Lord of the Horseshoes: The Friendship of the Shoe

Lord of the Horseshoes

The Friendship of the Shoe

Prologue

The world is changed. I taste it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. I see it in the fire. Much of that once was is lost. For none now live who remember it.

It began with the forging of the great horseshoes.

Three were given to the Alicorn Ponies, immortal, fair, wisest of all beings.

Five to the Pegasus Ponies, bringers of the rains and storms and winds.

Seven to the earth ponies, farmers, smiths, merchants.

And nine, nine horseshoes were given to the unicorn ponies, who, above all, for better or worse, were ruled by their hearts.

Within these horseshoes was bound the magic and will to govern each race. But they were all of them deceived, for another horseshoe was made.

In the land of Tartarus, in the fires of Mount Bleak, the dark King Sombra forged in secret a master horseshoe, to control all others. Into this shoe he poured his cruelty, his malice, and his will to dominate all life. One Horseshoe to Rule them all.

One by one, the free lands of Equestria fell to the power of the Horseshoe. But there were some who resisted.

A last alliance of unicorns, pegasai, and alicorns marched against the armies of Tartarus and on the slopes of Mount Bleak they fought for the freedom of Equestria.

Victory was near… but the power of the Horseshoe could not be undone.

It was in this moment, when all seemed lost, that Blueblood, son of the king, took up his father's broken horn.

Sombra, the enemy of the free ponies of Equestria, was defeated. The Horseshoe passed to Blueblood who had this one chance to destroy evil forever… but the hearts of unicorns are easily corrupted. And the Horseshoe of Power has a will of its own.

It betrayed Blueblood to his doom, and some things that should not have been forgotten were lost.

History became legend – Legend became myth – And for two and a half thousand years, the Horseshoe passed out of all knowledge, until one day it ensnared a new bearer.

The Horseshoe came to the Dog, Rover, who took it deep into the bowels of the mountains, and there… it consumed him. The Horseshoe brought to Rover unnatural life, and for five hundred years it poisoned his mind, and in the gloom of Rover's cave, it waited.

Darkness crept back into the forests of the world, rumor spread of a shadow in the east, whispers of a nameless fear. And the Horseshoe of Power perceived, its time had now come. It abandoned Rover, but something happened the Shoe did not intend. It was picked up by the most unlikely of ponies. Apple-Smith of the Apple Family, from Ponyville.

For the time will soon come when her family will shape the fortunes of all.

As the sun slowly ascended to its peak, a young earth pony colt, his coat a gentle yellow, his mane and tail apple-red, a lighter-red bandana snugly wrapped around his neck, and was busy carrying an apple basket, filled with the hard-worked-on spoils of his family’s orchard.

He came to a small wagon and carefully set the basket inside with a few others. He wiped the sweat from his brow when his ears perked to a distant singing. A voice he had not heard for some time.

Forgetting his chores, he ran through the orchard, across the hay field and came to a rise above a road at the outskirts of his hometown, where he saw a small wagon being pulled by a robed mare, her hood up but unable to conceal the lavender horn or her multicolored tail, as she sang:

I am prepared to do my best

It doesn’t matter what the test

For I am learned in many tricks

I just know that I’m prepared for this

The colt stood on the ridge, looking down on the unicorn mare, before declaring, “Y’all’re late!”

The unicorn mare stopped and held her hooded head up in self-importance.

“A Magician is never late, Applebuck,” she corrected, turning to look up at him, revealing her amethyst eyes as she reached up and lowered her hood, revealing her multi-colored mane, well-kept and pretty.

“Nor is she early. She arrives exactly when she intends.”

The colt, Applebuck, and the unicorn Magician held an intense gaze at each other for a few seconds, but the corners of their lips twitchingly pulled up into smiles as they both began to laugh, and Applebuck leapt down, the Magician teleporting in a flash of light to free herself from her wagon as they embraced, Applebuck neighing, “It’s wonderful ta’ see ya again, Twilight!”

When they let go, the Magician, Twilight, replied, “You didn’t think I’d miss the Apple Family Reunion, did you?”

“`Course not,” Applebuck insisted, “kin or honorary, everypony considered fam’ly’s gotta be there. Granny Smith is lookin fo’wrd ta’ seein’ ya.”

Applebuck walked alongside Twilight as she pulled her wagon so they continued on as Applebuck asked, “So what’s the word ‘round Equestria? Tell me ev’rythang!”

“Everything?” admonished Twilight in mock surprise. “You’re much too eager and curious for an earth pony, though given you’re still a colt, I guess it’s understandable.”

Applebuck just smiled as they crossed a stone bridge next to a small watermill, but Twilight conceded.

“What’s to say? Life in the wide world goes on as much is has this past Age. It has its comings and goings,” she went on as they just rolled into town, passing a brightly-painted sign emblazoned in golden letters, ‘Ponyville’.

“Yet it remains scarcely unaware of the splendor of natural bounty to be found here in Ponyville.”

Then to herself, she muttered, “Something I can’t help being thankful for.”

As they passed through town, everypony began to take notice of their visitor.

“Look!”

“It’s Twilight!”

“Welcome back!”

In town square, Twilight noticed some stallions hauling up party tents, when she asked, “How is Granny Smith? I read in my invitation that she’d have a big announcement.”

“Granny Smith’s a sweetheart,” Applebuck answered. “She’s even invited half’a Ponyville ta’ join in on th’ party.”

“Is Applejack coming as well?” Twilight asked.

“Nah, he’s needed at th’ Diamond Caves,” Appleuck replied with a hint of sadness. “He’s workin’ hard to get th’ money to help Ponyville. But in his last letter, he mentioned he got himself pr’moted!”

“A blessing in disguise then,” Twilight offered.

“Granny Smith’s up ta’ sumpin’, Twi,” Applebuck brought up.

“Oh really?” Twilight asked innocently.

“Go ‘head, ya’ll play innocent,” Applebuck huffed. “B’for yer teacher, Starswirl the Bearded, met Granny Smith, the Apple Fam’ly was well thawt of-”

“You still are,” Twilight assured.

“Yeah, but we din’t had no adventures, unexpected events…” Applebuck went on.

“If you’re talking about the dragon-incident, I assure you, Starswirl was hardly involved,” Twilight maintained. “All he did was… give your grandmother a nudge out the door.”

“Either way, Starswirl’s offish’ly been labeled a disturber a’ the peace,” Applebuck confirmed, “You too. Guilt by ‘ssociation.”

“Hmm,” Twilight responded with a smirk and raised eyebrow, when she heard, “Twilight!”

From all around, fillies and colts around Applebuck’s age were running over, laughing, calling, “Twilight! Fireworks, Twilight! Fireworks!”

They followed for a bit behind Twilight’s wagon, starting to beg as it seemed their excited pleas fell on deaf ears. But just as they began to sigh in disappointment, swirling burst of colored embers exploded from the back of Twilight’s wagon. The colts and fillies cheered and laughed, Applebuck and Twilight sharing a private smile.

They were coming up on Sweet Apple Acres, when Applebuck began to veer off, but first he said, “Twilight? I’m happy yer back.”

“As am I, sweetie,” Twilight replied, Applebuck smiling at her as he returned to his chores. “As am I.”

Twilight pulled up towards a cozy little cottage that was the furthest from Ponyville yet did not extend into Ponyville’s town limits. Twilight looked up to it, using her magic to unlatch herself from her wagon before she entered the yard. She rapped at the door with her horn and was answered with, “Enuff wit’ th’ well-wishin’s, visitin’s, or distant relations!”

“And what about students of old friends?” Twilight responded.

The door opened, revealing an earth pony mare who looked to be middle-aged, with an apple-green coat, graying blonde mane tied in a braid, as was her tail, she wore an orange shawl patterned with red apples, matching a skirt she wore over which was an apron.

She gasped as she looked upon Twilight, whispering, “Twilight?”

“Granny Smith,” Twilight replied with a smile as they both hugged each other, Granny Smith saying, “Why sugarcube! How you’ve sprouted, aint’ seen ya since y’were Applebuck’s age.”

When they let go, Twilight took a harder look at Granny Smith, saying lowly but with a friendly tone, “And you haven’t aged a day.”

“Well, come in, child,” Granny Smith welcomed, taking Twilight’s cloak. “Can ah get y’anything? Tea? Or perhaps some apple cider? Ah gotta bottle ah’ve ben savin’, it’s from the Paleopony period. Good year, ah reckon, almost as old as ah am!”

“Just tea, is fine, Granny Smith,” Twilight assured, as Granny Smith went on, suggesting various foods, when she noticed a desk covered with maps of Equestria and certain locations, a few scrolls, a writing-quill in an inkwell.

“Y’don’t mind if ah eat, do ya?” Granny Smith asked but a hammering on the door interrupted Twilight as they heard somepony outside demanding for Granny Smith, who, along with Twilight, kept quiet and still, until they finally left.

“Ah’ve gotta git away from all these rascal relatives! Always on th’ bell, never givin’ me a moment’s peace! Ah wanna see mountains again, deep valleys, Twilight! Then find a nice, quiet place ta’ finish mah book. Oh, tea!”

As Granny Smith got the pot, Twilight asked, “So you’re really going through with this plan?”

“Yep, ev’rythin’s all set,” Granny Smith confirmed, “ah got it planned out.”

“Applebuck suspects something,” Twilight informed her as Granny Smith poured the tea.

“Well a’course he suspects! He’s an Apple! Not some spoiled brat Rich or a dim-bulb Doo.”

“You are going to tell him, are you?”

“Yes! I will…”

“He loves you very much.”

“…Ah know. He’d prob’ly come wit me, if’n ah asked ‘im,” Granny Smith answered, finally sounding a little more serious as she looked out the window.

“But in his heart, ah reckon Applebuck still loves Ponyville, and Sweet Apple Acres. Th’ woods, th’ meadows, th’ babblin’ creeks. Ah’m old, Twilight.”

She turned to face the unicorn as she went on, “Ah don’ lookit, but ah’m beginnin’ ta feel it in mah heart.”

Twilight noticed Granny Smith’s right hoof was covered with a hanky, but stepped awkwardly, as Granny Smith sat down.

“Ah feel… thin, stretched out even. Like butter scraped over too much bread… Ah’m needin’ time off. A lot’a time off. Ah afeared ah won’t come back. In fact… ah don’ plan ta’.”

A burst of green and silver brightened the night sky above Ponyville, raining down as it became a shower of gold and ruby glittering embers. Everypony was in good cheer, laughing, talking, dancing, singing, Applebuck danced, Granny Smith welcoming family, relatives, family friends, etc.

At one of the tables, sat a baby purple and green dragon as he looked shyly towards another one, only she was dancing merrily with everypony though she stole a glance at him, and he instantly averted his look. Applebuck went over, saying, “Go on, Spike! Ask Barb ta’ dance!”

“Um, I think I’ll just get more apple juice,” Spike excused but he found Applebuck’s hooves on his shoulders, spinning him around as he brayed, “Oh no ya don’t!”

And he playfully pushed him into the dance at the precise moment Barb reached out for her next dance partner and caught Spike’s hand, pulling him in as he nervously tried to keep up with the music. Applebuck laughed.

Twilight launched another firework, Granny Smith told some colts and fillies of her adventures, but as everypony partied, nopony noticed two colts, one a Pegasus with an orange coat and purple short mane, the other a marble white unicorn with swirly pink and lavender colored mane and tail sneak up to Twilight’s wagon where she had all her firworks.

The Pegasus colt hopped in while the unicorn colt kept watch, seeing Twilight light a firework that burst into dazzling swarm of butterfly embers, the colts and fillies trying to catch them.

“Hurry!”

“This one?”

“No, the big one!”

They took the biggest rocket in the bunch and into a tent where they lit it. Then the unicorn colt gasped!

“You’re supposed to stick it into the ground!”

“It is in the ground!”

“Outside!”

“This was your idea!”

“No it wasn’t!”

They argued too long and the rocket launched, taking the tent with it, covering both colts’ faces in burnt gunpowder, everypony taking notice. It almost disappeared from sight before it exploded into gold and scarlet flame, everypony clapping when they saw something manifest from the flames. It looked like a bird and it was beginning to dive at them, everypony started to back off.

“Granny Smith! Watch out fer th’ phoenix!” Applebuck cried out as he hurried to his grandmother.

“Horsefeathers, there ain’t been no phoenix ‘round these parts in a hundred years!” Granny Smith protested when Applebuck tackled her down, the fiery phoenix missing everypony as they’d all ducked and covered, before it rose back up, turned into a wheel of flame hurtling back upwards into the sky. Everypony looked up and saw the wheel of flame burst into many miniature rays of flaming sunlight, and they cheered.

“That was great!” said the Pegasus colt.

“Let’s get another,” agreed the unicorn colt.

But they found themselves rising off the ground and a stern voice, “Scootaroll and Sweepy Beau.”

They peered over their shoulders and saw Twilight given them a look that made them forget to breath.

“I might have known.”

As punishment for stealing the rocket, setting it off improperly, thereby endangering everypony, as well as ruining the grand finale, Twilight forbade Scootaroll and Sweepy Beau from participating further in the party and had them washing all dishes.

Though they were able to listen as everypony called out to Granny Smith, “Speech! Speech, Granny Smith!”

As the words echoed, Granny Smith went up to a platform prepared for her, (though she’d requested a rocking chair since it was getting late and her tired) everypony clopping, cheering until it died down as Granny Smith declared, “Fillies n’ gentlecolts a’ Ponyville! T’day is th’ 111th Annual Apple Family Reunion!”

Everyone cheered again until it died down and Granny Smith continued.

“Thow ah reckon even eleventy-one years is too short a time ta’ get ta’ know such’a wonderful family, its friends and nay-bors… sharin’ mem’ries, good and bad…”

Though no one thought of it, Granny Smith reached into a pocket on her skirt and then quickly covered both her forehooves under her apron, though Twilight and Applebuck noticed.

“Ah… have things ta’ see to.”

To herself she whispered, “Ah’ve put this off fer fah too long.”

Then aloud, she said, “Ah’m sad ta’ say… mah time has come. Ah bid y’all a very fond farewell.”

Then Granny Smith met Applebuck’s eyes and whispered, “Goodbye.”

And just like that, Granny Smith vanished in the blink of an eye! At once, everypony gasped and cried in fear. Everypony started going to and fro in a mad quest to find her.

The door to Granny Smith’s cottage opened then closed, and she appeared in the way, chuckling to herself as she held a gold horseshoe, feeling rather pleased with herself, then putting it back into her pocket. Grabbing a walking stick, she walked into the living room to prepare when a voice said, “I suppose you’re feeling rather clever right now.”

“Twilight!” Granny Smith gasped, seeing the unicorn mare leaning against the top of the fireplace. “Ah, come on, sugarcube! Th’ looks on their faces-”

“There are many magic horseshoes in the world, Granny Smith,” Twilight rebuked, “and I think Starswirl would agree with me that none of them should be used lightly.”

“It was just’a bit’o fun,” insisted Granny Smith. “Oh… but yer right, ah s’pose. Yer jus’ like yer teacher.”

She grabbed a brush from fireplace’s mantelpiece, asking, “Ya will look after Applebuck?”

“Constantly, so long as I am free to,” Twilight promised.

Granny Smith sighed, taking her book and placing it on her desk.

“Applejack should be here, but he’s needed elsewhere. Well, ah leave Sweet Apple Acres t’him when he returns but this cottage, and ev’rythang init? Goes ta’ Applebuck.”

“And that horseshoe, is it staying as well?” Twilight asked with a raised tone.

“Yes, yes,” Granny Smith waved off, “it’s in an envelope on th’ mantlepiece.”

As Twilight looked, Granny Smith stuttered, “W-wait, it’s… no it’s here. Still in mah pocket.”

She pulled it out, holding it delicately in her hooves.

“Don’t that beat all? …And... what duz it matter? Why shouldn’t ah keep it?”

“I feel you should leave the shoe… Is it so hard?”

“No! …Yes.” grumbled Granny Smith, her voice uncharacteristically low and ominous. “Now that it’s down to it, ah’m reconsiderin’. It’s mahn. I found it, it came to me!”

“You needn’t be cross, Granny Smith,” assured Twilight.

“If’n ah’m cross it’s yer fault!” snapped Granny Smith harshly. She kept her orange eyes on the shoe, hungry and cold.

“It’s mahn. Mah own… Mah precious…!”

“Precious…?! It’s been called that before, but never by you,” Twilight stated in dread.

“It ain’t yor business of what ah do wit’ mah own property!” shrieked Granny Smith as she whirled around at Twilight.

“Apple Smith!” thundered Twilight, her horn blazed with magic as everything seemed to darken and a chill blew through the cottage, Granny Smith fearfully backing into a wall.

“Don’t dare accuse me a con mane who resorts to parlor tricks! I am not trying to rob you!”

Then the light came back, it was warm again, and Twilight said with a warmth of concern in her eyes and voice, “I’m trying to help you.”

At once, Granny Smith was overcome with remorse, tears threatening to flow from her cheeks, her lower lip quivering, as she sought and received a hug from Twilight. Then to her, Twilight spoke encouragingly, “All these years, you and my teacher were dearest of friends. Trust me as once you trusted him. Let it go.”

“Yer right, Twilight,” stated Granny Smith, her voice sounding herself again. “The shoe must pass to Applebuck.”

She grabbed her saddlebags stocked with provisions, her walking stick, and ambled for the door, opening it as she said, “It’s late, th’ road’s long. It is time.”

But before she could step out, Twilight said, “Granny Smith.”

She looked to the unicorn.

“The shoe is still in your pocket.”

“A’course…” Granny Smith replied as she fished it out. She stood there, the shoe in hoof, though she seemed calm as she slowly tilted her hoof, one only had to look into her eyes to see turmoil. Even so, the horseshoe fell from her hoof, landing on the floor. She quickly stepped out into the night, taking a deep breath.

“Ah’ve thought’a th’ perfect endin’ fer mah book: ‘And she lived happily ever after, to th’ end a’ her days’.”

“And I’m sure you will,” Twilight said as she took Granny Smith’s hoof warmly in her own.

“Happy trails, Twilight,” she replied warmly, and at once, Twilight saw she seemed older than she had but a mere moment ago.

“Goodbye, Granny Smith,” replied Twilight fondly. She watched Granny Smith as she walked down the road. She watched until the darkness of the night took her away into its mysterious embrace. Then to herself, she whispered, “Until next we meet.”

Twilight stepped into the doorway of the cottage, looking down on the horseshoe. A chill crept up her spine to the tip of her horn as ever so slowly did she bend down, and even slower did she reach down with her hoof. But at the first and most merest of touches did her hoof make upon the horseshoe did a horrifying flash make Twilight back away from it.

A pair of eyes, red, green, she could tell not which, wreathed in a purplish miasma.

She started a fire and warmed herself as she puzzled, Granny Smith’s words bothering her.

Mah own. Mah precious…!