//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 - That wasn’t what I expected... // Story: Sweetie Belle and the Tablet of Knowledge // by CheshireTwilight //------------------------------// Evening, the day prior to Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie’s arrival into Appleloosa. “Waa!” three fillies cried as they suddenly found themselves in the air. Luckily for them, the fall was short lived and two meters down they landed on the dirt road in a big heap. “Oww …,” they all said as they struggled to get up, climbing over each other in a vain attempt to compose themselves. When they finally started to get their bearings, they found themselves in the middle of a growing crowd of ponies. “Where are we?” Scootaloo asked, feeling very sick and struggling to keep her breakfast down. “I don’t … ,” Sweetie Belle trailed off. ‘Where did you send us Tablet?’ Sweetie Belle thought. *Due to the stress and need for action in the situation, Rule 3 was overridden. As such, we are now in the town square of-* “Applebloom?” a male voice said from beyond the crowd. “That voice … ,” Apple Bloom said, turning to face the sound, the stallion came into view. “Is that you, cousin?” “Well Ah’ll be … Apple Bloom it is you!” A golden pony came into view now. “T-t-that can’t be … isn’t this like the worst place we could have landed?“ Sweetie Belle asserted. “Hey Apple Bloom who is this pony?” Scootaloo asked her friend, now finding herself the most ignorant of the situation. “Ah, well. See, this here pony is ma cousin-” "Hey there, little fillies! Allow me ta introduce ma-self. The name’s Braeburn!” The excitable golden earth pony stallion walked up and vigorously shook the forehooves of each of the fillies, stopping for an extra quick hug for his cousin. “Let me be the first that introduce ya! Welcome to AAAAAAA-pple-LOO-sa!” “You have got to be kidding me!” Sweetie Belle cried. This did not seem to phase Braeburn in the slightest. “And here's the most wonderful sight in all of... A-a-a-pplelooosa! Our apple orchard,” Braeburn said, finishing up his town-wide tour. As he said ‘apple orchard’ his voice oozed with pride and it looked like he was about to shed it in liquid form. The three fillies had long since stopped attempting to talk to the determined pony. Applebloom, however, sensed a pause and tried to get him to stop this nonsense tour … again. “Braeburn!” she said, annoyance dripping from the word . “We had ta fight ta keep it y’know?” “Braebu–” “Good thing too!” “Brae–” “'Cause we got some great buffalo friends out of the deal!” “Braeburn!” Apple Bloom yelled now. “Uh, yes, cuz?” The stallion asked innocently, tilting his head to one side. “Huh, have you ever had sense of déjà-” “That’s nice and all,” Apple Bloom said, indifferent to Braeburn’s continued rambling. “The town’s nice too and all but we aren’t staying ta visit. We got ta get ta-!” Sweetie Belle cut her off with a well timed hoof. “We can’t talk about that,” Sweetie Belle whispered. “Ya can’t stay? Now that right there is a awful shame,” Braeburn sympathised. “I’ll tell ya what. Why don’t ya come along with me back ta the house and Ah can get y'all a bite ta eat! Then ya can tell me all about why y'all are here.” Sweetie Belle froze. “Sure, why not?” she got out. Thinking desperately, she blurted out. “On an unrelated note, what time would the next train to Los Pegasus leave?” “Los Pegasus? Ah think that’s the six o’clock train every evening. Actually, there it is now.” He pointed back to town where a train was in fact leaving at that very moment. Sweetie Belle looked on in shock. “Did ya need ta go somewhere? All you had to do was ask,” Braeburn ended with a guilty look. “B-but your tour … the town … uraagghhh!!!” They had just missed their train listening to Braeburn. Sweetie Belle gave a screech that would have made Gilda blush and smacked her head against the hard-packed dirt. She immediately regretted doing so as a tingling pain shot through her horn. “Ouch,” Braeburn, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo flinched. Sweetie fought back tears in her eyes, “N-n-no, we didn’t n-need that train anyway. W-why would we want to go to L-Los Pegasus … ?” “Then why did ya-” “No rea- … I mean, n-no reason.” “Well alright,” Braeburn shrugged. “We all got ta get our frustrations out somehow, Ah guess. Maybe ya got that one mixed up with the four o’clock ta Manehatten or the train comin’ inta town from Ponyville bright and early tomorrow?” Braeburn nudged the fillies back towards town. “Forgetting all that, though, we better get goin’ before y'all get hungry!” Those last words caused an embarrassing growl in the their stomachs, and the fillies blushed slightly. As they headed back into town, the worry they had almost forgotten had begun to sink in again. They looked at each other and began to whisper: “How do we explain teleporting into town?” “Will our sisters be coming on that morning train?” “How can we get on that six o’clock train tomorrow?” ‘Tablet I think I need some help, please?’ Sweetie Belle asked with a hint of urgency. “Alright young fillies,” Braeburn stated as he sat the crusaders down in the living room. “Ah’ll be helpin’ the family bring in the last buckets of apples while ma and pa get some supper goin’. The rest of the family already ate but Ah’m sure they can scrounge up somethin’ for y'all. Ya can tell me all about how y'all came teleportin’ inta town when Ah get back. As he left, the fillies sat there, stunned in fear. They had maybe ten minutes to get a story together or they were doomed. “Well Ah guess that’s the end of our adventure then,” Apple Bloom said definitively. “There ain’t no way we’re gettin’ outta this one.” “Don’t give up yet Apple Bloom ,” Scootaloo said, “Our adventure’s only beginning! I’m sure that Sweetie Belle will come up with a brilliant plan like she did with the crazy teleporting, you’ll see!” Sweetie Belle sat there—deep in thought—talking to the tablet in her head. “See,” the orange pegasus smirked, “she’s coming up with a plan as we speak!” After another minute, Sweetie Belle sighed and looked back at her friends. “Alright, I’ve got a plan, but it’s completely crazy and will probably never work.” “I’m liking it already,” Scootaloo said, crossing her forelegs confidently. Apple Bloom sighed. “There are a few key things we need to accomplish,” Sweetie Belle began. “First: we need to convince the Apple Family that the teleportation was nothing to be worried about. Second: we need to collect any mail they may receive from Applejack or the rest of the Apple family so they won’t find out about our adventure. Third: we need them to hide us if my sister or her friends come to look for us. Fourth: we need them to ignore us long enough so that they won’t know which train we go on when we leave. That last one isn’t mandatory but it will make finding us even more difficult.” The fillies, even Scootaloo, looked depressed after all that. “We’re doomed,” Apple Bloom said. “Well, I said that the plan was crazy and probably wouldn’t work, but we have to try it anyway right?” Sweetie Belle asked, putting her forehooves over her friends withers. “I’ll take the lead. Thanks to my brain, I’m confident I’ll be able to convince them. The problem is if Rarity, Applejack and the other ponies come looking for us. Speaking of, was Braeburn’s greeting us to Appleloosa something he would normally do?” “Oh yeah,” Apple Bloom replied, rolling her eyes, “he does that every time Ah come with big sis. Ah don’t have the heart—or the reach—ta put ma hoof in his mouth like she does though.” Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo giggled. “Alright, I guess that’s everything I need to know for now.” Sweetie Belle turned away and took a deep breath, preparing herself. “I’ll explain more after I’m done convincing everypony.” “So you’ve come ta town ta prepare this ‘Pinkie Pie’ a birthday?” Braeburn’s ma said incredulously, “Why can’t ya celebrate that back in Ponyville?” Luckily for Sweetie, she had the Tablet. Whenever they asked something, she would ask it what to say. It always responded with the perfect white lie that would keep them sticking to the plan. “Well—you see,” Sweetie Belle said, continuing from her earlier discussion, “she is the party planner of Ponyville and has an almost sixth-sense about them. My sister and her friends tried celebrating it in Ponyville but it didn’t turn out so well.” Pinkamena came to mind. “They figured they’d do it somewhere else instead.” “Well, I guess that explains why you’re here, but how did ya teleport in the first place?” Braeburn’s pa now asked, equally suspicious as his wife. “We teleported thanks to Princess Twilight’s magic,” Sweetie retorted. “Pinkie might have noticed us head out on a train but nopony could have noticed us teleport from inside a building.” “Well, only a Princess would be able to do that, so that makes sense. Then what about just asking some other pony, or even just sending a letter. Why you fillies?” Braeburn asked. “That’s simple,” Sweetie replied. “Pinkie may know everypony in Ponyville, but she doesn’t hang around the schoolhouse that often so she isn’t likely to notice us missing for quite a while.” “Yes,” Braeburns pa piped up, “but Pinkie will notice you missing eventually, won’t she get worried you're missing? I don’t think all your families keep silent about what’s going on? Again, wouldn’t sending a letter be easier?” Sweetie Belle smiled. “That’s the best part of the plan, actually,” Sweetie Belle responded coolly, getting used to speaking half-mindedly. “Twilight and Rarity are the only ones who knows about the plan. When the others realise we’ve gone missing, Twilight and Rarity will let slip we were planning something in Appleloosa. Then they’ll head on the first train to Appleloosa. Then, Braeburn will help them search around all day while the rest of you plan the party. The next morning, you surprise Pinkie and the rest of them with the birthday party and reveal where we are. It’s like two surprises in one!” “That sounds awfully rude,” Braeburn’s ma questioned, “ta let your families worry like that.” “Don’t worry about that. They’ll know as soon as Pinkie leaves. Scootaloo’s family is out for the week anyway and mine won’t be back until tomorrow. I’ll tell Braeburn exactly what Rarity and Twilight expects him to say so that he can secretly tell them that the plan is working.” The thorough planning seemed to convince them. At first they had been worried that maybe they ran away from home, but no filly could possibly teleport. The way that Sweetie spoke hinted at a preparedness they couldn’t have had. “Well, Ah’m still not completely convinced,” Braeburn’s pa said, “but Ah figure ya ain’t lyin’. If what ya say is true, Ah bet Braeburn’ll find out when he speaks ta this ‘Rarity’. Still, what do ya think Braeburn? Would you be willing to even set up this party for this ‘Pinkie’ even if it might mean lyin’ ta your cuz?” “Of course!” Braeburn responded happily. “Ah never got over how awful this town treated Pinkie Pie last time she visited. Especially when she was only trying to help! Ah’d be ashamed ta call maself an Apple if Ah didn’t correct past wrongs.” That convinced them. “Well,” Braeburn’s pa said, “We can go over the party planning and what secret messages Braeburn’ll be sayin’ in the mornin’. Ah suppose this can be pretty fun! Haven’t had excitement like this on the farm in a while. Ah bet you fillies are plumb tired after all that. Why don’t ya head to the spare room and get a good night’s sleep first.” The three fillies agreed—Scootaloo a bit more reluctantly than the others—and went to bed while the Appleloosan Apples sat in the living room and continued to chat. The guest room only had two beds so Sweetie and Scootaloo had to share—Apple Bloom drew the long straw. “Well, I don’t know how you did it, but you convinced them,” Scootaloo said in disbelief. “I didn’t know you could lie like that. Should I be scared or impressed?” “Let’s not think about that right now,” Sweetie Belle groaned depressingly, trying not to think about lying to even more ponies. “Doesn’t this plan of yers rely on Applejack as well as Rarity or Twilight comin’ tomorrow? Ah mean, what are the chances they’ll even be there?” Apple Bloom said, bring up good points. “Well if anypony will come, it would be our sisters. If nopony’s on the next train, we’re probably okay. We’ll just say they were delayed or something and will arrive the day after tomorrow; that doesn’t really change anything. The thing is, my brain is telling me that the teleport could have only reached Canterlot, here or Dodge Junction. If Twilight is really as good with magic as I think she is, she’ll probably figure that out. Canterlot is already on the lookout for us I bet. Twilight can instantly send messages to Princess Celestia so they won’t look for us there personally. That leaves here and Dodge. The thing is, you can only get to either by taking that morning train so they must be on it if they’ve figured it out.” “But what about Pinkie?” Apple Bloom asked, “It’s supposed to be her party. What if she isn’t there?” Sweetie Belle talked to the Tablet for a bit. “Pinkie not being there is fine, as long as Braeburn doesn’t give too much away. I’ll just tell Braeburn the plan was vague on when she would arrive. The party is supposed to be the day after so her not arriving tomorrow doesn’t ruin the plan. Now the issue is finding some way to get Braeburn, Twilight and Rarity playing along without either of them figuring it out. That will be where the plan either works or doesn’t. So, I got to ask, do you know what Braeburn does when he tries to keep a secret? Could he not say anything for an entire day? That would make everything a lot easier.” “Naw, that guy keeps secrets like ma sister tells lies; badly,” Apple Bloom said matter-of-factly. “If he thinks nopony knows what the secret is, he’ll keep hintin’ at it until ya can figure it out. If he knows ya know about it, he’ll keep remindin’ ya and winkin’ all day. It’s kinda annoyin’.” “Hmm,” Sweetie Belle said, stopping to think for a minute, “well, my brain says that might actually be very helpful.” “Really? Well, Ah got nothin’ then,” Apple Bloom finally conceded, “this plan seems ta be as good as it gets. Ah still don’t know how ya did it, but Ah’m startin’ ta think this adventure might just work out after all. Still, do we really need to do all this lyin’?” “Yeah,” Scootaloo giggled, “I’m really starting to see why you don’t want to talk about this adventure considering-” “I would if I could, honest!” Sweetie Belle cried, then sighed. “I know. I’m starting to think none of this is worth it.” “If we do all this, will ya go back ta bein’ the Sweetie Belle we used ta know?” Apple Bloom asked. Sweetie Belle sighed, “Could you rephrase that a bit,” she said. The tablet wouldn’t let her admit anything that wasn’t the normal Sweetie Belle now. “Umm … would we go back ta doing crusading and all that stuff when it’s all over, like we used to?” Sweetie Belle smiled. “Yes,” she replied, “our lives might be hectic right now, but I promise. If we succeed, our lives will be back to normal again.” It was close, but that sort of contextual double-meaning didn’t say anything while at the same time got the point across. “Hey girls,“ Scootaloo said, annoyed. “No need to end this adventure before it really begins. Daring Do sometimes has to lie to get past her pursuers so it’s only fair we do that same. And Sweetie Belle?” Sweetie Belle turned as Scootaloo looked her squarely in the eye. “For as long as I’ve known you, you’ve been a really good pony. I don’t care why you’ve gone on this adventure, but me and Apple Bloom are with you all the way.” Apple Bloom nodded, “Yeah. If it means we get the old Sweetie Belle back, Ah’m willin’ ta lie ta anypony.” Coming from a sister of Applejack that meant a lot. “Thanks,” Sweetie Belle got out before sobbing and bringing her friends into a group hug. “Alright,” she said before recomposing herself. “If we’re going to keep this adventure going, we still got lots of work to do … in the morning.” The two fillies yawned and eventually went to sleep, but Sweetie Belle stayed up for about an hour afterwards. She talked to the tablet non-stop, formulating a plan that involved nothing short of an oblivious romance between two ponies that don’t even know each other. ‘This idea is crazy,’ Sweetie thought, finally going to sleep, ‘How does winking have anything to do with anything?! Still, the Tablet’s never been wrong before. Still, if Rarity doesn’t somehow play along, Braeburn will not only be unconvinced, but will probably tell them everything. Still, I do know my sister very well … ah, this idea will never work.’ ‘Holy cow this idea worked!’ Sweetie Belle thought as the crusaders boarded the six o’clock train to Los Pegasus. The Tablet told her everything she needed to tell Braeburn that morning. To hint at a plan for this evening, to break for a picnic in a secluded place, that Rarity or Twilight might describe the fillies as ‘a letter’, to keep them away from town where other ponies had seen them—and may not be as willing to keep a secret as Braeburn was. Also, she made sure to tell him to not say anything about Pinkie Pie, a party or that the three fillies were actually there. It was convoluted but it made sense when one put enough thought into it. If he didn’t say anything the plan would be perfect but even if he did say something, the chance that it might be misinterpreted was very high. Anything he let slip, combined with the winking, would have the desired ‘effect’ as the Tablet had told her. Sweetie was unsure that Rarity or Twilight would actually fall for Braeburn just because of some words and winking but the plan worked, somehow. The tablet’s less-likely-to-succeed plan of a three-way love triangle in case both Rarity and Twilight were present luckily never had to be tested. They were able to watch them safely from a distance when they arrived at the train station but otherwise left Braeburn and the rest of them alone. Sweetie Belle knew the power of Pinkie Sense; that wasn’t a power you try to tempt. As for the family, they were so busy preparing the party in the barn, they completely missed checking their mail that afternoon. Luckily three helpful fillies were there to remove one letter sent by Granny Smith. It was a shame it got lost in transit. Those same fillies were able to sneak out around three o’clock, saying they were going to town for ‘decorations’ and would be back in a few hours for supper. Nopony would notice they hadn’t come back until it was too late. To anypony it would be impossible to tell if they went on the four o’clock train to Manehatten or the six o’clock train to Los Pegasus. At least, as long as the next stage of the plan was a success. The fillies were boarding the train, but not like normal. They disguised themselves as a mare. Not only did this make getting the ticket easier, but the ticket master wouldn’t know whether any fillies boarded the train if asked. Scootaloo—being the lightest—got onto Apple Bloom's back—being the strongest—and Sweetie Belle supported them from the rear. When they wrapped themselves in one of Braeburn’s pa’s thick trenchcoats, they looked like a mare … somewhat. The disguise certainly wasn’t perfect but the cloak covered them up completely. As long as they didn’t act too suspicious and nopony was rude enough to ask them to take off the cloak, they would get away with it. The problem was they didn’t plan on how the disguise would be able to sit down. So much for not looking suspicious. It took them almost five minutes of quiet whispering in front of the train seat before they eventually found a way. They finally got into position  with the fillies in a big confusing pile on the seat when the conductor made his way down the aisle. “Ticket please ma’am,” the conductor asked. He was an older brown stallion with a thinning grey mane underneath his gold and red cap and uniform. “S-sure,” Scootaloo said in a slightly flatter and deeper tone than usual. Scootaloo took the ticket in her mouth and passed it to the conductor. “Ma’am, are you alright?” the conductor asked, punching the ticket. “You sound sick and I doubt that trenchcoat is making you any healthier in this heat.” “It’s none of your business how I talk or dress,” Scootaloo scoffed, looking away from the conductor in disdain. “Of course, ma’am,” the conductor stated monotonically; obviously annoyed at how his concern was rebuffed. He returning their ticket and left to punch other tickets. “Are you sure that I should be talking to them like that Sweetie Belle?” Scootaloo whispered, “It doesn’t seem nice.” “I know, but if we act nice, they’ll start asking questions.” Sweetie Belle explained softly, remembering what the Tablet told her. “If you keep acting like Diamond Tiara, nopony will want to talk to us, which is exactly what we want.” “Ah guess that makes sense,” Apple Bloom replied lightly, “Ah certainly don’t like talkin’ ta Diamond Tiara if Ah can avoid it.” “Exactly,” Sweetie Belle whispered, frowning. “We’ve already lied to everypony, got all of Appleloosa to lie for us, and are currently pretending to be an adult pony. I think being rude is all that bad compared to that ...” “Hey,” Scootaloo whispered harshly. “What did we say about that? We’re in this together.” Sweetie Belle remembered the previous night and smiled. “Right. We’re in this together.” “What!” Rarity yelled, “H-how did … You’ve been a fool, oh Celestia I’ve been a fool!” “What are you-,” Braeburn started. “Where are the fillies now? Tell me!” Rarity shouted, scaring Braeburn into a puddle of confusion. “A-A-Ah d-don’t rightly k-know. Ah just told ya that, nopony’s seen them since around three o’clock,” he got out. “They must have left on a train! That’s the only way this ruse makes sense. Look, Braeburn. Nothing about what they told you was true. We really are searching for them. All that stuff I mentioned earlier was … a misunderstanding. When do the trains leave here?” Rarity said—angrily—but more in control than before. “R-right, uhh … there was a train that left at four o’clock to Manehatten and one that leaves in about ten minutes,” Braeburn said, trying to get himself recomposed. “Wait, there’s a train that still hasn’t left yet?!” Rarity cried, hope still possible. “Yeah but you probably won’t make-” Braeburn was cut-off by the sudden teleportation of the white mare. “Huh,” Braeburn said flatly, “didn’t know she could do that. Well, guess Ah gotta explain this ta Applejack. Maybe we can still have the party?” That wouldn’t be very likely. ‘Huh, I didn’t know I could do that,’ Rarity thought as she galloped towards the train station. She remembered that she still had Twilight’s Royal Seal on her and she never told Applejack where she was going. ‘Hopefully she meets up with Rainbow Dash and checks to see if the fillies boarded the earlier train. I can’t hit the seal yet until I actually know where the fillies are going and luckily I didn’t leave it with Applejack or I wouldn’t be able to tell them if I did find the fillies.’  she thought. She wouldn’t be able to think any further however as she could see steam hissing from the train engine in the distance. It was ready to depart. “All aboard!” the train conductor yelled as he started closing the train doors. “Wait!” Rarity cried as she hopped up on the platform. “Alright ma’am, you have your ticket ready?” the conductor deadpanned. ‘The last ones were always trouble,’ he thought. “N-no ... but I need ... to get on that train!” Rarity got out between gasps. The conductor sighed, “You have two minutes to get a ticket and get on board. Hurry up.” Rarity didn’t waste time. She galloped to the ticketmaster, threw twenty bits on the counter—far too much for just a ticket—and raced back with one just in time. The conductor didn’t bother punching it and let the mare on, he would be keeping an eye on her anyway.  Rarity—finally on the train—took her seat. She would look for the fillies when she caught her breath. They wouldn’t be getting off until at least the next stop several hours from now. She had time now. ‘I’ll have you back, safe and sound soon Sweetie Belle. Well, if she is on this train that is …’ she thought. The chances were fifty-fifty but those were much better odds then she’d had until now. Not fifty feet away, a shocked Scootaloo looked on at a white unicorn mare laying down, exhausted. The mare looked up but just before they made eye contact, Scootaloo looked away. She nudged Sweetie Belle under her to peek through the thick coat. “I think we’ve got a problem Sweetie Belle,” she whispered. Seeing where Scootaloo was pointing, Sweetie Belle’s eyes went wide. “Ponyfeathers … ,” was all she got out before the train began to groan to life. This would be a long train ride.