//------------------------------// // Chapter Four // Story: Always // by Vlad //------------------------------// Ask any wizard, and they'll tell you that while convenient, apparating is not overly comfortable. For the brief moment between point A and point B, the caster feels a sense of extreme pressure and smothering. For Severus Snape, who refrained from this method of travel whenever possible, he found it to be worth the discomfort, just this once. For a split second before he completely disappeared, he smirked. Pinkie Pie, who had been leaning against Snape just before he vanished, squawked and thudded to the ground. She blinked in confusion, looking around for the sullen Slytherin, before hopping to her hooves and bouncing away. "Sevvy? Seeeevvyyyyy, where aaare yoou?!" "S-Sevvy?" Rainbow's voice forced out through barely-suppressed laughter just above her head. Falling lightly onto her hooves, Rainbow Dash chuckled and shook her head at the perpetually perky pink pony. "Whew...good one, Pinkie." "You've seen him too?" Pinkie grinned, hopping up and down. "That's great! We're just playing Hide n' Seek, wanna help?" Rainbow shrugged. "Eh, sure, why not?" Rainbow blinked, before giving a sinister chuckle. "Actually...let him wait for a while. So I met a new pony in town earlier...you seen her?" Pinkie nodded, giggling. "Yep! She looked all frowny-faced, so I'm gonna throw her a surprise-party tonight. So what'd you talk about?" "Ohh, nothing much...but what about the big guy? He's gonna be here a while too..." Rainbow gave her approximation of an evil smile, rubbing her forehooves together and using her wings to keep herself aloft. "Are you gonna throw him a party?" Pinkie blinked. Her eyes widened, and her grin almost turned scary. "Omigosh...I could throw them both a party! AT THE SAME TIME!" And with that, Pinkie dashed off to plot and plan. Rainbow chuckled, eyes narrowed. "This is gonna be awesome..." ---------- Snape appeared with a loud KRAK, standing in a mostly abandoned street. He looked around, smoothed out his robes, and was about to start on his way, when a faint gasp sounded behind him. Oh God, not again... Severus turned around, spying a startled looking grey pegasus mare with a pair of oddly unfocused golden eyes. The two stared at each other for several seconds, before finally, the visually-challenged pegasus blurted out, "are you a wizard?" Snape blinked. of all responses... He cleared his throat, staring down his nose at the mare. "Yes. Yes I am." Turning on his heel, he strode purposefully down the street. Snape continued walking, not stopping despite the several ponies that tried to catch his attention. He looked around for the library, trying to find anything in the sea of thatched roofs. Until he realized one small detail. ...I have no idea what the library looks like. Severus strode over to a garish, white monstrosity of a building, a rather tall ladder propped up against the side. However, there was nothing using it. Standing by the base of the building, he called up, "hello? I need directions to the library." "I'll be right down, just a minute!" The feminine voice sing-songed back, before a snow-white mare with a curled purple mane peered over the edge of the roof. "What is it you said you ne-GAH!" In a split-second, she had disappeared back over the roof, the sound of hooves scrabbling against the uneven surface somewhat worrisome to Snape. His worries came to fruition when she appeared back over the edge, tumbling rear-first off the roof and shrieking. Snape acted quickly, pulling his wand free of his robes with a quick, practiced movement and pointing it at the descending pony. "Arresto Momentum!" Less than half a meter from the ground, the white mare's body slowed to a creep, taking several seconds to lightly settle on the grass back-first. She was still screaming. Snape walked up to her until his shadow engulfed her, and tried to catch the screaming mare's attention with an impatient "A-hem!" Slowly but surely, the scream petered out into silence. Cracking one eye open at Severus, she shrinked in on herself slightly and gave a weak giggle. "...Sorry you had to see that." She extended one hoof up towards him. Snape raised an eyebrow, staring at the offered limb for several seconds before rolling his eyes and taking it, pulling her to her hooves. Once on all fours, she cleared her throat and bowed her head. "I apologize for the spectacle, you just startled me is all. My name is Rarity, and you are?" "Snape," he offered in return, his monotonous drawl in full effect. "Now that you are no longer in danger of a rather nasty fall, would you be willing to give me directions to the library?" An uncomfortable giggle and a gulp later, Rarity responded with a faux-enthusiastic, "of course!" Trotting ahead, she turned her head to look back. "Any particular reason?" "It's a library." Snape commented, "from what I understand, they are for reading." Rarity winced, trying to mask it with a faint titter. "Yes, silly me..." Turning back to face forward, she added, "and thank you, by the way. For...whatever you did there." "It's quite alright, I wouldn't have a tour-guide if I'd let you fall." Snape smiled wryly, chuckling inwardly at his own joke. "...Quite..." The rest of the trip was had in an uncomfortable silence, until the faint trilling of several different bird-songs caught Snape's ear. "What the devil is that noise?" He wandered out loud, catching Rarity's ear. "That would be Fluttershy, organizing the bird-choir for the Summer Sun Celebration. Would you like to meet her?" Snape really, really didn't care. "I'd rather just get to the library, if you please." "Oh really, I insist!" Rarity called out. Snape thought for a moment he heard a sinister hiss in her voice, as if she were upset or angry. He pushed the thought from his mind with a roll of his eyes, following Rarity down a detour. Rarity and Snape stopped at the edge of the road, watching a butter-yellow pegasus lead a choir of at least thirty songbirds through what Snape had to admit was an impressive performance. "Fluttershy!" Rarity called out during a lull in the rehearsal, causing the birds to scatter. "I have a friend I'd like you to meet!" In the meantime, Snape watched on, perfectly still as a bright yellow canary settled down at the crown of his head. "It's a pleasure." Fluttershy smiled and greeted the unicorn, before turning to Severus and visibly clamming up. She averted her eyes and lowered her head, awkwardly scuffing her hoof at the dirt. Snape watched on dispassionately, staring down at the pegasus with an even, flat gaze. "I...I'm Fluttershy..." "Severus Snape. It's a pleasure." Snape continued staring, glancing upwards as the bird started trying to yank out strands of his hair. "You heard her?!" Rarity blurted, caught between disbelief and impressed. Snape turned his head, causing the bird in his hair to flap it's wings and tweet angrily. "No. I heard you shout her name, I assumed she was introducing herself." Turning back to Fluttershy, he added, "could you please call off your bird?" "Tweety!" Fluttershy immediately admonished, glaring halfheartedly at the nesting nuisance, "what have I told you about getting tangled in ponys' manes? Get down this instant!" To Snape's relief, Tweety listened. "Thank you." "It was nothing, she should know better!" Fluttershy voiced faintly, "actually, I'm surprised you were so calm! Most ponies would've run around screaming." "I'm not a pony." Snape responded simply. "Oh...right..." And she's back to being mute. Now if I could just figure out how to do that to the white one...