"Oaww no fair!"
The shrill cry of the bow-headed Crusader echoed through the back allies of Ponyville. Her opponent only smiled as he kept the ball out of the yellow filly´s reach. Turning around he bucked the ball between the two saplings that were acting as goalposts, avoiding the small baby dragon that desperately tried to dive after it.
"You OK there Spike?"
The lanky colt trotted over to where the brave goalkeeper had fallen down.
"Yeah yeah!"
The baby dragon brushed the dirt from his chest.
"That´s Ponyville´s premiere hoofballer for you."
Lickety Split felt himself blush a bit from the compliments. Usually he didn´t play against younger opponents, but when he had noticed the all-too-familiar ball soaring over the rooftops he just had to join in on the fun.
"Just keep practicing. It´s not like I´ve got a Cutie Mark in hoofballing or anything." He pointed to the cup of ice cream adorning his flank. "That reminds me I gotta run. I was supposed to help dad at the shop. He´s such a slave driver, making me work on a Saturday... You two come over sometime and I´ll give you a discount"
"Thanks for the game! Cya!"
Spike waved after him.
"Yeah, bye"
Applebloom wasn´t even looking after Lickety when he rushed off.
"Did you drop something Applebloom?"
As he got closer it was clear that she was deep in thought.
"Hey Spike... Ah never thought anypony could get ah Cutie Mark in hoofballin´! Ah hafta go get Scoots an´ Sweetie an´ we´ll make our own team an´..."
"Hold your horses there. Don´t you remember I was supposed to be watching over you while Twilight and Applejack go shopping? We´re supposed to stay near the li-."
There was a terrible gurgling noise that shook the ground beneath them. To describe it properly you´d have to be able to imagine the sound that tectonic plates made when fighting horrors from the depths of the darkest of oceans. Such was the magnitude of the horrid noise that Spike fell down on his tail and looked around in a state of panic.
"Oh, sorry ahbout that Spike. All tha´ talk ´bout ice cream made me remember ah havn´t eaten anythin´ since mornin´"
Giggling the baby dragon picked himself up once more from the dirt.
"Come on. Let´s head back to the Library. I´ll cook you some of my famed Dragon Roasted Double Chocolate Chip Cookies. Twilight says they´re even better than the ones you can get from Sugarcube Corner"
"Liar!" Applebloom laughed and started towards the gigantic tree acting as Ponyville´s Library, all the while trying to balance the hoofball on his head.
"How did he do it? Ah don´ get it"
"Just hold on for a moment. These babies won´t take long to bake"
Applebloom didn´t even notice the resident Number One Assistant vanishing into the kitchen. She started absent mindedly bouncing the ball to the wall and back, trying to keep it in the air between bounces. It didn´t take Spike too long to hear the commotion from the main room of the library.
"You really shouldn´t do that inside Applebloom. Twilight always says that libraries are supposed to be quiet places."
"How ahm ah supposed to become the next Trotnaldinho if ah don´ start practicin´ right now?"
"Well hold on a minute."
Dragging the ladder he used to reach the higher shelves behind him Spike headed for the "Sports" section.
"Twilight usually doesn´t read these books but I think I saw something... Here we are! This should be good reading for you while I´m cooki- ii...iargh"
*WHUMP*
"Ahn´t ya supposed ta use them lock thingies on the ladder before climbin´ up Spike?"
"Yeah uhm...I´ll be in the kitchen OK?"
After the limping dragon had once again vanished from view Applebloom reached for the book lying open on the floor. It seemed to be a diagram of some hoofballing trick that involved kicking the ball up from the ground with your front hooves, then bouncing it over your head and then turning a complete 180 to buck it full on with both your hindlegs. Applebloom wasn´t much of a reader and usually shied away from books but this might even be useful. Turning the book over she noted that "Make the ball happy - 101 tricks for an aspiring hoofballer" was written on the book´s cover.
"Oh no!"
Applebloom was violently pulled away from the world of professional hoofballing as the now rather distraught baby dragon once again emerged from his kitchen domain.
"We´re all out of chocolate chips. I´m gonna have to go pick some up from the marketplace. Will you be okay if I´m gone for ten minutes or so?"
"Mhmm...sure"
She was already back to perusing the ancient tome of hoofball wisdom and just waving towards the door with her forehoof.
Spike dashed out the door in a hurry, leaving the future hoofball legend lying on the floor. His exit made the door bump into the ball and caused it to roll towards Applebloom.
"Ah can´t unnerstand these pictures. Seems I just hafta try ´em out myself"
The ball they had been playing with outside rolled against her flank, as if urging her on. She was already up and bouncing the ball in front of her when she remembered Spike´s warning. She could of course go outside, but if her sister and Twilight took that moment to return she´d be in trouble for going out alone. And as long as nopony was here to see... She made sure that the door was closed and took a tentative nudge at the ball. In the absense of any immediate retribution she decided to start trying a few of the easier tricks. As she was known as one of the most patient fillies in town, it took almost a full minute before she had turned to the "Advanced Tricks" section.
"So bounce it right like THIS-"
*boink*
"An´ then-"
*nudge*
"An´ SCOORE-"
*buck*
It was most definitely the best hoofball buck the library had ever seen. The ball ricocheted from the corner of "Self-Help" and took a quick visit to "Crisis Management" before ending up between two candles that were ablaze in one of the candelabras.
"Aw shoot!"
Applebloom cried and darted towards the candlestand. It was about twice her height and made from some heavy-looking metal. How the candles were lit eluded her. Probably Spike with his famous balancing act atop the rickety ladder. She gave it a tentative nudge in an attempt to budge the offending object from it´s prison near the ceiling. Unfortunately all that ended up happening was that the ball inched a bit closer to one of the shorter candles and started getting slighty darker. The stench of burned sports equipment soon filled the room.
Applebloom decided it was a prudent moment to start panicking and decided to give the candelabra a swift kick to dislodge the ball from above her. Once again misfortune followed, as her apple-bucking practice ended up splattering scalding hot candlewax all around the room
"YE-OWWWWWWCH"
Was the only thing the filly could utter when the raining droplets landed on her back and side, scorching her like small embers. Water! Ah need water righ´ NOWWW! Only a yellow blur heading for the bathroom could be seen in the library, mostly thanks to the obscuring smoke wafting from above.
"OW OW OWOWOWOWWW!"
Applebloom dove straight under Twilight´s shower and with teeth clattering on the faucet managed to turn the water on. Giving another loud shout when only cold water descended on her head. Trying to ignore the freezing water she turned her hindquarters under the shower to try and ease the burning from the candlewax. With tears rolling from her eyes she took a quivering look at her side, where small spots of tallow were covering her yellow fur. With her legs trying to buckle from under her from worry it took all she could to stand still in the shower.
"Darn it! Darn it! Ah´m in deep horseahpples!"
Thoughts were churning desperately in her head. The library was probably all covered in candlewax and smoke. If she was real fast she could maybe open up a window and let the smoke out and maybe somehow clean or cover the wax. It was still probably several minutes before Spike was coming back from his shopping. Just calm down.
The panicking filly was not aware of the extent of the damage in the library proper. Several of the candles had been thrown off the candlestand and hurled around the room. One of the flaming missiles had landed on a bookshelf and already several volumes had caught fire.
"Ah sure do appreciate you givin´me a hoof with mah shoppin´ Twilight."
The palomino workmare was seated opposite to her close friend and fellow Element of Harmony. She had to take off her everpresent Stetson to wipe some sweat from her brow. It hadn´t been raining for over a week now.
Curse those weatherponies. Her crops were sure to fail in this drought. She´d have to give an earful to Rainbow Dash when she next saw her. Again.
"Oh it´s no bother at all Applejack. And you really didn´t need to offer to pay for our lunch."
Slurping her milkshake lazily the resident librarian of Ponyville reclined into a comfier position on her stack of hay.
"Oh ahm not gonna hear nothin´ such from you. Ah couldn´t have found all the ingredients for mah new fertilizer. An´ les´ not forget that it was ya who orig´nally found the recipe in one of them books of yours. Payin´for ya lunch was the least ah could do and that´s that."
The discussion ended, she dove into her meal of hayfries and rucola. After washing it down with a few gulps of ice cold cider she let out a satisfied sigh, which turned into a loud belch midway. She could only try to pull her hat deeper over her ears to avoid looking at the other customers, who were no doubt horrified of her lack of manners. Twilight snickering into her milkshake wasn´t helping either.
"Gosh darnit. Well better out than in ah guess."
She took another tentative sip from her drink.
"Ah ain´t sayin´ that Granny Smith´s cooking ain´t the best there is, but once inna while it sure tastes good to eat somethin´other than apples."
"Are you sure about that? I´m sure they´d love to serve you some of their applepie as a dessert. I hear they get their apples from Sweet Apple Acres."
The smirk on the purple unicorn´s face was hardly subtle.
"Ya an´ ah both know ALL the apples in these parts come from Sweet Apple Acres an´ don´t ya forget it!"
Twilight decided not to tease her friend too much. She had been a bit testy because of the dry weather lately, and her row with Rainbow Dash about the lack of rain a few days hadn´t helped either. Instead she rummaged around her saddlebag for her latest discovery.
"Acquisition and Analysis of Agricultural Additives is said to be one of the premiere books about the use of chemicals in farming. I´m really surprised you weren´t familiar with the work already."
"Yeah well there ain´t that much time for readin´ on the farm. Ah can hardly read a few pages of some trashy romance novel before falling to sleep at night. We´re really shorthanded with Granny Smith´s achin´ hip an´ Applebloom shouldn´t hafta work around the clock at her age. Ah´ve tried to keep her chores as light as ah can but there´s just so much to do."
"Well you know that you only have to ask and we´ll come help you if you´re drowning in work. I really enjoyed the last time we were working together, even though my back was sore for a week afterwards."
"Yeah we really showed them Flim Flam´s how we work at Sweet Apple Acres."
They both shared a warm smile remembering the duo of swindlers.
"So has Applebloom made any progress with her Cutie Mark? I haven´t heard about any Crusader activity lately. Not that I mind the peace and quiet that is."
"Nah. That lil´ filly´s got a thicker head ´n her big sister. Just yesterday she fixed the pump of our well after Big Mac an´ah couldn´t get it workin´ proper. Ten minutes she tinker´d on it and the pump´s never worked better. Even ah don´t know where she´s gotten her talents. An´ the worst of it was, after supper she was off with the rest of them Crusaders to try an´ get her Cutie Mark...in canoeing. Canoeing can ya believe it!?"
They both laughed about the thought of the Cutie Mark Crusaders trying to canoe down the great rapids of Barrel Creek, which thanks to the dry spell lately was two feet across at the widest.
"She´ll come around sooner or later. It´s good that she´s trying new things and having fun with her friends."
"Ah agree. But she has the common sense of a farmer harvesting in a tornado. Ah´m just worried she´ll end up getting herself or others hurt one o´ these days."
Their conversation was cut short by the blare of emergency sirens and yells from afar. They both started looking around but the first to speak was Twilight.
"I wonder if everything is alright? Isn´t that the fire alarm? I´ve never hear-"
Twilight´s sentence was cut short when she noticed the pillar of smoke rising from the direction of the library. Applejack hadn´t even gotten up from her seat when the unicorn had already vanished in a cloud of purple magic.
The fireponies had already surrounded the library and were keeping everypony away. They were lead by Water Jet, the charcoal colored unicorn stallion with the blue-and-white mane, Fire Chief of PFD. As soon as he noticed Twilight Sparkle materialize near the entrance of the library he blocked her way inside.
"Please Ms. Sparkle you can´t go inside."
"But I live here...I...but...Spike...and Apple Bloom...and..."
"Twilight! Over here!"
The frantic unicorn librarian noticed Spike running from under the fireponies´ barricade, still dragging his shopping bag behind him.
"Spike! You´re alright! Is Applebloom with you? The library! It´s on fire!"
"Oh my gosh Twilight! She was inside when I left!"
"Where´s mah sister!"
There was no stopping Applejack in full gallop, and the crowd quickly parted to let her through. It took the combined efforts of Water Jet and two other firefighters to stop her from running straight inside.
"Lemme through or ah´m not gonna be responsible o´ what ah´m gonna do to ya´ll"
"We found someone inside"
One of the fireunicorns emerged from the smoking doorway, sheathed in a gentle blue glow, shielding herself and her precious cargo of one Applebloom. Covered in a blanket, dripping wet and red-eyed she was taken to the emergency unit nearby. She was coughing quite loudly and was clearly shaken.
"Applebloom! Are you alright? Can you hear me? It´s your sister! It´s Applejack! Oh dear Celestia!"
All Applebloom could do was shiver and curl up even more.
"Please let me see if she´s alright"
One of the doctors from the local hospital had come running as soon as he´d heard about the fire. Applejack didn´t recognize him but couldn´t do anything but stand still, looking lost.
"Make sure she´s alright y´hear! She´s mah lil´sister."
"She´ll be alright. It appears she was standing in a shower when the fireponies got her out. She has a few burns on her back and side but nothing that wouldn´t heal on it´s own. She is quite shaken of course so it´s best you go talk to her. You should come visit us at the hospital in a few days so we can check up on her"
It had been a few minutes after they´d arrived and Applejack was now sitting on the ground and hugging her crying little sister tight.
"Thank Celestia for you doctor. Ah mean it thank you."
The doctor only nodded and trotted to the side to talk to the fireponies.
"Is she alright?"
Twilight came over from her talk with Water Jet.
"That there doctor says she´ll be just dandy. Oh sugahcube what happened?"
The last part was directed at the shivering yello filly.
"AH´M SO *hic* SORRY TWILIGHT! IT´S *hic* ALL MAH FAULT"
"Just calm down Applebloom. Water Jet says that the damage is quite small and it´s mostly just airing the smoke out and making sure that the fire is out for good. Luckily the library is enchanted to resist fire so only things lost was a few books. Spike is inside checking the place out, him being a dragon and all. Everything´s going to be all right. I´m just glad that you´re safe."
"Ah´m so sorry. Ah *hic* know ah shouldn´ve been playin´ with *snif* the ball inside an´ *snif* ah didn´t mean to hit the cannels an´ an´..."
The rest of her confession was drowned in sobs.
Twilight was already calming down and thinking things through in her normal way. Just a few books. They can be replaced. Nothing to worry about. As he turned to look towards the library he spied Spike walking out of the door. He was covered in soot but otherwise unharmed.
"Hey Twilight guess what! The fireponies want to make a volunteer firefighter when I get older. They say that it´d be a big help if they had someone who can´t be hurt by fire or smoke."
"That´s lovely Spike. Did you by any chance remember to look inside before you got recruited?"
"Oh yeah...umm...It looks a lot worse outside than it really is. The smoke should clear before tomorrow if we leave the windows open. I mean it´s a lot of cleaning but nothing we couldn´t do in a few days."
"You say "we" but wasn´t it you who left a young filly unsupervised while going out to shop? Wasn´t that exactly the reason why Applejack asked you to watch over Applebloom while WE were shopping?"
"But Twilight! I was only gonna be away for ten minutes. I didn´t imagine that something like this..."
"Yes I know Spike. And the sooner you clean the library back to working order we can put this whole thing behind us. Now tell me what we lost?"
"Uhm about that Twilight..."
The purple unicorn felt a sudden emptiness in her chest
"What is it Spike"
"Well the...fire was kinda thorough and it hit the history section"
Twilight´s brain was clicking into overdrive thinking about the books in that shelf.
Those weren´t the rarest or the hardest to find books except-
"Spike please don´t tell me..."
"I´m sorry Twilight."
The dragon gave her the item he´d been hiding in his claw the whole time. It was a book, or rather the charred covers of one. It had been quite a large tome, easily one thousand pages long. She could still make out the words "The Life An-" on the burnt cover. Her chest was feeling cold, as if something had stopped there.
Out of all the books in the library. Why´d it have to be this one?.
She felt like sobbing like the little filly next to her.
"Twilight Sparkle, are you inside?" There was no mistaking the voice of the most powerful being in all of Equestria. As she stood in the corridor she heard the latch being opened on the other side.
"Princess Celestia! I didn´t think you´d have time to see me off today."
"Nonsense. How could I let my most faithful student move to her new home without saying goodbye?" She immediately noticed that Twilight´s eyes were red from crying, but she decided not to bring the fact up. She had been on the verge of tears the whole way here but it wouldn´t do for a Royal Princess to be seen tearing up after her student.
"I´ve almost finished packing and my brother promised to help me get the trunk to the carriage."
"Good to hear you´re all set. Twilight." This wasn´t going to be easy. "I... brought you something."
"Oh?" The young unicorn was just throwing the last vestiges of her life in Canterlot to her travel trunk. She was trying to avoid looking at her mentor. She was worried that if she would look at her she´d lose her composure and make a foal of herself.
"Yes. It´s... a book"
Twilight immediately recognized the book that gently landed on her bed. It had always been her favourite book out of all the books in Princess Celestia´s study. She was not sure how old it was, only that it was ancient.
"I remember you always having your nose in that book whenever your studies allowed you. I have to say that you have a good taste in literature."
"Princess are you sure? This book must be priceless." Twilight gently turned the book on her bed, reading the familiar title on the cover.
The Life And Deeds of Star-Swirl The Bearded
"Please open the cover Twilight" Celestia was fighting back tears again, because she knew what was about to happen.
Gently Twilight turned open the book. On the inner cover of the book was a text in a beatiful flowing script.
"To my most faithful student and the Element of Magic, Twilight Sparkle
Even as life takes us on separate paths, I shall always stay by your side.
-Princess Celestia"
Twilight could not help herself as she walked over to her teacher and gently embraced her, feeling tears flowing freely down her cheeks. She didn´t notice that hers were not the only tears on her cheeks.
The group of three ponies and one dragon were making their way outside town as the sun was slowly starting to set. In the front was the palomino workhorse, who had gone from worry and concern into fuming mad.
"Ah can´t believe how foalish my little sister can be. To actually set fire to mah friends house, magic protection or not! Ya´d think she was sick in the head. Wait till we get home young lady. You´re gonna wish you´d never been born when ah´m through with you."
She kept going on to no one in particular.
She had insisted on putting Twilight and Spike up for the night and wouldn´t hear no for an answer. Twilight hadn´t said a word since leaving the library, just staring blindly ahead, lost in thought. Spike had been walking quietly next to her witha worried expression on his face. Bringing up the rear was Applebloom, walking ways back from her angry sister and her friends. They sure weren´t the little filly´s friends anymore. How could they be? Just a quick look at Twilight told her that she´d done something horrid to her. And she´d gotten Spike into trouble too, even if it was all her fault. She could only walk slowly towards her home, head held low, feeling worse than she´d ever felt in her life.
They soon arrived at the barn where Spike and Twilight Sparkle would spend their next night. The smell of hay and old horseblankets felt strangely comforting to Twilight, and she lied down on the soft dry bed.
"Now Applebloom ah´m very disappointed in ya. I can´t even begin to tell ya how angry ah am. Now...now go fetch a switch."
Appleblooms eyes shot open.
"But...sis...ya´ve never hit me before!"
"An´ ah don´ wanna start now but today ya´ve put yourself AN´ others in danger an´ also caused two of your friends to lose their home. Just think what could´ve happened if the fire had spread in this drought! Ya could´ve burned down whole Ponyville! Now if ah had done somethin´ as stupid as that when Ma an´ Pa Apple was still around ah´d be looking at a tanned hide an´ that´s what ya gonna get too. That´s how ah was raised an´ that´s the Apple family way."
"But...but..."
The rest of her weak objections were drowned in sobs.
"Shush! Go get the switch an´ no tarryin´!"
Applebloom still just stood at the door, disbelief and fear clear on her face.
"NOW SCOOT!"
With her face twisted in rage Applejack shot toward her sister. Shocked from her stupor she bolted for the nearby orchard. Next the elder farmpony walked over to the pile of haybales near the back wall. With a small grunt she carried one of them to the middle of the barn floor. Short of breath from shouting and sheer anger she trotted next to Twilight Sparkle and Spike, who was cowering behind her. After catching her breath for a moment she lied down next to her friend. The unicorn didn´t even seem to notice what was going on around her.
"Twilight...can ah ask ya something?"
Twilight couldn´t bring herself to answer.
"Was that book important to you?"
Only now did Twilight notice that he was still holding the burned covers of the book she´d loved so much.
"It...was a gift from Princess Celestia. I got it on the day I moved to Ponyville after the whole Nightmare Moon incident"
"From the PRINCESS? Oh ahm so sorry ah couldn´ve imagined ya´d have something so important in the library."
"It´s a book just like any other. And books are meant to be read, so I thought that a library bookshelf would be as good as place for it as any. And who knows maybe someday someone will read it and love it like I..."
Twilight´s gaze drifted over to the few charred remains of the book on the ground. She couldn´t help but let out a long sigh.
"Oh that Applebloom. Ah´m gonna make sure she remembers this lesson. Ah´m gonna tan her hide till it´s blue!"
"I´m...I´m not trying to defend Applebloom or anything. I kind of miss my books too but they can be replaced. What she did was really foalish and irresponsible but... Are you sure that hitting her is really OK?"
"Sorry Twilight but this is Apple family business an we raise our own as we best see fit an that´s that."
"I understand but it still feels kind of cruel. She´s a sweet girl and we all make mistakes. I´m sure she already feels pretty awful about the whole thing."
"Ah was once caught stealin´ candy from a store in town. Ah was just a filly back then, about Applebloom´s age. An ah got caught red-handed but ah still tried to lie my way out of tha thing. Mah Pa would have none o that. He dragged me to this here barn from mah ear, made me get a switch, pulled over a haybale just like that there bale an made me bend over it. Ah remember the sting was something awful an ah was crying like mad but he´d still not stop. When ah couldn´t cry no more he´d just up an go, just leavin me here alone cryin. Ah sure know ah´ve never taken what´s not mine nor told nothin but the truth since."
Twilight could see that Applejacks was on the verge of tears herself from rage and shame she was feeling. Still she just couldn´t let go of the matter.
"Do you want Applebloom to remember you like that? With fear and hate?"
"DARN IT TWILIGHT! Didn´t ah tell ya this was none of ya business!?"
"It IS my business if you´re going to beat your sister who you love more than anything in the world because of ME and what happened to MY house! I couldn´t help feeling responsible for what happened here, especially now that I´d see it all!"
Both of the ponies had gotten up now and were looking each other straight in the eyes. Spike had already backed away into the corner hoping to avoid the calamity that was sure to come.
"It ain´t ya fault or responsibility how ah raise mah sister! With our parents not here ah can only do the best ah can for her!"
"And this is what´s best for her? Leaving her here alone, beaten and crying. Look at yourself! Is that what you deserved? Every filly makes mistakes. It´s only natural. That´s when parents are supposed to teach them how to act right, but not with violence! Maybe you´re parents were wrong? Should you really repeat their mistakes?"
"An what the hay would you know about parents an children? Ya lived in the Royal Castle with Princess Celestia. Ya could do whatever darn well you wished and never had to fear retribution! Ya were just a spoiled student with no real problems when I was here doin´ the work o´ a grown mare ´cos there was nothin´ else."
Halfway through her rant Twilight had turned away and walked towards the door, her feet shaking from anger. Applejack immediately understood that she´d said way too much.
"Oh sugarcube ah´m so sorry ah... ah didn´t mean the things ah said. Ah know..."
"YOU DON´T KNOW ANYTHING!"
Twilight shouted with her voice cracking and breaking.
"I didn´t see my parents for weeks or months at a time. I missed them terribly all the time but couldn´t leave the castle because of the security and rules. And do you really think I was free to do whatever I felt like? Do you think Princess Celestia wasn´t STRICT? I was studying such powerful magic that if I messed up for even a bit it could have had SERIOUS consequences. I...how can you...UUUURGH!"
"Twilight ah´m so sorry. Please ah didn´t mean to say what ah just said. Ah´ve been so edgy lately. Please just... let´s just take ah breath an´ calm down alright? Ah´m so sorry."
It took quite a lot of willpower from Twilight to try and just breathe after all the things that had happened today. She closed her eyes and concentrated as hard as she could and felt the bile slowly go down her throat only leaving the taste of dull metal in it´s wake. She couldn´t bring herself to talk to her friend. After a moment she had regained her composure enough to look her friend in the eyes again. She instantly felt sorry for Applejack. The look in her eyes was no longer of anger but of fear and loneliness. It was the look of a lost foal in a dark forest.
"What should ah do Twilight?"
After thinking about it for a moment she could finally answer.
"If you´d like I could tell you about the worst trouble I´ve ever gotten myself into with the Princess"
Twilight Sparkle was lying on her bed. She was tired after the long sessions of practicing with the Princess earlier, and also of having to walk up six sets of stairs just to reach her room, She felt her eyelids drooping and was thinking of maybe taking a short nap before dinner. She started channeling her innate powers of telekinesis towards her favourite toy, her Smartypants doll. It was sitting on the writing desk with it´s own miniature books and pencils. Twilight concentrated and floated it into the air and then towards her. Usually fillies her age couldn´t even lift a light object, such as a quill or a single sheet of paper. Twilight on the other hand could already manipulate several items at the same time. She thought of just whirling her doll slowly around the room, making it dive and rise again, roliing loops around the posts of her giant bed.
"Could you tell me how´s the weather outside Smartypants?" She asked while giggling softly and levitating the doll closer to the window. It had rained quite a lot lately and she was waiting anxiously gor sunnier days so she could read outside.
A sudden rap at the door made her lose concentration on her doll.
"Dinner in ten. Get washed up Ms. Sparkle"
At the moment dinner was the furthest from her mind. Her favourite doll had just taken a plunge through her open window and she was climbing towards the opening to see if she could still be saved. Smartypants had fallen down one floor and gotten caught in a small corner.
"Lucky me!"
She started once again channeling her unicorn magic towards the doll, but it had gotten caught in some unseen snag and she couldn´t budge it.
"Ahh so close"
She climbed down from the window and trotted over to her balcony. It was closer to her fallen friend, but the balcony was directly above the corner where she knew her distressed friend was waiting. All she had to do was lean just a bit over the railing and - feel her hindlegs slip backwards on the wet balcony. Feel wind throught her hair as the green garden below was approaching her all too fast. She didn´t even have time to scream before the lawn was about to impact her, but at the last moment she felt a soft orange glow surround her and slow her fall. Then she hit the ground.
When she next opened her eyes she found herself in the castle´s infirmary. Her right forehoof was aching badly and it had been splinted straight. She could feel people around her but drifted off to sleep again.
------
It took her a week to get out of bed and walk again on all fours. During all that time she hadn´t had one visit from her teacher and she was very worried. When she was supposed to leave for her room, a unicorn stallion clad in the armor of the Royal Guard was waiting for her outside.
"Hello Ms. Sparkle"
"Uhm...Hello?"
"My name is Iron Sight. I was on guard duty last week when you decided to fall off your balcony."
"Oh" She could feel an embarrassing blush rising to her cheeks. "Umm...thanks I guess"
"Just doing my duty Ms. Sparkle. Just promise me that you´ll be more careful next time"
"That will no be an issue in the future." Princess Celestia! Now I´m gonna get it...
"Thank you Iron Sight. You may return to your post." The unicorn stallion salutet swiftly and left the student and teacher standing in the hallway.
"Did you know that Iron Sight has visited you several times every day, just to make sure you were doing allright?" Twilight could only make unconscious figures on the floow with her forehoof. Suddenly something clicked in her brain and she shot a glance towards he mentor"
"Princess Celestia...what did you mean that my...umm...falling of a balcony would no longer be a problem?"
The gaze of the Alicorn Princess was cold and emotionless. It was the scariest thing the young filly had ever felt.
"I mean just that. You´ll be leaving today. And there is no going back"
Twilight Sparkle felt her knees starting to shake and tears start gather in her eyes.
"But Princess I..."
"Follow me. Your belongings have already been packed"
------
"Princess I´m so sorry."
"Sorry?! You say you´re sorry!?" This was the first time the young unicorn had heard Celestia raise her voice.
"You were trying to get your toy back and decided it was a good idea to try jumping to it from your balcony?"
"I was kinda trying to use..."
"It doesn´t matter what you were "trying". What you ended up doing was falling almost fifty feet down. If you weren´t so lucky as to have that guard save you, we wouldn´t be having this conversation!"
They had arrived to Twilight´s door. The Princess had not been lying, the large trunk that contained everything Twilight owned had been pulled out to the corridor. Behind she could see the maids cleaning up her room, probably for the next person to live there.
"Take your trunk and be quick about it"
The trunk was easily too heavy for the ex-most faithful student of Celestia to lift, and after a few tries she had to give up and start pushing it with her shoulders. After a few feet of this she couldn´t move it anymore.
"Please could you...help?"
"Help? I thought gravity was your friend Twilight Sparkle?"
With almost no effort the Princess lifted Twilight´s meager belongings and started walking down the stairs. After they had gone down to the ground floor and the exit was in sight She couldn´t hold her panic inside any more. Bawling desperately she clung to Princess Celestia´s hindleg, almost causing her to fall down and drop the trunk she was carrying with her magic.
"Princess please! I´m sorry for what I did. I was careless and foalish and I´m sorry for getting hurt and I´m sorry for not always studying hard enough and I´m sorry for not eating my greens and I.." She had to pause her desperate please to catch some air.
"Do you know what is the greatest fear? It is that of a guardian having the people she cares for get hurt. I am the guardian of this whole country and I am always afraid for my every subject and do everything I can to keep them safe. When I heard that you had fallen and broken your hoof and almost your neck, how do you think I felt?"
"I´m sorry Princess. Just please don´t send me away. I promise not to make you worry about me ever again"
"How could you promise something like that? Didn´t I just tell you that I always worry about my subjects, and especially about my Most Faithful Student"
"Why do you keep calling me that? Didn´t you want me to leave?"
"I wanted you to know how worried you made everyone that cares about you."
"I´m...sorry."
The little filly could only sit on the cold stone floor and apologize. There was nothing else she could do. After a while she looked up to her teacher.
"Can...can you forgive me?"
"On one condition"
"I´ll...I´ll do anything!"
"Could you open the door to that bedchamber over there?
"Huh?"
"Well I thought it´d be better if you moved to the ground floor as to avoid any further falls"
"She din´t!"
"Oh yes she did. She wanted to teach me a lesson and I´ll never forget it. And she did it only using her words, nothing more."
Applejack seemed to be lost in thought for a long while. Then her head suddenly perked up. Her expression was half that of worry and the rest of anger.
"Now where is that Applebloom? I sent her to get that switch ages ago."
She slowly walked to the door and looked around, immediately noticing the small yellow filly standing next to the open barn doors. She was holding a thin appletree branch in her mouth. It was fresh, about two feet tall. She had even picked out all the leaves from it. She dropped it as soon as she noticed her big sister. Applejack felt the same empty feeling return to her chest she´d had earlier.
"How long have ya been standing there?"
"Ahm sorry... Ah just couldn´t make mahself come inside. Ahm...scared sis!"
"Ya´ll just shush an get inside right now y´hear?"
With shaking hooves the tiny filly walked inside. Applejack was right behind her, carrying the switch. She set the switch on the haybale.
"Now Applebloom. Come over here an lean on this here haybale an hold yer rump up."
Applebloom did as she was told, folding her fronthooves underneath her as she lay bent over on the haybale. She felt her shuddering hindlegs hardly reach the ground. She pushed her head between her forehooves and took a deep breath.
"Ahm ready."
Applejack walked over and picked up the thin switch in her mouth and gave it a few test swings. It left a sharp swishing sound in it´s wake, eliciting a wince and a quiet whimper from Applebloom.
"Applejack...please." Twilight had gotten up and was moving towards her friend.
"Get back Twilight. As ah said this is the Apple Family way and no two ways about it."
Twilight looked at her palomino friend. Her golden hair was colored red as the sun was finally setting outside the barn. All se could see was the pained expression on Applejack´s face. She reared up, readying for the first hit.
And dropped the switch.
"Ah just can´t do it. That´s not how ah want to raise Applebloom. Ah´ll just ground her or make her do loads o chores or..."
Twilight smiled and walked over to her friend and laid a friendly hoof over her shoulder. The evening was quiet again, with only the sound of the first evening birds starting to whistle outside. Only thing breaking the silence was the quivering voice of the small filly leaning over the haybale.
"No."
"What was that, Applebloom?"
"Ah said no."
"Sugarcube whaddya mean no? No what?"
"You just can´t do that. Ah hurt mahself and ah almost burnt down Twilight´s home an´ the whole town. Ah got the switch an´ now you hafta give..." she had to swallow hard here "...me a tannin´."
"Didn´t ah just say that we´ll figure out somethin´ else Applebloom?"
"Ah don´ care what you said!"
The filly was now almost shouting, scaring both the grown up ponies nearby.
"You said that it´s tha Apple Family way. That it´s how Ma an´ Pa wanned to raise us. Ah don´t remember them an´ all ah´v heard ´s from you an´ Big Mac and Granny but if that´s how they wanted it to be then that´s how it´s gotta be!"
"Applebloom that´s crazy talk that. Ya don´ actually want me to hit ya do ya?"
"AH WANNA DO WHAT´S RIGHT!"
She was now shouting at the top of her lungs.
"Ah feel so bad for what ah did today an´ ah don´t think ah can ever forgive mahself or ask Twilight or Spike or anyone to forgive me" She had fallen to the floor and was now sobbing.
Twilight and Applejack looked at eachother, lost for words. Applejack could only go pick up her quivering little sister up in a tight embrace.
"It´s allright Applebloom darlin. Ahm mighty disappointed in ya for what ya did today. But ah also know that ya´ll are honest to goodness sorry for what ya´ll have done an tha´s enough for me. An ahm sorry ahm not Ma or Pa an all ya have got raisin ya in this here world is me as ya big sister. All ah can promise ya is that ah´ll always love ya an ya´ll never hafta be scared that ah´d abandon or hurt ya for anythin ya do. "
Applebloom could only bawl in the tight embrace of her big sister, squeezing her tight and never wanting to let go.
"She´s sound asleep in her own bed. Didn´t take long after ah put her to bed. Poor thing was all plum tuckered and ah had to carry her half the way."
Applejack had returned to the barn with some late evening dinner for her guests. The haybale in the middle of the floor had been turned into a makeshift table, and the switch had vanished into the night, helped by two sisters holding eachother close. Spike was already asleep, all the commotion having worn him out.
"But Twilight I..."
Applejack started, her voice uncharacteristically silent.
"...Thank ya. I dunno what ah might´ve done when ah was angry an ah know ahd´ve regretted it for the rest o´ mah life."
"It´s alright Applejack. But I can´t help but feel kinda jealous for Applebloom."
"Whaddya mean? Yer jealous she gets to be grounded for the next month?"
"No Applejack."
Twilight´s smile was clearly visible in the dim of the old barn.
"I´m jealous she has such a loving sister"
