Author's Note

The events in this story would take place after the end of season five, but before season seven. Twilight is still the Princess of Friendship, and the school had not been created yet.
Hope you all enjoy!

Prolouge- Applejack

Prologue 1

“Twilight? TWIIIIILIGHT! Are you down here?” Applejack says, as she descends into Twilight’s basement laboratory.

“Consarn it! I guess she already left on her trip. I really needed another bottle of that liniment she concocted for Granny’s arthritis. I wonder if she has anymore already made up?”

Applejack began to pace around the spacious, yet somewhat cluttered laboratory. The center of which was dominated by a huge table. Atop it was a complex series of tubes, and beakers. Along the length of one wall were shelves of scrolls and books of magic. Along another were sections of tall shelves filled with potions. Each section was labeled differently. Applejack began reading them off as she walked by them.

“Experimental, Testing Stage, Helpful, Dangerous, Extremely Dangerous, Armageddon Level Dangerous. Dang Twi, why would you even have stuff like this? Gettin a real mad scientist vibe goin on down here.”

Applejack returns to the shelf marked ‘Helpful’.

“Well dang! Here it is! Granny will be glad to see this! I’ll just leave Twi a note for when she gets back.”

But then, as she prepares to leave, something catches her eye on the ‘Testing Stage’ Shelf.

“Efficiency potion? Well now, that’s a thing.” She picks up the bottle, and begins to read the label. “Potion to help clear the mind. It allows the user to be able to focus on completing your tasks more efficiently.

Now that there, is a useful potion. Hmm, Twi has it on the ‘Testin’ shelf. Well, maybe I can give her a hoof with that. Anything that will make things go more smoothly on the farm is worth tryin out, and I can give Twi a report on how well it works.”

Applejack puts both potions in her pack, amends, the note she left for Twilight, and makes her way back home.

Prologue 2

Three days later...

“I can’t believe this!” Applejack says, looking at the long line of ponies and carts stretched before her.

“We have one main bridge through Ponyville, and of course two carts just have to have an accident in the middle of it. I’m losing all the time I made up over the last few days just trying to get these apples to market. Inefficient! That's what it is!"

Applejack leaves her cart, and makes her way up the the edge of the bridge. She studies the scene for a moment, watching the two ponies argue as to whose fault the accident was, instead of trying to clean up the spill and get off the bridge. On the far side of the bridge can be seen another long line of ponies waiting to cross.

“Inefficient!” Applejack thinks to herself. “If those two want to argue, they should do it someplace else and let the rest of us be on our way. They are lowering the efficiency of the whole dang town!”

Applejack moves to a nearby bench.

“I suppose the most efficient use of my time, is ta go ahead and have lunch while I wait for this to be sorted out.”

Applejack opens a small lunch box. Inside are neatly wrapped sandwiches, an apple, and a small container of juice. She begins to eat, letting her gaze roam around town, but taking no pleasure in what she sees.

Two colts play with a filly in front of their parents shop. “Inefficient! Those three should be inside helpin their parents.”

An old pony pulls a cart down a side street, one of it’s wheels cracked and warped. “Inefficient! He shoulda had that fixed. It’s just makin him slower, an it’ll break soon, stoppin his productivity.”

She sees two ponies talking, leaning against the well in the center of town. “By tha Sky Stallion! Look at them just standing there! Completely inefficient! Dang it! This whole town is inefficient! An it’s causin ME ta be inefficient! This has gotta stop!”

She looks back at the two ponies once more, leaning against the town well.

“Hmm. Applebloom is getting pretty good at makin potions. I bet she could use Twilight’s notes and make another batch of that efficiency potion. A great big batch! Big enough ta dump down the town well. That would get this town back on track I bet! Get things movin again. Make things more efficient!”

Her mind made up, Applejack neatly repacks her lunch, and begins to make her way toward Twilight’s castle.