My Little Mages: End of the Rainbow

by Foxhelm

Reaching to Neighbors

Just outside of town on one of the ridges looking over it, Twilight and Rainbow sat, “So... what's your plan?” Rainbow asked as she wanted to know what was going on in Twilight’s head.

Twilight was jotting something in her spellbook, “If magic caused this, maybe magic can solve it.” she declared with confidence. “Perhaps this…” she took a breath. “DIES IST VERBOTEN!” she shouted as her focus gem and wings glowed before a beam was sent into the town. The town for a couple of seconds looked as it was projected in Sunny’s spell, however, it didn’t last. Twilight sighed, “Oh, I was afraid of that. A dispel magic spell isn’t gonna work. I've never seen any magic like this before.” she said as she looked to Rainbow.

Rainbow smirked, “Looks like magic can’t solve everything.” the enchantress pointed out. “Heh.” she laughed. “Let me try. I mean, "Rainbow"'s part of my name, right?” she asked before she shot up into the air and started to build up speed. After a few seconds, she came down from the sky and performed her signature Sonic Rainboom. Much like with Twilight’s attempt, the town’s color returned, however, it too was only temporary, granted it did last about three seconds longer. Rainbow groaned as she flew and landed next to Twilight. “That's all I got.” the elementalist sighed.

Twilight held her chin for a second, “Looks like more research is needed.”

About the same time, the boy and girl from earlier were flying again, and again shoving each other in flight. “Look out!” the girl shouted to her brother. “No, you look out!” her brother shouted back. However, the two realized too late they were about to have a rough landing as their ethereal wings gave out. The two screamed as they plummeted. They barely managed to land on a nearby hill with an old windmill, safely, grunting and groaning as Rainbow flew up to them, the girl landing on her brother.

“Are you okay?” she asked as she offered her and to help the two to their feet.

“Oh!” the two exclaimed as they jumped to their feet. “Why did you zig in front of me like that?” the girl asked her brother. “I didn't zig! You zigged! I zagged!” the boy countered as the two were about to shout at each other. “That's no excuse for—!” the girl started only to be cut off by the adult present.

“Woah, Woah, guys, guys, hold on!” Rainbow said as she literally stepped in between the two. “It was just an accident.” she offered in an attempt to mitigate things.

The two turned and looked down to the ground ashamed and embarrassed, “An accident that happened in front of you.” the boy said. His sister then groaned with an ‘ugh,’ before she spoke. “I'm so embarrassed. All of our lives, we've been wanting to meet you, and—” she said before she was cut off again.

“Wait. So you're the fan club?” Rainbow asked as she was starting to put the pieces she had together and make a few assumptions.

The two perked up and turned to face Rainbow, “You've heard of us?” the girl asked before they hovered in front of Rainbow, “Barley's the present.” the boy declared as he pointed to his sister. “And Pickle’s the assistant president.” the recently identified Barely said as she introduced her brother.

“I take it your surname’s Barrel?” Rainbow asked. The two nodded. Rainbow had a silent laugh, “Well, what do you know? The mayor was telling the truth about something!” she smirked, finally getting some ‘good’ news.

“You’re our favorite Wonderbolt!” Barley exclaimed.

“We know all your best moves!” Pickle added, the two fanboying and fangirling over the elementalist.

“We practice all of 'em, every day!” Barley declared before the two started to fly in an attempt to perform some of Rainbow’s moves. Yet that ended poorly as they fell to the ground grunting.

Pickle was the first to speak as the two speak, “But we really can't do them.” The two looked at each other and started to mutter among themselves.

After a barely heard debate, Barley spoke up as she took off her hat and pulled at it in her hands, “Do you think maybe... you could give us a lesson? Just a tiny one? Show us some of your moves?” she asked before the two gave Rainbow massively dilated pleading eyes.

Rainbow laughed at first, “Well,” she started, “you promise to listen and work hard and practice?” the elementalist asked with her own smile.

The siblings gasped, “Yes! Absolutely, practice!” they both exclaimed in delight at the prospect of learning under Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow laughed again at the thought of teaching these two, “Tell you what.” she said to the two. “If I like what I see, the three of us will put on a show at the Rainbow Festival,” she stated. “Oh!” the two exclaimed in excitement.

Barley and Pickle turned to face each other then back to Rainbow, “There's still a Rainbow Festival?” Barley asked confused.

Pickle had a different question, “And we're gonna perform at it?”

Rainbow smiled as she patted the two on their heads, “I think the whole town should know there's a couple of future Wonderbolts living here.” she then started to hover, “C'mon! We got work to do!” she shouted before she flew off. The twins were left in awe at what Rainbow just said. However, their dumbfounded state only lasted a few seconds before they flew after the elementalist. As they left one of the mill’s blades glittered and took on its original blue color.

---

Back in town, inside Torque’s shop, Applejack was examining the remains of the billboard, “I think some o' this can be saved, but we'll need some fresh lumber.” the paladin gave her prognosis. She then noted that Torque seemed to be … disinterested at best, “Uh, Torque, the mayor said maybe you could lend a hand.” the paladin said trying to be diplomatic.

Torque groaned as she rolled her eyes, “Him and his crazy schemes.” she bemoaned. “What's your business in this anyhoo? Hmm?” she asked the paladin not believing the latter’s intent.

Apple took off her hat in an attempt to show she wasn’t intending to be a problem, “Well, for one thing, we're helpin' the mayor.” she stated at first, addressing that she and her friends intend to help. “And for another, Granny Smith always says, ‘You break somethin', you fix it’.” the paladin added as she tapped on the board she just examined. She then saw Torque getting back to work with sorting some unpainted planks, “And any job you do, you should be proud of."

Torque turned back and laughed at the sentiment, “Proud of bein' the repairman?” she asked before laughing again at the notation.

Applejack shook her head for a second, “Well, absolutely!” the paladin declared. “It's a pretty rare talent to have.” she pointed out. Which was true, most people don’t have the raw talent to fix and repair, even with years of honed skills. Applejack then to the basket of the balloon, “Nice work on that balloon basket, can’t tell it was damaged at all.” Applejack praised the craftmanship. “Reweavin' all that straw is no joke.” she finished as she pointed out how hard it is to actually fix it.

Torque smiled and started to laugh happily, “Oh. Yah, well, thanks for, well, noticin'.” she blushed as she felt acknowledged for her talents and skills. The two then turned to hammer together two pieces. As they hammered the blanks that Torque had gathered turned yellow.

---

At the same time at the town’s clothes shop, Rarity was humming to herself before she spotted something in the window, “Hmm?” she asked as she took a closer look in the window, “That's one of my designs!” she exclaimed in shock. She then went to the door and opened it, “Hello?” she asked as she called out to the Skyborn woman she saw earlier who was at the shop’s booth.

The woman gasped in shock before she turned to face Rarity. It was then that Rarity saw that the woman had hairpin that looked like pins and needles in a pincushion, and have a pincushion with needles and pins in it as her aura mark. “Whoa, no way!” she shouted in shock and awe. “Stack my pancakes!” she shouted in joy and cheer. “Are you really the Rarity?!” she asked in disbelief and at the same time joy.

Rarity smiled, “Please, just "Rarity".” the enchantress stopped as she looked around and saw a lot of clothes based on her designs, “I couldn't help but notice that you've got—” she started as she wanted to be tactful on how to address the fact that so much seemed overly based on her work.

The woman gasped, “I love ya!” she exclaimed in excitement, “I love ya so much!” the woman paused for a second, “Your work, I mean! Your designs, your taste, your eye for beauty!” she clarified, but she was still bubbling with excitement over meeting Rarity. Before Rarity could get another word, “They're the perfect canvas for me to fancy up!” the woman added.

“Yes, about that.” Rarity started before she spotted some of the works that were well-conceived and crafted that had to be the woman’s unique style. “The— the hat, the— the boa, the scarf, the—” she started to list as she pointed out the items.

“Do ya like 'em?” the woman asked with a massive smile.

Rarity smiled, “Very charming.” she stated.

The woman gasped as she hugged Rarity, “Thank ya!” she declared before she ended the hug and started to giggle as she turned her focus to the items in question, “Those are Kerfuffle originals!” she stated. “I'm Kerfuffle!” Kerfuffle identified herself. “Spelled like it sounds, with a double "ffff"” she said as she stuck out her tongue as she tried to emphasize the f’s. “for the "fuff"!” she finished before she gasped in embarrassment, “I should really stop talking now,” she said as she gave a nervous smile.

Rarity placed a hand of understanding on Kerfuffle’s shoulder, “I do hope you don't mind my asking.” the enchantress started to asked before she turned to look at each of the items that Kerfuffle designed herself, “But with all this talent, why don't you simply display your own work instead of adding to others?” she asked electing to get to the brass tacks.

Kerfuffle laughed dismissively, “Oh. Oh, no, I-I couldn't.” Kerfuffle denied, “It's... not good enough by itself.” she said as she rubbed her left arm with her right hand as she blushed slightly.

Rarity brushed the self-doubt Kerfuffle expressed, “Hmph, au contraire.” she started before she picked up a shawl. “Take this shawl.” she presented the shawl, “Hand-dyed, nicely woven, a piece of art by itself.” she described the shawl, based solely on what she can feel, “Imagine if you could work in color,” she said as she wrapped it over her shoulders.

Kerfuffle smiled, “Oh, I do imagine.” she started to explain as she walked in the shop to another collection of her works, “I mean, that's how I design things. I feel in my heart what the colors are.” she then picked up a scarf she knitted, “Like this scarf.” she then pointed to one of the stripes. “This stripe is red, then orange, yellow…” she listed off only to trail off.

Rarity seemed to catch on quickly, “Like a rainbow.” she informed. “How would you like to work with me as the official assistant designer of the Rainbow Festival?” she asked as she offered her hand.

Kerfuffle gasped in shock, “Really? Work with you?!” she asked in disbelief and at the same time excitement. “I can't believe it!” she continued before she started to laugh gleefully. She then stopped as she recalled the last thing Rarity said, “Wait, there's still a Rainbow Festival?” she asked.

Rarity smiled, “Darling, if we have anything to do with it, not only will there be a festival, it will be the most stylish anybody in this town has ever seen!” the enchantress announced as she looked over the things Kerfuffle made, “Now let's get started!” she declared and the two left for the back of the house. As they left a hat changed from its shade of gray to a bright purple.

---

After Rainbow left her to deal with the Barrel twins, Twilight returned to town and went to the library. As she opened the door to the Town’s library. As the princess saw the books she could only give a ‘Wow…” at first before she gasped in delight. As Twilight looked at the books, Petunia walked up to her, “Ya like it?” she asked the demigod. Twilight nodded as her gaze was still on the books for a second. She then turned to Petunia about to ask but Petunia already started to answer, “Yah thought that a teeny town like Hope Hollow would have a library this grand?” she asked. Twilight nodded. Petunia turned back to the collection of books, “We may be small, but we're well-read. I make sure of it.” Petunia said as the two stepped into the library.

Twilight smiled, “Mayor Sunny was right.” she exclaimed, “You are something!”

Petunia started to blush at that, “Did he really say that?” she asked before she giggled in delight, like a schoolgirl being told that her crush likes her. “Oh, that silly man.” she tried to dismiss the praise but before she truly committed to it, “Did he say anythin' else?” she asked as she leaned into Twilight. She then blinked and leaned back, “I mean, uh, anyhoo, what can I do you for?” she asked as she tried to collect herself.

Twilight rubbed the back of her head for a second, “I don't suppose you have a magic section?” she asked.

Petunia laughed before she pointed to a collection of bookshelves. "Arcane,”, "Elemental", or "Theory of"?” she asked as she pointed to three series of bookshelves. Twilight squealed in delight as she grinned and her eyes dilated.

---

Meanwhile, as the others were interacting with the townsfolk, Pinkie and Fluttershy were walking through the town to the bakery. Pinkie had an abacus which she pulled out of one of her pockets and was calculating something. “Let's see.” she said before she truly started to do the math, “If fifty cupcakes makes a party, that means for the festival, we need…” she trailed off as she was moving the beads from side to side, “divide by two, carry the one…” she continued to discover the tally.

Fluttershy knew that it would take an hour if she let Pinkie continue to do the math long hand so she decided to think like Pinkie for a second, “We need help to bake the super more cupcakes we’ll need.” the druid guessed as the two neared to the bakeshop. Pinkie put the abacus back into her pocket and smiled at her druidic companion. Fluttershy smiled in turn, the two knew each other so well. At the bakery, the two noted that it was run down from disrepair and disuse. As Pinkie opened the door the sign creaked and the how build seemed to crack. Pinkie’s eyes started to water at the sight. Fluttershy placed a hand on the jester’s shoulder and pulled her into a hug so that Pinkie could cry into her shoulders. After Pinkie had her cry the two heard something in the distance.

The two turned to the couple from earlier with the man holding a pie, “We can only use the ones from our yard, lovey.” the man said as they walked. Fluttershy and Pinkie elected to walk over towards them.

“Oh, darling, stop it.” The woman requested.

As the two walked around the fountain in the center of town, Pinkie shot over and started to join them, “Excuse me. I see you're taking your pie for a walk, and I was wondering—”

However the woman cut Pinkie short, “We're not interested.” she declared assuming that Pinkie was trying to sell the two something, “Ugh,” she groaned, “it's getting so a person can't even walk down the street without being terrorized.” she bemoaned as they walked.

Pinkie hopped to be in front of them as she laughed, “That's not terrorizing.” she contrasted. “This…” she trailed before babbling in their faces. The two cried out with an ‘Aah!’. Once the two were startled. Pinkie stopped and started to speak again, “ ...is terrorize.” the jester finished. The man then sighed in frustration. Pinkie then looked at the pie, “So, how would you like to be a part of the official baking team of the Rainbow Festival?” she asked electing to get to the brass tacks of the matter.

“There's still a Rainbow Festival?” the woman asked with a raised eyebrow.

Pinkie nodded, “Uh-huh.” she stated, “We'll have a booth with cupcakes and pastries and fun, and we're gonna start with this pie!” she said as she listed off what she was planning and ending her list as she looked at the pie, “Let the taste test begin! “ she said as she took the pie and chomped down into it. After a few bites, Pinkie started to gag and spit out the pie. “Blech! Bleghhht!” she gagged as she tried to brush the taste off of her tongue to no avail. After a second, “What kind of pie did you say this was s'upposed to be?” she asked as her eyes teared up.

The couple looked at each other for a second, “Apricot.” the husband answered the jester.

Pinkie, still with teary eyes looked at the pie and what she gagged up, “Are you sure?” she asked. She then thought about how it tasted, “It's kinda... crunchy.” she elected to describe the pie’s taste.

Fluttershy had by this point, joined the three, and flew to be in between the couple and Pinkie, “Not that there's anything wrong with that.” she said as she tried to defuse a potentially explosive situation.

The couple looked at each other for a second before the wife replied awhile annoyed, there was a bit of understanding her voice “Well, the apricots are from our very own tree, in our very own yard, behind our very own house.” she informed.

Pinkie finally got the taste out of her mouth and sighed with relief. Yet this was short-lived as there something that had to be addressed, “Maybe we should get a look at this tree.” she suggested. The couple again shared a look, shrug and started to lead the two out of towners to their home.

---

Back outside of town, Rainbow was watching the Barrel twins performed some basic stretches. After a few seconds, “All right, rookies. Show me what you got.” she ordered the two.

Barley turned to Pickle and whispered, “She sounds just like we always imagined she'd sound!” she exclaimed in delight.

“Only twenty percent cooler!” Pickle replied in his own whisper, as he too was excited about it.

After noticing the two were stuck fanning over her, “Well?” Rainbow asked getting their attention, “Aren't you gonna fly or something?” she asked waiting for them to start.

Pickle then saluted, “Yes, sir!” he shouted before he recalled Rainbow’s sex and wasn’t sure if that was the right turn, “I mean, ma'am. Uh…” he stuttered. He and Barley then looked at each other and chuckled nervously before they took to the sky.

After the two were airborne, Barley turned to Pickle and asked, “Okay?” she asked. Pickle nodded, “Break!” she ordered and the two broke and started to perform some of Rainbow’s moves, however, the two had no real coordination and as they were about to bump into each other their wings gave out and they started to fall.

Before they made contact with the ground, Rainbow caught the two and brought them safely to the ground. As the three straighten up, “Fancy flying is something you have to work up to.” she said with a smile. She hovered in front of them, “Even I didn't become "Rainbow Dash" in one day.” she informed.

“Two days?” Barley asked, hoping, childlike, that it was not long for her and Pickle to be like Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow laughed for a second, “Everybody's got to learn the basics before they can show off.” Rainbow said as she took to flight and started to perform a series of loops with a rainbow trailing her. This left the two siblings to “Whoa!” in awe. Once Rainbow finished she landed in front of the two, “You'll get there.” she said with a smile, “But first, let's start with a single flip.” she said as she flew to demonstrate the move. The twins gasped before they flew to follow Rainbow. As they left a patch of grass took on the normal green.

---

Back in the Hollow, as the couple escorted Fluttershy and Pinkie into their yard, Fluttershy flew up to the man, “Sorry for the lack of introduction beforehand, I’m Fluttershy and my friend’s name is Pinkie Pie.” she said as she finally introduced herself and Pinkie to the couple. “If you don't mind my asking, you don't sound like the other people here in town.”

The couple stopped, “Oh, we weren't born here.” the husband started, “We're originally from Manahattan,” the man informed, “oh we’re the Hamingtons by the way.” he finally introduced himself and his wife.

“Yes,” the recently identified Mrs. Hamington concurred with her husband, “But Manahattan was so big. All those people crammed together, never talking to each other.” she explained why the two moved from their old home.

Mr. Hamington then spoke as he looked to the town, or rather the part of the town visible from his yard, “We heard Hope Hollow was just the opposite, so we moved here.” he said

Mrs. Hamington then smiled as she thought back to what the town was like then they arrived, “And it was wonderful…” but she trailed off as she recalled the slow slip into the town’s current state of collective apathy, “uh, for a while.”

Fluttershy flew to be next to Mrs. Hamington, “What happened?” the druid asked.

Mrs. Hamington sighed again, “Things changed.” she informed, or rather didn’t but Fluttershy, as a druid, understood that time changes all things, that nothing lasts. Mrs. Hamington then looked up and recalled why she and Mr. Hamington were showing Fluttershy and Pinkie their yard, “Oh! Here. This is the tree.” she said as she pointed to a small, just barely fruit-bearing apricot tree.

Mr. Hamington walked right up to the tree, “This is where the apricots in my pie came from.” he informed. Just then an apricot fell from the tree and landed on the ground.

Pinkie took out a magnifying glass, picked up the fruit and examined it. “Well, I'm no expert in fruit, that’s our friend AJ,” the party planner informed. “but I don't think these are very ripe.” she said as she finished her examination, “Apricots are supposed to be orange.” she pointed out.

As Mr. Hamington took the fruit and looked to the tree and the other fruits on the tree, “Well, that's the problem, isn't it?” he asked, more rhetorically than anything else. “With hardly any colors in this town, one apricot looks like another.” he pointed out before he sighed in both sorrow and frustration.

Fluttershy, however, had taken the time to look around the yard and spotted a large apricot tree that grew over one of the fences from a neighbor’s property that hang over the Hamington’s. “What about that tree?” she asked as she pointed out the tree she spied, “Its apricots are big and juicy,” she informed contrasting the two identified apricot trees.

As the other three turned to see the tree Fluttershy was calling attention to, Mrs. Hamington was the first to speak, “Oh. We can't use the apricots from that tree.” she said with a degree of disgust and anger in her voice.

Pinkie skipped over to the tree, “Sure ya can!” she cheered and reached out her right hand to pluck an apricot. “All you gotta do is—” she started but was cut off by the voice of an angry old man.

“Hey!” came the voice of the man that bumped into the couple earlier, “Stay away from my tree!” he barked as he looked from an eye size hole in his fence.

Before Fluttershy or Pinkie could ask, “That was just old Moody Root.” Mr. Hamington informed as he shook his head.

Mrs. Hamington then spoke, “He's made it quite clear he won't share his apricots.” she informed as to the reason why the couple used their… unripened fruit in their pies “He hasn't even said "hello" in ages.” she added, pointing out the lack of neighborly behavior.

Fluttershy knew that it took two to tango and even if Mr. Root hasn’t said ‘hi’, the Hamingtons are not likely guiltless, “Have you tried saying "hello" to him?” she asked getting to the heart of the matter. Mr. and Mrs. Hamington looked to each other and then down to the ground feeling guilt and shame, thus answering Fluttershy’s question without a word. Fluttershy turned to the gate and called out to Moody, “Mr. Moody Root, are you there?”.

From behind the gate, “Who wants to know?” Moody asked slightly annoyed.

Fluttershy then hovered to be above the gate and look upon Moody, “I'm Fluttershy.” she introduced herself to the old gentleman. She turned her gaze to the tree, “Your apricot tree is beautiful.” she declared, “So healthy.” she added before she turned back to Moody, “You must take very good care of it.” she surmised and praised his gardening at the same time.

Moody rubbed the back of his head feeling humble, no one had complimented him about the care for his trees in so long, “Well, I try to.” he said as he started to smile, “Plant food. A good water now and then.” he listed as he walked up to the tree, “Keeps my apricots happy.” he finished as he placed his right hand on the trunk and smiled as he seemed to pet the tree like it was a cat.

Fluttershy took a second to see the whole yard and saw several trees, while not all were apricot trees, they were all in comparative states of health. She turned back to the tree they were talking about, “I bet that's why you have so many of them.” she concluded. A decent answer, healthy fruit-bearing plants bear a lot of fruit. Fluttershy then took a gamble as to why Moody would want such a fruit-bearing tree, “You must always be busy making things. Jam, cobbler, pie…” she guest as she trailed off so that Moody could answer.

Moody shook his head with a small smile, “Nope, I just eat 'em.” he informed. He then opened his eyes and held his chin in thought, “Although, pie does sound pretty good.” he said.

While Fluttershy and Moody were talking, Mrs. Hamington turned to her husband, “What in Mystica is she doing?” she asked confused at Fluttershy’s want to interact with Moody.

Mr. Hamington turned to his wife, with equal degrees of confusion, “I haven't the foggiest, dear.”

Pinkie popped to be right next to the couple, “Doing what she does best.” Pinkie explained and yet not explained.

Back between Fluttershy and Moody, the druid flew back a little which prompted Moody to lean over his fence, “Your neighbors were just about to bake some pies.” the druid said as she floated so that Moody and the Hamingtons could see each other, “You know them, right?” she asked. “Mr. and Mrs. Hamington, Mr. Moody Root,” she said reintroducing the three to each other.

The three looked at each other rather nervously as it’s been a while since they have been neighborly towards one another. Moody was the first to speak, “Um…” he trailed before he trailed off for a second. He cleared his throat as he got on track, “H-H-Hello,” he said after what felt like an eternity as he gave a nervous wave of his hand towards the couple.

The Hamingtons waved back in turn, with uneasy smiles, “Yes. Hello.” Mr. Hamington said before he lowered his hand.

“Hello, Mr…” Mrs. Hamington trailed slightly before she lowered her hand, “Root.” After a second of awkward silence, Moody cleared his throat.

After there was no response from the Hamingtons, Fluttershy spoke up picking up right where she left off, “But they're a little short on apricots.” she finished describing the situation.

Pinkie was the next to speak as she looked to the sky and tapped her chin, “If only there was some apricots we can use…” she trailed off. After a second of neither of the Hamingtons getting the hint, Pinkie cleared her throat. After another second and neither still seemed to get the hint she cleared her throat loader and more sounded more irritated.

Mrs. Hamington was the first of the couple to get the message, “Oh, yes, of course!” she exclaimed. “We'd be happy to bake you a pie.” she offered in exchange for the use of the apricots.

Mr. Hamington then spoke up, “Two or... three pies even.” he added to the offer as he too started to get what was going on.

Moody looked down and held his chin in thought, “So ya mean if I give ya my apricots…” he trailed off in thought.

Pinkie gasped, “What a great idea!” she exclaimed in cheer at the idea.

“Then everybody can share,” Fluttershy added, show what can be accomplished if the three gave to each other. “What do you think, Mr. Moody Root?” she asked Moody, as in the end since the apricots came from his tree, it was his call.

After Moody slipped behind the gate and there was no sign of him for a few seconds, “Ugh. Oh, well.” Mrs. Hamington sighed as she looked down defeated.

Fluttershy smiled, “Wait for it…” she trailed off before the gate of Moody’s fence started to open.

As Moody entered the Hamington’s lawn from the gate in the fence from his property to their, “Got a ladder?” he asked cheerfully, “We can just pick 'em from your side of the fence!” he exclaimed as he looked at the apricot tree next to the fence.

“Um, yes, of course!” Mr. Hamington exclaimed as he went to get the ladder they owned. “Uh, this way!” he continued as the rest followed. Unbeknownst to them one of the apricots changed to be bright orange.

---

Back inside the library, Twilight was reading through several of the town’s library on magic. All the while jotting down what seemed to match what she saw of the town. Currently, she was looking at a list of spells and their effects. As she turned to her notes, “A prism curse? An erasure spell?” she asked to no one. “None of these are big enough to make a whole town lose its color on their own!” she shouted in frustration, “Even if they were combined!” she shouted. “Ugh!” she groaned. She took a second to look to another book, “Unless…” she trailed off.

Twilight paused as she heard the muffled voice of Mayor Skies, “Oh, for the love o' cheddar!” exclaim. Twilight got up from the table she was at and walked over to another part of the library, where she heard the voice coming from. She spotted a set of ajar doors. She opened it and saw Sunny pacing back and forth scribbling on a piece of paper and muttering to himself.

Twilight walked towards the mayor, “Mayor Skies.” she said getting his attention.

Sunny was startled for a second, “Oh, Princess Twilight, didn’t know you were there.” he stated as he recovered from the surprise. Twilight looked around the room and saw several trophies, ribbons, banners, and several pictures that had their normal color. Her mouth opened slightly in awe, Sunny pocketed the piece of paper he was writing on, “Welcome to our town's Rainbow Room.” The mayor said as he stepped to show the room to the demigod. “Anything you want ta know about each year's festival from the very beginnin',” he informed. As Twilight flew over to large picture that showed Sunny as a boy next to his grandfather, “Yep, they sure are.” he said guessing Twilight’s shock that they were in color.

He dipped his head as Twilight landed, “Those are from happier times. Back when there still was a festival.” he said dejectedly as Twilight landed and walked beside him. “Seems even though we faded, the memory never did.” he continued as he looked at a reflection of himself. He slowly turned to face Twilight as he pulled out the piece of paper he was writing on, “I come here sometimes for inspiration.” he then tapped on the paper, “I need plenty for this speech I'm writin'. Biggest one of my life,” he said. As he spoke Petunia entered the room. This startled the mayor, “Oh! Didn't see ya there!” he exclaimed as he pocketed the piece of paper.

Petunia also seemed to be surprised that Sunny was also there, but while the mayor seemed to be scared about something, Petunia was happy, “Sunny! I-I didn' know you were here.” she said with joy and a smile.

“Uh, Uh, j-just leavin',” Sunny said as he walked around Petunia, trying to hide what he was working on as he chuckled nervously. “I-I gotta finish this,” he said as he had to take out the paper he was writing on. “W-Well, uh, s-see ya later!” he stammered before he left the room.

As Petunia frown slightly at Sunny’s departure, “Whoa.” she heard Twilight said as the demigod was looking at everything she could see. As the princess turned to Petunia, “The festival was really something, wasn't it?” she asked.

Petunia gave a sad smile as she walked over to a podium in the corner of the room, “Used to be wonderful. It brought the whole town together for a long time,” she said before she pointed to a set of three pictures, “and these pictures are from the last festival.” she said as Twilight looked at the picture, one was of Sunny on the stage waving as he prepared to press the button to engage the Rainbow Generator. The next photo showed the mayor pressing the button to start the generator and everything turned gray. The final showed the mayor’s hand on the device and everything was in grayscale. “You can see it didn't go well.” Petunia commented.

“Right,” Twilight replied as she picked up the third picture to get a closer look. “The mayor's magic in the generator caused the colors to go.” she surmised as she recalled Sunny’s song and conjuring to show why he asked Rainbow Dash to come, a conclusion which seemed to be supported by the photos.

“That's what Sunny thinks.” Petunia protested, not unlike a school girl defending her crush’s reputation. She dipped her head for a second, “He blames himself for it,” she acknowledged before a confident smile grew on her face. “but I'm still not convinced it was anythin' other than an accident!” she declared.

Twilight turned her focus back to the photo in her hand. She then picked up the other two and looked at them, “There's something strange about this.” she said as she seemed to have noticed something was off, “I just can't put my hand on it.” she added as she put the photos back and looked up to a picture of Sunny’s father activating the Rainbow Generator, “If only the Generator hadn't been destroyed…” she trailed off in wishful thinking.

“Not all of it was.” came Petunia’s voice. Twilight gasped as she turned to see Petunia move a board from the wall and pull out the remains of the Rainbow Generator. She grunted as she lifted it and placed it on an empty spot of the table, “I don't keep it out because I know it hurts th' mayor to see it.” she said as if the pain the mayor felt from the memory was also felt by her.

Twilight took a couple of seconds to look at the broken device, “Mind if I borrow this?” she asked.

Author's Note:

Hamington is the name change of Hoofington for this AU

Comments

[Godslittleprincess]

Yeah, not a ton of notable changes here either other than characters answering unasked questions and finishing each other's sentences.

[Foxhelm]

9851472
fair enough, but I don't really see many changes needed