//------------------------------// // — Chapter Nine — // Story: Finding Friendship // by Kamen-Zero //------------------------------// --- Life of a Librarian --- Golden Oak's door creaked open, letting in the soft morning light shine through into the eerily empty library. Twilight followed the morning rays into the quiet space, bringing noise and color to the interior. The incident last night had left Twilight with less energy then she would have preferred, though it didn't take long to get the young dragon to calm down after his initial frenzy. After that, he had slept peacefully and soundly, much to Twilight's relief. The same, however, could not be said for the alicorn. For one reason or another, she was subject to a rather unfortunate state of restlessness, Twilight periodically waking up spontaneously throughout the night with no provocation. Thankfully though, sleep didn't prove to be entirely elusive to Twilight. And a good few mugs of coffee helped to fill in some of the time she had missed. And having to debate with a bear on who should get more coffee certainly served as a good wake up call. An argument that the bear somehow managed to win, mind you, but Twilight was able to sneak away with enough to hopefully get her through the day. Aside from the young alicorn, the library was uninhabited by any living thing. Absolute silence radiated from the space as Twilight closed the door behind her, unsure if she should even be in here without the resident librarian present. On one hoof she had just been hired by the old sarosian, who had told her to be here at this time. On the other, nothing was official until after she filled out all the required paperwork and whatnot, thus meaning that she was technically trespassing. Fortunately, the conundrum was solved swiftly by the arrival of Mr. Knox, descending the stairs with a loud yawn. "Good morning, Miss Sparkle," Knox spoke slowly through another yawn. He looked as if he had just rolled out of bed from the looks of him. He looked like he had just lost a fight with a tornado if his unkempt mane and exhausted exterior were anything to go off of. "Is it seven o' clock already?" "Are you... feeling alright?" Twilight couldn't help but ask, her concern showing plain as day as she looked over the fatigued pony. "Hmm? Me? Oh, yes, yes. Just a particularly nasty fit of insomnia last night. Happens every now and again. It's no big deal." "That sounds like a big deal, insomnia is no laughing matter." "Neither is a nocturnal trying to adjust to being awake in the day. These are the things I have to deal with." Another yawn signaled the end of this particular thread of discussion, Ponyville's librarian slowly strolling over to the desk, with Twilight following close behind. He gestured to a large stack of papers sitting neatly towards one end. "Here are the forms and whatnot you'll need to fill out. Just the basic bureaucratic nonsense." The first page was magically whisked away to face Twilight, the young mare intently looking over the form. From a moment's glance, it looked like the first page of a citizenship form for Ponyville. Which made sense, it wouldn't be wise to have an unregistered individual working and living in your town. It wasn't the most ideal scenario, but a necessary one to go through. And just as Twilight was about to begin filling in her information, a loud thwack threw off her concentration. "Okay, that was a shelf!" A now wide awake Mr. Knox bellowed, rubbing the sore spot atop his cranium. "Uggh, nothing like blunt force trauma to get the old thinker thinking." "Are you alright?!" "Oh, I'm fine. Or, I will be. My goodness, that hurt!" And with that, the small mountain of documents was put to the wayside as Twilight went to go assist her employer. There didn't seem to be any major damage done by the impact, thankfully enough, but that didn't stop it from hurting any less by Mr. Knox's testimony. Yet even despite that, it didn't take long for the old stallion to get back up on his hooves right as rain. With that distraction taken care of, Twilight was left to be able to fill out her paperwork as the sarosian began his daily tasks as a librarian. --- — --- The days as a librarian began to pass fairly quickly after her paperwork-filled initiation, and once again Twilight found herself sitting behind the library's desk with a short stack of books on either side of her, with one additional text floating before her in an arcane grasp. On one side were the books she had yet to read today, on the other the books she had already finished cover to cover. Today had been her first "slow day" as the second in command at Golden Oak's, with hardly anybody coming in to borrow any books. And with Mr. Knox currently out on business at the local schoolhouse, Twilight was left without her newest conversational-companion. And so, the young alicorn had decided to use today to catch up on her reading. And seeing as how she worked in a library, that wasn't exactly hard to do. Though if one were to take a gander at the books she had gathered, they might have seen a very distinctive theme connecting them all. All were research journals and various other texts on recent discoveries, all published within the last year or so. To anyone who wasn't in the know, it would just seem like she was just curious about Equestria's current knowledge of the world. And in a way, she was. But there was a more specific subject than just "the world" on her mind. No, she was looking for any possible leads on the location of the elusive long dragon. Spike may have wanted to take a break from all of that, and they might be stuck in this town while his injury heals, but that didn't mean that Twilight had to let the trail go cold. The world was a big place, far from fully explored and documented, and new findings were liable to be found every day. She herself had found out about these "timberwolves" just the other day, a phenomenon that was wholly normal to the citizens of Ponyville but entirely alien to her. So who knew? Maybe someone else had found the elusive subspecies Three swift knocks at the door were quick to distract the cloaked pony from delving into Equestria's History. Which was odd seeing as how this was a public building, you didn't need to knock before you came in. Yet whoever was on the other side either didn't know that or just didn't care. This was proven when another three knocks signified that whoever was there was waiting to be let in. This caught Twilight's attention, so much so that she found herself going to answer the door as if this were her home. The rational part of her mind concluded that maybe the pony on the other side of the door was preoccupied and couldn't open it without assistance, such a thing wasn't that far out of the realm of possibility. Not everybody was gifted with a magical horn that could do almost anything for you, after all. But this theory was swiftly disproven when Twilight opened the door only to be greeted by the familiar stone-faced expression of one of Pinkie's sisters, burdened only by the saddlebags on her back. She could have easily opened the door, yet she didn't for some reason unknown to Twilight. "Oh, good," the monotone mare began dryly, "You were the one I was looking for." "Oh, hello again... Maud, was it?" Twilight was relieved when her question was answered with a stoic nod. "Well, uh, what can I do for you?" "I would like to talk to you about some things," Maud continued dryly as she stepped into the nearly abandoned library. "Some things being Pinkie Pie." The disguised alicorn wasn't sure how to feel about that. And the reason why was entirely this mare's expression, there was no way to tell if this conversation was going to be good or bad. If Maud ever got out of the hotel business, she would definitely make a killing at a poker table. But hypothetical gambling aside, all Twilight could do was wait for Maud to continue. She had a few ideas of what this could be about, but again there was no way to know for sure. Finally, Maud broke the silence. "Do you like her?" Caught off guard by the question, Twilight hesitated for a few seconds before answering. "Uhh... I mean, she's nice." "So you don't like her?" "I... didn't say that. I said she was nice." "Does she bother you?" The alicorn furrowed her brow at this, there was something more going on here. Despite Maud's apparent disinterest in—well, everything in general—Twilight's gut told her that this wasn't the first time that this mare had asked these particular questions. And considering Pinkie Pie's normal behavior, Twilight was starting to piece together what was going on. Though as any good mare of science did, she needed more evidence before she could say for sure. "... Not really... Why do you ask?" Maud stared back at Twilight for a moment, her unwavering expression beginning to make Twilight nervous. "I'm sure you've noticed by now that Pinkie is very... social." "Not going to lie... it'd be harder not to notice." "Exactly. Pinkie Pie has always been a very... unique pony. For better and for worse. I just wanted to make sure you're okay with that." Ah, the elder sibling looking out for their younger counterpart, that was something very familiar to Twilight Sparkle considering her relationship with her brother. And seeing Maud looking out for her little sister like this tugged at the alicorn's heartstrings a bit, bringing a warm smile to her face. "Well, she's been fine. A bit much at times, but nothing offensive. She's probably my closest friend in town if I'm being honest." "Good. Please tell her that when you get the chance. She's been a trainwreck for days because she thinks you despise her and want her to stop existing." "I'll be sure to do that. Maybe later today when my shift—Wait, what?!" The warm and fuzzy feeling Twilight was feeling was instantly inverted into a twisted and shocking sensation of an unpleasant surprise. It was safe to say that she was offended by that statement. "I've been nothing but nice to her since we met! Why would she think that?!" "Pinkie Pie has a bad habit of thinking too much," Maud answered without a moment's hesitation, her tone still unchanging. "She'll say or do something, and then hours later she'll think about how it could have hurt somebody's feelings or irritated them and it will absolutely destroy her. And then she'll stay like that for hours." Twilight was left to process that heavy bit of information that had just been thrust upon her. It was a lot to take in all at once, especially considering the dull tone that it had been told to her in. And after taking the time to take in this information, Twilight looked back to the monochromatic pony with an apologetic expression. "Oh... I'm sorry, I didn't mean too—" "It's all in Pinkie's head, it's something that she's been working on. And she's been getting better, but nobody is perfect." For the first time in this conversation, maud showed some semblance of visible emotion. Her eyes closed as she took in a deep breath and slowly released it. "Just tell her that she doesn't bother you. And if she ever does bother you, tell her in the moment. Nicely." "Y-yeah, I can do that." "Thank you. Enjoy your... books." Maud spoke blandly as she turned to make her exit. But before she did, the earth pony stopped and removed her saddlebags. "Oh wait. I almost forgot. There was something else I needed to talk to you about." With that, she began to search through the bags she had brought. And after a few moments, she returned her attention to Twilight. And Twilight had to stifle a scream at what she saw clenched in the teeth of the grey mare. Lavender feathers. Twilight's feathers. She felt her heart stop as she stared at what the earth pony was confronting her with. She couldn't move, she couldn't speak, she could hardly breathe. She could only stand there, gawking at the damning evidence before her. It finally happened, she had finally been found out for what she really was. And it was mortifying. How could she have been so careless? She was sure she had cleaned her tracks "I found these in the room you stayed in," Maud explained through clenched teeth. "Did you think nobody would notice?" "I-I-I-I can explain!" Twilight managed to stammer out, trying desperately to come up with some way to get out of this. "You don't need too. The jig is up." Maud dropped the feathers back into her bag before continuing. "You snuck an exotic bird into my hotel." "I'm not—!... Wait, what?" Terror transformed into confusion as she listened to the accusation. "Exotic... bird?" "Don't play dumb. I wasn't born yesterday. I even know what kind of bird it was." Maud reached back into the bag, this time withdrawing a book from the pouch. It was soon placed on the ground and kicked open to the marked page. "Right there," she dryly continued, pointing to the page, "The purple plumed puffin." Twilight kneeled down close to the book, her eyes soaking in every bit of information on the pages like a sponge. Just as Maud said, these pages were an examination of the extremely rare purple plumed puffin. An apparently endangered species found only in Puerto Caballo and other coastal regions, best known for its distinctive coloration of which it is named. Looking at the diagrams on the twin page, Twilight was shocked to discover that the color of this bird's feathers was almost an exact match for her own. In fact, the size and shape of these feathers were also nearly identical, which meant that the purple plumed puffin was unusually large compared to other species of puffins. "Y-yes! My... purple plumed puffin... Pike... how could I forget...?" Twilight quickly lied, nervously chuckling to herself as a cold sweat ran down her neck. "You're lucky that we allow pets," Maud blandly warned after putting the book away. "But traditionally, you're supposed to tell someone that you have a pet with you." "Sorry... I don't like telling ponies I have him with me... endangered species and all that, never know when... poachers might be around, ya know?" Twilight quickly added with a shrug. "Won't happen again." "It shouldn't. I already know about your bird, so it's impossible for you to sneak it back in." Maud reclaimed her saddlebags and once more went to leave the building. "But please don't try anyway. I don't want to have to get the authorities involved." And with that, Twilight was once more left alone within the confines of Golden Oak's library. She didn't even pay any mind to Maud's loose threat, she was just happy that she had managed to get out of that situation unscathed. That was entirely a stroke of luck, she wasn't denying that, but it still felt good to know that her secret was safe. And it came with the new information on this rather interesting bird, something that Twilight would have to look more into at a future date. If she could get her hoofs on one of these, it would make an excellent scapegoat in the event something like this ever happened again. And Spike probably wouldn't mind the extra company. Emotionally drained from the roller coaster she had just lived through, Twilight made the executive decision to let her mind rest for the time being. These books weren't going anywhere, and she had done enough to warrant a bit of a brain-break anyway. Instead, she elected to try and find a book about the purple plummed puffin, adding Puerto Caballo to the list of future destinations. --- — --- "Alright, Spike, the coast is clear." Twilight locked the door of her new home behind her as she entered, opening the saddlebag and allowing the long dragon to poke his head out after the walk from Fluttershy's cottage to this location. "This is where we'll be staying for the foreseeable future, so feel free to explore a bit." Taking care as to not agitate his bound leg, Spike crawled out of the large pouch and onto the hardwood floor below. What he saw was not the most luxurious home he had ever been in. A modest and drab single-story home was on display before him, with very little in terms of actual color aside from wood brown and the tacky lime green couch that sat in the middle of what he assumed was the living room. From this vantage point, only the living room and part of the kitchen could be seen, but he knew there was more to the small hut that met the eye based on what Twilight had told him. Even still, his initial reaction was not exactly grandiose. He narrowed his eyes at the abode as he scanned the area, trying to parse exactly what he was feeling about this place. And as the young alicorn began to get settled in herself, removing her cloak and saddlebags whilst closing the drapes, she found herself reflecting on just how she came in possession of this particular home. The past couple of days had been a bit hectic for the young purple alicorn and her small draconic companion. Mr. Knox hadn't been lying when he told Twilight that there'd be hoops to jump through, enough to keep Twilight preoccupied for an entire day just to get through it all. It didn't help that she technically wasn't a citizen of Ponyville, which only added more documents to the pile of paperwork. But paperwork like this was child's play for someone like Twilight, even if it did take a hefty chunk of time. The hardest part of the whole ordeal was finding a place to live. Despite its proximity to Canterlot, Ponyville was structured far differently than the Celestial City. Finding a home wasn't as easy as finding an apartment with a vacancy, Twilight actually had to find a house. Or someone willing to rent out a room. And while Pinkie Pie was more than willing to rent out some space for cheap, Twilight was a bit hesitant in becoming roommates with the peculiar mare. Thankfully, it seemed that fate was on Twilight's side for once, and there was a small vacant house up for relatively affordable rent. It was a bit of a fixer-upper, to put it lightly, but it wouldn't put Twilight into bankruptcy right away. And it was a perfect place for Spike to hide out during the days Twilight would be working, which was another bonus. Finally, Spike spoke his mind, returning Twilight's thoughts to the here and now. "It's nice." He seemed optimistic enough, though that was quick to change once he caught sight of the room's eye-catching centerpiece. He didn't say anything in regards to it, he just stood there staring with this dumbfounded look on his face. And Twilight couldn't exactly blame him, her reaction had been much the same when she first caught eye of the couch. Spike soon hauled himself up onto the green seat, testing it out its softness with his one good forelimb. "This thing is hideous." That was something Twilight could agree with. The eyesore of a seating arrangement was well before either of their times, and it showed very much in its design and coloration. Far from being outright hideous, but it was even further from being visually appealing. It was one of the few pieces of furniture that came with this home, and one that the landlord was particularly fond of if his description of it was anything to go off of. And that meant that this was a permanent fixture in their impermanent home, unfortunately. "I know, I know," Twilight muttered back with a small smile, climbing onto the couch next to Spike. "You should have seen the landlord. He bolstered this thing up like it was the best thing in the world." "Heh, that must've been hard to listen to. At least it's comfy though." As Spike rolled further into the sofa to fully enjoy it, Twilight couldn't help but think that this was nice, seeing some sincere joy from him again. It was the small moments like this that made the less-than-pleasant recent events seem like they didn't matter. They still happened, and they would irrefutably have some impact on their futures, but right now none of that mattered. The young dragon was happy, and that's what counted. And she still had something hidden beneath her wing that could make this one moment of joy all the sweeter. "So, would you like to see your room?" The look on his face as Twilight spoke those words was absolutely worth it all. He lit up brighter than the sun as he processed the question, unsure for a brief moment if she was being serious or not. "My own room?" The alicorn couldn't help but smirk. "There's two in the house." "I've... never had my own room before..." "Well, there's a first time for everything," Twilight hopped off of the sofa and continued to playfully grin at the dragon, "But, of course, if you don't want it I could always—" "No, no! I want it!" Spike followed her back down to the floor, looking up to her with pleading wide eyes. "I would very much like that, thank you much!" He was shaking with how excited he was, like a puppy waiting patiently for a well-earned treat. Twilight chortled again as she gestured for him to follow. With how excited he was, she thought it best not to keep him waiting much longer otherwise he might literally explode. --- — --- Journal entry number three hundred and forty-five. May 30. Year 1,011 on the Grand Celestial Calendar. It's been about two weeks since Spike and I had accidentally stumbled into Ponyville, and things have finally started to turn around for the two of us. My job at Golden Oak's has been going well, though I would have never expected to be so busy as a librarian in this small town. And it isn't just this library that I help to run, either, the local schoolhouse sometimes requires assistance. To quote Mr. Knox, "In an act of infinite brilliance, the pony in charge of Ponyville's layout decided to have the school and the library on opposite ends of the town." I still don't quite understand why the local librarians must sometimes be available to act as teacher assistants, but I suppose that is just the drawbacks to a small country town like this one. The old horse is getting up there in years, and it seems he just can't keep up with the demand like he used to. And while that is sad, it means that I have a way of putting plenty of food on the table for Spike and myself. Speaking of, his wound is healing spectacularly well. Fluttershy has been no end of help in his recovery process and has even offered to help keep an eye on him whilst I am at work. It's been nice to have someone else I can count on in regards to Spike's well being, which is something I haven't been able to say for a very long time. I've actually found myself pondering the idea of further extending our stay in this quaint little village. And I've found myself far more relaxed than I ever recall being, the same can be said for Spike based on what I've been able to tell.