//------------------------------//
// Chapter seven: a new life 
// Story: Brothers 'N Antlers 
// by Elkia Deerling 
//------------------------------//

Elkia’s new life began. He didn’t yet know how to use the crazy typewriters, so at first he resorted to writing with the pencil in his mouth. After about a month of experimenting himself, he received a very nice teacher, an old earth pony with glasses. He and Elkia got along very well, and Elkia was always thankful for the writing advice he got from him. The teacher himself was amazed by how quickly his newest student picked up the writing craft, and was impressed by Elkia’s poetic pieces. He promised Elkia to write a whole series of books, if he was up for it. Of course, he was.

The teacher also showed Elkia how to use the typewriter. He got lessons in horse code, so he was able to understand what the different combinations of horseshoes and stars represented. Elkia was fascinated by it, and promised himself to study as hard as he could, so that he could write using the typewriter as soon as possible.

When Elkia finally mastered the art of horse code and knew about the inner workings of the typewriter, things went faster and faster. Using the machine, Elkia was able to put his ideas on paper much quicker than if he would use his mouth and a pencil only. Where before he wrote thirty pages a day, now he could write thirty pages an hour—easily. 

Yet, useful as these skills were, and easy the writing became, there was a downside. After having written a dozen books and a dozen poetry collections, Elkia’s creative well went dry. Of course it couldn’t be an infinite sea of creativity—no one has such a thing as an infinite sea of creativity. For the very first time, Elkia experienced writer’s block. Writer’s block felt terrible to poor Elkia. It felt as if he was thirsty and yearning for a drink, yet the glass was already empty. There came a day where Elkia sat on his chair, with his typewriter in front of him, and no words appeared in horse code on the paper—nothing at all.

But luckily, Elkia’s teacher knew writer’s block well, and together with his student, he managed to drive it away. The teacher gave Elkia little sentences, suggestions. Things like a character with a certain mindset, a comedic scene or an action scene, or sometimes the moral of the story. He would say things like, ‘Why not write a story about friendships being more important than material goods?’ or, ‘And what about a story, a situation, where being equal is the most precious thing?’ or, ‘You should write about the downside of cutie marks, that is sure to be an interesting drama story.’ And so, using these guidelines, the teacher not only helped Elkia to stand straight and follow the path of his fiction, but he also steered Elkia in a direction that was useful to the Scribblers’ City community.

Of course, Elkia wasn’t stupid. He saw that his teacher intentionally gave him things to write about to put Scribblers’ City and the community in a pretty-colored spotlight… and he loved that. To him, it was a chance to repay the community of Scribblers’ City for everything it had done for him. In return for the love and knowledge he got, Elkia continued to write things that were actually useful to the community. It felt as if he were not only creating art, but something bigger. Elkia felt as if he were the spokespony—or elk—of the Scribblers. It didn’t really matter that his tutor helped him a hoof, because he was still the one who wrote the story down. He was still the one who created characters, scenes, locations, and everything else that a story needs. He was still the captain of a ship, although the ship was not just a small sailboat anymore, but a large ocean steamer, heading to a very important destination.

Elkia lived a useful and productive life, but he kept having nightmares. He still dreamed about the timber wolf attack on his family and friends. Sometimes he even dreamed about an army of giant timber wolves thrashing through Scribblers’ City, eating the innocent little ponies and leaving nothing but ruin and blood in its way. He had made a little shrine to his mother, almost like a tombstone. The process of making it had been hard, both mentally and physically, but now that it was done, Elkia felt at least a little bit of peace inside himself. He went to the shrine often, placed flowers at it, and said his prayers. He hoped that on the Eternal Plains, Aeltha was there, waiting for him, and still receiving the love only a son can give to his mother.

So Elkia still had moments where he wanted to be alone and think about his old friends and family. He really was cheerful most of the time, but there were also times when he just wanted to have no one around, and contemplated about what he had lost, rather than what he had gained.

But Elkia wasn’t alone. Whenever he felt down, his new friend Strawberry Blonde was there for him. She’d hug Elkia, and whisper sweet things in his ears. No matter how down Elkia felt, Strawberry Blonde always managed to make him feel better. Elkia knew she was no unicorn, and didn’t possess the magic of the essences either, yet those warm embraces and comforting words—always at the right place, at the right time—worked wonders, and were almost like the magic Aeltha once possessed. If Elkia wouldn’t know any better, he’d say she was his very own seer.

While the building crew was busy building a brand new cottage for Elkia, the newest member of Scribblers’ City, Elkia needed somewhere to stay. Of course, he decided to live together with Strawberry Blonde—a decision none of them regretted. The two young lovers had so much fun together. Strawberry and Elkia laughed about silly jokes. They cried together when one of them felt sad. They played games together until late in the night. They enjoyed good food together, and had many a romantic dinner. Of course, they also enjoyed the fine arts together, visiting the Scribblers’ City museum and making beautiful things. They were actually busy making a children’s book. Strawberry Blonde provided the pictures, while Elkia wrote the text in simple horse code. The aim was to make an easy horse code book for children to learn from, and after the first was done, they decided to write and draw a whole series together. 

Sometimes they even went on romantic walks, although those occasions were very rare. For some reason, Strawberry Blonde didn’t like leaving the busy, walled community behind, and instead enjoy the fresh morning air, or witness the moonlight in the night. So it happened that Elkia was often alone on his walks. He was a little afraid sometimes, especially when the howling of wolves could be heard, so that’s why he never strayed far, and made sure to stay close to the walls of Scribblers’ City.  

Love was in the air. Every time Elkia came home from work, tired but content, there were always two soft hooves that were waiting for him. Elkia had never before known much about love, but now that he finally had, not only a special hind, but a special somepony, he enjoyed every single minute of it. Strawberry and he said the sweetest things to one another, cuddled a lot, and sometimes even kissed. It didn’t matter that Strawberry never wanted to share a room or a bed with Elkia, because every day, when he stood up, she was still there. And besides that, Elkia didn’t even know lovers usually sleep in the same room—or even in the same bed. It was Elkish custom for the bull not to stay with the cow for too long, but wander away and let the cow do all the raising herself. It was just how nature dictated things to be. Elkia didn’t know any better, and as far as he knew, things were fine this way.

But Strawberry Blonde wasn’t the only friend he made. In the beginning, Elkia was a little bit shy and alone, still troubling over his loss a bit. Yet, there came a day when somepony actually went up to him in order to make his acquaintance. His name was Syntax, a young stallion with glasses, with whom he had a short talk. It turned out they liked the same books, and were also both interested in poetry. Syntax had been a member of the community for a long time, so Elkia didn’t hesitate to ask him a million questions about the place, the people, the laws, and customs. Syntax was always eager to explain things to his new friend. He had an intimate knowledge about the whole Scribblers’ City community. It seemed as if he knew everypony. Not just the whole writing department, but also the whole arts-and-crafts community. He said he even knew some of the guards and leaders personally. He was a pony with connections, and Elkia realized that his friendship was a very valuable thing. The truth was that Syntax, in turn, was curious about elks and their culture. Together they could sit for hours in a silent corner in a café or bar or pub, and talk endlessly. They never ran out of things to say.

And so things folded out for Elkia Deerling, in a rather positive way. His life was filled with pleasant company and a useful pastime. There was a certain routine that dictated Elkia’s life, and he was very happy living according to it. Every day he woke up, and saw his beautiful Strawberry Blonde. Together they had breakfast, and after that they went their separate ways. Strawberry Blonde headed over to the visitor’s center or some other governmental building or office, while Elkia went to the creative hub. There, he first received some writing tips from his teacher, and then worked by himself for the rest of the afternoon. When the afternoon drew to an end, there was a little writing exchange session. Everypony handed a piece of written work from him or herself to another, and together they read and critiqued their works. Elkia learned a lot from that. When the day was over, he went home, had dinner together with Strawberry Blonde, and did some things together with the love of his life like board games or reading poetry to one another. Elkia always went to bed content and slept soundly, as the nightmares became more and more rare.

At last, the merciless and cold winter came to its end. It was followed up by a pretty little spring, with the scent of fresh grass and beautiful flowers hanging in the air wherever one went. The temperatures became more and more pleasant, and, of course, the thick blanket of snow disappeared. After spring came a beautiful summer. Colored plants grew everywhere, fresh green leaves crowned every proud tree, and life became once again as pleasant as life can be. 

Now that the temperatures weren’t freezing cold in the night, Elkia took more time to walk around in the moonshine. In fact, there came a time when he took a stroll every day. Sometimes he passed through the gate and took a long hike in the woods, where other times he stayed within the safe walls of Scribblers’ City and went to a bar or two. Elkia always enjoyed the laidback atmosphere in Scribblers’ City’s bars. The ambiance, together with a glass of gin or two, always helped him to relax after a long day of writing. He sat at a table with a glass of gin in front of him. Caught up in the mildness of the summer night, Elkia put his hooves on the table and leaned back. He thought about everything that now made up his life, and how thankful he was Strawberry Blonde had dragged him to Scribblers’ City on that fateful night. He considered himself—despite his tragic loss—to be a very lucky animal. Now, this is a life worth living, he thought.

His peace was disturbed by a cry, and then another one, and another one. Elkia almost fell down backwards, but managed to steady himself with a clumsy move. Nopony ever shouted so loud in Scribblers’ City. The town was just too peaceful and idyllic for ponies to shout. Elkia knew there was trouble. He quickly emptied his gin, got to his hooves, and galloped towards the source of the noise. He knew it might be dangerous—hay, he had no idea what to expect—but he also knew that perhaps he might be able to help. Maybe someone had fallen down and broken a leg, or maybe there was a thief who had stolen an old mare’s purse. Those were things Elkia could deal with.

As Elkia looked left and right, he saw that a patrol of guards was moving along with him—easily recognizable by their blue uniforms. ‘What’s going on? What’s going on?’ asked Elkia.

One of the agents took the time to answer. ‘Oh nothing special,’ he said. ‘There’s probably a wild animal on the loose.’

‘A wild animal on the loose?!’ Elkia froze in his tracks. Were there timber wolves here too? Did one manage to jump over the wall and enter Scribblers’ City? Was there a wild timber wolf loose on the streets, ready to devour whomever was unfortunate enough to be near? Suddenly, Elkia lost all desire to go and check out himself what was going on. He swallowed, and felt as if he had just swallowed an icicle. Perhaps another time… he thought. Looking from the left to the right, he considered finding a safe place away from the danger, and let the guards handle this. That would probably be for the best… Elkia turned around.

‘STOP! Someone hold that beast!’ a voice shouted. Elkia looked over his shoulder, but it was too late. Something heavy crashed right into him. Elkia bent through his hooves and rolled over the ground, with the animal right on top of him. When they both finally came to a halt, Elkia opened his eyes. He was now face-to-face with the stray animal, which turned out to be an elk. But not just any elk.

‘Alces! It’s you!’

‘Brother!’ was all Alces could say. Shouts came from further down the street. Alces Roameling looked  back, and then forward. ‘Brother. We must talk! Find a dark alley and give a whistle.’

‘But… but!’ Elkia couldn’t believe it. Alces was alive, here in the very same town he ended up in! Was such a big coincidence even possible? Such things usually only happened in stories. 

Alces jumped to his hooves again. He galloped away. When Elkia looked after him, he saw how his brother sped further down the street like a rocket, and then disappeared into some dark alley, where the shadows and his grey fur melted together. 

‘Yes! Gotcha!’

Once again something—or rather, somepony—jumped into Elkia. It took the guard a few seconds of wrestling, before he caught Elkia in a lock. ‘Look, boss, I got him!’ said the guard.

A few seconds later a whole squadron of ponies in blue uniforms stood around the guard and his “catch.”

‘Get off that elk immediately, you idiot,’ said one of them. ‘That’s not the one we’re looking for.’

‘He’s not?’ said the guard.

‘I’m not,’ wheezed Elkia, who didn’t like having the weight of a full-grown stallion on his stomach. 

‘No of course not, nuthead,’ said the captain. ‘Unless he pulled open a can of paint and threw it over his head. Is your eyesight truly so poor that you cannot even see the difference between brown and grey?’

‘B-b-but… but it’s dark,’ said the guard in his defense. ‘It’s dark and I couldn’t see…’

Elkia let out another strained wheeze. ‘Sir… if you please…’

‘Get off of the poor gentlecolt—eh… elk,’ the captain said. He kicked his colleague, who flew off Elkia in an arch. The captain helped Elkia on his hooves. ‘I’m really sorry this happened sir.’ Then he gazed further down the street. ‘Did you see where he went, by any chance? We’re looking for an elk, like you but smaller and stockier, and with grey fur.’

‘Eh…’ Elkia pretended to think. Although he didn’t like to lie, he wanted to have that private chat with his brother badly. He had so many things he wanted to tell—and ask—him. And above all he wanted to know what this whole chase was about. Pointing to a darkened alley opposite of the one his brother had jumped into, Elkia said, ‘He went in there. You should look carefully, because he’s hard to spot in the shadows.’

The captain of the guard patted Elkia on the head. ‘Very good citizen, thank you.’ Then he turned towards his squadron. ‘Everyone! In there.’

When Elkia blinked again, the squadron was gone, and he was left alone on the street. He looked carefully around himself. Then, tip-toeing on his hooves, he went into the alley he saw Alces disappear into. He put his hooves to his muzzle, and gave a loud whistle, a very common sound in the summer, but recognizable to his brother.

Elkia didn’t even see him coming. Suddenly, the shape of Alces Roameling appeared out of the shadows. Elkia yelped.

‘Hush! Shut up, Elkia. You don’t want them to find us, now do you?’

Now Elkia was sure to speak in whispers, but was barely able to contain his joy at seeing his brother. ‘Alces! I thought you were still out there, in the cold winter forest. Come here, you.’ And he caught his brother in a warm embrace.

Yet, Alces quickly wiggled himself free. ‘No! We don’t have time for stupid sentiment or feelings.’

‘Oh, ok…’ A bit disappointed, Elkia let him go. ‘But you should still know that I am happy to see you, despite our differences when we, well… parted.’ Tears clouded Elkia’s vision, as he was once more on the hunt for words with which he could express his apology, as he had tried almost a year ago. ‘I… I still have to say—’

‘Whatever you want to say, it has to wait,’ said Alces, bluntly interrupting Elkia’s speech. ‘I have to tell you something important!’

‘What is it?’

‘This place, we have to leave—now,’ Alces said. If he hadn’t been whispering, he would probably have yelled those words.

This conversation had taken a very strange turn. ‘Leave? Why?’ said Elkia. ‘Scribblers’ City is a great place to live. Don’t you think the same?’

Fire sprang from Alces’s red eyes. ‘This place is terrible, Elkia. We’d have done better to die out in the wilds.’

‘What?! How could you say such a thing?’ Elkia said with a gasp.

‘Because it is. This place is a shithole. They make you work and work, with no breaks and little food. Hay, I almost died working the fields.’

‘What… but… huh?’ Elkia didn’t understand. ‘No, that’s not right, Alces. Everyone who lives in Scribblers’ City is honest and nice.’

Alces grabbed Elkia by the shoulders and shook him. ‘No they aren’t! The moment I came here, I have been nothing but their slave, just like the others. There are many more like me, working in the mines or in the fields underneath that damned magical barrier thing. We have to leave, Elkia. This place is evil.’

‘Now hold on for just a second there,’ said Elkia. He didn’t like Alces talking about Scribblers’ City like that. ‘From the moment I woke up here, ponies have treated me with nothing but generosity and kindness. They have given me back everything that I’ve lost, everything but you. And now that I do speak to you, you say the place is terrible. I… I…’ Elkia hesitated, then shook his head. ‘I don’t believe you, Alces. These ponies are great and honest. And why are you on the run anyway? Did you break a law?’

Snorting, Alces let go of Elkia, and stomped his hooves on the ground. He was furious, thinking about what to say to convince his brother. Had he gone mad?! ‘Listen, Elkia,’ he hissed.

‘No! Before you say anything else, I demand you tell me why everyone is after you.’

Alces growled like a wolf. Between clenched teeth, he said, ‘They just want to catch me so that I can work in their damned magical sphere. They want me to work till the death, I’m sure.’

Elkia thought about that for a moment. True, he had no idea what was going on inside that bubble, but everyone had been so nice to him! And besides, Strawberry Blonde had explained to him how laziness was one of the worst crimes in Scribblers’ City. Elkia was still convinced of that. In Scribblers’ City, everyone worked hard. He had seen many ponies sweating over their artworks or drawings or paintings—himself included. He knew that working hard was absolutely normal in Scribblers’ City. And if all the ponies in the creative hub worked hard, then surely the farmers and millworkers and miners had to work hard too, right? It only made sense. 

Elkia heard some shouts, and recognized the guard captain’s low voice. 

‘Elkia, we don’t have time to be silent and think,’ Alces said, his voice growling and snarling. He almost spit out the words in Elkia’s face. ‘We have to get out of here! We need a plan!’

But Elkia wasn’t done thinking. He looked his brother over. His heavy brows were furrowed over his red eyes. His muscles quivered, and he looked over his shoulder every two seconds. He truly looked like a criminal. Elkia knew that his brother hated to work. Even building a snow hut usually was too much work for him to do. Aeltha and he himself always did that. No, Alces’s interests had always been in sport and dueling, trying to prove that he was the strongest of them all. Working was not his thing. Was Alces just being lazy?

‘I don’t believe you, Alces,’ Elkia said. ‘Honestly, I think working hard will be good for you. Everyone works hard here, so why shouldn’t you?’

‘WHAT?!’ Alces shouted, no longer whispering anymore. ‘You’re insane, Elkia, you should have seen—’

‘No, Alces,’ Elkia said. ‘I know what a hothead you can be. I know how you always like to make rude and sometimes even mean pranks. I’m not convinced.’ 

Alces jumped towards his brother in rage. He took Elkia down, and pinned him to the ground. ‘Listen, you son of a—’

‘No, you listen,’ said Elkia. He tried to shake his brother off of him, but Alces was a lot stronger than he. Didn’t matter. He still looked straight into Alces’s eyes and continued talking. ‘I’m sure you’ve done something very bad, Alces. Otherwise, why are you on the run?’

‘Because they want me to work, dammit! They want me to work till the—’

‘As I said, we all do that. Maybe you should just adapt to the situation and learn to live with it,’ said Elkia.

‘What? But you can’t—’

‘Building up a life here is easier than it was in the cold of winter, Alces. It’s easy. I, for example, always keep to the law, and look where it got me? I have a job, a home, a marefriend…’

Alces suddenly let go of Elkia, turned around, and punched a wall. ‘WHAT?! Now there is a girl involved? No wonder you don’t want to leave.’ He turned towards Elkia again until they were muzzle-to-muzzle. ‘Love makes you blind, Elkia. You know how much I wanted love too, but—’

‘But you couldn’t get Rosalinda. I know that story, Alces,’ Elkia said. 

‘Hey! I think they’re over here!’ a voice shouted from the right.

‘Dammit,’ Alces cursed. ‘Ok, Elkia. One last chance. Do you leave me to die here or do we go? Your choice.’

‘I think you’re overreacting Alces. I can’t just leave everything behind to return to a life roaming through the forest. I’m happy here, and you should be to.’

‘No, no, NO!’ Alces snarled. He dragged Elkia to his hooves and gave him a slap in the face. ‘No, Elkia, we must—’

‘He’s here! Come get him!’ Elkia shouted.

A flame danced in Alces’s eyes. ‘You wouldn’t…’

‘To be honest, I’m quite fed-up with your profanity, drama and physical abuse, Alces. Just learn to grow up.’

‘Aha! Got him!’

Before Alces could say anything back, a rope flew through the air, and around Alces’s legs. When the noose tightened, he fell to the ground. A second later, the bearded face of the guard captain emerged from the shadows. He gave a quick order, and his guards set about tying up their catch as good as they could. Once he reached Elkia, the captain once again stroked his head. ‘You’ve done Scribblers’ City a great service, young elk,’ he said. ‘I hope he didn’t pose any danger to you.’

‘Thank you sir,’ Elkia said. ‘Actually, you came at the right moment.’

The other ponies had put a rope around Alces, and were dragging him away. Alces tried to say something, but managed only a muffled shout. Yet, Elkia swore he could hear the word “traitor” in there.

‘If there’s anything I can do for you, citizen, you need only ask,’ said the guard captain.

‘Thank you sir,’ Elkia said again. He looked over the guard’s shoulder, but couldn’t see Alces anymore. Elkia felt a bit weird. Was it the gin? ‘I must be on my way, again, sir, if you’d excuse me.’

‘I understand, young elk. Meeting a true criminal in real life is a shocking experience.’ The guard captain saluted, and then Elkia turned around. 

He walked back to the main street, and followed it for a while, not really knowing where he was going. The weird feeling didn’t leave Elkia alone. The conversation with his brother had been very strange and intense. Elkia took the time to think it over. The way Alces had looked at him was unusual even for him. He truly looked like a criminal, yet, the only crime he had committed was laziness. Wincing, Elkia realized he could have asked the guard captain about what was really going on. A missed chance. 

No matter how many streets and avenues Elkia crossed, the whole façade was constantly on his mind. There was something… off. Why did he himself settle nicely in Scribblers’ City, while his brother had so much trouble adapting? Of course, it could also be because he just wanted to roam the wilds again to search for the lost elk herd, something Elkia knew was very unrealistic. The herd and everyone else was gone. The only thing that was real was Elkia’s life in Scribblers’ City. 

Then, Elkia got an idea. He promised himself to visit Alces at home. Hopefully his temper tantrum would have died down once Elkia knocked on his door. Surely he must have his own home here in Scribblers’ City as well, and if not, then Elkia was sure they must be building it right now. That train of thought took him somewhere else. How long had Alces been here in Scribbler’s City? As far as Elkia knew, he could have arrived this very morning. Yet, if Alces had arrived earlier, then why hadn’t Strawberry Blonde known about him? Strawberry had told Elkia herself that she works with all the new members of the community, talking to them and appointing fitting roles to them, so they could be of maximum use to the Scribblers’ City community. And Elkia had told her about his missing brother, how much he wanted him to be here as well. A shiver went through Elkia’s body, even though it wasn’t cold at all. Had Strawberry Blonde been keeping this a secret? 

Elkia snorted, and burst into chuckles. ‘Of course not, you silly elk,’ he said to himself. Strawberry Blonde was the most genuine, honest pony he knew. She would never keep such a big thing a secret, now would she? And if she had, which was too ridiculous to think about, then why in Equestria would she do that? 

As Elkia’s laughter subsided, he felt a droplet of rain upon his muzzle. And then another one, and another one. Elkia looked at the sky. Dark clouds had shrouded the moon, and he could see the weather was going to change soon. Now he had a choice to make. He didn’t like to stand around in the rain, running from house to house in the hopes of finding his brother’s place, yet he was still curious. When more and more droplets fell out of the sky, Elkia stopped. He had reached Strawberry Blonde’s house. That was option number three: to talk with Strawberry about what he’d discovered. That was a very tempting idea. He was in the mood for some answers, a hot cup of tea, and a talk with the love of his life. Elkia made a decision. He fiddled for the keys, and then went in.

The living room and the kitchen were empty. When Elkia went upstairs, he saw that Strawberry’s bedroom door was closed. But she always kept it open. Knocking twice, Elkia opened the door. 

‘Oh, hey, Elkia,’ said Strawberry Blonde. She was lying on her bed with her night gown on.

‘Hey Strawberry,’ said Elkia. He tilted his head. Why was she lying on her bed? Was she tired? Did she cry? ‘Are you alright? I saw the door was closed.’

‘Oh, yes. I’m quite alright,’ said Strawberry. ‘I just didn’t expect you to be back so soon. Normally you walk around until late in the night, come snowfall or rain.’

Elkia got inside and closed the door behind him. ‘Yes, I know I normally do, but something strange happened.’

‘Really?’ Strawberry Blonde got up from her bed. ‘You should tell me all about it in the kitchen, with a cup of tea. How about that?’

But Elkia couldn’t contain himself. He was bursting with enthusiasm. ‘I found Alces today, Strawberry. Isn’t that great?’

Strawberry Blonde froze in her movement. She kept standing still next to her bed. ‘You found who?’

‘Alces! You know? My brother. He was on the run from the guards. I don’t know exactly what he did, but he looked quite the fugitive. I concluded that he must have been lazy and ran away from whatever job he was supposed to do. That seems only logical, for I know how he can be.’ Elkia jumped up and down. ‘isn’t that great? He’s here, with me! Now we can all live happily ever after.’

Yet Strawberry Blonde didn’t immediately join Elkia in his cheerfulness. Was she hesitating? At last, a smile appeared on her face. ‘That’s wonderful, Elkia. Yes, wonderful news.’

‘So it’s new to you too?’ Elkia said. ‘I thought you always meet every pony or elk that comes in here. Did he slip past your attention by any chance?’

Strawberry grinned. ‘I guess he did. Strange, isn’t it? He should have been at the top of the list, at “A”.’

Elkia waved his hoof. ‘Well, it doesn’t matter. Even the best make mistakes sometimes, right?’

‘Right.’

They both still smiled at each other. Despite the angry conversation, Elkia was glad his brother had finally returned to him. ‘I think he’ll see the light soon. I mean, how can you not love a place like Scribblers’ City? He’s just being his grumpy old self. But no matter. Give him a few months and he’ll change.’

‘I hope he will,’ said Strawberry.

‘I’m sure he will,’ said Elkia. ‘You know, I think I’ll pay him a visit tonight. Maybe he’s already done with the job he needed to do, and if not, I can always slip a note through the mailbox. Sounds like a good idea, right?’

Strawberry giggled again. ‘Yes, that sounds like a good idea.’

Elkia walked towards the closet. ‘I just need to grab my raincoat, because I’m sure it will be beastly weather soon.’

‘ELKIA, no! That’s not your clos—’ Strawberry shouted, but it was too late. Elkia opened the closet.

Something fluffy and blue rolled out of it. When it came to a halt, before the bed, it got up and rubbed its head. It was a pony. 

Elkia looked at him with wide open eyes, then back at the closet, then back at the pony again. ‘Eh, Strawberry, why do you have a stallion in your closet?’

‘Eh…’ Strawberry was speechless. That was not supposed to happen.

‘Hey, what is that elk doing here?’ said the blue stallion. ‘Does he… live here with you? But… but I thought I was your friend. The “one and only,” remember?’

Strawberry Blonde shot the blue pony an angry look. ‘Shut up, Blue Moon. I just…’ she looked from the blue pony to Elkia and back. Words didn’t come to her. How in Equestria could she explain this in a way both Elkia and the stallion would be at peace? She couldn’t. At last, she threw her hooves in the air, giving up. ‘I’ll just… AGH!’

‘Strawberry, who is this stallion?’ Elkia asked. He too, had no idea what just happened.

Grinding her teeth, Strawberry pointed at the door. ‘This here is Blue Moon, and he was just leaving, weren’t you, Blue?’

Blue Moon got up and shook his head in confusion. ‘Huh? But I wanna know—’

‘Weren’t you?’ Strawberry said. From the tone of her voice, Elkia reckoned something very nasty was about to happen if the blue pony didn’t oblige.

Blue Moon snorted. ‘Alright, alright. But I expect a very detailed explanation from you later on.’

‘That’s fine, Blue. Just go!’

Once again the blue pony snorted, swished his tail, and left the room.

When Blue Moon was gone and the door shut, Strawberry Blonde let out a long, drawn-out sigh. She rubbed her temples and sat down on her bed. ‘Elkia, could you please close the closet?’ But then she realized her mistake. ‘I mean DON’T! Don’t close the closet, elk—’

Too late once more. When Elkia turned around and looked into the closet, he saw something that confused him even more. 

A bulletin board shaped like a heart hung on the back wall of the closet. Pinned up on it were a lot of different photos. On every photo, Strawberry Blonde could be seen, together with many other ponies. Some big, some small, some bearing cheerful colors, others more natural colors. Strawberry Blonde was smiling on every picture, holding hooves or looking into the eyes of the other ponies. Elkia knew that look, for it was the look of somepony who was hopelessly in love. A few photos were locked in a heart-shaped display, bearing kisses in red lipstick. Sometimes there were even names written on the photos, or little remarks. The big are full of passion, or A clever pony with a lot of love, or The shy ones are the cutest.
 
‘Wh-wh-what?’ Elkia recoiled from the closet, which still stood open. He took a few steps backwards, then stumbled and fell down upon the bed. With one jump, he was back on his hooves, and faced the pony he loved most in life. ‘Strawberry, what is this all about?’

Strawberry Blonde tossed her mane, closed her eyes and sighed. She wished everyone would disappear and leave her at peace, forgetting about everything they had seen this evening. When she opened her eyes again, she said, ‘I’m sorry you had to see that, Elkia.’

‘B-b-but this stallion, and those photos… I thought you loved me the most. I thought we were friends. No… maybe even more than that. You and I both know it’s more than that. You do, right?’

Looking carefully at Elkia, Strawberry tried to spot signs of anger or dangerous behavior in Elkia’s eyes. But she soon stopped, as the looks of horrid surprise and disappointment almost made her own eyes water. ‘I… I can explain.’

‘But do I want to hear that?’ Elkia said. 

‘M-m-maybe…?’ Strawberry hesitated to speak. She never hesitated to speak. Elkia realized something was very wrong. But Elkia wasn’t stupid either. ‘I… I’m not the first one, am I?’

‘Oh, you’re so clever, Elkia,’ Strawberry said, even though she knew that no flattery or honeyed words were going to get her out of this mess. ‘I can’t hide anything from you. If you want, I’ll give you the truth.’

‘Then give me the truth,’ Elkia said, ‘but not if it hurts me.’ 

‘Alright then.’ Strawberry Blonde patted her mattress next to her, but Elkia didn’t sit down. She nodded in apprehension. She took a deep breath, and then said what was the best thing to say. ‘The truth is that I work with many ponies. The bulletin board you saw was just my wall of… successes.’

‘Successes?’

‘Yes. Every pony you saw on the photos has been given a nice place in our very own society,’ she said. ‘I helped them all, every single one of them. I helped them like I helped you.’

‘But that’s not all,’ Elkia said.

‘No, it’s not all,’ Strawberry said with a sigh. ‘Elkia, I have been living in this city for a long while now, and sometimes you have the need for… well… company. I mean, you saw what happened between you and me, right?’

Elkia sniffed. He promised himself not to cry. ‘I understand that you have given your heart to other ponies before me, but… so many?!’

Strawberry Blonde said nothing but nodded.

‘But what about that stallion, this “Blue Moon?” Is he your love as well?’

‘I’m afraid so,’ said Strawberry. 

‘And you’re seeing him, even if you have me too?’

‘Yes.’

Elkia was silent for a while, and thought. ‘Well, I know not much about pony customs, but I’d say if you are committed to someone, you don’t love someone else. Please correct me if I’m wrong.’

‘You’re not, Elkia,’ said Strawberry. ‘But this is also very different, you should know.’

A tear appeared on Elkia’s cheeks. He blinked hard. ‘How so?’

Strawberry Blonde let out one of her nervous laughs. ‘Well, look at us.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Well, you are an elk, and I’m a pony. There are some things we just can’t do. But I still crave those things. That’s why I’m doing the things I can’t do with you with somepony else. Am I making sense?’

‘I’m afraid not.’

‘AGH!’ Strawberry facehoofed. ‘You are so innocent, Elkia. You don’t belong in a love drama like this. You’re in way over your antlers. I just hope this innocence will never backfire on you in some way or the other.’

Elkia let out a few sobs. This evening had turned him upside down. ‘I don’t want to lose you, Strawberry. Yet, if you are so frequently in love, if you prefer it all to me, then my love, you go down the longest road to nowhere. And if you really want to go that way, then…’ More sobs came. Elkia didn’t try to hide them now. He let her see just how devastated he felt. ‘Then I’m afraid I can’t follow you.’

‘I understand. I… no, I understand.’

‘I don’t,’ Elkia said. ‘I thought I did, but I don’t understand love, and I don’t understand you. Hay, I’m not even sure I understand myself.’ Tears were flooding down his cheeks. ‘I wish it didn’t have to be this way.’

‘Me neither,’ said Strawberry. ‘But if it makes you feel any better, I’ll say this: I love you very, very much, Elkia. You will forever have a place in my heart.’

‘No,’ Elkia said. He was already turning around and heading for the doorway. ‘I will have a place on your bulletin board.’ And with those words, he left Strawberry Blonde behind.

He didn’t even bother grabbing his raincoat. Elkia stepped through the doorway and turned right, to the residential cottages. The weather was bad now, and rain drenched everyone and everything. Within minutes, Elkia was soaked to the bone, but he didn’t care. At least the rain hid the tears that were still falling down his muzzle. He forced his mind not to think of Strawberry Blonde, but of Alces, his brother. Gritting his teeth, Elkia realized he could have asked Strawberry about him again. He knew she had already told him she didn’t know, but after seeing how she treated the “loves of her life,” Elkia wasn’t sure he could believe just a single word that came out of her mouth. What was the truth, and what was a lie? No, he was better off investigating this all on his own, and that was exactly what he was going to do.

Scribblers’ City didn’t look that beautiful anymore. As Elkia walked past the cottages left and right, he looked at them, and wondered if behind those closed doors there were also strange things going on. He wondered if every little cottage had a dramatic theater play going on inside those four walls. Elkia kept fantasizing and thinking and philosophizing. He hoped there was still something that even closely resembled a perfect relationship out there, somewhere in the world. He thought about a relationship where both the mare and the stallion were equally devoted, loved each other till eternity, and did everything together—maybe even sleeping. And of course, he mourned about all relationships that had run aground. For a moment, he was with everyone and anyone who had the feeling as if someone punctured his or her heart with a sharp branch of an antler. He was with everyone suffering from severe heartache, and the terrible, terrible depression that followed.

But depression had to wait. Elkia reached the newer neighborhoods. He had heard from Syntax that the building crew changed their schematics for basic cottages after some time, so the old and the new cottages could be clearly distinguished. Elkia left the old cottages behind, and moved from door to door of the new cottages, trying to find out where Alces’s home was. Sometimes there was a plaque which showed the name of the family living in that particular cottage, so Elkia could quickly sweep past those. His shock about his terrible love drama made him forget about his shyness, and sometimes he knocked on the doors to find out who ever lived in the cottages without plaques. He just wanted to see his brother and tell him what was pressing on his heart. He was sure that would make everything a lot better.

Every time he asked, however, he came up empty. No, no one had any idea in which house Alces Roameling lived. Elkia found that strange. Surely an elk, a rare sight in this pony community, would be easy to spot. Surely somepony would have seen Alces step through his front door and head over to whatever job he had? 

And yet Elkia came up empty. As he moved from house to house, he worked his way to the open field, where no houses stood yet, but which was reserved for future houses to be built. At last, he reached the final cottage, knocked on the door, and got the same answer. 

‘No, I’m sorry, I don’t know where this elk lives,’ said a mare, standing in the doorway.

‘Alright, thanks anyway,’ said Elkia. As he turned around, his shoulders slumped, he searched for the next house. There was one more, which looked brand new. Indeed, the building crew was standing around it, looking it over to see if they missed something as they completed their construction work. Elkia approached them.

‘Hey there, Mister Deerling,’ said one of them. ‘We’ve been looking for you, in fact.’

Elkia gasped. ‘Is this where my brother lives? He’s an elk, grey, about this high, with huge antlers. Is this the house of Alces Roameling?’

The construction worker let out a burst of laughter, overpowering the splattering rain in volume. ‘Ha! No, silly. This is your house.’

Elkia’s enthusiasm evaporated, as if the rain washed it away. ‘Oh.’

‘What? Aren’t you excited?’ said the construction pony. ‘We were almost done when this here rain decided to pour down from the sky, but we figured we might as well finish it. Sudden rainfall ain’t no match for Scribblers’ City’s very own construction crew, now is it, boys?’

The other ponies grumbled something back. They clearly disagreed. 

The construction pony fumbled around in his pockets. He took Elkia’s hoof, and smacked the key into it. ‘It’s yours now, Mister Deerling. From now on, you’re one of our many proud residents.’

But right now, Elkia didn’t feel so proud. The search in the drenching rain had left him dead tired. And besides that, it was already late in the night. ‘Thanks,’ he said, and shuffled to his doorstep. He promised himself to check the old cottages tomorrow, although he knew his brother wouldn’t be in one of them. He knew even before he looked. His gut told him so. No, Elkia was sure he wasn’t going to find answers in Scribblers’ City itself. He had to go underground.

He stepped through his living room, cold, bare, empty. There was no pretty mare waiting for him, but then again, Elkia figured she was now snuggling together with that blue pony under a warm blanket. He couldn’t even remember his name. Walking through the kitchen, just as empty as the rest of the house, he entered the bedroom. Elkia didn’t even shake himself dry. He just slumped down in bed, and had uneasy dreams. 

The nightmares returned.