//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: They're Greeted // Story: Miscellaneous // by Mobius of the Moon //------------------------------// Trotting into the town hall for the second time in under an hour, Filter and Quill went straight up to the receptionist’s desk and the mare sitting behind it. Quill went up to the desk first, anger flashing, while Filter followed meekly behind. The mare stared at him, looking bored. Quill slammed a hoof down on the desk, startling her, and glared. “What are you-” the receptionist began, but was cut off. “OBJECTION! You need to tell us why our house is destroyed,” Quill snorted, “and why you neglected to inform us of this beforehoof!” “We thought you knew...” was all she could reply. “We hadn’t even been in town for an hour. Unless we were psychic, I don’t think we’d know,” Quill responded angrily. The mare regained her composure and finally worked up an answer. “I tried to tell you, but you just walked away.” Quill paused. “... oh... yes... I did do that, didn’t I?” Filter stepped up. “Objection overruled, bud.” The semi-pegasus glared, then sighed. “I will murder you all.” The receptionist huffed and looked down her nose at the two ponies haughtily. “I could take you to the mayor and see if there’s anything she could do about your current living situation.” “Or lack thereof,” Filter added. Two glaring ponies were enough to shut him up with a whimper. Quill sighed again and turned to leave. “Come on, Filter. Let’s get out of here. We’ll find a place to live until these idiots get our house fixed.” Feeling better after ranting, he glared at the mare at the desk over his shoulder and promptly left. Filter followed, shoulders hunched, head down. It had been only a week or two since Filter and Quill had met. So far, things had been going smoothly since the event with Jack Ass. Quill now lived with Filter and his mother. Though Quill still felt out of place, he enjoyed having the company of other ponies for the first time in a week. Having lived deep in the city, he was used to the hustle and bustle of many ponies trying to get to work. Though Fillydelphia was a little rowdier than what he was used to, he managed. He ended up spending most of his time wandering the streets with Filter, or helping around the house. It didn’t take long for him to grow close to the family. Finally, it all came to a point in which there was no hope of avoiding: the end. It was early in the morning, and Filter was still fast asleep when Quill woke up. The semi-pegasus considered shaking his friend awake, but decided against it. The unicorn always had trouble sleeping, so whenever he finally managed to catch some shut-eye, Quill made sure not to disturb him. Trotting out of the room he shared with Filter, Quill started for the kitchen to get something to eat. Before he got there, a series of knocks at the apartment’s front door distracted him, and he went off to see who was there. Filter’s mother was already at the door, looking confused and slightly worried. She opened the door slowly to reveal the pony knocking on the door: a dark blue unicorn pony with a brown mane and tail, both cut short. His green eyes seemed bloodshot, his mane was a mess, and he was breathing heavily. Despite this, Quill recognized him from photos as Filter’s father. Before a word could be uttered, Filter’s dad’s horn began to glow, and he pulled a knife out from behind himself. Quill’s defensive instincts kicked in and he quickly assumed a protective stance, expecting to be attacked. Instead, Filter’s father just turned the knife and drove it straight into his wife’s chest. The scream that Filter’s mother let out must have only lasted for a few seconds, but it felt like forever. Growling, Quill ran up and tackled Filter’s father away, but it was too late - the damage had already been done. Filter’s mother fell to the floor, a pool of blood forming around her. Seeing movement out of the corner of his eye, Quill turned his head and saw Filter standing in the doorway, having been woken up by his mother’s scream. He stared at the scene, slack-jawed and voiceless. His father turned to him with a glare, but Quill stepped in front of him. “Don’t even think about hurting him,” Quill ordered in a low voice. Filter’s father ignored him, but didn’t move. “Son...Filter...” he gasped, breathing becoming heavier. “This is all your fault, you know that? You little failure. I hope you’re happy about this, because nopony else is. Nor are they happy about you. And they never will be.” He then lit his horn again, pulling the knife out of Filter’s mother’s chest and turning it around. With one last glare at his now crying son, he drove the knife into his own chest. After this, they had left for better lives, having decided that staying in Fillydephia would be too hard on both of them. Eventually, they had set their sights for Ponyville, and that is where they were now: walking through town, complaining. “...I mean, seriously, can no one even write in this place!?” Quill shouted angrily, earning a few stares. “If you’re quite done, I think we should go look for someplace to stay until our house is fixed,” Filter sighed. He then did a double-take. “...and how did the conversation turn to writing again?” Quill facehoofed. “You’re talking to an author, man. Things turn to writing and grammar a lot.” “You’re talking to a musician, but things don’t always turn to music with me, so shut up. Besides, you can’t even spell ‘grammar’.” “What?!” The semi-pegasus glared. “That’s absurd!” “Spell it!” “... G-R-A-M-E-R.” Quill huffed. He turned back to Filter to find him gone. Looking around, he soon saw the unicorn smashing his head into a nearby house’s brick wall. “What? Did I spell it wrong?” “No, that’s the best I’ve heard it spelled in years,” Filter replied sarcastically as he walked back. “Of course it was spelled wrong!” “Oh, shut up. I’m better at writing words anyway.” “Let’s just keep walking and find somewhere to stay before I punch you in the face.” They took a few more steps before a rainbow blur shot out of nowhere and tackled them to the ground in a heap. “You!” The rainbow blur yelled. “I’ve been looking all over for you!” As Quill and Filter’s visions cleared up, they looked towards the source of the voice. A light blue pegasus mare with a rainbow-streaked mane and tail was standing over them, glaring down at them. “M-Me?” Filter stammered. “No, not you. The guy with the weird wings.” The mare gave Filter an odd look. “Who are you, anyway?” Filter didn’t answer, so Quill jumped in. “What do you want? And why did you body check us?” The pegasus mare rolled her eyes. “Duh. Isn’t it obvious? Your wings!” She indicated Quill’s mechanical wings. “Yeah, laugh it up. I’m used to it,” the author grumbled as his eyes narrowed. “No, I’ve been hearing a lot about them!” The mare’s scowl turned to a grin. “I’m Rainbow Dash, by the way.” She held out a hoof. Quill shook uncertainly. “What kinds of things have you been hearing?” Suddenly he remembered his unlucky unicorn friend, forgotten on the ground. “Oh, wait. Filter, get up!” He unceremoniously kicked him in the ribs. Rainbow Dash ignored this. “I just wanted to see how well you fly, considering you aren’t really a pegasus.” Filter winced. “I wouldn’t recommend saying that to his face...” His words went unheard by the others. Quill glared. “I worked on these for three years! I’ve learned to fly well enough, and I don’t need some hotshot telling me how it’s done!” Rainbow chuckled. “Chill out. I’m not insulting you. Just making an observation, or whatever Twilight calls it.” Twilight? Filter thought, still watching the conversation. That name sounds familiar... Quill flared his wings and said, “If you really want to see how well I fly, maybe we could have a race later.” Filter stared at him. As haughty as his friend was, this was a little over the top. He facehoofed, which - like everything else he had said and done since Rainbow arrived - went unnoticed. Rainbow laughed yet again. “You’re pretty confident.” Quill grinned. “Seems you are too.” “So, how did you get your... wings?” Rainbow asked, seeming a little nervous about that topic. Now it was Quill’s turn to chuckle. “Well, I’ve always been a little bit of a bookworm, and-” “So you’re an egghead?” The light blue mare held back a laugh. The semi-pegasus sighed. “If that’s what you call it, yes. Anyway, I’d always been fascinated by pegasi, so I did my research on how their wings worked, and...” He began a long, rambling story about his research which Rainbow paid no attention to. By the time he finished, Rainbow had almost fallen asleep. Seeing this, he gave her a shove and rose into the air, grinning. “So, tell me your story now.” Right before the pegasus mare began her own tale, Quill looked behind himself to check on Filter. What he saw surprised him. “Filter?” He looked around a bit, interrupting Rainbow. “He’s not here anymore...where’d he go?” Filter, bored of listening to his friend argue with Rainbow, had absentmindedly wandered off and now found himself lost in Ponyville. Looking around for landmarks, his eyes eventually fell upon a rather tall, pink, frilly building. His instincts told him this was not a place he should be at if he wanted to avoid the taunting he endured in Canterlot and Fillydelphia, but his curiosity told him to check it out anyway. Eventually, he decided he didn’t want to be lost anymore, so he walked up to it and looked over the building. Seems like some kind of a clothing shop...yeah, not really my type of place. He turned to leave and look for other landmarks, but as he did, a white unicorn with a purple mane and tail poked her head out of the building. Acting on instinct, Filter attempted to hide himself. Bad idea. Instead it made the unicorn take notice of him. “Oh, darling, I didn’t see you there! Oh, do come in!” Without missing a beat, she walked back into the store, leaving the door open. Filter remained rooted to the spot, wishing he could melt into the background. The unicorn, having noticed she wasn’t followed inside, turned back, calling, “Excuse me? Will you be coming in or staying out there, for I am surely not taking any of my merchandise out in that dirt!” Filter, having been basically told an order, obeyed reluctantly. The minute he stepped inside the door closed behind him, and he gulped. He had a bad feeling about this. “So, if I may ask, what is your name?” the mare asked as she began levitating pieces of cloth around herself. Filter nervously scuffed the ground. “Uh...Pop Filter,” he answered quietly. How the mare heard him was beyond his understanding. “Mm, interesting name. I am Rarity; proprietor of Carousel Boutique, the fanciest clothing shop in all of Ponyville!” She gave a sweep of her mane as she introduced herself. Probably the only one as well...I haven’t exactly seen a lot of clothing stores since I’ve arrived. Filter kept his comment to himself, however, and simply nodded as he watched Rarity work. “So...um...why did you pull me in here?” he finally asked. “Why, to fix you up, of course!” She levitated a mirror over in front of Filter. “Look at yourself! You’re absolutely covered in dirt! Why, it’s as though you’ve been on the road for days!” “I have been,” Filter responded. “I just got here from Fillydelphia.” He paused for a moment. “But...how are clothes supposed to help with that?” “Well, I figured I might as well make you an outfit since you’re here,” Rarity stated as though it was obvious. “I don’t need an outfit, though...” Filter tried to protest, but either the fashion designer was ignoring him, or she didn’t hear him. “Besides, I wouldn’t be able to afford it-” “Oh, nonsense, darling; consider it a gift! You’ve traveled so far to get here!” She seemed to be getting into this a little too much for FIlter’s liking. He began to back away, but bumped into a rack of clothing. It promptly tumbled down onto the nervous unicorn. Rarity immediately ran over and looked down with concern. “Are you alright?” she asked worriedly. Filter gave a weak ‘yes’, to which Rarity seemed satisfied by. She then turned away from him and began inspecting the clothes nervously, muttering about how they better not be ruined. Her horn glowed and she lifted the rack up, setting it up correctly. As she did so a certain piece fell off onto the floor. Her eyes immediately found it, and she grinned. “Ah, this is perfect, absolutely perfect!” Rarity lifted the piece with her magic and held it up, eyes sparkling. “Oh, you must try this!” Filter found himself trapped between the fashionista unicorn and the wall. What he saw was something he never thought of wearing. A suit. “N-no, I don’t think I could-” he began, but was cut off. “No, like I said, you must try it on!” She pushed the suit towards him, and he had no choice but to take it. Getting some directions from Rarity, he found a dressing room and dumped the clothes unceremoniously on the ground, staring uncertainly. Should he try them on? Eventually, he decided it would be better to just go with it. After a few minutes of fumbling with the article of clothing, he finally managed to get it on and step outside the room. Rarity gave something of a girlish squeal and trotted around him in circles, giggling to herself. “Oh, you look absolutely fabulous!” she exclaimed, giving another inspection before coming to a stop in front of him. He froze again, face reddening as his gaze turned downwards. He mumbled something incoherently. The unicorn mare cocked her head. “What was that, dear?” Filter began taking off the suit. “Thanks, but I’ve really got to go...” He kept his eyes locked on the ground, shuffling towards the doors. Rarity gave him a puzzled look. “But you just got here, there’s no need to leave now.” Filter opened the door and stepped out, taking the suit off and giving it back to the white unicorn. “No, I really should get going, but thank you for letting me try it on.” Thoroughly embarrassed now, he turned and ran, much to Rarity’s confusion. “Was it something I said?” she asked herself as she trotted back inside with the suit. Looking down at it, she levitated it over to put it aside in case he came back. Quill and Rainbow had been searching for Filter from the air for quite a time. In this time, the semi-pegasus listened to the rainbow-maned mare’s life story, asking questions when he felt they needed to be asked. Rainbow payed attention to how his wings worked, and he gave answers when she asked questions, as well. Finally, Quill noticed the familiar blue unicorn that was his friend, and pointed him out to his companion. They both banked downwards and landed next to him. “There you are!” Quill yelled, grinning. “I lost you there for a while. Where did you go?” Filter gave his friend an incredulous stare. “You actually noticed? Hell, to me it seemed you forgot I existed!” Quill sighed. “We’re not going to argue like some old married couple, okay? How about I apologize for getting sidetracked-” he put some emphasis on the last two words. “-and move on with our lives?” “Do you know what I went through while away from you?” Filter muttered. Quill sighed again, heavier than before. “What?” he grumbled. “I got forced to put on a suit by some crazy fashion-obsessed unicorn!” His eyes darted around, as if expecting somepony to come racing out of the shadows and kidnap him. “Who, Rarity?” Rainbow decided to put in. “Oh, it’s fine. She does that all the time.” She laughed, gripping her side with a hoof. Quill shrugged. “Besides, what’s so bad about suits?” Filter groaned. “You should know me well enough to know that I don’t like being the center of attention. Looking all dressed up and fancy just draws the spotlight to me.” He threw a hoof in the air in exasperation. “Heck, she even said I looked ‘fabulous’ in it! I don’t even know if that was a compliment or an insult!” “Usually when someone tells you that you look fabulous, it’s a compliment, dumbass.” Quill rolled his eyes. “You didn’t go to my school.” “Yeah, well I didn’t go to any school. At least, not a high school. Not even really a middle school.” Rainbow stepped in between the two. “Okay, okay, that’s enough guys. Before I forget to ask, are you guys new to town?” They both looked at her. “What tipped you off?” Quill asked. “Well, you don’t see Pinkie setting up a huge banner that says ‘Welcome New Ponies’ for anything but that.” “Wait, a banner?” Quill cocked his head. “Yeah, Pinkie throws parties for new ponies all the time. She invites the entire town.” “Let me guess, the new ponies are the center of attention?” Quill raised an eyebrow. “Yeah. Why?” Quill slowly turned to look at Filter, who was now staring straight ahead, a stunned and horrified look on his face. Curious, Rainbow waved her hoof in front of Filter’s face, earning no reaction. He was practically dead to the world. “That’s why,” Quill said with a shake of his head. After finally getting the unicorn moving again, Quill and Rainbow started talking again, leaving Filter to think about the inevitable party and run several dozen scenarios through his head - all of which ended badly. “Hey, I think the party’s gonna start soon,” Rainbow realized, looking up at the sun’s position in the sky. “C’mon, I gotta take you two down to Sugarcube Corner. That’s where Pinkie’s holding the party. She said something about not being able to hold it in your house.” “Blame poor construction for that,” Quill grumbled, still not entirely over the whole roof incident. Filter had been mumbling to himself for a few minutes now, much to the concern of Rainbow Dash. Quill had just decided to ignore him after the first few attempts at stopping him had failed. “He really doesn’t like crowds,” Quill explained to the pegasus mare. “He has enough trouble talking to just one or two ponies, but when there’s a room full of them...” He trailed off, making a motion with his hoof to indicate that the rest should be obvious. Rainbow chuckled. “Sounds a lot like Fluttershy.” “Who?” “She’s a friend of mine. You’ll meet her there.” “Alright then...” Quill turned back to Filter and shouted. “Hey, you’re falling behind again!” Filter looked up, the horror on his face still showing despite the time that had passed. “Huh?” He looked down to his hooves, which had paused in their progress, and began shuffling forwards again. “Sorry...” Quill rolled his eyes. “If you move at that pace, we won’t get there until Winter Wrap-Up.” “Fine by me,” Filter mumbled. “Yeah, well it’s not fine by me.” Quill rose into the air. “Now come on! Man up and move!” Filter glared, but quickened his pace somewhat. “I feel like a criminal being taken in for execution.” “Well, you being you, that’s what it is.” They again resumed walking, Sugarcube Corner - essentially a giant gingerbread house - now in sight. Filter began shaking and his eyes darted around. Quill, having noticed, positioned himself a few paces behind his friend, making sure he wouldn’t bolt and run. Rainbow kept walking, ignoring the scene behind her. Being who she was, she didn’t exactly understand Filter’s terror, even though she wasn’t unfamiliar with his type of personality. They came to the front door paused in front of it. Rainbow turned to them and said, “Let me go in real quick, make sure we won’t be catching them by surprise.” She opened the door and walked in. Quill caught a glimpse of black before the door shut. Surprise... he inwardly chuckled, wanting to see his friend’s reaction. Rainbow opened the door again. “Alright, c’mon in.” The door closed yet again. Quill motioned to the door, staring at Filter. “You first.” Filter stared uneasily at the door, then shuffled forward awkwardly. He slowly opened the door with a slight creak, and then almost stepped back when he saw nothing but darkness. But then he was shoved from behind and landed with a thud in the floor. “SURPRISE!” The lights turned on and Quill walked in, laughing. “Oh sweet Celestia, the look on your face!” He fell to the ground and rolled around laughing, gasping for breath. It was only once his laughing fit ended that he noticed something. “Filter?” Filter had passed out from shock and terror and now lay prone on the ground. SPLASH Filter began coughing and sputtering as he woke up, water dripping down his face. As his vision cleared, he looked up to see Quill standing over him with a now-empty cup. Along with him were several dozen other ponies, all staring down at him. “Get up, man,” Quill ordered with a laugh. “You had me scared for a moment there.” “You were scared?” Filter grunted. “I don’t recall you being the one who passed out.” Quill shrugged. “Eh. Just get up before I get more water.” Filter stumbled to his hooves, trying to avoid eye contact with anypony aside from Quill. Rainbow flew over to them from over the heads of all the other ponies. “Come on guys! I want you to meet my friends.” She dropped to the ground and led them through the crowd. Filter pretty much cowered as Quill politely said ‘hello’ to ponies he met, and then left, hearing them mutter ‘those horns’ and ‘who’s the shy one?’ It infuriated him, but he held his tongue, for fear of losing the reputation he and Filter could ever want to have. Rainbow had stopped in front of five other mares, one of whom apparently couldn’t sit still. She kept bouncing about, giggling. Quill could tell that this was the Pinkie Pie mare Rainbow talked about. “So you threw this party?” the author laughed, turning to her. “Yep! Isn’t it super-duper-teeriffic?” The pink pony grinned. Her mane was ecstatic and poofy, and she had a set of three balloons for a cutie mark. “I’m Pinkie Pie! I love throwing parties, especially for new ponies in Ponyville!” “I’m Blood Quill, and this is Pop Filter,” Quill replied, introducing himself and his friend. “Pop Filter?” a white unicorn mare asked, stepping forward. Filter instantly recognized her. “Oh, I thought you looked familiar! So good to see you again!” Oh buck, Filter thought as he began looking for an escape. “You two know each other?” Quill asked. “Yes, we met earlier when he came by my boutique. My name is Rarity. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Quill.” The mare bowed slightly. Quill chuckled. “Just call me Quill. Neither of us are huge fans of fancy name-calling.” Rarity nodded before turning back to the blue unicorn. “Filter, I would like to apologize for earlier. I got a bit...overzealous, as I tend to do sometimes. I didn’t realize I was making you uncomfortable.” “It’s fine...” Filter mumbled as he scuffed the floor, avoiding eye contact. “Here, I’d like you to have this.” Rarity levitated a box out and passed it to Filter. “It’s the suit you tried on earlier. After seeing how well it fits you, I just couldn’t dream of giving it to anypony else, so I’d like you to keep it.” Filter hesitantly took the box, but then tried to pass it back. “Thanks, but I’m not really big on suits...” “Oh, but you looked amazing in it!” Rarity squealed, not noticing the blush rising to Filter’s face as she practically shoved the box at him. “I insist you keep it. Who knows? Perhaps it may help you impress that special somepony of yours.” She winked, and Filter’s blush deepened. Quill snorted. “Rarity, look at him. Do you seriously think a guy like him would actually be in a relationship?” He laughed, failing to realize nopony else was. “If he tried to ask somepony out, they’d probably never hear him!” As his laughter died down, he realized the six mares were all staring at him with somewhat annoyed looks. “What?” “Don’tcha think that was a little harsh?” an orange earth pony wearing a Stetson hat asked. “Look at him!” Quill turned to Filter, who wasn’t just avoiding eye contact now. Instead, he was staring directly down at the floor, pawing the ground slowly. He didn’t look just nervous. He actually looked hurt. “Ah, he knows I don’t mean it. Besides, it’s true.” He gave Filter a playful shove. Filter didn’t react. “Ugh...Ah swear, yer worse than Rainbow Dash,” the orange mare groaned. “Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?” Rainbow demanded. The earth pony just shook her head, then turned back to Quill. “Ah’m Applejack, by the way.” She extended her hoof, and Quill shook it. “Nice to meetcha...though it’d be nicer if ya were a tad kinder to yer friends.” “Oh, we do this kind of thing all the time. Don’t worry about it,” Quill chuckled. “If yer sure...” Applejack herself didn’t seem too sure, but she let the subject drop for now. The next mare to approach Quill and Filter was a purple unicorn. She smiled brightly at them. “Hello there,” she greeted. “My name is Twilight Sparkle. It’s a pleasure to meet you both.” Quill nodded at her. “Likewise.” He turned to Filter, who seemed less upset, but was still staying quiet. “Hey, I don’t care if you’re shy, I’m not doing all the talking for us.” Realizing he now had eyes on him, Filter fumbled for words. “Oh... uh... hi?” He managed an obviously forced grin. Twilight, hoping to help make him more comfortable, smiled softly at him and extended her hoof. “How are you doing, Filter?” she asked. Filter tentatively shook her outstretched hoof. “I feel like I’m about to throw up, faint, do something stupid, or get killed...or all of the above,” he replied. “That’s about normal for him with new ponies,” Quill broke in. Twilight kept her smile up. “Well, no need to be nervous, Filter. We’re all friendly around here, so don’t worry. I run the town library, so if you ever want to talk or check out a book, just head over there and I’ll see what I can do.” For the first time since his first trip to town hall, Filter genuinely smiled. Maybe this won’t be as bad as I thought...everypony so far seems pretty friendly, even if they don’t come off as such right away. “And this here is Fluttershy,” Rainbow piped up, gesturing to a yellow pegasus with a pink mane and tail. True to her name, Fluttershy was staying quiet and attempting to hide, very much like Filter. Quill noticed the similarity right away and groaned. “Oh Celestia, it’s a female Filter. Just kill me now.” He started trotting away. “I’m gonna find some cider.” Rainbow Dash and Applejack, both apparently either worried about Quill or also interested in some drinking, followed the semi-pegasus. This left Filter with Fluttershy, Twilight, Rarity, and Pinkie. He nervously looked from one mare to the next. “Um...so...now what?” he asked hesitantly. “Now, we party!” Pinkie cheered, bouncing into the air and hovering there momentarily before dashing away. Filter watched her go with a combination of interest and confusion. “Is she always like that?” he asked the three remaining mares. They nodded simultaneously. “This town is absolutely insane.” They nodded again.