//------------------------------// // 52 The Flora's Gift, Part Two // Story: Continuity Disrupted // by Doug Graves //------------------------------// "Here ya go, Twist!" Sweetie Belle says as she walks into the bespectacled filly's house, heading towards the kitchen. Twist nervously cowers by the front door, the recently moved chair no longer blocking the doorway. Sweetie Belle pulls out the bag of sugar, food coloring, and various other items they have collected in order to help Twist with her confections. "Oh, dear, I hope it wathn't too thcary out there," Twist says, awkwardly rubbing one hoof against the other. "I thought I thaw Thecora out there, and then I wath, like, I did! I did! But then thee jutht left you two alone!" She takes her glasses off to wipe the sweat off her forehead, still panting at the excitement. "Yeah, Zecora's not that bad," Scootaloo idly says, though she still trembles a little at the mention of the name. Scootaloo drops off the sugar next to Sweetie Belle's items, turning to face Twist. "Wow, you two mutht be really brave," Twist says, an awed smile on her face. "Nopony elth would dare to go outside today!" As Twist says this, a blue unicorn wrapped in a purple cloak and hat walks by her house. Right next to Trixie is Doug, carrying a backpack stuffed with goods. Both are excitedly chatting about something, animatedly waving arms and horn around. Doug waves at the brown cloaked figure, Trixie pulling her own purple cloak around her head in a similar manner. Zecora waves back before slipping inside one of the nearby stores. "You and thothe two," Twist says, pouting slightly as the two head towards the same store. Her smile returns as she turns to the kitchen, "But, we have thweeth to make!" "Okay!" Sweetie Belle says, glancing back at her flank. "Just let me know what to do!” Her singsong voice rings out, “Maybe I'll get a sweet cutie mark, too!" "Oh, spare me," Scootaloo groans as she helps gather a few mixing bowls and measuring cups. "What's a 'Belle' candy supposed to look like, anyway?" Both glance to the side, Twist reluctantly saying, "A thugar bell?" She grabs a bag of sugar, tearing it open as Scootaloo groans. Twist takes the bag, lifting it up above the measuring cup before she stops. "Something wrong?" Sweetie Belle says as she worriedly looks over. She glances between the various ingredients now spread before the earth pony, then back to Twist's frozen form. "You okay?" "Um," Twist says, a slight shake of her head. "I don't want to uthe the meathuring cupth." "And just guess?" Scootaloo says, raising an eyebrow. "But how will you make the recipe right?" "I'll jutht know!" Twist says, smiling brightly. She quickly frowns as Scootaloo lifts some of the food coloring, leaping forward and stripping the vial out of her hooves. "No, we don't need that yet!" "O-okay," Scootaloo says, backing off slightly. "Well, then, just let us know if you need any help," Sweetie Belle adds. "Mmhmm," Twist replies absentmindedly, bouncing from one mixing bowl to another. After a minute of watching Twist work in silence Scootaloo remarks, "Well, I'm bored." "Twist? You sure you don’t want any help?" Sweetie Belle hesitantly asks. "I'm good." Twist pops another piece of peppermint into her mouth, smiling at the taste. "Okay, then,” Scootaloo grunts, “You wanna go see when Diamond Tiara’s party is starting?” “Sure. See you later, Twist!” Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo wave as they exit the house, Twist returning a brief wave before she goes back to making more peppermint twists. “Hey, this isn’t the way to Sugarcube Corner,” Sweetie Belle says as the two head towards the store they saw Zecora enter. “Did you just lie to Twist?” Scootaloo shakes her head, “I may have misled her about the order in which we’ll be doing that, but I didn’t lie, since we will be finding out when Diamond Tiara’s party is starting.” “Really?” Sweetie Belle says, pausing outside the door to stare hard at Scootaloo. “Actually, I said it so she wouldn’t be trying to get us to stay again.” Scootaloo shrugs, “Not that she looked like she would try. Hey, you think she’ll get her cutie mark there?” “I’m trying not to think about it!” Sweetie Belle grunts out, “‘Cause then we’ll be the only ponies at the party without our cutie marks! Even our younger sisters at the party will have their cutie marks!” “Hey, wait for me!” calls Apple Bloom, trotting quickly from the center of town. “Ah wanna help!” “Hey, Apple Bloom!” Scootaloo calls. “Hello!” Sweetie Belle says. “Oh, we should warn you, Zecora is in there.” “Zecora?” Apple Bloom immediately loses any enthusiasm for tagging along with her sisters. “Are you sure?” At Sweetie Belle’s nod she continues in a low, fast voice, “Then what are we doing here?” “We’re going to try to get potion making cutie marks with Zecora!” Scootaloo exclaims, motioning inside. “We think she’s buying potion making ingredients!” “Why’s that?” asks Apple Bloom. “Duh. Flower shop? Who knows what kind of freaky stuff you can make from flowers.” “I like making sandwiches!” says Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo rolls her eyes, “And when we’re looking for culinary cutie marks we’ll try that. But this is going to be extreme!” “Why’s that?” asks Apple Bloom. “Because Doug and Trixie are in there!” Scootaloo restlessly bounces on her hooves, eagerly anticipating all the cool things they’ll be able to do with both Trixie and Zecora working together! Sweetie Belle pushes the door open, revealing Doug, Trixie, Zecora, and a cowering Roseluck frantically looking between the front door, the back door, and the two strange creatures in the room blocking her escape routes. The three seem to be ignoring the pony’s plight, given that they are just standing around and pointing at the various items for sale. Sweetie Belle walks in, shortly followed by her sisters. Apple Bloom inspects Zecora’s brown bag, carelessly left by the front door, while Scootaloo bounds up to Zecora and Doug. “I must admit, the concept does tantalize my wit. To combine powders for show and spectacle, not purely to escape a timber wolf’s mandibles.” Zecora turns to the three fillies, “Ah, hello again, my diminutive friends. You are Apple Bloom, I portend.” “That’s me!” Apple Bloom says, her gaze still fixated on Zecora’s bag. “So, what’cha talking about?” “Doug mentioned Zecora and her knack for making smoke bombs, and her talent for mixing colored powders with various effects. The intrigued and dynamic Trixie thought it would be an excellent addition to her show, should the concept be sound.” Scootaloo exclaims, an innocent smile beaming on her face, “Ooh! Like a powder that makes everypony like your performance!” “Entirely unnecessary for the Great and Powerful Trixie, but perhaps not a bad item to have just in case.” Trixie smirks back, “Perhaps you might find yourself dependant on it instead.” “Pff!” Sweetie Belle exclaims in an entirely un-Raritylike manner. “She’d totally need it.” “Would not!” “Would too!” “Would not!” “Would too!” “Girls,” Doug states in a tone that brooks no disagreement. Apple Bloom briefly looks up at her sire, a hoof retreating out of one of the easy to reach pockets of Zecora’s bag with a vial filled with blue powder. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle glare for just a moment longer before they both turn up their noses. Scootaloo goes to Zecora while Sweetie Belle turns to Trixie, both pointedly looking away from each other. Zecora says to Trixie, “To answer your earlier query, it would be sound in theory. But, as the combinations can be quite vile, I find it easier to carry them in a separate vial.” “I suppose you could make it like a firework, too,” Doug says. Trixie raises an eyebrow, slightly confused, while Zecora keeps her neutral stare. “You know, multiple stages? Rather than mixing everything in one big jar,” he motions to one of the glass jars Zecora has out, partially filled with flowers, “you would make it have a small boundary, like paper or easily broken glass, between the components.” “Maybe if I’m just walking out on stage with it, but transporting that? One bad bump on the road and kablooey.” Trixie shakes her head, “Even just transporting normal fireworks and smoke bombs is risky enough. I find it easiest to fill the more volatile containers just before a show.” Zecora nods along, “Perhaps if just a colorful effect you are looking to make, multiple vials should you take. Calibrate a careful mix, and everypony shall enjoy your tricks.” Zecora pulls out a mortar and pestle, along with a few flowers from Doug’s backpack. She grinds them to a fine powder, then glances to the yellow earth pony whimpering as she watches Zecora with wide eyes. “Trixie is inclined to agree with Zecora, if the result is good. But she is somewhat hesitant to take such claims at face value.” Trixie glances outside, then back to the flowers and the mare who sells them. “Perhaps here is not the best spot.” Zecora merely nods, removing a dozen bits and placing them on the counter next to Roseluck. Roseluck barely manages a nod, hunching down even lower and trying to hide behind the counter. She grabs her filled saddlebags, withdrawing two larger vials, one filled with a green powder and the other red, before donning them and walking outside. Doug and Trixie follow behind, Doug carrying his now empty backpack. They take up positions a few yards away from Zecora, watching the zebra twist the cap off and carefully pour out just a pinch of mixture. “What does that one do?” says Scootaloo excitedly, only partially needing to be restrained by Doug to keep from dashing over. “Are they color coded?” Sweetie Belle asks, glancing between the green in Zecora’s hoof and the red in the vial she still has yet to open. “The green helps one see out in the Everfree.” Zecora winks at Doug, the human smiling back. She holds her hoof out, closing her eyes; Doug blows the powder into Zecora’s face, a cloud of green smoke enveloping the zebra. She waits for a few seconds as the smoke settles around. “Cool!” the three fillies chorus, looking around before they gasp. Zecora’s eyes have turned black as night, a void no light can escape. They turn to each other before their smiles return even larger, “COOL!!” “What’s the red one do?” asks Scootaloo. “The red is for minor cuts and tears, to provide comfort and care.” Zecora shakes her head as the fillies lean forward expectantly, their eyes dancing with delight. “Does that one make the same explosion of smoke?” Trixie says, intrigued. “Trixie finds herself curious.” “Indeed it does, a dispersing mist, to help penetrate bend and twist. To seek every nook and fold, to keep away rot and mold.” Zecora takes an even smaller pinch of red in one hoof, and about the same size of green from before. “Oh, oh, do me!” Apple Bloom shouts, excitedly running forward. Zecora holds up a hoof, Apple Bloom skidding to a stop. Zecora flicks to the side a few times, Apple Bloom raising an eyebrow while awkwardly walking sideways a few steps. Now a few yards from everypony, Apple Bloom waits while Scootaloo huffs at not being the one chosen. Zecora smiles and nods, “This will be odd at first, but panic not, for all you’ll see is sparkly dots.” She throws first the green powder, a small cloud forming around Apple Bloom when it impacts her, then the red. A large cloud forms, quickly surrounding and concealing the yellow filly. “Woah!” Apple Bloom says as the smoke around her dissipates. “This is sooo weird!” Zecora turns back to Doug, “Thank you, Doug, my dear friend, for it is much easier to be on the receiving end. Do you have time, Doug, to travel through the muck? These three wanted help, and afterwards we might…” Zecora glances to the three fillies completely distracted by and inspecting Apple Bloom’s weird eyes. “Try our luck.” Trixie’s eyes narrow, but she holds off from saying anything. Nopony, scratch that, nozebra would be maneuvering in that easily! “Yeah, not a problem for the help. The potions have been a great help, too. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to chase those three around.” Doug sighs, shaking his head, “Even though I can’t wait to see what exactly they come up with.” “Now let’s see what this one does!” Apple Bloom says, holding the blue vial up in her hooves. Zecora turns, a brief hesitation as one hoof comes up to her saddlebags, the blue vial no longer there. A split second decision later and Zecora dives out of the blast zone as she shouts, “NO! That-” Apple Bloom throws the vial directly at her hooves. It explodes outwards, a ten yard cloud of blue smoke instantly bursting forth and completely obscuring Doug, Trixie, and the three fillies.