Inkwell

[colour=#e32636]If you were to ask Rose Madder right to her face if she had any regrets, she's shrug off the question. Regrets were the enemy. It wasn't healthy to think too much about what you could have done differently in the past, because it was the past. You made your bed, and you had to sleep in it. Besides, Rose's bed was pretty sweet. She had a nice apartment and she was living the dream. Still, witnessing a performance from a dedicated illusionist in the the square the day before had made her start to wonder things. She'd been pretty interested in magic before, but in order to get into Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, she had to study, and study hard. When she was just a little filly who hadn't gotten her cutie mark yet, she had no work ethic. It was grueling drudgery that gave her a headache from all the concentration and memorization. The best parts came from practicing practical magic, and even that left her winded and light-headed after a while. As time went on, she spent more of her study hours reading and writing, sneaking horror stories inside her textbooks. Everything came to a head after she wrote that one story, and suddenly she had her cutie mark. Not much point in going to magic school now, she thought, and that was that. But this magician made absolutely amazing illusions, transforming the entire square into a mountaintop, or under the ocean. It all felt so real. Rose had heard that some unicorns were capable of this, but seeing something like that was something else entirely. What would she be like, she wondered, if she'd just sucked it up and studied hard like her mum told her to? Would she be making those awesome illusions? Then again, those were only good for live performances. You couldn't take them with you like you could a good book, and they didn't last outside of memories. So even though she told herself she made the right choice in writing stories instead of studying magic, she found herself checking out a new part of her favorite bookshelf anyway, the self-help section. There were manuals on how to train for anything, including learning magic. It wouldn't be as good as tutelage at an elite academy, but it would be something, wouldn't it? She levitated a copy of Illusions for Dummies to her face and promptly buried her nose in the book. So excited was she to start reading that she forgot to get out of the aisle for any other ponies in the area.[/colour]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1BSVjGu27A I can't actually find a good Youtube video of the studio version of this song, so it's up to you to look it up elsewhere, like on Spotify or something. I know there's more of this kind of rap out there (like with Lupe Fiasco, who I've heard good things about but haven't had the chance to listen to), and I did say I'm not a music expert and the like. Oh, and there is one metal song I really like. See if you've ever heard anything like this:

Wow, there sure is a ton of music being bandied about here. I don't really know that much about music, despite my efforts to broaden my horizons. I don't recognize chords and notes, and I have no idea how to tell a good singer from a bad one. I just happen to find certain music more powerful than others, mostly only thinking of the lyrics and the sentiment behind various songs. As for genres that I normally don't care for, I'm gonna notch another point for country and metal. Rap used to be one of these, but ever since I started watching Todd in the Shadows (who you should definitely check out), I started thinking that the genre had more to it than the thug life cliches other posters have talked about here. It always bothers me now when people say that rap has no substance to it, so I'm always on the lookout for any rap songs that have depth and such. I'm gonna post whichever ones I can name off the top of my head here: CONTINUED BELOW

Welp, I can never get enough books to read simultaneously! I'm voting for the Derkholm one, because god**** that's such an awesome idea I can't believe I didn't think of it.

[colour=#000080]Shadow Boxer blinked and looked at Dapper Dan, as if he hadn't expected the ponies he addressed to actually talk to him. He glanced over at Haymaker, then back at Dapper Dan. "Uh, hoedown's alright," he mumbled, scraping a large hoof in the dirt. "I ent such a good dancer but I guess I could learn..." He trailed off into awkwardness and looked back at Dapper Dan. Then his ears perked up at the nearly inaudible sound of wings, a sound he could only hear because he had years of practice.[/colour] [colour=#800000]"Now int that a coincident," Straight Arrow told Haymaker. The pegasus hovered in the air above the other three ponies, leaning down to peer at them with lidded eyes. "Me bruvver 'ere got t' same story 'bout 'is mark. Show 'em, Boxer."[/colour] [colour=#000080]Boxer's blue cheeks turned pink, and he turned his flank in Haymaker's direction. On his large, rock-hard flank there rested a mark of a worn metal tower shield. It looked old and beaten, but still reliable in a pinch.[/colour] [colour=#800000]"Way back when we were wee lads, Boxer 'elped save me an' summore foals from a gang a' older kids. 'e got the wits beat'n outta 'im an' more. Imagine me surprise when I firs' saw tha after th' bandages came off!"[/colour] [colour=#000080]"Uh, kin I stop now, Arrow?" Boxer asked. He'd lowered his head and folded his ears back, occasionally glancing in Haymaker's direction.[/colour] [colour=#800000]Arrow snickered and nodded. "Yeh, go 'head and stop." As Boxer resumed his normal position, Arrow shrugged and looked at the two other ponies. "Poor lad's a mite shy in sitchations like these."[/colour]

[colour=#e32636]Rose shrugged and nodded at Blaze Bright. "Too true. And every writer has a influences that stretch back to the dawn of storytelling if you're dedicated enough to track them back through time." She looked up at the ceiling and pondered the question. "Unless you get back to missing gaps from stories that have been lost to time. You'll have to use some loose generalizations to get past those." At the mention of Solstice heights, Rose's eyes lit up, and she smiled wide enough to dimple her cheeks. "No way! I live there too! I found a nice apartment to live in, the Riverrun Valley complex, room 315. It's a pretty sweet place. You can visit anytime." Earth Writer started talking about how much easier it was to study in this city than wherever it was he was from, and Rose nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yeah, I found a whole lot of artistic types to hob-knob with here. Well, there were plenty of them back in Trottingham too, but I just wanted to get away from my family. Every artist from there just kind of rubbed me the wrong way, but Canterlot's got a different, more eclectic feel to its culture. I love it."[/colour]

[colour=#d2b48c]Inkwell was not a social butterfly like his sister. Sometimes he didn't particularly care to talk to ponies for hours at a time, not like his sister. And so while he waited in line, watching the other ponies make idle conversation, he was content to sketch them as they talked. He got a fairly good sketch of the two academic-looking ponies standing and talking next to each other, and then he got lucky enough to catch the sight of Applejack and Princess Luna kissing. Or at least he would have if it weren't for that flashbulb camera that Granny Smith and that elderly stallion used to capture the moment for posterity. He frowned and shook his head, but started to draw outlines of their heads, anyway. "Come on, imagination, don't fail me now," he mumbled. Just as he was about to start drawing their eyes, he happened to overhear more of the conversation between the academic ponies in line behind him.[/colour] [colour=#008080]"Well that was unproductive," [/colour]the older, blonde-haired stallion commented.[colour=#008080] "I do hope such behaviour isn’t considered normal in these parts, although the fact that everyone else seems unfazed by that rosy ruffian’s actions would seem to imply that it is. [/colour][colour=#008080]Then again, it could just be they’re used to this particular mare. Aren’t you from these parts Doctor Snail, which is it?”[/colour] [colour=#FF6666]"I wouldn’t know, Professor," [/colour][colour=#282828]his companion replied. [/colour][colour=#FF6666]"The only other time I’ve been to this town was a couple years’ back, and nopony then acted as errr…. lively as this mare here. [/colour][colour=#FF6666]As far as I know, the average resident of Ponyville is just as... well, normal as anypony else in Equestria."[/colour] [colour=#d2b48c]"Um, actually," Inkwell said, leaning forward, "there's nopony around here like Pinkie Pie, and I'm kind of grateful for that." The thought of there being more than one of Pinkie Pie hopping around Ponyville made Inkwell shiver. "Not that she's a bad girl once you get to know her. She's lots of fun." Only now that he started clearing up that misconception about Pinkie Pie did he realize that he'd butted in on a conversation that didn't involve him. He gave both of those ponies a sheepish smile and folded his ears back. "Just wanted to get that out in the open. Sorry to interrupt." [/colour]

[colour=#e32636]As Blaze ended up gushing over Rose's book, Rose couldn't help but notice an incongruity in her statements. There hadn't been a Hades in her book, nor an epic, heroic confrontation. "Uh, Blaze? I think you might be thinking of the Dead World trilogy. That's pretty good too, and it was kind of an inspiration for A Single Note, but trust me, they're not the same thing at all." She smiled and shrugged. "I guess I can't blame you for mistaking the two of them. Same setting and setup, and I think I may have ripped off a scene or two." But Earth Writer seemed convinced of the book's quality, and hearing him say he'd pick it up made Rose smile. Then he brought up his own work. "Huh, I never thought of it that way," she said. "I mean, I remember moving to Canterlot years ago probably because it was closer to my hometown than Manehattan. The architecture never really played into it until I already lived there. I like the ponies and the sights and the culture more. But hey, we could all stand to learn a bit more history, right?"[/colour]

[colour=#800000]Arrow couldn't help but grin from ear to ear when Braeburn touched him. "Weeeeell, since yeh asked so nicely..."[/colour] [colour=#800000]Boxer cleared his throat and knocked his hoof into one of Arrow's forelegs. Arrow blinked and folded his ears. "Wot I mean is, I ent normally shy 'bout romance 'n such, but like I said, heheh, this particular pony is already taken." He chuckled and patted Braeburn on the shoulder. "But I'm sure I'll find another pretty face 'round 'ere 'n no time. You two 'ave fun, an' we'll sort ourselves out."[/colour] [colour=#800000]He kept his eyes locked on Braeburn as the happy couple walked off, until Boxer waved his hoof in front of his face. "Ey, geroff, mate. I wasn't 'bout to do anythin' untoward. I said I was a changed stallion an' I meant it."[/colour] [colour=#000080]Boxer finally smiled and nodded. "Jes' makin' sure."[/colour] [colour=#800000]Arrow spotted Haymaker and Dapper Dan talking in the distance and smiled. "But jes' cause I ain't chasin' tail today don't mean you get off so easy! You go up 'n talk to 'er!"[/colour] [colour=#000080]Boxer gulped. "What? Boxer, she's wit that gent there! 'ow's this any different from you an' that stallion?"[/colour] [colour=#800000]"Because 'e was clearly puttin' the moves on that filly. It wouldn'a worked out. She, onna other 'oof, might not be inneres'ed in 'im as any more 'n a friend. An' e'en if she is, that dun' mean you kent be a friend to 'er.''[/colour] [colour=#000080]The two of them looked at each other for a few moments, until Boxer sighed and nodded. "Fine, I'll talk to 'er," he said. He walked over to Haymaker and Dapper Dan, standing beside them and holding his breath. "H-hello," he said to the two of them. "Yeh like the hoedown so far?"[/colour]

[colour=#e32636]Instead of going to pick up her own book, as Rose expected, Earth Writer had instead gone for another copy of One Pony. The head-tilting motion that Rose used to indicate her book was vague enough for it to indicate either book, since they store had arranged for both of them to be on adjacent displays. Rose liked to think this was the case, even though Earth Writer could have legitimately been more curious about Blaze's book. She remembered it kicking up more of a fuss than A Single Note, probably because it directly opposed traditional Equestrian values, and with a certain interpretation, it could be argued that A Single Note supported those same values, though that wasn't Rose's intended message. Regardless, Rose shrugged and glanced at the cover of the copy Earth Writer held. "Well, basically it's about this teenage filly's attempts to emancipate herself from her family, their business, and the kind of society she grew up in. It's got some heavy individualist themes going on, which rubbed a lot of folk the wrong way. Oh, and it's a debut thing, so there's gonna be some melodrama and groan-worthy bits here and there. Try not to be too hard on the author, though. She's gotten a lot better since that was published." She resisted the temptation to wink or even look at Blaze. "I ended up writing A Single Note over there last year. It gets weird and uncomfortable in places, but I'm still pretty proud of it. Basically this one stallion goes to the underworld in the hopes of getting his wife back. You might not want to read it if you don't have a strong stomach. Just saying."[/colour]

When Polaris rattled off all of the various operas that he recommended for the new rotation at the house, Rose tried to remember how many of them she recognized. She had seen exactly one, maybe two, of them, The HMS Pintafore and the Chocolate Pony, but the rest of those names still felt familiar to her, and it took a second to determine why. Her cousin Staccato had sent her a letter thick enough to rival a pamphlet the week before when she had idly asked about what sort of influences he was planning on using for his next project. That letter delivered more of an answer than she had ever wanted to hear, with what felt like hundreds of operas, plays, musicals and albums and a brief synopsis arranged on a list, in an order that made no sense to Rose and told her that he had clearly added each individual entry the instant it popped into his mind. In response, she jested that it would have cost him less postage if he had, in fact, written down his life's story instead. She was sure he had named all of the operas Polaris had advocated, but she couldn't remember what in Equestria they were all about, especially the ones with titles in foreign languages. For a few minutes she racked her brain and munched on fudge samples, trying to remember. But when she noticed Princess Cadence taking her leave, she felt she had to say something. "Guhboy, yuh huhness!" She hadn't realized that her mouth was full until it was too late. Wonderful. The last thing she needed was Blueblood getting on her case about that. With a gulp and a sheepish expression, she said, "Ahem, pardon me." Turning back to Polaris, she realized she had misunderstood his question. He wasn't putting her on the spot and asking her if she approved of his choices, but just asking a generality, and she was perfectly capable of answering that. "Oh, I adore the HMS Pintafore, and Chocolate Pony wasn't bad either. I've been meaning to see the Barber of Ponyville for the longest time, and I'd just looove to check out The Duke of Canter." She couldn't help but smirk after saying that. She'd barely even heard of the opera before Staccato sent his letter, but if it made Blueblood uncomfortable, she just knew she'd have a field day with it. Then she remembered that Polaris had just agreed to Blueblood's wishes on the matter, causing her smile to fade. She'd have to catch another showing of it, then. "As for me personally, well, I love a good farce and a good melodrama. If I can get swept up in a good performance, I'm generally pretty happy. Then again, I wouldn't really consider my tastes representative of average ponies, and I've barely scratched the surface of opera works. I spend a lot more time with novels." She tapped a hoof, wondering what she was forgetting. "Oh! But my cousin Staccato knows more about musical things than anypony. Once you get him started, he will never. Stop." She waved her hoof for emphasis. "And you didn't hear it from me, but he's writing his own opera. Or maybe it's a Trotway musical, or one of each. Now that's dedication." With a giggle, she finished her speech and felt herself flush with excitement. She hadn't meant to give her cousin such a hard sell, but from what he'd written of his work it actually sounded interesting, practically a breath of fresh air compared to her usual conception of opera. If the Duke turned out not to be a fan of her taste in books, then at least she could give somepony else worthwhile his attention.

Hey guys, after a long period of not having my laptop, I'm finally on Guild Wars 2, and it hasn't disappointed me yet. I got a couple of questions to ask. First of all, who else here plays it and where are there servers? I was planning on immediately joining the server of a friend, but I had already been prevented from playing it for weeks and I got impatient. My character is a Sylvari Mesmer named Lotus Wilt, currently level 11. I would really like to try making friends on this game, something I never really did well in WoW, and I figure it would be easier if I was playing with someone I already knew. Secondly, um, I'm getting the impression that I kind of suck as a Mesmer. I'm trying to play through the story campaign, but Ysvelta and what's-his-name are kicking my ass something fierce, and one of the skill point challenges, where I have to duel this other guy, is proving difficult too. In both cases I keep getting cut down before I can get either of these guy's health down to even halfway. I know I'm doing something wrong, or maybe I just picked a class that was too hard to play. Any advice?

[colour=#e32636]Rose chuckled to herself. "Yeah, that's what I thought," she said, getting off the couch. "I think that just about covers everything. Thanks for the help, Heart. How much do I owe you?"[/colour]

[Accidental double post, please ignore or delete.]

Rose nodded along with Cadence, but mostly paying attention to Polaris's newest rebuttal. Already she saw herself transcribing his words to paper, and soon making the transition to creating a fictional doppelgänger of the good duke. She idly levitated another small sample of fudge from Sweet Surprise's tray into her mouth. Turns out it was lemon. Her interest only grew when the topic of opera was broached. She didn't find herself in the mood for opera or other theater that much, given the abundance of books she had to read. The written word was her lifeblood, after all, and she could never stop studying it. When she did attend the opera, though, she couldn't help but smile along at the melodrama, the elaborate costumes, and the larger-than-life emotions. The music wasn't bad either. Sadly, Rose knew that gran guignol was what her favorite plays tended to fall into. She was just about to ask what the duke had against the genre when she remembered his mention of "recent events". All of Canterlot remembered the changeling invasion. Rose was one of the tavern-goers who boasted of the whooping she gave the beasts the day afterward, though really all it got her was a black eye and a few bruises. They combined nicely with her hangover the day after, making a unique flavor of pain that Rose hoped never to taste again. So really, she couldn't fault Polaris's decision. She saw that Vadence had picked a new stranger to talk to, and decided to ask Polaris, "What sort of operas would you rather see, your grace?" Only after she spoke did she remember that Blueblood, whom she was doing her best to ignore, probably expected the duke's full attention. "Oh, pardon me. Didn't mean to interrupt."

[colour=#d2b48c]Inkwell had been satisfied with Pumpkin giving him a kiss. It would be good practice for when they'd both have to kiss Applejack! After that, he saw everypony else talking with each other, and so he kept himself busy sketching the ponyfolk in line. There was quite a bit of variety in the line, with a disgruntled looking pegasus, a scholar talking with a cute little colt, an earth pony behind him with an interesting martial arts uniform, and... He gulped and rubbed his eyes to make sure his imagination wasn't playing tricks on him. As if he needed further verification, Granny Smith and her brother loudly announced that Princess Luna had graced them with her presence. Inkwell was so caught up in beholding her that he nearly missed the chance to bow with the rest of the line. It also looked like most of them were stepping back to let her majesty get in front of them. He moved out of line as well, only to see that the pony behind him had begun to panic and take the blame for some bizarre incident. "Uh, Pinkie," he said, moving behind her. "I don't think that's why she's here. I'm sure she just wants to get some apples like the... rest... of... us." A thought occurred to him. If the princess was going to be buying enough apples, then she might also kiss Applejack as part of the deal! Seeing that was an opportunity that Inkwell knew he'd never get again, and he felt like he could scarcely contain his excitement. Not that he wanted to see the princess kiss Applejack or anything. It would just be an unusual sight that he'd be foolish not to draw... even if he never released that drawing to the public. [Luna cut][/colour]

[colour=#800000]Arrow stared into Braeburn's eyes as the other stallion shook his hoof like a paint mixer. He could see the reflection of his golden irises ringed by Braeburn's green ones. Then he blinked and took notice of Braeburn's whole face again. "An' issa fine pleasure t' get such a warm welcome, mate!" he replied. "There's an 'ole lot we gotta get used t' round 'ere, but I fink yer friendly faces oughta be one a' the beh-er aspects of Aaaap'loosa we seen s'far!" He glanced away from Braeburn at Madame Bisti and Boxer, if only to keep Braeburn's face from burning into his brain. "Hoedown's pre'y fun, yeah, though I dun' fink we got it quite figured out yet. I'm guessin' we dun' gotta have romantic feelins fer our partners, if Boxer'n I kin dance togevver." He glanced at Boxer again, who just lowered his head like a chastised dog. "Anyway, since the ponies we liked best were arready spoken for..." He made a point to look at Haymaker, standing far away with her family and Dapper Dan, with a smirk, then return his gaze to Braeburn again. "We made do wiv what we 'ad."[/colour] [colour=#000080]"Plus I got four left 'ooves, I do," Boxer mumbled. "I din't wanna bump inna any more mares."[/colour] [colour=#800000]"An' so 'e learned the right moves from somebody 'oo's used ta 'is bovine body!" He shoved Boxer in the shoulder, eliciting a chuckle out of the massive stallion. "We wasn't e'en aware we'd 'ave more dances, t' tell yeh th' truth. We thought we jus' did the last'n. I s'pose we could find uvver partners t' dance wiv, but we're a mite p'tic'lar 'bout 'em." Both of them had different reasons why, but Arrow kept mum on them.[/colour]

Rose tapped her hoof and thought it over. Much of the anger she'd felt before had exhausted itself, and in it's place was a thoughtful assembling of puzzle pieces. The situation might be more delicate than she had imagined, so a fiery rejection letter was probably not the best thing to do. "Okay, I'll explain myself in writing. Be polite, but firm. After that I guess it'll be up to them what they do." And she couldn't be held responsible for any drastic actions they might take. "Well, that's one problem solved," she said, slumping back in the chair. "But I still don't know what to write next." She felt like taffy being pulled in a dozen different directions at once. "I dunno, what kind of book would you like to see?"

Rose smiled and pointed at the display of her book, which she could see over Blaze's shoulder. "There it is. I'm sure you could flip through it a little to jog your memory. Glad you liked it." Unlike Blaze, Rose wasn't the least bit ashamed of her debut piece. It may have been a bit digressive and disjointed at points, but Rose had a setting she didn't want going to waste. Her biggest concern was how well she foreshadowed the twist at the end. Was she perhaps too heavy-hoofed about it? How many readers saw it coming? It was too late to fix whatever little faults A Single Note had now that it was published, but she could still learn and do better with her next pieces. Speaking of which, Blaze had asked her about them, and Rose looked over at get saddlebag. "I think I might have brought them with me, actually. Lemme see." She was reaching into her bag when she saw Blaze's face go slack. It was a look that Rose knew well. Before she knew it, Blaze was scratching the tip of her quill on paper, pinning jagged letters, words and ideas down befor they could fly away. Rose had gotten out Of her seat and looked over Blaze's shoulder in an attempt to see what she'd written, but she'd barely deciphered the first word when Blaze stopped and asked for a partnership. The idea was so stunning it was a wonder Rose hadn't thought of it herself. "Sure thing!" she said, before it occurred to her to think harder about it. One Pony was a galvanizing work and Rose was curious to see what would happen if she were to help shape the passion that spawned it. "I guess you got a big idea just now, huh? Tell you what, just lemme look over those notes while, ngh..." She pulled out a sheaf of papers and set them in front of Blaze. If she remembered right, that story was the one about the staff that could implant fake memories in a pony's head. "You can read this!" Her horn glowed, and she levitated Blaze's paper up to her face. Then she remembered that a stallion had introduced himself to the two of them and she hadn't even looked his way! She smiled and bumped her hoof unto his. "I'm Rose Madder, but you might know me as Black Orchid." She tipped her head in the direction of that book display again. An artist had to know how to promote herself, after all.

Rose flinched a bit when Blaze Bright gave her name. It was the same name that adorned the cover of One Pony. For a moment she considered backpedaling on her honest opinion, but it was too late for that, especially since Blaze had already agreed with it. Plus, it would be dishonest to sugarcoat it. Her grandfather (the one she actually liked) had told her that the worst thing you could do to an artist was tell her that her work was perfect when it wasn’t. So she just nodded along with Blaze, giggling a bit when she saw that Blaze had gotten just as pudgy as she herself had. It wasn’t until Blaze mentioned Trottingham that she spoke up again. “Really? Trottingham?” She snorted and shook her head. “Doesn’t that beat all! The Trottingham I know wouldn’t lap up something that subversive. Maybe things are finally changing over there!” But then Blaze started getting down on herself, making Rose frown and tap her on the shoulder. “Hey. Listen. I said you had potential, alright? Don’t tell yourself you don’t deserve it, get better and make use of the lucky break you got!” She leaned back and shrugged. “But then, I don’t really know what you’ve got planned next. “As for me, well…” She tapped her hoof on the table. “After A Single Note, I honestly don’t know what to do next. I’ve got several directions I could go in, but all I know is that I don’t want to do a repeat of A Single Note.” Would Blaze recognize the novel and give her own opinion on it? “Right now I’m writing some short stories and sending them out to magazines. Maybe I can collect the ones I don’t expand to novel length later.”

Arrow and Boxer started at half the speed the rest of the dancers moved, taking things slowly so that Boxer wouldn’t stumble over anything. “Like this, mate,” Arrow kept saying. “One, two, free, four. One, two, free, four.” He kept up the rhythmic chant with each bar of music. “One, two, free, four,” Boxer repeated, a smile slowly spreading on his face as he got into the motions. Soon the two of them were dancing at the same speed as the other ponies, and Boxer finally felt himself start to unwind and enjoy himself. This was actually pretty fun! He could move his legs without having to worry about dodging other ponies and griffons who were trying to hit him! The dance wound down to a close, and Arrow and Boxer wound up standing next to Caramel Bistro and Braeburn. Bistro had apparently noticed that they didn’t have dates for the evening, which made Arrow smirk. “Oh, thank yeh kindly, ma’am, but I think I’ll let Boxer take all the fillies fer ‘imself.” His gaze wandered over to Braeburn and his fetching hat. It looked great on him, especially with that mane of his. Boxer bit his lip and took a step back. “W-what’ll I do wiv all them fillies, Arrow?” he asked. “Ah, use yer ‘magination,” Arrow replied, stepping forward to offer his hoof for Braeburn to shake. “Dun’ believe we’ve met. I’m Straight Arrow an’ this is me bruvver, Shadow Boxer.”

“Oh, thanks!” Rose told Sweet Surprise, immediately getting the burrito out of her saddlebag. Upon unwrapping it, Rose could tell it was still warm and savory-smelling, and she couldn’t help but smile when she bit into it. If Sweet Surprise’s fudge was verboten by the standards of Canterlot royalty and nobility, then something with this much cheese would probably disgust their dieticians. Cadence and Polaris seemed pretty easy-going, though, so Rose had no reservations about eating it in front of them. She did, however, eat the burrito much more politely than usual, taking little nibbles of it as she watched Prince Blueblood enter the establishment. It soon became apparent to her that this was the other kind of noble, the kind she was used to dealing with from her extended family. Her ears folded back when Blueblood stated that walking the streets was beneath him. Such a sentiment was expressed by her grandfather, “Master” Picaresque, in a letter to her, and it made her want to groan. Thankfully Polaris used tact and wit to refute Blueblood’s claims, sparing Rose the need to open her mouth and do so herself. She swallowed the last of her burrito and stood next to Cadence, watching Polaris talk with Blueblood. After wiping her mouth with a napkin, she asked the princess, “Is he always this good at repartee?” It seemed like Cadence knew Polaris enough to answer that question.

Rose rolled her eyes. “You give them way too much credit. They just don’t want a family member causing a scandal by getting drunk in public or something like that.” She shook her head and draped her foreleg over the back of the couch. “I guess I could accept their offer. Staccato’s pretty cool, and the other folks in it my age aren’t too bad either. But they’d have to accept my family, too. They’d have to admit they were wrong. My brother’ll back me up on that. If they say no… then they can take their offer and shove it.”

Rose looked up at this newcomer. She was a young mare, perhaps technically still a filly, with a fiery mane. When she asked Rose for her thoughts, she shrugged and did her best to sit up straighter. “Uh, sure. All I’ve done since I got here is think. I got plenty of thoughts.” Now she had to consider which one to share with this stranger who struck up a conversation with her out of the blue. She pondered the matter, tapping a hind hoof on the floor. “Well, I’m trying to figure out what to do. You ever get like that, when you just run out of momentum and it feels like you’re trying to pull a cart out of a mudhole in order to get going again? That’s kind of where I am now.” She shrugged and turned up the corner of her mouth. “I thought maybe a change of scenery would do me some good.” Before she thought of something else about herself to talk about, she spotted the cover of the book this other mare had taken with her. “Ooh, you have a taste for forbidden fruit, huh?” she asks, her eyes lighting up. “It’s been a while since I read that book. I’m not sure if you’ll like it. It has some interesting ideas and a likable protagonist, but I was never able to get into it that much. Every time it felt like I was getting immersed I noticed a ten-bit word being used wrong, or some awkwardly worded sentence, or a pacing issue or plot hole.” She frowned and sighed, looking down at the table. “Basically it needed a lot more editing and polish. Right now it comes across like a rough draft. Oh well.” She looked back up into the face of the other unicorn and smiled, sticking her hoof out for her to shake. “You seem like a nice gal. I’m Rose Madder. What’s your name?”

Pinkie and Mr. Cake both gave Inkwell their advice on baking, both of which seemed very self-evident to him. Of course fire safety was a pretty big priority, and only somepony like Pinkie Pie would think that others would need to be reminded of that. But Mr Cake’s advice was a bit surprising. He’d known to do that for years now, but only in regards to his art. When he was a young colt, he’d been afraid of failure, and so he didn’t draw or sharpen his skills. That advice, given to him by his grandfather, had finally made him break through that fear and start him on the right path. He felt silly about not assuming the same principles applied to baking. It was an acquired skill like drawing, and it could even be a creative art as well. One or two of his distant relatives were talented chefs, after all. “Oh, okay, got it. Have fun, experiment, and watch out for fires. Thanks!” He smiled at Pinkie and Mr. Cake, then looked back at the cranky foal in Mr. Cake’s bag. “Aw, what’re you doing, honey?” he asked, looking into Pumpkin’s cute little face. “You bored? I know how that gets. Too bad you can’t draw yet, that always works for me.” He pursed his lips, thinking of how he could entertain Pumpkin, while making the mistake of keeping his head close to her face.