//------------------------------// // 4 - Marezanilla // Story: Window Shopping // by Parallel Black //------------------------------// The engine of the car sputtered to life, filling the area below Applejack’s hooves with a soft, blue glow. She held on as the whole thing started to lightly vibrate, her face taking on a rather more hesitant look than before, and looked over to Doración. The nurse had placed her forehooves on the dashboard inside two shallow holes that emanated the same soft light. “Are you usin’ magic right now?” Applejack asked in surprise. Doración glanced between her and the car’s control mechanism and smiled. The magical energy seeping from the soles of her hooves sped up momentarily in response to the positive emotion. “Yeah. Kind of, at least. Do you not have cars back in Equestria?” Applejack leaned back in her seat as the vehicle began to move out of its parking spot. She instinctively placed a hoof on her hat to keep it in place, as if she were riding in a train carriage. “My family has an old, rusted-up one in the basement that used to belong to my granpappy,” she answered. “I hear they used to be used all over Equestria, but they just kinda… fell outa use.” “Interesting.” Doración looked back to her hooves, understanding why Applejack had been surprised. “Ponies like me need special training to use cars. It’s why I can emit magic out of my hooves; I learned to use my tertiary paths.” “Earth-pony magic, then?” Doración smiled somewhat eagerly. “Yeah, you could say that.” Applejack had a vague memory of Twilight telling her about such things, but remembered more about the fact that it all went over her head than the explanation itself. “Do you think I could do that?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “Sure, maybe. It depends on the user’s magical potential.” With a small mixture of thought and energy, the car slowly rolled out of the parking lot. On this side of the hospital was an exit leading directly onto the main road running past Tierno Corazon. Here the cars rushed past them, their engines letting out that gentle, yet alien hum of crystalline magic. Applejack found her train of thought coming to a stop as soon as she saw them. She suddenly realized that the idea of riding around at such speed in a giant container of metal and glass, powered by what was potentially an explosive energy source, wasn’t a very attractive option. The sound of magic whizzing past them grew louder and louder as they came to a rest at the junction. Dora looked both ways, waiting for a nice, long opening in the traffic when she noticed the look on Applejack’s face. The mare was sat upright against her seat, staring straight ahead at a nearby hill as if she was frozen. “Applejack? Are you ok?” Applejack’s eyes turned to look at her, the rest of her body staying completely still. Her ears were turned back in silent embarrassment. “Yeah? Y-... no, maybe not, actually. Could I maybe walk there instead?” she asked, almost sounding as though she was apologizing at the same time. Doración gave her an odd look for a moment, before remembering what Applejack had said about cars in Equestria. “I’m guessing you’ve never actually been in a car before?” Applejack shook her head. Doración sighed, wondering what to do to help her new friend out. It was somewhat similar to when she took foals for their first drive, though most of them felt excitement rather than fear. They were more sensitive to magic after all, and they reacted well to the magic-filled air the engine produced. At that thought she looked again to Applejack. Still terrified. You must be completely numb to it or something. “I hate to say this, Applejack, but it’ll take a lot longer to walk there than it will to drive.” “I know, I know. I’m just sayin’, I’d be perfectly fine not having to ride around in a giant bucket o’ bolts, travelin’ at high speeds. Being flown places is bad enough, and at least a train has rails it can stick to.” As Applejack said this, she glanced at the smooth tarmac of the road and the rubber tires of the cars that passed over it every few seconds. Doración had her back hoof ready to press down on the acceleration and get things over with. “Just hold on, ok? I promise you I’m a perfectly competent driver. You’ll be fine.” Applejack hesitated before nodding, and held onto her hat once again. The car’s engine gave a loud hum and they leapt onto the road. ----- The terrain of Ursa Majorca was strange, to put it lightly. The shining colours Applejack had seen from the hospital window turned out to be growths of solid crystal, sprouting from the soft grass to add a miriad of colours to the green and blue. They seemed to be a very common resource thanks to this, judging by how they adorned almost every structure in Pezulma as frankly beautiful decorations. “Man, Rarity would love this place,” Applejack commented to herself, only to mentally take it back as they passed another boarded up shop. She had been too distracted by the beauty of the place to notice before, but there were a fair number of empty shops. The windows were blocked out, and judging by the fact that some of them were being used as poster boards it had been this way for a while. Doración was looking as well. She seemed to have lost her smile from before. “So… you got something to say?” The nurse nodded, and hesitated. “The reason I’m taking this chance is because I’m not a nurse. Well, I am a nurse, obviously, but…” She motioned to her flank. Upon it was an image of an oak tree with one of its branches hanging over a cradle. “How to explain this to an outsider… have you heard of the Eastern Campaigns?” “Nope,” was Applejack’s simple response. “What is it?” “It was a war between Roamia and the Ottomare Empire. It ended about six years ago now, but the entire Roamian Empire is still feeling the effects. The whole thing was a giant mess from start to finish, and because of that, Cabérico’s economy is in a dangerous position. That had problems all of its own, but then came the empire-wide call for post-war reinforcements. In other words, most of Ursa Majorca’s doctors and craftsponies left for Roam because of all the need for their skills. That left me, a daycare worker, practically forced to study health care in order to better take care of all the kids. That then lead me to taking on a full time job at Tierno Corazon, leaving my daycare job - the thing that gave me my Mark of Purpose - behind completely.” It was a lot to take in all at once. Applejack couldn’t claim to understand the intricacies of war or economics, but she knew she could at least help the mare out as best she could. “So… what’s stoppin’ you from just working in the foals’ ward? Why is it so bad that you’re ok with just… uppin’ and walking out?” Doración felt a lump in her throat. “I mean… I’m not. I’m not ok with it. I know it was wrong of me, but this just seemed like the perfect excuse to get away from it all. You know? Don’t you ever feel like taking a break from your job every once in a while…?” Applejack eyed Doración incredulously. “No, not when it’s such a vital job like that, at least. Sorry girl, I can’t agree with you on that one.” “I’m not a nurse. I’m a daycare worker…” Doración muttered to herself. “I was never meant for this role.” “Let’s just get this day over with. I’ve already had enough stress as it is,” Applejack finished the conversation with a frown on her face. The car slowed to a stop in another car park, through this one seemed to be stretched across the length of an entire street. Judging by the colourful canopies and throngs of people, this was undoubtedly the marketplace. Many stalls seemed to be selling goods from inside crates of various shapes and sizes, signifying their origin from abroad. Others were manned by the remaining craftsponies of Ursa Majorca, and others still by the farmers. The two of them got out and made their way in. Doración left her hospital scrubs in the trunk of her car. “So… what kinds of produce are you looking for?” Doración asked. Applejack looked about at all the interesting sights that spread out before her. The stalls were manned by all kinds of different races. That all on its own was something of interest to a mare who had come from the pony-centric Ponyville, but she found her eyes drawn more so toward the pegasi possessing wings filled with crystal. She had seen their kind earlier in the day, and she found her curiosity sparking up. She quickly reminded herself of what Doración had asked her. “Anythin’ that doesn’t grow in Equestria, really. I can’t say I know the names of them, I’ll just know ‘em by sight,” Applejack replied. She ogled a collection of apple-shaped crystal fruits and came to a stop. She glanced at the hopeful looking seller and suddenly realized something. “Do we have any money with us…?” “Do you not have any…? Oh, of course you don’t. You use Bits.” Applejack felt guilty at the thought of leeching off her friend’s money. “Sorry about that. I didn’t exactly have the chance to plan ahead for this trip, after all.” Doración gave her a look as she spotted Applejack glancing back at the car. “Well you’re not getting any of mine. Money is tight enough as it is, even with a hospital job.” Invisible to all of them, Applejack’s feeling of frustration washed out of her, as did Doración’s guilt over coming here in the first place. The emotions passed by unnoticed through the crowd, swirling past their own which bled from their minds and into the air. Though there were no changelings present in the marketplace, someone sensed them. The individual, a fairly plain stallion with a yellow coat and neatly cut brown mane, was stood behind a stall selling anything buyers wanted it to, literally. He felt a jolt of emotional energy pass through him, which he found enticingly familiar. Looking toward the source, a devilish grin spread across his face, and the contents of his stall changed accordingly. With few other options, Applejack and Doración wandered their way through the marketplace, looking about for some free offers to take advantage of. “The Una Magnífico Circus is in town every other Wednesday,” Doración suggested, pointing to the large, colourful tent roof rising up at the other end of the courtyard. “We could go there if you want?” Applejack rubbed the back of her neck and let out an indecisive sigh. “I dunno. I’ve had a few bad experiences with clowns before. And Manticores, too.” Doración frowned and leaned away, as if offended. “But everyone loves the circus,” she stated. Apparently Applejack’s opinion was unheard of in Una Magna. “I know they do. I just don’t like clowns when I don’t know who they are, is all. It’s a… thing about masks or somethin’.” Right on queue, a specifically-designed stallion - pink coat, purple mane and handsome face - called over to them. Standing out as he did, he was hard to miss amongst the crowd, waving to the two of them. Applejack and Doración shared a glance before making their way over to him. “Uhh, can we help you?” Applejack asked. She raised an eyebrow at the stallion’s appearance, and that of his stall, too. Usually a stall would have some visible example of the things it sold, either hanging from the roof or the back wall, or laid out between the seller and customer. This one, however, was completely bare. The purple colour scheme was left to its own devices, with only the stallion himself to break things up. “More like can I help you?” The stallion wore the confident, suave smile of a conmare, and the greedy gaze of someone who had very different plans in mind. “I couldn’t help but notice you two wandering around, looking to and fro with nothing to do. Might I guess; you forgot your wallet?” He produced a small, brown wallet from behind Applejack’s ear. Applejack raised a very, very suspicious eyebrow. “Are you a magician? Cus I don’t trust magicians.” The stallion’s smile wavered as Applejack’s shifted tone washed over him. “Er, well, yes, that I am. Of a sort, at least. You see, I am something of a savant when it comes to freedom of choice. I sell whatever you want or need, and I accept anything as payment.” “Also, that ain’t my wallet. Are you Discord in disguise?” Applejack continued, completely ignoring the stallion’s sales pitch. He quickly shook his head with an uneasy frown, and put the wallet back in the large bag resting behind his counter. “I assure you there are no tricks involved, ma’am. What I said is the truth; this is the place to buy and sell anything.” It was Doración’s turn to feel skeptical. “Anything?” she asked expectantly. The stallion nodded and leaned down to them. “Really, the only trick here is the bag full of pocket dimension resting behind my counter. Got it at the wonderful price of everything I owned at the time. High cost to most, but now I don’t need to drag a giant caravan of goods around with me.” Doración seemed slightly confused at his explanation, but nodded all the same. “I see. I haven’t seen you around here before, Mr…?” “... Beaky,” the stallion responded after a pause. “It’s a family name, of course.” “Smith,” Applejack answered in kind. She nodded with a smile and tipped her hat. “Sorry if I seem a little suspicious. I’ve had somethin’ of a rough day is all. So… what do you sell?” Mr. Beaky reached down and fished something out of his bag. It was a small, wooden idol like something seen in a Daring Do novel. “Generally speaking, I sell whatever is rare in the region. So in other words I sell everything my current location doesn’t. What are you looking for?” “Fruit and veg. I’m lookin’ to start growing some new things back home.” “Ah, I see.” Beaky ducked down again and replaced the idol with a selection of different fruits. He smirked. “I’ll bet in crystal fruit country you don’t see many of these?” He motioned to the perfectly normal apples, carrots and berries. Applejack was less than impressed. The salespony’s expression sank when he noticed the mare’s reaction. Clearly, he had rarely come across a situation like this in the past, what with the many wonders he carried with him. “I’m sorry, is there a problem…? I always make sure to research my destinations thoroughly so that I know what to present people with, you know.” Applejack realized how she looked; of course he would assume such a thing. “I mean… not that I don’t appreciate the effort and all, but I’m not actually from around here. I was lookin’ to buy some of the stuff that’s grown in this Una Magna place, but… I don’t have any money with me.” Beaky glanced between Applejack and what he’d presented her with and let out a short laugh before scooping it all back into the sack. “O-of course! No wonder you weren’t impressed. So you instead want things that are extremely common to Una Magna. Done deal, what would you like to trade?” Applejack thought for a moment. She didn’t have much on her aside from her hat and her hair bobbles, and there was no way she was going to part with the former. She sat down and unwound the red bobble from her mane. “What can I get for this?” she asked. Mr. Beaky seemed to pause for a moment. He stared at the thing he was about to be given as if it were made of solid gold. Then, he came back. “How about a few crystal apples? Something common for other very common things.” Applejack watched as the pieces of glimmering produce were placed on the counter between them, and she did the same with her bobble. All the while, she found herself keeping an extra eye on the stallion. They both smiled at one another, keeping up the facade of ease for the moment. Applejack took her prizes and the trade was completed. “Thanks, mister,” Applejack said with a nod and turned away, produce in hoof. The instant they were out of earshot, Doración sidled up to her friend with a look like thunder on her face. “Did you see that look on his face?” she whispered angrily. “I wouldn’t miss that look if I were blind,” Applejack replied grimly. “Either that guy just had no idea what he was lookin’ like, or he’s got a few problems to work out…” Behind them, unnoticed by the crowds and passersby, the stall vanished into thin air.