Fried Green Tomatoes at the Ponville Cafe
by James Vermont
Chapters
In which we are introduced
“There is a land, far from Equestria, a land without Harmony, not like what we have here.” Princess Celestia had summoned Twilight and her friends to her castle in Canterlot and now she was pacing back and forth along the passageway.
“Princess Twilight” Celestia stopped pacing and looked at her fellow alicorn. Twilight readied herself, this was the part where she was charged with leading her friends to unknown lands to save the...
“You are to remain in Ponyville whilst your friends travel on their mission with my sister Luna and Princess Cadence.”
/Cue theme song\
Twilight's features dropped like a hammer, she never got left behind, never. Not she, no Princess Twilight Sparkle. And yet, the look in Princess Celestia's face was not playful, nor in jest.
“But...but why?”
Celstia's features softened as she looked down at her former student.
“I believe that it is time that your friends learnt to act without you, they need to trust in their own strengths and not always have your careful planning and calm mind to save them.”
From her friends there was a muffled sound of “hush” and “Shut up Rainbow” and “Oh, I'm so so sorry, I mean, I hope you don't mind.” Her friends were recalling the many adventures they had all had, and whilst it was true that Twilight had always been the one to save them in the end, 'calm' was not a term they would use to describe the purple alicorn. Celestia ignored their murmured argument and continued on.
“And you Princess Twilight, must learn to work with others. The Princess of Friendship though you be, you have only worked with one group of ponies. I am trusting you understand what I am saying?”
The Princess smiled graciously and their meeting was over.
The ponies were gathered in a circle, sharing a teary goodbye, Celestia stood atop the stairs at the entrance to the castle and looked down on them. This was never the most pleasant thing to witness but it was necessary. She turned and began walking to her throne room, Princess Luna joined her, her sister was slightly smaller than she was, but Celestia had learnt long ago not to take her sister's smaller stature for granted.
“They will not take kindly to being led by myself and Princess Cadenza” Luna spoke up finally.
“Whyever would you come to that conclusion my sister?” Celestia replied, “They have worked with you before.”
“They have worked with Mi Amore before, and they have met me once, but I do not believe that they trust either of us. Not after Mi Amore turned out to be Chrysalis and my um... change.”
Celestia smiled, “Then they will learn to trust you little sister.”
“Octavia! Come on in! Usual I take it?” Came the cheery voice of Bon Bon, the owner of the Ponyville Cafe. Octavia had entered moments before and had been greeted by the cafe owner with the usual joyous call.
“I think I'll try something different today Bon.” Octavia replied, setting herself down in front of her usual table. The cafe was crowded as usual, it was popular meeting place for the ponies of ponyville and travellers passing by were always walking in the door. But Octavia was one of the regulars, one of the first to stop by at Bon Bon's Cafe and one of the first to help work there.
Bon Bon remembered when she had first met Octavia all those years ago, she had just opened up the Cafe, and it had been a success from the get go, however there were so many customers that Bon Bon could hardly keep the bussiness going on her own. Until one day, a dissheveleld musician arrived on her doorstep asking about work. Bon had taken her in and showed her the ropes, in return, Octavia had helped bake and wait tables and even performed on her Cello during the nights. Eventually the conductor for the Royal Canterlot Sympony Orchestra had been sitting at one of the tables, to see Octavia's performance had melted his heart and soon Bon Bon had lost her helper, but soon gained another. And whenever Octavia was on break and back in Ponyville, she always leant a hand.
Octavia looked around at the ponies and tried to see if any of the other regulars were enjoying breakfast. Vinyl was on tour in the Crystal Empire, so she wouldn't be here, Dr Whooves never showed up except for dinner and... ah, Lyra.
Lyra must have been helping Bon Bon out today because she trotted over to Octavia's table wearing the grown on her flanks that all Bon Bon's helpers wore. She flicked back her hair and smiled at Octavia.
“Bon said you wanted something different today, make life harder in the long run but for a friend, I guess it's all fine.” Lyra smiled through her fake grumpiness and Ocatavia returned it, placing her order, which Lyra shouted back in the general direction of the kitchen before sitting down on a chair in the strange way she did. “So what's up?”
Octavia sighed, “You are lazier than Vinyl sometimes, you know that”
Lyra laughed as Bon Bon brought out the food, the three of them remained seated at the table, all picking at Bon's amazing cooking. Finally Octavia looked up from her food, having stuffed her face in the most elegant ladylike way possible, she spotted some of the customers waving for a bill and she jerked her head in their direction. Lyra rose, “I got this one” and left.
“Have you seen James in here at any point Bon?”
Bon Bon raised an eyebrow at Octavia and smirked.
“You have a reason to see him Tavi?”
Octavia rolled her eyes as Bon Bon erupted into laughter, she stuck out her tongue at the laughing pony, once again, in the most ladylike way possible.
“Actually I was hoping for some company from a pony who's mental age exceeded four years.” Octavia retorted.
“Then you'll have to look somewhere else dear, cause you won't find it here!” Bon blasted laughs and smiles at Octavia, who hadn't noticed the Pegasus Pony that had just entered. He was short for a stallion, his fur stripped with brown and green and his hair stuck out in every direction, defying gravity itself, and somewhere in that mess of mane he managed to balance a red fez. He looked around for somepony familiar and spotted the two mares at the table, waving a hoof and letting out a pleasant greeting in their direction.
“Wotcher!”
Octavia froze. Bon Bon laughed.
A study in tomatoes
“Wotcher!” Came James' delighted call, his voice was odd, like a mish mash of different accents, either he was well travelled or the more likely reason for the dirt poor writer, he was from the Southern parts of Equestria. Octavia had been there once on tour with the Orchestra, and they all had those strange accents, close to High Canterlot, but still too low and filthy. She shook her head at such thoughts, she didn't think like that any more, all these ponies were her friends now. No matter what their social status was.
She blinked as a hoof was waved in front of her face, “Pardon,” She said automatically.
“You dazed out for a sec there Octy” James said with a cheerful laugh. So, Bon what do you have on the menu thats affordable. Bon Bon raised an eyebrow and sighed.
“Every single day you come here, ask what's cheap and end up getting other people to pay for your meal. Why don't you just get a job here like everyone else that wants free meals.”
James shook his head and tutted under his breath. “I'll have money when I finish my book, I'm really close now. It's about this fillie who...”
“Stop telling us and finish the Twilight damned book already.” Lyra said as she joined them at last, however she received a warning nudge from Bon Bon. “Watch your language, look who just walked in.”
And as Murphies Law would have it, Twilight Sparkle walked into the Ponyville Cafe and the jaws of Every Pony there dropped. Twilight sighed and shook her head, it had been like this all day, everywhere she went there was always someone bowing at her hooves or greeting her or treating her like a princess. She still wouldn't wear her crown in Ponyville for that very reason, but in the end nothing helped. The purple alicorn was just far to easily noticed. She wished she could go back to being the invisible bookworm from her childhood.
Bon Bon noticed the look on Twilight's face and recognized it instantly, she stood up calmly, trotting over to the princess and then waved at all the gawpers.
“Yes yes, look at the Princess, everybody take a good look at the princess. Have you had a good look yet? Good, please return to your meals. Twilight's head leant to the side in a brief moment of surprise and Bon Bon turned to her. “Good morning Miss Sparkle, would you like something to eat? Our speciality has been the route of our success and may be just the thing you are looking for.”
Bon Bon smiled, twilight was still staring, a hundred questions were flying through her mind right now, she couldn't find a good way to structure everything so she just asked everything at once.”
“How and why did you do that? And yes I'm starving, Where can I sit, all the tables look full? What's the speciality? It sounds lovely, also, do you have a washroom?” Bon Bon didn't even flinch under the tirade of questions and continued her smile. “Some of our regulars are minor celebrities, I had to learn how to handle their admirers, you can sit with us over there, Fried Green Tomatoes and yes, behind the counter there's a door that should take you to the washroom, anything else ma'am?”
Bon Bon's final question was wasted on air as the Purple Princess darted for the washroom, Bon Bon rolled her eyes and yelled for Lyra.
“Get our speciality ready Ly! And James, make yourself useful and pull up a chair for our guest and Octavia. Octaiva... Octavia?” She sighed, the musician was deep in thought, Bon Bon almost though about shooing the writer away so that Octavia could be useful to them in a conversation, but at the last second before she opened her mouth a customer started frantically waving her over. She sighed and went back to work.
There was a new Pony standing on the hilltop overlooking Ponyville, he had a white coat, his mane was black and messy beyond belief and he had a bluish grey scarf wrapped tightly around his neck. He looked at the small town and sighed, speaking out in a deep rolling voice that would have mesmerised anypony nearby.
“Small town, founded not many years ago, in fact I would say that some of the first settlers are alive, but very old. Three buildings are being rented right now, two are home to musicians but one is away, the other is in disrepair and the current tennants will move out in four hours” He pulls out his pocket watch and examines it, replaces it then looks back at the town. “My mistake, three hours. The third room is home to a writer, unsuccessful and working on his first book. He is not in right now but judging by the colour of the bricks on his roof he is in a cafe right now begging off his friends for food whilst a lonely alicorn is in the washroom and feeling lonely because her friends are away for an extended period of time.” He pauses. “This is going to be dull.” He doesn't smirk, frown or show any expression as he trots down the hill and towards the Ponyville cafe.