Reparations Made
It felt like at least an hour before we were finally able to break away from the crowd of ponies. Even by then, all of them were still either congratulating me on how I had conducted myself, or were grimly predicting that I had set myself up for another disaster. Lyra, Bon Bon, Sparkler, and Berry had all given me big hugs in turn, Big Macintosh had even given me a hearty clap on the shoulder that nearly dislocated it, and I was feeling really good about getting all of that rage out of my system. I didn’t like getting so angry like that, but I also felt sure that my venting had not gone to waste. With luck, Dolly would be seeing the error of what she had done. I didn’t want anything particularly cruel done to her, but just for her to finally understand why you can’t just write up gossip about people.
Either way, Derpy and I managed to break away and made for home once again. The ponies began to return to their workplaces, still talking excitedly. Sparkler had to go back to the jewelry store where she worked, so it was just Derpy and me heading back toward the outskirts of Ponyville. She walked close by my side, still grinning from ear to ear, but when we came within reach of our homes, she let out a sudden gasp.
“What’s the matter?” I asked.
“I nearly forgot!” she said. “In all the hubbub about the article, I never checked to see if you had any mail! I hope I haven’t kept Comet Tail waiting too long. I’ll be right back!”
Without another word, she took off toward the north. Shrugging, I made my way back home and, closing the door behind me, settled down to make something for breakfast. I’d completely forgotten about it in the excitement of the morning.
After a good meal of peanut butter bread with an orange on the side, I gratefully lay down on my bed, relieved to rest my still-aching back. I’d send Ironmane’s assignment later.
I felt like I had barely closed my eyes before there came a sharp rap at the door, although, by checking my watch, I saw that an hour had gone by. I didn’t think Derpy could have come back so quickly. On the other hand, it could be Ironmane. That guy had an unpleasant habit of popping up when you didn’t want him to. Half-dreading who I’d find at the door, I went and opened it.
It wasn’t Derpy, however, nor was it Ironmane.
It was Dolly.
I was caught off-guard for the moment, not sure whether to feel surprised or angry or both, but it took me a bit to notice that something had changed. For one thing, she wasn’t alone. Papa Razzo was with her, as usual, but so was Headliner. On top of that, she had a very glum expression on her face, an alteration that really surprised me, as I had usually seen her with a sunny smile, always with that single gold tooth among the pearly whites.
“Ah, good!” said Headliner. “I was hoping to find you here.”
“Can I help you?” I asked, warily.
“Yes, actually. Dolly has something she’d like to say,” said Headliner, and he shot her a pointed look. “Well, Dolly?”
Dolly glanced at him with something like resentment, as if she were a child being forced to apologize to a kid she had pushed into a mud puddle. She sighed, looked me in the eyes, and said, quietly,
“I’m sorry.”
…
Was she serious?
“You’re sorry?” I asked, softly, and then, in an angry, incredulous tone, “You’re sorry?! Miss Tribune, sorry does not even begin to make up for what you did to me! You lied about me! You made me out to be a threat to Ponyville, when I said nothing of the sort during our interview! How do you expect me to just accept sorry for what you did?!”
Dolly cringed and looked at the ground. I put a hand to the door.
“I have nothing more to say to you, Miss Tribune, or your fellow staff members, so if you could please leave-”
“Mr. Dave,” said Headliner, in a reasonable yet hurried tone, “I know you’re angry, but if you would just let us come in, we can explain. Well, I should say, Dolly can explain.”
I glanced from him to Dolly, the heat that had burned through my veins when I’d read her article returning. I glared down at her. She looked like she meant what she said, even if ‘sorry’ was poor mending for a scandalous news article. Plus, it was Headliner who was asking, and I knew he was trying to make up for what happened. The two facts bumped against each other in my head.
“Well...I don’t...maybe...” I stammered, then sighed. “All right, I guess so. Just don’t mind if the house is a little messy. I wasn’t expecting company.”
The threesome stepped inside, looking about at my home.
“Charming little place you have here,” said Dolly, in what sounded like a brave attempt to break the ice.
“Thanks,” I said, simply. “Pull up a chair. I’ll make us some hot chocolate, if you’d like.”
“That’d be great,” said Headliner, settling down into a chair, as Dolly and Razzo did the same.
I set the water-filled kettle on the stove, then sat down to face them.
“So,” I said, “what exactly did you want to discuss?”
Headliner looked at Dolly, who said nothing. He cleared his throat, and Dolly once more shot him a glare as if she were being scolded. However, she relented and turned to me, saying,
“You have every right to be furious with me. I know what I did was wrong, but until you spoke to Headliner and he told me off, I didn’t know.”
I raised a nonplussed eyebrow. (Likely story.)
Dolly swallowed. She looked like what she was about to say was paining her.
“When I started out under Bulletin, Headliner’s father, I was little more than a nobody. I knew that writing news was what I was meant to do-” She twisted around to look at the newspaper on her flank, “-but somehow, I just couldn’t enjoy myself when I wrote bland, serious pieces. They were so boring, so uneventful. Who wants to read about some ‘town’s oldest tree’ or Mayor Mare’s latest speech on productivity? I suppose I was a little spoiled from being able to write about some of the more exciting things to happen in Ponyville, like an infestation of parasprites, or the rampage of Cerberus. I wondered why all of my stories couldn’t be that exciting.”
“So you started spicing them up, even if they weren’t exactly true?”
“Well, no, not quite as bad as that,” said Dolly. “I got my break when Bulletin asked me to do an in-depth report on Princess Celestia herself. I was so honored!”
“And how did it go?” I asked, interested in spite of myself.
“Much better than I could have hoped,” she said, brightening up a bit. “Her Highness was so gracious, so open, so genial, that I sort of loosened up. When I came back, I spiced up my piece with some little quips about her. I suppose it was reckless of me, and even Bulletin himself said he wasn’t going to be sorry if Celestia banished me for being so free in my words, but, to our amazement, she loved what I wrote about her!”
“Er, what did you write about her?” I asked.
“Oh, just little jokes here and there, especially one about her love of cake. She thought it was hilarious.”
I couldn’t help it; I snorted with laughter. Dolly actually smiled a bit, and Headliner looked pleased.
“And she let it pass?” I asked.
“I couldn’t believe she did, either. From then on, even after Bulletin retired and Headliner took his place, I thought I’d add a little variation to my pieces, make them juicy, make them interesting.”
Her smile suddenly faded, and her ears drooped.
“I thought, at the time, I was just being satirical, portraying the truth while also inviting a few laughs. Now that I think about it, however, I was only just deluding myself. I hadn’t realized how far I was taking it, how embarrassed and angry I was making the public. I wanted to believe they truly did like what I wrote. When it came to you, then, I suppose I went...a little overboard.”
“You think?” I asked, dryly.
“It was just so exciting to write about a creature never before seen in Ponyville before, that I wanted to go all out, make it my masterpiece. Only...only I never stopped to think about how you might take some of the things I said.”
“Was that concerned mother thing real, or did you make that up?” I asked, pointedly.
“I did go around to try and find ponies willing to add testimony,” said Dolly, “and one did express concern about a stranger like you being around foals, but not with such animosity as I put it to be.”
I frowned. She wasn’t exactly winning herself back onto my good side by saying that.
“Believe me, Dave,” said Dolly, looking up at me with a contrite expression, “I treated you so shabbily, and you never deserved it. From what I did hear about you, you’re kind, considerate, and all I did was turn you into a mockery and an object of scandal. Nopony even seemed convinced by what I had said, so I didn’t think they would take it so seriously. Now I realize it was a mistake to even think that. I know it was a horrible thing to have done, but if there’s anything, anything I can do to make it up to you, just name it, and I’ll do it if I can.”
I regarded her for a long while. She looked and sounded absolutely sincere...or was this just another ploy of hers, trying to get me in a good mood to make me spill more beans? Was she even now just trying to milk more out of me?
I mentally shook my head. No, I couldn’t think like that. Not everything deserved the paranoia approach. She was asking to repair the damage, so why shouldn’t I let her?
I cleared my throat.
“Dolly, I can’t say I’m willing to forgive you just yet for what you did...”
She looked downwards, glumly.
“But,” I went on, and she raised her eyes again, “if you really want to make amends for the article, I won’t deny you the chance to do so.”
That gleaming smile returned to her face, radiating hopeful joy. Headliner beamed gratefully. I reached out a hand, and Dolly shook it energetically.
“Thank you,” she said. “Just name it. No, wait, I know! I’ll print the truth this time. What do you say to another interview, and I’ll keep to the facts this time?”
“I’d like that,” I said.
“Lovely! And Razzo?”
Razzo looked at her attentively.
“Make sure you get his good side.”
Razzo nodded and saluted.
At that moment, the kettle began to sing, so I went to pour the hot chocolate. As I did, my eyes fell on my box of chocolates from Bon Bon, and at first, I wondered if I should offer some, but then, another idea came to me.
“Hey, Headliner?”
“Yes?”
“If I’m going to do this interview, I only have one condition.”
“Of course! Name it.”
“What’s the Express’s policy on advertising?...”
***
Actually, I have to admit, our meeting didn’t go half-bad. Dolly and I talked for a long while, probably an hour or more, reiterating what we had discussed before for my first interview, while adding some new stuff she wanted to know about. She seemed to be returning to her cheery self, though I wondered if she was still feeling pressured by her boss’s presence. She sure didn’t let it show, as she kept up a running conversation, her quill whizzing across the page all the while, and even had me laughing. She actually seemed really nice, and it felt like such a shame that she had made such a bad reputation for herself.
Razzo never said a word, but just sat by and listened as we conversed, nodding his approval whenever Dolly asked for his opinion. He would whisper inaudibly in her ear whenever he wanted to get something across, and I never caught a syllable of what he said. Maybe he was just not in the habit of speaking out loud.
Finally, Dolly put down her quill.
“Well, Dave, I think that will do it. You gave us much to go on. This should be in print by tomorrow!”
“Great!” I said.
“And I will be keeping an eye on her to make sure she keeps to the material,” said Headliner, in a lightly stern voice. Dolly grinned weakly.
“Why, Headliner, you know you can count on me.”
Headliner raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
“And you’ll put in that ad I requested?” I asked.
“Of course! I’m sure your friend will be most pleased with it.”
Razzo tapped on her foreleg to get her attention and held up his camera.
“Oh! I almost forgot! Do you mind, Dave?”
“No, not at all.”
“Nice big smile now.”
I flashed a grin, and Razzo’s camera flashed at the same time.
“Perfect!” said Dolly. “Thank you very much for your time, Dave, and again, I hope we might be able to put this whole nasty business behind us.”
“It’ll take some time for that,” I said, somewhat coldly, but then added, in a lighter tone, “but I’m glad you want to make up for it. I really do appreciate it.”
She smiled, and Headliner nodded his approval.
“Well, crew, let’s be on our way, then,” he said. “If we want to get this story out by tomorrow, we need to get started. Take care, Mr. Dave.”
“Take care.”
The three newsponies got to their hooves and departed out the door. I saw them out, then closed it behind them, breathing a sigh of relief as I did so. With luck, Dolly would keep her word. Surely she wouldn’t go back on it after being so sincere in her apology, would she?
I was just turning away from the door when there came another knock at it. Opening it, I found Derpy, a letter clutched in her mouth.
“Ah! There you are, Derpy. Hopefully you weren’t keeping your friend waiting.”
I took the letter from her mouth so she could speak.
“Just arrived when I got there, actually.”
“Oh, good. Well, whatever they’ve got to say, I’d better send them a reply quick, in case that article arrived.”
“Oooh, yeah...” said Derpy, grimly. She then added, sharply, “Speaking of, did I just see those newsponies leaving the neighborhood? What did they want?”
“Now, relax, Derpy,” I said, placatingly. “They just came over to talk and see if we couldn’t patch up this mess they put me into.”
“And you just let them come in? After what they did to you?!”
“I wasn’t going to at first, but it just didn’t feel right to me, denying them the chance to make amends when they were offering to.”
Derpy sighed and shook her head, but she there was a small smile on her face.
“Has anyone ever said you’re too nice for your own good?” she asked.
“Well...maybe,” I muttered.
“I’m only teasing,” she said. “I’m sure things worked out fine between you. I can only hope that mare won’t pull any more funny stuff this time...”
“You and me both.”
The two of us sat at the kitchen table, and I flipped the letter open.
“Dear Davie,
Still hope everything’s going good for you back in Ponyville. We’re totally bringing back some of Grammy’s cooking when we come home, cuz you would love-love-LOVE it! I can’t believe I forgot what an awesome cook she was! I can’t remember the last time my tummy was this happy. She even got Fluttershy to take second-helpings, and she hardly eats very much.
Speaking of Grammy, she broke out the family photo album, and we got to show the girls pictures of me when I was just an itty-bitty twinkie-Pinkie! Oh, the memories: my first piece of cake, my first time ice skating, my first cupcake, the day I first discovered my Pinkie Sense, my first pie...Whoops! I’d better stop thinking about food, or I’m gonna drool all over the letter.
I wonder if Gummy would like the farm. Maybe I should have brought him with. Do you think you could check up on him, Davie? The Cakes are watching him, but I’m sure he really misses you. I bet he’d love a visit from you!
Speaking of, Spike got really worried when he heard Peewee was acting funny, but Twilight told him she’d ask Princess Celestia about it, since she has Philomena for a pet. That calmed him down, I think, but I hope nothing’s wrong with the little cutie-patootie back home.
Talk to you again soon!
Pinkie”
I looked up at Derpy with a smile on my face.
“Shame I can’t be up there with them,” I said. “I’d have loved to see pictures of Pinkie when she was an ‘itty-bitty twinkie-Pinkie’. I’ll bet she was adorable.”
Derpy giggled.
“That’s so cute,” she said.
“Well, I’ll get right on the reply, then. You don’t mind waiting a bit, do you?”
“Not at all!”
I grabbed a fresh sheet of paper, my ink and quill, and wrote out:
“Dear girls,
Glad to hear you’re still having a great time up there. Everything’s pretty good down here.
I want to warn you, however, that this letter may arrive after you get the paper with a certain piece of news in it. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT freak out. I and a few good friends have already taken the steps to taking care of that problem. Again, don’t worry. We’ve handled it.
Ironmane already has me working on assignments as part of my role in the Round Table. Twilight, if you have any tips on mass-paperwork, I’d love to hear them.
Hope to hear from you soon!
Dave.
PS: Princess Celestia has a pet phoenix? Why am I not surprised?”
I sealed up the letter, addressed the envelope, and handed it to Derpy.
“I really hope this isn’t too much of a bother for you,” I said.
“Not at all!” said Derpy. “With all you’ve been doing for the family, it’s the least I can do for you.”
“Well, thanks. If Scootaloo does see that paper, by chance-”
“Don’t worry, I’ll explain it to her. I doubt she’d believe a word of it anyway. See ya!”
With a sweep of her wings, Derpy flew out the door and back toward the horizon. I shut the door behind her and, feeling like it was just about lunchtime, set about making something quick and easy.
***
I was up a little earlier the next day, and I was eager to see if the article had really made it to today’s paper. In fact, I got up in time to actually see Scootaloo zip by on her scooter, tossing a newspaper onto my doorstep. Leaning out the window, I yelled,
“Morning, Scoot!”
and she pulled to a quick stop. Turning back, she waved energetically at me, then sped off once more. I retrieved the paper and, laying back down on my bed, flipped it open.
There, to my relief, was a much better photograph of me, actually smiling instead of looking awkward, and the article accompanying it read as follows:
“The Ponyvillian Human: The True Story”
by Dolly Tribune
The Ponyville Express has always strived to be a didactic newspaper: informative and interesting. Unfortunately, there come times when the interesting outweighs the informative, leading to misinformation. This is such a time. Due to a grievous oversight, the Express would like to extend a most sincere apology to human Dave. The story printed in yesterday’s issue contained many errors that it is prudent to rectify for his and our readers’ sakes. Star reporter Dolly Tribune once more sat down with Ponyville’s new mysterious inhabitant for a second try at the truth.
‘While Dave has indeed arrived in Equestria via mysterious means, there is no evidence to support the fact that he is a creature from outer space. He still insists that the world he comes from is known as Earth, but even he admits that the thought of two separate worlds known by the same name is rather odd. What does remain a fact, however, is that he still has no recollection of what he was doing or what the means might have been that brought him to our land in the first place. Perhaps even Star Swirl the Bearded, brainy but eccentric, could not answer such a conundrum if he were here today.
‘Though he does miss his family greatly, and does think of them often, he has garnered some solace in the form of the good friends he has managed to make. He has, in fact, had the good fortune to befriend Pinkie Pie, party pony and assistant at Sugarcube Corner, which has led to his becoming acquainted with her other close friends. He has built friendships with many others, but he admitted to Pinkie Pie being his best friend, as it was she that first found him alone and confused outside Ponyville. “I feel awkward picking favorites,” he said, “but I stand by what I say: Pinkie is my best pony friend. She guided me when I was lost. She fed me when I was hungry. She provided a roof over my head when I was homeless. I’d never have survived if it hadn’t been for her.”
‘Speaking of the roof put over his head, we also wish to retract what was said concerning the Cakes of Sugarcube Corner. Their infant twins, Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake, were in no danger during Dave’s stay with them, and we sincerely apologize for portraying the good bakers in such a light; it was not what had been intended. Dave is not, nor has he ever been, a threat to Ponyville’s youth, and his exuberance under the influence of cider was greatly exaggerated. While fact-checking, we also discovered that Dave had rescued a young filly from the Everfree Forest: The filly is now one of his biggest supporters in Ponyville.
‘What is more, Dave has been granted the good fortune of securing employment in Equestria during his stay. After a meeting with Princess Celestia herself, he has secured a post within her royal staff, as part of her ambassadorial council. “I’m on call,” said Dave, “so it doesn’t pay a whole lot, but I’m not complaining yet. I’ve received one assignment so far, and am to expect more in the future, but it’s all part of the job. Hopefully I can provide a human’s insight into Equestrian foreign relations.” That should prove interesting to see. Let us keep our hooves crossed that he may lend such insight when the time is right.
‘Readers of the last piece may also recall that Dave stated that if he had an opportunity to return home, he certainly would. This time around, he had this to add: “If I could find a way to bring myself back to Equestria, and keep it so that I might return when I wish, I would gladly accept it. As much as I miss my home, Equestria has been wonderful to me, and I couldn’t just leave it willy-nilly.” Whether or not such magic exists, it is wonderful to know that our world has not lost its charm on our dear guest.
‘This may be only the tip of the iceberg when it came to our human friend, but we may hope to see more from him in the future. Once more, we wish to extend our most sincerest apologies to the unjust way he was portrayed in the previous issue, and to promise that it will not happen again.’
A big smile was on my face as I finished reading. Dolly had done it. She had kept her word. Everything was going to be all right.
As I glanced downward, I saw, to my joy, a square of text spelling out the advertisement I had requested of Headliner and Dolly:
“Looking for spooky sweets this Nightmare Night? Come down to Bon Bon’s Bonbons, Ponyville’s premier chocolatier, for a secret, special surprise this year!”
Hopefully Bon Bon would appreciate it. I didn’t know what she was planning, and didn’t hint to knowing it at all, so the secret would stay a secret. Feeling sure that the crisis of the article would heal a little better now, I set about to make myself some breakfast.
***
It was nearing lunchtime when there came a knock at the door. Still somewhat worried it might be Ironmane, I looked out the window first, but was relieved to see that it was Derpy, another letter in her mouth. I opened the door and let her in.
“Did you see the paper?” I asked, once she had come inside and given the letter to me.
“I did!” she said, happily. “You must have been so happy when you saw it.”
“I was, believe me,” I said. “I guess Dolly really did learn.”
“So there’s no hard feelings between the two of you?”
“Not so much anymore. If she stays a straight arrow, I can stay on civil terms with her.”
“You’re a very forgiving guy, Dave,” said Derpy, smiling.
“Er, is that a good thing?” I asked.
“Of course! It shows you’ve got a good heart.”
“Aw, well...” I mumbled, embarrassed.
I sat down and opened up the letter. As I expected, the new article had not reached them, and the writing was very frantic.
“Davie
I can’t believe it! How could that Dolly Tribune mare write that stuff about you?! You’re not an alien! You’re not a drunk! And how DARE she blame Mr. and Mrs. Cake for keeping you in Sugarcube Corner! You never laid a finger on Pound and Pumpkin Cake! And didn’t she ever find out about Scootaloo?! Ooooh, this makes me so mad! If you didn’t already, I’m gonna give her a piece of my mind and more when we get back! She won’t get away with this!
Just stay calm, ok? Don’t you believe a single word that mean-meany-pants says!
Pinkie.
PS: We’re planning to be back in Ponyville this Saturday."
I let out a low whistle. “I’ve never heard Pinkie so mad before,” I said. “I’m glad it was in writing form, because I don’t think I could stand to hear her rage in front of me.”
“It’s all right,” said Derpy, patting my hand. “They’ll get the real article soon, and it should make them feel better.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” I said. I could almost picture Pinkie writing furiously on a sheet of paper, teeth grinding, pupils shrunken to pinpoints. Either that, or she had had Twilight write it out word for word, taking in her exact rage. Those thoughts were both scary and funny.
Suddenly, there came another knock at the door, and a sense of foreboding came over me.
Sure enough, when I got up and opened it, there stood Ironmane, stern and impassive. Derpy gave a squeak and hid herself behind me. She must not have liked the look of him.
“Hello, Minister,” I said, calmly. “Anything I can help you with?”
Ironmane’s mouth twitched. He looked as if he had swallowed a lemon. His eyes fell on Derpy, who was peeking out behind me.
“Oh! This is Derpy Hooves, the mail mare. You’ve met her before. She delivered my assignment from you.”
“Indeed,” said Ironmane, stiffly. “I do recall her.” He cleared his throat. “But, more importantly, hu-”
He seemed to catch himself, and it looked like he was straining to stop himself from saying the rest of the word.
“More importantly, David,” he said, with an effort, “I wanted to have a serious word with you.”
I stared at him in surprise. For the first time since I’d known him, he actually used my name.
“If it’s about the newspaper article-” I began, but he held up a hoof to cut me off.
“It is, or I should say, it was. I caught sight of yesterday’s article back in Canterlot. It was quite a different piece of mail than what I was expecting to receive. I will not deceive you, David, I was prepared to be quite angry with you. I had thought that my warning had gone unheeded, and that you had gone too far into making a public spectacle of yourself. I thanked Celestia that nothing about your position in the court was mentioned, but all the same, it was a horrid piece of scandalous news.”
“Don’t I know it?” I muttered.
“When I arrived in Ponyville, however, today’s article was in circulation. I was rather startled to see such a change in Miss Tribune’s writing, and upon making a few inquiries, I learned that you and Miss, er, Hooves, was it?” he asked, looking at Derpy.
Derpy nodded.
“That you and Miss Hooves staged a mob to give Miss Tribune a piece of your minds, and that it was a success. I have to admit that I did not think you possible of such decisive action, David.”
“I don’t think I’d like to know what you did think me possible of, Minister,” I said, coldly. “I may be new to Equestrian society, but I’m not completely useless. I can take care of myself.”
“Clearly,” said Ironmane, stiffly. “I must, therefore, concede that I was, perhaps, a bit mistaken about you. I am not saying I completely trust you just yet, but you have at least shown me you can deal with a crisis. I...congratulate you, then.”
“Well, thank you, Minister,” I said, “but I owe it partly to my friends. I can’t take all the credit.”
“Modest as ever,” grunted Ironmane. He cleared his throat again. “Well, if there is nothing else, I believe I shall take my leave now.”
“Wait!” I said, upon a sudden thought. I hurried over to the kitchen table and picked up my worksheet, handing it to him. “I finished it, sir, and thought I might hand it in to you personally now.”
Ironmane received it in his telekinesis and roved his eyes over it.
“Hmm...mm-hmm...mmm...Decent,” he said, shortly. “In future, however, I would prefer a bit more detail. Still, not a bad start.”
Was this Opposite Day or something? Ironmane was actually complimenting me? What had happened to the world?
“Well, then,” he said, tucking the paper away inside his cloak, “until Monday, David.”
And he turned sharply around and strode off toward Ponyville.
“...Well,” I said, after a while, “I certainly wasn’t expecting that.”
“I don’t like him,” Derpy muttered. “He reminded me of a mean teacher I once had...”
“Well, hopefully, you won’t have to see him as much,” I said, consolingly. “He’s only supposed to come here every Monday to give me my stipend.”
“Oh, good,” said Derpy, relieved.
“To be honest, he kinda creeps me out, too.”
Derpy laughed. Then, she asked, “Say, Dave, if you’ve got nothing else busying you today, do you want to join me and the girls for lunch?”
“Sure! That’d be great!” I said. As she led the way, I added, “We can get a reply for the girls ready, too, though I don’t think much more needs to be said than I’ll be ready for them Saturday. I’ll bet they’re gonna send a letter soon in response to the new article.”
Derpy giggled. “That’ll be funny to read, I bet. ‘Forget about what I said in the letter before! I didn’t know!’”
“Oh, I’ve had that happen before,” I said, earning a laugh from the motherly mare. We headed into the house, where, sure enough, the three Hooves’ daughters were waiting at the table.
“Hi, Dave!” called Dinky and Scootaloo together.
“Hey, kids,” I said, and I took a seat right between Scootaloo and Sparkler. “I figured you’d be in school today.”
“It was a half-day,” said Scootaloo. “Miss Cheerilee came down with a cold, so she dismissed us early with our homework for the day.”
“Aww, that’s a shame,” I said. “Well, I hope she’s better soon.”
“So do I,” said Dinky. “Miss Cheerilee’s the best teacher ever!”
“And the ponies who substitute when she’s out are so boring!” groaned Scootaloo.
“Well, I still hope you pay attention and get your work done,” said Derpy, in a slightly stern tone, while she was stirring something in a pot on the stovetop.
“Yes, Mom,” said Scootaloo, wearily.
Taking advantage of the moment, I leaned over to Sparkler and whispered,
“The kids never saw the bad article, did they?”
“I don’t think so. They don’t normally read the paper anyway. They hear about big events when Mom or I read it.”
“Good. I’d hate to imagine how devastated they would have been.”
“Tell me about it...”
“What are you whispering about?” Dinky suddenly asked, making us jump.
“Oh!” said Sparkler. “Er, Dave was just asking me about...about...”
“About what she thinks I should go as for Nightmare Night!” I supplied. “Because, you know, it’s my first one, so I want to pull off a good one.”
I glanced at Sparkler, who smiled and winked.
“Ohh,” said Dinky, comprehending. Scootaloo suddenly giggled.
“And what’s so funny?” I asked.
“I just thought,” she snickered, “that it’d be really funny if you went as a pony for Nightmare Night!”
Now Dinky began giggling, and even Sparkler and Derpy laughed. I didn’t see the humor like they did, however. How goofy would I be, going around in a big horse/pony costume? I’d probably look like one of those kiddy mascots that the bratty boys would kick and beat up.
“Now there’s a thought,” I said, shelving that unpleasant idea away.
“I’d talk to Rarity about it,” said Derpy, as she began ladling out big bowlfuls of macaroni and cheese (one of my absolute favorites!). “She’s always the one to go to for outfit ideas.”
“That makes sense,” I said, “though only for a suggestion. I don’t want her to have to keep going to so much trouble just for me.”
“Of course, Dave, of course,” said Derpy, as she sat down to join us.
All in all, it was a pleasant meal, spent with pleasant company. Scootaloo kept dropping hints about what the next crusade was going to be, saying that she hoped that I ‘had my sea-legs’ or that I ‘didn’t mind getting a little wet’. I didn’t want to ruin the fun for her, so I just played along with the mystery of the secret. I suppose I can say that, though I considered Pinkie my best friend, the Hooves were a closest thing to a family I had experienced ever since arriving in Ponyville. They were wonderful ponies, and I felt lucky in having them as neighbors.
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Ya got italic problems mate through most of the end
2534547
Already found it and sorted it out. Sorry bout dat.
Keep up the good work.
Ugh, it's one of those stories that keep getting longer and longer. Will read later
Woo, nice. That was certainly unexpected, and well-played. I'm liking the slice-of-life-ness and realism this is giving. I can actually see this happening.
Quite literally. 
*wink wink*
As hilarious as it is to read the second half as a flashback in my mind, I would recommend fixing the italics. It gets to be a bit confusing.
2530429 They are an elegant weapon. From a more, civilized age.
2535408
Dave's a jedi?
2535408 Hokey Religions and ancient Weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side kid.
2535584 Only a padawan learner, he is. A jedi soon, he is to become. Much training, required it is.
2535802 If only you knew the power of the dark side of the fandom!
2534817
Yeah, I kinda goofed with that. It's fixed now, though.
2538895
I'm probably gonna get a lot of flak for this, but I never really knew about or understood the Trixie Pine Cone thing.
2541627
Applejack was under a lot of stress about what might have happened to Dave. That slap only shows how much she cared about his safety, and how angry she was about him being so foolish.
2541924 Gonna disagree with you there: it's still not a decent justification for getting physical. If AJ was a stallion and Dave was a girl, I'm dead cert you wouldn't write this.
Friends don't do that without at least some degree of retribution, which I don't see here.
2544238
I suppose I can't please them all. I was only trying to prove that not everything Dave does is going to get a stamp of approval. He's not perfect. I had a feeling I was going to get flak about this, but I don't know how I would make it better. I can't see how to alter it without still allowing the weight of what Dave did to sink in like it did and show him the danger he risked in going off into the Everfree Forest without telling anypony.
2544281 About that... Applejack grabbing Dave by his shoulders and shaking him until he starts feeling sick from dizziness feels more in-character for me. It's less offensive than a direct strike, and goes better with the show's cartoon violence.
2544305
Well, I see your point there, I suppose. I'll see what I can do about it.
2544305
All right, I've made some alterations. Hopefully that works better.
Nooo I caught up, now I have to wait for updates D:
Very very addicting story, good sir. I shall be looking at your other works from now on.
2544353 It's lovely!
And remember: I annoy you because I like you
I read the whole story from back to back in just two days and now I have to wait for more!?
fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/170/5/4/spike_nooo_by_physicallypossible-d3jcqgv.jpg
2546320 I know the feeling, I finished the whole thing in a few days too....now I think I'm starting to go into withdraw.....
2535802 Yet while you reload you'll be cleaved into two pieces.
Frikkin genius
I really enjoyed this little arc. You did very well in referencing the whole Rita Skeeter sub-plot in Goblet of Fire. So much, in fact, that I only really picked up on it after looking into the Good day line from the previous chapter.
My reaction:
*Slams door before she can say a word and goes back to bed*
-
Be interesting if he went as a Centaur. Course, he'd need to have wheels beneath the hind legs so that they wouldn't be dragged and run the risk of tearing them off while he's walking.
2555711 My opinion: give me a sword or bow and arrow any day. A gun or blaster would okay, but only as a back up if said sword or bow and arrow have been made inaccessible. Also, I find that swordplay and archery are so much more elegant than shorting at someone with a gun or blaster. Especially swordplay. That is a true art. Sorry for butting in on your debate, but I just so wanted to add my opinion. Hope you don't mind.
Strategically placed random moustache!
I remember beating up my first mascot, Killed 'im with the Violater.
4406381 http://www.reactionface.info/sites/default/files/imagecache/Node_Page/images/1310483866536.jpg
Didn't you mentioned that Sparkler was working or even living somewhere else?
I'm just suprised that she is still there, like other chracters in different't stories that only have two days vacation, but then they visit forna whole week or something like that.
Is that a quote from the Bible
?