Shadow's Six Elements

The sun was now approaching the horizon, painting the sky a mix of orange and pinkish-purple. There was still about half an hour of light left, so he decided to go visit Miss Sparkle at her library.

Even with being a farm pony, this did not mean Shadow couldn’t carry a conversation with somepony of Miss Sparkle’s intelligence. He often found much in common with the lavender mare, and found conversations with her to be more enriching than somepony like Rainbow Dash or Applejack, whom cared more about contests and work, respectively. He could talk at length about history and sciences with Twilight, and she wasn’t horribly unattractive either. A bit geeky, admittedly, but he found it cute. Adorkable, he believed the word was, which was often used to describe her.

Knocking three times on the library door, Twilight’s assistant, Spike, answered it.

“Oh, hey Shadow, got more books for us?” Spike asked the abnormally tall unicorn in front of him.

“No, Spike. Not tonight. I’m here to see Twilight on a more casual premise.” He told spike, who’s face went from moderate indifference to confusion in almost an instant.

“Casual-who-what, now?” Spike returned. He never knew what the word premise meant, though Twilight used it sometimes.

“A visit, Spike.” Twilight answered for him, opening the door a little wider to see who was standing at her door. She’d heard the word premise. She was the only pony who ever used that word.

“Oh, hello Shadow. Need a book tonight?” She finally noticed the exotic pony at her door.

“Maybe later, but I was wondering if you’d had some time free. I wanted to stop in for a little while, if you’re not busier than usual.”

“Visit…me…?” Twilight asked aloud, as it was finally dawning on her what had just happened. The one pony in town she was attracted to wanted to visit.

“Yes, visit.” Shadow said brightly.

“Oh, certainly Shadow. No problem!” Twilight responded brightly, then defaulted back to her order-giving tone.

“Spike, would you please put some tea on for the three of us? And grab some cookies from the box Pinkie brought over this afternoon, please.”

“Sure thing, Twilight.” Spike jogged off as fast as his stubby little legs could carry him.

“Not that I mind, but why the impromptu visit, Shadow?” Twilight asked the stallion, noticing he looked a bit rough around the edges.

“Oh, no particular reason. I was just on my way back from Sweet Apple Acres, and I don’t want to go home right away. The library was on the way.”

“The acres? Why?” Twilight asked him, mostly curious.

“I was helping AJ and Big Mac with some things. You know how stubborn AJ is about help on the farm. I’m lucky she even let me fix the barn roof for them” He laughed.

“Trust me, I know” Twilight chuckled, reflecting on last year’s applebuck season fiasco and Cider Pressing contest.

“Sounds difficult.” Twilight ventured, trying to prod the conversation away from physical labor and into her favor.

“Took me most of the afternoon. I’m lucky I finished when I did. But I did offer to stay a bit longer in case they needed other things done, but Mac had finished and AJ seemed rather irritated. Whether at her work or something else, I’ll never know.”

“She’s a good mare. She’s only trying to do right by her family. You can’t blame her really. She has a lot on her mind at once. Expenses, profits, harvests. I may be organized, but I can’t imagine what it would be like to run a farm. I find it difficult at times to deal with the comings and goings of library funds.” She admitted, blushing slightly.

“Everypony has their strengths and weaknesses, Twilight. How we embrace them is as different as one pony from the next.” Shadow intoned sagely.

“I suppose you could put it that way.” Twilight added. “Spike, are the tea and cookies ready yet?” She shouted in the direction of the kitchen.

“On the way, Twi!” Spike shouted, walking out of the kitchen carrying the silver tray, tea set, and cookies all at once.

“My, they look delicious.” Shadow said, eyeing the cookies so perfectly placed to display a variety of the crunchy baked morsels.

“Pinkie’s cookies are always amazing.” Twilight said, levitating a chocolate covered lemon bar towards her. “Spike ate about a half dozen before they made it to the cupboard.” She laughed.

“Can’t argue with that” Shadow said, munching happily on a classic chocolate chip.

The conversation went along pleasantly for an hour or so, when it was rudely interrupted by a pair of grumbling stomachs, belonging to Twilight and Shadow.

“Oh dear, I must have forgotten to eat supper again.” Twilight said, blushing a bright crimson.

“No worries, happens to me all the time. I get into a book or newspaper and time gets away from me” Shadow laughed.

“I know that feeling too well. Working a library is a boon as much as a curse. I personally read every bit of new material that comes in to be sure it’s safe for younger ponies, as well as adults.” Twilight stated, matter-of-factly. “I wouldn’t want one of the younger ponies reading some steamy romance novel” Twilight chuckled nervously. She enjoyed those books as much as Rarity did.

“Well, since our favorite little dragon has fallen asleep, how about you go tuck him in and we’ll go out to dinner? My treat.” Shadow offered.

“Wait, what? Dinner? Like a date?” Twilight ventured, unsure of what she’d heard.

“I guess you could call it that. Nothing fancy, really. I was thinking that little family owned operation down the street, next to Sugarcube Corner, if you are going to go with me.”

“Oh, um, ok. Just give me a moment to clean up a little and take care of Spike.”

“At your leisure, Madam.” Shadow said, flashing her a grin.

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After a few minutes, Twilight was refreshed and ready to go. This wasn’t her first date. Her past couple dates had been boring ponies, accountants and the like. But she enjoyed spending time with Shadow, and he was one of the few ponies who could keep up with her intellectually. She promised herself to have a good time and not worry about the details for once. That seemed easy enough.

“So Twilight, busy day today? Shadow asked, trying to make the short walk to the restaurant a bit more sociable. He knew Twilight wasn’t used to too many dates, and wanted to make the night enjoyable, or at least what was left of it.

“Surprisingly, yes. It seems like everypony decided to return their loaned books today. Adding to that, I got a new shipment of equestrian folklore and some educational magic books. There’s still a lot to catalogue and organize. But, Spike was begging me to take a break before you showed up, so here I am” She finished jovially. “I was hungrier than I thought.”

“I’m glad you decided to come. I hate eating alone. It’s so quiet, and somewhat unsettling listening to yourself digest.” Shadow continued without missing a beat. “Anything I might enjoy in the new shipment?”

“I haven’t really paid attention. I’m sure there’s something in there for you. You always manage to find something. I did see a few books that involved some more distant aspects of equestrian history. They didn’t fit with the rest of the shipment, so I put them aside. I’ll get them for you later tonight.”

“Oh, no, don’t trouble yourself. I’m sure there’s more important things for you to do than look for a couple of books. I’ll look them up after you get them catalogued and shelved.”

Before Twilight could stop herself, she said “It’s never a trouble when it comes to you, Shadow.” But she quickly managed to save face. “I always enjoy helping a fellow egghead, especially when they’re one of my most common patrons.” She finished, a victorious chant echoing in her head. This was going much easier than most other dates.

“Really? But I still haven’t returned my latest borrows. You sure you’d be willing to let me take them tonight, even before they’re in the system?”

“I trust you, Shadow. Besides, I can send Spike to retrieve the other books tomorrow afternoon. Just leave them in your mailbox if you won’t be home.”

“Oh my, Thank you!” Shadow said excitedly. “I can definitely use the material for my notes.”

“Notes? What do you need them for?” Twilight asked.

“It’s a bit of a pet project of mine. I’m writing a new history textbook for the middle school. I’m going to let the board look them over, and if they like what they see, they may give me a publishing grant or something of that nature. If that works out, I’ll write science and magic texts as well. It’s quite exciting, really.

“Wow Shadow, that really is amazing. How much have you gotten done?” Twilight asked, eager to learn more.

“Well, I’ve only completed about a fourth of the history book. A lot of material needs to be slimmed down and examined, to get straight to fact, as it were.”

“I hope you get that grant you’re looking for. I’ve seen some of the books at the school. They’re so tattered and worn out there’s barely anything left to learn from. These kids could really use it.

“That’s the whole reason I’m doing it. The new generation deserves new books, to pass on to their children and down the line. It’s gonna take a very long time to finish, but in the end, it’ll be worth every second.”

By now, they had arrived at the cozy little diner. The building was simple and sturdy, built of alternating dark and light red brick, with black window frames. Inside each frame sat a pony-sized window, so the passerby could see the cozy dining room, and those eating could watch the ponies pass by with little effort.  Black, gas powered lamps lined the pathway leading in to the happy little eatery.

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A young colt, probably no older than 7 or 8 years greeted the new arrivals as the door opened inward. A fork and knife adorned his flank, signaling he was probably fairly new to his talent.

“Hello, and welcome to the Corner Diner. My name’s Quick Serve, and I’ll help you find your table if you like.”

“Well, aren’t you a proper, polite little colt?” Shadow spoke to the young pony. “My name’s Shadow, and this is my friend Twilight. We’d like a nice table near the back if you have one.”

“We definitely have one of those. Follow me!” The young, chubby colt scampered off, Shadow and Twilight following behind. He moved a bit quicker than one would think.

“I found the perfect table for you and your marefriend!” The chubby colt slowed down, waiting for the pair.

“We’re not a couple.” The pair said in unison, equally surprised at each other.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” Quick serve said, blushing profusely.

“Don’t worry about it, my good colt.” Shadow said. “Here’s a couple bits for you. Don’t spend it all at once, now.”

Shadow laughed, tipping three shiny bronze coins into the little colt’s bag.

“Wow! Three bits! Thank you, Shadow!” The little colt skittered off, narrowly avoiding a grown stallion with a husky build.

“Quick Serve! What did I tell you about running in the diner?” grunted the husky Stallion.

“Sorry, dad! I’ll slow down, promise.”

“You get away with it for now for being a good little helper. Go see if your mother needs you.” The stallion said, kindly.

“Okay dad. Bye Shadow, bye Twilight!”

“Goodbye, Quick Serve.” Twilight told him.

“Hey folks, I’m sorry about him. He just got his cutie mark last week. He’s still excited about helping us run the diner.”

“That’s fine. He’s really good at it already. If he keeps it up, he’ll make a fine worker.” Shadow said.

“Now what can I get you folks this evening?” The stallion asked.

“A pair of tomato and lettuce sandwiches, please. What about you, Twilight?” Shadow said

I’d really like a chef’s salad. Whatever veggies you’ve got back there, Light on the dressing, please.”

After scratching out the order on his notepad, the stallion looked back at the pair. “And for drinks?”

“Two sweet teas, please, unless you would like something different, Shadow?” Twilight asked her host.

“Sweet tea sounds good.” Shadow said brightly.

“If that’s it, folks, I’ll be back in a few minutes with those.” The stallion said lightly.

“Take your time, friend.” Shadow told the stallion.

“Just call me Joe the cook. Shadow, was it?” The stallion smiled widely.

“You’ve got it, Joe. And this is Twilight Sparkle, our local librarian.”

“Pleased to meet you.” Twilight said, inclining her head slightly.

“Okay Shadow and Twilight. I’ll be back soon. Enjoy your evening.” With a swish of his tail, Joe trotted off to the next order that needed to be taken.The next few minutes progressed rather nicely, with the conversation varying from one topic to the next, scarcely missing a beat. They found each other’s company, as mentioned before, suitable.

A ringing of doorbells announced a new arrival to the cozy little eatery. A familiar white coat and expertly styled mane greeted Shadow as he happened to look toward the door as a spare moment between conversations surfaced.

Brilliant blue eyes locked onto his emerald eyes, and the new arrival trotted up to the pair’s table.

“Oh, hello there Shadow. I didn’t expect to see you here this time of night” said Rarity, not noticing Twilight sitting in the next chair, at least not yet.

“Hi, uh…Rarity.” Shadow returned, somewhat sheepishly. He hadn’t expected to see her either. “This may cause some friction” he thought to himself, assuming the best friendly expression he could muster.

“Out for a bit of a midnight snack are you, you naughty unicorn. You know that’ll ruin your figure.” It was then that Rarity had finally noticed the lavender unicorn sitting in the other chair.

“Oh, Twilight. Hello. What an interesting coincidence, the three of us here.” Rarity said, somewhat haughtily. If anypony had noticed it, it wasn’t evident. “Are you two together this evening?”

Noticing his chance to try and save face, Shadow spoke up, a little too brightly.

“No, no. We just happened to er…meet up. Eheheh…You know how Twilight forgets to eat sometimes…and I was at the acres all day, helping with maintenance. You know how they could always use an extra pair of hooves to get dirty.” Shadow tried a halfway grin, hoping to hide his blatant lie. This night, he felt, was going to end up in heartbreak, for possibly more than one pony.

“Yes, hm. I imagine your hooves got quite dirty.” Rarity said icily. She knew there was something fishy going on, and it wasn’t the kitchen. “I guess I’ll leave you two alone. Three’s a crowd and all that” she huffed, turning away, feeling her usually calm and refined grace dissipating like fog on a warm morning.

Twilight knew she had to say anything to try and get Shadow out of the situation he put himself in. Whether it was out of Rarity’s sake, or Shadow’s, she never could quite figure out.

“No, Rarity. Please Stay. Shadow was just telling me about his day at the acres. We’re all friends, right? There’s nothing strange about a few friends sharing a late night meal.” She ventured, trying to save a rapidly spinning downward spiral that might end up with acidic words being spit forth. “That’s fine with you, right Shadow? Just call Joe over so she can order.”

Sighing at his stroke of luck, which he might have hell to pay for later, he smiled. “Sure. The more the merrier.”

As if on cue, Joe turned up just at that moment. “OK, folks, for the young mare, our freshest vegetable medley. And here are your sandwiches, gentlecolt. Oh, hello there, Miss Rarity. Will you be ordering this evening?”

Not wanting to seem rude, regardless of what she was witnessing, Rarity faked her best lady’s tone. “I most certainly

will. I’ll have the same as Miss Sparkle here. Thank you.” Joe bowed slightly and was off once again.

“So, Shadow, you were saying?” Twilight offered, trying to steer the failing conversation into cleaner waters.

“Yes, of course. Well, as I was telling Twilight, I’ve been a bit short on funds lately, so I offered my help to the Apple family. They gave me a part time position as a farmhand. What I’ll earn has yet to be determined. That depends on their profits after cider season this year. Jobs are somewhat few and far between, especially for a unicorn that used to be a farm pony.” Shadow started, trying to make it seem as if the conversation hadn’t missed a beat.

“Shadow, if you’re struggling for funds, you could always ask me, darling. My recent job paid more than enough for me to live on for the next couple weeks.” Rarity offered, jealousy somewhat overtaking her.

“No, I couldn’t possibly…” Shadow attempted, trying to avoid the topic of money. Rarity obviously had more than Twilight, and he didn’t want to harm their friendship because of his shortcomings.

“Nonsense.” Rarity cut him off, staring him daggers. “I make more than enough money for the both of us, and you’re more than welcome to whatever you need.”

“No, Rarity.” Shadow said, assuming a stern tone that was uncommon of him. “I’ll make my own money the way I was raised to. Not that I don’t appreciate the offer, but I still have some money left from my inheritance. I’ll invest that into a scrap of land after I receive payment from the Apples. I’ll start the farm over again; it’s all I knew for most of my life. I’m sure I could make it work. The soil here is amazing. Just look at Sweet Apple Acres and the Carrot Mill, Not to mention Celery Seed’s farm. He’s doing well for himself, as are Carrot Top and the Apple Family.”

“Well, if you insist,” Rarity said, fully deflated. Was her money not good enough for him? Or was she not good enough for him? These thoughts and others swirled in her head, for the remainder of the time they were there. She scarcely paid attention to any of the conversation that had been brought up, giving small acknowledgements here and there where appropriate.

With the better part of two hours gone, the trio finally departed the restaurant right as they were closing for the night. Going their respective ways, they bade each other good night as pleasantly as possible, leaving Shadow alone with his thoughts. He decided to avoid ponyville for a few days to let things cool off. He wasn’t totally unaware of the mess he had gotten himself into. Here, he had possibly heartbroken Rarity, alienated Twilight, and was more or less “sneaking around” with Applejack, his employer, in the past twenty four hours.

“I’m going to pony hell for this.” He said to nopony in particular after he had finally worn out all manner of thought. He was physically and mentally exhausted, and needed to sleep.