Tealove’s Tea Appreciation Tea Party
Everypony knows Princess Celestia loves tea. You’re trying to learn to love it, too.
Ponyville’s resident tea-appreciator is Tealove, an earth pony with a lime green coat, a cerulean blue mane, and brilliant blue eyes. She’s—in someponies’ opinions—the second-most attractive pony in Ponyville (others think it’s Fluttershy).
Once a moon, she hosts a Tea Appreciation Tea Party. Usually its held in her back garden, but in the winter she lets everypony sample teas in her house.
And what a selection of teas she has! You’re no tea connoisseur, but the few times you’ve attended before, you’ve sampled flavors of tea you’d never heard of. You’ve learned things about teas you never knew before, and in some ways it’s a tour of Equestria and the lands beyond in the form of warm beverages.
Also, she’s fun to hang around with.
Unfortunately, your job means you usually can’t attend her tea appreciation parties, but this time you can. You’ve cleared your schedule, and not only will you have plenty of time to get to her tea party, you’ll also have time to groom your coat, brush your mane and tail, and polish your hooves.
•••
The afternoon is bright and clear, and there’s a spring in your step as you walk to Tealove’s house. She lives right next to Cherry Jumble, who makes delicious preserves.
There’s no need to knock or ask permission to enter her backyard; she’s got a mouth-printed sign that says “Tealove’s Tea Appreciation Tea Party,” along with a sketch of her cutie mark: a teacup with a heart of steam above it.
There’s already a crowd gathered in her backyard: Cloud Chaser and Tree Hugger, Tempeh, Flax and Paisley—you pick a chair between the two groups and settle in.
Tealove’s got a teapot out already, its aroma filling the afternoon air. Fragrant, floral and fruity—you can smell citrus and blackberry, along with a familiar flower.
As the town clock chimes, Tealove steps into the center of the circle and picks up the teapot. “This is Celestial Seasonings,” she says. “Flavored with oranges, rosehips, blackberry leaves, and hibiscus. Those are all flavors that Princess Celestia Herself loves.”
She pours each of you a mug of tea, and you take a moment to savor the aroma before taking a sip.It’s delicious and refreshing. You look around you at the other ponies—Tealove has a dreamy expression on her face, while Cloud Chaser frowns and then takes another sip. It might not be to her taste.
After you’ve had time to sample the first tea, Tealove goes back into her house to bring out the second variety.
You can already smell it, even with the unfinished tea next to you. It’s got a strange, bitter smell—moreso than most teas.
Tealove returns to her house, and comes back with sugar and cream. “I don’t normally support adding anything to tea,” she explains. “This tea, however, is very bitter and not for everypony. I would recommend only a small sip to understand the flavor profile, and then add cream and sugar to your taste.
“It’s wormwood tea, and it has some medicinal properties.”
“That’s not all it does,” you hear Tree Hugger mutter. Flitter holds up a hoof to shush her.
Meanwhile, Tempeh, Flax, and Paisley are engaged in a whispered discussion about the tea.
You watch intently as Tealove pours it into teacups. The tea is an intense green, darker than her coat. Now that it’s in front of you, the smell is even more intense, and it’s very much not a pleasant smell. Earthy, medicinal, and bitter
While you’ve been surprised by flavors before, you don’t expect to be surprised by this one. Not if she brought out cream and sugar.
Still, you gamely take a sip. It’s very very bitter. Cream and sugar help, but you still have a bitter aftertaste once you’ve finished the mug.
Also, curiously, you’re starting to see little flashes of light in the corners of your vision.
“Far out.” You look over at Tree Hugger—she’s got an aura around her now. How long has that been there?
And in fact, everypony you look at has an aura. Very faint, but it’s there.
Tealove clears away the wormwood tea and brings out a new pot. “To continue the theme, our next tea is made from flowers which only grow in the Mountains of Madness.”
[CHOICE]
>Stick around and see where this goes (chaos)
>Get out while you can (villain)
[CHOICE A: Chaos]
Everypony watches intently as she pours the first mug. It’s a reddish-orange tea with iridescent shimmers that twist around in it, seemingly in defiance of fluid dynamics. The scent of it builds, starting familiar and floral, then the burnt undertones start to come through, along with a hint of sulfur and something else you can’t quite place.
The teacup seems to be shifting as well, changing form to something else, and then it quickly changes back to a teacup when you focus on it.
“Are we ready?”
Everypony nods, and everpony takes their first sip simultaneously. It starts out hot, but then turns intensely cold in your stomach. Weirdly, you’re sweating just the same.
And you’re not the only one who’s having a reaction to it; Tree Hugger slides out of her chair and looks up at the sky in a daze, while Cloud Chaser is pawing at her mouth, trying to get the taste out.
Tempah spits his tea back into his cup. “What kind of flowers were they, Tealove?”
She steps back nervously as he starts advancing on her. “What kind of flowers?”
[CHOICE B: Villain]
You’ve heard of the Mountains of Madness and they’re aptly named. Of all the wild plants growing there, poison joke is about the mildest. Everything there is a threat in one way or another, and you want nothing to do with that.
Just leaving is rude, but the town clock chiming gives you an excuse. “I’m so sorry, but I have to leave, I have an appointment.”
“Oh.” Tealove’s ears fall and then perk back up. “Well, thanks for stopping by! Come back next time.”
“You can be sure I’ll be back,” you say with a grin.
You could warn everypony, but where’s the fun in that? Instead, you go home and make yourself a big bowl of popcorn, then you make your way back to Tealove’s house.
Turns out the tea worked faster than you would have anticipated—most of the Mane 6 and the town guard are already at Tealove’s house, along with the fire department.