Friendly Encounters

Autumn Day shook her mane and stretched her hind legs as she yawned, standing on the top of a low flying cloud. She always fancied sleeping near the ground, but not quite with the reach of others. She had just woken up from a nice nap, and as it was very like her, she had nothing to do. And when Autumn has nothing to do, autumn leaves begin to fall.

She dragged the cloud up high, higher than she'd normally go from, but she wanted this trick to be absolutely spectacular. Absolutely spectacular. Once her cloud was positioned a good ways up above a crowd of ponies, she opened a narrow hole in the cloud, and flew herself up higher than the cloud. She turned upside down, laid her legs up against herself, and shut her wings. "Look down below!" She screamed at the top of her lungs as gravity took it's toll and dragged her to Equestria faster than the crowd of ponies could look up.

And as they did look up, she was dive-bombing towards them. Of coarse, she wouldn't just plunder to the ground in a heaping rage, and so she opened her wings at the last moment and flashed past the panicking crowd, then turned, and flew through one more time. She put out her hind legs and folded her wings as she dove into the ground, taking to a sudden stop. The startled ponies looked at her enraged, as she fell on her backing, laughing at their reaction.

It was strange how a seemingly average day could take such a bizarre twist.

Fireseeker was casually trotting along, minding his own business when he heard a cry from above. He and several others looked up to see a pony falling straight towards them. Panicking for a brief moment, Fireseeker flared his wings and was about to take off in a poor attempt at a rescue when the pony unfurled her own wings and narrowly avoided becoming a lot thinner.

She ended up laughing on the ground, much to the anger of many of the crowd. Fireseeker himself stared at her shocked for a second, then snickered, before chuckling himself.

"That was pretty good," he admitted aloud, mostly talking to himself.

Autumn Day was tearing up when she finally calmed herself. Looking up, she noticed a single pony who was actually laughing other than herself, even if it be just a slight chuckle. She took a chance and flew up to him, floating behind him at first, then above him, dashing about him before she stopped in front of him, looking at him with a question expression, her wings fluttering widely about in a frivolous manner.

"Whatcha laughing at, guy?" She questioned his behavior quickly, ready to judge him right at his reply.

And suddenly there was a pony in his face. Fireseeker blinked in surprise when the mare started orbiting around him, after he had apparently gained his own gravitational pull. He simply grinned back at her.

"Well, that was quite a good prank you pulled. You had everyone going, even me," he admitted. Then he turned slightly doubtful, "Urm, it was a prank, wasn't it? You weren't actually falling...right?"

'She nodded her head. "Actually, I was falling. That was a real fall, you can't fake falls." She nodded her head with a smile. "But, it's true that I fell on purpose. But, who ever heard of a fake fall? You are either being pulled to the ground, or not. It is just a matter of doing it on purpose or not! In this case I was." She spoke in a matter-of-factly tone before flying up a few feet, closing her wings, and falling back down. She landed on her feet before smiling at him.

"But I'll change my mind about falling if you could fake a fall." She laughed, knowing that's not what he maent, but taking him completely literally.

Fireseeker listened to the pegasus talk without saying a word, simply examining her. She seemed very energetic and obviously the type who aims to have a laugh. The prank was prove enough of that alone without her rant about falling.

He laughed with her when she finished. "Gotta admit you're right there. It is kinda hard to fake a fall. Say what's your name? Mine's Fireseeker."

"Autumn Day." She answered quickly. Let see how quick she could make and break a friendship with this guy. Shortest ever lasted was about a day, but she knew she could do much better. She'd lost so many so quickly it had become a sport to her. Why try if it's bound to happen? "Hiya, Mister Fire Seeker!" She put out a hoof quickly. Her smile was kind but her eyes spoke mischief.

Fireseeker was about to comment on what a nice name Autumn Day was when he stopped, rather surprised.

"How'd you know my name?" he asked slowly, his brain running through a bunch of reasons to explain how she knew his name. He reached out his hoof to shake her own.

She squinted her eyes at him, wondering if he was just playing around or not. Seeing an open opportunity, she made the dive. She opened her wings wide and ducked under them, smiling. "I can see into your mind.. How else?" She spoke slowly, bending down towards the ground so she could get under her wings better. She awaited a response, or a reaction of any kind.

Clearly Autumn Day's was playing with him, and apparently having lots of fun with it. Fireseeker simply laughed.

"Of course! How did I not know that?" he replied, in a voice that made him sound sincerely confused, whilst bumping a hoof to his head as if to physically jog his memory.

Then he mimicked the mare's movements, extending his wings and lowering himself to the ground before hiding underneath them. He peaked out his face between his feathery walls to watch her reaction.

Although she knew it seemed rather unlikely, she was mighty happy with his reaction and actually believed that he believed her. She removed her wings and fluttered them with joy before laughing, saying "Just kidding!

"I can't quite read minds but I sure as all get out can read lips!" She spoke, then started to mouth something to see if he can read her lips. You told me your name only moments ago, Fire Seeker.

Now he was getting lost in the silliness of it all. In his depression not so long ago, he'd practically forgotten what it was like to be a young teenage pony like her; being able to simply play around and have some innocent fun.

Fireseeker stood up again, concentrating hard as Autumn seemed to mouth something to him. His talent was in writing, not lip reading but he thought he could understand what she had said. Or at least most of it...

You told me yours not long ago too, Autumn Day, he soundlessly replied.

Well, I guess we are both now acquainted with each other as far as names go. Autumn Day paused and thought. Reading lip conversations are as fun as all get out, but you can't really have them if you don't know what to say. And so she put it bluntly at that. I am plum-bum out of anything to say at the moment. You come up with a topic.
She stretched her hind legs, yawning. Being but only moments ago she was asleep, half of her still thought she was asleep despite her little show a minute before.

Fireseeker was a little lost on the next reading, but he thought he gathered something about being acquainted, and coming up with a topic.

As a matter of fact, he did have a topic that was currently at the front of his mind. Fireseeker had lived in Ponyville for long enough to recognise most faces and names, but neither the face or name of he teenager in front of him seemed familiar.

"So, did you just drop into town today?" he asked with a grin, "Or did you and your parents move in recently?

Autumn Day thought for a moment, wondering how exactly she should answer without seeming suspicious. She put on a bright smile and said, " Oh, was just out visiting. Was thinking about moving though, new faces to mess with and all.. " She said, putting no hint to her being on her own. "Place seems pretty okay. How would you describe this town?" She inquired. It was a nice place, even had a good population of ponies. Plenty of new victims for her pranks, and nobody (except the group who she had just dive bombed into) to suspect it was her.

Fireseeker pondered for a second, sitting down as he thought. He extended a wing and used it to scratch the back of his neck, while a foreleg rubbed his chin.

"Well," he said after a short while, "I would say that Ponyville is quiet. Quieter than a lot of places I've been to anyway, and I've been from Manehattan to Appleloosa. But it's also a very happy and friendly place. Everypony is part of a community where they all know and help each other out, especially when there's some kind of big town problem."

After his decryption, Fireseeker looked back at Autumn. "Why'd you ask?"

"Was just wonderin'. " She said quietly, trying to imagine the town's reaction to something like a stink bomb plant in the flowers. She shook her head. This place was a bit too nice to do something like a stink bomb to. And besides, their reaction might not be all that funny if what Fire Seeker said about them all staying calm in a big town problem was true.

Maybe if they had plenty of things to do here, she'd be able to stay and not do too much harm. She turned to him again, "Are there plenty of things to do here?" She asked. Autumn Day sat down, like Fire Seeker, and played with her wings a bit. "Like, I dunno. Things to keep people busy if they don't have anything to do?"

Fireseeker grinned at Autumn. He'd apparently taken on the role of tourist information but he didn't really mind.

He thought for a brief moment before saying, "There's a bowling alley, a few cafes, restaurants, a park, a cinema, a spa, a library, and a whole marketplace to browse through."

Fireseeker finished his list and chuckled to himself. "So quite a lot to do for a small, sleepy town like this."

She sighed of relief, a sincere smile developing on her face. "That is good news." She scratched her nose with her front left hoof and told the pony in front of her that she'd definitely consider moving here. Sometimes she gets tired of the same ol' faces, so she has to move. But when planning to move, she has a lot of problems making sure that the town she wants to move to will keep her busy.

Sometimes this little pony is just careful enough, worrying other ponies' well being, especially in that of a attack of flying water balloons.

With a smile, Fireseeker looked off into the distance to see Ponyville clock tower. It was getting on into the day and he had several things to take care of. He decided to finish up here and head out.

"Well, I hope you have a good time in Ponyville," he said, spreading his wings and waving them a little, as if testing the air was suitable to fly in. "I've gotta get on with my day, so I guess I'll see you around Autumn."