Juniper, Arca, and Meadow
“Uh, Boss, I missed you too, but can you let go? You've been hugging me for three minutes,” Arca pleaded, held tight in Mage Meadowbrook's earth pony grasp.
“Nuh-uh.”
“When are you gonna let me go?”
“Never.” Meadowbrook tightened her grip slightly, holding onto Arca as though he'd vanish if she let go.
“Boss, ponies are staring…”
“I don't care,” she firmly replied, resting her head on her captive's withers. “I don't care if Celestia herself comes in here, I'm not letting go. I missed you, Arca.”
“Me too, Boss. Me too.” Arca then turned his attention to his own apprentice. “Hey Juniper, can you knock something over? Loud and shattery, if possible. My hind legs are falling asleep and she probably won't move otherwise.”
Hearing this, Meadowbrook finally relented, freeing Arca so that he could stretch his legs a bit. She still bore a look of shock and bewilderment on her face, trying to process the whole ordeal. “It really is you. How? You… you should be long gone! I'm not dreaming, am I?”
“I dunno, hang on.” The unicorn clenched his eyes shut and appeared to be exerting a lot of focus, then opened them and looked around. “Aw, ponyfeathers. No giant ice cream. Guess you aren't dreaming.”
Meadow brought a hoof to her forehead, sighing. “Yup, it's you alright, Arcane. No doubt about it.” she glanced at the few remaining customers in the shop, most having left after Arca had caused the in-progress potion to erupt into smoke. “You all best get going. I'm closing the shop early for this! Come back tomorrow or somethin’!” They obeyed, all of them exiting the tree-house but one. “Well? What are ya waitin’ for?”
“Actually, Boss, allow me to introduce Juniper Berry, my apprentice.” Arca stepped up to his pegasus companion and draped a hoof over her. “I brought her along because I consider my apprentices family like you do, and as you always say…”
Meadow closed her eyes in contemplation. “Ah, yes. ‘Family is always welcome here.’ Dearie, I'm so sorry. I thought you were just some historian or reporter,” she continued, approaching Juniper calmly. “But if Arca calls ya family, then you're stuck with me, too. Welcome to your home away from home, dear.”
Juniper only managed to stammer out a “F-for real?” before starting to lose her composure again.
“Of course! But I won't have you shaking like a leaf in here. Come on upstairs to my home above the shop, we can talk more over tea and snickerdoodles.”
That got Arca's eyes to light up. “FOR REALSIES?!”
“Yes, ‘for realsies’. Now move your flanks upstairs before I carry you up myself!”
Arca shot up the stairs like a rocket with practiced ease that implied he'd done it before dozens, if not hundreds of times. “Yes, ma'am, Boss, ma'am!”
“Oh, that colt. Such a hoofful, even now. Come on dear, I don't trust him with the cooking equipment, and if you know him then neither do you.” Gently taking Juniper's hoof in her own, she guided the star struck mare up the stairs.
Meadowbrook's living quarters were warm and inviting, aside from Arca already rummaging through the pantry and emerging with a mouthful of daisies and an apple in his magic. He took a moment to chew and swallow before speaking.
“Oh, hey guys. Didn't think you'd get up here so fast. I guess you both have a lot of questions, huh?” he glanced at the closet, levitating out a few ingredients for his favorite snack. “Boss, why don't you start the cookies while I give Juniper a little background? She doesn't really know anything about what happened here.”
Meadow nodded, gathering up the ingredients. Arca gestured to the table for Juniper to sit down, and levitated over a modest selection of teas, plucking a chamomile tea bag for himself.
“Uh, Bo-”
“While we're here, Juniper, Meadowbrook's the boss. Besides, I told you you don't have to call me that anyway.”
“Fine. Arca, how even… I knew you were a few centuries old, but not this old!”
Arca chuckled, allowing it to grow into a hearty laugh before continuing. “Juniper, you know I lost count after 500! But, I don't think you want me to guess my age. What I'm about to tell you is something most ponies never knew. I suppose I should start at the beginning…”
Everypony in the alchemy business, and many beyond, know of Meadowbrook's famous skills. Her most notable feat, though, was undoubtedly during the horrid swamp fever epidemic that hit Hayseed Swamp's village long ago. That, was a day to remember. That was the day I met my Boss.
An orange unicorn colt, no older than ten, slogged through the swamp water alone and afraid. Branches were growing out of his back, sap was oozing from a cut on his midsection, and flowers were growing in his mane.
Have you ever had swamp fever? Don't, if you ever get the option. My family didn't notice I'd caught it until it was in it's late stages, since my orange fur made the orange spots that indicate the early stages nearly invisible. It was only once I started turning into a tree that they noticed, and they decided the best option at the time was to flee the village and never come back. I decided to run as far as I could before taking root to try and keep others from getting infected.
“Oh, oh my goodness! What's a poor colt like you doing out here by yourself, and still sick? Don't worry, I'm here to help!” A blue earth pony came galloping towards the foal, potions in hoof to lend aid.
“Stay away, please… I don't want you getting sick, too… Mama said there's no cure...” He managed to croak out, coughing out some leaves in the process.
“Dearie, I've found a cure for that nasty illness! Here, drink this. You're lucky I found you out here while I was foraging, I thought I had cured everypony!” She offered a potion to the colt, and he reluctantly drank. “I'm Meadowbrook. What's your name, little one?”
“Arcane… Arcane Catalyst.” That was all he managed before passing out.
Meadowbrook took me back here, her home, and laid me up in the guest room to recover. I was further along than most, so it was a good month before I was fit to go outside, but my parents had ran off to avoid the sickness and left me thinking there was no cure. And communication wasn't like it is these days, so tracking them was out of the question. With no other options…
“Arca?”
“Yes, Miss Meadowbrook?”
“How would you like to learn how to make potions with me? To help others, and make sure nopony has to go through what you did again?”
...I became her apprentice. I started calling her Boss not soon after. Since then I've dedicated my life to making potions to help others succeed in life, as my way of paying back a debt I can never truly repay. One day, though, things changed. It was nearly five years after I had been left with Meadowbrook, and she had already saved the world with the other Pillars of Equestria once.
“Boss, why are you giving me your potion book? Do you need me to copy it again?”
Meadow couldn't bring herself to look at the young stallion she considered her adoptive son. How could she? She had just received word of Starswirl's plan to imprison the Pony of Shadows, and the dire cost it would require: sealing herself and her fellow pillars in limbo for all eternity.
“No, Arca. I just need to head out for a little while. I think you're skilled enough to run the shop on your own now, so I'm giving you this to do it while I'm gone. If the place is still standing in a month, consider yourself graduated from apprentice.”
Arca's eyes lit up. “Really? Wow, I won't let you down, Boss! I promise, this place will stay for a thousand years or more! Don't you worry!”
“Do me a favor, though, Arca. I have to do something I'm not proud to do this time. Can you forgive me for leaving you alone?”
“Of course, Boss! I'll see you later!”
“Goodbye, Arca. I love you.”
I never saw her again after that, until today. It took me a few days to realize she had said ‘goodbye’ instead of ‘see you later’, I shrugged it off, and kept the shop running. I waited days, then weeks, then months. I guess I had to wait longer than that, huh? But, before I keep going, let's wait until my old Boss finishes putting those cookies in the oven. I'd bet my lab coat she wants to hear what happened next as much as you do.
Stats
Page generated in 0.043 seconds
Total duration
977 users online
1,400,025 hits today, 2,054,621 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
ponders if Emerald Essence might run into other issues trying evict Acra.. With his age there is every possibility he is a founder of Rainbow Falls. Beyond his shop how much does he own and not bother with
9377778
"Technically, my shop is classified as a historical building. Or it would be, if I didn't destroy it three or four times a year. Thank goodness I have spares!"
9377852 Not sure that factor applies.. After 500years of maintenance and repairs how much of the original would remain this is a factor museums and other historical places ponder regularly
9377894
Bro (or sis, or other), theres gonna be an entire ARC. I already have it planned out. I expect at least 5 chapters.
Sooo much yes!
So, Arca might actually truly be responsible for Rainbow Falls.
Likely scenario:
Arca spilt potions into falls, making them look a little rainbow.
Discord saw and zapped them so they are rainbow.
Mix of Discord magic and alchemical potions made it so that even when Discord was defeated by Celestia and Luna, the falls stayed rainbow.
Remember, this is the base timeline up to the start of Season 1 as known from stuff revealed up to end of Season 8:
Founding of Equestria, Celestia & Luna appear, Pillars protect Equestria, Pillars vanish, Discord, Celestia & Luna defeat Discord, Crystal Empire vanishes, Nightmare Moon, 1000 years of Celestia.
So, I figure Arca is somewhere around 1200.
9377935
Huh, coulda sworn it was discord & his defeat first, then the pillars, and Nightmare moon last. Either way I will confess that the waterfalls were just plain water when Arca first showed up. Mainly because I plan to explain it next chapter.
9377944
Pillars planted the seeds that became the Tree of Harmony. From which Celestia & Luna got the Elements that they used to defeat Discord. But, due to Discord, nopony is actually sure how much time passed from when Discord appeared to when he was defeated. Since it is very hard to tell time when the sun and moon are being totally messed with.
This takes place 500 years after the events of the show...
So none of the Mane 6 is alive, also this chapter explains a lot. Not as funny as usual, but exposition is always welcome.
9377982
Wait, whoa whoa whoa, where did you get that?! This takes place at the exact same time as the show, I'd guess we are currently just after season 8.
This story is pretty chill. I like it.
An
immortallong lived Alchemist...how did I not see that coming?9377990
Oh, I thought that Arca was over 500 because it was in the future, sorry if I misunderstood
9378238
Nonono, Arca was 25 years old just before Nightmare moon rose to power. He is over 1000, he just doesn't bother counting anymore.
9378368
Ah.
Alright.
Explains why he’s so ludicrously powerful. Magic strength grows over time, after all.
Guess we found out why he searched/stumbled/blundered into whatever form of immortality he now has.
9398259
searched/stumbled/blundered/on accident purposely
this is relevant to the wait
was rereading and cant believe I missed this, by any chance did Arca have any kind of friendly interaction with Sonata?
Unfortunate... then again Celestia probably can't use those discounts either
11299289
Arca has requested that I pass on the following message:
"She doesn't, but lots of ponies give her stuff for free because she's princess and personally I think that's not fair because... well, it's not fair!"
Hot damn... Suddenly everything is different