In the darkness of her home, Applejack fought against the legs of her unseen foe. Whoever it was, they had an iron grip on her, and refused to let go. After a moment, they stopped in the hallway, and AJ's assailant spoke.
"That the best you got, ya little whippersnapper?" an old, rasping mare's voice asked. Applejack stopped struggling in an instant as she felt the foreleg around her mouth removed.
"That you, Grannie?" Applejack asked, still unable to see in the pitch black house.
"Eyup," the matriarch of the Apple family stated quietly.
To her side, Applejack still heard the sound of Rainbow Dash struggling. The voice belonging to the pony that held her captive spoke up.
"Relax, Rainbow Dash! It's just me, Pinkie Pie!" the party pony exuberantly whispered.
"What the hay-" Rainbow Dash started to loudly exclaim, before she was shushed by what sounded like dozens of ponies.
"What's goin' on?" Applejack asked, in a more subdued tone. She felt a presence come close to her body, and a muzzle rest near her ear. She blushed involuntary at the close proximity of the other pony, but stopped short of reacting.
"It's a surprise party for Big Macintosh," Pinkie pie whispered, as quiet as Fluttershy with a sore throat. Despite the volume, Applejack could feel the other mares excitement from her quivering body alone.
"Now Pinkie, didn't ya say you were shootin' fer Saturday regardin' the party?"
The pink pony barely held back a giggle. "I sure did, silly billy! And since you thought it was on Saturday, it surprised you too! A double surprise party is the best idea I've ever had!"
Applejack stared blankly toward the other pony's direction, before realizing the effect was probably pointless, due to the dark. "Well, if you say so, Pinkie. But you'd best get someone outside to gather up Zecora and Braeburn quick like."
"On it!" the pony said, a bit louder than she probably meant to be. Applejack felt a blast of air from where the pony once stood.
Tarnation. How in the blazes does that pony move so fast? I can't even see two feet in front of me.
"Grannie?" AJ called, her voice just barely above normal.
"Yes, Jack?" the elder replied back. From the sounds coming a few feet away, Applejack gathered that her grandmother was stumbling towards her.
"Firstly: how in blazes did you keep me pinned down like that? I ain't mad, I'm impressed. Second: it darker than normal in here to ya?"
"Leverage, and experience wrasslin' hogs 'n cows when I was a younger mare. As for the other question, eyup, it is. Pinkie covered all the windows with blankets, said that 'nothing ruins a surprise more than accidentally catchin' a peak.'"
Applejack grimaced. "She really takes her parties seriously."
"You can say that again," Rainbow Dash spoke loudly, stepping towards Applejack's voice.
"Rainbow Dash, shush," a mares voice stated. Applejack instantly recognized it belonging to her bookish friend Twilight Sparkle.
"You're here too, Twi?" the farm mare quietly questioned.
"Yep," the voice confirmed. "I really hope we're ready soon- I need to use the little mare's room."
"That makes two of us," a voice that could only belong to her assistant, Spike, made it's presence known. He thought for a beat, before continuing. "Well, not the little mare's room, but the little dragon's room- of course, the Apple family doesn't have one of those, so I guess it would be the mare's room sorta, though-"
"Spike?" Applejack stated in a deadpan tone.
"Yeah?"
"You're just diggin' yourself deeper, sugarcube. Just call it the bathroom, for all our sakes."
"Oh. Uh, ok," the baby dragon replied with a nervous laugh.
000
Braeburn and Zecora walked together in the sunset, the breeze shaking the leaves of the apple orchards that crowded the pathway. As they got closer though, Braeburn stopped to examine the house. As he gazed at it, he tilted his head in thought.
"Huh," he eloquently stated.
Zecora paused by his side, and turned her turquoise eyes towards the cowpony. "Was that a sigh, or something more significant that you wish to imply?"
The brown haired stallion tilted his hat back, and pointed a hoof towards their destination. "Well, something seem wrong 'bout any of that?"
Zecora squinted ahead. "Well, nothing really catches my sights. Unless, of course, you mean the lack of lights?"
"That's what I was meanin'. I bet it's the breaker box. Thing was on the fritz last time I was 'round here; it would shut off power to the whole house sometimes. I reckoned there was a short somewhere in the wiring. Figured Mac woulda got to it by now, though."
"Mac is a busy pony, that's for sure. If anything, he was probably going to hire an electrician to provide a cure."
Braeburn smiled gently, starting to walk again. "Mac? Not doin' his own repair work? Ya'll ain't been around him much. He's pretty stubborn 'bout fixin' his own problems." The cowpony shrugged. "Then again, most Apples are pretty mule headed when it comes to taking care of stuff."
"By your words, I assume you are not?"
"Not to brag, but I'm the most easygoing one out of our lot," he quickly replied, adjusting his jacket. He paused, blinking. "Did...did I just finish your rhyme?"
The striped equine nodded. "I don't consider it a crime."
Braeburn gave a snort of laughter. "Well, tell you what, Miss Zecora, you just go inside. You'll be in a hallway, just ignore the doors, and go straight. That'll take you to the livin' room. Usually in power outs, that's where the family regroups. I'll amble over towards the cellar, get some lights back on."
The zebra nodded, pausing near the front porch.
Braeburn gave a polite bow in return before heading left, around the house.
Zecora peaked into the darkness, and the darkness stared back. With a sigh, she stepped in.
The mare blindly felt along the right sided wall with a hoof, before stumbling across a light switch. Before she could move deeper into the unlit hallway, she was grabbed by her left side from within the shadows.
Years of living in her homeland had prepared her for a situation like this, and she reacted without thinking, twisting her torso upward and to the side, and rotating her lower body to the left. She lifted up her assailant from the inertia, and took the pony to the ground instantly, her skill not even allowing a noise from the drop, or her would-be attacker.
Zecora pinned the other pony to the floor, fumbling in the dark only briefly before planting her hooves onto their shoulders. Finally, she leaned over, towards where she thought the other ponies face was.
"Let's take you outside, coward, into the light. We'll see what happens in a fair fight," she snarled.
A nervous laugh rung out. "Uh. Zecora? Could you let me go? I totally didn't mean to scare you. I just needed to make sure you didn't turn on the light," the energetic pony named Pinkie Pie whispered.
Zecora, upon hearing the others voice, rose, offering a hoof in the dark, before realizing its futility.
"Rise Pinkie; do not be alarmed. I just was afraid, I thought you planned on bringing me harm."
"Why would I wanna hurt you? That's just mean."
"The world itself is not always so kind. A fact I pray you and your friends never find," the zebra replied.
Suddenly, they heard footsteps on the porch, and the moonlit shadow of Breaburn stood in the open doorway.
"Hey ya'll? Power's-"
"Shhh!" Pinkie Pie commanded, appearing at his side and putting a hoof to his mouth. He tilted his head, confused at the action, before stepping inside and tossing her hoof away. Pinkie dove, grabbing his back legs in desperation. He simply raised a brow, and continued forward, dragging the mare along the wooden floor.
Breaburn felt along the wall, before finding the light switch.
"No! Don't touch that!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, her eyes widening in panic.
Breaburn offered a laugh, tilting his hat back. "Don't worry none. I checked the breaker. 'lectric should be fine and dandy, was even 'fore I looked it over. The light's safe."
"N-no! It's not that, it's-"
Before Pinkie could finish, the cowpony flicked the switch on, lighting the long, door filled hallway decorated with pictures, and brightening the living room, with its well worn couch, coffee table loaded with punch and snacks, a rocking chair and bookshelf in the far left corner, a large recliner on the right that was Mac's favorite chair, and fourteen ponies that were scattered all around the room. Several winced at the sudden glare of the light, covering their eyes with pained groans. One, however, was undaunted.
"Surprise!" The deep voice of a stallion called from the far side of the room, near the hallway that went toward the rest of the homestead.
The others turned, staring in shock at Big Macintosh.
After a moment, he bit his lip nervously, rubbing his injured foreleg lightly. "...Did I call it too soon? Never was good at timin' those things."
A long, drawn out silence passed between him and the guests. The other ponies could almost hear the realization dawn on him.
"...The surprise was for me, wasn't it?" he shyly asked the crowd.
"OH COME ON!" Pinkie exclaimed, gesturing her forelegs out and yelling down the hallway. "When did you- I mean- I don't even- HOW!?" She finally asked, completely flabbergasted, not used to her own tricks of briskly ignoring physics being used against her.
"Came down earlier, when only a few ponies were around and you darkened the rooms. Ya'll mentioned seeing AJ and Braeburn, so I just figured it was a 'welcome back' party for him. Then I parked myself right here. I reckon' I fell asleep. Next thing I know, I hear quite a bit of ponies all wanderin' round, and I just figure it's 'bout time for it to start. Guess I was right on one account, at least."
Still noticing everypony staring at him, he withered a bit under their gaze. "I'mma talkin' too much, ain't I? I'll stop now, let ya'll get to the party. I'm sure Miss Pie made tons of food."
Breaburn started laughing loudly as he walked down the long hallway with Pinkie and Zecora; they took a few steps into the living room, joining the other party goers. "Mac? Talkin' too much? Someone pinch me, I ain't awake."
Pinkie sighed. "Can't believe I messed up a surprise party."
Zecora put a gentle hoof on the party pony's shoulder. "Although the surprise may have gone awry, I say- wait. Is that a cake I spy?" she questioned, pointing over to the coffee table. On top of it sat a well decorated vanilla cake with pink frosting.
"Yeah. I baked it for Mackie." The pink maned mare nodded somberly.
"I love cake. It's a shame I myself don't know how to bake," the zebra replied.
"I have a song for learning how to make a cake, I'll sing it to you sometime. For now though, let's PARTYYY!" Pinkie yelled, her energetic nature finally returning.
000
It wasn't long at all before the rest of the party goers followed Pinkie's example, and the party went into full swing. Pinkie, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash all took to dancing to the fast paced music that came from a well used record player, and Rarity found an enraptured audience listening to her as she told a story a client of hers mentioned earlier that day. Applejack moved easily between conversation and keeping an eye on her little sister Applebloom, who, despite being a good filly, was still apt to get into trouble when her friends were around. After a taxing moment of putting out a small fire Applebloom accidentally started in the kitchen, AJ took to the punch bowl, where a nervous Fluttershy stood by the wall, taking in the sights of the other ponies. Upon seeing her socially awkward friend, Applejack walked over.
"Howdy."
"Uh, hi," The timid pegasus replied, ducking down slightly and obscuring her bright blue eyes with her pink mane.
"Ya'll ain't gonna spend all night by the snacks, are ya?"
The yellow pegasus paused. "Well...I-I really don't think I wanna dance, especially with so many ponies around, and I don't want to b-be a bother to anypony either."
Applejack shook her head, a gentle smile on her face. "Horsefeathers, ya ain't a bother to nopony. You should just get out there an' talk."
"B-but..."
The workpony shook her head. "No 'buts,' jus' socialize a bit. It'd make me feel better."
"A-alright." Fluttershy stammered, walking away from the punchbowl.
She quickly scanned the living room, and saw that the pony she wanted to speak with wasn't there, so she moved deeper into the home, taking the hallway and turning left, towards the kitchen. She peeked her head inside the doorframe, and saw Applebloom over by the dining table playing with her friends Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. Fluttershy smiled gently at the three, and turned back to the hallway.
She noticed a half open door on the right, and pushed on it, revealing a study.
It was obviously used less for book reading, and more for book keeping, as the heavy oak desk that sat by a window had its share of scuffs, and the top of it was littered with paper receipts and a calculator. Sitting in a large chair behind the desk was Macintosh; he was casually talking to Zecora, who had chosen a seat by the desk's side. The zebra gently rubbed the belly of the Apple's family dog, Winona, as the two conversed.
"Uh, hello?" Fluttershy squeaked.
The two turned their attention to the timid pony in front of them.
"Well howdy there, Miss Shy." Mac smiled.
The pegasus swallowed nervously in reply.
"Greetings to you, my little friend! How have been the animals that you attend?" the zebra asked.
Fluttershy relaxed slightly upon finding familiar ground to talk about. "Oh, just lovely. The chickens especially, I've got more eggs than I know what to do with!" She lightly giggled. After a moment, she shifted slightly. "Uh, I wanted to say something to you both."
"Ah yeah?" Mac questioned. "What's on yer mind?"
The pegasus almost seemed to shrink under the large stallions stare. "W-well... I wanted to say, uh..." The next words were unintelligible to both of the other ponies.
Mac tilted his head. "Er, come again?"
Fluttershy muttered the same, nearly unintelligible words.
"Come on Fluttershy, my dear. You must speak louder, for me and Mac to hear," Zecora urged.
"Thank you!" she suddenly blurted out.
The red stallion and the potion maker exchanged glances.
"Fer what, exactly?" Macintosh asked, leaning his good foreleg on the desk.
"W-well. For my medicine. I got you both h-hurt because of me," she stuttered, a blush spreading across her face.
"Ya'll take that thought outta your mind," Mac retorted. "You didn't do anythin'. Odds are, those wolves had it in fer us no matter what we did."
"B-but I-"
"No buts," The red stallion said bluntly. Then in a more gentle tone, he continued. "Ya'll should get back to the party. I'm sure my sister's missin' you."
"W-well... if-if you want me to, that is..." she replied, slowly backing out of the room. "A-are you both coming?"
"Eyup. In just a few. Got a matter to discuss first."
"O-ok. Thank you both again," Fluttershy stated, a warm and gentle smile gracing her face as she turned around, shutting the door behind her.
Macintosh turned back to Zecora, who wore a bemused expression of her own.
The farmpony raised a brow to his mohawked friend.
"The way you talk to her is quite gentle and kind. Tell me: do you have thoughts of her running through your mind?"
He rolled his eyes. Upon seeing that she wasn't going to change the subject anytime soon, he finally offered a wry smile. "Ya know, quite a few people think the way you do. We're both quiet, we like animals, and we'd help anypony who needed it in a heartbeat." His smile faded, and was replaced with a somber frown. "I, uh, asked her once, we even had a date or two, but it didn't work out."
Zecora leaned forward, placing Winona on the ground. The dog promptly scampered out the study. "Not to be bossy or inquire, but was there just a lack of a spark; a lack of fire?"
Macintosh nodded. "I think she did like me quite a bit, but it never clicked fer me."
He sighed and stopped speaking. After a beat, he sorted some papers on the desk with his hoof.
When he had the papers gathered in a neat stack, he pressed on. "I think someponies can be too alike, ya know? There's no real lookin' deep inside, an' searchin' fer what makes 'em special ta you." He scratched his head, wishing he had a hay stalk to play with at the moment. "When it comes down to it, I think a-a relationship's like a garden. Somethin', uh, somethin' like seeds get planted-" he tapped his heart with his good hoof for emphasis- "An' from there, with attention, you can bloom somethin' beautiful."
He glanced over to Zecora, and shook his head, causing his messy mane to tickly his face.
"Sorry. I ain't the most poetic of ponies. I just wanted you to see where I was comin' from. Fluttershy is a friend, and I'm grateful for it, but I could never consider her anythin' else."
The zebra was hardly perturbed. "Big Macintosh, your words I can respect." She frowned. "I shouldn't have asked something so personal, in retrospect."
He snorted. "Ain't no problem, Zecora."
At hearing the easy way he dismissed her transgressions, the striped equine's turquoise eyes brightened up and sparkled mischievously. "As for your view on how love blooms, I agree, do not despair. It is far better to find somepony different, and explore your devotion with the utmost of care," she said, putting a hoof onto Macintosh's foreleg.
"E-eyup," He replied, swallowing. His red coat did little to hide the slight blush he carried.
The zebra laughed at seeing his shocked nerves. "Oh Macintosh, you are a delight to tease! But let's return to our earlier topic, if you would please?"
"Our pony friend from Everfree?" Mac asked. Upon seeing Zecora confirm his question with a polite nod, he carried on, "Well... I can tell ya fer a fact that I got him ta Ponyville. He was on my back the whole damn way. After that though, I ain't got a clue."
"I have no idea either where he'd be. Let's go and ask a member of your family," Zecora stated, rising from the chair with an audible hiss as she briefly clutched her pained side. Macintosh followed suit, gasping lightly when his injured legs touched ground.
"Ya know, combine us two, and ya jus' might have one pony that actually works right," Macintosh grunted.
"I would laugh at that, but it would hurt my sides even worse than when I sat."
000
As it turned out, finding a member of the Apple family was easier than they expected. AJ, Braeburn, Grannie Smith, and Applebloom stopped the music from the record player for a moment upon seeing Macintosh and Zecora enter the living room. Grannie Smith began playing on a fiddle, slowly, carefully working the magic of its melody to the enraptured audience.
"Been a bit since I've heard this one," Mac said, smiling wistfully, as if that would encourage his family to continue.
"You act like I should know this song. Though I do admit, the fiddle work is strong."
"Eyup. Grannie knows how ta work it. As fer knowin' the song? Naw, I wouldn't expect ya to."
At this moment, Applejack started to sing in a low, beautiful alto, joining her Grandmother in the same slow and sweet melody.
"When you're weary. Feeling small. When tears are in your eyes...I will dry them all."
Braeburn opened his mouth, joining Applejack with a strong and clear tenor.
"I'm on your side. When times get rough, and friends just can't be found. Like a bridge over troubled water... I will lay me down. Like a bridge over troubled water... I will lay me down."
Zecora nodded in approval, leaning towards Macintosh to whisper to him. "I like the tune. Having such voices in your family must be quite the boon."
"Eyup. It missed me, though. Only way I can carry one is in a bucket." Mac shrugged.
The song continued, and Macintosh stoically listened, up until the last verse, where Applebloom added a tambourine to Applejack's and Braeburn's singing, striking the instrument forcefully with the beat.
"Sail on Silver Mare, sail on by. Your time has come to shine. All your dreams are on their way. See how they shine. If you need a friend, I'm sailing right behind. Like a bridge over troubled water... I will ease your mind. Like a bridge over troubled water... I will ease your mind."
As the song ended, a thunderous applause of hooves stamping the floor came from the other guests, causing the Apple family to laugh loudly, and congratulate one another with a brief hug.
Zecora looked to the side. Her new friend, a stallion who was known as the strongest pony in Ponyville, perhaps even in all of Equestria, was weeping silent tears, clapping loudly for his family. He noticed Zecora staring, and wiped his eyes after a moment, coughing into his hoof.
"Sorry. That song gets to me. It's what they played for my Pa at his funeral."
"There is nothing to be ashamed of, Mac," Zecora said, putting a hoof on his shoulder for support. "I see no reason for you to keep your emotions choked back."
Applebloom noticed Macintosh from across the room, and she ran towards him, giving his good foreleg a hug.
"Mac! Did'ja see me up there?" the little filly asked, craning her head up to look at the stallion.
"E-eyup." He said as his eyes continued to water, returning the embrace with his bandaged hoof.
"Are ya ok Mackie? Ya look sad," Applebloom replied, her own yellow eyes starting to shimmer as she watched her big brother.
He gave a little laugh, rubbing the top of her red mane gently. "You kiddin'? I ain't been this happy in a while, Applebloom. I 'preciate ya'll singin' for me."
"I'm glad ya liked it, Mac. I knew it was your favorite," Applejack said while moving through the small crowd to join her brother.
"Eyup. Was Pa's too."
"I knew that," she quietly added. They stood together for a moment, watching Applebloom as she lost interest with her brother and sister, and wandered off towards the kitchen to return to her friends.
"Applejack..." Mac started.
"Yep?" the farm mare quickly shot back.
"When I brought Zecora ta Nurse Redheart, I had a few things on me. Ya wouldn't happen to know where they got to, would ya?"
"I put yer saddlebags in yer closet."
The stallion shook his head. "Naw. Bigger."
AJ's eyes shot open. "Oh! Ya'll mean that ugly statue?"
"Eyup."
"Well, I don't see why ya'd keep somethin' like that, but I knew you'd have my head if I threw it away, so I just tossed it in my room."
Macintosh gave a thankful release of his breath. "Thank Celestia. I was scared ya might have pitched it."
"Nah. I know better ta toss yer stuff thanks to that time I junked those lette-"
"Shh!" He hissed.
Zecora saw another opportunity to make the large stallion's life miserable. "'Letters,' you said, Applejack? Perhaps love notes that he kept in a gigantic stack?"
Macintosh felt his face heat up to an even darker shade of red. "Both ya'll shut yer traps," he warned.
Applejack ignored him. "Whoo, doggie! You have no idea, 'Cora. I swear ta ya, half were-"
Her comment was promptly silenced by a large hoof going over her mouth.
"Nope," Mac drawled, a warning implied behind the word. He pulled his hoof away from his sister. "We got better things ta be askin' 'bout."
"As much as I do love torturing Mac, I admit, there is information we lack. Tell me dear, have you seen Twilight? We require her aid before the end of the night."
Applejack pointed down the hallway, towards the front door. "Twi' said she was takin' Spike home ta bed after we sang fer Macintosh. I reckon' ya best get goin' if ya wanna see her."
Zecora wordlessly cantered through the living room, doing her best not to bump into the remaining party goers, and with a quick swish of her tail, she left the home, shutting the door behind her.
"Seems pretty urgent," Applejack said, scratching her chin with a hoof.
Mac gave a half shrug. "It's a bit complicated, but we need her fer somethin'."
"What," Applejack smirked. "Ya'll suddenly start developin' a taste for magic?"
"Nope. As often as I've been hit by it, I ain't a fan at all. But we need it ta help somepony, and that's somethin' I'll do no matter what."
"As shown," The mare stated, cheerfully poking his injured back. Macintosh glared daggers at the offending hoof, but Applejack pretended not to notice, grinning wildly instead. Her smile faded after a moment, and she dropped the appendage down to the floor.
"Mac. I wanted ta say somethin', while ponies weren't tuggin' us left an' right."
"Eyup?"
She reached a foreleg up, and gently put it on his shoulder. "What you did fer Zecora was mighty noble 'a you. I'm right proud; same goes fer Grannie and Applebloom."
Macintosh let a sly smile grace his normally stoic appearance. "Now, it feels like I've heard this before. Though, we got each others lines mixed up this time."
His sister returned the expression. "I reckon so. Though, normally I ain't as beat up as you are."
The noise of the front door opening made both of them turn to face it. There stood Zecora, waving a weary looking Twilight Sparkle inside. She complied, and once she entered, Macintosh could see her baby dragon assistant, Spike, asleep on the purple unicorn's back.
The bookish pony gave a tired nod to Applejack as she approached Big Macintosh, then turned her attention to the large stallion in front of her.
"Hello there, Macintosh. Zecora mentioned that you required my skillset to perform a task she was ill suited for."
"Eyup," The workpony agreed. "AJ, you said the statue was in yer room, right?"
"Uh-huh." The orange pony nodded.
"Then would ya kindly take us there?"
"I guess," Applejack said reluctantly, tilting her stetson hat back. Twilight moved briefly to place the sleeping Spike gently on the couch, before rejoining the others.
Moments later, Twilight Sparkle, Macintosh, Applejack, and Zecora all walked through the living room, into the back hallway, and up the stairs to the second floor of the house. They passed by Macintosh's room on the left, and another on the right, before finally stopping on the third door on the left. Applejack coughed into her hoof.
"Sorry in advance 'bout the mess," she muttered, pushing the door open. It reveled a fairly spartan area, with a layout similar to Macintosh's room. However, there were a few more things in here compared to her brothers; the first was the most obvious and out of place; the life sized statue of a stallion frozen in an expression of fright. It was propped casually against her closet doors. The other noteworthy object in the room was a large vanity near the doorway, its top covered in papers and receipts.
Mac picked one up casually. "A feed bill?" he questioned.
"Was up ta me ta figure out the fancy mathematics while you were sleepin'. Grannie's eyes are gettin' bad, ya know," she retorted. "Just took 'em up here and was tryin' ta balance the books a bit before bed each night."
"Hmm," he grunted in response, already noting a few mistakes on the notes scattered all about.
Their attention turned towards the statue. Applejack walked over and hoisted it onto her bed. She glanced at the others. "So, how does one of these 'not stone spells' work?"
Zecora opened her mouth, but Twilight was faster.
"It's more along the lines of a 'reverse petrification spell,' actually. As for how it works, it's a magic that effects natural life on the atomic level, creating vibrations to alter sto-"
"Nah. I'm better off not knowin'." Applejack interrupted, covering her ears.
Twilight gave a long suffering glance at her simple farm friend and stopped the lesson instantly.
"Fine." She sighed. "Your education, not mine."
The unicorn walked towards the bed, before scratching the pink streak of hair in her purple mane. She looked over the stone, muttering to herself as she scanned it for any physical damage. Noting none, she began.
With a slight hum, her horn began to faintly glow in a purple aura. Her eyebrows furrowed in thought.
"You were correct, Zecora. It's a powerful magic," she grunted.
The hum increased in volume, and her horn's glow increased in its saturation, turning into a more definite color. As she focused, beads of sweat formed on her forehead, and the stone pony began to take on the faintest glow around its body.
"I-I haven't seen something like this since-" She stopped the sentence and let out a yell as electricity crackled from the stone statue, shocking her body with a bolt of lightning.
"A counterspell!" Twilight snarled, the other spell already being surrounded in a purple bubble, thanks to Twilight's expertise with magic. With a simple twitch of her mouth, the bubble collapsed in on itself, dispelling the electricity to the nether.
Her horn was now completely saturated in purple, the hum in the room grew defining. Several fresh burn marks marred her lavender coat from where the electricity struck, one of which was already seeping blood down her leg. The scent of burnt fur made the others cringe.
"Twilight, you are injured, stop the spell! Don't put your body through any more hell!" Zecora yelled, only to receive a glare from the unicorn in return.
"No!" Twilight shouted back, the strain of the spell obvious in the way she held her body. "No! I can do this!"
Her brow narrowed in concentration as she squinted her eyes shut. The hum grew deafening, and the others, save for Twilight and Macintosh covered their ears. Twilight's whole body began to illuminate purple, and the aura around the statue thickened, obscuring the object in its mists.
The purple pony opened her eyes. Gone were her violet orbs; rather, her eyes radiated pure white, and the entire room seemed thick, almost choking with energy.
Pinpricks of light peeked through the obscuring fog surrounding the statue. Within seconds, they expanded, reaching out towards every corner of the room, until all the occupants where blinded by the pure white light. With their vision gone, they heard a loud snap, and then a thud on the floor.
Applejack was the first to open her eyes. Wisps of smoke fluttered around the room, most of which was rising from Twilight's collapsed and unconscious form. The pony was hurt; Applejack saw that clear as day, but she seemed stable, drawing breath on her own, albeit in panting, fatigued gasps. AJ moved over, and investigated her injuries closer.
She was no doc, but it didn't look life threatening. Four modestly painful looking burn marks that hit her chest in jagged strips, and a few scratches. All things considered, Twilight was lucky. After performing her once-over, the farm pony turned to her brother.
"Mac, I know yer hurtin', but yer the strongest out of all of us. I need you ta get Twilight ta Nurse Redheart. She'll be right as rain even if it takes you a bit, but those burns are gonna sting like crazy when she wakes up." As an afterthought, she added; "Oh, and tell everypony not to worry 'bout the noise. We got it all under control. I'mma see if the spell worked."
"Eyup." The stallion nodded, taking his instructions in, and wasting no time in loading the injured unicorn onto his back. As he cantered out the door, Applejack carefully moved towards the side of the bed, Zecora trailing right behind her.
On it was an unconscious earth pony laying flat on his back, surrounded by dirt and small chips of stone. Applejack glumly thought of the cleaning she'd need to do before she slept there again.
He seemed about Fluttershy's age, skinny, with a long, light brown mane flecked with white streaks, and a dark yellow coat. Only a one thing seemed particularly odd about him. A quick glance along his flank didn't show an obvious Cutie mark. While not unheard of, by the age he was at, most ponies had already found their calling in life.
Satisfied with the exam, Applejack turned towards her zebra friend. "Well, ya think we should wake him? I mean, I'm kinda curious an' all."
"Let the pony sleep for now. However, I would suggest we take turns watching over him, so he doesn't get the chance to escape your homestead and prowl."
"Good thinkin'," The farm pony said. "Well then, I reckon' I'll take first watch, ya'll can get second in a couple hours, and we'll just go down the list from there."
"That plan is as good as any, and as for our volunteers, I suppose we do have many."
"Yep! Ooh! Ooh! Dibs on the fifth watch! Five is my lucky number!" a mare's voice from the hallway spoke up. The two turned toward the interruption and saw Pinkie Pie, grinning and waving spastically.
"Pinkie Sense?" Applejack guessed.
"No, silly! I just heard a lot of noise when I was partying downstairs, and saw Mac carrying Twilight outside after he apologized about the noise to everypony, so I thought, 'Oh! They must be playing a game upstairs!' and, well, I don't think I'll like it quite as much as 'pin the tail on the pony,' because I love that one, but sometimes you do need variety, because-"
"Pinkie," Applejack stated.
"-Variety is the spice of life, you know. Though I've always preferred cinnamon, that's my favorite spice-"
"Pinkie, darlin'," Applejack spoke again, more urgently this time.
"-Though if I had to pick just one spice, I'd definitely go with sugar. Oh wait, that's not a spice, it's not even everything nice. Hmm, I might have to rethink thi-"
"Pinkie!" the orange mare yelled.
"Yes, Applejack?" she asked, blinking her eyelids innocently.
"If ya would be so kind, get Spike home. If he asks, tell 'em that Twilight's ok, but she's not gonna be there until tomorrow. After that, ya'll are welcome to join our watch."
"Okie dokie loki!" The party pony giggled, hopping away.
The farm pony looked to her zebra acquaintance, and sighed with a not unkind roll of her eyes. "She's one of my closest friends, and I love that pony to death, but one day she's gonna make me start drinkin' the stuff Mac keeps in the shed," uttering that, she pulled up a stool she kept near her vanity, and hopped up on it, sitting near her bed.
"Like I mentioned, I'll start. When he wakes up, whoever's watchin' just needs ta give a shout to everypony in the area."
"It will be an interesting story, that I can see. I wonder who the pony is, or what his purpose may be," Zecora pondered, walking out of the room.
"Guess we'll find out when we find out, huh?" Applejack indifferently replied, tapping her hat forward. "Goodnight, Zecroa."
"Night to you as well, Jack. I hope that stool isn't too hard on your back." The striped equine quipped, laughing good naturedly at the rhyme as she shut the door.
The farm pony leaned forward, resting her front hooves on her legs.
"Well, pardner. Sleep up while ya can."