The Psilocybience

A small bug, less than 1 millimeter by 1 millimeter in size scampered frantically around in circles searching for food, a partner, or Celestia only knows what. The tiny arachnid skittered sideways into a vertical crevice on the gnarled oak's bark and disappeared for a moment before climbing out of the recess, fighting gravity with every step.

Applejack pondered at the awesome creature: if it were pony-sized it could scramble along a canyon wall faster than she could gallop! It could probably leap over the Town Hall in the center of Ponyville in one bound or lift 40 bushels of apples!

It was these random moments that brought a momentary pause to the rural pony's life: an encounter with a notion so bizarre as to shift the motivation for hard work into secondary, ordering her mind to make room for exploratory thoughts. It was the sheer scope of the world, how every turn a pony made in life had so many nooks and crannies with little bits of knowledge or an entire environment previously unknown to them.

Applejack clucked her tongue in a statement of melancholy. She knew that some paths of thought lead forever and that one of her problems was that she occasionally chose to stop walking them too early, but as the ponyverb went, time is apples.

Sighing, the young but grown mare stood up, stretching her legs and banishing existential thought from her mind for another few hours of muscle pumping, determination fueled apple-bucking.

It was said few hours later as she was clearing the last trees in the southern edge of her arbor that AJ noticed a discrepancy on the horizon, a new reddish-white color along the base of the ground coming from the Everfree forest. She cantered out of her familiar territory onto the plain of grass until she neared the source of her worries.

A wave of fungi, already yards past the base of the tree trunks, seemed to be emanating it's way towards her farm. The mushrooms swept back into the depths of the dark wood, disappearing in the deep undergrowth and scattered around rocks and bush, swarming wherever there was once-clear space.

Nickering in worry and intent on finding her most knowledgeable friend, Applejack galloped back in the direction of Ponyville, the setting sun burning on her left flank.

Lathered and panting, Applejack stared dimly at the dark library. The lights were off, in Twilight's room and all around the tree. There was no answer at the door, even after several minutes of hoof-hammering. No notice posted. No Spike. Not nothin'!

By now it was getting to late to pay a visit on most of her pony-friends: they would be finishing up supper or tucking in foals for bed, or just winding down for the night and not wanting to deal with other pony-folk. She would just have to come back into town tomorrow at a more opportune time for dealing with real affairs.

She turned back, a worried crease appearing on her brow as she tumbled the odd situation in her head. Her hooves struck the cobblestones loudly as she clopped towards home, echoing around the darkening lane like an ominous reminder of her friend's absence.

~-~-~-~-~-~

For two days the library remained shuttered and for two days it was all Applejack could do to keep her mind on her usual quota of apples and not stare at the horde of strange mushrooms that had been approaching her family's orchard, the fungi throwing it's spores forward through the earth, creeping steadily onwards as an army with grappling hooks would scale a giant wall. The vanguard of the wave now was halfway across the clearing and approaching each day over the great swaths of land. Once immaculate, they were now covered in red-brown heads and yellowing stems, the vibrant tall grass withering in the fungal wake.

If it had been some other type of incursion, the orange pony knew her family's large store of natural information would have been sufficient to the task, it was just that these particular shrooms were not referenced in any of the family books on the local ecosystem and without the library's copy of Super Naturals, there was no easy access to knowledge on this sort of thing inside of Ponyville.

She stood at the edge of her family's livelihood like a sentinel, observing the myriad of spores when Big Mac appeared at her shoulder. Worrying, she said, "Those are some mighty fast mushrooms out there, big brother, and Twilight's been missin' for 2 days... Somethin' just ain't right, I can feel it."

"Eeyup", her stoic brother replied.

"I can't stand just sittin' around any longer doin' nothin' but chewin' grass till my teeth grind down to nubs and my gums turn green! I'm gonna have to go into Ponyville and do some real detective work.... I might even have to go into the Everfree". A nervous hiccup was apparent in the name of the forest.

He looked her in the eyes, long and hard sensing for her true feelings. Apparently satisfied with her state of mind, he drawled out, "Eeyup."

"Hmm... Good talkin' big brother, take care of the Acres while I'm away".

Nodding, Big Mac solemnly took Applejack's post as she turned and cantered off to the village.

~-~-~-~-~-~

A foreign tune sliced through the crisp, isolated air and into the pony's ears as she trot up the secluded path to Fluttershy's cottage. She must be teachin' her birds a new song, she thought, referencing the moderately talented choir. The orange mare circumvented the quaint dwelling towards the back meadow. Surprisingly, the pony leading the call and response lesson was none other than Sweetie Belle!

Fluttershy was hovering near by (literally) with an anxious look on her face as the young filly nudged the sensitive yellow pony out of her comfort zone by means of unconventional teaching. Clearly, Fluttershy had, once again, not anticipated the energy packed in the small body of the cheerful filly.

Applejack stood at a short distance, amusing herself at the show and not interfering with the antics of the exuberant Sweetie Belle. The small pony let out a wild holler, the octaves ringing out bizarrely due to the excitement of their source, yet still perfectly pitched. The gaggle of birds, feeding off of Sweetie Belle's aura, belted a not-so synchronized cacophony that only startled Fluttershy out of the air and into the shelter of her own hooves.

Rather than cause her meek friend any more discomfort, Applejack decided to hoof in, "Alrigh' there Sweetie Belle, that's probably enough singin' lessons for one day. Best let Fluttershy take over from there, sugarcube."

"But Applejack!" Sweetie Belle shrilled, her voice cracking, "they're just starting to get in to it!"

"Now why don't you just look yonder at Fluttershy and try to tell me all's well one more time", the cowpony responded.

Sweetie Belle turned and saw the yellow pony still cowering on the ground. Understanding that she faced a probable moral defeat and was unlikely to continue her improvised lesson, Sweetie Belle hopefully responded, "But.. but I might get my cutie mark for teaching animals like Fluttershy does!"

Applejack gave her the fish-eye. The pink and purple haired filly visibly drooped; the sparkle in her eyes went out as she slumped, she was the image of sadness.

"Now don' take it to heart there little one", the orange mare consoled, feeling bad about being a spirit damper. She said with a wink, "you could come do some detective work with me if you're wantin'"

The effect was immediate. Depressed Sweetie Belle zapped out of reality with a bright flash and a fully animate one replaced her. "Really really really Applejack!?! What are we looking for? Did someone do something naughty? Is it about Rarity? Where are we going??!" A Pinkie Pie-esque note of insanity twinged her voice.

"Whoa there little filly, this could actually get pretty serious... I think that there might have been a genuinely bad idea comin' out of my muzzle. Maybe you ought to stay in town here..."

"How could you say that Applejack! CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS INVESTIGATIVE DETECTOR GO!!" Power rippled out of the small unicorn's horn, ripples of cosmic brilliance distorting the airwaves in the clearing, a visual show of her enticement. Fluttershy rocked her ostrich swag, nothing but the pink of her mane poking out of the ground.

It was true, Applejack reflected, what Equestrians said about the younger unicorns: raw magical power, innate talent, and the passion of youth clearly did combine into a force to be reckoned with.

"Y'know, I think it'll be alright after all, we'll be a great team together", AJ replied, saving face.

Despite having an unclear picture of what they were about to do, the effervescent Sweetie Belle struck the air with a celebratory high-hoof.

The sun was peaking it's parabolic curve as the two trotted away from Fluttershy's cottage, when a thought occured to Sweetie Belle, "So then.. Um... Applejack, where are we going?"

"Oh, I suppose I didn' mention that did I'?" The orange pony cocked an eyebrow at the filly.

"Uh, no?"

"The Everfree Forest, Sweetie Belle, the Everfree forest."