//------------------------------// // Chapter 2. Visitors to Ponyville // Story: The Coming of Tam O' Canter and Heather Bloom O' Red Hoof to Ponyville // by De Writer //------------------------------// Their line of thought was derailed entirely by the door chime. Pinkie Pie bounced into the big book lined room chattering cheerfully, “Hey, Twilight! Hi, Spike! Rainbow! You in the Library? How come? How you doing AJ? Your trees good? Lots of apples for us later?” Applejack put a friendly hoof on top of Pinkie's head to stop her bouncing and interrupted the non-stop chatter long enough to say, “We are fine, Pinkie. There will be lots of apples this harvest. Rainbow came to see Twi on some business of Cloudsdale's.” She paused long enough for a hind hoof to gently and diplomatically push Rainbow Dash's Daring Do book out of sight as she went on, “So, what brings you to the Library?” Pinkie promptly replied, “I want a book on making fireworks! Besides, my Pinkie sense was tingling that I should come here. Something about strange new ponies!” The door chime rang as Rarity entered, decorously staying back while the others dealt with Pinkie Pie's enthusiam. Twilight remarked, “We do have a couple of books on fireworks, Pinkie. I am more interested in your Pinkie sense, though. We just got a letter from Princess Celestia about some ponies coming. She says that one of them isn't really a pony.” Pinkie brightened up even more, if that was possible, and said, “A mare that's not a mare! That's what my Pinkie sense says. It didn't make sense until now. It still doesn't, if that helps any. At least Princess Celestia says the same thing!” Rarity stood quietly by, listening to Pinkie's enthusiastic chatter until she could contain herself no longer. Curiously, she asked, “A mare that isn't a mare? Pinkie, that is silly.” Twilight replied, “I would agree with you, Rarity. The only problem is that Princess Celestia said the same thing in a letter that she sent me. “Somehow, the mare that isn't a mare is connected to that old map that I've told you about. Celestia said that the not mare is a friend. She can tell me more about the map. I really want to know about it now. Celestia says that the map is only a few YEARS younger than she is. Older even than Equestria. It may be the oldest document in existence.” Rarity smiled politely and replied, “That is very interesting. When you first told me about the map, I went to look up what ponies wore back then. My book on Equestrian historical costume shows only a few things from the Old Fortress Canterlot times, early in Celestia and Luna's reign. They seemed very interesting and I was wondering if you had anything more about clothing from that era?” Spike nearly dropped Pinkie's fireworks book in his eagerness to help Rarity. “I've got every book about clothing that we have, right over on this shelf!” he exclaimed, shifting the ladder at once. Twilight looked on with a smile at Spike's eagerness to help Rarity, the unicorn of his dreams. Spike scampered up the ladder. Spike was just pulling two books out of the shelf when the bell on the door chimed so softly that it almost went unheard by the others. Fluttershy entered, nearly silent. She had her big yellow medical kit with the red cross on the lid tucked under her right wing. From his vantage point up on the ladder, Spike did notice. In spite of his eagerness and wish to help Rarity, the little dragon was not at all stupid. He thoughtfully tallied up the things that he had overheard. The ancient map. Celestia's letter. The Pinkie Sense predicting visitors, including a mare that was not a mare. Now this. All of the Mane Six gathered at the Library at the same time. Some coincidence, humm? He reached far over and up another shelf, carefully removing another large book. Adding it to his bundle, he came down the ladder with care, so as not to drop anything. Without a word, Spike handed the big book to Twilight Sparkle and then gave the remaining two books to Rarity. With an ingratiating smile he pointed out, “The top one is a modern commentary that Shewhoof wrote about old fashions. The other one might be harder to read. It is a fully reproduced copy of Mad Callander's Contemporary Fashions of the Capital. The original was written in the year two hundred and seven of the reign of the Twins.” Rarity immediately put Shewhoof aside and Contemporary Fashions floated open in front of her eyes, held in the gentle grip of her unicorn magic. A delighted smile on her face, Rarity chose a comfortable cushion and settled down to read. Spike couldn't contain his curiosity. He asked, “How can you read something that old? I mean, almost none of the letters look like anything that I know of.” While Rarity was showing Spike how to connect the modern alphabet to the more ancient letter forms, Twilight looked down at the book that Spike had just handed her. It was all too familiar. The last time that the Mane Six had needed the contents, they were battling the dragon Discord. Fluttershy interrupted Twilight's reverie by asking quietly, “Um, Twilight? If it isn't, I mean, I can see that you are busy. If it would not be too much bother, I would like the Veterinary Manual. I want to make sure that my kit is, well, complete? I mean, I want it ready in case any of my little friends get sick or hurt.” Twilight came to a decision. Looking about at all of her friends, the bearers of the Elements of Harmony in Equestria's need, and the book whose hollowed out pages held the magical necklaces and tiara of the Elements of Harmony, she announced, “Spike, get Fluttershy the Veterinary Manual please. Everypony, look around you. All of us just happened to show up here when Pinkie's sense says that strangers are coming and one is a mare that isn't a mare. “Princess Celestia sent us a letter mentioning the same thing about a mare that isn't really a pony in connection with that map that Spike and I found. “I don't think that it is a coincidence that we are all here. I have the Elements of Harmony here for us. The last time that we needed them, the dragon Discord almost defeated us because we didn't have them with us. If we have them and do not need them, I don't see how that can hurt anything. If we do need them, this time we will be prepared.” Rarity promptly said, “ Oh dear. I should have worn something else. That necklace will simply clash with this outfit.” Then she grinned and added, “Just kidding. Maybe we should all take look at that map, since Princess Celestia thinks that it is important.” Her horn glowed briefly as the Element of Generosity sailed from its place of concealment in the hollowed out book and settled about her neck. The others all accepted their Elements as well. The group trooped into Twilight's workroom. The place was pin neat even though several books were in various stages of repair, including one that was laying about on a table in many sections in preparation for a complete rebinding. On a good sized table in the center of the room was the map, safely nestled under a sheet of glass to protect it. Carefully weighted down notes in Twilight's precise writing lay on the glass, showing her readings of the ancient writing on the map. They all looked at it curiously. Applejack pointed out, “I recognize those. We use those two big stones with the funny scratch marks as the baseline that all of the property in Ponyville is surveyed from. I had no idea that they were so old.” Rarity was studying Twilight's notes and comparing them to the map. She offered thoughtfully, “Twilight, dear, this does not say Red Hoof Hill. I was just showing Spike how these letters changed over time. That is an A not an I. It says Red Hoof Hall.” Twilight looked at her friend curiously and asked, “How can you read this at all? It is like a different language.” Rarity nodded at once. “It is. Ours grew from it but the changes over the centuries follow regular patterns, once you understand them. Some ponies think that I just design things from thin air, but I don't. I look at patterns, not only in clothes but in the wearers, too. Designing is bringing all of those patterns into harmony. These old writings follow the same principle. That is all.” Fluttershy nervously pointed to the indicated hill and said, “I am sorry, Twilight, but I think that Rarity is right. Some of my little friends have burrows up in the notch at the hill top. They say that there is a lot of burned wood and blocky stones like an old floor buried up there.” She subsided, looking about almost as if she had done something wrong. Twilight, without any upset, was looking over the rest of her notes and thoughtfully correcting a number of them. A loud and deep droning sound began somewhere outside. Whatever it was, it went on and on with no pause for breath. It was joined by an equally loud shrill sound that had many discordant notes running through the total noise. Some of the notes were the shortest, quickest notes that Twilight had ever heard. In spite of the many differing notes, this noise also went on and on with no let up for breath. The Mane Six dashed out of the library and into the street. Applejack pointed, “It's coming from the Everfree Forest!” Pinkie Pie bounced a half turn and exclaimed, “No they aren't! There they are up there on the hill with two tops by the forest! It looks like two big unicorns!” Silhouetted by the sky were two distant unicorns, one on each peak of the hill. Because of the bright sky behind them, details were impossible to make out. The two were clearly carrying things across their backs. One had a horn that was crookedly twisted. Rainbow Dash took one look and called out, “A Changeling!”