> The first reader pony
>  by Booker Longlegs
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> A new pony (edited)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The pony stood in the deserted road. He was tall, with a dark blue coat and a bright yellow mane. If there had been others, they would have stared at this sharp contrast. They would have exchanged glances at the unfocused, almost dreamlike look in his eyes. And, of course, they would have whispered at the trio of books on his flank. It was a routine the pony was familiar with, and why he had remained hidden until things quieted down.
The pony looked around, wondering where he could buy what he needed. One store in particular caught his eye, Sugarcube Corner. He walked inside, breathing in the smell of freshly baked bread and cookies. He spotted a bright pink pony behind the counter. He resigned himself to an awkward conversation, and approached her. “Excuse me, I-” he began.
“Ooooh, ooooh, let me guess!” the pink pony interrupted, “You want cookies!” The pony opened his mouth to reply, but the pink pony immediately said, “No, wait. You want apples! Sorry, we don't have apples, but we do have bread, and cupcakes, and cookies, and cake! So many cakes! Pound cake, chocolate cake, marble cake, fruit cake, pumpkin cake-” The pony had been growing more and more confused the more she kept talking. As she continued to list all the different kinds of cake, though, confusion turned to amusement. She just kept on rattling off whatever popped into her mind, quickly and unceasingly. The pony couldn’t help but laugh. “What's so funny?” asked the pink pony. She looked so confused that the pony had to laugh again.
“I'm sorry,” said the pony, “It's just that, this isn't what I'd expected at all.”
“What do you mean?” said the pink pony.
“Well, when a customer enters a store,” he said, “they expect to order, not have the clerk guess what they want. When a new pony comes to town, they expect to answer questions, not learn about the types of cake. And when I go anywhere, I expect ponies to ask about my cutie mark, not to have it completely ignored.”
“It's nice to be surprised. It's like a party!” she gasped, “That's right! I need to throw you a surprise party! Except now it's not a surprise, 'cause you know, and-”
“Okay, okay,” he said quickly, “That's why I'm here. I came to get a cake to celebrate moving.”
“Great!” she exclaimed, “How much do you need? I've got enough for ten ponies, or twenty, or fifty, or-”
“Just enough for two, please.” he said.
“WHAT!” she screamed, “You're only inviting one friend to your party?!”
“It isn't really a party,” he explained, “It's just something sweet for my sister and I to have for our first few days in Ponyville.”
“Oooh, you have a sister? What's her name?” she asked.
The pony felt a small smile grow on his face. “You know, you may be the first pony I've ever met to ask my sister's name before mine.” he said.
“Well, my name's Pinkie Pie,” said Pinkie, “That's one name I know. Oooh, and I know lots of others, too. Twilight, Rarity, Applejack-” The pony was quickly realizing that the only way to say anything to Pinkie was to interrupt.
“I'm Booker Longlegs,” he said, “and my sister's name is Pink Rain.”
“Ooooh, is she pink like me?” asked Pinkie.
Booker`s smile grew a bit. “Yes”
“What's her talent?” she said
“She's an artist. She puts dye inside rainclouds and moves them around to make pictures.” he said
“Oh, that sounds so neat! What's your talent?” she said.
And there it is. thought Booker. “My talent is reading.”
“Oh. That isn't nearly as cool as painting with rain.” she said, sounding disappointed.
Booker sighed, “I know. In fact, I might be the most uncool pony in all of Equestria.”
“There have to be other reader ponies,” Pinkie reasoned, “Some of them are bound to be less cool than you.”
Booker chuckled a bit at that. “If there are others like me, I haven't found them. As far as I know, I'm the only pony whose talent is reading.”
“Is that why you said you expected people to ask about your cutie mark?” Booker nodded, and Pinkie grew incredibly serious, “Still, you can laugh,” she said, “That's something,” she reverted back to her usual, cheery self. “And here's something else, I've got a friend I think you'll like. She loves to read, too.”
Booker looked at Pinkie hopefully. “Is her talent reading?” he asked.
Pinkie laughed, “No, silly. Her talent's magic. She just really likes to read.”
Booker`s hopes fell a bit, but not too much. He'd long since accepted his fate. “Either way, I'd love to meet her.”
“Yay! This is perfect! You can meet Twilight, and she can meet you! She loves studying weird stuff, like reader ponies.”-Booker`s smile faded at that-“and I can get started on your welcome party! Oh, but it's supposed to be a surprise…” she trailed off, looking very put-out.
Booker couldn't help it, he smiled at that. “Well, if there was a party, I'm sure I could act surprised.”
Pinkie brightened up at that. “You'd really do that?” she asked.
“Of course I would” he replied.
“Great! Come on, I'll show you where Twilight lives.” Just like that, she was off. Booker shook his head. He cast a look around the shop. I didn't even get my cake. he thought. Whatever he'd been expecting, it certainly hadn't been Pinkie Pie. He set out after her.
By this time, the town, previously empty, was bustling with activity. There were all kinds of ponies, construction ponies, gardener ponies, and restaurant ponies. They all paused to stare at the strange blue and yellow unicorn. They all exchanged glances with each other at the unfocused, almost dreamlike look in his eyes. And, of course, they all whispered at the trio of books on his flank. It was a routine Booker was familiar with, and why he would have liked to remain hidden. Pinkie was going fast, though, so he did his best to ignore it all and simply press on. 

> Talent
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“What do you mean you don’t have the next book yet?!”
Twilight sighed. Rainbow had come over first thing to get the latest in the Daring Do lineup. “Rainbow Dash,” said Twilight, “for the last time, I don’t have it!”
“How can you not have it,” Rainbow retorted, “You’re a princess AND a huge Daring Do fan. I’m not so good at math, but I’d say that adds up to early access!”
“I’m not going to use my status to get special treatment, Rainbow,” Twilight said, “Besides; didn’t you order a copy already?”
“Of course I did,” Rainbow said, “But express delivery doesn’t ship until tomorrow, and I just can’t wait that long!”
“I know that feeling,” said a voice from the entrance. Turning, Twilight and Rainbow saw Pinkie Pie leading a stranger into the library. He was a blue unicorn, with a yellow mane. He continued, “There’s nothing worse than waiting that last day before the book you want gets to you.”
As Pinkie and the unicorn came closer, Twilight took the time to study her guest. He was very tall, she noted, and he looked dazed and unfocused. Most curious, though, was his cutie mark. Twilight made a mental note ask about it at the first opportunity. “Hello there,” said Twilight, “My name is Twilight Sparkle.”
“My name is Booker Longlegs. Pleased to meet you,” Booker replied.
“And you as well,” said Twilight, “So, what brings you here?”
Before Booker could respond, Pinkie piped up, “I did! See, he came into Sugar Cube corner looking for a cake, and then-“
“Wait a second,” Booker interjected, a frown creasing his face, “I just realized something. Don’t you have to finish your shift there?”
Pinkie gasped, “Oh, that’s right! I completely forgot; I was so excited about introducing you to Twilight.”
“Well, consider me introduced,” said Booker, “Now, go if you need to. We’ll be fine here.”
“Alrighty, I’ll see you later then” Pinkie took off. Booker looked after her for a moment, slowly shaking his head, before turning to face Twilight.
“Where in Equestria did you find her?” he asked tiredly.
Twilight blinked. “Was that an insult or a compliment?” she said slowly.
“Yes,” Before Twilight could respond, Booker turned to Rainbow. “I don’t know you. What’s your name?”
“I’m Rainbow Dash, and,” she looked Booker in the eye, “I don’t appreciate people making fun of my friends.”
Booker met her gaze. “I wasn’t making fun of her, just pointing out that she’s a little off.”
Rainbow considered that for a second. “Fair enough.”
“Speaking of being a little off,” said Twilight, “I couldn’t help but notice something like that with you.”
Booker clicked his tongue.  “So close to a new record. What a shame.”
Twilight gave him an odd look. “What are you talking about?”
“It took forty seconds for you to mention my cutie mark,” Booker explained, “Impressive, but the record is thirty-seven seconds.”
Now Rainbow gave him an odd look. “You time how long it takes for ponies to mention your cutie mark? She didn’t even mention it!”
“When you have to hear the same old nonsense every time you introduce yourself, you do anything to lighten the monotony,” Booker said, “And as for her not mentioning it, I’m sure that’s what you were getting at.” He looked at Twilight. “Am I right?”
“Yeah…you are,” Twilight said, “Your cutie mark is books, and only books. Authors usually have a quill in their marks, and librarians-“
“Librarians usually have a shelf or ledger, blah blah blah, I’ve heard all this before,” Booker finished.
“Well, if you’re not a librarian or an author, what is your talent?” Twilight said.
“Reading. Just reading” Booker said.
“Your talent is reading?” asked Twilight. Booker nodded, and Twilight said, “This is odd. I don’t think there’s ever been a pony whose talent was reading. I’ll do some research later, and-“
“Don’t waste your time,” said Booker, with a slight bitter edge, “There hasn’t ever been a reader pony in Equestria. At least, not that I’ve found in my research.”
Twilight said, slightly offended, “Do you know how many books I have?”
Booker grinned, “A better question is; do you know how many books I have?”
Before Twilight could respond, Rainbow said hotly, “Is that how you talk to a princess of Equestria?!”
Twilight was glaring at Rainbow, when Booker said, “Well, she’s a princess, and I was talking to her like that, so the logical answer is yes.”
“Why? You know she could throw you out of this castle, don’t you?” Rainbow asked.
“First of all, she introduced herself as Twilight, not ‘Princess’ Twilight,” Booker began, “Second, she didn’t have me thrown out after my first sarcastic comment. Third, I don’t think a close friend of Pinkie Pie would stay a close friend for long if they stood on formalities. Finally, I just don’t think from this conversation that she’s that sort of pony.”
Rainbow looked somewhat mortified, and Twilight said, impressed, “You certainly are observant.”
Booker shrugged, “I get a lot less time in the real world than other ponies, so I tend to notice everything.”
“What do you mean by the real world” asked Twilight.
“I spend most of my time lost in between the pages of a book,” said Booker, “Honestly, Pinkie said you liked reading. I was sure you’d understand.”
Twilight thought for a second, and then said, “I understand exactly what you mean.” A suspicion took hold of her. “Wait a minute, if you notice everything, then surely you would have made the connection that Pinkie would be skipping her shift at Sugar Cube Corner.”
Booker smiled. “You’re not so bad at observing yourself, Twilight. You’re right; I did realize I was dragging Pinkie away from her job. However, the place had no customers, it was a short trip, and I think anywhere Pinkie works would need to be tolerant about that sort of thing.”
“Even so, it’s still wrong!” Twilight scolded.
Booker laughed. “It was also wrong when I pulled some strings to get early access to the next Daring Do book. That didn’t stop me from doing it!”
Rainbow gasped, rushing toward him. “You have the next Daring Do book?!” When Booker nodded, she squealed, “You have to let me read it!”
Booker looked at her thoughtfully. “Maybe I’ll let you borrow it. Buuut, you’ve been pretty rude to me all the time I’ve been here-“
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please, just let me borrow it!” Rainbow pleaded.
Booker held a straight face for another few moments, but then a grin broke through. “Of course you can borrow it. However,” he said, growing serious again, “If I find any of the pages torn, dog-eared, of otherwise damaged, I can’t be sure of what I’ll do. Please be careful, I’d rather not begin my stay in Ponyville by attacking somepony.”
“I’ll be careful,” Rainbow promised, “Where’s your house?”
Booker chuckled. “It’s the biggest available house in town. You can’t miss it.”
“Why did you get the biggest house?” Twilight asked.
“Because even with the biggest house I could find, and only giving three rooms to living, I was still hard pressed to fit every book I have in there.” Booker replied
“Now you’ve piqued my curiosity,” said Twilight, “Could you show us your house? I’d love to see this collection, and Rainbow would love to read that book.”
“Well, I did need to get a cake,” Booker said, “but I think Pinkie’s got that covered in her welcome party. So, why not?”
As Booker led the way out of the library, Twilight reflected on this strange new pony. After meeting Pinkie, she hadn’t thought anypony could really surprise her. But this new talent, and a potential new way for ponies to live their lives, fascinated her like nothing else. I’m walking with a pioneer, she thought, I can’t help but wonder, though, what’s the point of a reader pony? Where do they fit in the grand scheme of things?

> Settling in
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“There you are, Rainbow”
Rainbow squealed with glee. “Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!” She immediately settled into one of the reading chairs Booker had in every room of his house, starting her book before she’d even come to a full stop.
Booker raised an eyebrow. “I don’t recall asking you to stay for tea,” he said, a smile tugging the corner of his mouth. Rainbow, predictably, ignored him. He chuckled. “Looks like she’s already gone, eh Twilight?” He paused, waiting for a response, before turning around to see Twilight staring at the ceiling-high bookshelves lining every wall of the room. He sighed. “Guess everypony’s off to La-La land” he muttered.
Twilight, eyes wide, asked, “Does every room in this house have this many books?”
Booker blew air out of his nose. “For the thousandth time, Twilight, yes.”
Twilight shook her head slowly. “I just can’t comprehend that. You must have thousands of books in here.”
“Three hundred six thousand, nine hundred and fifty two at last count” Booker recited blandly.
Twilight’s eyes widened. “Seriously?”
“No,” Booker said with a grin, “I made it up.”
Twilight sighed with relief. “Good. I was beginning to think that-“
“It’s actually only three hundred six thousand, nine hundred and fifty books,” he said, grin widening.
Twilight paused, then said, “Have you read all of them?”
“Of course I have,” he said, “What else would a reader pony do?”
Twilight frowned. “That raises an interesting question. How do you make money? A collection like this doesn’t come cheap.”
Before he could answer, Pink’s shouted, “Booker! Where are you?!”
“In here!” Booker shouted back. Soon, Pink came into the room. She was (predictably) pink, completely pink. She was a young unicorn, with a coat, mane, and even a raincloud cutie mark colored pink. “Twilight,” said Booker, “this is my sister,” Leaning in, he whispered, “Don’t ask her for her name. Trust me.”
A bit bemused, Twilight said, “Hello, pleased to meet you…uh…”
“Call me whatever you like,” Pink said forcefully.
With Twilight thinking about this strange turn of events, Booker said, “So, young one, what do want?”
Pink beamed. “It’s done.”
Booker grunted. “Took you long enough. It’s been, what, three days since you started?”
Pink rolled her eyes. “Well it could have been done in two, but somepony decided I needed to see the dentist.”
“I didn’t decide you needed to see the dentist, it was just that time of the year again.”
“Well, if you’re gonna complain I don’t work fast enough, then don’t forget about-“
“Wait, wait,” Twilight interrupted, “I’m lost. What are you two going on about?”
They stopped their cheerful bickering. Pink said, “My latest creation.” She glanced toward Booker. “Just as well I haven’t activated yet. Now these two can see exactly what I do.”
“Yeah, I don’t think that one’s going anywhere anytime soon,” Booker said, gesturing toward Rainbow. “But I’m sure Twilight would love to see it.”
“What are you two talking about,” Twilight asked again.
“Go out to the backyard,” Pink said, “and find out.” Shaking her head, Twilight moved toward the door. When she was gone, Pink asked, “So, who are these two?”
“You want the long or the short version?” Booker replied.
“Short for now; she’ll start wondering where we are.”
“In that case, they’re friends who wanted to see my collection.”
“Right, ‘friends’,” Pink winked. Booker rolled his eyes.
“Come on, you.”
Together, they moved out to the backyard. Twilight was staring at the carefully placed, multi-colored clouds hovering over a suspended sheet of paper. “What’s all this for?” Twilight asked.
Pink smiled. “This!” she said, sending a jolt of magic through her horn into the clouds. As one, they activated. The rain splashed onto the paper, leaving color behind. The excess water fell through, sinking into the ground. In a moment, a full color, gigantic painting had been made.
Twilight was dumbstruck. “I-I don’t think water works that way,” she eventually stammered.
Booker laughed. “I don’t think so either.”
“Aren’t you curious as to why that happens?” Twilight asked.
“Of course I am,” Booker replied, “but when three hundred thousand books can’t tell me, I tend to think I won’t ever find the answer.”
“But-“ Twilight began.
“I’m constantly getting new books,” Booker said, “Maybe one of them will provide an answer. Until then, I’m content with just saying ‘magic’ and moving on. Now,” he said, addressing Pink, “what exactly is this latest painting?”
“A landscape of Ponyville,” Pink replied, “I always make one when we move.”
“Huh. You usually wait longer than this,” Booker said.
“The sooner it’s done, the sooner I can move on,” Pink replied, “One of your books told me that.”
Booker smiled. “Always happy to share whatever knowledge they can provide.” At that moment, he heard knocking on the door. He frowned. “I wonder who that could be.” He left Twilight and his sister in the yard, moving to answer the door. Upon opening it, he saw a young orange pegasus. “Hello. Who are you?” he asked.
“I’m Scootaloo,” she replied, “Pinkie wants you to come to Sugarcube Corner.”
“Ah, I see,” Booker said, “I think I know what this is about. Tell her we’ll be there shortly.”
“Okay!” She zipped away, hopping onto a scooter and taking off. Booker shut the door, coming back to where Twilight and Pink were waiting.
“-so how did you get your cutie mark, young one?” Twilight asked, taking note from Booker.
“Well, I've always loved to paint. I’d do it all the time, but that meant we ran out pretty quickly. Booker couldn’t keep up with all the paint I needed.”
“How often did he get you paint?” Twilight asked.
“Once a week,” Booker said from the doorway, “In other words, not nearly often enough.”
“Exactly,” Pink said heartily, “Anyway, I looked through the books and found a few recipes. I started making my own paint.”
“And my wallet is still thanking you for that,” said Booker.
Pink rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. So, with all the paint I could make, I started creating like mad. Soon enough, I got bored of making small paintings. I started thinking bigger. My first huge painting,” she gestured toward the landscape, “took a month to make. I decided that was way too long, so I started getting creative. Water was a key ingredient to the paint, and I knew from Booker that clouds are just water. I mixed my paint into the clouds, set ‘em up just right, and made my first rain painting.”
“Wow,” said Twilight, “that’s a great story.”
“Yeah well, now that storytime’s over, I’ve got some news,” said Booker dryly, “We’re expected at Sugarcube Corner for a surprise.”
“Judging by your tone,” Pink said, “you already know what it is.”
“Of course. I can’t be surprised. It’s a well-known fact.” Booker said with a straight face.
Pink snorted. “Right, and you can also shoot lasers out of your eyes.”
Booker eyes widened, and said in a mock surprised voice, “Can’t you?”
“Well,” said Twilight, “whatever the surprise is, it’s not getting any closer.”
“True,” said Booker, “Let’s pick up Rainbow and go.”
Rainbow did not take kindly to being interrupted. After a minute of saying her name, Booker used magic to snap her book closed. “Hey!” she yelled, “What’s the deal!”
“We’re leaving, and I don’t want strangers in my house.” Booker said calmly, “You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.” Grumbling, Rainbow flew out the front door, book clutched in her hooves. Turning to Twilight and Pink, Booker said, “Now, let’s go see about that surprise, shall we?”



The party went about as well as could be expected. Everypony was welcoming and friendly, the food was good, and the music was that perfect blend of relaxing and energetic that readers need. Pinkie definitely knows her business thought Booker as he introduced himself to the residents of Ponyville. His natural inclination was to drift to a corner, but he knew that these were his neighbors. The least he could do was learn their names. There were curious glances thrown at his cutie mark, but strangely nopony made a comment about it. Booker learned why about halfway through the night.
Pinkie had set up a small stage, and she called Booker up onto it. “Okay, everypony!” Pinkie said into a megaphone, “Now it’s time for the talent show!” Everypony cheered, and Booker realized why everyone had held in their curiosity. “The rules are simple,” Pinkie continued, “Show off what you do, and how you do it!” Booker could see a practical application to this. Potential employers could see what skills a newcomer had, making landing a job a lot easier. “So,” Pinkie was saying, “Show your stuff, Booker Longlegs!”
Booker stepped forward. As always, the feeling of every eye in the room trained on him made him uncomfortable. He allowed none of it to show, however, as he addressed the crowd. “Hello, everypony. My name is Booker Longlegs, but you knew that already,” Booker added, nodding to Pinkie, “I’ve seen the curiosity in all of you when you see my cutie mark, and so allow me to clear that up. My talent is reading,” The crowd began muttering among themselves, with Booker patiently letting it go on. Eventually, they quieted down, realizing he had more to say. “Now, I highly doubt that you want to see me read for the next ten minutes,” The crowd chuckled, “so I will take this time to answer a question posed to me by your princess, Twilight.” Everypony turned to look at her, coming back when Booker continued, “She asked me what I do to make money, and as somepony who understands the desire for knowledge, I will provide an answer.”
Booker levitated a book out of his saddlebag. “Now, who here hasn’t read the first of the Daring Do books?” No one raised their hand, “Good, I won’t be spoiling it for anypony.” There were a few muffled sighs as the crowd realized he was going to read aloud. Opening up to the first page, Booker took a deep breath. The crowd settled in, convinced they were in for a boring couple of minutes. Then, Booker’s horn began to glow. A large, black rectangle appeared above his head, and when he began to read the rectangle changed. There were gasps in the audience as they saw what was happening. The rectangle formed into the first scene of Daring Do, brought to life in a way no movie could replicate. The images were formed from pure imagination, which gave a much better quality than special effects and cameras. The crowd watched in amazement as the well-loved story played out before them. The few who tore their gaze away from the image noted that Booker was reading faster than could be imagined, his eyes blurring down page after page; obtaining, analyzing, and imagining the scenario in a heartbeat.
All too soon, it was over. Booker stopped at the end of the first chapter. There were a few cries of protest, to which Booker smiled and said, “Now, now. I can’t go revealing all of my secrets, can I?” When the ponies still looked sullen, he said, “Well, if you want to see how it ends, I’ll be putting on a show the day after tomorrow.” They perked up a bit at that. “Now then, I bid you all a good night.” Booker said, stepping down from the stage. The applause started, and he made his way to where his sister had a plate of cake for him. “Thank you,” he said, taking a large bite of cake.
“I knew you’d be hungry,” Pink said, “You always are after a show.”
Swallowing, he said, “Very astute of you.”
“I’ll be honest, I feel a bit bad about having cake that we didn’t pay for,” Pink said hesitantly.
Booker shrugged. “Free cake is free cake. Why do you think I always tag along to your friend’s birthday parties?”
Pink punched him lightly on the shoulder. Twilight, Pinkie, and a white unicorn Booker remembered was named Rarity approached them. Twilight said, “Good job Booker.”
“Eh,” Booker replied dismissively, “It was alright.”
“Alright?!” Rarity exclaimed, “It was fabulous! I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“And now you have,” Booker said, “so it won’t be as impressive next time.”
“Can’t you enjoy a moment of praise?” Rarity said, exasperated.
“Praise is overrated,” Booker said in a false happy tone. He yawned, “I think I’ll go home. It’s been a long day.”
“What?!” Pinkie exclaimed, “You can’t leave now! We haven’t even played party games yet!”
“Besides,” Rarity said, in the same tone he’d used before, “Sleep is overrated.”
Booker grinned. “Right back at me, huh? Fine, I’ll stay for the games.”
“Good,” Pink said, “I definitely wasn’t leaving yet, and I’d hate to have to walk home alone.”
From there, they were treated to classic party games, like pin the tail on the donkey, darts, and even a quiz game (which Booker won by a landslide). By the end of it, Booker and his sister were pretty well tired out. They made their farewells, and headed for home. Pink went straight to bed, yawning as she shut the door. Booker went to his “bedroom”. It was actually just the fantasy section of his collection, since the large amount of books had made him give up a bedroom. He didn’t mind, though, he usually fell asleep reading in one of his chairs. Stretching out, he briefly went over what he needed to do the next day before nodding off.



The café was having a slow day. There were only three customers; two friends at one table and a single pony wearing a cloak with the hood up. The two friends were talking about the new pony in town. “What do you make of him?” asked one.
“He seems friendly enough,” the other replied, “and that trick with the book was pretty impressive.”
“Yeah, it was impressive, but what did it amount to?”
“What do you mean?”
The pony looked around furtively, lowering his voice. Under the hood, Booker tilted his ears back to catch the next words. “I mean, what’s the use? It was amazing, I’ll give you that. But aside from looking cool, what was the point?”
“Well, by that logic, what’s the point of movies?”
“Movies reach a very wide audience, and a lot of them tell their own stories. His magic only lets him retell stories, and not a lot of ponies get to see it.”
“…I guess so. Still, it was good entertainment.”
“Yeah.” Booker sighed. Heard all this before he thought. He drained the last of his morning coffee and left the café. Despite his previous thought, the words kept nagging at him. What’s the use? He shook his head, forcing the thought from his mind. He had more pressing concerns.
He headed out of the main town, through the outskirts and foothills, searching for the place he knew would exist. Eventually, he found it. A meadow, isolated from everything else. It was quiet here, free of all the distractions of the world. He nodded; this was the perfect place for reading. Booker found a spot near the center, pulling one of his favorite books from his saddlebags. He sighed with contentment, opened up to the first page, and began to read.
After about an hour, he heard movement behind him. Turning, he saw a yellow pegasus leading a flock of birds into the meadow. Booker exhaled slowly. It seemed he’d have to share his perfect spot with, Booker searched his memory for her name, Fluttershy. He stood to greet her, throwing back his hood. She started, then began backing away, muttering apologies as she went.
“Where are you going?” Booker said gently.
Fluttershy, encouraged by his quiet voice, said, “Oh, well, I didn’t realize the meadow was already taken for today. I was just going to find another place for my bird choir to practice.”
“No, no, that won’t be necessary.” Booker said, “I’m sure this was your quiet place before it was mine. If anypony should leave, it should be me.”
“Oh,” Fluttershy said, “I’m sorry for getting in the way of you leaving.”
Booker laughed. “Who said I was leaving?”
Fluttershy paused, confused, before asking, “So, who’s leaving? Me or you?”
“Neither,” Booker said, “I don’t see why we can’t both stay.”
“But, what about your reading?” Fluttershy asked.
“Music never hurt reading,” Even though I’d like it if it was quiet.
“Oh, sorry for not understanding.”
It isn’t your fault. Aloud, he said nothing, deciding it was better to just let her get on with her singing. He re-opened the book. As he did so, he subtly made a circle on his wrist, as if he was setting a watch. This was his method of ignoring things, “tuning them out”. It was a very helpful skill to have when your life revolved around reading. The circle didn’t really help; it was just a habit he started one day. He picked up where he left off, barely noticing the birds and their mistress going about practice.
Another hour later and he was done. He closed the book, marveling at how it was still interesting the thirty-sixth time through. Looking around, he noticed the bird choir packing up as well. Huh. Convenient. Fluttershy approached him nervously. “Thank you for letting us practice,” she said.
Booker raised an eyebrow. “Thank you for letting me read.”
“Did the music help you at all?” she asked.
“Not really,” Booker said, “but whether there’s music or not doesn’t matter to me.”
“Oh, that’s a relief,” Fluttershy said, “All through practice I was worried I was being a nuisance.”
Booker laughed quietly, “Trust me, Fluttershy; if I’d been annoyed, you would have known.”
Fluttershy smiled at that. “In that case, I’m glad you weren’t annoyed”
Booker stretched, then said, “I’m going to head home. I’ll probably be here at least once a week.”
“Oh, well we practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays,” Fluttershy said, “If you don’t want to be disturbed, maybe you could come some other day?”
“Like I said, it doesn’t matter either way to me,” Booker said, “I’ll be here whenever the mood takes me, so don’t be afraid to practice just because I’m here.” Fluttershy smiled gratefully, and Booker felt his own mouth tugging at the corners as he turned away. “Well, good-bye Fluttershy.”
“Good-bye, Mr. Booker.” Booker froze, then turned around slowly. A frown creased his face. Fluttershy immediately started panicking. “Oh, did I do something wrong? I’m so, so sorry.”
Booker stood there frowning for another second, then gave a bright smile. “In the future, please don’t call me ‘Mr.’ Booker. I feel old enough as it is with my sister around.”
Fluttershy recoiled, saying, “I-I’m sorry. I-I didn’t know…”
Booker took a deep breath, then slowly let it out. “Fluttershy, I was joking. I was just trying to say that you don’t have to call me ‘Mr.’” Fluttershy relaxed a bit, letting out one more apology just to be sure. Booker filed away that he should not try to pull a practical joke on Fluttershy. Way to end a conversation on an awkward note, there, Booker. Mentally, he shrugged. He’d have plenty of opportunities to fix it. He made his way out of the meadow, heading back into the town proper. 

> Surprises
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Rarity sighed. It had been a slow day in her jewel hunt. She needed more amethysts for Sapphire Shores’ latest design, and while she hadn’t expected to find exactly what she was looking for, she should have found something by now. “At this point, I’d take anything,” she muttered, “At least then, I could improvise!” She kept at it, but she just wasn’t having any luck. Right before giving up, though, she sensed a large cold spot under her. “At last!” she exclaimed, “Oh, and what luck! I seem to have found a large deposit!” Digging down, careful not to get dirt on her, she began hoping for amethysts. Don’t expect too much, now, Rarity, she chided herself, It was lucky enough to even find this. At last, she hit the deposit. Grinning like a maniac, she began to clean it out. She stopped after a few seconds, however, as she saw exactly what she’d found. She pursed her lips, and said, “This could be a problem.”



The bell above the door rang. Rarity blew her mane out of eyes, grudgingly stopping her work to deal with this customer, probably one of the regulars. “Welcome to Carousal Boutique,” she began, but pulled up short when she saw who it was. “Why, Booker! I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Booker raised an eyebrow. “What makes you say that?”
“W-well,” Rarity stammered, “You don’t seem like the type of pony who appreciates the finer points of fashion.”
Booker smirked. “And you’re right, yet here I am.”
“Yes. So, what can I do for you?” Rarity asked.
“I’m not here for me,” Booker said. Glaring behind him, he said, “Come out, you.” A young, pink unicorn came into view from behind him. “This is my sister,” Booker said in response to Rarity’s puzzled look.
“What’s your name?” Rarity asked the pink unicorn.
Booker’s sister stiffened. “Call me whatever you want,” she muttered.
“Well, I want to call you by your name, darling.” Rarity said, perplexed.
Booker’s sister just set her jaw, and shook her head. Booker jumped in, saying, “Her name is Pink Rain.”
“Booker!” Pink cried, a look of betrayal on her face. Booker silenced her with a glare.
“Need I remind you why we’re here?” Pink hung her head. Rarity cleared her throat.
“Well, I certainly need a reminder,” she said, “Why are you here?”
“Pink needs a new dress,” Booker said, “Apparently, it’s an absolutely brilliant idea to mix paints while wearing formal clothing”
“How long are you going to hold this over me?” Pink said in an undertone.
“I don’t know,” Addressing Rarity, Booker asked, “How much does a formal dress cost?”
“Anywhere between three hundred to six hundred bits” Rarity recited.
“There’s your answer; until I think you’ve received three hundred to six hundred bits worth of suffering,” Booker said to Pink. Softening his tone a bit, he said, “Now, go pick out a new dress.”
As Pink slipped away, Rarity asked, “Would you mind terribly if I left you to it? I’m having something of a problem in the back.”
Booker frowned. “What sort of problem?”
“Oh, just something that takes quite some time,” Rarity said vaguely.
“Well, I’d be happy to help if I can.” Booker said.
Rarity was about to say no, but she hesitated when she saw his eyes. They were dull and flat, as if her accepting his offer was about as likely as aliens invading the store. Rarity felt a stab of pity; here was somepony who’d probably never been asked for anything more than the time of day. She was torn, but after a second’s deliberating she decided there wasn’t anything he could do to make it worse. “Alright,” Rarity said.
Booker looked at her in disbelief. “Really?”
Rarity nodded firmly. “Really.” Turning, she led Booker to her workroom, where her problem was clearly visible.
Booker whistled softly. “That is a very large diamond.” Sitting on a hastily cleared table was a diamond as big as a head.
“Yes. I found it the other day when I was looking for gems for my latest design,” Rarity said, “This was all I could get.”
Booker slowly nodded. “I see the problem. You can’t exactly work on a gem of this size.”
Rarity looked at him, impressed. “That’s right. Now, I’ve been trying to get it down to a more manageable size, but diamond is very difficult to work with.”
Again, Booker nodded. “Diamond is the hardest substance in Equestria.”
Glumly, Rarity agreed. “Indeed. So, do you think you can help with this?” She was expecting an immediate no, so she was surprised when he kept staring thoughtfully at the diamond.
“I’ve got an idea that might work,” Booker said after a time, “Do you have anything to measure angles and distances?” Numbly, Rarity levitated the instruments to him. He grabbed them, and began taking measurements of the diamond.
“What are you doing?” Rarity asked curiously.
Without stopping, Booker replied, “Have you ever wondered why gemstones chip?”
Rarity was nonplussed. “Not…really. What does that have to do with the price of butter?”
“I’m getting there,” Booker said, still measuring, “Now, the reason gemstones chip is because they have a crystalline molecular structure. In other words, the pieces making it up are clumped together evenly. This means that there are lines crisscrossing the gem where there aren’t as many pieces. They’re known as cleavage planes, and if you hit it hard enough in the right place, the gem will split right along the plane.” Booker stopped measuring, placing his hoof on one particular place. He grabbed a marker. “If I did my math right, and I always do my math right,” he added with a grin, “there should be one such place right here.” He drew a mark on the diamond.
Rarity looked a bit skeptical. “Darling, I hate to be rude, but this all seems a bit far-fetched.”
Booker shrugged. “One way to find out.” He picked up a hammer, lined up alongside other gem working tools, and then he swung as hard as he could at the mark he’d drawn. There was a loud CRACK and a chunk of the diamond chipped off. Rarity was rendered speechless. Booker gave a wide smile. “Perfect. The way this diamond is shaped, it has radial symmetry. So,” he brought out the measuring tape again, “there should be more cleavage planes here, here, and here.” He marked three points, forming a circle. With three more CRACKs, three more pieces fell off. Collecting them, Booker held them out to Rarity, tipping an invisible hat. “Here you are, four diamonds ready to be re-purposed.”
Rarity finally found her voice. “T-thank you, darling. You may well have saved my career.”
“What do you mean by that?” Booker asked.
“Well,” Rarity said, “let’s just say this particular client has a large amount of influence. If I ever mess up for her, I’m ruined. Now, is there any way I can thank you?”
Booker grinned. “Well, I can think of one way.” He nodded back to the front of the store, and Rarity remembered that his sister was out there.
Rarity smiled. “I see what you’re getting at.” Rarity led the way back to the front. Pink was sitting there, holding one of the less expensive (but still fabulous) dresses. “That won’t do at all.” Rarity said, taking the dress back and replacing it with one of her finer designs. Pink’s eyes bulged at the price.
“I-I don’t think we can afford this.” Pink said.
“Pish-posh,” Rarity said, “This is a gift.”
“A gift?” Pink said, puzzled, “I don’t think something like this can be considered a gift.”
“Well, your brother did me a great service,” Rarity proclaimed, “He saved me hours of hard work, and may well have saved my career. This is the least I could do.” Still a bit confused, Pink looked at Booker, who’d been standing quietly to one side.
“What did you do?” Pink asked him.
“A bit of obscure science,” Booker said, “Hey, since the dress was free, guess what? Your punishment’s over!”
Pink let out a little cheer, and the two of them left the shop. Rarity looked after them for a moment before turning back to her workroom. She still had to implement the diamonds into her design, after all.

> Use
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Booker was staring up, looking at the pony hard at work up on the roof. He was trying to get a kite out that had somehow gotten lodged underneath the planks on top of the house. The pony was trying to hold up the planking and do something under it. The string probably got tangled up in something. Booker thought, Hmm. Maybe that explains why he doesn’t just cut it. If it’s all tangled up in the electrical wiring, that’d be bad. 
“Hey!” Booker called, “Need any help up there?” The pony turned to face the noise and saw who was asking. For just a second, his face shifted into what Booker called the Look before he composed his face into a more neutral expression. From that, Booker knew what the answer would be.
“No, thank you.”
Booker sighed, then called up, “Okay.” He turned away and made for home. It’s like they all think I’m an invalid, Booker thought angrily, Honestly, all I needed to do was hold up that plank. How useless do they think I am? His anger vanished, replaced by sadness as some of the things he’d heard in other towns echoed in his ears. Very. 
He violently shook his head. He refused to let depression take hold of him. He used an old trick to help keep it at bay; he started reciting all the useful things he’d done recently. Okay, so I helped Pink with her homework.
Yeah, big deal. I always do that.
Shut up, me. Alright, I was a test audience for Fluttershy’s bird choir.
Because music is so useful.
I said, shut up, me. Anything else…
No.
Darn it, me! There has to be something.
There isn’t.
Yes there is! I…saved Rarity’s career! As the thought crossed his mind, Booker remembered Rarity’s words of thanks. He remembered the look of gratitude and relief on her face, and his sadness evaporated. He grinned. He looked up and saw his house just at the end of the street. His grin broadened. He was expecting a new book today, and maybe it was just a trick of the light, but he thought he saw a package lying on his doorstep. He quickened his pace, all trace of his previous melancholy gone.



There was a knock on the door. Booker and Pink looked up from the cards in their hooves. “I wonder who that could be?” Booker said, standing up. He moved to answer the door, and upon opening it he saw a brown earth pony with an apple cutie mark. Strangely enough, she also had a dog draped over her back. Booker searched his memory of the welcome party for her name. “Hello,” Booker said, “Applejack, wasn’t it?” She nodded, looking a bit surprised. Booker felt his mouth tug up a little, the party had been a few weeks ago, after all. “What can I do for you?”
“Well,” Applejack said, “It’s mah dog, Winona. She’s had a fever fer quite a while now, and ah’m startin’ to get worried.”
“Don’t you think a vet would be a good place to visit then?” Booker asked.
“Ah already tried the vet,” Applejack said, “They said the medicine ain’t workin’ on her. Ah took her to mah friend, Fluttershy, but none o’ her home remedies are workin’ either,” Applejack was starting to babble now, “So, ah went around town, asking if anypony knew anything that might help. After a while, ah came to Rarity, and she told me to try askin’ you. Somethin’ about gemstones. Ah didn’t really catch the last bit, ah was anxious tah get here so ah could-“
“Okay, okay,” Booker cut in, “I’ll see what I can do. Come in.”
“Thank ya,” Applejack said, stepping inside. They came to the kitchen, where Pink was waiting curiously. Levitating Winona onto the counter, Booker explained the situation to Pink. He gathered up his hand from the game he and Pink had been playing.
“Applejack, I need you to do something for me.” Booker said. Applejack came over, and Booker held the cards out to her, saying, “Don’t lose.” Bemused, Applejack took the cards and sat down opposite Pink. Pink explained the game, Go-Fish, to Applejack while Booker left the kitchen, muttering, “Now, where do I keep the medical books.” 
Booker searched the Medicine Room for about half an hour, but the only book about animal-related illness was dated last year, so Booker doubted it would have anything the vet hadn’t already tried. He made note of the fever medicine the book recommended, so he could ask Applejack if that was what the vet prescribed. He made his way back to the kitchen. As he got closer, he could hear Pink and Applejack talking.
“Ha! Take that!” Pink shouted.
“Come on, that was one pair more’n I had.” Applejack complained. Booker grinned a bit. It seemed Applejack had lost, and Booker could up the melodrama for comedy. Maybe it’ll make her feel a little better. He could hear the sound of cards being moved. Applejack said, “Ya know, fer a kid, ya talk pretty normal.”
“What do you mean?” Pink asked.
“Well, mah little sister comes home with all sorts o’ weird words.” Applejack said.
“Oh,” Pink said. She lowered her voice. “You mean slang.”
Booker was right outside the door by this point, and he heard her despite the lower tone. As soon as she said “slang” Booker let out an anguished groan. He entered the kitchen, where Applejack looked shocked and Pink looked a bit guilty. “Why do you even bring it up!” Booker said, sounding in pain.
“What’re you goin’ on about!” Applejack said, looking back and forth between Booker and Pink.
“I hate slang!” Booker said vehemtly, “I hate it with every fiber of my being!”
“Why!” Applejack said, looking confused.
“It makes reading older books a royal pain!” Booker said, “The author uses slang to make the book more ‘relatable’. What they don’t seem to realize is that later generations won’t be able to understand what's going on since the slang will have changed! It’d be bad enough if it was only confined to fiction, but oh no! You gotta keep those nonfiction works relatable so that they’ll hold ponies’ interest! Can’t use regular grammar in a book that nopony is reading for enjoyment! Nope, gotta keep things ‘relatable’ and-“
“Would you shut up!” Pink shouted over his tirade, “We get it, slang is awful! Now, can you please focus on the reason our guest is here.” Booker and Pink started staring daggers at each other, and Applejack had the only reasonable reaction.
She burst out laughing.
She laughed and laughed until, holding her sides and wiping tears from her eyes, she looked up at Booker and his sister. Booker was grinning at her. “Mission accomplished,” he said, “Good job, young one.”
Pink shook her head. “You never cease to amaze me, Booker.”
“Now what are y’all talkin’ about.” Applejack asked.
“My brilliant plan,” Booker said with a flourish, “I saw you were worried about your dog, so I decided to make you feel better.”
“Were you in on this?” Applejack asked Pink.
Pink shook her head. “No I wasn’t. I thought he was acting normally.”
“So…does that mean he normally acts like that at the mention of slang.” Applejack asked.
Pink let out a little laugh. “Well, maybe he was being a little more dramatic than usual.”
Booker let the moment go on for a few more seconds, then he returned to business. “Now, I looked through my medical books. The only one that focused on animals was pretty recent. Did the vet give Winona a medicine called infernyl?” 
“Yeah, ah think tha’s what it was.” Applejack said.
“Well, that was the only medicine in my books that said would cure a dog of fever.” Booker said.
“So, yer sayin’ ya can’t help me after all.” Applejack said. The happiness of a moment ago drained away as all her worries came back. She looked so…defeated. Booker felt a surge of defiance. He would not let her down.
“I never said that.” Booker said. Applejack looked up, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. “Just give me a minute to think.” Booker pulled over a chair and sat down, closing his eyes. 
Okay, so what have we tried? Modern medicine and ancient home remedies. They failed, so what do we use? Hmm. Ancient medicine or modern home remedies are the only options. I don’t think there is such a thing as a modern home remedy, and I don’t trust them anyway. So, ancient medicine it is. What did ancient people use to cure fevers? I wish I had access to ancient medical texts, but I don’t…hmm…what about fiction stories set in the past? They might not be true, but I’d say that if a lot of them use one particular remedy then it’s got some basis in fact. What have I seen used as a fever cure in multiple stories? The answer’s right on the tip of my tounge…
“Willow bark!” Booker exclaimed, eyes flying open.
Applejack looked over at him. Pink had left for parts unknown. “What was that?” Applejack asked.
“Bark from a willow tree,” Booker explained, “Ancient people used it to break fevers, and as a painkiller in a pinch. All we need to do is get some, make it into a tea, and that should break the fever.”
“Do ya think that’ll work?” Applejack asked skeptically.
“Yes.” Booker said, with more confidence than he felt.
“Do ya know it’ll work?” Applejack asked.
“…No,” Booker admitted, “I don’t know it’ll work. Ancient medicine books are notoriously hard to come by. I’m guessing that this’ll work.”
“Where’d this idea come from?” Applejack asked.
“There are numerous stories set in ancient times that reference willow bark tea as a fever breaker, too many for it to just be a convenient plot device.”
“So, yer using stories to tell what medicine to use on Winona?”
“Yes.”
“And, yer expectin’ me to trust Winona’s well-being to these stories?”
“Yes. It’s the only option.”
Applejack looked decidedly uncomfortable at the whole idea. Booker held her gaze. She shifted her weight, fidgeting in place. Eventually, she looked away. “All right.”
“Thank you.” Booker said.
“Fer what?” Applejack said.
“Believing in me.”



Gathering the bark took next to no time, since Applejack knew where a willow patch was. Making the tea went quickly, too. Booker poured it down Winona’s throat while Applejack held her mouth closed so she had to swallow it. Then came the waiting. Booker pulled out his pack of cards, and they played a few rounds of Go-Fish. Applejack’s heart wasn’t in it, though, and she kept glancing over at Winona. After his fifth win, Booker decided it’d be better to move to something else. He led Applejack to her favorite section, realistic fiction, and let her pick a book. He grabbed one as well, and they went back into the kitchen. Pink came back inside, apparently she’d had some creative burst and needed to work on her next project. An hour passed, then two, then three. 
Just when Booker sensed Applejack was about to take her leave, Winona shuddered and started panting madly. Instantly, Applejack was at her side. “What’s happening? What’s wrong?”
“Well, dogs pant because they don’t have sweat glands,” Booker said slowly, “So this is her equivalent of sweating a whole lot. In one story, once the patient had broken the fever, they started sweating. So maybe…” Booker grabbed his first-aid kit, pulling out the thermometer. He put it in Winona’s mouth, and then sighed with relief.
“Her temperature’s normal. The fever’s broken.”



Applejack left Booker’s home with many thanks and a very tired dog. Booker told her that Winona should rest for a few days and she’d be fine. As he watched them disappear into the growing darkness, Booker felt a wave of satisfaction. He turned away, ready to make up Applejack’s loss of his game. Then he looked at the sky again and realized Pink should probably get to bed. She had school in the morning, after all.

> Useless
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Rainbow Dash looked around at all the loose clouds around her, sighing inwardly. Work was always the worst part of the day. Worst, of course, being subjective. She was still out and about, going fast, and flying, but that didn’t make the cloud gathering any less boring. She was chasing one particularly unruly cloud when it just froze in mid-air. Confused, Rainbow looked at it closely and noticed a faint magical haze around it. Looking around, she saw Booker standing on the ground, horn glowing and pointed at the cloud.
“Hey!” Rainbow called down, “I didn’t need any help!”
“Really?” came the reply, “Because where I’m standing it certainly looked like it.” Angrily, Rainbow prepared to dive-bomb Booker, but then he looked up and she saw he was grinning from ear to ear. She rolled her eyes.
“You know sarcasm isn’t funny, right?” Rainbow asked.
“Maybe not to you,” Booker said, “but I find it absolutely hilarious. Now could you please finish off that cloud? My brain is starting to hurt from holding it still.” Rainbow flew over to the cloud and bucked it into oblivion. Booker exhaled, his horn dying out. “Thank you. Cloud manipulation is my sister’s area of expertise, not mine.”
Rainbow flew down, landing lightly beside Booker. “So, if it isn’t your strength, why did you decide to help out?” she asked
Booker grinned. “Well, you’d been chasing that cloud around for about fifteen minutes. I thought you needed some assistance.”
Rainbow was dumbstruck. “Fifteen minutes? I was chasing that thing for fifteen minutes?!”
“Yeah, well, time flies,” Booker said nonchalantly, “Either way, I helped you out. You’re welcome.”
“I didn’t thank you.” Rainbow said flatly.
“I know. Do you need any more help?” Booker asked.
“Well, I don’t need any help,” Rainbow said, “but I think with you here this’ll go more quickly.”
“True enough,” Booker said, “Now, let’s get started!”



For the next few hours, Rainbow and Booker cleared away all the clouds loose in Ponyville’s skies. As they did so, Rainbow noted that Booker made work a lot more enjoyable. His inherent sense of sarcasm led him to say things that could have been mean or downright insulting if anypony else said them. His carefree nature, coupled with the fact that he made himself the butt of his jokes just as often as others, somehow made it work, though. Despite what she’d said earlier, Rainbow liked dry humor as much as the next mare, and Booker’s constant ribbing at the both of them always got her chuckling.
Her opinion only increased when they took a break. Booker said so much unfamiliar magic had given him a splitting headache. Coincidentally, it was also when Rainbow had just gotten her stride, and she didn’t want to settle down. “Hey,” Rainbow said, “let’s race!”
“Isn’t one of your selling points that you’re the fastest flier in Equestria?” Booker said with his ever-present grin.
“I’ll just run,” Rainbow said dismissively, “Now come on! I wanna see how fast you are!”
“Isn’t the point of a break to, you know, rest?” Booker said.
“You only need to rest your brain,” Rainbow pointed out, “Now let’s race!”
Booker, seeing that he couldn’t squirm his way out of it, sighed and stood up. He took a ready position, as did Rainbow.  “To that rock,” Rainbow said, pointing to a boulder about seventy feet away. “Ready…Set…GO!” Rainbow shot off, looking behind her to see how far behind Booker was. To her surprise, he was pretty close. She watched for a bit, and his initial speed quickly wore off. She reached the boulder and waited for Booker. He walked up, breathing heavily.
“So…how’d I do?” Booker panted.
“A lot better than expected, actually.” Rainbow said, “You kept up with me…for about five seconds.”
Booker laughed. “Yeah…well…you clearly…haven’t seen me…when ice cream goes on sale.” Rainbow laughed at that, and they made their way back to the starting position, albeit at a more sedate pace.



After Booker’s head felt better, they mopped up the last of the clouds easily. Booker cast a look around the horizon, checking for any that had slipped through the cracks. Rainbow landed beside him, saying, “There aren’t anymore.”
“Well, that’s good to know.” Booker said.
“Hey, thanks for all the help today,” Rainbow said, holding up her hoof, “I had a blast.”
Booker returned her hoof-five. “Well, at least one of us enjoyed themselves. I spent all day wrestling with weird magic.” He said it in a mocking tone, but he couldn’t quite hide his smile.
“Yeah, you did a good job,” Rainbow said, “Especially for a reader pony.” Booker froze. Rainbow cocked her head. It was the sort of banter they’d had all day; it usually got him laughing, and he always had a comeback. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
Booker was silent for a moment, then he said in a disturbingly calm voice, “You want to know something funny? That’s the first time anypony’s ever said that to me. Not because they weren’t blunt, or they didn’t like sarcasm. It’s because nopony’s ever asked me to help them out, so nopony’s ever had the chance to say that.” He drew in a shaky breath, and Rainbow realized with shock that he was close to tears. “All my life, ever since I got my cutie-mark I’ve been nothing but a waste of space. Everypony looks at me, and they can’t see beyond my talent. I’m just a joke; a sideshow act and nothing more.” He started blinking rapidly, somehow holding back a lifetime’s worth of sadness.
“Hey, you did a great job today,” Rainbow said gently, “and according to Applejack you’ve done a great job at other things, too.” 
“Maybe. That didn’t stop you from judging me, now did it?” Rainbow couldn’t really say anything to that. Booker shook his head. “Everywhere I go it’s the same thing! Every time I’ve moved, it isn’t because I want to. No, I always end up leaving because I can’t take the way everypony looks at me like I’m nothing. With the way things have been going, I thought things would be different here, but I guess I was wrong.” So saying, Booker turned away and made his way back towards his home. Rainbow just stared after him, feeling awful that she’d drudged up such a well of pain.

> Feelings
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Especially for a reader pony.
The words kept replaying themselves over and over again in Bookers head. He wished his thoughts would shut up for once, but as always they kept going on.
Especially for a reader pony.
Booker levitated over a book at random. He opened it and saw that it was a compendium of magical beings throughout legends. Perfect; challenging enough to distract him, yet interesting enough to keep his thoughts from wandering. He opened to a random page, and started reading.
Basilisks-The name deriving from Latin for “little crown”, named so for the distinctive markings on their heads, these mythical snakes are said to be so venomous that if a pony were to touch one with a ten foot pole, the poison would travel up the pole and kill pony instantly.
Especially for a reader pony
The venom of a basilisk dissolves whatever it touches, be it wood, metal, or flesh. These creatures are also said to have the power to cause death to anypony who looks directly into their eyes. In addition to all this, basilisks are also incredibly small and agile.
Especially for a reader pony.
They are created by hatching a chicken egg beneath a toad. Their weaknesses include weasels, their natural enemies, and the cry of a rooster, which is fatal to them. Still, given their various strengths, this author is glad that they don’t exist outside the realm of legend.
Especially for a reader pony.
Frustrated, Booker slammed the book closed. “This clearly is not working.” he muttered to himself, placing the book back where it belonged. He laid one foreleg across his eyes. Why is this hitting me so hard? I’ve heard worse, far worse. Why is it that now it gets to me this much? He searched for an answer, with one possibility standing out in his mind. Because it didn’t mean as much then. If Joe Shmoe from down the street called me something, it might sting, but Rainbow Dash was different. I’d been working with her all day, and she still decided to say that I was useless.
To be fair, she didn’t say it like that.
No, but she might as well have. Even to himself, it sounded stupid. The way she said it had clearly shown that it wasn’t meant to be taken seriously. Still, just because something was meant as a joke doesn’t lessen the impact. He decided not to hold it against her, though. After all, it was his fault for being so good at hiding how he felt about being useless.
There was a knocking at the door. Booker found it strange; he wasn’t expecting visitors. He stood up and walked to the door. Upon opening it, he saw Rainbow Dash there. He vaguely wondered why she was here. “Hey, Rainbow,” Booker said, “What did you want me for?”
Rainbow fidgeted, and reached behind her. “Well, my copy of the new Daring Do came a few weeks ago. I forgot to return yours to you.”  She pulled his book out from her saddlebags, offering it to him.
Booker took it, and began going through the pages. “You didn’t damage it, did you?”
“Of course not,” Rainbow said, “I promised I’d treat it well.” Booker made a noncommittal noise in his throat, still going through the pages.  Rainbow cleared her throat. “Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for you. I’m sorry for what I said, and-“
“It’s alright, Rainbow,” Booker said, still staring at the pages, “I know you didn’t mean anything by it. I’m fine now.”
Rainbow gave him a searching look. “I don’t think so.” Booker looked up and raised an eyebrow. “You’re acting very…distant,” Rainbow elaborated, “You’re normally a lot more cheerful than this. Now you’re just acting…cold. Not that I can’t understand why,” she added hurriedly, “but I feel awful. I knew that I’d hurt you, but I didn’t realize how much. Your entire attitude has changed, and I feel like I’ve taken something from you.”
“And what might that be?” Booker asked.
“Your good naturedness,” Rainbow said, “You’re always ready with a smile and a joke, but now you’ve turned into this.”
Booker stayed silent, processing this. He felt kind of touched that Rainbow cared enough about him that she actually came to apologize, and that she’d noticed a change in him. As the silence stretched on, Rainbow said, “Well, if there’s anything I can do to help, ya know, if you need somepony to talk to, just let me know.”
Booker hesitated. He’d never really had ponies offer to let him talk before, and he wasn’t exactly comfortable with the idea. Even so, he remembered how good it had felt to let out a bit of what he was feeling. He opened the door a bit wider. “Well, just remember that it was your idea.”



Booker sat in his chair, wondering where to start. To stall for time, he put the book Rainbow returned back in its proper place. Then he tried to get his thoughts in order, failed, and then muttered, “Well, when in doubt, begin at the beginning,” Addressing Rainbow, he began. “This all started the day I got my cutie-mark,” Booker gave a soft laugh, “My mom always used to joke about how if anypony could get a cutie mark in reading, it’d be me. I’ve been enthralled by books, ever since the age of two. For most of my childhood, reading was all I’d do. It wasn’t until I got to be around that age that I shut the books and looked around. I saw other ponies, laughing, crying, and just in general being friends. I wanted part of it.
I started my attempts at making friends, but I was too different. Nopony had lived the way I had, with their noses shoved into a book, so nopony could relate to me, and vice versa. I tried so hard to fit in, but it just wasn’t working. After a while, I stopped. It was clear that I could never be friends with other ponies.” Booker cleared his throat, levitating a glass of water from the kitchen. Rainbow was watching him, waiting for him to continue. “Once I came to that realization, that I’d never have a normal life, my cutie mark appeared. I knew then and there that the only thing I needed was the comfort of a good book. I stopped trying to fit in, and started doing my own thing. Strangely enough, that was also when I made a few friends. They’re miles away now, and have probably forgotten me, but still, I’m grateful. Without them, I probably would have lost myself entirely to the world of books.” 
Booker took another sip of water, and when he resumed his tone was a bit darker. “Unfortunately, friends aren’t the only ones who took interest in me. That was when the bullies came in. They started off small, with simple insults that I easily shrugged off. As I got older, though, they got worse. They called me useless, a waste of space, and about a million other variants of that. Insults are easy to ignore, especially when things like nerd are taken as a compliment. This was different, though, because it was true, I didn’t have the talent for anything useful. I can’t garden, or cook, or manage a business. All I was good for was reading.” Booker sighed, “That was pretty much my mindset back then. Once I got out of school, I moved away from all that, and I realized there were some things I could do besides reading. Then I hit another problem, everypony around me. Even if they had the common decency to not make fun of me, they still saw me as useless. I was never given a chance to prove myself, and I eventually left everywhere I moved to. Like I said before, I hate how everypony looks at me like I’m nothing.”
Booker gave a wry smile. “Of course, I’m making it seem like everypony I came across was nice. No, I encountered my share of bullies, and let me say that they’re much worse as adults. As a result of all this, I have a rather thick skin for insults. As a matter of fact, I was wondering why your words affected me so strongly. I’m a bit stumped. After all, I’ve heard much worse.”
Rainbow pondered the question for a minute before asking, “Out of curiosity, what is the worst thing anypony’s ever said to you?”
Booker thought for a moment. “Hmm, the worst thing I’ve ever heard? Probably the pony who said that I’m nothing but a mistake that never should’ve happened, that I don’t deserve to exist, and that I should be ashamed of living the way I do.”
Rainbow’s eyes widened. “Wow.”
“Yeah. Honestly, after that, nothing should bother me anymore. Which is why I’m having trouble figuring out why this is what gets to me.” Booker said.
“I think I get it,” Rainbow said, “Now this may come as a surprise to you, but I’m a bit reckless.”
“Really?” Booker said dryly, “I hadn’t noticed.”
Rainbow smiled, his sarcasm was returning. “Anyway, I got made fun of a lot for it back in flight school, and it really bothered me at the time. Nowadays, I don’t care. I see it as a good thing rather than a bad thing. Even with that mindset, though, I don’t like being reminded of flight school. Too many bad memories.”
Booker took in this tidbit. “So, you think it’s just a reminder of worse times?”
“More than that,’ Rainbow said, “I don’t believe anything they said about me, and I still hate having to think about it. What would remembering be like if I actually did believe it?”
Booker sighed. “This the part where I angrily assure you that I don’t believe any of it, but you’re right. There is a part of me that believes I don’t belong, that I’ll never amount to anything. I hate it, and I’m constantly fighting it. The longer I fight, though, the stronger it gets. I suppose that’s the evidence from years of being treated like nothing starting to build up. I’m afraid that one day that part of me will win, and I’ll fully believe that I’m worthless.”
“But that’s the thing!” Rainbow said forcefully, “You aren’t worthless! Ever since you got here, all you’ve been is helpful!”
Booker smiled bitterly. “I’ll admit, things have really started looking up since I came to town. That only made it worse when I got sucker-punched onto memory lane.” Rainbow opened her mouth to reply, but Booker cut her off. “Yeah, yeah, you didn’t mean to. That doesn’t change the fact that it happened.”
Booker stood up and stretched. Rainbow looked a little hurt. “I’m sorry,” Booker said, “That was uncalled for. Still, I feel much better.”
“What,” Rainbow said sullenly, “making me feel awful made you feel better?”
Booker grinned. “Maybe that’s got something to do with it, but after getting all that off my chest, I feel like my old self again.”
Rainbow perked up. Suddenly, she pumped her fist. “Oh yeah!” she screamed, “He’s back! Whoo-hoo!”
Booker laughed. “Careful, now. All this enthusiasm so soon after such serious talk might kill us.” Suddenly, Booker felt the need to be alone. “Thank you, Rainbow Dash, for listening to me.”
Rainbow grinned as well. “Thank you for being so forgiving about what I did.” Even she could sense that Booker wanted to be left in peace. She made her good-byes, and left Booker to his own company.



Booker pulled down the mythology book he’d tried to read earlier. This is really well made. he thought idly as he leafed through the pages.  After two hours, he felt ready to face the world again, so he tucked the book into his saddlebags, donned his cloak, and headed for his quiet place. Everypony still gave him the Look, but it seemed the Look had lost the power to bother him. 
Booker reached his destination, settling in to do some real reading. He’d planned to spend the rest of the day there, but he stopped shortly afterward. There was something at the edge of his awareness bothering him, but it wasn’t until he looked at the sky that he could put his hoof on it. This was the time when Fluttershy practiced her music. He’d never known her to be late. He looked around again, and noticed something else strange. The bird choir had gathered, but there was no sign of Fluttershy. If the choir is here, then that means practice was still scheduled. If Fluttershy isn’t here, then that means something’s holding her up. Booker realized it was probably nothing, but he still felt a bit worried. He packed up his book and set out to find her. If only because I can’t read in peace at the moment. he thought with a grin.

> Stand off
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight was walking on one of the tracks around Ponyville. They crisscrossed the countryside, taking walkers through the woods around the town. Most of them were well traveled, but some of them, like the one Twilight was on, were relatively secret. Twilight looked around, feeling a sense of contentment settle on her. It was quiet there, and peaceful. The silence around her was broken by a small whimper, and the sound of excited voices. Twilight frowned, it had seemed to come from further up the path. She made her way forward.
Twilight rounded a bend in the trail and froze. There were three ponies, a unicorn, a pegasus, and an earth pony, standing in a circle around something, a small animal judging by the sounds it was making. They were laughing, and poking whatever it was with sticks. Twilight stood there, dumbstruck by what she was seeing. It wasn’t until one of the ponies shifted their position and revealed what they were poking at that Twilight snapped out of it. It wasn’t an animal, it was Fluttershy. Twilight felt a surge of anger, and she charged their position while screaming, “HEY!”
The ponies backed up, startled, and Twilight stood protectively in front of Fluttershy. Fluttershy was confused, and she mumbled, “Twilight…Where…?” Twilight didn’t respond, her attention was solely focused on the group who had been tormenting Fluttershy. They’d recovered from their shock, and were staring at the scene in front of them.
“Look, guys, there’s another one,” said the unicorn.
“And she seems to be friends with the wimp,” noted the pegasus.
“Why are you doing this?” Twilight demanded, “Why are you hurting a defenseless pony.” The group across from her laughed.
“Oh look, she’s all concerned,” said the pegasus.
“Aww, she’s trying to protect her,” said the earth pony, “That’s cute.”
Twilight felt another surge of anger. “You still haven’t answered my question; why are you doing this?!” This just made them laugh even harder.
“She thinks she’s in control of the situation!” the earth pony laughed.
“Alright,” said the unicorn, “We’ll humor you. We were bored.”
“Yep,” said the pegasus, “I was flying around and I saw that little filly over there walking alone. We decided we’d have some fun with her.”
“You have a very sick sense of ‘fun’,” Twilight said through her teeth.
The unicorn smirked. “Maybe, but what are you going to do about it?” That was the crux of the matter, Twilight realized. The odds were three to two, and something told her that Fluttershy wouldn’t be too helpful. She also knew that these ponies wouldn’t be swayed by words. If a fight came, she’d be at a heavy disadvantage. If only I still had super alicorn magic, Twilight thought, Then this’d be a breeze. 
She heard movement behind her, and then soft whispering. She assumed someone else had showed up, but she didn’t dare take her eyes off the group of bullies. She heard the sound of wings, and saw the bullies focus on something over her head. She spared a quick glance up and saw Fluttershy shoot off into the sky. Twilight felt relief that Fluttershy was getting away, but her heart sank as the odds dropped even further. Looking back at the bullies, she saw the pegasus preparing to take off after Fluttershy. Before she could move, a voice from behind her yelled, “Hold it!” A pony wearing a cloak with the hood pulled up stepped forward to stand beside Twilight. He threw the hood back to reveal that it was Booker. He grinned, and said, “Why don’t you stay a while?”



The three bullies stared for a moment, and then they started laughing the hardest that they had yet. Booker just stood there, calmly letting the laughter go on. After a time, they subsided, still snorting and giggling. “You know,” the pegasus said, “I might just take you up on that offer.”
Booker gave a confident smile. “Good. I’d hate to have one of you miss the party.” Everypony, including Twilight, looked at him in confusion. If anypony’s going to get beaten up, it’s him. Twilight thought. Yet here he is, talking like he’s going to win single-hoofedly. The bullies seemed to be following a similar train of thought.
“It sounds like you think you have a chance,” said the earth pony. Twilight noted something with interest. The earth pony wasn’t laughing, or smiling. He looked like he was being serious. Looking closely, Twilight could see a bit of fear in his eyes.
Booker’s smile shifted into more of a smirk. “I could say the same thing to you.” The fear in the bullies’ eyes deepened. Twilight was confused; why were they so afraid. She tried looking at the situation from their perspective. Here we have a pony. We outnumber him and all we know about him is that his talent is reading. He should be cowering in fear, but he’s acting like he’s already won. What kind of secrets does he have? What has he learned that would make him so confident? Twilight then realized what it was. The bullies were uncertain, and uncertainty always lead to fear. Twilight wondered if Booker actually had a secret, or if he was just playing off that fear. She met his eyes, asking a silent question. He shook his head imperceptibly. Twilight bit her lip; it was the latter.
The unicorn, who seemed to be the leader, spoke up. “Before we beat the tar out of you, I have to ask. Where does a nerd like you come off acting like this?”
Booker paused for a second, and then he burst out laughing. The uncertainty grew as he kept on laughing, holding his sides and wiping tears from his eyes. “What’s so funny?” asked the pegasus.
“Oh,” Booker said, still chuckling, “It’s just, I thought you were semi-competent bullies, what with the sticks and the big talk. Then you call me something as basic as nerd, and it’s just hilarious.” He chuckled again. Twilight was impressed; he’d implied that he’d fought bullies before, that they were worse than the current group, and that he’d beaten them, all with that one statement. 
The bullies hesitated, and for a glorious instant Twilight thought they’d slink away. Then the unicorn took charge, saying, “We can take whatever you throw at us.” He stepped forward and the other two went with him, albeit more reluctantly.
Booker’s horn began to glow, and he said. “One more step, and you’ll see exactly what I can do.” His smile was gone, now he was all business. Twilight bit the inside of her mouth, Booker had made a mistake. Dropping the confidence and looking serious might have worked, if they’d been in complete fear of him. As it was, it would look like the confidence was all an act (which it was). The earth pony was first to react. Smirking, he raised his hoof in the air, and slowly took one step forward.
All light in the forest dimmed. The area was transformed into night, and in the shadows of the trees, things moved. The bullies blanched and huddled together in a group. Twilight looked over, and her heart sank. Booker wasn’t showing any sign of exhaustion. He probably thought it would raise their fear level, but this was serious magic he was pretending to pull off. Even Star-Swirl the Bearded himself would have gotten tired after filling a forest with monsters, so a random pony effortlessly doing it destroyed the illusion. And if she’d seen through it so soon, it was only a matter of time before the bullies did too.
Predictably, the unicorn saw through the act first. Eyes narrowed in suspicion, he marched up to one of the shadows and stuck his hoof right through it. “It’s a trick!” he called to his companions. The bullies turned to face Booker, their bluster returning. “It’s been fun,” said the unicorn, “but the game is up.”
Booker stared at the bullies with a blank expression. “It’s true,” he said, “I can’t take all of you on by myself.” The bullies smirked, and made their way forward. Booker held his ground, saying, “That’s why I’m not going to.” The bullies paused, confused. Nothing happened for a second, then Booker sighed and said, “Girls, if you were waiting to make a dramatic entrance, that was your cue.” Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity burst into the scene. Twilight was shocked; how had they gotten here? She saw Fluttershy slip in behind the others, and in a flash she understood. Booker had sent Fluttershy to get reinforcements while he stalled for time. 
And it had worked to perfection. The bullies watched as Rainbow Dash punched one hoof into her other, and Applejack warmed up her kicking legs. Booker stepped forward, smiling once again, and said, “Well now, it looks like we’ve got you outnumbered a little over two to one. I’ll give you this one chance to surrender.” The bullies glanced at each other, then turned tail and ran away.
“This isn’t over!” the unicorn yelled, “I’ll get you for this!”
Booker rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I’m sure you will.” The bullies disappeared around the path, and Booker ended the illusion. The forest returned to normal, as if none of it had ever happened.



Rainbow Dash clapped Booker on the shoulder. “That was awesome! Worthless my hoof!” Twilight wondered what she was talking about.
Booker grinned in response. “I was wondering, how long were you all watching? I know you were there before I cast my illusion spell.”
“How’d ya know that?” Applejack asked.
“I sensed you all when my spell affected you. I ask again, how long were you there?”
‘We got there a bit before you cast the spell,” Rarity said, “Around the time you lit your horn.”
Booker nodded, and Pinkie burst out, “That was incredible! They were like ‘We’re gonna beat you up’ and you were like ‘Nu-uh, take this’ and then the forest went dark and they got super scared and-“
“Pinkie!” Booker said, “It’s great that you found it so cool, but it happened literally five minutes ago. I don’t think anypony needs a reminder.” They all laughed at that.
“Booker, you have been one giant surprise,” Twilight said, “It took a lot of bravery to stand up like that.”
Booker grew serious. “Not really. You girls are the first to give me a chance to be something more than just a reader pony, the first I can say without a shadow of doubt are my friends. I’m not about to let something happen to you.”
“Still,” Fluttershy said, “I’m sorry to have caused you all so much trouble.”
“Are you kidding?!” Rainbow said, “That was the most exciting thing to happen all day.”
“As usual, Rainbow, you show no sense of grace,” Rarity said dryly, “Did you forget that you’re talking to the pony who was ambushed and poked with sticks?”
“Oh, right,” Rainbow laughed awkwardly, “Sorry Fluttershy.”
“Oh, it’s alright, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said, “You didn’t mean anything by it.”
Rainbow rubbed her head. “Yeah, well, I was recently reminded that not meaning anything by something doesn’t mean it won’t hurt you.” She glanced at Booker.
“What happened between you two?” Twilight asked.
“It’s a long story,” Rainbow said.
“But,” Booker interjected with a grin, “it's also a way to pass time, and I think the story should last just long enough to get us back to town. Don’t you agree, Rainbow?”
Rainbow returned the grin. “Definitely.” So the group made their way back to Ponyville; trading stories, telling jokes, and just enjoying each others company. Twilight looked at Booker, laughing at one of Fluttershy’s jokes, and saw how much being included meant to him. She smiled, happy that she and her friends could brighten up his life.