Raisin Quest 4
Day 10

>Attempt to cross a narrow bridge over a canyon; center of the bridge collapses under your excessive weight
>Scootaloo reports that a large divide in the path ahead renders the trail unnavigable
>Carefully backpedal your way to safety
>—Call in a Pegasus flying overhead to help Scootaloo back across the bridge—
>**Cut down a tree to bridge the gaps ahead**
>—Pegasi that helped you earlier are trying to get you to go back to town—
>**Flash your badge of honor, the Royal Medallion, to get the Pegasi to help you build the makeshift tree bridges**
>—Choose to cut down longer, thinner tree to span the larger gap ahead—
>**Send the CMC across the tree bridges first; everypony makes it to the other side safely 3/20 chance of slipping and falling off **
>Explore the path, find a safe way down the side of the mountain
>—Send the CMC across the longer, thinner tree. Each of them make it across safely Had to roll better than a 10; each CMC had a different positive DM (+4 Scoots, +2 Applebloom, +1 Sweetie Belle w/Grappling Hook as a tether—
>xXx The bridge’s structural integrity fails under Raisin’s incredible weight Poor Raisin had a DM of -5 and she rolled a 4, giving her a result of -1. Raisin shatters from weakness caused by the crystals embedded in her body xXx
>Use working foreleg to hug Hayseed
>GAME LOADED: Savestate 1 Day 1: Raisin’s Room, 9:15AM
>Admire yourself in the mirror to help boost your self-confidence
>Hug Hayseed, GAME SAVED Savestate 1 has been erased
>Write a letter to your Mysterious Friend
>Equip Saddlebags, keep the Bouquet of Flowers and Twisted Iron Rod inside
>—Sit down to eat breakfast with your mom; discuss a few thing before heading out—
>Run into congregation in Town Square
Repeating her steps with ever so slight alterations, Raisin finds herself back in Town Square, admiring a veritable sea of legs belonging to the pastel colored residents of Ponyville. She listens with the three of her friends as the Mayor tries to bring peace and order to the bewildered ponies gathered around the mysterious Boulder Snake Statue.



>9:45AM

You listen as the Mayor tries to calm everypony down and help them get organized. "Listen! Right now, we're still assessing damages all around town. If your house or property has been harmed in any way, please form a line over on the left of Town Hall. Everypony else, please remain calm and try to go about your day! Everything is under control!"

The Mayor continues to speak, encouraging the populace to try and ignore the statue dilemma while Twilight conducts research on it.

"This sounds pretty serious…" Applebloom comments. "…you girls thinkin' what Ah'm thinkin'?"

As the other CMC begin to nod, you hear the town clock toll far off in the distance.

"That we're gonna be incredibly late for class?!" Sweetie Belle squeaks. "I had no idea what time it was!"

Scootaloo and Applebloom panic. "There's no way we're gonna it in time! We're all gonna be tardy!" Applebloom leads the way down the dirt path toward the schoolhouse. Sweetie Belle follows close behind.

"What are you waiting for, Raisin!? Mush!" Scootaloo taps her hoof against your head, then directs it forward. You can't really feel her weight on you anyways, so letting her ride hasn't really bothered you. Besides, she keeps the local airborne devils from wanting to land on you.

"…alright, let's get to class."

Your thunderous hooves tear up the road, attracting the attention of several ponies as you gallop passed. Your hooves shake the ground… you realize how great it feels to be able to move unhindered again.

Within a few minutes, you come upon a familiar scene. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle are already talking with a saddened Cheerilee. As was the case last time, the schoolhouse has fallen into the ground.

"Whoa… what happened here?" Scootaloo leans over your head, looking at the odd scene.

"Yeah, that's really weird. Let's ask Ms. Cheerilee what's going on."

You start a gentle trot up the schoolhouse path. As you begin to approach her, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle, you feel your right foreleg plunge through the ground. You pull it out, seeing that it has left a hole.

"Huh…" You shake your hoof, letting some mud slip off of it. You can hear Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Ms. Cheerilee just fine from here. No need to go any further, you figure.

"Oh, girls… I'm terribly sorry, but I'm afraid that school's cancelled today." Cheerilee seems very down. "I can't open the front doors, so we can't run class." Given her character, you know she would run classes even if the world was ending.

"What happened?" Applebloom asks, staring at the dilapidated structure.

"Well, apparently, the foundation of the school just up and vanished last night… that's what the construction workers are saying, at least." She points to the corner of the building. It looks like a large, circular chunk is missing.

Scootaloo jumps off your back. She does a little dance on the pathway in front of you. "Schooooooooool's cancelllllllleeeeddd~~~~ yeaahh!!!!" She moonwalks and flaps her little wings to barely keep herself hovering above the ground.

"It sure is, Scoots. It sure is."

From this distance, you wave over to Ms. Cheerilee. "Ms. Cheerilee! Can we get a note for our parents telling them that classes are cancelled?! They'll never believe us without one!" Applebloom and Sweetie Belle nod in agreement.

She smiles. "Sure! But come on over, Raisin! No need to shout!"

You look down at the hole in the path, then back up to her. "Uh…"

"What's wrong, Raisin?" Scootaloo stops her celebration dance. "Afraid she's going to give you a homework assignment as well?"

"Well, for starters, I actually like homework… and number two…" You point down at the path. "I think there might be something wrong with the road here…"

Scootaloo looks down into the pitch black spot. "…that wasn't there yesterday, was it?"

"No, my hoof broke through the path just a few seconds ago. That's why I stopped."

The orange pegasus moves her face up close to it, then peers inside. She breathes in deep. "Bleugh… smells like pond water…"

While hanging out near the path, Ms. Cheerilee has made her way on over. "I know you're disappointed that classes are cancelled today, but there's simply nothing I can do…" She looks down. "My favorite Blackboard and Chalk are stuck inside the school… and there's just no way in."

Applebloom is quietly giggling to herself over the notion of you sincerely feeling miserable about missing out on class for a day.

"It's alright, Ms. Cheerilee."

"Hey, I was just wondering… do you know when the construction workers are going to be helping to fix up the school?

Ms. Cheerilee nods. "They should be back here after they're done with some of the more damaged homes in Ponyville." She rubs a hoof on her chin. "I just wonder what could have caused so much destruction… Twilight should know more about that soon enough."

"Oh… one more thing. Have you seen a pegasus around our age running around? Maybe with a helmet on?"

The CMC look at you in confusion.

Ms. Cheerilee shakes her head. "Well, there's a lot of pegasi around your age in Ponyville… I've seen many running about since school has been temporarily closed for the day…" She pulls out a little quill and a piece of parchment from her saddlebags, then looks down at you. "Oh, um… my desk is also trapped inside of the school…"

"Yes, you can use me as a table."

"Thank you, Raisin!" Ms. Cheerilee puts a little stack of parchment on your back and begins making a few 'School's Cancelled' letters. Your stony skin makes for a great writing surface. Again, you hear your friends giggling.

You take one last look at the curious, small hoof sized hole you punched into the path. Ms. Cheerilee finishes up the last letter, hoofing it up to you. "Sorry, I tried putting it inside of one of your pouches, but it looks like your inventory is full up. Make sure your parents see this so you don't get in trouble for not being in school today." Ms. Cheerilee gives you a smile.

"Soo… if you're not running classes today, then what are you going to do?" Scootaloo asks.

"Oh, me? I'm going to catch up on grading some papers back at home. I'll be able to get all of your report cards out by tomorrow!" She seems to have chippered up a bit. Scootaloo suddenly looks concerned.

"Alright. We've got some exploring to do. Cutie Mark Crusaders, go!" You strike a pose and point back towards town. You figure that the hole isn't worth investigating at the moment; these flowers need to get delivered so you can get your reward from Zecora.

"Alright!" Scootaloo's hooves clink up on your stony back. "Lead the way, Raisin!"

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle make sure to run ahead of you so that they don't get caught in your wake. The dust cloud you throw up isn't anything that anypony would want to breathe in.

As your hooves boom through Town Square, you see that the Mayor has organized most of the ponies into a long line up to Town Hall. You quickly bypass the intimidating looking serpent statue in the square, much to the dismay of your friends.

"Wait! There's only a few ponies around! Dontcha want to investigate it?" Applebloom contends.

Scootaloo rests her head on your slightly pointy mane. "Just look at that thing… you think that caused all the destruction in town?"

You pass the menacing statue. The last frozen instance of agony prevails upon its countenance. Coiled up in a writhing mass, the catatonic Boulder Snake remains motionless next to the partially eaten fountain statue. Behind him, scaffolding and a busy team of repair workers climb up the sides of several damaged buildings, trying to put them back together as best as they can manage.

In just a few minutes, your dust cloud washes away with the wind as you stand outside the front of your house. Mary Annette, your maid, is watering a few of the ivy plants around the entrance. Behind you, the trusty mailmare canters down the road in blissful servitude to the town's mail service.

"Okay, so… like ah was gonna tell Raisin this mornin', Applejack got this really creepy letter from a stranger the other day… Ah think it could have somethin' to do with the school sinkin' into the ground!" Applebloom connects a few dots haphazardly in her head.

Sweetie Belle looks puzzled. "Wait… what? You think some creepy pony that's writing your sister letters made the school fall into the ground?"

"Yep."

As the CMC start to try and pull things together, you ponder your next action carefully.

As Mary tends to some of the ivy plants, she's unable to speak with you while holding her Watering Can, but her furrowed brows tell you she's concerned. Unable to speak yourself, you grasp just the top of the letter and unfurl it, revealing the large 'School's Cancelled' notice signed by Ms. Cheerilee. Without a second thought, Mary nods her head. She sets the Watering Can down on the top of her ladder. "Okay, vell, if iz cancelled… do you vish for me to let your parents know, Master Raisin?"

You nod, setting the letter down by her ladder. Mary picks her watering can up and continues watering the flowerbox above the front entrance.

You look up, noticing that Mary is watching you. You're not sure if you should check for your secret letter at this point in time. You cannot visibly see the letter beneath the doormat.

"What do ya think, Raisin? That Cil guy has to be the one controlling the stone snakes, he jus has to!" Applebloom seems to have created a conspiracy theory while your back was turned. Derpy passes on by, heading down to the Sweet Apple Acres farmhouse.

"Uh… hold on. Let's get our supplies first and do some investigating before we come up with any more theories…"

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle agree. Applebloom looks convinced that she was on to something as she follows the group into the Merlot Residence Foyer.

"Oh man, I love your new house!" Scootaloo smiles and stares up to the vaulted ceiling. The extravagance of your house has always mesmerized your friends… to you, it's just home.

Without wasting too much time, you walk down the hall and take a right into your room. As the group funnels in, they admire your wall of adventuring equipment. Scootaloo is already poring over the Saw.

"Sooooo… next question: who gets what?" She picks the Saw up off it's place on the wall, promptly proceeding to balance it on her nose.



You remember how long it took to organize your inventories last time… your friends had a very difficult time figuring out who would be carrying what. Suddenly, you remember the equipment loadout you went with last time. In an effort to get organized and back out adventuring as soon as possible, you pull all of the tools off the wall and start spreading them into little piles.

"W-whoa… what are you doing, Raisin?" Sweetie Belle watches as you quickly assemble little piles with a few items in each.

"Well, to be honest, I was thinking about who should get what when we were on our way down the road. Just… uh… drop your permission slips for now and this will work out swimmingly."

"Um… but what should I tell Rarity?" Sweetie Belle tilts her head. "She'll never believe me if I say Ms. Cheerilee just cancelled school…"

"Don't worry. I'll have Mary or my parents let everypony know school's cancelled today. We're not gonna get in trouble."

"Well, if ya say so… Ah don't know what Applejack would do if she thought ah was skippin' school…" Applebloom gulps.

"…well, no need to worry about that. She's right down the road, right? I'll have Mary catch her up in a jiffy." You pause, going back down to the equipment piles. "Applebloom, this pile is for you…"

Applebloom looks at the stuffed money satchel. "Whoa! Now THAT'S what ah call an allowance!"

Applebloom: CMC Cape, Hammer, Money Bag + 100 Bits, Box of Quarter Sticks (x3), Love Letter

"Sweetie Belle, take these…"

She looks over all the tools. "Alright… I can fit these in here…" She scrunches her nose up when she smells the Lamp Oil.

Sweetie Belle: CMC Cape, Baby Blue Sapphires x10, Saw, Nails, Lamp Oil

"…and Scootaloo… this one's for you."

She looks a little let down. "What? Why do I have to lug around all the boring stuff? I mean, Apples? Really?"

Applebloom pipes up. "Hey! Apples aren't boring! Besides, it's important one of us brings food along!"

"Whatever… fine, alright. At least I get to keep my Fireworks…"

Scootaloo: CMC Cape, Fireworks x1, Stompstarter, Apples x5, Bag of Sneezing Powder

Finally, you pick up the last pile for yourself…

Raisin: Hayseed, Stompstarter, Spool of Rope, Reinforced Shoes, Royal Medallion (Equipped), Twisted Iron Rod (tied to us)

Your team fixes their saddlebags and adjusts to the new weight they're hauling.

"Alright! I think that just about does it."

You look at the one item you left out of your bags. The small, beautiful bouquet of Everfree Forest flowers sits on the floor, unclaimed. Knowing that at least one of them is slightly toxic, you opt to pick it up with your mouth. vWith your mouth full, you feel ready to begin your adventuring shenanigans.

"So, where to, Raisin?" Applebloom follows you over to your bedroom door. The other CMC are close behind.

You sit down on the rug leading into your room and spit the Bouquet of Flowers into your hoof. "First off, let's get this Bouquet of Flowers we picked for Zecora delivered. I think she's going to be able to help us with our investigation." You mentally shrug, knowing that the zebra has very little knowledge on the Boulder Snakes or LS. You do know she's going to be giving you a reward, however…

"Alright, that sounds like a good place to start. Zecora always knows bout creatures an snakes and stuff!" Applebloom marches proudly behind you.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle follow suit. They don't seem to have any objections towards your current objective. You pop the flowers back into your mouth before heading out into the hallway. As your friends exit the room, you shut the door behind them.

You crack open the front doors and step back out into the beautiful early spring day. The sun seems to be well below its apex… it's probably 10:45 or so, you figure. Looking around, you don't immediately see Mary anywhere in sight.

"Oh! Ah almost forgot! Raisin, did you get a chance to look over that creepy Love Letter my sister got?" Applebloom is already reaching for the weird Love Letter in her saddlebags. Quickly, you reach under the mat. Your hoof grips the corner of a little piece of parchment… your mysterious friend seems to have responded already.

"…or… maybe we could read the creepy Love Letters you've been getting?" Applebloom snickers as you withdraw the letter. You're not able to speak with the Bouquet of Flowers in your mouth. You'd have otherwise clarified that you are not receiving any such letters.

"We don't have time to read that sappy thing again! We've gotta get on over to Zecora's!" Scootaloo protests, already starting to lead the way down the road.

You spit out the Bouquet of Flowers and set them on the doormat next to your new Mysterious Letter. "Wait! Scoots, come back quick! There'll be plenty of time for Adventure™ in a few minutes. We should really look at all of our evidence quick before we ask Zecora about anything."

She sighs. "Can't we look over it all when we get to Zecora's Hut?"

"Just get back here quick." You arch a brow at Applebloom. "…and as I was going to say earlier, I'm NOT receiving any Love Letters. They're just letters. From a friend. A friend that I don't know."

"Suuuuuuuure…" She nods in sarcastic agreement.

You carefully open up the little envelope. It takes a lot of skill, but your experience with handling books and other fragile paper documents allows you to open the envelope with ease. Clearing your throat out of habit, you fetch the attention of your friends.

“Dear Raisin,” The letter immediately starts off with a mess of ink. It seems like he was having trouble explaining what the X’s meant. Finally, you see one word that stands out. “Ideas. I thought that ma- perhaps Cant-Can-Canterlo-Canterlot might h-ha-of-have some informat-info, bu–“ It looks like the inkwell he was using spilled on the parchment. A little patch of the paper in the bottom right corner looks like it was untouched, though the words are all scribbled in really tight against each other. “Map for rer-reference. I am fr- a friend. And Yes!” The ‘yes’ is only assumed; the letters are almost stacked onto one another. He did, however, take up some valuable space below the 'yes' to put in nearly legible 'X's and 'O's.

“Ugh… why didn’t he just start over when he drenched this thing in ink?”

“That didn’t sound very mushy…” Applebloom peeks over your shoulder. “Just who are ya’ll talkin’ to anyhow?”

“That’s the thing. I really don’t know.”

Applebloom puts her letter down next to yours. "Well… one things fer sure… they weren't written by the same pony… this 'LS' guy writes all fancy."

Reading over the cryptic letter one more time, you contemplate heading back inside to write another letter.

"Alright, really quickly here… I think I should write a response to my mysterious friend here…"

Scootaloo groans. "Really? We're all packed up and ready to go and you want to go back inside to write a letter?" She glowers at you. "…can't it wait until AFTER we get back from Zecora's?"

Applebloom chimes in. "Ah'm with Scootaloo on this one. What if we learned somethin' really important from Zecora? Ya'll could ask yer friend better questions…" She looks over the letter with you once more. "…are those 'hugs' and 'kisses' down on the bott-"

"No! It's just X's and O's, nothing more, nothing less. Just some letters. I don't know why they put them on there. They must really like those letters for some reason. Maybe it's code? I don't know."

You crumple up the letter so that she's unable to read it again. She lurches a brow up. "Yeah, code… code for 'Ah looooooove you, Raisin~"

Sweetie Belle and Applebloom giggle at you. Scootaloo, on the other hoof, just stands there. She doesn't want any of this letter writing stuff. "Can we just get out of here already? We're wasting a valuable day off here!"

Embarrassed, you pick up the Bouquet of Flowers in your mouth once more. You are unable to carry the Crumpled Mysterious Friend letter with you. Do you still wish to go inside and write your friend a letter?

Brushing off Applebloom's derision, you open up the front door. Before you forget, you turn around and spit the flowers out into your hooves. "Uh… Scootaloo? Can you make sure that letter gets to the garbage?"

She glowers at you. "Don't you have a maid for that?"

"Please?" You pick the Bouquet of Flowers back up and try to manage the most pathetic look you can muster.

She rolls her eyes, then fetches the wadded up letter before Applebloom does. She walks it over to the Mary's cleaning cart and spits it out into her dustbin. "There." Scootaloo looks a bit annoyed. As she goes back outside, you can hear her voice through the door.

"Hey, let's just start walking to town. Raisin can catch up with us down the road. I don't want to wait here while she writes a letter to some weirdo."

"Wait, we can just let her write a letter quick. She's a really fast writer…" Sweetie Belle argues. You can hear the CMC discussing their options faintly as you think of a letter to write.

You run through the house initially, but slow to a brisk canter when you see Mary polishing the staircase banister. You know she'll flip if you charge through the house. Looking up the stairs as you pass alongside them, you see a look of contentment spread across her face as she scrubs the mahogany to a vitreous sheen.

Speedwalking as fast as you can manage, you get back to your room and scoot your stone chair up to your reinforced, sturdy desk. Quickly, you pull out a piece of parchment and begin writing…

"Dear Secret Admirer,

Thanks for responding so quickly. I'm heading to a friend in Everfree now, be back soon. You know anything about the collapse of the schoolhouse? If, hypothetically, bad guys invaded and set up a base there, are they linked to the boulder snake that mysteriously showed up?"

XOXOXOXOXOX
-Raisin"

You look over the letter for a moment, then get an idea. You follow your gut instinct, unsure of whether or not this is the best thing to include in the letter, considering how much Applebloom has teased you already.

"…might as well. I've got to know…"

"P.S. Do you like me?
[] Yes
[] Maybe"

You look at your work one last time. "Hmmm…"

"P.P.S. Please write slower, thanks!"

You blow on the ink to help it dry faster, but remember that you don't breathe. You pick the letter up and shake it in the air, hoping it speeds up the drying time. You're unsure of yourself, especially the last two segments you tacked on, but you roll the parchment up, ready to deliver it to the doorstep…

You get a bit flustered. You look at your letter and the Bouquet of Flowers in your mouth. You spit the flowers out and fetch your letter quick, bolting out of your bedroom. You gallop down the carpeted portion, but slow to a trot when you come in view of the stairs. Thankfully, whatever that rug is made out of, it absorbs almost all of the noise you generate running on it. You open up the front door, greeted by the faces of your friends.

"See? I told you she was a really fast writer!" Sweetie Belle smiles. Applebloom and Scootaloo are impressed.

"That WAS fast. Alright… I thought that was going to ta-" Scootaloo stops as you dart back inside. "Oh ponyfeathers…"

You trot in the Foyer, giving Mary a nice smile. She smiles back, carrying her Polish Rag in her mouth and her Can of Wood Polish in her Maid Uniform. You barrel down the hallway as fast as your legs will carry you, sliding to a halt by your door. Your momentum was great enough to slide the extremely long carpet a few extra feet down the hall towards the Swimming Pool.

Grabbing the Bouquet of Flowers, you dart back out to the Foyer. Mary seems to be on her way to do something in the Kitchen as you open the front door. You see Applebloom drop the doormat. An uncontrollable grin spreads across her face.

"Oh! You ready to go now?" She smirks.

You arch a brow.

"What? We were just… you know, waiting for you. We're ready to go now!" Sweetie Belle and Applebloom are both wearing the same goofy grins.

Scootaloo just rolls her eyes. "Alright, finally…" Scootaloo jumps up on your back, putting her hooves on top of your head. "Set course for town! Mush, Raisin, mush!"

The group starts heading down the road back to town. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom are lagging behind, whispering excitedly. It's a beautiful afternoon as you head back towards Ponyville… even down the road as far as you are, you can just barely make out the silhouette of the Boulder Snake statue by the water fountain.

As you get closer to town, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle start to calm down. When the Boulder Snake statue comes up, the group gets quiet.

"Where do ya'll think this thing came from?" Applebloom looks over the imposing figure. "Looks like it's made of granite… kinda like you, Raisin…"

"Whatever it is, I'm just glad it's made of stone… and not moving." Sweetie Belle hurries along passed it.

Your group eagerly trots onwards through town and towards the path to Fluttershy's cottage. As you start going down the road, the distinct sounds of avians shrieking into the sky. You feel protected with your friends about you. Still, the calls incite a very specific fear within you… in just a matter of minutes, the clucking of Fluttershy's chickens fades away as the chirping of insects becomes greater toward the forest entrance.

"Alright… let's get headed inside… Zecora's just up the way…"

As you begin your journey through the forest, you look around to make sure that you've got your bearings straight.

"I've always wondered why that zebra chooses to live all the way out here…" Scootaloo ponders. "…I mean, it's a pretty cool place to live, but it's really far out of town."

"Cool? Don't you mean dangerous?" Sweetie Belle keeps pivoting her head. "I would never want to live all the way out here…"

The light pours through the canopy above. It's always weird crusading out here… the clouds above make you think that somepony is always nearby, able to help you. Just a simple call could fetch their attention… but there's nopony up there. The clouds just move by their own will. At the same time, even realizing this, you can't help but constantly feel as though you're surrounded. There's always something nearby…

In a matter of minutes, you see Zecora's Hut fade through the forest fog and into view.

You let out a little sigh behind your flowers, thankful you didn't run into any monsters on your way through. You can't help but think back for a moment, wondering where that weird griffin might be hiding. Last time you were through here, he jumped you before you were able to reach the Hut.

"Let's get those flowers dropped off fer Zecora!" Applebloom leads the way up to the door. She knocks on the front, sniffing the air. "Whoa… she must be workin' on somethin' strong…" In a matter of moments, the door gently swings open. Zecora stands in the entrance, welcoming your entourage inside. Every step you take makes the old wooden house creak from stress. You're thankful Zecora doesn't have a basement…

The Zebra sees the little Bouquet of Flowers in your mouth. As she leans down to grab them, she suddenly stops. As she did last time, she recognizes the Midnight Widow among several other extraordinary subjects.

"Now I know this cannot be, but did you pick all these in the Everfree?"

"Yes… all of them." You remain honest about it.

She scolds you, saying that several of the species that you picked are located in incredibly dangerous areas of the forest. She typically hires experienced adventurers to find them for her.

Regardless of the imminent danger your troupe put themselves in, she's incredibly thankful that you went out of your way to find all of the species for her.

"That's what we're here for! Cutie Mark Crusader Flower Pickers!" Applebloom leads a small cheer.

"…but we still didn't get our Cutie Marks for it… not even when we went the extra mile…" You all hang your heads low.

"I was sure that would've done it too…"

In an effort to cheer you all up, Zecora decides that your bravery deserves a reward. You may choose one of these three items to bring along with you on your journey:



>11:15AM

You look over the three colorful satchels of dust. Knowing the effectiveness of the Wake-Me-Up Dust, you decide to take it once more. "That one looks good…" You pick it up off of Zecora's desk, placing it on the floor in the middle of the CMC.

"Wake-Me-Up Dust, huh? I'm guessing it helps you… wake up?" Scootaloo picks it up by the drawstrings. "Sounds good to me."

"Who's going to carry it, though?" Sweetie Belle asks.

You spin Scootaloo around quick and reach into her saddlebags, withdrawing a small cluster of Apples. You deftly pluck the little pouch of Wake-Me-Up Dust from Scootaloo's hoof, placing it in the now freed up inventory slot.

"It's almost lunch time… you guys should just snack on these quick." You pull one out of the pile and toss it up to Zecora. Out of pure reflex, she catches it with her teeth. She smiles, chomping into it as she gets back to work on her bubbling cauldron.

"Sounds good to me!" Applebloom pulls two apples out of the pile. The remaining two apples rest on the floor for a mere moment before Scootaloo grabs one. The last Apple stares Sweetie Belle in the face, but she hesitates to grab it.

"It's okay, you can have i-" Sweetie Belle stops. "Oh… uh…"

"Go on, eat up! It's fine."

A little embarrassed for having forgot that you don't need to eat, she reaches down and picks the apple up. After taking a bite, Scootaloo throws the last bit of apple core into her mouth. "It must be cool not having to eat… I mean, you never get hungry or anything anymore, right?"

You think about the question for a moment. "Nope. I guess not."

As your friends finish their afternoon snack, you ponder your next course of action. At the same time, you can't help but feel there's somepony just outside the Hut watching you…

You resist the urge to snap your head in any one direction. Very naturally, you get up and stretch, walking back over towards the desk. Your gut feeling tells you that a pair of eyes are staring you down, but you're not sure from where. You spy through the window nearest the desk, but there doesn't seem to be anypony there.

As you glance over the little collection of knickknacks Zecora has amassed over her years of journeying throughout Equestria, you look out of the very corner of your eye to the window across the Hut. A panicked blue face dips out of sight beneath the opposite window, followed by a silver dome.

"…thought so."

Applebloom finishes her last apple. "Did that ever hit the spot!" She gets back up on her hooves, then looks your way. "Flowers delivered… check. Lunch… check. What's next, Raisin?"