A pen rolled across the flat surface of a light-brown table. A hoof covered in grayish blue hair stopped the pen before it could fall from the table and then lightly pushed it, making it roll back to the other side.
When the pen approached the other edge of the table another hoof of the same color stopped it and pushed it back. And like the ticks of a clock, the pen rolled back and forth.
Grown bored of even that source of amusement, Ink Spot let out a heavy sigh and rested his head on the table. Strands of his long navy mane fell over his face and obstructed his vision, a problem he quickly resolved by blowing the strands away.
With his vision free, Ink looked around the bookstore with the same dull expression and expression he had worn since arriving there. The bookstore was a small place, only being able to hold a few ponies at once, and the floor was made of wood boards that had worn out over time. A line of shelves on his left divided the store in half, and In front of him was the dusty wooden door.
A long banner hanged from the ceiling, showing the reason why he was there in the first place. ‘Meet the famous writer Thunderous Words!’ was written across the banner’s white surface in striking red letters, and on the bottom ‘And also the ascending rookie Ink Spot’ was written in smaller blue letters.
That last phrase caused Ink to let out deep sigh. How did I let Ice drag me into this?
Ink’s line of thought was broken by an exclamation that came from the other side of the shelves. “It’s a honor to meet you, Thunderous!”
Hearing those words, Ink turned his head and for a moment stared at the shelves that seemed to tower over him. Just a look won't hurt anypony, he thought.
Ink got up from his chair and peeked over the shelves. On the other side there were a dozen ponies squeezing themselves together for a chance to meet the famous Thunderous Words. Each of them were carrying their own copies of The Last Flight of a Pegasus and smiling with excitement.
The joyful talk of the ponies filled their side of the store, but to Ink it was only white noise since his attention was completely set on the green pegasus that was the center of everypony’s attention.
At the same time that Thunderous autographed the book of one fan he talked to another one about his stories, a big grin never leaving his face.
Ink’s gaze shifted from Thunderous back to his side of the store. He stared at the emptiness that covered it, which caused him to grind his teeth in frustration. An immaculate silence hanged over his side, silence that hurt his ears and spirit.
Like a ragdoll, Ink fell back to his chair, his golden eyes staring blankly at the ground. On his mind there were only four words. Was it worth it?
His eyes shifted to the stack of books atop the table. The cover on each book showed five ponies walking side by side and staring at the distance. On the bottom of the image was its title: The Majestic Five. And as Ink stared at his work, those four words once again rang inside his mind. Was it worth it?
Suddenly, the store’s bell ranged, announcing a new customer. The ringing cut through the sound produced by Thunderous’ fans and reached Ink, causing him to lift his head. The moment his eyes set on the pink earthpony mare that stood at the entrance, a big smile spread across his face and his eyes shined with renewed hope.
Ink eagerly watched as the mare looked around the store. After a moment the mare found what she was looking for, and with an excited smile she walked inside. But instead of walking towards Ink, she walked to the left, towards Thunderous.
Ink’s smile slowly faded away as the mare left his sight. Once she was completely out of his sight, he returned to staring downwards as he flopped back into his chair.
Was it worth it?
Ink’s mind drifted away from the store and back to a simple night that was like many others to him.
A hot summer night covered the town of Cloverland and its buildings in darkness. Despite the late hour, there was still a light shining through the window of one house. The lonely house was the residence of Ink Spot. Who had been working on his story from dawn until dusk and beyond.
Ink Spot sat at his desk, his attention focused on the piece of paper that rested on it. His magic conducted the pen as it danced across the paper, translating Ink’s ideas and thoughts into solid form.
From time to time a word would break his concentration, causing his attention to shift from the paper to either the dictionary, the encyclopedia, or the thesaurus that stood alongside the paper atop the desk.
As time passed the summer night got hotter and hotter, covering Ink’s hair in sweat. And alongside the heat came sleep, which soon begun to get hold of him, turning each blink heavier than the one before and clouding his thoughts.
But not even the hellish temperature, or the anesthetic sleep, could stop Ink from writing. He grinded his teeth and pressed on with an invincible determination that showed on his eyes. Even when drops of sweat traveled down his forehead and got into his eyes he quickly wiped them away with his hoof and returned to writing.
Finally, after hours of work, the last page of Ink’s story was finished. He put the pen down and then levitated the paper so that he could take a better look at it.
A wide smile spread across Ink’s face as he eyes ran across the paper, taking in every word that he had written. The moment Ink reached the end of the page his wide smile changed to a small but proud one.
And for a single moment the heat and sleepiness disappeared, replaced by a simple thought. It’s finally done.
Satisfied with his work, Ink put the paper inside the box that stood by the desk’s side. Inside it were the other pages of his story.
Ink let out a deep sigh and got up from his chair. With sleep catching up to him, he slowly stumbled left and right as he tried to get to his bed.
When Ink got to his bed he immediately jumped on it. He laid there and let sleep finally take over. And even as he closed his eyes that small smile filled with satisfaction and pride never left his face.
Once again the store’s bell rang, announcing another customer. Only this time Ink didn’t move an inch. His mind was still lost in his own thoughts as he continued to stare downwards.
Not even when the steps of this new pony approached him did Ink bother to look up.
“Are you Ink Spot?” a male voice asked.
Those words snapped Ink out of his trance. He lifted his head to see who was calling for him, and was met by a short earthpony stallion, his coat red and his mane a dark green. He looked at Ink with a big smile and wide eyes that were filled with excitement.
“Yes. I am,” Ink responded in a flat tone.
“Great! I’m your biggest fan!” the pony yelled a little too loudly.
Those words completely snapped Ink back to reality. He could only look with disbelief at the smiling pony in front of him as he tried to come to grips with what was happening.
“A fan?” Ink finally said. “Like, a fan of my book?” The pony just nodded up and down. “I… I don’t know what to say.”
“Well, you could give me an autograph. If that isn’t asking too much, that is.”
“Of course not!” Ink said, a smile coming back to his face and his eyes once again shining with life.
The pony then opened his saddlebag and handed his copy of The Majestic Five to Ink, who immediately grabbed it with his magic.
Ink opened the book and readied his pen over the back cover. “So, what should I write?”
“How about: To my number one fan, Strawberry Shortcake.”
In a flash, Ink wrote the words down and put his signature below it. He closed the book and handed it back.
“Wow, thanks a lot. I love your book,” Strawberry said as his wide eyes looked at the autograph.
“I’m the one that should be thanking you. It’s always good to meet a fan. But say, what exactly did you liked about my book?”
“The characters, of course! I had a blast reading about them and their antics! Specially Wayward, he is my favorite!”
“Thanks,” Ink said, a light blush covering his face. “I had a lot of fun writing them. Specially Wayward.”
“Oh yeah. I also loved the references to Brightest Days.”
“No way!” Ink rammed his hooves at the table and looked at Strawberry with wide, glittering eyes. “You’re a fan, too? I thought I was the only one that remembered that old series!”
“Are you kidding? Those stories made my childhood. I remember spending hours making my own adventures and playing with my friends.”
“I did the same! In fact, Brightest Days is the reason why I always wanted to be a writer. Tell me, who is your favorite character?”
“Jolt Thought, of course,” Strawberry said in a matter of fact manner. “There’s nopony that can solve a problem faster than him.”
“Jolt Thought? Pff, he’s a douche. Now Mr. Amber, that is a pony of respect.”
“The archaeologist?” Strawberry gave Ink an incredulous look. “Oh please. What did he ever do that was cool? Need I remind you that Jolt single handedly beat the Imps of the Nth Dimension?” Strawberry gave Ink a challenging look and a smile.
“Yeah? Well, Amber outsmarted the king of the vamponies. And he was the one responsible for uniting and leading all seven protagonists during The Seven Ponies of Victory book.” A victorious smile spread across Ink’s face, and he stared at Strawberry with the intensity of a thousand suns.
Strawberry stared for a moment as he thought of a retort. Finding none, he muttered with a defeated tone. “Good point.” But then a victorious smile appeared on his face. “Say, can we both agree that Melody is the worst character and just be friends?” he asked.
“Fair enough,” Ink responded after letting out a chuckle. He then extend his hoof to Strawberry who immediately bumped it with his.
“It was awesome meeting you, Ink Spot. Thanks for the autograph!” Strawberry then walked out of store while grinning like a madman.
“No. Thank you,” Ink said, barely louder than a whisper.
Ink sat back into his chair, a big smile across his face and his eyes once again staring at nothing. Only this time they stared forward and shined with happiness.
Was it worth it?
Yes.
Author's Note
Hey everyone! I hope you guys enjoyed this humble story of mine.
I have something to say to all of you, and that is 'thank you'. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Even if I don't ever get featured or know on this site, you guys reading my stories is enough for me.
To all of you reading this, and to all of you that ever read one of my stories:
Thank you. You guys rock.
