Herp-The one and only moth. Ch.5 “Cross City Conundrum.”

>*Great, this is just great. It’s been at least two hours since my little talk with Celestia and I STILL haven’t found any place to stay. Everywhere I go, I’m followed my strange looks and whispers behind my back. I’m not surprised, by any means, but it’d be nice not to be the center of everyones’ attention. Either way, I’ve been to three places already. One charged way too much, I couldn’t afford it for a week with the money I have. Another threw me straight out without even letting me get a word out! Rude. And the last place I’ve been too claimed to be full up. Pssh. Well regardless, I’m guessing I’ll have to ask a guard for help. There’s two right there. Probably on patrol or something.*

“Hey, guards!”

>-With a quizzical look-”Uuh, yes… Civilian?”

“Yes, well, I’m looking for a place to stay for the night. I’ve already been to “Cloudy covers”, ”The velvet sheets” and “Commoners commons”. I couldn’t afford one of those and the others didn’t let me in.”

>”I can’t imagine why’d they do that…”

>*Yeah, sure…*

>You give a gloomy look to him and don’t say anything else, awaiting his actual response. Instead, the other guard speaks up.

>”Ahem, well yes. I have some troubling news for you… Uuuh-?”

“Pollen, Pollen Seed.”

>”Yes, I have some troubling news for you, Pollen Seed. I’m afraid those are all the places you could have gone to in Canterlot. This isn’t a city as any other regular one. Canterlot is a luxurious place to be living in, anypony who lives here either has a special invitation from Celestia or Luna themselves, or has a fairly high social standing within the community of Equestria. Usually “Commoners commons” takes care of any cheaper tourists. “Cloudy covers” is famous for having beds as soft as the clouds themselves, that’s why they charge so much. And “The velvet sheets” is a very high class inn. They don’t let tourists in. I’m not sure why “Commoners commons” didn’t take you in. I have yet to hear of them being picky.”

“They said they were packed full.”

>”Well that can’t be right. They have several inns scattered throughout Canterlot. I’m sure they must have had at least one room somewhere.”

>*I’m pretty sure they had a room but just decided to be picky today.*

“Well, if none of those places took me in, do you have any suggestions on what I should do?”

>”I believe it would be best for you to head down to Ponyville and find a place there. You’ve got wings so it shouldn’t be too hard to get down there. Once you get to the edge of Canterlot grounds, you should be able to see it way below. It’s about an hour’s flight.”

“Right. Well, thank you for the assistance. I’ll be leaving this city I guess.”

>”No problem, Pollen. It’s our duty to help those in need.”-as they both walk off

>*Well this is just great. Fan-freaking-tastic, now I have to go to this “Ponyville” place and try finding someplace there. If I weren’t so distracted by that whole Saturniidae thing, I would have remembered to ask Celestia for a place to stay! And now… Ugh… Either way, I should start going right away, it’s almost turning dusk. By the time I get there it’ll already be twilight. And they’re sure to light up the streets in the city. I’ll have to focus a lot if I’ll want to avoid them and not fall asleep in the middle of the street…*-as you start to trot towards the edge of the city.

>*It wouldn’t be the first time I fall asleep in the middle of the street. That wouldn’t normally happen in our village, but I managed to sleep in on my training days quite a bit, so as punishment, my coach would make me sleep out on the street.*-as you start taking low flight. Still not at the edge of town, but it’s a little faster than trotting.

>*Well whatever the case may be, I need to get to Ponyville as fast as I can right now. He said it would take an hour, but taking into account I’m a Mothpony and not a Pegasus, it’ll take an hour and a half.*-as you speed up in flight, rushing towards the edge of the city.

>One uneventful trip later.

>*So I made it to Ponyville. Before twilight, too. When the guard said an hour, he probably meant an hour at cruise speed. This distance was laughable. It’s surprising how this fairly small town is so close to the most prestigious one in Equestria. Well I guess I should be thankful for the streetlights still being out. There’s nopony out, though. No one to ask directions from. I guess I’ll just go to a store and ask for directions.*

>*Okay, this looks like a shop. “Quills and Sofas”… That’s an odd assortment of goods. Regardless, need to hurry.*

>-After the *Brring* of the doorbell, the shop owner hails you-”Greetings and welcome to-… to, to quills and sofas. Would you like a quill or a sofa?”

“Neither, I’m afraid. I’m looking for directions. Could you by chance tell me where the nearest inn is?”

>”The nearest inn? Hmm… That’d be “Haystack padding”. Once you get out of this store, continue forward until you hit an area with a fountain in the middle, after that, take the second path to the left and keep going as you look to the right. If you look at the signs, you shouldn’t miss it.”

“Thanks, are there any other places I could go to if that doesn’t work out?”

>”Any that’ll take you in at this hour? Hardly. Trust me, kid. They don’t care WHO sleeps in their rooms, they aren’t exactly the epitome of luxury either. But at least you’ll have a quaint place to stay. You’re travelling through town I take it?”

>*Hmpf. You don’t even care that you just blatantly insulted me, do you?*

“I’ll be staying here for a week, maybe more.”

>”Oooh, well. Best of luck to ya. Maybe tomorrow you can try and get a better place to sleep in, before the innkeepers are sleepy themselves.”

“Yeah, I’ll try that.”-as you turn your back to the shopowner and leave through the door with the *Brring* sound.

>*I’m hoping not everypony’s as inconsiderate in this town. It’s a small town, usually these are very friendly! Whatever, keep going straight till I reach the fountain area. Well this is it. Second road to the left. That’s it.*

>*It’s getting fairly dark now. I’m surprised the street lights still aren’t on. Some of the windows already. Have.. Lights… In them… So… Pretty… OH WAIT, SHIT. GOTTA RUN, GOTTA RUN. Dammit, why does that light have to look so inviting?? Why do all of them have to look so inviting?? Light means warmth. Light means safe. Light good… Light… DAMMIT. KEEP GOING, POLLEN. Looking to the right, the sign “Haystack padding”. AH! Perfect! Just as I was getting to be des-… Des-… -perate… Light’s… Inside…*

>You become entranced by the lights inside of the very inn you’re supposed to go sleep in. You can’t think to go up to the door and open it. Instead, you go up to the window peering straight into the light bulb. And *Clink* it with your hoof. Nothing changes. Another *Clink*. Nothing changes. You want something to change. You desperately want to get closer. *Clink* again… Nothing changes. You can’t think of what else to do. Your head’s not working. You don’t want the light to change. You just want to get closer. So you *Clink*again. But the light goes out.

>*What. Wait what? No. Noooooo. Come baaaack.*

>The door is opened by the inn keeper and he gets your attention.

>”You, moth. Come in then.”

-Standing dazed and confused-”… M-Me?”

>”Yes, you. I don’t see any other mothponies around here. Come in.”

>You both go in to the inn, it seems quaint and dark. Just the way you like it.

>”Well then, moth. It’s really late in the evening and you’re a moth. There’s only one reason your kind comes here and that’s to spend the night. Its 4 bits a night, almost dirt cheap. And that’s almost what you’re getting.”

“… Well, um. Yes. 4 bits, then?”

>*Seems like this pony’s met a lot of moths in his time. K so where were those bits stored in the satchel? 4 bits really is dirt cheap though. And I really don’t care if I do get nothing but dirt in the room. I’m paying just for being saved from the street. Here they are.*

“Here then. 4 bits for a room. May I ask? Do you meet a lot of mothponies?”

>”… None like you I’ll say that for sure. But yeah, I meet a lot of your kind here. Get two or three almost every week.”

“I see, yeah that seems about right. The expeditions to Equestria tend to happen either in pairs or with one extra at most.”

>”They all say that.”

“I can imagine. So uuh, which is my room then?”

>”Go down the corridor to your right, to the fifth room on your left. There you’ll find your bed, a table ‘n a chair. Nothing special, but yer payin’ for the most basic of stuff. The bathroom’s left to that corridor, right there. It’s a shared one, but it’s clean. I make sure of that.”

“Thank you.”

>”Yer lucky. I was about to go to sleep myself. Hadn’t you been clankin’ at that window, I wouldn’t have let you in.”

”So if I had just come in the door you wouldn’t have let me in?”

>”I would have. But if you weren’t a moth, you’d be on your own. I like your kind better than the ponies in this town. If nothing else, all of y’all know what humility and respect means.”

“Huh. Well thank you again. Good night.”

>”’night then.”-as he locks the door to the outside and closes the shutters of the windows right before the streetlights come on.

>*Okay, so. Fifth room on the left. This is it then. The door’s *creak*-y. Huh. This isn’t THAT bad. A hay stuffed bed, pillow and blanket, both seem clean, not even dusty. Table and chair. I’ve definitely had worse. I’ll just place my bag on the table and go to sleep I suppose. I’ll need to either find another place tomorrow or find something to do in town. Maybe the inn keeper will have some recommendations. Either way. For now. G’night… Self…*- you say as you plom your whole body on the bed and cover yourself up.