open The Town That Friendship Forgot

[Samurai Equine 51,387]

The Town That Friendship Forgot

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It's not printed on any map ever sold.
It doesn't show up on any magical maps ever created.
Not even Princess Twilight knows it exists.

Still, if you ever choose to leave home...
If you are trying to find a place to belong, and no other location seems to work for you...
If you are brave enough to just let your heart lead the way, get past the forests, the fog, and follow a beaten dirt road...
Then maybe you two can find a huge town called Friendshire.

Here, anyone can get a second start at life.
It's a large town that wants for nothing, but it sure could use more citizens.
It could really use the magic of friendship, but more then that, it could really use some help.

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@Emerald Heart, @Pastel-chan, @Windy Breeze, @Dynamo Pad, @ExplosionMare, @Bastian

In his own house, the only asian-themed house on his block, Samurai Equine is busy. In his own make-shift workshop, he has notes and string strung about, random tools on a desk, and more. He is looking at a small metal box with a lot of mechanical, steampunk-style parts all over it.

"...Nearly a year of toying with this magic contraption, and still no answers! What am I missing?!" Samurai says in frustration as he randomly turns dials, twists a crank, and flips a switch with his hoof. And then... It activates! Part of the box opens up near the top, and magically projects an image. "I did it?! I did it! Wait, is that... I recognize that! It's the front gate!" In a rush, Samurai puts on his formal attire and runs out while holding the box under his arm.

Meanwhile, at the front of the town, just past a sign that says "Welcome to Friendshire", lies a both just to the side of the main road.
Inside this booth is a census pony, wearing a fancy jacket and hat that makes him look more like a bellhop.
He is just sitting in there, bored out of his mind, until Samurai runs up. "Excuse me! Sorry to bother you, but has any pony come this way?" He asks. The census pony shakes his head. "Nope. Not a soul in years. No pony leaving, and no pony arriving either. The population has been stuck at the same number for who knows how long..."

Samurai looks at his box again, the magical projection gone for now. "I think this thing is telling me that we really need to start increasing the populace. But how? How do we attract more ponies into living her?" He asks himself, looking up in to the slightly foggy distance and trying to brain storm some ideas.

Little did he know, they wouldn't have to wait for very long...

[Windy Breeze 15,189]

Shadow Trail was very tired. 

Walking for miles to reach the town of Hoovenville using a rarely used dirt path isn't what she expected. She had been called by her boss to photograph the everyday life of the citizens. In truth, she most likely want to become a Shadowbolt which was long forgotten when Nightmare Moon decided to visit a town near Canterlot. Now she's just a mere freelance photographer. 

“Argh, I knew becoming a photographer is so difficult, why on Equestria would mom recommend that job?” she asked herself. She finally collapsed, laying on the dirt road. 

As she began to think that this is where she would go unconscious, she saw an arch in the distance, which stood proudly, saying:

“Welcome to Friendshire” 

Behind the arch is a town she never seen before. The last thing she thought before unconscious took over her is Friendshire? Why didn't Nightingale told me there's a town named Friendshire. 

Edited February 26, 2020 by Windy Breeze

[Emerald Claus 24,865]

How peculiar, Fable thought to herself, it seems I've lost my way. She looked around silently, her eyes lacking of any sort of emotion. She had been on her way to greet her mother and younger sister, but it seemed she'd gotten turned around. Odd, that isn't like me. Fable was a pony of few words. She found speaking a nascence, and felt much more comfortable expressing herself through action. 

She stumbled into a large town full of ponies she had never seen before. Curisouser and curiouser. 

"Welcome to Friendshire!" The crowd greeted. She nodded the slightest bit and walked in without another word. I'd like to explore this strange place. 

[Samurai Equine 51,387]

It was all happening so fast!

@Windy Breeze

Seeing a fellow pony, Samurai runs out to and help her back up. "Excuse me? Miss? Are you okay?" Samurai helps her stand and begins to walk with her towards the town. "If you are tired, we have really good health resources and plenty of food.

@Emerald Heart

Before Fable could get too far, the census pony at the front of the town waves and gets her attention. "Miss! Wait! Before you enter, you really need to sign in!" He holds up a clipboard and gets ready to take notes. "Name please? Staying or visiting? We have plenty of job opportunities here, if you are interested."

[Emerald Claus 24,865]

@Samurai Equine

Instead of answering, she just took the clipboard from him and filled out the information. But whether she was staying or visiting, she wasn't sure. So in perfect cursive she wrote Undecided. "Do not pester me about my final answer." She ordered, her voice stern but also silky smooth. She then shut her mouth and continued walking on. What sort of town makes you sign in? Yes, I must explore before I make my final choice. She thought to herself, the bead of her headpiece gently thumping against her forehead as she continued her walk. 

[Windy Breeze 15,189]

@Samurai Equine

Shadow opened her eyes “Oh, huh?” a stallion was walking her with her to a town. a really handsome looking stallion.

“T-Thank you sir, I've been walking for miles and haven't take a rest during my journey, I appreciate your help” 

[Samurai Equine 51,387]

@Emerald Heart

The census pony nearly jumps in surprise by her take-charge attitude. "Oh, okay. Well, just so you know, their is--!" He doesn't get to finish because Fable walks away from him. He makes a sad face and whines like a sad puppy. "Our first new citizen in years, and she's a meanie..."

The town is build more like a city. Not too modern, but not small or quaint. There is plenty of buildings short and tall, just enough one might get lost if they are not careful. And upon exploring further, she finds there is not only places that could use more teachers, but also places that could use talented mystics. Seems a lot of places, even with some staff/faculty, lack vital managers and star employees.

@Windy Breeze

"Maybe you'd like some water or something to eat? We have plenty to spare. Hope you enjoy hay burgers."

As Samurai guides her to the city, he does see Fable entering first. He didn't get her name, but he is glad ponies are arriving after all.

He guides Shadow Trail to the front desk. "Looks like we've got another one." Samurai says. "Oh! Greetings! Welcome to Friendshire. Name please? And are you staying or leaving?" While Shadow tends to that, Samurai gets her a care package with some food, water, and some simple first-aid stuff if she needs it.

[Windy Breeze 15,189]

@Samurai Equine

Shadow smiled at the stallion as she open the package and pulls out a water bottle “Hey, thank you for helping me sir, I'm Shadow Trail, a freelance photographer from the southeast city of Haytona, what's yours?” 

Edited February 26, 2020 by Windy Breeze

[Emerald Claus 24,865]

@Samurai Equine @Windy Breeze

Fable's curiosity quickly died down when she found her way back to the front. She found nothing special about this town. They treated it more like a business, which confused her. Across the way she saw two ponies that she had not noticed when she had entered. They must have entered after me. They already seem bought into all this. Do they have no common sense, or is it only I that prefers to look around before deciding whether I am satisfied?

She tilted her head to the side as she watched the pegasus and unicorn interact with one another. They both seemed so pleased to meet one another while Fable's expression was unreadable. 

Edited February 26, 2020 by Emerald Heart

[Bastian 13,319]

Forest had been living in the Everfree for too long, he decided some days ago that he had spent enough time connecting with mother nature and that he needed to meet new faces, still, he would meditate every now and then to ensure that his connection wouldn't dissapear. Since then, he had been walking with no particular target, he would walk until he found somewhere to stay and socialize. Luckily for him, a city was in sight.  

[ExplosionMare 18,062]

Pencil Pouch has been commissioned at a very high price for her art on one condition: it had to be something she had originally never seen before. She decided the best course of action was to travel to another town, knowing if she travelled far enough there would be plenty of unfamiliar things she could draw. 

Pencil trotted with a cart of her belongings en tow until she happened upon a dirt road with a sign in the middle that said “Welcome to Friendshire”.

That’s a funny name for a town. At least it’s not a horse pun she thought as she headed into the new town.

[Bastian 13,319]

@ExplosionMare

After some time Forest noticed a mare that was going into the town as well, if he ever wanted to socialize this was his chance, he approached the mare.

Greetings! I suppose you're going into town as well right? My name is Forest, Forest Gum, what's yours?

Edited February 26, 2020 by Bastian

[Dynamo Pad 11,302]

After the train had made a complete stop at the station, a lone, blue unicorn had made his way off of the vehicle. The unicorn's name was Dynamo Pad. Originating from Fillydelphia, Dynamo had planned on moving to Ponyville. Hearing that it was the epicenter of video games, Dynamo thought this could be his chance to enter the gaming series. That, and to try and see if he could star living in the town of Ponyville. It all changed when he had heard that a tournament was recently being held in a far off town. No name had been given. Except the mention of the coordinates if one had taken a train. Changing course right then and there, Dynamo decided that moving could wait a little while. 

It had been a few hours since his departure from Fillydelphia to this unnamed location. The only thing he knew as that he was walking along a dirt path with trees that could be seen for miles. The only thing on him was his gaming jacket, his saddlebag and a cart full of belongings from his old home. His gaming teacher had offered his summer home to the blue unicorn. So, he had planned to bring his belongings with him to set up his new home. "I hope I'm going in the right direction. It's still early in the day or afternoon. So, it won't get dark for a little while. I just hope I'm not lost." He said to nobody, but himself. After a bit of walking, Dynamo stumbled upon a sign that said, 'Welcome to Friendship.' "Friendshire, huh? It sounds like a town that I once saw in a video game." Seeing how close the town was on the sigh, he shrugged his shoulders. Deciding that Friendshire would be a good resting stop for the time being. "I wonder if this town would happen to know the location of the tournament I'm trying to get to." He wondered as he continued to walk along the dirt path, before entering the new town. 

[Pastel Heart 6,466]

Overshadowed by everypony else, a much smaller filly was bouncing up and down behind the group.

"Heeeyyy! No fair! I was here first! Probably."

Those who followed the voice and looked down would see an energetic pink filly, her pale pink coat and candy coated mane covered in dirt with a kiddy saddlebag on her back. She waved her hoof flailingly and leaned over to see the sign.

"This is a weird place right? Like, a mysterious town in the middle of Equestria? And you're all my party right? That's SO cool! This is where the quest finally begins!"

She bounced up once, clearly too energetic for her own good and speaking like some cartoon hero. Atleast she was friendly?

 

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Elsewhere...

Somewhere within Friendshire itself, a large dragon wearing glasses, a coat, dress shirt, red tie and cream colored slacks sat at a table, sipping coffee. The room was pretty clean, it looked like some mix of a hospital lobby and a western cottage. It had a very calm aura about it, much like the resident himself. On his wall was a picture of the dragon homelands, alongside a picture of the Friendship School in Ponyville. A board on his refrigerator had a list of names, all of which had a check next to them. The dragon sipped his coffee and looked at the ceiling.

"Hmm... There's a strange feeling in the air today. Perhaps things will get busy again... Not that that's a bad thing."

He smiled and closed his eyes. Perhaps he'd be seeing some new faces in the coming days. Or he'd simply get bored of coffee...

...Unlikely.

Edited February 26, 2020 by Pastel-chan

[Dynamo Pad 11,302]

5 minutes ago, Pastel-chan said:

Overshadowed by everypony else, a much smaller filly was bouncing up and down behind the group.

"Heeeyyy! No fair! I was here first! Probably."

Those who followed the voice and looked down would see an energetic pink filly, her pale pink coat and candy coated mane covered in dirt with a kiddy saddlebag on her back. She waved her hoof flailingly and leaned over to see the sign.

"This is a weird place right? Like, a mysterious town in the middle of Equestria? And you're all my party right? That's SO cool! This is where the quest finally begins!"

She bounced up once, clearly too energetic for her own good and speaking like some cartoon hero. Atleast she was friendly?

As he made his way towards the town, Dynamo's ears perked as he heard a voice from out of nowhere. He looked around to make sure he wasn't going crazy, or that he wasn't hearing things. Upon looking down, he saw a smaller filly, who was bouncing up and down behind him and other ponies. Judging by her actions, he could see that she seemed very energetic in personality. "A...quest? You haven't played a lot of video games, right? I know there are some games that have a lot of questing." He would say, feeling slightly confused. Although, he couldn't blame the young filly as he was like that when he was younger. "I guess I can't really say if this place is really weird. Although, I guess the location is a bit strange. Since I don't recall ever seeing this town on a map. By the way, you're not lost are you? Were you on the train that just stopped at the station?" He blinked a couple of times as he saw the hyperactive filly being energetic. He wasn't sure what to think, but he did admit that she seemed friendly enough. 

[Windy Breeze 15,189]

@Samurai Equine

“Hey, sir, maybe I should I go and find a place to stay so I could rest myself” She smiled at Samurai as she went into the town “It's a pleasure to meet you, sir, have a nice day!”

As she walks down into the town, she heard a masculine squeal.

“Oh my gosh, we didn't know we have visitors!” she look to where the source of the voice to see a stallion with navy coat and midnight blue mane and tail with silver streak “If you are looking for a place to stay, I suggest you to stay in my house with my family, they liked to meet visitors like you”

Shadow bowed her head “Thank you for the offer, sir” she followed the stallion to his house, where she would stay while she's in the town of Friendshire. 

[ExplosionMare 18,062]

@Bastian

A young stallion approached Pencil as she made her way through the town. He politely introduced himself, to which Pencil responded,

”Hi! I’m Pencil Pouch. I’m here for a really big art commission, how about you?”

[Bastian 13,319]

@ExplosionMare

Im just traveling through the land without an specific destination in mind, I've been away from society for quite some time and I figured that I should try to make friends.

He remembered that he knew nothing about this city and if he was going to live there he would need to learn about it.

Are you familiar with this, Friendshire city?

[ExplosionMare 18,062]

@Bastian 

Pencil had to ponder the question for a moment. She knew where it was according to what the commissioner said (which took about two hours of explaining since Pencil has no sense of direction whatsoever), but she had no further knowledge on the town.

”I actually don’t know a lot about this place. My commissioner said that was kinda the point though cause he wanted me to draw something ‘unfamiliar’,” she replied, wondering if she would sound ridiculous as soon as she said that. To be truthful, she did feel weird already receiving such a broad commission.

[Pastel Heart 6,466]

@Dynamo Pad

"Ohh, I've played some games! Grandpa lets me have them! In the last one I played, I helped a demon lord unleash chaos throughout the entire world! Everyone was free and there was destruction EVERYWHERE!"

...It seems not all of the games she's played are age appropriate, but she seemed happy regardless.

"Yeah, umm, I'm not lost or anything! Totally not! I totally didn't accidentally get on the wrong train meant for summer camp because I totally flopped on my grades! Totally, ahaha! but... This place looks way cooler than some lame boot camp in the the middle of nowhere. I don't think anypony would notice if I hid out here for awhile, mwehe~ besides, you all seem cool! I've  never had any friends older than me."

She smiled, looking at everypony she came with and the outskirts of Friendshire. Dynamo seemed nice, so she decided to stick close to him for now.

[Dynamo Pad 11,302]

19 minutes ago, Pastel-chan said:

@Dynamo Pad

"Ohh, I've played some games! Grandpa lets me have them! In the last one I played, I helped a demon lord unleash chaos throughout the entire world! Everyone was free and there was destruction EVERYWHERE!"

...It seems not all of the games she's played are age appropriate, but she seemed happy regardless.

"Yeah, umm, I'm not lost or anything! Totally not! I totally didn't accidentally get on the wrong train meant for summer camp because I totally flopped on my grades! Totally, ahaha! but... This place looks way cooler than some lame boot camp in the the middle of nowhere. I don't think anypony would notice if I hid out here for awhile, mwehe~ besides, you all seem cool! I've  never had any friends older than me."

She smiled, looking at everypony she came with and the outskirts of Friendshire. Dynamo seemed nice, so she decided to stick close to him for now.

The blue stallion smiled as he learned that someone else was into video games like he was. While he didn't exactly approve of a young filly playing violent video games. He could let it slide somewhat as this grandpa of her's sounded really kind. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who plays video games. What kind of games do you like to play? Any particular favorite in general? The last one I played had me go on some adventure. At the same time, collecting badges to compete in some competition. You have these magical creatures that helped battle for you, while helping to build bonds. I think it was called Pokemon, but I can't say for sure. I don't exactly know what game you've played, but it does sound interesting."

Dynamo closed his eyes and smiled slightly as he could hear the filly stumble upon her words. She didn't exactly sound like the type of pony to lie. "I see..." He would say, trying to find the right words to find. He could understand the young filly wanting to get out of something that would teach responsibility. He didn't want to sound rude, but he didn't want to be a bad influence either. "Did you happen to go with anybody on the train ride over here? I would hate to have your mom, dad or grandpa to worry about you. I can imagine they'd miss you very much. I will admit that lying, running away and things like that aren't the right thing to do. Even if the boot camp might seem boring, but I guess I don't really know that much about you. You said you flopped on your grades. Did you happen to not do well in any classes?" He wondered as he could relate. Given his time in his old hometown, he remembered being bullied for different reasons. He smiled kindly at the filly mentioning the word friend. "It's really kind of you to say that. It may seem difficult to believe, but I've never really exactly had what you'd call a friend. By the way, what's your name? My name is Dynamo Pad, but you can call me Dynamo." 

They hadn't talked for long, but Dynamo could tell that this filly was very kind. She sounded as if she could get into some trouble, but she also seemed to mean very well. Perhaps he could try and make a few friends while he was at this town. 

[Bastian 13,319]

@ExplosionMare

Oh well, I guess we'll have to find out on our own. 

It wasn't until he answered that he acknowledged the fact that she was an artist.

Oh and by the way, what kind of artist are you?

He just hoped that he was doing fine in his attempt of making new friends.

[ExplosionMare 18,062]

@Bastian

“Oh, as far as what I use, I’m mainly a pencil and colored pencil artist, but as far as what I draw, I’m an object artist,” Pencil stated. She beamed at the fact that somepony took interest in her career, then continued,

“I like to draw objects and find some sort of meaning behind them. Sometimes I draw them just the way they are and sometimes I change their positions to give them a different perspective,”  

[Bastian 13,319]

@ExplosionMare

That's certainly interesting, but what kind of different object could you find here?

So far she seemed like a nice pony, things were going far better than what he had expected. Hopefully, everypony he met would be as nice as her.

[Emerald Claus 24,865]

@Samurai Equine @Windy Breeze

Fable walked closer to the two ponies and stared blankly at both of them. Then, in a low tone she finally spoke, "New ponies you shall meet, in a town hiddin right under your feet." She nodded her head, "It all makes sense now."