//------------------------------// // Chapter Four // Story: New Horizon // by EchoWing //------------------------------// His father was right. He hated to believe it, absolutely hated to even think it, especially loathed to admit it, but his bitter, cynical old grouch of a father was right. He’d trusted Luster Drain, given her a chance, and she’d taken advantage of him. He’d trusted Princess Twilight and her friends, and they’d led him to Luster. He’d wanted things to be different here, but he’d just encountered more of the same from Indianapoloosa. Other ponies didn’t see him as somepony worth knowing or acknowledging or respecting; why else would the princess and her friends have pointed him to Luster? Why else did they never bother to keep his name straight? Why else was he bullied all the way through school? And that all just made it worse. He couldn’t stay here, not with Luster. She was a liar and a thief and she’d taken advantage of him and his naiveté from day one. He couldn’t go home, either; no way could he commute by train every day he was scheduled to work, it would eat up his bank account, and he couldn’t transfer back to the fulfillment center he’d started at, not this soon. Besides, he knew exactly what would happen if he went crawling back home with his tail between his legs… “You screwed up, Quiver. AGAIN. Yet another retard decision of yours has come and bitten you in the plot. Trusting one of those idiot princesses – like they care about us.” …And he’d never hear the end of it. His father never let him forget his mistakes, whether they were real or not. The instant he came home, he’d get his head torn off. Again. And as much as his mother loved him and cared for him, all she’d do would involve sitting back and comforting him after the fact. She wouldn’t help. She couldn’t help. No pony could. No pony would. Quiver had barely been here two weeks, but he’d noticed one very obvious thing about Ponyville; it bordered the Everfree Forest. He’d read about it, the stories and the legends associated with it. Unlike much of the rest of Equestria, it looked after itself; the pegasi didn’t manipulate the weather, the Earth ponies didn’t tend to the plants or animals, and it had a wild magic all its own that discouraged unicorns from entering. Nopony knew why it was the way it was; some stories credited the presence of the Castle of the Two Sisters, others Discord’s brief reign over Equestria, others still gave all sorts of theories and thoughts on the matter ranging from ancient magic to ley lines to simple acts of divinity. What they all agreed upon, however, was that it was a dangerous place, and that was something that had been confirmed to him during his time in town. It was a tempting thought at the moment, and so very simple. He didn’t know how long it would take. But if he had the choice between getting his head ripped off by a timberwolf or a cragadile or whatever, or getting it ripped off by his father, he’d go with the wild magical beast. One of those could only do it once, after all, and his father had been doing it repeatedly for years. He stopped in his tracks at the thought. “What am I doing?” He didn’t like the idea of putting an end to his own life. He’d certainly never wanted to do it. But there were a lot of things that he’d never wanted. Getting yelled at over the inconsequential or incomplete information, or things that were never his fault in the first place. Being bullied. Being abandoned. Living in a world that had made clear, on multiple occasions, that he wasn’t wanted, needed, or particularly cared for. The only thing that had stopped him before now was the best piece of advice he’d ever gotten, from a friend he hadn’t seen in a long time – never let the bastards win. Right now, however, it felt like they’d already won a long time ago. And he doubted that anything would or could convince him otherwise. “Look out below!” On instinct, he looked up, then in an effort worthy of a professional hoofball receiver and despite his training at work telling him to do otherwise, he lunged to one side and caught the falling object in his front hooves. He looked at his bounty in surprise and realized aloud, “A muffin?” “Sorry about that!” He looked up to find a grey pegasus mare fluttering down in front of him, her yellow mane slightly disheveled. She nervously laughed and smiled, her lopsided eyes making her look a bit more endearing. “Don’t quite know what went wrong there.” “It’s okay.” Quiver got back on his hooves, the muffin in one, and offered it back to her. “Here. I think it’s alright.” “Oh thank you!” The mare took hold of the muffin and beamed gleefully before holding it up in front of her face and giving it a grin. “Silly muffin! You don’t want to get eaten, do ya?” She then examined Quiver more closely, and her eyes lit up in delight. “Hey, I remember you! You’re Quiver Quill! That was a great story you read that day at the library!” A sad smile crossed his face, glad for a little praise. “Thanks. I’m sorry, but you’ve got me at a disadvantage, miss…” “Ditzy Doo! Everypony calls me Derpy, though.” Between her clumsy behavior and her skewed eyes, he could understand why. “I’m sorry about that.” She beamed reassuringly. “Don’t be! I like the name. The ponies who call me that because they love me are a lot more than the ones who do it to be mean. And some call me ‘Muffin’ instead because, well, you know.” It was then that her joyful expression faded and she asked, “Hey, what’s wrong? You don’t look so good.” A sigh. “It’s nothing.” She immediately hovered in front of him and landed, one eye locked on his but her attention undivided. “Oh no, I know what nothing looks like, and that look on your face isn’t nothing. Something’s wrong. You want to talk about it?” His expression didn’t change, so she held up the muffin between them and offered, “Well, what about this? Muffins are one of the two things that make me happy, and this one seems to really want to get eaten by you instead of me, so why not have it?” He gave her an odd look, and she grinned and gently waved it about, continuing in a sing-song voice. “Come on! It’s bran! Lots of fiber! Good for your co-lon!” A smile crossed the stallion’s face. “Well, I do like a happy colon.” He accepted the offered muffin and took a bite, smiling at the taste and wishing he had some butter or cream cheese. “Thanks.” “You’re welcome. Now you go ahead and eat that muffin up. You look like you need it.” “I do.” A few more bites, and the muffin was gone. He wiped the stray crumbs from his mouth and sat down, a grateful smile on his face. “That’s the best thing to happen to me since I moved here.” Derpy grinned and offered, “Well, it’s a muffin. They’re a universal good.” The two laughed, and she sat down with him and asked, “So, I don’t mean to pry, and I can understand if you don’t want to talk about it, but what’s got you so down? I mean, Ponyville isn’t that bad a place to live is it?” “Oh no, I’m okay with Ponyville, it’s just…” He sighed. “It’s a long story.” A shrug. “I’ve got plenty of time.” A part of him wanted to shut up and continue on his way, the same cold, cynical part of him that had been encouraged by every cruel experience in his life and by his father. How could talking with this little pegasus help him any? But another part of him, the part that refused to give in to the sadness that had gripped his life, the part that reminded him of the brief moments of joy, stood up and told him to give this a chance. And that was the part that he wanted to listen to, because it gave him the better chance at being happy. “Well, I moved here hoping for a better life than the one I left behind. But things just haven’t worked out for me…” - “I’m still surprised that Spitfire would do something like that.” As she and the rest of her friends made their way along, Fluttershy continued, “I mean, I can understand wanting to replace an injured member of the team, but I’d think that she would have at least spoken to Soarin about it. That would have been the nice thing to do, anyway.” “Yes, it would have, but the tough thing about being in charge is that sometimes, you have to make hard decisions.” Twilight turned uneasy as she noted, “I just hope I never have to make a hard decision like that.” Rainbow Dash huffed as she hovered above the group. “Hard decision or no, it was still a jerk choice! I mean, don’t get me wrong, flying with the Wonderbolts would be awesome and all, and I was a little…okay, a lot tempted, but screwing over a friend like that? That’s just wrong.” “Yes dear, but you confronted her about her poor decision and helped her to acknowledge it and choose to make a better one.” A delighted smile formed on Rarity’s face as she added, “And we’re all very proud of you, both for that and for helping Ponyville earn a place in another event in the Equestria Games, even if you happen to be competing against the Wonderbolts.” Rainbow responded with a cocky grin. “Just means me, Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps gotta bring our A game for the big event. And Derpy too, if she has to fill in.” “Well, we’ll all be rootin’ for ya regardless.” The gathered group of ponies (and one dragon) reached their destination, and Applejack smiled. “And ah think ah know another feller who’ll be happy to join in the celebratin’, assumin’ he ain’t too tuckered out from work.” She then knocked on the door with one hoof and waited. The door creaked open, Luster Drain stepping up with a pleased look on her face. “Princess Twilight. What brings you and your entourage here?” “Hello Luster. We came to see if Quiver Quill was home from work yet. We’ve got some great news, and we thought you and he might want to join us in celebrating.” “Well, thank you, but we’re just fine by ourselves.” “Really?” Pinkie Pie popped up between them and wondered aloud, “Because this is gonna be like a mini-party and I don’t know about you but I don’t think Quiver will want to miss out on a party and…” She then noticed the desk in the living room and noted, “Ooh! Is that a new desk?” She then charged inside and examined it. “This is a really nice desk!” Nonplussed, Luster turned to face Pinkie as she continued to examine it, Rarity and Twilight stepping inside with some hesitation while the others curiously peered within. “Thank you. It arrived in the mail today and I just finished customizing it.” “I noticed!” Pinkie eyed one side of the desk, a design mirroring Luster’s cutie mark carved into it. “Isn’t it a nice desk, Rarity?” A flash of recognition appeared on her face, but Rarity quickly concealed it. “Yes, it is rather nice.” She turned to Luster and noted, “Luster, darling, we certainly understand if you don’t want to join us, but we’d like to get confirmation from Quiver Quill ourselves on his declining, if that’s alright. Has he returned from work, by any chance?” “Oh, he was by earlier, something about getting off work early. But then he just turned and left. No clue where he’s gotten off to. You know stallions, always busy with something.” “Hmm. A shame.” A polite smile on her face, Rarity made an equally polite nod as she turned to depart. “Well, we won’t take up any more of your time, dear. Pinkie Pie, come along! We’ve celebrating to do!” “Coming!” Pinkie followed Rarity and Twilight out the door, pronking as she went and stopping as the door closed behind her, noticing that Rarity had turned her attention to the trash bins to the side of the house. “Rarity? Since when were you a dumpster diver?” “I’m not, darling, but perhaps you and Twilight aren’t the only ones who can indulge in detective work.” She fished out a large box with her magic, pictures of the desk clear upon it, and quickly found a shipping label clear and intact on one side. Her tone immediately turned downcast as she explained, “I looked upon that desk, and I remembered being in the furniture store when Quiver Quill saw one of the exact same variety and declared that he would own one himself. Naturally, of course, he couldn’t just bring a fully assembled desk home, so he ordered one through their catalog for home delivery.” “Obviously, but…” Twilight looked at Rarity in surprise and asked, “Rarity, are you suggesting that Luster stole Quiver’s desk? That’s a bit of a leap.” “And yet, you made the same one.” “Whoa, hold on.” Spike approached and offered, “He could’ve given her the desk. Remember that fire ruby I gave you?” “Yes Spike, of course I remember it. It was a very lovely gesture from you, too.” She gently nuzzled the baby dragon for emphasis, prompting a blush before she elaborated further. “But we had known one another for some time by then, and Quiver has barely known Luster for two weeks. And even a romantic like myself can tell that there isn’t much by the way of chemistry here, given her nonchalant attitude towards his whereabouts.” “Come to think of it, just ‘bout every time I’ve seen ‘em out around town, she’s been draggin’ him all over.” Applejack turned suspicious as she added, “Right unfriendly, that. And he mentioned somethin’ about dwindlin’ writin’ things last time we saw him at Sofas ‘n Quills.” “Wait, are you all saying what I think you’re saying? That for the last couple weeks, Luster Drain has been running Quiver ragged, taking advantage of him, stealing his things for her own petty needs, and finally capping it off by stealing his brand new desk?” Pinkie rubbed her chin with one hoof thoughtfully. “I guess that is what you’re saying. But…” She stopped and gasped. “Ohmigosh! He saw it! He saw her with the desk! He might’ve seen the boxes and stuff! He called himself paranoid! He probably thought of all the same stuff you did and…!” A pained cry, very much unlike Pinkie Pie, escaped her lips, seconds before her hair deflated and went from its normal poufy curls to flat, loose strands. “What have I done?” Concerned expressions went across the rest of the girls’ faces, Twilight putting a hoof to her shoulder. “Pinkie, you haven’t done anything.” “That’s just it. I was the one who said we should have Quiver move in with Luster. We all agreed it was a good idea.” She collapsed to the ground and reasoned aloud, “He probably thinks we did it all on purpose, just to be mean to him. You know what he said. ‘Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, and three times…’” “Pinkie Pie, snap out of it!” Twilight lifted the party pony up with her magic and brought her to eye level, shaking her head slightly to emphasize her point. “You know we weren’t being cruel to him on purpose, and deep down, he knows that too! Now we need to find him before he does something drastic!” “Like go into the Everfree Forest and…?” The thought caused Pinkie to look even dourer than she already did, tears already forming in the corners of her eyes. “Don’t you even begin to think that’s what’s happened!” Twilight looked upon the gathered group and ordered, “Come on, girls! We have a friend who needs our help! Let’s find him!” “Um, Twilight?” Fluttershy rose into the air and quickly explained, “I think I know a way to help find him. Can I take a small detour back to my cottage?” - “…And I came home early and there she was, assembling the desk I'd bought for myself and acting like it was a gift for her. Only so many ways to interpret that after everything I’ve been through.” Quiver sighed and reasoned aloud, “She stole it, plain and simple. Took it for herself, just like the quills and ink and paper and everything else.” “I’m sorry.” He looked up and noticed the sad look on the pegasus mare’s face. He gave his best comforting smile and offered, “It’s not your fault.” “Actually, it kinda is.” Derpy smiled nervously and explained, “I work for the Equestrian Postal Service. That desk you ordered was part of a delivery I made today, along with a couple letters for Luster Drain. Official looking things from the EWA and stuff. Anyway, I couldn’t just leave the package; somepony has to sign for them when they’re that big. She signed for it, so…” “So you did your job.” He smiled wider and assured her, “I’m not going to be mad at anypony who does their job.” The smile faded as he admitted, “But I am going to be angry at myself. I’ve screwed up, again. And the world doesn’t forgive screw-ups.” Derpy looked up with surprise before she smiled reassuringly. “Ponies do. I’ve messed up lots of times, and they forgave me.” At Quiver’s skeptical look, she explained, “Before I was with the postal service, I worked for a private delivery company. I ended up dropping a bunch of stuff out of a cargo carriage.” She turned more remorseful with each item she listed off. “A flower pot, an anvil, a cart full of haystacks, and a piano. And worse, they all hit somepony on the ground.” The stallion winced in sympathy, both for the mare before him and the unfortunate pony victim. “That couldn’t have gone over well.” “No. That mess is why I work with the postal service now. And that’s ignoring the time I trashed Town Hall; I made it even worse when I tried to fix it. And all the times I’ve messed up with Winter Wrap Up.” She smiled and noted, “But I get through it. I’ve got my family and my friends supporting me.” “If only I had that. My mother’s always there for me, but my father barely tolerates me, and friends…” He sighed. “The only real friend I ever had just up and left years ago, no warning, right after I…” He shook his head; he’d divulged enough for one day. “And anypony else who’s claimed to be a friend? It’s all ended the same way, with me being taken advantage of, just like with Luster.” He huffed sadly. “Not a surprise though. Who’d want me for a friend anyway?” “I would!” Derpy beamed at him and explained, “Come on! You’re nice, you’re friendly, you’re a good writer, you apologized about my nickname when you thought it was mean, and you like muffins! And anypony who likes muffins is worth knowing according to me!” She took hold of one of his hooves with both of hers and added, “And I don’t think I’m the only one.” Before Quiver could question her argument, he heard a familiar rustle of feathers and light pinpricks of clawed feet on his head, a familiar beak appearing in the upper boundaries of his vision and a voice cawing, “Hello!” “Edgar?” “WE FOUND HIM!” His surprise turned from the raven perched upon his head to the six mares and one baby dragon charging towards him. Almost all at once, they were upon him, relief and concern upon all their faces save for one. “Are you alright, darling?” “You had us more worried than a cat at a dog show, stallion!” “I’M SO SORRY!” Drowning out the others was Pinkie Pie as she charged and wrapped her forelegs about him in a tight hug, tears streaming down her cheeks. She pulled herself back shortly thereafter, and Quiver Quill realized that her mane wasn’t in its usual poufy form, but was instead flat and lifeless, hanging down around her face like the branches of a weeping willow. She sniffled and added, “I didn’t know…” Shock was clear on his face as he looked upon theirs. “You came looking for me?” “Of course we did.” Princess Twilight approached, regret clear on her face. “I’m sorry, Quiver. We all are. If we’d known how miserable you’d be with Luster Drain…” A fresh sniffle from Pinkie, and Fluttershy draped a wing over her to comfort her. “We all saw the way she was dragging you around town on your days off, and the way she was secluding you from everypony.” “And all those trips for writing supplies and foodstuffs, with you saying you weren’t getting any writing done?” Rarity looked at the stallion with sympathy. “Only so many options presented themselves, especially after we saw the desk and its packing materials. We would have addressed the issue sooner, but we’ve been so busy with one thing or another and…” Further sniffling from Pinkie Pie, and Quiver Quill turned his attention on her as Spike added, “You moving in with Luster was kinda Pinkie’s idea. When we all heard how you’d left, she thought that you’d…” “I almost did.” For the briefest of seconds, he thought himself a bigger fool than ever before, but that second faded as he realized that for once, he was so very glad to be wrong. He gently turned to Pinkie Pie, and he did the first thing he could think of, something that the one friend he’d had growing up did that always cheered him up when he felt down. He sang. “Pinkie Pie, don’t feel so bad. It’s not your fault I was sad for a while…” He cupped a hoof beneath her chin and gently lifted up her face. “So come on… Look deep into my eyes…” Tears were building in his own as he smiled and pleaded, “And please, let me see you smile.” Her bright blue eyes looked into his deep earthy brown, and within milliseconds, her entire demeanor changed. Her mane regained its cotton candy splendor, she squealed cheerfully, and she hugged him with joy. He laughed and returned the hug, a fog lifting from him as well. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re okay!” She broke off the hug and added, “But I mean it, I am really really sorry about all of this.” “I am too.” He looked over the gathered group and explained, “I’m sorry for worrying all of you. I wish I had a better excuse, but I thought you’d all set me up with her on purpose, like it was some kind of sick joke.” He sighed and admitted, “I shouldn’t have thought that, I know, but I’ve been told my entire life that you can’t depend on others to help you, that no one cares about your problems and that no one can or will help you except yourself.” Rarity scoffed. “What an absolutely rubbish notion. It’s not entirely wrong, but the idea that nopony will stand up to help you is preposterous. Who would say such a thing?” A scowl formed on Quiver’s face as he answered, “My father.” Rarity started to turn embarrassed before he continued, “But I’ve always hoped that he was wrong, especially after how he talked about each of you.” The scowl faded as he continued, “And he was, about all of you.” He turned to Derpy and added, “After all, why else would somepony stop and talk if they didn’t want to help?” The pegasus casually waved a hoof. “Aww. I didn’t do anything special.” “Derpy, you saved my life!” He turned to Twilight and added, “And you gave me reason to keep on going, and then came after me to help after I’d misjudged you. Can you forgive me for thinking the worst?” A comforting smile spread across her face. “Of course I can. We’ve all made mistakes, Quiver. But the best of friends can forgive even the worst mistakes. Trust me.” Applejack gave him a friendly nudge and offered, “And there ain’t nuthin’ stoppin’ ya from makin’ up for ‘em.” The smile on his face turned into a grin. “You’re right.” His eyes took on a determined look as he got back on his hooves. “And it’s about time I started fixing mine.” “Me too!” Her little black book out, Pinkie Pie crossed out the crayon marking for Luster’s name and declared, “I thought you and her would be great together, both of you being writers and all, but after all this? She’s officially out of my little black book! And that’s saying something!” Rarity turned to Quiver curiously. “Was she really a writer herself, dear?” A shrug. “I offered to look over her stuff and offer a critique, but she never took me up on it. No clue if she ever looked at my stuff, but she certainly didn’t leave me notes. Or do much beyond drag me all over town on my days off. She never even mentioned a regular job to me.” “Probably because of EWA checks.” Heads turned to Derpy as she reasoned aloud, “What? That’s pretty much all she’s gotten in the mail since she moved to Ponyville, letters from the EWA. Only one thing they mail out.” “What the heck is the…” The acronym eventually clicked in Rainbow Dash realized aloud, “Equestria Welfare Authority? She’s on welfare? How could she be on welfare?! She could have a job; she’s as fit as any of us!” “Except she doesn’t have to, when she can get a thousand bits from the government once a month. Six hundred bits a month for rent, careful spending and saving, and that can go a long way, especially when your roommate has a job that earns him more than minimum wage.” Quiver sarcastically grinned and added, “Our tax dollars at work.” He huffed and declared, “Like I said, time to start fixing my mistakes.” - The door swung open, and Quiver stepped firmly inside. “Luster, we need to talk.” Luster Drain looked up in surprise, delight spreading across her face. “Ah, Quiver! Excellent! We have just enough time to make it to the market…” “No Luster. We aren’t going anywhere.” He closed the door behind him with a hind hoof. “I have something I need to get off my back.” The unicorn mare looked at him, one eyebrow quirked. “Oh?” “First off? I got that desk for me, not you.” “Really? Do you think you’d have to space to…?” “Luster, I’m not done!” He took a cleansing breath to calm himself. As frustrated as he was, he knew full well that losing his cool would do him little good. “Luster, I moved here to Ponyville so that I could have a life for myself. Now I have nothing against helping you out on occasion, but since I moved in, every day I’ve had off from work, you’ve taken me around town doing your errands with you. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m glad to be a little more familiar with the area and as I said, I don’t mind helping out, housemates are supposed to do that, but I feel like all of my time is being dominated by your things and your plans, and that I’m somehow the inferior in our relationship instead of an equal. I’ve barely seen or spoken to anypony else outside of work, and I haven’t written a thing under this roof since I signed the rental agreement. I’m a writer, and I get depressed when I can’t write.” He purposely avoided directly accusing her of stealing his desk, among other things; he wanted to keep this civil, after all. “What I’m trying to say is that I need time for me. I need space, the chance to enjoy myself, and especially for you to respect that and my boundaries. And if you can’t do that, then I have no choice other than to move out. Do you understand what I mean?” Luster regarded him silently, her expression unchanging until she closed her eyes and gave a small nod. “Yes, I understand.” Quiver sighed with relief, only for it to fade into alarm as her eyes to shot open with fury and she amended, “I understand how absolutely ungrateful you are! I didn’t have to take you in, have you stay in my spare room! I get plenty of money; I can afford the rent on my own! And now here you are, whining about how you can’t get your stuff done and aren’t meeting anypony! Are you saying I’m responsible for your lousy time management skills?!” “No, but…!” “It certainly sounded like that! And did you really think any of those ponies you tried to talk with were worth knowing? Do you know what the ponies of Ponyville are like?!” “Well I’d…!” “And as for being the inferior in a relationship, well, in case you hadn’t noticed, some ponies are just better than others! I mean seriously, how much writing can an Earth pony do?! I’ve seen your chicken scratches, and I could write rings around them! Easy thing when you have magic and don’t have to clutch a pencil in your mouth!” Quiver’s eyes narrowed at that particular segment, old memories boiling up to the surface of a schoolyard bully who liked to remind him of her supposed superiority based on her being a unicorn and him not. Nonetheless, he kept an even tone to his voice. “Luster, I’m doing my best to be civil, but if I’d wanted to hear things like that, I’d have stayed in Indianapoloosa.” “Well why don’t you go back there?” A pale yellow magical aura sparkled around her horn, and Luster lifted Quiver off his hooves and into the air, prompting a panicked look from the stallion. “In fact, I think I can give you a head start.” Quiver didn’t respond, didn’t protest, didn’t comment, his mind going blank save for one simple phrase. Oh no, not again. - “Hey Derpy, not to pry, but what’s got you talking again?” At the grey pegasus’ puzzled look, Rainbow Dash elaborated, “You barely said a thing back in Rainbow Falls. I mean, you’re not a big talker, I know, but you’ve practically been a chatterbox today with Quiver.” Quiver’s assorted friends, Derpy now among them, were gathered across from his home, eagerly awaiting news of how things had gone with Luster Drain. Silence had held since Quiver had entered, only being broken by Rainbow Dash’s inquiry. A smile crossed Derpy’s face as she explained, “Well, I didn’t need to say anything, did I? It’s like I tell Dinky, actions speak louder than words.” The door into the house opened with a sparkle of magic aura, but her attention as well as those of everyone else present was quickly captured by something else – a telltale tail twitch from Pinkie Pie. The smile faded as she saw what was coming their way and amended, “Speaking of, INCOMING!” Much to his credit, Quiver did not scream like a filly, instead letting out a mid-level belt of fright as he went rocketing out the open doorway towards the gathered mares, raven and dragon. Almost immediately, Twilight and Rarity both acted with their magic, a mixture of their auras enveloping him and slowing him down to a dead stop. He gave out a relieved sigh as they set him on the ground. “Thanks girls.” Shock clear on her face, Twilight looked him over and asked, “Quiver, what happened? I thought you were going to try and talk this out!” “I did, but…” Quiver barely had a second to notice Pinkie’s tail twitch further before another object was magically propelled into the back of his head. He collapsed to the ground, eyes swirling, his lockbox clattering to the ground beside him. Luster poked her head out of the house and called, “You can take that with you!” before slamming the door shut with her magic. The group gathered around the blindsided stallion, and Spike leaned in close and held up a claw with three fingers extended. “Quiver? How many fingers do you see?” His dazed reply had nothing to do with digits as his eyes continued to swirl and his brain pieced itself back together after its bout with blunt force trauma. “Mommy, I don’t wanna go to school, none of the other foals like me…” He groaned, closed his eyes, got back to his hooves and shook his head. “At least she didn’t bang me against the doorframe on the way out. Everypony okay?” “We ain’t the ones you should be worried ‘bout, sugar cube.” A hard glare found itself on Applejack’s face as she turned to the door. “Fluttershy, you give him a once-over. Ah’ll take care a’ this.” “Applejack, I appreciate the offer, but I need to handle this myself.” Quiver gently brushed Fluttershy off, trotted back up to the door, and knocked hard on it with one hoof. “Luster! You want to throw me out, fine, but I want the rest of my stuff back!” “Too bad!” Luster shouted back through the door. “I’m keeping it in lieu of your overdue rent!” “Overdue rent?! I gave you six hundred bits barely two weeks ago! That was my share for the next two months!” “The landmare dropped by today! She’s raised the rates!” Quiver could tell how the wind was blowing in this argument, and turned away and went back to his friends. “Anypony else smelling a big pile of manure, or is it just me?” “T’ain’t just you.” Applejack’s steely gaze found itself on the door to Luster Drain’s domicile as she reasoned aloud, “If that ain’t a lie, then I’ll have my hat for dinner with a side a’ applesauce.” Regret played itself on Pinkie’s face once more as Quiver Quill inspected his lockbox. “Awww! She’s not just a lazy thief; she’s a liar and a big meanie! It’s like Gilda all over again, except she at least came to a party!” “And something tells me this won’t be settled with cake and a friendly game of ‘Pin the Tail on the Pony’.” Twilight noticed what the stallion among them was up to and regarded him curiously. “Quiver, why are you fiddling with that? She has all your things! Who knows what she’s going to do with them?” “What she’s got in there are odd clothes, saddlebags, bed sheets and bric-a-brac. I can replace something like my toothbrush.” He unlocked the box and opened it, taking a peek inside and managing a satisfied grin at its contents. “What I’ve got in here, however, is another matter.” Rarity looked upon him uneasily and wondered aloud, “If I may ask, what all do you have in there that’s so valuable?” “Something a wise stallion doesn’t show off in public.” The mares gave him odd looks as he closed the box, plucked it up and carefully balanced it upon his back before facing all of them. “And probably a wise mare too. You wouldn’t want your financial statements and critical documentation getting out, would you? It might lead to identity theft.” He grinned and asked, “What else am I going to keep in a lockbox?” Rainbow Dash smirked. “I can think of something easy enough.” She got her mind out of the gutter and asked, “But what good’s your checkbook going to do?” “It’s not just my checkbook that I keep in here. Remember what I said about paranoia? There’s an old saying; trust but verify. Now, can anypony tell me where to find somepony named ‘Gilded Lily’?” - A satisfied smile curled onto Luster’s face as she surveyed her new desk. It was definitely a solid piece of work and worth the price, especially considering she’d gotten it for free. She figured out the sort of pony Quiver Quill was the instant she’d laid eyes on him; a nice guy. Too nice a guy probably, desperate for companionship and approval from somepony else and consequently, a doormat. He’d roll over and take something rather than try to rock the boat, even if it was to his detriment. Lots of ponies were like that. Not her, of course. Think smarter, not harder; that was her mantra. Given her special talent lay in manipulation, it was fitting. He probably had the message by now, and tossing him out along with his little porn stash was no doubt the last bit of encouragement he needed. There was the chance, of course, that she’d have to leave Ponyville, but that wasn’t a big deal. Get a train ticket, find a cheap place, move on, all easily done, and she was confident that she’d make it easily enough. After all, even if Quiver had tried to talk to anypony about this, where was his proof? It was her word against his, and nothing more. A knock sounded at her door, and she turned back and called, “Coming!” She approached and opened it with her magic, a polite smile crossing her face as she greeted her guest. “Miss Lily!” “Hello Luster.” Standing at the door was none other than her landlady, Gilded Lily. A rosy pink Earth pony mare, her light magenta mane was done up in an elegant but professional style, an emerald choker around her neck and her cutie mark a rolled up scroll with a golden band about it. “May we come in?” “Of course…wait, we?” “Why yes, we. This is my legal aide, Spot Check.” Following behind her was a unicorn stallion, as well as two other ponies. “And I believe you know Mr. Quiver Quill and her highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle.” The three kept neutral expressions as they entered, and Luster did her best to maintain the same. “Of course I know the princess, but I’ve never met this stallion before. I admit that he does look vaguely familiar, but how many brown Earth pony stallions are there in Ponyville?” “Well, I’m not too worried about the others.” She took a seat at Luster’s living room table and explained, “As for Mr. Quill, well, imagine my surprise when he comes to my office less than an hour ago, escorted by no less than her highness, Princess Twilight. They told me a very curious story; something about you taking him in as a roommate.” “Well, that’s absurd. I would have had to contact you about it, wouldn’t I? Renegotiate the rental agreement to account for two ponies rather than one, among other things…” “Indeed. And then, of course, he showed me the agreement that you had him sign.” “Agreement?” It was then that she noticed the mare was carrying saddlebags, a very familiar lockbox being levitated out of it and onto the table. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about…” “She means this, Luster.” Quiver fiddled with the combination lock and opened the lockbox, revealing its contents. Right at the top was the agreement he’d signed his first day as her roommate, which was magically levitated out. The rest of the box was filled with a large, leather-bound journal as well as a few other documents and what was clearly a checkbook. “Why would I ask for a copy of something if I didn’t plan on keeping it?” Luster’s eyes locked on the document in question, and at the expression on the stallion’s face. It was neutral, but she could see a glimmer of something she couldn’t quite identify in his eyes. Not sure what else she could do, she kept up her act. “Well, he could have gotten something like that anywhere.” “Forging a copy of a legal document isn’t something that one can easily do.” She then realized that Spot Check was the one who was carrying the document in question with his magic as the stallion elaborated, “I’ve looked over the document, and it’s a close match to a copy of the original rental agreement that was signed by yourself and Ms. Lily. The wording was changed to include an additional party, however.” The stallion looked to Quiver and explained, “While an Earth pony could conceivably forge a document like this, it would take a significant amount of time and effort. A unicorn making a copy, however, would be much simpler, and an identification scry shows traces of magic all over the document.” “And how many hooves has that gone through since…?” “The scry also shows a match to your magic, Ms. Drain.” She stood agape as Spot Check added, “Every unicorn and/or alicorn’s spellwork is unique, not unlike a hoofprint, and I matched the spellwork on this to that of the document you signed the first day you moved in here. The original rental agreement.” Luster stood there for a moment, her gaze slowly turning back to Quiver as he spoke further. “I admit, I’m a laypony, but I think this counts as, what, contract fraud? And that’s ignoring the fact that you beaned me on the back of my head with my own lockbox after tossing me out.” He rubbed his head with one hoof and noted, “That hurt, by the way.” Luster’s mind raced for a means to counter this. “You were intruding on my property!” “Property that you allowed him to enter of your own volition the day he moved to Ponyville.” Twilight turned to Spot Check and added, “I can testify to that as well as the assault earlier today.” The unicorn mare stammered for a few minutes until Gilded Lily rolled her eyes. “Luster, please. I didn’t come here to listen to your lies or your excuses. I actually came in the hopes that, confronted with this evidence, you’d admit to your wrongdoing and we could settle this sensibly. Honestly, I get more sensibility out of my young niece, and she’s still in school. Obviously, however, I’ve wasted my time.” She got up and went to the door, calling out, “Officers! She’s all yours!” Luster stared in surprise as two uniformed unicorn stallions entered, officers of the local police. One carried a magic-suppressing horn ring with his magic as his partner reported, “Luster Drain, you’re under arrest on the charges of fraud and assault.” “I had my analysis independently verified by the police,” Spot Check clarified. “Call it what you like, but I think it smart to have all your ducks in a row before doing something like this.” “But…but I…!” The ring was clamped on her horn, her magic suppressed, and she looked at Quiver in surprise. “How could you?! You’re a pushover!” “How could I?” He locked his eyes upon hers. “I could ask the same about you, but something tells me that I already know the answer. You’re used to getting everything you want, one way or another, with as little effort as possible. Me? I’m the opposite; I’ve had things taken from me. Too many things. And I refuse to let something else get taken from me without a fight.” His gaze turned into an icy glare as he concluded, “And you pushed me too far.” The mare was carried out, and Quiver turned to Gilded Lily and asked, “You know, you could’ve just sent the cops over here to deal with her without going through all this.” “I know, but I felt like you deserved a little bit of justice.” She glanced about dramatically and noted, “Well, it seems I have a house for rent. Wherever am I going to find a new tenant for this property?” Her gaze turned to Quiver as she offered, “I have a very good price for it, and I understand you can afford the first month’s rent easily enough.” Quiver turned nervous as he admitted, “I don’t know. I mean, this place is nice, no question, but…” “Mister Quill, you alerted me to dishonesty on the part of one of my tenants. I shouldn’t ignore something like that. Besides, you have a very impressive character reference; it’s not everypony who has a princess stand beside them, even in Ponyville.” Spot Check produced a new rental agreement as his employer continued, “If you choose to live somewhere else, I understand, but you have already paid this month’s rent. You showed us yourself in your checkbook.” Comprehension dawned on his face, and Quiver nodded. “I did, didn’t I?” The agreement was laid out, and Quiver glanced it over. “Cash payment, of course.” “Oh, of course, but in future, I’d prefer a check delivered in the mail. Much easier to verify.” “Oh, assuredly.” A pen floated over to him, and the stallion took hold of it in his mouth and quickly wrote his name where indicated. Gilded Lily and Spot Check did likewise before the landlady turned to the last of the four ponies. “Princess, if you’d kindly sign to indicate your status as a witness?” “Certainly.” With her signature added to the document, the process was complete, and Spot Check spirited it away without any further fuss. “Whew. I’m glad all of this was settled so easily.” “Tell me about it.” Quiver rolled his eyes. “I’m not sure who the bigger idiot was here; Luster for thinking she could get away with so stupid a scheme, or me for almost letting her.” A laugh. “You’re young. Learn and let go, Mister Quill. You’ll live longer that way. Now if you’ll excuse us.” Gilded Lily gestured to her subordinate, and the two departed. A reassuring hoof found itself on his shoulder. “And you’re no idiot, Quiver. None of my friends are idiots.” He looked at Twilight with surprise as she added, “And yes, you are my friend. So stop being so hard on yourself.” A relieved, and happy smile crossed his face. It felt good to know that somepony considered him a friend. “Thanks, Princess Twilight.” “And that’s another thing; it’s just Twilight. I might wear a crown sometimes, but that doesn’t mean I want to be up on a pedestal.” She gestured out the door and offered, “Now come on! We’re all going out to eat to celebrate Ponyville qualifying for the Equestria Games, and no way will Pinkie Pie let me keep you out of the fun!” He grinned. “Well how can I turn down a meal with a…” He laughed and corrected himself, “…with my friends?” - Like any town of sufficient size, Ponyville had at least one family restaurant that, on occasion, hosted large groups for the odd party or celebration. One such, ‘Piedmont’s’, was particularly popular, and this evening was no different as it found itself host to a large party of ponies. Soft blues music was played by a house band, the smell of pasta was in the air, and a general sense of cheer was present throughout. It wasn’t quite a Pinkie Pie bash, but it was close enough. And Quiver loved every minute of it. “So, is coming here a regular thing, or just on special occasions?” “Really special occasions!” Pinkie Pie answered gleefully. Rarity quickly clarified, “Usually however it’s just the six of us, sometimes with Spike, but this time is a bit more special than most.” She looked to the little unicorn filly at her side and smiled, “We’ve so much to celebrate, after all.” She turned back to Quiver and added, “So very much.” “Well, I’m – OOF!” Quiver found himself in a tight bearhug as Bulk Biceps boomed, “WE’RE ALL GLAD YOU’RE OKAY!” “Bulk!” The muscle-bound pegasus looked down at the tiny, skinny colt at his side who looked up at him with a toothy grin. “Indoor voice?” Bulk released Quiver with a chuckle and, with a quieter tone to his voice, added, “Sorry.” “Eh, no problem. I’m glad I’m okay too.” He looked to his savior and added, “Seriously Derpy, you had some great timing when you came by. I’m never going to be able to thank you for what you did.” The wall-eyed mare managed an embarrassed smile. “I didn’t do anything special. Besides, something would’ve stopped you.” A cheeky grin crossed the face of the earth pony stallion at her side. “Derpy, should I be worried about losing you to this fellow?” He earned a playful wing-slap and assorted laughter for his trouble, then turned to Quiver and added, “In all seriousness, I’m glad my marefriend found you when she did, and we’re all glad you’re alright.” “Thank you, sir.” Mock indignation crossed his face. “Don’t call me ‘sir’. Nopony calls me sir.” A pair of unicorns, one looking to be younger than the other fillies at the table and the other looking old enough to be the same age as Twilight and her friends, both laughed at that, the elder rolling her eyes as she did so. The stallion merely ignored them and grinned. “It’s Doctor Time Turner. Or just ‘Doc’, whichever you like.” Quiver laughed. “Okay. Doc. And don’t worry. I don’t believe in breaking up relationships, so you have nothing to worry about. I’m more worried about folks confusing us.” “I’d take that as a compliment. Time Turner’s the town watchmaker and timekeeper, and you’d be surprised how important that is.” The stallion beamed at Twilight’s compliment, but conceded, “It’s just as well that nopony confuses us, however. Something tells me that you aren’t that skilled with repairing anything clockwork.” “Afraid not. All I know about it is that doing it is hard with a hammer and chisel.” The older stallion laughed. “Well, that goes for about anything. The right tools for the right job and all that.” “Sorry everypony, sorry!” Heads turned as three more ponies arrived, two grown mares and a young filly with a frizzy scarlet mane and glasses. The mare who’d spoken was unfamiliar, but turned to a more familiar one as she explained, “A certain somepony was caught up in something back at home.” “Hey, it takes a while to make sure an instrument’s in tune!” the unicorn protested. Her complaint forgotten, she turned to the stallion of the hour and greeted him with a smile. “Hi Quiver. Good to see you.” “You too, Lyra. These two with you?” “Uh-huh.” She pulled out chairs and got the two seated, the filly happily greeting the other foals present, then seated herself and introduced them. “This is my roomie, Bon-Bon, and her niece, Twist.” “Pleathed to meet you, thir!” the filly greeted him. Quiver smiled. “And you.” He looked to Bon-Bon and asked, “I guess Lyra mentioned me to you?” The mare nodded. “Not often Lyra finds someone who can chat her up about her favorite sort of story.” She smiled and looked at her roommate out of the corner of her bright blue eyes as she added, “Now she’s got two of us to bore to death.” Quiver rolled his eyes. “Please. I don’t bore easy, and Ponyville’s anything but boring to me.” “Oh, no kidding.” Everypony (and dragon) at the table laughed at Twilight’s remark as their orders were taken. The waitress went on her way to get their meals ready as Lyra spoke up again. “So, did you work things out with your roomie?” “Yes and no. On the one hoof, I won’t be having any problems with her for a little while. On the other, I don’t have a roommate anymore.” He shrugged and admitted, “But I can deal with that.” “‘Specially considerin’ his old roomie’s lookin’ at jail time.” Applejack smiled in satisfaction and declared, “Serves her right, too.” “Well, all’s well that ends well.” Twilight then diplomatically changed the subject and asked Quiver, “Anyway, what’s next? You’ve got a roof over your head for the next month or so.” “Well, I’m not going back to Indianapoloosa anytime soon, that’s for sure. For right now, though, I’m going to be clearing out Luster’s things.” At the surprised looks of the other girls, he explained, “Not trashing them, just putting them in storage. I’m not going to do to her what she did to me, and I sorta like the idea of having a guest room, at least until I get a roomie.” He looked to Pinkie Pie and added, “But I reserve the right to interview them before they move in. I don’t like repeating my mistakes.” “Smart thinkin’.” Their food was served, and Applejack grinned as her dish was set out before her. A hoof on a glass of water, she raised it up and offered, “Here’s to everythin’ we’ve got to celebrate tonight!” “Ponyville’s Aerial Relay Team!” Rainbow Dash cheered, her teammates echoing her gleeful cry. “Ponyville’s flag-wavin’ team!” called out the little filly at Applejack’s side, clapping hooves with her two friends. “The newest member of Ponyville’s community.” Rarity looked to Quiver with a smile and offered, “And a dear new friend.” Quiver beamed happily and offered in return, “To new friends.” The party laughed happily, dinner starting and talk going among them about one thing or another. Quiver mostly kept silent, but made the odd glance about, feeling for the first time in his life as if he belonged somewhere. He hadn’t felt that in years. It was a good feeling, and one he never wanted to let go of. And he never would.