//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2 
// Story: The Pony Version's Better: Maiden in the Moon 
// by Sunset Reed 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 2


“Dusty old books!?” Tania fumed. 
“Well what did you expect?”
“Supervise, make some friends!”
Student and apprentice were sitting comfortably in the smaller of the Princesses private cars. Tania already missed the calm busyness of the University. A trip to a quiet town seemed so contrary to the rush she was feeling. Something terrible was about to happen, and she was expected to make party arrangements ? The Princess had downright refused to believe the warning, and had told Tania to go down to Ponyville to check over the celebration preparations.
“Look on the bright side, Tania.” Kyle soothed. “The Princess arranged for you to stay in a library. Doesn’t that make you happy?”
Kyle was trying really hard. She knew he was glad she had finally decided to look presentable for the outing. Her hair was trimmed, the extensions had reappeared, and she was wearing her favourite purple shirt and slacks. But she couldn’t help feel miffed about the whole ordeal.
“Yes! Yes it does.” she said in response. You know why? Because I’m right. I’ll check on the preparations as fast as I can, then get to the library to find some proof of Nightmare Moon’s return.”
Kyle looked at her strangely.
“Ok, look. I don’t believe the stories ok?” said Tania. “Not exactly. The sun and moon raising? That’s just fairy tales. But the story is based on truth. I found a criminal file on a lady named Lunette Solace, alias, Nightmare. After tracing back the Monarchy familial lines, it seems possible to me that she was related to the Princess. Is it so strange to think that she could have tried to usurp the throne all those years ago, and was incarcerated for it?
“But to come back after a hundred years…”
“Once again, there are some things you don’t understand about that. But to put your mind at ease, her descendants could come back and try to take the throne themselves. And that’s why the Princess could be in danger.” Tania wilted. “She’s never so heavily disbelieved me like this before.”
“Well, maybe if you had put it that way in your text.”
“No matter, we’ll find everything out today.”
“And after all that, have you thought about making some friends?”
Tania huffed. 
“She said to check on preparations. I am her student and I’ll do my royal duty, but the fate of Queston does not rest on my making friends.”
The two thanked the chauffer and stepped onto the soil of Ponyville.


*	*	*



“Hmmm, very pony themed.”
“That’s true.”
The small town square was neat and mismatched. Most of the wooden stores and other assorted buildings were carved with whimsical patterns, or otherwise decorated, but each had character. There was everything from a simple coffee shop (coffee and a dvd rental for three bucks!) to a multi-coloured Bakery. Almost all of the buildings had a pony painted into the corner of a window, or a pony weathervane, or a pony sticker on the door. A cake on display in the bakery window had a pony topper, and the fountain in the center of the square spurted water through a pony’s stylized muzzle. 
The people were equally mismatched and ponified. Tall and short, thin and stout, various ethnicities and walks of life paced the tiled street, busily making preparations for the festival. Tania even caught the gleam of a metal pony pin from the collar of a muscular man passing by her with a fistful of ribbons.
Kyle tapped his chin. “I guess they must be showing off their town’s theme for the visitors. Ponyville pride and all that.”
“Yes, but…the men here are ok with this?”
“I don’t see why not.”
“I mean ponies ?”
“I think it has something to do with the town’s history. You should research it some time.”
Tania had to dodge the arm of a passerby waving energetically at a friend.
“Maybe the people here have something interesting to talk about.” continued Kyle. “Come on, Tania. Just try.”
Just ahead of them, a young woman with copper hair was returning the previous town member’s wave. Her attention diverted, and coming up quickly with wheels on the backs of her shoes, she nearly ran straight into Tania. Instead, she made a spectacular stop at the last instant, coming nose-to-nose with the young student.
Tania stuttered. “Sorry, I-”
“GHAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSP!” 
Tania could almost feel the air around her face being sucked into the other girl’s gaping mouth. The red-haired girl then turned around, and skated off in a cloud of dust. 
“Well.” said Tania, still leaning backwards, “THAT was interesting all right.”
Kyle sighed. 


*	*	*


“Summer Sun Celebration, Official Overseer’s Checklist: Number One: banquet preparations. Sweet Apple Acres.” Kyle read from the official papers on his clipboard.
Tania swept her eyes over the rustic sign above them. They had travelled far out of the square and were now in the country. They had taken just twenty minutes to get unpacked at the library and than had set out to the farm by foot. The long driveway before them led to a small two-level house and a few scattered buildings. The walk up to the house was lined with acres and acres of apple trees. If these fruits were indeed sweet, then the property was aptly named. Tania just wished she hadn’t had to ask some overly friendly townspeople to get directions to the place. 
“YEE-HAW!”
A cry startled them as they reached the fence bordering the living-section of the farm. A straw-haired and heavily freckled woman came hurtling from their right. She planted a booted foot squarely on the trunk of a tree, did an impressive jump, swept her arms upwards, and landed with a handful of shining apples. 
“Alright, let’s get this over with.” said Tania. She approached the woman. “Good afternoon. My name is Tania Sparks.”
In one swift movement, the woman dumped her load into a waiting basket, grabbed Tania’s hand, and began shaking it energetically. The force made her long hair jump up and down at the elastic holding her extremely loose ponytail.
Ponytail.
“Well, howdy-do, Miss Sparks. A pleasure makin’ your acquaintance. I’m Applejack! We here at Sweet Apple Acres sure do like makin’ new friends.”
“Friends? Actually, I-” She paused. “Applejack ? Is that you’re real name?” Tania swept the clipboard from Kyle’s hands and began flipping the pages with one hand. The other hand was still vibrating from her acquaintance’s handshake. 
“Well no, Sugar cube, of course not. Ma real name’s Jackie Smith if you’re trying teh find it on tha’ fancy list of yours. But you’ll likely find that most’ve teh people around here have a nickname of some sort or another. It’d be a pleasure if you’d refer to me by mine.”
“All right…Applejack then. I’m on important business from Princess Solace.” 
Applejack whistled and dropped the handshake. “Tha’s right! The ‘Personal Student to the Princess!” Tania blushed, and let Kyle stop her arm from swaying. “Well, what can ah do for such a respectable lady?”
Applejack put her weight on one hip and stuck her thumbs into the pockets of her cut-off jeans.
Tania cleared her throat. “Well, I am in fact here to supervise preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. And you’re in charge of the food?”
“We sure as sugar are! Would you care to sample some?”
“As long as it doesn’t take too long.”