A New Impetus

by Zykov

26. Soul Day

A few days has passed since the night in the Castle of the Two Sisters. Ever since the ponies got out of the Everfree Forest, things started to settle down again and they quickly went back to their everyday lives. Wild Soul had begun work on the project for town hall while Noble Poet went back to working at Sweet Apple Acres. They were settling into their new home and new routines well, with help of friendly ponies throughout the town who were more than willing to help them find their way around, regardless of Soul trying to avoid them at all cost. Of course none of them could forget the night there, especially the dark unknown mare who was playing the organ.

###

It was yet again another busy morning in Ponyville’s lively town square. Wild Soul was leaning against a railing at Ponyville Town Hall’s terrace, simply looking out at the flow of the day going by him and breathing the fresh, slightly humid air after a drizzle. He was wearing his classic outfit, red jacket and a black collar with a white tie.

Ponies were going from stall to stall buying beverages and groceries. Mostly beverages since a majority of the customers were working ponies with long work hours. It was lunch time and everypony was in a rush to get their things and get back to work. Soul could hear some irritated groans coming from a stagnant line due to an old mare getting too carried away with her “good old days.” Such groans weren’t too common in Ponyville, unlike in Canterlot. The sun was shining on nearly clear skies with only a few clouds occasionally blocking the warm rays.

Finally, his two hour meeting had come to an end and this was his first chance to relax. The meeting Soul had with the Madam Mayor considering the project she was working on with him. His job was to brand Ponyville, give it a visual identity. In this meeting, Soul had presented visual material and ideas for the Mayor, like color palettes, bearings etc.

The meeting had left Soul with a sense of relief. It was like any other typical meeting for a designer. You walk in with your presentation, show and explain your ideas, take notes and leave the meeting with a notebook that has everything listed down that you need to change or rethink. Again, a typical but luckily not too monotonous of a meeting, there is no such a thing as a client who doesn’t want to change anything. Such a client would be a fantasy or fairy tail character.

Luckily for Soul, the Mayor was far from one of his worst cases. She was a client who demanded reasonable amounts of changes but didn’t try to push on any artistic views. Being left with room for his own interpretations and being pleased with their talk, Soul was ready to move forward with the project. It was the first time Soul was in charge of such an important project; one which would give a branding symbol for an entire town that was rapidly gaining prestige in Equestria. Soul raised his head and once again glanced over at the Town’s Square, seeing the buildings and stalls he breathed a breath of fresh air. It had it’s own vibrancy of earthy and elegant flair.

When Soul had absorbed the scenery enough, he pulled away from the rail and finally decided to head off to get food. He still had plenty of time on his hooves before he could meet up with Rarity for coffee. Even after their problems the night in the castle, they were able to continue their lessons regularly, with professionalism and more surprisingly still an atmosphere of delight and kindness; even after dropped the “not friends” -bomb. However her behavior had slightly changed, she doesn’t address Soul with a term “friend” anymore but now talks twice as much as before.

The stallion pulled out his notebook and started to review all the changes the Mayor wanted as he headed towards the stairs. “Let’s see.. More color options, another background picture, less--- Oh CRAP!” Before he could finish his thought he ran into a stack of papers someone had left on the stairs. He almost slipped as he fell to the next step but caught himself. He immediately triggered his magic, put his book away and started gathering the papers back together.

“Soul?”

“Huh?” Soul turned around to look in the direction of the call and saw a couple familiar faces helping him pick up the papers. “Oh, Twilight, Spike... I uh... well hi….” He looked at both of them checking papers for smudges and dirt as they picked them up. “Judging by the look on your faces, these are yours...”

“Well at least this wasn’t my fault this time,” Spike said with a smirk and looked toward Twilight out of the corner of his eye.

Soul picked up a few more papers keeping them all in a stack and offered them to Twilight who wrapped her magic around them so he could release his and continued picking up more. “Sorry about that... Should’ve watched where I was going. I will gather them, you two don’t need to worry.”

Twilight immediately waved a hoof and shook her head. “No worries, it happens. And we were trying to spread them around town after all,” she said with a small laugh and helped collect the remaining flyers from the ground. “How are you doing? I haven’t seen you around since we got out of the castle. Have you recovered well from that night?”

He continued picking up papers, and checked to ensure none got too dirty as he made another stack.“Yes, I’m good. I mean, I just try not to think about that whole night. Luckily I’m plenty occupied with this and that to keep me focused on other stuff.”

“Good. So you don’t have some kind of post traumatic stress disorder?” Twilight said and tried see Soul’s face clearer around the papers.

“What? No no, nothing like that. I’m perfectly fine, I just don’t want to stay stuck on that night.” As Soul had collected the last remaining flyer, he took a better look at it to see what they were all about. “Huh… A writing contest?” He looked back and forth between Twilight and Spike as if asking who he should be handing it to, but Spike was the one who offered to take the last and largest stack.

Twilight nodded and jumped at the chance to talk about the contest. “That’s right! Spike and I have been planning this for weeks now! It’s an open contest for everypony who is interested in writing and wants to contribute their passion for it.”

“I see...” Soul’s ears perked and he began to scratch his cheek. “What kind of writing exactly? Do you give a topic for the participants to write about or something or specific styles?”

Twilight’s shook her head and immediately raised her hooves before her, waving them from side to side “Oh, no no no no! Every participant are free to choose what they write about. Fiction, romance, drama, even a documentary if they are willing to.”

The stallion nodded in understanding and held his chin. “Well there won’t be a shortage of variety, that’s for sure.”

Twilight nodded and held her head up high. “The more, the better! I’ve barely hosted anything public and thought this would be a great first thing to do since reading is a passion of mine!”

Spike looked up at Twilight with a raised eyebrow. “I think you mean ‘obsession’.”

Rolling her eyes Twilight continued. “The line is thin.” She handed the rest of the fliers to Spike and released her magic. “I’m just glad we finally get to do this after so much planning.”

Spike placed the papers back on the steps but farther to the side than Twilight did prior. “Yeah, especially since she’s done nothing but work since we got back home. All that’s been on her mind is the organ pegasi and well, other important stuff---”

Twilight nudges Spike with a sharp jab to Spike’s side with a hoof. She glowered down at him speaking through gritted teeth. “Things we should not talk about.”

Soul shook his head, waving a hoof and extending it as if about to step back. “I wasn’t going to ask.”

“Good. However, now that the organ pegasus was brought up, I have to ask…” Twilight glanced down at herself then stood up straight and cleared her throat to speak clearly. “You… Or, you haven’t been able to come up with any way in which she would be connected to you from your past do you?”

Soul shook his head again furrowing his brow. “Twilight, she was a stranger to me back there and she’s stranger to me right now. I have no idea who she was nor does Noble.”

Twilight looked over Soul again and nodded. “Right. I just had to check that one more time.” She relaxed as she took a step back, pulling one of the flyers off the stack and holding it up next to her head. “Anyway, why don’t you take one of these? As a creative person you might have something to contribute to this competition.”

“Well… I did use to write some scripts during my studies and even attended a writing class…” The stallion scratched his head and looked away searching for a distraction. “I think I’m going to pass. Writing isn’t really an area I’m interested in. Thanks for offering though, Twilight.”

“I understand, it’s no problem at all.” She moved the flyer back towards the stack making it flush.

Before Twilight finished placing the flyer back on the pile a switch clicked in Soul’s head. “Wait, I think I’ll take the flyer though. This is the perfect thing for Noble to attend.”

Twilight pulled back at the mention of Noble, she looked at the flyer then slowly lifted it towards Soul, her tone had immediately become cold. “Uhh, sure.”

Spike huffed and put his claws on his hips looking directly as Soul. “Come on dude, give it a shot at least. I’m gonna attend too, we could be a team or something! Twilight won’t favor us.”

“Sorry but persuasion isn’t gonna change my mind.” He shook his head as he took the flyer from Twilight’s spell.

Spike shrugged.

Twilight lifted the pile as she turned back to the stairs. “Anyway, we’re going to move on now with our chores. Take care Soul.”

Soul nodded with a smile and waved a goodbye. “Yeah, likewise.” After seeing Twilight and Spike pick up the pace getting further away, he put the flyer in his saddlebag and finally exited the terrace. The writing contest sure seemed interesting and something Noble should definitely be interested in even if it may take some encouragement to get him to join.

But now, one thought was on Soul’s mind, what kind of food to eat. He could go to his usual sushi buffet place, it would be a safe option, but on the other hoof he kind of desired something much more… filling. Pizza could be good. No, a hayburger. Hayburger it is. It’s Wednesday after all, yeah not the best day for a special treat but he tends to call that day an early Saturday. Plus he just finished a long meeting, so that justified it to himself.

With the decision now made, he headed to the nearest restaurant he could remember to get his treat.

###

The grill worker stuck a bag out of the small grill window. “Here you go sir, Triple Cheese hayburger with fries, soda and cucumber mayo. Have a swell day!”

“Thank you, likewise,” Soul said and took his order, and walked out of the way of the next customer. The warm smell of onions and grease made his mouth water already, it had been a while since he had gone for a burger. Around the grill were multiple empty tables for Soul to sit at. He picked the one with a large umbrella since it was a bright and rather hot day making it a good day to eat out.

As he sat down, he dug out all the food with his magic. He placed a napkin under the fries, opened the little container with mayo and lastly unwrapped the burger. Typically, it wasn’t as big or pretty as in the menu picture, but the taste is what matters. However, he didn’t even get to take a single bite before he felt a tap on his shoulder.

“Hiya Soul. How’s it going?” Noble looked over the unicorn’s shoulder, noisily trying to see what was on the table.

He turned around only to see Noble with a large apple carriage in tow trying to peek around him. “Noble! Hey there buddy.”

Noble smiled standing up straight again. “Mind if I join you?”

“Of course not,” Soul said and shook his head, tapping the seat on the other side of him. “Aren’t you supposed to still be at work though?”

Noble unshackled himself from the carriage and did his ordinary routine, making sure the brakes were on and a block in place. He then sat across from his buddy. “I am. I was here to deliver some apples. Though I’m ahead of schedule and Applejack has told me I shouldn’t overwork myself as much so I don’t think sitting down with my bosom buddy for a moment will do any harm. Besides I haven’t used my full lunch break yet.”

Soul’s eyes lowered as he glowered with an unpleased expression. “You’ve been in touch with Truffle, haven’t you?”

The earth pony looked away then glanced back at Soul before looking away again while he snickered. “It shows?”

With a large eye roll Soul smiled and lifted his burger to take a bite after he spoke. “It shows, ‘bosom buddy’.”

Noble crossed his forelegs on the table and leaned in comfortably to speak. “Yeah, she’s still messaging me at least twice a week and keeps sending her cookie or muffin baskets. We’re not going to run out of sweets anytime soon.”

Soul raised an eyebrow as he lifted up some fries to eat. “Isn’t that gonna be expensive…?”

Noble shrugged and then looked up and down Soul noticing his clothes. “I see you are wearing your trademark attire.”

The unicorn nodded and patted his shirt. “Yes, for the presentation I held for the mayor. I figured I couldn’t just go bare naked.” He then took his first bite of the burger, closing his eyes in delight.

A note clicked in Noble’s head. “Oh right, you had that today. How did it go?”

After he swallowed his bite he lifted more fries before he spoke. “Well, it was long but overall it was a success. Of course she wanted changes and such but in this occupation, everypony does.”

“I see, alrighty. Well I’m glad it seemed to go well.” The earth pony gave his friend a smile then looked around for a topic while the aromas from the burger stand distracted him. “So um, you picked a burger for lunch?”

Soul looked at his burger and then presented it to Noble, opening it and browsing through the ingredients and letting the smell of onions and garlic reach Noble’s nose. “Yep, big and greasy. I haven’t eaten a single bite today so I’m starving.”

“I haven’t eaten too much today either except breakfast and a very small lunch. Today’s been especially busy and I feel completely drained.” The scents teased Noble’s nose and he began to drool.

Soul noticed how Noble looked at his food and chuckled then cut it in half, giving a half to Noble. “Here.”

“What? N-No, I didn’t mean for you to split it with me.” Noble pulled back and attempted to offer the half back to Soul as he sunk his head down. “T-Though it looks soooo good… err I’m sure I could order something.”

The unicorn held out a hoof of refusal and gently slid it back to Noble. “Come now, there’s no need for that. Take it, it’s not like I could eat a burger this big in one sitting.” He levitated his slice and looked over for a moment before biting. “If you feel like doing something for it, just buy us pizza’s someday.”

Noble nodded his head vigorously and gave Soul a little squeeze. “Deal! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!”

Soul wiggled in Noble’s grasp, forcing the release then rubbed his ear. “No need to yell in my ear…”

“Sorry.” Noble backed away with his head hunkered down and an embarrassed corner of the mouth smile. He moved the burger half in front of him and lifted it. “Um, anyway, what have you been up to today?”

The unicorn rubbed his chest before he spoke. “You know, this and that. Had the usual lesson with Rarity and had my presentation for Mayor. I’ll also meet Rarity later today.”

Noble held up a hoof as he finished his bite. “Nice. How are things with Rarity and your studies? Has it become weird or harder since you dropped the... ‘not friends’ bomb?”

The mention of Soul dropping the bombshell on Rarity made him pause mid bite of fries. “Well… yes things are somewhat different and there is definitely a different atmosphere… But it hadn’t become any more difficult or bad. I mean, yes Rarity doesn’t address me with the term friend anymore and such, but otherwise we’ve been rather comfortable in each other’s company.”

Noble chewed his second bite, swallowing before he spoke. “That’s good to hear.”

Putting his food down Soul looked over at Noble with a frown. “Really, it’s because of you… If you hadn’t talked to Rarity… Well… I’m sure it would be a whole nother situation. You really saved my flank back then and I can’t thank you enough for that... To be honest, I feel a bit ashamed… for needing help in such situations.” Soul hung his head, looking at his food with a long face, his hooves on the edge of the table.

Noble wiped his hooves with a napkin and put a hoof on Soul’s shoulder. “Come now buddy, of course I did it for you. You’ve been helping me far more than I’ve been able to help you. I… might sound a bit mean now but I’m really glad it was one of those times I could help you. Ironic though, you are the most confident and straightforward pony I know, but still I have to help you out when it comes to explaining your feelings and I’m glad I can.”

The corner of Soul’s lips arched upwards as he looked at his friend out of the corner of his eye. “Don’t you just love having such a prig as your bestie?”

Noble chuckled and gave Soul a light thump on his shoulder and reached for his hooves, lifting them up to hold them a moment but quickly moved his hoof for a fry, pulling it back to him with a joking smile. “Hush. At least you acknowledge it. You’re the best darn prig I’ve ever known!”

Soul couldn’t help but smile and let out a little laugh at the comment and Noble’s joking deception. After eating quietly for a moment, Soul perked up as he remembered what was waiting for his friend in the saddleback. “Oh right! I needed to show you something,” he said and started digging through his bag.

Noble’s eyes perked and he stopped eating for a moment, sitting up straighter trying to get a peek at what this was.

“Well, after meeting Mayor I came across Twilight and Spike.” Soul then pulled out the flier and presented it to Noble. “They were spreading these across town.”

The earth pony took it and pulled it closer as he read; after reading a bit of what it was all about, his ears dropped and he gave a large gulp. “Oh… A writing contest?”

“Yes, I took this with me since I figured it would be a perfect opportunity for you. I mean, you still haven’t written a single poem for a while, have you?” Soul could see how troubling this was for Noble but knew that it was the best thing for him. He touched Noble’s shoulder as he finished his question, trying to look him in the eyes.

“Um… No… No I haven’t. I do have some ideas though!” Noble’s breathing had grown heavier and he seemed to shake a bit as he tried to defend himself.

“Well that’s good. You now have a stable job and don’t have to worry about a rent for another month. Don’t you think it would be a good time to start getting back to the thing you got that mark on your flank for?” Soul questioned as he pointed at the quill on Noble’s flank.

Noble clenched his teeth and looked at the paper, turning it this way and that. “Ye-yes… Yes, of course. This does seem rather interesting... I’m just not sure if this is a good place to start. Something smaller would probably be much more suitable for me right now. Right?”

Soul raised an eyebrow looking directly at Noble’s face with a questioning demeanor. “Something smaller? What do you mean exactly? Aside from work, you’ve got nothing but time.”

“Yes. it’s not that, I just…” The stallion gave a huff and put the flyer down. “I don’t know… I was thinking about just waiting and seeing if something nice pops up.”

Soul put his hooves on the table and spoke loud and sternly while he watched for any actions that he may be pushing Noble’s buttons. “Noble, I can tell you from experience, that’s a path you definitely don’t want to take. The longer you avoid writing, the bigger that step grows for you. You’re a great writer and I know you can do this. I know you and I brought this flyer to you because I truly believe in you.”

Noble sat in silence for a moment squirming his lips around as he thought about his answer. “Fine, I’ll think about it...” His voice was uneasy and his eyes rapidly scanned over the paper multiple times as if he were trying to search for some kind of catch.

Soul sighed but tried to hold up his smile. “I’m sure you would do great in it.” He patted his friend’s shoulder before lifting the burger for another bite.

“Thank you, buddy. And thank you for showing me this.” Smiling back at Soul, Noble’s eyes jumped and a hoof raised. “Wait, I just thought…”

Soul tilted his head. “Hmm?”

Noble scratched his head and looked between the flyer and Soul with a scrunched up sceptical face. “Can there be more than one pony working on the same story?”

After a moment’s recall Soul nodded reluctantly. “I guess so. I mean, Spike told me he is going to attend too and asked if I wanted to team up with him.”

With the new information Noble’s curiosity and anticipation grew. “Oh, well… Did you?”

Soul shook his head. “No, I’m not going to attend. It is not really my thing and it would require too much of my focus.”

“Ah, I see. I just thought- maybe we could’ve teamed up or something but nevermind then,” Noble said with a faint laugh.

Soul’s lips fell, he didn’t mean to cause Noble distress but had to stick with his morals. He put a hoof on the table, leaning to catch the attention of Noble’s eyes. “Sorry buddy, I would but I don’t want to get involved if I can’t put my heart and soul into it.”

“It’s fine, I would feel bad If I forced you to.” Noble took the last bite of his hamburger and stood up. “Well, I need to get back to work and the farm. Thank you for the burger and letting me know about the contest.”

“No problem. Hey, wanna watch Magi tonight? The whole season pack came from the mail today.” Soul lifted his last bite as well and gave Noble a few more fries to take on his way.

“You mean The Labyrinth Of Magic? Awesome! You bet!” Noble replied as he refastened himself on the cart before taking some fries and eating them quickly.

“Yep, I’ll look forward to it. I’ll see you at home!” Soul waved a hoof half turned, watching Noble leave.

“Yep, bye Soul! See you later!” Noble gave a small salute with the edge of his hoof and nodded to Soul.

After waving goodbye to his friend, Soul went and finished his meal, sat up and tossed out the trash they left and let out a big satisfied sigh. “That meal sure was something else.”

As Soul turned around and was about to leave, he was immediately stopped by somepony. “Excuse me, sir?” the pony said. She was a tan, fit unicorn mare with purple eyes and a straight mane with a long ponytail. She was wearing a purple jacket and black pants, and on her neck under the jacket seemed to be some kind of red tattoo-like mark. It was too covered for Soul to make out what it was.

“Yes?” Soul said taken aback, lifting a hoof to step backwards.

The mare looked Soul up and down. “Are you a local?”

With a scratch of his cheek Soul thought about his knowledge of Ponyville so far. “Um, kind of. Do you need help?”

The tan mare stood up cleared her throat and sat for a moment producing a pen and paper. “Actually, yes. I’m a bit lost you see. Do you happen to know where Ponyville’s Schoolhouse is?”

“Ponyville’s Schoolhouse? Um, yes I do. Do you know where you are right now?” Soul raised his eyebrows as he awaited the reply.

The mare looked rather ashamed as a slight blush grew on her cheeks. “I’m afraid I do not…”

“Well here, let me show you.” Soul took his saddlebag off and dug out a small map of Ponyville that he held onto since he got to town. He laid it out on one of the tables and he also dug up a pen, pointing at one location. “This is where we are right now, and this is Ponyville’s Schoolhouse. Following these directions you will get there.”

The mare looked at the map and directions, scrunching her eyebrows. “I see…”

It was clear she hadn’t understood the directions completely. “You can have the map if you want. I have no use for it.”

The mare didn’t look any less tense or reassured. “Thank you very much, but… Oh I’m so embarrassed to ask, but could you please take me there? I’m really, REALLY bad at reading a map.”

With a few blinks Soul just looked back and forth at the mare and the map. Did she really need a guide for such simple directions? “It’s… It’s not really that far. I’m sure you will find it without any trouble.”

The mare leaned in with large begging eyes and a long face. “Please sir! I really need to get there as soon as possible and I can not risk getting lost again! I beg of you!”

Soul looked at the map, calculating how long the walk would be and if he had other options. He held up a hoof that prevented her from growing closer. “Alright, alright, I’ll take you there miss…”

“Thank you so much! I cannot express enough gratitude.” She quickly took Soul’s outstretched hoof, mistaking it as a shake. She shook feverishly, clutching it with both forehooves.

Jumping Soul jerked his hoof away from the mare. He didn’t want to insult her so he quickly disguised his displeasure by trotting around her to the path they would need to take. “It’s no problem. I had to go there to see my tutor anyway at some point.”

“I’m sure she won’t mind if you show up a bit early!” The mare gave a curtsy and bowed her head to Soul. “I’m Belladonna. Donna for short.”

Soul gave a small bow of his own, his lips curled as he felt a little more like he was back in Canterlot. “Wild Soul.”

Donna put away her things and tightened her satchel back before moving next to Soul, ready to follow. “Pleasure to meet you Wild Soul, and thank you again.”

“It’s no big deal. Just know that I will notice immediately if you try to pickpocket me.” He gave a forced grin and turned to lead the way down the path.

###

Belladonna held her head up high as she walked with grace and pride, planting each step with purpose. “...And that’s how I achieved my 20th medal in swimming! When all those ponies were praising me and cheering my name, I knew I was made for the spotlight. That golden medal reflecting the lights and blinding the audience with my grace. 20 medals, it’s simply amazing, right?”

Soul walked with her, he looked over with an eyebrow raised, he kept his distance past a leg’s length. “I see… You sure are an overachiever.”

“You really don’t talk much, do you Wild Soul?” Belladonna retorted. Through their entire trip she had continued to be unsuccessful in whipping up some small talk out of Soul but remained unsatisfied as she had yet to find a single topic that drew him in.

Soul wanted to smack himself in the face but instead he just let out a deep sigh, hanging his head a bit and snarled his eyes tightly for a moment before rising to address her. “Pardon me, but I speak if I have something to say.”

Belladonna scrunched up her face as she was taken aback and even stopped mid strut and waited for Soul to stop and look back at her before she spoke. “You’re a really weird pony. You should go to some kind of therapy.”

Soul’s mouth almost dropped wide open. Did she really just say that? He sat in utter disbelief of how straightforward she was with her thoughts. “Wow… Well that’s bold.”

As soon as Soul responded she covered her muzzle with great alarm. “Did I say that out loud?! Oh my gosh, pardon me! I sometimes can’t keep the door between my thoughts and mouth shut. I’m so sorry! I can’t control my thoughts! I mean I’m sure you can be talkative and such, I mean you can be a nice pony I’m sure, SHUT UP ALREADY BELLADONNA!” She bellowed, stomping her hooves.

Soul stood and watched the display, he had raised a leg and was prepared to run if he had to, but simply stood for a moment without words questioning his next move. “...Ok.”

In an attempt to save herself and against her better judgement Belladonna continued her attempts to salvage the conversation. “I-I’m sorry! Please forgive me, I-I stutter and blabber when accompanied by such handsome stallions that I just want to throw myself in front of you, chain up your limbs and make you all mine for eternity and be with you forever and ever and ever and ever… BELLADONNA!!!”

Soul was speechless. For the first time in a long time, not even one word came from his mouth, not even a simple jokey statement to ease the atmosphere. He was completely lost and his brain was reduced to a chaotic cluster. He wanted to just gallop and get as far away from her as possible. He took a few steps back and watched her closely for any movement.

They were frozen staring at one another for a moment then Belladonna jumped up laughing. “Just kidding!” She pranced by with a bead of sweat on her forehead.

With a sigh of relief Soul began walking along side Belladonna again in silence but with a wider girth between them. The school emerged in sight and even for the remaining distance they both kept their muzzles tightly shut.

As they approached the entrance, Soul viewed the school yard and all the fillies and colts playing there. Some were having fun at the swings, some were sliding down the slide and overall everypony was having a fun time. Though this one colt caught Soul’s attention, a colt who was playing on his own with no friends.

However, he didn’t look sad. Instead, he was smiling, having fun just like others were, just alone. He couldn’t help but see himself as he was many years ago in that colt. Sure, he had no idea who he was or why he is playing alone in the first place, maybe he had a friend who was just sick or getting something from somewhere, but Soul wanted to imagine.

However, Soul’s attention was drawn away; he saw Sweetie Belle and her friends in the distance with two other mares. At first it just seemed like they were talking but when the other two started poking Applebloom and even pushed her backwards, Soul knew precisely what was going on. He immediately felt a stitch in his chest as he watched the scene.

“Oooh, Soul! Hi!” A voice chimed from the distance.

Soul’s attention was instantly snatched away from the fillies as he heard the call. His attention was torn between the fillies and the voice, but then he saw how a purple mare split up the ponies, giving Soul’s mind closure to turn towards the mare. Rarity was at the entrance of the school, the sight immediately made him smile and shout, “Hey there, how’s it going?”

Rarity waved and looked at the clock on the wall of the school house. “Oh, just fine! What are you doing here already? It’s not even near the time we agreed to meet.” She turned to look at Belladonna, putting on a curious smile. “And who might this be?”

Soul turned to look at the mare beside him, almost forgetting she was there for a minute. “Right. This is Belladonna. She ran across me at Town Square and asked for guidance to get here.”

Belladonna stepped forward and extended a hoof with her head held high. “Pleasure to meet you, Rarity! I love your mane and well now that I look at you more closely, I like everything about your appearance, if I was into mares I would ask you out!”

Blinking rapidly Rarity simply stared at Belladonna for a moment. She didn’t know what to say. She attempted to form a thought but only mumbled the first few word of sentences she could think of, without actually managing to form one.

Belladonna immediately charged to smack her head against the school wall. “Why is silence not something I’m blessed with?!!”

Rarity gasped and stepped back at the sight. “My goodness, miss! Don’t go and harm yourself like that!”

The orange unicorn quickly turned back to Rarity and bowed, closing her eyes. “My deepest apologies for what I just said! I can’t control my blurtings! Your friend here already unfortunately witnessed that…”

Soul raised a hoof to draw Rarity’s attention away from the mare. “Y-Yea but let’s not get any deeper into that.”

“My apprentice,” Rarity quickly corrected and gave a small clenched smile as she didn’t want to offend Soul again but still had to adjust to this herself. “Please you can stop bowing.”

“Thank you very much and sorry again.” Belladonna bowed to Soul briefly. “Now, the thing I came here for in the first place… Do you know where I can find miss Cheerilee?”

“Cheerilee? Yes, she’s over there at the swings The purple mare.” Rarity pointed her in the direction.

Belladonna waved to both of them and smiled. “Thank you! And thank you very much Wild Soul for guiding me here! Let’s chain each other up some day.”

Soul’s ears fell. “Wha---”

Belladonna flushed bright red again. “IGNORE THAT!” She shook her head and laughed awkwardly, taking steps backwards and bowed once more before trotting off. “Bye now!”

“Bye…” Soul replied and waved ears still flat.

Rarity and Soul both watched Belladonna trott off and didn’t move for a bit, since they had to give Belladonna’s persona time to sink in for a couple second. Eventually Rarity walked closer to her apprentice and tilted her head. “My… That pony’s friends must never have a dull moment when she’s around…”

Soul nodded and sat down rubbing his ankles. “Rarity she wanted to chain me up and make me hers for all eternity... ”

Rarity blank and just sat there in utter confusion. “Oh my.”

“Yeah” He kept his eyes transfixed on the mare as if fearing for his life.

Lips curling Rarity’s eyes moved towards Soul. “Well she’s not the only one…”

“What?” The stallion jumped, his body facing away as if about to gallop back to Canterlot.

“What? Nothing?” Rarity turned back at Soul and laughed awkwardly. She then quickly perked up then looked about and gave the air a little whiff then looked towards her apprentice. She gave another whiff and drew back covering her nose. “Soul… I… I can’t believe you…”

Taken aback Soul jolted and gave himself a look over. “What?”

Rarity took a few large steps away, holding her nose whilst holding back a gag. “Have you smelled yourself darling? That stench of garlic and grease floating around you… It smells like utter death, and you let that pungent smell float around in such lovely lady’s company!”

Soul’s lips fell. He turned and gave himself a sniff and even lifted a leg to check himself further but shook his head with a frown. He checked his breath and twirled his tongue around his mouth. “You might just have an overly sensitive nose… I don’t smell or even taste a thing. And she didn’t seem to notice anything either. Plus I ate at least six pastilles during our trip here.”

Keeping her distance Rarity waved a hoof in attempts to fan the smells away from herself. “You must be kidding… What else have you eaten?”

The stallion’s eyes dropped and his expression grew flat, he watched the dramatics but shook his head. “A hayburger.”

“I’m going to faint!” Rarity dug a diamond-shaped bottle from her purse and sprayed it all over the stallion.

“Gosh!” The spray hit Soul’s eyes like sharp needles, he immediately started coughing as some of the perfume got into his mouth and nostrils while his eyes watered. “D-Does that make you feel better now?”

Rarity nodded with pride. “Much better.” She placed the bottle back and stepped forward once more, taking in the new fragrance. “Now, since you are here, you might as well come inside and see what I’m working on? There’s no point in leaving anymore.”

Having pulled himself together he smirked. “Only if you have coffee to offer. It’s the least you can do after almost choking me.”

Rarity squinted and leaned in with a smile. “Look who’s talking,” she said and chuckled. The mare pulled back and turned to move inside. “We have a large thermos inside. Feel free to help yourself.”

“Thanks,” Soul said with a pleased nod and followed Rarity inside. “So what kind of thing are you working on here? You haven’t even revealed a word about it.”

“I will tell you in a moment darling. It’s been something we feared could never come to fruition, but now it all seems to be starting to come together splendidly.” She divulged as she walked him inside. “By the way, how did the meeting with Mayor go? You had it already, correct?”

Soul’s eyes crossed the room as he entered, greeted by the sight of fillies artwork and learning materials to nurture young minds. “Yes, it went rather well. Things are rolling at a nice pace and she’s a good client overall. I’ll spare the details for a better time though.”

“Okay!” Rarity chanted with a smile.

They reached the end of the hallway and came to a half-open door that said ‘staff lounge’ on it. Rarity lead Soul into a crowded room.

“The thermos jug is over there.” She raised her hoof over her head, singling out the location among the crowd.

“Gotcha,” Soul said with a nod and walked over to the jug. As he did he observed everything around him. All the ponies were focusing on something which meant there was definitely something going on. At the table he poured coffee for himself and added a little bit of cream and walked back to Rarity who had moved over to open a window. She was also accompanied by another familiar face, Fluttershy. “Oh. So you are here too it seems.”

Fluttershy approached the group with her head tucked down but gave a small wave. “Oh, h-hi there Soul.”

The stallion waved back as a small introduction but quickly looked back at his teacher. “So… What is this all about?”

Rarity made sure her pose was perfect before proudly announcing, “We’re going to host a charity event!”

Soul’s brow raised. “Oh, you are?”

Rarity stepped back to present the room. “Yes! To raise money for the school and support the young foal’s future possibilities. We have already planned so many wonderful things for it! Selling self-made products is a necessity of course, setting up stands to try out different areas of different occupations, shows on stage and also having professionals speak about their career, cutie marks, and answering questions from the audience.”

“That’s right,” Fluttershy spoke up, raising her head smiling softly. “The money will be used for new equipment that makes it possible to start up new club activities; that is, if we make enough of course. The Ponyville school sure is a wonderful place to study, but all it has right now is a newspaper....”

“Yes, and I’m certain not all the foals plan to be journalists or work in print.” Illuminating her horn, Rarity took a cup and poured some water. “Though yes, that is what we have been working on. So many ponies are working on this, even Rainbow Dash! Wonderful thing to set up, isn’t it?”

The more Rarity spoke the more Soul’s enthusiasm rose as he lifted his head up and his lips curved upward. “Rarity, you have no idea how much more I appreciate and respect you for this. Education and encouraging foals to explore possibilities are some of the biggest values for me, that’s one of the greatest things you can raise money for!”

Taking a sip and placing it down Rarity practically beamed. “Thank you darling! It’s delightful to see it’s close to your heart as well. Everypony here is putting their heart and soul into it so I’m sure it will be a delightful event!”

Soul nodded. “At least. Do you already have performers and such?”

“We most certainly do! I will introduce the magnificent world of fashion for fillies and colts, and will also introduce them to what running a business is like.” She squared up the room searching for imperfections.

Without missing a beat Fluttershy filled in. “I’m also in the show, showing off some lovely animals.”

Soul dialed it back and faced the pink maned mare. “What was your official title again?”

Fluttershy moved a hoof out as she seemed to fall ever more at ease but still leaned towards Rarity for emotional support. “I’m an animal caretaker.”

“Oh, okay then.” Being at a loss to keep up his conversation with Fluttershy he focused on his teacher. “Need a graphic designer to perform?”

Rarity blank, placing a hoof on her chest. “YOU want to perform? In front of a crowd?”

Soul nodded and lifted up his head. “I’ve done it for four years already. It’s kinda part of my job, you know. And was during studying. Plus I’m passionate about my job.”

Rarity rubbed her neck and glanced at the ceiling. “True... I hope you have enough thoughts to share for a larger audience.”

“If you need convincing I can give you a long long lecture of layout and composition, which alone includes proximity, contrast, repetition white space, alignment and from that I can go to explaining color theory and typography---”

“I’m convinced!” Rarity said as she lifted up her hood and her eyes journeyed the room once more before she nodded. “Alrighty! Let’s sign you in!”

In that instance Soul slammed on the brakes and held out a hoof. “Hold on. I still need to make sure I have time, so don’t set anything in stone yet. I’ll inform you later.”

“Oh that’s fine too! I’m delightfully surprised you wish to be part of this.” Rarity continued with a pleasant smile that practically glimmered.

Soul gave a shrug and smiled.

“Now, let’s get back to work! We still need to do a lot before we can call it a day here.” Rarity took another sip of water and pulled out her reading glasses which she rested on the bridge of her nose.

To the side Fluttershy rubbed her hooves together. “I-I think I have done everything I can here so I should leave in a moment… I still want to be able to start writing for Twilight’s contest today. If that’s okay.”

Soul’s ears twitched up. “You are going to participate in Twilight’s writing contest?”

“Oh, so you have heard of it. Y-Yes, I-I mean I’m not that good of a writer nor do I care about winning, but I thought; it would be really nice for Twilight if I took part in it, since she is really excited about it and needs ponies in it after all.” She stumbled through her explanation and kept looking down as not to meet Soul’s gaze too long.

Soul’s tail gave a wiggle and his eyes grew larger as he leaned in. “Are you going to write alone?”

Rubbing her foreleg with her other while averting her eyes Fluttershy muttered, “I don’t think I can get anypony to write with me.”

He almost couldn’t believe how perfect this was panning out. “You should ask Noble,” he said without a second thought.

“What do you mean?” At the more enthusiastic response the pegasus pulled her legs in closer. She was still not particularly familiar or especially comfortable with either of the stallions but knew they should be safe enough.

With such body language it was plain obvious she was uncomfortable. Soul didn’t want to pressure her but was too far in at this point. “He’s participating too but is in need of a teammate. Maybe you could fill in and team up?”

“O-Oh, I see! Yes, Noble IS a writer... Or a poet, rather…” Fluttershy’s eyes were glued to the ground, moving about, she wiggled a hoof on the ground as she thought about the offer.

Soul dug his small book from his saddle bag. “Well here, I can give you his contact info. It’s up to you if you wanna do anything with it.”

Fluttershy practically jumped. She clumsily but quickly lifted her satchel off too and dug her own book and pen. “S-Sure! Please, if you wouldn’t mind that is.”

The first flip sent Soul directly to Noble’s page. He recited the information and made sure the mare copied it down correctly.

The finishing touch of letting the information glow and a confirmation message was sent to Noble. “Thank you very much.” She put the book away, then gave a nodding bow.

Soul returned the nod and with a glow of his horn slid the book back in its spot. “You’re welcome.”

“I should be going now. Goodbye you two.” Fluttershy waved to Soul and Rarity and disappeared through the doorway.

Once Fluttershy was out of sight Rarity draped three outfits over Soul. “Now then, carry these and come along. I can’t interfere with what ponies wear to work but I can spruce up the assistants’ wardrobe.”

Soul was caught off guard and looked back hearing the explanation. “Wait, what? You’re gonna make me a pack mule now?”

Pausing with a roll of her eyes Rarity looked back. “Oh heavens no, of course not dear, this is still a lesson. Besides, pack mule has such a negative connotation. You are… a following wardrobe. Come along, we must account for time.”

With a huff Soul followed Rarity as she began her work for the event again.

Comments

[HolyCross9]

You know, I know Soul has his limits, but he should at least consider getting more friends in his life, especially since Twilight and her friends are the best kind of ponies to befriend in the entire world.

[Zykov]

8452914
Very true, let's hope some day he will learn to be a bit more open ;)

[HolyCross9]

8458729
That's precisely what I'm hoping for.