Okay...I can do this, breathe in...And out....
No I can't I have to get out of here!!!
*SLAP!*
Ouch....
Okay...I'm good....
Oh! How rude of me! I did not introduce myself yet! Let me fix that right now!
My name is Peppermint Swirl, you can call me Pepper or even Minty if you want. I'm not really that noticeable compared to other ponies but I believe I stand out a bit if you look for me.
Like many of the ponies here I'm a Earth pony, my coat is mostly a soft pink shade except for my legs which are a deep red color. I have soft brown eyes that almost look like a maple syrup color and my mane is cut and styled short with the same red color as my legs but with white stripes in it and my slightly curly tail matches it and my namesake, the peppermint. And my cutie mark were two said mints neatly wrapped.
Normally I run a nice quiet herbal shop, not like the healing stuff or even Alchemy, I sell and grow herbs used in teas. While some teas may get healing properties from said herbs that is it. Of course I also have spices and other plants that are used in seasoning or flavoring foods and drinks. Some even like to use my raw herbs in special inks, though I have no clue what for, I am a gardener and business owner, not a scribe.
But alot has changed.
For one, the town I have lived in before has gone through a bad drought and I barely had enough to get by this growing season. So I took what I could into my cart-several live plants, seeds, and such- and began my journey to find a new place to settle down. It was two years before I heard of Ponyville and it's rich soil, and another year before I managed to get there and by the time I did the growing season had passed and I was exhausted from the long journey.
But luckily for me things picked up from there
After having a heated-almost fun-bartering for some of the land from the Apple Family I got a descent sized area for a home and my herbal garden. The soil wasn't rich enough for their apples but it was perfect for me and my plants. They also helped me with building my home and after a few lessons they easily helped me plant my herbs, while it was not the growing season they still had enough time to get use to the new land and then go into hibernation for the coming winter. Then I had gone into town and talked with the mayor about opening my own shop, it was more bits then I would like to have spend but I loved the place I had gotten. It had a sun roof that allowed sunlight in, perfect for any live plants that I would sell and there were three extra rooms besides the basement for me to use. Plus it was close to the other shops as well so I could be close enough for shopping ponies to come in and at least take a look.
And somehow....I don't know how, I managed to escape the radar of the infamous party pony Pinkie Pie....
Freaky....
And of course on my opening day of 'Pepper's Herbs and Spices' my first customer would soon become my best friend in this town...
Cherilee, the town's teacher
She had come in for some stress relieving teas that I had made, apparently this years group was quite the hoof full and she didn't want to go crazy handling them until they graduated. As I crushed and made the tea bags we chatted about all sorts of things, the foals she taught, the places I've been, our cutie marks...etc. We just clicked and I have never been so happy to have another pony who wasn't noesy or all about business around. And then I guess you could say my number one customer came a few months after that.
Spike the dragon.
He gets all sort of stuff for Twilight Sparkle and the others he talks about, mostly teas but also a few of my ink mixtures and maybe a few things that I personally don't wanna know what they were going to be used for...Probably something to save the world or the town, but like I said, I personally don't wanna know.
And of course I got along great with the Apple's, I mean, who wouldn't? They are such a nice group of ponies and their Granny Smith knows what it's like to be a no name farmer whose trying to start out in the world and such. Big Mac is also another one that I see often, usually with my friend Cherilee-to which I tease her about without any mercy- and he is much more talkative than everypony thinks, you just need to ask about something that interests him.
Which is usually farming/gardening, and sometimes Cherilee
Big surprise there....
And for many years my life went by -semi-peacefully and happily
Until recently anyway....
Cherilee seems to have caught something that not even magic can remove, she wasn't dying or anything but she would not be able to leave her house-let alone her bed-for months. And since the foals couldn't go that long without school somepony had to take her place.
The mayor asked me-I said no
Applejack asked me-I said no
BIG MAC asked me-I said NO!
Cherilee BEGGED me-Celestia dammit....
I had said yes...
And so I will teach the foals in the mornings until recess and lunch and then a another pony would take over after so I can still tend to my plants and my store. And so, here I was staring at the happy looking school house that almost seemed as scary as the Everfree at the moment...
Is it too late to turn around and leave town?
Probably....
Celestia dammit.....
Why can't anything be simple here?
