Chapters "The Everfree Forest is a strange and frighting place at night," Twilight mused, "if I hadn't been this way before I would swear that I was lost." She cautiously looked around." Then again, I don't remember a rock that looks like Pinkie Pie the last time I went this way here," she swore under her breath and slowed her pace. "What was it I was even supposed to get?" Twilight wondered out loud. She couldn't remember. Dismissing the thought, her mind began to drift until it honed in one thing. Not only did Twilight not know what she was looking for, she also didn't know the way back and the trip there had drained too much energy for a spell to help her get back. Stopping, she decided to get her bearings by looking at the stars.
A rustle penetrated the silence. Instincts took over as Twilight swiveled on the spot and let out a burst of magical light in the direction of the noise.
After a few minutes of silence Applejack spoke up.
When Twilight and Applejack got back to the library Applejack dove into the books while Twilight was carefully picking them up and putting them back.
After an hour of reading and five minutes of Applejack watching a particularly interesting bug they had read the book from cover to cover. Twilight sat there lost in the knowledge she has acquired while Applejack was nearly asleep. All of a sudden an idea perked her up.
Dear Princess Celestia I am writing to ask you of a favour. Applejack and I have found an apple with unusual features. While it's shape is the same as an ordinary apple, it's colour is a deep black that draws in the eye.We are asking if you know anything that could help figure out what it is or at least give us full access to the restricted section in the Canterlot Royal Library. Signed Your faithful student Twilight Sparkle
Twilight finished the letter with a flourish and hovered it over to spike who guessed what it was and engulfed it in a burst of green flame.
Dear Twilight Sparkle I do know of this apple but for fear of this letter being intercepted, accidental or otherwise, I do not wish to disclose this information in this letter. As soon at my duties allow it, I will journey to you and explain the apple in person. I must ask that you do NOT eat it. Princess Celestia
Twilight handed the letter to an eager Applejack and sat there confused.why is it so bad to eat the apple . She had to know, even if it meant injury. Twilight was proud of her vast knowledge and always believed she would do anything to get it including breaking into he Royal Library to get a spell. But then again Celestia was very clear in her letter. Twilight was at a loss until a familiar voice chipped in.
Twilight was laying in her bed expecting sleep to wash over her but it never came. She knew why. The apple she wanted so badly lay in a saddlebag just across the room. Unfortunately for her so did Applejack and a whole piano of creaky floorboards (which Fluttershy had suggested putting there to help protect the tree from bugs). Mulling over the pros and cons she decided to go get the apple or more, as she realised, bring the apple to her. Reaching out for something apple shaped with her mind, she mentally headed toward the saddle bag until she found it. gently releasing the buckle and removing the apple she floated it back to herself.Twilight took a few seconds to prepare herself mentally and bit into it.
Flavour exploded into her mouth. The taste was magical, both tooth achingly sweet and tongue twistingly sour. The best description would be if you mixed together Pinkie Pie's sugar intake and Applejack's famous Bitter Fritter. Before she realised what she was doing Twilight let out a low moan.
Author's Note
This is my very first chapter so i would love it if you all would give me a hint on how to improve the rest of them
"CELESTIA!" Twilight knew this could only end badly. "I'm sorry; I didn't see you there. What is that apple?" Twilight motioned toward the apple which had become a stalk in Applejacks mouth.her . I wouldn't be so hard if it was just Applejack but her too is just..." she trailed of and looked up with a stern expression even though tears were trickling down.
"A long while ago, before I came to power, Discord ruled Equestria. He planted some apple trees that cause dramatic revelations among ponies that vary depending on the apple. Some were useful such as one apple that that helped one pony provide great advances in magical power but also made him incredibly snappy. You may have heard that after some of his best creations, Starswirl The Bearded simply disappeared but that's not quite the case. I had to banish him; the chaos he caused was simply too much for Canterlot. One time, he nearly killed a pony simply for stating that they disliked carrots. I had to personally remove him and after that I said no matter what, I would banish any pony that has eaten one of Discord's apples and I intend to hold myself to it." Her face softened slightly," I once went to a forest where one tree produced apples that let anyone speak fluent germane. I had an interesting conversation with a turtle about the meaning of life" Celestia returned to a stony expression." I'll send you to an island called Nightfire, it's not inhabited by any ponies but is still a nice place compared to other places I've sent ponies."
"But... but Celestia..." Twilight started all that came out after that were stifled sobs
Dawn was peeking over the horizon when Twilight and Applejack were ready to go. Twilight was finally able to form sentences. They both wore fully packed saddlebags with a light dress on underneath.
Twilight awoke to find something nudging her in the neck and something digging in to her flank. Rolling over to avoid them both she muttered something about five more minutes.
She saw she was in a forest but that is where the things she knew ended. There were two noticeable things about it. The first was the colour. Although black, when the light shone on it, there was a multitude of colours that would put a rainboom to shame. The second thing was its shape. The easiest description would have to be the outside of a beehive and when you stare at it for too long it seems to pulsate. Twilight decided to touch it, it wobbled like jelly and felt very similar to beeswax. She was sure this was a hive of some sort. It felt weird. Almost Alien .
Twilight wanted to examine this strange wall but she thought about what her curiosity had done for her so far and left it alone. She brought up what meager knowledge she had on medical aid from the depths of her brain and had a look at Applejack's horn. She set to work prodding and poking it until she was sure it was real. Picking a random direction, the two of them decided to head off. Twilight got straight to work in bombarding her new student with spells for the rest of the day.
The sun set as Twilight was teaching Applejack a spell that starts a fire. After a couple of failed attempts, a small bonfire was crackling in the middle of a clearing. Twilight stared solemnly at the fire while Applejack picked out some food from their provisions.
Twilight awoke in the dead of night. The only light provided was from the dwindling embers and the moon. That's when she heard it. The sound that woke her up. A slight rustle followed by a hiss. She could hear it drawing closer like a snake hunting a mouse.
Author's Note
As before, pointers are always welcome.
The two girls burst out laughing.
Twilight would be terrified if she didn't know what the shout came from. Standing in front of her was a baby changeling that couldn't have been older than two. In an attempt to look menacing it began charging a spell up. Through her laughter applejack managed to speak.
Something snapped into place and Applejack started to feel a maternal attachment to the child. She smiled slightly and took it up in her magic.
After the changeling fell asleep Applejack made a simple nest. Quietly whispering farewells, Applejack wiped a tear away and began to silently move on.
They walked on in silence for a while. A low buzz started surrounding them. Applejack opened her mouth to speak but before she could speak a battalion of changelings assaulted them from all sides.
A changeling stood over her. A changeling with a stetson and a cutie mark. A cutie mark of three apples.
Twilight awoke in a pitch black room. It smelt like an ordinary hall. The smell of wood mixed in with the smell of food.
She spent five minutes wondering what to do when she briefly saw a beam of light from a guard
light!
After fully exhausting herself Twilight heard the harsh sound of a door creaking open. A familiar face could be seen from the light a flickering flame provided.
A guard poked his head round the corner. "Don't forget, we need as much information as we can but keep her alive. We can sell her back to Celestia when we've finished with her. And get out of pony form when you're done. It confuses the guards." The guard wandered off down the path. Twilights hatred was replaced with fear. She glanced at the fire and saw a sword in the fire. Panic spread through her mind like a wild fire. Applejack's magic grabbed her head in an iron grip and moved it so Applejacks mouth was right next to her ear.
"I hope you scream."
Author's Note
Sorry this took so long. A mix of a really distracting brain and and an internet that dies more than I do on CoD has certainly made this... fun
Applejack wandered through the forest path. She was heading toward some ruins. Although the ruins were much older than her she still felt some kind of connection to them. They were the remains of the once proud city of Avalon. The city that was a beacon of hope for the collaboration of ponies, griffons and even changelings. It had everything. A bustling market, luxurious apartments and a castle princess Celestia would be jealous of. Although the citizens were far from perfect. The changelings were hated purely because of what they could do. So the Changelings rebelled. There were peaceful protests across the city but the ponies reacted with violence. Or so she was taught. Since her time in the town of Ponyville, Applejack had begun to doubt her teachings.
A scream broke the silence.
Twilight! Applejack raced off into the direction of the noise. She had heard twilight scream before, Rainbow Dash's pranks had made sure of that, but never like this. She was in danger. Serious danger. Applejack neared the outer corridors of the great halls. Putting on her familiar pony form, she mentally prepared herself for whatever she may find and opened the door.
There was only one noticeable thing in the room. A dwindling fire, not much larger than her foreleg but still lit most the room.
Twilight shakily got to her feet and shook her head. "you're... you're right." She sighed. "Why are you a changeling but spend years in Equestria?"
"How touching . The reject and the exile . I'd have hoped for better from two of the elements of harmony. "The voice was familiar to Twilight. Someone she had heard recently but not often. Before she could figure out who it was, Applejack spoke up.
Author's Note
I only lightly brushed over the Changeling Rebellions because I planned to make a story from it. I'll put a link in later.
Meanwhile
"Miss Pinkamena Pie, I have a message for you," a deep blue pegasus guard captain with a silver mane called out as he entered the Sugercube Corner.
Dear pinkie pie I request a meeting with you at the Ponyville library tonight. The matters of which I wish to discuss with you are very sensitive and I request that you tell no-one about this meeting. Yours sincerely Princess Celestia
"What could be so important that," Pinkie was stopped by a hoof invading her mouth. "Sorry," her face lit up. "Wait, you're new! I need to throw you a party." The guard was bombarded by questions until he ended it with a hoof again.
Rarity heard a ring come from the showroom.
Axewing landed on the cloud walkway. After all these years of guarding Canterlot, clouds were the nicest feeling in a long time. He decided that, instead of knocking like his original plan, he would relish the feeling and shout for her instead.
"DISCORD! STOP TURNING ANGEL ORANGE!" A shout broke through the quiet.
Celestia sat in the main room of the library dreading what was to come. She would have to tell four good friends that two of their closest friends were exiled by Celestia herself. Nervously she shook her head and adjusted her wings. Luckily for her, they all came at once, preventing having to explain why she was there and why Twilight and Applejack weren't.
Discord sat eating painted apples while inside one of his favourite paintings when Fluttershy came back. Her eyes were coated in tears and she ran straight to her room. Seeing her in this state, Discord overcame the fear of being punished and decided to follow.
An unexpected hero (edited)
Celestia was relaxing in her art room. In it were many famous paintings by Salvador Donkey, Claude Manet and Leonardo De Hoovsie. She often came here when she had lots to think about as it usually calmed her mind. It took her almost her whole lifetime to get the room just right and she never let anyone, aside from herself, in it alone for fear of messing it up. The last few days were a train-wreck. She had exiled her favourite student and one of her close friends. Then, to top it all off, she had to explain to her other friends what she had done and why she did it. But it had to be done, or at least she told her self this. She wandered around the room, vaguely in the direction of her bed. When she got there she collapsed on the bed and began to sob. The silent yet unstoppable tears escaped for hours until she thought she could cry no more.
She looked up and wiped her eyes. Above her was one of Salvador's more famous pieces, the melting clock. The abstract artist always brought a smile to her face when she remembered the times they had. The smile was dashed when the hands of the clock slowly began to move backwards and the clock face was replaced with one she recognized much better.you to cheer me up any more." After finishing the sentence she realised how harsh she had sounded. "Look. I've had a difficult last few days and I don't want anyone trying to cheer me up."
Axewing was back at Ponyville, enjoying a hastily put together party from Pinkie Pie. It was nowhere near her usual standards but given the circumstances he didn't mind, in fact he was glad to stay, just in case one of the girls needed any help.Most would say it wasn't his fault but he couldn't help but feel guilty for being one of the bearers of bad news.
Axewing was snapped out of these thoughts by a death grip. His first reaction was to reach for the dagger he had sheathed under his wing but stopped when he opened his eyes. All he could see was a mass of pink and he guessed that it was Pinkie that was nearly choking him.
"Discord, Would you do me a huge favour?" Axewing asked, trying to employ Rarity's tactic of innocence and failing horribly.
The ground lurched out from under them and morphed in to a half broken roller coaster with a colour scheme that would put Rainbow Dash's mane to shame.Discord sat at the front and pulled a couple of invisible levers. Fluttershy hovered where she was. She was trying to decide if she should go to the front to prevent discord from pulling tricks or go to the back so she could be safe. She eventually decided on the first choice. Axewing tried to slide in next to Rarity but was beaten by Rainbow Dash. Admitting defeat, Axewing settled down next to Pinkie and awaited her trademark death hug.
Author's Note
Sorry for making the build up take so long but this has to be done. Also it didn't save so I am re-releasing it. Sorry if I waste your time
Wild rides and happy endings
The roller coaster cart coughed and spluttered but didn't move.
Axewing quietly pushed open the door and they found themselves inside a dimly lit hall just in time to hear a loud yell from behind them. Forgoing stealth, Discord slammed the door shut and wrenched back open to reveal the dining room that Twilight and two unknown changelings. One of which was tied down and had a long cut running down it's side.
The girls and Axewing ran to Twilight while Discord stood in shock.them ?" Cocoon's voice was strong but had a hint of pleading in it.
"Sorry to break up this special moment but we are in the middle of a changeling hive." Axewing turned to the door. "And Discord? No cinematics this time please."her with us? She turned me in to a gibbering wreck and probably would have done the same to applejack," Twilight said, struggling to keep the anger out her voice
"And that's how we saved Equestria!" Pinkie triumphantly said.
Meanwhile down in the cells, Discord sat with Cocoon who was just beginning to wake up. She struggled to her feet and instantly regretted it as she almost collapsed before Discord managed to catch her.
Author's Note
Sorry this has taken so long. A mix of exams, writers block, a festival, and a newfound love for my Gamecube have made me forget about it for a while.
