//------------------------------// // Lesson 5: Glamour // Story: Bright Green Monster Realm, Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Undeath // by ArtieStroke //------------------------------// Gla-mour \ˈɡla-mər\ n. A specific subset of naturally occurring illusion magic in a few mamono species- particularly those of non-humanoids being able to pass themselves off as human at a glance. Twilight had been noting many new changes in her senses since monsterization- though if she had to classify the most immediately noticeable one, it would be scent. And out in this backwater town, she really had to admit- the fresh air was actually a nice change from the somewhat stifling atmosphere of Canterlot. Nowhere was the sweetness of the air more potent than at this "Sweet Apple Acres". It almost made her regret not spending more time outdoors. Almost. Creaking open the gate, she made her way to the farmhouse proper while clutching the paper. The door stood before her, slightly intimidatingly. "Well, what are you waiting for? Knock, you dummy." She rapped her fist against the door, and waited. It took only a scant moment before she heard a shuffling inside; a moment later, it swung inwards. Standing in front of her had to be one of the tallest men Twilight ever had the chance meet- hell, probably the tallest PERSON, and she knew Celestia! The princess' legs went ALL the way up, you don't even understand. And the way his barrel chest only barely contained itself in that flannel did things to her that- Okay grabbing that thought, squashing it, and shoving deep and far away where it would never see the light of day again. Apparently Twilight's struggle to maintain composure took long enough to garner an eyebrow raise from the man, and she quickly cleared her throat. "Oh- sorry, I uh- m-my name is Twilight Sparkle, and I, uh..." Words failed her for once, and she merely held forward the notice. His eyebrows shot up only a little, before he swapped the wheat grass he was chewing on to the other side. He stepped out onto the porch, shutting the door behind him before beckoning her to follow. Confused, Twilight obliged. A short walk around the back of the farm led to a dirt trail, and a dirt trail led to the beginning of an orchard- an apple orchard, Twilight noted with dull amusement. "So, uh- I mean, I don't mean to be rude or anything, but I'm in a bit of a hurry, and I just wanted to talk about the quest?" "Ayup." "So, maybe you could- uh, slow down? Or just stop leading me to god knows where?" "Nope." Twilight huffed, her walking resembling more of a pouty march as she tried to match pace with this giant of a man, "I'll have you know, I'm kind of Princess Celestia's personal protege! I don't have time for wild goose chases like this!" All that got was a look of moderate surprise across her guide's face, before he stopped for a moment. "Well, I'm glad you're not totally unreasonable-" He held up a hand, and cut her off with a short "Shh." Twilight was about this close grabbing this guy by the shirt so she could reach up and smack him a couple of times. Though maybe he'd catch her hands before she had a chance, lifting her up to his lips and- "No, no, no, no no nonono- no TIME for that nonsense!" The sound of a loud "THWACK" in the distance snapped Twilight out of her thoughts, and her guide nodded once and headed towards the sounds. Twilight followed with a sigh. "Is there a reason you're just leading me around?" "Ayup." Twilight had to do everything she could to suppress her screaming, before they rounded another corner. A blonde centaur, buxom (though considering centaurs, this was the norm) and wearing a rather distinct hat reared back her hind hooves and kicked the stuffing out of one of the trees. The shockwave rippled up the tree, shaking all its full grown fruit free off the branches and into a few waiting baskets. She wiped the sweat from her brow, a scowl of determination plastered on her face. "Ahem." She turned in surprise, letting out a breath, "Mac, I swear if'n I weren't related to ya, I'd say your ma must've been a ninja. What're ya doin', sneakin' up on me like that?" Mac nodded over at Twilight, who stood there more than a little astounded. Behind the centaur, there must have been dozens of bare apple trees- all of them with similar baskets under them. How had this woman managed to clear almost half an orchard in a single day? That kind of dedication to a job- "Mac, I don't have to take care of every unwelcome solicitor now, do I?" "Nope," Mac said, and nudged Twilight in the arm. Twilight frowned. "I'm not- I saw the poster on the billboard in town. You're the owner of this place, right? Applejack? I just thought I could... offer to help?" Immediately the frown melted from Applejack's face, replaced by a relieved smile, "Oh, thank heavens- sorry for assumin' worse of ya there, ma'am. Just been..." Applejack looked over the orchard with a hard expression, "It's been mighty stressful, past few days." Twilight nodded, "I understand- I've got a little brother, I can't even imagine what it would be like to... you know." Applejack nodded, "I reckon so. Here, I'll lead y'all to the barn, we can talk all civil-like there." Mac brought out a few glasses of water, and Applejack took a long swig. "So," Twilight said, awkwardly holding the cup as she didn't really feel thirst anymore, "How long has she been missing?" Applejack wiped a dribble of water from her chin, setting the glass down, "'Bout three days ago. Near tore up the border of Ponyville and the Everfree searchin' for her. Mac here had to drag me back." "You think she'd be in the forest?" Twilight asked. Applejack nodded. "Reckon so. Bloom and her friends tend to get into all sorts of trouble, but usually it's just harmless kid stuff." She gripped the glass harder, as she frowned, "She was supposed to be at school, I thought- dammit, if Cheerilee told me they went missing earlier-" Mac put a hand on Applejack's shoulder, and she sighed as they shared a look. Applejack nodded. "Yeah, no use gettin' all upset about what was. Gotta focus on the present." "You got all that just from a look?" Twilight said, before immediately clapping her hands over her mouth, "Wait- no, I'm sorry! I didn't-" Applejack let out a guffaw, slapping her side, "Naw, you're good girl- Mac ain't exactly the talkative type nowadays." Mac nodded, "Ayup." Getting serious again, Applejack turned back to Twilight, "Still though- I don't mean to offend either, but y'all ain't exactly the most intimidatin' lookin' girl I've seen. And you're plannin' on scoutin' the Everfree for 'em?" Twilight nodded, "I know its dangerous, but I have business in the forest anyways. And I'm not exactly alone either- I've got a pair of assistants with me, plus I was looking to hire some extra hands." "Hmm..." Applejack put a hand to her chin in thought, before nodding slightly, "Alright then. If'n you're gonna offer to find my sis, then I'll come with ya." Twilight was only a little shocked, holding up her hands, "Wha- no, I couldn't ask you to go in there with me! I mean-" "Listen, y'all are doin' me a true service here, and an Apple repays her debts," Applejack cut her off, "'Sides, better to have someone ya can trust rather than a random mercenary. Twilight stopped mid retort, huffing at the solid logic. "Alright, fine- but I'm going to be leaving for the forest by tonight, so you should get ready." "Sure as sugar, partner." She replied, trotting away from the table. "Well... good then." Twilight stood up herself, giving Applejack an awkward nod goodbye and turning towards Mac. "Erm... it was a pleasure making your acquaintance." "Ayup." Hanging her head, Twilight trudged towards the edge of the property. Stupid, sexy, laconic farmer... Her mind occupied with internal ranting, the walk to Carousel Boutique ended quicker than Twilight thought. It wasn't easy to miss, that was sure- it had to be the single most overdecorated building in the town. A small bell chimed as she stepped inside. "B-be down with you in just a moment, darling!" a voice hiccuped from the back. Twilight took a moment to marvel at the sheer variety of garments available- and at a glance, high quality material as well. She rubbed a bit of dress between her fingers- that was spider silk, no question about it. Maybe she could get a sunhat or something so long as she was here- would be useful. Or maybe a cowl- ooh, a cowl with enchantment matrices inlaid to the fabric! That would be an excellent start for any adventuring caster, and while she was no seamstress herself she knew the ins and outs of enchantment. She just never had the chance or reason to craft any adventuring clothes- "Welcome to Carousel Boutique! I do so apologize for the wait," the voice called out again, as Twilight turned around, "I was- er, in the middle of a rush order that I simply could not delay." Twilight blinked once, before rubbing her eyes- a glint of light catching her in the retina in a most uncomfortable fashion. Refocusing, the seamstress looked human- and an absolutely beautiful human, with skin like porcelain and strikingly blue eyes. For the second time today, Twilight was caught off guard by someone's pure physical looks- she really needed to rein herself in better. "Oh, that's fine- I'm not actually a customer, I came because of the, uh, poster. In town. On the billboard." She cleared her throat, at least thankful that she couldn't easily blush anymore due to being undead. Rarity's customer service tone fell away immediately, a hopeful glimmer in her eye, "Oh, thank the heavens. Please, sit down- I suppose a professional adventurer such as yourself would wish to go over the details, yes? Hammer out a contract and such?" Rarity sat on a bench in front of a mirror, and Twilight joined her, "Well, I mean I'm not exactly a 'professional adventurer', but I do want to help. Honestly, I just need to know where these children were last seen and anything helpful like that." "Of course, of course," Rarity said, clasping her hands in her lap, "Well, it was morning, three days ago. Sweetie Belle was on her way to school- see, our parents tend to go off to... honeymoon, as it were on an incredibly often basis. That leaves Sweetie in my care for the most part- not that I begrudge them! Sure, she can be a bit of a bother more often than not, but I wouldn't just wish her to-" Rarity had to take in a breath, her voice wavering a little, "On... well, on the day she went missing she had gotten up early to try and cook breakfast. It was an absolute disaster, and some... words were exchanged before she had to leave for school, and- and-" The young woman burst into tears, and Twilight sat there for a moment dumbfounded. This was incredibly awkward. "It's all my fault! I shouldn't have said those horrid things to her, and now she's gone!" Twilight grimaced, before gently placing a hand on the sobbing woman's shoulder, "Um... well, everyone makes mistakes? You just have to..." she wracked her brain a moment to try and remember that piece of down-home country wisdom Mac had somehow silently communicated earlier, "... Not focus on what was, but live in the present?" Rarity sniffled a little, looking up bleary eyed, "You really think so?" "I, uh... have it on pretty good authority." Nodding, Rarity dried her eyes with the back of her hand, "I suppose that makes some sense- oh, now I've gone and smudged my mascara everywhere..." Twilight pat Rarity's shoulder a couple more times, "Well, now that you've calmed down a bit- is there anything more you can tell me?" Rarity shook her head, "I'm sorry, darling- I didn't realize she was missing until well into the afternoon when she didn't come home. I haven't been able to get a straight answer from any of the Mayor's guards, it's been absolutely frightful." "Well, that just leaves me with Applejack's Everfree Forest lead," Twilight muttered, and a frown crossed Rarity's face. "What has that ruffian to do with anything?" Twilight was a little take aback, stammering out a reply, "Well, I mean- her sister and another kid was with Sweetie when they disappeared, apparently somewhere near the edge of the Everfree-" Rarity stood up, clenching her fists, "Oh, that little- I KNEW she was a bad influence on Sweetie! Dragging her around to get into trouble, and now she's got my sister missing!" She stomped around the shop a little longer, fuming and tossing her hands about as she said a few more unrepeatable things about the Apples and their family. Twilight had just about enough. "Well, they can't be all that bad- I mean, Applejack offered to accompany my party into the Everfree to help look-" Rarity whirled around, "Oh, so NOW she thinks she can take the moral high ground from me! HA!" she stomped towards the door in the back, slamming it open and rummaging in the room for a moment before returning- bedecked in a scarf, hat, and a bulging bag monogrammed with a trio of blue gemstones. "Let's see her try and out-sister me now!" Twilight frowned, "Um, I don't think that will be necessary-" Rarity pressed her face very uncomfortably close to Twilight's as she poked her in the collar bone, "I. Am. Going. To. Find. My. Sister." Twilight gulped. She just hoped Spike was having more luck than her at the moment.