Okay, HUGE thanks to @ask-ember-quill for the cutie mark adopt and @kajeaynart for designing my new baby off of it!
I know it’s late at night but I finally finished this and just- hhhhhhhhh, this is Oddity, the cutest, and most unlucky pony around. He’s a good boy who is just trying his best despite how often he gets himself into crazy shenanigans and how the universe just seems to use him as a running gag. He loves his cat, Mr. Tickles, though his allergies can get in the way of that, and no one told him that black cats are unlucky so shhhhhhhhhhh
Sorry I’m just ridiculously happy with how this came out and how wonderful he is wheeze, so enjoy!
((This was my half of a trade with @ask-ember-quill!))
*knock knock*
The sound Cordial Quill had been waiting for all morning finally came.
“Coming, dear!” The feather quill held aloft by her magic just moments ago fell gently to her desk as her attention turned to the front door. Climbing gingerly out of her chair, Cordial couldn’t wait to reach it; instead, she grasped the handle with that same magic and eagerly pulled it open.
“Hi, Grandma!”
On her doorstep stood a familiar pink pony - her granddaughter, Ember Quill.
“Come in, come in!” Cordial adjusted her glasses, smiling as Ember trotted up to give her a hug. “Always such a treat to see you, dear. How are classes going?”
“Better than I expected, honestly.” Ember fiddled briefly with her bangs as she spoke. “I usually try to avoid taking classes in the spring semester, but it was the only way to avoid graduating half a year late. I’m so glad to have some time off work, too…”
Cordial nodded. “Why don’t you make yourself comfortable while I put on some tea?”
*******
“So…” Cordial Quill paused for a sip of her tea, smiling pleasantly across the table as Ember Quill took a hefty bite out of a shortbread cookie. “I don’t remember hearing that you’re seeing anypony right now…”
Ember Quill rolled her eyes as she finished chewing. “Grandma, if I was dating somepony, I promise you’d have heard about it by now.”
“Oh, is that so?” Though Cordial’s expression hadn’t actually changed, something about her smile felt… different. “Good, good…”
Ember quirked an eyebrow. “Wait, that’s… huh?”
Cordial leaned forward in her seat. “Why, dear Ember, I do believe I have a lovely surprise for you!”
Ember glanced over her shoulder nervously as though looking for an escape route. “Uhh… I’m not sure I like where this is going.”
“I met the sweetest young mare while I was at the market the other day,” Cordial explained. “I happened to mention I had a granddaughter about her age who would be in town soon, and she was delighted to hear all about you! She said she can’t wait to meet you.”
“Grandma, you didn’t…” Ember brought her hoof to her temple as though struck by a sudden headache. “Don’t you remember what happened the last time you tried to set me up on a blind date? That ink stain refused to wash out of my fur! I had to wait for it to finish shedding. Everypony kept asking embarassing questions…”
“Oh come now, dear,” Cordial insisted before taking another sip of tea. “What excitement is there in life without taking a few risks?”
Ember sighed. “Excitement that makes me want to hide in my room for a week is excitement I can do without.”
Cordial’s pleasant smile finally faded. “Oh, very well… I hope the poor thing doesn’t wait out there for too long, then.”
“Huh?” Ember blinked. “Wait, you don’t mean…”
Cordial adjusted her glasses. “You remember Sugarcube Corner, the sweets shop? I told her you’d meet her there this afternoon so you two could bond over a nice cherry phosphate.”
“Oh, geez…” Ember emitted a frustrated groan as she glanced at the clock. “That means she’s probably there now. Well, I guess at the very least I can show up, even if it’s just to explain…”
“Ember, dear…” Cordial watched as Ember climbed out of her seat. “If you’re going to go meet her anyway, why not at least give her a chance? She might just be that special somepony you’ve been waiting for.”
Ember hesitated. She doubted this, certainly; her grandmother’s track record of finding decent dates for her was far from stellar. Still, she found herself letting the idea dance in her head for a moment.
“I… guess I’ll think about it,” Ember finally admitted; Cordial’s tone had left her feeling a little guilty, although she couldn’t quite put her hoof on why. “Thanks for the tea, Grandma. I’ll see you later.”
Cordial waved her farewell as the front door opened with the blue glow of Ember’s magic, then closed gently behind her.
*******
Ember Quill soon found herself mulling over the previous conversation as she trotted her way over to the sweets shop.
Her grandma always meant well, and she knew that… but she wished that didn’t have to involve being quite so meddlesome all the time. It wasn’t even that she wasn’t interested, either; she just wanted to be consulted beforehand instead of getting abruptly shoved into awkward situations like this. Was that really so much to ask? Granted, she supposed it probably wouldn’t hurt anything to give this random pony an honest chance, but -
“Oh my goodness, THERE you are! I was really, really hoping you’d show up!”
It was only at this interruption that Ember realized she’d arrived, but what demanded her attention rather more readily was the strange pony standing in front of her. Noticeably shorter than Ember, she was gray all over, with black-and-white mane and tail both neatly braided. This wasn’t what made her seem odd, of course; the bell collar and cat-ear headband managed that all by themselves.
“My name’s Paw Pad, nya~” The strange pony beamed, her tail swishing happily back and forth. “You must be Ember Quill, right?”
Still taken aback by her date’s rather unconventional appearance, it took Ember several seconds to form a coherent response. “Uh… yes?”
Paw Pad blinked. “Are you not sure?”
“Uh…” Ember shook her head in an attempt to get her stalling brain to re-engage. “No… I mean, yes! Yeah, that’s me.” She punctuated this with as pleasant a smile as she could manage under the circumstances.
“Oh, good! It’s so nice to meet you, nya~” As Paw Pad hopped forward, Ember expected her to reach up for a hug… but instead, she veered to one side at the last second, brushing against Ember as she went and emitting a bizarrely accurate purring sound along the way.
“…”
Paw Pad seemed to misinterpret Ember’s complete lack of reaction for something other than the discomfort and confusion it really was and marched up the front steps of the sweets shop. “Okay! Let’s get something to eat. I can smell something tasty baking, and it’s making me sooo hungry…”
Ember took a deep breath and let it out slowly. At the very least, it was fairly unlikely that this would be any worse than the ink incident, right? That thought in mind, she followed Paw Pad into the shop.
*******
The two ponies soon found themselves on opposite sides of a small table. In front of each sat a tall, gently fizzing cherry phosphate, but Paw Pad had also procured a rather large pastry… and a small bowl.
Ember Quill quirked an eyebrow. “So what’s the bowl for?”
Paw Pad grinned knowingly. “It’s for my drink! What else?”
“Your… drink?” Ember pointed her hoof at the beverage in question. “But… it’s already in a glass.”
“I know…” Paw Pad’s smile faded. “They never ask me if I want it in a bowl instead. It’s so weird.”
“But why would you…” Ember began, but soon realized she was about to get her answer either way.
Paw Pad slowly poured as much of her drink into the bowl as would fit, then set the glass back down… and began lapping the drink out of the bowl with her tongue. Ember Quill cringed as she watched, glancing nervously out the nearby window to make sure no one else could see.
“Mmm!” Paw Pad spent a moment licking excess drips of the drink from her lips. “So good, nya~”
“So, um, Paw Pad…” Ember racked her brain for whatever conversation topic she could think of that might lessen the aura of awkwardness surrounding them. “What do you do, exactly?”
Paw Pad tilted her head for a moment, then smiled. “I’m a kitty! I do kitty things. I play with yarn, I chase birds, I take naps…”
Ember closed her eyes briefly and let out a quiet sigh before continuing. “No, no. I mean, what do you do for a living? Do you have a job? Are you a student?”
Paw Pad blinked. “You silly! Kitties don’t need jobs.” With that, she lifted her pastry and took a bite, making happy noises as she chewed.
Ember opened her mouth to inquire further, but thought better of it before any words came out; she genuinely couldn’t tell whether Paw Pad was simply being evasive or somehow actually believed that roleplaying as a cat was her special talent, and it was looking increasingly likely that she would never know for certain.
*******
As the two ponies descended the front steps of the sweets shop once again, Paw Pad paused to lick at a spot on her foreleg for several seconds before smiling back up at Ember. “So what do you want to do now?”
Ember hesitated, breaking eye contact just long enough to gather her thoughts. “Listen, Paw Pad…”
Paw Pad tilted her head. “Nya~?”
“…Right, um.” Ember scratched her head for a moment. “I had a… nice time today, but I kind of need to get going. I’m only in town for a couple of days so I can visit family while I’m off work, see, so…”
“Oh, of course!” Paw Pad’s tail swished back and forth. “I had fun too! Maybe I’ll see you around sometime? You know where to find me!”
As a matter of fact, Ember hadn’t any idea how she might go about finding Paw Pad again, if for whatever reason she meant to do so, but she saw no reason to bring this up. “Right, of course! I’ll see you later then.”
At this, Paw Pad took a step forward, her face suddenly inches from Ember’s. As she leaned forward, Ember’s heart skipped a beat; was she seriously going for a - ?
lick
Apparently satisfied, Paw Pad spun around, trotted over to a nearby flower shop, curled up beneath the windowsill, and promptly fell asleep.
“…”
Ember Quill settled for breathing a sigh of relief and turning back toward Cordial Quill’s house. Her grandma needed to know that when Ember said she liked cats, this really wasn’t what she meant!
The sound Cordial Quill had been waiting for all morning finally came.
"Coming, dear!" The feather quill held aloft by her magic just moments ago fell gently to her desk as her attention turned to the front door. Climbing gingerly out of her chair, Cordial couldn't wait to reach it; instead, she grasped the handle with that same magic and eagerly pulled it open.
"Hi, Grandma!"
On her doorstep stood a familiar pink pony - her granddaughter, Ember Quill.
"Come in, come in!" Cordial adjusted her glasses, smiling as Ember trotted up to give her a hug. "Always such a treat to see you, dear. How are classes going?"
"Better than I expected, honestly." Ember fiddled briefly with her bangs as she spoke. "I usually try to avoid taking classes in the spring semester, but it was the only way to avoid graduating half a year late. I'm so glad to have some time off work, too..."
Cordial nodded. "Why don't you make yourself comfortable while I put on some tea?"
*******
"So..." Cordial Quill paused for a sip of her tea, smiling pleasantly across the table as Ember Quill took a hefty bite out of a shortbread cookie. "I don't remember hearing that you're seeing anypony right now..."
Ember Quill rolled her eyes as she finished chewing. "Grandma, if I was dating somepony, I promise you'd have heard about it by now."
"Oh, is that so?" Though Cordial's expression hadn't actually changed, something about her smile felt... different. "Good, good..."
Ember quirked an eyebrow. "Wait, that's... huh?"
Cordial leaned forward in her seat. "Why, dear Ember, I do believe I have a lovely surprise for you!"
Ember glanced over her shoulder nervously as though looking for an escape route. "Uhh... I'm not sure I like where this is going."
"I met the sweetest young mare while I was at the market the other day," Cordial explained. "I happened to mention I had a granddaughter about her age who would be in town soon, and she was delighted to hear all about you! She said she can't wait to meet you."
"Grandma, you didn't..." Ember brought her hoof to her temple as though struck by a sudden headache. "Don't you remember what happened the last time you tried to set me up on a blind date? That ink stain refused to wash out of my fur! I had to wait for it to finish shedding. Everypony kept asking embarassing questions..."
"Oh come now, dear," Cordial insisted before taking another sip of tea. "What excitement is there in life without taking a few risks?"
Ember sighed. "Excitement that makes me want to hide in my room for a week is excitement I can do without."
Cordial's pleasant smile finally faded. "Oh, very well... I hope the poor thing doesn't wait out there for too long, then."
"Huh?" Ember blinked. "Wait, you don't mean..."
Cordial adjusted her glasses. "You remember Sugarcube Corner, the sweets shop? I told her you'd meet her there this afternoon so you two could bond over a nice cherry phosphate."
"Oh, geez..." Ember emitted a frustrated groan as she glanced at the clock. "That means she's probably there now. Well, I guess at the very least I can show up, even if it's just to explain..."
"Ember, dear..." Cordial watched as Ember climbed out of her seat. "If you're going to go meet her anyway, why not at least give her a chance? She might just be that special somepony you've been waiting for."
Ember hesitated. She doubted this, certainly; her grandmother's track record of finding decent dates for her was far from stellar. Still, she found herself letting the idea dance in her head for a moment.
"I... guess I'll think about it," Ember finally admitted; Cordial's tone had left her feeling a little guilty, although she couldn't quite put her hoof on why. "Thanks for the tea, Grandma. I'll see you later."
Cordial waved her farewell as the front door opened with the blue glow of Ember's magic, then closed gently behind her.
*******
Ember Quill soon found herself mulling over the previous conversation as she trotted her way over to the sweets shop.
Her grandma always meant well, and she knew that... but she wished that didn't have to involve being quite so meddlesome all the time. It wasn't even that she wasn't interested, either; she just wanted to be consulted beforehand instead of getting abruptly shoved into awkward situations like this. Was that really so much to ask? Granted, she supposed it probably wouldn't hurt anything to give this random pony an honest chance, but -
"Oh my goodness, THERE you are! I was really, really hoping you'd show up!"
It was only at this interruption that Ember realized she'd arrived, but what demanded her attention rather more readily was the strange pony standing in front of her. Noticeably shorter than Ember, she was gray all over, with black-and-white mane and tail both neatly braided. This wasn't what made her seem odd, of course; the bell collar and cat-ear headband managed that all by themselves.
"My name's Paw Pad, nya~" The strange pony beamed, her tail swishing happily back and forth. "You must be Ember Quill, right?"
Still taken aback by her date's rather unconventional appearance, it took Ember several seconds to form a coherent response. "Uh... yes?"
Paw Pad blinked. "Are you not sure?"
"Uh..." Ember shook her head in an attempt to get her stalling brain to re-engage. "No... I mean, yes! Yeah, that's me." She punctuated this with as pleasant a smile as she could manage under the circumstances.
"Oh, good! It's so nice to meet you, nya~" As Paw Pad hopped forward, Ember expected her to reach up for a hug... but instead, she veered to one side at the last second, brushing against Ember as she went and emitting a bizarrely accurate purring sound along the way.
“...”
Paw Pad seemed to misinterpret Ember's complete lack of reaction for something other than the discomfort and confusion it really was and marched up the front steps of the sweets shop. "Okay! Let's get something to eat. I can smell something tasty baking, and it's making me sooo hungry..."
Ember took a deep breath and let it out slowly. At the very least, it was fairly unlikely that this would be any worse than the ink incident, right? That thought in mind, she followed Paw Pad into the shop.
*******
The two ponies soon found themselves on opposite sides of a small table. In front of each sat a tall, gently fizzing cherry phosphate, but Paw Pad had also procured a rather large pastry... and a small bowl.
Ember Quill quirked an eyebrow. "So what's the bowl for?"
Paw Pad grinned knowingly. "It's for my drink! What else?"
"Your... drink?" Ember pointed her hoof at the beverage in question. "But... it's already in a glass."
"I know..." Paw Pad's smile faded. "They never ask me if I want it in a bowl instead. It's so weird."
"But why would you..." Ember began, but soon realized she was about to get her answer either way.
Paw Pad slowly poured as much of her drink into the bowl as would fit, then set the glass back down... and began lapping the drink out of the bowl with her tongue. Ember Quill cringed as she watched, glancing nervously out the nearby window to make sure no one else could see.
"Mmm!" Paw Pad spent a moment licking excess drips of the drink from her lips. "So good, nya~"
"So, um, Paw Pad..." Ember racked her brain for whatever conversation topic she could think of that might lessen the aura of awkwardness surrounding them. "What do you do, exactly?"
Paw Pad tilted her head for a moment, then smiled. "I'm a kitty! I do kitty things. I play with yarn, I chase birds, I take naps..."
Ember closed her eyes briefly and let out a quiet sigh before continuing. "No, no. I mean, what do you do for a living? Do you have a job? Are you a student?"
Paw Pad blinked. "You silly! Kitties don't need jobs." With that, she lifted her pastry and took a bite, making happy noises as she chewed.
Ember opened her mouth to inquire further, but thought better of it before any words came out; she genuinely couldn't tell whether Paw Pad was simply being evasive or somehow actually believed that roleplaying as a cat was her special talent, and it was looking increasingly likely that she would never know for certain.
*******
As the two ponies descended the front steps of the sweets shop once again, Paw Pad paused to lick at a spot on her foreleg for several seconds before smiling back up at Ember. "So what do you want to do now?"
Ember hesitated, breaking eye contact just long enough to gather her thoughts. "Listen, Paw Pad..."
Paw Pad tilted her head. "Nya~?"
"...Right, um." Ember scratched her head for a moment. "I had a... nice time today, but I kind of need to get going. I'm only in town for a couple of days so I can visit family while I'm off work, see, so..."
"Oh, of course!" Paw Pad's tail swished back and forth. "I had fun too! Maybe I'll see you around sometime? You know where to find me!"
As a matter of fact, Ember hadn't any idea how she might go about finding Paw Pad again, if for whatever reason she meant to do so, but she saw no reason to bring this up. "Right, of course! I'll see you later then."
At this, Paw Pad took a step forward, her face suddenly inches from Ember's. As she leaned forward, Ember's heart skipped a beat; was she seriously going for a - ?
lick
Apparently satisfied, Paw Pad spun around, trotted over to a nearby flower shop, curled up beneath the windowsill, and promptly fell asleep.
“...”
Ember Quill settled for breathing a sigh of relief and turning back toward Cordial Quill's house. Her grandma needed to know that when Ember said she liked cats, this really wasn’t what she meant!
