An Act of Random Kindness
Once upon a time, there was a pony named Quiver Quill. He was a bright young earth pony colt, but he was shy, uneasy around other ponies his age, and very lonesome and sad. Some of the ponies he went to school with bullied him and teased him, and often made him feel unwelcome. Anything and everything was fair game to his cruel schoolmates; the pony’s name, his poor athleticism, his teeth, his hobbies, whatever, it didn’t matter, and they delighted in making Quiver Quill feel miserable.
But he found joy in life in a love of books, of reading, and eventually, of writing. Not so much writing assignments for school, but writing fiction. Whenever he found the time, the young colt would write stories, often inspired by the books he read and loved. He’d write new tales of Daring Do and her adventures, of heroes in olden pony times who befriended dragons and, as time went on, of characters of his own creation. So much joy did he find in this, so much was his pleasure and his talent in writing, that out of the blue, the little colt discovered that he’d gained something wonderful without even trying – his cutie mark. And seeing that, he realized his destiny; to be a published author!
So delighted was he at this revelation that he continued to write as much as he could, and honed his craft. Soon, he discovered that there were communities, places where he could submit his stories and gain feedback. At last, he could share his stories with the world and gain approval and acceptance! So eager for this, Quiver Quill submitted his most recent works to the community, and eagerly awaited its response.
The response was poor. Many harshly critiqued his work. Others mocked him, crafting parodies of his works that only reminded Quiver Quill of the bullying he’d received in school. They found every way they could to tear him down, but there was no sign of them lifting him up. No praise, no positive critique, not even so much as a gentle ‘you have potential’. The only things he received were complaints of his flat characters, his flimsy plots, and his apparent lack of spelling and grammar skills. The response disheartened him, but he kept on writing. After all, it was his talent, and if no one else was going to help him improve, then he would have to do it all himself.
Time went on, and the colt grew into a young stallion, and he kept on writing, submitting stories to more communities in the hopes that others would find his works and offer something of what he’d hoped for. There were some positive responses as time went on, but he often faced setbacks; many communities ceased to notice his works, one even going so far as to ban his works under the claim that they were no longer fitting of their criteria. Quiver Quill didn’t know which was worse, the harsh criticism and cruel jokes, or no response at all. But still he wrote, for it was his destiny.
His time in school was little better, as he continued to be bullied as time went on. Even in the higher levels of education, where he’d hoped that others would have matured past such cruelty, he found himself facing cruel taunts and vicious remarks. And while he made some friends, he’d often lose touch for one reason or another, and that only made him feel lonelier still. But still he went, and he learned, and he wrote, for it was his destiny.
As he left school, however, Quiver Quill found himself faced with a harsh truth – his schooling had been expensive, and he needed to find some way of paying his debts. His family was poor, and between his father’s ill health and his mother’s ill fortunes with her work, things showed little sign of improving. While his parents supported him and wished for him to write and earn money, Quiver Quill didn’t think himself ready, based on all the negative feedback he’d received over the years. It didn’t help that he felt pressure to be successful, and that he often felt that, while his father loved him, the elder stallion was so caught up in his own frustrations and anger that he couldn’t be sympathetic to his child, and often lashed out at him, making him feel responsible and as if he were a burden.
One day, however, Quiver Quill received word of a job which would help him to solve some of his problems. Amazing Booksellers, one of the biggest mail-order bookstores in Equestria, was hiring, and while it would cut into his time to write, it would allow him to earn money and help his family, and perhaps even be able to find his own way in the world. He applied, and much to his surprise, he was accepted for a temporary position, one that could potentially become a full-time job.
The job wasn’t hard, much to Quiver Quill’s relief. Each day, he would arrive at the warehouse where he worked, clock in, and retrieve a magic list of all the things he was expected to retrieve. The items would be placed in a basket that he pushed ahead of him in a cart, and when the cart was full, or when he felt it was close to being full, or when his list was finished, the basket would be closed out and sent down a conveyor belt. It was hard work, but it was paying work, and he was glad for every bit he could get.
But the work wasn’t without problems. Whenever he came home in the early days, his father would ask if he’d been fired. And while they were rare, more often than not, the young stallion found himself making a minor mistake and fearing that this small misstep, this slight problem, would result in him being fired and his father giving him an ‘I told you so’. It never happened, but he still felt as if a cloud was hanging over his head because of it. It didn’t help that, on occasion, he would have one of his coworkers jokingly hurry him along. While he knew it was a joke, it still stung him that he felt like he was being rushed into something. While he liked the work, he often found himself retrieving products that he didn’t like, and the work was hindered by his magic list often glitching on him, sometimes forcing him to get a new list and continue from there. On more occasions than he cared to count, one of his supervisors would often confuse him with one of his coworkers, with whom he barely shared a resemblance. And the worst thing about the work was that, as time passed, he found himself exhausted from it, and unable to devote time to his dream, his destiny…his writing. Between the pressure from the job, the feeling of little faith from his loved ones, and his lack of time to write, Quiver Quill felt helpless, saddened, and depressed. He didn’t have anyone he could share his frustrations with, and he felt like no one would care if he did, either ignoring him or mocking him. The only thing he could do was soldier on.
One day, it was announced that the warehouse would have a guest; the newly-crowned Princess and a noted lover of books and reading, would be visiting. Quiver Quill was excited by this, but this did little to alleviate the pressure he felt, and once again, he found himself making a minor mistake, his cart hitting a shelf with a terrible clang. It had happened before, and would happen again, but this felt like the final straw that broke the camel’s back, especially as several products fell from the shelf. Frustration and anger went through him, at his situation in life but mostly at himself, and he let out an anguished cry that quickly faded into anguished tears as he collapsed to the ground. He wanted to stop himself, but he couldn’t, and the tears just kept coming.
And he could see it now, hear it now, the other ponies there laughing at him for his tears and his sorrow, his supervisors shaking their heads, and someone finally coming to him and telling him that he wouldn’t be an embarrassment to Amazing Booksellers anymore and…
“Sir, are you alright?”
His tears paused, and Quiver Quill looked up to find the last thing that he’d expected to see. There she was, looking at him with genuine concern and sympathy clear in her deep purple eyes was the visiting princess. He wanted to say yes, wanted to bury his sadness and frustration, but looking at her, at her concern for him, he couldn’t bring himself to do it, and he sobbed and told her no, because he felt like a failure who was never going to achieve his desires or his destiny, and be nothing but a failure.
She asked him his name. He told her, and then she said, “My name is Twilight Sparkle, and believe it or not, I know exactly how you feel.” And she asked him what she needed to do to help him clean up the mess, and as they did it, they talked, and the princess told him how she always feared being rejected as a failure, and not being able to live up to the expectations of her mentor. But she got through it, because she had friends supporting her. And in turn, he told her of his dreams and his hopes, and how he wanted to be a published author and be recognized, and how he’d kept writing in spite of the criticism and the feeling that no one cared.
“Quiver Quill, I understand how you feel, really. And I think I know what you need. For now though, you just need to relax. You aren’t alone, and somepony always cares.” Then she smiled and said, “After all, if I didn’t care, why wouldn’t I have just helped you clean up this mess?”
His spirits lifted, if only slightly, the young stallion laughed and thanked her for her kind words, and the princess went on her way. He wished he could see her, or someone like her, more often; someone as decent as her as a constant in his life would help him with any burden, if only because he has someone to listen to. But as kind as she was, he doubted he’d run into her, or anyone like her again.
It had barely been a week when he found a surprise in the mail, a letter inviting him to take part in a live prose reading at the Golden Oak Library in Ponyville. Getting there wouldn’t be a problem, thanks to regular train service, and it came on a day when he wouldn’t be working. His father found it very suspicious, but Quiver Quill was enthusiastic at the news and the invitation, and decided that he would go. His father continued to warn that this could be a trick, that there could be all sorts of nefarious reasons behind this, but his mind was made up, and the young stallion would go.
So excited was he that he wrote up a fresh new piece, short but easily enough to fill five minutes of time, and he eagerly counted the days until the prose reading. What anxiety he felt was overshadowed by joy – he was not only writing again, but he was being invited to read his works aloud at a public gathering! The how didn’t matter, only the why. His mood was only dampened when his father insisted on accompany him, just in case his fears were confirmed.
They arrived in Ponyville the day of the prose reading, and received a quick surprise that startled both stallions in the form of their welcome wagon.
“Hello!” A pink pony with a poofy mane appeared before them, seemingly out of nowhere, with a welcoming smile on her face. “Welcome to Ponyville, I’m…!” A gasp. “Are you Quiver Quill?! Twilight told me to keep an eye out for you! Of course, I couldn’t keep a literal eye out for you, because taking an eye out of my head would just be gross, but I could look out for you, and I did, and here you are! Follow me, I’ll take you to the library lickety-split!”
His astounded father following behind him, Quiver Quill followed the eager pink pony as she led them to the library, continuing to babble on about how she’d first met the princess and what they’d done together and how close they’d become as friends. The young stallion could only imagine the bewildered look upon his father’s face, but he didn’t comment, simply grinning as he went on his way, the chances of his father’s fears being true reduced significantly with every passing second.
When they finally arrived at the library, the pink pony led them inside, and finally, some of Quiver Quill’s anxiety bubbled to the surface as he saw the mass of ponies gathered around him. Ponies of every sort, from elegant unicorns to rough and tumble earth ponies to a pegasus with strange eyes gleefully enjoying a muffin, were gathered, and just as he feared being lost in the crowd…
“Quiver Quill, you made it!” He found himself looking at the princess again as she approached, clearly happy to see him. “I’m glad you managed to make it! I’ve been organizing this for months, and I thought this would be a great venue for your writings. Oh, is this your father?” She then introduced herself to his surprised father and explained everything, from how they’d first met to the arrangements for the prose reading. “Sir, your son spoke with such passion about being a writer. You must be very proud of him.”
And then his father smiled and said, “Of course I’m proud of him. He’s my son. I just want him to write his own stuff and earn money for it is all.”
“Um, excuse me, sir?” A pegasus who had previously kept out of the way, yellow with a long pink mane, approached and offered, “I don’t mean to pry, but…maybe your son doesn’t think he’s ready. I mean, I’m not saying he isn’t, but it should be his own choice about when he tries to publish his works. At least, that’s what I think.”
His father looked as if he wanted to argue, but opted to remain silent, and as the day went on, Quiver Quill felt what little anxiety he had ebb. He still feared what ponies would think, due to past experience, but he was here, and he had come this far, and he would do what he came to do, regardless. And when his time came, and he set his work up on the lectern, and he felt the anxiety bubble again…and he put it out of his mind. And he read what he’d written, and he waited for their response.
And he heard many enthusiastic claps and stomps of applause. And as he came down from the lectern, the princess and several other ponies approached him with praise, not only for the story, but being willing to share it. The words of one unicorn among them struck him strongest. “Darling, all artists face criticism. The important thing is how you face that criticism. That you were brave enough to come here is something to be proud of.”
“Man, you need to start publishing!” A rainbow-maned pegasus gleefully encouraged him. “I mean, your stuff isn’t Daring Do, but it’s still pretty good! You should try it!” When Quiver Quill admitted that he’d been working on something to publish, she encouraged, “Well what are you waiting for? Get it done already!”
It would take time, but Quiver Quill found himself back at work, both at Amazing Booksellers and on his prose, spurred on by their encouragement and hoping that someday, he’d meet them again. After all, they’d shown him kindness, and if there was one thing he’d wanted most, it was friends.
-
Dear Princess Celestia…
I’ve recently been reminded that everypony has times when they feel horrible or unappreciated. But I’ve also been reminded that in cases like that, it helps to know that they aren’t alone, and that all they need is a random act of kindness and a little encouragement to show them the way.
Always your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle