Chapter One - Meticulous Research, No Avail
Famine.
It’s a word everypony can’t avoid, not in the situation that we’ve been put in. It brings with it a sense of dread, the dying feeling in the pit of your stomach that your nightmares have been confirmed, that they have been given an official seal of disaster. No matter how hard you look, all you see are empty tables, hungry mouths, painfully apparent ribs. I’m trying to put a stop to it, but I’m no hero. There is only so much I can do. I try to research everything about crops, but as well as not being a hero, I’m also not a farmer. There are no spells that will help boost the crops, and the pegasi can only produce so much rain. Situations are drastic, and this reflects throughout the towns of our once happy, vibrant country.
“Twilight!” Spike calls. Somehow, seeing his still slightly chubby, sheepishly smiling face gives me a sense of familiarity in this scarily different world. Equestria is so different, we may as well be on another planet. It warms my heart to see that he is still relatively healthy, as long as there are gems to be found. I peer through the countless scrolls and books that clutter the floor to see his worried eyes, peering at me anxiously. I know he worries for my health too, but I’ve fared better than most, and can eat enough to continue research without collapsing, or resorting to… more desperate measures.
“H…Have you found anything? Want me to get any more…books?” he whispers, his eyes dropping to the ground, refusing to meet my gaze for fear of my hurt. But I instead smile gently, shaking my head and sighing.
“No, Spike, nothing yet. I’ve been through the whole library twice… I can’t bear being so helpless, so utterly useless to everypony!” I scold myself internally, silently remarking that I should not burden his young soul with depressing thoughts. But I can’t really fool myself, as much as I’d like to. Spike is very attentive, a trait which I had previously admired, but now resent, as he has learnt far too much about our situation than he needs to know. “You can take the rest of the day off, Spike. Thank you for your help, though.” He nods and pads away, looking back before closing the door, his eyes betraying his seemingly cheerful façade.
I suppose the famine has affected everyone, all in different ways. It’s impossible to ignore it, even if we wanted to. We thought it was a good sign when Equestria’s population grew, a sign of happy futures and long lives to come, filled with bustling towns and the constant sound of little hoof beats on the floor, but with new foals came the need for food, and as more ponies settled and had offspring, the food became a problem. We were sure it would be temporary, but it grew worse, and now, every day, ponies die. Our psyches are delicate, paper-thin, and we know if another disaster occurred, we would snap. Just like a twig, or a thin sheet of glass. It strikes fear, the word famine. And we can’t do anything about it. We’ve tried. Many have given up, but I’m still trying, because I know that if I don’t focus on research, I am of as much use as a broken twig, as a shattered pane of glass. There has to be a way to fix this, but without happiness, even my magic is weak. I haven’t been happy since I last saw my friends, but I can’t see them, not under the strict rules the Princess has set. Ponies are not to leave their homes, unless on royal business, or to buy whatever scarce amount of food can be ravaged at the violent and bloody market that still manages to continue every week. The Princess has changed, too. Whenever I am summoned to see her in court, the fine lines of stress etched in her brow signify the pressure put upon her, yet her healthy physique almost taunts me, jeers and mocks my sallow skin and ribs that nestle right against it, her radiant complexion shining even brighter against my dull coat, her eyes glistening whereas mine are dead with deep purple bags under them. She no longer speaks with a friendly tone, opting for the more official, business-like tone that I hate. She always asks the same – if I have found anything of interest, to which I can never really answer easily. I don’t want to disappoint my mentor, the wise, powerful Princess. But what can I do, when there is nothing to be found to help with our situation?
My eyes flicker over to a freshly printed newspaper, concealed slightly by a towering pile of books. I tug it out gently, making sure to be careful and avoid having to spend time and energy clearing up the masses of books that would come tumbling down if I made a false move. I stop short at the headline printed in bold, blocky letters.
‘SCIENTISTS IN CANTERLOT DISCOVER LINKS TO GENETICS OF CROPS THAT COULD SAVE LIVES’
I try to re-read the headline, again and again, making sense of the situation, trying to analytically run through what these scientists could have done. I tried to formulate a conclusion, but my agricultural knowledge was limited. But… If I talked to the Princess, maybe she would allow me to visit Applejack, to discuss these new theories – on behalf of the Princess herself? I can’t remember the last time I left my home to go somewhere other than the palace. Perhaps it would do me good to see a friend, a familiar face. I continued skimming through the article, picking up phrases and theories tied with the modification of genetics in crops, causing them to be grown quicker and in more steady, full supply, but with ill-effects such as lack of taste, irregularities and other problems along these lines. I am pretty sure that Equestria will eat anything, no matter how terrible it tastes, and what consequences they will face as a result of this.
