//------------------------------// // Ep 2 - Bowling Night // Story: My Little Pony: Small Town Life // by Mythic Night //------------------------------// It was late in the morning when Silver Streak stirred in his bed, slowly waking up to greet the day with a groan. He felt groggy as he got up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and he slowly opened them to see a couple boxes in his room. He groaned in frustration as he remembered the other boxes remaining unpacked around his house, little progress made the day prior thanks to the—admittedly enjoyable—welcome party he attended. “I really should get those sorted out,” he muttered to himself as he got out of bed. He paused and looked himself over, and he shook his head. “Then again I do need a bath…” He thought about his options, and procrastination won out as he left his room and headed down the stairs to reach the bathroom. As Silver stepped into the bathroom, his eye twitched at the sight of the box there that held the bathing and washroom supplies he had bought before the move. He grumbled to himself as he sat on his haunches and the box shimmered with a green aura as he used his magic to open it up and levitate several of the supplies out to look them over. A soap dish was placed on a small end-table near the tub, and a bar of soap unwrapped itself before resting on the dish. He levitated over a bottle of shampoo and a scrubbing brush as well and placed both on the end-table, before a couple towels were placed on the hanging towel rack. He found a ceramic cup that he sent over onto the counter by the sink, and he dropped his toothbrush and toothpaste into it as well. The final necessity, toilet paper, was levitated onto a holder next to the toilet. With the basics taken care of, he went to the tub and plugged it up before he started the faucet, reaching a hoof into the stream as he worked to get the water just right. When the tub was filled up, Silver slowly lowered himself into the water with a groan of delight, letting himself just soak for a few minutes. As he soaked, he thought back to the night before, and the friends he made at that party. He didn’t feel like he knew them well enough to be called friends, but he wasn’t going to argue with them if they felt that way about him. Besides, they would go bowling that evening to get to know each other better anyway. His brow furrowed as he thought about that. Bowling… He had only ever played a few times, and he wasn’t at all good at it. He didn’t need to WIN, but he did want to play a good game that wouldn’t get him made fun of. If he was lucky, they would be too focused on talking to notice his terrible skills; if they weren’t, then it would be a very uncomfortable night for him. He let out a long sigh before he levitated over the soap and scrub brush, dunking the scrubber into the water before rubbing soap onto it. When the scrub brush was good and lathered, he sent the soap back to the soap dish and started to clean himself up. It didn’t take too long to get himself nicely cleaned off, especially with his magic letting him get to those hard-to-reach places. After his coat was clean, he brought over the shampoo to squirt it into his mane, lathering it well. He did the same for his tail, and rinsed himself off before he got out of the tub and started draining it. One of the towels levitated over in a green shimmer to start drying him off, and after a short while he sent it back to the towel rack as he went over to the sink. He looked at himself in the mirror, his mane all frazzled and messy after drying himself off. He raised his hoof to brush his hair down a bit, before he looked over to his toothbrush and toothpaste, bringing both over to start brushing his teeth. After a good brushing, his teeth were nice and clean, and he put the toothbrush and toothpaste back in the cup. Silver looked at himself in the mirror again, and decided he needed to give his mane a proper brushing. He trotted over to the box again, looking around in it before he pulled out a brush, and he went back to the mirror to brush out his mane and tail. He smiled and nodded at his reflection, pleased with his work, and he put the brush aside before he left the bathroom to properly start the day. “So, where to start?” he asked himself, before his stomach answered with a grumbling. He reached a hoof back to rub at his belly and nodded, “Breakfast, right.” He headed into the kitchen, filled with the usual refrigerator, oven, counters and cabinets, and of course a couple boxes of things that he needed to unpack. It took him a full minute of looking around the bare drawers and refrigerator before he realized something very obvious, “I have no food in my house.” He let out an irritated groan and remembered that he hadn’t even thought about going to the market, or even figuring out where it was located in the town before Pinkie Pie had dragged him off to that party. He let out a sigh, and both felt and heard his stomach grumbling again as he got up. “Quiet you,” he said to his stomach as he went to the small hallway before the entryway, opening another box to find his saddlebags. He put them on and tightened the strap, and then he headed up to his room to find his bag of bits which quickly found itself resting in one of his saddlebags before he went downstairs once more. Pausing at the front door, Silver remembered his letter from the night before, and he quickly turned around to walk back to the kitchen, levitating the letter over to himself before he headed out the door. He didn’t know what time it was at that moment, and so as he put his letter in his mailbox and flipped the wooden flag up he could only hope that the mailpony hadn’t come by yet. If they had already made their rounds, it would just mean the letter would wait an extra day before heading to his parents in Fillydelphia. He looked about, wondering where the market could be. “Guess I’ll head over to the town square and start from there,” he decided, making his way toward the tall building in the center of town. He knew that if he got lost, he’d at least have a landmark to go to. And so he trotted on, hoping to find the market quickly to quiet his grumbling stomach. = = = = = = = = = = Silver spent some time reaching Ponyville’s Town Hall, and then from there he decided to ask one of the friendly townspeople where to find the marketplace. Thanks to their help he quickly reached the market, and he gave a wide smile at the various vendor stalls as his stomach gave a grumble of urgency. As much as he just wanted to go stall to stall buying two of everything, he knew it would be best to hold off for a few minutes while he planned out his meals for the next week. It took him about five minutes and several loud growls from his stomach before he figured out a few basic meals and necessities he would need going forward. He started with the market stalls, going to each one to buy fresh vegetables from the local farmers, including carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, broccoli, and potatoes. He also bought himself a few apples for which the town of Ponyville was known for, straight from Sweet Apple Acres. After that, he got directions to the grocery store to get more things which couldn’t be found in the market, including hay, oats, milk, cereal, bread, butter, eggs, and some seasonings. He decided while he was there to go and grab some spaghetti noodles and a jar of sauce for a nice meal later on. With all that resting in his saddlebags or levitating around him, he decided it was time to head home. If only he remembered how to get back there. Silver took in a deep breath, and let it out in a long frustrated sigh. It would take some time for him to learn the layout of Ponyville so he could get around it, and unfortunately this was only his second day living there. As he tried to remember his way back home, his stomach grumbled from the hunger that just kept growing as he had been shopping. He decided to just start walking around, hoping to find his way back home quickly, or at least to get an idea of where to go. He started to wander, though he wasn’t seeing anything that stood out aside from Town Hall, and the Castle of Friendship on the edge of town. The hunger he felt wasn’t helping his focus at all as he wandered around for a little while, until he happened upon a particular shop. The building was somewhat large, being both a shop and a home as was standard for a town like Ponyville. The walls were a chocolate brown, with white wooden beams going through them, and the roof was designed to look like it was made out of large chocolate bars. There was a hanging sign showing a chocolate bar and a couple small chocolate treats, though the sign seemed unnecessary because overall the shop appeared to be made of white and milk chocolate. Silver went inside, a bell ringing above the door as it opened. He saw Sunshine at the counter, wearing a white apron and her mane tied up in a ponytail, and watched as she moved a bookmark into place before she closed the book she was reading. “Hi there, welcome to—“ Sunny looked up to greet the new customer, and smiled wide. “Silver! Hi there!” She waved at him as he trotted over to the counter. “What brings you to my shop?” “Hey there Sunny,” he responded with a smile. “Truth be told, I was just out doing some grocery shopping,” he explained, motioning to his saddlebags and the couple bags floating around him. “And then I got lost trying to find my way home.” Sunny giggled at that. “I see! I’d help you out if I could, but I have no idea where you live.” He was just about to say something, when his stomach gave a long, loud grumble to let them both know how empty it was. It was quiet for a few seconds, the hungry unicorn blushing deeply at the lovely mare in front of him, before she broke the silence with a snort and started laughing. “Oh my goodness!” Sunny laughed, seeing Silver wincing in embarrassment and unable to look her in the eye. She brought a hoof up to her muzzle in an attempt to stifle her laughter, and she asked, “Are you hungry?” He sighed and nodded. “Starving, actually. I started considering just sitting down somewhere and going through my groceries.” She smiled sympathetically at him, and asked, “Would you like to use my kitchen, Silver?” He perked up at that and smiled wide. “I’d truly appreciate that, Sunny. Thank you.” She motioned him behind the counter and to the door at the back of the shop. “There’s a hallway beyond that door, turn left for the kitchen.” He nodded and went through the door, and left it open to chat with Sunny as he walked through the hallway and turned left into the large kitchen. “Wow, it’s huge!” he called out to Sunny before he undid his saddlebags and placed them by the door with the rest of his groceries. Sunny giggled and called back to him, “Well yeah, it has to be for the kind of chocolate making I do!” She looked around the empty shop, gave a shrug, and decided to head back there as well, leaving the hallway door open so she could hear the greeting bell if a customer came in. He smiled at Sunny and asked, “Can I store some of my cold groceries in your fridge for now? I think they’ve warmed a bit in my wandering.” She nodded, and he put his eggs, milk, and butter on a shelf for later. After he closed the door, he turned to her and asked, “You hungry? I wouldn’t mind throwing something together for you too.” She smiled and shook her head, “Thank you Silver, but no, I’m fine.” He gave a shrug and started going through his groceries, deciding that a nice sandwich would really hit the spot. She helped him to find a cutting board, a knife, and a plate before he started getting things ready. He got a couple slices of bread, and added a good helping of hay, and then he started cutting up a tomato to add to the sandwich. “So, how do you like Ponyville so far?” Sunny asked. “I know it’s only been a day, but you’ve already been through a lot.” “Well, I think it’s a lovely town, with lovely ponies who call it home,” he told her. “That party was great, and everypony has been so friendly.” He finished slicing up the tomato, and put the slices on top of the hay, before he levitated over the lettuce to add to the sandwich. “We’re a good bunch of ponies, to be sure,” she told him with a proud smile. “A bunch of ponies that include the Element Bearers,” he pointed out, going to the fridge to borrow some mayonnaise for his sandwich. Sunny grinned wide. “Yep! No other town or city in Equestria can top that!” She cleared her throat and went into a pose with her chin held high, talking in a faux-aristocratic manner, “We here in Canterlot have our fancy clothes and tea parties.” She then turned and taunted the imaginary noble, “Oh yeah? Well we’ve got Princess Twilight and the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, so HA!” Silver chuckled and shook his head. “You do realize that Princess Twilight was born and raised in Canterlot, right?” He finished putting the mayonnaise on the top slice of bread, placing the bread on top of the pile to complete the sandwich. “Semantics,” she replied with a dismissive wave of her hoof. He smirked and shrugged, and levitated the sandwich up, licking his lips before he took a large bite. He closed his eyes as he chewed, giving a happy little whimper as his hunger was finally dealt with. She giggled at his reaction. “Good stuff, huh?” He nodded, swallowed, and took another big bite, tearing into the sandwich like it was the last food in all of Equestria. She grabbed a glass from a cabinet and filled it with water, placing it on the counter with a grateful nod from the unicorn, who levitated it over to take a sip. “Thanks.” “You’re welcome,” she told him, turning to the door to listen for any customers and hearing only silence from the shop. “How long have you had this shop?” he asked her, finishing off the sandwich and the glass of water. “Oh, about three years now,” she said with a smile. “Business has been pretty good since I opened the shop, and in fact there are several holidays throughout the year where I make a lot of money. Having said that though, there are always times throughout the day where it gets quiet and boring, as you saw when you came in.” Silver nodded. “Right, can’t sell chocolate at all hours of the day.” He remembered the book she was reading when he came in, and he asked, “So, you read books when it’s quiet?” She nodded at that. “You noticed that, huh? As I work alone here, there’s nopony to talk to if I don’t have any customers, and yet I need to continue to mind the shop in case somepony comes by.” She gave a shrug and smiled as she added, “So when it’s quiet and I’m alone I like to read to pass the time.” “Anything in particular?” he asked her, gathering up the dishes and bringing them to the sink to start cleaning them. “Well I’m just re-reading an old Daring Do novel right now,” She told him. “Actually, I haven’t been able to pick up a new book for myself in a while; just too busy with my shop.” She perked up and smiled at him, asking, “Do you like to read, Silver?” Silver gave a shrug as he worked to wash the few dishes he had made, his horn glowing green with magic as the dishes were rinsed and placed on a drying rack next to the sink. “I suppose I do, but it’s not something I’ll do often for entertainment. I read spellbooks regularly, increasing my knowledge of magic, but after a few hours of reading I generally don’t feel like doing MORE reading.” “That’s understandable, I guess,” Sunny said. “Thank you for cleaning up after yourself, by the way.” “It’s no problem,” he told her. “I made the mess, after all.” He levitated his sandwich ingredients back into their various bags, and left those where they were. “Say, what time is it?” he asked her, suddenly remembering all his unpacking still to be done and the plans made for that night. “Oh, well it’s…” she started, turning to look at a clock hanging from the wall, and she perked up as she heard a knock on the door. “OH! That must be my shipment!” “Shipment?” Silver asked, tilting his head. “What shipment?” “My shipment of cocoa beans,” she informed him. “I get regular shipments straight from Tenochtitlan to make my quality chocolates.” Sunny moved out from behind the counter and trotted toward the door. When she opened it, she was greeted by the sight of a big earth pony stallion standing there next to a cart loaded with packages, and right next to him was Frostfire, who was gazing hungrily at said stallion. “I must say, I admire a big, strong stallion who can haul those heavy packages around all day,” said Frosty with a lecherous smile. “But tell me, do you have a mare at home to help you handle your heavy package?” The stallion smirked as he told her, “Why, no, I don’t.” Frosty’s smile grew into a wide grin. “That’s a real shame…” she said, though she sounded anything but sad. “Well then, maybe I could come by later and help you lighten your load?” Sunny sputtered and scowled at the two. “Frosty, stop harassing the stallion!” She rolled her eyes and turned to Sunny, telling her, “I’m not harassing him, Sunny, I’m propositioning him! There’s a big difference, right stud?” “Yes ma’am,” he replied with a smirk. Sunny just rolled her eyes as she trotted up to the stallion. “You have my shipment?” “Yes ma’am,” he said, looking to his clipboard. During the exchange, Silver had been standing at the door, and his whole face had gone red as he listened to their explicit flirting. He might have been a loner and a bookworm, but he was smart enough to know what they were talking about. He heard his name called, and he was snapped out of his thoughts. “Huh? Wha-?” “I said, would you mind bringing these bags in for me?” Sunny asked, motioning to four burlap sacks with her address on them. “O-oh, right,” he said, and his horn lit up before the bags levitated out of the cart and into the shop. Frosty reached over to caress the stallion’s chin. “I’ve got some business with her, but I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere, ‘kay?” “Alright,” he replied with a grin. Frosty smiled and turned to follow Sunny into the shop, her hips swaying with each step, and the stallion’s eyes were glued to her rear until the door closed behind her. “So, uh, Frosty? What brings you by?” Silver wondered as those bags floated around him. The two mares looked to Silver, and Frosty grinned as she told him, “I’m here to get my shipment!” “Your shipment? Of what?” he wondered. “Only the greatest thing in the whole entire world!” she replied with a grin. His eyebrow raised as he asked, “And that would be…?” “Coffee!” she answered. “Coffee?” he asked. “Specifically coffee beans,” Sunny clarified. “Straight from Tenochtitlan.” “That’s right!” Frosty nodded eagerly. “Nice and fresh and ready to be ground up.” “I see,” said Silver. “And why do you have to have it shipped here? Can’t you get coffee in the marketplace?” “Well, yeah,” said Frosty, “but it’s nowhere NEAR as good as fresh roasted coffee beans straight from the source!” “How’d you manage that, anyway?” he wondered. “Well,” Sunny started, “Frosty has always been a coffee fanatic, so when she heard I was having cocoa beans shipped up from Tenochtitlan, she demanded—“ “Asked politely,” Frosty cut in. “—Demanded,” she said with a look towards Frosty, “that I talk with my supplier about getting some coffee beans as well. Fortunately for her my supplier didn’t have any issues getting me a bag with my shipments of cocoa beans. Frosty gets a bag of fresh roasted coffee beans, and I get reimbursed for my trouble.” “Oh, speaking of!” Frosty said as she grabbed a bag of bits from her saddlebag and hoofed it over to Sunny. “There you go, the usual amount.” “Thank you,” Sunny responded, holding onto the bag of bits as she trotted around, looking at the print on each of the bags before she spotted one labeled “coffee” and she grabbed it out of Silver’s magic to hoof over to Frosty. “There you go, enjoy.” “Oh, I certainly will!” she replied, then grinned lecherously as she added, “But not quite as much as I’ll enjoy that handsome stallion outside…” Silver’s eyes widened as he came to a realization. “Oh, hey! I could probably ask him for directions home, couldn’t I?” Sunny blinked, then nodded. “Uh, yeah, I suppose you could.” Silver placed the bags on the floor, and trotted out the door. “Hey, excuse me?” The delivery pony looked up from his clipboard. “Yes, sir?” He smiled sheepishly, and told the delivery pony, “I just moved into Ponyville, and I’m not quite sure how to get home. Is there any chance you could give me directions?” The stallion smiled and nodded. “Yeah, sure. What’s your address?” Silver opened his mouth, and paused, then told him, “I have it written down in my saddlebags, give me just a moment!” With that, he trotted back into the shop, cursing himself for not having memorized his new address. He quickly trotted out again, hoofing over the parchment with his address. The stallion looked it over, and smiled as he told Silver, “Okay, so, to get home from here, you first need to go…” And so the delivery pony gave him the directions he needed to get home. The directions were quite simple, but Silver borrowed the stallion’s pencil so he could write them down, just to make sure there was no chance of getting lost again. “Thank you very much,” said Silver. “No problem at all, sir,” replied the delivery pony. “Now, if you don’t mind, I have other deliveries to make.” He strapped himself to the cart, and looked to Frosty, who trotted outside with Silver. “So, shall we continue our little ‘interview’ on the way to my next delivery?” Frosty grinned. “Sure thing,” she replied, trotting alongside the strong stallion, her hips swaying with every step. Now that the promiscuous pegasus had her coffee, she wanted to get some cream to go with it. Sunny scowled as she watched them trotting off. “Just remember, we’ve got bowling tonight!” Frosty merely raised a hoof in response as they walked away. Silver blushed, and forced himself to look away from those swaying hips. “She’s, uh, quite a character, huh?” Sunny sighed. “You have no idea…” “So, um, bowling tonight… Seven-thirty, right?” he asked. “Yeah,” she replied, then paused. “Wait a sec…” She snorted, and glanced at the unicorn. “You have no idea where the bowling alley is, do you?” “Not a clue,” Silver admitted. Sunny chuckled and shook her head. “Do you think you could find your way back to my shop after you get home?” He glanced at the parchment showing him how to get home, and he nodded. “Yeah, thanks to these directions, I shouldn’t have any issues following them to get back here.” “Okay, good,” she said. “How about this; you come here to my shop after seven o’clock and we’ll both head to the bowling alley together. That sound good?” “Sounds perfect,” he said with a smile as they both went back into the shop. Silver levitated the cocoa beans into the kitchen with him, placing them on the counter for Sunny before he gathered up his groceries. “Thanks again for letting me use your kitchen.” “You’re quite welcome, Silver,” Sunny replied. He smiled as he trotted out into the shop once more, wearing his saddlebags and levitating the other couple bags of groceries around him. “As much as I’d like to stay and chat, I really should get home. I haven’t even started unpacking yet, and I want to make some progress on that before tonight.” Sunny smiled and nodded. “Fair enough. Have a good day, Silver!” “You too!” he replied, closing the door behind him, and soon he was on his way back home. = = = = = = = = = = Those directions helped Silver get home quickly, and soon enough he got all his groceries put away. After that he had to work once more on getting moved in, which meant going through his boxes and getting things sorted and put away. He started on the kitchen, getting dishes, glasses, silverware, pots and pans all sorted and put into various cabinets or drawers, then he moved onto the family room. After a while though, he noticed the time on the clock he had put up on the family room wall, and he left his house to make his way to Succulent Sweets once more. He had little difficulty finding his way there, and when he made it the sign on the door read ‘Closed,’ though there was a light on in the kitchen. He walked over there and knocked, and Sunny was quick to respond. “Hey Silver, find your way okay?” she asked him before standing aside to let him in. “Yeah, it wasn’t too hard,” he responded, entering the kitchen. Sunny closed the door behind him and smiled. “Did you eat dinner yet? I don’t know what the plan is for food when we’re all together.” “Yeah, I ate, seeing how late our get-together was planned,” Silver replied. “You know, I’m glad I ran into your shop earlier. I would have had no idea how to get to the bowling alley and you all would have been upset with me for not showing up.” Sunny blushed and rubbed her neck. “Heh, yeah…” she said with a sheepish smile. “We didn’t really think that one through, did we?” “Hey, don’t sweat it,” he replied. “I wasn’t thinking about it either.” “Anyway,” she said, quickly changing the subject, “I think I’ll get something quick made up for dinner. Best not to assume that we’ll go anywhere after.” She looked in her fridge and at the various groceries inside. “Maybe just a salad…” “Want some help with that?” he asked. “Oh, sure, thanks Silver,” she replied happily. As Sunny gathered ingredients, Silver went and brought out a large bowl, a plate, a large spoon, a cutting board, and a knife. She worked on tearing up the lettuce for her salad while he went ahead and chopped up a cucumber and half an onion. They tossed the ingredients into the bowl, and Sunny added in some salt and pepper before she started tossing the salad to get it all mixed up. Sunny served herself a large portion of the salad and left the kitchen to cross the hallway and enter the dining room. She sat down and started eating while Silver put the cutting board and knife in the sink for cleaning later. After that he went into the dining room to sit with her and relax. She dug into her salad eagerly while Silver sat down across from her, and she decided to strike up a conversation. “So, Silver, I noticed you didn’t seem too excited at the idea of going bowling with us.” She looked at him with concern. “Why is that? Do you not like bowling, or is it that you don’t want to hang out with us?” “Oh, well, to be honest I’m not a fan of bowling,” he admitted with a frown. “I’m not good at it, and I worry you guys will laugh at me for playing so badly.” He shook his head and smiled, telling her, “But I’d definitely like to know you all better.” Sunny was more than halfway through her salad already as she nodded. “Ah, I see. Well I can tell you I certainly wouldn’t laugh at you, and none of the others would either. It’s just a nice way for us to all get to know you, and for you to get to know us without it turning into an interrogation.” He chuckled and nodded, telling her, “Yeah, I can see how this would be better. I’ll try to be a good sport when I finish with the lowest score then.” “Very good,” she said, finishing up her salad. “I think I’ll leave the rest of the salad for later, after we’ve finished the game,” she told him, bringing her plate to the kitchen as he followed behind and put the salad bowl into the fridge with her thanks. “So, shall we get going then?” he asked. “Sure thing!” She walked over to the kitchen door and headed out, Silver following close behind. He shut the door behind himself, and soon they were on their way to the bowling alley. Silver noticed how Sunny’s mane was still tied up in a ponytail, and he spoke up, “Is that your normal manestyle? It’s nice.” “Hm?” Sunny looked over at him and smiled. “Oh, thanks, but no, it’s not my normal style. I only wear my mane like this when I’m working.” She shrugged, and told him, “I forgot I had my mane done up, but I think I’ll leave it like this while we’re bowling.” “Ah, I see,” Silver said, and looked flushed as he added, “I actually like your normal style better.” Sunny smiled and chuckled. “Well thank you, Silver.” He nodded and they continued on their way, only taking a few minutes to reach the bowling alley. They went inside to meet the others, who were standing around near the entrance waiting for them. “Hi Silver!” greeted Strawberry Jewel. “Glad to see you made it.” “He wouldn’t have,” Sunny replied, “if he hadn’t found my shop. We didn’t actually tell him where the bowling alley was.” “Ah, yeah…” Frosty responded with a sheepish chuckle. “That’s sort of important, isn’t it?” “Well, we’re all here now,” said Mystic. “So let’s get to it, huh?” They all nodded and murmured in agreement, and they paid for a game and chose their bowling balls before they went to their assigned lane. Mystic got the score book set up, and soon the order set was Mystic, Jewel, Sunny, Frosty, and finally Silver. Mystic decided to put Silver last so that they could ask more questions before his turn. With that all set, the game started, as did the questions. Mystic began his first turn, and as he played the others started to talk, wondering about their new neighbor and friend. It was Frosty who started asking questions. “So, Silver, you mentioned dreaming of being a great wizard. What’s that all about?” Frosty looked at him curiously. “Yeah,” Jewel piped up. “I’ve never heard of anypony having that kind of dream before.” “Oh, uh, well… Have any of you heard of Star Swirl the Bearded?” he asked them. Most of them shook their heads, though Frosty perked up and said, “You know, that name does sound familiar, but I just can’t place it.” “I didn’t figure any of you would know of him,” Silver said. “I’m surprised you’ve heard of him, Frosty. Anyway, Star Swirl the Bearded was a great and powerful unicorn wizard who lived thousands of moons ago. He created many spells still in use to this day, and he aided Equestria and the Princesses with his knowledge and magic.” “And you want to be just like him?” asked Sunny. “Yeah, if at all possible,” Silver said with a nod. “When I learned as a colt that a simple unicorn could be of help to Equestria and the Princesses, I decided that I wanted to gain that power, to help ponies everywhere.” Mystic finished up his turn with a respectable score, and Jewel took her turn as he sat down with the group. “That’s quite noble,” Frosty said. “From your description though, I suppose Princess Twilight Sparkle also fits the bill?” “Oh, yeah,” Silver replied, nodding. “She’s certainly an inspiration, to know that she could go from being a student of Princess Celestia to a savior and co-ruler of Equestria. I suppose that’s part of why I moved here, besides the peace and quiet I couldn’t get in Fillydelphia.” “Ha!” Mystic laughed. “Peace and quiet, he says.” Silver looked at Mystic curiously. “What do you mean by that?” “You see, Silver,” Sunny said, “Ponyville is usually a nice, quiet town, but occasionally things happen. Bad things…” “Like Nightmare Moon!” Frosty spoke up. “And Discord,” muttered Mystic. “And Parasprites…” Sunny said with a whimper. “Wait, Parasprites? Your town was infested by Parasprites too?” Silver asked. “Oh yes,” Sunny said with a sigh. “First they ate my chocolates, and then…” she sniffed, tearing up. “And then they ate my shop!” Frosty reached over to pat her shoulder gently. “Wait, WHAT?!” Silver’s ears folded in shock. “What do you mean they ‘ate your shop’? When they tore through Fillydelphia they just went about eating all the food they could reach!” Jewel was finished with her turn, and gently nudged Sunny to take her turn. Sunny nodded and went to play, happy for the distraction from such bad memories. “I’ll explain,” said Frosty. “Basically they were going around eating all our food, until Twilight Sparkle decided to try using her magic to make them stop. She succeeded in a way, as they stopped eating food and started eating buildings instead!” “Jeez…” Silver remarked, looking about the room. “Looks like everything got fixed though, huh?” “Yeah,” Frosty replied. “Thanks to Princess Celestia paying for all the repairs after her student’s magical mishap.” “Certainly not the only trouble caused by Twilight, either!” Mystic spoke up. “You all remember the Smarty Pants incident?” The others groaned and nodded at that. “Smarty Pants…?” Silver asked, curious. “Her old doll,” Frosty explained, “which she enchanted to make most of the town go crazy to get their hooves on it!” “Okay… But why?” Silver wondered. “Something about missing a friendship report,” Frosty responded. “Princess Celestia had to break that spell to free the town, and then she and Twilight had a little chat about it. Nothing like that has happened since.” Sunny finished with her turn, and motioned to Frosty to go play as she sat down and told Silver, “Anyway, yeah, Ponyville is usually nice and quiet, but you gotta be ready for the crazy.” “I see…” Silver said with some concern. “I had heard that things happened in Ponyville, I just didn’t realize how many things had happened.” “Eh, don’t sweat it,” said Mystic. “Things really don’t happen all that often, it’s just that when they do it’s pretty bad.” “Anyway, how are you settling in?” Jewel asked. “Oh, um, okay I guess,” Silver replied. “I haven’t really gotten too much unpacking done yet, between the party last night, shopping for groceries earlier, and helping Sunny with her shipment of cocoa beans.” “Well, no rush,” said Sunny. “You’ve got all the time in the world to get settled in.” “Your turn!” Frosty said to Silver, giving him a poke with a hoof. “Oh, already?” Silver asked. “Uh, okay…” He got up and walked over to the lane, picking up a bowling ball. He looked back at the others, seeing them smiling at him, and he looked forward with a sigh. “Well, here goes nothing…” he muttered to himself. Silver moved to the center of the lane, lifted himself onto his hind hooves, and took a few steps forward before he threw the ball down the lane. They all watched as the ball rolled forward, curving left and into the gutter before it could reach the pins. He heard Mystic give a snort right before he heard Jewel give her friend a swat on the shoulder. “Give it another try, Silver!” Sunny called to him encouragingly. Silver nodded, grabbing the bowling ball again when it came back up the chute. He took a deep breath, got up on his hind hooves once more, and stepped forward before throwing the ball again, harder than before. For his efforts, Silver managed to knock down two pins. “Uh, well… Good effort?” Frosty said as she gave a half-hearted smile. “Yeah, nice try there Silver,” Sunny said. Mystic looked like he would make a comment, but a glance at Jewel convinced him to keep his mouth shut. “Alright, so, more questions, anyone?” Silver asked as he sat back down on one of the chairs while Mystic got up to take his turn. “I’ve got one,” said Sunny. “You said you sculpted for a living, back in Fillydelphia. How’s that going to work now that you’re living in Ponyville?” “I was thinking I would do my sculpting here in Ponyville, and ship the sculptures off to Winter Gust, the art dealer I worked with in Fillydelphia,” he answered. “And in turn he’ll sell my sculptures and send me the money I’ll earn with their sales.” “You trust him enough to just send you your money?” Frosty asked, clearly skeptical of this long-distance arrangement. Silver grinned as he replied, “I trust my mom to make him respect our arrangement. He’s actually an old friend of my mother’s, so if he tries anything he’ll have to answer to her, and I’ve already explained to her how this situation is supposed to work.” “Ouch,” Frosty said with a grin. “Blackmailing the guy with mom guilt, huh? That’s harsh.” Sunny and Jewel both giggled, and Silver smirked and shrugged. “Whatever works!” Mystic ended his turn on the lane and made his way back, while Jewel got up and walked over to take her turn. “So, Silver, when you’re not making sculptures or studying magic, what do you do for fun?” Mystic asked. “Oh, I like to play video games,” he replied. “Video games?” asked Frosty. “I would have figured you liked reading.” “I already read a lot of spellbooks,” Silver explained. “It’s nice to shut off my brain for a while and just go on my own little adventures.” “What made you get into video games?” Sunny asked. “Well there was an arcade near my home growing up,” he explained. “I would study my spells for a while, then when I got tired of reading I’d head down there and play for a while.” He couldn’t count the hours he had spent at that arcade through the years, spending so many bits on digital entertainment. “Makes sense,” said Frosty. “As a matter of fact,” Silver continued, “I happen to have several arcade cabinets at home that I bought before the move. I wasn’t sure if Ponyville had any sort of arcade, so I figured I’d just go ahead and bring the arcade with me.” “That must have been expensive,” Sunny said. “Yeah, it was,” he admitted with a nod. “But definitely worth it.” The arcade cabinets had cost him more than he would have liked, but he didn’t regret his decision. Even if Ponyville did have an arcade, those games he bought were all favorites of his that he wouldn’t have to spend more money on. The cabinets would pay for themselves within just a few months. Jewel’s turn was over, and Sunny got up to play while Jewel sat down. “So Silver,” she started, “did you leave behind a special somepony when you moved here?” Silver shook his head. “Nope. Er, in fact…” He blushed a bit, then admitted to them, “I’ve never actually had a special somepony.” He had never given much thought about dating before then, too focused on his studies. There had been a few interested mares at the art gallery he sold his sculptures at, but he couldn’t be sure if they liked him or the money he was earning. “Aw,” said Jewel. “Well, there’s nothing wrong with that. Who knows, maybe you’ll find one here in Ponyville?” “I dunno, maybe,” Silver replied with a shrug, though Jewel noticed him giving a glance over to Sunny as she played. “Got any siblings?” asked Mystic. “I’ve got an older brother, a pegasus.” Silver answered. “How about you guys?” “I’ve got a little sister, an earth pony” Mystic said. “I’ve got a big sister and a little brother, both pegasi,” said Jewel. “I’m an only child,” Frosty said with a grin. “No sibling rivalry for me!” “I’ve got a little sister, an earth pony like me,” Sunny said as she walked up to them after her turn. “Your turn, Frosty.” Frosty nodded and walked over to the lane to play, while Jewel looked to Silver with a smile, and asked, “Is it safe to assume one of your parents is a pegasus, Silver?” “Yeah, my dad is,” he said. “What about you?” “My mom,” was Jewel’s response. “My dad loves all of us equally, but I know that he’s glad he’s not the only ground-bound member of the family.” “Yeah, I know my mom was happy that I came out a unicorn,” said Silver. “While my dad was always flying with my brother, my mom was more than happy to teach me all the spells she knew when I was old enough to start learning them.” A short time later it was Silver’s turn once more, and he walked up to the lane again, grabbing a bowling ball. He heard Sunny and Jewel cheer him on as he got up, and he took a couple steps to throw the ball down the center of the lane, hitting a couple pins. The ball came back up the chute, and he tried again, and with the second throw the ball went down the lane and hit nothing as it curved left at the same spot the other two pins had been. Mystic laughed. “Wow, you really stink at this!” “Mystic! Be nice!” exclaimed Jewel, glaring at the unicorn. Silver grimaced, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath to keep himself calm, before he responded, “You’re the ones who wanted to go bowling. If you don’t like the way I’m playing then I can just go home.” “Don’t mind him,” Sunny said, walking up to Silver. “You know what? It looks like the ball curves left when you throw it. If you stood to the right you’d get much better results.” Silver perked up and looked to Sunny. “What do you mean ‘if I stood to the right’?” Sunny gave a smirk, motioning to the lane. “What I mean is that if you stood over here at the right side of the lane, as opposed to the center of the lane, you could do a lot better.” Silver tilted his head in confusion, looking down at the lane, then back up at her. “You mean I can do that?” Sunny gave a snort, quickly bringing a hoof up to her mouth to stifle it, “Uh, well yeah! You didn’t know that?” Silver shook his head with a frown. “No, I didn’t… When I was a colt, all I was told was ‘stand here, throw the ball, and try to knock down the pins.’” Sunny couldn’t help but giggle, which caused Silver to blush with embarrassment. Sunny reached up to pat him on the shoulder, and said, “Well no wonder you’re playing so poorly; no one ever told you the rules.” Silver wrote his score in the score book before he sat by Sunny when Mystic stepped forward to take his turn. Sunny smiled at Silver, and explained, “Ponies have different ways of throwing the ball that can change the way the ball moves down the lane. To compensate for that, they are allowed to stand anywhere at the front of the lane, left or right, so that the ball curves toward the pins. Your throws curve left, so you should stand to the right.” “That makes sense,” he said with a nod. He watched Mystic, and he finally noticed him standing on the left side of the lane, and watched as the ball curved right into the pins to take out several of them. “So I’ve been playing wrong this whole time…” “I guess so,” said Sunny with a sympathetic smile. “Either the ponies you played with didn’t know the rules, or maybe they just assumed that you’d pick up on the positioning.” She noticed him grimacing in frustration, and she leaned over to nuzzle him gently, much to his surprise. “When it’s your turn again, I’ll help you find the best position, okay?” Silver blushed at the nuzzling he received from Sunny, and nodded. “O-okay…” Frosty and Jewel noticed the nuzzling, and they smiled knowingly at each other, but said nothing about it otherwise. The group decided to give Silver a break from all the questions and instead entertained themselves with idle chitchat, talking about how the day had gone and the party they attended the night before. Silver was happy to not have to talk for a time, as all the questions were wearing him out, being the introverted unicorn that he was. After a short while it was once again Sunny’s turn on the lane, and Silver got up to follow her over. “Alright,” she said to Silver, “I’m going to show you how it’s done. Just stand over there and watch me play, okay?” She motioned him to stand somewhere to her left. He nodded and got out of her way, watching Sunny as she grabbed a ball and moved over to the right side of the lane. “I throw to the left as well,” she explained to him, “so I have to stand over here to get the best shot.” She got up on her hind hooves, wound up, and then threw the ball down the lane. Silver watched as it went straight for a time before it started curving left, but thanks to Sunny’s positioning it slammed right into the group of pins, leaving only the three rearmost pins on the right side standing. “Great shot, Sunny!” Silver said with a grin. “Thanks!” Sunny replied with a smile, and she grabbed her ball once more when it came up the chute. “So, my normal throw won’t work on those last few pins on the right. To take those out, I need to move to the left, and change the way I throw the ball.” “Okay…” he said with a nod, ears perked in curiosity. She motioned Silver to move, and he walked over to the right side of the lane while she stood to the left. She got up and smiled at Silver, and told him, “Watch how I throw the ball.” She wound up and threw the ball, and Silver noticed how her hoof curved slightly to the right with this throw. The ball went down the lane, curving right this time, and Sunny’s ball struck true, knocking down the last few pins with a cheer from the group, earning Sunny a spare. “And that’s how it’s done!” she told Silver. “That was awesome!” he said, smiling wide. “I never thought about where I stood, or how I threw the ball. There’s a lot of strategy to the game, isn’t there?” Sunny grinned and shrugged. “Well I don’t know about that, but I suppose there IS more to it than simply ‘stand here and throw the ball’ like you were taught.” She giggled, and motioned Silver back to the seats while Frosty got up to take her turn. When they sat down, she told him, “Once Frosty gets done with her turn, I’ll help you with yours.” Silver nodded, and they watched as Frosty played. The pegasus got up, fluttering her wings a little, and she stepped forward and threw the ball down the lane, knocking down the seven rightmost pins. When the bowling ball came back up the chute, she threw it again and knocked down the last three pins, earning her a spare and the cheers of her friends. “Okay Silver, now it’s your turn,” Sunny said, the two getting up to walk over to the lane as Frosty sat back down. Silver reached the lane and grabbed his bowling ball. “So, where do you suggest I stand?” he asked, looking over to her. She moved to his left, and wrapped a foreleg over his shoulder, gently urging him to the right. “I’d say just… about… here,” she said as she moved him over. Silver felt a bit flustered at the closeness between them, but he moved as instructed. “So, try it here?” “Yep!” Sunny replied. “I’m sure you’ll do great. Just give it a good, hard throw!” She backed away to give Silver space, and allowed him to play. Silver nodded to her, then he stood up once more, and took a deep breath before he stepped forward and threw the ball down the lane. It went rolling along quickly, starting to curve left, and it slammed right into the pins, knocking them all down to earn Silver a strike! Sunny and the others cheered, glad to see Silver doing well. “Nice job, Silver!” Silver grinned and cheered, “Yeah! I did it!” He grinned at Sunny. “Thanks for your help, Sunny.” “Aw, it’s nothing, Silver,” she replied. “Not bad,” Mystic said as Silver and Sunny walked back over. “Probably just a fluke though,” he said with a smirk. “Oh, you’re ON!” Silver said with a grin, his confidence bolstered by his very first strike. = = = = = = = = = = They all played on through the evening, and Silver greatly enjoyed himself thanks to the advice Sunny gave him. By the time they all finished up, Silver had earned a very respectable score, though thanks to his first two turns he didn’t finish at the top. It was late when they all left the bowling alley to start heading on home. “This was fun!” Frosty said with a grin. “We have got to hang out again!” “Well,” said Jewel, “why don’t we all go dancing on Saturday night?” “Uh, I guess that could work,” Silver said. “Do we have to take the train to Canterlot for that?” “Oh, no,” said Mystic. “We’ve got a pretty sweet club here in Ponyville.” “Oh, well, alright then,” Silver said, surprised that a town like Ponyville would even have a nightclub. “What do you think, Sunny?” he asked, looking to her. “Yeah, Saturday, sounds like a plan,” Sunny nodded in agreement. “You can just come to my shop and I’ll walk you there like we did tonight, okay?” she asked Silver, who nodded in response. “Club opens at ten o’clock, so meet me at nine forty-five, okay?” Silver nodded again. “Awesome!” Frosty said. “See you all then!” She flew up and headed on home, while the other four started to scatter. “Hey, Silver?” Mystic said, stopping him before he could walk too far with Sunny. “Yeah?” said Silver, looking at Mystic with some apprehension. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry,” said Mystic. “You know, for harassing you earlier. Even if you had known all the rules, it wasn’t right for me to tease you about playing badly.” Mystic gave a sheepish shrug, and held out a hoof. Silver looked at him in surprise, then smiled and shook his hoof. “Apology accepted. We’ll just forget it happened.” Mystic smiled and nodded. “Well, have a good night then.” The unicorn turned and left, walking on home alongside Jewel. Silver nodded and waved to the pair, and he headed off with Sunny. “I wasn’t expecting that,” he told her. “Yeah, well, he’s really not a bad guy,” she replied. “He just tends to be blunt, and talks without thinking. Fortunately, he’s got Jewel to keep him in line,” she said with a smile. “Yeah,” he agreed. “They’re certainly an interesting couple.” “Couple?” she asked, then giggled. “Oh, no, they’re just best friends. Jewel is Mystic’s oldest friend.” “OH!” Silver blushed a bit. “Er, I guess I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.” “Heh, it’s fine,” Sunny said. She grinned and winked at Silver, and said, “Honestly? I’m pretty sure Jewel wouldn’t mind if he asked her out, but she’ll never have the guts to ask him herself.” “Oh, really?” he asked, giving a smile. “Have you tried encouraging her?” “Well…” Sunny frowned, and gave a shrug. “Frosty and I have talked with her about it, but we decided that it’s best not to push her into something she’s not ready for.” “That makes sense…” Silver said with a nod, and the two continued walking for a few minutes until they reached their destination. “Oh, looks like we’re here,” he said, looking up at the shop. “Yeah, here we are,” Sunny agreed, walking over to the kitchen door. “You’ll be able to make it home okay then?” she asked, looking over to the unicorn. “Yeah, definitely,” he nodded. “Oh, but wait,” he said, putting a hoof on her shoulder. “Hm? What is it Silver?” she asked. “I just wanted to say, well, thank you for helping me at the bowling alley, showing me how to play,” he said, giving her a warm smile. “I really appreciate you doing that for me. Nopony else would have helped me out.” “Well you’re welcome, Silver,” Sunny replied, “but really, it was nothing.” “If you say so,” he said with a shrug. “You have a good night, Sunny.” “Goodnight, Silver,” she said, heading into her shop and locking up behind her. Silver started down the road toward home, glad that this day had gone so well with his new friends. He just hoped he wouldn’t make a fool of himself on the dance floor!