//------------------------------// // Where There’s Smoke… // Story: Zinnias // by Serinity Southerland //------------------------------// “Thanks for visiting!” I waved to a pale yellow pony with raspberry hair as she left the Golden Oak library. She smiled and returned the gesture before opening the door, hesitating for a moment as she looked to the darkened sky above. Roiling black clouds had spread across the region, choking out the mid morning sun and creating a gloomy atmosphere. Roseluck took a deep breath, attempting to dredge up her bravery before taking a few steps outside, where she promptly began galloping into town.  I didn’t blame her for wanting to return home quickly either. The air outside smelled vaguely of smoke and ash as the angry clouds hovered overhead, dimming the sun and instilling varying levels of fear and discomfort in the townsfolk, including myself. I had just finished scratching down Roseluck’s name and information into the guest log when another pony entered the building, looking a fair bit more put together than Roseluck when she nearly tore the door off its hinges to get inside.  “Hello!” I chirped as the plum colored earth pony mare with a cutie mark resembling grapes and a strawberry stepped inside and tossed her saddlebags next to the door, “Twilight’s out of town right now and Spike is watching Fluttershy’s animals, but if you find something you want to check out I’d be happy to help!”  The newcomer’s eyes met mine as she stared at me blankly for a moment before a look of familiarity crept across her face. She smiled brightly as she trotted further into the library towards me, “Hey! You’re the mare who rescued First Base last week! Zinnia, was it?” I waved a hoof dismissively, “I just did what anypony would have done. It really wasn’t that big a deal.”  “‘Not that big a deal?’” She blurted out, “I heard you fought off a manticore single-hoofed and flew away unscathed! How’s that not a big deal?” “Well, I wouldn’t say ‘unscathed.’” I admitted as I tested my wings and winced at the soreness that still wracked them. “How are they?” She asked as she eyed my wings, empathetically, “I heard you had to go to the hospital.” “I’m ok. The doctor said I sprained my wings but I should be good to fly again by next week.” “Oh, that’s good. When my daughter told me you had injured your wings, I was worried you had really gotten hurt,” She said with a sigh of relief, “That whole ordeal must have been pretty terrifying for both of you. I can’t imagine being face to face with one of those creatures.” “Your daughter told you?” I asked. “My daughter, Ruby, is in the same class as First Base. He told everypony about how you rescued him, and my daughter told me. That reminds me, do you happen to know if there’s a beginner’s guide to magic available? She’s having some difficulty with levitation and I could really use some help.” “Sure, I believe it would be over there in the unicorn section,” I said, pointing a hoof to a section of colorful tomes that were recently dusted.  “Thank you. I was hoping I could find Twilight and ask her for advice but she must have gone to deal with the clouds of smoke. Something about a dragon taking a nap on a nearby mountain, I think.” She said as she made her way to the section in question.  “Is that something that happens often?” I asked. “Well, most unicorns Ruby’s age are still developing their control with magic. I’ve heard that levitation is one of the easiest spells to learn, but when she tries to pick things up her magic fizzles out,” She said, putting a hoof to her bottom lip as she perused the shelf, “Honestly, I’m not really sure I know much more than you do about this sort of thing.” “I’m sorry, I meant was the smoke something that happens often. I’m curious though, is your partner not able to help? He’s a unicorn too, right?” I asked as I made to dust off the books in the children’s section.  “Actually, he’s an earth pony. One of his distant relatives was a unicorn though, so we think that Ruby’s one because her father has one in his family tree,” She furrowed her brow as she talked, reading one of the book’s spines, “As far as the smoke, well, strange things happen all the time here in Ponyville. You’ll get used to it.” “I guess that’s why Twilight’s so level headed when problems come up, huh?”   “No, that’s just Twilight I think. She’s actually the newest pony in town, other than you. She moved in only a few months before you showed up,” the plum colored pony said, beginning to look a little disgruntled and shifting her search to another shelf.  “Oh. So why does everypony here seem to defer to her when something major happens?” I asked, beginning to lose interest in my task in favor of a new mystery coming to light, “Come to think of it, even the mayor came running to her for help when First Base went missing.” “She didn’t tell you?” The mare turned to me with a questioning look, “That’s odd, especially since you're always around her friends. She normally tells everypony.”  I tilted my head to the side and my ears flattened slightly, “Tell me what?”  “She’s Princess Celestia’s student…what?” I stared at her, mouth nearly hitting the floor. “Wait. Celestia? Princess Celestia? One of the diarchs? The Princess who raises the sun every morning?”  “Yes?” She said, beginning to look a bit worried at my reaction, “I think Twilight said she studied magic under her, then came to Ponyville to study friendship or something like that. She and her friends were also there when Princess Luna was reformed, or so I heard. Oh! There it is!” She chirped happily as she trotted past me and pulled a book from the foal's shelf titled, “Your Horn and You.” It must have been part of Twilight’s last attempt at reorganizing the library. “So does that mean Twilight is royalty?” I asked, trying to comprehend just what I’d been told. “I don’t think so. I know she used to live in Canterlot, but her family is probably just wealthy,” She responded, grabbing another book from the cooking section, “I’d like to check these out, please.” “R-right,” I stammered, shaking my head and trying to get my thoughts in order. “So one copy of ‘Your Horn and You,’ and one copy of-” I raised an eyebrow at the second book she had, wondering how the whole title even fit on the cover, “‘Berry Bonanza: One-hundred Boozy Berry Blends that will Bring Your Tastebuds Bliss?’” “I like mixing drinks…” She admitted from behind a blush, “Besides, being the mother of a unicorn is hard work, and mama needs a drink every now and then.” She said, eyeing the cover with a thirsty grin. “Ok…I’ll just need you to sign your name, today’s date, and the books you’ll be borrowing in the ledger on the table over there,” I explained dully, to which she dutifully filled out the paperwork. Once she was finished, she stowed the books into her saddlebags and put them on. I glanced over the ledger, noting her name before she called out from beside the door.  “Thank you for your help, Zinnia. It was nice to get a chance to talk to you!” Berryshine said, opening the door and beginning to make her way out before the darkened sky reminded her of something, “Oh, and don’t let Twilight’s status bother you too much. She really is a good pony, unlike most of the stuck-up crowd in Canterlot. Anyway, I’ll see you around!”  I waved as she left the library, waiting for the door to close completely before beginning my nervous breakdown. “So…Twilight is from Canterlot, which is like the capital of Equestria where all the rich ponies live. And she’s the personal student of one of the two ruling parties. Does that make her next in line for the throne, or is it passed on by blood or elections? “I guess how the guards treated her differently makes sense now, too. That also explains why she could just sit in on my check-up with Dr. Horse without question or why Mayor Mare deferred to her when First Base went missing.” I pondered out loud when another thought hit me.  “Woah, wait. More importantly, she’s here to study friendship. Was she and her friends being my first visitors at the hospital just a part of her studies then, or was she actually trying to be nice? If it was just another part of her studies, does that mean Celestia sent her to me to be my friend? How did Celestia even know I was at the hospital?” “Because I’ve been watching you since you first arrived, little one.”