Verity (WIP)

>You never planned on being a dad when you found yourself in Equestria.
>You really didn't know what you were going to do.
>The ponies are nice, and they've done a lot to make you feel welcome. But the loss of your home, and family, and everything else, had rendered you listless and vacant.
>Sometimes, you went on these long walks around the countryside beyond Ponyville. It was always nice to be in nature. The buzzing of insects and gentle swaying of the tall grass and wildflowers could almost make you feel like you were back on Earth, wandering over some empty prairie.
>One day, as you went further than ever before, you came across an old house. The faded gray wood construction squatted behind blonde heads of wheat in the flat land, and you initially thought it to be a boulder.
>It was only one story tall, and it's two windows were smashed out, revealing black caves leading deeper inside.
>Curiosity peaked, you went to it. The late Summer evening sun was starting its descent, but it's not like you had to fear the dark in this place.
>As you approached, you stepped over a rickety old fence half-sunk into the earth, and old tools and broken glass covered the dry soil.
>You bent down and lifted the remains of an old trowel, still designed just as they were back home.
>The glass under your boot crackled, making the first sound outside of the gentle wind.
>Another sound came from inside the house, and you were suddenly alert. Shifting wood and glass.
>You rose back up and caught something in one of the windows. Blonde hair and perked little brown ears darted back behind the window sill.
>Feeling slightly less alarmed, you watch for a moment, but nothing comes back up.
"...Hello?"
>You call to the house and step closer. You hear the inhabitant scuffling across a creaking wooden floor.

>Poking your head through the window, you see that the inside of the house is as worn as the outside. The rotting wooden floorboards are giving way to hard dirt, some of the walls have collapsed, and shelves and old portraits lay overturned all over the place.
>Surely no one could be living in this squalor....
>You push open the door and head inside. Old floral wallpaper drapes off the walls.
>You pick up one of the portraits on the floor. It depicts an older stallion and mare, with a tiny filly between them. Only the little brown filly is smiling.
>She has a long golden mane and hazel eyes. And a white diamond paints her forehead and the bridge of her nose.
>You suppose she was the one you saw.... She's not a ghost, is she?
>Your neck tingles at the thought; Equestria is a strange place, and it sounds entirely possible to you.
>You gingerly step over other mementos and head through another doorway. An old hallway continues to the end of the house, where light pours in from a broken window. Another doorway is at the very end.
>You head down that way.
"Is anyone here?"
>Still no sound. It's possible that whoever was here jumped out a window.
>Or walked through a wall.
>You reach the doorway and peak your head in, and its empty.
>Walking inside, you observe how this room is significantly more cluttered than anywhere else. A ruined bed dominates the room, though it's been rotted through and you can see the floor underneath it. A pile of old fabrics and hay formed a nest in the corner. Pictures and old books lay around it like a little shrine. By the old clothes, there sits a ragged old pony doll.
>You don't know what colour it's supposed to be, but it's a pale beige now. And the long country dress it wears is torn and filthy.
>You grab it by the ear and carefully lift it up, trying to touch it as little as possible.
>Made of woven fabric and seemingly filled with cotton.

>You hear a sniffle behind you, clear as day.
>Wheeling around, there's a skinny brown filly hanging halfway through the window. A white diamond adorns her face, just like the filly from the pictures. Her eyes go wide in shock and she backpedals out the window.
"Oh- Hello."
>She doesn't respond, and she falls back out the frame onto the ground outside. You hear her yelp pitifully.
>You head to the window and look outside to see the filly limping into the tall grass.
"Wait!"
>She passes half into the wheat, then turns and looks at you. Her matted tail is tucked between her legs, and her ears are pinned to her head like a frightened dog.
>Or a frightened pony.
>Big hazel eyes watch you fearfully, and she trembles like a leaf.
"Hey there... I'm sorry, did I scare you?"
>She doesn't respond, and only whimpers.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know anyone was living here. I'm going to leave, okay?"
>She vanishes into the grass. And you sigh and head out.

>That night, you couldn't sleep. That poor filly looked like she was on her last legs. It seemed like she was alone out there as well....
"...Alright."
>You rise out of bed and start putting some things together.
>The morning couldn't come fast enough. You had the day off, thankfully, so you took your care package and started on your way to the house.
>Morning dew rested over the country, not yet cold enough to be frost. By the time you reached the house, the sun was well up.
>You came to the front door of the house and listened. Nothing could be heard.
>Maybe you should just leave this stuff at the front... But for all you know, some other pony may come along and take it all. Or an animal will drag it off.
>You convince yourself to sneak around to the window by the hallway. Peaking inside, you still see nothing.
>But then you hear a raspy little cough from the bedroom.
>You listen a bit longer, but nothing else is heard. But you think that's enough.

>You carefully unzip your backpack and retrieve the gifts from inside.
>A rolled up blanket, big enough for a pony, but too small for a human, a pillow, a bag of carrots, and a bag of strawberries.
>Living in a small town allowed you easy access to a lot of hoof-made products and produce. So this is no great loss to you.
>You reach inside and lower the items to the ground, right outside the room. Then you back off as quietly as you came.

>The rest of your day was uneventful and filled with an odd apprehension. You really wanted to know how that filly felt when she found your gifts, but you didn't want to impose. After all, overbearing charity is almost as bad as none at all.
>You thought you'd pay a visit to the local government and ask about her.
>Thankfully, there's always a princess on hand.
>You find her in the town market, which doubles as a sort of community gathering point.
"Hello, Twilight?"
>The lavender alicorn stops checking out radishes and looks up at you.
>"Oh, hello, Anon. How are you?"
"Good enough. Hey, I had something I wanted to ask you."
>She perks up.
>"Of course! Would you like to more about pony culture?"
"Sort of, you see... I went for a walk the other day out in the country."
>"Walks are very good for you, Anon. They allow you to exercise and take in the beauty of nature at the same time."
"...Yes. But I came across an old house out there. I thought it was abandoned."
>Again, she interrupts you, raising a hoof.
>"Sometimes farmponies must leave their homesteads behind, either for financial or familial reasons."
"Yeah, yeah. But listen, the house wasn't abandoned. There was a filly living there."
>"Farmers provide Equestria with all the delicious food crops that- Wait, just a filly?"
"I think so, she was really scared of me. But I went by there this morning and left her some food and stuff. I was just wondering if you'd come out there and check it out later?"

>Twilight shook her head.
"Not later, Anon! If there's a filly all alone out there, then we need to help her now!"
>She marches off, and you follow behind.

>Back in the country, the two of you walk quietly for a bit.
>You know her since she and her friends helped you quite a bit when you first came to Ponyville, but you were never exactly friends.
>"So this house, was it in disrepair?"
"Advanced disrepair. I don't think anyone's been living there for quite a while."
>"Are you sure you didn't see a ghost?"
"Are ghosts real?"
>"...N-no."
"So how could a filly be left out here by herself? I don't understand how that happens. Did her family just die and nobody noticed?"
>"Anon!"
"Well, what do you think?"
>"I think... I mean, maybe she ran away from home?"
"I don't believe so. The house has pictures in it that look like her."
>"Oh..."
>You both arrive at the house, and it's as dead as usual.
>You sneak around the side and look in the window. The care package was gone.
>Coming back out front, Twilight is waiting for you.
"Well, she took the gifts I left her. She'll probably still be here."
>"Alright, I'll go in first."
"I'm coming too."
>"Anon, you're big strange monkey... No offense."
>You sigh.
"Fine, go ahead."
>Twilight steps inside.
>"...Hello? Is anypony here?"
>No response as usual, but she continues inside.
>"My name is Twilight Sparkle, I live in Ponyville. My friend Anon was worried about you...."
>You smile slightly when she calls you a friend. Ponies are so quick to love.
>"No, just wait a moment!"
>glass clatters by the hallway window, and you walk over and see the filly tumbling onto the ground. She's as thin as last time, but now she has a carrot in her teeth.
>She sees you and yelps, then turns to run for the wheat. But then stops short.
>You haven't moved, but she turns and looks at you again. Then down at the carrot she has in her teeth.
>You raise a hand in greeting.
"Hi there, I'm Anon. Did you like the gifts?"

>She sniffles and looks you up and down, then eyes the grass again.
>Then Twilight comes crawling through the window.
>"Wait! Just hold on a second!"
>The filly whimpers and bolts away again, disappearing into the grass.
"Twilight..."
>She plops out the window and onto the grass.
>"What?"
"I think there's a better way to do this."
>Twilight rights herself and brushes off some debris.
>"What do you have in mind?"
"Well, if we chase her, then she's just going to be afraid of us. So we need to gain her trust first."
>"Of course! You said that you left her a care package earlier, right?"
"That's right."
>She hops excitedly.
>"Then we'll leave her another one! And if we can show that we only want to help her, then she might agree to come with us to Ponyville!"
>She turns back to the grass, calling loudly.
>"We're going to be back later tonight, okay? Anon and I bring you some more gifts!"
>Twilight smiles and nods at you, then to the grass.
"Uh... Yeah! Yeah, we'll bring more...S-stuff."

>The rest of the day was spent picking up odds and ends to bring out there. You surely didn't know what to get a little filly, and Twilight wasn't a mom either, so you paid a visit to a few more of her friends. Applejack's little sister donated one of her own ribbons, as well as some toys. Rarity and her sister offered up additional blankets and some very pretty garments that would not last very long in that filly's living conditions. And Rainbow Dash and her sister, not wanting to be outdone, offered up a whole skateboard.
>Twilight put together a little book collection to give her.
>And for your part, you just gathered up another blanket and pillow, and some cupcakes from the local bakery.
>As the sun was setting You and Twilight began your walk back to the house.
>"I hope she likes the books I picked for her!"
>Twilight almost skipped with enthusiasm. You trailed along, just happy to be helping as you carried the bulk of the cargo.
"What did you pick out?"

>Twilight levitates the books one-by-one out of her saddlebag and they orbit around her head.
>"Just some books I liked to read when I was a little filly!"
>She highlights each one in turn. The first one has some scribblings between two cartoonish alicorns.
>"A tale of two princesses,"
>The next has a little pony wearing a knight's helmet standing at the entrance of a cave, containing a big green dragon.
>"The Pony and the Dragon,"
>This one depicts an older mare and a young filly cuddling over an open book.
>"The Joys of Studying,"
"Oh, Twilight-"
>The second last one has a faded cover depicting an old castle with a sparkling shield around it.
>"And 'An History of Magic in Equestria from the Perspective of the Royal Wizard, Starswirl the Bearded'!"
"Twilight..."
>She focuses on you with a sparkle in her eye.
>"Yes?"
"I don't know if most little girls read books that... Heavy."
>Twilight laughs sheepishly.
>"Heh, w-well, maybe it's a little advanced..."
"What's that one?"
>You nod at the last book she has in her magic grasp. It's a small purple booklet with a bookmark sticking out of it. Twilight smiles brightly and hovers it to you.
>"Oh, just the most important book of all!"
>It opens in front of you, and reveals empty pages with little lines on them.
>"It's a journal! And I'm bringing a stack of writing utensils so she can write down her thoughts, or even just make some notes about her day! My friends and I have kept a friendship journal for quite some time, and it's been very helpful in allowing us to reflect on our experiences together."
"...Writing utensil? You mean pencils?"
>"Ohoho, not just pencils, colouring pencils and crayons, and pens, too!"
>You can't help but chuckle at her rampant enthusiasm.
"I think you're going to spoil her."
>Twilight smirks.
>"Thank you."

>You both arrive at the old house, and it's the same as the other times. Empty, dark, and silent.
>Twilight cups her mouth and calls out.
>"Hello there! My friend and I are back."
>Waiting for a minute, no response is heard.
>"Alright, if you don't mind, we're coming in..."
>Still nothing.
>You both step into the house. The crackling of debris under your feet covers up any noises that could have been made by the occupant.
>You follow Twilight down the hallway to the filly's "bedroom".
>Twilight stops and stares, and you wait behind her.
"What is it?"
>You whisper, Twilight turns and nods at you to go around.
>You come around her and look inside. The nest that the filly once occupied has been upgraded since you last came.
>The blanket and pillow you donated have been draped over the old fabrics, and the green leaves off a strawberry lay scattered around.
>But no pony is present. You imagine she might be hanging around somewhere, though.
"Maybe we should just leave our gifts here for her to find when she comes back."
>"That's just what I was thinking."
>You both take some time laying out the items you brought. The toys are all laid out around the bed, and the ribbons and clothes are neatly folded and laid on top of it.
>You set the skateboard down on the other side, carefully placing it where it won't roll and knock anything else over.
>Twilight stacks her books on top of each other next to the skateboard, with the journal on top.
>Your final gift, the box of cupcakes, you leave on the bed as well. You open the box and double-check the contents.
>A baker's dozen vanilla cupcakes, frosted with strawberry frosting and rainbow sprinkles... Damn, you wish you could be here to see her eat one.
>Ah well, you close the box and notice that Twilight was eyeing them too. She shakes it off.
>"Well, if this doesn't show her that we care, then I don't know what will!"
"It's a convincing argument we've brought, that's for sure."

>You lead her out the door.
>As you go, you take another look out that popular window. You wonder if that filly even uses her own front door.
>The evening sun once again hangs low, and the gaps between swaying wheat plants give only darkness.
>Except for one, where a little filly's eyes stare back at you. You freeze so suddenly that Twilight bumps into your leg. She whispers.
>"...Is it her?"
"Yeah..."
>You and the filly stare at each other for some time without a sound but the wind.
>You smile at her and raise her hand in greeting. The filly's ears perk up.
>Twilight creeps beside you and slowly eases her way up the window sill.
>But as soon as her horn is in sight, the filly gasps and retracts into the darkness.
>You click your tongue as Twilight rises all the way up.
>"Huh, where is she?"
"She took off again."
>"Oh..."
>Twilight sulks back down to the floor and you follow her out.
>As you both stand in the open by the house, Twilight calls out to her.
>"Okay, we're leaving! We left some more gifts for you!"
>You pause in hope of a response, but nothing comes.
>Twilight looks up at you.
>"Do you want to say something?"
>You scratch the back of your head.
"I... What do I say?"
>"Anything. Let her know that she has friends, and we'll be watching out for her."
>You scan the grass once more and clear your throat.
"Uh, hello? Uh, listen, I know that you don't know us, and we don't know you, but..."
>You look to Twilight again, who nods for you to continue.
"... But, I just want you to know that we're all thinking about you. Twilight and I, and the whole town of Ponyville. Those things we left you were from all of us."
>You consider ending it there, when you hear the slightest rustling in the grass.
"And... No filly should have to live out here, all alone. My... Friend, and I, want to make sure you're cared for. And the other fillies and colts back home want to meet you, too. So, next time we come out here, I hope you feel safe enough to come say hello."

>As you and Twilight continue on your way home, you can't help but look over your shoulder.
>"You know she won't follow us."
"Yeah, I know. I'm just impatient, is all."
>Twilight tilts her head.
>"I want to bring her back to Ponyville, too, Anon. But we should be careful not to frighten her. If we move too fast, then she just as well might run off the moment we aren't watching."
>You nod.
"I know, I know. I'm just worried, is all... I'm going to work tomorrow, so I won't have a chance to check on her until late."
>Twilight giggles and nudges you with a wing.
>"Awe, you really care about her~"
>You feel oddly defensive.
"I-well, yeah. I mean, I don't want anything bad to happen to her. Don't you feel the same?"
>"Of course, Anon. I actually to discuss something with you..."
"And what's that?"
>Ponyville's evening lights are visible. Some nights when you're returning from a spontaneous walk along the countryside, the sight of those lonely oil lamps burning in the pitch black of night could be as gloomy to you as if there were nothing at all. You are still so far from home.
>"Assuming that we DO convince her to come to Ponyville with us, I was considering the matter of her lodging."
>Wait, she doesn't mean to put her up with you, does she?
>"And I think it's in her best interest..."
>Not that you would protest, but... You're not really experienced in caring for anything more than a dog.
>"...If she came and lived with me."
>Oh.
"Oh."
>She shrugs.
>"It's only temporary, of course. I hope that we can extract some information from her and perhaps find some relatives willing to take her in. But until then, I have plenty of room available at the castle. And what kind of filly doesn't want to live in a castle, right?"
"Right."
>"Anon?"
"Yeah?"
>"Are you okay?"
>...Did you sound sad or something? You shrug back.
"Yeah, I'm fine. "
>Twilight just looks at you for a moment, before she breathes.

>You pass the threshold of the town. Crickets sing all around.
>"Thank you for telling me about her, Anon."
>She speaks softly. The praise washes over you like brandy.
>"I know that you've had a hard time adjusting to Equestria. Anypony would struggle to go through what you've been through. But today shows that you have a wonderful heart."
>You don't say anything, you only blink.
>And blink.
>The lamplights dim further. The night is empty. Every window a cave.
>"Anon..."
>You're scanning. You have trouble finding the house when it's so dark.
>"Anon, look at me."
>You don't look. You breathe deeply and let your shoulders sink.
"Yeah?"
>A gentle touch lays against your forearm. You turn instinctively. It's dark out, anyway.
>"Anon,"
"Yeah..."
>"You belong here, too."
>God dammit.
"...It's late."
>You manage to say that much, and you nod to her and step away. Twilight only manages a small smile and a cautious wave when you turn your back.

>Pushing through the door to your wooden and thatch house, the night sounds of the prairies are muted. You shove the door closed and engulf yourself in the black.
>Feeling around, you find the candle that you leave by the entrance. Feeling a bit more, you find the matches. Warm light illuminates your hands, and you hold the candleholder out in front of you, though it gives only the barest hints of your surroundings.
>Stumbling through empty corridors, you come to your bedroom, where there's a more formidable oil lamp. You light it as well.
>Shadows run as your bedroom lights up, and you sit hard on the mattress.
>It'll be a few days before you can comfortably go check on that girl again. You still have obligations to keep, bills to pay, and she'll surely be fine for a few days on her own.
>Twilight will probably take care of everything now....
>What you felt back there is now thankfully subsided. You wish you could say those didn't come often.
"Damn...."
>You curse quietly to yourself and blow out the lights.