//------------------------------// // Tulip Garden // Story: Epic Quest // by dorianator //------------------------------// Wow, guys, I am really sorry about the inconsistent and overdue updates. I've been trying to write up chapters more often, but I'm still getting used to the whole "adjusting to high school" thing, and trying to write a higher quality story is hard with all this homework. I really need to manage my time better. Anyhow, enjoy the chapter! ~~~~~~ I stood there, wide-eyed, a look of absolute horror frozen on my face. I glanced around nervously, hoping in vain to find some form of a shadow who's source was me. After this plan failed, I was out of ideas. I slowly shook my head from side to side in disbelief, staring into the flickering flames that should've been casting me a shadow. "C-Celestia..." I finally spoke, "...please, please tell me this isn't real." The two princesses glanced at each other, silently debating which one of them would break the news to me. "Please. Just tell me that this is a prank. It is, right? Just some elaborate magic spell or something?" At last, Celestia turned to me with a look in her eyes that said 'I'm sorry'. I lowered my head, trying to accept what life-threatening dangers lie ahead of me. "Fine." I sighed. "Excuse...me?" Celestia asked, a tone of surprise in her voice. "I understand. If it's meant to be me, that's the way it'll be, I guess." "Very noble of you." Celestia smiled. "Thank you, princess. But if I may ask, can I get a little time to, you know, know this place?" Celestia looked up, and I knew she was thinking, trying to make the decision that would be of the utmost convenience for the safety of Equestria. "Come on," I started, "you ARE the one who threw all this at me the second I wake up. Princess or not, I think you owe me a little time to get settled in." She turned toward me again, shooting me a look that made me wish I had kept my mouth shut. "Um, please?" I added. Celestia's face softened, and I breathed a mental sigh of relief. "Well, I suppose throwing you into this quest without letting you get comfortable...", she trailed off, muttering under her breath. "I guess I could allow you some time to get comfortable and make a few friends. But don't forget, Equestria can't wait forever." "Understood, princess." I finished with a small bow. "Well, then", Celestia spoke once more, "if that is all, it was nice meeting you, Nathan." "Actually,", the Doctor added, "if I may talk with the princesses, could you get Derpy and Twilight back to the TARDIS? I'll be back in no time, I just need a word here." "No problem!" I replied. "I'll get them right now." I trotted over to the door at the other side of the room. Upon opening the door, I found that the entire room was one huge, two-story library. Across the room I saw Twilight and Derpy chatting on a section of the balcony. "Derpy!" I yelled. "Twilight! It's time to go!" They both stopped talking and looked my way. "Alright, then!" Twilight yelled back. I tapped my hoof on the ground as they made their way back down to the first floor, still chatting away. Finally, they made it back to the doorway and we left the princesses quarters, passing the Doctor as he chatted with the royal sisters. He glanced back to make sure we weren't eavesdropping, and resumed their hushed conversation. What was so important that he had to make sure we weren't listening? I tossed that subject aside. We had bigger problems on our hooves. "Um,", I thought out loud, "where is the TARDIS?" We had gone through so many halls it got hard to keep track of where we were. "Oh, I can find it!" Derpy announced. "Just follow me!" So Twilight and I followed her down the halls and past the suites and other rooms in the castle. As the guards patrolled the halls, I couldn't help but stare at their shadows as they passed by. Why was I the 'chosen hero'? Did it have something to do with my amnesia? Something seems suspicious about this whole turnout, but duties must be fulfilled, I suppose. "Here we are!" Derpy announced. I hadn't even noticed we had arrived. We all made our way into the TARDIS and just waited for a while. Twilight decided she wanted to take a look around. I decided to talk to Derpy. "So,", I started, "do you know how this thing works?" I tapped on the large cylindrical contraption running through the center of the TARDIS. "Not exactly." she replied. "I asked the Doctor to explain it to me, but he said it was too 'wibbly-wobbly' to explain." "Oh..." I said. "Is that all he said?" Before Derpy could answer, the TARDIS door slammed open as the Doctor ran through it, causing all of us to jump. "Sorry for the scare." he hastily apologized. "Derpy, do you remember that thing we needed to do?" Derpy gasped. "Oh no!" she said, suddenly remembering the unknown errand that needed to be tended to. "We really have to hurry!" "Indeed." the Doctor agreed, flipping levers and pulling switches on what seemed to be the control panel. The TARDIS started to make it's strange sound, and the entire thing heaved, causing Twilight to stumble and me to completely lose my balance. "Sorry for the fall, but we have something very, very important to tend to." the Doctor said, hurriedly. The Doctor and Derpy then proceeded to rush us out the door and back to Ponyville, where we first left. "BYE!" the two ponies yelled in unison before slamming the doors shut and disappearing in their blue box. "What...just happened?" Twilight asked. ~~~~~~ "So you are 'The Chosen One', are you?" Twilight said, a mocking tone in her voice. "Joke all you want, I don't think risking my life will be all that fun." I said. "So you're seriously not kidding?" "For the fifth and FINAL time, no, I am NOT kidding." "Alright, calm down. I was just joking." "But one thing bothers me." "And that is?" "When I was talking to her, I mentioned to her how I 'woke up' in that field." "And?" "She wasn't the least bit curious about it!" "Well she does know the Doctor..." "Good point. Anyway, I was thinking about meeting all of your friends. What do you think?" "Sounds like a plan to me!" "Great! Maybe we could meet together over dinner." Twilight's eyes lit up. "That's a fantastic idea! And I know just the restaurant! When we get back to my house, I'll have Spike write a letter to all of them, then I'll set up reservations, and then..." Twilight kept talking all about how she would plan the little 'dinner date' until we got back to her house. She is REALLY big on schedules. "Ah, here we are!" Twilight used her magic to open the door. It creaked open to reveal the darkened library. Twilight trotted in as I followed, opening the curtains with yet another magic spell. "SPIKE!" she yelled. "I NEED YOU TO TAKE A LETTER!" She waited a moment, but there was no answer. "SPIKE WAKE UP!" she yelled yet again. Still no answer. "SPIKE? SPIIIKE!" Finally, a shaky, frightened voice answered the call. "Twi-Twilight..." a voice came from the bathroom. It was Spike. "Spike? What's the matter?" she asked, sounding a little more concerned. "In the b-bathroom...", he continued, "h-help me!" I rushed up to the second floor and headed to the bathroom, Twilight close behind me. When we got there we saw a sight that made our hairs stand end. I the bathroom, Spike sat, backed into a corner by three stone Pegasus statues, rearing up on their hind legs and their faces contorted in an expression of rage, baring sharp fangs. Spike simply sat there shivering and blinking one eye at a time. "Twilight,", I said, starting to sweat nervously, "stand right here. I'm gonna get Spike out of there. Whatever you do, don't blink. Got it?" Twilight nodded slowly. I nodded back and started to slowly make my way toward Spike. "Spike, keep looking at the statues. Just don't stop, okay?" I saw Spike nod his head shakily out of the corner of my eye. Carefully, I reached under the Weeping Angels' legs and grabbed hold of Spike. Once I had a firm grip, I swiftly slid him under their legs and he held on to me as hard as he could, whimpering as he did so. "Okay, just keep your eyes on the angels..." I said, backing out of the bathroom. Suddenly, the curtains swished closed and the candles blew out one by one. As we heard sounds of breaking objects and crashing everywhere, we all huddled together, hoping that safety in numbers would actually work. Eventually, the chaos ceased, and I opened my eyes. The library was still pitch black until a soft glow emanated from Twilight's horn as all the candles flickered back to life. Breathing heavily, we all stood there, looking around in disbelief and to make sure there were no more Weeping Angels. Eventually, Twilight broke the silence. "Spike?" she asked, panting nervously. "T-take a letter?" ~~~~~~ It was almost time. Pretty soon Twilight and I would be heading off to the fanciest restaurant in Ponyville, Tulip Garden. Spike had already sent the shakily written letters to her friends. Unfortunately Spike was still freaked out about the Weeping Angel incident, although I don't blame him. So he decided to fill in for one of Twilight's friends at Sugarcube Corner. Being surrounded by sweets should calm his nerves. "Saddlebags? Check. Parchment? Check. Quill? Check. Inkwell? Check. Extra parchment? Check." Twilight continued to run through her checklist. All I needed was my bags and I was all set. Before I put them on my back, I took another moment to marvel at the gems Rarity had fashioned the fasteners out of. Finally, I slipped the bags onto my back. Sure, I didn't have anything to put in them, but you never know when you'll need a bag. "So are we ready?" I asked. "I think we are!" Twilight replied, excitement in her voice. "Spike's already left for Sugarcube Corner and the magical barrier I've set up should keep the library safe." "Magical barriers?" I asked curiously. "That's pretty neat." "What, you've never met a unicorn before?" "Not that I can remember." "Oh, that's right." Twilight said sheepishly. "Sorry..." "No problem, let's just get going. I'm starving!" And with that, we trotted out the front doors and into the cool, moonlit roads of Ponyville at night. As we made our way into the parts of the town where all the stores and restaurants were, I looked around at the sights. All the street lamps and their soft flickering flames paired with the stars of the night sky sent a chill up my spine. Not like an I-just-saw-a-Weeping-Angel chill, but a calming one. It made my mind feel clear as crystal. Suddenly, we started coming up on another lit-up building with many windows and a long line of ponies leading out into the roads. Twilight walked up to the front of the line, stopping at a velvet rope. Everypony waiting in line behind us started to groan and complain. Before the stallion behind the velvet rope could protest, Twilight interrupted him. "I have a reservation. Sparkle, party of seven?" The stallion scanned a list sitting on a nearby podium. After a moment or two, the stallion sighed and reluctantly unhitched the rope. "Go right on ahead..." Before we went in, Twilight said to me: "And that's what happens when you plan ahead." As we walked in, the complaining from the massive line of ponies behind us only grew louder. Looks like they should've made reservations. I thought to myself. When we were finally inside, another pony came to lead us to our table. When we got there, we found that two other mares had arrived before us, Rarity and an unknown Earth pony sporting a Stetson. Rarity's hat, well, it definitely could've been smaller. But despite the fact that it took up a tremendous amount of space, it was quite stylish. We both sat ourselves down and got comfortable. "Hello, Rarity!" Twilight said, shaking the white unicorn's hoof. "Glad you could make it, Applejack!" She shook the Earth pony's hoof too. "Aw, it's nothin', sugarcube." Applejack replied. "Is this yer friend?" Applejack motioned toward me, a welcoming smile on her face. "Oh, yes!" Twilight remembered. "Applejack, this is Nathan." "Why, hello there, Nathan!" Applejack said, holding out her hoof. "It's a pleasure to meet ya! Yer all Twilight talks about lately, so it's great to finally see ya in person!" I noticed Twilight blush a little. Slowly, I held out my hoof and shook mine with Applejack's. "Nice to meet you, too!" I said nervously mustering a smile. I was only hoping that I was socially acceptable to Twilight's friends. I really wanted to make a good first impression. "Aw, c'mon, ya don't gotta be so shy. I won't bite!" Applejack reassured. The light-hearted tone in her voice calmed me down a bit. "Heheh," I chuckled, "I just want to make sure I don't embarrass Twilight..." "A little socially awkward, huh?" she suggested. Me? Socially awkward? No way! "Don't worry, I'm sure you and Fluttershy'll get along!" Actually, I was feeling a little socially awkward. I hope I had all of my memories of normal pony behaviors. I really didn't want to look stupid in front of these ponies... "Um, yeah, haha." I replied, faking a laugh. This time, Rarity spoke up. "So darling, how have those saddlebags been treating you?" "Great!" I told her. "Their really comfortable, and I like how the gems sparkle when the light hits them. You really did a great job!" "Why, thank you ever so much!" she said, delighted. "It feels so rewarding to get feedback from customers and friends alike." The waiter walked over to our table, levitating a stack of menus in front of him. "Hello and welcome to Tulip Garden. Would you like to start with something to drink?" "I'll take yer finest apple cider, please." Applejack ordered. "I'll have a raspberry iced tea with a lemon wedge." Rarity said. "I'll just have a water with a slice of lemon." Twilight ordered her drink, setting her menu back on the table. "Um," I tapped my chin in thought, "I'll just have what she had." I pointed at Twilight. "Very well." he responded, scribbling away on a pad of paper. "And are you ready to order?" "Actually," Twilight spoke up, "we have three more guests arriving soon." As if on cue, a shouting voice was heard coming from behind the red velvet rope at the entrance. "Hey, Twi!" the voice shouted. "Can you tell this guy to let us in?" The voice was coming from a cyan Pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail. She seemed a bit bothered by the fact that the stallion at the door was denying her access to the restaurant. "Oh! Don't worry, sir!" Twilight yelled, catching the stallion's attention. "They're with me!" The pony stared at Twilight for a moment, and then eyed the three empty seats at our table. He unhitched the rope and let the mare pass through. "Thank you very much!" the rainbow-maned pony said in a condescending manner. As the Pegasus walked toward our table, a triumphant look on her face, I almost didn't notice a yellow Pegasus mare following close behind her. She seemed almost scared of the fact that all these ponies were here at the restaurant. It was just so cute, the way she tried to keep her head down, hiding her face behind her shiny pink mane. She walked closely behind the rainbow pony, as if trying to hide behind her. She looked so...pretty... I noticed I was staring, and snapped out of my trance, blushing a little. The two Pegasi sat down at the table, the yellow mare becoming noticeably less shy now that she was with her friends. The cyan one spoke first. "Hey, Twilight!" she greeted her friend. "How's it going?" "Not bad, Rainbow Dash!" Twilight replied. "Glad you could make it!" Next, Twilight turned to the yellow Pegasus mare. "And Fluttershy! How are you today?" "Um, I'm fine, thank you..." she replied, quietly. I couldn't help but smile at hearing her soft voice. "So," Rainbow Dash started, "is this the stallion you've been talking about?" Rainbow looked at me, eager to hear my story. "Yes! Rainbow, meet Nathan." Twilight introduced me. "Nathan, meet Rainbow." "A stallion, huh?" Rainbow pondered. "He kinda has a girlish face..." I was shocked for a moment. "Girlish face?!" I cried out, offended. "Relax!" Rainbow said, stifling a laugh. "It was only a joke!" Everypony at the table started to break out into a fit of laughing. Although I was a bit upset, I couldn't help myself from laughing a little as well. "See? What'd I tell you?" Rainbow chuckled. "Heheh! The name's Rainbow Dash. But you can call me Rainbow." "Nice to meet you, Rainbow Dash!" I said, shaking her hoof. "I'm Nathan." "Nice to meet you, Nathan." she said, still suffering from the side effects of a good joke. "Anyway, Nathan, this is Fluttershy!" Twilight motioned toward the shy Pegasus to my left. Fluttershy shrank back into her chair a little when I looked at her. "Um...hi..." she said, so softly I could barely hear her. "It's okay," I reassured, "I'm not so bad!" Despite my efforts, I failed to get Fluttershy to do anything but avoid my gaze. I was a bit saddened by this. "Oh, don't worry about it." Rarity whispered. "I'm sure she'll warm up to you in no time at all. She'll get used to you being around." "Ahem?" the waiter said. We forgot he'd been standing there the whole time! "Can I get the new guests something to drink?" "Oh yeah!" Rainbow exclaimed. "Do you have any Neighgo?" The waiter sighed in disappointment. "Twist or Orange soda?" "I'll take an orange." Rainbow replied. "Your turn, Flutters." Fluttershy picked up the menu and skimmed over the beverages. "Um, I'll have an iced tea with a lemon wedge, if it's not too much trouble, that is." "Will that be all?" the waiter asked. "Wait!" Twilight shouted, much to the waiter's dismay. "Pinkie's not here yet!" "I thought she came in with us..." Rainbow said glancing around. All of the sudden, a pink blur sped out from under the table, flinging my chair into a passing dessert cart and knocking me out cold. ~~~~~~ Well, that was the long overdue chapter of Epic Quest! Once again, I apologize for not updating in an eternity. I just hope the long wait hasn't caused you all to forget that this story exists. Once again, like, favorite, and comment if you have the time. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, and if you could share this with your friends, that'd help me out a lot! Until next time, stay epic, everypony!