So, I don't really agree with the way the tv show proceeds. I mean one episode they wrap up winter, and welcome spring, but then it's fall two episodes later, and the gala hasn't come yet? so I'm going to be changing up the order a bit. And as you may have noticed in the first chapter, I will only be writing bits and pieces of the actual episodes while expounding on certain points. It's just how I am.
I don't have a proper title for this story still, but I hope to have one by the fifth chapter.
I don't own My little pony. Seven nation army is performed by white stripes...i don't own them either.
"What's the matter? Don't you like them?" Rarity stood in her boutique, looking at the reactions of her 5 best friends. Just months before, Twilight Sparkle had received two tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala, an event which was to happen the following spring, a few weeks prior to summer, and a full two months before the summer sol stice, the longest day of the year on which Princess Celestia publicly raised the sun. Due to the large number of important ponies invited, and the strain in fashionistas such as Rarity herself, the Gala's tickets were passed out to ponies chosen by the princess almost half a year in advance, to ensure nothing would go wrong with the scheduling. Rarity had spent the past two days, stitching every stitch with care and love to try and make dresses which would complement each of her friends personalities.
With every stitch, she had sung to herself, convinced that her work would be appreciated by those she cared about like additional sisters...even if her own sister got surprisingly underhoof at times. Now, though it seemed as if her friends were not as enthusiastic as she had hoped.
"They're very nice." Twilight sparkle said, with a large smile plastered on her face. Rarity was reminded by a slightly guilty twinge deep down that the very same smile had once adorned her face when trying to win the one extra ticket. At least before the Princess had given a total of 7 tickets to the young unicorn who was her pupil.
"And we're plum grateful..." Apple Jack, the young farm-pony spoke. In the back of her mind, Rarity wondered...not fot her first time... just what the color or fruit had to to with gratitude. "...cause you worked so hard on 'em." Twilight's eyes had glanced over at the farm hand, and now she nodded emphatically to prove she agreed.
"Mines just not a COOL as i was imagining." Rainbow Dash, the multi-hued weather pony spoke up, making both Twilight and Apple Jack jump slightly as cringe before glaring at the Pegasus. ever a tom-colt, Rainbow Miriam Dash had never been much of one for being subtle.
In the days since he had arrived, Josh had found his training in the Boy Scouts to be coming back to him. Using his trusty lock blade , he had taken down a dozen young tulip poplars, a tree he knew from experience had bark which came off easily. Using this he wove a cot for himself, using thin slat of bark like ropes to tie together a frame, then wider ones to weave a make-shift mattress so he could sleep off the ground in the castle he had now claimed as his home. He had given up on finding a way back after the third day, and not wanting to stay to far from the safety of the stone walls, he set about making his temporary home more comfortable. After the cot, he made a series of dishes by taking some bamboo canes he had found, and hollowing out sections in different ways. Two thin bowls, which in truth more resembled troughs, a pair of cups, and two sets of a wooden knife and fork rested on the mantle above the fireplace. A small pile of logs also sat by the fireplace, ready to warm the small chamber. He still had no blankets, and nothing bu the clothes he had originally come here with, but after finding a well with clean water on the grounds, he had found a way to at least clean what he had.
Foraging for food took up a large part of his day, but he had yet to run across anything else in the woods. only tracks which looked to him like deer, some form of large cat, a few snake tracks, and on one occasion, a series of shod hoofprints which seemed to belong to a young horse, or medium-sized pony. He had followed those tracks for a while, before a carpet of thick grass caused him to lose the trail. He was wary about finding anyone else in the area anyways, since he had no means but his knife to defend himself, and was unsure if the person, or people he would meet would be friendly.
Returning to the castle, and climbing to the second story room where he lived, Josh shut the door behind him, and placed his haul on the small table he had woven from leftovers from his cot. a few wild blue berries, and some cat-tail roots he had harvested from a slow-moving section of a river would be his dinner. Once again, he wished for a glass of his milk, and some of the bread he had bought. As he set about cleaning the roots, which tasted like a cross between a carrot and a potato, he hummed the music and sang the lyrics to one of the songs that had ben on his mix cd.
"...don't wanna hear about it...every single one's got a story to tell... everyone knows about it... from the Queen of England to the hounds of hell."
Placing the roots over the fire with a long thin stick he used a spit, he began cooking the starchy roots, and set the berries in a bowl to rinse them off.
"Oh your just saying that." Rarity commented. Fluttershy had come by for her second fitting, and was now modeling in front of a full length mirror to see how the new dress looked. Rarity had spent several hours working on her best friends dress, hoping to impress he spa buddy.
"No, no, I do. It's..." Fluttershy, the timid butter yellow Pegasus searched for the right word."...nice."
"...nice?"
"...nice."
"If you don't like it you should just tell me."
'Oh, but I DOO like it."
"Like it or love it?" Her mane frazzled from work, Rarity pulled herself up to full height, and cocked her ears forward to show she wanted the truth. which in fact was, if she had ever seen any other pony treat her friend as she was. The unicorn would have lit into them with a piece of her mind so large and a tounge so sharp the offending quadruped wouldn't know what hit them.
"Um..both?"
"Which is it?" The fashionista began to back the timid Pegasus into a corner both physically and metaphorically.
"Ummm please stop asking me this I" Fluttershy was unable to continue in her attempt to spare her friends feelings as Rarity interrupted her.
"Well just tell me what you really think."
"OH no, that's okay."
"Tell MEEEE"
"No, it's fine." Now pressed up against one of the columns of the boutique, Fluttershy tried to avoid eye contact, but her timid nature cause her to look towards her friend, not wanting to offend her by not looking the unicorn in the eye during their conversation.
"tellme."
"I-i like it."
"Tell me...tellmetellmetellme." The unicorn began stomping her hooves in frustration, throwing a miniature temper tantum.
"Alright...since you really want to know." Flutter shy took a deep breath to gather her courage. this would be like slapping the dress maker in the face, but the Pegasus just couldn't refuse her friend any longer.
"The armscys tight, the middy collar doesn't go with the shawl lapel, the hems are clearly machine stitched, the peats are uneven, the fabric looks like toile, you used a back stitch here, when it clearly called for a top-notch, or maybe a traditional blanket stitch, and the overall deign is reminiscent of pret-a-porter, and not true french haute couture."
Looking up from her dress, FLutter shy saw that Rarity was looking over her head with an open mouth, and seemed to be staring through the wall. 'Is this what is means to have broken some-pony?' fluttery wondered silently.
"But uh, you know... whatever you do is fine."
After dinner, Josh lay back on his small cot, his jacket once again behind his head, the wide swaths of Poplar bark creaking under his weight with a slight spring to them. he looked up at the ceiling of his small room, and sighed. what was everyone doing he wondered? Gently he drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Rarity was showing Pinkie pie how a certain color looked when exposed to sunlight.
"Don't you think that my dress would be more..me with some lollipops?"
"Well...I..."
"Balloons?"
"...eh?"
"DO IT!" the party pony cried cheerfully.
"OH opal these are the uglies dresses I've ever made."
Rarity lay on the floor of her home, looking at the finished works her friends had asked for. she was nothing but disappointed, but it was already noon, and the fasion show was to take place in a few hours. The stage had to be set, and the entire production organized. as the presenting designer, these tasks fell to her, and she had no more time to work on the dresses she felt like she hadn't slept in days, and was bone-tired. but at least her friends would be happy. right?
Josh walked by the stream, looking at his target. some minutes ago, he had found an off-shoot of the stream. a small section which when it had rained, flowed freely, but now with the rivers level lower, acted like a tide pool on the beach, partially stranding some of the plants and fish which lived in the stream. Josh was certain he had seen a large shadow, about as long as his arm, darting about in the shallow pool.
Having not had meat in over a week, he was hungry for te substantial calories the fish would bring if he ate it, and paced like a wild animal, looking at the water, waiting to see if it would re-appear. A moment later, he stepped just far enough, and the shadow darted back towards the mouth of the pool.
Josh ran to catch it, but for he could have walked and saved himself the effort. the fish banked itself by mistake, and sat flopping and wriggling in the mud. nearly 17 inches long, the trout was large enough for two meals if he fixed it properly. taking out his knife, he killed it with one quick motion, and began to carry it back to his room in the castle.
After the short trip, he skinned, fileted, and boned the fish, setting the meat to dry over a low fire in the room he now called home. he looked over at the wall, and eyed his row of marks. it had been 14 days since he had come here, and he was still no closer to finding a way out. he missed his home, and his music. but most of all...right now he missed McDonald's.
Twilight sparkle was on her way to get ready of the fashion show as she read over the letter Spike had belched forth earlier. it was from the princess, and the young unicorn was worried about it's contents.
"My dearest student, Twilight Sparkle,
Some days ago, there was a fluctuation in the temporal magic of our realm. While my best magicians are working on it, they have yet to determine the exact cause or location. the best knowledge they have is that the Anomaly occurred somewhere within the confines of the Everfree Forest. While the Pegasus scouts have reported nothing, there is the possibility that the thick natural magic of the Forest itself is preventing this anomaly from being discovered.
I am writing to you, my most faithful student, to warn you of this event, and ask that if you see anything coming from the forest you live so close to, that you inform me immediately.
Please inform the other bearers as well, and as always, be safe.
Signed,
Princess Celestia."
Before she could contemplate the letter further, Twilight found herself at the site for the fashion show. She had never actually modeled before, only wearing some of her mothers fancy clothes while playing dress up with Cadence, her foal sitter when she was a small child herself. the prospect of finally doing something so glamorous overtook her, and she forgot all about the letter.
She could hear Spike, her assistant/friend/ younger brother starting his lines to begin the show, opening the entire show for her to make all the hard work her friend Rarity had put into the dresses worth while.
as the curtain went up, and the spotlight fell on them, the five ponies walked out, eyes closed, heads held high to impress the crowds they could all hear muttering and gasping around them. as they made it to the turntable, Apple jack asked an important question of twilight sparkle. "Why is 'very pony looking at us like that?"
Taking a moment to look at her own dress, including the stars she had suspended from her mane, Twilight had only one thing to say.
"OH dear..."
She was in a daze as Hoity-toity, whose name was known all across equestria, and even into other lands, gave a savage critique. she only barely heard the applause of spike as Rarity walked out on stage, with her head held low.
How Twilight wished for a chance to make things right, to go back in time and fix what she and the others had done wrong.
Josh finished off his second helping of the fish he had caught, and lay back, feeling better than he had all week. while he had been getting dirty, sore, and tired, he also had been surviving on precious little food until the fish had come along. not he had only a few bites left, but these he carefully smoked, and placed in one of his bamboo cups for later. plugging the top with a small stone from the floor, he drifted off peacefully to sleep.
three days later
Josh ran through the woods, sticking to his old familiar trails as he ran from the thing chasing him. LArge, REptilian, and with three heads, there was no doubt in his mind, He had lost his sanity.
After all, hydras were NOT real. He ran further, and saw the bridge which led to the castle. As he did, A plan came into his mind. He would let the creature follow him. if it tried, the bridge would snap, and the creature would no longer be able to follow him. he heard the thundering steps as the hydra emerged from the thick foliage and continued to give chase, speeding up now that it's bulk was un-inhibited by the plant matter. Josh ran, darting across the bridge, he felt the structure begin to sing and sway beneath him as he crossed.
He had to place his feet as he ran, trying to remember which boards had been partially rotten, and which were strong.
He was halfway across now, and he might make it.
Suddenly, the bridge buckled and shuddered, and the charging hydra ran out on to it. a creaking sound filled the air, and Josh winced, running faster, as one of the ropes gave way. The lower left hand rope had separated, causing the bridge to drop from horizontal to vertical. he grabbed the hand-ropes as his footing dropped, and the hydra fell with a shriek. there was a loud booming sound as the monster hit the bottom, then nothing. Daring to look down for the first time, Josh saw all three heads split open, the contents of the skulls spilt out on the jagged rocks below. he pulled himself up, and placed his feet on the one remaining lower rope. He then began to crab-walk across the bridge to the other side.
"Rarity...you okay in there?"
Pinkie pie and the others had come to see the element of generosity in her self-imposed isolation after the show. They had messed up.
There was no other way to put it. Rarity had tried to do something truly kind for them and they made her a laughing stock as a result.
"Ya haven't come out for days."
I'm never coming out again!" the fashionista wailed from behind her closed door. Pinkie Pie, self proclaimed party pony, element of laughter, and all around friendly pony, backed away with guilt on her face. "I can never show my face in ponyville again!"
As the minutes progressed, Rarity continued to wallow in...whatever it is ponies are supposed to wallow in... and the five friends tried to find out how to help the one who had tried so hard to make what would have been a once in a lifetime event even more special. Pinkies comments of "'She'll become a crazy cat lady.", and "Give her time" were not helping.
Then again, not much could be done at this point. all they could do was reverse time and have the show again with rarities original dresses.
But that was impossible...wasn't it?
Josh sat on the ground, panting as he stared over the expanse that had once been a practical bridge. Now he was unsure if he wanted to walk on it ever again. it was clear that the Bridge had been weaker on the side that snapped, but how much time had the other side had to weaken...and how much weight could it support? Josh couldn't risk falling, so for the time being it seemed he was stranded.
Finally getting up, he went to his upstairs room to think.
Thanks to thestormflash for the awesome first review. I know my grammar isn't the best in the world, but I will try to work on it in the future.