Chapter 1View OnlineYouTwiChapter 1On another dull, regular day in Ponyville, you sit near the edge of town, trying to ignore your hunger, and focus on your magic practice. Even as a unicorn, magic had never been your strong suit. In fact, there is only one thing you’re worse at: Reading. But hey, not like reading ever got you anywhere. Not like it was important. Well... These books on magic might be a little easier to understand if you knew what the words meant, but... Just following the diagrams should help. Although... Judging on what they’re describing, you have a sinking feeling you may have purchased a book on gardening, as opposed to a book on magic. With a sigh, you pick the book up, and toss it away, feeling a small sense of satisfaction as it lands in the mud. Books had always put you on edge, anyway. Unimportant wastes of trees. And... Glue. And... Ink. Yeah, better just to be rid of them. Reading is boring, and a waste of time, anyway. Only useful for teachers, and stuff. You sit up, filling in the hole you had been idly digging for the past hour, and decide to finally deal with your rumbling stomach, and dry mouth. With a huge stretch, you get to your hooves, and start trotting towards Sugarcube Corner. As you walk, you catch sight of that mare... Whatsername... Flitterthigh? Butterfly? Fluttershy, that’s it. You see Fluttershy, sitting and talking quietly with some stallion, the same one who had managed to get past her shyness, and fall in love, blah blah blah... Apparently they’d been dating for a few months now, and there was a rumour going around about him planning on proposing to her. You shake your head, frowning. Not like it matters, anyway. Well... Not like one or two mares haven’t turned your head in the past. But they never seem to hang around. You shake your head again. You get into these moods, sometimes. Usually whenever you see a couple or two within a few days, you started dwelling on these distracting thoughts. The other one was Rainbow Dash, and her new stallionfriend, a day or two ago. They were pretty close, as well, and there were a few rumours about them planning on moving in together. You stop, and give yourself a small slap. Not again... I have to focus. On what, is another matter altogether... After about five minutes or so of walking, you realise you’ve been circling Sugarcube Corner, absorbed in your thoughts. A minute or so later, you find the front door, and stumble inside, your stomach rumbling. Within seconds, you’re greeted by a violently pink mare, as per usual. “HI! What can I get you today?” She asks, happily. You frown. I always have cupcakes... Maybe something new, for once... You think. “Hm... What else is on your menu, Pinkie?” You ask. She grins, and points to a board above the counter, which you assume has the menu on it. You are about to ask what it says when Pinkie is distracted by the arrival of another customer. You sigh, and trot forward, looking at the food behind the glass. You hear Pinkie’s voice from behind you, shattering your concentration. “Hi Twilight! Want the usual?” She asks. “That sounds great, thanks.” An unseen mare says. Pinkie happily bounces past you, undoubtedly to get ‘The usual’. She stops, and smiles at you. “Well, whaddya want?” She happily asks, pointing to the menu-board. You frown, and squint again. “Er... The... Uhm...” You try and refer to your rudimentary reading skills, and fail miserably. Pinkie giggles. “Do you need glasses?” She asks, tilting her head to the side. You shake your head. “No... Just... Er... Can’t read.” You say. Despite your outright hate of books, you still feel a bit embarrassed about your inability to read. It’s hard, at times, to hide it. But you manage. There is a loud gasp from behind you. “WHAT? You... You can’t read?” The unseen mare asks. You roll your eyes, and turn around, staring down the pale purple unicorn mare, whom you recognise as Twilight Sparkle, the town’s librarian. Needless to say, you have never really chatted with her. “No, I can’t. Alright?” You say. She blinks, shock in her eyes as she shakes her head. “No no no no no! It’s NOT alright!” She says. “You... Are kidding, right? It’s boring, and a waste of time.” You say. She takes a step back, frowning. “You remind me of one of my friends... She thought that just because somepony liked reading, that automatically made them an egghead. But she actually tried it, and now she loves it!” Twilight protests. You roll your eyes, and turn to Pinkie. “I’ll just have cupcakes again, thanks.” You say. Before Twilight can keep talking, you turn, and walk to a table in the corner, sitting down silently. You stare out the window, trying to ignore Twilight glaring at you. Pinkie soon brings over a plate, with a colourful cupcake on top. You thank her, and give her three bits as payment. Out of the corner of your eye, you see Twilight grin. This confuses you, as she was glaring furiously a minute ago. She trots over, an oddly smug look on her face as she looks you in the eye. “I wonder... How do you know you aren’t being ripped off?” She says. You roll your eyes, and let out a sigh. “Pinkie Pie would never do that,” You say. “She is honest, y’know...” Twilight chuckles. “I mean, when it comes to other things. If you don’t know how to read, how do you know that shopkeepers and other ponies aren’t overcharging you for things?” You open your mouth to offer a witty retort, but close it when you realise you don’t actually know what to say. While many of the ponies in Ponyville are honest, unfortunately she does have a point. After a minute or so of thinking, she grins. “Don’t know what to say?” She asks. Before you can reply, she speaks again; “This is why I’m going to teach you how to read!” She says. You blink. “Uhm... What?” You say. “I. Am. Going. To. Teach. You. To. Read.” She says, with another smug smirk. You grit your teeth. “Alright, alright, fine.” You mutter, just wanting her to go away. But then you remember how persistent Twilight Sparkle is, and you inwardly groan. Too late to back out now... You think. She chuckles. “I knew you’d see it my way! Alright, meet at the library, tomorrow at about midday.” She says, turning, and going back to Pinkie Pie. Great, this is just GREAT. You think. Twilight Sparkle, teaching me to read... I’m a grown stallion, I shouldn’t have to learn this stuff at this time in my life! But you know she has a point. So, as you eat your cupcake, you think of how you free time has now been taken away by that lavender unicorn. Ah well... May as well try. Maybe I could actually learn how to use magic... This thought makes you smile, and you nod. Alright, I’m ready for it, I suppose. A/N //Alrighty, we’re back in the saddle at last! //Sorry to say this, but I think AppleYou will be moved to after RariYou, to avoid spoilers. I mean, we know what’s going to happen, but, well... You know what I mean. //Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, and look forward to an update when I get around to it. //Oh, and one last time: Sorry, and thank you to all of those who have waited, and waited, and waited for an update. Even if it isn’t for the story you wanted. ;~;
Chapter 2View OnlineYouTwiChapter 2You wake up this morning, and tiredly pull yourself out of bed, bumping your knee on the bedside table, as per usual. Amid your muttered curses as you limp out into the kitchen of your home, you wish you could use magic to move the heavy piece of crap. Well, that’s why I’m putting up with these damn lessons. You remind yourself. As you stumble into the kitchen, you see the stallion you’re sharing the house with -To save on rent, and other costs- sitting, his head on the table, snoring loudly. You groan loudly, and when that doesn’t wake him up, you smack his ear. “Flip, you narcoleptic idiot, wake up.” You say. Despite your frustrated tone, and annoyed look, a random onlooker would be surprised to discover that you are actually best friends. ‘Flip’ has been your friend for years. Your confidant, and the one you trusted with all of your secrets. If only because he slept so much nopony would try to coax them from him. Flip wasn’t really his name, but it was easier to remember, because he constantly ‘flipped’ between conscious and unconscious. He looks up, and groans quietly, stretching widely. “Whatisit...” He mumbles. You sigh, and sit down. “Alright, y’know how I... Uh... Can’t... Read?” You say, cursing the constant embarrassment. Flip nods tiredly, and goes to put his head down again. You put a hoof on the side of his head, and push him upright. Flip yawns, and shakes his head, seeing the serious look on your face. “Yeah, bro... What about it?” He asks. “Well... Y’know that mare, Twilight Sparkle...?” You say. He nods. You give him a minute to make the connection. When he does, Flip surprises you by laughing loudly. “Hot-DAYUM, bro!” He says. You roll your eyes. “I’m just getting lessons. It isn’t a big drama.” You say. But Flip, never one to drop a subject, chuckles evilly. “You’re screwed, bro...” He says. You resist the urge to jab a quill in his eye. You were friends, of course, but that didn’t stop him infuriating you at times like this. “Yeah, I get it, alright?” You grumble. He chuckles, and stretches again. “So, what time’s it for, bro?” He asks. “Midday...” You say, trying not to hit Flip. He was your friend, and he was trustworthy, and all that, but his constant use of the word ‘bro’ was so annoying. He nods. “A’ight, I’ll be here for you when you finish, bro.” He says, stretching again. “Then again, you’ll prolly be there ’til midnight!” He says, cracking up, ignoring your annoyed expression. After a minute of laughter, he settles down, and looks you dead in the eye. “But, in all seriousness, bro... This is a good thing. Even I know how to read!” He says. With a sigh, you get up, and start preparing your breakfast. “I... Bah, whatever...” You mumble. Flip chuckles, enjoying his victory. You sigh, walking back to the table, and starting on your bland, cardboard-like toast. After a short, silent meal, you get up, and trot outside, trotting towards the marketplace near Sugarcube Corner. You only work weekends, stacking shelves and moving furniture in the Quills and Sofas store. It’s gruelling work, but it pays well, and you barely have to work. Today being Wednesday, you are looking forward to three days of relaxation. But this happy thought is immediately struck down when you see Twilight speaking with the mare, Applejack, by her apple stall. You duck behind a crate, praying for her not to notice you. Bad enough she wants to... Teach me to read. Eugh... What if she wants to talk? You resolve to stay behind the crate. Except suddenly the crate was moving, and you see a stallion pushing it away. You wince, and lock eyes with Twilight. She smiles, and trots over, not looking away from you. As she reaches you, and you realise there is no escape, she opens her mouth to speak. “Hello.” She says. You sigh. “Hello, Twilight...” You mumble. She chuckles. “What’s wrong?” She says. With a roll of your eyes, you answer; “I hate learning.” You say. She frowns. “Well... I look forward to changing that!” She says. You resist the urge to scream. “Who said I want it to be changed?” You ask. She sighs. “Look, I’m trying to help. Reading makes life a lot easier. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.” She says, reassuringly. You hang your head, knowing you can’t argue with her. “Alright, Twilight...” You mumble. She smiles, and before trotting away, turns to you. “Oh, what was your name?” She sighs. “I’ve been a bit... Scattered lately. I forgot to ask.” She says. You open your mouth to tell her when Pinkie Pie bounces past. “TWILIGHT! I NEED HELP!” She says, grabbing Twilight’s forehoof, and dragging her away. You smirk. “I’ll tell you later!” You call. With this, you turn, and trot away to waste some time before midday.
Chapter 3 (AT LONG LAST)View OnlineYouTwiChapter 3 (AT LONG LAST)//At long last, an update! I plan on keeping these regular. //I apologise to everyone for making you wait for such a long, long time for this. //Now, watch the MAGIC With a quiet sigh, you look around, realising there is nothing to do as the inevitable slowly draws closer. Glancing at the town’s clock tower confirms your worries; It is currently Eleven thirty. Only half an hour of freedom left... you think to yourself, a sad sigh escaping you. Deciding to be early for once, you turn, and trot into town, breathing in the fresh air, enjoying the cool breeze like a stallion on death row. You look up just in time to catch a glimpse of two pegasi flying through the air; Rainbow Dash and her coltfriend. You watch them go by, feeling a small pang in your gut. Celestiadammit, I need to focus... I’m so distracted lately. You think, turning and making your way through town, taking as much time as possible to get there, occasionally getting distracted by happy couples being happy around town. By the time the library is in view, midday has come and gone; In your efforts to be only a few minutes late, you managed to arrive an hour late. As you realise this, a loud groan escapes your lips. Dimwit... She won’t be happy about this... You internally berate yourself the entire way to the wooden front door. You grudgingly raise a hoof, and are about to knock when there is a bright purple flash behind you; The suddenness making you jump in fright. “You’re late.” Those two words somehow manage to make you both guilty and embarrassed at the same time. You turn, knowing who is behind you; The light lavender unicorn mare, with her dark purple, pink-streaked mane is behind you, her eyes narrow. “You’re late,” she repeats. “Why? You had plenty of time.” She says, her tone full of disappointment. “Uhh... Er... I guess I slipped up...” You tap the ground, trying not to look the mare in the eyes. “Whatever, let’s just get started.” She says. Her horn glows a light purple, and you feel yourself yanked into the air by your flank. Struggling, you hear a door opening, and feel yourself levitated into the library. With a small smirk, Twilight drops you in a heap on the floor. Groaning, you manage to pull yourself up, and shake your head. “Now... That was uncalled for.” You say, rubbing your head. “What can I say? I guess I slipped up.” She says, with a small scowl. You glare at her for a few seconds before you realise that something about the library is different; There is a large couch in the middle of the room, and two desks, modified to be able to sit in front of two ponies sitting on the comfy seat. You look at Twilight, and gulp. “I know how much you don’t want to do this. I was going to try and make you comfortable.” Twilight says, her eyes burning holes in yours as she glares at you. You facehoof. She prepared all this... Jeez, I feel like a jerk... You think, looking at the couch again. There was even a small plush toy, seemingly made of rags sitting between the couch cushions. You look at it, then at Twilight. She shakes her head, blushing lightly. “That’s my old study-buddy’s sister, Book Worm.” She says. “Smarty Pants was... Er... Lost, a while ago. I prefer not to talk about it.” She says. You gulp, and stand up, slowly trotting over to the plush seat. “Well, sit down. We may be beginning late, but we can still begin.” Twilight says, wincing as she says the word ‘late’. You sit down on the left, and are about to relax when you feel yourself yanked into the air again. “Ah ah ah... That’s my seat.” Twilight says, dropping you on the left. Once again landing in a heap on the couch, you manage to withhold a groan as you sit up. “Alright, I deserved that... But can we maybe stop picking me up me now?” You ask. Twilight giggles, and sits on her side, squirming lightly. “Hmm... I’m not used to sitting on this kind of seat to study... But it’s alright, I suppose.” She says. You look at the desk, sighing as you see various foal’s books there. The pictures are bright and colourful, but the words on the covers may as well be ancient magical runes. You narrow your eyes, squinting as you try to read it out loud. “Wh... Whst... Wstuhgf?” You say, dumbly. Twilight rolls her eyes. “Try ‘Spot and his Ball.’” She corrects. With a wince, you poke the book as if it was a live explosive. “Do we really have to start with this kind of stuff?” You ask. Twilight smirks, and her horn glows as she levitates a massive book over. Judging by the looks of it, it would probably snap the desks with it’s weight alone if it sat on them. “Well, we could start with this.” Twilight says. You quickly shake your head. “Nononononono, I’m fine...” You mutter. Twilight smirks, putting the book back, and opening the book. “Well, enough stalling, then. Time to start.” She says. The next few hours passed in a blur. There were dogs, and various problems they would never realistically face. By the time you were standing up, getting ready to leave, you were already able to read an entire page without Twilight’s help. Twilight smiles, and stands up as well, her horn levitating as she puts the books away. Looking out the window, you both the sun sitting on the horizon, signalling that night was soon coming. She looks at you, and smiles. “Would you like to join me for dinner? My assistant is cooking hayfries. They’re somewhat of a... Specialty of his.” She says. You shrug. “Why not?” You say, finally managing to tune in to the smell of cooking food wafting through the air. “It’s been a while since I had them homecooked...” You say, following Twilight into the kitchen. You see a small, purple and green dragon standing on a stool in front of a stone stove, opening his mouth and cooking raw hayfries with green flames. There is an owl sitting next to him, occasionally letting out a quiet ‘hoo’. You sit at the table, and the bird quickly flaps it’s wings, and flies over to the table, landing in front of you. You stare the brown creature down, not blinking. After a few seconds, it’s beak opens; “Hoo?” IT says. You blink. “Er... Me?” You say. “Hoo.” It repeats. You stay silent for a few seconds before it dawns on you. “Oh, you want my name?” You ask. “Easy, my name is-” Before you can finish, there is a small crack, and a yelp from the stove as the dragon’s stool breaks underneath him. Quick to act, Twilight’s horn glows, catching him and the hayfries he flung through the air as he fell. “Careful, Spike... I told you that thing is too old for you to keep using!” She says, plopping the dragon down next to you, putting the hayfries on the middle of the table. “Sorry, Twilight... I just didn’t want to put you to any trouble having to go out and buy another one.” He says, nodding to you. “Oh, don’t be so silly, Spike.” Twilight says, sitting down across from you, with a small smile. “This is Spike. Spike, this is the stallion I’m teaching to read. Remember me telling you about it?” She asks. The dragon nods, holding out a small claw to you. You give him your hoof, and shake it. “A pleasure, Spike.” You say, as you turn back to the large bowl of steaming hot food, and grab a hoof-full. Twilight smiles, and begins eating as well. After a few seconds of staring you down, Spike joins in as well. The owl, which had flown up to the roof, lets out a belligerent ‘hoo’ from above. Twilight jumps, and looks up. “Oh, and that’s my pet, Owlowicious.” Twilight says, with a smile. You nod, looking around at the three before going back to eating. A single uneventful hour later, the meal is gone, and you find yourself at the front door. You can feel a small sense of... What could almost be called loss as you wave goodbye to Twilight, and walk down the dark mane street of Ponyville. Despite all of your worries, and frustrations, you had really enjoyed that time with Twilight and her companions. They had all been friendly, and you had felt really comfortable. But now you were walking away, into the darkness of sleeping Ponyville, deep in thought yet again. With a sigh, you pulled yourself out of your thoughts, and looked around, realising you had left Ponyville altogether. Instead of returning to Ponyville, you simply let yourself fall onto your side, onto the cool, slightly moist grass. Gah, I’m so tired, I could probably sleep here... You think, the exhaustion of learning so much, and being so active finally setting in, and forcing you into a deep, relaxing sleep.
