Snooty Deign, a grumpy mare residing in Ponyville, finds herself in a deep and disastrous scenario that may endanger the entire town.
In the bright and peaceful town of Ponyville, lives a mare who doesn't seem to fit in whatsoever. Snooty Deign is a really miserable and grumpy unicorn, living with her Pegasus roommate, Pet Peeves. Although her other friends try to cheer her up such as: Dexie Canvas, an artistic Earth mare; Media Mod, a young unicorn obsessed with Twilight, Daft Domino, a male counterpart to Pinkie, and Bond Remedy, an unemployed earth pony; Snooty won't have any of it.
It is until one day, deep in Pet Peeves household, does danger lurk. It only took one night for things to go terribly wrong, and it's up to Twilight and her friends to stop what could potentially be a new threat to Ponyville.
I’ve always been told by my grandparents to “Never underestimate one’s resolve.” and I stand firmly behind that phrase. You could almost say it’s a family motto, and because of it, we always see great potential in everypony we meet. It doesn’t matter if one is incapable of one thing or the other, somehow somepony makes it through and in the end are the victors among the defeated.
This story I’m going to tell you is a great example of that quote, both as a moral, as well as individually for everypony in this tale. Because “To never underestimate one’s resolve” can work for, not just one pony, but for a group if they stick together and endure the hardships they encounter. The story I’m about to tell holds this moral, so pay attention, as it’s an important lesson that a group of friends have learned to cherish after the initial problems that’s led to Pet Peeve’s scenario.
The main character/heroine of this story… isn‘t what you‘d think she is. Snooty Deign is not what anypony would think of when they are told to imagine a heroine, or a main character. Snooty is exactly what her name implies, she’s arrogant, condescending, egotistical, and quite frankly a snob. One couldn’t possibly be around Snooty long enough before they become snooty or miserable themselves. To have the endurance and patience to accept Snooty for who she is, is a feat in itself. And Rarity is one of those ponies.
“What kind of treatment should we ask for today, darling?” Rarity asks Snooty, as she reaches for her coin purse at the front desk of the Ponyville Day Spa. Rarity has learned that variation with Snooty helps keeps things interesting, and that taking “the usual” can leave Snooty a lot more miserable than Rarity can handle.
“I suppose the ‘Sweet Ginger & Milk Body Glow” service sounds alright…” Snooty thinks aloud as she scans the entirely of the menu. Rarity smiles and rolls her eyes. Every visit, Snooty spends about fifteen to twenty minutes choosing from the menu, which hardly charges in the first place. One would have to wonder why the services Snooty chooses are always different, considering the purpose of each treatment.
“The Sweet Ginger & Milk Body Glow is lovely.” pipes Lotus Blossom, one of the spa ponies who runs the place. “For an hour, you get a thorough body wash, scrub, a warm milk treatment with grape seed body oils from far away lands!” Lotus almost blushes at the mention of the treatment. Rarity could almost tell that the service has to be good, if the spa staff themselves wish for it.
“…So where’s the ‘Sweet Ginger’?” Snooty chimes, as she angrily stares at Lotus. “What do you mean THOROUGH body wash? From where does these grape seed body oils come from?!” Snooty speaks in a neutral but demanding tone, as Lotus’ smile and peaceful starts to quickly fade into hesitation and confusion.
“Oh… well… after the bath the mane starts to…” Lotus tries to clear her throat, but Snooty eyes could pierce anypony’s psyche.
“I don’t care, the service is false advertising. How many people have taken this service, only to find that they’re not really getting what they paid for? How much is this anyway?”
“… it’s um…” Lotus gulps loudly. As she looks down into her book, she finds that the price is reasonable… to a Canterlot citizen. “140 bits…”
“Of course it is!” Snooty raves as she starts to stomp out of the building. “C’mon Rarity, let’s go.” Rarity glances at Lotus, who is red in the face. Rarity apologizes for Snooty’s behaviour, and quickly follows after Snooty outside of the Spa.
“Snooty, darling. You could have just chosen one of the other… more reasonably priced treatments.” Rarity almost chokes on her words. The spa’s services are usually that expensive, but never unfairly so. Rarity and Snooty have been frequent customers at the Ponyville Day Spa for at least 6 months. But for Snooty to suddenly rant about their pricing isn’t uncommon. “Maybe we can come back tomorrow, when you’re more in the mood. Perhaps we can go to the café and have a cup of tea?”
“More overpriced services, I’m tired of it. I think I’m just going to go home.”
Snooty trots off down the street, as Rarity looks on in disappointment. But she’s not going to let Snooty ruin her day. “She probably just needs to let off some steam” Rarity assumes, as she turns towards the spa. The ‘Sweet Ginger & Milk Body Glow’ treatment rather does sound lovely.
Snooty walks down the street, sneering at anypony that catches her glances. Despite the clouds only sparsely covering the sky, with the sun shining bright, this just isn’t Snooty Deign’s day.
Snooty glimpses an earth pony with a light brown coat and dark brown mane with orange highlights skipping happily towards the art store with a bunny on her back, calmly picking it‘s teeth of carrots with a twig. Bags packed with paper and an assortment of other materials burden the pony, but she sees Snooty and smiles, changing her path and walks towards her.
“Hey Snooty! Wonderful day, isn’t it?” hums Dexie Canvas. “I was just about to take Angel here to the art store and grab some supplies. Would you like to help me?”
Dexie Canvas and Snooty, as you can probably guess, are friends. But with Snooty, it’s never really that simple. Snooty could probably consider Dexie a friend, but couldn’t really say it without looking elsewhere other than straight into somepony’s eyes. Dexie and Snooty only know each other through a group of friends they occasionally get together with.
“Dexie… why are you taking Angel shopping for art supplies? Where is Fluttershy?” Snooty only vaguely remembers that Dexie is doing some work for Fluttershy, but it only just narrowly escapes Snooty’s train of thought.
“I told you yesterday, Snoots.” Dexie sighs. “Fluttershy wants me to baby-sit and tutor Angel while she goes grocery shopping. Have you seen the art Angel has made lately?” Dexie unhinges her bags and sticks her nuzzle inside while Angel gives Snooty a judgemental look. Angel and Snooty, from past occurrences, never got along. While Snooty and Angel exchange mean looks, a piece of paper with colourful crayon drawings interrupt Snooty’s view.
“Angel drew this just this morning!” Dexie proclaims as she holds up a piece of parchment with a drawing of Angel and Fluttershy. It’s rather rough, but from what one could see, it looks like Angel is riding Fluttershy atop a throne, being fed an assortment of vegetables from birds.
“I suppose that’s…nice.” Snooty scoffs. “The proportions though are all wrong, and the colours aren’t correct, especially for the throne. Also Fluttershy’s hair doesn’t work like that.”
Dexie’s expression shoots from cheerfulness into disdain. “So? Angel is only a bunny. He doesn’t have the skills and experience that you or I possess.” Snooty glances to Angel, who gives the same expression, but flicking the twig towards her. It isn’t unknown that Snooty can paint, and in the past has worked with Dexie amongst some other ponies in town with some art projects, such as murals and posters regarding events. But Snooty has always critiqued whatever artwork happens upon her, and doesn’t hesitate to give her ‘feedback’ for any to hear.
“Would it kill you to say something ‘positive’ about it?” questions Dexie, as she hands the paper to Snooty. Snooty smiles sarcastically, and scans the paper, squinting and sniffing all the while.
“Well… I SUPPOSE the birds are nicely drawn… and I can at least understand what’s even going on in this… scene.” Snooty looks at Angel for some kind of approval, receiving no such. Dexie grabs the paper from Snooty.
“Look, if you can’t say something nice about it, then I’ll just take it back.” Dexie packs the artwork back into pack, and starts to set off, signalling Angel. “I suppose I’ll see ya later.” Snooty hasn’t the slightest idea what’s gotten into Dexie, as she leaves with her head lower than before. “Probably Angel.” Snooty bets. “What a spoiled little thing.”
Snooty continues down the street, but has no intention of going home. It’s only just after 2pm, according to the Sun in the sky. Snooty considers what she can do until she has to go home for dinner, when she remembers about a book she’s been hoping to find a couple days ago.
Snooty enters the Library, where she is greeted by Spike.
“Hey Spike… how’s it going?” Snooty sputters. Snooty isn’t fond of Spike, and won’t admit that she’s only a LITTLE BIT scared of Dragons. Spike smiles, mischievously. Spike suddenly burps a large green flame to reveal a letter for Twilight presumably. Snooty jumps back, and falls on her plot, dazed.
“Much better now!” Spike giggles. “Twilight is just over there… dealing with Media.”
Spike is talking about Media Mod, a unicorn with an yellow-orange coat and a black mane. Just as much as Spike’s crush for Rarity is no secret in Ponyville, the same can be said for Media Mod’s crush on Twilight Sparkle. Snooty looks over to see Media helping stack books, while Twilight reads off a list out loud. Media doesn’t stop looking at Twilight.
“Oh, Hello there!” welcomes Twilight. “How can I help you?” Snooty notices Media signalling to her, clearly telling her to go away.
“I was… looking for a…um…” Media is really distracting, even Spike is holding his hips in disbelief. Twilight knows exactly what’s going on, and her worried look in her eyes says everything.
“Here! Let me see what I can do for you. Media, you’ve been a great help, why don’t you go help Spike reorganize the books in the Historical-Fiction section?” Twilight gives Media a look, and with wobbly legs, Media shuffles over to the other side of the Library, shortly followed by Spike.
“Thank Celestia, that colt is unavoidable. Thankfully Rarity has taught me a few things.” Twilight giggles, as she walks with Snooty towards a nearby desk. The desk soon organizes from a pile of papers to neat stacks with Twilight’s magic. “Now, how can I help you?”
“Media is still bothering you, huh? Will colts ever learn?” Snooty scolds, as she witnesses Twilight’s Magic, swirling feathered pens, books, and notes all around the Library. “I’m looking for a book on Philosophy. Most notably documentation by Fran Bake.” Just then, a loud gasp is heard, likely Spike, followed by the falling of books.
“I got this, Twilight! Don’t worry! I can handle this!” exclaims Media, as a series of bumps and bashes, oofs and ouches, can be heard from across the room. Twilight shakes her head. “Why did I agree to let him help…”
“Ahem.” Snooty urges. “Fran Bake?”
“Ah yes, Fran Bake! What a fascinating philosopher. Established inductive reasoning for scientific methods.”
“Yes, I’m well aware…”
“The father of empiricism, the theory of knowledge coming from sensory experience.” Twilight interrupts.
“Yes, yes, now about that book…”
“Did you know that he was both an Attorney General AND a Lord Chancellor at some point? Most notably in…”
“YES, I’M WELL AWARE OF THE LIFE OF FRAN BAKE.” shouts Snooty. Twilight looks surprised, but smiles.
“Hehe… sorry. I got carried away I suppose. I wasn’t aware of your knowledge on Fran Bake. Let me see what I can find.” Books start flying out of various shelves, and into alphabetical order in front of Snooty and Twilight. Twilight starts reading each book title out loud. Some of the books before them almost have nothing to do with Philosophy.
“What’s with the other books? I wanted Philosophy related…” Snooty snaps, as she gives odd looks to books regarding Ancient History and Shake Speare.
“Oh… sorry” Twilight replies. “These are books with sections relating to his history, as well as some that quote him. I’ll be less specific I suppose.” Several of the books, among a few others are put away, some of which, Snooty sees, as being the books she’s looking for.
“Don’t put those away.”
“Which ones?”
“The ones over there.”
“These?” The very books Snooty didn’t want are laid out before her. Snooty starts snorting impatiently.
“NO. The ones you put in the top shelf over there. I want the ones regarding the philosophy, not this history crap.” Snooty frowns. Twilight gives her a serious look.
“Please, be more clear and patient. Do you have a name for the book you’re looking for?” Twilight takes note on the books Snooty doesn’t want, but the slight shaking of her pen from writing is noticed by Snooty.
“Fran Bake. Anything regarding his philosophy. I don’t have a name, I just want a book either about, or by him.” Snooty starts to get urgent, almost demanding the books. Twilight maintains her composure, and in silence, fetches 3 books for Snooty. Snooty looks at all 3 books, while Twilight looks on, hoping something is chosen.
“These won’t do. I’ve already read them.” Snooty snaps. She waves the books furiously away. “Don’t you have anything else?”
“I’m afraid we don’t…” Twilight nervously states. “Our library is very limited… maybe you can find what you’re looking for in Canterlot?” Snooty immediately gasps.
“You do realize how far away that is.” sneers Snooty. “You know, not all of us can fly, or simply TELEPORT there.” Snooty doesn’t regret a thing she says, and ignores the angry looks Twilight gives her.
“If you can’t be understanding, and calm down, I’m going to have to ask you to leave. The book you are looking for is not here.” Twilight sternly replies.
Snooty boils to the response. In her anger, she flips the table, and angrily leaves, slamming the door behind her. Twilight almost completely loses it, when she suddenly stops and slowly turns around towards Spike and Media.
“Media.” Twilight says ever so calmly, but with a hint of rigged dynamite behind it. “Thanks for the help. Can you please leave, I need to have some time alone.”
Media doesn’t dare contend against Twilight, as he quickly bows and leaves the Library. As he closes the door softly, he turns to see Snooty roughly digging at the ground her with hooves.
“WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?” booms Media. “I won’t get to see her for another two days!” How Media knows that, I’m sure no one would like to know.
“You’re pathetic, you know that?” Snooty laughs. “It amazes me, really, it does.” Snooty starts to walk around, but finds she is swiftly followed by an angry Media.
“Well then, why don’t you help me? Give me some advice or something. I’ve tried everything.” Media complains. Of course, he’s tried everything a colt could possibly come up with. Little does Media really know, Twilight is well aware of his crush towards her. But Media takes whatever hint or gesture Twilight gives as a sign of something that isn’t really there.
“She’s just using you now, like a dog. This is quality entertainment.” Snooty remarks, as she starts cheering up a bit. Media starts to blush.
“She is not, I’m no slave. Maybe to love… or something.” Media realizes what he just said when he sees Snooty on her back laughing.
“What do you know? You’ve never been in love. This is serious, Snoots!” But Media can’t reach her. Snooty is crying at this point. Media then storms off as Snooty finishes her laughing fit. Snooty gets up to find that Media is too far to catch up with. Her stomach starts to rumble.
“Oh that’s right… I didn’t really eat lunch today.” Snooty remembers, as she decides a little snack would cheer her up more. She starts to saunter towards Sugar Cube Corner.
Snooty arrives at Sugar Cube Corner to find a small crowd sparsely gathered around the building. Thankfully there is no need to wonder what’s happening beyond the crowd, as the attention is towards the roof, where a hot air balloon appears to have crash landed. Two heads poke out of the fabric.
“That was… AMAZING!” shouts Pinkie Pie excitedly. “Let’s do it again!” The other pony, beside Pinkie, is a white coated unicorn with a black and white mane.
“What has Daft Domino done this time…” someone in the crowd sighs. Everyone else hums in combined worry and wonder. Daft Domino and Pinkie Pie have only become partners in practical-pranking-crime since a week ago, and the two have been infamously causing harmless trouble in Ponyville since. Until today that is.
“Did I mention that I have no idea how to fly a hot air balloon?” remarks Daft, who scratches his head, smiling. The two laugh, unaware of the gathering of people around the store.
“Daft!” a voice yells. “What did you do now?!” The voice has a slight shrill to it, as a cyan earth pony with puffy pink hair runs out of the building. Mr. Cake, just as angry, is right behind her.
“UUUUUUMMMMMMMMMM…” shouts Daft, who feels he must shout such an answer. The next thing anypony sees, is Daft climbing through the top window along with Pinkie Pie.
“Daft! Pinkie! Get back out here, before I drag you out!” as Mrs. And Mr. Cake wait impatiently, Snooty looks to her left and right to find Daft and Pinkie eating cupcakes earnestly looking to see what’s going on. No one has noticed except for Snooty.
“You guys are ridiculous.” whispers Snooty, as Daft and Pinkie try to contain their laughter. “You guys can’t possibly get away with this. You know how much damage this probably cost?”
“Oh, relax Snooty.” Pinkie casually walks with Daft away from the scene. Snooty soon follows. “Look how much attention the shop is getting now!”
“Exactly! Just as we planned.” says Daft, who took a quicker step then usual. Snooty takes that as one of the many signs that what Daft says is a lie. You could say he’s compulsive, but it’s always in a joking manner.
“I don’t think you guys understand. The other times have mostly been forgivable, but this is absurd. Go back and apologize!” Snooty demands. Daft and Pinkie look at Snooty, then at each other.
“Oh alright.” Pinkie complains. “I suppose I’ll see ya later Daft.” Pinkie trots away humming towards the crowd.
“Well?” Snooty asks angrily. “You’re responsible too ya know.” Snooty gives Daft a serious and angry look, much like a parent.
“Well… not exactly.” Daft responds. “It wasn’t my idea this time.” Snooty notices Daft’s attitude entirely changed. He must be telling the truth. Daft starts to walk away while Snooty walks alongside him.
“Pinkie had this idea to hang a hot air balloon over Sugar Cube Corner as a promotional advertisement to encourage people to buy her exclusive brand of cupcakes. She asked me for help, and I agreed.” explained Daft, under his breath. “We were able to rent a hot air balloon, and were on our way until Pinkie had a crazy idea!”
“And that was?” Snooty asked, annoyed but curious.
“Well… she wanted to hang off the edge of the balloon by a rope with a megaphone, to attract attention. At the time, it made sense.” smiles Daft. “But I had no idea how to fly the hot air balloon, so we crashed.” Daft grins. One thing Snooty knows about Daft Domino, is that he never frowns.
“What a story.” Snooty replies. “But it still was your fault, for going along with this crazy plan, and for crashing the balloon.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. Hopefully I’m not in too much trouble. I’ll give Mr. and Mrs. Cake time before I come back and help fix the mess.” Daft walks off, while Snooty stays put. It was quite a shock to Snooty to see Daft this mature. A majority of the pranks and schemes both Pinkie and Daft do are mainly Daft’s influence on Pinkie. Snooty thinks that Daft has learned that lesson this time, so Snooty decides to leave Daft be.
It soon starts to get late by the time Snooty makes it to the suburbs of Ponyville, when she finds two ponies talking loudly behind her. Snooty decides to ignore the ponies and kept walking at a brisk pace until she starts to realize they’ve gotten quiet. As she walks past a lamppost that hasn’t been lit for quite some time, she gets more nervous, as the clopping of hooves behind her start to get louder and louder.
Snooty quickly behinds to rear up, ready to kick whoever is following her, until she looks behind her to see none other than Applejack and Bond Remedy.
“What are you guys doing!?” Snooty exclaims. “Real smart to closely follow a mare this late at night.”
“That’s the question isn’t it?” slurs Bond, as he struggles to hold up Applejack, who does the same. “What’s a mare like you doing, walking the streets all by herself this late at night?”
“You oughta have a partner with ya.” responds Applejack, who hiccups a bit. “ Can be dangerous round these parts. Especially in a ’dangerous’ town such as Ponyville!” Applejack and Bond guffaws as they brush past Snooty into the distance, leaving Snooty behind.
“Drunks. Like they could even handle themselves in such a condition.” Snooty thinks aloud. “Why does Applejack even drink with Bond Remedy anyway? Don’t they both have work in the morning?”
Little does Snooty remember, that Bond actually works for Applejack at the moment, temporarily. Bond Remedy did some contract work for Sweet Apple Acres as part of a career agency that’s been helping him find work. Before then, Bond used to be a pharmacist, but with the pay and hours he was receiving, and the lack of need for such a occupation in Ponyville, Bond decided to move on with his life to do different kinds of work.
“I’ll catch up with ya later, Snoots!” Snooty hears from ahead in the distance. Snooty acknowledges and continues to her modest abode, where she finds the lights upstairs are on.
Snooty enters her home to her relief. It’s been a long day, despite Snooty being unemployed. She wipes her hooves on the front mat, and wanders into the kitchen, where she opens the pantry to see what’s available. It’s almost barren of any nourishment.
The kitchen of Snooty’s home is usually void of food. Not because she eats it all, but because she can’t be bothered to go grocery shopping, and usually eats out. But when there is food, it’s not usually up to her to make it. Snooty walks upstairs to find the door to her roommate’s room closed. She knocks on the door, twice.
“Yeah?” a voice is heard. “Come in, or whatever.” Snooty opens the door to find Pet Peeves, earnestly writing on some parchment with a dog at his feet. The dog perks her ears up and angrily barks at Snooty.
“I see you still hate me for last time, Lupa.” Snooty indicates. “What about you? Forgiven me yet?” Pet Peeves’ eyes don’t leave his paper.
“You never apologized in the first place, for kicking my dog.” He snaps. “Don’t expect my dog to forgive you most of all.”
“I didn’t kick your damn dog. She was lounging on the stairs and I tripped over her!” Snooty gives Lupa an annoyed look. “What‘s gotten into you lately... Your dog as well. Both of you have been weird lately”
“Me? I‘m fine, but you‘re right about Lupa…” responds Peeves. “I took her to the vet earlier today and I‘ve been told that she‘s not sick or anything.” Pet Peeves looks at Lupa, who hasn't lost sight of Snooty. No one entirely knows which breed of dog Lupa is, as Peeves found her wandering around the Everfree Forest, and eventually to his backyard. The two have been inseparable since. Despite Lupa’s dominant behaviour, and anger issues, Peeves always assures everyone that she can be very submissive and friendly. But as far as Snooty is concerned, this wasn't Lupa.
“Well… do something about it, or else I will.” Snooty replies, but Lupa assures her it’s not a good idea.
“Yea, sure. I‘ll get right on that.”
“Whatever.” she snorts. “Going to bed. Try to be a little more quiet tonight, unlike last time.”
“Wait, what? What are you-” Snooty slams the door.
When Pet Peeves isn’t in his room, doing whatever he does, he does what any other pony would do. But no matter what, he’ll always annoy Snooty somehow. This includes cooking for the two of them, bathing and washing of clothes, going shopping for necessities, yet somehow Peeves has maintained his patience, almost more than Rarity can for Snooty.
“What is his deal anyway.” Snooty considers. “If it wasn’t for that dog and his dumb noises at night, I would have had a pleasant day I bet. I wish I took that spa treatment after all.” Snooty enters her room, and slumps down on her bed.
“I’m exhausted.” Snooty closes her eyes. Rarely does she go to sleep before Peeves does, but the night before, neither of them could barely sleep.
“…Parents should have called him ‘Pain-in-the-Ass…” Snooty mutters as she drifts off to sleep. A few minutes later, the lights in the house turn off thanks to Peeves. As he walks up the stairs after putting Lupa to bed in her cage, he sees Snooty passed out on her bed. He gives her a frustrated, yet confused look, before he turns to look towards the kitchen downstairs,
“What is going on?” Peeves walks towards his door, with each step on the floor heavier, and heavier. The door closes silently, and a soft murmuring can be heard from downstairs, where a dog starts to whimper.
The sun shone through brightly outside Ponyville, where a dog’s fur glimmered and a tortoise’s shell shone. Where a baby alligators’ blank, expressionless stare sparkled and an owl’s head spun round and around. A snow-white cat is grooming itself, while a bunny is busy chewing on a carrot when off in the distance, a messy and sick creature approaches holding the leash for an anxious and panting Lupa.
“Pet Peeves!” shouts Twilight, waving her hooves, calling the grey colt over. “Glad you could make it!” Peeves only mumbles under his breath, as he’s pulled towards the group thanks to his dog’s energy and excitement. Eventually they make it, in what appears to be a wonderful embrace between Lupa and Winona shortly followed by the sniffing of behinds. Pet Peeves let’s go of the leash, and allows Lupa to run free amongst the animals, despite some past circumstances.
“You look… lovely!” chimes in Rarity after a moment of silence. Peeves smiles as best as he could, but only seems to look snide in his attempt. He opens up a small pack and takes out a sandwich.
“Oh you didn’t need to bring food Peeves,” says Twilight. “Rarity made a huge batch of fruit salad for all of us!” Rarity happily drops the large bowl out onto the picnic sheet, and removes the covering. The smell of strawberries, kiwis and bananas fill the air, while the ponies all lift their noses, in utter bliss. All except for Peeves, who yawns.
“You don’t seem so well… Peeves.” Fluttershy remarks softly. Fluttershy doesn’t know Peeves as well as everyone else, but that’s no reason to be ignorant to his current condition. “Are you sick?”
“Sorry everyone… I was up all night working. Had to get some art supplies yesterday, got into a fight with Snooty again, and Lupa hasn’t been feeling well lately.” Peeves sternly explains. He looks up to see Lupa acting completely normal, perhaps better than he’s seen her in a while. “Yet, she’s perfectly fine now…”
“Why didn’t you say Lupa wasn’t feeling so well?” Fluttershy chokes on some water, wide-eyed. “Let me take a look at her.” She excuses herself from the group and effortlessly calls Lupa over.
“You should see me durin’ Zap Apple Harvest.” chimes in Applejack. “I tell you what, every year the timber wolves appear more and more, and them pots and pans start ringing. I can never get a good night’s sleep around that time.” The group giggles, and Peeves smiles, but maintains his slump.
“Anything I can help you with, per chance?” ask Rarity. “If it’s designs you need, I may be able to give you some… guidance!”
“It’s not fashion design, but I appreciate it.” Peeves answers. “It’s a bit more complicated. But I wouldn’t worry about it girls. I’m fine, I just need to take a break, such as this. See how my friends and doing, and get this damn dog outside.”
“You mean you haven’t been walking her?” a voice echoes from above inside a large tree, where Rainbow Dash wearing a pyjama cap peeks down on the ponies. “Why wouldn’t you? I fly with Tank all the time! It’s fun!”
“I can’t be as loyal to Lupa as you can with Tank, Rainbow.” responds Peeves. “I used to be able to, but doing all this freelance work has gotten me busy, and I hoped that Snooty would do it for me.”
“Right, like that grump would do something as ‘preposterous’ as that.” mocks Rainbow Dash. “I still don’t see why you live with such a crazy mare.”
“She’s not so bad, darling.” Rarity remarks. “She just needs some patience and understanding. Snooty is actually quite intelligent and proper.”
“Properly spoiled I’d say.” calls Applejack. “I’ve only ever spoken with Snooty once, and I wouldn’t likely speak to her again, let me tell ya. She’s a handful, as stubborn as a parasprite.”
“Girls, relax.” Peeves takes a chomp out of his sandwich and takes a heavy gulp of water. “Snoots isn’t so bad, like Rarity says. As long as you come to an agreement, and… well… stay out of her way.”
“You shouldn’t let her push you around!” exclaims Rainbow Dash. “That’s your place! You do her dishes, clean the house, and take care of Lupa on your own!” Rainbow crosses her arms as her wings seem to flap more aggressively. The other ponies begin to look worried, as they stare at Peeves for an answer.
“Snooty…” Peeves pauses. “Snooty is misunderstood.” Peeves doesn’t hesitate to eat more of his sandwich until he starts to look around nervously. “Where is Lupa?”
Winona sniffs vigorously at the ground, the smell of Lupa is pretty unmistakable. The usual smell of dog shampoo, with a hint of wetness, much like mildew or a wet sponge. The ponies are all walking at a moderate pace except for Peeves, who struggles to both keep up and slow down.
“Peeves, why don’t you go home and get some sleep?” insists Twilight.” We’ll find Lupa and bring her back shortly.”
Peeves looks up, to Twilight’s surprise, in tears. Peeves doesn’t say a word, as he hangs his head low, slowly making his way back home, sniffing and leaving wet drops on the ground with every step. The girls don’t realize their pause as they watch Peeves drag himself away.
“I’ve lost Winona a few times, but I’ve never been that upset.” says Applejack. “Is this his first time losing his dog?”
“I’ve seen Peeves and Lupa together.” Fluttershy replies. “They’re bond is strong, I couldn’t possibly imagine the pain he’s going through.”
“He’ll be fine!” Rainbow Dash confidently says. “I bet we’ll find this dog in no time! Let me fly up and see if I get any signs of the thing!” Rainbow swoops and zooms far into the sky. Winona still sniffing, but almost without any luck.
“Winona is still sniffing, but we’ve been walking down this path for at least half an hour.” Applejack sighs. “It’s like the scent is there, but only barely.”
Winona’s scent picks up, but only after bumping into a local and familiar Zebra. Zecora carries a rough sackcloth bag, which Rarity edges away from awkwardly. What lies inside is a various amount of vials and herbs.
Ponyville’s shops, are better than most,
but my opinion is not one to boast!
Greetings to you all, but might I ask,
where are you going? What is your task?
The girls give a brief explanation to Pet Peeves predicament, much to Zecora’s surprise. Rainbow Dash soon lands down to greet Zecora as well, only to be given a harsh stare followed by a harsh response:
A creature, no dog, gone loose from it’s pack
Always has a way of making it’s way back.
But not before, leaving behind a scent,
which would no doubt, make your weary friend, spent.
“What do you mean, scent?” Twilight questions. “And what do you mean ‘a creature, no dog’? Are you saying Lupa isn’t one?”
“Well we could never tell what it was to begin with…” snaps Rainbow Dash. “It didn’t look like any dog I’ve ever seen.” The ponies start to discuss, but not before Applejack notices Winona still sniffing at the ground. She takes a closer look at Winona to find her eyes dull and expressionless, and her nose dry. Winona sniffs at a steady pace, rather than racy as before, and no other body part seems to move. Tugging at Winona’s leash provides no response.
“Girls,” Applejack warns. “We may got a problem on our hands. We better go see Peeves. Zecora, will you come with us?”
Come, I will. But heed my call,
this is a smell that can make the greatest fall.
If my warnings, and fears are to be true,
There is nothing I can do for you.
The girls arrive at Peeves place, with the door open. A horrible stench crawls from the doorway into the ponies noses. Twilight cringes, Applejack shivers, Rarity gags, Fluttershy winces, Rainbow Dash heaves, and Zecora gasps.
“That’s a scent alright… could someone just close the door? This smells almost as bad as Snowflake’s gym locker. “Rainbow Dash coughs, as she covers her mouth with her wing. Twilight uses her magic to close the door, and the group re-adjusts themselves.
This is worse than I thought. What is to be,
unknown to you as it is to me.
Everfree magic, as old as it gets,
Take care, and take heed for you and your pets.
“What is going on Zecora? What is happening to poor Peeves?” begs Rarity. The others, still recuperating from the stench, lean in and look at Zecora for any insight.
“It doesn’t matter, we have to go in and help Peeves!” yells Rainbow Dash. “He’s obviously in trouble!”
Zecora closes her eyes and signals them to follow her towards her home deep in the Everfree forest, but not before daring anyone to enter Peeve’s house without passing out, and suffering a fate much like Winona. The dog still functions, and reacts to simple commands, but any personality or other signs of life have been drained completely.
As the ponies cautiously walk through the Everfree, carefully minding the poison joke, ignoring the occasional noises lurking in every direction, the forest starts to smell peculiar and familiar. Much like the smell from Peeve’s place.
The smell, the smell! Now, we must go
there is more to this that I will show. The ponies hurry through the brush and quickly enter Zecora’s hut, shutting the door. The smells of potions, herbs, and concoctions overtake the Everfree’s new scent, and although not harmful as they believe, most definitely not something they can get used to. Everypony watches as Zecora browses her bookshelves, digs through her chests, and scrounges around her tables until she finds a torn piece of a paper of notable material. She lays the paper before them, which takes up a considerable size of the table she places on. Although damaged in a few places, with several slashes, tears, and even some burn marks, the paper remains intact and thankfully, readable. Unfortunately, not to these ponies.
This parchment presents a foe
who passes from places to and fro
creates a bond to those unaware
leaving a mark, but leaving no prayer.
The rest is cut, some words make out,
Flora, Twilight, Refusal, and Drought.
Don’t fret dear ones, but I do require
A large cauldron, and a burning fire.
It starts getting dark outside by the time the ponies get some answers. Zecora slowly stirs a thick yellow substance after several minutes of liquids, powders, and chunks of bark are thrown in. Zecora starts to hum with her eyes closed, while the ponies look on in wonder.
“This is a load of horse feathers, we’re not making ANY progress!” complains Rainbow Dash in a hushed tone, but only barely. Zecora twitches, but continues her chanting.
“Sit down Rainbow, Zecora is our only lead.” shushes Twilight, who brushes Rainbow Dash away. Rainbow slumps down on all fours and closes her eyes, expecting a quick nap until a loud boom from the cauldron startles her and Fluttershy.
The ponies unplug their ears and open their eyes from the sudden noise to find the cauldron mostly empty except for a small puddle of mossy green water.
This potion, to whoever drinks
is immune to the smell’s jinx
They must drink this potion, and save their friend
from mysterious dangers, to an untimely end.
The ponies look down into the cauldron, and witness Zecora collect the fluids with a baster, shortly followed by the shaking of a vial. The liquid stays green, but changes shades with every shake. The smell is almost identical to the smells of the Everfree Forest.
“There’s only enough for one pony…” Twilight whispers, and soon witnesses everyone backing off.
“I will not drink that.” announces Rarity. “I nearly pass out every time I smell such an abomination. I doubt I would be able to let alone TASTE it.”
“I would everypony… honestly.” chimes Fluttershy shyly. “But I’m sure there’s more to that house than just a smell… I don’t think I would be the best candidate.”
“It’ll need someone who is not only determined, but tough and courageous.” gulps Applejack. She quickly glimpses at Rainbow whose starring at the vial viciously, sweating. Applejack takes a deep whiff of the potion and pauses. “It’s no worse than the farm, let me tell ya. But this one sure packs a punch.”
“Well it’s either Rainbow or Applejack.” declares Twilight. “I’m going to go to the Library and see what I can find on this peculiar scenario. Until one of you chooses, I have a plan.”
“Well I’m not drinking it. Not unless there’s another way.” expresses Rainbow Dash. “How do we even know Peeves is in his house?”
“Someone else could have some clues onto what’s happened… like…” it suddenly hits Applejack, as she turns towards the rest of the ponies. They all say at once:
“Snooty Deign!”
A cork is placed in the potion as tight as it could, before the ponies set out outside the Everfree back into Ponyville. When they finally leave the forest, a large crowd gathers near the home of Pet Peeves and Snooty Deign. As the ponies approach, they notice a lot of the townfolk holding their noses in disgust, and asking all sorts of questions to Twilight Sparkle. By the time they reach the front of the crowd, they see Mayor Mare and several police ponies placing warning tape and telling ponies to stay away.
“Oh, Twilight. We were hoping you’d arrive. At first we thought it was some sewage blockage, or a septic tank compromised. What is going on here?” The Mayor looks past Twilight and her friends towards the crowd, who looks very distressed and angry. “If we can’t do something about this soon, the ‘good’ folks of Ponyville may… turn bad.”
“We are looking into it Mayor Mare.” Twilight assures. “We have some leads thanks to Zecora, but what have you discovered so far?” A police pony, who was eavesdropping, approaches with a gas mask. His voice is muffled, but still understandable.
“We haven’t been able to get anywhere close. The smell is just too potent, even for these gas masks. We’ve hoped to use some oxygen tanks to get through, but the tanks would puncture once we get to the door.”
“Have those with the gas tanks been able to look inside?” asks Twilight. “Maybe there’s some clues as to what’ going on from inside.”
“Negative.” responds the police officer. “The stench seems to thicken into a cloud that only forms from inside. We have checked out the door to find lots of scratch marks and stains on it however. We’ve been able to get a few samples before our squad couldn’t take it anymore.”
“Have you seen anyone else come by here?” Twilight questions. “We know the pony who owns the place also has a roommate and several close friends that come by on times such as this.”
It wasn’t long after the question that several voices amongst the crowd of mumbles and whispers are heard, calling for Pet Peeves and Snooty Deign. The crowd starts to get agitated, and more assertive. Twilight flies up into the sky to the best of her abilities, maintains her altitude, and clears her voice.
“Citizens of Ponyville. “ Twilight declares with utmost clarity and strength, much like a princess should. “The situation is under investigation, and will only be hindered by this crowd you have gathered. Go back to your homes, and I can promise you, that this problem will be solved.”
“I live just next door!” a colt up front voices. “I can’t go about my daily life with this stench entering my house!”
“My children are crying constantly!” expresses a mare, carrying two fillies, bawling. “How are we supposed to simply IGNORE this smell?”
The crowd gets more anxious, as questions and voices start to multiply. The crowd starts to get louder, and Twilight and her friends start to worry. Twilight decides to try something, as her horn starts to glow brightly and the crowd begins to quiet down. Twilight turns slowly towards the house, and her magic hums. In an almost disappointing manner, a small pink bubble forms at the tip of her horn, but soon grows exponentially. Twilight Sparkle flies slowly towards the house, as the bubble envelops the house along with the police officers, Mayor Mare, and her friends. Eventually a large, bright, but translucent bubble covers the area, as the crowd looks on in awe.
“I… I don’t smell anything.” someone in the crowds says in disbelief. Everyone else removes what handkerchiefs or clothespins they had and soon rejoice, cheering on Twilight Sparkle. But little do they know, Twilight isn’t done her spell.
“I didn’t think this would work… unfortunately I also didn’t think this through.” Twilight conveys, as she sits on the ground, with her horn still aglow. “This is a lot like my brothers spell he used at his wedding, but just slightly modified. It doesn’t defend against changelings, but you can sure bet it protects us from their smell.”
The ponies have a small laugh and a sigh of relief before they notice that the smell hasn’t disappeared entirely. With some scanning of the surrounding environment and the mob outside the bubble, The ponies soon learn that the spell is contained inside with them.
“This is as much as I can do. I have to stay here and maintain this shield.” Twilight explains. “I was hoping there was another alternative I could find in the library, but the mob outside was making me anxious.” The ponies nod and sigh.
“But I do have a plan.” Twilight starts stamping the ground in front of the house, scratching against it, making marks. Sooner than later, various diagrams and images are skewed into the ground. The ponies look at the quick dirt-sketches in curiosity before looking at Twilight, whose eyes move erratically towards her drawn out plan. Not a word is spoken, until Applejack pipes in.
“So…” she hums. “What’s this all about, sugarcube?” Applejack leans in close to the drawings, in case she missed something. But to no surprise, does she find they’re all rather simple and hastily made. Only Twilight could decipher everything, if she wasn’t scheming up a plan in her head.
“Ok. I got it.” Twilight blurts out to the surprise of the ponies, and to the shock of Fluttershy. “This is how it’s going to go down. I’m going to need one of you for each of these jobs I’ve drawn up.” The ponies soon discover the drawings are a mix of locations, and stick figures doing activities. A small and crude drawing of town hall lies in the centre of it all, as well as a circle to represent where the ponies are.
“Sometimes I tend to forget that friendship doesn’t just lie with us.” Twilight ponders, leading up towards a point. “Friendship is all around. We may not be friends with one pony down the street, or another working the shop, but they certainly have friends of their own that have just has magic as we do!” The ponies smile and agreed joyfully.
“That’s right!” Pinkie exclaims. “I know what you mean, Twilight. We’re going to find Pet Peeves friends right?” Pinkie Pie looks down on the plan enthusiastically. “Maybe Pet Peeves friends know something? About his dog, about his condition, certainly some answers, right?”
“Does anypony know who Pet Peeves hangs out with?” Twilight inquires. She knows very well in her mind, as well as the other ponies, who the obvious candidate is, but decides to ignore it unless there’s no alternative.
“I know Bond Remedy has spoken about Pet Peeves and their hangouts on occasion.” Applejack hesitantly remarks. “Although… he usually says it’s been a while. He may know some things, but probably not recently.”
“That sounds like a good start.” states Twilight. “So Applejack, can I count on you to set up a hangout with Bond? See if you can find anything about Pet Peeves and any history he’s had.” Applejack nods and sets off with Winona, who barks excitedly once the leave the bubble. The bubble flashes for a sec once Applejack leaves, as the space grows slightly, but significantly.
“I’m going to need some books from the Library. I need specifics, and somepony with a good eye. The books I likely need won’t be easy to find.” Twilight looks towards the ponies who stare back in slight worry. It only ever occurred to the ponies left, that even though they’ve searched through the Library for books in the past, they were never particularly good at it. All except for Pinkie. The ponies slightly turn to look at her before they notice her looking excitedly back. Before a word could be said, Pinkie shoots right off.
“I HAVEN’T EVEN TOLD YOU WHAT BOOKS TO FIND!” Twilight screams, but it’s too late. Pinkie Pie is nowhere to be seen, thanks to the flash of the bubble after her departure. Twilight angrily snorts. “Someone go find her at the Library, and get me some paper and a pen. I’ll need to write these down.”
Twilight writes a long list of books on a small scrap of paper conveniently left outside the door step to Peeves house. As she writes her final entry to the list, the quill snaps.
“Well thankfully everything is listed. Who wants to go search with Pinkie Pie?” Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy moan a bit. Fluttershy reads over the list, and to her astonishment recognizes some of the books.
“I’ll do it.” Fluttershy determinately says. “I know a few of these books, and where they’d be.” She grabs the paper with her teeth, and flies away from the bubble. Only Rarity and Rainbow Dash remain.
“I’m going to need someone to help Zecora, relay any ingredients she’ll need for some more of those potions, in case you-know-who isn’t up for it.” Rainbow salutes.
“I’M ON THE CASE!” Rainbow zooms out of the bubble towards the Everfree Forest. Rarity looks down to see Twilight looking at her worryingly. Rarity knows exactly what she has to do, and where she can go. Finding this pony will not be easy, nor will her compliance to drinking an unknown, smelly potion.
Rarity trots off, leaving Twilight alone. A majority of the crowd has already left by this time, attending to their daily activities, while some stay put out of wonder and curiosity. Mayor Mane steps forward, looking at her plan.
“What do you intend to do, Princess Twilight?” the mayor asks, as she studies the plan. She notices Sugarcube Corner with a strange shape attached to it, as well as the Library with a heart symbol not far above it. Several locations have stripped trails leading towards various nondescript houses around the village, and some have X’s in place.
“I can’t say your much of an artist Ms. Twilight, but you are quite the cartographer.” The Mayor mumbles. Twilight doesn’t pay attention, as she sits down and closes her eyes, meditating. She opens her mouth for the last little while until the ponies return.
“I suggest you leave Mayor Mare.” Twilight insists. “I have a feeling that this will not end well for your town, and for our citizens.” She slowly inhales and exhales, to the surprise of Mayor Mare, what with the smell from the house. The Mayor leaves quickly, knowing how, but not what to prepare for. Twilight opens her eyes slightly to see the darkness within the household. It’s pitch black starting at the door frame, it almost scares Twilight to know what lies inside. The more she stares, the more an overwhelming sense of doom comes upon her. She closes her eyes shut and barely focuses, as she finds her sense of smell isn’t the only thing affecting her.
Bond Remedy wakes up to another great delight: being home in his own bed. Applejack has always been a great sport and drinking buddy, and even though Bond Remedy isn't as heavyweight as she is, she’s always willing to help him home after a night out. As Bond lies in his bed smiling warmly, a sharp pain surges through his muscles and head.
“Hangover.” Bond utters, as he attempts to get up from his bed to fetch a toilet or sink he can hurl in. As he leaves his bathroom and stumbles towards the kitchen, he finds several photos strewn on his kitchen table. Clearly he’s been moping over them last night, as several shot glasses and an empty bottle of brandy lies around the pile. A lot of the photos are blurry, and dark, but mostly contain a dark grey pony doing various thing around Ponyville. It’s not something Bond Remedy is proud of, but it’s something he can’t help himself in doing.
Bond leaves his home; the late morning sun‘s rays against his eyes are like hot knives against his temples. With a sour mood, he heads towards the closest restaurant he can find. As he walks in to the thankfully quiet and modest environment, he sits down and looks at the menu. Bond’s face lights up as he looks up and down the menu, deciding which meal he’s going to devour in the next 10 minutes. At the corner of his eyes, he notices a pony approaching his table.
“I’ll have a BLT, please.” Bond orders, without looking up from his menu. “With a side order of sweet potato fries and I’d like the Broccoli grilled please. And just some water would be great, thank you.”
“It’s me you idiot.” the pony replies with a feminine but gruff tone. “Hung-over again?” the pony sits down across from Bond and grabs the menu from his hands without an opportunity for Bond to look up. His vision is a little fuzzy as he sees a menu covering the ponies face, but not her dark blue hooves and black tail.
“I didn't know you ate here Snooty.” Bond perks up a bit. It’s been a while since he’s had a hangover meal with a friend. Since most ponies in his state are generally as likable as Cranky Doodle on a bad day. “What are you getting?” Bond waits for a bit from no response. He looks around to see other ponies cringing at them, usually a familiar site and reaction from the smell of alcohol.
“I should have showered before I came here.” Bond goes to sniff himself. “Is it that bad? Everyone in this place is looking.” Snooty still doesn't respond as her hands holding the menu starts to tremble. Bond immediately knows something is wrong, and prepares to duck under the table, as Snooty slams down her menu on the table, and screams.
“ISN'T IT JUST PEACHY YOU HAD A GREAT NIGHT?! WELL SO DID I!” The room is absolutely silent, as Bond slowly raises his head from under the table to find Snooty Design with a very large black eye and a bloody bandage wrapped around her neck. As her jaw shivers from sheer anger, the bandage sags slowly down her neck to meet her shoulders. Whatever wound under the bandage only partially shows.
“Oh my Celestia!” Bond exclaims, immediately getting up from the table to administer Snooty. Snooty stays put, hesitating to trust Bond to see the wounds. “What happened to you? Have you gone to the hospital? What did they say?”
“I had Nurse Redheart take a look at the…” she stops suddenly and slowly scans her surroundings. The restaurant is completely silent and no doubt eavesdropping, awaiting to hear her story. Snooty grabs Bond hoof and swiftly leaves, kicking the door wide open. “I’d rather not talk about. Can we go to your place? I need medication anyway.”
“I could have some painkillers I suppose, didn’t the doctors give you anything?” Bond considers, but can’t help to smirk. He can probably already assume why Snooty wasn’t given any medication along with the fine bandaging job they’ve done on her neck. “I should have something at my house…”
Snooty didn’t talk until they reached Bond’s house. She was fuming, both from the pain, as well as every other incident she’s ran across earlier that day as usual. Bond opens his door and invites Snooty in. As she slowly walks in, she sneers after taking a short sniff.
“It reeks in here, and it’s a total mess!” Snooty carefully walks around some dirty laundry and a stack of papers as she turns a corner into a hallway. “I assume it’s this way towards your washroom?”
“Yea… just down and to the left.” Bond responds, as he cleans up. He does have a lady in his household after all; if he’d known he’d get a visit, he would have cleaned up a bit. “Life of a bachelor…” he mumbles as he picks up a dirty sock off the floor.
Bond slouches on the couch in his living room and drops his legs onto the coffee table, riddled with magazines and newspapers. The articles are covered in circles from highlighters and black marker, labelling jobs and ads for hiring. X’s also riddle the page over a majority of the label’s phone numbers. Bond has no problem working for Applejack, but the work is temporary, and surviving another 6 months without employment won’t be easy. He often considers moving back into his parents place, but it would mean he’d have to leave Ponyville and his friends behind.
A light shines at the end of the hallway, as Snooty walks out with a towel around her neck, and a bottle of pills levitating above her head. Bond begins to speak up, but silences himself. Considering Snooty’s situation, it’d probably be selfish of him to object Snooty’s wishes. Snooty sits down on a beat-up recliner a metre from Bond, as she just stares at him. Bond averts his eyes, as he fiddles with the newspapers and magazines that riddle the coffee table. To his regret, an adult magazine drops to the floor in front of Snooty. Bond looks nervously at the magazine, then up at Snooty, who hasn’t broken eye contact since she sat down.
‘Well?” Snooty asserts. Her look is condescending, but true. Her bottom hoof starts to tap impatiently. Bond bows his head as he apologizes and gets up to put away the magazine. Like a walk of shame, he walks over to a trash bin and drops the magazine inside. “It’s just that-”
“Not that you idiot.” Snooty voices. “Why would I care about what you read?” Emphasis is put on the word ‘read’, as to say Bond is mature enough to read what little articles are in such magazines. Bond just stands in the middle of the room awkwardly as Snooty crosses her arms.
“My wound.” Snooty says impatiently. “Aren’t you going to ask about it?” Something switches on in Bond’s head, as he moves quickly towards Snooty to look at her wounds. He turns on a nearby lamp and shines it towards Snooty’s neck and face to see a large swollen purple spot all along her left eye. Bond cringes for a second as he inspects it.
“You’re going to need some ice on this.” Bond assures Snooty, as he gets up.
“I’m fine.” Snooty turns her face the other way. She was never much for accepting help from others, always trying to be as independent as she can around others. But the idea of working as a group always intrigued her, even if she never showed it. She thought of it as great potential but only if people weren’t, as she puts it, hay-brained. Bond ignores her and opens his fridge to find an ice tray with a few ice cubes left. As he grabs the tray and breaks a few off, he hears whimpers behind him.
“Are you alright?” Bond questions as he turns towards Snooty and reaches for a handkerchief nearby. Snooty slowly tries to remove the towel from her neck to reveal a large gaping wound in her neck. Bond nearly drops the ice as he hurries towards Snooty, wrapping the ice in the handkerchief. He places the rag onto Snooty’s eye, while he examines her wound. Bond is no doctor, but several theories arise in his head about what’s going on. Bond squints his eyes and adjusts the lamp, hoping to find something different. The towel drops onto the armchair, still moist with blood, but not as much as the bandage. Snooty sighs deeply, muttering to herself.
“Why don’t you explain to me what happened?” Bond states, as he further investigates Snooty’s wound. Snooty can only close her eyes and sigh. Bond almost forgets to wait for a response, as he thoroughly scans the wound. He notices that the area isn’t swollen whatsoever, and the wound has several brown spots occurring. The wound is capable of drying, but it’s still an unusual case. Bond assumes that If the hospital checked it and found nothing suspicious, then everything should be fine. He looks up to see Snooty passed out, whether from the medication, the pain, or maybe just being tired. After all, last time he saw Snooty (only barely) was pretty late last night. He goes towards the bathroom to fetch his first aid kit, but not before seeing the bandage in the sink. Upon further inspection, the bandage’s bloodstains are also brown, but that isn’t unusual considering how blood dries. He picks it up as best as he can with his hooves and throws it into the trash. Opening the cabinet reveals several bottles of prescription pills Bond managed to sneak out of his job. If he’s going to get laid off, with what little pay he got, he’s taking some honoraries, despite how ironic the word would be.
As he carries the small package between his teeth and turns to turn off the light, he notices small specks on the ground. Assuming it’s dirt, he ignores it, stepping on it apathetically. Bond yelps a bit, dropping the aid case, as he checks his hooves.
Bond’s doorbell rings. Bond momentarily looks at his hooves until the doorbell rang again. Forgetting Snooty is in his living room passed out with a wound to her neck, he quickly ran to the door and opened it slowly. To his wonder, it was Applejack.
“Afternoon, buddy.” Applejack smiles as she tries to invite herself in. Bond steps in her way as a sweat falls along the side of his face. Applejack turns her heads slightly in confusion, and then adjusts her hat. “Mind if I come in? You have air conditioning is all, and Celestia has been awfully too kind in raising the sun today.” Bond pauses, to think. Can he trust Applejack? As far as Bond is concerned, Applejack doesn’t even know Snooty. Bond looks around nervously before remembering Applejack dropping Bond off at his house last night.
“Is there a problem, sugarcube?” Applejack asks, as she tries to peek inside curiously. “If there’s something you haven’t told me, or you’re hiding, have no fear. I can keep a secret, and that’s the honest truth!” Applejack smiles warmly, while Bond just anxiously nods and gulps. He makes his decision and starts to speak up, until the door bursts open, dropping Bond onto the ground. Applejack jumps backward as she looks on to see Snooty Deign, covering a majority of her face with a towel. She knocks over Applejack, half-running, half-stumbling through the streets. Applejack is about to call out until he notices Bond, and helps him up.
“What the hay is going on here!?” Applejack shouts, as she witnesses Snooty crashing past mailboxes and pass several mares and colts. Everyone just stops to stare, as she gets smaller and smaller in the distance. Bond immediately gets up and grabs Applejack as he gallops in the same direction.
“We have to chase after her!” Bond exclaims, as he notions everyone to move out of the way. Applejack hesitates before she follows closely behind, hoping to find some answers. Despite Bond and Applejacks attempts to gain their footing against Snooty, she only gets faster and faster. They zoom through Ponyville’s districts, even past Sugar Cube Corner. The chase soon turns chaotic, as Snooty haphazardly drives into ponies homes through the windows, crashes into market stalls, and tackles anyone unfortunate enough to be in her way. By the time they get to the town square, ponies are already bunched up, curious as to the commotion that is coming. Bond yells for everyone to get out of the way, but the ponies don’t move, as eyes shake, but their faces as still as statues. Bond and Applejack continue to holler for everyone to get out of the way, until Snooty shoots up into the air onto City Hall. All the heads of ponies turn as swiftly as Snooty jumps, to witness the situation. Bond can only look up to see Snooty standing over the crowds, almost majestically. Snooty hides her face with her hooves and looks around feverishly. For a moment she stops and looks towards the horizon. Before anyone could figure it out, Snooty shoots off, from roof to roof. Before Bond and Applejack could make their way first through the crowd, several police ponies arrive swiftly, exclaiming everyone to stay calm. Following them are several distraught and irate ponies, raging for Snooty to be caught and arrested. Applejack doesn’t notice Bond’s absence, as he shoots off towards Snooty, trying his hardest to stay on a path where he can see her.
“Where is she going!?” Bond questions constantly in his head. The idea of Snooty even jumping along the roofs of buildings, and even running despite her wounds doesn’t even matter as Bond, as he tries to keep his footing. The chase continues almost hopelessly until Bond reaches the outskirts of the town. Police as well as several angry ponies along with Applejack arrive shortly behind Bond as they witness Bond and Snooty’s sudden halt towards the Everfree Forest. It’s already apparent to Bond and Applejack that Snooty is not herself, but when Bond notices her wound has shifted into a large scar with a tough texture all around, he dreads for the worst. He takes a slow but long step forward towards Snooty, as she starts to breathe heavily, like a rabid animal.
“Snooty…” Bond maintains utmost caution and sincerity. Everyone in the area is anticipating something horrible, and even Applejack fears the worst. But despite the uncertainty of what events will unfold, Applejack takes a quick gander at the situation. Snooty’s mane is much more dull than she remember, and her mane not as dark. Random places of hair on Snooty’s coat are stuck up, like a cowlick. No one can see Snooty’s face or the front of her body, as the shadows of the trees that make up the Everfree Forest practically hide them.
“Ma’am. Are you alright?” a police officer asks directly. His hooves, as well as 2 other police ponies, are grasped firmly on their batons. One police pony in particular can easily be identified as a rookie, as he gulps audibly and looks nervously at his superiors. The other ponies have gone from angry to afraid, looking to Bond or the police to act. Bond continues to step forward, despite the police trying to get him to stop as subtlety as they can. For a moment, the breeze gets quieter and the birds in the air stop singing. A single breath could be heard, if not for the anxiety that hangs over everyone’s heads. Bond is right behind Snooty, sweating to the extent he ought to shower again. His pupils dilate and he takes one final breath as he places his hoof on Snooty’s shoulder.
Like a gust of wind, Bond is swept up into the air up and over the dark and looming Everfree. A variety of frightening noises crescendo as he flies in who-knows-where. Before Bond can calculate what just happened, a sharp pain stems from his wrist, along with lightheadedness. Bond can’t think, but only witness himself hurtling towards the deep parts of the Everfree Forest. Whether Bond falls into the forest, or passes out before doing so, Bond can barely see the crowd watch in utter terror and disbelief. The police officers stand absolutely still, wide-eyed. Some mouths are agape or completely shut, pupils are shrunk or entirely enlarged, and hooves are noticeably shaking or completely still. Regardless what the crowd’s reactions consist of, the front of Snooty far surpasses them all, as eyes as bright as the sun stare directly into Bonds, along with rows of large fangs dripping with a brown and red goo. The wind and trees soon whip past Bond’s head and body while a blood-curdling scream is heard. Bond falls through the rough patches of the canopy before he falls into several bushes. Despite the injuries Bond would have sustained, he lies amongst the leaves with only little sunlight remained from his fall, feeling absolutely nothing.
Screams and yells are soon heard very far off in the distance, as Bond takes in whatever information he can get in his almost immovable state. His memory is a total blank now, and the rough, poking brush he is lying on soon feels much like a bed. The leaves above him start to close almost magically, as if a curtain was being drawn. Bond’s vision starts to fade, as he contemplates and deduces what is happening. The dark Everfree Forest somehow gets darker, and Bond’s breaths get softer. The screams soon start to fade away, almost in sync with Bond’s vision, until he hears large ruffling and the sound of destruction coming his way. With a surge of adrenaline, Bond shoots up from the brush of the forest and looks for a place to hide. Despite the various places Bond overlooked, he decides on a large tree with a hole within it’s stump. Bond sucks in what air he can, and tries to squeeze himself inside. With Bond’s wrist most likely broken, it’s difficulty to push his way inside, until he grasps on a firm root with his other hoof and quickly falls inside. What Bond can only see is shadows zooming past all around outside. Bond backs away as far into the trunk as he can get, hoping to make as little noise as possible. The forest starts to make noise as the wind from before returns, almost to Bond’s relief.
Bond sits, alert, but terrified. He can’t focus, only hope. The forest is still as dark as Bond saw it before, and the wind entering the trunk of the tree makes a chilling shrill. Like a countdown to his doom, Bond takes each break of breeze as a sign. Will this be it? Is the creature still out there? Noises are completely unrecognizable in Bond’s uncharted surroundings. Cicadas could sound like terrifying beasts, branches brushing could sound like teeth gnashing, leaves fluttering could sound like trees falling. Bond has never felt as helpless as he’s ever felt in his life, despite his life problems. Any small thing, such as a key not working, to a faucet not dripping water, is nothing compared to this very moment. Claustrophobia was never an issue until this point, as the hole in the trunk grows smaller and the walls of the tree seem to close in. Snot, or tears, Bond doesn’t consider what is dripping down his face, and he holds his hooves up against his chest.
It’s been a while since the wind blew through the small corridor that houses Bond. No longer bearing the suspense, Bond moves forward as slowly and carefully as he can. He flinches after touching the walls. Looking down on his wrist, even in the dark, he can tell it’s swollen and needs treatment. He looks out towards the outside. The smell is unlike anything he’s ever smelt, as he cringes trying to handle it. He pokes his head out of the tree to see nothing. Bond doesn’t think, as he steps out of the tree and takes a gander at his surroundings. He immediately regrets trying, as any hope in his soul escapes. He’s lost, and there’s nothing he can do. The forest completely insulates Bond’s cries for help, yet does not insulate the climate. Bond closes his hooves around him, as he struggles to find direction. The sun is almost nonexistent, and the wind comes in every direction. Bond starts to consider any options he can get, trying not to be unrealistic. He knows of Zecora, but only through social circles. Rumours also spread about the old castle somewhere in the forest. Bond decides it’s too cold, and for once, finds comfort in knowing he has some shelter at least. He sits back into the tree stump and thinks. Bond is aware that he is at least more than a mile into the forest. Trying to make his way back to Ponyville, especially in his condition, is suicide and he’ll never make it out. Trying to find Zecora may be tricky, as he hasn’t any idea where she is in the forest. Bond deduces that he ought to be farther, considering Zecora would have to at least live a bit closer to Ponyville in order to gather her supplies she can’t get in the Everfree. Despite not even knowing the time, Bond’s heart beats like a stopwatch, and time is ticking. If something, Snooty, is out there looking for him, he’d have to find somewhere more safe and hidden. Bond then considers the castle. Despite stories about it being haunted, and what Applejack has told him, the castle is supposedly still intact remarkably. But he knows there’s something aloof about the place, as Applejack couldn’t tell him while snickering a few nights ago. The place has been abandoned for millennia… it couldn’t have some supplies there by any chance, could it? Bond doesn’t dwell on it too much, as being finicky in his situation isn’t excusable.
Bond tries to fix himself a splint for his wrist, but fails despite his efforts. He slumps against the back wall of the tree stump and sighs. The wind through the entrance of his shelter isn’t as intimidating as it used to be. The more Bond seems to spend his time in the forest, the more relaxing he finds it. He starts to think about his parents and his life thus far, and if any of it is worth staying alive for. He starts to think about Snooty, and Applejack, and every person he’s ever met in hi life. Every now and then a smile and sometimes a frown will creep up on Bond’s face as he reminisces. As he finds his eyelids closing, and his body relaxing, Bond listens to the various noises outside his shelter. Aside from the wind, he makes out cicadas, crickets, a frog’s ‘ribbit’ here and there, and the occasional bird. Surprisingly, a lot of what people say about the forest so far seem untrue to Bond. It only ever occurred to him at that moment, that if the forest really was as dangerous as the people of Ponyville claim it to be, then Ponyville wouldn’t be right beside it in the first place. Before Bond could think anymore, a sharp crashing noise is heard outside. Bond goes right back to anxiety-fueled nausea, as he closes his eyes and hold his breath. With one eye partially open, the entrance to his safe haven didn’t seem so safe anymore, as a dark figure stands before him. The upper half of the tree splits open, and flies, crashing somewhere behind Bond. Without any hesitation, and in a moment of desperation, Bond screams for help.
Bond’s screams echo throughout the forest as much as an echo can, but to no use, as Bond shakes and struggles to look upon his attacker, a creature whose silhouette stands as tall as the trees themselves, bright glowing eyes, and sharp fangs. The outline is rough and at parts seem to stick out. The creatures ears are extremely large, and oddly toothed looking. The creature drools what looks to be a thick and sticky brown substance, and the creature’s breath against Bond’s face is putrid and tear-jerking. Before the creature lunges, it stretches to a height much bigger than Bond anticipated, and lets out a loud, deep, and doom-filled howl.
