//------------------------------// // 03 - The Impish Witch, Wisteria // Story: Product of Friendship // by AzuraKeres //------------------------------// Twilight sparked her existence upon an uncomfortably quiet village as she made a swift descent upon the streets. Her eyes were fierce as she tried to take note of her surroundings. It brought her distraught to see her ponies so fatigued upon their porches and streets as some slept and groaned in exhaustion. Twilight grew anxious when she saw a trail of changeling guards immobilized along with her ponies as they appeared to have fallen asleep. She needed to find Thorax fast before he suffered the same fate. Twilight had just recently finished her meeting with the council of friendship when she received a sudden scroll from Thorax. She struck again and Thorax was about to make contact with her. Twilight did not anticipate that she would make it this far into Equestria. Only days ago did Thorax inform Twilight about her passing across the Changeling Kingdom. Twilight had collaborated with Thorax to set their guards across the borders of Equestria and nearby towns to confront her, but somehow she managed to slip through the cracks. This normal village of ponies held no chance to resist the creature that came before them. She had failed to protect them, but that is not to say that she can still not save them. Crossing another street full of fatigued ponies and changelings, Twilight perked her ears upon a familiar voice. “You can’t continue to do this. Sapping the love of other creatures is no longer the way of the changelings.” “Why are you lumping me with your whole group of followers?” That voice, it must be her. “I am me, no creature else.” Before Twilight stood Thorax, absent of fatigue or bruises, gazing upon the roof of a house. Atop that roof was her. The creature that has caused recent chaos in Twilight’s kingdom. The sight of this being gave her an uncomfortable nostalgia, but she was determined to not let the same disaster repeat itself. Twilight flew to Thorax’s side as she called to him, “Thorax, are you okay?” “Princess Twilight,” Thorax said. “So glad you’re here. Maybe you can help me reason with her.” “Princess Twilight?” the creature atop the roof spoke. “So you’re the ruler of Equestria?” “I am many of its protectors,” Twilight spoke. “Might I ask who you are? It’s not often one comes across a changeling queen.” “Huh?” the creature appeared befuddled. “Why do creatures keep calling me that? I’m not some prissy queen, okay? I am a witch.” “A witch?” Twilight raised a brow and then turned to Thorax. “You didn’t mention that in the scroll.” “She’s just misguided,” Thorax said. “She is a queen, but she is also very young. Her ways are just influenced by the hive she resides from. We just need to give her a helping hoof in the right direction.” “Oh my goodness,” the witch rolled her eyes. “Please tell me this is not another of your preach about friendship. I already told you that I don’t care about that.” “Then what is that you care for?” Twilight asked. “Why have you come to Equestria?” “To find home of course,” the witch said. “It’s got to be somewhere here in these lands.” “Then this is not the way. Harassing my citizens will only make them fearful of you. You have to be willing to open yourself to friendship if you truly wish to belong here.” “I’m not trying to belong here you dunce,” the witch retorted. “I said I’m trying to find home. I could care less about how any creature feels about me.” “Find home?” Twilight paused on the witch’s words. Thorax on the other hoof stepped forward and voiced, “Please, you have to stop what you’re doing. We can help you find this home you speak of if you promise to stop this raid on the homes of creatures. This will only complicate things if you continue this behavior.” “Golly,” the witch grinned. “You must think I’m so hopeless on my own. But you should know that one’s appearance can be deceiving. I don’t need your help to find it because I already know where it is.” “Then why are you sapping the love of these ponies?” Thorax retorted. “Why not?” The witch shrugged. “Feels natural to me, so why stop it?” “Don’t you see that you’re going to make an enemy out of every creature because of this?” “Why in Abyssinia should I care about that? I was hungry, so I got something to eat. Sure I could go for regular food, but they don’t fill me faster compared to this. Besides, It’s not like I’ve killed any creature.” Thorax gritted his teeth. “They’re just no reasoning with her.” “We skipped over this,” Twilight asked. “But can I ask for your name, please?” “You’re really polite for a ruler,” the witch raised her brow. “It’s honestly kind of weird. But, since you asked so nicely again, I will tell you. My name is Wisteria, the wicked witch of the East.” “Of the east? Is that where you hive came from?” Wisteria sighed. “This conversation is really getting boring. I only chose to entertain it because I’ve never seen anything like the two of you. Welp,” Wisteria clapped her hooves. “I gotta be going.” “Wait,” Twilight unfurled her wings. “I believe it's for the best that we have this conversation through to its conclusion.” “Well, this is it then.” Wisteria unfurled her wings and attempted to make her ascent, but then a violet bubble suddenly enshrouded her and left her trapped. “Hm?” Wisteria tapped on the bubble. “What kind of magic is this?” Twilight flew before Wisteria. “I would advise not to resist. I need you to understand that I can’t have you run free when you are so lenient to harm my citizens.” “Your horn is lit,” Wisteria pointed at Twilight’s horn. “The spell is coming from you, isn’t it?” “You don’t know about the shield spell?” Twilight was a bit surprised to hear this assessment from a changeling queen, regardless of how young she was. “Foals and nymphs are usually trained to use the basics of spells.” “Is that so? I guess I missed those lessons.” “...Have you been on your own?” “Twilight,” Thorax voiced as he ascended to approach them. “Maybe we should cuff her horn so she won’t try any funny business.” “I’m afraid it’s too late for that,” Wisteria grinned as her horn lit a dark ominous aura. “Ow,” Thorax flinched at sudden pain that pricked upon his hind as he took notice of a dark circle that engraved upon it. Black flames immediately billowed out from the circle that quickly turned to dust that dissipated just as fast. “Thorax!” Twilight shouted as the leader of the changelings fell to the ground. Twilight turned to Wisteria with an intense look. “What did you do to him?” “Don’t you worry Princess,” Wisteria smiled. “He’s gonna feel really good in a few seconds.” “What do you mean?” Twilight’s question was immediately answered when she noticed Thorax starting to giggle as he lugged himself back to his feet. His voice bellowed into laughter and the tears exuded from his eyes became endless. “Thorax,” Twilight called to him, befuddled by Thorax's sudden behavior. But, it also appeared similar to symptoms of a… “No…” Green flames shrouded the changeling leader as a large green dragon emerged, looking down upon Wisteria and Twilight with a disturbing grin. Its eyes gleamed a powerful green light that disturbed the Princess of Friendship. “You drugged him,” Twilight said. “But how—when?” “Well,” Wisteria tapped her chin with a glee. “I may not know the basics, but I can assure you that I am well versed in other magics. Ones typical of a witch, you can say.” “You have to undo this,” Twilight urged. “Don’t realize the danger you’ve created by doing this?” “I’d worry less about me and what that big fella is about to do. You are one of many protectors of Equestria, aren’t you?” Twilight gritted her teeth at this witch’s antic. However, she lacked time to scold the young one after Thorax blew a large gust of wind as he ascended to the sky. “Thorax, wait!” Twilight called to him, but he did not respond as he then alerted Twilight when he took a deep breath. Twilight briefly looked back to Wisteria, “This won’t go unpunished, I hope you know that.” “He’s seconds away from burning the village, Princess,” Wisteria informed Twilight with a witty grin. Inevitably, Twilight had no choice but to release Wisteria and fly underneath Thorax to cast a large shield around herself. Thorax exhaled and released a massive flame upon the Princess, but Twilight stood firm as best as she could to deflect the flames from the village below. And while Twilight struggled to fight off Thorax’s flames, Wisteria made her undisturbed mistake, passing by the unconscious changeling guards that Thorax had previously sent upon her. “Have fun, Princess!” “I hope you enjoyed your tour around the school,” Starlight said to the pink mare as they walked through a long hallway. “I know my school has some radical differences from Canterlot, but I believe you will come to love them.” “Don’t worry, Headmare Starlight,” the pink mare assured. “I realize that the School of Friendship possesses a far different curriculum from Twilight’s School for Gifted Unicorns. It’s only natural since magic spells are a core part of its subjects. It would be strange not to think that there would be many key differences to accommodate friendship.” “You’re very understanding,” Starlight smiled. “So then, I can assume you find these differences satisfactory, yes?” “Of course, I can’t wait to experience everything this school has to offer.” “I like that energy of yours,” Starlight said. “Reminds me much of myself when I was younger.” “You were eager to learn about friendship at a young age?” “Well, not that far back, but—Hey, would you like at that, we made it to your dorm room.” Starlight levitated a key into a doorknob and opened the door into an empty with two beds on opposite ends. “Wow, it’s kind of small,” the pink mare commented. “Yes, well, I’ve tried to build funds to expand the rooms here, but so far I’ve only managed to do so for ooms shared by four. This will suffice though, right?” “That’s fine with me,” the pink mare entered the room. “Maybe a small room can provide more opportunities for me to bond with my roommate...Where is my roommate by the way?” “This is one of the vacant rooms,” Starlight said. “So I’m afraid you’re the only one that will be living here at the moment.” “Oh...Well, that’s all subject to change, right?” “If you like, you can ask for a classmate to move in with you? I’m more than willing to accommodate the change.” “I think I can manage that. Asking a friend to move in, that doesn’t sound too hard...That isn’t hard right? There’s not a lesson I have to go over first to do this effectively, right? Wait, maybe I can refer to a textbook. Maybe I should go to the library for momen—” “Luster Dawn,” Starlight voiced as she laid a hoof upon the pink mare’s shoulder. “Everything will be fine. We’ll make it happen one hoof at a time, okay?” “...Okay,” Luster sighed. “Sorry about that. I tend to overthink things a lot.” “I can understand, I had those moments as well. Well then, your things will be arriving in the morning, but I will provide sheets and pillows for the night. Think you can manage?” “I wouldn’t mind sleeping in the library, but I did overhear the area to have a closing time.” “We have our reasons. But I promise things will be exciting for you in the coming weeks. We have an event to be hosted by Fluttershy where she will have students help around at the animal sanctuary.” “Oh, I’ve heard of that place. It said to have a collection of creatures from all across Equestria, doesn’t it? I even hear there’s an Ursa that lives there.” “That is true, but it will inevitably have to be released when it comes to age. But besides that, you will be given the opportunity to adopt an animal from the sanctuary to raise in your dorms. It's a fun project that Fluttershy had thought of for the school that will help students learn responsibilities in caring for others.” “I can have a pet?” Luster said. “Does that mean I can get a cute little piglet?” “Hmm, don’t they tend to chew on everything? It would drive me nuts if they touched my books.” “I’m sure I can chew-proof my things before that day arrives.” “Well then, I guess I will leave you to get used to your new room. I’ll be back with the sheets and pillows.” “Thank you Headmare Starlight.” Starlight nodded and left the dorm room. Luster glanced at the door the headmare left for a few moments and then gazed through the window to see the massive town that was Ponyville. This was the place where the magic of friendship came from, where Princess Twilight began her rise to greatness. If Luster hopes to be anything like her teacher, she will need to learn all she can about friendship... She’s already made some friends. They are a fun bunch to be around, but with so little experience and knowledge, could she maintain those bonds long enough to know its magic? Luster would have felt more assured if she gained encouragement from a roommate. But who should she ask to be her roommate? Will her other friends be okay with her taking a roommate from them? Would they even accept her request? No, stop, you’re overthinking things again. Remember what Headmare Starlight said, take things one hoof at a time. Luster hopped atop a bed and gazed upon the empty room. This place will hold a lot of memories for her in the future, for this will be her beginning just as it was for Princess Twilight. Luster took a deep breath and then exhaled. “Okay, I’m ready for this.” “Princess Twilight,” a royal guard saluted to the Princess of Friendship. “Um, are you okay?” Twilight garnered a ruffled coat from her bout with Thorax, but thankfully, she was able to restrain the changeling leader and hold him down long enough for her guards to fetch the depressant to cure him. “I’m fine,” Twilight assured the guard. “But more importantly, how is she?” “There hasn’t been much change to her condition. She still occasionally laughs and has that creepy smile, but at least her mind is still stable.” “At least there’s no relapse,” Twilight sighed. “I need to speak with her, alone.” “As you wish princess.” The guard stepped aside from the Princess’s path as she walked the long narrow path up to a platform elevated by the tall rocks of Tartarus. Upon the platform, Twilight heard the snicker of a purple mare that was trapped within transparent walls. The mare leaned upon one of these walls as she grinned at the presence of the princess. “Hello Poison Peck,” Twilight stood before the wall. “How are you feeling?” “Annoyed,” Poison Peck smiled. “But I’m sure my face says otherwise. Give a minute, won’t you?” “That’s quite disheartening. Even after how hard we’ve tried to cure you of your condition.” “Don’t act like you’re doing it simply because you care about me,” Poison leered at the Princess. “We both know you just want information out of me.” “And I won’t deny that is another reason why I’m doing this.” “Hmph, you’re so honest and upfront, it’s strange how no creature hasn’t put a knife in your back yet.” “Because I like to see the good in creatures; however, I know it can be impossible for some. But, I like to think there is still hope for you.” “Please don’t tell you’re gonna go about that friendship spiel again?” Poison rolled her eyes. “You’re the second creature to say that today.” “Oh really, well it’s nice to know that not every creature is a part of your cult.” “It’s not a cult, Poison. Creatures always have the choice as to whether they desire friendship or not. I advised against the latter, but that’s not my call in the end.” “I bet if I became a zealot of your ideals, you’d let me free.” “I would be very skeptical of the sudden change. But even so, I still couldn’t let you free after the deeds you committed. You harmed a lot of creatures selling those drugs, you know?” “It’s their own fault. It’s not like ever deceived them of what the dust did. They bought it, knowing full well what they were getting themselves into.” “What you sold spread chaos across my country with creatures getting overdosed and harming the public. We’ve finally managed to create a counter drug against it, but those drugs are still getting trafficked. Not just in Equestria, but even across our borders. The matter is getting out of hoof.” “—” “I want to stop the production of the devil’s dust. I still don’t understand why you won’t give me any information. You have no means of profit out of it anymore. Are you perhaps trying to defend your collaborators?” “I don’t have friends, Princess.” “Then who is Wisteria?” “Wha...I don’t know who you are talking about.” “Well, I think you do. I remembered that name being mentioned in the report, though it was written about a foal being named Wist. We never managed to find this foal, so we kept a missing post out across towns. Though, it proved pretty useless without a face.” A chuckle escaped Poison. “Is there a point to this conversation, Princess?” “Poison, how do you suppose I know the whole name?” “I don’t know, maybe you heard rumors. I’m not interested in guessing games.” “I met her.” “...And how was this Wisteria?” “Fairly young, brash, and very stubborn like some other pony I know. But most importantly, she appears fine.” “...” A smile appeared on Poison’s face. Twilight would expect Poison to think the Princess would chalk it down as a side-effect from her unique overdose, but Twilight held another view. “I want to help her Poison. Right now, she’s causing problems for creatures by raiding their homes. And there’s also the issue of her possessing devil’s dust. I can’t ignore her.” “...Is she a witch?” “She likes to refer to herself as the wicked witch of the east.” “That’s so cheesy,” Poison chuckled. “I want to make peace with her. But I’m afraid I know too little to get through to her. Won’t you tell me about her? About her origins? Her goals?” “I’m afraid I know just as little as you.” Poison grinned. “Seems I’m just useless to you, aren’t I? At this point, you might throw me to those three-headed pups down below. Those wretched litters always make a racket in these caverns, I’m sure I could make the perfect chew toy to shut them up.” “Will you stop with the suicidal thoughts!? This is already punishment enough for what you’ve done. I refuse to do anything beyond this. Wouldn’t it hurt Wisteria if you spoke that way?” “Hah,” Poison guffawed. “You speak as if I have some sort of relationship with this witch. I’ll have you know that we witches prefer to work alone. Partnership is not something we like to practice. We only accept the servitude of others.” “Things would be so much simpler if you just let down your walls.” “Well, these you have around me would be a start, don’t you think?” “And give you the chance to jump off this platform again? You may have those thoughts, but I do know you want it done quickly. Which is why you won’t do it right now.” “You know me so well.” Poison was unamused. “If you’re not going to tell me, then I’m just going to have to stop Wisteria the hard way.” “And how is that?” “I’m going to catch her...though that’s going to prove a lot difficult given what she has in her arsenal. I’ll have to think of a way around it, so I’ll be off if you’re not interested in telling me anything.” Twilight began to walk away from the cage, but before she could descend the narrow path, Poison voiced, “Wait.” Twilight stopped and looked back at the mare. “Did she ever mention what her purpose could be?” “She said that she’s looking for home.” “—” “I truly hope she finds it.” Twilight then descended the narrow path out of Tartarus, leaving the witch pony in her lonesome. The mare contemplated in her mind for a long moment. A mixture of happiness and despair passed upon her face. She raised a hoof close to her face. She brushed upon it with another hoof to reveal a scar on her skin. A wound that pretentious brat gave her during her larvae stage. Poison brushed the scar upon the snout, hoping to get at least a whiff of her scent. “You idiot.” A tear inevitably fell upon the mare’s eyes as she began to flood more and more in her lonesome. Wisteria descended upon a branch as she gazed in awe of the massive town that laid before her. “This place is huge.” Her snout widened as she smelled the air around her. “But this has to be it. What else could this scent be? It has to be home.” Her eyes dawned upon a large sign next to the dirt path leading to the town. “So it’s called Ponyville,” Wisteria deduced from the writing. “So this is where home is.”