Metanoia

by littlerobotbird

02 [Arc 00 - Potency, Part Two] <rev. 08.06.2014>

Wispy tendrils of fog rolled across the path in front of her, pushed on by some unfelt breeze.

Somewhere beyond the lazy gray wall of lowborn cloud lay the thatched-roof cottage she sought and beyond that lay the dark and mysterious depths of the Everfree Forest where nature, having been free from the influence of ponykind, had run rampant for hundreds upon thousands of years, leaving it a dangerously unpredictable and mysterious place.

As if at a crossroads, the young pegasus stood just off the path, fidgeting nervously as she peered at the grey mists swirling before her. Her traveling cloak clung uncomfortably to her sides in the humid morning. She beat her wings once, then twice as she shifted her saddle bags up to a more comfortable position on her back. With a forced shiver, she tried to rid herself of the morning’s chill and the dew that seemed to cover every inch.

"Maybe a day or two more..." she murmured to herself, blowing a limp strands of damp, pink mane out of her face. "Wait for the sun to clear away all this fog at least."

The pegasus stared for another moment, hoof pawing at the ground idly as though it held the answers to her dilemma just beneath its surface. She could feel a tremble of nervousness creeping up her spine, wings locked tight to her sides as she felt the urge to run building.

"Somepony out here?"

The little pegasus nearly fainted dead away at the sound of another's voice breaking the quiet stillness. Instead her hooves found purchase in the damp soil and she disappeared beneath the exposed roots of a nearby tree, landing with the quiet slap of watery mud.

She lay there, trembling as she listened to the squelching steps draw closer to her. She could hear them wandering towards her, their rhythm steady even with its gentle stutter. They stopped a moment and the pegasus could hear a soft, snorting chuckle issue forth from the mystery pony.

"Well, I reckoned I heard somepony out here," the smug sounding voice began from just above and behind her.

She twisted her head around to find the aged face of an earth pony mare peering down at her, a raincoat obscuring much of her.

"How many times you been out here this week, young one?"

The pegasus was speechless for a moment, her fear heightening at the realization before falling away beneath the spell of the old mare's smiling face.

"Just once or twice..." she admitted meekly, climbing slowly out from under the tree roots and onto solid, if damp, ground, hooves slipping on the muddy sides of her unsuccessful hiding place.

"Well, I do dearly hope that you weren't scared of little old me," the old mare chuckled, aiding the pegasus in getting back onto level earth and to all fours. Bringing the young one up to look her over with smiling, blue eyes that shone with a familiar warmth from within her hood. "So...what's a little filly like you doing out here all alone? Lookin’ for somepony in particular?"

"I'm not a little filly," she whispered in response, looking towards the fog bank that had tormented her mere moments ago, but seemed a welcome escape route.

"What was that?" the old mare asked, a hoof to her ear in an overt show of auditory inadequacy, the smile betraying her.

"I'm not a little filly," the pegasus repeated herself, louder this time.

"Well, you sure talk like one," the old mare smiled, letting out a short, rasping laugh, "You might want t’work on that, darlin'."

The pegasus meeped, seeming to sink into the ground at the reproach.

"An' as to my other question...?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," the pegasus suddenly stood upright, twisting back to grab something out of her saddlebag, "I-I am actually looking for s-somepony."

"Hopefully I kin help," the old mare offered as the pegasus dug around for a minute before coming up with a small letter clutched in her mouth.

"M spose't mee 'er," she began with her mouth full, the old mare freeing her soon enough, tucking the letter into her coat, "Sorry."

"No need for apologies, miss," the old mare dismissed the pegasus, motioning for the pegasus to follow her. "C'mon now. Can't have you catching yer death a'cold here."

"O-okay..." came the timid response, the pair disappearing into the fog bank.

Keeping close to the older pony, she soon found them at the cottage.

A few minutes more and the pegasus found herself sitting before a small table in the cottage's main room, sipping slowly from a cup of steaming hot tea. She shivered lightly beneath the warm blanket wrapped around her while the old mare cleaned up the kitchen. The letter lay forgotten for the moment at the table's center while the pegasus’s bags and the old mare's coat hung side by side near the door, dripping quietly.

"Hope you're enjoying the tea. Old family recipe," the old mare gave the pegasus a sly wink as she took her place at the table. She blew softly on her own cup before looking to the unopened letter. "Don't suppose you know what's in that?"

"No, ma'am," the pegasus admitted, pulling the blanket tighter around her. "This tea is lovely, though, thank you."

"You're very welcome, young lady. Good t’hear manners are still well an' good among you young'uns."

The pegasus merely blushed at the compliment, her eyes fixed squarely on her tea.

"Well, let's see what all this is about then, shall we?"

Shakily the old mare rose to her hooves, drawing the letter towards her. The pegasus found her gaze raising seemingly of its own volition, curious as to the letters contents as well. As the young one watched, the old mare's opened the letter, eyes darting over the page, her face curious at first, but slowly and steadily morphing into a frown before glancing up to meet the pegasus' blue eyes with her own.

"Well, I s'pose there’s a resemblance," the old mare muttered, her expression an enigma to the timid pegasus. "Got an awful lot of yer daddy in you… better or for worse, I s'pose."

"Th-thanks?"

“Lot more grown since the last time I saw ya...” the mare muttered to herself as the yellow pegasus shrank beneath the earth pony's examination. "Well, I s'pose we best get you settled in."

"Settled in? Here?"

"Well, yeah, girly. What did you think I was going to do?" the old mare looked at her with a look of incredulity as she made her way around the table.

"I don’t… What do you me—" she stammered, interrupted by the elder mare’s sudden embrace.

"Y’all didn't think I'd leave my only gran’daughter out in the cold, did you?"

"Granddaughter?"

"Oh, I know. It's been years an’ I’ve got quite a few more gray hairs in my mane, but surely you remember yer ol' granny, Fluttershy?"

The scene froze, Fluttershy's consciousness suddenly running cold as she looked up into her grandma's warm blue eyes. The pegasus could feel her breath caught in her throat, her body suddenly feeling as though she had sunk into a deep snowdrift.

She remembered the disbelief, the betrayal that she had felt in that moment. She remembered reading the letter herself. Reading it over and over and over again, looking for something that simply wasn't there.

But she ended up happy, right?

Maybe it took a month or two, but… she didn't need to feel those things anymore.

So why did she?

"Wh-what's going on?" Fluttershy asked, her words coming out in a burst of frosty air.

But no answer came.

No words came as the cottage grew darker and faded away along with the kind, old earth pony with the familiar blue eyes. Soon she was left in the dark, just as she had been then.

"Don't worry, Fluttershy, everythin'll turn out alright in the end.” She remembered her grandmother’s words, the even, wise tone she’d taken. “Even if it dun seem like it at first, things'll get better."

She could feel her granny's lips on her forehead that first night as she tucked the pegasus into bed, the warmth of the comforter surrounding her as she had gone to sleep, the sounds of the countless critters down the stairs.

Then, as suddenly as the warmth had manifested, it were gone and it their place was a pulsing ache. Fluttershy found herself writhing on the floor, clutching at her fore hoof as the burning ache flowed up her leg.

A soft chuckle echoed in the empty darkness.

"Things just aren't so alright in the end."

[o-0-o]

"Whoa there, girl!" Applejack shouted as she tried to keep the thrashing pegasus under control, deftly avoiding the panicked hoof whipping right at her head. "Yer fine! Yer fine, Fluttershy! Everythin's fine!"

Almost immediately the pegasus began to settle, staring up at the farm pony's reassuring smile before glancing around to find that she was in her bed, the morning sun filtering in through the window.

"Is she okay?" a nervous voice asked, drawing Fluttershy's attention to an oddly distraught Pinkie Pie, a tray covered with a kitchen towel balanced on the pink pony's back and thick bandage wound around her head.

"She'll live, but I don't want her tearing apart her bandages," Applejack replied, running a calming hoof down the pegasus's back. "How you feelin', Shy?"

"I...I'm fine. Why wouldn’t I be?" she whispered, trying to think of a reason for Applejack and Pinkie being in her bedroom. Then the memories came roaring back, a soft shudder rippling down her spine. "Is Twilight okay?"

"Twilight's just fine. I think she's a mite more worried about you than herself right now," the stetsoned pony answered, maintaining her smile as she continued, "Now how 'bout you tell me how yer hoof is doin'?"

"It...it doesn't hurt at all." Fluttershy drew the offending hoof to her face, finding it to be completely encircled in bandage.

"Hurt at all when I press it?"

Fluttershy merely shook her head, brow furrowed in surprise as the earth pony pressed tentatively against the mummified hoof.

"Wow, Applejack, you did great!" Pinkie exclaimed as she bounced towards the bed, the tray thankfully now resting on a bookshelf. The pink pony staring down at the pegasus with a bright smile, but Fluttershy found herself staring at the bandage on her head.

“What happened to your head?”

“Oh, this is from when I hit the tree,” Pinkie answered matter-of-fact.

“Hit the tree?”

“Oh, don't you worry none, Fluttershy. Us earth ponies got thick skulls.” Applejack tapped her own head with a hoof to demonstrate. “An' Pinkie's is even thicker than most.”

“Yes indeedy!” the pink pony exclaimed with a quick bounce punctuating her excitement over the apparent compliment.

“So, how did you...” Fluttershy's words trailed off, finding it simpler to just hold up her well-bandaged extremity.

"Years on th' farm," Applejack responded, chest puffing out in pride. "Gotta know some first aid if'n yer gonna work the fields."

"Thank you, Applejack," Fluttershy whispered as she continued to examine her hoof.

"Well, I reckon we best get them Nurse ponies to look at it afore I go above giving you a good, clean bill o' health, but you're certainly welcome," the farm pony said with a subtle curtsy before turning to the still eagerly bouncing Pinkie Pie. "But before that... what've you got for us, Pinkie?"

"Weeeeeelllll...Fluttershy doesn't have as many ingredients as I’m used to... so I had to experiment a little teensy weensy little bit, but I managed to make some deliciously scrumptious, oh so wonderful," Pinkie paused for effect as she made it back to the tray in a single bounce, tossing the towel away with a flourish to reveal, "muffins!"

"Er..."

Pinkie beamed with pride as her two friends glanced over the tray of misshapen mystery goods of dubious origins.

"Don't they just look delicious?" the pink pony asked before tossing an oddly speckled muffin into the air, catching it deftly in her maw before smiling at the pair, cheeks undulating with foodstuff.

"They look...um...nice."

"Yeah! They look, uh, nice, Pinkie."

[o-0-o]

It was nearly midday when the library door swung open to admit the pair of grumbling ponies.

"The rosemary an' birdseed actually weren't too bad, but what pony in their right mind puts raw fish in a muffin?" Applejack asked nopony in particular, Fluttershy giving a pained smile at her friend's confusion.

"Well, it is a delicacy in eastern Equestria...but not usually as a muffin, no..." the pegasus remarked, her stomach tumbling slightly as she dragged herself to one of the cushions set out around the center of the library's main room.

"S'pose that's just her way. Bein' all experimental an' the like." Applejack sighed as she flopped onto a cushion next to Fluttershy. “Thought fer a sec I was goin' t’have to ask Redheart for the stomach pump.”

"At least most of them were edible this time," the pegasus offered, trying in vain to defend the party-loving pony against both Applejack and her own cartwheeling stomach.

"There's that, I, uh, guess," Applejack murmured, a soft blush coursing over her face.

"Applejack! Fluttershy!" A voice above drew the two ponies attention from their gymnastically inclined interiors as a blur of purple and green descend the stairs. "Fluttershy, you're alright!"

"Well, of course." Fluttershy couldn’t help but blush as the little dragon looped his tiny arms around her. "Didn't Twilight tell you?"

"She made it sound like she exploded and almost blew your leg off!” Spike cried out, arms remaining locked tight around Fluttershy.

“Nothin' that excitin', Spike,” Applejack muttered as she rolled over on her pillow. “How's Twi doin'?”

“She's been all mopey ever since she got back… I don't think she's slept since, either,” the baby dragon explained, finally relinquishing his hold. “She's really worried about you, Fluttershy.”

"Oh, it wasn't anything that bad. It was just a bit of a burn...no worse than if I’d spilled hot tea on it," Fluttershy reassured the dragon, showing off her newly re-bandaged hoof. "Should be as good as new once the magical...um, what did Nurse Redheart call it, Applejack?"

"Huh?" the farmer pony asked, shaking herself out of a trance, eyes focused on the top of the stairs, "Oh! It was, uh, Residual Magic somethin’-somethin’. Transmissal Field?"

Spike and Fluttershy simply stared at the distracted earth pony for a moment, waiting for her eyes to wander, but the pair of green eyes stayed rooted to the spot, ears twitching beneath her trademark hat. Slowly the work pony rose to her feet, a determined grimace on her face.

"Well, ain't that just a right kick in the flank," Applejack broke the silence with a strong stomp of her hoof. "That unicorn ain't gonna make her feel any better that way."

Fluttershy gasped as the workhorse stomped by her and right up the stairs.

"We should probably go after her, right?" Spike asked, taking off for the stairs before halting at the first step. Turning to the injured pegasus, he motioned to her bandaged hoof. "Did you need any help?"

"Oh no, I'll be fine. You just hurry on ahead."

"Oh, okay." The little dragon took off like a shot up the stairs where Fluttershy could now hear a muffled argument.

Standing up slowly, the pegasus made sure to keep her weight distributed over her three good legs before stretching her still sore wings and hovering up the stairs.

[o-0-o]

"You just don't understand, Applejack." Twilight sighed, leaning halfway over her desk as though she were about to pass out then and there.

"What don't I understand? That you're being plumb idiotic?" Applejack retorted, steadying the unicorn as she swayed lightly. “You need your rest, Twi!”

"I know, I know... I should sleep, but I can't," she grumbled as Fluttershy crested the top step, touching down just behind the pair as Spike sat on Twilight's bed. "I have to know why this happened?"

"What do you mean, Twilight?" Fluttershy interjected, immediately drawing a gasp from the unicorn.

"Fluttershy! You're okay!" Twilight choked out, breaking out of Applejack's grip to wrap her hooves around the pegasus, squeezing her tightly.

"Of course I am," Fluttershy stated blankly, rubbing the unicorn's back with her bandaged hoof as a wetness spread where Twilight had buried her face into her shoulder. "But you really should be getting your rest, shouldn't you?"

"Oh, Fluttershy, I thought I really hurt you," Twilight whispered, trembling as she ignored the pegasus's question. "I'm just so glad you're alright."

"She's fine, Twi, but you ain't," Applejack grumbled, trotting over to the pair.

"Applejack's right, Twilight. You need your rest. Especially after using so much magic."

The unicorn suddenly sagged at the mention of magic. "Right...you're right, it's just..." the unicorn stammered as she released the pegasus from her embrace and trudged back to the desk. "I can't rest… at least not until I know why."

"Twi, I don't pretend to know all about magic and whatnot. I know that you blowin’ yer horn out has you stressed an' all, but—"

"It's not that. Not just that anyways."

"Well, then maybe you ought to explain afore I go runnin' my mouth," Applejack spoke bluntly, resting her forehooves on the desktop so that she could get herself eye to eye with the unicorn. "We're your friends, Twi. Don't go keepin’ us in the dark."

"It’s just... I'm scared."

"What are you scared of?" Fluttershy asked in a quiet voice, moving to the unicorn's opposite side.

"I—I'm not even sure," Twilight admitted, tears welling up in her eyes. "I haven't ever lost control of my magic like that. Not since I was a little filly... the Princess taught me how to control it and I just… I just lost it like that.” She tapped a hoof against the desk. “Celestia always warned me how dangerous uncontrolled magic can be… ”

“Any particular reason why?" Applejack asked, giving her space to vent. "I mean, maybe you were just overtired or stressed or somethin'."

"No, I was perfectly fine."

"An allergy, maybe?" Fluttershy chimed in, thoughts wandering back to her tea.

"No, I don't have any allergies except..." The unicorn sat up straight for a moment before slumping back down. "No… there wasn't any poison joke around the cottage."

"I dun think this would have been much of a joke anyways. Not that plant's M.O. either…" Applejack stated, rubbing a hoof thoughtfully under her chin. "Do you… wait, never mind."

"What?" Fluttershy and Twilight asked in unison, both turning to the farm pony who looked suddenly nervous.

"Well, you remember anything from when you lost control? Anything, y'know, odd?"

"Besides the obvious?” Twilight let out an insincere laugh. “No, not really… I just remember feeling like something was trying to…"

“Tryin' ta what?"

"Like something was trying to rip all the magic right out of me…" Twilight suddenly looked incredibly queasy, sweat running down her brow, her normally purple complexion taking on a noticeably greener hue.

"Oh… sorry, Twi. Didn't mean ta make you think about it… I'll, uh… go get you a glass of water," Applejack stammered out before dashing down the stairs to the kitchen, Spike trailing just behind the workhorse.

"Um, Twilight," Fluttershy began meekly, eyes locked to the floor.

"Fluttershy?"

"I felt the same thing when I was trying to get to you. It felt like I was being drained. And there were these things that kept grabbing me…"

"I...I'm so sorry, Flutter—"

"No, Twilight… I don't think it was you…"

"What do you mean? Of course it was me! It was my magic!"

"Well, it was your magic, but there was something else too…"

"Something else?" Twilight seemed to perk up a bit at this, but Fluttershy found herself staring at the floor as soon as she had met the unicorn's eyes.

"Yes… it felt like something was watching us…"

"You... you're right. I do remember that… I just thought it was my imagination though."

"I don't think it was a pony… and I don't know of any creature that could do something like this, but Twilight?"

"Yeah, Fluttershy?"

"It wasn't your fault. I'm sure of it."

"Thanks, Fluttershy… Maybe I shouldn't feel so guilty, but if you had gotten hurt…" Twilight trailed off, allowing her chin to come to rest on the desk's cool surface.

"No lasting harm, no need to apologize, Twilight."

"How can you say that? I nearly burned your hoof off!"

"My hoof is fine, no more than a first degree burn,” Fluttershy rebuked her friend, turning her bandaged hoof over in front of the unicorn, “I've done worse making soup."

"But it was still my magic that did it. Even if something else did it, I'm the one who lost control over it."

"Twilight!" Fluttershy yelled suddenly.

Twilight snapped her head around to look at the now agitated pegasus, the unicorn's eyes widening at the sight. "Y-yes, F-fluttershy?"

"It was not your fault. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes."

"Now I don't want to hear you blaming yourself anymore," Fluttershy commanded, staring the unicorn into submission. "And I want you to get some sleep. Do you understand me?

"Yes, ma’am," was all the unicorn managed before bolting up to her bed and slipping immediately under the covers, Fluttershy's ever watchful eye on her.

"Dang, Fluttershy, the heck was that?"

Applejack stood at the top step, baby dragon with a tray of water perched on his head in tow as the both of them stared at Fluttershy, slack-jawed.

"Oh… m-may have overdone it. Just a little." The pegasus simply blushed.

"An’ remind me to never get on your bad side."

Spike slid the tray full of water onto the newly vacated desk, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Didn't even know you had one...although I s'pose now I know why Applebloom keeps callin' you the Stare Master."

"Does she?" Fluttershy grinned sheepishly before breaking into a more genuine smile as she heard the telltale snores of a deep, restful sleep floating down from the bed. "We should let her get some rest..."

[o-0-o]

"I'll be with you in just a moment," came the sing-song welcome as Fluttershy and Applejack entered the Carousel Boutique, the jingling of the doorbell announcing them to the out-of-sight proprietor.

"May...maybe I ought to wait outside, Fluttershy," the cowpony stammered slightly, looking as though she were more than willing to bolt right through a wall if it meant freedom.

"Nonsense, Applejack," Fluttershy hushed her as from the back of the shop they could hear the hushed whisperings of Rarity and another pony.

The store fell silent a moment before the unicorn's perfectly coiffed mane came into view.

"Oh, Fluttershy!" Rarity exclaimed when she saw her pegasus friend, Applejack having slipped behind the pegasus. "Have I missed our weekly appointment, dear? I didn't think I'd been working for that long, but I have been a bit behind as of late."

"Oh no, Rarity, that isn't until tomorrow," Fluttershy said, peering over the unicorn at the back of the shop where she could still hear the stilted mutterings of the other pony.

"Oh, is it now..." Rarity laughed nervously, glancing over her shoulder. The unicorn's nervous air disappeared, however, the moment she spotted a familiar looking stetson half-hidden behind Fluttershy. "Oh, I see you've brought Applejack."

"Er...hey, Rares," the orange furred pony said with a awkward wave of her hoof before stepping out from behind her cover. "The shop… looks good."

"Thank you. Lots of hard work keeping it up, but I manage," the fashionista replied, eyes looking the farmer over.

The silence was deafening as Fluttershy could only look back and forth between the tongue-tied earth pony and the almost glaring unicorn. The only sound was the continued murmurings from the back room.

"Ahem… Rarity?" Fluttershy intervened just as it seemed Applejack would melt into a puddle of sweat.

"Oh...yes, Fluttershy?"

"There's something important we needed to tell you about."

"Yes?" the unicorn's face brightened for a moment, a knowing smirk appearing on her face as Applejack continued the self-appointed task of counting the number of nails holding down the boutique's floorboards.

"Something happened to Twilight last night..."

The unicorn's face falling to a momentary look of disappointment before being quickly overridden by a look of worry as she processed the words.

"Oh my, she is alright, isn’t she?"

"She is. She's resting at the library right now—"

"Won't be up fer a while, I reckon," Applejack broke in, her normal confidence having seemingly returned. "Not if Fluttershy's stare has anything to do with it."

"Applejack!" Fluttershy gasped, face flushing crimson.

"Fluttershy! You shouldn't use your… abilities on your friends!"

"Oh, pipe down, Rarity. She had Twi's best interests at heart. That pony's kept herself awake all dang night worried about what she did to Fluttershy," the work horse explained, Rarity's anger slowly dissipating, "Fluttershy just made sure she'd get herself some sleep."

"Oh, I see… And what happened to...?" Rarity began before looking down towards the pegasus's still bandaged hoof. “Dear, what happened to your hoof?"

"Oh, it's just a minor burn, really."

"Minor nothing. How could Twilight do something like this?"

"Slow yer gums there, girl. Twilight wasn't exactly in full control of ‘er faculties last night. At least, that's how I've heard it from Pinkie," Applejack continued, circling towards the unicorn, taking a sidelong glance at the back room.

"Oh… what do you mean she wasn't in control of herself?"

"She lost control of her magic—"

"Darn near tore Fluttershy’s cottage apart, too," Applejack quipped, jerking her head towards the increasingly flustered pegasus.

"Whoa!" came a familiar voice from the back room. "Er...I mean… nothing but clothes back here. Carry on!"

"Rainbow, that you?" Applejack called out as she made her way towards the back room, Rarity simply biting her lip as Fluttershy watched with a quizzical look.

"Nope! Nopony back here!" the voice replied as the farm pony disappeared from view. "I mean… uh, meow?"

"Well, that's a right fancy lookin' cat, ain't it?" Applejack laughed raucously as a soft groan emanated from the back.

"You tell nopony. No. Pony."

"Hmmm… maybe, what's it worth to ya?"

"What?!"

"Aw, I'm jus' kiddin' ya, Rainbow. This will be goin' in mah private collection, though." A flash illuminated the doorway for a moment before Applejack returned, a Polaroid tucked neatly into her hatband, developed side down. "Borrowed your camera for a second, Rares. I’ll gitcha a new pack sometime."

"Applejack…" Rarity groaned, rubbing her hooves over her temples as the cowpony simply grinned ear to ear. "Must you do this to my model?"

"Model?" Fluttershy muttered, feeling somewhat lost.

"Nah, just to that one," Applejack replied, her grin widening even further if that was possible as a very disgruntled cyan pegasus clopped dejectedly into the main room.

"I hate you, you know that?" the blue pegasus grumbled, a lacy under outfit still draped to her as she glared daggers at the work pony.

"Rainbow Dash, yer momma would be just appalled," Applejack began in mock horror. "Lettin' somethin' so trivial ruin such a gee-orgeous friendship."

"I will get you back."

"I know," the farm pony replied, pressing her face right into the pegasus's. "That's the fun part of this here relationship."

"Oh, it is on!" Dash grinned, the pair pressing their heads together hard as Rarity merely sighed and moved to remove her outfit from the equation of carnage to come.

"Um…" Fluttershy began, hoping to salvage the situation somehow, voice coming out as little more than a whisper.

"Rainbow, dear, hold still!"

"You think you got me good? This ain't nothing compared to what I'm gonna do!"

"Big talk for the filly in the frou-frouey frills."

"Girls?" Fluttershy interjected meekly, taking a step towards the competitive pair before scrambling away as the pushed each other back and forth.

"Frills! Well at least I'm not...the filly in the silly hat!"

"Hey! This is a mighty respectable hat!"

"Silly hat! Makes you look like a squatter. Hah!"

"That, missy, is a societal misconception!"

"Girls?"

"Will you both settle down, you're going to tear my work to shreds at this rate."

"Apples to apples, Applesmack."

"Oh, you wanna to feel a right good applesmack? How 'bout I give you a good buck?"

"Bring it on, ponygirl!"

"That does i—"

"GIRLS!" Fluttershy yelled, drawing the attention of a very red face Applejack, a newly disrobed Rainbow Dash and a sullen looking Rarity with a lightly torn outfit draped over her back.

"Er..."

"We have more important things to discuss right now."

"Fluttershy's right," Applejack admitted before turning to Dash, "Truce fer now?"

"Yeah, yeah. Truce, whatever," the rainbow-maned pegasus huffed as the two shook on it, Rarity returning from the back room sans ruined outfit. "So what happened to Twilight? She's okay and all, right?"

"She's just fine. She's really just very exhausted at this point," Fluttershy meandered, slowly wilting under her friend's curious stares. "But that's not the most important thing."

"So what is?" Dash asked as she took to hovering above the trio.

"The important thing is why."

"You got somethin' outta Twilight?" Applejack asked, scratching at her ear with an idle hoof.

"Well, I wanted to have everypony here," Fluttershy began before realizing they were still short at least one pony not in the know.

"Speakin' of which, where is that girl? Told her to meet us here after she worked her shift for the Cakes." Applejack glanced up at the clock to confirm her suspicions before continuing. "She should have been off by n—"

Applejack was cut off as the door to the boutique slammed with a blur of pink.

"Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my," the blur repeated over and over as it looped around the room several time, dragging reams of cloth and other dressmaking supplies into a vortex before screeching to a sudden halt in front of a very red faced Rarity.

“Pinkieeee...” the unicorn moaned as the pink pony glanced at the wake she had left.

"Oh, um… sorry, Rarity."

"Just please be a tad more… collected, dear," Rarity said with an exasperated smile, her magic working quickly to tidy the shop in Pinkie’s wake.

"What took you so long, Pinks?" Applejack asked, holding her hat down as Dash made a half-hearted swipe for the photo.

"Oh, darn! I'm late, aren't I?" Pinkie chirped, bouncing in place with a nervous energy. "The Cakes kept me because they thought I was having a seizure!"

"A seizure?" Rarity cocked an eyebrow as the pink pony came to a full stop.

"I know, silly right? I would never steal anything from the Cakes and I don't think I have anything anypony else would want…" Pinkie muttered, putting a hoof to her chin, bemused by the thought.

"Oh, by Celestia…" Applejack gasped as she realized what Pinkie's scatter shot verbalizations had neglected to state outright, her sudden fright giving Rainbow the opportunity to pluck the photo from the farm pony's hat. "Pinkie, did you have another doozy?"

"Oh right, that's what I came here to tell you all!" Pinkie bounded into the air excitedly before pumping the air breaks and setting her hooves back on the floor. "Oh, we have no time to waste! Follow me!"

Without another word she was gone in a blur, the door to the boutique flapping back and forth as the remaining quartet simply stared at where she had been just a moment before.

"Ugh, Pinkie Pie..." Applejack groaned and as if by magic the bouncing pony appeared before them again, the door slammed open before her as she high-stepped in place.

"C'mon you silly fillies, get your flanks in rank and let's go go go!" the party pony commanded, looping around and grabbing Rarity by the tail and galloping off with her to parts unknown.

"Pinkie Pie, now really!"

Applejack and Dash could hear the unicorn's protests as the pair made off in hot pursuit of the galloping pink pony, Fluttershy just behind.

Soon enough all four found themselves outside of the Ponyville Library, Pinkie finally letting go of Rarity tail, the unicorn crashing unceremoniously to the ground, momentum no longer aiding her defiance of gravity.

"Er… Pinkie, don't mean to question ya, but nothin' seems wrong," Applejack said, earning a glare from Rarity as the unicorn waved her poor, mangled tail. "Nothing worth a doozy at least."

"It seems… quiet," Fluttershy whispered, eying the tree as though a hydra or an ursa were about to tear its way up from the roots.

"A bit too quiet..." Dash muttered darkly, flapping idly as she crossed her hooves over her chest. "Well, I'm bored."

"Give it a minute..." Pinkie urged, leaning towards the tree on the tips of her hooves.

Just before it seemed the pink pony seemed about to fall forward a sudden and familiar cry rang out from inside the tree, but, before anypony could enter to investigate, a familiar purple figure had burst from the upstairs windows in a flash of magenta.

"Twilight!" All five of the ponies shouted in unison as their friend tumbled down the dirt road just behind them.

For a moment the unicorn didn't stir, eyes still closed and face remarkably serene for having belly-flopped a good twenty feet into well-trodden dirt.

"Twilight, Twilight! Are you okay?" The silence that had grown was broken as Spike rushed between the five awe-struck ponies.

"Is she?" Dash echoed as the baby dragon placed a clawed hand to the unicorn's neck.

"Sh—she's got a pulse and she's breathing… Twilight?"

"Well, what in Tartarus happened? She was sound asleep when we left."

"Uh… I don't know. She was asleep and then her horn started glowing like crazy and she just launched right out the window!" the dragon rambled, staring down at the still slumbering unicorn as Fluttershy drew closer, trying to inspect for any damage.

"I don't think she broke anything..." Fluttershy murmured, finding herself with a knot growing in her throat as she ran her hooves over the unicorn's body, trying to feel for any telltale signs of injury. "We should probably get her to Nur—"

She wasn't able to finish as Twilight's horn lit up once more, body seeming to hover as it was pulled by the wayward horn. Fluttershy jerked back, terrified for a moment as Spike grabbed onto the foating unicorn's tail, trying to pull her back.

"A little help, guys!" the little dragon cried as, even with his claws dragging furrows in the street, he couldn't stop the unicorn's magical momentum.

"C'mon, girls, pile on," Applejack took the lead, tackling Twilight to the ground.

For a moment, the unicorn halted, but the victory was temporary. The glow increased and the unconscious unicorn began to move faster as Dash and Pinkie joined the pile, Fluttershy galloping up to grab the unicorn's tail, digging her hooves into the ground as she beat her wings furiously.

"Wait! I have an idea!" Rarity exclaimed from behind the group before taking off past them in a hard gallop. "Just keep her here, I'll be right back!"

"Rarity, consarnit! We need you here!" Applejack yelled after the fashionista as, even with the combined weight and efforts of four ponies and one dragon, Twilight was moving faster by the moment, heading—much to Fluttershy's dismay—straight towards the site of the unicorn's last loss of magical control.

"C'mon, Fluttershy, flap harder!" Dash implored, circling back from her spot on top of Pinkie to grasp at her fellow pegasi's waist, flapping her wings fast enough to make a hummingbird on a caffeine-drip look slow.

"I'm trying," Fluttershy panted, not used to the strain, hooves scraping across the street before she felt them suddenly freed from the dirt and her body flapping in the air as the unicorn's body short forward in burst of magic.

"What's the—?!" came the confused yells of various Ponyvillians as the sextet shot by, Twilight's glowing horn leading the charge through the market as various ponies dove for cover.

"Guys, I don't think this is working!" Applejack yelled back, Pinkie's tongue lolling out of her mouth as the wind whipped over them, a path a destruction and dazed ponies left behind them.

"Y'think?!" Dash found herself in the uncomfortable position of being completely without control as she clutched at Fluttershy while the other pegasus bit down hard on the tail in her mouth.

"Guys?" came Spike's terror filled voice, the baby dragon having latched onto Fluttershy's tail after losing his grip on Twilight's.

"Yeah, Spike?!" Pinkie asked, having thrown her hooves in the air as she sat atop the mobile unicorn's flank.

"I think we're gonna crash!" the dragon yelled, pointing towards Town Hall as it loomed in the distance.

"Well… that ain't good…" Applejack stated bluntly before grabbing the unicorn's ear with a hoof. "Twi, now might be a good time for you ta wake up!"

"Pease wake’p, pease wake’p, pease wake’p," Fluttershy repeated around the hair in her mouth as she screwed her eyes shut tight.

A moment passed and she could hear Pinkie, Applejack, Dash and Spike scream, the impact seeming to be upon them.

And then the screams faded to gasps and whimpers.

The wind that had been whipping through her wings disappeared and she felt herself hit the ground with a thud accompanied by three smaller and one rather large thud.

"What… what jus' happened?" Applejack cried out in confusion as she rolled off the now immobile unicorn, she reached up with a hoof and let out a sigh of relief as it found her favorite hat. "Are we dead?"

"Dead? I should hope not after getting myself all sweaty."

"Rarity? That you?" The work pony could hardly believe her eyes as she spotted the white unicorn standing just to their side with a rather pleased look about her despite the dirt stains on her legs and now thoroughly mangled coiffure.

"But what… how did you… did you just save us?" Dash stuttered as she got to her hooves, eyes threatening to roll out of her skull as she pressed a hoof to her aching forehead.

"Hmm… I suppose I did save you," Rarity replied with a smile.

"Rarity? The how? If y’don't mind."

"Oh, right. I saved you with those!" the prim unicorn replied with a flourish, motioning to Twilight's now darkened horn. Or, rather, what sat on her horn: a pair of rather intricately styled rings comprised of several dark gray bands twisted around one another, numerous sigils and symbols covering its surface.

"Ooo… it looks neato! What is it?" Pinkie chimed in, giving the ring a tentative proke with her hoof, a tiny magenta spark emitting from the ring.

"Calm down, dear, you'll chip a hoof at this rate," Rarity hushed her boisterous friend, the pink pony bouncing excitedly, before continuing, "Those, my good ponies, are inhibitor rings."

"What-now rings?"

"Oh, Applejack, you really should have paid more attention in class"—the work pony's face dropped into a grimace at the mention, Rarity's eyes widening slightly as well before she coughed awkwardly and continued. "Yes...so, as I was saying, an inhibitor ring is a practice device for adolescent unicorns. Something for us to overcome and practice with to improve both our power and fine control over our magic."

"So… you disabled Twilight's magic?" Fluttershy asked, curious as she examined the ring. Faintly she could see the telltale light of magic coursing through it.

"Well… not exactly. The ring only inhibits to a degree," Rarity began, her face shifting from her former pride to something more akin to embarrassment. "I'm honestly surprised that it worked on a unicorn of Twilight's caliber. It was somewhat of a long shot in retrospect. It’s good I thought to bring more than one."

"Y’don't say..." Applejack raised an eyebrow at this admission before glancing towards the town hall a mere thirty yards away. "S'pose we al jus' get lucky sometimes."

"Agreed," Rarity said as she circled towards Applejack, offering the work pony a helping hoof.

"Thank ye kindly," Applejack spoke softly as she took the proferred hoof. Straightening her hat, she took a look around, the ponies from the market had kept their distance thus far, all of them seeming dumbfounded at best. "Think they'd be used to this sort of craziness by now."

"I know. I'm completely used to it!" Pinkie agreed, giving the work pony a side hug before bouncing back to Fluttershy as the pegasus looked over the still unconscious Twilight.

"Twilight?" Fluttershy whispered as she shook the unicorn gently, drawing out a soft groan before her eyes flickered open.

"Fluttershy?"

"Twilight, you're okay!" Spike exclaimed, bounding over Fluttershy to wrap himself around the unicorn's neck.

"Of course I… why am I lying in the dirt in front of Town Hall?"

"Maybe we should get you back home before we start talking about it."

"And what's on my horn?"

"Twi, when we get you home. Don't make me use Fluttershy on you."

"Applejack!" Fluttershy gasped as the work pony simply chuckled, but the ploy worked as Twilight fell silent.

Letting Applejack pull her to her hooves, Twilight stood unsteadily for a moment before the septet began the walk back to the library, Applejack and Rarity flanking the purple unicorn somewhat uncomfortably before the slack-jawed stares of what seemed to be half of Ponyville.

"I swear, this town has just been getting stranger and stranger..."

Author's Note:

[revised 8-6-2014]

Comments

[Brony Tom]

I was most definitely intimidated by the length. Sorry to burst your bubble, if I did...

[Blik]

I love your style here. You notice all the little details and don't let any drop. I saw how RD stole AJ's photograph back, for instance. A seemingly insignificant thing to the narrative that, when included, really ups the realism of the scene. Kudos to you. *showers Hyperbole with Kudos bars*