Remnants of Discord

Chapters

Chapter 1: A Dose of Disorder
Chapter 2: A Storm on the Horizon
Chapter 3: The Orchard Ordeal
Chapter 4: To Find a Fiddle

Chapter 1: A Dose of Disorder

Remnants of Discord

~ Chapter 1: A Dose of Disorder ~

Twilight gently nudged open the door to the library and stepped out into the late morning sun. The air was crisp and clean, lingering with faint tones of early autumn. It had only been a few days since Celestia had honored her and her friends with a grand celebration for defeating Discord. However, no sooner had they returned to Ponyville, Pinkie had concocted a plan to throw just one more party for the occasion. Only this time, the festivities would be a little closer to home, so that everypony could enjoy them. Despite the general exhaustion brought on by the recent ordeal, Pinkie remained steadfastly insistent. “It’ll help everypony relax and have some fun! It’s just what we all need!” she had chimed in refute of the others’ claims of being too tired. Twilight couldn’t help but let a smile creep onto her face: she should have learned by now that once Pinkie has her mind set on a party, there’s going to be a party, one way or another.

The unicorn slowly began to make her way down the cobblestone path into town. Pinkie had insisted that she drop by this morning to help with a new recipe for cupcakes that she’d been working on for just such an occasion. As she walked, a few stray leaves crunched and crackled under her hooves, adding the faintest of lyrical ambiance to the otherwise quiet path. Off in the distance, those leaves which still clung to the trees had already begun to bloom with a cacophony colors. A few brilliant reds intermixed with lush yellows and stalwart oranges, surrounded by the resilient specimens which still clung to their healthy green tinges. The colors swayed and danced gracefully in the soft autumn breeze, blending together on the horizon like a great palette eager for the brush. By the looks of it, Applebuck Season would be just a few short weeks away, followed closely by the ceremonial Running of the Leaves. The next few weeks would certainly keep everypony busy. The more Twilight thought about it, the more she realized that one of Pinkie’s parties may be just what they needed at a time like this; one last hurrah before harvesting season was upon them.

As she got closer to the heart of Ponyville, Twilight saw that the preparations for the town-wide celebration were already well underway. A few pegasus ponies were working nearby to drape colorful streamers from rooftops and trees. The bright strips of paper fluttered about in the breeze with flashes of blue, pink, and yellow. A few feet away at a picnic table, a small group of fillies were working cheerily on a banner to be hung later on. Crayons lay sprawled about on the table as the young ponies joked and laughed while putting on their finishing touches. Just as Twilight began to turn away, the leaves and branches on a nearby tree began to shake and rattle violently. The unicorn’s heart skipped a beat as the shape of a pony plummeted from one of the top branches, followed by a cascade of ribbons and streamers. Twilight cringed with anticipation, only to be relieved as the body was pulled to a stop just a couple feet from the ground, the streamers pulling taught and strong. Upside down and tangled within the web of colorful paper was a grey pegasus, spinning slowly around from the momentum of the fall.

“Morning Twilight!” the ensnared pegasus chimed happily.

Twilight couldn’t help but giggle at the scene before her. “Good morning Derpy. It looks like you’re doing a lovely job with the decorations!”

The pegasus pony smiled ear to ear at the compliment, still dangling in her cradle of streamers.

Now sporting a contagious smile of her own, Twilight trotted along down the road, leaving Derpy and the others to their work. Not too far in the distance, she could make out the distinct shape of Sugarcube Corner. It seemed that somepony had already taken the liberty of decorating the unique building and the surrounding yard. A few gossamer ribbons adorned the nearby light posts and bunches of colorful balloons were tied down to the building’s outer features, floating lazily in the gentle breeze. Carried on those subtle gusts were the savory smells of the baked goods within, wafting from the open windows of the shop and filling the surrounding streets. It was enough to make anypony stop in her tracks and consider stopping in for a sample. Twilight breathed deep the sweet aroma that floated through the air around her as visions of tarts, cakes, cobblers, and pies clouded up her thoughts. Struck with a sudden pang of hunger, the unicorn tarried forward to the front door.

Even from outside the walls of Sugarcube Corner, Twilight could hear the muffled commotion emanating from within. The clatter of metal pans and utensils meshed with the mechanical hum of a mixing machine. Twilight raised her front hoof and rapped on the wooden door a few times. The commotion inside seemed to come to an abrupt stop, quickly replaced by the sound of hurried hoofsteps traveling down the hallway. With little further warning, the door violently burst outward, nearly clipping Twilight squarely on the nose. Standing beneath the threshold was none other than Pinkie Pie herself, smiling widely at her guest.

The pink pony took in an excited and exasperated gasp before proceeding to rattle off a blisteringly fast sentence which hardly made any sense. “Oh my gosh! You’re not gonna believe it but I was just thinking about you and then out of the clear blue sky you just happened to show up like some kind of crazy coincidence just as I was thinking ‘Gee it sure would be great if Twilight was here too’ and then poof you ended up at the front door and I mean really what are the odds of you showing up at such a perfect time?!”

Twilight blinked a few times, shaking the confused demeanor from her face. “Um, Pinkie? You invited me here…”

“Oh well that’s great too! Come on in!” Not seeming deterred at all, the pink pony spun around and hopped through the storefront, eventually disappearing into the kitchen at the back.

Twilight could only shake her head and smile. It was just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie, after all. She stepped inside and with a soft glow from her horn, the door closed shut gently behind her. Slowly she made her way toward the kitchen where, once again, the hum of a mixing machine could be heard. No sooner had Twilight stepped inside the kitchen did the rampant disorganization and sheer mess of the place become evident.

Baking sheets and pans laid strewn about the counters, splattered with batter and frosting. A collection of bowls could be seen throughout the room, some turned over and dripping their remaining contents onto any surface which remained clean. Pinkie hopped up and down excitedly in front of a singular mixer which revved along smoothly, occasionally spewing out a glob of the batter within. On the far side of the kitchen rested the only semblance of organization; a plethora of pies, cakes, and all manner of sweets both big and small were stacked surprisingly neatly on a long table in the corner. They were piled one on top of the other, in uncharacteristically neat stacks.

Pinkie peeked into the whirring mixing bowl and then switched it off with a satisfied grin. “I’m so glad you could make it, Twilight! We could really use an extra pair of hooves with all this baking!”

“Oh sure Pinkie, I’m always glad to help out a friend in need! So where do you… Wait, did you just say ‘we’?”

As if on cue, there came a loud metallic clatter from the adjacent room, followed by quick hoofsteps. Rarity poked her head out from around the corner, wearing a fashionably appropriate gem-studded chef’s hat. “Pinkie,” she said with a smile and a cheery tone, “I do believe I’m going to need some help in here… Oh, hello Twilight!” Then as quickly as she came, she disappeared into the other room.

Pinkie rolled her eyes and let out a short sigh. “Don’t tell Rarity, but she’s not a very good baker…” The pink pony trotted over to the table of sweets and plucked one of the cupcakes from the display (of which the neat presentation was now much more understandable, given Rarity’s presence). She plopped it down on a small plate and set it down carefully in front of her guest. “This is that new recipe I’ve been working on for the party,” she exclaimed happily. “And you get to be the very first to try it!”

Another metallic crash could be heard from the other room, followed by what sounded like the shattering of a ceramic bowl.

“Oh no! PINKIE!” Rarity cried in a panic.

The pink pony flinched a little at the sounds of wanton destruction emanating from Rarity’s work space. “Um, I should probably go help her out with that…”

Twilight nodded and watched her friend leave the room before studying the cupcake that lay before her now. The base was a rich yellow cake mix, but the frosting on top was evidently the intended spectacle. Generously slathered bright orange icing swirled seamlessly with that of pure white. The colors contrasted vividly in a spiral decoration which was clearly crafted with care. A faint purple glow surrounded the treat as it hovered a few inches above the plate, guided by Twilight’s magic. Once it was close enough, the unicorn leaned forward and took a well-sized bite out of the colorful cupcake. Twilight’s eyes went wide as her face distorted into a grimace. She wasted no time in running to the nearby trash bin and spitting out the contents of her mouth. It was by far the most terrible sweet she had ever had the displeasure of tasting! From the moment the light, spongy morsel touched her tongue, her mouth was filled with an assaultive briny taste. It was like trying to eat a cupcake that had been dunked in the ocean. The taste of salt was not only overpowering, it was nearly sickening. In the unicorn’s rush to the trash can, the plate she had been levitating clattered onto the counter, tipping the now lopsided cupcake on its side.

Twilight honestly wanted nothing more than a glass of water to wash away the awful aftertaste, but just as she was considering getting one, Pinkie trotted back into the room.

“Well Rarity has been having a field day with those baking pans in there…” Turning to the counter, she quickly noticed the half eaten treat. “Oh! So how did you like my new cupcake recipe?” she asked happily, bobbing up and down with excitement.

She seemed so proud of her work. The last thing Twilight wanted to do was to hurt her friend’s feelings. Perhaps a little white lie would be the best route to take… “It was… Nice! Yes, very… interesting… and colorful!” Twilight put on her best attempt at a genuine smile.

Pinkie raised an eyebrow at her friend. The unicorn’s façade was about as transparent as cellophane. “Is there something wrong with them?” she queried in a sincere tone.

“Oh no, no. Of course not!” Twilight answered quickly.

Still not convinced, Pinkie walked over to the counter on which the remains of the cupcake rested. “Is it too orangey?” she mused while tapping the treat back upright with her hoof. “They were coming out okay when I tried making them yesterday…” Curiously, she reached over and took a bite out of the cupcake herself. Almost immediately, Pinkie grimaced. Her eyes screwed shut and her mane stood on end momentarily.

Twilight had moved forward in a vain attempt to stop her, but it was already too late. She could only cringe as she watched her friend continue to chew the horrid treat.

With a difficult gulp, Pinkie finally managed to swallow her mouthful. She turned back to her friend, wearing a shocked expression. “Twilight, are you crazy?! How can you say these are okay? They taste horrible!”

Twilight looked down at the floor, embarrassed. “I uh… Just didn’t want to make you feel bad about them…”

Pinkie didn’t seem particularly concerned with the unicorn’s explanation. She had already begun rushing around the kitchen, glancing over a few sheets of paper which were still laid out on the counter. “What in Equestria went wrong?! I followed the same exact recipe as yesterday! Two cups of flour, three eggs, one cup of sugar…” She continued to read the list of ingredients with fervor, stressing each and every line and attempting to backtrack towards her mistake. “I don’t get it! Why did they turn out so sal-…” Her thoughts stopped in their tracks as the pony’s eyes went wide. “So salty…” She ran like a maniac to a corner of the kitchen where a nearly empty burlap sack was resting against the wall. She dipped the tip of her hoof into its contents and pulled it back out. Cautiously, she licked at the bit of white grainy powder which had stuck to it. The trepidation in her face crystallized almost instantaneously. “Oh no…” she muttered, turning to her friend. “This was supposed to be sugar, Twilight. It’s salt!”

“A bag of salt?” Twilight questioned confusedly. “How in the world did that happen?”

“I don’t know!” Pinkie responded, now pacing back and forth across the kitchen. “I just went out to buy five bags of sugar from the store last night. Maybe they accidentally mixed a bag of salt in with the bags of sugar…”

Twilight pondered for a moment. “So… What about the other bags?”

Pinkie gasped. “That’s right! They’re in the basement! I’ll be right back!”

Before Twilight could say another word, Pinkie had bolted through the door in blur, disappearing down a flight of stairs. From down in the basement, there was an unmistakable sound of frantic searching. Metal clanged against wood, glass cracked against the ground, and all manner of unidentifiable clatter resonated with the growing din. The clamor was punctuated with a frustrated shriek from Pinkie herself. The pink pony rushed back to the top of the stairs, covered in what appeared to be a mixture of dust and baking ingredients.

“It’s all SALT!” she exclaimed dramatically. “Every last bag of it!”

From just around the corner, Rarity sauntered into the kitchen. “Pinkie, is there something wrong? I heard you shouting from the other room and I-…”

Pinkie Pie wasted no time in running straight up to the white unicorn, stopping just inches from her face. “SALT, Rarity! It’s all SALT!” she screamed with high-pitched exuberance.

Rarity took a few cautious steps backwards. “Um, are you feeling okay dear?”

“No! Don’t you get it?! This whole thing is ruined!” Pinkie shouted, gesturing toward the towering table of sweets. “How in Equestria did I not catch this earlier? Now we’re going to have to start from scratch and make everything again in time for the party!” With a deep sigh and a dizzying spin, Pinkie collapsed onto the ground, holding her head in her hooves.

Rarity patted her distressing friend lightly on the back. “There, there. Don’t you think you’re overreacting a little?” she offered in a comforting tone.

Twilight made a valiant effort to suppress a giggle. “I’m not so sure you’re the best one to offer that kind of opinion, Rarity,” she said with a smirk.

The white unicorn appeared to be genuinely shocked. “And what exactly is that supposed to mean?” she asked in a huff.

“Oh nothing,” she smiled. Twilight stepped closer to comfort her friend. “It’s alright Pinkie, I’m sure we can work this out. With all three of us helping, we’ll have this fixed in no time!”

Pinkie grumbled and sat herself upright. “It’s going to be a humongous pain in the flank, but I guess you’re right. We’re going to have to visit the store right away though if we’re going to get this done for tomorrow.” She stood up and began walking towards the front door. “And this time, I’m checking EVERY SINGLE BAG of sugar before we leave!”

Twilight and Rarity in turn followed their friend outside. She did have a point, after all. They had a lot of work to do if they wanted to finish on time. It was a good thing that Twilight had cleared her schedule for the day…

By the time the two unicorns had stepped outside, Pinkie was already halfway down the road, trotting along at a brisk pace. “Come on you slowpokes!” she hollered from a distance.

Twilight and Rarity picked up their speed and galloped onward to catch up. Twilight took the opportunity to survey the rest of the town’s progress in preparation. It seemed that quite a few buildings had already been decorated with colorful streamers and banners, but it was clear that there was still a fair amount of work to be done.

The three ponies had been walking for no longer than a minute before a rush of air fell over them from above. Staggering a bit, Twilight looked up to the skies just in time to see a group of pegasus ponies flying in a V-formation overhead. Taking point was none other than Rainbow Dash herself. The look on her face was of pure determination and concentration. In fact, it seemed like she didn’t even notice her friends below. On the ground, the gusts of air resulting from the low-flying group’s pass caused the streamers and balloons which decorated the streets and trees to shake and shutter. Just as quickly as they had come, they were gone again, disappearing over the trees and into the eastern skies.

Rarity had stopped momentarily to watch the fliers pass by. “What do you suppose that was all about?” she asked her companion.

“I don’t know,” Twilight replied hesitantly, “Maybe Dash was just leading part of the weather team in some flying drills.”

“I suppose it’s possible,” the white unicorn replied aloofly.

Twilight was about to open her mouth to speak again, but she was distracted by yet another shape approaching from the distance. Moving much slower than the other pegasi from before, a lone pony flew on her eastward track as fast as her wings could carry her. It took only moments for Twilight to recognize her friend.

“Fluttershy!” she shouted up toward the skies while waving a hoof in the air, trying to catch the pegasus’s attention. “Down here!”

As she drew closer, Fluttershy glanced downward and spotted her friends below. In a somewhat clumsy descent, she quickly circled toward the ground. She stopped just a couple feet from the earth and hovered there in place. “Oh thank goodness you’re here! We need all the help we can get. Follow me!” She began to take off again, but Twilight’s query stopped her in her tracks.

“Wait Fluttershy, what are you talking about? What do you need help with in such a hurry?” Twilight was genuinely concerned for her friend. The pegasus looked more panicked and uneasy than usual.

“Please,” Fluttershy whimpered, “We have to go now! There’s a fire spreading in Whitetail Woods!”

“A fire?!” Rarity exclaimed. “How in Equestria did that happen?”

“We don’t know,” the pegasus added meekly while looking at the horizon, “but it’s spreading fast because of all the dry leaves. Rainbow and the others have already gone ahead, but we need everypony’s help now!” She glanced over her shoulder and the color drained from her face even further. “Oh dear… I have to go right now. Please just come to help us as soon as you can!” Without waiting for a response, the pegasus took to the air again and flew off in the direction of the Woods.

Twilight’s heart had skipped a beat when she heard the urgency in her friend’s voice. “Rarity, this sounds pretty serious… I think we ought to see what we can do to help them.”

Rarity’s eyes were fixated on the eastern horizon. “I think you’re right,” she replied with a shaky voice.

Twilight turned to her friend’s vantage point and immediately felt her heart drop into her stomach. Plumes of black smoke were billowing out over the trees in the distance, filling the air with acrid dark clouds. Even in the light of day, a faint glow was visible on the horizon; flickering and fickle.

“Oh no…” Twilight whispered under her breath. “Come on girls, we’ve got to leave right away!” The purple unicorn glanced back at the street, searching for her second companion. “Pinkie?”

Barely a speck in the distance, Pinkie Pie shouted back from the end of the street, “What’s taking you two so long?!”

“Pinkie! We have to go help at Whitetail Woods!” Twilight cried out loudly.

“You have to what?” Pinkie’s muted voice came back from a distance.

“There’s a fire!”

“You’re tired?” her response came confusedly.

“No! A fire!”

“Twilight, you can take a nap after we’re done picking up the sugar!”

“Pinkie, this is more important than sugar!”

Even at length, Pinkie’s shocked gasp was audible. “More important than sugar?!” For a brief moment, the pony’s face descended into grim seriousness. “Never…” She then quickly spun around and cheerily began hopping down the street, towards the store.

“Come on Twilight,” Rarity said soothingly, “I don’t think we have time to go after her right now…”

Twilight sighed. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right.” A faint glowing aura began to glisten around the unicorn’s horn. She shut her eyes tightly, focusing intently and forcing her magic to take shape. With one final spark, the two disappeared from the street, leaving the decorated road abandoned once more.

Chapter 2: A Storm on the Horizon

~ Chapter 2: A Storm on the Horizon ~

When Twilight opened her eyes, she stood at the fringes of Whitetail Woods, the forest’s colossal trees towering over her. She had been practicing her teleportation spell for months, but she’d be lying if she claimed that it didn’t still take a toll on her stamina. She fought back a brief bout of dizziness as she lifted her head to the skies. Even through the canopy of leaves above, she could see an ominous black cloud looming over her. The acrid stench of smoke assaulted her nose and stung at her eyes. In the distance, Twilight could see the orange and yellow glow of flames from above a labyrinth of trees. From what she could tell, the fire was burning at the very heart of the forest, far from the outlying regions of Ponyville. For that much, Twilight was grateful; nopony’s house and home was in danger… yet. She knew that the town wouldn’t be truly out of harm’s way until the fire was doused.

“So what exactly do you plan on doing Twilight?” Rarity queried after taking a few moments to acquaint herself with her new surroundings. Her eyes eventually settled on the flickering orange glow on the horizon.

The lavender unicorn quickly shook away the exhaustion from her magic. “Let’s try to find Rainbow Dash,” she offered briefly. “She’ll know what to do.” A faint shadow of doubt hung on her last words. She hoped Rainbow Dash would know what to do.

Rarity gave a quick nod of approval before the pair pressed onward. With urgency, they hurried along down the dirt road which cut a swath through the trees. Billowing puffs of dark smoke guided them forward as the black clouds above thickened with every step. They hadn’t traveled far before they arrived at a large clearing to the side of the road. The trees here were shorter, providing a clearer vantage of the distant flames. A small lake was nestled within the open glade, surrounded by a number of ponies from town. Each one was bustling frantically to and from the water’s edge, giving the scene the likeness of an upended anthill. Every pony carried a pail between his or her teeth, following a disorganized line to dunk the bucket into the shallows of the lake before placing the filled container a short distance away. The impromptu ‘bucket brigade’ was hardly flawless in its operation, but despite a fair amount of spilling and sloshing, they had accumulated a decent stockpile of filled pails. As they worked, a group of a dozen or so pegasus ponies would intermittently swoop down to snatch up a portion of the filled buckets before swiftly disappearing back into the skies. By stark comparison, these fliers were uniform and precise. Even through the speed of their maneuvers, Twilight was able to recognize a few particular ponies from the weather teams which patrolled over Ponyville. It didn’t take much imagination to understand the nearly martial discipline of the group, especially after spotting Rainbow Dash near the edge of the lake. Judging from the way the others seemed to gravitate to her, Twilight guessed that the cyan pegasus had taken a leadership role in this moment of crisis.

Twilight and Rarity made their way through the bucket-brandishing ponies and up to their friend. Between managing the fleeting weather team and conducting the other ponies at the lake’s edge, it was fairly clear that she had her hooves full. She had just finished speaking with one of the pegasi from her team by the time the two unicorns approached her.

“Fluttershy told us about the fire, Dash,” Twilight announced, wasting no time. “We hurried over as soon as we heard. Is there anything we can do to help?”

“Just go grab a bucket and follow the others,” Rainbow Dash began in a snappy, irritated tone. The pegasus turned her head to face the new visitors. As soon as she recognized her friends, she let out an exasperated sigh. “Oh sorry girls, I’m just a bit on edge here. Everypony has been coming to me expecting answers.”

Rarity turned back to the conveyor of ponies carrying buckets from the lake. “Do you really think that buckets of water are going to put out a forest fire?” she asked skeptically.

Dash scoffed at the idea. “Not a chance. I just got tired of everypony asking me what they should do, so I told them to start filling up buckets of water to keep them out of my mane.” She shot a disapproving glance at the hurried ponies running from the lake. “I took a look at the fire just a few minutes ago, and it’s the worst I’ve seen in years. The wood and leaves are bone dry, so the flames are spreading faster than we can contain them. Dropping a pail of water on that thing would be like trying to fight an Ursa Major with a pea shooter…”

“Wait, so you’re not actually doing anything to fight the fire?!” Twilight shouted incredulously.

Dash took a step forward, looking almost offended. “Of course I am! Do you think I’m crazy?” she retorted, raising her voice to match. “I’ve got the other three-quarters of my weather team out searching for storm clouds to reign in. Ponyville wasn’t due for rain for another three days, so we had to go looking for something north of here. It’s going to take nothing short of a monsoon to put this thing out!”

Twilight shrunk back a little. “Sorry Dash, I didn’t know…”

The pegasus sighed and massaged her forehead with one hoof. “No, I’m sorry. Like I said, this whole thing has just got me stressed out. We really weren’t ready for something like this at all.”

Rarity stepped in to break the following moment of silence. “So is there anything we can do to actually help, besides filling up those buckets like the others?” she asked with a hint of sarcasm.

“Not unless one of you knows a spell that’ll whip up some storm clouds for us,” Rainbow Dash jested with a half-smile.

Twilight’s ears perked up. “Wait a minute, I might know a spell to do just that! But stand back, I haven’t really practiced it much…”

Rarity and Rainbow Dash each took a step backwards as Twilight lowered her head in concentration. A purple aura surrounded her horn once again as she brought forth the magic of her spell. A few tiny sparks flew off of her horn while she gritted her teeth in a stalwart effort. Slowly but surely, a small cloud of vapors began to gather itself in front of her. It swirled and spun into wispy tendrils, and eventually wove itself into a puffy mass. Its gloomy shape twisted and contorted as if it was breathing the very air around it. Twilight loosened her concentration and finally opened her eyes to see her creation. The intricate storm cloud hovered just a few feet in front of her face… and its entirety was about the size of a loaf of bread. Within its swirling mass, a miniaturized lightning bolt rumbled out of it with all the fervor of a purring kitten.

Rainbow Dash burst out in uncontrollable laughter, rolling on the ground at the mere sight of this pathetic excuse for a cloud. Rarity used one hoof to cover her mouth as she very visibly attempted to stifle her own laughter.

Twilight’s shoulders slumped as she stared at her disappointing creation. “Come on guys, I told you I haven’t practiced this spell much!” she said in a huff.

K-K-KRACKkk!

Their laughter was silenced abruptly as a deep, explosive boom echoed throughout the forest. All three of them flinched at the raucous din which seemed to make the very trees tremble with its frightful voice. The eyes of every pony in the clearing darted skyward to the source of the sound, only to see a monstrous cloud hovering above them. It was black as pitch and churned about within itself with ominous intent. A single white pegasus hovered in place just above the tree line of the glade.

“Somepony order a giant storm cloud?” he shouted triumphantly down to the onlookers.

Rainbow Dash’s face lit up at the sight of the monstrosity. “Brolly, it’s perfect!” she exclaimed with exuberance. The cyan pegasus snapped out her wings and soared through the air in a speedy ascent. “Where in Equestria did you find this thing?!”

“Oh it was floating along on a collision course with Fillydelphia. Trust me, I don’t think they’ll mind if we take it off their hooves!”

“Excellent work, Brolly!” she offered with a salute. “I can take it from here!”

Quickly circling around behind the cloud, Rainbow Dash braced her front hooves against the swirling mass. Flapping her wings vigorously, she began to push the storm cloud forward. At first the colossal mass seemed to put up resistance, but after a brief thirty seconds, Dash had managed to move the cloud away from the clearing and further into the depths of the forest. The work was slow by Rainbow’s standards, but at least she was making progress. Everypony on the ground watched as she strained to coax every last ounce of speed from the giant cloud, forcing it to the distant treetops which danced with orange flames. Before long, the cloud came to a rest, hovering threateningly over the canopy.

With a rush of air, Rainbow Dash returned to the crowd, holding a low altitude over the clearing. She peered down at the onlookers as she stretched out her legs, wearing a familiar confident smile. “Alright everypony, don’t blink or you might miss this!” Without another word, the pegasus jolted forward and barreled towards the distant storm cloud. Her body ripped across the sky and tore through the stagnant smoke which still hung in the air. In her wake, there lingered a faint rainbow-colored jet stream, streaking along the canopy and tracing the trail of her expeditious charge. After mere moments, the rainbow trail disappeared into the depths of the distant cloud. The ponies in the clearing watched in awe as the side of the swirling grey mass buckled, warped, and finally collapsed in on itself before bursting outward from the other end.

K-K-KERPOWW!

A monstrous roar of thunder rippled through the forest as bolts of lightning came crashing down to the earth. The cloud tore apart from its center and erupted across the skies, calling down sheets of heavy rain as it spread. Even from the distant clearing, Twilight could see the torrents of heavy water pounding away at the smoldering leaves. The dim orange glow which hovered on the horizon flickered and faded. Waves of steam began to rise up from the trees as the last sizzling embers succumbed to the deluge from above. The miasma of smoke, steam, and rain left the treetops in hazy disarray, illuminated only briefly by the occasional bolt of lightning.

It was at least a full minute before Rainbow Dash’s silhouette became visible once again over the canopy. Her shape descended from the lofty heights and finally settled in the middle of the clearing beside the lake. Her mane lay matted on her neck and shoulders, and her entire body was soaked to the bone. Her grand re-entrance was met with a chorus of chanting and cheering from the ponies who stood around her. Shaking some of the water from her body, she lifted her head up proudly and drank in the sounds of her veneration. This was, after all, the sort of attention that she lived for.

Several more minutes passed before the crowd finally began to dissipate, with the denizens of Ponyville returning to their work in the town. Only Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Twilight remained in the clearing.

“You were so brave, Rainbow,” Fluttershy said with a timid smile as she stepped a little closer to her circle of friends. She had managed to catch the spectacle while returning from one of the circuits the weather team had been flying.

“Yes I have to admit, that was quite a display of showmareship back there,” Rarity complimented in turn.

“Very resourceful,” Twilight added at last with a nod.

Rainbow continued to beam as her friends’ praise flowed over her. “Oh you know, just another day on the job. It all comes with the territory when you’re this awesome!” she boasted while flipping her still wet mane over her shoulder.

“Not to interject, but don’t you think you should maybe move that storm cloud away now?” Fluttershy queried meekly, already backing down. “I mean, if it’s not too much trouble…”

“Nah, I’m sure it’ll peter out on its own,” Rainbow Dash returned with a flippant air and a casual wave of her hoof. “Besides, aren’t there still a few more things you guys have to take care of for Pinkie’s party tomorrow?” The pegasus took a cursory glance around. “Speaking of which, where is Pinkie? And Applejack?” A brief glint of disappointment glossed over her face. “They totally missed that awesome stunt…”

“Well last we saw Pinkie, she was on a mad crusade to find some sugar,” Rarity provided.

Dash sat there for a few moments, processing the accusation. “Yep,” she finally settled, “that sounds like Pinkie Pie alright…”

“And as for Applejack…” Twilight paused in mid sentence. “Actually, I haven’t seen her all day. I was half expecting her to be down here helping you and the others.”

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. “Really? I would’ve thought she was with you guys back in town.”

Rarity shook her head. “Well if all else fails, I know one place where we can find her…”

“Sweet Apple Acres!” Twilight guessed enthusiastically.

“No surprise there…” Dash grimaced, crossing her fore-hooves. “All that pony ever does is work. She needs to kick back and have a little fun once in a while.”

“Well it is getting close to Applebuck Season,” the lavender unicorn offered smartly. “I’m sure she has a lot of work to get done in preparation. You can’t fault a pony for being too well prepared!”

Dash rolled her eyes. “Suuure…”

Rarity sensed a bit of tension and promptly stepped in to break it. “Well, perhaps we could go pay Applejack a visit? I’m sure she’d be interested to hear about the forest fire.”

Rainbow Dash’s ears perked up. “Oh yeah! She’s totally got to hear about how I saved the day with that awesome maneuver!”

“And we might be able to help her out with some of her farm work too!” Twilight added cheerily.

Dash slumped her shoulders and shot the unicorn an incredulous look. “Seriously Twilight? Don’t you—“

Rarity quickly shoved a hoof in front of the pegasus’s mouth, wearing a particularly strained and insincere smile. “Yes, I’m sure that’s what we all had in mind, Twilight. Great idea!”

Twilight hardly seemed to notice her friends’ lack of enthusiasm for the proposed hard labor. She simply went on, smiling happily. “You’re coming with us too, right Fluttershy?”

The yellow pegasus seemed almost startled at her sudden involvement in the conversation. “Oh, I – um… I actually can’t go. I was going to check on the little critters in the woods to make sure they’re okay.” She lowered her head nervously. “Um… if that’s okay with you…”

“Of course, Fluttershy,” Rarity said sweetly. “We’ll catch up with you later.”

“Then it’s settled! We’re off to Sweet Apple Acres!” Twilight announced.

Rarity lightly cleared her throat. “Ahem, do you mind using a bit of that magic to zip us over there, dear? I’d rather not get my hooves dirty walking through the fore— Er, I mean, I’d rather save my energy for helping Applejack!”

“Oh don’t worry Rarity, it’s not that long of a walk. I’m sure you’ll have plenty of strength left to help out when we get there!” Twilight remarked obliviously as she trotted down the forest path.

“Yeah, I’m sure you’ll have plenty of energy for all that farm work, Rarity,” Dash commented in a snide whisper.

“Can it, Rainbow Dash!” she hissed in a brief lapse of her normal ladylike composure.

The pegasus chuckled under her breath as she followed along, watching Rarity delicately sidestep any portion of the path that she deemed ‘too dirty.’ With Twilight leading the party, the three of them casually made their way down the dirt road and back towards town.

Chapter 3: The Orchard Ordeal

~ Chapter 3: The Orchard Ordeal ~

“Hey, I can see Sweet Apple Acres from here!” Rainbow chimed from above. “Last one there is a rotten apple!” Once again, the pegasus darted off ahead of her companions in the third impromptu race on their journey so far. Only a few minutes following their departure from Whitetail Woods, Rainbow Dash had grown bored of Rarity’s delicately slow pace as she meticulously avoided each and every puddle of mud on the trail. Twilight, of course, was happy to keep pace with the white unicorn and pass the time with a long-winded (and particularly dry) discussion of the forest’s ecology. Much to her dismay, Rainbow’s attempts to hurry the party along through inciting a few friendly races had fallen on deaf ears thus far. Twilight was far too busy rambling on about the stamen configurations on the nearby cup-flower plants, while Rarity was focused on keeping her hooves as clean as possible, despite the dirt road.

After flying ahead a few dozen yards, the pegasus looked back to see that her friends were once again lagging behind, showing no sporting interest in her proposed challenge. Dejected, Rainbow crossed her hooves and hovered in midair while impatiently waiting for her companions to catch up.

“…And so it’s actually advantageous for the Silphium perfoliatum to have a concave leaf shape due to the way it funnels rain water in toward the stem!” Twilight enthusiastically recited from a passage she had memorized in Fantastic Equestrian Flora Culture.

“You don’t say…” Rarity replied distractedly, focusing more of her attention on where she was placing her hooves than on what her friend had been rambling on about for the past three minutes.

“Oh but I do say! In fact, that particular leaf pattern is even more common in –“

“Will you two slowpokes hurry up already?!” Rainbow interjected loudly, finally grabbing Twilight’s attention and snapping her out of the one-sided conversation.

“Oh, sorry Dash!” she said, blushing a bit. “I was just telling Rarity about how the biological structure of this –“

“Yeah, yeah, I’m sure it’s really interesting and all…” Rainbow interrupted again, waving a hoof in the air nonchalantly. “But don’t you think we should get a move on? We’re gonna be late for meeting with AJ!”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “But Applejack isn’t even expecting us…”

“Um, well… Yeah, but we’ll be late for surprising her with a visit!” the pegasus retorted, thinking quick on her hooves.

The purple unicorn shrugged. “Okay, I guess you’re right –“

“That’s the spirit!” Dash exclaimed victoriously while turning about and flying off toward the nearby orchard.

Twilight picked up her own pace to a brisk canter, trying her best to keep up with her speedy friend. “Come on Rarity, we’re almost there!” she called back to the white unicorn.

“I just had my hooves done at the spa yesterday, dear, and I don’t intend to soil them by running around on this wretched dirt road,” Rarity protested in an utmost dignified tone. “Go ahead and hurry on if you must, but I shall be taking my sweet time getting to that orchard.” Finished with her proclamation, the unicorn returned her attention to daintily stepping along the trail, hardly disturbing even a tuft of dust.

“Well if you insist,” Twilight returned uncertainly. She just didn’t quite understand Rarity’s train of thought sometimes; why try to keep your hooves perfectly clean if they’re going to get dirty eventually anyway? Twilight herself, on the other hoof, had no reservations about kicking up a bit of dust in the spirit of punctuality. Like Rainbow had said, they didn’t want to be late (even if they technically weren’t being expected).

In just a few minutes, she had caught up with Rainbow Dash who was hovering just below the arching arbor which marked the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres. “Not too bad, Twilight, but you’re gonna have to step up your game if you want to beat me!” the pegasus boasted.

Twilight smiled, “Cool your feathers Dash, it wasn’t even a race.”

“Aw you’re just saying that because you know I WON!” she replied, narrowing her gaze.

“Fine, you won,” Twilight sighed as she rolled her eyes at the pegasus’s overly-competitive nature.

“You betcha’ I did!” Dash trumpeted triumphantly, puffing out her chest with pride.

“Well come on champ, let’s try to find Applejack. She’s bound to be somewhere out in the orchards.” The two ponies made their way past the looming red barn on the property and into the endless rows of apple trees. The canopy of leaves provided comfortable shade from the late afternoon sun. Small sunbeams managed to poke through the cover here and there, lighting up the orchard ground below. A gentle breeze whispered through the leaves, wafting fresh, natural aromas across the ponies’ noses.

Rainbow Dash had been gracefully weaving in between the tree trunks and inspecting the trees from the lower branches. “Say, it looks like some of these trees have a lot less fruit on them than the others. You don’t think Applejack has started bucking apples early this year, do you?”

“I doubt it,” Twilight replied. “Applejack seems to have this whole place pretty well organized. I don’t think she would start harvesting early for no good reason. That would totally defeat the purpose of planning everything out!” The unicorn shuttered a little at the thought of such an egregious deviation from principles of organization.

The two ponies continued to trot along the lines of trees, only slowly becoming aware of an unsettling silence which seemed to hang in the air like a fog. Twilight’s ears perked up at the faint noise of leaves shuffling overhead, compelling her to stop in her tracks. “Dash, did you hear that?” she asked in a hushed tone.

Rainbow Dash peeked over her shoulder. “Hear what?”

The unicorn squinted her eyes against the sunlight dropping from the canopy. “It sounds like the leaves are moving up there…”

“Um, Twilight? That’s just the wind. It does tend to blow the leaves around, ya know?”

“No, no,” she protested, “it’s almost like something is…” Her voice trailed off as she stared intently at the thick blanket of leaves which hung above them. She scanned them with a watchful eye, just waiting for the slightest sign of movement to validate her suspicions. “I know I heard something…”

Dash flew a little closer, a bit concerned for her friend. “Twilight, are you feeling oka—“ THONK! “Ow! What the hay?!”

Twilight watched as a bright red apple tumbled out from the canopy, striking the rainbow-maned pegasus squarely on the head on its way down to earth. The unicorn stepped back quickly, startled by the freefalling fruit. Almost immediately following it, another bright red orb darted toward the ground. It took little more than a second glance, however, for Twilight to recognize that the latter was abundantly different from the first. The little ball was scarcely the size of a small apple and sported two pairs of frantically flapping wings. Its disproportionately large eyes glinted briefly as it passed through a sunbeam on its clumsy downward descent. No sooner had it reached the ground, the tiny creature scurried toward the fallen fruit. In an almost unnatural movement, it unhinged its jaw, opened its gaping mouth, and swallowed the apple whole. With a contented buzzing, the little red orb floated lazily back up toward the canopy of leaves. Twilight stood aghast, her own mouth agape.

“Twilight?” her winged companion started as she watched the creature disappear from sight, “I think I just figured out why all those apples were missing…”

“COME BACK HERE YOU VARMIN!” The thick Southern accent boomed across the orchard, accompanied by the thundering sound of hooves. From in between the matrix of tree trunks, an orange blur raced past them, in clear pursuit of some unseen culprit.

The pegasus and unicorn looked to each other and spoke in unison, “Applejack!”

The pair of ponies wasted no time in bursting through the line of trees and taking off after their sprinting companion. Twilight pressed herself to coax every last ounce of speed from her hooves, but quickly fell behind in the wake of the pegasus flying just above her.

Rainbow Dash soared forward, speedily closing the gap between her and the Earth pony. Within seconds, she was hovering just above her friend’s left flank. “Hey Applejack! You look like you could use some—“

“WHOH!” The orange Earth pony quickly snapped her head sideways to see the source of this unexpected salutation. In her brief moment of distraction, one of her hooves managed to snag on a protruding tree root jutting out from the ground. In a violent tumble, Applejack’s body collapsed to the ground and rolled directly into the unforgiving trunk of a nearby tree. The resulting collision caused a few loose apples to drop from the branches above while the leaves shuddered with the impact. The orange pony winced and clutched her side as she tried to recover from the crash.

Rainbow Dash cringed. “…help,” she muttered hesitantly to finish her previous sentence. “My bad, AJ…”

Applejack pulled herself up off the ground, still a little disoriented. “Rainbow?” she asked incredulously. “What in tarnation are you doin’ here?!”

“Applejack, are you alright?” Twilight cried as she finally caught up with her companions, “I saw everything, but I wasn’t able to cast a spell to stop you quick enough!”

“Twilight? You too?” AJ added in a daze. “Where’d you two even come from?”

“We came looking for you when we saw that you weren’t at Whitetail Woods,” the unicorn responded quickly.

“Wait a sec, what were ya’ll doin’ in Whitetail Woods in the first place?”

“Oh you totally missed it AJ!” Rainbow Dash interjected in an excited tone. “There was this HUGE—“

“Dash!” Twilight interrupted. “Don’t you think we have a more important issue to address right now?”

The pegasus stared vacantly back, drawing a complete blank.

“The parasprites…” Twilight reluctantly reminded her.

“Oh right!” Dash perked up. “Those!”

“So ya’ll saw ‘em too, huh?” Applejack chimed in.

“We spotted one of them eating your apples just before you ran by,” Twilight answered. “What in Equestria are parasprites doing in your orchard anyway? Don’t they usually stay in the Everfree Forest?”

“Well shoot if Ah know!” the orange pony replied agitatedly. “Ah was doin’ my normal mornin’ rounds when Ah caught one of them varmin eatin’ away at the apple trees! Ah’ve been chasin’ ‘em around all mornin’! There must be at least a dozen of ‘em flyin’ around in here!”

“Just a dozen?” Rainbow Dash boasted. “That’ll be a piece of cake!”

“Don’t get too ahead of yourself, Dash,” the unicorn warned forebodingly. “You remember what happened when Fluttershy brought just one of them back to Ponyville…”

Applejack looked to the treetops nervously. “That’s exactly what Ah’m worried about. If this gets too far out of hoof, we could lose the entire apple crop to these critters by the end of the day!”

“Don’t worry, Applejack. Dash and I will help you get this under control! We’ve done it once, and we can do it again!” Twilight touted confidently while stomping a hoof down.

The orange pony raised an eyebrow. “Ah don’t suppose ya’ll know where Pinkie Pie and her tuba are, do ya?”

Twilight’s confidence visibly faltered for a moment. “Well… no,” she finally admitted.

“So how exactly do ya’ll plan on wranglin’ these parasprites up?”

“Well, we just need to find some instruments!” Twilight blurted, clearly grasping at straws. “Where do you keep all the musical equipment around here AJ?”

Again, Applejack returned a perplexed look. “Um, this is an orchard, sugar cube… not an orchestra.”

The unicorn hung her head in disappointment. “Right…”

“Well hold on a minute,” Dash cut in. “You’ve got to have some kind of instrument in this place, right?”

Applejack raised a hoof to her chin in a thoughtful expression. “Well now that ya mention it…”

“You’ve got something?!” Twilight chimed excitedly.

It seemed like the orange pony was straining to remember. “Ah think my cousin, Apple Fritter, left her fiddle here last time she visited for the family reunion. We’ve been holdin’ on to it for her until she can come back to Ponyville again.”

“That’s perfect!” the unicorn exclaimed with a twinkle in her eyes. “Where is it?!”

“Well Ah reckon the last time Ah saw it was in the tool shed next to the house,” Applejack mused.

Twilight took a few steps forward. “Okay girls, I think I’ve got a plan! AJ, you go get a couple of empty apple bushels and mason jars. Lots of them! Dash, you scout the area from the sky and see if you can spot how many of these things we’re dealing with.”

“And what will you be doing?” the pegasus demanded skeptically.

Twilight smirked mischievously. “I’m going to find us a fiddle…”

Chapter 4: To Find a Fiddle

~ Chapter 4: To Find a Fiddle ~

The shadow cast by the sizable shed loomed over Twilight as she approached its double doors. From its outward façade, the unicorn guessed that the barn had weathered many a storm and season. The dark red paint was beginning to chip away from the hard wooden surface, only adding to the deteriorated appearance of the building. It was clear that the old shed could use some touching up and renovations, but the Apple family was usually too busy to worry about simple aesthetics.

Twilight pushed against one of the doors with her forehoof, entreating entrance. The hinges creaked and groaned, allowing the lumber to swing slowly inward. The late afternoon sun poured into the building, illuminating an interior which quite accurately matched the barn’s outward appearance. Stacks of empty boxes and half-constructed barrels lined the walls. An old, rusted plow was tucked away in one corner, presumably retired to this room so it could live out the rest of its days in solitude. A sundry of other farm tools and implements lay strewn about here and there, lacking any semblance of order.

Twilight rolled her eyes, inwardly criticizing Applejack's lack of organization. Taking a few steps into the barn, the lavender unicorn began her search. Even if AJ was right and there was a fiddle hidden somewhere among this mess, it would be no small feat to unearth it. A faint purple aura surrounded Twilight's horn as she gently lifted away some of the precariously placed tools from her path. Even the most ginger of motions seemed to stir up tufts of dust and dirt which formed a thin layer on just about everything in sight; the tools stored here clearly did not see regular use in the fields outside. Lowering her head, the unicorn focused her magic into a simple light spell, hoping to illuminate the room more adequately. Motes of dust floated through the air, catching the light from Twilight's spell. The longer she stayed in here, the more powerful the scent of mildew became. She began to question whether this was the safest place to be digging around, but quickly pushed the notion aside, steeling herself on the task at hoof.

It seemed that a cursory inspection of the shed would not be enough; if there was a fiddle in here, it was surely buried beneath the piles of impedimenta stored here. Resolving to double her efforts, Twilight began pushing aside some of the heavier items in the room.

The barrels and heavy sacks which lined the walls strained the limitations of the unicorn’s telekinesis spell. Twilight's brow was slowly becoming damp with perspiration. Perhaps it was the heavy lifting, or perhaps it was the anxiety eating at her from within with each passing minute. Clouds of dust stirred anew as the barn's contents were haphazardly shoved aside by the lavender unicorn. With the snap of her head, another barrel came tumbling down, bringing along with it an empty burlap sack. For just a moment, Twilight stopped, an unfamiliar sound coming across her ears. Spinning around, she inspected the overturned container more carefully. Using a forehoof, she lifted away the canvas bag which lay atop the wreckage. A spark came to life in her eyes at the sight. There it was.

To be perfectly honest, it wasn't much to look at. It was a fairly plain instrument made of what appeared to be a dark mahogany wood. The frets at the top were an off-white ivory shade, one of which was slightly chipped at the corner. Short scratches covered the body, giving the once shiny finish a worn and aged appearance. Nopony would be able to argue that this tool had weathered its fair share of use. The strings were the only part of the object which seemed in good repair, having been replaced once or twice over the instrument’s lifetime. Judging by the frail condition of the device, it was fortunate that the fall hadn’t caused any damage. Lying next to the body itself was its solitary limb: a long, supple bow resting just beneath the neck.

Twilight's horn glowed once again as a faint aura cradled the fiddle. Using her magic, she turned its body around in midair, admiring how its simple, beaten appearance only gave it an air of genuineness. Twilight's mind drifted for just a moment to thoughts of the countless songs it must have played over so many years. Shaking away the notion, she snapped back to the urgency of the moment. She had a job to do.

Hoisting the fiddle and its bow above her head, she pushed her way out of the barn and into the late afternoon sun. In her frantic search, she had barely noticed how stifling the clouds of dust within the shed had been. It was refreshing to breathe the clean, clear air outside again. She took off immediately for the orchard which loomed just a short distance away. The fiddle above her bobbed up and down with her hurried hoofsteps. Twilight rushed along a path cut between the rows of trees, making her way back to the center where she had last left her friends no longer than fifteen minutes ago. To her relief, they had since returned.

"About time you made it back!" Rainbow Dash greeted gruffly. "We've been waiting for at least seven minutes!"

"Oh cool yer feathers, Dash," Applejack scolded before turning back to Twilight. "Ah take it ya’ll found mah cousin’s fiddle?"

Twilight’s magic floated the instrument and bow from behind her, displaying it for her friends to see. "Yes," she declared with a note of pride, "but no thanks to the awful mess you’ve got in that barn! When this is all over with, I’m lending you my book on proper organization principles."

AJ didn't appear particularly thrilled about the prospect, but masked the sentiment with a quick nod.

"Now Dash, were you able to spot any of the parasprites from the air?"

The pegasus's ears perked up. "Well they were moving pretty quick, but I counted about a dozen of them flying over the East field, and a little less than that in the West one," Dash explained while gesturing in each respective direction.

"Excellent," Twilight concluded. "Applejack, were you able to get those jars I asked you about?"

"Ah reckon this is what ya'll had in mind?" The orange pony slid forward an apple bushel filled with empty glass mason jars, each big enough to hold just about a quart of preserves. A second similar bushel rested a short distance away. Just by eye, it looked like they had about thirty jars to work with.

Twilight smiled as she levitated one of the containers in front of her. "Exactly what I had in mind!"

Applejack took a few steps forward and pushed the floating jar aside with a forehoof. "So what exactly is yer plan, sugarcube?"

"Simple!" the unicorn touted. "According to Pinkie Pie, parasprites have some kind of affinity for music. One of us will walk around the orchards, playing the fiddle to get the parasprites’ attention. Once they come out into the open, the other two will snatch them up in these mason jars. If Rainbow's numbers are right, we should have enough to nab all of them!"

Applejack scratched her head in thought. "Ah guess that'll work fine enough, but who's gonna play the fiddle?"

Twilight levitated the fiddle and bow toward the orange Earth pony. "Well you of course!" she said cheerfully.

"Whoh there Twi," Applejack retorted, gently pushing the instrument away. "Ah never said I could play a fiddle. In fact, Apple Fritter’s the only pony in the whole family who’s any good with that thing."

Twilight’s smile faltered at the news.

Rainbow Dash threw her hooves into the air. "Great, so much for that plan!"

Twilight allowed her spell to drift the fiddle back toward herself. "Well not necessarily," she replied thoughtfully. "I have read quite a few books about classical string instruments..."

"Oh come on Twilight," the cyan pegasus countered. "Just because you read a book about music doesn't make you a musician!"

The unicorn's eyes narrowed. "You got any better ideas?" she shot back with conviction.

Dash averted her gaze, not quite willing to admit that she didn't.

"You really think you can play that thing?" Applejack offered sincerely.

Twilight examined the strings running down the neck and along the body. She had seen this sort of instrument diagrammed dozens of times. The book passages were slowly coming back to her. In her mind, she could faintly see scraps of the sheet music which dotted those pages, although it was all gibberish to a unicorn without any musical training. Still, it was something to work with. "It's worth a shot."

Applejack sat down on the ground next to Rainbow Dash. The pair remained silent as Twilight gingerly levitated the bow into place above the fiddle's strings. The unicorn's eyes squinted in concentration, treating the bow as if it were some surgically precise tool. Hesitantly, she lowered the bow onto the strings, slowly peeling across their length. The screeching din which ensued was enough to make all three ponies cringe.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at the display, but remained silent.

Twilight blushed a little. "Well maybe it just takes some getting used to..."

"Ah'll say," AJ offered, rubbing her left ear from the assaulting noise. "Mah cousin Apple Fritter was playin' for four years before she was any good at it."

"Not really helping..." the unicorn sighed.

“Oh,” the orange pony returned, lowering her hat to cover her mouth. “Ah mean… Ah’m sure you’ll figure it out...” She was a terrible liar, but she meant well.

Her friend’s “confidence” in her abilities did little to inspire Twilight, but she wasn’t about to give up just yet. The unicorn’s horn glowed slightly brighter as she used the spell to press down against the strings on the neck. She vaguely remembered seeing a diagram of such chords in her reading; she could only do her best to imitate. Holding the fiddle, the bow, and the strings together was quickly making this magic more complicated that Twilight had initially imagined would be necessary. Focusing herself, she switched her concentration back to the bow, resting it on the strings and dragging it across, this time with gusto.

The resulting note was far more refined that her previous blind attempt. The unlearned ear may even have mistaken it for a proper G chord. The sound was far from orchestral-grade music (although that may be partially blamed on the poor condition of the instrument), but it was certainly a start. Rainbow Dash and Applejack, who had been bracing for another raucous bastardization of music, seemed almost surprised. To be frank, Twilight was a bit taken aback herself.

Dash was the first to break the silence. “Well? Is that it?”

Applejack responded with a quick jab to the pegasus’s side. “Don’t listen to her, Twi. Ah think it sounded right fine. Reckon ya’ll can do it again?”

Twilight returned her eyes to the fiddle once more. The bow lowered back into place, drawing itself across the strings, guided by the unicorn’s spell. She pushed the bow back and forth, invoking the same note over and over, each time the same as the last. Curiosity grasping her, she slanted the bow at a slightly different angle, attacking different strings now. The tune changed from high pitch to low as the bow explored the strings. She shifted the pressure she had been placing on the fretted neck to the only other positioning she could recall from her books. Again, a sloppy chord rang out: sloppy, but consistent. Twilight continued to shift the bow’s angle until she had discovered about three notes which seemed less offensive than the rest. Slowly, she was getting used to holding the fiddle while moving the bow at the same time. A passing thought of admiration came as she considered how Applejack’s cousin managed to play this thing with no magic at all…

The three notes repeated themselves in a rough order and to a crude tempo. The sound could perhaps be considered ‘music’ in the same sense that a splattered can of paint on the sidewalk may be considered ‘art.’

The cyan pegasus, who had thus far been watching in silence, walked over to Twilight’s side to examine the floating fiddle more closely as it played. “Hey, no offense Twilight, but Pinkie Pie had half a marching band on her back last time we tried something like this. Do you really think this is gonna make the parasprites come to you?”

The unicorn did her best to split her attention between the fiddle and the conversation. “Um… Maybe?” she managed distractedly.

WHUMP!

The fiddle stopped playing abruptly as both Twilight and Rainbow Dash spun around. Behind them, Applejack laid splayed out on the ground, facing away from the pair. There was a faint metallic ‘clink’ before the orange cowpony pulled herself off the ground and turn to her friends. A smug smile quickly spread across her face. Balanced in her left outstretched forehoof was a mason jar; inside, a lime green parasprite. “Maybe ya’ll should ask this little fella’ if he reckons this is gonna work!”