**West Baltimare Public Library, Baltimare, Equestria**
**003 Summer CC**
**Kevin, Violet Vector**

I’m back at the library already. It has been a few days, but I barely noticed. You can’t exactly keep track of time in paradise… and it is always over far too soon.

*sigh* D@mn.

Since I got back to Baltimare, I’ve noticed a remarkable increase of love in certain sections of the city that include the area near the western train station, the West Baltimare Public Library, and on down towards some of the piers by the Bay.

I imagine others have noticed, too, and reported it. I’ll document things on my end, of course; but it’ll only be an exercise is redundancy. She definitely knows already and will have mobilized collection teams for the ambients. One should not allow opportunities go to waste, after all.

And I have more important assignments to do than coordinate collection teams.

Entering the library after my, ‘emergency sabbatical,’ I am hit with the familiar smells of books and… another familiar smell that I don’t normally associate with libraries. It is strongest near the front desk, mared by Short Stack.

Her beige parchment coat is familiar as is her deep sea green eyes behind her lense-less glasses. She doesn’t need glasses, but she wears them anyway saying it makes her, ‘look more like a librarian.’

Usually her mane and tail consisting of a calm oceanic gradient are both done up in tight buns. I suppose this is a part of the ‘look.’ I never really saw the purpose, but I can understand the appeal. If you look the part, then you feel the part, then you should start to act the part.

Not many ponies bun up their tail though, and her being on the taller side makes the choice somewhat of a spectacle for various senses. More than once, ponies have gone to her checkout line over mine, and I’m pretty sure that is part of the reason.

Stallions don’t usually have this issue, and I am still not sure if she does that on purpose.

Her mane is still in the bun today, but her tail is let down. Last time I saw her, she wasn’t wearing anything, but she usually does wear something. Today, it’s a collar with a neck tab tie.

“Are you coming back to work, or are you going to stare at Stack’s flanks all day, Vector?”

I jump slightly. The library’s curator, Merry N., who is also just called, ‘The Librarian,’ snuck up on me yet again. I’m supposed to be able to sense emotions, and yet this pony gets the drop on me all the time. Nopony knows what the ‘N’ stands for.

“Curator!? I- I- wasn't-” I say as I try to lower my heart rate and catch my breath.

But she continues before I can, “We’ve all offered, but all you ever do is look.” She’s as confused as she is curious. They all are eventually.

I know in my mind that mares are completely different creatures than women, but it’s still so hard to accept and internalize. I have to constantly remind myself that mares’ mating strategies don’t include ‘sh!t test’ mind games and ‘monkey branching.’

The only time I have not had to reprise that lesson is with my Queen.

Four, you really are one lucky guy. It seems you didn’t bring any of your worst parts over Here with you. It wasn’t quite that way with me or Three from what I was able to find of him from the Heroines’ Guild ruins in the Foal Mountains.

Also, we have come to learn that there is a tenuous balance when it comes to ponies. If they get too close, then the ponies will start to notice more details that don’t quite add up.

If we are too isolated from society, then they also start to notice irregularities with our presence. ‘Violet Vector’ is about at the age where ponies start expecting the stallion to settle down.

While I was making my report, I heard from a few field agents that there is legislation being deliberated in Canterlot about age mandates, but they don’t usually publish things as important as that in the pony newspapers until after the details are all sorted out and things can be explained in a reassuring manner.

There is no need to panic a population that can be easy to startle, after all.

She waits patiently for my reply, “I’m… uh-”

“-Really shy,” she says kindly, “We know.” I would use the word 'cautious,' but that's just me. Merry N. changes the subject a bit, “Did that ‘emergency’ get resolved positively?”

“Oh, yes -well- mostly,” I answer. “It is~ more stable than it was, anyway.”

She looks at me with some concern, “My door’s always open, Vi, i you want to talk or -you know- anything,” and after a moment asks, “Are you up to close today?”

The closing shift. That makes sense. I returned unannounced and it’s well into the afternoon.

I nod, “Yes, I can do that.” Just after opening and just before closing are the best times to do some personal research without too many eyes in the library.

One of my new assignments is to try to find more locations of old Heroines’ Guild sites. I’ve already gone through most books in this library for other missions, and I mostly found that first set of ruins on accident. So, this will be an interesting project. I may need to utilize the interlibrary loan program as well.

She adds as she turns to go to her office, “And I could treat you to a meal after, if you’re hungry then?” She keeps her tail politely down as she passes but a small twitch of it wafts the air.

I answer, “Thank you Merry N. I’ll think about it,” and we split. I divert to my position at the front desk next to Short Stack.

“Oh,” I don’t remember giving specifics other than I had a ‘family emergency’ and had to take a few days off immediately. Worst part about being in my position is keeping the cover story straight. “Yeah, I think it is stable now.” Best to keep it vague, and I change the subject, “And good afternoon to you, too.”

She seems to accept the change, “It is a good afternoon, isn’t it?” Her eyes drift from me and look at nothing in particular. Stack’s voice is almost wispy. That’s… an odd symptom of infatuation.

Is anypony looking right now? No? Good.

I cast a magical scan on Short Stack while she’s daydreaming and distracted.

… … No mind control. Oh. That’s not infatuation. She’s in love. Wow.

She sighs, “Don’t you want to know why it’s such a good afternoon, Vi?”

Oh. Right. “Well,” I offer some ideas, “the weather is quite pleasant, you changed your tail-style today, the books have yet not risen up against us -their pony overlords-”

She sighs again and slides a paper over to me. It’s one of the advertisements that was on the employee notice board. An employment opportunity for library staff to transfer to rural libraries… uh-oh.

She says, “I applied the other day -first of Summer.” She holds up an opened envelope and smiles, “Approved.”

Wait. This isn’t supposed to happen. This isn’t the way it’s supposed to go.

But she continues, “Since you showed up later in the day today, Vi, I imagine you will get to close the library? I’m about done for the day and have to start getting my things ready.” What!

“Stack,” panic starts to rise in my chest, “can’t you stay with me right now? Can’t we talk about this?”

"Vi," she starts, "Do you know that today is the first time you ever gave my flanks a serious once over like that?"

"Wh- what?" That's not right. I'm sure I look at ponies. I'm just... respectful about it.

Sighing, she looks at me, "A mare needs some kind of signal that it's okay to initiate, Vi. That was the first time-" She closes her eyes and breathes a few times before answering, “I'm sorry, Violet. I’ve been waiting on you for years, and I can’t wait anymore. I need a change. So, my shift is over, and I’ve got to go get my things ready to move soon.” She doesn’t even look me in the eyes. "I hope you have a nice shift."

“I- I- I~ but!”

“But,” she says over her shoulder and still not looking at me, “you really should take Merry up on that dinner." You heard that!? "Or just go over to her office. If a good bucking doesn’t clear you out, I don’t know what will.”

Before I know it, I’m on my knees, “Stack, p- please don’t go t- to Ponyville you don't-” but it’s too late. She’s out the door.

I can't chase her outside and make a scene without questions being asked and blowing my cover. I can’t even raise my voice here in the library. D@mnit.

It only took a few isolated moments this week for me to lose absolute control over everything in my life.

By no fault of his own, Four might be affecting the appearance of the Element Bearers; somehow, Pear Butter seduces some pony -my coworker- to move across the country; I run into a future villain just out on the streets; and only Harmony knows what is going on with the timeline!

As I watch her through the library windows, I see somepony else: my other target -that detective- moving through the street like some crazy pony. She has a random party pony's clown wig in her mouth and is engaged in some sort of tug-of-war with another ponicemare like they’re dogs playing with a rope.

After winning the wig, that detective starts bucking like a bronco at a rodeo competition all the way down the street and beyond my sight with that clown wig still in her mouth.

Sh!t…

Maybe I need to start casing some ponice departments in my off-hours? That’s going to make things difficult.

What if some of the Others show up while I’m off dealing with her? And shouldn’t she be brooding in some vacant castle somewhere all alone and not running around Baltimare pretending to be a ponice officer!?

Now that I know she is in the city and not out in the middle of some wilderness ruins, I have to stay in the city to keep an eye on her. I can't leave without permission, anyway. And to get that, I need to locate another Heroines’ Guild -at least one.

At the moment, I have no idea where to start that research. Everything about the Guild has been scrubbed from history books by the Ministry of Equestrian Culture -the same organization that keeps track of which magic spell books are available to the public or not. I'm going to have to get creative

Now, I can’t just quit the library without arousing suspicion because Short Stack -the quintessential uptight librarian pony- up and decided to fall in love and filed her transfer paperwork before I could get back and do it first.

Sh!t.

This is bad. None of this is supposed to happen. I have no idea what is going on anymore.

Author's Note

‘Merry N. the Librarian’ is a reference to the lead female character from The Music Man, Marian the Librarian. The ‘N’ stands for ‘Novel.’