//------------------------------// // S3 E11: Just For Sidekicks (What If?) // Story: My Little Pony Friendship is Magic What If?: Volume 2 // by SuperPinkBrony12 //------------------------------// Despite promising to use his magic for good, instead of evil, Discord was not seen or heard from in the time since Princess Celestia's visit to Ponyville. Supposedly, he had told Fluttershy he was going away on a vacation. "It's been a long time since I took in the sights of Equestria." the wity spirit had said just before he departed "If I'm really going to make myself helpful, then I need to familiarize myself with the land." With Discord's abscence, things in Ponyville soon went back to normal. Twilight continued her advanced magical studies, with Spike continuing to happily serve her as her number one assistant. One fine morning, Spike was busy making himself a jewel cake. He tried his best not to eat all the gems before he could put them into the cake, though that was easier said than done. Suddenly, Twilight called out "Spike, can you come here for a moment? I've got some news that I think you'll be very interested to hear about." Spike sighed, and put down the bowl that was filled with the batter for his jewel cake. "What did I do wrong this time?" he thought to himself. Twilight usually didn't call him away when he was busy with something, and the few times she did it was usually to scold him for a misbehavior. She hadn't exactly been thrilled when he tried to start a pet sitting service in exchange for some extra gems. To Spike's surprise, when he entered the main room of the library, Twilight didn't seem upset at all. In fact, she was smiling. Something had to be up, but what? "Sorry to tear you away from your baking." Twilight apologized "I know how much you were looking forward to that cake. "What did you want to see me for?" Spike asked "It has to be important, I don't think I've ever seen you in such a happy mood before. Except maybe for when you completed the paperwork to make me your legally adopted son." "You remember the Crystal Empire, right?" Twilight asked Spike. "How could I forget? That place was amazing." Spike said happily "What does that have to do with anything?" "Well, I've got good news." Twilight explained "Princess Cadence just sent me a message this morning. She says that the Crystal Empire is being considered for the Equestria Games, and she wants my friends and I to help welcome the games inspector, the pony who gets to decide whether or not the empire gets the games." "That's great, except for one small problem." Spike said glumly "She didn't invite me to come along. Looks like another fine adventure I'll be missing out on." "Spike, do you really think I wouldn't be upset at the news as well?" Twilight asked "I'm sure Princess Cadence won't mind if you tag along with me and the rest of the girls. And I'm sure the crystal ponies would love to see you again, considering you were the one who saved their empire." "Really?! I get to go to the Crystal Empire?!" Spike exclaimed. Twilight nodded. "Oh thank you Twilight, thank you so much!" Spike said happily, and he gave Twilight the biggest hug he could. "So, when do we leave?" "That's why I needed to talk to you." Twilight explained "You'd better start preparing Spike, we've got to catch the train to the empire first thing tomorrow. Princess Cadence is counting on us!" Spike was delighted, then a thought struck him "What about Owlowiscious? Who's going to look after him while we're away?" he asked. Ever since Twilight had made Spike give PeeWee back to his family, Owlowiscious had become Spike's pet just as much as he'd been Twilight's pet. "The Cutie Mark Crusaders agreed to do it." Twilight told Spike "And Cheerilee is going to check up on them to make sure they don't get in over their heads. Besides, we should only be gone for the day." "I see." Spike replied "Well, I just hope Owlowiscious doesn't try to go after Angel. From what I hear owls and bunnies don't really get along." "I'm pretty sure Angel knows better than to play tricks on Owlowiscious. Owls are quite wise." Twilight explained. "No kidding." Spike said with a grin "Well, guess I'd better tell Owlowiscious the news. I just hope he didn't steal all of my jewels again." And he raced happily away. Twilight just smiled, it would be nice to have Spike accompanying her again. The next day came quite fast, and before long Twilight, Spike, and the others, were all on their way to the Crystal Empire. Everyone was excited, except for Twilight. She knew that the empire would be subjected to a very extensive inspection. If even one thing was out of place or not up to par, it could be enough to cause the games to go to another city or town. As it turned out, Rainbow Dash knew all too well how it felt for any place in Equestria to be considered the host for the Equestria Games, only to be passed up. "When I was just a filly, Cloudsdale was considered to host the games." she told the others "Everypony was certain we'd be chosen, especially since we did such a good job of preparing for our inspection." "So, what happened?" Rarity asked. She already knew that Cloudsdale ultimately didn't get the games, but she was curious as to why that was the case, and where the games had gone to instead. "Well, when the day of the announcement came, everypony who was anypony was there." Rainbow Dash explained "I remember it like it was yesterday." Already, the dreadful memory came flooding back to her mind. A filly Rainbow Dash was standing on top of her coach's head, holding a Cloudsdale flag in her mouth. Her coach, Rainbow Blaze, had tried to tell her that Cloudsdale hadn't earned the games yet, but Rainbow Dash was too excited to listen. If she had, she would not have been so thoroughly crushed by what happened next. The mayor of Cloudsdale, a young pegasus mare no more than 30 years of age, with a coat as white as snow and a light yellow mane, stepped up to the podium to make the announcement. "And the Equestria Games go to, the city of Fillydelphia." she announced "That is all." "Noooooooooo!" the filly Rainbow Dash exclaimed, dropping the flag from her mouth. It didn't make sense, why did Fillydelphia get the games instead of Cloudsdale? "I later found out that Cloudsdale was passed up because of concerns about the abnormally large griffon population living there." Rainbow Dash explained, as the memory receeded "Back then, griffons were newcomers to Equestria, and most ponies were afraid of them. The commitee in charge of the games didn't want to take any chances. To this date, Cloudsdale has yet to host the games." "I never knew about that." Rarity replied. "Well, you do now." Rainbow Dash said glumly "That's why it's all the more important that we make sure to pull out all the stops! Those crystal ponies already suffered enough just being gone for 1,000 years, they certainly don't need the added heartbreak of losing the Equestria Games!" "For once, I actually agree with Rainbow Dash, as much as it pains me to say it." Twilight admitted "King Sombra may be gone, but he caused a lot of damage during his brief reign of terror. This is the empire's chance to show the rest of Equestria how far it's come in such a short amount of time." "Don't worry Twilight, we won't let you down!" Pinkie Pie said with great confidence. "That's great, but just to be on the safe side, let's run through the welcome routine one more time." Twilight replied. The other mares groaned, they'd practiced it so much it was practically impossible for them to forget it. But they reluctantly decided to do the whole thing one more time, just to satisfy Twilight. It was obvious she was taking a personal interest in the outcome of this trip. As Twilight teleported over to join them, they began to chant: Two, four, six, eight! Name a place that's really great! Just then, the train began to lurch as it slowed down and pulled into the station. This sudden movement was enough to throw everypony off balance, and the pyramid they had just formed collapsed. "Is everypony alright?" Spike asked. "We're fine Spike." Twilight said, as she looked around. Outside of a few dizzy heads, nopony was hurt. "We have arrived in the Crystal Empire." the conductor called, as he made his way through the coaches "Watch your step as you get off the train." "Probably should've watched our step while we were still on it." Applejack complained, as she lifted herself up from underneath Pinkie Pie. No one said anything else, but Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and even Fluttershy, cast Twilight a few angry glares as they stepped onto the station platform. "So, where are we going exactly?" Spike asked, as the group left the station. Everywhere they looked, they could see crystal ponies rushing to and fro, doing their best to make the Crystal Empire look spotless. Their hard work was easy to notice, the buildings that had been cleaned and polished, sparkled in the sunshine. Everypony in the empire was excited. "Princess Cadence already told me where to meet up in the letter she sent yesterday." Twilight replied "Follow me." So everyone followed Twilight, and before long they came to a quaint little spa nestled just outside the center of the empire. When they got inside, Rarity was immediately overwhelmed with joy at the sheer beauty that she saw all around her. The spa was the most gorgeous sight she had ever seen. In the distance, Twilight spotted a familiar pink alicorn with violet, rose, and gold locks. "Cadence!" she exclaimed happily, and instantly raced over to greet the crystal princess. "Twilight! I'm so glad you could make it!" Cadence replied happily, and she and Twilight began to perform their special greeting. "Sunshine, sunshine, lady bugs awake. Clap your hooves, and do a little shake." The sister in-laws giggled. As the secret hoofshake was being performed, Rarity was busy taking in the sights of the crystal spa. Needless to say, she was amazed. "Oh, my. This is spectacular." she exclaimed "Please, everypony, stand back! I need air!" "Go right ahead and help yourself to whatever you'd like. It's all complimentary for the welcome committee." Princess Cadence said to Rarity. Rarity looked around, and suddenly her eyes rested on a most unusual sight. There was what seemed to be a small pool, filled with some sort of crystal like substance "Ooh-hoo-hoo-hoo! What's that?!" she asked Princess Cadence. "Oh, that's a crystal mud bath." Princess Cadence told Rarity. "A crystal mud bath? I don't even see the point of a regular mud bath." Spike spoke up. "It relaxes your body and rejuvenates your coat." Princess Cadence explained "Now, I realize it can be kind of strange to climb into mud, but if you'll just give it a chance, I'm sure–" Just then, Pinkie Pie let out a "Woo-hoo!" and dive bombed into the crystal mud bath. This made Twilight cross "Pinkie, no!" she scolded "This isn't the time to be taking a crystal mud bath!" Pinkie Pie just giggled in response "Ahh, so relaxing!" she said with a sigh of relief. "Relax Twilight, Cadence said we can help ourselves to whatever we like. Don't be such a stick in the mud. Get it, 'stick in the mud'?" Everyone laughed, except for Twilight. Pinkie Pie was embarassing her in front of Princess Cadence and she did not like that at all. "Pinkie Pie! Honestly! Must you make a fool of yourself everywhere we go?!" she snorted, steam coming out of her nostrils. "Uh-oh! I think she's gonna blow!" Spike shouted. "Everypony take cover!" Rainbow Dash warned. Luckily, before Twilight could literally burn up with anger once again, Princess Cadence calmed her down. "Repeat after me Twilight." she instructed. "No, I need to set Pinkie Pie straight before she embarasses the entire empire in front of the games inspector!" Twilight said crossly. "Just do as I say, you'll feel much better." Princess Cadence assured Twilight "Breath in." And with that, Princess Cadence took a deep breath. Twilight did the same "Now, breath out." Princess Cadence continued, and let the deep breath out. Twilight did the same, and just as Cadence had said she felt much less angry. Cadence's technique had worked like a charm. "Thanks, I'll have to remember that for next time." Twilight said to Princess Cadence. "Trust me, it'll come in handy more often than you might think." Princess Cadence told Twilight "But Pinkie has the right idea, go ahead and have a good time." "Where's Shining Armor?" Twilight asked. "He's been coaching the team that will represent the Crystal Empire in the Equestria Games." Princess Cadence explained "If you need his help, you can find him at the newly constructed crystal stadium." "Sounds like my kind of place." Rainbow Dash commented. "In the meantime, I've got to get ready. I need to have my ceremonial headdress done before the inspector arrives." Cadence went on, sitting down on one of the spa chairs. Rarity was surprised at Cadence's last statement. "What's all this about a ceremonial headdress?" she asked. "When meeting with important guests, it was tradition for rulers of the Crystal Empire to weave crystals into their manes in a very specific way. The Games Inspector is known for doing her homework. She'll certainly be expecting my look to reflect the importance of her visit." Cadence said in reply. Just then, the spa door opened and a crystal pony with a sparkling blue coat came running in. She was out of breath, and seemed very concerned about something. "Terribly sorry to interrupt, but I have urgent news for Princess Cadence." she panted. "Oh dear, I hope everything's alright." Fluttershy whispered to Spike. "I'm right here Mercury, now calm down and tell me what's on your mind." Princess Cadence instructed. "Mercury" took a deep breath, and explained "I-I have two pieces of news for you. First, your mane stylist has the flu and won't be able to make it for fear of you catching it, too." "Oh. Well... I hope she gets better soon." Princess Cadence replied sweetly, then she turned to the other crystal ponies in the spa "Do any of the other stylists here know how to do the traditional royal ceremonial headdress?" Each of the stylists replied with a shake of their heads. Needless to say, Princess Cadence wasn't pleased to hear the news. Rather than make a scene however, she took a deep breath and let it out. "Just a... small detail. I'm sure the inspector will understand." she said kindly "We certainly can't have the crystal princess sneezing up a storm during the inspection." Rainbow Dash was not pleased to hear that news "Whoa, whoa, whoa! You're trying to land the Equestria Games here. There is no such thing as a small detail!" "Rainbow Dash!" Twilight scolded "You're not helping!" "I suppose... I could give it a shot." Rarity volunteered. "Way to step it up, Rarity!" Spike cheered. Princess Cadence was surprised, but remained calm "Oh, Rarity, you would do that for me?" Rarity nodded, and Cadence proceeded to unroll a massive scroll with her magic "Fortunately, I have all the precise instructions right here." "Oh, my!" Rarity exclaimed nervously, were there really so many instructions? "You sure you're up to this?" Princess Cadence asked Rarity. "She has a point there." Spike said to Rarity "This looks like a big job." Rarity gulped, but plucked up courage "Working on the hair of royalty on such an auspicious occasion is the opportunity of a lifetime! I will give it everything I've got!" she vowed. "See? No worries! Everything is under control." Twilight said to Rainbow Dash. "Can you blame me for thinking it wasn't?" Rainbow Dash replied "We're lucky Cadence had that instruction sheet. We won't get lucky a second time." "Will you stop it before you jinx us?" Twilight said crossly "We'll be just fine, as long as you stop running your mouth every five seconds." "Now girls, this is not the time to start fighting. We're better then this." Fluttershy scolded. "Besides, the Games Inspector isn't expected for several hours. I'll have plenty of time to figure out exactly how to... do... this..." Rarity said nervously, eyeing the list of instructions. "Oh, Rarity, that's wonderful!" Princess Cadence said with a smile "Now then Mercury, you said you had a second bit of news for me?" "Yes, and I'm afraid you won't like it." "Mercury" said glumly "The Games Inspector, Ms. Harshwhinny, will be arriving on the... next train." Everyone present in the spa gasped in horror, this news had come at the absolute worst time possible. "What!? Why couldn't you have told her that news first!? That's fifteen minutes from now!" Rainbow Dash shouted "We'll never manage with such a tight deadline, we're sunk!" "Not if I can help it!" Twilight said, and quickly took charge of the situation. "Rarity, how long will it be until you have Cadence ready to go?" "Hmmmm... I'm sure I can find some shortcuts." Rarity replied, looking at the instruction sheet again "It might take a while, but I'll get it done." "Can you have her ready to meet us back at the castle by the time Ms. Harshwhinny arrives?" Twilight asked. "That's a bit of a stretch I'm afraid." Rarity confessed "Even with the shortcuts, I don't think Cadence will be ready until after Ms. Harshwhinny shows up." "I'll stay with Rarity." Spike volunteered "I have a feeling she's gonna need the help of my extra thick scales and moral support." "Okay, we'll be fine." Twilight said calmly, and picked up a note from "Mercury" "It says here that we should be on the look out for an earth pony mare, about average height, with red flower print luggage. Ms. Harshwinny refuses to disclose the remaining details of her identity, wishing for them to remain unknown." "Obviously to keep us in the dark and avoid any chances of corruption." Rainbow Dash concluded "If nopony knows exactly what she looks like, nopony has the chance to bribe her or trick her." "Unfortunately for us, it also means we won't know who to keep an eye out for at the train station." Applejack added nervously. "We'll just have to play it by ear and use what information we have to narrow our search." Twilight replied "Come on, let's move it!" And with that, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy, raced out of the spa and headed for the train station. Now, Rarity and Spike were alone with Princess Cadence in the spa. "Well, no sense beating around the bush. Let's get to work." Rarity said nervously, using her magic to bring up the necessary styling supplies. A short time later, Rarity was still working on Princess Cadence's mane. Taking a break from serving as a pin cushion, Spike watched anxiously. "So, uh... how's it going so far?" Princess Cadence asked, breaking the silence "Is everything alright?" "Oh, I'm so sorry... It's just... oh so complicated. " Rarity replied, before letting out a nervous laugh "Don't worry, I can fix it!" "Fix what?!" Princess Cadence asked Rarity. "Well, I-I was looking for shortcuts and I thought step twelve was optional! But it's not!" Rarity explained, and levitated a mirror to show Princess Cadence the disastrous state her mane was in. Her mane looked like it had been exposed to too much static electricity, and looked incredibly messy and unwelcoming. "I thought you knew what you were doing, Rarity!" Spike said crossly "Twilight's not gonna be happy when she finds out about this!" "I'm really sorry Princess Cadence, I promise I'll make this up to you somehow." Rarity apologized, and automatically set to work on trying to fix her mistake. "I must say Rarity, I'm disappointed in you." Princess Cadence said in a tone that was both gentle and cross at the same time "I never would've expected somepony like you to take shortcuts." "Well, this mane style is unlike anything I've ever done before. I never even knew it existed until I came to this spa." Rarity explained "Not to mention, there's that bumped up deadline to worry about. If Ms. Harshwhinny wasn't already slated to arrive by now, I'd have more time to follow the steps to the letter." "Even so, I thought you of all ponies would understand the importance of not cutting corners." Princess Cadence continued "As a matter of fact, I have a story that I used to hear all the time as a filly. And it warns against the dangers of taking unnecessary shortcuts." "A story huh, count me in." Spike said eagerly. "It's not like I'll be going anywhere." Rarity sighed, as she started to work on rinsing Princesss Cadence's mane so she could start again "Let's hear that story." "Very well then. Keep in mind, it's been years since I last heard the story, so I may not be able to recall exactly how it goes." Princess Cadence told Spike and Rarity. "Doesn't matter to me." Spike shrugged. "Same goes for me I suppose." Rarity agreed "As long as it takes my mind off my failure I'm all ears. Maybe by the time you finish I'll be able to complete the styling." Before Princess Cadence could begin to tell her story, Twilight came trotting into the spa, humming lesiurely to herself. Rarity was alarmed, and with a gasp raced over to meet Twilight before she could go far. "W-What are you doing here? What's going on?" she asked nervously. "We finished the welcome committee song, but we've run into a slight problem." Twilight explained "I figured Princess Cadence would know what to do. Is she ready?" "No, no! Princess Cadance isn't ready. Something's gone terribly wrong!" Rarity said frantically. "But I need to speak to her, it's urgent!" Twilight demanded. "You can't! You mustn't!" Rarity pleaded. "She's right I'm afraid. Rarity messed up big time." Spike explained. "As a result of my mistake the princess is in the middle of a delicate conditioning rinse that must go perfectly if there's to be any hope at all for her hair!" Rarity added, blocking Twilight's view of Princess Cadence. "Come on, how bad could it possibly be?" Twilight asked innocently. "Imagine her mane turned into a porcupine." Rarity explained, using her magic to briefly style Twilight's mane to show what it that would look like. "Ew. Sorry I asked." Twilight replied, as Rarity returned her mane to normal "But what am I suppose to do? I need Cadence's advice!" "Why don't you ask Shining Armor?" Spike suggested "Don't you remember, Cadence said he'd be at the crystal stadium coaching the team. I'm sure he can help you out." "Of course, why didn't I think of that before?!" Twilight gasped. "You go talk to Shining Armor, and hopefully you'll find the answer to your problem." Rarity said kindly, as she escorted Twilight out of the spa "Princess Cadence still needs my help. I assure you that I will bring her back from the brink of tragedy no matter what it takes, but you have to buy me some time to work a miracle. There's no other way!" And with that, Rarity shut the spa door. "What was that all about?" Princess Cadence asked Rarity. "Twilight came here asking for your advice, I told her to go talk to Shining Armor." Rarity explained "Apparently, something's come up. But I'm sure that whatever it is Twilight and the others can handle it." "Now, let's hear that story you were going to tell us." Spike encouraged. "Well, alright. Listen carefully." Princess Cadence instructed, and this is the story that she told Spike and Rarity: Once upon a time, there were two young earth pony foals named Hoofel and Greta. Hoofel had a brown coat, red eyes, and a dusty black mane and tail, while Greta had a red coat, blue eyes, and a yellow mane and tail styled into pigtails. Hoofel was a colt, and Greta a filly, and they were brother and sister. Neither of them had their cutie mark, but they didn't care. They loved to take strolls through their little village, and on occassion, into the nearby woods. Hoofel and Greta had a tendency for getting into trouble. Their parents always told them to be careful, but they never listened. Some of the villagers were heard to say "Those two are gonna be sorry someday." That day came, sooner than anypony had expected. It started off as any other day for Hoofel and Greta. They woke up, had breakfast, played for a little bit, then set off to do their daily chores. One of these chores involved delivering some baked goods to a town on the other side of the woods. Their parents had warned them specifically "Do not wander off of the main path at all. The woods are very large, and thick with trees. It is very easy to get lost." "Relax mom and dad." Hoofel and Greta had said in reply "We will be just fine. We know the way, and have made the trip several times before. We shan't be long." As they made their way through town, and towards the edge of the woods, a few of the local villagers asked the children "Where are you going?", to which they replied "Through the woods to the next town of course. Mom and dad need the money from our deliveries." To the surprise of the children, each villager would then repeat to them the warning their parents had given them. A few even said "There is a unicorn witch that lives in those woods. They say she prays on colts and fillies that are unfortunate enough to pass by her house. If she finds you, she will undoubtly gobble you up." Greta was worried at the prospect of a witch, but Hoofel brushed off the warnings as the villagers letting their imaginations get the best of them. "We have been through those woods hundreds of time, and have never once met this 'witch'. And even if we did meet her, she would not to be able to outsmart us." Hoofel and Greta soon forget all about the warnings, as they entered the woods. They knew the trail to take by heart, but then Hoofel made a suggestion that would change everything. "Let's take a shortcut, I have heard that there's a much quicker route through the woods that is not too far from the route we normally take." he said to Greta "With it, we can make the trip in half the time it normally takes us." Greta was not thrilled with the idea. "Don't you remember what the villagers told us?" she asked Hoofel "If we take a shortcut, we might run into that unicorn witch. And if we meet her, she will gobble us up." "Don't tell me you believe those tall tales too?!" Hoofel groaned. "Why do we even need to take a shortcut, the path we've always taken works just fine." Greta said nervously. "I'm tired of always taking the same route." Hoofel complained "Aren't you curious as to what we might discover on our new path?" "Well... yes, of course." Greta replied. "Then it's settled, we're taking that shortcut." Hoofel said with a smile "We'll be through these woods, and into the center of the next town in half the time." And with that, Hoofel and Greta wandered off to find this "shortcut". Greta was counting on Hoofel to know the right way, as they wandered through the unfamiliar part of the woods. After passing by what appeared to be the same tree three times in a row, Greta finally asked Hoofel "Do you know where we're suppose to go on this 'shortcut'?" Hoofel growled "No, I don't!" he admitted "How am I suppose to know though?! I told you that we have never taken this route before! I was told it was a quicker way to get through these woods!" "If that's true, then why did you not ask the pony who told you about this 'shortcut' where to go?!" Greta complained. "I did not have time! Mom and dad have always told us to be back by sundown, and it was getting late when I overheard a stallion talking about a shortcut through the woods." Hoofel explained. "Just great." Greta said sarcatically "We're lost. Now, not only will we be ignoring mom and dad's advice, but we will also be late on our deliveries to the next town! The ponies there will complain, and mom and dad will be very upset with us! We will be grounded for weeks!" "No we won't." Hoofel replied. "Of course we will. We have no clue where we are, or where to go!" Greta complained. "There's a nice little house just up ahead. I'm sure that whoever lives there can tell us where we are, and where to go." Hoofel said, pointing a hoof to a quaint little house nestled amongst the tall trees. Suspecting nothing, Hoofel and Greta trotted up to the house. Upon closer inspection, the house seemed to be made out of gingerbread. Frosting lined the walls and roof, a peppermint hung on the door where one would normally find a door knob or knocker. From the chimney wafted the familiar smell of cinnamon. Giant candy canes lined up on either side of the path before the steps. Almost at once, the two children's mouths began to water. The whole place looked good enough to eat. "Well, this is certainly a treat." an unfamiliar voice replied. Hoofel and Greta turned around to see a unicorn mare with a dull gray coat coming up the path as well. She looked incredibly old, yet still seemed to be in fairly good health for her age, as was evidenced by lack of a cane or walker. Her mane was almost unrecognizable from the thick black cloak she wore, but traces of it hung out as she walked. It looked like it had once been curly and poofy, but had gone limp over time. The only way Hoofel and Greta were able to notice it, was because of its ghostly white color, which matched the dull green eyes to an almost creepy degree. Due to the cloak, the children were unable to see her cutie mark. "Are you the owner of this house ma'am?" Greta asked. "How very perceptive of you young mare." the unicorn mare replied, with each breath her age showed quite heavily. "And who might you two be?" "My name is Hoofel, and this is my sister Greta." Hoofel explained, pointing a hoof to himself and then to Greta "We're sorry to intrude, but we've gotten a bit lost." "Oh you poor things." the mare said sympathetically, though her voice made it sound almost creepy "This seems to happen quite often with little ponies around these parts." "Little ponies? You mean we're not the only ones who've stumbled across this place?" Hoofel asked suspiciously. "I've had lots of guests drop by my cottage, telling me that they've lost their way." the mare explained "I have eventually managed to help them out, and I'll be glad to do the same for the two of you." "Thank you ma'am, that would be very nice." Greta said kindly "We really have somewhere else we need to be." "Oh, I'm sure you do." the mare said in reply "But you two must be starving, getting lost and wandering around can certainly give you quite an appetite. Believe me, I know that better than anypony." The mare had no sooner spoken those words when Hoofel and Greta's stomachs began to rumble loudly. "I suppose we are hungry, just a little bit." Hoofel admitted. "Oh, no need to lie to make me feel better." the mare said to them. Was it Hoofel and Greta's imagination, or was she smiling through that black cloak? "Come on inside, and have a bite to eat. Then you'll feel better, and I can help you two on your way." "Thank you ever so much ma-am." Hoofel and Greta said at once, and they quickly followed the mare into her home. Once the two were inside, the mare used her magic to shut the door behind the. "Wouldn't want to let in a draft." she told the children "It can get pretty cold in this place, luckly my fireplace provides me with all the warmth I need." "Cadence? Sorry to interrupt, but the conditioning rinse has been completed." Rarity said, interrupting Princess Cadence's story. "No need to apologize." Princess Cadence replied. "So, are you ready to give that mane style another shot?" Spike asked Rarity. Rarity took a deep breath, and let it out slowly "I.... think so." she said nervously "This time, I won't try to cut corners. But I'm going to have to work faster than usual. Can you bring me the supplies as I ask for them?" "Can do, just tell me what you need and I'll get right on it!" Spike said eagerly. "I'm glad to hear that." Rarity said kindly "I really must find a way to repay you for your help, I wouldn't be able to do this without you, Spikey-Wikey." "Think nothing of Rarity, your praise and gratitude is all the reward I need." Spike replied. "Well, I'll tell you what. When this is all over I'll take you on another gem hunt when we get back home." Rarity told Spike "And if you behave yourself, you can have any kind of gemstones you want." "Sounds like a deal." Spike agreed "Just tell me what you need, and I'll get it." "He's really quite a dear, isn't he?" Rarity whispered to Cadence. "I'm sure he is." Cadence whispered in reply "Sometimes I'd help to take care of him if Twilight was too busy, he was always such a joy to be around. Twilight's done a good job of raising him." "Glad you think so." Rarity whispered happily "Now then, why don't you go on telling the rest of your story? I'm very interested in hearing what happens next." "Trust me, this is where the story really gets good." Cadence said eagerly, as Rarity set to work on her mane once again. But before Cadence could begin to tell her story, a familiar scream suddenly reached the ears of everyone in the spa. "Do you hear that?" Spike asked Rarity. "That sounds like Rainbow Dash." Rarity replied "And it should very well be Rainbow Dash. But why in Equestria would she be screaming so loudly?" "Beats me." Spike shrugged "Let's just get back to the story." "My thoughts exactly." Rarity agreed. Unknown to either her or Spike, Rainbow Dash had just smacked into the roof of the spa. She wasn't hurt, and with a barely audible sliding noise, she detached from the roof and hit the ground. "So anyways, Hoofel and Greta followed the unicorn mare inside. And this is what happened next." Cadence said, and resumed telling her story: "I am delighted to have you both in my house." the mare said to Hoofel and Greta "As you can see, I have a wide variety of sweets that you are more than welcome to try." "But what about you?" Hoofel asked "Don't you want to have some of these tasty treats as well?" The mare shook her head, despite the fireplace and the closed door, she kept the black cloak wrapped tightly around her body. "Do not worry about me children, I will eat when I'm good and ready. You two may eat as much you like, it's the least I can do for you poor things." "Well, thank you very much for your kindness, but we're not that poor." Greta spoke up "Our parents make a decent amount of money, they just say they're too old to make the journey through the woods anymore." "Someponies say a witch lives in these woods, and that she likes to gobble up ponies unfortunate enough to bump into her." Hoofel added, chuckling at the idea "Can you believe them? Sometimes grownups can be so weird." "You haven't seen a witch at all, have you ma-am?" Greta asked nervously. Something about the mare made her feel uncomfortable. She didn't want to say anything outloud, but she wanted nothing more than to leave this gingerbread house. If only she knew the way back into town. The mare paused for a moment, as if considering something, before she replied "No, I can't say that I have." "Good." Greta said with a sigh of relief. "It's just a stupid old mares tale anyway." Hoofel added, before he began to stuff his face full of pies, cakes, and all sorts of similar baked goods. It was like a little kid in a candy shop. Reluctantly, Greta helped herself to the sweets as well. To her surprise, she found that as soon as she started to eat, she couldn't stop herself. Time and time again she would say "This will be the last treat. Mom and dad said too much sugar is bad for you." Only to find herself unable to resist what was on the table. And so it was that Hoofel and Greta continued to eat, and eat, and eat, until they had consumed everything that had been on the table. To their surprise, outside of feeling full they felt no different from how they had been prior to eating. It was as if the food had been magically enchanted. "My goodness, you two must've been starving." the mare said with surprise "Now, you must be both very tired. A big meal can often make you feel drowsy. Trust me, I know." As if on cue, Hoofel and Greta let out a big yawn. "I guess we are kind of sleepy." Hoofel muttered sleepily, barely able to keep his eyes open. "Then what would you say to a little nap?" the mare asked. "A nap does sound good." Greta replied, letting out another yawn. "Good. Follow me, and I'll show you to your beds." the mare replied, and led Hoofel and Greta to a secluded part of her house. With the exception of a door, the room she led them to was void of all natural light. There were two beds that were roughly Hoofel and Greta's size, with the pillows fluffed, and the sheets ready to be tucked in. Hoofel and Great found them incredibly inviting. "Thank you for your generosity." Greta said to the mare, as she climbed into her bed. "Oh, think nothing of it dear children." the mare said kindly, and tucked them in. "You two just get some sleep now, and I'll be back to check on you later." "But what if we need something?" Hoofel asked. "Don't you worry children, just leave everything to me and go to sleep." the mare said in a soothing, almost hynopitic voice "I'll stay up for a little longer, and clean up. You two certainly made a mess, but that's to be expected with children such as you." And with that, the mare closed the door. Hoofel and Greta decided there was little else they could do, and with a yawn they drifted off to sleep. "Such nice children." the mare said quietly to herself, as she made her way to the kitchen. A rather unusual and seemingly creepy smile forming on her face "It's such a shame they won't be sticking around for much longer." Hoofel had not been asleep for long, when he suddenly woke up with a start. "It was just a dream." he said softly to himself, as he sat in his bed "That's what I get for eating so many sweets before bed." Greta awoke a short time later to the sound of Hoofel banging on the door with one of his front hooves. "What's the matter with you Hoofel? I'm trying to sleep!" Greta complained. "I need to use the little colts room." Hoofel replied. "Then just go already, what do you need me for?" Greta asked crossly. "The door's locked tight." Hoofel explained "I've tried to open it, but the knob won't turn at all." "Oh come on, that's not the case at all." Greta said, turning her back to her brother so she could try and go back to sleep. "I've been trying to open it for the past minute and a half at least." Hoofel added "Nothing's working, that's why I've been knocking on this door. That mare locked us in here, and now she's gonna unlock us!" "Say, is it suddenly getting hot in here?" Greta asked, sweat rolling down her forehead. "Now that you mention it, it does feel like somepony turned up the heat in this place." Hoofel agreed, wiping sweat from his brow with one of his front hooves. "Just what's going on here?" "I don't like this!" Greta said nervously "I think that mare locked us in here on purpose! This is a trap!" "A trap?!" Hoofel replied anxiously. "Think about it. That mare invited us inside, let us eat to our heart's content, and then she locks us into this room that has no windows. And now it's getting hot." Greta explained "She's trying to kill us!" "But why?! Why would she want to kill us?!" Hoofel asked "We didn't do anything to her. We never even met her prior to today." Then, it dawned on him. He remembered the stories told by the villagers "You don't think-" he said nervously. "She probably is." Greta replied reluctantly "She's the witch the villagers were trying to warn us about. She's trying to cook us!" "So, you finally figured it out have you?" a familiar voice called out "Well, you're too late to stop me!" Suddenly, the wall opposite of the door disappeared, and Hoofel and Greta found themselves inside of a giant cauldron of some kind. The heat was coming from the burning wood directly below. Hoofel and Greta looked up, and gasped in horror at what they saw. The mare had shed her cloak, revealing her cutie mark that showed a giant black witch hat, just like the one she now wore on her head. "Let us go you witch!" Hoofel protested. "Sorry, but I'm afraid that's impossible." the witch cackled fiendishly "You two are about to become my next meal, and there's nothing you can do about it! You should've listened to those villagers and stayed on that regular path!" Those words struck deep for Hoofel, and he now realized that he was the one to blame for getting himself and his sister into this situation "She's right, this is all my fault." he said glumly to himself. "It's not entirely your fault Hoofel." Greta told him "I could've tried to stop you, but I went ahead with your idea anyway. I'm just as guilty as you are. And we'll meet our fate together." "Aw, isn't that sweet?" the witch said with fake sympathy "It almost breaks my heart, what's left of it anyway." "You don't have a heart?" Greta asked. "I do, but I haven't had a need for it in a long time. Not that it matters." the witch explained "My destiny was set in stone the moment I got this cutie mark, and I'm never going back to how I once was!" "You don't have to do this!" Hoofel pleaded "If you just let us go, we'll never bother you again!" "Oh please, how stupid do you think I am?!" the witch said crossly "The instant I set you two free, you'd turn around and attack me! You can just stay in there until you're good and ready. It's been ages since I had a brother and sister to eat, I've almost forgotten how they taste." Just then, however, the fire beneath the cauldron burned out. Hoofel and Greta breathed a sigh of relief, but they weren't out of the woods yet. "Consarn it all!" the witch complained "I knew those trees wouldn't make good firewood." "It's not too late to let us out you know." Greta said to the witch "We don't really taste good." "Yeah. I'm gonna taste really yucky in a matter of minutes." Hoofel added. "What do you mean?" the witch asked Hoofel. "Well, I need to use the little colts room." Hoofel told the witch. "And why should I care? You should've taken care of that before I stuffed you into this oven!" the witch scolded. "If you don't hurry up and let me out, your whole caludron is gonna smell really bad. And that'll spoil your meal." Hoofel explained "If you're gonna eat me, the least you can do is let me take care of my business really quick." "Nice try boy, but I'm not going to fall for that!" the witch snorted "You can just hold it in for all I care, now where did I put that lighting stick?" "But I really, really, really have to go." Hoofel said desperately, standing on tiphooves to illustrate the point. That was enough for the witch to change her mind. "Alright, alright. I don't need you to have an accident in my nice clean caludron." the witch said crossly, and used her magic to quickly yank Hoofel out. "Just follow me to the bathroom, and do what you need to do. And I swear, if you go to the bathroom on my floors, I'll eat you right on the spot!" "Don't worry, I can hold it for a little bit longer." Hoofel replied "So stop talking and lead the way." The witch sighed, and using one of her hooves she guided Hoofel out of the kitchen. Unknown to her, Hoofel gave a knowing wink to Greta just before he left the room. "Hoofel's counting on me. I've got to find a way out of here." Greta thought to herself, and she began to look around for a way to escape. "Okay, here we are." the witch said crossly, pointing towards the bathroom door "Be quick in there, you hear me?!" "I'll be as quick as I can." Hoofel replied "Baring any 'accidents'." "Don't get any ideas mister. If I have to watch over you to make sure you don't try any funny business, I'll do so." the witch said angrily, casting a glare at Hoofel to make sure he understood her point. "Relax, I'll be out soon." Hoofel nodded, and he quickly raced into the bathroom and shut the door. All the while, the witch kept a careful vigil from outside. Finding a way out of the giant oven proved to be easier said than done for Greta. No matter what she tried, there seemed to be no way out. Then, an idea came to her. Her family line was home to some of the strongest earth ponies ever known. Her father had once famously defeated a hundred stallions in a wrestling match, without breaking a sweat. "Maybe if I try hard enough, I can channel some of my earth pony magic into the cauldron lid and force it open." she thought to herself. At this point, it was worth a try. The witch was relieved when she heard the sound of a toilet flushing, followed by the sound of a sink running. "Okay, you're done now. Right?" she asked Hoofel. "Yes ma-am." Hoofel replied, and came out of the bathroom. "Good, now let's get you back to your sister. Don't try anything, or you won't live to regret it." the witch threatened, and quickly grabbed hold of Hoofel and guided him back to the cauldron. Using her magic, she stuffed him back inside it and put the lid back on. She then went to retrieve something to help her start the fire. "Nice going sis." Hoofel said sarcastically "We're doomed, and it's all thanks to you." "Not quite." Greta replied "Do you see that lid?" "Yes. What's your point?" Hoofel asked. "When I give the signal, push it with all your might." Greta instructed "If we push hard enough, we can open it and get out of here." "But what about that witch?" Hoofel asked nervously. Greta smirked "Leave that to me. I'll teach her a lesson she'll never forget." Not long afterward, the witch returned. Hoofel and Greta couldn't see her properly, but they were almost certain she had found what she was looking for. In a matter of minutes, it would be all over for them. "Anytime now sis." Hoofel said impatiently. "Okay, on the count of 3." Greta instructed "1, 2, 3, now!" On cue, both Hoofel and Greta channeled as much power as they could into their hooves and managed to successfuly force the cauldron lid open. The witch was startled, and fell back in surprise. This caused her to drop the lighting stick she'd been holding just a few seconds ago. The lighting stick was a piece of wood that would only light up when a specific spell was cast on it. "We're free!" Hoofel and Greta exclaimed happily. "Oh no you're not!" the witch said crossly, recovering from the shock. Using her magic, she picked up the lighting stick and used her magic to set it on fire. She then gave chase to Hoofel and Greta. "She's crazy!" Hoofel exclaimed, as he and Greta dodged a flaming swipe from the stick. "Well, she's gonna play right into our hooves." Greta replied happily. And she was right, with each missed swipe the witch was setting more and more of her house house on fire. But she didn't care, she was fixated on capturing Hoofel and Greta. "Come back here!" the witch shouted at the top of her lungs, and threw the lighting stick with her magic. This was just the sort of opening Greta was waiting for. Timing it just right, she jumped up, and grabbed the stick with her mouth. She then turned around and faced the witch, while holding the stick. "Give me back my stick!" the witch demanded, and tried to yank it out of Greta's mouth with her magic. But Hoofel grabbed hold of the stick with his hooves, and wouldn't let go. The witch tried her best, but her magic just wasn't powerful to yank the stick away. Eventually, she yanked so hard that she was thrown back. Taking the stick out of her mouth, and holding it firmly in her hooves, Greta said to the witch "This is where you run away. I know all about witches, and I know their weakness." "Is this suppose to scare me?" the witch asked. "No. But maybe this will." Greta replied, and blew out the flame. She then threw the heavily salivited stick at the witch, who screamed in horror when she tried to touch it. "Run away now, and never eat ponies again! Do you hear me?!" Hoofel said crosssly "If you ever cross our paths again, you'll be sorry!" "Curse you both! You will pay for what you've done!" the witch vowed, as Hoofel and Greta quickly ran away. "Hoofel and Greta eventually found their way back onto the main path, and when their parents heard what had happened they were incredibly surprised." Princess Cadence finished "And from that day onwards, Hoofel and Greta vowed to never again take unnecessary shortcuts. As for the witch, she was never seen again." "Wow, that's quite a story!" Spike exclaimed. "I must say, it certainly has quite the ending." Rarity added, as she completed the last step in the stylizing process. And she was just in time, for at that very moment, Twilight and the others came walking through the spa door. Rainbow Dash looked incredibly beat up, and all five of the mares seemed out of breath. "Oh, there she is!" Rainbow Dash said with great relief "We're in luck! I don't think either of them knows yet that the other one's here!" "Wonderful news, look! Princess Cadance, better than new!" Rarity happily exclaimed. A second later, Princess Cadence emerged. The traditional royal ceremonial headdress looked incredible on her. Everyone was impressed. "Princess Cadance? So, this is where you've been all this time!" an unfamiliar voice said crossly "I was wondering why nopony was there to welcome me!" "What do you mean?! I sent a welcoming committee specifically to greet you." Princess Cadence asked. She recognized the owner of the voice as Ms. Harshwhinny. Sure enough, a short distance away stood an earth pony mare with a brown coat, a brownish yellow mane stylized to look nice and smooth, black eyes, and a purple business dress. "Oh really, then why was it that not one of these ponies was at the train station when I arrived?" Ms. Harshwhinny demanded "The first time I met them was when this 'Twilight Sparkle' stopped to help me with my luggage." "What is going on? I want answers." Princess Cadence said crossly. "I'd like to know that too." Spike insisted "Just what have you five been up to?" Rainbow Dash sighed "It's a long story your majesty." "Well, I want to hear it." Princess Cadence said seriously. Rainbow Dash sighed, and explained "It all began when I told the girls that we needed to be ready for anything that the inspector might throw at us." she began. "So, that's why Twilight wanted to speak with me earlier." Princess Cadence realized, as Rainbow Dash finished up her story. "Yes. I'm really sorry I screwed things up for you." Rainbow Dash apologized "When I was a little filly, I wanted so badly for Cloudsdale to win the Equestria Games. But it didn't happen. So I thought I could make up for that disappointment by helping the Crystal Empire win the chance to host the Games. But it looks like I ruined your chances instead." "I wouldn't say that." Miss. Harshwhinny spoke up. Everyone else was shocked "Why not?" they all asked. "This was partially my fault." Ms. Harshwhinny explained "I didn't disclose enough information about myself, and so naturally you mistook somepony who matched what information you had, for me. But from what that mare has told me, even after the truth came out, you treated her no differently. And you saw to it that her time in the Crystal Empire was the best it could be." "So, what are you saying?" Twilight asked. "Despite some truly unimpressive and frustrating moments, I'm willing to give the Crystal Empire the benefit of the doubt in this situation." Ms. Harshwhinny explained "And so, reluctantly, that can only mean one thing..." "The next host of the Equestria Games is... the Crystal Empire!" Princess Cadence announced, holding a microphone with her magic to deliver the announcement to all the crystal ponies. Standing beside her was Shining Armor, Spike, Twilight, and their friends. Everyone was excited. "We did it!" Rainbow Dash cheered. "Congratulations, Crystal Ponies!" Ms. Harshwinny said, a rare smile forming on her face "Best of luck in the games themselves." When the announcement had concluded, it was time for Twilight, Spike, and their friends to leave. "You know, it feels good to help others get something you always wanted but never had." Rainbow Dash admitted, as she and the others prepared to board the train back to Ponyville. "It's almost as good as getting it yourself. Almost." "We'll still be able to come back here and watch the games when they're played." Twilight told Rainbow Dash "I'm certainly looking forward to them." "You're right. That'll rock!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "So, from the looks of things it seems like I missed out on quite the adventure." Rarity said to Twilight, once everyone was onboard. "Sounds like you and Spike had quite the adventure yourself." Twilight replied. "I suppose we did." Rarity considered "Cadence had an interesting story to tell at the very least. Even so, just what was it that happened with the inspector that caused so much trouble?" "Well, it's a case of mistaken identity, hilarious shenanigans, an important lesson, and a whole lot more." Pinkie Pie spoke up.