//------------------------------// // I. Emerald Alembic // Story: The River Rose // by Stosyl //------------------------------// The sun was just starting to peek through the clouds after a refreshing rain shower, sending bolts of broken sunlight over Ponyville, through the leaves of maple trees and onto well-traveled wooded paths, where solitary ponies walked or trotted in that daze that overcomes us when we have nothing but our thoughts to keep us company. By an isolated pond where a little maple grove bordered the Everfree Forest, a youthful unicorn stallion sat reading. He eased away the barrier spell that had kept him dry, and eagerly turned the pages with his nose. A strong wind blew the hood of his traveling cloak over his eyes, so that in replacing it he lifted his head and noticed that the sun was above the tree line of the Forest. Without a second’s delay he placed the book in his saddlebag, and was off at a trot toward Ponyville. By now the clouds had cleared; half a dozen pegasi were darting through the sky to wrap up their work. Some headed to a luncheon in town, while others gained altitude toward Cloudsdale. Earth ponies were opening their stalls, or muddied their hooves pulling carts of cabbages and apples, baskets of daylilies that smelled deliciously of morning dew, yellow tulips with a scent like a Canterlot candy shop, and specially-bred sandwich daisies that forever bore the same nostalgic redolence of family picnics on the hills of a childhood home. The bright-eyed stallion took all this in with delight. It was his first time in Ponyville, and he took pleasure in the way towns differed from one another. This town had a special feeling to it, a lightness of heart that he hadn’t felt since he was a foal, at which time in one’s life even the darkest and hardest of experiences seem navigable and auspicious. He knew that this lightness was no accident: it was part of the heritage of the town that guarded the Elements. The stallion’s gaze was all around him, and he saw how neatly groomed the local ponies were. They were not stylishly dressed: they wore no fancy dresses, only a ribbon or a necklace here and there, but for a pony who had been on the road so long, it caused him to feel self-conscious. His neglected, emerald-green coat was growing matted, and his yellow mane, so long unwashed, stood almost stiff under his hood, it had been so long since he had seen a town. He walked entirely absorbed in the condition of his coat, and did not see the pony fast approaching until they had already collided. “I’m so sorry!” he said immediately, before he even saw whom he had hit. On the ground before him was a purple-coated mare. Her hoof splashed through a muddy puddle she had narrowly escaped. She shook herself off, and saw her book in the mud soaking up the dirty water. “My book!” she cried. The stallion apologized repeatedly. “It’s fine,” the mare said kindly. He had not noticed that she was a unicorn until she extracted the book from the puddle with magic. “Let me take care of that for you,” the stallion offered. “Don’t worry about it,” the mare replied, trying to hide her skepticism. “I insist,” he said. He pulled his hood down and bared a majestic horn, pointed with maturation, regal in all its aspects but that it was tangled in a hermit’s mane. The mare released the book to him, and as his horn began to glow and flash, the mud faded away from the book and the pages became as crisp as if they were off the press that morning. When the last few spots of filth were removed, he offered the book to the mare, visibly tired by the spell. “I hope you’ll forgive me,” the stallion said through a slightly heavy breath. The purple mare flipped through the book to get back to her page, and started. “What’s wrong?” said the traveler. “I could have sworn I ripped one of these pages this morning,” she said airily. “It must have been my imagination.” The stranger smiled. “Anyway, thank you,” said the mare. “I’m Twilight Sparkle.” He pretended not to recognize the name. “Emerald Alembic,” the stallion returned. “I feel as if I’ve heard that name before,” said Twilight. “I’m quite a traveler,” said Emerald. “It’s possible I’ve met somepony you know. Nomads have a habit of causing rumors in the towns they pass through.” “Are you just passing through then?” “I was looking for a bathhouse to clean up. By the look of the ponies in this town there must be a good one.” “Well, we do have a spa,” Twilight offered. “It’s just across the river. I can take you to it if you like.” “That would be very generous of you.” “It’s the least I can do,” Twilight smiled. Together they crossed the bridge into the center of Ponyville, circumvented the large Town Hall building and arrived at the spa. “Thank you for your trouble,” said Emerald as they parted. “I’ve never been to Ponyville before, so it’s nice to have a guide.” “If you need to find anything else, I run Ponyville’s library,” said Twilight. “Odds are I’ll end up seeing you again just for the books,” Emerald smiled. He said several more ‘thank-you’s and went into the spa, where he asked for a private bath and plenty of soapstone.