//------------------------------// // Carrot's Finest Hour // Story: Another Life, Another Carrot // by Talon and Thorn //------------------------------// After trotting through the forest for a further half hour Zecora once again held up a hoof to stop them. “Over yonder is the flower. We have arrived at the right hour.”   There, not far away in the centre of a clearing stood a thorny bush. A beam of moonlight speared through the branches above illuminating the plant as if with its own internal silvery light. As the three mares watched the last petals fell from its dying flowers and the whole bush seemed to convulse as if sobbing for its lost beauty. Then its stalks began to swell as blue berries with a silvery sheen began to emerge.   “Perfect,” enthused this world’s Carrot Top. “That fruit is what we need, we just need to get over there and pick them, my elixir should keep them fresh for long enough to get them back to Ponyville.” She confidently started to stride towards her target.   “Wait,” said Carrot Top, “We still need to be careful you never know what could be around here.”   Zecora nodded her agreement and the three of them slowly made their way out of cover. Ears pricked Carrot Top heard a snorting oinking sound and turned to see a strange creature snuffling around a nearby tree. At first glance it seemed like a large wild pig, bigger than most ponies, but its hind legs were massively out of proportion to the rest of it and folded oddly, they almost looked like they belonged to a rabbit rather than a pig.   “Beware!” Exclaimed Zecora, “A Crushing Boar, we must take care not to be gored!”   “I don’t think it’s seen us yet!” hissed Carrot Top freezing in place.   “Its eyesight is extremely poor but our scents it will not long ignore.”   “I can deal with that,” whispered the other Carrot Top reaching into her bags with shaking hooves. “This should be strong enough to draw it away from our scent.” She carefully lifted a small vial in her mouth and prepared to throw it as far as she could.   Suddenly the boar let out a shriek, it had noticed them, and began to charge forwards in odd loping steps which ate up the distance it and the equines quickly. Carrot Top’s twin’s mouth dropping in fear and the vial fell towards the ground. Carrot Top tried to reach out for it but she was too late, the bottle struck the rocky ground and shattered, splattering her and her companions with its contents. Carrot Top almost gagged as the scent invaded her nose. “Which one did you use?” she cried.   “Wild mint!” cried her twin, “Pigs love it!”   “Quickly gather your samples!” cried Zecora. “I’ll prevent us from being trampled!”   The zebra strolled forwards confidently before rearing up on her hind legs and dexterously spinning her staff in front of her. Meanwhile the Carrot Tops scampered towards the bush, it seemed much more spiny up close, in fact the thorns seemed to be growing before their eyes. Reaching out with a hoof Carrot Top tried to snake it towards the now maturing fruit without getting cut while her twin took off her bags and searched for the elixir of stasis. “It’s always at the bottom!” she hissed.   Suddenly the pig-like creature flexed its powerful hind legs and launched itself into a mighty leap, arcing into the sky before slamming down towards Zecora. The zebra stood eyes wide for a moment before leaping away from its falling form. It landed on her staff causing it to bend and then snap like a twig. “Hurry!” she cried cantering away from her enemy, too busy to rhyme.   Throwing caution to the wind Carrot Top pushed forwards into the bush and yelped as the brambles cut into her flesh, but she ignored the pain and moved forwards before carefully nipping off a bunch of berries using her teeth, her Grandmother’s notes hadn’t mentioned if the fruit was poisonous but she didn’t want to take the chance if she could help it. Turning she felt several more cuts open up on her flanks. Behind her her twin had apparently found what she was looking for and held out a large bottle partially full of a liquid glowing with a faint blue aura, she carefully dropped the fruit into the mixture and noticed it started to ice over almost immediately. “Is that enough?” she asked, she didn’t want to get cut again but if it was needed to save the Trixie she could bear it.   “Maybe a few more just to make sure?” suggested the other Carrot Top. “I could do it this time?”   “No, I’m already half way there,” said Carrot Top gritting her teeth as she turned. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the boar apparently tired of chasing Zecora around the clearing had once again thrown itself into the air and was plummeting towards them. Luckily her twin had also noticed it and head lowered charged at Carrot Top knocking the two of them aside as the creature smashed into the space they had been and bounced into the Princess’s Gift bush. It squealed as it was impaled on numerous thorns and lashed out bucking and goring, crushing the plant and grinding its fruit to a pulp. Carrot Top cried out as saw their prize being destroyed, the fallen fruit already starting to dissolve into gloop.   Unfortunately, her cry attracted the boar’s attention and it turned towards her. Gulping Carrot Top started to back away as her twin scampered off. Her eyes suddenly fell on the blue vial lying on the ground between her and the creature. Snorting the great pig started to rush forwards, her every instinct telling her to run away Carrot Top’s eyes locked on the vial as the boars hooves thundered closer and closer to it, it might be the only way to wake up Trixie, she couldn’t let it be destroyed! Forcing her trembling legs to work Carrot Top stumbled forwards quickly picking up speed as she charged straight towards the pig which lowered its sharp tusks to gore her. Just before they could collide Carrot Top’s jaws closed around the bottle of stasis elixir and she twisted her body to the side. She skidded across the ground on her back clutching the precious vial in her mouth.   Once she came to a halt she flipped onto her hooves, much to her body’s protest, to see the boar had likewise recovered and was preparing for another charge. Beyond it both Zecora and the other Carrot Top were rushing towards her from different directions. Carrot Top froze, she couldn’t let the creature destroy the potion, she had to throw it to one of her companions. She twisted her neck but as she did the boar shifted putting itself between her and her twin. She hesitated, she couldn’t get a clear shot, however, her view of Zecora was uninterrupted. Could she trust the zebra with her cargo, after what she had done? No that has not been this Zecora, this version of her had guided them faithfully and without her they would likely not have gotten this far, she could trust her. With a twist of her neck Carrot Top tossed the vial at the Zebra who caught it gracefully. Tensing her body Carrot Top waited for the boar to smash into her but to her surprise its eyes followed the vial’s glow and it skidded to a halt before rushing off after the Zebra, who turned and ran.   Panting Carrot Top looked around for something they could use to stop the monster or at least distract it enough to allow them to escape. She noticed one of her twin’s saddle bags lying on the floor much of its contents smashed, she hoped there was something still of use in one piece. She scrambled for the contents, the fire leaf might be useful, it could cause a painful burn, what else? Grease, pine sap, mint, witch hazel, tar... the seed of an idea started to germinate in the farmers mind and her hooves began to blur as she mixed the ingredients she needed.     “Here!” yelled this worlds Carrot Top as she tossed the vial at Zecora, the zebra managed to pick it out of the air. For some reason the boar seemed to be attracted to the mixture, maybe its glow or smell? She wondered. The two of them were just about managing to keep the beast away from them by playing catch, but the creature did not seem to be tiring, unlike her. She panted and shuddered feeling the foam on her flanks, she really should get more exercise, her job was mostly sedentary, maybe she should try out for next year’s running of the leaves?   “Over here!” came a cry from Carrot Top dragging her doubles mind back to the present. The farmer clutched a bubbling potion in one hoof. “Lead it this way!”   Zecora obeyed and galloped at full speed towards Carrot Top, the boar gaining with each step. Suddenly it kicked out and leapt into the air preparing to crush the Zebra beneath its weight. Carrot Top threw the potion at it with all her might, it hit the beast’s gut and shattered covering it with a black sticky material. Surprised the creature dropped to the ground, squealing. It tried to rise and shake the gloop off but to its surprise it was stuck to the ground. Its cries became more and more high pitched as its struggles intensified.   “Is that Gran’s roof sealant?” gasped this worlds Carrot Top.   “It’s the only thing that came to mind,” replied her double somewhat reproachfully.   “Well it seems to work.” Behind them the creature dragged one of its hooves from the sticky mess holding it down. “Spoke too soon!”   “Maybe we should flee, before it is free?” suggested Zecora.   “Good idea,” chorused the two Carrot Tops as they all took to their hooves.     Unfortunately, they didn’t get far before the sound of the boar crashing through the woods behind them could be heard. Carrot Top and Zecora both put on an extra burst of speed but the native Carrot Top panted hard as she started to fall behind. Seeing her twin slow Carrot Top looked back to see the boar rush into view. “Zecora! Get that bottle to Ponyville, somepony else can probably use the contents, maybe Bitter Pill.”   The Zebra looked shocked for a moment then nodded and put her head down pushing forwards even harder. Carrot Top let herself slow until she was alongside her twin.   “Don’t... Don’t be a fool!” gasped the winded pony.   “I can’t leave you! Let me delay it, you’ve got more to live for, a coltfriend, a career going somewhere!”   “You have... have to I... I can’t go... wait a minute,” the local Carrot Top staggered to a stop and started to scrape at the ground.   “What are you doing?”   “Digging!” she panted.   “What! Why?”   She looked up in annoyance, “I want... to die a farmer...? Just help me!”   Carrot Top looked up for a moment watching the boar thundering closer and closer, this seemed like madness, but she had to trust her twin. She started to plow into the ground with her hooves.   “What are we looking for?”   “This!” cried her twin with a yelp lifting up a black mass about the size of her hoof.   “That’s genius!” cried Carrot Top recognising the object.   “See you can take the farm away from the mare... but you can’t take the farm... out of the mare,” she uncovered another of the black objects and threw it towards the boar, it bounced off of its muzzle and the creature skidded to a halt seemingly surprised. It turned and sniffed the object before giving a squeal of joy and devouring it. Carrot Top threw another at the creature and then another.   “How did you know there would be Truffles here?”   “I didn’t but I recognised the type of tree and before Blossom hired me, I gave truffle farming a go, it didn’t work out.”   “Maybe we should keep some? They sell for quite a bit in my world at least.”   The crushing boar trotted over to the furrow in the ground and shoved the ponies aside to begin its own digging with its tusks.   “Or maybe not,” continued Carrot Top. Let’s go!”     The two Carrot Tops eventually caught up with Zecora and she led them out of the forest and pointed out the lights of Ponyville. The native Carrot Top promised to try and visit the Zebra in the future before the two tone mare melted into the shadows of her home forest.   It was still dark when the two ponies trotted into town on aching hooves. They were both sore and wanted nothing more than to sleep but they still had a job to do. Unlocking the apothecaries the local Carrot Top led her twin into the workshop in the basement and the two of them set to work brewing the potion that might save Trixie. The sun had risen by the time they emerged to be greeted by its light and staggered over to the hospital to deliver their precious cargo.   The nurses took one look at Carrot Top and instantly began to clean and bandage the scratches she had gotten from the Nightmare Berry bush while her twin explained about their mission and the potion she had made. It took some time to convince the Doctor that it might work, but eventually he agreed to use it on his patient.   All that remained was the waiting, the two Carrot Tops led on some rather uncomfortable seats outside the rooms containing Trixie. They sat and waited and waited until eventually the events of the previous night caught up with them and they slumped together into a dreamless sleep.