1: Genesis (Part One)
For once, it was a calm day in Ponyville. Birds chirped and tweeted in the trees while bees lazily droned amongst the flowers below. The teams of weather ponies were doing their job admirably clearing the sky for what was scheduled to be a gloriously hot and sunny summer afternoon. There were no rampaging monsters, no returning ancient evils, and no invasions threatening the power of the Royal Alicorn princesses.
The market square was bustling with activity. Ponies from all walks of life were going about their business. The denizens doing their best to haggle the shop keepers for the best deals. The shop keepers doing their best not to lose their shirts off their backs, metaphorically speaking. Everything from the latest fashions to the freshest produce exchanged hooves. Bits, the official currency of Equestria, could buy you anything you'd need. Bits were influence. Bits were power. With enough bits one could buy the world, then pay someone else to run it for you while you retired to a tropical paradise.
Off to the side of the frantically busy market, under the shade of the Proud Oak Memorial tree, was a bench. Sturdy cast iron legs, once painted a rich black, now flecked with rust. Its White Pine runners, loveingly crafted by Miss White Pine herself, were once stained and polished, now weather beaten and distressed. It was a sorry site. The same could be said for the three fillies who sat upon it.
The white one, Sweetie Belle, sat in the middle. Her chin resting on her fore-hooves, hind legs and tail dangled and swayed off the front of the bench. Her half-lidded eyes watched tiny ants march between the cracks of cobblestone street in search of food. She wanted to yawn, to sigh, or just to blow away the stray purple hairs dangling in front of her eyes, but that would mean having to lift her head to move her jaw and that wasn't going to happen. To her left, closest to the Memorial tree, sat Applebloom.
The youngest of the trio, Applebloom, sagged against the peeling and rusted rail of the bench. Her head propped up with her right fore-hoof which was scrunching her cheek, while her left idly picked away at more of the chipping paint on the iron bench rails. Even the bright pink bow in her red mane seemed to be out of energy.
"I'm all out of ideas," Applebloom said to nopony in particular. "If ya'll have anythin', I'm all ears. Else I think I'll just head back home and do the worksheets Miss Cheerlee assigned us."
On the opposite side of the bench sat a defiant Scootaloo. The oldest of the three fillies, in her boredom, managed to prop herself upside down. Her hind-hooves hooked over the back of the bench, tail dangling between her legs and over her belly. Her torso and head curved at an almost painful angle to meet Sweetie Belle's left hind-leg. Her front left fore-leg crooked behind her, trying desperately to support her body weight and relieve the pressure her odd position was creating for her wings. Scootaloo's other fore-hoof hung casually off the bench and was tracing small circles in an even smaller tuft of dirt.
"There must be something we haven't tried yet." She listed her head to the right to get a better view of Sweetie Belle's face. "Say something, otherwise I might actually have to do," Scootaloo would have shuttered if her posture haven't prevented from doing so "... homework."
Sweetie Belle blinked, lifted her face from her hooves, grunted in an unladylike manner and slumped against the back of the bench. "What I wouldn't give for a slice of Apple Rhubarb pie," she sighed.
"If ya'll want apples, we could go visit Applejack's stand. Ain't have none of that rhubarb, but she's sure to got pie." Applebloom offered.
"What about Sugarcube Corner?" Scootaloo suggested. "It's after the lunch rush, but they might have something left."
It was on all of their minds but Sweetie Belle asked first. "Any of you have bits?"
The only reply was the continued idle scraping of Applebloom's hoof against the bench rail.
Scootaloo unhooked her hind-hooves from the bench, grunted and pushed herself off with her wings. Using her previously dangling hoof as a pivot point, and a little effort, she did a tight back-flip and landed on all fours. If anypony had been watching it would have earned her applause, but her only audience was still occupied thinking about pie. "Well, we could always smile nicely and bat our eyelashes at Pinkie Pie. Maybe mooch some freebies."
In some sort of unspoken agreement, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle slid off the bench and onto their hooves. Scootaloo face broke into a grin. "Great! Lets get over there and score some snacks!"
The other two didn't return the gesture but plodded past and started off to the confection store that closely resembled a gingerbread house.
No giant three-headed beasts from Tartarus showed up. No swarm of town-consuming bugs or pony-eating bug ponies appeared. Not even so much as a dark, ominous-looking cloud passed overhead. There were strange and dark times ahead but no warning signs were given.
----•----
The walk to Sugarcube Corner was more in eventful then when the Cutie Mark Crusaders tried to earn their Cutie Marks in walking. Not one of them had fallen down, stepped in a puddle, or tripped another pony. But then, like today, still no walking Cutie Mark. The trio of fillies had made the short trot across the market square, down Apple Avenue, past 'Sofas & Quills', and had arrived at their destination.
Only a few paces ahead the normally busy store was quiet. Sugarcube Corner's lunch rush having passed almost two hours ago but even now there should have been at least a few other ponies coming and going. The gingerbread-looking confectionery was ghostly empty. It was far too quiet a building to contain the usual antics of a bouncy pink party pony. Something about the store felt wrong.
"Um, maybe it's closed?" Sweetie Belle offered.
"Ah don't think so. Ah don't see no sign in the window." Applebloom nodded in Scootaloos direction. "Maybe ya should go take ah look. Sweetie Belle and ah'll stay here, you know, for, um... Help me out here Sweetie."
Sweetie Belle glared at Applebloom, looked over the Scootaloo, then took a small step back. "I remember last time it was this empty. Rainbow Dash had set a trip wire on the front door to set off Pinkie's party canon. You let me know how it turns out, I think I'm going to head home."
"You're both going to chicken out? Rainbow almost never reuses a prank. She's way too cool for that!" Scootaloo leapt forward and spun around. "Isn't this what we wanted? Our goal is in reach. There is opportunity in this community. All we have to do is march over there and get what we came for!" With a buzz of wings, Scootaloo spun back around, held her head high and started to march. "For Equestria!"
"Ah thought we was here ta mooch free snacks from Pinkie Pie." Applebloom whispered.
Sweetie belle gulped and nodded in return.
Having their minds made up for them, the two reluctant fillies followed their fearless orange leader into the store.
----•----
Despite the huge plate glass windows and afternoon sunlight streaming in, the inside of the shop felt dark. The owners of Sugarcube Corner, Mr and Mrs Cake, were no where to be seen. Even the bundle of energy known as Pinkie Pie wasn't immediately visible. Everything was absurdly quiet save for the hum of the enchanted lights and whir of the refrigerated pastry display cases.
"What now, oh great fearless leader?" Sweetie Belle asked.
Scootaloo huffed and rolled her eyes. "We'll, obviously we go ring the bell and wait for somepony to show up."
As if it were about to vanish, none of them moved away from the door.
Applebloom stole quick glances around the room. All the tables were empty and their respective chairs were pushed nearly under them. The polished wood floor was spotless and scuff-free. Every shelf and display was unusually full of cakes and pastries of every description. Even all the colorful decorations, awards, and pictures adorning the walls were straight and aligned. Yet something still felt amiss. She took a small step forward and the other two to followed.
The fillies moved as a group, their hooves in-step, toward the counter holding the overly large brass call bell.
It was ridiculous. The entire idea of the thing being ridiculous, was itself, ridiculous. There it was, sitting on the counter less than a step away, well within reach, it loomed. The highly polished brass bell perched beside the cash machine like a Vulture waiting for its prey to close its eyes and slip into the ether. The bell's pray hardly moved, though they were far from ready to pass away quite yet. The three spry young fillies stood, transfixed at the thought of touching the almost golden call bell.
"Pretty, isn't it?"
"Applebloom, would you be so kind as to hit the bell?" Sweetie Belle asked.
A small gasp escaped from Applebloom's lips. "Me? Why do ah got ta do it? It was Scootaloo's idea!"
"That's right, it was my idea. And it's why I'm not going to touch it." Scootaloo shot back. "One of you just do it already!"
"Okey-dokey!" came from behind them and a pink hoof snaked over and passed the fillies, then tapped the button on the top of bell. A sharp clang echoed in the previously silent shop.
There was a clatter of hooves and a flurry of movements while the two fillies scattered away from the owner of the pink hoof. The third just fell on her side in shock."You girls are so adorable!" Said the owner of the hoof while bounding around to the end of the counter. "Welcome to Cugarcube Corner, the sweetest place in all of Equestria!" The bubblegum pink mare made her way to the other side of the counter and stood in front of the cash machine. "My name is Pinkie Pie! What can I get for you?"
Pinkie perched her fore-hooves on the counter and leaned over to look at her customer on the floor. She was met by a pair of wide, violet eyes staring back at her. "Wha- where did you come from?" The orange filly asked.
Pinkie grinned. "~Well~, when a colt and a mare love each other veeerry much..."
"No." Scootaloo cut her off. "What I mean is, where were you when we walked in? There wasn't anypony in here but us!"
Having untangled their limbs, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle made their from where ever they scampered off to and back to Scootaloo's side. Each had grasped an orange fore-hoof and helped pick Scootaloo off the floor, though her pride had remained where it had fallen.
"I walked in behind you!" Pinkie beamed. "I had to run out and get more milk but Milky Way was all out so I had to place an order for tomorrow and when I saw you three walk in I followed because we were going the same way."
The hyperactive mare took a deep breath. "I was going to surprise you but you looked scared already and I didn't want to make it worse so I waited and when you didn't move for a very very long time I got worried so I said to myself 'Pinkie you'd better do something quick' and when none of you went to ring the bell I did and here we are!"
The Cutiemark Crusaders shuffled where they sat, stealing glances from each other. Sweetie Belle spoke up, "We were, um, hoping to help you, ah, taste test new recipes?"
"Mm-hmm!" The other two nodded in agreement.
Pinkie Pie's grin drooped a little. "Sorry girls. The shops been too swamped for me to make anything new. There aren't even any day-olds I can give you." Pinkie swept her hoof and gestured to the shelves of various sweets on display. "We're all sold out!"
"S-sold out?" Applebloom frowned. "How can ya be sold out? All the shelves are full, I can see 'em! How the hay can ya be sold out?"
"Oh, that's easy!" Pinkie waved her hoof in front of her face dismissively. "Just after ten this morning, a stallion walked in and bought..." She lifted both fore-hooves high above her head, pausing for dramatic effect. "... EVERYTHING!"
Pinkie dropped her hooves and smiled at the Crusaiders, "Sorry girls, I would have closed early, but he hasn't moved from his table since he walked in and I wasn't going to leave him to mope all by his lonesome. And I sure wasn't going to let him out of my sight 'till I got him to smile! Doesn't he just look so sad?"
Pinkie pointed the a table at the opposite side of the store. "Maybe you can try to cheer him up for me? I have to watch the twelve-hour bread I have rising in the proofers. Wouldn't want to ruin his order."
The pink mare sighed, "Can you imagine having to watch bread dough rise for twelve hours? But Aunt Pinkie never turns down a challenge."
A smile sprung back onto Pinkie's face, "Why don't you three go say 'Hi', I've got to go check on the other loaves in the oven." And with that, she turned and bounded through the kitchens double swing-doors.
The Cutiemark Crusaiders couldn't believe their ears. Some stallion had just sauntered in off the street and bought every cookie, cake and pastry. The mystery stallion then had the gall to tie up the ovens with some crazy order so nothing new could be made. And to top it all off, he was still here! How the hay had they missed him when they first walked in?
With owl-like eyes they scrutinized the solitary intruder. He sat at the farthest table from the front door with his back to the wall, hunched over a pink, steaming mug in his hooves. His stupid side swept, lime green mane drooped over his eyes and obscured most of his face. His stupid frizzy, cropped tail hung off the far side of the chair and draped above a well worn brown saddlebag. His stupid yellow coat was matted like it hadn't had a good brushing in weeks. And his stupid Cutiemark that looked like...
The girls all seemed to notice his Cutiemark at the same time. Their jaws would have hit the floor had they not been so firmly attached. The stallion's Cutiemark was moving. What looked like a Bit with its center faded to show his coat beneath, was slowly spinning on its end.
"No. Way!" Scootaloo threw a hoof around Appleblooms neck and pulled her closer. "Do you see it?" She pointed at the lone stallion. "Tell me you see it too. How is it even doing that!"
"Ah see it but ah don't believe it. We just have ta ask him how he got it!"
With a speed that would have made a cheetah jealous, the three fillies had made their way across the store and skidded to a stop beside the table. The yellow stallion couldn't have missed their arrival, but he still hadn't looked up from his piping hot mug of whatever he was drinking.
Sweetie Belle hopped up onto a chair across from the stranger let out a polite cough. "Um, excuse me. Sir?" Sweetie gestured toward the other Crusaiders, "Would it be alright if my friends and I joined you?"
"So, they sent three fillies, did they? So very like them to use an innocent." He scowled at the mug. "They know I always keep my promises, yet they send you in their place anyway." He closed his eyes, raised the mug to his lips, blew at the steam, took a long drag, then replaced it. "Despicable."
"N-no, we weren't sent by anyone. Well, other than Pinkie Pie." Sweetie Belle stammered. "We just wanted to know about your Cutiemark."
Scootaloo's stomach rumbled in protest. "And why you bought everything in Sugarcube Corner. It doesn't even look like you've eaten anything!"
The stranger finally broke eye contact with the mug to study the impatient orange filly. Apparently satisfied with what he saw, he grinned. "Is that all?" He turned his gaze to Applebloom. "You with the bow, pull over a couple more chairs."
In less time than it takes to say 'Elements of Harmony', Applebloom had pulled over chairs for herself and Scootaloo and had set them opposite to the now smiling stallion. They scrambled onto the chairs and patiently waited for their host.
For three whole seconds.
Scootaloo slammed a hoof down on the table."Reveal your secrets!"
Applebloom jabbed Scootaloo in the side with her elbow. "What the hay do ya think yer doin'?"
"Playing 'Good guard, bad guard'?"
"Yer more like 'worst guard'." She turned to the stranger, "Sorry for my friend here, mister, uh..."
"Daybreak." The stallion offered and took another sip from his now almost empty mug.
