2 - Settling In
Lemon Hearts gestured in broad swoops of a hoof. "We need more lavender right here! Yeah, good, good..." She backed away from where ponies were working. "Hey Spike!" She turned towards him, a grin on her face. "Can you even believe it? Twilight's gonna get crowned again! I almost died the first time."
Spike inclined his head. How had he forgotten the cheerful unicorn? She certainly had not forgotten him, already treating him like they had been best friends forever. "So, uh, you're the event planner, right?"
"Sure am," she proudly agreed, chest puffing. "And I'm gonna make sure Twilight gets the ringing in she deserves." She suddenly burst into giggles. "Wow, gonna have to start calling her princess Twilight now, and bowing and stuff." She waved it away. "Super formal. It's exciting! Are you excited?"
Lemon watched him, and his face. "You don't look excited."
"You're looking like you're in your element." Spike fire a double thumbs up, his wings carrying him aloft a few inches. "Got anything..." He glanced left and right. "--that's gonna be a surprise?"
Lemon snort-giggled at the idea. "If I did, telling you would ruin it, now wouldn't it." She booped him on the nose. "You haven't changed! It's gonna be so fun having you two close at hoof." She saw a pony putting a vase where it wasn't supposed to be. "Not there! Excuse me, gotta handle this." And off she went to oversee her duties.
"Spike!" There was Twilight, approaching with purpose. "You remember the library Moon Dancer is usually at?"
Spike landed lightly. "Sure. I thought she hung out with the girls more now?"
Twilight nodded softly. "Sure sure, but the library is still her spot. Can you bring her a message?" A folded letter glowed with Twilight's magic, floating towards Spike. "I'd appreciate it."
Spike snatched the letter and tucked it under an arm. "Sure thing. She gonna be at the ceremony?"
"I would hope so." Twilight set a hoof on Spike's head, mussing his fins. "I'm learning."
Spike blinked owlishly at that. "What are you learning?"
Twilight spread the same hoof to indicate all the ponies rushing around. "I am trusting in ponies to do their own parts. Delegation, perhaps the most mysterious of magics." She and Spike shared a little laugh at the idea. "Seriously, no Twilinanas." She glanced off and back at Spike. "And if you see that happening, you have permission to shake it out of me."
"I'll do my best." He offered a salute before flipping the letter back into view. "Get this over to Moon Dancer?"
"Please and thank you." She leaned in to touch her nose to his cheek before trotting off on other business.
Spike set off, flying out a window that was cracked open and winning freedom from the castle. He took a deep breath of the cooler air outside, scanning with his eyes. Canterlot was a much denser place than Ponyville. Spotting any given building becoming more of a challenge with them all mashed in against one another. "Uh..." He flew down to the castle's gates. "Hey."
One of the guards turned his head, the rest of his body unmoving. "Afternoon."
"I'm looking for Index Card Library? East side?"
The guard was quiet a moment before he nodded. "Follow this road for three intersections. On the fourth, take a right and keep going. It'll be on the left side."
Spike thumbsed up at that. "Thanks." The guard nodded, but seemed focus on, well, guarding, so Spike started down the street, jogging through Canterlot. "Huh..." The city had once been home. He could even see a few familiar things, but just as much had changed. New store had cropped up, old stores had vanished. Same city, different contents.
"--iiiike!" He was tackled from behind, grabbed up in a firm hug. "Found you!"
Spike knew the contours of what was holding him, and recognized the voice. He gave a nervous laugh of surprise at the suddeness of it, but he knew who it was. "Gabby?"
"Got it in one," she sang, twirling him about in her arms to face him. "This city is big. I mean, I've seen Griffon cities as big, even bigger sometimes." She waved it away. "But none of them were so packed! Where ya going?"
Spike held up his letter, still dangling from Gabby's hands. "Gotta get this to the library, that way." He pointed the way.
"Oooo, you took my old job?" Her brows waggled. "Bold. Are you ready to handle that kind of responsibility?"
Spike snorted, breaking out into a full laugh. "Not the first time I got a letter somewhere, though most of the time I just set it on fire."
Gabby inclined her head with the skill of a bird. "Setting the mail on fire would have gotten me fired."
"It's magic fire, if that helps." Spike stuck his tongue at the idea of just incinerating the letter. "So, uh... You went and found a job?"
"Yep!" Gabby set Spike down. "You're looking at no parcel carrier. I have a way classier job now."
"Really?" Spike blinked in wonder. "What sort of job?"
Gabby turned to offer her profile. "Rarity, you remember her? She was still kinda guilty about what happened. So I told her I needed a job in Canterlot, and she hooked me right up! I'm the model for her store, for biped customers. Sassy Saddles doesn't know a thing about people who walk on two legs." She stretched one leg, then the other. "Or like you." She leveled a finger at Spike. "Now they use me as a living dummy. And I get paid!"
Spike scratched at his small snout. "Huh, you do realize, they're both gonna expect you to wear their stuff and walk with it in front of a lot of creatures."
Gabby blinked at that. "Huh? I thought I'd just be a griffonkin for them to work on."
"I'm sure that's involved." Spike pedaled his hands over one another. "But after that, they're gonna want to show off their designs, and they'll need someone who fits them, and you're gonna fit... So..."
"Oh... Wow." Gabby slapped a hand against her right cheek. "I shoulda thought about that. So I'm really a model. That sounds fun." She brought up her clenched hands, trembling with excitement. "Do you think I can make their stuff look pretty?"
Spike's cheeks warmed. "What? I mean..." His eyes wandered up and down over her. "Yeah! Sure... Uh... Go for ale-yellow, cream-white, blue, green, purple, or red." He could see Gabby was looking confused. "Uh, well... When I helped with Rarity, kinda got an eye for, you know... colors? Those'll match your fur."
Gabby burst into merry giggles. "Oh, you're too good." She reached to muss the top of his head. "Now where's this library we're looking for?"
"Uh, that way?" He started towards it, though clearly a bit confused. "But you didn't have to come with me."
"I didn't have to, no." And yet, there she was, walking alongside him. "But I'm gonna. Sassy said they won't be ready for me until the day after tomorrow, so that's when I start. Today? Day off!" She raised her hands, attempting to raise a roof that wasn't there with celebratory hoots of victory. "Which means hangin' with my bud while he works is an option."
"Alright." There was no rule against that, and they were moving in the right direction. "Hey, you don't know any of my Canterlot friends, do you?"
"Um, not really." She stroked at her beak as she followed along. "Which one are we visiting? Are we visiting a friend?"
"Actually, yeah." Spike held up the letter. "This is going to Moon Dancer. She's a smart unicorn, like Twilight really. She can look like her too, come to think, especially if she lets her mane down."
Gabby giggled at that. "That would drive some creatures insane. Did you know that? Some creatures think ponies all look the same." She shrugged softly. "They look different enough to me. Now, dragons... Dragons look way different from each other. And us griffons!" She hiked a thumb at herself. "We come in a lot of shapes and sizes."
"I've heard of that." Spike tucked the letter close, but there it was. "That's the place." He accelerated towards the library with a smile. "Hopefully she's in here, reading. I just have to get this to her."
"What if she isn't?" hissed Gabby, voice dropping as they entered the library. "Lots of books in here... Which makes sense, being a library and all."
"And probably no comics." Spike rolled his eyes at the inferior--
A unicorn was pointing to the left of herself. There was an entire row of comics. She said nothing.
Spike nodded slowly, schooled. "Huh... Nice." He offered a thumbs up, but hurried forward. It was time to find a pony, not enjoy a comic. Still, good to know he could find some there, without paying for each of them. Score! "Moon," he whispered, peeking around a corner.
"There are a lot of unicorns around," noted Gabby, trailing after him quietly. "Is this what it feels like? I don't know any of these ponies."
"Yeah..." They could have all been the same pony so far as it boiled down to.
But there was only one Moon Dancer. "There." He pointed before scurrying, weaving around desks and under a chair before popping up next to Moon with a big smile. "Hiya."
"Mmm."
"Interesting book?"
"Mmm."
Gabby inclined her head slowly. "Must be. She's really into it."
"Huh?" Moon looked up and jerked back in surprise. "Oh! You're new." Her magic closed the book quietly. "Spike." She offered a hoof and soon was hugging him with a little smile, her coolness warming away quickly. "I wasn't expecting you."
Gabby burst into little giggles. "Aw, you two long friends?"
Spike began to blush, caught. "Y-yeah! Moon's great." He gestured towards her, then back at Gabby. "This is Gabby. She's a friend of mine, used to be a mail carrier, now a model."
Moon blinked slowly. "That is an impressive professional pivot."
"You're telling me?" Gabby sank into the chair next to Moon. "Spike has a letter for you, by the way."
"Oh right!" Spike quickly dug out the letter and offered it towards Moon. "From Twilight."
Moon's attention become fixed on the letter. "Let me see." Her magic snatched it without delay, folding it open, her eyes sweeping left and right in rapid reading. "Hm. I can handle this." She grabbed a quill from across the room and wrote up a rapidly reply, folding it nearly right down the middle. "Bring this back to her with my well wishes."
Spike tucked the new letter away. "You got it. What was she asking?"
"That is a secret." Moon smirked faintly. "That was a joke. She just wants my help with a minor magic ritual. I am familiar with it and am available to lend a hoof. I will be there." Just as Spike turned to go, her hoof cut him off. "You two are living in Canterlot now, right?"
Spike nodded at Moon. "Sure are, at the castle." He pointed the way, though a wall was in the way.
"I'm living in Canterlot too," gladly joined Gabby with a friendly smile. "We're all friends now."
"That has not been confirmed." Moon examined the griffon a moment. "Though if you are a friend of Spike's, the associative nature of friendship does increase the odds that we will establish a rapport, but it is not assured."
Spike sliced across his neck with a sweep of his hands. "That's Moonspeak for 'Nice to meet you, hopefully we'll become great friends.'
Moon inclined her head. "Is that not what I said?"
Gabby burst into giggles, which lowered in volume when hisses for quiet came. "Got it. Nice to meet you."
Moon gestured with a toss of her head. "Spike, they have a section on Ogres and Oubliettes."
Spike had to blink. He had not expected a library to have that. Then again, the library also had comics. His measure of that library was increasing.
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If the library has comics and OnO books, then they also have a selection of tabled meeting rooms available, with efficient sound damping, and hirable at reasonable rates at non normal hours.
Its suprising how much money a group of 6 players can bring in to a charity hall, even in soft drinks like cola and coffee, for a few hour session once a week in the evening.
Good to see Spike finding out about the changes at Canterlot Library regarding comics & OnO, not to mention Gabby's new job! The conversation between him & Gabby was very enjoyable!
Really good start.
Really enjoyed the two first chapters and are looking forward for the next one :)
Bro. This library seems lit af.
Wait! What about Owlowisicious' fate?
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He and Twilight went separate ways when her library was exploded. This is canon.
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Amusingly, many libraries have both of these things RL. Go visit your local library!
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I live in a not well funded area. My libray does not have these kind of things.
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Aw, boo. I know one of the ones near me has quite the manga collection.