The interior of the kitchen faded from Celestia's sight as the words of Applespice painted a scene in her mind. A tiny unicorn was looking at her mom, Topaz Veneer. Topaz Veneer was touted as the best of the best, the top of the fashion designing elite in the whole of Canterlot. The small filly was begging her mom to let her become a farmer. Her mother was quite outraged at the thought. "Ruby Rayon, you are a descendant of one of the most prominent ponies in all forms of fashion. Why would you ever choose to do the job of some common, mud-wallowing earthpony?"
"Mom! They are not 'mud-wallowing'! They are amazingly strong and resilient! Being an applebucker sounds like so much fun! Using your own four hooves to harvest giant rocksolid trees of their bounty."
Topaz was aghast. "No daughter of mine is going to do sweaty, manual labor like some filthy commoner. You are going to go attend the Rarity college of Fashionistas, and you will then open that bridal store you dreamed of, just like we planned."
Ruby looked at her mother angrily. "That is your dream mom, not mine!"
Mrs. Veneer looked at her daughter with a look of pure disgust. "Don't you dare backtalk me you ungrateful filly. Do you know how much work I put into planning your future, so you can be sucessful? Applebucking? Just think of what reputation a daughter of mine having such a worthless and pathetic profession would give me! You will be a fashionista. This conversation is over!"
The tiny alabaster unicorn filly looked pleadingly at her mom. "But mom-"
"This topic is over, it has ended! I am your mother and I know best! End of story! Go to your room!"
With a heavy heart the tiny blanked-flank unicorn trudged upstairs to her room. She stood by the window, staring out into the Canterlot Marketplace, as she stood on her hindquarters so she could peer out. That is when she saw him. A tiny orange colt in a stetson hat. He possessed a mane that was a deep blonde in color and seemed to be running a tiny, homemade wooden stand selling apple juice. What caught her attention most, however, was the fact he was an earthpony. She wasn't sure why looking at him made her heart race, but she grabbed her piggy bank and threw it into one of the many purses her mom had forcibly picked out for her. She then flung open the window and began using her own four hooves to climb down.
A unicorn though she was, she preferred using her own physique over what she called, an elitest snob's magic. It wasn't easy climbing down the rocky exterior of the boutique. Gritting her teeth, she slowly moved hoof over hoof exploiting the tiniest of crevices and finally made it, thirty meters down to the street below. The tiny rough and tough alabaster unicorn known as Ruby Rayon then began to make her way over to the stand of the orange earthpony.
Ruby finally made it to the stall, she found herself extremely upset by the sight before her. The orange colt was gaunt, almost malnourished. His limbs were shaking from weakness, and his eyes, were dulled from lack of sleep. Ruby watched as the grownups just ignored the small earthpony's state. She stamped up to the colt and pointed a very manicured hoof at him in clear annoyance. "You there!"
The earthpony's eyes widened. Before him stood an angel. He noticed her purple mane was perfectly styled and those eyes! He felt he could get lost in such pools of deep color. The orange colt couldn't hear a single word being said, though he sure noticed her ruby red lips. The creamy white of her alabaster colored coat. He stood there captivated by the sight of her. He was shaken from this entrancement by her stamping her foot in frustration. "I am talking to you! Don't you dare ignore me!"
The gaunt pony looked at her and blinking opened his mouth to respond. however, to Ruby's horror, his eyes rolled up and he fell to the ground. It was quite apparent he had not eaten anything for days. Worried, she rushed to his side and lay her head against his chest. His heart was still beating, but barely, as if it was struggling to keep the pony alive. Lifting her head, Ruby screamed out for somepony, anypony to help her and the poor earth pony. "Help! Please help me!"
Ruby's eyes went wide as she noticed the unicorns, though having heard her quite clearly, simply turned up their snouts as they eyed the fallen earthpony and walked past. Ruby's eyes narrowed. She turned her head back towards the fallen colt. There was no other way. She would carry him herself. Her horn began to glow and a small red glow surrounded the colt. Using her magic, she carefully levitated the prone form to drape across her back. Once he was on, she galloped to the nearby horsepital, in hopes of revitalizing the poor earthpony.
The colt whimpered, his ears having picked up quite a bit of yelling. He slowly opened his eyes and painfully lifted his head to observe the scene before him. The angelic unicorn from before was shouting at a terrified mare in a nurses outfit at his side. "If he doesn't wake up, I promise you. You will know my wrath."
Sitting at the kitchen table, Celestia sat. Hooves under her chin she was completely drawn in by the narrative. The cake in front of her forgotten as she listened. Suddenly a thought caused her to dart her eyes to the forge once more. A blue glow emanated from it. Wait a blue glow? Wasn't Ruby Rayon also known as Applespice's magic red in the story? How strange. Glancing from the forge to Bolt, she noticed a red tinged aura enveloping the hammer though only just. Very curious indeed, thought the celestial princess. Once more she turned her attention back towards Applespice. "what happened next?"
Meanwhile in the ethereal plane
Starshine stood watching as the tiny filly known as Apple Pie ascended towards the Otherside. The earthpony no longer showed a look of torment or sorrow. Instead on her face was the biggest grin. As she vanished from sight, Starshine heard her say with genuine emotion, "Ma, I'm home."
The eyes of Starshine went wide with shock as she saw the same orange colored pony from the story and heard her sweet, southern voice respond. "Ya made it just in time sugarcube, the whole family was just about to take the family photo!"
Before the orange pony turned to leave, she looked at Starshine and in a broken voice, spoke to her. "Thank you, Starshine. I honestly thought it wasn't possible, but you brought my daughter back to me. That filly means the world to me. I never thought I would see my daughter again. Your mom was right, our time maybe long past but our values are still alive in those we left behind. Then again, I guess she always knew best. That's Twi for you, anyway, take care sugarcube."
Starshine smiled and turned to walk away feeling rather proud of herself, when she found herself face to face with a rather strange creature. Before her stood a clearly female creature bearing the resemblance of a Pegasus but also the physical attributes of the long lost draquonicus race. Her eyes were a rich emerald, given to her by her late mother as were her yellow feathered wings. Her tail was a gift from her dad, almost seadragon-like in appearance. The horns on her head resembled that of a goat though twisted in an odd way, as had been her fathers. Her coat was a pale yellow, and on her flank was a strange design; almost resembling a butterfly but with a lightning bolt forked in two slashing through it.
She Ignored the fact she had just been bumped into. The female hybrid of a creature spoke in a soft voice full of contempt yet compassion, in a strange way Starshine could not explain. "That was touching. Now there is a vacancy in MY lovely Tartarus and a new resident on the Otherside, how annoying. You must be the one she told me about. Finally, after two millennia we meet face to face once more, Starshine Sparkle."