TFE October Event: Earthquake!

“What do you think of the fruit tart?” Summer Solo asked, taking a bite out of his pastry. Brave Storm hadn’t taken a bite, since she had to use her mouth to hold it. She waited for Summer Solo to use his magic to set out the picnic blanket on a sunny patch in the gardens. After they both got situated she finally bit into her pastry.

The crust was light and fluffy, the fruits were crisp and tart, and the mildly sweet cream pulled the flavors all together. The tart was delicate and delicious. 

“Oh wow. It’s light, but it’s really tasty!” she complimented, her ears perking up. 

“Le Pain Magnifique is my favorite bakery in Canterlot. I’m glad you like it, too.” Summer Solo said with a smile, taking another delicate bite from his fruit tart. “Do you have bakeries in Ponyville?”

“What a funny question!” Brave Storm laughed. “We have quite a few, each one with its different charms. If you ever go to Ponyville, you should check out Mint Chip’s bakery.”

“Sure, what’s it called? Is there a specific one to go to?”

“It’s… the only one in Ponyville.” she answered, realizing she didn’t know what most of the shops in her town were called or if they even had a name. “Just ask for Mint Chip’s, the ponies will point you there.”

“Oh, it’s a local joint?”

“Isn’t every store sort of ‘local’ these days?” Brave Storm asks as she notices another building called Le Pain Magnifique across the garden.

“Technically, yes. Every store in Canterlot is local to Canterlot, but there are different districts that sort of turn a store into a chain as they spread out.” Summer explained, “And they’re relatively the same district-to-district but with some mild differences in management, layout, and stock. So a unique store that isn’t duplicated anywhere in Canterlot is what we call local.”

“Hm, interesting. Ponyville is pretty small and always sort of was.” Brave Storm continued after scarfing down the rest of her pastry. “I guess we don’t think about our stores being local since all of them are unique.”

“Let’s say I have to go to Mint Chip’s bakery alone- what do you suggest I try?”

“Ooooh, that’s a great question. He’s always experimenting, so ask about what’s new on the menu. And if that doesn’t appeal to you, try a danish braid.” Brave Storm answered, feeling herself salivate thinking of the different pastries. “I don’t know what braiding it does, but it’s so much better than the standard danish. Make sure it’s an in-season fruit you pick out though. His cinnamon apple danishes are to die for in Autumn. But the cheese is always good if you don’t know what fruits are in season.”

“Wow, you really got into that.” Summer Solo laughs. “You’re already done eating? You want to walk around the garden?”

“You sure?” Brave Storm asked, already beginning to stand up. The unicorn made a point to levitate his pastry around to show that he is, in fact, good to walk as he eats.

“But if you’re not much of a fruit person-” Brave Storm continued with her suggestion.

“I am literally eating a fruit tart with fruits on it.”

“-then you could ask him to make you an almond danish. It’ll be a little pricier, but so worth it.”

Summer Solo was certain he wouldn’t be able to get a word in edgewise into this conversation anymore and let Brave Storm ramble on about different pastries. The unicorn took his new friend around the gardens along his favorite path to travel. He didn’t know at exactly what point Brave Storm stopped talking about pastries, but she was quietly enjoying the walk with him now.

She mosied with every detail of the garden being fresh and unique to her. Brave Storm occasionally stopped to smell a flagrant flower that grew in the path of the stone-paved walkway and watch a bee or other bug go about its business. 

She turned to ask Summer Solo a question went she began to feel a bizarre shaking sensation under her hooves. She jumped back in surprise, thinking that she accidentally stepped on a snake or some other poor animal. But there was nothing where she was stepping and nothing scurried away. 

“Are you all right?” Summer Solo asked with a cocked head. 

Before she could answer, she realized the sensation could still be felt in all of her hooves. The earth itself was twitching deep beneath the surface. She frowned as she looked around, making note of how every other pony didn’t seem to notice it. But in the crowd, she locked eyes with a nearby pinkish earth pony who was also bothered.

“Do you feel that, too?” the pinkish pony asked, slowly approaching Brave Storm and Summer Solo.

“Feel what?” Summer Solo butted in, looking between the two ponies in confusion.

“It’s like a muscle-” she began to explain, but was cut off as the earth suddenly lurched with a boom! There was immediate panic as ponies began to scream. Was there an explosion? Was Canterlot under attack? Run! Run for cover!

None of the ponies made it far before the earth began to roar. Sending wave after wave of rapid spasms. Many of the ponies lost their balance and fell. No, they weren’t under attack. This was an earthquake. They heard the rumble of collapsing buildings and the distant screams of ponies who weren’t as lucky to be in open spaces.

Brave Storm had difficulty breathing, her nightmares of natural disasters rushing into her head. She remembered dreams of waves so high that they reached into the clouds, of hurricanes so powerful they uprooted entire forests, and of an earthquake so hungry it split Equestria in two as it swallowed all of Canterlot.

Breathe. In-out, in-out, in-out.

She felt her heart beating in her throat and she flinched as she heard something nearby shatter.

Just breathe. Inout, inout, inout.

The corners of her vision darkened and hot tears streaked down her cheeks. 

Breath! Inoutinoutinout!

She saw a piece of the dawn sky tear itself away in a brilliant and dazzling display. The earth finally began to settle at its command. But deep, deep down the earth was still angry. Brave Storm could feel it in her hooves. She finally felt it subside when she collapsed into the dirt. 

“Brave Storm! Brave Storm! Hey, get up!” she saw Summer Solo and the pinkish earth pony shout, but they sounded so far away. Her heart slowed, she lost track of her breathing, and her vision went black.