Chapter Six
Front Page smiled to herself as she walked, approaching the editor’s room Hendrick had taken over when he had received his job. She was going to receive the edited version of her column so it could be run in the paper and also see how the fidgety stallion had taken to the change of surroundings, as well as his new work load.
She knocked softly on the door and waited, but when no reply was forthcoming from within. Rolling her eyes impatiently, she opened the door on her own and peered inside. The lights were out and Front Page had to fumble to find the light switch. After she turned it on, she was greeted with a perfectly organized editor’s room. The files had been reordered by Hendrick and the system he used was slightly confusing, something he called the Dewey Decimal System.
As she entered, looking for the stallion who was supposed to be in the room, she noticed a paper still in the typewriter, as well as a two individual sheets of paper that sat separate of each other near the device. Deciding to start with the paper he had written before he left, Front Page approached so she could read the type. Looking it over, a slight smile of relief came over her face. Then, she decided she should look it over, in case she missed something when she had skimmed it.
‘Dear Front Page,
I have need to go out today. It only recently came up, so I wasn’t aware of it until now. I have finished editing your paper and it is the one farthest from the typewriter. Sorry if my absence worried you. I will be back tomorrow. See you then.
Sincerely,
Hendrick’
With her smile still on her face, she approached the aforementioned paper. On her way, she let her gaze move to the other paper, the odd paragraphing on the page catching her notice. She looked down at it and realized it was a poem, most likely written by Hendrick prior to him leaving.
‘They told me I would be a great man,
But only if I never ran.
They told me the darkness was bad,
Because it held things light never had.
‘But I’ve run a lot, I’ve run to aid and help.
While they just march around and yelp.
And I’ve hugged the darkness, because it didn’t harm.
And I got to see the darkness’s homes and farms.
‘So now they say I am with the dark,
They came to end my life.
But with truth upon my head, a mark.
They are the ones who now know strife.’
Front Page reread the poem multiple times, trying to figure out what the stallion had been saying with the work, but was unable to decipher it. From all her experience as a writer though, she knew one thing: these words had had emotion poured into them. With a respectful nod, the mare placed the poem back upon the desk and retrieved her edited article before leaving the room. She still needed to get her article to the printer’s, after all. As she moved past the light switch, she looked once more to the empty desk in the center of the room. After a moment of stillness, she flipped the switch and closed the door, plunging the miniature world into darkness once again.
It was getting louder. Luna could hear it from the depths of her room and under her pillow. She still had a solid three hours of sleep scheduled, but the uproar consuming the castle and approaching her door was preventing her from falling back into her dreams. Fed up with the sound and having no explanation for it, the lunar alicorn rolled out of her bed and angrily approached the calendar pinned up in the corner. She scanned the page until she found the day’s date and was distraught to find nothing marked for the day.
Just as she was about to head back to bed and get the remainder of her sleep, regardless of the noise, a knock came from the door. Figuring it might be someone who could explain what the ruckus beyond her silent walls was, she went to open it. As she swung it inward, she spotted Hendrick, his hoof in the air as he was about to knock again. A few guards that were obviously not at their posts quickly dismissed themselves, not wanting to be reprimanded by the princess.
“Yes, Hendrick?” Her tone had an edge of annoyance to it as the lack of sleep pushed against her brain, causing her drowsy mind to demand more sleep, no matter who was asking for her.
“Do you have some spare time?” Hendrick said, looking at her with a worried expression. “If you want to head back to bed I would understand...”
“Nonsense, I have plenty of free time for a worried subject,” Luna replied, though her mind desperately begged her for a few more minutes in bed. “Especially if that subject single-handedly upped the attendance of my night court by several hundred percent.”
“I was just wondering...” His voice fell away and his mouth closed while his gaze dropped to the ground. Then, he spoke up again. “Can we talk? Alone?”
The tone of worry and fear held in his voice caused the alicorn to completely snap out of her state of mind and she smiled reassuringly. “Of course, Hendrick; come on in.” The princess moved to the side and the stallion approached somewhat slowly. As he passed by Luna, she noticed that a major difference had taken place since they had last talked. Shock ran through her system as she looked at the symbol now displayed proudly against his coat.
“Congratulations on your cutie mark, Hendrick!” She said, loudly. As she did so, she realized what the noise from earlier had been about and smiled. Looking back to the mark, she began to try and deduce what it was for.
The mark, in and of itself, seemed to display two different activities, causing some confusion in the alicorn’s mind. After all, it wasn’t everyday you saw a blacksmith hammer laying on top of a dictionary.
“Yea, it’s great.” The alicorn looked at him in confusion. His voice had held a grim tone in it and even now, his gaze was still locked on the ground, as if he was frightened and ashamed.
“What’s the matter, Hendrick? This is a wondrous moment. It’s not like you to be so depressed.”
“Isn’t it? Maybe it is, now.”
The alicorn raised an eyebrow at his statement. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, what if, now, I’m all depressed and grim. What if that’s what my cutie mark did to me?”
“What your cutie mark did to you?” Luna had no idea what the stallion was talking about, even more so than when he had gone on a rant at the dinner on the day they had first met.
“That’s what it does, isn’t it? Changes you. Makes you match the mark?” Hendrick asked as he looked toward her. “I didn’t ask for this. I would have been more than happy to have gone the rest of my days here without any mark upon my flank. But now that’s it there, I’m going to have to change to match it. Isn’t that how it works?”
“Hendrick, I think you misunderstand.” Luna said, very confused. How could a pony not know about what a cutie mark really was? “Your cutie mark merely displays your special talent, one you had all along.”
“Does it?” Hendrick said, his tone suddenly adding an angry edge to his words. “Because I’ve seen plenty of ponies around town whose personalities match their cutie marks. Vinyl’s is two eighth notes: speedy notes that are used to switch and change quickly. This is displayed in the way she acts rashly at times. Front Page’s cutie mark is a newspaper: something that changes daily, much like how she changed on the day I met her.”
Luna looked blankly at the stallion as he began to fall into his habit of rambling, confused and worried for him. “So now I’m probably going to start talking in a gruff tone or something, right? I’m going to change now. That’s all there is to it, right? What if it’s already happened? Maybe I’m not even me anymore. But then the question becomes: who am I? Should I change my name to match my cutie mark? Call me, ‘Verbose Paige’. How does that sound? I mean, if I’m not sure who I am, I may as well be someone else, right?”
The lunar princess listened to him ramble on for a few more minutes before determination flooded through her veins, like a fire roaring in her heart. “Hendrick, pay attention to me!” she demanded, her voice echoing off the walls of the room. His voice falling silent, the stallion turned to look toward her. “You are Hendrick. You are a stallion who knows so much about such a wide array of things. You used to be a librarian, but you are now editor for one of the best columnists in the entirety of Equestria. That’s who you are and that’s who you always will be, and no mark on your flank can change that.”
“But what if I’m not?” His tone was more relieved than it was before, but a new feeling of despair and guilt now hung in the air. Before Luna could ask him about it, he continued. “I’ve been lying since I met you, Luna. Not a straight out lie, but one of omission.”
“What are you talking about, Hendrick?”
“I’m... I’m...” He let out a slow breath. “I’m the proofreader and an editor."
Luna blinked slowly. “What? That’s what you weren’t telling me? But you said, ‘ever since we met.’ ”
“I meant today.” A half-hearted smile was coming across his face. “Sorry about that. Thanks for talking to me about it though, Luna. I was really worried there for a minute.”
“Of course, Hendrick. Any time.” The lunar princess returned the smile. Something was still wrong, she could feel it, but her tired mind was unable to puzzle it out. Her gaze moved to the clock resting on the wall nearby, detailing that a surprising amount of time had passed while Hendrick ranted. “It’s far too late for you to be heading home now. I insist that you spend the night in the castle.”
“I- I really couldn’t do that,” he said, the familiar nervousness in his words once again.
“Nonsense, you can sleep in my bed,” the alicorn insisted, completely ignorant of the way those words affected the stallion.
“If you insist I stay, then I suppose I could sleep here,” the stallion said as he curled into a ball at the foot of the bed.
“That can’t be comfortable for you. Are you sure?”
“I’ve been sleeping on newspapers, Luna; this carpet feels like satin to me right now.”
“If you insist...” The hesitance was clear in Luna’s voice as she moved towards the bed, eager to get what little sleep she could before she would be required to raise the moon. As she lay down on the bed, a spell from her horn darkened the room. With that done, the duo slowly drifted to sleep.
Luna looked around; something was wrong. She seemed to be standing higher than she usually did. Her mind reminded her that this was a dream and anything was possible, to which the alicorn decided to see just how high off the ground she was. As her gaze moved downwards, she noticed two things. She seemed to be standing on a white opaque tile that was almost invisible against the white of her surroundings. Secondly, she wasn’t even a pony in this dream. She was standing on her hind feet, a surprisingly less disorienting experience than Luna would have thought being bipedal would be like.
Her gaze moved to what had replaced her front hooves and realized they had been replaced with five digits attached to the arm with a large pad of flesh. A flash glimmered in the corner of her eye and she turned to see a mirror reflecting her complete appearance. Her blue ethereal mane had stayed, but her face had changed entirely.
The nose and mouth were separate, and her entire face was now a lot flatter than a pony’s. Despite this shocking body in which she found herself, a voice seemed to be whispering to her from the back of her mind. Human... Human... Human... She wasn’t sure why, but it sounded correct, so she went with it. She was a human in this dream.
Now that her attention was done being drawn to the oddities of her body, she was able to fully appreciate the dress that covered her hairless form. It glittered blue in the low light of the setting and she marveled at how well the cloth seemed to have been crafted. Her examination of it was cut short though, as she became aware that she was being stared down from behind.
Turning around, Luna saw another being not unlike her new form, though he was obviously male. His clothing was that of a tuxedo, slacks and all, while a top hat rested easily on of his head. She thought something about him seemed familiar, but that feeling vanished as a broad smile, full of joy, covered his face.
He waved his hand to something off to the side that Luna was unable to see. Shortly thereafter, a caressing tango filled the air. He held his hand out, facing upwards, toward Luna. Her mind acted for her and her own hand reached out to grab his. As their skin connected, Luna felt sudden warmth and comfort flood her being. The man moved their clasped hands to the side and he placed his other on her waist.
With little thought on her own part, she stepped forward and placed her hand on his shoulder. A moment of stillness hung in the air as the orchestra continued playing. Then, the duo began to dance in unison. With her body acting for her, Luna was merely along for the ride. As they danced, the comfort and warmth spread through her body, as if lulling her to bed. Just as she felt her eyes growing heavy though, a rogue flame sprang to life on the shoulder of the man.
She hurriedly removed her hand, but the man kept his grip on her waist and her outstretched hand, not allowing her to flee. His face was covered with a peaceful expression, as if nothing was wrong. She tried to tell him of the danger, but found her mouth unable to move. The fire spread quickly and, before long, his entire shoulder had burnt away as ashes, leaving his levitating arm to be consumed next.
Yet, he still didn’t notice. With a sudden burst of determination, Luna pushed past the weight binding her tongue. “You’re on fire!” Her words broke the orchestral music and the man stopped his dance, looking towards her in confusion. The confusion swiftly turned to horror and he let go of her, taking steps away as he tried to distance himself from her. The silent air was filled once again with the tango, though now it was composed of sharp chords from heavy metal music.
His remaining limbs were caught in the fire as well, and they began to burn away much faster than his arm had. He looked toward her as his torso began to burn and started moving his mouth, trying to speak, but unable to get words past the music that shook the world. Eventually, she managed to read his lips just before they were consumed in flame. ‘I’m sorry’
The fire devoured his face and head, causing the top hat to fall to the ground unharmed. Then, the fire consumed her surroundings. Once again, the top hat remained.
Luna shot awake, more energy running through her veins than she had had in a long time. Glancing towards the foot of the bed to make sure that Hendrick was alright, she realized he had gone missing. “What...” Luna said in her confusion, trying to understand what she had just dreamed up. “What was that?”
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Hmm...interesting development...
Why do I think Hendrick was at the Nazi book burnings and roasted alive?
1315961
denver.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw732_43236_-_Alicorn_artist_huussii_celestia_grin_monocle_and_top_hat_tea_teacup.png
1316057 I think he was someone from the Nazi Book Burning who didnt agree with them and was killed for it cause that would make WAY more sense than what you're thinking of
1316070 that picture creeped me the fuck out for some reason
Hammer and dictionary. Ah, wordsmith. Hmm... dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/shrug_Luna_apple.png
Proofreader? Oh, you're not suggesting he's on the EqD staff, are you?
Sigh. Now to wait for another chapter...
Oh my!
This is also a pretty good chapter and I enjoy it!
Different story, different pace, but it is really good!
GJ!
1316156
You ever read a novel novel (Yes I meant to put that twice) called The Book Thief?
Edit: On a side note, why do you think he's a brony?
1316201
i16.photobucket.com/albums/b15/ultra1437/Memes/13z2zvd.jpg
1316234
What's the novel about?
Great chapter... but this raised more questions than giving answers...
i16.photobucket.com/albums/b15/ultra1437/Memes/mlfw7476_large.jpg
Though i don't wish to wait... I must wait for more of this story.
this is good stuff!
1316328
http://books.google.com/books/about/The_Book_Thief.html?id=7XoCE_buGpEC
1316382
Thanks, i'll have to give it a read!
1316156 No, I haven't, but I suppose I can.
Assuming he's a Brony comes from his knowledge of Equestria, and there aren't that many sources, unless there's something else going on we haven't noticed. Hmm, now I wonder how many jump-gates that conclusion needed...
1316599
You're conclusion? Quite a few jump gates. Heck, maybe even a stargate or two.
Anyway, he is not a brony. I don't see what 'knowledge' he has of Equestria that can't be explained by him simply being observant. Heck, he's scared of magic in the first and second chapters.
Sorry if this is coming across as edgy, my mind isn't working too well.
A really interesting story, and i really liked your original character.
This story has at least three levels of awesome. Possibly more.
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Hendrick needs to get some Prozac. Then he'll be fine.
Maybe some propofol too... for memory modification... undertaken by me... >:}
:D
Nothing more, except moar
The first line of his note should be:
Dear Front Page,
Ending with a comma instead of a period and with no comma in the middle. If you're showing us some writing from someone built up to be such a great editor, you should double-check it with your Strunk and White.
That was some chapter. This story is wierd.
1316328 Isn't that Nyx?
1692055 yes, yes it is
So Hendrick is a Wordsmith.
Reminds me of a short story I once read and could never find again, it was awesome.
2832517 every fucking story, BANG. youre there.
This is the so deep... ponyception right now
2832517 i0.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/004/128/BRILLIANT_.jpg
I now just realized what it means you are BRILLIANT
Liar, liar, shirt on fire?
Seriously?
Not that there is anything wrong with a wordsmith, and it seems to fit him quite well, but how is what it represents not obvious?
Seriously Luna?