Blaze made his way up the gravel path towards the hollowed out tree as the sun had started setting. The plan had been to get there, move everything into the house and buy some food from the local stores.

However, thanks to a fallen tree and not wanting to go through the centre of Ponyville with an ambulance, he had had to go all the way around and it was now too late for shopping, so he decided to concentrate on moving the stuff inside the house before it got dark.

But first he needed some light.

“Hammy, go inside and open the windows so we can get some light. I’ll look for the lanterns.”

Hammy had spent the last 8 hours on a wagon, and wasn’t best pleased to be bossed around.

“Squee.” he said.

“Because I said so. Now hurry up, or we won’t get the stuff in on time. Oh, and I get the room at the top of stairs, the one across from the study.” he said.

Hammy huffed. He didn’t much care if he even got a room, he just wanted to check the house out.

Blaze found one of the lanterns and lit it, carrying it swinging from his mouth into the front room of the hollowed out tree.

It was a spacious but bare area. To the left was a curved staircase going up the back wall to the biggest branch that held 3 rooms. Under this was the kitchen, and on the opposite side of the house were 3 more rooms on the ground floor he had yet to look into.

He walked into the kitchen, and as he put the lantern down he saw a note on a basket of cupcakes and muffins:

“Dear new pony,

I’m Pinkie Pie, and I would have thrown a welcoming party for you, ‘cept I had to go so here’s a basket of cupcakes to cheer you up until I get back and throw a HUGE okie dokie lokie party for ya!

Pinkie Pie!”

He put the note down and realised he had read the note in an exceptionally fast voice. He then noticed that Hammy had snuck up and was already eating a cupcake.

“Hammy…”

“Squeak?” he said, with a face that showed apparent angelic innocence.

“Well, let’s go check out the rest of the house BEFORE eating all the snacks.”

Hammy shrugged and scurried up the stairs.

Blaze sighed and decided to follow him and check out his room. As it turned out, the third room was an upstairs bathroom which connected to his bedroom. Both rooms had sizeable windows, but it was the study that grabbed his attention. As well as space for his desk, bookshelves and equipment, there was a small door leading to a balcony with an awe inspiring view of Ponyville in the evening that had engrossed Hammy.

Blaze whistled as he stepped out and looked over the view and the sea of stars above.

“That view alone is worth the price of the whole house. Come on, we better hurry if we want to get the stuff in.” he said as he turned around to head down the stairs.

-2 Hours Later-

It was truly dark now. Blaze had moved a lot of the furniture into place and placed lanterns around, but half of the furniture still cluttered up his living room and there was lots to be done. And he had no idea how he was going to get the wardrobe, bookcase and bed up the narrow staircase.

Oh well, for now he could sleep where the bed was, and enlist the help of some Moving Ponies in the morning.

“Come on Hammy, let’s settle in for the night. Oh, and those 4 cupcakes you ate are your dinner” he said with a smirk.

Hammy couldn’t care, he just wanted to sleep.

Fluttershy made sure her animals were settling in for the night in their beds and nests. She loved looking over the animals, it filled her with a warm feeling of accomplishment that she could look after them.

She made sure Angel was going to sleep before walking up the stairs to her room and looking out at the view of Ponyville, wondering if there was anything she had to do tomorrow. Content she wasn’t forgetting anything, she laid down under the covers and switched off the light, thinking about that day’s events, and her meeting with the new pony. Blaze.

-The Next Morning-

Blaze was falling. Fast. He tried to use his wings but he was paralyzed, unable to move his wings or even shout as the ground came closer and closer and…

He woke with a start. It had been the same old nightmare as other every night. He hadn’t told anypony about it, only Hammy knew he had nightmares but Blaze had never told even him about them. He had a horrible feeling that every time the dream ended, he was just a few inches closer to the ground.

He didn’t want to think about what would happen if he didn’t wake up in time.

Not the time, he thought. He had a dozen errands to run today. For a start, Hammy’s run had broken in the trip, so he had to find another one on top of finding some Moving Ponies to help with the furniture, plus food. He realised he would need a cart. After a blueberry muffin he grabbed his saddlebag and, leaving Hammy strict instructions, that he knew would be ignored, not to eat anymore cupcakes or muffins, he went in to town to find one.

He stopped on his way in to town. He didn’t have a clue where to start. He decided to head to the town centre and get further directions there. Sure enough, once he arrived he spotted several stalls selling food, but he still needed a cart.

He remembered the spot he was standing in – between the Town Hall and the hollowed out tree house – and set off in search. After asking the ponies around the town where he might be able to get one, he headed over to a stall selling apples with a bored looking orange Earth pony near the edge of town.

“Hello, I was wondering if you could help me. You see I just moved to town and need to get some stuff, and I was wondering if I could borrow a cart?” he said, looking over the apples on sale. “And buy some apples.”

“Well ah course ah can help yah out, specially since yer new to town.” She extended her hoof “Ma names Applejack. Nice to meet yah.” She said, shaking Blazes hoof vigorously up and down. “Each apple is only a Bit, and you can use this cart over here for your shopping. Now, how many apples was it you wanted to buy?”

“ Uhh, a dozen please” said Blaze, slightly taken back by the ponies outgoingness.

“Okay, here yah are. 12 Bits please, and when yer done with the cart just bring it up to Sweet Apple Acres. Oh, and welcome to Ponyville!” she said, smiling.

After thanking Applejack for the apples and letting him borrow the cart, he set off towards the location he had memorized in the town.

Rainbow Dash looked down into the town from the cloud she was hiding on. She had been following the new pony – the Pegasus with a cloudy red mane – since he had arrived in town that morning. There was something about him, something she couldn’t place.

She didn’t trust him. There was something wrong.

She remembered every Pegasus she had gone to flight school with, but this wasn’t one of them. How was that possible?

Every Pegasus had to go through flight school. He gave her an uneasy feeling.

And why didn’t he use his wings? Not even to hover or reach high shelves. There was no Pegasus she knew who acted like that.

She had to find out about him.

After an hour of buying food, Blaze decided to go and look for some more lanterns and lamp oil, for until he got the power running. And he would need scrolls and quills if he was going to start his research and studying anytime soon. Plus he still had to find somepony who sold a Guinea Pig run.

He sighed. It was going to be a while before he got back to his house. Then a thought struck him, Fluttershy loved animals, so surely she would have a run? He resolved to find out where she lived and go ask her.

First though, he had to get more supplies. Seeing a shop called the Sofas and Quills, he decided to buy scrolls and quills first. As he made his way over he saw a purple unicorn head out followed by a baby dragon carrying an armful of scrolls and quills. He stopped and put the cart to the side, and entered the store. Sofas and high quality quills and scrolls were displayed around the store.

“Well, it delivers everything it promises” he muttered to himself and chuckled. He then walked up to the store owner. “Hello, I was wondering if you had any drawing scrolls, writing scrolls and quills for sale.”

“Unfortunately that last unicorn just bought all the writing scrolls and quills, but I do have some drawing scrolls left.” said the shopkeeper.

Drat. Oh well, that will have to do for now, he thought.  He bought a dozen drawing scrolls then thanked the pony at the register. As he walked out of the store he saw a rainbow-maned Pegasus fly quickly overhead, but thought nothing of it.

Then he realised, he was supposed to meet the Moving Ponies at his house in 10 minutes. After dumping the scrolls in the cart, he ran back towards his house. Lanterns would have to wait.

-An hour later-

After helping the Moving Ponies move the furniture into place, he paid the three Pegasus ponies and gave the blonde-maned, cross eyed one the last muffin (thanks to Hammy eating the others), Blaze set out to Fluttershy’s home, whose location he had learnt from the Moving Ponies, with the cart to ask about a Run for Hammy.

He was just thinking about the daffodil and blueberry jam sandwich he was going to make when he got back, when he rounded the corner and saw Fluttershy scratching at the ground outside her house.

“Hello Fluttershy” he said as he got closer.

Fluttershy let out a small scream until she turned around and saw it was the nice pony she had met yesterday in the woods.

“O-oh, hello” she said quietly.

“Oh, sorry” said Blaze “I didn’t mean to startle you.” He suddenly had butterflies in his stomach, just like her Cutie Mark.

“Oh, it’s alright. Was there something you wanted to ask?” she said, back to her normal voice.

“Well, I was wondering if you had a spare animal run that I could buy, you see, Hammy’s broke when we moved here.” He said, scratching the ground. Why was he being shy around her?

“Oh yes, I think I have a spare one, but please, you don’t need to buy it. You can have it, I don’t need it. Think of it as a welcome to Ponyville gift”

“That’s really nice of you” he said, looking up and smiling.

Fluttershy smiled back and started to walk towards her house. After a few minutes of looking around the back of her house, she dragged out an almost new animal Run which Blaze ran over to help carry. Fluttershy smiled appreciatively and Blaze felt his face go hot. After they put the Run on the cart, he turned back to Fluttershy.

“Thank you Fluttershy, this means a lot to me.”

“Oh, no really, it’s ok” said Fluttershy starting to blush.

“I do have one question though, what were you doing when I arrived?”

“Oh, that. I was just looking for some worms for the birds in my garden. It gets really hard to find them sometimes though. And it’s not very nice carrying them in my mouth”

“Hmmm” said Blaze as he thought this over. “Thank you again for the Run, I can’t thank you enough, but I should go. Hammy ate nearly all the muffins in the house while I was gone today”

Fluttershy giggled. “Angel did that once. It was nice seeing you” she said.

“Nice seeing you too” he said as the butterflies started doing backflips in his stomach “Bye.”

“Bye” she smiled.

He put the carts saddle on and started walking back to his house and an impatient Hammy, wondering why he was so shy around this one mare.

All the while, Rainbow Dash had been following him. She thought she’d been busted when he saw her and started running, but it was just to talk to the Moving Ponies, but why had he been talking to Fluttershy? And why had Fluttershy given him that miniature house?

She would ask her eventually, but right now she had a load of thunder clouds to deal with.

*In case you’re wondering, a Run is a small house for pets like rabbits and guinea pigs. It’s a British term.