It’s a lazy morning in Ponyville; it is also not shimmering, mostly because Celestia hasn’t made the sun rise yet. Well, right now, I can't say what it is in Ponyville because I am in a hut in the Everfree. From the enchanted straw ceiling that reflects the sky in real time, I can say with confidence I am in the chaos ponies’ hut. Was the ceiling always like that?
Bitter Sweet wakes up to meditate under the rising sun. At this point, she has 45 minutes before that occurs, giving her plenty of time to complete her pre-morning rituals. She has done this plenty of times so she does the whole process of combing her hair, brushing her teeth, and preparing a light pre-breakfast with her orange magic. Actually having her eyes closed expedites the process since she has access to her subconscious reserves of energy.
She finally opens her eyes to take the first bite of one of her homegrown apples, they would be sweeter than Sweet Apple Acres’ but the Everfree forest doesn’t really allow for edible plant growing (usually). If it were not for Bitty’s skills in natural magic, the apple seeds would grow into kumquats (not that there is anything wrong with kumquats).
She lets her brother, Solar Nuul, sleep for some more time. As much as she would love to bounce on his bed and disturb his sleep cycle, or jump into his dream and annoy the buck out of him, he needs his sleep for whatever he’s planning to do with that mystery potion he’s been making recently. Even she knows not to mess with explosive chemicals, too bad her brother isn’t sensible enough to know logical things.
With a final look at the snoozing Sol, she inhales to take in the angle of the sun to find out the time she has left. She might not be able to move the sun or the moon but she can sense where it is in the sky as accurately as a pegasus can predict the weather patterns necessary for balance. Well, she’s in pegasus form so she can do that too.
“10 minutes to get to the clearing,” Bitty says to herself. “I can get there in time.”
With that, she opens the hut’s door and walks outside. If she were more into abstract magic, like Sol, she would teleport, but being a pegasus comes with its advantages. She spreads her wings and takes off slowly, at first, to clear the tree canopy. Once she is in the air, she zooms to the clearing she goes to every morning since her arrival in the forest to meditate.
“With all due respect, Princess Celestia,” Twilight says calmly before starting to use the Royal Canterlot Voice she perfected from hearing Luna use it on Nightmare Night, “HOW COULD YOU BRING DISCORD HERE?” (It’s all in the diaphragm).
Then she returns her voice back to calm and adds a bow, “Your majesty.”
“I'm fully aware that the last time Discord was here, he created serious havoc,” starts to explain Celestia.
Rainbow Dash then takes control of the conversation between her princess and her friend, “If by ‘serious havoc’, you mean ‘turning Ponyville into the chaos capital of the world’…”
“...and tricking us all into being the opposite of our true selves...” Rarity adds.
“…And…making yummy delicious chocolate milk rain all over the place without a single dollop of whipped cream to go with it anywhere in sight!” adds Pinkie Pie. “Not a single dollop!”
“Yes, I understand,” Celestia says in her number 2 tender voice (no need to make them melt into her control just yet). “But I have use for Discord's magic if it can be reformed to serve good instead of evil. This is why I've brought Discord here, because I believe that you are the ponies who can help him do just that.”
Little baby Spike, having less vision and foresight than even the main characters of this story (obviously I mean Bitty and Sol) starts to flip out.
“This will never work! This is a disaster! How will we ever control him‽ We're doomed!”
Celestia, having more foresight than most would credit her, has already planned the rebuttal, “Need I remind you that you are the ponies who turned him back into stone like this in the first place?”
Soon, with her prepared logic, wits, kindness, and assertiveness, she gets all those present to agree with her. Now she only needs to find Applejack and Fluttershy. Mostly Fluttershy since her kindness is the only pony that can rival her own. With that kindness, she can tame the beast that is Discord.
Bitty returns to her Unplottable hut, Sol did the spell. No pony else knows how you can force an area in space to become unplottable on a map. Not even the best unicorns. Maybe Celestia told him how. Not that she cares about that kind of magic anyway.
Sol has already started the breakfast of haycon, blueberry muffins, and strawberry milkshakes. Actually, he was done a couple minutes ago, since he knew when Bitty would return.
“So did your milkshakes bring anypony to the yard?” Bitty asks her brother for the third time this month (she makes sure to say it once a week).
“No,” responds Sol. “Not unless you count you. Even if there wasn’t a repulsive spell or if this place wasn’t unplottable or if this place wasn’t designed to absorb magic or…”
“Okay!” Bitty interrupts. “Fine I get it. You don’t have to do that every time I say the joke.”
“Well unless you stop saying it, I won’t stop explaining why it is not possible for my milkshakes to bring ponies to the yard…a yard we don’t even own.”
This is going to be a long day thinks Bitter Sweet.
She still has no clue what is waiting for them today.
“I realize that this is a tall order, but I wouldn't ask if I weren't confident you could get him to use magic obediently of his own free will,” Celestia tells Fluttershy, making sure to step up her kind voice to level 1.5.
Usually Celestia would only need to use level 2 or 3 but Fluttershy is impervious to kindness since she represents that element. She would never go to level 0 though. That would kill most immortals in an “hnng” attack. Luckily, she has Fluttershy to deliver non-lethal doses of kindness to Discord.
“And…you really think I'll know best how to do that?” Fluttershy enquires, subconsciously resisting Celestia’s charm.
Celestia initiates physical contact to increase the potency of her glare and says, “I do.”
After she sees Fluttershy cheeks turn pink like her mane, she removes her hoof and starts to away, “Now, I must return to Canterlot for Equestria's royal summit. You may release Discord when ready.”
Celestia gets into the carriage that she came in; the four guards flying her back to Canterlot feeling glad that they aren’t carrying the weight of the stone lord of chaos anymore (even though that happiness would never be allowed to pass their mask of apathy).
“Actually,” Celestia tells the four flying guards, “We need to go to the Everfree forest first.”
Dubious at first, the four guards look at each other with impassively expressive stares. It is like their faces never change but they can discern each other’s emotions. Must be some military training.
Of course, they cannot go against the stronger half of the Diarchy of Equestria without being court martialed and exiled on the spot, so they change course to the Everfree forest.
Neither Twilight nor the rest of the mane six notice this change in course because they are busy freeing Discord in a flash of rainbow magic.
“So whatcha doing there,” Bitty finally asks Sol after he busted out his chemistry kit from a briefcase (which I still think shouldn’t have a chemistry kit inside).
“I am making a potion,” Sol states matter-of-factly.
“Well obviously,” Bitty remarks rolling her eyes. “I want to know what it is for.”
“I can't tell you yet it is a surprise for Twilight when I finally meet her.”
“Oh no.” Bitty says face palming with her eyes open. “Don’t tell me you are still planning her cold and precise execution.”
“No, it is not a death potion. Actually, a draught of living death is many times easier than this thing. For that, all I would need is asphodel, sloth brain, sopophorous beans, valerian root, and wormwood.”
“So…what is this?”
“Like I said, it’s a surprise.”
“It’s a surprise for Twilight, not me. Come on, you can tell me.”
Suddenly, a wild knock appears to go through the air particles in the room at the speed of sound. Then, some make it to the twin ponies’ twin ears.
“What‽” Solar Nuul Interrobangs. “That is impossible, no pony should be able to find this place except the residents, a.k.a. us two.”
“Maybe you did one of the spells wrong?” Bitter Sweet questions.
“No the spell was flawless.” He puts his hooves up to stroke his non-existent beard.
“There is only one way to solve this,” Bitty says standing to open the door.
“Wait I knew it,” Sol says with a stomp of his fore-hooves on the hut’s earthen ground.
Bitty is levitated in a strong yellowhite aura, and to add salt in the metaphorical wound Sol levitated her upside down.
“Hey what’s the big deal!” Bitty exclaims.
“Like I said before, only two ponies can walk up to the hut,” Sol starts. “Obviously I am me, so that means the real Bitty’s outside which means you must be somepony else.”
“Look, that doesn't even make sense. If I am not Bitter Sweet, then how am I inside the hut? Just put me down, I’m not going to get mad. Can you just open the door, and see if it is me out there?”
“If it is the real Bitty out there, she will take great pride in destroying you with her bare hooves. Mostly because you ate her breakfast.”
Keeping his grasp on the obvious changeling or extremely well disguised pegasus, he went to open the door to the real Bitter Sweet.
It came to a great surprise that it was his and his sister’s mentor, Celestia, at the door. It was such a surprise that he dropped Bitty. She would have hit her head on the floor but she can fly extremely gracefully. Landing on her feet, she gives a short bow. Solar Nuul gives an exaggerated bow, mostly to show remorse for not opening the door sooner; it must be difficult for Celestia to just be standing outside the door with the strong repulsive spell-work on the surrounding area around the hut.
“Good morning, my little ponies,” Celestia says in her regal voice.
“Celestia what are you doing here?” Sol asks suspiciously.
“Good morning, princess,” Bitter Sweet gleams trying to balance out the negative energy Sol is giving off.
“Just wanted to know if you wanted to come to Canterlot, just for today of course,” Celestia says using her kindness on Sol mostly because she knew Bitty would jump at the opportunity to go back to Canterlot.
“Hmm, that would be great,” Sol says. “I need some ingredients from Canterlot.”
“Can we not, Celestia,” groans Bitty, “I need to stay near my plants to keep them thriving in the harsh Everfree.”
Hmm. That was unexpected. thinks Celestia.
To you maybe, Celestia. If you were keeping a better eye on the twins, you would be able to tell that the Everfree changed them in the months they have been here.
True, Mr. narrator, but I cannot be in two places at once. And if I am to know your physical restrictions well enough, you cannot do that either.
Wait Celestia can hear me too. What is the point of being a narrator, if the ponies I am narrating for can hear my narration?
“Well somepony needs to tell the story to the readers.” Sol says.
Okay this isn’t fun anymore. Why are ponies able to do this? I’m just going to skip ahead.
Soon Sol and Celestia convince Bitter Sweet to go to Canterlot.
Bitter Sweet walks around Canterlot (Celestia didn’t need them to stay with her at the royal summit) and Sol sits in the library with the chemicals he oh so loves. Lets follow Bitter Sweet since she is doing something more entertaining.
I'm kind of hungry. Hmm. I wonder what Tia has in store for us today. And what the buck is Sol doing. I'm not going to bother him either way. I wonder what Loony is doing? Oooh…
“Hello Donut Joe; Are you closing?”
“Oh, Hullo! Long time since we seen each other last. But no, not closing yet, I have to run a quick errand. If it you want, you can stay and watch the store. Shouldn’ be too hard.”
“I better wait, I'm not to good counting change; I have clumsy hooves.”
“Well then, just sweep up or cook some donuts; I’ll lock up so nopony’ll disturbs you until I come back.”
“All right then. How long will you take?”
“About half an hour. If you need anything just press the big blue button next to the sink.”
“ Alright I’ll take care of all your babies! Bye!...BYE!”
I seriously hope Bitter Sweet knows what she is doing because this narrator doesn’t think she does. Also why does Donut Joe trust her in his shop all alone. Maybe she is the Pinkie Pie of donuts?