New Horizon - Part Two

  “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.”  


to be continued...