It was a nice summer's day in Equestria. All of the ponies were doing what they normally do. Twilight was on the verge of completing a huge experimental spell that she thought could allow her to do something amazing. Applejack was bucking apples as always. Fluttershy was caring for her animals and tending to the one pig that had fallen ill. Rarity was having an epileptic breakdown due to some huge commission that had just came in at about nine, and Rainbow Dash was clearing the skies. There weren't any storms scheduled for the day, but somehow there was an abnormally high cloud population anyways, so Rainbow was busier than usual.
She said with a huff, "I have to get these clouds outta here before they get too big!" One cloud after another disappeared as the blue dot whisked by.
Her job was soon completed, and at long last, she could relax. Flying down to the ground to catch her breath, she felt something within her chest. It was a warm and fuzzy feeling, and then, a flash of imaginary thoughts popped into her head.
The imaginary photos were of her and Pinkie Pie kissing. "What the...?" She thought for a few seconds as she tried to remember the image. "Why would I be thinking about something like that? Why with Pinkie Pie?" She decided to try her best to put it out of her mind, and headed on over to a nearby dining area to quickly grab something to eat. As she looked up at the clock hanging from the structure, she noticed it wasn't even two minutes passed twelve. "Huh... That's odd, but whatever. I'm starving!"
Meanwhile at Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie was baking cupcakes as usual. She had all the ingredients out and all the things she needed to get going. "Ok, time to get..."
Suddenly, her Pinkie sense was going off. Her tongue felt numb. "Oooh! My tongue feels numb," Pinkie Pie said. "This means I should look at the clock… but why?" she checked what time it was. Five seconds to twelve o'clock… a flash of visions came to her. They were of her and Rainbow Dash. "What…? That's just plain silly! Me and Dashie, kissing!" Since her tongue was still numb, she mumbled some more, "Oh, I know what it must be! I've been working too hard! Maybe I should take it easy... by making muffins instead!"
When she was done, the muffins came out with Rainbow's cutie mark somehow labeled atop each one.
"I swear, I didn't... mean to do that..."
Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash kept thinking about one another all day. At about one o'clock, Fluttershy and Rarity started to have the same flashy images, too. Fluttershy was cleaning up Angel's lunch mess when it happened to her. The images struck her mind almost harshly, and nearly made her drop the plate she had been holding in her mouth. "Wow, me… and Rarity… that's uhh... Before now, I've never thought of her as much more than a good friend. Maybe it was just the summer heat." Fluttershy decided to finish cleaning up and went out to greet the birds with the image still fresh in her head.
Rarity was at her store working hard and seemingly going in circles. She was working on a diamond themed dress that had to be the best dress she had ever made, as requested by the buyer. "This should have more Jewels, but not too much," she said. "A-a-and some purple would go nice around the collar! Also-"
It happened just as she turned to make a one hundred and eighty degree circle. The flash of imaginary pictures danced vividly through her mind and almost completely put her work to a halt. She waited and thought about what had just soared through her head.
"Me... and Fluttershy kissing…" She stated clearly, "Oh, come now Rarity... That is simply absurd! Perhaps I'm working myself a bit too rampant... Eh, I'll just rest once this is done!" She got back to work on the dress still thinking aloud. "That was an interesting vision, though, me and her… kissing. Honestly... I usually imagine me and Fancy Pants doing that sort of thing."
About an hour later, Twilight Sparkle and Applejack would have the exact same visions wind up in their minds as well. Twilight was standing next to Spike about to perform the magical spell. She told Spike to take a note. "At this time…" She checked the clock. "Two minutes to two o'clock, I began the experiment!" Her horn lit up, and slowly her hooves disappeared. The invisibility slowly inched itself toward the upper part of her body, too, and just when it reached her neck, the visions of her and Applejack kissing threw off her concentration. Her body became visible once more and her horn stopped glowing. "Ugh, failure?! I was so close to finishing it!"
Spike was still taking log of what had occurred and everything that Twilight was saying. "Close... to... finishing... it... Go on."
"At this time… two o'clock, the magical experiment did not succeed! Reason… The was a severe lack of mental focus." Spike finished up and asked if he should send it to Princess Celestia. "No, not yet Spike." Twilight decided to sit down on a pillow and think of why the experiment ended so horribly. "I know it wasn't because I couldn't manage... It's that image. It was of me and Applejack, but why? I've never had this kind of imagining before… That's another thing... Spike? What time is it?
"Two..."
Twilight rubbed her chin and thought some more. "If there is one thing I know, it's that everything abnormal always happens in patterns."
At Applejack's farm, she and Big Macintosh were busy bucking apple trees. Applejack had worked up a heavy thirst after all that difficult labor, so she went inside to get some water. She checked the clock while she went. One minute from two. She took a long and refreshing sip, and was headed back out when the image floated through her mind as well. She stopped in her tracks and stood still for a moment. She pondered on it for awhile. "Me and that unicorn, Twilight... kissing? Ah barely know her. Well, that doesn't make much sense. Hmm..."
She saw Big Mac kicking a tree a few yards away, and then said to herself, "Ah've probably just been bucking around too much lately… Why does that just not sound quite right to me?" With the image now stuck in her head, she got back to work.
What could all this mean? Could the main six become even closer companions than they already are? Or were the images all just coincidental? Find out next time on The Curse of the Elements.
The entire day went on, and Rainbow Dash couldn't stop thinking about her pink friend for hardly a second. At night, her dreams were chock full of parties with Pinkie, games with Pinkie, and typically kissing Pinkie as well. "Where is all of this even coming from?" She thought to herself as she slumped out of her cloud bed, "I've always liked her as a friend, but I've never… actually liked her to where that I wanted to kiss her! Maybe it'll pass."
She made herself breakfast and did her normal preparations to begin clearing out the clouds. Of course, today's duty was impossible to finish because Pinkie Pie wouldn't get out of Rainbow's head the entire time. Finally, when she was at last done, she decided she just couldn't take this anymore. She just had to see Pinkie Pie.
On the other hoof, Pinkie was having just as much trouble as Rainbow Dash. She found herself over measuring ingredients in her baking again and again, and every once in a while, she accidentally allowed some pastries to overcook. "Oh, not again… That's the third time today!" She screamed in frustration as she opened the oven.
"Why is this happening to me? I try and cook something and instead I end up fantasizing about Rainbow Dash! Yesterday's muffins were a disaster! I thought the dreams were weird, but this is getting ridiculous... Maybe… just maybe I'll have to see her... i-if only to say hi. But, then... just why in Equestria is this happening to me? I keep seeing me and Rainbow Dash kissing, and we're going out on dates, and doing things that special someponies only do! My poor and fragile noggin can't take this much longer..."
Rainbow Dash entered the bakery and asked Mr. Cake where Pinkie Pie was. "Oh she's having the worst of days today!" Mr. Cake said, "Maybe you could cheer her up! Please, she's in the kitchen. Head right through there."
Rainbow entered hastily to find out that Pinkie Pie was a little distracted at the moment. She was fidgeting with a brand new batch of muffins that she had made, saying, "They didn't come out right at all!"
Rainbow Dash looked at the pink pony as if she had just seen the sexiest thing she would've ever seen for the rest of her whole life. Something about Pinkie made her heart stop. She was paralyzed at how good Pinkie was looking. Finally, however, she snapped out of her lustful daze and spoke up. "Uh, heya, Pinks..." Pinkie whipped around to find Rainbow Dash standing there staring stupidly at her.
"Oh, Rainbow Dash... hey! Um, what brings you here?"
"Oh, nothing much," Dash said, playing it cool. "Just thought I might, you know, see if umm, well. Do you wanna… hang out today? Maybe?"
Pinkie was stunned by this. Rainbow Dash's face was just about as red as a flaming hot chili pepper, and Pinkie knew that only happened when she really liked somepony.
"Well sure I'll hang out with you, but you gotta let me know something."
"Yeah?"
"Umm… Now, Rainbow Dash, don't get all upset, but… um..."
"Yea???"
"Do you… w-wanna, oh, I don't know…" She then whispered extremely softly, "Make out...?" Pinkie said this so quietly that Rainbow Dash couldn't hardly hear her.
"Huh, what was that? I couldn't quite catch what you said," she confessed while inching closer towards her pink friend.
"…Make out?"
It was still too soft to tell what she had said.
"Come on, Pinkie! Speak up already." Rainbow Dash was now right in front of Pinkie Pie to where that she could almost feel the nervous pants of her breath.
"Make out... with me... P-please, Dashie..."
Rainbow's eyes widened intensely, and her body was paralyzed. Both Pinkie and Rainbow were blushing harder than either of them had ever blushed before. Rainbow Dash decided to answer Pinkie's question, but not necessarily with direct words. She pecked her lips on Pinkie Pie's for a moment, and Pinkie kissed back. Before they even knew what they were really doing, they were kissing one another from within Sugarcube Corner's kitchen, and neither of them even cared if they got caught. Pinkie tasted like sweets and bubble gum while Rainbow Dash tasted just like soda pop. They must have kissed for ten minutes or so before finally stopping.
Pinkie smiled contently, and said, "You know, I was saving my first kiss for a stallion, but I think I like it better with you." Rainbow Dash could barely move. She felt so happy yet nervous all at the same time that she kept asking herself from within her head if this was really at all possible. Pinkie Pie started walking towards the stares and asked if Rainbow wanted to go up to her room.
"Absolutely! I just… I mean, well this is so sudden… but at the same time, it's so awesome!"
The two stayed up there for most of the remainder of the day.
While Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash enjoyed each other's blissful company, Fluttershy and Rarity were at the salon enjoying the treatment they always got there. Just like Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, they were suffering from the same affliction. Rarity thought she might be over worked while Fluttershy simply kept pondering on it. Finally, while they were in the bath that was used to cleanse their coats thoroughly, Fluttershy asked Rarity something a bit random, and with some trouble.
She began, "So, um... Rarity?"
The unicorn was about three feet away from where Fluttershy was sitting. "Yes?"
"Well, um… Nothing… I mean, well… How do I put this? H-have you ever kissed another pony before?"
Rarity looked stunned at Fluttershy's forward question.
"Well… now that you mention it," she began with blushing cheeks. "No, actually I have not. Now don't get me wrong. I simply haven't found the right pony yet. Why do you ask?"
"Oh umm… Well, I was just curious to know is all… What do you think it would be like?"
Rarity tried to look natural, but deep inside, she wanted to find out how it felt for herself as well. What was making her blush so much, though, was the fact that she wanted to find out how it felt with Fluttershy at the time, and seemingly nopony else would do except her.
"Well, I'm sure it feels the same way as… oh, I know... Wh-when you first go to school… No, that's not right. Huh, I guess I just won't know until I try doing it with somepony, but I'm sure it can't be that impressive."
Fluttershy inched closer to Rarity's side and decided to ask a very brave, but odd question. "Do you… Would you... Um… That is to say, do you want to try it… with me, perhaps?"
The two were now side by side almost touching shoulders, and it had fallen quite silent all of the sudden. Rarity was of course all too willing to kiss Fluttershy, but she was just as inexperienced as her friend.
"Well, how do you, umm. That is, should we just..."
"I think we just let our lips touch, R-Rarity. Of course, if you don't wanna try it, then that's alright. I-I'd understand..."
"Oh, but I do want to try it, and… well, it would be a learning experience for the both of us, wouldn't it?"
Fluttershy smiled, and she then slowly brought her lips that much closer to Rarity's, and Rarity did the same. Their lips met, and for a minute, it felt like they were meant to be doing this with each other. After that, Rarity admitted to Fluttershy that she liked kissing her, and Fluttershy invited Rarity to her house to try different styles of kissing from within a much more confidential setting. Rarity pleasurably accepted, and the two mares left the salon shortly after, and still blushing.
While they were at Fluttershy's cottage, Twilight Sparkle had been working on the invisibility spell while Spike was taking note of the experiment. After another failed attempt, Spike finally asked if anything was the matter. “Well, you see, Spike... I've been… distracted by something lately. It's actually kind of personal.”
Spike gave Twilight this look that told her whatever it was, he could handle it.
"Right, I forgot who I'm talking to… Well, you remember yesterday being the first attempt at the invisibility spell? Well, something in my head threw off my concentration."
"Well, what was it?"
"It was… me, and Applejack… We were kissing."
Spike leaned up against the wall acting as if this was something normal.
"Twilight, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"
"No, go ahead."
"How many stallions do you know?"
Twilight had to stop and ponder this for a few seconds. She knew of Big Macintosh and Fancy Pants, but other than that, she couldn't seem to think of another steed other than those two. Spike noticed she was taking a while, and answered the question for her.
"Not that many, right?"
"Right, I suppose..."
"How many mares do you know? Let's count. There's Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack. That's five right off the bat! In other words, you're surrounded by mares every day. I'm surprised that you haven't been feeling these emotions earlier. I think that after finally getting to know everypony, you've decided that Applejack is the best match for you."
"So, in other words, this is perfectly normal to you."
"Well," Spike confessed. "Applejack is just a really great friend! Relationships have to start somewhere, Twilight."
The unicorn had never thought of it that way, but then again, she couldn't just go ahead and admit her feelings to Applejack, could she?
"Um, say Spike? Do you think I should go ahead and tell Applejack the truth?"
"Do what you want. It's your crush after all."
Twilight gulped, but soon enough, she made up her mind. "Ok, I'll... I'm going to be at the Smith's farm if you need me. But if you're wrong about this, then I'm about to make a complete fool of myself."
With that, she headed out the door.
Meanwhile, at the Smith's farm, Applejack had been working rather sluggish as of late. Her head was lost in the clouds. All day yesterday, and all day today, she had been thinking nonstop about Twilight Sparkle and her kisses. Finally, she found some time to talk with Big Macintosh in the middle of the day.
"Say, have you ever… um, kissed a mare before?"
"Eeyup!"
"How did it feel?"
"Eeyup!"
"Big Mac, be serious!"
"Oh, but I am!"
"Oh come on. Describe it," Applejack pleaded.
"Well, it was when I drank that love poison the fillies gave me. Ah fell in love with Cherilee."
"Ah remember."
"We kissed like crazy," Big Mac said longingly. "It was pretty good, but of course, it didn't last. Ah still kinda miss that day, being with her. She was as sweet as strawberries, Eeyup!"
Applejack wondered if Twilight would be just as sweet as strawberries. Just as Big Macintosh was headed back to work on bucking apples, Twilight rounded a few trees, startling Applejack instantly.
"What is she doing here?" Applejack questioned aloud. "If she sees me blushing the way Ah've been blushing all afternoon, she's sure to know something's up!"
Twilight walked up to Applejack without delay, and watched her hide timidly behind a nearby apple tree.
"Umm, Applejack? Are you ok?"
"Umm, nothin' over here… Just… uh, working, that's all."
"Oh, come on. You can take a break. There's something I need to know."
"Know what? Ah'm not hiding anything!"
Twilight smirked, knowing this was a lie. "You're a terrible fibber. Come on out. Please?"
Applejack decided to come out after all, but by then she was trembling with nervousness.
"Umm, Applejack, your face is redder than a tomato! Are you... blushing?"
"Yea, sorry Twi… Ah just… Ah don't know what's going on in this thing you might call my imagination. Ah can't seem to get... well, you outta my head these days. Ah thought it would go away after yesterday, but..."
"Wait. You were feeling like this yesterday too?"
"Huh? What do you mean by… feeling like this yesterday too?"
"Well..." Twilight began to blush, and it only got worse as she explained that around two o'clock yesterday, she began to feel the same exact feelings towards Applejack. "Wait," Twilight said as she began to think hard and long about what all of this could possibly be leading to. "I started thinking of you around two as well! Have you seen the others?"
"Come to think of it, no Ah haven't. Why?"
"This can't be a coincidence. Both of us started liking each other more than ever, and at around the same time. If not, then at the exact same time… That just doesn't make any sense what so ever! I wonder…"
Applejack had been gawking at Twilight's lips this whole time. She wanted to know just how they felt. Because of the fantasies drifting freely into her head, she couldn't help but ask if Twilight would like to go to her room so they could be alone with each other for a while.
"Sorry Applejack, but I just can't at the moment! The fact still remains that there's a pattern… and I need to check up on the others to make sure they aren't doing what I think they're doing. Believe me, it's not that I don't want to, it's just way too bizarre." With that said, she left Applejack high and dry with lust fogging her judgement.
Is there a pattern to this, or is Twilight just imagining things? If she isn't, then what could all this mean? Will she get to the bottom of this mystery, or give into her very own temptation along the way? Find out next time on The Curse of the Elements.
Applejack sat at a local bar drowning her worries with booze. The bar tender crossed over, and notice her on her fifth bottle.
"Hey, you ok?" He asked this while tipping his hat. Her face had been sitting on the bar counter nearly the whole night.
A sad song was being played by the pianist.
"Don't worry about me, sugar. Ah'm just coping with some losses with some liquids."
"You know, worries and depressions don't drown. They stay way above the booze where you can hear them the most! It's not a good idea to be doing this to yourself, you know?"
"Yea… Well who in tarnation asked for your opinion?"
He leaned in to say, "What's bugging you farm mare? Your crush stood you up or something?"
She hiccuped, "It can't be that obvious… can it?"
"As plain as the nose on my face." That sounded funny to Applejack for some reason. She lifted her head for the first time in awhile to get a better look at the bartender. He had a slicked back mane and normal looking eyes, but his nose was the biggest nose Applejack had ever seen. She chuckled and sat up a bit more in order to talk to him face to face. "Look," the bartender started. "Just because you didn't get the pony you wanted doesn't mean he's gone."
"Actually, uh…" she checked his name tag. "Spills, it's a… mare."
"Different gender, same situation… If you want this pony badly, go and get her."
"But, Ah don't even know if Ah should. We've been friends for a while now, and this feeling just popped out of the blue!" She gently felt her cheek with one of her hooves as she said, "Actually, it was more purple than anything..."
"Chances are the feeling of love was there the whole time," Spills said. "It only just now awakened. That's the curse of love, you see. You may not know it's there until it shows itself."
Applejack realized that everything Spills was saying was logical, and decided to try her hoof with Twilight yet again, but that would have to wait until tomorrow. It was far too late, and Applejack was far too drunk to try and flirt with anypony save for a mirror. She headed out of the bar that night with a stumble, and headed straight home. Although, she had some difficulty because she still felt as though with every step, she teetered on the edge of a cliff.
Meanwhile, Twilight had checked up on all her friends only to learn they had all fallen in love. She demanded that they all gathered at her treehouse. Everypony but Applejack was there. Pinkie was paired up with Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy with Rarity, and Twilight was paired up with a chalk board.
"Okay then, here's what's happening to all of us currently," Twilight said. "This sort of thing doesn't happen without a pattern. I need to know details from each of you about how this started and when exactly it happened."
Her friends hardly heard her saying anything at all. They were way too busy looking into each others eyes to be bothered with Twilight's silly paranoia. At first, when Twilight had gone to Pinkie's home to check on them, they had been secretive, but that didn't last long. Eventually they caught themselves kissing once again, and were unable to stop even while they did this directly in front of Twilight. Rarity and Fluttershy had eventually admitted that they were together, too, but only after Twilight had badgered them with enough questions.
Twilight wasn't exactly irritated with the fact that they all fell in love with each other, though. She was irritated by the fact that it all happened almost directly at the same time. "Please, girls," Twilight begged. To Twilight's amazement, they all stopped and paid attention. "I need to ask just a few questions. After that, you're all free to go... Go and do what? I really don't wanna know."
There was a pause.
"Now then, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash? Roughly what time did you two start thinking about each other?"
Rainbow remembered the image that flashed into her head yesterday.
"I had just finished my clean up duty for the day, and at twelve o'clock, I had an imaginary day dream of me and Pinks here making out."
Pinkie had been staring at Rainbow the whole time. All Pinkie could really do was casually daydream about what they were going to do once they got back to her room within Sugarcube Corner that night. When she heard this detail, though, her mind trailed. She recalled when her Pinkie sense had gone off, and remembered what time it was when she, too, had roughly the same experience.
"Umm, Dashie…? That's a little odd. I had the same fantasy in my head at the same time! And I'm not talking about a minute before or after, I mean the exact same time!"
Twilight levitated a piece of chalk and proceeded to draw Rainbow and Pinkie with a cloud bubble above their heads. In the bubble, she wrote RD+PP. Then she drew an arrow toward the right of the board, and proceeded to jot down the timing.
"Ok, now Fluttershy, do you know what time it was when you and Rarity began having the same emotions, or even a thought about you two?"
"Well… I fed Angel his food at… I think it was twelve yesterday, and it usually takes him fifty minutes to an hour to finish his meals. I had begun imagining myself with Rarity when I was cleaning up Angel's mess, so I'd say at one, probably."
Rarity told Twilight about just how busy she was that afternoon. She simply couldn't remember exactly when it was that she had begun liking Fluttershy so much. "I guess it must have been at about one because I had a very important dress to make. I stopped for less than ten minutes at twelve to eat, and then got right back to work."
Twilight decided that despite a lack of details, the information added up, and formed into a comprehensive pattern just as she predicted. She drew Rarity's and Fluttershy's face together with another thought bubble. Inside the bubble was FS+RB. Then she drew an arrow towards the right of the board same as before, and put down the time.
Then, she drew herself and Applejack together with the bubble on top. Within the bubble was TS+AJ. Then she drew an arrow to the right of the board, and said, "Two..."
Putting down the chalk and turning to face her friends, she asked, "Do you see the pattern now?"
They all stared at it with utterly confused faces.
"I wonder…" Twilight thought aloud.
"Wonder what?" Pinkie asked.
"There's a chapter within... I think it's the book about the elements of harmony that I own. I seem to remember... It said something about the elements being made in pairs… or couples! Spike, would you get me that book please."
Spike climbed up the book shelf and grabbed the bigger, heavier looking book. "Here it is Twilight." She grabbed it with her magic, and after levitating it down to them all, she flipped the pages until she found the index.
"How to use… Folklore… What not to do… Aha, here it is. In the makings… flip to page three hundred and nine…" She skimmed to the desired page and began to read again.
"The elements of harmony were made in couples. Loyalty was made with laughter. Generosity was made with kindness, and honesty was made with… magic! Doesn't that sound familiar to any of you?"
They were all making out except for Twilight.
"It's our elements! Were all coupled the same way the elements of harmony were coupled!" Everyone was so confused and distracted by then.
"There's another thing. There's another book that cataloged all the problems that arose in the preparations and creations of the elements. It's called the Elements of Harmony and the Extra Steps Taken. I don't have that one… Actually, I meant to get it when I first came to Ponyville, but I got so wrapped up with what's been going on that I never did get around to obtaining it. Spike, take a note."
Spike found some paper and a quill, and said, "Ready when you are."
"Dear Princess Celestia. I have been going through some odd researching with the elements of harmony and require a book that might be able to help me and my friends. Please send me the Elements of Harmony and the Extra Steps Taken as soon as possible. It is urgent that I receive the book in order to clear up a brand new mystery that's recently come up. Thank you, your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle."
Spike opened the window and sent the letter.
Afterwards, Twilight noticed that Applejack still hadn't arrived for some reason, so she also asked Spike to go get her, too. "She needs to know all of this as well."
What do these strange patterns mean, and why do they seem to revolve around the elements of harmony? Are there secrets about the elements that nopony knows of? Could there be answers hidden within the book that Twilight has just asked for? Find out in the next chapter of The Curse of the Elements.
"It's so nice to be able to sit with you before going to bed," said Princess Celestia.
Her Highness was enjoying some quality time with her sister, Princess Luna. The two siblings only got to be with each other for almost an hour a day. Before Luna went to bed, she'd sit in the garden with her sister while she ate her breakfast, and vice versa. The garden looked lovely today, for the flowers were at last in bloom, and all the birds were chirping in seemingly perfect rhythm.
"Yes, well, the night needs the moon needless to say. I've been meaning to ask... How in the world did you cope with raising the sun and my moon while I was banished?"
"Hmm… you know, Luna, there are things that I don't enjoy chatting about, and that is only one of them."
"Oh, come on, my sister. You can share this secret with me. I won't tell anypony, I promise."
They were the only two individuals there, so she decided that little harm could come from Princess Luna knowing.
"Well… you see, at first, I spent… What was it? Three to four days trying to stay awake? It just wasn't working out I'm afraid."
Luna laughed at this. "I can imagine."
"I would fall asleep during mid-rising... How embarrassing," Celestia hoofed. "Finally, I researched a very old spell that could create an artificial... well, me! Granted, the spell required an immeasurable number of unicorns to help in order for it to work. Many, many generations of ponies within the castle have offered assistance in creating this replica of myself, and it worked. She would go to sleep during the day, like you do, and the replica would control the moon at night. It was never even a real Princess, but rather just a shell of hardened magic, and it unfortunately had to be renewed every one hundred years. It was efficient, but it could never replace you."
"Why doesn't anypony hardly know about this?"
"Because it looked like me, talked like me, and it even made a vile attempt to try and rule in my place. After that ordeal, I had to change its shape. You know the old stand that is used to hold my clothes inside of my room? Looks like a pony?"
"Yes, but what does that… oh!"
"Yep," Celestia said victoriously. "That's her. It took a lot of magic to make it hold the moon up, but it did fine. I mean, you didn't actually think I stayed up day in and day out, raising the sun, then raising the moon without ever sleeping, did you? We may be alicorns, but we're not that powerful!"
Suddenly, a greenish sparkle of smoke wafted towards Celestia's eyes. Lune seemed to have seen it, too, but didn't know what it was, and prepared to take action.
"Oh, calm down, Luna," Celestia said while waving her hoof towards her sister, indicating her to sit back down.
"It's just a note from my student, Twilight Sparkle... Again..."
The smoke turned into a note and was opened by Celestia's magic.
"Dear Princess Celestia... She's always so formal!" Luna rolled her eyes, but Celestia kept on reading. "Uh... It... This couldn't be..."
"What is it, my sister?"
Princess Celestia began to giggle. She put her hoof up to her eyes to wipe away a tear drop of joy.
"This is actually quite amusing. Even though it doesn't expressively state that she needs the book for the curse… Oh, Twilight... My student...."
"Curse… What curse? Why are you making those funny noises for? Is there something humorous about that letter?"
"Allow me to explain," Celestia offered humbly. "Come with me."
The two Princesses proceeded to enter the library, and then Celestia looked around for a particular book. Once she had located it, she told Luna to listen closely while she read aloud.
"Ok… Now then, listen to this." She cleared her throat and proceeded. "The Curse of the Elements… When developing the elements all those years ago, I originally was going to make seven elements of harmony, but was too weak to finish the last one. Instead... and this is where I might have made a mistake... I put a spell on the elements that would rest within the original three couples that were made together."
Luna teased, "So you took the easy way out?"
Ignoring that, Celestia continued calmly, "Laughter and loyalty were the first to receive the spell. An unpredictable reaction to the spell then occurred between those two elements. They began to magnify, and were irrevocably attracted to one another. I chose to hide away everything that I had done by putting the enchantment to rest deep within the coupled elements. Once that was taken care of, I continued to the next couple of elements one hour later, which were kindness and generosity. The same reaction occurred and I had to do the same thing. I put the spell to sleep within the elements."
Luna nodded, "I'm following along so far..."
"Finally, the last two elements remained. Honesty... and... magic. Once again, I witnessed the same reaction, and the same outcome."
She rose her head towards her sister and asked if she might've known what spell she placed on the elements.
"I do not know, my sister. What is it?"
Princess Celestia smiled widely. She could barely contain herself from laughter.
"I accidentally placed a love spell on Twilight and all of her friends!"
Luna didn't respond for a moment and asked what that meant.
"The original seven elements were supposed to be laughter, loyalty, kindness, and generosity, honesty, magic and finally, love! I put the seventh element inside the other elements as an easy workaround, but now, they're cursed because the elements are no longer inanimate objects. They're ordinary ponies now! It's taken the curse some time to awaken, but I would have never thought that it would've happened now of all times!"
"So, basically, those ponies that represent the elements of harmony are cursed by a love spell?"
The two sisters slowly started to smile at each other. Finally, they bellowed over laughing hysterically. After a good five minutes, they got up and looked at one another fairly sternly, and seriously.
"Now then," Celestia started. "What should I do…? Chances are they will simply fall in love with each other over time... That is to say, if they haven't already. They'd be unable to resist the lustful thoughts in each of their own respective heads. I suppose the right thing for me to do is to send them the book to Twilight, and let them figure it out."
"I think you should just wait it out and put the spell to sleep one couple after another," Luna suggested.
"Yes, that would be the case if it weren't for the fact that the spells that I used on each of the three couples were three separate spells. That means they're now three separate curses. It used to be possible to put it to sleep one couple at a time but years of being dormant has allowed my magic to form into something else. In order to put it to rest, I would need the couples to openly accept the other's love in front of me or none of them will ever have this curse released from any of them!"
Luna checked the clock in the library and gasped at how late she was.
"I should have raised the moon an hour ago! Why didn't you say anything?" Luna yelled as she exited the library, and galloped strait for her room.
"I guess I'll just wait it out until they all have fallen for each other," Celestia mused with a yawn. She proceeded to go to bed and deal with the matter tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle and the other mares were all waiting for her reply as well as the book. When nothing happened, they all naturally became a little bit worried. By then, Applejack was trembling with lust for Twilight. She understood the situation, but still, Applejack just wanted so badly to pounce on Twilight like a lion, and have her way with the bratty unicorn.
The others, however, merely did whatever they pleased. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash were cuddled up to one another in a corner slowly falling asleep. Fluttershy and Rarity were kissing on the sofa found next to a bookshelf. Twilight was pacing the floor asking herself why there still wasn't any reply from her mentor, and Applejack as nervous as she was couldn't help but watch Twilight's every strut and movement.
"Umm, Twilight…"
Twilight almost groaned from just hearing Applejacks voice. "Yeah?"
"Um, it's getting late. Do you wanna go t-to bed… with, umm…?"
She was cut off by Twilight finally losing her patience. "Look, Applejack... I have just as much desire for you as you do for me, but I'm not going to get all romantic with you until I know what's going on! This is a really big deal!"
"Oh… Ok then, so… Ah guess we'll just have a sleep over?"
Twilight looked around and saw all her friends were slowly falling into blissful slumber together. "Y-yeah… looks like it."
"So… but, um… where will Ah… you know, sleep?"
"I have an extra bed. It's up stares."
"Oh… well, Ah guess that'll… That is, well… Oh, Tarnation, Twi!" The earth pony was fed up with being put off for so long. "Please, Twi, please! Can Ah please sleep with you tonight?"
Twilight could feel her legs wobbling from the strain. All she desperately wanted to do was say yes, but she couldn't. She still didn't fully know what was going on, so she refused. "No, Applejack... I'm sorry..."
Later that night, she could hear Applejack sobbing directly across from her room. Hearing her friend, and her current love complex crying somewhat loudly made Twilight feel as though her heart was being stabbed furiously by a dagger. She decided to succumb at long last, and timidly invited Applejack to sleep with her.
Applejack got into bed while Twilight laid down some ground rules. "No kissing! Got it? None of that! And no more sobs, either. I can't stand it when you cry."
Applejack shut off the water works and asked if she could at least cuddle with her. Normally Twilight had expected this behavior from somepony like Fluttershy.
"Oh… all right, Applejack. I guess that can't hurt anything."
Applejack came up close to Twilight and wrapped her hooves around her friend. The soft fur felt like silk to Twilight. She noticed Applejack smelling her mane, and this made her smile.
"Mmh... D-don't get carried away."
"Right, sorry… you just smell so… magical!"
"You're so corny, Applejack."
The two snoozed rather peacefully throughout the whole night. Applejack kept putting her hind leg over Twilight's flank, but Twilight was actually enjoying the heat coming off of her friend. It kept her nice, warm and cozy.
The main six were cuddled up and happily together with their corrective pairs, and even though this wasn't their true feelings for each other, it came pretty close to feeling genuine that night.
Will the curse be lifted? Is this new, but short acceptance of Applejack's love enough to put to rest the curse of the elements, or will Twilight eventually force herself to push Applejack further and further away? Why are you still reading this? You know this is how these chapters always end. Do you really think the answers will be anywhere within this part of the story? Because they're not. Find out what happens next time on The Curse of the Elements.
The three couples awoke bright and early the next day. The rays of harsh light from the sun seeped serenely into the room and shined upon Twilight Sparkle. Raising her head as she woke up, she felt the hoof of her dear friend Applejack wrapped around her waist.
"Aw," she sighed as she stared downwards at her companion. Applejack was dreaming with a cheerful smile. She looked so peaceful in Twilight’s bed.
"T-T-Twilight…"
"Applejack talks in her sleep?" Twilight thought.
Applejack moaned very pleasurably, "Your… lips... They're so soft! Ah love it!"
Twilight couldn’t help but feel complimented, but then, yesterday’s memories came back to her as she realized that if the sun was up, it meant that Princess Celestia was likely awake. "Why haven’t I received any reply?" she asked.
She strutted out of bed carefully, and managed not to wake her dreaming partner. Twilight then walked towards Spike’s basket silently. The young dragon snored absurdly where he slept.
"Spike," Twilight whispered. "Wake... up..."
"Huh, I didn’t do it. I… oh, a dream… Hehe."
"Did the Princess ever reply?"
"Twilight?" Spike nearly jumped out of his basket once he saw her looming over him. "No, actually she didn’t."
"That’s never happened. She usually replies to all of my letters, especially when I label them as urgent! Could something have happened?"
"I’m sure everything is fine. After all, she's a Princess. She's probably just now waking up the same as I am."
"I’m going to wake everyone up. Something is wrong here, and we need to get to the bottom of it!"
In little less then fifteen minutes, all the ponies were up and about with their special somepony, except for Twilight and Applejack.
"Okay, everypony," Twilight said confidently at the door leading out of her treehouse. "Celestia never replied, which means something's wrong. We still hardly have any answers to this riddle, and all of this romance this week has been way too much to bear! We’re going to Canterlot. We're getting that book, and I'm going to find out what’s going on because would you ponies stop kissing each other for just five minutes!"
It was like one giant date for the three couples.
As they all headed for the train station, Applejack kept trying to get closer to Twilight, but Twilight just kept pushing her further and further away. Disgruntled and love sick, all Applejack could do was hope she and Twilight would be able to get better acquainted with one another once all of them had reached Canterlot. On the train, there were two box cars that the couples could use. Everypony else used the back car while Twilight singled herself away from Applejack by taking up quarters inside of the car in front. Applejack came in to try to talk to her.
"Um… Twilight…?"
The unicorn sank her head as Applejack stepped closer to her. Twilight had her back to Applejack, and tried not to even look at her.
"Sparks," she said, using a cute, new nickname she had recently invented. "Please don’t ignore me… Ah just wanna talk."
Twilight gulped as she started to speak. "I can’t get you out of my head, Applejack. It’s as if… I just don’t know. If it’s a good thing, then why do I still feel like I shouldn’t accept these emotions? I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but then, I'm not entirely sure... if I should accept them, either. The patterns of our friends falling, and us... It's so uncanny. It can’t just be a coincidence. I guess what I’m saying is… I want to push these feelings of desire for you away… far away. I won’t accept them until I’m sure that these impulses that we're suddenly sharing can’t do us any harm."
Applejack, now more glossy eyed than ever looked at Twilight, and she then looked down at the wooden floor, and began to cry.
"Well then," she said during her sobs. "Ah guess… if that’s the way you wanna be… then Ah’ll wait. Ah’ll wait for as long as it takes… for you to accept me! But just know, that Ah… well, Ah love you Twilight! And Ah don’t wanna stop loving you even if it rips my heart in two!"
With that, she left Twilight alone with a tear drop trail leading to the back car. Applejack didn't see it, but after she left, Twilight collapsed under pressure and cried for the rest of the trip.
Upon arrival, Twilight and Applejack wiped away any leftover tear marks under their eyes, and exited the train. Everypony was enjoying the walk through town while Twilight and Applejack stayed silent and a good distance away from each other, but no matter how far apart they were, they still wanted to be together more than anything.
Rainbow and Pinkie stopped by almost every gift shop imaginable.
Rarity and Fluttershy remarked that they should enjoy visiting one of the many salons that could be found within the city.
Everypony in the group but Twilight and Applejack was having a blast. The town was bustling and beautiful, and the city folk didn’t pay much attention to the couples, either.
Eventually they reached the Canterlot palace entrance. the whole structure was polished to a shine, and everything had never looked better. While Twilight and friends continued to head towards the grand hall, the guards recognized them all and bowed on sight. They in time reached the grand hall which was guarded by the Princess’s royal knights.
"State your purpose," the one on the left said.
"We’re here to see Princess Celestia. Is she... alright? She hasn't been feeling... ill at all, has she?" The guard didn't say anything to such questionings. "I-i-it's just that I'm her student, and, well... We'd really like to see her if that's alright."
"Yes, she is inside enjoying peaceful solitude. May I ask you to come back later?"
"No you may not!" Twilight's voice echoed. "We need to see her right now! It’s urgent!"
He winced. At first, Twilight thought that she had succeeded with her yelling, but then, he asked, "Are your... friends alright?!"
"Of course… Why wouldn’t they-"
Twilight turned around to find her friends all making out all at once.
"You guys can’t wait for ten measly minutes while I find out what’s happening to us? Ugh!"
At lease Applejack was kind of behaving herself.
The royal guard soon allowed them to pass, but it wasn't exactly like he had much choice in the matter. They entered and startled the Princess of the Sun who was sitting on some pillows. She was enjoying the nice, quiet sounds of nature that came from outside her opened balcony window.
"Girls…! What are you doing here?"
Although she seemed bewildered, there was a hint of sarcasm in the way her Highness spoke.
Twilight looked at the Princess and asked forwardly why she hadn't gotten a reply from her yet. "Didn’t you get the letter I sent?"
The Princess bowed her head, and admitted to getting the letter. "I was hoping you would have simply succumbed to one another, but I should have known that wouldn’t happen with you, Twilight."
She explained everything about the curse to the ponies. They all looked at each other in disbelief.
"So… all this time," Rainbow said. "It was just a stupid spell? My love for Pinkie Pie isn’t real?"
Fluttershy looked ready to cry. "I thought this was special! Rarity and I are just… cursed?"
"I’m afraid so, my little ponies," Princess Celestia said. "Actually, the only way to put the curse to sleep once again, and perhaps for good this time is if all of you accept one another's love."
Everypony accepted this and once again, they all began to make out. Rainbow Dash leaned up against one of the pedestals while smiling, and allowed Pinkie Pie to kiss her.
"Even if this is just a spell," Rainbow said. "You're still the hottest pony I've ever seen. I, uh... actually felt that way for a long time, even before all this romantic stuff started happening."
Pinkie blushed a little bit before she resumed kissing Rainbow Dash.
Fluttershy laid on her stomach, and cried while Rarity walked up to her somberly.
"Please don’t cry." Rarity's voice was sweet. "I still love you whether this is a spell or not!" she stood on top and slowly licked Fluttershy’s ears, sending pleasurable waves throughout the pink maned mare’s body.
"Oh, Rarity… I… I love you!"
Everypony but Twilight had accepted it. Applejack stood there, waiting nervously. Twilight walked over to her, but Applejack couldn’t help but to look away. The closer Twilight got, the more the both of them blushed.
"Sorry," Twilight began. "For being so hard headed throughout this whole ordeal. I’m ready to accept you... your love."
Applejack smiled as a tear slid down her cheek.
"You don’t know how it feels... waiting and waiting just to hear you say that. This has been eating me up for the longest time! The eagerness always leads to day dreams, and what Ah heard what you said back on the train… Ah just… It tore my heart out, Twi. Ah can’t even begin to describe how this pain in my chest feels. Ah want you… Ah want you so bad that Ah think Ah… N-no! Ah do! Ah love you Sparks! You’re in my dreams, in my thoughts… Ah… Ah love you!"
"Every time these impulses happen, I feel as though I shouldn't follow up on them, but it’s the same with me! I love you, too, Applejack! I only made it hurt even worse whenever I try to push you away. How could I be so blind as to not accept it sooner? All this could've been avoided. Can you... forgive me, Applejack? I know that I occasionally act like I'm pretty smart, but I can be pretty dumb sometimes, too."
The two ponies stood there gazing into each other’s eyes. They inched ever so closer for that first kiss they wanted so desperately to share. Slowly and passionately, their lips met. Applejack tasted as sweet as a crisp apple, and Twilight tasted like pure magic. For at least ten minutes, the six lustful ponies accepted one another’s blissful embrace.
Twilight pulled away to admit her true feelings for Applejack. "I love you so much!"
"Ah love you more!"
Finally, with the ponies acceptance of one another, Princess Celestia was able to put the curse to rest. Her horn glowed, and one couple after another shined brightly during their mesmerizing kisses.
With their emotions depleted, they all stopped awkwardly, and stared at one another.
"Umm, Pinkie Pie… I don’t feel it anymore. The love… it’s just... gone!"
"Rarity… I’m s-so sorry, but… I have to agree with Rainbow Dash on this one… I can’t feel it anymore. It's like I had never... really ever fallen in love with you to begin with. It's strange..."
Twilight backed away from Applejack. "Well… this has been interesting!"
The emotions, the lust, and the bliss was all gone.
Needless to say, they all agreed to never speak of the occurrence that had befallen them ever again. The love wasn’t real, plain and simple. The lust was imaginary, and the feelings dissolved in their minds surprisingly hastily.
Princess Celestia apologized for the events that had unfolded. They were all still friends. They just had memories that would once in a while make them feel uneasy, but as they boarded the train home, there was a problem. Only one train was going to Ponyville. This train had three cars, and six beds in each box. The conductor was the one who chose which ponies slept in which car.
"Alright," he began. "Rainbow Dash is with this Pinkie Pie character... Fluttershy will be with Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle will be grouped with Applejack!"
Fate was laughing in the faces of the main six.
Twilight asked, "Um, sir, can’t you switch up the car arrangement?"
"Sorry, but randomization is how I’ve always done it, and I’m not planning to change now!"
As Applejack and Twilight laid in their separate beds, neither of them could get a grasp of what had transpired over the coarse of those few days. The love they felt for each other had once seemed so strong, and then, it disappeared. How was anypony to feel about something like that?
"Um, Twilight? Are you awake?"
The beds weren't very far apart from one another, so it was obvious that Twilight could hear her friend ask this question. She just was choosing not to respond.
"Twilight… Say something to me… Please."
Twilight turned to her side to stare at her friend. "Sorry, Applejack, I guess… I’ve just had a long, long day."
"Me too, Twi."
The two smiled at each other, and simultaneously, they began to wonder if the love might still be there after all. Not the curse of the elements, but just the love itself.
Both of them eerily asked the next question in unison.
"Can I ask a favor?"
They then gasped.
A pause followed.
Applejack smiled and told Twilight, "You go first, sugarcube."
"Well… you wouldn’t mind if… I just want to know if… Well, that is… can I kiss you for a measly five seconds?"
Applejack was stunned. That was what she was going to ask for.
"Uh… sure thing, Twi…"
The unicorn sat up in her bed, and so did Applejack. They got to the edges of their mattresses and Applejack closed her eyes.
She waited patiently with puckered lips.
She could feel Twilight touching her gently, and then felt her tongue intrude. It was a surprise for Applejack, but only for a moment. Afterwards, Twilight parted her lips from Applejack's only to thank her.
"You, um… wanted a favor, too… r-right?"
"Yeah… This."
Applejack brought her hoof behind Twilight’s neck, and then brought her in for more. The lust had returned to the two, and this time, it was real. Twilight got up from the creases of her bed, still kissing Applejack, and laid herself gently on top. The hot and sweaty bodies of the two ponies were heating up their car quickly which only helped them get that much closer towards one another.
Twilight smiled and said, "You’re blushing again."
"Aw shucks, Twi, you are too!"
They spent the night together in just one of the beds. Meanwhile, inside of Rarity and Fluttershy’s room, they were getting ready to go to sleep themselves.
Rarity hadn’t spoken to Fluttershy at all. They had been silent almost the whole ride, but that just wouldn’t last.
Rarity decided to ask a curious question. "So?"
"Hmm?"
"How was I?"
"Oh," Fluttershy voiced shyly. "Um, let’s n-not talk about that."
"Oh, come on, darling… be honest, how was I?"
Fluttershy sighed and entertained the question. "You were… just the best. You made me feel… safe, I guess, whenever I was with you. If only it was real…"
Rarity climbed off from her decorated bed, and went to sit on Fluttershy’s.
"You know, if you'd like to know the truth, I really did enjoy kissing you as well. The love might not have been real… but the enjoyment that I felt certainly was… Maybe… Well, how about we kiss just one last time?"
Fluttershy was now redder that ever. She couldn’t hide her smile, though. "Oh… W-well… I guess… one kiss couldn’t hurt."
Rarity closed in on Fluttershy, and for the moment, they again both shared one another's sensitive and tender lips. It was as if the distance between them stretched farther and farther away the closer they got. Their lips met once more, and for a moment, they began to feel a certain, euphoric pleasure. The feeling of love had returned to them, and they spent the rest of the night in the same fashion that Applejack and Twilight did. The night seemed to go on forever.
While they were in the other car kissing, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash could sometimes be heard arguing with one another further down the train.
"You made a move on me first! I wasn’t sure you would do it, but you did do it, Dashie! You wanna know something else? I think you liked it!"
"I told you, Pinkie! It was the curse doing that junk to me. Are we seriously gonna go on and on about this all night?"
"Yea, yea, sure, sure. Whatever you say!"
"Pinkie, if you don’t stop talking, I’m gonna come over there and-"
"Start kissing me again?"
The pink pony was pushing Rainbow a bit too far, but she knew this.
"I dare ya," Pinkie sassed.
In an instant, Rainbow took a grand leap towards Pinkie with hooves extended, and pinned her to one of the beds. Pinkie just laid there limply while Rainbow smiled playfully. Pinkie smiled back and looked at Rainbow Dash with extremely seductive eyes.
"So, um… now that you have me, just what do you plan on doing?"
Rainbow Dash slowly came to the realization that Pinkie was teasing her, but for some odd reason, it was almost enjoyable.
"Well… I could strangle you… I could yell at you for being so annoying all the time… or, I could do this!"
Pinkie closed her eyes shut as Rainbow proceeded to kiss Pinkie on the lips. Blushing wildly, Pinkie wrapped her forehooves and hindhooves around Rainbow's frame. As a response, the pegasus gently laid on top of Pinkie, and caressed her cotton candy mane erotically.
After a minute or two, Pinkie pulled away, and said, "I feel that nice feeling again… love…" She blinked. "I love you, Dashie."
"I love you, too, Pinkie Pie."
When the ponies got home, they all acted like nothing had happened in the train whatsoever. Twilight came into her treehouse to confront Spike.
"You were wrong... and you were right," she said to the slightly confused dragon.
"Um... come again, Twilight?"
"I wasn't in love with Applejack after all... at least not naturally... Well, at least not at first. I thought I was, but it turned out to be a dormant love spell within us all!"
Spike's eyes widened. "Woah... But, do you still love her?"
"Well," Twilight said as she paced herself. "I think I do, actually. Like I had said before, you were right about my true feelings, but you were also wrong... Does that make any sense?"
Eventually, they found out about everypony still having serious relationships with one another, but not until a long time had gone by. Twilight wrote to Princess Celestia asking if she was sure the curse was asleep. She received an immediate reply from Celestia which confirmed that the spell was indeed at rest. This meant that this time around, those passionate feelings were true, and real after all. Twilight could no longer deny her emotions that she was feeling for Applejack.
Princess Celestia regally sat at her throne with a bowl full of cherries nestled next to her. The whole room was completely emptied, and as she used her magic to ward off all of the entrances and exits, she said to herself, "Let's see what Twilight and her best of friends are up to right about now."
A magical portal opened up directly in front of Princess Celestia, and inside, the Princess could see all of Ponyville. She could see Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie playing around with one another inside of Sugar Cube Corner as usual, and she could also see that Fluttershy was headed on over to Rarity's. She was holding onto a bouquet of freshly picked roses. At last, Princess Celestia repositioned the invisible portal to spy on her very own student, Twilight Sparkle. She was hard at work it seemed with yet another new and challenging spell.
"What'll it be this time, Twilight? Transfiguration, or perhaps distant teleportation?"
She inhaled slightly, but sharply through her scrunched muzzle. Something else appeared to be happening.
The door from behind Twilight opened, and the student turned around to see Applejack entering her room. At first, it simply appeared as though the earth pony was merely going to give Twilight a strong, and very comforting hug. Although, then Celestia caught a glimpse of their lips touching, and then they blatantly began making out with one another.
"Oh..." Celestia's eyebrows went up while she resumed casually watching the action. She could even faintly see Twilight and Applejack's tongues wrestling for dominance. "Well... I can't necessarily say that this was unexpected, but they certainly don't wait around, do they?"
Her Highness shrugged, and from beyond the portal, she heard Twilight saying to her close friend, "Applejack, I... l-love you so much."
Applejack replied, "Ah love you more, y'know..."
Celestia giggled while she coyly listened to them talking, and then magically turned her cherries into popcorn. She then said while she leisurely ate, "At least now I have something that will keep me thoroughly entertained whenever I get too bored around here."
