It’s been about two and a half weeks since the Canterlot trip, and things have been going well, aside from me not really having much to do. I’ve tried on all seven of the athletic outfits Rarity made for me, and they all fit me quite well. The only one I didn’t really like was a psychedelic pastel pink and baby blue one (blegh). The shoes she made for me also changed colors a bit to go with the outfit I had on. It was a cool trick.

In that time, the feeling of something missing has gotten stronger, especially during meals. I don’t know what it is, but nopony in Ponyville has it. The only way I’ve found to get it to go away is by running. I’ve been wearing mostly just the athletic outfits recently, all of which bare my midriff. Even though I don’t sweat or overheat during my runs, they’re just easier to wear for the purpose than the normal t-shirt and jeans. That, and I’ve started taking a liking to them.

Today, I was out running around Ponyville again, wearing the caution stripe set (my favorite one). The nagging feeling was stronger than ever, an easy claim to make when it gets stronger every day, and I had just worked it out of my system when I was joined by none other than Rainbow Dash. “Hey Yang” Rainbow greeted as she lazily flew by me.

“Hi Rainbow” I greeted back without breaking pace. “What brings you to this part of Ponyville?”

“I just thought I’d join my friend for a bit. Are all humans as fast as you?”

“No, I’m superhuman. I think I can run a mile in 3 minutes, maybe less since I’ve been running daily.”

“Depends on how many timberwolves are chasing you?”

“Maybe.”

“Of course. Oh, would you like to meet a friend of mine? I’ve told her a bit about you already. She’s a griffon.”

“Sure thing.”

“Sweet! Oh, Yang, watch out for that-” I was so quickly taken into my thoughts about griffons that I missed a turn and ran into something. “-tree. Yang, are you alright?”

I began to comically peel away from the tree face first. “In a minute or two.” I finally flopped onto my back and caught a bit of breath. I wasn’t drained from my run, but more the surprise that came from running into a tree. I looked over my chest and saw the impression I left. Based on what I saw, and considering how I peeled away from the tree, my body was in really great shape. The area where my chest hit was the deepest part of the impression, which didn’t really surprise me. “Are my clothes damaged?”

Rainbow looked over my clothes for a bit. “No, they’re not.”

“That’s good. Less work for Rarity. So, your griffon friend?”

Rainbow offered a hoof to help me up, and I took it. “Her name’s Gilda. We went to flight camp together. The first time she came to Ponyville, it didn’t exactly go well. She’s lightened up since then.”

“Lead the way.”

“Try to keep up with me” Rainbow said before taking off back the way we had come from. I took a moment to get back up to speed and followed her. After jumping over a calm river and dashing into the whitetail woods, Rainbow came to a stop in a fairly empty park.

“Over here, Rainbow” the griffon, presumably Gilda, called out from the base of a tree. We made our way over to her.

“There you are. Gilda, this is Yang. Yang, this is Gilda.” Gilda stood up as we approached her. Her eyes were almost level with mine. I guess I wouldn’t have much reason to look down on her, nor would she have much reason to look up to me. At least physically.

“So you’re Dash’s newest friend? I’ll be honest, you don’t look all that powerful.”

“Gilda!”

“She’s not wrong” I said. “You don’t exactly see a lot of visible muscle on my slim body, right?” There was something in the air. Something that smelled delicious. And I wanted it.

“Well, if you don’t mind, I guess I won’t either.”

“Besides, I doubt I’d win a test of strength against her” Gilda said.

“You’re probably right.” I began sniffing the air, trying to find the source of the scent. It seemed like it was coming from Gilda’s direction. Maybe it was something in one of her saddlebags?

“Uh, Yang, are you okay?” Rainbow asked. “You don’t usually sniff the air like that.”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” The scent was stronger on Gilda’s left side. If I could tell that, the scent had to be close. It had to be in one of her bags. Specifically, the left one. I moved closer to it.

“What are you doing?” Gilda asked as she backed away from me.

“I smell something good.”

“In there? That’s just my travel snacks. I doubt you’d want them.”

“Can I at least see them?”

Gilda looked at Rainbow. Both shrugged at each other. “Fine. But don’t blame me if it makes you feel sick.”

“I can probably take it.” It didn’t smell like there was any grass or flowers in it. Speaking of which, I really needed to find a new toothpaste flavor. After the Chineighse food incident, I’ve been having trouble brushing my teeth without feeling a bit sick.

“If you say so.” When Gilda pulled out a paper bag, the scent grew stronger. It was just too much for me to handle. Before she could open it, I leapt forward and snagged it right out of her talons. “Hey!”

“This isn’t normal” Rainbow noted, concern clear in her voice.

I was about to open the bag when Gilda grabbed my wrist. “That’s mine.”

“Not for long” I said before removing her talon from my wrist with my other hand. It didn’t take long for it to turn into a high speed grabbing duel. If we weren’t removing the other’s hand/talon from our wrists, we were holding the bag. It got to the point where our arms were just a blur and the bag looked like it was floating on its own in the middle of it.

A hoof smashing into my head and Gilda’s stopped us and Rainbow grabbed the bag with a forehoof before it could hit the ground. “Both of you, cut it out! Yang, what’s gotten into you? You’re usually not this aggressive.”

I managed to slow my mind down a bit to come up with an answer. “I’ve been having, oh what’s the word? Ahh, cravings! I’ve been craving something that nobody in Ponyville has, and whatever’s in there is probably what I want.”

“Gilda, what’s in here? I’m no good at telling your snacks apart from each other by smell.”

“A bacon wrapped steak” Gilda said. “Cooked medium and preserved for travel.”

“THAT’S IT!” I shouted. I leapt towards the bag, but Rainbow was faster. She took it up to a low hanging cloud that was just above us. “GET BACK HERE, RAINBOW! I WANT THAT MEAT!”

“No, Yang” Rainbow said. “This is Gilda’s.”

“I’VE BEEN SUFFERING THESE CRAVINGS FOR WEEKS! NOW GET DOWN HERE WITH IT BEFORE I FIND A WAY TO GET YOU DOWN!”

“Just do what she says, Rainbow” Gilda said. “I’ve seen this happen to griffons who don’t get any or enough meat for a week. When was the last time you had any meat, Yang?”

“I think a month and a half ago, or so?. It was before I came here.” And in a different body.

“Give her the bag, Rainbow.”

“What? Why?”

“I’ve got a friend back home who’s into the human thing, and he believes that if there’s an obstacle in front of a human, they will find a way past it or through it.” She’s not wrong. “If you don’t give her the bag, who knows what she might do to you?”

“Lyra’s obsessed with humans and she’s never said anything about this at any of her open air lectures on them.” That sounded like something to go to.

“JUST DROP IT, RAINBOW!” Gilda and I shouted at the same time.

“Okay, okay! But I’m staying up here.” Rainbow tossed the bag in our direction. I caught it and Gilda didn’t stop me.

With my goal in hand, I leapt up into a tree, where I opened the bag and saw a steak wholly wrapped in woven bacon inside. “It’s beautiful. . .”. Without any silverware or a plate, I did the next best thing and simply grabbed it. I took a moment to admire the woven bacon wrapping before tearing into it.

I relaxed with bliss as I chewed on the meat. How could I have forgotten about this? The juices, the grease, the bacon, everything went together perfectly. Especially the bacon. For all I cared right now, Tirek could come back and take over the world. I had a very nice steak. There was even a hint of barbecue flavoring in it.

“Look at that, Rainbow” Gilda said. “She’s peaceful and content now.”

“I had no idea Yang could eat meat. She never said anything.”

“Hey, Yang! Do humans usually go crazy like you did when they go without meat?”

I swallowed the bit of delicious steak and bacon I had in my mouth and considered the question. “I don’t know. We had so much of it and other foods available that it wasn’t really anything that came up where I’m from. But I would say that the people that choose to go without meat are kind of crazy. I met one girl back home who eschewed animal products altogether, including milk, butter, eggs, cheese, and more. She said we already knew each other, but I’d never met her before.”

“What do you call those who don’t eat meat?”

“Vegetarians. Depending on how far gone they are, they may also be called vegans or even hippies. Hey, where are you from, Gilda?”

“Griffonstone, capital of the Griffon Empire. It’s a whole three day’s flight away from here for me.”

“Is that the fastest way?”

“Yeah. The trains here weave through the landscape to get to Horseshoe Bay and the boats to cross the sea are also slow. It’s about 1000 air miles total.”

“Hm.” 1000 miles wasn’t much of a problem back home, since we had planes that could go coast to coast in around six hours and that was well over 1000 miles. Over 300 miles in a day under one’s own wing power was something else though. Not having my own wings, I could only call it impressive. Whether it actually was, I don’t know. I took another bite of the bacon wrapped steak and chewed on an idea that was forming in my mind.

“So, meat, huh?” Rainbow asked as she finally came down from her cloud and landed next to Gilda.

“The stuff’s pretty good” Gilda said. “Especially the steaks from Griffonian cattle. You should try some, Dash.”

I encountered a bit of gristle on the steak. Normally, I’d just spit it out, but not this time. I think my jaw muscles and teeth were also enhanced when I was brought here, since I was able to chew the tougher gristle up with no problem. I took a moment to take in the revelation, then went back to the more important steak. I was definitely going to have to wash my hands from all the juices running down them. And the gloves on the Ember Celica would have to be washed too. Somehow, nothing dripped onto my chest.

Finally, the time came where I had the last bacon and beef bite. “That was good” I said to nobody in particular.

“I’m glad you liked it” Gilda said. “You mind if I’m honest for a moment?”

“Go ahead.” I jumped down from the tree to be closer to eye level with Gilda. Everything seemed a bit clearer now that the craving was fulfilled.

“Since you were living with ponies, I thought you would have been the type to wuss out around meat. Most ponies and Equestrian citizens do.”

“Rainbow didn’t.” I decided to lick my fingers clean. More bacon flavored goodness for me.

“I’ve been around Gilda enough that it doesn’t affect me” Rainbow pointed out. “Fluttershy’s not really bothered by it either, since lots of her animal friends are carnivorous, though she does shy away from most griffons.”

That made sense. A moment later, two ideas clicked in my mind. “Hey, Rainbow? Could you do a couple small favors for me?”

“Sure. What’s up?”

“Can you have Twilight go through the books she got from Sunset on human biology and see if there’s anything about human diets in them? And can you see if Applejack still has the leftover materials from when I helped her build a barn?”

“Of course. Now?”

“If you don’t mind.”

“I’ll be back.” Rainbow took off at high speed, leaving a rainbow contrail in her wake.

“You got rid of her for a reason, didn’t you?” Gilda asked. She was sharp.

“Yep.” I put an arm around Gilda rather awkwardly and pulled her close. “What if we open a restaurant in Ponyville with griffons in mind? A restaurant that serves meat.”

Gilda stood up a bit to put a foreleg across my shoulders. “While I like the idea, how are we going to get griffons to come? It’s a long trip, and I took the fast way here.”

“We make it so good, they’ll want to come anyways. And when they want to come, there will be those who take advantage of that to come up with faster travel methods. This one restaurant could make faster trains happen.”

“I see what you’re saying. Hey, what if we come up with the faster trains too?”

“Then we could make more money off of that too. But let’s stick to the restaurant first.”

“Fiiine. What would we call it? The name should be something related to meat, but not super obvious. It would freak ponies out.”

Crepes came to mind as an example. The place and the food. “In a land of vegetarians, it would be a haven for carnivores. An eden.”

“Eden?”

“Mythological garden of paradise where humanity supposedly came from, according to some religions. What about Carne Den?”

“That sounds good. Griffons like dens. You’ll hardly find a house in the Griffon Empire without one somewhere in it.”

And it’s a pun. “Better and better. Hey, do you think Rainbow would be able to find us if we go into town and start looking at spots to build it?”

“A tall blonde human and a griffon larger than the average pony? I doubt she’d be able to miss us.”

“Good point. To Ponyville!” As we walked out of the woods, and after rinsing my hands and gauntlets in a stream, Gilda and I talked a bit more about the Carne Den idea, mainly the issue of supplies, especially beef. Equestrian cattle apparently had a degree of sapience while Griffonian cattle did not, but if Griffonian cattle were brought over here, they would start gaining sapience. The running theory on why that happens is magic, and I am willing to believe that theory. Pigs and chickens weren’t affected the same way though, so that could be an option. I just needed a supplier.

Among the locations Gilda and I considered were a spot only a short distance from the boutique, a big empty space in the market, and, jokingly, right up against Twilight’s castle. None of the spots sounded bad at all.

“There you guys are!” Rainbow said as we were walking past a store called Sofas and Quills. I wonder what they sold? “I’ve been looking all over Whitetail Woods for you!”

“Sorry, Dash” Gilda said. “We just couldn’t stay still.”

“So, what did you find, Rainbow?” I asked.

“Neither of Twilight’s books on humans mentioned anything about what humans eat, and Applejack still has that huge amount of construction material sitting around in the new barn. She really needs to get it out of there for an upcoming harvest.”

“That’s perfect! Hey, Rainbow, if you were to make a restaurant down here in Ponyville, where would you put it?”

“Close to Sugarcube Corner. Are you thinking of making a restaurant?”

“We are thinking about it” Gilda answered. “Would you be willing to help us?”

“Sure. After all, friends help friends, right?”

“Ya want to build something with the leftover supplies, Yang?” Applejack asked.

“Yep” I confirmed. “I’ve considered a few locations in town already.”

“What’re ya building?”

“A restaurant. It feels right to me for some reason.”

“A new place to eat in town? Please tell me it’s not going to be one of those fancy schmancy places where the food and plate weighs less than the bits you pay for it with.”

I put on a fancy accent for my answer. “The elites and nobles who dine at the establishments you have described would most certainly be repulsed by this eatery.”

Gilda got in on it too. “All the portions served shall be hearty and quite filling. The atmosphere there will be a very relaxed one, except for the kitchen.”

“The atmosphere in the kitchen would smell quite delicious.”

“Only because of all the good food being prepared there.”

“Exactly, my dearest cohort.” With a breath, I switched back to my normal voice. “So, will you help us, Applejack?”

“Sure” Applejack answered. “Ah’ll even help move the materials there. In fact, Ah’m so glad that they’ll be gone that you can have them for free.”

“Whoo! Thanks.”

“No problem, Sugarcube. Oh, go talk to Mayor Mare about it too. She knows all the rules and stuff for building in town. Twi would know the rules for restaurants.”

“Right.” Accursed legal stuff! It probably wasn’t as bad here as it was back on Earth, but still. At least it was easily accessible. “I’ll be sure to check with them.”

“Good luck, Yang.”

“Thanks. I’ll see you whenever I next see you.” I turned to Gilda and Rainbow as we left Applejack. “You two can go do whatever you want while I take care of the boring stuff.”

“Really?” Gilda asked.

“Yeah. Besides, I’ve still got some energy to burn, so I have to run or something.”

“Think you’ll be done in an hour?”

“Two at the most.”

“Cool” Rainbow said. “Gilda, let’s see if today is the day we prank Discord.”

“Sounds fun” Gilda answered. “If I don’t see you later Yang, well, it’s been fun meeting you.”

“It has been fun” I agreed. “See you later, Gilda.” After waving off my winged friends, I turned towards Ponyville and began my run towards town hall. Today was going quite well. I felt like there was nothing that could bring me down.

“A half hour wait?” I asked the secretary at the town hall.

“Approximately, Ms. Xiao Long” the receptionist said. “The pony who’s with her now just went in to talk with her. The mayor also works a bit differently than the princesses. She chooses who she sees instead of having a queue. She gives everypony fifteen minutes to talk with her, then she does some of her own work for another fifteen. If you’re lucky, she’ll choose to see you next.”

I sighed. “Alright then. I guess I’ll just take a seat and wait.”

“As long as you aren’t being disruptive, you can actually do whatever you want.”

Anything, huh? I still had a good amount of energy to burn off, so I couldn’t really sit down. I wonder if I can do pushups until the mayor comes out?

“Come on, Yang” a waiting stallion who decided to become my coach said from in front of me. “Ten more. You can do it. 250 is within your grasp.” He’d been counting since I told him I was on number 32.

“No” I said. “No more.” I was feeling the burn in my body, especially in my arms. I wasn’t doing the girl pushups from the knees, but normal ones from the feet. It was how I learned to do it back on Earth, and it was how I did it here.

“Come on. 250 is a good goal. It’s halfway between 200 and 300. If you won’t believe in yourself to do those ten pushups, then believe in everypony who believes in you. Name ten ponies who you believe in, and do one pushup for each of them. Say their name at the top of each pushup.”

That sounded good. Alright then, time to get ten more out. I planted my hands, took a breath, and pushed myself up. “Rarity.” That’s one. “Twilight.” Two. “Rainbow.” Three. The burn was already back. “Applejack.” Four. “Fluttershy.” Five. Halfway there. “Fancy.” Six. “Fleur.” Seven.“Uh, Sweetie Belle.” Eight. I had to finish this now. “Celestia.” Nine. “Luna.” Ten. I let my arms give out and I collapsed to the floor. I didn’t even care that I landed on my breasts. I was just glad it was over.

“250 pushups?” Mayor Mare asked from beside me. “How long have you been here?”

“She showed up just seconds after you accepted Colgate” the secretary answered.

“Really? Well, I guess I’ll accept Yang next. She’s earned it. It also looks like she’s almost ready to go to sleep right there on the floor.”

She wasn’t wrong. With some effort, I stood up, a few joints popping in the process. “Thanks, Mayor.”

“Follow me.” Mayor Mare went through a door, and I followed her. On the other side was an office. At her signal, I closed the door behind me before we sat down on opposite sides of her desk. I actually felt underdressed for this meeting, even though the mayor was wearing fewer clothes than me. “So, how can I help you, Miss Xiao Long?”

“I want to build a restaurant in town.”

“That’s it? No favors or anything?”

“Yeah. I just need to know where I can build it and what kind of codes there are.”

“If you want to build something in town, you need to pick out a plot of land and have a certified local surveyor with you. You must also have at least eight feet of space between your building and any neighboring buildings. The tents, carts, and wagons that ponies use around here to sell their goods don’t count as buildings since they can be moved easily enough and are open to everypony.”

“So, the main limitation is just giving other buildings their own space?”

“Pretty much. As long as you do that, make sure the construction is solid, and don’t build in the way of the roads, you’re good to go. You can make it look however you want. You could even make it look like a castle that Sombra would make.”

I wasn’t even going to ask who that was, but this Sombra sounded evil. “So, that’s the rules for building around here? Anything goes as long as it’s durable and respectful of space?”

“You got it. Is there anything else you’d like to ask me or talk about in your remaining twelve minutes?”

“Where can I find a surveyor?”

“Would you believe that Pinkie Pie is one?”

Considering everything I’ve seen her do and the feats I’ve heard about, I was only slightly surprised. “Are there any others?”

“Aside from Twilight, there’s a couple in the construction company here, but you’d probably have to pay them more than you would Twilight or Pinkie.”

“I see. Thanks for your time.”

“No problem, Miss Xiao Long. Oh, before you go, can I ask you a question?”

“Go ahead.” Please don’t be a tough question.

“Can I be the first customer at your restaurant?”

Easy question. “Only if you get there first. Have a good day, Mare Mayor.”

“You too, Miss Xiao Long.”

As I left, I smiled to myself. Not only were the rules here really simple, but I also flipped the mayor’s title and name around and she didn’t even notice. Time to walk to Twilight’s castle.

After enduring the insane, maddening, mind wrecking, and absurdly crazy long line consisting of absolutely nobody, I got to see Twilight. “Hi, Twilight.”

“Hello, Yang” Twilight said. “It looks like you’ve been working out.”

“Yeah, I’ve had a lot of energy to burn, lately. Rarity made a few of these for me and they’ve been my main outfits for a couple weeks now. This one’s my favorite.”

“The urge to move. I can understand that.” I’ll let her believe that that was my reason. “So, how can I help you?”

“Restaurant and building codes.”

“Really? Well, if that’s all, you can take the answer with you. Third bookshelf, second shelf, around the middle.”

“I thought you’d have the codes memorized.”

“I do, but I don’t think you’d remember all of them if I told them to you.”

“Good point. What’s the book called?”

“‘Building Codes and You: The Unabridged Collection’. It’s a little thick.”

“Thanks. I heard you’re a certified surveyor or something?”

“Indeed. I took the certification test for fun when I was six and I passed it with flying colors. I even did better than some of the trained ponies there. Some of them probably still bear a grudge against me for that.”

“Wow. So, would you be willing to be the surveyor for my restaurant? I’d rather not ask Pinkie.”

“Sure. Just pick a spot and, wait, Pinkie’s a certified surveyor?”

“That’s what Mayor Mare said.”

Twilight was quiet for a moment. “I don’t even know why I’m surprised. Why don’t you want her to survey the area? She’d probably have more insight than I would, since you’re making a restaurant.”

“She’s too crazy for me.”

“Ah. Well, good luck in your endeavor.”

“Thanks.” I went back out into the waiting area and hunted down the book I needed. It took a bit to figure out which one it was, since I haven’t really been reading much while I’ve been busy exercising off the cravings. I could really go for another bacon wrapped steak. That thing was delicious.

As I left the castle, I cracked open the book and looked at the table of contents. The first few chapters covered general building requirements while the rest of the chapters covered just about every kind of building’s unique requirements and suggestions. Restaurants, theaters, apparel stores, storage units, everything. I’d need a bookmark or three for this tome.

“Hey, Yang!” I heard Gilda call out. I looked up from the fire safety stuff I was reading and looked around, finding her in front of me, looking like she’d just come out of the shower. She was soaked everywhere.

“Gilda? What happened?” I asked. “And why do you smell like a strawberry banana milkshake?” Now I wanted a strawberry banana milkshake with the bacon wrapped steak.

“We didn’t get Discord this time. He cleaned us the same way Rarity washes clothes. Literally. Washboard and all. There were teal suds everywhere, and they just kept growing on us. We had to jump in a stream to get them all off. Rainbow’s already dried off and is getting some stuff to help me get dry.”

“Ah. Well, I’ve been busy with my stuff. I found out what we needed.”

“And that would be?”

“As long as there’s plenty of space between our restaurant and whatever’s next to it, we can build wherever we want. As for how it has to be built, that’s another matter entirely. I’m still reading up on it.”

“Guidelines? Pfft. We’ll just build it how we want.”

“No, we’ll follow the guidelines. We’ll still build it how we want, but the guidelines are there for a reason.”

“Oh alright. Hey, do you know how much material Applejack has that we can use?”

“Enough for a couple barns. Come to think of it, we might actually have a supply problem.”

“What, are you thinking really big?”

“No. We might have too much material. I want to use it all. I guess we could make some furniture out of it too if we had to.”

“Yeah. Hey, where are we going to get the money for this? I don’t exactly have a lot of money available”

“And I have no income.”

“Why not ask Celestia or Luna? From what Dash’s told me, they like you, so they might back you.”

“Yeah, but they’re basically government, and I don’t like asking for tax money. I could ask Fancy and Fleur. They like me and they would invest their own money. I’d have to go to Canterlot though.” I shuddered at the memory of my fans swarming me.

“Maybe you could ask them to come here?” Rainbow suggested as she landed and tossed Gilda a large fluffy towel. Rainbow looked a tad fluffed herself. “All you need is the right address, the right postage, and a bit of patience. The two ponies at the post office can help with the address and postage. They seem to always know every address, even the more obscure ones or the ones in other countries. You can even just give them just a name and they’ll figure it out in a minute.”

Interesting. “That’s a good idea. I’ll be sure to stop by there soon.”

“Hey, be sure to send me a letter at some point” Gilda said. “If we’re going to do this thing, we have to stay in contact.”

“I’ll be sure to do that. I think I’ll head back to Rarity’s now. I may need to practice my handwriting a bit before sending out any letters.” Saying it out loud made it sound really sad.

“Riiight. You go do that. See ya, Yang.”

“Bye.” I left the feathered friends and began my walk to Rarity’s.

“Hello, and welcome to Carousel, oh, hello Yang” Rarity greeted as I went into the boutique. “You’re back earlier than usual. Did something happen?”

“I met Rainbow’s friend Gilda” I said as I got myself a glass of water. “Also, I figured something out thanks to her.”

“Does it have something to do with how antsy you’ve been lately? You seem much more relaxed than usual.”

“Yeah. Turns out I somehow forgot about meat and meat products.”

“Meat?” Rarity looked a tad green. Better not press the matter.

“Yeah. Anyways, I’ve got a letter to write. I just hope my handwriting is passable.” I downed my glass of water, went upstairs, relieved myself in the bathroom, and went into my room. I sat down at the desk and pulled out a pencil and paper. I also pulled out my cheat sheet for letter conversion.

After a bit of thought, I began my letter. I spoke each part under my breath before writing it out.

Dear Fancy and Fleur,

It’s me, your friend Yang. I hope you’ve been doing well since we last met. I can only imagine the praise you two might be getting from the public for your bills. As for me, I’ve had an epiphany. You see, I’ve been missing something from my meals, and I’ve been having cravings. Though I didn’t know what it was for, I knew that nobody in Ponyville had it. Then, just today, Rainbow Dash introduced me to her friend Gilda and I realized what I was missing: meat.

Gilda and I became friends pretty quickly over that, and we decided to try and make a restaurant here in Ponyville that serves meat. Writing this out, I truly realize that I don’t have much of an idea how to build this restaurant. To the point, I would like your help with this project of ours. We need money to help make this happen, and I am loathe to ask for it from Celestia, Luna, or Twilight, since their money would come from taxes, and I don’t want support from tax money. That would be like asking everyone to support something they know nothing about or don’t like. I don’t know how much we’ll need, but I hope you can help us out.

If you know any professional contractors who can help us out, that would be even more helpful. Gilda and I could build it on our own, but I don’t know how well we would do. I already have Twilight on board as a surveyor to look over wherever we choose to build, Applejack providing a lot of building materials, and Rainbow Dash willing to help out.

If you’d like to talk about it with me more, feel free to come visit Carousel Boutique. If I’m not there, I’m probably running around Ponyville. I mean that literally. I’ve been running around the perimeter of the town for a couple weeks. My route is counterclockwise, so if you want to meet me, just go clockwise and we’ll eventually meet.

I’ve got enough bits that I can buy the three of us a small meal or snack in town. I look forward to your visit, if you do decide to visit.

Sincerely, Yang Xiao Long.

I set the pencil down and quickly worked out a developing cramp in my hand. Once it was gone, I looked over the letter. Compared to the letters on the cheat sheet, my Equestrian writing was rough, but at least it was legible. Roughness of my writing aside, it looked good to me, and now all I needed to do was take it to the post office.

I neatly folded up the letter, grabbed my bit bag, and went downstairs. “I’m heading back out, Rarity.”

“Alright” Rarity said. “Oh, Yang, if you don’t mind me saying, you look really good in those athletic outfits. Better than I imagined, even.”

“Thanks. They also do what they need to do really well. I also like how they feel. And the shoes have been holding up to all the running really well.”

“Well, they are only my first attempt at shoes like that. Oh, speaking of shoes for you, I’ve been working on a waterproof pair for you. There’s going to be a big storm next Thursday afternoon, and if you’re going to run in the rain, you’re going to need different shoes to keep your feet dry.”

Something perplexed me. “Do you wear rain shoes or something similar when you go out in the rain?”

“Oh, no. Most ponies don’t wear anything on their hooves in the rain, and I’m no exception to that. You, on the other hoof, wear shoes to protect your feet from the elements because of how soft they are.” She wasn’t wrong. “I’d like you to try them after I finish them. I should have them done for you before Wednesday.”

“Thanks. I’m heading to the post office and then making another lap or two around the town.” I’d probably be done sooner than normal today.

“Before you go-” Rarity pulled out an envelope from a desk and floated it over to me. “-Would you be so kind as to take that to the post office? It’s an order for more fabrics and materials.”

“Sure.” I snagged Rarity’s envelope and left the boutique. I walked the distance to town because it wasn’t far, and I didn’t exactly remember where the post office was, so I didn’t want to go past it.

The post office was actually pretty easy to locate, thanks to the big envelope over the entrance. And they were open too. I went inside and was hit with the smell of muffins. “Hello, Yang” the pegasus mare on the other side of the counter greeted. Her gray coat and blonde mane and tail were kind of dull, which contrasted a lot of this world’s bright and bold colors, but more distinctive were her misaligned gold eyes.

“Hello, Derpy” I greeted in return. I really wondered if that was her actual name or a just nickname everyone used. “I’ve got mail.”

“Really? I haven’t seen anything come in with your name on it.”

“No, I’ve got mail to send out. One thing from Rarity and one letter from me.” I set Rarity’s envelope and my letter on the counter between us.

“Oh. Let’s see. Rarity’s has the right postage. A bit more than she actually needs, but that’s fine. And yours needs an envelope and postage.”

“I heard you can figure out any address anywhere, so I’ll need that service for mine.”

“Of course. Doctor, we need you!”

“On my way!” a british sounding stallion’s voice called out from the back. The stallion, an earth pony with a light brown coat and a darker brown mane and tail, came up. “Hello, Miss Xiao Long. To whom are you sending your letter?”

“Fancy Pants and Fleur Dee Lis in Canterlot” I answered.

“Derpy will help you figure out the postage. I’ll get you your addressed envelope.” The stallion went into the back and I could swear I heard something like a car driving with the parking brake on for a moment.

“How quickly do you want your letter to arrive?” Derpy asked.

“Just the regular speed will do.”

“Three bits.”

I opened my coin pouch and fished out three coins. While I was doing that, the sound came back and the Doctor returned with an empty envelope, complete with Fancy and Fleur’s address and a return address of Carousel Boutique with my name on there. Derpy put my letter in the envelope and put it in a stack of outgoing mail. I gave her my three bits and we were done.

With my business in town taken care of, I went back to the boutique, jumped up into my room, put my bit bag in its proper place, then went back to my course. On the way, I decided to jog the laps instead of running them. If I happened to go back to running, oh well.

Author's Notes:

I've had this event planned to happen for a few months now. The first idea was Yang realizing it herself during supper with Rarity, but I didn't like that as much as Yang rediscovering it by meeting with Gilda.

I have plans for the Carne Den, so please bear with the wait. [/forced_line]