My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: Two Sisters…One Fate

A/N: Hi, so because I have a morning shift at work tomorrow, I'll be posting this chapter today instead. Sunrise Blossom will be meeting Shadow Star in this chapter, and she'll also be meeting fiver certain ponies, too.

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from My Little Pony: Magic is Friendship. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.


CHAPTER TWO: CONFRONTATIONS AND NEW FRIENDS

When they entered the building, they were greeted by a strong smell of sage that caused them to wrinkle their noses just a bit, and they took in the interior, which actually looked worse then the exterior.

The limited light coming through the windows revealed that there were cobwebs everywhere, pots filled with dead and/or dying plants, melted candles, and there was a black iron pot hanging in the fireplace that had something greenish inside it. Hanging from hooks scattered around the main room were bundles of dried plants of all kind, and even the bodies of dead animals were hanging from the hooks.

"Good heavens," Mayor Mare muttered, clearly alarmed. "I didn't know it was this bad."

Sunrise Blossom frowned, sensing that there was a darkness surrounding the place and her horn glowed green as she summoned her magic to remove her bags, setting them on the floor, and she approached the front counter, where there was a bell waiting. 'I don't know what Shadow Star is up to, but this needs to stop now.' She tapped the bell with the tip of her horn, making it ring, and then an older unicorn stepped out of the back room.

She was an inch taller then Sunrise Blossom, her skin was gray, her eyes were a dark purple, her mane and tail were braided and mostly white with traces of black, and her cutie mark was a black star inside a glass bottle. "May I help you?" she asked coldly, moving around the counter to face both ponies.

"Shadow Star," said Mayor Mare, doing her best not to sound nervous, "this is Sunrise Blossom. Princess Celestia has sent her to take over the Apothecary so that you may finally retire."

Shadow Star narrowed her eyes and eyed Sunrise Blossom, who was doing her best not to cringe under the icy look. "Very well," she said after several seconds, which felt like hours, passed. "If that is the wish of our princess, then it will be done." She went back into the back room and, after a few minutes, came back out with her bags on her back, and they were covered with a dark red cloak. "I take my leave of you both," she continued with the same cold tone, "and I hope you will do your job well, Sunrise Blossom." And she left the building.

Sunrise Blossom and Mayor Mare watched her leave. "Well, that went well."

"Indeed."


They exited the Apothecary to escape the sage smell and headed over to Town Hall, where Mayor Mare had arranged for Sunrise Blossom to meet the ponies who were going to help restore the Apothecary to its' former glory.

"Luckily, the original blueprints were archived, along with photos to work with," the mayor explained happily. "And every pony in Ponyville is looking forward to seeing the place restored…with some modern convinces of course," she added.

"Of course," Sunrise Blossom agreed. "And restoring the Apothecary instead of tearing it down and building a new one is good way to preserve a historical landmark. Uh, I probably should've asked this earlier, but what about sleeping arrangements? It's clear that I won't be staying at the Apothecary right away."

"Don't worry, my dear," Mayor Mare assured her, "it's all has been taken care of."


They entered town hall, walked along a hallway, up a flight of stairs, and then entered the Mayor's office, where there was a group of ponies waiting for them.

"Every pony, this is Sunrise Blossom, and she'll be taking over the running of the Apothecary once it's been restored," Mayor Mare announced brightly, and she nodded to a pony with orange skin, yellow mane and tail with red hair ties, white freckles, green eyes, a brown cowboy hat, and her cutie mark consisted of three red apples. "This is Applejack, her family is providing the wood that'll be used to restore the Apothecary."

"Well, howdy-doo, Miss Sunrise, a pleasure makin' your acquaintance," said Applejack with a southern accent and gave her a flank bump that startled the unicorn. "I sure do like makin' new friends."

"Uh, yeah, same here," Sunrise Blossom agreed, flushing a little at the attention she was receiving.

Mayor Mare cleared her throat and nodded to a pegasus pony with blue skin and wings, rainbow mane and tail, pink eyes, and her cutie mark consisted of a rainbow-colored lightning bolt with a white cloud. "This is Rainbow Dash, she's in charge of the weather patrol and they make sure that we have good weather for important events, and that will include the restoration of the Apothecary." 'Hopefully.'

Rainbow Dash, who'd been hovering, shot down and landed next to Sunrise Blossom, wrapping a foreleg around her shoulders. "Hi there! Looking forward to hanging out with you, Sunny!" she exclaimed with a big grin.

Sunrise Blossom's face flushed to an orange-red color. "Yeah, I'm looking forward to that, too," she grunted as the grinning pegasus squeezed her a bit.

"This is Rarity," said Mayor Mare, now gesturing to a unicorn with light gray skin, purple mane and tail with gradients, blue eyes, and her cutie mark consisted of three light blue diamonds, "she'll be overseeing the decorating of the Apothecary, inside and outside, once it's been fully restored."

"A pleasure, darling," said Rarity with a gracious nod of her head. "I'm looking forward to hearing about what it's like growing up in Canterlot with all of the glamour and the sophistication."

"It's an amazing place," Sunrise Blossom agreed.

Mayor Mare gestured next to another pegasus with yellow skin and wings, pink mane and tail, blue eyes, and her cutie mark was three pink butterflies. "This is Fluttershy, she cares for all of the woodland animals and helps out with the resident pets," she said while the pegasus duck her head in a bashful manner. "Before the restoration starts on the Apothecary, she'll be checking for any animals that might've taken up living there," she added.

"Hi," Fluttershy whispered, barely making eye contact.

"Nice to meet you, too," said Sunrise Blossom, mildly surprised to meet someone who was more shy then she was in situations.

"You could hear that whisper?" Rainbow Dash asked, surprised since she could barely hear it.

Sunrise Blossom's cheeks went orange-red. "Um, well-"

Just then, a pony with pink skin, curly dark pink mane and tail, blue eyes, and her cutie mark was three balloons (two blue balloons and a yellow balloon) popped up behind Sunrise Blossom with an explosion of confetti and balloons. "Hi there! I'm Pinkie Pie!"

"Agh!" Caught off guard, Sunrise Blossom disappeared in a flash of green magic, leaving behind her bags on the floor.

The other ponies looked around, startled by the display of magic, and they couldn't find any trace of the missing unicorn. "Where did she go?"

"Um, can someone help me down, please?" Sunrise Blossom asked, and the ponies all looked up to see that she was clinging to one of the beams of the ceiling.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy immediately flew up, linked their forelegs under the unicorn's forelegs, and they floated back to the floor. "That was amazing, how'd you do that, Sunrise?" Rainbow Dash asked, impressed.

"I teleported by accident," Sunrise Blossom admitted, flushing again. "It tends to happen whenever I get startled like that, and you all should know that I have sensitive hearing and a disability that affects my ability to learn and being social."

"I'm so sorry for scaring you like that," Pinkie Pie apologized, bouncing over and hugging the unicorn tightly. "I'll do my best to give you a heads up for now on," she added. "And I'll even make it a Pinkie Promise: cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." And she poked her own eye with her hoof.

Sunrise Blossom giggled at the pony's antics. "Apology accepted, Pinkie," she said, and the introductions continued.


Finally it was time to go over the plans for the Apothecary. Mayor Mare spread the blueprints and a series of photos across a circular table that'd been brought in, and she explained to the ponies gathered what she hoped would happen as they restored the Apothecary.

"As you all can see," she said, gesturing to the photos, which ranged from old black/white photos to more current and color photos, "the Apothecary has been a part of Ponyville since it was first founded three hundred years ago, and restoring it so that it can be a vital location once again is the mission for every pony here. So, any ideas of where to start?"

"I think we should first examine the building itself," Applejack suggested, gesturing to the blueprints with her front hoof. "Make sure that the foundation is structurally sound, and then figure out what will need to be removed before tearing the place down and rebuilding it properly. That way, we should have the Apothecary up and running in no time."

"And while the rebuilding is being done, I can start planning for decorating the interior of the Apothecary," said Rarity happily, "and also I will make sure that the exterior is beautiful, too. Ooh, the Star family sure did enjoy having flowers outside the shop!"

"Those are pretty flowers," Fluttershy agreed with a soft smile. "And if Rarity wants, Pinkie Pie and I can work on making a new sign for the Apothecary," she offered.

"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie agreed. "A new sign with a new name. No more Starlight Apothecary."

Sunrise Blossom, who'd been studying the photos, looked up at that with an alarmed expression. "You can't change the name of the Apothecary," she objected, flushing a little when the ponies looked at her questioningly. "Look, the Apothecary is a historical landmark, and while Shadow Star has given what's left of her family a bad name, changing the name of the shop is wrong. So, why not just keep the name in order to honor the good memories provided by the Star family?" she suggested.

"That's a wonderful idea," Mayor Mare agreed. "It will remain the Starlight Apothecary no matter who runs it. Now, what else can be done?"


For the next four hours, the ponies continued planning for the restoration of the Apothecary, and Mr. and Mrs. Cake, the couple who owned and ran the local bakery known as the Sugar Corner, provided food for the ponies when it came to be lunch time. After having lunch, they went back to the planning until it was early evening.


"Ok, every pony," said the mayor, "we've got a plan that will go in affect tomorrow. Now we should all rest up to get ready for some hard work tomorrow. Sunrise, you'll be staying with the Apple family, see you all tomorrow!" And she herded them out of her office before heading home herself.

"The Apple family?" Sunrise Blossom repeated.

"Yup, you're stayin' with me and my family at Sweet Apples Acres until the Apothecary is restored," Applejack confirmed, beaming. "Come on!" And she escorted Sunrise Blossom toward the edge of Ponyville and a road that lead into the countryside, followed by Pinkie Pie, who was bouncing, Rainbow Dash, who was flying, Rarity, and Fluttershy, who also chose to fly after getting some encouragement from Rainbow Dash.


The group walked along the road for two hours and reaching the top of a hill, a farm surrounded by acres of apple trees came into view near the river, and Applejack beamed. "That there is Sweet Apples Acres, home sweet home."

"Wow, that's a lot of apple trees," said Sunrise Blossom, staring in amazement at the view before them. "You must have a big family, Applejack."

"Oh the Apple family is big all right," Applejack agreed, "but not all of them live in Ponyville. Come on, we're burnin' sunlight." And the group headed down the hill to the farm below.


A few minutes later, they reached the entrance to the farm, where they were found three ponies waiting for them: a filly with yellow skin, red mane and tail, orange eyes, and she wore a big pink bow in her mane; a tall stallion with red skin, light yellow hooves, orange mane and tail, green eyes, and he had a green apple, sliced in half, cutie mark on his flanks; and an old pony with light green skin, white mane and tail pulled back in buns, orange eyes, an orange shawl covered with red apples, and she had an apple pie cutie mark on her flanks.

"Sunrise, I'd like you to meet my little sister Apple Bloom, my big brother Big Macintosh, and my grandmother Granny Smith," said Applejack, nodding to each member of her family. "Apple family, this here is Sunrise Blossom, and she'll be in charge of the Apothecary once it's been restored."

"A pleasure to meet ya, Miss Blossom," said Apple Bloom with a big wide smile.

"Yeup," said Big Macintosh with a nod.

Granny Smith wobbled up and shook Sunrise Blossom's hoof with her own. "A pleasure to meet you, my dear," she said sweet and then grunted in pain. "Darn my old joints! Always actin' up!"

"Are you okay, Granny?" Sunrise Blossom asked, immediately concerned when she saw how the old pony was rubbing one of her hips with her hoof.

"I'll be fine, dear," said Granny Smith as she started for the house. "I just not as young as I used to be."

Not entirely convinced, Sunrise Blossom turned to Applejack, who was watching her grandmother's progress with genuine concern. "Applejack, how long has Granny Smith's joints been causing her pain?" she asked.

Applejack sighed. "It's been going on for fifty days now," she admitted and their friends gasped, alarmed to hear this. "I used to get her a special ointment from the Apothecary," she explained, "which did wonders for Granny Smith's joints so she could move around a lot better, but thanks to Shadow Star's actions…the only way I can get that ointment is to special order from an Apothecary in Canterlot, and it takes a while for it to come here by train."

'I think I know which ointment she's talking about,' Sunrise Blossom thought, getting an idea. "Applejack, if you like, I think I can make that ointment for Granny Smith," she offered. "I'm pretty sure I have all of the ingredients with me, and it looks like some of the ingredients are already growing on your farm."

"You can make the ointment, Sunny?" Applejack asked with a hopeful smile and even Apple Bloom was looking hopeful.

"Sure, and I can even teach you all how to make it, if you want," Sunrise Blossom confirmed with a smile and her new friends echoed.

"Well, what're we all standing around here for?" Rainbow Dash asked eagerly. "Let's get inside and start making that ointment!"

Agreeing with excited laughter, they all headed for the house, well Big Mac headed for the barn since he had chores to finish up, to make the ointment.


A/N: I hope you all enjoy this chapter, see you all next week. R&R everyone!