//------------------------------// // Chapter One: Cloudy With a Chance of Weather Ponies // Story: Writing History // by Gaiascope //------------------------------// Writing History Chapter One Cloudy With a Chance of Weather Ponies The day begins, not unlike many others had before it, with the telltale wailing and high pitched ringing of a mechanized banshee waking me from my slumber. The familiar smell of smoke stabbing my nostrils is followed by the sound of a small object hitting a wall across the room. Still disoriented by the sudden abruption to my sleep, I sheepishly look around as my brain puzzles together the connection between the blaring noise from hell and the alarm clock that is now lying on the floor at the opposite end of my bedroom. I envelop the badly abused device in my magic and float it up to my face. The tiny device is encased in a brushed brown metal, with a small boiler attached to the back, which even after its umpteenth time against the wall is still spurring tiny clouds of steam into the air as it rings. Six-thirty… why am I getting up this early again? Oh yeah, cleaning day. I turn off the clock and place it back on the night stand where it happily puffs away. Honestly, I understand steam engines being useful and all, but I am pretty sure they aren’t required in something as simple as an alarm clock. What’s wrong with a little magic-powered machinery? Personally, I think all this steam is getting to everypony’s heads. I brush my red mane out of my face and put on my glasses before getting out of bed, beginning my morning ritual of stretching my legs before opening the double door to the balcony for some fresh air. The Canterlot skyline greets me with a cloud of steam in my face. I cough and wave the steam out of my face. What a wonderful way to start my day. Glaring down at the street below my humble home and business, I spot the steam-powered carriage responsible for the cloud. I turn my gaze to the city itself, and find it is in its usual state. Royal Castle majestically towering above all other buildings as a beacon of hope and love? Check. The sun and moon trading positions in the sky, renewing their daily cycle above a magnificent orange tinted horizon? Check. Three large chimneys eagerly waiting to blast obscene amounts of smoke into our beautiful sky? I let out a disappointed sigh. Check. Canterlot’s latest addition, Haughbury Steamworks. Those are the ponies mostly responsible for all of the latest technological advancements, such as my new alarm clock. And by that I mean those are the ponies mostly responsible making everything work the way it always has been, but without ponies. I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to build a machine to control the weather next. I don’t understand what’s wrong with magic and traditional pony power. That’s the way Equestria has worked for over a thousand years, after all. Heck, that’s how the Princesses move the Sun and Moon every day! I sigh deeply and brush my brown coat before returning inside. My friends keep telling me I shouldn’t worry so much about Haughbury, and that all that worrying is what‘s giving me streaks of gray in my mane at my young age. Quickly, I stop to count. Good, same number of grey hairs from yesterday. At least I can run my own store with magic, instead of doing so with some steam-powered monstrosity. And I’ll be damned if I don’t do a good job at it. One hundred percent customer satisfaction, I’ll have you know, with not a single speck of dirt or dust to be found on the books I sell. In fact, I earned my cutie mark in this store. I look back at the scroll tied in a red ribbon on my flank, and smile at the memory. I trot down the stairs and start inspecting the shelves. Streaks of orange light are just breaking through the windows and give my store its iconic warm and inviting atmosphere. I magically adjust my glasses as I pass my gaze over each and every book, swiping away any dust with a practiced motion of my tail. Three swipes later, Waren’s Literature Imperium is all cleaned up and one step closer to opening. Now to take care of the new arrivals. I magically unwrap the box behind the counter and eagerly start browsing its contents. Let’s see here… most of the books are manuals or various new volumes of academia, a couple of storybooks and oh! A new history book? I float the book to a small shelf behind the counter to read myself before putting it up for sale. I like to think of myself as something of an historian. And I can’t allow a book like that be sold before I read it. Then I check the last book in the box. Steam Power and You: A Guide to The Future. With a sinking feeling in my gut, I float it around and check the author. P. Haughbury, of course! Why wouldn’t he write a book promoting his own damn business? That pony is so full of hot air it wouldn’t surprise me if he stood model for his own steam engines. I think about what to do as the book softly rocks in my magical grasp, almost taunting me. Should I shelf it? On one hoof I really don’t want to sell it. I do have a standard to uphold, after all. But on the other, what if somepony comes in looking for it? I decide to leave it in the box. If somepony is honestly desperate for that garbage they can just ask me at the counter. I envelop the other books in magic and float them to their new homes in my store. I sort them by category first, then alphabetically. Well, that didn’t take nearly as long as I anticipated. I wrap my open-closed sign in magic and turn it around. Not that I expect customers this early, but since I’ve finished my daily preparations anyway, there’s no harm in opening ahead of time. Taking my place behind the counter I settle down in front of the book I had originally put on the back shelf, Equestria Through The Years. Time to get some reading done. With some luck I might even have this book read and shelved before the first customer appears. The cover is of a rich illustration of an abstract Equestria, showing the Everfree forest and the royal Canterlot castle, with edges decorated in a gold leaf lining. I whistle softly. This book is in pristine condition. Eager to find out the pony responsible for such beauty, I open the book to reveal the first page. Equestria Through The Years. A Complete and Thorough Timeline. Well, that was rather anticlimactic. Apart from the title and subtitle, the page is completely barren of any information. It doesn’t even state the author. Maybe on the back? I turn the book around to check. Nothing. No name, no signature, not even any initials or logo. That strikes me as strange. Even if the author didn’t want to be known, why didn’t they just come up with a pen name? Returning to the first page I finally begin to read. Even if the author wanted to remain anonymous, it’s obvious to me that they must be somepony that knew what they were talking about. As I flip through the pages I am stunned by the amount of detail. They really weren’t kidding when they said ‘Complete and Thorough’. The arrival of the princesses, the construction of Canterlot, the rise and fall of the Discordant Dystopia, everything described so, as if the author was there to see it. Soon I was completely engrossed by the book, reviewing the eventful history of the infamous Blueblood family. Suddenly, I hear a cough in front of me and almost drop the book in surprise. A customer! I wasn’t expecting anypony so soon after opening, especially considering I opened ahead of time. Hastily, I float Equestria Through the Years to the back shelf behind me. ‘Sorry about that! Welcome to Waren’s Literature Imperium! How may I help you?’ After I make sure the book safely found it’s place on the shelf, I turn to face my customer, only to find a familiar face staring back at me. ‘Morning Waren! That book looks mighty interesting, how about a best-friend discount?’ The grey-coated Pegasus reveals a grin. His copper-coloured mane covered his head in a rather muddled state. It wasn’t completely neglected, but the fact that it was only partially brushed only served to worsen the effect. Like he had begun brushing, and decided against it halfway through. But I know my friend, and external care was never very high on his list of priorities. And neither was reading. ‘Come on, Werk. We both know you’re not going to buy a book here.’ And beneath my breath, I add ‘Or anywhere else, for that matter.’ In all the years that I have known him, and I have known Werk for the better part of my life, I know for a fact that he’s read less books than I get through in an average weekend. Though, in his defense, I go through a freakish amount of books on my free days. My friend throws a shrug my way and proceeds to lean on the counter with one foreleg, while casually inspecting the other’s hoof. ‘I just don’t have time to read. You know Haughbury has us slaving away in his factory.’ Oh, I know all too well about Werk’s part in flooding pony society with steam-powered scraps. He has been working in the factory for many years now, adding a certain irony to our friendship. An irony Werk is much better at appreciating then I am. Mostly because it usually manifests itself in the form of tall tales about the latest inventions Haughbury is working on. The strict work hours of the factory usually means I don’t see Werk during weekdays, but it would appear the Pegasus found a hole in his busy steam-engineering schedule to pay me a visit. Lucky me. ‘Right, the factory. Where you are not right now because…..?’ Werk retracts his hoof from the counter in offense. His expression soon tells the same story. ‘Can’t I just say hello to an old friend?’ Raising an eyebrow, I contemplate my friend’s intentions. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate him taking his time to visit me, but the scenario seems… unlikely. Combining his laid-back attitude with Haughbury’s clockwork schedule means casual visits are out of the question. Yet here he stands before me, in all his grey and copper glory. ‘I’m all for catching up with a friend, but I’m not sure Haughbury shares that opinion. Are you sure you shouldn’t be headed to the factory?’ Werk grins again, and his eyes reveal a playful sparkle. ‘Normally, yes. But normally would mean I trot to work. When I saw you opened early, I thought; what the hay, why not visit my old pal Waren, and give these babies a spin for a change?’ He spreads his wings and beats them several times in demonstration. The wind he creates rustles several pages in my store. Either unaware of the disturbance he was causing or (the more likely option) not caring, he continues. ‘I’ll fly to work today, and use the time I would normally spend trotting here.’ I smile at my feathered friend. Looks like he just created a hole in his schedule. Roughly half an hour, I would think. Werk is a lot of things; stubborn, relaxed, reckless. But most of all, Werk is fast. He had the good fortune of being born with strong legs, and even stronger wings. ‘In that case, where are my manners? How are you Werk?’ To my surprise, his grin disappears. He beats his wings again, sending one of my books flying. He slowly lifts from the ground and proceeds to hover in front of the counter. After crossing his forelegs, he lets out a deep sigh. ‘Truth be told, I have been better.’ Oh my, a serious Werk? That’s a rare sight. ‘What’s wrong? Normally you’re the most laid-back pony I know.’ The Pegasus smiles gently at the semi-compliment. ‘Nothing’s wrong, per se. It’s just… Lately my life has become so…methodic. Every day, I get up, go to work, work, go home, sleep and repeat. And it’s not like work in the factory is what you would call interesting for a grunt like me. Sometimes it feels like I’m a machine instead of a pony.’ He lets out another sigh. ‘These aren’t really helping, either.’ He says as he taps his flank. I always felt sorry for Werk over his cutie mark. Two interlocking gears don’t really say unique. ‘I just don’t think working in a factory is something meant for ponies. At least, not for this pony.’ That much I could believe. Though in my personal opinion, the factory and the machines made there are a blight and an insult to ponydom in general. Werk gives me a look inviting me to say something. ‘You know how I feel about steam-engines. I wouldn’t have started working there in the first place.’ Oh, well, that sounded worse than what I meant. Thankfully Werk doesn’t look offended and he lets out a laugh. ‘I suppose I did go to Haughbury myself. And now I’m stuck there. I need the bits and working the factory is all I know. Who would hire a Pegasus that can only do the work of an Earth Pony?’ He sighs and gives me another weak smile before continuing. ‘Maybe I should join the Royal Guard? I think white would look good on me.’ ‘The Royal Guard? You? Don’t get me wrong Werk, but can you bring up the discipline for that?’ The Pegasus gives that some thought. After reaching a conclusion, he grimaces. ‘Eh… You’re probably right. Doesn’t matter, now that I think of it most guards just stand around… guarding things. In a way it’s even more tedious then working the factory, and your expected to keep your mouth shut.’ He sighs. ‘Must be nice to have your own store, huh Waren?’ ‘Oh, but I’m not going anywhere either. The bits I make go right back into resupplying my stock. Provided, being your own employer has its advantages, but since I live in the place I work, I never really have any time off. It’s stressful, and I would probably have gone insane a long time ago if I didn’t love the things I was selling. I might have more freedom, but I also have a lot more to worry about.’ I pause to catch my breath before adding, ‘Uhm… no offense.’ ‘None taken.’ Suddenly, Werk’s face lights up and his wings jolt upright. Oh filly, he has an idea. ‘You know what? We could use some time off. Both of us. You’re spending so much time with your snout in books I’m worried you’ll forget what ponies look like. And I would give my right wing to get out of that damned factory for a while.’ Time off? For a prolonged period of time? I can understand Werk wants to get out of the factory, but I can’t just leave the store out of the blue. ‘I don’t know Werk…’ The Pegasus puts a hoof on my shoulder, while pointing the other into the positively empty space of my store. ‘Come on! Adventure is calling! Can you hear it? Waren… Werk… I’m waiting for you..!’ I shake his hoof of my shoulder and think about the proposition. An adventure? Me? I have an easier time imagining Werk as the captain of the Guard. ‘I’m just a normal pony who sells books, Werk. What would adventure want from me?’ ‘You’re looking at it all wrong. Yes, you are a normal pony who sells books. But are you happy with that? Is that enough?’ ‘Well… I always wanted to write my own book. But what is there to write about? Fiction isn’t my thing, so what does that leave me? A book about the intricacies of running a book store seems a tad redundant.’ Werk grins and slaps me on the back. ‘It’s decided then! We’re going to have an adventure, and you’re going to write a book!’ ‘What? You can’t just say ‘Let’s go on an adventure’! You need to plan, and prepare. Even if we did have the slightest clue where we are going, and I’m not saying we are going, what would Haughbury say? You think he will just let you go on an unannounced sabbatical?’ ‘If you can figure this out, I will tell Haughbury where he can stick that job of his.’ He laughs. I blink as I realize what my friend just implied. ‘Wait, if I can figure this out? What do you mean?’ ‘I just provided the idea, Waren. You’re a smarter pony then I am. You can handle the details.’ I sigh. I have seen this happen many times before. Once an idea finds its way into my friends head, it’s not leaving there until it has been executed. I was doomed the moment his face lit up. Though I suppose it’s not a bad idea… I’m not unhappy in my store, but it is by no means what I intend to do for the rest of my life. I don’t want to become a pony that ends up stuck in a life he doesn’t want, because he managed to convince himself he could change, up until it was too late. Werk is right. If I want to write a book, now is as good a time as any. ‘Fine, you win, Werk. Let’s do it.’ ‘Ha! I knew I could count on you! In all honestly, it was the voice, right? The irresistible call of adventure from beyond!’ I would name his sheer stubbornness as the primary reason for agreeing, and not his acting. Yes, Werk’s thick skull combined with a dash of truth in his words probably won me over. ‘Yes, Werk. Your tremendous performance persuaded me.’ I tell him while rolling my eyes. ‘I’ll look into it today, between helping customers.’ Werk grins. ‘That ought to give you plenty of time then.’ He mumbles. ‘Excuse me?’ I squint my eyes at the Pegasus. ‘This means a lot to me Waren. Thank you.’ He turns towards the door and spreads his wings. ‘I better get to that factory, or Haughbury might be inclined to terminate my employment. And we don’t want that.’ He grins. ‘Yet.’ ‘Very well, visit me tonight, and we’ll talk this through properly.’ ‘See you tonight then.’ He waves his hoof in goodbye and bolts for the door. I hurry to magically open it before he crashes through it. The open-closed sign wildly spins as Werk flies past. It lands on closed as the door falls shut behind him. I sigh and turn it to open again. That stallion never ceases to surprise me. How he hasn’t wrecked my door yet is beyond me, though. I turn back to the empty store and start to think as I trot back to my place behind the counter. If Werk and I are going to do this we need some place to go. Only once we have a destination can we think about how we are going to get there. And I need to figure out what I’m going to do with the store. But first things first. A destination. Preferably something adventurous, Werk would like that. As for me… something ancient and unknown would be good. Where I can find the material I need for a history book of my own. I open Equestria Through The Years to search for inspiration. ‘Something that isn’t known, a gap in history for me to fill…’ As the day went on, I routinely found myself putting the book away to help customers as they arrived, and picking it up again after they had left. In total I ended up with twelve customers, and a few more who just browsed my wares. Not a bad day all things considered. One of the books I sold was an old atlas I had in my store for years. The buyer was a brown Earth Pony stallion in a bow-tie, and I got quite a good price the book, considering it was rather outdated. As my most recent satisfied customers leave the store (An elderly Unicorn couple that bought a story book to share with their grand-foals) I hear a loud ‘THUD’ from the balcony two floors above. What? I check the time. The factory doesn’t close for another four hours. Maybe Werk got out early? I carefully approach the stairs. ‘Werk? Is that you?’ I call out. No response. Could it be a burglar? I think over my options as I continue up the stairs. If it’s Werk, then that’s fine… but he shouldn’t be here yet. It could just be something fell on my balcony, nopony at all. Preparing for anything, I push open my bedroom door and look at the balcony. ‘Howdy!’ Oh, it’s just a mare in my bedroom. Wait, what? I shake my head and look again. Yup, that is definitely a mare lounging on my balcony. The blue-coated Unicorn rubs a hoof through her black mane in an apologetic manner. ‘Sorry if Ah scared ya. But… could ya let me use the stairs?’ Still not understanding I trot up onto the balcony and look around. The mare just stands there sheepishly. ‘Ya looking for somethin’?’ I turn to face her, and ask the first thing on my mind. ‘How did you get up here?! This is the third floor!’ The mare rubs her mane again. I notice streaks of yellow in the otherwise black mass of hair. ‘Ah fell.’ I look up, and see nothing but a few stray clouds. ‘Fell from where? There’s nothing there!’ ‘Ah fell from the clouds, silly. Ah’m training t’ be a weather pony.’ Now I know that’s a lie. I look past her head to double check and don’t see any wings. ‘You… you do know you’re a Unicorn, right?’ Everypony knows only Pegasi can become weather ponies. Nothing personal, it’s just that controlling the weather is sort of impossible if you can’t fly. The mare looks annoyed by what I said. ‘Of course Ah know that! Ah hear that enough in Cloudsdale and if yer ain’t gonna let me use the stairs Ah’ll just let myself out.’ The Unicorn trots up to the balcony railing. ‘What are you talking about?’ She looks at me, smiles, and jumps. ‘Wait! Noooo!!!’ She jumped! She just jumped from the third floor! Oh Sweet Celestia why would she do that? ‘Did Ah scare ya?’ Oh wonderful, now I’m hearing her voice in my head… is this what trauma feels like? Is this survivor’s guilt? Can it work that fast? Dear Celestia… am I going to have some mare’s hillbilly accent in my head for the rest of my life?! My eyes widen as a yellow streaked black mane appears above my balcony railing. ‘Ah’m fine! Don’t freak out! Ah’ve been told t’ stop doing that, but it’s too much fun!’ The mare floats up even higher, her horn glowing with orange magic. She… she’s standing on a cloud. ‘What? H-How?’ I know, not really the wittiest thing I’ve ever said. But come on how often does a Unicorn break into your bedroom and goes around controlling clouds?! The mare hops back onto the balcony and the cloud disperses. With a grin on her face she starts talking. ‘Ah told ya. Ah’m training t’ be a weather pony.’ She turns to show her cutiemark. A dark cloud with three raindrops and a lightning bolt. ‘Ah probably scared ya. Ah’m sorry ‘bout that.’ The amazement in my mind quickly makes room for anger. ‘Probably?! Probably?! You fell on my balcony out of nowhere! You then proceed to jump of the third floor, leaving me to think you just died and then float back up on a cloud like it’s the most casual thing in Equestria! Who are you anyway?!’ At least she has the decency to blush. ‘Ah’m sorry… Ah’m Stratos. Aspiring weather pony, pleased t’ meet ya.’ She raises her hoof. I sigh and meet her hoof with my own. ‘I’m Waren. Owner of the store you fell on.’ We shake hooves. It seems almost surreal, shaking hooves like we are friends, when she just apparently fell from the clouds. A Unicorn weather pony? Even if she can control clouds like she just did, I doubt the weather factory would hire her. It’s an absurdity. After she looks at me expectantly for a few seconds I remember that she asked me to use the stairs. After a sigh I walk back inside. ‘The stairs are this way. No more jumping off buildings or you will end up giving somepony a heart attack.’ Looking back I see she has one hoof on the balcony railing again. ‘Eh? Yer probably right…’ She looks disappointed as she leaves the railing and follows me inside. I shake my head. That pony has no common sense. As we walk down the stairs she looks around. ‘So… ya said this is yer store? So what do ya sell?’ I grimace. Stratos doesn’t strike me as the reading type. She probably only touches a book when she has to. With hesitation, I answer. ‘I sell books.’ ‘Books? Ah love books!’ Huh? Okay, not the reaction I was expecting. ‘Ah read all the time, The Amazing Spiderpony is mah favorite!’ Or maybe I wasn’t so wrong after all. I resist the urge to facehoof. ‘Not comic books, I sell literature.’ I could almost hear the disappointment behind me. ‘Oh, so ya mean, with only text?’ ‘Yes, mostly text. Some books have illustrations, but not like a comic.’ We finally reach the bottom of the stairs and enter the store itself. Stepping aside I point a hoof towards the door. ‘And there is your exit.’ Stratos snaps out of looking around the room. ‘Ah yes. Thanks! And again, sorry for scaring ya.’ She trots up to the door and I give her a forced smile. ‘Next time use the door.’ Please don’t let there be a next time. ‘Ah will! Bye!’ As the door falls shut behind her I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding. That was easily the strangest conversation I’ve had this month. Maybe even for the year. Really, now? A weather Unicorn dropping on my balcony? Buck the past year, this must have been the strangest thing that happened in my entire life. Werk won’t even believe this happened. And I wouldn’t blame him. I probably wouldn’t believe it myself, had I not just witnessed it. In fact, I still don’t believe it, and I did just witness it. After I take my place behind the counter again I open Equestria Through The Years. After flipping through the pages I realize that in all the commotion I had lost my place. I curse beneath my breath as I start reading the first paragraphs to see if I read the pages already. The averted war with the griffins… Yes I read that already. The princesses banishing a pack of Cerberuses… read that too. I furiously flip through the pages and recall reading them until I run out of pages. Staring at the back cover I remember that I already finished the book an hour ago. Frustrated I place the book in a shelf among the others in the front of my store. Great, the day had just flown by and now I still don’t have any idea where to go. I rub my temples with my hooves. Come on, think! Werk is counting on me to find a destination. I don’t want to disappoint him after seeing him all fired up for the idea. Maybe I should just look in an atlas; I could find an interesting place and look into the history afterwards. Walking to a shelf in the back I realize that I sold my last atlas this afternoon. What is wrong with me today? Why can’t I keep my mind in order? That Unicorn’s weird ways must be rubbing of on me. I look up as I hear the door open. Shaking my head I trot up to the door to help the customer. ‘Hello! Welcome to Waren’s Literature Imperium! How can I help you?’ ‘Howdy!’ Okay, I am officially crazy. She left my store, never to come back. This is clearly a hallucination. Maybe I need some rest. Yes, rest will do, after I get some sleep everything will be better. I start walking towards the stairs. ‘Wait! Where are ya going? It’s me!’ The Stratos hallucination trots after me. She puts her hoof on my shoulder as I try to make it up the stairs. Wait, I can feel that. Do hallucinations work that way? Maybe it’s worse, a nervous breakdown? Hoping for a nervous breakdown I turn around and stare at the possible figment of my imagination. ‘Erm… everythang okay?’ I poke Stratos’s muzzle with a hoof. ‘Hey! Whatcha do that fer? Don’t ya remember me?’ Okay, not an illusion. ‘Weather Unicorn that fell on my bedroom balcony. I don’t think I’ll forget that any time soon. And I’m pretty sure you left already.’ Stratos starts rubbing her hoof through her mane again. ‘Yeah Ah did… But then Ah realized Ah have no place t’ stay and Ah don’t know anypony in Canterlot, so…’ Is she implying what I think she is implying? She can’t possibly expect me to… ‘So you came here? To the pony whose house you trespassed in? That sounded like a good idea to you?’ She lowers her hoof and gives me an offended look. ‘Look, yer the only pony Ah know here. Ah’m counting on yer doing the right thing. Ya know, helping a pony in need?’ Okay, she really is serious. ‘You came to the wrong pony then. Try falling on someone else’s roof. Now I would appreciate it if you left.’ I start pushing her towards the door. ‘It’s been fun, don’t come back.’ She pushes me away with her magic before we reach the door. Pity… and I was almost there, too. ‘Hey! Ya can’t just boot me out.’ ‘Oh but you misunderstand, I can, and I am.’ She jumps away from the door as I prepare to push her again. She trots to the shelves of books. ‘Ya can’t just boot out a customer.’ She triumphantly declares as she starts browsing my books. Why won’t she just leave me alone? I let out a sigh and trot after her. ‘It doesn’t work like that. You have to buy something to be a customer.’ Stratos glares at me through the shelves. She floats a book up to the counter. ‘Fine, Ah’ll take this one.’ I look at the book she has chosen. Equestria Through The Years? I raise an eyebrow, and then I realize she probably didn’t even look at which book she picked. ‘That will be fifty bits then.’ I hear Stratos falling over between the shelves. Her head appears around one of them. ‘Fifty bits?! Fer a book?’ ‘If you don’t want to buy it, then there is the door.’ She pouts, but gets up and walks to the counter. ‘Fine. No wonder it’s so quiet here with prices like that.’ After she pays for the book she trots to the window and sits down. I sigh. ‘And now what? You’re just going to sit there?’ ‘Got a problem with that? Ah’m a paying customer now, so ya can’t boot me out.’ Raising an eyebrow I float up Equestria Through The Years. ‘Not going to read your new book?’ She snatches the book from my magical grasp with her own. Her telekinesis is surprisingly strong. I wasn’t trying to hold the book from her or something, but she still grabbed it like it was just lying there. ‘Fine! Ah’ll read it! Happy now?’ She violently opens the book and floats it in front of her. She’s really reading it? I would rather have her out of my store, but at least she’s being quiet like this. I shrug and return to my place behind the counter once more. Four more customers visit that day. One of them asks me about the mysterious Unicorn mare reading on the floor. I manage to convince him my books are just that interesting and he ends up buying three for himself. Sales wise, today has been a great day. Best day all week. Event wise, not so much. I’m still not completely sure what to think of Stratos. She’s strange, no doubt about that. And annoying. But ever since she started reading she has been quiet. Almost peaceful. Though now that it’s closing in on closing time, I find myself almost afraid to disturb her. Carefully walking up to her, I notice she practically hadn’t moved since she started reading. ‘Stratos? I’m closing. Even customers have to leave when I close.’ She doesn’t even look up to respond. ‘Wha? Yeah sure.’ I wait for a little while. And she still doesn’t move. I don’t think she really heard me. ‘Uhm… if you plan on leaving, you should get up.’ ‘Sure. Whatever.’ Sighing, I reach out a hoof to close the book when I hear a thud from the balcony for a second time today. Werk! I almost forgot about him! I look at Stratos. Well, he’ll have to believe me with Stratos still here sitting on my store floor. I quickly trot up the stairs to greet my friend and let him in. As I enter the bedroom I spot a murky Werk-shaped blob on the balcony wiping dirt off his wings. ‘Werk! What happened?!’ He looks up and smiles. ‘Oh, hey Waren. Don’t worry, the wind turned and I got the smoke from the chimneys in my face. You wouldn’t believe the crap those things spew into the air.’ ‘Stand still, I’ll help you.’ I focus my magic and cast a cleaning spell. The dirt from Werk’s coat explodes into a cloud and covers the entire balcony in dust, including myself. I cough and wave the cloud away to reveal a perfectly clean Werk. ‘Hey! It worked. Thank you… oh!’ ‘Okay, not exactly according to plan. You might want to stand back.’ Werk spreads his wings and floats up above the balcony. Concentrating, I cast the spell again, this time on myself. My coat has considerably less dirt in it so the results are less catastrophic. I wave my hoof at Werk, signaling him to follow me as I trot back inside. He floats in after me, avoiding the dirt on the floor and only lands after we are well inside. He folds his wings behind his back and brushes his rust-colored mane out of his eyes. ‘Haughbury was pissed today. Apparently he’s having trouble trying to get his latest product approved.’ ‘What is that pony up to now?’ ‘I’ve heard rumors that he found a way to make Earth Ponies fly. There’s a story going around that he pitched his idea to the Overmare at the weather factory in Cloudsdale, and she laughed his sorry flank straight out the door.’ I grimaced at the idea of Earth Ponies flying around with boilers strapped to their backs. ‘If you don’t mind, I’m going to side with the Pegasi on this one. There is a reason they are called Earth Ponies. Hmm… the Overmare of the weather factory, you say? Who is that again?’ ‘The Overmare? She handles all affairs that have to do with the weather. One of the most important ponies up in Cloudsdale.’ ‘No, not the position. The pony. Who is currently the Overmare?’ ‘Oh, let me think… It’s been a while since I’ve been to Cloudsdale. If she hasn’t retired yet, Miss Dash should still be Overmare.’ I remember now. She was a Wonderbolt before she took up the position. Apparently her mane originally had six colors, though two of those are gray now. Can you imagine that? Six colors! I cross my eyes to look at my own mane and see mostly red with some streaks of gray, even though I’m not an old pony in any regard, thank you very much. Halfway down the stairs I remember I already have a guest. ‘Oh! Werk, you are not going to believe this. You are not the first pony to land on my balcony today.’ ‘Another Pegasus?’ ‘See for yourself.’ We enter the store and I stepped aside. The blue Unicorn mare still hasn’t moved from her place under the window. Werk glances at me confusingly. ‘Who’s that? Family?’ ‘Nope. She fell on my roof, and now she reading the book she bought.’ ‘Excuse me?’ Werk gives me a look that suggests he is questioning my sanity. And I don’t blame him. I explain to him what happened and how the Unicorn mare ended up under my window. When I finish telling my tale, he merely gives me a believing stare. Using his wings to stay upright, he places one hoof on my forehead, and another on his own. ‘Hmm… No fever. Have they been handing out free cider samples again? Let me smell your breath. I swear, they should have learned from last time not to give you any.’ ‘Cut it out. I’m not sick, or drunk. I swear to Celestia, she wants to be a weather pony, and she got it into her head that I should let her stay here.’ Werk gives the preoccupied Unicorn another good look. ‘So? Let her stay. She’s kind of cute.’ What? I wasn’t expecting that kind of response. Cute? Is he serious? Did he not hear me tell him how she fell on my roof and proceeded to scare me half to death? I look at Stratos. She does look peaceful while reading, but Werk hasn’t seen her wreak chaos. I shake my head. ‘No way. She caused enough trouble as is. Just… ignore her. I’ll find a way to make her leave when we have settled on the details.’ ‘Are you sure? Shouldn’t we tell her something? I don’t think she even noticed I arrived.’ ‘That’s ok. I really don’t want her running around again. Just let her read if it will keep her quiet.’ Werk flutters into the air to have a closer look. After an approving nod he floats back to the counter. I roll my eyes at him as he lands with a grin. ‘I’m telling you Waren, I know ponies that would give anything for a mare like that to fall on their heads. Though if I think about it, you probably won’t like those ponies… Anyway! Let’s get down to business. Where are we going?’ I was afraid of that question. Awkwardly, I confessed ‘I looked into it… And I don’t really have a destination yet. I’m looking for something adventurous for you, and at the same time somewhere that could give me material for my own book… But I haven’t been very successful.’ Even though he just smiles and shrugs, I could feel the disappointment coming off Werk. I knew he was hoping I’d have it all planned by the time he got here. ‘That’s okay, really. I like your way of thinking. Now we just need to find something that fits the bill.’ Suddenly Equestria Through The Years falls on the counter between Werk and me. ‘How ‘bout the Everfree forest?’ ‘You know, that might actually be a good idea, thanks…’ Wait, that wasn’t Werk’s voice. Raising an eyebrow I look at Werk, who has done the same. We both turn our heads at the same time and find Stratos standing next to us. ‘Howdy! Ah’m Stratos, and Ah’m kind of cute!’ she happily declares. She raises a hoof at Werk. Oh Celestia, she heard everything? Blushing, Werk shakes her hoof, muttering ‘Oh yes, yes you are.’ ‘Ah’m sorry?’ ‘Nice to meet you! I’m Werk. Sorry about that.’ ‘Don’t be sorry, Ah don’t mind getting called cute. It’s true after all!’ They both laugh, though Werk’s is significantly louder and largely forced. Stratos doesn’t seem to notice. Rolling my eyes once more, I float up the book for everypony to see. ‘Why the Everfree forest?’ Stratos takes the book from me and flips through it. She returns it on the page about the arrival of the princesses. ‘Luna and Celestia came from the Everfree forest right? They lived there before they ruled Equestria. But that’s all Ah could find ‘bout the subject. What ‘bout the place they lived in? That oughta have some secrets, right?’ That… was a surprisingly good idea. The Everfree forest is dangerous, but we are looking for adventure. And if we find the original home of the princesses I am bound to find something to write about! Werk spreads his wings in excitement. ‘I like it! Let’s do it! Everfree forest here we come.’ ‘Not so fast. We can set the forest as our destination, but we still need to prepare. We will need supplies, and we can’t just blindly barge into the forest and hope to stumble upon the princesses’ old home. We need some direction.’ Stratos nods eagerly as Werk folds his wings again. ‘Alright, so bits-wise, what are we looking at?’ I do some calculations in my head, and after inquiring about Werk’s salary I conclude that if set aside enough bits, we can leave in two months. I’d have to close the store and pay rent in advance, and we need food and water for the journey… Not to mention transportation. ‘Also, There is no way to get to the Everfree forest itself using any form of transport. But we can take the train to a town called Ponyville. The forest is less than an hour’s trot from there.’ We finish discussing the details, apart from one. I turn to face Stratos, who is eagerly grinning and nodding. ‘Wha’?’ ‘And what are you doing?’ ‘Going with ya of course! Ah want to see the forest too.’ ‘Why? I thought you were going to become a weather pony. Shouldn’t you go back to Cloudsdale?’ She frowns when I mention the floating city. ‘Ah ain’t welcome there no more. The Pegasi don’t take kindly to the idea of a Unicorn weather pony. And then there’s dat whole noodle fiasco…’ What? Noodle..? I probably don’t even want to know. Her smile was slowly coming back after the mention of the city wiped it away. ‘They won’t hire me unless Ah can show them something no Pegasus can do!’ ‘But why the Everfree forest then?’ ‘The forest ain’t like the rest o’ Equestria. Everythin’ works on their own there, no ponies involved. If Ah can tame the clouds above the Everfree forest they won’t be able to tell me a Pegasus is better for the job!’ I turn to Werk. ‘What do you think, Werk? Should we let her join us?’ ‘Hey, I’m all for cute weather ponies on our journey. And it seems like miss Stratos here has her own reasons, so who are we to say no?’ So we decided, the three of us will journey to the Everfree forest together. When I woke up this morning I could never have dreamed the day would end up this way. We agree that Werk will visit every week with updates on the funding, and that we should have everything ready to leave two months from now. Stratos said she will pay for herself; apparently she has quite a modest amount of bits. Soon we had covered all the details. ‘Ah’m beat! Well then, G’night!’ Stratos declares before trotting up the stairs. I nod absentmindedly as I put the various odds and ends in the store in their proper place. ‘Say, Waren, next time a mare just happens to appear in your bedroom, give me a call, ‘kay?’ Werk adds with a wink as he turns to leave for the night. I wave a hoof at him. ‘Yeah, yeah.’ I stretch my legs and yawn loudly. Today ended up more chaotic then I anticipated. I have been up for over seventeen hours already. I blow out all the candles in the store and replace those that had burned up. Then I decide to follow Stratos’s example and go to bed. Wait a minute. Oh by Celestia’s mane, that mare is crazy! Breaking into a gallop, I hurry up the stairs. Does that Unicorn have no common sense whatsoever? I burst into my bedroom, and find Stratos snoring in my bed. In my bed. Holding back my anger, I trot up to the bed. ‘Stratos! What are you doing?’ The mare doesn’t respond. I put a hoof on her shoulder and shake her around. ‘Stratos! Wake up!’ Again, no reaction. If she wasn’t snoring so obnoxiously, I would check to see if she was still breathing at this point. Grimacing, I realize she isn’t going to wake up. I let out a deep sigh as I trot past her. ‘Fine, you win. But don’t think this is over, young lady.’ I open a closet against the wall, and take out a pillow and some blankets. Looks like I’ll be sleeping in my guest room tonight. Casting a glare at the unicorn as I trot towards the door, I drag the blankets behind me in my mouth. As I open step out the door, a soft voice calls out from behind me. ‘Thank you.’ I sigh, which is surprisingly hard to do with blankets in your mouth. ‘Donff menfion iff.’