//------------------------------// // Chance Encounter // Story: My Little Pony: Beyond Life and Death // by MetroXLR99 //------------------------------// There can be no rainbow without a storm Equestria. For countless millennia, It has been a paradise for ponies, ruled by a princess whose heart is as warm as the sun that she raises every morning. Recently, the pony kingdom has witnessed its share of changes. Princess Luna has returned after being banished for one thousand years and being relieved of her curse. Discord, the lord of chaos, escaped from his stone prison, after which he was promptly defeated and eventually redeemed. Queen Chrysalis was defeated after an attempted invasion of Equestria during Mi Amore Cadenza and Captain Shining Armor’s wedding at the Canterlot Castle. King Sombra was overthrown by the element bearers and an accompanying dragon. However, the events have only just begun. [Ponyville] The morning's sun shined brightly over the tranquil town of Ponyville. Ponies began to awaken from their slumber to start the new day. The Apple Family had long since risen, and had begun harvesting apples at their farm, Sweet Apple Acres. Mr. Cake was setting freshly baked goods on display for anyone passing Sugar Cube Corner to be entranced by the aroma. Rarity unlocked the door of the Carousel Boutique and strode inside for the day. Lastly was the Golden Oak Library, the quaint tree was occupied by Ponyville’s own librarian, Twilight Sparkle. It was the start of a beautiful day in an enchanting town. ********** Rays of golden sunlight shining through the window created a prismatic pattern on the floor of Twilight’s bedroom. Strands of sunlight fell upon her bed, causing her to open her bright violet eyes and yawn. "Goodness, morning already?" Twilight rose from her resting position, "Seems like it was night only a few moments ago." Spike, Twilight’s baby dragon, let out a loud snore and rolled over. Twilight smiled to herself. "well… I guess for some of us, It's still night time." Twilight trotted over to Spike’s resting form and nudged Spike, "Spike… Spike, Wake up Spike." Spike fidgeted before finally opening his green, reptilian eyes. "T-twilight? What is it?" Twilight smiled wide. "It's a beau-ti-ful Morning! Time to get up!" Spike responded with a massive yawn, which exposed his sharp fanged teeth and serpent-like tongue. "C-can't I just nap for ten more minutes?" Twilight gave Spike a stern look, "Now now Spike, we've talked about this. "You can't just sleep the day away, and spend your nights reading your comic books and writing poetry. I promised Rarity that I would get her a cake from Sugarcube Corner, an-" "Rarity!?” exclaimed Spike, now fully awake and curious. Twilight smirked, a sly grin on her face. “Always works,” Twilight thought to herself. As Spike sped out of his bed, Twilight trotted over to a mirror, and did her part to get ready for the new day. She started by brushing her mane straight then trotting into the bathroom to brush her teeth in a rhythmic fashion in synch with the tune she sang during Winter Wrap-up. "Ahh, perfect." said Twilight "Now, to go over my checklist." Twilight mystically levitated a scroll to her face, unrolled it and read it quite calmly. "Pick up a cake for Rarity, pick up some Apples for Fluttershy's animals, and go to a Daring Do Book Club event with Rainbow Dash." Twilight smiled as she put the scroll away, fully content with her plans for today. "Everything is going to be-" “Perfect!" Spike struck a pose in his black suit. Twilight looked towards him and saw him straightening a bowtie and collar. "The Spike is ready!" Twilight raised a brow as she continued to stare at him. "Did he really just call himself ‘the Spike’?" Twilight shook her head and approached the young dragon, "Come on, Spike. We have a big day ahead of us!" It didn't take much to convince Spike to join her, especially since she would be visiting Rarity. It was blatantly obvious that Spike had a huge crush on Rarity. One which Rarity herself found adorable. But, it was just a crush..one that Twilight figured he should grow out of. The two soon made their way out the door and walked along the dirt road. Twilight looked around her and Spike as they passed friends and acquaintances. Living in such a small town, Ponyville was quite the community: Everypony knew one another, and anyone was hardly considered to be strangers, even if they just arrived. At some point in her time being here, Twilight began to wonder if that was why Princess Celestia sent her to Ponyville in the first place. Twilight and Spike soon reached Sugarcube Corner. As they strolled through the door, Pinkie Pie popped out from behind the counter and screamed, “Hi Twilight! Hi Spike!” Twilight smiled, "Hi Pinkie. I'm here for-" "The Magnum Pearl Anniversary!" Pinkie’s face was split by a grin as she placed her front hooves on the counter. "Uhh… Yeah," said Twilight as she approached the counter. "Is it ready?" "You bet it is! The Cakes just put the finishing touches on it." As if on cue, Mr. and Mrs. Cake pushed out a cart carrying the largest and elaborately designed cake that Twilight had ever seen. "It took us weeks to make!" huffed Mr. Cake. "It's looks Great! Rarity's parents will love it," said Twilight with a warm smile. Pinkie then stretched her neck out to Twilight, gesturing with her front hoof as if sharing a secret. "I helped with the birth of this masterpiece," she whispered, " I also added my secret ingredient to the mix." Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Secret? What secret might that be?" Pinkie responded with a gentle slap to Twilight's face, "Silly!, I can't tell you that! It wouldn't be a secret then!” Twilight looked to Mr. and Mrs. Cake who both gave her reassuring smiles, "Trust us Twilight, when Pinkie adds her ‘secret ingredient’, we always get repeat customers." "Yep!" chirped Pinkie Pie, "One swallow will make your taste buds holler!" "That's a pretty good tagline," said Spike, licking his lips. "I know, I just made it up!" Twilight smiled again, "Well- we'd better hurry and get this cake delivered. I have to run an important errand for Fluttershy today." "Oki doki loki! Let's get started!" yelled Pinkie Pie Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and Pinkie Pie both took command of the cart from the Cakes, and began to push it out of the bakery. "Oh… do be careful!" spoke up Mrs. Cake, "That cake is very, very delicate!" "We’ll be careful!" Twilight replied. "You can count on us!" yelled Pinkie Pie. ********** Twilight, Spike and Pinkie gently rolled the cart down the dirt path towards the Carousel Boutique. Thankfully, it wasn't that far from Sugarcube Corner, so the three didn't have to travel far. As they approached the door, Twilight attempted to knock on the door, only for said door to open before she even touched it. She was then face-to-face with Rarity herself. "Finally!" exclaimed the pearl white unicorn, "Where have you been?!" Twilight gulped nervously, "Uh, wel-" "Never mind! Just get inside, quickly now! I don't know how much longer Sweetie Belle can keep Mum and Dad distracted!" Twilight, Spike, and Pinkie Pie did just that, wheeling the cart inside as quickly as they could. Once inside, they could hear Sweetie Belle singing really loudly in another room. They assumed that was Sweetie Belle keeping her parents distracted, so they did their best to keep away from the room. They at last reached the kitchen, and began to unload the massive cake onto the table. Upon seeing the prized cake in it's proper place, Rarity calmed down enough to marvel at it. "My word, that is an extraordinary work of culinary art." "And, it's a pretty cake too!" chirped Pinkie. Spike smiled as he stared at Rarity, "Yeah… but not half as pretty as yo-" "You say something, Spikey?" said Rarity, looking straight at the dragon. Spike quickly looked away, his cheeks turning from a light purple to a crimson red. "Uhh...n-nothing, nothing at all." Twilight just shook her head, smiling. "Well, we should probably bring in your parents now,” Twilight told Rarity. “Oh! Right, yes, of course," Rarity trotted off into another room. "Mother! Father! Please come into the Kitchen!" Rarity yelled in a 'sing-song' tone of voice. In no time at all, Twilight and Pinkie saw Rarity and her whole family walk in. They stepped back to allow the unicorn adults to see the magnificent cake before them. "Happy anniversary!" chirped Rarity and Sweetie Bell together. Magnum was speechless. Pearl, however wasn't. "Oh my stars! This is… this is wonderful!" exclaimed the pink unicorn. It was at that point that Magnum found his voice, "Rarity, dear, you really shouldn't have." "I can't take all the credit, daddy," began Rarity, "It was all Pinkie Pie and Mr. and Mrs. Cake. They are the ones who worked on this day-and-night so it would be ready for today." Pinkie smiled and waved her hoof slightly. Magnum then approached her. "Well, thank you so much for this. So, how much do we owe you?" Pinkie grin widened, "Nothing." Both the adult unicorns looked confused, "Nothing?!" "Nothing," repeated Pinkie Pie, "The Cakes did this one ‘on the house’, saying something about understanding the importance of anniversaries, and just wanting to make yours extra special!" Magnum and Pearl looked at each other. Then, they both smiled, "Well, you can be sure to tell them that they have our thanks and gratitude. After you try a piece of our cake." Pinkie's eyes grew as wide as dinner plates. "Really?" "Of cours-" "Whoo-hoo!" Spike licked his scaly lips. "C-Can I-!?" "Of course, all of you can have a piece of this wonderful cake!" said Pearl. Twilight sighed, "I would love to stay and take part in this wonderful celebration, but I have other tasks to complete in town." "Aww..." whined Spike, a heartbroken look on his face. Twilight looked at Spike and exhaled sharply. She leaned down to his level. "You know what? Spike, only I’ll need to go. You can stay and enjoy the party." Spike looked at Twilight with concerned eyes despite being able to stay. "You sure?! W-won't you need m-" "I just need to pick some apples for Fluttershy..I don't think it will be too much trouble for me. Besides, Applejack will be there to help." Spike eyed her. "Well… okay. if you're sure you don't need me." "I am certain. Besides- “ Twilight looks up at Rarity and turns back to Spike “- I think you would much rather be here, with Rarity." Spike’s cheeks turned a crimson shade and silently agreed with her. "We understand that you have your chores to take care of, Twilight," began Pearl, "We'll save you a piece for when you get back." "Great. I'll just be going, You all have fun now," said Twilight with a smile. "Oh- We will!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie. Twilight smiled weakly, shaking her head. she then turned right around and trotted out of the room. Once outside, Twilight quickly took a scroll out of her saddlebag and opened up her checklist. "Now, let's see... Yep! Right on time." Twilight then rolled up the list and put it back in her bag. "If I hurry, that is." Twilight immediately began to gallop forward down the dirt path. her mind focused primarily on her task. Now, let's see..I pick some apples at Sweet Apple Acres for Fluttershy's animals. Wait… h-how many baskets should I pick? Hmm… I don't want to fill too much, or they could go bad prematurely. But, I also don't want to pick too little and seem lazy and inconsiderate. Oh, well… I suppose I can just ask Applejack how many would b-" “Oof!” Twilight was so focused on her task planning that she wasn't aware of her surroundings and ended up crashing into something, knocking herself down. "Ow- my head," Twilight shook her head, and looked at what she hit. Which turned out to be a ‘who’ the who in question being a green earth pony. "Ohmygosh! A-Are you alright?!" Twilight quickly got up and ran to the downed-and-dazed pony..who turned out to be a stallion. "Oh, my- I am so sorry." Please don’t be dead! The stallion shook his head, groaning as he placed his hoof on his forehead. "Ohh… my head. Wh-what hit me?" "That was me- I'm sorry!" said Twilight, feeling really bad about it, "I-I was in a hurry, a-and I wasn't watching where I was-" "I-It's okay. I-I wasn't watching where I was going, either." He pulled himself up onto his hooves. Twilight watched him with concerned eyes. "Are you sure you're okay?" "Yeah. J-just fine," stated the stallion, as he walked off. Twilight wanted to follow him to confirm, but she remembered that she had a place to be and tried her best to brush it off. Taking one last look at the departing stallion, Twilight turned back to the trail ahead of her and galloped away. ********** Twilight approach the arched gate that read 'Sweet Apple Acres', the farmland of the Apple Family. The peppy unicorn trotted happily through the gate and into the beautiful countryside with miles and miles of grassy hills covered with apple trees. Sweet Apple Acres was truly the 'crown jewel' of Ponyville. Twilight trotted down the dirt trail that led straight to the home of her good friend, Applejack. As the big red barn came into view, the unicorn advanced into a gallop. Once there, she found the elderly Granny Smith napping on her rocking chair at the front porch and Applebloom working together with Big Mac to unload apples into an underground cellar. "Hey, Apple Family!" yelled Twilight. Applebloom and Big Mac looked at her. "Hey, Twilight!" exclaimed the golden-yellow filly. Twilight approached the two. "Hey, where's Applejack? Still in the apple orchard?" "Eeyup," replied Big Mac. "We just finished harvestin' some apples fer' ourselves an' sellin'," began Applebloom, "but mah' sister said you'd be showin' up fer' Fluttershy's apples, so she stayed behind to wait fer' ya'." "Oh..Okay, then I'd better not keep her waiting,” stated Twilight as she turned and trotted away. ********** In another part of Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack was busy doing what she does best: Applebucking. The orange mare kicked an apple tree with her back legs, making apples rain down and fill up the many baskets that sat around the tree trunk. Applejack was in a fairly good mood today. and, was humming a pleasant tune as she did her chores. [Musical Sequence] "I know a place… pretty as pie. Out where the riverbend hits up with the end of the sky. It's left of Ponyville, and over a crest. on a little patch of heaven in the west. “Ev'rythings green… know what I mean? Darlin, It's quite the sweetest sight that'cha ever done seen. “Ain't nothin much out theeere, just life at its best. On a little patch of heaven in the Weeest! Bees by the dozen, are buzzin real peaceful. Ev'ry bluebonnet, doggone it smells nice. “Even the twirling autumn leaves, slows down to match yer speed. On acres-and-acres of paradise. “Ev'ry which way, buttercups sway. Out on the hills, the daffodils are enjoyin’ the day. “What could be better than setting to rest, On a little patch of heaven in the West. “Humming birds flutter in utter contentment, Ev'ry darn daisy feels lazy, you bet. “Even the skeeters and the fleas, say may I, thanks, and please. Why it's just as close to perfect as you can be “Daaarlin, I swear, once you’ve been there. There ain't a view beneath the blue that could ever compare. “The only thing missing, is you as my guest. On a little patch of heaven in the West. “Why don'tcha come visit? There's room in the nest… on that little patch of heaven in the west!" [End of Song Sequence] "Applejack!" Applejack looked over to see Twilight trot up to her. "Twi, you made it," said the farm pony with a smile. Twilight smiled sheepishly. "Y-yeah, well..I had this cake to deliver to-" "Rarity, I'ah know. Ya' don't need to explain it to me." Twilight looked at the several large baskets of apples that circled the apple tree. "Are those the apples for Fluttershy?" "Yep," said Applejack, "I'ah went ahead and picked them fer' ya..since I'ah know ya'll will want to ‘check them’ first." "You know me all too well, AJ," said Twilight with a smile as she began her ‘inspection’ of the harvested fruit. "Hmm… most of them look okay," began Twilight, "but I need to be thorough. Everything must be perfect!" Applejack rolled her eyes at this, "Yeah, Twi, sure. Perfect." Twilight hummed softly as she continued to rummage through the baskets of apples. "Hmm… uhhh … I guess it looks oka-wait a minute!" "What?!" “Look!" Twilight pointed at an apple with her hoof. "A Blemish!" Applejack looked at what appeared to be a perfectly good apple. "Uh, Twi… I'ah don't know what the danged problem is-" "Look here!" repeated Twilight, her voice shrill. Applejack indeed looked where Twilight was pointing and saw a small, barely noticeable dark spot on the apple. "That!?" said Applejack in disbelief, "but that's only minor bruise!" "It's an imperfection!" screamed Twilight, "It ruins the authenticity of the apple!" Applejack gave Twilight an unamused look, "Twi, it's just ah spot." "An imperfect spot!" Applejack lightly facehooved herself, "Twi, it ain't no big deal! I'ah mean, Fluttershy is jus' gonna feed 'em to her animals and most critters ain't picky when it come to food." “Everything must be perfect!" Twilight’s left eye twitched as she levitated the ‘tainted apple’ upward using her magic. She then tossed it up into the air and bucked it. Unfortunately, the apple was quite sturdy and rather than smash apart, it flew like Rainbow Dash and began to ricochet off of numerous tree trunks. Twilight and Applejack watched in shock and awe as the apple zig-zagged from one tree to another, like a marble in a pinball machine. Finally, it zipped out of view and hit something that wasn’t a tree. Thud! Applejack's ears twitched at this, "That sounded like a body falling!" Twilight widened her eyes in horror, “Ohmygosh, Ihitsomepony!" The two mares galloped as fast as they could to the source of the thud, and they indeed found a downed pony. Twilight grew pale as a ghost upon seeing the familiar lime green stallion. "Oh Celestia, it's him.” Applejack looked at Twilight, "Who?!" "I- don't really know," began Twilight, "but I ran into him earlier today, literally. I-I was in a hurry getting to your farm and I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and I knocked him over." Applejack stifled a chuckled, "And now ya' just beaned him in the head with'an apple." Twilight grinded her teeth stressfully, "I swear, I am not doing this on purpose!" Applejack carefully approached the still downed stallion. Twilight followed and leaned over him. "So… Is he dead? Please don't tell me he's dead. Oh, he’s dead, isn't he!? I killed him, I killed an innocent pony! I’m a murderer!, Celestia is going to lock me up foreve-!" "Calm down, Twi… he's still breathing." Twilight perked up, "Say what?!" "Ya' jus' knocked 'em unconscious," said Applejack, "Come on, help me take 'em back to the barn so we can get some water on 'em." Twilight was still shaken, but nodded in agreement never the less. "uhh... o-okay." "Great. I'll lift 'em by his front, you take his rear." Twilight gulped at this, "Y-you mean… his Flank!?" "Yeah," replied Applejack, "there a problem with that?" "Uhh… No, not really," stuttered Twilight, "I-It's just that… well, umm… " Twilight was sweating like prize winning hog on the hottest day of summer. "Twi, spit it out!" said Applejack, getting annoyed. "Well, I've never been that close to a stallion's..." Twilight trailed off. "Oh, good grief," groaned Applejack, "Fine! Then I'll take the rear, ya' big foal." Twilight blushed crimson, feeling embarrassed at her own awkwardness. She took her position near the stallion's head, preparing to lift him up just as soon as Applejack gave the signal. Twilight took a moment to look at his face and noticed a slight bump on his head, as well as a larger, darken bruise on another part of his face. Feeling overwhelming guilt, Twilight immediately made up her mind on what she was going to do later. "Alright Twi, get Ready," said Applejack. "R-right," replied Twilight, lowering down to pick him up. "Three..two..one, heave!" Twilight and Applejack each lifted the stallion up simultaneously, carrying him on their backs. They walked at a steady pace back towards the barn, with Twilight leading the way while Applejack followed her steps. Throughout the entire walk, Twilight continued to feel just terrible for her unintentional abuse towards the strange stallion and she hoped he wouldn't be mad after he woke up. ********** Later, at the Barn. Twilight and Applejack carried the still unconscious stallion over to a nearby water pump. Gently laying him down underneath it, Applejack quickly went over to the crank and began pumping out water. As water poured down upon his head, the stallion sputtered and woke from his slumber. Twilight was both relieved and concerned. "Uhhh… my h-head. What hit me?" groaned the ginger maned stallion. "An apple hit ya," said Applejack, walking over to him. The Stallion looked up at the blonde mare in the hat. "An Apple!?" "Uh..Th-that was my fault… again." The Stallion looked and widened his eyes at purple unicorn standing over him, "You?!" Twilight blushed bright red, feeling extremely embarrassed. "I am Sooooo very sorry, mister. I-I didn't mean to- I mean that is to say..." Twilight groaned and hung her head low in shame, averting eye contact with the stallion. "Mister..I am so very, very sorry. If there is anything I can do to make it up to you..." The stallion stared blankly at Twilight, "Hmm- Well, I could use some help with an errand that I have to do-" "I'll help!" chirped Twilight as she shoved her face right in front of his. "Uhhh..s-sure. I, uh..n-need to do some shopping for my mother; We just moved to Ponyville, and we need to get settled." "Lemme guess: The first task on yer' list was ‘pick up some apples’?" said Applejack with a smile. The stallion looked at her, "Yes, we heard that a pony named 'Granny Smith' supplies the best apples." Applejack beamed with pride, "Well, you heard right. I'am Applejack..and, Granny Smith is Mah' very own Granny." "Well, that's convenient. I thought ’Granny Smith’ was just a gimmick to sell apples." Applejack lightly snorted at this, "Naw… Flim an' Flam do ‘gimmicks’ there ain't nuthin' but the Real Thang in these parts." The green stallion looked down, "I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to-" "Aww!, Think nuthin' of it," said Applejack, smiling warmly, "I'ah got a fresh stock right in the barn." "Thanks," the stallion started to get up, prompting Twilight to support his body with her own. "Here, l-lemme help you." As the stallion stood back onto his hooves, he and Twilight bumped heads. "Oww!" said both ponies in unison. Applejack just chuckled at this, "An, that's ‘Strike Three’ if'an I'am countin' right." Twilight looked away, blushing. "I am so sorry, Mist-" "Would you please stop apologizing. It's alright." said the stallion, a tint of red glazing over his cheeks. Twilight continued to look down, feeling even more embarrassed. The stallion looked at the strange mare, then exhaled sharply, "Look… if you're going to help me with my errands, I think it would be helpful if I knew your name, Ms..." Twilight faced the stallion, looking straight into his sky blue eyes. "M-my named is..T-Twilight. Twilight Sparkle." The stallion gazed right back into her own, "Twilight, huh?That's a pretty name." Twilight smiled for the first time since meeting the stallion. "And yours?" The stallion sighed sharply, "Promise not to laugh?" "Why would I do that?!" asked Twilight, confused. "Because I have a very… 'unusual' name." Twilight smiled, "Mister… I have a pet owl that I named "Owlicious", so I'm not critical when it comes to unusual names." The stallion actually cracked a smile at this. Hesitating, he finally spoke, "A-alright..my name is Alex. Alex Cosmos." "Alex?" said Twilight, her expression unreadable. Alex smiled nervously until Twilight smiled. A warm, bright smile directed at him. "Alex… that's a lovely name."