The Mysterious Maiden
By lunchtime, the party had ended for the Equestrian guests, with Starlight and Twilight already taking precautions for their departure. Starlight tied down the cargo in the supply wagon in case of bandits and set up a shield spell on the treasury they had for purchasing supplies in Swallowtail. The journey itself took around a week for the wagon train due to the hilly and dense terrain.
Fortunately, Gilda had given the expedition György and Gael as protection, with the knights themselves receiving a blessing from the Grand Master himself thanks to Pinkie Pie’s charm. The mare was even given a box of the Grand Master’s favorite tea and a small handwritten note expressing his gratitude to her and Twilight.
Most of the expedition was either plastered, exhausted, or asleep in the wagons. Applejack, Starlight, Twilight, Fluttershy, and the knights were available to ensure the party was on schedule and remained undeterred.
They had departed from Griffinstone and were at the bottom of the cliffs going eastward to Swallowtail. Applejack and Gael pulled the wagons along through the dense woodlands as Twilight and Starlight went over their maps, finances, and supply ledgers to estimate and plan for the road ahead of them.
Fluttershy was busy nursing an intoxicated Rainbow Dash, who sank one too many ciders and a party-pooped Pinkie Pie that spent all morning and lunch dancing. At least Rarity was able to take care of herself by just climbing into her cot and having a nice cat nap.
Starlight trotted beside Twilight as she scanned the map, “Captain Salty’s map has a couple of villages on the way to Swallowtail. The closest one on route is about three days away, called…’ Pluma.’” She squinted at the foreign word.
György peered down from atop the wagon he sat on, “That’s a Harpy village. You can tell by the name of it.”
Twilight scanned the map and nodded, “I suppose if we have time, and if we need supplies, we can stop by and rest.”
“I hope they’re friendly….” Fluttershy murmured, sitting down and resting her hooves. She had finally managed to get Dash back into bed.
“I’m sure they will be,” the Princess smiled reassuringly, turning back to the map, “Although, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a bump on the way….”
György chuckled, “If there is trouble, they’ll have to go through us! And not even the strongest of those brutes can break my armor!” the proud knight boasted flashing his knightly blade to the ponies.
Starlight rolled her eyes as she folded up the maps and packed them in her saddle bags, “Everything has been going smoothly, too smoothly. Something big is going to happen; I can feel it…” hissed Starlight.
Applejack scoffed as she turned back to face her, “You’re overthinking it. There’s no scale of good to bad that needs to be balanced. The job just isn’t as hard as we thought!”
Spike leaned on the table, resting his head on his claw, “C’mon, when has anything for us ever been easy?”
Twilight bit her lip and thought back, “He’s… kind of right. But we shouldn’t panic; we should be ready for the unexpected.”
“How can you expect the unexpected?” Fluttershy’s ears flattened to her mane, looking confused.
“I just mean we should be prepared.” Twilight gently patted her pegasus friend on the back.
Starlight nodded, “I agree; we got robbed of our supplies last time because we let our guard down.”
The group pulled their wagons into a massive open field that spanned for miles, with another forest faintly in the distance. Tall grass lined the field with a few laid-out spots of flattened grass that created a path for travelers. As they walked through the field, they heard giggling and laughter echoing through the brush.
“Pinkie Pie, that’s not you, is it?” Twilight raised a brow nervously, her ears twitching at the noise.
“No, she’s asleep; I made sure she was tucked in before I dealt with Rainbow,” Fluttershy replied, sinking low enough to hide under the table that was inside her wagon.
“György, Gael, can you check what that might be? But be careful….” Twilight asked; she didn’t want to endanger the griffins.
The Knights nodded, drawing their swords as they began stalking the area. The giggling persisted, and it was getting closer. It sounded like Pinkie laughing; it was bubbly and sweet, like cream soda.
“Who goes there!” shouted Gael.
“Raus hier sofort!” shouted György.
There was a quick movement in the grass when Gael suddenly fell to the ground disappearing in the tall grass. Screaming loudly before he was dragged under.
“GAEL!” screamed György.
Twilight didn’t hesitate to dart out of the wagon, using her wings to propel herself into the air, “György, get back to the wagons; make sure the others are safe!” she commanded, keeping above the grass, her eyes scanning the path. What had just happened?
“Starlight, use your life detection spell! I don’t want to accidentally hurt Gael!” Twilight shouted towards the wagons.
György flew upward, soaring above the grassy field before returning to the wagons, gripping his sword tightly.
Starlight quickly focused her will on conjuring and casting the detect life spell. Taking a deep breath before turning northward, “Over there! There are two creatures over by those bushes!”
Laughter echoed through the brush, “Hahaha! Quit it! Help! Help! She’s tickling me!” called Gael in a desperate plea of laughs.
Starlight galloped toward the sound casting a shield spell around herself as she dove into the grass, following the life energy emitting from Gael and the stranger. She tore through a maze of grass before finding the knight practically put in a headlock and tickled by a large fluffy Alpaca.
“....Twilight! I found Gael!” called Starlight.
Twilight quickly flew over, the stern expression she had been wearing moments prior melting away into confusion. She immediately recognized the creature as an alpaca, but she couldn’t recall any herds in the area.
“Gael, are you alright?” Twilight asked, her horn burning to life as she attempted to wrestle the cottony foe from the griffin, “Hey, stop it!”
Gael squirmed in the creature’s grasp, “Yes, your highness, but she has the grip of a bear!”
“What the heck is going on out here?” Trixie rubbed one of her eyes as she left a wagon, trotting out to see the commotion. “Some ponies are still nursing a hangover!”
The Alpaca giggled as she and Gael were moved toward Twilight before the creature wrapped Gael AND Twilight in a tight loving bind.
Starlight winced, “Oh boy, don’t worry, you two, I’ll fix this!” The mare attempted to pry the three apart with magic, but somehow the Alpaca’s grip was like enchanted iron chains.
Twilight let out a small squeal like the squeak of a dog toy, trying her best to wrestle herself out of the Alpaca’s grasp, but it seemed near impossible. This Alpaca would give Pinkie’s hugs a run for their money!
Finally having enough, Twilight focused on her magic and enveloped herself and Gael before teleporting them a yard away from the beast. The alicorn wiped the sweat off her brow. It was difficult to wrap paper-thin magic around a creature in contact with something, especially another living creature, without causing damage.
“Yikes… I think I’ll just go back to sleep….” Trixie cringed, slowly backtracking toward the wagons.
The Alpaca giggled, quickly leaping toward the heavens and floating in the air as she puffed up her wool like a balloon. Drifting toward the ground, she landed in front of Trixie, dropping down and raising her flank to the air like a puppy wanting to play.
Starlight quickly attempted to fire a paralyzing spell before the creature jumped out of the way by tackling Trixie and cuddling up to her. Nuzzling her face against the mare as she snorted and laughed.
“AAAA, IT’S GOT ME! HELP!” Trixie squealed, trying her best to squirm out of its grip. Just like the others, however, she had no chance.
“Just stop squirming, and I can get you out!” Twilight trotted over in a hurry. If the blue unicorn would stop moving, she could probably teleport her out just like she had done for herself and Gael. However, Trixie didn’t seem in the right state of mind to cooperate.
The Alpaca looked over at Twilight and the others before smiling brightly at her, “☟︎□︎⬥︎ ♍︎♋︎■︎ ✋︎ ⬧︎♋︎⍓︎ ✋︎ ●︎□︎❖︎♏︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎✍︎ ✋︎ ♍︎♋︎■︎🕯︎⧫︎ ♌︎◆︎⧫︎ ✋︎ ♍︎♋︎■︎ ⬧︎♒︎□︎⬥︎ ♓︎⧫︎✏︎” her tone and accent were muddled and muffled like she had something in her mouth.
Starlight scratched her head, “Twilight, do you know a Comprehend Language spell?”
The knights pointed their swords at the creature, “What should we do with her?”
“That doesn’t sound like any language I’ve ever heard of….” Although, to Twilight, at the same time, it sounded familiar. She could have sworn she had overheard Discord or Pinkie murmuring a similar dialect to themselves on occasion when they thought no one was listening. But she just wasn’t sure of just misremembering one of the two's moments of sheer insanity.
Twilight paused, scrutinizing the Alpaca, ignoring Trixie’s squeals and whines. Well, she wasn’t aggressive or hostile, just aggressively friendly, if anything. It was better than being robbed again.
Unless this was another trick… Twilight sighed and shrugged.
“Excuse me, are you lost?” She asked the stranger, hoping she at least understood Ponish.
Gael would speak after the Princess in an attempt to see if she understood Griffish, “Bist du verloren?”
The Alpaca laughed, nuzzling and squeezing Trixie as she nodded to both Twilight and Gael, “✋︎ ♍︎♋︎■︎ ◆︎■︎♎︎♏︎❒︎⬧︎⧫︎♋︎■︎♎︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎📪︎ ♌︎◆︎⧫︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎ ♍︎♋︎■︎🕯︎⧫︎ ◆︎■︎♎︎♏︎❒︎⬧︎⧫︎♋︎■︎♎︎ ❍︎♏︎✏︎.”
Starlight mused for a moment pulling out a few spell books from her saddlebags, “Tongues, Comprehend Language, add an area effect to the spells….”
Twilight rubbed her chin as she observed the Alpaca; her ear twitched as she turned around to overhear what Starlight was planning, “Starlight, be careful mixing spells together; we have no idea how they could possibly interact.” She warned gently. Twilight wasn’t opposed to magical experimentation, provided it was in a safe environment.
Starlight rolled her eyes as she scoffed, “Trust me, Twilight, I may not have a formal education at Celestia’s School For Gifted Unicorns, but I can keep up with you and your brother in a magical duel.”
The mage quickly flashed purple, red, and blue sparks from her horn before fixing and merging the magical properties of the spells. The Alpaca tilted her head as Starlight cast the experimental incantation at the creature.
The maiden gasped as the strange magical essence slipped into her mouth. She’d quickly snort and laugh again before erupting in a coughing fit.
Her voice squeaked and squealed, just like Pinkie Pie’s. It even had that bouncy sing-song pitch like her, “Holy moly sweet merciful cherrychalupa! You did something! I feel really weird! I’m talking so much! I can finally TELL people how much I love them!” she’d erupt in a fit of laughter before dropping Trixie on the ground as she plonked in place.
Trixie groaned before quickly crawling away, hiding herself beneath a wagon, utterly terrified.
Twilight blinked and cocked a brow before slowly approaching the Alpaca, “Sooo… can you understand us now? I’m sorry if I’m being rude, but… who are you? And why did you jump, Gael?” She gestured to the young griff, “You startled us quite a bit, you know!”
The Alpaca giggled nervously, bashfully kicking her hoof in the grass, “I’m sorry, I lost my voice to a band of warrior mages. Ironically, a unicorn took my voice, and the next one I see gives it back! But, uh, that was… a few weeks ago… I kinda went crazy, and uh… well, the last few weeks is just a blur of floof and hugs, hehe.”
She’d pull a picnic basket from her chest floof, “I’m Paprika of the Alpake clans, but I sorta got kicked out of the village because of my curse and for associating with outsiders, hehe.” she’d snicker to herself as if it were some sort of inside joke.
Twilight would blink rapidly but immediately become intrigued, her flank hitting the grass. She hadn’t studied too much about alpacas, except for a brief overview, so the opportunity to learn was not one she was willing to slip by.
“A unicorn took your voice?” She sounded incredulous and a little more than outraged. Why would someone do that to her, to anyone? Twilight was just glad she was safe. “How did that happen? And what are you doing all the way out here?”
Trixie slowly scuttled her way out from under the wagon, dusting herself off, “And who do you think you are accosting the Great and Powerful Trixie like that? Don’t any creatures have manners anymore?” She sniffed, climbing back into her wagon and snapping the doors shut.
Paprika giggled, “Mhm! You go over to the mountains that border Swallowtail and Unicornica you’ll find bands of mages and The Republic Guard getting into fights and skirmishes! It’s hard for the Alpake to live in the mountains because we can’t cross the border without getting caught in the crossfire!”
The Alpaca seemed to frown as her expression darkened, “So many creatures getting hurt or worse… so I decided to help! Clearly, the issue is just a lack of communication and understanding, so under the peaceful teachings of The Alpake, I tried to make peace between the nations! With banquets and hugs!”
Paprika smiled brightly, “The Harpies, Ponies, and Griffins were great! We drank and partied; we even got food and supplies from them to help the village!”
Her expression went into a deep frown, “But the elders cast me out because interacting with those armies threatened the tribe! But I wasn’t discouraged. I went to the Unicorn camp with a humble offering of food and drink! But they laughed at me, and when I tried to explain to them that I was only trying to make peace between them, their commanding officer used a dark incantation on me, cursing me to only speak in forgotten and ancient tongues until my inevitable demise…” she’d bow her head in defeat and look like she was on the verge of tears.
Starlight slowly reached out to comfort the Alpaca before Paprika quickly hugged the mare and bouncing excitedly in place, “But thanks to you, I can talk, I can sing, I can do poetry, and tell stories! You’re the nicest Unicorns ever! You must be from Elder Quill’s group of reformed Archmages!”
“Elder, who?” Twilight cocked her head, trying to process everything that had just happened. She shook her head, gathering her thoughts. “I’m so sorry that happened to you, Paprika. What they did to you was unforgivable, your clan and that unicorn. If you can describe them to me, I can promise they will never do that again.” Twilight knew it was unlikely she would ever run into that pony, but if she did, she want to be prepared.
“Oh, my former elder is known to the tribe as Elder Adobo; seek council with him if you want to discuss helping the tribe and letting me back in! I really miss the cria! The kids need me!” pleaded Paprika squeezing Starlight tighter as she sobbed.
The Alpaca quickly gathered her resolve before wiping her tears away, “S-sorry, I just love babies and the little ones so much! The ponies who attacked me? Well, they wear leather and iron armor, and the one pony who cursed me was dark blue and had a black mane, dark brown eyes, and a chalice for a cutie mark!”
“They tried to keep me in their camp too! But I kick their flanks to next week! I'd rather die before being put in chains!” huffed Paprika as she got on her back legs and proceeded to sock the air with her front legs as if she was training for a brawl.
Starlight quickly teleported out of the Alpaca’s grasp before gathering her breath, “She’s strong!” she wheezed.
“I know what you mean....” Twilight snorted to her companion before turning back to Paprika, mindful to keep her distance from her iron grip.
“We’re headed for Swallowtail. If it’s not too much of a detour, we’d love to help,” the alicorn gave her a soft smile. They might be on an important journey, but they couldn’t ignore a creature needing help, “We’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for that unicorn.”
Paprika had a focused, vicious expression on her face, scowling at Twilight before suddenly clapping her hooves together, “OH WAIT! Did you mean MY Elder or The pony elder? Hahaha!” she’d snorted.
Twilight looked puzzled and a little taken aback. That look in her eye was almost… threatening for a second there. “Errr…”
“Swallowtail?” Paprika perked her head up, interrupting before Twilight could speak, ”If you guys are going to Swallowtail, then why are you taking the long way? Hey! Why don’t I show you the fast way? It’ll take less than a day! AND… it’s mmmmaaaaaaagic.” she’d giggle and stare at the group with a goofy smile.
Glancing between Starlight, Gael, and Paprika, Twilight considered her options. This Alpaca was… a little scary. She would almost dare to say Paprika was on Pinkie’s level of unpredictability. But, if she was telling the truth, it could save them days and a lot of supplies…
“I… suppose. It would be a great help.” Twilight shrugged before nodding. “Better than taking days to get to our destination. But how is it magical?”
“It’s a series of magical caves said to be blessed by Eyr Goddess of life, according to Griffish folk. The story goes that Eyr wanted to create a way to protect travelers from bandits and soldiers harassing them. So she raised a magical cave that could get you across the continent in a day’s journey!” explained Paprika.
“Only the pure of heart may enter, so bandits, conquerors, and oppressors beware! Or else you will be lost inside the caverns FOREVER!” warned Paprika, leering toward the group with an intense stare, “They call it the Szentély...”
Twilight listened in fascination, her magic pulling her journal and quill out from the wagons to where they sat. She made sure to record it all, eager to take note of every detail. After she was sure she got everything, she stood up and teleported the book back inside, turning to Paprika.
“Well, let’s go then!” Twilight grinned at the Alpaca, “I want to see this cave!”
Paprika laughed and bounced, “Alrighty, this way!” she’d plonk ahead before leading the group across the grassy field, “This will be so much fun! But…” she’d slow down, bouncing next to Twilight, “You never told me what YOU are doing, are you missionaries and exiles from Unicornica?”
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t realize we didn’t introduce ourselves!” Twilight blinked, looking rather embarrassed, “My name is Twilight Sparkle, and this is Starlight Glimmer. The rest of my friends are inside the wagons resting up, but I’m sure you’ll meet them soon. We’re actually from Equestria, but we just recently departed from Griffinstone. We’re a… friendship expedition.” She rubbed the back of her head, chuckling awkwardly at how that sounded.
Paprika ouuu’d “Ooohhh Equestria! I heard that mumbled amongst the traders! I thought you were part of Elder Quill’s lot! His gaggle of Archmages are all around the territory! So you’re just here to make friends? Wow! How noble! I knew we’d get along!”
Starlight grinned as she leaned close to Twilight’s ear, “I’m glad that Pinkie is asleep for this….”
Twilight chuckled and whispered back, “I thank Celestia for small favors.”
Turning back to Paprika, the Princess smiled softly, “I consider myself a mage, but I’m not sure if I qualify as an Archmage. But you’ve been mentioning that name a lot, Quill. Can you tell me a little bit more about him? I’d like to know everything in the area, so we know what to expect.”
Paprika dug into her picnic basket before tossing a whole apple in her mouth, crunching it up before swallowing it whole, “Well, back when I lived with the Alpake, we’d get all kinds of people telling us about their Gods, Goddesses, Spirits, The Divine, blah blah blah. But this guy is different. He’s the most rational zealot I’ve ever met! He says that the Goddess of the Sun is named Celestia, and she’s immortal and timeless but just a normal creature like the rest of us! Get out of here!” laughed the Alpaca.
Paprika looked over at the Princess, “But anyway, it’s like the old Ponish religion got an update; it’s completely different from the old Archmages that climbed up the peaks told us that if we didn’t pray to Celestia and Luna, we’d feel their righteous fury. Now it’s friendship, tolerance, and befriending the very creatures, you meet! A complete one-eighty!”
Twilight slowly turned to swap a look with Starlight before looking back at Paprika. She wasn’t sure if she should laugh or be aghast at what that implied, “... I assume that Quill and these Archmages haven’t been to Equestria in a long time?” the Princess raised a brow, already certain of the answer.
Paprika shook her head as she poured Starlight and Twilight a fresh cup of tea from a pot that came out of her picnic basket, “Quill and his lackeys claim to have seen Equestrian culture and their way of life. It inspired him to spread some sort of ‘New Truth’ as they call it. The guys who haven’t seen Equestria are probably the ones saying that there will be HECK to pay whenever the sun God decides to wreak havoc on the non-believers.”
Starlight stared at Paprika with a shocked expression at the Alpaca pulling random junk from her basket. She was like Pinkie in every way. Oh and the cult like behavior of the Archmages.
“Tea?” offered Paprika. Starlight slowly took a cup before drinking.
“Oh goodness, if only Celestia knew about these ponies….” Twilight shook her head sadly. How had news of this not traveled to Equestria? She supposed the Crystal Empire had just recently come back, so contact past the Crystal Mountains was nigh impossible for a thousand years. Perhaps these ponies face a similar situation, “And yes, please, I’d love a cup.”
Paprika handed Twilight’s mug as she sighed, “It’s so nice to talk again! Hugging and cuddles can only express so much love; words are everything!”
Starlight cocked a brow at Paprika, “I thought the saying went, ‘Actions speak louder than words.’”
“Well, talking can get pretty loud, too, y’know.” Paprika giggled.
After crossing the grasslands, the rest of the party would wake up or recuperate enough to join the rest of the expedition in assisting the journey and meeting Paprika. Making a small camp when their group pushed a few miles into the woods that bordered the grasslands. The group would set up their wagons and supplies in a secure area, with a few dense trees blocking them from view from the main road incase of any potentiel banditry.
Applejack was preparing lunch for the group, having conjured an improvised stew made from vegetable stock and some fresh ingredients harvested from the forest and brought from Griffinstone. The apple farmer hummed to herself as she tended to the stew pot, “Seems like we just keep making new friends the more we stay here, right fellers?”
Rarity nodded, “Yes… although I never would have expected Pinkie Pie to have a long lost sister that was an Alpaca….”
“I’m surprised too; she even sounds like Pinkie….” Fluttershy murmured, watching the Alpaca with subtle awe, “Thank goodness, she’s still asleep. That celebration really tired her out.”
Stumbling out of her wagon, Rainbow Dash emerged with a mane sticking up in every direction, a blanket wrapped and tangled around her midsection. The pegasus smacked her lips and glanced around before her eyes landed on Paprika. Sniffing, she turned to the others, “What did I miss?”
“Not much, you know the deal. New friends.” Spike chuckled from his spot next to the blazing campfire, roasting a marshmallow until it was black as coal. He popped the morsel into his mouth and chewed as he spoke, “Basically, Alpaca Pinkie.”
“Oooh,” Rainbow yawned and shrugged, flopping down onto the ground, basking in the flame’s heat, “Wake me up if anything happens… and for food. Definitely for food.”
Paprika set out a large blanket for everycreature to sit on as she pulled out plates, a tea set, a bowl of fresh fruit salad, sandwiches, and lemonade from her basket.
Applejack whistled, “At least she can make a meal!” admiring the delcious looking food with greedy, hungry, eyes.
Thorax yawned and rubbed his eyes, “You ever wonder how Pinkie and Paprika can get whatever they need to get out of thin air?”
“Best not to think about that, Thorax, for the sake of your sanity.” Starlight chuckled as she cataloged the supplies with the Alpaca in mind now.
Gallus gritted his beak, “I don’t like the vibe that Alpaca gives off….”
Spike looked up at Gallus with a puzzled expression, “Why? She’s harmless.”
Gallus squinted suspiciously at Paprika, “She’s too nice and too bubbly for a creature that isn’t a pony….”
Spike’s expression dropped to an unimpressed glare, “Uh huh….”
Yona tilted her head at the new curiosity. Paprika vaguely reminded her of a Yak if it were severely malnourished and had no horns. Frankly, the only thing the two shared was their dense fur, which Yona could appreciate after being stared at during their stay at Griffinstone. She had heard more than one remark about her being ‘shaggy.’
“Weird packa-thing is nice. Yona is okay with it.” She sniffed and nodded in approval as if her wordwere final, stomping a hoof lightly.
Paprika looked over at the group of younger creatures and beckoned them over, “Well are you three going to just stand there, or do you want a sandwich!”
Spike quickly ran over, “Well, I’m not skipping out on a free sandwich!”
Gallus raised his claw to protest before groaning, quickly following suit to get himself a sandwich.
Paprika giggled, handing the young Drake and Griffin some sandwiches.
Yona wasn’t far behind, jumping to hurriedly greet the zany Alpaca, her short tail wagging in excitement, “Yona, never meet Alpaca before! Yona is Yak, Yona on Pilgrimage!”
Paprika picked up Yona, scooping her up as she lifted and carried the hulking Yak as if she was a tiny puppy, “A pilgrimage, wow! Your tribe LETS you explore with outsiders!? Sign me up!” she’d quickly spin around with Yona before placing her on the picnic blanket and placing a sandwich on a plate in front of the now dazed Yak.
Applejack whistled loudly as she alerted camp of lunchtime, “Alright, y’all soups on! Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Trixie, get your rear ends up before you go hungry!”
Rainbow would groggily groan and get up on her hooves, using the very tips of her wings to drag her through the air and over to the line for food. “Finally…”
Trixie exited one of the wagons, rubbing her eyes as she yawned. “I was starving… oh, hello, strange huggy creature.” she greeted Paprika rather dismissively, trying to stay out of her hugging range. The Alpaca saying nothing as she stared at the unicorn with a wide smile.
They waited a moment, but after a while, it seemed like Pinkie had yet to wake. Fluttershy stood up, “I’ll go check on her; she must have exhausted herself….”
Paprika giggled to herself as she pulled out more plates and bowls from her small picnic basket. Applejack couldn’t help but give the maiden an appreciative smile. At least they didn’t have to worry about dirtying up their dishes.
“So does anyone want a sandwich or some bread with their stew?” offered Paprika digging out a large bread loaf from her basket.
“Me!” Rainbow stuck her hoof up, her mouth already salivating, “Make it a hoof long– no, five hoof longs! With all the fixings!”
“Rainbow, don’t demand things from our guest! It’s just not polite,” Rarity admonished the pegasus, “A small sandwich would be lovely, dear.” smiled Rarity giving the Alpaca a flowery gaze.
Fluttershy finally returned with Pinkie Pie in tow as bowls were being filled. The earth pony still looked exhausted and, frankly, still asleep. Fluttershy carried her on her back and gently laid her down on the picnic blanket close to the fire.
“Pinkie refuses to get up, and she won’t tell me why,” Fluttershy said with concern, looking down at the sleeping party pony. Her face was blank save for the soft, slightly twitching smile on her lips. It looked as if she were having a deep dream.
“I y’know, I think Discord could probably figure out why.” chuckled Spike.
Starlight raised a brow at the young Drake as she scrutinized the new guest at their camp, “What, can there be only so much chaos going on at a time?”
“Yeah, basically.” shrugged Spike, sure he heard this information from the Lord of Chaos himself. Then again, Discord wasn't exactly known for telling the truth more rather for his over exaggerations...
Paprika snorted, “Who’s Discord?” the Alpaca peered over at Pinkie, examining the mare, pressing her hoof to her forehead, “Well, she isn’t sick!”
Gallus yawned, “No, but she did dance with, like, a dozen knights.”
The Alpaca giggled to herself, quickly pulling out the ingredients for a small cucumber sandwich and five hoof long sandwiches. Arranging the requests as she spoke, “Dancing is great cardio, and I’m sure any creature would be tuckered out after dancing with a dozen creatures!”
Paprika quickly slid the sandwiches over to the mares. Rarity gingerly took her small sandwich, “Oh thank you, Paprika, these look wonderful,” she’d side eye Rainbow Dash, “We’ll eat EVERY SINGLE BITE.”
“Oh yes, we don’t waste food around here,” Applejack said before taking a bite from her stew.
“Great!” beamed Paprika, devouring a whole head of lettuce in one large cartoonish bite.
Twilight blinked in awe at the sight before slowly chewing on her own sandwich, unable to look away. How was a creature able to devour an entire head of lettuce in under a minute? She was certain Spike and Starlight were right and thanked Celestia that she hadn’t woken up yet. After taking another bite of her sandwich, the flavor hit her tongue with a delectable intensity, and she began to chow down.
Rainbow Dash sighed contentedly before throwing a look at Rarity with a slightly smug smirk on her lips.
“Well, I hope she’ll be okay….” Fluttershy murmured before fetching herself a bowl of stew. “We should make sure we save her something to eat….”
Paprika tapped a hoof to her chin, “Don’t worry, I know how to wake her up!” The Alpaca quickly fished for something in her basket before shoving her entire head and neck in the small container. Rustling around, she finally retrieved a small glass jar filled with a white substance.
Starlight had several questions, a lot of which were of the horrifying and nightmarish variety.
“It’s Alpake smelling salts. It’ll take her right out of dreamland!” smiled Paprika before picking up Pinkie, popping the glass cork before airing the strong-smelling salt into the mare’s nose.
Spike slowly got behind Twilight as he wrapped his arm around her, peering around her waist, “Do you think Discord will show up once Pinkie AND Paprika get going?”
Applejack slowly slipped a few painkillers into her maul before taking a swig of water from her canteen, “At least Fluttershy will be happy with some familiar company….”
“I’m hoping he does, Discord might be the only creature that could stop them….” Twilight pushed the young Drake further behind her back, readying herself if she needed to put up a powerful shield. Just in case.
“I’m… I don’t think I’m hungry anymore….” Fluttershy squealed as she slowly scurried behind a wagon, only her large eyes peering out to watch.
Pinkie’s ears twitched before flopping left and right, her tail twitching madly before her eyelids fluttered open. She blinked before staring directly into Paprika’s eyes, looking entranced.
“Oooh, you’re pretty!” Pinkie giggled, coming nose to nose with the Alpaca. “What’s your name? Where are you from? OOOoooh, where’d you get that neat scarf?” She pointed to the blanket across her back.
“It’s so nice to meet a new friend! My name’s Pinkie Pie, but they probably already told you that, hehe!” The mare lurched forward before wrapping Paprika up in a hug that could rival hers.
“I’m gonna watch this from… way over there.” Rainbow grimaced and darted into the sky, breaking through a cloud layer and out of sight.
Paprika squeezed Pinkie in an iron bind, and onlookers swore they heard bone crunch and cartilage break. The Alpaca hopped off the picnic blanket to allow the terrified guests a meal with their show.
The pair landed a few yards away on a patch of grass, Paprika smattering the mare’s forehead with a loving kiss, “Mmmmmmmwuuah! I’m Paprika, thank you so much, you’re pretty too, I like your eyes! Is your wool naturally pink!? We make our blankets using our own wool!” Paprika squealed, spinning around with Pinkie Pie until the two resembled a pink and fluffy tornado.
Pinkie blushed playfully before grabbing Paprika, squeezing her tightly once more, and giving her a long kiss on the cheek in an attempt to match Paprika.
“Oooh, I like you!” she still hadn’t let go of the Alpaca, squeezing her even tighter as she swung Paprika around, shoving her face into the thick wool on her neck, “So soft!! No wonder you’d make it outta your own wool!”
Paprika giggled as she was swung around and around. It was as if two titans were testing the waters with each other in a competition to see who was the strongest and sweetest creature around. Starlight had already cast a shield spell on herself. There was a level of anxiety hanging in the air as the two playful creatures interacted. As if an unstoppable force met with another unstoppable force.
Giving Paprika one last good squeeze, Pinkie let her go, plopping her back to the ground, “Wool? Hehe, silly, ponies don’t have wool! But my mane and coat, yes, are natural.” Pinkie struck a pose as if she was emulating Rarity, flipping her poofy mane.
Paprika clapped happily at Pinkie, whistling loudly as she pulled a bouquet of roses from her wool, tossing it at the pony, “Gorgeous!” she’d quickly hop on her hooves and puff up her wool and shake. Like a dog just getting out of a summer shower.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Pinkie Pie; I’ll be your guide and friend until I can get you guys to Swallowtail. I’m sure your friends can explain the deal to you if they haven’t explained it to you already!” grinned Paprika.
Pinkie Pie giggled, “I think I got it. That’s great; we’re always happy to have new travel buddies! Ooh, we’ve already picked up Yona, Gallus, Starlight, Trixie, and Thorax! If we picked you up too, it would be six! Wouldn’t that be neat?”
“Oh, oh, and tell me everything about being an alpaca, and I’ll tell you everything about being a pony! Do you have cakes and cookies and ice cream and lollipops?” The party pony began to chatter away. It was nigh impossible to stop her now.
Spike let out a sigh of relief, “Maybe it’s like when two negatives make a positive? Like they level each other out by being so crazy.”
“Let’s hope,” gritted Starlight.
“I’m afraid we can only catalog the effects as they occur. It might be a delayed reaction or a build-up over time…” Twilight felt itchy all over; it just felt wrong to have two of them, “Just… be careful. Starlight, how long is that translation spell going to work?”
Starlight felt her throat swell up as she swallowed back a wad of spit, “F-Forever.” she whimpered.
“FOREVER!?” Applejack yelped, her mouth hanging open.
Starlight raised her hooves defensively, “I counteracted the unicorn’s spell. It was relatively simple; it was just a simple Confusion spell. All they did was make her forget how to speak Ponish, I guess!”
“... So we can just turn it off?” offered Spike.
Rarity gasped, “Spike! I would have expected better to think you’d suggest such an awful thing…!” Rarity looked over at the pair’s incessant rambling before wincing, “On second thought….”
Starlight rolled her eyes, “I’m not doing that, the spell I used was more like three spells, so it’d be pretty hard to reverse….”
“We’re not going to take away her ability to talk,” Twilight gave an unimpressed look to Rarity and Spike, raising an eyebrow, “I just hope those two don’t get into trouble… or make any.”
Paprika shook her head at Pinkie Pie, “Sorry, but my loyalties lay with The Alpake and cria…” she’d sniffle, her eyes burning with tears at the thought of her beloved cria, “I JUST MISS THOSE LITTLE GUYS SO MUCH!” she sobbed.
Pinkie’s smile turned into a big frown, turning to scoop the Alpaca up and hold her like a foal, rocking her back and forth. “Awww, it’s gonna be okay! You don’t gotta tell me about your cookies and cakes n’ stuff… please don’t cry! You’ll make me cry!” She stuck out her lower lip before giving her a smile.
“Ooh, wait, I know a way to turn your frown upside-down!” Pinkie seemed to disappear for a split second, leaving Paprika hanging in mid-air before returning in the blink of an eye. Throwing a bag of flour in the air, it landed on top of Pinkie’s head in an explosion of white powder, turning her pink coat white. “Taaaa-daaa! It always worked on the foals!”
Paprika laughed, quickly pulling a feather duster from her wool before cleaning off Pinkie till she was quite literally sparkling, “I’m sorry for getting so upset. Every time I think of the little ones and how I’m not…” her lip quivered as tears threatened to spill, the Alpaca swallowing back her sorrow with a smile, “W-What’s a lolipop ice cream cookie cake? I don’t think I ever had anything I didn’t forage or trade for that sounded like that.”
Pinkie stuck her lower lip once again, her eyes getting large. “No wonder you’re so sad! If I couldn’t go back home to Ponyville and make everypony happy, I’d be a mopey-dopey-pokey!” she gasped, “YOU’VE NEVER HAD A COOKIE?!”
She set the Alpaca down and ran back to the wagon, “Stay RIGHT there, missy!! I’m getting you so many sweets you’ll wonder how you’ve ever gone without ’em!!”
Twilight looked incredibly frightened then, “Maybe we should get to cover… I don’t want to see what happens when they’re BOTH on a sugar high….”
Applejack pressed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder, “Wait a second, I have an idea….” she’d whistled to Paprika, “Hey Sugarcube, you’re our guide, right!? Why don’t you pull the wagons with me!”
“Good thinking, Applejack. Might as well give them something to tire them out.” grinned Rarity.
Spike gently tugged on Twilight’s leg, “Be sure to cast a shield spell on me, yeah?”
Twilight let out a little sigh of relief, “It’s worth a shot, at least.” She looked down and whispered to Spike, “Already have the spell charged up.”
Paprika bounced over to the wagons, her legs scrambling around wildly as the Alpaca ran in place, “Sure, I can help; I guess we can get some dessert in after we head toward the caves, yeah?”
“Whaaaaaat?!” Pinkie skidded to a halt in front of the group, “But I just made caaaake!!” She displayed the delectable treat to everyone; it was a giant chocolate frosted cake with cookies shoved haphazardly into it at every side and angle. Apparently, she hadn’t thought of just crumbling it onto the cake.
“No, actually I just wanted Paprika to be able to experience the texture and consistency of the cookie, thank you very much!” Pinkie Pie shouted to no one in particular… Twilight stared at her, then quickly shook it off. Pinkie being Pinkie…
The party pony rolled her eyes at some unsee voice before turning to the others, “C’moooon, just one slice before we hit the road? Hmm, hmm? I know you wannaaaaa!!” She wiggled the treat in front of them tantalizingly.
Starlight rolled her eyes, “Pinkie, the plate is empty.” the mares eyes shrank, “Wait–”
Paprika licked her frosted and cookie-crumb-stained lips as she smacked her chops, “Wow, that was a really weird-tasting bread, or was it fruit? It was sweet like an apple but bready like bread!”
Applejack quickly pushed Paprika to the wagon’s hitch and tied her down, the Alpaca giggling to herself as she began vibrating, “I feel REALLY GOOD!”
The maiden’s eyes widen to the size of dinner plates as the sugar high dropped on the Alpaca like a bomb, “HOLY CHERRYCHALUPA, I FEEL LIKE I CAN FEEL THE SEAMS OF REALITY TEAR APART AS THE SPIRITUAL WORLD AND OUR PHYSICAL PLAIN COLLIDE IN UNISON IN A BEAUTIFUL CLASH OF THE MINDS EYE AND OUR REALITY!”
The maiden was somehow moving in frames as the wagon began to rush forward, “C’MON, I’LL SHOW YOU THE CAVES, THE CAVES, THE CAVES!” she laughed, “What a funny word!”
Applejack quickly scrambled after the wagons, “Wait, hold on, you got to wait for us!”
Pinkie grinned in excitement and hooked herself up to a wagon, “I like her spirit, c’mon girls!” She then proceeded to stuff a cake into her mouth and began plonking at a surprising speed after the sugar-infused Alpaca, “WAIT UP FOR MEEEE!!”
Twilight sighed, “Well, I guess we better get going....”
Stats
Page generated in 0.027 seconds
Total duration
995 users online
113,614 hits today, 1,996,409 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.®
Three guess which one Thorax is
What kind of creatures live in Swallowtail?
Don't jinx it Starlight
Wait a minute that must be paprika
sometimes we really wish that Pinkie Pie was not sick
Kind of figured that what happened specially language barrier
Hmm I mean that could be an interesting Theory when I was playing the story mode why paprika cannot talk that well I wonder if oleander was the one who took it and something tells me we'll probably see her soon
You have no idea although I do love her level 3 special move
Again Pinkie Pie and paprika will get along just fine
let the Mayhem begin
Man this is pretty chaotic and so many crazy things just happened so it looks like the others with the new edition Gallus joining with them and there are no way to the Swallowtail but apparently it's going to take them a little bit longer than it expected and they had a little delay because there was a creature kind of stopped them and it was alpaca and they could not understand what she's saying and she's been hugging and tickling everybody but luckily Starlight use her power to give her voice back and it turns out her name is paprika and she told them that a unicorn took her voice and Twilight was pretty outrage that somebody will do that to her and it looks like paprika knows a shortcut but it looks like the others are just resting first and getting to know each other which paprika can be a little bit much and speak it Up Too Much Pinkie Pie join into this madness and yeah I figured those two will get along just fine and it was crazy so they're on the way to the cave I wonder what else could happen I guess we'll find out next time and I wonder if we're going to see all those characters from them fightin herds