A Mile In Her Horseshoes

by Fire Gazer the Alchemist

The Last Ingredient

Apple Bloom couldn’t fight back a yawn as she trudged through the dense underbrush of the Everfree Forest. The sun was barely poking over the horizon and even though she was used to getting up early, this was a little much even for her.

But at least she wasn’t Scootaloo or Sweetie Belle right now.

Both fillies were ready to pass out, a fact made apparent by their drooping heads and sunken eyes. Scootaloo sluggishly pushed herself forward on her scooter, her eyes half-open, while Sweetie Belle kept bumping into the same tree when she tried to walk.

“Zecora?” Apple Bloom asked, her voice cutting through the silence. Zecora turned her head back, eyebrow raised questioningly. “Why did ya make us get up so early again?”

“The last ingredient we need is the Mutationis root; without it, the potion would be rendered moot.” Zecora pointed to the ground below them, which was covered by the ensnaring plant-life of the Everfree “The Mutationis can only be identified by it’s peculiar hue. In the early dawn’s light, it will turn the color blue.”

“Fantastic,” Sweetie Belle mumbled. “Now can we just find this stupid root already? Rarity will freak out if she learns I left home to do this. I'm supposed to be grounded.”

Scootaloo groaned. “Relax, we’ll be fine. Even if…” Her words trailed off as her cheek pressed into the handlebars of her scooter. A second later she was snoring.

“Scootaloo!” Apple Bloom yelled. She flinched awake, her scooter hitting a root and sending her face planting into the dirt.

“Ah! Shit!”

Sweetie Belle gasped. “Scootaloo! You shouldn’t use that word!”

Pushing herself up and dusting herself off, Scootaloo grunted. “Hey, get off your high horse, Sweetie Belle. You were saying it just as much as me yesterday.”

“Well… yes. But I was drunk. We were both drunk. And that word is part of the reason I’m grounded, so, clearly, it’s not something we should be using.”

“She’s right,” Apple Bloom interjected. Scootaloo brushed the dirt off of herself and retrieved her toppled scooter. “Ya should avoid it as much as possible.”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Fine, whatever. Let’s just find the stupid root so I can get some sleep.”

“Ya sure are grumpy when ya’re sleepy, Scoots.”

Scootaloo scowled as a response, so Apple Bloom turned away. She felt guilty about making her friends wake up early just to help her fix her mistake, but she needed their help. They were closer to the ground than Zecora and had younger eyes than her. Combined, there was no way they would miss the root.

Turning her face toward the ground, she scanned for any shades of blue. It was far from easy; the dirt was overgrown with roots popping out of the ground mere inches away from each other. They tangled and twisted atop one another as well, as though they’d coordinated to be like this specifically to spite Apple Bloom’s search.

“Consarnit,” she grumbled, rubbing the sleepiness from her eyes. “Ah got nuthin’. How ‘bout y’all?”

“Nothing.”

“Zilch— No wait!” Everypony froze and looked to Scootaloo. Her snout was pointed to the dirt, eyes glued to a thin, but unmistakably blue, root poking out of the ground. “Is this it?” Without waiting for an answer, she drew in close, ready to close her teeth around the plant and give it a swift yank.

Zecora whipped into action before Scootaloo even had a chance. In a black and white dart, she closed the distance between them, wrapped her hooves around her and pulled her back. Scootaloo coughed as Zecora’s forelegs squeezed around her neck.

“What was that for?” Sweetie Belle demanded as Zecora released her grip.

Glancing down at the plant Scootaloo had almost touched, Zecora sighed. “I am sorry for the choke, but I could not let her touch the poison joke.”

Apple Bloom’s eyes widened as she saw the spotted blue petals. “Oh, yikes.”

“Thanks… I guess.” Scootaloo rubbed her throat, wincing into the dirt. “So I guess these roots are bad too?”

Zecora shifted to get a better look, and Apple Bloom followed suit. A deep blue root was practically being suffocated underneath several plain ones. It was all but invisible, save for one tiny gap that Scootaloo must’ve caught when she was lying on the ground. Zecora smiled at the sight.

“Not quite, Scootaloo. This time, it’s the right shade of blue.”

“Wha— really?” Scootaloo smiled, her eyes becoming misty. “We have the right root? I can go back to sleep now?”

“Yes, you may got back to your rest." Scootaloo's face slammed into the ground with a relieved sigh. "Apple Bloom, can you go find our swapped duo at my behest?”

“Ah won’t let you down!” She started to give a mini-salute, but was interrupted by a yawn escaping her mouth. “Then Ah’ll probably need some sleep too. Sweetie Belle, Scoots, do ya wanna come with me?”

Sweetie Belle shook her head. “Are you crazy? I can’t afford to stay out another minute.”

Scootaloo’s only response was a soft snore into the dirt..

“Okay then. Zecora, Ah’ll just meet ya back at yer hut.” She turned and dashed back through the path they’d come, a smile plastered onto her face. Finally her mistake was about to be fixed, and no lasting harm had come of it.

---

Vinyl was putting her entire friendship with Octavia in jeopardy each second she spent chewing pancakes.

She sat at the kitchen table, a fluffy concoction smothered in syrup in front of her, and a trash can burning a hole in the back of her head from five feet away. Every time she came up for air from her meal, her eyes would dart back over to the steel container. She didn’t have X-ray vision, but didn’t need it to be able to tell that the crumpled callback letter still resided on top of a heap of microwaveable hayburger meals.

Each time she caught herself staring at it, she whipped her head around to make sure Octavia wasn’t watching. If her friend caught her staring at the trashcan with a guilty expression, she’d likely be inclined to check inside, which would be a disaster.

Luckily, Octavia was still snoring in the other room and even when she did snap out of the blissful ignorance of sleep, a not-so blissful hangover would quickly take it’s place. Vinyl just hoped she could come up with a believable excuse to take out the trash before the hangover faded. Unfortunately, there was no way that Octavia — hangover or no — would ever believe she would just take out the trash without some ulterior motive.

As syrup stuck to the roof of her mouth, Vinyl felt yet another pang of guilt just for considering throwing away Octavia’s future. She honestly didn’t want to, but she wanted her best friend to stay even more. Besides, she’d passed the point of no return. Even if she fished out the letter and gave it to Octavia, it was covered in wrinkles and ketchup stains at this point, a dead giveaway for what Vinyl had attempted. The only thing returning it would do would be getting Octavia out the door faster.

Come on, think! Vinyl demanded as she guiltily shoved pancake in her mouth. There’s gotta be something I can do.

Just then there was a knock at the door. Vinyl grunted in annoyance, but pushed her plate away and got up. Whoever was knocking clearly wasn’t patient, as they incessantly continued pounding the door until Vinyl angrily threw it open.

“What?” she demanded angrily to empty space. Perplexed, she blinked and looked around.

“Down here,” a familiar voice said.

Vinyl tilted her face towards the ground and saw Apple Bloom. “Kid, you better have some bucking amazing news to share, otherwise—”

“The potion’s almost done!” Apple Bloom chirped happily. “We found the last ingredient and Zecora’s brewing it as we speak.”

“Wha— really?” Apple Bloom nodded. “Hell to the yes! I’m gonna be a unicorn again!” Vinyl hoof-pumped into the air.

Grinning ear to ear, Apple Bloom nodded. “Ah know it’s great. And now when Twilight gets back she won’t be mad and Ah won’t be banned from Twilight Time!”

Vinyl laughed. “And I’ll be back to my awesome, horny self.”

Apple Bloom’s face contorted into a slack-jawed look of disgust. “Uh…”

A groan piled up in the back of Vinyl’s throat as she realized how bad that must’ve sounded. “That came out entirely wrong, I swear.”

The look of disgust didn’t fade. “Sure… Ah wonder though if Zecora has a potion to wipe mah memory of that.”

“We’ll find out when we get there.” Vinyl trotted out the door.

“Wait!” Apple Bloom yelled.

She froze. “What?”

“What about yer friend?”

Vinyl facehoofed. “Aw dammit, I forgot.” She trotted back in to find Octavia still passed out on the couch. She turned to the kid. “Okay look, Tavi’s still a little blacked out right now and waking her up would be a bad idea.”

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow. “Why? Does she get cranky when she’s woken up?”

Vinyl waved away the question. “Sure. Look I’ll go with you and bring the potion back when it’s done, okay?”

“Okay… but what if yer friend wakes up while yer gone? Won’t she wonder where you are?”

“Oh… hmm…” Kids today just have to think of everything, don’t they? Well… everything except labeling their body swapping potions. “Okay, hang on a sec.”

Dashing back into the house, she grabbed a sticky noted and hastily scribbled a message. Or rather, she tried to be hasty about it. Vinyl was so used to writing with magic, that the concept of putting the pen in her mouth was almost foreign to her.

Eventually she managed to write out some chicken scratch to the impatient tune of Apple Bloom tapping her hoof. Remembering that Octavia would also be battling a monster hangover when she woke up, Vinyl made sure to grab some water, aspirin and her sunglasses. She left the makeshift care package on the coffee table and followed Apple Bloom out the door.

I’ll just have to deal with that letter later.

Comments

[The Critic Daikaiju]

5860871 not if only the consciousness was switched, not the actual brain itself

[Clawder]

I think I know where this is going...

Also Octavia will find the letter in the trash can. I'm almost sure of it.

[nightwalker]

Ah, staving off the inevitable blowup for at least one more chapter...

[ShadowLDrago]

“Ah! Shit!”
Sweetie Belle gasped. “Scootaloo! You shouldn’t use that word!”
Pushing herself up and dusting herself off, Scootaloo grunted. “Hey, get off your high horse, Sweetie Belle. You were saying it just as much as me yesterday.”

High horse. I honestly cannot tell if that's a serious comment or a horse pun.

Zecora whipped into action before Scootaloo even had a chance. In a black and white dart, she closed the distance between them, wrapped her hooves around her and pulled her back. Scootaloo coughed as Zecora’s forelegs squeezed around her neck.
“What was that for?” Sweetie Belle demanded as Zecora released her grip.
Glancing down at the plant Scootaloo had almost touched, Zecora sighed. “I am sorry for the choke, but I could not let her touch the poison joke.”
Apple Bloom’s eyes widened as she saw the spotted blue petals. “Oh, yikes.”

Indeed.

Vinyl laughed. “And I’ll be back to my awesome, horny self.”
Apple Bloom’s face contorted into a slack-jawed look of disgust. “Uh…”
A groan piled up in the back of Vinyl’s throat as she realized how bad that must’ve sounded. “That came out entirely wrong, I swear.”

You did that on f*cking purpose.

[Rakaziel]

This story is awesome! I just hope Octavia finds the letter in time.

[ShadeJak]

I can totally see it....

Vinyl returns with the potion... Tavi greets her very curtly and asks why her letter of acceptance was in the trash

[ferret]

5903787

"Oh that's what it is? I thought it was a uh, bill. Yeah, a bill. Totally my bad."

[Fervidor]

5944644

Repeat for infinite fanfic.

Problem, Fimfiction?

[TheGreatEater]

Both fillies were ready to pass out, a fact made apparent by their drooping heads and . Scootaloo sluggishly pushed herself forward on her scooter,her eyes half-open, while Sweetie Belle kept bumping into the same tree when she tried to walk.

and what?

space after comma.
__________________

“Then I’ll probably need some sleep too. Sweetie Belle, Scoots, do ya wanna come with me?”

Ah'll
______________

Finally got to this story. Sorry I haven't gotten around to finishing it till now XD.

[KiKo4]

Vinyl laughed. “And I’ll be back to my awesome, horny self.”
Apple Bloom’s face contorted into a slack-jawed look of disgust. “Uh…”