Another Equestria

by Lamia

First published 30th of January, 2012

Twilight Sparkle here. You wanted to hear about my recent adventure with Angel? Well, I suppose...

Hello, there!

If you've accessed this, that means you're interested in me, Twilight Sparkle, and the adventure I just had with Fluttershy's pet rabbit, Angel!

For a little while now I've been using memory magic to recall the fond events of everything that happened. If you look below, you'll be able to see some recollected memory segments that I've transcribed for you in a kind of literature-based format.

It takes time to remember it all, and even to transcribe it accurately; remember to check back every once in a while!

I'm also not so great with these magical storage units just yet. There could be some delay related to it, but I'm getting the hang of it!

~ See you soon,
Student of Princess Celestia,
Twilight Sparkle

~ Chapter 1: The Accident

Let's see... I think I remember the day it all started. I was in the middle of an experiment, and it was raining outside...

I wiped my face off, the charred fur leaving a mark on my wrist and hoof. I stuck my tongue out, but it only made things worse since I could taste the air clearly. Bleh! I quickly levitated a small mirror from the adequately-labeled Small Mirror shelf and took a look, though I was a bit reluctant.

Ugh! I looked awful! My face was entirely black and I looked like I had serious bed-mane. It felt depressing to have another experiment blow up in my face... Literally. I closed my eyes and began a spell to return my fur and mane to its rightful color and form. With the flash, I looked in the mirror again. There... Nice and tidy once more. As much as I hate to admit it, I couldn't help but turn my head and give myself a stylish expression for just a second. I felt like Rarity! Giggling to myself, I carefully set the small mirror back on the proper shelf, and took a look around my desk to check out the damage I caused.

My work area didn't exactly fare much better. My small stool was in a few pieces, the desk turned upside-down, some of the drawers open with their spilled contents all over the floor. I sighed to myself, starting to focus magic into my horn so I could clean all this up.

Scrolls, check, ink and quills, check, owl feed, check, gemstones to distract Spike, check, temporary items reorganized... There. The desk was put right-side-up again, and the stool was back in one piece. Floating the paper I was using to store my notes back over to me, I magically grabbed a quill and looked over this current hypothesis.

That combination didn't seem to work too well... I took a note on the front page of the stack: 'Very volatile; violent explosion within' I paused to think for a moment. '17 seconds.' I sighed hopelessly, drooping my head. It sure was difficult to get this just right... I'll figure out how to make bottled unicorn energy eventually. Just have to tweak the formula...

Setting the old hypothesis gently in a file folder in the desk drawer, I brought out more sheets of paper and started to write a new magical formula. If I can just get this to work... There'll be so many wonderful applications...! Anypony could use magic, making everyday life so much simpler! I smiled to myself, the reminder having reinvigorated my hope and continued writing.

In a few minutes I heard a few knocks at the door, and I set down my writing tools and such after finishing the line I was on, having completed a few pages.

"Coming!" I turned around and trotted over to the door, opening it and getting an eardrum-busting roar of thunder in my head, along with super-speedy winds just about blowing me off my hooves! Ice-cold rain splattered my front as I heard the clop of someone's feet walk inside. Whoever they were, I was glad to get them out of this storm. I tried to push the door closed, but the winds were too strong and the increasingly wet floor made it hard to get my footing. I simply just used magic to close the door, locking it in all three places to be sure. I was feeling a bit wet... I raised a towel from the towel shelf and ran it over myself a little.

Turning my vision over to whoever walked in, I noticed a shivering, dripping yellow and pink pegasus; Fluttershy! I could hear her teeth chatter from here.

"Fluttershy, are you okay?" I quickly levitated the towel to droop on her, hoping she can get dry enough.

"I-I-I'm... F-f-f-freeeee-z-zing..." Her gentle and quiet tone was always expected. As she unfolded her wings a bit, I saw her pet rabbit, Angel, crawl out and plop to the floor, seeing that even he was soaked despite being in a bit of cover.

"Oh, Angel, let me get you, too..." A small washcloth would be enough, and I took one from the appropriate shelf to dry him myself. As I quickly scrubbed him dry, Fluttershy was slowly doing the same to herself.

"Thank you, Twilight, for getting us out of that storm..." Fluttershy smiled meekly at me, still well-mannered as ever even in a situation like this. I shook my head a bit and smiled back.

"No problem, Fluttershy! Always here to help." Finishing drying Angel who seemed a bit disgruntled at being first soaking wet then damp and poofy, I started to walk back to my desk to get back to work. Had to keep my mind flowing.

"How'd you get caught in the storm?" I asked inquisitively, folding and placing the small towel I used on Angel into the 'Color' dirty clothes hamper. I looked at my desk again and magically picked up the quill and the current page I was on. What did it need, again...? I stared at the paper in thought.

"Oh, Angel and I were getting ready to buy something for dinner..." She continued drying herself as the rabbit looked away from her, pouting and crossing his arms. It took me a moment for what she said to register, I was a bit occupied in my thoughts.

"...Dinner...?" I shifted my gaze over to the clock on the wall. It was the evening already! "Wow, I didn't even notice it was this late already! Time sure flies when you're having fun." I hadn't noticed at all that that much time passed... Oh well. I guess that explained one thing. Fluttershy giggled a little and nodded slightly.

"Well, I hope we're not bothering you, being here this late..." So polite. I chuckled at how ridiculous that notion was.

"It's cold and pouring rain outside, how couldn't I let you get away from that?" I furrowed a brow and she smiled again with a thankful face. "As for dinner, I have some carrots set aside that I was going to snack on. Would you like some?" Almost immediately, Angel's ears perked at attention and he came hopping my way, then jumped onto my back and hugged my neck. He was pretty sweet when he wanted to be.

"Sure, thank you. I'm sure Angel wants some, too." I looked up to the upper level where I stored snacks at, and levitated three carrots towards us. One for each of us, all equal in size. Angel grabbed his and started eating immediately, with Fluttershy merely nibbling on hers. I took a sizable bite out of mine and started chewing, looking back to my work, getting to it.

"That storm really came on fast, didn't it? Those pegasus ponies can sure be rough sometimes." After a minute or so, I looked over to her, not exactly sure what to talk about. She surely had somewhere else to be, and I was working on magical research, which would probably bore her to no end. Even so, her question broke the ice.

"What're you working on?" She noticed all the paper stacked neatly on the desk, one stack the extra blank sheets, the other being the recently written on. The shy pony seemed to be satisfied with how dry she was, now; she took the towel into her mouth and placed it into the hamper without folding it. I corrected that myself, surprising her a moment. She looked to me again as I took a book from one of the magic study shelves.

"Oh, I'm working on a way to bottle up unicorn magic!" I was very happy to share something like this with one of my best friends. "If I can figure out how to do it, then anypony could potentially use unicorn magic relative to the amount they pour on themselves... Can you imagine how great it would be to use magic?" I smiled brightly at her as I checked the cover of the book I took from the shelf. 'Magical Displacement Theory, by Viola Étoile', it said in simple gold print on a thick red book.

"Ah, that sounds wonderful... I could use it to... lift heavy things!" I giggled a bit as I opened the book to the contents, seeing her think to herself about being a strong-hooved magic user. Fluttershy's response I practically predicted. Even the response just now as she yelped from being surprised by a sudden thunderclap. I couldn't help but let out a little giggle when she jumped.

"That's one thing you could do. But there's so much more! It even might be possible to give all earth and pegasus ponies permanent magic abilities, too...!" The sound of it reminded me that I needed to look through this book again. I knew there was something in here, I had to look again, read it carefully... Something told me I'd find what I was looking for. I took another bite of carrot. I could hear Angel still eating his loudly.

"Oh, yes, it would be pretty nice..." Always the understater. I rolled my eyes and looked back to the book, flipping pages here and there. Hmm... This particular formula was really strange. It wasn't really related to containment-based magic, but it was still displacement... Maybe that was the trick to it? I'll have to give it a try, anyway. I wrote down some more parts of the formula.

After the book-guided information was combined with my latest calculations, I was feeling pretty positive at how this would turn out, setting the quill back in the ink. I held up all the sheets side-by-side with magic, looking it over one more time. I think I've got it...

"Alright, stand back. I'm gonna try this..." I brought out an empty container from the 'Jars: Small' shelf, moving it and the papers to the desk. Fluttershy complied, moving back a couple feet. Angel stayed on my back, chomping away at his carrot, but I forgot that he was there at the time. Another crash of thunder outside. It seemed pretty loud, but I needed to concentrate.

I closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath, then strained, focusing my mind and magic onto the formula I was working on all day. This... Yes... That... Little more... Nngh... I could hear the magic sparkling and whirring from my horn. Opening my eyes just a bit, trying not to lose concentration, I stared directly at the small jar I procured for the magic containment. Just have to gather it up enough before trying to move it...

The thunderstorm roared above my treehouse. A deafening crack in the air connected with the magical lightning rod, and it surged with power. However, something went wrong; it didn't absorb it all the way. There was a magical disturbance keeping it from doing so. It shorted out the lights in my house, and made it rumble for a moment, making Fluttershy uneasy. I didn't notice, however. I couldn't stop, not now. The jar was beginning to show a sparkle of magic as I started to apply the next part, my horn whining from the power...

"Come on...! Almost... There...!" Suddenly, there was a deafening crash of sound; a lightning bolt came from the ceiling and struck my horn. There was a blinding flash, and I was gone from my house in an instant.

I couldn't see anything, but I felt the energy from the lightning bolt. My head was killing me... I consciously stopped my spell, and opened my eyes, I think. There was nothing, it was as if I was blind. I tried to move a hoof to my head, but found I couldn't move, either. I attempted to make a noise, but there wasn't a peep. All I could tell was that I was somewhere... strange, and my ears were ringing.

I wasn't sure how long I was stuck in that void, but it ended with a flash of light. Regaining my senses quickly, I could move and see again, but... I was underwater! I held my breath and looked around to try and find the surface, and found Angel. He was just as surprised as I was right now... I took and held him close with my foreleg. Looking down, I also saw that half my desk came with me, and it was floating down slowly to the rather scary depths of whatever body of water this was. My notes, too! Oh well... I also managed to catch a glance of a shiny reflection; the jar that I used broke apart.

I'd better get up for some air, I thought, looking up at the shining surface. Just then, Angel was patting me, getting my attention. He frantically pointed downward at some creepy tentacles that were coming up from the deep darkness down there! I would have shouted if I wasn't underwater, but all that came out was bubbles, and I held my breath again. I swam up as fast as I could with new resolve, but I wasn't that great a swimmer; it was catching up quick, and my air was running thin. I closed my eyes again and prepared an easy spell to get us out.

Whoosh. We jetted up through the water, and with a splash, ended up flying through the air and towards some grass at the shore which was luckily nearby. I landed kind of hard on the ground; I probably have a small scrape. I relaxed and laid back in the grass, panting heavily, coughing up some water, and Angel did the same. I looked over to him tiredly.

"Ar... are you... alright, Angel...?" I continued catching my breath for a moment, and he nodded, panting as well. Closing my eyes, I really felt like I needed a rest. Two powerful magic attempts today, almost drowning underwater... Plus I was zapped by lightning...! Could this day get any worse?

Suddenly, my rabbit friend was pushing on my face and squeaking at me. I opened my eyes to see a wet, black tentacle up above, ready to strike! It immediately started to swing down, and I shouted in fright, jumping up with Angel and hastily going into a gallop away from the lake. It narrowly missed me, slamming in the dirt. I slowed my pace as I looked back, seeing it retreat back into the water.

Sighing again in tiredness, I looked back at the rabbit on my shoulder who was catching his breath again.

"Well, Angel, we made it." I tried to give a reassuring smile, but I remembered everything that just happened; the lightning bolt must have triggered a teleportation spell with the instantaneous-type energy that it charged me with. Looking around, I saw that I was in a large, grassy field. It was very clear out, few clouds, and there was a comfortable breeze for the sunny day. Wait... Day? Wasn't it the evening just a moment ago...? This was really strange...

"Hello!!" I called out loudly, making a slight echo. However, there was nopony in sight; only grass and trees for what seemed like forever! I drooped my ears sullenly. If only I had a map and compass... I don't have my travelling materials. I sighed again.

"Angel, I don't know where we are, but I'll get us back home." He stared back at me and sighed himself, and I looked back with concern. Hopefully I'll get us out of this... Lightning bolts have a lot of energy behind them. It's no wonder that I got sent far away from anyplace that I know. I needed to think of a way to find where I am, and I put a hoof to my chin in thought for a moment.

Charging my horn with magic, I focused on my eyes, closing them. My binocular spell should help with finding a direction to go... I opened them up again, and my vision widened and was able to zoom in on a spot. This time, I scanned the area closely, looking for any possible landmarks or details that are missed from simple skimming...

"Ah-ha!" There. I zoomed in. I could see the top tip of a kind of building over the trees. It looked like a Ponyville house, except a bit more ramshackle-looking. I blinked a bit and stopped my spell, looking back at the rabbit sitting hopelessly on my back.

"Don't worry, Angel. I'll figure this out. First, we'll head over to that house over there, and ask for information." He shrugged, climbing up my mane and perched himself on my head, using my horn to sit stably. I smiled; it was rather convenient for him.

"Okay, let's go!" I reared back a moment to gain momentum, then began galloping my way into a hefty thicket of trees.

~ Chapter 2: The Status

The thickness of the trees and other plants reminded me very much of the Everfree Forest; however, as I ran through the dark zone, it didn't give me so much of a sense of dread here. It was... tranquil. Calm, peaceful. It actually felt good to run through the trees. The place made me feel content, and I couldn't help but enjoy myself, smiling silently.

When I looked closely at the vegetation around, it was bright and colorful; all sorts of greens, blues, and purples, flowers here and there, vines, bushes, you name it! I was busy enjoying the scenery when my rabbit companion knocked on my horn to get my attention. Both my front hooves struck a log in the way, sending me flying through the air. I landed on my back after some air time, skidding along the grass, Angel clinging to my horn to hang on. At least the grass was soft, too...

I stopped suddenly when my rear end hit a tree. Ouch... I got up and nursed my back with a hoof, and then I heard some rustling in the bushes nearby. Both Angel and I zipped our heads to the side to see what it was, but it seemed to be just a harmless old mare.

"Hello? Are you okay, dearie?" Green coat, white and gray mane, and a daisy chain around her neck, along with some rather large glasses. I could tell she was squinting at me, her vision must not have been too great. She sounded like a nice earth pony, at least. I smiled and started to walk towards her.

"Hello! I'm Twilight Sparkle, and... I think I'm lost." I could feel my face flush as I chuckled nervously. "Could you tell me where I am, ma'am?" I felt so embarrassed; I never get lost. I'm always prepared and have tools with me, and I felt a little frustrated at the random occurrence that happened.

"Heheh, of course you're lost, missy, you're way out in the middle of nowhere!" She gave a haggard chuckle and started a slow trot in a direction. I followed her automatically. "I live out here alone, with nature. Guess you could call me a hermit!" Another hearty laugh from her, with a little coughing. I felt sorry for her aging conditions. "Why don't you come and relax with me a bit? You sound like a right nice filly." I smiled at the compliment, and Angel crossed his arms, watching the old mare carefully. He didn't trust her.

"Thank you, that's very kind of you." I trotted closer to her, walking alongside in the grass. I felt lucky that somepony friendly was here; it was good to see a friendly face in this unknown place.

"So, lil' missy, where'd ya say you were from?" Striking conversation, the old grandma looked to me, still squinting. Even this close? I wonder how she survives...

"Oh, I'm from Ponyville. It's... Well, I don't know where it is from here. I don't even know where here is." I hung my head sadly, looking at my hooves as I walked.

"I'm sorry, I never heard of such a place. Wish I could help, dearie." Oh well. I should ask if she has any maps or something similar. I looked to her again.

"Ma'am, do you have any maps or charts that I could look at?" I felt hopeful, since she seemed like she at least knew the area, being a hermit and all.

"'Fraid not, dearie. I've got no use for 'em, after all. But, I could show ya where the castle is from here." Castle? Does she mean Canterlot Castle? How fortunate!

"Oh, thank you! That'd be a great help! I should be able to get home if I get some help there." My gait was a little bit more springy. I finally knew where I was! Now I could get back and tell my friends, especially Fluttershy, that I'm alright.

"Ehh!? I meant to use it as a landmark, not to actually go there! Are ya crazy, filly?" She stopped and stared at me, and I looked back at her with a confused face.

"Why not? If I go, I should be able to get a ride back to Ponyville from the princess." I smiled and put a hoof to my chest proudly. "I'm her faithful student, after all." Angel rolled his eyes.

"Horseradish! Don't be fibbin' to me, lil' filly! Now quit spoutin' nonsense, I'm already helpin' ya, no need for any of that, now!" She scoffed and turned away from me, starting to walk again. I guess I offended her a little... Is it really hard to believe that I'd be a student of the princess? Well, she is pretty old, and probably been away from anypony else for a long time... She clearly holds the princess in high regard, as anypony should. I nodded to myself and went to follow her once more.

It took a while, but we reached her little shack. It looked like a simple country house, rather small. Very clear it was built by an earth pony. I'll bet she built it herself! There was a covered patio with a rocking chair on it, with a small stand next to that for what I assume would be someplace to set food or a drink; and there was already some celery there. She went to go sit in the rocking chair, which had audible creaking as she did.

"Be a dear and get the guest chair for me, will ya?" She smiled at me, and I nodded, happily obliging for my elder, walking towards the open doorway. "It's on the left-hoof side." As I walked in, I noticed it smelled a little... Dirty. I suppose it's to be expected...

The entire house consisted of one room, the one I was in. Lit dimly by a single candle on a table up against the wall next to me, I looked around, curious. Angel hopped off my head and onto the aforementioned table, looking around himself, but also seeming a bit bored. He curled up and laid down to rest next to the warmth of the candle, which I thought was pretty cute. I could see a comfortable-looking but old recliner, a simple bed, and a worn-out desk with a few ragged books on it. This house wasn't of luxury; but I could tell it was homey, smiling to myself with its simplicity.

I looked over to the left and saw a small stool. It looked as old and ragged as everything else, but it'll have to do. I moved it out from the side of the wall and scooted it outside with my head to the patio, plopping down on it with a tired sigh.

"You're lucky ya found me, lil' one. A lot of ponies just end up lost forever in the Everfree Forest." Everfree Forest? This was it? But I didn't recognize any part of the forest here... I must be on the far other side from Ponyville! By how she mentioned the castle earlier, Canterlot must be closer to here than anywhere else. At least it gave me a place to start. "Ah, and here, have a bite." She shifted her eyes to the celery stalks, and I did the same. I was pretty hungry...

"Yes, that's true. It can be a dangerous forest. Thank you for your hospitality, miss..." I trailed off, waiting politely for her to respond with her name. Meanwhile, I stepped to the stand and took a stalk of the vegetable with my mouth, crunching into a bite, and holding the rest with a hoof, going back to my seat.

"Don't worry 'bout my name, I haven't needed one in forever... But, you said you were... Ah, the old noggin ain't great to me anymore." I giggled nervously, squirming in my seat to find a comfortable position.

"Oh, I'm--" Crack! One of the stool legs gave way, making me topple over and hit the ground with a thud, dropping my little snack. I sat up, rubbing my pained chin. "Oooh..."

"Oooh? Never heard of ya!" She chuckled a bit, the awful joke having cheered me up a little. "Really, dearie, are ya alright? I can fix it up later, don't worry 'bout it." The old mare continued rocking slowly in the chair.

"Oh, I can do it for you. Just a second..." I turned around and looked down at the broken stool and the leg that snapped off, and focused on it. My horn started to glow, and so did the wooden object. The leg was drawn back to its original spot as if it was pulled back there by a string, and the crack was perfectly sealed, as if nothing had happened to it. "There, all fixed." I looked down happily at my well-done work, then turned around to see if she liked it.

"I-I..." She was shaking, looking like she'd seen a ghost! "I-I'm sorry, milady, p-please forgive me for not realizing...!" The old mare got off the chair and bowed to me in fright. "I-I apologize for keeping you so long, and you got hurt and I'm unable to help...! S-spare me..." I was taken aback for a moment. What was she talking about?

"What-" I tried to speak, but she merely cowered down more.

"P-please! I'll tell you where Trottenheim Castle is, I-I'm just a humble old hermit... I-if you go that-a-way, you'll find a hill, you should be able to see it from there..." She still shivered in fear as she pointed in a direction where I could see mountains over the horizon.

As I looked that way, she quickly went inside her home, and not a moment later shoved Angel out the door before slamming it. He scoffed at the rude act, and then hopped my way to get on my back, but not before snatching what was left of my celery. If I could see my face, I wouldn't doubt I would have the biggest look of flabbergastedness on it. Why was she so scared? It was right after I used magic to fix her stool. I looked over at it sadly. Was there something wrong with me using magic? Doubt there was anything I could do... She did show me the way, and was pretty nice. I didn't want to bother her anymore. The hermit must just be afraid of unicorns for some reason...

I hopped off the patio and looked in the direction she showed me. I've heard of Trottenheim... But it was in a really old history book, and only seemed like a ridiculous highly-revered location that never really existed. There's no way it could actually exist, could it? I have a feeling the old mare was telling me the truth, though, by the way she acted towards me. Not really having anywhere else to go, I started a gallop in that direction, straight back into the thick forest. I'll find out for myself.

"Phew..." I was running for quite a while when I decided to slow my pace to a light canter. Angel was relaxing on my back, watching the trees whisk by. All this time, I could only wonder what he was thinking about, and it made me feel guilty. It's really unfortunate for him to get caught up in all this with me... He could be home right now, safe and sound with Fluttershy. I felt really bad that I caused him the trouble... We should try and find something to eat, when we can. Don't know how long we'll be going without some...

Just then, I managed to see an opening in the trees. Ah, finally! This humongous forest was really starting to get to me. I hoped I was still going in the right direction, and when I came out, I could see the same mountains I saw before. Good. Looking ahead, it seemed like I ended up near a cliffside. It should provide a nice view of everything; that way I could see where to go next, and how to get there, at least.

Trotting over to the cliff edge, I could see something come into view... Something gray. Building block gray. As I got closer and closer to the edge, the object came into view; it was a humongous castle. The castle and the walls were bigger than Canterlot! Stepping to the very end of the cliff, I took a sweeping glance at what was ahead of me.

"Wow..." Rolling hills with endless amounts of trees, and the aforementioned mountains... A moat around the castle, utilizing a river... Dirt road that passed nearby that passes over the river, going to the castle entrance... I stopped a moment to take it all in, as my rabbit friend climbed up my mane to take a look, himself. It really was a beautiful sight, up here.

After enjoying said beautiful sight, I decided to use my binocular spell again, and focused on the castle entrance. I could see some guards, but they didn't wear the same kind of armor as Canterlot's. It must be... Trottenheim? Impossible. It's probably just another castle, but there really aren't too many in Equestria... But speaking of the guards, there were quite a lot of them, and they were all unicorns. Usually, the princess preferred pegasus ponies, as I recall her telling me once.

I zoomed in as much as I could, trying to get a view. I was leaning forward a bit, too, to get as much vision as possible. There was an earth pony family that were in a pony-drawn carriage, hopping out to greet the guards. Two of them got on one side of it and rammed it, tipping the vehicle onto its side! All their belongings spilled onto the ground... Were they looking for something? Wait... They just left it after inspecting it without even turning it back upright!? They're just a bunch of bullies... I could see them chuckling to themselves as they left the earth pony family to pick up the mess on their own.

"There's a bunch of bully guards down there, Angel. We'll have to be careful." I'll have to figure out how to get past them, at this rate. I doubt this is Canterlot, so they probably don't know me, and I don't want to make a big fuss like with the old hermit again... We'll see how it goes when I get down there. My eyes trailed down the winding road that led from the entrance, over the river's bridge, and next to more of the Everfree Forest. A corner of the road passed near where I was, at the base of the cliff to the left. There wasn't any easy way down... Guess I have to just slide. The angle wasn't too steep, but I should prepare an 'armor coat' spell just in case I trip.

After the quick conjuration, I felt all the hairs on my body flatten out. That should do it... I tapped on my cheek with a hoof, and it was hard as a celery stalk. Er... Thinking of food. I hope I can find something to eat, soon.

"I'm going to slide down the cliff, Angel; hang on tight!" He held onto my horn as such, and I hopped off the edge from where I was standing, spreading out and extending my hooves.

I kicked up a lot of dust as I slid, and I made sure to dodge rocks that were jutting out to keep me from losing my momentum and tumbling dangerously down the cliff. The thought made me a little nervous for a second, but I shook it off and continued. It took about a minute, but I managed to get all the way down without much hassle.

"Phew... That went well." I cancelled the spell affecting my coat of fur and looked around again. Only trees in front of me, and I was on a thin strip of grass that ran along the side of the cliff, separating it from the greenery. To my left was the closest way to the road; I started walking that way. Should get easier to travel once I get to someplace where ponies actually come and go. Then I could find out exactly where I am! I made an aggravated sigh, but also with a hint of relief. I hated being lost, but at least I was out of the worst of it.

I made it to the wide road within minutes. There were many earth ponies about, walking or riding on simple wooden carriages. Just about all of them were dressed up; or at least I think they were. A lot of their clothing was patchwork or shoddy, but some of them looked genuinely practical. They must be trying to make themselves look good for the upper crust. I never really liked how ponies did all that stuff... I walked onto the road and began walking down it, myself.

Ponies that were passing me seemed to stare. And I mean, all of them seemed to. It was really strange... They made me feel out of place. I would ask, but I didn't want to intrude...

"'Scuse me, milady..." I looked over to my left where a carriage was rolling alongside my pace. The director was a tired-looking tan mare with an orange straight mane and in a black dress. She was looking at me, so I assumed she was the one that called for me in a sweet tone.

"Yes?" I responded politely.

"You shouldn't be in the dirt... Please, allow me to take you to the castle." How nice of her to offer! It was a fair walk to the castle.

"Oh, thank you! This will save me a lot of time, I appreciate it." I stepped back to the opening in the side of the carriage, hopping up to the stair and climbing in. As I sat down, I couldn't help but notice in the corner of my eye that the lady in front was looking at me in surprise. I pretended not to notice, though.

There were several boxes at my feet and on the opposite of where I was sitting; she seemed to be using the carriage for cargo carrying rather than for taking ponies. Must be a hard job on the ones dragging all this. Looking around, it was easier to notice everypony. Many of the stares had stopped; was it because I wasn't walking? I saw occasional fancy types that were sitting in carriages of a much higher quality than the one I was on. Very regal and high-quality clothing they wore, the type that I knew would attract Rarity. Ah, Rarity... I'm starting to miss my friends. I sulked for a few minutes as we started to pass some trees on either side of the road.

I could see a bridge up ahead as we slowed down when traffic increased. There were some guards; no doubt this was a toll bridge. I remember seeing a few around the outside of Canterlot; it's a couple bits every time, but it raises funds for them fairly well. Standing up and looking closely ahead, I could see some ponies weren't charged. Then, I realized it was all of the fancy types. They must all be in fairly high status. I sat down again, trying to enjoy the scenery, which I was starting to get tired of.

"Well, Angel, we're all set for going to the castle... Whatever it's called." I looked behind me, and he was sitting on my back. He looked at me in return with a rather bored look in his face.

"I'm sure it'll be much better than running around in the middle of nowhere, right?" I gave a little chuckle to try and lighten his mood, and he smiled and nodded. Trying to get comfortable in this shaky vehicle, I wriggled and squirmed a bit as I awaited the toll bridge.

Soon, we did; a guard in the same armor design as the ones at the castle gate came to attend us, walking to the side of the carriage as we slowed down. He seemed to be looking us over, and when he caught a glimpse of me he had a look of surprise for a moment and gave a light bow.

"Enjoy your stay, milady." He nodded to the carriage director and the stallions pulling it, all who seemed happy, starting to walk again. Hey, wait a minute... I stepped over to the end of the carriage closest to the other rider, and spoke up.

"Why didn't they charge us the toll?" I asked inquisitively. She jumped when she heard my voice, and looked back at me with surprise.

"I-it's, um... You're a unicorn, milady." Her continual look of confusion only added to my own. That's true, I was a unicorn. Hmm... I had a bad feeling about this. Going back to my seat, I contemplated what it could all mean. That old hermit was afraid of me because of my magic, becoming obsequious right as she realized I could. That's true, her vision was poor, so that means she probably couldn't see I was a unicorn... And then I see all the unicorn guards being bullies to earth ponies and treating the unicorns... This wasn't good at all. Wherever this place was, it wasn't in harmony... I looked down at the floor of the carriage sadly.

"It looks like unicorns have a higher status than earth ponies here, Angel..." He had moved to the seat next to me. I looked over at him and sighed with a grim expression, and he returned a curious one. "I feel sorry for them... I should help them while I'm here, when I can." He shrugged and laid back in the seat.

It might be important to get back home, but... As Princess Celestia's faithful student, I feel it's my duty to spread friendship and harmony wherever and whenever I can. If I find the opportunity, that takes priority over me going home.

~ Chapter 3: The Outer Circle

After a little while of riding the carriage on the dirt road, I perked my head up to check how close we were again. We were along the side of the castle's moat; I looked up. I saw Angel do the same, and even he was as impressed as I was. The outer wall was so huge! How could anypony possibly build this? Looking down the moat, I saw the drawbridge where other ponies were gathering to go inside. Even from here I could see the fancy types being let in right away.

As we approached the drawbridge, two guards came to inspect our carriage, walking along either side of us.

"Hello!" I greeted them with a smile, hoping a good impression would make things easier. They gave a light bow to me and said the same thing as the toll bridge guard.

"Please enjoy your stay, milady." It felt odd to be treated this way, although sometimes when I was with Princess Celestia other ponies did the same... My face slumped with annoyance. I hope I won't have to deal with the inequality too much while I'm here... The carriage rolled over the drawbridge and we passed under the archway at the wall, casting us in shadow.

When we got inside, I couldn't help but hang my jaw agape. The castle town was so huge! Ponies were scampering about every which way, there were merchants all over the place pitching their things in front of their houses... It was very energetic. I only saw earth and unicorn ponies; no pegasi were in sight, which I thought was a bit strange. No matter... As I expected, the earth ponies seemed to be at a lower social status than unicorns. I watched said unicorns only pay a fraction of the cost for things that earth pony merchants were selling... Even one that simply stole a robe without paying! I saw the merchant's look on her face; destitute and hopeless, as if she couldn't do anything. I had to do something...!

I hopped over to the front part of the sitting area of the carriage to talk to the driver once more.

"Thank you for taking me here... What's your name?" The look on her face when I asked her that question was way beyond surprise. I guess unicorns don't even consider their names to be important...

"I-I'm... Um... Don't worry about it." She was nervous, still, as she said it. I frowned and nodded in acknowledgement.

"Well, either way, nice to meet you, and thank you for the ride. I really should find and repay you sometime; but now, I must be going!" The carriage director seemed to be dumbstruck, staring off into space as I hopped off of the vehicle to find that perpetrator. Aha! There he is! A light blue unicorn in a fancy getup... He's the thief. I quickly trotted over to him. Angel hopped out of the carriage a bit late, following me and carefully dodging the bustle of the crowd.

"Hey!" I blocked his path to catch his attention, staring him in the face. He swung his head around to get his curly white mane out of his face.

"Can I help you?" The robe that he stole was slung over his shoulder. I felt my white rabbit friend hop onto my back, looking a bit annoyed that I left him behind. I looked back at him apologetically for a moment, and resumed what I was doing; I pointed a hoof at the article of clothing accusingly.

"You didn't pay for that! You should return it at once." I gave him a look of determination, and he returned an annoyed one.

"I won't pay a single bit to any dirty hornless." He scoffed and turned his nose up, walking hastily past me. I made an irritated face and started gathering magic in my horn. Grabbing the robe off his shoulder, I quickly set it on my own back and started to casually trot back to the merchant that had this. Luckily, the stuck-up pony didn't notice I took it, and neither did anypony else, being too busy. I managed to work through the crowd and reach the trader's small kiosk, seeing her attend another customer. I got a closer look at her; she was a yellow earth pony with a long, dark red mane, and wore a simple brown robe. Grateful for the finished transaction, the shopkeeper noticed me and turned to me. A gasp came from her along with some nervous speaking and a lowered head, like she was afraid. She looked like Fluttershy.

"C-can I h-help you, milady...?" I returned a sad expression, but quickly smiled as I grabbed the stolen robe off my back with my mouth and laid it on a display stand. I saw her eyes brighten up, along with a gasp of surprise covered by a hoof.

"I think this was stolen from you, so I got it back." I smiled and she looked me in the eyes, teary but surprised... I suppose I should expect earth ponies to be surprised at my kind actions from now on.

"Th-thank you, milady... I-I have to earn a living, s-so I can't lose anything..." I frowned with concern. Of course, this seemed like a poor area... I knew there wasn't anything I could do right now to help everypony, but... Maybe I could help her get better sales. I think I had an idea.

"Could you stand next to me for a moment?" She obliged with confusion, but stayed quiet and didn't ask me why. I recall Rarity sometimes has kiosks that she sets up to sell simple clothes when she's in a bind for money. They were very well-designed, as is the rest of everything she makes! But, the main thing is that it was made in a way to really attract customers; they could better see everything that was available. I tried to remember how she set it up as I gathered magic in my horn; hopefully she won't mind me intruding on her stand, if I'm making it better...

I magically grabbed all of the clothing on the kiosk, levitating it over to the owner whose mouth was hanging open and was staring at me wide-eyed. After I dumped it all on her back with an audible 'Oof!' it looked like she was able to carry it, but she still looked confused and surprised and afraid, all at once.

"Don't worry, I'll help you." I undid all of the nails holding it together, and gathered them in a bunch next to me; the wood almost fell apart, but I magically grabbed it all, too. I noticed Angel flicked a nail back into place that was drifting off. The stand was pretty flimsy-looking to begin with, but when I'm through... I laid several long planks on top of each other, straight and facing out, and then set shorter ones at the corners.

Right...! Now that I see it, it was like a lemonade stand. Rarity always told me that sometimes going back to the basics was best. I laid more long planks on top; it was a true stand, now. Straining as I held it all together, nice and even, I stuck the nails through the appropriate spots. There were some extra wood and nails, so I thought a sign would work. Borrowing a paintbrush from a nearby can that was sitting unattended where somepony was painting, I painted 'CLOTHING' in big white letters across three broad planks. I then set up the sign properly, hanging up above the stand and then nailed it all together, putting the paintbrush back.

I looked over my work, and I thought it looked pretty good! I turned my head toward her and she was simply staring at me, her jaw practically on the ground. No doubt she was simply really surprised a unicorn like me would help! I took all the clothing off her back and folded them carefully, setting them up in a way that was pleasing to the eye on the stand. They were simply-made, and they were just robes and dresses, so I divided them up proper. There, all done! I looked over to her and she was still staring at me with a dumbstruck face.

"Wh-what's the matter?" I couldn't help but notice that a bunch of other ponies, mostly earth ponies, had gathered around and were showing the same expression, and I looked back at them with surprise, myself. I was really starting to feel nervous, now.

"You... You can do magic!" I looked at the shop owner again with a face of concern. I could hear some ponies chattering in the crowd that gathered.

"Of course I can, I'm a unicorn, after all." She was about to speak again, when a random pony stepped forward out of the crowd towards the stand, and shouted out.

"I'll pay fifty bits for some robes touched by magic!!" Fifty bits!? Even I was taken aback by that amount for... Well, they were cheaply made, you had to admit. They couldn't be worth that much, could they?

"I'll pay sixty!!"

"Seventy, here!"

The crowd surged forward, wanting to buy all of the clothes that I had used a simple levitation spell on. The shop owner ran to the back of the stand, nervously but quickly starting up all the sales. I stayed on the side, watching her with a smile. She seemed to be really happy making all of that money. Still, one thing bothered me; even the unicorns in the crowd seemed to be surprised that I could do a simple levitation spell on these objects; they were even buying some! It didn't make much sense... Either way, I'm glad they seemed to have forgotten about me, though, as they all quickly tried on their robes and dresses and galloped away to make room for new customers. It felt good to do a good deed!

The last of the clothing was sold, much to the disdain of the others who moped away, and the shopkeeper rustled the big bag of funds that she received. She turned to me happily, and ran over to give me a tight hug.

"Thank you thank you so much!!" After a moment, she immediately broke the hug and backed away a bit, seeming to have regretted doing that. Of course...

"You're very welcome!" I couldn't really resist; I hugged her myself, instead. She gasped and hugged back reluctantly. I broke the hug after a bit, since she seemed to be clinging on tight, which started to feel awkward.

"There has to be some way I can repay you for doing so much for me...!" She looked over to the rather big sack of money, and I opened my mouth, about to say that I didn't need anything; but honestly, I needed quite a lot. Maps, charts, a calendar, food, money of my own, other travel supplies... not least of all a place to stay! Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask...

"...Do you happen to have room at your house for a guest?" I felt a little patting on my neck, and I looked back at Angel with a nervous chuckle; he was annoyed I forgot about him again. "I mean, two guests?" He smiled, and she gasped in what was becoming predictable surprise.

"Surely you wouldn't want to stay in a hornless's house for the night? The inner circle I'm sure has plenty of room for somepony as talented as you..." She was nervous, but also hopeful at the same time. Was I that intimidating? I shook my head and responded courteously and proudly.

"Oh, no, I don't mind; besides, you seem like somepony who needs a bit of friendship in their life." I could see her getting happily teary, and I raised a hoof to motion her to settle down some. "There's no need to get worked up... Everypony needs a friend!" It didn't seem to help; she immediately hugged me again, crying and sniffling loudly. We drew some odd looks, and I chuckled nervously as I patted her back.

After she calmed down, she broke the hug and looked at me, wiping away her tears and sniffling.

"A-alright then, come inside with me, then..." Tying a rope tight around the bag of money she made, she dragged a loose end of the rope with her mouth, moving backwards to what I assume was her house's door. It opened as she pushed on it, and the bag jingled with coins as it was dragged in. I looked back to Angel happily, glad that we have a place to stay. He seemed a bit relieved, too. I stepped inside, closing the door behind me.

The interior of her house was fairly small; it was slightly larger than the old hermit's house from before, although there was a second level, and this place was better kept. There were a few candles lit, sitting in holders on a table pushed to the wall to my left. The table had an open book on it, and a small stool below. At the corner, past the table, was a small three-shelf bookshelf stocked with books. The far wall had a tall set of shelves holding odds and ends. To my right was a stepladder to get to the second floor. The place reminded me much of my own house! I could like it here.

The yellow pony dragged the bag of money to a big cabinet, pushing it inside and then closing it with an exhausted sigh. She still had the look of happy disbelief over what just happened as she removed her robe, tossing it onto the countertop. Her cutie mark was visible; it looked like a wavy piece of cloth.

"I-I think I might have the money to go to the festival now...! Oh thank you again, milady!" She ran to me and I braced for another hug; but she bowed before me, instead. I looked down at her and shook my head.

"You don't have to keep doing all that, or call me 'milady'. Just call me Tw-" I stopped for a moment. It probably wasn't a good idea to give out my real name, seeing as how easy it was for me to make a stir... I didn't really like a lot of attention. If my name is connected to where I live, too, it'll just be a hassle...

I simply spouted out the first name that came to mind. "...Viola Étoile. But you can call me Viola." I held a hoof proudly to my chest. She stood up and nodded at me, but seemed fairly shy, still. Hopefully nopony will make the connection; besides, not many read the books of old ponies. "What's your name?" I inquired in response.

"O-oh... M-my name's not important... No need to bother with that stuff, um... M-Miss Viola." She got really antsy all of a sudden, and seemed really nervous and restless. My mind went back to the nice pony who gave me a ride in her carriage. Was it so bad for a unicorn to ask an earth pony's name? I didn't want to trouble her, so I didn't push for her name.

"Well, if you say so..." All of the earth pony inferiority complexes were making me feel uneasy. Being in a place with such lack of harmony as opposed to where I live must have an effect on me. I looked back at my rabbit friend on my back who seemed to have taken a nap. It reminded me about something I had to ask.

"Oh...! Right, where should me and my friend sleep? If you have just a blanket, I'll be fine on the rug over there." I turned my gaze toward a simple throw rug in front of the bookshelf. She gasped and shook her head vigorously.

"Nonono! I'll sleep on the rug, you take the bed! It's the least I can do..." I looked at her with concern. I should have known...

"It's no problem, really-"

"It's improper for somepony of your standing to sleep on the floor! I couldn't live with myself otherwise!" She was pretty tough. Oh well, might as well just go together, then. I had to be convincing this time, so I spoke a little more proudly, standing up straight.

"Very well, then I command you to sleep with me in the bed tonight." There, that should sound direct enough. She seemed to turn a little red for some reason, but she nodded.

"U-um... O-okay..." I saw her gulp out of nervousness; she must really not be used to being around unicorns. I spoke again with a more empathic face.

"Sorry for talking to you like that; either way, I'm glad we got that settled. How about my little friend?" I looked back at him.

"...Ah... Oh! Um... I have an extra pillow he could sleep on..." She was staring at me for a moment, her face still red before she replied. In any case, I'm glad it all worked out, and gave her a smile.

"Great!" I looked around her house again, and started walking to the bookshelf, curious about what she was interested in. As I stepped on the rug, I realized something she said before, turning back to her.

"Wait, you said something about a festival? What's the occasion?" It would be good to participate in a festival, after all I'd been through... Even though it's on rather short notice. I'll see if I can do a few activities, but it was more important that I try and find my way home.

"Y-you didn't know...? I-it's why everypony is coming to Trottenheim in the first place, Miss Viola." I blinked. So this place really was Trottenheim... This was really strange... "We're having a festival for the crowning of the new princess. She looks just like her mother..." I could see her smile and face turn pink. One of many admirers, no doubt. But a new princess? Sounds exciting! Maybe I should at least see the coronation, even if I don't do many festival-related things...

"No, I didn't know... I just came here because I was lost. I had no idea such a big event was going on!" I gave her a bit of an excited face to try and comfort her, which seemed to work. "I do have some work on the side I need to do, though..." The pony looked apprehensive for a moment, thinking about what to say, or if she should say it. She did, however.

"I-I could help you, if you don't know your way around..." I smiled and responded cheerfully.

"Oh, that'd be great, thank you!" She smiled meekly and nodded.

"Y-you're welcome... N-now, if you'll excuse me Miss Viola, I need to eat dinner... Would you care to join me?" She looked up at the second level for a moment, and I glanced over at the small window by the cabinets on this level. It was starting to get a bit orange out there. Guess it was time to eat dinner, talk a bit, and then turn in.

"I'd love to! Would you like some help setting up?" I realized too late that I said that, and knew that she'd already shake her head in protest, which she did. Still need to get used to that. I sighed and looked at her with a smile, defeated. "Alright, if you say so."

She nodded with a smile and went over to the stepladder, climbing up to the second floor. I looked behind me and carefully levitated a sleeping Angel to the table near a warm candle; didn't wake up, that's a relief. I started to walk over to the ladder myself to follow. I was fairly curious about her books, but it could wait until later.

Stopping at the top of the ladder, I took a second to look around up here. The second level seemed to be where she slept and ate. A table with a small stool on one side was under a circular window on the far wall. Just to the left in the corner was her bed, which was smoothly well-made, I might add. On it was a large doll of a white alicorn with a long pink mane. I smiled to myself that she'd have such a thing like a little filly. In the right corner was more cabinets and a countertop perfect for preparing food. She didn't seem to have a refrigerator.

I stepped closer in the room and watched her pull out a spare stool from a lower cabinet, dragging it and hearing it clunk on the floor. As she got ready to push it, I instead grabbed it with magic and set it on the opposite side of the table where she was going to sit. Expectedly, she stared, flabbergasted at my use of magic. I saw her shake off her moment of distraction and begin pulling out some vegetables from a closed basket next to the counter. Lettuce, celery, carrots, broccoli, radishes, and more! She was preparing quite a feast. I suppose after getting that much money from the stand, she could easily afford to replace these.

Having me standing around watching her prepare our big salad seemed to be making her a little nervous, so I decided to go back to the lower level, but not before glancing back at the doll she had again. She reminded me of Princess Celestia; must be the princess of Trottenheim. As I stepped down the ladder, I recall that there were lots of dolls made in our princess's image, for devout supporters and little fillies alike. I always thought it was rather silly; it was merely a way to make money, the way I saw it. Still, I remember I used to have a doll I adored...

I found myself in front of the merchant's bookshelf as I reminisced. Now what was she interested in? I hung my head to get a closer look, scanning all the bindings with anxiety. Food, clothing, building, running... Homey things. Plus books on buying and selling... Oh? History and social studies? She didn't seem much the type! Those are always interesting subjects, in my opinion. And what's this? A book about magic? Odd choice considering she's an earth pony... but guessing from her and the earlier crowd's reactions, would be understandable.

Rising my head back up in thought, I recall that some ponies in that scampering crowd were unicorns... Why were they so surprised...? It didn't make sense, no matter how much I thought about it. Every unicorn should be able to perform magic, no matter how little! Tiny foals have even been known to do remarkable feats despite their size... I wonder if this book would have any answers?

I took the book off the shelf with my magic, stepping over to the table that Angel was laying on, and quietly sat in the seat of the stool. Ah, that's right, there was already a book here... One on dress-making. I slid it aside, using the attached bookmark to close it, and set down my own book I picked out; 'Basic Studies of Magic, Trottenheim Edition'. This one was marked, too. Curiously, I opened it to the marked page; it was on a section about pegasus, unicorn, and earth ponies... Scratch that, they were referred to as winged, horned, and hornless ponies...

I read to myself silently. 'It is said that there is magic within all life; however, for hundreds of years, only a few most gifted of the horned have been known to utilize it. There has been no evidence to the contrary.' Hmm... This book seems really odd. I suppose since it was printed here, then they wouldn't know too much about magic all around...

'Since Trottenheim's founding, the horned have assumed a status above the hornless, including the winged, for this reason.' This sentence made me feel a bit depressed. Trottenheim has been around for a long time; has it always been this way for them? This place with such lack of harmony...

"It's... It's done, Miss Viola." I heard my pony friend call down from the second floor, and looked back to see her looking down at me, with a bit of a smile on her face. The preparations must have gone well. Angel's ears perked up out of his sleep and he sat up immediately, no doubt hungry.

"Okay; be right up!" I closed the book and replaced it at its former position on the shelf, trotting over to the steps, following an impatient rabbit. As I reached the top, I saw him dash over to and hop up the table, which had two candles on it now. She had prepared a small plate for him. I started walking over to the table and sat across from her, opposite the bed's side. The salad was in a large wooden bowl, the bowls in front of her and I smaller of a similar make. The sight of it made me almost drool.

"This looks delicious! I've barely eaten all day..." I normally wouldn't have said that, but it was far too true; all I've had was some lettuce for breakfast and then two quick snacks through the day. I was starving! Not to mention I'm not even sure how much time passed when I was teleported here. Who knows when I last ate before then? Angel looked as hungry as I am, staring longingly at the overfilled salad bowl.

My compliment seemed to make her pretty embarrassed, making her turn red a bit. She grabbed the salad spoon and began scooping out a big helping for me first, and then a smaller scoop for Angel, and finally filling her bowl last. I couldn't help but shout out before diving into my bowl.

"Let's dig in!"

We talked a bit, well, mostly I talked. Talked about my friends back home, and how I missed them. She seemed interested, taking in every word I said. It was nice, since usually ponies stop me from talking so much. I had to ask her about things in order to get her to talk; she seemed nervous, still, but was slowly warming up to me as time passed, as far as I could tell. I asked about how long she lived here, what friends she had, her interest in history and magic... All the questions about her seemed to make her more shy, as well. She seemed too shy to answer about what she thought of the princess of Trottenheim, though. I made sure to mention how wonderful the princess back home was, and she seemed appreciative, almost envious.

Time passed, and soon we had finished the entire salad bowl, much to the happiness of our bulging bellies.

"Phew... It's been a long time since I ate that much..." She was sounding pretty tired, too, letting a yawn escape from her, making Angel do the same. Seeing them yawn made me more relaxed and wanting to rest, too. I stretched for a moment, then before she could act, proceeded to put all the dishes onto the kitchen counter with magic, making her stare again.

"O-oh, thank you... You're really nice, Miss Viola... Probably the nicest pony I ever met." The compliment made me blush a bit, batting a hoof out and looking away.

"Pshaw, I'm just an average friendly pony. I'm sure there's others out there around here; you seem pretty friendly, too, in fact." I smiled with my own compliment and she turned a bit red in return. Sighing from the fine meal and looking outside at the darkness, I figured it was a good time to sleep. I've had a tiring day...

"Well, I think it's time for me to hit the hay." I got up slowly off the stool, walking past her to the bed, inspecting it. Very nicely made, flat and everything; the blanket was a dark blue, and I folded it over to make room for me. "...I like your doll, by the way." Looking back at her, she immediately blushed and realized it was still sitting there in the corner.

"O-oh, I, um... I'm a bit afraid of the dark... H-hugging her makes me feel safe." She looked away with a wince at the admittance, and walked off to the cabinets. This pony definitely reminded me of Fluttershy. I saw her grab a pillow and walk to the table, setting it on top.

"This'll be your bed, little one." She looked to him kindly as he hopped onto it, testing it's fluffiness. The little rabbit nodded with a smiling approval and laid back, much to her liking. I crawled into bed and tucked into the covers, laying my head back on the pillow nearest to the wall, and looked at the doll closely by my side.

"I'll blow the candles out..." I watched her turn to walk to the stepladder, and moved the doll in front of me to get a better look. This princess did look a lot like Princess Celestia. I could tell this doll was brushed on occasion. Flowing pink mane and tail, white alicorn. It was almost as if this were the princess without the blue and green in her mane. I guess all princesses are beautiful alicorns!

I looked over to the end of the room which had already turned black. The yellow pony was blowing out the candles on the kitchen countertops, then walked this way to get the ones on the table, which she did after glancing at me carefully placing the alicorn princess on her pillow, causing her to blush a bit. It was pitch black in here now, save for the gentle light of the moon outside illuminating the table and a sleeping Angel with a soft white glow.

I felt her climb into the bed next to me and saw her silhouette grab the doll.

"Goodnight, Miss Viola..." She quietly laid turned on her side away from me as I could see her hug her princess plushie tight.

"Goodnight, uh..." I paused for a moment. I still didn't know her name, of course.

"...Prairie Fabric." It was a nice-sounding name, one befitting of a home-maker like herself.

"Goodnight, Prairie Fabric." I shut my eyes and leaned back into my pillow to start entering the dream world. Making a new friend like Prairie really livened up my day. I wonder if I can make any more while I'm here in such a strange, different place than Ponyville? Something I'd have to try during the festival tomorrow. For now, I tried my best to clear my head so that I could finally sleep.

I wasn't exactly sure if I was dreaming or not, but during the night I felt something warm wrap around me. Perhaps it was just bandages and I was being mummified; I couldn't say. All I could really say was that it felt kind of nice.

~ Chapter 4: The Home

I regained consciousness with a start, my eyes groggy and not wanting to open right away. Stretching my legs out and yawning, I found I had something attached to me. I rubbed my eyes and looked to my left side; seemed like I took the doll of the princess while I was sleeping. Letting out a giggle at having done that, I placed her back in the corner where I originally saw her.

Raising myself up in bed, I looked around, still somewhat asleep. I felt quite rested after that great meal lastnight, and sighed happily. Looked like I was still in Prairie Fabric's house... Then everything that had happened the day before wasn't a dream. Prairie herself was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Angel. Where could they have gone? I hopped out of bed and then used my quick bed-making spell to make it look nice and tidy. There, good as new; I smiled to myself.

There was a large mirror hanging on the wall next to the end of the bed, so I went over to take a look at myself: typical bed-mane. I straightened my coat and my mane and tail carefully with magic as with every morning. As usual, I couldn't help but turn my head and give an enchanting glare at my reflection. I guess that sort of thing is unavoidable. In any case, one thing down for the morning routine.

The next was breakfast. I always have some lettuce in the morning. I hope Prairie won't mind if I take a couple leaves off one of the heads in her basket here... Opening the vegetable container, I saw a small head of lettuce and a few celery stalks and carrots. It was rather empty; she no doubt used most of it for lastnight's dinner. I could go with her later today to shop while we're out for the festival. Ripping out three broad leaves with my magic, I carried them in my mouth as I left the rest in the basket, closing the lid.

Munching on one while holding the extras in levitation next to me, I mentally checked off the breakfast portion of my morning routine. After breakfast was a little bit of cleaning; however, this wasn't my house, so I couldn't impose, could I? Still, it did look like it needed some dusting and bits of straightening up here and there... I'm sure she won't mind. I performed a recall spell on the nearest dusting tool within the house. A simple feather duster flew in my direction from one of the upper cabinets that just opened. This should do fine.

I was happily cleaning for a little while when I heard a knock at the door.

"Who could that be?" I automatically looked in the direction of the sound. Setting the small feather duster down on the counter, I trotted over to the door and opened it. There was a well-dressed unicorn mare to greet me, who was holding a scroll out in front of her; I couldn't see her face as a result. She cleared her throat and began reading it out very officially.

"Prairie Fabric, your estate's tax is past due. Please provide us the required one hundred-fifty bits or your... ahem... dwelling will be confiscated and you and your possessions evicted by this evening." A hundred and fifty bits!? That's crazy for such a small house! Even the tax on my old house in Canterlot never rose past seventy! Trottenheim must be seriously inflated... I saw her close the scroll and look at me, making her widen her eyes.

"Oh...! My mistake, milady! I had thought that a hornless was living at this... location." Her look of disgust with the mention of this house made me a bit irritated. I answered respectfully, of course, as I always do to these types.

"It's quite alright. Shall I fetch the required tax?" I began turning around to go get the bits from where Prairie put them, but she stopped me.

"Nonono, I suppose you are from another town... but the horned are always welcome to stay free of charge in the outer circle. I assume you've kicked out the riff-raff?" I turned back to her as she kept talking. I was becoming more and more annoyed at her arrogance, but I kept my head. "Either way, you should try and look for a home in the inner circle, milady. There are plenty of those that will help you find one to your liking. If I may have your name for the records, then?"

"...Viola Étoile," I answered straightforwardly.

"Take that down. Can you spell it?" The mare seemed to be speaking to somepony else. An earth pony who was carrying the tax money in bags on his sides was behind her, and now was writing down my fake name for the registry on this house.

"Good day to you," the tax collector said with a respectful bow, and I returned one of my own. She and her assistant walked off while consulting her list again, no doubt going to the next house for such things. I closed the door and turned around, thinking to myself as I slowly trotted over to the reading table, its candles illuminating the same book that was there lastnight, though opened to a different page. She must have done a little more reading before I woke up. I absent-mindedly gazed at the closed book cover.

Was that the right thing to do? It was practically tax evasion, what I just did. Now, officially, the house belonged to me, in just a short conversation! I can't imagine that Prairie would be too happy with me. When she comes back, I'll try and explain everything and we can go to the proper office later. Speaking of her, where could she have gone to?

Looking around, I found that I did a really nice job of tidying up down here. Everything was straight and orderly, Prairie's knick-knacks and other belongings dusted, the floor and bookshelf and counters spotless. I smiled and climbed upstairs to take another look at my cleaning work up there.

Just as I was marvelling at my finished job of cleaning the house, I noticed the door was being opened up. I looked down from the upper landing at a very happily-smiling Prairie Fabric trotting through the door, closing it after coming in. She had her brown robe and hood on, carrying two full bags on her sides dragging along the floor; they were strewn tightly closed and I couldn't see their contents from here. I saw her stop and gasp, looking around down there. I went to the edge of the second level's landing and greeted her.

"Good morning, Prairie Fabric! Did you go out to buy some things with the money I helped you get?" Prairie gasped again and looked up, surprised at my sudden appearance above her. She lowered her ears and looked a little guilty.

"M-my apologies, milady, please tell me if you would like some bits or any of what I bought..." Cowering again... I really did need to watch what I say, didn't I?

"No, no, I didn't mean it like that..." I tried to give her a comforting expression as I jumped down to the first level. With curiosity, I glanced at the bags she was carrying on her sides. "What did you buy?" She seemed happy to answer, her face lighting up.

"Oh, I bought lots of food from the market, high quality veggies..." She jiggled the bag on her right side, and I could hear the tumbling of plants. I saw two rabbit ears perk up out of the opening of it; Angel popped out holding a small carrot, jumping down to the floor. He looked fairly happy with the food.

"There you are, Angel! I've been wondering where you were." I smiled and looked down at him, and he looked back at me happily. "Did you have a good time with Prairie?" The rabbit nodded matter-of-factly, then hopped away up the steps. Prairie watched him go up to the second level with her own little smile.

"He insisted on coming with me... I hope it was alright. I suppose he wanted to see the town a bit." I shook my head, dismissing it. "I also bought some more raw materials for making clothes..." Prairie started to walk towards the back cabinets, looking around in awe at the cleaning work I did.

"Oh, Prairie, while you were out, I cleaned up a little bit... I hope you don't mind; cleaning is part of my morning routine." I felt a little embarrassed, but she shook her head, looking happy.

"I-it was really nice of you, Miss Viola..." She hoisted up her bags with difficulty and placed them on the counter, heaving out a tired sigh. "The house looks so lovely, you did a wonderful job..." The vegetables looked really heavy, and I knew she kept her food up top. It would be really difficult to carry that up there, so I began charging my horn to take the bulging bag, hovering it past her and towards me, then moving it to the upper level, placing it on the floor just out of sight. She stared at me, blinking for a moment before saying "Thank you so much, Miss Viola..."

"Oh, before I forget, I have something for you..." As she took off her cloak, draping it on the counter, I noticed she had another bag on her back, straps around her shoulders. She placed it on the counter and brought out a few things; it was a knapsack, rather than a simple bag. Curious as to what she got me, I trotted over to take a look.

There was some rolled-up parchment that she revealed as I looked down at it; it was a map! Well, at least, a map of Trottenheim and a little area around it. I could see two villages nearby, and a couple more on the edges when I unraveled it completely. Pretty much everything was surrounded by trees; and unfortunately, no place was recognizable in the least to me. I was consequently giving the map a disappointed look automatically.

"O-oh, um, is it not to your liking, Miss Viola? I can look for another...!" I looked at her curiously; she must have seen me make that face. I shook my head and smiled at her.

"Oh, no, this is great, actually; it's better than what I have, which is... Well, nothing! This'll be of much help, Prairie." She seemed glad that I was accepting of her gift, bringing out more of the bag's contents onto the counter. There was also a compass and a small drawstring pouch full of money that jingled as it was placed. My smile widened at my gratefulness. She seemed to be embarrassed at all my thanks.

"Thank you so much, Prairie! This saves me a lot of time... And, well... I wish I could say I didn't need the bits... but I'm completely broke and without posses-" I paused for a moment, remembering what just happened earlier. Embarrassed, I rubbed the back of my head with a hoof and looked at her guiltily. "Ah, um, something happened earlier..."

"Wh-what was it, Miss Viola...?" She looked to me inquisitively.

"Well, see, the tax collectors came, and I-"

"Oh no!! I forgot! I wasn't here to pay, and, and, I might lose my house, and-"

"No, no, you're fine... I guess you sort of did lose the house, since, well... They saw just me answering the door and registered the house to me instead in their hurry. Eheheh..." I gave her a guilty smile. She simply stared at me for a few moments; no doubt she was holding back her frustrations. However, she ended up turning a little pink out of embarrassment, not anger.

"M-Miss Viola...! This... could potentially work in both our favor, milady..." She seemed a little nervous, but... devious?

"How do you mean?"

"W-well, you could just live here for free, with me for as long as you're staying... And if you're out and an official comes by, I could just say I'm the help..." She looked at me with rather shifty eyes. I was fairly taken aback by the notion.

"Prairie, that's dishonest! I can't approve of that..." I looked at her with a criticizing glare, which made her look down in guilt.

"M-my apologies, milady! I-I won't mention such things..." She bowed to me, looking for my acknowledgement. The act made me feel a bit guilty for talking down to her like that.

"It's fine, Prairie... But we shouldn't keep the house registered in my name. We'll fix it while we're out today, okay?" I gave a gentle smile, which she nodded to. "Honesty is a very important virtue; it's one of the things that keep ponies together. That's what my teacher taught me." She smiled a bit, looking at me with hopeful eyes. Hopefully that'll get to her. Perking up a bit, I could see that she just remembered something.

"Oh...! Miss Viola, I have something more for you..." I looked at her curiously as she knelt down to one of the cabinets; a moment later she pulled out a flowing cloak, with several gemstones adorning it. I stared at it with awe; it was not unlike something wonderful Rarity would make! The cloak was a blue cape layered over a dark blue robe with a matching hood. What made it special were six gems embedded on the front ends, which would come almost together when I put it on, along with a seventh that was at the base of the hood. They were all different colors; they seemed familiar, somehow, but I couldn't remember just now what they reminded me of.

"Y-you can't go to the festival without something to wear... Especially since it's in the inner circle... S-so, I made this for you to thank you... Again..." She smiled and spoke nervously as she explained it; I took the robe with my magic and set it on me, tying it on and leaving the hood down. I looked around my front and sides, but I needed to see it completely.

"I have to see...!" Running to the front of the house, I climbed the stairs quickly and went to see myself in the mirror. Prairie quickly followed. This was really me! She captured my style pretty well. "Thanks so much, Prairie, it re-... ah, it's beautiful!" I caught myself about to tell her it reminded me of Rarity's work, but she once told me very sternly that you should never compliment an artist like that. Prairie stiffened up as I suddenly went to hug her; she patted my back after a moment, and I broke it, staring at her gratefully as she seemed to be rather red in the face again.

"Really, thank you. And, um... If you don't mind my saying so, you've been rather prone to flushing lately. You might want to see a doctor about that." I'm starting to get worried she might be coming down with something, but she shook her head, turning even more red. "Well, if you say so... Anyway, what time does the coronation start? I need to make a proper plan for the day..." She thought for a moment, looking around absent-mindedly.

"O-oh, at sunset... To test how well her magic is progressing, as well." She smiled at the mention of magic. I was interested at that now, too; I wonder what sort of magic she'll show us?

"Maybe we should get over to the festival, then, while we can?" I smiled at her for a moment as I looked over my new robe again. Since she took care of some of the stuff I needed to get today, it saved much needed time. Perhaps I should just relax and enjoy myself at the festival before getting back to the serious work of getting back to Ponyville... It's been a while since I had a good time with my friends. I hadn't been to one of Pinkie Pie's parties for quite some time, busy with my magical research... I felt a bit guilty about that at this point. It's important that I spend time with friends.

I looked to Prairie and she seemed to have an excited face, though also holding back so as not to outburst. She somewhat calmly spoke again.

"I-I can't wait, Miss Viola...! The festival is open all day... Please let me know when I may accompany you..." She bowed pleasantly and then walked past me, going to her study table and opening the book she was using most recently. As she sat to restart her reading under the candlelight, I wondered what sort of activities could be there again.

Carefully placing my new cloak on the countertop, I straightened it out so it would be ready for later. No doubt Prairie wants to rest some after spending the morning shopping before we go out. That's no problem. I'll make the preparations while I wait. I took a look at the bag and called out to Prairie.

"Prairie, can I use this knapsack for carrying this stuff in?" She turned to look at me and nodded.

"Y-yes, of course, Miss Viola... I got it all for you, pack included." She smiled coyly and resumed reading. Very convenient and nice of her to get me my own bag. I wrapped up the map and clipped it closed; it came with its own clip to keep it wrapped up. The compass I put in afterward; another thing I needed to bring was some rations. No travel bag is complete without them.

"Prairie, do you have any bread?" I asked yet another question; hopefully I wasn't distracting her too much from the book she seemed to be fairly into.

"...Oh, of course, the bread is in the small basket in the corner of the kitchen... Help yourself, milady." She didn't look up. It must have been a good part.

I walked over to the stepladder and went up there. Angel was looking at the doll of Trottenheim's princess. Wonder what her name was? In any case, I walked over to the kitchen and went to the corner, scanning the tidy area for the basket. Oh, here it is; I adjusted it in a better position, earlier, but I didn't know what was in it. I rose the lid and saw three and a half large rolls of bread. Taking a sniff, they smelled quite good; but, lunch wasn't for a little longer. I levitated two whole rolls out of the container, closing it and headed back down the steps to place them in my bag.

The last thing I usually put into my travel bags were one or two books for some reading, when I wanted to rest... However, I didn't have any, of course. Even so, I think it would be far too much to ask for me to borrow a book or two from her. I personally find it somewhat difficult to lend out my own books! I didn't want to cause her the trouble. Closing the knapsack and eyeing it and my festival clothing, I had felt I was ready.

Of course, I didn't want to go until Prairie Fabric had finished catching her breath. Although, just as I was thinking about that, I heard her close her book, and looked over to her.

"I'm really excited, Miss Viola...! May we go to the festival together?" She looked over to me with a clear sense of anticipation in her face.

"Right now?" I said teasingly with a smile.

"Yes, yes!" she gleefully responded, clopping her hooves together.

"Sure, let's go!" I can admit that I started to get a bit excited, as well. I realized that a new festival in a new place was sure to be an interesting and unique experience. Double-checking that everything was in my knapsack, I took the straps around my shoulders and set it on my back, fidgeting around to make sure it was secure. Satisfied, I carefully placed the new cloak around me. All set to go! I looked over to Prairie who seemed to continually admire my use of magic in everyday tasks, but she stopped staring and remembered to get ready, herself.

Prairie came over to the cabinets, crouching down next to me and opening one. A moment later she pulled out a dark red cloak, one that matched her mane and tail color. I grinned as she draped it over herself.

"You look great, Prairie!" A blush went over her face as she silently looked away in embarrassment. Rolling my eyes at her modesty, I trotted to the front door, eager for some excitement. "Ready to go?"

"Yes...!" I waited by the door as she prepared her own belongings, and I double-checked my own, which seemed to be in order. I noticed Angel was looking down at us from the upper landing.

"Angel, want to come with us to the festival?" I said with a smile. He simply waved out a paw in dismissal; I figured he wanted some quiet time. It made sense, since it's normally quite crowded and noisy at Fluttershy's cottage back home. Back home... I really hope that everypony isn't too worried about me. As long as I'm still walking, I'll find a way back.

Prairie stepped towards me cheerfully, breaking my train of thought. I smiled and turned to open the way out, heading outside to the sunny, clear day. Ponies all over were heading towards the right, the way to the castle. Most were unicorns, but I did see some earth ponies here and there. However, I still didn't see any pegasi anywhere. Where could they be?

After Prairie came to my side, we smiled at each other and I turned back to the door. I couldn't let her -- well, my house be unprotected. I conjured up a simple seal to keep the door locked, as there was no physical lock on it. When I was satisfied, I nodded at my companion and started up the dirt road, her following close behind. I can't wait to get to the festival.