The Binding Contract

by Mani-Roar

Chapter 1: Tough Sell (revised)

My name is Twilight Velvet and the Canterlot School for Gifted Unicorns was all about me. I realize how stuck up that sounds now, but trust me, it was true. I was at the top because I earned it, and no other reason.

I was the highest ranked student in test scores at CSGU. I was the president of the Student Government Association. I lettered in two athletic fields including swimming and magic curling. I was founder and president of the Creative Writing Club, and I made solid straight A's.

My special talent, other than being a straight A student, was fiction writing. My professors were so enthralled by my work that I was invited to do school assembly readings and symposiums on my novels multiple times. I even got the attention of Princess Celestia herself who attended one of my readings. She personally commented on my potential as a writer which was super embarrassing as my cheeks must have been bright red as I ungracefully bowed to her. Nonetheless, it was probably the best moment of my life so far.

However, accomplishments are not what makes a pony important or special. To me, what makes a pony worthwhile is who they are. CSGU was full of talented stuck up pricks, and I endeavored to never be one of them. Everypony has a gift or special talent that makes them unique. It gives them a place in Equestrian society. Nopony’s gift is better or more important than anypony else’s. Unfortunately, walking these halls you’d never think that was the case. You could smell the arrogant academics as they sauntered about, both student and professor alike. Ponies so pleased with their own intelligence that it dripped off of every word they said. Even their walk and body language containing a certain air of confidence and lofty sophistication. They would never outright say it, but they believed that they were the most important class in all of Equestria, neigh, in all of the world at large.

“Scholars”, they called themselves. More like fakers.

The worst thing anypony could do was mistake me for one of these rich, privileged, preppy kids that strutted through this school on their parent’s trust fund never having to earn their way in the world. In my opinion, academics favored the rich way too much. Since my family wasn’t made of money, I had to earn my way in on merit alone. I rose to the top of my class through hard work and perseverance. When others were spending Spring Break at the beach or Winter Break at their family lodge in the snowy mountains, I was at home studying. Trying to learn all I could so that my brain could get me places in life, instead of the money we didn’t have. I was one of the lucky few who made it into this school on a full scholarship conditional upon my performance. One misstep, and I could lose everything. And I’d never let that happen. Not to my parents or myself. I think that afforded me at least a little bit of self pride in what I’d accomplished as a student.

Possibly the worst spoiled brat “scholar” offender in the entire school had to be Night Light. That colt was an overconfident, self entitled, bully headed jerk. He was far less social than I was, but that didn’t stop his arrogance from emanating out in an obnoxious, self-righteous bubble around him. He hardly spoke to anypony. He just sat in his ivory tower looking down on the rest of us plebeians who were too low on the intelligence totem pole for him to interact with. He’d never actually say it, but even the occasional single sentence you may have had the misfortune of hearing him speak told you everything you needed to know about what he thought of both you and himself.

But even though we had hardly ever spoken to each other, it had somehow gotten around the school that him and I were dating. Not because of anything either of us had said and not because we had been seen together. Like I said, we virtually never spoke. You see, he enjoyed bookbinding as a sort of hobby of his. From what I'd heard at the time, he was pretty good at it too. I’m sure that if you asked him, he would tell you all about it. And because I wrote my own stories, everypony thought that we secretly meet up with each other so that I could give him my written stories and he could bind them together. Apparently, this loose premise was supposedly the precursor to our destined…

“Romance!” Sundance Glimmer broke my train of thought. She was galloping in place from excitement.

“Sundance, I don’t meet up with Night Light in secret to have my stories bound into hardback, or any other reason for that matter.” I closed my locker shut and wound my combination lock.

“I believe you, I believe you. But you have to admit it’s a pretty good story.” Sundance gasped in my face. “Maybe you should write a story about that?”

“I am not writing a fake story about my non existent love for a pony I don’t even know.” I started walking down the hall just to get some space from Sundance. I mean, she’s my best friend and all, but sometimes she, well…

“You know him, don’t lie to me.” Sundance caught up to me and got in my face again. Her suspicious grin almost against my cheek.

“Seriously Sundance, can I get a few inches? We’ve talked about this.” I pulled my head away from her.

“Sorry, sorry, you know how I get when something is just this… hmmmph,” she squeaked out the last part of her sentence.

“I know all too well how you can get. And of course I know him, but I don’t know him, know him.” I rolled my eyes.

“Well why don’t you get to know him?” Sundance blocked my path so I stopped walking.

“I don’t know, I guess I just… isn’t he weird or something?” He did always keep to himself and I never saw him really talking to anypony.

“Well why don’t you just ask him if he’s weird and why?” Conversations with Sundance often traveled in circles.

“And what would possibly make me want to do that?” I started worrying about being late to my Conjuration IV class.

“Because he’s right over there,” Sundance pointed behind me. I turned around to see a stallion with a cool evening blue coat and dark mane to match. I guess I had never noticed how well groomed he kept himself. Most boys didn't bother making themselves look so presentable on a daily basis.

"Hey Night Light, over here," Sundance called out to the young stallion before I could object. He turned and looked right at me. My cheeks flushed.

"Sundance why did you..." I turned to yell at Sundance but she was nowhere to be found. That was so typical of her. By the time I turned back, Night Light was right there staring at me. There was no fear or anticipation on his face. Usually colts were somewhat nervous approaching me for the first time, but Night Light remained stoic. His expression was cold and unchanging.

"Twilight Velvet," he nodded his head at me and bowed a little. What was this, a formal dance?

"I noticed you got the highest score on the recent mid terms yet again. A commendable effort." He looked at me like he was reading a weather report. Was this his idea of small talk?

“Um, thanks, I guess. Your score was pretty good too.” I had no idea what to say to this guy. It was like talking to a rock.

“Indeed, I find myself in second place yet again. You seem to be the one milestone I cannot break.” I couldn’t tell if he was being friendly or if he was challenging me. Whatever he was doing, it certainly wasn’t making me feel comfortable.

“Well, you know, it’s been really great talking to you, but um… I think I need to get to class so…” I leaned my weight toward the hallway I wanted to walk down.

“Twilight Velvet, do you love me?”

I stopped dead in my tracks. Can you believe him? Just out of the blue asking something like that when we are barely even acquainted. I mean, seriously, who does that?

****

My name is Night Light. I will attempt to avoid boring you with the intricate details of my life and stick only to that which is essential. I was a student in Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. Although I was very well versed in the theory and practice of the arcane arts, my primary passion at the time was books. Ever since I was very young, I had preferred the company of a good book over that of my peers. It was not that I detested others or that I was lacking in social skills; I simply found most ponies uninteresting. I could not see any reason to associate with another student who could barely grasp the most basic concepts of elemental conjuration when I could have simply opened a book and immediately been among the greatest minds to ever walk Equestria. I would have surrendered any valuable to write my way into history and count myself among the great stallions and mares who shaped the way that modern minds interpret the whole of existence. However, there was one minute problem that was preventing me from doing so.

I was a terrible writer.

Usually when I applied myself to a specific task, I was able to achieve an acceptable level of success. However, for some reason when it came to writing and prose, my work at the time was described as: "dry, boring, incessantly boring, agonizingly tedious, and as if you just listed a bunch of words without considering what they would sound like together.” Despite my failures, I continued to pursue activities involving the production of books and the editing there of. Then a most intriguing opportunity was presented to me by a rather persistent maroon colored mare.

“Seriously Night Light, everypony is talking about it. You and Twilight Velvet should totally go out with each other.” The aforementioned romance was not the intriguing part I was referring to.

“I mean, you’re good at binding books and stuff and she’s like really, really good at writing them.” That was more like it. I spent much of my free time binding and/or restoring the old classic novels and research materials, but I had yet to be involved with a new publishing project. If this Twilight Velvet was as good of a story writer as the student body had presented her to be, I wagered it could be worth my while to investigate a mutual partnership. However, that was a big if. Normally I would have dismissed the notion altogether, but after hearing that the princess herself had taken notice of her work, well, consider my interest sufficiently peaked.

“As I have mentioned several times, Sundance, while exploring a working partnership with Miss Velvet does interest me somewhat, I plan to engage this matter on my own time and without assistance.” I walked down the castle corridors toward the area where the magic classes took place. Sundance seemed to be more excitable with every syllable I uttered.

“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, are you serious? How long have you had a crush on Twilight?”

I paused my steps but only for a moment before continuing.

“...I believe you misunderstood my intentions.”

“Oh I understand intentions just fine.” Sundance’s high pitched giggling grated on me.

“If you will excuse me, I do need to be getting on my way.” I sped my pace slightly, hoping that she would get the hint.

“Look, I understand that you’re shy. She’s really nice once you start talking to her.” She ran in front of me causing me to stop walking. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything."

I closed my eyes and let out a sigh. Sometimes when I was stressed or annoyed, I would shut down some of my senses, such as sight, to refocus myself.

“Sundance, while I appreciate your candor I must decline to…” by the time I had opened my eyes, the bubbly mare was gone. As relieved as I was to be out of her presence, the thought of what she might have in store was very disconcerting.

It was at that moment that something else Sundance had previously stated came to my mind. This had not been the first time she had discussed Twilight Velvet with me. The first time was to inform me of a rumor that had been circulating the student body. Apparently, other ponies were under the impression that Miss Velvet and I were already romantically involved, and that we met in secret outside of school in order to conceal our mutual transgressions. Or at least I assumed that sort of thing was looked upon negatively considering how it seemed to only be discussed with hushed voices at the edges of the school corridors.

Twilight Velvet secretly loves you.

Sundance's original assertion lingered in my memory. She loved me? Admired me, smitten with me, mutually respected me, or even aroused by me I could understand. But where would the notion of love come from? Does love not require a prolonged exposure to the subject in question? We barely knew each other. Obviously I was aware of her. She seemed to be the closest pony among the student body resembling a mind that could engage me on my level. Even though her test scores were slightly higher than mine, much emphasis on slightly mind you, I doubt she had the mental faculties to keep up with my complex understanding of, well, everything.

Almost everything. Perhaps I was socially deficient. The thoughts and actions of the opposite sex were enough to baffle me. I had thought that she of all ponies would approach this sort of situation with some semblance of logic and reason. This is why you cannot judge a pony's intelligence by their test scores alone.

Was it true? Did she actually love me or was this just another hyperactive hyperbole coming from that hysterical mare? I had to find out. Even if it was nothing more than a smoke trail, I had to know for certain if these… feelings were truly present in Miss Velvet. Not that I planned to reciprocate them by any means. It was only relevant because such feelings would have greatly influenced my willingness to enter a business type relationship with another pony.

I pulled the satchel that was strapped to my back to the front of me using my magic. I always double checked that I had procured the appropriate tools for each class before leaving the area of the building that contained my storage locker. When my satchel came into my sight, I saw that a note had been attached to my bag.

“Meet me in the far east hall by the lunchroom in about five minutes"

The dubious work of Sundance Glimmer. Obviously she wanted to arrange a meeting between the two of us and was wasting no time doing so. My heart rate began to accelerate as my body temperature rose with it. In a moment, I would likely begin to perspire. I was not sure what to attribute this biological phenomenon to. It was not as though the idea of communicating with a fellow student was terrifying. Although, I had never had a conversation with another mare regarding this particular subject matter. It bothered me that it had such a profound effect on my state of being to the point that I could not control or even temper it.

I walked over to the far east hall as instructed. This is where the upperclassmen usually opted to have their storage lockers located. Being in my junior year, I had sufficient seniority to claim one here myself. It was considered the richest social hub due to its proximity to the dining facilities. However, I felt that keeping my locker in a central location that allowed me more efficient access to my study materials when I needed them between classes was far more beneficial. Unfortunately, this distraction had certainly removed any possible efficiency that could be applied to the remainder of the afternoon.

I saw Sundance Glimmer speaking to Twilight Velvet next to her storage locker. No, speaking did not seem to be the appropriate context. “Talking at” Twilight was more like it.

“Hey Night Light, over here,” Sundance instructed. I do not recall allowing my brain to give command to my body to move, yet I ended up standing right next to Twilight and finding myself incapable of averting my eyes from her. When she turned to face me she looked startled. My heart raced even more than before. It was almost enough to make me concerned for my cardiovascular health.

“Twilight Velvet,” I nodded politely. "I noticed you got the highest score on the recent mid terms yet again, commendable effort." I am not certain why that was so important to bring up. I suppose the direct question I wanted to ask would have made for a poor conversation starter. Then again, was there even an appropriate way to ask it at all?

“Um, thanks, I guess. Your score was pretty good too.” I was uncertain if she trying to compliment me or if this was a condescending jab to demonstrate her intellectual superiority over me. As if true intellect could be quantified by a flawed standardized test.

“Indeed, I find myself in second place yet again. You seem to be the one milestone I cannot break.” Although I considered myself a seasoned participant, the subtle nature of pony interactions often escaped me. I was at a complete loss for anything else to say.

“Well, you know, it’s been really great talking to you, but, um… I think I need to get to class so…”

This was ridiculous. I was perfectly capable of asking a direct question. A direct question deserved a direct answer. I was sure she would understand. She clearly wanted to be somewhere else and I knew that waiting for another opportunity would be less than advantageous. If it was going to happen, it needed to happen right then. Although it was imperative that I did so in the most tactful and respectful manner possible.

“Twilight Velvet, do you love me?”

She appeared to be shocked by my question. She looked around the hallway as if to see if anypony else had heard. Some had.

"No, I don't love you Night Light!" Her face was flushed and her breath was quickened. Apparently she was not privy to the rumors surrounding us. I had incorrectly assumed that Sundance had informed her.

"Of course you do not. If you did, it would be a baseless love with no foundation for its fruition."

She looked at me somewhat angrily as if something I had said was offensive. I could hardly imagine what that might have been.

"If you already know, why did you even bother asking?" Her tone had suddenly become much more aggressive.

"I inquired as a result of rumors that are currently circulating the student body regarding a romantic relationship involving the two of us. I suspected that the rumors may have originated with you.”

She sighed deeply and re-positioned her posture so that her waist was sticking out to her right causing her to support her weight at an angle. I believed females often used this stance to express an attitude of superiority or to show that they are annoyed. At least those were the occasions that I usually noticed the stance.

“Oh, let me guess. You thought that I was quietly obsessing over you day and night, unknowingly letting my feeling slip to my friends and peers who caught on to my uncontrollable yearning?” She placed her hoof over her forehead indicating that she might lose consciousness from over-stimulation. A sarcastic measure no doubt.

“A distinct possibility, yes,” Actually, I had not considered that possibility until that very moment. My comment did nothing to assuage her anger.

“Why you stuck up little twerp. Look, I am not in love with you; so you can throw that idea right out of your smug face.” She stomped her hoof and looked away from me.

“Very good. In that case I have a potential business proposal for you.”

She looked at me curiously with her head tilted slightly to her left.

“From love straight to business, I see you’re the type of colt who doesn’t mess around, huh?”

“Indeed. Perhaps we could discuss this over dinner?”

“Dinner?” She seemed perplexed.

“Yes, that is what I said.” I think my wording was quite clear.

“Why don’t you just tell me during lunch or something?” She resumed a normal posture which was probably for the best. That off center pose must certainly put stress on a pony’s bone structure.

“Dinner seems preferable.” The lunch room was always crowded and noisy. I usually enjoyed my lunch in the science lab or the library.

“Are you sure you’re not asking me out on a date?” She narrowed her eyes, emphasizing her suspicion.

“I believe a dinner meeting is a standard setting for a business discussion.” I tried to adhere to social norms when applicable. She considered my words for a moment.

“Does this ‘business offer’ have anything to do with bookbinding?” She rolled her eyes while saying “business offer.”

“As a matter of fact, it does.” It was certainly not a difficult conclusion to arrive at. “I hear that you are an adequate fiction writer. If your work passes my standards, I would be willing to discuss offering my services in editing and binding your stories for publication.”

“Adequate fiction writer? You’re quite the charmer aren’t you? Why would I want you to edit my stories? I think I’m doing just fine at that myself.”

A typical response from an inexperienced author.

“Even the most accomplished authors use an editor. I assumed that you wanted to pursue publication and distribution, but I suppose that if you are satisfied remaining an amateur then we can forgo the meeting altogether.” I began to turn around. I was never one for intensive negotiations.

“I’m sorry, who are you calling an amateur? I don’t see your stories getting noticed by Princess Celestia.”

I could scarcely fathom why so many ponies allowed emotions and pride to govern their judgement on a regular basis.

“Are you published?” I turned back around.

“Are my stories published? No, why?”

“An unpublished author is by definition an amateur. Even if they are a talented prodigy worthy of the attention of our great princess.”

She seemed to calm down a little bit.

“Oh, I see. I suppose you are technically correct in the strictest definition of amateur. Sorry, I thought you were trying to say I wasn’t any good.” Her face flushed a little bit again. Sometimes I wonder if girls have a biological tendency for irregular blood flow in the facial area.

“Apology accepted. Your skill is still yet to be determined by me.”

“Have you even read anything I’ve written?”

“I have not had the pleasure.” What would be the point of this part of the discussion if I had?

“You haven’t attended any of the public readings?” She seemed genuinely surprised.

“Again, no I have not.” Could she not have figured that out on her own?

“Well then how can we even talk about business if you don’t know anything about what I’ve done?”

A valid point, I must admit. She opened her locker and pulled out a loose manuscript. She presented it to me using her magic.

“Here, read this, then we’ll talk about editing, Mr. Judgey McJudger Pants.”

I will not even attempt to analyze that analogy.

“Very well, I agree to your terms. I will read and analyze this piece of work and meet you at 7 pm for dinner.” I accepted the manuscript from her and placed it in my satchel.

“Wait, don’t you need more time to read the book? 7 pm today is kind of soon, don’t you think? You’re going to miss something if you speed read it.”

“I will have it fully read and properly digested by this evening. If I were to speed read it, I could return it to you within the hour.”

“Oh… wow… really?”

I had forgotten that most students did not read at my pace.

“Also, I… well… I didn’t accept the dinner invitation, yet.” She looked down at the floor.

“I see. Is that a no then? Shall I return the book?” I began to open my satchel.

“Great Celestia, does everything have to be so absolute with you? I never said dinner was a deal breaker.” She shuffled her hooves a little bit. “Where would we go to dinner anyway?”

“I was considering La Jument élégante Bistro.” It was my favorite place to eat.

“Oh my, that’s quite fancy.” Her mood seemed to be wavering again. “I just don’t know I…”

“How about this, I will be at the restaurant at 7pm. Please feel free to join me if you feel inclined. If you do not attend, I will have my answer.” I turned and walked away. I heard no protest come from her so I continued on my way. I was far behind schedule at this point as it was.

****

The nerve of that guy. Of all the arrogant, self proclaiming jerks in all of Equestria he had to be the worst one. There was no way I was going to his stupid dinner meeting, not in a million years. He could just sit there all alone and enjoy his fancy schmancy Phrench cuisine with his favorite pony in Equestria which was himself. Do you love me? How can you just ask somepony a question like that out of the blue? He knew what I was going to say. He just wanted to see how I would react to it. Well now I wanted to see how he reacted to being stood up.

Stood up? It's not like it was supposed to be a date or anything. I mean, he did make that pretty clear. And his offer to edit my stories did seem like a genuine, although arrogant, offer. Other than tooting his own horn, I guess he was pretty harmless. Could he really read my whole novel in one afternoon and go to class? Oh no, what If he did and really put a lot of thought and effort into it? Could I just leave him hanging there by himself? Sitting by his lonesome at the café table with a stale baguette and my manuscript in his hooves, crying in the pouring rain, "Why didn't she come, why?" He would ask himself.

Wait, why would it be raining? Stupid imagination. I knew it wouldn't be so dramatic. But still, I had to think of something. Should I tell him to never mind before he went through the effort? What should I wear to the restaurant? Was I even willing to go?

I sighed deeply next to my locker.

Yeah, I would go. But not for him, or because he guilt tripped me into it. I really needed to be in the market for a full time editor. He was right about that. Although I didn't think it would be him. He was still just a student after all. That's when I reached a decision. I would listen to his input with a grain of salt, then kindly thank him for his efforts before declining. It’s the least I could do. How would he even have time to edit and do binding for me anyway? He probably spent all of his time locked away in a cave. I assumed most socially inept young stallions had colt caves where they did… colt things. Is that too insensitive? Hang on, was he paying for dinner? Probably not. It wasn't a date.

“So how did your little talk go?” Sundance startled me out of my own thoughts.

“Shouldn’t you know? I thought you knew everything on the subject of the two of us?” I dropped my ears and lowered my head. This was my “please stop talking to me” posture.

“‘The two of us?’ So it’s official, he he he....” I walked into that one. Sundance put her hoof to her face and giggled like a child would.

“Nothing is official. We talked about books and we’re going to dinner tonight, just dinner, a business dinner, totally platonic.”

“Eeee…,” Sundance squealed in a high pitched tone. “This is just too cute, I knew you two were perfect for each other.”

“Sundance, have you heard even a single thing I have said?” My guess was no.

“So what are you going to wear to dinner tonight? I think you should wear that adorable pink evening dress with the laces.” Yep, she hadn’t heard a single word.

“Why would I wear one of my nicest outfits to a casual meet up?”

“But it’s a special occasion, you’ll want to look your best for him. I’ll bet he shows up in a full suit with top hat and everything.” It was a fancy restaurant. I guess it couldn’t hurt to dress up, especially if he did. I wouldn’t want to look under dressed next to him. Why was I worrying about this so much? It was just a stupid dinner. How dumb of me.

“I’m not dressing up, Sundance. I’ll just end up looking stupid.” I closed my locker for like the 50th time in the last few minutes.

“Suit yourself I guess, or don’t, tee hee.” Sundance mercifully left me to my own devices in the hallway by heading in the direction of her next class. I decided to finally get to my Conjuration IV class, late of course. After everything was said and done, today was just going to be another day. So I believed.

****

Author's Note:

So I recently watched Ink Rose's "The Story of Twilight Sparkle's Parents: Part 1" head cannon video:

It was really cute and made me want to write a similar story. I'm sure Twilight Sparkle will be super embarrassed to know this story got out.

Do you like cheesy romance stories like this? Let me know what you in the comments.

***This chapter has been revised***

Comments

[i_am_the_jam]

She should just punch Sundance, geez...

[Mani-Roar]

5520710

She would be kind of annoying to have around :P

[HB_DS2013]

Yeeesh, I always thought of Twilight Velvet as a closet swordsmare.

[Mani-Roar]

5698878 Swordsmare?

[MustacheMerlin]

I had no idea what to say to this guy. It was like talking to a rock.

You only say that because Maud hasn't been born yet.

Oh, Velvet is so in denial. I think it's awesome that she reads so much into what Night Light says too. He totally reminds me of my family, who are all engineers and act just like that, albeit with a sense of humor and at least a little bit of social awareness.

5520710 But then Twilight isn't born and the world ends every six months! Plus, MLP doesn't happen!

[Valiant Charge]

Am I the only one thinking Sundance Glimmer is Sunset Shimmers mother? I mean I know it's obvious but seriously.

Good read by the way!

[DragonMaus]

Alternate title for this story: "Sundance Glimmer saves Equestria".
Also, I wonder if she's related to our latest villainess...

[redmar]

This is a great first chapter and it's obvious that Twilight Sparkle got her social awkwardness from her father.

[Draco Dei]

At least, I thought that was my philosophy until I met Night Light.

This was the first sentence that made me wonder if you might not be making Velvet a Mary Sue, which is what I was worried about starting about the third paragraph. Of course, from a certain perspective Twilight Sparkle fit that mold to if you look at her capabilities and accomplishments right up until she walks into the library to find a party waiting for her. Haven't even read much past the BELOW quote so we will see how it goes.

“Sorry, sorry, you now how I get when something is just this… hmmmph,” she squeaked out the last part of her sentence.

know