private The Malice of the Draconiquis

[Aureity 3,055]

Link to OOC Topic: http://mlpforums.com/topic/35789-my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-the-malice-of-the-draconiquis/

A hundred years ago, on this very day...

 

The loud caw of the rooster startled the morning birds into flight, sending them squawking into the sky in confusion. Blearily, Twilight Sparkle lifted one ear as nature's alarm clock lifted her from her dreams back into reality. 7 AM sharp, just like it had always been for the past hundred years. Almost of its own accord, her horn sparkled to life, and the curtains drew aside, throwing the full light of the brilliant sun into the room, reflecting off of the snow piled against the windowsill, and chasing away the remnants of sleep that still lingered defiantly in her mind.

 

“Heh...” Twilight Sparkle chuckled, enjoying the morning's glory. “I better get going. Don't want to be late.” Her voice was cracked with age, and her hoofsteps clumsy and hobbled. Nonetheless, she managed, with great difficulty, to heave herself off of her soft bed and land on the floor, albeit unsteadily. She shuffled into her slippers, passing rows upon rows of books from a younger era, books on chemistry, history and more that lined up neatly on the shelves dotting her room. She took a curious glance at the nearest one as she hastened to open the sturdy oak door.

 

The Magic of Friendship, read the worn, battered title, long since faded with age, and Twilight Sparkle smiled as nostalgic memories swam through her brain. For a second, she could imagine herself as a young mare, flipping through that exact same book, some seventy-odd years ago. “Thanks...” she murmured affectionately to the well-aged cover. “Thanks for the memories.”

 

Soon, eager fillies and colts would come swarming through the library doors, she knew. Then would come the inevitable playfighting, running and yelling as the young ponies made their mischief. It was certainly against the rules, but Twilight had stopped trying to enforce them long ago. Besides...she had to admit a certain fondness for them. After all they reminded her so much of the innocence of youth. Of her younger self. But of course, she thought, to receive them, she had to tidy up the library. Reluctantly, she tore her gaze from the dusty book and began slowly trotting down the winding staircase.

 

The journey was both an eternity and an instant. As Twilight reached the bottom, exhausted, shaking, and panting for breath, she would nonetheless have gladly given her life savings to replay those very same five minutes. It's funny, she thought, turning her head back towards the staircase behind her. You never really know what you have, until you're about to lose it. Feeling her hooves quiver, Twilight bowed her head, a sudden rush of sadness threatening to overwhelm her right there and then. Just a little more time with my friends...But she knew in her heart that the fateful day they bid farewell would be the last they'd ever see of each other. Rainbow Dash...her entrance into the Wonderbolts. Fluttershy...her animal shelter in Fillydelphia. Rarity's new chain of fashion boutiques in Canterlot. Applejack's move back to Appleloosa to spend time with her family. And silly Pinkie....moved to Las Pegasus to seek the high life. Twilight couldn't blame any of them, even though they were foremost in her thoughts every moment of the day. Equestria had been at peace for almost a hundred years. Ponies lived in harmony, and friendship and good cheer were in high abundance. In a tranquil world like this, she couldn't blame anypony for seeking their dreams. And yet still, a sadness still lingered, deep within her heart.

 

Twilight finally reached the large double-doors that separated the cozy library from the noisy bustle of Ponyville, still lost in contemplation. She saved herself from an embarrassing collision only with years of repetitive habit. Her hooves stopped their advance automatically – exactly two hundred and forty six steps from the stairs to the door, and Twilight was left standing, gazing longingly at the barrier that separated her from the outside world. Sighing, she retraced her steps, noting all of the books careless readers had left all over the floor. There was a lot of cleaning-up to do.

 

An hour later...

 

Exhausted but content, Twilight slid the last volume of Zecora's Decoras into its rightful place in shelf Z. The once-messy floor was now as clean as it had been yesterday morning...would be just as messy again tomorrow. Twilight didn't mind – it had become part of her routine. Smiling, she turned and headed for the librarian's desk nestled into a cozy nook between two of the larger shelves, popping a grape from the fruit bowl into her mouth as she passed. With a relaxed sigh of contentment, she sank into the plain wooden seat, her aching limbs grateful for the rest.

 

But her mood didn't last. Slowly, she became aware of the quietness that drifted through the library as she sat and waited. Not a single soul stirred. In fact, as Twilight craned her neck in the direction of the entrance, puzzled, she could see the doors – still closed, and no sign of movement from anypony outside. I know the doors are unlocked. Did I maybe forget to swap the “Closed” sign for an “Open” one? But a quick glance told her she hadn't. Her confusion finally surpassing her desire for rest, Twilight staggered from her chair and made her way back towards the library's entrance.

 

As she reached the door, it became apparent that there was nopony waiting outside. Nopony shuffling along close by. Almost as if nopony had noticed that the library had even existed. Twilight felt a familiar stir of loneliness, and only halfheartedly attempted to hide it. There was, after all, nopony to notice. Wondering just how pathetic it would be if she began asking others to come in, Twilight hesitantly gave the well-oiled hinges a slight push, the doors giving way easily at her touch. Immediately, snow gusted into the library, leaving Twilight shivering in the winter chill as she surveyed Ponyville apprehensively.

 

“And I am pleased to announce...the start of this year's traditional Winter Wrap Up!!!” a light brown pony was yelling enthusiastically from on top of a stage, as what seemed like the whole of Ponyville gave a rancourous cheer. Twilight immediately closed the door, but not before more snow swept into the room, reducing the frail purple pony to a coughing fit.

 

“Gack! Ugh...” Twilight wheezed painfully, clutching at her throat. Her horn sparkled feebly in its futile attempt to close the open door, a feat any young unicorn could have performed easily. “Ahh....” The door mercifully swung closed with a click, and Twilight staggered back to her desk, still coughing occasionally.

 

You never know what you have until it's gone...The words rang true in Twilight's mind. Time...never have I needed it so much. Twilight had always suspected, despite what the doctors assured, that she had only months, weeks, days left. Their smiles meant nothing to her when she saw the truth in their helpless eyes. And as her body gave yet another violent spasm that brought bile to her mouth, Twilight knew with a dreadful certainty that her time was almost over. But even as she choked back her fears, the library's double doors swung open to admit the first patron of the day.

 

“Twilight.”

 

Twilight nearly choked again, this time in surprise, as the voice, distorted with age and yet so familiar, spoke behind her. Hardly daring to believe, she lifted her head to meet the gaze of the pony looking down at her.

 

“Rainbow Dash.”

 

The frail old mare smiled back at her, her wings long since crippled and her rainbow mane faded gray-white. But the steely purple gaze that Twilight had always cherished so fondly remained unchanged as ever, and were now gazing at her with concern.

 

“An' us too, pardner.”

 

Only Twilight's astonishment at the new voice tore her gaze from Rainbow Dash, as a weathered orange earth pony with a snow-white mane and a battered, moth-eaten farmer's hat came into view from behind a bookcase. “Ah missed ya, pardner,” Applejack murmured fondly. “An' look, ah brought the gang.”

 

And it was true. Rarity, her beautiful and matronly aura positively radiating off of her elegant, pearl-studded dress. Fluttershy, who seemed to have shrunk in size and yet still wore that shy, kind smile. Pinkie Pie...who looked the same as ever. The three of them emerged from behind Applejack, all three with huge grins on their faces.

 

“You came back,” Twilight gasped, awestruck, and hardly daring to breathe. “You-you all came back!” She pinched herself, hard.

 

“We came as soon as we realized, darling,” Rarity spoke gently. “We knew you didn't have much time left, poor dear.”

 

“The Elements connect us all,” Fluttershy murmured contentedly, shifting from one hoof to another. “I...I just got the feeling that you were getting sick.”

 

Tears filled Twilight's eyes as she gazed breathlessly at each pony that she had come to known, to cherish, to love. Each pony was now smiling back at her, bringing up so many conflicting emotions and memories in her mind. “W-why?” she asked, her voice choking with emotion.

 

“Aww, don't cry! We wanted to have one last adventure with you, Twi!” Pinkie said cheerfully, her old age belittling her vitality. “We're gonna treat you! Spike's fully grown now, he's bigger than this library. We're gonna fly on his back around Ponyville, and it's gonna be so much fun!”

 

Twilight was at a loss for words. Every part of her wanted to race for the entrance right now with her friends at her hooves, and for a second she felt the surge of vitality and determination that had propelled her to great heights as a young mare. “Great, I have a lot of catching up to do with all of you,” she said, her voice beginning to sound more and more like the adolescent that she had once been. A faint memory stirred in her mind, and Twilight paused. “But first....I want to write a letter.”

 

Her hooves trembling with emotion, Twilight focused on the last spark of magic in her horn, which suddenly began glowing a steady purple. The quill lifted off of the desk, where t hovered shakily, fueled by determination as much as by magic. Positioning it on the parchment in front of her, Twilight began to write.

 

Dear Princess Celestia,

Thank you for all those years you've given me, all those memories that you've helped to create. Your kind words and guiding hooves were twin beacons of light in the darkness, and you were always the mentor, and the encouragement, that I always needed. Equestria is safe now, your Royal Highness. Because of what you have done. Because of what your sister has done. Because of everypony working together.

 

So thank you, Princess Celestia. You showed me the light. The magical spark to life when I thought there was none. And most importantly of all, you gave me my friends. For that, and for them, I will always be in your debt.

 

And now, I have a request for you, your Royal Highness. Please...for the future generations of ponies out there. Keep Equestria safe. The journey of my friends and I draw to a close. But...somewhere out there, there's going to be six more. Six more ponies to carry the torch in our place. Find them, Princess. Show them the magic of friendship, and maybe, just maybe, you'll help them as much as you've helped me.

 

One last thank you, and good-bye, my dear mentor.

 

Twilight smiled as she read over the letter, and glanced back fondly at the others, who were slowly beginning to shuffle out the entrance. “Come on, Twi!” Rainbow Dash hollered, popping her head back into the library, as Applejack and Pinkie Pie squeezed past her.

 

“Coming!” Twilight laughed. “Just hold on one more second!” Dropping her attention back to the letter, she dipped her quill in ink one last time, and made one final mark at the end:

 

Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.

 

 

~~~

A hundred years later, six different ponies have a tale to write of their own.

[Alex Night 870]

The day today was a beautiful one. The sky was sparse with clouds here and there, the grass was sparkling green from the morning dew, the wind was brisk, but cool all around. Not much had changed over the course of two centuries. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna still ruled over Equestria in Canterlot Castle and living conditions over in Fillydelphia had improved thanks to better production of steel-making in the city. You could say that over the years, Equestria was still pretty much the same as it once was during the time of the former six bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Relations between Canterlot and the Crystal Kingdom had improved thanks to the efforts of Twilight Sparkle and her friends, which in turn had helped bring prosperity between the two kingdoms. So many of Equestria's troubles had been solved thanks to the six ponies of legend and the power of their friendship.

 

Unfortunately, this lone Pegasus Stallion that was traveling along this long winding road did not see it. Alex Night, a light-blue Pegasus pony who looked athletic enough to compete in the Iron Pony competition had traveled a long way from Fillydelphia, Appleloosa, and Manehatten in search of something worth staying around for. What that is, Alex didn't know. All he knew that Fillydelphia and all the other places that he traveled through wasn't it. Along the way, he had helped with odd jobs to help earn the bits he needed to continue his journey. Alex had finished packing his camping gear back into his saddlebag as he continued onto wherever the wind takes him.

 

Ten minutes of walking later, his eyes fell upon a small, innocent-looking village a short distance in front of him. Alex got closer to the outer edge of the town when he saw a red maned brown Pegasus flying by yelling "Hey there! Welcome to Ponyville!" Alex had heard of the name before in his history books back when he was just a colt back at the orphanage. Alex remembered that he was low on food and decided to stay around here for a bit to get restocked before moving on towards the Crystal Kingdom near the Frozen North. Alex took a seat near the fountain and took a look at his surroundings. The town of Ponyville was almost the same as it was mentioned back in the history books. Sugarcube corner still stood as a delicious-looking gingerbread house from across the fountain. Alex looked to his left at a hill across the town and sees where Rarity's Boutique used to stand. Alex couldn't remember who runs it now since Rarity no longer runs it. In front of Alex, there stood a sturdy tower that served as the town meeting area. He could see a congregation of many different ponies gathered around the mayor speaking to the crowd. The mayor of Ponyville was a well aged brown Stallion with slivers of grey in his black mane. His steely yellow eyes moved about the crowd as he spoke to the group of ponies. "In other news, the annual Running of the Leaves marathon is fast approaching, Ponyvillans. Be sure to show up to help shake the leaves off of the trees or to be the first pony to reach the finish line if you are feeling competitive." The mayor said with the confidence of an elected official.

 

Alex looked around the town and could just feel all the history and adventures that the six ponies of Legend had while here in Ponyville. It was hard to believe for Alex that it has been peaceful all over Equestria for about two hundred years. Ponyville looked like the perfect little town to stay and be happy for anypony. Alex thought of this as he turned his attention to his surroundings. "I have to find a place to stay for awhile and earn some more bits to continue my travels." Alex said to himself. Alex knew that first thing is to find something to eat before going in a search for a place to stay. Alex felt hungry for a treat and decided to head for Sugarcube Corner. Alex took one last look at the crowd as the mayor stated a reminder about Nightmare Night coming very soon for Ponyville, which brought the crowd of ponies into a loud applause of hoof-stomping. Alex got up from his seat and began his walk to Sugarcube Corner. "While I'm at it, it couldn't hurt to explore the area here and speak with some of the other ponies around here since I'm going to be here awhile." Alex said to himself. Alex looked up at the sky towards Cloudsdale, the fabled home of the Pegasus Weather Patrol and the Wonderbolts. Alex knew that he couldn't move on from here until he at least got a tour of Cloudsdale. It was one of his dreams back when he was a colt. Alex looked towards the mountains and saw the most beautiful castle hanging on the side of the mountain. It was Canterlot Castle, as he also remembered from his history classes in the orphanage. It was a very regal sight to behold as it stood pearl white with golden tops on each of the spires there. It was where the rich and famous lived and thrived like the royalty that resided there.

 

"Yep, looks like I got a good deal to see around here." Alex thought to himself as he returned his gaze back to his destination, Sugarcube Corner.

Edited October 18, 2012 by Alex_Night

[Electrobolt 2,068]

As the sun had begun to rise, small specks of sunlight began to creep into the windows of this one simple Ponyville house. In one of the rooms, a young, lime-green colt was still fast asleep. It wasn't until the tiny rays of light that managed to invade his bedroom started shining down on him that he began to stir. "Mmmnn, just five more minutes..." muttered the young colt as he tried to go back to sleep. But try as he might, the rays of light would continue to beat down on him, as he finally just decided to wake up. "Alright, sun, alright... I'm up..." groaned the pony, as he slowly got up and out of bed, before stretching his body out.

 

After he made the bed, he began his descent downstairs, towards the kitchen. Upon entering the kitchen, a mare's voice greeted him, "Good morning, Electrobolt. Breakfast is almost done." The colt, who's name was Electrobolt, nodded at this as he said, "Morning mom." Looking over to the table, he noticed a stallion sitting at the table, reading a newspaper. "Morning dad!" called out the young colt, before sitting down at the table, opposite of the stallion.

 

"Hmm? Oh, good morning, son! Finally decided to get up, eh?" responded Electrobolt's father, as he lowered the newspaper before chuckling. Electrobolt chuckled as well, before nodding. Just then, his mother lowered a plate of eggs onto the table in front of the colt, while another plate with the same contents was placed in front of his father. After his mother placed her eggs at an empty spot on the table, she sat down and the whole family began to eat.

 

After they finished breakfast, and Electrobolt did his morning business - which included spiking his mane with mane-styling gel and brushing his teeth - he grabbed his saddlebag filled with bits and such as he started to head out the door. "I'm going out for now. I'll be back before dinner!" he called out, before exiting the house. Once outside, he took a nice, deep breath of the fresh Ponyville air. "Ahhh... No better way to start off your day..." he whispered to himself, before beginning to go about his own business. As he was walking through the small town, a curious sight caught his eye.

 

"Hmm?" muttered the lime-green pony as his hooves stopped moving. Looking over in the direction of Sugarcube Corner, he had noticed somepony he had never seen before: a light-blue pegasus. "Hey... I don't think I've seen him around before..." he mused to himself, as he began to approach said pegasus. *Maybe I should greet him...* Once he was near the pegasus, he smiled as he held out a hoof before saying, "Welcome to Ponyville. The name's Electrobolt, it's nice to meet you!"

[Aureity 3,055]

Ring! The alarm clock buzzed to life, vibrating madly on the dresser as it attempted to wake up anypony in the room with its incessant tone. The discordant ringing continued for a full minute as nopony reached their hoof out to silence the clock, and at the end of the minute, it fell silent once more, satisfied that its job was complete. Surely nopony could sleep through that without waking up. And yet, for all its efforts, it forgot one thing - the house's occupant had left just last night.

 

Aurora Flare woke with a start. Struggling to recover her bearings, she blinked the last ounce of sleep from her eyes as she tried to comprehend the dewy stands of grass pressed against her face. Oh...come on. Did I fall asleep in the front yard again? "Ahaha, I wonder what the neighbors will think," she murmured out loud, casting a worried glance towards her left, and then threw a quicker glance toward her right. Luckily enough for her, there were no ponies casting confused looks at her - everypony else was still asleep.

 

Aurora sat upright on the lush green lawn and frowned at her messy white coat, which was by now ruffled and grass-stained. After a few unsuccessful attempts to smooth out the rough fur, she gave up and wearily trotted up the cobblestone path that led back into her house. Only a hot bath would wash that off. That's the one bad thing about staying up to watch the sunrise. I probably spend more bits more on hot water than I do on food. Nonetheless, she was quite cheerful - there were few things better than soaking away worries in a hot bubble bath.

 

And a half-hour later, Aurora had tidied up, and a fresh batch of cookies was in the oven for the afternoon's bake sale. The bed's made. Lunch is prepared. Great, now time for work. Grabbing a muffin or two on her way back out the door, she made her way along Riverstone Road on her way to Sugarcube Corner. She had done this for almost a year now, and knew the path by heart. The Ponyville Planetarium would be at her right, soon enough. Briefly, she wondered how Skipe would be doing watching over the place in her absence. It had seemed like a good idea to allow him to spend the night there when he had suggested it...but now she was having a horrific (and most likely exaggerated) vision of opening the door for the first time this morning and finding the interior destroyed.

 

She stopped in her tracks, inches from bowling two hapless ponies over, and felt her face flush red with embarrassment. "S-sorry," she stammered, her eyes taking in the two strangers she had nearly run into. One, she recognized, albeit barely - a lime-green colt who she had never spoken to, but had seen at least year's Winter Wrap Up, and a navy-blue stallion who stirred not a single memory in her. Normally, she would have loved to greet the newcomer, but...I really do have to make sure Skipe didn't burn the place down while I was gone. Her face still flushed, Aurora murmured a quick apology to the pair of them and turned, heading towards the planetarium at almost a full-speed sprint.

 

"Hey, Skipe!" she called, skidding to a halt in front of an imposing-looking building that loomed five stories tall. "Open up, I've brought ya a muffin!"

[Opalicious 799]

The loud snoring noise echoed through the whole first and second floors, the sound coming back and ringing loudly. Skipe lay on the ground, bucket and broom next to him, a puddle expanding slowly across the ground, an unfinished cleaning job if it were reviewed by any other ponies. His normal pattern of snoring, blowing and snarfing broke as his eyes jumped open at the sound of his master. Not that he should use that term, she wasn't nearly as oppressive as a master, she was more like a...mentor or guardian. He jumped up, soaked, and made for the door. He slipped on the slippery, wet floor and crashed on the ground. He looked behind him, eyes wide, staring at the continuously growing lake of water.

 

"C-Coming! In a moment," he shouted, eyes still glued as he grabbed the bucket and broom and sprinting to the other end of the room. He threw them in the closet and slammed the door shut. He turned once more and sprinted the full 100 meters or so back the other way. He slipped again in the same spot, and a replica of the slamming sound earlier crashed throughout the whole 5 stories of the planetarium. "E-Everything's alright in here! I'll be there in a moment!"

 

He ran all the way back to the closet, his lungs now heaving and a stomach cramp forming at this side, and grabbed a few small towels. He ran back, for the fourth time now, and wiped up the best he could, but a lot of water was still left. Guess that part will have to wait. Better hurry so she doesn't get suspicious.

 

He ran to the door and flew the towels into the recycling bin. He would pick them up later he thought, and he threw the planetarium's door open and was met by the sight of Aurora Flame holding two muffins. Trying to prevent her from asking about all the noises, he grabbed one of them and shoved it in his mouth. "Mmmmh, mruffrins!" He swallowed and looked at Aurora again. "Are you going to eat that one?"

Edited October 24, 2012 by Colgate Revolution

[Alex Night 870]

As Alex looked upon the delicious gingerbread house, he started to think about a place not too far from here. He started to develop a craving for cherry ice cream at the moment. He kept his mind focused on the ice cream and nothing else. "Nothing else." Alex thought to himself. Alex was about to enter the gingerbread house when he heard a voice call out to him.

 

Once he was near the pegasus, he smiled as he held out a hoof before saying, "Welcome to Ponyville. The name's Electrobolt, it's nice to meet you!"

@@Electrobolt, Alex looked to his left to see a green Earth Pony extending a hoof to greet him. He saw that this pony was a colt no older than himself. He held a bright-green hue in his coat with a blue mane. He saw that his Cutie Mark had a video game controller on his flank, which gave him the impression that he likes playing video games. He seemed fairly young to Alex. Alex extended his own hoof as well to greet this young colt. "Hello, Electrobolt. My name is Alex Night. You happen to-"

 

She stopped in her tracks, inches from bowling two hapless ponies over, and felt her face flush red with embarrassment. "S-sorry," she stammered, her eyes taking in the two strangers she had nearly run into. One, she recognized, albeit barely - a lime-green colt who she had never spoken to, but had seen at least year's Winter Wrap Up, and a navy-blue stallion who stirred not a single memory in her. Normally, she would have loved to greet the newcomer, but...I really do have to make sure Skipe didn't burn the place down while I was gone. Her face still flushed, Aurora murmured a quick apology to the pair of them and turned, heading towards the planetarium at almost a full-speed sprint.

@@Aureity, Alex's sentence was cut off when he noticed that an ivory-white coated unicorn almost went into a head-on collision with him. She looked to be a young mare young mare, more or less around his age. Her coat was an ivory-white with a mane that held the colors of red and orange like a fire licking around her. She had a pair of blue eyes and another obvious feature about her was the horn on her forehead. Alex was taken by surprise at how close she was and now sees her apologizing to him and Electrobolt. "Oh no, It's alright." Alex spoke to her as she walked away. When she was out of his sight, he returned his attention back to Electrobolt. "Sorry, I was distracted. Anyways, it's nice to meet you too. I was just on my way to Sugarcube Corner." Alex says to Electrobolt.

[Electrobolt 2,068]

As Electrobolt shook hooves with Alex, he continued to wear his smile. *Alex Night, huh? Nice name,* thought the young colt, as he noticed that he was about to say something. Just then, this ivory-white unicorn had ran right towards them, and seemed as if she would crash into them. Fortunately, she had stopped, just barely inches away from them. As he looked at the mare, he could vaguely remember her from the past. He couldn't exactly recall where or when he saw her though. But as she had apologized and hurried off elsewhere, he called out, "Um, it's quite alright..." He wasn't sure if she heard his response, but he just turned around to Alex.

 

"Sorry, I was distracted. Anyways, it's nice to meet you too. I was just on my way to Sugarcube Corner." Alex says to Electrobolt.

 

"Oh, it's quite alright, Alex," responded Electrobolt as he nodded. "And you were heading into Sugarcube Corner, huh? They've got some pretty good treats there." He looked over to Sugarcube Corner, as he took a whiff of the sweet treats that were being baked and were already baked. The scent had caused him to silently go 'mmmmm' before returning his attention to the pegasus that he was talking to. "Oh, um... Anyways... I believe you were about to say something earlier...?" he asked, recalling that Alex was about to say something, before the unicorn had arrived. "Uh, maybe we could talk some more inside Sugarcube, rather than just staying out here?"

[Aureity 3,055]

Aurora smiled as the little dragon staggered to a halt, breathing heavily and looking wild-eyed. He grabbed one of the muffins she was holding out in the air and crammed it quickly into his mouth. Within moments, it disappeared down his throat, leaving no trace of it behind, save the crumbs on his hands. Looking shrewdly at the other muffin Aurora still held, he asked, "Are you going to eat that one?" Rolling her eyes good-naturedly, she passed the other muffin to Skipe and took advantage of the distraction to edge her way into the planetarium.

 

The black marble floor looked sqeaky-clean as always, and the two gigantic statues that towered over either side of the staircase leading to the next floor were still intact. Aurora walked the entire length of the hallway, making sure that nothing was amiss. The sculpted faces of the two famous astrologists surveyed her impassively as she quietly trotted up the staircase on her way to the next level.

 

The second floor was just as tidy as the first. Encyclopedias of various stars, books on solar systems, and field reports from observatories ranging from Manehattan to Appleloosa were crammed in the impressive mahogany bookcases that lined the entire length of both walls. The third floor was just as orderly - specimens, antiques and other interesting items sealed away in large glass containers, and put on view for public display. Aurora was smiling by the time she concluded her visit of the fourth floor, a quiet lounge filled with soft chintz sofas that doubled as a cafeteria for hungry patrons. Ahaha, he did do a good job after all, Aurora thought cheerfully as she trotted up the staircase that led her to the fifth floor.

 

Suddenly, her right hoof slipped, and the surprised mare skidded ten meters along the slippery floor, hooves flailing desperately, before she made contact with the lens end of a particularly large telescope. "Owww!" There was a rancourous crashing noise as a thousand bits worth of scientific equipment flattened the unfortunate pony and drove the air from her lungs. Momentarily dazed, she lay there, confused, as she gazed brokenheartedly at the shattered glass lens of the telescope.

 

A droplet of cold water blipped on her face, and Aurora slowly titled her head upwards in confusion, searching every inch of the retractable roof, before she finally lowered her head, and realized that she was lying in a large pool of water, a pool that was still growing, had expanded across the entire hall, and was even now starting to leak down to the floor below. It was a mess. It was a disaster.

 

"...Skipe?" she asked quietly in a fragile tone.

Edited October 25, 2012 by Aureity

[Opalicious 799]

Skipe's ears pricked as he delicately finished the second muffin and wiped the crumbs off his face. He happily went back inside, closing the door behind him. It was still quite early, not near opening time, so the sign that read Closed still hung outside, preventing anypony from coming in. A small voice came far from upstairs, and he knew that his puddle had discovered. Better not let her know it was me, he thought gravely to himself, before making his way up the grand stairs. He surveyed the floors as he went up. He noted that he had done a great job, and he should mention it at sometime, but now was definitely not the time. He turned his head as he ventured up the 4th staircase leading to the last floor, and even though he knew it was there, he slipped, flipped, and fell face down.

 

Birds chirped, metaphorically, as Skipe sat up and shook his head. No wonder she's so strict when it comes to water, he thought to himself, but instead of saying that, he mumbled, "Now where did all this water come from?" He look innocently towards Aurora Flame, and her face displayed true horror. Better clear this up and get over whatever comes next. Maybe it'll be a punishment...right, Skipe, focus, tell the truth. "It was a mistake, I fell asleep and didn't know that the mop was so wet, or there was so much water and how fast it spread, and...please don't punish me," he said in a rush, his thoughts jumbling each other up, even though he tried his hardest to keep his mind clear.

[Ice Storm 1,020]

Dawn. It was the ultimate time of peace in Equestria as Celestia did her morning routine of bringing forth the sun into the morning sky. The yellows, the oranges, and the blues illuminating the sky and getting brighter as Celestia raised it higher and higher. It was the rays of the slightly raised sun that fell onto Ice Storm's face as she slept underneath the oak in the park like she would do on most nights. While she happily owned her store in Ponyville, and had her own living quarters on top, she just simply preferred sleeping outside. The coolness of the overnight hours and the over all beauty of the night sky was something that she just couldn't bring herself to do without.

 

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes she did a few morning stretched to work out the kinks before diving into one of the local clear-water ponds to rinse herself off. One she had done so, she freeze the water in an ice coat around her and let it break off of her as she moved. It left her nearly completely dry. Now, what was I supposed to do today? she thought to herself. She knew that there was something rather important that she was supposed to do, but for the life of her she couldn't remember it. She then saw Aurora Flare rushing to the Observatory.

 

Oh that's right! I was supposed to help her with something! I... don't remember what it was, but I'm sure that she'll remind me when I get there. Whatever it is, though, must be cumbersome if both her and Skipe together can't get it take care of. Oh well! she concluded and bolted towards the Observatory. When she got there though, both the doors were standing wide open. "Looks like Aurora forgot to close the door again. Skipe's going to get pretty annoyed with her one of these days when he has to clean the same floor twice," she joked aloud to herself.

 

Ice began what always seemed to be the endless climb of steps up to the fifth floor of the observatory. Seriously, as big as this place is you would have thought they would have installed an Elevator... At least, you know for those of us who don't have wings, she thought as she made her way up the last flight of steps. As she approached the top floor she spotted Aurora. "Good Morning -as her hoof steps on the patch of water- Auroraaaaaaaahhhh!!!!" she screamed as she slid across the floor as if she had stepped on ice and collided with the other mare and the telescope with a hard -thud- and a loud 'omph' on impact. "Oooouuch.... what did I step on?" she said looking to what she could clearly see now was an enormous puddle of water on the floor. How in Celestia did I miss THAT!? she thought to herself before turning to Aurora. "Are you okay?" she asked politely concerned hoping her... unorthodox entry hadn't harmed her.

[Alex Night 870]

Alex looked back towards the general direction of where the ivory-white mare that almost bowled over him and Electrobolt. Alex wondered about the unicorn and what could have caused her to be in such duress.

 

"Oh, um... Anyways... I believe you were about to say something earlier...?" he asked, recalling that Alex was about to say something, before the unicorn had arrived. "Uh, maybe we could talk some more inside Sugarcube, rather than just staying out here?"

 

Alex snapped out of his thoughts as the young green Earth Pony Electrobolt spoke up about speaking more at Sugarcube Corner. Alex nodded towards Electrobolt before speaking again. "Yes, that sounds like a good idea. Let's go." Alex said cheerfully to the young colt. He headed towards the front door of Sugarcube Corner. Alex took a final look at the general direction of where the ivory-white mare travelled in before turning his attention back to Sugarcube Corner.

 

When Alex opened the door, he was greeted by a most mouthwatering sight. The inside of the shop looked as delicious as the outside. The inside walls were laced with gingerbread walling. On the walls of the shelves, there were various pastries, including pumpkin cake, strawberry shortcake, cherry pie, apple pie, peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips, and all sorts of delectable treats. The shop felt so vibrant to be inside of and his stomach was now rumbling in protest for something to eat. Alex walked up to the counter and pushed down the bell. "Hello! Welcome to Sugarcube Corner!" The voice belonged to a very cheerful peach-coated mare who just stepped out from the kitchen. She had a pair of big, steely violet colored eyes and her mane was a shade of strawberry red, which appeared in short wavy curls. "Oh, I have never seen you here before! Are you a newcomer? What's your name?" The peach pony asked Alex. "Yes, I just got here to Ponyville actually. My name is Alex Night. I wanted to get something sweet." Alex said to the mare. "Well, alright Alex. My name is Lavender Keys. We here at Sugarcube Corner always give a special discount of any sweet they choose for just ONE bit to all new ponies here in Ponyville. So, what can I get you?" Lavender said with a cheerful smile that just seems to brighten up the room. "One bit?! That's a really nice deal right now." Alex thought to himself. Alex looked around for a few seconds before returning his gaze to Lavender. "I would like a half of that Apple Pie you have there, please." Alex said while pointing to the Apple Pie sitting in the display case underneath the counter. Lavender looked down at the object Alex was pointing and gave a wink. "You got it! One half of an Apple Pie, coming right up!" Lavender said with the same unwavering cheerful voice. She grabbed a small fork along with a half of the pie and placed it on the counter in front of Alex. Alex reached into his satchel and pulled out a bit to pay for the pie. "Okay, one bit. Thank you very much for visiting Sugarcube Corner. Oh, and welcome to Ponyville, Alex!" Lavender said to Alex in the same cheerful voice. Alex grabbed the pie and the fork before proceeding to where Electrobolt was. "So, what is it you want to know, Bolt?" Alex asked the young green colt.

[Electrobolt 2,068]

Electrobolt nodded as Alex agreed to going into Sugarcube Corner, as he noticed the pegasus looking off in the direction that the ivory-white unicorn ran off to. The lime-green colt also looked over in that direction, curious as to what she was in such a great hurry for. Shaking his head, he returned his attention to Alex, about to say, "So, shall we---" Just then, he noticed Alex wasn't next to him, but instead entering the door. "Heh... Gotta pay more attention, I guess..." He then trotted over to the door and walked in, seeing Alex looking over the selection of sweets before going over to one of the tables in Sugarcube.

 

As he waited for Alex to sit down at the table, he glanced around at the interior. Even though he had been here several times before as a regular, he always liked how the place looked on the inside. Closing his eyes, he began to sniff once more as the plethora of sweets already baked were fresh and smelled amazing. Even though he didn't have breakfast not all that long ago, his stomach let out a small growl. *Heh... It seems like this place always manages to make my stomach growl for these tasty sweets...* thought Electrobolt, as he let out a small chuckle.

 

Looking back over towards the counter, he then saw Alex approaching the table he was sitting at, along with half of an apple pie. Just then, he felt as if his mouth could water at any moment. Apple pie was one of his favorite desserts that he had before. Shaking his head, he thought, *No, Electro... That's Alex's pie, not yours... You can buy your own.* After seeing Alex sitting down on the other side of the table and hearing his question, he shoved the thoughts of apple pie to the back of his mind.

 

"Bolt...? That's the first anypony ever called me that, before," chuckled the green colt at this new nickname. "Normally, they'd call me Electro, or just by my name, so this is a first." He then cleared his throat, getting back to the question at hand. "Um, sorry about that, anyways... It sounded like you were about to ask me a question earlier, after I greeted you...?" He was curious about what Alex was going to say, before the ivory-white unicorn had almost toppled them over.

[Dave247 568]

Daylight sat at his desk in Manehatten drinking his coffee, thinking about the time he used to live in Ponyville. Life had been simple and peaceful, yet boring at times which is what caused him to move. There wasn't enough for him to do a detective around there and here he usually got a case around once a week. He had not visited there since leaving those many years ago due to being so busy with work here, and the hustle and bustle of the big city was getting tiring for him...

 

He levitated his paper that was sitting on his desk and turned to the section that had stories about other towns. The part for Ponyville was always small as nothing much happened there compared to other towns but he always read every word of it.

 

He took a sip of his coffee as he started to read. It seemed that things were going well, all the stories reported of positive things happening to the town, as well as upcoming events. The mention of The Running of the Leaves and Nightmare Night coming up caught his eye. He remembered when he used to dress up, all he had were his detective clothes which were his hat, shirt and cloak which wasn't scary but he never really wanted to be scary anyway.

 

Also the Running of the Leaves, he would enter each year to keep his fitness up but would always place above 50th as he wasn't really a runner. Day sighed. He never realized until now how much he missed Ponyville. He looked gloomily at his coffee when an idea hit him. Why not go visit Ponyville?

 

The thought of this cheered him up immensely, so he decided that now would be the best time to go. He didn't have any current cases at the moment and and he some bits saved up from previous cases so he had no reason to stop him. He immediately started packing some things in his Saddlebag to take as he planned on staying at least a few days there. A holiday... that's what he would call it. It was about time he took one anyway.

 

There wasn't that much to pack. He didn't worry about his uniform as he wanted to stay informal but he did take a few detective things such as his notepad and pencil as that's somewhere he never went without if he couldn't help it, as well as some but not of the bits he had saved up as he didn't want to end up wasting it all and have nothing left when he came back. He didn't want to take anything else as this was supposed to be a holiday after all and he didn't want to end up getting dragged into a case if he couldn't help it. He then closed his Saddlebag and levitated onto his back and with one final look around his office, walked out the door locking it behind him and preceded directly to the train station to catch the next train to Ponyville.

 

---

 

During the train ride, he couldn't help but to get excited. He was finally visiting his home town after being away for so long. Looking back at things, he couldn't believe it took this long to finally do it.

 

As he stepped off the train, he took a deep breath and exhaled. He had forgotten how clear the air was here compared to Manehatten. That was one thing that bugged him when he first arrived there but he got used to it just like everypony else did. Walking into town, it was the same, simple and quiet town he remembered. There were ponies walking around chatting, playing or just relaxing somewhere but it was no where near as busy as Manehatten was. A few ponies that remembered him greeted him in the same cheerful way that he remembered. He talked with them a little telling them of how he was doing in Manehatten before moving on. It seemed like nothing had changed.

 

As he neared Sugercube corner, the sight of the unmistakeable building looked just like how he remembered it. He stopped for a moment to marvel at the wonderous architecture. He had alwyas been fascinated by this building and today was no differant even after all those years. Memories of the delicious tasting food filled his mind to the point that he could almost smell it, until he realized that he actuality was.

 

There was a slight breeze which was carrying the smell of the treats from the shop to where he was standing. It had been too long since he had apple pie from Sugercube as the ones from Manehatten just didn't taste as good to him. With that, he decided that he would first visit Sugercube, and trotted up to the door and stepped inside.

 

The interior, although somewhat different to how he remembered it still gave off the same feel he would always get from walking in here. Looking around, he saw two ponies sitting at a table discussing something. As he was used to doing. he started to evesdrop to what they were saying but stopped suddenly when he remembered that he was on a holiday and what they were talking about would be none of his business.

 

He then looked over to the counter and spotted a peach mare standing there who he could see had also just noticed him. "More ponies!" She said in excitment. "Welcome to Sugercube Corner! I haven't seen you around before either! Are you another newcomer?" She said in the same cheery voice.

"Kind of." Day replied, smiling. "I'm a former resident who moved a number of years ago. I'm currently visiting on a holiday."

"Why on earth did you leave? What was wrong with Ponyville?" She asked, shocked at what he had said. "I'm sorry." She then added quickly. "I shouldn't pry into my customers lives."

"No, that's quite alright. There was nothing wrong with Ponyville, but there wasen't much for me here with the line of work I chose to peruse." Day said politely and honestly back.

"And what work was that?" the mare asked now very curious.

Day hesitated before replying. He didn't want to get tied up in any cases when ponies found out that he was a detective as he was on holiday, but he couldn't lie to her...

"I'm a detective." He said slowly. "But I'm currently on Holiday so I'm not taking any cases right now."

"A detective you say? That sounds exciting! I've never met a detective before!" She said bubbling with excitement. "And don't worry, I won't ask you to do anything for me. Except for one thing though, you still haven't told me your name yet!

 

"Oh, I do apologize." Day said smiling again. "My name is Daylight. I should add that you haven't mentioned your name either."

"How silly of me. My name is Lavender Keys" She said smiling back. "Now, is there anything I can get for you?"

"Umm... yes. Do you still make those lovely apple pie? I used to really like those." Day answered.

"Of course! Lavender said. Your lucky because I only have half left!

"That's more then enough." Day said. "Their still made from the apples by the nearby farm right?"

"Yep! I only use the freshest ingredients in my food. Here you go." She said taking the other half of the pie from the shelf and placing it on the counter.

"Thank you" Day said, as he levitated some bits out of his saddle bag to pay for them by using his magic. He then used his magic again to carry the pie to a table and sat nearby the other two ponies.

 

After he had eaten about half of the pie, he looked at the other half. He didn't really feel like he could eat any more, and he also didn't think it would keep well in his saddlebag. As he looked around he was sure that the Green Pony sitting nearby was eying it hungrily...

@@Electrobolt

"Umm... Excuse me." Day said to the Green Pony tapping him on the shoulder. "I don't really feeling like eating this and it will spoil if I take it with me so, do you want it?" Day asked him, smiling while levitating it nearby.

[Aureity 3,055]

Aurora sighed inwardly as the little dragon began bounding up the stairs, throwing out an excuse as to why the huge puddle had appeared and was even now spreading over the the entire floor. "Just watch out for the-" she said weakly as Skipe rushed hurriedly into the room, and slipped dramatically on the pool of water, falling flat on his face. Despite the situation, Aurora clapped her hoof to her forehead in a classic facehoofing gesture, and shook her head. Really? Ya even knew it was there.

 

She cast a worried glance at the shattered pieces of the telescope. Her bruises would heal, but surely the telescope was irreplaceable. It's not even mine, she groaned. I'll have a hay of a time explaining to the owners how it ended up in a hundred pieces all over the planetarium floor. Carefully, she picked up one of the broken lenses, and as she examined the fractures, a bit of hope returned to her. A bit of magic might be able to fix this.

 

"Good morning Auroraaaaaaaahhhh!!!!"-" came the yell from the door, and Aurora turned her head, startled, just in time to see a helpless Ice Storm skidding across the wet floor towards her. Aurora's eyes widened in surprise, but there was no time to react - both ponies collided and were thrown rather unceremoniously, in a jumble of hooves, right back on top of the broken telescope.

 

"...."

 

Aurora winced, and gingerly extracted herself from the mess, uncomfortably aware of tiny fragments of the now irreparably shattered telescope digging into her backside. Staggering to her hooves, she cleared her head before helping Ice Storm off the ground. There was an uncomfortable silence as Aurora glanced at the confused-looking Skipe, the embarrassed Ice Storm, and the remains of the telescope, each in turn, her expression inscrutable. Finally, she shook her head and giggled. "Today just isn't my day."

[Ice Storm 1,020]

Ice was still shaking out the stars from her, not-so-gentle collision with Aurora. Everything happened so fast that she couldn't react to anything. She turned to Aurora whom helped her up before brushing the glass out of her coat. Unfortunately some were rather large and left a few streaks of red in her coat as they managed to break flesh. At first she was puzzled as to what the glass could have come from until she turned around and saw the telescope. "Oh my gosh, Aurora I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to break it honest! I just didn't see the water on the floor and I couldn't stop myself," she said noticing that Aurora also had a few cuts from the glass.

 

She looked around the room for the first aid kit so they could at least disinfect the wounds. Sure the Observatory wasn't a technical Laboratory to say, but ever place had one somewhere. You just had to know where to look. "Speaking of which, how did all of that water get in here to begin with? It wasn't supposed to rain last night as far as I remember, and considering I slept outside last night I'd know if it had... That being said, I have no idea what could have put that much water on the floor..." she stated as she noticed Skipe had also fallen in the water. She heard Aurora say that today just wasn't her day.

 

"Well, normally in this situation, I'd say that your day just got a hundred and ten percent better because I'm here... Though today, after breaking the telescope... I'm a hundred and ten percent the reason that it's become a bad day..." she said gloomily still certain that she was the one that had broken the telescope. Of all the things that she had to run into and break in the room, why did it have to be the most expensive thing in the room!? Not to mention a Telescope. Luna would be highly unsatisfied with this development. Oh gosh, what would happen if Luna found out about this? "THOU DAREST HATH BROKEN THINE OBSERVATORY'S TELESCOPE!!! HOW DARE THE PREVENT PONIES FROM TAKING A LOOK AT THINE STARS TO BE LEFT AND AWE AND WONDER OF THOU BEAUTY!! TO THINE MOON WITH THEE." Ice shook her head of the ridiculous thought. She knew that Luna was far more level headed than that. She would be upset, but it wasn't anything she'd get banished over... hopefully...

[Alex Night 870]

As Alex took a seat and listened to Electrobolt talk a bit about himself, he realized that he was the only one to ever call him 'Bolt'. After seeing get back on track, he asked Alex about what he was going to say before the unicorn from earlier almost collided with them. Alex just remembered that he was going to say something, but he forgot what it was. "Oh. Yeah, about that..." Alex said to the young colt while taking a few bites from his pie. He swallowed and tried to remember what it was he was going to say to him.

 

"Umm... Excuse me." Day said to the Green Pony tapping him on the shoulder. "I don't really feeling like eating this and it will spoil if I take it with me so, do you want it?" Day asked him, smiling while levitating it nearby.

Alex lost his train of thought again as he sees another pony walk up to their table. This pony was a golden-rod color coated unicorn with a blonde mane. On his flank, he had a Cutie Mark that looked like a ball of light which Alex had guessed that meant he might be gifted in using light magic. He came by offering his half of a half of an Apple Pie to Electrobolt. "I'm guessing that you don't really live around here, huh?" Alex said to the unicorn in a slightly cheerful tone. He motioned to the unicorn. "Why don't you take a load off? Name's Alex, by the way." Alex said to the unicorn while motioning to a seat at the table

 

Alex turned his attention back to Electrobolt. "Anyways, yes. I was actually about to ask if there was any places that were looking for help here in Ponyville? I'm trying to get a few more bits in my sack before I can move on from here and continue travelling." Alex explained to the green colt while taking a few more bites from his Apple Pie.

[Electrobolt 2,068]

As Alex took a seat and listened to Electrobolt talk a bit about himself, he realized that he was the only one to ever call him 'Bolt'. After seeing get back on track, he asked Alex about what he was going to say before the unicorn from earlier almost collided with them. Alex just remembered that he was going to say something, but he forgot what it was. "Oh. Yeah, about that..." Alex said to the young colt while taking a few bites from his pie. He swallowed and tried to remember what it was he was going to say to him.

 

"Umm... Excuse me." Day said to the Green Pony tapping him on the shoulder. "I don't really feeling like eating this and it will spoil if I take it with me so, do you want it?" Day asked him, smiling while levitating it nearby.

 

As Alex was starting to think of what he was trying to say earlier, he then felt something tap his shoulder and speak to him. Curious, he turned his head around to be greeted by another pony whom he hadn't seen before: a goldenrod unicorn, and he saw a levitating plate which was holding, of course, some apple pie. *Apple pies... Why are you taunting me...?* groaned the young pony in his mind, before hearing the unicorn continue. "Oh, um... No, it's alri---" Just then, however, his stomach growled, betraying what he was going to say.

 

Completely embarrassed with himself, he looked away, turning his face away from both Alex and the unicorn, as his face turned red from embarrassment. It was then that Alex had begun to speak to the unicorn, as he then suggested that he sit at the table with them. Trying to possibly recompose himself, he looked back to the unicorn and nodded, adding, "Um, yeah, why don't you join us here...?" Remembering that he hadn't completely answered his question, he then corrected himself from earlier, "Oh, um... Thank you for the offer... Oh yeah, I'm Electrobolt."

 

Alex turned his attention back to Electrobolt. "Anyways, yes. I was actually about to ask if there was any places that were looking for help here in Ponyville? I'm trying to get a few more bits in my sack before I can move on from here and continue travelling." Alex explained to the green colt while taking a few more bites from his Apple Pie.

 

It was just then that Alex began to speak up, having remembered what it was that he was about to ask earlier. *So he's a traveler, huh...? Wonder what he's looking for...* Clearing his throat, he then responded, "Hmm... Looking for a way to get some bits, huh?" Putting a hoof to his chin, he began to think of what places are looking for any help right now. It was then that he recalled there was a bulletin board around Town Hall that would sometimes have important announcements for the town, while also having some requests for help stuck to the board.

 

"Ah, yeah, that's right," the young colt responded, looking back to Alex. "There's a bulletin board around Town Hall, and sometimes, there are requests for help. I'm pretty sure there should be something there that you could do." Clearing his throat, he then thought back to Alex being a traveler. "So anyways, you said you've been traveling? You mind telling me where you've been so far, and why you're traveling?"

[Dave247 568]

"I'm guessing that you don't really live around here, huh?" Alex said to the unicorn in a slightly cheerful tone. He motioned to the unicorn. "Why don't you take a load off? Name's Alex, by the way." Alex said to the unicorn while motioning to a seat at the table

"Why thank you!" Day replied smiling. Whoever this pony was he sure was firendly, just like all the other ponies in Ponyville. As he got up and moved tables carrying the apple pie, he thought about how the ponies in Manehatten were often busy and uncaring of each other. This was something he missed gtom his time living here.

As he sat down at their table the pony he had offered the pie to responded.

"Oh, um... No, it's alri---" Just then, however, his stomach growled, betraying what he was going to say.

Remembering that he hadn't completely answered his question, he then corrected himself from earlier, "Oh, um... Thank you for the offer... Oh yeah, I'm Electrobolt."

"It's perfectly OK Electrobolt. I insist that you have it. It seems that your stomach agrees with me." He said pushing the pie over to him smiling again "Like I said I don't feel like eating anymore and I wouldn't want it to go to waste. I'd much prefer a coffee anyway." Day then got back up and walked over to the counter again where Lavender was still standing tiding things up.
"Oh, is there anything else I can get for you?" She asked in her same cheery voice when she spotted him.
"Yes, could I please get a coffee? White, extra sugar." Day asked politely.
"Of course! Our coffee is the best there is in Equastria as we use our own unique blend you'll find nowhere else! it's simply divine." She replied excitability before turning around to prepare his cup.
"Hmm... I always like trying different coffee blends. The one's from Manehatten are only sub-par to my liking." He thought.
"Here you go!" Lavender said, placing a cup on the counter. The milk had been poured in a way to make the shape of a candy wrapper which he found quite amusing at it fit the shop too well.
"Thank you kindly" Day replied, then payed for the coffee and went to sit back down at the table carrying it with him.

When he had sat back down at the table of the two other colts he took a sip of his coffee. "Mmm... it really is a exquisite blend." he thought. "It's the perfect mix of bitterness and sweetness that I haven't tasted since..." he stopped himself there as he didn't want to think anymore about that. The memories of it were just too painful for him. He just continued to drink his coffee while focusing on listening to the conversation of the other two colts. Edited December 4, 2012 by Dave247

[Aureity 3,055]

"It's alright," Aurora reassured Ice Storm, dampened by her gloomy mood. "This would be a pretty lame observatory if there was only one telescope. Long as ya don't break the Sky Explorer mounted on the roof, everything's okay." She mentally ran through a list of items in her head. "There's another one somewhere on the second floor - I'll find that and bring it up here." Her gaze fell on Skipe, who was still looking rather guilty, and she changed her mind. "Actually, Skipe, could you get that for me? Everything's fine, I promise. I'm not mad," she promised the tiny dragon. "I'll clean up the mess here and nopony will know it even happened." Well..until Her Highness Luna's secretary comes to inspect the place, anyway. Maybe I'll tell her a meteor fell into the room and crushed it to smithereens...

 

She contemplated how plausible this explanation would be as she trotted to the closet (the door, she noticed, was ajar) and grabbed the nearest broom. "Anyway, Ice Storm," she added as she came rushing back hurriedly, "There's nothing here, really. All the rock samples, pictures, and reports are on the second and third floor. If that's what ya came for, I can show you ar - wahhh!"

 

For the second time that day, her hoof slipped on the wet floor, and she skidded a meter or so before falling face-flat. Groaning, she lifted her head. "Ya know what, never mind the telescope. I'm getting the spill cleaned up first."

[Ice Storm 1,020]

Ice felt a bit better after Aurora had helped her up, but there still in lied the issue of the fact that she had broken the telescope. When she heard Aurora mention though that there was an extra one on the second floor somewhere, it gave her a bit of hope that she hadn't completely messed things up. She added as well that as long as she didn't break the Sky Explorer, then everything should be fine. this relieved her even more. One thing was for sure, she had no intentions of breaking anything else today. She told Skipe to go and get the other telescope while she cleaned up the mess and further told ice that the rock samples everything else were on the second floor if that's what she had come there for. She started to turn around and she presumes show her where everything she mentioned was but slipped on the puddle again.

 

"Actually, I came here because I remember you asking for help last night for something but I don't remember what. Honestly, I almost forgot about it had I not waken up when I had and saw you bolting here. I... really need to stop staying up so late and watching Luna's stars. then I can actually get up like I'm supposed to in the mornings," she said with a smile. "As for the mess, I think I can help with that," she said lighting up her horn to lift the water off of the floor and then freeze it. "Do you have a bucket or something that I can put this in?" she asked glancing around. "Oh, and I promise I'll replace that Telescope eventually. After all, I can't imagine how disappointed would be in me if she realized I had broken a telescope, nooor do I really wanna find out," she spoke elongating the last part.

[Flow 1,619]

It was another bright morning in Ponyville, and by the hills was a green unicorn with a vibrant purple and pink mane and matching tail named Fermata Spark. She seemed to be enjoying her self as she inhaled the fresh air, "Ahhh....Thank Celestia for another bright day, I'm grateful for what she had done, and I'm grateful for the ponies in this town, for they accepted me as a new friend, I'm really happy." She spoke to herself before caressing the grass, "I love this town and the ponies, just seeing everyponie's happy faces make me smile, thank you."

 

Next, she stands up and extends her hoof, with her horn glowing a pink light, this gesture usually means that she would start singing, and so she starts off:

 

" ♪There is a little place that I love. There is a little little place where the ponies are so kind, I never thought I would find it but I did. That place is Ponyville♪ "

 

Fermata then catches her breath and talks to herself again, "Ahh....nothing like a nice jingle to brighten up my day, okay, time for a nice muffin, and what better place to have one than Ponyville's famous Sugarcube Corner!"

 

When she arrived there, she saw three other ponies around, "Ah! Some ponies I haven't seen before, hmm should I greet them? That would be rude though, hmm... I shouldn't then." She continued on to the counter, where she is greeted by a peach pony "Oh! Good morning! You must be Fermata....Fermata Spark is it? My name is Lavender Keys by the way." She said, then Fermata responds "You got it Lavender, um...I'd like a muffin please." "Certainly, our special flavor today is blueberry, would you like one?" "Okay sure, thanks!" Afterwards Lavender inserts a blueberry muffin into a bag and gives it to her, "Here you go! That'll be three bits!" "Three bits...here you go," "Thank you! Have a nice day!"

 

Next, Fermata sits on an empty table and not long after that she digs into her treat "Mmm! This is so good!"

Edited November 24, 2012 by Narutardedscum!!

[Alex Night 870]

As Alex finished up on his Apple Pie, he heard on what Electrobolt was saying about a bulletin board. That sounded like a great idea to Alex since he could very well be able to take on odd jobs while keeping things strictly at business length. After all, he didn't want to get attached to this place too much. "A bulletin board, huh? That will help immensely. Thanks for telling me, Bolt." Alex said to the young green coated colt.

 

"So anyways, you said you've been traveling? You mind telling me where you've been so far, and why you're traveling?"

When Alex heard the question, he worked quick to avoid the question by acting like he didn't hear it and deflect the question. He didn't want to appear rude by telling him no. "Oh, man. That Apple Pie sure is delicious. Anyways, I gotta get going and find that bulletin board." Alex said to Electrobolt.

 

"Oh! Good morning! You must be Fermata....Fermata Spark is it? My name is Lavender Keys by the way." She said, then Fermata responds "You got it Lavender, um...I'd like a muffin please.""Certainly, our special flavor today is blueberry, would you like one?" "Okay sure, thanks!" Afterwards Lavender inserts a blueberry muffin into a bag and gives it to her, "Here you go! That's be three bits!" "Three bits...here you go," "Thank you! Have a nice day!"

 

Next, Fermata sits on an empty table and not long after that she digs into her treat "Mmm! This is so good!"

Alex looked over at the counter to see another unicorn joining the shop. He could see that the mare had a light-green coat with a pink and purple mane with matching tail. She also had auburn eyes and her Cutie Mark beared the image of a music note, but he noticed that there was a spark by the tail-end of the note. This made Alex curious about what the spark meant. Alex cleaned up his plate and left two bits for a tip. Alex got up from his table and started to make his way out of Sugarcube. When he got close to the table where the new unicorn sat, Alex gave a small wave to her. "Good morning, Miss." Alex said cheerfully to the unicorn. He looked back at Electrobolt and the golden-rod coated unicorn who Alex didn't get his name. "Although, you both are more than welcome to tag along if you'd like." Alex said to the two ponies with a slightly embarrassed smile as he stopped by the door.

[Electrobolt 2,068]

After the goldenrod unicorn had left the remaining slices of apple pie before leaving for another table, Electrobolt just looked at the pie. He had not expected any of this to happen, yet here he was with the remaining pie slices that the unicorn did not want. *That was nice of him...* thought the young colt. *That unicorn... What was his name, though...? He didn't say his name... He certainly seems like a nice pony...* He was then snapped out of his thoughts as his stomach let out a grumble, in protest of not being fed as he just stared at the pie. Blushing out of embarrassment, he then slowly started on the pie.

 

When Alex heard the question, he worked quick to avoid the question by acting like he didn't hear it and deflect the question. He didn't want to appear rude by telling him no. "Oh, man. That Apple Pie sure is delicious. Anyways, I gotta get going and find that bulletin board." Alex said to Electrobolt.

 

Even though he had originally asked the question, the lime-green colt was lost in the taste of the apple pie as he ate it up. When Alex commented on the pie, he only nodded and mmm'd, as he continued to eat. When his mouth was cleared out, he said, "Alright, I'll see you later, then?" But it was too late, as he got up already. Figuring that he already went to check the bulletin board, he resumed with eating the apple pie. Once he was done, he let out a content sigh, rubbing his belly. "They always have the best apple pies here..." he muttered, feeling pretty full now.

 

As he looked around, he noticed Alex, who was still here, the goldenrod unicorn, and a new pony, whom he saw on occasion, while not really having the opportunity to talk with her. This unicorn's coat looked mint-green, while she had a pink-and-purple mane. Her eyes were auburn-colored, and looked rather pretty. He couldn't see what her cutie mark was, and hadn't gotten the chance to do so from his previous glimpses at the mare. It was then that Electro had heard Alex calling out to both him and the goldenrod unicorn. Smiling slightly as he looked back to the mare, he thought, *Maybe we'll meet each other proper in the near future...* before getting up and approaching Alex. "That sounds good to me, Alex."

[Flow 1,619]

@,

 

As Fermata eats her muffin, she thought about visiting Whitetail Woods because she thought that it's a nice place to sing alone in, also because of the scenery. "Ah! Whitetail Woods would be a great place to visit, the place just looks so serene, I must make a visit to the place!" just then, a blue pegasus greeted her "Good morning, miss." he was one of those three ponies she first saw upon entering the place "Oh! a very good morning to you too!, say I haven't seen you before, kinda odd because I know almost everypony in town, Err, my name's Fermata Spark by the way. Um...Maybe we can be friends? I love meeting new faces." Fermata smiled.

 

@@Electrobolt, @@Dave247,

 

Afterwards, she sees a lime green earth pony so she introduces herself, "Oh, never seen you before, my name's Fermata Spark, pleased to meet you!" Then a golden unicorn appears in her sights before introducing herself to both "Oh, I haven't seen you before either, I'm Fermata Spark by the way, and umm......Oh yeah, I love to sing hence my cutie mark" She shows her cutie mark, which is a music note with a spark, "I hope we can be good friends together." She grinned.

Edited November 27, 2012 by Narutardedscum!!

[Dave247 568]

He was glad to see Electro was enjoying his pie. He had eaten enough and didn't want to see it going to waste. He smiled. Even though he had not met these two ponies before it felt like they were more then just strangers to him. Alex them finished his pie and him and Electro got up to leave and waited for Day to join them. He then got up himself and walked over to where the two were standing. "I would be happy to join you Alex. Oh by the way, I didn't introduce myself. My name is Daylight." he said to the both of them smiling. He then heard a new voice speak to him. It was another pony who must of entered Sugercube after him.

 

"Oh, I haven't seen you before either, I'm Fermata Spark by the way, and umm......Oh yeah, I love to sing hence my cutie mark." She showed her cutie mark, which was a music note with a spark. "I hope we can be good friends together." She grinned.

Day then walked over to where she was sitting and began to talk with her. "Hello Fermata. My name is Daylight and I'm a detective. I don't think I've met a pony who's special talent was singing before. He said smiling. There was something about her that gave him the same feeling he got with Alex and Electrobolt.

"Do you want to come with us? That way we can get to know each other better. That is... if it's OK with you though Alex." He said turning to look at him.