On Lich-Finding (Or, Smokey's Story)
Introductions
By all accounts, it was a perfect day; the sky was clear, the air was fresh and crisp, and Sugarcube Corner was hosting a 'Buy one, get one free' sale. Everypony was out and about in Ponyville, but nopony was quite as excited as Pinkie Pie. Such a day as this was perfect for her bi-weekly rendition of "Smile, Smile, Smile", which always seemed to result in her meeting a new friend. Indeed, towards the final verse of her much-rehearsed song, she saw a stallion walking down the main road that led into town.
He was a unicorn, with a coat the same color as the smoke that poured from train engines. His mane was a dark, chocolate brown, lightly curled and cut an few inches from his scalp. His eyes were hazel, and his flank was marked by a half-closed book, the pages of which were filled with an elegant, flowing script. On his back he carried a thick, heavy-looking saddle with many bulging pockets.
Pinkie Pie finished her song just as the colt came within range, and turned to face him directly, a wide smile on her face.
"Hi! My name is Pinkie Pie! What's yours?!?" she said faster than the poor, confused unicorn could decipher.
"I'm sorry; but I didn't quite catch that." he spoke with a forced grin.
"I said: 'Hi! my name is Pinkie Pie! What's yours?!?'" Pinkie repeated, "Well? What is it?". The unicorn regained his composure and smiled,
"My name is Smokey Bubbles, Pinkie. It's nice to meet you."
"Smokey Bubbles?" Pinkie Pie gasped, "Like the bubble toy that blows smoke into bubbles, so they leave a little cloud when they pop?" She gasped again, "Is that your special talent? Can you make me some smokey bubbles?!?" Smokey was confused, so he changed the subject.
"Is there anyplace in Ponyville where I could rent a room to stay in?" Now it was Pinkie's turn to be confused; she had been discussing his special talent, what did living arrangements have to do with anything? She shrugged it off though; not everypony could be as logical as her.
"Sugarcube Corner rents rooms out! That's where I live, but the Cakes let me stay for free because I'm their apprentice." Smokey smiled,
"That might work. Let's go there."
"Great! Now you can come to all my parties! I throw all of them at Sugarcube Corner, cause' that way I don't have to get Big Mac to carry everything! But sometimes I do it anyways, cause' Big Mac makes funny faces when he carries heavy stuff, like that time when-". Smokey put his hoof up and signaled for her to stop talking.
"Pinkie, while all of that sounds... Fantastic, I need somewhere a little less busy, and a lot quieter, Is there anywhere like that?" Pinkie Pie was a little disappointed that her new friend didn't want to stay at her favorite place in Ponyville, but she still took a minute to think about it.
"Sweet Apple Acres rents out barn space sometimes." she finally said. Smokey looked skeptical,
"Do they keep animals in there?" he asked.
"Of course silly, it's a barn on a farm! Oh! That rhymes! Barn on a Farm! Ha!", once again Smokey was taken off guard by such a random comment, but this time he was better prepared, and thus shrugged it off.
"That really wouldn't work for me Pinkie, is there anywhere else in town that has room?" Smokey asked
"Well....I don't know. Maybe I could ask one of my friends if she has room at the library." Pinkie suggested. Smokey broke into a grin.
"Perfect. Lots of books, little noise, low traffic; sounds like paradise Pinkie. Show me the way" he said, and she did
On the way to Ponyville's library, Smokey Bubbles began to question Pinkie Pie about her librarian friend.
"What's her name?" he asked, "and what kind of pony is she?"
"Her name is Twilight Sparkle, and she's a unicorn. And not just any unicorn, but the most magical unicorn ever!" Pinkie jumped a bit into the air as she spoke. " One time, she moved a whole water tower and an Ursa Minor at the same time!"
"That's some impressive magic." Smokey inquired with genuine interest, "I need help levitating anything bigger than my bed!" Pinkie Pie nodded in response.
"It sure is! But I've seen her do even cooler magic before! I guess it's just normal for the element of magic." She remarked casually.
"What?!?" Smokey stopped in place, his eyes staring widely at his pink friend. "She's THE element of magic?"
"Well, last time I checked there was only one." Pinkie chuckled, "But it not that weird; I'm the element of laughter."
Smokey looked incredulous. "You've got to be kidding me, are you?" he looked off for a moment. "I guess it does make sense though." Pinkie nodded.
"All of my best friends are elements too; I bet you'll meet them soon!"
"And there's six of you, right?" he asked,
"Well, duh Smokey. Everypony knows that"
"And you all live here? In Ponyville?"
"Duh again Smokey! We wouldn't be able to hang out much if we didn't." She replied. Smokey just stood and thought for a moment. He had heard, like everypony else in Equestria, about the return of the elements of harmony, and of how they had taken on six mares as their bearers, but he had not known where they lived. He definitely did not realize that they were such a tight knit group; he assumed that they were a collection of friendly but disconnected ponies, living in all corners of the nation. He shook his head, started walking again and said, "Things are going to be much more interesting here than I thought."
The town library was perhaps the most unique structure in all of Ponyville. It was formed by Princess Celestia herself from a grand old oak tree in the middle of what was then a humble homestead, as a gift to the Apple family and their neighbors. It was truly impressive, for while it had windows, doors, stairs, and rooms, the old thing was still alive and growing, albeit at a slower rate. Nowhere else in Equestria did such a thing exist, for the magic required in it's formation could only be used by the regent of the sun herself, and she meant for Golden Oaks to be a landmark special to Ponyville. The inside was as spectacular in appearance as the outside. There were several rooms throughout the tree; a kitchen, two bathrooms, three bedrooms, and a basement. But the reading rooms were what were truly spectacular. Countless shelves lined the rounded walls of the library, each packed with a great variety of books. There were great, dusty tomes of philosophy and science fiction novels with elaborate and decorative bindings. There were fantasy novels, dramas, screenplays, even a few spell-books were kept in the oaken vault of knowledge. In the middle of the rooms was a great round table, topped with a wooden bust of some ancient Saddle Arabian philosopher. To the left was a spiraling staircase, and in a corner there was a long desk covered with letters, stamps, and other things a librarian needs to run a library. Pinkie Pie and Smokey Bubbles walked in during noon, right when ponies normally would be going out for lunch. Pinkie turned to Smokey,
"What did I tell you Smokes, is this place great or what?" Smokey chuckled,
"It's perfect Pinkie, but where did 'Smokes' comes from?"
"I got bored saying Smokey over and over again." she admitted.
"Fair enough." he nodded. Pinkie did likewise, and then bounced upstairs to fetch Twilight, leaving Smokey by himself. He took off his saddle-bags and looked around the library. This place will work, he thought to himself. He saw a pile of letters on the desk in the corner, and noticed the stamp of the royal seal on the envelopes. And in more ways than one.
Author's Note
Well, it looks like I finally managed to get the first chapter of this train-wreck uploaded. I've had it in a composition notebook for months, writing a paragraph or two a day, and then spent a week getting around to typing it. Organically this and the next few chapters were meant to be one big chapter, but I figured that, with my skill level, people would enjoy it more if I broke it up a bit so that they could cool off from the terrible story structure. At least, that's the way it works for me when it comes to two thirds of the Fics I read. Please take into account that the name of my editor is Microsoft Word 2003, so if you would like to take over his job, I'd really appreciate it. That's it for now I suppose, and I'll probably add a chapter on Sunday or Monday.
-Sincerely,
Valor H. Lord
P.S. Right now, I am working up the courage to press the publish button. Almost there, almost the-
P.S.S. So I published the chapter, got some positive response, and then did some minor editing. I have to thank everypony who has faved this already, and anypony who is thinking about faving it. Interesting side-note; a few scenes in here went very differently than I originally wrote them. See, as I was going I saw that some parts didn't make sense or didn't sound quite right, and that some were completely unnecessary, and that some stuff needed to be added. And so I did, and for the better I think. But it's late, and I get donuts in the morning, so I must be off to bed. Tune in Monday for chapter two!
On Lich-Finding (Or, Smokey's Story)
Twilight Sparkle was in her study (more like a laboratory if you asked anypony else.), when she heard the bell she had tied to the front door of the library ring. She sighed; she had been writing to her mentor, Princess Celestia, on her findings regarding the flow and technicalities of changeling magic, but that fun would have to wait. If her door-bell (as she called her most innovative creation) rang, that meant a guest had came to the library, and thus duty called. She pulled herself from her work, and walked downstairs to see her friend Pinkie Pie with a friend of her own; a smoke-grey unicorn.
"Good afternoon Pinkie!" Twilight greeted, "How are you today?"
"I'm super-duper today Twilight, because I just made a brand-new friend!" She pointed towards the colt, "His name is Smokey Bubbles, but not like those bubbles that make clouds when you pop." Twilight raised an eyebrow, but said nothing; she had learned early on not the question Pinkie Pie's outbursts.
"It's very nice to meet you Ms. Sparkle," Smokey said, "But I hope we haven't disturbed anything."
"Not at all Smokey. I was just finishing a paper on changeling shape-shifting magic." She frowned. "I still don't understand how they can mimic expected behavior patterns so effectively," she smiled, "But I'm getting off topic; why did you-"
"Have you considered telepathy?" Smokey interrupted, leaving Twilight momentarily confused.
"What? Oh, well it did cross my mind a while ago I suppose; but it's impossible. Ponies can't read other ponies' thoughts."
"Sure it is. They could have a sort of magical aura, one that they emit and control subconsciously and would connect with a pony's own. From there they could read their neuro-electrical data and perform behavior accordingly." Twilight shook her head.
"But how could they use that data? Neuro-electrical impulses are unreadable without specific spells. And even with those spells, it takes years of training to understand what it's saying. You're suggesting that the entire changeling population could do that in their heads, with absolutely no training at all." Twilight was enjoying her conversation with Smokey; while she could tell that he lacked the technical understanding that she fed on, his understanding of theory was much better than the average pony's. It was rare that somepony could keep up with her in a scientific conversation.
"Well, yes." Smokey admitted. "But you have to remember that changelings have had millions of years of evolution to perfect their abilities. It's not really that unbelievable." Twilight considered this for a moment.
"I suppose that it is possible, but I couldn't include it in my report. We don't have any hard evidence to support the hypothesis."
"Well, not here, but I have a friend in Canterlot who works at the Regal Canterlot Hospital. She invented this spell that allows her to view magical fields. Normally she uses it to help treat disabled unicorns, but she told me that when the royal guards brought changeling prisoners to the hospital for examination, she could the spell to observe their magical auras attempting to latch onto the auras of nearby ponies." Twilight shrugged.
"That is pretty interesting, but I can't just take your word for it. Maybe your friend could send me a tome so that I could learn it myself. What was her name?"
"Redcross." Smokey replied. "I think that she would. She does owe me a favor." He chuckled, "Chances are that she would try to come down her to teach it to you herself. If there's one kind of pony she likes, it's one who is well-connected." Twilight gave him an odd look. She hadn't told him anything about herself or her family, and while it was true that she was close to a few influential ponies, it wasn't exactly common.
"What do you mean?" Smokey's face changed to one of shock, as if he had made a terrible mistake he only now noticed.
"W-well, I mean." He stammered, looking around the room as calmly as he could. "I mean; I figured you must have some important connections because, well, I saw some letters marked with the royal seal on that desk over there." He nodded to a table covered with papers and envelopes standing off to the side of the room." They could just be tax notices or something like that, but the text didn't look quite like the standard font royal clerks use; so I figured that they must have been hoof-written." He smiled nervously.
"That's very perceptive of you Smokey." Twilight said incredulously. She knew there was more to his words than he was letting on, but she dropped the matter for now; there were more important things to discuss. "Anyways, what brings you and Pinkie here?" She asked. "I'm assuming you came here to do more than talk about changelings." Pinkie spoke up this time; she was glad to after staying silent throughout such a boring conversation.
"You see Twilight, Smokey just made it to Ponyville today, and he doesn't have a place to stay! I suggested that he rent a room in Sugarcube Corner, but he doesn't want to stay there because it's busy and I throw all my parties there. So then I said that Applejack rents out space in her barn sometimes, but he doesn't want to stay there either because it has animals in it. So I thought for a minute, and I remembered that you told me about a spare room that you didn't know what to do with. And since Smokey loves books, I thought this would be the perfect place for him to live!" Twilight thought for a moment; it would be nice to have a smart boarder living in the library, and she could use the extra bits. But more than anything, she wanted to know how Smokey knew about her connections. She just didn't believe that he could have just guessed about the letters on her desk, even if he was right about them.
"Well" Twilight said hesitantly. "I suppose it would be alright for him to stay here for a while." She turned to Smokey. "But you will need to submit an application: I can give you a paper copy that you will have to fill out later." He frowned, the slightest look of concern appearing on his face. "O.K. I think I have a pen in my saddle. Do you have the paper ready now?"
"No. I need to make a copy of the template first. Why don't you go get something to eat with Pinkie Pie while you wait?"
"Well I would, but it seems as though she already left." Smokey said as he levitated a pink letter to Twilight. She read aloud so that they could both hear; "Dear Twilight and Smokey, I'm soooooo sorry that I left before you guys had finished talking to each other, but I forgot that I was suppose to take Gummy to visit his brother Melvin in Manehatten tonight, and I needed to start packing. I promise that I will throw a big 'I'm sorry for leaving without saying goodbye/Twilight got a roommate/Welcome to Ponyville' party as soon as I get home. Love, Pinkemina Diane Pie." Twilight looked the letter over once more with a look of disbelief. Finally, she spoke. "How did she manage to write this and leave in the minute and a half that we were talking?"
"I don't know." Smokey said with a shrug. "How did she get out without us noticing when you were facing the door? And for that matter, who is Gummy?" Twilight placed her hoof in between her eyes, massaging the bridge of her eyes.
"That is her pet baby alligator."
"And he has a brother named Melvin?"
"It appears that way." Smokey put his hoof under his chin and thought for a moment.
"Pinkie is a very strange filly, isn't she?" Twilight nodded.
"Yes, she really is."
"Wonderful." Smokey smiled. “She’ll be great company."
"Well I'm glad you like her. Some ponies are a bit put off by her...." She struggled to find the right word. "Eccentrities." A low growling noise sounded throughout the library. Smokey chuckled nervously.
"There, uh, isn't much food on the road." Twilight giggled.
"It's fine. I know that you must be starving, but I really do need to start on copying the tenant application if you're going to move in today, So I'll have Spike take you someplace to eat." She walked to the staircase and shouted. "Spike! Come down here, I have a task for you." Smokey could hear grumbling from the room above.
"Who is Spike?" He asked
"Spike is my personal assistant. He cleans the library and cooks meals, among other things." Twilight replied. "But he is taking forever to get down here. You stay there while I go get him." She got up and walked up the stairs. Smokey smiled, took off his saddle bags, and retrieved a small notebook from one of its pouches. He sat down on the floor, and began to write as he waited for his new landlord to return.
Author's Note
Holy crap, this took forever for me to type up. I just find it so hard to copy the text from my notebooks that I wrote the story in, and I kept putting it off, and blah blah blah. Point is, I published chapter 2. Yay. Chapter three will probably be another couple of weeks due to family stuff. So, yeah.
Valor H. Lord
On Lich-Finding (Or, Smokey's Story)
Twilight came back down the stairs within a few moments, followed by her young assistant, Spike. He grumbled under his breath as he walked down the stairs, scratching the back of his head as he went.
"But why do I have to take him to lunch?" He whined, referring to their new tenant, Smokey Bubbles. Twilight sighed, she had already explained the situation to him upstairs.
"Because, Spike, I have to make a copy of the tenant application form so that he can fill it out and move in tonight." She explained, "And it would be impolite to make him find somewhere to eat by himself, so, since you know the best food places in Ponyville, you have to take him." Spike remained unconvinced.
"But why can't you take him after you make the copy?"
"Because somedragon broke my auto-magic copy machine when he hid his gems in the paper-bin, so I have to copy the form by hoof. Why are you so against this? I thought you liked going out?"
Spike scoffed "Yeah, but not when it's with somepony I've never met before! And besides, I wanted to race slugs with Snips and Snails today!" Twilight rolled her eyes.
"Ok," She said, "That's disgusting. But regardless, you have to take Smokey out for lunch. I'll make it up to you later."
"I want an emerald for this." He said
"You can have a sack of rhinestones."
"Ew!" Spike grimaced, "What do I look like, a diamond dog? I have some taste. How about a ruby?" Twilight smiled,
"Fine, a ruby. I'll give it to you after you return." Spike returned a smile of his own. At this point, Smokey, who had been writing in a journal, had already packed his bag, and stood. He felt very uncomfortable at the moment, as this entire conversation had occurred on the stairway within his range of hearing. He was, however, looking at Spike in a very odd way; the one somepony might look at something that was at once an unpleasant surprise and disappointment. Twilight did not notice, but Spike did, and he could feel Smokey's gaze on his scales. Twilight spoke,
"Spike, this is Smokey. Like I said, he will be staying in the spare room upstairs for a little while. I want you to take him somewhere nice for lunch." Spike walked up to the stallion and, in the way Twilight had taught him to, extended his claw towards his guest, who took it in his own hoof. "It's nice to meet you" Spike mumbled. Smokey continued to examine the dragon with his eyes, his pupils moving over his scales and fins as if he was trying to discern any and all details about the reptile. Spike shifted uncomfortably. Finally Smokey broke eye contact and said in return,
"It is nice to meet you as well, Spike. But Twilight, I have to asked how you managed to acquire an adolescent dragon as an assistant." His voice held the slightest amount of suspicion. Spike looked at him quizzically, but Twilight remained oblivious.
"My mentor placed Spike under my care when I was just a filly. I got a little help taking care of him of course, but he's been like my little brother ever since then." She gave the dragon a quick nuzzle, "I guess he just started helping me with my schoolwork after a while. Now he cleans up the library for me, and does other housework, so I guess he just became my assistant too." Smokey seemed satisfied by her answer, if only just, and relaxed. Twilight turned to Spike. "Here's thirty bits for lunch. Buy something for the both of you and bring me back the change." She commanded. Smokey's brow furrowed.
"That's very generous of you Twilight, but I'll pay for my own meal." Twilight frowned, and then smiled again.
"You don't have to worry about the money. I get a big stipend for running the library, so I have more bits than I know what to do with! It's the least I can do for my new tenant." She said, waving her hoof dismissively.
"It's not so much the money," Smokey said, "I just don't feel comfortable taking bits from somepony I just met." He began to scratch the back of his head nervously. "I don't mean to offend, it's just... something I don't feel comfortable with." He repeated with a shrug.
"I understand, my friend Applejack and her family are the same way. If you want to turn down a free meal, who am I to stop you?" She laughed, and Smokey chuckled as well. Spike, impatient, poked at the hungry traveler.
"Are we going or not?" He asked. Smokey gave a warm smile.
"We probably should; if we wait much longer we might as well have dinner." He turned to Twilight. "I'll be back shortly I suppose; will the forms I need be ready by then?"
"They should be, barring some unforeseen disaster. You can fill them out as soon as you get back." She responded.
"Great, bye then."
"Bye."
Spike led Smokey, who had put on a vest with many pockets before they left, down the crowded streets of Ponyville's market place. All of the town's restaurants, bakeries, and confectioneries were located on this street. At the first corner was Sugarcube Corner, a long-standing establishment made famous by its most recent owners, Mr. and Mrs. Cake. Further down the street one could find any kind of shop they desired; from Bon-Bon's Sweet Shop, to Cheese Cake's Warehouse, to Daisy Chain's Bar and Grill, a pony could sate his appetite on anything he desired. In the streets, between the storefronts, was the unofficial farmer's market, where all ponies in Ponyville purchased their groceries from. Unlike those who lived in cities such as Manehatten or Canterlot, Ponyville citizens had direct access to fresh, organically-grown fruit and vegetables, something that big-city ponies counted as one of its greatest features. Smokey was one who could certainly agree to such sentiments as he gazed at the fresh produce hungrily. Spike noticed the unicorn lagging behind as he slowed to better view a particularly bright bushel of apples.
"Geez Smokey, haven't you ever seen an apple before?" Spike asked sarcastically.
"Actually I haven't." The colt replied, "At least, not a red one." Spiked looked at him incredulously.
"Really? You've never seen a red apple? Where did you live, the Frozen North?"
"Funny." Smokey rolled his eyes, "Actually, I grew up in Old King's Wood, but regardless, we only ever had green or yellow apples at the store. I guess red apples just didn't keep well enough."
"Well, maybe you can try one at Daisy Chain's."
"Maybe not; I don't really like apples."
"WHAT?!?" An ancient, hoarse voice yelled from the direction of the apple stand. Turning around, they saw, coming from towards them, one incredibly old, apple-green mare with a look of rage and vindication upon her face. "Don't like apples? Don't like apples! How dare you come by here, by Mah stand, in the town Mah Papie done founded, and say you don't like apples!?!" By this point, the mare had hobbled her way to Smokey and had begun to enunciate each sentence by prodding him in the chest with her walker. "Why, I oughtta run you outta town myself." Spike grimaced.
"Granny Smith, calm down! Smokey is new here, and he doesn't even know what a red apple tastes like!" He said, doing his best to spare his future roommate the horror of an angry Apple-clan. Granny Smith viewed Spike and Smokey with a measurable amount of suspicion.
"Ya never ate a red apple?" She asked.
"No ma'am." Smokey replied, “I don't think they keep well where I'm from, so they never sold them at the store. And what they did have definitely wasn't fresh." Granny smith inspected the colt closely, seeking out any degree of dishonestly she could. After what felt like an eternity, she said warily, "Then we'd best fix right now." She huddled back to her stand, leaning under it when she got there. She began to pull various items from the small cabinet in it's rear, until she found a small, shiny lunch box with an image of a bright red apple engraved on the front. Smokey at Spike looked at each other nervously; both knew that normal things never came out of boxes like that one. Granny Smith fumbled with the lock, mumbling curses under her breath, until she finally managed to open it, and then she pulled out the largest, reddest, most delicious-looking apple any pony in the market place had ever laid eyes on. The old mare lifted as high over her head as she could, closing her eyes in a reverent-manner. She spoke, "This here is the first pick of our finest apple tree in our orchard. Every season, that tree produces just five of the tastiest, juiciest, biggest apples you ever done tasted. Ain't nopony ever tasted one of these apples and kept on not liken' apples." She looked Smokey dead in the eye. "Ah'm gonna give this to ya to eat, and if'n you still don't like apples, Ah'm gonna make you wish you done never grew a tongue." With that, she held out the grand apple, and Smokey took it into his magic, bringing it in front of his face, where he inspected the skin for bruises or blemishes. Finding none, he gulped, brought the apple to his mouth, and took a bite. Granny Smith glared at him the whole time. "Don't even think about lyin' to me." She growled. Smokey chewed the flesh, and his eyes opened wide. (Now, at this point, the author feels obligated to inform the reader that, as he has never partaken in even a half-way decent apple before, he cannot accurately describe the flavor of the Eden fruit Smokey indulged in.) Suffice to say that, as soon as it entered his mouth, the colt fell in love with Sweet Apple Acres apples. Smokey devoured the rest of the apple, even going as far as to eat the core.
"This is amazing Miss Smith," He said between mouthfuls," By God, is your orchard blessed? Do you use growing magic, or enchanted fertilizers? I've never had any food this good!" Granny Smith responded, smugly,
"Eenope. Just love, tender care, and earth-pony know-how."
"Well, it's a thousand times better than any apple I've had before, ma'am. Thank you so much for your generosity."
"It's nothing sonny, just remember who built this town, and we'll be alright." She said with a wink. "Now, Ah'm goin' back to mah stand, but you two take care now. Oh! and Smokey," She said, suddenly serious, "We should talk sometime. Private-like." and then she hobbled back to her stand, while Smokey and Spike continued on their way to lunch.
"So, while I really am grateful for that amazing apple; who exactly was that?" Smokey questioned Spike as they walked.
"Oh, her? That's just Granny Smith. She's Applejack's grandmother. They all really like apples, so you should probably be a little more careful when you talk about them. They're not always like that, but I've seen what happens when they meet a real apple-hater." He shivered, "I will never eat another golden delicious as long as I live." Smokey chuckled as they reached their destination.
Daisy Chain's Bar and Grill was your typical hay-burger shop, with a variety of bar-food and alcoholic beverages. The entire restaurant consisted of one, large room with a long grill near the back. Within the room were at least four dozen tables, and on each wall there was a large television, each of which played a different hoof-ball game. Smokey and Spike took a table near the left of the establishment, and promptly ordered their food and drink. While they waited, they chatted with one another.
"So Smokey," Spike asked while he sipped on a lemonade, "Why did you decide to move to Ponyville if you used to live in the city? Wouldn't you have been more comfortable in Canterlot, or Fillydelphia?" Smokey thought for a moment before answering,
"Well," He said while scratching the back of his head, "I actually came here from Fillydelphia. I wanted a change of pace, and since my granduncle Grey Coat lives here, I figured this was as good a place as any." Spike nodded in agreement.
"Ponyville is great. Everypony here was so nice when me and Twilight first moved into the library. I guess that's just how small towns are though."
"It really is a nice town. It reminds me of where I grew up, before I moved to Fillydelphia." Smokey smiled.
"Really? Where was that?" Spike asked.
"A small city called Coltlumbus, in Old King's Wood, near the Hayseed Swamps. You wouldn't have ever gone there, nor do I think you would ever have a reason to, but it was a good place to live."
"Why did you move then, if you liked it so much?" Smokey's smile dimmed just a bit.
"I had to go to Fillydelphia for... A job" He said, a little quietly.
"What kind of job?"
"I did different things, odds and ends. Similar stuff, but in different scenarios. I went to Filly for training, then I just worked out of the city. I ended up traveling all over." He closed his eyes and took a breath.
"So, you did odd jobs?" Spike asked.
"That sounds accurate." Smokey replied.
"And what are you going to do now that you're in Ponyville?"
"The same job."
When the food finally arrived at their table, Smokey changed the conversation to Spike. He asked him all about his life; from little things, like how he spent his free time, to more important topics, like how Spike was educated, and then to odder questions, like how often he was fed.
"Why do you care about all of that?" Spike asked. Smokey rubbed the back of his neck as he answered.
"Just curious. I've seen all types of creatures, but I've never met a dragon before."
"O.K.. Well, I'm going to go to the bathroom." Spike pulled a small bag out from under one of his larger scales. he put it on the table. "Take out my share of the check when the lady comes back while I'm in there."
"Will do Spike, but hurry up. I feel kind of vulnerable in here." Spike nodded and left. When he returned, he saw that the colt had already left, but had forgotten his wallet on the table. Spike picked it up, but it slipped from his claws, landing on the floor and opening. On the left side of the bi fold there was what appeared to be an I.D. card, with Smokey's picture and name on it. Spike didn't notice everything on the card, only two large words at the bottom, which read, "Witch-Hunter" Spike shook. He remember a lesson Twilight gave him not long ago about the Old Country, before the ponies were forced to leave and migrate to Equestria. She had told him about a cult of cruel earth ponies, who hated unicorns so much that they would hunt them down wherever they lived, and killed them. He gasped, a sudden realization upon him. Smokey was a witch-hunter. Witch-hunters killed unicorns.
Author's Note
Misspelled Lemonade, so I got Needlewoman. WTF Spellcheck? Anyways, here is the new chapter. I know it took a long time, but some stuff came up that I had to focus on, and I just never got the motivation to work on this again until I had bought this Beethoven album yesterday. Then, all of that motivation came swelling back into me as I heard the genius of the classical genre. At least, I think that's why. Maybe I just finally got a good night's sleep. But yeah, new chapter, yippe. Maybe more people will care when my friend finally finishes that commission I bought from her so that I can submit to EQD. Nothing like free publicity.
