Tout, tout, through and about
The zebra walked among the familiar trees of her home forest. The ponies called it the Everfree, but she knew it only as 'forest'. There was no use in naming trees growing together, as there was no use in naming your own home garden. She had to pause for a moment, allowing her black-and-white fur to rest on a nearby oak tree and bit on the foaming leaves she'd been eating since morning. Together with the peppermints, the pain in her stomach was almost bearable, but not quite. A small retch tried to climb up her throat, but only a small taste of mint and bile burned at the back of her throat. The birds were quiet, only a lonely cuckoo counting the years of the living in the distance. It had been going on for a while, so the zebra knew she was safe for now. Maybe later she'd go warn the ponies, but there had to be a priority. If you couldn't be safe in your own home, then where? It was her haven, the place she was strongest. With every step she took, she could feel the pull in her abdomen as she went further into the forest, the distance between her and the tree-house she now called home.
The rare tree she was looking for was easy to find by smell alone. The distinct odor of its leaves was strong, and reminded the zebra of her drought-ridden homeland, where it was one of the only plants to stand tall when all the others perished around from lack of water. The small meadow opened around her, and standing tall in the morning sun, were the Mzimu-Mpira. The first time the zebra had seen these rare trees in her new home, she could hardly believe her eyes, let alone her nose. This tree wasn't supposed to grow all the way out here, but it thrived in this small area. The ponies didn't know what a treasure they had just a few miles from their small town. The meadow was filled with a buzzing sound, angry and primal. Large beetles had attached themselves to the white trees as they gnawed at the hard bark. The zebra carefully laid her hooves on the mossy ground, her vision swimming for a moment, but the feeling went away immediately as she took the final few steps into the shade of the pale leaves. She contemplated on resting for a while, but knew that this reprieve was only temporary. As long as she lacked the proper ingredients, there would be no rest for her.
Carefully, as not to disturb them, she watched the insects work. The primal sound of their buzzing was almost deafening this close as they gnawed and bored deeper. The white trees were covered in the small holes the beetles had drilled into them to get to the tasty sap inside. But it was not the sap or the bark that was the zebra's prize. Silently, she opened her saddlebags to bring forth a small earthenware jug and a wooden knife she'd carved from a branch of the rowan tree. The rowan was for healing and protection, after all; what better material to use for her current chore? Opening the jug, the nose-curdling smell of distilled cider wafted into her nose, making her eyes water. The zebra had to work fast so the strong concoction wouldn't drive the sensitive insects away. A quick glance at the cloudy sky was all she needed to find the direction that the sun was shining from. That was the side she would work on to get the richest haul. She approached one of the trees where a beetle was diligently gnawing away, on the correct side of the tree and low enough for her to reach it easily. Her forehooves held the jug tightly between her and the white tree and she started scraping at the bark underneath the insect with the knife in her mouth. The beetles had no idea how valuable the small pale flakes falling into the jug were.
She repeated the process, moving from tree to tree, carefully collecting the essence of Mzimu-Mpira, not even stopping to wipe the sweat from her brow that was slowly running down into her eyes and making them sting. When she had finished with the fifth tree, she stopped to look into the jug. Earlier the distillate had had a pale yellowish brown colour, but had now turned completely white, the colour of the trees around her. Giving a small bow and muttering a few choice words of gratitude to the spirits of the forest around her, she packed the jug away into her bags. The knife she threw into the woods, knowing it would not be usable any more.
Zecora tried to ignore the lurches of pain in her stomach as she began making her trek home, every step feeling easier than the last.
Rocks rained down onto the magical field sheltering the three ponies. It was still early morning, but with the sun blocked by the clouds of dust you could think the time was much earlier, the banks of gray clouds descending on them reminding them more of morning mist than daylight. When the unicorn mare finally deemed it safe, she lowered her protective spell.
"Nice work, Shorty," the muscular stallion carrying an image of a high-power drill on his flank said while giving the mare a leer.
"I TOLD you not to call me that!" the unicorn answered, her fiery mane reflecting her temperament. Her horn was already glowing with a similar color as she picked up a plank of wood from the ground nearby, making the stallion take a small step back.
"Miss Short Fuse, I must admit that seeing you work has been most educational," came the prim and proper voice of the third pony, interrupting the two workers before she got caught in the crossfire. The unicorn dropped the plank, but still kept looking at her so-called superior with a deep loathing in her eyes. The stallion for his part didn't even seem to notice, giving the older mare a practiced smile that was reserved for civilians who had decided that it would be a good idea to visit a demolition area without any forewarning. It was closely related to the smile he gave to anypony who asked for a day off, or worse yet, a raise.
"As you can see, Mrs. Mayor, everything is proceeding well on schedule. I believe we will be able to punch the first hole in the dam before the autumn rains make the reservoir flow over."
"I am sure that you will perform your job admirably, Mr. Tool."
The three turned to look at the granite behemoth looming over them. The Twilight Dam, as it had become known, was a marvel of magical engineering. It stood taller than the previous one, and the mayor had been informed that there was no way that it would ever burst like the previous one.
"It's a shame to blow it up though," the stallion said after a ponderous silence. "Your filly sure made a good job with it. Never thought somepony could make something like that all by herself."
"Yeah... except the idiot didn't know jack sh—"
"WHAT my esteemed demolitionist here is trying to say," the stallion quickly cut in. "Is that there are certain things that distinguish a hydroelectric dam from a sheer wall. That is to say, it requires outlets for the water to actually pass through it at a controlled rate and... you know... generators?"
"I read your report, Mr. Tool, and I'm sure you have everything under control here."
"So is the filly... that is to say... has she been, you know... sane lately?"
"I have been assured that Miss Sparkle is doing very well and has been abstaining from magic since the unfortunate... episode. She has been politely asked not to stray too far from the library until she is feeling better, and her assistant has been doing a magnificent job at running our valued library in the interim," Mayor Mare answered, reciting the litany by heart.
"Everypony here wishes her well and if you happen to have the chance, would you inform her that none of us hold any sort of grudge against her for throwing us into an inhospitable crevice filled with gigantic carnivorous monsters, rock slides, poisonous plants and, very specifically, cacti."
"It is my understanding that none of the members of your crew sustained any permanent injuries, and I have heard tell that the insurance company was more than generous with their compensation."
"Yeah they did. I even got myself a brand new gown for having a cactus shoved up my bu—"
"A gown? I didn't take you for the type to wear dresses," Power Tool quickly queried to quiet the mare. The stare he received made him regret the interruption, as the mare quickly closed the distance between them and rammed a forehoof painfully into the stallion's chest.
"What are you saying? That I'm not marely enough to wear a dress? Is that it? Am I too ugly and coltly? Huh? You got something to say to me, you chauvinist pig? You're just the kind of stallion that makes today's patriarchal society rotten to the core. It's because ponies like you that—"
"Patriarchal? We're ruled by two PRINCESSES for Celestia's sake. Mrs. Mayor here is a mare, and most of the construction crews I know are lead by a mare—"
"And it's just my luck to be stuck with a brother like you when I could be working in one of those 'mare-friendly discrimination free environments' instead of your sad excuse for a crew!"
"I should probably move along and let you return to your work," the mayor interjected. "It has been a pleasure, Mr. Tool, Miss Fuse." The mayor rapidly exited the scene, leaving the arguing pair behind her, only turning when she heard a stallion yelp from pain to see him holding his rump and the unicorn mare threatening him with a plank.
She wouldn't admit it openly of course, but the reason she left wasn't really about the quarreling siblings. Mayor Mare had brought a sizable pile of paperwork for her and the foreman to go through today, but she wasn't feeling well. She'd woken up in the small hours of the night, shivering, with cold sweat covering her from mane to hooves. The perspiration hadn't stopped since, and even now her usually smooth coat was covered in chilly moisture and the stone dust from the construction site had clung to it like glue. A cold shiver ran down her body as the autumn breeze blew over her, and she could only hope that she wasn't coming down with something.
"Here's your chocolatastic Canterlot-style muffin selection, Bon-Bon! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did making it!"
"Yeah, um... Thanks Pinkie." The pony turned around and placed the box on her back before turning away with slumped shoulders.
"Are you doing okay Bonny-Nonny? Seems like you're being all mopey-dopey today and Pinkie just can't have any of that in the Sugarcube Corner! If you don't leave here with a smile then my job's not finished!"
"I... It's not that. I... we kinda had a fight with Lyra in the morning and... well... I've been feeling bad about it ever since." Bon-Bon turned back to the counter. She didn't even have to lower her voice as she was the only customer in the bakery. Usually the place would be crowded by now, everypony coming over to pick up freshly baked goods for lunchtime.
"IWe have to fix this right away before you two start being all grudgy-mudgy grudgemuffins. They're the only sort of muffins I don't like one bit! And I usually LOVE muffins. Well not as much as Derpy but still they're one of my most favouritest treats, along with cupcakes of course. And danishes. And veggie wienerschnitzels! Isn't that the most funniest name for a pastry ever? Say it with me! Wienerschnitzel! Though they're not sugary at all so can you really call them treats anymore? So are they pastries, or just pasties?" during her tirade, she had circled the counter and was now firmly seated between Bon-Bon and the exit, and was now holding her chin in a ponderous manner.
"I really should go. Maybe I'll apologize to her later or something. I'm just not feeling too well. Just... please let me go."
"But you can't leave with a frown on your face!" Pinkie had gotten up and was now bouncing up and down, still blocking the other pony from leaving. "We have to fix things before they get worse, cos arguing with your friends is like... like hitting your head on a door! The more you do it, the more it hurts! So what if I come with you and we can go meet Lyra and you can make up and I'll throw you a 'Were not angry at each other anymore' party and—"
"MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!" Bon-Bon shouted, knocking the pink pony on her back in surprise. Without glancing back, she walked out of the door and slammed the door shut with a buck.
"But... I... wa-wait! Please! I just wanted to... to... " She felt a cold hollow growing inside her chest, not being able to get up from the floor.
"Pinkie? What's going on here? I heard shouting?" It was the sound of one of the co-owners of the Sugarcube Corner, and at time's Pinkie's guardian and friend, Mrs. Cake. She saw her pink underling sitting in the empty cafe, looking at the closed door in front of her. "PInkie? Dear are you alright?"
"She... she... she shouted at me and I just... I wanted to... " The usually perky pony turned to look at the sky blue mare with tears forming in her eyes.
Mrs. Cake sat down on the floor next to the pink pony and grabbed her in a hug. "Maybe she just had a bad day today."
"She said she'd had a fight with Lyra and I just wanted to make her feel better and... I couldn't do it! Maybe I can't make ponies happy any more."
"Shhhh," the older mare gently pulled the pink pony into a tighter embrace and gently whispered into her ear: "Sometimes ponies feel so bad that they say bad things to people when they don't mean it. Even to ponies that are just trying to help and haven't done anything bad. I'm sure she's feeling awfully bad about her fight with her friend, and when they get it all sorted out I'm sure she'll come back and you can be friends again. You tried to do your best and that is always enough."
"You... you really think so?"
"Of course, dear. Now why don't you come into the kitchen. I just finished a new batch of lemon-cinnamon-raisin muffins and I need a pony to taste them to make sure they're edible."
Pinkie seemed to regain her energy at the mention of baked goods and was almost back to bouncing around when they got to the treats.
"Now you just take a few of them and munch away while I put the bread in the oven, alright?"
"Yef Mfs. Cake!" Pinkie answered. "Thefe are delifiustaftic!"
"There's a good girl. Just try to remember not to talk with your mouth full."
Pinkie was already formulating a plan for her 'We're not fighting anymore' -party for herself and the two other mares, when Mrs. Cake called out.
"Would you look at that."
"What's wrong Mrs. Cake?" The pink pony tossed the last muffin into the air and swallowed it whole, before trotting over to the baker.
"Oh dear. I must be going senile or something. Looks like I forgot to put the yeast into the bread-dough. It hasn't risen a bit. Oh my."
"I'm positively surely sure that you did! Cos we were doing it together and you were showing me how to measure it in and you told me it was very important to get the amount right so the bread would rise and not taste all yeasty-bad."
"We did? But... Why didn't it rise then?"
Their musings were interrupted by a vigorous knock from the back door.
"Ooh! Ooh! I'll go get it! It must be Applejack with today's delivery!"
Pinkie happily bounced to the door, the thought of seeing her friend already clearing away the thoughts of the incident before and tackled the door wide open, knocking the Stetson hat off of her friend's head.
"Well y'all seem mighty lively today, Pinkie," The farmpony grumbled as she picked up her fallen headgear and dusted it off.
"It's just so fun to see a friend after a long time and when I heard you knocking I just jumpity-jump-jumped to the door and would you like a fresh-baked muffin that's just been baked?"
"Well, first of all, we just went to a picnic yesterday, so it ain't been so long. An' secondly Ahm sorry but there's a lot o' work at tha farm an' Ah ain't got too much time today."
"OOH! You're picking up all the tasty apples and then we can make apple pies and apple fritters and candyapples together!"
"We sure are. Here's yer eggs for today. Ah'll come again tomorrow to bring a fresh batch."
"Hello, Applejack," called the blue earth pony from the doorway. The sides of her mouth had started turning upwards from seeing her charge perk up.
"Well howdyado, ma'am." The orange mare pulled her hat down with a hoof in greeting. "Ah was just going tha leave for tha apple harvest. We've got a big job ahead of us today."
"I completely forgot the harvest!" Mrs. Cake said in a worried tone. "You shouldn't have come all the way here if you were busy. We could have come pick up the little we need today. "
"Ain't no problem, ma'am. Ah've been up since tha crack o' dawn an' having a trot here makes for a nice change o' pace. An' Ah can practice mah gallop on tha way back to warm up for all tha bucking." She accentuated the point by giving a small stretch with one of her hindlegs.
"Well if it's not a problem..." the baker continued as Pinkie happily picked up the up the basket of eggs and headed inside. "I'm sorry but... I thought I asked for both eggs and milk today?"
"Oh tha's right, almost forgot. There was a lil' mix-up at that farm and seems the milk somehow got spoiled."
"How is that even possible? Don't you milk the ladies every day?"
"That we do. Ah' can't figure out what happened, but as Ah was leaving to pick up the jug, it'd all gone sour as if it had stood for a week. Ah reckon Mooriella and the others have taken sick."
"Well be sure to tell them to get better soon," the older pony said in a concerned voice.
"Ah'll be sure to do just that, ma'am. Now Ah really gotta run."
"Thank you, Miss Applejack," the baker said. She remained at the door, looking after the running orange pony, her blond ponytail swishing in the wind as she pushed her head down to stop her hat from escaping. Mrs. Cake just shook her head. "I just hope she doesn't work too hard."
When she got inside, Pinkie was already hard at work preparing the baking trays for the next batch of pastries.
"Pinkie, could you pick up the rest of the milk from yesterday? The ladies at the farm have been feeling off so no fresh milk today."
"Okie-Dokie-Loki!" the bouncing pony answered as she hopped over to the pantry, and soon returned with the handle of the half-filled milk jug between her teeth. "It smells weird though."
"Let me see," the baker answered as she peered into the container. The familiar but unwelcome odor of spoiled dairy greeted her nose. "Oh, my."
The zebra had gotten back home. The awful feeling in her stomach was still there, but only as a slight nuisance. She set the earthenware jug on her workbench before grabbing a few empty cups and heading back out. Hidden behind thick branches of poison oak and other, even more vile brambles, impossible to find or even get near without getting stung with a dozen thorns and briars. was one of the most well-kept and diverse gardens in Equestria. Only a handful of ponies knew about it, and they'd sworn to keep it secret. And what made the garden special was that all of the plants were somehow useful, either in potions, or on their own. Chamomille, kanna, calendula, valerian, goldenseal, all growing in neat rows in their own neat little mounds. Every day she worked for several hours there, cultivating, watering, removing weeds, and of course, singing to them. Everyzebra knew that talking and singing to plants made them grow better, after all.
Today had been different. Since morning she had been feeling a growling emptiness in her abdomen. It was not of hunger, but something far worse. It was something she'd felt often in her native land of Zebrica, but this had been the first time it had happened in Equestria. It was also the reason she'd left her native home and traveled thousands of miles to get away from it all. The zebra had hoped against all odds that she was only feeling sick, that she had maybe caught some nasty stomach disease.
She had tried to start the day like every other day, by grabbing a few tools and heading into the garden. There she'd found one of her most favoured plants, all shriveled and dried overnight. Next to it had been a modest flower with light blue flowers. Now the flowers were the colour of coal, the surest sign she could look for. Almost in panic she had left for the meadow of the white trees.
Now she was back. She picked the blackened flowers into one of the cups and leaves from the dry brush, and returned inside. A few thing branches were all she needed to get a fire burning in the fireplace in the middle of her hut. The flames sputtered and a sickly blue flame grew to blaze instead of the warming red and yellow that was supposed to appear. The zebra reared back in disgust, quickly grabbing a mouthful of rusty nails from a jar on her shelf and cast then into the fire. After a minute, the blue colour vanished, releasing a cloud of vile blueish smoke, and she could continue. Instead of her cast-iron cauldron she took the clay jar she'd filled earlier and placed it on a small tripod on the fire. The zebra diligently ground the flowers and the leaves in a mortar, only cringing slightly as the strong scent of the leaves snuck into her nostrils.
In her boutique, Rarity found all her needles had become blunt
While tending to her animals, Fluttershy spied several swarms of bees flying away from the town and into the forest.
Vinyl Scratch woke up to a cracking sound coming from her bathroom. Inside, her mirror had cracked cleanly into three parts, and every part into three again and again, reflecting her face through a broken spiderweb of glass.
A napping rainbow-maned pegasus was abruptly woken, as a swarm of ninety-nine ravens circled the town, each of them cawing three times, before dispersing into all directions.
And in the town of Ponyville, among it all, a pale blue flame blazed inside the Golden Oaks Library. It did not burn the house, but illuminated the rows of books and scrolls on the bookcases, dying them in unnatural colours. The front door of the library burst open, and a pale unicorn dashed out, her coat the colour of white ash. There was no mane on her head, only a billowing flame that trailed after her, the colour of sickly blue. Her coat was adorned by a twin six-pointed starburst with smaller stars surrounding it. On her back was riding a small dragon, and overhead flew a mythical firebird, his wings trailing the same blue fire as the unicorn's mane below. All around them, the lanterns of the town alighted in supernatural fire, the bright blue flame spreading in all directions. Even in the middle of the cloudy autumn day, the pegasi in the sky could see the fires forming a five-pointed star, centered on the library.
"WHERE IS SHE!?" shouted the blazing unicorn. "WHERE IS PRINCESS LUNA?!"
Inside her hut, the zebra was gently stirring the mixture. She'd added all the ingredients, and now the only thing left was to wait. And sing.
"Shellac of Ghost Gum, dry leaves of Rue.
Flowers of Hyssop, black and not blue.
Mixed in jar of hardened earth
Boiled in the safety of your own hearth
Painted on the portals of your own home
Inside you are safe, outside do not roam
Ward from black magic, from snakecraft
To protect from evil, a dire draught
Stay inside, do not speak, do not shout.
For in your land, a witch is about"
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FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
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Sorry for the heavy moderation. I will delete all replies that contain story spoilers I find, whatever else they contain. Please don't spoil the story to others, just enjoy.
This is a sequel to my first Dark fiction, Twidark. Unfortunately this is not written in such a way that a new reader could just dive in.
All criticism, positive and negative feedback, praise and ego-bursting is all very welcome, and even expected. Should you find enough time to write a few words in the comments, I'd ask you to leave a few lines about the story itself, what worked for you, what felt off, anything.
Also a great many thanks for Tyrni and CandyQuill for the beautiful cover art commission. Find the link to their tumblr below the image.
Keep going, you have my attention.
you deleted my "extremely" thought out comment?
...oh well...cdn.broni.es/images/emotes/mlp-pshrug.png
great first chapter, a little confusing up until the very last sentence. i wonder how twi fits in with all of this...
1583150 I tried answering you to change it so there wouldn't be spoilers, but when it got through moderation I had to. I HAD TO! I'M SO SOWWY!
1583159
don't worry about it, didn't exactly lose something
1583167 *sniff* Are... are you sure? You're not angry at me or anything?
1583175
no, im not angry, everything is fine *awkward pat on the back*
Sequel? I like that word, sequels are good. Fav'd and upvoted, because I really want to know what'll happen next!
I had to get an account just to comment on this.
AMAZINGFUL!
MOAR
1584452 Yeah many people asked me to continue Twidark, either in comments and PM:s. And it's a story that still has a lot to give, so grab your nuts (the salty kind), lean back and enjoy the ride.
1584973 Then let me be the first one to welcome you to FIMfiction. Drugs are on the left, hoes are on the right, so if you need to get some aspirin or do some gardening, you've come to the right place. Oh and thanks for the praise too.
1585010 I have read so many sad/scary fanfics within the last 30 seconds my lower jaw is now quivering.
1585128 Oh you poor thing. Go read something nicer, like
Ice Cube
or
Pipsqueak
You can't stay sad with those two. Also several fics in 30 secs? Damn you're good.
You have my attention. This is looking to be very interesting. Question though. Any more elderic horrors drifting about in this one? Ponythulu perhaps?
1585928 Ponythulhu, schmonythulhu. What you should really be afraid is Yarnthulhu, the enemy of all who try making sweaters! It captures little fillies in it's grasp, and if you weave clothes from it, they shall twist and turn the dimensions until anyone who sees them shall fall insane from the twisted seven-dimensional geometry.
1587339 Seems legit
1587458 It's from another great fic. Check out Scootamom if you haven't already. It's AU, but fun as heck.
1585168 Yeah... thanks. Right now, I think I feel content with playing MLP on my iPhone
please please please post the next chapter soon!
1633818 The next chapter and the fate of the story is kinda dim at the moment. For more info, check out my blog posts. TLDR: Flu and depressed about stuff.