The Black Book

by side-fish

Rating: teen
Tags: Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Comedy, Adventure, Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia, Dark
Length: 6389

Two journalists of the Hoofington Post travel to Ponyville to solve the mysteries of the black book

The mark of a Hoofington Post investigative journalist
1. Planning ahead
2. Being Resourceful
3. Doing whatever it takes
4. Always having a plan B

Categories: Humor, Mystery

Published 2012-03-17 18:24:02 UTC
Last updated 2012-04-07 16:00:51 UTC

Chapter 1: We're in the Manehattan Times

The Black Book

Prologue

It started out with the delivery of a familiar package in front of the tree house. Spike had opened the door and was greeted by Ponyville’s beloved mailmare. “Hi Ditzy.”

“Hi Spike! I got a package here for Twilight.” She opened up her saddlebag to revealing a series of slender packages. Spike looked at her, head tilting. “Uh… Ditzy, that’s the window your facing.”

Ditzy Doo was a well-known clutz due to her trademark eyes. True enough, her clumsiness was attributed this ‘disability’. Miraculously, her eyes do not seem to affect her job as the mailmare as she has grown accustomed to them, sometimes even proud to have such a talent. “Please Spike, call me Derpy!” She said with a smile.

“Uh… Derpy, you’re talking to a bush.”

The mailmare parted ways and went straight for her next delivery. Spike went back inside carrying the packages stacked in his arms. He directly climbed the stairs to the second floor until she reached the private study room where Twilight was in. “Twilight! The books are here.” He immediately put down the stacked package to the table where Twilight had been reading. Twilight turned her head to her dragon assistant. “Good job, Spike.”

She gave her thanks as the dragon assistant headed back to the ground level to resume his chores. Twilight remained in her study room. She bookmarked the page before closing the book with her magic. “Okay, let’s see what the mail got for us today.” She carefully unwrapped the package revealing a book underneath.

Once in a while, Twilight would get packages containing these books. They were donations from various organizations or even anonymous ponies that somehow no longer find use to these stacks of paper. That said, the books had some considerable age in them or second-hoof to put it simply. To Twilight, it did not matter. Books are books and in fact the older they are, the more Twilight thought they were of historical importance in some manner. What made it more exciting was that the books themselves will become part of her library’s growing collection.

The afternoon was uneventful. The sun had already set. Twilight barely left the room as she continued to study these books. She had gotten out of the room a few times, but only when Spike called her it was supper. Otherwise, she only left when she had to go to the toilet.

Spike had switched the lights off at the ground. The library had just closed as Spike slowly climbed up the stairs to see that the unicorn was still hard at work on her desk. Spike was not surprised though. Being Twilight’s assistant, this should not really surprise him. “Still hitting the books?” He asked even if he knew.

“I’m gonna be little late, Spike.” She replied, her concentration on the book than to the one she was talking with.

“Oh… just take care of yourself, Twi. Wouldn’t want you to end up like the mailmare.”

“Spike, that’s not a nice thing to say.”

“I’m just saying. Good night.” With that, Spike went immediately for bed as Twilight continued on her reading.

Twilight was now burning midnight oil. She never left her chair as she pressed on with the books. Sure, she was tired, and she wanted to rest, but reading books was more than just a simple hobby. It was a passion and she did not become the town’s librarian if not for it. The day she would lose interest in the things she loved would be the day she stops being Twilight Sparkle.

She made an audible yawn, tiredness showing on face. “The things I do for books.” Finally, she closed the last page with her magic. There were still a couple more, but even she knew that she would not be able to read them all, especially in such a tired state. She looked right through one more tempting package. “Perhaps one more book.” She soon levitated the package and uncovered the wrappers.

“That’s strange.” Twilight put the book in front of her. It was a thin soft-bounded black book. It had no title and no author. It was just a simple plain black book. This was strange to Twilight. Over the course of her stay in Ponyville, she would receive books donated to her, some were novels, others were textbooks, and some were collections, but a blank book? “This is going to the garbage.” She said. But perhaps she should not, she remembered her lesson about judging a book by its cover when she first met Zecora. “Perhaps one peek wouldn’t hurt.” And so, she used her horn to flip the book to the first page. Much to her dismay, she found nothing. She flipped the succeeding pages. “This can’t be right.” It was a rather slim book, so she managed to flip the last page quickly. “This isn’t right at all. Unless…” It was a stretch, but it could work.

Her horn began to glow. Perhaps there was spell needed and that all it took was a spark. With just enough concentration, something started appearing in the book. She had done it. Words were finally appearing. “Finally.” She breathed a sigh of relief. But just when she thought of releasing the spell, she only found herself to concentrate even more. “What’s going on?” She could not release her eyes from the book for some reason. It was as if something was taking a hold of her. More and more words started appearing within the book, words that turned into figures that turned into drawings.

Then a bright flash of light, accompanied by a chilling scream…

Chapter 1

Canterlot market was a vibrant place teaming with ponies even on weekdays. Many ponies from all places flocked here to shop or dine. It was not fine dining or 1st class shopping, but that was perhaps a good thing. The market was popular because it was accessible. It has been this way for the past hundreds of years, an unofficial landmark as anypony would say.

“Watch it.” One of the passers-by said as she was unintentionally pushed to the side by familiar grey pony with a straight greyish mane.

“I’m sorry.” Octavia replied.

Octavia had rushed in the crowded market occasionally hitting somepony as she looked back. She eventually hid at one of the market stalls. Her heart was racing. She swore she was being followed by somepony. She did not know who or what. She was on her way home, but half-way through, constant hoofsteps were behind her which gave her the impression that she was being followed. She immediately diverted her initial course. It occurred to her that maybe it’s a harmless pony asking for directions or perhaps a friend, but what if it was a stalker, a killer or worse…

“Journalists.” She whispered as she finally saw for the first time who was chasing her. It was a young stallion earth pony. He had a dark brown mane and a brown coat. His cutie mark resembled a camera with a red light glowing supposedly on the upper left corner of it. Not surprisingly, he held with him a camera that was strapped to his neck. And an ID card with an Ω or the symbol of an inverted hoof. The Hoofington Post, she thought. Other than that, there seemed to be no one else that followed her. Perhaps she could give him the slip.

Without saying a word, she slowly crawled her way out of the market, preferring to stick to the sides. It was a bit demeaning, but with a crowded place like Canterlot market, she was just a face in the crowd. Slowly maneuvering the stalls, making sure no one would notice her. Once in a while, she would peek at the her follower, who was still there searching around the market. She eventually found herself leaving the market and sped to her way back home. She lived in a small apartment. She hurried her way to the third floor where her home was. Opening her door with the keys in her saddlebag, she hurriedly came inside and locked the door. She leaned at the door, relieved that her ordeal was over.

Or so she thought. She heard faint whistling coming from inside her apartment. Her eyes widened in fear. Someone was in her home. She slowly rose to her hooves making small steps. She had realized that whoever was whistling, it definitely sounded feminine. Whoever was in her home was definitely not the colt that had been following her previously. She slowly approached the origin of the voice, which seemed to be coming from the kitchen. She made an audible gulp before finally showing herself in.

There was definitely somepony in the kitchen. A female earth pony with a yellowish coat and a wavy light-brownish mane appeared to be baking something in her kitchen. When she thought about it, she never used the kitchen before, so seeing somepony using the place actually made her a bit satisfied knowing that it finally found some use. But that did not matter, the more pressing fact was that there was a stranger inside her home.

“I hope you don’t mind I let myself in.” The stranger replied, facing away her as she watched baked goods in the oven. “I borrowed the key.” She pointing with one hoof to an object adjacent her.

Octavia was surprised. There was only one copy of her apartment key. She was in fact, carrying it with her right now. She used it to get inside. How did she have key? Then she noticed the mare’s cutiemark. It was a cloud. Wait a minute, I’ve seen that cutiemark before. She then recalled what happened earlier…

“Watch it!” Said the mare to Octavia, who was unintentionally pushed by her. Simultaneously, she carefully reached in the unsuspecting mare’s saddlebag to grab the key and a few personal items.

“I’m sorry.” The grey earth pony replied as she forced her way inward to the crowded streets of the market. She did not even notice that her keys had been taken. The other mare walked over to a locksmith, which was conveniently in the market. While waiting for the key to be duplicated, she opened the wallet that she had also taken from the grey earth pony, reading some of the personal information written in her Canterlot identification card.

While, hiding behind one of the stalls, Octavia peeked to see the stallion journalist, unaware that the same mare that she bumped prior was behind her. She had finished duplicating the key and slowly inserted the items she had taken earlier. The mare then left the market with ease. There was certainly going to be some time before Octavia could get out.

Octavia stood speechless. She felt uneasy at the realization. She should be mad, but she felt more fear than fury.

“Right. I’m baking some muffins. I hope I still got the recipe right.”

“Who are you?”

The oven rang. The stranger carefully opened the door as she let the muffins out. “I’m surprised you forgot.” She put the tray to the table finally revealing her face. But it was not the face that irked Octavia, it was the fact that she too wore an ID card on the side. She was from the Hoofington Post as well. “Our interview.”

Of course. This was what this is all about. Octavia had purposely skipped the interview with the Hoofington Post the other day due to her personal issues. She may have no trouble performing to a crowd with a group of ponies, but she had some confidence problems when she was on her own. Octavia slowly stepped backwards, visibly shaking. “N-No.”

“No?”

“Please understand. I’m not comfortable with interviews.” She said nervously, somehow projecting a sense of vulnerability. Luckily, the stranger took notice to that.

“I see. Well in that case, you should have told us. If you would prefer a written interview, that would be good enough.”

If anything, Octavia felt a bit relieved. Octavia was a mare of few words. “I suppose that’s alright.”

The stranger took a muffin and offered it to her. “No thanks.” replied Octavia. The stranger shrugged as she took a bite. “I’ve left the questions in the living room. It would be nice if we could hear a reply from you soon.”

Octavia nodded. “Will you be here long?” She asked.

The other mare was quick to respond. “Not long. Let me just fix-up the kitchen and then I’m done.”

“Well, I guess while you’re here, I will take my leave.” Octavia said politely before leaving the apartment. She was now walking along the hallway.

FLASH!

“AHHHH!!!” Octavia screamed, confused from the sudden flash that seemed to have come from a camera. The flash had affected her vision. She slowly moved backwards, away from the flash. Unfortunately, directly behind her was an open window.

Premier Cellist falls three stories in Canterlot home

CANTERLOT (MT)– In an unfortunate event, Octavia, the lead cellist at the Canterlot orchestra survived a fall from her home apartment and was rushed to Canterlot General Hospital yesterday afternoon from a shocking visit by members of the press.

“The victim suffered a broken neck, a few shattered ribs and a broken backleg.” Octavia’s doctor stated. “She won’t be able to play her cello for a couple of months. She’s very traumatized about this.”

Police have arrested two journalist for their alleged involvement. Hazel Shroud and Snapshot of the Hoofington Post were escorted to the precinct but were soon released after the police confirmed that the incident occurred after the break-in. “To put it bluntly, it was an accident. The victim said that she will not file charges on the two.” The investigator said.

The unorthodox method of the two journalist has called into question the ethics practiced by the country’s media…

“… The Canterlot Ethics Committee has called for a revision of the standards.” The stallion, dressed in a tie, had read enough as he threw a newspaper on a table in front of Hazel and Snapshot. “What do you have to say?”

“Perhaps we overdid it.” Hazel replied.

“We’re in the Manehattan Times?” Snapshot asked in shock.

“We’re in every major newspaper!”

“Oh.” Snapshot muttered. His mood was gloomier now.

“Well, if there’s any consolation, we’re not in the front page of every newspaper.” Hazel countered.

“That’s not the point.”

Hazel looked over at her assistant’s general direction. “Snaps, you should go. I’ll handle this.”

“You sure?”

“Go on.” She said adding a confident smile as if to say everything is okay. Snapshot stood up and looked at the colt in front of them. “I’m sorry.” He then left the room.

When they were now alone, Hazel broke the silence. “You should go easy on him, Ed. He’s a novice. He’s hardly been here a year. Three months even.”

“Yeah? Well for someone who’s new, I never thought we could get in so much trouble. I mean the orchestra might file a case against us so that they could be compensated. The paper is already paying for the victim’s hospital bills.”

“Oh that’s nothing. Come on, Ed. When we first started, we weren’t so different from Snapshot, were we? I mean I remember my first assignment.” She then made a hearty laugh.

Ed recalled his first assignment. To Hazel’s relief, he also chuckled. “Yeah, those were funny times. I’m just glad I wasn’t severely repriman-” Ed looked at Hazel’s eyes. She seemed to have made her point. “You know what, you’re right.” Ed audibly sighed in front of Hazel. “Things aren’t the same as they used to, I guess. Before, we could do anything we could just to get the story, and still get away with it. Now, it’s ethics this, ethics that.”

“We’ve had our fair share of adventures, Ed. With this new standards revision, we’ll perhaps be considered dinosaurs. But yes. Times are changing, I suppose.”

Ed chuckled slightly at the dinosaur comment. “It’s a shame. Anyway, try to stay out of trouble next time. Both of you.”

“AHHHH!!!” A scream was heard, followed by a loud thud.

Three stories above, two ponies looked down to the unconscious mare. A crowd was starting to gather.

“You think we overdid it, Hazel?... Hazel?”

Hazel suddenly woke up from the brief nap. “Yeah?” He said in a somewhat hurried tone.

“Ed’s mad at me, isn’t he?” Snapshot asked. Both he and Hazel were now in their office.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Ed. He’s mad at me.”

“Come on, now. He’s not mad. He just doesn’t want you to get into any more trouble. That’s all.”

“What about you?”

“Me? I’m not mad. Sure you may have cost us the interview but that doesn’t really matter.”

“It’s just… I don’t know. To work under a veteran such as yourself. I truly am honoured. It strives me to do better. I thought I could impress you if I could get that picture. Had no idea it would backfire.”

“That’s okay. I know you were. But you have to understand that you don’t have to. You will get there. After all, with age comes experience. I’ve been there. Believe me. I do hope we have learned something from this little fiasco.”

Snapshot smiled. “Yes ma’am.” He emphasized it with bold letters.

“That’s what I like about you Snaps. Enthusiasm, and an undying spirit.”

Hazel then looked back to her table to resume her work. It was a current case she had been working for the past few months now and all she had to work with was a book that had been given to her by an anonymous informant. She looked over a small table shelf where she had placed that same book, but something was wrong. Where did it go, she thought to herself. She knew that before she left for Canterlot, she remembered explicitly that she placed that book on the shelf. So why was it not there? It was just beside a stack of books that she told Snapshot to give away. The books belonged to a co-office worker but the colleague had asked her to donate it for her.

Oh dear . Hazel finally realized what might have happened, but she still hoped for another scenario.

“Snapshot?” Hazel asked with a bit of a fright. Snapshot responded by looking back to her with a puzzled look. “Uhm… well… did you see a black book on my shelf. You know… the one with a blank cover.”Please say you didn’t give it away. Please say you didn’t give it away.

“I gave it away with the other books, just like you said.”

Back in his office, Ed continued fixing some papers, minding his own business.

“WHAT?!” The ground shook as the voice reverberated in the building.

“Go easy on him Ed, my flank.” He simply said as he took a sip of coffee.

Authors Note: My first FiMfic. Anyway, I want to discuss about the updates. Updates will be monthly 'til the 1st week of May due to work-related reasons. After which, updates will hopefully be more frequent =).

Chapter 2: He's a Bad Luck Magnet

Author's note: Made some minor changes in the first chapter, mostly on the OC characters' background, but it's only minor. I know I said I'd update monthly, but I thought of updating a week ahead. Happy Easter.

Chapter 2

The following day, Hazel went early to work. She had explained to Ed of her intentions. The day prior was one big wake-up call. She needed that book. I don’t even know why I’m saying this, Hazel thought. She had read the book, or she could not read it. There was nothing inside of it. Hazel knew she was missing something. Why would she be given an empty book and be told to that it was important? Perhaps magic was within the pages. She was about to consult a unicorn professor at the local university, until she was assigned to train Snapshot a few months ago. That took away some of her precious time. Perfect timing, she thought. If there was any consolation to this, she did enjoy training him, and he was quite the charmer. Professionally though, he was more of a liability than asset. Also, Twilight Sparkles, as it turned out, was a unicorn. And not just a unicorn, she was the princess’ protégé, and a bearer of the element of magic. If she could get her thoughts on the book, then it would be hitting two birds with one stone. Of course, the fact that she was the princess’ protégé was also a problem. Living overseas or outside of Equestria for five years was courtesy of the princess. She immediately cast those feelings aside. That’s not going to happen again, she thought. Times have changed, and these past few years have definitely changed her for the better…. Well… better according to her standards anyway.

She had made a short trip to the local library and found a lead. When Ed had finally given her his approval, Hazel walked back to her office to get Snapshot. There was no reprimand of any sort. What was done was done. Hazel simply told Snapshot to pack her saddlebags, accompany her to the train station and purchase two tickets for the next train to Ponyville.

Snapshot was happy with the trip. It felt like a vacation, even if it was purely a business trip. Of course business was still business, but if their only objective was to retrieve a misplaced document, that would have left them a lot of free-time to spare. Perhaps this really was a vacation, even if it would just be an overnight stay. They needed it after all, especially after the Canterlot incident.

“I wish my parents were here. They always wanted to settle down in Ponyville.” Snapshot said blankly. “It’s a shame they’re dead.”

Of course mentioning one’s own parents is one thing, to say they are-

“Dead?”

“Yeah. My mother was crushed by a stampede just to bring me to school, and my dad…

Colt burned alive during Summer Sun Celebration, leaves colt orphaned

FILLYDELPHIA, Equestria - A stallion has accidentally set himself on fire for trying to impress his son by launching fireworks just before sunrise. One of the fireworks misfired, creating a chain reaction that caused other fireworks to go off at the wrong time…

“Wait a minute… that was the year the Princess declared a fireworks ban on the Summer Sun Celebration.”

“You can say that.”

Hazel was surely getting some insight about his assistant. Perhaps it was the little details that she may have missed before, but she may have pieced together the puzzle that was Snapshot. She had only one conclusion. Snapshot was a bad luck magnet. It would perhaps explain the death of his parents, Canterlot, and the mix-up she’s currently in. Perhaps, he was under some kind of curse. What if she falls victim next? It was quite likely, though.

The train’s whistle blew loudly. They had arrived in Ponyville train station. After alighting the train, they continued to walk toward the gate.

“Train stations, you always get the feeling of being watched.”

“Strange. I don’t feel anything.”

“Perhaps you’re right.”

“Where are we going again?”

“Ponyville library, but we need to check-in to the inn first.”

As they reached out of the gate, Snapshot picked out a map of the town proper. “You never told me what’s in the book.”

“Well, I can’t really tell you, Snaps.”

“Are you still mad at me, Hazel? I said I was sorry.”

“It’s not that, dear. It’s something I’ve been working on for a couple of months. It’s a solo thing. And besides, it’s a long story.” Hazel argued.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, boss, but we’ve got all day.”

“There’s really no way for me to take you out of this, huh?”

Snapshot shook her head. “No ma’am.”

“Fine. Tell you what, I’ll tell you everything I know about it when we get back to the office. Deal?”

“Deal.”

“Hello?” Hazel continued to knock with Snapshot just behind her. They were already just outside the library. The walk here from the inn did not take long. Ponyville was not exactly a large town. One could traverse its outskirts with relative ease. Walking was just the easy part, however. Hazel was never really a patient mare, often doing something so that she could at least get some results.

“Anybody home?” She continued.

Then again, she may just have to wait… or maybe not.

She continued to knock on the door, hoping someone would hear her.

“Looks like nobody’s home.” Snapshot said.

“Well I’m not giving up that easily.”

“I’m just saying we could just come back later.”

“We need to go back to Hoofington soon.” She continued knocking on the door.

“We’re going back tomorrow anyway. We’ve got plenty of time to ask later.”

“Well I for one don’t understand why a public library is closed on a weekday. And it’s almost midday. It’s preposterous.”

“Ahem.”

Hazel and Snapshot looked to find that the door was now open, in front of them stood a young purple dragon. Hazel had been knocking on the door that she had not realized that she had been knocking on the dragon’s head. “Do you mind? Some are trying to sleep.” He said grouchily.

Hazel straightened herself out. “Sleep? At 10 a.m. in the morning?” Hazel asked.

The purple dragon rubbed his eyes off. “Sorry. I was awake all night. Anyway, I’m Spike.” He said trying to sound cheerful. “You must be new here. What brings you to Ponyville library?”

“Actually, I came to see Ms. Twilight Sparkles. You see, there was a mix-up with one of the donations. It’s a black book with a plain cover.”

The dragon was a bit hesitant. Hazel was worried about this. “I hate to break it to you guys, but my boss isn’t here right now. That’s why library’s closed.”

“Pardon?”

“Where is she?” Snapshot asked.

“She’s in the hospital. I found her lying on the floor early in the morning. She’d been reading the books that were delivered. I told her not to overdo it. I just came home from the hospital. Anyway, I can’t really give you what you want unless Twilight says so.”

Hazel made a small sigh. “I see.”

“Don’t worry guys. I’ll tell her the first thing when she comes home.”

Spike then closed the front door.

“What now?” Snapshot asked.

“We’re gonna be here longer than I thought.”

“We should go to the bank.”

"I agree."

The mood at Ponyville Hospital was generally light. Lunch break was less than an hour away and there were not a lot of patients to deal with either. A few of the staff had taken advantage of the lean hours to get an early lunch. Some did not have that luxury though as a doctor approached one of the rooms at the third floor. He had entered the room seeing the patient already awake in her bed. She had been mingling to the five visitors accompanied her when she was checked in. “Glad to see you up, Twilight. I see you’re in a talking mood today.”

“I feel much better already doctor.” She said, almost sounding relaxed.

“You gave us quite a scare there, but a little rest and you could check out perhaps later in the day.”

“Oh that’s wonderful news, doctor.” Rarity replied.

“Well, she’s lucky to have five good friends at her side.”

“Aw shucks. Twi would’ve done the same for us.”

Twilight smiled to that. "Thanks Applejack."

“Don’t forget Spike! Hadn’t he called us, I mean who knows whatever could’ve happened to Twilight. I mean my Pinkie-sense didn’t act up, so I wouldn’t have known and I wouldn’t have told you guys. But luckily, Spike called us.”

“We get it already Pinkie.” Rainbow Dash sighed.

Fluttershy then came up to Twilight. “We’re just glad you’re okay now Twilight.”

“Thank you all. This really means a lot to me.”

“Okay ladies. Time to give Twilight some rest. You’ll be seeing her soon after she checks out later in the day.”

“Well that sounds about right, doctor”, said Rarity. “We don’t want to be a bother.”

Everypony agreed to that. Twilight looked on as, one by one, her friends departed the room.

The five were accompanied by a nurse on-station. She escorted them until they reached the lobby. But before they could reach the main doors, the pink earth pony felt a tingling sensation around her body. The other four took notice one by one. “Pinkie sense.” The rest simultaneously replied.

“What is it, sugarcube?”

“I’m not sure. I usually get this feeling when-” Pinkie looked at the lobby counter. “Ahhh!!!”

“So let me get this straight. Your special talent is sneaking up on ponies.”

“Well if you say it like that, you make it sound so bad. Keeping a low profile is what I prefer to call it. Having a keen awareness.” Hazel explained as they enter the hospital lobby.

“What does it have to do with a loot?” Snapshot pointed to her cutie mark.

“I… really… don’t know. Maybe it’s something about me being good at surprises?” Hazel suggested, putting on a smile, which seemed to look slightly tense to Snapshot.

“Are you hiding something from me?”

“Oh look, the hospital.”

The visit to the hospital was meant to be quick. They had seen pegasus guards carry the royal carriage along the way, its course, apparently toward the town library. With an escort like that and in such short notice, both concluded only one thing. The royal princesses of Equestria were on a surprise visit in Ponyville. That or Snapshot was ruining her good karma. Snapshot was not surprised by this though. It was common journalistic knowledge that Twilight Sparkle is the Princess’ personal student and a visit to Ponyville would somehow involve her personal student in some degree.

The two approached for the lobby receptionist. “Miss Sparkle’s room.”

“One moment.” Said the receptionist as she looked to her checklist.

While waiting, Hazel felt a strange feeling overwhelm her. She had only felt this once since her prior visit to Ponyville, yet she could not put a hoof on it. Then it came. Five mares headed towards the main entrance, one of them she immediately recognized. “Pinkie Pie.”

“What was that?”

Hazel continued looking at the group without making it look obvious. She then noticed the Pink earth pony experiencing some kind of twitch-like sensation. “Snaps, please tell me this isn’t your first visit to Ponyville.”

“Actually, yes it is. Why do you ask?”

“Oh dear.”

“What?”

Three… two… one.

The pink pony instantly looked at their general direction. “Ahhh!!!” Both Hazel and Snapshot were shaken by the pink pony’s sudden scream. She approached at incredible speed.

“I haven’t seen you in a long time. Omigosh! Omigosh! Omigosh!” Pinkie then looked at the other earth pony beside Hazel. “And you must be new here! Don’t worry, I’m gonna throw the biggest bestest welcome party for you!”

All Snapshot could mutter was a simple… “What?”

“That’s great and all, Pinkie.” Hazel started. “But we won’t be long.”

“Pinkie, who are these people?” Rarity inquired.

Applejack took a good look at the female earth pony. “Well I’ll be. You’re that reporter that went over ‘ta the Apple farm ‘ta write about the annual Ponyville Ciderfest a few years back.”

Cider Festival brings ponies from all corners of Equestria

PONYVILLE, Equestria – Long lines begin to form outside Sweet Apple Acres as the annual cider-fest that happens every October begins later today.

“I reckon’ we’re gonna break our old record last year. Them lines are definitely longer.” said Applejack, a local farmer. “This used ‘ta be a local tradition. I never imagined it could turn into something like this!”

The Ciderfest, well known to Ponyville locals, have also caught the attention of ponies from as far as Las Pegasus…

“Hazel. That’s your name, ain’t it?” She recalled.

“Yes. It’s nice to see you too… Applejack. That’s the one. Anyway, this is my assistant Snapshot. We’re from the Hoofington Post.”

“Hello everybody.” Snapshot greeted.

AJ chuckled slightly. “Silly me. Let me introduce you ‘ta my friends. I’m sure you already know Pinkie Pie.”

“Yes. She drank a barrel of cider. How can I forget?”

“Yeah, she was intoxicated for a week. Anyway, this is Fluttershy.” This was followed by a hello from the Pegasus.

“Next is Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow Dash approached the two ponies. “Nice to have you in Ponyville.”

“Last but not least, this is Rarity.”

“Oh my.” Rarity started excitedly. “The Hoofington Post. It is such an honor to be at the presence of members from a great newspaper. Perhaps you could do an article about my boutique. It would definitely help with the business.”

“No way, Rare. I want them to first write about my awesome flying skills to be known around Equestria. I’m sure that’s gonna get the attention of the Wonderbolts.”

The two ponies continued with their debate while the two journalists looked to the yellow pegasus with the pink mane. “You seem awfully quiet about this.”

“Me? Oh no. I don’t like to impose or anything. I mean it’s great to be in the newspaper, but I’m not quite comfortable with all the publicity.”

“What brings y’all here to Ponyville anyway?”

They both looked at each other, Hazel giving her assistant a stare. “It’s a long story.”

The receptionist soon found what she was looking for on the checklist. “Ah yes. Room 309.”

“Thank you.” She then looked to the five. “We really must be going now.”

The two shook hooves at the five friends before leaving them. “You’d think the Hoofington Post is so popular, they’d actually know yesterday’s news.” Snapshot remarked. They then proceeded inside.

The five ponies immediately left the building after parting ways with the two journalist.

“They seem nice.” Fluttershy started.

“Well I do hope she reconsiders my request. The Hoofington Post is only the second most popular newspaper in Equestria after the Manehattan Times. Imagine all the orders I could get. A good review here could mean big.”

“An article about my awesomeness here would be bigger.”

“Will you two knock it off! They did say they ain’t stayin’ here fer long.”

“Easy for you to say, Applejack. You already got your chance in the spotlight.”

“I’m just saying Rare.”

“Well I know I’m going to throw Snapshot one big party, even if she won’t stay long.”

“It’s a shame they would visit the hospital. I mean I would feel bad for whoever they’re visiting.”

“Applejack, what room did they say they were visiting again?” Rarity inquired.

“If I heard it right, I think it was Room 309.”

Applejack overheard the room number they intended to visit. It did not register at first, but why do those numbers sound familiar.

“It’s strange. That room number seems strangely familiar though.” Rainbow replied.

It did. Applejack thought she had just seen that number. They were just at the third floor, after all. She suddenly stopped her pace. “Wait a minute! That’s Twilight’s room!”

The other four stopped dead on their hooves and looked to each other on the sudden realization.

“Should we go back?”

“That would be a great idea my little ponies.”

The five ponies were surprised to be in the presence of the two alicorns along with their escorts.

“Perhaps our stay in Ponyville will be much longer than I’ve previously thought.” Hazel said as two were in the presence of Ponyville librarian in her sleeping form.

“I call lunch.”

“Perhaps. Nothing we can do from here.”

Snapshot looked over the young mare. “Boss, look at this.” He pointed just over the purple mare’s head, slightly concealed between her right ear and mane. Hazel quickly came to him, seeing it for herself. “Burn marks. Highly unrecognizable though.”

“What do you think it is?” Snapshot asked.

“I’m not sure. Take a photo of it. Perhaps we can look at it later.”

Taking a photo took an incredible amount of skill. For starters, there were two ways to take a picture with a camera. One was by using fixed supports attached to the pony’s shoulders. These would hold the camera. The other way was without them. A camera was strapped around Snapshot’s neck. One had to literally stand in two legs to hold the camera, creating a balance problem for a four-legged creature. Luckily, Snapshot was one of the few that have mastered taking photos with just a single hoof. It was something he was proud, it was his cutiemark after all. It was also helpful that his camera had a timer. He held it in front of his face and took a picture. After the flash, the marking behind Twilight’s ear began to glow.

“Uh, boss?”

Hazel took notice. “I think we better leave.”

Without delay, Hazel and Snapshot reached for the door and were surprised to see who were behind it. Neither party moved an inch. Hazel and Snapshot simply stared the five mares they had met earlier, now accompanied by the royal sisters.

“You!” Both Princess Celestia and Hazel replied simultaneously.

“You know this mare?” Princess Luna asked.

Hazel composed herself more. “We’ve… shared… a history.”

Silence ruled the room yet again.

“Okay. This is awkward.” Rainbow Dash quietly said to her friends. They had always pictured the princess to be calm that projected a sense of confidence. So it was a surprise to see the princess in an uncomfortable position.

“Well… will you look at the time. It appears that noon has struck. If you’ll excuse us, we shall be taking… our… l-lunch.” Hazel replied as she made a bow before exiting.

Snapshot soon followed. “You’re majesty.” He made a quick bow to both of the princesses. Exiting his bow, he soon followed his employer.

There was again an awkward silence.

Finally, the princess of the night spoke. “Well, they seem… nice.” She said. “Wait a minute. Sister, were they not the ponies from yesterday’s news?”