Seekers in Equestria

by dracone

Orchid Helps Explain a Few Things

Rarity was sitting with Orchid looking over several of the young filly's amulets. “They're all quite lovely, darling. It's nice that you're getting along with Sweetie Belle and her friends, but your still chasing after your brother.”

“I want to be the same kind of Seeker my brother is,” said Orchid.

“You do realize that being the same kind of something as somepony isn't the same being exactly like them?”

“I never really considered that,” said Orchid folding her ears back, “Rec keeps saying I'm a smart girl and I'll figure it all out, but I don't want to figure out, I just want to be the kind of seeker I want to be as soon as possible.”

“You have the same problem as my sister and her friends, you're in so much of a hurry to have your talent you aren't stopping to see just what you're truly good at. Your not perusing anything, you're just jumping out in the street because you think that is the best place to help ponies. The difference is that your imitating somepony you admire because you think you might have the same talent, stop trying to be your brother dear, it's not healthy. You may not know what your passion is yet, but someday something will ignite the fires of passion in you in a way that only you can feel.”

“Thanks, miss Rarity,” said Orchid before getting up and heading out, the filly stopped when she opened the door, “Miss Rarity, were you expecting a delivery? There's a package in front of your door.”

“Oh, those would be some samples of next seasons most sought after accessories I asked a friend in Manehattan to send me. I might be one who tries to see if she can make the years greatest original styles, but if I don't keep up with fads in my profession it could prove disastrous,” the white mare levitated the package in past Orchid, who closed the door and followed Rarity into the kitchen.”

“I really don't see accessories the same way you do, since amulets are a bit different for Seekers. I think I'll hang around with you to see if something catches my eye at the very least.”

“Very well, darling,” said Rarity as she eased the box open with her magic.

Inside the box were a collection of bracelets and pendants with very expensive looking appearance, the sight caused Orchid to giggle while saying, “I think someone's been had!”

“What do you mean? Orchid,” said Rarity with confusion, “explain it to me, these gems look a bit off, but other than that they seem to be good quality.”

“You have a good eye, these are what my world calles Rhinestones,” said Orchid as she lifted some of the pieces in her magic, much to a surprise that almost caused them her to drop them, “they're fake jewels, they're made with a mix of plastics and ceramics. They're cheap because they're easy to mass produce for little cost, in short they're cheap synthetic gems. Using the base elements it is possible and techniques it is possible to artificially create a genuine gem. We call synthetic diamonds made from the same material as real diamonds cubic zirconium.”

“So, you're saying these gold and silver chains are holding cheap imitations of the real gems, I see this fad won't go far. I am so glad Coco sent me just a small box, I'll send a note back to her about this, and I'll be sure to mention the part you played in this. Now, tell me more about these synthetic true gems.”

“Well, I'm no expert on the matter, I just know what I learned from the educational program that talked about them, but...”

_________________________________________________

At around that same time on Sweet Apple Acres Applejack was once again staring at the amulet on her nightstand. She had fortunately decided to not go into town with it, mostly because she did not want to deal with the barrage of questions on the orange mare's new accessory from a certain pearly unicorn. “Are ya jus' gonna keep starin' at tha' amulet until it does somethin' fer ya?” Came Big Mac's voice to her right, the first thing she had done was explain the circumstances of her getting the amulet to her family, and even shown invoked the titan just outside the house to prove she hadn't gone off her rocker. Her sister predictably spouted how cool it was, Granny Smith just burst out laughing and giggled about how her granddaughter had found a way to prove it was possible for an earth pony to cast spells like a unicorn, and Big Mac just gave her a look that said he honestly didn't have anything to say.

“Ah'm naught sure et's uh good idea ta 'ave that thing en our possession,” said Applejack after the awkward silence that followed her brother's question, “Befer Orchid went ta ask Rarity if she could stay wid 'er she just had ta tell Ganny about tha' stupid tradition in 'er world, an' Granny actually thought et was uh good idea ta follow up on tha' tradition! Jus' what went through 'er 'ead when she said that?”

“Ya could jus' ask 'er instead uh going on about how ya gettin' one uh these 'ere titan things goes against apple tradition,” said Big Macintosh in a solemn voice, “et's a good symbol fer us, et's a tree an' yer amulet looks like et came from uh apple tree made uh silver, yer stubborn pride is jus' getting tha bes' uh ya again, Ah jus' figured et was time fer somepony ta come an' give ya knock upside tha head befer yer friends decided ta do fer us, an' don' think Ah won't really smack ya one jus' cause yer mah little sister, tha's more uh a reason ta give ya a good kick en tha flank.”

“Ah know,” Applejack said with a sigh, “Orchid even said her brother would more than likely be givin' me a intra course en what et means ta be a Seeker, she keeps goin' on abou' 'ow will ez most important fer a seeker, she also says Ah got et en spades when et comes ta will.”

“Tha's cause yer tha mos' strong willed among yer friends AJ, et's trait all us Apples got en abundance, but all our matriarchs have been known to be the most stubborn of thair generation, yer no exception thare.”

“Ah suppose,” said the orange mare with a confused look on her face, “when Ah'm near tha amulet Ah kin 'ear tha big guy en et, 'e's as stubborn as Ah am, tha only reason 'e listens ta me is because 'e knows the kind a mare Ah am through our link an' 'e genuinely respects me.”

“Well, et least ya got a good trump card fer when et gits really dicy en tha future,” said Mac as he put a hoof on Applejack's shoulder, “come on AJ, put tha' amulet on an' get tha thin yer havin' fears abou' outa tha way, Rarity will find out abou' this one way or another, after all 'er sister was thare fer yer exchange wid 'im.”

“Ah suppose yer right, Mac, thanks, Ah needed this,” she walked over and put the amulet back on, “besides et might 'elp wid showin' ah can be jus' as 'refined' as Rares claims she is.” Macintosh smiled as he followed Applejack down the stairs.

_____________________________________________________

Rarity had emptied the box out and found a small package that was wrapped with a note that said it held something that the alabaster mare might genuinely like. When Rarity opened the tiny box she beheld what looked like a circular gray stone piece with a purple diamond gem with a yellow outline. “Well,” said Orchid looking at the accessory with interest, “what are the chances your friend would send you an amulet, maybe he's still sleeping. I can feel his presence, maybe your touch will wake him up. I heard about the titans with this amulet, I don't know what he's called though, he's one of the 'lost titans', not all of their names were recorded, we just know what their amulet looked like most of the time.”

Rarity put the amulet on then said, “Ooh, tingly, I can feel a presence. How do I, call him up?”

“First let's go somewhere outside and away from the shop, we don't know how big this guy could be, do you want to invoke an entity that could potentially demolish half the building by just coming into the physical world?”

“Oh, that isn't so good darling, I think I know just where to go for this.” Rarity motioned for Orchid to follow her, turning the sign to closed and locking the closed door behind them Rarity lead the way. After a few minutes they were near small pond with no one else to be found.

“This looks good enough,” said Orchid looking around a bit, “now, close your eyes and focus on the amulet, the titan should tell you his name, speak his name to invoke him from the amulet.”

“Alright,” said Rarity as she closed her eyes.

“Hey you two,” came Rainbow Dash's voice, “whatcha up to?”

“A lesson on titan invocation,” said Orchid evenly, “which you are interrupting by the way,” she gestured to a very annoyed looking Rarity.

“Oh, sorry,” said Rainbow with an honest embarrassed tone.

“It's fine, Rainbow,” said Rarity, “I figured it wouldn't be an easy feat.”

“Especially considering some of the situations titans are invoked under,” said Orchid.

“How come unicorns get all the cool magic lessons? I mean, Twi and Rare both get a lesson in this sort of thing,” said Rainbow.

“I would like remind you I gave Applejack a crash course in titan invocation and recalling a few hours ago,” said Orchid, “this kind of magic can be used and learned by anyone.”

“Applejack has an amulet?” Said Rarity with surprise, “what's it like?”

“She has Gaia-Titan,” said Orchid, “the amulet of the titan she bonded with is a silver twig with a green leaf like gem.”

“Now, I have a new set of outfits to design around that for her,” said Rarity with excitement.

“Something tells me she's not going to be very happy about that,” said Rainbow with a smirk on her face.

“Maybe not immediately, Rainbow,” said Rarity, “but when we have a formal event that requires our presence she'll thank for the ensembles I've prepared.”

“Can we please get back to your lesson, Rarity? Miss Dash,” said Orchid with a hint of amusement in her voice, “if you would be so kind as to not distract us any further.”

“Um, sure thing,” said Rainbow.

“Now, Rarity,” said Orchid, “focus on the amulet and call the name the titan tells you.”

Taking a deep breath the white mare closed her eyes and focused on the amulet, “he says his name is... Jeweled Colossus,” with that a stone gray figure that was covered in a variety of jewels around the standard size of a pony appeared, in addition to having a few strips of purple leather armor around the shoulders and a red cape upon its back. Upon closer inspection different kinds of jewels with different colors and shapes were all throughout the titans form, the chest possessed a large, purple, diamond shaped gem. At his sides the titan had a circular shield and elegant looking sword.

“This guy is so you, Rarity,” said Rainbow as she hovered around the titan, “I mean look at him, he's covered in jewels.”

Rarity opened her eyes and smiled before trotting over an inspecting the stone gray titan. “Yes, well,” said Rarity with a smile, “he certainly has a special kind of elegance to him... he also says his gems have magical properties he can activate at will, how is it that I heard that and you didn't?”

“That's the bond,” said Orchid, “he's relaying directly to your mind, but you still have to talk to him verbally.”

“Well, that loses it's subtle elegance,” said Rarity with a concerned face.

“When your connection reaches its ultimate extent you'll powerbond to him, when that happens you will both be able to communicate by pure thought.”

“So, we need to build our relationship up, just like with friends and family,” said Rarity with a smile, “I kind of prefer it that way.”

“Ah man,” said Rainbow, “now you, AJ and Twilight all have some cool companions that will always be there when ya need them. When am I going to get a cool friend that's as awesome as I am?”

“When the time is right, and you least expect it,” said Orchid with a smile, “I'm sure your future friend will be just what you need.”

“That is so vague,” said Rainbow, “and sounds almost exactly like what Flutters or Rares would say.”

“Well, darling, she has a point,” said Rarity, “you can't just rush these sorts of things.”

Rainbow stuck her tongue out playfully before saying, “I'm heading home, gotta feed Tank,” with that the cyan mare was gone.

Noticing the confused look Orchid was giving her Rarity said, “Her tortoise, dear, that's his name. So how do I...” Jeweled Colossus turned into a purple wisp and shot back into her amulet, “never mind, I can wait for your brother's return and lesson plan, if it's all the same to you?”

“I take no offense,” said Orchid, “he's the one who has taught me the most of what it means to be a seeker.”

“You said your father and older siblings were seekers as well,” said Rarity looking at her new accessory with a smile, “didn't they teach you anything about what it means to be one?”

“Dad taught me the basics and left me to study under Rec,” said Orchid, “my other elder siblings aren't as inviting. I can tell they're just going through the motions when they try to make things better between us.”

“Is this your brother talking? He told us something similar,” said Rarity. Rainbow just waited in silence, something that she usually found very difficult.

Orchid shook her head and said, “he didn't tell me what he thought about our elder siblings, he just told me to look at the information and see what it tells me then told me where to find the records pertaining to our family. He wanted me to take it all in without any bias and make my own conclusions, I suppose that makes him a good big brother. He hides his emotions as best he can, but you can see just how much he cares.”

“Um, yeah,” said Rainbow, “why is he so guarded with his emotions? Especially around his family and friends.”

“Simple answer,” said Orchid, “our siblings treated him as an outsider, they thought our mom was a replacement for theirs in their dad's life. A legitimate fear, but a bit inaccurate. Dad kept on loving their mom, he just felt it was time to have someone else by his side to give him support when he needed it most, that's where mom came in.”

“So, you and your brother have a different mother than your other elder siblings? Why should something like that matter?”

“I guess it shouldn't,” said Orchid, “but sometimes others put more stock in their fears than the facts, there's an old saying that goes, 'the truth will set you free', but some choose to ignore the truth in favor of some kind of belief or misguided faith. It's always easier to follow than decide for yourself, free thinkers aren't treated as good as they should at times.”

“I can attest to that,” said Rarity, “I've learned that lesson a few times myself, ponies are more willing to accept somepony into their social circle if they follow with the others as opposed to try being themselves.”

“Yeah,” said Rainbow, “I was there for one of those moments, anyway,” she turned her attention to Orchid, “what have you found out about yourself?”

“That I've spent too much time trying to be my brother,” said Orchid, “I don't even know what really motivates me, I just know I bond well with animal like titans, that doesn't tell me a whole lot.”

“Maybe,” said Rainbow, “but Flutters might be able to help, her special talent is understanding animals. If anypony can help you make sense of something animal related it would definitely be her.”

“Thanks,” said Orchid, “could you guide me there? I really don't know where to go just yet.”

“Sure thing,” said Rainbow and lead the way to Fluttershy's cottage. Rarity smiled as she watched the two head off, it was nice to see Rainbow in a role like this and to tell the truth Sweetie and her friends needed somepony that could possibly reign in some of their more dangerous ideas. Orchid seemed well suited to reigning in the Crusaders, at least to a point.

**********************************

The whole way Rainbow had asked Orchid which of the titans she had seen was the most awesome, each of the twenty plus times Orchid had asked her define awesome, much to the aggravation of the cyan mare. Rainbow just stated that it should be obvious in her usual eccentric, and somewhat blunt, manner. Once they arrived at Fluttrshy's and the yellow pegasus had opened her door Rainbow had practically shoved the filly into the pink maned mare with the statement, “how can anypony not know what awesome is? Seriously, awesome is just awesome.”

“That's it?” Said Fluttershy with a confused look.

“I just wanted you to be more specific,” said Orchid with an eye roll, “you should know there are different kinds of awesome, just as there are different levels of awesome. Maybe if you would specify instead of being so vague we wouldn't have had several minutes of circular conversation.”

“Oh,” said Rainbow with a sheepish look, “well you two, have fun,” with that she flew off.

“It's not often somepony can embarrass Rainbow like that,” said Fluttershy, “so, what brings you to my home?”

“Well,” Orchid looked a bit uneasy as she said it, “I bond well to animal like titans and you have the ability to understand animals, so your friends thought it would be a good idea for us to spend some time together.”

“Oh, that's lovely” said the yellow pegasus, “feel free to help out however you can.”

“You weren't interrupted from anything, were you?” Orchid as the pegasus lead her into the cottage.

“Oh no, I was just finishing feeding the animal. Angel's been a little demanding again today.”

“Oh, is he asking you to make him a salad or something?” Said Orchid, half joking.

“Yes, he does every once in a while. He's such a demanding bunny sometimes.”

“I wouldn't know, we never had any pets back home, still don't.”

“Why not? Having a special animal friend is something everypony should at least experience.”

“It comes down to the lives Seekers can lead,” said Orchid as she moved amongst the animals and down on the couch, Fluttershy closed the door and headed for the kitchen, “we can be asked to look over a library or museum one day and then be sent half way around the world for who knows how long the next, having a pet just isn't practical. Besides what if someone decides to actually make a play at attacking our homes, we couldn't put any animals in danger because of something like that. Besides, I have all the special friends I need with my titans, although I would like some friends outside my titans.”

“Well, it looks like you're making good progress with Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo,” the sound of her tossing the salad could be heard, and Orchid could swear she heard the pegasus mare smiling, “maybe they already consider you a friend. Why don't you have any friends back home?”

Orchid pulled her ears flat to hear head as she said, “Every time I try to make friends some mean kids ruin it. They all know how to push the social buttons at the school to make me be not wanted by anyone. There were these girls that were really popular that invited me to be their 'friend' and I really hoped it would be genuine, I knew what they were really like. I just thought that if they spent time around someone like me at least one of them would genuinely want to be my friend, was that wrong?”

“Oh no, it's a wonderful thing to think. You were willing to try and see something better in others, it's not your fault it didn't work out for you. Did they do something really bad?”

“They... threw the kit for making your own jewelry kit my mom had given me a month prior out the second story window of the house we were at, if my brother hadn't taught me FeatherDrop and BubbleLift before that I would have spent hours trying to find all the pieces that fell out of the box that made up the kit.”

“Oh, do you like making jewelry?”

“Not really, it was a sweet gesture on mom's part, but it just didn't feel right whenever I used what the kit. It's a really nice kit, it came with garnets, pewter chains, and I even got a real moss agate. Mom just wanted help me find my talent, she always does.”

“So, what it like when your brother got his cutie mark?” The butter yellow pegasus came back out with a large salad bowl filled with a variety of veggies between her wings and expertly slid it down without a spill in front of her white rabbit. Angel gave it a few quick sniffs before giving nod of approval and diving into it like a mad goat. Fluttershy carefully backed away and joined Orchid on the couch.

“Oh, um well,” Orchid moved a little uneasily in her seat, “we don't have cutie marks in our world. There's no way to physically show what your special talent is beyond showing it.”

“Oh, um, are the animals nice at least? Is there somepony to look after all the wild animals?”

“Um, no. The entirety of our world operates a lot like the Everfree forest, minus the mystical and magical creatures. Every creature needs to fend for itself, and the there is no one to manage the weather.”

It was at this point Rainbow crashed through the door, nearly knocking it off its hinges, “Sorry Flutters,” said Rainbow, “I'll pay for the damages.”

“That's okay Rainbow,” said Fluttershy, “this house really isn't built for your energetic arrivals.”

“You're so understanding,” said Rainbow with a smile, she then turned to Orchid, “what do you mean you don't have anypony managing the weather? How do places get the weather they need.”

“Most of the time they don't,” said Orchid, “we don't have the means to influence the weather like the pegasi in our world, like I said our world works a bit more like the Everfree Forest in terms of natural phenomena.”

“I heard that already,” said Rainbow with dismissive hoof, “I just thought you were trying to be funny.”

“We need to tell Twilight once she gets back,” said Fluttershy. Rainbow just nodded vigorously.

After her nodding Rainbow said, “So, about that four foreleged bear, think I could get one some day?”

“His name is Breaker,” said Orchid with indignation, “and titans choose who bonds with them, you can't force a bond. It's like friendship, if you try to force it you find it wasn't real, but if you let it happen naturally then it proves to be very strong.”

“Heh, you're right there,” said Rainbow, “give me some hoof,” she held out a forehoof.

Orchid stared at the cyan mare, “Um, you're supposed to tap your hoof to Rainbow's,” said Fluttershy, “if you feel up to it.”

Orchid took a deep breath before saying, “Sorry, I've never really had any interactions like this.”

“It's okay, sweetie,” said Fluttershy, “we won't force you.”

Rainbow lowered her hoof back to the ground and said, “Yeah, it's cool, I just didn't consider somepony wouldn't know how to hoof bump. How about Flutters and I tell you about some of our adventures?”

Orchid smiled and said, “Okay, I could tell you about some of the things I've been through as an exchange, but they're not much.”

“It's cool,” said Rainbow, “but we'll have to wait for that, we need the right setup for sharing of awesomeness. Catch ya two later.”

“What was that about?” Said Orchid.

“Rainbow just remembered she has things to do,” said Fluttershy, “you said that you think your talent might have something to do with animals.”

“Um, yes. You see whenever I tried bonding with an animal-like titan it was easier. Also miss Rarity has a titan now.”

“Oh, is it friendly?”

“He seems to be a good fit for her, maybe you or another one of your friends will get one. Miss Applejack seemed to be having trouble deciding how to treat the whole having a titan thing. I'm not really qualified to be teaching seeker stuff, at most I can just help everyone acclimate to having a titan and explain some pretty basic stuff. I've only officially been a seeker for two years, my brother and his friends have more experience in things like this than me.”

“Is it common for somepony so young to be something like what you are?”

“Oh no, usually Seekers begin their training closer to their teen years, from what I've been told my brother and I are a little odd that way. My closest friend is Jirwolf, since he's been with me the longest. Having a connection like the bond is wonderful, strange and a little empowering, it means you never have a least one friend to far away. Something that seekers try to avoid is giving up their amulets, because that's where our titans live. Without a titan to balance it's magic an amulet will break, a titan's link to their amulet is so strong that if they didn't return to their amulet after they took an immense amount of damage that the amulet could take damage along with the titan.”

“Oh, well, they seem to come in quite a variety. You said you form a bond easily with ones that are like animals, does that mean you also feel a strong connection to animals as well?”

“I don't really know,” said Orchid, “I've really spent much time around them,” she paused a moment to pet a squirrel that stopped in front of her before saying, “I have wondered what it would be like to live like you from time to time.”

“Apart from the town and helping any animals that need you?”

Orchid smiled and shook her head, “No, surrounded by animals and being at peace with who you are.”

“Oh, you don't feel comfortable with who you are?”

“I'm scared of who I might become.”

“We've all had that fear to face, when I discovered my talent all my fears about that sort of thing seemed to just melt away. When you get your cutie mark it will reflect who you are, whatever that talent is.”

“We don't have cutie marks in the world we call home, it's not something you get. There are those that go their entire lives trying to figure out just what it is they're good at, what does my ability to bond with a certain grouping of titans even mean...okay, I can do that,” she gave a small smile and pulled out a jade and blue colored amulet shaped like a smooth curving arrow-like hat with three gray spikes at its top and a pale green gem in it's center, “Reveal yourself, Hellynx,” with that red house cat like creature with spike like fur and three spikes coming out of its head and a few other spikes on its body with what looked like blue gloves with gray trim on its forelegs and a collared jacket with same aesthetic, “he wanted to come out and stretch.”

“Oh my, he's definitely different than what I would expect, he's not very frightening looking.”

“He's not sure what to make of that comment, he likes having a scary appearance. He's not a very strong fighter, so he uses intimidation and surprise attacks.”

Angel glared at the strange cat-like creature, Hellynx just met the white rabbit's gaze with a lackadaisical leer. “Angel behave,” said Fluttershy, “you seem to be able to understand him like I do animals.”

“Every seeker can understand what their titans are saying, but as far as I know Rec and I are the only ones can understand titans when they are still in their amulets.”

“You'll find your talent at the right time, that's what happened for me and my friends. We later learned that a single event connected us before we even met, you'll find the right friends for you eventually.”

“Thanks, I'm sure you're right.”

“Seems you're off to a good start with Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo.”

“Maybe, they're a lot nicer than my schoolmates, at times it seems all the teachers and students are turned against me. Why do they focus on me, I've done nothing to deserve the wrath of anyone. I just tried being friendly, when things turned against me I tried imitating my brother, he has two really good friends, they travel the globe and have amazing adventures together, sometimes they even take me along.”

“I didn't have that many friends when I was a filly the only friend I really had was Rainbow Dash, it wasn't until I moved to Ponyville that I started making more friends. I just have to ask, do you really have creatures like that Breaker creature in your world?”

“Oh, no, we have animals like your rabbit, Angel, and that bear.”

“Oh, do you have any hydras or manticores?”

“Only as titans, noting as fantastic as all this. We don't really have any wild dragons, we have ordinary animals like bison, deer, pumas and timber wolves.”

“You have timber wolves in your world! What are they like there?”

“Um,” Orchid gave the yellow pegasus a confused look, “big, furry, and friendly once they warm up to you.”

“Oh, that doesn't sound like the timber wolves that roam the Everfree.”

“What, are they actually made of twigs and sticks or something?”

“That's it exactly, have you really seen them?”

“I was being ironic,” said Orchid, “I didn't think there was actually anything like out, well, anywhere.”

“Oh, so you don't have anything like that in your world then?”

“We might have some titans like that, but all the animals are pretty simplistic compared to the wildlife here.”

“Oh, your friend had one she called Cerberus, it was a bit different when compared to the Cerberus I saw last year. Oh, have you seen an Orthrus before?”

“Um, no?”

“Oh, they're just so cute.”

“A full grown two headed dog that is your size is cute? Everyone has their concepts I guess, actually I heard the Orthrus titan has been lost for a very long time. I'll help out around here, it might help guide toward the path I'm meant to walk.”

“What's a bison? You mentioned earlier.”

“Some folks call them buffalo.”

“How could you call another culture animals, that's very insensitive.”

Orchid facehoofed before saying, “They have a culture here, I've got to tell my brother that. And the truth is equines aren't at the same intellectual level they are here, it's not just buffalo that are technically animals. Horses, ponies, tapirs, elephants, giraffes, and more all aren't quite up to the cognitive level they probably have here.”

“Oh, thanks for explaining that, I really didn't want to tell my friends you said something offensive about another culture.”

**********************************************

It was a few hours to sundown when Spike came with a note for Orchid saying that Rec, Claudia, Mandi, Twilight and Pinkie would be spending the night in Canterlot. At the time the Crusaders had come to Fluttershy's to see if Orchid could help them with another one of their crazy stunts for the following day that they hoped would mean one of them would get a cutie mark and Sweetie Belle offered to put her up for the night with her and Rarity, of course Apple Bloom had made the counteroffer of her family putting Orchid up for the night. Much to Sweetie's dismay, and Apple Bloom's joy, Orchid had chosen to spend the night with the Apples.

While walking alongside Fluttershy and Apple Bloom, the earth filly had waved goodnight to her friends before heading home, Orchid got the feeling something was a little off. Fluttershy picked up on the unicorn filly's unease and said, “Is everything Alright?”

“No,” said Orchid, turning her attention to a bird's nest in one of the trees on the way to Sweet Apple Acres, which in turn caused her traveling companions to stop as well, “that's a raven's nest.”

“Yes,” said Fluttershy, “they're very smart birds, and so friendly too.”

“Not so much where I come from,” said Orchid, “they're attracted to shiny things, and have been known to stock their nests with them.”

“Yes, well they do the same here in Equestria, I'm always telling them to return things every few days,” said Fluttershy.

“What're ya getting' at?” said Apple Bloom.

“I can feel the presence of a titan of some kind coming from the direction of the nest,” said Orchid, “it could mean the raven took an amulet to its nest. Miss Fluttershy, maybe you could get the raven to give it up, we don't want cause to much trouble or risk it falling int the possession of someone that will possible be irresponsible on top of being clueless to their seeker abilities potentially awakening from touching the amulet.”

“Oh, okay,” said Fluttershy, “anything in particular I should look for.”

“It feels like a Gaia-Titan, so it probably will look like a jewelry piece composed of silver with a green gem.”

“Like Applejack's piece,” said Apple Bloom with excitement, “Ah want one too, but Ah don't wanna get mahself 'urt befer dinner, AJ an' Granny Smith'll give me tha speech about safety.”

“It'll only take a short time girls,” said Fluttershy as she lifted herself into the air on her wings and headed for the tree. When she arrived the pegasus mare found a raven pecking at the one of the four root like extension of the oval shaped silver amulet with an oval shaped green gem in the center.

“Oh mister raven you really shouldn't be doing that,” the raven turned to her and gave her a few caws and clicks before turning his attention back to the amulet.

“Well, yes, I know you found it, but it really is possibly dangerous, could you please give to me so that my friends and I can determine if it really is safe or not.”

The raven gave more caws and a hiss like sound, all in a very aggressive manner.

“Now there's no need to be rude like that,” said Fluttershy with more authority, “you will give me that amulet and will sit here for as long as it takes to realize what you've been doing wrong, and don't make give you 'the stare', got it buster.”

The raven just nodded and gave the amulet to the yellow pegasus, she gave it an approving nod and pat on the head once it was in her hooves and fluttered back to the fillies.

Looking at what was in Fluttershy's hold Apple Bloom said, “So, what is it?”

“I'm not familiar with this amulet, we'll need for my brother to come back before...” she noticed a green aura flash over Fluttershy, “or we can just ask Fluttershy to tell us, it seems the titan bonded with her.”

“Oh, um, how do I ask who lives in the amulet?”

“I'll tell you tomorrow,” said Orchid, “it's getting late, and we all will need our rest. Just remember to keep the amulet safe, if anything happens to the amulet it can affect the titan.”

“Oh, gosh darn et, Ah wanted ta see another one uh those titan things taday, Ah mean Applejack got one.”

“That can wait,” said Orchid, “we need sleep for whatever your friends, and you, end up dragging me along for, besides we don't want to worry your family. Did you tell them about your inviting me to stay the night?”

Apple Bloom gave a sheepish grin, “Um, not really, why ya ask?”

“We should never forget our manners,” said Fluttershy, “I'll explain the situation to the Apples and head on home.”

After several more minutes of walking the trio came upon the entry to Sweet Apple Acres, and a very unamused Applejack was there to meet her sister. “Ah know, Ah know,” said Apple Bloom before her sister could say anything, “Ah should let ya'll know when Ah'm gonna be out so late, also Ah should let ya know when Ah invite somepony to spend the night.”

“Eeyup,” said Applejack, who then blinked a bit, “an' just whom was et ya invited ta spend tha night?”

“That would be Orchid,” said Fluttershy, “her brother, her brother's friends, Twilight and Pinkie are all going to be spending the night in Canterlot. Since Twilight won't be home Orchid thought it best to spend the night at somepony else's place.”

“Ah take et Spike's probably using that fact as an excuse to spend the night with Rarity then?”

“Most likely,” said Orchid, “can we please stop standing around and get to actually having something to eat then go to sleep, I'm starting to feel like the day is running longer than it should.”

“Well, Ah guess et's alright,” said Applejack, “although Bloom an' Ah will be having a little talk about a few things tomorrow, which could decide as whether or not she can go and have fun wid 'er friends.” Apple Bloom gulped rather loudly, “But, et's always nice ta have company over. Maybe ya could explain what Ah have ta expect now.” It was at this point Orchid saw that the amulet the orange mare had acquired earlier was missing from her figure.

“Speaking of which, where's your amulet?”

“In mah hat,” said Applejack pointing to her iconic stetson hat, “et just dosen' feel right wearing something around mah neck if et's not uh special occasion.”

“You don't have to wear your amulets, most seekers do that because it means they have a titan to help if needed, it's sort of a tradition for for seekers.” Said Orchid, “But we should really head inside now.”

Applejack just gave a nod and waved goodbye to Fluttershy as the pegasus took flight back to her home. Once Fluttershy was was leaving Applejack lead the two fillies to the Apple homestead. Once the three were in the house Applejack said, “Mac, put out another bowl, we're gonna have company fer tha the night.”

“What kind uh company,” came Granny Smith's elderly voice from the kitchen.

“That Rec feller's little sister, Apple Bloom offered ta put 'er up fer tha night et our place, without telling anypony.”

“Oh, no worries, just foals bein' foals,” said Granny Smith with a bit of an elderly chuckle, “Mac, go make up the guest room af'r dinner.”

“You got et Granny,” came Big Macintosh's voice as the mare and fillies approached the kitchen.

Seeing the quaint kitchen/dining area Orchid said, “This is nice, of course if Rec had his way the table and chairs would hauled outside, he has an issue with others in the kitchen when he's using it.”

“As 'e rightfully should,” said Granny Smith, the elderly apple green mare almost matched the filly's eye color perfectly.

“Ya ever been on an apple farm befer?” Said Big Mac as he opened the silverware drawer to get out a spoon for the vegetable soup the family was partaking in.

“No,” said Orchid as she took a seat next Apple Bloom, “I did grow up on some old farm land, last I checked I still am. The closest I've gotten to an apple farm before today was the small grove of trees my brother grew out in the woods.”

“So, he tends the trees himself?” Inquired Applejack.

“In a sense, tended to the trees for their first year or so then just left them for nature to look after them.”

“That seems a mite irresponsible,” said Big Mac.

“Different worlds, different rules,” said Orchid, “besides the animals out there don't seem to mind. Nature can manage itself just fine without interference, you just need to give it a little nudge in the right direction. We don't have folks that manage the weather back home, that sort of thing is firmly in the realms of fantasy and science fiction.”

“But, don't ya have one uh those titan critters that has that kind of power?”

“Not really, titans can only affect or emulate aspects of the weather in a very limited space. The most powerful weather like titans I'm aware of are my brother's Summer and Winter titans.”

“Summer and Winter are seasons darlin',” said Applejack as Orchid began to dig into her soup.

After cooling a few spoonfuls with her breath and carefully sipping them, in manner that reminded Applejack of the way Rarity ate her soup, Orchid said, “They're also the names of the titans. In Irish lore Summer and winter are the queens of the faerie courts. Summer is said to rule over the Seelie, a large group of fey that are known for being mischievous without any sort of malice. The Seelie have no intent on severely harming anyone, they just want a few good laughs, they actually are said to go out of their way to make sure any damage their targets incur is minor. The Unseelie are ruled by Winter, and they're exceedingly malicious, in the stories about some of them they're known for being responsible for actually ending the lives of a few of their victims.”

The apples looked at the filly with a sense of dread, Orchid paused for a few seconds before saying, “The titans responsible for the stories of the queens are Summer and Winter, in their stories they're described as embodiments or avatars of the seasons that share their names. In the reality of our world they were titans with ability to control the temperature and affect localized weather patterns. Summer can manipulate extremely high temperatures, and Winter can affect control over extremely low temperatures.”

“Say what now?” Said Apple Bloom.

“Summer can make it really hot, and control how hot in localized area, and Winter can do the same with cold.”

“Oh, that's a really powerful ability,” said Granny Smith, “what kinda range does that kinda ability have?”

“We don't know,” said Orchid returning her attention to her soup, “I think Rec said our best estimate is the maximum range of the abilities is pretty large, I forget what he said the exact range of the ability was.”

“Et's alright,” said Big Manintosh, “et's just a bit of uh surprise ta hear all this.”

“What're faeries exactly?” Inquired Applejack.

“Since magic isn't as common in our world as it here we have stories about supernatural creatures all over the world,” said Orchid before putting a few more spoonfuls of soup into her muzzle and gently swallowing it before continuing, “in nations that inhabit the continent we call Europe we have stories of supernatural creatures called faeries. The island nations of Britain, Scotland, and Ireland are considered part of Europe, which a sort of massive peninsula. Anyway faeries are supernatural entities with various kinds of magics that inhabit a number of different regions. They're also called fey, and fair folk. Their abilities and features vary depending on what culture they're connected to. In Irish lore there's the Kelpie, which is also has the nickname the water horse.”

“That doesn't sound too bad, et's a pony,” said Apple Bloom with a little excitement.

“Yes, well the Kelpie is a member of the Unseelie, which means that?”

“She's not very nice, and actually likes hurtin' folks,” said Applejack disapprovingly.

“Kelpies are worse than that, they are stated have ability to shift between three forms. Their natural state, in Equestrian terms that would be a black earth pony; a big black dog, one that can be frightening very quickly; and a human in black, in all likely that's just a reference to the Seekers that held the Kelpie titan.”

“So these kelpie things are said to change thair form, Ah don't see what's so wrong about that,” said Applejack, “sure they could mess wid folks a bit with that ability, but that's about it.”

Orchid shook her head before saying, “According to their lore kelpies would use their abilities to trick travelers into getting to close to the deep rivers and streams that they called home.”

“An' the nickname water horse suddenly makes sense,” said Applejack.

Orchid nodded and gave somber look before saying, “So they could drag the travelers into the water to tear out the liver of the travelers and eat it.”

“Oh,” said Granny Smith, “maybe ya should talk about somethin' else befer ya make everypony lose thair appetite.”

“Among the Seelie is a little faerie called the brownie (she pronounces it Broo-Nee), they're your typical mischievous trickster types, but it's said if you can catch them they will be at your service for the rest of your life.”

“Well, that sounds nice,” said Big Macintosh, “but Ah wouldn't feel right jus' having somepony work for me fer no compensation.”

“According to their lore you just have to feed them table scraps from at least two meals daily for their service to continue, if you don't pay 'em then they leave your sorry flank to do what they were doing before you caught them.”

“So ya feed them an' thair responsible,” said Granny Smith, “but if ya forget then thay're harmless trouble makers,” she gave a little chuckle, “sounds like Apple foals ta me.” The three sibling gave a light chuckle themselves.

“Pretty much,” said Orchid.

“You said they work fer ya fer yer life if ya catch 'em,” said Applejack, “how's tha' work out?”

“Well, Brownies (she pronounces it Broo-Neez) are notoriously hard to catch, however as I've stated before they're all linked to seekers that used the titans to do all those things.”

“Oh that's right, you and yer brother both said something along those lines before,” said Applejack. The older apples smiled as the the two fillies went back to their dinner.

Author's Note:

And were back in Ponyville, I thought a bit about what titan would be a fit for Fluttershy. Now if my calculations are correct the only one of the Mane 6 that should be getting a titan is Rainbow Dash. I've been debating whether to give Spike a titan as well, also does anyone think Cadance and/or Shining Armor should make an appearance in a future chapter? I'm playing with that idea at the moment. I plan on Rainbow finally getting a titan next chapter, although if any of you have suggestions I'm open to them and if you wish to share your thoughts on which titan you think she should have PM me so that you don't ruin the surprise for everpony else. After all the Mane 6 have their titans, and are all back together the lessons proper will begin, I foresee many amusing moments during that chapter.