Chapter One

View Online

Indianapoloosa was not one of the most prominent cities in Equestria, what little fame it had coming from the various races held there from late spring to early summer and one successful hosting of the National Hoofball League Finals. It was, however, something of an economic boom town, with many businesses having branches and facilities there, prominent among them Amazing Booksellers, which had its largest fulfillment center on its outskirts. And, on this particular spring day, said fulfillment center was playing host to a very distinguished guest.

“Princess Twilight Sparkle, it’s a genuine honor having you here at Amazing Bookseller’s IND-1 facility. I can’t begin to tell you how happy we all are to have you here today…” The burly stallion halted and gave his guest a surprised look. “Your Highness?”

Twilight’s attention snapped away from the various metal shelves and all the books and miscellaneous products standing in them and back to the building manager, a sheepish grin on her face. “Sorry, Mister Big Chief. You’re going to have to forgive me. Libraries excluded, it’s been a while since I’ve been anywhere with this many books.” She trotted up alongside him and added, “Besides, I’ve been a customer for Amazing Booksellers for a while. Getting a look at how you work is kind of a treat for me.”

Her escorts from the Royal Guard exchanged small laughs, and Big Chief managed a forgiving smile as he went on with the tour. “Well, I hope you stick with us for future purchases. Amazing’s first priority is always to satisfy the customers like yourself, and if we can’t get you what you want, then we just aren’t doing our job right.”

“And if you don’t have customer satisfaction, then they won’t order from you, and you won’t be able to hire so many ponies.” Twilight’s words were underscored as a mare went past them with a cart trailing behind her, turning out of one aisle and into another.

“Exactly. On a day like this, we have something like a thousand ponies working on the main floor, and the numbers only go up during our peak seasons; late summer, when ponies are buying up textbooks for school, and of course the Hearthwarming Season. That’s when we bring in the vast majority of our temporary workers.”

“And how long do they stay employed?”

“It depends, but most end up leaving for one reason or another before they have a chance to convert. The few that stay, however, are happy to be…”

It was at that point that a terrible crash was heard from nearby, followed by an inarticulate yell that prompted the two to pause. The guards did a quick survey, one moving forward to protect the princess if need be, but no pony came charging out at them and the yell descended into inarticulate sounds of a different sort.

A brief expression of worry passed over Big Chief’s face; he had no idea what the outcry was about, but all of the possible reasons that sprang to mind were unpleasant, ranging from workplace violence to workplace injury to anything else that could potentially ruin the visit. “Sorry, Princess, it sounds like…”

“Please excuse me, sir.” Waving off her guard, Twilight broke off from the tour and made her way towards the source of the sound, driven both by curiosity and by general concern. Her pace hastened as she approached the sound and realized that whatever was going on, the pony that was making them was in trouble. And even if she hadn’t been a princess, it was her obligation to help.

It didn’t take long for her to find the source of the cries. A mess of books and party supplies and even the odd pet toy strewn on the floor before him was a stallion, closer in age to her brother Shining Armor than her, with a light tan coat and a slightly messy brown mane. He’d collapsed to the ground, a cart between him and the shelving unit suggesting some accident, but that wasn’t what caught Twilight’s attention the most about the scene. It was the fact that the stallion, while showing no sign of physical injury, was in the midst of tears, a sight that prompted further concern. She wasn’t sure what she could do to help as she approached the stallion, but she’d do her best. “Sir, are you alright?”

The stallion stopped, and looked up at her with deep brown eyes, surprise clear in them but quickly overtaken by sorrow as he sobbed an answer. “No! I’m not alright! I’m a failure! A screw up! I can’t do a single thing right!” He tried to recover himself as he continued, “Every day I come in here and try to do a good job, and I do the best I can, really, but it’s never good enough! There’s always something, like a glitchy magic list or lousy picks or whatever, but no pony cares about that! They don’t even care enough to get my name right! All they care about is making rate, and I can never make rate! And it’s only a matter of time before I’m fired, and I don’t want that! But it’s going to happen, because I’m a miserable! Little! Failure!” After that outburst, he gave up and collapsed back into a heap with frustrated sobs.

A small part of Twilight looked at this stallion and, as much as she hated to admit it, thought him a little bit pathetic. But another part of her wondered how he could end up like this, a miserable tearful mess, and she couldn’t simply leave him in such a state. Besides, there were times where she thought of herself as being on the edge of failure. Others had pulled her from the abyss; it would be wrong if she didn’t try to do the same. “What is your name, sir?”

A sniffle, and the stallion calmed himself down as best he could and answered as he tried to look her in the eye. “Quiver Quill, ma’am.”

A smile crossed her face. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, and believe it or not, I know exactly how you feel.” The stallion slowly got back to his hooves, tears having been replaced with awe, and she glanced around. “Looks like you’ve got a bit of a mess here.”

“Yeah.” He quickly cleared his throat and amended, “Yes, sorry, that’s my fault.” The quavering, tearful tone had calmed and given way to a more relaxed, almost casual one, and if Twilight was right, the stallion was trying to hold back nervous laughter as he wiped away the remaining tears. “I’m still getting used to the carts and I banged it against the shelves and, well, it all sorta speaks for itself.”

“Well Quiver Quill, what do we need to do to clean this up?”

Weeks had passed since that visit, but for Quiver Quill, it had been the highlight of his employment at Amazing Booksellers, far better than the day when he’d been converted from temporary to permanent employment with the company. But that was then, and today was a typical early Thursday afternoon for the facility. Lunch was over, and Quiver and the various other ponies who worked the site’s outbound shifts – those who sent product out rather than brought it in – were getting ready to get back to work for the afternoon, taking a moment to check and see if they had received positive feedback for their work for the previous week. A cursory glance at the sheets of paper that had been laid out to be signed, and he realized that once more, he hadn’t merited positive feedback for his work, and he turned and went on his way to wait for the afternoon pep-talk from the managers.

“Hey! Aren’t you going to sign your form?”

The stallion turned back to find one of the assistant managers holding up a positive feedback form, looking at him with a smile. He approached and checked the name and picture on the form, and groaned. “That isn’t me. My name isn’t Faithful Step; it’s Quiver Quill.” He idly pointed to another stallion that bore a slight resemblance to him, but was taller and bulkier and had a bushier mane cut. “Faithful’s over there.”

“Oh.” The assistant looked at the form again but kept up their smile. “Sorry!”

A small part of the stallion wanted to accept his apology, but the same assistant had confused Quiver with his coworker twice before this past month. It frustrated him to no end, but he kept himself under control, sighed and nodded, and turned away. He hated the fact that this was continuing to happen; he’d been with Amazing for roughly a year now, and he’d think that his superiors would be able to actually tell the difference between him and Faithful Step at this point. A part of him feared that they simply didn’t care, a feeling that was far-too-common in his life and still lingered despite the day he’d met Princess Twilight. That she’d taken a little time to help him made him feel better, but there were times where it took everything he had to remember that day, and between not meriting positive feedback and once more being confused for a coworker, it was even more of a strain.

“Good afternoon, Pickers!” Quiver put his thoughts aside and turned his attention to his supervisor. “First off, great work everypony, we are officially going at one hundred and four percent to plan!”

“AAAAAAYYYYYY-OOOOOOHHHHHH-KAY!” Quiver winced and rubbed his ear as he turned in the direction of the all-too-familiar call. Sure enough, there was Loudmouth. An older stallion with a great, bellowing voice and wiry, well-defined muscles, his loud pronouncements were recognized throughout the building and carried quite a distance. He didn’t do it to purposely annoy anypony or be cruel; his shouts tended to be in friendly greeting towards others. Nonetheless, Quiver wished that Loudmouth would be a little less true to his name. Simply thinking of certain words instantly reminded him of the old stallion, which did little to improve things.

The meeting continued on with the usual routine, discussion of things related to the workplace and reminders to stay hydrated and be safety-conscious, with a specific warning about the number of baskets they were supposed to have on their carts at a given time. The same things that had been said before several times, with one change towards the end. “Now, one more announcement before we get back to work; Amazing has new facilities opening throughout Equestria, and they’re looking for experienced ponies to help them get the ball rolling, so check the board if you’re interested. Any questions? Alright then, let’s finish the day strong!”

Quiver was many things, among them a creature of habit. When he was comfortable with a routine, he stuck to it. That said, however, there were occasions where his curiosity got the better of him, and he idly wondered if a different location might be better for him, so he checked the listings about the new facilities opening, if only to get a look at their locations. The Crystal Empire, Appaloosa…

…Ponyville!

“Hello!” The two stallions took a step back in surprise as she greeted them with her usual enthusiasm. Didn’t new visitors to Ponyville deserve anything less than a friendly welcome with a big bright smile? “Welcome to Ponyville, I’m…!” Her eyes took in the younger of the two and a description of a young stallion with a fancy cutie mark flashed through her mind. “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 and impossible for a pony, 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!”

A grin crossed Quiver’s face. “Thanks miss!”

“No problem, and the name is Pinkie Pie!” She led them off the platform and out of the station, skipping merrily as she went. “I make a habit of greeting newcomers to town anyway; I’m kind of Ponyville’s unofficial welcome wagon! I’d give you the whole treatment, but I can’t get my actual welcome wagon onto the platform. That, and I haven’t cleaned out the confetti cannons yet – I keep on filling them with cake batter.” She heard a slight grumble and turned about curiously. “Are you okay, mister? You sound like you have a tummy ache.”

Quiver’s father glowered at the mare for a split second before putting on his best neutral expression. “Something like that.”

The younger stallion quickly tried to change the subject. “So, you and Princess Twilight are friends?”

“Uh-huh! We met a long time ago, back before she was a princess and when she first moved to Ponyville! Princess Celestia sent her and Spike here to supervise the Summer Sun Celebration, and I was the first pony she met when she came to town! I trotted up to her and she said ‘Hi’ and I was like –” She let out a massive, theatrical gasp “– and then I went off and put together a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party for them! And then everything with Nightmare Moon happened and she decided to stay and we all became friends!” The whirlwind explanation finished with a grin and a squeal of glee.

Slightly bewildered by the rapid-fire explanation, Quiver found himself asking, “Who’s Spike?”

“Oh, he’s Twilight’s number-one assistant! He’s also family to her, either an adopted little brother or an adopted son; I’ve never really been clear one way or another. You can’t miss him – he’s a baby dragon! ” She stopped, her tail twitched, and she backed the two up seconds before a potted plant fell from the sky. She looked up and wondered, “Where do those things keep coming from?” Satisfied that nothing else was going to fall from the sky, she continued leading them on. “Anywho, that was just when we met! We’ve had all sorts of adventures together since then, and loads and loads of fun! And today isn’t going to be any different! We’ve got lots of stories, but it’s nice to hear other ponies’ stories, you know?”

A smile crossed his face. “Yeah, it is. I just hope folks like the one I’ve written.”

“Why wouldn’t they? You seem nice to me.” Another gasp and she pointed with a pink hoof at a tree in the distance. “We’re almost there, the Golden Oak Library! Twilight’s been running it since she moved to Ponyville, and it’s where she and Spike live! It’s really fun, and there’re lots of really good books there! And I’m sure Twilight will love to see you!”

“Well son, have you been fired yet?”

Quiver’s expression soured as he looked up from his dinner of tofu, rice and steamed broccoli at the expression on the russet face of his father. Directly opposite him at the table, Bitterhoof was grinning through his greying black beard. He tried to keep to an even tone as he answered, “No.”

“Well good. But don’t get comfortable; you take one hoof out of line, make one mistake, and they’ll fire you. Maker knows you’ve made mistakes in the past, after all.”

“Bits.” The old stallion’s face turned from his son to that of the mare seated to his left. Her greying brown mane in a conservative cut and her voice in a gentle tone, Constant Heart quietly noted, “Quiver’s gotten a permanent position with Amazing. I doubt they’ll go through all that trouble just to fire him out of hoof.” Ever the diplomat, she turned conversation elsewhere. “Speaking of, anything interesting at work today? Did you see anything that caught your attention on the shelves?”

A smile came up on his face as he thought about work earlier in the day. “No, but picks were good. I ended up getting lots of copies of the new Daring Do book. I still think you should…”

“I can wait for the movie,” was Bitterhoof’s unimpressed response.

Quiver rolled his eyes at his father’s dismissive attitude. While he had some issues with the books, the feature films were mixed at best, with so many important details left out. And they never got Ahuizotl’s accent right. “Anyway, they made an announcement at work. Amazing’s opening up new fulfillment centers, and they want volunteers to transfer out to them to help get things going. One of them is in Ponyville, and I want to take part.”

His mother’s response was curious and wary. “Really? Quiver, I…”

His father’s was another matter. “You what?”

“I want to transfer to the new Ponyville facility.”

Bitterhoof gave an infuriated glare. “And how are you supposed to get there? Take a train every day?”

“No, I thought I’d move to Ponyville and walk to the facility there.”

“Move there? And what are you going to do, just move in with that princess you met?”

“What? No! I thought she might be able to help me find my own place there.”

“Oh, like a princess is actually going to take time out of her busy schedule to help somepony like you! Besides, you have obligations here! Work to do here! Have you just forgotten about the condition of this house?! The bills that need paid?! The work that needs done?!”

He could feel himself shrinking as he answered in the negative. Quiver would’ve needed to be a blind amnesiac to forget, and even that would be temporary. The room they were eating in was their living room; their dining room had been occupied by a mess of odds and ends since before he was born, and the room they’d eaten in instead, their sun room, was closed off due to a long-delayed do-it-yourself renovation that neither his mother or father had applied much time to. And that was ignoring the metaphorical elephant in the room that was the gaping hole in the ceiling above their heads, leaving exposed struts and pipes for the upstairs bathroom that had lacked a working toilet since before he’d earned his cutie mark, and a working shower since before his birth. And those were just the issues that immediately sprang to mind with the house, and ignored the debt his family was in as well as regular housework.

“And now you want to move out to some hick backwater town just because some stupid princess happens to live there and decided to make herself look better by being nice to you?! It’s not happening!”

“But Dad…”

“Oh, inconvenient, is it? Well, life’s filled with minor inconveniences! Get used to it!”

Bitterhoof turned silent and went back to his food, Quiver sadly doing the same and thinking to himself, Congratulations, Quiver. You’ve gone and done it again.

“Sir, your son spoke with such passion about being a writer. You must be very proud of him.”

Bitterhoof shot his son a quick glance before admitting, “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 bright yellow pegasus approached, slightly unnerved by the severe older stallion’s tone and expression and not helped by his beard. “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.”

The stallion regarded her for a moment before turning to address the princess. “Can you point me towards the restroom?”

Twilight directed him, and Quiver sighed in relief and turned to face his supporter. “Thanks for that. My dad’s got a tendency to be stubborn about how he looks at things.” He noticed the uneasy expression on the pegasus’ face and added, “And sometimes he scares me too.”

“Oh, it isn’t your father. I’m just nervous around ponies I haven’t met before.” She smiled and added reassuringly, “But Twilight had such nice things to say about you, and you seem like a very nice pony. I’m Fluttershy, by the way.”

“Quiver Quill, but you already know that.” He managed a nervous laugh before he continued with small talk. “So Pinkie Pie was telling me when she met Princess Twilight on the way over. What about you?”

“Oh, I met her the same day. I direct a choir of birds here in Ponyville, and we were asked to perform for the Summer Sun Celebration. We were doing some last minute practice when Twilight came by to check on us, but she was a little loud and scared the poor things off. I was a little nervous too, but meeting Spike helped to smooth things over.”

“So you love animals then.”

“Oh yes. Well, most. Full-grown dragons scare me, and I really don’t like dealing with cockatrices.”

“I can’t blame you. Between us being bite-sized compared to the former and the latter turning whatever looks them in the eye into stone, neither’s really pleasant. Better them than a basilisk though, right?” She shuttered, and he turned nervous. “Sorry, don’t tell me…”

“Oh no, I’ve never had to worry about one of them. I was just agreeing with you. I really hope I never have to deal with one of them; not even The Stare would work on a basilisk.”

A puzzled expression crossed the stallion’s face. “The Stare?”

She nervously explained, “It’s something I do sometimes, I can’t really help it. I look directly into the eyes of someone opposite me, and they’re suddenly intimidated into submission. But it’s reliant on looking right into the eyes of another pony or an animal, and you can’t do that with a basilisk.”

A nervous expression and Quiver noted, “And here I thought only my father could do something like that.”

In comparison to the living room, Quiver’s bedroom was in a far better state, and was the closest thing he had to refuge to the various problems and frustrations that struck him at other points in his life. When he was younger, he’d lie down on his bed, either attempting to fight back tears or just letting them loose. Older and supposedly wiser now, he found himself seated at his desk, trying his best to put aside his own anger and frustration. He wasn’t in any condition or mood to write, so he instead tried to read, but found himself going over the same paragraph for the third time in a row. He groaned and rubbed his forehead with one hoof, only to be distracted from both as he heard a knock at his open door, turning to find his mother there with a comforting smile on her face. “Good book?”

He shook his head and pushed his book aside. “It’s as dense as a tree stump and three times more boring.” He scooted his stool back to better face his mother as she entered. “Mom, you and Dad don’t want me to live here forever, do you?”

“No, of course not. It’s just, well…”

“It’s just that Dad doesn’t have any faith in me being able to do anything right.”

“No, nothing like that.” She paused for a moment to think of the right words, settling after a few seconds. “I don’t think your father has quite accepted the fact that you’ve grown up and gotten a job yet, is all. You coming right out and saying that you wanted to move out and go to Ponyville of all places seemed a little sudden too. After all, you’ve only been there once, and you barely know Princess Twilight.”

“Mom, we exchange letters.” He opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a manila folder, opening it as his mother approached. “We’ve written to each other regularly since that trip. See for yourself.” He pointed out one in particular and explained, “She sent me this one less than a week after I told her about getting converted, and there’s others here talking about what she and her friends have been doing throughout Equestria. You remember that friend of hers that I mentioned, Rarity? She’s a growing name in the fashion world; caught it in the paper.”

“That’s the same mare you met at the prose reading?” Constant managed an impressed smile. “I guess being a princess means you run in high circles.”

“They met long before Twi…” He quickly corrected himself. “Before Princess Twilight became a princess, and the same goes for the rest of her friends.” He closed the folder and explained, “Listen, I’m not saying I’m doing it. I just saw the announcement and thought this might be a good idea for me. And all I was going to do was send her a letter asking if she could help me find a place, that’s it. I wouldn’t even start the paperwork for the transfer if I didn’t have some guarantee of a place waiting for me in Ponyville, and if Princess Twilight can’t, then I’ll drop the whole thing. But we both know I can’t say here forever.”

His mother considered his words, her brown eyes locked on his, and smiled. “You really think she can help?”

He smiled back encouragingly. “It can’t hurt to ask.”

“You lookin’ fer sumthin’? Seem kinda lost.”

“Not lost, really, just at loose ends is all.” A shrug, and he noted, “A little nervous, too. The last time I read a story in front of an audience didn’t really go well for me.”

The orange mare made a dismissive wave with one hoof. “Wouldn’t worry too much if I was you, fella. Ponyville’s one of the friendliest places in Equestria, and we ain’t the sort to be rude.” A raised eyebrow, and she relented, “Okay, we ain’t perfect, but we ain’t about to be mean to somepony who just came inta town fer a day fer no good reason. Just relax and enjoy yerself.”

“Easier said than done.” He picked up a waiting mug of apple cider and sampled it, pausing a second to glance at it with awe. “Sweet Celestia, where did Princess Twilight get this cider? It’s the best I’ve ever tasted!”

“Well, not to toot mah own horn or nuthin’, but she’s got me to thank for it.” She made an introductory nod of her head. “Name’s Applejack. Me and my family run Sweet Apple Acres, and our cider? Best of the bunch, without a doubt.”

“I can believe that.” He took another blissful sip as a thought occurred to him. “Wait, Sweet Apple Acres? As in the only place that makes Zap Apple Jam?”

“That’s the one.”

“Oh, I’ve always wanted to have some of that!” He rolled his eyes and noted, “But Barnyard Bargains always sells through its stock faster than a Wonderbolt goes down a straightaway, and anypony else that sells it has it at absurd prices. Between that and the cider, your family must be loaded.”

Applejack chuckled nervously. “Ain’t quite as simple as that, but we make it through best we can. Still, helps to have a big family supportin’ ya and lots a’ friends at your back.”

A sad smile crossed the stallion’s face as he added in a low voice, “Must be nice having that.”

“Come again?”

He shook his head. “Nothing, just thinking aloud. So, big family?”

“Spread across all Equestria, but the only immediate folks are me, mah siblin’s and Granny Smith. Plenty a’ work fer the four a’ us, though.”

“And sometimes a little extra.” The little dragon that Quiver had noticed and heard of strode up, looking him over with approval. “So you’re the struggling writer Twilight met at an Amazing warehouse.”

“And you’re Spike. Pinkie Pie mentioned you on the way over.” He offered a hoof. “So what’s it like living with a princess?”

“Not as glamorous as you’d think, but pretty awesome.” The two shared a hoof bump before Spike turned attention elsewhere, “Between you and me, us moving here to Ponyville was the best thing that ever happened to me and Twilight. We’ve had a couple rough patches, but I like to think we’ve settled in okay.”

“’Specially considerin’ a certain dragon’s gone and gotten himself a crush.”

“Attention everypony, attention!” The stallion was prevented from inquiring further about the farm mare’s tease as they turned their heads to the lectern that was set up in one corner of the library, Princess Twilight standing behind it. “If I could have your attention please? I’d like to welcome you all to the first annual Ponyville Prose Reading!” She enthusiastically clapped her hooves together, others gently stomping theirs on the ground to applaud. “For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Princess Twilight Sparkle, stu…ahem, associate of Princess Celestia and proprietor of the Golden Oak Library. I’d like to thank all the authors who came by today, both local and from abroad, to share their craft. Now please give a warm welcome to our first speaker, Miss Bitta Luck!”

Quiver was inwardly glad that they were doing the readings in alphabetical order; it gave him plenty of time to relax and prepare himself, as well as fight off the memories of the last time he read a story he’d written aloud. Granted, some good had come from the experience, his cutie mark among it, but still, the less he thought of it, the better, and he was very glad that this wasn’t a competition.

“I don’t know about you, Twilight, but I’m so very much looking forward to Manehattan Fashion Week.” Absentmindedly sorting through books to be reshelved in Golden Oak Library, Rarity was quick to point out, “I will admit to being a little anxious, but still, this is a fantastic opportunity!”

“And we all know you’ll wow the judges.” Twilight magically lifted the sorted books and returned them to their proper shelves. “So don’t worry too much. Whatever happens, you’ll do great, and we’ll all be there for you.”

“Plus there’s no question you’ll be the obvious winner, but that goes without saying.” Spike approached, carrying a small basket of letters. While some bits of mail arrived via his flames, the vast majority of the letters and packages that Twilight received came via traditional methods, and it was up to him to sort it out. “Here’s the mail, Twilight. Haven’t sorted it all yet.”

“That’s alright, Spike, won’t take a minute.” Twilight turned her attention away from her books and to the letters, magically lifting them up and giving them a quick glance before sorting through them, putting aside the odd catalog and official letter and sending junk mail off to Spike to be disposed of. Finally, one remained, the address catching her attention. “Ooh!”

Her ears perked up at her friend’s eager response to the letter, and Rarity wondered aloud, “And what might this be? A letter from an admirer? A sweet something from a certain sweetheart pegasus, perhaps?”

A slight blush arose on her cheeks as Twilight admonished, “Rarity!”

“Oh, do forgive my teasing darling, but you are the first among us to have a mutual romantic interest, my efforts on the matter notwithstanding.” She rolled her eyes and elaborated, “Not that anypony else among our circle seems eager for a relationship. It’s no wonder the gossip columns claim that Rainbow Dash and Applejack are an item.”

“Yeah, like that’s got any truth to it.” The junk mail deposited in its specified wastebasket, Spike dutifully spat a small burst of green flame and incinerated the letters in short order. “Besides, this one didn’t come from the Crystal Empire.”

“Oh?” Her interest piqued further, Rarity turned back to Twilight and prodded further, “Another admirer for Equestria’s newest princess then?”

Twilight rolled her eyes and deadpanned, “Rarity, it’s from Quiver Quill.”

“Quiver…?” It took a second, but her memory caught up with her. “Oh yes, I remember him! Charming fellow, marvelously polite. It’s good that you’ve kept in touch, darling; the poor fellow seemed so nervous and lonesome. Almost like Fluttershy, really.”

“Well, I get the feeling he doesn’t really have a lot of friends.” Twilight’s somber report turned to a more interested one as she related, “But it looks like he’s trying to get out on his own. Amazing Booksellers is opening a fulfillment center here in town, and he’s thinking about transferring out here as part of its launch. He’s asked if I can help find him a place to stay here in Ponyville.”

“Well good for him!” The fashionista thoughtfully considered this news and wondered aloud, “Hmm, well, I suppose I can ask around, check the classifieds in the local newspapers…”

“I’ve got an idea!” The two ponies and one dragon jumped slightly as Pinkie Pie made her presence known, surprising each of them. “And he won’t even need to look through the papers!”

Rarity took a quick second to catch her breath before commenting, “Pinkie Pie, I can appreciate your enthusiasm, but Quiver Quill comes across as the sensitive artist type. You can’t simply toss him in with anypony. After all, there’s a reason I don’t have a permanent housemate. Yet.”

“Don’t you worry, Rarity, I’ve got it all covered!” Pinkie instantly pulled out a small black book and began looking through it. “Ponyville’s gotten a few new ponies in it since Twilight became a princess, and I’m sure one of them will be willing to take in a nice, hard-working roomie, especially if they happen to be a smarty-pants writer like Quiver! And if they don’t, then I can check with everypony else!” She gasped as her search came to one of the very last ponies on her list, a grin crossing her face as she declared, “Found them!”

Twilight looked over the name, which appeared to have been hastily written in crayon, and gave her party planning pal a perplexed expression. “Pinkie, the two don’t even know each other.”

“Nopony knew anypony before they met, and when they do, they become best friends, especially when they have something in common! And trust me, this pony and Quiver have plenty in common!”

Waiting to speak had been the worst part of the day, as it had only allowed what anxiety he’d had left to restore itself. When his time came, Quiver stepped up to the lectern, set up his papers, looked out at the faces of the gathered ponies (as well as Spike and what looked like a zebra that had found herself among the crowd), took a deep breath, and started his story. He’d come this far, and he wasn’t about to choke on the final stretch.

“It was a cold Saturday night, the regular crowd having shuffled into the bar. From my place at the piano, I could see them all, and each had a story. It may have only mattered to them, but it was theirs. And this was mine…”

He continued to read, his eyes darting every couple seconds from the pages before him to the audience. Their expressions remained unchanged, his father's that of neutrality and the crowd’s polite interest. He cast his father out of his mind and continued on as he found his way to the end of the story.

“As I finished my tune, the two stallions, their argument forgotten, slumped into gleeful unconscious, and my boss turned to me with a smile. ‘Well done, Wild’.” He looked up from his papers one last time with relief and smiled. “Thank you.”

Enthusiastic applause greeted him as he sorted his papers out, only for them to sort themselves. “Let me help you with that, dear.” They were neatly stacked and returned to his folder, and he turned to find a unicorn mare looking upon him with approval, her purple mane styled in an elegant manner and her voice and attitude regal and polite. “There you are.”

“Thanks ma’am.”

“Oh, you needn’t be that formal. Please, my name is Rarity.” He tucked the folder into his saddlebag as she continued, “Forgive me for noticing this, but you seemed rather nervous before you started.”

“I was. The last time I recited something I wrote in public, well, it had mixed results.”

“Harsh criticism, I take it?” She smiled sympathetically and assured him as he stepped away from the lectern, “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.”

“Well thank you, Rarity, but…”

Quiver was instantly interrupted as another mare, this time a rainbow-maned pegasus, stepped in. “Man, you need to start publishing!”

“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity tutted and turned back to the stallion as she continued, “Do forgive my friend’s manners. Her enthusiasm often gets the better of her.”

“Eh, it’s alright. I’m used to it.” The name clicked in his memory as he faced the pegasus and exclaimed, “Wait, Rainbow Dash? As in the only mare in recorded history to pull off a Sonic Rainboom?”

“You see any other pegasi as awesome as me around here?” She put aside her own grand-standing and went back to her earlier train of thought. “Seriously though, you’re not half bad. Definitely good enough to get published somewhere. I mean, your stuff isn’t Daring Do, but it’s still pretty good! You should try it!”

“Oh trust me, I want to get published. I’ve been working on a novel off and on for a year now but I can’t quite seem to find the time to get it done.”

Dash flashed an encouraging grin. “Well what are you waiting for? Get it done already!”

“Quiver.” His attention was turned from the encouraging mare to his father, who was already well on his way to the door. “We have a train to catch.”

The young stallion’s tone grew restrained as he obliged. “Coming!” He looked back as he made his way out at the gathered ponies, offering a friendly wave as he followed his father out. “Thanks everypony!”

His father remained silent as they exited the library, and kept his silence as they continued along until they were a small distance from the library. “Well done, Quiver.” The brief bit of joy he had at hearing his father’s praise was crushed as Bitterhoof amended, “Next time, however, make sure that if you submit something, it has a cash prize to go along with it. A job isn’t worth doing unless you get paid for it.”

“But they liked it.”

A dismissive snort. “They’re being polite. If anypony acts this nice, they’re either insane or trying to get something out of you. Sometimes both. Remember that, and your life will be easier in the long run.”

They continued in silence, but Quiver found himself reflecting on how his father had been wrong in the past, even if he’d never admit it. He quietly hoped to himself that his father was wrong again; after all, not every pony was out to get him, were they?

The train ride to Ponyville from Indianapoloosa was much the same as it was the first time, Quiver spending much of the first leg of the trip relaxing and reading a book, only to do the same on the second leg of the trip. The only difference was that his father wasn’t present, which was a comfort. He’d gone traveling without his father before, of course; his time earning his degree at college, for example, was as much thanks to his desire for independence as it was an unexpected (and very suspect by his father’s reckoning) scholarship. It also helped that he’d taken the trip before; the familiar was always more comfortable than the unfamiliar, after all.

As the train came to a stop, he got to his hooves, packed away his things and retrieved his saddlebags and luggage, and made his way out of the carriage and onto the platform, remembering the last letter that he’d received from Princess Twilight and keeping an eye out for…

“QUIVER! OVER HERE!”

His eyes turned to the end of the platform, and they instantly lit up with glee as he caught sight of his welcoming party. Awaiting him were Princess Twilight and her friends, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash holding up a banner above the rest that proudly read “Welcome to Ponyville!” in bright letters. He rushed forward then, remembering himself, paused and bowed politely as the banner was rolled up. “Princess Twilight Sparkle. Thank you for the warm welcome.” He rose back to his full height and, noticing that Pinkie Pie’s face had turned noticeably sad as she finished spiriting away the banner, gleefully smiled and exclaimed, “Aw, come here, Pinkie!”

She gasped and tackle-hugged him. “You remembered me!”

“Of course! How could I forget the first mare I met in Ponyville?” He warmly hugged her and then took in the rest of the group. “Or any of you. It’s great seeing you all again. Oh, Rarity, congratulations on stealing the show at Manehattan Fashion Week. I read all about it in the Indianapoloosa Star.”

The violet-maned unicorn made a polite laugh. “An ironic turn of phrase, dear, but I’m not one to turn away praise.” She glanced over his saddlebags and the small load of luggage dragging behind him and noted, “This is all you packed?”

“All I thought I needed to bring immediately. It’s not much, just books and personal things, stuff I can’t get here in Ponyville easy enough. I’m going to write back to my folks once I settle in and have them ship the rest of my things over.” Turning attention back to the matter at hoof, he asked, “So, you all managed to find a place for me?”

Twilight smiled and indicated her excited friend. “Pinkie Pie deserves the credit really. Come on, we’ll show you the way.”

With Pinkie Pie leading the way, the group made their way through town, Rarity starting off the conversation. “While we’re on the way darling, please, elaborate a bit. Why transfer out here?”

“Well duh, of course he transferred out here!” Rainbow Dash confidently explained, “He got a taste of the awesomeness of Ponyville and just couldn’t get enough!”

“That was part of it, yeah, but another part was just wanting to get out on my own. I’m a little old to still be living with my folks, and besides, as much as I enjoy my job, I’ve been having headaches there from day one.” At the mares’ curious looks, he explained, “Issues with my coworkers. Minor things, but still, they get to you after a while. None of them transferred out here with me, so I’m thinking that working out here will go a little easier than back in Indianapoloosa.”

“Well no offense to ya, it ain’t like we don’t mind you movin’ out here, but why didn’t ya go to yer bosses about yer troubles?”

“Partly because they were contributing to them, partly because they weren’t doing anything about them.” Surprised expressions went his way as he elaborated, “I had a coworker back there named Faithful Step. He and I vaguely look alike, but for some crazy reason, several of my coworkers and supervisors kept on confusing me with him.” He sighed glumly. “Repeatedly. You’d think they’d notice us having different cutie marks at least.”

“Well darling, I would put those thoughts aside were I in your horseshoes. I doubt that anyone in Ponyville will be mistaken for you.” Rarity thought for a moment as she realized, “Perhaps Caramel, but he does have a radically different cutie mark. Three blue horseshoes. Look at the two of you side by side, and I doubt anyone could accidentally confuse you.”

Quiver Quill gave a relieved smile at this as he thought of his own mark, a black and red quill overlaying a blank white scroll. He then caught sight of another earth pony stallion, colored slightly darker than him but with a spikier mane, as he exited a store and remarked, “Tell you the truth, there’s a few I wouldn’t mind getting mistaken for. Still, when it happens once I can understand, but three or four times? By several different ponies in positions of authority? Makes me think of that quote from the Jay Link novels – once is happenstance, twice is coincidence…”

“And three times is enemy action,” the princess, Rarity and Spike chimed in as one.

“Exactly.” He huffed and noted, “I hate being paranoid.”

“Oh, I doubt anypony’s really out to get you, Quiver Quill.” Fluttershy gave him an encouraging smile and reassured him, “It’s probably just an honest mistake on their part.”

“Still, you work at a place for close to a year, and you’d think they’d at least bother to learn your name. And besides, that was just the tip of the iceberg.”

“Well, ah’m sure things’ll go diff’rent for ya here in Ponyville. What day are ya startin’ work?”

“This Monday. Long enough to get settled in, stock up on whatever I need to and get the lay of the land. I just hope the new housemate likes me. Speaking of, anything you can tell me about her?”

“Oh, don’t worry! You two should get along great! She’s a writer too, just moved here to Ponyville from Vanhoover!” The group reached a small, one-story building, a mailbox perched to one side of the front door and the windows draped, concealing the inside. Pinkie knocked on the door and explained, “I told her all about you, and she’s looking forward to meeting you and making friends!”

Quiver took a deep breath as the door opened to reveal a pale grey unicorn mare, her yellow mane cut short and her cutie mark a heart fading from pink to black. She looked him over and made a small grin. “You’re Quiver Quill? The name’s Luster Drain. Come in.” He smiled and followed, the door softly closing behind him, leaving the gathered mares and dragon to exchange hopeful looks.

“So, what do you think of the place?”

Quiver took a quick look about; the one-story dwelling looked sturdy enough from the outside, and the furnishings inside were nice. He smiled. “I like what I see so far.”

“Yeah, most of this is courtesy of the land-mare. Gilded Lily’s decent enough, but she’s pretty insistent on the rent getting paid on time, y’know?” She leaned in close and asked, “Speaking of, you said you had a job, right? No trouble paying your share of the rent?”

“Yep, gainfully employed, no trouble pulling my weight. Speaking of, is she going to be by to discuss the rental agreement, or are we going to her offices?”

“Neither; I’ve got the paperwork here filled out and ready for you.” Luster directed him to a table, documentation laid out. “All you need to do is sign, and you’re ready to go.”

Quiver approached and looked over the contract, checking over the fine points. It wasn’t all that different from the contract he had with Amazing, or the agreements he’d made with his lodgings during college; there were stipulations about damages and such, notices that their land-mare could terminate their agreement when she chose or for whatever reason but had to give notice within a period of time, agreed-upon rental costs and the like. Satisfied, he plucked up a pen from the table and signed his name, then spat it out. “Is there a copy I can keep for my records?”

“That is the copy to keep for your records.”

“Excellent.” He carefully folded up the document and tucked it into his saddlebags, pulling out a small bag afterwards. “Now, that agreement said the rent was what, six hundred bits a month? That’s three hundred from each of us.” He deposited the bag on the table and explained, “And that’s my half of the rent for the next two months.” He noticed a shocked look on the mare’s face and asked, “What?”

“You had six hundred bits ready to go?”

He shrugged. “I try to be prepared. So, assuming there aren’t any other problems, where’s my room?”

Luster smiled and beckoned him onwards. “Right this way.”

“Do you think things are okay?”

“If’n they weren’t, he’d’ve come out by now.”

“I’m sure things are…” The door to the small dwelling opened, and Quiver Quill emerged, prompting Twilight to ask. “So, how’d it go?”

He smiled. “I think this’ll work.”

Chapter Two

View Online

“Good morning everypony, and welcome to the first day of outbound operations for the CNR-4 facility!”

The Ponyville fulfillment center for Amazing Booksellers was little different from its counterpart in Indianapoloosa. Smaller, perhaps, but laid out in a similar manner, and as the day started for Quiver Quill, list in hoof, he found himself eager to start the day. Maybe it was just the new surroundings, but things felt different now, and he found himself brimming with a little extra confidence. With a smile on his face, he managed some enthusiastic stomps in applause at the words of his new supervisor, an ivory unicorn mare with a short golden mane, the nametag on her vest reading “Bright Star”. She smiled as she looked upon the gathered ponies, her bright blue eyes twinkling in the artificial lighting. She seemed nice enough, but time would tell.

“I’d like to take a moment to thank all of you for being here, both the new hires and the transfers from other facilities. I’m glad to see some new blood, and very glad for the old blood to be here and lending a hand. Don’t be afraid to help one another if somepony needs it, hmm? Now then, let’s get stretched out and get to work!”

One of her assistants led the rest of the gathered pickers in their morning stretches, Quiver following the routine by memory. It only took a couple minutes, and then they were at work and he quickly found a cart, got his baskets and set off to his first pick of the day. Hopefully, it would be a lot of small things rather than a lot of big things; picking small things was always easier than picking big things, if only because it went faster.

He continued on for several minutes, fortune granting him his hope for small items for the time being, and he fell into a comfortable routine until…

“Hello!” Quiver jumped slightly in surprise before turning to find his supervisor beside him, an apologetic look on her face. “Sorry! Didn’t mean to startle you like that.”

He smiled back in reassurance, quickly calming from his brief shock. “It’s okay, ma’am, don’t worry about it. I tend to focus on the task at hoof when I’m working. Other stuff just gets blocked out.”

“Try to be careful about that, hmm?” She smiled and quickly checked his ID tag, cross-checking with her clipboard. “Now then, Quiver Quill is it? Transferred out here from Indianappaloosa. That’s quite a ways. Any reason in particular?”

“Actually, quite a few. Do you mind if I keep working while we talk?”

“No, go right ahead.”

Quiver went on with his work, going onto his next pick with his supervisor following. “Mostly I just wanted a change of scenery. It’s not perfect, but I’m generally happy with Amazing. I just had some issues at the old facility that never really got addressed. Problems with other employees, issues with the management, stuff like that. Nopony being mean deliberately, just…”

“Just giving you headaches without realizing it?” At Quiver’s nod, Bright Star gave him a reassuring smile. “Well, let me know if you have any problems, and I’ll do what I can about them. For now, do you think you’ll enjoy your first day here?”

“Well, so far, so good, but thanks.” A grin from his supervisor, and the two parted, Quiver getting back to work himself. He’d rarely gotten that with the folks in charge back in Indy, just a minute of chit-chat. It felt good, and despite a tiny part of him cautioning that it may not be genuine, he looked forward to more of it.

The first two days of his work week went by quickly, and Quiver soon got to what was one of the small highlights of his week, and something he’d been looking forward to since arriving in Ponyville – his first Wednesday in town. To other ponies, this was no big deal, but in his case, it meant a small bit of freedom, given his shift left him with Wednesdays off. And as this was his first one since moving in, what better way to celebrate it than treating himself?

He’d gotten up early, as he tended to do normally, and quickly cleaned himself off, a brief shower helping to invigorate him for the day ahead. He did his best to be quiet, of course, partly to be polite and partly because of past experience. His father had never been a morning pony, tending to stay up late and sleep in, and what he’d seen of Luster suggested the same of his new housemate. So he opted against bothering her, and went on his way to one of the places he’d heard about in his brief tour about town. He just hoped that it was open, though if it wasn’t, it probably would be very shortly.

By the time he got there, however, Sugar Cube Corner was indeed open. A small structure with two proper floors and a loft, it was decorated on the outside to look like a gingerbread house, fitting given it sold pastries and baked goods. The sweet smells of said baked goods greeted him as he entered, and he paused, closed his eyes and took a second to breathe in the aroma, exhaling with a contented sigh before…

“Hi Quiver!”

He smiled and opened his eyes. “Hi Pinkie.” The bubbly pink mare was clearly wide awake, cheerfully grinning at him from a corner of the floor. He turned to face her, only to find that she wasn’t alone, his eyes widening at the sight before him. “And who are these little darlings?”

Just as Pinkie had pointed him out, a pair of foals no more than a year old turned and looked upon him with curious eyes. He approached slowly with a smile, and they giggled gleefully in greeting as Pinkie introduced them. “They’re the little Baby Cakes, silly!” She gently rubbed a hoof on the little unicorn filly, then the pegasus colt and introduced them. “This is Pumpkin Cake, and that’s Pound Cake! I’m playing with them while their parents are getting everything ready.”

“Aww.” Quiver knelt down and gently leaned in. “Aren’t you too just the sweetest little things?” He gently nuzzled the unicorn and reasoned, “I can see why they call you Pumpkin!” That elicited a giggle, and he turned to her sibling and asked, “But why do they call you Pound?”

Quiver’s question was swiftly answered as the baby pony reared back with one foreleg and punched him hard on the nose. The stallion recoiled at the blow while the foal giggled gleefully, only to stop as his caretaker gasped. “Pound Cake! We do not hit other ponies! That was…!”

“Owie!” Pinkie and the two babies turned their attention to Quiver, the stallion now laid flat on the ground with his forehooves covering his nose. His lips were scrunched up, a pained expression on his face as he continued to whimper, “Owie-owie-owie!”

Despite not quite being a year old, Pound Cake was smart enough to put certain pieces of puzzles together and get a result. He looked from the seemingly hurt stallion before him to his hoof, and realized that he’d actually brought harm to the much larger pony. Just as his face began to scrunch up as if to cry, however, he paused as he heard a soft chuckle, his attention back on the stallion as he uncovered his nose to reveal a gentle smile on his face.

“Hey, don’t cry little guy. I’m okay, see?” Quiver then made a silly face and a strange but funny sound from his mouth, which prompted a laugh from both foals. He then gently brought a hoof forward and booped the colt upon the nose. “You gotta be gentle, hmm?”

Pound giggled and mimicked his action, gently booping Quiver back, and gurgled, “Gen-tull!”

“Aww!” Quiver stood back up as Pinkie looked upon him with a smile on her face. “That was really sweet! I mean, I’m sorry you got hit, but still, really sweet!”

“Don’t worry about it, Pinkie. I’ve had worse blows.”

Before he could elaborate, a tall, skinny stallion and a smaller, rounded mare dashed out of the kitchen and out from behind the counter, the former of the pair looking upon the scene with alarm. “Pinkie, is everything alright?!”

“It’s okay, Mr. Cake! Pound Cake was just introducing himself to my new friend!” Pinkie gave Quiver a hug and explained, “You remember me telling you about Quiver Quill, right? Quiver, meet Mister and Missus Cake!”

“Oh dear.” The Cake matriarch approached anxiously and asked, “I’m sorry, sir, our son doesn’t quite know his own strength. You’re not hurt, are you?”

“I’m fine, don’t worry.” Given his nose wasn’t bleeding, Quiver figured that was a fair summation. “Anyway, I heard this was the place to come in Ponyville if I ever felt like getting something to snack on, and, well, I’m not one to say no to baked goods. Don’t suppose you’ve got any donuts?”

As it happened, they did indeed sell donuts, and Quiver soon found himself on his way home with a baker’s dozen, number thirteen due to Quiver’s small incident with little Pound Cake. The stallion had attempted to refuse, but they’d insisted upon it, and not being the sort to seek conflict over something so minor, he’d relented.

That said, he did make a mental note to not elaborate on this later. He could handle a little aggressive play from a yearling, but he doubted the Cakes could handle losing too much of their stock if this repeated.

A short walk back to his new home, and Quiver found himself seated in the kitchen he now shared with his roomie, a quick breakfast of oatmeal, fruit and milk prepared and laid out before him as he nibbled upon the first donut from the box. Sweet Maker, was it a good donut; Pinkie hadn’t exaggerated about her employers and their craft.

Satisfied, he pushed the box of donuts aside and got to work on the rest of his meal. Warm and with a few spoonfuls of brown sugar mixed in, his oatmeal was delicious, and his fruit was fresh and pleasant. The perfect start to the day.

“Quiver?” He turned from his meal to find his roommate at the kitchen door. “What’s all this?”

“Good morning, Luster.” Quiver smiled and gestured to his meal. “Got up a little while ago, went out to get some donuts, got back, noticed you weren’t up yet, and made some breakfast.” He then gestured to the stove and added, “Don’t worry, I made some oatmeal for you too, and I’ve only had one of the donuts.”

Luster Drain approached and examined the donut box. “From Sugar Cube Corner? You shouldn’t have.”

“It wasn’t a problem…”

“No, you shouldn’t have. I’m trying to watch my figure.”

The stallion turned downcast. “…oh. Sorry, I didn’t…”

“Well, water under the bridge. Anyway, get finished with your breakfast, there’s lots to do today.”

“No kidding. I’ve got some writing I’ve been meaning to do for ages and…”

“Oh, not that.”

The stallion looked to his housemate in surprise, then shrugged. “Alright, if you’ve got something you’d like me to look over, I’m fine with doing proofreading…”

“Oh no, it’s something else. I need you to come with me for some shopping. Can’t carry everything home on my own, you know.”

A shrug. “Okay. How long do you expect us to be out?”

“Oh, not long. An hour or two at most.”

The words repeated in Quiver’s mind four hours later as he pulled a cart behind him for his housemate. Luster’s own saddlebags remained reasonably empty as they continued onwards, something that did little to ease his mood. He kept it to himself, however; complaints would only cause trouble, after all, and the sooner things finished, the better.

“Hello sir. Those look to be some fantastic oats.”

Though why she didn’t simply go to Barnyard Bargains, he had no clue.

The lantern-jawed stallion manning the stall grinned. “Thanks miss. Best oats this side a’ Canterlot. Only ten bits a bag.”

“Ten? But you have so many. Surely a discount wouldn’t be beyond a sweet, handsome stallion such as yourself?”

Quiver couldn’t help but wonder how much she expected this to work. She’d sweet-talked practically every stallion running a stall that she could see, and while all of them had caved, one of them had to eventually…

“Well, that’s just fer one. It’s fifteen bits fer two.”

“Oh, well that’s a bargain! I’ll take four.” The bags of oats were deposited into the nearly-packed wagon, and Luster looked through her bags once more. “Oh dear. Quiver, would you mind handling this too?”

The stallion rolled his eyes, but relented; he’d be eating it too, after all. He produced his own moneybag from his saddlebags and turned over the total cost, and the two went on their way. “So, any more stops?”

“Just one.” The two approached the local post office as she explained, “Seems there was a mix-up with a recent package delivery, and I need to get it sorted out. Wait out here please?”

“Sure, easily done.” They stopped outside of the small building, and Quiver sat outside and waited as Luster entered to go about her business. He sighed and tried to find a positive to being out and about for so long. This wasn’t too hard, thankfully; it was a pleasant day, neither too warm or too chilly, and the ideal one to be out and about in.

Still, he wanted to be home. He had stories he wanted to write, after all, and if he wasn’t going to get them done on his days off, then when would he get them done? The sooner Luster was finished with her errands…

A fluttering of wings and a large bird landing atop his head caught his attention. He looked up and saw a raven looking upon him with inquisitive eyes. “Hello.”

“Hello there.” He smiled as he raised a hoof, then watched the raven jump from atop his head and onto the offered limb. “What’s a handsome corvid like you doing here?”

“Oh, Edgar!” Quiver turned from the bird to find a familiar yellow pegasus approaching him. “Oh, hello Quiver! I’m sorry, I hope Edgar wasn’t disturbing you.”

“No Fluttershy, I’m fine.” He laughed as he turned back to the raven. “Edgar, huh? I can think of worse names for a raven.” He then turned back to Fluttershy and asked, “Did you teach him to speak?”

“Well, no, he picked it up on his own.” She smiled proudly and noted, “He’s very smart, especially by raven standards.” Edgar beamed at the praise and bowed his head, then fluttered onto Fluttershy’s head and gently stroked one of her ears, prompting a giggle. “And he’s very friendly.”

“So I noticed. What brings you this way?”

“There you are, Fluttershy! What was… oh, hey, Quiver! What’re you doing out here?!”

Quiver turned to find Rainbow Dash approaching with three more pegasi in tow; a young filly on a scooter, a skinny colt whose wings buzzed like a hummingbird, and a stallion who instantly caught his attention. “Hey Dash! I’m just out doing some errands with Luster. Groceries and… stuff…” Quiver wasn’t quite sure what to make of the bulky light grey stallion with bulging muscles and his mane trimmed short, but he found himself very intimidated. “Who are your friends?”

“Oh, guess you haven’t met ‘em. Quiver, meet Scootaloo, Featherweight, and Bulk Biceps; guys, this is Quiver Quill. He’s new in town.”

At Rainbow Dash’s introduction, the bulky stallion broke out in a toothy smile and gleefully embraced Quiver in a tight hug. “Welcome to Ponyville! Nice to meet’cha!”

“Thanks! Feeling’s mutual!” the smaller stallion managed to squeak through the embrace.

“Um, Uncle Bulk?” The large stallion sheepishly chuckled and gently released Quiver. As he straightened himself out, Featherweight turned apologetic. “Sorry about that.”

Fluttershy giggled. “Please don’t be too intimidated by him. Bulk’s a real sweetheart, even if he doesn’t look like it.”

Quiver noticed the larger stallion blush considerably at Fluttershy’s remark. “So I’ve noticed.” He offered a hoof to the stallion, who responded in turn as he continued, “You’ve got some power to you, big guy. You taking part in the Equestria Games?”

Rainbow Dash beamed proudly and explained, “The three of us are gonna be Ponyville’s Aerial Relay Team.”

“YEAH!” came the bulky stallion’s energetic affirmation.

“And me, Featherweight and Edgar are their cheering section!” the orange filly cheered. “And there’s no way they won’t be awesome with Rainbow Dash on the team!”

The prismatic pegasus grinned. “Yeah, well, even the awesome need to rest.” She turned back to Quiver and explained, “So we’re taking a break from practice to loosen up a little. Not long to go before we attend the qualifiers at Rainbow Falls.”

“Well good luck. I’ve got a feeling any team with the three of you on it is going to be tough to beat.”

Bulk and Fluttershy exchanged sheepish glances, and the latter noted, “Well, maybe. An Aerial Relay Team needs agility and speed. Rainbow Dash has both, but the two of us…?”

“I’m not all that good with twists and turns and stuff!” Bulk explained. He gently nudged his nephew and noted, “Kinda envy the little guy for that!”

Quiver regarded him for a second. “And all that bulk probably doesn’t lend itself well to reflexes and maneuverability. You do a lot of bodybuilding, right?” At Bulk’s enthusiastic nod, he suggested, “Well, maybe you should try balancing it a bit with something that’ll help you be more flexible. Yoga or something.”

Dash managed an encouraging grin. “That might be something to look into if we pass the qualifiers.” She gave Quiver a thankful nudge and noted, “Nice thinking.”

“Thanks. Got it from a story I read…”

“Quiver, all done!” His attention turned back to the post office’s entrance to find that Luster had emerged, her parcel already floating its way into the cart. “Time to be going.”

“Right, sorry.” He started following his roomie on her way, but called out, “Catch you guys later, hope the suggestion works out, and again, best of luck!”

“Thanks!” A pleased look on his face, Bulk exclaimed, “I like him!”

Quiver couldn’t help but smile at that as he and Luster continued on, his reverie broken as the mare noted, “You know, you really shouldn’t associate yourself with ponies like him.”

“And what’s wrong with Bulk Biceps? He seems like a nice guy.”

“How many ponies have you seen with builds like his? There’s no way that’s natural. Plus those tiny wings of his? I’ve seen infants with bigger wings. He’s a case of ‘roid rage just waiting to happen.”

Quiver diplomatically kept silent as they made their way back to the house. It had done him little good to argue with his father, after all, and he suspected the case would be much the same with Luster. Still…

No. Don’t think like that. Just because a pony thinks they know everything doesn’t mean they actually do. His father had been proven wrong about two big things in his lifetime, after all, and it was just as likely that Luster was wrong about Bulk Biceps. And in that event, she couldn’t stop him from socializing, could she?

That train of thought ended as they reached their home, and Quiver unhitched himself from the wagon as Luster entered and began carrying in their goods with her magic. “So, what’s the fancy package you got in the mail?”

“Just some records. Might listen to them later.” As Quiver followed her inside and closed the door behind them, she made her way out of the kitchen and noted, “Be a dear and put everything away, would you?”

Quiver shrugged and did what was asked of him. Why Luster couldn’t have done it herself with her magic, he wasn’t certain, but his wasn’t the place to object too much. The last of the groceries put away, he called out, “Hey, I’m gonna make some lunch for myself! Can I fix anything for you?!”

“No thank you! I ate while we were out!”

“Ate while…?” Quiver shook his head and put aside that frustration. It was a little rude of her to not offer to get him something, but hopefully, this was just a lapse of judgment. No need to raise a fuss. He’d make his own lunch and go on with his day.

He quickly put some canned soup on to cook on the stove and made himself a pair of sandwiches, a donut joining them as he waited for the soup to cook. Once it was done and his meal eaten, he cleaned up, set aside the dishes to be washed later, then made himself a cup of tea and went on to his room to write. It wasn’t as much time as he’d hoped that he’d have, but some of something was better than all of nothing.

He set aside his saddlebags, placed the cup upon the small desk in his room, and then went to retrieve his freshly-bought writing supplies – quills, ink, paper, and assorted other items. He paused for a second to notice that the opened packages were slightly lighter than he’d remembered, but put that thought aside as he set them out on his desk. He then retrieved his notebooks from one drawer, packed with research and notes he’d pulled together as best he could back home, and then got to work.

Or at least, that was the plan, as a cacophonous burst of sound started tearing its way through the small domicile and drowned out his thoughts. He supposed somepony could call it music, but he wasn’t that somepony.

As Luster passed by his door, Quiver shouted out to her, “What is that?!”

“My Magical Romance!” the mare shouted back.

Quiver had never even heard of such a band, but he wasn’t too impressed with what little he was hearing. Sapphire Shores or the Whooves, yes, the occasional bit of Countess Coloratura for flavor, but he tended to stick with classical, jazz, pop and rock more than anything else, not this… he hesitated to call it a style, given all the language he was being bombarded with. With a deep sigh, he closed the door and hoped that it would muffle the sound while he tried to get some work done.

The music only seemed to get louder, and Quiver groaned, “Why couldn’t I have moved in with a mare who likes sane music?”

Outside the small house, the music was blaring outwards, just audible enough to get a beat but not enough to make out the lyrics. A yellowish-white unicorn mare paused as she passed by and slipped her headphones off with her magic, only to shake her head in disgust. “Seriously?” She then slipped her headphones back on and hoped to drown it out with her dubstep. Why couldn’t somepony in that house have some taste?

It was several hours before Luster decided to kill her music, and it had taken everything Quiver had to check over his notes and scribble down a few odd paragraphs before dinner. It was a simple meal, not unlike what he’d had back home, and the stallion quietly made his way though it before retiring for the night.

He sighed as he climbed into bed and pulled his sheets up. His day was effectively wasted, at least as far as getting any writing done was concerned. It was almost as bad as it was back home – at least here, his father wasn’t breathing down his neck about one thing or another.

Then again, his father had much better taste in music.

He took a breath and calmed himself. “Okay Quiver, ease up. I’m still working out a rhythm. We’ll get things straightened out.” Music blared again, and he grumbled as he closed his eyes and pulled his pillow over his head, “One way or another, we’ll get things straightened out.”

Chapter Three

View Online

Sleep, thankfully, had given Quiver some respite, and he found himself glad to be at work the next day. It was almost frightening that his job was a pleasant alternative to spending the day with Luster; at least here he could be productive.

He groaned as he considered his current situation. Hadn’t he moved away from home to get away from stuff like this?

“Oh no, oh no, not getting anything, oh no, oh no…”

Quiver paused and looked down an aisle he’d just passed, finding one of his fellow outbound associates standing in the middle, talking loudly to himself and staring at his list. He kept on repeating those two phrases over and over, his tone of voice barely shifting but his behavior showing something that Quiver knew all too well – panic. Only one thing to do, and that was try to help. Just because he was frustrated didn’t mean he couldn’t try to ease things up for others, after all.

“Excuse me?”

“Not getting anything, oh no, oh no…”

“Hey!” His coworker went silent and turned around, finding Quiver standing behind him. “What’s the problem?”

“List isn’t working, it’s bad, it’s bad, it’s…”

“Okay, calm down, let me take a look.” Quiver looked at the list and saw an all-too-familiar error message. “Alright, something for you to remember in the future? If something like this comes up, then you should try this first.” He tapped one corner of the list, and the message vanished, replaced with a normal screen indicating his coworker’s next bin. “That refreshed the list. If that doesn’t work, then head down to the pick desk, and they’ll get you straightened out. Okay?”

“Okay, good, that’s good.”

The stallion went on his way, and Quiver shook his head and went back to his work. He stopped only to find his supervisor standing at the end of the aisle. “Sorry Bright Star, I know I shouldn’t have…”

The ivory unicorn mare smiled. “Stopping to help a coworker isn’t something you should apologize for, Quiver.” She gestured to his cart and added, “Besides, you left plenty of room, assuming folks pay attention.” As Quiver hitched himself back up, she asked, “So, how’s your day going?”

“It’s little different from any other day in Outbound here. Better than my day was yesterday, anyway.” She gave him a concerned look, but he smiled and waved a dismissive hoof. “Trouble with my roomie, nothing you need to worry over. I’m generally good though, thanks for asking. I just wish the same could be said for everypony else.”

“Yeah, that’s the third time something like that’s happened to Glass Eye since standup.” She joined Quiver as he made his way to his next pick. “Hopefully he’ll get the hang of it.”

“Well if I can manage it, anypony can.”

She shot him an encouraging look and offered, “Anypony tell you that you sell yourself short?”

“Oh no, oh no, messed up, oh no…”

Bright Star sighed and trotted off. “My turn.”

Quiver gave her a sympathetic smile and kept on with his work. While he’d had issues with Luster, things had gone well for him at this new job; there’d been no confusion with his coworkers, and no outright instances of annoyance, deliberate or otherwise. He had a feeling that dealing with Glass Eye would get tedious after a while, but a sneaking suspicion made him think that the stallion couldn’t help it. Past experience, most likely; Quiver had never seen the film, but he knew enough about ‘The Rainpony’ to recognize similar behavior to Dustin Hooffellow’s character.

He turned somber for a moment and found some sympathy for the stallion, remembering someone close who had it much worse. “Count yourself lucky, Glass. At least you can talk.”

A heavy sigh escaped Quiver’s lips as he walked the well-trod path back home from the warehouse. He was exhausted from his long day at work, and very much looking forward to a hot meal and a decent night’s sleep. The former was guaranteed, though he’d have to cook it himself; Luster seemed content to cook up something quick and easy for herself before he returned home, despite him having a predictable schedule. The latter was more doubtful, as Luster had been playing her new record practically non-stop, only pausing to have meals and sleep late. It almost made Quiver miss home. Almost.

In any case, it had done nothing to raise his flagging spirits. Sure, work was better, but his home life hadn’t improved. If anything, it had become a different flavor of frustration. In an ideal world he’d have confronted Luster about all of this and tried to work out a solution, but alas, he had no faith that could happen. Talking things out with his father never worked, for example, and he had no faith that it could work for Luster.

What he needed was advice. The trouble with that was that those he’d come to know here in Ponyville were all busy with one thing or another, the Equestria Games in particular, and he really didn’t want to bother them with something like this. It seemed like he was stuck in a rut. Again.

He groaned. “Meet the new life, same as the old life.”

“Sorry?” He looked up to find a young unicorn mare looking at him. Curiosity was alight in her golden eyes and a number of books were packed into her saddlebags, one hovering in front of her wrapped in an aura of orange magic. “Were you saying something to me?”

He sighed and shook his head. “Sorry miss, I’ve got a bad habit of talking to myself.” He then noticed the book she was holding and approached. “I’m sorry, but is that ‘Enigmas of Equestrian Lore’?”

She looked at him in surprise. “You know this book?”

“I’ve got a copy!” He offered a hoof in introduction. “Quiver Quill.”

The mare smiled and returned it. “Lyra Heartstrings, nice to meet you!” She gave him a once-over and asked, “Haven’t seen you around much. You new in town?”

“Just moved in a little over a week ago from Indianapoloosa.”

“Another transplant, huh? Me too!” The book was deposited into one of Lyra’s saddlebags, and the two started walking together. “Grew up in Canterlot, but I ended up visiting Ponyville a lot growing up. I finally moved here permanently after last year’s Summer Sun Celebration.”

“So you got a front row seat for Princess Luna’s return? Lucky you.”

She rolled her eyes. “In hindsight, maybe. Still, as crazy as Ponyville is, it’s a nice place to live, and I’m not the only transplant here. One of my old classmates from the School for Gifted Unicorns moved out here at around the same time, and all us mares meet up from time to time.”

“Really? Cool. Who’s the classmate?”

A grin. “Princess Twilight.”

Quiver’s mouth hung open in surprise at that bombshell. “Get out of town! She’s why I moved out here!”

“Oh?” A playful look crossed the aquamarine unicorn’s face. “Taken a liking to her?”

A laugh. “Nothing like that. I’m off the market for the time being, long story.” He quickly turned the topic elsewhere. “So, you into ancient history?”

“Kinda sorta. I’m sort of an amateur cryptozoologist. I came across some stories when I was young, and they left an impression.”

“What stories?”

Lyra turned nervous and asked, “Ever heard the story of Megan?”

“You mean the strange ape-like creature who was pulled into Equestria right out of the blue and, according to some accounts, took part in the defense against Tirek?” At her amazed expression, he laughed and explained, “I’m into ancient myths and legends in a big way. Could bore you to death over the Order of Gallopfrey alone.” He sighed and admitted, “Didn’t do me a lot of good, though.”

Lyra smiled sympathetically. “You too, huh?” She shook her head sadly. “Sometimes I think if it wasn’t for my roomie, I’d be going crazy keeping this to myself. And if I talked, others would think I was crazy.”

“No kidding. I’m still waiting for the apologies over the stuff I turned out to be right about.” He offered an encouraging smile. “But hey, at least you’ve got somepony else to talk about this stuff with.”

“Yeah, thanks.” She glanced at his flank. “So, you work with documentation and stuff?”

“Sorta. I work for Amazing Booksellers, out at that big warehouse they’ve got here in town. But I want to be a published writer.” He gestured to her saddlebags and explained, “That’s part of the reason why I’m so into those old stories and accounts. There’s a story in everything. All you need to do is find the right way of looking at it, and you can tell a fantastic tale. In theory, anyway.” He sighed and admitted, “But coming up with an idea and getting it down on paper are two very different things.”

“Still getting used to the new surroundings?”

“Among other things. Trouble with my roomie, mostly.”

Lyra nodded thoughtfully. “Well, I can’t help with the roommate. I get along great with mine, and have for years.”

“Lucky.”

A dreamy smile crossed her face. “Yeah.” She then got back on topic and added, “But it might help if you got yourself something nice, some way of making a mark in your new home. It’s what I did after I moved in.” She shrugged and explained, “It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just something that helps you feel like you’re home.”

“Mind me asking what you got?”

“Bedsheets. Coffee mug. A swell hoodie.” She offered a sheepish grin at the stallion’s curious expression. “I wear it when it gets cold.”

“Hey, I’m not judging.” He raised a hoof to his neck and pondered aloud, “Always did have a fondness for scarves.” He smiled and offered, “Thanks for the suggestion, Lyra. I’ll keep it in mind.”

“No problem, and I hope you work things out with your roomie.”

The two parted ways, Lyra going in one direction and Quiver another, but the stallion found himself with slightly more of a pep in his step as he considered her advice. Maybe something nice for himself would help to bolster his spirit, perhaps even give him the courage to face the real problem.

“Quiver?” The door leading into the stallion’s room swung open as Luster peered in. “Up to something?”

Quiver’s hoof swept over the combination lock on a metal lockbox. “Just taking care of business.” He turned to her and asked, “What’s up?”

“Oh, just coming to tell you that dinner’s ready. I'm trying out a new recipe that I thought you might enjoy.” She watched him move from his small desk to follow her out of the room. “Interesting business?”

“Depends upon whom you ask. So, what’s for dinner?”

“Something exotic from Neighpon. Spring rolls.” She led him to the table, where food had already been portioned out. On his table was what looked like a mass of vegetables, rice, shrimp and what might have been tofu wrapped inside of something transparent. A small bowl of some sort of sauce was placed alongside it, and she poured him a cup of tea as he sat down. “Now go ahead and eat up.”

Quiver examined the meal curiously, then took one up in one hoof, dipped it in the sauce, then took a bite. It wasn’t bad, though to him it seemed a bit bland. Still, it was food, and it was a pleasant surprise to have her include him in her meals. “Thank you for cooking. Interesting taste to the tofu in this.”

“Well, that’s probably because it’s not tofu. It’s pork.”

Quiver paused, then swallowed his small mouthful uneasily. “How…interesting…” He tried to control his urge to gag – he was fine with eating shrimp, assuming it was properly cooked, but pork? Still, it wasn’t like he could just dash off to the nearest Hay Burger, and he didn’t like wasting a meal. “So, get anything taken care of today?”

“Oh, a few things, here and there.” Luster waved a hoof dismissively. “You know me, busy with my writing.”

“Well, like I said, if you ever need a proofreader, I’m open.” He finished off his roll and took a sip of tea. “In any case, I’m glad one of us is getting some writing done. Time just keeps on flying away from me. Still, can’t complain too much. At least I get to talk to interesting ponies around town.”

“Well, I wouldn’t bother with that too much. Some are just too strange for words. That one stallion who really likes jelly, for one thing.”

Quiver shrugged, then changed subjects. “Oh, fair warning, I might be delayed getting home tomorrow. Thinking about taking a detour.”

“Well, don’t be out too late. We’ve got lots to do over the weekend.”

Quiver picked up another roll and thought to himself, “Hopefully, that includes me getting something done for myself.” As he chewed, he quietly added, “And maybe seeing if there’s a version of these that doesn’t have meat in it. A little won’t kill me, but I’m fine not being an omnivore.”

The thought of buying himself something occupied Quiver’s mind through most of the following day at work, idle thoughts going through the back of his head as he went about his business. Thankfully, he had enough sense to not distract himself too much from his job, but he was eager for the day to be over and follow Lyra’s suggestion. Plus, he did need to stock up on his writing supplies; what he had at home had somehow managed to dwindle further. It was getting just a touch suspicious…

“Hey, you!”

He was snapped from his reverie and turned to the source of the unfamiliar voice. “Yes? What’s wrong?”

“Nothin’!” The pony who approached him was roughly his height, with a pudgy build and an orange coat, his green eyes visible under his messy dull yellow mane. Given his cart and list, he clearly worked in the same department as Quiver himself. “You just looked interestin’ to talk too. Name’s Leading Rose.”

Quiver eyed the stallion uneasily. Perhaps it was the fact that the expression on his face wasn’t so much a friendly smile as a suspicious-looking leer, or the fact that his voice reminded him of a few jerks he knew in school, but something made him distrustful of the pony in front of him. Still, one had to be polite, and he was a believer in giving folks a chance. “Quiver Quill.”

“Heh. Catchy.” The stallion glanced at Quiver’s ID and idly flicked it with one hoof, and then turned his attention back to the conversation. “So, how ya doin’?”

“Well enough.” That he felt like his personal space had been violated was something he opted to keep to himself. “Yourself?”

“Pretty good.” He then picked up his list and got to work alongside of Quiver, picking out an item from one bin and checking it over. “Hey, you know that fast food place a little ways away from here?”

Quiver eyed him uneasily, but maintained his polite bearing. For all he knew, the stallion was just trying to arrange some after work hanging out. “Yeah?”

“Saw a roach there once.” His list beeped as he confirmed that he picked the right item and he noted, “Hey, I’m movin’. Anyway, yer doin’ a good job!”

Leading Rose moved off, and Quiver stood there trying to process what he’d just experienced. What sort of pony…?

And then he saw the stallion’s cutie mark, a trio of buzzing flies, and realized instantly that his first instinct about the stallion was right. His name might’ve had the word ‘Rose’ in it, but something told Quiver that the stallion was anything but as appealing as his namesake. He gagged in disgust and muttered to himself, “And ponies wonder why I’m an introvert.”

The end of the workday couldn’t come any faster for Quiver as he trotted his way home, with the odd peek behind him to confirm a lack of being followed. He wasn’t one for entertaining company, and besides, he didn’t want to deal any more with Leading Rose. In his experience, where one pony like him was present, more were no doubt close by.

Besides, he had a stop to make on the way.

A few things pleased him about his normal route home from work. One, it afforded him a relatively quick transit. Two, it allowed him a few options as far as places to stop and pick up a snack were concerned (not among them, thankfully, the fast food joint his new acquaintance had mentioned). And three, should he ever be inclined to engage in retail therapy, he had a few options on the way. Among them was Ponyville’s local franchise for Sofas and Quills.

Despite its name, the store did not specialize in those two particular items. Indeed, it carried all sorts of furniture, office supplies, and, of course, office furniture, and aside from wanting to replenish his writing supplies, Lyra’s advice was bubbling about in his brain, and he was in the mood to consider his options.

As he entered the shop, he found it sparsely populated by ponies, most congregated in one area or another. He didn’t mind, of course; Quiver had never been one for crowds, and being packed in tended to make him feel like a claustrophobic sardine. Besides, this would let him take care of his main objective without serious trouble. He retrieved a small basket from the front of the store and went on his way, his eyes peeled for what he wanted.

“Ah’m tellin’ ya, Rarity, Ah don’t think that’ll really work. Maybe you should get a second opinion.”

The familiar twang caught his attention, and Quiver soon found himself looking upon Rarity and Applejack. The two mares were standing in an aisle filled with assorted writing implements, much to his pleasure, and the elegant unicorn among the pair had a sheet of drawing paper unfurled before her. “Perhaps, but…” She soon noticed the stallion and remarked, “Oh, Quiver darling! How long have you been there?”

“Long enough to hear something about second opinions.” He approached and asked, “Is this about a fashion design?”

“Yes and no. You’re aware that Ponyville will be sending teams to Rainbow Falls to qualify for the Equestria Games, yes?”

“Yeah, I caught Rainbow Dash practicing with Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps a couple days ago. You designing uniforms for them?”

“Oh, very astute dear!”

Applejack smirked at her friend and snarked, “Considerin’ he ain’t exactly stupid, he’s a writer and he knows you make clothin’, figurin’ that out probably wasn’t much of a stretch for him.”

“Yes, yes, laws of narrative causality and all of that.” Rarity briefly rolled her eyes and then turned the design so that Quiver could see it. “Anyway, seeing as you’re here, perhaps you can provide an opinion? This is my initial design. Now, do not hold back! I want an honest opinion!”

Quiver looked the design over with a critical eye. It was a frilly, flower-themed affair that brought to mind doilies and tea rather than athletics, especially with the flower-themed cuffs about the fetlocks and equally flowery headbands. He looked to Rarity and noted, “I don’t think these work. Admittedly, I don’t know much about clothes, but I know enough to know that form needs to follow function. Your design looks nice, but it doesn’t really function well as athletic apparel. Try something more form-fitting, but loose enough to allow for ease of movement.” He gave her a gentle smile and added, “Plus something tells me there are regulations about what athletes can and can’t wear during competition.”

The fashionista sighed. “I suppose you’re right. Well, I’ve a few fortnights yet to finalize a design.” She gently smiled back. “Thank you, dear.”

“Hey, I’ll help where I can. So, what brings the two of you here?”

“School supplies for our little sisters.” Applejack shook her head. “Ah swear, Ah didn’t go through nearly as many pencils and notebook paper as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle do.”

The stallion shrugged. “There’s more to learn since you were in school, AJ. Heck, more to learn since I was in school thanks to you two and your friends.”

“Eh, Ah guess. You here fer somethin’ similar?”

A nod. “It’s horrible. I’ve barely gotten any writing done since I came to Ponyville, and I’m running low on writing supplies. Almost makes me think Luster’s raiding my things.” At Applejack’s arched eyebrow, he added, “Almost.” He waved a hoof and noted, “Anyway, I got the crazy idea to get myself something nice, and I was coming here for goodies anyway, so I may as well look around.”

“Well, I certainly can’t argue with such a decision.” As Quiver picked out a large box of pencils and a package of quills, Rarity looked to him curiously. “Have you given it any thought?”

“Not really, but I think I’ll know it when I see it.” The three emerged from the aisle as Quiver’s gaze wandered. “Won’t hurt to browse anyway, see what’s… on… ooh…”

The two mares stared at Quiver in bewilderment, and then slowly turned their heads to the source of his interest. Applejack smirked. “Seems you’ve found yerself a good candidate.”

Quiver’s eyes were locked onto a desk on display in the furniture department, placed in perfect view of the office supplies. He instantly thought that whomever had laid out the store was a genius, and slowly made his way over to the piece of furniture in question. The two mares followed, and Rarity offered, “You rather look like a foal on Hearth’s Warming morning, my dear.”

“A foal other than me. Holidays aren’t a big thing in my household.” Quiver looked the desk over with a growing smile as he continued, “Still, that’s an apt analogy.” He gently ran a hoof over the desk and slowly pulled out a thin bit of wood from one side. “Extra work surfaces on both sides…” He slid it back in and examined the drawers. “Two smaller drawers and one larger one on each side, locks on the larger drawer, one thin one in the middle…” He looked onto the desktop and looked over the smaller drawers and slots inside. “Plenty of storage space for quills, inkwells, paper and pencils, easy place to put a pencil sharpener…” He then stood up on both his back hooves and slowly brought down the desk’s roll top cover. “Perfect.” He then pulled the roll top cover back up and added, “And I even like the finish.”

“Sounds like you think this here desk’s a good’un, huh?”

“You kidding? That’s an understatement! This is the nicest desk I’ve ever seen!” He gestured at the desk in awe and declared, “This is the Deskingest Desk that ever Desked!” He then gleefully held up a card and noted, “And it’s on sale!” The card was replaced and, in a definitive tone, he decided, “It. Shall. Be. Mine.” He then retrieved his basket and noted, “First things first, however, paying for this stuff. I’m gonna need my checkbook to buy this beauty anyway.” The desk put aside for now, he looked to his friends and asked, “You two need any help finding anything?”

“No dear, I think we’ll manage.” Both took a moment to recover after seeing his exuberance on display, but Rarity managed, “Anyway, I do hope that you enjoy it.”

“Yeah. Kind of a shame ya’ll ain’t one for parties.”

Quiver looked at the farm-mare in surprise. “What makes you say that? I’m not big on socializing, but I don’t mind a party.”

Applejack shook her head. “Sorry darlin’, but Pinkie was sayin’ somethin’ ‘bout you and Luster not bein’ interested in a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party.”

Quiver smirked. “Maybe Luster isn’t interested, but me? I’d be okay with something like that. Anyway, catch you two later?”

“Alas, probably not for a while; the train to Rainbow Falls for the qualifiers leaves tomorrow morning, and we won’t be back in Ponyville for a few days.” Rarity smiled encouragingly and noted, “But yes, we shall see you soon enough.” The stallion nodded, waved and went on his way, and the fashionista gently laughed. “Do you suppose he and Pinkie are distantly related?”

“Ah was thinkin’ you’d be his kin, dramatics like that.” Applejack chuckled and noted, “Still, wonder how Pinkie’d get the idea he wouldn’t want a party…”

“Ooh, look at these carrots.”

The following morning found Quiver once more out with Luster at the market, the latter apparently convinced that they needed to restock their pantries despite having already done so two days previous. He opted against arguing with her – she was home most of the time after all, and did the cooking of an evening, so she’d know more about their food situation than he.

Still, there was something that needed to be addressed. “Luster, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Of course Quiver. Could you pay for those carrots, first? Five bits for the lot.”

The money transferred hooves, and the stallion continued, “Anyway, you remember last night? Me popping into the house, then leaving afterwards?”

“Yes. Ah, radishes!”

They moved to another stall, and Quiver pressed on. “Well, I had to go and take care of something for myself. I’m telling you because…”

“One second, Quiver. Two bits per pound, so…four bits for the bag?”

More money was transferred, and Quiver continued, “Anyway, I have a delivery coming. It should arrive on Tuesday. Can you keep an eye out for it?”

“Of course. Perfect, asparagus!”

Quiver gagged; asparagus wasn’t one of his favorite vegetables. Still, better that than spring rolls if Luster decided to cook for him again.

The weekend and following Monday passed in all too quick a blur for Quiver, his Saturday and Sunday spent much as his previous Wednesday had with Luster dragging him along on her errands during the mornings and blaring out any attempts at getting some writing done with her music. Monday, of course, involved work, and as he’d been warned, there was no appearance by any of his various acquaintances about town due to their having gone off to Rainbow Falls.

He could handle that, however; he had a fancy new desk on the way.

Tuesday came with little fanfare. He’d gotten up, washed up for the day, had breakfast, fixed a small lunch for himself, and set off to work. At the warehouse, he went on and did his job, having a nice, quiet day until early in the afternoon…

“Quiver! Qui-VERRRR!”

He suppressed a groan as he recognized the voice and turned to find Leading Rose striding towards him, complete with leering grin. “Yes?”

“Nothin’, just takin’ a break from replenishin’. You should do it.”

Quiver politely shook his head. Replenishment, in this case, meant putting out new stacks of baskets for pickers to retrieve whenever they’d filled up or closed out the ones they’d been using. It was a necessary job, but tiring, and not one he was eager to volunteer for. “No thanks. I’m fine with what I’m doing.” He pulled a book from one bin and pressed his list against it, and a pleasant chime sounded to confirm he’d gotten the right item.

As Quiver moved off to another pick, Leading Rose followed. “Come on! You wanna do it!” Another book was produced, and the orange stallion took an interest. “Hey, Monarch Crown! Awesome!”

“Indeed. Good author.”

“Hey, didn’t he write that one story where the bullied filly snaps and goes on a rampage and kills everyone at her Spring Fling?” He paused. “I never got that. I mean, a unicorn…”

“The filly was an Earth pony. The ones who bullied her were unicorns. That she was able to turn the tables on them the way she did was what made the story as scary as it was.” Another book was selected from a bin, and Quiver noted, “Made her pretty sympathetic, too.” The book was confirmed, and a message showed up on his list. “Huh. They want me at the pick desk.”

As Quiver moved to close out his basket and do as he was bidden, Leading Rose called out, “Hey, tell ‘em you want to do replenishin’!”

Quiver found himself wondering if his coworker was deaf. Given there were a number of stacks of baskets waiting to be put out, it suggested that Leading Rose wasn’t too good at the task anyway. But that was an issue for another time, and Quiver soon found himself at the desk, his supervisor waiting for him. “Hey Quiver!”

“Hey Bright Star. What’s up?” He looked at her with concern and asked, “I didn’t screw something up, did I?”

She laughed reassuringly. “No, no, you’re fine! I just wanted to know if you wanted to leave early.” A blank list on a clipboard floated up in front of her as she explained, “We’ve got too many pickers for too few orders, so we’re sending folks home for the day. It’s alright if you’re not interested…”

“You kidding? Thanks for offering, I’ll take it!” Such possibilities had come up for him several times at the previous facility he’d worked at, but the only time he’d accepted it, his father had promptly yelled and screamed at him and then set him to work. That it hadn’t even been noon when it had happened was probably only a small factor. He retrieved a pen and jotted his name down. “This works out for me anyway; I’ve got a package arriving in the mail today. Little gift for myself.”

“Nice. I hope you enjoy it.”

Quiver smiled and eagerly made his way to clock out. “I know I will.”

Quiver had more of a spring in his step than he’d had in years as he made his way back to his home. He idly wondered as he went along if Pinkie Pie felt this way all the time with her boundless enthusiasm, and laughed. No way could he match her pronking about, of course, but he still felt positively giddy. He’d be back early and, circumstances permitting, sign for the desk himself and be able to assemble it with little trouble.

Granted, he’d have to move the old one out of his room, but that was a minor thing.

With hardly a care in the world, he trotted up to the front door, produced his key, unlocked it and entered. “Hello, Luster! Guess who…!”

Strewn out before him were bits of wood and assorted tools. In the midst of all of them was Luster Drain, an instruction sheet laid out before her as she dabbed a dowel with some wood glue and turned to face him. “Oh, Quiver! You’re home early!” She smiled and said, “Thank you, by the way! This is a lovely gesture, getting me this desk! Such a wonderful gift!” She looked back to her work and said, “Now, once this is done, I’m going to need your help. Another market trip to restock. I thought I’d make the spring rolls…”

Quiver didn’t hear another word from her as he slammed the door behind him. What exuberance he’d felt was gone, replaced with anger stoked by old memories of something else that had been taken from him with a smile. “Theiving… self-centered… what in Tartarus were they thinking when…?”

The growling and snarling faded almost instantly as he thought of Twilight and her friends. They’d been the ones to arrange this, and he’d marched into it without thinking. His head hung low with shame and self-loathing as he slowly walked away from the door. “Congratulations, Quiver. You’ve gone and done it again.”

Chapter Four

View Online

His father was right. He hated to believe it, absolutely hated to even think it, especially loathed to admit it, but his bitter, cynical old grouch of a father was right. He’d trusted Luster Drain, given her a chance, and she’d taken advantage of him. He’d trusted Princess Twilight and her friends, and they’d led him to Luster. He’d wanted things to be different here, but he’d just encountered more of the same from Indianapoloosa. Other ponies didn’t see him as somepony worth knowing or acknowledging or respecting; why else would the princess and her friends have pointed him to Luster? Why else did they never bother to keep his name straight? Why else was he bullied all the way through school?

And that all just made it worse. He couldn’t stay here, not with Luster. She was a liar and a thief and she’d taken advantage of him and his naiveté from day one. He couldn’t go home, either; no way could he commute by train every day he was scheduled to work, it would eat up his bank account, and he couldn’t transfer back to the fulfillment center he’d started at, not this soon. Besides, he knew exactly what would happen if he went crawling back home with his tail between his legs…

“You screwed up, Quiver. AGAIN. Yet another retard decision of yours has come and bitten you in the plot. Trusting one of those idiot princesses – like they care about us.”

…And he’d never hear the end of it. His father never let him forget his mistakes, whether they were real or not. The instant he came home, he’d get his head torn off. Again. And as much as his mother loved him and cared for him, all she’d do would involve sitting back and comforting him after the fact. She wouldn’t help. She couldn’t help.

No pony could. No pony would.

Quiver had barely been here two weeks, but he’d noticed one very obvious thing about Ponyville; it bordered the Everfree Forest. He’d read about it, the stories and the legends associated with it. Unlike much of the rest of Equestria, it looked after itself; the pegasi didn’t manipulate the weather, the Earth ponies didn’t tend to the plants or animals, and it had a wild magic all its own that discouraged unicorns from entering. Nopony knew why it was the way it was; some stories credited the presence of the Castle of the Two Sisters, others Discord’s brief reign over Equestria, others still gave all sorts of theories and thoughts on the matter ranging from ancient magic to ley lines to simple acts of divinity. What they all agreed upon, however, was that it was a dangerous place, and that was something that had been confirmed to him during his time in town.

It was a tempting thought at the moment, and so very simple. He didn’t know how long it would take. But if he had the choice between getting his head ripped off by a timberwolf or a cragadile or whatever, or getting it ripped off by his father, he’d go with the wild magical beast. One of those could only do it once, after all, and his father had been doing it repeatedly for years.

He stopped in his tracks at the thought. “What am I doing?” He didn’t like the idea of putting an end to his own life. He’d certainly never wanted to do it. But there were a lot of things that he’d never wanted. Getting yelled at over the inconsequential or incomplete information, or things that were never his fault in the first place. Being bullied. Being abandoned. Living in a world that had made clear, on multiple occasions, that he wasn’t wanted, needed, or particularly cared for. The only thing that had stopped him before now was the best piece of advice he’d ever gotten, from a friend he hadn’t seen in a long time – never let the bastards win. Right now, however, it felt like they’d already won a long time ago. And he doubted that anything would or could convince him otherwise.

“Look out below!”

On instinct, he looked up, then in an effort worthy of a professional hoofball receiver and despite his training at work telling him to do otherwise, he lunged to one side and caught the falling object in his front hooves. He looked at his bounty in surprise and realized aloud, “A muffin?”

“Sorry about that!” He looked up to find a grey pegasus mare fluttering down in front of him, her yellow mane slightly disheveled. She nervously laughed and smiled, her lopsided eyes making her look a bit more endearing. “Don’t quite know what went wrong there.”

“It’s okay.” Quiver got back on his hooves, the muffin in one, and offered it back to her. “Here. I think it’s alright.”

“Oh thank you!” The mare took hold of the muffin and beamed gleefully before holding it up in front of her face and giving it a grin. “Silly muffin! You don’t want to get eaten, do ya?” She then examined Quiver more closely, and her eyes lit up in delight. “Hey, I remember you! You’re Quiver Quill! That was a great story you read that day at the library!”

A sad smile crossed his face, glad for a little praise. “Thanks. I’m sorry, but you’ve got me at a disadvantage, miss…”

“Ditzy Doo! Everypony calls me Derpy, though.”

Between her clumsy behavior and her skewed eyes, he could understand why. “I’m sorry about that.”

She beamed reassuringly. “Don’t be! I like the name. The ponies who call me that because they love me are a lot more than the ones who do it to be mean. And some call me ‘Muffin’ instead because, well, you know.” It was then that her joyful expression faded and she asked, “Hey, what’s wrong? You don’t look so good.”

A sigh. “It’s nothing.”

She immediately hovered in front of him and landed, one eye locked on his but her attention undivided. “Oh no, I know what nothing looks like, and that look on your face isn’t nothing. Something’s wrong. You want to talk about it?” His expression didn’t change, so she held up the muffin between them and offered, “Well, what about this? Muffins are one of the two things that make me happy, and this one seems to really want to get eaten by you instead of me, so why not have it?” He gave her an odd look, and she grinned and gently waved it about, continuing in a sing-song voice. “Come on! It’s bran! Lots of fiber! Good for your co-lon!”

A smile crossed the stallion’s face. “Well, I do like a happy colon.” He accepted the offered muffin and took a bite, smiling at the taste and wishing he had some butter or cream cheese. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Now you go ahead and eat that muffin up. You look like you need it.”

“I do.” A few more bites, and the muffin was gone. He wiped the stray crumbs from his mouth and sat down, a grateful smile on his face. “That’s the best thing to happen to me since I moved here.”

Derpy grinned and offered, “Well, it’s a muffin. They’re a universal good.” The two laughed, and she sat down with him and asked, “So, I don’t mean to pry, and I can understand if you don’t want to talk about it, but what’s got you so down? I mean, Ponyville isn’t that bad a place to live is it?”

“Oh no, I’m okay with Ponyville, it’s just…” He sighed. “It’s a long story.”

A shrug. “I’ve got plenty of time.”

A part of him wanted to shut up and continue on his way, the same cold, cynical part of him that had been encouraged by every cruel experience in his life and by his father. How could talking with this little pegasus help him any? But another part of him, the part that refused to give in to the sadness that had gripped his life, the part that reminded him of the brief moments of joy, stood up and told him to give this a chance. And that was the part that he wanted to listen to, because it gave him the better chance at being happy. “Well, I moved here hoping for a better life than the one I left behind. But things just haven’t worked out for me…”

“I’m still surprised that Spitfire would do something like that.” As she and the rest of her friends made their way along, Fluttershy continued, “I mean, I can understand wanting to replace an injured member of the team, but I’d think that she would have at least spoken to Soarin about it. That would have been the nice thing to do, anyway.”

“Yes, it would have, but the tough thing about being in charge is that sometimes, you have to make hard decisions.” Twilight turned uneasy as she noted, “I just hope I never have to make a hard decision like that.”

Rainbow Dash huffed as she hovered above the group. “Hard decision or no, it was still a jerk choice! I mean, don’t get me wrong, flying with the Wonderbolts would be awesome and all, and I was a little…okay, a lot tempted, but screwing over a friend like that? That’s just wrong.”

“Yes dear, but you confronted her about her poor decision and helped her to acknowledge it and choose to make a better one.” A delighted smile formed on Rarity’s face as she added, “And we’re all very proud of you, both for that and for helping Ponyville earn a place in another event in the Equestria Games, even if you happen to be competing against the Wonderbolts.”

Rainbow responded with a cocky grin. “Just means me, Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps gotta bring our A game for the big event. And Derpy too, if she has to fill in.”

“Well, we’ll all be rootin’ for ya regardless.” The gathered group of ponies (and one dragon) reached their destination, and Applejack smiled. “And ah think ah know another feller who’ll be happy to join in the celebratin’, assumin’ he ain’t too tuckered out from work.” She then knocked on the door with one hoof and waited.

The door creaked open, Luster Drain stepping up with a pleased look on her face. “Princess Twilight. What brings you and your entourage here?”

“Hello Luster. We came to see if Quiver Quill was home from work yet. We’ve got some great news, and we thought you and he might want to join us in celebrating.”

“Well, thank you, but we’re just fine by ourselves.”

“Really?” Pinkie Pie popped up between them and wondered aloud, “Because this is gonna be like a mini-party and I don’t know about you but I don’t think Quiver will want to miss out on a party and…” She then noticed the desk in the living room and noted, “Ooh! Is that a new desk?” She then charged inside and examined it. “This is a really nice desk!”

Nonplussed, Luster turned to face Pinkie as she continued to examine it, Rarity and Twilight stepping inside with some hesitation while the others curiously peered within. “Thank you. It arrived in the mail today and I just finished customizing it.”

“I noticed!” Pinkie eyed one side of the desk, a design mirroring Luster’s cutie mark carved into it. “Isn’t it a nice desk, Rarity?”

A flash of recognition appeared on her face, but Rarity quickly concealed it. “Yes, it is rather nice.” She turned to Luster and noted, “Luster, darling, we certainly understand if you don’t want to join us, but we’d like to get confirmation from Quiver Quill ourselves on his declining, if that’s alright. Has he returned from work, by any chance?”

“Oh, he was by earlier, something about getting off work early. But then he just turned and left. No clue where he’s gotten off to. You know stallions, always busy with something.”

“Hmm. A shame.” A polite smile on her face, Rarity made an equally polite nod as she turned to depart. “Well, we won’t take up any more of your time, dear. Pinkie Pie, come along! We’ve celebrating to do!”

“Coming!” Pinkie followed Rarity and Twilight out the door, pronking as she went and stopping as the door closed behind her, noticing that Rarity had turned her attention to the trash bins to the side of the house. “Rarity? Since when were you a dumpster diver?”

“I’m not, darling, but perhaps you and Twilight aren’t the only ones who can indulge in detective work.” She fished out a large box with her magic, pictures of the desk clear upon it, and quickly found a shipping label clear and intact on one side. Her tone immediately turned downcast as she explained, “I looked upon that desk, and I remembered being in the furniture store when Quiver Quill saw one of the exact same variety and declared that he would own one himself. Naturally, of course, he couldn’t just bring a fully assembled desk home, so he ordered one through their catalog for home delivery.”

“Obviously, but…” Twilight looked at Rarity in surprise and asked, “Rarity, are you suggesting that Luster stole Quiver’s desk? That’s a bit of a leap.”

“And yet, you made the same one.”

“Whoa, hold on.” Spike approached and offered, “He could’ve given her the desk. Remember that fire ruby I gave you?”

“Yes Spike, of course I remember it. It was a very lovely gesture from you, too.” She gently nuzzled the baby dragon for emphasis, prompting a blush before she elaborated further. “But we had known one another for some time by then, and Quiver has barely known Luster for two weeks. And even a romantic like myself can tell that there isn’t much by the way of chemistry here, given her nonchalant attitude towards his whereabouts.”

“Come to think of it, just ‘bout every time I’ve seen ‘em out around town, she’s been draggin’ him all over.” Applejack turned suspicious as she added, “Right unfriendly, that. And he mentioned somethin’ about dwindlin’ writin’ things last time we saw him at Sofas ‘n Quills.”

“Wait, are you all saying what I think you’re saying? That for the last couple weeks, Luster Drain has been running Quiver ragged, taking advantage of him, stealing his things for her own petty needs, and finally capping it off by stealing his brand new desk?” Pinkie rubbed her chin with one hoof thoughtfully. “I guess that is what you’re saying. But…” She stopped and gasped. “Ohmigosh! He saw it! He saw her with the desk! He might’ve seen the boxes and stuff! He called himself paranoid! He probably thought of all the same stuff you did and…!” A pained cry, very much unlike Pinkie Pie, escaped her lips, seconds before her hair deflated and went from its normal poufy curls to flat, loose strands. “What have I done?”

Concerned expressions went across the rest of the girls’ faces, Twilight putting a hoof to her shoulder. “Pinkie, you haven’t done anything.”

“That’s just it. I was the one who said we should have Quiver move in with Luster. We all agreed it was a good idea.” She collapsed to the ground and reasoned aloud, “He probably thinks we did it all on purpose, just to be mean to him. You know what he said. ‘Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, and three times…’”

“Pinkie Pie, snap out of it!” Twilight lifted the party pony up with her magic and brought her to eye level, shaking her head slightly to emphasize her point. “You know we weren’t being cruel to him on purpose, and deep down, he knows that too! Now we need to find him before he does something drastic!”

“Like go into the Everfree Forest and…?” The thought caused Pinkie to look even dourer than she already did, tears already forming in the corners of her eyes.

“Don’t you even begin to think that’s what’s happened!” Twilight looked upon the gathered group and ordered, “Come on, girls! We have a friend who needs our help! Let’s find him!”

“Um, Twilight?” Fluttershy rose into the air and quickly explained, “I think I know a way to help find him. Can I take a small detour back to my cottage?”

“…And I came home early and there she was, assembling the desk I'd bought for myself and acting like it was a gift for her. Only so many ways to interpret that after everything I’ve been through.” Quiver sighed and reasoned aloud, “She stole it, plain and simple. Took it for herself, just like the quills and ink and paper and everything else.”

“I’m sorry.”

He looked up and noticed the sad look on the pegasus mare’s face. He gave his best comforting smile and offered, “It’s not your fault.”

“Actually, it kinda is.” Derpy smiled nervously and explained, “I work for the Equestrian Postal Service. That desk you ordered was part of a delivery I made today, along with a couple letters for Luster Drain. Official looking things from the EWA and stuff. Anyway, I couldn’t just leave the package; somepony has to sign for them when they’re that big. She signed for it, so…”

“So you did your job.” He smiled wider and assured her, “I’m not going to be mad at anypony who does their job.” The smile faded as he admitted, “But I am going to be angry at myself. I’ve screwed up, again. And the world doesn’t forgive screw-ups.”

Derpy looked up with surprise before she smiled reassuringly. “Ponies do. I’ve messed up lots of times, and they forgave me.” At Quiver’s skeptical look, she explained, “Before I was with the postal service, I worked for a private delivery company. I ended up dropping a bunch of stuff out of a cargo carriage.” She turned more remorseful with each item she listed off. “A flower pot, an anvil, a cart full of haystacks, and a piano. And worse, they all hit somepony on the ground.”

The stallion winced in sympathy, both for the mare before him and the unfortunate pony victim. “That couldn’t have gone over well.”

“No. That mess is why I work with the postal service now. And that’s ignoring the time I trashed Town Hall; I made it even worse when I tried to fix it. And all the times I’ve messed up with Winter Wrap Up.” She smiled and noted, “But I get through it. I’ve got my family and my friends supporting me.”

“If only I had that. My mother’s always there for me, but my father barely tolerates me, and friends…” He sighed. “The only real friend I ever had just up and left years ago, no warning, right after I…” He shook his head; he’d divulged enough for one day. “And anypony else who’s claimed to be a friend? It’s all ended the same way, with me being taken advantage of, just like with Luster.” He huffed sadly. “Not a surprise though. Who’d want me for a friend anyway?”

“I would!” Derpy beamed at him and explained, “Come on! You’re nice, you’re friendly, you’re a good writer, you apologized about my nickname when you thought it was mean, and you like muffins! And anypony who likes muffins is worth knowing according to me!” She took hold of one of his hooves with both of hers and added, “And I don’t think I’m the only one.”

Before Quiver could question her argument, he heard a familiar rustle of feathers and light pinpricks of clawed feet on his head, a familiar beak appearing in the upper boundaries of his vision and a voice cawing, “Hello!”

“Edgar?”

“WE FOUND HIM!”

His surprise turned from the raven perched upon his head to the six mares and one baby dragon charging towards him. Almost all at once, they were upon him, relief and concern upon all their faces save for one.

“Are you alright, darling?”

“You had us more worried than a cat at a dog show, stallion!”

“I’M SO SORRY!” Drowning out the others was Pinkie Pie as she charged and wrapped her forelegs about him in a tight hug, tears streaming down her cheeks. She pulled herself back shortly thereafter, and Quiver Quill realized that her mane wasn’t in its usual poufy form, but was instead flat and lifeless, hanging down around her face like the branches of a weeping willow. She sniffled and added, “I didn’t know…”

Shock was clear on his face as he looked upon theirs. “You came looking for me?”

“Of course we did.” Princess Twilight approached, regret clear on her face. “I’m sorry, Quiver. We all are. If we’d known how miserable you’d be with Luster Drain…”

A fresh sniffle from Pinkie, and Fluttershy draped a wing over her to comfort her. “We all saw the way she was dragging you around town on your days off, and the way she was secluding you from everypony.”

“And all those trips for writing supplies and foodstuffs, with you saying you weren’t getting any writing done?” Rarity looked at the stallion with sympathy. “Only so many options presented themselves, especially after we saw the desk and its packing materials. We would have addressed the issue sooner, but we’ve been so busy with one thing or another and…”

Further sniffling from Pinkie Pie, and Quiver Quill turned his attention on her as Spike added, “You moving in with Luster was kinda Pinkie’s idea. When we all heard how you’d left, she thought that you’d…”

“I almost did.” For the briefest of seconds, he thought himself a bigger fool than ever before, but that second faded as he realized that for once, he was so very glad to be wrong. He gently turned to Pinkie Pie, and he did the first thing he could think of, something that the one friend he’d had growing up did that always cheered him up when he felt down.

He sang.

“Pinkie Pie, don’t feel so bad.

It’s not your fault

I was sad for a while…”

He cupped a hoof beneath her chin and gently lifted up her face.

“So come on… Look deep into my eyes…”

Tears were building in his own as he smiled and pleaded, “And please, let me see you smile.”

Her bright blue eyes looked into his deep earthy brown, and within milliseconds, her entire demeanor changed. Her mane regained its cotton candy splendor, she squealed cheerfully, and she hugged him with joy. He laughed and returned the hug, a fog lifting from him as well. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re okay!” She broke off the hug and added, “But I mean it, I am really really sorry about all of this.”

“I am too.” He looked over the gathered group and explained, “I’m sorry for worrying all of you. I wish I had a better excuse, but I thought you’d all set me up with her on purpose, like it was some kind of sick joke.” He sighed and admitted, “I shouldn’t have thought that, I know, but I’ve been told my entire life that you can’t depend on others to help you, that no one cares about your problems and that no one can or will help you except yourself.”

Rarity scoffed. “What an absolutely rubbish notion. It’s not entirely wrong, but the idea that nopony will stand up to help you is preposterous. Who would say such a thing?”

A scowl formed on Quiver’s face as he answered, “My father.” Rarity started to turn embarrassed before he continued, “But I’ve always hoped that he was wrong, especially after how he talked about each of you.” The scowl faded as he continued, “And he was, about all of you.” He turned to Derpy and added, “After all, why else would somepony stop and talk if they didn’t want to help?”

The pegasus casually waved a hoof. “Aww. I didn’t do anything special.”

“Derpy, you saved my life!” He turned to Twilight and added, “And you gave me reason to keep on going, and then came after me to help after I’d misjudged you. Can you forgive me for thinking the worst?”

A comforting smile spread across her face. “Of course I can. We’ve all made mistakes, Quiver. But the best of friends can forgive even the worst mistakes. Trust me.”

Applejack gave him a friendly nudge and offered, “And there ain’t nuthin’ stoppin’ ya from makin’ up for ‘em.”

The smile on his face turned into a grin. “You’re right.” His eyes took on a determined look as he got back on his hooves. “And it’s about time I started fixing mine.”

“Me too!” Her little black book out, Pinkie Pie crossed out the crayon marking for Luster’s name and declared, “I thought you and her would be great together, both of you being writers and all, but after all this? She’s officially out of my little black book! And that’s saying something!”

Rarity turned to Quiver curiously. “Was she really a writer herself, dear?”

A shrug. “I offered to look over her stuff and offer a critique, but she never took me up on it. No clue if she ever looked at my stuff, but she certainly didn’t leave me notes. Or do much beyond drag me all over town on my days off. She never even mentioned a regular job to me.”

“Probably because of EWA checks.” Heads turned to Derpy as she reasoned aloud, “What? That’s pretty much all she’s gotten in the mail since she moved to Ponyville, letters from the EWA. Only one thing they mail out.”

“What the heck is the…” The acronym eventually clicked in Rainbow Dash realized aloud, “Equestria Welfare Authority? She’s on welfare? How could she be on welfare?! She could have a job; she’s as fit as any of us!”

“Except she doesn’t have to, when she can get a thousand bits from the government once a month. Six hundred bits a month for rent, careful spending and saving, and that can go a long way, especially when your roommate has a job that earns him more than minimum wage.” Quiver sarcastically grinned and added, “Our tax dollars at work.” He huffed and declared, “Like I said, time to start fixing my mistakes.”

The door swung open, and Quiver stepped firmly inside. “Luster, we need to talk.”

Luster Drain looked up in surprise, delight spreading across her face. “Ah, Quiver! Excellent! We have just enough time to make it to the market…”

“No Luster. We aren’t going anywhere.” He closed the door behind him with a hind hoof. “I have something I need to get off my back.”

The unicorn mare looked at him, one eyebrow quirked. “Oh?”

“First off? I got that desk for me, not you.”

“Really? Do you think you’d have to space to…?”

“Luster, I’m not done!” He took a cleansing breath to calm himself. As frustrated as he was, he knew full well that losing his cool would do him little good. “Luster, I moved here to Ponyville so that I could have a life for myself. Now I have nothing against helping you out on occasion, but since I moved in, every day I’ve had off from work, you’ve taken me around town doing your errands with you. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m glad to be a little more familiar with the area and as I said, I don’t mind helping out, housemates are supposed to do that, but I feel like all of my time is being dominated by your things and your plans, and that I’m somehow the inferior in our relationship instead of an equal. I’ve barely seen or spoken to anypony else outside of work, and I haven’t written a thing under this roof since I signed the rental agreement. I’m a writer, and I get depressed when I can’t write.” He purposely avoided directly accusing her of stealing his desk, among other things; he wanted to keep this civil, after all. “What I’m trying to say is that I need time for me. I need space, the chance to enjoy myself, and especially for you to respect that and my boundaries. And if you can’t do that, then I have no choice other than to move out. Do you understand what I mean?”

Luster regarded him silently, her expression unchanging until she closed her eyes and gave a small nod. “Yes, I understand.” Quiver sighed with relief, only for it to fade into alarm as her eyes to shot open with fury and she amended, “I understand how absolutely ungrateful you are! I didn’t have to take you in, have you stay in my spare room! I get plenty of money; I can afford the rent on my own! And now here you are, whining about how you can’t get your stuff done and aren’t meeting anypony! Are you saying I’m responsible for your lousy time management skills?!”

“No, but…!”

“It certainly sounded like that! And did you really think any of those ponies you tried to talk with were worth knowing? Do you know what the ponies of Ponyville are like?!”

“Well I’d…!”

“And as for being the inferior in a relationship, well, in case you hadn’t noticed, some ponies are just better than others! I mean seriously, how much writing can an Earth pony do?! I’ve seen your chicken scratches, and I could write rings around them! Easy thing when you have magic and don’t have to clutch a pencil in your mouth!”

Quiver’s eyes narrowed at that particular segment, old memories boiling up to the surface of a schoolyard bully who liked to remind him of her supposed superiority based on her being a unicorn and him not. Nonetheless, he kept an even tone to his voice. “Luster, I’m doing my best to be civil, but if I’d wanted to hear things like that, I’d have stayed in Indianapoloosa.”

“Well why don’t you go back there?” A pale yellow magical aura sparkled around her horn, and Luster lifted Quiver off his hooves and into the air, prompting a panicked look from the stallion. “In fact, I think I can give you a head start.”

Quiver didn’t respond, didn’t protest, didn’t comment, his mind going blank save for one simple phrase. Oh no, not again.

“Hey Derpy, not to pry, but what’s got you talking again?” At the grey pegasus’ puzzled look, Rainbow Dash elaborated, “You barely said a thing back in Rainbow Falls. I mean, you’re not a big talker, I know, but you’ve practically been a chatterbox today with Quiver.”

Quiver’s assorted friends, Derpy now among them, were gathered across from his home, eagerly awaiting news of how things had gone with Luster Drain. Silence had held since Quiver had entered, only being broken by Rainbow Dash’s inquiry.

A smile crossed Derpy’s face as she explained, “Well, I didn’t need to say anything, did I? It’s like I tell Dinky, actions speak louder than words.” The door into the house opened with a sparkle of magic aura, but her attention as well as those of everyone else present was quickly captured by something else – a telltale tail twitch from Pinkie Pie. The smile faded as she saw what was coming their way and amended, “Speaking of, INCOMING!”

Much to his credit, Quiver did not scream like a filly, instead letting out a mid-level belt of fright as he went rocketing out the open doorway towards the gathered mares, raven and dragon. Almost immediately, Twilight and Rarity both acted with their magic, a mixture of their auras enveloping him and slowing him down to a dead stop. He gave out a relieved sigh as they set him on the ground. “Thanks girls.”

Shock clear on her face, Twilight looked him over and asked, “Quiver, what happened? I thought you were going to try and talk this out!”

“I did, but…” Quiver barely had a second to notice Pinkie’s tail twitch further before another object was magically propelled into the back of his head. He collapsed to the ground, eyes swirling, his lockbox clattering to the ground beside him.

Luster poked her head out of the house and called, “You can take that with you!” before slamming the door shut with her magic.

The group gathered around the blindsided stallion, and Spike leaned in close and held up a claw with three fingers extended. “Quiver? How many fingers do you see?”

His dazed reply had nothing to do with digits as his eyes continued to swirl and his brain pieced itself back together after its bout with blunt force trauma. “Mommy, I don’t wanna go to school, none of the other foals like me…” He groaned, closed his eyes, got back to his hooves and shook his head. “At least she didn’t bang me against the doorframe on the way out. Everypony okay?”

“We ain’t the ones you should be worried ‘bout, sugar cube.” A hard glare found itself on Applejack’s face as she turned to the door. “Fluttershy, you give him a once-over. Ah’ll take care a’ this.”

“Applejack, I appreciate the offer, but I need to handle this myself.” Quiver gently brushed Fluttershy off, trotted back up to the door, and knocked hard on it with one hoof. “Luster! You want to throw me out, fine, but I want the rest of my stuff back!”

“Too bad!” Luster shouted back through the door. “I’m keeping it in lieu of your overdue rent!”

“Overdue rent?! I gave you six hundred bits barely two weeks ago! That was my share for the next two months!”

“The landmare dropped by today! She’s raised the rates!”

Quiver could tell how the wind was blowing in this argument, and turned away and went back to his friends. “Anypony else smelling a big pile of manure, or is it just me?”

“T’ain’t just you.” Applejack’s steely gaze found itself on the door to Luster Drain’s domicile as she reasoned aloud, “If that ain’t a lie, then I’ll have my hat for dinner with a side a’ applesauce.”

Regret played itself on Pinkie’s face once more as Quiver Quill inspected his lockbox. “Awww! She’s not just a lazy thief; she’s a liar and a big meanie! It’s like Gilda all over again, except she at least came to a party!”

“And something tells me this won’t be settled with cake and a friendly game of ‘Pin the Tail on the Pony’.” Twilight noticed what the stallion among them was up to and regarded him curiously. “Quiver, why are you fiddling with that? She has all your things! Who knows what she’s going to do with them?”

“What she’s got in there are odd clothes, saddlebags, bed sheets and bric-a-brac. I can replace something like my toothbrush.” He unlocked the box and opened it, taking a peek inside and managing a satisfied grin at its contents. “What I’ve got in here, however, is another matter.”

Rarity looked upon him uneasily and wondered aloud, “If I may ask, what all do you have in there that’s so valuable?”

“Something a wise stallion doesn’t show off in public.” The mares gave him odd looks as he closed the box, plucked it up and carefully balanced it upon his back before facing all of them. “And probably a wise mare too. You wouldn’t want your financial statements and critical documentation getting out, would you? It might lead to identity theft.” He grinned and asked, “What else am I going to keep in a lockbox?”

Rainbow Dash smirked. “I can think of something easy enough.” She got her mind out of the gutter and asked, “But what good’s your checkbook going to do?”

“It’s not just my checkbook that I keep in here. Remember what I said about paranoia? There’s an old saying; trust but verify. Now, can anypony tell me where to find somepony named ‘Gilded Lily’?”

A satisfied smile curled onto Luster’s face as she surveyed her new desk. It was definitely a solid piece of work and worth the price, especially considering she’d gotten it for free.

She figured out the sort of pony Quiver Quill was the instant she’d laid eyes on him; a nice guy. Too nice a guy probably, desperate for companionship and approval from somepony else and consequently, a doormat. He’d roll over and take something rather than try to rock the boat, even if it was to his detriment. Lots of ponies were like that. Not her, of course. Think smarter, not harder; that was her mantra. Given her special talent lay in manipulation, it was fitting. He probably had the message by now, and tossing him out along with his little porn stash was no doubt the last bit of encouragement he needed.

There was the chance, of course, that she’d have to leave Ponyville, but that wasn’t a big deal. Get a train ticket, find a cheap place, move on, all easily done, and she was confident that she’d make it easily enough. After all, even if Quiver had tried to talk to anypony about this, where was his proof? It was her word against his, and nothing more.

A knock sounded at her door, and she turned back and called, “Coming!” She approached and opened it with her magic, a polite smile crossing her face as she greeted her guest. “Miss Lily!”

“Hello Luster.” Standing at the door was none other than her landlady, Gilded Lily. A rosy pink Earth pony mare, her light magenta mane was done up in an elegant but professional style, an emerald choker around her neck and her cutie mark a rolled up scroll with a golden band about it. “May we come in?”

“Of course…wait, we?”

“Why yes, we. This is my legal aide, Spot Check.” Following behind her was a unicorn stallion, as well as two other ponies. “And I believe you know Mr. Quiver Quill and her highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

The three kept neutral expressions as they entered, and Luster did her best to maintain the same. “Of course I know the princess, but I’ve never met this stallion before. I admit that he does look vaguely familiar, but how many brown Earth pony stallions are there in Ponyville?”

“Well, I’m not too worried about the others.” She took a seat at Luster’s living room table and explained, “As for Mr. Quill, well, imagine my surprise when he comes to my office less than an hour ago, escorted by no less than her highness, Princess Twilight. They told me a very curious story; something about you taking him in as a roommate.”

“Well, that’s absurd. I would have had to contact you about it, wouldn’t I? Renegotiate the rental agreement to account for two ponies rather than one, among other things…”

“Indeed. And then, of course, he showed me the agreement that you had him sign.”

“Agreement?” It was then that she noticed the mare was carrying saddlebags, a very familiar lockbox being levitated out of it and onto the table. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about…”

“She means this, Luster.” Quiver fiddled with the combination lock and opened the lockbox, revealing its contents. Right at the top was the agreement he’d signed his first day as her roommate, which was magically levitated out. The rest of the box was filled with a large, leather-bound journal as well as a few other documents and what was clearly a checkbook. “Why would I ask for a copy of something if I didn’t plan on keeping it?”

Luster’s eyes locked on the document in question, and at the expression on the stallion’s face. It was neutral, but she could see a glimmer of something she couldn’t quite identify in his eyes. Not sure what else she could do, she kept up her act. “Well, he could have gotten something like that anywhere.”

“Forging a copy of a legal document isn’t something that one can easily do.” She then realized that Spot Check was the one who was carrying the document in question with his magic as the stallion elaborated, “I’ve looked over the document, and it’s a close match to a copy of the original rental agreement that was signed by yourself and Ms. Lily. The wording was changed to include an additional party, however.” The stallion looked to Quiver and explained, “While an Earth pony could conceivably forge a document like this, it would take a significant amount of time and effort. A unicorn making a copy, however, would be much simpler, and an identification scry shows traces of magic all over the document.”

“And how many hooves has that gone through since…?”

“The scry also shows a match to your magic, Ms. Drain.” She stood agape as Spot Check added, “Every unicorn and/or alicorn’s spellwork is unique, not unlike a hoofprint, and I matched the spellwork on this to that of the document you signed the first day you moved in here. The original rental agreement.”

Luster stood there for a moment, her gaze slowly turning back to Quiver as he spoke further. “I admit, I’m a laypony, but I think this counts as, what, contract fraud? And that’s ignoring the fact that you beaned me on the back of my head with my own lockbox after tossing me out.” He rubbed his head with one hoof and noted, “That hurt, by the way.”

Luster’s mind raced for a means to counter this. “You were intruding on my property!”

“Property that you allowed him to enter of your own volition the day he moved to Ponyville.” Twilight turned to Spot Check and added, “I can testify to that as well as the assault earlier today.”

The unicorn mare stammered for a few minutes until Gilded Lily rolled her eyes. “Luster, please. I didn’t come here to listen to your lies or your excuses. I actually came in the hopes that, confronted with this evidence, you’d admit to your wrongdoing and we could settle this sensibly. Honestly, I get more sensibility out of my young niece, and she’s still in school. Obviously, however, I’ve wasted my time.” She got up and went to the door, calling out, “Officers! She’s all yours!”

Luster stared in surprise as two uniformed unicorn stallions entered, officers of the local police. One carried a magic-suppressing horn ring with his magic as his partner reported, “Luster Drain, you’re under arrest on the charges of fraud and assault.”

“I had my analysis independently verified by the police,” Spot Check clarified. “Call it what you like, but I think it smart to have all your ducks in a row before doing something like this.”

“But…but I…!” The ring was clamped on her horn, her magic suppressed, and she looked at Quiver in surprise. “How could you?! You’re a pushover!”

“How could I?” He locked his eyes upon hers. “I could ask the same about you, but something tells me that I already know the answer. You’re used to getting everything you want, one way or another, with as little effort as possible. Me? I’m the opposite; I’ve had things taken from me. Too many things. And I refuse to let something else get taken from me without a fight.” His gaze turned into an icy glare as he concluded, “And you pushed me too far.” The mare was carried out, and Quiver turned to Gilded Lily and asked, “You know, you could’ve just sent the cops over here to deal with her without going through all this.”

“I know, but I felt like you deserved a little bit of justice.” She glanced about dramatically and noted, “Well, it seems I have a house for rent. Wherever am I going to find a new tenant for this property?” Her gaze turned to Quiver as she offered, “I have a very good price for it, and I understand you can afford the first month’s rent easily enough.”

Quiver turned nervous as he admitted, “I don’t know. I mean, this place is nice, no question, but…”

“Mister Quill, you alerted me to dishonesty on the part of one of my tenants. I shouldn’t ignore something like that. Besides, you have a very impressive character reference; it’s not everypony who has a princess stand beside them, even in Ponyville.” Spot Check produced a new rental agreement as his employer continued, “If you choose to live somewhere else, I understand, but you have already paid this month’s rent. You showed us yourself in your checkbook.”

Comprehension dawned on his face, and Quiver nodded. “I did, didn’t I?” The agreement was laid out, and Quiver glanced it over. “Cash payment, of course.”

“Oh, of course, but in future, I’d prefer a check delivered in the mail. Much easier to verify.”

“Oh, assuredly.” A pen floated over to him, and the stallion took hold of it in his mouth and quickly wrote his name where indicated. Gilded Lily and Spot Check did likewise before the landlady turned to the last of the four ponies. “Princess, if you’d kindly sign to indicate your status as a witness?”

“Certainly.” With her signature added to the document, the process was complete, and Spot Check spirited it away without any further fuss. “Whew. I’m glad all of this was settled so easily.”

“Tell me about it.” Quiver rolled his eyes. “I’m not sure who the bigger idiot was here; Luster for thinking she could get away with so stupid a scheme, or me for almost letting her.”

A laugh. “You’re young. Learn and let go, Mister Quill. You’ll live longer that way. Now if you’ll excuse us.” Gilded Lily gestured to her subordinate, and the two departed.

A reassuring hoof found itself on his shoulder. “And you’re no idiot, Quiver. None of my friends are idiots.” He looked at Twilight with surprise as she added, “And yes, you are my friend. So stop being so hard on yourself.”

A relieved, and happy smile crossed his face. It felt good to know that somepony considered him a friend. “Thanks, Princess Twilight.”

“And that’s another thing; it’s just Twilight. I might wear a crown sometimes, but that doesn’t mean I want to be up on a pedestal.” She gestured out the door and offered, “Now come on! We’re all going out to eat to celebrate Ponyville qualifying for the Equestria Games, and no way will Pinkie Pie let me keep you out of the fun!”

He grinned. “Well how can I turn down a meal with a…” He laughed and corrected himself, “…with my friends?”

Like any town of sufficient size, Ponyville had at least one family restaurant that, on occasion, hosted large groups for the odd party or celebration. One such, ‘Piedmont’s’, was particularly popular, and this evening was no different as it found itself host to a large party of ponies. Soft blues music was played by a house band, the smell of pasta was in the air, and a general sense of cheer was present throughout. It wasn’t quite a Pinkie Pie bash, but it was close enough.

And Quiver loved every minute of it. “So, is coming here a regular thing, or just on special occasions?”

“Really special occasions!” Pinkie Pie answered gleefully.

Rarity quickly clarified, “Usually however it’s just the six of us, sometimes with Spike, but this time is a bit more special than most.” She looked to the little unicorn filly at her side and smiled, “We’ve so much to celebrate, after all.” She turned back to Quiver and added, “So very much.”

“Well, I’m – OOF!”

Quiver found himself in a tight bearhug as Bulk Biceps boomed, “WE’RE ALL GLAD YOU’RE OKAY!”

“Bulk!” The muscle-bound pegasus looked down at the tiny, skinny colt at his side who looked up at him with a toothy grin. “Indoor voice?”

Bulk released Quiver with a chuckle and, with a quieter tone to his voice, added, “Sorry.”

“Eh, no problem. I’m glad I’m okay too.” He looked to his savior and added, “Seriously Derpy, you had some great timing when you came by. I’m never going to be able to thank you for what you did.”

The wall-eyed mare managed an embarrassed smile. “I didn’t do anything special. Besides, something would’ve stopped you.”

A cheeky grin crossed the face of the earth pony stallion at her side. “Derpy, should I be worried about losing you to this fellow?” He earned a playful wing-slap and assorted laughter for his trouble, then turned to Quiver and added, “In all seriousness, I’m glad my marefriend found you when she did, and we’re all glad you’re alright.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Mock indignation crossed his face. “Don’t call me ‘sir’. Nopony calls me sir.” A pair of unicorns, one looking to be younger than the other fillies at the table and the other looking old enough to be the same age as Twilight and her friends, both laughed at that, the elder rolling her eyes as she did so. The stallion merely ignored them and grinned. “It’s Doctor Time Turner. Or just ‘Doc’, whichever you like.”

Quiver laughed. “Okay. Doc. And don’t worry. I don’t believe in breaking up relationships, so you have nothing to worry about. I’m more worried about folks confusing us.”

“I’d take that as a compliment. Time Turner’s the town watchmaker and timekeeper, and you’d be surprised how important that is.”

The stallion beamed at Twilight’s compliment, but conceded, “It’s just as well that nopony confuses us, however. Something tells me that you aren’t that skilled with repairing anything clockwork.”

“Afraid not. All I know about it is that doing it is hard with a hammer and chisel.”

The older stallion laughed. “Well, that goes for about anything. The right tools for the right job and all that.”

“Sorry everypony, sorry!” Heads turned as three more ponies arrived, two grown mares and a young filly with a frizzy scarlet mane and glasses. The mare who’d spoken was unfamiliar, but turned to a more familiar one as she explained, “A certain somepony was caught up in something back at home.”

“Hey, it takes a while to make sure an instrument’s in tune!” the unicorn protested. Her complaint forgotten, she turned to the stallion of the hour and greeted him with a smile. “Hi Quiver. Good to see you.”

“You too, Lyra. These two with you?”

“Uh-huh.” She pulled out chairs and got the two seated, the filly happily greeting the other foals present, then seated herself and introduced them. “This is my roomie, Bon-Bon, and her niece, Twist.”

“Pleathed to meet you, thir!” the filly greeted him.

Quiver smiled. “And you.” He looked to Bon-Bon and asked, “I guess Lyra mentioned me to you?”

The mare nodded. “Not often Lyra finds someone who can chat her up about her favorite sort of story.” She smiled and looked at her roommate out of the corner of her bright blue eyes as she added, “Now she’s got two of us to bore to death.”

Quiver rolled his eyes. “Please. I don’t bore easy, and Ponyville’s anything but boring to me.”

“Oh, no kidding.” Everypony (and dragon) at the table laughed at Twilight’s remark as their orders were taken.

The waitress went on her way to get their meals ready as Lyra spoke up again. “So, did you work things out with your roomie?”

“Yes and no. On the one hoof, I won’t be having any problems with her for a little while. On the other, I don’t have a roommate anymore.” He shrugged and admitted, “But I can deal with that.”

“‘Specially considerin’ his old roomie’s lookin’ at jail time.” Applejack smiled in satisfaction and declared, “Serves her right, too.”

“Well, all’s well that ends well.” Twilight then diplomatically changed the subject and asked Quiver, “Anyway, what’s next? You’ve got a roof over your head for the next month or so.”

“Well, I’m not going back to Indianapoloosa anytime soon, that’s for sure. For right now, though, I’m going to be clearing out Luster’s things.” At the surprised looks of the other girls, he explained, “Not trashing them, just putting them in storage. I’m not going to do to her what she did to me, and I sorta like the idea of having a guest room, at least until I get a roomie.” He looked to Pinkie Pie and added, “But I reserve the right to interview them before they move in. I don’t like repeating my mistakes.”

“Smart thinkin’.” Their food was served, and Applejack grinned as her dish was set out before her. A hoof on a glass of water, she raised it up and offered, “Here’s to everythin’ we’ve got to celebrate tonight!”

“Ponyville’s Aerial Relay Team!” Rainbow Dash cheered, her teammates echoing her gleeful cry.

“Ponyville’s flag-wavin’ team!” called out the little filly at Applejack’s side, clapping hooves with her two friends.

“The newest member of Ponyville’s community.” Rarity looked to Quiver with a smile and offered, “And a dear new friend.”

Quiver beamed happily and offered in return, “To new friends.”

The party laughed happily, dinner starting and talk going among them about one thing or another. Quiver mostly kept silent, but made the odd glance about, feeling for the first time in his life as if he belonged somewhere. He hadn’t felt that in years. It was a good feeling, and one he never wanted to let go of.

And he never would.

Epilogue

View Online

Another Wednesday morning had come, and Quiver rose from his bed and emerged from his bedroom, the house seeming emptier than before. He actually didn’t mind, as it was quiet, and he’d long been appreciative of peace and quiet. Nor did he feel guilty over what had happened the previous day, only that he’d been foolish enough to be strung along as long as he’d been, and that he hadn’t sought help sooner. His father was wrong, at least in this case; you could count on some ponies to save your life.

If he felt anything for Luster right now, it was pity. But she had made her choices, and she would pay the consequences. All that was left for him to do was get her things out of his place. The less reason she had to come back, the better. He just hoped he could find a reasonably cheap public storage place.

But that was a concern for later. For now, it was time to see about breakfast. He quickly cleaned himself up and made his way out the door, locking it behind him before trotting his way towards Sugar Cube Corner. He got to the door just as he caught sight of Carrot Cake flipping the sign on the door to “Open”, the lanky stallion catching sight of him as he approached. “Morning, Mister Cake!”

“Good morning, Quiver! Sorry to hear about what happened with your housemate.”

Quiver waved a dismissive hoof and assured him, “Not your fault in the slightest. Besides, it’s all over now. May I come in?”

“Sure, of course!” The elder stallion led him inside, where Quiver quickly caught sight of the two baby Cakes playing in a playpen. “Some donuts?”

“Actually, I’d like some muffins today. A half-dozen, bran please.”

“Coming right up!” Cup Cake’s cheery voice called from within the kitchen.

Quiver smiled and approached the babies, Pound and Pumpkin both sitting up on their hind legs to greet him. The young colt giggled and gently bopped him upon the nose, and Quiver laughed and responded in kind, albeit with more of a tap to both of the little foals’ noses. He looked up from the babies and asked, “Where’s Pinkie? I’d have thought she’d spend every second she could with these two.”

The couple shared a conspiratorial smile as they produced Quiver’s goods, the wife explaining, “Oh, she had something she needed to take care of. Don’t worry about her, though, Pinkie will pop up when she feels like it.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Quiver handed over his payment, collected his muffins and bid his farewells, waving as he made his way out of the bakery and back towards his home.

As he trotted, a smile grew upon his face as he considered what he’d just thought – he was heading to his home. His home. He laughed as he realized that he felt the same way about Ponyville in general; it was his home now. And he would be happy here. Not could, would.

A flutter of wings, and he felt something large perch itself upon his head and a familiar voice caw, “Hello!”

Quiver laughed and looked up as a familiar raven looked down on him from his perch between his ears. “Hi Edgar. What brings you my way?” The bird pointed towards his house, and the stallion grinned. “Oh, didn’t come alone, did you?” He approached the door and produced his key from his saddlebags. “I wonder who I’ll find inside.”

His door swung open and Pinkie popped out and shouted, “Surprise! Wow you’re fast!” She then pulled the two inside and closed the door behind them. “We aren’t even done!”

Quiver looked to his new living room to find that Twilight and her friends were busying themselves by repairing the desk he’d bought, materials and parts set aside to undo the damage Luster had done while customizing it for herself. The princess turned to him and said, “Quiver, hi! Sorry about this, we were hoping to get done before you got back.”

“No, it’s okay. How…?”

“We asked yer land-mare fer a spare key,” Applejack replied as Rarity went to work with her magic on the carved-out portions. “Gilded Lily was perfectly understandin’, but we’ll give it back once we’re done.”

“Okay, but why not come in and ask me directly?”

Twilight managed an embarrassed grin as she explained, “We wanted it to be a surprise.” At Quiver’s surprised expression, she explained, “I know, you could have done it yourself, but I felt like I needed to do something.”

A smirk crossed the stallion’s face. “So much that you invited yourself and your friends into my home, just to save me a letter to customer service? For shame.”A light chuckle rolled all around through the room, and Quiver sighed. “Seriously though, I do appreciate it. But I don’t want this to become a habit. I want to solve my own problems if I can, but if I need help, I’ll come to you guys about it, I promise.” He smiled and added, “And I won’t hesitate to return it. That’s what friends do, isn’t it?”

“Um, speaking of?” Fluttershy approached and quietly noted with hesitation, “Quiver, Edgar and I have been talking and…”

“Stay with you?”

Quiver’s eyes shifted briefly upwards towards the bird before Fluttershy continued, “It’s just, he’s become awfully fond of you.”

“The feeling’s mutual.” The stallion smiled and added, “I am looking for a new roomie. Wouldn’t mind it being Edgar.”

“Oh, good.” The pegasus quickly amended, “I mean, I’m not saying I’m glad to see him go, but…”

Quiver laughed and assured her, “We’ll visit. I’ve never raised a raven before, so I’ll need to consult you on dietary stuff.” He looked up and asked, “You eat meat, right?”

“Fish is good!”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Spike got out from below as his freshly-repaired desk was lowered to the ground, and Quiver asked, “Well, I’d offer you all some breakfast, but…”

“Oh, don’t worry dear, we’ve already eaten.” Rarity gave him a sympathetic smile and noted, “And your cabinets are rather threadbare. I suspect Luster didn’t think much about the long term.”

“No, but she probably never thought that she’d have to.” He sighed and then shrugged. “But all’s well that ends well and all that.” He smiled and offered, “So, I’ll see all of you around?”

“Of course.” Twilight took a moment to give him a small hug, and then she and her friends departed, the door softly closing behind them.

The smile remained on his face as Quiver approached his desk and lowered his head. Edgar hopped off, and his new caretaker went off to retrieve what little writing materials he had left. “Well, I’d better take care of this before I forget.” Quill, ink and paper at the ready, the stallion set to work and started writing the words he’d looked forward to composing for far too long. After a minute, he finished scribbling down his letter, then put it aside and weighted it down with an inkwell. “Alright Edgar, I can’t get you fish, but maybe I can scrounge something up to go with the muffins. Sound good?” The raven cawed in agreement, and Quiver laughed and led him onto the kitchen, the letter left to be mailed later.

“Dear Mom and Dad,

“Well, it’s taken me long enough, but I feel like I’ve properly settled into Ponyville. I’ve made some great friends, in no small part thanks to Princess Twilight, and I should be okay from here. Please send on all the stuff I set aside to be shipped over. I’ll write back as often as I can.

“All my best, your son, Quiver Quill.”

New Horizon

by EchoWing

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Epilogue