Rumor has it, a witch has moved into the old cottage at the edge of the Everfree. Applejack and Rarity investigates if it's true.
Rumors go around Ponyville regularly, that's a given, but when a rumor is all you hear all day, from everypony you come across, you start to wonder if it's truly gossip or if there's some truth behind it all. So when Rarity approaches Applejack and asks to help her find this rumored Witch of Everfree, the Apple family's big sister has to believe, right?
Or is this just another one of Rarity's adventures that loves to go horribly wrong?
An alternate universe story spawned from the idea of "What if Twilight was a Witch." This story catalogues her meeting her 5 friends, 1 friend per chapter.
The Dark tag as well as the Death and Profanity warnings are for the third chapter only and is minor but important.
"I think there's something lurking at the edge of the Everfree. Like, more than usual… and pony-shaped."
"The woods at the east of town are haunted I tell you! I saw figures lurking about in there."
"Remember that old cottage at the edge of the Everfree? I heard it got a new resident recently. And not the benevolent kind."
"There's a witch in those woods."
Applejack could scarcely hear anything else besides that newest gossip at the market today as she sold her apples. Rumors around the small town she lived in were not an uncommon occurrence, but never to the degree that it was all she heard all day. And as she closed and packed up her stall, it would seem that it wasn't the last time she would hear of it.
"Applejack, Sweetheart! Have you heard of the rumors lately?" An earth pony with a white coat and a dark lavender mane called out as she trotted up to the orange unicorn, after the latter finished strapping herself to her cart.
"'Bout that Witch in the woods? S'all Ah been hearin' all day. Everypony was talkin' 'bout it when they were hoofin’ bits," Applejack sighed, fixing her hat. She could really use a break, and Rarity was the last pony she needed to see right about now.
"Look, Rares, if you ain't here for somethin' important, could Ah have some time for myself? Ah'm real tired," Her comment didn’t seem to faze Rarity as she continued to trot alongside her.
"Oh, that's quite alright, you can rest up in between what I would like you to do."
"And that is…?"
"We're finding that witch of course!" Applejack stopped abruptly as the wheel of her cart snagged on a pothole before she looked at Rarity incredulously.
"Really? What the hay spurred this on? Why d’you wanna go chasin' after a rumor suddenly?" The Apple rolled her eyes before pulling on the cart, hooves digging into the dirt. Rarity, to her credit, trotted behind the cart before saddling beside to help.
"It's not just a rumor this time, Sweetheart! Otherwise, it wouldn't have become so big! No… There's some truth to it, you see. I've been following this rumor since it started two weeks ago, but it only exploded when somepony actually encountered something. I think there really is a witch out in those woods, and I need you – the most dependable pony in town – to help me find out more about it." Both Applejack and Rarity grunted as the two ponies pulled and pushed the cart out of the ditch, with Applejack using her telekinesis to lighten the heavy cart somewhat, until it lurched forward, free of the pothole.
"Anyway I still have some work to do, but I'll be waiting for you at my shop by sundown." Before Applejack could reply Rarity was already galloping down the road. "Oh! And remember to bring your blade! You never know if we'll need it!" Rarity would say last just before she rounded the corner. Applejack sighed as she turned back towards Sweet Apple Acres.
Applejack knocked on Rarity's door around sundown as promised. The latter answered not long after, with saddlebags on and her father's axe in her mouth, looking a bit too eager to go into the woods. Applejack, who looked a lot less thrilled about the adventure than her companion, had her own blade and saddlebag with her, as well as her trusty lasso hung loosely around her neck.
"Oh good, You're here!" Rarity said through the axe handle in her mouth before looping it through a hook on her saddlebag.
"If'n Ah didn't, you would have gotten your flank stuck in those woods. Or worse yet, killed by a Timberwolf or somethin'... You know well that there’s huntin’ territory, not someplace anypony should be going alone in." Rarity simply huffed smugly before trotting towards the east of town. Applejack followed closely after.
"Are you sure this ain't somethin' that can wait till tomorrow morning?" Applejack asked one last time as she pulled her saddlebags taut.
"No, Of course not, Sweetheart. The daytime would only make what we're looking for harder to find! We're much more likely to find a witch at night, or at the very least catch them off-guard." Rarity proclaimed as she ran a hoof over her mane.
"Oh, so you're an expert witch hunter now?"Applejack rolled her eyes and smirked.
"Oh, come now! It'll be just like a Daring Do or Shadow Spade novel. Full of adventure and suspense! So, if you want to be back before midnight, then let's hop to it." Rarity happily trotted off into the thicket bordering the town. The unicorn glared at the woods before them as she swiftly caught up, drew her blade, and hacked a path through the foliage.
It would take the two a while to clear a path through the woods which, according to an old map of Ponyville, should have been where a previously abandoned cottage lay. They listened to every sound and noticed every movement, but had no luck finding a witch. Just some owls or a stray squirrel. Suddenly, they heard the sound of a flock of birds flying away in panic, and Applejack whipped around, quickly drawing her blade. Her magic grabbed her lasso and twirled it over her head. Rarity faced the opposite direction of the sound, keeping AJ's flank covered.
"What was that…?" Rarity asked, briefly looking back toward Applejack.
"Let's hope it ain't nothing more than Timberwolves. Anything bigger would be a problem," The Apple's magic slowly wound down her lasso but her blade remained unsheathed. Her eyes kept their gaze towards the sound, slowly scanning the treeline.
A rustle in the bushes to their left made both mares jump, and their blood ran cold as a chicken head with red eyes reared itself out of the bush. With quick thinking on her part, Applejack dug her hooves into the ground and kicked dirt into the cockatrice’s eyes, breaking its gaze long enough for Rarity to run for it.
'What's a cockatrice doing here? Too far from their stomping grounds in the Everfree…' Applejack thought to herself as she ran the opposite way of the dangerous chimera. But, she realized she didn't hear Rarity behind her. Her head whipped around looking for any sign of the other mare, but all she got was the darkness and trees.
"Rarity?" she called out, "Rarity, Where are you!?"
But no answer came. Her yelling, however, caught the attention of other denizens of the woods.
"Oh you've gotta be kiddin' me," Applejack said in frustration as Timberwolves collected themselves from the wood and sticks around her.
Leaping into action, Applejack struck the nearest wolf before it could form, splintering the wood and dissipating its magic. Raising her sword, she blocked the bite of another and rammed it into a tree.
She stood her ground as even more Timberwolves came together. She kept her eyes on the four advancing beasts, the wolves tried to surround her but Applejack backed off, an escape route through the trees clear in her mind.
One of the wolves lunged, and was met with a swing from the mare’s sword, which sliced through the wolf's wooden jaw, lopping it clean off. Its body backed away, and more wood surrounded by magic came to fix the wolf's head.
She slowly backed off, her sword swung at whichever one of the wooden beasts tried to take a bite of her. After she put some distance between herself and the Timberwolves, she grabbed a few stones in her reach and bucked them at her adversaries, many of which struck true, shattering parts of their wooden bodies and heads. That gave Applejack enough time to gallop away. The Timberwolves growled and snarled as they chased after her, hunger and malice in their eyes.
The Apple felt her heart pound in her head. She couldn’t see the wolves but she definitely smelled them, and they were close. She looked to the moon above to get her bearings, but as misfortune would have it, she misstepped on a patch of lower ground. She lost her balance and face planted, the hole her hoof fell into sprained her front leg and she screamed in pain.
The Timberwolves heard the mare and doubled their pace.
Applejack strained to get back up, but the pain was too much for her to run again, so she turned her back towards a tree and dug into her saddlebags. She pulled out two fire bottles and lit them just as the Timberwolves came into view.
"Alright… You got me! But Ah ain't dying here, even if it means Ah have to burn these woods to the ground!" She raised the lit bottles, ready to throw.
"I value your will to fight for your life, but please don't burn the forest in your strife," a feminine voice above the mare's head called out, before a strange bottle full of strange liquid smashed in front of the four Timberwolves, its smell nearly as pungent as their breath. The Timberwolves then slowly lost the magic holding them together until they were nothing more than piles of inanimate sticks, much to the bewilderment and relief of Applejack.
"Good evening to you, Miss," The same voice snapped Applejack out of her trance as she came face-to-face with her savior. She was another Unicorn, purple in color from what Applejack saw through the moonlight, and with deeper purple eyes.
And she was upside down.
As she looked above her, she saw the mare was hanging off a floating broomstick. Applejack turned her gaze back down to the smiling mare's head and sure enough, she found the telltale pointy, if a bit gravity-defying, hat perched upon her head.
"Oh pardon me, it's a bit rude to be upside down while trying to talk isn't it?" She jumped down and landed like a cat on all four hooves before bowing her head graciously as her broomstick slowly descended beside her.
"I'm Twilight Sparkle. You must be one of the locals from Ponyville, correct?" Twilight said as she raised her head back to eye level with Applejack.
"Uhh… Yeah Ah am- Ah'm Applejack," She reached out with her hoof, wincing as it was her sprained leg, which caught the attention of the witch.
"Oh my, your leg's hurt! We better get that patched up… My cottage is just this way, I can take better care of you there." Twilight looked back at Applejack, who stood still. Getting an idea, Twilight jumped onto her broom and flew close, offering a hoof to the injured mare.
"How about we fly over there? It'll take the strain off your hoof. And I promise you, it's one hundred percent safe. I'll even fly low." Twilight offered her a hoof and a charming smile.
Applejack was hesitant. This was an actual, genuine witch that she was interacting with. But at the same time, she seemed nice enough, and certainly not the malicious hag that the rumors led her to believe. So, she hesitantly hooked her own hoof (her good one this time) and Twilight pulled her up onto the broom.
Applejack was surprised to find the broomstick oddly comfortable as Twilight flew off to her cottage. They flew just a little bit above the canopy, with Applejack mentally checking off the magic flying broom as witchcraft to save her brain the headache.
They touched down in front of a quaint little cottage with two floors. The bottom had a chimney snaking out of it, but the second floor looked positively normal. The witch brought Applejack inside and sat her on her couch before trotting off to get medical supplies.
The ground floor was split into two sections, the tiled laboratory and the wood-floor living room. The laboratory, besides having what you would expect from a witch – a cauldron, jars full of ingredients, books and bottles strewn about – also had a very modern chemistry set that wouldn’t look out of place in a university chemistry lab. On the other end of the big room was a recreational area, complete with a couch beside an end table with a reading lamp and a small radio. Along with various other pieces of furniture that made the side of the room look homely. The stairs were in between the two halves, separating the room with an imaginary line.
Applejack stared at Twilight as she darted about the laboratory side of the room grabbing a first-aid kit and a clay bowl of salve off the shelf. She rolled the case near the couch before dashing to the other side of her lab.
“There should be morphine in there, and some disinfectant you can start cleaning your wound with. I just need to find something… specific.”
Applejack looked down on her foreleg and realized she was bleeding over the floor, her injuries being much worse than she thought. Grabbing the case, she opened it and procured a bottle of the painkiller and disinfectant, quickly using both to the best of her knowledge as Twilight came back with the salve and a flask of thick green liquid.
“Allow me,” Twilight whispered as she put down the salve and the flask next to Applejack before cleaning and dressing the rest of her wound.
"This salve is to make sure your skin heals properly. Apply it once you can freely take your bandages off… This other one is a potion of my own concoction, it should help with healing everything else. It's made with a lot of mint, so you might taste that for a while. After that, we just wait till the potion does its thing and you should be able to walk again in an hour or so." Twilight looked sheepishly while she wrapped Applejack's leg in the bandages and gave the potion flask over.
Applejack held the flask in her magic and swirled it around, an overpowering smell of mint evident even as she held it half a foreleg away from her nose. She hesitated to drink the potion; it was an unknown liquid with unknown effects from a mildly dubious source, after all. Her eyes darted between the flask and Twilight, who was intently focused on bandaging her leg, her tongue sticking out in concentration. Applejack took a deep breath and put the lip of the flask to her own, drinking as much of the potion as she could fit in her mouth, before swallowing. Applejack shuddered, the cool spiciness of mint overpowered her taste buds, but she could feel the magic course through her before it settled in her damaged leg.
“Now that that’s over… Applejack, was it?” Twilight hummed, looking at her as she finished wrapping Applejack’s leg. The latter nodded slowly. “You fascinate me,” the unicorn said with a smile that Applejack couldn’t quite discern the meaning behind as the former got very close to the latter’s face.
"A- and why's that?" Applejack replied nervously.
"Isn't it obvious? The scales, the leonine tail, the mane, and the single branching horn… You're a Kirin! Not too common around here," Twilight replied eagerly.
Applejack stared at her with a mix of surprise, confusion, and apprehension at the sudden change in tone.
"Ahem, excuse my behavior, it's just that… I've only ever seen Kirin in books before! Oh, I have a lot of questions!" Applejack planted her good hoof on the excited unicorn and gently pushed her away for some space.
"Alright, hold on. You ain't makin' a lick of sense right now. What are you talkin' 'bout with this whole… 'Kirin' thing? You mean to tell me I ain't actually a unicorn?" Applejack raised a brow at Twilight, who shrugged in response.
"Well… no. But actually yes? It's a bit more complicated than that. Kirins do tap into the same branch of magic as Unicorns do, but most of their spellcasting is very different- ah well, but that's a lesson for another time," Twilight smiled sheepishly, which disappeared soon after as she realized something. "You… you didn't know that you're a Kirin," She shook it off and smiled, though wistfully. "I suppose that's understandable. They – Kirin I mean – don't usually travel outside of their territories." Twilight coughed into her hoof.
An awkward silence befell the two mares as Twilight trotted to the other side of the room to her lab, reorganizing everything she displaced when she ran around.
The sounds of Timberwolf howls pierced the night outside the cottage, reminding Applejack like a barrel of apples to the head that she lost Rarity somewhere out there.
"Um… Twilight? Do you know what happened to my friend, Rarity? Earth pony, white coat and purple mane. She came with me into the woods but… we got separated after we ran into a cockatrice." Applejack fidgeted in her seat and looked at the closed door of the cottage, her gut telling her that she should bolt out the door and go looking for her friend.
"Oh, don't worry about her. I had my trustworthy assistants discreetly escort her out of the forest safely," Twilight looked back at Applejack and flashed the mare a wink, a gesture that made the Kirin blush.
A loud yelp and the sound of a crash outside one of the windows stopped Applejack from asking further about Rarity. An Owl flew in, silent as the night, and touched down on a perch at the edge of the room. Another figure climbed in through the window, a purple baby dragon with a small satchel around its shoulder, who waddled over to Twilight and gave a stern salute.
"Mission accomplished, Twilight! We got that other mare out of the forest safely and without a hitch!" The owl hooted in agreement at the dragon's declaration.
"Good job, Spike! And thank you too, Owlowiscious." Spike turned towards Applejack and gave her a look of acknowledgement, before he dragged himself upstairs with a yawn.
As soon as the dragon left the room, Twilight came back to the couch with a bowl of almonds, offering them to the other mare.
"Here. Sadly I can't offer you anything more elaborate or filling, but it's something to snack on," Twilight mumbled as she sat down on the couch with Applejack.
"That's quite alright, thank you," Applejack replied. She then cleared her throat and took a deep breath. "So, Twilight… you're a witch huh?"
"By profession and aesthetically, yes. But I also dabble in alchemy and item enchantments as is evident." Twilight smiled while gesturing to her lab and the enchanted flying broom which swept the floors on its own.
"Do you mind if I know more about you, then?" Applejack asked.
"I don't mind, but it must go both ways, 'tis only fair. I've said 'you fascinate me,' so my curiosity's in the air." Twilight fired back with a cheeky smile which made Applejack laugh.
So for the next hour or so, the two talked. Various topics came – about themselves, the town, their professions and so on – and both mares found the other's company refreshing, to say the least.
The clock in the corner of the room struck nine, catching Applejack's attention. Twilight noticed and gave the empty almond bowl to her owl and stood. She called her broom to her side and offered a hoof to Applejack.
"We had best get you home before your loved ones get too worried. Come, I'll fly you to the edge of the forest." Twilight smiled, though Applejack hesitated to take her hoof.
"Ah um… Ah really enjoyed our time together and uhh… Ah'm mighty sorry 'bout all the bad stuff we thought 'bout you. You're a real nice pony, and now Ah don't think that you really deserved all that crap." Applejack said sheepishly, her hat held in hoof.
Twilight simply smiled and nodded, a silent thank you to the mare, a light blush dusting both their cheeks as they both laughed.
Applejack donned her hat once more and slung her saddlebags back on her back before she took Twilight's hoof with hers, the latter excitedly pulling the Kirin outside.
The flight back to town was uneventful. Nevertheless, Applejack enjoyed the ride. As they touched down at the edge of town, Applejack thanked the unicorn again.
"Ah really enjoyed your company Twilight, think maybe Ah could come visit again?" In reply, the unicorn giggled before she reached into her satchel and pulled out a candle.
"Timberwolves prowl these woods as you know, this ensures safe travels sans dangerous foe. The path to follow is faded and old, but one only needs to be perceptive and bold. Dragon fire, the candle exudes, repelling timberwolves, it includes." Twilight winked at Applejack as she handed her the candle, the latter gratefully accepting the gift.
"You're an odd one, Miss Twilight Sparkle… but Ah mean that as a compliment," Applejack replied, just as Twilight gave the mare a tip of her hat and took off again.
Applejack turned towards town, but not before noticing her injured leg had already healed a considerable amount and she could put a bit of weight on it again, even if she had a bit of a limp.
She trotted towards Ponyville, finding a small crowd gathered at its square. Among them was Rarity.
"Applejack!" Rarity screamed the second Applejack came in sight, pouncing on her with enough force to knock them over.
"Oof! Rarity! Ah have a hurt leg, watch it!" The Kirin exclaimed, but was ignored by the bawling mare whose hooves wrapped tightly around her neck.
"I thought you had perished! You were gone for hours! I'm so sorry for dragging you into this!" Rarity cried into the other mare's chest as a crowd gathered around the pair. Big Macintosh, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity's parents were among the townsfolk who congregated at the square.
"What's all this?" The Kirin motioned to the small crowd gathered as she tried to pry Rarity off of her.
"We was about to go and look for ya before ya arrived,” Carrot Top said as she trotted into Applejack's line of sight. “Rarity gathered us here a little while ago, tellin' us you might've gotten yourself turned to stone or mauled by Timberwolves."
She proceeded to pry Rarity off of her fellow farmpony, something the Kirin greatly appreciated.
"You're almost right 'bout the last part," Applejack held up her bandaged leg, "But Ah… somepony was there to help, thankfully." She laughed, trailing off as her eyes looked towards the edge of town.
"Applejack? What happened to you?" Rarity asked.
"She's really nice… and pretty too," Applejack mumbled as she looked back at Rarity with a wishful smile.
Applejack had been acting very strangely ever since she came back from meeting that witch, at least that’s what Rarity thought.
She looked distracted, always stared off into space, and concerningly to Rarity had regularly returned to the very same woods she injured herself in at least thrice a week! And yet she always came back weirdly happy.
Rarity could only come up with one explanation for this.
"Applebloom, I think your sister's been bewitched," she whispered to the youngest of the family, who looked up from the apples she was sorting to Rarity.
"Been be-what, now?" Applebloom cocked a brow at her before she switched her attention to her sister currently plowing the cabbage fields, who looked… like she always has been.
"Bewitched! Cursed! Being controlled! Whatever… it's just that something really doesn't feel right with her. And it all started when she came back from the woods." Applebloom took another look across the field to her horned sister, then switched again to Rarity. Apple Bloom shrugged at the mare and went back to the apples in front of her.
"Applebloom, I'm being serious. Haven't you noticed she's been acting weird lately?" Rarity pressed on.
"Nnope…" Applebloom replied, focusing on her task. Suddenly she stopped and perked up, "Actually… She has been talking 'bout somepony named Twilight Sparkle a lot."
"I knew it! She is bewitched! I'll have that witch's head on a stake if it kills me!" Rarity exclaimed rather loudly, which made the young Apple jump.
"Woah there, aren't you bein' a bit too rash about this? Ah mean, from what Ah can hear, AJ really likes the company," The filly cocked a brow again, one that put a look of offended shock to Rarity's face.
"That is exactly what I would expect somepony who's being mind controlled would show. If you were mind-controlling somepony, wouldn't you also have them say good things about you and never any negatives?" Rarity fired back, as she leered at the field Applejack was working on. The latter waved at the two, happily unaware of the conversation that unfolded between Rarity and her sister.
"Okay, you do have a point, but Ah still think you're way too deep in over thinking about the whole thing. Ah've known my sister my whole life, you’d think me or Mac would've notice anythin' off about her," Rarity didn't buy the younger Apple's word, already deep in her head planning how to save Applejack from her bewitchment.
A while later, Rarity found herself in the rocky fields south of Ponyville, pulling a cart behind her.
Rarity tapped the earth with a hoof, feeling its magic flow beneath. She could feel each vibration of the earth below her, could feel the composition of the rocks she stood on, she could feel the gems buried just beneath. She walked up to a particularly round rock.
"It just makes sense," Rarity mumbled as she cracked open the geode with her pick. "Applejack came back from the woods suddenly, all sunshines and rainbows about that witch after she was gone for a long while, presumably after said witch 'took care' of her. I don't buy the sudden change in demeanor, Opal. There has to be some other force present here." The cat could care less about the topic her owner was spouting, atop the cart that Rarity pulled.
"I need information, and Applejack is the only one that can provide it to me. But how will I possibly ask questions without raising suspicion?" The cat mewed in disinterest which made Rarity sigh as she placed the newly cracked geode into the already significant pile of gems on her cart.
"Would talking to her even work? If she's bewitched – ooh! That's a splendid rose quartz! – would she even be coherent enough to notice? Though I suppose I haven't exactly had a proper conversation with her since the incident…"She placed the large chunk of rose quartz right next to Opal on her platform, the cat clearly annoyed by the offending rock that's taken up half of the space specially made for her.
“Oh hush now Sweetheart, we’re done here anyway. You’ll be back in your bed as soon as we get home.” Rarity cooed at the cat, the latter standing down much to the surprise of Rarity. She turned towards the direction of Ponyville as Opal resigned to sleep next to the gem.
"Do you have a book about, oh I don't know… how to fight witchcraft, maybe?" Rarity smiled at the pony who was standing at the door of Golden Oaks.
"I dunno, lady,” said the unicorn with a blue coat and white mane. “I ain't no librarian, I'm jus' the pony that the mayor sends to clean up the place. 'fact, we ain't had no librarian since ol' Loose Leaf died, bless her soul."
The mare sighed, depositing the mop she held in her magic into the cart of cleaning supplies she pulled. Rarity groaned outwardly and hung her head in frustration. The pony was nice enough, but it doesn't seem like they'll be helping her with her endeavor.
"You can go inside an' look for the book you want. Jus' make sure you log the book outta the catalog if you borrowin'." With that, the mare trotted away, leaving Rarity at the door of the giant tree which housed Ponyville's only library.
As she trotted inside, Rarity just felt how clean it was there. Not a speck of dust in the air nor a dark spot to be seen. She didn't even know wood could shine like that.
Taking careful steps as to not ruin the hard work of the janitor, Rarity perused the shelves of the library, looking for anything that might help her. And by anything, that meant anything with the mention of 'supernatural', 'witchcraft' or 'black magic,' and by the end of her search, she had gathered a healthy stack on her back.
After logging the books as borrowed, Rarity carefully shut the door of the library and headed for a café to get a bite to eat while she read.
"Hmm… Perhaps I should find other ponies to ask for help. Oh! Maybe Granny Smith has something to dispel witchcraft," Rarity thought aloud, her hooves thumped rhythmically with the path under her.
It didn't take long to get to the café, which was sparsely populated in the afternoon hours save for some late munchers who missed lunch. Savoir Fare wasted no time to service the newest customer.
"The usual, Savoir. But put in extra lettuce, I'm gonna need the energy," Rarity absentmindedly mumbled to the waiter as she dug into her saddlebags and pulled out the first book she could. The waiter just nodded and wrote the order down before he went inside again.
"Alright, Book. What do you have for me…" Rarity turned to the first page only to be met with a large block of text about the book itself, not something she was really interested in.
"What? I don't need arthritis remedies!" She turned to another page, finding only more herbs and tonics.
"So, what are you looking for exactly?" a voice to Rarity's left said, making her jump in her seat.
"Goodness me, don’t sneak up on me like that!" she said to the newcomer, a purple unicorn with a dark blue mane, her body wrapped in a hoodless, dark purple cloak which covered her cutie mark, "I'm looking for information about witchcraft, but it seems I got the wrong book..."
The unicorn giggled, something that had Rarity take slight offense to. "You won't be finding any witchcraft in that book, the title is deceptive to those who don't look," The unicorn rhymed. Rarity shut the book and sure enough, 'Supernaturals: Natural Remedies and Cure-alls That Are Simply Super.'
"Oh… well that's embarrassing," Rarity groaned.
"It's a common mistake, so don't be embarrassed. But here's something closer to what you wished." The unicorn pulled out a neat, hardback book from her saddle bag. The front was devoid of a title, simply adorned with an intricate picture of a pony in front of a cauldron. "It's a book by Cauldron Brew, a famous alchemist and minor practitioner of the craft. It doesn't have much, but it's a start."
"Oh. Well thank you miss, I wasn't really expecting this. Why do you have this book in the first place?" Rarity asked, and the mare chose to laugh behind a hoof.
"It was supposed to be a donation to the local library, as this book contains some very useful knowledge. That and-" before the unicorn could finish, somepony loudly yelled out Rarity’s name. Sweetie Belle came galloping to her sister's table, skidding to a halt before the two mares.
"Rarity! Mrs. Rich is at the boutique again!" Sweetie Belle said urgently.
"What!?" Rarity yelled before she galloped off towards her shop, leaving Sweetie Belle, the books and the unicorn in her dust. "She's not tearing my boutique inside out this time!"
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
As she went out of sight, Applejack trotted up to Twilight and Sweetie Belle with a confused look on her face.
"Where's Rarity gallopin' off to?" she asked the two. Twilight responded by shrugging her shoulders and Sweetie Belle by rolling her eyes and miming some gesture which suggested it was a business matter.
Savoir Fare came out of the café and headed to Rarity's table with a platter of food, only to find everyone but the mare who ordered.
"Sorry Savoir," Applejack apologized, "Rarity ran into a bit of an emergency. Ah'll pay for her food." She then took out a few bits and floated them to the waiter. She turned to Sweetie Belle. "You can have the salad if you want," Sweetie Belle nodded and sat down at her sister's seat.
"And if you may, bring these books back to her after you finish. If she asks where to return this one, tell her she can either keep it or put it in the library," Twilight instructed, to which Sweetie Belle nodded as she ate the salad generously provided to her.
"Now with that all done and dusted, ready for your first tour of Ponyville?" Applejack smiled as she fixed her hat.
"By all means, Miss Applejack. Lead the way!"
Rarity sat in front of her work table, stress-polishing the chunk of rose quartz she dug up by hoof. She managed to keep Spoiled Rich from upending her boutique but it gave her a headache, not unlike the previous times the mare came to either buy new jewelry or have her own ones cleaned.
"She could stand to be a bit nicer about my profession," Rarity complained to herself. "Ugh, if she didn't generate a major portion of my monthly income, I would have banned her from my shop by now."
She sighed, blowing away the dust from her polishing. Though hoof-polishing such a large piece was impractical, it helped her calm down during times like this. That, and she didn't exactly have a rock tumbler barrel big enough to house it, and being such a fine specimen, she was not going to just cut it into tiny pieces.
"Maybe I can turn it into a centerpiece… a shelf decor wouldn't be too bad either, I should have a stand ready for it." Rarity continued as she polished before the door to her workshop opened.
Sweetie Belle came in with a wagon, two books and a take-out box of half-eaten salad inside. "Here, you left these at the café," she announced as she pulled up the red wagon next to Rarity, who looked up from her work.
Her stomach reminded her she never got her salad as she stared at the cardboard box atop the books. After dusting her hooves, she took the salad box and munched on whatever was left of her order.
"Wait, who paid for this?" Rarity asked Sweetie, to which the latter immediately replied with a deadpan look.
"Applejack," Sweetie Belle said bluntly, which earned a deflecting cough from Rarity.
"Remind me to pay her for this next time I get out." Rarity said. She finished her meal and picked up one of the books, the Cauldron Brew one. She flipped to a random page before stopping at a chapter which looked easy enough to understand.
"Sweetie Belle, Sweetheart, you said you needed practice for a reading test tomorrow right…? Well, come over here and read this for me out loud while I work." Rarity put the book down on the table before turning back towards her work, and Sweetie Belle, begrudgingly, sat down next to her sister, took the book in her magic and read aloud.
"There are many ways to store magic, but none have been more versatile than the 'Spell in a bottle,'like surprise gifts but more magical…"
"Why do you need repackaged Vodka?" the black plumed griffon at the door asked Rarity as she held out a small sack filled with bottles.
"A gathering!” Rarity lied. “Some of my old colleagues from back in Salt Lick City wanted to come visit and I thought I should have some alcohol on standby. They're quite the drinkers!"
"And you'll provide your colleagues with cheap, repackaged, leftover vodka?" Gabriella, the bartender and manager of the Sol e Mar, retorted, crossing her claws over each other.
"It's a silly little tradition we had back in college. Their brand of geologists are a bit on the unhinged side of things, so stupid little traditions like this get spawned and stick, you know?" Rarity smiled, and though she was nervous she knew well to hide it. She supposed she could thank Spoiled Rich for that.
A moment later the griffon sighed. "Wait here," she said, taking the sack with a claw into the building.
Not long after Gabriella came back with a small crate. In it were the six bottles of vodka and the cloth sack neatly folded on top.
"Here you are." Gabriella put down the crate into Rarity's wagon as the latter pulled out a stack of bits to pay with.
"Howdy Rarity," Applejack greeted as she loaded baskets of apples into a cart, "What brings you to the farm so early in the mornin'?"
"Oh I just had a bit of a request. Do you mind?" Rarity trotted up to the Kirin.
"Well that depends. What d'you have in mind?" Applejack asked, turning to her friend.
"I need my axe sharpened, I might have dulled it a bit. And I need it A.S.A.P." Rarity pulled the axe in question out of her saddlebag's hook and gave it to Applejack, who took it with her magic and examined the cutting edge with a hoof.
"Umm… Yeah Ah can have it done by the end of the day. Not any sooner though, Ah got market duty today again." She put the axe down on top of a barrel as Big Macintosh and Applebloom came trotting from the barn.
"Applejack!" The younger Apple called out, "Granny Smith said she needs you at the house, apparently that pipe's leakin' again."
"Consarnit, Ah just fixed that pipe three days ago! Besides, Ah gotta get these apples sold." Applejack pointed to the loaded apples until Big Mac chimed in.
"We'll just cover for you."
"Yeah! Me and Mac will sell them apples while you do that. Not like neither of us know how to do plumbin'." Applebloom was already climbing onto the cart, with Big Mac strapping himself in before Applejack could counter. She sighed and relented, grabbing Rarity's axe and the toolbox by the door of the barn.
"Fine… Ah'll fix that damn pipe again! And Ah suppose Ah can sharpen this axe right after." Applebloom gave a nod before looking to Rarity, who gave her a grateful smile and a wink, Applebloom returning with one of her own.
As Applejack trotted back towards the farmhouse, Rarity approached Big Mac and Applebloom, "I promise I'll make it up to you two, I owe you both one."
"Why do you need that axe sharpened by tonight anyhow?" Applebloom asked.
"You'll find out tomorrow, I suppose. Whether I succeed or not, you'll know," Rarity waved the two goodbye before she cantered swiftly to catch Applejack.
As Rarity approached, she looked at the Kirin with wonder.
'Should I go through with this plan?' she thought to herself, 'Oh who are you kidding Rarity, of course you should. You dragged Applejack into those woods and it's your fault she's become bewitched. It's your responsibility to break her out of it.'
"Do you need something else?" Applejack's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Oh not at all. Just thought I may as well give Granny Smith a visit as well," Rarity hummed, trotting up to Applejack's pace. "Actually, do you have an extra lariat I could borrow?"
"We got a few in the house, but what exactly do you, of all ponies, need it for?" Applejack turns her head to Rarity, her head tilted curiously.
"I need a strong rope for a side project of mine, and I seem to remember your lassos could take quite the abuse." Rarity replied, which made Applejack laugh.
"Eeyup! Ah would boast that we make 'em but nah, it ain't a product of the farm." Applejack shrugged. "Still, only the highest quality lariats for our use so, here you are." The two reached the farmhouse and Applejack grabbed a looped length of rope off a hook on the wall and floated it over to Rarity, who took it in her hooves, pulling it taut to test.
"Thank you Applejack," she said as they entered the house, and were greeted by Granny Smith on her rocking chair.
As Applejack went to the back of the house to fix the leaking pipe, Rarity sat down near the old Matriarch.
"Good morning, Granny Smith. I'm Rarity, the local jeweler and a friend of Applejack, if you remember... I was just wondering if I could ask you some things..."
Later that night, Applejack once again headed for the woods at the east of town, dragonfire candle floating in with her magic. Rarity peeked from behind the tree she used to hide and trotted after the Kirin.
Rarity was prepared to face this foe of hers. Knowledge on how witches operate, counter magic in the form of bottled spells, fire bottles in case she needed to burn it all down, her axe newly sharpened and that lariat to tie her up if necessary. She would free Applejack from her bewitchment if it's the last thing she did.
Rarity followed closely behind Applejack, right at the edge of her candle's glow. But as Rarity treaded the path behind her friend, she was surprised by a particularly large bug causing her to stumble, subsequently throwing her body into a dead tree, loudly snapping the brittle branches.
"May the stars curse you, giant, bloody, locust-thing!" Rarity whispered in frustration, before she shoved a hoof in her mouth when she saw the candlelight coming closer.
As the light rounded the foliage wall, Applejack found Rarity leaning against a dead tree much to the former's confusion.
"Rares? What are you doing here?" Applejack asked, trotting over to her friend and checking to see if she's ok.
"I could be asking you the same thing, Sweetheart," Rarity replied, "As for me, I was making sure you weren't going to hurt yourself again. You've just gone into the same woods you were injured in after all." Rarity folded her forelegs and stared at Applejack with a serious look.
"Oh haha… Ah suppose that's a good point." Applejack used a hoof to scratch her mane, laughing nervously. "It's ok though! Ah got me some protection right here with this candle. Ah'm just off to visit a friend of mine, Twilight Sparkle. You should come! Ah'd love for you to meet her!" Applejack says excitedly after making sure Rarity was unhurt, catching even the latter off-guard.
"Meet her? Well, I suppose if you offer so generously, then I have no reason not to say yes." Rarity put on her best customer service smile, though behind it she let her mind run with the possibilities.
On one hoof, this was her chance to get close to the witch, but on the other, this was too easy and one didn’t need to be paranoid to feel like something might be ahoof here.
Nevertheless, Applejack led the way through the maze of foliage, all the while talking about what this "Twilight Sparkle" was like. It made Rarity sick to her core with phrases like, "She's the nicest pony I know," or "Did you know she makes this cute squeaky noise when you surprise her?" Leaving her mouth. It felt wrong and only solidified her goal further.
They arrived at a cottage in a small clearing in the woods. Light seeped out of the windows and white smoke emitted from the chimney which poked out of the first floor.
"Come on, she should be inside." Applejack beckoned her friend as trotted up to the door and entered.
"Of course, Applejack. I'll be right there…" Rarity replied, and once Applejack was inside, she reached into her saddlebags and pulled out the lariat, hanging it loosely around her shoulder before grabbing her axe in her mouth.
Rarity trotted up to the door and bucked it open with enough force to break its latch. She ran inside and grabbed a bottled sleeping spell from her saddlebag with a hoof, loudly announcing through her teeth, "Twilight Sparkle, your reign of terror upon my friend ends here! Free her from your bewitchment if you want to live!"
"Woah! Rarity, what're you doin'!? What're you talkin' about!?" Applejack screamed as she dodged out of the way of a thrown bottle.
"You're being mind controlled by this witch, obviously! And if she doesn't free you within the next few minutes, things will get nasty!" Rarity charged at Twilight, axe reared to strike. At the last second before the blade could connect with the witch, Twilight summoned her broom to her aid, blocking the strike with its shaft. Twilight cast a spell from her horn, sending Rarity skidding backwards.
"I think there's been a misunderstanding, Miss Rarity. Put the weapon down and let us think with clarity!" Rarity wasn't listening as she threw another bottle of magic at her.
"Rarity calm down! Stop this right now, Ah ain't bein' mind controlled!" Applejack said, standing in front of Rarity and Twilight. Rarity bit down on her axe harder, clearly not convinced.
"That's exactly what she wants you to say! Snap out of it Applejack! Fight her influence and come back to your senses. This witch has trapped you for far too lo-"
Pang!
A metallic sound rings out before Rarity dropped to the floor in an unconscious heap. Behind her, Spike held a frying pan with a clear dent upon its bottom.
"Spike! What'd you do that for!?" Twilight berated the dragon as she and Applejack rushed to Rarity's side to make sure she was ok.
"I- I'm so sorry! She was starting to scare me and that was the first thing I could think of!" Spike put down the frying pan and quickly headed to the first aid kit.
"Ah'm mighty sorry Twilight, Ah didn't expect any of this to happen," Applejack apologized. Twilight just smiled and lifted Rarity onto her couch.
"No, It's alright Applejack. At least she didn't break anything. For now let's worry about our friend's wellbeing here." Twilight thanked her assistant as he came dragging the first aid kit over.
The full moon's orange glow seeped into the room Rarity was laid to bed in, stirring her from her slumber. Her head would not stop throbbing in pain which made her wince as she lifted herself up from the soft pillows.
The room she was in was wholly unfamiliar. She laid in a bed which could comfortably house at least two ponies, inside a room which looked overgrown with vines yet clean and organized. To her sides were end tables; the one on the left side of the bed had an adjustable reading lamp, while the other had several picture frames. Rarity blinked repeatedly to clear her eyes of their fogginess as she leaned over to the right side of the bed to get a closer look upon the pictures present.
Her eyes widened as she recognized the purple unicorn with the telltale hat in the picture and panicked, frantically searching for her belongings. A knock on the doorway would stop Rarity in her tracks as she found Applejack carrying a tray with a kettle and cups in her magic.
"Your stuff's downstairs, if you were wonderin'," Applejack said calmly, putting the tray down and pouring each of them a cup of tea.
"What happened?" Rarity asked as she took the teacup offered to her.
"You done messed up, that's what," Applejack said bluntly, disappointment evident in her voice "Ah mean, seriously? You just assaulted somepony with an axe and threw magic at them, what were you thinkin'!"
"It's because-"
"Because you thought Ah was bein' mind controlled, yeah, Ah got that much." Applejack's shoulders visibly sagged, before she looked at Rarity with a subdued smile, "Listen to me Rarity, Ah appreciate you lookin' out for me, but you really gotta stop all this assumin' for the worst! Ah'm doin' fine and I have complete free will, and that's the whole honest truth here."
"So… you're not bewitched?" Rarity asked with caution and Applejack nodded. "Ok, but how would I know you're not? You're dealing with an evil witch here!"
"Alright, now you're just bein' judgemental,” Applejack responded firmly. “You haven't even met Twilight formally! You're basin' your opinion on snake in the grass hearsay." Rarity was taken aback by Applejack's seriousness which made the latter sigh.
"Listen to me, Rarity. Twilight is genuinely one of the nicest ponies Ah've met, and Ah reckon you'd get along well with her too. You just need to put aside your prejudices and get to know her a bit. Please, Rarity, Ah hope you at least consider this, if not for me, then for you. Ah don't exactly want you gettin' into trouble you shouldn't be in," Applejack spoke with a gentle and worried voice, and the face she made to go along with it plucked at Rarity's conscience like a guitar.
"Alright… if I get to know this Twilight, and you're correct in what you say, then I'll stop this whole thing." Rarity looked up from her teacup into the eyes of Applejack, then continued: "But if at any point, I find myself seeing that all of my assumptions are correct… then I won't hesitate."
Applejack nodded at Rarity as she gave her a toast. "Twilight? You can come in now."
Rarity had a flash of recognition across her face as Twilight revealed herself, hat off of her head and wearing the same dark purple cloak as she had before.
"You- you're that mare! From the Café!" Rarity exclaimed, pointing a hoof at the embarrassed unicorn.
"Yeah, I am. I'm Twilight Sparkle, and I do hope that we can become good friends, despite our… less than friendly start." Twilight smiled awkwardly as she held out a hoof, which Rarity looked at and shook after Applejack elbowed her.
"Rarity Belle, and I sure do hope Applejack is right about you."
A week passed by and Rarity had to admit defeat. She had been going with Applejack everytime she went to Twilight's cottage and to her surprise, she was having fun. She and Twilight could see eye to eye on a lot of things and she had been nothing short of an outstanding host to both Rarity and Applejack. And that made her feel incredibly awful about trying to kill her a week prior.
The hum of a mechanical sander permeated through the workshop of Carousel Boutique as Rarity worked on the finishing touches on the large chunk of rose quartz, which she had shaped into an ornamental work of art worthy of the Royal Palace. It was an owl, just a bit smaller than Rarity's head, wings outstretched fully, each feather carefully carved with detail, and its beak wide open in a triumphant screech. Or perhaps a big yawn, Rarity wasn’t quite sure then.
After dusting the ornament off and doing the final shining, Rarity stepped back to admire her work, and with a nod, carefully put the statue in a box lined with foam to make sure that transportation would be safe, and headed out.
She arrived at Twilight's cottage not long after, the box and the statue well kept in her saddlebags. From the window of her cottage, Rarity could see Twilight scribbling at her desk with a quill.
Twilight also noticed Rarity as the latter trotted up the path. She put down the quill into its inkwell and trotted up to the door to greet her.
"Rarity! It's good to see you, but I wasn't expecting you today. Is there something you wished from me for you to come all this way?" Twilight asked, to which Rarity shook her head in response.
"Just came to drop something off." Rarity pulled the box out of her saddlebag and opened it, revealing the brilliant pink sculpture inside.
"Oh Rarity, that's beautiful!" Twilight exclaimed as she levitated the Owl out of the box, spinning it around to get a good look.
"An apology gift. I thought I'd give you one after everything I tried to do," Rarity smiled warmly as she watched Twilight put it up on a shelf where everyone would catch a glimpse at it.
"Oh you didn't have to do that, Rarity, truly… but thank you nonetheless. I appreciate it fully." Twilight gave Rarity a hug, which the latter was a bit apprehensive of but chose to accept. As they separated, Spike came waddling down from the bedroom.
"Ah! Spike, perfect timing. I need you to send a letter." Twilight quickly trotted over to her writing desk and rolled up the parchment sitting on top, levitating it to the dragon who took it in his claws.
Spike took a deep breath before blowing green flames on the letter, disintegrating it into smoke which flew out the window, seemingly carried by the wind.
"Where is that going off to?" Rarity asked as she stared at the window the smoke flew out of.
"To Canterlot. All my letters do," Twilight replied, which earned a look of surprise from Rarity.
"Canterlot? Why would it be going to Canterlot?"
"It's my weekly report to the Princess about my findings, studies or just generally anything which I find interesting."
"Yup!" Spike chimed in, climbing on Twilight's back.
"Twilight here's the personal student of Princess Luna, if you must know! Greatest, most powerfullest mage in All of Equestria! Maybe even the world!"
"P-P-Princess Luna? THE Princess Luna!? She who controls the Sun and Moon!?" Rarity panicked which unsettled both Twilight and Spike.
"I… I suppose I forgot to mention that huh?" Twilight laughed nervously before she jumped in surprise as Rarity plunged her face to the floor.
"May the Princess forgive me for my insolence and insubordination in attempting to kill her protege! Twilight Sparkle, I humbly beg for your forgiveness and wish for you to not see ill upon me and my family for the grave mistake I have committed to you!" Rarity recited with vigor and genuine fear that had Twilight exasperated.
"Rarity, please, that's not necessary! I already forgave you! Oh brother…"
A spectral smoke floated into the halls of the Canterlot Palace, weaving in and out before arriving at the throne room where the Luna, Ruler of Equestria and Princess of the Moon sat. The smoke gathered in front of her and materialized into a physical parchment, bearing the seal of her prized pupil.
"Ah, Twilight Sparkle's report," Luna whispered as she opened up the parchment, eyes carefully scanning and reading the letter with excitement, just as she always had these past few years.
"New friends, I see… So it seems the time is nigh. The Elements shall have their bearers…" Luna whispered, a smile creeping into her lips before the doors to the throne room opened, catching the Princess' attention. A white mare with a blue-green mane trotted into the room, a formation of crystal adorning her flank.
"Ok, so your schedule's a bit packed for tomorrow. You have court duty first thing in the morning, then there's the award ceremony-" The mare was cut off when Luna stood from her throne and trotted down to her.
"Crystal Clear, my dearest aide, have we decided which town I'll be holding the 1000th Spring Moonfall?" Luna asked, to which Crystal Clear rolled her eyes.
"You've been putting it off for the last two weeks, so no. You have not." Crystal Clear said bluntly.
"I think I have made my decision. The 1000th shall be held in the town of Ponyville, at the foot of the mountains." Crystal raised a brow at the Princess' declaration, though Luna simply smiled at her.
"That small hamlet? Really? Why not Vanhoover or Manehattan? Something less obscure than Ponyville of all places."
"Chrissy, Ponyville is the perfect place, I assure you. Besides, I want to have our dearest Twilight attend with her new friends." Luna handed her the letter that she had just received. Crystal's magic enveloped the parchment as she pulled out her glasses to read and she sighed in defeat.
"Alright, fine. Here's your schedule, I'll inform the planning committee about your decision." Crystal tossed the clipboard she was holding in Luna's direction, the latter easily catching it mid-air with her magic as she giggled at her aide's antics.
"Thank you, Crystal," Luna said with a smile as the unicorn trotted out of the throne room.
With the departure of the unicorn, so too did her smile disappear. Luna's horn glowed with magic, intensifying before releasing and teleporting her from the throne room onto the castle balcony. She looked up at the sky and wrapped the sun gently in her magic, the blue glow of her spell diluting its rays before she gently lowered it till it dipped below the horizon.
Doing the same procedure, she wrapped her moon in her magic and gently raised it, its orange glow turning intense once Luna's magic dissipated. The Mare in the Moon stared back at her.
"Celestia, my dearest sister…” Luna whispered to the cold night air. “Daybreaker, my worst enemy… We shall meet again soon, and this time I will right my wrongs… This time, no one shall have to feel this pain. Not anymore." Taking a deep breath, Luna started to sing. A lullaby for her dearest sister, the same one she had sung every night since that banishment one thousand years ago.
A high-pitched steam whistle pierced the cold winter air, followed by the roaring engines of a train as it sped past the cold northern landscape, snow covering the ground as far as the eye could see.
In one of the many coaches the train pulled, a cream-yellow bat mare sat inside, staring past the snow-covered trees whizzing by the barren landscape and to the mountains beyond.
Behind her, ponies of all tribes chatted merrily, yet she tuned it out, uninterested in whatever they said. The trundle of wheels and occasional whistle drowned out the voices, something she welcomed.
Fluttershy lurched forward as the screech of steel on steel cut through every other noise in the car, grating on her sensitive ears as the train came to a stop a few moments later.
"Did something happen?" A stallion next to her asked. Or was it a mare? Fluttershy's hearing hadn't fully come back, and she didn't bother to turn her head and look. She scratched at her tufted ear with a hoof, keratin tapping on metal in an uncomfortable way, but it was better than taking her helmet off.
"Umm… No clue. I can't see anything from here." Fluttershy pressed her face against the cool glass of the window before an explosion shook the coach violently. Flaming debris and molten metal rained from the sky as Fluttershy saw the locomotive derail itself from the explosion, falling to its side with a thunderous crash dragging with it its tender and two other coaches.
Several of the other soldiers in the coach frantically sprung into action, grabbing rifles, spears, bayonets, and sabers. Several others whipped their heads around in panic. Fluttershy had barely managed to grab her sidearm before another explosion threw her to the wall, blacking out her vision.
When the bat pony came to, she was face down in the snow, right outside a gaping hole in the coach. Her head rang and her armor felt heavy, but she felt hooves hook themselves under her shoulders as she was dragged to cover.
"Spec! Spec!" The pony who had dragged her yelled. According to the patch on his cloth barding, he was a private.
Fluttershy blinked to clear her head long enough to hear what the private was saying, muttering a quiet "What?"
"It’s an ambush! The Reds got us trapped! Sarge bought the farm, and so did-" Before the colt finished his sentence, a bullet blew through his temple, splattering blood on Fluttershy.
"Shit, Sniper!" She yelled on instinct, ducking under the little cover she had. Another set of hooves grabbed onto her shoulders and dragged her to the defensive lines as war horns signaled the enemy's charge-
A steam whistle snapped Fluttershy out of her flashback, and she found herself on a train again. Rather than her combat armor, she wore her dress uniform, saber sheathed at her side. In her hooves were two wooden boxes, one of which contained the medals she received from Princess Luna hours before for her service during the Stalliongrad revolt 5 years ago. In the other was a new pistol, a gift from a superior officer who she had once saved from bleeding out in the field.
Fluttershy didn't need it.
She put the boxes into her bag as a tug on her coat caught the mare's attention. She looked down to her side, where Angel was tapping his forelimbs on Fluttershy's side, asking if she was ok or not.
"I'm ok, Angel." Fluttershy smiled, took her hoof, and patted Angel on the head. "Just... some bad memories..."
She took a deep breath and hummed a lullabye, one of the few ways she uses to deal with her episodes. Fluttershy looked out the window to see the rolling green fields of late springtime rather than the cold and bloodsoaked snow of the northern winters.
"Hush now, quiet now…" She sang as a gray pegasus quietly trotted up to her seat.
"You don't look too good, Lieutenant." Ditzy took the seat next to Fluttershy, with Angel scooching closer to his owner to make room for the older mare.
Fluttershy jumped in surprise and quickly switched her attention from the outside to Ditzy.
"Oh, Ditzy! You startled me." Fluttershy smiled, facing towards Ditzy and putting a hoof up in salute.
"Put that hoof down, 'Shy. We're not in Canterlot anymore... Besides, you outrank me. I should be saluting you." Ditzy laughed, reaching for her eyepatch with a wingtip and pulling it off, exposing her lazy eye. Fluttershy found it uncanny how Ditzy could go from retired army sergeant and courier to Ponyville's bubbly mailmare with only one small accessory.
"Sorry, Ditzy. It has been an entire week of doing nothing but that. Speaking of, thanks for coming with me to the award ceremony... You and Dinky both," Fluttershy said with a grateful blush.
"It was nothing. I had been planning a week off in Canterlot anyway, so Dinky could go visit her sister. And it was good to see some old friends, both from your regiment and mine."
The train's conductor trotted into the carriage, his deep voice loudly cutting through the train's rumbling. "We'll be arriving at Ponyville Station shortly! Please make sure your belongings are complete when you exit the train. Thank you!"
Some ponies gathered their things as the Conductor trotted to the next carriage.
"I better go wake Dinky. Need help with your bags?" Ditzy asked.
Fluttershy shook her head in response, prompting the Pegasus to nod and head back to her daughter.
Shortly after, the train came to a stop at Ponyville Station. Dinky excitedly hopped out of the train, followed closely by her mother and Fluttershy.
"Well, this is where we part ways. You take care of yourself now, Fluttershy, y'hear?" Ditzy gave the bat pony a hug with both a hoof and a wing..
"Thank you again, Ditzy," Fluttershy replied as they parted. Angel also offered a wave of his own as Dinky came prancing over.
"If you find the time, do come by the house for some tea and muffins. Dinky likes having you and Angel over." Dinky nodded at her mother's words before the two waved goodbye one last time.
Fluttershy stayed at the platform a while longer, just until the mother and daughter were out of sight, before she turned and headed south with Angel leading the way.
"Slow down, Angel! I know you're excited to get home," Fluttershy called out, trotting faster to catch up with the bunny. "I'm eager to see home too."
A soft smile graced her lips as she stretched out a wing, scooping up Angel and planting him on her back before galloping down the path that led to Sweet Apple Acres.
Her galloping and her laughter left Fluttershy out of breath, forcing her to slow to a canter.
"So, what do you think we should have for dinner, Angel? Something a bit healthier than all the donuts and hors d'oeuvres we've been eating for certain." Angel nodded at his owner before he tapped his chin in wonder.
He froze suddenly, pulling on Fluttershy's mane and stopping her in her tracks. Angel sniffed the air and growled in the direction they were going, putting Fluttershy on high alert.
"What is it, Angel?" She asked before she looked at the pony coming up to greet them.
"Fluttershy! You're back!" From down the path, Applejack yelled out as she galloped up to meet Fluttershy.
She put her worries aside and smiled. She waved a wing at Applejack before the mares gave each other a hug.
"So, did you get a lotta medals?" Applejack teased as she elbowed Fluttershy; the latter rolled her eyes and elbowed the former back.
"As a matter of fact, I did," she said with a sing-song voice. "One for every letter of my name."
After a short pause, both mares laughed.
"I'm kidding. I um… I only got two. The Royal Red Cross and a Silver Star…" Fluttershy said meekly..
"Hey, that's still good, right? And it's not like you really need so many. Ah know you ain't really the type to like medals much." Applejack patted the bat between her wings. Coincidentally, the mare’s stomach growled, earning another laugh from the pair.
"I um… Sorry about that. I haven't had anything filling since I left Canterlot."
"That's alright, Sugarcube. In fact, why don't you swing by the farmhouse? Big Mac's bakin' some pie; he can give you an entire tin or two if you want!" Applejack said happily, Fluttershy's stomach having already agreed to the offer before her mouth could.
"That sounds lovely, Applejack... I missed everypony's cooking." She hummed, and Angel nodded in agreement as Applejack gestured down the path.
"Well then, git to it then! Ah gotta head into town and help you-know-who come up with some new recipes for Sugarcube Corner. She said she was going for a fruit-themed menu next week." With that, the two parted ways, and Fluttershy eagerly took flight to get there faster. Meanwhile, Angel glared at the Kirin with uncertainty, having smelled a lingering scent that the bunny was all too familiar with. And yet, it was still foreign to somewhere so deep into the heart of Equestria.
"Thank you, Big Mac! Granny Smith!" Fluttershy waved goodbye to the two as she flew southwest, deeper into the orchard, with two tins of Apple pie and some bread and cheese inside a basket.
Weaving down a well-trodden path through the apple trees, Fluttershy arrived at the little cabin the Apples had generously lent her, where she was swarmed by many an animal. All so excited to see their caretaker back home.
"Hello everycritter! I'm so glad to see you all again!" She exclaimed excitedly as she put the basket down on her dinner table and her bags on the floor under the shelf on the far wall. Angel shooed the others off the food, especially the birds, while Fluttershy greeted every animal in her little shelter.
Angel set the table up as he took a plate and utensils for his owner and grabbed a knife to cut the pie, which smelled so good it made Fluttershy pause for a moment, a napkin, and finally a cucumber for himself.
Angel tapped the wooden table three times, announcing to Fluttershy that lunch was ready. The animals quickly dispersed to give the two their privacy, though they stayed close enough to strike up a conversation should Fluttershy have wanted. The two sat down and ate their food, talking to each other while they did.
"Nothing beats being back home. I mean… It's not that I hate my regiment. I just… they can be rowdy, life of a soldier’s never easy, and all that." Angel nodded along with each bite of cucumber, offering his own opinions through a series of gestures only Fluttershy could understand.
"What did you smell right before we talked to Applejack, though?" Fluttershy asked with concern, "You got very tense."
Angel put down his cucumber and started gesturing. To an outsider, it looked like unintelligible movements, but to Fluttershy, it was all too familiar.
'Danger.'
"What do you mean? From Applejack? What danger?"
Angel gestured again, first drinking from a bottle, then a bowl, then mixing the bowl.
"Alchemy? That can't be right… Nopony practices Alchemy this deep in Equestria, and especially not Applejack. Are you sure you just didn't smell cider?" Angel's brows furrowed as he crossed his arms at Fluttershy's comment, earning a blush from the latter.
"Right, two whole seasons off... Okay, how about we ask Applejack tomorrow?" She suggested earning a nod from Angel, who took his cucumber and started munching again.
Fluttershy returned to her food as she thought of what Angel had just told her. He couldn't be wrong. After all, he was trained to sniff out these types of dangers. But what would prompt the scent of alchemy this far from the border…?
The next day came faster than Fluttershy expected. Before she knew it, she had passed out, and a new day had started without her.
She yawned, greeting Angel a good morning before she poured herself a cup of coffee.
"I need to get that clock to Doctor Time Turner. That's the third time this month…" She said to nopony in particular as she looked at the timepiece on the wall, frozen at 6:00 am.
"What time is it, Angel?
Angel ran over to Fluttershy's bag, pulled out a pocket watch, popped open its cover, and handed it to her. Fluttershy took the watch in with a wing, cringing as she realized she slept two hours past her usual wake-up time.
"Captain Vigil would have my head if he found out I woke up so late…" She took a sip of her coffee before she put away the watch.
A knock on her door caught both her and Angel's attention. Trotting to the door, Fluttershy opened it to find a purple baby dragon with a backpack that was more than half the size he was.
"W-woah! I wasn't expecting an Oneiroi." The baby dragon exclaimed as he stepped back from the bat pony at the door with a nasty case of bed head.
"A baby dragon!" Fluttershy gasped, "And you talk? I've never seen one of your kind so close to a town before! Oh wow, you're so cute!" She gushed, making Spike blush at the impromptu compliment.
"Nice to meet you, Spike! And yes, I am. Do you need something? Are you hurt at all?" Fluttershy asked, ushering the dragon inside.
"Not that I know of. Applejack sent me to return the veterinary equipment she borrowed." He carefully put the bag down on top of her living room table as Fluttershy came back from the kitchen with a gem she scrounged up from one of her drawers (Rarity wouldn't mind one of her gifts missing if it was for a greater cause, right?).
"Well, tell her I said, 'Thank you' then. Oh, and here, a sapphire for your hard work bringing it all this way." Fluttershy gave the gem over to the dragon, whose eyes went wide and sparkling.
"Oh well, thank you, and don't mind if I do!" Spike grabbed the gem and swallowed it in a single bite. "That makes the long walk worth it!"
"Well, why don't you stay for a bit? I'd love to talk with you. I have so many questions! If… that's okay with you…" Fluttershy said with a hopeful look.
"Well… If you have any more of those gems, I suppose Twilight doesn't need to be there inspecting the orchard with her."
Fluttershy smiled widely before rushing to the cabinet, grabbing a box with an assortment of gems that Rarity had given her over the years, as well as a manebrush. "Oh, I have plenty of those! I've never met a talking dragon before, so I'm extremely curious!"
"Alright!" Spike cheered, "What’d you wanna know?"
"Absolutely everything!"
~-~-~-~-~-~-~
As Spike and Fluttershy sat down in the living room to talk, from the kitchen, Angel leered at the newcomer.
The dragon reeked of Alchemical stench to Angel. Not only that, but black magic as well. All his training had the alarms in his head going off, but he stayed put, if only for the fact that Fluttershy was so happy.
Nevertheless, he kept a watchful eye on Spike, ready to protect his owner should danger arise.
It was already three hours past noon when Spike returned from talking with Fluttershy. Not only was he full, he was very happy with the new friend he had just made! Even if the bunny (He thought he heard Fluttershy call him Angel) gave him the stink eye.
He didn't find Twilight or Applejack at the farmhouse, and according to Applebloom, they had flown back to the cottage after an emergency. When Spike got there, the place was in chaos. Twilight and Applejack frantically tore through the books in the cottage.
"What's going on…?" Spike asked, catching both mares’ attention.
"Owlowiscious is sick, and we have no idea what happened," Applejack said as she shut the book in front of her and pointed to the owl. He sat inside a cider crate wrapped in a blanket, looking worse for wear.
"I've tried every potion and cure I have at my disposal. Harkenberry, Ambrosia Nectar, even tried Nullification Potions, but everything just seems to make it worse!" Twilight said this with frustration, slamming another book shut with enough force to make both Spike and Applejack flinch. The other mare put a hoof on Twilight's back.
Twilight looked over to Owlowiscious sadly and sighed, burying her head in her forelegs, her hat obscuring her face. She felt like she was on the brink of sobbing.
Spike hung his head in worry, going over to Owlowiscious before he stopped halfway as a realization hit him.
"What about Fluttershy? She's a Veterinarian, right? Maybe she could help!" At Spike declaration, Applejack smacked herself with a hoof.
"Ugh! Fluttershy, of course! How could Ah forget the one pony that's been our go-to for critter treatin’!" Applejack berated herself.
Twilight immediately lifted her head out of her hooves, rushed over to Owlowiscious' crate, and summoned her broom.
"What are we waiting for, then? Come on!" Twilight announced as she rushed out the door, the broom and crate trailing behind her, Applejack following close behind while Spike stayed to clean up the mess.
Fluttershy was taking inventory of the equipment borrowed from her when Angel perked up and growled dangerously. Sensing something ahoof, Fluttershy unsheathed her saber with a wing and rushed to the door, planting herself beside it.
Frantic knocking came, which only made Angel growl deeper.
"Who is it?" Fluttershy said calmly.
"Fluttershy, it's me, Applejack! We ‘ave an emergency!" The voice on the other side yelled.
"Who's with you?" She asked one more time, lowering her saber and easing out of her combat stance.
"A friend of mine… Twilight Sparkle. An animal needs yer help." At the mention of an injured animal, Fluttershy immediately sheathed her blade and unlocked the door, much to Angel's protest.
She was shocked to see not just Applejack, but a Unicorn mare in full Witch's regalia. Her shock quickly subsided as the worried mare floated a crate with a sick owl inside.
Dropping her saber by her coat rack, she immediately took the crate with a wing and asked, "What happened? Tell me everything."
"I… I don't know. We were foraging the orchard for potion ingredients, and I sent him out to look for some. When he came back, he was like that..." Twilight replied nervously as Fluttershy gently laid the owl down on a pillow.
"Symptoms?"
"Uh… Coughing, extreme lethargy, loss of focus, imbalance, and dehydration," Twilight listed as she went up to Fluttershy's side to comfort her sick pet.
"Coughing? Dry coughing? If so, when you used any type of magic on him, did the symptoms worsen?" Fluttershy asked as she performed various checks.
"Do potions count? Because he reacted negatively to all of mine… Ones that really shouldn't have affected him like that." Twilight carefully stroked the owl's head, though he shivered under her hoof.
"Hmm… all symptoms point to acute Sandylion poisoning… How many potions did you give him?" Fluttershy pushed herself away from the table and trotted over to her bags, taking a piece of paper out of a small booklet before pinning it to the table. On it was the detailed procedure to treat said poisoning.
"Around eight in total, but I gave the doses in small increments."
"I see… He'll live, but he's gonna be in pain until we flush out the Sandylion from his system... Angel, get the vomiting tonic, please. The one for birds... Applejack, you get a wash basin with water from the kitchen, a small bucket, and some rags." Both Angel and Applejack sprung into action, while Twilight sighed in relief at Fluttershy's professionalism.
Twilight gave Fluttershy a thankful look, but the latter didn’t seem to notice, too busy preparing herself to treat Owlowiscious.
"What's… Sandylion?" Twilight asked. It wasn’t every day that she didn't know what sounded like a significant magical plant. Fluttershy kept her focus on the owl as Angel and Applejack returned with the items they were tasked with grabbing.
"Sandylions are a type of magic, flowering grass that have a magical siphoning response." Fluttershy explained as she took some of the vomiting tonic into an oral syringe, "They grow by pulling magic from the earth or other organisms in combination with all the other things plants need... They have fine, powdery pollen with the same properties in pods, not unlike poppies, actually. They’re very sensitive and can burst at the slightest disturbance."
Twilight nodded along as she watched Fluttershy attend to her work. The bat pony poured the tonic into the owl's mouth, causing Owlowiscious to start vomiting up the contents of his stomach into the small bucket.
"They make animals very sick, though ponies aren't excluded. Anything with an innate magical pool can be infected..." Fluttershy then scowled, unnerving Twilight as she comforted the owl. "During the Winter Uprising, the Red Army's 'witches' and sappers would coat mines in Sandylion pollen to slow our mine-sniffing bunnies. They even slipped them into our coops to get our carrier pigeons out of action… The bastards… those poor animals suffered more than they should have."
Fluttershy's cold, steely gaze would then fall onto Twilight, which made a shiver run down the mare’s spine.
"I'm not too fond of 'witches' because of that." Fluttershy stated coldly as Angel joined her in scrutinizing the unicorn, "Do you have a reason for me to think differently, Miss Twilight?"
Twilight had started retreating behind her hat before Applejack decided to step in.
"Alright, hold on now. There's no reason to be hostile to Twilight, Fluttershy. Ah can assure you she's a friend to everypony," Applejack said.
“She’s a threat.” Fluttershy said harshly, the tone making Applejack flinch. The farmmare had never heard this side of her friend.
From under Twilight's hat, the mare quivered like a leaf. She worried, as this soldier didn't seem like the type to just fall for the confident act she's been putting on. Having left the Lunar Seal, which identified her as the Princess' student, behind in her haste, she didn't have a way to identify herself and feared that she could be accused of lying… or maybe worse.
Beside her, Applejack kept cool, but the furtive and worried glances she gave Twilight were enough to show how scared she was.
"Don't get me wrong; I'm not gonna deny you or your pet the medical attention they need. That's just not the way of a good medical practitioner." Fluttershy stated as she cleaned up Owlowiscious' beak with a rag, "But do realize I have some… Apprehension towards you due to the occupation you align yourself with."
Twilight's eyes darted about as she thought of a way to defuse the situation. This was the pony that was helping her after all, and she'd rather not be on bad terms. From the corner of her eyes, her gaze fell on a familiar white and green armor set on a mannequin, and though most of it was behind a wall, she wasn’t mistaken that it was the armor of a Royal Knight regiment, so she had an idea.
Raising her head and putting on a brave face, Twilight recited the Royal Knight's induction chant: "Pax Noctis; para bellum."
Fluttershy's eyes widened, and her hooves froze in place.
"How do you know that?" She asked cautiously, turning to look at Twilight with a suspicious, but curious, gaze.
"From my brother... He's also a member of the Royal Knights… Does that help you think differently?" Twilight asked with caution as Fluttershy rolled up the rag.
"Perhaps it does… What regiment does your brother serve?" Fluttershy stood up, staring down Twilight like a misplaced detail. The purple mare, meanwhile, wore a thin smile and stood as proudly as she could.
"First Solar Knights… Ma'am," Twilight tacked on the honorific in hopes that it would sway the mare.
"The Golden Gleaming Coltscouts huh? Your brother must be quite the big shot." Fluttershy's cold demeanor dropped a few notches as a closed, teasing smile graced her lips. "Still, simply revealing your brother serves the Pax isn't enough to let me fully trust you... But I suppose it's a start."
Owlowiscious gave a weak hoot, and as if nothing happened, Fluttershy cooed at the owl, gently talking to him like a sick foal. Behind her, Applejack and Twilight sighed in relief, the latter flopping into a nearby chair.
The next time Twilight and Fluttershy met was a few days later, when the bat pony volunteered to help inspect the farm and find the patches of Sandylion, which likely grew from the magical surge of the recent Zap Apple harvest.
Twilight worked very hard to earn Fluttershy's trust for the following days (without using the fact she was Princess Luna's student to give herself a challenge, though it didn't stay hidden long due to Rarity's penchant for gossip and storytelling).
"These should be the last of the Sandylions," Applejack announced as she dropped a sack full of the infectious plant onto a cart that Fluttershy pulled. "Great job, everypony! Now everycreature on the farm can breathe a sigh of relief, pollen-free."
"I've also gathered my samples for experimentation, and if all goes well, me and Madam Zecora should be able to synthesize a wide variety of cures and brews!" Twilight said excitedly, landing her broom in front of the two.
Fluttershy took a cautious step back as Twilight landed, the cart behind her clacking. Applejack trotted up to the two, having finished tying the sacks down and covering them with canvas.
"We best get these weeds burnt then. Fluttershy, you sure you can carry this all on your own?" She asked the mare, who nodded simply and spread her membranous wings.
"It's just grass… I've pulled stretcher carts with heavier loads. I'll be fine." Fluttershy whispered, giving her wings an experimental flap.
"Oh! Let me help. I've wanted to try out a new potion, and this is the perfect opportunity!" Twilight exclaimed as she pulled out two bottles of glowing orange liquid.
"Alrighty then, we can go burn 'em at the edge of the orchard over yonder. Twilight, mind giving me a ride?" Applejack looked at Twilight expectantly.
"Always," she replied with a firm nod and grin.
Fluttershy flapped her wings, lifting herself off the ground with the cart in tow. "You know the spot to go with Applejack, so why don't you and Princess here lead the way?"
"P-princess!? What's—that's not—I'm just a student…" Twilight mumbled as she turned her head away with a blush on her cheeks. Fluttershy rolled her eyes playfully.
"You were right, she is kinda adorable when she's flustered," Fluttershy whispered to Applejack, who tried to stifle her laughter, which only made Twilight even more embarrassed.
A cool spring breeze wafted through the streets of Ponyville. The sun had long since dipped below the horizon but the town was as lively as ever, especially in Ponyville’s most famous speakeasy, The Sol e Mar.
The bar bustled with activity from the locals and those ponies that came for Ponyville’s famous Zap Apple products. To the pastel pink griffon on top of the bar’s stage, it had been a fun night.
"—My siblings have always been odd like that. I love them dearly, truly. Take my older sister, Gaudileena, for example. She’s always been the strong, silent one of the family, a griffon of few words and very unlike our eldest, Grimstone, she’s the strong, LOUD type. You almost can’t believe she holds a bloody desk job!” Light chuckles came from the patrons as Griffimena Giana Pie shifted in her seat, furtively glancing at the clock in the other side of the room, "Imagine this, you go into town hall looking to get some papers clear and at the desk is this huffy griffon with a resting bitch face. Fairly typical so far! You get to her and suddenly – 'Oi! Get to it ya git, I don't have all day!’ Then you look at the clock and it’s only six AM and her shift’s just started.”
Another round of laughs erupted from the patrons. From behind the bar at the far side of the establishment, her fellow griffon, Gabriella, pointed a talon towards the stallion with an instrument case sitting at one of the stools.
“There’s also my brother Gregory, and my itty bitty little sister, Gravel. They’re precious in their own way! But speaking of the time, it’s been an hour since I was supposed to stop!” Sad ‘awws’ and ‘one more hour!’ came from the crowd which earned a laugh from the gleeful griffon.
“I would, mate! But I can see Gabriella behind the counter over there glaring at me for taking up the time table! Besides, I’m here every night seven to nine PM, except for the weekends, so come on by tomorrow for a special feature if you wanna hear the song I sing to my parents– I mean, the song they sang to me! I’ll see you all, I always do! Now we’ve got a very special guest that’s playing for you ponies tonight! There’s jazz the air, so let’s give a big round of applause for the Colt on the Sax, Noooteworthyy!!”
Hooves stomped in the crowd as a blue earth pony stallion stepped on the stage, a saxophone around his neck. As Giana put the microphone back on its stand, the stallion started playing and she exited stage left. She took an empty stool at the bar counter and breathed a sigh of relief as Gabriella slid her a tankard of beer. “Here, on the house, as thank you for covering for Noteworthy.”
Giana gratefully took the tankard with a claw and took a large swig, wiping her beak with her other arm. “Bah! ‘Tis nothing, I could’a gone for another two hours if he still hadn’t shown. I am just buzzin!” Giana raised her tankard, Gabriella poured herself a shot of spirit and toasted her fellow griffon before downing it. Giana shot the other griffon a teasing look.
“What?” Gabriella asked rhetorically, capping the bottle and putting it under the counter, “It’s my stock, I can do whatever I want with this one.” Giana laughed, shaking her head as she took another swig.
The door behind the counter swung open, revealing Applejack. She had an apron alongside her signature hat and trotted behind the counter, much to Gabriella’s relief.
“Sorry Ah’m late,” Applejack greeted, “Applebloom wouldn’t let me go till Ah put her to bed. Ah did get your message though, still need an extra pair a’hooves?”
“It’s a pretty busy night and I’m already stretched thin as is. I called for an extra pair, and an extra pair you’ll be.” Applejack smiled and nodded as she started floating bottles of various spirits down from shelves.
“You look right and proper knackered… You alright?” Giana asked, noticing the weary look on the Kirin’s face.
"Yeah, Ah'm right as rain," Applejack smiled, "Just had a bit of an… Eventful day. Got into a standoff at Fluttershy's this afternoon."
"You and Flutters? Now what in Luna's mane could have possibly caused a standoff between the two of you?" Giana raised a brow. The two had been good friends ever since the Oneiroi moved in a few years ago, so it was odd to hear the two quarreling.
"Well not me specifically… Fluttershy and Twilight had some disagreement 'cause Fluttershy apparently don't really like witches like her. It worked itself out in the end but Fluttershy still don't like her much." Applejack shrugged.
"Wait, who's Twilight?" Giana asked in shock. She knew everypony (and griffon) that lived in Ponyville, even the ones that only came to town every now and then, but she'd never heard of this Twilight before.
"Oh… You don't know?" Applejack asked, tilting her head in confusion, "Ah would’a thought you'd met her by now. She's been in'n'out of town for a while."
"What do you mean she's in-and-out for a while!? How come I haven't seen heads o’ tails of her yet?" Giana could not believe that she of all griffons missed out on meeting the friend of a friend! Especially since she was usually the one introducing her friends to her other friends.
"What's all this ruckus about?" A voice from behind Giana spoke. Turning her head she saw Rarity trotting up the bar.
"Oh we was just talkin' about how Gigi here didn't know about Twilight… Somehow," Applejack answered with a shrug.
"It's been over two weeks since she's come into town, even my usual gossip circles have been talking about her! How could you have possibly missed her?" Rarity asked the griffon, Giana only replied with wild, confused gestures.
"I knew I was missing something!" Giana exclaimed as she smacked her palm with a fist, "I've had this nagging feeling in the back of my head that I should have been doing something for somepony!"
"Well she lives just outside town, but you can catch her at the farm, she likes to come to visit for chats," Applejack smiled as she watched Giana nod.
From the door behind the counter, Gabriella came out pushing a small cart with bags of ice that she dropped into a small freezer under the counter.
"What're you doing here?" Gabriella asked Rarity. The latter looked confused, but smiled and took a seat next to Giana.
"I came for a drink, of course. I always do at this hour, don't I?" Rarity asked only to be met with a disappointed tut from the owner.
"Ohhh no, not this time, Rarity. After that stunt you pulled with my vodka, I'm cutting you off for the next month!"
As the conversation died down and Giana was deep in planning mode about how she was going to meet Twilight, a large group entered the bar, a good ten to fifteen ponies.
Gabriella looked over to Applejack, who lifted glasses, tankards, and drink mixers. The Kirin looked back with a smile and nodded as the group trotted up to the bar.
"Alright then…" Gabriella half whispered loud enough for her fellow tender to hear, "Time to mix drinks and change lives."
It was well past midnight. The bar had closed up and most ponies had gone to bed. Yet in the loft of Sugarcube Corner, Giana laid in bed wide awake.
"It has to be at least 4 layers… blueberry?” Giana mused. “I could also go with purple yam… Cauldron shape…? Nah, it would need to be hollow… Hat shape? Ooh yes I like that, and it sounds delicious!"
On the other side of the room, Gummy sat in his terrarium, eyes blankly staring at his owner as she got out of bed and started pacing.
"I could fill the inside with cream… Or do I just let the frosting do the work? Oh I gotta have lotsa frosting! What do you think, Gummy?" She propped her arms on the dresser where the terrarium sat. Inside, the toothless alligator sat quietly and blinked slowly. Giana gasped.
"Chocolate Ganache with Blueberries! Gummy you're bloody brilliant!" She whispered as she tenderly lifted the alligator out of his terrarium and gave his head a light, affectionate peck before she put him back.
Giana flew out of her room, downstairs, and into the kitchen. She turned on the lights and grabbed the ingredients and utensils. Her touch light as a feather and not a sound to be heard as she worked.
"Let's get to it!"
“Sorry Gigi, she ain't visited yet.” Applejack looked at Giana with a worried expression, “Did… Did you sleep at all?”
“Nope! I’m running on excitement and the leftover chocolate I used to make this cake!” Giana pointed to the box on her back with a thumb. It was only an hour since the sun rose and despite Applejack’s late shift that night, she at least had gotten some shut-eye before Luna lifted the sun again.
“Ah don't think that's healthy…”
“That's not the point, Applejack! The point is to get this cake to Twilight by twilight! Preferably earlier… and preferably by me!” Giana said animatedly. Applejack sighed and scratched her head with a hoof.
“Well she lives east o’ town, in a cottage by a stream. Y’won't miss it if you fly. You can probably find her there, if nothin’ else.”
“Oh! Thank you~!” Giana took off, leaving Applejack coughing from the kicked up dust.
“You're welcome! … Ah guess?” Applejack yelled out before she turned around and headed off to work.
As she flew back towards town she caught sight of another flying figure just ahead of her.
“Fluttershy!” She called out as the Oneiroi turned to look, smiling as she saw Giana gliding to catch up.
“Oh, hi Giana. What brings you out to Sweet Apple Acres so early?”
“Oh y’know just looking for somepony… What about you? Where are you off too?” Giana asked as she flew together with Fluttershy.
“Ah, I’m just… Going to get my clock fixed.” Fluttershy motioned to the saddlebag at her side, “Who’re you looking for?”
“Twilight Sparkle, the witch that's recently moved in. You know her right?” Giana said, which made Fluttershy's expression fall.
“Yeah, I know her… Somewhat.” Fluttershy said indifferently as she kept a passive expression on her face.
“Fantastic! Do you have any idea where she might be? I mean, how would you hide such a prominent looking pony? Must be completely invisible!”
Fluttershy sighed and thought about it, putting a hoof to her chin before she shook her head and shrugged, “No, I have idea where she is. Sorry Giana.”
“Ahh that’s fine! I’ll have to look harder then!”
“Can't you just lure her in with a party like always?” Fluttershy asked, eyes forward and avoiding Giana’s.
“I would! Buuut the Cakes still won't let me have another one after that week-long party fiasco we had a month ago…” Giana sighed, frowning as she crossed her claws. As quick as it appeared, her expression was replaced by one of her smiles again, “But anyway, I should go and keep looking for her now. See you Fluttershy!”
“Mm… you do that. I’ll see you later Giana.” Fluttershy nodded as she flew down, landing just in front of Doctor Time Turner’s home.
“I see… That's how it is then…” Giana took note of Fluttershy's reactions for later and flew off eastwards.
Giana landed just outside of a cozy-looking cottage in the woods, her eyes darted about for signs of the pony she was after. There was no name or marker anywhere that indicated it was Twilight’s home but by the equipment she saw through the window of the cottage, and the fact there was no other home anywhere else unless it were super duper tiny, she was spot on where she needed to be. Yet the cottage lay empty.
‘Strange…” Giana thought, “I thought it would have been more spooky,’
“Uhh… You from Ponyville?” A voice called out from the second floor of the cottage. Looking up, Giana found a baby dragon peeking at her from the second-story window.
“Oh! Good day, mate! Aren’t you adorable! Is this Twilight Sparkle’s residence?” She flew up to him with a wide smile, holding a claw out in greeting, “Name's Griffimena by the way, but you can call me Giana!”
“Oh, I'm Spike! Nice to meet you Giana! And yeah this is her place, are you looking for her?” Spike took Giana’s claw in his own and shook it.
“I am, actually! Where is she now?” Giana asked, adjusting the box on her back.
“You just missed her! She went into town to buy some flowers, something about needing it for her latest potion.”
Giana groaned. “Oh, that’s a bloody shame! I was really looking forward to meeting her… Though I’ve never seen you before either! Are you her pet?”
“Pet!? I’m her number one assistant! Owlowiscious over there’s her pet though.” Spike pointed to the owl perched on a branch growing out of the cottage.
“Oh hello! Aren’t you a distinguished looking fellow! I love the plumage!” Giana cooed, which the owl answered with a few hoots.
“Oh stop it,” She giggled, “Such a flatterer you are. I ought to make you both some cake too once I give this to Twilight.”
“What is that anyway?” Spike asked, looking at the box balancing on Giana’s back.
“Why it’s only the Quadruple Decker Witch Welcome Supreme made by yours truly!” She replied with flourish, grabbing the box and showing them the cake inside, “Four layers of Chocolate Ganache with blueberry baked to tip-top witch hat perfection… I made it a few hours earlier this morning!”
“That looks amazing… Are you sure that’s food and not just an actual hat?”
“Pretty sure!” Giana giggled, “Anyway I should go back to looking for the mare of the hour. I’ll come back later and bake you a welcome cake too! Toodles!” she said as she closed the box and flew off, barely leaving enough time for Spike to call out a goodbye of his own.
Midday was nearing as Giana scanned the marketplace for any signs of Twilight, but to no avail.
The griffon landed in front of a flower shop. Giana knocked on the door and a cream mare with a red mane peeked out, “Oh, Giana!” Roseluck greeted, peeking from the door. “What a surprise. Do you need flowers or something?”
“Nah, just here to ask a question. Y’ever hear, maybe seen, a mare named Twilight Sparkle lately?”
“I have actually! She was just here an hour ago to pick up a bouquet of Primrose. Charming mare that Twilight is… She has such a way with words, if I didn't know any better I’d say she was casting a spell on me.” Roseluck giggled as she adjusted a pot of plants in the front of her shop.
“What makes you say she's not?” Giana asked curious, eager to know the mare’s opinion. Roseluck didn't so much as hesitate before she answered with a smile.
“If Applejack can vouch for her then she’s a good pony. That mare’s too stubborn to be ever put under a spell,” Roseluck chuckled at her own joke before she coughed into a hoof, “No idea where Twilight went sadly, but I think she said something about food. Speaking of, it's about near noon now, I should go get my lunch. Good luck on trying to find her though, if I see her I'll send her your way.”
“You have my thanks Rosey! Have a good lunch!” Giana took off as she waved the florist goodbye, taking note of the time of day, and headed downtown back to Sugarcube Corner.
She had no luck finding Twilight on the way. Giana sighed as she glanced behind her at the box to make sure the cake was still fine. The caffeine from all the chocolate earlier was starting to wear off and Giana could feel her lack of sleep slowly catching up.
When she got to Sugarcube Corner, Applejack sat at one of the tables inside and pored over one of the pastry magazines Giana kept in the bakery’s lobby. She raised her head at the sound of Giana coming in and smiled at the griffon, “Still no luck finding her?”
“Nope! She's one slippery mare, I'll give her that. She always seems to be just a step ahead of me!” Giana inside the kitchen and put the box of cake inside the fridge, Applejack following after her.
“You'll find her soon enough. You always do,” Applejack said encouragingly, “Oh and before I forget, Mrs. Cake picked up a package for you.”
“Oh? Where is it?” Giana asked and Applejack gestured to the counter behind her. Giana looked back and found a regular looking box next to the blender.
Going closer, Giana smelled something inside and as she looked closer she saw it was enchanted. “A preserving parcel? Blimey, that smells delicious!”
Applejack trotted up next to Giana as the latter took the letter on top of the box, giving it a quick read, “Gaud… Came back from Griffonstone… Mom cooked… Little sister…” Before she put it down and opened the box, an excited trill came from her as she looked at what was inside.
“AJ look! Gaud and Gravel sent me some Griffonstone Sausages!” Giana exclaimed excitedly as she showed Applejack the cooked meats inside, still smoking from the effect of the box's enchantment, “Ugh, I’ve missed these! These are so good – Mm! Exactly like how Mum cooks them!” She grabbed one of the sausages and took a bite.
“Really?” The kirin asked, taking one for herself and biting off a piece, “Sweet mother of apples in caramel, that is good!”
“Right!? Oh! We haven't had lunch together in a while, wanna eat these with me?” Giana offered Applejack another one of the sausages, which the latter took in her magic gratefully.
“Why not,” Applejack replied with a shrug, “Haven't had anythin’ to stamp down that urge.”
“You really should eat more meat, y'know? Not having a proper diet for your flavor of pony makes you moody, and you know what happens when you're moody! You combust like a bloody matchstick!” Giana took some plates and stacked sausages high for the two of them, though she finished her plate way faster than Applejack.
“Ah know that but Ah don't like the fact the farm’d be havin’ to spend extra on food that only Ah can eat! Ah already feel real bad having to eat just one of the chickens every month...” Applejack sighed as she ate, chewing slowly as she propped her foreleg on the counter and her head on a hoof.
“It's not like your farm would be losing much on profits… Tell you what, drop by the Sol e Mar once a week, Me and Gab usually have a few steaks stocked–” Giana paused mid sentence when she heard Mrs. Cake’s voice from the other room as well as a voice she didn't recognize.
“Thank you so much, Mrs. Cake, These pastries will be lovely I'm sure.”
“Oh you don't need to thank me, besides, Gigi makes all those ones in the themed menu. You have a good day now Twilight.”
Giana sprung into action, grabbing the cake from the fridge and bolting it for the other room. She slid to turn the corner to the front entrance of the bakery, where she saw Twilight just outside getting on a broom.
Her tail twitched.
Giana felt a sudden mass of fatigue blur her vision, a combination of a lack of sleep and a full stomach suddenly had the last thirty hours of no shut-eye come rushing to her head full force.
‘Adrenaline, why have you failed me-’ Giana thought before she promptly passed out on the floor from exhaustion.
“Chocolate Ganache with Blueberries!” Giana yelled out as she woke up, breathing heavily. “Wha- What? How did I get to my room?”
Giana looked around and remembered she passed out in the lobby, meaning that somepony must have dragged her here.
“The cake!” Giana sprang out of bed, gliding through the familiar halls of Sugarcube Corner’s upstairs before she steered herself down to the lobby. Mr. Cake was there organizing the few pastries left over from the day’s sales.
“Hello there, Gigi! You sure were out for a long time. You didn't sleep again, did you?” Mr. Cake said as he trotted over and placed a hoof on Giana’s forehead. “And it doesn't look like you're sick either, that's a relief. But you really gotta stop your all-nighters, even Cup Cake's worried about you.”
“Pssh! I'm fine, Mr. Cake,” Giana gently pushed Mr. Cake’s hoof off her head, “Besides, I don't do all nighters all the time! Just when something important happens like a new pony in town! Or when my sisters come to visit!”
“I know, but still watch for your health, we wouldn't want you getting sick now.”
“Of course! Being sick means I can't work, and if I can’t work then I can't bring smiles to everypony, and if I can’t bring smiles to everypony then I'm not Griffimena Giana Pie!” She gave an exaggerated flourish.
The door to the bakery opened and in came Gabriella.
“Ah bloody Tart’rus! Am I late for my routine!?” Giana asked the other griffon, confusing her.
“Uhh… No? There's still time before your show, I just swung by to grab a snack.” Gabriella shrugged before turning to the display case and choosing the last cinnamon roll on display.
“Oh that's a relief, I was worried for a moment!” Giana jumped over the case, took the cinnamon roll, and bagged it for Gabriella, “One Cinariffic Cinnaswirl Delight for the boss!”
“Thanks, Gigi. By the way, Applejack’s covering for me right now and that Twilight mare’s at the bar with her. She's waiting for you.”
“She is?” Giana asked, raising a brow before rolling her eyes, “Pssh! Giana, you daft ninny, of course she is! Logic, silly bird!”
“Since when did logic ever apply to you?” Gabriella asked rhetorically as Mr. Cake came from the kitchen with Giana’s cake box on his back, the pink griffon thanking him as she checked the cake to make sure it was still ok.
“Oh that's good… the frosting is still intact… the decor could use a bit of adjustment but- bahh! I'll fix it on arrival! Nothing else odd by the look of things!” Giana hummed happily as she closed the box again.
“You can thank Applejack for that,” Mr. Cake said, “She managed to catch it as you passed out.”
“Ah the joys of telekinesis! It's like thumbs except with longer reach! I like my thumbs!”
“Gigi…” Gabriella muttered as she walked out the door, catching Giana's attention.
“Oh yes, the bar!” Giana exclaimed, flapping her wings and flying out of Sugarcube corner and banking left.
“You're going the wrong way!” Gabriella called out.
“No I'm not!”
Gabriella stepped outside and stretched her wings, using the bag of the cinnamon bun to hold the pastry to eat on the flight back.
Giana flew over her, headed the opposite way, “We're going the wrong way!”
The two griffons landed in the back of the bar not long after. Giana had a large smile on her face, a contrast to Gabriella’s aloof expression.
“So!” Giana called with a clap of her claws, as Gabriella put hers on the knob of the door, “First impressions? You met her before me– a weird thing to say that one– what's she like?”
“Insecure.” Gabriella said as she opened the door leading to the kitchen, “I've seen that kind of front before on a lot of customers – too confident to ever be real. Though in her defense, she's nice, I’ll give her that. Probably the politest Canterlotter I met, though that's also probably a front.”
“You're very skeptical, y’know that?” Giana smiled, rolling her eyes playfully as she put down the cake box on the kitchen counter and took the cake out.
“Wouldn't have gotten far in this business without it.” Gabriella smiled, “Now I’ll give you girls a bottle of apple schnapps but it'll come from your paycheck.”
She gave Giana a wink before she took her apron off a hook and disappeared through the door that led to the rest of the bar. Peeping through the small window used to serve food through, Giana scanned the bar in search of the witch, finding her at the stool directly in front of the door Gabriella just came out of.
“Brilliant!” Giana mumbled to herself before she ducked and reached inside a cabinet, pulling out her party cannon as well as a few balloons, “Well I’m sure the Cakes wouldn't mind a mini-not-really-entirely-a-party type of celebration.”
After quickly blowing up three balloons in the vague palette of her target and loading the cannon with similar balloons and confetti, she lined the barrel up to the door and readied herself.
“Alright Gigi… Onwards and Upwards!” She yelled, kicking the door open and quickly ducking.
~-~-~-~-~-~-~
“Onwards and Upwards!” was all Twilight heard before the door in front of her was kicked open, a flash of pink disappearing downwards as a the barrel of a cannon stared her down before-
Click, BOOM!
Confetti and balloons blasted Twilight in the face which blew off her hat and messed up her mane in the process.
“Surprise! Hi, I'm Griffimena Pie and I made this cake just for you!” A pink, very excited, griffon said as she placed a very well-made cake in front of Twilight, who was still recovering from the shock she had just experienced.
“I- Whu- Huh?” Twilight stumbled on her words as she looked at the giggling griffon, confused even more as a bottle of apple schnapps was placed in front of her.
“Twilight, This here's Giana, the one I was talkin’ ‘bout earlier,” Applejack quipped in, levitating Twilight's hat off the floor and back on her head, which also snapped Twilight out of her stupor.
“Ohh! I like the hat! Hat's good– I should get a hat. Hat’s are cool!” Giana said excitedly as she jumped over the counter, landing on the stool next to Twilight. “So! You're Twilight Sparkle, eh? Well look at you! You're even more fancy looking this up close… Smells fancy too, my goodness is that mint and primrose?”
“Try not to suffocate the poor mare Gigi,” Applejack said with a smile as she grabbed the bottle of schnapps with her magic and poured Twilight and Giana a shot of the drink.
“I- no! No, everything's fine. I was a bit surprised is all! I'm Twilight Sparkle, it's a pleasure to meet you…” Twilight turnedback to Applejack, “When you told me about Giana I certainly didn't expect somepo- er… somegriffon like her.”
“I get that lot! Pink is a very jarring color for a griffon. But I’ve also been looking for you all day! What do you think!?” Giana gestured to the cake in the shape of a witch's hat, which flattered Twilight greatly.
“It's very lovely! You definitely didn't have to though…” Twilight murmured embarrassedly.
“I’d sooner give up my wings before I stop making cakes for ponies.” Giana’s face hardened with seriousness, making Twilight lean back from the sudden change in attitude before a pair of ice tongs whacked Giana upside the head.
“Ah said no scarin’ the poor mare!” Applejack chastised. Giana just laughed, apologizing quickly before taking her shot of the schnapps and raising it up in a toast.
“To the new arrival in Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle, we welcome you to the town!” Giana yelled out, an uproar followed by applause from the few patrons already at the bar joined her.
Twilight smiled and took her own glass, raising it and toasting Giana. The purple mare downed her glass in one swig, which garnered another round of applause from the crowd.
“Now sadly, I wasn't able to throw you a party– that would have made things much simpler– buuut… The Cake’s didn't forbid me from holding teeeny weensy little celebrations that are totally-not-parties so…” Giana reached under her stool and pulled out an electric guitar, strumming a few chords after. Twilight’s eyes widened, amazed by the sudden appearance of the instrument.
“‘Course, you must be questioning, where did I get the guitar?” She strummed a riff and stood up on her stool, “Answer: I'm Griffimena Giana Pie, just accept it!”
Giana gave Twilight a wink as she flew off her stool, onto the stage to plug her guitar, and started playing, singing a song and riling up the patrons into an excited frenzy as Twilight took a sip from her glass.
“Is she always like that?” Twilight asked, turning to Gabriella and Applejack as they both watched Giana’s impromptu musical number.
“Yeah… That's Giana for sure.” Gabriella muttered, breaking her gaze away from Giana and looking down at her work, “You'll find she throws a party very frequently here, so get used to being invited. Of course you're not obligated to attend, and she won't hold it against you… But, I encourage you to attend at least one of them. You'll come out a changed mare.” Gabriella smiled, a nod from Applejack backing her up her claim.
“One time, when she first moved in, she held a birthday party for my puppy, Winona. Ah thought to m’self, that must’ve been the best darn tootin’ party Ah’ve attended… Then my own birthday came along and blew that last party out the window like it was an apple in applebuckin’ season!” Applejack laughed, pouring Twilight another shot.
Giana finished her song not long after and despite the crowd’s plea for an encore, she had to deny, at least until her actual show a couple hours later.
Over the course of the evening, Twilight had tasted the best cake she’d ever had, found out more about the ponies (and two griffons) of Ponyville that she could ever have gathered on her own and almost hurt herself laughing during Giana’s routine. It was an hour past midnight, and the bar was nearly empty; all that remained were the two barkeeps, Twilight, Giana, and Rarity- who had joined them some time before Giana’s routine started.
Twilight’s face was red from the schnapps, though she was only slightly tipsy and Rarity chimed in the conversations every now and then, either trying to charm Twilight or catch up on gossip with Gabriella.
“You can find Rainbow Dash easily, it's very hard to miss her!” Giana babbled while she thought of other ponies to discuss. “But I think she said something about chasing a rogue storm, so she's not here right now… Oh I'm sure you'll meet each other soon.”
“What about… Fluttershy? What do you know about her?” Twilight asked, piquing even Rarity and Gabriella’s interests.
“Ooh Flutters! She's a joy, that one! Very nice once you get to know her, though a bit of a recluse.”
“Reclusive…” Twilight laughed nervously, “Tell me about it…”
Giana sighed, though her smile didn’t waver, “I heard from Applejack here that you had some trouble with our dear ol’ batty friend! Well lucky for you, Twilight, I happen to know her very well– I mean I know everypony in Ponyville very well but that's besides the point– The point is, I happen to be your best bet on befriending her! So what do you say to me helping you?”
“Gigi has a point,” Applejack chimed in, “She does have a track record of bringin’ ponies together. Hay, she’s the reason I even know anypony ‘sides Rarity.”
Twilight didn't really need to think about it. If her brother was anything to go by, the Knights were tough nuts to crack and having help would certainly smooth things out. She put on her best smile. “How could I refuse! What do you have in mind?”
“Oh I've got plenty!” Giana pulled out a notebook as well as a pencil and started writing, “I’ve memorized the likes and dislikes of everypony in Ponyville– a teensy weensy side-hobby I picked up– and Fluttershy is actually really easy to please! Here's a list, I know you like them!” Giana tore the page out of her notebook and slid it over to Twilight.
“How exactly would you remember all of this? Let alone everypony else’s?” Twilight asked, taking the paper with her magic and inspecting it.
“Near perfect photographic memory!” Giana said smugly, twirling the pencil between her claws, “You’d be surprised how much I know.”
“That makes sense… Yeah… Yeah, I can do these!” Twilight said happily.
“And we’ll be with you every step of the way Sugarcube!” Applejack chimed in. “Whatever you need help with.”
“Alright!” Giana exclaimed, hopping on her stool and raising a fist up in excitement, “Mission: Fluttershy Friendship Flip is a go! Are you excited? Cause I'm really excited!”
“You won't be if this plan fails,” Rarity joked as she joined in and she finished her cucumber juice.
“Don't kill the vibe, Rarity!” Giana scolded, earning a laugh from everyone present.
