Ponywatching

by ThunderTempest


Prompt #514: In Solution

Twilight swirled the jewelled flask around in her magic. Inside, the remaining white liquid sloshed and glooped around. One drink was all that she would get out of it now. One more glimpse into the past.

“You really don’t have any left?” asked Rainbow Dash, a few meters away.

“Twilight holds the last of it, if the truth you wish me to tell,” said Zecora, “the original vendor, more of it he could not sell. And as to more being made or mixed, the recipe I could not fix.”

Rainbow Dash frowned, but turned on Twilight. Zecora, sensing that her input was finished, exited the library.

“Come on, Twilight,” said Rainbow, “you gotta let me have some of that. I wanna see if anypony else has done a sonic Rainboom before. Those legends had to come from somewhere, and I just want to see the ponies who did it first.”

“Rainbow, you are the eighteenth pony today that has asked me about this potion,” sighed Twilight Sparkle, “I wish news of this thing hadn’t gotten out. Everypony and their grandmother seems to want to use it to see family members ‘one last time’.”

“I said I was sorry!” cried Pinkie Pie, from inside the Golden Oaks’ closet, “I was just so excited about us winning that I couldn’t stop talking and then...”

“Pinkie!” cried Rainbow, “Not helping!”

“Right, sorry Dashie,” said Pinkie. There was a zipping sound from the closet. Rainbow Dash shrugged, and turned back to Twilight. Back to Twilight, who was still swirling the potion around the bottle.

Just as Rainbow was about to make her case for why she should get to drink the potion again, Applejack wandered into the room.

“Applejack?” asked Twilight, taking notice of her friend, “what brings you here today?”

“Listen, Twilight, I got something to ask you, an’ I know how it’s gonna sound, but...”

Twilight sighed.

“You want the memory potion, don’t you?”

Applejack simply nodded.

“Keeping this thing is way more trouble than it’s worth,” muttered Twilight, “but I don’t want to just pour it down the drain, either.”

“Yoo-hoo!” Rarity called as she opened the door, “Twilight, dear, I don’t suppose that...”

Rarity was interrupted by Twilight pulling out the stopper and glugging down the last mouthful of the potion. Both Rainbow and Applejack stared as Twilight’s eyes flashed white.

As Twilight experienced whatever it was that she was seeing, Applejack suddenly chuckled.

“Shoot, girls, this was probably just like that whole Grand Galloping Gala ticket shindig for her,” said Applejack, “’spose I can’t really blame her for doin’ that just to put a stop to it.”

Rainbow Dash considered this for a minute.

“Yeah, I guess we took it kinda overboard,” said Rainbow, rubbing the back of her head, “but hey, wanna go and play horseshoes, AJ? Five bits says I can beat you.”

“You’re dreamin’, Dash, but I’ll still take your money,”

Rarity blinked as Rainbow and Applejack raced off to Applejack’s farm, Twilight standing in the centre of the room, her eyes aglow with the magic of the potion.

“I was just going to ask if Twilight would model a dress for me,” murmured Rarity, turning around and exiting the Golden Oaks, “Oh well, perhaps another day. Oh, Fluttershy, I hope it wouldn’t be too much trouble if I asked a favour of you? I would be so very grateful...”