//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: The Only Cure is More Books // Story: A Head Full of Clay // by Squinty Mudmane //------------------------------// For the umpteenth time that afternoon, Sweetie Belle tried to lift one of the apples that Twilight had set up for her to practice with, and for the umpteenth time, there was a brief, feeble shimmer of magic enveloping the apple that faded again almost as soon as it had appeared. Sweetie Belle let out a little groan, too exhausted to voice her disappointment with words. Only three times in the past couple of hours had she managed to do something with the test apples: the first one had melted into a puddle of mush, the second one had been cleanly bisected in an eerie echo of the previous day’s events, and the third had been crushed into virtual nothingness by a brief, extremely localized gravitational singularity. Each of these occurrences had been spontaneous and uncontrolled, though they had all occurred at times when Sweetie Belle’s frustrations had overpowered her attempts at concentration. She looked over at Twilight, who had spent the time alternating between frantically looking through at least fifty different books and offering advice and encouragement, which towards the end mostly amounted to “keep trying.” Eventually, even the diligent librarian admitted defeat with a sigh. “Sorry, Sweetie Belle. I’ve looked through every relevant book in the library and tried everything I can remember from the time I started doing magic myself. This... this is an enigma!” Sweetie Belle sat down wearily, every part of her body aching, even though she had done nothing except stand around all afternoon. Or perhaps it ached for exactly that reason. Her stomach felt like it was trying to eat itself, and her head throbbed with a vicious migraine. “I just don’t get it! This doesn’t make sense! Why is it that either nothing happens, or something completely different than what we’re trying to do happens? It’s maddening!” Twilight paced back and forth, looking almost as dishevelled as Sweetie Belle felt. Being denied an answer when she had been patiently presenting logical solution after logical solution clearly did not sit well with Twilight. “You know, Twilight… if we can’t find anything here, maybe… maybe there’s somewhere else we can look,” Sweetie Belle slurred, her vision spinning slightly. “Like, uh, Canterlot, maybe?” Twilight let out a gasp and snapped around to look at Sweetie Belle with excitement. “Of course! If you can’t find the solution in a library, go to an even bigger library! It’s brilliant—” Sweetie Belle flopped backwards onto the floor with a thud and fell into a fatigue-induced sleep. “Oh dear,” Twilight squeaked. About an hour later, she managed to wake the exhausted filly from her slumber. She gently nudged the plate full of hayfries that Spike had voluntarily prepared towards Sweetie Belle, looking at her with concern. “I’m so sorry, Sweetie Belle, it completely slipped my mind how straining prolonged use of magic is, especially for a filly. I would let you sleep it off, but you really need to eat something first.” Sweetie Belle wanted to go back to sleep, but more than that, she wanted something, anything to eat. She felt hungry enough to eat a pair of socks if necessary, but the hayfries in front of her were far more appealing. She dug into the food, forgetting all about the proper eating manners that Rarity usually tried to teach her. After eating every last scrap of food, including that which had spilled on the floor in her frenzy of devouring, she sat down, letting out a little burp. She quickly covered her mouth and blushed. “Uhm. Sorry,” she muttered. Twilight let out a little giggle. “That’s quite all right. As I said, I’m the one who’s sorry. I should have made sure you got regular snacks in between our practice session. I guess I just got caught up trying to find a solution.” Sweetie Belle rubbed her stomach a bit, worried that she might have eaten too much too quickly. “But I think it was a good idea you had. Perhaps we should try and visit the Canterlot Archives. I don’t think there’s a bigger repository of knowledge in all of Equestria. We’re bound to find something there that will give us a clue about this,” Twilight continued as she began to levitate the many scattered books back to their respective places on the bookshelves. “Of course, we’ll need to check with Rarity first to make sure she’s okay with you going.” “I guess she’ll be fine with it, so long as I’m going with somepony else,” Sweetie Belle replied, standing up and shaking her head a bit to try and clear the fuzzy feeling behind her eyes. “Nevertheless, I think it’s best if we get it cleared with her first. Besides, I think you’ll sleep better in your own bed.” Twilight gave the filly a bright smile, before shouting towards the kitchen. “Spike? Can you put the rest of these books back up while I walk Sweetie Belle home?” There was a grumbled reply, but Twilight seemed satisfied. “Shall we?” she asked, heading for the door. Sweetie Belle nodded and followed, still feeling a bit dizzy, but at least her headache had lessened into a dull throbbing rather than a splitting pain. It was growing dark outside, and the streets were largely empty, most ponies having retired to their homes for the day. Twilight knocked on the door to the Carousel Boutique, still lit up by virtue of its many windows from which light streamed. After a few moments, Rarity appeared in the doorway, wearing a magnificently wobbly hat decorated with so many feathers that it almost looked as if live birds were perched atop it. Both Sweetie Belle and Twilight looked at the sight in stunned silence for a moment. “Nice hat,” Sweetie Belle commented eventually. Twilight shook her head a bit with a smile. “You know, I think I could do something to help you with your mane if you want, Rarity.” The alabaster unicorn made a little toss of her head, setting the entire hat alive with motion. “As it happens, I’m quite enjoying this impromptu opportunity to try out some more elaborate chapeau designs. Not that I don’t appreciate the offer, darling,” she replied with a twinkle of mirth in her eyes. “Uhm, Rarey, would it be okay if Twilight took me to Canterlot tomorrow? We didn’t have much luck with what we had in the library, so we were thinking about trying out the Canterlot Archives.” Sweetie Belle glanced warily at Rarity, half expecting her sister to throw a fit at the thought. Instead, she merely smiled. “Why, certainly, little sister. If anypony has experience digging through dusty, smelly old books, it’s Twilight.” “Hey!” Twilight let out a little indignant huff, though she did not seem overly offended. “Oh, but while you’re in Canterlot, do you think you could pick up some eagle feathers?” Rarity asked as Sweetie Belle moved inside the Boutique. “There’s a tailoring shop near the train station that sells some fabulous accessories. You should be able to pick up a couple from there.” “We’ll be sure to keep an eye out for it.” Twilight smiled, turning her attention to Sweetie Belle. “We can take the afternoon train tomorrow. That should give you more than enough time to finish school first. Does that sound all right to you?” “That should work,” Sweetie Belle agreed with a nod. “See you tomorrow then, and thanks again for your help, Twilight.” “Happy to be of assistance. Have a good evening, both of you.” Twilight waved and began trotting off towards the library again. “So, are you hungry, Sweetie?” Rarity asked as the two sisters moved into the kitchen. “Would you like something to eat? Drink?” “Actually—” Sweetie Belle yawned “—I’m a bit tired. Do you think I could just lie down for a while?” “Oh, of course, dear. Just give me a moment.” A few minutes later, they were sitting on Rarity’s couch, Sweetie Belle with a cup of hot cocoa, her sister with some aromatic herbal tea that she had gotten from Fluttershy. Sweetie Belle was leaning back against Rarity, feeling pleasantly warm and cozy as she sipped the cocoa. “Are you sure you’re okay with me going, Rarey?” Sweetie Belle asked, her eyelids starting to feel heavy again, though this time, it was in a much more relaxing manner rather than the weight of lead that had dragged her down earlier. “Of course, dear.” Rarity smiled as she put her tea cup aside on the nearby table and instead levitated over a hairbrush, which she began to gently run through Sweetie Belle’s somewhat ruffled mane. “It’s not the first time you’re going to visit Canterlot. Besides, Twilight will be going with you. Don’t you worry, I have no issues with this.” “I’m glad to hear that,” Sweetie Belle muttered, sipping down the last drops in her cup and slowly closing her eyes. “Didn’t want you to get upset… thought you might be nervous about me going.” “Sweetie, dear, I already told you, I’m not going to fuss over you so much. You aren’t a little foal who needs her sister holding her hoof all the time anymore.” Rarity chuckled softly as she tenderly untangled her sister’s mane. “So long as you promise to be careful, I’ll trust you in whatever you want,” she continued, giving the filly a gentle kiss atop her head. There was no response. “Sweetie Belle?” Rarity could hear a soft, steady breathing coming from her sister. Sweetie Belle was curled up with her back to Rarity’s stomach, still holding the now empty cup in her hooves. Rarity smiled and gently plucked it from her sister’s grasp, moving both it and the brush onto the table, instead levitating a soft blanket and her current favourite romance novel over, wrapping the warm fabric snugly around them both. Although she normally preferred to sleep in her queen-sized bed, perhaps she could make an exception this once. She opened her book and let out a content sigh. This was not a bad way to spend an evening. “The Everfree Forest? Are you serious?” Sweetie Belle exclaimed as her friends relayed the results of their meeting with Jitterleaf to her. “It’s not like we’ll be goin’ in blind. We know what to look for. Besides, if we go durin’ daytime, Ah reckon we’ll be fine. Ah’ve gone to Zecora’s house a couple o’ times mahself, an’ it went just fine,” Apple Bloom said in what she hoped was an assuring voice. “But before we go, Ah reckon we should get our hooves on Tincoat’s journal.” “Did you get Twilight to take you to Canterlot?” Scootaloo asked Sweetie Belle before she could voice another objection. She nodded. “Yeah, we’re supposed to be taking the afternoon train. It leaves in about an hour. I’m still not sure how I’m going to get the journal while I’m there, though.” “Don’tcha worry ’bout that. Me an’ Scoots’ll take care of it. All ya need to do is keep Twilight busy,” Apple Bloom said with a smile. The unicorn filly furrowed her brow. “Huh?” “So long as we all go there with Twilight, nopony’s gonna wonder why we’re lookin’ around the Archives. Then, while ya keep Twilight’s attention occupied, we’ll go find the journal, an’ there ya go, problem solved.” “But how will you get Twilight to bring you two along? She’s only expecting me to go.” “We’ll just come up with some excuse about how we heard you were going to the archives, and we are both super jealous, because we really want to see it too, and blah, blah, blah. I’m sure a bookworm like Twilight will buy that,” Scootaloo replied with a dismissive wave of her hoof. “We should get ready. See y’all at the train station,” Apple Bloom said cheerfully as she headed out of the clubhouse. “Uhm. Okay,” Sweetie Belle squeaked behind her. As Apple Bloom hurried back to the farm to drop off her schoolbag, she almost ran into her siblings near the edge of the orchard. Big Macintosh was pulling the recently repaired cart, while Applejack was loading baskets full of apples onto it. “Heya, sis,” Applejack greeted her, looking up from her work. “Where’re ya off to in such a hurry?” “Oh, uh, Twilight’s takin’ us to see the Canterlot Archives. Super exciting, huh? Well, Ah gotta skedaddle, got a train to catch. Bye!” Apple Bloom hurried off before her sister could inquire further. Applejack looked after her with a raised eyebrow. A few moments later, she came racing back the other way, this time with an empty pair of saddlebags, heading in the direction of Ponyville. “First she’s up all night readin’, now she’s goin’ to Canterlot to get even more books? She ain’t never been that big of a reader.” Applejack furrowed her brow and hauled another basket atop the cart. “Ah don’t like this, Big Mac, not one bit. Our sister’s actin’ all strange.” “Y’know, AJ, when ya ran off to Manehatten on yer own, me an’ Granny Smith thought it real strange, too,” Big Macintosh said calmly. “But we didn’t stop ya ’cause we figured ya gotta do what ya gotta do.” “This ain’t the same!” Applejack snapped. “This is her actin’ just plain… odd.” Big Macintosh gave her a look that rather clearly said: “Yes, this is indeed the same.” The stoic stallion did not actually say anything, though. In his experience, arguing with Applejack when she was in that mood was like trying to argue with a brick wall, except that the brick wall would be more inclined to be reasonable. “Well, fiddlesticks to that. Ah’m gonna go see what it is that’s got her so gosh-darn excited, an’ Ah’ll eat mah hat if it don’t turn out ta be somethin’ serious,” Applejack declared heatedly, marching towards the farmhouse. Big Macintosh merely shook his head and began to load the baskets onto the cart himself. “Hey, if it isn’t my number one fan!” Rainbow Dash’s voice called out above Scootaloo, stopping the filly in her tracks. Her heart beat rapidly with excitement even as a nagging part of her brain cried out in frustration in the back of her head. She looked up to where Dash was reclining on a tree branch, probably just recently awoken from one of her habitual naps. Oh no, not this time. Just keep going. ‘I should at least hear her out. Maybe she has something important to say?’ Scootaloo thought to herself. You promised yourself there would be no more errands! ‘She wouldn’t stop me like this if it was just about that.’ She would, too. “Hey, Rainbow Dash! What’s up?” she called back tentatively. “Nothing much, just chillaxing a bit. It’s hard work being as awesome as me, you know,” Dash replied, stretching her limbs lazily. “I bet. Uhm, did you want something?” “You’re pretty fast on that scooter of yours, right?” Dash asked with a little smile. Scootaloo blushed a bit and gave her an embarrassed little grin. “Yeah, I guess I am. Erh, I mean, I know I am,” she agreed. ‘Ohmygosh, did Rainbow Dash just praise me?’ she thought. Oh, be quiet, fangirl. “Awesome. I’m feeling a bit starved, you see. Think you could swing by Sugarcube Corner and get me a cupcake? That’d be great,” Dash said, making herself comfortable on the branch again. The corner of Scootaloo’s right eye twitched. “A… cupcake,” she repeated. “Yeah, with extra frosting. I’d prefer if it’s still warm from the oven, too.” Is this the point where I do my I-told-you-so-dance? “No!” Dash blinked in surprise, a confused look on her face. “Huh?” “No! I’m sick of being used to run every little errand you can’t be bothered to do yourself! I bet you think it’s funny, don’t you? That foolish flightless filly Scootaloo, pretend to give a flying feather about her now and then, and she’ll do whatever you ask. Hilarious, right?” Scootaloo glared furiously up at Dash, her voice cracking slightly. “You don’t treat me as anything other than a joke that’s useful for fetching you things! Well, I’ve had enough of it! You can get your stupid cupcake yourself! I’m done doing you favours! In fact, I’m done talking to you at all! Goodbye, Rainbow Dash!” Without waiting for a reply, Scootaloo rode off on her scooter as fast as her wings could propel her, fighting to hold back stinging tears in her eyes. Rainbow Dash remained behind on her tree branch, looking utterly dumbfounded and lost for words. “What the hay just happened?!” she cried out eventually, once the surprise and shock at Scootaloo’s bitter tirade had worn off. Scootaloo was the first to arrive at the Ponyville train station, which gave her time to regain her composure. She wiped her eyes with a hoof and stuffed her feelings into an iron cage deep down in herself. She would deal with that later. Right now, she had to be in the moment if she and her friends were to pull off their plan. At least the taunting voice in her mind had gone quiet, satisfied that she had finally chewed out her treasured idol. She had felt a savage vindication when she gave voice to her frustrations and saw the look of shock on Rainbow Dash’s face, but at the same time, she felt that it had not been justified. She had been the one who readily agreed to do whatever Rainbow Dash asked, after all. Nopony had forced her to do it. ‘Later,’ she thought to herself. Apple Bloom came to join her on the station platform, followed shortly after by Sweetie Belle and Twilight. “Hello, girls,” Twilight said, looking somewhat puzzled to see Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, but smiling pleasantly nonetheless. “What brings you here?” “Hey, Twilight! Sweetie Belle told us you’re takin’ her to visit the Canterlot Archives, an’ me an’ Scootaloo wanted to ask if we could come with you! It sounds so cool!” Apple Bloom beamed at the unicorn mare, her voice sounding utterly sincere. “Yeah, because AB and me really want to know more about books and… stuff,” Scootaloo muttered. Apple Bloom gave her a little kick with her left hind leg. “Ow! Uhm, please?” the pegasus filly added, putting on a wide smile. “Wow, I didn’t know you were that interested in books! You should come around the library more, in that case,” Twilight said with a wry grin. “Yeah, it’s just, uhm… we heard the Canterlot Archives is like super big and special and full of all sorts of cool books, and, erh, we figured it’d be awesome if somepony as brainy as you could show us around.” Scootaloo glanced desperately at Apple Bloom for support. “We promise we won’t be a bother. We Pinkie Promise!” Apple Bloom declared, making the cross-chest-and-hoof-in-eye motion. “When I told them we were going, they were so jealous that they practically begged to be allowed to come along,” Sweetie Belle added. Twilight blinked. “Really? Wow, I had no idea you were all that keen on going. Well, I’ll happily take you along, of course, but have you made sure that you’re allowed to go?” “Yeah, Applejack said she thought it was a super idea, an’ that it’s great that Ah’m takin’ such an interest in books!” Apple Bloom said happily. “Yeah, it’s fine,” Scootaloo affirmed. “Well, in that case… Let me just go and get some extra tickets from the office.” Twilight smiled and trotted off towards the station building. The three fillies kept smiling back until the lavender unicorn started talking with the ticket pony. Apple Bloom resisted the urge to punch the air in triumph. “Great job, Crusaders!” she whispered to her friends, grinning widely. “Canterlot, here we come!”