Chapter 2: Just One of Those Days in Ponyville
Noteworthy Music, Ponyville
It hasn’t been the best of times for Noteworthy. He was in therapy for PTSD and mild gynophobia since mating season ended. Not to mention the issue of his new wife…
At least he could enjoy peace in his music shop. The blue stallion managed a rare smile, at least rare after the incident, as he looked around the walls of instruments and shelves stacked with various items used to maintain or enhance said instruments. He took a deep breath and immersed himself in the smell of wood varnish and brass polish. Yes, all was right here.
Suddenly the door opened.
He tensed at the creaking of the door and the tinkling sound of the bell. This was followed by a sigh of relief, it was just a customer.
“Welcome to Noteworthy Music, how may I be of help?” he asked putting on his professional shopkeeper voice.
“I’m just here to see what sheet music you have in stock,” said the teenage filly.
“Ah, that’s upstairs and on the left wall. Do you need assistance?”
“No, I’m just browsing for now.”
“Okay, I’ll be here if you need anything,” he said letting the filly trot up to the second floor. He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. It was still a little difficult talking to the female customers.
“It’s so cute seeing you at work,” said somepony from behind him.
“AAAGGHHH!!!”
Noteworthy nearly leaped out of his skin when he heard the sound he dreaded the most.
The sound of his wife’s voice.
“Notey, love, I don’t think that ceiling light is going to support your weight,” said Octavia looking up at her husband as he clung to a well-crafted ceiling lamp. It was a strange ritual that she didn’t completely understand, but if that was what her husband liked to do then she supported him. Maybe he secretly yearned to be a thestral?
“Wh-wha-what are you doing here?!” he screamed.
“You don’t need to shout, I can hear you just fine,” said the grey earth pony pleasantly. She turned her head and reached her mouth into the saddlebag she had slung over her back. Retrieving a brown paper back with the worth “Notey” and a heart drawn on it, she held it proudly in her teeth before placing it on her desk. “I made you lunch since I’m heading out of town today. It’s low in sodium, your doctor insists we must do everything to lower your blood pressure.”
She looked at him oddly for a moment. “It’s strange, in the years I’ve been coming here, I’ve never thought you were in poor health. Is this is recent development?”
Noteworthy sputtered something between belligerent curses and unintelligible syllables that she has yet to make the connections. Unfortunately he lost his concentration and thus, lost his grip and fell painfully on the oak counter.
“Dear, perhaps you should place some cushions underneath the next time you want to play thestral,” sighed the cellist. “Well, now that you have your lunch, I’m off to Canterlot and if you get hungry before I get home remember to stay away from high sodium foods. I should be back late.”
She gave him an affectionate nuzzle before trotting merrily out the door. She failed notice the stallion’s familiar eye twitch return.
“Excuse me, do you carry any more in the jazz genre?” asked the teenage filly. She saw Noteworth lying on his back on the counter with his eye twitching in pain and mute frustration. “Um, is this a bad time?”
Ponyville Station
Two thestrals glided silently towards the modest depot on the east end of town. Despite her sergeant’s objections, Cave Flower believed this was a logical place to begin their ruthless hunt for the letter writer.
“I think we’re supposed to just find his name, skipper,” said FSG Granit Wall.
“Hush, I know what I’m doing.”
“I have doubts about that.”
“Look just act natural,” insisted Cpt. Flower striking what she must have thought was a natural pose for a pony who wanted to blend into a crowd. Wall for his part wondered if his superior had ever blended in.
The dozen ponies waiting for the next train and the station master all started at them in utter confusion.
Out of the corner of her mouth, Cave Flower whispered a little too loudly, “They seemed to have spotted us. Why are they all staring at us?”
“Probably because we’re still wearing our Lunar Guard armor,” deadpanned Granit Wall. The mare looked down at the lavender and dark blue that signified the Princess Luna’s Honor Guard Regiment.
“Huh… you, railroad official! The Lunar Guard requires your assistance!” she barked at the stallion behind the ticket window. He raised an eyebrow at her.
“Do you have a bathroom we can change in?” asked Granit politely, pushing his superior out of the way.
“In the waiting room,” answered the station master.
“Thank y-” He was cut off midsentence as he was dragged behind his officer.
“It’s gonna be one of those days in Ponyville,” grumbled the station master as he pulled out a newspaper.
A couple minutes later…
The two thestrals were trotting down the streets of Ponyville. Their dark colors and thick scruffy fur that was characteristic of their race made them stand out compared to the pastel or bright colors of other ponies.
“I feel as if we are being watched,” said Cave Flower, again whispering a little too loudly.
“Well, Ponyville doesn’t seem to have any thestrals living here according to the latest census,” said Granit Wall as he checked his smart phone. “So they’re probably not used to seeing our kind.”
“Hmmm, so much for a covert investigation,” murmured the captain. She suddenly seized a yellow pegasus pony with a long pink mane passing by. “YOU!!! REVEAL YOUR SECRETS!!!”
“Eeeepp!!!”
“Making friends, ma’am?” asked Sgt. Wall with a sigh.
“I’m getting results!” she barked at her company sergeant. “She will be our first lead! I don’t see you doing anything!”
“Skipper, I think she fainted,” said the stallion rolling his yellow eyes.
Cave Flower looked at the mare she was holding. “So she has.”
The pegasus was released and made an odd noise, like a pet’s squeak toy, when she hit the ground.
“Well this is getting us nowhere.”
“Perhaps we should try finding this Spike Sparkle, aka Spike the Dragon. You know, the thing we were told to do in the first place,” suggested Granit Wall hopefully.
“Yes, I agree.”
“Thank Luna.”
“YOU!!! WHERE IS THIS SPARKLING SPIKE?!!” shouted Captain Flower grabbing another passerby.
First Sergeant Wall face-hoofed and wondered what his princess would think of their progress so far.
Princess Luna’s Royal Chambers, Canterlot
“It’s high midnight!”
“Haha! Thine killstreak has been doubled!”
The Royal Throne Room, Canterlot
Princess Celestia found herself in Day Court listening to a delegation from the southern provinces hoping for funds to build a waterpark. Why they wanted to build that in the far south which was mostly desert was beyond her and apparently beyond the Parliament since they had thought infrastructure was a better use of the taxpayers’ bits. This was the reason Celestia had established a constitution so that she could pawn the more annoying ponies whining and complaints on Senate or House of Royals, but n~oooooooooo, they still managed to find their way in Day Court when they couldn’t get elected officials to listen to them.
“And if you look here at Slide #149, you can see that by redirected about 17,500,000 gallons of rainwater from these rural areas we should be able to sustain a workable waterpark and given the mean average temperature it should be flowing with customers daily,” explained a stallion.
That completely ignored the fact that hardly anypony lived in that region because it was desert. Well there was some idiotic town called Appleloosa that had the poorly conceived idea that apple farming in a desert climate was somehow more economically sensible than mining ore or oil drilling, selling those products, and then use the funds to buy the things they can’t produce locally and have them imported through the national railway network like any civilization that had industrialize infrastructure, but did she know, she had the wisdom and experience from ruling for thousands of years.
“So you want Cloudsdale to divert millions of gallons in rainwater from some of the most productive farmlands in the entire principality for your waterpark?” asked Celestia deadpanned.
“I’m sure it won’t affect the much,” said the stallion confidently
.
“Well, I will review it carefully before sending you my response,” said Celestia kindly. She planned to stamp with a resounding no the second they were out of the throne room.
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” said the stallion bowing deeply before leaving.
The Solar Princess slouch in her seat and rubbed her eyes with a forehoof. Her heart was even less into Day Court than she normally was. “What’s next on the docket, Raven?”
“There is a group demanding that we abolish Wednesdays so that the week is shorter.”
“Do we have to listen to them?” groaned the alicorn.
“We could lock the door, turn out the lights, and pretend we’re not home.”
Celestia chuckled a little. “Oh how I wish. But duty calls. Guards, send in the next group.”
A guard in gold armor saluted and turned smartly towards the main entrance.
Two hours later Celestia’s eyes had glazed over. Her mind drifted. Who was this mysterious pony that dared to write such wonderful words to his princess? Was it a him? Celestia didn’t mind mares and Equestria had always been rather liberal on that front. It mattered more of the quality of the pony. Like Bright Heart, she had been kind soul who filled their time together with love. Celestia almost smiled wolfishly thinking how that pink unicorn was unrivaled in the bedroom.
“I must never tell Cadence about her great-great-great grandmother,” muttered Celestia.
“What was that, Princess?” asked the ponies giving their presentation.
“What? Oh, I said that I agree,” said Celestia quickly.
“You do?”
“Yes?”
“That’s great! Thank you, Your Majesty. We should be able to have it done before noon.”
“That’s wonderful, my little ponies,” said Celestia in her usual motherly tone. The excited group left immediately to carry out their plans. “Raven, who were they, what did I agree to, and how much will it cost us?”
“They were the Giant Rubber Band Ball Enthusiast Club. It will cost us nothing, but you just consented to let them hold races to see whose balls can get to the bottom of these mountains first.”
“Well what’s the worst that can happen? At least it can’t be worse than the time I got distracted and accidently sent Twilight only two tickets to the Gala instead of seven.”
Ponyville
Two pegasi walked through the town center towards the train station. One was black with a light grey mane and the other was grey with a dark mane and wearing a T-shirt.
“So… about that shirt, kiddo…”
“I don’t want to talk about it…” grumbled Rumble.
“At least tell me how much longer you have to wear that stupid thing,” said Thunderlane. It had been a very bad season for both him and his brother.
“Believe me I’m taking this off the moment we’re out of the town limits,” said the colt glaring down at the white shirt with “Property of Scootaloo Dash” written in red letters on it. “She’s not even a Dash.”
“Seems to me the least of your problems, but better that than what happened to Caramel. And hey, we’re finally going to Vanhoover,” he said trying to cheer up his little brother.
“What is it with you and Vanhoover?”
“Look, the point is we’re getting out of this town for a couple of days. You and me, two dudes on an adventure and away from our problems for a bit.”
Rumble smiled a bit. “Well, when you put it like that, Vanhoover does sound pretty nice.”
“That’s the spirit! Now let’s get out of Ponyville before something happens like-”
The pegasus stallion was interrupted by a dark chestnut brown thestral with lavender eyes tackled him to the ground. “You! Where is Spiral the Dragon?!”
“Who?” gasped an understandably confused Thunderlane look up at the aggressive thestral towering over him. Even by Ponyville standards this was a bit odd. Not quite weird, but odd.
“You heard me! Spine the Dragon!” she bellowed as she pointed an angry hoof at him.
“That was definitely not the same thing you said before,” said Rumble trying to make sense.
“Ugghh! Doesn’t anypony know anything in this town?!” she shouted in frustration before spreading her leathery wings and flying off.
Were rooted in place by shear confusion before a second thestral, this one grey with a dark blue mane and yellow eyes landed next to them. “Excuse me, did you see another thestral recently?”
The brothers pointed.
Sgt. Wall sighed and thank them before following his superior.
The brothers watched the second thestral leave.
“Shit, it’s going to be one of those days. Let’s get out of here before everything spirals out of control,” said Thunderlane.
He grabbed their bags and his brother and flew off at top speed towards the station before whatever happened, happened.
Golden Oaks Library
“Spike!” called Twilight.
“Down here, Twilight!” called back Spike as he swept the floor.
“Did you send that report to Princess Celestia like I asked?”
“Of course, it was on my checklist,” said Spike.
“Well I’m glad you’re organized, but if you did what’s this?” she asked levitating a scroll that was bound by a ribbon.
“Oh, that’s the my latest plan for Rarity. It’s the world’s greatest love letter.”
“Spike, I think she’s seeing someone,” said Twilight cautiously.
“Not after seeing that, Twi. I poured my heart and soul into it. It’s a letter so mind blowing and romantic that no one, not even royalty could resist it,” said Spike learning on the broom and smiling broadly.
As much as she worried Spike was going to get his heart broken in the end, she couldn’t help but think he was so cute when got like this.
“Well, do you mind if I saw this mind blowing romantic letter to check for spelling error,” she said in her big sister tone she often adopted when speaking her Spike.
“Go right on away,” said Spike with no hesitation.
Twilight giggled and unrolled the letter. Her eyes started to move across the page and her smile started to wane.
Seeing the alicorn’s expression Spike started to lose some of the confidence he felt. “What? Is it my grammar? My spelling? I can fix the typos.”
“No, Spike, it’s not that.” She turned the letter to face him. “This is my friendship report.”