Appledashery

by Just Essay

Sapphire Spin

"Golden Gaze, we meet again," Zecora said. "I hope your hooves are on the mend?"

The stallion looked up from his jarred wares and adjusted his goggles. "Oh, Zecora! Good afternoon!" He bowed slightly. "Why, yes, I'm feeling a lot better! Your potion certainly was a life-saver! I had to trot to and from home four times in a row last week, and I managed to do so without collapsing!"

"It pleases me to know that we've cured your gout. A merchant shouldn't have trouble galloping about."

"I'm telling you, girl, you're a life-saver." The stallion placed down a clipboard that was in his grasp. "Lemme guess..." He smirked slyly. "You've come for payment?"

"Golden Gaze, we've already been over this. No payment I require aside from your healthy bliss." Zecora nevertheless smiled. "What brings me here is your experience in trade, for I have myself a new potion to be made."

"Oh, and I'd be happy to help!" Golden looked up, his spectacles reflecting a pair of blue pegasi. "Lemme guess, Rainbow Dash is your delivery pony?"

"Uhm... actually, I'm here because—" Rainbow's ruby eyes suddenly bugged, and she spat, "Yes! That's exactly why I'm around!"

"I'm making new apprentices everyday. It is simly the shamanistic way." Zecora winked. "Now, allow me to test your brain, my handsome friend. Have you ever once encountered an ingredient called 'Sapphire Spin?'"

"Hmmm..." The stallion tapped his chin several times. "Sapphire Spin... Sapphire Spin..." Suddenly he gasped. "Oh! That must be the Zebraharan name for Star Spider silk!"

"Star... Spider...?" Rainbow Dash blinked.

"A rare breed of arachnids indeed," Zecora said, giving her a passing glance. "But what their spinnerettes make is what we need." She turned back to Golden Gaze. "The Sapphire Spin is very hard to keep from dissolving, save that an application of alicornia dust is applying."

"Any master unicorn enchanter can provide you with the alicornia dust. But as for the silk itself..." Golden Gaze suddely jolted, then smirked. "Actually..." He turned and reached both forelimbs into a pantry residing behind his market stand.

Rainbow Dash craned her neck curiously.

The stallion pivoted back, heaving a tray of jars onto the counter. "Nnngh... Check these babies out." He pointed at the multiple glass containers. "Spider silk. Petrified silk worms. Moon flower root."

Zecora nodded. "Quite a remarkable collection. I trust they passed Ponyville inspection."

"I wasn't the one who brought them in here," Golden Gaze said with a smirk and a shrug. "A travelling band of griffons carried them into town. I traded them this for a old centrifuge I had. To be honest, I was just glad to get rid of that piece of junk, so this is an immediate profit." He pointed. "I'm willing to bet that one of these things is the Sapphire Spin you're looking for. After all, griffons like to roost in the high mountain ravines where star spiders tend to spin their nests."

"You have no need to bet, dear friend." Zecora pulled out a jar from the tray, full of tiny blue fibers. "Once more, you've come through in the end."

"Well, consider it on the house, Zecora."

Rainbow gave him a double-take. "Whoah, really?"

"You kidding?" Golden Gaze smirked before nodding at the zebra. "She's single-hoofedly saved my career with her cure-all. If she needs that stuff to make a potion, then by Celestia, she can have it. Somepony somewhere's gonna benefit."

"It goes without saying that I intend to go about some manner of repaying." Zecora slid the jar into her saddlebag and faced him. "If it's true that you cross paths with griffon kind, then samples of Everfree feather oil I can easily find."

"H-hey! That'd be terrific! Everypony knows griffons would kill for that stuff! Erm..." He smirked up at Rainbow. "Figure of speech..."

"Don't worry," Rainbow droned with thin eyes. "I know my griffons..."

"I'll bring some of the oil by your stand next week." Zecora smiled. "That should bring a smile to any winged traveller's beak."

"You really don't have to pay me back for the spider silk stuff, Zecora," Golden Gaze said. "Not this time, at least." His eyes narrowed as he pointed. "It was pure chance that I was sitting on the stuff today, and if you want to make the substance applicable in a potion, you've got to hit up a master unicorn magician for the alicornia dust."

"Of that, I'm quite aware," Zecora nodded. "And I know just whose gifts I can share."

Rainbow blinked at her. "Wait. You do?"

"Now, I can order more of the silk from my regular traders in the future. But that's when it's going to have to cost you." Golden Gaze leaned back with folded forelimbs. "There's a group of merchants in the northeast who harvest the Star Spider silk, but the stuff doesn't come cheap. You'll need one hundred bits per shipment at least just to get the stuff carried to Ponyville by wagon."

Rainbow's jaw had nearly dropped through the earth. "One hundred bits?! But that's... that's..."

"I will come to you if that is necessary. But for now, we cannot tarry." Zecora waved at the stallion as she turned around and made for the center of town. "Keep in good health, Golden Gaze. And may your profits be continually raised."

"Heh... with you around, Zecora, you bet..."

Rainbow Dash bit her lip as she stared back at the stallion. She flapped her wings harder to keep up with the zebra. "So... like... how is this star spider silk gonna help us—er... me?"

"One thing at a time, Rainbow Dash. Without the alicornia dust, these fibers are pure hash."

"Am... am I going to have to swallow stuff that came out of a star spider's butt?" Rainbow Dash clutched her belly as she wretched in midair. "Unnngh... bleachkkk... why's every zebra fix gotta be so... so... frothy?"

"There is nopony making you drink any brew," Zecora said. "After all, there is much for you to consider before you do."

"Like what? Are these the risks you were talking about?"

"Patience, my prismatic friend. Upon an expert unicorn we currently depend?"

"Yeah? Like who?" Rainbow winced. "Oh jeez... Twilight? Zecora, I'm super glad that you're going out on such a limb to help me, b-but I'm sure you know by now that I don't want my buddies involved in making me this potion—"

"Shhhh..." Zecora smiled as she led a blinking Rainbow past a familiar treehouse. "That is not the unicorn you're thinking about. For the alicornia dust, we must take a more starry route."

"Huh? 'Starry?' Darn it, Zecora, my head is so full of fuzzies right now!"

"Do not mind the fuzz. It is simply what shamanistic rhyme does."

"Arrrrghhh!"

"Heheheh..."

Comments

[Tchernobog]

It's impressive to see how well you handle Zecora's speech. I don't even begin to try my hand at her.

[Lightning Bearer]

"Starry route", huh? Well... there's Trixie I guess. Or Amethyst Star (she has a history with spiders, as I understand it). Am I forgetting anyone?

[MellowMabari]

Ooh, interesting. It's about time someone somewhere mentioned the star spider thing. It was kinda randomly thrown into the episode. Hopefully this "cure" doesn't need to be reapplied often - Rainbow can't even afford her house as it is.

Well, colour me intrigued about the rest of this remedy.

Until tomorrow!

[DerRotSpassvogel]

Well, Rainbow, you've been talking about her nipples for several chapters. Perhaps Luna can help you with your alicornia dust.

Finally caught up.
Loving the story.
Faving.
0445.
Going to bed

[zaponator]

You know, things are going pretty dang swell so far. I almost feel bad for sarcastically implying that things would go off the rails somehow.

[HyperMonica]

I love Zecora omg

[arancaytar]

"Shhhh..." Zecora smiled as she led a blinking Rainbow past a familiar treehouse. "That is not the unicorn you're thinking about. For the alicornia dust, we must take a more starry route."

Wait, route rhymes with about instead of boot? Have I been doing English wrong the whole time?

"The Sapphire Spin is very hard to keep from dissolving, save that an application of alicornia dust is applying."

... Zecora did you just try to rhyme dissolving with applying?