Blueblood

From the way Applejack smiled, Earth Writer could tell he'd done something right. Figuring out what exactly that something was could wait until his brain stopped fizzing like sarsparilla. One thing was clear *That wasn't so complicated after all! You just shouldn't overthink things like this, and they'll go fine.*

Filing away that thought for later, he relaxed, letting the tension out of his nerves that had allowed him to act on his impulse. "You're Welcome, miss Applejack! And I'm Earth Writer." He honestly couldn't remember if he'd introduced himself before, but he didn't care.

"Better not hog the front." The unicorn said, as he extricated himself from the hug. "There's a lot of ponies here lined up here, and I can't blame them! Enjoy the rest of your day." Taking his leave of her with another smile and wave, he went to his purchased bushel and pulled it a short distance away, about where Survey was. Levitating an apple at random from the variety within, he took a large bite out of it.

The apple was small, about the size of a normal Macintosh (as opposed to the larger sort grown at Sweet Apple Acres, from which Applejack's brother had gotten his name), but the flavor was sweeter, more like a Gala apple, with just a hint of tartness. It was a complex taste, Earth Writer decided, mostly sweet, but not missing any flavor you might want. *Just like this town.* He thought, as he swallowed. "I sure am going to miss this place." He remarked to Survey. "I'll bet my last bit you won't find a mare like Applejack in Canterlot."

Earth Writer's smile brightened as Applejack brought over the variety bushel. The unicorn was certainly not a picky eater, and looked forward to enjoying the many kinds of one fruit. Yes, that would do quite nicely. Now for the other part of the business...

The mare's instincts were nothing if not sound. While having her wrap a hoof around his neck was somewhat disconcerting, her casual air was sufficient to mostly put him at his ease. "No, I've not really kissed anypony before." *Immediate family notwithstanding.* He added mentally, closing his eyes as he enjoyed, and returned, the hug. He could feel her breath flow over the fuzz on his muzzle-

"Wait. You got five bits?"

The unexpected breakoff actually caused Earth Writer to laugh out loud. "Yes, certainly!" In good humor, he levitated the five coins from his wallet space, placing them on the counter before turning back to Applejack. *Now, before you lose your nerve.* His hoof still being around her, he pulled in a little, planting a kiss right on her lips!

When he pulled his own away, the unicorn was grinning from ear to ear. "Is that generally how one does it?"

A look of speculation crossed Earth Writer's face as he considered the variety of apples, followed by brief flash of panic as he heard the list of kiss types. *Oh, Celestia, I had no idea that this was so complicated!* But the panic was as brief as the manifestation thereof.

"Oh, surprise me on both!" He waved a hoof with a cheerful carelessness with his answer. "Always good to try something new, right? And life ought to be something of an adventure." The unicorn smiled as he leaned over the counter, but his smile had a touch of something... not exactly sad, but like one who was reminded of a serious subject while telling a joke.

By this point, Earth Writer felt he had a pretty good picture of who Pathfinder was, apart from just saying that she was an imitator of Daring Do. It might be truer to say the mare was an exaggeration of her foalhood hero. Certainly an exciting companion, and probably a good friend, but definitely somepony you didn't want around your younger sister.

"Well, so long, until we meet again!" He called after the departing pegasus.

While his newfound acquaintance would have been worth the time he spent in line in any case, he did have an original purpose here. *Well, here goes nothing.*

Earth Writer turned back to face Applejack. "I don't think you're selling anything other than apples, but that's what I came for anyway, so! I'll take one bushel." He spoke brightly enough, but it was only a mask. Internally, he had still not finished mustering his nerves for the "special offer"...

By this point, Earth Writer was having to use his hoof to stifle laughter. He would have made a comical sight himself, one forehoof jammed in his mouth while his cheeks ballooned outward like a jazz trumpeter's. Just watching how the little filly had to deal with the gushing mare, eventually being entranced by her adventurous spirit, was an absolute joy to behold. He didn't begrudge Pathfinder her enthusiasm; he himself could be just as voluminous on his own passion, Geography.

The unicorn was slightly disappointed in one aspect, however. He kept hearing these hints of fantastic tales, but Pathfinder always moved on before telling the rest of the story.

Still, apples or no apples, kiss or no kiss, it had been worth it to come out just to see that. He spat out his hoof as the pegasus slapped him on the back, coughing slightly as he shook his head. "In-cred-i-ble." Earth Writer enunciated every syllable for emphasis, but good-naturedly. He did ask his next question in a serious tone, though. "You are going to stay here long enough to keep that promise of yours? She won't forgive you if you don't. OF course," He nodded in the Apple family's direction. "They might not forgive you if you do. I know I wouldn't, if you got my little sister hurt."

*Seriously, Applejack? Mare comes up to you, looking and acting like Daring Do in the flesh, and you assert you know a bigger fan?* Earth Writer had to grant Pathfinder a point; that was certainly the silliest thing he'd heard Applejack say.

Not that sensibility was a great feature of the conversation unfolding in front of him. The unicorn's eyes widened as Pathfinder just reached over to take the the farmer's hat. You just didn't do that; not only was it generally rude, there was a lot of emotional value to that hat for her. There were hardly 15 spares in her closet....

Stifling a laugh behind a cough, Earth Writer walked up beside Pathfinder. "Bit worked up, are we? Don't tell me you're nervous." He knew perfectly well what her reaction was likely to be, but after that display, he felt like winding her up just to see what happened next.

(Sorry for letting this drop, guys).

Earth Writer nodded. "Well, at least you have something to show him that you're working on the problem." HE grinned as he went back to let in the businesspony. While in the doorway, Earth Writer spotted the officer on patrol. He seemed to be looking into something, so the unicorn only gave him a little wave before showing Grey Matter in. "Byline's ready for you."

Pathfinder's timing was... interesting, to say the least. Having a mare unexpectedly touch him on the lips just when he was thinking about kissing one brought him to the here and now with a blush that shot straight up to the tips of his ears. If Pathfinder had asked, Earth Writer probably would have agreed to go with her, so she wasn't entirely out of line in shutting down that train of thought, giving the unicorn time to nod sensibly and collect himself.

"No telling where we might meet up, really. I'm moving out tomorrow, and geographers have been known to travel in their work."

It seemed the wonderbolt had finished; apparently she'd made a picture of the event as well. *Typical for a celebrity, I suppose.* And now it was Pathfinder's turn. This was gonna be worth seeing!

It got off to a promising start, certainly. He couldn't now recall any point in his colthood where Applejack could have been called "silly"; the farmer had a reputation for being a dependable and sensible pony.

"Hm? Oh!" Earth Writer had been so used to a lack of response from Pathfinder, that he had almost given up on hearing anything from her. Giving the shoemaker an apologetic wave, the unicorn turned back to his original conversational partner.

"Mind-controlled?" That was the sort of thing that warranted a raised eyebrow, at the very least, but the writer had already tired his out. He could only laugh softly and shake his head. "One day, I'd like to do your biography. Just look me up whenever you want one done."

Seemed that Pathfinder was next in line. *That means I'm next after.* Self-consciously brushing his mane out of his eyes, Earth Writer couldn't help but be distracted by the prospect of the offered kiss, along with the apples. *First time kissing a mare, besides mom and my sister.* Looking for that sort of thing hadn't really been a priority for him before...

"Earth Writer." The Unicorn gave his name as he stuck out a hoof. "Dunno if you'd know me, but I lived here before I went off to University."

Having shaken hoofs, the writer got down to business. "You may have to ship the finished product to my place in Canterlot; I'm leaving on tomorrow's train, and I don't want to rush you. And you only need to make the one; I'm not concerned about looks, and my other shoes are fine."

"I..." The unicorn wasn't quite sure how to phrase things now. "Well, It's not really either of those. You'd never guess who I ran into into today." He paused for a moment. "Well, actually, you might. The name 'Grey Matter' ring any bells?"

Seeing Bon-Bon blow off the offered advice actually made Earth Writer feel a little better. He was too honest a pony to congratulate himself on his "discretion" in not going forward, but at least holding back did no harm.

In the meantime, Pathfinder was unresponsive, so the writer felt the need to get another conversational partner. When Metal Maker returned, the unicorn called him over. "Say, you wouldn't happen to be offering one of those hoof-mounted pen holders? I know I've got magic for writing, but if I'm trying to juggle multiple things, well, it'd just help me manage a bit better if I'm in the field, you know."

If Starflower had not departed the scene so rapidly, she probably could have received a kiss in pure gratitude from all present, nevermind Applejack. Earth Writer had actually opened his mouth to offer at least verbal thanks, but the nurse had departed before he could speak a word. "Nuts..." He muttered to himself. Perhaps he should have shouted after her?

The unicorn's conversational partner hadn't responded yet. Whether Pathfinder was engrossed by the unfolding piece of street theater before them, or simply grossed by the recently-departed stench, he couldn't tell. Truth be told, Earth Writer was rather interested himself; and he cringed in sympathy when he saw the lover's spat follow hard on the hooves of the lighter comedy of the unexpected bath.

"This won't be pretty...." Again he wondered if he should speak up, and again, circumstances precluded his decision. Mystic probably would have been better at giving advice anyway, but still, Earth Writer's repeated hesitation did not sit well with himself. *Am I a coward? Any decent pony should have spoken up sooner in either case.*

He shook his head, addressing the Pegasus again, "Now, this sort of comedy-drama actually is pretty much always going on. I'd forgotten how much, actually; you don't tend to see it a lot in the larger cities rather than the small towns." He paused. "Well, I haven't; you're better traveled than I am. Is my generalization correct?"

(Was waiting for Evil to post; guess we didn't give him enough material.)

Earth Writer shrugged. "I wouldn't know, sir. What I saw of the offices looked a little shabby."

As soon as he said this, the unicorn realized he may as well have given the game away, so he upped his pace into the building, before Grey Matter could ask him the specifics of how he knew. That might have worked, if he hadn't made straight for Byline Buck's office without asking for directions...

Pathfinder's last little outburst actually caught Earth Writer up a little in the conversation, leaving him a little stunned. It was finally beginning to sink in just how different Pathfinder's life must be from anything he'd ever experienced. Ancient tombs, cannibalistic hallucinations... wow.

"Probably a good thing I write non-fiction. I couldn't make up anything like that." The unicorn shook his head in admiration. "You ever given thought to publishing your biography? I would certainly read it."

Having someone like her to talk with, Earth Writer was understandably unconcerned with happenings closer to the front of the line. It was only when they grew too intrusive to ignore that he took notice, and when a new wave of stench seemed to wash over the company from Pigpen, it was with much choking and coughing that the writer's attention was brought back to the outside world.

"Sorry." He gasped out, clapping a hoof over his nose. "Usually we're more accommodating in terms of smell."

"I see..." Earth Writer could only shake his head in something like disbelief. *This has turned out to be a very peculiar day, simply packed with coincidences.*

He wasn't sure whether or not to reveal his new position, or just wait for it all to come out in the editor's office. Ultimately, he decided on the latter; his sister's artistic tendencies had given him a flair for the dramatic.

In the meantime, he continued his conversation. "I know the way to the office. I haven't read much more than the classifieds, lately. There's, um... how do I put this? Most of it is not interesting to me. The editor will probably explain more. Speaking of which, this seems to be the offices now."

(Sounds good to me)

Earth Writer nodded as he listened to Grey Matter's theory of Biography. It made sense that he would want an outside perspective; otherwise it would be autobiography. Still... "My writing style's rather research-heavy. After I get the story from you, I'll probably be interviewing others you've mentioned, visiting places, and reading through whatever papers you let me." He shrugged. "Of course, I guess that goes without saying, if you want quality in biography. Same as all non-fiction, really. I'll probably be putting an emphasis on place, because of my background. I happen to think one's surrounding environment quite important in shaping what circumstances they encounter, and ultimately use to build themselves."

A good conversation of literary theory was now quite on its way to occupying the full of the unicorn's mind, before it stopped short on a statement. "Equestria Daily? You work with them?"

"Erm..." Earth writer self-consciously rubbed the back of his neck with his hoof. "I don't have a spare bed, really. It's pretty much the next step up from student lodgings, my place. If you don't mind the couch, I suppose." The unicorn shrugged. "I'd look into some hotels if you're gonna stay long."

He started off back to his street with the grey Earth Pony. "So, did you bring any notes with you, diaries, or is this all just gonna be dictation?" His thoughts were not completely gone yet from his disturbing meeting that lunchtime, but the writer wasn't exactly looking over his shoulder for anyone following him. After all, that would just be paranoid, wouldn't it?

(What does Gray Matter look like? And Cainam, I specifically said in an earlier post that the coffee shop wasn't Pony Joe's.)

An Earth Pony had come up to Earth Writer, calling him by name. The Unicorn could only assume this was his client. "Yes, that's me. I assume you are Grey Matter?" The meeting with Double Take was already receding in the writer's mind. This, at least, was honest work. After the commission check cleared, he'd never have to frequent that little grease dive again.

As Double Take leaned in to give his pitch, Earth Writer felt as if the air was thickening, like a blanket soaked in grease to smother him. *Oh, Celestia, you're thick in it now.* He was in over his head now, and he knew it; every word out of the pegasus' mouth confirmed.

As he readied his reply, the unicorn couldn't keep the slight stammer out of his voice that came in with stress. "Th-that's quite an impressive claim for th-this... organization. There's a c-c-catch somewhere, I think?" The unicorn was actually pretty certain he knew what it was already. *I've been eating breakfast in a mafia hangout all this time!?*

Earth Writer's incipent journalist instincts were quickly overwhelmed by his desire to get out, but there really wasn't a graceful way of doing so. Getting put on a hit list would really ruin his day, which had started out so well...

And then a miracle happened. An owl flew right into the cafe, message attached. The unicorn snatched it up, giving the contents a quick look-over. "S-sorry to cut this interview short, Double-Take, but I-I have an interview with my commissioner. G'bye!" A bit quicker than would have been counted polite, Earth Writer dashed out of the cafe, heading at a good clip towards the train station.

He paused when he reached the station platform, huffing and puffing in an attempt to catch his breath. Looking around the station, he realized he had no way of recognizing Grey Matter on sight. *Hope the description I sent him was enough.*

After the Pegasus had removed his coffee cup, Earth Writer levitated the notebook up, letting a few drops of the brown beverage drip onto the table. Sighing, he tossed it aside into the nearby trash can.

Turning back to Double take, he rested his chin on his hooves as he listened to the silver-tongued shpiel. *His timing kind of stinks, considering I just landed two jobs this morning.* What's more, Earth Writer was raised to value politeness, and be a law-abiding citizen of Equestria. He felt internally as if he should just tell this boor to buck off, before leaving this dive never to darken its doors again. *On the other hand... I did just become a reporter, and this is nothing if not a story.*

Aloud, he said, "I don't want to sound supercilious, but you've pretty much done everything in your power to make me uninterested in any further association with you. As it so happens, I just recently landed a comission, which you set back by ruining my notebook, on top of which you have stolen my lunch." He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples for a few seconds, before continuing. "Well, make your pitch. You have an uphill climb, to say the least."

Earth Writer joined in Pathfinder's laughter, though not, perhaps, as loudly. He was not a loud pony in any case, and in most cases not very much likely to talk at all. However, the pegasus' uniqueness and openness encouraged him, bringing out his more social side.

"Yes, but on the other hand, going hungry tends to be more likely in my profession than most. I think only artists and adventurers deal with it more. I guess it all depends at how good you are at going out an finding work if you're one of the three; it doesn't generally come to you."

All the time, the unicorn was trying to get a look at the other ponies ahead in line; it was quite the mixed crowd. *Let's see, we have... the local junkyard owner, Equestria's finest donutier, Rarity, a Wonderbolt and... a secret agent?* He whistled. That was an impressive draw, but only to be expected, given the quality of the apples.... and the mare.

The sudden elbow caught him a little off-guard, and brought Earth Writer's attention back to his neighbor in line. "Oh, you hurt your wing? I don't know about Applejack, but our local hospital's quite good at dealing with wing injuries. Somehow, though," He smiled as he saw her leap ahead. "I just don't see you sitting still."

(Sorry for the late replies, my work schedule is pretty hectic.)

By now, Earth Writer was no longer able to completely keep his cool. He knew, of course, that lashing out would only bring a swift and brutal beatdown, but how long could anypony expect to put up with this abuse?

"All the bits I had with me paid for that sandwich." The unicorn spoke in a strained whisper. "I don't have much more to my name. Just because I'm a unicorn doesn't mean I'm not poor. As for the rest, I've never met you before in my life, so I suspect you have me mistaken for someone else. If not, I'd like to know just what you think gives you the right to ROB ME!"

The last two words came out in a sudden yell, as much to vent emotion as to appeal for outside intervention.

Another little idea that's been banging around my head lately is a Vorkosigan Saga Crossover/Fusion.

If you've never read the series, trot post-haste to the nearest library, and look for "Cordelia's Honor" by Lois McMaster Bujold. It's as good a starting point as any, though it functions like a prequel the story of the main protagonist, which begins in "The Warrior's Apprentice."

Some background info (to save myself the trouble of five paragraphs of gushing): http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/VorkosiganSaga?from=Main.VorkosiganSaga

I just think that Griffon society would be a very good parallel for Barrayar, as compared to the "Beta colony" of Equestria.

The only problem is, besides the fact that not many here have read it (and the fact that it would probably have to be listed as 18+), is that if we put in a Miles analog, the story would just be about him (and if it isn't, the player isn't writing him correctly).

Whatever he'd expected to see, it wasn't this. The cafe was far from high class, but he'd never seen anypony come in here like it was a saloon bar west of Appleoosa. *Seems like today might be rather newsworthy after all.*

Earth Writer was a little nonplussed to see that the Pegasus had singled him out, however, and so made no sound of protest when he took a seat opposite. And then, for no possible reason other than spite, the brute ruined his notebook by splashily setting down his cheap coffee. The look from those dark green eyes betrayed that their owner was itching for a fight.

The unicorn's injured dignity and desperate etiquette produced a myriad of possible responses, most of them quite stupid. To stall for time, Earth Writer took a big bite out of his sandwich, chewing slowly as his eyes stared back. *Alright, don't provoke him. Just keep your cool, think of something non-confrontational to say.* After venting most of his frustrations through his mandibles, he swallowed, then spoke. "Eh, what's up, doc?"