As a test to demonstrate everything she has learned in her new life of redemption, Starlight embarks on a new redemption adventure to save Ponyville with her friends and allies, in her own way... despite the hidden reality of it.
Despite of being graduated from her friendship classes, Starlight's new challenge has just begun when a strange epidemic alters the behavior of the inhabitants of Ponyville and its surroundings increasingly. Under her own decisions and alongside her trusted friends and a new all, she sets out to demonstrate everything she has learned in her new life to resolve this situation... even in the face of the profound reality of progress of it that is in its path.
Coming from an alternate version of season 07 from the FIM series which wasn't told for reasons that would be shown as the story progresses...including the cover of this fic in the meantime. Even so, I just hope you'll enjoy it at the end...
Every creature in this world forms its own destiny: a phrase that, at first glance, is too inspiring to be true for everyone equally. Despite having a safe situation or well-planned actions, the results are always unpredictable to the point of being able to get out of control for better or worse.
Even so, the efforts that someone makes to remedy them may be possible depending on the determination one can bring and the decision one wishes to choose... always in a certain place and time... in this case, it would be starting with an unexpected phrase proposed by a brilliant teacher towards her loyal disciple who, despite her latest achievements and acquired knowledge, had no idea of the new challenge she must overcome.
"So we have a second reason to celebrate today: 3 cheers for Starlight Glimmer on her graduation day!!!!" Twilight shouted and looked for a while to look at her pupil who was shocked by that revelation. "The future is in your hooves now."
After that phrase proposed by the Princess of Friendship, everypony present at the meeting (whether ponies, changelings, or even Discord) celebrated with happiness for this revelation... except the lilac unicorn to whom Twilight was referring to.
"Wow, I really... wasn't expecting this..." Starlight commented quietly.
Her closest friends approached her to suggest various ways to celebrate such an achievement; however, Starlight (still surprised and hesitant about it) froze and pondered such an awkward situation in her mind:
Well, so now I'm already an expert in this Friendship thing and everything is going great: I managed to reform my life, I got new and loyal friends, I got back some old ones, I saved my old friends from a creepy castle with a ruthless queen who tormented her people to survive... and I got new allies, all with the help of my friends' teachings. Now I... DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!!!!
I guess now I have to make a new adventure alone away from them... should I do it? At least, I see the others agree with it but... I think they are right, it's time to make my decision of what I'm going to do next. I just hope... I'm doing the correct thing.
After a few seconds, she trotted over to where her teacher was to reconfirm what she said in that speech. She placidly reaffirmed it and, moreover, gave her full confidence.
"Ok, here we go" she thought.
Starlight simply agreed fearfully to it but, immediately she answered:
"I'm not ready... I'M NOT READY TO GO!!" she exploded to the point of capturing the attention of everyone present who looked at her confused by her reaction.
Immediately, there was a little but stressful moment of silence, and she showed a face full of nerves, fearing the worst but .... ended up surprised in the end.
Fortunately, Twilight was happy with her choice as she agreed with her student. She even showed her a gift from her friends in case she had left: it was a mirror decorated with beautiful pictures of her friends at the ends as souvenirs. Starlight simply cried for that gift and thanked her teacher with a hug, which she received at the end.
At the end of the party, every creature returned quietly to their homes, and said goodbye to each other. While Starlight was leaving, thinking a little, somepony else was following her, a little curious about her best friend's attitude... it wasn't normal for her, knowing really well.
"Something wrong, my powerful best friend? I thought you would be more chill and proud of that amazing feat Twilight has given you". Trixie declared, worried for her friend because of that previous reaction.
"Well, it's just that... I'd better tell you about it." Starlight replied and repeated his previous thoughts for her revelation from her teacher.
"Hmm I see, but come on... you also know the "Great and Powerful Trixie" by your side. I'll be here to support you every time." Trixie commented encouragingly... and some confidently, to encourage her friend.
"I guess you're right, thank you, Trixie." * she responded relieved.
"Thank you, and what do you think about what will be our next fabulous adventure to come?" she said confident about her future challenge.
"Please, I hope it will be one without Discord..." she also whispered in Starlight's ear.
They both end up laughing for a while, although from afar, the draconequus watched them from afar as she went with her friend back... Starlight just ignored them this time.
"Who knows, but I'm sure it really will be a fun one..." she answer already recovered from her previous doubts.
"That's the spirit" Trixie said.
Then, they ended up bumping their hooves as they watched the sunset hide... although Starlight had certain doubts in her mind that still tormented her: Will there be a bigger catastrophe than this? What if I have to face it alone? Will someone else be involved in it for the wrong reasons?
For now, she decided to ignore them for a moment and ended the normal day as she wished: celebrating with her remaining friends for her victory inside the castle for the rest of the day.
Meanwhile, just as both unicorns entered the place, a mysterious figure of a pony that was reflected on a hill far from the place appeared at the peak of it and analyzed its future new refuge... and research laboratory through binoculars. improvised ones that he brought in his bag that he carried on his back.
"So this is the famous Ponyville, eeh? .... Well, it sure is a good place to take shelter for a while, and maybe .... Ouch!!!" *the misterious figure expressed while walking with a crooked hoof, product of a forced landing on a past trip to a place far from the town that was in front of his eyes.
"Personal Note: NEVER run on roads full of rocks and potholes or as an escape. Ouch!!!" he said to himself while writing said note in a notebook and bandaging his wounds with the help of his magic horn. "Anyway, I just hope I find what I need to".
Exhausted and without many resources from his previous fateful trip, he headed towards said place with his head held high as long as he could and still thinking that... it was the only option he had and he must take advantage of it if he wanted to see a new day....
The next day, Ponyville was back to its "normal" state and the air became open and clear again after the previous attack of the fugitive changeling queen. Its habitants continued with their morning chores while the reformed changelings (as well as their new leader at the helm) returned to their liberated kingdom to rebuild it into a new peaceful and better home than it was before.
Even though this day was perfect for relaxing and having fun with other common hobbies, all the members of our popular Mane 6 had other adventure plans in their minds which usually meant a possible chaotic situation for some of them. .. or their friends.
On this occasion, Twilight and her friends decided to travel by train to take a "retirement" holiday to a faraway place from Ponyville for their previous heroic deeds in saving Equestria ... so Starlight and Spike (Twilight's NĀ°1 younger assistant) were left in charge of their castle.
Although Spike was accustomed to this type of work on many previous occasions in his former arboreal home, Starlight gladly accepted this idea as she could practice her previous studies of friendship (somewhat possible) and magic (her favorite subject). until... her best friend Trixie came to visit unexpectedly to have a good time with the 2nd option.
Starlight accepted her visit from her and shared her future plans for the day as they went to the kitchen to prepare a certain farewell gift planned for her friends.
"Ohh sounds exciting!!! Don't worry, with my help: the "great and powerful Trixie" will reach great heights of magic... of course, if we do it together as usual." Trixie declared in a emotive and confident way.
"Hehe, sounds good. Just let me finish my preparations for..." Starlight said while she was concentrating on her planned desserts as a special gift for her friends.
Inmediately, Trixie started to bring some kitchen utensils (breaking some of them by accident) to practice a spell she had arranged with her for that very day...
"Ok, this is going to be a long day." Starlight thought worriedly.
Meanwhile, a few slow but steady footsteps are heard from a mysterious new visitor to town, carrying a half-full briefcase on his back and wearing a blue jacket. He seemed somewhat displeased but also happy to have arrived at his new destination, although a little uncomfortable with the visual welcome of the other pony inhabitants due to the new and worn appearance of his new neighbor.
After galloping a few meters from the entrances until he reached the center of the place, he stopped for a while and began to stretch his hooves for a moment and explore the surroundings for a while.
"Finally, I'm... finally here... now I can only...." the mysterious pony said in a quiet tone until...
"Be careful, friend!!!" "Move now, please!!!"
Suddenly, a small vehicle consisting of a scooter and an attached carrushed close to him as if it were fleeing from something. The mysterious pony quickly realized this and jumped as far as he could to avoid it, although he was unhooked from his backpack which contained objects that flew out of his backpack.
In an unrestrained way, he managed to catch most of them using good agility and his hooves to catch them... only his notebook fell on his head leaving him dizzy and lying on the ground... only to see how said strange vehicle drove away at high speed.
"Sorry for that!!!!" a sweet, childish voice shouted loudly towards said pony, the only voice he could hear.
"Hey, watch where you're going, okay!!!????" the mysterious pony shouted too as he slowly got up from the ground and secured his things in his backpack.
"Wow, that was close." he said to himself in a soft tone to avoid drawing unnecessary attention. "Personal Note: NEVER let strange vehicles out of your sight."
When he finished, he put his booklet in his briefcase and continued on his way attentively and carefully.
"Better, I'm going to focus on my goal...with my eyes open...NOW!!!" he claimed.
With eagle eyesight, he looked around intently in search of his first goal: a good home to rest in. The ponies around him got a little scared and decided to get away from him while they could.
After walking and searching for 10 minutes, he found a large wooden ranch...with the help of about 3 remaining ponies from a nearby flower shop (who were on the verge of fainting from seeing his appearance). These ponies gave him directions before quickly running away.
"I think I see a... kind of hotel located near a... sofa and feather store?" the mysterious pony was baffled by what those eyes see in that store where, if that weren't enough, pointed out a sign marking a remarkable discount on a colorful bed... covered with feathers on its support legs and a pillow with images of chickens on its contents. "I better go check it out just in case."
"Wow, it sounds so unique and ridiculous I can't even describe it by putting these words together...." he thought sarcastically.
After entering the store, the receptionist there forcibly woke up from her reception desk for some reason and said attentively as long as she could:
"Ohh, good morning, sir. How can I help you?" the receptionist pony asked at that place with a calm tone, although being strange for his new client.
"Okay? Maybe I can stay there. Ugh, I better try... I don't think my hooves can continue for more time." he thought when he saw his hind legs a little battered and wet, then he approached the receptionist to be attended to." So, here we go."
After bidding farewell to Twilight and her friends at the station, Starlight, Trixie and Spike made their way back to the castle in a leisurely fashion, though only Starlight was a little dismayed along the way cause her start of the day wasn't very comfortable after all for many reasons: Trixie accidentally ruined her surprise snacks, told Twilight a secret about herself by mistake and humiliated her by handing a cheap snack to her teacher .... but still she managed to remain stable in the face of it all.
"Woo hoo!!! I'm already excited to learn magic with you and see if you can match me in powers too." Trixie declared to her friend in a clear and somewhat mocking tone, although in a slight way since she is her best friend.
"Same here. Though I'm just asking you to chill out a bit and NOT tell publicly something private I share with you, please." Starlight expressed to her friend in a serious and calm way.
"Okay, but what do you mean...?" Trixie asked doubtfully until she stopped abruptly when she received a hand on her muzzle to stop her question.
"Trust me, you don't want to know that answer just yet..." Spike declared in a worried tone towards her, so Trixie just nodded her head and walked with her other friends towards the castle.
When they got there, they started their normal duties: Spike continued reading his superhero comics in the main room, which also contained 6 white diamond chairs around a round table. Meanwhile, Starlight starts giving Trixie magic lessons through a learning magic book.
"Alright, what do you say we start with some easy ones?" Starlight asked quietly to her friend.
"No no, the "Great and Powerful Trixie" always goes bigger, or she doesn't!!! Just tell me, please, how you do it?"
"Well, I think magic comes from my emotions, whatever I feel at the moment it'll give me strength to whatever I'm doing and so the stronger my magic will be." Starlight explained a little insecure for his statement, due to a past event.
"Maybe I wasn't very clear but I think it would be logical what could have resulted to the point of controlling Twlight when... she was a villain obsessed with my ideals... I don't want to keep thinking about it." she thought nerviously.
"Ohh I see, how you see it in that you were angry when, through our Cutie Marks they took your friend away.... Wow, that made you finally enslave an entire village. " Trixie exclaimed in an confident and happy tone.
Suddenly, Starlight started to get angry which made her horn produce red sparks from her horn for a few seconds.... until she calmed down and stopped the sparks completely for a moment.
"Grr...maybe I should have thought that would come somehow." she thought uncomfortably.
"Yeah, something like that. " she answered seriously.
"Besides, if anyone can teach me that "Teleportation" spell, it's you. After all, is magic friendship or not?" Trixie asked confidently.
"Hehe, I guess we can try. Let me see where we can start..." Starlight expressed.
"OK? I'd better get going..." Spike said as he stood up and ran behind both ponies at a safe, far distance " ...up here and see how they're doing.
"We'd better use an inanimate object like.. like this.... " Starlight suggested while she took an apple near from the place and put it on the main table. "Ok, now just concentrate on the object you want to teleport."
"Alright... just concentrate" Trixie turned on her horn into a pink light " and... TELEPORTATION SPELL GOES!!!! " she shouted desperately.
"No, WAIT!!!!" Starlight shouted loudly to try to stop her, although it was in vain.
Trixie concentrated so hastily she managed to cast said spell successfully even though.... She teleported only the magic Cutie Map table (the shiny ornamente who helped her, Twlight and her friends in many past activities and events in far away places) and not the apple. For this enormous and worrying surprise, Starlight fainted immediately.
"Taaa daaa" Trixie said in a nervous tone but because of the doubtful situation regarding her friend than her accidental mistake she made that could be severe by the way.
Meanwhile in Ponyville, the mystery pony is seen being kicked out of a third hotel of the town he tried to settle down to rest from his trip.
"I told you, no money, no service!!!!" the third recepcionist pony shout in an angry tone before closed the front door of his place.
As the misterious pony got up from the floor and wiped his muzzle, he reflected, disgusted by his current situation.
"Wow, I went through the 3 hotels from this town... the 1st one was full and the other 2 I was kicked out and slammed out respectively... better, I'll go rest for a park by now... if I remember where it is." he exclaimed to himself.
After walking for a few minutes and looking again for a new refuge, he managed to find one quiet place where had a fountain. He found a country shelter near a white fountain. He was happy to be able to rest in some almost comfortable place in said city because he didn't usually face large crowds and was still staggering for a few moments due to the poor condition of his hooves.
"I'm almost... there, just... AAH!!!" he explained with some complications while still struggling to get to the first pavement he came across.
He accidentally tripped over a stone in the road and, after some exaggerated maneuvers to avoid colliding with someone, he ended up hitting and knocking over an older green pony carrying a brown bag with apples in it that went flying all over the place.
"What in tarnation?? Be careful where you cross, young man!!!" the green pony exclaimed to the young one after that accident.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to... let me help her with her products." the mysterious young pony said while trying to dry clean the fallen apples and put them back in her bag.
On the other hand, the green lady pony thinks a bit as she noticed how strange the young pony was.
"Hmm... how strange... you don't look like you're from around here??" the green pony asked.
"Ehh... how do you know that ma'am???" the young poy asked her doubtfully in a confused tone while he gave her the last apple.
"Well, how else would you be in that agonizing state if everyone around here knows this place to rest like the back of their hooves". * she answered in a confident and rustic tone, while she pointed her front hoof into the young pony's head, which was full of dirt as if she was working in the field.
"Whoever that lady is, she's got a good point.... and the right guts to talk that way apparently" the young pony thought.
"Ohh you see, I just.." he tried to excuse himself before receiving a hoof on his muzzle unexpectedly.
"Never mind, you'll tell me later... I must get back to my home." The green pony said in a calm tone as she prepared to return home.
"Alright... although, wait a minute, do you know a place where I can spend the night ma'am?" the young pony expressed firmly and strongly (as much as he could) to get her attention.
After about 20 seconds of silence that seemed like an eternity, the old pony answered sadly, after thinking about her answer carefully:
"I'm sorry boy, there is no empty place for visitors near here... after the last party of... graduation or whatever it's called, all the houses of this town have been filled quickly as if this place was recently a kind of utopia I guess." she claimed.
"Utopia?? I bet this old lady has a sense of humor after all. " the young pony thought doubtfully.
"Oh I see, thanks for the heads up, ma'am...." he expressed in a sarcastic tone.
"You're welcome, and next time, Please open your eyes wide, this day is not over yet." the green lady pony suggested firmly as she opened one of her eyes towards him by way of explanation while shooing him away at the same time. "See you later".
"I remember having had an almost similar accident a long time ago... damn, what trouble I got into after all for having a quiet place." the mysterious young pony thinking uncomfortably.
"Anyway, I think I'll take a light nap and then continue my search." he stated decidedly as he lay down on the bench. " It will only be for a few minutes... "
Unexpectedly, he fell asleep overwhelmed by the fatigue of his trip, using his briefcase as a temporary pillow and trying to assimilate the peace he had in those moments of the day while he could.
After regaining consciousness, Starlight again noticed what had happened to her clueless friend and concluded her friendship with her teacher was hanging by a thread.
"No no no no!!! How did you teleport Twilight's Friendship Map?" She expressed this concern with a nervous tone and short hyperventilations.
"Well, what did you expect? The table was behind the apple after all. So, the good thing, I got a table teleported and it "POOF!!! My magic improves successfully!!!" Trixie exclaimed, trying to be funny.
"Trixie, concentrate, we need to get it back as soon as possible!!!! Otherwise, Twilight will NEVER trust me again. What the hay were you thinking?" Starlight commented desperately to her friend.
"Well, about the spell... duuuuhh. Like you taught me, although maybe you should explained all the steps clearly before you let me do the spell at the end" Trixie responded calmly in a confident tone.
"Are you grabbing my mane now, Trix?" Starlight thought sarcastically.
"I REALLY TRIED but.... AAHH!!!" she expressed in a serious manner until it was interrupted by a strange and unexpected event.
Somehow a strange reddish cloud emerged from her horn as she became enraged as she scolded Trixie for her sarcastic comments, which caused Starlight to panic for a few seconds.
"Sorry, just give me a moment." she said in a nervous tone as she ran away towards the kitchen.
Luckily for her, Trixie wasn't looking at her (and maybe not having heard it too) at that moment as she was sitting in a chair by the kitchen table with a confident attitude. Spike chased after her, worried about Starlight. When she saw it, he was surprised to see her friend irritated by the cloud floating over her head, so she didn't hesitate to ask her actual status:
"Hey, are you all right?" the little dragon asked curiously.
"I'll be when I find a bottle to contain all my anger." Starlight answered clearly but still desperately.
"Wait, what??" Spike asked again, being more confused... since it sounded like something a certain flying friend could make excuses for instead of Starlight.
"See this? It looks like a storm cloud but it's never happened to me before honestly... it only appears when I present THAT feeling.." the lilac unicorn explained quickly as she reaches for a jar. "So I have to find a way to contain my magical energy somewhere safe for... I don't want to think about it."
"Ohh, I see... but are you sure this is a good idea?" Spike asked.
"I don't have a choice, I still have to get that map back at all costs. Besides, I don't want to hurt Trixie through it." Starlight expressed in a worried tone while shaking her head to concentrate better. "I'm sure she wouldn't talk to me again if I told her what I really think of her now."
"Ok, I'll try to find the map in the castle while you... do your thing for now." Spike commented, trying to calm himself as he ran off to start searching all the castle.
Starlight nodded her head. After stowing her flask in a green briefcase and trotted over to where Trixie was as she tried to calm herself down from the situation she was in for now.
"Okay, everything is fine.... Surely we can still sort it out before the other girls get back before nightfall and besides, I don't think Trixie can send it very far after all, so...." she began to reflect on her situation while trying to control herself a little and thinking of an effective solution by walking in circles for a few minutes, although she only came to a specific answer...
Meanwhile, in the Ponyville park, the mysterious pony was still asleep and motionless as a rock despite the noise generated by some foals that were having fun in there. Even so, he was used to enduring every such loud scandal in his life passing without any problem... except receiving a hard hit on the back with a ball that woke him up and made him fall off the bench with a crash.
"What the hay. Ahh!!" he claimed while trying to get back on track and heal thise accidental blow in the back, feeling ashamed of it.
"Sorry for that, sir!!!" a childish figure expressed his quick apology as he picked up his ball and walked back to his friends hurriedly.
"Anyway, that was relaxing... now, I have to continue... wait!!!" he suspired quietly until he noticed the situation where he was.
After that, she looks at the sky and is surprised by the position in which she was looking at the sun He also took out a another little notebook to do some quick calculations.
"Let's see, if the sun is located about 40Ā° east of where it sets then it looks like - OH NOO!!!! It's already 4pm, I've been sleeping for hours!!!! Woww.." he expressed surprised in a nervous tone as he staggered and fell precipitously to the ground along with his notebook.
"Oh, wait what's that... a fine for VAGRANCY!!!! This doesn't make sense, they only happen during late night hours!!!!! " he now exclaimed angrily at this new humiliation.
Right at that moment, some ponies around him were surprised for that shocking reaction.
"Sorry, I was just... rehearsing for an upcoming theater performance. Hehe" he explained to them in a nervous tone when he noticed that the others were leaving the place half confused. "Personal Note: MUST AVOID any public scandal." * He said in a firm tone, writing in his personal notebook.
"Well, now what am I going to do? I don't even have many resources other than my books, which don't even taste good after a certain amount of time." he tought doubtfully as he finished getting ready after his abrupt awakening.
After walking a few meters outside the park, he tried to remain calm while he thought of a possible solution, scratching his head in the meantime and trying to pass amicably with the other ponies he met until...
"I HAVE AN IDEA!!! Still, I need to find a pony who needs help... maybe he can give me some reward for my efforts" Then he pauses to look once more at the sky and notice a noticeable difference from the morning sky.
"Wow, the sky stopped being bright and I already see some dark clouds on the road placed by a certain pegasus... I better look for some and soon... besides this place is full of ponies with special activities, and with them many opportunities, so.... " He expressed while looking around looking for a possible immediate solution.
Although, as he thought about it better, it would be very difficult to obtain it because of how full the other stalls were and how busy the ponies were at that time... a small immediate job would be almost impossible to find by then...
At that moment, neither of the two ponies has made any progress in their possible solutions and time is running out for both of them. Even so, both are eager to solve their own problems and confirm this with this following phrase:
"What's the worst that could happen??" Starlight and the mysterious pony expressed at the same time and they began to put on their hooves to work.
As the table search time was running out as she thought of some quick solution, Starlight was overwhelmed and was also determined to take any advantage of the few direct resources and techniques she knew to find it before her friend arrived.
As a first step, Starlight asked Trixie about any place she thought to be able to teleport it, a vital factor for the development of that previous spell. However, Trixie had forgotten about it within a few seconds, which angered Starlight again and again caused her to emit another red cloud of anger from her horn, which was kept in its attached flask in her saddlebag.
As the second step, Starlight decided to walk with her clueless friend through various places in Ponyville to help refresh her mind and remember that place after leaving Spike in charge of the castle. Trixie gladly agreed to her relief, although it would end up being another unnecessary waste of time.
First, both ponies went to a homemade snack shop since Trixie remembered she was hungry and they only bought bags of cinnamon nuts on the way.. only for her. The glass table was not there unfortunately for Starlight.
Then they went to a jewelry store in town as she remembered how shiny the table was; however, her owner didn't get to see it either but she was interested (thanks to Trixie) in trying some bags of nuts in her break time.
Afterwards, they both went to SweetApple Acres since Trixie only was... hungry for apples. Right there, Starlight asked Grandma Smith (the current owner of the giant country place) about the table; however, the table wasn't there either, although Smith ended up interested in trying said snacks later.
In each place (and likewise with each failure) Starlight's anger accumulated more and more by means of more clouds that sprouted in her horn and kept in the same jar and she also felt more exhausted at the same time but she kept firm in this search.
"Okay... I'm sure we'll find it... someday" Starlight thought about it repeatedly after each failed visit, each time with a more worried tone than the previous one... losing energy and hope of being able to complete her day in an optimistic way.
Meanwhile, at a point close to your position, the mystery pony was asking everypony around him if they needed any help or side job in which he would be rewarded. Despite the many possibilities available to him in this extroverted and busy city, luck was not on his side either cause some ponies he met were so busy to answer him, others were in denial, while others simply got scared and ran away as the mystery pony was so desperate.
After so much walking and trying, he decided to rest for a while in the square to reflect a little on his situation and regret it:
"Ok, the only thing I managed to do was mistreat my hooves again and... well, almost no food or drink with me. That's it, I need to find any solution and now!! *he displeasedly criticized himself while checking his briefcase and is surprised that he doesn't have many supplies left.
He unexpectedly collided with a sturdy pony in front of him accidentally. Despite his state, the mysterious pony apologized for it while, instead of accepting it or scolding him, he decided to take advantage of the opportunity to ask him in a confident tone:
"Excuse me, young one, can you do me a favor?"
"Ehh.. sure... what is it about?" the mysterious pony asked doubtfully, both for his response and his way of expressing himself to it.
"I must help a special friend with an important task right away. Can you take over my watermelon stand, please? I will reward you well if you succeed."
"Fine, but I think..." the mysterious pony in a doubtful tone since he sees the cart very rusty and discolored which made him very very sure of failing his mission in the end, but he was interrupted in the meantime.
"Thank you very much, well I have to go for now... I see my friend there." the sturdy pony expressed himself happily as he pointed to the side with his hoof, and hit with his other to get the young pony's attention.
A larger and newer cart arrived at that place, in which it was driven by an rich elegant pony who was waiting for his "humble" rusty friend. After getting on, both ponies greeted each other and quickly left the place, leaving the said caretaker pony and the cart in dust as well.
"Well, finally the faker pony revealed himself with a big surprise exit.. at least, I already have some beneficial work at the end." the mysterious pony thought ironically but happy that at least he had obtained what he was looking for... he only had to complete it successfully to obtain his reward.
"Ok, I think I should find a safe place to protect it better... I'm sure this will be easy after all.* he said as he moved the cart from the stall to a less populated corner of the city calmly ignoring the other reactions of the other ponies and events around him...
After spending hours searching, they returned to the center of town. Starlight was totally exhausted and angry about this situation and Trixie... jumping with happiness as if nothing bad was happening in her "great" life...
"I think I shouldn't have said that question... let alone brought her here I suppose." Starlight thought, a little annoyed by her critical situation, although she did not seem exhausted by finishing her main mission.
"Wow, I could swear it could be in an ice cream parlor since it was very hot in the castle and I was craving ice cream. Wait... * Trixie said happily until stopping for a moment to offer her "brilliant" suggestion to Starlight. * ...we should go to the Crystal Empire because the castle is made of crystals and that.. came to my mind."
Although she knew it would take more than 1 hour to get there by train, Starlight simply held back and kept another big reddish cloud from her horn as she replied in an almost clear tone.
"Ok, so let's go now if we want to get there fast." Starlight responded worried but determined to continue with her mission.
She turned to head towards the station as, finally, Trixie looks on in dismay at her friend's declining situation.
"Starlight, are you okay? You look a bit... ehh." Trixie commented as she looked a little worried at her friend's worn face as she babbling with her tongue out 3 times to explain what she felt what she saw.
"Don't worry, I'm just fine.. Let's just get this over with." she responded awkwardly while she kept another cloud in her jar but, this time, Trixie noticed it in a surprised way.
"Did your saddlebag just glow?" Trixie asked curiously.
Although Starlight worriedly denied it, she couldn't stop Trixie from risking looking at the contents of her saddlebag.
Using the magic of her horns, both unicorns struggled to get the briefcase for a few moments. Starlight, almost without strength, desperately tried to stop him with everything she could and avoid getting into more trouble than she already was.
It was ironic that there were only a few nearby ponies who were present at that altercation, especially being the same ponies from the previous locations, the jewelry store owner and Granny Smith, who took the artist pony's advice and bought her cinnamon rolls. at the sandwich shop, owned by the strongpony Bulk Biceps, who was on a roll that day... although none of the three realized the danger they were getting into.
Meanwhile, the mysterious pony was trying with all her physical strength to push the battered cart to an empty but safe alley near the place.
"Ohh, I didn't even think... that this hulk... was very heavy to move after all". he said as he kept pushing and watching how some pieces fell from that vehicle.
Halfway there, he watched as some ponies ate at a mobile snack stand in a leisurely way.
"I hope that 'worker' pony returns soon and gives me my reward... ohh, I'm really hungry now". * he said as he listened to how his belly creaked.
While he waited, he looked at the landscape around him to try to calm down a bit... although that made him remember and compare it with his old home that he had before "moving" to Ponyville.
After a few minutes, Trixie stumbled backwards and the rage-filled vial was thrown into the air, breaking as it fell. The ponies located in that snack store accidentally breathed the air from those clouds and were unexpectedly controlled by the fury Starlight was trying to hide and then approached Trixie in an angry manner, who didn't know what was really happening at that moment.
Only a young pony was surprised to see that alarming situation either for being the first time to witness a dark atmosphere around said group in front of the confused artist pony, or for relating it to something... sourly familiar in her thoughts.
Immediately, he decided to quickly hide in an alley near his position and silently continued to observe that alarming situation that, in some way or another, made it bitterly familiar to him.
"Oww, I wonder how did she come to be so hated all of a sudden... and... why do I have that feeling among my past memories. Ouch!!" the young pony asked himself attentively as he tried to remember and reflect on said situation with his past life... although he only ended up giving himself a headache in a few seconds... for some reason. " I guess I better continue observing the new details of it by now."
After a confusing exchange of offensive phrases, from the group towards Trixie, the strong white pegasus tried to rush at her inmediately, but she narrowly evaded him and started galloping quickly to flee while she was being chased by the group of angry ponies.
"I don't know what's going on, but... STARLIGHT, SOME HELP, PLEASE!!!!" Trixie screamed confused and desperately as she looked for somewhere to hide while she could.
After recognizing her friend's uncontrolled dangerous situation, she tried to cast a spell to stop the chase as soon as possible, but unfortunately it didn't work because she was so tired from expending so much negative energy from her body.
"Why??? Why can't I do anything to help right now??" She wondered, bewildered by her current state and nervous about what might happen later. "I'm glad Twilight didn't see any of this."
"Ehh... I understand and I am surprised to notice how all this chaos originated in less than 20 seconds almost exactly but..." * the mysterious pony spoke to himself as he walked out of his hiding place to think about it a little although in a worried way * "...I really should do it in public."
After a few seconds, he came up with a plan that could work for everypony, specially for him without being completely noticed by the other ponies around him.
"I got it, besides it doesn't involve putting in much effort in the end. I just have to..." he commented to himself cheerfully... until he was interrupted when Trixie was galloping towards him... to make him part of her wild chase on a tour throughout the city center.
"I wasn't thinking about also being the bait, of course. " He thought himself ironic and surprised as he galloped with the magician pony to escape from his new furious neighbors.
Although there were times when the young pony managed to avoid him for a few seconds, Trixie managed to attack him many times in a row, even though she had her eyes closed due to the fear she felt about her hunt. At that time, the young pony was not only trying to keep his old cart safe by moving it from one place to another, but also her life in any way possible.
"Ahhh, stop following me once and for all, please" the young pony shouted at the magician pony every time he could without success since the desperate screams that he emitted in the city could be heard more.
"Personal Note: Buy a megaphone in case of chaotic emergencies. Right.. I'll write it down when I get my booklet back." he expressed himself thoughtfully and carefully as he continued his routine of quick evasion.
Starlight began to slowly get back on her feet as she watched worriedly as the situation continued to worsen by involving an innocent pony in that chase initiated by a mistake accidentally made by her, something that also made her uncomfortable due to some memories of her dark past.
"Oh no... I have to stop... this... now. Come on!!!" Starlight told herself to motivate herself and clear her head as quickly as possible.
Fortunately for her, after a few seconds, the mystery pony managed to escape to a safe alley while trying to repair some possible damage to his cart of the battered car he cared for and seeing the dangers Trixie was facing in that place even... when Bulk lifted his cart with all his might and threw him towards her, hitting him in the head. Somehow, that hurt her to see it too.
After cornering her, those furious ponies revealed some confessions of Trixie's naive and childish attitude that hurt Starlight so much early on, and also tried again to attack her with whatever they could, although Trixie has not yet accounted for that last detail.
"I don't even know you guys, why the hay are you mad at me?" Trixie said on the verge of breaking down while still confused at the same time.
"They aren't... I am." Starlight declared in a low but clear tone to her friend who finally noticed her worn physical state, which made her a little worried.
Then the lilac unicorn cast a spell with the strength she had to clear the cloud from the angry ponies' minds and return them to normal to the amazed gaze of her magician friend... and that of the young pony who was still watching them from his hiding place.
ā"Incredible, surely she must be very powerful to control that big amount of dark energy in a short time... maybe...she would be helpful... later." the mysterious pony He thought, reflecting on that final result... and on some ideas planned in his mind.
"Alright, I think that's enough... better now or never." Starlight thought being more relieved.
"I'm... the one... who really is mad.. at you." Starlight said in a firm tone as he walked over to Trixie "You lost Twilight's map, you make bad jokes like you really like to get me in trouble. Twilight will never trust me again and the worst thing is...." while standing face to face with her, she started to yell her final but direct phrase that made her uncomfortable. "... YOU DON'T EVEN SAY YOU'RE SORRY!!!!
That yell generated a few seconds of tension and silence, leaving everyone else present surprised.
"I'm... I'm sorry... I had no idea how you were feeling." Trixie responded regretting her carelessness... finally.
"That's right!!! * Starlight sighs as said red cloud she just formed disappears quickly * Though I admit I was also at fault in using uncontrolled magic to solve the problem, containing my anger in a jar that broke and, because of me, more ponies ended up being affected. *
Then, Starlight paused her speech as she looked at the other infected ponies. Luckily for her, the 2 older ponies forgave her and thanked her for giving them an exciting moment (for their tastes), though Starlight ended up repairing Bulk's destroyed stall, who then remembered to get to the spa as she also had a 2nd job to do... something that had left the young pony distressed for a short moment.
When the 3 ponies were leaving, Trixie approached Starlight as she noticed her feeling down:
"I'll be honest... it wasn't easy to hear all those confessions from those ponies but I had to do it. Why didn't you tell me before?" Trixie asked a little doubtful about her friend's hidden actions.
"I was afraid of losing you as a friend." Starlight claimed ashamed, although she ended up perplexed when she noticed how Trixie only laughed lightly at her response.
"Ha, come on! It takes a lot more than only just words to lose me, my friend." Trixie declared in a calm and happy tone as she put a hoof on her friend's back.
"Wow, I don't remember why I should have doubted her at the first place." Starlight thought uncertain of what was happening... again.
"I'd rather notice your tantrum than the boring pony I was seeing just now. I prefer that passionate, animated and, of course, grumpy Starlight... those are the things I love most about you... and of course, the times you always forgive me." Trixie stated it towards her.
"Well... and I'll continue with it if you forgive me too". Starlight asked sarcastically.
"Deal." Trixie said as they both hugged each other until... "Wait, I now remember where the map is!!!"
Before the day is over, both unicorns arrived at the town spa, where they were surprised to find the map being used as a massage bed by Bulk Biceps... of course.
"Are you kidding me?" Starlight said ironically.
"Well, it was obvious, wasn't it? I was thinking about how happy I was to have met you at that moment and I remembered the place of our first meeting: at the fancy Ponyville's spa." Trixie claimed loud and happy for it.
"Of all the 'memories' I had, this is the best one I've heard all day... Maybe I shouldn't have doubted her, much less our true friendship." Starlight thought in a relieved way.
"Well, it's time to teleport it back. " Trixie said confident as she prepared to cast a spell and Starlight interrupted her with a tackle to avoid another possible catastrophe.
After noticing the chaotic situation was over, the mysterious pony came out of his hiding place with his cart towards the centre, carrying his old vehicle intact behind him.
"Well, I.. still surprised of the kind of trouble have I got myself into now? I thought all the ponies here were calm and cheerful as I was told before." * the mysterious pony said trying to be calm. "At least, on the bright side, this wagon was almost as good as new and without any further damage."
When he was about to reach the center, he heard the sound of certain wheels moving to his location. Thinking it was the cart's owner, he decided to look for him by looking far in front of him to close the deal. However, he again heard a shrill cry warning him from behind and growing louder.
"WATCH OUT, SIR!!" a soft childish voice could be heard in his ear... which was a sign of trouble for him.
Suddenly, the same vehicle from the morning appeared again and collided with the wagon that the same pony failed to protect him as he watched it being torn into many pieces.
"Uff, we really sorry about that, we were..." another more childish and tender voice tried to justify himself until he was interrupted by a filly that was next to her.
"No time girls, we have to go back now until nightfall." said the filly who was driving that vehicle at full speed.
"We'll make it up to you soon enough..." one of the occupants expressed shouting as she drove away with her friends in the vehicle.
The pony was shocked at what had just happened and all his work had just been ruined. However, the outcome of this incident worsened when the target pony arrived at his location after a few seconds and got off to check his watermelon cart... in ruins, so he ended up surprised just like the boy.
"Oops sorry boy, the cart ended up destroyed apparently so I don't owe you anything for now... ok, I'll buy a new one tomorrow anyway. " the strong pony claimed in a disgruntled tone.
"Sorry for the interruption, but how about you help me with my new pool at home so you can refresh your memory." his rich friend commented as a consolation.
"Good idea, fella. What are we waiting for?" the strong pony answered positively before he climbed back into the big wagon to head quickly to his new destination.
"Still, thanks for your effort, young boy... good luck with your life." he shouted as he sped off, leaving the mystery pony in the dust again.
"Ok, no.. problem." the mistery pony said as he walked off somewhat dejectedly towards the outskirts of Ponyville.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!!! ??????" he thought disgusted by his effort in vain.
However, as luck would have it, he found a pile of coins the "lowly" pony had dropped during his journey in the cart after a few blocks away. Although the pony pondered what he was going to do in such a situation, his survival instinct got the better of him.
"Well, I need something to eat anyway...." the young pony thought in a relieved and confident way.
After that, he quickly grabbed all the bits he found right there and quickly went to the snack stand located near the spa to get something to eat quickly.
When Starlight and Trixie arrived at the castle on time with the cuite-map table in the living room, they asked Spike for help to place it in an exact position where no one would suspect that it had been moved. He agreed without hesitation.
This action took a few minutes... due to the magic pony's inexperience as well as Starlight's physical fatigue from her hectic day... but, just before her other friends returned to the castle, they managed to put the table on their original place.
"Hello, girls. How was your day?" the alicorn asked in a curious and cheerful manner after having enjoyed hers.
"Nothing, it's just.. only learning... a friendship lesson in your absence... with Trixie." Starlight answered nervously.
"It sounds ironic that I just realized that again... what a student I am." she thought embarrassedly, like a mother proud of her daughter's achievement.
"You just graduated and you're already taking the initiative?? How proud I am!! * Twilight said with a tender voice while tearing a little.
Later, some of Twilight's friends commented on certain experiences of their trip, as well as certain lessons they learned along the way, until a white unicorn that was in said group suggested that the others visit said spa to relax, so all the others agreed. in a nice way.
"See you there!!!" the wizard pony claimed in a nervous tone until she saw how the group was going in the place she visited." Quick, do you know any spell to make them forget that the map table was there?"
"Seriously, you didn't learn anything about using magic to solve problems??" * Starlight said ironically.
"Nope, if we learned that lesson, how could we have fun???" * Trixie claimed in a mocking tone and then laughed with Starlight about it.
"Ha ha, you are right, Trix. I'll take care of it then. But... we're fine for now, right?" the lilac unicorn gave her doubtful opinion at the end.
"All good, since after all we are and we will always be the best 'Great and Powerful' friends together." Trixie affirmed positively.
Finally, they both gave each other a moving hug and then accompanied the group to said place and ended the day in a calm way, although...
"It's good that this whole mess is over... I wonder what that red cloud in my head REALLY was... I think I'm going to need some extra help to help me solve this problem... and quickly before my friends notice or put themselves in danger because of it." she thought reflectively.
When the nightfall came, the mysterious pony was near the entrance of the city as she finished eating her bag of nuts and tossed it aside when finished.
"Celestia, damn it!!!" he claimed while kicking a stone near him. "There is no place available for me to take refuge for now... at least, trying those nuts with cinnamon from said... pony of pure muscles was worth it to satisfy my hunger."
"Though I doubt if that strong white pegasus of the store legally got those muscles for his hard work." he thought.
For a few moments while walking, he sees how clear and green the field where he was. There was some wind in the air and I could hear a faint sound from a nearby river where I was.
"Maybe, I can build myself a small camp near the city by now and this... lush forest I guess. I think he had written down the requirements to organize a... "he looked in his backpack to find a book he wanted to review for his future, only... "OH NO, I should have left it in that cowboy place!!"
Afterwards, there was a moment of awkward and embarrassing silence due to his unexpected carelessness for a surviving pony. The latter shouted, surely he had alerted many animals around him, be they nocturnal birds... or a pony in particular.
"Well then, I think I remember some of said preparations from my last summer foray. Maybe I can at least build myself a wooden tent before nightfall... I hope. " He exclaimed, determined to improvise with what he had in the meantime, in order to sleep peacefully at least for tonight and start the next days of your new life in a better way.
He began to put his hooves to work planning and looking for natural reserves around him, while he was observed in turn by a shadow that appeared at the end of a hill where this mysterious unicorn was. He or she was feeling so down in the meantime, but his intentions with this new visitor were unknown... perhaps, time will tell later, as well as the possible pros and cons that unicorn could face (whether alone or accompanied) in the... future of.... Equestria.
The next day began with a clear and calm morning for the entire town of Ponyville, whose present weather was practically the same as yesterday, with the only difference being the presence of light winds.
Despite the events occurred the previous day, most of the ponies returned to their normal activities, even the friends who accompanied Twilight on her retirement vacation. Only one of them, who was wearing a brown country hat, was very eager and determined to carry out her plans in mind for a special family event that would come in a few days, so she was the first to say goodbye to put her helmets to work.
Also, among Twilight's closest friends, there was also an another pony who was very opposite to the previous one due to her own adventure yesterday.
Starlight, was getting up reallly exhausted on her beddue to the amount of Trixie's mistakes she had to fix (apart from the already mentioned) while she performed more spells of her own during her training; though she was also still somewhat dismayed to still be hiding in that table accident... and the unexpected phenomenon which almost hurt her friend. This time, however, she had organised a plan to seek out adequate information to investigate the phenomenon, without alarming her friends along the way.
"Good morning, Starlight! How are you feeling? Did you have fun yesterday?" Twilight greeted her and asked her in a friendly manner about her successful and fun retreat earlier.
"Ow. Hello Twilight, let's just say..." she said in a tired tone as she stretched a bit. "... it could have gone better. At least I'm glad Trixie improved her aim with her lightning... ouch!! That will continue to hurt a little more. "
While trying to communicate friendly with her teacher, she scratched her back and her back from some pain she'd been having since yesterday.
"Although, considering what happened then..I admit she has a lot of potential after all, but not much experience yet". Starlight thought a little optimistic about the results obtained by her help... at least.
"Ohh, I see... anyway, I think it was cordial of you to help her with her magic, I'm sure it will be very useful for her future magic performances" Twilight stated calmly and positively.
"Thank you, Twi.." Starlight said as she packed her green briefcase with some things quickly. "By the way, you were going to perform something today, weren't you?"
"That's right. I'm waiting for Dr. Redheart, she said she needed to tell me something urgent about her patients about his situation at the Ponyville hospital." Twilight responded in a confused manner for that future request.
"I see. Today, I'm off to the Ponyville library to... take a look at ... something important I need to investigate." Starlight notified as she finished listing her things to leave.
"OK, no problem... *Twilight said in a doubtful tone as she tried to remain calm before her. "But you know we have a giant library in this castle to start, don't you?"
"Well, it's just that I'm looking for... some new relevant information for... certain important possible investigations, yeah. You know it's always good to be prepared hehehe.... Well, goodbye Twilight." she said as she finished walking out the door quickly to leave the castle.
"Alright, see you.. later, Starlight." * she said as she quickly continued her activities and watched Spike, who has already arrived close to her after getting up on his bed.
"Good morning, Twilight.... Everything is fine here?? I saw Starlight.. leave in a hurry without answering my greeting today." the little dragon said to Twilight calmly, while yawning a few times.
"I have no idea, Spike, but... I bet she has something in mind for now. It'll be better... not to rush it for now... Anyway, do you want something for breakfast???" Twilight answered doubtfully.
"Gems and diamonds, pleaseeeee" he commented actively.
"Ok... so, I'll see what to do about it... just don't eat part of the castle, okay??" Twilight worriedly commented on how she could solve that request.
"I only hope she can repay me for said favor... this once." Twilight thought worriedly.
At first light, all the shops, workplaces and resting places began to open, including a new library built a few moons ago near the town hall. Although it was not a very visited place, it featured certain mysterious books on archaic subjects of various topics, in a hidden area of the place, coming from far away places in Equestria.
Only those ponies are able to find and research in the hidden places of such libraries. Starlight was no exception, as she had known the places in that town for a long time... well, being a missing villain in the past.
Upon arrival, she had properly organised her list of possible books she recognised written down on a 2 metre long paper list she had in her briefcase something that I'm sure her teacher always did for unexpected big plans like this... or any event that she sponsored as a princess's job too.
"Since there's no one around, it'll be quicker to find what I'll need for later... I'm sure it'll be a piece of cake at the end." she said as she began to investigate the place.
Disregarding the moments I had spent for a quick outside breakfast... by the Bulk Biceps stand, Starlight incessantly applied her reading and analysis skills to each of the books in said place, taking advantage of every moment while she could... in the places to evade her other friends and avoid a premature scandal to her red smoke problem.
"I'm sure Twilight would be proud of this... although not now, of course." She thought from time to time.
Although she also tried to imitate Twilight's style of studying, his great effort ended up being in vain. She spent a few hours, searching pillars to pillars of books, even those with new information Twilight and her friends had obtained in their past adventures,but found nothing relevant relevant or useful for her problem...
"Psychology and anatomy area... ready. Pre-abduction history area... check. AHH, NO WAY!!" she shouted at the end as she was silenced by the others in the area. "Sorry."
"Anyway, maybe I'll take these for now..." she said in a calm tone as she stuffed some books into her briefcase. "I hope those are hel... Ouch!!"
Suddenly, she felt a force behind her, which sent flying the books she and her attacker were carrying... some accidentally hitting themselves (especially her attacker in the face) and ending up being silenced by the other ponies present. from the library.
"Oops, sorry miss, I didn't notice you while ... wait??" the attacker claimed a little embarrassed until he looked through one of Starlight's discarded books attentively. "Excuse me, is it the 5th volume of the History of the Crystal Empire??" he said in an excited tone.
Rising to her hooves, Starlight found a tall red young unicorn with a dark blue mane, wearing a leather jacket and holding a pencil in one ear. She didn't know the pony who was perusing the cover of that book; however, remembering again from her past lessons in friendship and the experience with Trixie, she tried to stay calm and keep up with him while she could... even if it meant losing valuable search time.
"You're right... I've already been there and I know a lot about it." Starlight answered clearly and calmly as she stood up.
"That sounds interesting. Although I didn't visit the entire empire although I remember it well, I know some important events in its history... like the founder of that place, the reign of the Princess Amore before the rise of the King Sombra... " that red unicorn declared clearly and happily as if he had really lived an unforgettable experience in that place.
"Really??" Starlight said surprised since those topics were unknown to both most of the ponies in this town and to her (especially for her old village where... used to be her "special lifelong home").
"That sounded strange, I guess that topis are secret from Twilight's family specially. Maybe that pony isn't any lying visitor , but first I have to make sure somehow." Starlight thought curiosly while I thought for a few seconds. "I got it."
"Okay, so how about we share some thoughts on that subject... so we can learn something from each other about it??" Starlight asked him in a friendly and curious way to convince him to join in this apparently beneficial activity for both of them.
"Honestly I didn't measure how long an unexpected attempt like this would take me but... seeing how attentive she was to these somewhat complex ideas, I think it wouldn't be a waste of time after all." he thought while he reflected on this situation.
"That's a good idea. We can talk at that table over there." he responded calmly while pointing to a table near the center of a circle of shelves of books on various topics, to provide some tension and excitement to it-
"Okay, let's go there." Starlight stated friendly.
The unicorn nodded calmly with his head as he walked with Starlight towards that place for his "knowledge challenge" with her for a long time, thinking it was be an appropriate and clever way to get to know each other better and vice versa while time still permitted for both of them.
Despite their previous caution, also the time can also be a negligible factor for some ponies in Equestria at certain times... of the thousands of unexpected events that usually affect this town.. regardless of what these events consist of.
After a few moments, the two learned unicorns continued to chat and discuss various topics from certain places in Equestria to the point of being able to describe an essay on royalty itself, if possible. Despite there being no absolute winner, both ended up exhausted and satisfied with their long joint activity while leaving the other readers around them totally amazed and paralyzed by their great knowledge... even imagining being able to defeat Twilight in a test of intelligence.
"Wow... well I see that... you know a lot of... Equestria's history after all... Impressive." Starlight answered while trying to regain the strength to continue speaking.
"Yes... it was a hobby... of my youth. Still, I admit... that you are not bad either... in that knowledge... of ancient magic." the red unicorn claimed with certain difficulties.
"Thank you.. Although I see... that we have taken... more time than we thought... I must return home... with these books that I planned to take before." Starlight stated in a worried tone as she searched and organized some of the many books she had used in her duel.
"Ohh right, I was just trying to do the same thing from the beginning." the red unicorn the unicorn answered while doing the same action, although using his hooves instead of his magic unlike Starlight for some reason. "Still... is it okay if we continue talking outside if you want??" He asked nervously.
"Ehh.. normal, sounds like a good idea." Starlight nodded calmly as she walked with her new rival towards the exit.
Upon reaching the counter, whose recepcionist pony in charge was also there like the other ponies present, Duskent stopped worried about a small detail that he was forgetting.
"I almost forgot. Excuse me, do you know when I have time to return..." the red unicorn asked the recepcionist pony curiously until she was stopped by Starlight due to a light blow of hoof on her back.
"Don't worry, this will be on my friend... I'm sure she'll understand later." Starlight replied friendly, making the red unicorn calm down for the moment and accepted her help.
They both left the premises satisfied with that experience, leaving the pony receptionist to faint almost immediately from the best amazement of her life that she had observed that day.
While they were walking down the main street of Ponyville, the red unicorn finished arranging his obtained books in his briefcase and wanted to continue his talk because of something... unexpected that Starlight had mentioned previously.
"Wait... is it true that a little dragon is the savior of the current Crystal empire?? I really didn't expect that result." the red unicorn asked his friend curiously with a strange face for that statement.
"Ha Ha. I agree with you, although that's how the inhabitants of that place confirm it... although it was with the assistance of Shining Armor and Princess Cadence after all." Starlight reaffirmed with a clear and somewhat mocking tone.
"I see it... despite everything, I continue to be surprised by the thousand and one events and antics that have modified many parts of this world... as we know it today, whether for better or worse." The red unicorn commented in a calm and positive way, reflecting on what he has concluded from what he knew and learned in his previous challenge with Starlight.
This slowed down Starlight's movement for a few moments, who was reflecting on that last sentence in an uncomfortable way... especially because it is really true... although she did not know how to express it directly without releasing some unwanted word like the previous times.
"I... agree... ehh. I'm sorry but we spent so much time there that... I didn't even ask for your name in the first place." Starlight asked a little embarrassed at forgetting something as simple as that.
"Wait??? My name??" the red unicorn asked surprisingly.
"That was unexpected. It's the first time somepony ASKED me that... many of them I met just called me 'outsider'. At least she seems to be trustworthy.." he thought worriedly.
"My name is... ehh..., Duskent.... *she said while looking at his Cutie Mark to figure out a clue, which only took 2 second. "... Energy... yep, you can call me 'Duskent Energy' ".
"Alright..." Starlight asked doubtfully while she, in turn, suspected him.
"It's a long... complex... and dark story. I hope you understand me." Dukent answered a little worried.
"I admit it was a bit remarkable, although... who am I to judge him for having something in common really??" Starlight asked thoughtfully about it.
"Don't worry. Still, that sounds good for me... Duskent. My name is Starlight Glimmer, and I'm a student... graduate of the Princess of Friendship." she claimed.
"Wait, Princess of Friendship?? Who do you mean by that?" Dusken asked.
"Well, I just meant Princess Twilight, who lives in that huge castle over there..." She stated calmly while pointing her helmet towards a hill outside the town, where that place was located. "... and saved Equestria many times. They probably told you somehow."
"It sounds strange I don't recognize her from all the ponies in this pony that lives around here... well, even so, it was similar to me when she arrived at my old home." she thought carefully.
Although he did not remember it, Duskent felt a certain sensation of having heard that name in the past... although he preferred to remain discreet in the meantime.
"Ahh I see... I hope to meet her directly later, surely it will be great. Well, I must return to my camp before the day grows dark." Duskent responded calmly.
"Camp? So you're new here, aren't you??" Starlight asked curiously.
"That's right... it's a long story, but I could tell you about it later if you want." He said in a nervous tone as it was personal... and stressful for him. "Now, I must prepare for any case."
"Wait, if you're just new to this place, then I think it would be missing something like a..."
"SUPRISEEEEEE!!!!"
Suddenly, the entire square had been filled with different ponies of each color that came out of their hiding places in the blink of an eye and spun around happily at the same time, surprising said duo. As the two unicorns tried to recognize what they were going through, a strange pink pony with a messy, wavy mane stood in front of Duskent, startling him and knocking him to the ground, as well as certain items from his backpack and his lucky pencil.
"Ohh, You've got to be kidding me." Duskent claimed in a confused tone as he tries to get up and collect his belongings and watched that pink pony laughing and trying to cheer him up out of nowhere.
"Really?? I don't remember saying anything funny yet... but it doesn't matter because It's always an honor to welcome the best town in all of Equestria!!!!" The pink pony expressed herself in a happy and exaggerated way when she was face to face with Duskent as if they were close relatives... or something like that.
"THAT'S RIGHT!!" the other ponies in the background stated happily, as she did, before continuing with their daily routines.
"Hello new friend. Welcome to Ponyville!!! My name is Pinkamina Diane Pie First, but as you are my new future best friend you can just call me only: Pinkie PIE!!! Easier to remember me, don't you think??" * She said in a cheerful tone while a funny noise and a shower of confetti was heard close to them.
"I think... you are very right... about that, ha ha." Duskent answered with some discomfort because he did not know what to answer about it.
"Ok, this is getting weird all of a sudden..." he thought while trying to get rid of the confetti falling from the sky.
"Hehe, hi Pinkie, meet Duskent Energy, he's a.... fellow science and magic student just like me." Starlight said happily as she walked over to help Dukent.
"Oooohh!!! Sounds really amazing you've already made a new colt friend today." she said in a curious tone with some giggles.
Both Duskent and Starlight felt a little uncomfortable with that fact, especially Duskent who barely knew and learned as much from said pony allies as from the town in general.
"No way, we have already known each other... it's REALLY nothing like that..." Starlight responded uncomfortably to this clarification, while Dukent only managed to look away so as not to comment something unpleasant about it.
"Wow, it was just the last thing Pinkie could imagine... at the wrong time... maybe I said I expected it..." she thought embarrassed, although also doubtful because of something that didn't fit coming from her charismatic friend. "By the way, it's strange that you just showed up at this time of day... it's about to get dark already."
"Time???" Pinkie asked curiously while looking at the sky in an exaggerated way. "Ahh I see, oopsie. I was busy with some other kind of event that's going to happen very soon in this town.. yet, I always fulfill my welcoming duties." she said in a worried tone to finish the last word and a nice smile (with a "squee" sound) while she still looking at Duskent.
"I admit it was a nice surprise, but don't worry, I'm..." Duskent said friendly until Pinkie stopped him with a hoof on his snout.
"Sorry but I have to go now, I have some unfinished business with another friend right now. I hope you feel comfortable in this place. See you later, mysterious unicorn!! See you later, Starlight!!"
After that, Pinkie said a quick goodbye to both ponies and ran off at an unexpected speed towards the Sugarcube Corner candy store a few meters from that place, leaving Duskent speechless and Starlight answering the farewell by moving one of her front hooves.
".. fine." Duskent finally completed his phrase.
"Personal Note: Find an aspirin for me... and a psychiatrist for Pinkie sometime." he said while writing this note in his notebook without Starlight noticing it.
"Sorry for her exaggerated behavior, Pinkie Pie was just being Pinkie Pie anyway. So, let's just say that makes it special for all those ponies." Starlight tried to calm him down with... that apparent excuse.
"Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie?? Maybe it's a tongue twister rather than a logical reason... but I don't think it will be a problem for the other ponies around here at least." Duskent thought doubtfully.
"Don't worry, it happens to me often." he said as he watched dusk fall little by little in the weather.
"So... you plan to return very soon?? You see... I'm going to do something interesting with ancient magic matters... if possible I think... it would be a great idea if you could... give me a hoof too." Starlight suggested to him somewhat awkwardly, because of the pressure that she would think about her future plan in mind.
"Well, I know how uncomfortable that request was for us but... I think she doesn't seem to have bad intentions behind this, it could even be a great opportunity for both equally." he thought carefully.
"As long as time and the situtation allow it, I'll try... I still have a lot to do around here." he finally responded calmly to reduce the tension in the environment.
"Sounds good to me." she stated in a relieved way. "Well, I must return to my home for now, I guess my powerful friend is awaiting me right there."
"Ohh, I get it... I also have to check out my new resources for now... I'm sure something much better will come tomorrow for both of us." Duskent claimed trying to be more optimistic.
"I think the same... Anyway, see you later, Duskent." she waved a quick goodbye as she trotted back to the castle, outside the town.
"Goodbye, Starlight." Duskent said in a firm tone, although he was still confused by all the events what happened. Even so, he simply continued on his way to the entrance of the town to return to her new temporary home.
As night fell, Duskent placed his backpack, some pieces of wood and stones near the tent as he finished the day exhausted and began to reflect on the day's events:
"Wow, that was the craziest day I've had so far." he said to himself doubtfully. "I hadn't thought that there were finally ponies with whom they could interact normally since I came here. Well... one more refined and compatible than the other but... I think it's something."
Then, he managed to light a bonfire to warm the atmosphere a little although, inside, he felt an anguishing feeling that made him uncomfortable as he began to take his notebook. He looked at the starry night sky above him, remaining still and silent for 1 minuteā¦ for some reason.
"I don't know if I should..." he thought carefully.
After the silent time was over, she rubbed the sweat from her face with her hooves and, being more determined and relieved, she looked at the campfire again.
"Maybe it wasn't a bad idea to come here after all, but.." he said while checking some notes in his notebook. "... still, I need more resources than books to survive in this place on my own.l.... and maybe, again have someone reliable to lean on if possible."
Afterwards, he stayed awake for a long time to think and write down various ideas in his notebook as much as he could to better organize himself in the following days. Finally, he returned to his tent to rest peacefully.
Meanwhile, Starlight silently returned to the castle, reviewing the books and notes acquired that day. As she arrived, she saw that Spike was still cleaning and putting away some of the children's toys around the entrance and part of the castle hall. Seeing said situation, Starlight was momentarily relieved to know who else had come to visit Twilight for the day and distract her from her real problem... but she decided to go straight to her bed.
"Hey Spike, good evening. Do you know where Twilight is??" Starlight asked a little more relieved of not having found her friend to avoid future suspicions.
"Well, she's sleeping early since she had more unexpected activities to do today after all... she just told me to tell you not to forget to put away the books you had taken there and put the supplies you had taken out on her shelves."
"Yeah, so typical attitude of her..." she thought ironically.
"I'll keep that in mind.... Well, I guess I should.... go to sleep for now." she said tired from the hard day she had.
"Are you sure you don't want to have dinner before?? I prepared a special salad with the vegetables from the fields of..." Spike asked doubtfully.
"That's very kind of you, Spike, but... don't worry, I've just took it outside a while ago. Rather, say goodbye to Twilight if you get to see her later. See you tomorrow, Spike." she explained friendly and a little quick to finally take her well-deserved rest in her room..
"Okay... Goodnight Starlight. * he said in a tone confused by her attitude since, noticing her from afar carrying certain books from her half-open briefcase, he felt she had been out most of the day for some reason...still he decided to ignore it and finish his work by the time.
After arriving at her room and arranging the acquired books in her briefcase in some hidden place so that Twilight or the others would not find them, Starlight began to prepare her bed while she reflected on the results of her day.
"I still don't think it's a good idea to mention anything about this problem to my friends until I'm sure what it really is." she commented confidently to herself while she finished. "Still, I'm glad I won't be alone for this occasion... and maybe I'll be able to figure it out in no time with a little research into my books... and my future companion. I'm sure I can handle all of this."
After turning off the lights, she stayed for a while contemplating the starry night sky through her only window to the outside that she had... a little worried about the speed of time that has passed without realizing it... and how little but effective effort that she was able to advance for now.
"I just hope I made the right decisions this time." she thought a little doubtfully as she closed the window with the magic of her horn.
Before the end of the previous day, small noises of galloping hooves could be heard in a semi-dark green meadow. There was a small shadow carrying some heavy objects on its back and a... homemade machine on its head that attached a lantern to light its way as it ran towards its final destination. Crickets began to chirp in the meadow, indicating how late she was getting there. However, that didn't stop her as (in her mind) she really needed to achieve her goal regardless of her current physical state or the consequences you would face for her delay.
That shadow's family was waiting for her in a barn located on a hill in the center of the green meadow, the home and final destination of said shadow's journey. Each member was already ready to rest a few hours ago but... they were determined and nostalgic to ignore it. while they were not completely united. While they were waiting, everyone was dealing with time in different ways on that farm: a certain farm pony was pacing desperately around the living room, a big red steed trying to comfort her in vain and... an old green pony was finishing her foot feeding as supper in her wooden saddle.
"I think it's too late now, I wonder where that filly is coming from??" the old pony commented in a curious and disgusted way.
"It looks like it... I knew I had better accompany her. I hope she didn't get lost all of a sudden." the farm pony claimed nerviously.
"Yep..." the red stallion said in a firm tone until he was interrupted by a door opening abruptly in front of her.
"I'm home! I'm... sorry for the del..." the mysterious filly said in a hurried tone as she kicked the door with her 2 hooves but stopped as she lost her balance after entering.
Just as she opened the door, the little foal of the family appeared with a bunch of objects on her body, which ended up falling to the ground after the little one fell to the ground after losing her balance.... The farm pony noticed some of the objects the filly carried were unfortunately destroyed and approached her as she saw the accident in front of the door of the house.
"Wow, sugarcube, are you okay??" Ahh, for Celestia's sake, I knew that all these orders were a lot of burden for you..." the farm pony commented in a disgusted manner while hugging his little sister. "At least, it's good to know that you didn't hurt your hoof."
"Sorry sis, I just..." The mysterious filly tried to excuse herself but was stopped by a hoof on her muzzle from the old pony.
"Calm down, young one. There are still a few days left before the event and... some extra money to replace the destroyed things." she said firmly.
"I understand, Grandma Smith, but I'm not really sure about it." the farm pony expressed the real situation in a decayed way as she began to walk to the window to look out at the dark, almost clear field. " We have not yet begun to prepare the decorations for this year's event or to harvest the necessary apples from our orchard... and even the money necessary to be able to obtain it normally."
The others were a little dismayed by the truth of his description... the visits they would have for that celebration would be higher that it could generate notable problems at some point... with the slightest error... at least, that was what that farm pony thought.
"Besides, I doubt my little sister will be able to take care of herself again.. for her little back.." she further stated.
"Hey, I told you I'm already a big pony!!!" the filly exclaimed a little offended by his sister's comment it.
"Don't worry, I have a better idea. I have a trustworthy pony in mind pony in mind that I met this afternoon in the town park. I'm sure it will be useful for this job." Granny Smith suggested positively.
"Are you sure about that, granny?? I know my other friends are busy at the moment." the farm pony asked curiously.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Now, let's all go to rest and tomorrow I will explain to you what we will do about it to solve this whole mess." Granny Smith claimed as she calmly headed to her bedroom.
"Yep." the red horse exclaimed firmly as he was in charge of cleaning up the mess that his filly left when she arrived.
"What do you think Grandma Smith means by 'pony in mind'?" the filly asked the farm pony doubtfully.
"I'm not sure, sugar cube. " the orange farm pony sighed while accompanying the filly to rest in their respective rooms. "But, seeing how things are now, I can only hope that her plan... will be of great help."
The next day began with clear and sunny skies in Ponyville, so there was no need to clarify many details about the atmosphere on this occasion. But there was more mobility in the streets whose inhabitants were talking to each other about a possible promising event that would happen in a few days... while others were worried as they noticed that a certain special pony had not shown up since yesterday... the one who was supposed to be in charge of such events.
Arriving at the centre again, Duskent found himself with his usual briefcase. He was a bit exhausted from the amount of books he read yesterday until midnight, and a bit thoughtful about the lilac unicorn he met yesterday... still, he just continued walking to the square.
"Okay, a new day has come... I hope this time there's a pony who can give me a job or a job, help with a reward or... something like that..." he said in an almost confident tone until he was pushed to the ground from behind him.
"Is it me or are all the ponies always in a hurry around here or... they just like to pass over me like their sandbag??" he thought embarrassedly.
As he got up from that crash, he saw in front of him a yellow coloured filly with a strawberry red mane. She had pretty red eyes and a big bow on top of her head. Apparently, at the moment of the collision, she fell backwards to the ground so he saw she had a Cutie Mark in the shape of a purple shield with an apple in the middle... something that made Duskent suspicious for some reason.
"Ouch, be more careful, young one. .... Wait... aren't you... one of the three rascals who almost drove over me a few days ago... twice with your vehicle??" He asked with an uncomfortable tone.
"Oww.. hello, sir." the filly said in a nervous tone as she saw him approaching her in a serious way. "I'm sorry I ran into you again .... Still, I remember ...telling you that .... we could make it up to you...somehow."
The filly backed up until she collided with the wheelbarrow she had brought... she knew what a notable mistake she had made without having done anything about it. Meanwhile, Duskent noticed her expressions very carefully... he noticed she was really being honest with her apology and... how he accidentally tormented her with every step forward. Although she hardly cared about the reactions of the other ponies around her, he sighed and looked for a quick solution to avoid further problems in this situation.
"Don't worry, little one. I just wanted to ask you for some explanations based on that, but seeing how you feel, I don't see bad intentions behind it after all." Duskent said in a calm tone as she gave him a hoof to help her pick it up.
After calming down, the filly accepted Duskent's help and the nearby ponies continued with their daily activities (some more calmly than others, including a sweet pegasus who was in the public for some reason).
"Well, I admit this solution is very repetitive and a bit idealistic but... who knows, it can be effective sometimes." he thought as he reflected on his situation.
"Thank you, I promise this will not happen again."the filly commented firmly expressed herself obediently about it.
"You're... welcome. Still, could you explain to me about... making peace??" Duskent asked doubtfully.
"Oh, let me explain everything. My name is Apple Bloom, and it's nice to meet you, partner." she presented herelf in a calmer tone and with a special voice accent unlike the other inhabitants of Ponyville... something that surprised the red unicorn.
"Hehe, same. My name is Duskent. " he said in a nervous but slightly dismayed tone. "By chance, I also wanted to ask you... why were you in such a hurry this time??"
"I was coming to look for you rather to look for you for important help.. if possible." Apple Bloom claimed in a positive tone as she again noticed the unplanned welcome at the beginning and saw Duskent hesitating in front of it. "Granny Smith recommended me to look for a red unicorn with a blue mane as a pack-assistant.
"Granny... Smith has sent you??" Duskent asked a little doubtful.
"Hmm... she must be that green pony I met in the park a few days ago... she even seems to have a certain more energetic attitude than the filly, despite her age." he also thought in a surprising way.
"That's right, I need you to help me find and make some preparations to decorate for an important event my family is having in a few days near from Ponyville, which my family depends a lot on and promises to be a complete success in the end..." Apple Bloom explained optimistically to convince Dukent to better consider her proposal.
"That sounds really interesting." he said in a firm tone.
"Well, including how you can interact with and advise the other ponies here... it's a really big special gift you have." he also thought in a surprising way.
"It will be, and I'm so excited!!!!" Apple Bloom said in a cheerful tone while giving a big jump, into the air. "For this, I tried to do my things by myself yesterday but... I destroyed some of these items now need to be replaced, and I get blamed for still being a little pony."
"Well, to me you're still too young to go out on your own in the 1st place..." he thought ironically.
"So... can I get a hoof with these orders, pleasee pleasee pleasee pleasee pleaseeeeeeeeee!!!!" she begged sweetly very close to the red unicorn while looking at him with kitten eyes.
"Ok, count me in.... Apple Bloom. Let's do it." Duskent responded without hesitation to keep the yellow filly happy and calm.
"Yay! Cutie Mark Crusader Parcel Deliver..!!!!! Oops, sorry, I forgot I don't need to say that anymore... I used to do a lot of things back in the day for a long time with my other friends." Apple Bloom stated happily as she jumped to realize that minor mistake.
"Ok... it's alright." Duskent said half dizzy.
"Wow, she really has a lot of sound power despite of being so small. Furthermore, it seems to me that this group also sounds important and well-known in this town... I will have to write down these details later in my Personal Notes." he thought while reflecting at the same time.
"Thank you very much... Dusk...ent. Sorry, you look like you're just new around here, just like my family, I'm glad to make new friends in this town." she claimed confidently.
"That sounds really nice, I'm sure your members are a bit more respectful than those villagers here." Duskent thought ironically.
"Besides, here's a list of things I need for this event." Apple Bloom said in a firm tone as she pulls a long list out of the wheelbarrow, which stretches across a whole street, surprising Duskent. "I need to finish it this day, yes or yes? Well, if it doesn't inconvenience him at all."
"I don't really like forced assignments, but this job might be interesting for a good start... besides the reward." he thought carefully.
"Don't worry, so we'd better get... going... now... partner. " he claimed while he was trying to imitate Applebloom's country accent.
"Hehe, you don't need to try to speak my accent... it sounds kind of embarrassing." the filly commented, laughing a little at Duskent's poor performance.
"Sorry, it just sounded interesting. Anyway, let's go." Duskent stated confidently as he began to pull Apple Bloom's wheelbarrow (with her inside the vehicle) and began to travel around the town to complete his first particular mission in his new home.
During the journey, Applebloom guided Duskent to many shops all over Ponyville as the unicorn still didn't know his way around, though he tried to hide his embarrassment at this as he continued to ponder on his own future plans for what he could do with the bits he would earn.
These included a paint shop, the "sofa and feather" shop (to buy certain "special" furniture according to Applebloom), a large multi-coloured cake shop (to buy various decorations and extra nibbles, though it felt a little different without a certain hyperactive pony at the counter) and a very fancy white botique (to buy certain extra cardboard and rugs, though for some reason Applebloom decided to place the order herself for some reason).... including Bulk's sweet snack stand from their previous adventure, so they decided to rest there for 10 minutes for a small snack.
"Wait, how did you know where it was or how popular this walking stand in Ponyville was???" Apple Bloom asked curiously for that unexpected surprise at a certain point in time.
"Let's say what... an eccentric unicorn introduced it to me indirectly a few days ago." Duskent answered in a friendly way... and a little embarrassed when remembering that previous incident.
"I'm glad it was that way... but... by any chance, you still can pay for those snacks, right??" The strong pegasus answered firmly and gratefully, although he ended up surprising his 2 clients present because of that... detail that they were forgetting.
"Don't worry... I'll take care of that." Duskent answered awkwardly because of what just happened.
"Well, there go my last coins that I have for now... but it was really worth it". he thought, trying to stay positive about it, while Apple Bloom smiled near him.
After the break, they both continued their tours of various stores to try to find the most efficient products available, much to Twilight's dismay, both for her own physical condition and for that of the little girl. So, in the late afternoon, they both decided again to stop for a moment to rest with the colt in the town park. When she got there, she asked him in a sincere tone about her situation:
"Apple Bloom, excuse me. Would you really still like to continue with these assignments for now... after all, it had been almost 9 hours since we started??" Duskent asked a little worried for the situation of the little filly.
"Ohh, don't worry. My grandmother gave me permission to go through with this job until the end... at least, as long as I'm around for you to keep an eye on me." she responded in a cheerful tone.
"Ok, now I've been assigned as a temporary foalsitter too. That's still a promotion, right??" Duskent thought ironically.
"Besides, my family doesn't give up on the hard work of our camp and other activities, so I shouldn't either. Plus, I want to make sure I have everything ready to make our family event better than last year." Apple Bloom claimed loudly and cheerfully, surprising certain ponies around her.
"Wow, you really have a lot of hope that everything will work out in the end. That sounds gratifying, at least." Duskent said in a friendly tone, it just made him remember something of how he felt when he was younger but focused on his lifelong desires. "I see... well let's continue continuing for now... I will go where you guide me."
The yellow filly nodded her head and they both calmly continued their journey. Although, for a moment, Duskent felt some sympathy with her... she treated him well as if she were a little sister to him... or so he thought and wished at the same time.
Although the list was almost complete before nightfall, Apple Bloom wasn't entirely sure, she had some suspicions about certain actions of Duskent but preferred to keep them to herself after finishing her main objective. Meanwhile, he was already tired at such moments, he felt as if he was pulling the pink fountain in the centre of the square behind him, with the tyres of the... yet he preferred, even to ignore the subject for a while.
"All right, so..let's do a quick checklist... of everything." Duskent suggested clearly and a little exhaustedly.
"Let me see... Paint, wooden cups, bee honey, yes ..... and yes. I think it's almost ready. Hehe, I'm already sounding like Twilight with these giant boring lists." Apple Bloom declared in a cheerful tone as he carefully analysed the wheelbarrow, and wobbled it around, much to Duskent's discomfort.
"Hehe.. if you say so." Duskent said hesitantly, pretending to have understood the little joke, despite not knowing who he was really referring to.
"Twilight? That name... sounds familiar to me... like it's a brilliant name for a pony... just brilliant and mysterious in my opinion." Duskent thought carefully.
"Wait a minute... do you know how late they are...??" he also said in a confused tone as he was interrupted by 6 chimes from a school tower in town.
"Right, the last craft store we should go to must be closing by now. For hoofness sakes!!" she exclaimed in surprise.
"Not if I can help it" Duskent claimed in a firm tone and immediately galloped very fast towards the shop he could see in front of him.
During that moment,, a tall adult pony, the owner of the poster shop, had just closed his shop. He was obviously in a hurry to leave but, just starting to jog, he stopped right in front of his shop when the wagon Duskent was driving stopped in front of him, lucky for everyone that none of the items and Apple Bloom fell off. is towards the shop's owner.
"Good afternoon... we need to buy... two wooden banners urgently!!" Duskent tried to explain clearly despite his considerable fatigue.
"I'm sorry, young man, but my shop is closed. You should have read the sign some time before." the store owner explained as he showed him the "Opening Hours" sign of the place... a bit dusty but at least you can see it up close.
"Oh come on, that sign looks so worn and dirty that you can't even see it in the morning..." He thought annoyed, as he heard some pieces of said object slowly fall.
"Please, I just need to quickly buy those items at once." Duskent tried to explained in a desperate and somewhat grumpy tone to try to convince him .... was unsuccessful and the owner just continued on his way with a deaf ear.
"Dang it, just the last one we needed. I hate time is always against me in my activities... especially, AT THE LAST MINUTE!!!" He thought uncomfortably.
After that, Duskent and Applebloom (a bit worried) ran and stood in front of him to stop him. They succeeded, so Duskent hurried to continue his dialogue.
"Sir, I understand that you are in a hurry to leave, but..." Dusked said trying to find an excuse, while Applebloom was encouraged to help him with this last request... by way of thanks for his hard work on the rest.
"My friend is right... I need them to bring them to my family for one of the most important events of their lives as well as for their closest friends..." *she said as she slowly approached the owner with a somewhat downcast look on her face. "... we depend on it for a living this year, and without good publicity like some flashy posters we wouldn't be able to generate enough money. Can you help us, please??"
Although the last message was effective in making the owner doubt who stopped after that message, Duskent came up with this idea to take better advantage of that moment and convince him immediately...
"You see?? This young girl is in trouble so I assure you that if you deny this request right now, you will not only break her heart but you also disappoint the other ponies of this town, even your customers... that could affect both your morale and your business to the point of being totally ruined, or not??" Duskent claimed in a firm and threatening tone while looking at him face to face to pressure him to change his decision... even Applebloom looked surprised at that fact.
"Alright, alright, you can pass quickly. I have other business to do... and please don't tell anyone else about this. " the owner finally resented it in a puzzled and nervous tone so as not to disappoint the little girl or make a bad impact in front of the other ponies.
"Thank you very much, sir, and don't worry, we both promise." she said suddenly changing to a cheerful tone, while Duskent agreed with his head.
"Wow, very clever Apple Bloom, but well played. I'm sure you're more special after all." he thought being calmer at the end.
After a few minutes, they all returned to the said shop and the owner quickly opened the doors. Duskent and Applebloom placed the order normally (just using all their remaining bits the filly had) and said goodbye to the gentleman in a friendly manner, who upon finishing the order (as well as saying goodbye) hurried out of the place and went about his business at high speed.
While they were packing and getting the last things ready, there was pure silence... something that disturbed Duskent because of his unexpected and dark behaviour (especially in front of an underage girl herself), so before leaving he decided to check if everything is alright between the two of them. Although he noticed Apple Bloom is apparently calm and satisfied with her work accomplished, Duskent did not feel completely comfortable, so he decided to start a last conversation directly, taking into account that no other pony was near them at that time.
"Before we go, I want to say that I'm sorry for the last... thing I said if it sounded a bit... threatening... I was just thinking of getting said object anyway". Duskent spoke in a embarrassed way while waiting for any response from her, which did not take more than 5 seconds to arrive.
"You know... I'm not mad at you... I admit I also started this whole mess with that pony for inconveniencing him by arriving late." the yellow filly explained in a calm tone about it, though that left Duskent surprised besides.
"My sister often points out to me how hard but important it is.... sincere or honest answers, like this... she's the 'Element of Honesty' to her friends for a reason. That really helped me a lot both with mine and in my own life so far, so... I rather thank you for being honest with me, you are a good friend." She stated pleasantly.
"Thank you for understanding... Apple Bloom." Duskent thanked with relief.
"You're welcome." the filly answered in a cheerful tone to try to cheer him up.
"Though I don't know what she owes to with this 'element' but at least it's nice to have a trustworthy mature pony like her." Duskent thought doubtfully.
"Alright, let's go. Heading to... Sweet Apple Acres, right??"
"That's right, to my native home... at full speed, woo hoo." Apple Bloom stated energetically.
As Duskent got ready to pull the cart, Apple Bloom jumped into the cart... and checked that every item she had acquired didn't fall out of the cart after landing. With everything ready, Duskent trotted as far as he could towards the farm while the foal gave him directions ... Well, although Duskent had some trouble balancing his weight, so he had some small accidents along the way (and generated some complaints from certain inhabitants, especially... to a unicorn that glowed exaggeratedly, an act that almost hurt Duskent's eyes).
"Watch out!!" Duskent said as he dodged a passing unicorn with certain purchases made in front of it, though he managed to narrowly dodge it on the way as Applebloom successfully held on to the cart.
Fortunately, Apple Bloom did not see this near miss as, due to the sudden movement, she sank a little between the things and prevented some of them from falling off the wooden wheelbarrow.
"Sorry about that, lady!!!! Special delivery Apple style going on!!! Woo hoo!!!" she said in a cheerful tone before walking off.
"Some ponies just don't have good morals when running. Hmph!!!" the mysterious pony commented while ignoring what happened and continuing on her way.
Meanwhile at Sweet Apple Acres farm, Grandma Smith was still watching her nephews who were still working on their apple harvest just as the moon began to rise. Concerned, she would start yelling worriedly at them about the situation.
"Youngsters, you're going to finish your work for now... it's getting too late to see the apples on the trees." Granny Smith shouted to her grandchildren, somewhat worried about their efforts during the night.
"Don't worry, Grandma. We'll just finish up this hill and be right back. Sure, brother??" the farm pony answered confidently.
"Yep." the red stalllion affirmed firmly.
"Well, looks like the little one got lost again like yesterday??" Granny Smith expressed herself in a worried and uncomfortable way because of how late the day was.
"Mrs. Smith, your order is ready!!!" Duskent suddenly shouted as the wooden trolley shattered towards the barn but, at least, no items during the race ended up with the same fate.
Mrs Smith went to the entrance and greeted in a somewhat serious way while she was checking all the contents Duskent had brought with him carefully, with a very serious look on her face. Both he and Applebloom were sweating nervously over the final result, fearing a possible scolding from her.
"It seems that everything is.... IN ORDER!!! Not bad for my darling niece next to a newly arrived gifted unicorn to this humble town... albeit without much muscle in his body." she stated in a relieved way.
"I'll take it as a compliment this time.." Duskent thought ironically.
"It was an honour to have helped you, Mrs. Smith" He said in a cheerful tone instead as he watched the sun almost completely set from the sky." while Apple Bloom got out of the vehicle and thanked Duskent with a quick hug. "So, before it gets dark one more time, I wanted to know about my reward for that job."
"Well... about that, I miscalculated a bit my expenses for all those items and we only have.... 2 bits." she said in an uncomfortable tone while handing 2 single coins to a surprised Duskent who looked at her regretfully. "Although, if you wish, for the rest of the reward I can treat you to a feast of various favorite apple products we make here on this farm... after all, you look thinner than a young worm."
"I can't really get mad at her about it this time, but I still don't know whether to take and force her to give herself more work on the side. Doesn't she live with someone else who helps her besides Apple Bloom??" Duskent asked himself, reflecting a little.
"Ehh... thank you very much for your request but I think I wouldn't want to.." he said trying to be clear in her opinion until she was stopped by Apple Bloom's tugging on a front hoof.
"Come on, at least this once." she said in a sweet tone while giving him... a tender, teary-eyed look in front of Duskent, who was still hesitating at the end.
"Young lady, it's rude to put pressure like that on the..." Granny Smith tried to calm her down seriously.
"You know, I think after all... I really need something to eat to get my energy back. I cordially accept your offer." Duskent finally affrmed as he nodded her head in approval.
"YAYY!!!" she said while jumping up and down with joy again.
"Even I am amazed at how much control foals like her can have in this town..." he thought.
"Okay... so, what are you waiting for?? I assure you, this feast of desserts will please you like a worm in front of a big juicy apple. Go ahead, young one" Granny Smith claimed in a cheerful tone.
After that, the 3 ponies entered the home to have their dinner feast in a quiet manner and end the day well... only with somepony watching from afar near some trees as she finished harvesting apples from her garden. That pony had a strange feeling to see how a stranger was invited to such a home... although she knows it's not bad to meet new friends, she doesn't have enough time for that kind of affairs in her point of view. Still, she decided to quietly put that idea aside and quickly finish his work with his brother to go to dinner.
When that day was finally over, Duskent said goodbye to Grandma Smith and Applebloom and returned to his home camp outside Ponyville intact. Before going to bed, he decided to relax by a campfire again and reflect on his eventful day.
"Wow, what a day's work I had this time... even if it wasn't on the basis of a history book test... ouch!!!" he said in a firm tone until he saw his front hooves twist a bit from his exertion. "Still, it would be best not to overexert myself for now."
"Despite escaping from town to town in Equestria and protecting my life was enough exercise for me." he thought calmly.
"Mental Note: Next time I go for food go straight to Sweet Apple Acres... with certain bits of course." He stated in a confident tone as he wrote in his blue notebook and enjoyed a muffin he had stashed in his briefcase as a snack to go.
"I already wonder what more little adventures I can have tomorrow in the said town... and other passing plans with its nice inhabitants that...." he said in a nervous tone as he felt like something was bothering him in his mind. "Well, I'd better go to sleep for now, maybe I'll have another interesting talk with that.... Starlight for sure and her future plans she has in mind."
After writing everything down in his blue notebook, Duskent put out the campfire and headed back to his tent to rest and finish his normal day... while he still could.
"Hmm... I find it strange that said store is still there even though it is close to my home... I don't even see almost anyone around there." A mysterious voice could be heard again in the bushes of an adjacent hill in that place, but due to the night, the mysterious figure behind it all could not be seen.
"Maybe he needs some help but... it'll be better to do it during the day I think... I just hope everything stays normal in the meantime."
Taking advantage of the fact she had not yet been discovered by anypony around her, she quietly returned to her home to rest and continue her... research more effectively later.
