//------------------------------//
// — Chapter Fourteen — 
// Story: Finding Friendship 
// by Kamen-Zero 
//------------------------------//


--- A Forgetful Warning ---


As the sun began to set over Equestria, Twilight found herself back at Ponyville's marketplace observing the apple stand from a respectable distance. She spent some time with Spike just talking about their respective days. Leaving out the parts involving Mr. Knox's little outburst, she was far more interested in hearing about his day. He didn't have much to say, but he had enough to spin quite a decent yarn. Enough so as to expend the remainder of his stamina just by talking. So after making them both a quick dinner, Twilight suggested that he go to bed early tonight to catch up on his sleep while she attended to other necessities.

The excuse she had fed him was that she was just going to get the grocery trip out of the way tonight so that her day off tomorrow could be spent relaxing. Spike had liked the idea, and Twilight had spent the past hour or so gathering said supplies just so she wouldn't be made a liar. All that was left was the apple booth and the earth pony who could shine some light on the situation. With a deep breath, Twilight advanced once it looked like the farmer didn't look to be busy.

Applejack, in an attempt to pass the time, had begun to polish and clean the apples on display in her little shop. She whistled a jaunty tune as she worked, enjoying the shine the fruits gave off in the fleeting rays of sunlight. Though when she saw that light being obscured by something she was quick to look up to the cloaked pony now standing before her.

"Oh, hello again," the farm pony greeted with a smile, "How can I help you? Could I interest you in some mouth-wateringly delicious, freshly picked apples?" She gestured to her stock in an overly dramatic fashion. Twilight mused the offer for a moment before agreeing to the salesmare's suggestion. If her prying were to cause trouble, she didn't want this visit to be entirely negative. Besides, she was out and about shopping regardless, and it never hurt to have a few apples lying around. The transaction was quick and efficient, and after it was all said and done, Twilight was given the opportunity to resume their earlier conversation.

"Is it later yet?"

"Ah... should have figured that's what this was about." The farm mare chortled a bit at the situation before taking on a more somber expression. She took a moment to think something over before she continued. "You're from outta town, right?" Twilight nodded. Applejack paused again, turning away for only a moment as she weighed her options. "Look... I didn't mean to scare you earlier if I did. Just... steer clear of that library's third floor, and you'll be fine."

That was when the earth pony decided to go back to her work. After giving that very vague warning, she just decided that was enough to let Twilight know about before leaving the topic alone. But after what had happened earlier in the day with Mr. Knox, and the brief flash of rage he had shown her, the alicorn knew that there was more to the story than that.

"Wait, that's it?" Twilight asked pressingly of the farmer, taking a step closer to the apple stand between them. "You're just going to tell me that, and not give me an explanation?"

"It's for the best that you don't know," Applejack spoke back sternly. "Trust me. I wish I didn't. Just don't go to the third floor, and you'll be fine." She turned away from the cloaked pony and began to pack away the unsold apples into large wooden boxes. Twilight nearly growled in responce.

"You said you'd tell me." She wasn't given an answer yet again, only furthering her frustration at the whole situation. Of course, thinking back to that promise, Twilight also recalled something quite interesting about how their previous conversation had ended. "Alright then... if you don't want to tell me, that's fine. I'll just ask Apple Bloom."

Applejack stopped what she was doing in an instant, a single apple dropping to the ground with a simple light thud. Twilight could almost hear the sounds of grinding stone as the farmer slowly turned her gaze back towards her. The look on her face would have been enough to strike a pony of weaker constitution dead on the spot. She only spoke two simple and short words. 

"Do. Not."

And with that, Twilight knew she had struck the right nerve. Applejack had ceased speaking of the subject just as her little sister had intruded upon the conversation. By that logic, the elder sister must not have wanted Apple Bloom to know about whatever this was all about. Was it wrong of Twilight to drag Applejack's family into this? Absolutely, and she knew that. But she also knew that there were far too many questions to ignore by this point. The mystery of the third floor, why Knox was so protective of it, 

"You said you'd tell me," Twilight reiterated, taking on a more relaxed facial tone. "That's all I want." 

The enraged earth pony sighed in defeat, her head and her ears drooping low as a clear signal of her surrender. She stood there for a moment, seemingly thinking things over before she finally looked back to Twilight, with almost the exact same expression she had donned earlier that day.

"I... I don't know what's up there," the farmer spoke shakily, taking a brief moment to make sure nobody was listening in on their conversation. She leaned over the countertop, gesturing with a hoof for Twilight to do the same, before continuing in a hushed tone. "But I know when somebody finds out... something bad happens to them... something that ain't normal..."

Twilight found herself squinting again. "What kind of something?"

Applejack shook. "It's... hard to explain."

"Try."

Applejack recoiled, a twinge of anger returning to her face as she did. "Okay, how 'bout you tell me why you care so much? I told ya what ya needed to stay safe. What else do you want?"

There wasn't an answer. At least, not at first. Twilight found herself thinking on her own actions thus far with a cold and calculated disposition. Why was she pushing so hard into this topic? An answer wasn't that hard to find, as she soon found her mind flashing back to the previous night's dream. The book that she had seen in that nocturnal vision was the exact same book that she had presented with just earlier today. It was too strange and too specific to just be a mere coincidence, there was some reason that it had happened. And Twilight had become dedicated to finding that reason without realizing until now. 

She kept thinking, also taking the time to observe the earth pony standing within the small apple stand. The mare in question was heavily conflicted right now, a part of her looked like she wanted to tell Twilight everything, while another seemed to want to run and hide at the mere mention of it. The slight twitch at the bottom of one eye, the way the mare subtly shivered and shook, she was frightened. Whatever it was that she was hiding, it didn't look like something that should be taken lightly. The grim expression reminded her all too much of Spike's reaction to his first-ever draconic encounter. With that in mind, Twilight involuntarily reacted the only way she could in such a situation. 

"Does it scare you?"

The farm pony took a double-take at the question. "I beg your pardon?"

"What happens in the library. Does it scare you?" Twilight did her best to take on a more empathetic expression of her own. 

"... A bit."

"Do you want me to help?"

There was a sense of legitimate surprise that came over Applejack with Twilight's question, and it could be plainly seen on her face.

"Alright... I'll squeal... but I gotta finish closing up shop first. Do you mind?"

Agreeing to the reasonable request, Twilight stood off to the side and waited for her to conclude her business. It looked like she had been getting ready to close for the day anyway, given how Applejack soon resumed her duty of packing up the unsold apples into crates. But as the alicorn stepped to the side, she found herself bumping into what she could only call a wall of red muscle. 

The red stallion was absolutely massive, towering above even Applejack's already above-average height. Closer to a goliath then an earth pony, he hadn't even noticed the comparatively smaller pony bumping into him. His emerald eyes just stared forward into the deepest recesses of oblivion. Twilight honestly wasn't sure if this were a living breathing creature or a statue that had been placed here while she wasn't looking.

"Oh... sorry, I didn't see you there..." Somehow, Twilight added silently. The behemoth of an equine said nothing, unphased by the rude introduction.

"Big Mac, quit messing around and help me out," Applejack called out nonchalantly, "I got stuff to do in a bit."

"Okay." He spoke only once, before moving to assist the other earth pony in shutting down the stall for the day. He moved with almost complete silence and grace, like a gentle spring breeze. Only forceful enough to just make itself known, and nothing else. And before long, he was hauling away a cart with the unsold apples in tow, vanishing into the town as if he had never even been there at all.

But that was something Twilight could worry about later. For now, she had questions in regards to her employer to ask. Though even though Applejack had sent the larger pony on his way with the goods, she was yet still denied her explanation. At least for the time being, as the earth pony began leading the disguised alicorn through town. When asked why they couldn't just talk then and there, Applejack gave an unsettling answer.

"It'll be easier to show you..."

So the alicorn marched forward, a few meager paces behind the earth pony who had some of the answers she sought. Eagerly awaiting whatever explanation there was to be had in regards to the sarosian. And the utter anxiety of whatever it was she had to say had the hairs on the back of Twilight's neck stood up on end in anticipation. She could feel herself shaking in suspense, shuttering even.

"Hey, uhh, Twilight?" Applejack asked out of the blue, suddenly behind the walking alicorn. "Where are you going?"

She was so suspenseful, in fact, that she found herself almost walking right past Applejack. They had reached their destination within just a few short minutes without her even noticing. Looking at the building that the farmer had stopped in front of gave Twilight yet another surprise in today's long line of surprises. The Carousel Boutique stood before them, exactly as Twilight had remembered it when she had been brought here by Pinkie Pie. 

So Rarity knows something too, the alicorn realized as she entered the building alongside her earth pony escort. The place was seemingly abandoned, but that didn't stop Applejack from waling right up the stairs. Was she expected? Or maybe she didn't care? Either way, Twilight wasn't about to let this go. No, she'd come too far now, her curiosity had bested her. She didn't care if she was getting her hopes up for nothing, at this point she didn't think she'd be able to even sleep without having at least some of her questions answered.

The two walked up to the only door that Twilight had been through in this place, and Applejack was quick to pound a few quick knocks on the wooden barricade. Someone began moving hurridly on the other side as they muttered something illegible. In no time at all, the door was swung open with immense speed and force, a bindingly thick cloud of steam erupting into the comparatively cool air. The two visitors were momentarily blinded by the misty mass, but the cloud dissipated quickly in the open air.

Now standing within the doorway was Rarity, wearing an almost impossibly fuzzy bright pink bathrobe and equally fluffy slippers. The normally curly locks of royal violet were constrained by a pale towel in an almost beehive-like fashion. However, she was unable to see who it was who had interrupted her, as the mare's eyes were obscured by large cucumber slices. She moved her head about as if she were trying to find her guests, with no success as to be expected.  

"Hello? Who is it? I'm a bit busy at the moment, could it—?"

"Rarity, it's me," Applejack bluntly interrupted, "And take those stupid veggies off your eyes. You look like a ding dang fool." Seemingly in responce to this, one of the thin slices of cucumber unceremoniously slid off of her face and granting Rarity the gift of sight. She aimed her one unamused eye at the earth pony and spoke in a dully disapproving tone. 

"How dare you?" The sapphire orb took notice of someone else in her presence and it darted over in Twilight's dirrection. Irritation transformed to embarrassment immediately. "Oh... hello, Twilight... what brings you here?"

"We need to talk." Applejack answered in place of the disguised alicorn with an utterly blank tone and expression. 

"Oh... I see..."  The second cucumber joined its twin on the floor as Rarity took on a curious look. The unicorn looked to be just as confused about this as Twilight currently was, something that put the cloaked pony on edge. The white unicorn stepped past the two other ponies, flicking her horn lightly and opening another door. "Come, make yourselves comfortable. I will go and make some tea."

"I want cider," Applejack piped up.

"You get tea," Rarity sternly reinforced. "I know how you get."


--- — ---


In the time since being invited back into Rarity's home, Twilight had learned that there was more to this upstairs portion of the store than just a workroom and a bedroom. It went without saying since the unicorn lived here, but the entire upper floor of the facility functioned as a house. Applejack and Twilight were currently waiting in the dining room. Nothing overly extravagant, it was a bit plain in all honesty. It was akin to the stereotypical dining room one would see in a play, scarily to a tee.

"Alright, what is it that you're trying to show me?" Twilight eventually broke the silence, looking to the earth pony with great impatience. "What does Rarity have to do with any of this?"

Applejack just sat there, her discomfort as plain as the hat atop her head. "It's... not something that's easy to talk about."

"If you want my help, you'll try."

Applejack didn't say anything at first. There was just this unnerved stare into the opposite wall as she gathered her words and her thoughts. Within time, she looked back to Twilight and attempted to answer the question. "Okay... I think Onwud... did something."

"Okay. Picture this," Applejack held her forehooves out as if she were holding something between them, "You're talking to a pony. One of your pals... Pinkie, for example, and the library comes up for one reason or another. Ya both keep talking, and then your bud just gets really, really upset about something. For no reason." The earth mare paused to make sure Twilight was keeping up with her, only continuing after getting Twilight's nod of approval. "And then... they just stop."

Twilight sat there with a skeptical look, one eyebrow raised higher than its twin. "And how is that an issue?"

"I mean they stop," the orange mare emphasized in a panicked tone, "They stop talking, stop moving, stop everything. Then they mutter some nonsense and go on like it didn't even happen... it ain't normal..."

Twilight was left with just that in regards to a verbal explanation. Any further attempt to get information from the farmer was denied, she was intent on actually showing Twilight what she meant. She even went as far as to tell the cloaked pony that she had asked for this.

It wasn't long, however, before the unicorn in question did return. About fifteen minutes or so, which Applejack used to the fullest to calm herself back down. Rarity returned with the promised tea in tow, as well as a vastly different appearance from before. Her self-care garb had been discarded, her mane and tail done in the style Twilight were familiar with, and just a touch of makeup had been applied to her face. Clearly, she had spent most of that time making herself presentable for her two guests.

"That really necessary?" Applejack asked, very clearly annoyed by this obvious fact.

"Well, I had to do something while waiting for the water to boil." Rarity lightly scoffed, pouring tea for each of her guests before herself. "Besides, it's me, Applejack. What else would you expect?"

"Point taken."

"Speaking of the point, can we get to it?" Twilight muttered impatiently while tapping a hoof against the table.

"Right, right," Rarity retorted before taking a sip of her drink. "My apologies... we can proceed. What did you two wish to discuss?"

Applejack cleared her throat, gathering the attention of the two other ponies sitting to either side of her. "Rarity, if ya could be so kind, what do you know about Ol' Man Onwud?"

"... The librarian?" The unicorn tilted her head slightly, looking back and forth between Applejack and Twilight with blatant uncertainty showing on her face. "I know about as much as anyone else would. Why do you ask?"

"Humor us."

There was a lull in the discussion as the white unicorn began to think, a hoof being placed to her chin as she compiled her information. In the meanwhile, Twilight was left to wonder what the purpose of all of this was. The farmer seemed to know what she was doing, yet Rarity seemed none the wiser as to what was going on at all. 

"Well... I know he's been working at Golden Oak's for a number of years now. Since I was a filly, at the very least," Rarity began slowly enough, still picking her own mind for whatever information she could. "I've actually done some work for him in the past. He had me refit an old suit for him once. Something about needing it for a conference or something like that. But, pardon my manners, I don't see how any of that is relevant to either of you."

"What else do you know about him?" Applejack leaned into the question ever so slightly, her eyes narrowing in a mixture of anticipation and anxiety. From Twilight's perspective, it looked like the farmer was trying to get Rarity to both ask and answer the same question.

Rarity paused for a moment to drink of her own tea. "Hmm... I honestly don't know what else I could have to offer you. He's not exactly a social butterfly. He tends to keep to himself, more often than not. Very absorbed in his work. But I still fail to see why you're asking me of all ponies these questions." Mild but growing frustration made itself known in Rarity's tone, a sentiment Twilight was sharing in right now. "I know it's hilarious coming from me Applejack, but gossip is unbecoming of you. You're better than that, and we both know it."

Applejack sighed with a defeated and mournful sound. She gave Twilight a brief glance before looking back to Rarity, an obvious surge of regret coursing through her. "Rarity. Remember that time you tried to go up to the library's third floor?"

Twilight furthered her focus on the ivory-colored unicorn, hoping that her intensive staring wouldn't be noticed. Thankfully, the other magical pony seemed non-the-wiser as to what was going on, far to distracted by whatever was going through her head. At first, Rarity gave a confused glance no different than the one she had been wearing thus far, but that quickly gave way to one of sudden realization. Shocked—almost appalled—by the remembered information, Rarity's eyes went wide. 

"Of course... how could I have forgotten?" She asked of herself, narrowing her eyes into an inquisitive squint. "It happened... when I was a filly. About Sweetie Belle's age... No, a few years younger," she spoke slowly with some reservation. As if she were still trying to remember exactly what had happened. "I was... looking for a book. Obviously, why else would I be there?... Something about gemstones, if I remember correctly. I couldn't find it on the first two floors, so naturally, I thought I'd try my luck with the third."

Twilight was left on the edge of her seat as the story was abrupt stopped. For dramatic effect, maybe? She couldn't say for sure, Rarity seemed like the kind of pony to do that sort of thing. But no matter how long Twilight and Applejack seemed to wait, the ivory-colored unicorn seemed to refuse to continue. Her inquisitive look of remembrance slowly faded back into a more neutral, almost blank expression as she seemed to mindlessly stare off into space. The alicorn almost groaned in frustration as Rarity took another sip of tea.

"... And then?" Twilight asked impatiently, drawing a small circle in the air with a hoof in an attempt to get the story back on track.

"Salutați corul," Rarity whispered—nearly silent—under her breath. Then, as if seemingly being knocked out of a trance, Rarity's attention swiftly shifted to Twilight. "Forgive me, but what were we talking about again?"

Absolute silence followed. The flag that had been raised at this sudden shift in behavior could not have been redder. That reaction was far from normal, just as Applejack had alluded to moments prior. There was a brief moment where Twilight was absolutely stumped, unsure of what to even make of the display she had just borne witness too. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Applejack shutter, it was clear that the farmer had such events transpire before. She couldn't blame her, it was unsettling in its own right. But nothing was inexplicable, and Twilight had a strong hunch as to what Rarity had been afflicted with. But she needed to be absolutely sure, and thus kept what remained of the conversation going.

"You were... telling a story," the alicorn answered Rarity's question uncertainly, the unicorn seeing to be none the wiser to that fact. "About the time you went up to Golen Oak's third floor...?"

"Oh, Golden Oak's has a third floor now?" Rarity asked the question with absolute sincerity, almost happily so. "Well, that's fantastic! The young ones could really benefit from some extra reading material."

"This is what I was talking 'bout," Applejack spoke to Twilight in a hushed tone, "Happens just about every time Onwud comes up. And not just to her."

"So how have the two of you been?" Seemingly oblivious, Rarity went on with the small talk. As if nothing had happened, just as the farmer had eluded to. "I'm sure we don't just want to talk about our work, after all." Both of her guests remained silent for a moment before Applejack took the invitation to speak. It looked like she needed something to calm her nerves, and the casual conversation must have been a good option. Great for Twilight, seeing as how she needed time to think.

No doubt about it... she's been given a memory charm. Twilight gazed upon Rarity with cold clinical eyes, thanking her lucky stars that the unicorn was enraptured by the conversation with her friend. She also thanked those same stars for her education, and the classes she had taken on spells such as these. But they're supposed to dull memories, not block them out entirely...   

Despite what one may think at first, memory charms were a fairly common practice in the medical and psychological fields. Typically for treating PTSD, where powerful embedded memories affected one's day to day life. That said, the variant Rarity was seemingly afflicted with wasn't of very high quality. It was sloppy, to put it simply enough. There was a lapse in the block when Applejack poked at the right subjects, but then the magic quickly plugged the leak back up.

Then there was the subject of that tiny bit of mumbling that Rarity spat out before being redirected to a different topic. The short phrase was undoubtedly Searăn, which served as loose but still valid proof of Knox's involvement. Especially considering that it was the mention of him and the library that triggered the reaction in the first place. Of course, that didn't explain how he got his hooves on such magic. While it wasn't impossible for non-unicorns to use magic, such methods were neither easily accessible or convenient for anyone involved.

"Well, it's been fun," Applejack suddenly began, in a tone far more casual than she had shown thus far, "But I think we've all had pretty long days. And we all gotta get up in the morning, so I say we call it quits." She looked to Twilight and gave a quick jut of her head towards the door. The quick gesture served as enough indication to Twilight that they had seen what they had come here to see.

"Mmm, unfortunately, yes," Rarity added, "I have quite the busy workday tomorrow, as I'm sure both of you have as well. It's a shame we must cut this so short, but we simply must do this again sometime."

"Yeah... I'll definitely stay in touch," Twilight added with a nod. And as she made her way out of the premises alongside Applejack, her mind was still wracked with possible explanations to the sudden change in Rarity's demeanor and apparent memory. The two stepped out of the boutique and into the cold night air. The sun had already set by now, and the moon had only just begun its nightly crawl across the sky. The street just outside of Rarity's boutique was practically devoid of life, save for Twilight and Applejack. 

"See what I mean?" Applejack asked quietly, not wanting to draw any unneeded attention despite the lack of bystanders. 

"I think I do," Twilight muttered back with a nod, "And I can see why you didn't want to talk about it."

"There, I gave you what you wanted," the earth pony huffed with anger before calming herself down. "... You can stop whatever he's doing, right?"

With all that had happened, Twilight had honestly forgotten that she had even extended the offer to help in the first place. Of course, she wasn't going to redact that statement now, not after seeing and hearing that. "I'll... see what I can do," she finally answered with her best attempt at a comforting smile. "I can't make any promises, but I'll do what I can."

And with that, the two mares went on their separate ways. Applejack took the time to thank Twilight for what she was doing, a visible weight easing off of her shoulders as she did. And in all honesty? Seeing that did something for Twilight. It felt good helping to ease some of this burden off of the earth pony, even if she wasn't sure if she could fix the problem at hoof. She couldn't quite describe what this feeling was, it just felt right. 

Of course, that feeling of satisfaction was soon overcome by some of the orange mare's previous dread, Twilight beginning to think more and more on what Rarity murmured within that discussion. Salutați corul. Those were the two Searăn words that the unicorn had hastily mumbled before her trance-like state was ended. Another connection to Knox's previous book, one that caused the alicorn to shutter at the possible implications.

For when translated, that phrase meant "hail the choir."