The Informant's Job

by Im a B O X

Visiting His Student

The Outskirts of Ponyville, Path to the Everfree…

Walking for a good far while, Formosa had soon found himself at the front door of a fairly modest house just outside of the Everfree. It was smaller than the average house around the town of Ponyville, and although he could definitely build more on the land he technically owned, he had grown to enjoy the simplicity of the garden fields that he had unknowingly bought for himself. Not to mention this is where his student had been a shut-in for the past week or so, having been provided by the seemingly endless amount of sources of books courtesy of Formosa and his underground library.

He hadn’t checked up on with Write for a while, with what the schedules of his work being centered on Canterlot and the vast railway network he needed to attend to, especially with the ever-growing infamy of his name amongst the nobles. Of course, he didn’t leave Write all to herself, he had Winger serve as her bodyguard while he was away. Although by the looks of things, there seemed to be some damage to the outer walls and faint signs of scratches.

‘Wonder what that’s about…’ he thought to himself, pushing past that thought as he approached the door. He gave two simple knocks and waited, when no one came to answer, he tried his luck and twisted the door knob to open it, finding out it was unlocked all along in the process.

Looking inside, he gave a quick sniff in the air and quickly made assumptions. He could tell it was a mess from the sight alone, books lay scattered and what seemed like several plates and cups trailed to show each trash bin was filled to the brim. But in no small part did he notice the huge mountain of what seemed to be boxes of pizza and… noodles. He wasn’t sure from the sight and smell alone, but it seemed like he’d have to set aside some bits to give this place cleaned up, maybe even having a word with Winger about policies concerning the food they brought with them from home.

“Hey Write! You in there?” Formosa asked aloud, slowly starting to enter some rooms in search of where he expected his current student to be. To his dismay, silence greeted him signaling his job wasn’t going to get much easier. Fortunately, his ears picked something up, the faint snores of a pony could be heard as he now began to rummage through the piles of books he had supplied her with.

“And I see you’re still at it with the books.” He said, finally seeing a good glimpse of Write Fountain, who was snuggly asleep beneath a mountain pile of books.

“Wha- hu?” Write groggily asked, suddenly extending her head to look around and spot the pony she thought she heard. “Winger ain’t here… he had some huisness with that Hatt fewow…”

Chuckling, Formosa’s worries were quickly put to rest. Sure, Winger wasn’t here, but knowing that Hatt was likely with him lent itself to be a positive, plus, he’d get to spend time with his protégé.

“Well, let’s get you, young lass, a nice refresh, now how does that sound?” he asked, patting and dusting her off as he helped her find her footing.

“T-that woul be gweat…” Write lazily replied, following Formosa’s lead.

---

After Formosa had prepared a good bath for Write, one she greatly appreciated, he got himself something to eat and drink while she did her thing. Taking his time outside, admiring the simple tree line out in the distance as he waited for her to finish up inside.

“Nice view we got, don’t you think?” Formosa asked aloud, having heard the creaking door open to signal that Write had just finished drying and prepping herself. “You know, it cost me a good sack just for convincing the mayor to sell me this land, and it was even harder to convince Mrs. Rich to simply shut up about her qualms with me building anything on it, but let me tell you, that pony was always up to something. Sure, she may have even thought that I was up to something shady, and I was very much impressed that she managed to get the Royal Guards involved, and I had to get Print involved in turn. A silver dime in a sea of gold in my small time around this town, not the best experience, but still something of a memory to remember.”

Smiling to himself, he rarely had the time to admire just how vast he could reach in this world, especially when compared to the monument that was humanity’s empire. Out here, where he was right now, it was just the simple greenery at the outskirts of an equally exotic town, by the path that lead to the Everfree. Fond memories, that’s something he would admit, he could still remember a time when he was a rookie long eons ago, often wandering off in those very same paths in the Everfree to learn about magic and to explain it to his mentor and superiors. In hindsight, it was a miracle how he came out alive, sometimes scathed and battered, but still alive from each trip into and out of that forest.

Which was suddenly swayed into a new line of thought as Write suddenly asked something out of the ordinary, at least to him. Something a bit too close to home and personal, but not quite there to fully break his well-kept hold over his emotions.

“Are we evil?” she asked, the question itself taking Formosa aback. “I mean… isn’t what we’re doing conspiring against the crown?”

“You? Evil? Good heaven’s no!” Formosa retorted, quickly pouncing to ease Write’s mind whilst also trying to avoid any and all possible routes that may even imply that he and his crew were ‘evil’. “Listen, Write, I don’t know where you thought or even how you arrived at that conclusion, but if we are even a sliver of what is so-called evil, then at the end of the day, we are simply following in what is called ‘The Banality of Evil’, a very unique concept if you ask me.”

Shaking her head, Write wasn’t quite sure where Formosa was headed, so he of course gave her a bit of explanation. “Well, to make a long discussion short, I’m sure your mind would wonder about complicated or maybe even simple motives when it comes to grand acts of heinous descriptions when the word ‘evil’ comes to mind, the keyword is motive. What this concept proposes, and I’m giving an oversimplified explanation here, is that evil is simply… boring. It basically rejects the idea of evil having a grand, or even reasonable for that matter, motive, and instead, proposes that oftentimes it is either out of nature or an indirect consequence of our actions. A byproduct of progression and chasing dreams of success, so to speak. And who can blame us for choosing the path of success? Isn’t that what our lives are meant to be? To chase the best life we could have.”

“That’s...” she was divided in that one, as horrible and as mundane as Formosa might make it out for Write, she still had something to mutter under her breath that not even he caught on. On one hoof, he had a point when it came to living and when one chases the high life, on the other, it broke literally every other convention of motive forming she knew and could cling on to.

Sighing, he could still sense that his explanation didn’t ease her mind, and not wanting to give another speech about careers or whatnot, Formosa instead decided to try one last trick to maybe help her settle down that internal conflict within her. “Write, let me tell you something honest. Even if I was to do my worst now, it would never hold up to the stories of monikers and the likes of respect or whatnot that they are showered with. Always remember, when you make choices to reach your goal in life, there are consequences, be they good or bad, foreseen or not. And when those choices come full circle, you can never change what is already done, but, you can start doing better from then on.”

Taking a moment to breathe, Formosa took a bite from the sandwich he had brought with him while he waited for Write earlier. Knowing full well that the next question he’s going to ask will either make or break a long partnership between the two. “So let me ask you this, Write. Are you in on the job I ask you to do, even despite possible consequences for doing such or not?”

Hesitant, Formosa was initially worried that he got his hopes too high. After all, these ponies were extraordinarily loyal to their rulers, lucky for them they could prove divine right in their context. That fear was set aside when this pony, a citizen of Equestria, sided with him.

“Why not?” She rhetorically asked, knowing her stand in the matter. “As much as we may disagree, you’ve still shown the respect anyone should deserve despite their views. You’ve allowed me to learn and taken me in when everyone else rejected my work. How could I not join in?”

Smiling, he decided to tell her a little story. “Well, from my time doing anything and everything I had ever done, I can tell you that not everyone is a stable screw… Some are unfortunate, and some are better off. Yet the same attitude is what had lead me to where I am today, simple indifference. You can choose not to follow that or not, but you’ll soon find that even with such a bleak view, it still has its merits, never deny the fact. So, you better find your way, because once you go down the path of no return, you’ll soon find some things are best left as is.”

“So what do you want me to do?” she asked, ever still unsure of where she stood in this rapidly changing world.

Looked to her with honest intent, preparing himself as he was about to give her the same response he told his group, Loose Winger, and even Fatt Hatt. “Stick to the plan. Make it simple for me, for yourself, and everyone else involved. And if everything is to accord, all should be smooth sailing.”

All Write could do was nod, she didn’t know what to do, but she was provided for so long as she complied. And so she decided to give Formosa a little test. Something to give a small drop of an answer to the inner workings that is Formosa Box, an intriguing pony in her eyes. “So if a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”

It took quite a while for Formosa to gather his thoughts on that one, but he eventually gave a compelling answer, at least to him. “Well… if I’m being honest? I’d say it wouldn’t have made a sound, since no one was there to ‘say’ it made a sound in the first place. It’s sad, but I think that’s the honest fact.”

Smiling and giving a heartfelt chuckle, Formosa honestly didn’t expect her to have an answer that was different from him, judging by the fact that she gave a face when he told his point.

So she gave her remarks. “I see, then we’ll have to agree to disagree on this one. And as much as philosophy isn’t my talent, I guess you’ve already taught me this, but it is the very essence of such things that make up our moral compass. We all have our little shticks and niches.”

“Now, going off-topic, how’s that essay and questions you’ve been working on going?” he, in turn, asked.

Delighted, although still very much perplexed by the sudden shift, Write indulged her mentor in a little bit of what she’s been up to. “Well, I’m still not finished, but I’m sure you’ll find what I have to be interesting.”

Smiling with content, Formosa let the moment drag on, losing track of time as Write went into a deep dive into explaining her entire shtick to him. The details of what she had planned weren’t important, at least to Formosa. For all intents and purposes, and as much as he hated telling himself this, accepting the simple truth will inevitably let him live a clear mind. He was merely using her for his gains, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t spend such trivial and solemn moments with her.

---

As the moment dragged on, he soon noticed the sun slowly starting to set, and he decided it was high time he try and find Winger and Hatt, to get some things clear up with them, so to speak.

And with Write finishing up her little moment, he let her in on what might (very likely) happen at Canterlot on Twilight’s coronation. “Listen, as much as I hope everything goes to plan, I can't help but tell you that when the coronation day for Twilight eventually comes, I want you to stay clear of massive groups of ponies. Cuz I think I overheard some numbnuts talk about some plan to ruin the ceremony, it was something massive and explosive from what they were describing, but that’s just hearsay. Still, be careful out there, I think there’s gonna be a big surprise once the coronation starts, and I’d hate for anything unfortunate to happen to you.”

Write shrugged it off as the reminding advice that Formosa gave, but still took it to heart. “Will do!”

So standing up, he decided it was high time he go for a little walk, look around town and maybe spot Winger and Hatt. Plus, Write deserved some much-needed privacy, she’s probably tired from all the reading she’s been doing. “Well, I’m going for a walk. Remember, early in the morning after the next week from now, got it? Write should be accompanying you until it’s his turn to do the inspection after the ceremony or something. Hatt would be at the station doing his regular with his staff, he should be waiting for you two and the rest of the royalties and nobilities that decided to go for our services by the end of the ceremony.”

“Got it!” she replied, parting ways with Formosa for a while as she huddled back in the place she had grown to call sanctuary. For Formosa, he took the path to Ponyville, taking a quick mental note to visit it sometime in the future.

Unbeknownst to the both of them, a small rabbit with (arguably) malicious intent scurried away to his caretaker’s little cottage, excited to share and start a little gossip with the element of kindness herself, because as much as he was a rabbit, he knew how to play the game of intrigue. And besides, what’s life without a little bit of chaos? A line of thought that said rabbit seemed to have picked up from a friend of a friend.

Author's Note:

More of a buffer chapter, so don't think too much of it. 

The next chapter is the Canterlot Coronation for Twilight, let's hope I don't burn that chapter to the ground.

Comments

[yonalkaru]

I wonder if discord knows about the humans?

[Im a B O X]

11326435

I'll actually deal with that after Twilights coronation. So theres still plenty more work to be done :)