//------------------------------// // The Trembling Hoof // Story: The Stories Of A Mare Named Juicy Fruit // by Lucen Aurora //------------------------------// The Story of the Trembling Hoof "Moooom, can we stop now? It's almost dusk and my hooves hurt," whined a young pegasus filly as she threw herself onto the ground and rolled onto her back. "Now, now," replied a patient pegasus mare as she rounded the corner of a large wodden platform that she and her daughter had spent the better part of the afternoon building, "Only a bit longer, Kool Aid." "Why are we building a wood platform out in the middle of knowhere; I mean, what is with that?" Kool Aid asked as she rolled back and forth in the grass. "I mean, this is earth pony work! And besides, I could have gone to see the Wonderbolts this afternoon with Ruby Pinch!" moaned the filly as she stopped rolling and covered her face with her hooves. "Because this needed to be done today, and you needed to be here. Besides, if you want to see a REAL airshow, you need to see the Flying Walendas. That Nick is such a cutie," she said with a slight blush and a giggle. Kool Aid groaned and kicked her legs weakly in the air, her small wings spread as wide as she could across the ground "Not the Flying Walendas again, the Wonderbolts are way cooler. What do you have have against the Wonderbolts, anyway?" The pegasus mare grunted as she hauled a pedastal out of a nearby cart and onto her back, trotted up onto the the platform the and slid the pedastal gingerly down onto it. She moved the pedastal about with her hooves until it was roughly centered then fetched a glass orb with swirling grey smoke in it from the cart and gingerly set the orb onto the pedastal. "I just had a bad experience with the Wonderbolts when I was a filly, is all, " her mother replied as she sat down next to her daughter and surveyed their handiwork. "Mooooom, the Wonderbolts wheren't around when you where a Filly!" Kool Aid said huffily, "Are we done now?" "Almost Kool Aid, you just need to go around an pick up the tools, and be sure to use your hooves, not your wings!" Kool Aid groaned and rolled onto her belly, slowly dragging herself forward with only her front hooves toward the nearest tool, her back legs dragging behind her. "You know I suck at using my hooves to hold stuff! Can't I use my wings?" she begged as she stopped in front of a rather large hammer. "You need the hoof practice dear," the pegasus mare replied as she scanned the surrounding fields as if looking for something. "No I don't!" Kool Aid cried, leaping to her hooves and stamping her front ones," It's just... just... dumb! Only earth ponies need to use their hooves 'cause they have no magic at all!" "No magic?" replied the pegasus mare, feigning surprise, "Why, the earth ponies are the closest of all of the tribes to the source of magic, Kool Aid." Kool Aid groaned and fumbled with the hammer in front of her, trying unsucessfully to pick up the hammer while flexing her wings in agitation. "Mooooom, everypony knows earth ponies have no magic, that's just a dumb thing to say." "Oh? Did I ever tell you the story of the Trembling Hoof? It's a good story." the pegasus mare said with a little smile as Kool Aid finally managed to grab the hammer in her front hoofs. Flapping her wings franticly to keep her front end in the air. Kool Aid took a few steps with her back legs but couldn't keep her blance and dropped the hammer. "Oh, here we go," Kool Aid said, rolling her eyes, "One of Juicy Fruits famous stories. I suppose the 'princess' told you this story too." Kool Aid made air quotes with her wings when she said the word princes. "No, actually, it was Starswirl the Bearded that told me that story." "Who's that? I suppose you have a look alike for her nearby? Like you did for the princess? Is that why you keep looking around, to see if she's here?" the filly said with a snort while she glared at the hammer in front of her. "That really was the princess, you know, and as for Starswirl, HE was the father of all modern unicorn magic. He knew magic better than anypony, and he's credited with creating nearly all of the spells unicorns use today." Juicy Fruit replied with a laugh as she watched her daughter try unsucessfully to nudge the hammer with her nose across the ground back towards the wagon. "But I'm getting away from the story, aren't I?" Kool Aid groaned. A long time ago, befor the Equestria we know and love today was born, back when there where still three pony tribes, there was a small pony village far, far to the south of where Canterlot is now. At the edge of that village lived a very old earth pony mare with her grandfilly. This earth pony was so old that whenver she walked, her hooves would go snick snack and her joints would go crick crack, so her grandfilly was often sent out to run errands for her. It just so happend that one day, while she sat in her rocking chair and her grandfilly was off on an errand that a brash young pegasus stallion touched down right in front of her little cottage. Back then the pegasus and earth ponies didn't get along at all, and in fact, the pegasus ponies looked down upon the earth ponies. Now the stallion had been flying for many days and was very tired, so tired that he would even stop in an inn at an earth pony town. He stormed right up to the porch where the old earth pony was rocking in her rocking chair and demanded in a loud voice: "Old hag, old hag, direct me to the inn!" The old earth pony just smiled at him and reached down into the basket beside her that was full to the brim with apples. She touched her hoof to an apple and pulled it out easily, if not slowly because she was old and her joints didn't work like they used to. The pegausus, seeing that she was ignoring him, became enraged. He lunged forward at her and tried to knock that apple right off of her hoof. And you know what? It didn't budge! The pegasus was stunned, he was young and strong, he should have been able to easily knock the apple away, but it was no good. He tried a second time, only this time he soared up into the air and came down like a thunderbolt, swooping past and trying to knock the apple from her hoof. Well, the force of the blow would have sent it splattering everywhere, except that the vortex from the flight pulled all of that apple splatter behind and into him, covering him in stickyness. And worse, when he looked back he saw the old earth pony with what was left of the apple still stuck to her hoof. And still she smiled at him. "You must be a witch, old mare, Trembling hooves such as yours couldn't possibly hold that apple, no hoof can," cried the pegasus So, sticky, disgusted and defeated, the pegasus flew off towards the town to try to find the inn on his own. It wasn't long after that when an unicorn pony came into sight, swaggering slowly down the road, a single rose levitated to her nose which she kept firmly up in the air. She wore a ridiculous costume that included a large, trimmed cloak and an elaborate hat nearly as big as herself made of a patchwork of brightly colored and poorly coordinated cloth. The old earth pony watched her slowly swagger up to the cottage, only when she stopped to address the earth pony did she reach into her bushel of apples and pull out a single apple just by touching it. "You, old mare, where can I find an inn in this little hovel. I demand you tell me at once!" the unicorn said haughtily, without bothering to look over at the old earth pony. The old mare looked at the unicorn with a wry smile and took a slow bite out of her apple, chewing it in no particular hurry. When she didn't get an immediate response, the unicorn finally deigned to look at the old mare with a scowl and spoke again. "Old mare, tell me where to find the inn! Or shall I wipe that grin, off your wrinkled old chin?" the unicorn sneered at her The old mare smiled back at the unicorns scowling face and took another slow bite out of her apple. Enraged, the unicorns horn lit up! The half eaten apple was surrounded by the light of her magic and she tossed her head back as if to tear it from the old ponies hoof, but instead only wrenched her own neck. She tried again, and again to use her magic to try and tear the apple from the old mares hoof, but in the end could only rage and fume as the old mare slowly finished her delecious treat. Finally, angry and defeated, the unicorn stormed away towards town, muttering all the while that she couldn't believe that Trembling old hooves could possibly defeat her magic. It wasn't long after that that the old mares grandfilly came cantering up, out of breath. She looked as if she had run a long, long way. "Gram! Gram! Are you alright? There was a great rucus in town, a unicorn and a pegasus!" "Yes, yes, I'm fine my dear," the grandmare replied, "I was just stting here, and enjoying my apples when some ruffians came by and tried to take them from me, unsucessfully I might add." The fillies eyes widened to hear this. "But gram, how? The pegasus was so big and strong and the unicorn had magic!" the filly protested. "Silly little filly, we earth ponies have the strongest magic of all. All magic comes from the earth, from there is passes into the sky and the sea. The pegasus magic of flight and cloudwalking and even the unicorn magic as wonderfull as it might seem all rely on the magic that comes from the earth and goes back to the earth." The filly mulled this over for a bit before speaking again. "But gram, how did you keep them from stealing your apples?" "They tried to take them from my Trembling old hoof, my dear, but I held fast to them. Surely you must see that hooves are not made to hold things? Yet all of the ponies, earth, pegasi and unicorn can do so. This is the earths blessing, and proof that the unicorns and pegasi are no better or worse than us." The filly bowed her head in awe of her grandmares wisdom and the old mare smiled kindly down upon her grandfilly, as she touched another apple and pulled it from it's basket. The *UGH* End *HUFF* Juicy Fruit grunted one last time as she manged to push the wagon she had hauled the wood, tools and supplies she had brought onto it's side. Kool Aid, who had been watching her mother push it over from where she lay on her back, rolled onto her belly just as her mother walked up to her and grabbed Kool Aids mane in her teeth, picking her daughter up. Kool Aid squirmed and complained as Juicy Fruit walked around to the side facing away from the pedastal and gently put her daughter down. Kool Aid started to say something only to be hushed by a huge BANG and a rush of air that threw her flat and knocked the wind from her. When she she managed to open her eyes and peek around the broken remains of the wagon she saw a terrifying site; a large green and purple swirling portal had opened mere feet from the platform and out had walked a huge stallion. He was jet black with glowing red eyes and a red horn. His teeth where yellow and crooked and his mane was matted, with the skulls and bones of smaller animals woven in. "At last!" he exalted in a booming voice that could curdle milk, "The Orb of Infinite Ancient Death is mine!" Kool Aids chest hit the ground again, her tail in the air her wings folded close and her hooves covering her face. She felt her mothers reassuring pressence and pressed herself tightly against it. There was the sound of hooves climbing up onto the platform, then the voice of a young filly. "Hey! Dumbface!" "Unhand that orb, fiend!" cried the voice of an older stallion. "You are too late, Starswirl!" crowed a booming voice that could have been a thousand cats being roasted alive, " I have the Orb of Infinite Ancient Death at la... WHAT!?" Kool Aid uncovered her eyes just long enough to see the dark stallion being stretched like a rubber band and being sucked into the orb, his face contorted in a comic expression of shock. She lept to her hooves in astonishment, her mouth agape. Juicy Fruit stood up beside her and gently closed her daughters mouth with a hoof before walking over to the filly and the old stallion, who now stood bewildered on the platform. The older stallion had a long white beard, grey fur, a deep blue cloak with yellow stars and an enormous deep blue hat with bells all along the brim and on it's tassle. The filly wore nothing, but had the same yellow coat and red mane as Juicy Fruit. "Hail and well met, good mare. Was this your doing?" asked the old stallion, gesturing towards the orb which now lay on the platform. "Well, a little bit, starswirl, " she replied, looking down at the bored little filly rolling her eyes next to him. There was a clatter as Kool Aid climbed up next to her mother and Juicy Fruit looked down to see her daughter staring at the the other filly. "Who are you?" demaned the unknown filly, her attention turning to Kool Aid. "I'm Kool Aid," she replied, "Who are you?" "I'm Juicy Fruit," said the filly before turning to look at starswirl, "Can we GO nooooow? I'm missing the Flying Walendas airshow!" "You can't be Juicy Fruit!" Kool Aid blurted out. "And why not!?" demaned the filly Juicy Fruit "'Cause my mom is Juicy Fruit!" Kool Aid shouted "What? That dumpy old mare!" filly Juicy Fruit Taunted. "You take that back!" shouted Kool Aid. "Make me!" shouted filly Juicy Fruit. Before either adult could intervene, Kool Aid leapt at filly Juicy Fruit and the two rolled off the platform biting and kicking and shouting. starswirl looked on in astonishment but the mare only laughed heartily at the two fillies rolling around on the grass. "Bucker!" yelled filly Juicy Fruit. "Horseapple!" yelled Kool Aid. "Needlenoggin!" yelled filly Juicy Fruit. "Fillyfooler!" yelled Kool Aid. "Parasprite!" yelled filly Juicy Fruit. "Girls!" bellowed the mare Juicy Fruit above the din. Both girls stopped what they where doing, filly Juicy Fruit with a hoof in Kool Aids Eye, and Kool Aid mid bite on filly Juicy Fruits ear. Both of them untagled themselves and stood up, side by side as the mare Juicy Fruit lightly lept down from the platform from where starswirl watched, a bemused expression on his wrinkled old face. "That's quite enough from both of you." the mare Juicy Fruit declared sternly. Both fillies hung their heads, neither saying a thing. "Now then, Juicy Fruit, you need to go back to your own time with Starswirl, "the mare began, "And don't worry, he will send you back the same time you left, you will get to watch the Flying Walends." Filly Juicy Fruit looked up at her older self sheepishly, to see the mare grinning broadly. She grinned back then walked over to where starswirl stood. Kool Aid stole a look up at her mother who was watching her younger self with a wistfull expression. "Pray tell me, mare Juicy Fruit, this is clearly an orb of entrapment, " Starswirl said, levitating the orb with the dark pegasus contained within in front of him, "Where did thou get it?" "You levitated it up off the platform, and gave it to me for safekeeping, Starswirl, just after the events that happened here." the mare replied with a smile. "I see..." starswirl said, running a hoof through his long beard and nodding absently to himself, " A predestination paradox..." "Come ooooon, Starswirrl!" whined filly Juicy Fruit. "Jeez, mom. Where you always this obsesed with the Flying Walendas as a filly?" Kool Aid asked. "No less than you are with the Wonderbolts dear, " Juicy Fruit replied with a chuckle. "The who?" filly Juicy Fruit asked "The Wonderbolts! Only the bestest flyers in all of Equstria!" Kool Aid replied, puffing out her chest and feathers as well as flexing her wings. "Nuh uh! The Flying Walendas would kick their tails!" filly Juicy Fruit replied puffing out HER chest and feathers as well as flexing HER wings. "Uh huh! The Wonderbolts are the best!" Kool Aid Replied. Starswirl just shook her head slightly and began to cast the return timespell. "Nu Uh!" "Uh Huh!" "Nu Uh!" "Uh Huh! "Nuh..." Filly Juicy Fruit never finished her taunt, because at just that moment, starswirl finished his spell and they both dissapeared with an gentle pop. Kool Aid blinked, and then looked up at her mother who had began to walk away, leaving the now shattered, burnt and and twisted tools where they lay. "Hey! Wait up mom! Geez, you really where annoying as a filly, wheren't you. I mean, c'mon, everybody knows the Wonderbolts are the best!" Kool Aid said with a laugh as she cantered to catch up with her mother. "And now you know why I don't like the Wonderbolts." Juicy Fruit deadpanned. Kool Aid stumbled and skidded to a halt, dumstruck.