Near the border of the Earth Kingdom and the Water Nation, two ponies wearing brown cloaks walked side by side. “How are you feeling? Any aches, any pains?” the smaller pony, Rarity, asked her companion. “Do you want to take a rest, Aunty?”
“Niece, I am fine,” the elder mare, Celestia, said as she flipped her hood back and looked to the sky. “Besides, it is much too beautiful a day to waste sleeping in.”
“I suppose,” the young water bender mumbled. “If you do feel tired, let me know. I don't want you collapsing or getting sick.” She kept her head high, though as the two walked through tall fields of grass the princess couldn't deny she was getting tired.
“I'm fine,” the elder pony repeated. “We'll hit a town eventually and from there we can try to find some information on the avatar. Assuming you haven't given up?”
“Of course not! The avatar shall be mine! I will crush her in my hooves and then return home, a hero. Then I will find a way to remove this thing from my sister,” Rarity growled as she ground her teeth. “And get my darling little Sweetie Belle back.”
“Oh Rarity... I told you, there is no way to reverse it. I've tried and-”
“Look!” the young water bender shouted as she motioned ahead. A large section of the grass had been cut through the field and a small road could be seen. “I bet that leads to a town!”
“Likely. They rarely build roads that lead to nowhere. But dear niece, you must give up-”
“Come on, you old fuss pot! If you take too long I'll get there first and I'll make sure there isn't a drop of tea left for you!” Rarity said with a mischievous laugh as she galloped forward.
“What? NO!” Celestia gasped in horror before galloping after the mare. “I-I am nowhere near old enough where I can't beat a young filly in a race! The tea of victory shall be mine!”
The two tore through the field before finally jumping over the last of the tall grass and landing, at the same time, on the road. “I win!” they said in unison.
“What? I outran you by a mile!” Rarity objected.
“Oh? I just merely let you believe so,” Celestia said with a cocky smile. “Besides, I-”
“Hello?” a voice suddenly said from a few feet away. The two turned to see a young colt pegasus staring up at them. He was covered in mud with flicks of blue across his body. His coat was a light brown with a light gray mane. “A-are you from a-around here?” he asked weakly.
“No, little one,” Celestia sad as she held out a hoof. “We are but travelers. Come, we mean you no harm.”
The young colt took her hoof. “You... are you from Water Nation?”
“No,” Rarity said quickly. “My name is Diamondeye. This is my mother, Jademane. Are there Water Nation soldiers near her?”
“I-I don't think so,” the pony said as he shivered. “I-I'm from the village up the road. S-so you're from here?”
“No, no. We're Earth Kingdom travelers. Come, we'll take you home. What was your name?” Rarity asked with a smile.
The pegasus looked up. “My name? Littlewing.”
------
Twilight kept her head low as she kept walking, occasionally glancing back at the others but never saying anything. Very few words had been spoken since she had finally brought herself to tell the others what had happened. Pinkie tried getting the others to laugh, but even her antics weren't enough to raise the mood. Spike eventually looked up as the sun began to lower behind the mountains. “So... errr, when are we going to eat?”
“Huh?” the pony asked as she looked back at him.
“Eating? Food? When?”
The alicorn opened her mouth before closing it. She glanced back down the road and face hoofed. “And we left everything back there...”
“What? Oh great,” Rainbow groaned. “It took us all day to get this far! We can't just walk back!”
“I can't believe we went this far without noticing,” Twilight groaned as she shook her head.
“Well, we did have really a big breakfast...” Spike added.
“Speak for yourself!” Rainbow said with a roll of her eyes. “Though I ate when I got back to town... huh. How many more days do you think until we get to the next town?”
“Who knows?” Twilight said as she gazed to the right of the road. The road went around a large wooded area. She cringed at first before she realized she could see into it, without trying to gaze through a wall of darkness. “I'm sure we can find something to eat in there. Maybe berries. As long as we stick together we'll be fine. It doesn't seem anything like the Everfree Forest either.”
“Fine, it's going to be dark soon though,” Spike grumbled.
“Don't worry. My horn will allow us to see. Come on,” she said confidently as the five walked into the woods. While it was dark, the glow of the alicorn's horn lit the way. The trees didn't try to grab them and the darkness didn't envelop them. “This forest is much nicer than the last one,” Twilight muttered.
“That's not really a very high bar to jump over,” Rainbow muttered. “Do you really think there will be anything to eat?”
“The temperature has been normalized for a little over a month now,” the alicorn said softly. “I think it'll be fine. Lots of flowers are blooming and I bet lots of berries or edible roots will be out now. Besides, I once read a book on surviving in the wild. Worse comes to worse, we can eat grass.”
“Ahem,” Spike grumbled.
“... Except for Spike. Sorry, we'll find something you can ea... huh?” she stopped as she leaned down. “Hoof prints! Some pony came through here recently! We can find them and find some-” she went silent as a ghastly wail filled the air.
“W-what was that?” Spike asked as he looked around.
“Just the wind, it-” Rainbow started, but was interrupted as a loud scream cut through the air. The sound of branches being torn could be heard from behind them as another ghastly wail pierced the night.
“T-that d-didn't sound like a-any w-w-wind I-I've ever h-heard,” Fluttershy squeaked as she looked about. The way they came was suddenly flowing with a thick mist and within they could see shadows moving.
Twilight gulped as she took a step back. “I-I think we should go. I think we shoul-EEEK!” she screamed as she looked to the right and saw bones scattered across the ground. Even more frightening, they were moving. “Let's GO!” she screamed as she tossed Spike onto her back and the ponies took off full pelt through the woods. Behind them the mist pursued as more ghastly wails filled the air. She could see strange glowing from the left and right as they tore blindly through the night.
The ponies kept screaming as they finally burst through the woods. “We're out, keep running!” the alicorn screamed as a giant monster suddenly appeared in front of her and she slammed into it. “AHHHHH! GET IT OFF ME! GET IT OFF!” she screamed as she thrashed about. It clawed and scraped at her skin as she writhed in its grasp. “RAINBOW!”
“Twilight! C-calm down!” the pegasus said as she tried not to giggle.
After a moment the alicorn realized why as she slowly pulled herself from the large bush, cringing as the thorns cut into her skin. “Ow, ow, ow, owie...”
Spike groaned as he rubbed his head, having fallen off her back when she attacked the bush. “Everypony okay? Is it still chasing us?”
“No,” Rainbow mumbled as she glanced back. The mist was slowly retreating back into the darkness, a green glow disappearing in the distance. She then turned back and looked up. “Oh. Huh. I think we found a short cut.”
“Why?” Twilight groaned as Fluttershy moved over to start healing the scrapes. She turned around and her mouth fell open.
Homes. Not many of them, but homes none the less. About a dozen or so, some of which were a few stories tall. Made of stone bricks. “We've done it!” Pinkie said as she hopped about.
“I'm going to go see if I can find anypony!” Rainbow said as she took off towards the nearest door. She reached out and quickly knocked on it.
“Go away, demon! Please! We don't want anything to do with you!” a frightened voice answered.
“What? No! I'm not a demon, I'm Rainbow Dash! Air bender extraordinaire. You may have heard of me. I'm kinda famous. We have the avatar out here too.”
“S-sure yah do, and I have a bushel of brand new bouncing baby bunnies! Just take the tribute and leave!” the pony yelled from the other side of the door.
Rainbow growled as she stood up straight and leaned against the door. “Listen here, buster, I-”
“Rainbow, stop!” Twilight yelled out as she trotted up. “Look around.” The alicorn motioned across the town with a hoof.
“What? I don't... oh,” the pegasus said softly as she looked around. Almost every light in the houses were out, but ponies could be seen trying to peep out inconspicuously at the travelers. Everypony looked terrified as they watched. “What's going on here?”
“I don't know, but I aim to find out,” the avatar said as she moved towards a large stone fountain near the center of town, devoid of any water. She sat down and looked around. “These ponies seem too frightened to come out at night, so we'll just wait here for morning. I'm sure nothing-” the mare was interrupted as a loud howl cut through the night. “... I'm sure it will be fine. We can take care of anything... I hope.”
------
“Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!” a plump green earth pony mare said as she hugged Littlewing tight to her chest. Her mane was a light blue and heavily curled. “I only looked away for a second and then he was gone! I don't know what I'd have done if I'd lost the little dear. I've told you to always be back a few hours before sundown!”
“I-I'm fine,” the tiny colt groaned as he tried pulling from the vice-like grip. “Y-you just worry too much...”
“It really is quite fortunate we came upon him when we did, lady Gemcoat,” Celestia said as she looked around. The town was quite large, filled with short wooden houses lined up side-by-side. The two stood outside a large building with a picture of a chest hanging over the door. “Though, I worry we may be asking too much of you. Are you sure you're okay letting us stay here?”
“Nonsense, think nothing of it,” the mare said as she dragged the pegasus inside, still not letting go. “There's plenty of room. Besides, it would be nice having some company again.”
“Do you not get much?” Rarity asked as she stepped inside. The building was filled with shelves with all manner of different items, even some jewelry, on display. “The town seemed a bit, well...” she glanced back outside. Despite the large amount of houses, there were almost no ponies.
“Yes, unfortunately its been like this for the last few weeks,” the mare muttered. “The Water Nation has been pushing against the southern borders of the country. We've been able to keep them out, we still have a couple of earth benders and all. Unfortunately, all the stress has been getting to everypony. About half the town has a sickness like... well, I don't think its something I should talk about before supper.”
“Understandable. I imagine Littlewing here takes after his father?” Celestia asked as she moved to examine a small lady bug brooch.
“Nope, never married,” the mare said as she moved behind the counter.
Rarity's face turned bright red. “W-wait, so that means Littlewing was-”
“Diamondeye!” Celestia hissed.
“S-sorry, I wasn't thinking,” the unicorn said with a blush.
“Hee hee, think nothing of it,” Gemcoat said as she moved towards the back of the shop. “Actually, I found him out in the woods a few weeks back. Poor dear, covered in mud, dirt and blood. Could barely remember his name, let alone how to get home. Damn Water Nation, foalnapping one so young. You all like strawberries?”
“Oh, I just adore strawberries!” Rarity said as she picked up a small emerald necklace with a silver band. “This is such exquisite craftsmanship. However did you find such a thing?”
“Made it myself,” the earth pony said as she came out from the backroom, brandishing a pie. “Earth bender, talent is crafting. Every so often I go out and find some materials and bring them up to make these fancy trinkets. Gotta admit, since the sun came up business has been a lot better.”
“I'd imagine so. How much f-”
“It's yours,” the mare said again as she started slicing up the pie.
“W-what? I couldn't! I mean, it must cost a-”
“Nonsense! For the ponies who brought home my Littlewing I... hey... Littlewing? Oh not again,” the mare face hoofed. “I swear I need to put a bell on that colt.”
“I think he ran upstairs. Would you like me to get him?” Rarity asked as she started towards them.
“No, he is always running off like that,” the mare said with a chuckle. “Always bringing home weird flowers and plants, I don't know why. When I was that age I was always more interested in dirt than what grew in it. I guess that must be the pegasus in him. What brings you to our humble town?” she asked as she slid the two slices of pie forward.
“We're after the avatar!” Rarity said quickly as she moved forward. “To-”
“Honor her,” Celestia interrupted. “We've heard of her return and we wish very much to meet the mare that will bring balance to the countries. We've traveled a fair distance, but I don't know if we'll ever catch her.”
“Huh, you know,” Gemcoat mumbled as she tapped on her chin a few times. “I think I might be able to help. Just a few weeks past there was talk of the avatar heading north towards the capital. A few soldiers from there passed by and gathered supplies for their detachment. Seemed they were taking prisoners there.”
“How long until the avatar will arrive?” Rarity asked as she leaned forward in excitement.
The mare shrugged, “I don't know? She could be there now, or she could be there in a month. If you wanna head up that way, I could give you some directions. Actually, you're in luck. Heading north from here towards it you'll come across Sweet Apple Acres. I'd suggest you stop by and see if you can get some of their sweet apple cider. Best in all the countries.”
“We'll have to do that. We can make sure to... Nie- daughter? Where are you going?”
“If the avatar is headed there, we must leave immediately! Every moment we waste is a moment she slips further from my grasp!” the princess shouted as she stomped a hoof near the doorway.
Gemcoat stared for a few moments before bursting into laughter. “Your daughter is a bit of a firebrand, huh? No need to be in such a rush, deary. The avatar won't mind if you take one night to rest. Come, the moon is already out and I need to make some supper. After that you can get some sleep and leave first thing in the morning.”
“We should-” Rarity started.
“Accept graciously,” Celestia interrupted. “We can't keep traveling into the night, anyway. A proper nights sleep will do us good.”
“... Fine,” the young unicorn grumbled as she poked at her pie before finally taking a bite. “This is delicious. Does all your cooking taste this good?”
“Well, you'll just have to find out, won't you?” the green mare said as she trotted to the back.
------
Twilight struggled to keep her eyes open as she leaned against the fountain. Her friends sat beside her, their small group forming a circle. Occasionally one of them would say something as they tried to fight back the drowsiness, before finally laying down and trying to let sleep take them. Then the bone chilling howl would occur and the ponies and dragon would sit up, wide awake and too fearful to try again. Except for Pinkie. She was sleeping comfortably and sound, as if there wasn't some demonic ghost pony thing out there waiting to devour them whole.
The sound of hooves on stone behind the avatar made her whip around as her horn lit up. A gray coated pegasus, wearing a brown patchy shirt, stood behind them. “Quick, come!” he said as he turned and darted towards one of the houses and disappeared within.
Twilight nudged the others, even awakening Pinkie, before galloping towards the house. Within a few moments they were inside and the door closed behind them. The only light was a small candle by the door. “Thank you, we-” the mare was hushed as the stallion put a hoof over her mouth.
“Keep quiet,” he ordered before glancing through the window. After a few moments he sighed and turned around. “I'm sorry, children, but you should not have come to our cursed town.”
“Cursed? What are you talking about?” Twilight asked. “Where are we?”
“You've come to the town of Drowsy Void. I don't know what manner of horrible luck brought you here, but if you are wise you will leave when the sun rises.”
“Why? What's going on out here? We came through the woods and-”
“YOU WENT THROUGH THE WOODS?!” the stallion shouted before covering his mouth. “Oh dear. You ponies are lucky to be alive! Assuming... oh no,” he reached out and touched her cheeks. “You... don't feel cold, like death.”
“We're not dead. We're very much alive, I assure you,” Twilight said with a roll of her eyes. “Please, tell me, what is it that has everypony here so terrified? I'm the avatar, I can help you.”
The pony let out a sigh before shaking his head. He looked over the alicorn for a moment before sighing. “Very well, I imagine you... must be the avatar. This story is quite long though, so please follow me into the resting room,” the stallion mumbled as he walked into a large room, with a couch and a few chairs. He sat down in a large red one before waiting for the others to sit. “My name is Velveteye, mayor of Drowsy Void. Our village is on the border of the Forest of Spirits. In ages past, ponies from all over the four countries would come to our village to offer tribute and pray for their dead. A few avatars had even come here at times for meditation and... well, I'll get to that in a bit. The point is, we lived in harmony with the spirits of the forest. In a way, they protected us. Even during the war none of the Water Nation forces could make it through the woods to attack us, and the only way here was either from farther inland or going around the forest itself, not a short journey on hoof. Then the sun rose,” the pony went silent as his gaze turned to the ground.
“What happened?” Twilight asked nervously.
“We were finally attacked by the Water Nation. We have a number of benders and the force was weak, so we managed to push them back. We thought that would be the end of it, but we were wrong. They... triggered something in the forest. A monster. A demon. It comes in the night, taking whatever it pleases. Food, clothing. It has almost taken our children at times.”
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Well, obviously it's just one of the Water Nation's tricks. Probably trying to scare you all off and-”
“No!” the pony snapped as he shook his head. “We thought that as well...” The stallion's hooves began to shake as he looked at them, his eyes wide with fright. “We... we went into the woods. Intent on driving this creature out. We thought it was the water benders, attempting to scare us. But the things we saw... it was a demon. It looked like one pony. But it had glowing green eyes like a demon. The dead themselves rose up. I watched as ponies, corpses of those I had known long ago, rose from the ground to attack us. Dozens of spirits, monsters, the things it summoned... it was a miracle we all made it back home safe and sound. Had we stayed and attempted to fight such a creature, we would have all perished.”
Twilight nodded slowly. “I see. How could such a thing exist though? Maybe a few spirits could be controlled, but the undead? Ponies can't do magic like that.”
Velveteye let out another sigh. “I'm afraid it is because of the greatest secret the forest protects, Avatar,” he muttered as he turned to look out the window into the darkness beyond. “This monster must possess the Alicorn Amulet.” Lightning crashed above, making the ponies all jump.
After a few moments to regather themselves, Twilight gulped and stared at him. “The Alicorn Amulet? What is that?”
“A powerful tool of the avatar,” the stallion looked around nervously, as if he expected somepony to be spying on them. “It gives the wielder untold power, the power of the avatar. With it an earth bender could move cities, a fire bender could control the sun and a healer could bring a pony back from the brink of death. Many avatars have come to gather it when the need was great enough, but always returned it when the time came. The Water Nation even attempted to steal it, but were unable to face the powerful spirits that protected it.”
Twilight nodded before looking to her friends. “I'm sorry, but if all this is true I must-”
“One step ahead of you, Twilight,” Rainbow said with a smirk. “We're gonna kick some evil monster butt tomorrow.”
“But-”
“WE! Not YOU,” the pegasus snapped with a glare. “Are we clear?”
“I understand, but-”
“I am your air bending teacher and this is not up for discussion. Got it?”
“Yes ma'am!” the avatar said with a soft squeak. She then glanced to Pinkie who was, of all things, giggling. “What's so funny?”
“Huh? Oh, nothing, nothing at all,” the pink mare said with a giggle as she hopped about. “Just something funny.”
“Of course,” Twilight shook her head before smiling to the mayor. “Tomorrow at dawn we will set out to defeat this creature. But, in the mean time, do you have somewhere we can rest?” Her stomach rumbled as her cheeks turned red. “A-and perhaps something we could eat?”
------
Rarity groaned as she curled up in her blanket on the small, thin cushion she had been given. It was far from comfortable, but at least it was warm. Sleep forsake her, so when she felt a soft poke on her hip it didn't take her long to respond. “Hmmm?”
“Princess Rarity?” an all to familiar voice caught her attention.
Her eyes shot open as she stared at Littlewing. “W-what? No. I have no idea who-”
“Shhhhh,” the small colt whispered. “I know who you are. Don't worry, I am a member of the powerful Water Nation as well. An escaped spy.”
“O-oh,” she whispered as she looked around. Her aunt was across the room, sleeping soundly wrapped in her blanket. “How did you-”
“No time for that,” the colt mumbled. “I need your help.”
“My help? What for?” Rarity asked as she slowly got to her hooves.
“We must prepare for an attack from the Water Nation. I have a plan that can help us capture this entire town by ourselves.”
“Capture an entire town? But how-”
“Come on, with two pairs of hooves this will go faster.”
“But what about my aunt? She-”
“She won't understand,” the pegasus snapped. “I've seen her in action. She's too kind and merciful. She'll never accept betraying these ponies for the glory of our country. Imagine the honor, the celebrations, capturing a town in this kingdom and giving our armies a hoofhold. We'd be heroes. Especially after all the territory we have lost since the sun arose...”
Rarity thought for a moment before nodding. “Very well, let's go.” She got to her hooves and tip toed after the pegasus as they headed outside.
“The moon's glow should be enough. I need a number of herbs to put my plan into action. You're a water bender, correct?”
“Of course,” Rarity said with a prideful smile. “In fact, I have mastered a number of the forms.”
“Perfect. That will be useful in a few nights. For now, come with me. We'll head into the fields to the north. Most of what I need can be found around their. We're searching for special flowers. They're called moon's tears. They glow a light blue in the moonlight. If you see any glowing blue bugs, you'll know the flowers are close.”
“Okay. What do you plan to use them for?”
“I'm a master at creating potions and other things, I can use these to give us a significant edge. Don't worry, we'll be praised as heroes once we're done.”
Rarity nodded as she trotted after him, though she couldn't help but feel a knot in her stomach. She looked around nervously, but she didn't see anypony watching them. She finally shook her head. “You're letting your imagination get away from you...” she mumbled.
“What was that?” Littlewing asked.
“Nothing, just thinking to myself,” the princess mumbled.
From the window of the small shop behind them, Celestia watched. After a few moments she shook her head and sighed. “Oh niece, I pray you will soon learn...”
------
The sun rose over the small town of Drowsy Void as ponies slowly began to rise from their beds and head outside. The ponies began their daily chores, be it fieldwork or woodwork. Though nopony said a word about it, the occasional glance would still be spared towards the forest that bordered their home, the shadows of the trees ominously warning of the dangers within.
Twilight and her friends, after filling up with a delicious breakfast of applespice oatmeal, stood outside the treeline and gazed defiantly in. Except for Pinkie, who was too busy hopping around and lightly singing her song. “Giggle at the ghostly, guffaw at the grossly...”
“Pinkie, will you calm down?” Rainbow grumbled as she looked inside. “You're distracting.”
“Hee hee, sorry. Just getting ready for my song,” the mare said chipperly. “Let's go!”
Spike shook his head. “How does she always act so happy no matter what monsters we're facing?”
“Oh, she's not a... hmmmm. Should I work on my trance song first? I wonder which one I'll use first. Maybe I should peek ahead again...”
“... Right,” Twilight mumbled with a roll of her eyes. “Let's go.” She stepped into the forest and, almost instantly, a bone chilling howl filled the air. She gulped and shook her head. “Okay, we've dealt with spirits before. Whoever this pony is controlling them can't be any worse than Trixie.”
“You don't think it's her, do you?” Rainbow asked as she looked around. Everything looked normal and serene. A bunny hopped by, the plants were bright green and filled with life and a butterfly was lazily floating around through some streaks of sunlight. Still, there was an odd chill in the air that nudged at them, a silent threat against them.
“No,” the avatar said with a shake of her head. “She was far too arrogant. She wouldn't stop at just stealing food and resources. She wouldn't be happy until she turned the entire village into nothing more than a small dent in the ground. I'm sure whatever... it is, will be far easier to deal with.”
“Probably won't take an entire book, either!” Pinkie added helpfully as she hopped around.
“I'm not scared at all,” Spike said as he crossed his arms and rode on the alicorn's back. “Why, if anything comes at us I'll-”
“Get out!” a loud voice boomed, the sound echoing around them as if it came from everywhere at once.
The group froze as Fluttershy let out a little squeak. “W-what was that?”
“J-just the wind,” the little dragon said nervously as he looked around. The forest, which once looked warm and inviting, was beginning to look dark and treacherous. A thick fog began to form around them, shrouding the area in its embrace.
“Something's... odd about this fog,” Twilight mumbled as she looked around. She backed up to the others as the sun was blotted out. They began to hear things moving about, light skittering sounds and groans. Leaves began to rustle as another ghostly wail tore around them.
“What's that?!” Rainbow shrieked as a number of shadows began moving inside the mist. They began moving closer as the ponies squinted in an attempt to see. Finally one came into view as the ponies let out a collective scream and ran.
The shadow revealed itself to be an empty skull connected to a skeletons frame. As the ponies ran a boney hoof was lifted up, reaching for them.
The ponies ran as fast as they could, screaming the entire way, until they leaped from the woods and landed in a pile on the grass. They looked back with wide, fearful eyes. After a few moments to gather their breaths, Spike spoke up. “Hey, where's Pinkie?”
------
Rarity groaned as she rolled around on her small cushion. Something was distracting her, drawing her attention. She just couldn't focus on it. Slowly her eyes popped open as the world seemed to slightly spin around her dazed self. “What is that... delightful smell?” It was sweet with just a hint of sour. She slowly rolled onto her hooves and sniffed the air. Licking her lips, the mare trotted towards the door and headed downstairs to the main room of the shop.
“Ah, you're awake,” Celestia said, not looking up as she sat across from Gemcoat, the two playing a small board game and drinking tea. “Did you have trouble sleeping last night?”
“A bit. Ugh, those cushions were horrible, they... errrr...” Rarity froze as she looked at the saddened earth pony. “I mean, thank you for letting us stay in your home. It was quite... generous of you.”
“I'm sorry they weren't as nice as they could be,” Gemcoat said with a hurt smile. “I don't have many visitors who stay the night anymore. Still, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at what I have planned for breakfast.”
“Oh? Is that what that scent was?” the fallen princess struggled to keep from drooling. “It smells simply divine. What is it?”
“Blackberry pancakes. A friend of mine brought in a whole bushel of them just the other day. They're Littlewing's favorites so I have all manner of treats prepared for him. Speaking of, is he awake yet?”
“Hmmm? I think he's still asleep.”
The earth pony chuckled as she shook her head. “I'll never understand how that boy keeps up like that. Running around all day, going to bed so early and then sleeping until noon. I'll let him sleep a bit longer, pancakes won't be up for a while yet. There's some blackberry juice if you're thirsty,” the mare said as she motioned towards a pitcher and some glasses.
“Mmm hmmm,” Rarity mumbled as she poured herself a glass. She took a sip of the drink as her eyes bulged. “This... this is marvelous! How do you... hmm?” she glanced into the backroom and saw a few open boxes and a large clear canister filled with a blue mix. “Is that the pancake batter? How many of those do you plan to make?”
“Nah. Makin' extra for about half the town. This flu bug is really bad on a lot of the ponies here,” the mare mumbled as she trotted past the unicorn towards the wood stove. “Should be warm enough now.” She poured a little oil on the top before dipping some of the batter on. “Gonna be nice when all this clears up and ponies can get back to work.”
“Mmmm, it smells simply amazing...” the young princess said again as she sniffed the air. “How long will it take to finish?”
“Not long. I'll make yours and your mothers first before I take the shipments out.”
“Nonsense!” Celestia said as she popped around the bend. “After breakfast we can deliver the pancakes. After all you've done for us, it is the least we could do. However, after that I believe my daughter wants us to leave.”
“What? NO!” Rarity said quickly as both ponies turned to stare at her. “I-I mean... errr... I think we could stay for a few days. Just a few. After all, with all the sick ponies I'm sure they could use a bit of help around here. Right?”
“Well, if you all don't mind, I'd certainly appreciate it,” Gemcoat said with a chuckle.
The elder unicorn glanced to her niece and narrowed her eyes. “Yes, I see. Well, Diamondeye, if you're feeling so... patient, I feel no reason to rush...”
------
Pinkie hopped across a small stream, jumping from bank to bank as she hummed. The mist had long cleared up and she now found herself deeper in the forest. Despite being separated from her friends she didn't appear frightened in the slightest.
“Come out, come out wherever you are,” she sung to herself as she hopped about a few more times. “Hee hee. Don't worry, we'll be the best of friends!”
Another howl cut through the woods as she turned towards it. She giggled gleefully as she began to hop happily towards the sound.
High above in the treeline, two glowing green eyes watched the pink pony as she made her way into the woods. After a few more seconds a ferocious growl filled the air as the mist began to roll towards the hopping earth pony.