Mavis stopped dead in her tracks. The weight of the bucket on her back seemed to fade away as all the symptoms she’d come to fear as meaning she was sick returned in greater force than before. Just the simple act of spying Big Mac in her field of vision was enough to do it. Now she was realizing how impossible it was to avoid him for the rest of the week.
“Mavis, you sure you’re alright?”
She met Applejack’s concerned gaze. “I-I’m fine,” she lied. “But do you think maybe we could go into town just the two of us?”
Applejack quirked an eyebrow, glancing briefly at her brother before saying, “Huh, guess Big Mac wants ta run the stall today fer some reason. You’re saying ya wanna do it with me instead?”
Mavis nodded.
“Why?”
“I just want to, okay!” Mavis cried.
“Hey hey, no need to yell,” Applejack admonished. “If’n you wanna spend some more time with me, that’s fine, but there’s no need to be rude, you hear?”
The stern glare Applejack was giving her reminded Mavis far too much of the Fat Controller. She wilted under the stare, all her mounting troubles melting away to the guilt rising within her over how she’d acted.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly, casting her gaze down.
A moment passed before she felt Applejack’s hoof on her withers, and she looked up into the other mare’s smiling face.
“Apology accepted, Sugarcube,” she said, then turned toward Big Mac. “I’ll clear things up with my brother in a jiff, just sit tight here.”
She walked briskly over to her brother. Mavis watched as they conversed for a minute before Big Mac unhitched himself from the cart, gave her his saddlebag and began heading in the direction of the farmhouse. On the way, he spared Mavis a smile which she was too distracted by her symptoms to respond to. Only when he disappeared into the farmhouse did she find the strength to move, quickly joining Applejack as she hitched herself to the supply cart after loading in her bucket.
“We’ll be going the same way we came,” Applejack explained as Mavis unloaded her bucket into the cart and she strapped on the saddlebag. “‘Cause it’s yer first day I won’t make ya pull the cart, but count on doing it sometime this week. We’ll be at the market stall ‘til around three o’ clock before we pack up and do some errands. After that, we come back home and rest and eat and eventually go to sleep. That sound like a pleasant time fer a workaholic like you?” She laughed.
“Eheh, of course,” Mavis replied. It did sound fun and important, but she wasn’t too thrilled about their eventual return to Sweet Apple Acres and inevitable encounter with Big Mac.
Without any further word, the two of them set off through the front gate and down the dirt road. Mavis tried to put all thoughts of Big Mac out of her mind and enjoy the scenery around them. Now that it was bright and sunny out, the vibrant greens of the surrounding hills and fields were clearly visible. Off in the distance, she saw the proud sight of Canterlot resting alongside the mountain, towering over the land. Mavis tried to relish in the beautiful sights but struggled. Knowing that she could potentially be sick whenever she spied Big Mac and that she’d inevitably be seeing him many times as long as she was here was too great a worry for her to overcome.
It wasn’t until the distant buildings of Ponyville had peeked over an approaching hill that Mavis wondered whether it was worth keeping silent. Every time she saw Big Mac, her symptoms only got worse and worse, making her feel more and more miserable. If she told Applejack what was happening, she might have to go to the Works, but maybe she’d be given another chance to prove herself reliable and useful. Engines got sick from time to time, and the Fat Controller never held it against them just because it made his job a little more difficult. Maybe the same would hold true here.
“Applejack?”
The other mare turned to face her. “What’s up?”
This was it, now or never. “I lied earlier; I actually haven’t been feeling very well lately.”
“Oh, I already knew that.”
“What?” Mavis said, aghast.
Applejack chuckled. “Takes a lot fer somepony to slip a lie past me. I knew something was wrong with ya, but it ain’t polite ta pester somepony unless it’s somethin’ really big. I figured you’d tell me if and when you were ready to.”
Mavis felt a little indignant by her response but chose not to show it. “Well, whenever I see Big Mac, I feel hot and miserable.”
“Oh? What d’ya mean?”
“I get a strange feeling in my chest and my cheeks heat up in a way that’s different from having a good batch of oil inside me. Every time I see him it gets worse and worse and I’m afraid it means I’m sick and that I’ll have to get fixed and won’t be able to prove how reliable and useful I am to the Fat Controller.”
Applejack just stared blankly for a few moments while Mavis took a moment to catch her breath. Then her lips curled and she snorted out a laugh while a single tear rolled down her face.
“Applejack?” Mavis said, confused.
Applejack burst out laughing. She stopped the cart and sat down on her rump, holding her hooves to her chest as her laughter filled the previously silent country air. Mavis’ expression turned bemused. Applejack continued laughing for a long while, trying and failing several times to control herself, all the while Mavis watched on with increasing frustration. A part of her wondered if physically striking a person was just as dangerous as running into another engine because doing that would surely get Applejack to stop laughing. She decided it would be better not to risk it.
Finally, Applejack calmed down when she seemed to have run out of air. She wiped a few tears from her eyes, took a deep, calming breath, got back up on her hooves and faced Mavis with a cheeky grin.
“I feel like I’m becoming a surrogate mother for ya, Sugarcube,” she said, forcing back another round of laughter.
“Surrogate… mother?” Now Mavis was confused again. “What’s that?”
Applejack waved her off. “Don’t worry about it, none. Sounds ta me like having an organic, breathing body is coming with all the same emotions and such.” Her grin grew a little wider. “You’ve got a crush on my brother.”
Mavis was still confused. “What’s a crush? Does it mean I’m sick? Am I going to have to go to the Works to be mended?”
“Of course not, girl!” Applejack laughed again, more heartily this time. “You’re perfectly fine, trust me. I’ll tell ya what: if it keeps happening and ya really wanna know more about it, ask me an’ I’ll tell ya all you need to know. Sound good?”
It felt like an invisible weight had been lifted off of Mavis, replaced by immense relief. “Okay, that’s good to know. Thank you, Applejack.”
“Sure thing. Now let’s get moving again before everypony leaves the market.”
Now that her worry was quelled, for the time being, Mavis was able to enjoy the scenery of Ponyville’s outskirts for the rest of the journey. Rolling hills were a welcome new sight, as much as she didn’t mind always working in the quarry. At one point, she even stopped to admire some flowers growing alongside the road. Sunflowers, Applejack called them. They looked pretty and even smelled nice when Applejack encouraged her to take a whiff. She could smell as an engine, but she rarely smelled much else besides oil and on a couple of occasions the salty brine of the sea.
Eventually, they made their way into Ponyville itself. The first thing Mavis noticed was how much more bustling the streets were in the day. Ponies shopped, played together, talked practically everywhere she looked. A couple of ponies they passed waved greetings to Applejack as they passed, also giving Mavis a friendly ‘hello’ or ‘hi’ or ‘hey’. A couple of them noticed she didn’t have a cutie mark and passed with pitiful glances, but Mavis didn’t pay them any mind.
The market itself proved to be a hassle to navigate, especially compared to the rest of the town. Mavis had to constantly bob and weave around ponies balancing shopping bags on their backs to make sure she didn’t bump into them and spill their purchased goods. The air was filled with a hundred peoples’ chatter, of customers asking questions and vendors trying to make sales, forcing Applejack to shout to be heard by Mavis. Going from the quiet countryside to the noisy marketplace wasn’t pleasant, and Mavis made no effort to hide the discomfort on her face, even if it wouldn’t change anything.
Finally, they came to a less crowded area near the center of the marketplace and stopped. Applejack fetched a white and green-striped canopy from the cart and quickly propped it up overhead along with an apple ornament.
“Alright, we’re open fer business!” Applejack declared.
“What do we do now?” Mavis asked, giddy with excitement.
“Now we wait fer some customers to come wanting our apples,” Applejack explained. “Ah, here comes one now!”
A young mare with a gray coat and a blonde mane and a lazy eye came strolling up to the stall with a cheery expression.
“Heya Derpy, how’s it going?” Applejack asked.
“Hiya Applejack, Doc’s still busy tinkering with that robot thing that came here last week. I’m running some errands for him in the meantime.”
“Mighty nice of ya. How many apples do ya need?”
“A dozen. I’m going to make him some apple pie tonight.”
“Taking it to the next level, are ya, Derpy?” Applejack said with a teasing grin.
Derpy’s cheeks, to Mavis’ interest, turned red, just like Big Mac’s had last night. Is that what happened when heat built up in a person’s cheeks? Did her own cheeks turn red when she caught sight of Big Mac? “Ehehehe, when you put it that way…”
Applejack reached over and lightly bumped her withers. “You go get ‘im, girl,” she said. “That’ll be two bits.”
Derpy took two gold coins out of her saddlebag and passed them to Applejack. She then proceeded to pick twelve apples from the cart and place them in her saddlebag.
“Alright then,” Applejack said once the exchange was finished, “you have a good day, you hear?”
Derpy waved goodbye as she trotted away, humming a little tune. Mavis turned to Applejack. “Does she have a ‘crush’ too?”
“Little bit more than that,” Applejack said. “It’s a perfectly normal thing, trust me.” She threw the ‘bits’ into her own saddlebag. “But let’s focus on managing the stall right now.”
“Okay,” Mavis said as a rush of excitement shot through her, “what do I need to do to be useful?”
“Basically, just be polite to anypony that comes to us,” Applejack explained. “We can take turns running the stall, but for now just watch what I do. Okay?”
Mavis nodded her understanding.
As the minutes ticked by, more customers came to the stall looking for apples. Mavis did as instructed, watching the way Applejack conversed with customers and made sales. Every now and then a customer would strike up a conversation with Mavis and she’d do her best to do as Applejack said and stay polite and friendly. She was challenged at one point when a young filly taunted her for not having a cutie mark and the filly’s parent quickly admonished her before Mavis had the chance to fire back her own insult, but for the most part, the conversations were pleasant and exciting. Nearly all of them asked Mavis what her homeworld was like, but the ones that asked for more personal details about her own life were quickly brushed off by herself and Applejack. She enjoyed listening to them talking about their own lives, however, finding interest in comparing all the joys and hardships they lived through to her own back on Sodor. Ponies, it seemed, also wished to be useful, but unlike engines, they seemed to be driven mainly by a desire to provide for their friends and family. That was one difference Mavis had trouble understanding.
After a while, however, Mavis started to get bored. She’d watched Applejack run the stall and done her best to commit to memory everything she did which was ‘proper’. She felt she was ready to run the stall herself. Once the last customer left she put out the question.
“You sure you’re up fer it, Mavis?” Applejack asked back, giving her a serious look. “It’s a big responsibility, an’ yer still a newbie at this. Can I really, truly trust ya?”
“Of course you can,” Mavis said sincerely. “I’ll manage the stall as well as you do. I promise!”
“Well, you sure got spunk.” Applejack appeared to think it over for a moment before she smiled. “Alright, I’ll give you a chance. I can run my errands in the meantime.”
“Thank you,” Mavis said.
“Just remember that half a dozen apples cost one bit and a whole dozen costs two. Just throw the bits you get in the cart.” She held up her saddlebag. “I’m gonna use the ones we just earned fer my errands.” She walked off, waving goodbye to Mavis, who waved goodbye in turn.
“I can do this, I can do this,” Mavis repeated to herself.
A mare and a colt walked out of the crowd towards her. Mavis steeled her nerves. She was determined to prove her usefulness, but this first act would prove to herself whether she truly could.
When the mare and colt noticed her, looks of confusion crossed their faces. Mavis was worried for a moment until they came up to her and the mare, who was presumably the colt’s mother, asked, “I’m sorry, but isn’t this the Apple family’s stall?”
“Oh, Applejack left me to run the stall while she did some errands. I can help you just as well, I promise!”
The mare blinked and then smiled. “Well, okay then. How much for three apples?”
Mavis blinked herself. Three apples? Ponies didn’t only buy either six or twelve?
“Uh… well…” She trailed off as confusion took over. Applejack never mentioned anything like this. What was she supposed to do?
“I asked you how much it was for three apples,” the mare repeated. “Is something wrong, Miss?”
Mavis had no idea what she was supposed to do here. The sinking feeling returned to her stomach, but it was worse this time, like she’d swallowed a lead weight. Her lips threatened to change from a proper and polite smile into a panicked frown. The other mare’s expression turned more impatient and frustrated— Mavis was failing at being useful.
Something clicked in her mind. She needed to find a solution, and fast. But what could she do?
“Is something wrong with her, Mommy?” the colt asked.
“Miss, is something wrong?” the mom said, ignoring her son. “Because I don’t have all day to stand around.”
Mavis breathed deep, calming herself. An idea had come to her, but she didn’t know whether it would work. She just had to trust her judgment.
“It’s one bit for six apples and two bits for twelve,” she said.
“Oh, is there nothing in between?” Mavis shook her head. “Well, in that case, I’ll get six.” She took a single bit out of her saddlebag and passed it to Mavis.
“Thank you,” Mavis said as the mare selected six apples from the cart. She tossed the bit into the cart and waved the mare and her son off as they walked away. She smiled with pride at how well she’d resolved that issue all on her own. If Toby could see her now she’d have a good giggle at his expense.
The sun had dropped a fair distance and several more customers stopped by the Apple family stall over the next couple of hours. Apparently, the first mare just wasn’t familiar with how the Apple family priced their apples, because no one else asked for anything more or less than six or twelve. She managed each and every exchange as good as Applejack had, making sure to smile wide and strike up ‘small talk’ with customers every now and then and show interest in their daily lives. Show, at least; many of the things they talked about Mavis couldn’t relate to nor could she understand, but she never let them know that.
One conversation, in particular, grabbed her interest. It was from a pair of mares named Berry Punch and Carrot Top, who came up to the stall in the middle of an argument.
“C’mon Carrot Top, I really wanna see what the Everfree Castle’s like now that it’s safe!” the purple earth pony whined.
“And like I keep telling you,” the yellow earth pony argued, “those monsters didn’t go anywhere! Listen Berry Punch, don’t go doing anything stupid, okay? Let Princess Twilight and her friends do their own thing and not worry about copying them.”
“But if they can make it through safe and sound multiple times then surely I can too!”
“They can make it through because they have Ponyville’s resident monster tamer in their group. Like I keep telling you, going that far into the Everfree is suicide!”
“Hey, you’re the new mare from another world, aren’t you?” Berry addressed Mavis, ignoring Carrot completely. “Are you filling in for Applejack?”
Mavis nodded.
Carrot slapped a hoof to her face, groaning. “Why do I even bother?”
“How many apples do you want?” Mavis asked politely.
Carrot removed her hoof. “A dozen, please,” she said.
The exchange was made in short order. “What were you arguing about?” Mavis asked, curiosity filling her.
“There’s this forest outside of town called the Everfree,” Carrot explained. “It’s full of dangerous monsters that’ll rip you apart without a moment’s hesitation. But this one—” she gestured to Berry, “—fails to grasp that reality.”
“Hey, who’s to say we can’t get Fluttershy to guide us for a day?” Berry asked.
Carrot sighed. “Maybe, but I’m still worried you’re going to run off before we get the chance to ask her.”
“You need to trust me more,” Berry said with a pout.
“Yeah, I’ll trust you when you inspire it in me.” Carrot turned from the stall. “Hope you enjoy your stay in Ponyville!” she said, waving to Mavis as she walked away, Berry following behind her.
Mavis waved them goodbye in turn until they were out of sight. Now she was curious. Everfree Forest? Monsters? It sounded scary, but ghosts and monsters didn’t scare her. And apparently, there was another castle somewhere inside! Canterlot Castle was amazing, so the more the merrier!
She continued thinking about this up until Applejack returned with a slightly bulgier saddlebag.
“Looks like everythin’ went well while I was gone,” she said, eyeing the cart curiously. “Or are ya hiding somethin’ from me?”
Mavis was confused. “Why would I do that?” she asked.
Applejack waved her off. “Ah, it’s nothing Sugarcube, just a joke.” She walked over and put her hooves up onto the cart, hoisting herself up to peer inside. “Hoowee! That’s a lotta bits!” She smiled at Mavis. “You did a bang up job, Mavis! I’m mighty proud of ya!” She reached into the cart to gather the bits.
Mavis smiled herself, puffing up her chest. “I told you I could do it.” She felt a surge of pride. If she kept this up, she’d be working in Ffarquhar again for sure. “Um, Applejack?”
“Yeah?” Applejack said as she began counting the bits.
“I met Berry Punch and Carrot Top earlier.”
Applejack looked over to her. “That so? Hope you had a good meeting.”
“They were nice. They also mentioned the Everfree Forest and how there’s a castle somewhere inside.”
“Yeah, that’s true,” Applejack confirmed. “But there are also dangerous critters that’ll gobble ya up fer lunch if you enter.” She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “You weren’t thinkin’ of goin’ in, were ya?”
“I would love to see the inside of more castles,” Mavis said, hopeful. “And they said they were going to ask Fluttershy to guide them through.”
“Look, I get you’re curious, Mavis,” Applejack said. “But let’s not bother other ponies asking for favours that might wind up gettin’ somepony hurt. Fluttershy’s too busy taking care of all her little animal friends most of the time, anyway.”
Mavis didn’t let her resentment show on her face. It sounded more like Applejack was being a fusspot than anything. If she and her friends could make it safely through the Everfree Forest, why couldn’t she? Monsters weren’t scary at all.
Applejack finished counting her bits and put them into her saddlebag before retrieving a couple of white packages from inside, passing one of them to Mavis. “I got us some lunch,” she said.
Mavis opened her package to find a bunch of hay straws and a sandwich. The two of them spent the next thirty minutes eating their food, stopping whenever a customer came by to purchase apples. The subject of the Everfree Forest never came up again, but Mavis didn’t stop thinking about it. The way Berry and Carrot were talking made it sound like the castle was a fair distance inside the forest, but that didn’t stop her from wanting to see it for herself. She had a week to figure out how to make it there; plenty of time.
Three o’clock came around. Applejack folded up the canopy and apple ornament and placed them back in the cart. Slinging her saddlebag over herself, she said, “I gotta pick up my dog from Fluttershy ‘fore we head back home. Wanna come?”
“Of course I do,” Mavis said. Secretly, however, she was more interested in asking Fluttershy to guide her through the Everfree. “May I try pulling the cart?”
“Think you can do it?” Applejack questioned, lifting an eyebrow. “I did say I wouldn’t make ya pull it today, remember?”
“I pull trucks loaded with rocks at Ffarquhar all the time,” Mavis pointed out. “A wooden cart would be easy.”
Applejack laughed. “Good point. Alright then, show me yer strength.”
Mavis was quickly hitched up to the cart and the two made their way out of the marketplace. True to her word, pulling the cart was easy for Mavis. More than once she accidentally pulled ahead of Applejack, forcing her to slow down to let the other mare catch up. Mavis took pride in the impressed look Applejack had on her face by the time they’d cleared Ponyville itself.
Mavis was surprised when they finally came into view of Fluttershy’s cottage. It was a small, peaceful little building. ‘Rustic’ as her driver would say. Even as they approached, Mavis saw lots of furry and feathery animals scurrying around in the front yard. She identified about a dozen birdhouses hanging from trees and a little dock over the creek under the bridge leading to the cottage, as well as several little burrows dug into the earth.
What had surprised Mavis, however, was the forest behind the property. The foliage was dark and overgrown, completely unlike the pristine forests she’d seen from her view on the Friendship Express. No doubt about it, that was the Everfree Forest. Judging from what everyone said about it, she wondered why Fluttershy would want a house so close to a place that was dark and supposedly inhabited by monsters.
Mavis unhitched the cart before the bridge and the two made their way up the path. The little animals took a noticeable curiosity in Mavis as they passed, chittering and squealing with each other while looking at her with interest in their beady black eyes. They looked like they were having actual conversations with each other, completely unlike the animals back on Sodor. A small part of her was worried they were teasing her without her knowing. She tried to keep her gaze forward, away from them.
They made it to the front door and Applejack knocked twice.
“I’ll be there in a minute!” a soft voice called from inside.
Faint sounds of shuffling and animal noises could be heard inside, followed by frantic galloping against hardwood floor. Applejack and Mavis shared a brief, curious glance. They jumped three feet into the air when a loud crash erupted from inside followed by Fluttershy screeching, “You need to get your shot, Dennis!”
Sounds of furniture crashing and broken glass and frantic chirping rang through the walls of the house, all up and down the first and second floors from one end of the house to the other. More animal noises joined the ruckus: roars, squeals, chitters and more. Something slammed hard against the wall next to the front door, causing Mavis and Applejack to jump again. The noise continued for another couple minutes before, just as suddenly as it began, coming to a stop just in front of the door.
“I’ve got you now!” Fluttershy cried. “Everyone hold him down, please.”
There were animalistic mutterings of agreement, followed by chirping so loud and frantic that Mavis was forced to fold her ears back to block it. They increased in intensity for a short while, culminating in one final, high pitch before silence fell upon the house. Mavis blinked. A few moments later a series of small hoofsteps approached the front door and it opened a crack, revealing an aquamarine eye.
“Oh, hello Applejack! Mavis!” The door opened all the way to reveal Fluttershy.
Mavis’ eyes bulged at the sight behind the pegasus. Everything was a complete mess. Furniture was overturned and broken in some cases. Glass littered the floor from a couple of broken windows in the back. Feathers were scattered everywhere. Various animals were working to clean up some of the mess. A bird with a small bandage wrapped around a wing lay on a table in the middle of the room, breathing heavily.
“Whoa, looks like a hurricane came roaring through there, Shy,” Applejack remarked.
“Sorry,” Fluttershy said, “one of my animal friends didn’t want to get their shot and put up a fight. You’re here to pick up Winona, right?”
“Yup.”
Fluttershy bade them enter. They stepped inside, carefully maneuvering their way around pieces of splintered wood and glass shards. A big brown bear with a broom came over and quickly swept clean the area where they were standing. A series of barks drew their attention behind them before Applejack found herself tackled to the floor by a brown and white dog that began happily licking her face.
“Ehehe, glad to see you missed me, Winona,” Applejack said once Winona stopped, patting her pet on the head.
“She was a good girl during her shot,” Fluttershy said, casting a brief annoyed glance at the bird on the table. “She’s got a clean bill of health, as always.”
“Good to hear,” Applejack said as she stood up, Winona right by her side.
Mavis surveyed the messy room with disgust. “This is not orderly at all,” she stated. “Did one bird really cause all of this?”
“He’ll be getting a stern talking to later today,” Fluttershy said with conviction. “But before that, I need to get this place straightened out.”
“Can I help?” Mavis asked.
Fluttershy and Applejack looked at her surprised. “Hold on, Sugarcube, I still need ya at the farm.”
“Oh, that’s okay Applejack,” Fluttershy said. “I just need to clear the space for now; that’ll only take a short while.”
Mavis smiled hopefully at Applejack.
Applejack narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Mavis tried to look innocent, but mischief was worming its way through her mind.
“Well, okay, s’long as it doesn’t take too long,” Applejack relented, turning toward the door with Winona. “You can make it back to the farm just fine?”
Mavis nodded.
“Alright then.” Applejack led Winona outside, shutting the door behind them.
Mavis turned to Fluttershy. “What should I do?” she asked.
“Here,” Fluttershy said, maneuvering around a few rabbits picking up wood splinters over to an overturned sofa, “help me lift this thing back upright.”
Mavis rushed over and grabbed one end of the sofa with her hooves, fumbling a bit before securing a firm grip. Fluttershy grabbed the other end with her wings.
“On three;” Fluttershy said, “one… two… three!”
Together as one, they pulled hard on the sofa. It lifted up easily. Inch by inch it tipped over, coming to rest on the tips of its legs. Mavis and Fluttershy let go before gently nudging it, allowing it to fall over right side up with a hard thud.
“That was easy,” Mavis remarked.
“You’re very strong, Mavis,” Fluttershy complimented. “We’ll be done in no time.”
Fluttershy ended up being right. The clock on the wall indicated it was three thirty-eight when they joined Fluttershy’s animal friends in cleaning the house, and by the time they finished only twenty minutes had passed. All the glass and wood splinters were swept up and thrown in the garbage, all the furniture was straightened up, and every bird and mouse whose living space was demolished was relocated into other animals’ homes.
“I’m glad that’s finished,” Fluttershy said, wiping her forehead clear of ‘sweat’. She gave Mavis a grateful smile. “You were a big help, Mavis.”
Mavis felt both proud and a little conceited. “I’ll do anything to help.”
“That’s an attitude more people should have,” Fluttershy said before gesturing to the kitchen. “Would you like some tea before you go?”
Mavis nodded excitedly, but not at the prospect of ‘tea’, rather having a chance to talk with Fluttershy about her request.
They retreated to the kitchen and Mavis took a seat while Fluttershy began brewing up some tea. When she brought it to the table the aroma intrigued Mavis. Her initial reaction was one of revulsion, but a second whiff was a little more pleasant to her nostrils. Those conflicting sensations made her more interested in tasting it.
Fluttershy set the tea tray on the table and used her mouth to put one of the cups in front of Mavis, who eyed the dark liquid inside with curiosity. Each whiff she took was better than the last. She grabbed the cup and lifted it to her face, pouring a little bit into her mouth. The taste was mildly bitter, tempting her to spit it out. She held firm, though, and swallowed. The taste improved a little as it traveled down her throat. She set the cup back down.
“How is it?” Fluttershy asked, raising her own cup to her mouth.
“It tastes strange,” Mavis said simply.
“Oh, um, would you like a different brew?” Fluttershy suggested. “I have plenty more in the cabinet.”
“That’s okay,” Mavis assured her. She picked the cup back up and gulped the rest of its contents at once. That same bitter taste assaulted the inside of her mouth again, but just as quickly improved when it traveled down her throat. She set the cup back down with a sharp breath before she said, “May I ask you for a favour before I leave?”
Fluttershy nodded as she was taking a gulp of her own tea.
“Could you guide me through the Everfree Forest?”
Fluttershy’s eyes bulged for a brief moment before she sprayed her mouthful of tea all over the table. Some of it got in Mavis’ eye, forcing her to close it and try to rub it away with her hoof.
“You— what!?” Fluttershy hacked and spluttered. Her breathing was laboured, but after pounding her chest with a hoof it returned to normal. Tea dribbled down her face, staining her fur. “Oh, I’m sorry!” she said once she’d composed herself.
Mavis shot her an annoyed glare. “That was undignified.”
Fluttershy rushed over to the kitchen counter, grabbed a bunch of strange paper rags off of a rack sitting there, returned to the table and began wiping up the tea, all while giving Mavis a worried stare. “Why do you want to go into the Everfree?” she asked.
“I heard there’s a castle there and I’d love to see it,” Mavis said excitedly.
“Didn’t you come out of Canterlot Castle?”
“Yes, but I’d love to see more.”
“The Castle of the Two Sisters is about an hour long walk away from here,” Fluttershy said.
“I heard you can guide ponies safely past all the monsters that live there,” Mavis replied.
Fluttershy cast her gaze down, her face looking hesitant. “That’s true, I can do that. But you need to get back to Sweet Apple Acres right now.”
She’d forgotten that in her excitement, Mavis realized. Her lips curled downward but lifted again when an idea came to her. “Maybe you could take me just a little way in? Just enough that I can see the forest at least?”
Fluttershy wiped the last of the tea off the table and walked over to the cabinet underneath the sink. “Well, I suppose I can do that much at least.” She opened the cabinet and threw the rags in a tall basket set into the inside of the cabinet. “But only a little way in; I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to a friend of mine.”
Mavis beamed internally before she realized what Fluttershy had said. “We’re friends?” she asked.
“Of course,” Fluttershy said sweetly, returning to the table. “You’re strong and thoughtful and love helping others. That’s the kind of friend I love having.”
“I’m glad you think so,” Mavis said, humbled by her compliment. “I’m glad to call you a friend, too.”
The two sat and conversed for a few short minutes while Fluttershy finished off the rest of her tea. Afterward, she led Mavis outside and across the backyard, toward the Everfree Forest. Nervous excitement built within Mavis as they got closer and closer, as well as a deep, burning curiosity. Something about the forest was stirring a desire for knowledge she’d never felt before in her life.
“Why is it full of monsters?” she asked suddenly.
Fluttershy seemed surprised to hear the question. She cast her gaze up in thought for a moment. “No one really knows, not even me. Something about the ecosystem must be preferable for them, but I can’t say anything for certain beyond that.”
“Why is it so overgrown?”
“Because there’s no magic keeping things in order.”
“Are the monsters really as dangerous as Applejack said?”
Fluttershy gave Mavis a serious look, which seemed unusual for the pegasus. “The monsters of the Everfree are incredibly dangerous. If they find you alone, they’ll eat you without a second thought.”
That was still a strange concept for Mavis to wrap her mind around, being a source of fuel for a living creature. Diesel oil isn’t living, nor is coal for steam engines. What would it be like to get turned into a fuel source? She couldn’t dwell on it for too long, as the two of them stepped past the treeline into the Everfree Forest.
They walked a short way in, all the while Mavis took in the sights around them. The tree canopy overhead was so thick it almost completely blocked out the sky. Vines coiled around tree trunks and sharp, pointy plants clustered together in certain places. The air was stiffer here than it was outside the forest, much to her displeasure. She didn’t see any monsters anywhere, which made her wonder whether everyone was just lying or if the monsters were hiding out of sight. It wasn’t even slightly scary, either.
Fluttershy stopped in a small clearing surrounded by bushes. Mavis scanned the surroundings, looking for anything of interest, and her eyes quickly landed on a split between two bushes. A closer look revealed the start of a dirt path leading further into the trees. A mischievous smile split Mavis’ mouth.
“Here we are,” Fluttershy said, turning around to face Mavis.
Mavis met her gaze with a smile. “Thank you for showing me this, Fluttershy. It’s all so interesting.”
“I’m glad I could make you happy.” Fluttershy turned and began heading back the way they came.
Mavis committed the spot to memory before following after her. “Is that something friends do here?” she asked. “Making others happy?”
Fluttershy gave her a curious look. “Is that not something engines do?” she asked.
“Me and my friends, and all the other engines are happy just to be reliable and really useful to the railway and the Fat Controller,” Mavis explained. “Sometimes we’ll be happy to take trains meant for each other, but nothing else.”
“Oh my,” Fluttershy said, surprised. “Well, as long as you’re happy, then that’s all that matters.”
Now for her plan, Mavis thought. “I’d be happy to come here and help you more,” she said.
“Would Applejack let you?” Fluttershy asked.
Mavis truthfully didn’t know if Applejack would, but if she let Mavis help this once, she just might let her help more often. “I’ll ask her,” she promised.
“Well, if Applejack allows you to, I’d be more than happy to let you help whenever you come,” Fluttershy said with a sincere smile as they crossed the treeline back onto her property.
Mavis’ mind was mostly elsewhere, however, but she managed a smile in return.