Friends, new and old
The pale moonlight was all Silvia had to guide her shambling steps as she rolled out of bed and began to prepare for the day. Doing her best to stifle a groan, she stumbled out of her new room and into the hall, nearly tripping over her own hooves as she trudged her way into the bathroom.
A short shower later found Silvia much more alert and awake as she crept her way downstairs and into the kitchen. Doing her best to remain quiet, as to not disturb her new housemates, she quickly pulled out some daisies, tulips, a few roses, eggs, and an assortment of peppers; everything she would need to make them all fully loaded omelets.
Spreading the ingredients out on the counter, she grabbed a medium sized frying pan and tossed a dollop of butter on it before placing it on the stove to heat up. Next, she grabbed a cutting board and a knife and, with practiced ease, began slicing and dicing the flowers and the peppers. With all of the stuffing chopped and spread into their own piles, she cracked multiple eggs into a small mixing bowl and began whisking them, making sure the eggs were well and properly mixed for optimal fluffiness.
With all the ingredients prepped, Silvia proceeded to spread the now melted butter evenly across the surface of the pan before dumping a portion of the eggs into the pan. Once the egg was cooked all the way through, she placed the bowl of eggs on the counter and grabbed the cutting board. Having already divvied the filling up into three even piles, she scooped one of the piles on to the egg. Placing the cutting board back on the counter, she carefully folded the egg in half and scooped it out of the pan and onto a plate.
Repeating the process twice more, she soon had three steaming hot omelets set out on the table. No sooner had she set the last of the plates on the table when she heard a crash come from the library, followed by the sound of clawed feet scrambling across the hardwood. Perking her ears, she turned to the kitchen door just as Spike burst through it.
“Twilight! Put the spatula down, and… and back away… from the stove?” Spike slowly trailed off as he stared in confusion. “Oh, you’re not Twilight.”
“Last time I checked I wasn’t,” Silvia giggled. “Is she really that bad at cooking?”
“Well, I wasn’t exaggerating when I said her parents had to remodel when she tried to make a sandwich,” Spike laughed. “So what’s with all the food?”
“I had to be up early, so I figured since I was making myself breakfast, I might as well make some for you and Twilight, too,” Silvia explained.
“You, uh… you do realize that Twilight and I aren’t usually up for another couple of hours yet, right?” Spike asked.
“Oh, really?” Silvia asked, pinning her ears back in disappointment. “I’m sorry, I was just trying to help.”
“It’s fine,” Spike said. “I’m up now, so I can eat mine now. And hey, if you’re still hungry we can split Twilight’s. It’ll be cold before she wakes up, so we might as well eat it now so it doesn’t go to waste.”
“You didn’t want to go back to sleep?” Silvia asked.
Picking up the plate containing Twilight’s omelet, she cut it in half and scraped half of it onto Spike’s plate. Putting the other half on her plate, she placed the empty plate in the sink before taking a seat at the table.
“Nah, I wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep anyway,” Spike responded, grabbing three shakers from a nearby cabinet, “Not after a wake-up call like that. By the time I got settled enough to fall asleep again, it would be time to get up already.”
“Well, hopefully my cooking will make up for waking you up, then,” Silvia joked.
Silvia waited patiently for Spike to finish seasoning his food before grabbing two of the shakers from him, one marked with a stylized ‘S’, the other with a matching ‘P’. Eying the third shaker, she noticed it had a large stylized ‘G’ on the side.
“So what’s in there?” Silvia asked, motioning to the shaker with a foreleg.
“Oh, this?” Spike grabbed the shaker and tilted it over his food. Silvia’s eyes widened in surprise when she saw small multicolored flecks begin raining down on his food.
“It’s a gem shaker,” Spike explained. “Since I’m still a growing dragon, my body needs certain minerals that can only be found in gemstones. Twi can’t eat them, though, so we keep a couple shakers stocked with gem dust to help supplement my food.”
Spearing his half of the omelet that had been meant for Twilight, Spike opened his mouth wide and popped the entire thing in.
“Plus,” Spike said between bites, “they taste pretty good, too.”
“I’ll, uh… I’ll take your word for it,” Silvia said, cringing at the uncivil display.
Finishing off the egg in his mouth, Spike took a moment to cut the rest of his food into smaller bites before continuing.
“So not that I don’t appreciate you making breakfast,” Spike paused to pop a bit of egg into his mouth, “but what are you doing up so early?”
“I need to be at the farm by sun up,” Silvia said taking dainty bites of her meal. “I’m supposed to start working with the Apples today.”
“By sun up?” Spike asked, peeking around Silvia to see out of the kitchen window. “Well, then you probably should have left about five minutes ago.”
Pausing mid-bite, Silvia slowly looked over her shoulder to see the first rays of the morning sun peeking over the horizon.
“Oh, no!” Silvia shouted, nearly choking on her food. “No, no, no...”
“Woah…” Spike could only look on in fascinated horror as Silvia picked up her plate with both forelegs and, opening her mouth wider than any pony should have been able to, she swallowed the remainder of her meal in one large bite.
“Can you clean up for me, Spike?” Silvia asked, gathering all the dirty dishes and placing them in the sink. “I’m going to be late if I don’t leave now!”
“Yeah, sure, go ahead. I got it,” Spike said. “You want any coffee before you go? It should only take me a minute to make some.”
“No time!” Silvia called over her shoulder. “Gotta go!”
Stopping only to grab her saddlebags from beside the door, Silvia bolted out the door and through town, leaving Spike to finish his breakfast alone.
“Well,” Spike said, “guess I better get started on my chores then.”
Grabbing his plate in one claw, Spike dumped the remainder of his meal in his mouth and swallowed it in one bite. Tossing his plate in the sink with Silvia’s he filled it with water and began washing.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The sun was barely peaking over the horizon as Silvia crested the final hill on her way to Sweet Apple Acres. Pausing at the top of the hill, she lifted a foreleg to her muzzle as she attempted to stifle a mighty yawn.
“I should have taken Spike up on his offer to make me some coffee,” Silvia grumbled to herself, cursing herself for her decision to forgo the bitter nectar of the gods.
With a reluctant sigh, Silvia continued along the path, passing through the front gate and into the orchard. Slowing from her brisk trot, she closed her eyes and took a moment to enjoy the sound and smell of the early morning breeze blowing through the rows upon rows of apple trees.
“I may not enjoy waking up this early,” Silvia said, “but this makes it worth it.”
“Glad ta hear that, sugar cube,” Applejack said from somewhere next to her.
Jumping at the unexpected voice, Silvia’s eyes snapped open as she turned to look at the mare that was now walking beside her.
“Oh, Applejack, were you there long?” Silvia asked. “I didn’t hear you come up.”
“Not too long, Ah was takin’ an early mornin' walk through tha orchard,” Applejack said, waving off Silvia’s concerns. “Ah saw ya walkin’ on up the path, so Ah thought Ah’d give ya a bit a’ company. Ya looked like ya were off in yer own little world, though, so Ah didn’ wanna disturb ya.”
“I was just enjoying being in the orchard,” Silvia giggled. “It’s nice to be here again, I really missed this.”
“Ya were jus’ here tha other day, did ya ferget already?” Applejack teased.
“Well yeah, but I wasn’t talking about just being here.” Stopping on the path, Silvia sat back on her haunches and motioned to the orchard around her. “I was talking about this. The scent and the sound of the early morning breeze blowing through the trees. The beautiful pinks and golds that explode across the sky as the sun peeks over the horizon, its warm rays cutting through the chill left over from last night.”
Standing up from her seat on the ground, Silvia continued through the orchard, smiling as she looked at Applejack out of the corner of her eye. “And the company of good friends to share it with.”
“Well, that’s true, Ah suppose,” Applejack admitted. “Guess that’s somethin’ we take fer granted here. If’n Ah’m rememberin’ the stories ya used ta tell correctly, y’all didn’t have much a’ this back home, did ya?”
“No, everypony back home was much more… closed off and wary,” Silvia answered. “My parents included. It’s one of the reasons I left.”
“Yeah, Ah think Ah remember ya sayin' somethin’ like that,” Applejack said, scratching at her chin with a forehoof. “Bet that makes ya mighty glad ta be back.”
“Yeah,” Silvia nodded, “I missed my family. But after spending so much time in Ponyville, being back home was kind of… depressing.”
“Well it’s good ya got ta see ‘em then,” Applejack said.
They both continued on in silence, content with enjoying each other's company as the sunrise warmed their backs. It wasn’t until the trees parted and the barn came into sight that one of them spoke up.
“So how’d things turn out with yer granny?” Applejack asked. “Ah know ya told me yesterday she was better, but ya were gone an awfully long time.”
“It was touch and go for a while, and right when she started getting better she ended up colicing.” Silvia rolled her eyes. “She told us herself, though, it’ll take more than a little bug and some stomach cramps to keep her down.”
“When ya left ya said she had pneumonia, right?” Applejack asked, getting a nod in response. “And she coliced?” Silvia nodded again.
“That ain’t ‘just a little bug and some stomach cramps’, sugar cube,” Applejack said in disbelief. “Either one ‘a those could kill a healthy pony our age if it ain’t treated properly, it’s a miracle your granny made it through both ‘a ‘em.”
“Personally,” Silvia smirked, holding back a snicker. “I just think she’s too stubborn to let anything that hasn’t been around as long as she has get the better of her.”
“What d’ya mean by that?” Applejack questioned.
“It’s a bit of a family joke,” Silvia explained. “Nopony in our family knows just how old she is.”
“Well she’s yer granny, so she can’t be that old,” Applejack said.
“Well she’s not actually my granny,” Silvia said, drawing a confused look from Applejack. “I mean, she is… but she isn’t my grandmother. She’s my great, great, great… I’m not sure how many greats. But she’s been around long enough that my mom called her granny. And her mom before that, and her mom before that… you get the point, right?”
“So she’s like our granny then?” Applejack asked. “She was about mah age when she helped found Ponyville, ‘n that was over four-hundred years ago.”
“Exactly!” Silvia said. “Except we don’t have any major events we can use to date her.”
Having reached the open doors of the barn Applejack stepped inside and instantly set to work, stacking empty baskets in her wagon.
“Now ‘nuff ‘bout that. What d’ya say we get ta work?” Applejack said. “Unless ya need a bite ta eat. If ya do, go on 'n step inside, Granny should still be in tha kitchen.”
“Oh, no thanks,” Silvia answered. “I made breakfast for Spike and myself before I left this morning.”
“Didja now?” Applejack asked. “Ah didn’t know Spike’d be up this early. Accordin’ ta Twilight, he likes ta sleep in.”
“He usually does, but I guess he’s not used to me living with them yet. He heard somepony cooking and thought it was Twilight,” Silvia laughed. “Made quite the racket on his way down to stop her.”
“Well, it has only been a few days,” Applejack chuckled. “But if’n yer ready ta get ta work Ah suppose ya can start by unloadin’ the tools from tha extra cart over there,” Applejack motioned to a tarp covered cart in the corner of the barn, “'n loadin’ it up with baskets. Once yer done that, ya can help me with tha south field.”
“What about Mac?” Silvia asked, moving to the cart in the corner. “Is he going to be working by himself?”
“Nah,” Applejack said, grunting with exertion as she loaded the last stack of baskets into her cart. “Apple Bloom doesn’t start school fer a few hours yet, so she’ll be in the west fields with ‘im.”
With the last of the baskets loaded into her cart, Applejack slipped into the harness and pulled her cart to the door.
“Once yer finished loadin’ up yer cart, why don’t ya go ahead ‘n pick up where Ah leave off puttin’ baskets under the trees,” Applejack instructed, turning to face Silvia as much as the harness would allow. “Once ya run out, come back behind me ‘n load up all tha full baskets ya can fit and bring ‘em back here to unload. Once they’re unloaded, put tha empties under tha next few trees in line ‘n grab some more.”
“Can do, Applejack!” Silvia responded, struggling to keep her cloak out of the way as she loaded her cart.
“Ya know, nopony comes out here durin’ tha day,” Applejack said, noticing Silvia’s plight. “Well, nopony besides RD, but she already knows. If’n ya want, ya can take that cloak off while yer workin’. Nopony here’ll give ya any grief.”
Silvia grasped anxiously at the clasp on her cloak, a look of uncertainty on her face. Taking a deep breath, she undid the clasp and pulled the cloak from her body, revealing a long strip of silver, almost scaly flesh that stretched from the base of her mane and down into her tail. The hairs lining the patch of skin were both short and bristly, their shade of silver matching that of the streak that extended from where the patch of skin met her tail, all the way to the tip. Hanging the cloak from a hook on the barn wall Silvia turned to face Applejack, shuffling her hooves awkwardly as she waited for her to say something.
“There, now doesn’t that feel a whole lot better?” Applejack asked, eyeing the cloak. “If’n ya want, once we’re done fer the day Ah can toss ya a few bits so ya c’n have Rares look at that cloak a’ yers. It’s lookin’ more’n a little worn out.”
“Yeah, the walk home and back wasn’t too kind to it,” Silvia said. Fanning out the tail of the cloak, she cringed at the number of holes and threadbare sections the cloak had accumulated. “But you don’t have to do that, it can wait until payday.”
“Nah, it’s fine sugar cube. Ah know how important that cloak is ta ya.” Turning back towards the door, Applejack began making her way to the fields.
“Now don’ be lollygaggin’, ya hear?” Applejack called back over her shoulder. “Just ‘cause we’re ahead fer tha’ month, it don’t mean we can slack off.”
“Don’t worry, Applejack,” Silvia called back. “I won’t!”
Alone in the barn, Silvia made quick work of unloading and then reloading her cart. With one final anxious glance at her cloak, Silvia hitched herself to the cart and pulled it out into the fields, her focus on her work soon distracting her from her fears.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pausing a moment to adjust her glasses on her sweat slicked face, Silvia gave one final grunt of effort as she heaved the last basket of apples into the back of her cart. Taking a moment to wipe the sweat from her brow, she once again adjusted her glasses before hitching herself to her cart.
“Ya ‘bout done over here?” Applejack’s voice called out from a few rows over, causing Silvia to jump at the unexpected noise.
“Yeah,” Silvia called back, waiting for Applejack to cross over into her row before continuing. “Just finished loading up the last basket.”
“Great job, Silvia,” Applejack chuckled, shooting Silvia a challenging smirk. “I was almos’ worried ya’d have a bit of a hard time keepin’ up, what with ya bein’ gone fer so long.”
“Oh please,” Silvia returned the look. “It would take more than a few apples to get the best of me.”
"Well then why don’t’cha take those ‘few apples’ ‘n head on over ta tha barn ta unload ‘em. Once yer done, go on ahead ‘n head over ta tha house.” Applejack paused for a moment, checking the position of the sun before continuing. “It’s about lunchtime now, ‘n Granny’ll have our hides if we’re late.”
Silvia opened her mouth to argue against stopping but was silenced by her stomach loudly protesting her protests.
“Lunch sounds great,” Silvia sheepishly said.
With a shake of her head and a smirk, Applejack pulled her cart the rest of the way into the row and turned towards the barn, waiting for Silvia to pull up beside her.
“So how’ve things been at tha library?” Applejack asked, falling into stride with Silvia.
“They’ve been fine,” Silvia said. “Like I said this morning, everyone is still getting used to living together, so there have been a few problems. Nothing major, though.”
“‘N how’s Twi treatin’ ya?” Applejack asked. “I know y’all got off to a bad start, ‘n she tends to panic and overthink things.”
“A few… minor disagreements,” Silvia giggled. “But nothing that wasn’t solved by Spike pointing out how silly the two of us were acting.”
“That’s good ta hear,” Applejack said. “Y’all doin’ alright on food? Ah can send some apples back with ya if y’all are needin’ anythin’.”
“No, Twilight has everything handled,” Silvia answered. “Apparently her mentor bought her the library, so she doesn’t pay rent. And since she’s still a student, she gets a stipend for studying abroad.”
“Twilight owns the library?” Applejack asked, getting a nod from Silvia. “Huh… Ah never knew that. Thought she was jus’ stayin’ on tha same terms you were.”
“No, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be pitching in once I start getting paid,” Silvia said. “But that also reminds me, Twilight got cut off before she could tell me who her mentor was.”
“Well shucks, Ah know that one,” Applejack chuckled. “Her mentor is…”
The shrill sound of the dinner bell ringing, followed shortly by Granny’s cry of ‘soup’s on’ caused Applejack to stop in place for a moment before picking up her pace.
“Aww shoot,” Applejack mumbled. Taking a quick look over her shoulder, she called back to Silvia. “Why don’t’cha go ahead and jus’ park yer cart inside, don’ worry ‘bout unloadin’ it. We c’n get it after lunch.”
Without a word, Silvia fell in step behind Applejack, pulling her cart inside and parking it beside the stacks of empty barrels waiting to be loaded with apples. Quickly slipping out of the harness, she followed Applejack out of the barn, pausing for a moment to kick the door shut behind her before quickly trotting into the house.
“‘Bout time you showed up,” Granny lightheartedly scolded Applejack. “If’n we had ta wait much longer, tha food woulda gone cold.”
“Sorry, Granny,” Applejack apologized. “Me ‘n Silvia were just gettin’ tha last a’ the apples loaded up and put in tha barn.”
“Y’all’re done already?” Granny Smith asked, giving Silvia an appraising look.
“We sure are,” Applejack said confidently. “Made today’s quota, 'n then some.”
“Well then,” Granny smiled at Silvia and motioned at an open seat with a foreleg. “Why don’t’cha go ahead ‘n have a seat then. Family can’t eat ‘til all its members are seated.”
With a smile, Silvia took the closest open seat, waiting until Granny took her spot at the head of the table before dishing up. Plate piled high with food, she couldn’t help but flush slightly when she noticed she had taken the seat next to Big Mac.
“Ya alright over there?” Applejack asked, giving Silvia a knowing grin from across the table. “Yer lookin’ a little red in tha face.”
“No, I’m fine,” Silvia quickly responded, her left ear twitching repeatedly. “Jussst the, uh, just the heat getting to me a bit isss… is all. I’ll be fine.”
“Uh-huh, sure,” Applejack’s smirk widened before she turned her attention to Big Mac. “So Mac, how ya doin’ in the west fields? Need one of us ta head over there ‘n give ya a hoof after lunch?”
“Eeenope,” Big Mac said, picking dutifully at his food. “Already finished fer tha day, was gonna work on patchin’ up tha fence over by tha Everfree once Ah finish eatin’”
“Yer gonna what now?” Granny Smith asked. “Ah don’ know if I want ya doin’ that, Mac. Least, not by yerself.”
“I can help him,” Silvia quickly volunteered.
“Well, Ah would feel a lot better knowin’ somepony was there ta watch his back,” Granny Smith considered for a moment. “And ya do have a way with keepin’ them Timberwolves away. Alright then, Ah suppose y’all c’n go ‘n patch up the fence. Just no funny business out there, ya hear?” She added on at the end, giving Silvia and Mac the stink-eye.
Silvia blushed and glanced at Big Mac out of the corner of her eye, unable to make out his matching blush through his coat color. Rolling her eyes at their obliviousness, Applejack quickly cleaned the rest of her plate before changing the subject.
“How’s tha bakin’ comin’, Granny?” Applejack asked. “We gonna have plenty a’ pies ‘n fritters ta bring ta tha market today?”
“Ah got plenty done, don’ ya worry none,” Granny Smith assured her. “In fact, by the time ya finish unloadin’ the rest of the apples, I should have another few pies out an’ coolin’ off.”
“Well, alrighty then,” Applejack said, “hopefully we won’t sell out as fast today then.”
Sensing a break in the conversation, Silvia spoke up. “Do you want me to head to town and help you out at the market once Mac and I finish up with the fence?”
“Nah, it’s only a half day in tha market today,” Applejack responded. “Ah c’n handle tha stand on mah own. Why don’t’cha stick around here, give Mac a hoof with some repairs around tha farm.” She smirked at Big Mac. “I’m sure he’d appreciate tha company.”
“Well, what about the carts in the barn?” Silvia asked, attempting to change the subject. “We still have that last load of apples to put away.”
“Don’t’cha worry none ‘bout them,” Applejack said. “Ah can pack them up real quick like while Granny finishes up those last couple ‘a pies.”
Standing from her seat, Applejack brought her plate to the sink and gave it a quick wash before placing it in the drying rack. “‘N speakin’ of, Ah should prolly git back ta work. Apples ain’t gonna store themselves.”
“Eeyup,” Big Mac said, polishing off the last of his food before washing his plate as well. “Guess Ah should get back ta work ‘s well. Ya comin’, Silvia?”
“Just a moment!” Silvia quickly cleaned off her own plate in a show of gluttony that Pinkie would have trouble matching. “Just gotta wash up my plate and I’ll be out.”
“Don’t you worry none about yer plate,” Granny Smith grabbed the plate from Silvia. “Ah c’n handle a few dishes on mah own. Why don’ you head on out an’ help Mac gather up his tools.”
“Oh, that’s ok, Granny.” Silvia attempted to hold onto the plate. “I can…”
“Don’t you argue with me, little missy.” Granny Smith gave Silvia a playful stern glare. “Y’aren’t too old fer me ta put ya over mah knee, ya hear?”
“Alright, Granny, if you insist,” Silvia conceded. “And thank you for lunch. It was delicious, as usual.”
“Make sure ya thank Mac, too. He helped.” Seeing the surprised look on Silvia’s face, Granny smirked. “That colt sure can cook. Good thing ta look fer in a stallion, don’t’cha think?”
“ Well, yeah… I mean no… I mean… maybe?” Silvia stammered, face flushing in embarrassment as she did her best to sink into the floorboards. “I’m… just gonna go outside now.”
Ignoring the cackling of Granny Smith, Silvia trotted out of the house and into the barn. A quick glance around the room told her that Big Mac was in the corner of the barn, loading a familiar set of tools into the cart she had been using.
“Was that your tool cart, Mac?” Silvia asked.
“Eeyup,” Big Mac responded, loading the last of the tools into the cart. “Don’t worry ‘bout it none. Ah don’t much mind havin’ ta load mah tools up, if’n it means we get a reliable set a’ hooves ta help.”
Not waiting for a response, Big Mac hitched himself to the cart and pulled it out of the barn and around to the side, where they stored their extra fence posts and rails. With practiced ease, he slid out of the harness and began loading rails into the cart.
“Need any help with those?” Silvia asked, following him outside.
“Eenope,” Big Mac said, hefting one last rail into the cart. “Got all Ah need.”
Sliding back into the harness, Big Mac pulled the cart into the orchard and straight for the Everfree. Falling in step beside him, Silvia’s mouth opened and closed silently a few times as she attempted to make conversation.
“So…” Silvia began, unsure of what to say. “Apple Bloom sure has grown since I’ve been gone.”
“Eeyup,” came Big Mac’s abrupt response.
“She doing good in school?” Silvia asked.
“Eeyup,” Big Mac smirked, “better’n her sister.”
“That’s good,” Silvia smiled. “She making friends?”
“A few,” Big Mac said. “Bondin’ over cutie marks.”
“Oh,” Silvia’s ears perked up. “Did she get hers already?”
“Eenope,” Big Mac shook his head. “Last a’ their class.”
“Ah…” Silvia said, glancing back at her own blank flank. “I know what that’s like.”
“Eeyup,” Big Mac said, allowing their conversation to lapse into silence.
A few more attempts were made to strike up a conversation, but it wasn’t long before they arrived at the section of fencing that bordered the Everfree Forest. Parking the cart in the middle of a large section of downed and broken rails, Big Mac grabbed a set of tool pouches from the cart and tossed it to Silvia before donning his own.
“Go ahead ‘n start pickin’ up tha downed posts and puttin’ them back in place,” Big Mac instructed. “If tha ends are split, ‘r they’re broken, pull ‘em out and stack ‘em next ta tha cart. If they aren’t, ya can put a single nail in the ends ta help hold it in place. Ah’ll follow behind ‘n replace the broken rails.”
Strapping her own tool pouch on, Silvia set to work immediately, righting the downed rails and pulling the damaged ones out for Big Mac to replace. With the two of them working together, it didn’t take long for them to finish up the first section of downed rails and move on to the next. The job progresses smoothly until they reached the fourth, and final, section of downed rails, and Silvia began to hear a slight rustling coming from the forest.
Slipping her hammer back into her tool pouch, Silvia stepped her upper body through a gap the fence and squinted into the treeline, attempting to pick out any movement from within the forest. A flash of movement no more than a few trees deep caught her attention, and when she focused she could almost make out a slight orange glow. As she prepared to step through the fence to investigate, she was stopped by a firm hoof being rested on her shoulder.
“Everything alright?” Big Mac asked.
Startled by the sudden contact, Silvia glanced over at Big Mac before returning her attention to the forest, trying and failing to find the source of the movement she had heard earlier.
“Yeah, it’s fine,” Silvia said. “I just thought I saw something, but I don’t see it anymore.”
“Well’n why don’ we hurry this up,” Big Mac cast a wary glance out at the forest. “Only a few rails left ta fix.”
“Huh?” Silvia glanced between Big Mac and the forest a few times. “Oh, yeah, sure thing.”
Stepping back through the fence, Silvia picked up the downed rail and slid it into place before securing it with a nail. They finished repairing the fence without any more disturbances, but Silvia’s eyes didn’t once leave the forest. As they walked back to the barn, Silvia would constantly glance over her shoulders, unsure if the movement and flash of orange she saw were real or not.
Reaching the barn, Big Mac unloaded the last of the extra rails they had brought with before pulling out a short list of repairs needed on the farm. Assigning Silvia a few jobs from the list that she had the tools to handle the two went their separate ways, one focused on getting as much done as possible, while the other focused on what she saw in the forest.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“Woo-wee!” Applejack cheered, parking her empty cart in the barn and wiping a bit of sweat from her brow. “We had one hay of a day in tha market today.”
Kicking the barn door closed, she trotted over to her waiting family and friend. “If’n we c’n keep this up, we might just be able to fix the roof b’fore the first snow.”
“Well ain’t that wonderful,” Granny Smith cheered. “Glad ta hear all a’ y’all did such good jobs today.”
“Did Mac ‘n Silvia get the fence done?” Applejack asked.
“‘N then some,” Big Mac confirmed. “Got most everything on the list done, ‘cept what we didn’t have tha materials fer.”
“Well, Ah’ll be,” Applejack threw a foreleg over Silvia’s shoulder and pulled her into a sideways hug. “Sounds like ya more than earned today’s pay.”
Reaching under her hat, Applejack pulled out a small bag of bits and dropped it in Silvia’s hooves.
“That’s ok, Applejack,” Silvia said, trying to give the bag back. “I told you you didn’t have to do that.”
“Nonsense!” Applejack gave Silvia a solid pat on the back before releasing her. “Ah told ya Ah’d give ya a few bits ta go git yer cloak fixed up, ‘n Ah’m a mare a’ mah word. Now go on ‘n take yer bits ‘n head on over there, Rares is waitin’ on ya.”
“Why’s Rarity waiting on me?” Silvia asked, adjusting her cloak before slipping the bits into one of its pockets.
“‘Cus Ah ran inta her in the market,” Applejack explained. “Told her Ah was gonna send ya her way once ya were done workin’.”
“But…” Silvia started, but was cut off when Applejack gave her a friendly shove.
“Now go on,” Applejack gave her another nudge. “It’s rude ta keep somepony waitin’.”
“Alright, I’m going,” Silvia trotted a few steps down the driveway before turning to face the Apples. “Just… thank you so much everypony, for this job, for everything. I’ll make sure you don’t regret it.”
“Ahh, phooey,” Granny Smith waved her off. “Ya could be the worst worker we’ve seen ‘n we’d still be happy ta give ya a job. Yer basically family, and we wouldn’t be able ta call ourselves Apples if we didn’t give ya a helpin’ hoof when ya needed it.”
With a final round of farewells between them, Silvia was soon heading down the road and out of the orchard. Passing through the front gates of the orchard she stopped to cast a wary look at the Everfree forest to her left, doing a double take when she thought she saw another flash of orange. After a few moments of watching the treeline, she shook it off as a figment of her imagination and continued her trip back into town. As she neared the boutique the number of ponies in the street dwindled until soon she found herself nearly alone, the last few ponies sharing the streets with her soon ducking into their homes.
’Huh, something must be going on tonight,’ Silvia thought. ’Everypony sure seems to be in a hurry to get home.’
Hastening her pace Silvia soon arrived at the Carousel Boutique, giving a polite knock on the door before waiting to be told to enter.
“Rarity,” Silvia called out, “are you in? Applejack said you were expecting me.”
“Yes, of course I am, dear,” a voice called out from somewhere inside the building. “Come on in, I’m in the back room.”
Pushing open the door, Silvia jumped slightly at the sound of the bell ringing before stepping inside.
“The bell is new,” she called out.
“Did I not have that when you were here?” Rarity asked. “I must have gotten it right after you left. I had it put in because I couldn’t hear ponies coming in while I was working in the back.”
“Business is going well for you, then?” Silvia asked, taking a quick detour through the row of ponnequin displays.
“Very much so!” Rarity cooed. “So much so, in fact, that I’ve been looking into opening up a shop in Canterlot.”
“I’m sure you’ll do great up there,” Silvia said, jaw hanging open in awe of some of the designs she had on display. “These dresses are beautiful.”
“Why thank you dear,” Rarity said. “Maybe one of these days you’ll give up that dusty old cloak and let me put you in one?”
“Oh, no, I couldn’t do that,” Silvia said, finally making her way into the back room. “I don’t think I could do any of these designs of yours justice.”
“Oh pish posh,” Rarity said, turning to face Silvia as she stepped into the room. “You are a beautiful mare, and don’t ever let anypony tell you otherwise.”
Crossing the room, Rarity met Silvia halfway and pulled her into a firm, yet gentle hug. “If anypony does tell you otherwise, let me know and I’ll set them straight.”
“Oh, Rarity,” Silvia giggled, “it’s so great to see you again. I’m sorry it took me so long to get over here.”
“Fret not, dear,” Rarity waved off her concerns, releasing her from the hug. “I’ve been absolutely swamped with orders all week. But when Applejack of all ponies told me of how dreadful your poor cloak looked, why… I just had to clear some time to patch it up for you.”
“It isn’t that bad,” Silvia sat on her haunches and fanned out her cloak, flinching when the action caused a slight tear in the fabric. “I… can fix that.”
“Please don’t take this the wrong way,” Rarity said, visibly cringing as her critical eye picked out an uncountable number of poorly patched rips and tears on the cloak. “But I believe your ‘fixes’ are doing more harm than good at this point.”
“It’s not that bad…” Silvia pouted.
“I’m sorry dear, truly I am, but it really is,” Rarity ran a hoof over the tattered fabric. “I can count no less than four threads in this one section of the cloak alone that, if pulled, would cause the entire thing to fall to pieces.”
“So maybe it is that bad…” Silvia sagged. “Is there anything you can do for it?”
“While normally I would say no,” Rarity said, biting her lip at the look of grief that flashed across Silvia’s face. “I know how important this cloak is to you, and on my honor as Ponyville’s premier fashionista, I will do everything within my power to mend this for you.”
“Oh, thank you so much, Rarity!” Silvia said, pulling Rarity into a bone crushing hug.
“It’s fine, dear, really,” Rarity choked out. “Now please put me down, and gently please. I’m not sure I could fix your cloak if you damaged it much further.”
“Sorry! Sorry,” Silvia said, releasing Rarity from her grip. “It’s just, well… you know. I was so upset when I thought you couldn’t do anything for gran-gran’s cloak. And…”
“Yes, yes. I understand, dear, truly I do.” Using her magic, Rarity gently unclasped the cloak from Silvia’s neck, the contents of its pockets all finding their way to a nearby end table as the cloak was gently laid out on her work table. “Which is exactly why I’m so willing to put the time and effort into an article of clothing that’s so far gone. Friend or no, it would make me physically ill to force somepony to part with a piece of clothing they love as much as you love this cloak.”
Rarity’s horn lit up, and shortly after a small wash bin containing a small amount of water, and coated in a matching aura floated in from one of the adjacent rooms. Laying the bin on the table beside her, she gently hefted Silvia’s cloak in her aura and lowered it into the water.
“Of course, this would be so much easier to fix if it wasn’t absolutely filthy,” Rarity said, shooting Silvia a glare. “I mean really, what did you do? Find a giant mud puddle in the middle of a swamp and go roll around in it? And… is that sand?” Rarity gaped at the layer of sand that had already formed on the bottom of the bin.
“It is! Silvia,” Rarity’s glare turned to a look of bewilderment, “how exactly did you manage to get this much sand in your cloak? It looks like you drug half of the badlands home with you.”
“Well, my parents do live in Saddle Arabia,” Silvia explained. “So I did have to walk through a desert both ways.”
“You walked all the way to Saddle Arabia?” Rarity asked. “No wonder your cloak looks like it went through Tartarus and back. It’s because it did.”
“The walk isn’t that bad,” Silvia frowned. “With those enchanted saddlebags you gave me for Hearth's Warming the year before I left, I was easily able to carry enough supplies to make the trip. Made the walk more of a time sink than anything else.”
“But all that heat,” Rarity whimpered. “It must have wreaked absolute havoc on your poor mane.”
“Not really,” Silvia fluffed her mane. “I grew up with that heat, so I guess it doesn’t affect me much.”
“Either way, the important part is you made it back in one piece,” Rarity said. Returning her attention to gently cleaning the cloak, she quietly mumbled to herself. “Even though I’m fairly certain manes don’t work like that.”
With a flare of her horn, Rarity pulled the now clean cloak from the tub, leaving behind sandy, almost black water. The glow from her horn intensified momentarily, and when it faded every drop of water had been leached from the cloak and into the bin of dirty water. Curling her lip in disgust, she floated the bin off of her table and back to the room it came from, using the utmost care to not spill a drop of the murky water on any of her fine fabrics.
The cloak itself, free of all of the dirt and grime that had been matted to it, was now a nice sandy shade of brown, the multitude of poorly patched rips and tears now easily visible. Rarity’s horn flared to life once again as multiple spools of matching fabric floated off of their shelves and over to the fashionista. One by one Rarity held each spool of fabric next to the cloak, shaking her head and discarding each with growing frustration. With only two spools left in her grasp, she finally found a spool she was happy with, marking the occasion with an excited ‘Aha!’
Her spool of fabric chosen, the others were swiftly returned to their places as Rarity cut a piece the exact size and shape of the cloak from the spool she had chosen.
“Now, I’ve only had the opportunity to try this technique once or twice,” Rarity said, laying the cutout over top of the original. “And both times were for small patch jobs, so this may take a few tries. Is that ok?”
Realizing that Rarity was waiting for her to respond, Silvia nodded her approval without once taking her eyes off of her cloak.
“Alright then, Darling,” Rarity said, her horn once again flaring to life. “Here we go.”
The glow encasing Rarity’s horn intensified as the two pieces of fabric were enveloped in it, both pulling tight as the magic pushed them together and lined up the edges perfectly. The glow intensified even more, and beads of sweat started forming on Rarity’s brow as the top piece of fabric seemed to melt into the cloak beneath it, leaving one piece of pristine fabric in its place. As the two fabrics melded together, the glow slowly receded from the fabric, reaching almost halfway down the cloak before sputtering out.
As the glow on the cloth flickered out, so too did the glow on Rarity’s horn. In an explosive release of breath, she staggered on her hooves as she grabbed her work table to steady herself.
“Well, patching a full cloak sure takes a lot more out of me than a little patch of fabric.” Rarity said, trying and failing to grab a nearby scrap of fabric with her magic to wipe her brow with.
Noticing her plight, Silvia leapt to her hooves and grabbed a scrap of cloth in her mouth, rushing to Rarity’s side.
“Are you ok?” Silvia asked, wrapping one foreleg around Rarity to support her and taking the cloth from her mouth in the other, using it to wipe the sweat from Rarity’s face.
“Oh, no... no, yes. I’m fine,” Rarity said, stepping out of Silvia’s grasp. Her attempts to stand on her own were cut short, however, as her rear legs gave out from under her and she sat down hard.
“It appears that I used a little more on that spell than I meant to.” Rarity swayed slightly. “It seems it was rather foolish of me to try and do the entire cloak in one go.”
“Do you need anything?” Silvia asked, concern creeping into her voice. “Water? Food?”
“A nice cup of tea and some biscuits sound lovely right now, dear,” Rarity said. “Just give me a moment to get my breath back and I’ll put the kettle on.”
“I can get it,” Silvia offered, standing from Rarity’s side and moving towards the kitchen.
“Oh, no, I couldn’t have you do that,” Rarity said. With surprising stability for somepony that could barely stand moments before, she rose from her seat and stepped around Silvia. Trotting into the kitchen her horn flared to life and floated a kettle of water onto the stove.
“What kind of tea would you like?” Rarity asked. “I have a daffodil rose, a citrus green…”
“I’m sure whatever you pick will be fine,” Silvia said, rolling her eyes at the antics of her friend.
Following the sound of somepony sifting through something, Silvia couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight that greeted her when she entered the kitchen. Standing on her hind legs, one forehoof planted on the counter for balance, was Rarity. A dim glow enveloped her horn as she pulled box after box of tea from the cabinet in front of her, the boxes floating in front of her just long enough for her to read the label before being placed on the counter around her.
“Oolong, black, daisy…” Rarity mumbled to herself.
Taking a seat at the nearby table Silvia watched on as Rarity dug through her teas, appraising each one for a moment before deciding against them and placing them aside. The kettle on the stove began to boil, and just as Silvia opened her mouth to ask Rarity if she should get the kettle she was cut off by a cheer from Rarity.
“Oh! Lavender chamomile,” Rarity swooned. “I forgot I had this!”
Rarity’s horn flared once more as the scattered boxes of tea lifted as one and floated back into the cabinet. Grabbing the kettle in her magic, she trotted over to the table and took a seat across from Silvia, two sets of teacups and saucers floating close behind her.
“So how have things been back home?” Rarity asked, placing a tea bag in each cup before setting them in front of Silvia and herself. “It’s been so dreadfully long since we’ve had a chance to sit down and talk.”
Taking the kettle, still held aloft in her magic, Rarity poured the hot water into each of their cups before returning it to the stove.
“They’ve been good,” Silvia said, allowing her tea to steep before taking a sip. “My brothers and sisters were all happy to see me, and my gran-gran recovered nicely.”
“That’s wonderful, dear. Being able to see your family again must have been wonderful,” Rarity said, sipping at her own tea. “I know I just adore having Sweetie Belle staying with me, even if she can be a bit of a hoof full.”
“Sweetie is living with you now?” Silvia asked. “Did something happen to your parents?”
“Oh, no, my parents are fine. My father had to retire from his job,” Rarity explained, “it’s hard to be an athletic trainer for professional athletes when you can’t lift more than fifty pounds without hurting yourself. He had an accident about a year ago and slipped a disk in his back, unfortunately he never fully recovered.”
Lighting up her horn, Rarity opened the nearby pantry door and floated a pack of biscuits out. Opening the pack, she floated a few out for Silvia and herself before placing it in the center of the table.
“They gave him a nice retirement bonus, though,” Rarity said. “So he and my mother decided to take some time to see the world, do a bit of exploring while they were both young.”
“So they dropped Sweetie off with you and took off?” Silvia asked.
“Well, yes, but please don’t think badly of them,” Rarity said. “Mother became pregnant with me when she was still in school, so they both missed out on a lot of things to take care of me. I think it’s wonderful that they’re able to get out and have some of the fun they gave up to make sure I was healthy and happy, and neither Sweetie nor I mind the arrangement.”
“If you’re all happy with it, then I’m happy for all of you.” Silvia paused to take another sip of her tea. “Has anything else interesting happened in my absence? I know you told me your business is doing well.”
“Business has been doing fabulous, you mean,” Rarity giggled. “With Twilight having connections in Canterlot, we were able to get tickets to last year’s Grand Galloping Gala, and we even got to meet the Princess. The ponies there absolutely adored the dresses I designed for my friends and I.”
“I take it this gala is a big event, then?” Silvia asked.
“Why, only the biggest!” Rarity responded, looking personally offended by the question. “The Princess herself hosts it in the castle ballroom. To be able to attend is a once in a lifetime experience, and having a single dress featured there is the dream of many a designer, much less the six that I had.”
“That’s wonderful,” Silvia said, looking slightly nervous at the mention of the princess. “I’m sure being seen at such a high profile event was wonderful for business then.”
“Well yes, it was, as I just said,” Rarity said, taking of Silvia’s sudden nervousness. “Is everything ok, dear? I haven’t made you uncomfortable, have I?”
“No, I’m fine,” Silvia quickly spoke up.
“Are you sure?” Rarity asked. “You got awfully nervous when I mentioned the princess.”
“Yeah, I’m sure. It’s just…” Silvia paused for a moment to take a breath and collect herself. “I don’t even feel worthy to be in the same room as the Princess, and here one of my best friends actually got to meet her. It’s just a bit intimidating, is all.”
“Oh, none of that worthiness nonsense, she’s actually a very nice pony,” Rarity said. “In fact, I’m sure we could quite easily arrange a chance for you to meet her yourself if you really wanted to.”
“No, I’m fine,” Silvia insisted all too quickly. “I’m sure she has more important things to do than to come and meet me.”
“Well, if you’re sure,” Rarity said, giving Silvia a questioning look.
Finishing off the last of her tea, Rarity stood from her seat and stretched before heading back to her workroom.
“Well, if I want to get this cloak done tonight then I suppose it’s time I got back to work.” Stopping in the doorway, Rarity turned to address Silvia. “Were you hungry for anything else while you were here, Silvia? I can whip something up for you if you’re hungry.”
“Oh, no, I’m fine,” Silvia answered, “I had a few apples before I left the farm. If I eat much more than I’ll spoil my appetite, and I’d hate to miss one of Spike’s meals.”
Finishing off her own tea, Silvia stood from the table and followed Rarity into her workroom, taking a seat in the corner where she felt she’d be out of the way.
“Oh, I know,” Rarity swooned, returning her attention to the cloak. “He’s such a wonderful cook, isn’t he? I just love when I can steal him from Twilight for the afternoon, he always makes the most divine dishes.”
“He is quite the impressive cook,” Silvia admitted. “Although, given what I’ve heard of Twilight’s skill in the kitchen, I guess someone had to learn to cook.”
“That’s true,” Rarity giggled. “Spike did tell me about some of her attempts at cooking. It’s such a shame, too. Besides the inability to cook, she’s such a talented mare.”
“Well, one pony can’t do everything, I suppose,” Silvia agreed.
“Now don’t let Twilight hear you saying that, dear,” Rarity chided. “She might take it as a personal challenge, and then all of Ponyville would be doomed.”
“I could see it now,” Silvia giggled. “Death by baked goods.”
“Don’t even joke about that,” Rarity shuddered. “It would be the ‘baked bads’ incident all over again.”
“The what now?” Silvia asked.
“‘Baked bads’, dear,” Rarity said. “It’s what we call the incident where Applejack’s stubbornness ended up poisoning half the town.”
“How did she manage that?” Silvia questioned.
“You would have to ask Pinkie or Applejack if you wanted the full story,” Rarity said. “I’m afraid that all I know of is the end result.”
“I’ll have to remember to ask the next time I see them, then,” Silvia said.
“I wouldn’t worry about forgetting, darling,” Rarity smirked conspiratorially. “I’m sure you’ll be seeing them soon enough.”
Taking another break from mending the cloak, Rarity took a seat next to Silvia and used her magic to fetch herself a glass of water.
“So besides Spike managing to impress you with his cooking, how is everything else going over at the library?” Rarity asked. “I had heard you and Twilight got off to a bit of a rocky start.”
“They’ve gotten better,” Silvia said. “We’re still getting used to living together, but they’ve been very kind and welcoming.”
“That’s wonderful to hear, darling,” Rarity said. “Despite her Canterlot roots, Twilight is a very sweet pony at heart. I will admit that she quite surprised me with her kindheartedness, given her upbringing.”
“What do you mean by that?” Silvia asked.
“Twilight comes from a noble family,” Rarity explained, “and she practically grew up in the castle. Most ponies with that type of upbringing tend to turn out like,” Rarity paused for a moment looking like she was going to be ill, “Prince Blueblood.”
“Twilight grew up in the castle?” Silvia asked. “I knew her mentor was important, but I didn’t know they were important enough to stay in the castle.”
“Well of course they are,” Rarity said, giving Silvia a bewildered look. “Didn’t anypony tell you who Twilight’s mentor is?”
“Well, I asked Twilight and Applejack,” Silvia said, “but both of them got interrupted before they could tell me, and I just kinda forgot to ask again afterward.”
“Oh, well that’s easy,” Rarity said. “Twilight’s mentor is none other than…”
Once again, just as Silvia was about to learn the identity of Twilight’s prestigious mentor, they were interrupted. This time by the sound of something crashing through the front door of the boutique. Jumping to her hooves, Rarity galloped into the front room, enraged by the sounds of crashing and objects breaking.
“What in Celestia’s mane is going on in here?!” Rarity yelled.
Following Rarity into the front room, Silvia instantly recognized Sweetie Belle standing in the front doorway, eyes wide as she watched a filly Silvia instantly recognized as Apple Bloom wrestling with another pony she didn’t know.
“Ya did to cheat!” Apple Bloom yelled, grabbing a hoof full of the mystery ponies magenta mane and giving a pull.
“I did not!” The little orange pony, now identified as a filly by the voice, yelled back. Giving her small wings a few quick flaps, the little orange pegasus used the momentum to flip Apple Bloom off of her back and over her head, into a set of nearby ponnequins.
“Both of you will stop this foalishness right this instant and tell me exactly what you think you are doing!” Lighting her horn, Rarity grabbed all of the downed ponnequins at once and sat them back upright. With the ponnequins all returned to their proper places, Rarity adjusted all the lopsided displays with a quick flick of her horn before turning to address the fillies in the room.
“Well?” Rarity asked, shifting her glare back and forth between the three of them. “Is somepony going to answer me?”
“We’re sorry, Rarity.” Sweetie Belle sniffled and stepped forward, eyes locked on the floor. “Pinkie sent us to get you, but then Apple Bloom and Scootaloo decided to turn it into a race. When Scootaloo saw Apple Bloom was going to win, she hopped on her scooter and used her wings to beat her.”
“Like Ah said, she cheated,” Apple Bloom said, glaring at Scootaloo.
“Nuh uh, nopony said I wasn’t allowed to use my scooter,” Scootaloo said, sticking her tongue out at Apple Bloom.
“It was implied,” Apple Bloom growled, taking a step towards Scootaloo like she intended to restart their little scuffle.
“Alright, that’s enough, both of you,” Rarity said, using her magic to separate the two. “You three should know better than to act like that in here, especially when I’m with a customer.”
“But Rarity,” Sweetie Belle whined. “I didn’t do anything.”
Rarity opened her mouth to continue scolding the three fillies but was cut off when Sweetie Belle noticed just who was in the shop with them.
“Silvia!” Sweetie Belle cheered. Rushing past her sister, she dove into Silvia’s chest and gave her the biggest hug she could manage. “You’re back!”
“Silvia’s here?” Apple Bloom asked. Peeking around Rarity, she instantly spotted Silvia and soon joined Sweetie Belle in glomping her. “It is you!”
“Silvia? Who’s… that?” Scootaloo trailed off as she peeked around Rarity. “Woah…”
Standing in the doorway hugging her friends was one of the largest mares Scootaloo had ever seen.
“Who’re you?” Scootaloo asked, eyes wide in awe.
“We just said her name was Silvia, silly,” Sweetie Belle giggled.
“Well yeah, I heard,” Scootaloo said. “But who is she. I’ve never seen her around before.”
“That’s because she went back home for a while, to take care of her sick grandmother,” Rarity explained, stepping to the side. “She left not long before you and your parents moved to town.”
“How do you two know her?” Scootaloo asked.
“She used ta help mah brother ‘n sister out on tha farm all the time,” Apple Bloom said. “She said it was fer extra spendin’ bits, but Ah think it was so she could get close to mah brother.”
“And my sister used to make clothes for her,” Sweetie Belle said. “So I saw her here at the boutique sometimes.”
“But… she’s so big,” Scootaloo said. “Does your sister even make clothes that big?”
“Well of course I do, darling,” Rarity said. “And speaking of, I need to finish mending her cloak. You and your friends can stay and play with Silvia if you would like, but please try to stay out from under hoof.”
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle cheered as they scrambled up Silvia’s forelegs and onto her back. With a smile and a roll of her eyes, Silvia turned to follow Rarity into the workroom but was stopped by a sudden gasp behind her.
“What is that?” Scootaloo asked.
“Oh dear,” Rarity mumbled to herself. “Scootaloo, darling, let’s not worry about that right now.”
“How can I not worry about it?” Scootaloo demanded. “If a pony can get as big as her without getting a cutie mark, then what hope do we have?”
“Without getting a…” Rarity parroted, looking at Silvia in confusion. “Oh? Oh! Her cutie mark! Well, you see, the thing is...”
“I can’t get one,” Silvia said, cutting Rarity off. “Or at least, I don’t think I can.”
“Why not?” Scootaloo asked. “I thought all ponies get cutie marks?”
“And they do,” Silvia answered. “Or at least, all Equestrian ponies do.”
“Wait, so you’re not from Equestria?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Nope, afraid not. My dad was from Equestria,” Silvia explained, “but my mom is from Saddle Arabia. That’s where I was born!”
“Wow…” All three fillies said in unison.
“So does that make ya some kinda alien?” Apple Bloom asked.
“The proper word would be immigrant,” Silvia explained. “But no, I’m not. Since my dad was an Equestrian citizen, I inherited citizenship from him.”
“Aww,” Apple Bloom whined. “Ah wanted ta tell all the foals in school that we had an alien workin’ on our farm.”
Unbeknownst to the four of them, Rarity had slipped away to finish mending the cloak, and none of them were any the wiser until she returned, presenting the cloak to Silvia in a flourish.
“May I present to you, one fully mended cloak,” Rarity said, curtsying slightly.
“Why thank you, Rarity,” Silvia said, doing her best to return the curtsy with two fillies on her back. “How much do I owe you?”
“You don’t owe me anything, dear,” Rarity waved off the offer of bits. “Think of it as a ‘welcome home’ present, from me to you.”
“But the fabric… and you had to use such a difficult spell,” Silvia argued. “I have to give you something.”
“It’s fine, Silvia, really,” Rarity insisted, “the spell wasn’t even that difficult. As much as I’m ashamed to admit it, I’m just out of practice.”
Ushering Silvia and the foals out of her workroom Rarity turned the lights off and stepped into the front room, locking her work room behind her.
“Now, you have dinner to get to, and I need to talk to Twilight about borrowing Spike to do some gem hunting this weekend.” Leading the group to the front door, she then ushered them outside and closed the door behind them. “So why don’t I walk with you to the library, and once I’m done there I’ll walk the girls home. Safer to travel in groups and all.”
Nudging Sweetie Belle and Applebloom off her back, Silvia stopped for a moment to put her cloak on. Giving a few tugs at the fabric, Silvia nodded in approval of Rarity’s hoofiwork and stepped up beside her, rolling her eyes in amusement as the fillies retook their spots on her back.
“Did Ponyville suddenly become dangerous when I was gone?” Silvia asked, giving Rarity a skeptical look.
“Well, no…” Rarity said, eyes shifting side to side. “It’s just, uh… The forest! Yes, with you having been gone so long, there’s just no telling when something might wander out of the forest.”
“Really?” Silvia asked, casting a suspicious glance at the Everfree.
“Sure did,” Apple Bloom chimed in. “Mah sister is always tellin’ me ta stay away from there. Says there’s all kinds a’ critters that hang out by the edges of the woods now.
“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle said. “In fact, just a few months ago, an Ursa came to town!”
“It was not a few months ago,” Scootaloo argued. “It was, like, a year ago.”
Noticing that Scootaloo had been trotting beside her, Silvia reached out and offered her a hoof, gesturing towards her back with her head.
“Want a ride?” Silvia asked.
Giving her head an eager nod, Scootaloo gave her wings a flap and jumped to Silvia’s hoof, then from the hoof to her back.
“Comfortable back there?” Silvia asked, giggling as Scootaloo spun in place like a cat before sitting down.
“Yup!” Scootaloo cheered, snuggling into Silvia’s back. “Thanks for the ride!”
Chuckling at Scootaloo’s antics, Silvia turned her attention back to Rarity.
“So did Ponyville really have an Ursa attack?” Silvia asked.
“Why yes, it did. A little over a year ago,” Rarity confirmed. “Some high and mighty show mare came through town telling all sorts of stories about how she took down an Ursa Major, of all things. A few gullible colts in the crowd decided they wanted to see it for themselves, so they went into the forest and lured one here.”
“How is the town is still standing?” Silvia asked in disbelief.
“Well, luckily for all of us they found an Ursa Minor and not a major.” Rarity explained. “Twilight is talented, probably more so than any unicorn alive, but I don’t think even she could take on an Ursa Major.”
“Are you saying Twilight chased the Ursa off?” Silvia asked.
“I wouldn’t put it that way, but yes,” Rarity said, “Twilight is the pony that solved our Ursa problem.”
“How did she manage that?” Silvia asked, astounded that the kind, quiet mare she was staying with was strong enough to tackle an Ursa.
“Recognizing that it was just a baby, she played it a lullaby and gave it some milk,” Rarity said with a smirk. “Put it right to sleep.”
“And what did she do after that?” Silvia asked. “She may have stopped its rampage, but you still had a multi-ton mass of star beast on your hooves.”
“She picked it up and carried it back to its cave,” Rarity said.
“She picked it up?” Silvia asked in disbelief. “How?”
“With her magic,” Rarity said, causing Silvia to stop dead mid stride.
Noticing that Silvia had stopped, Rarity turned around and gave her a questioning look.
“Is everything alright darling?” Rarity asked.
“There’s no way,” Silvia said.
“What was that?” Rarity asked.
“I said there’s no way,” Silvia repeated. “There’s no way she is strong enough to carry an Ursa Minor around.”
“I know it’s hard to believe darling, but she really did,” Rarity insisted. “I saw it with my own eyes.”
“Mah sister saw it, too,” Apple Bloom said. “She told us all about it, an’ you know she’d never tell a lie.”
“That isn’t possible,” Silvia said, shaking her head. “You’re telling me the mare that blasted me out of bed is capable of carrying around a multi-ton star beast. If she really was that strong I would be a stain on the bedroom wall.”
“Oh, don’t be so dramatic,” Rarity scoffed. “Twilight is strong, yes, but she’s been training since she was a filly to control that power.”
“Yeah,” Apple Bloom chimed in. “Twilight would never hurt nopony.”
“Really,” Silvia snorted, continuing her trek to the library. “She had no problem blasting me in the face with a spell bolt.”
“It was only because you startled her,” Rarity said. “And even then, she held back.”
“Whatever…” Silvia grumbled.
Not wanting to argue with her friend any longer, Silvia let the subject die. Glancing over her shoulder at the fillies, she noted that they were engaged in a hushed conversation of their own.
“So how’ve you girls been?” Silvia asked them. “Doing good in school?”
“Yep,” Sweetie Belle said, “Ms. Cheerilee makes learning really fun!”
“Yeah, she’s a good teacher,” Apple Bloom agreed. “Ah was havin’ trouble with mah math, but Ms. Cheerilee helped me figure it out.”
“That’s great girls,” Silvia said, turning her attention to Scootaloo. “And how about you?”
“It’s ok, I guess,” Scootaloo said, trying her best to look nonchalant.
“Only ok?” Silvia asked, a small grin pulling at the corners of her mouth. “Is somepony too busy paying attention to the colts to worry about school?”
“Eww, no!” All three fillies said in unison.
“Colts have cooties!” Scootaloo said, sticking her tongue out in disgust.
“Yeah!” Sweetie Belle agreed. “Besides, who has time for colts when we still need to find our cutie marks.”
“That’s right!” Apple Bloom said. “We have our own club ‘n everything. We call it the...”
“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS, YAY!” All three fillies cheered in unison.
“That’s nice,” Silvia said, ears ringing from the volume of their shout. “Is there anypony else in your club?”
“Nah, it's just tha three of us,” Apple Bloom answered.
“Yeah, but you could join!” Scootaloo offered, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom nodding eagerly in agreement. “If anypony can help you get a cutie mark, it would be us!”
“I appreciate the offer, girls,” Silvia said. “But I’m sure I’ll be too busy with work, plus I still need to work on finding my own place to live.”
“Aww…” The Crusaders said in unison, dejected looks on their faces.
“But that doesn’t mean I can’t play sometime,” Silvia offered. “I just need to get settled first, ok?”
“Ok,” the three said, all looking pleased with the agreement.
The group lapsed into momentary silence, each focused on their own thoughts, but it wasn’t long before the silence was broken.
“Hey Silvia,” Scootaloo said. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure,” Silvia said, glancing back at Scootaloo. “What’s on your mind?”
“What happened to your back?” Scootaloo asked, receiving looks of shock from the other three ponies present, and a flinch from Silvia in response.
“Scootaloo,” Rarity snapped, “that is not a proper question to ask a lady. I want you to apologize to Silvia right now.”
“But why?” Scootaloo asked. “I just wanna know what could cause a scar like that.”
“It’s fine, Rarity,” Silvia said, attempting to placate her. Taking a deep breath, Silvia turned her head to look back at Scootaloo. “It isn’t a scar, it’s something I was born with.”
“Really?” Scootaloo asked. “Then why does it feel so… dry, and scaly? And why is the hair all prickly.”
“Honestly?” Silvia said. “I’m not entirely sure. It's never bothered me, so I never went to see a doctor about it.”
“No matter how much I pestered about it,” Rarity chimed in. “I even tried to get her in to see the girls at the spa about some dry skin treatments, but she refused.”
“We’ve had this discussion before,” Silvia said, rolling her eyes. “I just don’t want to spend the bits on fixing something that isn’t detrimental to my health.”
“And I told you I’d pay for it,” Rarity argued.
“I don’t want you paying for it either,” Silvia shot back.
“But whyever not, dear?” Rarity asked. “It’s a crime to hide such beauty, even with that birthmark I don’t think you should have to hide under that cloak all the time.”
“My back isn’t the only reason I wear the cloak,” Silvia mumbled, blushing at the veiled compliment. “It’s comfortable.”
“I still think you would look better without it, mark or no,” Rarity said, turning her nose up and peering at Silvia out of the corner of her eye, a smug grin plastered across her face.
With nothing more than a grumbled response from Silvia, the group once again fell into silence. Soon enough the library came into view, windows awash in a gentle glow as the shadows of multiple ponies could be seen milling around within. Silvia’s eyes widened in surprise as she glanced at Rarity, whose smug grin had been replaced by a kind smile.
“Oh come now, you didn’t really think you could get away without a party, did you?” Rarity giggled.
“I was hoping,” Silvia mumbled, eying the library warily.
“Worry not, dear,” Rarity assured her, noticing how nervous Silvia had become, “Pinkie learned her lesson last time. She put a lot of effort into making sure this party would be something you could enjoy.”
Casting Rarity a hesitant glance, Silvia took a deep breath to collect her nerves before stepping up to the door. The Crusaders all hopped off of Silvia’s back and stood to either side of the door, each giving her encouraging looks as they waved her forward.
“Com’ on, Silvia, everypony’s waitin’ on us,” Apple Bloom said.
“Everypony?” Silvia parroted, shifting back and forth on her forelegs.
“Oh, not everypony, dear,” Rarity said. “Just our friends, and a few other ponies you know from around town.”
Reassured by her friend’s words, Silvia took one last deep breath before pushing the door open and stepping into the library. While initially afraid of what Pinkie had waiting for her, Silvia’s fears turn into joy at the sight of the small affair she had waiting for her.
Directly in front of her, practically vibrating with excitement, was the host of the party. Pinkie Pie, whose cotton candy pink mane and cheshire grin were exactly as Silvia remembered, wasted no time before practically launching herself across the room to pull Silvia into a hug.
“Oh, Silvie, It’s so great to see you again!” Pinkie squealed. “I missed you so, so, so, so much!”
“I missed you too, Pinkie,” Silvia said, returning the hug.
Taking a quick look around the room, Silvia easily recognized Twilight and Spike, the Apples, and even Mayor Mare, all gathered under a banner that read ‘Welcome Home, Silvia’.
“I missed all of you,” Silvia sniffed, a bit of moisture gathering in the corner of her eyes.
“Yeah, yeah, we missed you too,” Rainbow Dash’s scratchy voice chimed in, giving Silvia a cocky smirk. With a flap of her wings, she launched herself over the crowd and flew over to Silvia. Hooking a foreleg under one of Silvia’s, she pulled her out of Pinkie’s grasp and over to a table full of cakes, pies, and other snacks. “Now hurry up and dig in, we’re all hungry, but Pinkie said we had to wait for you before we could eat.”
Silvia could only smile at Dash’s abruptness. Despite her initial misgivings, she could tell that it was going to be a fun night.
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Hi.
8251766
THATS NOT WHAT I MEANT AND YOU KNOW IT!! ;~;
(Hi! :D)
Well Silvia, since you didn't get an answer, Twilight's mentor is...
Get blasted to Tartarus
bippity boopity
Yay! Eggsesesssss!
It's all my fault and I'm NOT sorry!
Soon, the cat's gonna be out of the bagel, as Chucky from Rugrats once said lol
I imagine things are gonna get interesting when Twilight sends a letter to Celestia about Silvia
Kind of low key so far, but I'm enjoying it. It seems like you're building a nice Jenga tower.
8252350
I'm thinking maybe Twilight read about Silvia's kind in a book before, but this could go wrong in any number of ways!
Well, that was a sweet chapter. I'm glad Sylvia is catching up with her old friends, getting along with new ones, settling into town so well, and NOTHING IS HAPPENING.
8252741
There were a few hints for what's coming up buried in there. ;)
You got a level 5 Danger Noodle (disguised) about to encounter a level 200 Sun Deity.
Are you ready?
Granny Smith is over 400 years old? I respectfully call total bullshit, and I'll say why.
Using the Apple family as an example, the town has three generations living in it.
First was granny's, then came Applejacks parents, followed by Big Mac, Applejack, then Apple Bloom, so that's three generations.
Assuming the mane 6 are of the same age bracket, that puts them in the third generation.
We know there's ponies older then the mane 6, namely the more adult-ish ponies like The Cakes, so that puts them in the same generation with Applejacks parents.
I would go into greater detail, but that would likely mean drawing a family tree and comparing generations.
What I'm getting at is this. 400 years is way too long of a time, and a huge stretch of the imagination. Something like 150 years is being generous, and that's given the comparison of life spans between horses and humans.
8253428
Was it ever canonically stated that AJ and Mac are the third generation of Apples? (serious question, not trying to be a smart-ass) The only things I remember being stated about Granny Smith and her age is that she was around for the founding of Ponyville which was, according to the Winter Wrap-Up episode, hundreds of years ago.
As for bringing the average lifespan of the average horse or human into the equation, you do realize the show is about magical talking equines, focus on the word magical. Bringing magic into the equation, I don't see how 150 is being very a very generous average lifespan. If I'm remembering correctly, aging, and the eventual death resulting from it, is caused by cellular degeneration. As magic doesn't exist in the world, theres no way to really argue as to whether or not it could or could not slow, or in some cases (alicorn) stop cellular degeneration. My entire head canon on why the Princesses are immortal is that the vast wells of magic they contain inside them basically regenerates their cells as fast as they can break down. Their bodies grew to the size they would need to be to safely handle all that magic then they stopped growing/aging.
The reason (in my head canon) that Granny Smith was able to reach such an old age is that, as the one that tamed enough land to start a town and plant a large orchard (on the edge arguably of one of the most chaotic/disharmonious forests in the nation, maybe on the planet), she had to have one hell of a well of internal magic. With magic as strong as that, going off of my head canon, it doesn't seem so farfetched (to me) for her to be able to reach that age.
Present me with some evidence that states otherwise, and I will be happy to take it into consideration, and possibly change my head canon. But for now, let's agree to disagree. (Again, not trying to be a smart-ass, I'm 100% serious)
Missed a speach mark
To be fair, in canon ponies can throw up. So colic for them wouldn't be as bad as colic in a terrestrial horse.
Too bad your parents didn't live that long Applejack.
Need opening quotation mark at the beginning of this line.
Silvia has a habit of biting Mac's rear I suppose.
Either have a period or make "Sure" lower case.
I think "they" should be "she" since only Silvia saw orange eyes.
I find Silvia interacting with the Mane 6 to be good, but I feel she would have other friends in the town and potentially be better friends with them. Making Silvia and Twilight share the same group of close friends seems forced.
Ah ha, so they know about the scale pattern on her back, but not what she really is.
8254027
There will be interactions with friends outside the mane 6 at the party. As for having the same group of friends... the only friends they will actually share is Rarity and Applejack (and Pinkie, but she doesn't count). I may have written Dash a little friendlier than I meant. She was supposed to come off as kinda pushy and impatient, breaking the hug up so that she could eat.
Also, fixed, thank you! :D
'First step of prey seduction, success!' cackled Sylvia mentally as she sized up the delectable Apple mare. Oh how lovely to the lamia she'd feel struggling inside, breathing her last breath just as her body began breaking down to nourish the ravenous monster whose impulse to devour the hapless ponies was just too powerful to resist!
During which, she would eat them all!
So dark... I hear this kids these days love this morose stuff.
Eh... I don't think it was nearly that long. Remember, that was also shortly before the time Stinking Rich, Filthy Rich's father, began selling their Jap Apple Jam. So unless ponies regularly wait until they're over two hundred before having children, I think it's safe to say Ponyville was established less than a century ago.
It fits the historical setting well enough. From Equestria's overall technical level, they appear to be relative to the late 1940's technologically. Taking that into account, Ponyville would have been developed around the mid-1800's... around the same time as the West was being settled in the USA. And even around large cities in the US, there were still many fairly open areas into the 1940s. The NJ Pine barrens, situated smack dab in the middle of the most densely populated region of the country, was practically open country right into the middle of the century. It still has enormous stretches of scrub oak and pine forest (which is now protected).
So it's not hard to imagine that the area now transformed into Ponyville, set adjacent to the Everfree Forest which most ponies fear even being close to, would have remained empty of a population center for quite a long time despite proximity to the nation's capital.
Sylvia began to suspect some avatar of fate and destiny was screwing with her at this point. She couldn't help but wonder if Discord had a paw in it.
8265737
I was going off the timeline for the town established by the Winter Wrap Up episode, where it was stated that Ponyville "had been wrapping up winter without magic for hundreds of years" or something along those lines, basically stating that the town was, at minimum, a few hundred years old. Combine that with my head canon that stats stronger magic = longer life, and the fact that Granny helped found a town and a huge orchard on the border of one of the most chaotic areas known to ponies, and in my mind her being 400+ doesnt sound too farfetched. I honestly never liked Rich or his family much, so I didn't pay attention to a lot of things concerning them. I was unaware that it stated that his father was there, as well. The entire show's timeline is a flustercluck that only makes sense when its convenient to them.
As for the pinebarrens, I live a stones throw from them, I am very familiar with them :P
8265768 The continuity in the show is rather a mess. But it seems they've settled on the notion that Ponyville isn't that old anymore. Every glimpse of the past we've seen since that comment about 'hundreds of years' contradicts it, and the only other solution is to accept that all ponies have lives in the multiple hundreds of years... which is contradicted by a good many Apple family relations who clearly aged to elderly in less than a century.
So I'm guessing either Sylvia is a very good liar or she legitimately doesnt know what she is. If this was specified earlier, forgive me.
okay they share some time in the past together, but I hate to have that knowing grin. Everywhere the characters always know that the main char is in love or something.
I know some people still don'T really know how to use protection with that age, but me and my familly somethings can't help but think that it's their own fault if they get the kids that young.
Well it's a nice story so far and even if I kind of hate it, the all knowing and smug grins don'T bother me that much.
It's one of those Granny Smith is 400 years old vampire fanfiction.
....
Okay fine, it's not like I wanted an answer.
....
Most people try to just get rid off old damaged clothes when given the opportunity, but whatevs