//------------------------------// // Spoon Quest! // Story: Too short to post. Too good to forget. // by alt-tap //------------------------------// [normalish] [psychedelic adventure] [happy] [romantic ending] (^That needs to be a real tag.) (Reading by Duplex Fields) "So long, Davenport. Have a nice day." Rarity said, waving her hoof in farewell before bringing her list of the day in front of her and checking off 'three dozen quills'. "Okay, I have the quills, the milk, horn polish, new pillows... Spoons? Why do we need spoons?" She starred in confusion for a few seconds, wondering if she perhaps misread it, but eventually gave up. "Oh well, spoons it is." She trotted through the town with Spike's red wagon in tow full of all the somewhat random things Twilight had asked her to get, spirits higher then usual. Am I actually getting used to all this? she wondered, magically adjusting the childish hair clips in her entirely-to-short mane so it would grow back at the right angle for her favorite manestyle as she passed the construction sight that would eventually be her new boutique. Well, I got used to Pinky in less then a month so I guess its not that strange. "Hi, Miss Rarity!" the head construction worker hollered in his not quite foreign accent from what would be the roof of the building. "Good morning, Bob." She replied, stopping mostly just to be polite. "How is the construction coming?" "I'll have it up in no time, ma'am," he assured her with a completely friendly totally non flirtatious smile. "My name is Bob the builder after all." "Ha ha, so it is," she laughed. I wonder if hes gay? I should ask him out to tea some time after all this is over as thanks. "Thank you gain for your hard work, by the way; it does mean a lot to me." "De nada, Rarity," he replied in his strange, mad-up language. "It's no problem," He clarified, returning to his work. "By," Rarity said, resuming her shopping trip and adjusting the hairband in her tail. At least i managed to get my coat back to the right color. All things in time a guess. "Good morning, Daisy," she called to her friend as she entered the market square. "Your roses look marvelous today." "Thanks, Rarity. I see your mane is growing back nicely," she replied with a friendly smile. "I like the clips, they're cute." "Yes, well, thank you," Rarity replied, brushing her hair back with a hoof, embarrassed to be complemented on waring her little sister's accessories. "Oh! Can I get a bouquet of eleven dark pink roses, pleas?" she asked, walking over to Daisy's rose cart. "I want to thank Twilight for her hospitality." "That sounds like a lovely idea!" Daisy gushed, clapping her hooves together and doing that sparkly eyes thing. "If I recall, eleven roses is six bits, yes?" Rarity queried, fetching her purse. "Oh, don't worry about it, Rarity," Daisy said, waving a hoof dismissively. "It's on the house today." "Are you sure?" Rarity asked, taking the proffered roses in her magic tentatively. "Of course!" Daisy insisted. "You're my friend, and you're having an extraordinarily hard time. I want to do everything I can to help brighten up your day!" she asserted with a smile. Rarity couldn't help but smile at her friends enthusiasm. "Well it is certainly working. Thank you, Daisy. I'll treat you to lunch or something once I'm back on my hooves," she offered before waving goodby and continuing on her way "Have a nice day!" "You to, Rarity." Rarity made her way to Copper Pot's Kitchen Wares, parked the cart by the steps and walked in. The door chime announced her entrance and gave Rarity a moment of nostalgia for her old shop. Oh, how i miss that sound, she thought to herself. Welcome to the Carousel Boutique, where everythi- She was cut off by an excited, and obnoxiously loud, greeting. She had apparently closed her eyes at some point and they snapped open. "Rrarrity, darrling! So verry nice to see you!" Copper Pot hollered in his rustic, northern accent that Rarity so loved to hear, emerging from behind one of the many shining, brass and copper displays in the somewhat cramped showroom. "What can I do forr you today? My daughterr hasn't been giving Sweetie Bell a harrd time has she?" "Oh, no no. Little Silver Spoon even offered to share lunch with her yesterday," Rarity assured him. "She has been surprisingly friendly of late." Copper laughed a deep rumbling laugh. "She's prrobably lonely with Diamond out of town with herr fatherr," he suggested. "So, did you come all the way herre just to chat, orr do you need something?" "As much as I love talking to you, I am actually here to get something," she retrieved the shopping list and scanned to the relevant line. "I need... fourteen spoons. They're for twilight if you know if she likes any particular stile." "Spoons ey." He looked down and rubbed his head with a hoof. "I'm afrraid I'm out, sorry." "Well darn. Do you know of anywhere else i could get them?" Rarity inquired, a little puzzled. "Well, you could trry Anvilight's forrge down by the rriverr," Copper suggested. "That's wherre i get most of my materrials." "That's the house with the waterwheel isn't it?" she asked rhetorically. "I'll go see if she can help me out. Thank you ever so much for the advice, Copper," she said, turning to leave. "It was nice talking with you, ta ta." "I will see you latterr, Rrarrity!" Copper called, never one to allow anypony else to get the last word. Rarity hopped down the steps with a song in her heart. Everypony in town was so friendly. How could she have actually wanted to live in Canterlot? It was a nice place to visit or vacation, but Ponyvill would always be her home. It was still before noon so Rarity felt no need to hurry. She walked through the town at a relaxed pace, chatting with nearly every pony she passed along the way. I wonder if this is how Pinky feels all the time? Maybe I should make a habit of this. Eventually she came to the house by the river. It was a large structure, a bit larger then the average house in town and had a third story on top. The waterwheel turned at a sedate but steady pace. The wood was worn but well maintained. smoke and steam rose from a large covered area off to the side containing the forge. The proprietress, however, was nowhere to be seen. Rarity approached the building cautiously. something about it seemed eery, not quite dangerous, but just a bit off. It's no worse then Zecora's, she reminded herself, and she is quite neighborly. Mustering her courage, she stepped up unto the porch and knocked soundly on the door. A few moments passed uneventfully. "Is anypony home?" Rarity called from the porch, looking around. A nearby hill lit up in the sunlight in a most pleasing way and the wind made waves in the grasses of the meadow that was the front yard. Looking out from the house there was no eeriness at all, just serenity. A brief sound of splashing brought her back to earth. a pony emerged from around the side of the house. She was an earth pony, slender but with obvious, toned muscles. her wet, green coat shimmered in the sunlight and water dripped from her, much darker, silky smooth mane which was draped across one side of her face and hung nearly to her knees. Her tail dragged on the ground behind her, it reminded Rarity of Fluttershy's, but dark, dark green rather then pink. her eyes were a striking shade of golden yellow and had a wisdom behind them that didn't seem to fit her youthful face. "Hello," she said, brushing her mane behind her ear. her voice was smooth and light as a summer breeze and Rarity felt drawn in just by the single word. "Did you need something forged?" It took Rarity a good ten seconds or so to remember why she had come down here in the first place. Snapping back into reality she shook the fuzziness out of her head and managed to speak. "O-oh, um, yes. Yes I do," she stammered. "I need... Oh, what was it?" She tapped her horn with a hoof, trying to remember. "It's okay, take your time," the green pony said, lying down in the sun and closing her eyes. Rarity took the strangers advice and took a moment to center herself, closing her eyes and breathing deeply. Finally feeling clear headed she opened her eyes and looked up. The other pony was lying on her side looking at her with a whimsical smile, her luxurious mane and tail spread out on the grass to dry. "Spoons!" Rarity remembered, suddenly standing tall. "Yes, spoons. Ponyvill seems to be suffering from some kind of spoon shortage. Copper Pot, the kitchen wares seller, suggested I come ask Anvilight since I cant find any in town." she recounted. "Am I safe to assume that you are she?" "Spoons?" The other mare inquired lazily from her spot on the grass. "Oh, what a curious town this is." She rolled onto her back, sprawling her legs lazily. She closed her eyes and licked her lips before opening them again to look at Rarity upside down. "Aye, I am the light of the forge; craftsmare and smithy. And you are?" Rarity was taken aback. Had she really forgotten to introduce herself? "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, where are my manners. I am Rarity, the, ahem, former proprietress of the Carousel Boutique, up in Ponyvill." "Oh, yer the one!" Anvilight said, rolling to her hooves and standing up. Rarity was, again, stunned by her beauty and gracefulness. "I heard what happened, sad story that. Breezies can be hard to handle, tis true. Especially the young ones." "B-breezies?" Rarity repeated. "You mean like from those old bedtime stories my great grandam would use to frighten me when I was a foal?" she asked, taking a step forward. "You're not suggesting such creatures actually exist, are you?" "Suggestin..." Anvilight nearly whispered, giving Rarity a squinty look. "Ponies don't know..." "I'm terribly sorry, am I missing something," Rarity asked. she was starting to get that eery feeling again and raised a foreleg reflexively. "An awful lot I'm afraid," Anvilight said, walking up onto the porch and opening the door. "Come in. I've much to tell, and it's all important." She led Rarity through the house to a sitting room overlooking the river. "Would you like some tea? Changing a life with not but stories can take quite a time." "Excuse me, Miss Anvilight, but what do you mean by 'changing a life?" Rarity inquired, watching her host trot into what could be assumed to be the kitchen, unease gripping her gut. "The kettle is on," Anvilight informed her as she returned and took a seat on a couch and gestured to another. "Please, have a seat, and consider what you wast to drink. I recommend something soothing," she adjusted herself and tossed her hair over the back of the couch. "Oh, and just call me Anny. I don't much enjoy formality." Rarity cautiously settled into the offered couch, trying to stay calm. "So what is this all about?" she asked nervously. "It seems you've run afoul of your neighbors without even known they were there," Anny said, her muzzle raised in amusement and licking her lips again. "And what neighbors do you mean, exactly?" Rarity asked, still rather nervous. "I like to think I'm in very good standing with my neighbors." "All in good time, lass." Anny said, waving a hoof to dissuade and further interruption. "First, what tea would you like?" Rarity couldn't help but notice that, wile her hostess's coat had dried, her mane and tail still dripped with river water. the water fell through the tiny cracks between the floorboards and she could just make out the sound of the droplets striking the surface of the river. She snapped out of her daze, realizing she had been rudely staring again. "I'm terribly sorry. I would like..." she trailed off as she realized there was a steaming cup of tea sitting on a table just in front of the couch she occupied. "Oh." She floated the tea to her muzzle with her magic. It smelled of sweet cottonwood and pine with a hint of peat smoke. Tentatively, she took a dainty, lady like sip. The taste was like nothing she had ever experienced, she would perhaps describe the taste as that of a nap in the deepest corner of the serenest forest, or a the gentle summer breeze full of the smells of all the flowers in the Westmarelands. Her mind began to clear immediately, as if the tea were caffeinated but without the energy boost that would have brought. "Oh, oh my," she gasped, her breath condensing into clouds despite the warm, summer air. She could feel a warm tingling spreading through her body. The tea was infused with some kind of magic, similar to the stress relief tea she had been getting from Zecora since the fire, but much, much stronger. Anvilight smiled and took a sip of her own tea. "Enjoying your tea?" "Quite," Rarity said breathlessly, lifting her gaze to the strange, green mare across from her. On the way from teacup to pony her eyes discovered a multitude of things she had previously missed. The couch upon which the wet pony lay was completely dry, the water simply rolling off and onto the floor. the book shelves were double thick, a second layer of tomes hidden behind the first. swirls of arcane mist floated between her horn and the cup. She took another sip and the warm tingle redoubled. she could see ghostly swirls lifting from Avilingh's head, brown and yellow and green, the colors of the earth. Within the swirls were impressions, ideas. Oh, my stars! those are her thoughts! "Are you ready to listen, Miss Rarity?" Pay close attention, Anvilight said and thought, clearly aware of the effect the tea was having on Rarity. "We will begin with a story you may be familiar with," The Pegasus and the Changeling. "Okay," Rarity replied weekly, having difficulty speaking with all the new sensations this tea was forcing into her head. She proceed to recount numerous stories and fables, and even a ballad, that Rarity's great grandam loved to tell her when she was young, but when this pony told them they felt different, some words were switched and the emphasis were moved. What Rarity knew as a story of a pegasus bedazzled by a manipulative and malicious changing became a tragic story of lovers spurned by overprotective parents, what was a terrifying tail of an evil pooka destroying a village became a mournful fable of a war spawned by discrimination, and the ballad of night terrors abducting foals that made Rarity unable to sleep as a foal became a heartwarming story of Luna building a secret paradise under a mountain for foals during the last pony war so they could know something other then suffering. After the thirteenth story and seventh cup of tea Rarity realized the sun was nearly on the horizon. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry," Rarity said, not realizing the room had been quiet for the better part of five minutes. "I have to get back home; Twilight will be worried sick." "I understand," I was done anyway, Anny agreed politely. "One more thing before you go, though." The real reason you're here, She called out the window in a strange language Rarity couldn't place and a tiny, blue coated, butterfly winged pony flew in and alighted in the coffee table. "This is Bitterlight," My good friend from the south, she said, gesturing to the adorable little creature. "She's the breezy you found yourself at odds with." Tantrum. "O-oh. I-it's, ah, it's a plesure to meet you, Bitterlight," Rarity fumbled with her words for a moment. "I am Rarity, though I suppose you likely knew that already." Her great granny always described them as ugly and evil little monsters, but the creature, no, the pony that stood before her on the table was beautiful and wore an expression of shame, like a foal who knew she was about to be reprimanded by her parents. The breezy fluttered her glassy wings and stared at her tiny hooves. "Um, hi," She's so big, she squeaked, reminding Rarity of her first encounter with Fluttershy. "I'm sorry about your house." "Well, I suppose the first thing I need to ask is why," Rarity asked, trying to be as nonthreatening as she could. "Why did you do, what ever it was you did that started the fire?" The little Butterfly pony shuffled her hooves for a moment and glanced back at Anvilight before mustering the courage to continue. "Well, you stole my favorite ruby out of my tree." Rarity took another sip of tea before speaking. "Hm, I cant exactly give it back now. Everything in my house was destroyed." She paused to take another sip of tea. "Although I would say I came out much the worse in this particular exchange." "How about this," I'm getting hungry Anvilight interjected. "You can forgive Bitterlight for her overreaction and she will grant you a miracle, does that sound fair?" Dang, I'm out of tea again. Bitterlight looked up at the wet maned mare behind her and rarity watched as a thought drifted around her head. I can use miracles to apologies? "What sorts of miracles?" Rarity inquired with interest, raising an eyebrow and taking another sip of tea. ***** Rarity awoke slowly. Celestia's morning sun warmed her back and she hummed contentedly, snuggling closer to the pillow between her forelegs. The pillow mumbled and snuggled closer to her in return. It took Rarity a good twenty seconds to realize that pillows are not meant to mumble and snuggle closer to you or produce their own heat. Not to mention that her last memory was of speaking to an imaginary fairy pony and a pony whose mane seemed to never dry. She opened her eyes and gasped. Spike lay curled up in her legs, entirely alive and murmuring little nothings in his sleep. Rarity watched as shards of dream lazily faded around his head and he awoke. Spike yawned and stretched. Rarity sat up and deposited him in her lap, cradling him on her hind legs and hugging him. Tears of joy trickled down he face and dripped off of her muzzle. Finally Spike blearily opened his eyes. "Mh, morning Twi-" He stopped, noticing a distinct color difference from what he was expecting. He looked into her eyes and Rarity saw every thought in his head, every memory he had, and, more then anything, she saw the deep, endless sea of love he had for only her. "Rarity?" Am I dreaming? he whispered as he tried to proses the situation. The fire flashed through his mind, the mad dash through a collapsing building dodging heavy beams falling from the sealing and leaping over wholes in the floor, giving in to his baser self to tear a wall clean off so he could rescue his beloved Rarity. "What..." Wasn't I dead? The hospital flashed into his mind, images of burnt flesh and smoking scales, the entire staff scrambling to save a national hero, and then the kiss. "It's okay, Spike," Rarity whispered to him. "Deep breaths, that's right." Rarity held her tiny prince close, basking in the warmth of his dragon fire and stroking his head. "How would you like to go have breakfast together, hmm?" "OTTOMAN!" Twilight shouted at the top of her lungs as she attempted to leap out of bed. Unfortunately she had been sleeping upside down and become thoroughly entangled in the blanket before flailing her way off the bed with a thunk. "Ow." "Twilight," Pinky wined, "why did you steel the covers?" I already gave you back your spoons. "Huh, I guess burning my house down was worth more then one miracle." Rarity said, entirely done with being surprised about things.