One upon a time in a far off kingdom,
There lay a small village at the edge of the Everfree Forest.
"I wish,'
And in this village:
“More than all my things,'
Lived a young mare, with a coat of yellow and hair pink as a blossom;
"More than friends, more than happiness..."
A carefree young colt, colored brown and with a small obsession with video games;
“I wish, more than fun..."
And a childless baker with his wife, both of whom were named after baked sweets.
“We wish, more than the world, more than Luna's moon, we wish."
The young mare sang out in excitement, “The Princess is giving a festival!"
The two bakers harmonized as they rolled out their fresh kneaded dough. "More than life."
Meanwhile somewhere far off, the mare continued her enthusiastic song, and it seemed almost like she and the bakers were somehow in sync.
"I just wish to go to the festival! To see the critters, and dance at the ball..."
The colt groaned in annoyance, shaking his head at the large cow in his backyard. He yelled up to the sky, "I wish my dang cow would give us some stinkin' milk!"
The mare and the baker's wife sang out together in perfect pitch "More than everything-"
The baker sighed sadly as he popped a tray of cookies into the over "We wish we had a foal!", and his wife followed his lead, singing in agreement. "I want a foal!"
The young colt pleaded to his bovine friend, looking down at its utters "Please pal, squeeze pal, come on pal!"
The mare wished aloud, caressing her hooves over her beating heart "I wish I can go see the animals!"
The colt clutched his hooves together and wished with all his might "I wish you’d give us some milk or even cheese!"
And the bakers clung to one another; both of them wishing as hard as they could "We wish we might have a foal!"
"I wish!”
The young mare by the name of Fluttershy, brushed beads of sweat from atop her forehead out of her view as she scrubbed the kitchen floor. The poor dear had been working on the same floor all day, constantly cleaning it over and over after her relatives made more messes and couldn’t care less about cleaning up after themselves. She considered stopping, but suddenly the ponies in question entered the room, her stepmother fluffed her orange hair and looked down at Fluttershy in disgust.
“Oh please, YOU wish to go to the festival?”
The poor dear’s parents had died.
“You, Fluttershy the festival,' she scoffed 'What, you wish to go to the festival, the PRINCESS’S festival?”
And now she lived with her stepmother Adagio, who had two daughters of her own, named Aria and Sonata. All three of them were beautiful of face, but vile and black of heart.
Both of them looked down at the dirty young mare. Aria smirked wickedly, while Sonata raised a confused eyebrow at her sister's actions. Aria rolled her eyes and pointed lightly at the young scullery mare kneeling on the floor. The wheels in Sonata's head started to turn, then realizing what her sister was letting on, she too grinned evilly at Fluttershy as well.
“Look at your hooves! and look at your dress!" Sonata and Aria sang out, scanning Fluttershy up and down. "You'll shame all of us, Flutterella!"
"Ponies will laugh at you, my dear!” Adagio stated, as her daughters nodded their heads in agreement.
Fluttershy said back, though quite faintly, “Nevertheless, I-I'd still like to attend the festival-"
"To meet those vermin you call friends, and dance before his highness, the prince?!" The trio of ponies interrupted, almost shocked that Fluttershy would dare wish to go to the festival despite her attire. Fluttershy meekly nodded, hoping they could find it somewhere in their hearts to let her go with them for just one night.
Adagio, Aria, and Sonata all looked at one another, then immediately exploded into fits of laughter as Fluttershy’s little heart sank.
<<<>>>
The young lad named Button Mash had no father (or maybe he did, we don’t really know, we haven’t seen him)
And his mother,
“I wish,'
Well, she was at her wits end with her son and his crazy antics.
“I wish my son had common sense! I wish my house wasn't such a mess! I wish the cow would give a drop of milk, I wish the walls were adorned in gold, I just wish a lot of things!”
Button’s mom sighed heavily as she tried to sweep the dirty floor, when suddenly her son burst into the room; a white cow following behind him. His mother almost fainted at the sight.
“Button, what in the name of Celestia are you doing bringing the cow into the house?!”
Button looked at the cow and back to his surprised mother “I thought maybe if he came inside, you know, a warm environment and all, it might be what he needs to make some milk!”
Button’s mom smacked her hoof against her face “it’s a SHE. How many times do I have to tell you, only ‘she’s’ can give milk!”
<<<>>>
Meanwhile, a hungry little yellow filly entered the baker’s shop, eagerly skipping while her red hair flowed over her equally bright red cape. The big pink bow atop her head bounced with every little jump she did.
“Ah wish, but it’s not for me; it’s for my Granny Smith, in the woods! May ah have loaf of bread, please? Ah gotta bring it to Granny Smith in the woods. Just one loaf of bread-'
She then saw a baked good on the counter, all on its lonesome. She quickly shoved it into her mouth, and with a mouthful she finished:
"Please!”
<<<>>>
Elsewhere, Fluttershy’s stepmother had a surprise for her.
Adagio had a bowl of lentils nearby on the table, and with a fast swift of her hoof she sent the lentils into the fire place.
“Fluttershy, if you can pick up those little lentils from the fireplace in about two hours, and finish your other chores, then MAYBE you can go to the ball with us.”
<<<>>>
The hungry filly had been filling her basket with sweets and treats for herself-I mean her granny, as she pointed out a few more goods from the shelves.
"Could ah maybe have one of those sticky buns? or...four?"
The bakers looked at one another with worried eyes, then complied, giving the filly a large messy sticky bun.
<<<>>>
"Really stepmother? I can go?" Fluttershy asked.
"I expect this all to be cleaned up by then. If not, then no."
Adagio beckoned her daughters, as they all left the room, leaving Fluttershy all alone.
Fluttershy looked down at the lentils. So many of them all scattered around in the ashes, there was no way she could be able to pick up each one and finish in time. She moved a stray hair out of her face, and looked down at her dress. Even if she could get those lentils picked up, her ragged dress wouldn’t be acceptable to wear to the ball, or anywhere else for that matter. She was at a standstill, with very few choices. Suddenly an idea popped into her mind. Fluttershy stood and walked toward the window, unlocking its hinges and pulling them open. She could spot some small doves flying up over the house, and with her small voice, she sang out to them.
“Birds in the sky, oh please come little friends!
Down from the clouds and the mountains.
Over fields, and out of castles and ponds,”
<<<>>>
"And maybe a few pies?" the filly asked.
<<<>>>
Button looked discouraged as he petted his cow, waiting for the slightest drop of milk to come out of the cow’s utters.
"No, you gotta squeeze, pal!”
<<<>>>
Fluttershy started singing vibrato, almost falling into a trace herself as she happily sang to the birds. And almost like they were under a spell, a large flock came toward the window, gracefully flapping their wings and gliding through the air. They landed at the windowsill and looked at Fluttershy with curiosity.
She smiled at them and pointed lightly at the fireplace. They nodded and descended toward the fireplace, pecking with their beaks at the little lentils hidden under the ashes.
“Quick little friends, please flick through the ashes!' she pointed down at the lentils as she held out the pot. "Oh dear friends, pick and peck, but do swiftly sift through those ashes!" Fluttershy whispered to her winged friends, "And into the pot!"
<<<>>>
Button’s mom heaved “Now listen Button, your cow has got to go. We need to sell it at the market.”
“Mom, no! Cow Clicker is the best cow in the world!” Button cried.
“Button, ‘she’ has been dry for weeks now, and we haven’t got any food or money. Also Cow Clicker was a stupid game, why’d you name her after that?”
Button shrugged “I don’t know, it just kinda came to mind.”
“The point is, we don’t have a choice but to sell her.”
“But he’s my best friend!”
“Button, look at her!”
“She's lost all of her milk, she's a walking sickness, AND there’s a lump on her rump, big enough to be a hump!”
“But-“
“Button, there’s no time to sit and dither
While her withers wither with her,'
“huh?” Button asked confused.
'And no one keeps a cow as a friend!”
Button’s mom frowned “sometimes I wonder what’s even going on in that head of yours.”
Button looked off into thought, as he remembered playing a game with his friend a few months back. He blankly stared out, as his mom tried to catch his attention by waving her hoof over his face.
<<<>>>
The yellow filly called Applebloom had finished eating almost all the pastries on the counter, much to the bakers’ dismay. She then licked some frosting off her hoof, as she ate another cookie.
“Well, thanks for the sweets, but ah gotta get to the Everfree forest now, Ah do have to go. Ah really do hate to leave, but ah gotta though."
"Are you sure, dear?" the baker's wife asked. Applebloom nodded in return "Eeyup! Its time and so, ah gotta go and start mah journey!"The filly continuously popped more pastries and sweets in her mouth as she explained to the bakers;
"Around the thicket and through the trees is where ah am expected, ma’am.
Into the woods to Granny Smith’s house!”
She then took another cookie and bit into it, repeating her sentence in a muffled cookie-filled response.
“Intu ha woodz to Granni Smiht huze!”
The baker’s wife, Mrs. Cake, frowned at the almost empty plate of cookies, but replied curiously “Now are you sure you know the way, dear?”
Applebloom nodded, hiding a few scones in her dress pockets.
“The path is clear, plus the light is good.
Besides, Ah have no fear, nor no one should," Applebloom beamed with courage. "How will I get mah cutie mark in navigatin' forests if Ah'm scared?" The woods are just trees, and those trees are just wood!" the filly looked down at the large pile of baked goods in her hooves and looked up at the bakers with an embarrassed smile. "Uhh Ah sorta hate to ask it, but do you have a basket?”
The Cakes looked at one another, and grabbed a basket from behind the counter. Mrs. Cake gave Applebloom the basket, while Mr. Cake went around the counter to help the filly pack.
“I don’t suppose you plan on BUYING any of this, right?”
Mrs. Cake gave her husband a slight glare, and hushed him as she packed a loaf for the filly “Now dear, don’t stray and be late, alright?”
Mr. Cake finished “And save some of those sweets for Granny.”
Applebloom nodded, and quickly grabbed another cookie before bolting out of the bakery. The Cakes lunged for her, but her speed was too quick for them.
Applebloom skipped happily down the streets of the village, with her sweet treats in the basket and pockets.
“Through the Everfree, then past the dell. The path is straight, 'cause ah know it well,
Deep through the trees and who can tell what’s waiting on the journey?" She excitingly sang as she continued on the path.
"Goin' through the forest to bring some bread, to poor Granny who's sick in bed,
Ah wonder what all may lie ahead, but if ah'm not carful, ah might end up dead….." Applebloom then paused at the thought. Then quickly brushed it aside and resumed her escapade.
"But here ah go! into the woods, gotta get there, to Granny Smith’s house, and then get my cutie mark!”