//------------------------------// // Chapter Three - Something Sour This Way Comes // Story: Scars of the Quill // by EchoWing //------------------------------// The rest of the week went by with little incident, at least for Quiver’s part. As each day passed he found himself getting a little more anxious about his coming housemate. With no word yet from Gilded Lily regarding their arrival, the most he could do was keep their room clean and try to stay patient. Patience, unfortunately, was not a virtue that he was good at practicing, though he had gotten better about it. And regardless, it was the end of the week, and a weekend at home was a decent enough consolation prize. He just had to get through the remainder of the day at work, and he would be in the clear. A chime sounded from his list, and Quiver looked to find that he’d been moved to another area for pick. “Barely here for fifteen minutes. Must be a slow afternoon.” He then slipped out of his cart, moved his basket to the conveyor belt, and moved his cart to their designated waiting area. List in hoof, he went off on his way… “AUGH!” Quiver pulled his right front hoof back in pain once the other pony’s hoof lifted off of his. He looked up to find a pony’s hindquarters sticking out of one aisle, a large stower’s cart on his opposite side. The stallion turned back with a dull-eyed look and remarked, “Sorry bro.” Quiver frowned, and gingerly made his way to his supervisor’s station, all the while doing his best to maintain his cool. He caught sight of whom he’d hoped to see, and his mood brightened. “Bright Star, you got a second? I just had a run-in with a stower.” He rubbed his hoof and grumbled, “Literally.” The mare winced in sympathy as she retrieved some paperwork and a pencil. “What happened?” “Stower backed up and stepped on me while pulling their cart back.” The paper and pencil were laid out before him as Quiver set his list down. “Last I checked, they weren’t supposed to do that.” “I’ll have a word with their department head. You want to get that looked at by the on-site nurse?” Quiver finished writing up his incident report, spat out the pencil and then rolled his jaw in discomfort. If ever there was a reason to lament being an earth pony, the lack of dexterity in his extremities was it. “No, it’s not bleeding. Just hurts like Tartarus.” “Well, I was about to call for folks to head home early for the day. Something tells me you’re not going to say no to it after this.” Quiver smirked. “An injury and slow picks? How is that not incentive enough to head home early?” And if he was lucky, maybe he’d get word regarding his new housemate. - As the many residents of Ponyville went about their business on this particular Friday, few paid much attention to the newcomer in their midst. This suited the pale gold unicorn just fine as she made her way through town, a map floating ahead of her in a golden aura clear in the mid-afternoon sun, if only so that she could avoid somepony staring at her for scowling. So what if she was a little frustrated? It wasn’t her fault that this was the worst map she’d ever seen, or that this town didn’t have any street signs! Seriously, how was a pony supposed to find their way around a place without something to guide them?! With a frustrated groan, she found herself about to crumple up the horrible excuse for a map that she’d been given and toss it into the nearest trash bin – that she could find one of those with little trouble was at least a small comfort – before she stopped, took a cleansing breath, and neatly folded the map and tucked it away into her saddlebags. Lashing out would do her little good, and getting angry was never productive. And she did want to make a good impression, given today was kinda-sorta the first day for her new job. If the map failed, then she had an alternative – ask for directions. It was doubtful that anypony in town wouldn’t know about her destination, after all. A satisfied smile crossed her muzzle as she congratulated herself upon keeping her cool. She then stood up and cast her eyes upon the first pony she saw, and approached. “Excuse me, miss, could you help me with something?” “I sure hope I can –!” The pink mare with the poufy mane looked at her for barely a second before she let out a massive gasp and jumped into the air with excitement. “Omigoshomigoshomigosh!” The unicorn raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?” “You’re new! I’ve never met you before, and I know everypony in Ponyville…” The pink mare pulled her in close enough that the unicorn’s indigo eyes had a clear view of the earth pony’s bright blue ones and continued, “…And I mean everypony in Ponyville…” She then released her and continued, “…So that means you’re new!” “Obviously. Now if you could…” But the mare seemed blissfully unaware that she’d spoken. “Which means I have to throw you a party! I’d roll out the welcome wagon for you right now, but I’m not finished cleaning out the confetti cannons – I put cake batter in them by mistake again!” “How terrible, now about…” “So I’m just gonna have to throw you a super-special party instead! It’s gonna be amazing, and I’ll make sure to decorate the banners with your Cutie Mark, which is really cool by the way with the diamond crosshair-thingy…!” This was the last thing she needed to deal with, between the least helpful map in the history of cartography to the most poorly-laid out town in Equestria to the most gab-happy pony in all of creation. Under these circumstances, it would be natural for anypony to snap. “Oh, thank you! I’d love a party!” How she snapped, however, was more evocative of whiplash. “Except all I want right now are directions, and I’d have them by now if I wasn’t dealing with some vapid little cotton-candy-brained…!” She paused at the shocked look from the mare before her, pulled back and collected herself. “Sorry, sorry, I shouldn’t have gone off like that.” The mare’s answer, thankfully, was slower and more relaxed than before, if only by a small margin. “No, no, it’s okay. I was caught up in what I wanted to do, and that wasn’t very nice for you, was it?” The pink pony smiled and offered a hoof. “Let’s start over. Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie! Welcome to Ponyville! How may I help you?” Now feeling much calmer than before, the mare accepted the offered hoof and responded in kind. “Hello Pinkie Pie. My name is Sour Sweet. Thank you for the welcome. I’m…” She noticed the wide-eyed look of amazement in Pinkie’s eyes and rolled her own. “Go ahead.” A beaming smile answered her. “Thank you!” The party pony then gasped and exclaimed, “SOUR SWEET?!” Her apparent shock faded almost instantly as she noted, “Where have I heard that name before? I know that I’ve read it somewhere, but I can’t remember …” She shrugged and added, “Eh, it’ll come to me. So what brings you to Ponyville? Doing the touristy-thing?” “No, actually I’m moving here. I was told to head somewhere first thing, and that a pony there would help me with everything else…” “But you can’t find the place that you’re looking for?” At Sour’s nod, Pinkie exclaimed, “Well don’t you worry! I know Ponyville like the back of my hooves, so tell me where you need to go, and I’ll get you there lickety-split!” “Golden Oak Library.” “Really? That’s an easy one! Follow me!” Pinkie then started bounding off towards the place in question, Sour following reasonably close behind and hoping that her guide knew where she was going. Otherwise, this was going to be a really lousy day. - Calling today a lousy one wasn’t quite a fair assessment, but Twilight certainly found herself in a foul mood as she went over her notes regarding the Tree of Harmony and its mysterious chest once more. The more she’d gone over them hoping for a revelation of some sort, the less success she’d found. And with a couple hours to go before the arrivals or her evening talk with Quiver and Cheerilee, she had nothing to distract herself with. “Mail’s here!” Her attention was immediately turned to the door as she dashed to Spike and took up the mail in her magic. She frantically glanced over each letter until she found one that she’d been hoping for. “Oh, please let this be good news!” She left the rest of the mail with Spike and opened the letter only for her eagerness to fade after the first read-through. She groaned. “Fantastic.” “What’s wrong, Twilight?” “Bad news from the town of Promise, Spike.” Twilight handed the letter off to him as she slowly walked off to the diagram of the Chest. “Pretty much the same bad news Cadance gave me when she visited.” With a raised eyebrow, Spike looked over the letter. “‘Princess Twilight Sparkle, we thank you for your interest in the nearby forest of Dusky Dale, however we can assure you that there is nothing of interest there.’” He looked up from the letter and asked, “Don’t these guys realize that you wouldn’t be taking an interest in it just because? And even if they didn’t, wouldn’t they be happy for a visit from Equestria’s newest princess?” “It isn’t common knowledge that the Elements of Harmony were lost in order to stop the spread of the plundervines, Spike. Princess Celestia’s doing her best to keep that information out of public circulation in order to avoid a panic.” Twilight herself wasn’t certain that was the wisest course, but Celestia did have several centuries more experience in these matters than she did. “Besides, I get the feeling that anypony that wants to settle that far out of the way is mostly interested in keeping to themselves. Someone from the government, even Equestria’s newest princess, might not be all that welcome, even for a brief visit.” “Still though, you’re not going to just let this one go, right?” Spike gestured to a nearby map and explained, “Cadance already ruled out the area near the Crystal Empire when she visited, and we’re still waiting to hear back from the authorities in Neigh Orleans. That’s one off the list and a second one that’s still a big maybe. I don’t even wanna know what the ponies from Hollow Shades will tell us.” “I don’t want to let this go, but…” Twilight practiced one of her breathing exercises and collected herself. “You’re right, Spike. I’ll send them another letter and explain the situation as clearly as I can, and if that doesn’t work, we’ll ask Celestia for her help. They might be able to refuse me, but no way will they refuse her.” “Because if they do, then she’ll figure something’s up and just come anyway, right?” “Exactly.” Twilight allowed herself a small giggle at that thought. While some could call it abuse of authority, there was little stopping Celestia from acting if it was in the national interest. “Now, kindly take a…” “Hi Twilight!” The two were interrupted as the library door opened and a familiar pink mare pronked her way inside. Pinkie paused as she caught Spike in the midst of taking up quill and readying paper and asked, “Oops, sorry, did I catch you guys at a bad time?” The princess sighed and rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry Pinkie, we won’t break out the newspaper this time.” As Spike set aside his instruments, she turned to her friend and asked, “So, what’s up?” “I’ve got somepony here who wants to see you!” She stepped aside as she continued to explain, “At least, I think she’s here to see you. She told me that she was coming here to the library, and only you and Spike live here, so I assumed…” “Thank you, Pinkie Pie, I can take things from here.” Twilight’s attention turned to the newcomer as said mare attempted to hide her frustrated expression. Recognition and relief were clear in her indigo eyes as she caught sight of the princess. “Princess Twilight Sparkle. Honored to meet you, ma’am.” Twilight recognized her stance all too easily. “Thank you, miss…?” “Oh, excuse me.” She pulled a scroll from her saddlebags and presented it to her with her magic, then stood at attention. “First Lieutenant Sour Sweet, Equestrian Royal Guard Special Forces. I’ve been assigned as your security detail.” Pinkie let out a theatrical gasp at this. “You’re in the Royal Guard?!” At Sour’s irked glance, the party mare shook her head and noted, “Nope, that’s still not it. It’ll come to me.” The newcomer turned to the princess and the dragon only for Spike to explain, “This is normal for Pinkie.” “Security detail?” Twilight put aside the scroll and turned her attention to the lieutenant. “My apologies, Lieutenant, but I never asked for a security detail, even a small one. I’ve no doubt that you’re qualified, they wouldn’t send some newbie fresh from the Academy to keep me safe, but…” “Highness, before you say anything else, you should read this.” Another scroll was removed from her saddlebags as Sour Sweet explained, “This comes from Princess Celestia herself. It should explain everything.” Twilight took up the scroll in her magic and read it aloud. “‘My dearest Twilight, I apologize for the manner in which I’m bringing this to your attention, but I thought this approach would be the best one in light of recent circumstances. I am well aware of your recent adventure in the jungles of Maretonia with Miss Yearling…’” The princess paused and looked to her friend, who returned her look with a blank stare. “What? Doesn’t surprise me that she knows the truth.” Twilight rolled her eyes and continued, “‘…and, taking into account the incident with the plundervines, I think it best for you to have a permanent security detail going forward. Lieutenant Sour Sweet is a decorated officer and a veteran of the attack upon Canterlot by Queen Chrysalis and her hive, as well as a recipient of the Bronze Heart of Valor for her actions therein. I trust her with my life, and am confident that you can trust her with your own.’” She rolled up the scroll and asked, “You were in Canterlot during the invasion?” “Just fresh from my extended course at the Academy, too. May I?” At the princess’s nod, the soldier set aside her saddlebags and explained, “I was only one of ten officers who avoided capture during the battle, and it was a near thing in my case. Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadenza sent those roaches flying just as I and some of the others were getting glued down by that gunk of theirs.” A grin of grim satisfaction formed on her face as she added, “Not that I made it easy for them.” Nopony was eager for her to elaborate on that point, and Twilight gave a resigned sigh. “Fine. I have a security detail. A one-pony security detail, but still, a security detail.” She could almost feel the lieutenant’s mood sour further as she sat there, and quickly amended, “It’s not you, Lieutenant, it’s… I never asked to be a princess. I certainly never wanted it, or anything that it entailed. But an alicorn citizen of Equestria is automatically royalty under laws going all the way back to Equestria’s founding, and after I ascended, well, that was it. Never mind that it immediately put me up above my friends whether I wanted to be or not. Never mind that compared to me they’re…” The sour look on Twilight’s face prompted Pinkie Pie to offer, “Peasants?” A nod. “I’ve made it clear more times than not that I wouldn’t be here today without them. Where are their special privileges, their rank and nobility? The only reason they didn’t ascend with me was because of something I had no control over. I’ve accepted that, and so did they, but I don’t want them treated any differently from me.” “And I’m an armed, walking reminder of the fact that you’re suddenly vastly more important than they are just because of sheer dumb luck, and it’d soothe your conscience if there were five or six more of me for each of your friends, right?” “Well, yes!” Twilight’s gaze was fixed upon the unflinching officer as she exclaimed, “That’s exactly what I want! Don’t they deserve what I’ve gotten too?!” Her cries were met with a light chuckle, then full-on laughter from the mare before her as she remarked, “What…?” “I’m sorry, but…” Her laughter died down. “That was just the most refreshingly honest thing I’ve heard in a while. I needed it.” She took a deep breath and added, “And I agree with you. Trouble is that the Royal Guard’s stretched thinner than anyone in the guard itself would like. We’re still working to get the local contingent for the Crystal Empire up to full strength. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are trying to get measures passed in Congress, but between the hippies and the bureaucrats…” She groaned. “Anyway, that’s beside the point. I get where you’re coming from, but like it or not, I’m here. And that’s not changing anytime soon.” Twilight accepted that with a nod, then stood to her full height. “I suppose not. In any case, welcome to Ponyville.” She looked over the mare before her and asked, “So, Special Forces? I assume that your status as my protection detail is classified?” “To all but a select few. You, Mayor Mare, your fellow princesses, Prince Shining Armor, senior military officials, Sir Spike…” She paused there to give the dragon a small nod before continuing. “…as well as your fellow bearers and those of senior rank involved in the reconstruction of the Castle of the Two Sisters. Beyond that, it’s been left to my discretion who knows and who doesn’t.” She then gave a sympathetic smile. “And if it helps, I can totally understand. In your case though, it’s a lot less tragic.” She then turned and glared at Pinkie Pie. “And I am not getting into it at this time, thank you very much.” The party mare accepted that with a nod. “Okey-dokey-lokey. You can talk about it when you’re ready. Anywho, I gotta get going – Sugarcube Corner awaits!” As Pinkie trotted out of the library, Sour turned back to Twilight as the princess shook her head. “You get used to it. It helps that Pinkie usually has a method to her madness.” She then changed the subject back to where it had been and continued, “So, your dispatch said that your cover story was that you were my new assistant librarian. Do you at least have some library training?” “No, but I’m a fast learner and my favorite aunt’s a librarian.” “Better than nothing, I guess.” That comment earned Spike a couple glares before he continued, “Well fine, but as far as that goes, you’re the number three assistant.” A familiar owl fluttered onto Sour’s back as he explained, “That’s Owlowiscious. He’s the number two assistant.” “Hoo.” Sour turned back to consider Owlowiscious before rolling her eyes. “Fair enough. Now that’s settled, I was told you could help me with something else. I need to find a mare named Gilded Lily about my living arrangements. And it would help a lot if I could actually navigate this town.” She glared and noted, “Seriously. You have no street signs here.” Twilight smiled reassuringly. “I’m doing what I can on that department, but you’ll have to get used to it for now. Anyway, as for Gilded Lily, that won’t be a problem. I need to run an errand before my meeting tonight anyway, and her office is on the way. I can help you get acquainted with the town, and you can get an early start on keeping me secure.” Sour maintained a neutral expression as she considered the princess’ suggestion. “Princess Celestia told me that you appreciated efficiency.” She then managed a smile of her own. “I’m glad to see she was right. Now, for the time being, may I leave my things here?” “Of course.” Sour sighed in relief as she followed the princess out of the library. Hopefully, this was a sign that things were looking up, and the rest of the day would go smoothly despite the frustrations that had gone her way. - The day looked sunny indeed for the colts and fillies at play outside of the Ponyville Schoolhouse. Recess was in session, and the various foals were enjoying themselves with assorted carefree activities of childhood. In the midst of all this, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were playing foursquare with Pipsqueak, enjoying themselves and with all thoughts of schoolwork and chasing down their cutie marks set aside. “Yoo-hoo!” The game paused as Diamond Tiara called out for everypony’s attention, Silver Spoon at her side as usual. “Gather ‘round, everypony! It’s time!” Foals all over the schoolyard gathered curiously. The Crusaders, unsurprisingly, hung back, frowns on their faces. “What do you guys think she’s up to now?” Apple Bloom considered Scootaloo’s question. “Ah dunno, but let’s keep outta the splash zone.” As they backed off as much as they could, and effectively closed in on the schoolhouse, Diamond called out to her audience. “As you all know, I had promised to put on an amazing, first-time-ever acrobatic display for you all today!” The gathered foals eagerly cheered, only to turn silent as the filly continued, “I know, it’s exciting, but I’m tired. I’ve put so much work into that story assignment from last week, making it perfect!” The crowd offered sympathetic ‘awws’ at her theatrical pout, even as the Crusaders rolled their eyes. “Seriously?” Sweetie Belle quietly noted to her friends, “We’ve already gotten ours finished and turned in. It wasn’t that hard.” “But I did not wish to disappoint you all.” She gestured to her side as an aged pony, looking very much as if he could match Granny Smith in years, slowly approached. “So I’ve brought my butler Randolph to do them for me!” With an unsteady bow, the elderly stallion then performed a pair of backflips, landing the second time with his back to the crowd of foals. He then jumped upwards and spun in the air, before making a perfect landing on his four hooves and standing proud, only for the moment to be ruined as he was shoved to one side by his charge and landed hard upon his back. The awestruck foals rushed past the elderly stallion, all their attention on Diamond Tiara as he sought to recover himself. “That was amazing, Diamond Tiara!” Silver Spoon cheered. “I know.” A smug expression was on the rich filly’s face as she admitted, “I don’t know how I do it.” While their peers showed off their admiration, the Crusaders looked amongst themselves as Apple Bloom remarked, “Ah can’t believe this.” “I can, unfortunately.” The three fillies looked up as a familiar stallion approached them from behind, his gaze fixed upon the sight before him. “Some songs and dances, unfortunately, never go away no matter how old they get.” The trio looked up as Sweetie Belle called out in pleasant surprise. “Mister Quiver Quill! What are you doing here?” “I got off work early. The road back home for me goes by the schoolhouse. Excuse me for a second, girls.” Quiver then purposefully strode past them towards the older stallion and offered a hoof. “Pardon me sir, do you need assistance?” The elderly stallion accepted the hoof. “Thank you young sir.” As Quiver helped him to stand, the younger stallion remarked, “That was a very impressive display of acrobatics. Where did you learn how to do all of that?” A proud smile crossed Randolph’s face. “I’m actually self-taught, sir. Since my youth I’ve been impressed by the aerial displays of pegasi, and…” “Randolph, did I tell you to stop?” The two turned as Diamond Tiara approached with a cross expression on her face and her attention going from her servant to her apparent lesser. “And you! What do you think you’re doing?” “Helping him and complimenting him.” If Quiver was in any way intimidated by the filly before him, he showed no sign. “Which is a great deal more than you and most of the other foals here have done.” “Wha-?” Diamond shook her head and scowled at the stallion. “He’s my butler!” “First off? He’s not your butler, he’s your family’s butler. Your parents, or specifically your father, writes his checks, not you. And second, even if you were the one paying his bills, that gives you no excuse to bring him out like some trained dog and perform for your classmates, nor does it allow you to shove him around. A gross lack of respect for him aside, given his age, he could have been injured. Did that thought even occur to you, or were you more interested in getting praise for doing absolutely nothing?” The filly stammered before she remarked, “What gives you the right to say how I should treat the ponies who work for me?!” “Taking that as a no.” Quiver’s eyes narrowed dangerously as he kept his gaze fixed on the filly before him. “And basic pony decency gives me the right. And seeing as you’ve brought it up, what gives you the right to do this? Money? Wealth? Power? You only have those things because of your parents, primarily your father’s work and labor. Now I’ve heard lots of good things about your father, little missy, about how he’s built upon the foundations laid by his father and grandfather before him, and how he’s earned a degree of respect in this town, but from my perspective, a parent who fails to teach their kids about basic pony decency doesn’t deserve the title. You haven’t learned any of that from him, or earned any goodwill compared to him, or much of anything. All you’ve done is take advantage of what he and others have given you, rather than work off your own talents and show your own capabilities, and sooner or later that’s going to come back and…” Quiver was violently interrupted as Diamond Tiara stomped hard on his right front hoof, causing him to howl in pain. “Don’t you talk about my daddy like that!” As Quiver collapsed forwards, Diamond rushed to his right side and bucked him hard, which prompted another howl. “He’s the best daddy in the world and –!” “Diamond Tiara!” Every foal present froze and turned towards the schoolhouse to see Cheerilee looking onto the display in shock. “What in Equestria do you think you’re doing?!” Before the filly could stammer an excuse, the teacher countered, “No, I don’t want to hear it! Over here, now!” A few foals approached and helped Quiver back to his feet as the teacher called, “Mister Quiver! Are you alright?” The stallion nodded. “Well enough to walk, yes. Please excuse me.” He then gingerly made his way off the school grounds, keeping his gaze forward and trying to ignore all the faces locked upon him. As they watched him go, the Crusaders looked among themselves as Sweetie Belle asked the question going through all of their minds. “You think he’s okay?” “He should be. Ah mean, even Ah’d have trouble hurtin’ a grown stallion with a good buck, and Diamond Tiara ain’t near as strong as me.” Apple Bloom looked to her two friends. “Either a’ y’all think that was a little scary though?” “Maybe, but considering who it was aimed at…” Scootaloo glanced over towards their tormentor as Diamond Tiara was trooped into the schoolhouse on her own. “You ever miss when things were a lot more black and white?” Apple Bloom frowned. She’d been personally hurt by Diamond Tiara more than any of her friends, even though Scootaloo could present a small case otherwise, and even she found herself a little worried about her tormentor’s current state. And Quiver might have been pushing things, even if what he’d said had been true. “Part a’ growin’ up, ah guess.” - Gilded Lily’s office was normally a quiet one, the most exciting time in it having been some weeks ago when Princess Twilight Sparkle had visited with a friend in tow. That was something the mare was glad for, as she’d had enough of excitement in her profession prior to going into real estate. With that in mind, she could easily take note of some excitement in her offices, and could often gauge what the causes were. No birthdays, no celebrations, so… She stood up from her desk as a knock sounded at her office door. “Come in!” The door opened with a glow of magic, and she greeted the mare at the other side with a nod and a smile. “Princess Twilight. Please come in.” She noticed the mare with her and greeted her similarly as the door shut behind them. “And you must be my new client. Pleased to meet you, Lieutenant.” “Likewise, ma’am. And I’d appreciate you not making too big of a deal out of my position.” As the three took some seats, Sour Sweet prodded, “So, I’m told you have a place ready to go for me?” “It’s a small place, two bedrooms. Bit of a history to it, however. The first tenant I had for it moved in just after the Summer Sun Celebration, but there was some trouble.” Lily looked to Twilight and explained, “You remember Luster Drain?” Twilight nodded, then turned to Sour. “She took in another tenant without informing Gilded Lily, even drew up a fraudulent rental agreement for him to sign. Unfortunately for her, that tenant happened to be a friend of mine, and he had the good sense to keep a copy of the contract in his lockbox. He showed it to Miss Lily, and Luster ended up going to jail.” “And I’m looking forward to testifying at her next hearing.” She brought up a folder and passed it forward to her new tenant. “In any case, she’d used the other tenant’s money to pay for the next month of rent, so I let him continue to live there. He’s paid for the next month, but I’d assume he’ll want you to start paying your part of it. His name’s on the agreement in that folder. He’s a good stallion, and he seemed to have no problems with you moving in.” That tidbit got Sour curious as she opened the folder and looked over the agreement, and her eyes went wide at the name listed for her co-tenant. “You’re kidding me.” A knock sounded at the door, and at Gilded Lily’s call, it opened and a familiar voice called into the room. “Sorry to bug you over this, Miss Lily, but…” Sour immediately turned about to find her indigo eyes on the brown ones of a familiar stallion. They narrowed as she rose from her chair, her voice grim. “Quiver Quill.” “Sour Sweet.” A grim look formed upon Quiver’s face as he stepped forward, the door closing behind him. “Of all the mares to show up in all of Equestria, it had to be you.” The other two mares present suddenly turned alarmed as Twilight asked, “I take it the two of you know one another?” “We do, and I’ve been waiting a while to say this.” The tension that was in the room broke as Quiver’s grim expression turned into a pleased smile. “It’s great to see you!” Sour’s expression soon matched his as the pair cried out in joy, hugged and laughed. “Right back at ya, you big idiot!” The hug broke as she asked, “But what are you doing in Ponyville?” “I live here! I’m surprised you didn’t hear it from Grandmare, all those times you go and visit with her!” “Yeah, well, I don’t visit, remember? Mom visits, and I get dragged along. And every time that happens, Mom tries to talk about me, Grandmare steers the topic back to you-know-who, and I can’t get a word in edgewise.” “Wait, hold on, somepony slow down and tell me…!” “Omigoshomigoshomigosh!” A drawer on Gilded Lily’s desk popped open as Pinkie Pie emerged to answer Twilight’s question. “That’s why her name was so familiar!” Sour turned back and looked at the mare with shock. “How in…?” The realtor in the room simply rubbed one temple with her hoof. “I try not to think about it. Pinkie, in the future…” The party pony turned sheepish. “Oops. Sorry, Miss Lily.” She then hopped out of the mare’s desk, closed the drawer behind her and explained, “Anywho, that’s where I read your name before, Sour! In Quiver’s family record!” She got between them and hugged Sour and Quiver and explained to everypony else, “Quiver’s dad, Bitterhoof, and Sour’s mom, Bitter Sweet, are brother and sister! That makes the two of them first cousins! And now Quiver has biological family here in Ponyville!” Quiver rolled his eyes, but the grin on his face would’ve been obvious to a blind man. “Watch out Sour, she’s going to be planning a party for you now.” The mare was less thrilled than her cousin. “As if she wasn’t already?” The stallion smiled and turned to his friend as the embrace ended. “Pinkie, I know you don’t do subtle, but maybe try something small and relaxed? And maybe not today?” “Some time to settle in to town would be nice.” She turned to her cousin and smiled as the party pony moved out of the way. “And thankfully, finding my new place will be easy, despite the problems.” “Noticed the lack of street signs, huh?” At his cousin’s nod, he noted, “Don’t worry. This town’s got plenty of landmarks. You’ll figure out how to navigate soon enough.” The unicorn grinned and gently prodded her cousin in one shoulder. “I’m gonna hold you to that.” She then turned back to Gilded Lily and continued, “Anyway, I’ve no problems with my fellow tenant, and I believe you’ve gotten my first check for rent?” A fountain-tip pen was produced as the realtor nodded. “Your half for the next two months. All that I’m waiting on is your signature.” Sour took up the pen with her magic, and quickly examined the document before signing it. She received a copy, and returned the pen. “Fantastic.” She then turned to Twilight and said, “Now, you said something about an errand? I’m not officially on duty yet, but I think I’d better go with you. Just in case.” “Of course. And Quiver can come along too if he likes.” “I think I’d better.” He moved to one side as Pinkie opened the door for them to exit, his attention now on his cousin. “This’ll give us a good chance to catch up.” “Yeah, speaking of, you alright? You’re favoring your left hoof.” Quiver tried his best to be dismissive as Twilight made her way out and he and Sour followed. “Bad day at work. Idiot coworker stepped on it. It’s fine, or will be soon enough.” Pinkie was the last to leave, and Gilded Lily settled back into her chair with some relief. If nothing else, one headache was over, and the rest of the day would probably be nice and quiet from here on out.