Applejack winced as the first rays of light hit her face. Slowly she climbed out of bed and walked over to the bathroom. She noticed her face blankly staring back at her looked horrible. Her eyes were lightly blood shot due to a lack of sleep as well as dark circles around them. Her mane was a total mess from tossing and turning all night. Yet none of this really surprised her.
Yesterday she had worked extra hard to buck as many apples as she could for the market. When she had finished she was greeted by Princess Luna of all ponies who was dropping off Apple Bloom who, to AJ’s joy, had finally gotten her cutie mark. Despite being tired, Applejack celebrated with the rest of her family at the good news. Once it began to get really late, Applejack excused herself and headed upstairs to bed. As she began to drift off to sweet sleep, sudden construction noise woke the poor mare right back up. All night she heard wagons going down the road, construction workers yelling off in the distance, and a slew of other noises that didn’t stop until dawn. Applejack had tried everything her granny had taught her about getting to sleep from a glass of warm water, counting sheep, and even stuffing cotton in her ears, but nothing had worked.
Despite the desire to go back to sleep, Applejack slowly stumbled down the stairs to the kitchen where her family was eating breakfast. Both Apple Bloom and Big Mac were enjoying bowls of oats while Granny Smith ate her bowl of warm apple sauce. But when they saw their kin walk down the stairs they all stopped eating to stare in shock.
“Heaven to Betsy,” cried Granny Smith. “Are ya all right Applejack? Ya look like ya been fightin’ with a timber wolf all night!”
“Maybe ya should take the day off,” commented Apple Bloom.
“Eeyup,” said Big Mac as he nodded his head. This caused the orange mare to rolled her eyes.
“Ah’ll be fine,” replied Applejack as she put on her hat. “Besides, we got ourselves a big day ahead of us at the market. Those apples won’t sell themselves.” Applejack said, walking towards the door.
“Where are ya goin’?” asked Apple Bloom. “What about breakfast?”
“Ah’ll have ta skip breakfast today,” said Applejack. “Got to get the carts ready to go down to Ponyville so we can set up our stand.” Applejack opened the door, but about halfway through she stopped before turning to look at her younger sister. “Ya should consider wrintin’ a letter to ma and pa about that there cutie mark. Ah’m sure they’ll be mighty pleased ta hear about it.”
As Applejack walked out, she missed her sister muttering, “It’s not like anypony will read it,” under her breath.
Within the next hour or so, Applejack and Big Mac were hauling their heavy load into town. Since Mac was the stronger, as well as the more rested of the two, he was pulling three large carts full of juicy apples. This left Applejack to pull the cart with the Apple family food stand. She had wanted to help pull some of Big Mac’s load, but her brother insisted that he wanted to do it.
Within a short amount of time the two of them arrived on the market street. All over the streets were stands full of items like foods, baskets, blankets, and other such goods. Several times the two heard other ponies wishing them good morning as they headed towards their stands usual spot. However, when they arrived there they found that somepony else had taken it.
Applejack bristled as she looked at the stand which held lots of peaches. This was the Apple Families spot! It had been this way since Granny Smith was her age. She was about to charge over there when she saw the stallion who was loading the peaches into the stand. He had a dark orange coat, a red mane, and was wearing a brown vest that looked similar to the ones they wore during Winter Wrap Up. Applejack raised a tired eyebrow as she did her best to try and figure out who he was. When the stallion turned to the side she saw his cutie mark, a cobbler, and realized that he must be new in town so he wouldn’t have known any better.
Taking a deep breath, Applejack approached him.
“Howdy,” she greeted.
“Mornin,” replied the stallion as he looked up at the two. Now that Applejack was closer, she could see the circles under his blue eyes. But despite begging tired, his voice seemed cheery. “Looks like this’ll be a fine day indeed. My first customers of the day! The names Peach Cobbler.”
“Ah right,” began Applejack as she was unsure as to how to approach this. “Mah names Applejack and this here is mah brother Big Mac.” Said stallion nodded.
“Well what can I do ya for?” asked Cobbler. “I got here some of the tastiest peaches and peach pastries in all of Equestria. All of these fine peaches are fresh from our farm: Peach Time Fields. Just moved in last night.”
Applejacks eyes narrowed a bit. “So you’re the low down that kept me up last night,” she growled. “Do ya got any idea how much noise ya were making?” For a moment, Peach Cobbler’s eye began to twitch in annoyance as his smile faded for a moment. But the stallion managed to regain his composer as he forced a smile back onto his face.
“I am deeply sorry about that,” he said. “How about a couple of free peaches to make up for your slight discomfort?” He quickly noticed that this did not sooth the mare’s irritation. In fact, all it seemed to do was make her angrier.
“How about ya move this here stand?” said an angry Applejack. “It’s in our spot!” Peach’s happy expression fell as he stared at the mare.
“I didn’t see you’re name on it,” he replied. Big Mac was about to say something, but his younger sister cut him off.
“This spot has been where the Apple family has sold it’s fine apples since Ponyville was first founded,” she said as she tried to stare down her opponent. “We don’t need to have our name on it.”
“Ah look,” began Big Mac. However he was cut off by Peach Cobbler this time.
“I checked with the mayor before I arrived,” he said as he returned Applejack’s intense stare. “According to her, stalls in the market place are set up on a first come first served policy. Meaning you have no claim to this spot! So, if you’re not going to buy any peaches, I suggest you take your old cart and leave.”
Applejack felt her cheeks glow red from anger. In Ponyville, every pony knew that this was the Apple families spot. Sometimes a pony would set up a stand there by accident, but once the Apple family pointed out that that was where they sold their apples the other ponies would simply nod before moving to a different spot. To have such a rude stallion like him refuse to move was an insult that Applejack refused to take lying down.
“Ah’m goin’ make sure ya move before the day is through!” she declared before turning to Big Mac. “Ah want ya to wait right here till ah get back. Don’t be setting up the stand before ah be getting back, ya hear?”
“But Applejack,” began Big Mac. Sadly, his stubborn little sister didn’t wait for him to finish. Instead she ran off in the direction of the Ponyville Library. This left her brother in a bit of an uncomfortable position. If he did as Applejack suggested, there would be a good chance that he might have to set up their stand at the far end of the market where few ponies ever went. Not to mention he would be stuck having Peach Cobbler glaring at him while the Apple Family made no bits for the day. Sighing, Big Mac shook his head as he began to search for another spot to set up the apple stand before all the good spots were taken.
XXX
Over at the Ponyville Library, Twilight was practically dancing for joy. Books were littered everywhere a pony could think of, making her place seem messier that it usually was. Normally she would be upset with Spike for letting it get this bad. So why was she in a good mood? Well, there were two reasons. The first was that all the book that belonged to the library had been returned on time so Twilight didn’t have to chase anypony to make them pay for late fees. The other reason was that it was re-shelving day.
“Now lets begin,” she said aloud to no pony in particular. Her horn began to glow purple as her magic began to consume all the books in the room. All at once they began to float in the air as they neared the unicorn mare. “‘Basic Magical Theories’ goes in the magic section.” Said book was sent flying towards a shelf in the back. “‘The Marvelous Manticore Mare’, this goes in the comic book section.” Once more another book went flying towards a different corner of the library. “‘The Study of the To Do List’. I wonder why no pony ever checks you out. Oh well, their loss is my gain!”
Twilight was about to send the book towards its appointed spot in on the shelves when she felt some pony appear behind her. Turning around she saw that it was none other than Nightsong who was giving her an odd look. It was the same look that she had whenever she saw a new book fresh off the presses which caused the poor mare’s knees go weak. There was also a look in his eyes that made her feel like she was the only mare in the whole world. It made Twilight feel both at ease and slightly nervous at the same time for some reason.
“Allow me to help you with that,” he said softly. Before Twilight could say anything, the alicorn’s horn lit up in a silvery gray color. Then a bright flash of light caused Twilight to cover her eyes with one hoof. A second later she dared to un-shield her eyes to find that all the book had been sorted away. Not only that, the library looked a bit more romantic. In place of her old couch was a love seat next to a roaring fireplace. In front of it was a bottle of sparkling apple cider and two empty glasses. In a way, it looked like the setting of one of the romance novels she…occasionally read.
“Now we can spend a bit more time together without any distractions,” said the stallion as he took a step closer to her. Twilight felt her face turn red as his lips moved ever so slowly towards her own. She closed her eyes as she prepared for what was to come but a sudden noise, that sounded a lot like a spit take, startled her.
Twilight turned her head towards the source of the sound and nearly died right where she stood. Princess Luna was standing on the other side of the library window staring at Twilight in wide eyed shock. The window was now coated in a brown liquid that had once been in the Styrofoam cup floating next to her. The poor unicorn mare tried to say something, but the only thing to come out of her mouth was a loud ringing noise.
Slowly, Twilight opened her eyes to find herself in her bed. Slowly she reached over to her alarm clock to turn it off, slightly groaning as she did so. Once the annoying sound stopped, the purple mare rolled onto her back as she remembered her dream. For a moment she wanted to dismiss it as simply a dream. However, she remembered that the prince of dreams was sleeping on her couch downstairs.
‘I wonder what he was thinking by giving me a dream like that,’ thought Twilight as a blush appeared on her face. ‘And why would he have his mother appear in it just to ruin the moment?’ Before Twilight could ponder any more, she heard a pounding at the door downstairs. Lightly groaning, the librarian slowly got up out of bed.
Downstairs, the pounding of the door woke up another sleepy pony. Nightsong opened his eyes and for a moment was startled by his unfamiliar surroundings. Taking a deep breath he remembered that he had left his home last night due to construction and had asked Twilight to put him up for the night. The purple mare had agreed, allowing him to spend the night on her couch. Originally she had offered her own bed since he was Princess Celestia’s nephew, but Nightsong was too much of a gentlecolt to do that. He had insisted that she sleep in her own bed while he took the couch.
Still the pounding on the door continued causing that stallion to get out up. Briefly he wondered if he should just answer the door to see what the pony on the other side wanted. That thought was quickly brushed aside as he realized that it would be bad manners. Whoever was pounding at the door most likely wanted to see Twilight and this was her home after all. He couldn’t answer it without permission. There was also the fact that if he did open it at this early hour it might give off a bad impression.
Nightsong quickly moved towards the stairs to see if Twilight was awake. As he began to climb, Twilight opened her door and began to descend down the staircase. Unfortunately when Twilight saw Nightsong, she began slightly startled due to the dream she had just awoken from. She was so startled that she missed her hoofing and began to roll down the steps, crashing into Nightsong along the way. Closing her eyes, Twilight braced herself as the two ponies crashed onto the main floor.
A few seconds after the two had stopped moving, Twilight opened her eyes to find herself in a very…awkward position. Twilight was lying on top of Nightsong who was flat on his back. To make matters worse the fall had knocked out the poor prince. Gulping, Twilight placed her two front hooves on the stallion’s side and began to push up. Sadly it was at that moment that the library door was bucked down. Looking up, Twilight saw Applejack standing backwards at the front door.
“Twi, ya ok there sugarcube?” asked Applejack as the turned her body around. “Ah heard a noise and-” The words died in her throat as she saw her purple friend in a very lewd position on the floor. “Twilight, I never took ya for that kind of mare.”
Twilight’s face became so red that it began to glow. “It’s not what it looks like!”
XXX
Meanwhile Apple Bloom was on her way to school. Today was going to be a good day for her and her friends. The little filly could just feel it in her bones. All three of them had their cutie marks meaning that Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon could no longer call them blank flanks. Most likely the two would have even less supplies to mock them. Or at least that’s what she reckoned.
As she neared the school, Apple Bloom caught sight of Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo who had been walking together. Seeing them, Apple Bloom moved into a gallop to catch up with the two.
“Hey girls,” she said happily as they made their way onto the school grounds.
“Hey Apple Bloom,” said the two in unison.
“Today’s going to be a great day,” said Scootaloo with a wide grin. “I can just feel it.”
“Ah know,” agreed Apple Bloom. “I don’t think there’s any way it can be ruined.” To bad for the poor filly. If only she knew that whenever some pony says something to that affect the day will be ruined.
“I think I know a way,” said Sweetie Belle as she pointed ahead of them. The other two fillies looked ahead to see Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon standing near the door way giving nasty looks to any pony. For time to time one of them would make a snide remark while the other would laugh.
The girls sighed. There was no way to avoid the two without being late. As the three fillies walked toward the door they were spotted by the two brats. Upon seeing their favorite victims, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon grinned at each other before giggling.
“Well look who we have here Silver Spoon,” began Diamond Tiara as she took a few steps closer to the three fillies. “A pathetic group of lame, blank flanks.”
Imagine her surprise when Apple Bloom, instead of protesting, actually smiled. “Not anymore Diamond Tiara. We all got our cutie marks last night. See?” On cue, the three fillies turned to show the two bullies their flanks. As they did, Apple Bloom could just imagine the shocked look on both of their faces. Yet when she turned her head to look at them all she saw was a pair of smirks.
“Like, those are nothing to get excited about,” said Silver Spoon.
“Totally,” agreed Diamond Tiara. “Those cutie marks are the ugliest and the lamest I have ever seen.” The three fillies looked at each other before checking their cutie marks. They didn’t look bad at all.
“What are you talking about?” demanded Scootaloo as she looked at the pair. “Our cutie marks are awesome!”
“Oh really,” said Diamond Tiara as she eyed Scootaloo’s cutie mark. “Only some pony as lame as you would think that riding a scooter makes her special. I mean, you can’t even fly and that’s all your good at. It’s really pathetic when you think about it.” She then looked at Apple Bloom. “And what’s yours suppose to mean? All I see is an apple and a nail. I bet your special talent is something that is usually given to a colt.” She then turned towards Sweetie Belle. “And yours, well, just look at it. It’s just so plain, so common. You’re probably…”
“Stop that,” said a colt’s voice to their right. All five turned their heads to see a light blue earth pony with a peach colored mane staring at the two brats with ice blue eyes. On his flank were three peaches and around his neck was a red bandanna.
“And who do you think you are?” demanded Diamond Tiara.
“I was goin’ to ask the same thing,” replied the colt. “Who do you think you are to pick on them for what makes them special?”
“See these?” said Silver Spoon as she and her best friend turned to show the new comer their flanks. “These cutie marks are superior, marking us as ponies who will one day be important.”
“Yeah right,” said the colt as he rolled his eyes. “The only thing that they show me is that you two are spoiled.” The colt then took a few steps closer. “I bet the two are rich and get everything you want. But for some reason you’re still unhappy so you bully others, making them feel horrible, so you can feel better. It doesn’t make you superior. It just makes you look pathetic.”
Both fillies just stared at the colt for a good, solid second with their jaws dropped. No pony had ever talked down to them like this before. Not even the adults. Slowly, Diamond Tiara’s eyes narrowed into a stare as she thought of how she was going to get back at this colt who thought he was better than they were. She opened her mouth to speak, but Silver Spoon’s hoof stopped her. The little pink filly looked at her friend questioningly only to she that she was pointing her hoof in the direction of the doorway. Looking over her shoulder, Diamond Tiara saw Miss Cheerilee was walking towards the entrance of the school. Not willing to continue in the presence of an adult the two bullies walked away. However, they both knew that they would get back at the colt and the Cutie Mark Crusader’s.
“Ah, thanks,” said Sweetie Belle as the two sulked away. The colt just grinned causing the white unicorn filly to blush slightly.
“It’s nothin’,” he said. “Had a couple ponies just like her back in New Neighberg. Always thinkin’ they were more special than the rest of us just because their daddies had a lot of bits.”
“Well thanks anyways,” said Scootaloo as they began to head into the building. “Any pony who is willing to stand up to those two must be pretty awesome. The name’s Scootaloo. These are my friends Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle.”
“The name’s Peachy Keen,” said the colt. “But every pony just calls me P.K.”
XXX
About an hour later, Twilight found herself in the Ponyville Hospital waiting room. After the events that had taken place in her home the young mare had levitated the unconscious alicorn all the way to the other end of town to seek medical attention. Applejack had volunteered to help, however Twilight declined saying that she could handle things herself. She had wondered briefly what the farming pony had wanted with her to begin with, but Nightsong could have had a concussion of something far worse for all she knew. This made him her top priority.
As she sat there, she briefly wondered if she should have sent a letter to the princesses. They, especially Princess Luna, had every right to know that Nightsong was in the hospital. But if she had, there was chance that they would want to know details. Like why Nightsong had slept over at her place that night as well as what had happened to cause this accident. She felt a little uncomfortable talking about those subjects, more so with the latter. Also, after last nights dream, being around Princess Luna would have been awkward for her.
Also, on a more personal note, she needed to have a one on one talk with the stallion on a very personal matter.
Sighing, Twilight pulled out a book from her saddle bag that she had brought with her. This was one of the many books that Nightsong was loaning her. It was actually a journal written by a unicorn name Forethought, who had been one of the first unicorns to develop memory spells almost a thousand years ago. Sadly he wasn’t all that well known. Only pony’s like Twilight who study obscure historical figures would know about him. Right now there was only one other journal like this in the world and it was kept under lock and key in the Canterlot Library. Princess Celestia allowed no pony to read from it, not even her prized student.
Slowly, Twilight opened up the journal while her heart began to race with excitment. Then, taking a deep breath, she began to read.
April 21st 1971
Breath taking news has occurred. I have received a letter from THE Princess Celestia. She is interested in my theories on memory manipulation. Specifically on deleting certain memories. She has not only agreed to fund my research but also is granting me a fully staffed lab in the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters!
This is such an honor! There is so much to do! What should I bring? My research of course, but what else? I need to calm down, take a deep breath. Maybe I should stop this quote spell before I say something in my panic.
April 30 1971
I have arrived at the palace within the Everfree Forest today. It is more magnificent than I could have imagined. The Princess herself came out to greet me. Once my bags were taken to my room a feast was held in my honor. So much fine food was brought before me that I didn’t know where to start.
During the dinner, Princess Celestia had many questions. I, of course, did my best to answer them. My field of research is still new and mostly theoretical. Yet one question that she asked sticks out for some reason that alludes me. She wanted to know if a deleted memory would ever return. Honestly, I don’t believe so. It would be like trying to repair a piece of parchment that had been burned in a bonfire. The odds that that memory ever coming back perfectly are next to impossible. I told her this and she seemed to visibly relax.
After dinner I was shown to my lab before I headed off to bed. A very busy day tomorrow. Princess Celestia said that a pony had even volunteered to be a test subject. Most kind of her to think ahead like that.
On a more personally note, I am slightly worried about the princess. I have heard the servants whispering and talking when they think no pony is listening. It has been over twenty years since the battle with Nightmare Moon ending with our Princess’s victory. Yet from what I have overheard from the servant, Princess Celestia often visits her sister’s room, practically locking herself inside for hours. One whispered that she heard her crying inside. But that is not all. She also visits the room of her nephew, Prince Nightsong. I had heard rumors that the prince had been missing from the courts for awhile now and it seems that those rumors were true.
June 1st 1971
Today has been a tiring first day. I was introduced to my two assistants, Butter Hooves and Blue Prints. Blue keeps to herself making it hard for me to figure her out. Butter is openly friendly however a bit clumsy. The poor stallion tripped three times on his way to shake my hoof!
I was also introduced to Sunny Day who will be our test subject. While she is a mere earth pony, she has an incredible mind. She was quick to understand some of what I was talking about when we spoke of the events that will follow. She also understands the difficulty of locating a specific memory and then removing it as well as the risks involved. I have been told that a few weeks ago she witnessed her family being slaughtered by timber wolves. The poor dear has been plagued by nightmares ever since.
Our overall goal is simple: remove the memories of the timber wolf attack from Sunny’s mind. It will not be done anytime soon, perhaps sometime within the next year or two. For now I wish to begin mapping her brain as well as performing several tests.
For the next several pages, Twilight saw that they were filled with drawings of a pony’s brain as well as several magical formulas. They were crude compared to today’s standards, but were impressive none the less. As Twilight studied the images on the pages, she quickly lost track of everything around her.
“Twilight?” came a voice in front of her causing her to jump out of her seat. Looking up, she saw Nightsong as he was doing his best to keep from laughing at her expense.
“What did the doctors say?” asked Twilight as she got to her hooves while putting the journal back in her saddle bag. The stallion let out a sigh as the two began to walk out of the hospital.
“He said I might have a concussion,” he grumbled. “Wanted me to stay overnight so that he could monitor my condition better. I turned him down though so he told me not to fall asleep for the next twenty four hours. Considering my past I don’t think it’ll be that hard.” Nightsong turned to smile at Twilight only to find her looking away from him. In fact, it looked a little like she was trying to keep her distance. “Ah, is something wrong?”
Twilight opened her mouth, but then shut it just as quickly. This was the moment she had been waiting for. She needed to talk to him about something important, but found herself completely unprepared. Instantly she regretted reading the journal instead of rehearsing what she would say to him. Deciding to just come out and say it, Twilight took a deep breath.
“It’s a little awkward,” began Twilight.
“Is it about the fall?” asked Nightsong as his ears flattened against his head in shame.
“N-No,” stuttered Twilight. “Well, yes that too. But I know it was an accident. I mean that dream you gave me last night was…” Twilight stopped, unsure as to how to approach the situation.
“What’s wrong with a dream about sorting books?” he asked in slight confusion.
“Well that part was nice,” said Twilight. “But I’m talking about what came after that.”
“That’s all you should have had,” began Nightsong. “Unless…”
“Unless what?” Nightsong looked up towards the sky for a moment. A couple of times he opened his mouth, but then closed it without saying a word. He then returned his gaze upon the purple mare while looking very embarrassed.
“Twilight can you imagine what it would be like if the sun suddenly fell out of the sky?” he asked. “Or if the moon just crashed into the ocean?”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Why would I have to imagine something like that? It’s impossible! Princess Celestia and Princess Luna would never let that happen.”
Nightsong nodded. “No they wouldn’t. That’s because they have total control over the sun and moon. But I’m…different. You see Twilight, dream sprites are like half finished stories. They know what they want to tell, but character names and faces have yet to be filled out. When I plant them within ponies it is the dreamer that helps fill in the blanks. Ninety five present of the time, the dream goes off like it should.”
“But what about the other five present?” asked Twilight.
“The other five present are when the dreamer affects the dream sprite,” replied Nightsong. The grey alicorn then let out a sigh. “I still don’t fully understand it but I will try my best to explain. When I place a dream sprite in a pony, he or she merges with it temporarily. The sprite see’s what is in the pony’s mind and is able to fill in the blanks that I mentioned earlier. But, what if something big was about to happen to that pony. Let’s say it’s a filly who has a big exam tomorrow and goes to bed full of worries. Those worries are taking up all the fillies thought, interfering with the dream sprite’s job. The fillies mind is so chaotic that it begins to alter the story only to replace it with one that represents the fears that that filly is going through. Or lets say something was on your mind, driving you crazy. Whatever it is has a possibility of influencing the dream sprite in a way either to show what it is or to help you remember. In the end it’s just embarrassing. Out of every pony in the family, I’m the only one who can’t fully control their special talent.”
Twilight didn’t know how to really respond to this. To some degree she understood why this was would be embarrassing to any pony. Their special talent was what made a pony who he or she was. Sure, there is always a chance a pony could mess up. But those times were very, very rare. And it was even more unheard of for an alicorn to mess up. But this also meant something else. That Nightsong had been on her mind for some reason and it was strong enough for it to affect a dream sprite.
“Nightsong, I’m sorry,” said Twilight.
The stallion returned the apology with a kind smile. “It’s nothing,” he said simply. “I haven’t told any pony about this in over a thousand years so there was no way you could have known.” Nightsong then tilted his head a bit. “What was you’re dream about anyways.”
“I-It was nothing,” said Twilight. “Just had a lot of weird stuff happening. Especially the end when your mom just appeared.”
“She could of,” replied Nightsong as if it were nothing. Twilight, on the other hoof, stopped dead in her tracks.
“What did you just say?” she asked in a slight panic. There was no way he could be implying that she had seen the real Princess Luna. She had to have misheard him or something.
“I said that it could have been my mother,” said Nightsong. “A thousand years ago we devolved a sleep that would allow the two of us to walk into other ponies dreams. I hear that she still uses it from time to time. So there is a good possibility that you saw her. Ah…Twilight?” Twilight’s eyes had become no bigger than a pin needle as she stared into empty space with her mouth wide open.