The Ballad of Shorthand

The day was still new in Ponyville, the hour not even noon on the fine autumn Saturday. That being said, it came as a major surprise to the unicorn resident of the local library when she was roused from a pleasant nap by a manic knocking on her front door. Trotting over to the entrance to her home/library combo platter, she undid the lock with a quick flick of her magic, horn flashing slightly.

The purple unicorn mare opened the door slightly, preparing to greet the pony outside. However, as soon as she opened the door, a silvery-gray blur shot past her, sending her careening into a pile of books on the floor. When Twilight resurfaced, she was greeted by the sight of a disheveled unicorn mare dashing about the library with a fervor that would put Pinkie Pie to shame.

Twilight recognized the mare immediately; even though her normally straight and smooth black mane was sticking out at all angles and her eyes were slightly crazed. This was Ponyville’s resident author, Shorthand.

“Uh… Hello, Shorthand!” Twilight called, picking herself up from the floor. This garnered an ear twitch from the unicorn mare, who quickly snapped her head to the side to look at Twilight directly. Shorthand took a moment to register the view before her and piece it together with her own jumbled thoughts. As everything clicked into place she suddenly grinned widely and her horn lit up.

Shorthand blinked out of existence with a flash of orange light, reappearing inches from Twilight’s face in a similar fashion, eyes wide and sparkling. Twilight yelped and fell to her haunches, shocked at the mare’s sudden teleport.

“Twilight! Give me every map and almanac you have on Equestria and the greater surrounding nations!” Shorthand said in a rapid, sing-song tone. Twilight, having recovered from her fall, looked at the other unicorn mare strangely.

“Why do you need those, Shorthand?” she asked, “Do you need references for your latest story?” At this, the light gray mare smiled even wider, her eyes twinkling with excitement and mischief.

“Don’t be silly, Twilight,” Shorthand answered, “I’m going on an adventure!”

***

Shorthand trotted through the relatively quiet streets of Ponyville, her saddlebags freshly filled with the charts and books that she’d asked for. She yawned, and then shook her head vigorously. Sleep would have to wait. She had things to do and ponies to see.

The small, tan unicorn made a beeline for the small game shop in town, “Joystick’s Games, Etc.” She knew that the owner, her close friend Joystick, would be there. He liked to open early on Saturdays.

Arriving at the small game shop, Shorthand burst through the door, shouting her greetings in the form of a “GOOD MORNING, NERD!” The shop’s owner, who had been a few feet away, restocking a shelf, dropped everything he was doing and fell backwards in shock. His glasses flew through the air, landing back on his nose in a ridiculous show of luck.

Shorthand trotted over and stood above her friend, grinning ear to ear. Joystick, as soon as he recovered from his hyperventilation, jumped to his hooves.

“What in Tartarus are you doing, Shorty?!” he shouted, “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!”

The unicorn mare giggled and planted a small kiss on Joystick’s forehead.

“Nope, no heart attacks today!” Shorthand replied, offering a hoof to the flustered unicorn below her. Taking it, Joystick struggled to a stand. He shook himself, and then telepathically grabbed the dropped games.

“So, what is it then?” The white unicorn asked, blowing a lock of his black and white striped mane from his face and returning to stocking the shelves. Shorthand slid up beside him with a grin on her face and barely contained excitement glistening in her eyes.

“I have a question!” She began, causing the other unicorn to turn his head to her, stopping in his work. His eyes said something along the lines of, ‘Oh, no’. However, he nodded and allowed his friend to continue talking.

“Have you ever wanted to travel, Joystick?” Shorthand asked, turning to face the other unicorn with a smile, “Like, all over the world?”

Joystick looked over at his friend tentatively, unsure where this conversation was going. “Well… sure,” he replied carefully, “I mean… everypony does, right?” Shorthand practically bristled with excitement at his reply.

“Well, then,” she asked, her grin rapidly consuming all of the available space on her muzzle, “Have I got a proposition for you!”

***

“So, let me get this straight…” Joystick began, “You want me to drop everything and come with you on this… Adventure?”

Shorthand beamed and nodded rapidly, glad that her friend understood the plan. She was so very tired of writing the adventures of other ponies. She wanted some first-hoof experience. She wanted to see the world; Equestria and beyond.

And you can’t go on an adventure without a posse!

Joystick looked at Shorthand incredulously and nodded slowly. She was actually planning on doing this whole adventure thing. Her bags were stuffed with maps and charts, she had apparently been stockpiling non-perishables, the whole shebang. All she needed was a friend to tag along.

The unicorn stallion looked up at the ceiling and sighed quietly. “Damn…” he muttered, and then looked back down at Shorthand.

“You are absolutely crazy,” he said slowly, “But, damn… that sounds like fun… I’m in.” No sooner had the words passed the unicorn’s lips then Shorthand burst over to Joystick and tackled him to the ground. After hugging the poor stallion half to death, she jumped up and pranced around the room, humming excitedly.

It was then that the door to the game shop burst open once again, and in flew a tan blur. The blur quickly manifested itself as a pegasus mare who was bubbling with energy. She zipped about the room, literally bouncing off the walls until she collided with Shorthand, bringing her into a sudden hug.

“Hey, guys!!” She shouted excitedly, “I smelled adventure, and I came here right away!” This outburst garnered some rather confused looks from the other two ponies in the room.

“Uh, hi, Sunny…” Joystick began, “You, uhm… you smelled adventure?” At this, Sunny Smiles (as that was the mare’s name), lifted into the air and did a loop-de-loop.

“Yep!” she replied, beaming, “I can smell adventure from a mile away! I’ve got a super sniffer when it comes to sniffing out fun with my friends!” Sunny flipped upside down and hovered in front of her two friends.

“So, what’s on the agenda, and when do we leave?” She asked with a smile on her face. Joystick turned to Shorthand, not sure how to answer. The mare in question was smiling ear to ear at the sudden increase of friends willing to accompany her on her impromptu adventure.

“Well,” the unicorn mare began, levitating a map out of her bags and spreading it on the ground before her, “I want to go and explore the adjacent areas of Equestria!” She pointed with a hoof at the map, depicting Equestria and the nations surrounding it.

“After travelling through Equestria, hopefully southward, I wanted to see the Elken Forests… here,” Shorthand placed a hoof on the nation marked directly south of Equestria, “Of course, we’re going to have to pass through the thick of the Equestrian badlands to get there, but whatever, right?”

Joystick facehoofed at the passive comment by his friend, and sighed. “I don’t suppose you have any idea how to get through the badlands?” He asked, half afraid of the answer.

“Yep!” Shorthand replied energetically, “I’ve got a ton of books in my bags about the badlands and how to avoid its dangers! And I found that there’s a guide in this town here!” Shorthand made another gesture to a mark on the map to a town just short of the badlands.

Sunny flipped herself upright and landed in a swift movement. “Well, then, what are we waiting for, gang?! LET’S DO THIS!” With that, the pegasus mare darted out of the game shop in a blur, ready to face all of the challenges before them.

Shorthand giggled, and then picked up her bags and loose papers in a telekinetic grip. She turned and followed her friend out the door at a brisk trot, only pausing at the door to smile at Joystick.

The stallion sighed and picked himself up from his spot on the ground with a small smile on his lips. Flipping the sign on the door to “Closed” with a quick burst of magic, he followed his companions out the door. And off they were, on their little adventure.

This is where their story truly begins.