The sun was shining and there was nary a cloud in the sky as Twilight made her way through Ponyville, a frown upon her face and her head lowered in thought. Despite the beautiful morning Princess Celestia had blessed them with, and the throng of happy ponies milling about, she just couldn’t stop her thoughts from returning to the strange mare.
’Just who was she,’ Twilight’s face scrunched up in agitation ’and where did she even get a key to the library?’
As Twilight continued down the road into the market, her agitation slowly morphed into regret.
’I can’t help but feel I was a little hard on her, though. I mean, what if she was telling the truth? What if this was all some huge misunderstanding and I just kicked the poor mare out of her own home and onto the streets?’
Twilight’s face fell further as she continued through the market, no longer paying attention to where she was going.
’What would my friends think of the way I just treated that mare.’ Twilight groaned to herself before freezing in place. ”What would the Princess think of the way I treated her?!
Twilight’s eyes shrunk to pinpricks as she sat back on her haunches. Every muscle in her body tensed as she turned and prepared to bolt back to the library. However, before her panic could get the better of her, she was stopped as she felt a hoof come to rest on her shoulder. She turned her head to look at the pony that had stopped her, but froze when she saw the concerned face of Applejack.
Noticing her friend was trying to talk to her, Twilight sat on her haunches and took a moment to try and calm herself. Closing her eyes, she brought a foreleg up to her chest as she took a deep breath in, the swept the leg away from herself as she breathed out. After repeating the breathing exercise a few more times, Twilight opened her eyes and turned to fully face Applejack.
“I’m sorry, what was that, Applejack?” Twilight asked, having finally calmed down from her near panic-attack.
“Ah asked if you were alright,” Applejack said, removing her hoof from Twilight’s shoulder and motioning for her to follow her. “Ya’ve been circlin’ the market for a good couple a’ minutes now, ignorin’ anypony that tried ta get your attention.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Twilight looked around the market, pinning her ears back at the looks some of the ponies were giving her. “I was just thinking is all, I didn’t even realize I had reached the market yet.”
“‘Just thinkin’’ doesn’t send ya inta a panic-attack in the middle a’ the town market, sugarcube.” Applejack said, giving Twilight a flat look at she took her spot behind her apple stand. “Now, it’s obvious somethin’ is on yer mind. Ah was gunna give ya yer time to try and work it out on yer own, maybe stop by later ‘n’ offer ta talk it out with ya, but after seein that, yer not goin’ anywhere until we figure out what’s got ya so riled up, ya hear?”
“Oh, you don’t need to do that, Applejack,” Twilight said, following Applejack to her stand and stopping in front of it. “It’s no big deal, really, I can…” she trailed off when she saw the challenging look that Applejack was giving her.
“But you’ve got your apple stand to look after. I can’t just…” She trailed off once again as Applejack sat back on her haunches and crossed her forelegs over her chest, narrowing her eyes at Twilight.
Twilight opened her mouth to stutter out another excuse before sighing in defeat. “You aren’t going to let me get out of this, are you?”
“No can do, sugarcube. Mah friend is in need, an’ Ah’m gunna help her.” Applejack said. “‘n’ don’t ya worry none about the stand, we’re ahead fer the week ‘n’ can stand ta lose a few hours a’ sales.”
Grabbing a ‘closed’ sign from behind the stand, Applejack hung it on the front of the stand before motioning for Twilight to join her behind it. Reaching into one of the barrels she grabbed an apple and tossed it to Twilight before grabbing one for herself.
“Now, somethin’s got ya all up in a tizzie.” Applejack said, taking a large bite of her apple. “Care ta share?”
“Well…” Twilight hesitated, taking a moment to inspect the apple in her magic before continuing. “I guess I could use some advice. I’ve had a bit of an… interesting morning, and I’m starting to think I might not have handled things as well as I should have.”
“What was so interestin’ about this mornin’?” Applejack asked.
“I woke up in bed with a strange mare this morning, and…” Twilight started, the words dying in her mouth as Applejack burst out laughing.
“Well, Ah’ll be, Twi.” Applejack wiped a tear from her eye. “Ah never took ya as the type.”
“What?” Twilight asked, her confusion turning to embarrassment when she realized what Applejack was insinuating. “No, that’s not what I meant at all!”
“If that’s what yer problem is, maybe we should get Rainbow down here ta talk ta ya instead.” Applejack said. “If her braggin’ is anything ta go by, she has plenty of experience in dealin’ with a strange pony the mornin’ after.”
“Applejack, no,” Twilight said sternly. “Nothing like that happened. I was up late cleaning, and when I fell asleep I was alone!”
“Aww shucks, Ah’m just teasin’, Twi.” Applejack said. “Ah didn’t mean anything by it, honest.”
“I know, and I’m sorry for getting mad. It’s just,” Twilight sighed “this morning has been a bit stressful.”
“Ah understand, Ah shoulda known better ta tease ya.” Applejack paused to take another bite of her apple. “So ya woke up to a stranger sleepin’ in yer bed with ya?”
“Yes,” Twilight confirmed. “When I woke up she was hugging me to her chest, saying something about roses. I… might have freaked out a little and blasted her out of the bed.”
“Well, Ah can’t rightly blame ya fer that,” Applejack said. “But… ya didn’t hurt the mare, did ya?”
“No, she was fine. Just a little confused was all. She kept insisting she lived there, said we were in her house.” Twilight's face softened a bit. “But she was nice enough to offer us her food, and the use of her kitchen.”
“So let me get this straight,” Applejack said, “this mare broke into yer house, slept in yer bed, then offered ya the use of yer own kitchen?”
“She kept saying the library was her house, and that she had been away for a while. When I asked her if she had any type of paperwork to support her claim, she just said that she had a verbal agreement with a ‘Mayor Quill’.” Twilight scrunched her face up. “But the mayor’s name is Mayor Mare, not Mayor Quill.”
“Quick Quill,” Applejack said. “He was the mayor before Mayor Mare took over. He moved ta Manehatten ta try his hoof in ‘big city politics’, musta left before ya moved here.”
“So she wasn’t lying about the mayor?” Twilight groaned. “Great, now I feel even worse about how I treated her.”
“Why’s that?” Applejack asked.
“Well…” Twilight pinned her ears back and looked away guiltily. “I kind of thought she was lying, so I told her that once she finished eating I wanted her to leave.”
“Well, that wasn’t very neighborly of ya.” Applejack gave her a disappointed look.
“I know, and I’m sorry!” Twilight said, starting to panic again. “I was just freaking out because I woke up this morning with a strange mare in my home!”
“It’s fine, Twi, this was all jus’ one big misunderstandin’. Ah’m sure if’n ya find ‘er an’ apologize, she’ll understand.”Applejack said, attempting to calm her friend down. “So what does this mare look like? Did she give you a name?”
“She said her name was Silvia,” Twilight said. “Real tall mare, maybe a head taller than your brother, with a blue coat and purple mane.”
“Well, Ah’ll be.” Applejack said, a spark of recognition in her eye. “Silvia’s back in town? That’s great news! Granny an’ Ol’ Mac’ll be happier than a hog on slop day when they hear.”
“Wait, so you know this mare?” Twilight asked.
“Well sure Ah do, she ran the library fer a’ few years before you moved here, good friend a’ the family. Up and left one day, sayin’ somethin’ about a family emergency.” Applejack responded. “Well shoot, Ah’m kickin’ mahself in the tail now fer not realizin’ who it was sooner.”
“And I was so rude to her.” Twilight groaned, burying her face in her forehooves.
“Ah don’t blame ya, Twi, and Ah’m sure she doesn’t either.” Applejack moved to Twilight’s side and gave her a comforting pat on the back. “Silvia’s a sweet mare, Ah’m sure if ya track her down and apologize, she’ll understand.”
“But why? Why would she want to speak to me?” Twilight cried. “I was so rude to her, and I took her house from her and kicked her out! She probably hates me. And she’s your friend, so now you’re going to hate me!”
“She doesn’t hate ya, Twi, and neither do Ah.” Applejack reassured her “Shoot, Ah don’t think that mare’s capable a’ hatin’ anypony.”
“You think so?” Twilight sniffled.
“Ah know so.” Applejack said. “Ya told me yerself, she saw somepony else stayin’ in her house, and her first reaction was to offer them food.”
Sitting up straight, Twilight wiped the last of the tears from her eyes and gave Applejack a thankful smile. “Thanks, Applejack. I really appreciate you taking time from your stand to talk to me. I didn’t realize how much I needed that.”
“T’was no big deal, sugar cube.” Applejack returned her smile. “Ah told ya, mah friend was in need, and Ah couldn’t call mahself an Apple if’n Ah didn’t help her out.”
“Still, I really appreciate it. It means a lot to me that you’d go out of your way to make sure I was ok like that.” Standing and stretching, Twilight used her magic to make herself presentable. “I should probably get going, I have a few things I need to pick up while I’m out, and I want to make it back to the library before Silvia does so I can apologize.”
“Ah thought ya said ya kicked ‘er out?” Applejack asked.
“I told her she was welcome in the library during business hours, but told her she wasn’t allowed in the private quarters.” Twilight said. “She had some bags with her, so I told her she could leave them while she went out to look for somewhere to stay.”
“Well, that was at least nice a’ ya.” Applejack said. “Ya know if she has somewhere else to stay lined up?”
“Not that I know of. I believe she was planning on going to speak to Mayor Mare and see if they could figure things out.” Twilight responded. “If she hasn’t figured something out when she gets back, I think I’ll offer her the storage room. I’ve been cleaning it out to give Spike his own room, but I don’t think he’d mind letting her use it until she can work something else out.”
“Ah don’t think he would, either. The little guy may have a bit of a mouth on ‘im, but he’s got a heart a’ gold.” Applejack chuckled. “Do me a favor an’ let ‘er know if nothing else works out, she’s more than welcome down on the farm. Ah’m sure Mac wouldn’t mind having her around again.” Applejack smirked.
“Why’s that? Twilight asked.
“Back when she lived here before, she used ta come ‘n’ help us out with harvestin’, said our family reminded her a’ her own. And Big Mac?” Applejack laughed. “He took a bit of a fancy to her. Only mare he ever met that could compete with him in raw strength. ‘Course it helped that she wasn’t bad to look at either, once you get her to take that cloak a’ hers off.”
“Is there a story behind the cloak?” Twilight asked. “She wore the thing to bed last night and then put it right back on after she bathed, even though the thing was filthy.”
“There is, but it’s not really mah place ta tell it. If’n ya give ‘er some time ta warm up ta ya, Ah’m sure she’d tell ya herself if ya asked.” Moving back to the spot behind her stand, Applejack removed the closed sign and prepared to greet the ponies that had been patiently awaiting her return. “Now why don’t ya go ahead and get goin’, Twi. Ya said yerself that ya wanted ta hurry and grab a few things so ya could make it back before Silvia.”
“Alright, I’ll go ahead and get out of your mane then.” Twilight stepped out from behind the stand and moved around to the front, grabbing a few apples in her magic and leaving a bit in their place. “Thanks again for the talk Applejack, I really needed it.”
“‘Tweren’t a problem, sugar cube.” Applejack smirked at Twilight. “Anything Ah can do ta prevent another Smarty Pants incident is mah pleasure.”
Blushing slightly at the jab, Twilight said her goodbyes before heading back into the crowd, already mapping in her head the fastest route she could take to get everything she needed.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Silvia trotted quietly through Ponyville, hood pulled tight over her head to keep the sun out of her eyes. Having stuck to alleys and side roads the entire way, the trip took almost twice as long as it should have, but that was exactly what she had intended. After the conversations she had with Twilight, and later with Spike, Silvia had needed some time to clear her head before speaking to Mayor Quill. Stepping out from the alley, Silvia paused in front of the Town Hall for a moment to collect herself before pulling the hood from over her head and walking inside.
Once inside the Town Hall she took an immediate left, moving into the portion of the building set aside for the mayor and their assistant. Upon entering the room, she froze at the sight of a strange mare sitting at the assistant's desk. The mare in question had a light grey, almost white coat, with a matching horn poking out from the well maintained locks of her brown mane. On her desk was a plaque decorated with a picture of quill over an inkwell, as well as the name Raven Inkwell. Upon hearing the doors open, the mare looked up from her desk, her brown eyes instantly locking on Silvia.
“Oh, hello there,” the mare at the desk smiled brightly “are you here to see the mayor?”
“Yes, I needed to speak with Mayor Quill about an agreement we had had,” Silvia answered, stepping fully inside and looking around the room in confusion. “Forgive me if this seems rude, but who exactly are you? I thought Ms. Mare was the Mayor’s Assistant.”
“My name is Raven Inkwell,” Raven said, motioning towards the plaque on her desk, “or just ‘Raven’ for short. I took over for Ms. Mare when she took over as mayor.”
“Ms. Mare took over as mayor?” Silvia asked, her face falling. “What happened to Mr. Quill?”
“Mr. Quill stepped down as mayor almost two years ago,” Raven answered, rolling her eyes. “Said he wanted to get involved in real politics, something he couldn’t do in a small town like this.”
“Oh, so he’s not here anymore?” Silvia asked dejectedly, her ears pinned back.
“Unfortunately not,” Raven said “I’m sorry. But if you want. I can see if Mayor Mare is available to speak with you. So long as you remember the contract number she should be able to look up any agreements you had made with Mayor Quill.”
“If she’s available then yes, that would be great. Could you please tell her that Silvia would like to see her?” Getting a nod in response, Silvia took a seat in one of the many chairs that lined the far wall of the room, settling down to wait.
“Sure thing! There’s some coffee that just finished brewing over there,” Raven motioned a small table situated in the corner of the room “you’re more than welcome to help yourself. Unfortunately, we only have decaf. Last time they let me have normal coffee, I restructured the Royal Guard, tried to redecorate the throne room, and attempted to use coffee to fuel the education of our nation’s youth. Oh, and I also ended up briefly married to one of the princesses.”
Silvia tilted her head in confusion, unsure as to whether she had heard Raven correctly. However, before she could question her on what exactly she had meant, the mayor’s assistant was already out of her seat and out the door. Just as the door was about to swing closed, Raven poked her head back in.
“Make yourself comfortable, dear,” she said, “I’ll only be a moment.”
Raven disappeared back through the door, leaving Silvia alone in the room. With nothing better to do Silvia sat back in her chair, twiddling her hooves as her eyes wandered around the room. Scattered across the wall where the familiar paintings of the town as it looked when it was founded, as well as portraits of each mayor that had served. At the very end of the of the line of portraits, next to the portrait of Mayor Quill, was a portrait of a tan mare with a gray mane. Standing from her seat Silvia walked over to inspect the portrait, noting that the nameplate labeled the mare in the portrait as Mayor Mare.
’That’s strange,’ Silvia thought, eyes scrunched up as she inspected the mare in the portrait ’It looks just like her, but since when did Ms. Mare have a gray mane?
She was broken from her thoughts by the door opening as Raven returned. Stepping through the door, Raven stood to the side and help it open, motioning for Silvia to go through.
“Mayor Mare said she would see you,” Raven said. “Her office is straight down the hall, the last door on the left.”
Bowing her head in thanks, Silvia walked through the door and down the hallway. Passing the many rooms containing the records of the town, kept since its founding, she stopped before the door labeled ‘Mayor’s Office’. Giving a light knock on the door, Silvia sat patiently and waited for permission to enter. Hearing a muffled voice call for her to enter Silvia pushed the door open and entered the room, closing it behind her before taking a seat. Looking up from the papers in front of her, the eyes of the mare at the desk instantly lit up with recognition when she saw Silvia.
“Ah, Silvia, so it is you!” Mayor Mare greeted her. “For a moment I had thought Raven was mistaken when she told me who was here to see me, it’s great to see you again. What brings you back to Ponyville?”
“Well, me leaving was never supposed to be a permanent thing,” Silvia said, shifting in her seat. “In fact, that’s why I’m here to see you. It seems in my absence somepony else has moved into the library, despite an agreement I had with Mayor Quill to keep it vacant.”
“Oh dear, that does seem to be a problem.” Mayor Mare said, setting down the papers she had in her forehooves. “Do you have the agreement with you? I only had paperwork scheduled for this morning, so we should be able to get this sorted out no problem.”
“No, I don’t…” Silvia started.
“Do you remember the agreement number, then?” Mayor Mare asked. “We should have it on file if you do.”
“No…” Silvia said, rubbing the back of her head bashfully. “We never had a written agreement. Mayor Quill said we wouldn’t need one.”
“So what, you want me to just kick a pony out of their home over a verbal agreement you had with the previous mayor?” Mayor Mare asked, giving Silvia a queer look.
“No!” Silvia blurted out. “No, I jussst.”
Pausing for a moment, Silvia took a deep breath to calm herself.
“I just wanted my home back,” Silvia sighed. “I was comfortable there.”
“I’m sorry, Silvia, truly I am.” Mayor Mare attempted to comfort her. “But I couldn’t kick her out even if I wanted to, Twilight owns the library now. She’s a sweet mare though, I’m sure if you asked nicely she’d let you stay there until we arranged something else.”
“No, she won’t,” Silvia sniffled. “Ssshe already kicked me out.”
“She did what now?” Mayor Mare asked, looking astonished. “That doesn’t sound like her at all.”
“I came in really late lassst night and used my key to let myss-self into the library,” Silvia said, doing her best to contain her lisp. “I climbed straight into bed and fell asleep. I didn’t realize there was another pony in the bed until she woke me up by kicking me out of bed with her magic.”
“Oh, dear,” Mayor Mare gasped. “You weren’t hurt, were you?”
“N-no, I’m fine. Just a little bump on my head.” Silvia assured her. “She already apologized for that, too. Even had her assistant cook me a nice breakfast.”
“That sounds more like the Twilight I know.” Mayor Mare smiled. “So what happened that you went from that to being kicked out?”
“I think waking up with me freaked her out a bit more than she let on.” Silvia smiled a little. “Her assistant was actually very adamant about the fact that she’s usually very kind.”
“So you actually got to meet Spike while you were there?” Mayor Mare asked. “He’s such a little sweetheart, isn’t he?”
“Yes, he is,” Silvia giggled. “He even snuck me some extra food for lunch and offered to watch my bags after Twilight left.”
“He’s such a nice little drake, Twilight is so lucky to have him.” Mayor Mare laughed. “But unfortunately, it sounds like not even he will be able to get Twilight to budge on letting you stay.”
“Yeah,” Silvia sighed “it’s fine, though. It’s their home now, and by the look of things they are quite happy there.”
“Indeed they are, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a mare that loves books as much as Twilight does.” Mayor Mare joked. “Now, I hate to have to cut you off but I have a lot of paperwork that I need to get to today, so why don’t we see if we can wrap this up.”
“Of course, Ms. Mare.” Silvia straightened up in her seat.
“Now, seeing as the library is out,” Mayor Mare pulled a folder out of her desk and began sorting through it “do you have anywhere else you can stay? It doesn’t look like any other municipal buildings are open, nor does anypony seem to have an offer posted for a job in return for room and board.” Mayor Mare looked up from the papers before her. “That is the deal you had with Mayor Quill, correct?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Silvia confirmed. “I kept the library clean and organized, and in return, I was allowed to stay in the attached apartment. I also worked with the Apples in return for some spare spending money.”
“Ah yes, the Apples.” Mayor Mare said. “You were quite close with them, were you not?”
“I was,” Silvia perked up. “I spent most of my free time over there, even when I wasn’t helping them around the farm. I was feeling a bit homesick, and Granny Smith reminded me of my Gran-Gran.”
“Ah, yes, your grandmother. I had heard you left because she was sick.” Leaning forward in her chair, Mayor Mare’s face took on a more serious expression. “Tell me, how is she doing? I hope everything worked out for the best.”
“She’s doing just fine,” Silvia assured “thank you for asking. She’s been around a long time, it’ll take more than pneumonia and a bit of colic to keep her down for long.”
“That’s wonderful news, dear.” Mayor Mare leaned back in her seat and sighed in relief. “With how long you were gone I almost wanted to assume the worst.”
Sitting up straight in her chair, Mayor Mare pulled a small calendar out of her desk and began looking it over.
“So have you given any thought to staying with the Apples?” Mayor Mare asked. “Their harvest season is coming up in another few weeks, so I expect it won’t be long before they put a notice in requesting a few hooves around the farm.” Looking up from the calendar, Mayor Mare waggled her eyebrows at Silvia. “And it will be the perfect excuse to go see Big Mac again.”
Flushing, Silvia lowered her head and pinned her ears back in embarrassment. “W-what are you talking about?”
“Don’t play coy with me, Silvia,” Mayor Mare teased. “Most everypony knows you were sweet on him. I think the big lug himself was the only one who didn’t realize himself.”
“It was only a little crush…” Silvia mumbled. “Besides, I doubt he’d be interested. There are a lot more attractive mares than myself here.”
“Don’t count yourself out, you’d be surprised.” Mayor Mare said. “Big Mac is the kind of stallion that focuses less on looks, and more on personality, and ability.”
Placing the calendar back where it came from, Mayor Mare leaned her elbows on the desk and steepled her hooves, her face becoming more serious.
“Now, I really hate to seem like I’m pestering you about this, but I would like to know if you plan on contacting the Apples about work and a place to stay?” Mayor Mare asked. “I will rest better tonight knowing you’re not stuck out on the streets.”
“I think I will,” Silvia smiled. “It will be nice to see them again.”
“That’s wonderful! I’m sure they’ll have no qualms with putting you up, even if it is a few weeks before they need hooves for harvest season.” Standing from her desk, Mayor Mare circled around to Silvia and pulled her into a hug. “Welcome back to Ponyville, Silvia. Hopefully, we can get this all worked out for you.”
“Thanks, Mayor Mare,” Silvia returned the hug. “It’s great to be back again.”
Releasing her from the hug, Mayor Mare shooed Silvia towards the door.
“Now, why don’t you go ahead and run along.” Mayor Mare said. “If you’re fast you can catch Applejack before she leaves her stand for lunch.”
“Thank you very much for your time, Mayor Mare.” Standing from her seat, Silvia walked to the door. Placing her hoof on the handle, she turned to face Mayor Mare. “And thank you so much for all your help, really. I’ll admit I was panicking a bit when I came here and wasn’t thinking too clearly.”
“It’s no problem at all, dear. As mayor of Ponyville, I wouldn’t be doing my job if I let one of my citizens sleep out in the cold.” Mayor Mare assured her, returning to her seat at her desk. “Now, if you’re going to catch Applejack you’d better hurry. And please, do try not to hold the way Twilight acted against her. She really is a sweet mare, even if she is a bit of a trouble magnet.”
“I won’t,” Silvia assured her.
“Wonderful!” Mayor Mare gave Silvis a smile and shooed her once more. “Now you have a pleasant rest of your day, and do let me know how things work out with Applejack.”
With a smile and a wave, Silvia pulled the door open and left the office. Trotting down the hall she exited into the waiting room, saying her farewells to Raven before continuing out of the town hall. Turning towards the town market, she trudged onwards; she had an old friend to visit.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The early afternoon sun was beating down on Silvia’s back as she returned to the library. Reaching the library door she raised her hoof to knock before pausing, lowering her hoof and sitting back on her haunches with a frown. Furrowing her brow in frustration, she thought back on the conversation she had with Applejack.
’Applejack told me to come and talk to Twilight before I made any plans to stay with her,’ Silvia thought. ’But when Twilight left, I seemed like the last pony she wanted to see.’
Silvia sat at the door, raising and lowering her hoof as each attempt at a knock was thwarted by her nerves.
’I could just go back and tell Applejack that Twilight didn’t want to speak to me.’ Silvia reasoned, her face perking up briefly before falling again. ’But AJ would see right through that... I never could lie to her.’
Bringing a forehoof to her chin, Silvia’s face scrunched further in frustration. ’Plus Applejack said she was friends with Twilight, so I’m sure she’d ask her about it the next time they saw each other…’
Silvia sat in front of the library, face constantly shifting between multiple emotions, so caught up in her thoughts that she didn’t realize the door had opened and someone was watching her until the sound of laughter broke her concentration.
“Are you just going to stand there making faces all night,” Spike chuckled. “Or are you gonna come in?”
“Oh, s-sorry,” Silvia stammered. “I was just… busy thinking is all.”
“Yeah, I know,” Spike smirked. “I could hear you ‘thinking’ from the kitchen.”
Taking a peak behind him into the library, Spike quietly stepped outside and closed the door behind him. Stepping up to Silvia, he gently placed a claw on her shoulder and gave her a friendly smile.
“Don’t worry, everything will be fine,” Spike comforted her. “Twilight isn’t upset with you. Just the opposite, in fact; she asked me to let her know when you came to get your bags so she could talk to you.”
“She… wants to talk to me?” Silvia asked.
“Yeah,” Spike said. “She seemed pretty upset when she came back. I think she wants to apologize.”
“She wants to apologize…” Silvia scrunched her face in confusion. “To me?”
“That’s what I just said, isn’t it?” Grabbing one of her forelegs, Spike began trying to pull Silvia to her hooves and towards the door. “Now come on! I’ve got dinner on the stove, and if we sit out here much longer it’s gonna burn.”
Climbing to her hooves, Silvia allowed herself to be led inside the library. Pausing only to close the door behind them, Spike led her through the library and to a sitting area situated on the far side of the room.
“Go ahead and have a seat here,” Spike motioned to the plethora of cushions spread through the area “Twilight should be along any minute now. It’s about time for her to get her pre-dinner book in.”
Without waiting for an answer Spike turned and dashed towards the kitchen, leaving Silvia by herself. With nothing better to do, Silvia began browsing the nearby shelves, attempting to find a book to distract her until Twilight made her way over. Before she had a chance to select a book, however, her attention was drawn to the steps coming down from the apartment as the sound of hoof steps signaled the approach of another pony. Silvia turned just in time to spot Twilight stepping off the last step and towards the sitting area, a book held open in her magic in front of her as three more floated lazily alongside of her.
Failing to notice Silvia, Twilight walked straight past her, the books never leaving her side as she took a seat in the corner, not once looking up from her book. Making herself comfortable, Twilight levitated a quill and scroll of paper from a nearby table, the three unopened books in her aura opening and taking positions in front of her. With all four books held firmly in front of her, her eyes began scanning back and forth across the books as the quill floated behind her, scribbling furiously away at the scroll.
“Spike,” Twilight called out, never once breaking pace. “Silvia hasn’t come back yet, has she? It’s getting close to dinner time, and she’s been gone since breakfast.”
“Yeah, she’s in the sitting room.” Came Spike’s response, muffled by the multiple shelves between them.
Upon hearing his response, the quill froze in Twilight’s magic as all four books snapped closed. Standing from her seat, Twilight began looking frantically around the library before her eyes locked on Silvia.
“Oh, you’re here!” Twilight said, placing the books on a nearby table. “Have you been standing there the whole time?”
“Ye-yeah,” Silvia stammered. “It’s just… you looked busy, and I didn’t want to interrupt you.”
“That’s very polite of you,” Twilight said. “But you wouldn’t have been interrupting anything. I was simply doing a bit of light afternoon reading.”
’That’s light reading?! Silvia eyed the small pile of books before speaking.
“Oh, o-of course,” Silvia mumbled, pawing at the ground. “So Spike said you had wanted to speak to me?”
“Yes, I did!” Twilight motioned to a nearby cushion. “Please, have a seat.”
Silvia shuffled awkwardly over to the offered cushion and sat down facing Twilight, twiddling her hooves as she waited for Twilight to begins speaking.
“So, the first order of business.” Twilight took a moment to collect herself, looking down at her hooves and taking a few deep breaths before continuing. Looking up, she gave Silvia the most heartfelt look she could muster.
“I wanted to apologize about this morning,” Twilight began. “I was extremely crass, and inconsiderate of your feelings.”
“It’s alright,” Silvia cut in. “Really.”
“No, it isn’t!” Twilight insisted. “I was taken by surprise, and instead of remaining calm and being rational, I lashed out at you.”
“And then instead of listening to what you had to say,” Twilight stood from her seat and began to pace. “I instantly dismissed you as some sort of liar, or mooch. I was horrible to you, and kicked you out of my house… no, of your house, without a second thought.”
“Twilight, it’s fine, really.” Silvia attempted to calm the mare down. “You had no way of knowing I was telling the truth.”
“But you were,” Twilight said. “And now you probably hate me!”
“But I don’t, really.” Silvia insisted. Standing from her seat she walked up to the still pacing Twilight and put a hoof on her shoulder, causing her to stop. “I don’t hate you, Twilight, nor am I even upset with you.”
“But why not? I treated you terribly this morning.” Twilight sniffled, keeping her eyes locked on the floor.
“Because my Gran-Gran always taught me to look for the best in ponies,” Silvia smiled. “And you wouldn’t have so many ponies vouching for you if you weren’t a good pony.”
“Ponies,” Twilight sniffled again, wiping her eyes with a foreleg. “Ponies vouched for me?”
“Of course they did,” Silvia said. “Spike, Mayor Mare, Applejack; all of them!”
“You went and talked to Applejack?” Twilight asked.
“Yep! Right after I got done with the mayor,” Silvia said. “I met up with her right as she was taking her lunch break. Went to talk to her about a job and a place to stay and I ended up visiting the farm for a bit. It was good to see the Apples again, I missed Granny Smith.”
“Oh,” Twilight’s face fell a little. “So you’re going to be staying with the Apples then?”
“Well, that was the weird thing.” Silvia sat on her haunches and put a hoof to her chin, scrunching her face in confusion. “She was more than willing to give me a job on the farm, but she refused to talk to me about boarding with them until I came to talk with you.”
“That’s because I went and talked to her earlier,” Twilight said. “After I left this morning I found myself at her stand, and she wouldn’t let me leave until I told her what was bothering me. That’s actually the other thing I wanted to talk to you about.”
“I understand from the way you were talking this morning that this library meant a lot to you,” Twilight said, turning to face Silvia. “That it was somewhere you didn’t want to give up, a home. So, well… I had been cleaning out the storage room, to let Spike use it as a bedroom, but we both agreed that you could use the room a lot more.”
“Wait, do you mean…” Silvia hesitated, unsure if she had heard Twilight correctly.
“I’m asking if you’d like to stay with us, in the library,” Twilight confirmed.
“Oh, that would be wonderful!” Silvia cheered, pulling Twilight into a bone crushing hug. “But what about Spike, you said you had been cleaning out the room for him, right?”
“Too… tight…” Twilight choked out, weakly tapping Silvia on the back to get her attention.
“Oh, I’m sorry!” Silvia yelped, dropping Twilight.
Freed from Silvia’s vice-like grip, Twilight took a moment to catch her breath before speaking.
“Fine… it’s fine.” Twilight choked out, rubbing her chest. “I already talked with Spike about it, and he agreed that you need the room more than he does.”
“Really?” Silvia asked, voice full of hope “You mean I can stay in the library? But I thought you didn’t want me here?”
“Well, not at first, no. But…” Twilight hesitated for a moment. “Look, I over reacted at first. You took me by surprise, and I don’t react well to surprises. I lashed out at you, and I’d like to offer you a place to stay as an apology. This was your home, after all, I’m sure you’d be more comfortable here than anywhere else.”
“If you’re sure it won’t be a hassle, then I’d love to stay here,” Silvia said, bowing her head in gratitude. “Thank you.”
“It will be no hassle, really,” Twilight assured her. “As long as you clean up after yourself, Spike does most of the cooking, and both of us take care of the library.”
“Are you sure? I could do the cooking or the cleaning, free up some time for the two of you.” Silvia offered. “I know when I was staying here I had to help the Apples on their farm when the library wasn’t open to get by, and that was just when I was living by myself! I’m not sure how you manage with the two of you.”
“Well I own the library, so I don’t pay rent,” Twilight said. “And any bills I do have are covered by my stipend.”
“You get a stipend?” Silvia questioned.
“Yes, I get a stipend for being a student. Anypony studying at the School for Gifted Unicorns who decides to take their studies abroad is assigned a stipend, paid by the crown.” Twilight explained.
“And you could afford the the library on a student’s pay?” Silvia asked skeptically.
“Oh, no, I never would have been able to afford the library on my stipend.” Twilight corrected her “My mentor bought it for me. As a bit of a ‘going away’ present.”
Silvia opened her mouth to ask Twilight who her mentor was, that she could afford to buy her an entire library as a going away present, but was interrupted by Spike shouting from the kitchen before she could ask.
“Hey Twi,” he shouted. “Did you pick up daisies while you were out earlier?”
“Were they on the list?” Twilight shouted back.
“No. We ran out last night, and with all the excitement this morning I forgot to ask you to get them.” Spike called back.
“Can it wait till tomorrow?” Twilight asked.
“I need them to finish making dinner,” Spike answered.
“Can you run and get them yourself?” Twilight called back.
“I can’t leave the stove right now,” Spike said. “And if I leave you to watch the food, I won’t have a dinner to come back to.”
“Well, then I guess I’ll run and get them,” Twilight said, shooting a glare in Spike’s direction in response to his jab.
With a flash of her horn, Twilight’s book floated off the table and up the stairs, a set of saddlebags floating back down in their place. Placing the bags on her back, Twilight turned and began heading towards the door.
“Well, it looks like I need to take another trip to the market before it closes.” Twilight sighed. “Feel free to bring your stuff up to the storage room if you want, I’ll get the spare mattress out once I get back.”
“Uhm, actually, I can go get the daisies if you’d like.” Silvia offered. “I was planning on going back out, anyways. I wanted to let Applejack know I was going to be staying here instead of with her.”
“Oh, well if you’re already planning on making a trip to town.” Twilight gave Silvia a grateful smile. “I suppose it would make more sense for you to pick them up.”
Lighting up her horn, Twilight floated a small bit bag out of her saddlebags and over to Silvia.
“The flower sisters tend to have the best flowers, so that’s where we usually buy them.” Twilight instructed her. “Go ahead and pick up two dozen, that should last us until the next time we go grocery shopping.”
“I have bits, you know…” Silvia said.
“Don’t worry about it,” Twilight waved her off. “I don’t mind covering a few meals while you get settled.”
Placing the big bag in her saddlebags, Silvia turned and followed Twilight to the door.
“Thank you, Twilight, for everything,” Silvia said. “I really appreciate it.”
“Well I do have a bad first impression to make up for, so I might as well get started sooner rather than later.” Twilight joked. “But seriously, it’s no problem at all, Silvia. I’m always more than willing to help a friend, and despite our rocky start this morning, I’d like to consider you one.”
“Well, of course we are,” Silvia smiled, stopping in front of the door. “I’d be glad to call anypony who would do this much to help others a friend.”
With a flare of her horn Twilight’s magic encompassed the door, holding it open for Silvia.
“Try not to take to long with Applejack,” Twilight asked. “Spike shouldn’t be too much longer with dinner.”
“I shouldn’t be too long,” Silvia said. “I had a nice long chat with her earlier, so I just need to let her know I’ll be staying with you, and ask what time they’ll be expecting me in the morning.”
“Since you’re running to the market, I’ll go ahead and get the spare mattress set up for you,” Twilight said. “Do you want me to move your bags up to your room when I’m done with that?”
“You don’t have to do that, Twilight,” Silvia said. “I can get them when I come back.”
“You sure?” Twilight asked, flaring her horn briefly. “It won’t take me long at all to move them with magic, and it would save you a few trips up and down the steps.”
“Oh,” Silvia blinked owlishly, realizing she had forgotten about Twilight’s magic. “Well, I suppose that would be a lot easier than carrying them myself.”
“So is that a yes?” Twilight asked, her magic already encompassing the pile of bags.
“Yes, please and thank you!” Silvia said.
With a final check to ensure that her bags were properly secured Silvia stepped outside, with Twilight moving to stand in the doorway.
Silvia took a look at the position of the sun before turning to Twilight.
“Well,” Silvia said, taking a quick look at the sky to check the position of the sun before turning to Twilight. “Looks like I need to get going if I want to catch the flower sisters and Applejack before the market closes.”
“Thanks again for getting the flowers,” Twilight said. “I’ll make sure your rooms set up for you when you get back.”
“It’s no problem, Twilight.” Silvia insisted. “It’s the least I could do for you.”
With one final wave, the two turned and went their separate ways. Silvia heading into town to grab flowers and talk to Applejack, while Twilight grabbed Silvia’s bag and headed up to get the storage room set up for Silvia.