//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: Mana Fertilizer TM. // Story: Timeline Sparkle: Trails and Tribulations // by Symphonicdysonince //------------------------------// Moons, I hate wall duty. I thought as I paced past the scareponies on the wall overlookin’ the Everfree. It’s sooo boring. But no! Applejack won’t let me do anythin’ else! It’s always ‘Scootaloo, yer not strong enough ta do a good buck’, or ‘What have Ah told ya abou’ playin’ with the chickens, Scootaloo?’. I reached the corner, and turned around with a sigh. I just wish somethin’ interestin’ would happen…. As I got close to the middle of the wall, a flash of sunlight caught my eye. I focused on the source to try and figure out what made it. It looked like a single pony mare was walkin’ near the edge of the Forest, with somethin’ hangin’ from her neck. She was walkin’ towards the main gate. I quickly ducked below the edge of the wall, and made my way to the rope that had been placed midway on the wall. It didn’t look too dangerous, and I don’ think that was a Feral, so I only need to pull this…. Once? I grabbed the rope and gave it a sharp tug. A bell near the barn rang out, its chime barely makin’ it to the wall. Soon, a familiar unicorn came trottin’ up to the wall’s base. “What is it?” He hissed trying to keep his voice down. “I don’ know for sure, Flam, but it looks like an earth pony mare coming out of the Everfree.” “Feral?” “No, she didn’ look Feral, and she was alone. Ferals don’ come alone. She was heading for the gate by the looks of things.” I looked back over the edge of the wall, tryin’ to get a better look at the mare, but she had already turned the corner. “It looked like she was wearin’ somethin’ around her neck. I didn’ get a good enough look at it, though.” “That’s okay, ya did a good job there, Scoots.” He smiled up to me. “You stay here in case there’s more coming. I’ll let Miss Applejack know about our visitor.” He galloped off back into the orchards before he even finished speakin’. I returned to pacin’ the wall top with a sigh. Well, there’s my excitement for the day. I looked back out at the forest. Moons, I hate wall duty.... *^* “Are you sure this’ll work, Twilight?” I asked the amulet around my neck. “About ninety percent sure.” After Twilight had broken the Elements, she had collected the shards up into her cloud, grinding them down into smaller pieces. She then gathered herself up into the pieces and molded them into the amulet she is now, stringing the pieces onto a thin strap taken from an ancient tapestry. She looked like a lavender alicorn with its wings spread, supported by a jagged stone chain. We had stayed the night in the ancient castle, setting out at the crack of dawn towards the farm. “Just stick to the plan.” “But what am I supposed to say? You never went over that part” I started to panic as we neared the gates again. “That’s just it, I can’t tell you what to say, either wise it won’t seem natural. Just say something about finding me in the forest, and what I can do for the farm, and you should be fine.” I reached a hesitant hoof towards the gate, but the eye slot slide open before I could knock, revealing an emerald eye. “Fer the last time, no! We cannot let ya onta the farm!” “Wait!” I shouted as the slot started to close. “I can guarantee that I can increase your production!” The eye slot paused, barely open. What sounded like a hushed argument broke out from the other side of the gate. Eventually, the slot cracked back open. “Ah’m listenin’.” Applejack growled out. With a sigh I began my ‘tale’. “I was wondering around the Everfree, when I came across an old castle. The place was in ruins. There, I found this!” I lifted Twilight up with my hoof. “It was in a small library. I also found a book there that explained what it was.” I let Twilight fall back to my chest. “This is the Dawn’s Light Amulet.” “An’ that means what ta me?” Applejack interrupted. “In the olden days, before the Unification of the tribes, a small group of unicorns made this amulet for a small farming village nearby. It can increase the fertility of a patch of soil, but only during the twilight and predawn hours.” “So, it’s magic.” The emerald eye had a skeptical look to it. “An’ how did He miss it?” “I don’t know. But I think it may have to do with how it’s activated.” “An’ that is…?” “I can’t tell you-“ “Then we have nothin’ to talk about!” Applejack closed the eye slot with a sharp snap. “I can’t tell you,” I yelled at the gate, “Because it would be easier to show you!” *^* She’s always comin’ ‘round here, Ah think ta mahself as Ah trot towards the farmhouse, Ah just never figured she’d try an’ pull a stunt like this! Ah started ta pass the first of the trees left ta us. After a few more steps, Big Mac joined me with a disappointed look on his face. “AJ….” “Don’ you even start!” Ah shot him a glare. “Ah know ya was listenin’ in on us, an’ Ah know what yer gonna say.” Ah stopped and turned my glare fully onta him. “An’ you should be ashamed of yerself fer fallin’ fer a scam like that! Didn’ ya listen to the Brothers’ when they taught ya what ta look out fer?” Big Mac’s expression didn’ change. “They did.” If anythin’ he seemed to be scowlin’. That’s never a good sign…. “Just as Granny taught us that everypony deserves a chance ta prove themselves.” He pointed a hoof back towards the house. “It’s even written in her Book, if’n ya don’ believe me!” ….. An’ he spoke more than four words in each sentence. Eeyup, he’s mad. “Granny also taught us ta look after our own. An’ we’ve been doin’ that aplenty after taken the twins in.” Ah continued mah walk back ta the house. All Ah wanted was ta get there an’ make sure Applebloom an’ Sweetie Bell weren’t burnin’ the juice. Again. “We’re abou’ ta lose the far eastern row.” Ah looked back over mah shoulder. Big Mac hadn’ moved. “An’ that’s after the Brothers’ extended those ‘irrigation pipes’ o’ theirs’. Ah say: Let Cheerilee have a chance ta convince us usin’ those trees.” He turned ta the wheat fields on the other side of the trees. “They’d just be kindling otherwise.” Ah watched him trot back ta work. Why should Ah even consider that Cheerilee’s ridiculous claim? Ah mean, He did a very thorough job pullin’ all the magic outta this place. Ah looked towards the trees Big Mac mentioned. They were even more withered then the rest of our meager crop. …..Although, we really can’ afford ta loose anymore trees…. Or carrots…. Or anythin’ else for that matter. Ah took a final look at the house before turnin’ back ta the gate, an’ the mare waitin’ behind it. Why does he always have ta be right? *^* Applejack had brought us to the barn after letting us onto the farm. I hung around Cheerilee’s neck the entire time we were waiting. Nopony had said more than two words to us all day, those that came into the barn just ignored us. I was bored so I had made a mental list of who I knew who now worked on the farm. Applejack, Big Mac, Applebloom and Sweetie Bell brought Cheerilee her lunch, Flim and Flam, and quite a few foals from the school. The sun was starting to set when Applejack and Big Mac came to get us. With a gruff “Well, come on then,” from Applejack, they led us to a row of withered trees. Applejack stood off to the side expectantly. “Well,” if glares could kill, Cheerilee would have burst into flames, “we’re here. Ya’d better make this day worth our time.” “Okay, stand back.” Cheerilee waved the two Apples further from her. She looked down at me. “You sure they’ll fall for this?” “Honestly, I’m fairly certain, though these two are certainly more perceptive then they look. It all really comes down to you. Are you ready?” “As I’ll ever be…” Cheerilee took a few calming breaths, and began to sing. ~ I have a friend as old as time, yet new as every day. She banishes the night’s dark fears, and sends bad dreams away. She’s always there to visit me, so faithfully each morn. So peaceful and so beautiful, my friend whose name is Dawn.~ As she sang, I sifted out of the ‘amulet’, the stones being held in place by the cord. I rose up into the air so that I was drifting around the dying trees. I could see the looks of stunned disbelief on Applejack's face. Big Mac just stopped chewing on his wheat stalk. ~She fills the air with small bird’s song, and opens all the flowers. She bids the beaming sun to shine, to warm the daylight hours. She comes and goes so silently, to leave the earth reborn. Serene and true, all clad in dew, my friend whose name is Dawn.~ As she sang this last verse, I seeped down into the soil around the base of a few trees. I focused on the on the memories of the good times I've had on the farm. I could feel the soil change as Cheerilee stopped singing. “Okay, there’s no change in the trees so far. Applejack’s still looking dumbstruck.” She reported. “How’s the soil coming along?” “Hmmm. Give me five more minutes, then I’ll move on to the next batch of trees” I waited for a moment before I heard muffled voices coming from above me. ”What’s going on?” I asked as I felt heavy hoof falls directly above me. “Applejack got impatient because she couldn’t see anything happening, I told her that everything that’s changing is in the soil, and Big Mac just confirmed that the soil did change.” “Okay, thanks. I’m moving on to the next trees now.” I sifted over to the soil beneath the next trees in the row as Cheerilee walked over to the same trees above ground. I began to wait again, moving on when Big Mac sampled the dirt again. This continued on until the row was done. “Okay, do they want us anywhere else?” “Let me check…” I heard the sound of muffled voices, “….. No, they said something about needing to discuss this with the other farm hands. I guess it’s time for you to return to the ‘amulet’.” Once again, Cheerilee began to sing, both vocally and mentally so I could hear. ~When the sun sets like fire, I’ll think of you. When the moon casts its light, I’ll remember, too. If a soft rain starts falling, I’ll stand in this place. Recalling the last time, I saw your kind face. Good fortune go with you, to your journeys end. Let the waters run calmly, for you my dear friend.~ I rose up out of the ground and floated back into the ‘amulet’. Applejack and Big Mac came over, eyeing me the entire time. Applejack spoke up first. “So, all ya have ta do, is sing?” “There’s more to it than just singing.” Cheerilee corrected. “I have to hit a certain resonance in order for the Amulet to work. I find that those two old poems work best for activating and deactivating it.” Applejack didn’t look convinced, and stalked away with a huff. Big Mac paused as he walked past. “Ya can sleep in the barn. Tomorrow, you’ll know if yer stayin’.” We watched the Apples walk off towards the farmhouse for a moment before Cheerilee trotted back to the barn. She looked at the rickety ladder leading up to the loft. It looked in worse shape than the one back at the school house. Cheerilee quickly took a look around and outside the barn for anypony else hidden away. Finding nopony else, Cheerilee glanced down at me, “Care to give me a lift?” I faded out of the ‘amulet’ and caressed Cheerilee’s stomach as the wings from the gorge sprang into being. Giving a quick flap, I carried us up to loft. Dispelling, for a lack of a better term, the wings, I drifted back into the ‘amulet’ as Cheerilee shoved some of the hay into a pile for a make-shift bed.We both lay in silence as we tried to fall asleep. Both of us trying not to think the same thought: whatever was being discussed in the farmhouse right then would determine how hard our task for the Elements would be.