Seen as Trust
I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Edited by: FluttershyTheChangeling, Gambit Prawn
Two green eyes looked back and forth constantly, scanning the room with eagle like awareness. The bookshelves of fine oak wood shined with the new coat of cleaner and polish as they circled the walls, filled with numerous books going from simple foal stories and story rhymes to more finer literature that either involved Daring Do, or complex theories of natural magic of the world.
The table in the center of the room also shined with it’s new coat of polish, being clean of all the hoof prints, dust and dirt that would collect over the days of use. Floors washed thoroughly and swept just about daily to keep anything from collecting while pillows --washed and dried hours prior-- sat in strategically stationed spots for readers to enjoy their borrowed books. Even the books somehow managed to sparkle in some strange sense of cleanness, lacking any sort of dust or grime.
Darting down to the roll of paper that was held by somewhat sharp purple claws, the young dragon smiled and raised a quill and checking off each item on it with both satisfaction and accomplishment.
Windows need cleaning? Done!
Bookshelves dusting and cobwebs removed? Simple!
Books located and reorganized? Challenging, but beaten!
Dinner cooked and ready for both him and Twilight after she finishes setting table? Can be done in his--
His eyes shoot open wide and both claws moved the paper up more and more to its end where one unchecked box remained empty. “I forgot to get dinner started!” He screamed in panic, dropping both list and quill in a cloud of dust that was now settling on the once-clean floor.
Twilight wasn’t home yet-- so there was still time to start cooking the meal. But how much time did he have? Looking up at one of the clocks they had scattered in there home and workplace, he could not help but panic even more.
Half an hour! I only have half an hour! The clock seemed to choose that time to click, showing a minute had just passed, “I only have 29 minutes until Twilight's home!”
Now in overdrive, he began to search his mind for anything that can be made without long stewing. A simple salad could be done in a few minutes-- but they hadn’t gotten any lettuce in a while. Potato soup would be good, if they had any potatoes left!
It then hit him that they had some fruit left, and there was some pudding mixture ready-- A fruit salad, I can make a fruit salad!
Quick like a Wonderbolt, he proceeded to gather ingredients and bowls, using his claws to slice up the fruit and also mix up the pudding that would be poured into another bowl. Maybe add a few almonds to the mix?
“Are you sure this is necessary Twilight?” Masquerade’s voice rang out once more as Twilight continued to drag him along. If it wasn’t for the fact she knew him as she did, she would have found this annoying.
“Its fine Masquerade.” She told him, “How many times must I tell you this?”
He shook his head at her even if she wasn’t looking back at him and replied, “Because it‘s improper for one, and for another we haven’t seen one another in years so that makes the situation only less improper-- ”
She shook her head again at his logic of trying not to be invasive. True he’d tease her to no end on certain subjects, but he never did anything to intrude on her privacy-- such as to never bother her when reading unless it important, or enter her private quarters when living in the castle. She could not help but wonder how antisocial he seemed at times, being friendly and present, yet always holding himself lengths away from others as if afraid to bother them.
“ --it‘s not that I‘m rejecting to being around you and catch up on old times or what not, but I have to try to at least find another place-- ” Rolling her eyes at his continued ramblings of reasons not to be given a place to stay, she continued to drag him along. If he wanted to go on and find some place else to stay he could try and escape.
Then again, this was like all those other times when they were younger and she’d insist that he should join her in a study session and then drag him along while he try worming himself out without fighting back. Makes one wonder why he did just fight back with his magic to get free?
Feeling that she had enough of his constant rambling, she began to think of a way to get him to at least try and accept she wouldn’t take no for an answer.
With a quick look into her mind, she remembered that asking a well placed question will cause him to stop and consider things in a new light. With that, she chose her question and cut him off with, “Masquerade, what do friends do for one another?”
With relief, all ramblings stopped, and showed that when presented a problem, Masquerade still stopped and thought the problem through. Stopping to turn around and look back at him and the now focused look on his face, she decided to just sit and wait for him to finish thinking.
For Masquerade, Twilight Sparkle-- student of Princess Celestia, prodigy of magic and all-around mobile library almost the size of a throne room-- had utterly stumped him. Never, never had she asked a question like that. It wasn’t a common sense question
Nor was it really a logic based question. It may fit with psychological type questions, but the tone didn’t imply it in the same setting of such, right? The shock he first had turned quickly to confusion and then concentration. What was the answer she was searching for?
Friendship is a agreement between two independent persons --regardless of species-- to share information, time with one another, work on projects and confer with one another in number of subjects for pleasure or strengthening bonds.
Or, so were his thoughts on the matter. He never really delved deeply into the matter himself, just observing others and choosing what was appropriate and what wasn’t while asking his mother on her thoughts and what he should or shouldn’t do. But looking at it from his view and others, maybe it was something simple. Friendship is common, ergo, common footing. But what made it common. What made it and broke it?
The lavender unicorn watched for what seemed like a minute for the black unicorn to make any sort of response. his nose was pointed slightly downwards and his bright green eyes look left and right as if looking and reading through multiple texts. It looked familiar to her as she watched him ponder over her sudden question. Surely it wasn’t that difficult to answer?
…
Then again, she wouldn’t have had the answer herself about a year or so ago.
Back in the stallion’s mind, he continued to look over each scrap of information he had. Friends often look out for one another, and to do that they must know one another and to do that they spend time with one another and in doing so look out for one another--
It was like some kind of paradox; what was he missing? It was simple, it should be simple, but it went in a circle, never ending and always repeating after it starts. The only way for it to stop is if…
When he figured it out, he felt like smacking his head. Like he thought, simple. But what he didn’t think was, it was so simple, it was natural and almost forgettable until at risk.
Nodding to himself and mentally beating himself for probably keeping Twilight waiting, he looked up and turned himself to her fully. He felt presently surprised to find a rather patiently waiting Mare and not a pouting filly he remembered waiting for his reply.
“Trust.” He finally said, “Friends trust one another.” He nodded with finality at that.
For a while Twilight stared at him, a little surprised. She was mostly aiming for something like, “Friends help each other.” But this would more then do. So with a smile she nodded “Yes, Friends trust one another.” With a calm look she added, “So as a friend, I ask you to trust me in helping you with sleeping arrangements.”
He looked down in thought then looked back up with a nod, “Lead the way.”
Pleased with that, she turned around and continued on with him following next to her.
Silence descended between the two, both lost in their own thought.
For Masquerade, he was going over the mare’s actions from what he knew. She was less foolish, but that was to be expected when one grew up: casting aside their foolishness and bothering to stand up to things in a more reasonable light. But her social actions and overall willingness to help for next to no reason but knowing one another? It didn’t make much sense. Normally, about a good 60% of the time, a pony that hasn’t seen another for a certain amount of time loose the bonds gained.
This wasn’t the case, as Twilight seemed to be part of the 40% that held the bonds forged and were still building from there. The Twilight he knew would have suggested an Inn she knew. The Twilight he knew would have considered her home as last resort. The Twilight he knew would still follow the rules most set in safety and not invite a stallion she hasn’t seen in a number of years into her home.
Just how much has these friends she made changed her?
In Twilight’s mind, she was trying to pick apart Masquerade choice of answer. She remembered him to be a very analytic unicorn that would take a question and give a very detailed answer of what he knew, but to take so long for a question on friendship? Most would say something in an instant or after a moment or two. Was he really that caught off guard, or did he just not have that many friends as he did family?
Then again, he told her he had what sounded like a fight with his family and decided to leave-- on still good terms hopefully. But then came his reply: trust.
He saw friendship as trust. She could see where he came from. When she first met her friends in Ponyville, she didn’t trust them at first. But when she got to know them and worked with them to save Equestria, that trust began to grow and made their bonds grow stronger because of it.
She hummed in thought while thinking about it. Friendship does need trust, she decided before glancing to the unicorn she was thinking of, but it also something that comes with knowing them. Maybe she could teach him a bit more on friendship.
Coming close to the Golden Oaks Library made Twilight smile, excited to get Masquerade to sit down and talk with her on what he’d been doing. Maybe even do a study session like old times!
It was sudden and but familiar feeling Masquerade had not felt in years, but remember it in the back of his mind. Twilight was planning something. Something that called for hours of looking over numbers of words in weighted things called books. He never had that sort of ominous feeling unless she was thinking of something along those lines. Maybe it’s not too late to turn back?
“Spike I‘m home!” All notion of escape was lost at the lavenders mare’s voice that announced her arrival home and-- “Hey, I remember this place.”
Twilight blinked and looked back at Masquerade that explained, “I was walking through town and passed this place. I didn’t know you’d live in a tree.”
“It‘s also a Library.” She said while walking in, lighting her horn to put down her saddle bag. Masquerade followed suit, lifting his own pack off and setting it next to hers while looking around.
Whistling in appreciation at the cleanliness he commented, “This is nice Twilight, you keep the place in nice order.” Particularly noting the books that seemed to shine…some how.
Deciding not to ask how one can polish a book to where it shines, he turned back to Twilight who smiled happily at his comment, “I can’t take all the credit, my number one assistant helps a good deal.” He stopped for a moment to take in what she said and remembered she had called out a name when she opened the door. Spike was it? He asked himself before something clicked in his head while the mare walked into another room. He did remember someone named Spike, but where? Twilight knows him --assuming it is a guy-- and he recognized it so…
After racking his brain around a bit on the subject, he heard the sound of cutlery being placed on the wooden table in the room and decided to put those thoughts on hold and find out who it was. No time like present as they say.
He turned his gaze towards Twilight as she set the table with expert efficiency and positioned each pillow at evened out spaces for each one joining. She was a perfectionist --he remembered her being one-- but now…now it was plain scary how precise she was being. She even took out a checklist and began to make sure she had done her task right. She was also--
Wait, another checklist? Blinking a few times at this, he slowly made his way to one of the seats, eyeing her carefully. She was organized, he knew that, but this might have been taking it a bit too far. Then the odd click-clack sounds reached his ears, making them twitch in sudden surprise. They weren’t hooves, no mistake about that. Claws maybe?
Turning to the doorway Twilight had passed through, both eyes caught the sight of a young baby dragon with purple scales, lime colored belly and green spine going from head to tail. Wait, purple, green also baby dragon…
“Masquerade, I‘m sure you remember Spike, right?” Twilight chirped, lifting the young drake spike was carrying with his claws and placing it in the center of the table.
With a friendly and almost dismissive wave, he greeted with a simple, “Hey.” Which the black unicorn returned a curt, “Greetings.”
For a moment awkward silence filled the room as each one looked at the other.
Coughing into his claw, Spike asked, “Do I know him Twilight?” He looked the black unicorn up and down trying to find anything familiar. After a bit of thought he drew up a blank, not recognizing him in the least.
Twilight giggled out “You probably don’t remember, you only saw him around for two or three years after you hatched.” Looking at him she went on, “And you didn’t get to see him much anyways, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t recognize him.”
Masquerade took in that bit of information before it all came together and smile, “Ah yes, I remember now!”He looked down “You’re the squirt Twilight asked me to baby sit when she was nose deep in a book to notice you put stuff on fire from burping!” Thus earning him an evil eye from a flushing Twilight and a snicker from Spike, who also received an evil eye.
“Yea, she still does something similar.” The young dragon nodded, trying to ignore his adopted older sister, “Even when a mob is running rampant outside.”
“Spike!” Twilight reprimanded, only to have it fail to hinder Spike when Masquerade followed up, “I hear you, Twilight is observant to anything in a book, but everything else becomes invisible.”
“Masquerade!”
“I know right?” Spike agreed, “She also forgets when a pony comes in to rent a book and just stands there and nods while not really paying attention.”
“Spike!”
“Just like those times I’d study with her, I’d ask her something and just nod along.” Masquerade grinned as Twilight gave him pleading look as if she knew what he was going to say, “So, as payback for not paying attention, I‘d say silly thing to Twinkles” At this, Spike snorted at the nickname while the stallion went on, “Oh, like when I said ‘Hey Twilight, did you know you could fly by flapping your ears?’ and a moment later she nodded saying ‘Yep’ without her noticing my laughing!”
Both males gave hearty laughs as one very flushed and embarrassed mare proceeded to scream.
“MASK!”
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It's improper in one word and with a "M" instead of a "N".
A word seem to be missing, here. “Masquerade, what do friends do for one another?” is probably what you mean.
followed
And it's only the most obvious of your errors. (And only for the second chapter, sorry.)
That said, these 2 first chapters are good one. But they still strongly need to be corrected.
You need a proofreader badly, or at least someone to read the story out loud who has English as their first language. (I apologize if English is your first language but a lot of the mistakes are similar to ones I have seen in 2ndard English speakers).
Should probably be similar
4742951 Thanks for that catch.
Nnnnnnnnnnnnope, still not buying this story. The problems I have in this chapter are exactly the same as the last one. Unless you keep the presentation simple I'm going to struggle trying to keep up. Again, character development needs to be deciphered by the reader - Not explained to them; Back-stories need to be presented - not handed out as a glossary.
5304511
you are uninlighten
4494839 Also "less improper" is a double negative in this context you probably mean "more improper", as the former implies it being more proper.
I have been given the first taste of the teasing of Twinkies with Mask and Spike. I will enjoy the humor here, also nice reminders of Spike and Mask of recalling old memories, and making things funny as we laugh at Twinkies embarrassments.