Friday morning saw me wandering around the house as I talked on the phone, again. Fluttershy and Sky waited patiently in the living room for me to finish. I found it surprising that they so quickly were able to form a friendship. I thought back to that day Fluttershy appeared and rationalized to myself that perhaps it was just in the kind pony's nature.
Soon enough I finished the phone call and returned to the living room to find the two sitting on the couch talking. The subject of their conversation escaped me, as my approach interrupted them. I thought to ask, but decided it was better that I not know.
"Another Friday off, and I'm running outta things to tell Mr. Monatoli," I said, "I'm afraid that he may decide to do something drastic."
"He won't," Sky said.
I marveled at the certainty in her voice. It was in her nature to state fact where I would only claim possibilities. For her to sound so certain of someone whom I believed she never met, however, was enough to cause me to pause.
"How would you know?" I asked.
"Doesn't matter," came the reply, "This is about Shy."
"Fine," I said, before looking to the yellow pony, "Flutter? You ready to go?"
She nodded her acknowledgment, and within moments we were in my car and pulling out of the driveway.
"Why am I in the back seat?" whined Sky.
"I thought you could use the space to think about this idea of yours," I said with a hint of sarcasm.
"Oh, good. For a moment I was afraid you'd gone soft," Sky snipped.
I pulled the car into the parking lot of the Library. It was a beautiful building, if small for a library. It's short, brown roof watched over an amazing rose garden. The glass walls of the building used to offer the view to visitors. However, for added security and additional wall space, brick walls were built on the other side of the glass .
I expected Fluttershy to be enjoying the beauty of the gardens. Instead, as I got out I noticed she was looking at a little girl, being lead by her mother into the library. The little one didn't look pleased at all, begging her mother to let her go back home to watch cartoons.
"I'm not so sure about this," whimpered Fluttershy.
"Oh, please," said Sky, "You were willing earlier."
"I know... but-"
"It's not like you can fail."
"B-but... it's my interview, isn't it?"
Sky shrugged and said flatly, "I don't need you."
I started moving in Sky's direction, heading around the tail of the car. The last thing I wanted was to cause a scene in the middle of the parking lot, but I wasn't about to forgive Sky's harsh words. Just as I stepped around the tail light directly behind Sky, I heard Fluttershy's voice again.
"No, this is my interview, and I won't be pushed around by a bully like you. You said I look like I could be a-a Human in disguise, and then you push me around just to make sure everything works the way you think it should? I'm putting my hoof down here, I want to participate in my own interview."
Sky shrugged, completely unfazed by Fluttershy's words, "Fine, why don't you two head in?"
Flutteshy nodded then asked for my assistance helping her to stand on two legs. I smiled, remembering that first day once more. As I helped the pegasus up, something nagged at me. I looked around and saw that Sky had gone. Fluttershy and I headed into the library, while something in the back of my mind started screaming that Sky had done all that on purpose.
On the inside, the library was open and welcoming. A desk separated the staff area from the rest of the library. To one side of the center was a moderate collection of shelves that housed books representing the core of every genre. Directly opposite that was the children's section. Somehow I always found the children's collection much more impressive. Everything from picture books, to teenage novels, and even some manga that was found acceptable for a younger audience could be seen from the desk. Opposite the desk was the technology section, which included film readers from antiquity side by side with the latest internet machines the city could afford.
We made our way to the desk and let the person there know that we were there for an interview. He was a little taken back by the pony who greeted him, but directed us to the back anyway.
I had not been behind the scenes of a public library before. As exciting as it was, it was rather unimpressive. It was everything one would expect from a collection of offices.
"Libraries work a little different here, don't they?"
"Different from Twi's library," I said, "Everyone here is a city employee, or a volunteer."
Fluttershy did not get a chance to ask any further questions as we had found the office of the woman she was supposed to meet. Somehow Sky was there already, chatting with the interviewer. As we entered the Sky introduced Miss. Lola Sanchez, and then introduced us.
"Lola, this is Robert, and his little sister Emile."
Instantly I found myself in a state of shock, going over the events of the past couple of months. I recalled times in which I saw Fluttershy as if she were my sister. I remembered all the worry, and all that I willingly went out of my way to accomplish for the shy little pony. I snapped out of it just in time to hear Miss. Sanchez calling my name a second time.
"I'm sorry, I spaced out."
"I asked you to kindly wait outside, while I ask Emile here some questions."
I must of looked really nervous as she added after a brief pause, "Don't worry, they're pretty routine, and I don't foresee any problems."
For what felt like an eternity I wandered around the library, looking at various shelves of books. There was quite a lot to catch anyone's eye. From local writers to well-known authors the shelves held a little bit of everything. I found published journals on just about every realm of science from math and chemistry, to history and philosophy. There were how-to guides on various arts and crafts projects, and a shelf dedicated to cookbooks. I found classics like 'Gone With the Wind' and 'The Milagro Beanfield War'. On discovering a modest collection of Ian Flemming's James Bond books I smiled.
I was shocked to find that even some of my favorite actors, whom I could not really see doing much else, had written books of their own. Unfortunately I could only spend so much time thinking about reading a book written by William Shatner in his 'Kirk voice' before I gave myself a headache. Obviously, it would not be punctuated the way he spoke, but ... what if? It ... was?
Eventually I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to find myself face-to-face with Sky. Once again that grin sent chills down my spine before she stepped aside, revealing a very pleased Fluttershy. In the quiet of the library, the energy behind her voice seemed deafening, as she excitedly announced that the job was hers.
I tried to ask Fluttershy about the interview, but Sky interrupted saying, "Don't worry about it."
I looked to Fluttershy who just shook her head. Somehow they had come to the agreement not to tell me how this little pony succeeded where so many others had failed. This thought only served to cause me much more worry.
Everyone happily piled into the car, and we were soon on our way back home. Even though I was keeping an eye out for the homicidal drivers that occupy the city, I had one question on my mind. I looked in the mirror at Sky and asked, "Sister?"
"Of course," she replied, "I had to say something, and you two are so cute together."
"I'm okay with it if you are," Fluttershy offered.
After a moment to mill it over in my mind one more time, I said, ""You know what? Yeah, I'm okay with this."
It was kind of strange, yet somehow natural to think of Fluttershy as a sister. Even in the short time she had been around the relationship seemed to fit. My contemplations were cut short, however as Fluttershy's voice pierced the air with her screaming "STOP!"
I hit the breaks and swerved to avoid a brown and white lump in the middle of the road. Fluttershy was out of the car as soon as we were at a complete stop. I had never personally seen the pegasus move so quickly before. Yet, before I could blink she had scooped up what looked to me like a matted and mangled toupee.
"Oh, you poor dear," she said, "Don't worry, I'll make sure you'll get the care you need."
I looked closer at the ball she held in her hooves. I couldn't make out what it was. A moment before I didn't even think that it could have been anything living. Then it turned and looked back at me with large yellow eyes.
She returned to the car, and placed on the seat a rather sorry-looking, starving, lump of fur in the shape of a cat. As it shook itself off my heart leaped up into my throat. I almost hit this critter. If it hadn't been for Fluttershy, I would have. I gasped for air and said the only word I could think of: "Wow."
It took us a while to get back home. After the near-miss I was not about to risk something like that happening again. I crawled the car home as Fluttershy fussed with her new charge, and Sky complained every time the cat put a new dirty pawprint on her favorite grey shirt. As we piled out of the Ford something occurred to me.
"I can't afford to take care of a pony, AND her pet cat."
"You don't have to," Sky said as she tried to brush a pawprint out of her shirt.
I felt like a complete jerk for saying that out loud. I looked towards Fluttershy hoping I didn't offend my new little sister. She just nodded in agreement with Sky's words. By this time I had begun to process what I had been told, and asked for clarification.
"Lola agreed to make it a payed position," Sky told me.
"How... ?" I started to ask, but thought better of it. I decided that I didn't really want to know how such a thing could possibly have been arranged by Sky. As if she could read my mind, no sooner had I arrived at decision, than Sky's grin pierced my soul once again.