Thomas was seriously beginning to question whether or not he liked his days off. The company was fine, but if he wasn’t being pushed to his physical limits by an overzealous griffon, he was put through the emotional ringer by something centered on his ignorance of Equestrian relationships. Thankfully the others sensed his discomfort and agreed to at least try and keep things calm for the remainder of the evening. His and Luna’s illusions were still in place as the Princess held his arm and rested her head on his shoulder. Talon walked beside Thomas and Moonlight beside Luna. Swift Scabbard followed close behind, but made sure to keep a cautious distance.

“So this really is a herd, huh?” Thomas finally asked after several minutes of silence.

Luna’s ears flicked as she looked up at him anxiously. “Does this bother you?”

“Not really,” Thomas admitted. “I guess I’m still processing it, though.”

“Never expected you’d ever be herded to a sexy alicorn Princess, ay chimp?” Talon set her claw on Thomas’ free shoulder.

“Nope,” Thomas answered flatly. “I can honestly say I never saw that coming.”

“Dearest Thomas. Are you troubled by the prospect of an open polyamorous relationship?”

“I’m honestly not sure,” he admitted. The idea of a polygamous relationship did excite him on a primal level, but the more analytical side of his brain kept bringing up all the complications he’d had to deal with in just one romantic relationship. Surely bringing in another mare or two would multiply things exponentially.

“I understand this is all a bit surprising,” Moonlight began. “Believe me, I wasn’t expecting any of that either. But I’m still not quite certain why this would be problem.”

“Humans don’t really do polygamy. Just about all of us are monogamists.”

“I get it, chimp. Griffons are pretty much the same, but that’s why I’m here to help,” Talon added, setting her claw on his shoulder. “As someone who’s seen both sides, trust me when I say herds are feather flipping great.”

“I don’t doubt that,” Thomas said through a forced smile, and then sighed. “If you say polygamy works without anyone getting jealous, I’m willing to give it a shot. Honestly, I never really expected to end up with anyone, much less be part of a… a group marriage.”

All three females glared worriedly at Thomas’ latest confession, forcing him to slump his shoulders in a vain attempt to shrink from sight.

“You never expected to find your very-special-somepony?” Luna asked.

“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a little socially awkward.”

“No kidding,” Talon added sarcastically.

Thomas nodded. “If I don’t have to talk to someone, I generally don’t,” he sighed. “Even if there’s someone I want to talk to, I probably won’t do anything until they make the first move.”

“Because you don’t want to be a burden?” Luna observed with a grimace.

“Yeah,” Thomas smiled meekly. “In fact, if you hadn’t basically told me to get in bed with you, well… we’d probably not be having this conversation right now.”

“Well we are having this conversation right now,” Talon asserted. “I don’t know how things worked back in the human country, but around here ponies look out for one another. You and me have been friends for a while, and for the time being, we’re herd-mates too. Know what that means? That means it’s my obligation to make sure my pal doesn’t get down on himself.”

“I appreciate that,” Thomas replied, only for the griffon to lightly bop him on the nose.

“You’d better,” Talon said with a half-smile. “Ain’t no way I’m letting any friend of mine feel alone.”

“Absolutely not,” Luna tightened her grip on Thomas’ arm.

“Same for me,” Moonlight nodded.

Thomas’ lips finally curled into a smile as warmth filled his body. He’d had friends before, but never so many and never as supportive as those beside him right now. He nodded appreciatively to each of them. “Thanks guys.”

“Besides,” Talon bumped Thomas’ shoulder. “You can’t say the idea doesn’t excite you just a little, right?”

Thomas chuckled. “If that’s how things work here, I guess I can’t really complain.”

“Just feel free to ask me about whatever,” Talon said with a firm nod. “Any worries you’re having, you can probably bet I went through the same.”

“In the meantime,” Luna cut in. “I do believe you have more pressing issues to concern yourself with.”

“Because that doesn’t sound ominous,” Thomas said sardonically as they came to a stop.

Luna motioned Thomas to rotate his body to face the store they now stood in front of. “Couch King’s Cushions.” Luna read while waving her hand presentingly. “Your first and last stop for all your furniture needs.”

“Catchy slogan,” Thomas said in approval. “Any particular reason we’re here?”

“For you, dearest Lover,” Luna replied excitedly. “It’s high time you acquired more possessions of your own and when better than as a gift from your mare after showing such patience during his courting?”

Thomas blinked. “You want to buy me furniture?”

“Only for starters,” Luna answered as she lead them through the doors. The inside smelled of scented candles and old wood. “As an aspiring young writer, perhaps a writing desk or two, maybe a bookshelf for references? Oh. And of course you’ll need new books as well.”

“Good start, like you said,” Talon analyzed while casually surveying a group of couches. “And since I’m in the herd now too, guess it’s only right if I got you both a little something. Nothing as expensive, mind you, but I think you’ll appreciate what I have in mind.”

“I’m sure we will,” Luna nodded. “Right, Lover?”

“I… that is…” Thomas stuttered.

“Yes?” Luna leaned in.

“I’m not all that comfortable with others spending a lot on me.”

“Lover,” Luna said sternly. “I want to do this for you. I want you to have things and a space to call your own. Now, you can either accept your mare’s generosity graciously, or I’ll let Talon fondle you as a mare for the rest of the night. The choice is yours.”

Thomas glared back at Luna before turning to face Moonlight. “I guess that settles it.”

“Settles what?” Moonlight inquired.

“My Princess really is evil, especially with her griffon accomplice.”

“Hey!” Luna and Talon whined together. Thomas just gave them a deadpan stare before they all cracked smiles.

And so began the hunt for furniture that appeased the Princess’ desire for generosity and the human’s desire for frugality.

“But the finish on this one looks so much better,” Luna argued as she waved to one writing desk.

“It’s too big,” Thomas argued. “Besides. This one has as much shelf and desk space at half the price,” he indicated a desk of his own.

“Price is no factor. I told you this already,” Luna insisted in frustration. “Also, I don’t know where you’re looking, but the desk I’ve chosen has nearly twice the shelf space of…” she regarded Thomas’ chosen desk skeptically. “I could almost swear that thing was designed for foals.”

Thomas regarded the desk Luna had chosen with hesitation. It was made from a much more expensive wood, something Thomas considered entirely unnecessary. He’d sat at both, but the one Luna chose left him feeling especially small, in part because of the shelves arching over the top. The whole thing looked like it would better fit a large TV or computer, rather than a few books and notes. “Just look at the way it’s stacked though,” he gestured. “It’s like it’s gonna fall over any minute.”

Meanwhile, Talon leaned over and whispered in Moonlight’s ear. “Ever hear him raise his voice like that before?”

Moonlight studied the pair carefully. “If it weren’t for him yelling at Twilight, I wouldn’t have thought his voice actually got that loud.”

“Adjustments can be made!” Luna countered, shaking her hand in agitation.

“But why not just get the one that’s fine as is?” Thomas’ voice was becoming equally frustrated.

“Should…” Moonlight hesitated. “Should we interfere?”

“Good call,” Talon tapped Moonlight’s shoulder twice and made her way into the danger zone. “Hey guys,” she waved, flinching when both sets of eyes fell upon her. “Having a bit of trouble?”

Luna folded her arms and pouted. “Honestly, in all our years we have never encountered a stallion so stubbornly frugal.”

“Well sorry if I grew up without unlimited money,” Thomas huffed in exasperation.

“Wo, now!” Talon held up her claws. “Let’s just calm down now. Chimp. Lu-er…” she hesitated, forgetting their secret names for a second. “Your mare is just trying to do something nice for you. You get that, right?”

“Of course I do,” Thomas huffed again. “I just don’t really like it when anyone spending money wastefully, especially on me.”

“You are not a waste!” Luna shouted, causing some of the other patrons to take notice. “You…” Luna’s body began to relax as she realized she’d raised her voice in a public setting. Her ears splayed in embarrassment. “I…”

“That’s not what I meant,” Thomas insisted. He’d also relaxed his posture a bit as he took a step toward his Princess. “I’m just, gah!” He grunted in frustration.

“Money conscious?” Talon suggested.

“Yes. Exactly that,” Thomas pointed at her. “That is… assuming that means what I think it means.” He added, wary of any potential cultural misunderstanding.

“Basically frugal even when you don’t have to be,” Talon explained.

“Then yeah,” Thomas nodded. “Money conscious is a good way to put it. Pretty much ever since I realized the value of money, I’ve been really reluctant to spend it on myself and having others spend it on me always left me feeling a little guilty.” He paused, but decided to elaborate when it looked like no one else was willing to speak yet. “I remember this one time my grandmother decided to buy my cousins and me this new game. I felt it was really expensive, so I insisted on buying a pack of collectable cards instead since they were a third of the price.”

Talon let her claws fall as she too finally relaxed. “So this is just how you’ve always been?”

“Pretty much,” Thomas nodded with a half-smile.

The griffon began chuckling. “You know, I’ve met a lot of mares who would give their tails for a stallion that didn’t need to be lavished with expensive gifts.”

Swift Scabbard coughed, as if to say that this was a gross exaggeration and that he was standing right there, but no one paid him any mind.

“I think this might have been a culture gap thing,” Thomas exhaled. “Sex roles are reversed from what I’m used to, so I guess it just feels a little weird to have the girl feel compelled to buy stuff for me.”

Talon moved back to her spot beside Moonlight as Luna walked up to her stallion and nuzzled under his chin. “Roles and compulsions can go buck themselves,” she whispered just loud enough for Moonlight and Talon to hear. “I want you to have nice things.”

Thomas returned the nuzzle, following it up with a swift slap to her rump and eliciting the most adorable surprised squeak. Then he too whispered. “Princess or no, I don’t think you have enough bits to buy me something nicer than that.” He gestured downward with his eyes.

Luna took a step back and glared at him indignantly. “Impertinent colt,” she sneered in a manner he recognized as less than serious. “You dare issue such a challenge to the likes of me?”

“Challenge?” Moonlight whispered to Talon. “When was there a challenge?”

“He’s saying Luna can’t afford to buy him anything nicer than the royal moon,” Talon explained.

“Oh,” Moonlight nodded understandingly as the mental image of Luna’s bare rump refused to leave her alone. “But… can she?”

Talon frowned, only to give a relenting shrug. “I know I couldn’t.”

“What if…” Moonlight began a bit louder than she’d intended, causing all eyes to fall on her. Her ears splayed and she tried to back up, but Talon put a reassuring claw on her shoulder and motioned her to speak up. “Well… what if you got a dual desk?”

“Dual?” Thomas asked.

“Like those we had in school,” Moonlight elaborated, though her tone of voice suggested she was struggling. “They were large enough for more than one pony to sit at so that students could work in teams on projects.” She watched as the others considered her idea, ears perking when she realized they all seemed to be nodding.

“I like it,” Thomas was the first to admit. “Be a lot easier to proof read like that. Plus we could work on multiple projects at once.”

“Exactly!” Moonlight cheered, tail swishing excitedly. “We wouldn’t have to sit on the bed when writing anymore. We could sit side by side at a real desk, together, like proper writers,” The unicorn froze when she realized she’d said a bit too much. Even she wasn’t sure why she was so excited about sitting at a desk with Thomas. They’d just be doing the same thing as before, writing and editing, just… in a more official status, side by side, potentially for hours on end as they labored to sculpt words into a work of art, together. No. No reason to be embarrassed at all.

Thomas smiled appreciatively to the unicorn. “I’d like that.” He had heard the mare’s tone and even saw the wagging tail, but had rationalized it as nothing more than a friend being happy for another friend. She was understandably excited to work side by side with someone who shared her passion for writing, but surely that was it, right? Despite his mental assurances, he couldn’t easily escape the doubt.

The elder females studied the expressions of the youngsters before exchanging knowing looks and smiling. An unspoken understanding passed between them. It was the understanding of the friends of other friends who were clueless about their feelings. It was also the agreement that such ignorance would eventually have to come to an end. But that could wait for later as there was still the all-important task of shopping to get through.

Eventually Thomas and Luna settled on a desk to buy, which Luna did by signing a note with the royal seal on it. The stallion at the counter stared at the note for a solid thirty seconds before remembering he had a job to do and accepted it, promising the delivery would be made on Monday since they didn’t do deliveries over the weekend.

The next stop was for the typewriter. At the suggestion of taking Luna’s old one as a hand-me-down, even Moonlight shook her head and told him to give in. This was followed by the unicorn remaining in the forefront to pick out a typewriter she felt would best meet his needs after it became clear that this was an area Luna was not especially knowledgeable in. Thomas was fairly certain that Moonlight was shopping as much for herself as him, taking advantage of the fact that price was not an issue when she set her sights on one of the newer models that had an enchantment in place to erase mistakes and adjust all writing to compensate for insertions and deletions.

“Yeah,” Thomas nodded. “We’re getting this one.”

“Really?” Moonlight blinked. “You’re not going to argue because of the price?”

“The only thing I’ll argue is that this,” he paused to read the description, “auto-adjustment isn’t a standard feature in all typewriters.”

“Well, it is a brand new spell,” Moonlight defended. “It’s a little unfair to use it as the standard.”

“Fascinating,” Luna said in awe as she leaned in for a closer examination. “What wonders modern ponies have come up with this last millennium.”

“That’s why we need to buy it,” Thomas continued. “It’s new, so of course it’ll be expensive. But the more people, er, ponies buy them, the greater the demand will be. Over time, they’ll have to adjust the design to make it more affordable. Eventually, this’ll even lead to improvements and an even cheaper design. Really, we can’t afford not to…” Thomas halted in his gushing when he realized the others were staring at him.

“Lover?” Luna began. “Since when did you become an expert in neo-modern economics?”

“Neo-modern?” Thomas asked. “That’s just basic free market forces back where I’m from.”

“Basic?” Moonlight deadpanned. “We learned in secondary school that these theories have only been put into practice for less than a decade.”

“Really? I learned about the laws of supply and demand back in primary school,” Thomas said, trying not to brag.

“Primary school?” Moonlight was flabbergasted. “My teacher spent days just trying to explain the theory, and even then half the class didn’t get it. I’m still not sure if I do.”

“A visiting merchant tried to explain it to me once,” Talon offered. “I don’t think he had any idea either.”

Thomas chuckled in preparation to show off before his friends. “Supply and demand. The suppliers, the businesses, want to sell the product at the highest cost possible. The demanders, or the consumers, want to buy it at the lowest cost possible. Businesses lower their price until they meet the consumers somewhere in the middle and maximum satisfaction is had by all.”

The mares and griffon just blinked.

“I think you just rendered my entire class useless,” Moonlight finally admitted. “I wonder if I get a refund of some sort.”

“So, is this some form of haggling?” Luna asked.

“Not exactly,” Thomas explained. “Prices do vary between regions depending on the demand of that region, but they’re set the same for everyone there. Companies adjust the prices experimentally until they find the one that yields maximum profit.”

Luna hummed. “I take it that humans have been engaging in this practice for some time.”

“Varying degrees of success,” Thomas wobbled his hand. “But for the last century, the free market has pretty much been the single biggest factor in elimination of poverty… or, you know, so I’ve heard. We’ve still got poor people, but there are less and less who starve each year.”

Luna nodded in marvel at what her stallion described. “I do believe it prudent to arrange a meeting with the heads of Canterlot’s trading guilds. But that can come later. For now, why don’t we simply buy the typewriter?”

Thomas was hoping they might press him more for his knowledge on economics after buying the typewriter, but it was for not. Apparently, no one was in the mood for an economics lesson tonight. The human made a mental note to bring this up next time they visited Twilight, hoping against hope that he might stump the walking purple encyclopedia. One last trip to the office supplies store for pencils, paper, and other miscellaneous items, and it looked like the human had everything a writer could need. So why was Talon so jittery? “Something you want to share, Tali?”

“Just thinking it’s finally time for my gift.”

“Oh,” Thomas deadpanned, trying not to sound worried. I guess it makes sense that she’d have a turn too. I just hope it’s not something too… weird. “What’d you have in mind?”

“Oh, you’ll see,” Talon said with a coy smile.

Talon pulled Moonlight aside and they began discussing something under hushed tones. A smile crept on the orange mare’s lips which left Thomas questioning whether he should be worried or not. He looked over at Luna, but she also had a very pleased smile. Is universal female subconsciousness conspiring against me again? The mares’ positioning themselves to either side of him and locking arms while Talon led the way was all the answer Thomas needed. He’d tried asking where they were going, but they just assured him that they didn’t want to spoil the surprise. Good god. It’s a sex shop. I just know it. Wait… then why is Moonlight… No. Even she’s been pretty casual about these kinds of things. I bet a trip to buy sex toys is no different than buying paper clips.

“And here we are,” Talon held out her claw in presentation of the shop they’d arrived at. The sign read ‘Furious Mace’s Armaments’. The exterior was just as intimidating as the name. Suits of armor stood on either side of the door. The left one was white, sleek, and well-polished, the sort one would expect the hero of any fable to wear in their final battle. In contrast, the one on the right was black, bulky, covered in very threating spikes, and all around very villainous. The displays behind the windows were full spears, swords, maces, shields, everything else one would expect to find in a Medieval armory, along with a few things Thomas couldn’t identify.

“The hell is this place?” Thomas blurted. Moonlight must have sensed his anxiety because she pressed herself firmly against his side.

“What’s hell?” Talon asked nonchalantly. “You’ve said it a couple times and I keep meaning to ask.”

“From what he has described, it is the human equivalent of Tartarus,” Luna explained, mirroring Moonlight’s actions, only with bringing her other hand to stroke Thomas’ pony shoulder.

“Human equivalent?” Talon raised an eyebrow in intrigue. “You’re gonna have to tell me about that some time. But for now, I’d like us to move on to the next part of the chimp’s training.”

“Training?” Thomas asked, snapping out of his partially petrified state. “What’s this place got to do with training?”

“Weapons training,” Talon answered eagerly. “It’s about time we got you some gear.”

“But I don’t know how to use a weapon,” Thomas protested as he tested the grips of the mares on his arms. They weren’t budging.

“A mace would probably be too heavy. Even the training ones,” Moonlight said suggestively before looking Thomas over. “What about you… Blue?”

“Personally, I’ve always had a fondness for the spear,” Luna offered. “It’s easily the sexiest of all weapons.”

Thomas glared at Luna, trying not to think about the imagery of the phallic shape being thrust about. “I know what you’re doing.”

“Why, whatever do you mean?” Luna feigned innocence, but her tone made it clear that she knew full well she’d been caught trying to manipulate the human.

“Fine,” Thomas sighed in defeat and the mares practically carried him into the store.

Much to the human’s surprise, the inside wasn’t nearly as threatening as the outside. Sure the lamp holders were sculpted like claws and the walls were adorned with things that looked like they could cut him if he even looked at them too hard, but the isles full of boxes and pleasant looking staff put him more in the mind of a model store. Apparently, all the really dangerous stuff was in the back. Out here, there were pictures of what was on sale, along with replicas made of soft wood and enchanted to give the feel of what the customer might be interested in. Luna explained these enchantments, the same used in training exercises, stopped at the door, meaning no pony could turn a humble stick into a deadly weapon, as per city regulations.

Forget the models. This is more like the gun store my dad took me to once. I’ll bet there’s a practice area in the back too.

“Go on,” Talon encouraged, nudging him forward. “Pick out something that looks good and we can take it out back for some practice swings.”

Damn, I’m good at this. Thomas smirked, but took to the task with somber respect.

The others followed suit as they surveyed the store with great interest. It was then that Thomas realized that all of his companions were warriors. Talon was ex-military and let her gaze linger a bit too long on a sale for throwing knives. Swift Scabbard spoke up, asking Moonlight’s opinion on the reload time promised on the picture of a crossbow. They debated statistics which Thomas couldn’t keep up with, but it was clear that Moonlight knew enough to be confident in her side of the argument, whatever it was. Even Luna smiled with nostalgic fondness as she stepped aside to get a closer look at a suit of armor with her cutie mark for the emblem.

“Ever handled a sword before?” Talon asked as she casually perused the shelves alongside Thomas.

“No,” Thomas said absentmindedly as he inspected a dagger. It had a gold handle shaped like a dragon with the jagged blade coming out of its mouth like a tongue or stream of fire. The whole thing looked more for show than function. “But I shot a gun before.”

“What’s a gun?” Moonlight asked as she set a spear back in its holder.

Thomas recollected himself. “It’s… a weapon humans use,” he hesitated, trying to think of a way to explain the default human weapon. “It’s like a crossbow, but smaller with even smaller projectiles.”

“That doesn’t sound too impressive,” Talon dismissed.

Thomas smirked, deciding not to explain how the gun rendered everything in this store obsolete. He wasn’t an expert, but knew enough of the history to give the weapon its due respect. As he pondered when, or if, he’d ever be able to explain such things to his friends. This train of thought was broken when Thomas set his sights on one of the pictures on the shelves.

“Find something you like?” Talon asked, coming up to his side to see what he was looking at. “A… kat-ana? What’s that?”

“Ah. I see you have an eye for our more exotic items,” said a very excited looking unicorn stallion. He was old, a bit portly, mustard yellow, and had a balding shining black mane. “Yes. My name is Jackpot Lance and this is a katana, a weapon hailing from Neighpan, an island nation from across the sea.”

“How’d you get ahold of something like that?” Talon asked, glancing between Jackpot and the weapon in question. “I hear those guys are pretty isolated.”

“Oh, I have my ways,” Jackpot shrugged proudly. “Anyway, I see your friend here has taken a liking to this fine blade.” He motioned to the pony-looking human still transfixed with the picture. “Perhaps you’d like try it out?”

Thomas nodded and Jackpot got them set up in the back. After donning a set of thin gloves and other coverings in a changing room, Thomas made his way to the back room which looked like a smaller version of the training yard at the castle. Jackpot directed him to one of the unused training circles and handed him a wooden sword. Upon grasping it, the enchantment took effect and resembled a katana.

Thomas tested the weight of the weapon in his hands. It reminded him of the first time he’d held a gun. Both were a lot heavier than he’d expected and the weight seemed to demand respect for the instrument of death he was now holding. This is a thing that can kill. Just one good swing and I can end someone’s life forever. Such a terrifying thought caused him to hesitate. Maybe buying a weapon wasn’t such a good idea after all?

“They say the samurai, warriors who used this brand of sword, are the great heros of their land as they protect their villages from all manner of monsters,” Jackpot explained dramatically in what was obviously an advertisement.

Monsters. The word echoed in the human’s mind. My knowledge of the show might not be 100%, but monsters are definitely coming. Monsters are coming, and I’m weak. I don’t know if I’ll be able to do anything to help, but the least I can is make myself less of a burden. As Thomas made vow, he felt a familiar tingle in his wrists, though much less pronounced than the last time.

“You know,” Jackpot began braggingly. “Across the sea, they actually call this kind of weapon a ‘broken’.”

“I think you mean bokken,” Thomas corrected absentmindedly as he focused on how strangely good the sword felt in his hands.

Jackpot frowned incredulously. “How do you know that?”

“Um… I think I heard someone at the castle talking about weapons once.”

“Who?”

“Sorry,” Thomas shrugged. “I’m terrible with names.”

This seemed to satisfy the aging unicorn and he directed Thomas to take a stance. “Hmm. Not bad.”

“Thanks,” Thomas nodded. After all the anime I’ve watched over the years, at the very least I have to get the stance right. “So, are you going to give me some lessons or something?”

“I’m afraid we just sell the weapons, my good sir,” Jackpot lamented as he continued to examine Thomas’ grip and footing. “While I can get you in touch with a few professional trainers, if you’d like, I’m afraid there aren’t too many who are all that familiar with a katana.”

“Bokken,” Thomas corrected again. “I… I think I want the bokken, actually.”

“Why is that?” Luna asked.

The pony-looking human shot his head to the back of the room where he found an audience, Luna and the others, had been watching him. “How… how long have you guys been there?”

“Since the start,” Talon answered. “I like how you have your left foot out like that. Makes you look ready to charge, but it’s also easy to back up.”

“But why do you only want the wooden sword?” Moonlight asked.

Good question. Why do I want the wooden training sword instead of the metal one? Thomas considered the question as he examined the blade in his hand. The more he concentrated, the more he felt he could see past the enchantment and into the wooden interior. But the more he thought, the more he couldn’t come up with any answer other than ‘it feels right’.

A still disguised Luna stepped forward with a look of understanding. “Does it feel right, Dearest Lover?”

Thomas looked to Luna and back to the sword. “Y-yeah. I… I can’t really explain it, but…”

“Then we shall take this bokken,” Luna stated firmly. “Lady Talon?”

“Fine with me,” Talon shrugged. “It’s for him anyway.”

The purchase was made with Talon directing Jackpot to have the wooden blade shipped to the castle, which surprised the stallion, but he made no further comment as he rung them up. After departing, and after Talon was satisfied with Thomas’ expressions of gratitude, they decided to call it a night and return to the castle.

Just a simple shopping trip, but one that holds implications for the future. Thomas now has a weapon of his own, along with a fancy new typewriter. Hopefully he’ll be getting good mileage out of both. He also learned that his rudimentary knowledge of human economics actually makes him something of an expert in Equestria. Maybe that’ll come into play as well?