//------------------------------// // Chapter 8:A Regular day off // Story: Something Different // by BlackWingsRed //------------------------------// Chapter 8:A Regular day off The evenings in Ponyville are always a sight to behold. Almost every pony enjoys the starry skies that Luna prepares every night. But, this night seemed different the sky seemed to be a little off. The night wasn't as bright as it usually was. On the Apple's apple orchard Applejack and her brother had just about gathered a full days harvest of apples. The CMC were busy playing tag and Granny Smith sat cozily on her rocking chair. AppleJack looked up towards the sky and noticed that on the roof of her farm house sat a ball. "Hey Apple Bloom get over here." She wasn't too happy. Apple Bloom came galloping over in wonder of what her sister wanted. "Yeah sis?" Replied the little pony as she stood close. "Y'all gotta be more careful when you girls play." Said Applejack as she bucked the wall of the old farm house."You're all lucky to have all these little toys while other little fillies don't have any themselves." The ball dropped right next to her sister as if she had full control of the ball. "Now get on yer way. Me and Big Mac gotta finish up here." Apple Bloom took the ball with her as she headed back to her friends. "Hey Apple Bloom! Where'd ya get the ball from?" Asked Scootaloo motioning for Apple Bloom to pass it over. "I don't know Applejack knocked it off the roof." She replied as she kicked it over to her friends. "It's not yours?" Asked Sweetie Belle with a confused face. "Nope. It was just on the roof." Answered Apple Bloom over to Sweetie Belle. "Well wouldn't it be more funner if we tried to look or who it belongs to?" Asked Sweetie Belle as she held it down with her hoof. "Yeah that's a good idea. Maybe we can earn some lost and found Cutie Marks!" Shouted Scootaloo thrusting her hoof into the air. The three of them then galloped over to Scootaloo's scooter which was attached to a little wagon and prepared to leave. Applejack noticed them and walked over to them. "Hey you three. Better make sure you come home before it gets too dark okay?" Asked the older sister." The three each nodded in agreement and then quickly departed from the farm. Applejack being done with everything decided that she should go and check on her friends in town. But, before she left the thought of dinner popped in her mind. She placed a few vegetables from the little garden they had into a basket and proceeded to go into the house. She gathered pots and bowls and placed them on the stove. She took the vegetables and chopped them up for a soup. As she cooked the sound of something knocking at her roof with a constant pace. "What the hay?" She asked just as the knocking stopped. "Hmm..." She slowly began to continue to chop at the vegetables and waited to see when it would happen again as she eyed the roof. Suddenly she heard the shuffling of heavy hooves coming in through the front door. It was none other than her brother carrying old Granny Smith on his back. She was fast asleep. Applejack sighed as Big Mac brought their grandmother up the stairs. When Mac reached the top of the stairs and into Granny's room she heard the same sound of knocking on the roof. She quickly dashed out the kitchen door searching for whatever caused the noises. Seeing nothing she trotted back inside to see a very confused looking brother. "Hey do ya know whats causing those noises?" she asked looking at her brother. He simply shook his head nope. "Why don't ya go check if theres...Shhhh.." again the knocks returned and Big Mac went out the door this time. "Theres nothing out here. I reckon it's just a little wind." Then he came back inside. "I know wind and that ain't no wind." Applejack replied. "I'm gonna go check the barns. Can ya watch for Granny until I come back." He asked as he gathered up some things. "Y'all can count on me." Said the honest pony. Mac then trotted out the door carrying a lantern. His light slowly faded in the coming darkness Applejack couldn't help but feel a bit worried for her brother. The Roof began to once again knock causing her to lose track of her thoughts. She then took the veggies and put them into the pot she had taken out earlier. The pot was then filled with water and put over her stove that had been running earlier to cook. She sighed as she sat in the kitchen waiting for the soup to finish cooking. In another part of town Pinkie Pie skipped happily along the roads of Ponyville towards the town library. She waved at the very few ponies that were still out and about causing them to smile and wave back. The sun was nearly down as she finally approached the treehouse unaware of what she would find within. Her hoof gently pushed against the door which was something nobody would truly expect from her. "Heeelllllooooo?! She loudly asked as she stuck her head in. Nobody was there except a pile of books and paper. The whole library was a mess. Suddenly, Spike's claw reached out through a pile of the debris. Pinkie quickly trotted over and dug him out. "Spike what's going on? And where's Twilight? Why does this place look all topsy turvy? Do I smell smoke?" Spike slowly got to his feet. "Twilights very depressed... When she sent in her last report to Celestia, she never replied. Now I think she's going crazy again." Said the young dragon worriedly. "She's been cooped up in her room for the past few days sending scroll after scroll until I felt sick and she's really beginning to freak me out." Pinkie held her hoof to her chin and smiled with a devilish grin. "Don't worry I know what would make her all happy again." She happily chirped. "Now give me a second and I'll get everything all set." A few moments later. The door to Twilight's room opened up to expose a very disgruntled looking Twilight. Her mane was a mess and she had ink on her coat. "Spike... I need you to send this one maybe she'll respond this Time..." She asked in a tired yet depressing manner. "Spike?" Her voice picking up to its normal tone. The library was clean but very dark. Just as she walked down the stairs it was clear to see that even the books that were covering the floor were put back and organized."Spike are you down there?..." She asked beginning to feel a bit curious. In an instant, a very bright light and a loud pop surprised her causing her to fall off the last few steps. The lights then flicked on. "Sur...prise?.." Said the pink pony knowing she was in a bit of trouble. Twilight gave her a stern look then a sad one. She then levitated the scroll to spike while she trotted over to a little couch and sat down. Unsure of what to do Pinkie joined her friend. "What's with the frowny face Twilight?" She asked with a comforting voice. Spike watched as Pinkie placed her hoof on Twilight's shoulder. Twilight began to give in and lifted her head. "Ever since that day at the Diamond dog mine, the Princess and Shining have stopped replying to my messages." She sadly replied. "But, what about Luna? She was here a couple of days ago wasn't she?" Asked the Pink pony. "She must've had something to say." "When she was here she mostly was here to deal with the mayor about the kidnapped ponies. It's been eating at me for a while." Replied Twilight as she let out a sigh. "What if she's just giving you a vacation for a while? That has to be it!"shouted Pinkie as she bounced around happily. "Yeah you've been studying a bit too hard Twilight. Wouldn't it make sense to take a break once in a while" chirped Spike adding to the conversation. He handed her a cup of fruit punch that Pinkie had made earlier. Twilight was beginning to slowly warm up to the idea and got up. "You know what. I think I will take a small vacation... After... I read this" she levitated a book towards herself but Spike worked it free and shelved it. Pinkie cheerfully laughed as she picked up a piece of cake and handed it to Twilight which she began to eat. A few days later. It was a bright and sunny morning as everyone in town began to and Spike emerged from their home with a picnic basket. Spike managed to talk Twilight into inviting the girls out for an open picnic as a way to get her mind off of the whole Celestia ordeal. As they walked towards the park they noticed That there seemed to be a small commotion around the park. Three little fillies chasing around other ponies with a ball. Though Twilight found it a bit amusing she let her curiosity get the better of her and went to check what they were up to.v"Hello girls. What's the mission this time?" Asked Twilight. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom stopped while Scootaloo continued to pursue a blue pony. "We're trying to find out who this ball belongs to." Sweetie Belle happily answered. "Yeah! Big sis found it on our roof and gave it to me. She was also saying that last night somepony was throwing stones at the house again." Answered Apple Bloom as she tried to catch her breath. "We're also looking for the one responsible for it." "Hmm..." Twilight hummed to herself. "That ball looks like the ones that the troops play with in Canterlot." She levitated the ball and gave it a better look. It had what looked to be a few weird burn marks and that had to have been frozen at one point." She then floated it back towards them. "Are you sure Twilight?" Asked Sweetie Belle. She hung her head waiting for a reply. "Your best bet is finding someone who's been to Canterlot recently..." Twilight replied as she looked for where Spike went off with the basket. Spike began to call for Twilight implying that he was already getting impatient. "Best of wishes in your mission girls." Said Twilight as she waved her hoof goodbye and trotted along toward Spike. "Geeze!... Twilight. What took ya?" He asked slightly peeved. "Now the girls should be right over there. Of course the girls were already there with a blanket all set and an umbrella looking over a small pond. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie must've been impatient as they were already swimming around. AppleJack sat by the water with Fluttershy who was surrounded by little woodland animals. Lastly Rarity sat on a beach chair sunbathing with her shades and hat on. "Oh there you are darling we were waiting quite a while for you two." Said Rarity as she lifted her shades with her magic. "Yeah sorry about that. I got a bit held up." Replied Twilight."But, here we are." Spike gave a bow and placed the basket on the blanket that was already laid out. As both Twilight and Rarity continued their conversation, Applejack had made her way over towards them. "Hey Twilight I've been meaning to ask ya bout something. You see there have been these rocks coming from the sky and hitting our house. Do ya think you can help me find out where they've been coming from?" Asked the farmer. "Yeah sure, do you have one of them on you by any chance?" Replied Twilight with a confused look. Applejack lifted her hat and pulled a small bag of stones out. "Here ya are." She said as she put her signature hat back on. Twilight levitated the bag over and pulled out one of its contents. She pulled out a single pebble and closely looked at it. "These are just regular rocks. But... There is a faint trace of some kind of magic..." She explained. "Wait a minute. Hey Spike does this look familiar to you?" She asked her little assistant. Spike took the bag and began to sniff at the pebbles. "Hmm... They smell familiar but I can't put my claw on it just yet." He said as he examined the stones. "Ehh... Spike? Do you eat regular stones too?" Asked Rarity lowering her shades." "Well when he was in Canterlot he-" said Twilight before she was abruptly interrupted. "That only happened once and you know it Twilight! And no I don't like to eat rocks. They taste like tree bark." Replied spike. "Wait... You've tried to eat a tree Spike?" Asked Twilight with a slightly intrigued face. "No! I don't eat TREES... Well anyway these smell and look pretty familiar but, I don't know where I've seen them." Answered Spike Flustered. As he calmed down, he put the stones back in the bag and handed them back to Applejack. "If it's not gonna bother anypony I'm gonna go for a swim." Applejack still seemed a bit worried She took the bag and put it back under her hat. "I think it's time we get back to actually having a fun day. I planned out our whole day already. Come on Applejack lets go have some fun." Said Twilight as they headed toward the water to swim. At a rather short distance away The CMC continued on with their ball mystery. They stalked every stallion, mare and foal that passed them by. A brown stallion trotted by with a small black booklet and a copy of an Equestria daily. "Hey there mister!" Asked Apple Bloom with a smile. The brown stallion placed the things in his mouth on the ground and answered. "Hi there! Yes um. What is it that you need?" Trotting in place. "What're you in a hurry for? Asked Sweetie Belle. As she smiled with Apple Bloom. "Are you looking for something? Huh?" Scootaloo joined in the smiling as she also held up the ball. "Is it this?" She shoved the ball near his face. "Yeah.. uhm no it's more like someone. It's really important that I find this person." He replied as he picked up the paper. A blurry picture of a two legged creature was on the front of it. The three little fillies all sighed in disappointment. "Now if you excuse me I will be on my way." He picked up everything and continued down the path. "Dang it Apple Bloom I don't think we're ever gonna find the owner we've already asked the whole town. Lets just put it into the lost and found bin. It's over at the mayor's office isn't it?" Asked Sweetie Belle as she held her head low. "Yeah... I guess you're right we already asked every pony in the whole town. Maybe someone will pick it up eventually." Scootaloo answered looking defeated but, still eager. The three of them got back on Scootaloo's scooter/wagon hybrid that they put together. As they departed the sounds of the little Pegasus's wings buzzing filled the air. "What else can we try?" Asked the little Unicorn nodding her head. "Why don't we go see if the mayor needs any help? She must have something to do." Said Scootaloo as she turned into the town square. The scooter whizzed by various little stands, ponies, and nearly smashed into Ditzy. Finally they got to their destination. The three of them got off the scooter wagon and put the ball into a big blue bin. Scootaloo pushed open the door as she led the way inside. "Hello? Mayor mare? We were wondering if you had any jobs for us to do?" Asked Apple Bloom closing the door. Sweetie Belle pouted as there was no response. "Maybe they're not in. Maybe we should go before we get in trouble." She hesitantly answered. Suddenly, a loud sneeze made her jump into the hooves of Scootaloo who dropped her on the ground. "Listen... It came from over there." Scootaloo pointed her hoof over towards another part of the room and motioned for the others to follow. The room was quiet and rather dark during the day. As they slowly snuck around another sneeze alerted the three of them causing them to fall over one another. "Hello? Is anyone there? Asked the voice of an elderly mare. "Mayor mare? We were hoping to see if you had any jobs for us." Asked Sweetie Belle as she crawled out from under her friends. "Wait your not Mayor mare." "That's right I'm the assistant. Now what is it you're looking for today?" Asked the under the weather mare. She had a yellow coat of fur and a bluish mane. She also bore a folder cutie mark "We were wondering is the mayor in?" Asked Sweetie Belle one more. "Mayor mare? She's not here at the *sneeze* the moment. She supervising a construction project." Replied the assistant. "Are you okay?... You seem a bit sick." Asked Apple Bloom as she trotted up towards Sweetie bell. "Oh no worries. its just a cold. It's nothing to be afraid of." Replied the assistant as she filed away some paper. The three of them turned and bowed their head downwards as they began to head towards the door. "Hey girls! Don't get into any trouble got it?" Warned the assistant pony. She wore a rather cheerful yet modest face The girls exited the the mayors office still disappointed. "Maybe we should go and see what my sister and the others are up to. I bet they're having more fun than we are." Said Apple Bloom perking her ears upwards. They each nodded in agreement as they climbed onto the scooter and departed. Meanwhile (back at the picnic.) The girls had already packed up. Twilight held up her list of stuff to do. Spike carried the basket and some of Rarity's much heavier objects. "Well that was good and dandy what're we up to now?" Asked Applejack placing her hat back on. "Next we have the spa appointment. But I think it's better we drop the picnic gear over at Rarity's boutique first. Is that fine Rarity?" Replied Twilight as she levitated the scroll back into her basket. "Oh, yes that will be quite fine. I think that would be wise. Poor Spiky here seems to be getting a bit tuckered out. She pointed to Spike who really was carrying more than his own weight. Twilight seemed bothered by something. Though she tried to ignore it the more it pried into her mind. Was the princess purposely ignoring her or was she in trouble. It made almost no sense why she would have cut off all contact with her. "Hey Twilight! Are you gonna stand there all day we're waiting for you." Shouted an impatient Pinkie Pie. Her voice brought Twilight to her senses as she noticed her friends were already yards away on the path. She focused her magic and disappeared. "Twilight? Where'd you go?" Asked the pink pony unaware of where her friend went. Suddenly a flash gave her a shock. "I'm right here Pinkie. Sorry to keep you waiting. Lets go." Replied Twilight leading the way. It didn't take long for them to reach the boutique and ditch the gear. The day was nearing its end but, it wasn't going to stop their fun. As they trotted their way towards the spa they noticed that there was another big commotion going on by the windmill heading towards the bridge to the Everfree Forest. Mayor Mare was there speaking to the construction crew while several ponies stood in front of the barricades. Feeling inquisitive, Twilight trotted over along with the others and joined the other spectators. "What's going on?" Asked the little dragon as he climbed up onto the barricade to get a better view. "It looks like they're fixing up the old windmill." Answered Twilight as she slowly turned her intention towards Mayor Mare. Mayor Mare was at a work station looking over a clipboard that she repeatedly erased and wrote on. "Are the repairs nearly completed yet? "We are nearly completed madam. All we have left to do is finish painting." Replied a female pony as she walked back and fourth. "And what of the furniture are they all accounted for?" Asked the Mayor putting down the notepad. "Yes madam the furniture along with the appliances have arrived." Replied the worker. She slowly began to approach the Mayor. "Umm if you don't mind Mrs. Mayor. Would you kindly explain as of why we are renovating this place?" "Well The Princess did not clarify as to why but, we are to be expecting someone and that they will be requiring a temporary home. Also she did not specify when he or she will be arriving so, I find it safer to have it ready for when the time arises."explained the Mayor. The mare who asked the question nodded her head and returned to her work. As Mayor mare worked The girls and Spike already feeling the time turned to leave for the spa when Twilight noticed several boxes that bore the mark of the Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. "That's strange.., what are these for?" She questioned herself. She closely eyeballed the boxes as a few ponies placed them on a wagon and pulled them into the living quarters. With the boxes out of view she returned to following her friends. She continually shook her head. "I wonder what the Mayor is up to..." "What is it Twilight?" Asked Spike as he hopped back on. "Didya see anything weird?" "I don't really know... But I could've sworn I saw boxes from Canterlot. I guess it's nothing really." Twilight held her hoof to her chin in concentration before getting up. They continued on their way towards the spa completely unbothered. Once there they each ordered the same package deal as one another except Spike seeing as the Twins didn't really have any procedures for him other than a mineral bath. On the other side of town A mysterious red unicorn appeared out of a rather big yellow flash. "Ohh... God...I don't think I'm ever gonna get used to that..." Said the unicorn as he sat down with his hooves on his forehead. He had a reddish coat and a saddle bag. He pulled out a small parchment that held a map and legend of the town. "The princess really knows her way around here" he slowly looked at the map eager to reach his location. Calmly, he stood up and stretched his legs. He then proceeded to cross the bridge into town.