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New Beginnings

by Hiver

Chapter 19

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Day 226


THAT PUSHY, NOSEY, WINGED BLUE LONG-LEGGED NARWHAL!

Okay, I'm calm now. I'm calm. And I'd better never let her read that. I still can't believe she did that. She KNEW I didn't want to borrow the bits to have my book published if I couldn't get a publisher to pick it up.

And what happens? I wake up this morning to a knock on my door to have ten first edition books delivered. The rest of the five thousand books are sitting in storage, waiting for my go-ahead to be delivered to the bookstores all around.

I can't believe she did that! She even had a cover made (It's even close to something I would have picked myself)! I don't even know if I should go yell at her or if I should kiss her.

In any case, I better wait a couple of days before I visit the castle next time.

If I go right now I'm pissed enough that I might do both.



Page, Out.



XXXXXXXXXX



“Hey! Page! Wait up!”

What?

I glanced back, spotting a dark blue unicorn cross the street, avoiding an earth pony pulling a cart full of furniture.

“What is it, Swift?” I asked as I stopped.

He gave me a strange look, “Wake up on the wrong side of the bed or something?”

I took a slow breath and then shook my head, “...Sorry. Kind of in a bad mood.”

He raised a eyebrow, “Why, I thought you finally got your book published? I think I saw your book on sale. Or is that by a different Blank Page?”

I had given them the go-ahead to have them shipped to the bookstores. I might not like what she did, but I was not quite stubborn enough to let already printed books sit there and gather dust as I gathered the money to have a new edition printed.

“Didn't realize you could read.”

He snorted, “I might not be a author, but I enjoy the occasional book. Granted, it is mostly military fiction. Not a fan of that fantasy stuff.”

“Not everyone likes everything,” I answered with a shrug. “So what are you up to? Haven't seen you around for a while.”

Swift Spear grinned. “Got into the guard! Today is the first time in weeks they let us have a day off from training.”

I raised an eyebrow at that, “Really?” and started down the street again. “I would have expected you to been drunk of your hooves at a bar somewhere with your training buddies.”

“That comes tonight. We have until tomorrow evening to get back to the barracks. I want some part of this I will actually remember.”

“Figured. So how is training?”

He shrugged. “Tough. They expect us to keep up with Earth Ponies during runs. One lap around Canterlot every morning at five.”

I shuddered at the very idea. Five! That was not in the morning, that was still night!

“Yeah, I'm suddenly very, very glad I didn't try out.”

“Heh, like you would have passed the test with your accuracy.”

“Hey, I wasn't half bad with that staff,” I protested. “Should have made up for my awful accuracy.”

He shrugged as he walked along, “I'm better.”

“Well, I had never used one before. Did not your dad teach you since you managed to lift it?”

Swift chuckled, “Granted, you are not horrible with that in mind. Not good enough to make up for your inability to hit a house from the inside though.”

I just shook my head. Swift was a good guy, but he was cocky as hell. I didn't know much about military training, but I had heard enough about stuff back on Earth; no doubt they would knock that out of him. No doubt that they will work to do the same here.

“So, where are we going?” He continued.

“I normally visit a local cafe around this time for a cup of tea. You are, of course, welcome to join me.”

“Do you know you get a bit more formal when pissed about something?” He asked with a raised eyebrow. “Okay, so what's up?

I shook my head, “Nothing.”

“Mare problems? Not much else gets somepony this riled up.”

I grunted in annoyance, “...In a way I suppose...”

“So who is it?”

“Nopony you know.”

That earned me a thoughtful look, “So it's not Princess Luna then, and there is another Blank Page I've heard rumors around the barracks about?”

I stopped and turned to face him, “Swift, leave it alone. And it's not what you and everyone else think.”

His eyes widened in shock, “Dude! It's true!? You are really bedding the Princes-”

He didn't get any further before I slammed my hoof into his nose, causing him to stumble back onto his arse with a pained yelp.

“Any other comments of a similar nature?” I carefully asked, my eyebrows raised as I put my hoof back down.

Who the fuck was he to talk about Luna that way!?

Swift winced and touched his nose, checking if it was bleeding or broken before he shook his head, “No... I think I'm done,” he finally answered before taking my hoof as I offered it, pulling him back onto all fours. “Sorry, just surprised. I didn't mean it like that. Not often that rumors of that nature turn out to be true, and I didn't expect you to actually hit me.”

“Neither is this one. We are friends, nothing else,” I grumbled and started down the street again, ignoring his opinion of my martial prowess. “Look, I'm sorry for striking you. I overreacted. Come on, let's get some tea.”

“Do they have coffee? Never liked tea,” he asked, touching his nose again as he trotted along.

Heretic. Why am I friends with this guy again?

“It's a cafe, you figure it out.”

Next Chapter: Chapter 20 Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 33 Minutes
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