New friends
It had only been about 4 hours since Silver Quill stepped off the train to Ponyville, and he was already exhausted. Interacting with so many different ponies in such a short amount of time was taking its toll.
Twilight, thankfully, noticed this and assured Silver Quill that they were almost done. Ponyville’s clock tower, the highest structure in the entire town read 6:42. She did some quick calculations in her head and turned to talk to him.
“There are only two more ponies that I want you to meet, both of which are also good friends of mine. It should take about an hour and a half to two, depending on how easily I’m able to find one of them.”
Silver gave a curt nod. They were now back in the heart of Ponyville. The sky was starting to darken and the air was full of that crisp smell that you could only find in autumn, Ponyville looked like an entirely different place.
Ponyville early on in the day was bright and vibrant, the atmosphere literally humming with energy. Ponyville in the evening however was the complete opposite. Where there was once a sense of excitement and happiness in the air, there was now a subdued sense of peacefulness and sleepiness. The buildings were bathed with reds, yellows, and oranges and gave the town an almost ethereal feeling. It hasn’t been far enough into the autumn for the leaves to really start changing colours, but Silver Quill suspected that the town would be breathtaking once they did.
Shame nopony else was here to appreciate it though. The streets were completely empty, and the all of the shops that Silver Quill assumed would still be open had their doors closed and locked. Only about half of the houses had any signs of having ponies inside of them, the rest were dark and empty.
Silver didn’t want to sound weird by commenting on how strange this was. Maybe ponies here just turned in for the night earlier then the ones in Canterlot? He didn’t want to sound like an ethnocentric ignoramus, so he kept his mouth shut.
“Where is everypony?” Twilight wondered aloud. She seemed to be just as curious as Silver Quill about the seemingly unnatural stillness of the town. “Ponies are usually still up and about at this hour.”
“I was wondering the same thing.” He commented. “I just figured this was typical for Ponyville.”
“Not in the slightest” Twilight said, craning her neck around every street corner trying to spot any other Ponies who were still outside.
“How strange,” Twilight murmured. Her eyebrows were furrowed in concentration as she mulled over the situation. “The only times Ponyville is ever this quiet is when everypony is busy, usually because of…of…”
Twilight stopped talking and her eyes widened in sudden realization and fear. She looked around her, then at Silver Quill, then around again.
“Oh dear.” She muttered in a fearful voice.
Silver squinted at her, nervous at her sudden transformation from happy to scared. He cautiously looked her in the eyes, which were somehow still just as mesmerizing when filled with fear.
“Twilight, is there something wrong?”
“We gotta go.”
“Go where?”
“To the library”
“The library? I thought we were going to see your fr- hey!!”
Twilight had taken off mid-sentence and was now tearing through the streets of Ponyville, a small dust cloud trailing behind her. She could go surprisingly fast for a librarian. It reminded him of a lavender filly who was so desperate to not be late for class that she would run down the halls at full speed, shouting at the top of her lungs.
Silver ran after her, eventually catching up and running alongside her. Twilight's pupils had shrunk to near pinpricks, and she seemed to be running on pure terrified adrenaline. Silver Quill was running only on desperate confusion.
After several minutes of running, they made it back to the library. Twilight stopped, just on the outskirts of the property and started to frantically look around. When she became inexplicably satisfied that she didn’t find what she didn’t want to find, she cautiously walked up to the front door of the library.
Silver Quill trotted up next to her and decided he should try and get some answers.
“Hold on Twilight, I don’t get it. What’s going on? Weren’t we going to meet the rest of your friends then come back?”
Twilight narrowed her eyes suspiciously as she looked at the library door. She looked as though she was trying to interrogate it, make it spill all of its door related secrets.
“If my hunch is correct Silver, I think we’ll be able to kill two birds with one stone.” She said darkly.
Silver could do nothing but shake his head in bewilderment. He watched as Twilight slowly but her hoof on the door knob, gently twisted it, then violently threw the door opened and leaped inside. She instantly started scanning the interior of the library, not moving from the threshold of the door.
Silver looked from beside her. Everything seemed normal. The books were on the shelves, the chairs and desks were where they were before. Not a single thing was out of place.
He looked at her with one eyebrow raised. She blushed sheepishly.
“Care to explain what you expecting? Because as far as I can see, everything looks completely norm-“
“SURPRISE!”
Pinkie Pie was ecstatic. Today was a very very special day, one of her all time favourite types of days. Today was a day where she met a new Pony in Ponville, one she had never seen before. She was so excited that she didn’t even have a chance to give him a friendly hello before the excitement build-up became too much and made her explode in a burst of streamers and sparkles.
There are a few rules that Pinkie Pie lives by. Rules like, never break a Pinkie Promise, or never let a sad Pony stay sad. It was time for Pinkie Pie to act on one of those rules, and that rule is, whenever there is a new pony in town, throw them a super-funtacular welcome party! And if there was anything that Pinkie Pie knew how to do, it was throw a super-funtacular party. It was just common knowledge.
Because it was common knowledge, everypony was more than eager to come to her welcome party when she went around town asking. Nopony in their right mind would miss a Pinkie Pie party, unless they absolutely had to. Pinkie Pie rounded up all of her bestest friends, (everypony) and brought them too the library that Rarity had told them Silver Quill was staying.
Spike had to be persuaded to let them set up their surprise welcome party, but when Rarity batted her eyelashes at him commented on how grateful she would be if he allowed it, he agreed. The promise of Pinkie Pie’s homemade cupcakes didn’t hurt either.
Once all of her friends were rounded up, the party favours and decorations set up, and the food made, they made their way to the library and waited for the pony of the hour.
A massive chorus from the mouths of many different ponies made Twilight and Silver simultaneously jump out of their coats. Ponies that were strategically hidden around the room, behind furniture and around corners had all jumped out at once and with an explosive cry of welcome.
Twilight groaned and facehoofed while Silver Quill just stood rooted to the spot and looked around, completely bewildered by this sudden turn of events. It had taken a lot of self control to prevent himself from screaming like a filly, and even now he was on the verge of throwing open the library door and running away in panic.
Once he looked around however, his anxiety disappeared and was replaced by amusement. His overactive imagination had run through dozens of different scenarios as to what was happening, bandit raid, pirate pony invasion, vicious flesh eating griffin attack. It turns out that it was only an overzealous group of eager partygoers who were led by a familiar bubbly pink mare.
Twilight looked exasperatedly at Pinkie Pie who was currently hopping up and down in front of them with a big smile on her face. She was epitome of innocent excitement.
“Were you surprised? Were ya? Were ya, were ya, were ya?”
Twilight looked at her with a wry smile. “Yes, Pinkie, you can rest assured that we were indeed, surprised.”
Pinkie ceased her excited hopping to give off an energetic hoof-pump. Her face was contorted into an expression of victory and accomplishment.
“Yay! Operation ‘give the new pony in town a super spectacular surprise welcome party’ was a success! Just like the last 34 parties!”
Silver Quill shook himself out of his terrified paralysis, and looked curiously at the two mares.
“Hold on a second, somepony needs to bring me up to speed. Is that was this is? A surprise party? Because for a second there I could of sworn it was a ‘scare the life out of Silver Quill' party.”
Pinkie gave him a sympathetic smile as she went next to him and laid a forehoof on his shoulder.
“Aww, sorry ‘bout that Silver, I didn’t mean to scare ya. I was just trying to make you feel welcome! Besides, I throw every new pony in Ponyville a welcome party, and you know what that meaaans!” Pinkie gave him a meaningful look as she leaned in closer for dramatic tension.
“It means that…you have really weird OCD?”
“Noooo, what it means…” Pinkie jumped away from Silver Quill to resume her joyful bouncing around the room. She hopped over to two other ponies that were standing over by the punch bowl and were pouring themselves a glass, apparently deciding that they might as well start the party without them. "Is that I have to throw YOU a welcome party!"
Silver blinked. "Oh...of course." He looked at Twilight with the obvious question of "What now?" in his eyes. Twilight grinned sheepishly.
"Well, since Pinkie put this party together, the least we could do is enjoy ourselves." Pinkie started bouncing faster as she got more excited when she heard this, but Twilight put a hoof over her mouth before she said anything. "And while we are very grateful Pinkie, it's going to have to be a short party. It's been a long day, and we're tired."
Pinkie deflated slightly, ears drooping a minuscule amount and bouncing slower, but instantly became just as preppy and happy as she always was.
“Alrighty then! No point in partying when you’re tired, that’ll just make it no fun for everypony. Just say the word and I’ll get all this outta here lickity split!”
Twilight smiled gratefully. “Thanks Pinkie, we appreciate it.” She turned to address Silver as Pinkie happily bounced away to join her many friends at the snack table.
“Ready to meet the rest of my friends?”
Silver looked around uncertainly. “Er…are they even here?”
“Oh I’m sure they are. They, more than anypony, know how much fun a Pinkie Pie party can be. Come on, let’s go find them.”
Silver followed Twilight as she meandered her way throughout the crowd, exchanging brief greetings with the partygoers.
She caught the sight of a scaled purple tail partially obscured by the mass of pony bodies dancing to the sound of the upbeat song being played on the record player.
“Spike!” she called. The baby dragon stopped what he was doing and looked in the direction of where Twilight Sparkle and Silver Quill were standing, but there were too many ponies standing in the way for him to talk, so he did the next best thing.
“Hey Twilight!” He called as he jumped to get a better view over the ponies around them. “Great party…Isn’t it?” because of his stature, he had to keep jumping up and down in order to talk to her, so his sentences were delivered a few words at a time.
“Yeah, it’s great. Listen, do you know where Rainbow Dash and Applejack are?”
I think…they’re over…in the kitchen!” He answered as he made himself slightly dizzy from all the jumping.
“Alright, thanks!” Twilight showed Silver the way to the kitchen where the Twilight’s friends were rumored to be. They turned a corner and found the kitchen almost empty, except for a sky blue coloured pegasus with a blazing rainbow mane and tail, and a familiar orange mare with a blond ponytail and Stetson hat. The Pegasus had her head immersed in the contents of Twilight’s refrigerator while the orange mare looked thoroughly displeased. They both had their backs turned to them entering.
“RD, Ah really think ya should reconsider. I dun think Twilight will take too kindly too ya stealin’ her food. Ah certainly wouldn’t.”
The pegasus, without even taking her head out of the refrigerator, answered with an exasperated voice.
“Relax AJ, don’t get your hooves in a twist. Twilight’s got so much stuff in here she won’t notice anything missing. Especially not this delicious looking piece of apple pie!”
Applejack scowled, obviously not put to rest.
“Ah sold that to Twilight this morning when told me she was havin’ a guest later, who I ‘spect is that Silver Quill feller. And judgin’ from the sound of things outside, Ah think they just arrived so get yer dang head outta her fridge!”
The pegasus groaned from inside the refrigerator. “Guuuh, fine… party pooper.” She closed the door and looked irritably back at Applejack. “it’s not like she would have noti- Twilight!”
Twilight was standing in the doorway of the kitchen with a smirk on her face that didn’t hide the fact that she saw the entire thing. The blue pegasus blushed a light shade of pink as she grinned sheepishly and Applejack gave her a “Ah told ya so.” look.
Twilight, deciding that her embarrassment over being caught raiding her fridge was punishment enough, didn’t comment on it. Instead, she went straight to the introductions.
“Applejack, Rainbow Dash, I’d like you to meet Silver Quill. He’ll be staying in Ponyville for a little while, although by the sound of it, Applejack already knew that.” She looked at Applejack curiously, the question obvious in her eyes.
Applejack chuckled and walked over to Silver Quill, giving him a rough, friendly hug, almost indiscernible from a headlock.
“Aw shucks Twi’, Silver and I are already the best of buds, ain’t we Silver?”
Silver gave a small smile at her brutish display of affection. “That we are Applejack.”
Twilight shot him a sympathetic smile as the rough around the edges mare gave him a friendly jostle. “How did you two meet?” she inquired.
Silver Quill gently extricated himself from her grip. Either she was underestimating her own strength, or overestimating his own, because he felt a little bit worse for wear when he managed to escape from her.
“Applejack kindly showed me around Ponyville when I first arrived, which I’m very grateful for.” He nodded thankfully at her, and she waved thanks away with a hoof and a smile. “And it’s a good thing she did too, knowing me, if left to my own devices, I would have somehow ended up at the Neighagara Falls.”
“Think nothin’ of it sugercube.” Applejack said amiably
Silver Quill nodded, then turned to the Rainbow Dash, who was wearing a profoundly bored expression and was looking around the room for something interesting to look at. She noticed his attention was on her, and looked at him.
“Sup?”
Twilight furrowed her eyebrow slightly in displeasure, and Applejack gave a very non subtle facehoof. Tactfulness had never been one of Rainbow’s stronger points.
Ever polite, Silver smiled. “You’re name was Rainbow Dash, right?”
She flashed him a snarky grin. “Was, and still is.”
A chord was struck in Silver’s memory. He looked at her thoughtfully. “You know, you seem awfully familiar. I think I’ve seen you before.”
Rainbow Dash looked at her hoof disinterestedly. “Didja now? You probably just heard about how awesome I am or something.”
Applejack rolled her eyes, but Silver Quill wasn’t done. “I think you’re right.” He said slowly.
Rainbow dash froze, losing all interest in her hoof. She looked straight at Silver Quill. “I am?”
“She is?” said two voices from behind him simultaneously.
“Yeah,” he said while tapping his hoof against his chin, “I do know you. Or of you at least. Aren’t you the first pegasus to pull of the legendary Sonic Rainboom?”
Rainbow gave a delighted grin. She struck a small pose, wings flared dramatically and head held high with one forehoof in the air. “Well, I hate to brag but-“
She was interrupted by the sound of a loud snort of a amusement. Silver turned to see a wide eyed Applejack with a hoof over her own mouth.
Rainbow shot her a dirty look, and Applejack looked away innocently. “As I was saying,” she continued, “I hate to brag, but that amazingly awesome pegasus was me.”
Silver Quill nodded appraisningly. “Yeah, I recognized you from the Canterlot Gazette. There was an article about you, and a picture of you accepting the trophy from the best young fliers competition from Princess Celestia.”
Rainbow’s jaw dropped. “There was an ariticle about me in the Canterlot Gazette? She paused a moment, letting it sink in. "That is so cool!” She flew up and did a small backflip as she said that, just narrowly missing the lights on the ceiling.
She came to a stop in front Silver Quill and smiled at him. “I like you Silver, You’re alright.” She hoofed him in the shoulder to accentuate her point.
Silver only smiled and nodded as he rubbed his shoulder. Rainbow Dash walked around him and over to where Applejack and Twilight were standing with surprised looks on their faces.
“C’mon AJ, let’s go show these ponies how how to really party.” She said as she walked out of kitchen..
“Right behind ya RD.” She turned to Silver Quill once more before following her friend. “T’was nice ta see ya again Silver.” And with that, she left.
Twilight and Silver stood in silence for a few seconds, listening to the sounds of the party outside going on without them. She looked as though she had something to say, but was trying to figure out how she should say it.
Silver ended the silence with a content sigh. “You have really cool friends, you know that Twilight?” he commented.
Twilight nodded. Finally, she spoke. “How do you do that?”
“Hmm?”
Twilight looked behind her, catching sight of Pinkie Pie clapping her hooves together while Rainbow Dash and Applejack tore up the dance floor and Fluttershy and Rarity sat by the record player smiling and laughing.
“With my friends, how did you do that?”
Silver Quill squinted at her. “You’re going to have to be a tad more specific.”
Twilight shook her head to clear her thoughts. “What I mean to say is,” she clarified, “how did you get my friends to like you so quickly? I mean, Pinkie I can understand, she likes everypony, but the rest? With just a few words you got them to like and accept you. How?”
Silver shrugged at her and grinned. “What can I say Twilight, I’ve always been good with words. Not much more to it.”
Twilight opened and closed her mouth for a few seconds before sighing. “Wish I had that gift, would have come in handy when I was younger.” She said bitterly, with her head hung slightly.
Silver Quill looked at her curiously. Her sudden melancholy surprised him, she seemed so happy before, and it changed so quickly. He had his suspicions as to what the problem was, but kept them hidden.
“Is there something wrong Twilight?” He asked, his voice tinged with concern.
She shook her head slowly, her mane swaying gently from side to side. “No, nothing’s wrong. I just…” She looked at Silver Quill for a moment before continuing. “I just wish that I could do what you did, have ponies like me and all that. I used to be…a very lonely pony before I came to Ponyville, and I didn’t even realize it.”
“I see.” He replied quietly. He walked over to Twilight and laid a supporting hoof on her shoulder. She looked up at him, eyes wide with surprise and sadness.
“But what you’re forgetting Twilight, is that you don’t need to act like me to get ponies to like you, you’re plenty likeable just the way you are.” Twilight’s head cocked to the side as she took in his words.
“It’s easy to live in the past Twilight, easy to think about all the things that we wanted to have or wanted to do, but you can’t do that.” He gestured to the exit of the kitchen, beyond which the sounds of a lively could be heard. “All those ponies out there are your friends and they like you for who you are. It’s important that you remember that, right now, you have friends who care for you deeply, and nothing can change that.”
Twilight smiled weakly, some of the sadness leaving her eyes being replaced by gratefulness and hope. Silver Quill continued.
“Besides, you know what you have to do in order to make up for a past full of loneliness?”
“What’s that?” she asked quietly.
Silver smiled warmly at her. “You have to spend as much time with your friends as possible, and from what I can tell, you’re doing a pretty good job of it.”
Twilight laughed lightly, all traces of her previous sadness now erased. She looked at Silver Quill with moist eyes, and then wrapped her arms around him in a hug.
“Thanks Silver,” she said softly. “You’re a really good guy.”
Silver’s heart hammered in his chest, so much so that he was sure she could feel it. His other more emotional side started to get surface again, and it took everything he had to suppress it, no simple task. Her sudden closeness caught him off guard, and he was suddenly noticing how good she smelled.
He managed to lightly pat her on the back. “Any time, Twilight.”
Twilight let go of him and stepped back. They stood there for a little while, not saying anything. Those limpid pools of violet that were her eyes beckoned him again, and he found himself wanting to do nothing but drown in them. Twilight did nothing but stare back, as though he was an extremely intriguing specimen.
“Twilight, what are you doing? You’re missing the party!” cried a voice from the other room. Pinkie Pie poked her head around the corner and gave them a disapproving gaze. “I know I said that the party was going to be short, but you aren’t even partying!”
Silver Quill was thankfully broken from Twilight’s enrapturing spell at the interruption. Twilight looked behind her to see a very disgruntled party pony, and laughed.
“Sorry Pinke, we’ll come out and join the party now.” She assured.
Pinkie’s frown disappeared behind her trademark smile. “Okie Dokie Lokie!” she answered, and then disappeared from view.
Twilight turned to Silver. She seemed to be completely back to normal. “C’mon, let’s go get some cake.”
Silver nodded, back to his usual self. “Sounds good to me.”
The party, as promised, lasted only about an hour. Many ponies were disappointed that one of Pinkie Pie’s famous party’s wasn’t going to last longer, but Pinkie’s promise that her next party would be twice as long as usual set them at ease.
Silver Quill was asleep on his hooves. He had used his last reserves of energy for chatting, eating, laughing, and introducing himself to other ponies. He even played a few games of pin the tail on the donkey, although he refused to dance. At the end of it all, he felt like he had participated in the running of the leaves race, only without the sore muscles.
Twilight bade Silver goodnight at around 8:00, and they both went to their rooms. But no matter how tired he was, Silver couldn’t sleep. His brain, now that his body was no longer moving, was assaulting him with all sorts of sensations, mainly involving Twilight. The way she looked at him, the feel of her hooves around his neck, the smell of her mane when it was mere inches away from his face, they all prevented him from getting even a moments rest.
Finally, his fatigue became overbearing enough that he fell into a deep slumber.