//------------------------------// // Sorry // Story: Crossroads to You // by The Lone Doctor //------------------------------// She shouldn’t be ungrateful, but there was a little niggling in the back of her mind when it came to home. On one hoof, seeing her own home filled with the lively air of idle chat as ponies from all over discussed their ailments, the constant rustling of various herbs being shuffled about from their shelves, the bubbling of cauldrons and the clinking of bottles. It filled the emptiness that once occupied the household, a stark difference from the deathly quiet that once filled the air. For the first time in a millennium, ponies from far and wide came sore, sickly and sad, and left happy, healthy and hardy. And if there was one thing that brought a smile to her face, it was the relief on pony’s faces. So goes the work of a mage and an apothecary, regardless of the time difference. Meadowbrook glided from self to shelf, grabbing the needed herbs and elixirs from their rightful places. The latest patient she was treating had antlers coming out of her head and bucked teeth poking out from her snout, which was glowing a bright, luminescent red. “I just don’t know what happened. I walked through a meadow on the way to the market and the next morning these things were sprouting out of my head, my nose was all shiny, and my teeth...” She looked down, shuffling her forehooves, tears starting to fall as she whimpered, “I look hideous! What happened to me, Mage Meadowbrook? Is it a curse? Am I going to look like this forever?" Meadowbrook frowned and wrapped a forehoof around the poor mare’s neck. “There there, it’s just a bit of poison joke. It shouldn’t be permanent at all.” It wasn’t anything serious or life-threatening, just inconvenient, and so common that she knew the ingredients for the cure like they were the contours on the back of her own forehoof. Still, as she looked through the shelves for dry rosemary, she found herself pausing, pursing her lips as she looked over to where an old friend of hers had sat as he spilled out his problems. “I can’t do my old job like Flash, or succeed at something new like Somnambula, or go home like you.” While it was true she had been accepted home with open hooves by a grandson with so many greats she’s lost count, it felt different somehow. She could definitely see some of her father in him, but the familial love she had for him felt different somehow. It didn’t feel like the love and affection she would give to a closer cousin of hers, or her mother, rest her soul. That wasn’t to say she disliked Cattail, she still loved him as the sole survivor of their family line, and he had done a good job keeping the family home in good shape. And while she had been able to go back to her old job, helping and healing ponies, so much had changed in the time she and the rest of The Pillars had put themselves in limbo to prevent the Shadows from dragging Equestria into despair. A lot of it fascinated her: the idea of vaccines, thermometers, little pellets one could take to end a cold in a matter of a week what before would’ve taken a month. There was so much to take in… too much. It had taken her a whole night to look through a medical textbook Twilight had loaned to her. Some of it was familiar, but most of it was pretty foreign to her, at times even incomprehensible. A quick glance to her bedside table confirmed it was still there, still opened and covered in frantic notation. The spine loosened as if its binding were about to fall apart.. Twilight had told her it took over four years for a pony to become a doctor, and she could understand why. She herself had started young, and it had taken years before her mother had felt confident enough to give her her own healing mask. But to start back at square one... Needless to say, she was glad there were still apothecaries like her around. Twilight had told her about Zecora, Ponyville’s resident apothecary. Although Meadowbrook heard she had caused quite the scare when she first came to Ponyville, Zecora had since become one of the most trusted healers next to the doctors at Ponyville General. It had put her at ease that her own style of healing hadn’t been fully replaced. Quite the opposite, as she had told Rockhoof before, she had to expand given the demand she had from ponies, the bustling before her was proof of that. But she wanted to do more, she wanted to travel again, she wanted to help more ponies, meet new creatures, she wanted to bring hope and harmony like she did when she and The Pillars were still the last line of defense against discord. There was only so much she could do at Hayseed Swamp, but with the many ponies coming to her she really couldn’t leave it alone for too long, it just wouldn’t be right. Besides, it wasn’t really her job anymore, Princess Twilight and the Elements of Harmony have taken the mantle as the beacons of hope and friendship. She was thankful for that, some of her adventures with The Pillars were harrowing at times, and she appreciated the peace and quiet from time to time. But with Twilight and the Elements performing the tasks of peacemakers and ambassadors, a part of her felt a sense of emptiness inside, like a key part of her died between those thousands of years. It somewhat bothered her that when someone knocked at her door in the middle of the night, it was more likely for a health emergency rather than for anything more. In a way, despite the fact that her home was as busy as ever, she still felt useless, she could be doing more, she should be doing more. But what? “Umm, Mage Meadowbrook?” Meadowbrook’s train of thought broke, and she turned to face Holyoke Willow, one of her apothecaries in training. In her forehooves were the last of the ingredients needed for the remedy she was gathering. “Are you alright?” “O-Oh!” Meadowbrook exclaimed. “Sorry about that.” She gently patted the mare on the head. “Thanks for gettin’ the rest of the ingredients for me, I can take it from here.” Holyoke paused for a few moments before she nodded. “If you say so, Mage Meadowbrook.” She quickly trotted off to help another patient. Meadowbrook took the ingredients to her mortar and pounded it into a fine powder before she poured it into some boiling water and let it heat for a few minutes. She poured the concoction into a glass bottle and gave it to the poor mare. “Just pour it out into a warm bath and take a little dip in it for about half an hour or so, and you’ll be right as rain.” “A-Are you sure? It sounds pretty simple.” Meadowbrook nodded. “Positive. If nothing happens, don’t be afraid to come back and let me know, then we’ll see what we can do.” The mare nodded, smiling, “Thank you, Meadowbrook, you’re a lifesaver.” Meadowbrook gave a quick little smile. “It’s nothing, feel free to come back anytime!” Soon the sea of ponies flowed out the doorway, until her home was empty once more, with Cattail, Holyoke, and herself left in the silence. “Well, I say it’s another job well done.” She turned to look at Holyoke. “You can start headin’ home if you want to. I know it’s pretty far away, and it’s getting dark. I can clean up from here.” Holyoke paused, as if about to say something, before she nodded and said, “Thank you Mage Meadowbrook. Have a good night.” “Same to you, my dear.” And soon, Holyoke was off, trotting into the distance off an old country road. “Are you feeling alright, grandma?” Meadowbrook turned to look at Cattail, as he stared gravely back. “You were a little out of it today. Me and Willow were worried you were having a spell.” Meadowbrook shook her head. “No, I’m alright. No fever, no migraines, nothin’.” Cattail sighed, trotting up to her and taking a forehoof with his own. “Grandma, as much as you keep sayin’ that, I worry for you sometimes.” He walked them into their house, and nodded over to the mirror. “Have you taken a look at yourself? You look short of collapsin’ from the breeze of a breezie.” Her mane was a mess, some of the locks were spilling out from her headband, and her eyelids were struggling to keep themselves wide open as bags flanked the bottom of her eyes. “I think it’s high time you took some time off or somethin’,” Cattail concluded. Meadowbrook felt her heart sink, and her eyes widened against the bitter resistance of fatigue at the mere suggestion. “I can’t do that! So many ponies depend on me!” She looked back to her healer’s mask, hanging on the hook, the very same one her mother gave her. Her only connection left of her mother. “It’s all I have.” Cattail raised his forehoof. “I know, I know. But you have to take care of yourself too.” He started to make his way towards his bed. “Just sleep on it tonight. It’d only be a few days, and then you can come back to work all better.” Meadowbrook looked back towards Cattail. She raised her hoof to say something, only to lower it again, nodding slowly. “I’ll keep it in mind, goodnight Cattail.” “Goodnight.” As she heard Cattail climb into bed, she looked back at her mask for a few minutes. When was the last time she ever left her house? After a few moments, she turned towards her writing desk, took out an inkwell and a quill as well as some parchment, and started writing. Dear Princess Twilight… A cool breeze brushed Wallflower’s cheek as she set the empty seed packets aside the two planters bordering the path towards the clearing. She sighed in content as she admired the handiwork before her, not just with the seeds she had just sown, but with the entire garden this past month or so. What started out as a nearly empty clearing had flourished into beds of roses, daisies, daffodils and tulips. Off to the right were the vegetables grown together, cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes and lettuce. And in the center surrounding three large rocks were wallflowers and rosemary. Each bed was labelled, each had the name of the students or clubs that planted something. Wallflower smiled to herself. The fact that there were so many plots planted by different club members, different clubs even who wanted to get in on leaving their mark on the school. It was a far cry from the small clearing it used to be. As she took in the view of the school gardens, her forehead wrinkled in concern. The garden had more beds that was for sure, but they were clumped up too close together and she frowned in concern. Wallflower took out her club binder from her bag and quickly scribbled down a note to plan a design for an expansion of the garden. It wouldn’t do if there were plants growing too close together; they’d steal needed water and nutrients from each other. Ringing from her bag broke her train of thought as she yelped. Who would be calling her? Sunset was at work, and her friends, while they were kind to her, knew to give her space and not to call her that often. Her blood ran cold as a thought came to her that maybe her mother was calling her. She tensed and lightly shivered at the thought. Why couldn’t she just leave her alone? Wallflower had already left her for Sunset, and it wasn’t like she ever did anything but berate her anyway. Why would she ever want to call her? She quickly dug through her bag and found her phone. Gingerly, she took a look at the lockscreen to see who was calling, hoping it really wasn’t her mother. She met the warm stare of cyan eyes next to another set of brown. Wallflower quickly relaxed, and smiled as she realized it was only Sunset. She quickly answered the call. “Hey Sunset, didn’t expect you to call so soon, weren’t you supposed to be at work right about now?” “Yeah, usually. We had something today though, didn’t you remember?” Wallflower pursed her lips, before she shook her head. “N-No I don’t think so…” A flush erupted on her cheeks at a jolt of fear and realization. “Is it some sort of anniversary? I know I’ve only been living with you for about a month, but I don’t think I’m ready for another Pinkie Pie party…” She heard chuckling coming from the other side of the line. “No, not that. Although I’ll probably let Pinkie know when the time comes so she won’t scare you.” Wallflower’s shoulders loosened and she sighed in relief before Sunset continued, “Remember I told you Princess Twilight’s sending someone to us for a week or two?” “I think so, what was her name? Green Meadows or something?” “Mage Meadowbrook,” Sunset corrected Wallflower. “She’s one of the Pillars of Equestria, the original heroes before Princess Twilight and the Elements came around.” Wallflower knitted her eyebrows as she tried to remember what Sunset told her a few nights ago. “You said she was a healer, right? And that she’s technically over a thousand years old?” “Yep. Well anyways, she’s coming today. We were supposed to meet up at the Canterlot High Statue and help her get acquainted with the human world and give her a place to stay for the time being.” Wallflower’s eyes widened in realization. “Oh shoot!” she stuttered. She quickly tried to gather her things and shoved them back into the bag. “Sorry Sunset! I’ll clean up and be there in a moment! I promise!” “Take your time. We’ve got a bit before she comes. I’m wrapping up on my own work at the Yearbook Committee. I’ll see you then!” Wallflower nodded. “See ya!” She moved to hang up before she abruptly remembered something. “L-Love you, Sunset!” Another light chuckle came from the speaker. “Love you too, Wallflower!” Wallflower hung up and sighed, taking one more look at the garden before she picked up her backpack and staked the seed packets to label the recently sown field, and did one final check on the garden. The sun had started to set as Wallflower made her way to the Canterlot High Statue. Predictably, Sunset was already there, looking around the statue and taking in the little chips and cracks it had. As if she were aware she wasn’t alone, she suddenly turned to look at Wallflower and her eyes brightened as she realized Wallflower finally arrived. Wallflower couldn't help but smile back, slowly speeding up to a jog before she lightly tackled Sunset in a hug, resting her head on Sunset’s shoulder. After a few moments, Wallflower pulled back, smiling at Sunset again as she leaned in and gave her a peck on the lips. Sunset laughed. “It’s nice to see you too, Wallflower.” Wallflower continued to hug Sunset. “I’m sorry I forgot about today. Is she here yet?” Sunset shook her head. “No, not yet. She’ll be here soon. Princess Twilight said they were just getting a few things set up before they’re sending Meadowbrook over here.” Wallflower nodded, before she broke the hug, still keeping a hold on her hands as she turned to look at the statue. “I can’t believe something unassuming as this would be a portal to another dimension.” Sunset shook her head. “Couldn’t believe it myself, especially when I first came over here.” She gestured down to their hands. “These were quite the surprise as well.” Wallflower giggled. “I bet.” She paused, looking back at Sunset as she stroked the back of her hands with the pads of her own thumbs, “Is traveling through the portal always that disorienting?” “At first, yeah. You kinda get used to it the more you use it after a while,” Sunset replied, looking down at her boots. “Or that’s what Princess Twilight told me.” “You haven’t been back since you… well…” She left the rest unsaid. Sunset had made sure to tell her everything about how she ended up here. Sunset sighed. “No, not really. Something always seemed to happen to keep me from going.” She looked back up and smiled, she leaned in to give Wallflower another peck on the lips. “Besides, I think I’ve got a lot here that I’m pretty happy with. Don’t you think so?” Wallflower giggled. Suddenly, one of the faces of the pedestal glowed, and a girl was thrown out of the statue. Sunset gasped, quickly let go of Wallflower, and caught the strange girl before she fell on her face, both of them landing on Sunset’s back against the hard cement with a groan. “Sunset!” Wallflower exclaimed. She rushed to their side and grabbed Sunset’s hand, pulling them up with a grunt. “Thanks Wallflower.” Sunset said as she dusted herself, and who Wallflower could assume to be Meadowbrook off. After a few moments, Meadowbrook tried to break away from Sunset, only to lose her balance again. Sunset caught her again before she fell. “Easy. Easy. You’re not walking on four hooves anymore. Remember what Princess Twilight told you.” The girl paused, looking down first to her feet, then to her hands, curing them into a fist before spreading out each digit in wide-eyed fascination. She looked back at Sunset and nodded, then gingerly pulled herself away from her again, wobbling as she tried to keep her balance on two legs, keeping a hold on Sunset’s hand just in case she fell again. Eventually, she grinned in triumph as she found her footing and let go of Sunset’s hand. Sunset smiled back. “Good to see you’ve found your balance. Took a while for me to get a hang of it. Could you try walking?” She held her hand out to the girl. “Hold my hand if you need to. Walking on two legs is a little more tricky.” As she tried to take her first shaky steps, Wallflower couldn’t help but to pay close attention to Meadowbrook’s features. Her skin was a solid blue, lighter than her mother’s indigo, but darker than Rainbow Dash’s cyan skin tone. Her hair was a light, pinkish red, with lots of curls and styled in a conical afro. She wore a simple cream headband that matched with her blouse, complimented by a light green skirt and a cream trim. Her clothes were accented by a bronze necklace, bracelet, and anklet, and were finished off by a pair of brown leather sandals. To top it all off, a blue and yellow bird’s mask rested on her forehead. It wasn’t long until her eyes met Medowbrook’s, their color so similar to Sunset’s. She didn’t know why, but she felt drawn to them. They felt warm, inviting. They almost reminded her of Sunset. Suddenly, those light blue eyes were looking straight at her. “Is there something wrong?” Meadowbrook asked, as Wallflower yelped in surprise. Now standing on her own without Sunset’s help, Meadowbrook furrowed her brow in concern. “Do I look good? I’m not missing anythin’ am I?” “N-No, not at all,” Wallflower stammered. “You look, um...” She looked back down at her sneakers. “You look flawless, Mage Meadowbrook.” Sunset finished for Wallflower before she gave a little bow. “Welcome to the human world. I’m Sunset Shimmer” Meadowbrook softly giggled. “Oh please, just call me Meadowbrook. Any friend of Princess Twilight is a friend of mine, especially after all she’s done for me, for all of us.” Wallflower barely just noticed it, but Meadowbrook also had a bit of a country lilt, similar to Applejack, but at the same time not quite. It was still rather comforting regardless. “Oh, alright. It’s just not everyday you get to meet a legend in person.” Meadowbrook smiled at Sunset with mirth. “Just as it isn’t everyday that you befriend two princesses and even learn under one of them?” Sunset tensed at the mentioning of the latter. Meadowbrook frowned and took Sunset’s hand, gently stroking the back of it. “Don’t worry about me, Sunset. I’m just like any other pony, there’s no need for any formalities.” Wallflower felt a twinge in her heart at the gesture. “If you say so,” Sunset concluded as she walked back to Wallflower and held her hand, looking back towards Meadowbrook with a bright smile. “This little pretty thing is Wallflower, she’s my roommate and my girlfriend.” Meadowbrook gave a little curtsy. “A pleasure to meet you.” Wallflower gathered as much courage as possible to stand there without trying to hide her face or blushing. “Wallflower’s got a bit of a green thumb as well, both metaphorically and literally!” Sunset continued, with a joking grin. Wallflower’s face contorted as she turned and lightly punched Sunset’s arm. “Sunset, you jerk!” she giggled. Meadowbrook tilted her head in confusion. “I’m sorry, what does that mean?” Sunset looked back at Meadowbrook “What? Oh right, no hands.” She nodded back to Wallflower. “Wallflower’s a pretty skilled gardener. She knows her way around plants.” “Is that so?” Meadowbrook said as she looked back towards Wallflower. “Well then, maybe we can have a look at your garden? I’m sure it’s bound to be gorgeous.” This time she couldn’t help but blush under her gaze. It was one thing to have students compliment her on the garden, but if Meadowbrook was as famous as Sunset said… She tried to shove the fluttering away as she struggled to form an answer. “O-Oh, it’s nothing. M-Maybe some other time? It’s getting pretty late as it is, and we should probably be getting home.” “Wallflower’s right. Usually she’d be walking home by now, and I’d be driving home,” Sunset confirmed. Meadowbrook looked up at the sky, noticing it did become somewhat darker. “You’re right, lead the way.” Sunset nodded, and took Meadowbrook’s hand. Wallflower felt the twinge turn into a tug in her heart. “Before we go though, I know Princess Twilight said so, but are there really no magical threats here?” Sunset shook her head as they started to walk towards her apartment. “Not that I know of. I know Twilight mentioned you were with Starswirl when he banished the Sirens here, but they’ve been dealt with.” She paused as she tried to dig through her memories. “As for Equestrian magic…” Wallflower tuned out the conversation at that point. As they were walking home, she kept focusing on Meadowbrook. She didn’t know what to make of her. She and Sunset were both from the pony dimension, meaning they might understand each other more. On one hand she felt happy Sunset had someone she could relate to, on the other hand... Her hand squeezed Sunset’s tighter, as they continued to walk to their apartment.