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As a special treat just to show my appreciation, I am releasing next week's chapter a bit early; I hope you all enjoy it!

I awake the following day, reluctant to leave the warmth of my bed as sleep continues to call me back into her gentle embrace.

The choice of whether or not to lay back down for a while longer is quickly made for me as the cloud hanging outside of my window continues along its course. The golden beams of a bright mid-morning sun are left free to stream into my window and directly through my eyelids. A slight groan issues from my lips as I pull the covers over my head, trying to settle back in for a few long moments before I finally accept defeat and sit up. It’s for the best, anyway. I have an appointment with the mayor soon, and I need to prepare.

First is breakfast. It’s a simple affair, I managed to scrounge some apple slices and a bit of peanut butter from the fridge and pantry. As I use my magic to bring the goods to the table, I smile a little thinking about where the apple came from.

While enjoying the simple offering, my mind begins to wander. Are these ponies obligate herbivores, like back in my world? God, I hope they aren’t. I don’t care how cool magic is, I’m not sure a world without bacon is a world I can survive in for long.

Quickly polishing off my breakfast, I head to the bathroom and clean myself up. I brush my hair to remove tangles before hopping into the shower. The feeling of the hot water cascading down my body makes tension I didn’t even know I was carrying slide right out of my body as I give a satisfied groan. I pay special attention to my mane and tail, giving them additional brushing during my shampoo and conditioner application and rinsing afterward thoroughly. As silly as it may sound, I’m pretty fond of how soft and fluffy they are and intend to keep them that way.

Making a mental note to explore the library later for material on grooming and general self-care, I move back upstairs after using the provided...hair dryer? Furdryer? The hot air blowy thing. After using that, I head back upstairs and put on my collar and bowtie.

I look at myself in the vanity mirror sitting in the corner of the bedroom, striking a few little poses from different angles. I feel good, I smell good, and from what I can tell, I look good. Yep, I’m ready for that appointment!

Sliding my saddlebags over my flanks, I smile again at the thought of where those came from before locking the front door and heading out for the day. The sun is bright and warm, and a few clouds dot the sky, but the view is clear overall. A soft breeze caresses my fur as I trot down the path toward my destination.

Cantering along, I see a few ponies I don't recognize pointing in my direction. They whisper to each other, and when some of them see me looking in their direction, they act as if nothing’s going on and do a piss poor job of it. Are they…are they really pulling the “old avoid eye contact and whisper innocuously” bit?

Hmm, that’s…a bit odd. But I’m not going to let it get me down! Today is a new day. Let people or er…ponies talk if they want to, I have more important things to worry about!

It doesn’t take long for me to get to my destination now that I at least have some ability to decipher the signs around town. About thirty minutes after leaving my house, I find myself outside the town hall. Several homes and businesses surround the tall, circular building in a layout that reminds me of a courtyard, making it hard to miss.

Gathering myself, I take a moment to ensure that my tie is on straight and my breath is acceptable before walking up the stairs and entering. There is a cluttered but organized reception area. Sitting at a desk in the center of this bureaucratic maelstrom is a stallion who looks to be around my age.

His coat is a pleasant khaki, complemented by a darker brown, short-cropped mane. He has a bowtie and collar ensemble of his own, though his tie is dark blue. He also has a pair of thick, almost comical spectacles that make his eyes appear to be a set of spirals like something out of an old, low-budget Asian cartoon.

He looks up from whatever he was doing on his desk prior and issues me a cheerful greeting. “Ah! Good morning, Citizen. Is there anything I can do for you on this fine morning?”

I look down at the nameplate on his desk and squint a bit as I try to recall the correct pronunciation without checking my cheat sheet. “Well, thank you very much, Mister…Tedwall. I’m here for an appointment with the mayor. Is she ready to receive me?”

“It’s Tadwell, actually. And yes, she’ll be waiting for you in her office. Right this way, please.” He says as he reaches towards a small device on his desk and presses a button. “Mayor Mare, Your Ten o’Clock is here., I’m sending him in.”

“Thank you, Tadwell. Yes, send the poor dear in right away!” A female voice rings out, made a bit tinny by the intercom system.

Tadwell smiles a little wider and gestures towards the door. I give him an appreciative nod and walk over, opening it to see myself in.

I don’t know what I was expecting, but the fact that this space is somehow even more cluttered and busy than the reception area does not surprise me even remotely. Stacks of paper surround a more distinguished, almost antique desk. It looks quite lovely. I bet it’s made out of Mahogany, very expensive material.

And sitting at this desk is the Mayor. Her coat is a pale, soft shade of beige, with a mane stripped with shades of grey that, combined with her deep blue eyes behind a set of fashionable glasses, give her an overall dignified appearance. She also has a collar, off of which hangs a teal ruffle, much like you might see hanging off of a noble’s shirt.

She smiles brightly as I enter the room, weaving for me to approach. “Oh! Mister Tint, I’m glad you could make it. Thank you for coming, by the way. Miss Cheerilee has told me good things about you and…less good things about your situation. But don’t worry, that’s why we’re here today. Please, take a seat,” she says as she gestures to a chair opposite her desk. Unlike many chairs that might be in this position, it looked fairly comfortable as opposed to the dinky, fold-out affairs I had seen across the desk of many a bureaucrat back home.

Huh, I like this mare already.

I give a gracious nod and settle into the cushy chair offered to me, giving a soft grunt as I relax into the worn upholstery. “Thank you, Mayor. I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to speak to me.”

“Oh hush, you say that as if making sure the ponies in my town prosper isn't my job.” She says with a playfully dismissive wave of her hoof. “I’m a civil servant like everypony else in the building, dear. I just happen to be wearing the biggest hat.”

I tilt my head slightly at this, a little confused. “But…you aren't wearing a hat?”

She blinks at this, pausing for a moment. She raises a hoof and opens her mouth to offer a retort but seems to think better of it. She lowers her hoof again and grabs a small sheaf of paperwork, looking down at it through her glasses. “Now it says here that you are currently learning how to read, and you do not yet have a cutie mark or know how to perform any sort of magic. Is that correct, Mister Tint?”

“Oh er…well, it probably was when Miss Cheerilee came here yesterday, but I‘ve actually made a fair bit of progress on two of those fronts! I can read and write quite well, just not in the local script, and Miss Cheerilee walked me through the basics yesterday. I can manage well enough, provided I use a reference for translation. I hope to be able to read at a basic level of competency without it within the next few weeks at the longest.

“As for magic, I’m really proud of my progress. I learned my first spell yesterday doing some self-study after Cheerilee had finished tutoring me for the day,” I say with a happy little lilt to my tone as I light my horn and lift one of the inkwells off of her desk before setting it back down again and dousing the spell. “I know it’s nothing too advanced, and I can still only really do one thing at a time right now, but I’m happy with it.”

Relief is evident in her expression as I go through my explanation, her shoulders sagging a bit. “Oh, thank goodness. This is going to make things much simpler.”

“Oh! Cheerilee said something like that when I told her about the literacy bit.” I say with a chuckle, pleased that I have eased her mind somewhat.

“Yes, I’m sure she did. Bless that mare—she’s such a gem…anyway! That makes what Cheerilee has asked me to do for you a bit easier.” The Mayor says as she sets the sheaf of papers down on the desk again, taking a quill in her hoof and starting to write.

I lean in and try to take a peek, but she seems to be using a cursive variant of the basic script I’m being taught. Either that or her handwriting is absolutely godawful. Or it could be both. All three are equally likely, considering her position. “And what exactly was she asking for? I want to be clear that I am not looking for any kind of handout. If there is any work that needs to be done around town that you are authorized to assign me, I will be more than happy to-”

“As a matter of fact, there is! It’s actually what she was asking about.” The mayor says as she continues to scribble. She doesn't look up from her work, speaking to me as the quill only flies across the paper faster. “The Librarian Position has been empty for several years, ever since the last pony moved to Los Pegasus to pursue her acting career.”

I swallow softly, feeling a bit nervous at the prospect. “Wel, that is certainly a lovely sounding option, but I am worried I may be underqualified…”

“Well, yes, I would be inclined to agree. Fortunately, we can fix that.” She says as she looks up from her paperwork again with a slight grin. “Cheerilee has asked me to hire you as an assistant librarian working under her for the time being. You will be allowed to live in the Golden Oaks Library free of charge and given a competitive monthly salary. Throughout your time in Ponyville, Cheerilee will continue to tutor you on everything you need to know, from basic literacy to Alphebetization to utilizing the Dewdrop Decimal System and performing accurate recordkeeping on which books are and are not currently available, reserved, checked out, lost, overdue, damaged, or on lend to other institutions. Once you have completed this training period, you will be promoted to being the full-time librarian at Ponyville and given a raise. Does that sound amicable to you?”

“Well, uh, I mean agsjazhgdagjhfd-yes. Yes, that sounds very nice, actually!” I say, excitement quickly creeping into my tone once I get over how utterly flabbergasted I am by the very generous offer being presented to me. I reach over the desk, firmly grasping the mayor's front hoof in both mine. I shake it fervently before, and for some reason that eludes my conscious reasoning, I plant a kiss on the back of it as if she is a noblewo-er…noble mare.

She gives a small, amused chuckle at this, the barest hint of a blush creeping along her cheeks as she gently pushes my hooves away. “Now, there’s no call for all of that, Mister Tint. I’m simply doing my job. Not that I don’t appreciate how…eager you are to show your appreciation. But the best way to do that is by being a good colt and doing your job well. Can you do that for me?

Between my already budding embarrassment and being asked if I can be a Good Boy by an older mare, I silently thank the heavens that my coat hides a blush so well. I sit back and sheepishly place my hooves in my lap, my tail resting over my hind legs. “I er…y-yes, I can do that for you, Mayor Mare. Thank you.”

“Excellent!” she says as she pushes some of the papers she had been writing on towards me. “Take these, please. This is a writ of service rendered addressed to the owners of the local spa center. I want you to head over there and let them take care of you this afternoon. You seem to be doing an acceptable job of looking after your appearance, but If you’re going to become the new face of one of our public facilities, I want you looking your best for your first day on the job.” She smiles a bit wider at me as she says this, there’s something in her expression I’m not quite sure about… “it’s not far from here, just hang a left and head straight down and you’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“I…huh, I guess that makes sense?” I say, a bit confused, but not displeased. After how stressful yesterday was, getting pampered does sound kind of nice. I take the writ and slip it into my saddlebag, nodding my understanding. “Alright, I can do that. Is there anything else you needed from me today, Mrs. Mayor?”

“Miss Mare will do fine, and no. There’s nothing I need from you today…” she says as she brings a hoof to her chin and rubs it for a moment with a small smirk before waving me off. “Hmmmm…but yes, you’re fine to head out. Make sure to get to the spa promptly. That writ is only good for today, mind you.”

“Oh! Well, I guess I didn’t have much planned for today besides studying and job hunting, so I can certainly see to that right away. Have a good day, Mayor!” I say quickly as I slip out of the chair and start trotting my way out her door again.

“Have a good day, Mister Tint. I’m expecting good things from you, don’t go disappointing me now!”

Tadwell gives me an oddly…sympathetic look as I make my way out of the office. I shrug it off and start walking toward the spa, humming softly and trotting off. I’m honestly looking forward to a bit of R and R, I wonder what kind of spa treatments ponies get…