“I… have no idea what is normal for you.”
“Truth be told,” Joe admitted to Twilight Sparkle as he ran on the treadmill, “neither do I.”
The morning had been a peaceful one and Joe had decided to take Twilight Sparkle’s advice about not casually entering the Everfree. He had felt like going back to that lake to get a better look at the giant Crocodile without the problem of worrying about the Cutie Mark Crusaders but he’d missed one chance, a couple of days after he’d seen it, because of going to the Diamond Dogs instead. The next three days had been busy with Sweet Apple Acres and petsitting and Zecora and then he’d the ‘minor’ distraction of getting kissed to throw off the fourth day’s plans. Helping Fluttershy and experimenting with crude models had taken another day and then yesterday had been more chores at Sweet Apple Acres and the work on the flying model.
Today had seemed his last chance for a while as tomorrow and two days after that would be Sweet Apple Acre days and the day between them was his next visit to Zecora. So if he was going to do it then it was tempting to not wait until four days time. But Twilight Sparkle’s words had been well taken and tomorrow was also the day that would end with the visit to Canterlot. It seemed better to make a visit to the Golden Oaks Library instead of a giant Crocodile and see what books on art and music he could find to prepare for the event, now he was sure he was going and was not distracted by the aeronautics.
However when he’d arrived, after dropping Rarity’s floral bag off with her at the Carousel Boutique, he’d been snagged by Twilight Sparkle and asked to come downstairs. With some foreboding Joe had followed and had realised that now was when the infamous machines that went ‘ping’ were going to threaten to ‘ping’ about and around him. He’d argued that he wanted to read and study without having got sweaty by lifting and running to have his power and endurance measured but Twilight Sparkle had pointed out that she did have plenty of soap and water.
Joe’s counter argument that humans wore clothes and so even if he washed himself those would still be sweaty had foundered when some cloth draped over one machine had lifted in the glow of Twilight Sparkle’s horn and this had revealed it as a loose short sleeved shirt and a pair of sporting shorts. Admitting defeat and seeking privacy Joe had changed and now, a couple of hours later, he was still being studied.
“I find that hard to believe,” frowned Twilight Sparkle.
“Oh, I’ve an idea of human sporting records,” Joe replied, the rhythm of his words set by that of deep breaths he needed to take, “and it does seem I’d beat some of those. But that’s comparing me and humans without the aid of the magic here, or comparing the aid of that magic with the immense talent and determination the athletes have.”
“Useful,” nodded Twilight Sparkle, making a note of that before turning to look at Joe, “and it does show the magic has made a lot of difference. But we knew that already.”
Joe nodded. “As you explained you wanted to figure out how much difference it has made to me in particular,” he replied, “and by being able to compensate for that be able to compare humans and Ponies. Unfortunately I’ve not much idea how ponies and humans compare on my world either.”
“As you explained,” Twilight Sparkle nodded back, “you’ve no real experience as you use motors instead.”
“There’s that and… you remember what I said a couple of days ago about a distinction between Man and Beast? And if Dolphins were intelligent but simply didn’t need use that intelligence much for survival as they were so physically superb?”
“Yes?”
“Part of what some schools of thought did was downplay human physical ability…”
“That sounds bizarre,” commented Twilight Sparkle.
“The idea was that if you focus on humans not having large teeth or claws like some things,” Joe explained, continuing to run and sweat, “and not being as strong as others or as fast as others still then you could ascribe our success to our minds, emphasise the distinction between us and other things by saying that everything else depended on its body instead.”
“That still sounds bizarre. What does it have to do with this?”
“There’s still a tendency to say how much faster or stronger something is than a man, but not to say the reverse. When human physical advantages are talked about the tone I’ve seen is more to say ‘look, we aren’t crap after all’ rather than be more dispassionate. Pointing out that with some of the scarier creatures it is not only a more even fight but if anything they would be stupid to attack a human.”
“And that still sounds bizarre,” protested Twilight Sparkle. As Joe jogged and she saw his muscles bunching and releasing she wondered just how scary a creature he was thinking of. “What sort of things would be stupid?”
“Hmm? Oh, something like a Leopard. Their teeth and claws can easily do a fatal amount of damage so they are scary, but a human is bigger, can be a lot bigger, and if they get a good grip to keep the teeth and claws at bay then they are strong enough, even without magic, to…”
“You don’t need to go into detail,” said Twilight Sparkle.
Joe nodded. He’d thought the man in one story was brave and determined to be able to defeat the Leopard that had pounced on him but the picture of that man with his arm in a sling and the Leopard he’d killed next to him had given mixed feelings. Things could look smaller and more pitiful when they were dead and that effect and Joe’s liking for cats had made him feel sorrier for the Leopard than it deserved. And he still felt quite sorry for it even after having been almost eaten by a similar, larger, creature in the form of that Manticore.
“So I could talk about how humans got on well with wolves when they allied because both have unusual endurance…” Joe paused and grinned as he continued to run and tried to ignore the ache in his legs. “Though as that is something they share with horses that would not be unusual here.”
Twilight Sparkle nodded and returned the grin with a small smile. “But that is useful,” she pointed out, explaining, “to know it should not be unusual that you are managing to get close to that sort of endurance.”
“Hrm,” Joe winced, deciding to not explain that the problem was his examples would be bloody. Mentioning the endurance-hunting that he’d thought about when chasing after Pinkie Pie or that Infantry could often march Cavalry into the ground, the latter having more speed on the battlefield but the former more able to get between battles. “I could talk about how well humans can throw things…”
Joe hesitated as saying that reminded him of how pitiful his throw had been compared with Rainbow Dash releasing her pair of darts in flight, and that reminded him of what had happened afterwards when she saw the effects of her darts. She seemed happy with the effect of that ‘afterwards’ and with what had happened yesterday, but he liked her enough to owe her as much happiness as possible. Even if it would be embarrassing to discuss.
Noting the hesitation Twilight Sparkle turned back to look at her readings. “So there is a lot you could talk about,” she commented, “but it’s anecdotal rather than actual figures?”
“Right,” Joe nodded, sounding distracted. “Not sure how much better we can throw, other than much…”
“Do you want to take a break now?” asked Twilight Sparkle, hoping Joe wasn’t thinking what she thought he was. “I think I have enough data.”
“Thanks,” Joe nodded again, slowing to a stop on the treadmill.
Twilight Sparkle’s horn glowed and the sensor patches lifted away from Joe’s skin. It had been interesting to see just how much better contact they made with his relatively bare flesh than they did with pony fur. Those out of the way she floated a towel to him so he could mop some of the sweat from himself before he sat and began replacing that water by drinking more. Trying to ignore how Joe had begun to look nervous and as if he might be collecting himself to speak about something embarrassing Twilight Sparkle busied herself collecting rolls of graphs and checking her notes.
“Twilight, I’ve…” Joe began and then sighed. “There is a Mare who likes me, and I like her, but as you overheard the conversation with Spike you know I’ve a problem.”
“And you and she have my sympathies,” replied Twilight Sparkle, glancing over her shoulder and hoping Joe was not going to go into too much detail.
“Thanks,” Joe nodded, to Twilight Sparkle’s rear, as he drank some more water. “I like her enough that I’m wondering if magic can help.”
Fearing she knew the answer and wondering how long this would take Twilight Sparkle turned. “Help how?”
“That’s another problem,” Joe said, sighing again. “I had some ideas, but then I thought I was being unfair, but then I wondered if I was. I think you heard me say to Spike that I could picture him as a human?”
“Yes…”
“Well I can picture this Mare as a human and how lovely she’d be…” Joe paused and corrected himself. “Actually that is not the right word, she is lovely as she is, let’s say how desirable she’d be if she was ‘translated’ into terms my parts can understand. So thoughts crossed my mind of her looking like that.”
Twilight Sparkle decided to repeat what she had said to Rainbow Dash. “That doesn’t seem fair to expect her to change.”
“So I realised,” Joe admitted, “and my thoughts turned instead to what Discord had offered and if I would be able to desire her if I was turned into a Pony.”
“That could help,” said Twilight Sparkle, sounding dubious. “But you said you wondered if you were being unfair?”
Joe nodded and took another swig of water as he gathered his thoughts. “She seems to like me as I am, to have less problem” he replied, “so if she temporarily took a human form, or one that was more human like, then that would be merely physical…”
“Are you sure of that?” asked Twilight Sparkle, interrupting.
“Pardon?”
“I’ll accept she might not need as much change of attitude as you,” said Twilight Sparkle, remembering Rainbow Dash wondering if humans were enough like Bonobo that she’d be filled with immediate lust, “but do you think she’d be unaffected?”
“Maybe not, but…” Once more Joe sighed. “I’m not sure that even with the effects of a Pony body I’d be able to desire her very soon, I might have to stay in that form for a considerable time or have a spell that, unlike the one Discord offered, would deliberately affect my mind.”
“Whereas you think she already desires you,” nodded Twilight Sparkle, “so if it was possible to switch back and forth she could before she was too affected?”
“And if she does desire me in this form it matters less if I was turned into a Pony or ‘just’ had my mind altered.”
Twilight Sparkle took in and released a deep breath. “Oh my, that is getting into the sort of magic that is closely supervised,” she admitted. “Giving Rarity temporary wings is one thing, or making other physical changes, but altering the mind is… I am not sure you are right but I can see why you are wondering.”
“It does feel like it’s unfair to expect her to be the one changing,” Joe nodded, “but it also feels like altering her body temporarily is less drastic than altering my mind permanently…” He chuckled and shook his head. “Though come to think of it both options might have that effect.”
“How do you mean?” frowned Twilight Sparkle.
“There would be the ‘closely supervised’ magic to make a sudden change or at least accelerate the change.”
“Right.”
“But the second kiss went slightly better with her, when I was not so surprised and had had at least a few minutes to get used to the idea…”
“So you wonder what would happen if she kissed you while she looked human?”
Joe gave a slight smile and wink. “Wondered about more than kissing.”
“Oh,” Twilight Sparkle replied, with a slight blush.
“I’d think a shape-change like that would not be done lightly, so we’d have had to get to where it felt right emotionally to… ah,” said Joe, also blushing a little, “but physically I was still ‘unresponsive’…”
Twilight Sparkle nodded as Joe paused and despite her growing embarrassment she noted there was no mention of a season or a heat, just emotional and physical feelings. That seemed to confirm Rainbow Dash’s annoyed opinion that Applejack guessed well.
“So, without details,” Joe continued, “we’d tried her looking more human, and that had removed the problem, and we’d shared some passion and fallen asleep together.” For a moment he considered adding ‘if the change in shape also reduced how vigorously she snored’ but that seemed impolite and a clue to the identity of who he was speaking of. “Then in the morning I wake with her still in my arms, but she’s a Pony again…”
“Would that be a problem?”
“I don’t think so,” Joe replied, admitting he was not completely certain. “I know that is what she is and have known the previous night while we were doing whatever we were doing.”
Twilight Sparkle nodded and blushed more. “Go on.”
“So there I’d be, knowing what we have shared and that much more used to the idea, so I wonder…” Joe stopped as he realised he wondered something else as well. “Though on reflection, and talking it through, it might be a bad idea.”
“Maybe,” agreed Twilight Sparkle, “why do you think?”
“Because I was wondering much more I’d desire her after that night,” Joe sighed, “but now I wonder if rather than desiring her more, in any form, I’d just be wishing she’d change back to looking more human. And I do like her too much to not think she deserves whoever she chooses as a partner to find her desirable in her true form. It could be enjoyable to try but it might be better to stick to kissing, and to be honest…” Joe shook his head. “I might have been wasting your time and your, our, blushes.”
“If it has helped you then the time was not wasted.”
“Thanks Twilight.”
“Why did you think it was?”
“My questions to you do presume a lot about both my feelings and hers. She’s accepted an invitation to go to an event in Canterlot with myself, Spike, and Rarity and seems happy in my company…”
“And you in hers?”
“Very much so, though I still have doubts and qualms I hope to resolve, and I’d not be surprised if she decided I was better left as a friend. Enjoy the company and the conversation, which we can share, rather than add and worry about things we can’t.”
Twilight Sparkle wanted to reassure Joe, but that would be betraying Rainbow Dash’s confidence and that she did know who he was talking about. “Because of your problem?” she asked instead.
“Because of that, because of the time it would take to overcome, the moral questions about how and if magic could help…” Joe managed a smile. “Because she is such a fine and lovely lady that if we’d met as both the same species then I’d still wonder what she saw in me.”
“Don’t underestimate yourself,” Twilight Sparkle said, deciding she could reassure Joe at least that much.
Joe chuckled. “I live in a hut, do farm chores three mornings a week, and collect alchemy ingredients once a week. She’s the…” He paused and sighed. Yet again. “She has a position of leadership, has achieved great things, and has been granted a great honour and responsibility. So I’m not saying I’m bad, just saying she’s better.”
“Give it time Joe.”
“Aye, see how things go in Canterlot and see how she feels,” Joe agreed, giving Twilight Sparkle a smile. “Of course since she’s going to Canterlot with your ‘little brother’ and one of your best friends I am not sure why I am being ‘discreet’ when you either know already who she is or could so easily find out.”
Twilight Sparkle managed to smile back. “I’m not sure either.”
“Thanks for the talk.”
“I’d say ‘anytime’ but…”
“I know.”
==
Cheerilee watched as the Cutie Mark Crusaders wheeled their wagon with its sheet covered contents out from where it had been safely stored during the morning classes. It had been a surprise when all three of them had arrived at the same time from the same direction and that this didn’t mean Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were riding in the wagon while Scootaloo towed it at high speed behind her scooter. Instead they were pulling the wagon carefully with something in it, parts sticking out to the rear and sides, and had added to her surprise by asking her to keep this safe and to have the class gather at lunchtime.
As she’d seen no harm in this request and trusted the three fillies to not want to waste their classmates time Cheerilee had agreed to this. Now it appeared that she was going to find out what she had agreed to and what the plot she’d been worried about had been.
“What do you think this is about?” Diamond Tiara asked, looking down her nose at the Cutie Mark Crusaders as they approached.
“Probably more nonsense,” replied Silver Spoon, bestowing her own look of disdain.
“Indeed!” Diamond Tiara sniffed.
Though the pair had waited until the trio were within hearing range to make their comments the Cutie Mark Crusaders ignored them, just parking the wagon and its contents at a diagonal to the path the rest were standing the other side of. They stepped to one side and Apple Bloom, standing a little forward of the other two gave her classmates and teachers a sweeping glance.
“Ah would like ta thank y’all for yer presence,” Apple Bloom said, sounding rehearsed, “and thank Miss Cheerilee fer allowing us ta surprise y’all this way.”
On cue Sweetie Belle’s horn glowed and the diaphanously thin sheet floated up and to one side, the small Unicorn automatically folding it neatly before she settled it to one side on the grass. There were a few ‘ooh’s from the assembled colts and fillies at the strange thing and Cheerilee felt surprised. She’d seen the drawings but she hadn’t realised the Cutie Mark Crusaders would go so far as to make a sculpture. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon exchanged a look before returning to their sneering.
“See,” commented Diamond Tiara, “nonsense.”
“Indeed,” Silver Spoon said, echoing her friends earlier agreement.
Undeterred by this low grade heckling Apple Bloom continued her prepared speech. “We would also like ta thank Joe for helping with the design and making of this here model…”
“My sister Rarity for putting the fabric skin on parts of it,” said Sweetie Belle, adding loyally, “a lot faster than Joe could.”
“Twilight Sparkle an’ Spike for th’ propeller and th’ magic thing ta drive it,” Apple Bloom continued.
“And Rainbow Dash for telling Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike what we were doing and what we’d need,” nodded Scootaloo, “so they were able to decide to volunteer to help.”
The Cutie Mark Crusaders got the model out of the wagon, Apple Bloom taking the nose wheel strut from the front while Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle went around to either side of the rear of the main wing to hold the other two wheel struts. With slightly imperfect coordination they lifted and carried it, having to shuffle sideways and backwards as they took it to the middle of the path and turned it to face straight down this. This done Scootaloo joined Apple Bloom in standing just in front of it and forward of the nose while Sweetie Belle stood just behind the tail-booms to peer over them.
“Now Sweetie Belle will adjust th’ elevators, th’ things on th’ tail that give up an’ down steering…” At Apple Bloom’s words Sweetie Belle concentrated and a glow appeared around her horn and those, while Scootaloo demonstrated the concept of up and down steering by rearing up on her hind legs and then bringing her forelegs down to kick her haunches up a few times. “…afore she then starts th’ propeller going…”
“Oh, this has gone far enough,” Diamond Tiara interrupted,
“Far enough indeed,” echoed Silver Spoon.
“What are you expecting that ridiculous thing to do?” Diamond Tiara continued, with a snort.
“Ridiculous,” echoed Silver Spoon again.
“If you two would shut up we might find out,” a colt standing near them grumbled.
“Hmph!” Diamond Tiara replied.
“Ah’m expecting it to do what it did when we tested it yesterday,” said Apple Bloom calmly, “you ready Sweetie Belle?”
“Ready!” Sweetie Belle said, using her sister’s example to give Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon an impressively disdainful sniff of her own.
“Remember to change the control surfaces once it’s in the air,” prompted Scootaloo.
“In the air,” Diamond Tiara repeated scornfully.
Sweetie Belle gave the pair of snooty fillies a look. “I remember that Scootaloo, and I said I was ready.”
“Oh, right,” Apple Bloom said, realising she’d forgotten and nearly skipped part of her speech. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon had thrown her off more than she’d thought. “Thanks for the reminder Scootaloo. Once it’s flying we don’t want it continuing to climb so much or get too far away so th’ elevators will be set neutral and th’ rudder…” Scootaloo swung from side to side in demonstration. “On th’ tail and the ailerons on th’ main wing…” Scootaloo extended her own wings to her sides and rotated her body to dip one and then the other. “Set so it will turn in a circle.”
Cheerilee was not sure whether to feel embarrassed for the Cutie Mark Crusaders or not. They seemed to believe Joe and that this thing would fly so they risked being very disappointed in front of their classmates when it didn’t. But though she didn’t know him she doubted Joe would carry a lie this far, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders had mentioned testing, and that Twilight Sparkle had been involved. So although it still seemed very unlikely it might be barely possible this thing would work.
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo retreated to the opposite side of the path and back clear of where the main wing would pass. Seeing this Sweetie Belle also stepped back and concentrated again. There was a slight hint of a glow inside the wing, though Sweetie Belle was the only one that could see it as it was around where the ‘engine’ protruded rather than there being any tiny gaps between the plates Apple Bloom had screwed on. The propeller blurred into motion and the model accelerated down the path, soon gaining enough speed that the wheels left the ground.
Sweetie Belle watched this and decided to modify the plan a little. The glow that appeared at the tail was around the rudder rather than the elevators and she almost simultaneously adjusted the ailerons to bank the model and set it in a climbing turn. Only once it was higher than most of the trees did she level the model off and stop watching it so intently, letting out a faint sigh. She’d been confident she could handle this magic but would have been more relieved than insulted if Rainbow Dash or Twilight Sparkle had insisted on helping as the ‘backup’ Joe had suggested.
“See,” Sweetie Belle said, glancing towards Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, “Joe does know what he was talking about with flight.”
“I… I… this proves nothing!” stammered Diamond Tiara before rallying. “You’ve been talking about something that could carry you, not this… this… toy!”
“Scale model,” Apple Bloom corrected with mock sweetness.
“Toy!” said Silver Spoon, supporting her friend.
“Pretty cool one,” a filly muttered, watching the model continue to circle.
“Ah admit will be harder at full scale,” continued Apple Bloom, “might need more bracing, control links from th’ surfaces to where we sit rather than it all being on Sweetie Belle’s magic to move those…”
“Wheel brakes for landing,” Sweetie Belle added, “more complex magic than ‘go’ and ‘stop’ for speed of the propeller…”
“More complex propeller,” nodded Scootaloo, “so works as well whatever speed it’s being spun at, or even works if put in reverse…”
“Joe said that turning th’ blades enough ta reverse them would likely be a mite too complex,” Apple Bloom reminded her.
“It sounds like it would all be a ‘mite too complex’,” mocked Diamond Tiara, “so you have proved nothing!”
“They’ve proved they can make this fly,” a classmate pointed out, “and that that they know what the extra problems are.”
“Knowing is one thing,” sneered Silver Spoon, “solving is another.”
“And ah’d not argue with that,” Apple Bloom smiled, “but thank you kindly for admitting we do know.”
“I… I… didn’t mean it that way,” spluttered Silver Spoon.
“Thank you anyhow,” Apple Bloom said, pressing her advantage with more mock gratitude.
“You talked about those airy-things and other controlling bits,” said a colt, interrupting the sparring, “and that its them moving rather than the magic that makes this turn?”
“That’s right,” Sweetie Belle said, “I adjust them and they adjust how it flies, you can see I’ve just been letting it fly by itself…”
“It’s like the way we reshape our wings,” interrupted Scootaloo, extending her own, ignoring that with how small they were it was hard for a group to see the different parts of them. “But a lot cruder.”
“Like Joe,” Diamond Tiara muttered to Silver Spoon.
Cheerilee noticed this, but also how the pair were being shushed by the rest of the class and how eager they were to question the Cutie Mark Crusaders and how interested they were in this all. Hopefully the three fillies had not mentioned her own disbelief as she might have a favour to ask Joe and that would be more difficult if he knew she’d as much as told the Cutie Mark Crusaders he was lying to them.
==
“Joe?”
“Oh, hello Spike.”
Joe looked up from the book he was studying, before she left Twilight Sparkle had made it clear it wasn’t ‘library use only’ but as he thought he might need to look at other books as well it had made more sense to settle down for the delayed reading here. He’d apologised again for the embarrassment, thanked her for helping talk through moral implications, and had then washed and changed back into his own clothes. Joe just hoped that discussing the tests and him wasn’t the reason Twilight Sparkle had gone to visit Zecora.
“Thanks for the help with the propeller,” Joe continued, “if Twilight didn’t mention it the model did manage to fly thanks to that.”
“No problem, wasn’t expensive and Twilight did most of the work on the magic.”
“And told me the smith had made it for free,” Joe smiled, “so owe you both a favour.”
Spike shrugged. “What are you looking at?” When Joe showed him the book Spike looked a little puzzled. “That seems a bit basic, I’d have thought you’d know more about… oh, human.”
“Exactly,” Joe agreed. “I could tell you the names of human artists who do similar work, or human art movements, at least the very famous ones.”
“But not Ponies,” nodded Spike, “and you want to impress this mysterious Mare.”
“Oh?” Joe said, a corner of his mouth twitching in a smile. “So you don’t know who is going to Canterlot with me, and you and Rarity?”
“Rarity and Twilight do, but they wouldn’t tell me.”
“Twilight knows?”
“She commented that the mysterious Mare had not been keen on going to that event.”
“Ah,” Joe nodded, finding that his attempt at discretion downstairs had been wasted. “Then I am glad she decided to go.”
“So who is it?”
“They didn’t tell you,” Joe winked, “and I didn’t tell them. Only told Rarity I had somepony I thought I should ask.”
“And she didn’t ask who?”
Joe turned the page to look at the next pair of illustrations. “Bit of a risk for her,” he admitted, “she doesn’t know how good my taste in ladies might be.
“So how did she find out?” Spike asked.
“Lady in question needed a new dress.”
“That would do it,” nodded Spike. “So are you going to tell me?”
“I don’t know,” Joe sighed. “I can’t think why not, I’d been keeping the possibility quiet until I’d the chance to find out if she wanted to go back to being friends and if she wanted to go to Canterlot. But I at least know the answer to the second question…”
“So who?”
“Let me finish. I can’t think of a reason why not, but if Rarity and Twilight didn’t say,” Joe said, not adding that neither had Rainbow Dash who he knew had also seen Spike yesterday, “then maybe there is a reason.”
“The reason is to tease me,” groused Spike good naturedly.
“A fine reason then,” Joe chuckled. Then he sobered. “But let me think about it, I’ve the feeling that more Ponies know more than I know they do so… I trust you, but…”
“But still uncomfortable with this?” asked Spike. “Rarity said that was a reason for me to go with you guys, so you’d feel more comfortable.”
“Hardly the main reason though, or even an important one,” Joe reassured him. “I’d feel uncomfortable going with Rarity alone as I’d feel you should be there in my place…”
“Thanks for saying that to her.”
“It’s the truth, though to be honest I don’t think you have that much chance with her…”
“What?”
“I don’t know how old you or she are, or how that translates in Pony or Dragon terms,” Joe explained, “but in terms of what stage of your lives you are at there seems a gap. She’s a noted designer with her own Boutique and…”
“And what?” asked Spike when Joe paused and ‘hrmmm’ed.
“And actually you’d be able to run this library, you are organised and responsible,” Joe replied, “and given how much you have been part of the Holders of the Elements of Harmony saving Equestria and solving so many problems I think the gap is not as wide as I was saying. You’ve done impressive things so you probably have more chance with Rarity than I do with… with my ‘mystery mare’.”
“Hopefully you mean I have a very good chance and you only a good chance,” smiled Spike, teasing Joe in return.
“Hopefully that is what it will prove,” Joe winked, “though to get back to what I was saying I’d be uncomfortable going to Canterlot with Rarity and uncomfortable going there with someone other than my ‘mystery mare’…”
“Wouldn’t it be easier to say her name instead?”
“For all you know she might have an incredibly polysyllablic name.”
“Which you’d have shortened.”
“True. But I think going to Canterlot with both her and Rarity would have been fine,” Joe continued, turning to the next page of the book so he had something new to stare at while he thought, “not be going somewhere without ‘her’ and not be there as just a pair with Rarity. So less guilt and pressure.”
“Still some though.”
“Hmm, I’ll admit that I’d still feel guilty you weren’t there to enjoy it. But if you’d not enjoy it then I’d feel more uncomfortable you’d been dragged along.”
“So Rarity also assured me.”
“You should listen to her,” Joe smiled.
==
Much of the lunch break had been taken up by the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Sweetie Belle’s attempts to make the model do ever more complex manoeuvres, and to ignore Scootaloo as she tried to tell her friend exactly what to do and try. It had seemed to Cheerilee that the small Pegasus was getting close to bursting from frustration that she couldn’t control the model directly. Apple Bloom had stayed out of and had just continued to answer questions as best she could despite the constant comments and sniping from Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.
Eventually it had been Cheerilee’s patience rather than Sweetie Belle or Scootaloo’s that had first given out. She’d ‘suggested’ to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon that as they weren’t interested in what was being said and she was sure they were hungry that ‘perhaps’ they should go and eat their lunches. Whatever the two fillies had seen in their teacher’s face or heard in her voice had been convincing and the rest of the demonstration had gone more pleasantly. It had taken a while for the class to settle down for the afternoon lessons but rather than further annoy her that had confirmed Cheerilee’s decision.
What did annoy her was that now she had managed to find Joe’s hut, knowing only that it was on the less well travelled road between Ponyville and Sweet Apple Acres, it seemed her trip and search had been wasted. She’d knocked and waited and knocked again and there had been no response. Leaving a note would work as she did, obviously as a well organised teacher, have paper and pen with her but there did not seem to be a box or slot for mail here. Cheerilee thought for a moment and then decided to take the excuse and turned towards Sweet Apple Acres and possible assistance.