Off the Beaten Path

by PingSquirrel


Later that Week

20.


        “That’s one heck of a first week here,” said Twilight while I took a long sip of my coffee.  Recapping the first week in Equestria took longer than I thought it would.  At least we were both relaxed in her library home to do the interview.  I did promise that I would do it as soon as she was released from hospital so none of the details would be forgotten, and she did look a lot better, all things considered.  “Did you get all that, Spike?”

        “What?  I was supposed to be writing?” the little dragon replied without even looking up from the comic book he had in his little claws.  I guess it wasn’t as riveting of a story as I thought.

Twilight rolled her one eye and let out an exasperated sigh before scolding him.  “Spike!  This is important, and you know I can’t write right now!  The princesses are counting on us to help get him home, too!”

        I chuckled as he pulled himself out of his bed, which was reminiscent of a dog bed, and made his way to his scrolls and quills. “Fine, Twilight.  Scriber,  one more time, if you please.  From the top.”

        “Maybe later,” I muttered, before coughing into a hoof.  As soon as I said that, Spike tossed the pen and paper aside and went right back to his comic. “I don’t feel up to going through all that again at the moment.  But yeah, the first week was pretty nuts, but it could’ve been worse with divine smiting or something like that coming my way.”

        “And, how did the next week go for you?  Anywhere near as exciting?” the mare asked before she moved to give her new eyepatch a little adjustment, but the squeak of the brace she had on that side stopped her hoof from rising too far.  Her other hoof moved to perform the task.  Apparently, Pinkamena made sure that Twilight had a variety of patches to wear by pulling in all the patches from her “emergency eyepatch caches”, whatever that meant.  Even so, I still felt terrible for doing that to her, and hoped she’d learn to adjust to it soon.

        “Thankfully, no.  I’ve been finding work where I can, and been doing pretty well with getting a reputation out to the masses.  No small thanks to Spike for that save with Bon-Bon.  Thanks again,” I replied, and the little dragon puffed up with pride.  Bon-Bon was less than amused for the continued delay of the work and told me to hit the road, when I ran into the dragon and Rarity out for lunch.  He quickly came up with an idea to save my hide, and one message to the princesses later,  I was able to try to get into the shop again.  A Royal purchase order for as much toffee as Bon-Bon carried a lot of weight.  I was promptly forgiven and allowed to work.

        She nodded and replied, “So, you’re adjusting well to Equestria then?”

        “Well, yes.  I think so.  Better than I would’ve said three weeks ago.  Nothing like jumping right to field experimentation to come up with something to change your preconceptions, eh?”

        “You’re not going to impress her with that. She says much more complicated stuff all the time,” interjected Spike in a dry sort of way.  After a glance from myself and Twilight, the commentary from the peanut gallery was duly ignored.

        “Tell me about it.  I think this entire experience has been a lesson on that,” she agreed, then she looked to the list she was keeping to her side.  “There’s just a couple more things I wanted to ask you, Scriber.”

        I motioned a hoof to continue.

        Her one eye got wide for a moment as it went over the list as if she was reminded of something critical before she narrowed it at me. What was this all about? She even coughed into a hoof to clear her throat before her voice quickly escalated to a yell. “What the hay type of romance novel is this!?”  She was pointing her good hoof towards one of the books I had left her.  “I wake up and see a new book by a pony by the name “Lovecraft” and what do I get?  The freakiest thing I ever read!  I had to be sedated so I could get some sleep!”

        I was stunned and unsure how to react to the outburst.  Even Spike was staring at her nervously, while she waited for an answer.  “I guess I only have one thing I can say about why I left that book for you,” I answered as calmly as I could before booming out,  “I R’lyeh!  Cthulhu fhtagn!! Ia! Ia!

        That’s about as far as I could get before I bursted out laughing at the mare, who actually jumped back from me, and now was appalled at what just transpired.

        “Cut it out, Scriber!  I’m serious!  That book is just creepy!” she whined at me.

        “It’s supposed to be creepy!  Lovecraft was an expert at writing horror.  There’s a whole sub-genre of horror called Lovecraftian horror, back on Earth,” I gasped out between guffaws to answer her.

        While I was laughing at the mare, she went from upset, to stone faced to simply annoyed at me before she finally cracked a smile.  “Well, he’s very good at it,” she finally said to me, “I do like a good scary story now and then.  Just not in a strange room after interdimensional beings turned out to be real.”

        “If I had known, I would just left the other book.  Have you looked at the other one yet?” I asked, as I wiped a tear from my eye.  Oh, it felt good to laugh like that again.

        She nodded and quoted, “All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you.  But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, Prince with the Swift Warning.”

        “Be cunning and full of tricks and your people will never be destroyed,” I finished then nodded, “I love that bit.  I’m glad you enjoyed the book.  It’s one of my all-time favorites.”

        “Oh, I did. I already lent it to Fluttershy.  The rougher parts aside, she does have an large love of lapines,” she said.

"You sure about that? It gets pretty brutal at some parts."

        “Yes, but she’s also stronger than most ponies can see.  She can look at the worst of the worst and see the good things nopony else can.  I think she can handle a book about rabbits, even with a few exciting parts,” she returned, before she got to her hooves and stretched.   “It’s getting late, did that interview take that long?”

        The time was a surprise for me as well.  “All evidence points to ‘yes’. I had a lot to say, you know?  If you want, I can come back, and give the story again so we can get it down on paper for you.  Anything to help you out on finding my home,” I said with a glance through the window to see the darkening sky.

        “You can’t do it now?” she said with disappointment in her eyes.  If there is one thing about Twilight I have found out is that she’s dedicated to her craft.

“Not today, I’m afraid.  I’ve got to go meet up with Berry at the market, and go to dinner with Sweetie Belle’s family.  Apparently, her mom is making her ‘specialty’,” I answered.

“I’m sure it’ll be an experience.  You’ve mentioned Berry a few times back there.  I didn’t know she could be so friendly.  Before you came along, she’d never leave her villa and when she did, all she’d do is go to the bar,” Twilight said, “At least, that’s what I’ve observed.”

That didn’t sound like the mare that has been visiting me every evening for the last week.  “Really?  Why’s that?”

“You’d have to ask her. I’m still a newer resident of Ponyville, and haven’t really had a chance to speak with everypony around the town,” she answered.

I gave her a brief nod, then glanced at the clock. It was after five, which meant I’d need to hustle to get to the meeting place at this point. “Well, I might do that, but right now, I really have to get going.  You rest well, and next time I come here, I’ll bring my laptop. I’m sure you’d like that,” I said before giving Spike a quick nudge on the shoulder. “You take care of her, and make sure she takes her meds, eh?”

“Don’t worry.  She’s in very good claws,” he stated while he gave me a lazy salute, but didn’t even lift his head from what he was reading.

“You have a good evening, Scriber,” the mare said as she walked me to the door.  She still had a heavy limp,but she had that brace on to help her cope with her bad leg.

“Are you going to be alright?” I asked in a softer voice, so Spike couldn’t overhear me.

She knew what I was asking. “Magic can do a lot.  It can remove scarring and even straighten bones, but I think I’m going to be, as Pinkie Pie would say, “rocking the pirate look” for a long, long time,” she replied back, and I could see she was trying not to be upset.  She even forced a smile on her face when she added, “But, it’s as much my fault as anypony else’s, so don’t think about it, and get going, alright?”

There wasn’t much that I could say to that, so I tipped my hat to her and headed out.  I’ve been here two weeks now, and finding my around has become nearly second nature to me.  I knew where all the good shops were, and the ponies to watch for.  Heck, there were ponies in the market that would smile and wave when I passed by, which is more than I ever got before coming to Equestria.  It was the least that I could do to return each and every one while I looked for Berry.  This was one of the things I will miss most when it comes time for me to leave.

        The wine-coloured mare was easy to find, standing right in the middle of the market, and waiting patiently for me.  I had seen her pretty much every day this week in the evening when she came to my truck to watch the shows I could cue up on my laptop, or listen to music, but today she put more effort into her appearance than she has ever done before.  Her mane was neatly pulled back into a french braid.  That must of been a trick to do without fingers.  The small choker around her neck could have a clasp that would work with hooves.  Even the little saddlebags she was wearing was a carefully picked blue that didn’t clash with her coat.  She hadn’t noticed me yet, and I took a moment to simply look at her, before I let out an introspective hum.  I had no idea what I should feel right now, but I was smiling.

        She finally turned enough to see me and waved for me to come over.  “I was getting worried that you got lost, Scriber,” she said as soon as I closed the distance between her and I.  There was a hint of a flowery perfume in the air.

        She blushed slightly and even averted her eyes unsuccessfully hide it. “Thank you. It’s been a while since I have been out to a dinner party like this, and I wanted to look my best.”

        That smile was still stuck on my face.  “I think you succeeded,” I replied, and I swear I heard her “squee”.  That’s straight up adorable.  “Come on, let’s get going, eh?”

        The mare took a place at my side for the brisk trot.  I was given directions earlier in week and it wasn’t far to go.

        “Do you think they will mind me bringing wine?” Berry asked, and I glanced over.

        “Wine?”

        She instantly got defensive, “I don’t plan to drink it!  I  have to get the bottle out of the house, and I don’t think it’s right to just pour it out.  It’s a very good year.”

        “Well, I trust you, Berry.  I didn’t mean to insinuate anything,” I quickly said to her, while I moved in front of her and turned to face her. “I don’t want you getting yourself into trouble, and this has nothing to do with me.”

        She looked torn about how to react.  She looked angry for a moment, then saddened and several times she opened her mouth to try and say something, but it was obvious she wasn’t sure what she wanted to say.  Finally, she dipped her nose away from me again.  “You’re right. But, I didn’t drink anything. I promise.  I’ve been good since I promised you and Merlot,” she whimpered.

        “Hey, it’s alright, Berry.  It’s all good.  I was just letting my worries talk first there,” I replied as I put a hoof under her chin to lift her eyes to mine. “You’re doing well, and you’ve been the best friend I could ask for since getting here.  I don’t want to see you like you were in that bar a couple weeks ago.”

        Then, we stood there, silently looking at each other.  I became very aware of how close we were to each other, that perfume, the warmth of her body, the sound of her breathing.  I shouldn’t be doing anything like this, and I dropped my hoof to take a step back.  I coughed and cleared my throat.  “Come on, we don’t want to be late, eh?”

        She let out her breath. “Yeah, we wouldn’t want that,” she droned, and I could feel the disappointment in those words, but she knew I wasn’t planning to be here forever.  The moment, once past, let us go back to the short walk.

        The quaint, white house where Magnum and his family lived was a slice of Americana, or rather Equestrana, complete with tacky pink flamingos in the front lawn and a prominently displayed flagpole flying an Equestrian flag that was at least three sizes too big.  Magnum was on the front porch, tending to his barbeque. “Hey there, Scriber!  Hey there, Berry!  Come on in!  It’s good to see ya both here!” he called out to us, “Want to help with the grill?  Got some fresh veggies to cook up, and some cold drinks here.”

        “I’m going to see see if I can help out inside.  You boys have fun,” Berry said before she trotted inside.  It took me a moment to realise she was getting away from the alcohol.  I was proud to see her really trying to stick to her promise.

        “She’s a nice mare.  It’s good to see her gettin’ out of her house again,” Magnum said casually as he tended to the grill.  There was simply a mountain of food; how much did they think we could eat?

        “She was a bit of a shut in?” I asked, “I haven’t been around here too long, but she’s social enough when it comes to me.”

“She had a rough patch a while back, you know.  Poor filly fell apart, but I really shouldn’t say too much about it.  I don’t like being a gossip,” he said before he took a drink.  I nodded and made a note to ask about Berry about it when the time was right.  “So, whatcha think about the last game?  Our boys look like they might go all the way this year.”

I was still new to “hoofball” but it was similar enough to football that I could fake it.  Any nuance that I didn’t understand right away was easily explained by Magnum.  Apparently, he used to be a pro player himself, but after he retired, he moved onto being a commentator for Ponyville’s team, the Broncos.  The name would be like calling a human football team “The Guys” but I kept that to myself.  The biggest change to the game was the addition of a third dimension with pegasus receivers, and well, it was interesting thing to watch, and it gave me something to talk about with ponies.  “As long as they keep up improving the defensive line,” I replied after a moment.  It was a nice generic line that sounded like I knew what I was talking about.

The conversation was off and running, while we manned the grill.  To be honest, it was just the odd poke and prod at the food.  The real reason we were out there was to spend time talking and sharing the occasional laugh about hoofball statistics, politics, the quality of the produce that was cooking, the latest news or anywhere else that the conversation cared to drift.  I didn’t always know what he was talking about, but he was the sort that would only need a nod and a quick agreement every few minutes to keep up the conversation.

        It was like I was home again.  It was nice.

        “Scriber?” Magnum said with a little more urgency.  I snapped to attention.

        “Oh!  Sorry about that,” I replied.

        “You just drifted out there, eh?  You alright?”

        “Yeah.  Just fine.  You just caught me thinking is all,” I answered after a quick shake of my head.

        “What about?  Maybe I can help?” He asked helpfully as he shifted the cobs from the grill to a plate.
        
        I shook my head. “Nothing to help with.  Just remembering things.  Good things.  Now, let’s get those to the table before they get cold, eh?”

        There was one more glance from his direction before he nodded and simply accepted that.  “Yeah. I’m itching to dig in.  And, there’s a bunch of ponies on the inside that want to see you, doncha know?”

        My eyebrow quirked up at that. “A bunch?  As in, more than I would normally expect?” I asked as I followed the stallion into the house.  I got my answer as soon as I stepped through the door into a darkened room.

        “Surprise, Scriber!” came a chorus of voices from every direction when the lights turned on, leaving me blinking and stunned admittedly.  There was even a  banner hung up straight ahead of me, reading, “Sorry We Thought You Were a Jerk”.

        “Yeah.  Apparently there’s a bunch of ponies that wanted in the whole party, and when they got word of the dinner party, there wasn’t any holding them back,” Magnum explained to me with a smile, “Hope you don’t mind.”

        Just looking around the room, I took count of everypony there.  There were the three fillies that I helped last week front and center, with Big Mac and his sister stood tall behind them. Rarity was standing with her mother to one side and that was a clash of styles that even I could recognize.  However, now that they were in the same room, I couldn’t deny there was a family resemblance.  Pinkamena made her appearance known by bouncing about, and waving hooves wildly.  And, finally Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash floated above the crowd.  The yellow mare was blushing and offering a shy wave, while Rainbow Dash looked much more lively by outright going "Woo!" at me like she was at some sporting event.  Finally, Berry snuck up to my side, as if I was about to back off.

        “Are you going to keep standing there, or are you going to come in?” she asked, with a nudge to my shoulder to prompt me to move.  I could feel a bit of warmth in my cheeks.  Never in my life have I ever walked into a surprise party.

        Pinkamena suddenly appeared right in my face and with the boundless energy she had, she chattered at me.  “Were you surprised?  Were you, huh?  And, do you like the banner?  I had to think lots on that, but I think it says everything I needed it to say!”

        I had been in mute shock the entire time so my mind could process what was happening.    It’s not that I was unpopular back home, but I hadn’t ever been greeted like this before.  While I reflected on this turn of events, I flatly answered, “It’s a good banner, but you didn’t have to do any of this.”
 
        “I know, but I did say you weren’t getting a welcome party, so a Sorry-for-not-having-a-welcome-party party will have to do, and mixing it with the You-really-helped-one-of-super-good-friend’s-sister party just works out all perfect!  It’s a double party.  A dub-party!” she declared cheerfully, without being dismayed by my lack of emotion, before being pulled back by the tail by AppleJack.

        “Let the stallion get settled,” the smaller of the two farmers said as soon as she dropped the tail.
        
        Thoughts were still working through my head. Back home, I had friends and family, and I loved and appreciated them dearly, and now, I had the same here.  Well, here they had hooves, but they genuinely cared about me as much as the people back home.  There was no way that I could deny any of that.  “Wow,” I finally managed to say, as my vision got a little blurry.  Was I actually watering up over this?  With a quick adjustment of hat, I took the chance to wipe my eyes clear and gave my head a shake. “Thank you.  Uh, this is more than a guy like me deserves or has any right to expect, but I’m flattered that you think I should have it, especially given some of the circumstances of my arrival.  There’s no way I can say it better, but thank you for letting me have a chance, and thank you for being here.  Now, I think dinner’s cooling off so let’s get to it, eh?”

        My little impromptu speech went over as well as I could hope with several ponies stamping their approval politely.  Applause was applause, no matter the location, and I could feel an embarrassed blush in my cheeks.

        “Wait!  There’s one more thing before we get to dinner!” Sweetie Belle called out to the room, complete with a wide wave of her hooves in the air.  The room quieted and acknowledged her.   “My sister and I made this for you.  I think she was making this already, but I helped.  I hope you like it.”  

        On her back was a small package, and she trotted it over to me with a small limp in her gait.  Her hoof was still bandaged, but it didn’t look to be bothering her all that much now.  I laughed as I said, “Wow.  For me?”

        “Of course it’s for you!  Open it up!” Sweetie said, while the crowd moved in so the could see the unveiling properly.  It was a simple white box with a small string tied around it to keep it closed, and with a quick tug of my teeth I was able to undo it so I could flip the lid open.  Inside was a rather nice dark brown vest.  It was simple, but very well made, and just a touch to the fabric told me that it was durable too.

        “Woah, this looks great!  I don’t know what to say,” I exclaimed as I reached in, and lifted it out to take a proper look at it, and in doing so, I saw Sweetie Belle’s addition to the garment.  On the inside breast pocket, there was a white, heart-shaped emblem with  “Thank you Scriber!” stitched into it in an uneven sort of way.  My vision got blurry again, necessitating another emergency hat-adjustment.

“I think I made it to your size, but if you need any adjustments, I’d be happy to accommodate and get them done as soon as possible,” Rarity said her professional sort of way.

There was one way to find out, and I sat back onto my haunches to throw the vest around myself.  It even had large buttons so my hooves could easily fasten them up.  As soon as I got it on, I realized how weird it felt to wear clothing again, though I couldn’t say if I missed it or not.  “Thank you.  It’s great!” I exclaimed, as I posed for the crowd. “How does it look?”

I got a few compliments from the crowd, but the one that mattered the most came from beside me.  “I really like it,” Berry said with a little blush in her cheeks.  You know, I was beginning to think that the mare really did like me.

I gave her a grin right back and nodded.

        “Alright!  Enough sappy stuff!  The food’s getting cold!” Rainbow Dash called over the crowd, before zipping in her way through the house to where I suspected the dining room was, and we all started to follow along.

        “Hold the door, please,” said a familiar voice from behind me.  It was Twilight and Spike, shuffling along at a slow pace. I didn’t expect to see them here, especially since she was still on the mend.  “Sorry guys.  I delayed him as long as I could.  Was it long enough?”

        “It was long enough, Twilight,” Berry said, “Let’s get you inside.”  
        
Of course, I held the door for her and Spike.  “Hail, hail, the gang’s all here,” I said under my breath, then let the door shut.  I’d miss these ponies when it came time to go, and that was all the more reason to enjoy my time here with them now.