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// The Ethical Conundrum: A Lack of Locks 
// Story: Day One 
// by Miniscule Literary 
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Morality coming into question in the land of magic and friendship? More likely than you think.

By the time David awoke, it was already evening. The small, singular window to the outside in the room allowed him to have some contact with the outside world. He heard movement upstairs periodically through the day, as well as muffled voices. Twilight and Spike going about their business, of course. The unicorn seemed to spend most of her day outside the library, from what he could tell. And Spike slept a considerable amount.

Confined to the basement during the waking hours of Ponyville, David did his best to pass the time productively. He browsed the books held down here, and silently prayed that Twilight had other copies of said books elsewhere in the house. So far, the two denizens of the library, as well as those few visiting, had no apparent need to go downstairs. Thus, the man was left undisturbed. The books he found down there were very odd, containing writings he could not understand. He figured it had to do with magic...or science. Or both. Either way, they were not much use to him.

Despite this, he had nothing better to do, so he took it upon himself to try and decipher the strange text as best he could during the day after making a more detailed account of his experience in the journal, and leave the confines of the library after Ponyville had drifted off to sleep. Thus, he reached a very peculiar problem of ethics: the lack of locks in Ponyville. Although his need for food and drink seemed to be considerably less in the land of Equestria, it was still a necessity. But as an unknown entity to the citizens of Ponyville, he couldn't exactly buy what he needed to survive. Thus, the idea of stealing what he needed entered his mind.

There were many pros and cons to this idea. With no locks present, it would, theoretically, be quite easy to achieve, as he had already demonstrated. It would enable him to survive without needing to forage for food or reveal himself to the public. But at the same time, entering and exiting the library alone was a risk each and every time, let alone entering another home or shop. And then there was the morality of the situation: was it really OK to steal from such happy creatures?

Eventually, David reached a compromise with himself. He would take only what he needed to survive, and try to limit his expeditions to one building per night. As well, he was content to take from businesses rather than homes, where one or two missing pints of water or pastries would not be easily missed. On this first night, he made his way to the only such place he knew of: Sugarcube Corner, the domain of the earth pony Pinkie Pie.

This was, perhaps, more dangerous than breaking into the library. As any fan of the show would know, Pinkie was an enigma. For all he knew, her Pinkie sense would stir her from her slumber just because she hadn't become friends with him yet. The risk was far greater here than a normal Ponyville restaurant, but he did not yet know of any others, and going from building to building to search was out of the question. He had to brave Sugarcube Corner.

Entering the building was simple. Like the library, it lacked any sort of lock, allowing immediate entry. David knew that the pink pony in question lived on the second floor, but the actual owners of the store, the Cakes, were completely unknown. Their dwellings were never revealed in the show, which meant that he could not explore as safely as he thought. Creeping around in the dark, it wasn't long before he spotted sustenance: various impressive pastries, displayed in a glass case near the counter. These were, of course, off limits; if he took one, the Cakes would surely notice. No, what he sought lay in the kitchen, where it would not be as easily discovered.

Pushing as quietly as he could through the swinging doors that led into the kitchen, David made sure to look around for any sign of the Cakes before proceeding. An assortment of cupcakes, numbering 50 strong, were displayed on one of the many counters. This was what he needed. Although they might notice a lack in number, if those missing were small enough, they would likely chalk it up to miscounting rather than theft. He hoped.

...Two cupcakes would be enough.

After taking a bottle of soda from the kitchen fridge, the invader retreated back toward the entrance to the shop with his spoils. As he clutched his prize to his chest and reached for the door, he saw a light turn on upstairs, the distant glow visible from the base of the stairs. The sound of methodical hoofsteps drifted down to him.

She knew.

He was a fool. That pony was ridiculous, why didn't he expect this? Pulling the door open, David exited the shop as quietly as he could despite the rising panic in his chest. As silent as a mouse, he stalked off into the dark, still clutching the supplies he took. As he made his way back toward the library, he glanced back numerous times to see if the pink pony was on his trail. He could see light and movement inside, but so far, the door to Sugarcube Corner remained shut.

He was safe, for now.

After returning to the basement of the library, the man laid down his supplies and collapsed into the enclave, breathing deeply as he tried to suppress his emotions. Who would think living in Equestria would be so nerve-wracking?  Running from a pink pony...there were no words to describe what that felt like. After calming himself, he shakily retrieved his journal and added one last entry for the night:

"I think I'm going mad. I'm sure the library did not have a double door when I first got here."

The man put away the journal and quill, ate one of the cupcakes, and fell asleep.