//------------------------------// // Study Two: Plants and Potions // Story: An Earth Pony's Guide to Magic // by Sereg //------------------------------// A/N: Wow! Thank you all so much for the support! I did not expect five stars. Now I have to earn them and maybe try for that elusive sixth! Thank you for the constructive criticism as well. I do appreciate it and have tried to bear it in mind for this chapter. For those who were wondering, yes, Star Swirl is based on the blind bag toy of the same name. I’m not the first to assume that she is Star Swirl the Bearded’s descendant, but I believe that I’m the first to keep her as an earth pony when making that assumption. I fully expect her personality to be jossed if she ever appears in the show, especially as she apparently “always sparkles” which suggests that she should be happier than I’m making her (at least for these early chapters). I’ve enjoyed the attempts to analyse her personality that I’ve seen in the comments. This chapter should be more fuel for that. I’d always planned for this chapter to give far more clues as to what her real special talent is. Feel free to guess and let me know if you want me to let you know whether or not your guess is correct. Once again, thank you to the bronies at TVTropes for their suggestions.   Study Two: Plants and Potions   Star Swirl finished packing everything she could possibly need for her lesson in how to grow plants and looked back up to her room. It may have been smaller than a standard Canterlot apartment, but at least that made it easier to keep everything clean and organised. Besides, it still had plenty of shelving space to store her extensive notes, a desk to write said notes and space to perform any experiments she needed to do. Well, she wouldn’t have moved into a place that didn’t cater to such necessities. She had put everything in its rightful place. Nothing can go wrong now, she thought. I am sure to learn how to grow plants. Then I will finally be able to use magic as appropriate for a descendant of Star Swirl the Bearded. And I will fulfil the destiny promised to me by my cutie mark. She practically skipped out the door in her excitement and headed towards where she had been told Sweet Apple Acres was located.   As she trotted happily across the grass towards her destination, she realised that she was being followed. She had always been proud of her ability to notice important details that were typically glossed over, and the distinctive sound of hoofsteps was approaching. She turned around, squealed in excitement and ran towards a pair of ponies. “Rarity Belle, Bearer of the Element of Generosity! I’m so glad to have a chance to speak to you! I barely saw you at the party!” she continued squealing. “...Um...This is a good time, right?...If not...it’s fine.” She awkwardly dropped her smile.   Rarity stopped. She was wearing a yellow, wide-brimmed hat and was accompanying a white unicorn filly. “Good morning, darling. You must be Star Swirl,” she deduced. “I’d be happy to get to know you better. By the way, this is my sister, Sweetie Belle. And feel free to just call me ‘Rarity’.”   “Thank you!” said Star Swirl. “I want to know you better too! And it’s nice to meet you as well, Sweetie Belle.”   “Um...Nice to meet you too,” replied Sweetie Belle.   “Of course, I’d be happy to chat sometime, darling,” Rarity said with a nod as they reached the dirt path. “I hear that you’re from Canterlot. I’ve stayed there before, but I’ve never lived there. However, right now, I’m accompanying my sister to a play date at Sweet Apple Acres. We’ll have to arrange for another meeting to become more properly acquainted.”   “I’ve already told her that I can get to Sweet Apple Acres by myself though,” said Sweetie Belle.   “It’s not a problem,” said Star Swirl with a nod. “I’m on my way there myself. We can walk together.” The space between the houses began to increase as they headed further from the town centre.   “You are!?” asked Rarity. “Darling, are you sure that that...hat is appropriate for visiting somepony? Besides, you wouldn’t want it damaged at a farm now would you? I’d be happy to design a more appropriate one for you.” Star Swirl frowned and pressed a hoof against her hat before she continued to walk. The apple trees were already close and she could easily see the barn.   “Thank you for the offer, Rarity Belle, Bearer of the Element of Generosity,” she said. “You clearly live up to your element, but nopony. Touches. The hat.” A buzzing sound and a cloud of dust began to fill the air causing Rarity to throw up a hoof to shield her face and hat. The dust settled to reveal a pair of fillies on a blue scooter pulling a small, red wagon. Star Swirl blinked away the dust, and upon seeing the scooter, lowered her head and began following her instinctual reaction to the unfamiliar. She started examining it. Scooters weren’t common in the more privileged areas of Canterlot where she had grown up. The fact that she had spent most of her time indoors didn’t help either.   “Hey, Sweetie Belle! You’re late!” said the orange pegasus filly who had been steering. “We saw you from the farm, so we came to fetch you. Sooner we get started, the more crusading we can do.”   “Fascinating,” said Star Swirl with a frown as she prodded the wheel of the scooter. “As is typical, the wheels reduce friction, but with nopony pulling the vehicle, motion is provided by the wings of the driver or, in cases where it would be of assistance, gravity. I have to write this down!” “Um, what are you doing to my scooter?” asked the pegasus as she turned towards Star Swirl.   “I’m investigating!” replied Star Swirl as she lifted her head and grinned. “Most vehicles in Canterlot are pulled by unicorn magic or sheer muscle. To see the gifts of a pegasus used in such a way is fascinating!”   “Ooookay!” said the pegasus as she glanced nervously at her yellow, earth pony companion.   “Girls, this is Star Swirl,” sad Rarity.   “You can call me Star Swirl the Hundred and Forty Seventh,” she said as she held out a hoof.  “You also should call me Star Swirl the Hundred and Forty Seventh as it’s accurate.”   “Star Swirl’s here to visit Applejack.” Rarity explained.   “Oh! Applejack said that we might be havin’ a guest!” said the earth filly as her face brightened. “Ah’m Applebloom!”   “Applebloom?” asked Star Swirl. “You must be Applebloom Apple! You are Applejack Apple, Bearer of the Element of Honesty’s sister!”   “Tha’s right!” said Applebloom. “But nopony calls me that.”   “And I’m Scootaloo!” added the pegasus as she pointed a hoof at herself.   Star Swirl’s forehead creased slightly. “Scootaloo who?” she asked.   “What do you mean, ‘Scootaloo who’?” asked the orange pegasus with a raised eyebrow.   “I can think of fifteen pegasi who were named ‘Scootaloo’ off the top of my head,” replied Star Swirl as she raised her head and closed her eyes. “That’s not even accounting for unicorns and earth ponies, I’m sure with some research, I’d find far more. How do I refer to you so that it’s clear that I’m not talking about one of them?”   “Fifteen?” asked Sweetie Belle.   “Of course!” said Star Swirl. “They were all important figures of history who deserve to be known far better than they are. Of course, the average pony doesn’t care about any history besides what they had for breakfast this morning. Otherwise more would know of Scootaloo Spin the Swift, Scootaloo Bar the Mighty, Scootaloo Wheel the Brave, Scootaloo...”   “Is Scootaloo the Awesome taken?” asked Scootaloo.   “...Um...I...don’t think so...” replied Star Swirl before biting a lip. “This requires more research...But for now...Okay...Nice to meet you, Scootaloo the Awesome.”   “You have a funny way of talking!” said Scootaloo. So I hear, thought Star Swirl. The pegasus then grinned at her friends. “So, let’s get back to crusading! Our cutie marks aren’t going to earn themselves.”   “You’re trying to earn your cutie marks?” asked Star Swirl.   “Yes. They’re obsessed with it,” Rarity sighed.   “Ha!” snorted Star Swirl.   “Wha’s tha’ supposed ta mean?” asked Applebloom.   “As if getting your cutie mark will solve your problem of not knowing your special talent and your place,” Star Swirl said. “If you’re like me, that just makes things more confusing!”   “Are you saying that you can earn your cutie mark and still not know where you fit in?” asked Sweetie Belle.   “Of course!” replied Star Swirl. “I have my cutie mark and I don’t even understand what it’s trying to tell me!”   “Well, how did yah git yer cutie mark?” asked Applebloom.   “Well, my father taught me that I was named after Star Swirl the Bearded, just like he was,” began Star Swirl as she stared into the distance and her eyes glazed over.   “He told me about who he was and how he contributed so much to the modern understanding of magic. He sounded amazing to me. Well, he still does.” She gave a smile before continuing.   “I decided that I needed to know more about him. I read everything I could find out about him and the spells that he had invented, including the entire shelf in the Canterlot library that was named after him, more than once. Those books are fascinating.   “It saddened me that so few knew who he was. I decided that I wanted to make a list of every spell that he had invented. Complete with descriptions of how the spell is performed, what it is used for and which situations are most appropriate for its use. It was so satisfying to record the fruits of his labours. “I imagined myself as him, recording the results of his efforts for the first time. I imagined what it must have been like. It felt wonderful.   “Then, while working on this project that I had assigned myself, my cutie mark appeared. I was so excited! Especially as I recognised it from pictures as the same cutie mark that Star Swirl the Bearded himself had. I knew that it was my destiny to follow in his hoofsteps.   “But then, I realised that as an earth pony, I could never wield the spells that Star Swirl the Bearded used. How could I carry on his legacy if I was incapable of doing what he did?” She finished with a melancholic sigh as her ears drooped and she lowered her head.   “You got your cutie mark from studying!?” asked Scootaloo before sticking out her tongue.   “Of course,” replied Star Swirl, “Studying is important.”   “That’s even more boring than the way Applejack, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie got their cutie marks!” complained Scootaloo.   “Getting one’s cutie mark is an important event for the pony in question, as it changes their lives forever,” said Star Swirl as she raised her muzzle into the air. “No matter how boring it may seem to an outside observer, it is still significant and you shouldn’t insult it. Especially if the pony in question is somepony as wonderful as a bearer of an Element of Harmony.”   “Maybe if we get our cutie mark by doing something,” replied Scootaloo, “we won’t have that problem because we’ll have proved that we can do it. Come on, Cutie Mark Crusaders! Let’s go!” She waved Sweetie Belle into the wagon. Sweetie climbed in and Scootaloo drove off.   “I hope that you weren’t offended by my sister and her friends, darling,” Rarity said with concern as they began walking again. They passed the wooden fence that marked the outskirts of the farm. Star Swirl gazed around in wonder. She had never been on a farm before. It amazed her that ponies were capable of growing such large apple trees.   “No need to apologise,” said Star Swirl. “They only spoke the truth. Even when the truth hurts, it’s better to be informed than to wallow in ignorance.”   “Hey Rarity! Hey Star!” came a familiar voice as Applejack trotted into view. “Welcome ta Sweet Apple Acres!” She indicated the farm with a wave of her hoof. “Ah see yah’ve met mah sister. Let me introduce yah ta the rest of the family!” She waved a hoof to direct them to follow her towards the barn where a large red stallion and a wrinkly green mare were waiting.   “Oh! You must be Edith Smith!” cried Star Swirl. “And you must be Macintosh Apple the Big!”   “Eeyup,” replied Big Mac.   “Ah haven’t been called that in a looong time,” said Granny Smith.   “And Ah don’t think that Big Macintosh has ever bin called that,” said Applejack as she glanced at Star Swirl with a raised eyebrow. “It’s kinda strange ta hear it.”   “Macintosh Apple is his name isn’t it?” asked Star Swirl. “And everypony refers to him as ‘Big’, don’t they?”   “Eeyup,” said Big Macintosh.   “Then it’s an appropriate way to refer to him,” Star Swirl shrugged. “I’m Star Swirl the Hundred and Forty Seventh. It’s nice to meet you.”   “Ah promised Star here tha’ Ah’d teach her about growin’ plants,” Applejack explained. “Ah thought Ah could do it while Ah was busy with today’s work.”   “And I’m eternally grateful,” added Star Swirl. “Though I think that just calling me ‘Star’ is too non-specific.”   “Yah are here tah learn abou’ growin’ plants?” asked Granny Smith.   “Yep. Ah was thinkin’ of doin’ some plantin’ tah show her how it’s done,” said Applejack. “That all righ’ with y’all?”   “Eeyup,” said Big Mac. “Education is important.”   “I can hardly complain if you have a prior arrangement, Applejack,” said Rarity with a smile. “I’ve already dropped off my sister and I was able to see you. I realise that things can be rather busy around here, so I never expected you to drop everything on my account.”   “Then let’s get crackin’!” said Applejack as she lifted her front hooves into the air. --- A few minutes later, Star Swirl and Applejack were standing in a field of dirt. “All righ’,” Applejack said. “Now no matter how hard yah try, ain’t nothin’ goin’ ta grow if there aint no seeds in the earth. So firs’ yah gotta plant ‘em.”   “Ooh! Wait a second!” cried Star Swirl before pulling her diary and quill out of her saddlebags and planting a magnifying glass into the ground. She held the quill in her teeth while she looked through the magnifying glass. “Conshinue.”   “Well, firs’ yah gotta dig a hole like this.” She scooped out a hollow in the dirt with her hooves. “Then yah gotta put the seed in the hole.” She picked up a bag of seed with her mouth and tipped it until a seed fell into the hole. “Then yah gotta cover it up an’ give it some water an’ sunshine.” She covered the hole and picked up a watering can which she used to sprinkle some water over the newly formed mound. “Yah gotta let yer magic flow into the seeds so they can sprout. Jus’ don’t do too much at once or yah’ll tire yerself an’ the seeds out.”   “Right!” cried Star Swirl. She proceeded to plant a seed and once it was watered, she began to screw up her face in concentration. Her eyes twitched as her face filled itself with wrinkles.   “What are yah doin’!?” asked Applejack as her eyes bulged.   “I’m trying to force my magic out my horn...Okay, I don’t actually have a horn, not for my lack of trying, but at least I’m trying to force it through where my horn would be if it existed.”   Applejack facehooved. “Earth pony magic don’t use horns! Our magic flows through our hooves an’ tail! Yah can’t force it ta go up to yer head! That ain’t natural! Our magic connects us to the earth. We are earth ponies after all. It aint gonna work if yah force yer magic out into the air. Let it flow naturally into the earth an’ back. Relax an’ breathe.” Star Swirl let out a breath as she let go of the tension she had built up. “Watch,” said Applejack. She set her hooves firmly on the ground and looked expectantly at her mound. After an uneventful few minutes, dirt from the top of the mound began to shift and a sprout wormed its way into the light. Star Swirl pulled out a thermometer and planted it into the mound.   “Fascinating,” she said before moving it next to the mound and finally in the path between Applejack and the mound. She frowned at the subtle differences in temperature and packed it away. Throughout this, Applejack didn’t break her concentration. The sprout began to open its leaves and increase its height but Applejack suddenly looked up and it stopped. “As Ah said, don’t overdo it.”   Star Swirl nodded and copied Applejack’s stance. She began staring intently at the mound which remained motionless. Now that she was more relaxed, she could feel what Applejack was talking about. She could feel the magic aligning itself and flowing through her hooves and back. But her attempt seemed to not be making any progress. Finally, the dirt began to move and Star Swirl smiled. This process was far more tiring than it looked. Who would have thought that standing still could use up so much energy? The sprout finally peeked out of the soil and began to unfurl a leaf...before stopping less than halfway. Star Swirl looked up and panted for a few breaths before returning to normal breathing and taking a look at the result of Applejack’s efforts. The comparison was disheartening to say the least. She had spent over three times as long on her plant for such a pathetic result.   “Um...Well, I suppose that I can’t really expect to be as good as you,” she smiled nervously. “You’ve been doing this for years! I suppose that you were about as bad as me when you first started.”   “Um...Well...Not exactly,” Applejack said with a grimace.   “Oh!...Well...Somepony as great as you is bound to be a natural after all,” Star Swirl said before biting her lip. “I’m probably closer to the average pony’s first time, right?”   “Um...Well...er...Most ponies...do a bit better,” Applejack said apologetically.   “What!?” cried Star Swirl, her eyes bulging. “I’m below average even at the most basic of earth pony magic!? How...?! How is this...?! Oh, what’s the point!?” She collapsed into the dirt. “I’m never going to learn anything! So why even bother!? I’ll just lie here and waste away!”   “Ah’m sure that with some hard work yah could get a bit better,” Applejack said. “Yah don’t need ta worry that yah aint the best. At least yah managed ta make it grow. That’s somethin’ tah work on. ‘Sides, even the best farmer takes weeks ta go from seed to crop. So it aint like yah are so far behind.”   “No! It’s pointless!” moaned Star Swirl as she rolled in the dirt. “I’ve never been as strong or tough as other earth ponies but I hoped that my cutie mark would at least mean that I was more talented with magic. Instead, I see that I’m a failure! What kind of useless pony is below average at her special talent!? How could somepony who is below average at even such a basic magical task be a worthy successor to Star Swirl the Bearded!? No! I’m clearly meant to waste away in my own incompetence!”   “So yer not as good as most at growin’ plants!” cried Applejack. “Ah’ve seen plenty worse! An’ there’s plenty of stuff that an earth pony can do ‘sides growin’ plants! Are yah jus’ gonna give up like that!?”   “Yes, I am,” said Star Swirl from the ground. “I couldn’t even get it to spout one! Measly! Leaf! What kind of failure of an earth pony am I!?”   “Oh fer goodness sake!” cried Applejack. “It was still fine fer a firs’ try! Did yah want a whole tree ta sprout in front o’ yah? It aint like they’re magic plants after all.”   Star Swirl suddenly perked up. “Magic plants?” she asked. “You know about magic plants?”   “Sure do!” replied Applejack. “Ah know poison joke an’ the seeds of truth fer a start. An’ we grow zap apples righ’ here on the farm!”   “Could...Would you mind teaching me about them?” asked Star Swirl, her eyes shining with excitement.   “Well, there’s only one pony yah should go to if yah wanna learn abou’ zap apples,” replied Applejack. --- “Ah firs’ discovered zap apples when Ah was a spry young filly,” said Granny Smith. “Ah found ‘em in the Everfree Fores’.”   “The Everfree Forest!” cried Star Swirl. “That’s so cool! I heard that the Everfree Forest just doesn’t seem natural! Is it true that the plants grow, that the animals care for themselves and that the clouds move all on their own!? I have got to visit it sometime! It’ll be fascinating!”   “It’s all true, but there be mighdy dangerous critters in there,” warned Granny Smith. “When Ah went into the fores’, Ah was nearly caught by Timber Wolves!”   “Oooh!” said Star Swirl, her eyes shining in wonder. “That’s so cool! I’d love to see a Timber Wolf up close!”   “Anyway, when Ah planted the zap apple seeds, the trees grew righ’ in front of us,” explained Granny Smith.   “Just like that?” asked Star Swirl.   “Yep,” replied Granny Smith. “There was a buncha lightnin’ bolts an’ the trees sprung up full grown.”   “May I see them?” asked Star Swirl.   “Sure yah can!” replied Granny Smith as she slowly loped along among the apple trees. “But Ah mus’ warn yah that there aint much tah see at this time o’ year. We already had our zap apple harvest this year. Now we gotta wait fer the signs agin.”   “Signs? What kind of signs?” asked Star Swirl before pulling out her diary once more.   “The Timber Wolves always start howlin’ jus’ before it’s time fer the leaves tah grow on the zap apple trees,” explained Granny Smith.   “Fascinating,” said Star Swirl after putting her diary down to talk. “So the question is, does the howling somehow encourage growth, do the wolves somehow sense that the tree is about to produce leaves or are the two phenomena caused by an unspecified third influence?”   “Ah don’ know abou’ that,” replied Granny Smith. “Ah jus’ know tah look fer the signs.”   “I must investigate!” said Star Swirl, raising a hoof into the air. “What are the other signs?” She picked up her diary and put it away in anticipation of her need to walk and talk. She would have to record what she learned later. She then ran to catch up to Applejack and Granny Smith.   “The second sign is a storm from the Everfree Fores’,” replied Granny Smith. “Lightnin’ runs up from the ground an’ along the branches an’ then the leaves sprout.”   “Fascinating,” said Star Swirl. “Usually lightning moves towards the earth.”   “The third sign is thunder, dark clouds an’ a flock o’ crows which forms the shape o’ an apple,” continued Granny Smith. “The trees spark an’ the flowers bloom. The fourth sign is a meteor shower. The petals fall off the flower and the apples form, but at that stage they be small, round, grey an’ unripe. Finally, another storm gives way to a rainbow. The colours o’ the rainbow spread through the orchard an’ colour the apples afore makin’ ‘em a more defined shape. Then they’re ready for pickin’. But if yah don’t pick ‘em all in one day, the ones on the trees disappear!”   “Fascinating,” said Star Swirl. She could see that they were approaching an area where the trees were bare. The contrast with the luscious trees which filled the rest of the farm was extreme. These were clearly the zap apple trees. She had to learn more about them. She charged towards the trees until she was right in front of one.   “What’s the hurry!?” called Applejack.   “The thrill of magical discovery waits for nopony!” Star Swirl called back. She returned her gaze to the tree before her and frowned in concentration. She leaned forward for a better look and sniffed the bark. She then pressed her ear against the trunk. She lifted her hoof and gently tapped the bark. Her frown deepened and she hit the tree with more force. The tree instantly sparked with electricity and jolted her away and onto the ground. Applejack and Big Macintosh immediately ran over.   “Yah all righ’?” asked Big Macintosh.   “Yah aint hurt are yah? Those trees don’t like ta be disturbed ‘fore harvestin’ time,” Applejack asked.   “I’m fine,” said Star Swirl as she wobbled to her hooves and her eyes settled from all the spinning. Her fur was slightly frazzled but it was a price she was willing to pay in the pursuit of magical knowledge. “This is fascinating. The mundane seeds drew the magic from your hooves through the earth, but the zap apples draw it directly from the atmosphere and concentrate it for rapid growth and electrical defence. During harvesting season, they must draw enough magic from the air to affect the local conditions which causes the signs.”   “Eeyup,” agreed Big Macintosh.   “Why do yah need a complicated explanation?” asked Applejack. “If yah wanna grow plants, yah jus’ gotta learn what works.”   “But I like learning how the magic works,” protested Star Swirl.   “Well, if tha’s what yah want,” said Applejack with a shrug.   “I do!” said Star Swirl. “I find the magical properties of these trees fascinating! It’s amazing that such a seemingly random series of unusual incidents is connected with their growth cycle!”   “If yah think that the trees’re strange, yah should see how we make the zap apple jam!” said Granny Smith. “Really?” asked Star Swirl. “Are you saying that the magical nature of the apples also affects the process whereby they are made into jam?”   “Eeyup,” said Big Macintosh.   “Ta make the best zap apple jam,” Granny Smith started to explain as she beckoned the others to follow her back. “yah gotta dress in rabbit suits an’ sing the alphabet to the water while hoppin’ o’er the waterin’ cans.”   “What!?” asked Star Swirl as her head snapped towards Granny Smith and she fell in line. “Really!?”   “Eeyup,” said Big Mac.   “Hmmm…” said Star Swirl as she raised her eyes and tapped her chin. “I’d have to see the process to make sure, but it sounds like the melody imprints the water with the idea of order demonstrated by the alphabet. The jam picks up the magical resonance in the water which makes the process less prone to unpredictable magical errors. Pity that I don’t have a great singing voice.”   “Yah also need ta be extra friendly with the bees fer the honey ta be sweet enough,” continued Granny Smith.   “Makes sense,” said Star Swirl with a shrug. “You wouldn’t want their agitation and stress hormones to influence the magic.”   “Then who woulda thought that the jars needed talkin’ to,” Granny Smith continued.   “Talking to the jars?” asked Star Swirl as she scratched her chin. “I suppose the glass absorbs the magic of the jam and is influenced by your voice.”   “An’ zap apples like pink polka dots!” added Granny Smith.   “Really!?” asked Star Swirl. “How do you accommodate that requirement?”   “Ah paint ‘em all o’er the kitchen,” replied Granny Smith.   “May I use some of the paint for some chromatography analysis?” asked Star Swirl. “Maybe I could find out more about why the zap apples like that colour.”   “Chromo-whatnow?” asked Applejack. “Chromotography,” replied Star Swirl. “It’s a technique used in component analysis.” “Sure thing,” said Granny Smith with a smile.   “So yah can see tha’ magic plants aint like ordinary plants,” said Applejack.   “Indeed,” agreed Star Swirl. “You said that there were other magical plants that you know about. I assume that they grow differently from zap apples. Is that assumption correct?”   “Sure is,” said Applejack. “The seeds of truth only grow when somepony tells the truth.”   “Fascinating,” said Star Swirl. “I suppose that’s how they gained the name. I wonder if they also only respond to vocal stimuli not influenced by deceit. May I look at them?”   “Ah aint got none,” replied Applejack. “Yah’d have ta get from Zecora.”   Star Swirl frowned. That didn’t sound like an Equestrian name. “And who’s Zecora?” she asked.   “A friend what lives in the fores’,” replied Applejack.   “This Zecora actually lives in the forest!?” asked Star Swirl. “That’s pretty badflank!”   “Yup,” replied Applejack. “Ah think she stays there so it’s easier fer her ta get what she needs fer her potions.”   “She makes potions!?” cried Star Swirl as a grin spread across her face. “Now I’ve got to meet her!”   “Ah suppose Ah could introduce yah,” said Applejack as she tapped her chin.   “Thank you!” cried Star Swirl as she prostrated herself. --- Star Swirl’s head darted to and fro as she took in the sights of the forest. It was wonderful to experience something so different from the buildings in Canterlot. Applejack had pointed out a plant that she claimed was Poison Joke and had told her not to touch it. The blue leaves made her wonder if the plant’s photosynthesis had been modified to be different from mundane plants. She had to collect a sample for study sometime. Still, she trusted Applejack and would have even if she wasn’t the bearer of the Element of Honesty. She’d have to figure out a way to collect the sample without touching it. As they walked deeper into the forest, a gnarled tree came into view. Star Swirl didn’t know much about art, but she was sure that the masks that were covering it were not normal decorations. Applejack raised a hoof and tapped against the door. It was quickly opened to reveal the inhabitant of the hut. “You’re a zebra!” cried Star Swirl in astonishment.   “What you say, is certainly true. I haven’t seen you before. Are you new?” asked the zebra.   “Yes I am,” replied Star Swirl as she leaned in and began examining Zecora’s stripes.   “I welcome you to my place, but could you give me some personal space?” asked Zecora.   “I’m sorry,” Star Swirl replied sheepishly. “I’ve never seen a zebra before.”   “I accept your apology. Come inside. Have a look and see,” offered Zecora as she stepped aside to allow entry to the ponies.   “Thanks, Zecora,” said Applejack as she smiled and entered the hut. “It’s good to see you.”   “It is good to see you too,” said Zecora. “You are a friend who is honest and true.”   “I must say that I admire your dedication to your work,” said Star Swirl as her eyes roamed the shelves. “There aren’t many who would live in the Everfree Forest. I’m Star Swirl the Hundred and Forty Seventh. When Applejack Apple, Bearer of the Element of Honesty mentioned you, I knew that I had to meet you.”   “I am always happy to make a new friend,” said Zecora with a smile. “I was lonely when my reputation, I was unable to mend.”   Star Swirl roamed the shelves, looking at and sniffing the ingredients that had been placed in the various containers which adorned them. The labels identified some as plants which she had read about before, but others were completely new. A certain label caught her attention more than the others though. The plant’s petals were arranged in the shape of a heart and the label read, “Heart’s Desire”.   “What is this Heart’s Desire used for?” she asked, turning towards her host.   However, it was Applejack who answered with a scowl. “Yah don’t wanna touch tha’ ‘un!” she growled. “Mah sister got Cutie Pox from a potion she made using it tah try an’ git her cutie mark!”   “My friend, Applejack is quite right,” warned Zecora. “To use it incorrectly would cause a plight! I do use it in potions for the wishes of the heart to grant, but if used without care, it is a dangerous plant!”   Star Swirl turned back to the jar and chewed her lip as her eyes darted to and fro. It certainly sounded promising to help her achieve her goal. From the sound of things, Applebloom Apple had gained the cutie mark she wanted. She had just gained many more as well. She knew that Cutie Pox was dangerous, though she had believed it to be extinct. Thankfully, Applebloom Apple seemed to be fine now. Still, how could becoming a unicorn go wrong? It was perfect! Then she shook her head. Dr. Note Pad had told her to stop being so reckless in the pursuit of her goals. This would probably turn out like the time she had tried making an artificial unicorn horn. The explosion had put her in hospital and was what resulted in her being placed in therapy in the first place. More important than that, it had ruined a lot of her precious notes! She turned away from the plant with reluctance. “Applejack Apple, Bearer of the Element of Honesty tells me that you make potions. I would love to learn if you’re willing to teach me!”   Zecora blinked and walked over to a book. She picked it up with her mouth and carried it to her work bench before turning to a specific page. “I suppose that there are some recipes, I’d be able to teach,” she began, pointing to the top of the page. “The first ingredient in this one is a ripened peach.” She raised her head and grabbed a box and pulled it down, offering it to Star Swirl. Star Swirl smiled and picked up a peach, carefully trying not to chew or drool. She looked at the recipe, placed the peach into a mortar and smiled. She understood this recipe. It made sense! She had read enough about these ingredients to understand their properties and it seemed only natural that combining and preparing them in the way the recipe explained would result in the effects described. She picked up a pestle and pressed down hard into the peach. As the peach burst from the pressure, some juice squirted into Star Swirl’s eye. She quickly raised a hoof to her eye, but a she did so, she knocked over a bottle and the contents poured into the mortar. It began to fizzle and hiss as white smoke began to rise. Zecora reached her hoof over to grab the pestle, but Star Swirl blocked her with her own hoof.   “Wait!” she cried as she waved a hoof rapidly. “I know what’s going on! I can fix this! Um, maybe I’ll have more success if I talk like you? Um, I just have to rhyme, er, at the, um, right time? Um, if I, er, add the right ingredient, the, um, result will be, um, most expedient?” She turned her head towards a different shelf . She then ran towards it, grabbing another jar and heading back. As she started to run back to her station though, Pinkie’s head and tail popped out of another jar, despite the fact that she shouldn’t have been able to fit. Well, as fascinating as Pinkamena Diane Pie was, Star Swirl had to fix her mistake before anything else went wrong.   Pinkie’s tail was shaking and she was yelling, “Twitchy tail! Twitchy tail!”   Applejack covered her hat with her hooves and dived under a shelf. Her expression was terrified as she yelled, “Take cover!”   Star Swirl tripped as she ran, knocking the mortar into another jar which cracked at the impact. The contents fell into the mortar and formed a large puff of black smoke and orange sparks with a loud bang. Star Swirl rapidly backed away in fright and bumped into the shelf behind her. Another jar from the top shelf wobbled before falling onto her head and breaking, spilling its white, powdery contents over her face. The disaster ended with her sneeze a Zecora stood slack-jawed and wide-eyed with shock. --- The three ponies stayed long enough to help Zecora clean up the mess, but after that, Star Swirl decided that as informative as the day had been, she should leave any more practical work for today. She had a lot to write in her diary this evening. She also hadn’t visited the Ponyville Library yet. While smaller than Canterlot’s there was a good chance that it covered some subjects more extensively than the unicorn city’s library did and she was eager to see if any books could give her additional advice. Plus it gave her an excuse to see Twilight Sparkle, bearer of the Element of Magic again. She was eager to talk to her some more. When she made her intentions clear, Applejack and Pinkie Pie offered to show her the way which she gratefully accepted.   Like Zecora’s hut, the Ponyville Library was a hollowed-out tree. Applejack led Pinkie and Star Swirl into the library where Spike and Twilight were once again packing away books. Star Swirl eagerly took in the sight of all the books. While there were fewer of them than in Canterlot, there were stlil plenty that she wanted to get her hooves on. It was comforting to be surrounded by paper and ink once more and the fact that it was located in a hollowed out tree made it all the more interesting. While the fact that the library wasn’t as big as Canterlot’s, it still had many packed shelves along the walls. "Hi everypony!” Twilight greeted them. “How did the lesson go?”   With that, they related the tale of Star Swirl’s day. “I still don’t understand how Pinkamena Diane Pie, bearer of the Element of Laughter got there though,” she finished.   “My Pinkie sense told me that something was going to fall at Zecora’s place, so  went there to warn her,” said Pinkie.   “What is ‘Pinkie sense’?” asked Star Swirl.   “Pinkie has different things that happen to parts of her body that predict the future,” explained Twilight.   “Really!?” asked Star Swirl as she rapidly turned to Pinkie. “I’d love to find out how that works! It sounds fascinating!”   “Don’t bother,” Twilight sighed. “I’ve tried myself. It doesn’t work. You just have to accept that it’s Pinkie Pie.”   “What do you mean?” asked Star Swirl with a frown as she turned back to Twilight.   Twilight went on to explain her disastrous attempt to prove that Pinkie sense wasn’t real. Star Swirl listened to the tale with rapt attention, and a frown as she chewed her lip.   “Well, that wasn‘t a very scientific approach, was it?” asked Star Swirl when Twilight had finished. “You were trying to prove that Pinkie sense didn’t exist, which is what you believed in the first place. A scientist should attempt to prove their own hypothesis wrong. It’s the principle of falsification. But you never accepted that you might be wrong until the end of the study where you just accepted it without trying to understand it! While using the EEG and attempting to follow her and record your observations were good ideas, your judgement was clouded by your own preconceptions!”   Twilight blinked. “Well, now that you mention it, I suppose that that’s true, but I’ve learned to trust Pinkie’s predictions now and Pinkie sense is a little outside my area of study.”   “But it’s not outside my area of study,” said Star Swirl. “How long have you been using this ‘Pinkie sense’, Pinkamena Diane Pie, bearer of the Element of Laughter?”   “I first started twitching when I was looking for the right place to roll the next batch of rocks after I got my cutie mark!” replied Pinkie.   “The next batch of rocks?” asked Star Swirl with a raised eyebrow.   “Yes! Back on my family’s rock farm!” Pinkie explained.   “I see,” said Star Swirl. “It looks like it’s time for me to organise a field trip.” A/N: I can’t take credit for “Scootaloo the Awesome”. That joke was supplied by CDRW at TVTropes and I knew that I had to use it. I’m told by Red Savant that “Edith Smith” is another cultivar of apple and is therefore, possibly Granny Smith’s original name, assuming that her name isn’t actually “Granny” which is admittedly possible. “Edith” doesn’t seem like a normal pony name, but then again, neither does “Diane”. By the way, I haven’t decided on everypony’s full name. If there are popular fanon full names around, please let me know. I’d rather stick with popular fanon where I can.