landing, and spreads her wings out. “Rainbow Dash, the best flier in all of Equestria!” she declares with a final flourish.

You stifle a laugh at the odd display. “Lead on, Ms. Dash.”

Rainbow Dash trots off and you follow after her, taking in all the sights that Ponyville has to offer.

By the end of it all, you’ve got a rough idea where everything is and are now sitting in the café with Rainbow Dash, enjoying your lunch.

“What about that pink pony that screamed and ran away the moment she saw me? What was that all about?” you ask, referring to your trip to Sugar Cube Corner.

“That’s just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie. She gets all excited when someone new shows up in town.”

“And why’s that?” you ask.

Rainbow Dash smiles mischievously and bites into her sandwich. “You’ll see,” she says through a mouth full of daffodils.

You take a sip of your coffee and think back to the rest of the tour. “Do you know anything about Ponyville Urgent Care?” you ask, hoping to get a feel for your potential new stomping grounds. Rainbow Dash swallows the last bit of her sandwich and shrugs. “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been inside. I’d ask Nurse Redheart if you really wanted to know.”

You nod and finish the last of your coffee and motion for the waiter over. “Check please.”

The stallion saunters off and returns shortly with a receipt.

“Well Ms. Dash, I’ve got to say, it’s been fun and you’ve been really helpful. I'd love to stay and chat, but I need to start house hunting or I’m going to sleep in the streets tonight. Thanks for everything.”

You pay the waiter enough to cover yours and Dash's meal, plus a small tip.

“No problem. I’m glad I was able to make your arrival to Ponyville at least a little more awesome.” With that, she takes tothe skies. You watch as she rockets off and out of sight, leaving a rainbow colored trail in her wake.

“Now where was that realtor again?” you ask aloud.

* * * * * *
Finding a house in Ponyville was much easier than you thought. Back in Manehattan, home was a stuffy apartment building with a leaky roof and loud neighbors, so you couldn’t help but be excited at the idea of owning your own house. The locals told you of a Parasprite attack and how they ate the houses when a spell to stop them went awry and left a lot of ponies homeless. But when the construction force rebuilt, they got a little to excited and built one too many houses. The realtor was more than happy to sell you a small cottage that had yet to be lived in and after signing the appropriate paperwork and paying the asking price, you walked to your new home, deed in hoof. It looked much like the realtor had described: quaint and modest with a white picket fence out front.

Perfect in every way, you think as you unlock the door.

Stepping into your new home, you squint into the darkness. The inside of the house was pitch black and you had trouble navigating around.

“Where’s that blasted light switch…” you mutter as you feel along the walls. The lights go on and you find yourself assaulted by screaming from all directions.

“SURPRISE!”

You scream as well, but not in joy. You jump backwards and press your back to the wall while you clutched at your chest. Every pony in the room is silent, except for the bubbly pink mare you met earlier, who was bouncing around the room laughing. “We sure scared you, didn’t we? We were all like ‘SURPRISE!’ and you were all like ‘AHHHHHH!’ So? What do you think?” Pinkie Pie asks.

“I think I’m going into atrial fibrillation! What is all this?” you ask as you tried to catch your breath. Looking around the room, you saw nearly half of the town stuffed into your home, wearing party hats and helping themselves to drinks and sweets. Hanging from the ceiling was a banner that read ‘Welcome to Ponyville!’

“It’s a party, silly! For you!” Pinkie Pie said as you put two and two together.

“Okay… Not to be rude, but… why?” you ask.

“Cause you’re new here, duh!” she states plainly “When Dashie came by with you I didn’t recognize you and if I didn’t recognize you that means you’re new here because I know EVERYPONY in Ponyville and if you’re new that means you don’t have any friends and what better way is there to make friends then with a party?!?”

You blink a few times, trying to wrap your head around everything she was telling you. “Uhh… Thank you? I’m sorry, it’s just I’ve never been welcomed into a town like this before. The closest thing Manehattan gave me to a welcoming was a citizen’s tax," you say with a chuckle.

From the crowd, you hear a shrill cry as you say the word ‘Manehattan’ A white unicorn with a purple mane runs up to you and unceremoniously pushes Pinkie Pie out of the way. “YOU’RE from Manehattan? Oh darling, you have to tell me all about it! Where you lived, the latest fashion, the styles that are in, and that’s just for starters!” she says, not holding her excitement back.

“I…Well, um, you see…” you sputtered out.

Before she could ask anything else, an orange earth pony with a blonde mane and cowbow hat puts a hoof over her mouth. “Now hold up Rarity, this feller don’t look like he’s likin’ yer fourth degree. Get a hold of yerself ‘fore ya scare him off.” Rarity looks at you for a moment and nods. “Alright then. But please, stop by the Carousel Boutique later on. We have much to discuss.” And with that, she walks off.

“Sorry ‘bout that. Rarity can get a ‘lil obsessive at times. I’m Applejack, pleasure to meet ya.” she says, extending a hoof. You take her hoof and shake, somewhat surprised by her strength.

“Oh, it’s not a problem. I’m just a little overwhelmed at all this attention. I’m used to seeing people one at a time back at the clinic.”

Applejack doesn’t seem to understand for a moment, but she perks up after a second. “Oh right! Rainbow said you were a doctor! Uh, I hope this isn’t too much trouble, but could I ask you for a favor?” she says above a hushed tone. You give her a nod and let her continue.

“Granny Smith’s back has been actin’ up somethin’ fierce. She doesn’t want to go down to the hospital and she keeps saying she’s fine. Is there any chance you can come on up to Sweet Apple Acres and take a look at her?”

You don't even hesitate to answer.

“I’d be happy to make a house call. My first, actually. Tell her to stay off her feet and get some bed rest. I’ll be by in the morning.”

Applejack grimaces at the words ‘bed rest’. “Easier said than done. She can be mighty violent with that walker of hers," she says grimly, leaving you to enjoy yourself.

Walking over to the punch table, you grab a nearby bottle and begin to pour yourself a glass when a purple unicorn stops you. “I’d read the label first, if I were you.” Puzzled, you set it down and realize you almost poured yourself a glass of hot sauce. “Don’t worry, I did that too.” she says with a laugh.

Grabbing the right bottle this time, you pour yourself some punch and find a place to sit down. Scanning the room, you see Rainbow Dash sitting on the couch, nursing a glass of punch.

“Oh hey. How’s the party?” she asks.

“Good, good. I guess this is what you meant by ‘You’ll see’. Does Pinkie do this for every new arrival?” you ask.

Rainbow Dash smirks. “Pretty much. For her it’s just one party after another.” You don’t say anything for a few moments and try to find something to talk about before the awkward silence kicks in.

“So, you’ve been talking about me, I take it?”

“Well, yeah. You’re new here. And you’re like a doctor. That’s cool,” she says before taking another sip of punch.

“Yeah, it can be pretty cool.” you say as you bring your own cup of punch to your lips. Dash hits your side, almost knocking it out of your grip and points to the other side of the room where a white earth pony with a light pink mane stood. “That’s Nurse Redheart. You wanted a job, why don’t you talk to her?”

You follow Dash’s advice and walk towards her. She smiles at you as approach.

You clear your throat and put on your best professional tone. “Hello, I’m-“

“You’re the unicorn from Manehattan that Dash was telling me about!” she exclaims. You glance behind you to see Dash grinning ear to ear.

Oh, she's good... you think with a grin.

“We could really use some help at Ponyville Urgent Care. It’s shorthanded with just me and Nurse Tenderheart and we could really use someone with you’re kind of training. Are you interested in a job?” she asks.

The only thing you can do is laugh. “That’s the reason why I came to Ponyville in the first place. When can I start?”

“I’ll have to run it by Mayor first and get her approval, but you should be able to start tomorrow afternoon.” You take Nurse Redheart’s hoof and shake it.

“Thank you very much. I promise you won’t be disappointed.” You say before trotting back to Dash.

“I owe you for that.” You say, still grinning over getting the job.

“Heck yeah, you do.”

The party came and went, as all parties do, and when the last pony left for home, you happily retire to your new bedroom. Falling into your bed, you pass out before you even touch the pillow.