//------------------------------//
// Season 1, Episode 1, part 2, The orb... 
// Story: Popcorn and Zoey. 
// by Popcorn Pony 
//------------------------------//

The sun descended the horizon, the moon gradually taking the sun's place. Nightfall quickly dulled what remained of Pocornia's senses, she had spent the whole day in her home's front yard with the orb. Needless to say, she was exhausted and frustrated with the fruitless outcome of her training. Despite her efforts, she could not get the orb to do anything nor could she establish communication with the being that aimlessly drifted within the orb's watery interior. She picked the orb up off the ground then carried it inside. "Sapphire, is dinner ready?" Pocornia asked.

Sapphire peeked around the kitchen doorway's corner. "Yeah, its almost done. Go ahead and take a seat on the couch and i'll bring it out." 

Pocornia wasted no time throwing herself on the couch, letting the orb roll away as she did. "Stupid piece of...whatever that thing is..."

Pocornia lifted her head, catching a pleasant whiff of a cheesy aroma. She watched Sapphire lay out a bowl of mac and cheese for her atop a fold out table. "Does it have salt and pepper?" Pocornia asked, her dry mouth starting to water.

Sapphire nodded. She watched Pocornia swoop the bowl up then plunge face first into the bowl, watching her devour every piece of macaroni. Although most ponies would be shocked, she had accepted some of Pocornia's less admirable tendencies. "Om nom, nom, nom, nah, belch nom om..."

Sapphire quickly returned to the kitchen. After Pocornia had cleaned herself of all the chess, she entered the kitchen. "I know what the problem is, but that problem isn't the real problem because I already know I don't have the marks anymore. The problem is I need to find some other way to tell it what to do!" 

Sapphire turned to Pocornia. "Your a smart mare, I know you can figure it out." Sapphire endearingly encouraged. 

"Hah hah, I just build houses and run a small Popcorn business on the side." Pocornia deflected.

Sapphire eyed Pocornia intensely. 

Pocornia raised a hoof to the back of her head. "Okay...I did save all of Equestria that one time."

"And that is exactly what I was going to tell you. You'll figure it out..." Sapphire wooed.

"Alright, alright, alright." Pocornia muttered, fetching the orb and going back outside.

Pocornia made her way to a small hill not too far away from her home. She planted the orb on the ground then sat down with it. "Alright, I know your still in there. I know you can hear me and I know you need something to do besides float around in your crystal shell. Your bored, you have to be, how could you not be?" Pocornia argued. "Do somethin!" 

Pocornia stared the orb down, giving it a dagger eyed look. "I am not a patient mare, in fact, I am very impatient!" 

The orb remained still and silent.

Pocornia swooped the orb up in her hoofs and started shaking it vigorously. "Do somethin!" 

The orb did nothing.

Pocornia continued to shake the orb, shaking it as hard as she could. "Huh, you like that? Bet your getting real dizzy in there, I can do this all night!" 

The orb pulsed, momentarily emitting a green light. "Do somethin, do somethin, do somethin!" Pocornia taunted, shaking the orb up and down then left to right. "Do somethin you stupid piece of pawn shop jewelry!" 

Pocornia was blinded by a violent flash of green light, she reacted by dropping the orb and rubbing her eyes. The orb floated up off the ground, forcing a violent gust of wind to encircle it and Pocornia. Pedals of grass, sticks and rocks got caught in the powerful vortex. Pocornia opened her eyes, apprehensively looking at the orb as it raged at her attempts to provoke a reaction from it. It emitted another green light tho one less blinding, green tendrils sprawling out from its body. The tendrils ripped a magical tear open, the tear hummed and roared, shooting sparks off in all directions. "What did I do now?" Pocornia squealed.

Pocornia heard the loud thunk of a door flinging open. "Pocornia, get back inside the house!" Sapphire screamed.

Pocornia stood, darting through the Vortex's fury. She reached her home's doorsteps, turning around to watch the vortex. Sapphire had been awe stricken by the violent winds, unable to look away as the violent green magic imploded upon itself, sending out a powerful shock wave that lit everything up in a vibrant green light. "What did you do?" Sapphire screamed.

"I dunno, I dunno, I dunno!" Pocornia cried, panicking over the magical violence erupting before her.

The bright green light began to fade. Pocornia and Sapphire hesitantly crept towards the hill, nervously looking around as they ascended slope. Their hooves met a dip in the ground so they stepped back, looking down into the new crater formed by the orbs violent outburst. "Oh my Celestia..." Pocornia murmured.

"What...is that." Sapphire whispered.

Pocornia observed the strange creature laying on its back in the crater. It was unlike anything she had seen anywhere, a mostly hairless four limb creature with blonde hair on its head. She didn't see it move and did not hear it say anything, she started to wonder if it was dead. "Get me a stick." Pocornia asked.

"What are you going to do, poke that thing?" Sapphire chastised.

Pocornia turned to Sapphire. "Get me a stick!" 

Sapphire quickly found a stick then gave it to Pocornia. "Don't go down there!" 

Pocornia sat down on the edge of the crater, proceeding to slide down it on her back. Her hooves touched the ground, she cautiously made her way to the creature laying in the center of the crater. She observed the creature, noting the strange texture of its body and the odd choice of clothing it had made. She saw white knee high socks, a white skirt, white shirt, white floral gloves and had white feathery wings much larger than an alicorn's wings. She also also had a shield, a sheathed sword and a necklace around its neck. Pocornia prodded the creatures face with the end of her stick, noticing subtle amounts of makeup such as light pink lipstick and soft eye shadow. "Some sort of warrior?" 

Pocornia heard a rough sounding noise, she turned to see that Sapphire had slid down into the crater behind her. Sapphire approached her, looking over the strange creature. "A sword, that thing has a sword!" Sapphire sharply said as she hastily took it off of the creature's body. 

Pocornia momentarily eyed the creature, redirecting her steady gaze to Sapphire. "We need to get this thing inside..."

Sapphire fearfully retorted. "Are you insane?!"