Chapters It had been a quiet day in Coltborn. The sky was partially cloudy, a light drizzle scheduled for a few hours after sunset, leaving the late afternoon hours fairly pleasant for those who needed to be out and about getting tasks done. The small port was bereft of much activity as well, most of the boats already moored in their docks. Still, there were a few ponies, and otherwise, making their way through streets, some heading home, others heading for a meal out and, in the case of one green coated pegasus, getting some last minute grocery shopping done before all the vendors packed up for the day.
“Let’s see… I got milk, cheese, spinach, nuts, the rolls from Bran that Peppermint likes,” he muttered to himself, going through the rough list he made before leaving. Despite his wings, he stayed grounded. “We had enough hay and daisies for the next few days, I got some eggs yesterday… Still not sure why I didn’t get everything else while I was at it…”
While he was distracted with his musings a passing diamond dog, a wooden crate slung easily on his shoulder, called out cheerfully to him. “Hail, Swift Mist! Out for shopping?”
“Evening, Rufus,” Swift said, looking up with a grin. “I am. You?”
“No need,” Rufus said. He tapped on his crate with a claw. Rather than mining, the diamond dog had a small farm near town, raising things like yams and carrots. “Dug up the potatoes. Taking these to sell tomorrow.”
“Potatoes?” Swift’s ears perked. He had a certain love for Rufus’ potatoes.
“I’ll save you your sack, Swift Mist,” Rufus laughed, his tail wagging. “Just send Doppler with the regular to pick them up.”
“Thanks Rufus. You’re the best!” Swift grinned.
“So you tell me, Swift Mist,” Rufus waved before continuing on his way.
His day made brighter, there was a bounce to his trot as Swift continued home. Two more stops got his saddlebags filled and his list mostly completed. He found himself distracted by the temptation of the confectioner sisters at his last stop. Not flirting, but the chocolate covered blueberries and hard candies.
Ashamed of his weak will, Swift popped a mint in his mouth as he left the stall, finding solace in the fact that it at least tasted good.
“Excuse me,” somepony called out. “Could you help me out a bit? What town this is?”
“It’s Coltborn,” Swift responded easily, a bit confused as to how somepony wouldn’t know the town they were in. His confusion only intensified when he turned to the speaker. His jaw slowly dropped as he took in the details. Long limbs, furless body, small eyes, forelimbs ending in hands with fingers, an awkward bundle slung over the shoulder and a bag hanging at the side.
He was looking at a human. An honest to Celestia human.
“Um… you okay?” the human asked as Swift gaped silently for a moment. Swift raised a shaky hoof, then spread his wings and took off without warning, leaving a very befuddled human behind.
“Doppler!” Swift yelled as he burst into the kitchen, startling his roommate. Unfortunately for the Doppler, he had been getting a jug of beet juice when he was startled.
“Swift… you’d better have a bucking good reason for barging in like that!” Doppler yelled, beet juice dripping from his drenched face and mane, his formerly white fur now closer to the red of his mane.
“Oh, sorry, Peppermint,” Swift blinked sheepishly at his roommate. He grabbed one of the dish towels and tossed it at him.
“Sorry ain’t cutting it,” Doppler fumed as he tried to rub the juice away, which had the unfortunate effect of working the juice, and its stain, further in. “So, you plan on telling me why you made me wear my juice instead of drinking it?”
“Right! There’s a human out there!” Swift said excitedly, his wings trembling. “A one hundred percent genuine human is out in the town!”
“Yeah, right,” Doppler gave a dismissive flick of his wing. “And I’m an alicorn princess. See my pretty horn?” He gave Swift a rather rude hoof gesture. “Now seriously, what’s your deal?”
“Human! Here in Coltborn! Not in Canterlot, not in Manehattan, not even in Ponyville, but in our town!”Swift gushed as he undid his saddlebags and let them fall to the floor. Unladen, he leapt over to Doppler and jabbed a hoof in his chest repeatedly. “Last time you took the Manehattan run during the convention and I missed the one that turned up there!”
“Easy, easy!” Doppler said, tossing the towel aside and batting Swift’s hoof away. For a pony that got started in the weather business, Swift was rather enthused with fantasy. “You sure as hay got convinced about this one…”
“Of course I am! I actually got to talk to a human!” Swift exclaimed. He paused as he realized his own words. “I actually got to talk to a human… and he didn’t know where he was…” A grin stretched. “He probably doesn’t have a place to stay…”
“Swift… what are you going on about?” Doppler asked, slightly distracted by the pink he could see on his muzzle. He needed a mirror.
“I’m going to invite him to stay here!” Swift yelled joyfully, charging out of the room at an even greater pace than he charged in.
“Hey! Hold up, Swift!” Doppler called, but his roommate lived up to his name, at least over short distances, and was already out of the building they called home and shop. “Luna’s flank, sometimes I don’t get that idiot…”
The kitchen lacked a mirror, so he grumbled his way to the washroom to use the one there. His entire face was pink, dark in some places, lighter in others. He licked his lips and tasted beet.
“I’m gonna buck him in the face…” Doppler hissed, hitting the faucet to try and wash the stain out of his coat. He was at it for maybe ten minutes, the stain being one of the more stubborn things he had to deal with in a while. His frustration continued to build as he worked at it, his threats towards his roommate escalating to tossing him off Neighara Falls with his wings bound and punting him back up, his threats towards beet juice even more extreme than that.
He had managed to get his coat down to a pale faded pink when the bell hanging over their storefront door jingled. With a sigh, he grabbed a towel before hollering out to the customer. “Be with you in a second!”
The second was actually closer to half a minute, getting both coat and mane dry, and he mostly calmed down by then. Trotting out to the shop, he put on his best customer service face, a greeting already on his tongue. “Evening. Welcome to Book and Courier!” His smile wavered when he saw who was out there. "You've got to be kidding me..."
“Ah did see a strange looking fellow,” Ol’ Yellow, one of the local earth pony rancher, said slowly in response to Swift’s somewhat frantic questioning. He liked to think Coltborn was far more rural than it was. “Lanky an’ dressed up like some city pony.”
“Yes, and? And? Where did he go?” Swift said and he danced on his hooves, antsy. Ol’ Yellow was the third pony he had questioned, trying to track the human.
“Eeeh, I ain’t quite certain mah self,” he admitted, sedately chewing on a stalk of barley. “Ya might wanna try Miss Trots. She always has her eyes open.”
~~~
“Goodness!” Dainty Trots said, the feathers on her large broad brimmed hat jauntily waving. She had ordered it about a month before from some designer in Manehattan and Doppler had gotten the job of delivering payment and couriering it, and a few other pieces, back. “I did see that, what did you say it was, a hewn ann?”
“Human!” Swift said.
“Well, whatever it was, it did call out greetings to me. Quite the courteous one, he was,” Dainty Trots nodded was a faint sigh. One that quickly faded as she glared at Swift. “Your friend would do well to learn from somepony like that.”
Swift winced. Doppler’s tendency of slipping into the coarser side of language when riled up wasn’t much of an unknown in town. Even if it had developed from a young colt’s self defence reflexes. Dainty Trots continued. “What that colt needs is a good mare to straighten him out. I know that June Berry is seeking again…”
“That sounds interesting and all, and I’ll make sure to mention her to Dop, but I’m kinda in a hurry, Miss Trots,” Swift cut in. He wasn’t about to get drawn into Dainty Trots’ gossip hour. “Do you remember where the human went?”
“Hmm,” Dainty Trots tilted her nose in the air a little. “I believe he headed down East Run Avenue.”
“Thank you, Miss Trots!” Swift said before taking flight.
~~~
“That weird minotaur thing? I’m pretty sure it headed towards the Tower,” Blossom Rose said.
“Are you sure?” Swift said, hovering before the peach coloured mare.
“As rain!”
“Okay!” He was off again.
~~~
“Aye, I did see a fellow like that,” Norbert, the stallion of the only griffon family in town, said.
“Which way did he go?”
“Up Watercress Road.”
~~~
“You mean it isn’t a mare? Funny how things work out, eh? No wonder she, I mean he looked at me like that,” Strong Oats laughed, not ashamed at all he had hit on a man. “I think sh-he went into ‘Bout Everything You Need’ after I talked with he- him.”
Swift shook his head and headed off again.
~~~
“Well of course I remember it, not every day somepony like that comes into my store,” Bits Galore said cheerfully. “Looked around, hit its head on the wall a few times, smiled, then headed down Lakeside.”
~~~
“Nope. Just asked me what ah was fishing for, then kept on walking, he did,” Angler reported. “Seemed like a nice fellow. Friend of yours?”
~~~
“I… give up,” Swift whimpered, tired and almost at tears. A genuine human, one of three he’d heard about, and he messed up and missed him.
“Hey, Swifty! What’cha doing?” A bespectacled unicorn mare waved at him from her front porch, a book propped up before her.
Swift waved back without much enthusiasm. “Evening… Song.”
Evening Song giggled at the play on her name, even if it was one Swift used every time he crossed paths with her. She was also one of his best customers. “So; what’cha doing?”
“Wasting time,” Swift sighed.
“Weird. Thought you’d be in your shop since you were going on about humans so much,” Evening commented.
“Huh?”
“Well, a human did go into your shop,” Evening continued.
Swift stiffened. Then he took off, wings whipping up a cloud of dust. Evening protested, coughing and waving a hoof trying to clear the air. “He could have at least warned me first… Or at least said goodbye…”
“So… you’re actually real,” Doppler said, holding out a hoof at the human. The human met it with a closed fist. Doppler shook his head and swore. “Bucking Tartarus. Was sure Swift was making stuff up.”
“I’m… sorry?” the human said uncertainly. He looked around the room, several books shelves on most walls, a few boxes near the door. One wall was devoted to a large map and chart, a marker hanging from a length of string.
“For what? Not like you have something to be sorry about,” Doppler said, examining the man.
“I guess?” the human shrugged. “I’m Nathan.”
“Doppler. Call me Dop.”
“Cool,” Nathan agreed. “So… who is Swift?”
“My roommate. Said he met you. Green pegasus. Violet and yellow tail? Kinda mare-y mane cut?” Doppler tossed a bit of a description at Nathan.
Nathan, having crossed the paths with a lot of ponies, and other creatures, thought about it for a moment or two. He snapped his fingers. “Had brown bags filled with stuff?”
“That’s the one.”
“Yeah… he took one look at me and ran off…” Nathan rolled his eyes.
“Yep. Definitely the right pony.”
Somepony crashed into the door, startling both Doppler and Nathan. There were a few groans before the door opened, admitting a slightly frazzled looking, but grinning, Swift. Nathan blinked while Doppler shook his head slowly.
“Hi?”
“Human! In my store! There’s a human and he’s in my store. Our store. Here! Now. Right there!” Swift’s grin broadened to disconcerting levels as he rambled. “See Doppler? Human. A human! The human! He’s here! There, right there!”
Doppler slapped him with a hoof. Nathan jumped and took a few steps back. Ignoring the human, Doppler raised an eyebrow. “Better?”
Swift worked his jaw. “Ow… Yes. Did you have to hit me so hard?”
“No, but you got beet juice in my coat, flank stain. Retribution,” Doppler stated.
“Whatever…” Swift muttered. He worked his jaw a bit more and turned to the human. “Hi… Sorry about, well, the really awkward- okay, can we start over?”
“Sure, I guess,” Nathan response, looking a little worried.
“Excellent!” Swift clapped his hooves together happily. “Okay, from the beginning. Hi! I’m Swift Mist. This is my roommate and business partner, Doppler. Welcome to Books and Courier. It’s nice to meet a- um, forget that part! What brings you to our wor- town, no; Store! Our store?”
“Hey, I’m Nathan Bell. I’m really new so I’m trying to get my bearings and find out where I am and such. It’s nice to meet you.” Nathan extended a hand towards Swift. Grinning, Swift matched it with his hoof and they shook.
Determinations of Destination
“Okay. So we are in Coltborn right now,” Nathan said. The visiting human and the two resident ponies were gathered around the large map that took up most of the wall, the latter two helping the former get the sense of bearings he had been seeking.
“Northeast of Neighagra Falls, and Southeast of the Crystal Empire,” Swift said cheerfully. He hovered before the map and started pointing out important places. “To the far east of us is the New Yoke Ranges, and past that is Manehattan itself. To the South is the actual city of Neighara, near the base of the falls. Just north of us is Lake Crystal, and past that are the Crystal Mountains.”
“Some ponies head out to the Crystal Mountains for mountaineering,” Doppler said, throwing in his two bits.
“Some Diamond Dogs like it too,” Swift said picking up on the point Doppler started with practiced ease. “You can find gems there that just aren’t common in many other places in Equestria. Like Frost Diamonds, for instance. The scenery in the mountains is something else too.”
“The mountains and lake make for good air for recreational and stunt flying. You can get some decent surfing in on the lake too,” Doppler added with a flick of his tail, cutting in before Swift got too caught up in his spiel. “And some ponies appreciate a run on the Neighara River.”
Nathan just nodded to himself as he listened to the two go on about what was available in the area. “You guys sure know your stuff. How come Coltborn is so small if it has all that going for it?” Nathan paused when the two pegasi flinched slightly. “Um… is that a sensitive subject?”
“No, not really,” Swift admitted, his ears flicking a bit nervously. He landed with a light clop of hooves on the floor. “Coltborn is just…”
“Out in the boonies?” Doppler offered in a bland tone.
“Off the beaten trail,” Swift chose to use, narrowing his eyes at Doppler, who matched it with a smug smirk.
“Small town troubles?” Nathan tried, shifting on his heels a bit.
“Pretty much,” Doppler said, shrugging his wings. “Not many ponies want to come this far north to surf or ride the winds. And those who want to hit the mountains don’t come often enough to really build any steady interest.”
“Plus, see the train line?” Swift pointed to the map, tracing the tracks that curved up to Neighara before branching to head to Hollow Shades and Manehattan with a hooftip.
“Yeah?” Nathan affirmed.
“Coltborn doesn’t have a train track and the road around the falls and up the hills to get here is a pretty hard trek,” Swift explained. He proudly put a hoof to his chest. “It’s part of what we do. Aside from being one of the best places to get a variety of reading material, and order more obscure ones, we provide maps and information for the few ponies that do come to do the tourist things. On the courier side, we do deliveries. Some local jobs, but our main thing is orders and deliveries and the like for the townsponies that don’t want to wait for the mail officer’s run.”
“Most of our Courier jobs are runs between Manehattan and Neighra, just so ponies don’t have to make the trips themselves. It’s cheaper and faster for them to let us do it instead of the mailponies for some things,” Doppler cut in smugly. “It’s a long haul up and down the route, and an even longer on between here and Manehattan.
“Coltborn is a great town, don’t get me wrong,” Doppler continued, not wanting to bash his hometown too much, “but it’s pretty limited too. Doesn’t really make sense how you got here without knowing anything that was around.”
“But what about the Crystal Empire. It doesn’t look like it’s too far from here,” Nathan pointed out, tapping his finger on the map. “Isn’t it something of a major place? It has its own Princess.”
“The Empire is new, so the possibilities haven’t been really touched yet. Even if we are the closest town to it, the train runs in the opposite direction of us, and we have the lake between us and them on top of it,” Swift sighed, flicking his ears. “I’ve actually never been there. I’d love to visit though.”
“Oh,” Nathan said. There were always towns like that. Places that seemed like they could be so much more, but never seemed to pick up.
“Didn’t the mayor mention something about a new project at the last town meeting?” Doppler commented. “He asked us about how many runs we made between here and Manehattan.”
“Yep,” Swift nodded. “He’s trying to get support for making a train line between the Empire and Manehattan, with Coltborn as one of the stops. It will hopefully attract interest in the town as a result.”
Swift flicked his tail a trace irritably. “Sorry, we got a bit distracted. We were helping you figure out where you were. Did that help?”
“It did,” Nathan said, grinning. “I still don’t know where I’m going to go, but I’d good to know where I am. You said you had maps?”
“Swift keeps a couple in stock,” Doppler confirmed as he started trotting off to the counter. “I’ll grab one for you.”
“You don’t know where you are going?” Swift asked at the same time.
“I didn’t exactly plan to travel. And thank you Doppler!” Nathan said, responding to them both. “But it was a once in a lifetime offer and I wasn’t about to say no.”
“So, someone gave you a lift and left you in a strange place?” Swift asked, tilting his head curiously.
“Something like that,” Nathan said evasively. Doppler’s return with the map in his mouth was a suitable distraction. Nathan took the proffered folded paper and slung his bundle over his shoulder in a smooth motion. “Thank you for your help, Swift Mist, Doppler. It’s been great, but I guess I should be going now.”
“Wait! You’re just going to leave like that?” Swift demanded.
“Why not?” Doppler shrugged. “He got what he came for.”
“But… but…” Swift whimpered.
“It was nice meeting you two, but I guess I’m off,” Nathan smiled at Swift and Doppler. With a wave, he made for the door.
“No!” Swift said, stomping a hoof.
Nathan stumbled slightly and looked back with a raised eyebrow. “No?”
“What are you doing, Swift?” Doppler hissed at his roommate.
“Where are you going?” Swift asked Nathan as he closed the distance between them with a faintly intimidating trot.
“Um…” Nathan didn’t have a response.
“Exactly,” Swift snorted, stomp his hoof once. “You have no idea. I bet you don’t have any bits either!”
“Um…” Nathan was at two for two now, and a bit confused.
“Swift, seriously. What are you doing?” Doppler asked again.
“You said something left you here, and I was the first pony you met?” Swift hovered so he could look Nathan directly in the eyes as he prodded him in the chest. “I’m the only pony in town that really knows anything about humans. And you met me. What are the chances of that?”
“Um..?” Three strikes for Nathan now.
Doppler facehooved behind Swift. “Save me from my idiot of a friend…”
“It. Was. Destiny!” Swift stated, stars in his eyes. “Are you going to say no to destiny ? Providence? Fate?”
“That might be reaching a little,” Nathan said, a bit concerned about how passionate Swift was getting.
“No! We aren’t saying no to Destiny!” Swift said firmly. “You came into my town, then came to me, then walked into my store! Destiny has spoken!”
“Swift. Get your star addled hooves on the ground and let the nice human go about his-” Doppler started.
“DESTINY HAS SPOKEN!” Swift yelled. He grinned a bit sheepishly when Nathan flinched. “Sorry… Anyway! Destiny! You’re gonna stay here and get a job!”
“What?” Nathan said, his confusion still strong.
“What?” Doppler said, agreeing with Nathan. “Okay, that’s just crazy talk, Swift! You’re Crazy!”
“And I’ll take you to The Grill. My treat,” Swift continued. He plucked Nathan’s bundle from him, despite the human’s cry of protest. “I’ll go put this in your new room!”
“Hey! You can’t just… you did…” Nathan yelled after Swift as he quickly darted off. Kneading his temple with his knuckles, Nathan glared at Doppler. “What the hell just happened? He took my stuff!”
“To be honest? I’m not sure,” Doppler snorted, flicking his tail. “Swift can be a foal sometimes. But I think he just dragged us into something dumb. Still, was he right about you not having any bits?”
“Well… I have some money, but I don’t think they would work here,” Nathan admitted.
“Then you’ll get a meal on Swift’s wallet, and we can work this out after when he’s not all obsessed,” Doppler said in a long suffering tone. “The Grill has pretty good food and a decent bar on top if it.”
Nathan hesitated. “I guess I can deal with that…”
Sustenance and Subsistence
“So… what do you think?” Swift asked.
“It’s…” Nathan started, letting the word hang in the air.
“It’s..?” Swift prompted, eagerly.
“It’s a… It’s a boat...” Nathan tilted his head to one side. A large boat sat parked in the space between two buildings, partially buried in the ground, additional supports built around it. Its figure head was a griffon, a gangway led up to the deck from street level. Three flags flew from the mast. The flag of Equestia with the sun and moon surround by two alicorns, a talon crossing a lightning bolt and finally a bowl with the handle of a utensil sticking out from it.
“The Grill ?” Nathan read off the prow.
“Yep,” Doppler agreed. “One of the better restaurants in town. And the only one to have a full omnivore menu.”
“But it’s a boat… how?” Nathan asked, still stuck on that point, so much so that the other two were leaving him behind as they continued to walk.
“Well, a couple years back when the spirit of chaos broke out he did random acts of chaos just to let everypony know he was free,” Swift explained. “The Gill started drifting inland, sailing through the ground as if it was water. And the ground acted like water around it. They eventually managed to stop it between these houses, and when he was defeated the magic stopped, leaving it landlocked.”
“Literally…” Nathan said, shaking his head. “Didn’t anyone try to get it out?”
“It was more trouble than it was worth, I heard,” Doppler claimed. “Norbert and his family bought it and made it into a restaurant and renamed it The Grill. The food is good enough to make up for other things.”
“Other things?”
“Not gonna talk about it,” Doppler said firmly.
“Sure, whatever,” Nathan said with a roll of his eyes. “So what type of food do they have?”
“Pretty much everything. Cakes, pies, bread, hayburgers, specialty drinks, roasted vegetables, fish, salads, diced fruits, scones, some stuff with the crystal empire exports.” Doppler smirked and tipped his head in Swift’s direction. “This lump mainly likes them for their potatoes.”
“Hey, it’s not my fault there are one of the only places in town to sell potatoes,” Swift grumbled. “And they do so much with it. Roasted potatoes, baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, boiled potatoes, potatoes and tomatoes, potato soup, potato stew-”
“All right, I get it, you like potatoes,” Nathan insisted, cutting Swift off as they took the gangway up to the deck.
“Too much,” Doppler agreed. There were a variety of chairs and tables on the deck, only a few occupied. Doppler ignored them and led the little group into the ship proper. As the Gill had originally been a pleasure cruiser, the interior was rather spacious for a pony, which made it only slightly close for Nathan. The place smelt pleasantly of food and was tastefully decorated with pictures taken from a ship. “If it were up to him, we would- Ah, Buck!”
Nathan was at a loss as to what Doppler was swearing; having to duck a little at the entranceway thanks to the more pony scaled proportions, until he noticed the pegasus was glaring at the pony running the counter. A griffon, to the specific, steel grey feathers, brown tipped on his head, and similar coloured fur on his body. Nathan stared in marveled silence.
“Hey, Candy Cane,” the griffon grinned cockily.
“Don’t call me that.” Doppler snarled. “What are you doing here, Griswald?”
“Working, precious,” the now identified Griswald replied cheekily, his cocky bearing not slipping. In fact, he leaned forward and all but leered at Doppler. “You coming in was just a bonus.”
“Is he..?” Nathan whispered at Swift.
“Celestia help me I will buck you so hard,” Doppler ground out, dropping his head and flaring his wings slowly.
“He is,” Swift groaned. He tried to pull Doppler back. The other ponies in the room were starting to show interest in the commotion at the desk, much to Swift's dismay. “Come on, Dop. You’re making a scene.”
“Only if you let me go first,” Griswald smirked.
“Grah!” Doppler reared up and looked as if he was going to charge the griffon but he didn’t need to.
“Griswald!” the door off from the counter banged open and a small but pudgy and clearly older griffon female decked out in a hairnet over her blonde and silver crest and an apron over her tabby patterned fur, flew out. “What did I tell you about harassing the customer!?”
“Aw, Ma! It’s not lik-” Griswald started, but a talon over his beak put an end to that as female glared at him in a manner only a mother could.
“Not another word! Into the kitchen with you! In! In!” She whipped him with her tail, giving him motivation for his hasty retreat. It was somewhat comical seeing him run from someone less than half his size. She frowned after him as the door swung shut. “Winds know I try with that boy, but he still gives almost more trouble than he’s worth!”
“Thanks for that, Miss Greta,” Swift sighed. “I thought Dop was going to have another row with him.”
Nathan mouthed ‘another’ while Doppler seethed. Miss Greta pulled a cloth from her apron’s pocket and wiped her talons. “Nonsense. I tell the boy not to mess with ponies already with somepony, but he won’t listen to me. I’m waiting for the day when he comes home with a cracked beak. Might learn something then.” She turned her fierce eyes on Nathan. “Tall and odd one, if I might say. Miss Greta, as you must have heard. I operate The Grill.”
“Nice to meet you,” Nathan said, a bit grateful she hadn’t extended one of her talons for a handshake, and refraining from extending his hand. “Nathan.”
“Odd looking fellow,” she commented, finishing her observations. She grabbed a few menus from the rack and passed them over. “Your regular corner is open. I’ll be over in a few to take your orders.”
Doppler trotted off the moment Swift let him free, though he was muttering under his breath. Swift took the proffered menus in his mouth before tucking them under his wing and leading Nathan, who was doing his best to avoid the stares that were directed at him now that the excitement and tension was passed, to the table Doppler was brooding in.
It was a bit of a tight fit for Nathan, but he eventually settled on an awkward position with his legs largely sprawled out under the table. “Okay,” he said as Swift passed out the menus. “What was that about?”
“Nothing,” Doppler scowled. “Just a dunderhead who really needs to get what’s coming to him.”
Nathan opened his mouth, but thought better of it. He could always find out later, considering Swift’s insistence that he stay with them. “So… what’s good here?”
“Pretty much everything,” Swift smiled.
“Swift’s paying, so you should get the expensive stuff,” Doppler tossed out.
“Doesn’t that narrow it down,” Nathan said blandly, lazily flipping the pages and frowning slightly at what he was finding. He flipped a page before blinking and flipping it back. He looked up at his hosts in surprise. “They sell fish here?”
“Of course we do,” Greta spoke up, having flown over without Nathan noticing. She gave him an unreadable expression. “It’s a griffon restaurant. What did you expect? Twenty-five kinds of hay?”
“I didn’t know what to expect, to be honest,” Nathan said sheepishly. “I guess it does make sense. I’m glad you do though. What type of fish do you sell?”
“Couple different types. Not a lot of ponies are willing to try it though,” Greta admitted. “Too foreign for them.”
“It’s fine once you get used to it,” Swift shrugged.
“Didn’t I have to dare you to try it?” Doppler grinned. Swift got him in the face with the napkin. Orders were placed, Nathan going for fish and rolls with a side of spinach, Swift taking the flower bud toss bowl and scones, Doppler having roasted carrots.
Greta promised to be out with the orders in due time, leaving them to chat. Eventually, Swift turned the discussion back to the matter of Nathan. “So, figured out what you are going yet?”
“Doing with what?” Nathan asked, looking up from skimming the menu some more.
“A job and such,” Swift grinned.
Doppler and Nathan both groaned. Nathan covered his face with his hands. “Look, you seem nice and all, I mean, offering me a place to stay and taking me out to dinner, but I only just got here! First day. I think I’d like to at least see a few places, explore a little before I decide on anything about, well, anything.”
“Why not start here?” Doppler asked. Nathan glanced at him. “No, I’m not trying to keep you here like someponies—”
“Hey!” Swift protested.
“—but there is still a lot of stuff you can do here,” Doppler continued, his smirk his only acknowledgement of Swift’s cry. “You can start the tourist thing here in town. There’s loads for you to do here.”
“That’s fine and all, but I don’t have any money, bits,” Nathan grumbled. “Can’t really do anything without them.”
“By that logic, wouldn’t you lack the bits to leave town anyway?” Swift pointed out cheerfully. Nathan covered his face with his palm and groaned. Swift continued mercilessly. “You can’t just up and trot out of like that. That’s dumb.”
Greta’s return with their food was a good distraction. Food was distributed and the attempted to restart the conversation faltered mostly. Swift was looking more and more flustered as Nathan’s responses lacked any enthusiasm, glaring at Doppler and his less than helpful attitude. Nathan picked at his food and looked beyond distracted, only managing a few ‘yeahs’ and ‘uh-huhs’ in the pauses.
“—and even though the colt was half beat, he still insisted one hauling the wagon all the way back across town like an idiot,” Swift said, chuckling nervously. His wings were ruffled, feathers in disarray, and his eyes darted from side to side. “By the time he got to White Daze’s place he was drenched to the bone and the package was soaked through. Hahahaha… hahah… heh…”
“Swift is telling his stories again?” Greta clucked on her return. “How’s the food?”
“Your scones are as good as ever. Better even!” Swift said desperately, half yelling. “Wh-what did you do to them?”
“Colt doesn’t deal with situations like this,” Doppler sighed. “The carrots are good.”
“My niece sent me some advice she got from a friend. And thank you, Doppler.” Greta turned to Nathan. “And you?”
Nathan shrugged, still down. “You said not many ponies try the fish?”
“No. Weak stomachs, most of them,” Greta grumbled. “Mostly diamond dogs and griffon try it.”
“If I could make a recommendation,” Nathan sighed. He lifted a piece of the skin he had picked off. “It would help if you scaled it fully. Maybe debone it to appeal more to the ponies. Or use something more than just salt and pepper.”
Greta blinked and looked at Nathan. “You know how to cook? Cook fish?”
“Um, yeah?” Nathan responded with a raised eyebrow.
“And you have ideas how to make it more attractive to the ponies?” Greta pressed, staring at him with intensity.
“Some?” Nathan was beginning to wonder if everyone in the town had strange tendencies. He ventured a question. “Why?”
“Do you want a job?”
“… WHAT?” Nathan exclaimed. He looked over a Swift and Doppler. “Did I just hear that?”
“Hah! It’s Destiny!” Swift declared, pointing a hoof at Nathan.
“I don’t know about that, but I heard you saying you didn’t have any bits, and we could always use another cook, especially one that thinks he can get us more business.” Greta started checking him over again, tugging on his limbs and clothes.
“Hey, hey!” Nathan yelped, trying to back away. “Personal space!”
“You look like you can manage griffon style cooking, so it will work!” Greta tutted. She nodded approvingly. “Come here in two days, around nine and we will check you out.”
“Is everyone in this town this forceful?” Nathan demanded. “Or is that just my luck?”
“Its destiny,” Swift stated simply.
“Enough with that,” Doppler groaned.
“You came to town, you met me, you walked into my store, now you get a job offer. What else would you call it?”Swift asked cheekily. “Destiny itself it putting you on this path!”
Nathan’s expression was unreadable, but he soon replaced it with one of contemplation. Sighing slightly, he looked at Greta. “Okay, I’ll think about it, but you can expect me then. Is there a dress code I should follow?”
“Excellent!”Greta smiled, letting her feet back on the ground. “And no need to wear anything. I will give you an apron when you get here.”
Nathan blinked and winced. “I’ll find something appropriate.” Inwardly, he was confused. He just wanted into town and now he had a job? Maybe Swift was unto something more than he realized with all that destiny talk.
