Make It Simple

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3

Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – Lets make it simple shall we?

The room fills with the rich odour of freshly opening roses as the light spring air lofts lazily into the room from the open terrace doors.

In the corner of the room near the back most part of the window sits a dull orange almost deep red coat pegasus with dark blue spiked mane that curves up; almost like a wave above his confused and slightly annoyed squinted eyes.

The point of interest for this stallion sits across from him, a dull earthy brown stallion with almost mud dark brown mane that's brushed into a part to keep stray pieces of mane from bothering the stallion's glasses that sit over his eyes.

With a deep loud sigh from the orange pegasus the fumbling earth stallion stammers on a sentence as he continues to free his note pad and a pencil from his satchel, "Uh...J-just a moment..."

As the rustling of paper fills the penthouse suite of Canterlot's hotel fantaisie gras the impatient stallion clears his throat.

"Uh...uh-ok we can start." The earth stallion quickly moves the satchel bag to the floor beside him as he brings the pencil and notebook to his hooves in a comfertable position.

The pegasus across from him blinks to the words with just more annoyance as he speaks up, "You asked to meet me...If you didn't have somthing to talk about this unwanted conversation will be very short."

From the words the earth stallion shakes his head as he rushes his voice in, "Oh no no, you're right...I'm sorry I just uh I..."

"Stop stuttering! Talk if not leave." The pegasus barks back his response to the fluttering sentence as he sits up in the chair with just more frustration to his current situation.

The hard words turn the earth stallion's posture a little more up right as he pushes his glasses more to his eyes, "Yes alright sir."

"Sir? What the hay? Do I look like a guard or something? Just call me by my name, not none of this sir crap." The pegasus blows a heavy sigh as he stares to the agian fumbling stallion.

"Ok...Si- I mean Visk-..." The stallion's words are cut off as the pegasus nods his head, "There you go! You said my name, now lets move this along already."

The earth stallion swallows hard as he speaks up, "Well Visk like I have told you in my letters I want to write a story about your and your life...But I want to make sure I capture your life the way it has been so far."

Visk rolls his eyes as he slumps back to the chair's backrest, "This agian? Come on, you're the third reporter to come in here..." He holds his hoof up towards the confused stallion as he continues, "I already told you ponies what you wanted to know about me and Fleur De Lis." He hardens his gaze as he looks over the stallion, “You’re not an undercover guard are you?”

"No-no I am not here about magazine stuff Sir Visk and i’m not a guard...um did you read those letters I sent before you invited me here?" The stallion blinks to the pegasus as he holds his confusion.

Visk closes his mouth as he pokes his tongue to his bottom lip in thought, "Hmm...Ya sure, I read them...You're that stallion from PonySpots right? You wanted the picture of me for this month's front page?"

"Uh...no?"

Visk nods his head as he starts to move from his seat, "Oh...well then you can leave." The pegasus takes himself to his hooves as the earth stallion quickly waves his hoof, "But we haven't done anything yet?"

Visk cocks his head a little uneasy to the stallion's words as he speaks up, "Whoa, I don't know what kind of a stallion you are, and i'm sorry to ruin your ideas but you need to get out."

"Wait." The earth stallion stands from his seat as he holds his hoof out to the pegasus, "...I have sent you three letters and waited to long for this opportunity."

Visk blinks to the stallion's slightly more authority driven tone as he looks over the considerably smaller and unathletic stallion. But before the pegasus can speak up the stallion runs his voice past him, "...-Now I must insist you let me write my book on you."

The dull orange pony is silent for a moment as he shrug and sits back to his chair unfazed to the other stallion's obviously emotion driven words, "A book?"

With another slight breeze the room fills with the natural worlds sweet perfumes which help to calm the still standing pony, "Yes...I-I want to write a biography of your quick rise in becoming a WonderBolt."

"OH, you're that stallion...Ya I saw your letters, but I think I gave them to a few fans as memorabilia." Visk nods his head to the big word that leaves his mouth as the other stallion adjust his glasses and takes his seat.

"Thats fine, now lets start with something easy...um if you would, can you tell me a little about Visk Bolt?" The stallion brings his hooves to the notebook and the pencil as the pegasus across from him begins to tap his hoof to him mouth.

"I'm Visk Bolt..." A confused stare comes over him as he shrugs, "What do you want to know?"

The earth stallion rolls his pencil grasped hoof as he speaks up, "You know...anything, something about the rising star nopony knows."

Visk looks to the open window no longer amused by the nerdy stallion as he tries to think, "I was born in Cloudsdale...Dropped out of Hurricane High and came to Canterlot to sign up for the WonderBolts." His voice gets a little more bold as he starts to flex his wings, "Five months later i'm the best racer in the WonderBolts...what more do you want?"

"Um...well you could talk a little bit more about your life while you were training. You could also give a little more insight into your secret, i’m sure a lot of young pegasus wish to aspire to what you’ve become so fast." The earthy brown stallion gives a confident smile as he looks to the pony across from him.

“Aspire? Why would I want younger pegasus to die?” Visk holds a cocky and almost jokey tone as he points his hoof to the stallion, “I thought glasses ment you ponies were smart.”

The earth pony adjust the glasses on his face as he shifts a little uncomfortably, “I believe you mistook the word aspire for expire....How’s about you just tell me where you use to train before the Wonderbolts academy?” A faint smile come over the stallion as he waits.

Visk blows to the comment as he looks around the room, "Alright, I use to fly around Canterlot peak when I wasn't wacthing after Summers."

The note pad in the earth stallion's hoof begins to darken as the words come into the page, "And who is Summers?"

"She's my daughter."

The stallion looks up from the notepad as he cocks his head, "Daughter? I didn't know you had a foal?" A smile comes over the stallion's face as he holds his pencil to the paper, "How old is Summers? I beat that filly really looks up to you hu?"

Visk taps his hoof to his mouth as he thinks, "Mhmmm I think shes one...or two, no more than three."

"Y-you mean you don't know?" The stallion drops his ready hoof to the page as he stares to the stallion's clam face as he just shrugs, "Ya, she was real young when I left Cloudsdale."

"So you went back to Cloudsdale before you left for Canterlot?"

Visk cocks his head to the stallion as he speaks up, "What? No I said I left Cloudsdale after I dropped out of Hurricane High, didn't you write that down Mr... what's your name?"

The stallion adjust his glasses as he speaks up, "My name is Hoof Strokes...."

Visk blows to the name as he rolls his hoof, "Alright Strokes, let's speed this up I have to be somewhere soon."

"Alright, um...A lot of ponies have said you're nothing more than a hot head who's just gotten lucky in his first race, what would you say to that?" Strokes taps the pencil to the pad as he waits for the stallion's words.

But Visk shoots a cocky smile as he waves his hoof to the stallion, "I thought you said you weren't a reporter?" A slight laugh comes from him as he shakes his head, "I'm pretty sure I answered that question, don't you read Under The Sun's sport's articles?"

"Um...Well yes I did read the article in UTS, but you had just said other ponies were just jealous of your quick success, wouldn't you like to elaborate?" Stroke's words end as he gives a little smile as he waits for the pegasus to speak up.

However no real words come from him as he just nods his head, "Nope.”

Before Stroke can bring his voice up a hard knock to the room's door rings around the stone walls of fantaisie gras 's room, "Visk!"

The deepish feminine voice comes to an end for a moment as the door flies open to a angry staring orange and sun yellow maned pegasus with a blue and gold trimmed Wonderbolt outfit on, "-You were supposed to be at the stadium an hour ago." The pegasus's mare's hard and demanding stare straightens Strokes’s posture as he just blinks his eyes between the still cooled stallion and the new pony in the room.

Visk nods his head as he moves from his seat and begins to stretch his wings, "Ya, ya, but come on it's just a warm up race for Ponyville’s show...I didn't even need to come."

"That’s not the point." The mare's hoof comes up as she holds her now flustering face to the cool stallion's attitude, "You were told that all new WonderBolt's MUST attend practice runs."

Visk continues to nod his head as he aims his trot to the blue outfit draped across the dress, but as the mare's heated words start to come to an end he turns his gaze to the earth stallion still sitting down, "Hey Stroke, if you want to know the real Visk and if this really is about what I do then you should just tag along to Ponyville's show. It's only for the day and then we come back." Visk moves the outfit to drape over his back as he trots towards the door.

But the dull orange coated stallion doesn't stop his trot as he exits the room pass the mare, "Come on Spitfire, we don't want to be late?"

The mare's eyes tighten their hold to the stallion but she turns out of the doorway as she trails after him.

To the two ponies leave Stroke begins to scramble as he tries to shove his notes to his satchel, "Hey! W-wait!" He jumps from his seat as he stumbles a gallop with three hooves, "How will I be attending your show?"

End of chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – Flapping down the rails.

The train's wheels continue to chug down the rails as the brown coated stallion holds his eyes to the fields of reds and yellows. Despite the train's speed the wiped up fields of blooming flowers shower the train's cars with their sweet and warming smell.

Strokes begins to enjoy this tantalizing scent a little more than the pony beside him as he tips his nose a little over the glass of the window he put down, "Ahhh..."

The hard exhale runs annoyingly to the stallion next to Stokes as he turns his head back to him, "I rather enjoy the smells of spring, don't you?"

No comment comes from the small light gray unicorn stallion as he just buries his head to the thick newspaper he has in his hold. The stallion's size would make anypony think he's maybe a two year old colt, but the deep sarcastically saturated tone Strokes's has only heard once during the ride suggest otherwise.

Stokes slowly tries to bring his slightly excited voice down as he looks over the newspaper in the stallion's hold, "Ah yes, the Canterlot newspaper. Tell me what do you think of it?"

"Good." The stallion loudly crinkles the page as he turns it still with his head buried to it's print.

Strokes straightened his posture up a little as he continues, "Oh yes yes but um, what part did you like the best? I-I understand that there is a lot to read but have you by chance gotten to any of the personal articles?"

The comment brings a little groan from the light gray stallion as he just squints his eyes hard to the print.

For a moment Stokes is silent, but the moment is quick to pass as he adjust the glasses on his snout, "Hmm?"

"Obituary." The stallion's words bring a little nod to Strokes as he looks to the train car's floor, "Ah, yes, that is a um... rather interesting part."

A little sigh comes from the light gray stallion as he folds the newspaper, "I'm a mortician, that's why I find it interesting."

The less than one word response turns Strokes head as he turns to the stallion, "Oh really?" He squints his eyes as he looks over the short stallion whose hooves just barely reach the ground from where he sits, "Fascinating."

Strokes's enthusiasm doesn't impress the stallion as he speaks up, "Well from your questions earlier I would assume you have wrote for the paper?" The stallion's half eyed gaze lowers even more as he continues, "Or are very opinionated."

A little chuckle comes up from Strokes as he waves his hoof to the comment, "Oh no, I write for the paper.WELL...I sometimes write for the paper."

"Mhmm." The light gray stallion just nods as Strokes rings his voice out, "You see some of my things are little to... impertinent for the common reader."

The bigger word doesn't falter the light grey stallions stare as he just listens to the stallion next to him.

"...I was asked to write just a simple article about the sudden change in banner color that Celestia used in the last Summer Sun festival, but I also took the opportunity to talk about how each color could mean something different. Like how yellow was picked to make the attendants hungry, which is why the festival was so inexplicably placed near Canterlot's restaurant street."

Strokes holds his head to the stallion for a moment as he waits for acknowledgement. However the stallion starts to cock a smile as he nods, "You are a very langweilig pony."

The word flicks Strokes's ear as he holds his hoof up, "Um, I believe you meant to say linguistic pony."

With a cocky smile the sarcastic voiced stallion nods as he flips out the paper in front of him, "Of course I did."

Strokes proudly pokes his head up as he nods, "Well thank you... um."

"Stony."

"Ah, Stony." Strokes fumbles a little on his seat as he wiggles his hoof to the pony, "Oh oh.."

Stony cocks his eye to the stallion as he watch the earth pony tap to the bag he has settled below him, "I don't know how you feel on the topic of reading books, but I will be writing one."

"Oh?" Stony slowly starts to turn his head to the new paper as the stallion beside him continues, "Yes, one of my other articles." Strokes proudly holds his hoof to his chest as he continues, "My favorite actually-..."

"Mhmm." Stony takes a deep breath as he just listens.

"...Was on the topic of story telling. The topical story is supposed to have a main hero, who overcomes an obstacle or-or defeats a villain." Strokes nudges the stallion next to him as he continues, "Now that's only adventure stories, then of course you have romance stories. Where the conflict of a villain is that of the hero, they literally have to overcome their fears of love or they have to prove themselves to their love."

"Hhhhmmm." The nonverbal response from the stallion only entices Strokes along as he rings his voice out, "Now I could go on all day as to how stories are formed. BUT, all stories are supposed to end with the hero defeating or overcoming something, usually with the aid of a helper or a guide that pushed them in the right way." A little chuckle comes from Strokes as he adjust the optics on his snout, "But that's not how life is right?"

"Oh no, there's no happy ending for a friendly deed." Stony cocks a smile to the stallion as a hoof quickly waves to his face.

"Yes, precisely. That is why I am writing a different kind of story. Much like a biography but with all of the qualities of a story." Stroke holds his hoof up as he smiles, "But the twist is the hero already has everything he wants, and there is no test to complete."

Stony's ear flicks to the comment as he turns a little from the newspaper, "But then how is it a story?"
Strokes nod as he happily rings his voice out, "A-ha, see you are interested! If I do my story correctly I hope to completely change the rules of writing a story, I hope to make a story without the ups and down but instead with nothing but the boon the hero would have received at the end of his journey."

There's a moment of silence as the two stallion both slightly just stare to each other, but as the train begins to turn into sight of the small rural town Stony flaps his newspaper out, "Very linguistic, I wish you luck."

Strokes blinks to the word but before he can bring his voice up the sound of the train conductor's voice comes up to the train, "Ponyville exit coming up!"

To the words Strokes cocks his head back to the light grey stallion, "Um have you been to Ponyville?"

Stony raises an eye to the stallion as he nods.

"Oh good, um, can you perhaps tell me where I might find a library? I have sometime before the reason I came here starts up."

The comment brings a faint laugh from Stony as he looks over the paper, "Good luck at the library, the betrunkener narr has most likely misplaced all the good stories."

"Um, did you mean to say drunken mare?"

Stony cocks his eyebrow back to the stallion as he just gives him an amused stare.

End of chapter 2

Author's Note

I believe I've said this before but seeing as how that was three months ago here it is: This is a side story, so it will be updated really slowly as long as more MAybe series parts get posted. ~Good news is, it's a side story so it has no time frame. YAY.

Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Trot the trot talk like everypony cares

Strokes's trot continues to wobble a little as the pony tries to adjust to the uneven and slightly dirt path that defines the main street the pony from the train pointed him down. In an attempt to fight the slight embarrassment the stallion feels he casually turns his head to the town around him.

In contrast to the mostly dull white stone buildings of Canterlot that rise up from the gray solid cobblestone streets of the city; Ponyville buildings hold a cheerful and welcoming feel, even if they are mostly primitively hay covered roofs. Of course though, the concept of the builds have stayed the same, Stokes turns his eyes around the buildings the innocent and unsuspecting pony trot into. The flashy colors of Canterlot and even here in Ponyville are only for one thing...To draw a pony's eye in an attempt at gaining revenue.

A few hooves behind Strokes a childish voice comes up, the stallion turns his head to the sight of a little light blue coated and striped mint and blue maned pegasus filly that happily trots towards one of the flasher stores, "Mommy mommy, can I gets a WonderBolt’s cap for the show?"

Within the moment a mare comes into sight as she torts towards the happily hopping filly, "I don't know, we have to see if there's any in the store."

A faint smile comes to Strokes's face as he shifts his eyes from the two ponies as they trot into the store. His focus now comes to the rest of the slightly decorated street as he turns his head to the wispy clouded sky that's being hidden behind the banners that hangs over the street's road.

Strokes takes a deep breath of the fresh air though as he brings his sight back to the path laid out in front of him. However, as he does this his eyes lock to the tall oak tree house looking building the pony from the train had spoke of.

With a slightly quickened pace the bright eye drawing red door comes to hoof length as the stallion opens the unlocked library's door.

The sight of the building's interior though halts the stallion's trot inside as he just looks the homey like area he's just stepped into.

"Hello?"

Feeling a little embarrassed that he may have just walked into somepony's house the earth pony brings up a friendly but questioning voice, "Um yes... Is this the PonyVille library?"

The sound of claws clanking against the floor turn the stallion's head as he watches a short purple scaly creature come into the room. For a moment the stallion just stares to him unable to speak, but a new found excited smile comes to the Strokes as he takes a step forward, "A dragon as a library?! I must say, that is most impressive." He adjust the glasses on his snout as he holds the slightly over zealous smile, "Tell me, do you think the books are your hoard? I can not imagine how you must feel when you part with one."

Spike just blinks to the comment as he lowers the two books he had in his right claw, "Um, I'm not the librarian. I'm just the assistant, Spike."

Strokes slowly takes his head back as he nods, "Oh...Well, at least I am in the right place." He turns his eyes to the two bookshelves in the room as his voice drops a little, "So, not a lot of ponies read in the town hm?"

The comment goes a little unnoticed as Spike shakes his head, "Naw, ponies love coming in here, but mostly around winter. What kind of book are you looking for?"

"Well I had been hoping to find a certain work of Harness Hoofing Way-..." He takes a step closer to the bookshelves as he continues, "But I understand if-..."

"Which one?" The boyish voice turns Strokes's head back to Spike as he watch the little dragon beckoning him to follow into the room he left.

Strokes trots after the little dragon as the smell of books starts to take on a more potent musk. The main part of the library quickly comes into view as Strokes moves past the half wall that covered the thousands of books that laid in the room.

Spike holds his claw to the shelf near the open window as he speaks up, "They're on the second self."

With a smile Strokes trots over to the shelf as he looks over the titles with a slight child like glee, "Ah here we go..." His eye immediately lock to a tan covered spine as he pulls it from the others, "Yes, Sir.BubbleGum...This one will pass the time."

A slight laugh comes up from Spike as he quickly turns tail and walks into the other room for the check out sheet. However, the light laugh has caught the stallion's ear as turns his head with a smile, "Have you read this story?"

Spike brings himself to the table in the other room as he nods, "Not by choice." He moves his claw to the paper as he points to a quill that sits next to it, "Sign here please."

The stallion brings his three hoof trot into the other room as his voice rings back out, "Then what do you think about it?"

A little shrug comes from the dragon as he answers, "It's alright, kinda feels like a foals book though don't you think?"

Stroke places the book on the table as he moves his hoof to the quill, "Nonsense, Harness Hoofing Way was one of the first ponies to ever create stories where the hero goes against the idea of a fit and handsome stallion."

Spike just nods to the comment as he taps to the paper, "Make sure you say how long you would like to check-..."

"And he was the first stallion to ever promote the ideas of real life events being something worthy of being a story." Strokes interruption pauses Spike for the moment as he continues to just tap to the paper.

Strokes quickly and neatly hoofs his name out onto the paper as he continues, "I will only need the book for a few hours, what do I put?"

Spike brings his voice back up as he nods, "Well one day rental is five bits so you would need to pay for the day."

"Okay." Strokes returns the quill as he moves to the back around him, with a quick motion he brings a little pouch out and extracts the five gold pieces that he moves to the table.
The dragon gives a little smile as he speaks up, "Well have a nice-..."

"You know if you really do think Hoofing Way's work is foalish you should read the fourth part in the series, it really was an amazing story. After all I should know, I wrote a piece about it in the Canterlot newspaper."

Spike slowly nods to the comment as Strokes puts the book to his bag, but the stallion's comments don't come to an end as he turns his head to Spike, "Have you ever been to Canterlot?"

The little dragon cocks a slight smile as he nods, "Yes I actually-..."

"Ah, you have? When was your last visit?" Strokes holds his smile as he waits for a response.

However Spike doesn't rush his voice up as he just stare to the stallion, "...Well the last time we went there was for Celestia's School when they announced-..."

"Really? Celestia's school?" Strokes nods his head as he casually taps his hoof to his chest, "I actually graduated from Manehattan, I have always wondered about Celestia's exclusively unicorn school though."

Spike's gaze slightly halfens as he speaks up, "Ya it's pretty cool there."

Strokes gives another nod as he speaks up, "Yes...Well I think I should get going. Perhaps we can chat when I drop the book off."

A slight smile comes up from Spike as he moves the bits from the table, "Ya..."

Strokes closes his bag as he turns towards the door and behinds to trot out into the bright day’s sun. As the light spring breeze starts to roll through his mane the stallion turns a slightly more cheerful smile to the roads around him as he speaks to himself, "Now was the Ponyville track..."

End of chapter 3