//------------------------------// // Unexpected Assertiveness // Story: Dear Journal // by Not //------------------------------// I woke up early and made my way to the kitchen. It was around six. I made a quick breakfast, then brushed my teeth and put on a grey shirt with a name tag. The official uniform of my new business. I walked to the front door thinking I would check my mail, but when I opened it found a large line outside my door. leading around the corner of the block. It was before I was supposed to open, but opening early never hurt anyone. I flipped the sign from closed to open, and went inside. The first floor was quickly full to capacity, and the line was still out the door. I had no idea where it ended. After twenty minutes of questions I took a large note pad, and made a Q&A sheet that I wrote the questions and answers on. After several hours everyone that had only come to ask me something was gone. Several meant that most of the day was done, and I had only taken one break for lunch. It was almost dinner time, but there were a few that stayed around to find out about the shoppe. "Can I paint stuff here?" One filly asked. I smiled at the first question in a long time that wasn't about me being me. "Yes, there's a paint room with water colors, acrylics, oil paints, paints made for hoof painting, and ink and pens for calligraphy." She looked to her mom. "They have everything." I laughed. "Not everything, but a lot. From watch making to cake baking, everything that I've ever learned how to do." "Could you make custom watches?" Her mother asked likely with a gift idea in mind. "Well yes," I cautioned, "But it would be cheaper, and more meaningful to make it yourself. It would only take a day to learn the basics, then a few times practicing." "I don't know..." I shrugged. "If all you want custom is the shell you can just make that, and I can do the insides and the clock face." She seemed to like that idea, and made her way to the door telling her daughter that it was dinner time, and they would come back at the real opening. A colt asked about making stuff out of metal. "Statues and stuff." specifically. "Well you're too young for a welding torch, or soldering, but we could do wire frame statues, and when you're a little older if your parents give permission we could move on to the bigger things." His mother had the real questions. "How much would that cost?" I smiled. "One bit an hour, and the cost of supplies, so for wire work it would probably be two hours and the price of the wire... around four bits per visit." She was pleasantly surprised. "Why so cheap?" I laughed. "Don't you remember that I used to be famous? If I wanted money I could open this place in Manehattan or Canterlot. This place is just to help ponies learn." "Why didn't you open it in a big city?" I flipped the note pad to the third page, and pointed to the fourth line. It read 'This is the kindest place I've ever lived.' She and her son then also left for dinner, leaving the place with only six ponies remaining including myself. The cutie mark crusaders were still there, looking at all of the different things, two teenagers that looked interested in the four computers that were all next to each other. "Hey, Sal guy. What're these computers for? They don't have internet, or any games on 'em." I rolled my eyes and walked over. "Well, although I can only do pretty basic work I do have the software on them to make animations and games. I have the Adobe Bolt design software, and the Surreal Engine. If you're willing to learn from a book you can make whatever games you want to, or just make cool designs. I can teach you to make animations in Bolt, but Surreal is way cooler." At that point it was likely decided between them that that is what they would be doing here whenever they came. "Didn't they use Surreal to make the Deathscape games?" They were talking more to each other than to me. "Yeah, and Surreal Tournament." Video games were awesome, so I had to chime in "Don't forget the whole Summer Isles series. Winter Isles is starting soon too." The one on the right responded, "Did Dusken use it?" I rolled my eyes. "No, they tried to make their own platform, which is why it was so buggy. Dawnbreaker used it, and the sequel to Dusken, Dusk Hammer did as well." For the next twenty minutes we talked all about video games. I actually didn't know much about any game that was newer than six years old, but I did read about them from time to time. When they left it was just me and the CMC. Scootaloo was looking at a cabinet that was half finished watches, and half watch parts. "Cutie Mark Crusaders: watch makers?" Apple Bloom had found the paint room. "Cutie Mark Crusaders: calligraphy experts!" Sweetie belle had found the kitchen. "No, Cutie Mark Crusaders: culinary masters." I just smiled. "Well, I can help a little with that last one right now. I need to make dinner for myself." They agreed that that was the plan, and we all went to the kitchen. I got the materials, and with their help made some long flat pasta, an Alfredo sauce, and some garlic bread. There were relatively few mishaps because I handled every part that used fire, or heat of any kind, but it did get quite a bit messier than if I had done it alone. We made more than enough for myself, but they didn't have any because they all had dinner waiting for them back home. I walked them to the door, and Scootaloo and Apple Bloom walked out, but Sweetie Belle stayed back to ask me something. "Um." She thought for a moment on how to ask. "Can you show me how to do that thing where you make a cutie mark?" My horn glowed, and I made the violin with three bows appear. "You mean this?" I circled my hoof over the area changing it to a different mark with each pass. "I could, but I don't think you'll want me to unless you want to be in your twenties without a cutie mark." She laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, I guess not. Bye Mr. Starr." It felt weird hearing that, but I guess I was an adult now. I said goodbye to the three, and ate my dinner. Soon after I was done there was a soft knock at my door. I walked over to find Fluttershy standing there. "Oh, hello Shy. I didn't expect to see you today. Come on in." I was actually really glad to see her. "Hello, Salieri." She made her way inside, and we made our way to the table in the kitchen. "Would you like anything to eat? Dinner's still warm." "No thank you. Thank you for the offer, though." She looked like she wanted to ask something, but didn't know how to ask it. I tried to relax her with a smile, and leaning on the table a bit from my chair. "Is there something you wanted to talk about, or was I just too pretty to stay away?" Normally that would have gotten a laugh, but instead she blushed bright pink, and hid a little bit behind her mane. She said something that I couldn't quite make out. I leaned closer. "What was that?" She then quickly pulled me into an awkward over the table hug, and whispered in my ear. "Tuesday was too long to wait." I smiled as I returned the hug, then kissed her on the cheek. Her face turned red anew, and I laughed heartily. "Yeah? Well I'm glad you came. It's really fun to make you blush." Saying that didn't make her face any less red. "You don't know how cute you really are, do you?" I was on a roll, and her face looked the same as Pinkie's mane at the moment. I used my magic to blink us upstairs to my couch. It was more comfortable than hugging over a table. I nuzzled her neck, and we leaned back against the couch. "I'm done for now." She smiled, and nuzzled into my neck as well. For a while we just sat there, holding each other. It was nice. I didn't need to say anything else, and she didn't want to say anything. I almost fell asleep right there with her lying against me. I turn on the projector and a movie came on. I didn't remember which one I had put in, but it was an off comedy of some kind. Neither of us were really paying attention to it. It just made good background noise so we could stay there for a while. Before it was much past half way into the movie Fluttershy looked at the time, and stood up. I turned the projector off. She looked at me, and hid behind her mane a little bit more than usual. "Sorry, but I've got to go home now. Angel will be worried sick if I get home after dark." I gave her a hug to say goodbye. "Don't be sorry. You have a lot of responsibilities, and I don't want any of the animals you take care of to go hungry on my account. Can I at least walk you home?" She smiled, and nodded. She lived on the far edge of town, but Ponyville was small enough that it still only took twenty minutes to get there. She mentioned that tomorrow night was girls night, and we were busy on Monday, but Tuesday was still going to be fun. We changed it to more than just feeding the animals, though. I smiled the entire walk back home, and walked right inside without even thinking to check the mail. I showered, brushed my teeth, and went to bed easily, and with sweet dreams.