//------------------------------// // Sweet Pickle // Story: Adventures in Apple-achia // by Cold Cuts the batpony //------------------------------// We made our way through the woods and gradually up the mountain. It was difficult being ground bound for a couple of reasons. The first being the incessant ache in my wing, and second being the incessant ache in my head, caused by the incessant jaw flapping of Dynamite Dust. This was his full name as he mentioned multiple times, it seemed that Dusty had six stories to tell, but could not seem to tell the complete story at any one time. He would start one and skip off to another beginning a third before finally coming back to the wrong part of the first. It was unbearable, but he was an ally, my only ally. "So where are we aheaded anyhows?" Dusty asked during a brief pause in his rambling. "To an herbalist. I was headed there already before I ran into Dan, but for a different reason," I replied with a sidelong glance, "now I need her to patch me up too." "Is that so," Dusty pondered a moment, a moment of rare silence, "And what were these other reasons?" "To gather herbs," I responded matter of factly. ---- We arrived in a clearing against the mountain side. "We're here." "We're where, there's nothing here?" Dusty looked around in bewilderment. "Welcome to the abode of Mr. and Mrs. Pickle," Dusty still looked confused and was thankfully silent. We walked for a few minutes further into the clearing. To the untrained eye it looked wild and unnaturally over grown, but to those who knew where to look they could see the well kept beds of wild edibles, medicinal herbs, and and some fragrant flowering varieties simply for aesthetics, there was an almost tangible peace in the air. I couldn't help but let my eyes stray to a particular patch of more sinister looking plants. There in the rock face was the low opening of a cavern. "Ho the seedtender!" I belted out, breaking the still air and causing Dusty to jump. "Ho the long shot!" Came the deep baritone reply off to our right. A dappled green stallion with straw colored mane and a woven grass hat emerged from the treeline. "It's been a long time since we've seen you around these parts," said the old horse jovially, "and I see you've brought a friend." His expression turned dark, "he isn't one of your alleged coworkers is he?" "No," I replied, "Just a traveling companion. No need to worry Dill." "I'm injured," Dusty said in mock affront. Nobody paid him any heed. "Is sweet around? I need her help." Dill looked around, "I think she's in the cave, come on in." We followed the stallion down a narrow crevice to an open room, well lit and cozy. Dry plants lined the wall closest to a fireplace nestled into a crack. Shelves with crockery and corked bottles of mysterious fluids stood against most any would be open wall space and a vast reed mat covered the floor beneath a wrought iron candelabra, also draped with bundles of drying plants. At a table to the side sat an orange pony with a green mane. A bandana kept the bangs from her face and a pair of glasses perched precariously on the end of her nose. She was busy sorting and bundling more herbs, rejects were tossed to the hungry fire its flames licking out to reach those not quite in qrasp. "Sweet, we have company," the mare looked up startled. "Oh Crackshot! Its been such a long time! Whatever are you doing here?" Her voice was musical and soothing. "I need your help Sweet," I said walking over, "I hurt my wing." She stood up and began to inspect it. "What about me?" Dusty interjected, "What'm I supposed to do?" I looked up, "Hey Dill, remember how you used to say you always wanted another cave to store your brews? I think Dusty here can help you." "Is that so?" Dill said. They turned towards each other and ambled off down another corridor chatting exuberantly. Sweet returned her attention to my wing, "Now honey, what happened this time?" She gave me a stern look and I shrank under her gaze. "I jumped out a window and got hit with a rain barrel..." I murmured, barely audible. "You did what! This doesn't have anything to do with Dirty Dan does it?" The small mare, normally so gentle, began to tower over me. "Yes, but no, it's not my fault!" I exclaimed, cowering as she reached for a long and painful looking rod. "Well you can tell me all about it in explicit detail while I patch you up," I winced as she prodded my tender joint and reached past the stick for a roll of gauze. ---- We all stood at the entrance of the cavern. "Do you have everything you came for?" Sweet inquired, smiling with Dill standing next to her. I hugged them both. "Yes ma'am, and thank you for your help." We turned and started on our way. "So what did you get from her?" Dusty spoke up, he smelled of dust and sulfur. "A little something to help us out against Dan, its called Hornbane. It nullifies a unicorn's magic in the right dosage." "And in the wrong dosage?" My expression turned dark, "It strips them of it. Permanently."