Life is Hardly That Simpleby Aceman67Chapters1 - Home isn't always where the heart is2 - Empty Spaces3 - Keep Calm and Read a Book1 - Home isn't always where the heart is"Is this seat free?" a voice asked. Loose Leaf blinked his eyes as he woke up from the nap he had apparently fallen into during this extended train trip. Looking up he saw an Earth Pony mare with a peach cream coat and arctic blue mane with matching coloured eyes. But it was her smile that he noticed first. "Oh, uh..." Loose Leaf started to say before clearing his throat. "Yeah, it is." The mare's smile widened as she put her suitcase on the luggage rack above and sat down. "Hi, I'm Peachy Keen." She said, introducing herself. "Loose Leaf," "Next stop, Ponyville," The conductor announced, loud enough to wake Loose Leaf from his slumber. It's been years since dreamt about the train ride to University... He thought, then shook his head to clear the thought away. Getting up from his seat, he grabbed his duffle bag from the luggage rack with his aquamarine coloured magic and looked out the train car window as it pulled into the small train station that served the small hamlet. He had heard all about this town, all second-hand knowledge of course. Hard to not hear about it, to be honest, with nearly every major headline in the newspapers the last few years having something to do with the town or its residents. When the train came to a halt, he made his way to the car's exit and stepped onto the platform, placed his bag on the ground and stretched. It was a long train trip from Vanhoover, and he was glad that it was at an end. Stroking his light brown goatee that contrasted sharply with his eggshell white coat, he looked around. "I thought somepony was supposed to meet me," He said aloud, searching the street that led away from the station before he noticed a pink unicorn with a purple and green mane galloping towards him. "Hi..." the mare said in-between breaths. "Hoo... I got to get in shape..." Without saying anything, Loose Leaf fished his water bottle out of his bag and offered it to the winded unicorn, which she accepted and took a long draught before giving the bottle back. "Thank you, and sorry I wasn't here to meet you, my friend got it into her head again that she could bake and I got stuck cleaning the mess," the unicorn explained. "I'm Starlight Glimmer, you must be Loose Leaf." "That I am, it's nice to meet you Starlight," Loose said. "I thought the Princess or the Mayor was supposed to meet me." "Yeah, Twilight was supposed to meet you, excited to even, but she was called to Canterlot for something, and the Mayor is still in a town council meeting, something about allocating budget." "Not away from my Library, I hope," Loose said in mock horror. "I just got here." Starlight laughed. "Oh, no, your budget is coming right from the Crown, Twilight made sure of that. Rather insistent actually." She explained. "Anyways, I'm sure you're eager to get settled in, right?" "Considering that I've been riding trains for the last few days all the way from Vanhoover, you could say that." Loose responded and started to follow Starlight's directions through town. "You're from Vanhoover?" Starlight asked. "Canterlot actually, I settled in Vanhoover after I graduated University. I was the assistant librarian there for the last couple years." "I hear VanU is a great university, what did you study?" "Library and Information Science. I have a masters degree." Loose said flatly, then let out a slight chuckle. Starlight face-hoofed. "That was an incredibly dumb thing to ask." "Look, as somepony who has spent years of his life cataloguing, classifying, preserving, referencing, and disseminating information, I can say with a fair degree of certainty that there are no 'dumb' questions. To pursue knowledge is never dumb." Loose Leaf explained. "Answers on the other hoof..." "That's very true." Starlight agreed, then came to a stop in front of a building that looked pretty much like every other in the town. "Here we are." "It used to be a store, so I'm told, but the owner moved away after Tirek, what they sold, I have no idea." Starlight explained as she fished a set of keys from her saddlebag then opened the front door. "The entire bottom floor and half the top floor has been renovated to be the library, the rest of the top floor has been set up as your living space." She continued to explain as she stepped aside to let Loose Leaf enter the building first. Stepping into the foyer, Loose was met with a typical layout for a small library. In front of him was a large U shaped desk where he would be spending a lot of his time working. To his left was an empty area where he was already planning to put a large table and chairs for ponies to work, as well as comfy chairs and couches for reading. To his right and extending to the back of the floor and behind the central staircase that led to the second floor were several bookcases, either lining the walls save for where there was a window, or spaced evenly on the floor. On the back wall were two doors, one with the letters 'WC' painted on it, which was self-explanatory and he would be making use of that room shortly, the other had frosted glass with his name and title painted in gold letters. Obviously an office. His office. "Huh, I would have thought that Twilight would have had some books to go on the shelves by now," Starlight said aloud. "She wanted too, but I told her in my acceptance letter for the position that I wanted to curate the collection myself," Loose said, placing his bag on top of the large desk and making his way to the washroom in the back. "I'll be a few," Loose explained. After taking care of business, Loose Leaf came out to see Starlight flipping through some letters and holding a package aloft with her magic. "What's that?" Loose asked. "Seems you got mail already." She explained, and floated the letters over to him and putting the package on the desk. The first two were from Vanhoover University and Canterlot Royal Libraries, no doubt with lists of books they would be sending from his requests he had forwarded to them a month ago. The third was from his mother. He put them aside to read later, then pulled the package towards him, and it too was from his mother, which was immediately opened to find a cookie jar packed in padding. "Love you too, Mom," Loose said as he read the small note attached to the cookie jar that told him that they were his favourite, and sure enough the jar was full of white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. Popping one in his mouth, he floated another towards Starlight. "Cookie?" He asked. "Wha-" Starlight started to respond before she was interrupted by a round baked good being put in her mouth. "Oh my..." She said, rolling her eyes slightly at the heavenly taste currently assaulting her senses. "I know, right," Loose said. "My Mom's recipe, that she still refuses to tell me." "Yeah, well she gives Pinkie a run for her money..." Starlight quipped, still chewing on the cookie. "Speaking of the pink one, you're lucky she's visiting family at the moment, or she'd be throwing you a party right now. Just... don't open any brightly wrapped boxes you find in here. I may have been the only one with a key, but doors, locks... physics... they don't seem to stop her..." "Her reputation precedes her, I'll keep that in mind." "Anyways, you said you were tired, I'll let you get settled, I made sure the linens were freshly cleaned and Twilight paid for a new bed." "Thank you," "Don't mention it," Starlight said with a smile. "Oh, the Apples have invited me over for dinner, if it's ok, I'll ask if you can come too," She continued. "I'm sure you could use a home-cooked meal after all that travelling." "That would be great, what time?" "I'll be by around... six?" "See you then." "It's good meeting you, Loose." "My friends call me Louie," He responded. "Nickname I picked up when I was backpacking in Prance." "Certainly rolls off the tongue better," "Don't tell my mom that," Louie responded. "It was good meeting you too, Starlight, see you at Six." Starlight lowered her head slightly and smiled, then turned to exit through the front door after leaving the keys on the desk. After watching her leave, Louie grabbed his bag and another cookie then walked up the stairs to the second floor. To the right of the top of the stairs mirrored the layout of bookshelves on the bottom floor. To the left was a single door that had the word 'Private' painted on it. Walking through, Louie found a modest living space. A small kitchenette in the far corner along with a small dining table, and in the other corner sat two easy chairs and a small (empty) bookshelf. On the other side lay two doors, inside one was another washroom, and the second was the bedroom. Finishing his cookie, Louie dropped his bag next to the bed and then flopped down onto the mattress. "Mmm... soft..." he said, before drifting off to sleep. "Hi, I'm Peachy Keen," "Loose Leaf," Loose Leaf's mouth curled into a slight smile, while a single tear beaded on the corner of his eye. 2 - Empty SpacesAuthor's Note I had to read a 35 page introductory to the Dewy Decimal System to write this chapter. You guys better appreciate that. 2 - Empty Spaces "So, why did you pick LibSci?" Peachy asked laying on her back on her bed in her dorm room, waving her hoof for Louie to pass the joint over, which he levitated over. She loved the tingling feeling his magic gave her while she took a drag from the illicit smoke. "Same reason you picked Early Foalhood Education," Louie said, levitating the joint back and taking a drag of his own. "To stick it to Mrs Strict Facts who said that I'd never amount to anything?" "Ok, maybe not the same reason," Louie responded. "As cliche as it sounds, I guess I was just meant for it, I guess. I mean, I got my mark," Louie explained, referring to the bookshelf emblazoned on his hindquarters while taking another drag. "helping someone find a book in the Canterlot Public Library." "Hey, puff puff pass, you selfish colt," Peachy said in jest and then got what she wanted. "It just seems like a weird thing to go into. Doesn't seem like fun." "Why did you pick teaching foals?" "I loved the feeling I got teaching my sister to read." "Then you should already understand why I wanted to become a Librarian," Louie responded. "It wasn't my parents or my teacher who really taught me to read, but the Librarian's assistant at the CPL. She saw my mom tell me that Lady and the Amulet was too advanced for me. So when my mom dropped me at the library for story time, the assistant took me aside from the rest of the group and read The Amulet's Alliance to me." "Explains why you're such a dork." "But you love that about me," Louie said, rolling off his back so he was right next to Peachy. "As I was saying, having her read that book to me changed my life, and if I can do that for just one foal, then I can retire happy." He explained, then levitated the joint away from her muzzle and snuck a kiss, getting a face full of smoke for his troubles. He kissed her again, this time for much longer. When they parted, Peachy smiled, then spoke. "It's time to wake up." As Loose Leaf woke up, his eyes slowly opened, noticing that his foreleg was draped across the empty space that was the rest of his bed. Letting out a sigh, he forced himself out of bed and lazily walked himself towards the washroom. After using the toilet and washing in the shower, Louie stood in front of the sink and used his magic to clear the mirror of condensation from the shower and started to brush his teeth. Staring at his reflection as he finished his morning rituals, his attention was drawn to his goatee, or rather three strands of hair just under his bottom lip. Three white strands of hair in an otherwise brown goatee. He angrily finished brushing his teeth, then slammed open the bathroom door and immediately hit his fetlock on the lone box in the center of the living area that he hadn't unpacked yet, the one he told Starlight the night before when she was helping him unpack that he'd take care of. His anger quickly fueled a profanity-laced outburst as he hopped around favouring his hurt leg. Taking a deep breath, he picked up the box with his magic and started walking toward the closet in the bedroom. Right before he made to put it on the shelf, the top of the box opened on its own, with an item, a picture frame, on top catching his eye. Placing the box on the floor, he took the it in his magic and sat at the edge of the bed and looked at it for a long while. For how long, he didn't know, but his attention was torn away by a knocking at the front door on the first floor. Putting the it back in the box, closing it, then pushed it against the wall by the closet. The knocking continued as Louie walked down the stairs. "Yeah, hold on, I'm coming." He yelled out just before getting to the front door. Opening it, he was greeted by a gruff looking Unicorn wearing a blue trimmed high visibility vest levitating a clipboard in front of him. "Uh... I have a delivery for one... Lose Leave?" "Loose Leaf." Louie dead-panned. "Yeah, whatever, sign here please." the delivery pony said passing the clipboard over. "I'll sign this as soon as I verify that everything is here, thank you," Louie said as he stepped aside as he read the contents of the bill of lading. "You can place the crates in that corner." He said, motioning to where the reading tables would be as soon as that order arrived. "You heard the pony," The delivery pony said, calling out to the others with him. As Louie watched them bring in crate after crate, eleven in all, he noticed a unicorn with a purple mane standing outside, looking a little amazed at the number of items being brought in, so he waved at her to come in. "Hello, can I help you?" He asked. "Hello, my name is Rarity, the local seamstress, you asked Applejack last night if she knew anypony that could make some curtains for the library, I brought some fabric samples over." "I'm Loose Leaf, and thank you, but you didn't have to bring samples," Louie responded. "My mother buys all her dresses from your boutique in Canterlot, if my mom likes your designs, I trust your judgement. Something neutral that fits with the decor will do fine." "Why thank you, that's high praise." Rarity said with a slight blush at the compliment. "Do you want any made for your apartment?" "Some black curtains will do great," Louie said. "Black? Wouldn't you want something to liven up the room?" "No, I like black," Louie explained with a smile as he levitated a pair of reading glasses from behind the central desk to read the small shipping labels on the crates being brought in and closely inspecting the magical seals placed on the crate that had the spell books that would be put in the restricted section, as well as the crate that had old and rare books. "Alright, I think I have the perfect colour for the library," Rarity said, levitating a blue-gray swatch of fabric over. "And this fabric I'll make your curtains from." She continued, passing a swatch of black cloth. "Thank you, these will do nicely," Louie said, passing them back. "Thank you, Gentlecolts, everything seems to be in order." He said to the delivery ponies, then gave them a signed copy of the bill of lading. "Now, I don't envy the task ahead of you Mr Leaf, organizing all those books seems like a monumental feat." Rarity said, looking at the crates in the corner. "Not as much as you think," Louie said with a smile that only a pony who's been given an opportunity to explain something they're passionate about would have. "Everything in those crates is packed and organized according to the Starswirl Decimal Classification System." Rarity looked at him like he had grown a third eye. "Look at the signs on the bookshelves," Louie said, motioning to the bookshelves, one with '000-050', another two rows over with '200-240', and this continued for every bookshelf in the library all the way up to high 900's. "Books are organized by discipline, not subject. Each interval corresponds to a classification." Louie explained, then walked over to the crate that had 100-280 in it, opened the crate and started pulling books out before finding one that Rarity would relate too. "Here we go. 'Psychological Influence of Clothing' by Bespoke Frock, Class 155.95 pertaining to the discipline of Differential & Developmental Psychology. Books about fashion design would be..." Louie continued, thinking for a moment. "746, the discipline of arts, I think. I'd need to look that up to be exact." "Twilight tried to explain it to me a few years ago, but I actually understood you." Rarity admitted, but her attention was drawn to muffled giggles coming from behind the crates. "Who's there? Come on out, it's not polite to eavesdrop." "Sorry, sis," Sweetie Belle said in an apologetic tone, but Louie swore he could sense a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "You should be careful around those crates, some of them have anti-" Louie began to say. "OW!" Scootaloo cried out, then came out from behind the crate, favouring her front right hoof that was lightly blackened. "Tamper enchantments." Louie finished with a dead-pan tone. "Now, if you two are here, Apple Bloom couldn't be far behind," Rarity said, craning her neck to look around trying to find the third part of the trio. "I'm right behind you, Rarity." Apple Bloom said suddenly. "Oh!" Rarity said, nearly jumping out of her skin. "Don't sneak up on me like that." She ordered, then made a show to clear her throat. "Mr Leaf, this is my little sister, Sweetie Belle, and her friends Scootaloo and Apple Bloom" "We're the Cutie-Mark Crusaders!" All three said in unison. The Adorableness on display was sweet enough to give a pony diabetes, Louie thought. "How can I help you ladies, the Library isn't open to the public at the moment," Louie asked, leaning down slightly to get on the Crusader's level. "We thought we might be able to help with putting the books out!" Sootaloo said, eagerly. "Yeah, we figured it would be a good learning experience!" Apple Bloom said enthusiastically. "Exactly, so can we help?" Sweetie Belle asked with a pleading smile that could rot your teeth with how cute it was. "Girls, as noble as your offer is, I get the feeling that your motives are not... how should I put it... entirely altruistic?" Rarity postulated. "Are you sure it's not some scheme you've cooked up to have fun during your summer break? Like, say... finding a unique spell or potion book that would be age-restricted? Hmmm?" The three fillies' smiles faltered for a second. "Gotta go, see ya!" All three said quickly then darted out the door. Rarity face-hoofed and all Louie could do was laugh. Hard. "I know those girls' antics can be funny at times, but it wasn't that funny." "Oh, I figured as much, I just haven't had an opportunity to laugh like that in a long while." "You should have known them before they got their cutie-marks." Rarity said ominously. "Cutie-Mark Disasters would be one way to describe them." She said with a hint of seriousness but just enough mirth to know she was joking. "All that being said, do you need any help?" "Thank you for asking, but Starlight and The Princess said they would help me out today, and she's the only one I know of in town that knows how to handle old and rare books." "Old and rare? Do tell." "Well, I managed to get the Canterlot Archives to part with one book in particular, and it is a special request. It's an illuminated manuscript of 'Predictions and Prophecies' in the original Old Equish, dating back to around fifty years after Princess Luna's banishment." Louie explained. "Wait, isn't that..." "The book Twilight used to predict Luna's return?" Louie said with a wink. "Oh, you've made a friend, for life I think, Mr. Leaf." "Please, my friends call me Louie." 3 - Keep Calm and Read a BookLoose Leaf had always hated the smell of hospitals. From when he was a young colt after contracting a severe case of bronchitis and had to be admitted for two weeks to now, he hated the smell. That sterile, antiseptic smell that burns the nose, and nowhere was that more prevalent than in the recovery room where patients are moved after surgery. Loose Leaf sat at his wife's bed, softly stroking her mane with his magic, careful to not wake her up. He continued to stare at her face, now no longer strained by the pain that led to this moment. A week into their Honeymoon in Los Pegasus, Peachy Keen had collapsed after severe cramps and started to haemorrhage. Worry continued to fill his mind, as he didn't know what he would say when she awoke. They hadn't told anyone that they were expecting when they got married, they were going to surprise everyone when they got back. Now he had to break the news to his wife that they had lost the baby. Peachy's eyes began to move under her eyelids, and a moment later they slowly opened as she groggily turned to face her husband. "Welcome back," he said, barely above a whisper. "How're you feeling?" "It hurts, but not as bad as before..." She said after a few moments of fighting off the anaesthetic. "The baby, Louie, what about the baby?" She said quickly and full of worry. He couldn't say anything, but the look on his face said it all. Loose Leaf's heart broke as he watched tears fall from his wife's eyes as her face contorted in grief. Getting up to sit on the side of the bed, he took his wife into an embrace as she sobbed into his chest. "Ahem," Somepony from the door said. "I'm sorry to intrude." A Pegasus stallion in a white coat continued. "Please accept my condolences for your loss." There was an awkward silence for a moment before he moved to take a seat next to the bed. "I'm Dr Starburst, I'm the surgeon who operated on you last night." He explained. Loose could see the lines and bags under his eyes, and the dishevelled nature of his blue and yellow mane bore testament to how long the surgery took. "I have more information to give you that I wasn't sure about until the lab results came back. Your blood work showed very low levels of progesterone, which is the hormone that ensures the healthy development of the embryo and helps build immunity so that your immune system doesn't attack the embryo. That is what triggered the miscarriage." The doctor explained, letting them digest the information before continuing. "When your body began to expel the embryo, which can cause severe cramps like those that you had, one of them caused a tear in your uterus which was the source of the haemorrhaging. I attempted to repair it but it was too severe and I was unable to stop the bleeding." "What are you saying?" Peachy said with shock in her voice. "I had to perform a hysterectomy. I'm sorry. But even if I had been able to stop the bleeding, the scar tissue would have made any future pregnancy impossible. It was the only option I had. Again, I truly am sorry." Loose Leaf's eyes shot open at the sound of his alarm clock, which he promptly sent flying across the room and into the wall where it met its end. He would have to buy another, but that wasn't an issue, it was just something he picked up in Whinnypeg on his way to Ponyville. He forced himself out of bed and started to get ready, today was a big day, after all, it was the Library's grand opening. "The Masked Matter-Horn looked around, seeing her comrades unconscious on the floor of the warehouse they had tracked Mane-iac to. 'You won't get away with this, Mane-iac!' Matter-Horn said, her voice full of righteous fury." Loose Leaf said, reading from the novel adaptation of the famous graphic-novel 'The Unfunny Joke' to a group of foals and one dragon, all of which gave their undivided and rapt attention. "'Oh, I think I already have.' Mane-iac said quietly, with an icy edge to her voice as she walked out of the warehouse. When She had walked far enough down the deserted street in the industrial end of the city, Mane-iac smiled. There would be no miraculous escapes today. No, she thought, There wouldn't be.." Loose Leaf continued. "That smile only grew wider when she heard the warehouse explode." He read aloud, then snapped the book shut. "What? That's it?" One foal yelled, which was quickly followed by a chorus of protests from the young ones, eager for more. "You'll just have to come back next week and I'll read more!" Louie told them, holding the book aloft, out of reach of the children who were trying to grab it for themselves. Looking around the library, Louie couldn't help but smile. There wasn't anything better than a busy, well-used Library. He wasn't looking forward to taking the decorations down though, but Pinkie had promised to help, and everyone seemed to love them. Pinkie Pie... Louie thought. Hoo boy... She's a mare possessed. Two days ago, Pinkie Pie came home from visiting family and quickly descended upon him like an arrow. She insisted that a 'Sorry I didn't throw a welcome party for you welcome party' be thrown. It took almost twenty minutes and Apple Jack's help to finally convince her that an Apple home cooked meal was enough, and that's how she wound up being the pony who decorated the library for the grand opening. She would not be denied. Walking back towards the main desk, which was being taken care of by the capable hooves of Starlight Glimmer, who volunteered to help with anypony wanting a new library card and checking out any books they wanted, and set the book on the interior shelf. Just as he was about to ask Starlight if she wanted a break, he noticed the dirty blonde mane and a light grey horn of a tall unicorn poking out over the small line up. Making his way through, his suspicions were confirmed. "Mom!" He called out a little too loud, but he didn't care. He was the Librarian after all, who's going to tell him to quiet down, himself? "When did you get here?" He asked her while pulling her in for a hug. "A couple minutes ago, just saw you reading to those children, you always had a way with kids." She said, giving her son a compliment. "Isn't The Unfunny Joke a little adult for foals?" She teased, already knowing her son's judgment when it came to age-appropriate books was solid. "Ha ha, mom." He said laughing, but saw Rarity walk by and called out to her. "Oh, Rarity! I want you to meet my mom," "So, I finally get to meet the Rarity." Loose Leaf's mother said, shaking her hoof. "I'm a great admirer of your work, it's not every day you get to meet the 'Best Up and Coming Seamstress in Equestria'." She added with some emphasis. "It's lovely to meet... you..." Rarity began to say, but something slowly started to dawn on her. "Wait, I read that phrase a little while ago... You're..." She said, attempting to continue as her voice failed her. "Smooth Silk," "Editor-in-chief of Vanity Flair," Rarity said unnecessarily. "One and only," "The same Smooth Silk who said my spring line was-" "-'Simply Divine'? Yes, I know what I wrote, meant every word of it." "That's enough Mom," Louie interjected. "I... I think I need to sit down..." Rarity said with a shocked look on her face. "Aww, but I'm having fun," Smooth said with a pouty lip. "You break it, you fix it." Louie chastised as he watched Rarity walk off like she was in a stupor. "And you broke Rarity." "Alright, I'll catch up with you later then," She said, leaning in to give her son a peck on the cheek. "Love you, Son, and I love what you did with the place." "What you're mother did was just plain evil, and I know evil," Starlight said from behind the desk with a mirthful tone. "You told me Rarity would love to meet your mom, but I wasn't expecting that." She continued as she stamped another library withdrawal card with its return date. "Need a break?" Louie asked. "Yes please," Starlight said, rolling her chair away from the desk as Louie took her place, and started processing new card applications and withdrawals at a faster and frighteningly efficient pace. But when she saw his smile, she realized that he was having fun, and couldn't help but smile too. It was nice to see a pony in their element. When he looked back to grab something he needed, she averted his gaze for a second, then felt her cheeks heat up slightly. What the hay am I thinking, she thought, shocked at her minds involuntary reaction. I know I've been having fun this past week hanging out with Louie, but do I like him? Her mind continued as she took a drink from her now long gone cold coffee. I mean, seriously, what do we have in common? I fly kites, he reads books, not exactly a match made in heaven. Her mind reasoned. At the very least he's not a total dork like Sunburst, and he's got a nicer looking- "Starlight?" Great, now he's talking to you. "Hmm?" Starlight said, hiding her unabashed smile behind her coffee mug. "Twilight offered to take over here for an hour so we could grab lunch, do you want to come with my Mom and me? My treat." "Oh, yeah, sure." "So, Starlight, what do you do?" Smooth asked as she speared a grape tomato from her salad with a fork. "Me? I'm a student of Princess Twilight, and I'm a guidance counsellor at her school, and I guess I'm a stagehand in a magic act?" Starlight responded after swallowing a bite from her hayburger. "Starlight's been a massive help getting the library up and running," Louie mentioned in between chewing on his fries. "Oh, I haven't been of that much help," Starlight said with a forced smile as she looked around the open air cafe "Nonsense, after Twilight fell asleep grading papers she forgot about, we were able to get everything shelved properly. We wouldn't have gotten finished in time for today if I didn't have your help." "Excuse me, Miss Glimmer?" a female voice behind Starlight interrupted. Turning to face the source, she found two of her students. "Pizzelle, Sandbar, what's up?" "We were wondering if we can talk to you for a moment," Sandbar answered. "Sorry, this won't take long," Starlight apologised as she got up from the table. "She's nice," Smooth said with a mischevious smile. "What are you getting at?" "Well, she's a nice mare, you're a nice, single stallion..." "No, sorry. She's just a friend." Louie said a little too quickly. "Besides, I'm... I'm not ready." "Look, son, I don't mean to push you, but when are you going to be ready? It's been two years, you can't be alone forever." "You seem to be doing fine since Dad left." "If you think I've been alone, you're sorely mistaken." "No, no! I am not having a conversation with my mother about her sex life." Smooth just smiled and ate another tomato. "So, what do you want for your birthday next week?" She asked, changing the subject. Across the street, a pink ear twitched twice, a back left leg shivered, and an eye winked itself. Then a Pinkie Pie smiled.
1 - Home isn't always where the heart is"Is this seat free?" a voice asked. Loose Leaf blinked his eyes as he woke up from the nap he had apparently fallen into during this extended train trip. Looking up he saw an Earth Pony mare with a peach cream coat and arctic blue mane with matching coloured eyes. But it was her smile that he noticed first. "Oh, uh..." Loose Leaf started to say before clearing his throat. "Yeah, it is." The mare's smile widened as she put her suitcase on the luggage rack above and sat down. "Hi, I'm Peachy Keen." She said, introducing herself. "Loose Leaf," "Next stop, Ponyville," The conductor announced, loud enough to wake Loose Leaf from his slumber. It's been years since dreamt about the train ride to University... He thought, then shook his head to clear the thought away. Getting up from his seat, he grabbed his duffle bag from the luggage rack with his aquamarine coloured magic and looked out the train car window as it pulled into the small train station that served the small hamlet. He had heard all about this town, all second-hand knowledge of course. Hard to not hear about it, to be honest, with nearly every major headline in the newspapers the last few years having something to do with the town or its residents. When the train came to a halt, he made his way to the car's exit and stepped onto the platform, placed his bag on the ground and stretched. It was a long train trip from Vanhoover, and he was glad that it was at an end. Stroking his light brown goatee that contrasted sharply with his eggshell white coat, he looked around. "I thought somepony was supposed to meet me," He said aloud, searching the street that led away from the station before he noticed a pink unicorn with a purple and green mane galloping towards him. "Hi..." the mare said in-between breaths. "Hoo... I got to get in shape..." Without saying anything, Loose Leaf fished his water bottle out of his bag and offered it to the winded unicorn, which she accepted and took a long draught before giving the bottle back. "Thank you, and sorry I wasn't here to meet you, my friend got it into her head again that she could bake and I got stuck cleaning the mess," the unicorn explained. "I'm Starlight Glimmer, you must be Loose Leaf." "That I am, it's nice to meet you Starlight," Loose said. "I thought the Princess or the Mayor was supposed to meet me." "Yeah, Twilight was supposed to meet you, excited to even, but she was called to Canterlot for something, and the Mayor is still in a town council meeting, something about allocating budget." "Not away from my Library, I hope," Loose said in mock horror. "I just got here." Starlight laughed. "Oh, no, your budget is coming right from the Crown, Twilight made sure of that. Rather insistent actually." She explained. "Anyways, I'm sure you're eager to get settled in, right?" "Considering that I've been riding trains for the last few days all the way from Vanhoover, you could say that." Loose responded and started to follow Starlight's directions through town. "You're from Vanhoover?" Starlight asked. "Canterlot actually, I settled in Vanhoover after I graduated University. I was the assistant librarian there for the last couple years." "I hear VanU is a great university, what did you study?" "Library and Information Science. I have a masters degree." Loose said flatly, then let out a slight chuckle. Starlight face-hoofed. "That was an incredibly dumb thing to ask." "Look, as somepony who has spent years of his life cataloguing, classifying, preserving, referencing, and disseminating information, I can say with a fair degree of certainty that there are no 'dumb' questions. To pursue knowledge is never dumb." Loose Leaf explained. "Answers on the other hoof..." "That's very true." Starlight agreed, then came to a stop in front of a building that looked pretty much like every other in the town. "Here we are." "It used to be a store, so I'm told, but the owner moved away after Tirek, what they sold, I have no idea." Starlight explained as she fished a set of keys from her saddlebag then opened the front door. "The entire bottom floor and half the top floor has been renovated to be the library, the rest of the top floor has been set up as your living space." She continued to explain as she stepped aside to let Loose Leaf enter the building first. Stepping into the foyer, Loose was met with a typical layout for a small library. In front of him was a large U shaped desk where he would be spending a lot of his time working. To his left was an empty area where he was already planning to put a large table and chairs for ponies to work, as well as comfy chairs and couches for reading. To his right and extending to the back of the floor and behind the central staircase that led to the second floor were several bookcases, either lining the walls save for where there was a window, or spaced evenly on the floor. On the back wall were two doors, one with the letters 'WC' painted on it, which was self-explanatory and he would be making use of that room shortly, the other had frosted glass with his name and title painted in gold letters. Obviously an office. His office. "Huh, I would have thought that Twilight would have had some books to go on the shelves by now," Starlight said aloud. "She wanted too, but I told her in my acceptance letter for the position that I wanted to curate the collection myself," Loose said, placing his bag on top of the large desk and making his way to the washroom in the back. "I'll be a few," Loose explained. After taking care of business, Loose Leaf came out to see Starlight flipping through some letters and holding a package aloft with her magic. "What's that?" Loose asked. "Seems you got mail already." She explained, and floated the letters over to him and putting the package on the desk. The first two were from Vanhoover University and Canterlot Royal Libraries, no doubt with lists of books they would be sending from his requests he had forwarded to them a month ago. The third was from his mother. He put them aside to read later, then pulled the package towards him, and it too was from his mother, which was immediately opened to find a cookie jar packed in padding. "Love you too, Mom," Loose said as he read the small note attached to the cookie jar that told him that they were his favourite, and sure enough the jar was full of white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. Popping one in his mouth, he floated another towards Starlight. "Cookie?" He asked. "Wha-" Starlight started to respond before she was interrupted by a round baked good being put in her mouth. "Oh my..." She said, rolling her eyes slightly at the heavenly taste currently assaulting her senses. "I know, right," Loose said. "My Mom's recipe, that she still refuses to tell me." "Yeah, well she gives Pinkie a run for her money..." Starlight quipped, still chewing on the cookie. "Speaking of the pink one, you're lucky she's visiting family at the moment, or she'd be throwing you a party right now. Just... don't open any brightly wrapped boxes you find in here. I may have been the only one with a key, but doors, locks... physics... they don't seem to stop her..." "Her reputation precedes her, I'll keep that in mind." "Anyways, you said you were tired, I'll let you get settled, I made sure the linens were freshly cleaned and Twilight paid for a new bed." "Thank you," "Don't mention it," Starlight said with a smile. "Oh, the Apples have invited me over for dinner, if it's ok, I'll ask if you can come too," She continued. "I'm sure you could use a home-cooked meal after all that travelling." "That would be great, what time?" "I'll be by around... six?" "See you then." "It's good meeting you, Loose." "My friends call me Louie," He responded. "Nickname I picked up when I was backpacking in Prance." "Certainly rolls off the tongue better," "Don't tell my mom that," Louie responded. "It was good meeting you too, Starlight, see you at Six." Starlight lowered her head slightly and smiled, then turned to exit through the front door after leaving the keys on the desk. After watching her leave, Louie grabbed his bag and another cookie then walked up the stairs to the second floor. To the right of the top of the stairs mirrored the layout of bookshelves on the bottom floor. To the left was a single door that had the word 'Private' painted on it. Walking through, Louie found a modest living space. A small kitchenette in the far corner along with a small dining table, and in the other corner sat two easy chairs and a small (empty) bookshelf. On the other side lay two doors, inside one was another washroom, and the second was the bedroom. Finishing his cookie, Louie dropped his bag next to the bed and then flopped down onto the mattress. "Mmm... soft..." he said, before drifting off to sleep. "Hi, I'm Peachy Keen," "Loose Leaf," Loose Leaf's mouth curled into a slight smile, while a single tear beaded on the corner of his eye.
2 - Empty SpacesAuthor's Note I had to read a 35 page introductory to the Dewy Decimal System to write this chapter. You guys better appreciate that. 2 - Empty Spaces "So, why did you pick LibSci?" Peachy asked laying on her back on her bed in her dorm room, waving her hoof for Louie to pass the joint over, which he levitated over. She loved the tingling feeling his magic gave her while she took a drag from the illicit smoke. "Same reason you picked Early Foalhood Education," Louie said, levitating the joint back and taking a drag of his own. "To stick it to Mrs Strict Facts who said that I'd never amount to anything?" "Ok, maybe not the same reason," Louie responded. "As cliche as it sounds, I guess I was just meant for it, I guess. I mean, I got my mark," Louie explained, referring to the bookshelf emblazoned on his hindquarters while taking another drag. "helping someone find a book in the Canterlot Public Library." "Hey, puff puff pass, you selfish colt," Peachy said in jest and then got what she wanted. "It just seems like a weird thing to go into. Doesn't seem like fun." "Why did you pick teaching foals?" "I loved the feeling I got teaching my sister to read." "Then you should already understand why I wanted to become a Librarian," Louie responded. "It wasn't my parents or my teacher who really taught me to read, but the Librarian's assistant at the CPL. She saw my mom tell me that Lady and the Amulet was too advanced for me. So when my mom dropped me at the library for story time, the assistant took me aside from the rest of the group and read The Amulet's Alliance to me." "Explains why you're such a dork." "But you love that about me," Louie said, rolling off his back so he was right next to Peachy. "As I was saying, having her read that book to me changed my life, and if I can do that for just one foal, then I can retire happy." He explained, then levitated the joint away from her muzzle and snuck a kiss, getting a face full of smoke for his troubles. He kissed her again, this time for much longer. When they parted, Peachy smiled, then spoke. "It's time to wake up." As Loose Leaf woke up, his eyes slowly opened, noticing that his foreleg was draped across the empty space that was the rest of his bed. Letting out a sigh, he forced himself out of bed and lazily walked himself towards the washroom. After using the toilet and washing in the shower, Louie stood in front of the sink and used his magic to clear the mirror of condensation from the shower and started to brush his teeth. Staring at his reflection as he finished his morning rituals, his attention was drawn to his goatee, or rather three strands of hair just under his bottom lip. Three white strands of hair in an otherwise brown goatee. He angrily finished brushing his teeth, then slammed open the bathroom door and immediately hit his fetlock on the lone box in the center of the living area that he hadn't unpacked yet, the one he told Starlight the night before when she was helping him unpack that he'd take care of. His anger quickly fueled a profanity-laced outburst as he hopped around favouring his hurt leg. Taking a deep breath, he picked up the box with his magic and started walking toward the closet in the bedroom. Right before he made to put it on the shelf, the top of the box opened on its own, with an item, a picture frame, on top catching his eye. Placing the box on the floor, he took the it in his magic and sat at the edge of the bed and looked at it for a long while. For how long, he didn't know, but his attention was torn away by a knocking at the front door on the first floor. Putting the it back in the box, closing it, then pushed it against the wall by the closet. The knocking continued as Louie walked down the stairs. "Yeah, hold on, I'm coming." He yelled out just before getting to the front door. Opening it, he was greeted by a gruff looking Unicorn wearing a blue trimmed high visibility vest levitating a clipboard in front of him. "Uh... I have a delivery for one... Lose Leave?" "Loose Leaf." Louie dead-panned. "Yeah, whatever, sign here please." the delivery pony said passing the clipboard over. "I'll sign this as soon as I verify that everything is here, thank you," Louie said as he stepped aside as he read the contents of the bill of lading. "You can place the crates in that corner." He said, motioning to where the reading tables would be as soon as that order arrived. "You heard the pony," The delivery pony said, calling out to the others with him. As Louie watched them bring in crate after crate, eleven in all, he noticed a unicorn with a purple mane standing outside, looking a little amazed at the number of items being brought in, so he waved at her to come in. "Hello, can I help you?" He asked. "Hello, my name is Rarity, the local seamstress, you asked Applejack last night if she knew anypony that could make some curtains for the library, I brought some fabric samples over." "I'm Loose Leaf, and thank you, but you didn't have to bring samples," Louie responded. "My mother buys all her dresses from your boutique in Canterlot, if my mom likes your designs, I trust your judgement. Something neutral that fits with the decor will do fine." "Why thank you, that's high praise." Rarity said with a slight blush at the compliment. "Do you want any made for your apartment?" "Some black curtains will do great," Louie said. "Black? Wouldn't you want something to liven up the room?" "No, I like black," Louie explained with a smile as he levitated a pair of reading glasses from behind the central desk to read the small shipping labels on the crates being brought in and closely inspecting the magical seals placed on the crate that had the spell books that would be put in the restricted section, as well as the crate that had old and rare books. "Alright, I think I have the perfect colour for the library," Rarity said, levitating a blue-gray swatch of fabric over. "And this fabric I'll make your curtains from." She continued, passing a swatch of black cloth. "Thank you, these will do nicely," Louie said, passing them back. "Thank you, Gentlecolts, everything seems to be in order." He said to the delivery ponies, then gave them a signed copy of the bill of lading. "Now, I don't envy the task ahead of you Mr Leaf, organizing all those books seems like a monumental feat." Rarity said, looking at the crates in the corner. "Not as much as you think," Louie said with a smile that only a pony who's been given an opportunity to explain something they're passionate about would have. "Everything in those crates is packed and organized according to the Starswirl Decimal Classification System." Rarity looked at him like he had grown a third eye. "Look at the signs on the bookshelves," Louie said, motioning to the bookshelves, one with '000-050', another two rows over with '200-240', and this continued for every bookshelf in the library all the way up to high 900's. "Books are organized by discipline, not subject. Each interval corresponds to a classification." Louie explained, then walked over to the crate that had 100-280 in it, opened the crate and started pulling books out before finding one that Rarity would relate too. "Here we go. 'Psychological Influence of Clothing' by Bespoke Frock, Class 155.95 pertaining to the discipline of Differential & Developmental Psychology. Books about fashion design would be..." Louie continued, thinking for a moment. "746, the discipline of arts, I think. I'd need to look that up to be exact." "Twilight tried to explain it to me a few years ago, but I actually understood you." Rarity admitted, but her attention was drawn to muffled giggles coming from behind the crates. "Who's there? Come on out, it's not polite to eavesdrop." "Sorry, sis," Sweetie Belle said in an apologetic tone, but Louie swore he could sense a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "You should be careful around those crates, some of them have anti-" Louie began to say. "OW!" Scootaloo cried out, then came out from behind the crate, favouring her front right hoof that was lightly blackened. "Tamper enchantments." Louie finished with a dead-pan tone. "Now, if you two are here, Apple Bloom couldn't be far behind," Rarity said, craning her neck to look around trying to find the third part of the trio. "I'm right behind you, Rarity." Apple Bloom said suddenly. "Oh!" Rarity said, nearly jumping out of her skin. "Don't sneak up on me like that." She ordered, then made a show to clear her throat. "Mr Leaf, this is my little sister, Sweetie Belle, and her friends Scootaloo and Apple Bloom" "We're the Cutie-Mark Crusaders!" All three said in unison. The Adorableness on display was sweet enough to give a pony diabetes, Louie thought. "How can I help you ladies, the Library isn't open to the public at the moment," Louie asked, leaning down slightly to get on the Crusader's level. "We thought we might be able to help with putting the books out!" Sootaloo said, eagerly. "Yeah, we figured it would be a good learning experience!" Apple Bloom said enthusiastically. "Exactly, so can we help?" Sweetie Belle asked with a pleading smile that could rot your teeth with how cute it was. "Girls, as noble as your offer is, I get the feeling that your motives are not... how should I put it... entirely altruistic?" Rarity postulated. "Are you sure it's not some scheme you've cooked up to have fun during your summer break? Like, say... finding a unique spell or potion book that would be age-restricted? Hmmm?" The three fillies' smiles faltered for a second. "Gotta go, see ya!" All three said quickly then darted out the door. Rarity face-hoofed and all Louie could do was laugh. Hard. "I know those girls' antics can be funny at times, but it wasn't that funny." "Oh, I figured as much, I just haven't had an opportunity to laugh like that in a long while." "You should have known them before they got their cutie-marks." Rarity said ominously. "Cutie-Mark Disasters would be one way to describe them." She said with a hint of seriousness but just enough mirth to know she was joking. "All that being said, do you need any help?" "Thank you for asking, but Starlight and The Princess said they would help me out today, and she's the only one I know of in town that knows how to handle old and rare books." "Old and rare? Do tell." "Well, I managed to get the Canterlot Archives to part with one book in particular, and it is a special request. It's an illuminated manuscript of 'Predictions and Prophecies' in the original Old Equish, dating back to around fifty years after Princess Luna's banishment." Louie explained. "Wait, isn't that..." "The book Twilight used to predict Luna's return?" Louie said with a wink. "Oh, you've made a friend, for life I think, Mr. Leaf." "Please, my friends call me Louie."
3 - Keep Calm and Read a BookLoose Leaf had always hated the smell of hospitals. From when he was a young colt after contracting a severe case of bronchitis and had to be admitted for two weeks to now, he hated the smell. That sterile, antiseptic smell that burns the nose, and nowhere was that more prevalent than in the recovery room where patients are moved after surgery. Loose Leaf sat at his wife's bed, softly stroking her mane with his magic, careful to not wake her up. He continued to stare at her face, now no longer strained by the pain that led to this moment. A week into their Honeymoon in Los Pegasus, Peachy Keen had collapsed after severe cramps and started to haemorrhage. Worry continued to fill his mind, as he didn't know what he would say when she awoke. They hadn't told anyone that they were expecting when they got married, they were going to surprise everyone when they got back. Now he had to break the news to his wife that they had lost the baby. Peachy's eyes began to move under her eyelids, and a moment later they slowly opened as she groggily turned to face her husband. "Welcome back," he said, barely above a whisper. "How're you feeling?" "It hurts, but not as bad as before..." She said after a few moments of fighting off the anaesthetic. "The baby, Louie, what about the baby?" She said quickly and full of worry. He couldn't say anything, but the look on his face said it all. Loose Leaf's heart broke as he watched tears fall from his wife's eyes as her face contorted in grief. Getting up to sit on the side of the bed, he took his wife into an embrace as she sobbed into his chest. "Ahem," Somepony from the door said. "I'm sorry to intrude." A Pegasus stallion in a white coat continued. "Please accept my condolences for your loss." There was an awkward silence for a moment before he moved to take a seat next to the bed. "I'm Dr Starburst, I'm the surgeon who operated on you last night." He explained. Loose could see the lines and bags under his eyes, and the dishevelled nature of his blue and yellow mane bore testament to how long the surgery took. "I have more information to give you that I wasn't sure about until the lab results came back. Your blood work showed very low levels of progesterone, which is the hormone that ensures the healthy development of the embryo and helps build immunity so that your immune system doesn't attack the embryo. That is what triggered the miscarriage." The doctor explained, letting them digest the information before continuing. "When your body began to expel the embryo, which can cause severe cramps like those that you had, one of them caused a tear in your uterus which was the source of the haemorrhaging. I attempted to repair it but it was too severe and I was unable to stop the bleeding." "What are you saying?" Peachy said with shock in her voice. "I had to perform a hysterectomy. I'm sorry. But even if I had been able to stop the bleeding, the scar tissue would have made any future pregnancy impossible. It was the only option I had. Again, I truly am sorry." Loose Leaf's eyes shot open at the sound of his alarm clock, which he promptly sent flying across the room and into the wall where it met its end. He would have to buy another, but that wasn't an issue, it was just something he picked up in Whinnypeg on his way to Ponyville. He forced himself out of bed and started to get ready, today was a big day, after all, it was the Library's grand opening. "The Masked Matter-Horn looked around, seeing her comrades unconscious on the floor of the warehouse they had tracked Mane-iac to. 'You won't get away with this, Mane-iac!' Matter-Horn said, her voice full of righteous fury." Loose Leaf said, reading from the novel adaptation of the famous graphic-novel 'The Unfunny Joke' to a group of foals and one dragon, all of which gave their undivided and rapt attention. "'Oh, I think I already have.' Mane-iac said quietly, with an icy edge to her voice as she walked out of the warehouse. When She had walked far enough down the deserted street in the industrial end of the city, Mane-iac smiled. There would be no miraculous escapes today. No, she thought, There wouldn't be.." Loose Leaf continued. "That smile only grew wider when she heard the warehouse explode." He read aloud, then snapped the book shut. "What? That's it?" One foal yelled, which was quickly followed by a chorus of protests from the young ones, eager for more. "You'll just have to come back next week and I'll read more!" Louie told them, holding the book aloft, out of reach of the children who were trying to grab it for themselves. Looking around the library, Louie couldn't help but smile. There wasn't anything better than a busy, well-used Library. He wasn't looking forward to taking the decorations down though, but Pinkie had promised to help, and everyone seemed to love them. Pinkie Pie... Louie thought. Hoo boy... She's a mare possessed. Two days ago, Pinkie Pie came home from visiting family and quickly descended upon him like an arrow. She insisted that a 'Sorry I didn't throw a welcome party for you welcome party' be thrown. It took almost twenty minutes and Apple Jack's help to finally convince her that an Apple home cooked meal was enough, and that's how she wound up being the pony who decorated the library for the grand opening. She would not be denied. Walking back towards the main desk, which was being taken care of by the capable hooves of Starlight Glimmer, who volunteered to help with anypony wanting a new library card and checking out any books they wanted, and set the book on the interior shelf. Just as he was about to ask Starlight if she wanted a break, he noticed the dirty blonde mane and a light grey horn of a tall unicorn poking out over the small line up. Making his way through, his suspicions were confirmed. "Mom!" He called out a little too loud, but he didn't care. He was the Librarian after all, who's going to tell him to quiet down, himself? "When did you get here?" He asked her while pulling her in for a hug. "A couple minutes ago, just saw you reading to those children, you always had a way with kids." She said, giving her son a compliment. "Isn't The Unfunny Joke a little adult for foals?" She teased, already knowing her son's judgment when it came to age-appropriate books was solid. "Ha ha, mom." He said laughing, but saw Rarity walk by and called out to her. "Oh, Rarity! I want you to meet my mom," "So, I finally get to meet the Rarity." Loose Leaf's mother said, shaking her hoof. "I'm a great admirer of your work, it's not every day you get to meet the 'Best Up and Coming Seamstress in Equestria'." She added with some emphasis. "It's lovely to meet... you..." Rarity began to say, but something slowly started to dawn on her. "Wait, I read that phrase a little while ago... You're..." She said, attempting to continue as her voice failed her. "Smooth Silk," "Editor-in-chief of Vanity Flair," Rarity said unnecessarily. "One and only," "The same Smooth Silk who said my spring line was-" "-'Simply Divine'? Yes, I know what I wrote, meant every word of it." "That's enough Mom," Louie interjected. "I... I think I need to sit down..." Rarity said with a shocked look on her face. "Aww, but I'm having fun," Smooth said with a pouty lip. "You break it, you fix it." Louie chastised as he watched Rarity walk off like she was in a stupor. "And you broke Rarity." "Alright, I'll catch up with you later then," She said, leaning in to give her son a peck on the cheek. "Love you, Son, and I love what you did with the place." "What you're mother did was just plain evil, and I know evil," Starlight said from behind the desk with a mirthful tone. "You told me Rarity would love to meet your mom, but I wasn't expecting that." She continued as she stamped another library withdrawal card with its return date. "Need a break?" Louie asked. "Yes please," Starlight said, rolling her chair away from the desk as Louie took her place, and started processing new card applications and withdrawals at a faster and frighteningly efficient pace. But when she saw his smile, she realized that he was having fun, and couldn't help but smile too. It was nice to see a pony in their element. When he looked back to grab something he needed, she averted his gaze for a second, then felt her cheeks heat up slightly. What the hay am I thinking, she thought, shocked at her minds involuntary reaction. I know I've been having fun this past week hanging out with Louie, but do I like him? Her mind continued as she took a drink from her now long gone cold coffee. I mean, seriously, what do we have in common? I fly kites, he reads books, not exactly a match made in heaven. Her mind reasoned. At the very least he's not a total dork like Sunburst, and he's got a nicer looking- "Starlight?" Great, now he's talking to you. "Hmm?" Starlight said, hiding her unabashed smile behind her coffee mug. "Twilight offered to take over here for an hour so we could grab lunch, do you want to come with my Mom and me? My treat." "Oh, yeah, sure." "So, Starlight, what do you do?" Smooth asked as she speared a grape tomato from her salad with a fork. "Me? I'm a student of Princess Twilight, and I'm a guidance counsellor at her school, and I guess I'm a stagehand in a magic act?" Starlight responded after swallowing a bite from her hayburger. "Starlight's been a massive help getting the library up and running," Louie mentioned in between chewing on his fries. "Oh, I haven't been of that much help," Starlight said with a forced smile as she looked around the open air cafe "Nonsense, after Twilight fell asleep grading papers she forgot about, we were able to get everything shelved properly. We wouldn't have gotten finished in time for today if I didn't have your help." "Excuse me, Miss Glimmer?" a female voice behind Starlight interrupted. Turning to face the source, she found two of her students. "Pizzelle, Sandbar, what's up?" "We were wondering if we can talk to you for a moment," Sandbar answered. "Sorry, this won't take long," Starlight apologised as she got up from the table. "She's nice," Smooth said with a mischevious smile. "What are you getting at?" "Well, she's a nice mare, you're a nice, single stallion..." "No, sorry. She's just a friend." Louie said a little too quickly. "Besides, I'm... I'm not ready." "Look, son, I don't mean to push you, but when are you going to be ready? It's been two years, you can't be alone forever." "You seem to be doing fine since Dad left." "If you think I've been alone, you're sorely mistaken." "No, no! I am not having a conversation with my mother about her sex life." Smooth just smiled and ate another tomato. "So, what do you want for your birthday next week?" She asked, changing the subject. Across the street, a pink ear twitched twice, a back left leg shivered, and an eye winked itself. Then a Pinkie Pie smiled.
