It was early afternoon, the sky was crystal clear, Ponyville was as busy as can be with ponies, citizens and visitors alike, crowding the streets, and patronizing shops. Traversing these congested streets, strangely walking around with an umbrella open, in spite of the clear skies and cool seventy degrees, was a young pegasi mare, named Hemisphere, though she preferred Hemiy because it sounds cute. Hemisphere has an indigo, glossy coat that shimmers like dew drops, but it was her mane and tail she invested her pride in, for both were long and flowing, soft and smooth, boasting a rare silver hue that grew lighter and lighter towards the tips, as if it were undergoing a seamless refining process. Her eyes were also unique as each iris commanded its own color, the left being magenta and the right being vermilion, lastly her cutie mark was a snowflake shaped like a raindrop with tiny hail stones encompassing it, and all of it was colored in the purest white. However, while a sight to behold in her own right, Hemisphere's umbrella did not fall short, its shaft was composed of iron wood stained to an aquamarine finish, as well as possessed an interchangeable handle design; today Hemisphere opted for the plain candy cane shaped one, with a soft rubber overlay.

As for the canopy, it featured a traditional design, composed of weather resistant canvas dyed to a sky blue, a network of treated copper served as the infrastructure supporting the canvas, on the top was a single thunderbolt, cast from solid gold, and dangling from the six tips of the canopy were tiny wind chimes fashioned from sterling silver, each chime consisted of a four part pattern; cloud, hailstone, snowflake and rain drop. Yes indeed, Hemisphere, be it with her umbrella, or her own body, can easily draw all matter of attention, even after a months time in Ponyville, the citizens have yet to grow complacent of her, and for two ponies that simply would not do. As Hemisphere went on her way, without a care in the world, two pairs of eyes, from two different angles, glared at her with a subtle hint of venom, and even fainter envy. One pair gazed from a shop window down the street, the mare they belonged to was an elegant white unicorn, with a marvelous dark purple, spiral mane and tail, her cutie mark consisted of three baby blue diamonds clustered together. The second pair peered down from on high, their owner was a pegasi mare with a sky blue coat, boasting a stellar rainbow mane and tail, her cutie mark a thundercloud, or cumulonimbus, casting out a rainbow thunderbolt. These two mares, Rarity and Rainbow Dash, were famous and infamous, depending on whim one spoke to, they both desired to be the best, for all of Equestria to know their names, be it as a famous dress designer, or world class athlete, but Hemisphere hindered those dreams; albeit not as far as they saw it as.

Both Rarity and Rainbow Dash found Hemisphere to be a bothersome thorn, though it was hardly deliberate, the latter was simply being who she has always been, and that ticked the pair off. Rarity would never forget when it all started, she was trying out a new design to attract more customers, and that was when the most handsome stallion she ever saw came walking right towards her. Rarity's heart and breathing both spiked suddenly, "This is the one," she told herself, and just as she started busting out the charm, he merely continued without so much as a pause, and walked to HER! Hemisphere, with her umbrella wide open, stood right behind Rarity, perusing through some of the clothes Rarity had out to aid her attempt to draw customers; it had worked, unfortunately. The stallion smoothly attempted to sweep Hemisphere off her feet, Rarity was so jealous, though that quickly devolved into petty rage, for Hemisphere, without even looking at the guy, turned him down cold, and then proceeded up the street, leaving two ponies completely disenchanted, all the while smiling as if nothing happened.

"HOW DARE SHE?!" Rarity groaned, biting down hard on her lips, as she vowed to crush her new rival.

Rainbow Dash also had the moment Hemisphere won her ire, committed to memory; this went back a month, when Hemisphere first came to Ponyville. It was midday, Rainbow Dash was totally stoked, for Spitfire, Captain of the Wonderbolts, on her way to Canterlot, stopped by Ponyville to rest her wings, and take a look at some of Rainbow's moves; no joke. This would have been Rainbow's best day ever, her once in a lifetime chance to really impress the current Captain of the Wonderbolts, but it was not to be, because of HER! Just as Rainbow finished her warm up exercises, a voice cried out, "Heads up, I'm coming for a landing," and when they set their gaze upwards, what they saw was out of a fantasy book. Descending down from the stratosphere was Hemisphere, her shimmering coat glowing like a dew drop as she softly came down like a dandelion petal, and all thanks to her umbrella.

Spitfire was totally enthralled, the grace and simplicity of the feat was unlike anything ponies usually see, and the six wind chimes ringing crystal clear in the background, only added to the serenity. The very instant Hemisphere landed, Spitfire was all over her, and Rainbow Dash was left in the peanut gallery until Spitfire had to leave, but not before offering Hemisphere an invitation to visit the Wonderbolts in Cloudsdale, to which she humbly denied. Since then Rainbow Dash has had Hemisphere in her cross hairs; "No ponies upstages me!" Rainbow Dash would say to herself whenever she sees Hemisphere. The longer she spied on Hemisphere, the more tense Rainbow Dash got, and it wasn't long till she had had enough an then dive bombed Hemisphere.

"Today it ends!" Rainbow Dash shouted, as she zeroed in on her target. "Today I'm going to shine, and you will eat dirt."

Rainbow was so pumped, a heroic smile crept up her face, and a fiendish snicker escaped her lips, as she already basked in the glow of her own, premature victory. An premature it was, for before she could reach Hemisphere a loud cry came from far up the street, near Sugar Cube Corners, and in the brief instance between cries, Hemisphere vanished from Rainbow and Rarity's sight, and then reappeared at Sugar Cube Corners. Rainbow was dumbstruck, and Rarity was speechless, what they saw wasn't magic, or a trick of the eye, it was pure leg work. Faster than they could blink, Hemisphere shut her umbrella, and darted up the street with only her shimmering coat betraying her movement. An if that wasn't enough by the time the second round of crying hit, Hemisphere had assumed her previous posture, her umbrella high over her head, and a carefree smile dominating her face; she wasn't even breathing hard after such a dash.

"She can't be real," Rainbow and Rarity unknowingly said unanimously, their dreams dashed yet again.

Whilst Rainbow and Rarity recovered, Hemisphere awarded her undivided attention to another mare, crying her eyes out in front of Sugar Cube Corners. This mare was Hemisphere's good friend, and pseudo little sister, Iron Maiden, an earth pony of below average height, she barely reached Hemisphere's shoulders, her coat was dark violet with a hint of purple highlights, her mane and tail were a glossy royal blue, and both were kept short at one hoof's length. Similar to Hemisphere, Iron Maiden's eyes were mismatched, the left being silver and the right a brilliant gold, and as for her cutie mark, it appeared to be a capital A to most, but to those more well read, like Hemisphere, it was actually the ancient symbol for Alpha. However, what truly set Iron apart from the crowd was her pure white, velvet scarf, which was so long she had to tie it several times to keep it off the ground, but that wasn't the case. Though Iron was an earth pony, incapable of magic on her own, her scarf was always in a constant state of levitation, and none could deduce why, not even Princess Twilight, after two months of study, could not crack the code.

"What vexes you, my old friend?" Hemisphere calmly and sweetly asked Iron, dipping her umbrella forward, so as to cover Iron under its comforting shade.

"Oh Hemiy, it's just awful," Iron Maiden said through tear soaked eyes, and a stuffy nose. "I came to buy a strawberry shortcake, like I do every Wednesday--"

"What is wrong? Did you just remember something?" Hemisphere inquired, perplexed by Iron's sudden pause.

"Today is Wednesday, right?" Iron Maiden honestly asked, causing Hemisphere to stare back blankly, and then nod in confirmation. "Oh that is good, don't want a repeat of last week."

"You mean when you thought everyday was Sunday," Hemisphere retorted with a snicker, causing Iron to pout in embarrassment. "Oh do not groan, you were so cute as you slowly panicked over your...predicament."

"Urgh, shut up! It isn't not like you never made a mistake before," Iron Maiden said, her face now colored by her shame.

"Tut, tut, tut, use of a double negative is improper speech for a young lady," Hemisphere scolded, as she lightly bopped Iron a top her head. "In any event, just what was it that had you crying your eyes out?"

"Oh, right," Iron Maiden said, as she got back a tack. "So, as I said, I came to the Corner to buy some cake, but when I finally got to the counter, Mrs. Cake told me they were out of strawberries!"

"Well that is unfortunate, but hardly a travesty. Why did you not procure a different variety; they have plenty," Hemisphere reasoned, but Iron would hear none of it,

"A strawberry cake without a strawberry...? Is that even a proper sentence?" Iron Maiden asked, almost recoiling at Hemisphere's crazy talk. "Besides all the other stuff is too heavy on the sugar. A girl has to watch her figure."

"I cannot argue with that," Hemisphere said with a smile. "But still to cause such a scene, in front of such a popular establishment...Tis most unbecoming for any lady, least of all you, my dear sister."

"But big siiis--" Iron Maiden whined.

"Iron!" Hemisphere said with a heavier tone, and piercing eyes to match.

"But...Okay, sorry big sis," Iron Maiden replied with a low and meek voice, her eyes staring down at her hooves.

"It is okay. Tell you what, how about we go out and buy the ingredients to make our own strawberry cake?" Hemisphere suggested, her shimmering expression taking front stage again.

"Seriously, you better not be messing with me, big sis," Iron Maiden replied, her eyes sparkling with joy, and even her scarf seemed captivated at the notion, evident by its immediate spike in speed, thrashing about as if caught in a wind tunnel.

"I have never been more serious," Hemisphere said, as she took out a small bag of bits, and jiggled it about happily.

"Then let's go! Right now! Come on slowpoke!" Iron Maiden said, as she jumped to her feet, and pranced around like a toddler, tugging at Hemisphere's free hoof vigorously.

"Okay, okay hold your horses. I am certain the shops will not liquidate their strawberry stocks in one afternoon," Hemisphere chuckled, as they both proceeded down the street.

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On the other side of town, deep into the rural areas of Ponyville, just within the borders of the Everfree Forest there was a quaint little house owned by the local guard captain, Abigale Watson. Following the contemporary style the era, Abigale's house featured a straw roof, woven in an overlapping pattern to repel rain, as well as retain heat and cold, during the winter and summer respectively. The overall structure featured two floors, the first floor containing the kitchen, a full bathroom, living room, dining room, and the laundry room. The second floor consisted of three bedrooms, a half bath, containing a second toilet and sink, and a private study, kept secured behind a sturdy oak door with twin dead bolts. Lastly the exterior of the dwelling was comprised of a layer of shingles, stained to a cherry wood finish, a small set of concrete steps lead up to the front door, and lastly all of the seven windows dotting thew house were cylindrical, and ranged between two to three feet.  

Very few ponies ever ventured this deep into the country, in fact the actual number wasn't even in the double digits, and at this moment one of those select few was just in view of the humble lodging. Private Yule was his rank and name, he was a bat pony who once served under Princess Luna as a member of her royal guard, until one month ago when she arranged for his transfer to the still new, Ponyville Regiment. Now like all bat ponies, Private Yule had a gray coat, his mane and tail were ridged, comprised of the same membrane as his wings, and all three were a dark blue with an accent hue of purple as contrast. Lastly his eyes were a vivid amethyst instead of the normal amber shared by his kind, and his cutie mark was a rose completely encased in steel. Since he was not on duty, Private Yule did not adorn his armor, and instead wore a tan turtle neck shirt; one of his favorites due to the soft cotton blend.

As Captain Abigale's house came closer and closer into view, Private Yule's nerves grew in intensity, he fumbled to keep a grip on the bouquet of foxgloves he just purchased, and his mouth became quit dry. Private Yule knew he was taking hug risk, for the Captain made it crystal clear that her property was out of bounds to all her men, unless it was a dire emergency or work related, but just like the first time, he did not care. From the very moment he laid eyes on the Captain, he desired nothing greater than for her to be his, but that was a bridge pitted with all kinds of traps. On his first attempt, not even a week after he was transferred, Yule went to her home with a ladder, and tried to swoon Abigale off her hooves with the Romeo routine. Instead what he got was a Molotov tossed down at his ladder's base, and before shutting her window, the Captain merely said, "Climb."

Ever since then Private Yule has held himself in reserve, patiently watching the Captain, and learn what he could of her likes and dislikes. Today he was sure to succeed, he had her favorite flowers, and best of all her room mates were sure to be out at this time, so there would be no interruptions. Alas while Yule has things planned out quite well this time, few plans survive enemy encounter, due to the possibility of unknown x factors, and in this case the x factor was huge. Before he was even twenty feet from the front door, a colossal wolf just came flying past him, tossed with such casual ease, and at a velocity so high that its tail wind completely shredded the foxgloves he carried effortlessly. Shivering uncontrollably, as he stared at the remains of his once lovely bouquet, Private Yule was caught off guard when Captain Abigale came up to him, and immediately thrust her jousting lance inches from his face.

Captain Abigale Watson was a mare in her late twenties, her coat was a dark magenta, her mane and tail were  luscious emerald, though she always kept them tied back in knots, her eyes were a pale orange, and lastly her cutie mark was a vanity mirror with a jousting lance leaning behind it, Now since she was at home, Abigale was not donning her armor, though she did wear clothing, shrouding her feminine modesty was a long sleeved yellow shirt, and a pair of blue jeans, both being well worn, boasting signs of previous patch work. Captain Abigale, in spite of her average height, always dwarfed her subordinates, but this time she completely eclipsed Yule, her expression was cold and analytical, and her posture was nothing short of perfect; if he did anything stupid, she could kill him before he even knew he screwed up.

"You saw the wolf, did you not?" Abigale calmly inquired, her eyes appearing to probe his very soul for any hint of deception.

"Yes ma'am," Yule replied, as he took a deep gulp.

"Ah, damn it. Well I guess you ought to know the truth, don't want you getting the wrong idea," Abigale sighed in frustration, as she lowered her lance, and then looked at the wolf, who now stood beside Yule. "This concludes our sparring secession, Marow. Would you care to join us for a drink?"

"No thank you, I planned on taking a dip in the lake. So I'll just drink from one of the rivers along the way," Marow replied in a most unexpected feminine voice.

"As you wish," Abigale said, nodding to the bronze and white wolf, before then shifting her gaze back to the still shocked Yule. "Well? Are you coming, or do you prefer to just stand their like an imbecile?"

"No ma'am!" Yule quickly replied, as the Captain's cold glare leered down on him once more. "Thank you for opening your home to me, ma'am."

"If you tell a soul about this..." Abigale said, as she thrust her lance hard into the ground, causing a small indentation, six inches deep. "I will make your life so terrible you will wish I did that to you."

"Mums the word, ma'am" Yule nervously chuckled, as his heart rate spiked.

"Glad we have an understanding," Abigale replied with a cheerful smile, as she lead the way to her front door, but then came to immediate halt, locking eyes with Yule one final time.

"Yes ma'am?" Yule asked, wondering what he had done to offend his Captain.

"Wipe your hooves," Abigale pointed to a trough full of clean water, and several drying rags resting beside it. "Also, touch nothing except a chair, and use a coaster when you drink."

"Ugh...yes maaa'am," Yule groaned, a little agitated to being treated like a five year old, and yet he did not complain too much; she did invite him in this time, that had to count as a progress, right?