One Week At A Time

by 1pony4all

Of Housing and Pancakes

Chugga chugga... chugga chugga...

The train was quite nice on the inside, wood panel floors, the seats were really soft and there was more leg room than I knew what to do with. The walls were painted a charming lime green and had ornate patterns near the ceiling. I had a window seat and watched the rapidly moving horizon rush pass the train.

I sat alone in the empty car, both to my discontent and thankfulness. A lot of ponies stared at me at the station back in Canterlot , guess there really wasn't anything like a human in this world after all. Even the conductor had to pick his jaw off the floor to take my ticket. Just another thing I was going to have to get used to.

My thoughts drifted as the train rolled along, seemed my mind had finally processed the events of the day. One particular thought stood out in my head... clothes. I only had the one pair that came with me, I hate dirty clothes. “I supposed I could ask Rarity...” I felt a pang in my stomach, that thought just didn't feel right.

More important thoughts drifted though my hazy consciousness, how would I explain how I knew them? Could I continue to hide it? Did I even manage to hide it? Should I hide it? My head started to ache. I decided to rummage though my bag to see what else had made the dimensional trip with me.

All the same things I had seen before, the Princess' letter, my ticket stub for the train ride all resided in the main pocket, but as I started to check the side pockets, I also found my MP3 player, my key ring and a pack of gum. Surely I was ready to take on Discord himself single handed. I flipped on the MP3 player to help pass the time.

A few hours passed and the train finally pulled into Ponyville Station. I thanked the conductor as I stepped off the train and took a look around. It was a simple, open air platform connected to a dull pink building that looked more like a house than a train station. A large window was directly in front of me, the teller, a yellow colt with a messy, light brown mane, stared slack jawed at me. To my right was a simple door leading into the building. I approached the teller.

“Excuse me...”

“It can talk...” he mumbled, barely audible... barely.

I cleared my thought noisily, “Excuse me, I'm supposed to meet Twilight Sparkle here.” I said firmly, annoyed at his rude comment.

The colt shook his head quickly, “O-oh yes, shes waiting just inside,” he smiled weakly, “Go on in through that door.” He motioned toward the door.

I went in without another word. “Some people...” I thought to myself.

The interior was... more pink. There were a few benches set up along the far wall near the entrance. There was a desk on my left, the same yellow pony sat behind it, still staring. The place was empty.

“I thought you said she was waiting here?”

“Uhhh... I...” The pony stammered. To my right, I heard the unmistakeable sound of a toilet flushing fallowed by what sounded like some hasty splashing of water in a sink.

“Ah ha.” I mumbled and stepped away from the door of the woman’s... filly’s restroom just in time for a purple unicorn mare to come trotting out. Her eyes lit up as soon as she saw me.

“Oh good, you're here. Right on schedule!” she said in a cheery tone. She trotted over to me and extended her hoof. “My name is Twilight Sparkle.”

For the first time, I fully took into account the size of the ponies around me. Though I had no idea how tall I was after my... transformation, I was about a head taller than every pony other than the princesses and the guards at the castle. Twilight had to arch her foreleg up and what looked like a very awkward angle to make it near my hand.

I grasped her hoof in my hand, “Pleased to meet you. I'm...” I sighed slightly, “...1pony.” Nope, still wasn’t used to it.

Twilight's face became slightly more serious, bur remained fairly happy, “The princess explained the situation to me. I'd love to make small talk, but we need to hurry to the Mayor's office, she's putting a hold on a very important meeting for us right now.”

“We better get going then.” I said as I turned to walk out the entrance. I felt a force around my left hand gently pull me back, I turned to see it enveloped in a vibrant purple light.

Twilight was holding me back, “No time to walk, just hold still...” Her horn began glowing more brightly.

My mind began to race, “Ho boy, is this the teleportation spell? I always wondered what it would be-” Suddenly, I wasn't in the train station anymore. “-like.” I finished my thought. I was in a beige colored room standing next to a purple double door.

Twilight took a step towards the door, “Here we are.”

“That was... what was that?” I said stupidly.

Twilight looked slightly annoyed, “I'll explain later, come on.” She used her magic on my hand again to pull me forward as she opened the door.

On the other side was a deep purple room in the shape of a big dome. There was one large window directly opposite the door with a beautifully craved wooden desk in front of it. Behind the desk sat The Mayor, a beige colored pony with a light gray mane and a small pair of glasses. She looked very serious I might add. She was looking at some papers on her desk, a quill clasped tight between her teeth. She looked up when she heard the door shut.

“Ah, Twilight, you're a bit early.” She said after setting the quill down in an ink pot. “Please, sit down.” She motioned to a couple of benches in front of her desk.

Twilight moved forward, still leading me around by the wrist. She sat on the bench on the left of the desk, I sat on the right. The Mayor just looked at use intently. She did not seem happy...

Twilight broke the rather awkward silence, “Miss Mayor, I assume you got my letter?”

The Mayor shuffled a few papers on her desk with her hoofs, “Yes, I did. It 's not every day I receive requests from the Princess herself.” She pulled out a sheet of parchment.

“Then I assume everything is settled?” Twilight asked.

The Mayor looked at me, “You seem to be the quiet type.” Her tone of voice was pure apathy.

Uncomfortable doesn’t even begin to describe how I felt. “I-I Don't talk much...” I felt myself shrink into my seat. This mare was imposing.

The Mayor looked back at her desk and pulled another paper from the pile, “There is one complication with the Princess' request I'm afraid.”

Twilight looked slightly shocked, “Complication? Like what?”

“The Princess requested for this...” The Mayor looked back at me again, “My apologies but, you're clearly not a pony... what is the polite way to refer to you?”

I gulped, “Uhhh... 'person' will work I guess...”

“Right,” The Mayor went back to the paper, “She requested this person be given lodging for the time being. The problem is that Ponyville is in the middle of a real estate boom. There is only one available home for him to stay.”

“I was under the impression that he would be staying with me at the library?” Twilight interjected.

The Mayor sighed, “Twilight, the library is not a home. In all honestly, you shouldn't be living there. It was on the orders of the princess herself that we renovated the attic into a living space for you to stay. I can't allow another pony... I mean person to stay there. It would be against fire code.”

“Well what about Applejack?” Twilight offered, “Sweet Apple Acres is a big place, he could stay there just fine.”

The Mayor arched an eyebrow, “In the barn?”

Twilight shrunk back.

“The problem isn't that I can't let him stay there, he's more than welcome,”

“'He' is sitting right here...” I thought bitterly.

“...the problem is that the house is for rent, and I can't just usurp the property.” The Mayor handed the sheet of paper to Twilight, “If he is to stay there, he'll need to pay the rent, or at the very least make an effort to do so.”

Twilight looked over the sheet of paper, “ I guess that's reasonable...” She said, a defeated tone in her voice. She levitated the paper to me, “What do you think 1pony?”

The paper was a simple contract:

“I, ______________ hereby agree under prenatally of law that I will pay at least 50% of the monthly rent of this residence. I acknowledge that if I do not meet the full 100% of the price, but still meet the 50% minimum, the remainder will be paid for by the city as requested by Princess Celestia of Equestria. I also acknowledge that if I fail to meet the 50% minimum for the month that I will be given seven days to meet the minimum price, or to vacate the premises.

X______________________________”

I stared blankly at the paper, reading the words, but not comprehending them. “I... uhhh...”

“The conditions are simple, pay at least half of the rent every month and you can continue to live at the house.” The Mayor said, resting her head on her hooves propped up on the table. The light from the window made her glasses shine brightly.

The gears in my head finally clicked into place, “Oh, yes. This seems more than fair...” The Mayor's complete lack of emotion was throwing me for a loop.

Twilight perked up, “But how is he going to get the bits for the rent?”

The mayor pulled another piece of parchment from her desk, “I've made arrangements for that to. I've been discussing it with a few local employers.” She handed the paper to me this time, “We have come to the agreement that you will be allowed to work for them for at least one week each, with a full paycheck at minimum wadge each week.”

“A few?” I thought, awestruck with the list that was easily fifty entries long, ranging from Weather Patrol duty to baking at Sugar Cube Corner.

The Mayor continued, “The schedule is that you will work five days each week, Monday through Friday. This schedule may change depending on the job however and your hours will be dependent on your employer's discretion. The pay is also different for each job, some jobs will pay more for minimum wadge than others. It will be up to you to budget for your needs.”

“I see...” I said in the short break in The Mayor's explanation.

“Today is Sunday, so you will begin your first job tomorrow. You will be working for the city, specifically in the Library with Twilight. After that, I'll leave the choice to you where to go for each passing week. Also, some employers may request for you to stay on for longer, the choice will be yours of course.”

For the second time in one day, I felt I had lost a battle I didn't know I was fighting. I glanced at Twilight, looking for reassurance. She just frowned at me. I sighed, “I don't really have a choice then, do I?”

“Then you agree to the terms?” The Mayor said with a raised eyebrow.

I looked her in the eyes, “I do ma'am.”

“Excellent, just sign on the line here.” She tapped the contract with her hoof. I quickly scrawled my chosen name on the dotted line. “Well then, a pleasure meeting you Mr. 1pony, if you'll excuse me, I have a very important meeting now. Twilight can show you around the town.” I nodded and Twilight and I left the building.

Once outside, we walked in silence for a bit, I took note of various ponies staring at me. It was about midday, the sun was high in the cloudless sky. A few Pegasi flew over head. I made a mental note to be ready to jump out of the way should a full sized pony drop out of the sky above me.

Twilight finally broke the silence. “Well that could have gone better...” she said, dejected.

“You can say that again.” I replied, equally dejected.

“But, it's not so bad.” She pulled the paper the mayor handed us out of her saddle bag, “Look here, it's two floor, one bedroom, one bath. It has a full sized living room and an extra room for storage!” Her attitude sure did change quickly, she was almost bouncing while reading off the facts, “Oh, and it's not that far from Sugar Cube Corner!”

“Was that a fat joke? Wait... Sugar Cube corn- OOF!” I was jerked from my thoughts as I tripped over something and fell flat on my face.

Twilight knelt down, “Are you alright 1pony?”

“Ouchies...”

“Wait... that wasn't me...” I thought. Suddenly, I was lifted into the air by... pink?

“Oh my gosh, Pinkie!” Twilight gasped, “Are you alright?”

The puffy-haired pink pony below me giggled, “I'm fine, just got a monkey on my back.” she snorted and wiggled her hind quarters.

“A what now?” Twilight asked, tilting her head to the side.

“Oh nothing.” Pinkie gave a small buck and I fell off her back with a resounding thud.

“Ugh, anybody get the number of that station wagon?” I grumbled as I got to me feet.

Pinkie giggled as she pressed her face up to mine, “That's silly. Wagons can't be stations. Do you have any idea how many ponies it would take to drag around an entire station? It would take like a thousand guards. Unless they were enchanted by the princess herself, then I guess they could do it with about ten or so.” She paused for a blessed, brief moment, “Oh! I've never seen you around. Whats your name? I'm Pinkie Pie. Ohohoh, you're new, that means I need to throw a party for you. Do you like vanilla or chocolate cake? Who am I kidding, how could anypony not like cake. What about pie? I like Rasselberry myself. You strike me as more of a rhubarb, or maybe a strawberry, OHOHOH I know, Apple! I'll introduce you to Applejack, she makes the best apple pies!” The amaranth pony continued to bouncer around me while a flood of words I ceased to understand flowed from her mouth. Me and Twilight exchanged looks of amazement.

“Pinkie.” Twilight said polity.

No response.

“Pinkie!” a bit more forcibly this time.

Not even a blink.

“PINKIE!” She shouted at the energetic pony.

Pinkie stopped, “Yes, Twilight?” she said, unphased.

Twilight let out a small sigh, “Pinkie, this is 1pony. He's going to be in town for a while.” She motioned for me to step forward, “1pony, this is Pinkie Pie, one of my closest friends. I'm sure you'll get to know each other quite well.”

Pinkie extended her hoof to me, I grasped it. She proceeded to shake up and down so hard I almost lost my footing. “It was nice meeting you, but I have to go, so much party to plan, so little time!” She skipped off.

“She's...” I looked for the right word.

“Energetic?” Twilight offered.

“Yeah, let's go with that.” We continued walking. “Twilight?”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Where are we going?”

“To the library.” She said with a hint of satisfaction in her voice, “I was originally planing on you staying there with me, so I have a few things for you.”

“Oh, you don't have to-”

She cut me off, “Ah-ah, it's the least I can do for somepony in your position.”

I didn't push the subject. As much as I hated to admit it, I did need something to get me started here. I had nothing but the clothes on my back and what was in my bag.

As we continued down the road, we made small talk, Twilight was very intellectual, even more so than the show let on. She kept trying to explain her theory on what brought me here and talking about how excited she was to help the princesses to find a way for me home. I began to wonder if she realized I was a living thing, not just an object of an experiment. Soon, we approached the library.

It was gigantic, the TV screen dose not do it justice. Easily 60 feet tall and about 20 feet wide, it was the size of... well, a library. The bark was a deep brown with a purple tinge and the entire area around it felt charged, almost like electricity, but it didn't feel dangerous. It felt comforting, safe, inviting. I assumed it was from the sheer amount of magic that took place within.

Twilight opened the door, “Here we are! Make yourself at home for n-”

A brash voice cut her off, “There you are Twilight!” Twilight snapped her head around to see a cyan Pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail sitting at a desk near the back of the main room of the library. “I've been waiting here for hours!”

Another, slightly annoyed voice spoke up from behind a book shelf, “It's been fifteen minuets Rainbow.” A small, purple and green dragon squeezed his way out from behind the self of tomes, feather duster in hand.

“Well it sure felt like hours, Spike.” Snapped the Pegasus.

“Rainbow Dash, what are you doing here?” asked Twilight, seemingly annoyed at the intrusion of her home.

In a blue colored blur, Rainbow was next to Twilight, “The new Daring-Do book was supposed to come out today, do you have it?”

Twilight shook her head, “Rainbow, this is a library, not a book store. I don't get new books on release day. I usually have to wait a few weeks until one gets donated or I can buy one cheaper. And no, I haven't had the time to go out and buy my own copy yet.”

“Rats...” Rainbow hung her head. “I wonder if any shops in Cloudsdale will have it?” She looked up, right at me. “Uh, Twilight... what's that?”

Twilight sighed, “This is 1pony,” she gestured to me, “He's new in town. The princess asked me to help him get acquainted.”

Rainbow Dash moved closer to me, “It doesn’t look like anything thing I've ever seen before...” She squinted her eyes ans she leaned in closer.

I was fed up by this point, “That's because HE isn't from around here.” I quipped, thoroughly annoyed.

Rainbow dashed back, “Woha! It can talk!”

Twilight, perhaps sensing my ever rising frustration levels, intervened, “I'll keep an eye out for that book Rainbow, but right now I think it's best you leave.”

“But I want to touch it! It looks so... squishy!”

“Goodbye Rainbow Dash...” Twilight said, shoving the Pegasus out the door, shutting and locking it. “I'm sorry about that, Rainbow can be a bit... grating at times.”

I sighed and attempted to relax. Suddenly, I was aware of a presence by my leg.

“Hello, I'm Spike!” Sad the diminutive reptile as me feet as he extended a claw upward.

I smiled and grabbed and shook his claw, “Nice to meet you Spike.” Spike nodded and walked off to the next book self that needed dusting.

Twilight called out to me, “Now, if you'll fallow me upstairs, we'll get your things.” I fallowed Twilight up the stairs and into her study. More book shelves lined the walls of the two leveled room. There was another staircase leading to the second level and a door to the balcony to the left of the staircase and a desk situated under a window to the right. The room smelled of lavender incense. “It's all just up here.” She started up the small staircase.

This was essentially Twilight's bed room. It was about fifteen square feet with a good 5 foot drop at the edge of the floor. No guard rails. There was a large window on the outward facing wall behind... two beds?

“I made this bed up after the princess informed me you were on your way. You can have the blanket and sheets for your house if you would like.” She began folding the yellow blanket into a neat square.

“Y-you were going to have me sleep here?” I asked, flabbergasted.

Twilight floated the blanket over to me, “Well yeah, I couldn't set the guest bed up anywhere else in the library, it takes up too much room.”

In spite of myself, my heart rate doubled, I felt my face flush with warm blood. “Why is this getting to me? It's a separate bed. She's a cartoon... she doesn’t even realize... what has this fandom done to me?!” My mind was racing.

Twilight finished folding the sheets and looked up. She must have noticed my minor panic attack, “Er, are you alright?” Her words were sincere.

“I-I-I'm fine.” I stammered out. “What is wrong with me. Why do I care? I'm not even... She's a friend. Friend. Friend...” I repeated the word over and over in my head.

Twilight looked unconvinced, “Rrright... here, lets just get this stuff to your place.”

“She-bedroom-pony-girl's-bedroom-friend-she-place-why...” I somehow managed to get down the stairs. Once in the library, I calmed down, though I was still visibly shaken.

“Dude, you don't look so good...” Spike said as he walked out of the kitchen. He had traded his feather duster for an apron and was carrying a tray with three plates and three glasses of what looked like lemonade.

“I...am...fine...thank...you...” My words were so wooden, I though they might make holes in the floor. I never was bad with girls... but this just felt wired. “She's not a girl, she is a friend. A friend...” Again I repeated the words in my head.

Spike shrugged and set the try on a near by table, “I made some lunch for us.” He puled a chair up for himself.

“Oh Spike, it smells delicious!” Twilight beamed, a small rumble came from her midsection. She giggled nervously, “Guess your place can wait for now. How about we eat?”

I stumbled to the startlingly short table to see a plate of pancakes with butter and a small cup of syrup. It smelled like heaven. “T-thanks.” I sat on the floor and the table still felt a bit too short for me. I picked up my fork and dug in, dipping my first piece of pancake into the syrup.

Twilight wiped her mouth with her napkin, “Spike, you make the best pancakes.” She smiled

The purple dragon grinned, “Well, you learn these things when you grow up around some of the best Chefs in Canterlot.”

I eagerly eat my first bite, and almost instantly retched at the taste of earth and the texture of fiber. I polity choked down the bite. “Yeah, top notch...” I quickly dumped the rest of my syrup over the offending disks, hoping beyond hope it would make them at least edible. “I love grass pancakes...”

Comments

[dukesofhazzardftw]

XD

[Clicker]

“Now, if you'll fallow me upst

[Vitae]

Well tbh I'd have already flipped my lid over them calling me a "It" and taught twilight a few dozen swear words of the english kind while giving everyPONY the one fingered salute that they prolly wouldn't understand anyways then just fall over and cry in the fetal position over the food that they gave to me.

[Deadna]

I'm DYING for another chapter.

[The REAL Mister Pkmn]

I wonder if he'll ever talk to them about what he really eats...