A Brewing Friendship
Apple Bloom was a potion expert. At least she liked to think so, anyway.
Ever since hearing of potions from her older sister talking about her wild adventures at Sugarcube Corner, the filly had been keen on learning all about them and how they worked. Aside from watching her sister and her friends drink them and use the powers that come with them, gaining knowledge and experience had been mostly trial and error, experimenting with different ingredients often to drastic degrees of damage that ranged from blowing soot all over the room to demolishing entire buildings.
Still, when it came to actually making potions, it was hard finding anyone that appreciated the art. To Apple Bloom, it was like selling apple products to ponies and said ponies just taking the products at face value without appreciating the maker of the products. She was lucky many weren't that ungrateful, and that many were friendly with the Apple family. She just wished the same applied to her hobby.
So when she got wind of her sister and her friends meeting a pony called "Potion Nova", she made sure to get every single detail she could out of everypony that interacted with her. Within the span of a few minutes, Apple Bloom had gotten the location of this unicorn's house, what she did, and that she apparently couldn't dance, which...well, she wasn't sure if she needed to know that last tidbit, but it was nice to have on file for socialization's sake.
At around 2 o'clock in the afternoon, when most of her chores on the farm were done, she skipped on over to Potion Nova's house and eagerly knocked on the door. Her hooves then began tapping on the ground in excitement as she heard the sound of hooves slowly approaching her from the other side.
The door opened to reveal a unicorn with a gorgeous pastel mane. Mostly of purple, but with pink and blue streaks that swirled downwards like ice cream in a cone. Apple Bloom's eyes widened as she came to the conclusion that, at the very least, this pony certainly looked as powerful as Applejack and the other girls made her sound.
"Hiya!" came her greeting. "Are you Potion Nova?"
Nova looked the filly up and down. Almost immediately, she noticed the crimson-colored bow that adorned her head, followed by her shimmering gamboge eyes that held anticipation and potential.
"Yes, I am!" she responded. "And who are you?"
"Th' name's Apple Bloom, and I'm here t' help ya make potions!"
The declaration was so sudden that Nova took a step back out of shock. Her mouth hung open for a few minutes as her brain desperately tried to form words, certainly not expecting anypony to up and declare that they were actually interested in what she did. Finally, she managed to spit out something of merit.
"Y-you...want to help me...make potions?"
"Yup! My big sis told me all about ya. And I just so happen t' love makin' potions myself!" Bloom grinned.
Nova, intrigued by the filly's apparent love of potions, made a "come here" gesture with her hoof. "You do, don't you? All righty, come on in!"
Bloom hopped inside, closing the door behind her. Almost immediately, her eyes began to sparkle at the sheer sight of Nova's house interior. It was mostly bathed in the browns of wood, with potions and books stacked on shelves. On her right, she could see a glass door that led to a potion greenhouse, as well as a large cauldron in the kitchen -- both good things to keep handy in her mind, as she would need them for making her creations.
As the pair went into Nova's kitchen, the unicorn began levitating an empty potion bottle, another potion bottle full of rainbow-colored liquid, and some ingredients. "So, tell me. What do you know about potion-making?"
"If ya give me those bottles, I can show ya!" Bloom said, impatiently grabbing at the empty bottle with feeble hooves.
Nova chuckled and landed the bottles, a small bowl, and the ingredients in front of the filly, who put on a face-splitting grin before she quickly got to work. With careful hooves, she grabbed the bottle of rainbow, the jar of yeast, and some cilantro, mixing it into the bowl and making her way over to the cauldron. She made sure to take deep breaths so she could fully concentrate, not wanting to accidentally blow up Nova's house with a wrong misstep.
Nova, meanwhile, opted to hang back and let Bloom do her thing. She gave the filly the benefit of the doubt and trusted her judgment, on the sole basis that she really wanted company after having gone through fillyhood with no one to share her love of potions with. Her eyes widened as she watched the filly move back and forth with various ingredients in her mouth, placing them into the cauldron and stirring accordingly.
"Hey, Potion Nova?" she called. "Can ya hand me that gecko tail on the counter?"
"Huh?" Nova blinked. "Oh! Yeah, yeah, sure." Lighting up her horn and swooping the tail in her cyan-colored corona, she passed it to Bloom, who took it in her mouth and dropped it in before giving her thanks.
Within fifteen minutes, the mixture was done. Nova helped Bloom out with scooping some of it into a bottle, setting it on the counter before she got to work emptying the cauldron by filling other potion bottles with it and taking them to the potion greenhouse.
"What did you make?" Nova asked, closing the door to the greenhouse behind her and trotting over to the kitchen.
"Elixir of Tranquility." Bloom answered with confidence. "Betcha can't guess what it does."
"It silences ponies?"
Bloom's eyes widened. "Huh. Would ya look at that. Ya got it right." She turned to make eye contact with Nova. "How'd ya guess?"
"Oh, I've made that potion before." Nova smiled. "It's actually a super-common one to make. Very easy."
A disappointed look settled on Bloom's features. "Oh. W-well, that's all right. I know a couple advanced potion recipes, too! I-if you'll let me make 'em, I can show ya!"
"Um, actually, before you do that..." Nova held up a hoof. "Why don't I give you a tour around the place? After all, if you're gonna help me out, it would help if you got a feel of where you're gonna be working, right?"
Bloom blinked, her disappointment beginning to ebb away. "Sure! Lead th' way!"
By the time the tour was over, Nova was exhausted. She wasn't sure whether it was due to Bloom's eagerness and enthusiasm, or because the day was winding down. Even so, she knew she had to get sleep to do another potion run to Sugarcube Corner tonight, and she expressed her desire for Bloom to come with her -- who, of course, agreed.
"Okay." Nova pulled herself up onto her couch. "I'm gonna be taking a little nap. You're welcome to read all of my potion books and learn some new recipes, if you'd like."
"Can I try 'em out?"
Nova bit her lip. "Er...no..." She perked up as an idea came to her. "Actually, there is one thing you can do, too."
Bloom's eyes shimmered. "Ooh, ooh, what is it?!"
"Have you heard of the Potion Ocean?"
Bloom sat on the question for a second, racking her memories before she nodded. "Yeah! That's where all the potions come from, right? 'Cause I've always found it a bit confusin' why we make potions when we could just get whatever we want from the Po-"
"Uh, ah, w-well..." Nova interrupted. "You see, Apple Bloom, the Potion Ocean provides the base for all of the potions. It doesn't provide the actual potions themselves. That part is on you." She smiled. "You kiiiinda used up the last of my base, and I need to get some more. There's a wagon in the greenhouse you can use to carry it all."
Much to Nova's complete and utter lack of surprise, Bloom zipped off and came back with the wagon in five seconds flat. "All right, I'm off! Be right back, Potion Nova!"
She zipped off again. A thump was heard, followed by a groan, and then the sound of a door opening and closing. Nova didn't need to think all that much about what had happened. She rested her head on the couch and allowed her eyes to slowly close, putting her full trust in Bloom to get the job done so she could rest easy.
The journey to the Potion Ocean had been long and grueling for Bloom.
Mainly because, for all her knowledge about what it was, she had absolutely no idea where she was going.
By the time she had arrived there, the sun had nearly dipped all the way into the horizon, leaving only a sliver of it peeking out from the waters. She watched it go down, her eyes widening as she took in the Potion Ocean's beauty and mystery. All this time, she had heard of the Ocean, but had never once gone to see it for herself. Before today, she had never used a base for her potions -- she had mixed stuff into a pot and let magic do the rest of the work. But Potion Nova's potions weren't like that.
Since they have a base, maybe that's why they're so powerful. She blinked. Meanwhile, half the time I try t' make potions, they get messed up somewhere along th' line. That Elixir of Tranquility bein' made t' perfection was just a fluke, and even then, Potion Nova said that it's one of the most basic potions. Maybe that holds true for all the other potions I know how t' make, too.
She lied down on the sand, resting her chin on her hooves as she listened to the lapping sounds of the water. What she had actually come to the Ocean for remained as nothing more than a little hoofnote in the back of her mind as her thoughts fully consumed her.
I can't afford t' mess up in front of her. And she has so much confidence about me goin' t' Sugarcube Corner to restock, too! What if I mess that up?! And...and...
She wasn't sure how much time had passed by the time she had successfully gathered more potion base and began to make her way back. All she knew was that it was nighttime, and Potion Nova had to be well on her way to Sugarcube Corner by no-
"Hey there!"
Bloom blinked at the dark figure that stood in front of her. Something was behind the figure that she couldn't make out, but it made an odd clinking sound. Immediately, her fear flared up, and she hastily scrambled backwards.
"Relax, it's just me! Potion Nova!"
The voice became familiar to the filly now. She rose to all four hooves again and sighed in relief. "Oh! S-sorry, I thought you were some sketchy mysterious figure or somethin'."
"Ah, don't worry about it." Nova waved a hoof. "You didn't come back, so I came to get you. After we drop the base back off at my house, you ready to go to Sugarcube Corner?"
"Sure!" the filly responded, although it was with far less enthusiasm than before. Still, Nova didn't seem to pick up on it, and together, they headed off to her house, Bloom sneaking one last peek at the Ocean before she dipped into the tunnel that served as the exit.
As soon as the pair exited Nova's house, the unicorn, and her wagon full of potions, began to mysteriously float through the air, as though practicing a feat of self-levitation without using her horn. Bloom could barely keep up with her at a galloping pace, and by the time she reached Sugarcube Corner, Nova was already inside.
She watched as Nova soared past objects and displayed foods alike, transforming them into some of the most gorgeous glowing fauna she had ever seen. She was tempted to pick some of the fauna as potential potion ingredients, but decided to hold off until after the deed was done -- after all, she didn't want to ruin her very first potion-restocking run.
"Psst! Apple Bloom, over here!" Nova loudly whispered over the sound of something rumbling upstairs. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what the sound was or who was making it, especially since it only occurred every few seconds.
Still, that didn't mean it slightly unnerved Bloom as her hooves took her over to the bakery's refrigerator, staring at the stairs leading to the second floor and nearly crashing into the counter on the way.
"Usually, I restock the fridge with just a little touch of magic..." Nova giggled. "But this time, why don't you do it?"
Bloom glanced at the wagon. "Is that why ya brought the wagon with all th' potions?"
"Sure is! After all, you're not a unicorn, so you can't really do the magic I do. No offense."
"None taken."
Bloom took a deep breath and opened up the fridge. She scooped up a few potions in her hooves and placed them on the bottom shelf. She could feel beads of sweat form on her forehead, and she could most certainly feel Nova's gaze boring into her. The pressure was on, and Bloom was committed to perfection the same way she was when making the Elixir of Tranquility.
No mistakes. I can't afford t' make any mistakes.
Quickly, she organized the potions -- first by color, then by shape, then by whatever liquid was in them. She grit her teeth in frustration, flipping back and forth between the three categories before Nova finally spoke up.
"Don't worry about organizing them. If anything, Pinkie Pie will do it. In her own special way, of course."
Bloom slowly turned around. "Huh?" was all she could utter out.
"I don't organize any of the potions I stock. I just put them in and let other pon-" The rumbling sound grew closer, and Nova jumped slightly in surprise. "B-but never mind about that, hurry! She's coming!"
Bloom was initially confused about Nova's sudden switch in tone, but got the gist of what was going on only a couple seconds later and didn't question it any further. She hastily stacked the potions in the fridge, grabbing a ladder from out of nowhere to reach the second shelf. As she closed the doors, she could hear loud clinking sounds coming from inside the fridge, but opted to ignore them.
"Let's get out of here!" Nova called in a loud whisper, floating out the front door with the wagon in tow.
Bloom followed, using the fauna to guide her way through the darkness. Halfway to the door, she skidded to a stop and quickly picked some of the fauna left behind in Nova's wake, gathering them in the crook of her front leg before she galloped out the door. As she turned her head around, she saw a dark figure stumble through the kitchen -- head reared back, mouth open, and quite clearly fast asleep going by the structure-wrecking snores she gave.
All it took was a second for Bloom to lose her focus on the road ahead of her. Her hoof got snagged on an exposed brick, and she went flying with a yell as the fauna she had been carrying flew into the air with her. She landed face-first on the ground, her ears picking up on the sounds of small poofs followed by the sound of twinkling. As she lifted her face off of the ground and pawed at it in an effort to clean the dirt off of it, she saw that the fauna had disappeared.
Darn it.
"Apple Bloom!"
The filly glanced at the form of Nova floating up to her. It was only now that she noticed the multicolored twinkles that encased the unicorn's mane and tail, but her curiosity having been shot dead left her unmotivated to ask about them.
"What happened? Are you okay?"
Bloom slowly rose to her hooves. "I'm...fine."
Nova's head tilted slightly, her smile turning upside down. If she knew something was wrong with Apple Bloom, she didn't speak up on it. "Why don't you go home and get some rest? I can handle the rest of the restocking in Ponyville for tonight."
Bloom heaved a sigh, and pushed past Nova. "All right. See ya tomorrow."
She didn't bother to stick around to see Nova any further, nor hear what else she had to say. As she trudged back to Sweet Apple Acres, her mind became flooded with thoughts once more.
I should've been focused and not been so distracted. I should've just listened to Potion Nova. Instead I aimed for bein' perfect and nearly got caught by a sleepwalkin' Pinkie Pie 'cause I took way too long organizin' 'em instead of just dumpin' 'em in and goin'.
Tears began to brim in her eyes.
I really am terrible at this whole potion-makin' stuff, aren't I? As if the fluke from earlier wasn't enough, now I gotta go and mess up Potion Nova's restockin' run!
...Maybe I'm just not cut out for this. When I stand beside a legend like her, I don't even compare.
The sounds of the night accompanied her journey home. It was a good thing no one was home, as she didn't feel like talking to anyone. Deciding to forgo dinner, she made her way up to her room and closed the door, then flopped onto her bed with a sigh.
Aside from the brightness of the moonlight, the only things that accompanied her to an early sleep were her tears of regret, her thoughts of weakness, and worst of all, her feelings of inadequacy.
Bloom wasn't sure what compelled her to go back to Nova's house the next day. Maybe it was her need to apologize to her for what she did. Maybe it was her desire to ask where she got that huge black cauldron of hers, since she didn't have one of her own.
Or maybe it was just sheer autopilot. Could be that too.
Her hoof slowly raised upwards and rapped on the door thrice. And then she waited.
And waited.
And wa-
"Who is it?"
Bloom tried to swallow a lump that had formed in her throat. She wanted to run away, but a mysterious force kept her rooted to the ground -- and she was confident she hadn't accidentally ingested a potion with such an effect at breakfast this morning. "I-it's me. Apple Bloom. Can I come in?"
She was lucky the birds were out chirping in full force, otherwise the silence would be crushing her little body under its massive weight.
"Sure thing! Door's open!" came the shout, and Bloom began to make her way inside.
She made her way to the kitchen, where Nova was busy making a rather intense concoction, going by the number of ingredients that sat on the small table below her. The unicorn made sure to steady herself on the ladder she was standing on before she began to stir the mixture some more.
"Nice to see you again. Though I can't really see you, 'cause I have to keep an eye on this monster of a mixture over here..." A giggle slipped through her lips. "What's up?"
Bloom swallowed again. It was now or never. "Um...I-I...just wanted to apologize. For yesterday. I didn't mean to...I was...it's...I'm so stu-"
Nova held up a hoof to stop the filly. Wordlessly, she looked to the right, squinted, and saw a diamond-shaped bottle sitting on a shelf by the couch. Her blue corona caught the bottle and allowed it to move straight into Bloom's hooves.
"Huh? What's this?"
"I call it the Tonic of Free Tongues. The name's still a work in progress..." Nova gave a sheepish chuckle. "But go on, drink it. I think it'll help you in saying what you want to say."
Bloom eyed the mixture for a few seconds, then popped the cork off of the top and chugged it. A weird sensation fell on her tongue, almost like sharp needles pricking it over and over again, but she couldn't see what was going on. She could hear twinkling noises, though, so she figured something was working.
After a few seconds, the twinkling stopped, and Bloom regained proper feeling in her tongue. She smacked her lips a few times.
"Now. You were saying?" Nova urged, continuing to stir the mixture as she added an entire jar full of paprika to it.
"Potion Nova, I should've listened to ya, and because I didn't, I might've spilled a potion or two in Pinkie Pie's fridge. I also picked some of the cool glowy plants ya left behind because I thought ya could use them in a potion, but they disappeared when I tripped and fell 'cause I wasn't lookin' where I was goin'. I really, really wanna help ya make potions 'cause it just feels so nice to finally find a pony who loves potions like I do, and I totally messed that up. I dunno if ya ever wanna see me again, but I'm really really sorry and I promise I'll try t' do better."
Bloom clapped two hooves to her mouth, sitting on her rump as she tried to process what she just said. Her brain had actually run on autopilot this time, and she couldn't resist making eye contact with Nova, who paused her mixing to stare at her in surprise.
A brief silence lingered in the air before either pony spoke.
"Wow." Nova blinked. "I had no idea you felt that way."
Bloom nodded.
"But Apple Bloom? It's okay to make mistakes. Even when making and delivering potions."
The filly's eyes widened. "Huh?"
"When I first started making potions as a filly, I wasn't perfect at it, either. I actually managed to blow up my parents' house 'cause I strayed from a recipe and tried to experiment." Nova rested her hooves on the cauldron's lip. "It was then I learned that potions require you to go through a lot of trials and tribulations. From making them to delivering them and everything in between, it's hard work. But nopony is perfect, especially not potion makers." Nova smiled. "All you need is a little bit of practice and effort. If you keep at it, then someday, you'll be an amazing potionista like I am!"
Bloom hung onto every one of the unicorn's words, nodding slowly. Yeah...she's right! I'm not perfect at apple-buckin' either -- or any 'f my chores, really -- but I don't have t' be! If I put in my all in whatever I do, that's what matters!
And the same goes for potion-makin'. I still have a lot t' learn, and I know I'm gonna make a lot 'f mistakes. But that's okay. All I gotta do is keep practicin'!
...Heh, I was a foolish pony, wasn't I?
A creaking sound cut through the house. Nova's eyes widened, her pupils and irises shrinking as she turned back to the cauldron. It was beginning to tip over, and by the time Nova removed her hooves from it, gravity was already beginning to pull it to the ground. Both ponies quickly darted to the other side of the room, watching in horror as the mixture was spilled all across the floor. Seconds before it could lap at their hooves, Nova encased herself and Bloom in magic and performed self-levitation, watching as the liquid touched the underside of the cabinets instead.
"Oopsie." Nova squeaked out, giving a chuckle. "See? For all I know about potions, even I make mistakes sometimes. Thank Celestia this mixture isn't erosive."
She levitated herself and Bloom to a cleaner part of the kitchen and landed on the floor, releasing her magic before letting it attach to a mop hanging nearby and moving it across the mixture to clean it up.
"Um...can I help in any way?" Bloom asked.
"Sure!" Nova gestured towards a closet door behind her. "There should be another mop in that closet over there, if you want to help me clean up this mess."
Bloom did as she was told and fetched the mop, then got to work on helping Nova, making sure not to step in the mixture. Nova was impressed by just how agile and just how skilled the filly was at it, and Bloom could see it on her face.
In ten minutes flat, the mixture was all cleaned up, and the cauldron had been cleaned and put back in its rightful spot. Bloom had taken the liberty of pouring two cups of apple juice, and even though Nova had insisted tea would be better, she decided to let the filly do as she pleased. To relax and wind down, Bloom and Nova got to talking about their personal lives, getting to know each other better after the disaster of yesterday.
And it was just the springboard Nova needed to offer Bloom the proposal she had been waiting to give for years.
"Hey, Apple Bloom..." she said, shuffling her hooves about to get into a better lying position. "I know we've only known each other for, what...two days?"
"Technically a day and a half."
"Mhm." Nova broke eye contact with the filly, staring at her shelf full of plants from across the room. "And I told you that I never really had any friends growing up who appreciated what I did, right?"
"Yeah?"
Nova bit her lip. She wished she had told Bloom to leave some of that Tonic of Free Tongues for her to drink, because the words she wanted to say were getting hard to spit out. She supposed she could sympathize with Bloom in that regard.
"Would...you like to, um..."
Silence hung over the room. Bloom tilted her head in curiosity before Nova took her hooves in her own.
"Please be my apprentice!"
More silence. Bloom's expression remained largely the same as her brain attempted to process what Nova just said. It took a few minutes, but the plea got through.
"Are ya kidding me?!" she squealed. "Yeah, I'll be your apprentice! We're gonna make so many awesome potions together, and learn all kinds of new recipes, and- and I can even show ya my recipes!"
The filly flew off of the couch and quickly trotted around the living room, rambling on and on about all the cool new things she was going to do with Nova. At the present moment, the unicorn didn't really have the heart to work out the logistics with her new protege, such as time management with chores at Sweet Apple Acres and Cutie Mark Crusader duties, and instead let her get her excitement out as she watched on with a smile.
Following the good news, Apple Bloom decided to break away from potion-making with Potion Nova to catch up on her chores back on the farm. She had wanted to work overtime, carrying double the workload so she could have the entire next day dedicated to nothing but making potions. Applejack, who had, of course, always been supportive of her little sister's hobby, happily agreed to letting her take the day off, bringing up the fact that she was curious about Nova and expressing her hopes that Bloom could find out more about her through their shared love of potions.
Bloom had made sure to study up on every recipe she could find whenever she had free time. She was almost like a mini-Twilight, with her head constantly in a book as her brain absorbed tidbit after tidbit of knowledge.
And the next day, she felt ready and prepared. Excited, yes, but also ready and prepared. She had a new friend, a friend that she could share her hobby with moreso than she could with the ever-melodic Sweetie Belle or the ever-thrill-seeking Scootaloo. They had no idea about it, and Bloom was waiting for the right time to tell them -- a time when she could truly call herself a "potionista" and show off the talents she had gained.
But she knew that was a long time away, when many mistakes had been made and many lessons were learned.
Taking a deep breath, she raised her hoof and knocked three times.
The door opened.
"Hiya! Potion apprentice Apple Bloom, reportin' for duty!"