“Come on guys! This ain´t fair!”

Despite the orange colt protest, the two other older ponies kept his straw hat up in the air when he couldn´t reach it. When they got tired, the unicorn of the pair used his magic to move the hat to the tallest branch in a nearby tree.

“Good luck getting it back, blank flank!” they said in unison and left laughing.

The little colt sighed and tried to climb the tree but he fell down. He was about to start crying when a soft voice asked behind him “Wait. Let me help you.”

He turned over and caught a glimpse of a pony raising in the air and grabbing the hat. He watched as the yellow pegasus descended with the hat on her mouth and gave it to him.

“Thanks, ma´am!”

“You´re welcome. It´s a lovely hat,” she said.

“It´s mah favourite hat! Grandpa Big Mac made it for me!” the colt said with a bright smile, showing his buck teeth

The pegasus smiled at him but she seemed somewhat sad doing so. Budwood noticed she was really pretty and lively, despite being around the same age of his grandmother.

“You okay, ma´am?”

“I´m fine. Just a little tired, I think. I haven´t used my wings in a long while.”

“A pegasus that doesn't use her wings? That´s weird…” the colt said, not noticing the mare blushing. “Anyways, yah were really kind to me, ma´am; is anything ah can do to help you with?”

“Actually there is, umh…”

“Name´s Budwood but everypony calls me Bud! And anything yah need, ah can get it!”

“I just need to find the Town Hall. It seems a little lost and I can´t find my way back to the Town Square,” she said.

“No worries, ma´am! Ah´ll guide you right to the front gates!”

“Such a gentlecolt…” she said, ruffling his name and making him blush now.

Budwood lead the quiet pegasus to the center of Ponyville, all the while talking about his friends and family.

“So, you are visiting the Apples?” she asked.

“No ma´am, ah live ´ere with Granny Jack. She´s a bit of a grump but ah think you´ll like her!”

She giggled at this so Budwood smiled back. They finally reached the Town Square and Budwood asked her to stay close since it was the rush hour.

“Oh my, the town has certainly grown these past years…” she mentioned.

“Have yah been in Ponyville ´fore, ma´am?”

“I used to live here but that was long ago. Everything has changed,” she murmured the last sentence so Budwood didn´t get it.

“There´s the Town Hall! Just pass right the corner of the sweet shop. Ah stop there to get cupcakes every weekend,” he said, pointing.

“Just at the corner of Sugarcube Corner then?”

“Yah mean Sugarcube Square, right?”

The mare looked over him and once she saw the giant building, she understood what he meant.

“Oh my…” she simply said.

“Well ma´am, it was a pleasure to guide yah. And thanks agian for recovering mah hat,” Budwood said, attempting to leave.

“Umh actually, could you please wait for me? I only need to get some papers signed and then I need to find some other place. Just one more.”

“Sure thing!” he said, making a salute.

The mare giggled again and Budwood smiled at her. He waited for about half an hour, taking a milkshake at Sugarcube. He was starting to get bored but figured that leaving a stranger, even one who used to be from around her if he heard her correctly, al alone was rude and definitely, not the Apples way. Just when he was done with his drink, the mare returned.

“All done, ma´am?”

“Yes,” she said and looked at the waitress who took Budwood´s drink away. “Was that Pumpkin Cake?”

“Yes, she is…” Budwood turned over and caught the mare gigging again, this time at Budwood´s dreamy eyes when looking at the unicorn. Blushing, Budwood got up. “And where do ah take you now, ma´am.”

The mare gave him the instruction while still giggling.

After a short walk, smother since they were leaving the crowd Town Square, they reached their destination, an old cottage at the outskirts of the town.

“Sure yah want to go there, ma´am? That´s the haunted house,” Budwood said, slowly hiding behind the mare.

“Haunted house?”

“Yeah, there´s a monster living on that house. Only the Princess is brave enough to get inside.”

“She does?” the mare asked.

“Yeah, once a week she gets in with a bag and stays for like half an hour. Every time there´s noise and dust coming out tah windows. Ah think the Princess is keeping a monster in there and has to feed it every week.”

Budwood looked at the mare, wondering how she could giggle to something like that. Just then, a loud noise came from inside the house and dust escaped from the half open windows. Budwood stayed in the fence, watching the mare get inside. He was too far away to hear this full exchange:

“Spike, are you here?” the mare asked from the doorway.

“Oh Fluttershy! You´re back!” Spike said, holding a broom and smiling despite being covered in dust.

“I heard you have been taking care of my house while I was gone.”

“I tried but your animal friends never make it easy,” Spike said, waving at the animal critters who were making a mess of the kitchen.

Fluttershy looked behind her and saw Budwood peeking from behind the fence. “I heard the kids in town think you´re a monster.”

“Yeah, I don´t go out much anymore and I kinda snore when I´m sleeping. I think the kids started to tell stories about me,” Spike said, scratching his neck.

Fluttershy smiled and approached Spike, handling him a book from his saddlebags.

“Is this it?” Spike said an Fluttershy nodded. Spike flipped through the pages of the book. “Woah Fluttershy, this is...all this information about dragons. I can´t believe you travelled all these years. I should have gone with you but…”

Fluttershy patted the now tall dragon in the head and smiled. “It´s okay. Now, I have plenty of stories to tell but I´ll like a cup of tea first.”

“Coming!” Spike said, almost roaring.

Outside the cottage, Budwood wondered if he should go get his grandmother for help.