Chapters Jonythorn Maximus: Quest For Friendship.
It was morning. He stretched his legs down to the hooves and surveyed the scene. Nopony else was around, and he checked the satchel he hung up in the tree he slept under. Jony opened the leather bag and saw his maps tucked neatly and orderly inside.
"Good", he said to himself. "Better not lose ten years for nothing," he said as he stood up.
He slung it over his shoulder and continued the almost finished trek back to Canterlot to have his painstakingly written maps evaluated by Celestia. He was so excited to be in Canterlot again! He could see his father, Thornwellius again! He left Jony four years before because of a few in-field injuries, but now that Jony had finished he was to return and see him again!
As he walked to the gates of Canterlot, he paused and said "Almost forgot! Got to enter in appropriate attire," he exclaimed as he reached a hoof in the satchel.
He took out his fathers hat that Thornwellius left behind for him as a parting gift. "This was your great-great-great grandfather's hat. He gave it to the generation after him, and after him, and after him..." Jony was too preoccupied with his new gift to listen to Thornwellius explain.
Now, looking down at that hat, Jony Put it on his head and strolled down the bridge.
"Halt," a Canterlot Guard said, who was standing in the way.
"That's odd," Jony thought to himself. 'The guards didn't ask for ponies to stop when I was here last'. The guard continued, "I need proof of your invitation to the Grand Galloping Gala, please."
Jony paused, and replied, "I'm not here for the Gala, sir I'm just going home," as the guard looked skeptically at him. "And just how do I know your not going to sabotage it?" the guard asked.
Jony showed the guard the letter of business Princess Celestia gave to his father so long ago. He smiled and thought, "This ought to convince him". But the guard replied, "This is nearly ten years old. I cant accept this under the circumstances. I am sorry." Jony stood, slightly in disbelief, and thought of something else to show the guard. "If you showed evidence of the journey mentioned, then I could let you in," he added.
Jony smiled excitedly, and started to take out his maps to prove to the guard his order of business. After a few minutes of examination, the guard said, "This is acceptable. You may enter Canterlot," and moved out of the way. Jony laughed and waved his maps around as if they were banner-like. Then the wind ripped them from his hooves.
His eyes slowly went from twinkling to wincing, his laughter to sobbing, his happiness to tragedy. He wobbled, his legs buckling, giving in to gravity like a toppling tower of sadness, that gives in when the wear is too rough. His head clattered with the cobblestone bridge, his mane, a tangle of disappointment and anguish, his mind going blank as a newborn colt's flank. Darkness surrounded him.
When he awoke, he was staring at a black wall. Not a wall, but a ceiling. He sat up from the bed he lay on and looked around. It was his room! He recognized the endless boxes of Power Pony comics, statues of Starswirl the Bearded, his old Hearths Warming Eve wreath was still hung on his door. It was dead from a lack of water. The dead look in the wreath reminded Jonythorn what had happened seemingly moments before. He emerged from the blankets, nearly perfectly, but was tangled in the sheets and fell to the carpeted floor below.
"Nothing says 'welcome home' like a rug burn on your face", he proclaimed.
He stared at the note that lay on the floor beside him. He assumed the guard had written it, for it was scribbled down horribly quickly from the look of it, and no one else knew he had arrived. He bit it and stuffed it in his hat with some difficulty, and while he tried to put the hat on properly, he paused. That's when he thought of his father.
"I bet Dad's down in the living room, waiting for me to wake up like he did when I was little! He would always sit in that swivel chair and ask me 'What do you want to do today, my little colt?'" He listened. No footsteps up the stairs, curious from what had thudded on the floor upstairs. No opening of a door, rushing, hugs, sharing stories together from their time apart. Nothing.
And so Jonythorn Maximus lay, wrapped in his bed sheets, whimpering and wondering if anypony still cared whether he had returned home, whether he wanted to tell his tales of mapping, whether anypony at all still remembered him. He shed some tears for a minute or two, and finding that perhaps his thoughts were correct after all, he escaped his bed sheet cocoon, and left his childhood home, with all hope and memories with it. He was a broken colt, a denizen of deteriorated dreams.
He walked alone that afternoon. Alone, into a hometown that not even he could remember how it went nearly a decade ago. Where was his father, he asked himself, where was his friends he had before he left. Perhaps he knew the answer, long before he answered it, while he was weeping in his bedroom. Perhaps they all had moved on. Why hadn't his father left a note for him? He recalled the note, took his hat off (which he had not finished correcting the poor posture of before), shoved his hoof inside, and pulled out the note. In barely legible hoof-writing, he drew the meaning of the words he saw into his mind.
(From the guard)
"Sorry kid, we couldn't get your maps in time. Some pegasus flew down there and picked them up in their mouth, but they saw some pony with a cart full of muffins and let go of them, chasing after the cart. Sorry fella, but your maps didn't make it. The wind blew them into the waterfall. When they pulled 'em out, the ink was all smeared, and the paper was torn, and the..."
Every painstaking detail about the maps put a small dent in his heart with every word he read. He whimpered. His sorrow turned to anger and fury at the guard's last sentence.
"...and by the way, maybe next time, get your paper laminated. It's cheap, and it keeps paper safe you know!"
Jony picked up a pebble, crumpled the note around it, and apple-bucked it into somepony's apartment seven stories up. The tinkling of glass was heard on the cobblestone sidewalk.
"Well that didn't help at all," he said. He sighed, and looked at the sky. The sun was setting. The horizon was flooded with pinks and oranges, softly flowing away from the sun. It calmed him, and he spoke.
"Ah, sun. Your the only one that has followed me to the ends of Equestria and back. But that doesn't help me.," he said as he loitered around the corner of the street he was on, looking for some way to start a life in Canterlot.
"I'm going to need a job,"Jony said to himself. "Hows about that place to start?" he said to himself, walked up to Doughnut Joe's Gourmet Doughnut Shop, and stood in the doorway, thinking if this was really what he wanted to do with his life. He took a deep breath, telling himself that being here was going to be brief, pushed the door open, and stepped inside.
Jonythorn Maximus: Quest For Friendship.
The bell ringed as Jony opened the door. He sulked up to the front counter and sat on one of the stools. A few seats away from him, a baby dragon was stirring his doughnut in his... Jony couldn't tell if it was coffee or hot chocolate. Anyway, it didn't matter to him.
"Hey," Jony said, "Is there a Joe here I can speak to?" As pony emerged from the back of the store.
"Yeah, what can I get for you?," he said.
"I need a job somewhere. I just got here, and I-"
"Sorry, kid I've worked here alone for a little over a year now, and I plan to make it stay that way."
He gave a sullen look at the dragon, then smiled and leaned in to tell Jony, "Look, I'll give you ten bits if you make that dragon better. All he's done since he's cone in here is sulk around because all his friends are at the Gala. Poor kid, all he wanted to to is spend tonight with his friends. He's pretty upset about it."
As if on cue, the dragon sneezed into his drink. Jony pitied the dragon, and stood from his stool to walk over to him. As he did, Joe handed him a cup of coffee.
"I'd prefer some hot chocolate, Joe" Jony said.
"Sure thing"
He returned from behind the store with Jony's request. The old cup of coffee was in his hooves, and he was drinking it intently as he placed Jony's cup on the counter.
Jony slid over next to the dragon, and said "Hey. Whatcha doing over here? Its pretty lonely."
"Oh", the dragon said, tears swelling in his eyes. The rest of the sentence commenced with wailing sobbing.
"I just wanted to be with my frie-e-e-ends! He wailed and banged his head on the counter. "That's all I wanted tonight. All I wanted." His voice came in a soft whisper.
"Well you can be my friend", Jony suggested. He whipped around and sat in thought.
"What am I thinking?", he asked himself. "I haven't known this guy for five minutes and I'm suggesting being his friend. I don't even know his name!"
But he thought about it, and ten bits sounded like a weeks worth of food, enough to tide him over until he applied for another job.
"I'm Spike", the dragon said as he cut Jonythorn from the imaginary lifeline that was his self thought. I-I-I just wanted to be with my friends tonight." He smiled and wiped his tears. He almost seemed perky, now that he had somepony to talk to.
He went on to explain that he had joined Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity to have a fun time at the Gala, but they all wanted to do their own things and left Spike to sit in the dust. He wandered Canterlot until he found Doughnut Joe's, and has been eating doughnuts and drinking hot chocolate since. After Spike finished, Jonythorn sat in his stool. he swiveled around a few times. The room was a dizzying mess, blurred colors and masses, shapes distorted beyond belief.
After he stopped and let his inertia calm down, he sipped his hot chocolate and said, "Look, I think your story is sad. But it's not as sad as mine is, let me tell you that, because though your night has been rough, the last ten years of my life went underwater. Literally. He explained the past day to Spike. When he finished, Spike gave a good, long thought, and smiled.
He said, "You're right, it is only just one night, not for ten years, not nearly as bad as you! Why, I bet they miss me right now." He put a big grin on his face. Jony was a little taken aback by Spike's statement, and they sat in silence, frozen like statues.
Five minutes went by, and he couldn't gold his face anymore. He broke into sobs, and said, "They're probably having the time of their lives, and I'm here!" he continued to sob. Jony sat in silence. The stillness was broken when he heard the front door jingle. Seven ponies entered the building, the lat one catching Jonythorn's eye. She had a flowing mane, her coat was pure white, a sun protruded from her flank.
It was Celestia. The other ponies ran up to Spike, and hugged him. His eyes were filled with joy. Jony sat still in his stool, watching his new friend meet up with the old ones. They went to the booth at the corner of the place, and reminisced the time they all had. Their experiences sounded horrible. And yet there they were sitting and laughing together, and having what seemed to be the time of their lives. He listened to their conversation, and after ten minutes or so, they stood up to leave. As Spike lead the group out, Jony quickly stepped in next to Celestia, and shook her hoof.
"I am Jonythorn Maximus, Princess, and I am honored to be standing in the same room with you again." He held her hoof in his hand and shook it violently.
"Ah, yes, Jonythorn," she recalled, as she cradled her hoof.
"Your father came back not so long ago. Well, not as long as it took for you to return to Canterlot, I suppose," She laughed at her own joke. "Did you map the lands beyond Equestria?" she asked, She gave a quizzical look.
Jony was nervous, and was afraid he would faint from embarrassment, but she continued,
"Well, there's no need for that anymore." He looked up at her. "There was an inventor who made a more efficient way to travel by air, and mapped those places a year or two ago. Follow me to my castle, Jonythorn Maximus. We have a lot of talking to do.
He entered the marble floors. People were just finishing up the mess the Gala left behind in its ever flowing tracks. Marble pillars protruded from the floor, and Jony was surrounded in amazement as he witnessed the kingdom in it's full glory. "Come", Celestia said."I have a story to tell you".
She was standing outside on the royal balcony. "I have a tale for you that is about your years. It is everything you did on that journey, yet didn't do any of at all." Jonythorn was confused. She continued,
"You were so excited to join your father on a trip of business, you had forgotten all your schooling. You forgot your homework. Your studies, and most importantly, your friends. You had left them without the slightest clue to where you went. They waited for your return from who knows where, just to be dejected every time. They gave up on you. You were just a memory to them, and they were just a memory to you."
"You see", she went on to say, "The education we teach fillies and colts everywhere in Equestria is to make friends. Yes, your history should be accurate, yes, your trade should put hay on the table, but friendship is what keeps all of us together, otherwise we would go crazy trying to keep away from each other!"
She turned and looked at Jony. "You, Jonythorn Maximus, have little friendship at all. I would say you have no friendship, but you have made more than a strong acquaintance with my pupil's dragon, Spike. Now, you must know, having but one friend isn't terrible, but having more is fantastic! Do you know the possibilities?" As she said this, she waved her hooves into the air majestically.
"If you are there for them, they will be there for you. Remember this on your journey. This is all." She went into her room, and he was left in the hall. he walked out and walked back on the cobblestone streets back to his house.
The clip-clop of his hooves made a rhythm. He almost felt like breaking into song! But now was not the time, it was greatly past dusk and was time for bed. He yawned and was almost to the front door of his house when he heard a crinkling from under him. He looked the the debris from his kick.
"Better clean this up", he said to himself. He levitated the glass pieces and fit them together. Then he floated them up to the window that had been broken, and using a sealing spell, fixed the window. It opened abruptly and a stallion looked out below.
"Hey, friend, thanks for fixing my window!" he said.
"No problem sir," was Jony's reply.
He opened the door to his house and walked inside. He saw his father's swivel chair, in front of the desk, and to the left of the fireplace. Jony looked at the pictures up on the wall. They were all of him and his father. "My father has been the only real pony to be my friend", he thought.
As was true to his word, they were all a frame of his life taken in part with his father. "One friend isn't terrible, but having more is fantastic," Celestia's words echoed in his mind. He took one last look into the pictures, then raced up the stairs into his room. He packed ropes, a mining helmet, a winter coat, rubber boots, a hacksaw, his favorite hat, paper and quills, ink, a drawing board, fruits, breads, anything that he thought would be helpful.
Before, Jony didn't know what Celestia meant by a journey, but now that he had time to think about it, he knew just what it meant. It was time to make some new friends. He snuggled in his bed (made neatly just minutes before), and thought of the grand adventure he was going to have.
Dreams filled his head, memories whirled past, and songs of heroism and joy filled his ears. Though there were no need for maps, he had to make a list of all the friends he was going to meet. And this time, he wouldn't lose it. Not for a million bits.
Jonythorn Maximus: Quest For Friendship.
Sunlight shone lightly through the window. Birds sang harmonious tunes on rooftops, taxis rolled by soundly on Canterlot roads, ponies cheered on street corners.
"I could wake up to this every single day," Jony spoke as he walked up to the kitchen window. He had on a white fluffy robe that fluttered in the wind. He took a sip of coffee that levitated in his cup. "I'm going to have to cook right now aren't I?" he asked himself. "Time to go out to eat!" A bird's egg fell from above and shattered on the window ledge right in front of him. His clean bathrobe was now yellow. So was his face. "Oh well," he stated. "Robe flew in through the window anyway," He licked the yolk off his face.
He tossed the robe out the window and started for the door when he remembered his satchel with his items packed in it the previous night. He ran upstairs, slung it over his shoulder, and began to go down the stairs. "Almost forgot to get my supplies! That would be bad," He was walking out the front door as he said, "It would be a shame if I couldn't get to my new-found friends in the first place!" He shut the door.
"It would be an even greater shame if I had nowhere for my new friends to party when I meet them either!"
This is when an over average size bird gently touched down on the roof of his home, and the whole house collapsed upon itself.
He stared at the debris for a few minutes, told himself, "This is more than a broken window," and turned to stroll happily down the street.
He arrived at the only establishment he had become familiar with since his arrival to Canterlot. Doughnut Joe's. The bell jingled as he pushed the glass door to enter.
"Hey there customer!" Joe greeted. "What can I get for you today?"
"Well Joe," Jony started, "I think two or three dozen doughnuts should be fine," He sat at the counter.
"Sounds good. What are you planning on doing? Celebration? A get-together? Maybe a road trip?
"Well Joe, the third guess seems fairly right. I'm going to make some new friends today, and I need a full and filling breakfast to treat myself to on the way."
Jony paused, and asked, "Hey Joe, where do you suppose I do go?"
"Well," Joe started, "If I were you I would set my chances on Ponyville. Good place for ponies. Lots of ponies to friend. But three dozen doughnuts isn't nearly enough to have when your there," he explained.
"Well why's that?"
If your going to make friends," Joe exclaimed, "You have to treat them like friends," He left momentarily and brought the boxes out into the room from the back. Then he continued, "I personally think sharing would be the best way to make friends, and there are plenty of ponies in Ponyville. You're going to need more doughnuts," He paused.
Jony pondered over it, and was about to order more, but Joe spoke again,
"You could always get some more at Sugar Cube Corner. They have, as the name implies, sweets of every type unimaginable!"
He handed Jony the boxes and said, "Here. I forgot to give you your bits last night, so you can take these, no charge," He handed Jony 5 bits and said, "Here's your change,"
And so Jonythorn Maximus was off, going to Ponyville to make some new friends by learning to sha-a-are, and ca-a-are. He walked to the end of the Canterlot bridge."This is it," he told himself. He stepped off and stood on grass. It tickled his feet and he giggled a little. He looked at the places around him.
The sun was glistening, trees were gently swaying in the summer breeze. Pegasi kicked at clouds above his head, and many ponies were still leaving from the Gala the night before. He was just another soul on the dusty trail. He saw groups of friends talking, couples chatting, business ponies arguing over sales. He was now one of them.
It was late afternoon. The sun was setting on the first day of Jony's journey. He saw the lights of Ponyville in the distance. He chose to stay outside the town until daylight flowed forth once again, and lay his head on his satchel to rest for another adventure tomorrow. The sun had set, and in his heart, light glowed, for he was reborn with a light that shined within.
He regarded the morning with utmost optimism and strolled about on the way to Ponyville. As he walked into the entrance and with detailed examination he scanned the town. What he saw pleased him greatly. Friends shared gifts though there was no celebratory holiday, strangers waved at each other and held open doors for the little ones, and everypony returned a smile when given one. This elated Jony and he told himself,
"I must obtain some of this wonderful friendship to be had!"
He looked at every building with ease,and regarded Sugar Cube Corner with excitement, for he knew that was just where he could give his doughnuts! He peered inside the boxes he had neatly lay down the night before. There were no doughnuts in the boxes! He was steamed. He couldn't believe that someone would have the audacity to... oh, well. he could buy more. His anger slumbered slowly as he walked up to the cake shop. Though he was angry with the fate his doughnuts had befallen to, he walked in peachy-keen and requested to Mr. Cake that anypony to enter the Corner today from now to midnight was to be given free cupcakes. r.Cake looked at Jony as if he were some sort of circus clown, and said,
" Now sir, I'm not sure what you're trying to do, but if your anything like those Flim Flam brothers, I'm going to-"
"Kind sir, Mr.Cake, I have no ill intent for the success of your cake shop, I'm just doing the favor of free sweets to all in Ponyville!"
He explained his story to Mr.Cake and he accepted the terms of his request promptly. After announcing the free cupcakes, ponies cheered to him and raced to enter Sugar Cube Corner.
After the sun had set, the party was still in full swing at Sugar Cube Corner. Ponies would have eaten themselves into pinatas had Mrs. Cake limited the amount being given to five cupcakes per pony. After the expenses had been tallied, Jony was given his bill.
"1,365 bits!" he exclaimed.
"Yes sir, and we expect you pay it all in full by the end of the month," the Cakes said.
"That's only 13 days from now!" Jony cried. "My, friends are expensive!"
Jonythorn Maximus: Quest For Friendship.
With a large sum of a debt, and his search for a friend still unresolved, Jony had to pay Mrs and Mr.Cake before he was to count them as good friends. They were generous enough, and reduced the cost to 1,200 bits as they need to restock and he assisted in hauling pounds of flour, cake mix, and frosting back to Sugar Cube Corner.
"Now," he stated, "About that payment. Hey! I bet I can get a job, and make friends with my co workers!"
He was elated at this sudden thought, and set off for a job. He saw somepony with a mail sack, and placing mail in slots for other ponies to read. The pegasus was walking down the street towards Jony when she fell down and all of the papers fell out of her sack. He rushed to her aid and said,
"Are you okay? You took quite a fall there."
She replied with, "No, I'm fine, just tripped. Hey, can you help me pick these up if you wouldn't mind."
The two proceeded to pick the mail up, then Jony recalled he had a horn. He simply levitated all of the mail and sorted it in the air. The documents and magazines fluttered in the air with a blue aura surrounding them. He had sorted all of the envelopes, magazines, and files accordingly and placed them into the pony's bag.
"Hey, thanks pal," she said. She began to walk off when she stopped and turned back to Jony. "Say, would you mind helping me sort these out to the right ponies? I could pay you what I have." She took out a small bag filled with bits.
"Oh, no, I couldn't accept those. I'll help you to be kind though," he galloped to catch up to her. What was he doing? He didn't know. He could have about 50 bits of that debt payed now! He was deep in thought when the pony shouted,
"Hey, where ya going? The mailbox is here, silly!"
He woke from his thought and turned around. Four houses down, she was putting mail in a box. "If you want to help me, I suggest you take some mail from me to get started. By the way, I'm Derpy Hooves. Thanks a lot for being willing to help me with the mail. There are so many ponies in this town, sometimes I mess up!"
She handed him some of the mail and he picked it up off the ground with his horn. He was letting the mail flutter behind him as he ran from box to box, filling them with tremendous speed, and within half an hour the mail was done!
The sun was beginning to set, and after they finished the mail, Derpy invited him to follow her to the mail station. As they walked up the steps, Derpy said, "Wait here." Jony did as he was told, and was rewarded for his patience with a sturdy looking pegasus who followed Derpy outside. He wore a large overcoat and handed Jony a small suitcase, which looked srunk down or made specifically for a 7 year old colt. He spoke one word, "Here", and went back inside.
"Go ahead, open it!" Derpy was having a breakdown and couldn't stop smiling. Jony somewhat nervously opened the suitcase and found a golden muffin inside it. "Uh. What exactly is it for? I sure as heck can't eat it."
"Don't be silly, it's from me! I finished work six hours earlier thanks to you! And I'm aware of your payment you owe to the Cakes." She handed a letter to Jony. "It states the amount due, the deadline, and the reason for payment."
Jony looked at her. She had sandbags under her eyes, and almost stumbled over. She fell to the left but Jony dived and she landed on Jony like he was a pillow. And just about as rough too, he had the wind knocked out of him. She had closed her eyes for a minute, but they popped back open when he fell on him.
As he gasped for air, Derpy apologized. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to fall on you. I guess that since I have no more work to do, I'm ready to sleep."
Speaking of sleep, Jony hadn't considered where he was going to rest at. Derpy saw the look of concern on his face, and invited him to sleep on her couch at her house. "It's okay, I'm just glad I can get some real rest now. I'm so tired." With that she went in her room. Jony heard a thud as she fell on the floor. He was just getting comfortable on the couch as he realized he was thirsty.
"I don't want to just get up and do what I please." He waited for a few minutes, but his throat was too dry for comfort, and he got a glass of water. As he passed Derpy's hallway, he saw her half in her room, half out, sleeping on the floor. He walked up to her, levitated her onto her bed, and put a blanket on her. He quietly shut the door, turned off all of the lights, and walked back to the couch for a good nights rest.