Genesis: Silvia

Chapters

Rude awakening
Discussions
Friends, new and old
Party Time
An itchy situation
Wandering Moon
Return from the Everfree
Departure
Trouble Brewing
Prologue: History of the Lamia

Rude awakening

With a weary sigh, Silvia reached up with a forehoof and pulled back the hood over her head before adjusting the glasses on her muzzle. Satisfied with the positioning of her glasses, she brushed her messy purple mane out of her equally purple eyes. Squinting, she attempted to get her tired eyes to read the sign in front of her, her oval pupils refusing to focus properly. Adjusting her glasses once more, she leaned forward and scrunched her muzzle in concentration as she attempted to decipher the seemingly illegible sign.

“Ponyville, two miles,” she mumbled to herself, her voice cutting through the still midnight air. “Just a few short miles and I'm finally home.”

Doing the best to contain her smile, subconsciously trying to hide her small fangs, Silvia turned down the worn dirt road and followed the sign leading to Ponyville. After a few short minutes of walking, her long legs carrying her swiftly down the road despite her sedate pace, she couldn't help but notice several pairs of glowing greens eyes peering at her from the large, overgrown forest running alongside the path.

She continued on despite the obvious signs of predators lurking nearby, a slight smirk on her face as she remembered the first few run-ins she had with the local wildlife. Despite her lithe build, the local timber wolf packs had learned quite quickly that Silvia was a lot stronger than she appeared, and that she wasn't one to be trifled with.

Despite her confidence that they wouldn't attack, Silvia kept her guard up as she walked alongside the forest. She had been gone for a while, after all, and they may have forgotten. She continued down the path, her tail lashing in agitation as the eyes followed.

Freezing mid-stride, Silvia let out a groan as the sound of snapping twigs and quiet growling signaled the approach of the Timberwolves. “Are we really going to do this?” She asked, perking up as she turned to face the approaching wolves.

The largest wolf growled in response, the rest of his pack spreading out behind him.

“We are, aren’t we?” Silvia asked rhetorically.

The largest wolf stepped forward as the rest began to fan out to each side, attempting to surround her. Looking him over, Silvia noticed he had a series of crack-like scars radiating away from a rather large hoof-shaped indent in the center of his chest. Giving him a closer look, she smiled in recognition as his more distinguishing features became apparent.

While most of the Timberwolves were made of the dark wood that made up a majority of the forest they called home, this wolf had pieces of a very light, almost white wood scattered throughout his body, making him looked spotted. As interesting and exotic as his body was, however, it was his tail that set him apart from the rest of his pack. While normal wolves had a tail that looked like a half-dead branch that had been torn from a tree, with most of the wilted leaves left on it, this wolf’s tail was a solid, broad, curved piece of wood, very much resembling the weapon that was his namesake.

“Aww, Saif, is that you? Did you miss me?” Silvia teased “Come to see me back into town?”

Saif’s eyes flashed orange as he crouched down and snarled in an attempt to intimidate Silvia.

“And look, you went out and got yourself your very own pack,” Silvia finally acknowledged the wolves spread out in front of her. “You’ve just grown so much since I last saw you, haven’t you?”

Saif growled and barked in response, tail lashing back and forth as he crept closer.

“Now Sai,” Silvia chided “that wasn’t a very nice thing to say. If you don’t apologize I might just have to make that hoofprint on your chest a matching pair.”

Saif curled back his lips and bared his teeth, pinning his ears back when he heard his pack chuffing in amusement.

With the wave of a forehoof, Silvia turned away from the alpha wolf and continued down the road. “Unfortunately I’m in a hurry and don’t have time to play with you and your new friends,” she called back over her shoulder. “Why don’t you run along, we can play later.”

As soon as her back was turned, Saif lunged at her with a snarl. Before he could reach her, however, she whipped around to face him and crouched down, preparing to lunge herself. With a flash of green, her oval pupils became slitted and her fangs, barely visible before, now extended well past her lower lip. She cocked her entire body back, giving her the appearance of a snake ready to strike, and released the most threatening hiss she could manage.

Intimidated by the display, Saif planted his feet in the ground and slid to a stop, backpedaling to try and slow down faster. When he finally came to a stop, he hopped backward and crouched down, preparing to dodge should she strike. A quick look to each side told him that his pack had fled, his assumption confirmed by the sound of multiple bodies plowing through the trees and underbrush that lined the forest behind him. With one last glance at Silvia, Saif turned tail and fled, following his pack into the woods.

Keeping her intimidating pose, she waited until she was sure the wolves were gone before allowing her features to return to normal and slumping to the ground.

“Well that was a more exciting ‘welcome home’ than I had been hoping for,” she groaned. Picking herself up off the ground, Silvia dusted herself off and checked to make sure her bags were still properly secured before turning back towards Ponyville.

“They seem to be wandering a lot closer to town than they used to, too.” Continuing down the road, her pace slowed slightly as she fell deep into thought. “All the packs whose territory bordered the town know that Ponyville is my territory… but it seems they’ve forgotten. Guess that means I’ll just have to remind them once I get home.”

“Oh well, I’ll worry about that once I get settled. For now, hopefully, I can…” Silvia paused to release a mighty yawn, raising a foreleg to cover her mouth. “Make it home without any more excitement.”

Pulling her hood back over her head, she wearily trudged down the road, the promise of a warm bed the only thing keeping her going.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The moon had barely begun its descent towards the horizon when Silvia reached the outskirts of Ponyville. The excitement of seeing the familiar cottage of the local animal caretaker to her left and the familiar smell of apple trees in the distance put a bit of extra pep in her step as she trotted happily down the road.

“After three weeks of walking, I finally made it.” She cheered silently to herself, containing her excitement so she wouldn't disturb the sleeping town.

Trotting silently down Mane Street, Silvia cut through the market and made straight for her old home on the far side of town. Slipping quietly past the large pastry shaped building known as Sugarcube Corner, Silvia had to hold herself back from taking off at a full gallop as her home came into view.

Reaching her home, she sat back on her haunches and rested a hoof on the side of it, raising the other to her head as she faked a swoon. “Treebrary, sweet treebrary. Oh, how I’ve missed thee.”

Giggling at her own antics, Silvia circled around to the front door. Pulling one of the overstuffed bags off her side, she sat down in front of the door and began digging through it. After a few minutes of digging, her efforts were rewarded when she pulled a large golden key out of the bag. Sticking the key in the door, she unlocked it and let herself in, closing and locking the door behind her. With a sigh of relief, she undid the straps securing all her bags and allowed them to slide off her back.

“After nearly two years away, it’s wonderful to be back again.” She sighed happily.

Leaving her bags in a pile by the door, she trudged across the room and lumbered up the stairs. As she shuffled into the room, she tripped over something on the floor, barely catching herself before she fell. A quick glance over her shoulder told her there was a basket lying on the floor. Promising herself she’d move it in the morning, Silvia continued on to the bed, not even bothering to remove her cloak or glasses as she climbed onto the bed. Too tired to even think about getting under the sheets, she curled up in the strangely warm bed and was asleep in moments.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Silvia awoke to the feeling of the sun shining through the curtain, landing squarely on her face. Scrunching up her muzzle, she pulled the unusually warm pillow in her grasp tighter to herself as she attempted to bury her face in the covers, giggling when the pillow released a cute little moan. With the sun no longer in her eyes, Silvia sighed happily before jolting awake when she realized something; pillows don’t moan. Lying as still as she possibly could, not even breathing for fear of disturbing whatever was in bed with her, she once again gave the ‘pillow’ in her forelegs a gentle squeeze. The pillow, in response, released another moan and began mumbling quietly to itself as it nuzzled into the large ponies chest.

Ever so slowly Silvia cracked her eyes open, her fear turning to confusion when she saw a fuzzy purple mass nestled into her breast.

“Rose?” Silvia mumbled, trying to blink the sleep from her eyes. “What are you doing here?”

Sitting up slightly, Silvia glanced around the room, checking to make sure she was in the treebrary, and not back home. Squinting her eyes in an attempt to focus, she quickly realized that her glasses had fallen off her face during the night, and any attempts to find them quickly halted when the pony in her grasp began stirring.

“Spike?” The pony in Silvia’s forelegs moaned “did you have another nightmare last night?”

“Uhm…” Silvia watched as the darker part of the purple blob lifted away from the rest and began swiveling around momentarily before settling on her. “Hi?”

The blob, in response, let out an ear-piercing shriek, before a bright flash of light followed by a sharp impact to the back of her head temporarily blinded Silvia. When her vision cleared, Silvia was stuck laying on the floor on her withers with her hind legs and tail, still partially wrapped in the blankets, dangling in her face.

“Well that’s one way to wake up,” she grumbled, reaching a foreleg up to rub the sore spot on the back of her head. Out of the corner of her eye, Silvia saw a purple pony shaped blob peeking over the edge of the bed.

“Who are you?” The pony blob asked, a slight quiver in her clearly feminine voice.

Silvia opened her mouth to respond, but before the words could leave her mouth she was cut off by the sound of the door swinging open.

“You alright in here, Twi?” A new voice asked, the owner sounding to be either another mare or a young colt. “I thought I heard a, uhh… scream.” The voice trailed off.

Looking up from her position on the floor, Silvia saw yet another purple blob standing in the doorway, this one with green splotches thrown in, versus the former's multiple shades of purple.

“Uhm, hi?” Silvia said again, waggling a forehoof at the newcomer.

“Uhh, who is she?” The green and purple, decidedly less pony-shaped blob asked.

“I don't know, Spike, I was going to ask you the same thing!” The larger purple blob said, hopping down from the bed and walking around Silvia to the blob at the door. “She was in my bed when I woke up this morning.”

“Your bed?” Silvia grumbled, shifting her weight so she could fall the rest of the way off the bed. “You mean this isn't my bed? I could have sworn I fell asleep in my bed last night.” Rolling to her hooves, she sat on her haunches and rubbed the sore spot on the back of her head with a forehoof. “Is this not the treebrary?”

“You mean the ‘Golden Oaks Library?’” The larger blob corrected “Yes, it is.”

“Oh, so then you're in my bed?” Silvia asked. “How did you get in? I thought I locked the door behind me…” standing from her spot on the floor, she began walking towards the bathroom. “I mean, you're welcome to stay if you need someplace for you and your colt to stay, but I'd prefer it if we skipped the concussive alarm clock tomorrow.”

“I… wha… colt?” the mare behind her stammered.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Silvia turned around to look at the two behind her, cocking her head to the side “I just assumed from the voice. Is she a filly then?”

“I’m a he,” the smaller blob grumbled “but I’m not a colt, and certainly not hers. I am a dragon.”

“A dragon?” Silvia asked, squinting at the smaller purple mass “You have a dragon living with you?”

“Uh, yeah, obviously…” Spike said.

“Yes, this is my assistant, Spike. And my name is Twilight Sparkle. It’s nice to meet you, miss…”

“Silvia,” Silvia answered “my name is Silvia. It’s nice to meet you as well, Twilight, Spike. And sorry for mistaking you for a pony,” She rubbed the back of her head bashfully “it’s just…”

“You’re blind,” Spike stated.

“Spike!” Twilight reprimanded him. “That wasn’t nice, you apologize!”

“Why? It’s true.” Spike defended himself. “Just look at the way she squints at everything, it’s kinda obvious.”

“That doesn’t mean you just point it out like that! There’s this little thing called tact, maybe you could do with a few lessons in it.”

“No, it’s fine,” Silvia giggled “he’s right. I’m so blind I wouldn’t be able to tell an almanac from a thesaurus, even if they were lying open in front of me.” Turning around Silvia crossed the remainder of the room and entered the bathroom. “Now if you two will excuse me, I spent the last three weeks on my hooves, and I would like nothing more than to soak in a nice, hot bath. I’ve been away for a while so there isn’t bound to be much, but should you find any food in the kitchen, you are welcome to it.”

“But the food in the kitchen…” Twilight started, only to be cut off by the door closing “...is mine,” She sighed. “Well, let’s head downstairs and get started on breakfast then, Spike. We may not need to open the library today, but now that we’re all up, we might as well get our days started.”

“And, uh… what about her?” Spike motioned to the bathroom.

“Well, there has obviously been some type of mix up here.” Twilight turned and walked out of the room heading down the steps and into the lower floor of the library. “She’s not hurting anypony, so I say we let her have her bath, and when she’s done we can sit down and figure out where she thinks she is and where she’s supposed to be.”

“You think that’s safe?” Spike asked. “I mean, she could be some kind of escaped mental patient or something!” he continued, getting only a raised eyebrow in response. “Or maybe she’s some new supervillain, and she plans to kidnap us in our sleep so the girls can’t use the Elements to stop her!”

“And maybe you read too many comic books,” Twilight teased. “Besides, if she wanted to do anything like that, she could have done it last night.”

“But what if she was!” Spike fretted. “What if she broke in last night to kidnap you, but then she fell asleep before she could! Or maybe she tripped on my basket, and knocked herself out! Yeah, that’s it! I did feel somepony kick my basket last night, I thought it was you coming in from another late night study session. But it must have been her! Which means I saved your life!” Spike puffed out his chest in pride. “No need to thank me, Twilight. Extra gems with dinner will be thanks enough.”

“I’ll think about it,” Twilight responded, rolling her eyes.

Reaching the kitchen, the two began going about their morning tasks. Making a bee-line for the coffee maker, Twilight started the percolator while Spike began making breakfast. The sounds of breakfast being prepared soon echoed through the library, and it wasn’t long before Twilight was seated at the dinner table, sipping her coffee while she leafed through the morning paper.

Finishing her first cup of coffee, Twilight set down her mug and perked her ears at the sound of shuffling and irritated grumbling coming from upstairs. Standing from the table, Twilight made her way through the library and crept up the stairs. Reaching the top of the steps, Twilight quietly opened the door and paused in confusion at the spectacle before her.

While the mare before her was quite easily recognized as her mysterious guest, Silvia, Twilight couldn’t help but gape when she realized just how large the mare was. While before it had been hard to judge her exact size as she had been laying down, both in bed and on the floor, and then later Twilight had been too distracted trying to figure out where the mare had come from, now that she had a good look at her she could tell the mare was monstrous in size.

Silvia stood well over a head taller that Twilight herself, possibly even having a few inches on Big Mac. Her light blue coat, previously dull and matted from the layers of dust and grime that had accumulated during her travels, had been washed and brushed to a healthy shine. Her mane, which had previously been just as matted and her coat and appearing to be a plum color, was now light purple in color and hung messily from her head and neck with her long, uncut bangs tucked behind her ears.

Draped across her back was an old, worn cloak, its true color hard to make out through the dirt that caked it. Despite its torn, tattered appearance, it did an admirable job of concealing Silvia’s body, leaving only her head, neck, and legs exposed.

Cringing when she realized that Silvia had slept in that cloak, Twilight made a mental note to have Spike wash the bedding after he finished breakfast. Allowing her eyes to wander the room, Twilight groaned quietly to herself when she saw the state her room was in. The sheets had all been removed from the bed and scattered across the room, with the mattresses themselves flipped up and lying against the wall on the far side of the room. The frame was all that remained where the bed once sat, with the cross braces also removed to allow easier access to the storage area under the bed. Boxes containing both clothes and books had been pulled out and dumped unceremoniously in the middle of the room, the contents of most spilled across the floor.

In the center of the mess stood Silvia, a box of books held in one forehoof as she rifled through the contents with another.Stepping forward and clearing her throat, Twilight decided to speak up before Silvia could tear her room apart any further.

"Uh, do you need... help with something?" Twilight asked, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice.

"Oh," Silvia jumped and looked over her shoulder, nearly dropping the box in surprise "yes, actually. I seem to have misplaced my glasses. I was looking to see if maybe they fell under the bed, or maybe ended up in one of these boxes."

Setting down the box she was holding, Silvia stepped out from the bed frame and turned to face Twilight fully.

“It’s weird,” Silvia mused “I don’t remember having this much clothing stored under there. Or books for that matter… I thought I kept all of that in the storage room.”

“That’s because those aren’t your things.” Twilight muttered under her breath. “No, I haven’t seen any glasses this morning,” Twilight answered Silvia’s question, shaking her head. “Do you remember where you had them last?”

“Yes, I had them on last night when I came up for bed.” Silvia fumbled blindly through the room, doing her best to avoid stepping on anything as she approached Twilight. "I came in late last night and went right to sleep. I guess I forgot to take them off before I fell asleep, and now I can't seem to..." She was cut off by a loud crunch as she brought a hoof down. "find them."

Cringing, she slowly lifted the hoof back up. "Those were my glasses, weren't they?"

"Black square frames?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah," Silvia sighed "that's them." Sitting on her haunches, she picked up the remains of her glasses, groaning as the shattered bits of glass fell free of the cracked frames. "You wouldn't happen to know if there is an optician in town, would you?"

"Not one that I know of, no," Twilight answered. "The only pony in town that I know of that wears glasses is Rarity, and she gets hers in Canterlot. But if you want to save yourself the trip, I know a spell that should be able to fix them."

"Really?" Silvia's ears perked up "That would be great, I've never been a fan of big cities! If you could fix my glasses, I would really appreciate it!"

"Go ahead and set the frames down with the rest of the pieces," Twilight instructed. "It's been a few years since I've used this spell, so it may take me a minute."

Setting her glasses on the floor, Silvia took a step back to give Twilight room to work.

"So where did you learn this spell at?" Silvia asked "Somepony in your family wear glasses?"

"No, nopony in my family needs glasses. Well, besides my dad's reading glasses. But he only uses those to read the paper." Twilight's horn became encased in a lavender glow, a matching glow enveloping the remains of Silvia's glasses. "I had a friend in school who broke her glasses a lot. They were too big for her face, but she didn't want to replace them. 'I'll grow into them!' she used to say." Twilight giggled. "She did eventually, but not before they fell off and broke enough times for both of us to memorize the spell."

The glow intensified as the frames, along with the shards of glass, all floated into the air and began reassembling themselves. The frames fixed themselves first, the bends and stress marks in the metal fading as they straightened themselves out. The glass came next, with all the shards popping into place and fusing perfectly to the piece next to them, leaving two pristine lenses. Her magic flared once more and with an audible pop the spell finished, leaving Silvia’s once mangled glasses fully restored. Picking up the glasses in her magic, Twilight inspected them before offering them to Silvia.

“There we go, they look good as new!” Twilight said, offering the glasses to Silvia.

Taking the glasses from Twilight’s magic Silvia set them gently upon her muzzle, blinking rapidly as her eyes adjusted. With her glasses repaired and her vision restored, she took a good look around the room before smiling sheepishly at Twilight.

“Sorry about the mess, I’ll have it cleaned up before I come down.”

“It’s fine,” Twilight waved her off “I can take care of it.”

Before Silvia could protest, Twilight’s horn gave off a soft glow as every displaced object in the room lifted off the floor, coated in a similar aura. The books and clothing returned to the boxes they had spilled from and floated to their place under the frame of the bed, with the cross braces and mattresses dropping down over the top of them. The sheets that had been on the bed floated gently over to the hamper in the corner, dropping in as the entire hamper lit up and floated over to Twilight.

Turning around, Twilight headed towards the door, the hamper floating behind her. “Now how about we head downstairs and get to know each other over breakfast.”

Sniffing the air, Silvia followed Twilight out the door and down the stairs. “That sounds like a wonderful idea, whatever you made for breakfast smells delicious.”

“Oh, I didn’t make anything, besides the coffee.” Twilight set the hamper by the door to the basement before stepping into the kitchen, holding the door open so that Silvia could see Spike hard at work preparing breakfast. “Spike here made everything.”

Silvia eyeballed the spread before shooting Spike a surprised look. “You’ve trained your dragon to cook?”

“Yes I can cook, but she didn’t train me to do anything,” Spike answered, giving Silvia an annoyed look “I learned to cook myself after Twilight set the kitchen on fire making a sandwich. And she wasn’t even toasting the bread!”

“Spike!” Twilight hissed “It wasn’t that bad!”

“Tell that to your parents, they had to remodel the entire kitchen after that.” Spike turned away from the stove, pointing his spatula at Twilight as he gave her a smug grin. “And don’t even get me started on the time she tried to make quesadillas.”

Spike’s mouth snapped shut with a flash of purple as Twilight shot him the harshest glare she could muster.

“Spike, I thought we agreed to never speak of that again!”

Spike chuckled in response before turning his attention back to preparing breakfast. Twilight, blushing in embarrassment at Silvia’s poorly concealed amusement, motioned for her to take a seat at the table. Taking the spot directly opposite of her, Twilight floated an empty mug down from the cabinet and over to Silvia, offering her a cup of coffee. Shrugging at Silvia’s polite declination Twilight picked up her own mug and took a long sip, sighing in pleasure as the caffeine worked its way through her system.

A few quiet minutes of Twilight enjoying her morning coffee and Silvia silently observing Spike at work, breakfast was finally finished and being served. Everypony dished up without a word, and it wasn’t long before Spike decided to speak up, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen over the three.

“So… Silvia, was it?” Spike asked, getting a nod in response. “Not to be rude, but what exactly were you doing in our house, and how did you get in? I know I locked up last night.”

“Yes, I’d like to know as well,” Twilight asked. “Not that I’m opposed to helping a pony in need, but it was more than a little awkward waking up… like that.”

“Ah, yes, I apologize for that.” Silvia stammered, coughing lightly into her hoof. “My siblings tell me I can get a little… grabby in my sleep. As for what I’m doing here and how I got in… as I told you before, this is my house. I let myself in with my key.”

“But you can’t live here,” Twilight interjected. “Spike and I have lived here for over a year and a half now, and before we moved in the building was vacant.”

“I was away for a while taking care of a sick family member, but I can guarantee you the building wasn’t vacant.” Silvia argued, “Mayor Quill and myself had an agreement that he would make sure no one else moved in while I was away.”

“Do you have a copy of this agreement?” Twilight asked.

“Well, uh, no.” Silvia said “It was a verbal agreement, neither of usss… neither of us saw much need for a written agreement.”

Silvia paused, taking a moment to calm herself before continuing. “Nopony in this town was interested in running the library, that’sss… that’s why he gave me the room in the first place. I got to stay here, and as payment, I would run the library.”

“Well, without anything in writing there isn’t much to back your claims,” Twilight said, raising an eyebrow at Silvia’s stuttering and slurring. “You can go to Town Hall and talk to Mayor Mare, but unless they have something in writing there, there isn’t much that can be done.”

“But...” Silvia started.

“I’m sorry, I really am, but I can’t just take some random pony’s word for it when they say that the house I’ve lived in for nearly two years actually belongs to them.” Standing from the table, she picked up her dishes in her magic and floated them to the sink. “Now, you are more than welcome to leave your bags here while you go and arrange somewhere else to stay, but as the owner of the building I’m going to have to ask that you refrain from entering my private quarters again.”

Turning, she trotted out of the kitchen, leaving a flabbergasted Silvia to gape at the half-empty dish in front of her. Grabbing her saddlebags in her magic, she placed them upon her back as she headed for the front door.

“Hey Spike,” she called over her shoulder. “I’m heading to the market to pick up a few things, please clean up the kitchen once Silvia finishes up, then get started on the laundry I left by the basement stairs. I shouldn’t be gone too long.”

The sound of the front door opening and closing signaled Twilight’s departure, leaving Spike alone with the crestfallen mare.

“Wow, that was harsh,” Spike said, giving Silvia a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry about her, she doesn’t have the best pony skills at times.” Standing from the table, he picked up his own dishes in the sink with Twilight’s. “You’re more than welcome to stick around for a bit if you need some time to figure out what you’re doing next.” hopping up on his stool, he began filling the sink with water.

“And hey, I’ll even throw together a nice lunch for you to take with.” Spike offered. “It’s the least I can do for ya. Just, uh… don’t tell Twilight.”

“No no, it’sss… it’sss fine,” Silvia stammered, standing up from her spot at the table. “Jusst… if you could jusst box the resst of this up for me, I’ll go ahead and get out of your mane.”

Spike opened his mouth to argue before deciding against it, closing his mouth with audible click. Grabbing her plate from the table, he scraped the remains of her breakfast into a small doggy bag before dropping the plate into the sink with the rest of the dishes.

“I hope this isn’t too rude to ask,” Spike said “but what’s up with the lisp? You were talking fine before.”

“Oh,” Silvia’s face flushed “it’ss… I had a bit of a lisp when I was born.”

Silvia paused, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself before continuing.

“My gran-gran helped me learn to talk normal,” Silvia explained, “but it still slips out when I’m upset.”

“Oh…” Spike stood awkwardly for a moment before remembering the bag of food he had for Silvia.

“So you have a plan of what you’re going to do for the rest of the day?” he asked, hopping down from his stool and offering her the bag. “This is a public library, so you’re welcome to hang around if you really want to, but I don’t think Twilight will budge on letting you stay here another night.”

Taking the offered bag with a small smile, Silvia left the kitchen and headed for the front door. Stopping at her bags piled by the door, Silvia stashed the leftovers in one of the emptier pockets before answering Spike’s question.

“No, that’s fine. If I’m not welcome here then there’s no point in sticking around.” Picking one of her smaller bags from the pile, Silvia paused to strap it to her side before continuing. “I should probably get in to see the mayor sooner rather than later. If we can’t get this straightened out, then I want to make sure I find plenty of time to find somewhere else to stay.”

“Alright, well, good luck then.” Spike motioned towards Silvia’s bags. “Like Twilight said, feel free to leave those here, for now. I’ll make sure nopony messes with them.”

“I appreciate it, Spike,” Silvia said, moving towards the door. Grasping the handle in a forehoof, she glanced over her shoulder. “I’ll try not to take too long, it would probably be best if I was gone before Twilight got back.”

“I’m sure she wouldn’t mind you being here,” Spike said “she’s actually a really friendly pony. I think she was just a little freaked out by waking up in bed with a complete stranger.”

“Well then maybe I’ll stop by once we get this all sorted out.” Pulling the door open, Silvia bid a final farewell before heading out into town, leaving Spike alone in the library.

Discussions

Author's Note

Surprise! New chapter for y’all! I was gunna hold off on this until tomorrow, but I just couldn’t! With how popular this story has gotten (a fact that I can hardly believe) I was anxious to see what y’all thought of the next chapter. Some of you said that Twilight was a little bit of a... well, not a nice pony. And even more of you pointed out the fact that “Hey, if Silvia lived there, shouldn’t people in town have known?” Well, hopefully this chapter will answer all those question.

I made a blog post saying as much, but for those of you that don’t read blog posts I just had to say this here. Thank you all very much for reading, and for all the feedback. I honestly didn't expect this story to get more than 50 views in the first week, and here we are 3 days later with 462 views, and 107 likes. 107 likes! This is my first time ever breaking 100 likes on a story, and I can’t thank y’all enough. This story was also another first for me! First time ever getting a story in the feature box! Again, I can’t thank you guys enough for the success that this story seems to have become.

As a thank you from myself and (mostly) Spirit, we have a little art piece highlighting one of the scenes from the last chapter for you. Enjoy, and make sure y’all comment and let me know how I’m doing!

Discussions

The sun was shining and there was nary a cloud in the sky as Twilight made her way through Ponyville, a frown upon her face and her head lowered in thought. Despite the beautiful morning Princess Celestia had blessed them with, and the throng of happy ponies milling about, she just couldn’t stop her thoughts from returning to the strange mare.

’Just who was she,’ Twilight’s face scrunched up in agitation ’and where did she even get a key to the library?’

As Twilight continued down the road into the market, her agitation slowly morphed into regret.

’I can’t help but feel I was a little hard on her, though. I mean, what if she was telling the truth? What if this was all some huge misunderstanding and I just kicked the poor mare out of her own home and onto the streets?’

Twilight’s face fell further as she continued through the market, no longer paying attention to where she was going.

’What would my friends think of the way I just treated that mare.’ Twilight groaned to herself before freezing in place. ”What would the Princess think of the way I treated her?!

Twilight’s eyes shrunk to pinpricks as she sat back on her haunches. Every muscle in her body tensed as she turned and prepared to bolt back to the library. However, before her panic could get the better of her, she was stopped as she felt a hoof come to rest on her shoulder. She turned her head to look at the pony that had stopped her, but froze when she saw the concerned face of Applejack.

Noticing her friend was trying to talk to her, Twilight sat on her haunches and took a moment to try and calm herself. Closing her eyes, she brought a foreleg up to her chest as she took a deep breath in, the swept the leg away from herself as she breathed out. After repeating the breathing exercise a few more times, Twilight opened her eyes and turned to fully face Applejack.

“I’m sorry, what was that, Applejack?” Twilight asked, having finally calmed down from her near panic-attack.

“Ah asked if you were alright,” Applejack said, removing her hoof from Twilight’s shoulder and motioning for her to follow her. “Ya’ve been circlin’ the market for a good couple a’ minutes now, ignorin’ anypony that tried ta get your attention.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Twilight looked around the market, pinning her ears back at the looks some of the ponies were giving her. “I was just thinking is all, I didn’t even realize I had reached the market yet.”

“‘Just thinkin’’ doesn’t send ya inta a panic-attack in the middle a’ the town market, sugarcube.” Applejack said, giving Twilight a flat look at she took her spot behind her apple stand. “Now, it’s obvious somethin’ is on yer mind. Ah was gunna give ya yer time to try and work it out on yer own, maybe stop by later ‘n’ offer ta talk it out with ya, but after seein that, yer not goin’ anywhere until we figure out what’s got ya so riled up, ya hear?”

“Oh, you don’t need to do that, Applejack,” Twilight said, following Applejack to her stand and stopping in front of it. “It’s no big deal, really, I can…” she trailed off when she saw the challenging look that Applejack was giving her.

“But you’ve got your apple stand to look after. I can’t just…” She trailed off once again as Applejack sat back on her haunches and crossed her forelegs over her chest, narrowing her eyes at Twilight.

Twilight opened her mouth to stutter out another excuse before sighing in defeat. “You aren’t going to let me get out of this, are you?”

“No can do, sugarcube. Mah friend is in need, an’ Ah’m gunna help her.” Applejack said. “‘n’ don’t ya worry none about the stand, we’re ahead fer the week ‘n’ can stand ta lose a few hours a’ sales.”

Grabbing a ‘closed’ sign from behind the stand, Applejack hung it on the front of the stand before motioning for Twilight to join her behind it. Reaching into one of the barrels she grabbed an apple and tossed it to Twilight before grabbing one for herself.

“Now, somethin’s got ya all up in a tizzie.” Applejack said, taking a large bite of her apple. “Care ta share?”

“Well…” Twilight hesitated, taking a moment to inspect the apple in her magic before continuing. “I guess I could use some advice. I’ve had a bit of an… interesting morning, and I’m starting to think I might not have handled things as well as I should have.”

“What was so interestin’ about this mornin’?” Applejack asked.

“I woke up in bed with a strange mare this morning, and…” Twilight started, the words dying in her mouth as Applejack burst out laughing.

“Well, Ah’ll be, Twi.” Applejack wiped a tear from her eye. “Ah never took ya as the type.”

“What?” Twilight asked, her confusion turning to embarrassment when she realized what Applejack was insinuating. “No, that’s not what I meant at all!”

“If that’s what yer problem is, maybe we should get Rainbow down here ta talk ta ya instead.” Applejack said. “If her braggin’ is anything ta go by, she has plenty of experience in dealin’ with a strange pony the mornin’ after.”

“Applejack, no,” Twilight said sternly. “Nothing like that happened. I was up late cleaning, and when I fell asleep I was alone!”

“Aww shucks, Ah’m just teasin’, Twi.” Applejack said. “Ah didn’t mean anything by it, honest.”

“I know, and I’m sorry for getting mad. It’s just,” Twilight sighed “this morning has been a bit stressful.”

“Ah understand, Ah shoulda known better ta tease ya.” Applejack paused to take another bite of her apple. “So ya woke up to a stranger sleepin’ in yer bed with ya?”

“Yes,” Twilight confirmed. “When I woke up she was hugging me to her chest, saying something about roses. I… might have freaked out a little and blasted her out of the bed.”

“Well, Ah can’t rightly blame ya fer that,” Applejack said. “But… ya didn’t hurt the mare, did ya?”

“No, she was fine. Just a little confused was all. She kept insisting she lived there, said we were in her house.” Twilight's face softened a bit. “But she was nice enough to offer us her food, and the use of her kitchen.”

“So let me get this straight,” Applejack said, “this mare broke into yer house, slept in yer bed, then offered ya the use of yer own kitchen?”

“She kept saying the library was her house, and that she had been away for a while. When I asked her if she had any type of paperwork to support her claim, she just said that she had a verbal agreement with a ‘Mayor Quill’.” Twilight scrunched her face up. “But the mayor’s name is Mayor Mare, not Mayor Quill.”

“Quick Quill,” Applejack said. “He was the mayor before Mayor Mare took over. He moved ta Manehatten ta try his hoof in ‘big city politics’, musta left before ya moved here.”

“So she wasn’t lying about the mayor?” Twilight groaned. “Great, now I feel even worse about how I treated her.”

“Why’s that?” Applejack asked.

“Well…” Twilight pinned her ears back and looked away guiltily. “I kind of thought she was lying, so I told her that once she finished eating I wanted her to leave.”

“Well, that wasn’t very neighborly of ya.” Applejack gave her a disappointed look.

“I know, and I’m sorry!” Twilight said, starting to panic again. “I was just freaking out because I woke up this morning with a strange mare in my home!”

“It’s fine, Twi, this was all jus’ one big misunderstandin’. Ah’m sure if’n ya find ‘er an’ apologize, she’ll understand.”Applejack said, attempting to calm her friend down. “So what does this mare look like? Did she give you a name?”

“She said her name was Silvia,” Twilight said. “Real tall mare, maybe a head taller than your brother, with a blue coat and purple mane.”

“Well, Ah’ll be.” Applejack said, a spark of recognition in her eye. “Silvia’s back in town? That’s great news! Granny an’ Ol’ Mac’ll be happier than a hog on slop day when they hear.”

“Wait, so you know this mare?” Twilight asked.

“Well sure Ah do, she ran the library fer a’ few years before you moved here, good friend a’ the family. Up and left one day, sayin’ somethin’ about a family emergency.” Applejack responded. “Well shoot, Ah’m kickin’ mahself in the tail now fer not realizin’ who it was sooner.”

“And I was so rude to her.” Twilight groaned, burying her face in her forehooves.

“Ah don’t blame ya, Twi, and Ah’m sure she doesn’t either.” Applejack moved to Twilight’s side and gave her a comforting pat on the back. “Silvia’s a sweet mare, Ah’m sure if ya track her down and apologize, she’ll understand.”

“But why? Why would she want to speak to me?” Twilight cried. “I was so rude to her, and I took her house from her and kicked her out! She probably hates me. And she’s your friend, so now you’re going to hate me!”

“She doesn’t hate ya, Twi, and neither do Ah.” Applejack reassured her “Shoot, Ah don’t think that mare’s capable a’ hatin’ anypony.”

“You think so?” Twilight sniffled.

“Ah know so.” Applejack said. “Ya told me yerself, she saw somepony else stayin’ in her house, and her first reaction was to offer them food.”

Sitting up straight, Twilight wiped the last of the tears from her eyes and gave Applejack a thankful smile. “Thanks, Applejack. I really appreciate you taking time from your stand to talk to me. I didn’t realize how much I needed that.”

“T’was no big deal, sugar cube.” Applejack returned her smile. “Ah told ya, mah friend was in need, and Ah couldn’t call mahself an Apple if’n Ah didn’t help her out.”

“Still, I really appreciate it. It means a lot to me that you’d go out of your way to make sure I was ok like that.” Standing and stretching, Twilight used her magic to make herself presentable. “I should probably get going, I have a few things I need to pick up while I’m out, and I want to make it back to the library before Silvia does so I can apologize.”

“Ah thought ya said ya kicked ‘er out?” Applejack asked.

“I told her she was welcome in the library during business hours, but told her she wasn’t allowed in the private quarters.” Twilight said. “She had some bags with her, so I told her she could leave them while she went out to look for somewhere to stay.”

“Well, that was at least nice a’ ya.” Applejack said. “Ya know if she has somewhere else to stay lined up?”

“Not that I know of. I believe she was planning on going to speak to Mayor Mare and see if they could figure things out.” Twilight responded. “If she hasn’t figured something out when she gets back, I think I’ll offer her the storage room. I’ve been cleaning it out to give Spike his own room, but I don’t think he’d mind letting her use it until she can work something else out.”

“Ah don’t think he would, either. The little guy may have a bit of a mouth on ‘im, but he’s got a heart a’ gold.” Applejack chuckled. “Do me a favor an’ let ‘er know if nothing else works out, she’s more than welcome down on the farm. Ah’m sure Mac wouldn’t mind having her around again.” Applejack smirked.

“Why’s that? Twilight asked.

“Back when she lived here before, she used ta come ‘n’ help us out with harvestin’, said our family reminded her a’ her own. And Big Mac?” Applejack laughed. “He took a bit of a fancy to her. Only mare he ever met that could compete with him in raw strength. ‘Course it helped that she wasn’t bad to look at either, once you get her to take that cloak a’ hers off.”

“Is there a story behind the cloak?” Twilight asked. “She wore the thing to bed last night and then put it right back on after she bathed, even though the thing was filthy.”

“There is, but it’s not really mah place ta tell it. If’n ya give ‘er some time ta warm up ta ya, Ah’m sure she’d tell ya herself if ya asked.” Moving back to the spot behind her stand, Applejack removed the closed sign and prepared to greet the ponies that had been patiently awaiting her return. “Now why don’t ya go ahead and get goin’, Twi. Ya said yerself that ya wanted ta hurry and grab a few things so ya could make it back before Silvia.”

“Alright, I’ll go ahead and get out of your mane then.” Twilight stepped out from behind the stand and moved around to the front, grabbing a few apples in her magic and leaving a bit in their place. “Thanks again for the talk Applejack, I really needed it.”

“‘Tweren’t a problem, sugar cube.” Applejack smirked at Twilight. “Anything Ah can do ta prevent another Smarty Pants incident is mah pleasure.”

Blushing slightly at the jab, Twilight said her goodbyes before heading back into the crowd, already mapping in her head the fastest route she could take to get everything she needed.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Silvia trotted quietly through Ponyville, hood pulled tight over her head to keep the sun out of her eyes. Having stuck to alleys and side roads the entire way, the trip took almost twice as long as it should have, but that was exactly what she had intended. After the conversations she had with Twilight, and later with Spike, Silvia had needed some time to clear her head before speaking to Mayor Quill. Stepping out from the alley, Silvia paused in front of the Town Hall for a moment to collect herself before pulling the hood from over her head and walking inside.

Once inside the Town Hall she took an immediate left, moving into the portion of the building set aside for the mayor and their assistant. Upon entering the room, she froze at the sight of a strange mare sitting at the assistant's desk. The mare in question had a light grey, almost white coat, with a matching horn poking out from the well maintained locks of her brown mane. On her desk was a plaque decorated with a picture of quill over an inkwell, as well as the name Raven Inkwell. Upon hearing the doors open, the mare looked up from her desk, her brown eyes instantly locking on Silvia.

“Oh, hello there,” the mare at the desk smiled brightly “are you here to see the mayor?”

“Yes, I needed to speak with Mayor Quill about an agreement we had had,” Silvia answered, stepping fully inside and looking around the room in confusion. “Forgive me if this seems rude, but who exactly are you? I thought Ms. Mare was the Mayor’s Assistant.”

“My name is Raven Inkwell,” Raven said, motioning towards the plaque on her desk, “or just ‘Raven’ for short. I took over for Ms. Mare when she took over as mayor.”

“Ms. Mare took over as mayor?” Silvia asked, her face falling. “What happened to Mr. Quill?”

“Mr. Quill stepped down as mayor almost two years ago,” Raven answered, rolling her eyes. “Said he wanted to get involved in real politics, something he couldn’t do in a small town like this.”

“Oh, so he’s not here anymore?” Silvia asked dejectedly, her ears pinned back.

“Unfortunately not,” Raven said “I’m sorry. But if you want. I can see if Mayor Mare is available to speak with you. So long as you remember the contract number she should be able to look up any agreements you had made with Mayor Quill.”

“If she’s available then yes, that would be great. Could you please tell her that Silvia would like to see her?” Getting a nod in response, Silvia took a seat in one of the many chairs that lined the far wall of the room, settling down to wait.

“Sure thing! There’s some coffee that just finished brewing over there,” Raven motioned a small table situated in the corner of the room “you’re more than welcome to help yourself. Unfortunately, we only have decaf. Last time they let me have normal coffee, I restructured the Royal Guard, tried to redecorate the throne room, and attempted to use coffee to fuel the education of our nation’s youth. Oh, and I also ended up briefly married to one of the princesses.”

Silvia tilted her head in confusion, unsure as to whether she had heard Raven correctly. However, before she could question her on what exactly she had meant, the mayor’s assistant was already out of her seat and out the door. Just as the door was about to swing closed, Raven poked her head back in.

“Make yourself comfortable, dear,” she said, “I’ll only be a moment.”

Raven disappeared back through the door, leaving Silvia alone in the room. With nothing better to do Silvia sat back in her chair, twiddling her hooves as her eyes wandered around the room. Scattered across the wall where the familiar paintings of the town as it looked when it was founded, as well as portraits of each mayor that had served. At the very end of the of the line of portraits, next to the portrait of Mayor Quill, was a portrait of a tan mare with a gray mane. Standing from her seat Silvia walked over to inspect the portrait, noting that the nameplate labeled the mare in the portrait as Mayor Mare.

’That’s strange,’ Silvia thought, eyes scrunched up as she inspected the mare in the portrait ’It looks just like her, but since when did Ms. Mare have a gray mane?

She was broken from her thoughts by the door opening as Raven returned. Stepping through the door, Raven stood to the side and help it open, motioning for Silvia to go through.

“Mayor Mare said she would see you,” Raven said. “Her office is straight down the hall, the last door on the left.”

Bowing her head in thanks, Silvia walked through the door and down the hallway. Passing the many rooms containing the records of the town, kept since its founding, she stopped before the door labeled ‘Mayor’s Office’. Giving a light knock on the door, Silvia sat patiently and waited for permission to enter. Hearing a muffled voice call for her to enter Silvia pushed the door open and entered the room, closing it behind her before taking a seat. Looking up from the papers in front of her, the eyes of the mare at the desk instantly lit up with recognition when she saw Silvia.

“Ah, Silvia, so it is you!” Mayor Mare greeted her. “For a moment I had thought Raven was mistaken when she told me who was here to see me, it’s great to see you again. What brings you back to Ponyville?”

“Well, me leaving was never supposed to be a permanent thing,” Silvia said, shifting in her seat. “In fact, that’s why I’m here to see you. It seems in my absence somepony else has moved into the library, despite an agreement I had with Mayor Quill to keep it vacant.”

“Oh dear, that does seem to be a problem.” Mayor Mare said, setting down the papers she had in her forehooves. “Do you have the agreement with you? I only had paperwork scheduled for this morning, so we should be able to get this sorted out no problem.”

“No, I don’t…” Silvia started.

“Do you remember the agreement number, then?” Mayor Mare asked. “We should have it on file if you do.”

“No…” Silvia said, rubbing the back of her head bashfully. “We never had a written agreement. Mayor Quill said we wouldn’t need one.”

“So what, you want me to just kick a pony out of their home over a verbal agreement you had with the previous mayor?” Mayor Mare asked, giving Silvia a queer look.

“No!” Silvia blurted out. “No, I jussst.”

Pausing for a moment, Silvia took a deep breath to calm herself.

“I just wanted my home back,” Silvia sighed. “I was comfortable there.”

“I’m sorry, Silvia, truly I am.” Mayor Mare attempted to comfort her. “But I couldn’t kick her out even if I wanted to, Twilight owns the library now. She’s a sweet mare though, I’m sure if you asked nicely she’d let you stay there until we arranged something else.”

“No, she won’t,” Silvia sniffled. “Ssshe already kicked me out.”

“She did what now?” Mayor Mare asked, looking astonished. “That doesn’t sound like her at all.”

“I came in really late lassst night and used my key to let myss-self into the library,” Silvia said, doing her best to contain her lisp. “I climbed straight into bed and fell asleep. I didn’t realize there was another pony in the bed until she woke me up by kicking me out of bed with her magic.”

“Oh, dear,” Mayor Mare gasped. “You weren’t hurt, were you?”

“N-no, I’m fine. Just a little bump on my head.” Silvia assured her. “She already apologized for that, too. Even had her assistant cook me a nice breakfast.”

“That sounds more like the Twilight I know.” Mayor Mare smiled. “So what happened that you went from that to being kicked out?”

“I think waking up with me freaked her out a bit more than she let on.” Silvia smiled a little. “Her assistant was actually very adamant about the fact that she’s usually very kind.”

“So you actually got to meet Spike while you were there?” Mayor Mare asked. “He’s such a little sweetheart, isn’t he?”

“Yes, he is,” Silvia giggled. “He even snuck me some extra food for lunch and offered to watch my bags after Twilight left.”

“He’s such a nice little drake, Twilight is so lucky to have him.” Mayor Mare laughed. “But unfortunately, it sounds like not even he will be able to get Twilight to budge on letting you stay.”

“Yeah,” Silvia sighed “it’s fine, though. It’s their home now, and by the look of things they are quite happy there.”

“Indeed they are, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a mare that loves books as much as Twilight does.” Mayor Mare joked. “Now, I hate to have to cut you off but I have a lot of paperwork that I need to get to today, so why don’t we see if we can wrap this up.”

“Of course, Ms. Mare.” Silvia straightened up in her seat.

“Now, seeing as the library is out,” Mayor Mare pulled a folder out of her desk and began sorting through it “do you have anywhere else you can stay? It doesn’t look like any other municipal buildings are open, nor does anypony seem to have an offer posted for a job in return for room and board.” Mayor Mare looked up from the papers before her. “That is the deal you had with Mayor Quill, correct?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Silvia confirmed. “I kept the library clean and organized, and in return, I was allowed to stay in the attached apartment. I also worked with the Apples in return for some spare spending money.”

“Ah yes, the Apples.” Mayor Mare said. “You were quite close with them, were you not?”

“I was,” Silvia perked up. “I spent most of my free time over there, even when I wasn’t helping them around the farm. I was feeling a bit homesick, and Granny Smith reminded me of my Gran-Gran.”

“Ah, yes, your grandmother. I had heard you left because she was sick.” Leaning forward in her chair, Mayor Mare’s face took on a more serious expression. “Tell me, how is she doing? I hope everything worked out for the best.”

“She’s doing just fine,” Silvia assured “thank you for asking. She’s been around a long time, it’ll take more than pneumonia and a bit of colic to keep her down for long.”

“That’s wonderful news, dear.” Mayor Mare leaned back in her seat and sighed in relief. “With how long you were gone I almost wanted to assume the worst.”

Sitting up straight in her chair, Mayor Mare pulled a small calendar out of her desk and began looking it over.

“So have you given any thought to staying with the Apples?” Mayor Mare asked. “Their harvest season is coming up in another few weeks, so I expect it won’t be long before they put a notice in requesting a few hooves around the farm.” Looking up from the calendar, Mayor Mare waggled her eyebrows at Silvia. “And it will be the perfect excuse to go see Big Mac again.”

Flushing, Silvia lowered her head and pinned her ears back in embarrassment. “W-what are you talking about?”

“Don’t play coy with me, Silvia,” Mayor Mare teased. “Most everypony knows you were sweet on him. I think the big lug himself was the only one who didn’t realize himself.”

“It was only a little crush…” Silvia mumbled. “Besides, I doubt he’d be interested. There are a lot more attractive mares than myself here.”

“Don’t count yourself out, you’d be surprised.” Mayor Mare said. “Big Mac is the kind of stallion that focuses less on looks, and more on personality, and ability.”

Placing the calendar back where it came from, Mayor Mare leaned her elbows on the desk and steepled her hooves, her face becoming more serious.

“Now, I really hate to seem like I’m pestering you about this, but I would like to know if you plan on contacting the Apples about work and a place to stay?” Mayor Mare asked. “I will rest better tonight knowing you’re not stuck out on the streets.”

“I think I will,” Silvia smiled. “It will be nice to see them again.”

“That’s wonderful! I’m sure they’ll have no qualms with putting you up, even if it is a few weeks before they need hooves for harvest season.” Standing from her desk, Mayor Mare circled around to Silvia and pulled her into a hug. “Welcome back to Ponyville, Silvia. Hopefully, we can get this all worked out for you.”

“Thanks, Mayor Mare,” Silvia returned the hug. “It’s great to be back again.”

Releasing her from the hug, Mayor Mare shooed Silvia towards the door.

“Now, why don’t you go ahead and run along.” Mayor Mare said. “If you’re fast you can catch Applejack before she leaves her stand for lunch.”

“Thank you very much for your time, Mayor Mare.” Standing from her seat, Silvia walked to the door. Placing her hoof on the handle, she turned to face Mayor Mare. “And thank you so much for all your help, really. I’ll admit I was panicking a bit when I came here and wasn’t thinking too clearly.”

“It’s no problem at all, dear. As mayor of Ponyville, I wouldn’t be doing my job if I let one of my citizens sleep out in the cold.” Mayor Mare assured her, returning to her seat at her desk. “Now, if you’re going to catch Applejack you’d better hurry. And please, do try not to hold the way Twilight acted against her. She really is a sweet mare, even if she is a bit of a trouble magnet.”

“I won’t,” Silvia assured her.

“Wonderful!” Mayor Mare gave Silvis a smile and shooed her once more. “Now you have a pleasant rest of your day, and do let me know how things work out with Applejack.”

With a smile and a wave, Silvia pulled the door open and left the office. Trotting down the hall she exited into the waiting room, saying her farewells to Raven before continuing out of the town hall. Turning towards the town market, she trudged onwards; she had an old friend to visit.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The early afternoon sun was beating down on Silvia’s back as she returned to the library. Reaching the library door she raised her hoof to knock before pausing, lowering her hoof and sitting back on her haunches with a frown. Furrowing her brow in frustration, she thought back on the conversation she had with Applejack.

’Applejack told me to come and talk to Twilight before I made any plans to stay with her,’ Silvia thought. ’But when Twilight left, I seemed like the last pony she wanted to see.’

Silvia sat at the door, raising and lowering her hoof as each attempt at a knock was thwarted by her nerves.

’I could just go back and tell Applejack that Twilight didn’t want to speak to me.’ Silvia reasoned, her face perking up briefly before falling again. ’But AJ would see right through that... I never could lie to her.’

Bringing a forehoof to her chin, Silvia’s face scrunched further in frustration. ’Plus Applejack said she was friends with Twilight, so I’m sure she’d ask her about it the next time they saw each other…’

Silvia sat in front of the library, face constantly shifting between multiple emotions, so caught up in her thoughts that she didn’t realize the door had opened and someone was watching her until the sound of laughter broke her concentration.

“Are you just going to stand there making faces all night,” Spike chuckled. “Or are you gonna come in?”

“Oh, s-sorry,” Silvia stammered. “I was just… busy thinking is all.”

“Yeah, I know,” Spike smirked. “I could hear you ‘thinking’ from the kitchen.”

Taking a peak behind him into the library, Spike quietly stepped outside and closed the door behind him. Stepping up to Silvia, he gently placed a claw on her shoulder and gave her a friendly smile.

“Don’t worry, everything will be fine,” Spike comforted her. “Twilight isn’t upset with you. Just the opposite, in fact; she asked me to let her know when you came to get your bags so she could talk to you.”

“She… wants to talk to me?” Silvia asked.

“Yeah,” Spike said. “She seemed pretty upset when she came back. I think she wants to apologize.”

“She wants to apologize…” Silvia scrunched her face in confusion. “To me?”

“That’s what I just said, isn’t it?” Grabbing one of her forelegs, Spike began trying to pull Silvia to her hooves and towards the door. “Now come on! I’ve got dinner on the stove, and if we sit out here much longer it’s gonna burn.”

Climbing to her hooves, Silvia allowed herself to be led inside the library. Pausing only to close the door behind them, Spike led her through the library and to a sitting area situated on the far side of the room.

“Go ahead and have a seat here,” Spike motioned to the plethora of cushions spread through the area “Twilight should be along any minute now. It’s about time for her to get her pre-dinner book in.”

Without waiting for an answer Spike turned and dashed towards the kitchen, leaving Silvia by herself. With nothing better to do, Silvia began browsing the nearby shelves, attempting to find a book to distract her until Twilight made her way over. Before she had a chance to select a book, however, her attention was drawn to the steps coming down from the apartment as the sound of hoof steps signaled the approach of another pony. Silvia turned just in time to spot Twilight stepping off the last step and towards the sitting area, a book held open in her magic in front of her as three more floated lazily alongside of her.

Failing to notice Silvia, Twilight walked straight past her, the books never leaving her side as she took a seat in the corner, not once looking up from her book. Making herself comfortable, Twilight levitated a quill and scroll of paper from a nearby table, the three unopened books in her aura opening and taking positions in front of her. With all four books held firmly in front of her, her eyes began scanning back and forth across the books as the quill floated behind her, scribbling furiously away at the scroll.

“Spike,” Twilight called out, never once breaking pace. “Silvia hasn’t come back yet, has she? It’s getting close to dinner time, and she’s been gone since breakfast.”

“Yeah, she’s in the sitting room.” Came Spike’s response, muffled by the multiple shelves between them.

Upon hearing his response, the quill froze in Twilight’s magic as all four books snapped closed. Standing from her seat, Twilight began looking frantically around the library before her eyes locked on Silvia.

“Oh, you’re here!” Twilight said, placing the books on a nearby table. “Have you been standing there the whole time?”

“Ye-yeah,” Silvia stammered. “It’s just… you looked busy, and I didn’t want to interrupt you.”

“That’s very polite of you,” Twilight said. “But you wouldn’t have been interrupting anything. I was simply doing a bit of light afternoon reading.”

’That’s light reading?! Silvia eyed the small pile of books before speaking.

“Oh, o-of course,” Silvia mumbled, pawing at the ground. “So Spike said you had wanted to speak to me?”

“Yes, I did!” Twilight motioned to a nearby cushion. “Please, have a seat.”

Silvia shuffled awkwardly over to the offered cushion and sat down facing Twilight, twiddling her hooves as she waited for Twilight to begins speaking.

“So, the first order of business.” Twilight took a moment to collect herself, looking down at her hooves and taking a few deep breaths before continuing. Looking up, she gave Silvia the most heartfelt look she could muster.

“I wanted to apologize about this morning,” Twilight began. “I was extremely crass, and inconsiderate of your feelings.”

“It’s alright,” Silvia cut in. “Really.”

“No, it isn’t!” Twilight insisted. “I was taken by surprise, and instead of remaining calm and being rational, I lashed out at you.”

“And then instead of listening to what you had to say,” Twilight stood from her seat and began to pace. “I instantly dismissed you as some sort of liar, or mooch. I was horrible to you, and kicked you out of my house… no, of your house, without a second thought.”

“Twilight, it’s fine, really.” Silvia attempted to calm the mare down. “You had no way of knowing I was telling the truth.”

“But you were,” Twilight said. “And now you probably hate me!”

“But I don’t, really.” Silvia insisted. Standing from her seat she walked up to the still pacing Twilight and put a hoof on her shoulder, causing her to stop. “I don’t hate you, Twilight, nor am I even upset with you.”

“But why not? I treated you terribly this morning.” Twilight sniffled, keeping her eyes locked on the floor.

“Because my Gran-Gran always taught me to look for the best in ponies,” Silvia smiled. “And you wouldn’t have so many ponies vouching for you if you weren’t a good pony.”

“Ponies,” Twilight sniffled again, wiping her eyes with a foreleg. “Ponies vouched for me?”

“Of course they did,” Silvia said. “Spike, Mayor Mare, Applejack; all of them!”

“You went and talked to Applejack?” Twilight asked.

“Yep! Right after I got done with the mayor,” Silvia said. “I met up with her right as she was taking her lunch break. Went to talk to her about a job and a place to stay and I ended up visiting the farm for a bit. It was good to see the Apples again, I missed Granny Smith.”

“Oh,” Twilight’s face fell a little. “So you’re going to be staying with the Apples then?”

“Well, that was the weird thing.” Silvia sat on her haunches and put a hoof to her chin, scrunching her face in confusion. “She was more than willing to give me a job on the farm, but she refused to talk to me about boarding with them until I came to talk with you.”

“That’s because I went and talked to her earlier,” Twilight said. “After I left this morning I found myself at her stand, and she wouldn’t let me leave until I told her what was bothering me. That’s actually the other thing I wanted to talk to you about.”

“I understand from the way you were talking this morning that this library meant a lot to you,” Twilight said, turning to face Silvia. “That it was somewhere you didn’t want to give up, a home. So, well… I had been cleaning out the storage room, to let Spike use it as a bedroom, but we both agreed that you could use the room a lot more.”

“Wait, do you mean…” Silvia hesitated, unsure if she had heard Twilight correctly.

“I’m asking if you’d like to stay with us, in the library,” Twilight confirmed.

“Oh, that would be wonderful!” Silvia cheered, pulling Twilight into a bone crushing hug. “But what about Spike, you said you had been cleaning out the room for him, right?”

“Too… tight…” Twilight choked out, weakly tapping Silvia on the back to get her attention.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” Silvia yelped, dropping Twilight.

Freed from Silvia’s vice-like grip, Twilight took a moment to catch her breath before speaking.

“Fine… it’s fine.” Twilight choked out, rubbing her chest. “I already talked with Spike about it, and he agreed that you need the room more than he does.”

“Really?” Silvia asked, voice full of hope “You mean I can stay in the library? But I thought you didn’t want me here?”

“Well, not at first, no. But…” Twilight hesitated for a moment. “Look, I over reacted at first. You took me by surprise, and I don’t react well to surprises. I lashed out at you, and I’d like to offer you a place to stay as an apology. This was your home, after all, I’m sure you’d be more comfortable here than anywhere else.”

“If you’re sure it won’t be a hassle, then I’d love to stay here,” Silvia said, bowing her head in gratitude. “Thank you.”

“It will be no hassle, really,” Twilight assured her. “As long as you clean up after yourself, Spike does most of the cooking, and both of us take care of the library.”

“Are you sure? I could do the cooking or the cleaning, free up some time for the two of you.” Silvia offered. “I know when I was staying here I had to help the Apples on their farm when the library wasn’t open to get by, and that was just when I was living by myself! I’m not sure how you manage with the two of you.”

“Well I own the library, so I don’t pay rent,” Twilight said. “And any bills I do have are covered by my stipend.”

“You get a stipend?” Silvia questioned.

“Yes, I get a stipend for being a student. Anypony studying at the School for Gifted Unicorns who decides to take their studies abroad is assigned a stipend, paid by the crown.” Twilight explained.

“And you could afford the the library on a student’s pay?” Silvia asked skeptically.

“Oh, no, I never would have been able to afford the library on my stipend.” Twilight corrected her “My mentor bought it for me. As a bit of a ‘going away’ present.”

Silvia opened her mouth to ask Twilight who her mentor was, that she could afford to buy her an entire library as a going away present, but was interrupted by Spike shouting from the kitchen before she could ask.

“Hey Twi,” he shouted. “Did you pick up daisies while you were out earlier?”

“Were they on the list?” Twilight shouted back.

“No. We ran out last night, and with all the excitement this morning I forgot to ask you to get them.” Spike called back.

“Can it wait till tomorrow?” Twilight asked.

“I need them to finish making dinner,” Spike answered.

“Can you run and get them yourself?” Twilight called back.

“I can’t leave the stove right now,” Spike said. “And if I leave you to watch the food, I won’t have a dinner to come back to.”

“Well, then I guess I’ll run and get them,” Twilight said, shooting a glare in Spike’s direction in response to his jab.

With a flash of her horn, Twilight’s book floated off the table and up the stairs, a set of saddlebags floating back down in their place. Placing the bags on her back, Twilight turned and began heading towards the door.

“Well, it looks like I need to take another trip to the market before it closes.” Twilight sighed. “Feel free to bring your stuff up to the storage room if you want, I’ll get the spare mattress out once I get back.”

“Uhm, actually, I can go get the daisies if you’d like.” Silvia offered. “I was planning on going back out, anyways. I wanted to let Applejack know I was going to be staying here instead of with her.”

“Oh, well if you’re already planning on making a trip to town.” Twilight gave Silvia a grateful smile. “I suppose it would make more sense for you to pick them up.”

Lighting up her horn, Twilight floated a small bit bag out of her saddlebags and over to Silvia.

“The flower sisters tend to have the best flowers, so that’s where we usually buy them.” Twilight instructed her. “Go ahead and pick up two dozen, that should last us until the next time we go grocery shopping.”

“I have bits, you know…” Silvia said.

“Don’t worry about it,” Twilight waved her off. “I don’t mind covering a few meals while you get settled.”

Placing the big bag in her saddlebags, Silvia turned and followed Twilight to the door.

“Thank you, Twilight, for everything,” Silvia said. “I really appreciate it.”

“Well I do have a bad first impression to make up for, so I might as well get started sooner rather than later.” Twilight joked. “But seriously, it’s no problem at all, Silvia. I’m always more than willing to help a friend, and despite our rocky start this morning, I’d like to consider you one.”

“Well, of course we are,” Silvia smiled, stopping in front of the door. “I’d be glad to call anypony who would do this much to help others a friend.”

With a flare of her horn Twilight’s magic encompassed the door, holding it open for Silvia.

“Try not to take to long with Applejack,” Twilight asked. “Spike shouldn’t be too much longer with dinner.”

“I shouldn’t be too long,” Silvia said. “I had a nice long chat with her earlier, so I just need to let her know I’ll be staying with you, and ask what time they’ll be expecting me in the morning.”

“Since you’re running to the market, I’ll go ahead and get the spare mattress set up for you,” Twilight said. “Do you want me to move your bags up to your room when I’m done with that?”

“You don’t have to do that, Twilight,” Silvia said. “I can get them when I come back.”

“You sure?” Twilight asked, flaring her horn briefly. “It won’t take me long at all to move them with magic, and it would save you a few trips up and down the steps.”

“Oh,” Silvia blinked owlishly, realizing she had forgotten about Twilight’s magic. “Well, I suppose that would be a lot easier than carrying them myself.”

“So is that a yes?” Twilight asked, her magic already encompassing the pile of bags.

“Yes, please and thank you!” Silvia said.

With a final check to ensure that her bags were properly secured Silvia stepped outside, with Twilight moving to stand in the doorway.

Silvia took a look at the position of the sun before turning to Twilight.

“Well,” Silvia said, taking a quick look at the sky to check the position of the sun before turning to Twilight. “Looks like I need to get going if I want to catch the flower sisters and Applejack before the market closes.”

“Thanks again for getting the flowers,” Twilight said. “I’ll make sure your rooms set up for you when you get back.”

“It’s no problem, Twilight.” Silvia insisted. “It’s the least I could do for you.”

With one final wave, the two turned and went their separate ways. Silvia heading into town to grab flowers and talk to Applejack, while Twilight grabbed Silvia’s bag and headed up to get the storage room set up for Silvia.

Friends, new and old

Author's Note

Woo, new chapter! Apologies for the delay, but as I stated in my blog posts I was on vacation. I had a lot of fun with this chapter, and I hope y'all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

No new art this chapter, as Spirit is currently in the midst of finals, and couldn't find the time to finish the piece. None the less, I'd like to give a huge shout-out to her, as well as Epiphany and SomeZomePony for finding the time to preread for me.

I'd also like like to give a shout out to Orthoros, as well as everyone else over in the Divine Entertainment Discord channel for all the help and support they've given me. This story wouldn't exist if it wasn't for them.

One last thing before I let y'all get to reading. Spirit and myself have opened up a Discord server for this story. If anyone is interested in hopping in to get updates on the story, discuss what you did or didn't like about a particular scene, or just to chat in general, feel free to follow the link!

First scene is dedicated to Kiki Charles Steen, who's talk of egg-based breakfast foods inspired it.

Friends, new and old

The pale moonlight was all Silvia had to guide her shambling steps as she rolled out of bed and began to prepare for the day. Doing her best to stifle a groan, she stumbled out of her new room and into the hall, nearly tripping over her own hooves as she trudged her way into the bathroom.

A short shower later found Silvia much more alert and awake as she crept her way downstairs and into the kitchen. Doing her best to remain quiet, as to not disturb her new housemates, she quickly pulled out some daisies, tulips, a few roses, eggs, and an assortment of peppers; everything she would need to make them all fully loaded omelets.

Spreading the ingredients out on the counter, she grabbed a medium sized frying pan and tossed a dollop of butter on it before placing it on the stove to heat up. Next, she grabbed a cutting board and a knife and, with practiced ease, began slicing and dicing the flowers and the peppers. With all of the stuffing chopped and spread into their own piles, she cracked multiple eggs into a small mixing bowl and began whisking them, making sure the eggs were well and properly mixed for optimal fluffiness.

With all the ingredients prepped, Silvia proceeded to spread the now melted butter evenly across the surface of the pan before dumping a portion of the eggs into the pan. Once the egg was cooked all the way through, she placed the bowl of eggs on the counter and grabbed the cutting board. Having already divvied the filling up into three even piles, she scooped one of the piles on to the egg. Placing the cutting board back on the counter, she carefully folded the egg in half and scooped it out of the pan and onto a plate.

Repeating the process twice more, she soon had three steaming hot omelets set out on the table. No sooner had she set the last of the plates on the table when she heard a crash come from the library, followed by the sound of clawed feet scrambling across the hardwood. Perking her ears, she turned to the kitchen door just as Spike burst through it.

“Twilight! Put the spatula down, and… and back away… from the stove?” Spike slowly trailed off as he stared in confusion. “Oh, you’re not Twilight.”

“Last time I checked I wasn’t,” Silvia giggled. “Is she really that bad at cooking?”

“Well, I wasn’t exaggerating when I said her parents had to remodel when she tried to make a sandwich,” Spike laughed. “So what’s with all the food?”

“I had to be up early, so I figured since I was making myself breakfast, I might as well make some for you and Twilight, too,” Silvia explained.

“You, uh… you do realize that Twilight and I aren’t usually up for another couple of hours yet, right?” Spike asked.

“Oh, really?” Silvia asked, pinning her ears back in disappointment. “I’m sorry, I was just trying to help.”

“It’s fine,” Spike said. “I’m up now, so I can eat mine now. And hey, if you’re still hungry we can split Twilight’s. It’ll be cold before she wakes up, so we might as well eat it now so it doesn’t go to waste.”

“You didn’t want to go back to sleep?” Silvia asked.

Picking up the plate containing Twilight’s omelet, she cut it in half and scraped half of it onto Spike’s plate. Putting the other half on her plate, she placed the empty plate in the sink before taking a seat at the table.

“Nah, I wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep anyway,” Spike responded, grabbing three shakers from a nearby cabinet, “Not after a wake-up call like that. By the time I got settled enough to fall asleep again, it would be time to get up already.”

“Well, hopefully my cooking will make up for waking you up, then,” Silvia joked.

Silvia waited patiently for Spike to finish seasoning his food before grabbing two of the shakers from him, one marked with a stylized ‘S’, the other with a matching ‘P’. Eying the third shaker, she noticed it had a large stylized ‘G’ on the side.

“So what’s in there?” Silvia asked, motioning to the shaker with a foreleg.

“Oh, this?” Spike grabbed the shaker and tilted it over his food. Silvia’s eyes widened in surprise when she saw small multicolored flecks begin raining down on his food.

“It’s a gem shaker,” Spike explained. “Since I’m still a growing dragon, my body needs certain minerals that can only be found in gemstones. Twi can’t eat them, though, so we keep a couple shakers stocked with gem dust to help supplement my food.”

Spearing his half of the omelet that had been meant for Twilight, Spike opened his mouth wide and popped the entire thing in.

“Plus,” Spike said between bites, “they taste pretty good, too.”

“I’ll, uh… I’ll take your word for it,” Silvia said, cringing at the uncivil display.

Finishing off the egg in his mouth, Spike took a moment to cut the rest of his food into smaller bites before continuing.

“So not that I don’t appreciate you making breakfast,” Spike paused to pop a bit of egg into his mouth, “but what are you doing up so early?”

“I need to be at the farm by sun up,” Silvia said taking dainty bites of her meal. “I’m supposed to start working with the Apples today.”

“By sun up?” Spike asked, peeking around Silvia to see out of the kitchen window. “Well, then you probably should have left about five minutes ago.”

Pausing mid-bite, Silvia slowly looked over her shoulder to see the first rays of the morning sun peeking over the horizon.

“Oh, no!” Silvia shouted, nearly choking on her food. “No, no, no...”

“Woah…” Spike could only look on in fascinated horror as Silvia picked up her plate with both forelegs and, opening her mouth wider than any pony should have been able to, she swallowed the remainder of her meal in one large bite.

“Can you clean up for me, Spike?” Silvia asked, gathering all the dirty dishes and placing them in the sink. “I’m going to be late if I don’t leave now!”

“Yeah, sure, go ahead. I got it,” Spike said. “You want any coffee before you go? It should only take me a minute to make some.”

“No time!” Silvia called over her shoulder. “Gotta go!”

Stopping only to grab her saddlebags from beside the door, Silvia bolted out the door and through town, leaving Spike to finish his breakfast alone.

“Well,” Spike said, “guess I better get started on my chores then.”

Grabbing his plate in one claw, Spike dumped the remainder of his meal in his mouth and swallowed it in one bite. Tossing his plate in the sink with Silvia’s he filled it with water and began washing.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The sun was barely peaking over the horizon as Silvia crested the final hill on her way to Sweet Apple Acres. Pausing at the top of the hill, she lifted a foreleg to her muzzle as she attempted to stifle a mighty yawn.

“I should have taken Spike up on his offer to make me some coffee,” Silvia grumbled to herself, cursing herself for her decision to forgo the bitter nectar of the gods.

With a reluctant sigh, Silvia continued along the path, passing through the front gate and into the orchard. Slowing from her brisk trot, she closed her eyes and took a moment to enjoy the sound and smell of the early morning breeze blowing through the rows upon rows of apple trees.

“I may not enjoy waking up this early,” Silvia said, “but this makes it worth it.”

“Glad ta hear that, sugar cube,” Applejack said from somewhere next to her.

Jumping at the unexpected voice, Silvia’s eyes snapped open as she turned to look at the mare that was now walking beside her.

“Oh, Applejack, were you there long?” Silvia asked. “I didn’t hear you come up.”

“Not too long, Ah was takin’ an early mornin' walk through tha orchard,” Applejack said, waving off Silvia’s concerns. “Ah saw ya walkin’ on up the path, so Ah thought Ah’d give ya a bit a’ company. Ya looked like ya were off in yer own little world, though, so Ah didn’ wanna disturb ya.”

“I was just enjoying being in the orchard,” Silvia giggled. “It’s nice to be here again, I really missed this.”

“Ya were jus’ here tha other day, did ya ferget already?” Applejack teased.

“Well yeah, but I wasn’t talking about just being here.” Stopping on the path, Silvia sat back on her haunches and motioned to the orchard around her. “I was talking about this. The scent and the sound of the early morning breeze blowing through the trees. The beautiful pinks and golds that explode across the sky as the sun peeks over the horizon, its warm rays cutting through the chill left over from last night.”

Standing up from her seat on the ground, Silvia continued through the orchard, smiling as she looked at Applejack out of the corner of her eye. “And the company of good friends to share it with.”

“Well, that’s true, Ah suppose,” Applejack admitted. “Guess that’s somethin’ we take fer granted here. If’n Ah’m rememberin’ the stories ya used ta tell correctly, y’all didn’t have much a’ this back home, did ya?”

“No, everypony back home was much more… closed off and wary,” Silvia answered. “My parents included. It’s one of the reasons I left.”

“Yeah, Ah think Ah remember ya sayin' somethin’ like that,” Applejack said, scratching at her chin with a forehoof. “Bet that makes ya mighty glad ta be back.”

“Yeah,” Silvia nodded, “I missed my family. But after spending so much time in Ponyville, being back home was kind of… depressing.”

“Well it’s good ya got ta see ‘em then,” Applejack said.

They both continued on in silence, content with enjoying each other's company as the sunrise warmed their backs. It wasn’t until the trees parted and the barn came into sight that one of them spoke up.

“So how’d things turn out with yer granny?” Applejack asked. “Ah know ya told me yesterday she was better, but ya were gone an awfully long time.”

“It was touch and go for a while, and right when she started getting better she ended up colicing.” Silvia rolled her eyes. “She told us herself, though, it’ll take more than a little bug and some stomach cramps to keep her down.”

“When ya left ya said she had pneumonia, right?” Applejack asked, getting a nod in response. “And she coliced?” Silvia nodded again.

“That ain’t ‘just a little bug and some stomach cramps’, sugar cube,” Applejack said in disbelief. “Either one ‘a those could kill a healthy pony our age if it ain’t treated properly, it’s a miracle your granny made it through both ‘a ‘em.”

“Personally,” Silvia smirked, holding back a snicker. “I just think she’s too stubborn to let anything that hasn’t been around as long as she has get the better of her.”

“What d’ya mean by that?” Applejack questioned.

“It’s a bit of a family joke,” Silvia explained. “Nopony in our family knows just how old she is.”

“Well she’s yer granny, so she can’t be that old,” Applejack said.

“Well she’s not actually my granny,” Silvia said, drawing a confused look from Applejack. “I mean, she is… but she isn’t my grandmother. She’s my great, great, great… I’m not sure how many greats. But she’s been around long enough that my mom called her granny. And her mom before that, and her mom before that… you get the point, right?”

“So she’s like our granny then?” Applejack asked. “She was about mah age when she helped found Ponyville, ‘n that was over four-hundred years ago.”

“Exactly!” Silvia said. “Except we don’t have any major events we can use to date her.”

Having reached the open doors of the barn Applejack stepped inside and instantly set to work, stacking empty baskets in her wagon.

“Now ‘nuff ‘bout that. What d’ya say we get ta work?” Applejack said. “Unless ya need a bite ta eat. If ya do, go on 'n step inside, Granny should still be in tha kitchen.”

“Oh, no thanks,” Silvia answered. “I made breakfast for Spike and myself before I left this morning.”

“Didja now?” Applejack asked. “Ah didn’t know Spike’d be up this early. Accordin’ ta Twilight, he likes ta sleep in.”

“He usually does, but I guess he’s not used to me living with them yet. He heard somepony cooking and thought it was Twilight,” Silvia laughed. “Made quite the racket on his way down to stop her.”

“Well, it has only been a few days,” Applejack chuckled. “But if’n yer ready ta get ta work Ah suppose ya can start by unloadin’ the tools from tha extra cart over there,” Applejack motioned to a tarp covered cart in the corner of the barn, “'n loadin’ it up with baskets. Once yer done that, ya can help me with tha south field.”

“What about Mac?” Silvia asked, moving to the cart in the corner. “Is he going to be working by himself?”

“Nah,” Applejack said, grunting with exertion as she loaded the last stack of baskets into her cart. “Apple Bloom doesn’t start school fer a few hours yet, so she’ll be in the west fields with ‘im.”

With the last of the baskets loaded into her cart, Applejack slipped into the harness and pulled her cart to the door.

“Once yer finished loadin’ up yer cart, why don’t ya go ahead ‘n pick up where Ah leave off puttin’ baskets under the trees,” Applejack instructed, turning to face Silvia as much as the harness would allow. “Once ya run out, come back behind me ‘n load up all tha full baskets ya can fit and bring ‘em back here to unload. Once they’re unloaded, put tha empties under tha next few trees in line ‘n grab some more.”

“Can do, Applejack!” Silvia responded, struggling to keep her cloak out of the way as she loaded her cart.

“Ya know, nopony comes out here durin’ tha day,” Applejack said, noticing Silvia’s plight. “Well, nopony besides RD, but she already knows. If’n ya want, ya can take that cloak off while yer workin’. Nopony here’ll give ya any grief.”

Silvia grasped anxiously at the clasp on her cloak, a look of uncertainty on her face. Taking a deep breath, she undid the clasp and pulled the cloak from her body, revealing a long strip of silver, almost scaly flesh that stretched from the base of her mane and down into her tail. The hairs lining the patch of skin were both short and bristly, their shade of silver matching that of the streak that extended from where the patch of skin met her tail, all the way to the tip. Hanging the cloak from a hook on the barn wall Silvia turned to face Applejack, shuffling her hooves awkwardly as she waited for her to say something.

“There, now doesn’t that feel a whole lot better?” Applejack asked, eyeing the cloak. “If’n ya want, once we’re done fer the day Ah can toss ya a few bits so ya c’n have Rares look at that cloak a’ yers. It’s lookin’ more’n a little worn out.”

“Yeah, the walk home and back wasn’t too kind to it,” Silvia said. Fanning out the tail of the cloak, she cringed at the number of holes and threadbare sections the cloak had accumulated. “But you don’t have to do that, it can wait until payday.”

“Nah, it’s fine sugar cube. Ah know how important that cloak is ta ya.” Turning back towards the door, Applejack began making her way to the fields.

“Now don’ be lollygaggin’, ya hear?” Applejack called back over her shoulder. “Just ‘cause we’re ahead fer tha’ month, it don’t mean we can slack off.”

“Don’t worry, Applejack,” Silvia called back. “I won’t!”

Alone in the barn, Silvia made quick work of unloading and then reloading her cart. With one final anxious glance at her cloak, Silvia hitched herself to the cart and pulled it out into the fields, her focus on her work soon distracting her from her fears.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Pausing a moment to adjust her glasses on her sweat slicked face, Silvia gave one final grunt of effort as she heaved the last basket of apples into the back of her cart. Taking a moment to wipe the sweat from her brow, she once again adjusted her glasses before hitching herself to her cart.

“Ya ‘bout done over here?” Applejack’s voice called out from a few rows over, causing Silvia to jump at the unexpected noise.

“Yeah,” Silvia called back, waiting for Applejack to cross over into her row before continuing. “Just finished loading up the last basket.”

“Great job, Silvia,” Applejack chuckled, shooting Silvia a challenging smirk. “I was almos’ worried ya’d have a bit of a hard time keepin’ up, what with ya bein’ gone fer so long.”

“Oh please,” Silvia returned the look. “It would take more than a few apples to get the best of me.”

"Well then why don’t’cha take those ‘few apples’ ‘n head on over ta tha barn ta unload ‘em. Once yer done, go on ahead ‘n head over ta tha house.” Applejack paused for a moment, checking the position of the sun before continuing. “It’s about lunchtime now, ‘n Granny’ll have our hides if we’re late.”

Silvia opened her mouth to argue against stopping but was silenced by her stomach loudly protesting her protests.

“Lunch sounds great,” Silvia sheepishly said.

With a shake of her head and a smirk, Applejack pulled her cart the rest of the way into the row and turned towards the barn, waiting for Silvia to pull up beside her.

“So how’ve things been at tha library?” Applejack asked, falling into stride with Silvia.

“They’ve been fine,” Silvia said. “Like I said this morning, everyone is still getting used to living together, so there have been a few problems. Nothing major, though.”

“‘N how’s Twi treatin’ ya?” Applejack asked. “I know y’all got off to a bad start, ‘n she tends to panic and overthink things.”

“A few… minor disagreements,” Silvia giggled. “But nothing that wasn’t solved by Spike pointing out how silly the two of us were acting.”

“That’s good ta hear,” Applejack said. “Y’all doin’ alright on food? Ah can send some apples back with ya if y’all are needin’ anythin’.”

“No, Twilight has everything handled,” Silvia answered. “Apparently her mentor bought her the library, so she doesn’t pay rent. And since she’s still a student, she gets a stipend for studying abroad.”

“Twilight owns the library?” Applejack asked, getting a nod from Silvia. “Huh… Ah never knew that. Thought she was jus’ stayin’ on tha same terms you were.”

“No, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be pitching in once I start getting paid,” Silvia said. “But that also reminds me, Twilight got cut off before she could tell me who her mentor was.”

“Well shucks, Ah know that one,” Applejack chuckled. “Her mentor is…”

The shrill sound of the dinner bell ringing, followed shortly by Granny’s cry of ‘soup’s on’ caused Applejack to stop in place for a moment before picking up her pace.

“Aww shoot,” Applejack mumbled. Taking a quick look over her shoulder, she called back to Silvia. “Why don’t’cha go ahead and jus’ park yer cart inside, don’ worry ‘bout unloadin’ it. We c’n get it after lunch.”

Without a word, Silvia fell in step behind Applejack, pulling her cart inside and parking it beside the stacks of empty barrels waiting to be loaded with apples. Quickly slipping out of the harness, she followed Applejack out of the barn, pausing for a moment to kick the door shut behind her before quickly trotting into the house.

“‘Bout time you showed up,” Granny lightheartedly scolded Applejack. “If’n we had ta wait much longer, tha food woulda gone cold.”

“Sorry, Granny,” Applejack apologized. “Me ‘n Silvia were just gettin’ tha last a’ the apples loaded up and put in tha barn.”

“Y’all’re done already?” Granny Smith asked, giving Silvia an appraising look.

“We sure are,” Applejack said confidently. “Made today’s quota, 'n then some.”

“Well then,” Granny smiled at Silvia and motioned at an open seat with a foreleg. “Why don’t’cha go ahead ‘n have a seat then. Family can’t eat ‘til all its members are seated.”

With a smile, Silvia took the closest open seat, waiting until Granny took her spot at the head of the table before dishing up. Plate piled high with food, she couldn’t help but flush slightly when she noticed she had taken the seat next to Big Mac.

“Ya alright over there?” Applejack asked, giving Silvia a knowing grin from across the table. “Yer lookin’ a little red in tha face.”

“No, I’m fine,” Silvia quickly responded, her left ear twitching repeatedly. “Jussst the, uh, just the heat getting to me a bit isss… is all. I’ll be fine.”

“Uh-huh, sure,” Applejack’s smirk widened before she turned her attention to Big Mac. “So Mac, how ya doin’ in the west fields? Need one of us ta head over there ‘n give ya a hoof after lunch?”

“Eeenope,” Big Mac said, picking dutifully at his food. “Already finished fer tha day, was gonna work on patchin’ up tha fence over by tha Everfree once Ah finish eatin’”

“Yer gonna what now?” Granny Smith asked. “Ah don’ know if I want ya doin’ that, Mac. Least, not by yerself.”

“I can help him,” Silvia quickly volunteered.

“Well, Ah would feel a lot better knowin’ somepony was there ta watch his back,” Granny Smith considered for a moment. “And ya do have a way with keepin’ them Timberwolves away. Alright then, Ah suppose y’all c’n go ‘n patch up the fence. Just no funny business out there, ya hear?” She added on at the end, giving Silvia and Mac the stink-eye.

Silvia blushed and glanced at Big Mac out of the corner of her eye, unable to make out his matching blush through his coat color. Rolling her eyes at their obliviousness, Applejack quickly cleaned the rest of her plate before changing the subject.

“How’s tha bakin’ comin’, Granny?” Applejack asked. “We gonna have plenty a’ pies ‘n fritters ta bring ta tha market today?”

“Ah got plenty done, don’ ya worry none,” Granny Smith assured her. “In fact, by the time ya finish unloadin’ the rest of the apples, I should have another few pies out an’ coolin’ off.”

“Well, alrighty then,” Applejack said, “hopefully we won’t sell out as fast today then.”

Sensing a break in the conversation, Silvia spoke up. “Do you want me to head to town and help you out at the market once Mac and I finish up with the fence?”

“Nah, it’s only a half day in tha market today,” Applejack responded. “Ah c’n handle tha stand on mah own. Why don’t’cha stick around here, give Mac a hoof with some repairs around tha farm.” She smirked at Big Mac. “I’m sure he’d appreciate tha company.”

“Well, what about the carts in the barn?” Silvia asked, attempting to change the subject. “We still have that last load of apples to put away.”

“Don’t’cha worry none ‘bout them,” Applejack said. “Ah can pack them up real quick like while Granny finishes up those last couple ‘a pies.”

Standing from her seat, Applejack brought her plate to the sink and gave it a quick wash before placing it in the drying rack. “‘N speakin’ of, Ah should prolly git back ta work. Apples ain’t gonna store themselves.”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac said, polishing off the last of his food before washing his plate as well. “Guess Ah should get back ta work ‘s well. Ya comin’, Silvia?”

“Just a moment!” Silvia quickly cleaned off her own plate in a show of gluttony that Pinkie would have trouble matching. “Just gotta wash up my plate and I’ll be out.”

“Don’t you worry none about yer plate,” Granny Smith grabbed the plate from Silvia. “Ah c’n handle a few dishes on mah own. Why don’ you head on out an’ help Mac gather up his tools.”

“Oh, that’s ok, Granny.” Silvia attempted to hold onto the plate. “I can…”

“Don’t you argue with me, little missy.” Granny Smith gave Silvia a playful stern glare. “Y’aren’t too old fer me ta put ya over mah knee, ya hear?”

“Alright, Granny, if you insist,” Silvia conceded. “And thank you for lunch. It was delicious, as usual.”

“Make sure ya thank Mac, too. He helped.” Seeing the surprised look on Silvia’s face, Granny smirked. “That colt sure can cook. Good thing ta look fer in a stallion, don’t’cha think?”

“ Well, yeah… I mean no… I mean… maybe?” Silvia stammered, face flushing in embarrassment as she did her best to sink into the floorboards. “I’m… just gonna go outside now.”

Ignoring the cackling of Granny Smith, Silvia trotted out of the house and into the barn. A quick glance around the room told her that Big Mac was in the corner of the barn, loading a familiar set of tools into the cart she had been using.

“Was that your tool cart, Mac?” Silvia asked.

“Eeyup,” Big Mac responded, loading the last of the tools into the cart. “Don’t worry ‘bout it none. Ah don’t much mind havin’ ta load mah tools up, if’n it means we get a reliable set a’ hooves ta help.”

Not waiting for a response, Big Mac hitched himself to the cart and pulled it out of the barn and around to the side, where they stored their extra fence posts and rails. With practiced ease, he slid out of the harness and began loading rails into the cart.

“Need any help with those?” Silvia asked, following him outside.

“Eenope,” Big Mac said, hefting one last rail into the cart. “Got all Ah need.”

Sliding back into the harness, Big Mac pulled the cart into the orchard and straight for the Everfree. Falling in step beside him, Silvia’s mouth opened and closed silently a few times as she attempted to make conversation.

“So…” Silvia began, unsure of what to say. “Apple Bloom sure has grown since I’ve been gone.”

“Eeyup,” came Big Mac’s abrupt response.

“She doing good in school?” Silvia asked.

“Eeyup,” Big Mac smirked, “better’n her sister.”

“That’s good,” Silvia smiled. “She making friends?”

“A few,” Big Mac said. “Bondin’ over cutie marks.”

“Oh,” Silvia’s ears perked up. “Did she get hers already?”

“Eenope,” Big Mac shook his head. “Last a’ their class.”

“Ah…” Silvia said, glancing back at her own blank flank. “I know what that’s like.”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac said, allowing their conversation to lapse into silence.

A few more attempts were made to strike up a conversation, but it wasn’t long before they arrived at the section of fencing that bordered the Everfree Forest. Parking the cart in the middle of a large section of downed and broken rails, Big Mac grabbed a set of tool pouches from the cart and tossed it to Silvia before donning his own.

“Go ahead ‘n start pickin’ up tha downed posts and puttin’ them back in place,” Big Mac instructed. “If tha ends are split, ‘r they’re broken, pull ‘em out and stack ‘em next ta tha cart. If they aren’t, ya can put a single nail in the ends ta help hold it in place. Ah’ll follow behind ‘n replace the broken rails.”

Strapping her own tool pouch on, Silvia set to work immediately, righting the downed rails and pulling the damaged ones out for Big Mac to replace. With the two of them working together, it didn’t take long for them to finish up the first section of downed rails and move on to the next. The job progresses smoothly until they reached the fourth, and final, section of downed rails, and Silvia began to hear a slight rustling coming from the forest.

Slipping her hammer back into her tool pouch, Silvia stepped her upper body through a gap the fence and squinted into the treeline, attempting to pick out any movement from within the forest. A flash of movement no more than a few trees deep caught her attention, and when she focused she could almost make out a slight orange glow. As she prepared to step through the fence to investigate, she was stopped by a firm hoof being rested on her shoulder.

“Everything alright?” Big Mac asked.

Startled by the sudden contact, Silvia glanced over at Big Mac before returning her attention to the forest, trying and failing to find the source of the movement she had heard earlier.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Silvia said. “I just thought I saw something, but I don’t see it anymore.”

“Well’n why don’ we hurry this up,” Big Mac cast a wary glance out at the forest. “Only a few rails left ta fix.”

“Huh?” Silvia glanced between Big Mac and the forest a few times. “Oh, yeah, sure thing.”

Stepping back through the fence, Silvia picked up the downed rail and slid it into place before securing it with a nail. They finished repairing the fence without any more disturbances, but Silvia’s eyes didn’t once leave the forest. As they walked back to the barn, Silvia would constantly glance over her shoulders, unsure if the movement and flash of orange she saw were real or not.

Reaching the barn, Big Mac unloaded the last of the extra rails they had brought with before pulling out a short list of repairs needed on the farm. Assigning Silvia a few jobs from the list that she had the tools to handle the two went their separate ways, one focused on getting as much done as possible, while the other focused on what she saw in the forest.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Woo-wee!” Applejack cheered, parking her empty cart in the barn and wiping a bit of sweat from her brow. “We had one hay of a day in tha market today.”

Kicking the barn door closed, she trotted over to her waiting family and friend. “If’n we c’n keep this up, we might just be able to fix the roof b’fore the first snow.”

“Well ain’t that wonderful,” Granny Smith cheered. “Glad ta hear all a’ y’all did such good jobs today.”

“Did Mac ‘n Silvia get the fence done?” Applejack asked.

“‘N then some,” Big Mac confirmed. “Got most everything on the list done, ‘cept what we didn’t have tha materials fer.”

“Well, Ah’ll be,” Applejack threw a foreleg over Silvia’s shoulder and pulled her into a sideways hug. “Sounds like ya more than earned today’s pay.”

Reaching under her hat, Applejack pulled out a small bag of bits and dropped it in Silvia’s hooves.

“That’s ok, Applejack,” Silvia said, trying to give the bag back. “I told you you didn’t have to do that.”

“Nonsense!” Applejack gave Silvia a solid pat on the back before releasing her. “Ah told ya Ah’d give ya a few bits ta go git yer cloak fixed up, ‘n Ah’m a mare a’ mah word. Now go on ‘n take yer bits ‘n head on over there, Rares is waitin’ on ya.”

“Why’s Rarity waiting on me?” Silvia asked, adjusting her cloak before slipping the bits into one of its pockets.

“‘Cus Ah ran inta her in the market,” Applejack explained. “Told her Ah was gonna send ya her way once ya were done workin’.”

“But…” Silvia started, but was cut off when Applejack gave her a friendly shove.

“Now go on,” Applejack gave her another nudge. “It’s rude ta keep somepony waitin’.”

“Alright, I’m going,” Silvia trotted a few steps down the driveway before turning to face the Apples. “Just… thank you so much everypony, for this job, for everything. I’ll make sure you don’t regret it.”

“Ahh, phooey,” Granny Smith waved her off. “Ya could be the worst worker we’ve seen ‘n we’d still be happy ta give ya a job. Yer basically family, and we wouldn’t be able ta call ourselves Apples if we didn’t give ya a helpin’ hoof when ya needed it.”

With a final round of farewells between them, Silvia was soon heading down the road and out of the orchard. Passing through the front gates of the orchard she stopped to cast a wary look at the Everfree forest to her left, doing a double take when she thought she saw another flash of orange. After a few moments of watching the treeline, she shook it off as a figment of her imagination and continued her trip back into town. As she neared the boutique the number of ponies in the street dwindled until soon she found herself nearly alone, the last few ponies sharing the streets with her soon ducking into their homes.

’Huh, something must be going on tonight,’ Silvia thought. ’Everypony sure seems to be in a hurry to get home.’

Hastening her pace Silvia soon arrived at the Carousel Boutique, giving a polite knock on the door before waiting to be told to enter.

“Rarity,” Silvia called out, “are you in? Applejack said you were expecting me.”

“Yes, of course I am, dear,” a voice called out from somewhere inside the building. “Come on in, I’m in the back room.”

Pushing open the door, Silvia jumped slightly at the sound of the bell ringing before stepping inside.

“The bell is new,” she called out.

“Did I not have that when you were here?” Rarity asked. “I must have gotten it right after you left. I had it put in because I couldn’t hear ponies coming in while I was working in the back.”

“Business is going well for you, then?” Silvia asked, taking a quick detour through the row of ponnequin displays.

“Very much so!” Rarity cooed. “So much so, in fact, that I’ve been looking into opening up a shop in Canterlot.”

“I’m sure you’ll do great up there,” Silvia said, jaw hanging open in awe of some of the designs she had on display. “These dresses are beautiful.”

“Why thank you dear,” Rarity said. “Maybe one of these days you’ll give up that dusty old cloak and let me put you in one?”

“Oh, no, I couldn’t do that,” Silvia said, finally making her way into the back room. “I don’t think I could do any of these designs of yours justice.”

“Oh pish posh,” Rarity said, turning to face Silvia as she stepped into the room. “You are a beautiful mare, and don’t ever let anypony tell you otherwise.”

Crossing the room, Rarity met Silvia halfway and pulled her into a firm, yet gentle hug. “If anypony does tell you otherwise, let me know and I’ll set them straight.”

“Oh, Rarity,” Silvia giggled, “it’s so great to see you again. I’m sorry it took me so long to get over here.”

“Fret not, dear,” Rarity waved off her concerns, releasing her from the hug. “I’ve been absolutely swamped with orders all week. But when Applejack of all ponies told me of how dreadful your poor cloak looked, why… I just had to clear some time to patch it up for you.”

“It isn’t that bad,” Silvia sat on her haunches and fanned out her cloak, flinching when the action caused a slight tear in the fabric. “I… can fix that.”

“Please don’t take this the wrong way,” Rarity said, visibly cringing as her critical eye picked out an uncountable number of poorly patched rips and tears on the cloak. “But I believe your ‘fixes’ are doing more harm than good at this point.”

“It’s not that bad…” Silvia pouted.

“I’m sorry dear, truly I am, but it really is,” Rarity ran a hoof over the tattered fabric. “I can count no less than four threads in this one section of the cloak alone that, if pulled, would cause the entire thing to fall to pieces.”

“So maybe it is that bad…” Silvia sagged. “Is there anything you can do for it?”

“While normally I would say no,” Rarity said, biting her lip at the look of grief that flashed across Silvia’s face. “I know how important this cloak is to you, and on my honor as Ponyville’s premier fashionista, I will do everything within my power to mend this for you.”

“Oh, thank you so much, Rarity!” Silvia said, pulling Rarity into a bone crushing hug.

“It’s fine, dear, really,” Rarity choked out. “Now please put me down, and gently please. I’m not sure I could fix your cloak if you damaged it much further.”

“Sorry! Sorry,” Silvia said, releasing Rarity from her grip. “It’s just, well… you know. I was so upset when I thought you couldn’t do anything for gran-gran’s cloak. And…”

“Yes, yes. I understand, dear, truly I do.” Using her magic, Rarity gently unclasped the cloak from Silvia’s neck, the contents of its pockets all finding their way to a nearby end table as the cloak was gently laid out on her work table. “Which is exactly why I’m so willing to put the time and effort into an article of clothing that’s so far gone. Friend or no, it would make me physically ill to force somepony to part with a piece of clothing they love as much as you love this cloak.”

Rarity’s horn lit up, and shortly after a small wash bin containing a small amount of water, and coated in a matching aura floated in from one of the adjacent rooms. Laying the bin on the table beside her, she gently hefted Silvia’s cloak in her aura and lowered it into the water.

“Of course, this would be so much easier to fix if it wasn’t absolutely filthy,” Rarity said, shooting Silvia a glare. “I mean really, what did you do? Find a giant mud puddle in the middle of a swamp and go roll around in it? And… is that sand?” Rarity gaped at the layer of sand that had already formed on the bottom of the bin.

“It is! Silvia,” Rarity’s glare turned to a look of bewilderment, “how exactly did you manage to get this much sand in your cloak? It looks like you drug half of the badlands home with you.”

“Well, my parents do live in Saddle Arabia,” Silvia explained. “So I did have to walk through a desert both ways.”

“You walked all the way to Saddle Arabia?” Rarity asked. “No wonder your cloak looks like it went through Tartarus and back. It’s because it did.”

“The walk isn’t that bad,” Silvia frowned. “With those enchanted saddlebags you gave me for Hearth's Warming the year before I left, I was easily able to carry enough supplies to make the trip. Made the walk more of a time sink than anything else.”

“But all that heat,” Rarity whimpered. “It must have wreaked absolute havoc on your poor mane.”

“Not really,” Silvia fluffed her mane. “I grew up with that heat, so I guess it doesn’t affect me much.”

“Either way, the important part is you made it back in one piece,” Rarity said. Returning her attention to gently cleaning the cloak, she quietly mumbled to herself. “Even though I’m fairly certain manes don’t work like that.”

With a flare of her horn, Rarity pulled the now clean cloak from the tub, leaving behind sandy, almost black water. The glow from her horn intensified momentarily, and when it faded every drop of water had been leached from the cloak and into the bin of dirty water. Curling her lip in disgust, she floated the bin off of her table and back to the room it came from, using the utmost care to not spill a drop of the murky water on any of her fine fabrics.

The cloak itself, free of all of the dirt and grime that had been matted to it, was now a nice sandy shade of brown, the multitude of poorly patched rips and tears now easily visible. Rarity’s horn flared to life once again as multiple spools of matching fabric floated off of their shelves and over to the fashionista. One by one Rarity held each spool of fabric next to the cloak, shaking her head and discarding each with growing frustration. With only two spools left in her grasp, she finally found a spool she was happy with, marking the occasion with an excited ‘Aha!’

Her spool of fabric chosen, the others were swiftly returned to their places as Rarity cut a piece the exact size and shape of the cloak from the spool she had chosen.

“Now, I’ve only had the opportunity to try this technique once or twice,” Rarity said, laying the cutout over top of the original. “And both times were for small patch jobs, so this may take a few tries. Is that ok?”

Realizing that Rarity was waiting for her to respond, Silvia nodded her approval without once taking her eyes off of her cloak.

“Alright then, Darling,” Rarity said, her horn once again flaring to life. “Here we go.”

The glow encasing Rarity’s horn intensified as the two pieces of fabric were enveloped in it, both pulling tight as the magic pushed them together and lined up the edges perfectly. The glow intensified even more, and beads of sweat started forming on Rarity’s brow as the top piece of fabric seemed to melt into the cloak beneath it, leaving one piece of pristine fabric in its place. As the two fabrics melded together, the glow slowly receded from the fabric, reaching almost halfway down the cloak before sputtering out.

As the glow on the cloth flickered out, so too did the glow on Rarity’s horn. In an explosive release of breath, she staggered on her hooves as she grabbed her work table to steady herself.

“Well, patching a full cloak sure takes a lot more out of me than a little patch of fabric.” Rarity said, trying and failing to grab a nearby scrap of fabric with her magic to wipe her brow with.

Noticing her plight, Silvia leapt to her hooves and grabbed a scrap of cloth in her mouth, rushing to Rarity’s side.

“Are you ok?” Silvia asked, wrapping one foreleg around Rarity to support her and taking the cloth from her mouth in the other, using it to wipe the sweat from Rarity’s face.

“Oh, no... no, yes. I’m fine,” Rarity said, stepping out of Silvia’s grasp. Her attempts to stand on her own were cut short, however, as her rear legs gave out from under her and she sat down hard.

“It appears that I used a little more on that spell than I meant to.” Rarity swayed slightly. “It seems it was rather foolish of me to try and do the entire cloak in one go.”

“Do you need anything?” Silvia asked, concern creeping into her voice. “Water? Food?”

“A nice cup of tea and some biscuits sound lovely right now, dear,” Rarity said. “Just give me a moment to get my breath back and I’ll put the kettle on.”

“I can get it,” Silvia offered, standing from Rarity’s side and moving towards the kitchen.

“Oh, no, I couldn’t have you do that,” Rarity said. With surprising stability for somepony that could barely stand moments before, she rose from her seat and stepped around Silvia. Trotting into the kitchen her horn flared to life and floated a kettle of water onto the stove.

“What kind of tea would you like?” Rarity asked. “I have a daffodil rose, a citrus green…”

“I’m sure whatever you pick will be fine,” Silvia said, rolling her eyes at the antics of her friend.

Following the sound of somepony sifting through something, Silvia couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight that greeted her when she entered the kitchen. Standing on her hind legs, one forehoof planted on the counter for balance, was Rarity. A dim glow enveloped her horn as she pulled box after box of tea from the cabinet in front of her, the boxes floating in front of her just long enough for her to read the label before being placed on the counter around her.

“Oolong, black, daisy…” Rarity mumbled to herself.

Taking a seat at the nearby table Silvia watched on as Rarity dug through her teas, appraising each one for a moment before deciding against them and placing them aside. The kettle on the stove began to boil, and just as Silvia opened her mouth to ask Rarity if she should get the kettle she was cut off by a cheer from Rarity.

“Oh! Lavender chamomile,” Rarity swooned. “I forgot I had this!”

Rarity’s horn flared once more as the scattered boxes of tea lifted as one and floated back into the cabinet. Grabbing the kettle in her magic, she trotted over to the table and took a seat across from Silvia, two sets of teacups and saucers floating close behind her.

“So how have things been back home?” Rarity asked, placing a tea bag in each cup before setting them in front of Silvia and herself. “It’s been so dreadfully long since we’ve had a chance to sit down and talk.”

Taking the kettle, still held aloft in her magic, Rarity poured the hot water into each of their cups before returning it to the stove.

“They’ve been good,” Silvia said, allowing her tea to steep before taking a sip. “My brothers and sisters were all happy to see me, and my gran-gran recovered nicely.”

“That’s wonderful, dear. Being able to see your family again must have been wonderful,” Rarity said, sipping at her own tea. “I know I just adore having Sweetie Belle staying with me, even if she can be a bit of a hoof full.”

“Sweetie is living with you now?” Silvia asked. “Did something happen to your parents?”

“Oh, no, my parents are fine. My father had to retire from his job,” Rarity explained, “it’s hard to be an athletic trainer for professional athletes when you can’t lift more than fifty pounds without hurting yourself. He had an accident about a year ago and slipped a disk in his back, unfortunately he never fully recovered.”

Lighting up her horn, Rarity opened the nearby pantry door and floated a pack of biscuits out. Opening the pack, she floated a few out for Silvia and herself before placing it in the center of the table.

“They gave him a nice retirement bonus, though,” Rarity said. “So he and my mother decided to take some time to see the world, do a bit of exploring while they were both young.”

“So they dropped Sweetie off with you and took off?” Silvia asked.

“Well, yes, but please don’t think badly of them,” Rarity said. “Mother became pregnant with me when she was still in school, so they both missed out on a lot of things to take care of me. I think it’s wonderful that they’re able to get out and have some of the fun they gave up to make sure I was healthy and happy, and neither Sweetie nor I mind the arrangement.”

“If you’re all happy with it, then I’m happy for all of you.” Silvia paused to take another sip of her tea. “Has anything else interesting happened in my absence? I know you told me your business is doing well.”

“Business has been doing fabulous, you mean,” Rarity giggled. “With Twilight having connections in Canterlot, we were able to get tickets to last year’s Grand Galloping Gala, and we even got to meet the Princess. The ponies there absolutely adored the dresses I designed for my friends and I.”

“I take it this gala is a big event, then?” Silvia asked.

“Why, only the biggest!” Rarity responded, looking personally offended by the question. “The Princess herself hosts it in the castle ballroom. To be able to attend is a once in a lifetime experience, and having a single dress featured there is the dream of many a designer, much less the six that I had.”

“That’s wonderful,” Silvia said, looking slightly nervous at the mention of the princess. “I’m sure being seen at such a high profile event was wonderful for business then.”

“Well yes, it was, as I just said,” Rarity said, taking of Silvia’s sudden nervousness. “Is everything ok, dear? I haven’t made you uncomfortable, have I?”

“No, I’m fine,” Silvia quickly spoke up.

“Are you sure?” Rarity asked. “You got awfully nervous when I mentioned the princess.”

“Yeah, I’m sure. It’s just…” Silvia paused for a moment to take a breath and collect herself. “I don’t even feel worthy to be in the same room as the Princess, and here one of my best friends actually got to meet her. It’s just a bit intimidating, is all.”

“Oh, none of that worthiness nonsense, she’s actually a very nice pony,” Rarity said. “In fact, I’m sure we could quite easily arrange a chance for you to meet her yourself if you really wanted to.”

“No, I’m fine,” Silvia insisted all too quickly. “I’m sure she has more important things to do than to come and meet me.”

“Well, if you’re sure,” Rarity said, giving Silvia a questioning look.

Finishing off the last of her tea, Rarity stood from her seat and stretched before heading back to her workroom.

“Well, if I want to get this cloak done tonight then I suppose it’s time I got back to work.” Stopping in the doorway, Rarity turned to address Silvia. “Were you hungry for anything else while you were here, Silvia? I can whip something up for you if you’re hungry.”

“Oh, no, I’m fine,” Silvia answered, “I had a few apples before I left the farm. If I eat much more than I’ll spoil my appetite, and I’d hate to miss one of Spike’s meals.”

Finishing off her own tea, Silvia stood from the table and followed Rarity into her workroom, taking a seat in the corner where she felt she’d be out of the way.

“Oh, I know,” Rarity swooned, returning her attention to the cloak. “He’s such a wonderful cook, isn’t he? I just love when I can steal him from Twilight for the afternoon, he always makes the most divine dishes.”

“He is quite the impressive cook,” Silvia admitted. “Although, given what I’ve heard of Twilight’s skill in the kitchen, I guess someone had to learn to cook.”

“That’s true,” Rarity giggled. “Spike did tell me about some of her attempts at cooking. It’s such a shame, too. Besides the inability to cook, she’s such a talented mare.”

“Well, one pony can’t do everything, I suppose,” Silvia agreed.

“Now don’t let Twilight hear you saying that, dear,” Rarity chided. “She might take it as a personal challenge, and then all of Ponyville would be doomed.”

“I could see it now,” Silvia giggled. “Death by baked goods.”

“Don’t even joke about that,” Rarity shuddered. “It would be the ‘baked bads’ incident all over again.”

“The what now?” Silvia asked.

“‘Baked bads’, dear,” Rarity said. “It’s what we call the incident where Applejack’s stubbornness ended up poisoning half the town.”

“How did she manage that?” Silvia questioned.

“You would have to ask Pinkie or Applejack if you wanted the full story,” Rarity said. “I’m afraid that all I know of is the end result.”

“I’ll have to remember to ask the next time I see them, then,” Silvia said.

“I wouldn’t worry about forgetting, darling,” Rarity smirked conspiratorially. “I’m sure you’ll be seeing them soon enough.”

Taking another break from mending the cloak, Rarity took a seat next to Silvia and used her magic to fetch herself a glass of water.

“So besides Spike managing to impress you with his cooking, how is everything else going over at the library?” Rarity asked. “I had heard you and Twilight got off to a bit of a rocky start.”

“They’ve gotten better,” Silvia said. “We’re still getting used to living together, but they’ve been very kind and welcoming.”

“That’s wonderful to hear, darling,” Rarity said. “Despite her Canterlot roots, Twilight is a very sweet pony at heart. I will admit that she quite surprised me with her kindheartedness, given her upbringing.”

“What do you mean by that?” Silvia asked.

“Twilight comes from a noble family,” Rarity explained, “and she practically grew up in the castle. Most ponies with that type of upbringing tend to turn out like,” Rarity paused for a moment looking like she was going to be ill, “Prince Blueblood.”

“Twilight grew up in the castle?” Silvia asked. “I knew her mentor was important, but I didn’t know they were important enough to stay in the castle.”

“Well of course they are,” Rarity said, giving Silvia a bewildered look. “Didn’t anypony tell you who Twilight’s mentor is?”

“Well, I asked Twilight and Applejack,” Silvia said, “but both of them got interrupted before they could tell me, and I just kinda forgot to ask again afterward.”

“Oh, well that’s easy,” Rarity said. “Twilight’s mentor is none other than…”

Once again, just as Silvia was about to learn the identity of Twilight’s prestigious mentor, they were interrupted. This time by the sound of something crashing through the front door of the boutique. Jumping to her hooves, Rarity galloped into the front room, enraged by the sounds of crashing and objects breaking.

“What in Celestia’s mane is going on in here?!” Rarity yelled.

Following Rarity into the front room, Silvia instantly recognized Sweetie Belle standing in the front doorway, eyes wide as she watched a filly Silvia instantly recognized as Apple Bloom wrestling with another pony she didn’t know.

“Ya did to cheat!” Apple Bloom yelled, grabbing a hoof full of the mystery ponies magenta mane and giving a pull.

“I did not!” The little orange pony, now identified as a filly by the voice, yelled back. Giving her small wings a few quick flaps, the little orange pegasus used the momentum to flip Apple Bloom off of her back and over her head, into a set of nearby ponnequins.

“Both of you will stop this foalishness right this instant and tell me exactly what you think you are doing!” Lighting her horn, Rarity grabbed all of the downed ponnequins at once and sat them back upright. With the ponnequins all returned to their proper places, Rarity adjusted all the lopsided displays with a quick flick of her horn before turning to address the fillies in the room.

“Well?” Rarity asked, shifting her glare back and forth between the three of them. “Is somepony going to answer me?”

“We’re sorry, Rarity.” Sweetie Belle sniffled and stepped forward, eyes locked on the floor. “Pinkie sent us to get you, but then Apple Bloom and Scootaloo decided to turn it into a race. When Scootaloo saw Apple Bloom was going to win, she hopped on her scooter and used her wings to beat her.”

“Like Ah said, she cheated,” Apple Bloom said, glaring at Scootaloo.

“Nuh uh, nopony said I wasn’t allowed to use my scooter,” Scootaloo said, sticking her tongue out at Apple Bloom.

“It was implied,” Apple Bloom growled, taking a step towards Scootaloo like she intended to restart their little scuffle.

“Alright, that’s enough, both of you,” Rarity said, using her magic to separate the two. “You three should know better than to act like that in here, especially when I’m with a customer.”

“But Rarity,” Sweetie Belle whined. “I didn’t do anything.”

Rarity opened her mouth to continue scolding the three fillies but was cut off when Sweetie Belle noticed just who was in the shop with them.

“Silvia!” Sweetie Belle cheered. Rushing past her sister, she dove into Silvia’s chest and gave her the biggest hug she could manage. “You’re back!”

“Silvia’s here?” Apple Bloom asked. Peeking around Rarity, she instantly spotted Silvia and soon joined Sweetie Belle in glomping her. “It is you!”

“Silvia? Who’s… that?” Scootaloo trailed off as she peeked around Rarity. “Woah…”

Standing in the doorway hugging her friends was one of the largest mares Scootaloo had ever seen.

“Who’re you?” Scootaloo asked, eyes wide in awe.

“We just said her name was Silvia, silly,” Sweetie Belle giggled.

“Well yeah, I heard,” Scootaloo said. “But who is she. I’ve never seen her around before.”

“That’s because she went back home for a while, to take care of her sick grandmother,” Rarity explained, stepping to the side. “She left not long before you and your parents moved to town.”

“How do you two know her?” Scootaloo asked.

“She used ta help mah brother ‘n sister out on tha farm all the time,” Apple Bloom said. “She said it was fer extra spendin’ bits, but Ah think it was so she could get close to mah brother.”

“And my sister used to make clothes for her,” Sweetie Belle said. “So I saw her here at the boutique sometimes.”

“But… she’s so big,” Scootaloo said. “Does your sister even make clothes that big?”

“Well of course I do, darling,” Rarity said. “And speaking of, I need to finish mending her cloak. You and your friends can stay and play with Silvia if you would like, but please try to stay out from under hoof.”

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle cheered as they scrambled up Silvia’s forelegs and onto her back. With a smile and a roll of her eyes, Silvia turned to follow Rarity into the workroom but was stopped by a sudden gasp behind her.

“What is that?” Scootaloo asked.

“Oh dear,” Rarity mumbled to herself. “Scootaloo, darling, let’s not worry about that right now.”

“How can I not worry about it?” Scootaloo demanded. “If a pony can get as big as her without getting a cutie mark, then what hope do we have?”

“Without getting a…” Rarity parroted, looking at Silvia in confusion. “Oh? Oh! Her cutie mark! Well, you see, the thing is...”

“I can’t get one,” Silvia said, cutting Rarity off. “Or at least, I don’t think I can.”

“Why not?” Scootaloo asked. “I thought all ponies get cutie marks?”

“And they do,” Silvia answered. “Or at least, all Equestrian ponies do.”

“Wait, so you’re not from Equestria?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Nope, afraid not. My dad was from Equestria,” Silvia explained, “but my mom is from Saddle Arabia. That’s where I was born!”

“Wow…” All three fillies said in unison.

“So does that make ya some kinda alien?” Apple Bloom asked.

“The proper word would be immigrant,” Silvia explained. “But no, I’m not. Since my dad was an Equestrian citizen, I inherited citizenship from him.”

“Aww,” Apple Bloom whined. “Ah wanted ta tell all the foals in school that we had an alien workin’ on our farm.”

Unbeknownst to the four of them, Rarity had slipped away to finish mending the cloak, and none of them were any the wiser until she returned, presenting the cloak to Silvia in a flourish.

“May I present to you, one fully mended cloak,” Rarity said, curtsying slightly.

“Why thank you, Rarity,” Silvia said, doing her best to return the curtsy with two fillies on her back. “How much do I owe you?”

“You don’t owe me anything, dear,” Rarity waved off the offer of bits. “Think of it as a ‘welcome home’ present, from me to you.”

“But the fabric… and you had to use such a difficult spell,” Silvia argued. “I have to give you something.”

“It’s fine, Silvia, really,” Rarity insisted, “the spell wasn’t even that difficult. As much as I’m ashamed to admit it, I’m just out of practice.”

Ushering Silvia and the foals out of her workroom Rarity turned the lights off and stepped into the front room, locking her work room behind her.

“Now, you have dinner to get to, and I need to talk to Twilight about borrowing Spike to do some gem hunting this weekend.” Leading the group to the front door, she then ushered them outside and closed the door behind them. “So why don’t I walk with you to the library, and once I’m done there I’ll walk the girls home. Safer to travel in groups and all.”

Nudging Sweetie Belle and Applebloom off her back, Silvia stopped for a moment to put her cloak on. Giving a few tugs at the fabric, Silvia nodded in approval of Rarity’s hoofiwork and stepped up beside her, rolling her eyes in amusement as the fillies retook their spots on her back.

“Did Ponyville suddenly become dangerous when I was gone?” Silvia asked, giving Rarity a skeptical look.

“Well, no…” Rarity said, eyes shifting side to side. “It’s just, uh… The forest! Yes, with you having been gone so long, there’s just no telling when something might wander out of the forest.”

“Really?” Silvia asked, casting a suspicious glance at the Everfree.

“Sure did,” Apple Bloom chimed in. “Mah sister is always tellin’ me ta stay away from there. Says there’s all kinds a’ critters that hang out by the edges of the woods now.

“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle said. “In fact, just a few months ago, an Ursa came to town!”

“It was not a few months ago,” Scootaloo argued. “It was, like, a year ago.”

Noticing that Scootaloo had been trotting beside her, Silvia reached out and offered her a hoof, gesturing towards her back with her head.

“Want a ride?” Silvia asked.

Giving her head an eager nod, Scootaloo gave her wings a flap and jumped to Silvia’s hoof, then from the hoof to her back.

“Comfortable back there?” Silvia asked, giggling as Scootaloo spun in place like a cat before sitting down.

“Yup!” Scootaloo cheered, snuggling into Silvia’s back. “Thanks for the ride!”

Chuckling at Scootaloo’s antics, Silvia turned her attention back to Rarity.

“So did Ponyville really have an Ursa attack?” Silvia asked.

“Why yes, it did. A little over a year ago,” Rarity confirmed. “Some high and mighty show mare came through town telling all sorts of stories about how she took down an Ursa Major, of all things. A few gullible colts in the crowd decided they wanted to see it for themselves, so they went into the forest and lured one here.”

“How is the town is still standing?” Silvia asked in disbelief.

“Well, luckily for all of us they found an Ursa Minor and not a major.” Rarity explained. “Twilight is talented, probably more so than any unicorn alive, but I don’t think even she could take on an Ursa Major.”

“Are you saying Twilight chased the Ursa off?” Silvia asked.

“I wouldn’t put it that way, but yes,” Rarity said, “Twilight is the pony that solved our Ursa problem.”

“How did she manage that?” Silvia asked, astounded that the kind, quiet mare she was staying with was strong enough to tackle an Ursa.

“Recognizing that it was just a baby, she played it a lullaby and gave it some milk,” Rarity said with a smirk. “Put it right to sleep.”

“And what did she do after that?” Silvia asked. “She may have stopped its rampage, but you still had a multi-ton mass of star beast on your hooves.”

“She picked it up and carried it back to its cave,” Rarity said.

“She picked it up?” Silvia asked in disbelief. “How?”

“With her magic,” Rarity said, causing Silvia to stop dead mid stride.

Noticing that Silvia had stopped, Rarity turned around and gave her a questioning look.

“Is everything alright darling?” Rarity asked.

“There’s no way,” Silvia said.

“What was that?” Rarity asked.

“I said there’s no way,” Silvia repeated. “There’s no way she is strong enough to carry an Ursa Minor around.”

“I know it’s hard to believe darling, but she really did,” Rarity insisted. “I saw it with my own eyes.”

“Mah sister saw it, too,” Apple Bloom said. “She told us all about it, an’ you know she’d never tell a lie.”

“That isn’t possible,” Silvia said, shaking her head. “You’re telling me the mare that blasted me out of bed is capable of carrying around a multi-ton star beast. If she really was that strong I would be a stain on the bedroom wall.”

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic,” Rarity scoffed. “Twilight is strong, yes, but she’s been training since she was a filly to control that power.”

“Yeah,” Apple Bloom chimed in. “Twilight would never hurt nopony.”

“Really,” Silvia snorted, continuing her trek to the library. “She had no problem blasting me in the face with a spell bolt.”

“It was only because you startled her,” Rarity said. “And even then, she held back.”

“Whatever…” Silvia grumbled.

Not wanting to argue with her friend any longer, Silvia let the subject die. Glancing over her shoulder at the fillies, she noted that they were engaged in a hushed conversation of their own.

“So how’ve you girls been?” Silvia asked them. “Doing good in school?”

“Yep,” Sweetie Belle said, “Ms. Cheerilee makes learning really fun!”

“Yeah, she’s a good teacher,” Apple Bloom agreed. “Ah was havin’ trouble with mah math, but Ms. Cheerilee helped me figure it out.”

“That’s great girls,” Silvia said, turning her attention to Scootaloo. “And how about you?”

“It’s ok, I guess,” Scootaloo said, trying her best to look nonchalant.

“Only ok?” Silvia asked, a small grin pulling at the corners of her mouth. “Is somepony too busy paying attention to the colts to worry about school?”

“Eww, no!” All three fillies said in unison.

“Colts have cooties!” Scootaloo said, sticking her tongue out in disgust.

“Yeah!” Sweetie Belle agreed. “Besides, who has time for colts when we still need to find our cutie marks.”

“That’s right!” Apple Bloom said. “We have our own club ‘n everything. We call it the...”

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS, YAY!” All three fillies cheered in unison.

“That’s nice,” Silvia said, ears ringing from the volume of their shout. “Is there anypony else in your club?”

“Nah, it's just tha three of us,” Apple Bloom answered.

“Yeah, but you could join!” Scootaloo offered, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom nodding eagerly in agreement. “If anypony can help you get a cutie mark, it would be us!”

“I appreciate the offer, girls,” Silvia said. “But I’m sure I’ll be too busy with work, plus I still need to work on finding my own place to live.”

“Aww…” The Crusaders said in unison, dejected looks on their faces.

“But that doesn’t mean I can’t play sometime,” Silvia offered. “I just need to get settled first, ok?”

“Ok,” the three said, all looking pleased with the agreement.

The group lapsed into momentary silence, each focused on their own thoughts, but it wasn’t long before the silence was broken.

“Hey Silvia,” Scootaloo said. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure,” Silvia said, glancing back at Scootaloo. “What’s on your mind?”

“What happened to your back?” Scootaloo asked, receiving looks of shock from the other three ponies present, and a flinch from Silvia in response.

“Scootaloo,” Rarity snapped, “that is not a proper question to ask a lady. I want you to apologize to Silvia right now.”

“But why?” Scootaloo asked. “I just wanna know what could cause a scar like that.”

“It’s fine, Rarity,” Silvia said, attempting to placate her. Taking a deep breath, Silvia turned her head to look back at Scootaloo. “It isn’t a scar, it’s something I was born with.”

“Really?” Scootaloo asked. “Then why does it feel so… dry, and scaly? And why is the hair all prickly.”

“Honestly?” Silvia said. “I’m not entirely sure. It's never bothered me, so I never went to see a doctor about it.”

“No matter how much I pestered about it,” Rarity chimed in. “I even tried to get her in to see the girls at the spa about some dry skin treatments, but she refused.”

“We’ve had this discussion before,” Silvia said, rolling her eyes. “I just don’t want to spend the bits on fixing something that isn’t detrimental to my health.”

“And I told you I’d pay for it,” Rarity argued.

“I don’t want you paying for it either,” Silvia shot back.

“But whyever not, dear?” Rarity asked. “It’s a crime to hide such beauty, even with that birthmark I don’t think you should have to hide under that cloak all the time.”

“My back isn’t the only reason I wear the cloak,” Silvia mumbled, blushing at the veiled compliment. “It’s comfortable.”

“I still think you would look better without it, mark or no,” Rarity said, turning her nose up and peering at Silvia out of the corner of her eye, a smug grin plastered across her face.

With nothing more than a grumbled response from Silvia, the group once again fell into silence. Soon enough the library came into view, windows awash in a gentle glow as the shadows of multiple ponies could be seen milling around within. Silvia’s eyes widened in surprise as she glanced at Rarity, whose smug grin had been replaced by a kind smile.

“Oh come now, you didn’t really think you could get away without a party, did you?” Rarity giggled.

“I was hoping,” Silvia mumbled, eying the library warily.

“Worry not, dear,” Rarity assured her, noticing how nervous Silvia had become, “Pinkie learned her lesson last time. She put a lot of effort into making sure this party would be something you could enjoy.”

Casting Rarity a hesitant glance, Silvia took a deep breath to collect her nerves before stepping up to the door. The Crusaders all hopped off of Silvia’s back and stood to either side of the door, each giving her encouraging looks as they waved her forward.

“Com’ on, Silvia, everypony’s waitin’ on us,” Apple Bloom said.

“Everypony?” Silvia parroted, shifting back and forth on her forelegs.

“Oh, not everypony, dear,” Rarity said. “Just our friends, and a few other ponies you know from around town.”

Reassured by her friend’s words, Silvia took one last deep breath before pushing the door open and stepping into the library. While initially afraid of what Pinkie had waiting for her, Silvia’s fears turn into joy at the sight of the small affair she had waiting for her.

Directly in front of her, practically vibrating with excitement, was the host of the party. Pinkie Pie, whose cotton candy pink mane and cheshire grin were exactly as Silvia remembered, wasted no time before practically launching herself across the room to pull Silvia into a hug.

“Oh, Silvie, It’s so great to see you again!” Pinkie squealed. “I missed you so, so, so, so much!”

“I missed you too, Pinkie,” Silvia said, returning the hug.

Taking a quick look around the room, Silvia easily recognized Twilight and Spike, the Apples, and even Mayor Mare, all gathered under a banner that read ‘Welcome Home, Silvia’.

“I missed all of you,” Silvia sniffed, a bit of moisture gathering in the corner of her eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, we missed you too,” Rainbow Dash’s scratchy voice chimed in, giving Silvia a cocky smirk. With a flap of her wings, she launched herself over the crowd and flew over to Silvia. Hooking a foreleg under one of Silvia’s, she pulled her out of Pinkie’s grasp and over to a table full of cakes, pies, and other snacks. “Now hurry up and dig in, we’re all hungry, but Pinkie said we had to wait for you before we could eat.”

Silvia could only smile at Dash’s abruptness. Despite her initial misgivings, she could tell that it was going to be a fun night.

Party Time

The early morning sun streamed through the window, its warming rays slowly rousing Twilight from her slumber. Shifting out from under the covers she slowly stretched out her legs, moaning in satisfaction when her back popped.

“Mmm... good morning, Spike,” Twilight mumbled. Rolling over to face Spike’s basket, she could only blink in confusion when she discovered it was empty.

“Spike?” Twilight called out again, slightly louder.

Sliding out of bed, Twilight crossed the room and poked her head out of the door, stopping in her tracks when she heard noises coming from downstairs. Tip-toeing quietly out of the bedroom, she approached the edge of the loft and glanced down into the library. Holding a forehoof to her muzzle, Twilight was barely able to restrain a laugh at the sight that awaited her.

In the middle of the library, clad in a frilly pink smock and wielding a large feather duster, was Spike. Humming a strangely familiar tune, he spun and twirled as he danced from shelf to shelf, cleaning along the way. Reaching the end of the row, Spike did a quick pirouette before planting his feet and bowing to an invisible crowd.

“Please, hold your applause,” Spike said, attempting to calm his cheering fans. “The show is just getting started.”

Unable to contain her mirth any longer Twilight fell over backward laughing, adding her applause to that of his ‘crowd’.

Startled by the unexpected applause, Spike dropped his duster and hopped back a step.

“T-Twilight, you’re awake,” Spike stammered, turning a fearful eye to the balcony. “What are you doing up so early?”

Taking a moment to recover, Twilight took a few deep breaths to calm herself before speaking.

“What am I doing up?” Twilight asked. “I should be the one asking you that.”

“Oh, well, uh…” Picking up the feather duster from where he had dropped it, Spike drummed his claws nervously on it as he held it in front of himself. “Just getting my chores done.”

“Is that what you call that?” Twilight smirked, causing Spike to flush in embarrassment. “But neither was it something to be ashamed of. That was very good, Spike, where did you learn that at?”

“Well, Rarity sometimes talks about how she used to do ballet when I’m over there helping her,” Spike explained, scuffing the floor with a foot, “so I read up on it in my free time, and practice when you’re out with your friends. I was hoping if I was good, I could impress Rarity with it.”

“I’m sure she’ll be very impressed,” Twilight giggled. “But you didn’t exactly answer my question. I asked why you were up so early, not what you were doing.”

“Well…” Spike hesitated for a moment. “The sound of somepony rooting around in the kitchen woke me up right around sunrise. I… kinda panicked ‘cus I thought it was you trying to cook again, so I came running downstairs and found Silvia making us breakfast.”

“And what was Silvia doing up so early?” Twilight asked, glaring at Spike for the jab at her cooking skills.

“She started working on the farm today,” Spike said. “She had to be there by sunrise, so she got up early to make us all breakfast.”

“Oh,” Twilight perked up, “Silvia made breakfast?”

“Yeah, she made omelets,” Spike said, licking his lips. “They were good, too. Loaded with peppers and flowers, a nice gem seasoning…”

“Oh, that does sound good,” Twilight agreed. “Is there any left?”

“No, I knew you weren’t going to be up for a while, so we split yours,” Spike said. “I can make you one, though. I’m almost done with my cleaning.”

“Already?” Twilight asked, eyes scanning the library in an attempt to find anything out of place. “It’s barely past nine o’clock.”

“Yeah, and I’ve been up since five,” Spike said. “I decided to get started on my chores early since I wasn’t gonna be able to get back to sleep.”

“Well, that was very responsible of you,” Twilight praised. “Breakfast sounds lovely as well, thank you, Spike. I’m going to go get cleaned up for the day first. I should be down shortly.”

Giving a thumbs up in response Spike returned to his cleaning with a bounce in his step, each sweep of the duster accented with a well-executed leap or spin.

Rolling her eyes at his antics, Twilight returned to her room to prepare herself for the day. A quick shower and a few grooming spells later, she was bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready for anything the day could throw at her. Descending from the loft, Twilight reached the kitchen just as Spike was placing a steaming plate of loaded scrambled eggs on the table.

“That was fast,” Spike said, the sound of Twilight’s hooves on the hardwood alerting him to her presence. “Coffee should be done in a minute.”

“Thanks, Spike,” Twilight said, taking a seat at the table. “I skipped my normal grooming routine and just used a few spells to straighten my mane and coat. I woke up a little later than I had intended, so I wanted to get as quick a start to my day as I could.”

Picking up a fork and knife in her magic, Twilight made quick work of dicing her scrambled eggs into smaller bits before popping some into her mouth, groaning in satisfaction at the explosion of flavor the fillings added.

“Mmm, this is great, Spike,” Twilight complimented. “Not that I’m complaining, but I thought you said you were making an omelet?”

“Well, I was going to, but the egg broke up when I tried to fold it over,” Spike said, frowning as he set a steaming cup of coffee down in front of Twilight. “I don’t understand it, I can make alfalfa gnocchis in a bechamel sauce that outclasses anything you can find at even the fanciest of Canterlot restaurants, yet I can’t fold an omelet.”

“Well, not everypony can be good at everything,” Twilight said, taking a deep whiff of her coffee before downing half the cup in one sip.

“Says Miss ‘Element of Magic’,” Spike grumbled to himself, taking his place at the sink to begin washing the dirty cookware.

“Hmm, what was that?” Twilight asked, looking up from the checklist she had laid out the night before.

“I said you seem like you’re in quite the hurry this morning,” Spike lied, motioning to the now empty plate and mug in front of Twilight. “You got something planned for this morning?”

“Yes, actually,” Twilight said, floating her plate and silverware over to Spike before refilling her coffee cup. “With Silvia being out of the house all day, Pinkie is going to be stopping by to get a ‘Welcome Home’ party set up for her.”

“And that required you to be up early, why?” Spike asked, placing the last of the morning's dishes on the drying rack. “Doesn’t she normally handle most everything when she throws a party?”

“Well, yes, but I wanted to make sure the library was properly organized before she shows up,” Twilight explained. “When Pinkie cleans up she tends to just stick things wherever they’ll fit, and I’d rather not spend my weekend completely reorganizing the library. Again.”

Quickly finishing off her second mug of coffee, Twilight filled her cup once more before standing from the table, the mug and her list floating beside her.

“But after walking through the library and looking over my checklist for today, it seems like you got most of the cleaning and organizing out of the way already,” Twilight said, giving Spike an affectionate pat on the head. “So all that leaves is the loft and the upstairs bathroom.”

“I’ll get started on the loft once I finish up in the sitting room,” Spike offered. “I’ve just gotta finish sweeping and wiping down the windows, then everything downstairs is done.”

“That’s ok, Spike, I can handle the upstairs,” Twilight said looking over her checklist. “Pinkie said she wasn’t coming over until after lunch time. She told the Cakes she’d stay to help them with their lunch rush.”

Lowering her list, Twilight gave Spike a knowing smirk. “If you want you can head over to Rarity’s once you finish the sitting room. She’s supposed to be distracting Silvia once she finishes up at the farm, so she’s going to need some help getting her orders out of the way so she doesn’t fall behind.”

“Rarity is falling behind?” Spike asked, a slight look of panic tainting hs features. “She isn’t going to lose the boutique, is she?”

“No, nothing like that, Spike,” Twilight assured him. “She was actually ahead when I spoke to her the other day, but I figured since we’ve finished up here so early, sending you over to help couldn’t hurt. I’d rather not risk inconveniencing anypony if we can help it.”

“Well, consider it done, then,” Spike said, giving Twilight a salute.

With their schedules for the day all planned out, the two of them went their separate ways to begin cleaning. It wasn’t long at all before Spike finished the sitting room, and after checking in with Twilight he was on his way to Rarity’s.

With Spike out of the house, Twilight was free to indulge in her own guilty pleasure. Taking a quick peek around the library to make sure she was truly alone, she trotted into her bedroom and used her magic to fish a trashy romance novel out of the box of more personal books she kept stored under her bed. Armed with her questionable literature, Twilight opened the book to the page she had bookmarked and returned to her cleaning, eyes never leaving the pages as her cleaning implements circled around her in a flurry of activity.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It was just past lunch time, and Twilight was munching on a sandwich while reading an old, worn looking book when a knocking came from the front door.

“It’s open!” Twilight shouted, eyes never leaving the pages of the book.

In response, the door was kicked open as a bright pink pony with a mane of cotton candy burst into the room, a small train of catering carts behind her.

“Hi, Twilight!” Pinkie cheered, pulling the carts through with a swing of her hips before kicking the door closed. “I’m here to set up for the ~party~!”

“You’re right on time,” Twilight said, eyes scanning the pages of the tome before her. “Feel free to set up anywhere downstairs, Spike and I already finished cleaning.”

“You’re supposed to clean after the party,” Pinkie giggled, “not before it.”

Noticing for the first time the book that held Twilight’s attention, Pinkie slowly crept up behind Twilight to see what it was she was reading.

“I know,” Twilight said, failing to notice that Pinkie was reading over her shoulder. “But last time you threw a party here things got put away in the wrong place, and Spike and I had to spend our entire weekend reorganizing the entire place.”

“What’cha readin’?” Pinkie asked, unable to get more than a few words in before Twilight moved on to the next page.

Letting out a yelp of surprise at the unexpected proximity of Pinkie’s voice, Twilight jumped off of the cushion she had been sitting on and spun to face her, accidentally tossing the book in the air in the process. Gasping in alarm, Twilight scrambled to place herself under the airborne tome, completely ignorant of Pinkie giggling at her antics. Catching the book in her aura as gently as she could, Twilight sighed in relief when the book remained intact after its impromptu flight lesson.

“Pinkie, don’t do that!” Twilight scolded, holding a hoof to her chest as she looked the book over for any damage.

“Do what?” Pinkie asked innocently, cocking her head to the side.

“Scare me like that!” Twilight said, gently placing the book on a nearby table after a closer inspection revealed no damage that wasn’t already present.

“Oh, I wasn’t trying to scare you,” Pinkie giggled, “I was just curious about what you were reading. Normally, the only books that can hold your attention like that are spellbooks from the Princess or one of those books you keep under your bed.”

“What books?” Twilight asked, face flushing as her eyes shifted side to side. “I don’t keep any books under my bed.”

“You know,” Pinkie said, “the ones with that mare that goes on an adventure, beats the bad guy, saves the stallion, and in the end they…”

“So, how’s setting up for the party going?” Twilight cut in, doing her best to change the subject. “We’ve got a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it.”

“Oh, yeah, the party!” Pinkie said, hopping over to the train of carts. “I spent most of the morning baking, so I have most of the food done already. The Apples will be bringing the rest of the food when they get here. All that we have to do is hang up the decorations and mix the punch!”

“Well, we better get to work, then,” Twilight said, glancing at a nearby clock. “Going by the timeline that Applejack gave me, we have about four hours before Silvia will be done at the farm. That gives us plenty of time to get the decorations set up before we need to have the food stations prepared.”

“Or,” Pinkie interjected, slowly reaching behind her back, “we could use a certain little friend of mine to get it done in a jiffy. A certain cylindrical, sugar-powered, confetti launching friend that was made just for setting up parties.”

“Pinkie, no,” Twilight said, turning to face Pinkie. “I told you after what happened last time, no party canons in the library!”

“Aww, but that was an accident,” Pinkie pouted, “I just used too much ‘fun powder’ is all. I promise I have it loaded right this time.”

“The answer is still no,” Twilight said. “Spike was up all morning cleaning, and I’d hate to have his work ruined by another one of your miscalculations. And I still fail to see how a sugar-based propellant could cause that much damage.”

“Oh, that’s easy, silly. All you have to do is add an oxidizer,” Pinkie giggled. “What I do is mix some sugar with a bit of potassium nitrate and boom, fun powder.”

“Pinkie, that sounds dangerous,” Twilight said, taking a step back from her friend.

“It’s fine, Twilight,” Pinkie giggled, hopping over to the first of the carts. “I’m an expert in party science!”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Twilight mumbled.

Turning back to the nearest cart, Twilight used her magic to pull out strings of streamers, as well as a large folded banner. Sifting through the other carts, Twilight soon had a mass of confetti and streamers floating behind her, the banner laid off to the side.

“I’ll start on the high decoration since my magic makes it easier for me to reach, you go ahead and start low,” Twilight instructed. “We’ll hang the banner once we decide on where we’re setting up the food.”

“Okie doki, Twily,” Pinkie cheered.

With their jobs assigned, the two set to work decorating the library. The hours passed in the blink of an eye, and it wasn’t long before a knocking at the door signaled the arrival of another friend.

“Come in!” Twilight shouted, too busy hanging streamers to answer the door.

With a bang and a rush of displaced air, a multicolored blur rushed into the library and skidded to a halt in the middle of the room. Shielding her face from the sudden burst of wind, Twilight was dismayed to see that almost half the decorations she had hung up were now laying in a pile on the far side of the room.

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight yelled, turning to scold her friend. “What do you think you’re doing.”

“Word around town is Pinke was throwing a party in the library tonight,” Rainbow said, polishing a forehoof on her chest, “and you can’t have a party without the coolest pony in town. I didn’t see an invitation in my mailbox, so it must have gotten lost. Figured I’d head over here now so I don’t miss the action.”

“That’s because you weren’t invited,” Pinkie sang, hopping to and fro as she rehung the torn down decorations.

“What do you mean, I wasn’t invited?” Rainbow groused. “Why not?”

“Because the pony this party is for doesn’t like large groups of ponies, so I only invited her friends,” Pinkie explained.

“So? I’m your friend, why couldn’t you invite me too?” Rainbow asked.

“Because silly,” Pinkie giggled. “If I invited you ‘cause you were my friend, then I’d have to invite everypony. And that would kinda defeat the purpose of keeping the guest list small.”

“Can we just forget about the invitation for a minute and focus on this mess you made?” Twilight interjected. “It took us hours to put this stuff up, and you just came in and took it down like it was nothing! We’ll never get it all back up in time.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Twi,” Rainbow said, eyes shifting back and forth nervously. “Look, let’s just forget about the whole ‘invitation’ thing. It’s fine, really. I already had plans tonight, anyway, so if you’ll excuse me I’m just gonna…”

Realizing what Rainbow was doing, Twilight quickly grabbed her in her magic before she could flee.

“Oh no,” Twilight said, levitating Rainbow over to face her. “You want an invitation, you’ve got one. You’re going to stay here and help us put all the decorations you tore down back up.”

“Do I have to?” Rainbow pouted, crossing her forelegs over her chest.

“Yes, you have to,” came Twilight’s sharp response. “It’s bad enough when you fly in here and wreck the library when Spike and I are cleaning up, but I won’t have you flying in here and wrecking the party Pinkie has been planning all week.”

“Oh, alright,” Rainbow conceded. “What do you need me to do?”

“You can start,” Twilight said, floating the balled up mass of multicolored paper over to Rainbow, “by untangling all these streamers your little stunt knocked down.”

“But Twi,” Rainbow groaned, “why can’t you just do that with your magic? Wouldn’t it be so much easier?”

“Because I’m not the one that tangled them up,” Twilight shot back. “Just try not to pull on them too hard. I may have enchanted them for durability, but the streamers are still paper.”

With one final groan, Rainbow set to work untangling the ball of streamers as Twilight rehung them. With their combined efforts, along with Pinkie pitching in once she finished up her tasks, it wasn’t long before they had all the decorations rehung. When five o’clock rolled around, the Apples showed up bearing plenty of apple-based treats; treats that were swiftly routed to the food tables, where Pinkie stood guard, protecting the delicious treats from the rainbow menace.

Shortly after the arrival of the Apples, the guest started trickling in, and it wasn’t long before the last guest had arrived.

“Alright, looks like everypony is present and accounted for,” Twilight said, eyes scanning the mingling guests as she checked ponies off the guest list. “We sent the Crusaders to get Rarity and Silvia a few minutes ago, so they’re the only ones missing.”

“Right, so does that mean we can start eating yet?” Rainbow asked, reaching for a cupcake on a nearby table.

“We already told you, not until Silvia arrives,” Twilight said, rolling up the scroll and swatting Dashes foreleg with it.

“But Pinkie is eating one,” Rainbow whimpered, pointing at the happily munching party pony.

“Oh, this isn’t one of the party cupcakes,” Pinkie said through a mouthful of sweets, “this is one of the spare cupcakes I keep around in case of cupcake emergencies!”

“Aww, can I have one?” Rainbow asked, mouth watering at the sight of Pinkie’s half-eaten cupcake.

“Nope!” Pinkie tossed the last of the cupcake into her mouth. “This was my last one.”

“Hey, everypony, I see them!” Caramel called out from his position by the window.

“Ohh, she’s here. I’m so excited!” Pinkie squealed. “Quickly, places, everypony!”

All of the ponies present group up in front of the door, the banner acting as a silhouette to anypony walking through the door. Several tense minutes passed, and just when everypony was starting to believe that Caramel had been mistaken the sound of the doorknob turning made everypony go silent. Ever so slowly the door swung open to reveal an apprehensive looking Silvia, with Rarity and the Crusaders flanking her. Upon seeing the small group she had waiting for her, her nervousness turned into joy as she stepped into the room. She hardly got more than a step into the room, however, before a pink rocket launched across the room and swept her into its embrace.

“Oh, Silvie, It’s so great to see you again!” Pinkie squealed. “I missed you so, so, so, so much!”

“I missed you too, Pinkie,” Silvia said, returning the hug.

Leaning out of the embrace slightly, Silvia’s eyes watered as she looked around the room at all the ponies that had gathered to welcome her.

“I missed all of you,” Silvia sniffed, attempting to blink away the moisture in her eyes.

Taking one last look around the room, Silvia grabbed the closest cupcake and popped it into her mouth, her happy munching acting as a signal to the gathered ponies that the party had started.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Twilight Sparkle sat alone in the corner of the library, quietly eating her assorted cakes and pies as she observed Silvia mingling with the party guests. So engrossed in her observations was she, that she failed to notice another pony had approached her until they spoke.

“Ya doin’ alright over here, sugar cube?” Applejack asked, causing Twilight to jolt in response.

“Oh, Applejack, I’m doing fine,” Twilight answered. “Why do you ask?”

“‘Cus ya’ve been sittin’ over here since the party started lookin’ awful suspicious like,” Applejack said. “Ah just wanted tah make sure everything was alright.”

“Everything’s fine, Applejack, thank you for asking. It’s just…” Twilight sighed, “I have so many unanswered questions about Silvia. Whenever I ask somepony else about her they tell me to ask her, and when I ask her she usually just deflects, or changes the subject.”

“Well,” Applejack said, rubbing the back of her head, “Silvia’s a private mare. She has her secrets, yes, but if ya take the time ta befriend her, instead a’ creepin’ around behind her back tryin’ ta study her, I’m sure she’d be more’n happy ta tell ya.”

“I am not creeping around, I’m just…” Twilight started.

“Goin’ around town, stickin’ yer nose in her business n’ askin’ everypony fer answers ta questions she won’t answer,” Applejack cut her off, giving Twilight a flat stare. “Look, as yer friend, ya can trust me when Ah say ya can trust her.”

“How can you tell, though?” Twilight asked. “I thought you hated liars. How can you say you trust her when she’s keeping secrets from you?”

“Because everypony has their secrets,” Applejack said. “You have yers, Ah have mine, n’ Ah’m sure tha princesses have more’n a’ fair share a’ their own. So long as those secrets are nothin’ that can hurt mah family, then she has every right ta keep ‘em. Fer as long as Ah’ve known the mare, she’s given me no reason ta think anything she’s hidin’ could hurt me ‘r mine, so as far as Ah’m concerned, what she’s hidin’ really ain’t none a’ mah business.”

Twilight sunk back in her seat, a look of deep concentration on her face as she considered Applejack’s words. The two sat quietly, Applejack busying herself with a plate of food and Twilight lost in her thoughts, but it wasn’t long before the silence was broken by the approach of a third pony.

“Applejack, darling, there you are,” Rarity said, trotting over to the table with a stern glare focused on Applejack. “You know, I would have really appreciated a bit of warning.”

“A bit a’ warnin’ ‘bout what?” Applejack asked.

“About sending all of the Crusaders to get us!” Rarity said. “You know that Scootaloo has never met Silvia before, and she saw her without her cloak! She was asking Silvia about her back on the way over here.”

“What’s wrong with Silvia’s back?” Twilight asked, having been listening in.

“Oh, Twilight,” Rarity jumped in surprise, just noticing her. “Well, you see… the thing is… I mean, she…”

“What Rarity is tryin’ ta say,” Applejack cut in, “is that it ain’t really her place ta say nothin’. Ah already told ya she wears that cloak fer a reason, if’n ya wanna know why so bad, go make friends with ‘er.”

“But I…” Twilight said, before admitting defeat and sitting back in her seat, grumbling to herself. “So where is Fluttershy at? With how alike the two are, I’m surprised they aren’t friends.”

“You know, I would have thought the same thing,” Rarity said, “but the two of them just never got along.”

“There’s somepony that Fluttershy doesn’t get along with?” Twilight asked, eyes widening slightly in surprise.

“Says her animals ‘re all wary a’ Silvia, ‘n that she makes her feel restless when she’s ‘round.” Applejack explained. “Even said she caught Silvia hissin’ at Angel.”

“Hissing?” Twilight asked. “I can understand getting upset with Angel, he can be a bit of a hoof full at times, but hissing? What kind of pony hisses?”

“We all think she was jus’ overreactin’ a bit,” Applejack said. “‘N Ah don’t see what she means ‘bout the animals. None a’ tha critters we got back on tha farm ‘re scared a’ her, ‘n fact Winona seems ta love her.”

“I’ll admit that Opal tends to disappear when she’s around, and I was quite… intimidated by Silvia the first few times that I met her, “ Rarity admitted, “but Opal does that when most anypony comes over, and Silvia is such a sweet mare once you get to know her. I often laugh at myself when I remember I was ever afraid of such a kind, fragile, young mare.”

“Well, Spike seems to get along with her pretty well,” Twilight said, watching as him and Silvia conversed with a pair of pegasi sisters she recognized from the weather team. “And Owlowiscious seems indifferent towards her. But I can’t help but feel like she’s hiding things like there’s something about her she isn’t telling anypony, and I don’t like that.”

“Ya know, nopony owes ya their life story just cus ya ask,” Applejack said, giving Twilight a flat look, “but she’d prolly tell ya if ya took the time ta talk ta her. So how ‘bout instead a’ sittin’ over here grillin’ us ‘bout her, ya go ‘n talk, make friends with ‘er.”

“I agree, Twilight,” Rarity said, “I think the two of you would get along wonderfully if you were to take the time to get to know her.”

“Everypony keeps saying that,” Twilight said, furrowing her brow, “but I still can’t help but feel there’s something off about her.”

“If’n ya don’t trust ‘er, then why’s she still stayin’ with ya?” Applejack asked. “Ah already told ya that if her stayin’ here was a problem, we’d be plenty happy ta put ‘er up at tha farm.”

“I can’t just kick her out,” Twilight said. “I already promised her she could stay here until she found her own place. Plus…”

“You just want to be able to keep an eye on her, don’t you?” Rarity said, giving Twilight a knowing look.

“Maybe,” Twilight admitted sheepishly, “it’s just… something is telling me not to trust her. Plus, I found these books when I was cleaning out the storage room. They look like old hoofwritten history books, but they contradict a lot of things I was taught in school. I’m pretty sure they’re hers.”

“So, what’s wrong with hanging on to a few old history books?” Rarity asked.

“They’re all wrong, half of the historical events in them that aren’t made up blatantly lie to make Equestria, and the princesses, look bad,” Twilight said. “In fact, one of them claimed that Luna practiced dark magic!”

“While Ah can’t say nothin’ one way ‘r another ‘bout Princess Luna, just because the history is different, don’t mean it’s a lie,” Applejack said. “In case ya didn’t know, Silvia grew up outside a’ Equestria. They mighta had a different point a’ view on certain events, bein’ on tha outside.”

“But one of them claimed that some ponies attempted to assassinate Princess Celestia,” Twilight insisted, “and I don’t remember reading about that in any of my history books.”

“Regardless of the differences in the history books you’ve read,” Rarity said, rolling her eyes, “I don’t think it’s fair to Silvia for you to judge her based on her education and upbringing. In fact, I do believe that until you actually take the time to talk to her and get to know her, I am done with this conversation.”

Standing from her seat Rarity turned her nose up slightly as she walked away, approaching a gray pegasus mare and a brown earth pony stallion that had been talking to Mayor Mare.

“Ah gotta agree with Rares on this one,” Applejack said, standing from her own seat. “Y’all have a few things in common. Ah think ya might like the mare if ya took the time ta get ta know ‘er.”

Returning to the party, Applejack stopped to greet the group that Rarity had joined before making her way to the food table. Left alone with her thoughts, Twilight sat shifting restlessly in her seat for a few minutes before her nerves got the better of her. Rising with a groan, Twilight stood from her seat and joined the party as well, choosing to approach Silvia as she finished a conversation with a group of three earth pony mares.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Oh, Silvia, it’s so great to see you!” A voice squealed from behind Silvia.

Jumping in surprise, Silvia turned to face the speaker, but before she could see who it was she was enveloped in a bone crushing hug as the mystery pony glomped her. Not expecting the sudden contact, Silvia fell back on her haunches and prepared to push the pony off of herself, but instead returned the hug when she realized who it was.

“Derpy! It’s great to see you, too!” Silvia said. “How have you been?”

“I’ve been doing good,” Derpy said. Stepping out of the hug, she turned and waved a brown earth pony that had been chuckling at the exchange over. “I’m sure you remember Time Turner, right? He keeps the clocktower running on time, owns a small shop that he sells timepieces out of on the side.”

“I can’t say I do, but it’s nice to meet you regardless,” Silvia said, shaking hooves with Time Turner.

“Wonderful to meet you as well,” Turner said, bowing his head slightly in greeting. “My dear Derpy has been talking about you all day. She was quite excited to hear you were back in town.”

“‘Your dear Derpy’?” Silvia said, giving Derpy a look.

“Oh, well,” Derpy flushed, “Time Turner is my fiance.”

“Oh my gosh, you’re engaged?!” Silvia asked, pulling Derpy into another hug. “Congratulations! When did this happen?”

“He proposed to me last spring,” Derpy said, putting a wing over Turner’s back. “We haven’t decided on a date for the wedding yet, but you’re totally invited.”

“I look forward to it,” Silvia said.

“You better,” Derpy threatened playfully. “So how about you, any special somepony in your life? I know a certain red stallion you’ve had your eye on is still single.”

“Oh, no, nopony for me,” Silvia said, cheeks taking on a rosy hue, “I just got back, and I’m still trying to get settled into my own place…”

“Why not?” Derpy asked. “It’s not like Mac doesn’t have a nice big place with plenty of room.”

“Alright, that’s enough teasing dear,” Turner said, giving Derpy a playful bump with his hips. “Why don’t we leave her alone to cool down a bit, hmm? I see a few mares that are hanging around just waiting for their turn to speak to the guest of honor.”

“Oh, ok,” Derpy pouted, “I suppose we can give somepony else a turn talking to her. It was great to see you again, Silvia! I’ll make sure an invite gets to you when we decide on a date.”

“Indeed, it was wonderful meeting you again,” Turner inclined his head towards Silvia. “I look forward to our next meeting.”

Their goodbyes said, Derpy and Time Turner headed to the food table, leaving Silvia alone. Noticing their chance to corner the guest of honor, three earth pony mares were quick to take the couple’s place in talking to Silvia.

“Silvia, it’s great to see you!” The center of the three, a yellow mare with a curly orange mane, said.

“Berry, Carrot, Bon Bon! It’s great to see you, too!” Silvia said, exchanging hugs with each mare.

“It’s been so long,” Bon Bon said, “and you left so suddenly. When Twilight moved in, none of us were sure you were coming back.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that,” Silvia apologized. “My Gran Gran got really sick, and when my parents wrote me, they weren’t sure she was going to make it.”

“Oh, no, that’s perfectly understandable,” Berry spoke up. “We were just worried is all. You disappear with barely a word to anypony, and the only ponies who did know you were leaving only knew that it had something to do with a sick relative.”

“Yeah…” Silvia bashfully rubbed the back of her neck with a foreleg, “it’s a long walk, so when I got the letter I just threw what I could fit in my saddlebags in, along with some supplies, and left right away. Applejack only knew because I ran into her on the way to the Mayor’s office.”

“Aw, that’s terrible,” Berry’s face fell. “How did things turn out with your grandmother?”

“Quite well, actually,” Silvia said, “she made a full recovery.”

“That’s wonderful to hear,” Carrot said. “How did your family take everything? I know when my grandmother got sick a few years back, everypony in the family was absolutely beside themselves with worry.”

“Actually, I don’t think any of us were too worried,” Silvia said. “Once we got over the initial shock of her falling ill so suddenly, we were all confident she would pull through. She’s a fighter, she wouldn’t let a little thing like getting sick take her before she was ready.”

“But enough of this morbid talk,” Silvia said, attempting to change the subject, “how have your families been?”

“Pina and I are doing great,” Berry said, “she started school this year, and she was so excited to make some new friends. Her and Derpy’s daughter, Dinky, are getting along quite well.”

“That’s great,” Silvia said, “Dinky is such a little cutie. Where are they anyways?”

“They’re at home with Barley,” Berry answered. “He offered to stay home and watch them so that we could all come here tonight and not have to worry.”

“That was nice of him,” Silvia said, “you make sure you thank him and tell him I said ‘hello’ when you get home.”

“So how about yourself?” Silvia asked, turning to face Carrot. “Are you and Noteworthy still seeing each other?”

“Actually, we are,” Carrot said, lifting her foreleg to show off a gold, gem studded bracelet she was wearing. “We’ve been married for almost a year now.”

“Congratulations!” Silvia cheered, giving Carrot another hug. “Where is Noteworthy, anyways? I expected to see him here.”

“Oh he’s here,” Carrot rolled her eyes, “he bumped into Caramel, and the two of them wandered off to talk about stallion things.”

“Caramel is here, too? I need to make sure I talk to him, then, so I can ask him to make me some shoes for work.” Silvia sat down and rubbed her hooves together. “One day on the farm and my hooves are sore already.”

“I’m sure he'll be more than happy to help,” Bon Bon said, “he already does shoes for the rest of the Apples, so he already knows exactly what you’ll need.”

“I’ll let him know you’re looking for him when I go steal my husband back,” Carrot offered.

“I’d appreciate that, thanks. And how about you?” Silvia asked, turning to the last member of the group. “Still living by yourself above your candy shop?”

“Not alone, no,” Bon Bon said, a light smile on her face. “A friend I met on one of my trips to Canterlot moved in with me.”

“Oh don’t be coy, she’s more than just your friend,” Carrot teased. “It’s quite romantic, actually. She met this mare when she was in Canterlot visiting her folks. The two hit it off quite nicely, from what she says, so they decided to become pen pals. Fast forward a few years, and her pen pal from the big city just shows up on her doorstep one day.”

“Really?” Silvia asked. “Just like that?”

“Well, not exactly like that,” Bon Bon mumbled, face flushing. “We had started joking about getting a place together for a while. She had moved from Fillydelphia to attend Celestia’s School, and apparently when she graduated her entire group of friends fell apart. With nothing and no one to tie her down up there, she up and packed her bags and hopped on the next train here.”

“See, isn’t that just romantic?” Carrot swooned.

“More like immature, if you ask me.” Berry rolled her eyes. “Not saying Bon Bon would ever do this, but how did she know Bonnie wasn’t just some mare that was stringing her along. For all she knew, she could have ended up stuck here with no bits and no place to stay.”

“As if anypony here would be so cruel as to leave a poor mare out in the cold,” Carret argued.

“Is this really the best time to argue about this, girls?” Bon Bon asked. “We’re here to welcome Silvia home, not argue about my love life.”

“I suppose not,” Berry admitted. Noticing another pony approaching from the far side of the room, she gathered up her friends and started ushering them away. “Well, it looks like we’ve taken up enough of your time. It seems we have another guest coming over that would like to speak with you.”

Turning around, Silvia noticed that Twilight had left the table she parked herself at at the beginning of the night and that she was making a bee-line straight for her. Upon being noticed she paused in her stride, seeming to hesitate for a moment before shoring herself up and continuing with renewed vigor.

“Alright, well, you girls enjoy the rest of your night then,” Silvia said, waving to her retreating friends. “Maybe you can stop back over once I finish greeting the rest of my guests?”

“Of course we will! If Twilight gets to be too much for you, just wave us over and we’ll come save you,” Carrot joked. “For now, however, I’m going to go find my husband, and let Caramel know you wished to speak with him.”

“Thanks,” Silvia said, giving one last wave before turning to face the oncoming purple unicorn with a nervous smile on her face.

Noticing she had Silvia’s full attention, Twilight faltered once more before coming to a stop in of her. Sitting on her haunches, Twilight’s mouth opened and closed wordlessly a few times before snapping shut. The two sat staring awkwardly at each other, and just when Silvia prepared to break the silence herself, Twilight finally spoke up.

“So, this is a nice little party,” Twilight said, looking around the room. Realizing that she might have misspoken, her eyes widened as she attempted to correct herself. “Not that there’s anything wrong with a small party. A smaller gathering like this is so much more personal than just packing the whole town into a room full of cake.

“N-not that there’s anything wrong with Pinkie’s normal parties,” Twilight stammered nervously, once again sticking her hoof in her mouth, “it’s just… it’s quite obvious you went with quality over quantity. Not that that’s a problem, I know I’d rather have my six close friends than twenty ponies I barely know, but…”

“I just… let me start over,” Twilight said. Pausing for a moment, she took a few deep breaths to calm herself before continuing. “I wanted to come and say I was sorry.”

“For what?” Silvia asked, tilting her head in confusion. “You gave me a place to stay, and haven’t asked for anything in return.”

“I know,” Twilight said, “but I haven’t exactly been the nicest of ponies the past few days, and… my reasons behind letting you stay might not have been as pure as I lead you to believe.”

“What do you mean?” Silvia said. “You and Spike have been wonderful hosts.”

“That’s all been Spike,” Twilight admitted. “He’s just been crediting me so to make me look better.”

“But how does that make you ‘not the nicest of ponies’?” Silvia asked. “I know you’re busy with your studies, and keeping the library running.”

“Because I told him to stop,” Twilight said, lowering her head and pinning her ears back as moisture began to form in the corners of her eyes. “I told Spike to stop being so nice to you, ended up getting into a bit of an argument with him over it... I didn’t trust you because I don’t know anything about you.”

“Oh…” Silvia pinned her ears back. “If you’re that uncomfortable with me staying here, Applejack said…”

“No!” Twilight jumped to her hooves, cutting Silvia off. “No, no, no, it’s not that. In fact, I wanted you to stay here so I could keep an eye on you.”

Sinking back to her haunches, Twilight’s entire body seemed to sag as she returned to staring at the floor.

“But that was wrong of me,” Twilight admitted, “and my friends have spent all week letting me know so.”

“But I wanted to fix that tonight,” Twilight said, perking back up. “I’m done with the suspicion, and the sneaking around behind your back.”

Sitting up as straight as she could, Twilight lowered her head in submission.

“If you will allow it,” Twilight said, not once looking up, “I’d like to be friends, and get to know the real you.”

Silvia sat, brow scrunched in confusion as she thought over everything Twilight had just told her.

’She seems sincere,’ Silvia thought, ’but she did just admit to not trusting me. Yet, in the same breath, she also told me she wants to be friends. What changed?’

Twilight waited patiently, head held low, for Silvia to answer. After minutes of silence, she assumed the worst and prepared to turn to leave. However, her retreat was stopped when Silvia finally responded.

“Why?” Silvia asked, her single word question hanging in the air. “Why do you suddenly want to be friends, when you just admitted you don’t like me.”

“I never said I didn’t like you,” Twilight answered, “just the opposite, actually. I just… I knew so little about you, and nopony I talked to seemed to be able to answer any of the questions I had. More often than not, they told me to just ask you.”

“So that’s what you meant when you said you were ‘sneaking around behind my back’?” Silvia asked, getting a nod from Twilight in response. “Why didn’t you just ask me, then?”

“Well…” Twilight hesitated for a moment. “At first it was because I wanted to get a little background on you so that when I went to talk to you I’d have a few common points of interest we could discuss to break the ice.”

“I’m still pretty new to the whole ‘friendship’ thing,” Twilight said, bashfully rubbing the back of her head with a forehoof. “I figured if I did a bit of studying before approaching you, that it would make things easier. But the more I asked around, the more I realized how little ponies actually knew about you.”

“I’m ashamed to admit that at that point, I became a bit suspicious about you,” Twilight admitted, sagging again. “With how little I could find on you, and with how adamant the ponies that did know you were on keeping your secrets, I may have jumped to a few conclusions.”

“What kind of conclusions?” Silvia asked, tilting her head slightly.

“Well,” Twilight blushed, “did you happen to hear about the changeling invasion a few months ago?”

“The what?” Silvia asked.

“Changelings,” Twilight repeated. “Shapeshifting creatures that feed off the love of others, if their Queen is to be believed. They invaded during my brother’s wedding, with the Queen posing as the bride to get close enough to my brother to drop city's defenses.”

“And you thought I was one of these ‘changelings’?” Silvia asked.

“Well, I’d considered it…” Twilight admitted. “I kinda did play a hoof in stopping the invasion, so I wouldn’t have been surprised if Queen Chrysalis sent somepony after me.”

“Why would she want to get close to your brother?” Silvia asked, motioning for Twilight to follow her over to a set of nearby cushions gathered around a table. “And what did you do to warrant their queen sending somepony after you?”

“My brother is the captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard,” Twilight said, taking a seat across from Silvia. “Did I not mention that before?”

“No, you didn’t,” Silvia said, “you didn’t even mention that you had a brother.”

“Well, this is the longest conversation we’ve had all week,” Twilight admitted sheepishly, “so I suppose that makes sense.”

Using her magic, Twilight floated two glasses of punch over from the nearby snack table. Placing one cup in front of herself, she offered the other to Silvia.

“How about yourself?” Twilight asked. “Any siblings of your own?”

“Twelve,” Silvia said, ignoring Twilight’s spit take as she took the offered punch, “Ten older, two younger. Only a few of them were left in the house when I moved out.”

“You have twelve siblings?!” Twilight gaped in amazement. “And I thought the Apple family was large.”

“Yeah,” Silvia giggled, “that’s why I feel so at home around them. We have very similar family dynamics. I just wish our house was as big as theirs.”

“I’m having trouble picturing a family with twelve foals fitting in a house the size of Applejack’s,” Twilight balked, “and you’re saying your’s was smaller?”

“Mhmm,” Silvia said as she sipped her punch, “only had two bedrooms, not counting my parent’s room.”

“I’m guessing privacy didn’t really exist in your household?” Twilight asked.

“Not really, no,” Silvia admitted. “The colts got their own room, and us fillies shared a room. That’s why I was so confused when I woke up sharing the bed with somepony.”

“I take it ‘Rose’ is one of your siblings, then?” Twilight asked.

“Youngest sister,” Silvia confirmed. “Her name is Roseblade, She’s thirteen now, but when we were younger she used to curl up with me when she had nightmares. Without my glasses on, I could almost mistake you for her, and with having just been home, well…”

“You understandably mistook me for one of your siblings,” Twilight smiled, finishing Silvia’s sentence.

“Heh, yeah,” Silvia giggled. “I do still want to apologize about that, by the way. I’m sure it must have made you very uncomfortable waking up like that.”

“Oh, you don’t have to apologize, it was all just one big misunderstanding. Besides,” Twilight’s face flushed slightly, “it was actually kind of nice.”

“Oh,” Silvia said, her face taking on a red hue of its own, “is, uhh… is there anything else you wanted to ask about? You did say you had a few questions for me.”

“Oh, yes, actually there is,” Twilight said, taking the offered change of subject. “I wanted to ask you about a book I found when I was cleaning out the storage room.”

“Wha… what book would that be?” Silvia asked, noticeably tensing up.

“It looked like some old history book,” Twilight said, narrowing her eyes slightly at Silvia’s sudden nervousness. “What kind of book did you think I found?”

“Oh, you found one of my old history books?” Silvia sighed in relief. “For a minute there, I thought maybe I left one of my old diaries laying around. I tend to write a lot of… private things in those.”

“Like what?” Twilight asked, her suspicion morphing to mirth. “Private things pertaining to a certain large red stallion you’ve got a crush on?”

“Wha-what?!” Silvia squeaked, her blush returning full force. “Who told you about that?”

“You just did,” Twilight giggled. “I’d had my suspicions from the way you were checking him out all night, but your reaction just confirmed them.”

“I have not been checking him out all night,” Silvia pouted.

“Yes, you have,” Twilight teased. “Every time you weren’t actively talking to somepony, your eyes would always wander over to where he was sitting.”

“And how would you know,” Silvia asked, smirking slightly, “unless you were checking me out?”

“I was doing no such thing!” Twilight sputtered. “I was simply keeping an eye on you.”

“‘Cus that sounds so much better, right?” Silvia teased back.

“You know what I meant,” Twilight giggled, picking up one of the nearby cushions and tossing it playfully at Silvia.

“Anyways,” Silvia stifled another giggle. “If it’s the book I think it is, you probably found a box containing quite a few, all hoof written?”

“That’s correct,” Twilight nodded. “Although, I’ve only looked at the one so far. I hope you don’t mind?”

“Not at all,” Silvia said. “The books are there to be read. I just kept them stored because, well… most ponies didn’t agree with what was written in them.”

“I could see why,” Twilight said. “According to the one I was reading, Princess Luna was a dark magic user, and Princess Celestia survived an assassination attempt. Our history books say nothing about either of those things.”

“I noticed when I looked through some of the books that were already here,” Silvia said. “It’s one of the reasons I kept them hidden. I didn’t want to upset anypony.”

“Where did you get books like those, anyways?” Twilight asked. “They look ancient, and they were hoof written, but they are also in excellent condition, considering their age.”

“They’re my Gran Gran’s,” Silvia said. “She used them to homeschool most everypony in our house when we were growing up. She gave me copies to take with, ‘so I wouldn’t forget’.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Twilight asked, knitting her brow in confusion.

“She’s very adamant about preserving the past,” Silvia explained. “She thinks the books you can get in stores are rubbish because they’ve been edited. These books were all written by my ancestors, so she likes to insist they are all the true, unfiltered history.”

“While I can respect your Gran Gran’s ideals,” Twilight said, “I don’t think Celestia would allow books in her school if they weren't truthful.”

“Unless she’s the one that edited them,” Silvia mumbled.

“What was that?” Twilight asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

“Oh, nothing,” Silvia lied, “I was just wondering if you had any other questions.”

“Well, I do have one,” Twilight said, looking unsure of herself, “but…”

“But what?” Silvia asked, trying to coax the question from Twilight. “I promise I won’t be upset by whatever you ask if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Well,” Twilight paused to bite her lip for a moment before continuing,” I was just curious about why I’ve never seen you without your cloak. Applejack told me you wear it for a reason, but wouldn’t tell me why, and I overheard Rarity saying something about your back.”

“Oh,” Silvia sat back, grasping nervously at the clasp.

“It’s perfectly fine if you don’t want to tell me,” Twilight said, noticing Silvia’s nervousness. “In fact, I shouldn’t have even asked. Rarity told me you got upset when Scootaloo asked, so I should have known not to ask.”

“No, it’s fine, really,” Silvia insisted. “It was just a bit unexpected, is all.”

Taking a moment to calm herself, Silvia unclasped her cloak. She paused to look around the room and, after a moment’s hesitation, slowly slid it off and draped it over her side of the table.

“Everypony else here has seen it besides you and Spike,” Silvia said.

“What… is it?” Twilight asked, staring with a look somewhere between horror and fascination plastered on her face. “Is it a scar?”

“No, it’s not a scar,” Silvia giggled, turning to give Twilight a better view of her back. “I was born with it.”

“So it’s a birthmark?” Twilight asked. Standing, she moved around the table to get a better look, pausing with a forehoof held out. “May I?”

Getting a nod in response, Twilight gently placed her hoof on Silvia’s back.

’Odd, the hair is thick and rigid, almost like the bristles of a brush,’ Twilight thought, running her hoof along Silvia’s back, ’and the skin underneath… it almost feels like scales in a few places.’

“Have you ever had anypony look at this?” Twilight asked.

“No, it’s never bothered me,” Silvia answered, “so I never really saw the point in wasting bits going somepony, just so they could try and sell me some skin care products.”

“Don’t let Rarity hear you say that,” Twilight giggled, returning to her seat. “If she heard you use the words ‘waste of bits’ and ‘personal care products’ in the same sentence, she’d probably sit you down for a multiple hour lecture on ‘how important it is for a mare to always look as prim and proper as equinely possible.’”

“Oh, I know,” Silvia laughed, “I get that lecture every time I go in to get my cloak patched. She tries to get me to go to the spa with her so that the ‘pony pampering experts’ can look me over, but honestly, I don’t see the point in it. My back has never caused me any pain or discomfort. Most it’s ever done is drawn more attention than I’m comfortable with, but that’s why Gran Gran gave me my cloak.”

“The cloak was a present from your Gran Gran?” Twilight asked.

“Sure was,” Silvia answered. Picking up the cloak, she carefully folded it before handing it to Twilight.

“She stitched it herself,” Silvia said. “Although, at this point, I believe it’s more Rarity’s work than my grandmothers. But it still has Gran Gran’s pendant on the clasp, so it’s still special to me.”

Taking the cloak gently in her magic Twilight unfurled it and carefully looked it over, paying special attention to the pendant affixed to the clasp. The pendant itself was a fairly plain piece of gold jewelry, barely larger than a bit. On the face of the pendant rested a long, elegantly curving horn flanked by a set of dragonfly wings.

“I can tell Rarity used that spell she asked me to find for her to patch it,” Twilight said, horn flaring slightly as she subtly scanned the pendant. “It’s got quite a bit of her magic clinging to it still. This design on the pendant is interesting, too. Did you say it was your grandmother’s?”

“That’s right,” Silvia said. “It’s not a family crest or anything, but I’m pretty sure it has some type of special meaning to my family. I’ve seen it in quite a few different places back home.”

“It’s definitely beautiful, I’ll give your Gran Gran that,” Twilight said. “Although, I can’t help but feel like I’ve seen this design somewhere.”

“You might have seen it in one of my Gran Gran’s books,” Silvia suggested. “I know it pops up once or twice in them.”

“It’s possible,” Twilight said, scrunching up her face in concentration. ’But I know I saw that mark somewhere else, before I met Silvia.’

Giving the cloak one final discrete scan as she folded it back up, she floated it back over to Silvia and set it on the table in front of her.

“Regardless of where I’ve seen the pendant before, thank you for taking the time to sit down and talk with me,” Twilight said, bowing her head slightly in gratitude. “I know we didn’t get off to the best start, but I really appreciate the second chance.”

“It was no big deal,” Silvia said, “I just, well… there were so many ponies talking about how nice you were, I figured they couldn’t all be wrong.”

“Still, you gave me another chance when you really didn’t have to,” Twilight said, giving Silvia a friendly smile. “A lot of ponies wouldn’t do that.”

“Most ponies don’t share a home and group of friends with the pony they don’t get along with,” Silvia joked.

Stand from her seat, Silvia took a moment to stretch before balancing her still folded cloak on her back.

“Well, I had a lovely time talking with you, and I hope we can sit down and do it again sometime soon,” Silvia said, “but I still have a few ponies to talk to before things start winding down.”

“Oh, of course!” Twilight said, hopping up from her seat. “I didn’t mean to monopolize your time.”

“It’s fine Twilight, I enjoyed talking to you,” Silvia said, stifling a yawn, “but like I said, I’ve got a few ponies I still need to talk to before things start winding down.”

“I suppose I should try and socialize a bit, as well,” Twilight said. “If I spend longer sitting back here by myself, Pinkie might think I’m pouting.”

“A pony pouting at a Pinkie party?” Silvia giggled. “She’d never allow it.”

“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of,” Twilight laughed.

With a final round of goodbyes, the two went their separate ways, with Silvia approaching Applejack and Caramel, and Twilight attempting to make conversation with Rainbow Dash and a pair of pegasi mares from the weather team.

Author's Note

Big shoutout to Spirit for the wonderful art that has accompanied this chapter, as well as Epiphany and SomeZomePony for finding the time to preread for me.

I'd also like to give a shout out to Orthoros, as well as everyone else over in the Divine Entertainment Discord channel for all the help and support they've given me. This story wouldn't exist if it wasn't for them.

One last thing before I let y'all get to reading. Spirit and I have opened up a Discord server for this story. If anyone is interested in hopping in to get updates on the story, discuss what you did or didn't like about a particular scene, or just to chat in general, feel free to follow the link!

An itchy situation

Author's Note

Unfortunately, there is no art to accompany this chapter, as Spirit is currently fighting with a broken laptop. :fluttershbad:

Big shout out to Spirit for the wonderful art that has accompanied this story, as well as Epiphany and SomeZomePony for finding the time to proofread for me.

An itchy situation

The crack of hooves meeting wood echoed through the early morning air as the sun rose over Sweet Apple Acres. Pausing to scratch her back on the tree she had just bucked Silvia glanced back to inspect her handiwork, pride bubbling up in her chest when she saw she had removed all the apples from the tree in a single kick.

“And here I thought it would take longer to get back into the swing of things,” Silvia giggled to herself. “At this rate, I’ll have my section of the orchard done long before lunch time.”

Taking a moment to steady herself, Silvia shakily began lifting the baskets she had just filled with apples into the back of her cart. Having loaded the last basket into the now full cart, Silvia took a moment to dry her face with the towel she had hanging on the shaft of the cart before taking a long draught from her canteen.

“I really hope this fog starts clearing up soon,” Silvia mumbled, glancing warily at the white haze that seemed to cling to everything. “Working this close to the Everfree and being unable to see is more than a little unnerving.”

In the week since her party, Applejack had deemed Silvia ‘inta tha swing a’ things’ enough to send her into the orchard herself. Given her experience with the Everfree Forest, and the critters living within it, Silvia had all but demanded she be assigned the sections of the orchard bordering the infamous forest. Working in such close proximity to the forest allowed her to keep a close eye on the borders of the Everfree, and in the week she was working on her own, she had noticed way more activity in the tree line than she was comfortable with.

Draining the last drops of water from her canteen, Silvia tossed both it and the towel into the cart and rubbed her back against the hitch before hooking herself up. Casting one last glance over her shoulder at the forest, she snorted in annoyance at the ever present pair of glowing orange orbs that stared back at her before giving the cart a solid pull in the direction of the barn. With the cart now moving, Silvia kept her ears turned towards the forest as it disappeared from sight, listening carefully for the sound of approaching predators over the steady creaking of the loaded apple cart.

As the barn came into view, Silvia sighed in relief as she noticed Applejack was currently in the middle of unloading her own store of apples.

“Good morning, Applejack,” Silvia greeted, her cart lurching to a stop beside Applejack’s. “Glad to see I’m not the only one on a roll this morning.”

“You better pick up the pace, though.” Silvia teased, pausing for a moment to unhitch herself from her cart. “Wouldn’t want me finishing my section before you, now would we?”

“Filly,” Applejack quipped back, flicking the brim of her hat as she leaned against her cart. “It’ll be a cold day ‘n Tartarus when a greenhorn like yerself can out-buck me.”

“You sure about that?” Silvia teased. “I do have a lot farther to walk than you do, so technically we’re about even.”

“Yeah, an’ ya also got a bit’ve a jump on us by skippin’ breakfast this mornin’,” Applejack said, returning to unloading her cart. “‘N fact, Granny asked me ta send ya her way when Ah saw ya.”

Dumping the last basket of apples from her cart into the storage barrels, Applejack moved to help Silvia unload her cart.

“Ya doin’ alright, Silvia?” Applejack asked, watching as Silvia shakily lifted a basket from her cart. “Ya seem ta be strugglin’ a bit.”

“Oh, no, I’m fine,” Silvia huffed. “Just a little tired is all.”

“Yer a mite more than ‘tired’, sugarcube,” Applejack said, hefting a basket out of Silvia’s cart. “We know that ya’ve been skippin’ breakfast tha past few days. ‘N ya barely touched yer lunch all week. That ain’t healthy in this kind a’ heat.”

Seeing Silvia preparing to grab another basket, Applejack stopped her by placing a hoof on her shoulder and turning her to face her.

“No amount ‘a profits is worth yer health, sugarcube,” Applejack said, giving Silvia the most sincere look she could manage. “I want’cha ta go inside, take a break, n’...”

Applejack cocked her head to the side as she trailed off, worry tinting her features. With a little more force than necessary, she hooked a foreleg under Silvia’s chin and turned her head to fully face her. Using her other hoof, she slid Silvia’s glasses down her muzzle and forced Silvia to look her in the eyes.

“Silvia, yer eyes r’ all milky n’ glazed over,” Applejack said, moving a forehoof to Silvia’s forehead, “but ya don’ seem ta be runnin’ a fever. Ya sure yer alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Silvia said, lightly shoving Applejack’s hoof away before rubbing her now aching jaw. “I’ve been a bit itchy, but that’s all.”

“It isn’t yer back, is it?” Applejack asked. “Ah thought ya said it didn’t bother ya none.”

“It doesn’t and it isn’t,” Silvia replied. “I’m fine, though, it isn’t anything I can’t work through.”

“Judgin’ from yer eyes, ya ain’t ‘fine’,” Applejack interjected. “In fact, Ah don’ know if Ah want ya workin’ until yer feelin’ better.”

“But…” Silvia started, only to be stopped by a hoof covering her mouth.

“No ‘but’s, sugarcube,” Applejack asserted, “this ain’t up fer discussion. Ah want ya ta march right on up ta that house, let granny make ya somethin’ ta eat, then I want ya ta march yer behind right on down ta that doctor’s office, ya hear?”

Silvia opened her mouth once more to protest but was cut off once again.

“Ah’ll kick yer plot tha entire way there if Ah have ta,” Applejack threatened.

“Ok,” Silvia relented with a sigh, “but what about the farm? Are you guys going to be ok without me?”

“Ok without ya?” Applejack chuckled. “You bein’ here put us almost a full week ahead a’ schedule. Mac ‘n Ah will be able ta take a full weekend ta ourselves fer the first time in years.We’ll be more’n ok.”

“Well, if you’re sure…” Silvia trailed off, turning towards the doors.

“Ah’m sure, sugarcube,” Applejack said, resting a comforting hoof on Silvia’s back. “Yer basically family, n’ to an Apple, family always comes first. You go on ahead n’ get yerself better, we can handle things here.”

Silvia paused for a moment, looking as though she wanted to argue further, before shaking her head and continuing her trek towards the Apple family house. A quick stop in the kitchen found a meal in her stomach, and a bag full of food tucked securely in her bags.

’Stupid,’ Silvia silently berated herself as she walked down the path leading out of the orchard. ’I know my next shedding isn’t due for another month or two, but how could I not recognize the signs! I mean fog, this time of year, really?’

Seeing a flash of color from the corner of her eye, Silvia turned her head and saw Applejack with her forelegs crossed, leaning against a tree. Rolling her eyes at her friend’s stern expression Silvia gave her a friendly wave, and Applejack, confident that her friend was following her orders, tipped her hat in response before returning to work.

’I wish I could tell her the truth, but…’ Silvia pinned her ears back as she ran her tongue along her sharp, well-hidden fangs. ’Quetzalcoatl forbid anypony found out about me, they’d probably run me out of town.

’I told everypony where I come from,’ Silvia thought, biting her lip as she sagged slightly, ’so if they discover me then it won’t be long before they hunt my family down.’

Passing through the gates of the orchard, Silvia kept a close eye on the nearby forest, the occasional burst of movement just inside the treeline catching her attention.

’Not only do I have to find time to slip away and shed, now that I can’t do it without being disturbed in the library,’ Silvia thought to herself, ’but I also need to slip into the forest and make sure the Timberwolves remember why Ponyville is off limits.’

Freezing in stride, Silvia nearly facehoofed at her own obliviousness.

’Of course,’ Silvia set her course for the library, a newfound purpose in her step, ’no one said I had to find separate times to get them done.’

Silvia trotted through town, pausing only momentarily to exchange greetings with anypony she knew that approached her. The sun was just barely sitting fully above the treeline when she burst through the library doors, barely slowing to kick the door closed behind her as she made a bee-line straight for her room.

“Oh, morning, Silvia,” Spike said, poking his head out from a nearby row of bookshelves. “What are you doing back so early?”

“We’re ahead of schedule over at the farm,” Silvia said, “so Applejack gave me a few days off.”

’Technically not a lie,’ Silvia thought to herself as she trotted up the stairs to her room.

“Is Twilight around?” Silvia called over her shoulder as she ascended the stairs.

“No,” Spike called back, returning to his chores. “She went out right after breakfast this morning, said she had some errands to run.”

’If she isn’t here,’ Silvia thought to herself as she tossed her empty traveling bag on the bed, ’then that’s one less pony that can try and talk me out of going.

With practiced ease, Silvia quickly loaded her enchanted bags with everything she would need to spend a few days in the woods. Confident that she had everything she needed, plus a little extra just in case, she slung her bags over her back and trotted back down to the lobby.

“You have any idea when she’ll be back?” Silvia asked, continuing through the lobby and into the kitchen.

“Probably not anytime soon,” Spike answered, “she said not to worry about her when I decided to make lunch.”

Finishing his dusting for the day, Spike took a quick detour to drop his cleaning utensils off in the broom closet before joining Silvia in the kitchen. Entering the kitchen, Spike averted his gaze with a blush at the sight that awaited him.

“Do you think you could give her a message for me then?” Silvia asked, her rump stuck up on the air, waggling to and fro as she dug through the bottom shelf of the pantry.

“Uh, yeah, sure,” Spike answered, his eyes glued to the corner of the ceiling as he attempted to preserve Silvia’s modesty. “If it’s something important I can get it to her now.”

“No, it’s not an emergency or anything, but thanks,” Silvia said.

Having gotten everything she had needed, Silvia pulled her head from the pantry and sat back on her haunches, her forelegs loaded with various non-perishable goods. Balancing carefully on her hind end, Silvia rotated to face the table and, with a calculated lunge, deposited the goods on the table.

“It’s not like I need to go and find her or anything, I can send it to her without leaving the library,” Spike said, puffing his chest out in pride. “I’ve got magical fire breath!”

“Impressive,” Silvia giggled, patting Spike on the head. “But that won’t be necessary. Just as long as it gets to her at some point today.”

“Yeah, sure, I can do that,” Spike grumbled as he attempted to fix the spines on his head. “Just let me get something to write it down on, so I don’t forget.”

Nodding her head in response, Silvia began sorting through and storing the food and supplies she had while she waited. Not long after he had left the kitchen Spike returned, a quill held at the ready in one hand, and a scroll in the other.

“Alright,” Spike said, hopping up and taking a seat at the table. “Ready whenever you are.”

“Can you just let her know that Applejack gave me a few days off so I’m going to be going to take care of some things, and not to expect me back for a few days.”

“...won’t be back for a few days,” Spike mumbled. “Anything else?”

“Just that I left some bits to replace the food I took,” Silvia said, depositing a small bag of bits on the table.

“Sounds good,” Spike said, rolling the scroll up and securing it with a ribbon before placing it with the bits. “So I’m guessing all that food and stuff is for your trip?”

“Yeah,” Silvia said, securing the last of her supplies within her bags. “Probably a bit more than I need, but better safe than sorry.”

’Plus I’m usually quite hungry once I finish shedding,’ Silvia thought to herself as she secured her bags to her back.

Happy with her state of preparedness, Silvia nodded once to herself before exiting the kitchen.

“Guess I should be off, then,” Silvia said, trotting to the front door. “The sooner I get going, the sooner I’ll get back.”

“So, where exactly are you going?” Spike asked, having followed her from the kitchen. “Judging by the amount of stuff you’ve packed, you aren’t just going to the next town over.”

“Just going to spend a few days in the forest,” Silvia said, turning to face Spike after she had secured her cloak around her neck.

“We’re talking about the Whitetail Woods, right?” Spike asked, wringing his claws nervously.

“No, Everfree,” Silvia corrected Spike, oblivious to his concern.

“You’re going camping, in the Everfree?!” Spike shouted in surprise. “Do you have any idea how dangerous that forest is?”

“Of course I do, I was living here for a few years before you and Twilight showed up,” Silvia teased, “the forest isn’t all that scary once you get used to it.”

“But what about the manticores, and the timberwolves?” Spike fretted. “Or the cragodiles, the wood nymphs, parasprites, the cocka… cockatrie? Cockatry?”

“Cockatrices?” Silvia giggled. “I don’t think I’ll have to worry about any of them.”

“Why not?” Spike asked.

“We have an… understanding of sorts.” Silvia said with a smile. “I understand that, yes, they could probably eat me, but they understand that the effort it would take wouldn’t be worth the reward.”

“What do you mean by that?” Spike said, cocking his head to the side.

“You don’t think a cute young mare like me could walk to Saddle Arabia and back without knowing how to defend herself, did you?” Silvia said, fluttering her eyelashes at Spike.

“I suppose not,” Spike chuckled momentarily, before taking on a more serious expression. “Just… make sure you watch your back, ok? There are plenty of ponies around here that would hate to see anything happen to you, Twilight and myself included.”

“I appreciate the concern,” Silvia said, giving Spike a grateful smile. “But you don’t need to worry, I can handle myself. Besides, it's not like I’m going to be alone out there, I’ve got a friend that lives in the forest.”

“Oh, you know Zecora?” Spike asked. “Then you should have no problems at all, she knows that forest like the back of her hoof.”

“I’m more surprised you know Zecora,” Silvia said. “Last time I talked to her... the ponies in town weren’t very welcoming.”

“Yeah…” Spike cringed for a moment, “I’m kinda ashamed to admit that we weren’t very nice the first time we met her. But she ended up saving our plots.”

“Oh,” Silvia perked her ears and cocked her head slightly, “how did she do that?”

“Well, there was this incident with Pinkie Pie, a song, and some poison joke,” Spike stopped to laugh for a moment. “Next time you see Twilight, as her about ‘Twilight Flopple’, I’m sure you’ll get a kick out of her reaction.”

“Why did Twilight need Zecora’s help to deal with poison joke?” Silvia asked before motioning to a nearby shelf. “There’s a book in this library that details the remedy for it.”

“You mean ‘Super Naturals’, right?” Spike asked, getting a nod from Silvia in response. “Twilight took one look at the cover and thought it was some type of hocus pocus, mumbo jumbo nonsense.”

“That book is not nonsense,” Silvia said, looking slightly offended. “It was a gift from a friend, and has a plethora of cure-alls and ointments that have helped plenty since I got it.”

“Wait, so that’s your book?” Spike asked.

“Yes, it is,” Silvia confirmed. “Zecora found a few copies of it when she was visiting a nearby town, and since it detailed a lot of plants and herbs that grew around her hut she grabbed herself a copy. Since she knew I frequented the forest, she bought one to give to me for my birthday, as well.”

“If it’s your book, then why wasn’t it upstairs in the ‘private’ library?” Spike asked.

“Well, I figured with the town being so close to the forest, I’d leave it out where everypony can access it,” Silvia said. “What’s the point in hoarding knowledge?”

“Yeah, I suppose,” Spike chuckled. “That sounds like something Twilight would say.”

“Glad I was right about her being a sensible mare,” Silvia joked.

Checking once more to make sure she had everything she needed, Silvia pulled the door open and stepped through, pausing as she crossed the threshold.

“Well, I really do need to get going,” Silvia said, turning slightly to face Spike. “With how thick the canopy is, there are only a few hours of good sunlight in the forest, and I’d like to get set up before it starts getting dark.”

“Just make sure you stay safe, ok?” Spike said, surprising Silvia with a hug.

“Don't worry, I'll be fine,” Silvia said, patting Spike gently on the head. “Just make sure nopony gets the idea in their head of coming after me. Even if they can make it through the forest safely, I doubt they'd find me before I came back.”

“No promises,” Spike said, shooing Silvia out the door. “Now go ahead and get going, I’ll do what I can to make sure the girls don't send a search party after you when they find out where you went.”

“Thanks, Spike!” Silvia called out as she turned and trotted down the path leading out of town.

Spike stood in the doorway, anxiously watching as Silvia slowly vanished from sight. Once he was no longer able to see her, he turned to regard the forest for a moment before returning to the library.

“I sure hope she makes it back ok,” Spike sighed, pulling out his checklist. “Better get the rest of this finished before Twilight gets back. I’m sure she’ll be upset when she learns where Silvia went, best not give her a reason to turn her ire on me.”

Checking ‘dusting’ off from the list, Spike tucked the scroll away before grabbing the nearby cart of returned books.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Silvia sighed in relief as she removed her cloak and stored it in her bags. After walking through the forest for almost an hour, she was finally far enough that she felt nopony would find her. Wanting to reach her destination before the sun reached its zenith, she took a quick drink from one of her packed canteens before continuing along the path.

She continued to travel unmolested through the forest, but as she was nearing her destination a rustling in the brush lining the path caught her attention. Spinning to face the disturbance and crouching low, Silvia prepared herself to either fight or flee, should the situation call for it. To her pleasant surprise, however, instead of the predator that she had expected, the familiar form of her black and white striped friend stepped out onto the path.

“My oh my, it can not be. Are my eyes deceiving me?” Zecora said, trotting out of the underbrush and up to Silvia. “This is truly a wonderful sight to see, my scaled friend once again in the Everfree.”

“Zecora,” Silvia cheered, having perked up the instant the two toned mare stepped out of the underbrush. “It’s great to see you again!”

“I must confess that the pleasure of this meeting is all mine,” Zecora said, giving Silvia a friendly hug. “When you failed to arrive at our scheduled time I took it as a bad sign.”

“Oh, I’m sorry I worried you, Zecora,” Silvia said, pinning her ears back. “I got word that my Gran Gran had fallen ill, and I left that same day to go be with my family.”

“Your actions, you do not need to defend,” Zecora said, motioning for Silvia to follow her. “I hope everything worked out in the end.”

“It did, actually. Thanks for asking,” Silvia said, taking up a position alongside Zecora as they walked down the path. “Gran Gran made a full recovery.”

“The fact that your grandmother made a full recovery is wonderful to hear,” Zecora said. “I can hardly imagine how much it would hurt to lose somepony so dear.”

“Yeah, after I got over the initial panic of hearing she was sick, I wasn’t too worried,” Silvia admitted. “Gran Gran is a tough old mare, it would take more than a bit of a cough to take her down.”

It’s good to hear of your grandmother’s health,” Zecora said, turning a curious eye to Silvia. “Though I can’t imagine what you have felt. If she continues to stand strong, then why have you been gone so long?

“I still wanted to stick around until she got better, just in case,” Silvia explained. “Plus, since I hadn’t been home in a few years, I decided to stay and visit for a bit. That, and it’s a long trip to make on hoof.”

“What would make you want to make such a long trip on hoof?” Zecora asked, giving Silvia an incredulous look. “There are faster ways to travel, of that trains are proof.”

“Trains also cost bits,” Silvia pointed out, “which, unfortunately, I’m severely lacking in.”

“If it is bits you are short, you need but ask,” Zecora said, giving Silvia a friendly nudge. “I would gladly help with such an important task.”

“I couldn’t ask you to do that, Zecora,” Silvia said. “I’m sure there are more important things you need to spend your bits on.”

“The truth is, for most of my food I am able to forage,” Zecora said. “Now that I’m able to sell my brews, for bits I lack storage.”

“If you have so many extra bits, maybe you should stop by the Apples stand next time you're in town,” Silvia suggested. “Granny Smith is an amazing cook.”

“While I may have grown fond of Mrs. Smith’s apple strudels,” Zecora smiled, “They simply can not compare to Mrs. Cakes snickerdoodles.”

Having reached her shack, Zecora held the door open for Silvia while motioning her inside. Nodding her head in thanks, Silvia stepped inside and took a seat at the small table in the corner, gently dropping her bags on the floor beside her. Stepping inside the hut, Zecora pulled the door closed behind herself and hung a teapot over the fireplace before joining Silvia at the table.

“So, to what do I owe your presence in my humble abode?” Zecora asked, grabbing a set of teacups off of a nearby shelf. “I’m sure it wasn’t coincidence that our paths crossed on the road.”

“Oh! Well, you see,” Silvia said, blushing slightly as she scratched at her side, “I sort of started shedding a bit earlier than expected, and I ran out of those potions while I was gone.”

“Ahh, so you find yourself in need of my brews?” Zecora asked, getting a nod in response. “If that is the case, then for you I have good news. On my way back from collecting ingredients, you found me. With what I have, I could easily make a potion or three.”

“Really?” Silvia asked. “That’s wonderful!”

“The ingredients I have,” Zecora said, standing from her seat to retrieve the now boiling teapot. “Though much to my dismay; to brew all of your potions will take me a full day.”

Returning to the table, Zecora grabbed a small jar of herbs from a nearby shelf and deftly sprinkled some in the waiting mugs before adding the hot water.

“That’s fine,” Silvia said, picking up her cup and raising it in thanks to Zecora before taking a sip. “I usually get my potions from you ahead of time, so having to wait for a last minute order is no big deal. I’m actually surprised you’ll have them ready so fast, I know you’ve told me that some of your brews can take days to properly steep.”

“For some of my mixtures, that fact may be quite true,” Zecora said, taking a sip of her own tea, “but such is not the case for the potions I must brew.”

Standing from her seat once more, Zecora approached a set of shelves carved into the tree wall and began inspecting the ingredients stored on them.

“The first is a simple brew consisting of lavender, lemon balm, and passion flower, to relax your body and calm your nerves,” Zecora said, pulling a jar of each off of the shelf as she listed them. “The second brew is a bit more tricky, containing a mix of both vitamin and mineral extracts for when your appetite curbs.”

Placing the assorted jars on a small table positioned next to the cauldron in the middle of her shack, Zecora then grabbed a medium sized jar filled with a brownish-yellow oil from a rack hanging near her sleeping cubby.

“Last, but not least, to moisturize your scales and soothe the itch,” Zecora said, presenting the jar to Silvia. “A healthy mix of oils that is vitamin rich.”

“Thank you, Zecora,” Silvia said. Taking the jar, she wrapped it securely in her cloak before carefully storing it in her bag. “Is the same payment as before still ok?”

“When you finish shedding, a sheaf of your skin will suffice,” Zecora said, nodding in agreement. “To import Lamia skin from back home has quite the price.”

“I’m glad I can help, then,” Silvia said, taking a sip of her rapidly cooling tea.

“May I ask if you have any other reasons for being in the forest?” Zecora asked from her spot in front of her cauldron. “And even more importantly, where is it that you plan to take your rest?”

“I was planning on setting up in my normal clearing,” Silvia said. “Judging by how itchy I’ve been, and the fact that my eye caps have already started to detach, I should be finished shedding in a few days.”

“You’ll be happy to know, then, that of critters your clearing is free,” Zecora said, glancing sideways at Silvia with a smile. “I made sure nothing moved in, should you decide to return to me.”

“You mean my burrow is still there?” Silvia asked excitedly, getting a nod in response from Zecora. “Aww, that’s great! The sphagnum moss growing in it made it nice and humid in there, and it had a nice little stream running nearby; it was the perfect place to shed.”

“Indeed,” Zecora said, “you’ll be happy to know it’s still clean and full of fish. It is the perfect spot to stock up, should you need the protein.”

“Well, I’ve had no shortage of protein lately,” Silvia said. “Since I’m living with somepony this time around, and I’m not having to spend as much on rent, I’m able to keep stocked up on foods that are higher in protein.”

“The fact that you are living with somepony else is news to me,” Zecora said, shooting Silvia a sidelong glance. “This pony you live with, do they happen to reside in a tree?”

“Yeah, they moved into the treebrary not long after I left,” Silvia said, pausing to drain the last of the tea from her cup. “And according to Spike, you’ve met before.”

“Ahh, yes,” Zecora chuckled, “Twilight Sparkle, the unicorn talented in all things arcane. And her assistant, Spike, a baby dragon whom most would label mundane. It seems that in kind caring hooves you have found yourself. Both would venture to Tartarus and back, should a friend need help.”

“I could definitely see that with Spike,” Silvia giggled, “he seems like quite the loyal little drake. Twilight, I’m not so sure about, though. We didn’t exactly get off to the best start.”

“You and Twilight not getting along, I can not see,” Zecora said, giving Silvia a doubtful look. “Your personalities, they seem to match to a ‘T’.”

“Yeah, but I left her with a pretty crummy first impression when we met,” Silvia admitted. “I didn’t realize somepony else had moved in while I was gone, so I used my key to let myself in in the middle of the night. Crawled right into bed with her without realizing it.”

“Well, that does not sound very bad to me at all,” Zecora said, arching an eyebrow. “It’s not as though you made a move for which there was no call.”

“No, nothing like that,” Silvia said, flushing slightly, “I just… really freaked her out, ya know?”

“No, actually, I do not ‘know’,” Zecora said, turning to face Silvia. “For a simple mistake, a fit she did throw. It sounds to me as though Twilight overreacted. Please tell me, at least, that her hate has been retracted.”

“Yeah, we sat down and had a few good, long talks.” Silvia stood from her seat at the table, taking a moment to stretch before tossing her bags over her barrel. “The two of us are getting along a lot better now.”

“And what of your secret,” Zecora asked, stepping away from her cauldron, “does she know what you are hiding? Last I heard, in your friends you weren't comfortable confiding.”

“No,” Silvia said, pausing to make sure her bags were properly positioned on her back. “You're the only pony I've told so far because, well… you know what Equestrian history books say about my people.”

“Ah, yes, Equestrian historians do not paint Lamia in a very flattering light,” Zecora said, nickering in irritation at the memory of what she had read. “They describe you as predators, whose only purpose is to consume anypony in your sight.”

“Yeah, but what can ya do about it?” Silvia sighed. “It's not like I can just walk up to the princess and ask her to change the history books?”

Giving her bag one final inspection, Silvia turned and began heading for the door.

“I can already see how the conversation would go. ‘Oh, please, Miss Princess,’” Silvia pantomimed, batting her eyelashes at ‘The Princess’, “‘please stop making my people look like a bunch of bloodthirsty murderers.’ In response, she'd look me straight in the eye, smile that wicked smile of hers...”

Rocking back on her haunches, Silvia held her forehooves out in front of herself before sweeping them up and over her head, imitating the sound of an explosion with her mouth.

“And hit me with a sun beam,” Silvia deadpanned, “there’d be nothing left but a pile of ashes.”

“I do believe you are being over dramatic,” Zecora said, “and that your fears are making your thoughts erratic.”

Making one final check to make sure she had all of the necessary ingredients prepared, Zecora nodded to herself before leading Silvia to the door.

“If revealing your secret is not what you wish to do,” Zecora said, opening the door for Silvia and following her outside, “then the telling of others I shall leave to you.”

“Thanks, Zecora, for everything,” Silvia said, pulling the zebra mare into a friendly hug. “I honestly don't think I'd have stayed here for so long if it wasn't for you. It’s nice having somepony I don’t have to hide from.”

Releasing Zecora from the hug, Silvia turned to face a lightly worn, well-hidden path that split off from the main road across from Zecora’s hut.

“But enough of this sentimentality,” Silvia said, eyes scanning the canopy as she attempted to detect the position of the sun. “If I don't get started setting up camp soon, I'm going to run out of daylight.”

“It is true that your surprise visit has caused the day to pass in quite a blur. As much as I’ve enjoyed your company, with your swift departure I must concur.” Zecora admitted, eyes scanning the hidden path by her home. “I have done my best to keep the path clear of debris, so to your den, you should be able to pass quite free.”

“Thanks, Zecora,” Silvia called back over her shoulder, taking off at a slow trot. “I really appreciate it. I’ll see you in the morning, ok?”

“Be swift, be cautious, and may you have a safe trip,” Zecora called after her. “I will see you when the moon releases us from her grip.”

Giving a nod and a smile in response, Silvia shifted from her slow trot into a full gallop. Dashing through the thin layer of underbrush that helped hide the path, she smiled in recognition as the trees parted revealing a long narrow trail that disappeared into the distance. True to Zecora’s word, the road had been dutifully maintained, with not a single branch or piece of underbrush extending out in her path.

Continuing down the path for a time, Silvia eventually slowed to a canter, and then to a trot, before finally settling on a walk as she came to a sharp curve in the trail. The trickling of water could be heard in the distance, and as she rounded the corner she couldn’t keep the exuberant smile on her face from growing at the sight of the clearing before her.

“It’s almost exactly how I left it,” Silvia whispered to herself.

Stepping out of the treeline, her eyes instantly fell on the trunk of a fairly large tree that was located towards the opposite side of the glade. Although the tree had clearly suffered some storm damage, it’s roots partially torn from the ground as it leaned against its neighbor as proof, it was still very much alive.

Trotting past the large boulder that sat almost dead center in the clearing, Silvia sighed in relief when she saw that her makeshift campsite at the base of the tree was still intact. Gently setting her bags on the ground next to the downed log that acted as a bench, she took a moment to stretch before digging through her back and pulling out a large roll of canvas. Tossing the roll on the ground she reached back into her bag and dug around some more, a set of poles, a bag of stakes, and a spool of rope soon joining the fabric roll.

With practiced ease, Silvia rolled the canvas out and stuck the poles into small, perfectly sized pockets on opposite ends of the cloth. Pulling four stakes out of the bag, she pushed them side by side into the ground, two at each end. With the stakes in place, she ran the rope from one stake, wrapped it around the top of the front pole, and then back to the second stake. Moving around to the opposite side of the cloth, Silvia then ran a length of rope from the third stake, around the top of the pole, and then down to the fourth stake. Pulling everything tight, the ropes proceeded to lift the ends of the canvas up, pulling it taut and leaving the ends hanging loose.

Tying off the rope, Silvia grabbed four more stakes from the bag and, pulling out the corners of the canvas as far as they would go, staked them to the ground. Sitting back with a sigh of relief, Silvia looked over her makeshift tent with pride.

“Well, now that that’s set up,” Silvia mumbled to herself, “it’s time for the finishing touches.”

Turning back to her bag, Silvia dug a tightly coiled bedroll from her bags and unrolled it inside of the tent. Satisfied with the placement, she then began wandering the nearby treeline, collecting any loose wood or tinder she could find, and carefully stacked it near her camp.

Once she was satisfied with the amount of firewood she had collected, Silvia then dug a folded metal tripod out of her bag and set it up over the fire pit. Next to the fire pit, she placed a hanging pot and kettle before wandering over to the stream that encircled the back half of the clearing, filling the water skins she had with fresh water.

With everything set up to her liking, Silvia cast a wary gaze around the camp before approaching the downed tree. Circling around to the exposed roots, Silvia once more carefully scanned the treeline of the clearing, ensuring that she was entirely alone.

“Doesn’t look like anypony followed me…” Silvia mumbled, eyes still looking for any signs of movement.

Satisfied that she was, in fact, alone, Silvia pulled some vines that had been growing over the roots of the tree aside to reveal a small opening, barely large enough for a full grown pony to fit through, going underneath of the tree.

With one more glance around the glade to ensure she wasn’t being watched, Silvia closed her eyes, lowered her head, and began to concentrate. She held this position for a quiet few minutes with nothing happening until, with a bright flare of magic, a ring of vibrant purple flames encircled her muzzle and began moving slowly up her face and down her neck.

While before, ignoring a few barely noticeable traits, Silvia looked entirely equine, the form left by the receding flames was anything but. Her snout had become noticeably longer, and slightly wider, her once flared nostrils being replaced by slitted ones, and her fangs, once small and easily hidden, now extended down below her chin. Her ears, once conical and on top of her head, now extended from just above her brow line to just below her jaw line, framing her face like the hood of a cobra.

As the flame ring passed over her barrel, her light yellow chest fluff morphed into a series of plate-like yellow scales, and the silvery patch of skin extending from her neck to her tail became dull faded silver scales.

While all of her fur, besides that on her back and belly, stayed the same as the amethyst ring swept over her body, that completely changed when the flames reached her waist. As the ring passed over her hips, her light blue fur was replaced with scuffed, cloudy looking scales of the same color.

When the flames reached her flanks, Silvia’s hind end dropped to the ground as her rear legs were consumed by the flames, which were soon replaced with a long, narrow, scaly tail nearly four times the length of a full grown pony, that slowly tapered to a point. As the flames reached the end of Silvia’s serpentine tail, the flames flared brightly once more before disappearing, leaving a long tuft of hair on the tip of her tail that perfectly matched the tail she had had as a pony.

“Ahh, that feels so much better!” Silvia groaned, rearing back and balancing on her body as she stretched.

Dropping back down, Silvia used her forelegs to guide herself as she slithered into the hole in the ground. Squeezing through the narrow opening into the tunnel, Silvia made the most of the large chamber beneath the tree, moaning in relief as the tree roots poking through the moss covered walls scratched at her scales.

“Just as I remember it,” Silvia said, sighing happily as she breathed in the moist, earthy air of the burrow.

With the entirety of her body fit snugly inside of her little den, Silvia’s eyes slowly drifted closed as she settled in for a nap.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The evening sun was just beginning its descent towards the horizon as two figures, one short and one tall, in matching cloaks approached the Ponyville Library.

“So what do ya think, is this the place, Wander?” The smaller of the two, barely larger than a filly, asked in an excited, clearly female voice.

“Library inside a tree,” Wander, the larger of the two said, his deeper more relaxed voice labeling him clearly as male. “Exactly how she described it.”

“Oh, I can’t wait to see the look on her face when she sees us,” the smaller pony cheered, hopping excitedly in place as they reached the library door.

“I’m sure she’ll be as excited as we are, Moon,” the larger pony said, chuckling softly as he approached the door.

Moon, the smaller of the two, continued hopping in place with a wide smile on her face as Wander raised a forehoof to knock. Before he could knock, however, a commotion on the other side of the door caused him to freeze in place and perk an ear to listen.

“She went where?!” A slightly muffled yell came from the other side of the door, the voice clearly marking the speaker as female. “Spike, why would you let her go there! Why wouldn’t you say something, or come and get one of us? Now the sun is starting to set, and by the time I get the girls together to go look for her, it will already be dark!”

“But she said not to go after her!” Another speaker, a young male by the sound of it, answered back. “She said she could handle herself, and I believe her. Besides, you and the girls would just end up getting yourselves lost. I’m sure she’ll be back in a few days, just like she said.”

Seeing the door handle encased in a violet glow, Wander lowered his forehoof and took a step back.

“I’m still going to go get the girls, see what they have to say.” The female voice answered back. “Applejack and Rarity have known her a lot longer than we have, so they might have a better idea of what to do.”

Before the younger sounding of the two had a chance to respond, the door flew open as a purple mare came trotting out. Having her head turned to look over her shoulder, her attention still focused on the second pony in the room, the mare ran straight into Wander, the force of the impact barely shifting Wander as it knocked her back on her flanks.

“Oof! Oh, I’m sorry…” She grunted out, turning to face the pony she had run into. Realizing she didn’t recognize the pony, she cocked her head in confusion as she looks him over. “Uhh, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there, I was in a bit of a hurry.”

“What’s the matter, Twi?” The younger voice asked.

Leaning to the side to see around the purple mare, Wander was surprised to see a small purple dragon waddle through the doorway.

“Woah, you're big,” The little dragon mumbled, craning his neck to be able to see Wander’s face.

“So I’ve been told,” Wander said, trying and failing to contain his mirth.

“Can, um, can we help you with something?” The purple mare asked, rising to her hooves and using her magic to dust herself off. “We were just getting ready close up for the day.”

“Well, actually…” Wander started.

“It’s ok,” the little purple dragon said, cutting Wander off. “I can take care of them if you want, Twi. I’m sure I can handle helping…”

Cocking his head slightly, the little purple dragon trailed off as he turned to face Wander.

“I’m sorry, but what was your name?” He asked. “I don’t think I caught it.”

“That’s because I didn’t give it,” Wander said.

In unison, the two cloaked ponies reached up and pulled their hoods down from over their heads.

“I’m Wanderlust,” The large stallion said, giving Spike a large smile.

“My name is Moontide!” The filly cheered, her large smile showing off a pair of equally large fangs. “And we’re here to see our sister!”

Wandering Moon

All was calm in the hills northeast of Ponyville, the creaking of a wagon being the only sounds that could be heard over the early morning breeze. Hitched to the front of the wagon was a large pony, their plain brown cloak doing just as good of a job covering any distinguishing features as it was protecting the wearer from the elements.

Trotting along beside the large pony was another substantially smaller pony clad in a similar cloak. Free of any type of tether tying them to the wagon the second pony would often run off ahead of the larger pony, only to stop and trot impatiently in place once they got too far ahead.

“Oh, hurry up, Wander,” the smaller pony whined. “At the rate you're going, it'll be dark before we get there.”

“Calm yourself, Moon,” Wander responded. “Ponyville isn’t going anywhere. If it gets too late, we'll just set up camp outside of town and go in first thing in the morning.”

“But I don't want to get there tomorrow morning,” Moon groused. “I wanted to see sis today.”

“And just like the town,” Wander responded, not even a hint of annoyance in his voice, “she will still be there tomorrow.”

“You said we’d get there today, though,” Moon complained, “but now you're walking slow, and…”

Used to his sister’s whining Wander simply rolled his eyes and tuned her out, turning his full attention to the trail before them.

The pair continued this way for a time, Moon griping as they made their way down the trail and Wander nodding and grunting in feigned acknowledgment until they reached a fork in the road. Seeing a sign nearby, Wander unhitched himself from the wagon and approached the sign to read it, unfamiliar with the roads in this part of Equestria and ignorant of the pause in Moon’s complaints.

“Mhmm,” Wander grunted in affirmation, eyes scanning the sign.

“‘Mhmm’?” Moon parrotted. “‘Mhmm’ what? Do you even know what I just said? Are you even listening to me?”

“Hmm? Oh, sorry,” Wander said, reaching up with a forehoof to pull his hood back and scratch the back of his head. “I was just thinking to myself a bit there, must have zoned out at some point.”

“Yeah, some point half an hour ago,” Moon said, pulling her own hood back and shooting Wander a glare, her pale blue eyes flashing mischievously behind her glasses. “I just started going into very intimate detail about every one of your friends I’ve slept with, and you didn’t even react.”

“I.. you… bwah?” Wander stuttered, face flushing red. “Moon! That is not appropriate public conversation, nor is it something I want to know about!”

“Public? What public?” Moon questioned, sweeping her forelegs out to gesture all around them. “There’s no one else here but us. We haven’t seen another traveler in days.”

“Still, you never know when someone might be close by and overhear you.” Wander responded, leveling a glare at his sister as annoyance tinted his features for what wasn’t the first, and surely wouldn’t be the last time on their long journey. “I’m sure you remember what happened last time, the last thing we need is for someone to take one look at you and misinterpret the situation.”

“‘Take one look at me’ you say?” Moon growled, taking a threatening step towards her brother. “Are you trying to say I’m short?”

“Moon,” Wander sighed in exasperation as he facehoofed. “You and I both know the answer to that.”

“Yeah? Well, it’s not my fault you got all the height,” Moon groused, sitting back on her haunches and crossing her forelegs over her chest as a vein visibly throbbed on her forehead.

Not wanting to be on the receiving end of his sister’s height based frustrations again, Wander let the subject drop and returned his attention back to the sign. In large, bold, stylized letter the word Canterlot sat just above a golden arrow pointing to the right. Beside it was the word Ponyville, the lettering smaller and less ritzy than that of the nation's capital, below which was a plain brown arrow pointing left.

“If I’m reading this sign right,” Wander mumbled, scratching his chin with a forehoof, “then if we take the trail on the left, Ponyville should be in sight in about an hour.”

“Really?!” Moon exclaimed, instantly popping out of her funk. “Then what are you waiting for?! Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!”

Rushing over to her brother, Moon grabbed Wander by the foreleg and attempted to drag him back over to the wagon. Chuckling at his sister’s exuberance, he went along with her and hobbled back to the wagon, quickly reattaching himself and getting moving with a solid pull at the harness.

With their direction decided the two turned to the left and headed up the gently sloping hill, the gentle sound of running water in the distance informing them that they were nearing their destination.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The sound of laughter and the sight of foals playing is what greeted Wander and Moon as they crossed over the bridge into Ponyville proper. It had taken well over an hour of walking before the town came into sight and another hour yet before they saw the first home along the road. Passing by the first home, a lovely earthy looking cottage with all manner of critters playing in and around it, it took another thirty minutes of walking before they reached the town itself.

“Oh, Wander, look!” Moon exclaimed, hopping excitedly on three hooves while pointing with the fourth. “Looking at all the little fillies, and colts! I’m gonna go play with them!”

“Moon, wait,” Wander responded adamantly. “I need to find somewhere to park the wagon first.”

“Come on!” Moon cheered, completely disregarding her brother as she ran off towards the sound of laughter.

“Why do you even try?” Wander groaned, sitting back on his haunches and placing his hoof to the bridge of his nose with a sigh. “You know she’s just going to run off and do her own thing anyway.”

With one more exasperated sigh, Wander stood and continued his trek towards the town, doing his best to ignore the cautious glances he was getting from anypony he passed. Continuing down the main street into town, it wasn’t long before the homes stopped and the path opened up into a large market square. A glance around the market told him that most of the stall owners were packing up for the day, and a quick glance at the position of the sun told him why.

’It’s that late already?’ Wander balked. ’It took a lot longer to get here than I expected.’

Pulling his wagon off to the side of the path, Wander unhitched himself before pulling his hood back and approaching the first occupied stall.

“Excuse me, miss,” Wander called out to the pink mare behind the counter. “I’m a traveling salesstallion from out of town, and I’m looking for somewhere to set up my stall. Does this town have a designated area for us, or can I just set up wherever is convenient?”

“Oh, yeah, sure. You can just…” The mare trailed off when she brushed her two toned blonde mane out of her eyes and saw just how tall Wander was. Her mouth dropped open as her eyes slowly trailed up from his chest, which was at eye level, until they met his gray-blue eyes.

“Y-you can just s-set up in an open spot n-next to any stall,” she stammered. “S-so long as you a-aren’t blocking the path, n-nopony should say anything to you.”

“Thank you very much, miss?” Wander said, offering her his hoof.

“L-Lily, Lily Valley,” the pink earth mare said shyly, cautiously shaking the offered hoof.

“Wanderlust,” Wander replied, flashing her a roguish smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Wander turned to leave, but then paused and turned back to face her.

“Before I go,” Wander said, “I have one last question for you, Miss Valley.”

“Just Lily is fine,” Lily responded, flushing slightly. “How can I help you?”

“I just wanted to know where the closest place in town was that the foals tended to go and play,” Wander asked, biting his tongue when Lily’s reaction made him realize how what he asked sounded.

“And why would you want to know that?” Lily asked, squaring her hooves as she took a more defensive stance. “Are you some kind of creep or something?”

“N-no, nothing like that,” Wander stammered as he sat back on his haunches, waving his forelegs in front of himself. “My… little sister wandered off when we first got into town. She heard the sounds of foals playing and took off. I just thought it would be easiest to find her if I started where the younger ponies usually gather.”

“‘Little’ sister?” Lily asked, putting emphasis on the first word. “Why’d you say it like that?”

“Well…” Wander hesitated for a moment, scratching the back of his neck. “She really doesn’t like to be called little, but it’s honestly the best way to describe her.”

“Well of course if she’s younger she’d be little,” Lily scoffed. “Most young ponies tend to be a bit smaller, more so when they stand next to somepony like you.”

“You’re quite right,” Wander said, “But Moon isn’t actually as young as she looks. She just has a bit of a soft spot for colts and fillies.”

“Oh,” Lily said, relaxing her stance and backing down, “then your best bet would be the town park. You can get there pretty quick if you take the eastern road out of the market, you just follow that path and it takes you straight there.”

“Thanks, Lily,” Wander said, giving Lily a friendly wave before turning and trotting back to his wagon.

Hitching himself back up, Wander began making his way through the market, carefully making his way through the crowd as he kept an eye peeled for an open spot. It wasn't until he was nearing the southern end of the market that he finally saw a spot large enough for him to park. Seeing an orange mare loading a cart parked nearby, he altered his course towards her stand

“Excuse me, miss,” Wander called out, attempting to get her attention. “Miss, I was wondering if I could have a moment of your time.”

Looking up from her cart, the mare looked left and right to see if he was talking to somebody else before adjusting the brown stetson keeping her golden mane out of her eyes and trotting out to meet him.

“Well, howdy there, stranger,” the mare said, tipping her hat to Wander. “What can Ah do ya fer?”

“I was wondering if a lovely mare such as yourself could tell me if this spot next to your stall is vacant,” Wander asked, giving her his most dashing smile. “I was looking for somewhere to set up my wagon and sell my wares, and this was the first open spot I saw that was large enough.”

“Well, sure, go ahead,” the orange mare said, giving Wander a friendly smile. “We’ve always got room fer more neighbors here in Ponyville.”

“That would be much appreciated,” Wander said, bowing his head slightly to her.

Pulling his wagon into the open spot, he turned it so the broadside was facing out before unhitching himself. Walking around to the back of the wagon, he pulled out a set of chocks for each wheel, wedging them firmly in place. With the wagon secured, Wander circled back around to the front and folded the arms of the carriage inward, collapsing them smoothly into grooves carved into the front of the cart.

Giving a quick double check to make sure they were properly stowed, Wander moved around to the side of the cart facing the market and pressed a hidden switch on the side of the wagon, causing a large section of the side to pop loose from the carriage. Attached by an arm on one side of the cart, the section rotated as it folded down, a set of legs on each side extending as it leveled out.

Rearing up on his hind legs, Wander gave a few experimental pushed on the top of his makeshift table before nodding to himself.

“That’s a mighty fancy cart ya got yerself there,” the orange mare commented, circling around to the front of his wagon to inspect it. “Ah’m sure somethin’ like that musta set ya back more’n a few bits.”

“It may have,” Wander said, giving the mare a cocky smirk, “if I hadn’t built it myself.”

“Well, I gotta admit, that’s pretty impressive.” Approaching the cart, the mare gave it a few light taps with a forehoof. “Seem’s ta be pretty sturdy, too. Fancy yerself a handystallion?”

“I am pretty good with my hooves, yes,” Wander replied, giving the mare a sly look, “but I think of myself more as a traveler than anything else. The fresh faces, the beautiful sights,” pausing for a moment, he gave the mare a quick wink, “the lovely mares. Speaking of which, I’m sure a fine mare such as yourself must have a name that is just as pretty.”

“Tha names Applejack,” the mare introduced herself, “and no offense, sugarcube, but yer gonna need a bit more muscle on ya, if’n ya wanna hang on fer this ride.”

“Wanderlust, at your service,” Wander replied, giving a slight bow. “I’m to assume from the name that you are affiliated with the large apple farm I saw on my way into town?”

“Affiliated with?” Applejack snorted, “Ah own it. Well, me n’ mah kin do, anyway.”

“Ah, it’s quite fortunate that I ran into you, then,” Wander said, turning to fully face Applejack. “I wanted to speak with you about possible trading opportunities.”

“What kind a’ ‘tradin’ opportunities’?” Applejack asked, eyeing Wander warily.

“As you might have been able to tell,” Wander said, motioning to his wagon, “I am a wandering tradesstallion. I wander from town to town, all across Equestria and its neighboring lands trading my wares. As a farm owner, if there are any plants you may have wanted to grow, but perhaps the seeds were too expensive to import, odds are I have them, and at a fraction of the price that most traders would sell them for.”

“Imma be honest with ya,” Applejack said, giving Wander a flat look, “Ah don’t trust ya none. All a’ y’all fancy talkin’ ponies come through here peddlin’ tha same message, and it always ends the same way; with whatever y’all done sold ta us breakin' ‘fore the dust cloud from y’all skedaddlin' outta town c’n settle.”

“Miss Apple,” Wander stammered, mentally backpedaling from her reaction, “I can assure you…”

“Miss Apple was mah mother,” Applejack snorted in annoyance, “‘n Ah c’n tell ya now, if that’s yer plan, then ya might as well save yerself the time ‘n pack up now. Cus as soon as Ah hear about ya makin’ any kinda’ underhoofed sales, Ah’ll be the first in line tah run ya on out.”

“Look, Miss A…” Wander started, pausing to correct himself at the look Applejack gave him. “Applejack, I would never, never do anything like that. I’m guessing from your reaction that you’ve had a few silver-tongued salesstallions come through town and swindle you?”

“Eeyup,” Applejack responded, keeping her glare leveled on Wander.

“And in a small community like this,” Wander waved a foreleg towards the town, “almost everypony considers each other like family?”

“‘N anypony who thinks they c’n come in n’ mess with family has another thing comin’,” Applejack finished for him.

“I can respect that,” Wander said, giving Applejack a friendly smile. “Really, I can. I mean, family is the reason I’m out here doing this.”

“What do ya mean by that?” Applejack asked, curiosity tinting her features.

“I’m assuming, from the name, you’re part of the Apple clan, correct?” Wander asked.

“Yeah,” Applejack answered, “But what does that have ta do with anything?”

“I’ve traded with members of your family before,” Wander explained, “and there’s one thing that all of you have had in common; you put family before all else.”

“Well, that, and you grow some of the best apples I’ve ever tasted,” Wander joked, seeing Applejack’s expression lighten slightly at the mention of her kin.

“I can respect that love for your family, though,” Wander said. “Like I said, it’s why I do what I do. I’ve got twelve siblings back home, and I love all of them to death. Left home the day I turned fifteen to start my trading routes, and every bit I make goes right back home to help support them.”

“Twelve siblings, ya say?” Applejack repeated, a small smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. “‘N what brought ya ta a sleepy town like ours? Ah’m sure there ain’t too much profit ta be had here.”

“I’m actually passing through to visit some family,” Wander said with a smile. “But don’t tell anypony, it’s a surprise.”

“Family, huh?” Applejack smirked. “Guess Ah don’t got too much ta worry ‘bout with you, then.”

Tipping her hat to Wander, Applejack returned to her stall and checked her cart to ensure everything was secure before stepping into the harness.

“Well, suppose Ah shouldn’t hold ya too much longer, if’n ya still gotta get yerself set up.” Applejack called back to him, tightening the straps on the harness. “Besides, Ah still got some chores back home ta finish. Ya make sure ya tell that sister a’ yers Ah said ta feel better, k?”

“Will do!” Wander called, waving to Applejack before freezing. “Wait, I didn’t tell her I was visiting my sister…”

“How did you know…” Wander called out, turning to go after the mare. Pausing, his eyes scanned the crowd as he attempted to identify her retreating form, but despite the large cart she was hauling she had already disappeared into the crowd.

Wander moved to go after Applejack before deciding against it with a shake of his head and returning to his cart. After once more checking the stability of the table that had folded out of the side of his wagon, Wander pulled on a cord hanging from the roof of the carriage causing a large awning to unroll out from the roof and stop a full pony’s body length past the end of the table.

“That should take care of setup,” Wander said to himself.

Giving his entire wagon one last check to ensure everything was properly set up, secured, and that his wagon was properly locked up, Wander joined the throng of ponies milling through the market and began heading towards the east side of town.

“Guess I should go find trouble,” Wander mumbled, “before trouble finds her.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Moon’s head jerked from side to side as she wandered through the streets of Ponyville, her mouth hanging open in wonder. All around her ponies chatted happily, smiles upon their faces as they went about their business.

“No wonder Silvie likes it so much here,” Moon mused, “it’s nothing like back home.”

Rounding the corner, Moon was knocked back with a grunt as her inattentiveness caused her to run straight into another pony.

“Hey,” an unfamiliar voice groaned, “why don’t ya watch where you’re… woah.”

Standing from the ground and dusting herself off, Moon eyed the orange pegasus filly that stood before her as she adjusted her cloak.

“Sorry about that,” Moon apologized, “I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.”

“Scootaloo, you apologize this instant!” An older sounding mare called out from behind the pegasus.

Peaking around the filly, Moon saw a white unicorn mare with a purple mane trotting dutifully towards the two of them, a white unicorn and yellow earth pony filly flanking her on each side.

“You should know better than to go running through town like that,” the mare continued to scold the pegasus. “You’d better hope you didn’t hurt this poor young filly, or your parents will be hearing about this.”

“I am terribly sorry for her,” the white mare said, turning to face Moon. “She didn’t hurt you, did she? I’ve got a first aid kit in my bag if you need anything.”

“No, I’m fine, thanks,” Moon said, continuing to mess with her cloak. “Aww, but my cloak ripped, Gran Gran is gunna kill me.”

“Your cloak ripped, you say?” the mare asked, eyeing the offending tear. “I was just heading to the park with my sister and her friends here. If you don’t mind joining us, I could have that fixed up for you in no time.”

“Well, I was just looking for my sister,” Moon pondered for a moment before her eyes drifted to the three fillies. “But I suppose she can wait a little longer, it’s not like she’s going anywhere.”

“Your sister isn’t expecting you by a certain time, is she?” the mare asked, “because I can walk you home and explain the situation if need be.”

“No, it should be fine, thanks though,” Moon said. “My sister doesn’t even know I’m coming.”

“Doesn’t know you're coming?” the mare asked, motioning for the fillies to follow her before continuing down the road. “Are you visiting from out of town?”

“Yup!” Moon beamed, trotting along beside unicorn.

“Not by yourself, I hope,” the mare said, looking around to see if she could find anypony that was accompanying Moon.

“Nah, I’m here with my brother,” Moon explained. “But he’s in the market square right now getting set up.”

“Are you sure you should be wondering off, then?” the mare asked, giving Moon a stern look.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Moon said, waving her off. “I do it all the time. He’ll catch up eventually.”

“If you say so,” the mare said, giving Moon a doubtful look.

The two lapsed into silence after that, the mare seemingly satisfied with her answers. Looking over her shoulder, Moon noticed that the three fillies had dropped back and were whispering back and forth between each other, one of them occasionally glancing up at her before returning their attention to the other two.

“Oh, how rude of me,” the mare suddenly spoke up, causing Moon to jump in surprise. “I don’t think I ever introduced myself. My name is Rarity,” the mare paused to flip her mane, “Ponyville’s premier fashionista and proprietor of the Carousel Boutique.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Rarity,” Moon said. “My name’s Moontide, but everypony calls me Moon for short.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” Rarity said.

Reaching the edge of a large field, Rarity stopped to allow the fillies to catch up.

“Alright girls, here we are,” Rarity said, breaking the three out of their hushed conversation. “You’re free to do whatever you please, so long as you stay within eyesight, understood?”

“Yes, Rarity,” the three said in unison.

“Good, now,” Rarity gave Moon a light shove from behind to nudge her towards the group, “take Moontide here and go enjoy yourselves. Just make sure you play nice, alright?”

“Yes, Rarity,” the three said again, the orange filly’s wings twitching impatiently.

Satisfied with their answer, Rarity turned to address Moon.

“Now, why don’t you go ahead and leave your cloak with me while you go enjoy yourself.” Rarity said, motioning to a nearby bench. “I’ll be sitting right over here if you should need anything.”

Moon grasped anxiously at the clasp on her cloak for a moment before taking a deep breath and unhooking it. In one smooth motion, she pulled the cloak from her body, wrapping it haphazardly around her foreleg and offered it to Rarity, wincing slightly at the poorly concealed gasps of surprise from behind her.

“So you're here to see your sister, you say?” Rarity said, her horn lighting up as she took the cloak in her magic.

“Yup,” Moon said, standing rigidly as Rarity looked her cloak over.

“Then I’ll make sure I get this done as fast as I can,” Rarity said, smiling in recognition when she saw the pendant on the clasp. “I know she’ll be just as excited to see you as you are to see her.”

Folding the cloak gently in her magic, Rarity turned and began walking towards a nearby bench as a small rectangular box encased in a light blue glow came floating out of her saddlebags.

Still feeling three sets of eyes on her Moon slowly turned the three fillies, the confident smirk on her face fading when she noticed their eyes were drawn not to her back like she had expected, but instead to her flanks.

“So, umm, what did you girls have planned?” Moon asked, a light blush creeping across her features.

“Ya don’ have a cutie mark,” the yellow earth pony pointed out.

“Uhh, no, I don’t,” Moon responded in confusion.

“But you look older than us,” the unicorn stated.

“You have no idea,” Moon mumbled quietly to herself before approaching the three. “So, instead of staring at my flanks all day, as flattering as that is, why don’t we go find something to do!”

“But, you don’t have a cutie mark,” the pegasus reiterated.

“Yeah, so? Neither do any of you,” Moon pointed out.

“What do ya mean, ‘so’?” the earth pony shouted. “Ain’t ya scared that yer never gonna git yers?”

“Not really, no,” Moon said.

“Why not?” the orange filly demanded.

“I’ve got my family, and I’ve got my health,” Moon said matter-of-factly. “Why should I need some mark on my rump to be happy?”

“But, your destiny…” the unicorn filly stammered.

“Means nothing without ponies I love to share it with,” Moon said. Circling around behind the fillies, she attempted to corral them towards the field. “Now, enough of this cutie mark talk, let’s go play!”

Shaking themselves out of their stupor, the three fillies shared a look and a smile before quickly jumping behind Moon. Surprised by the sudden change in positions, the three were easily able to push her along as they chattered excitedly at her.

“We was just tryin’ ta figure out how ta get our cutie marks on the way over here,” the yellow filly yammered, “and ya just went and gave us tha perfect idea!”

“We can get our cutie marks,” the unicorn filly cheered, “in helping you get your cutie mark!”

“You three don’t need to do that,” Moon said, trying and failing to dig her hooves into the ground. “Wouldn’t you rather play tag or something?”

“‘Course not,” the earth pony filly said. “Besides, we were still tryin’ ta figure out how ta get Silvia her cutie mark, and what better way ta practice than ta help her sister.”

“Wait, you know my sister?” Moon asked, finally managing to get enough traction to stop the fillies from pushing her.

“Sure do!” The yellow earth pony beamed.

“Both of our sisters are friends with her.” The white unicorn stated.

“And how did you know I was her sister?” Moon asked, arching an eyebrow.

“‘Cus we’ve never seen another pony with a back like yours,” the orange pegasus pointed out. “Other than your sister, of course.”

“Or that fangs,” the yellow earth pony added. “Silvia’s r’ barely noticeable, but ther there. Are y’all part bat pony, or somethin’?”

Moon spun to face the fillies, her retort dying in her throat when she saw the pleading looks on all of their faces.

“No, we aren’t part ‘bat pony', and I suppose we can work on getting my cutie mark,” Moon sighed, “but don’t be upset if I don’t get it, I honestly don’t know if I can even get one.”

“Yer sister doesn’ think she c’n get hers, neither,” the earth pony said, “but that jus’ makes it all tha more important that we help y’all get ‘em. No pony should grow up without their mark.”

Nodding in agreement, the other two fillies proceeded to launch into a list of activities they could do to try and get Moon her cutie mark. Both wanting to be heard, and neither willing to wait their turn, the two got progressively louder until Moon had to step in.

“Alright, alright, we can take turns trying all of your ideas,” Moon said, attempting to calm the two. “But before we get started on that, why don’t you introduce yourselves? You all know my names, but I don’t know any of yours.”

“Oh, oh, me first!” the orange pegasus said, sitting back on her haunches and holding one foreleg with the other while waving it back and forth. “My name’s Scootaloo.”

“And Ah’m Apple Bloom,” the yellow earth pony said.

“I’m Sweetie Belle,” the white unicorn squeaked.

“And together,” the three said in unison, “we’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders, yay!”

’I’m not going to live to regret this, am I? was all Moon could think as the Crusaders grabbed her by her forelegs and once again began dragging her along.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Just as Lily had told him, the eastern road out of the market had lead Wander straight to a large open field full of frolicking ponies of all ages. It had taken some walking around, but eventually, he was able to locate the exhausted form of his sister, covered head to hoof in tree sap, stumbling along behind a trio of fresh looking fillies. Chuckling to himself at the sight, he decided to let his sister struggle for a bit longer and found a nearby bench to sit at.

Relieved to finally take some pressure off of his travel-worn hooves, Wander’s eyes had just started to drift closed when a shifting of the bench alerted him to the presence of another pony.

“I hope you don’t mind if I join you,” a rather elegant sounding mare said.

“Not a problem,” Wander replied without opening his eyes. “It is a public park, after all.”

“Well, yes,” the mare responded, “but that doesn’t excuse a mare from using proper manners. Besides, you looked like you were attempting to nap, so I wanted to make sure your wishes weren’t to not be disturbed.”

“Not to seem rude,” Wander smirked, cracking an eye open to look at the mare, “but if it looked like I was trying to sleep, then why did you come over here in the first place?”

“Well, if you must know,” the white mare said, feigning offense, “this was simply the closest bench to where my sister and her friends were playing, and I wanted to be able to keep an eye on them.”

“Sister?” Wander said, sitting up slightly. “Good.”

“And why, may I ask, is that ‘good’?” the mare asked, arching an eyebrow at Wander.

“Because for a moment,” Wander shot the mare a roguish grin, “I thought that a beautiful mare such as yourself had already been taken.”

“Oh, you flatterer,” the mare giggled, batting at Wander with a forehoof. “Hitting on a lady like this without first introducing yourself?”

“Ahh, my apologies, miss. Sometimes I let my mouth get ahead of me,” Wander said, waggling his eyebrows at the white unicorn. “My name is Wanderlust, but you may call me Wander.”

“Oh, you are incorrigible,” the mare said, rolling her eyes and offering Wander a hoof. “My name is Rarity, it is a pleasure to meet you.”

“Rarity, you say?” Wander said, taking the offered hoof and giving it a quick kiss. “A name very befitting for such exquisite beauty.”

“Oh, my, if you keep talking like that I might just have to take you home and keep you for myself,” Rarity said coquettishly. “Then poor Silvia will have to wonder where her brother got off to.”

“Well, you wouldn’t hear any…” Wander started smoothly, before pausing and cocking his head in confusion. “Wait, you know my sister?”

“Know her?” Rarity said. “Darling, I’m one of her best friends.”

“And how did you…” Wander said, trailing off.

“Know you were her brother?” Rarity finished for him with a smile. “Ignoring the quite strong family resemblance, I’ve repaired Silvia’s cloak enough times that I’d recognize that stitchwork anywhere.”

Lighting her horn, Rarity opened the side flap on her saddlebags and floated out Moon’s cloak.

“You also bear the same insignia on the clasp of your cloak,” Rarity said, presenting the clasp from Moon’s cloak as proof. “It really wasn’t all that hard to figure out, once you put the facts together.”

“Huh,” Wander muttered before shaking out of his stupor and taking the cloak. “Brains and beauty, all in one package? Something tells me you’re quite the successful businessmare, as well.”

“You’d be correct,” Rarity said. “I own a quaint little boutique here in Ponyville, and I’m working on extending my brand to Manehattan and Canterlot, as well.”

“A boutique, you say,” Wander asked. “So that must mean you’re in the market for fabrics, yes?”

“While I’m not currently in the market for any specific types of cloth, I do always keep an ear to the ground for any good deals,” Rarity said. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, it just so happens that I’m a wandering salesstallion, and I have a stock of Saddle Arabian silks and Neighgyption cotton that I’ve been unable to sell.” Wander said. “If you happen to need any, I’d be more than willing to give you a good deal.”

“Oh, so is that what you do?” Rarity said, giving Wander a playful glare. “You roll into town and chat all the mares up, and once they're good and buttered up, you slip in and unload their coin purses?”

“Why, I would never!” Wander said, holding a forehoof to his chest and feigning offense. “I simply take it as a personal offense that a mare of such exquisite beauty as yourself isn’t draped in clothes that are equally as beautiful.”

Rarity opened her mouth to respond, however, before the words could leave her muzzle she was cut off by the thunder of little hooves heading straight their way.

“Rarity,” Sweetie Belle yelled, “Moon said she’s never had a cupcake before! Can we take her to Sugarcube Corner and get her one?”

Turning their heads to the sound of the commotion, the two were barely able to restrain their amusement at the sight of the three fillies dragging a dirty, sap covered, slightly singed Moon along behind them.

“Well, that’s up to her big brother,” Rarity said, glancing at Wander. “But if he’s ok with it, then I don’t see anything wrong with a cupcake. Just make sure you don’t spoil your dinner.”

“‘Big brother’?” Moon parrotted. “Big nothin’, I don’t need his permission for anything.”

“Of course you don’t, darling,” Rarity said. “But it would still be terribly rude of us to leave him sitting here by himself. Would you care to join us, Wander?”

“I would be delighted,” Wander said, bowing his head to hide his smirk. “But we should really see about getting my ‘little’ sister cleaned up before we go anywhere.”

“Fret not, darling, my boutique is on the way,” Rarity said. “You are more than welcome to use it, seeing as my sister is the cause of your sister’s current state.”

“What do you say, Moon?” Wander asked. “Want to head to the nice mare’s store to get cleaned up?”

“Yes, please,” Moon said, shaking slightly as she shifted back and forth on her hind legs. “I’ve got sap in places I didn’t think was possible.”

Laughing at his sister’s misfortune, Wander hooked a foreleg under his sister’s barrel and hefted her onto his back to save her the discomfort of walking. Pausing to tuck Moon’s cloak into the saddlebags strapped securely under his own cloak, he signaled that they were ready and took up a spot beside Rarity as they headed back into town.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The dinner rush was just starting for Sugarcube Corner when a freshly cleaned and groomed Moon entered with her new friends.

“So the building isn’t edible?” Moon asked.

“Nope, not even with chompers like yours. It’s just built to look delicious,” Scootaloo said. “Trust me, I’ve tried.”

Moon opened her mouth to respond, but that response died when she caught sight of all of the sugar-filled goodies lining the shelves of the display case.

“Ohh, those look so good,” Moon moaned, licking her lips. “Can we just eat them all?”

“Ah don’ think yer brother would appreciate that none,” Apple Bloom said. “‘Sides, if you did that, then there wouldn’t be none for nopony else.”

“It would also spoil your dinner,” Rarity spoke up from behind them. “And speaking of which, make sure you four order some actual food, as well. I hadn’t realized how late it had gotten while we were getting cleaned up.”

“Just get something small,” Wander instructed Moon. “We’ve got plenty to eat back at the wagon.”

“Oh, darling, you don’t have to do that,” Rarity insisted. “Get whatever you’d like, my treat.”

“We can’t ask you to do that,” Wander said, rebutting her offer.

“Nonsense, it would be against my very nature to not treat two of my best friend’s siblings to a meal,” Rarity said, her smile morphing to a more mischievous grin. “Besides, after all that flirting, you’d really turn down a mare’s offer to buy you dinner?”

“Just shut up and take the offer, bro,” Moon said, plastering her face to the display case. “She’s not gonna give in, and the longer you two sit there and argue, the longer I have to wait to get one of these puppies inside of me.”

“Why stop at one?” an energetic voice asked from the other side of the case.

Pulling her head back, Moon looked up to see who was talking to her but didn’t see anypony there. Looking back down, Moon fell back from the case with a squeak of surprise when the pastries she had been ogling were replaced with a pair of bright blue eyes and a poofy pink mane.

“If you had to choose just one, then how could you ever decide which one?” the mare asked, gasping dramatically as she pulled her head out of the case. Reaching over the case, the pink earth pony mare grabbed Moon by the shoulders and started shaking her lightly. “It’s impossible! Impossible I tells ya!”

“Pinkie, calm down,” Rarity said, rolling her eyes at the mare’s antics. “You’re scaring the poor dear.”

“Oh no, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Pinkie gasped. Reaching into her main, she pulled out a hoof-sized cupcake decorated to perfectly match Moontide’s coat, down to the silver streak on her back and the dark blue patch running from her chest to her stomach. “Here, have a cupcake as an apology. It’s on the house.”

“Uhh,” Moon stammered, eyes darting from the cupcake to Pinkie’s mane.

“Well, not literally on the house, that would be ridiculous,” Pinkie rambled, “more like on my hoof. But it is free, which some ponies mean when they say it’s on the house.”

Shoving the cupcake in the wide open jaw of the stunned pony, Pinkie sat back on her haunches and continued her tirade.

“Do you think maybe some ponies hung stuff on their houses when they were giving it away, and when somepony saw it, they knew it was ‘on the house’, and therefore free.” Rubbing her chin with a forehoof, Pinkie squinted her eyes in concentration. “But then what if ponies started taking stuff that wasn’t meant to be free, like windows! Then you’ve got a bunch of ponies going around stealing everypony else’s windows and that just doesn’t make any sense!”

Pausing to take a breath, Pinkie noticed the group of thoroughly confused ponies sitting in front of her, one of which slowly chewing the cupcake that had been unceremoniously shoved in their mouth.

“Welcome to Sugarcube Corner!” The peppy pink party mare said. “My name’s Pinkie Pie, but my friends call me Pinkie. How can I help you?”

Being used to her friend's antics, Rarity was the first to recover.

“Yes, well, I’ll have the usual, please,” Rarity said, stepping forward. “Same goes for my sister and her friends here, as well as one extra sweet each of their choice.”

“Alright, that’s five daisy dukes with an extra sweet each,” Pinkie said, scribbling on a notepad she pulled from behind her back. Turing to face Wander, she tucked the pencil behind her ear and gave him a half-lidded gaze. “How’s about you, tall, dark, and lanky?”

“Uh, I’ll just have whatever she’s having,” Wander said, leaning back away from the overzealous mare and pointing to Rarity.

“Six daisy dukes, two cups of transmission fluid, and four muddy waters,” Pinkie said, “got it!”

“Ugh, I really wish you didn’t insist on giving our orders such strange names,” Rarity groaned, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

Pinkie giggled in response before turning around and bouncing off into the kitchen, a large blue mare taking her place at the register.

“I apologize, dear,” the mare sighed, “but you know how she can get.”

“It’s no problem, Mrs. Cake,” Rarity said. “I just wish I understood what she was referencing half the time. I mean, I don’t know what a ‘transmission’ is supposed to be, but it definitely doesn’t sound like something I’d want to drink fluid from.”

“Yes, well, she wouldn’t be her if she didn’t make those kinds of jokes,” Mrs. Cake giggled. “Your total comes to twenty bits. You did say you were paying for this gentlestallion as well, right?”

“Only twenty bits?” Rarity questioned, getting her coin purse out with her magic. “She did write down the extra sweets for the girls, correct?”

“Of course she did,” Mrs. Cake said, “but after hearing that you were paying for this wonderful stallion and his beautiful little girl, I just had to give you a bit of a discount.”

“I am not little…” Moon grumbled, sitting back on her flanks and crossing her forelegs over her chest.

“Oh, I appreciate it,” Rarity said, ignoring the pouting filly, “but you don’t have to…”

“Nonsense,” Mrs. Cake waved off Rarity’s concern. “If you’re allowed to help a pony out by buying him and his little girl a meal, then I’m allowed to offer a discount to one of the most generous mares in town.”

“Not little,” Moon grumbled again, slightly louder this time.

“Yes, of course you aren’t,” Rarity said, depositing the bits in Mrs. Cakes outstretched hoof. “Now, why don’t you and the girls go pick a place to sit while we wait for our food.”

Moon opened her mouth to protest before sighing in defeat. Getting the attention of the crusaders, she motioned to an empty table in the corner and lead them over, leaving Wander and Rarity by themselves.

Seeing an empty booth near the door, Rarity gave Wander a slight nudge with her magic to get his attention before leading him over.

“So,” Rarity said, wiggling slightly to get comfortable in her seat, “you’re a wandering salespony you say?”

“That’s right,” Wander said, taking his own seat across from Rarity. “I go from town to town with a wagon loaded full of trade goods, bringing ponies supplies from far off lands for a fraction of what they’d normally pay to have it shipped.”

“Oh, my, that sounds lovely,” Rarity said, getting a slightly dreamy look in her eyes. “The sights you must see.”

“Indeed, there are plenty of beautiful places I get to see that most ponies don’t,” Wander said, getting a far off look in his own eyes. “Plus, I have the added benefit of being able to support my family as well.”

“So you do have a family back home,” Rarity said.

“Just my parents, and a dozen siblings,” Wander said. “Most of them have left to pursue their own dreams, but a few of us have stuck around to help support the ones too young to leave home just yet.”

“That’s very noble of you,” Rarity said. “Does your sister normally join you?”

“No, this is actually the first time I’ve brought any of them with,” Wander admitted. “When she heard I was going to be coming farther south than I normally do, she insisted on coming with so we could surprise Silvia.”

“That was nice of you to look after her, then,” Rarity said. “But what about her schooling? Surely it isn’t good for her to be missing class.”

“Eh, we were all homeschooled, anyway,” Wander responded, leaning back in his seat in an attempt to get comfortable. “Besides, she’s done school.”

Rarity opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by the awkward shuffling of hooves nearby. Glancing towards the noise, she was surprised to see the familiar face of one of her friends.

“Oh, Fluttershy, dear.” Rarity said with a smile. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, umm,” the canary yellow mare rubbed her hooves together, nervously eyeing Wander through her flowing pink mane. “I was craving something sweet, so I came here to pick something up. I wasn’t expecting it to be this busy…”

“Well, you're welcome to sit with us if you would like, darling,” Rarity offered, glancing around at the packed bakery. “I’m sure Wander here wouldn’t mind”

“Oh, of course not,” Wander said, giving Fluttershy a smile. “Any friend of Rarity’s is more than welcome to join us.”

Flinching at Wander’s smile Fluttershy quickly squeezed into the booth next to Rarity, her eyes never leaving him.

“So, Fluttershy, how was your day?” Rarity asked, turning so she was facing both Wander and Fluttershy.

“It… it was good,” Fluttershy said. “Harry came by for a visit, he said something about seeing somepony going into the Everfree.”

“Oh, dear,” Rarity gasped, “any idea who it was?”

“It wasn’t anypony Harry was familiar with,” Fluttershy said, “but he said he followed them for a bit to be sure. Zecora seemed to know them, though.”

“What’s so dangerous about this ‘Everfree’?” Wander asked.

“Why the Everfree Forest is one of the most dangerous places in Equestria,” Rarity responded. “Its filled with all kinds of creatures whose very being has been twisted by the chaos magic that saturates the area.”

“Well, if it’s so dangerous, then why didn’t this ‘Harry’ stop them?”

“Oh, well, um…” Fluttershy stammered, “Harry’s a bear.”

“Oh,” Wander said, blinking owlishly. “Wait, you mean you can talk to bears.”

“Sort of,” Fluttershy said, wilting slightly under the attention. “My special talent allows me to read an animal’s body language, and interpret it in a way that’s almost like talking.”

“Huh, that’s interesting,” Wander said.

The conversation between the three lapsed into silence, with Fluttershy keeping a wary eye on Wander. However, just as the silence was beginning to get awkward, Pinkie Pie came bouncing over to their table and set a plate of food and a cup in front of each of them, as well as one extra plate next to Wander.

“Here ya go!” Pinkie cheered, placing the last plate on the table with a flourish of her hooves. With all the plates in place Pinkie then grabbed the pot off of the tray on her back and placed it in the center of the table. “Sandwiches for everypony!”

“But Pinkie, darling, you brought us an extra plate,” Rarity pointed out.

“And, uh, this isn’t what I ordered,” Fluttershy said, poking at the plate in front of her.

“Don’t worry about the extra food, I’m sure it'll get eaten,” Pinkie said with a wink. Reaching behind her back, she pulled a small paper bag out of her mane and deposited it on the table in front of Fluttershy. “And here’s your cannolis!”

Before any of them had a chance to respond, Pinkie bounced off and back to the kitchen. Glancing over at the foals table to ensure they had gotten their food, Wander turned an eye to his own plate to see what the pink mare had brought him. In the center of his plate was what looked like a sandwich consisting of daisy, alfalfa, and grass, with what appeared to be shortbread in used as buns.

“Is that…” Wander started, pointing at the sandwich.

“A daisy shortbread sandwich?” Rarity finished with a smile, getting a nod from Wander. “A bit of a guilty pleasure of mine, really. Pinkie made it for me one time as a joke and, well, it’s honestly a lot better than it sounds.”

“I’ll, uh, I’ll take your word for it,” Wander said. Peaking around the edge of the booth, he looked to see if his sister had gotten the same thing. “And the girls?”

“Just regular sandwiches,” Rarity giggled. “I guess Pinkie thought it would be funny to give you my special sandwich when you told her you wanted the same thing as me.”

“Oh, yeah, funny,” Wander said, poking the sandwich with a hoof. “Well, I’d hate to see a sandwich go to waste.”

“It’s alright, darling, I’m sure Pinkie wouldn’t…” Rarity started but trailed off when Wander picked up the sandwich and took a big bite of it.

“You know,” Wander said through a mouthful of food, “you might just be on to something here, this isn't bad.”

Shrugging, Rarity returned to her own sandwich. The three ate in silence, nopony willing to break the silence that had fallen over the group, until the tromping of hooves growing louder alerted them to the approach of another guest. Looking up, Wander spotted a familiar orange earth pony mare headed straight towards their table.

“Well, look who we have here,” Applejack smirked, plopping down in the seat next to Wander. “Only a few hours after y’all were hittin’ on me, here y’all are with two a’ mah friends on yer arm.”

“Well, in my defense, you did turn me down,” Wander joked back, “and I’m actually only here with one of them, the other two joined of their own volition.”

“Oh, uh, I was just stopping to pick something up, and all of the tables were taken,” Fluttershy said. “Pinkie just brought two extra plates of food.”

“I’m starting to think that extra plate was meant for you, Applejack,” Rarity said, using her magic to slide the plate over to the earth mare.

“Well, shucks, Ah’ll hafta thank Pinkie next time Ah see ‘er,” Applejack said, taking the offered plate.

“You’re welcome!” Pinkie called from the kitchen to the surprise of only Wander.

“So tell me, darling, how was your day?” Rarity asked, glancing at Applejack.

“Not too bad,” Applejack answered. “Slow day at tha market, so Ah called it quits early so Ah could get a head start on mah chores. Only interesting thing ta happen ta me was when this’n came by lookin’ fer a place ta park his cart,” Applejack paused for a moment to shoot Wander a mischievous glare, “n’ somewhere ta set up his wagon.”

“Now, Applejack, can you blame the dear?” Rarity asked, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly. “The poor stallion spends all of his time on the road, walking from place to place.”

“All tah support his family, too,” Applejack added, “somethin’ Ah can respect.”

“Uhm…” Wander stammered, starting to turn red.

“And he even escorted his precious little sister all the way here to surprise Silvia,” Rarity said, holding a foreleg to her forehead dramatically. “Such a selfless stallion.”

Applejack opened her mouth to continue ribbing Wander, but instead nearly leapt from her seat with a yelp when something rubbed against her thigh under the table. Red-faced, she turned to tell Wander off but stopped short when a filly not much larger than her sister popped up in between the two of them.

“So, what’re you girls talking about over here?” The filly asked, looking at all the mares gathered around the table.

“Oh, hello, Moon,” Rarity said, giving the filly a smile. “Where are the rest of the girls at?”

“Over there, picking out their treats,” Moon said, pointing to the display case.

“Well, wouldn’t you like to pick one out, as well?” Rarity asked.

“Nah, I told them to decide on something,” Moon giggled. “Last I heard, they were arguing over whose choice was the best.”

“Well, that don’t seem very nice a’ ya,” Applejack said, frowning at Moon.

“Eh, maybe not,” Moon admitted, “but I wanted to spend some time with the rest of the adults.”

“Rest a’ tha adults?” Applejack asked, giving Rarity a questioning look.

“Yep,” answered Moon. “So, I see you have the rest of the mares you were chatting up here, plus one, but where’s that hot piece of tail you asked for directions?”

“Moon!” Rarity sputtered, “is that really something a filly of your age should be saying?”

“Of my age?” Moon asked, giving Rarity a questioning look.

“Yes, of your age,” Rarity said, shooting Wander a glare. “I don’t know what your older brother has been teaching you, but such talk is unacceptable from one so young.”

“Listen, lady. I don’t know what my little brother has been telling you,” Moon said, hopping up on the table to glare at Rarity, “but I am not some little filly. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’m older than you.”

“Excuse me,” Rarity stammered out, looking to Wander for help. “What does she mean, little brother?”

“Well, we may be twins,” Wander admitted bashfully, “but she was born a few minutes before I was.”

“But… but she’s so…” Rarity started.

“Don’t. Say. It.” Moon barked, cutting off Rarity

“You really shouldn’t call her that,” Wander warned Rarity. “She doesn’t like when ponies comment on her… diminutive size. I’m surprised she let you get away with it earlier.”

“Hey!” Moon yelled, cuffing Wander in the back of the head. “I don’t know what that means, but it sounded like you were making fun of my size!”

“See what I mean?” Wander choked out through gritted teeth.

“Wait,” Applejack cut in. “How old are y’all, exactly?”

“Thirty-one,” Moon answered happily.

“If y’all are thirty-one, then what’re ya doing playin’ with fillies like that?” Applejack asked. “Wouldn’t y’all rather hang out with ponies yer own age?”

“Just think about what you said just now,” Moon said, giving Applejack a flat look, “then think about your reaction when I came over here to talk to ya.”

“Oh, yeah, ya got a point,” Applejack admitted bashfully. “But what about playin’ with tha fillies?”

“Is there something wrong with keeping the foals entertained?” Moon asked.

“Well, no, Ah suppose not…” Applejack said.

“But if you must know,” Moon said, returning to her seat, “I just really like foals. Such pure, innocent little things that want nothing more than the affection of the ponies they love. I’d love to have one of my own, but…”

“Well, why don’t you, darling?” Rarity asked, wincing when she saw a dark look cross Moon’s face.

“Have you seen me?” Moon asked, gesturing towards herself with her forelegs. “The only ponies who would want anything to do with me are weirdo pedophiles, and those loli freaks. That, and, well…”

Moon fell back in her seat, sniffling as she attempted to hold her emotions in check.

“The doctor said she couldn’t,” Wander finished for her, pulling his sister close to his side.

All three ponies present gasped in unison, their sorrowful gazes locking on the pony in question.

“Not that I can’t,” Moon corrected Wander, “but he doesn’t suggest it. I’m so small that he said the pregnancy would more than likely kill either one or both of us.”

Snaking a foreleg behind Wander’s back, Moon returned the embrace.

“I blame this big lug,” Moon joked, “He got all the height between the two of us.”

“Yeah, but you got all the looks,” Wander joked back, giving Moon a friendly nudge.

Grabbing the paper bag off the table, the yellow pegasus mare that had stayed quiet up until this point, stood abruptly from her seat.

“Thank you for dinner,” Fluttershy said, keeping her eyes locked on the twins as she backed away from the table. “I’m sorry about, well… I’m sorry.”

Before anypony could question her, Fluttershy turned and cantered out of the shop, almost bowling over an unexpecting pony that had been in the process of opening the door.

“Did… we do something wrong?” Wander asked, giving the two Ponyvillians a confused look.

“Nothing like that, darling,” Rarity assured him. “She just doesn’t do well around new ponies, is all.”

“If you’re sure…” Wander said, glancing towards the front doors.

“Hey, Moon, we got ya a treat!” Apple Bloom called out, the three fillies shattering the somber mood by abruptly joining the adults in their booth.

“Yeah,” Scootaloo said, using her wings to hop across the table and sit in between Moon and Applejack. “Sweetie wanted to get you a sweet roll.”

“And Apple Bloom wanted to get you an apple strudel,” Sweetie Belle squeaked from beside Rarity.

“And Scoots was insistent that ya’d want tha triple chocolate brownie,” Apple Bloom said, taking the seat across from Applejack. “But in tha end, Pinkie had the perfect suggestion for ya.”

“And what would that be?” Rarity asked, eyeing the large bag perched on Apple Bloom's head.

“All three!” the fillies cheered in unison as Apple Bloom dumped the bag in front of Moon.

“That way, once she’s done, Moon can tell us who's choice was best!” Scootaloo cheered, bouncing in her seat.

“She’ll have ta tell y’all tomorrow, then,” Applejack said, standing from her seat and stretching. “It’s about time we got on home, Ah’m sure Granny’ll start worryin’ if we stay out much later.”

“Oh, my, is it really that late?” Rarity asked, looking at the clock hung over the door. “Sweetie, Scootaloo, we have to get going as well.”

“Aww, do we have to?” The three asked in unison, giving the adults their best puppy dog eyes.

“We should probably be on our way as well,” Wander said. Releasing his sister from his embrace, he stood from his seat and took the bag of treats from in front of his sister.

“Aww, Wander, my sweets,” Moon griped at her brother.

“You can get it when we get to the library,” Wander said, rolling his eyes as he tucked the bag away in his saddlebags. “Aren’t you the one that wanted to surprise her, anyway?”

“Well, yeah, but,” Moon grumbled, grabbing for his saddlebags, “but sweets!”

“Y’all take care now,” Applejack said, corralling her sister towards the door. “Come by the farm tomorrow once y’all finish up in the market, we’ll talk business then.”

“Yes, same here,” Rarity said, floating him a business card from her bags. “I’m usually in my shop working on orders during the day. Make sure you keep me in mind, should you happen upon any hard to get fabrics in the future. I’ll be sure to make it worth your while.”

“Will do, Rarity,” Wander promised, giving her a friendly wave as they parted ways.

Finally alone, the two shared a look before pulling their hoods up and heading in the direction of the tree house they expected to find their sister in. They got turned around a few times and had to stop for directions, but it wasn’t long before they finally located the place.

“So what do ya think, is this the place, Wander?” Moon asked, glancing sideways at her brother.

“Library inside a tree,” Wander responded, giving the place a once-over. “Exactly how she described it.”

“Oh, I can’t wait to see the look on her face when she sees us,” Moon cheered, hopping excitedly in place as they reached the library door.

“I’m sure she’ll be as excited as we are, Moon,” Wander said, chuckling softly as he approached the door.

Moon continued hopping in place with a wide smile on her face as Wander raised a forehoof to knock. Before he could knock, however, a commotion on the other side of the door caused him to freeze in place and perk an ear to listen.

Seeing the door handle encased in a violet glow, Wander lowered his forehoof and took a step back.

“Oof! Oh, I’m sorry…” She grunted out, turning to face the pony she had run into. Realizing she didn’t recognize the pony, she cocked her head in confusion as she looked him over. “Uhh, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there, I was in a bit of a hurry.”

“What’s the matter, Twi?” The younger voice asked.

Leaning to the side to see around the purple mare, Wander was surprised to see a small purple dragon waddle through the doorway.

“Woah, you're big,” The little dragon mumbled, craning his neck to be able to see Wander’s face.

“So I’ve been told,” Wander said, trying and failing to contain his mirth.

“Can, um, can we help you with something?” The purple mare asked, rising to her hooves and using her magic to dust herself off. “We were just getting ready close up for the day.”

“Well, actually…” Wander started.

“It’s ok,” the little purple dragon said, cutting Wander off. “I can take care of them if you want, Twi. I’m sure I can handle helping…”

Cocking his head slightly, the little purple dragon trailed off as he turned to face Wander.

“I’m sorry, but what was your name?” He asked. “I don’t think I caught it.”

“That’s because I didn’t give it,” Wander said.

In unison, the two cloaked ponies reached up and pulled their hoods down from over their heads.

“I’m Wanderlust,” The large stallion said, giving Spike a large smile.

“My name is Moontide!” The filly cheered, her large smile showing off a pair of equally large fangs. “And we’re here to see our sister!”

Author's Note

Big shoutout to Spirit for the wonderful art that has accompanied this chapter, as well as Epiphany and SomeZomePony for finding the time to preread for me.

Return from the Everfree

Author's Note

Well, after taking a few months off from writing to handle IRL business, the new chapter of Genesis is finally here! Sorry for the long wait, but as I said IRL was getting a bit out of hand.

Big shoutout to Spirit for the wonderful art that has accompanied this chapter, as well as Epiphany and Flibbertigibbet for finding the time to preread for me.

Return from the Everfree

“So, you’re Silvia’s siblings?” Twilight asked from her spot in the sitting room of the library, sipping from the cup of tea that hovered in front of her.

“That’s correct,” Wander confirmed, his forelegs resting on the coffee table with his hooves steepled.

“Older siblings?” Twilight asked, eyes wandering to the corner where Moon sat with Spike, his comic collection laid out in front of them.

“In age at least, yes,” Wander chuckled, glancing at his sister, “even if some of us may not act it.”

The two fell into silence, a rather common occurrence in the three days that Wander and Moon had been in Ponyville. The whispered conversation of Spike and Moon, barely loud enough to be audible, was the only sound that could be heard through the library. Just as the hush was beginning to become awkward, however, the sound of the front door being open cut through the quiet and drew the attention of Twilight. Standing from her seat, she set her cup down on the table and moved to greet her guest.

“Welcome to Golden Oaks Library,” Twilight said, “how can I… Oh, hi girls.”

Standing in the entryway to the library, the door closing behind them in a cloak of blue magic, stood Applejack and Rarity.

“Howdy, Twilight,” Applejack said, tipping her hat.

“Afternoon, darling,” Rarity greeted. “I hope you’ve been doing alright.”

“I’ve been doing well, thank you,” Twilight responded with a smile. “Reorganized the science-fiction section this morning, then spent the afternoon so far getting to know Wander.”

“Oh, Wander is here?” Rarity asked, perking up slightly. “We had been looking for him before we came here. Applejack was surprised when he shut his stand down early.”

“Right over here,” Wander said, having abandoned his own cup for the moment to join the conversation. “Moon was talking about heading over here to hang out with Spike, and I figured there was no harm in coming with so I can get to know my sister’s roommate better.

“Besides,” Wander shot Applejack a smirk and nudged her playfully. “Thanks to a certain somepony letting her customers know I was ok to do business with, I’ve about sold out of my wares. Or at least, what I had available to sell.”

“Glad to hear I could help, partner.” Applejack responded, returning the nudge.

Motioning for her new guests to follow her, Twilight led them back into the sitting room.

“We had just actually sat down to talk over a cup of tea,” Twilight explained. Her horn became encased in a soft lavender glow, and moments later a teapot and a pair of teacups floated out of the kitchen. Setting the teacups down in front of Rarity and Applejack, she carefully poured them each a cup before placing the pot in the middle of the table.

“Thank you,” Rarity said, nodding her head to Twilight before turning to look at Wander. “I’ll have you know Applejack wasn’t the only one sending ponies your way. I’ve had my fair share of customers as well the past few days, and I’ve made sure to tell them all about the luxurious fabrics you were kind enough to part with.”

“So that’s why I had so many requests for fabrics,” Wander said, rubbing his chin with a foreleg. “If I can make this many sales every time I come through town, I might just have to make Ponyville a regular stop.”

“Keep getting those lovely fabrics you sold me, and you’ll have at least one regular,” Rarity tittered.

“Them seeds ya sold us were pretty good, too,” Applejack said. “Ah have a feelin’ them’ll take real nice next plantin’ season.”

“I told you,” Wander smirked. “I only trade the best.”

“Speaking of trading,” Twilight asked, perking up, “would you happen to have any foreign books you’d be willing to trade or sell? Your sister showed me some of her history books, and it got me interested in the history of other nations, and how they portray ours.”

“Well, books aren’t a normal commodity of mine,” Wander said, resting a forehoof over his muzzle as he scrunched his face in thought, “however, I may have some laying around. I tend to bring a few with me, trade them out every now and then. Makes the trips a little more bearable.”

“If you do find any, you’re more than welcome to trade them out for most anything in my private collection,” Twilight offered.

“Your private collection, darling?” Rarity asked. “You’re really going to trade your own books away?”

“The way I see it, he more than likely has some books that I’d normally never be able to get my hooves on,” Twilight explained. “I’m more than happy to give up a few books I could replace with a quick trip to Canterlot.”

“A most gracious offer,” Wander said, bowing his head slightly, “one that I’ll be more than happy to take you up on.”

Standing in her seat, Twilight danced on the tips of her hooves momentarily and squeed in delight before catching herself, quickly sitting back down, and taking a long sip from her tea to try and cover her embarrassment.

“So, um, when would you like to do this?” Twilight asked self-consciously. “Going by the timeline that Silvia gave Spike, she should be back either today or tomorrow.”

“Speakin’ a’ Silvia,” Applejack cut in, looking straight at Wander, “any word from her yet?”

“I can go and get my books once we finish up here,” Wander answered Twilight, before turning to address Applejack. “Not yet, no. But I’m not really worried.”

“Whyever not?” Rarity asked. “You do know just what forest it is that she’s decided to go camping in, correct?”

“I’ve been made familiar with its reputation, yeah,” Wander said, “but I’m more than confident that Silvia can take care of herself.”

“Ya wouldn’t be wrong,” Applejack said. “She’s been takin’ trips inta tha forest fer years now, ‘n ain’t nothin happened to her yet.”

“Of course I’m not wrong, I am the one that helped train her to defend herself, so I know exactly what she’s capable of,” Wander said with a smirk. “She was pretty good, too. Not as good as father —though I doubt any of us could be as good as him— but still pretty good.”

“Silvia didn't talk much ‘bout her pops when she was livin’ here before,” Applejack said, “but I coulda swore she said he was a painter. You sayin’ he was a guard, too?”

“Something like that, yeah,” Wander said. Finishing his tea in one long swig he stood from his seat and walked to the closest bookshelf, his eyes darting from spine to spine as he browsed the books.

“We didn’t exactly grow up inside of the city,” Wander explained. “In fact, we actually grew up quite a ways outside of the city. You see, we lived pretty far out in the outskirts of Saddle Arabia. Our family wasn’t exactly… welcome in most towns.”

“Whyever not?” Rarity asked

“A few different reasons,” Wander responded, “but one of the big ones was the fact that dad was an Equestrian pony.”

Ignoring the gasps of shock and disgust, Wander pulled a book from the shelves and began flipping through it. Finding the page he was looking for, he sat back at the table and laid it out in the center to reveal a map.

“Although relations have gotten a lot better between our nations in the past few decades,” Wander said, refilling his teacup as the girls looked over the map, “relationships between the horses of Saddle Arabia and the ponies of Equestria are still treated with disdain.”

“So what does tha map have ta do with anything?” Applejack asked.

“It’s a map of Saddle Arabia,” Twilight answered.

“That’s correct,” Wander said. Leaning over the table, he pointed with a hoof to the westernmost section of the map. “So to escape the bigotry of the cities, my family ended up moving to a small village all the way out here.”

“That far out?” Twilight asked, rotating the book to better see the map. “That’s all the way out by the unmapped sections of Equus. From what I’ve heard that area is full of…”

“Bandits,” Moon interjected from behind Twilight, causing her to jump. “Ya see, dad isn’t technically a guard, but he’s about as close to being one as you can be.”

“Exactly,” Wander said. “When bandits or any of the other creepy crawlies out there decide to come and mess with our little village, dad’s one of the ponies responsible for chasing them off.”

“Excuse me if I’m not understanding,” Rarity said, “but wouldn’t that make him a guard?”

“It would if he got paid for it,” Moon responded. “If you were to ask him, he’d tell you he’s an artist. Says he’s always loved painting.”

“Ah, yes. As Applejack said, Silvia did say that her dad was an artist,” Rarity nodded. “I assume that means the paintings you had are his?”

“You’d be correct,” Wander said. “Most all of the paintings I sell are his, excluding the occasional piece of art I pick up in a trade.”

“So that lovely painting of the Arabian sun setting over the sand dunes that you sold me, your father painted that?” Rarity asked.

“That he did,” Wander confirmed.

“So, where does an artist pick up combat experience?” Spike asked, abandoning his comics in the corner to join the conversation. “Is he some kind of undercover secret agent?”

Hopping up on the table, Spike crouched down in a mock-combat pose.

“I can see it now,” Spike continued. “World-renowned painter by day, crime fighter by night.”

Giggling at Spike, Moon joined him on the table. Striking her own pose, she threw a few playful punches at him before allowing him to land a ‘fatal’ blow. With exaggerated motions, she coughed and sputtered before falling sideways off of the table and onto one of the cushions.

“While I don’t share his enthusiasm,” Twilight said, rolling her eyes, “Spike does have a point. Where does an artist learn to fight?”

“He was a military brat,” Moon said, hopping back up from where she lay and cutting her brother off before he could even start.

“A what now?” Applejack asked.

“His parents were both in the military,” Wander clarified.

“So, yer grandparents,” Applejack stated.

“Were they worthy of that title, yes,” Wander said, a slight edge in his voice. “They raised him to follow in their hoofsteps. Physical conditioning and combat training when he should have been out having fun with his friends. When he graduated from primary school, he made the decision to become his own stallion and attend a secondary school for art. His parents didn’t like that, so they kicked him out.”

“Why that’s simply awful,” Rarity gasped.

“Sounds like some of the Canterlot families,” Twilight commented, “is that where they’re from?”

“Baltimare, actually,” Wander corrected. “They’re both officers of the EUP branch based out of there.”

“So I take it you’ve met them, then?” Twilight asked.

“Just once,” Wander growled. “They were more worried about the effect having freak grandchildren from their disappointment of a son would have on their reputations then they were about making conversation.”

“Why, that is downright despicable of them,” Rarity spat. “I’m tempted to ask their names, so I know never to do business with them.”

“Their names are…” Moon started before being cut off by her brother.

“Not important,” Wander snapped, glaring at his sister. “They decided they wanted nothing to do with us, so we’re going to have nothing to do with them.”

“Ah just can’ believe ponies would treat their own kin that way,” Applejack said, snorting in frustration. “It jus' ain’t right. If ya can’t trust yer family, then who can ya trust?”

“There’s an oft-misused saying that comes to mind when I think of them,” Wander said. “‘The blood of the coven is thicker than the water of the womb.’”

“What, exactly, is that supposed ta mean?” Applejack asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“It means the bonds we choose to forge are stronger than the ones we’re born with,” Moon responded. “It means that the ponies we meet and form bonds of friendship with will often become closer to us than ponies who are only around because we share a relative.”

“You writing that one down, Twilight?” Spike asked with a smirk. “That right there is prime ‘friendship report’ material.”

“‘Wait, so you write reports… about friendship?” Wander asked, tilting his head in confusion.

“Yes, I do,” Twilight said, huffing in annoyance, “my mentor did task me with studying the magic of friendship. Is there a problem with that?”

“No, it’s not that, it’s just…” Wander glanced between the three ponies and single dragon in the room, “friendship?”

“Yes, friendship,” Twilight replied haughtily. “It’s one of the most powerful forces known to ponykind. Since the princess sent me here to study it, we’ve defeated Nightmare Moon, fought off a Chaos Lord, and repelled a changeling invasion.”

Both Moon and Wander visibly flinched at the mention of Luna’s darker self, the latter rocking back in his seat with wide eyes.

“The Nightmother has returned?” Wander gulped.

“The Nightmother?” Rarity asked, tilting her head in confusion.

“One of the names they used to refer to Luna after she became corrupted,” Twilight said, “or at least, that’s what the books Silvia lent me said.”

Turning to face Wander, Twilight gave him a comforting smile.

“As I said, though, we defeated her,” Twilight said. “We purified her, and returned her to her former glory.”

“Purified her?” Moon asked.

“That’s right,” Applejack said. “Twilight here led us straight ta the Elements of Harmony, n’ we used ‘em ta cleanse the darkness right from tha princess.”

“The Elements of Harmony?” Wander asked. “What are those?”

“Magical artifacts representative of the ideals that Equestria was founded on,” Twilight explained. “Only the ponies that most exemplify those five special traits can wield the Elements to their fullest.”

Standing from her seat, Twilight walked around the table and draped a foreleg over Rarity and Applejack.

“And it just so happened that the crazy ponies I met in this town were just the friends I needed to make them work,” Twilight said.

Moon and Wander shared a look before the latter spoke up.

“You mentioned that your mentor tasked you with study friendship…” Wander said.

“That’s right,” Twilight nodded.

“You also said that the princess sent you to study here…” Wander said.

“That’s right,” Twilight confirmed. “She is my mentor, after all.”

“The princess?” Moon asked. “As in, Princess Celestia?”

“That is correct,” Twilight said.

“Does… does Silvia know this?” Moon asked, sharing a quick look with Wander.

“I’m… not really sure,” Twilight said, “I know she’s asked, but I don’t think she ever got an answer.”

“Does it really matter, darling?” Rarity asked.

“Well, no,” Wander said, “I just thought that would be something important to know, you know? I mean, she’s best friends with national heroes, and living with the personal student of the nation's ruler.”

Twilight opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by the sound of the front door being kicked open.

“Twilight, Spike?” Silvia’s voice called out. “I’m back.”

“Oh, she’s here!” Moon said, hopping in place.

Everypony stood and faced the entryway, conversation forgotten in the excitement.

“We’re in the sitting room!” Twilight called out, motioning for everypony to stay quiet.

“Oh, is that tea I smell?” Silvia asked, her voice getting louder as she approached the room. “You wouldn’t happen to have any biscuits or cakes to go with that, would you? You would not believe how hungry I am.”

Stepping through the door as she finished her question both sides remained silent for a moment, Silvia in surprise of who was in the room and everypony else in shock of how different she looked from when she left.

When she had left Silvia’s coat had been dull and muted, with her fur constantly matted and patchy in places. Now, however, her coat was silky smooth and had a shine to it that only the healthiest of ponies could achieve. The light yellow patch of fur on her chest, which was previously faded and, in places, barely distinguishable from the rest of her coat now stood out vibrantly against the rest of her fur.

“Are you sure you spent the last few days in the Everfree, and not at the spa?” Rarity asked, eyeing the now healthy looking patch of skin on Silvia’s back. “I must say, you look simply divine.”

“Who cares?!” Cheered Moon. Climbing on top of the table, she dove off and into Silvia’s forelegs. “She’s finally home! It’s about time!”

“Moon?” Silvia sputtered, looking at the small mare attempting to embed herself in her chest. “Wander? What are you two doing here?”

“It’s good to see you, too,” Wander said, rolling his eyes.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Silvia stammered. “I just wasn’t expecting you to be here, is all.”

“No, I understand,” Wander chuckled. Standing from the table, he walked around and joined Moon in hugging their younger sister. “It’s great to see you, little sis.”

Pulling out of the hug, Wander turned and motioned to the rest of the gathered ponies.

“We’ve just been getting to know a few of your friends here,” Wander said. “Quite the friendly little town you're living in. I’m glad you took my suggestion to check this place out.”

“Wait, yer the one that told ‘er ta come here?” Applejack asked.

“That I am,” Wander confirmed. “I remember when I was first starting out, I came down this way once. Met a lovely couple by the names of Bright and Pear. Really helped me out, gave me some good advice. It’s a shame I haven’t seen them around town at all, I was really hoping to thank them.”

“Ya knew mah parents?” Applejack asked, focusing all her attention on Wander.

“So they are your parents then,” Wander said. “I had thought they were, but I didn’t want to ask without being sure. How have they been?”

“They passed away a few years back,” Applejack said softly. “Ma died givin’ birth tah Apple Bloom, ‘n Pa wandered a little too close ta tha Everfree one night. Granny says he was outta his mind with grief n’ just stopped carin’.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Wander gasped, holding a hoof to his mouth. “I didn’t know, or else I would never have…”

“It’s fine,” Applejack said, giving him a small smile. “Happened years ago, doesn’t hurt so much ta talk about anymore. Besides, thanks ta yer sister bein’ here, we don’t gotta worry too much ‘bout it happenin’ ta nopony else.”

“Why not?” Spike asked.

“Spike!” Twilight scolded him.

“What?” Spike asked, cringing at the look Twilight was giving him. “I just wanted to know how Silvia being here would keep the Everfree from being a problem.”

“While your timing could have been just a little better,” Twilight said, intensifying her glare, “he does have a point.”

Softening her gaze Twilight turned to Applejack.

“What did you mean by that?” Twilight asked.

“Well, believe it or not, Silvia here has quite tha talent when it comes ta dealin’ with some a’ tha critters that like ta wander outta tha forest.” Walking around the table, Applejack slung an arm over Silvia’s shoulder and pulled her into a friendly sideways hug. “Before Silvia here showed up, we had timberwolves prowlin’ tha edge a’ tha forest on a daily basis. Then Silvia rolls on inta town and notices our problem, and a few trips inta tha forest later n’ there ain’t even an ominous set a’ eyes hidin’ in tha treeline.”

“So you’re saying that Silvia scared them away?” Twilight asked, glancing back and forth between Applejack and Silvia.

“Maybe not scare them, but whatever she did convinced them to find somewhere else to hunt,” Rarity said.

“And nopony was suspicious about a pony managing to convince a pack of timberwolves to leave?” Twilight asked.

“I’m sure more than a few of us were a little curious as to how she did it, myself included,” Rarity said, “But most of us were just happy they were gone.”

“We all just chalked it up ta it bein’ her special talent,” Applejack said. “Kinda like Fluttershy, but with tha Everfree critters. Kinda surprised she hasn’t gotten a cutie mark fer it, now that Ah think about it.”

“I told you, I don’t think I can even get a cutie mark,” Silvia said. “Nopony else in my family has one.”

“It’s true,” said Wander, turning angling his body to show off his blank flank. “Moon and I are the eldest, and even we haven’t gotten ours.”

“So… nopony in your family has a cutie mark?” Twilight asked.

“Nope, just our dad,” Moon responded.

“And there aren’t really many ponies like us outside our family,” Silvia added. “Or, at least none that we know, so as far as we know we aren’t able to get them.”

Opening her mouth to say something, Twilight’s eyes darted between Silvia and her siblings before she changed her mind and quietly closed her mouth. Noticing this, as well as the suspicious looks she was giving them, Silvia swallowed nervously before attempting to change the subject.

“So Moon, Wander, you never told me why you were here,” Silvia said, looking between the two of them. “Not that it isn’t great to see you, but we’re an awfully long way from home.”

“Well, some of my normal trading stops weren’t getting much in the way of business, so I decided I’d head a bit farther south this time,” Wander explained. Reaching out with a foreleg, he pulled Moon to his side and patted the top of her head. “When little Moon here found out I was going to be passing by Ponyville she would not let me leave until I agreed to both take her with, and stop by to visit.”

“You say that as if you weren’t already planning to stop,” Moon grumbled, giving Wander a swift kick in the cannon before fixing her mane. “Besides, you and Silvia aren’t the only ones that wanted to experience the world outside of our home. Visiting our little sister just gave me a good reason to.”

“Whatever the reason, it was still very sweet of you two,” Rarity tittered. “I can’t speak for anypony else, but after hearing about your family from your sister it was simply marvelous to finally meet a few of you.”

“‘N from the looks a’ things,” Applejack chuckled, motioning to the mare that had squeezed her way in between Moon and Wander, “Silvia’s awful glad ta see y’all, too.”

“Well, yeah,” Silvia said, snaking a foreleg around her siblings and pulling them into a hug. “I don’t get to see them nearly enough anymore, and I never would have expected to come home and find them waiting for me.”

“Well, if someone hadn’t decided to settle down in a town that’s three weeks away on hoof, then maybe we’d visit more often,” Wander teased.

“Hey, you’re the one that suggested Ponyville,” Silvia shot back. “And it’s not like I didn’t try anywhere closer, Ponyville is just the only town where I felt like I fit in at all.”

“Somethin’ ta be glad fer,” Applejack said, raising her now cooled tea as if to toast before downing it in one gulp. “Ponyville wouldn’t be tha same if ya hadn’t shown up.”

“Not to say I’m glad you didn’t fit in anywhere else,” Rarity said, glancing at Applejack out of the corner of her eye, “But I have to agree with Applejack. I for one would be missing a very dear friend, had we never met.”

“Now don’t go puttin’ words in mah mouth, Rares,” Applejack said, glaring at Rarity. “That wasn’t what Ah was tryin’ ta say, an’ you know it.”

“No, it’s fine. I understood what you meant,” Silvia reassured Applejack. “You girls all mean a lot to me, too. Honestly, if Ponyville hadn’t worked out, I had been planning to head back home.”

“Well, shucks. Glad to hear ya think so highly of us,” Applejack said with a smile. Standing from her seat, she adjusted her hat on her head before turning to face everypony. “Well, now that Ah know yer back home safe ‘n all, Ah’m gonna head on out. Ah’m sure Granny n’ Mac are gonna be gettin’ dinner on the table soon enough, n’ Granny’ll have mah hide if Ah’m late fer dinner.”

“Yes, I suppose I should get going as well,” Rarity said, joining Applejack. “Celestia knows I have plenty I could be doing at the boutique, and I would hate to interrupt anymore of your time with your siblings. From the way Wander has been talking, I doubt they’ll be staying much longer.”

“Aww, really?” Silvia whined, giving her brother her best puppy dog eyes. “But you just got here… do you really have to leave already?”

“Unfortunately,” Wander sighed. “I’ve already been here for going on four days, and that’s longer than I usually stick around anywhere. Plus, I’m almost out of stuff to trade. Besides a few stops to pick up stuff we need back home, I’ll be heading straight back from here.”

“We don’t have to leave now, do we?” Moon asked, joining Silvia in giving their brother puppy dog eyes.

“I wasn’t planning to, no,” Wander responded, glancing between his two moping sisters. “By the time we got packed up and started moving, we’d barely make it out of town before the sun started setting. I figured we could spend the rest of the day with Silvia, and then leave first thing in the morning.”

Satisfied with the plan, both Moon and Silvia instantly brightened up and pulled their brother into a tight hug.

“Sounds like y’all have a plan then, so why don’t we get outta yer manes,” Applejack said, turning and heading for the door. “I know y’all don’t got a whole lotta time together before they gotta leave, but if ya do have the time y’all are more’n welcome ta stop by fer dinner. Ah’m sure tha rest a’ tha family would love ta meet y’all in a less business-like settin’.”

“Indeed,” Rarity said, following Applejack towards the door. “We’ll leave you to enjoy the rest of your afternoon however you see fit. Should you have a few spare minutes, though, I’d very much appreciate it if you could stop by my boutique before you left. I’ve already had a chance to repair your sister’s cloak, and I’d like to repair yours before you leave as well.”

“We’ll make sure to make time for both of you,” Silvia promised.

“Indeed,” Wander nodded. “After hearing so much about your family in Silvia’s letter, I’d be honored to join them for dinner, Applejack. And while I hate to feel like I’m taking advantage of your generosity, Rarity, my cloak is in desperate need of more than a few patches. The cold just cuts right through it when I have to pass through the northern territories.”

“Oh, you aren’t taking advantage of anything, darling,” Rarity assured Wander. “I simply could not call myself a friend of Silvia’s if I let her brother wander about without looking his best.”

Seeing that Wander was about to argue with her, Rarity cut him off before he could start speaking.

“Of course, if you must insist on some type of payment for it, just think of it as an incentive to bring me more of that Neighgyptian cotton,” Rarity said. “That cloth is so incredibly soft, and wonderful to work with as well.”

“Then I suppose I’ll have to stock up before my next trip out here,” Wander chuckled.

Saying one final goodbye to everypony present, Rarity and Applejack soon departed, leaving Twilight and Spike with Silvia and her siblings.

“So what’s your plans for the evening, Silvia?” Spike asked. “Got anywhere specific you wanted to show Moon and Wander?”

“Well, the library was one of the big ones, but it seems they got that one out of the way already,” Silvia said, separating herself from her brother and sister, “and both Rarity and Applejack invited us over, so that crosses the farm and the boutique off the list as well.”

“Plus Moon and I already did our fair share of exploring while we were waiting,” Wander pointed out.

“Bro’s got a point,” Moon said, glancing at Silvia, “and honestly, I don’t really care where we go, as long as we go together.”

“Well, then why don’t you guys just go for a walk, maybe see if anything catches your interest?” Spike suggested. “Between the three of you, I’m sure you can figure something out.”

“No doubt about that,” Silvia giggled. “Well, just give me a few minutes to bring my bags up and put them away, and then we can get going.”

“I can get your bags, if you’d like,” Twilight offered, finally breaking her silence. “I was about to head up to my room to do some studying anyways.”

“Oh, uh... yeah, sure,” Silvia said, giving Twilight a questioning look. “You sure you don’t mind?”

“Oh, not at all,” Twilight said. Standing from her seat, she picked up all of the used teacups and floated them into the kitchen. “Your brother and sister came a long way to see you, you go ahead and have fun.”

“Ok, thanks!” Silvia said, giving Twilight a friendly smile before turning to her siblings. “Since Twilight is nice enough to handle my bags for me, why don’t we head out then?”

“Sounds good to me!” Moon cheered. Jumping from her seat, she turned and galloped towards the door. “Last one to Sugarcube Corner has to pay!”

“Again with the sweets?” Wander chuckled, standing to follow Moon. “If you eat any more cupcakes I may just have to roll you home.”

Giggling, Silvia turned and trotted a few steps after her siblings before stopping.

“Thanks, by the way, for helping keep them entertained,” Silvia said, turning to smile at Twilight. “You’re a true friend, Twilight.”

Not waiting for a response Silvia turned and trotted out of the library, stopping only to grab her bit bag from her bag. Following Silvia to the door, Twilight stood in the doorway and watched as the mare disappeared into town before closing the door behind her. Lost in her thoughts, she stood staring at the closed door before abruptly turning to face the empty room.

“Hey, Spike?” Twilight called out. “Can you come here a minute?”

“Yeah, sure thing,” Spike called out, the clicking of his claws against the floor signaling his approach. “What’s up, got something ya need me to do?”

“No, the opposite, actually,” Twilight responded. Lighting her horn up, a small brown bag appeared in her magic with a bright flash. “You’ve been such a wonderful help lately, to both Silvia and me. Why don’t you take the rest of the afternoon off, go and have some fun? Maybe the Crusaders will be interested in playing?”

“Oh, uh, sure?” Spike said, hesitantly eying the bag Twilight floated to him. “Are you sure, though? I mean, we did just have a bunch of ponies over for tea and snacks, so there are still dishes that need to be washed. Plus, it’s getting close to dinner time, and I haven’t even started it yet.”

“Just pick up something for yourself while you’re out,” Twilight replied. Picking up Silvia’s bags in her magic, she trotted into the room and to the stairs. “I had a few too many biscuits with my tea, so I’m not really that hungry.”

“But that still leaves the dishes…” Spike said, slowly turning his head to follow Twilight.

“Don’t worry about it, Spike, I’ll take care of them,” Twilight responded, turning to give Spike a bright smile. “Just go on and enjoy yourself, you’ve earned it.”

No longer wanting to argue over his free afternoon, Spike shrugged before hanging the bag of bits around his neck and heading for the door.

“Alright, if you insist,” Spike said. “Have fun with your studying, then. I’ve got a buttercream sapphire cupcake with my name on it.”

“Just make sure you eat some real food, too,” Twilight called after him, shaking her head.

Giving a thumbs up in acknowledgment Spike quickly scampered out the door before Twilight could change her mind, leaving the purple unicorn alone at last. Giving one last smile in her assistant's direction she turned and climbed the stairs, Silvia’s bags floating close behind her. Reaching the door to her Silvia’s room, Twilight began floating the bags into the room before hesitating as her smile morphed into a frown. Slowly the bags floated back over to her as she stepped into the room and looked around.

’I know she asked me to put these away, but…’ Twilight thought, her brow scrunching in concentration as she scrutinized Silvia’s bags. ’Something isn’t adding up. Both she and her siblings seem like they’re leaving key details out whenever they talk about home. And the way she was looking at me earlier… it was almost like she was nervous I’d discovered something.’

Rotating the bags so the opening was facing her, Twilight’s magic intensified over the flap as she slowly lifted it up. Getting the flap halfway open, she froze as she realized what she was doing.

’But she also trusts me… she said I was a “true friend”,’ Twilight thought, flinching as the words seemed to echo through her mind.

Sighing, Twilight closed the bag and secured the clasp that Silvia had left open.

’Maybe the girls are right…’ Twilight thought, crossing the room and setting the bags gently on Silvia’s bed. ’Maybe I am just looking for reasons not to trust her.’

Making sure the bags were securely on the bed and wouldn’t fall off by accident at any point Twilight turned to exit the room, but paused and looked back when she noticed something strange sticking out from behind one of the bags.

“Uh oh, I hope that isn’t a tear,” Twilight mumbled quietly to herself.

Grabbing the bag in her magic again, she spun it to get a closer look and dropped the bag with a squeak when she saw what was stuck to it. Backpedaling to the corner of the room Twilight’s eyes locked on the large piece of grey material stuck to the inside of Silvia’s bag, not even noticing the sound of glass banging violently together.

“S-snakeskin,” Twilight stuttered, slowly creeping forward to get a closer look. “Not like any snakeskin I’ve ever seen, though... whatever shed this must have been massive!”

Using her magic to pluck the skin off of the bag, Twilight floated it over to herself and held it a forelegs length away, doing her best to inspect it without getting to close.

“P-pony size at least, i-if not bigger,” Twilight stammered, swallowing hard as she attempted to control her fear. “Too small to be a basilisk, but too large to be any other species of snake I know of.”

Letting her curiosity get the better of her, she floated the skin to the side and grabbed the bag she had dropped in her magic once more, the flap coming open as she floated it to herself. Folding the flap back, Twilight had to resist the urge to drop the bag when she peered inside and saw a large, carefully folded sheaf of snake skin under the flasks in the bag.

“And an even larger piece in her bag,” Twilight muttered to herself. Using her magic to carefully remove the large piece of skin from the bag, she had to suppress a shudder when she gently unfolded it and saw how large it was. “Definitely doesn’t belong to any species of snake I’ve read about… but where’s the rest of it? From the size of what’s here, it looks like half of the skin is missing at least.”

Carefully sticking the loose piece of skin in the bag, she gently closed it back up and set it on the bed with the rest of the bags. Double checking to make sure everything was back where she had found it, Twilight backed out of the room, gently pulled the door closed behind her, and continued on to her room. Trotting through the doorway, her door was pulled closed behind her as she began pacing.

“There just has to be something else going on here,” Twilight mumbled to herself, “there just has to be. I mean, where would a pony even find a snake that large, much less its skin?”

Pausing, Twilight shuddered at the mental image of a pony-sized snake before continuing her pacing.

“And the fangs, the eyes… the skin on their backs.” Twilight continued her muttering, pausing in her pacing to sit and rub her chin with a forehoof. “That bit of shed skin had the same pattern along the back! Just replace their hind legs with a tail and it would fit just about perfectly!”

“But that makes no sense,” Twilight groaned, snorting in annoyance as she stood and continued her pacing. “They clearly aren’t hiding a giant snake’s tail, unless they’re shapeshifters…”

As she reached the far side of her room, she broke off from her pacing and took a seat at her desk. With a flicker from her horn a quill, an inkwell, and a fresh roll of parchment soon joined her at the desk.

“I didn’t want to bother the princess with this, but… I need advice,” Twilight said to herself. Unrolling the parchment, she dipped the quill in the inkwell and prepared to put it to paper. “Everypony likes her, and I want to too, but… there’s just too many coincidences… too much that isn’t adding up. I can’t just look the other way anymore.”

Convinced that her course of action was the proper one, Twilight hunched over her desk as the scratching of quill against paper filled the room.

Dear Princess Celestia…

Departure

Silvia and Wander walked side by side through the crowded town market, the throng of ponies surrounding them attempting to make their last-minute purchases before the stalls closed for the day.

“We have a few things to talk about, once we’ve got some privacy,” Wander whispered, raising his voice just enough for Silvia to hear him.

“There’s nothing wrong, is there?” Silvia asked, turning a concerned eye to Wander. “Did something happen with Gran Gran after I left?”

“No nothing like that,” Wander said. “Just a few things we learned around town that I thought you should be aware of.”

“Such as?” Silvia asked, moving to hold the door for her brother as they approached Sugar Cube Corner.

“Later,” Wander responded, nodding in appreciation as he walked through the door.

Cocking her head in confusion at her brother, Silvia stepped through the door and face-hooved when she saw her sister. Standing at the front counter, face glued to the display case, was Moontide.

“Ohh, one of those too, please,” Moon said, pointing to an orange and red swirled cupcake.

“Okie dokie,” Pinkie giggled, taking the cupcake from the display and adding it to a large plate on the counter that was already overfilled.

“And… maybe one of those, too,” Moon said, now mentioning at a green and blue cupcake.

“Ohhh, the ‘forbidden fruit’ cupcake,” Pinkie said, pulling the cake from the case and holding it out between the two of them. “These are all the rage with the teenagers right now.”

“Then maybe you should make it two,” Moon replied, licking her lips as she eyed the sugary treat.

“How about just the one, and we’ll see about getting some of the others to go,” Wander said, rolling his eyes as he approached the counter. “Add a banana-nut muffin to that as well, please.”

“And just a chocolate chip cookie for me, please,” Silvia said, stepping up beside her brother.

“Silvie, you’re back!” Pinkie cheered, jumping over the counter to pull her into a hug. “Did you get a chance to stop in and see Twilight and Spike yet? They were so worried about you after you left, but I knew you’d make it back ok.”

“Yeah, we just came from the library,” Silvia answered. “Saw Applejack and Rarity there as well.”

“And what about your brother and sister?” Pinkie asked. Placing a forehoof to the bottom of her chin, she stuck her tongue out and scrunched up her face in concentration. “At least, I think they were your brother and sister. They said they were, and they do look just like you.”

Taking a step back, Silvia looked back and forth between Pinkie and her siblings in bewilderment.

“You mean them?” Silvia asked, motioning towards Moon and Wander with a foreleg.

“Yes!” Pinkie gasped. Diving back behind the counter, she popped back up with a smile and turned to address the three siblings. “Welcome to Sugarcube Corner, what can I get ya?”

“But, you were already helping me…” Moon said, pointing at the plate of cupcakes that rested on the counter.

“Oh, silly me,” Pinkie giggled. In one swift motion, she hooked a foreleg around the plate of cupcakes and spun around, taking the plate with her without losing a single cupcake. After a few quick rotations, she came to an abrupt stop and dropped a large gift-wrapped box on the counter, as well as three small bags on top of it.

“Alright, I’ve got one forbidden fruit cupcake, and banana-nut muffin, aaaand a chocolate chip cookie,” Pinkie said, her smile widening as she pushed the packages towards Wander. “Can I get you anything else? Maybe a drink to wash everything down?”

“A water each, please,” Wander requested, fishing his bit bag out of his cloak as Pinkie trotted off to grab their drinks. “But what’s with the box? I know Moon had asked for all those treats, but unless she’s paying I can’t really afford all of these.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Pinkie said, waving him off as she returned with their drinks. “It’s on the house, think of it as a ‘going away’ present from yours truly.”

“Aww, that’s nice of you, Pinkie,” Silvia said. “But are you sure that’s ok?”

“Definitely!” Pinkie cheered. “I can just take them out of my daily allotment of snacks the Cakes let me eat.”

“Don’t argue with free cake,” Moon snapped, grabbing the box from the counter and hugging it to her chest.

“Just make sure you make them last,” Wander sighed, shaking his head. “I don’t want to hear you asking me to turn around tomorrow so you can come back and get more.”

“But... but they’re so good,” Moon whined, clutching the box tighter as she gave her brother her best ‘kicked puppy’ expression.

“Yeah, and if you squeeze that box much tighter you’ll crush them,” Wander pointed out, causing Moon to gasp and almost drop the box. “Besides, I’d like for you to leave at least a few of them for the others when we get home. I’m sure I have an empty container back in the wagon with a preservation charm that will keep them from going stale.”

“Fine,” Moon moped. “But you better get me that necklace we saw in Fillydelphia on our way back in return.”

“If he’s willing to trade for it, I’ll consider it,” Wander conceded.

Grabbing the bags containing their treats, Wander thanked Pinkie one last time before departing the counter to find an open seat. Grabbing the drinks, Silvia bumped Moon to get her attention before following their brother to an empty table near the back.

“So what did you want to talk to me about?” Silvia asked, taking a seat across from Wander.

“Later,” Wander stated. “We’ll talk about it once we get back to the wagon and there aren’t as many ponies around. For now, let’s just enjoy our time together.”

“And we can start,” Moon cut in, licking the frosting from her lips as she wiggled her way in beside her sister, “by giving me more cake!”

Rolling his eyes, Wander fished one of Moon’s cupcakes from the box and tossed it to her.

“So how have you been, Silvia?” Wander asked, turning his attention to his younger sister. “Have any problems on the way back?”

“Not really, no,” Silvia said, gnawing at her own sweet. “I ran into a traveling troupe on the way back, and they had this really loud-mouthed showmare traveling with them. She was pretty good with magic, if not a bit boastful, but she turned out to be pretty nice once I got to know her so I wouldn’t really count it as a problem.”

“Hmm, led by a pony named Dream Weaver?” Wander asked, rubbing his chin in thought. “Green pegasus with a knack for playing the lute, has a bunch of different ponies traveling with him that specialize in playing instruments?”

“Yeah, that’s them!” Silvia said.

“Huh, so they have a magician traveling with them now?” Wander asked, leaning back in his seat. “Usually when I run into them it’s mostly just musicians and the odd juggler filling out their ranks… maybe it’ll be worth checking them out again if they’ve added a magic act.”

“I’d suggest it if you do happen to run into them,” Silvia said. “Like I said, that showmare was pretty good with magic. Unfortunately, from what she was telling me she wasn’t planning on traveling with them for long. Sounded like she was hurting for bits when she joined up with them.”

“Makes sense,” Wander said, returning to his muffin. “Most of them don’t travel with the troupe full time, so they almost always have different members whenever we meet.”

“I just wish I could remember the mares name,” Silvia groaned. “It was Bela… Belladonna I think? She said she had a traveling show before, but fell on hard times after a run-in with an ursa. From the way she was talking her plan was to save up enough performing with the troupe to buy a new wagon and go out on her own again.”

“Well, then maybe I’ll run into her out on the road,” Wander said. “With how successful this trip has been, I’ve been thinking of changing up my trade routes a bit so I come through this area more often.”

“That’s great!” Silvia beamed. “You have to promise to stop in and visit when you’re in the area.”

“Don’t worry, I will,” Wander chuckled. “And with how much Moon here seems to have enjoyed the trip, I’m sure the rest of our siblings will be nipping at my heels to bring them.”

“Can you blame me?” Moon said, reaching for her third cupcake. “That pink mare’s baking is absolutely delicious! I’ve never had anything this good before!”

“Yes, we can tell,” Wander sighed. “We are eating them, too.”

Finishing his muffin, Wander took a sip of his water before returning his attention to Silvia.

“So how about around here,” Wander asked. “Anything else interesting happening since you got back?”

“Not really, no,” Silvia said. “I mean, it took me almost three weeks to walk back, so I’ve only been back for a few weeks.”

“Has it only been that long?” Wander asked. “I lose track of time sometimes when I’m traveling, but I could have sworn it as longer than that.”

“Yep,” Silvia giggled. Finishing her own treat, she downed her glass of water before continuing. “Besides living with Twilight and working for the Apples full time now, not too much has changed.”

Noticing that her brother and sister were finished eating, Moon finished her own treat and closed up the box. Standing from their seats, the three made their way out of the cafe and into town.

“So, where do you have your cart parked?” Silvia asked. “I went through the market on my way into town, but I didn’t see it.”

“I’ve actually got it parked next to where Applejack usually sets up,” Wander said, leading the way. “There was a nice big open spot next to her stand, and she was kind enough to let me use it.”

With the market mostly empty, it was easy enough for the siblings to navigate their way to where Wander had his cart parked.

“Oh, wow, I must have walked right past it,” Silvia said. Walking up, she began inspecting the cart while Wander unlocked it. “It looks a bit different than I remember, though. Did you do something to it?”

“Not recently, no. You probably just haven’t seen it all unfolded like it is now,” Wander responded. Opening the door, he stood to the side and motioned for his sisters to climb in. “There isn’t a whole lot of room inside, but it’ll give us some privacy.”

The three of them climbed into the cramped quarters of the wagon, the small sectioned towards the front that Wander kept as a sleeping quarters acting as a makeshift sitting room for the group.

“Now that we have some privacy,” Wander started. Shifting around in an attempt to get comfortable, he turned his attention to Silvia. “There are a few things Moon and I learned while we were here that we thought you should know.”

“Like what?” Silvia asked. “I’ve known most of these ponies for a few years now, I’m sure most anything you have to say about them I’m already aware of.”

“So you’re aware that your roommate is the personal student of the Sun Princess?” Wander asked, frowning at Silvia. “Or that the Nightmother returned, and your friends are the ones that stopped her?”

Silvia opened her mouth to respond, then froze when what her brother had said hit her.

“Wait, so Twilight’s mentor is Princess Celestia?” Silvia asked. “As in the Princess Celestia, ruler of the nation and one of the ponies responsible for hunting out ancestors to near extinction?”

“The very same,” Moon confirmed.

“Then I need to leave,” Silvia stated. “I need to pack my bags right now and leave.”

Standing from her seat Silvia moved for the door, but Wander moved to stop her.

“Silvia, just calm down and let’s talk about this,” Wander said, placing a forehoof on Silvia’s shoulder.

“But I can’t stay,” Silvia said, trying to push her way past Wander. “Twilight is already suspicious of me, and…”

“Exactly,” Wander said, cutting off Silvia. “Twilight is already suspicious of you, and it would be even more suspicious if you just up and left all of the sudden.”

“And thanks to Wander’s impromptu history lesson, if they decided to come after you they know exactly where we live,” Moon pointed out.

“She’s right,” Wander sighed. “That one is on me, but it’s just another reason why you can’t just up and leave. The ponies here care about you, and if they got it in their heads that you left because you were in trouble they would come after you.”

“Then… what do I do?” Silvia asked, finally relenting and returning to her seat. “If I leave they’ll come after me and discover our family, but if I stay it's just a matter of time before I’m discovered.”

“I hate to say it,” Wander sighed, “but it seems like your best bet would be to just sit tight and hope things blow over.”

“He’s right,” Moon said. “The best thing to do would be to just hang out, keep your head low, and work on getting your own place as soon as possible. The rest of these ponies here respect you enough to keep their noses out of your business, but something tells me that Twilight won’t stop until she gets the answers she wants.”

“But what about everyone else?” Silvia sniffled. “If they do discover me then it's only a matter of time before they come after the rest of you.”

“I hate to break out the tough love, but that’s a risk we all agreed to take when we decided to move out and go our own way,” Wander said. “It’s up to you to deal with the consequences if you get caught. The most Moon and I can do is warn everyone when we get back home.”

“This is it, isn’t it?” Silvia asked, wiping the tears from her eyes. “After all this time, I’m going to be the one that sells our family out.”

“I’m sure everything will work out,” Moon said, placing a comforting hoof on Silvia’s side. “Just… just be careful, ok? As long as you’re careful and don’t do anything to draw attention to yourself I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

“I can guarantee it,” Wander said, sidling up to her other side and giving her a comforting smile. “This’ll all blow over and in a few years we’ll be laughing at how silly we were being.”

“Thanks,” Silvia said, smiling at her siblings' attempts to comfort her. “And what was that you were saying about the Nightmother?”

“We learned from your friend Applejack that apparently the Nightmother returned while you were back home,” Wander said.

“And apparently her, along with Rarity, Twilight, and a few other ponies, managed to stop her,” Moon finished.

“Actually I believe ‘cleanse’ was the word they used,” Wander corrected. “According to your friends she was corrupted by some dark magic, and they used something called the Elements of Harmony to cleanse it from her.”

“So not only do I have to worry about Twilight discovering me and ratting me out to the princess, but now you’re telling me that the Nightmother is back, too?” Silvia groaned. “Why did I ever leave home?”

“Never regret coming here,” Wander said. “You’ve made a lot of wonderful friends here that you would have never met had you stayed home, and I doubt any of them would sell you out if they found out.”

“Except for that Twilight mare,” Moon said. “She seems like the type that would go crying to teacher if things didn’t go her way.”

“Which is exactly why you need to just keep your head down and not step on anyone’s tail,” Wander said.

“So, getting away from the more somber talks,” Moon said, attempting to change the subject, “got your eye on anypony in town?”

“You just couldn’t stop yourself, could you?” Wander chuckled, rolling his eyes.

“What? You act like you aren’t curious as well,” Moon said. “Besides, you’re the one that had to go all ‘responsible big brother’ on her and kill the mood, I’m just trying to lighten things up.”

“Well, sort of,” Silvia said, giggling at her siblings despite her dour mood.

“Oh, do you hear that, Wander?” Moon asked, bouncing in place. “Little Silvie has a crush! You’ve got to give us all of the juicy details!”

With the mood successfully lightened the three continued to discuss various topics, many laughs shared as they shared stories of their time apart.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“So, this is where the Apples live?” Moon asked, glancing at her sister as they stood before the large Apple farmhouse.

“Sure is,” Wander said, replying before Silvia could. “Of course, you’d know that if you’d actually came with me the other day.”

“It’s not my fault you were coming here to talk about boring business stuff,” Moon said, scrunching her nose in disdain at the idea. “I’d rather do pretty much anything else.”

“Like spending the day at the library playing with Spike and antagonizing Twilight?” Wander asked. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re the one with the crush, not Silvia.”

“I do not have a crush on Spike,” Moon snapped, her face flushing in embarrassment. “He’s, like, half my age!”

Having stepped up to the door, Wander paused mid-knock and turned to face his sister.

“I… actually wasn’t talking about Spike,” Wander said, shooting his sister a sideways glance.

“Now, are y’all gonna just sit on the porch and argue over who’s got a crush on who, r’ are ya gonna come in n’ eat?” an older mare spoke up from behind Wander, causing them all to jump.

Turning to face the door, the three were surprised to see an older green mare with a gray mane standing in the doorway.

“Granny Smith!” Silvia said, holding a hoof to her chest. “You scared us! You… you weren’t there long, were you?”

“Not very,” Granny Smith said, snickering to herself. “Now why don’t y’all come on in and make yourselves comfortable. Mac’n Ah aren’t quite finished cookin’ yet, but AJ and lil’ Bloom should be in tha family room.”

Grabbing the door from Granny Smith, Wander stepped to the side and held the door open for his sisters, nodding his head in response to their thanks. Once everyone had entered the house, he followed his sisters into the family room as Granny turned down the hallway to the kitchen.

“Silvia, y’all made it!” Applejack called out, spotting the trio as they entered the room. “Ah told Granny ta expect y’all, but Ah was startin’ ta think ya wouldn’t make it.”

“And miss out on free food? You’ve got to be kidding me,” Moon said, earning a cuff from her brother. “What? If the food is even close to as good as the stuff at that bakery, then it’ll be loads better than anything we’ll find until we get home.”

“Not meanin’ ta brag,” Applejack said, puffing her chest out as she polished a forehoof on it, “but while that Cakes may have us beat when it comes ta bakin’, nopony can whip up a good home cooked meal like the Apples can.”

“It’s true,” Silvia confirmed, joining Applejack and Apple Bloom on the couch. “I hate to say it, but most of the dishes Granny can cook put Ma’s cooking to shame.”

“Then I suppose I’ll have to try it for myself,” Wander said. Stepping into the room he began inspecting the plethora of portraits lining the walls.

“I don’t know about that one,” Moon scoffed. Getting a trotting start she leaped over the back of the couch, completing a full flip as she plopped herself down next to Apple Bloom. “I’m sure their cooking is good and all, but I doubt it’s better than moms.”

“Well, Ah guess you’ll just have ta try it an’ see,” Apple Bloom said, giving Moon a friendly nudge.

“Y’all won’t have ta wait long,” Big Mac said, poking his head in the room. “Come on ‘n get it.”

“Oh, who’s the stud,” Moon asked, turning to smirk at Silvia, “and is he on the menu?”

“Moon!” Silvia hissed under her breath.

Ducking the swing as Silvia attempted to cuff her, Moon and Apple Bloom trotted into the kitchen while giggling at her reaction.

“Just ignore her,” Wander sighed, turning to follow as Applejack lead them into the kitchen. “You know she’s only doing it for a reaction.”

“I know, but…” Silvia started, glancing at Applejack.

“But what?” Applejack asked, shooting Silvia a teasing smirk. “Ain’t nothin’ wrong with a bit a’ teasin’ between siblings.”

“It’s embarrassing, though,” Silvia groaned.

“Sugarcube, if ya think a bit a’ friendly teasin’ from yer sister is gonna change my opinion of ya, then you have sorely misjudged me,” Applejack laughed. “Now, quit bein’ all mopey and git yer behind ta tha dinner table.”

Stepping into the room, Silvia was quick to take the empty seat between her siblings as Applejack took the seat between hers. With everyone present Granny Smith wasted no time in dishing up her plate, signaling for everyone present it was ok to start.

“So, how’re ya findin’ our quiet little town?” Granny Smith asked between bites. “Everypony’s treatin’ y’all well, Ah hope.”

“They’ve been going well,” Wander said, pausing in his own eating to answer. “Once your granddaughter helped get word around that I was ok to do business with, I sold all my wares in no time. I can’t thank you all enough for putting in a good word for me, you wouldn’t believe how much it helped.”

“Oh, think nothin’ of it,” Granny replied, waving off his thanks. “Silvia here is basically part a’ tha family, an’ that makes y’all family as well. Us Apples take care a’ ther own.”

“Well, if any of you Apples wind up in Saddle Arabia, send them my way and I’ll make sure to return the favor,” Wander offered, digging back into his plate.

“‘S that where ya got them seeds?” Big Mac asked, turning his attention to Wander.

“Some of them, yes,” Wander responded. “Others I traded for from various merchants along my route. Why do you ask?”

“Them’re some nice seeds,” Big Mac explained. “React real well ta earth pony magic. Was gonna ask ya ta keep yer eye out fer more.”

“Of course I will,” Wander said. “Although, I’m not sure if some of the merchants I got those off of are still around. I’ve been holding on to most of those for a while.”

“Not sellin’ well?” Big Mac asked.

“Just not a lot of ponies in the market for seeds along my route, it seems,” Wander responded.

Satisfied with his answer, Big Mac nodded his head before returning to his food. Sensing a lull in the conversation, Apple Bloom took the opportunity to ask a question that had been on her mind all week.

“So, Silvia, mah sister said ya went campin’ in tha Everfree, is that true?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Mm, that right,” Silvia said, taking a moment to finish the food in her mouth. “I just got back today from spending a few days there.”

“Why would ya wanna do somethin’ like that?” Apple Bloom asked. “Everypony’s always tellin’ us about how dangerous tha forest is, an’ how we should stay away.”

“They’re right about that,” Silvia responded. “There’s lots of dangerous stuff in those woods, and somepony needs to go in there from time to time to remind those dangerous things that that’s where they’re supposed to stay.”

“Woah, really?” Apple Bloom gasped, her eyes twinkling in wonder. “And how exactly do ya do that? Do ya gotta beat’em up or somethin’?”

“Something like that,” Silvia giggled. “Have you ever seen the timberwolf with the orange eyes?”

“Once or twice, yeah,” Apple Bloom nodded. “Ah seen him hangin’ around tha edge of tha forest a few times. Has a big ol’ hoof print on his chest?”

“That’s the one,” Silvia nodded. “I named him Saif, and I’m the one that gave him that hoofprint.”

“Woah,” Apple Bloom gasped once more as she began fidgeting in her seat. “That’s so cool! How’d ya do that?”

“I ran into him in the forest when I first moved here,” Silvia explained. “Turns out he’s the alpha of the pack whose territory borders Ponyville. I was trying to convince them to leave Ponyville alone, and sometimes ‘convincing’ means proving you aren’t worth the effort.”

“And ya didn’t get yer cutie mark fer that?” Apple Bloom asked, tilting her head.

“Unfortunately, no,” Silvia giggled.

“Now Apple Bloom, enough with tha questions,” Granny Smith chided. “Let our guest eat before tha food gets cold.”

“Ok, Ah’m sorry, Granny,” Apple Bloom apologized, slouching in her seat.

“No, it’s ok,” Silvia said, causing Apple Bloom to perk back up. “I don’t mind.”

“So you’ll tell us how ya do it?” Apple Bloom asked excitedly.

“Sure,” Silvia said, giving Bloom a smile. Taking a large bite of her food, she took her time chewing it as she thought over how to word her explanation. “Now, where to start…”

“Ya could start by tellin’ us how ya do it, first,” Applejack suggested. “Ah admit that Ah’ve always been curious mahself.”

“Well, first ya gotta make yourself look as big as possible,” Silvia explained. “If you can convince the predator you’re not worth the effort, they’ll usually lose interest pretty fast.”

“So ya just stand up real tall n’ they leave ya alone?” Apple Bloom asked, cocking her head in confusion.

“It’s a bit more than that, but yes,” Silvia giggled. “Although, that usually only tends to work on the solo hunters. Pack hunters like the timberwolf require a bit… more.”

“More how?” Applejack asked.

“Beating the alpha is one way to earn the respect of the pack,” Silvia responded after a short pause to eat. “Although, I wouldn’t suggest it. They may be made of wood, but those teeth and claws are sharp.”

“So, s’ther another way ta scare ‘em off, then?” Big Mac asked.

“Wolfsbane,” Silvia responded through a mouthful of food. “I’ve got a friend in the forest, a zebra named Zecora, that mixes up some potions and powders for me in the forest, and the one she makes for the timberwolves has wolfsbane in it.”

“Wolfsbane?” Applejack parroted. “Never heard a’ tha stuff.”

“Neither had I,” Silvia admitted. “Zecora told me about it when she was patching me up after my first little scuffle with them, offered to mix me up a few repellent potions.”

“Ya wouldn’t be able ta get yer hooves on a few extra fer us, would ya?” Applejack asked. “Havin’ somethin’ like that that can scare a timberwolf away without havin' ta fight it seems like it would be handy ta have on hoof.”

“I could certainly ask,” Silvia offered, “although I very much doubt Zecora would tell you no. In fact, this last time she made the potions for me she gave me a few more than she usually does. I can bring a few with me when I come in for work tomorrow.”

“Nah, I couldn’t ask ya ta hand over somethin’ ya spent yer own bits on,” Applejack said, giving Silvia an appreciative smile. “Besides, we were already plannin’ fer ya ta take tomorrow off as well, so ya can see yer brother an’ sister off.”

“I really don’t mind, the potions didn’t even cost me anything. In fact, Zecora wouldn’t take my bits even if I insisted on paying,” Silvia explained. “I stop by and see her whenever I’m in the forest, and she gives me a list of plants to keep an eye out for. Apparently, while I was out this last time, I collected an excess of the plants needed for the wolfsbane potion, so she made me a few extra.”

“Well, then that’d be mighty neighborly of ya, Silv,” Applejack said. “Ah’ll make sure ta throw an extra few bits in next time Ah pay ya.”

“Oh, no, that isn’t necessary,” Silvia said, trying to politely decline the offer. “I get the potions for free, so I wouldn’t feel right profiting off of them.”

“‘Course it’s necessary,” the apple matriarch cut in. “Ah’d give up every bit Ah own, and tha farm, if it meant Ah had a way ta protect mah family. Them varmints ain’t layin’ another claw on a member of our family if Ah have anything ta say about it.”

Reminded of their loss, the Apple siblings fell into silence following Granny’s outburst. Unsure of how to broach the silence, or even if they should, Silvia and her siblings turned their full attention to their food.

The sound of silverware scraping against dishes slowly came to a halt, signaling that everyone had finished their meal. Standing from her seat, Applejack walked over to Granny Smith and whispered something to her before leading her out of the room. The sound of two ponies climbing the stairs could be heard, and a few minutes later one pony could be heard descending the stairs before Applejack returned.

“Ah’m sorry ‘bout that,” Applejack sighed. “Pa ain’t the first pony she lost ta timberwolves, so when they get brought up she tends ta get real emotional.”

“I’m sorry,” Silvia said, hanging her head in shame. “I didn’t mean to upset anyone.”

“It ain’t yer fault,” Applejack said, walking over and rubbing Silvia’s back comfortingly. “If anything, it’s mah fault. Ah got so lost in the conversation Ah completely fergot.”

“Ain’t no use in mopin’ over it,” Big Mac said. Standing from his seat, walked a few short steps to the window and grabbed a fresh pie that had been cooling on the window sill. “So long as ya learn from yer mistakes, ain’t nopony gonna hold it against ya.”

Setting the pie gently in the center of the table, he grabbed a knife and a pie server and handed them to Applejack.

“Mac’s right,” Applejack said, giving her brother a smile. “Now, hows about we dig on inta this pie. There should be some ice cream in tha icebox, too, if anypony wants any.”

Before Applejack had finished speaking Apple Bloom was already out of her seat and sprinting towards the icebox, Moon right on her tail.

“Again with the sweets?” Wander said, teasing his sister in an attempt to lighten the mood. “I was joking about having to roll you home, but if you keep this up I may actually have to.”

“She sure does love her sweets,” Applejack said, smiling and shaking her head as she cut the pie. “Can’t really blame her none, though. From the sounds a things, y’all don’t get this kinda stuff back home too often.”

“Just what I can bring home,” Wander sighed. “Sugar is hard to come by back home since it has to be imported, so we normally can’t afford much.”

“She’s just lucky I love her so much,” Wander continued, shooting Moon a playful glare. “If I didn’t make sure to bring some home for her, I doubt she’d ever get any.”

“Oh, do you doubt my sugar-fu?” Moon asked, balancing a tub of ice cream on her head as she stood on her hind legs and struck a mock karate pose. Giggling, Apple Bloom placed the ice cream scoop she had been carrying on her own head and struck a pose next to Moon.

“All right, you two,” Applejack said, rolling her eyes. “How’s about y’all put the ice cream on the table before ya drop it.”

“Aww, ok,” the two groaned in unison.

Carefully removing the tub from her head, Moon placed it on the table before returning to her seat to pout.

“Killjoy,” Moon huffed, mumbling to herself.

Ignoring the barb from Moon Applejack took slice pie and split it up onto smaller plates, giving each pony one piece. Popping the lid off of the tub with practiced ease, she scooped a generously sized scoop of ice cream out of the container and plopped it down on her slice of pie.

“Anypony else want some?” Applejack asked, glancing around to see who else wanted some. Seeing everypony raise a hoof she smiled kindly and dug back into the tub of ice cream, putting a large scoop on everypony else's slices.

While Applejack had been busy with the pie, Big Mac had slipped away to prepare some coffee. As his sister finished divvying out the pie Big Mac returned with a tray balanced carefully on his back, and in one smooth motion transferred the tray from his back to the table.

“Coffee,” Big Mac said, taking a steaming hot mug for himself.

“Creamer,” Mac said, reaching across the table and gently tapping a small glass pitcher with a stylized ‘C’ on it.

“Milk,” Mac continued, picking up a similarly sized glass pitcher with a stylized ‘M’ on it and pouring it into his coffee.

“Sugar,” he finished, using a spoon to scoop some sugar out of a small glass jar with a stylized ‘S’ on it. Pouring the sugar into his coffee, he then dipped the spoon in and began mixing it.

“Creamer and milk?” Wander asked, taking a cup of coffee for himself. “That seems a little redundant, doesn’t it?”

“Some like one, some like the other,” Mac simply said, taking a sip from his cup. Glancing at his sister, he watched as she grabbed her own cup off of the tray and downed half of it in one gulp. “Some like neither.”

“Ahh, makes sense,” Wander said, finishing taking a sip of his own drink.

It didn’t take long for everyone to return to their seats, and shorter yet for Apple Bloom and Moon’s antics to return the happy atmosphere to the room. The pie quickly disappeared, and after returning to the living room for some comfortable conversation Silvia and her siblings soon excused themselves with a promise to return on their next visit. Despite the shocking revelation she had had earlier in the day about who Twilight’s mentor was, Silvia had never felt more secure with where her life had taken her than she did at that moment.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The bell above the door chimed as Silvia and her siblings stepped into the boutique, alerting the owner of their presence. The sounds of a sewing machine from the back room paused momentarily before continuing once the door swung closed and chimed the bell again.

“Just a moment,” Rarity’s melodic voice called from the back.

“It’s just us, Rarity,” Silvia called back.

“Oh, Silvia, darling,” Rarity responded, sounding more cheerful. “I’m assuming that Moon and Wander are with you as well? Go ahead and make yourselves at home in the kitchen, you know where it is. I’ll be out as soon as I finish this stitch.”

Leading her siblings through the store Silvia crossed into the private part of the shop, holding the door open for her brother and sister. Following them in, she was surprised to see Sweetie Belle sitting at the table pouring over some papers.

“I’m sorry, but customers aren’t allowed back here,” Sweetie Belle said without looking up. “If you turn around and head back up front I’m sure Rarity will be with you shortly.

“And who said we were customers?” Moon asked with a smile, causing Sweetie’s ears to perk up.

“Moon!” Sweetie cheered, abandoning her papers to launch herself at her friend. Tackling moon to the ground, the two began giggling as they switched between wrestling and hugging one another.

“Now, Sweetie,” Rarity said, playfully chided her sister as she walked in. “I thought I told you you couldn’t leave the table until you finished your homework.”

“But Rarity,” Sweetie whined.

“Ah, no ‘buts’,” Rarity said, cutting off her sister before she could try to argue. “You knew you had a lot of homework today, and you still spent all afternoon playing with your friends.”

“Aww, ok,” Sweetie sighed, untangling herself from her friend and returning to the table.

“If it’s alright with your sister, I can help,” Moon offered, glancing at Rarity.

“I’ll agree to that,” Rarity said, causing the two to smile excitedly at each other. “Just make sure you let her answer the questions herself, rather than just giving her the answers.”

Sweetie Belle’s smile momentarily turned into a pout before she scooched over and patted the seat next to her. Hopping up and squeezing into the chair next to her, Moon grabbed the closest paper and began looking it over.

“Well, while they’re doing that, why don’t we excuse ourselves to my workroom,” Rarity said. “Assuming your cloak is the same as both of your sisters, I’ve taken the liberty of laying out the materials we shall need ahead of time.”

Rather than going back through the shop, Rarity instead directed them through a side door that led directly to her workroom.

“I really appreciate this,” Wander said, removing his cloak and offering it to Rarity. “I’ve been meaning to ask Gran Gran about a new cloak, but she’s started to have trouble with needle and thread, and then she got sick…”

“Don’t worry about it, darling,” Rarity said, giving him an understanding smile as she took his cloak in her magic. “It’s perfectly understandable. Besides, despite the amount of traveling you do, your cloak is in quite good condition. Silvia’s was an absolute nightmare when I got my hooves on it.”

“Hey,” Silvia spoke up, feigning offense. “My cloak wasn’t that bad.”

“Not that bad?” Rarity parotted. Turning, she tilted her head forward to look at Silvia over the top of her glasses. “You cloak was held together by a few threads and a bit of luck. All it would have taken was a branch snagging it in the wrong place and your entire cloak would have fallen to pieces. Even I wouldn’t have been able to save it after that.”

“Wasn’t bad,” Silvia pouted, sitting on her haunches and crossing her forelegs over her chest.

Rolling her eyes at Silvia, Rarity laid Wander’s cloak out across the only clear space on her work desk and eyes it critically.

“It seems I was slightly mistaken,” Rarity said, scrunching her muzzle in concentration. “It seems your cloak is just as worn as Silvia’s was, if not more so.”

Looking at her brother, Silvia stuck her tongue out, closed her eyes, and blew him a raspberry.

“However,” Rarity continued, “it seems you did a much better job of patching and caring for your cloak than she did.”

Glancing at his sister, Wander cocked an eye at her as she returned to pouting.

“The same treatment I gave Silvia’s cloak should do just fine,” Rarity concluded. Turning her head, she glanced back at Wander. “Would you like me to put any enchantments on it while I’m fixing it? Increased durability, waterproofing, anything of the sort?”

“Oh, no, that’s ok. You don’t have to,” Wander said. “It’s enough that you’re patching it for me, you don’t have to do all of that.”

“Nonsense,” Rarity said, returning to her work. “The enchantments are easy enough to do, and I don’t even have to add a gem to hold them. These lovely medallions the three of you use as clasps have a gem embedded in the back that is just perfect for enchanting. They're even cut in a way that allows them to draw in the latent mana in the air.”

“After looking at the three of them, I’m certain they had been enchanted to do something at one point.” Rarity continued. Pausing in her work she turned to look at the siblings. “You wouldn’t happen to know what they were enchanted to do, would you? The original enchantment seems to have dissipated completely, and I find myself rather curious as to what they did.”

“Honestly?” Wander responded. “We all just thought they were decorative… although it was weird they were on the back.”

“A shame,” Rarity tsked. “I’d have loved to know what they did, and reapplied them if possible.”

“Oh, that’s perfectly alright, Rarity,” Wander insisted. “I appreciate the offer, but you’re already repairing my cloak without asking for anything in return, I couldn’t possibly ask you to enchant it as well.”

“Besides, that spell you used to fix my cloak took a lot out of you,” Silvia pointed out. “Neither of us would want you to exhaust yourself for our sakes.”

“Oh, pish posh, darling,” Rarity giggled, waving a hoof at Silvia. “That was all acting, I was supposed to keep you distracted here until they finished setting up for your party. The spell actually isn’t all that difficult… at least, not for a garment as simple as a cloak.”

Feigning offense at being lied to, Silvia turned her nose up and to the side as she returned to her pouting.

Shaking his head at his sister, Wander turned back to Rarity and watched with rapt attention as the swath of fabric was encased in her magic and seemed to melt into his cloak. Taking a few steps forward to get a better look, his eyebrows slowly rose in surprise when he saw that the cloak looked brand new again. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rarity’s horn flare four more times before she folded the cloak and floated it back to him

“There we go, good as new,” Rarity beamed, her magic fading from the cloak as Wander took it. “And I even included enchantments to increase the cloaks durability, as well as ones to make it waterproof, resistant to wind, and to help regulate your body temperature in cold weather.”

“Oh, Rarity,” Wander said, looking guiltily at the cloak. “I said you didn’t…”

“Didn’t need to. Yes, I know,” Rarity said, giving him a friendly smile as she laid a forehoof on his shoulder. “But I wanted to. You said yourself how cold it can get traveling through the northern territories, and if you’re anything like Silvia you don’t handle the cold well.”

“I handle it better than most in my family, but it still gets to me,” Wander admitted. “But I can’t accept this without paying you, I’m sure these spells weren’t cheap or easy to learn.”

“I’ll admit that a few of them gave me trouble, but with a friend like Twilight acting as my tutor it didn’t take long at all to pick them up,” Rarity replied. “And she already had a copy of the spellbook in her private collection, so I didn’t even need to buy a copy myself.”

Igniting her horn, Rarity draped the cloak over Wander’s shoulders and secured the clasp around his neck. Once she was satisfied that the cloak was on properly and securely, she surprised Wander by pulling him into a tight hug.

“Now, stop worrying yourself about paying me and make sure you have a safe trip home,” Rarity told him before pulling back from the hug. “I’d never be able to live with myself if I found out you were distracted by something I’d never even dream of charging a friend for and hurt yourself.”

Releasing him fully, Rarity turned back to her workbench and ignited her horn. The scattered scraps of cloth and sewing utensils became encased in a matching glow as they floated off of the desk and to their respective spots. Once everything was where it belonged her sketch pad floated over from her desk and affixed itself to the easel at the end of her workbench.

“Now, as uncouth as it may be, I’m afraid I must cut this visit short,” Rarity said, turning her attention to the rolls of fabric she had floated over to herself. “Unfortunately, if I’m to stay on schedule I have one last dress I must finish before I’m allowed to relax, and that will be a difficult enough task once my sister finishes her homework and comes looking for attention.”

Taking the hem of his cloak in a forehoof, he held it up to look at it before smiling and heading for the kitchen.

“We’ll grab our sister and see ourselves out, then,” Wander said, motioning for Silvia to follow him. “Thank you, Rarity, for everything.”

“It was my pleasure, darling,” Rarity responded, glancing over her shoulder to smile at him.

“Tell ya what,” Wander said, stopping as he reached the door to the kitchen. “I’ve got an offer for you, something that will make me feel better about not paying you for this.”

Curious as to what his offer could be, Rarity paused in her worked and turned to face him before motioning for him to continue.

“If you ever think of anything you need,” Wander started, turning and taking a step back into the room. “Needles, thread, fabric, anything… you ask Silvia to send me a letter and I’ll make sure to have it next time I’m in town.”

“That is a very generous offer,” Rarity said, nodding her head in thanks. “One that I will be certain to keep in mind.”

Turning once more to her work she placed a roll of fabric on her workbench and unrolled it as a pattern and pin-cushion full of pins floated over to her.

“Now, shoo you two,” Rarity teased, “before you put me any further behind.”

Smiling at the interactions between her brother and one of her best friends, Silvia lead the way as they headed to the kitchen. Stopping briefly to collect their sister from the kitchen the trio left the kitchen, the slowly setting sun on their backs as they returned to Wander’s cart.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon as Wander secured the last of the trade goods in his cart.

“Well, looks like it’s about that time,” Wander said, turning to face his sisters as he wiped some sweat from his brow.

“Aww, already?” Silvia asked, giving her brother puppy dog eyes. “You’re sure you can’t stay one more day?”

“Unfortunately no, we can’t,” Wander responded, tussling his younger sister’s mane. “I’ve already stuck around longer than I normally would.”

“Don’t worry, though,” Wander continued, moving to hitch himself to his cart. “I’ve already decided to make Ponyville a normal stop on my route, so you should see me again in a few months.”

“And maybe next time I’ll be able to convince him to bring Rose along,” Moon said, nudging her sister’s side. “I know how much you missed her before.”

“Yeah, it would be nice to see her again,” Silvia sniffled.

Taking both of her siblings by surprise, Silvia grabbed both of them and pulled them into a tight hug.

“I’ll miss you guys soooo much,” Silvia said, rubbing her face on her brother’s shoulder. “Have a safe trip home, and tell everyone I love them and miss them.”

“Will do,” Wander promised. Turning back to his cart, he prepared to hook his newly donned harness to its hitch but paused before moving for the door. “Actually, before we go, I have something for you.”

Curious as to what it could be, Silvia waited impatiently as he stepped into his cart and began rummaging around. A few moments later he stepped out from his wagon, stopping only to unhook his harness when it got caught on the door.

“Here we are,” Wander said, offering Silvia a medium-sized wooden box.

Taking the box from her brother, Silvia gasped as she immediately recognized the hoof-carved cannon sized case.

“Is this…” Silvia started, looking to her brother for confirmation.

“It is,” Wander nodded.

“Gran Gran decided to give it to you,” Moon said. Pausing in thought for a moment, she began snickering before continuing. “Efflorescence told everyone ‘it was fine’, and that ‘it didn’t match her mane anyways’, but we could all tell she was jealous.”

Silvia glanced between her brother and sister before looking reverently upon the box. Carefully opening the box, she gasped when she saw what was in the box. Sitting upon cushions of faded red velvet was a bone-white mane pin ending in an expertly carved white rose. Inlaid in the center of the rose was a small hoof-carved fire ruby, the sunlight caught in the gem giving it the appearance of a dancing flame in its center.

“It’s Gran Gran’s manepin,” Silvia gasped in wonder. Turning to her brother, she gave him a questioning look. “I thought she said she’d never part with this, so how’d you get it?”

“She gave it to me,” Wander replied. “She said she felt like you needed it more than she did.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Silvia asked, glancing between her siblings.

“None of us could figure it out,” Moon said with a shrug, “and she wouldn’t say anything else about it. I say you just take the thing, 'cus if you don’t then Effy certainly will.”

“Of course I’ll take it,” Silvia quickly said, gently closing the case and holding it to her chest. “But, why? This thing has been in the family for as long as anyone can remember and…”

Silvia paused for a moment before a look of dread crossed her face.

“You don’t think…” Silvia started, giving her brother a worried look.

“I don’t think it’s anything like that,” Wander assured her. “From what I’ve heard, she’s only gotten better since we left.”

Shifting his gaze, some sadness flashed across Wander’s eyes as he looked off into the distance.

“I’m thinking that getting sick this last time may have reminded her of her mortality, so she wanted to make sure her most prized possessions got to who she wanted to have them,” Wander explained. “You aren’t the only one that got something.”

“I’m not?” Silvia asked. “Who else got something?”

“So far just me,” Wander said. “She gave me the saber that had been hanging in the living room, the one she said belonged to her father.”

“He didn’t bring that one with, though,” Moon said, helping her brother hook himself up.

“Of course not,” Wander responded, pausing to thank his sister. “The two of them are priceless, and it was bad enough I was carrying one of them through bandit country. I’d never be able to live with myself if something happened and I lost both of them.”

Having finished harnessing himself, Wander glanced at the sun to check the time before pulling the cart out onto the path.

“Well, it looks like we better get going,” Wander said, nodding his head towards the sun that had just finished rising above the horizon. “Time’s a-wastin', and I’d like to make it to the next town before lunch.”

“Aww, do we have to leave?” Moon groaned. “It feels like we just got here.”

“I know,” Wander sighed, gesturing towards his cart with his head, “but everyone back home is waiting on us to get back with this stuff.”

“Maybe next time you visit I’ll have my own place, and you can stay longer,” Silvia offered. “Any of you, make sure you let everyone back home know.”

“Will do,” Wander replied, giving his sister a smile.

Turning his attention to Moon, he gestured towards the road with his head before slowly making his way down the path.

“You make sure you take care of yourself,” Wander called back over his shoulder.

“And make sure you keep your head low and keep us updated on what happens with Miss Twinkle Sprinkles,” Moon said, giving Silvia one last quick hug before cantering after her brother.

Don’t worry, I will,” Silvia responded, giggling at the nickname her sister had given Twilight. “You two make sure you have a safe trip, and send me a letter when you get home!”

“We will!” Moon called back, turning to wave as the two made their way down the road. “And make sure you write us when you finally ask that hunk out!”

Blushing at her sister’s comment, Silvia looked around to see if anyone was up and about before turning to watch her siblings. It didn’t take long for them to disappear into the distance, and with a sigh, Silvia returned to the library.

Author's Note

Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you the next chapter of Silvia's story! Sorry for the delay... wasn't really feeling writing for a bit, but some good vibes on my birthday Wednesday gave me just the boost I needed to finish. For all of you hoping the last cliffhanger would be resolved this chapter, y'all should have known better. :P The chapters are mostly alternating PoV, after all.

Big shoutout to Spirit, Epiphany, and Flibbertigibbet for finding the time to preread for me.

Trouble Brewing

Princess Celestia sat upon her throne, her brow scrunched in concentration as she reread the letter her student had sent her the previous afternoon for what felt like the hundredth time. The letter had sent a cold spike of fear through her heart when she had first received it, enough so that she had abruptly dismissed her day court and was preparing to mobilize the guard to dispatch them immediately to Ponyville. She stopped herself, however, when she had reread the description of the pony her student had written her about.

Using her magic to place the letter upon the small table next to her throne, she descended her dais and walked slowly to the window that overlooked Ponyville.

“It seems you have discovered yet another piece of history I thought long lost, my student,” Celestia said to herself, unable to stop a small smile from pulling at the corners of her mouth. “After all these years, it’s good to finally know that you made it out alive, old friend.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

My dearest Twilight Sparkle,

While I understand your concern in dealing with a new pony, I must say that I am quite disappointed to hear the lengths you went through to acquire the information you did. You performed an egregious breach on your new friend's privacy by going through her belongings without her permission. Not only that, but you also display a complete lack of trust and understanding in the word of your new friend, as well as the word of your fellow Element bearers.

As for the case of your friend's lack of residence, I can not help but feel responsible for taking her home from her. To make amends for this I shall be traveling to Ponyville in three days time, both to meet your new friend and to assist her in the purchasing of a new home.

I expect you to be present for this visit, both so that I may witness your apology to Silvia… and so that I may see my student again. I miss you greatly, and I wish you’d write to me more often.

Hoping all is well,
Princess Celestia

Twilight sat hard on the floor, her jaw hanging open as she gaped at the letter in front of her. She had spent the entire night tossing and turning, awaiting a response from her mentor, and now that she had received one she was flabbergasted by its contents.

’Not only did Princess Celestia completely ignore my suspicions of Silvia and her motives,’ Twilight thought to herself in bewilderment, ’she also wants to apologize i] and buy her a house! It’s the Summer Sun Celebration all over again!’

Twilight’s thoughts ground to a halt as she repeated her last thought to herself.

“It’s the Summer Sun Celebration all over again…” Twilight mumbled to herself, her eyes slowly drifting down as her mind went to work. “If it’s like the Summer Sun Celebration, then maybe Princess Celestia does know something about Silvia…”

In one swift motion, Twilight stood and moved to her desk, her mentor’s letter floating beside her. Laying the roll of parchment out on her desk, she produced a fresh roll, along with a quill and inkwell, and began noting her thoughts as she pored over the missive.

“This could mean this, and this could…” Twilight mumbled to herself as she studied the Princess’s writing, hoping to discover some hidden meaning. “Or maybe this could… and this…”

“Or maybe I’m reading into this too much,” Twilight groaned, dropping her quill as she rested her head on her desk. “Maybe the princess is right, and I’m just being a bad friend.”

Twilight laid there for some time, head down and ears back as she stewed in her own negative thoughts until eventually, Spike came to check on her.

“Hey, Twilight,” Spike said, opening the door and stepping inside. “Lunch is ready, and Silvia is…”

Spike stopped mid-sentence, claw shooting to his mouth in an attempt to silence himself when he spotted Twilight hunched over at her desk.

“Are you sleeping?” Spike whispered loudly through his claw. “I can come back later if you want.”

“No,” Twilight groaned, causing Spike to jump at the unexpected response. “I’m not sleeping.”

“Oh,” Spike responded, talking normally again. “You sure you don’t want to? I know you didn’t sleep well last night, and you do look like you could use a little more rest.”

“I’m fine,” Twilight sighed, lifting her head and turning to look at Spike. “I was just…”

Spike’s claw shot to his mouth once more, this time to stifle his laughter, as the piece of paper she had been laying on stuck to her face. Twilight sat for a moment facing Spike with the sheet still plastered to her face before it became engulfed in her magic and slowly floated its way back to the desk.

“I was just going over the letter the princess sent me again,” Twilight continued, rubbing her eyes with a foreleg.

“Oh,” Spike said worriedly. “Is… everything ok? You seem a little down, and your eyes are all red.”

“I told you, I’m fine,” Twilight insisted. “I just… I’m…”

Sighing, Twilight turned to face the desk once more and slumped in her seat.

“Do you think I’m a bad friend?” Twilight asked after a moment of silence.

“Not at all!” Spike responded instantly. “A little inexperienced, maybe, but not bad.”

Realization shot across Spike’s face as his eyes darted to the scroll laying on Twilight’s desk.

“Does this have something to do with what the princess sent you?” Spike asked, finally making the connection. Crossing the room, he placed a comforting claw on Twilight’s back. “Is something wrong? Anything I can do to help?”

“No, I just…” Twilight said, pausing to sniffle. “I made a mistake, and Princess Celestia wasn’t too happy about it.”

“Uh oh,” Spike said with a grimace, remembering the last time Twilight had thought the princess was disappointed in her. “Are you sure she’s actually upset with you?”

“She even said it in her letter!” Twilight said, starting to get hysterical as she shoved the letter into Spike’s claws.

Taking the letter Spike looked it over, his frown deepening as he read.

“What did you do?” Spike asked incredulously, glancing at Twilight. “Usually you’re just overreacting, but she actually seems upset with you.”

“...I went through Silvia’s things yesterday after you both left,” Twilight admitted, slouching further in shame.

“You did what?” Spike exclaimed, giving Twilight a bewildered look.

“When I was putting her bags away last night I saw something weird stuck to one of them, so I pulled it off and it was a giant piece of snakeskin,” Twilight said in an attempt to defend herself. “Without realizing what I was doing I started digging through her bags, and I found another section of snakeskin as big as me.”

“That’s… actually kind of scary,” Spike admitted, “but you were still going through her things! You knew she was just coming home from the Everfree, maybe she found it out there and decided to take it home. Like some type of souvenir.”

“I know,” Twilight admitted. “But I let my emotions get the better of me and now everyponys going to hate me!”

A tear fell from Twilight’s eye as she dropped her head to her desk with an audible thunk, a low groan escaping her throat when her horn throbbed in protest to the abuse.

“I think you may be overreacting a bit,” Spike said in an attempt to comfort her. “I don’t think the princess or your friends will hate you.”

“Really?” Twilight asked, raising her head to look at Spike.

“Yeah,” Spike said, giving her a reassuring smile. “They’ll probably only be disappointed in you like I am.”

Letting out another groan, Twilight dropped her head back to her desk, this time taking care not to hit her horn.

“What?” Spike asked, oblivious as to why she was more upset. “I just said they wouldn’t hate you.”

After a long moment of silence from Twilight Spike shrugged, gave her one more comforting back rub accompanied by a shoulder squeeze, and turned to walk away.

“Well, whenever you decide you’re ready to come down lunch is ready,” Spike said. “Silvia just got in as well. I was going to cook up some more food for her, but if you’re not feeling up to eating right now I’ll just give her your food and make you something later.”

“No,” Twilight groaned after a moment of silence, causing Spike to turn and regard her from the open doorway. “I skipped dinner last night, and breakfast this morning, so I really shouldn’t skip another meal.”

As if to emphasize her point, Twilight’s stomach chose that moment to release a rumbling growl that surprised both of them.

“Besides,” Twilight continued, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment as Spike crossed his arms over his chest and gave her a stern look. “I needed to talk to Silvia, anyways, and I should get it out of the way now before my nerves get the best of me.”

“But first, food,” Spike said adamantly, tapping his foot as he continued to glare at Twilight.

Chuckling sheepishly, Twilight stood from her desk and followed Spike downstairs. Pausing in the doorway to take a calming breath, Twilight walked into the kitchen with her head held low and took a seat across the table from Silvia and kept her head down, refusing to make eye contact. Sensing the tension in the air as soon as the duo entered the room, along with Twilight’s refusal to make eye contact and the constant stern glares Spike was shooting the purple unicorn, Silvia instantly knew something was wrong.

“So… did I miss something?” Silvia asked, unable to contain her curiosity. “I… I didn’t do anything wrong, did I?”

Looking to Spike in the hopes that he’d answer, her already dour expression wilted more when the look he was giving her confirmed that she was on her own with this one.

“No,” Twilight responded with a sigh. “You didn’t do anything wrong. If anypony did anything wrong, it was me.”

“What do you mean by that?” Silvia asked, cocking her head in confusion. Noticing Twilight flinch at her question Silvia quickly backpedaled, hoping she hadn’t upset the librarian even more. “If you don’t mind telling me, that is. In fact, you don’t even need to tell me, I’m sure it’s none of my business anyways. I’m sure whoever you wronged will forgive you, no problem.”

As soon as she finished speaking Silvia gave Twilight the friendliest smile she could in the hopes of raising the purple mare’s spirits, but the grin slowly transformed into a frown when she noticed her words had the exact opposite effect.

“But it is your business,” Twilight said, finally raising her head to make eye contact with Silvia. “You’re the pony I wronged.”

“What… what do you mean?” Silvia asked, leaning back and scrunching her face in confusion. “I don’t remember you wronging me in any way.”

Twilight opened and closed her mouth a few times in an attempt to speak, but she just couldn’t get the words past the bundle of nerves in her chest.

“Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s fine,” Silvia continued, noticing Twilight was having trouble speaking. “Was it the potions? I noticed a few of the flasks were cracked when I got back this morning. It’s fine, really. I had extras, anyways, and the ingredients to make more are simple enough to get.”

“It’s not the potions,” Twilight finally responded, “although, I guess that’s one more thing I have to apologize about.”

Taking a moment to collect herself, Twilight paused to thank Spike as he placed a plate of food in front of her before continuing.

“I… lied to you,” Twilight started. “Remember at your party, when I said I was done being suspicious of you?”

“Of course I do,” Silvia responded, giving Spike a nod and a smile when he placed a plate of food in front of her as well. “But I can’t really be mad at you for continuing to be suspicious. Ponies are suspicious by nature, and there is still a lot about me you don’t know.”

“That still doesn’t justify what I did,” Twilight insisted. “I… went through your bag after you left yesterday.”

“Oh, well that’s no… oh,” Silvia started, before remembering just what was in the bag.

’That means… I knew I should have gotten rid of the shed skin that Zecora didn’t need,’ Silvia thought to herself as she carefully watched Twilight. ’But I was afraid if I dumped it in the woods on the way back somepony would find it. Guess it doesn’t matter now, Twilight has seen it.’

“I wasn’t planning to,” Twilight started explaining herself, “but then I saw something sticking out of one of the pockets, and when I went to tuck it back in my curiosity got the better of me, and…”

“It’s fine, really,” Silvia said, doing her best to hide the anxiety building in her chest. “I found a big piece of skin a snake had shed, and I like collecting strange things I find in the forest…”

“But it wasn’t just a ‘big piece of skin’,” Twilight shot back. “The snake that shed that would have to have been massive, or at least large enough to eat a fully grown pony. It was larger than me!”

Taking a moment to reel her emotions in, Twilight took a few deep breaths before continuing.

“I… kind of panicked when I saw that,” Twilight continued. “I’m… kind of afraid of snakes, and seeing that we had one that big living next door freaked me out.”

“That’s understandable,” Silvia said. “Any rational pony would have panicked in your situation.”

“But a rational pony wouldn’t have written a letter to the princess,” Twilight said, letting her eyes drop back to the table.

Unbeknownst to her, Silvia froze mid-statement as soon as Twilight’s words sunk in, the words dying in her throat as the color drained from her entire body.

“I wrote the princess and told her all about you,” Twilight continued without looking up. “I told her about my suspicions of you, about how you just seemed to come out of nowhere and suddenly everypony knew you… about how strange you and your siblings looked.”

Sighing once more, Twilight let her head drop further in shame.

“The princess wasn’t very happy,” Twilight said. “She told me…”

The sound of the front door bursting open, followed by a cry of surprise from Spike as he fell from something in the other room interrupted her and shocked Silvia out of her stupor.

“Twilight, Silvia, you girls gotta come quick,” Rainbow Dash cried as she flew into the room. “Something’s goin’ on in the forest, and there are foals missing!”

“There’s what?!” Both Silvia and Twilight yelled in shock.

“What’s happening, what do I need to do?” Twilight asked, the previous conversation instantly forgotten.

“I don’t know the details,” Rainbow admitted. “I heard some shouting, and saw a crowd of ponies gathered near the edge of the forest, so I flew down to see what was going on. As soon as somepony said something about missing ponies I knew I had to come and get you two.”

“I really wish you would have gotten some details before you came to get me,” Twilight responded. Standing from her seat, she moved swiftly into the library and began looking through one of the nearby shelves. “I could much better find information relevant to the problem if I knew that it involved more than ‘some missing foals’ and ‘the forest’.”

Finding what she was looking for, Twilight pulled two large books from the shelf and laid them out on a nearby table. Summoning a quill and roll of parchment from her desk upstairs, she began scribbling furiously as she leafed through the books.

“For now, though, I’ve got these two books containing maps of Ponyville and the lands nearby,” Twilight said, sliding the first book to Rainbow as she found the page she was looking for, “as well as well as what little we have mapped of the Everfree,” she continued, sliding the second book towards the weathermare.

“I’ve also drawn up a provisionary roster for search and rescue teams, making sure I’ve grouped ponies together that work well with one another, or who have complementary talents,” Twilight continued. “Do you know which foals are missing? Or how many?”

“Well… no,” Rainbow sheepishly responded. “But I can fly back and ask real quick!”

Before Twilight could respond Rainbow moved for the door, ripping it open and stopping just short of the pony standing on the other side. Much to everyponys' surprise, standing in the doorway gasping for breath was none other than Rarity.

“I must say,” Rarity gasped, glaring at Rainbow, “you really do need to slow down and think before you act.”

Hovering in place, Rainbow rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment and opened her mouth to respond, but before she could Rarity’s eyes shot wide open as she remembered what she had sprinted to the library for.

“But that’s not what’s important!” Rarity shouted.

Pushing past Rainbow, Rarity ran to Twilight and took her forelegs in her own.

“Twilight, Silvia, please,” Rarity begged. “You have to help! It’s Sweetie! She went into the forest with some friends from class, and they haven’t come back!”

Still reeling from the news that Twilight had told Celestia about her, all thoughts of the consequences of the librarian’s actions left Silvia’s head when Rarity finished speaking.

“Show me,” Silvia said, setting her brow in determination.

“But the maps, and the search teams,” Twilight said, levitating them to herself. “We need to take some time to organize a search so we don’t waste precious time checking the same areas more than once.”

“We don’t need search parties,” Silvia responded, the look of determination on her face slowly morphing to anger. “I know that forest like the back of my hoof, and I know exactly where they’re going to be.”

“Oh,” Twilight responded, giving Silvia a questioning look. “Well, then why don’t you show me on the map where they’ll be and we can send ponies to check.”

“Unnecessary,” Silvia responded as she began moving for the door. Reaching the door, she pulled it open before turning to regard the ponies in the room. “Now, is everypony coming? The longer we stand around talking, the greater the chances that they’ll come to harm.”

Sharing a questioning look, the three ponies trotted after Silvia, the latter not having waited for a response before leaving. Finally having extracted himself from the tangled mess he made falling from the ladder on the far side of the library, Spike cautiously approached the open door as he looked around for signs of anypony.

“Hello?” Spike said, poking his head out of the door and looking around. Hearing no response, he shrugged and closed the door before returning to his chores.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Approaching the scene, the group was shocked to find that the local guard detachment had already organized, and that word had already been sent to Canterlot of the situation.

“What do you mean, I can’t get through?” The group heard Silvia’s exasperated shout, finally locating her after she had left them at the library.

“I’m sorry, Silvia,” a familiar stallion from town replied, doing his best to defuse the situation. “The rulebook states that in a situation like this, the guard is to take control and wait for reinforcements to be sent from the main branch in Canterlot.”

“But every minute we wait is another minute for them to come to harm,” Silvia argued, trying to step around the guard.

“I understand,” the guard responded. “But the rulebook says…”

Finally noticing the group standing behind Silvia, the guard locked eyes with Twilight and sighed in relief.

“Oh, thank Celestia you’re here,” he said. Stepping around Silvia, he hooked a foreleg around one of Twilight's and began leading her towards the group of guards on the edge of the forest. “The Lieutenant is losing his mind trying to get things organized, and there’s nopony else higher ranked to take the lead.”

“Wait, why does she get to help,” Silvia asked. “She’s just as much of a civilian as I am!”

“She’s also the princess’s student,” the guard responded, “which gives her a pass on stuff like this. That, and there’s nopony in this town I’d trust more to organize this search than her. My son, Featherweight, is one of the foals missing.”

Taking a moment to digest that information Silvia watched as the guard led Twilight, laden with her books and scrolls, to the impromptu command center that had been set up. Noticing that there was now nopony holding the slowly growing crowd back near her, she glanced around before turning to Rainbow and Rarity.

“Well, since the guard showed up already and doesn’t seem to want to make me useful, I’m goin’ in myself,” Silvia said. “But, in order to do that, I’m gonna need you girls to run distraction.”

“Don’t worry, you can count on me,” Rainbow said, giving Silvia a salute.

“While I wouldn’t normally condone going against the orders of the guard,” Rarity said, taking a moment to adjust her mane, “I must agree that sitting around talking about the problem will achieve nothing.”

Turning and walking toward the nearest guard, Rarity paused and turned to give the two a mischievous smile.

“I’ll handle the distraction, darling,” Rarity said. “You just make sure you bring my sister back safely.”

Getting a confident nod in response, Rarity turned and approached the first guard she saw.

“Oh, please, you must help,” Rarity shrieked, throwing herself at him. “My sister and her friends are in that horrible forest, all alone, with nopony to protect them!”

“Ma’am, please!” the guard responded, attempting to get Rarity back to her hooves. “We are doing everything we can to help your sister, but we need to…”

“But you aren’t doing anything!” Rarity shouted, her worry turning to anger. “You’re all just standing around talking!”

“Ma’am,” the guard tried again, “we are doing everything we are allowed to try and find your sister.”

“Then why not try things you aren’t allowed to do?” Rarity responded. “Why not let any of the townsponies that are actually familiar with the forest to help?”

Noticing the commotion she was causing, a few of the nearby guards began making their way over to help calm the mare. Seeing her chance, Silvia thanked Rarity under her breath and slipped through the crowd. Making it to the edge of the forest without being noticed, Silvia glanced back one last time before slipping into the forest. Green flames encased Silvia’s body as she broke the treeline, transforming her into her lamia form as she took off into the forest with a burst of speed.

Silvia’s entrance into the Everfree didn’t go as unnoticed as she had thought, however. Frozen in place, eyes locked on the exact spot that Silvia had entered the forest with a look of fear and recognition on her face, was Twilight Sparkle...

Author's Note

Sorry for the long wait between chapters, guys. Hope to have another chapter ready in a more respectable timeframe.

Prologue: History of the Lamia

Author's Note

Fair bit of warning for y'all. This prologue is going to get a little dark and have just a bit of gore, but I didn't feel the story needed a gore/dark tag as this is the only planned instance of either in the story. This story is planned to be a lighter Comedy/Slice of Life with maybe a bit of Adventure mixed in. If anything else ends up happening, or should y'all feel its required, I will add tags as they become relevant. For now, though, sit back and enjoy!!

Prologue: History of the Lamia

The following is an excerpt from a history book that laid long forgotten, buried deep in the archives of Canterlot Castle. Very few copies still exist of this book, as it was one of the few printed that told the tale of Luna’s fall from grace before Celestia censored them, removing all accounts of her sister from the history books.

Printed on the pages of this book are details many thought lost to time, including the names and histories of races long thought extinct. Detailed below is the history of one race in particular, a race that, during the rule of Discord, became feared as a savage group of pony eaters. Detailed below is what little we, as ponies, know the history of the lamia, a race of half pony, half snake beings who were driven to extinction by Luna’s vengeance...

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In a time long before the rule of the Two Sisters, before even the reign of the Chaos Lord, Discord, there existed a race of ponies whose name was all but lost to the sands of time. These ponies were the lamia, or snake ponies, containing the head and forelegs of a pony, and the body of a snake.

In the early days of their existence it is said that despite being omnivorous beings, they had quite friendly relations with the ponies. The Pharaoh of their race, Pharaoh Seti I, was said to have been an exceptionally long-lived individual and had been on good terms with multiple generations of the three tribes’ leaders.

All four races traded openly, and all four races continued to thrive, but all that changed when the Wendigos appeared. Nopony is certain when it started, but jealousy started to form between the different tribes. That jealousy turned to anger, and that anger acted as a beacon, drawing in more and more wendigos. The drop in temperature caused by the arrival of the wendigos went largely ignored until the lamia trade caravans stopped returning from the pony lands.

Not wanting to assume the worst, Pharaoh Seti I sent scouts to investigate, and it was soon discovered that a shift in the climate had made it lethal for the cold-blooded lamia to travel through the ponies’ territory. Fearing for the safety of his people, Seti I cut off communication with the ponies, and eventually conceded all land outside of their homelands and sealed their borders in an attempt to stop the spread of eternal winter.

Not much is known about what happened to the lamia after that. The ice age ushered in by the arrival of the wendigos lasted several generations, and by the time the ponies escaped their icy grasp, the lamia had become nothing but legends passed down from parent to child. It wasn’t until years later when the ponies were exploring the borders of their newly claimed territory that they once again encountered the lamia.

A scouting party led by a Lieutenant Bucket, tasked with scouting the lands bordering what today is known as The Badlands, reported finding what he described as altars and monuments made entirely from the bones of creatures both sentient and non. When the messenger tasked with carrying his report returned, he found a scene straight from somepony’s worst nightmares. All that remained of his unit were bloody scraps of cloth and armor scattered around the clearing they had set up camp in, and at the center of the clearing stood a new monument constructed using the bones of ponies. The bones had been picked completely clean, and it didn’t take long for the messenger to realize that the monument was all that remained of his former squad.

The messenger fled the scene as fast as his wings could take him, returning to the newly constructed capital to deliver news of his units grisly fate. Horrified by the fate of the scouting party, the newly formed council of pony leaders ordered the formation of a larger combat ready unit to scour the area and find the despicable creatures responsible for the deaths of Bucket and his unit. It wasn’t until months later, when the unit returned with less than a quarter of its members, that they discovered the identity of the beings responsible. While the surviving soldiers told many different tales, each more outlandish than the last, they all agreed on one thing; the culprits were snake ponies.

While the council didn’t want to believe that such creatures could actually exist, it wasn’t until the well-respected and highly decorated General Persnickety recovered enough from her injuries to deliver her own report that they began to realize exactly what they were up against. Persnickety told of her second in command, Sergeant Major Strike, being grabbed by one of these vile beasts and swallowed whole, her muffled screams heard even as the snake ponies disappeared back into mountains. She told of how she attempted to follow the snakes into the mountains to save Strike, only to have one of the snakes ambush her in the pass. Taken by surprise, the snake managed to remove one of her forelegs, eating it right in front of her before leaving her bleeding in the pass for her squad to find.

Horrified by what they heard, the council decided to gather together their finest fighters in an attempt to strike back at the lamia. Before they were able to deploy their newly formed fighting force, however, somepony stumbled upon an ancient tomb buried deep within the caverns of Mount Canter. A tomb containing something ancient, something evil, something… chaotic.

The being who soon became known as Discord had, in ages past, been sealed deep within the heart of the mountain for crimes against nature itself. Upon his release, a wave of chaos spread across the land the ponies had dubbed Equestria, and soon they found themselves falling back to their capital city located in the center of the Everfree Forest.

Under Discord’s chaotic rule, the lamia thrived. With the ponies busy running and hiding from Discord’s Chaos Creatures the lamia began flooding into pony territory, sacking entire towns and using any ponies they could get their hooves on to fuel their dark, depraved rituals.

This continued for almost a century before the two sisters, Celestia and Luna Solaris, appeared. Blessed with the traits of all three pony races and wielding extremely powerful relics of pure harmonic magic, Celestia and Luna managed to push Discord back, eventually sealing him in a stone prison during their final confrontation.

With Discord defeated, and both Equestria and the ponies that lived there now free from his tyrannical rule, the sisters were soon chosen to rule side by side in place of the Equestrian Council. Once in power, it didn’t take long at all for the sisters to agree that with Discord now out of the way, the lamia were a threat that needed to be dealt with.

Luna, the younger of the sisters, was tasked with forming some sort of defense against the lamia. With the pony races united in ways they had never been before, it didn’t take long for her to bring together a fighting force more than capable of pushing them out of pony lands. And push them out they did. In just a few shorts years Luna led multiple successful campaigns against the lamia, chasing them out of Equestria and into the mountains they called home.

It was during one of these campaigns that Luna made a shocking discovery, a fourth race of pony. This new race of pony, calling themselves thestral, were extremely similar, yet vastly different, than any of the other races of pony. With wings of leather, and a taste for the flesh of others, relations with the thestral were quite rocky at first, however, a shared enemy in the lamia soon found the thestral working with the ponies. With their skill and experience hunting lamia, Luna welcomed the thestral among her ranks with open hooves, and they soon became the main troop of Luna’s hunting squads.

With this new race of ponies, along with the addition of a spell developed by Luna to track the very magic that gave the lamia life, it wasn’t long before the ponies were knocking on the doors to the capital city of the lamia. When they finally breached the walls of the city, the ponies were both appalled and amazed at what they saw. It was a city of bone, buried deep within the mountains. Every single building, from the corner market vendors to the palace at the heart of the city, appeared to be constructed almost exclusively of bone.

Upon seeing the remains of her ponies, of her subjects, put on display as some twisted sort of decoration Luna flew into a rage. Together with her forces, she marched straight to the palace, slaughtering any lamia they saw along the way. With their magic and superior numbers giving them an advantage they reached the palace in a few short hours, and by the time her sister had lowered the sun for the day, the Pharaoh laid dead at the hooves of Luna.

With their leader dead, the lamia crumbled under Luna’s forces, and it wasn’t long before they fled the city. Not wanting the lamia to regroup and launch a counter-attack, Luna followed them deeper into the mountains. Using her spell to track them, they followed the lamia deeper and deeper, finally cornering them in a strange ancient ruin.

Luna followed the trail deep into the ruins, noting that the design of them was unlike any building she had ever seen. The ponies with her reported that the large, black, arcing halls with glowing green gems in the walls were nothing like any of the designs they had seen in any lamia city, its ragged appearance giving the impression that it had been abandoned for centuries.

When Luna finally reached the end of the trail, she was puzzled to find that it stopped in a seemingly empty room. Upon closer inspection, she found that the room contained a plethora of hooks that appeared to have held something until fairly recently, but the design of the hooks left little clue as to what. With the trail having gone cold, Luna begrudgingly withdrew her troops and returned to Equestria.

Centuries passed, and while the lamia were neither seen nor heard from again, Celestia couldn’t help but feel that her sister didn’t leave the Badlands unscathed. Luna became more and more restless as they years passed, spending all of her time either locked in her room working on her spellcraft or in the barracks working on her swordplay.

Celestia had had enough when she heard that Luna had struck one of their subjects in anger, but on her way to confront her sister about the issue, she was ambushed. What she had thought was a group of her loyal subjects roaming through the halls had instead been a group of lamia in disguise, and by the time the guards could react they had delivered a near-fatal blow to the Princess of the Sun.

Upon hearing of her sister’s attack, Luna flew into a rage. Gathering her troops, she hunted down and slaughtered the would-be assassins without mercy. With the lamia once again located, Luna was able to attune her tracking spell to their altered magical signature and start the hunt once more.

Abandoning her throne in pursuit of vengeance, Luna carved a bloody trail through the countryside. Using her tracking spell, she hunted down and killed every lamia within Equestrian borders. Stallions, mares, even the foals… none were safe from her wrath. It’s reported that she combined her dream walking abilities with her dark magic to enter the minds of her better-hidden victims, killing them in their sleep. It was during this bloody campaign that she earned many of her nicknames, including her most prominent; The Nightmare.

Having cleared out all the lamia in Equestria, Luna pushed into the borders of neighboring nations to hunt them. Despite multiple summons from her sister to return to Equestria, Luna continued her bloody campaign. Months later, having mostly recovered from the attempt on her life, Celestia was preparing to leave Everfree to fetch her sister. However, the morning she was prepared to leave, her sister’s moon refused to make way for her sun.

Fearing the worst she gathered a group of her best guards and prepared to leave in search of her sister, although before Celestia could leave, an alicorn mare appeared in the throne room. Claiming to be the sister of Celestia, the mare, identifying herself as Nightmare Moon, denounced her title of Princess of the Moon and declared herself Queen of the night, and the sole ruler of Equestria. Not wanting to believe what she was hearing, Celestia tried to talk her sister down, claiming that this wasn’t really her speaking, that the lamia had done something to her to cause this.

The Everfree Castle erupted in chaos when Celestia’s attempts to talk were rebuked, and Nightmare attacked without warning. In a moment of desperation, Celestia turned the Elements of Harmony on Nightmare, attempting to cleanse her sister of whatever dark curse she had been afflicted with. Unable to channel their full power through a single host, however, the Elements instead latched onto Nightmare’s connection to the moon and used it to seal her within the celestial body she controlled.

With Luna gone her guard disbanded soon after, and it wasn’t long before the lamia were once again forgotten, an entire race lost to the sands of time…

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In the centuries that followed, the lamia were never seen again. Today they exist only as myth, with only creatures matching their descriptions being mentioned in old fairy tales. By order of the princess, all historical mentions of them buried deep in the archives where nopony would think to look. The few ponies that have discovered texts telling of their existence question if the tale of death and violence is the full story, but the only beings alive today that could answer that question refuse to acknowledge that they actually existed. With the lamia ponies being extinct there is no way of learning if the story told in the history books is the truth or not, because as they say…

History is written by the victors…

Silver Script