//------------------------------// // Chapter Two // Story: Paper Pen: Plagerism // by Paper_Pen //------------------------------// This small town brought back memories, mostly bad ones, but the odd good one kept my mind at bay, it was an odd town, the capital of kindness resting just north of the Everfree Forest, but even that I had some nostalgia for, not good nostalgia, but nostalgia nonetheless. "Howdy!" Greeted a light yellow mare, she looked to be around my age. "Hi! Is there anyone I could talk to around here about renting a place out?" "Wait, are you from Canterlot?" Her eyes widened. "No, I just decided to move to buck nowhere for zero reason" I gave a half sighing expression. "I'll take that as a yes" She scoffed and walked away. I made a mental note to be less sarcastic around here, small towners are a bit more sensitive than city ponies, and held longer grudges. The capital may be under siege, but that wasn't really my problem, I had a job to do, so I made my way to Sweet Apple Acres. Farms never made much sense to me, who would willingly live where you could see nothing but trees and dirt for miles? I myself wasn't on any ground to judge others ways of life, but it seems to be willful isolation. I knocked on the ranch house's door. "Howdy!" Greeted an ageing orange mare, she looked familiar. "Hi!" I shaked her hoof, "I'm Paper Pen, you talked to me about drafting a land acquisition contract?", a lot of ponies can't afford lawyers and would rather just abide by formal sounding documents. "Oh, you're the writer! Why don't you come on in and sit down, I'll be just a minute", Her accent was responsible but not bitter, kind even. Two other mares were in the room, one so ancient I couldn't even tell what her mane used to look like, and the other I had met at the train station. Her look made me feel she disliked me greatly, yet I had no idea as to why. "I can't believe what's going on around here anymore!" Scoffed the ancient mare, reading a newspaper. "Pardon?" I asked "Haven't you heard? Canterlots taken by the changelings!" "I'm pretty familiar with that, just got out of there as a matter of fact" The mare gawked, it looked like she was expecting me to say something. "Well then why ain't you out there trying to save the princess, it's your home after all!" She was disgusted with me. "I write things, I make words sound good, I don't go on big crazy adventures, that's not what I'm made for" Writers are made for two things, writing, and drinking. A lot of drinking. "It may not be what you normally do, but it's what you should do" "Regardless, I can't do anything like that right now, I still gotta find a place to stay, and the same gals that usually fix everything will, you know, fix everything" "Have you seen Applejack recently?" "I don't really keep up with celebrities, she's the orange one, right?" "She's the one in the next room is what she is" I peeked into the kitchen, the aged apple was a bit ripe. "Even if someone else has to step up, their sure not gonna be an accountant" "Fine then, I don't think I want a coward getting this land for me!" Her barely understandable drawl was crystal clear, I was going to lose this contract and all the money that came along with it. "Please, miss, don't do this, I just lost my house! I need this contract!" "And I need a drafter I can trust!" I knew what I need to do. "If I at least attempt this 'quest' could I get the contract back?" "I think that would work" she smiled as she said this. I must be in an asylum. I said some quick goodbyes, and like that, I was off to Apploosa.