To Serve a Princess (Private)

[Pretzelparty]

 

This was such an exhaustive trip. Good will mission or no, traveling back to equestria was not the royal chef's idea of a nice time. Granted, she did have quite a filling meal in her last visit here what with that Iron pony tournament so long ago. However that same event had proven much more stressful than she anticipated. Having her cover potentially blown in front of a crowd and having to hide away until her friend's found her... well, that wasn't going to make  her stay at all comfortable. All the same, Empress Yue had said that in the name of good diplomacy she needed her chef to cook and train some fresh faced culinarians in the castle of Princess Twilight Sparkle. 

Normally, Yanhua wouldn't make a fuss or complain but the yokai couldn't help but feel like something was very off. It wasn't just the smell of the air in these lands and its unfamiliar foliage, nor was it the odd looks of the locals when she passed by. It was something deeper. At first she'd entertained the possibility of a voyage to clear her head but still this odd haze of uncertainty hung over the chef as she made her way through the streets of Canterlot and to the entrance of the castle. That, and an annoying cough. 

 

One truly concerning thing, was that according to the empress, the princess had asked for Yanhua by name. As far as she could recall she'd never formally met the new ruler of Equestria. How on earth did she know her name? Rumors the chef had heard spoke of Twilight Sparkle as being a skilled weaver of spellcraft among her kind. That was indeed quite an achievement. Especially for beings with such a tangential connection to magic. 

Whatever the ulterior motives for her requested visit... the royal chef was confident she could outfox any trickery that could be thrown her way. 

After one deep breath she brought her hoof to the door of the castle and knocked. Waiting for someone to open and invite her in.

 

[SteelEagle]

 

Word coming out of the capital had been unusual if not alarming for several weeks. The usually punctual daily royal court releases that had become a mainstay of Twilight's rule had slowed. The previously well organized and timely responses to the prodding of the the various provincial officials- as well as her consistent, gentle meddling in their affairs- also slowed. Appearances in public slowed. Not enough to cause concern for most ponies, however. The nation adored Twilight but she was different from Celestia. The Princess of the Sun was photogenic and made herself available to the public. For centuries she had become so ingrained into society that imagining a nation without her was rough. Twilight? They loved her, but she wasn't a daily presence. So while court watchers raised their eyebrows at the events transpiring, or not transpiring, from Canterlot Castle, they did so with a belief that there was likely nothing much to be concerned with.

 

And maybe they were right. Twilight couldn't tell, and neither could anypony she had called in to help her.
There were doctors, the very best and those sworn to secrecy. She had consulted the whole library available to her to no avail. Answers eluded her as readily as reason. In time, she sought more help. Help from those that were closer to her, better to her. She could only hope they could help. After all, what were friends for if not helping the ruler of a nation contend with an unknowable issue that was slowly driving her mad?
As Yanhua would find out right after she knocked, apparently the friends were best used for flying out of doors rather quickly. Too quickly, indeed.
Applejack came flying out from inside, breaching the doors and crashing into Yanhua, sending the pair tumbling until they smacked into a pillar outside.
"Arrrghugh....anypony get a number on that sledghammr'?"

[Pretzelparty]

 

Apparently, what was going to greet her was a blur of orange and yellow. That was all she could gather in those precious milliseconds before impact. Sent tumbling, everything else became a blur until the chef and the mystery pony collided with a pillar. Despite her desire for decorum, an undignified yelp came from Yanhua as she hit the column. With an undignified fall, Yanhua fell back down onto the ground face first. 

She whipped herself back up and spat out blades of grass and soil that found their way into her mouth. A few coughs and sputters later she shook herself out and brushed the dust off of her coat, "Sledgehammer? What is going on in there? I wasn't called to supervise some sort of renovations was I?" glowing wisps of magical flame accompanied a frustrated huff then would proceed to pull the qilin's luggage over to her. Her frustration at this less than ideal welcome took a back seat as she noticed the pony was still dizzy from their tumble. 

"... Are you alright?" The curious chef would lean in to get a closer look at the pony, "I'm sure I've seen you somewhere before-- oh." A glance over to the side revealed a hat knocked away and off to the side. With a clap of her cloven hooves, Yanhua brought the accessory over to her and then offered it to the pony. "I believe you dropped this. Do you know the princess? I was requested to come by here to help with some culinary issues."

[SteelEagle]

It took Applejack a few seconds to gather her wits. After all, being tossed out of a castle at high speeds was something a pony couldn't get used to, even if it had happened a few times in the past day or so. Her eyes had heavy, darkened sags underneath and her mane was a mess of tangles and nervous strands that poked out at the best of time. She got the help she needed to pull herself up and off the ground, dusting herself off as her hat was returned to her. The manner in which it was returned was strange, but strange was a word she tossed around a lot lately. Little else could faze her now. "Thank ya kindly," she said, wearied as her eyes looked down. "Sorry 'bout, uhh, that introduction. Not very properlike, was it?" She asked with a tired smile before losing it as she looked back through the doors.

 

"Ah'm Applejack, Ah guess you could say Ah know tha Princess. Nice ta meet ya, ma'am. I'd say Ah'm here ta help, but Ah don't reckon Ah'm helpin' Twi much out here anywho," she said with a sigh. "Best if we do a...what would Rares call it. Walk and talk?" Applejack asked as she started trotting back inside.
There was something very, very wrong. Paintings floated in bubbles, their contents changing by the moment as if they were alive. Guards were caught in time loops. Cutlery ran around as if they were chickens with their heads cut off. Chickens with their heads cut off were guards. The ground underneath changed, aging and de-aging rapidly. Waves of living sound echoed to and fro. And through it all, Applejack looked less worried and more tired.

"Ah don't know what tha hay ta call it, but Twi is sick. Or maybe she is, we don't know. She don't know much either, ta be honest. Her magic is going haywire. So is her mood. Ah can't quite make heads an' tails of it, but Ah can tell you that it don't seem to be getting better. Ah don't even know half of what she is talkin' about and tha half Ah do understand Ah don't get, get it?" She asked with no small hint of annoyance. The ground was now water. She forded it with a large table and some spears. "She called us a few days ago but...uhh, maybe just a few days ago, Ah can't quite say...but beyond making sure she isn't going of tha deep end or nothin' nutty like that, Ah don't think we're doin' much," she said as the makeshift boat started to bump up against a door. Applejack slowed the impact and then used it to push open the doors, jumping out before the table sunk.

 

"Rarity, is she okay?" Applejack asked as loudly as she could. It was hard to see through the jungle, but such was it.
"Yes! Well- yes?" Came the faint response. Applejack started stepping through the jungle, ignoring a litter of rabbits that looked like Rainbow Dash.
"Well that's goo-" she began before she was picked up in a purple magical glow and ripped through the jungle, which parted way to the back of the 'throne' room.
"Applejack! I'm so sorry, I didn't think my sneeze would-" A panicked Twilight blathered, her voice cracked and broken and nearly unhinged.
"Ya only blew me apart for a few seconds. So that's better," Applejack replied before she was dropped at the throne steps.
"Oh! Sorry! I can't- wait, my chef is here!" Twilight said as her eyes locked onto Yanhua. Her eye was all pupil, bigger than it had any right to be and edged by deep red lines. It would change every few seconds, all iris and no pupil, all pupil no iris, all combinations impossible or sane. Her eyelids twitched, her horn blazed a dark indigo as an energy wave of multiple purples seemed to radiated between her mane and into her coat. She was taller, bigger than before, and looked every part like a madmare.
"I've been waiting for you!"

[Pretzelparty]

This was not at all what she expected. With each step into the palace, Yanhua couldn't help but feel that this task was less suited to a culinarian and more in the realm of an exorcist. Despite her concerns, some of the passing sights seemed oddly familiar. In the several centuries she'd been wandering tales of this sort of spectacle would reach her ears and in one case she'd been near the center of one. Her thoughts of the past were pushed from her mind as the 'qilin' detected a whiff of chicken on the air. How long had it been since she'd had poultry? At least fifty years by her recollection. Such an old hunger was brought to the fore of  her mind as she and her guide sauntered by a pair of headless chickens serving as guards. 

 

A similar desire came up when she glimpsed the multi-colored rabbits. Thoughts of rabbit meat had to wait though. The state of the princess was of much more significant import. 

 

As a yokai, the chef was very in tune with magical energies. By the studies of neighponese scholars, beings such as her were almost entirely composed of magic. As far as a traveling chef and ancient practitioner of her kin's unconventional forms of spellery could say: such scholars were correct. Being entities entirely of magic came with a few perks. Her senses were better attuned to detect anomalies of an arcane nature, she could better understand the weaving of spells, and it allowed for her to alter and shape her own form with ease. The first perk in that list was proving the most necessary right now. The entire palace smelled like the princess, or more specifically the princess' magic. To the visiting chef, Twilight's indigo horn was giving off an intense aura of chaotic and conflicting signatures and similar scents pervaded the entirety of the halls. 

When the eyes of Twilight fell upon her, The disguised fox gulped audibly. At least her host still addressed her as a chef. "Um... greetings, Your highness." A cough escaped her as she felt a strange tingle run through her, "I see that today is quite eventful for you and your friends." Her ears perked to see if she might hear where that tiny voice from earlier might have come from. 

 

 

[SteelEagle]

 

Twilight looked around. Yes, it was very eventful. Was it? Was anything truly eventful? Atoms collided and these formed the creatures around her. She loved them so much. But was love real? Was anything truly real, except magic? If reality could blended and painted and nothing was true, was magic real?
She took a breath. Her brain matter mattered some more and she shook her head and moaned. She was so hungry.
"Yanhua, I'm sorry. There is so much happening, and I don't- uggh," she said as she held her head in her hooves. Her stomach rumbled, and the castle shook. Applejack ducked out of the way of a falling piece of debris which uncovered Rarity, who was a bit too small. Filly sized for a filly, sized. "Oh, finally! I couldn't move that leaf, it was simple too rough! Too big!" The small Rarity said as Applejack put Rares in her hat. "Twi, a little-"
Rarity was normal again, and the two tumbled down. Twilight took another deep breath.

"I'm hungry. I'm...very, very hungry. I can't stop eating, but my hunger never sates," Twilight said as her eyes danced in color.

"Yep. Ah had tha whole Apple clan here cookin' up all sorts of things for her. Ain't do a bit of good," Applejack said as she pulled herself up off of the jungle floor.
"As of last count, between what I am eating here and in all other timelines and realities, I am consuming well over sixteen billion, four hundred and six million, three hundred thousand, and seventeen calories a day, but it doesn't stop. The hunger doesn't stop, and it is driving me mad," she said, the final word causing a fracture in spacetime that momentarily showed other, alternate versions of the meeting. Twilight stared at them and they stopped.
"I have...a lot of problems, but I was hoping you could solve this one. I don't need a lot of food, I think. I hope. What I need is the right type of food," Twilight said as her eyes flashed. They stayed lit as she moaned in pain.

 

"So we're reckonin' somecritter like you may have an idea on what ta do, bein' one of them..." Applejack began before she looked at Rarity, "what was it that Twi called her?"
Rarity shrugged as she pulled herself up. "I don't speak that language, darling. And even if I did, I don't even remember my own name. What do I remember is that Twilight believes you could help," Rarity said as she approached the foreign creature.
"An' don't be worrying about yer secret slipping out. We ain't telling nopony."

Twilight pulled herself back up, her wings now blazing with fire.
"You have access...to my kitchen and all staff there. I think it is...mostly fine, Applejack? Same with the quarters?" She asked hopefully. Applejack nodded. "You also have a royal dispensation to get what you need, when you need it. So, can you...will you help me?"

[Pretzelparty]

 

Between the resizing of space, the wild dancing color, and the wings engulfed in flame... Hanabi was a tad overwhelmed. She'd seen things like this before in her childhood, but never to these incredible extremes. It was obvious now why this princess had such a reputation with magic. With all that was flowing through her she could pass for a yokai of multiple millenia. This job was far more intimidating than the empress let on. Complicating matters further, was that Princess Twilight somehow knew about this royal chef's true nature. Did the empress tell her? Had the princess been in the stalls or in the background of the Iron Pony event so long ago? Did Twilight have access to some kind of scrying spell?

There were so many possibilities that the princess' guest would be mulling over, but first thing's first: She had a job to do. Yanhua pulled in a deep breath through her nose and looked over to Applejack and... what was her name? Rarity? Out came wisps of green flames and in unison was the full opening of the chef's eyes. Her pupils were not that of a pony's: They were slitted ,catlike. "At this point, I'm not sure how much my secret matters anymore." The chef strolled forward and looked Twilight over, "I can definitely cook for you... though, from what I can see the food may not be the primary issue. It's been so long since I've had to make use of any magical knowledge. I just wish It had come on a day where I'm not so under the weather." 

As if on cue, the yokai coughed a few times and then rubbed a fetlock to her muzzle. She sat herself down on the ground and shut her eyes in thought, "I should warn you. While I've seen things like this, it has mostly been in other foxes like me... though, none were quite as gifted as I. But, you seem in a similar situation as them. I think the issue is not so much what you are eating, but more how you are processing it." 

 

Walking to one of the many breaks in reality and magical anomalies, she waved a hoof in a gesture towards them and then back to Twilight, "All of these wayward spells are sapping the energy you would get by eating. Fortunately for you, I happen to have made meals for family going through such fits -and in preparation for my last tail- to make it easier. " The shifted yokai would tap one of the nearby doors to see if it was real, "... If you show me to the kitchen I believe I can make something that might not solve the problem, but will ease your aetherial processes long enough to think clearly and... perhaps not sneeze your friends out of doors."

[SteelEagle]

 

Twilight nodded along to what the yokai was saying. There was nothing in truth behind her words. It was why she had heard it before from her, and would hear it again, and in the infinite string of time-space was always, would, and will always hear it. That didn't make it any less true, or change the effectiveness and truthfulness of what she was brought here to do. It was why she had been brought all the way here in the first place, after all. "Yes. Yes you are right. Magic- my magic- magic has gone haywire. I need your knowledge and your recipe and your work and your food to solve this," Twilight said through a stomach grumble. "There is...more to it, but yes. You have it right as to what the role currently needed is. And I think you will find that it will be helpful for you, too," she said, managing a pained smile. As the trio faded from view and into the next room, the entire throne room was overtaken by a firey void. Not that Applejack or Rarity seemed all that excited about it.

 

The door to the kitchen opened. It appeared to be for all intents and purposes normal. It was indeed the royal kitchen, with several stations worth of space to cook a variety of meals at once as well as prepared to handle large state dinners. The staff was all there, a variety of mares and stallions and many of them some of the best in their fields and used to high pressure situations. The kitchen was stocked with almost every ingredient a pony could ask for, and in large enough quantities to satisfy the urges of an Alicorn- which in even normal times was extensive. 
At the moment though, almost everything was untrue. The kitchen looked like a warzone, barren of supply and with its vast staff either passed out in exhaustion or two steps removed from it. The Apple family, what remained of it here, lay together in a pile. The stations were a mess, the cupboards were bare, and Applejack looked to the foreign yokai for salvation. "So, whatcha need?"

[Pretzelparty]

The kitchen was in a worse state then she thought. If the occupants were not so clearly equine, she'd be tempted to call it a pig sty. Flour was strewn across tables and over bodies, cupboards had been stripped bare, and cookingware was left all over the place. Yanhua sauntered by the pile of passed out apple ponies and over to a counter. "For starters we'll need to restock." She began in response to Applejack's query, "There's only so much even a chef as skilled as I can do with a mostly empty larder." 

Her eyes fell closed again and the qilin shaped yokai tipped her head back and started to probe the air. A few audible sniffs managed to catch the attention of some not fully passed out members of the apple clan, though Yanhua was unlikely to bother elaborating. With the headache she'd been nursing focusing her senses was becoming a trial. Even with a nose working at half it's best, the chef could scent out some ingredients in the spacious kitchen beneath the melange of culinary scents left over from the princess' staff's previous attempts. Seeing as those most important were informed about her true nature and the rest of present company were likely used to stranger occurrences. Yanhua got down and followed her nose not unlike a bloodhound. 

After a bit of searching, She located some spices, carrots, and a pan. 

Getting back into her normal posture, The chef yawned and levitated the pan over to a stove and used that breath to exhale green flames that began to heat up the metal. She gathered up some other fixings: Maple syrup, Olive oil, some hoisin sauce. 

"Do you think you can get some help to restock the cabinets? Right now, I'm making a quick and easy snack. The princess seems to need it sooner rather than later." Once she heard the sizzling of oil she turned an eye back to the stove but continued the conversation, "It's nothing fancy, but with my flames on paw I can give it a special treatment that should balance her magic and metabolism."

[SteelEagle]

"We could certainly try," Applejack said as she rubbed the back of her neck. She didn't look all that confident. "I mean, assuming we don't get lost in some sort of tear in reality or have our atomics switched around by accident. I didn't think Ah'd feel it, but Ah sure did," she said, shivering at the memory. "What are ya looking to restock, by tha way? Ah mean, besides everything. What do you need?" Applejack asked as she rummaged through the drawers to find a baker's quill and some paper. It would be tough to restock everything the way time was flowing outside of the kitchen. If she had a list of specific requests she would likely have more luck than if she went out there, in there, over there, blind. And truth be told, she could use the help. Her life had been a whirlwind of everything all the time.

 

Rarity for her part was still holding her head. As she watched the foreigner however, something caught her eye. She wasn't an expert in such creatures- the only pony who was such an expert was currently going mad, after all- but she was perceptive. And while her brain was still sloshing around it was still together enough to pick up on some less than fantastic details of their new comrade in feast-making. "Dearie," Rarity said as she drew closer, her hoof on the creature's shoulder. She perhaps should not be so upfront and friendly, but Twilight trusted this mystical helper from beyond the seas. Why shouldn't...what was her name again? "Are you feeling well?"
 

[Pretzelparty]

 

"Really about anything heavy in carbohydrates or takes time to digest." The chef covered her mouth as a yawn escaped her, "Green beans, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, Any sort of grain but I'd prefer noodles of various types as that's what I'm used to working with." A sizzling sound caught her attention, so she turned back to face the stove and alter some of her flame's properties. The spices were levitated over and then applied in measurements that might look chaotic at first, but to the chef were perfectly measured. 

She paused once she felt the hoof on her shoulder and heard the concerned tone. "Truth be told, I'm not at my best. It's not the first time Equestria has disagreed with me. I think the doctors in Long guo said I was allergic to something here. I think it was called goldenrod." That wasn't all there was to it, as much as Yanhua wished it was. She'd experienced some fatigue on her last visit to Equestria but she'd not felt quick this... weighed down. Perhaps the close proximity to the princess was throwing her magical balance out of sorts? "At worst I'm coming down with a cold I'm sure. Surely that's all it is. Besides, if your orange friend--er, Applejack's experiences are true: any illness I may experience can wait until this palace is no longer a maze of mirrored pathways and fractured portals." 

Once a few moments had passed, the chef pulled the snacks off the burner and inhaled the flames of the stove. After they went back in, Yanhua stiffened up and went into a quick fit of coughing. Despite her discomfort, she managed to still hold the pan steady and deposit the meal onto a plate. Once she had collected herself, the chef would clear her throat. "Pardon me." She pulled in a breath and then allowed the food to cool, "Give them a minute or two to cool and we can give these to the princess... it should at least calm her magic to a more manageable state. If I need to I can try and help dispel some of the more troublesome enchantments in the halls."

[SteelEagle]

Applejack nodded. She wasn't sure how this would necessarily help, but then again she wasn't sure about much else other than her own name and her own belief that she did, in fact, exist. Everything else was debatable as far as she could tell. In any case, she was a baker but not a cook at the level that Twilight needed, and the only creature that could help she would have to trust to see this through. Trust came easy.  "Heavy it is," she said as she trotted to a nearby door. After taking a deep breath and grabbing a nearby saddlebag, she opened the door. The neon lights and flashing signs nearly blinded her, but she pulled a nearby rowboat close to her and hopped in, closing the door  behind her. "Ah'll be back soon!" She said cheerily as the door closed and a roar was heard.

 

rarity did not follow. She saw the mystical fox was clearly unwell and could not leave her, even as the smells of what she was cooking up took hold of her nose. "Well, despite your condition your cooking skill has certainly remained," she said gently as she drew in closer. She was, unlike Applejack, not a mother or a mare even all that familiar with the many tailed signs of illness. She was proud of her hale and hearty condition! "Hmm. If you say you're fine I'll buy it for now, darling. But I don't think that sounds like a cold. Do you not hear that snapping or crackling sound when you sneeze?" Her ears twitched. "Or perhaps that is just my hearing. It has been dreadfully chaotic lately. You said you were allergic to goldenrod?"

[Pretzelparty]

 

Yanhua had to admire how this Applejack managed to keep a cheery disposition despite all this magical chaos surrounding her. The bulk of the apple clan was still asleep in a pile on the floor. They did wonderfully in the face of this incredible magical scale, putting on a performance worthy of applause were any of them awake to hear it. The chef's hoofs weren't available at the moment to give any sort of ovation just yet either. She was still looking about for any other remaining scraps that she might be able to use to cobble into something appetizing. After only a few seconds of sniffing she let out an exasperated sigh, "Either my nose is in worse shape then I had thought or we truly are working with nothing left." 

 

With nothing to do but wait, She looked to Rarity. "Sneeze?" stealing a moment to think, "I haven't sneezed since I go here... I did a few times when I got off the train but I don't recall any sizzling sound." After a bit of thought she did realize that after that brief fit she had at the train station she'd caused some minor magical mishaps. Nothing terrifying. A couple auditory hallucinations and a couple doors flinging open. At her age, Yanhua was capable of a bevvy of magical feat but she was practiced enough that magical slips like this were near non-existent. Was there really something going on with her?  This would be the worst time for some magical malady to befall her on such an important mission. 

 

The disguised fox rubbed her muzzle to deal with an itch, "But, yes. I am allergic to Goldenrod. It's not too debilitating unless I'm right beside some."

 

 

[SteelEagle]

 

Rarity looked over the chef some more. There was something...off, about her. Well beyond the abnormal, mythical elements inherent in her very existence. Fact is that she was well aware of the many and varied ways in which the creatures of the world could be wondrous in their own ways. She had been told who she was and Rarity accepted it readily enough- with everything else going on, how could she not? But even within that context there was something going on with Yanhua. She could feel it in the magical currents in the air around her, like the fits and starts of a machine that was clogged, or a ship being battered against its port. She had become more attuned to these things as time passed in the tumult of Twilight and knew better than most the signs. Signs of what, she did not know. But something was wrong with this most wonderful of creatures.

 

Rarity's ears twitched again. She had not sneezed? "I see...but don't you hear the sneezing?" She asked, her brows furrowed. She could hear it clear as day. As night, even. No passing fancy of the moment distracting the world from its appointed deliveries, Rarity knew she was hearing something. But if her friend here wasn't, then she would have to abandon the issue. Her ears twitched. "I think we're just that low. I know the other chefs were driving themselves mad trying to keep up and eventually ran out of most things of any import," she said as she looked over what was being prepared. It would have to do, for now. "I think you have done a marvelous job, considering the circumstances. And look on the bright side, we have no goldenrod nearby. I think," she said as she did her part in preparing the food. Mostly, getting its appearance up to snuff! "Ready?"

[Pretzelparty]

 

The qilin looked over Rarity with a mix of concern and curiosity. In her short time in this palace she'd seen many a spatial anomaly, Just down the hall she thought she may have glimpsed herself walking the other direction. There was no telling how long the princess' friends had been exposed to such chaotic confluences of raw magical energy. Perhaps the unicorn before her had attained some kind of magical fore or hindsight via exposure. If not for Hanabi's less than ideal state, she might have sensed it clinging to the pale mare's innate magic. It seemed there was much to do in this castle after snacks were served. 

 

Despite whatever was affecting her, Rarity seemed more than willing to play her part in prettying up the dish for presentation. In all honesty, it looked incredible: Even more aesthetically pleasing than what the chef could come up with.... by a bit.  If Hanabi had more energy than surely she could have put more effort into it. Energy was still proving to be something she lacked today. In the short moment Rarity was arranging the plate she was starting to doze off only to be brought back to the waking world by a pleasant voice asking if she was ready. 

"MNn?! Oh. Yes." She nodded quickly and stretched out before approaching the door beside the fashionista, " Let us bring the princess her snack and perhaps I can begin dispelling the many spells lingering throughout the halls." With that, she and Rarity made her way through the increasingly strange corridors of the palace. Thanks to all the magic warping the dimensions, the walk was taking longer than either of them likely expected and there was no need for a paddleboat like Applejack took to make her exit. After a minute or two of strolling, 'yanhua' felt a strange tickle in her muzzle. Before she could even remark on it she could feel her chest tensing up. Quickly, the chef handed off the meal to Rarity to protect it from any developments. 

The second she had, the qilin whipped her heard around and sneezed harshly, producing a gout of green flame over the length of the hallway. Then came another and another and another. Each one seemed to shake her form and after each, a vulpine tail popped into existence after the first overtook her qilin one. After eight forceful sneezes, the chef was huffing and rubbing at her muzzle while a sizzling sound overtook the hallway. While Yanhua dealt with whatever illness had befallen her, the green flames she produced burned away some many enchantments, dissipating a multitude of ambient magic and returning the hallway to how it looked before all this had happened. 

 

[SteelEagle]

Rarity was glad to see that Yanhua was ready to get this food to Twilight. She was more than happy to take her newfound friend's condition into consideration, and considering her friend's condition was something she felt comfortable about then it was something Rarity would have to remain comfortable with. They were working together and Rarity had great confidence. After all, this was the only creature in the world who could help Twilight right now, or so the Princess said. Everycreature else had failed, and only the fascinating and rare could hope to understand  the fascinating and rare. "It seems ready," she said pleasantly as she followed Yanhua into the hallway. 

 

Rarity tried her best to not perceive what was happening. Tears in the fabric of reality allowed multiple dimensions to bleed through, briefly altering her very own shape and perception of the space around her before it stopped. When that ended, however, she saw Yanhua sneeze. She didn't hear it, but she saw it- until after the first two. Then she was all caught up! Which was good, because it allowed her to watch Yanhua change and adapt and change and adapt. Rarity had trouble understanding what she was seeing for a while, but what she did understand was luxurious tails and when all was said and done. "Dearie, your...tails! They're so beautiful!" She said as she ducked into them, allowing them to roll over her head and allow her to get lost in them. That was more literal than she intended, however- when local magic was temporarily dissipated, so was Rarity, and the unicorn vanished and left Yanhua alone.

[Pretzelparty]

"Ugh... " Groaned the chef, "Perhaps I truly am coming down with something, Miss--- Huh?" She coughed once and looked around the now empty hallway. This didn't bode well. The princess would probably not be happy to hear her friend had disappeared. If the princess commanding phenomenal magical power got mad or angry... well that could be catastrophic. Yanhua was a tricky creature by nature, so a cover story would be easy enough to concoct. She simply went off to use the little mare's room. Sure. That would work. 

Hopefully. 

The chef sniffed a few times at the air to see if she could catch the barest hint of Rarity's scent... or Applejacks. There was the barest hint of Applejack's but for the time being the princess's' magical scent  still saturated the air. With an exxasperated sigh, Yanhua levitated the  dish beside her while she made her way down the halls. Remembering the last words of the pony beside her, she looked back to her hind quarters and finally noticed the swell of her tails fanned out behind her. Yet another annoyance to deal with. The fox centered herself and tried to re-apply her glamour... only to find she couldn't. Now, she was starting to worry. if she couldn't disguise herself, she'd have to start trying to hide in this maze of magical mishaps!

 

She couldn't let herself be distracted though. That was in the future. The near future most likely, but what needed to be handled now was the princess's meal. With a determined huff, Yanhua made her way to the largest door, where she could easily pick up Twilight's magical signature and push it open. She cleared her throat, "We are currently restocking... but I was able to put together a snack that might ease your malady."

[SteelEagle]

 

Twilight looked at the snack as best she could through the eyes of the celestial spiders that covered her invisibly. It looked delicious. It smelled delicious. Not because of the ingredients, but because of who made it. She could feel the magic bleeding off of it. She broke through the veil of time that separated them and brought the two of them together in a relatively benign looking throne room. She lifted the meal away from Yanhua and led it into her mouth, consuming it in a literal flash as the magics within combined and were quickly absorbed by Twilight. She smacked her lips and licked them, a look of satisfaction on her face.

 

It was brief, and soon her stomach was growling. Still, she looked pleased.
"Thank you. That hit a spot," she said as she looked at the fox and beckoned her closer. "I know you didn't have much to work with, and I am afraid it will get a lot worse before it gets better in terms of...access to resources. Well," she started before she took a breath and exhaled, the swirling smoke that came out crafted to detail what she said next. "I have a bit more...lucidity, now. And I can use that to tell you that there is nothing in this world that can help me solve this problem," she said as she started drawing a book in the book. She took it and handed it over to Yanhua. "Only you can. This book contains the recipe I need. I have read it and I understand, but," she sighed. "I am not allowed to read it, and I am not allowed to understand, and I certainly cannot cook it. Only you can. Only you have the ability to decipher it and make it, and only this meal can solve the problem I am having. Only you can help me, help you, helping me. Help, please?" She said as she started to breathe heavily. "I'm hungry again. Uggh! Listen, you're going to go through some more trouble yourself, but you'll..." she squeezed her eyes shut.

"You're gonna be amazing. Okay Yanhua, I trust you, but I need to reconstitute matter and anti-matter. Watch out for flying mares," she said as trotted back up the throne before everything, everywhere, vanished all at once-

 

 

-As Yanhua would find out right after she knocked, apparently the friends were best used for flying out of doors rather quickly. Too quickly, indeed.
Applejack came flying out from inside, breaching the doors and crashing into Yanhua, sending the pair tumbling until they smacked into a pillar outside.
"Arrrghugh....anypony get a number on that sledghammr'?" she said, eyes rolling in her head as a wagon of groceries spilled out next to her, broken.

[Pretzelparty]

 

 

 

 

This had gotten so serious, so suddenly. With a book now in paw, Yanhua's eyes bounced between the tome and the increasingly tense face of the princess she'd been called in to serve. Eventually they settled on twilight as the tension in the air become thick enough to cut and the princess made her way back to the throne. "I have so many que--" And then the palace was gone, "Wh-whuh?" 

Once the scene had changed back to the entrance of the palace, she blinked as a feeling of Deja Vu sank in. Appreciating it any longer was not an option as the pair of doors burst open and for the second time (or perhaps the first?) An orange pony collided with her. The tumble was a tad more painful with the addition of the book between the two, and once they were propped up against the pillar Yanhua was still left dizzy: in part from the collision and also from whatever malady had befallen her. To her annoyance, Yanhua still couldn't find the energy to shift back into her qilin form. 

In the hopes of getting through the madness quickly, She growled and hopped up on her feet. The Fox whipped around to face the mare and asked in a voice she could only hope sounded familiar to the farmpony, "How much do you remember?"
 

 

[SteelEagle]

 

 

Applejack found her hoofing after a few seconds, her brain a jumbled mess of memories that seemed to conflict with one another. She had been going to get groceries for the castle because it was a pile of chaos at the moment and next thing she knew she was being sent flying- into a giant, big, floofy fox-thing. It was a gorgeous animal but Applejack didn't know if she could really appreciate it for what it was at the moment, on account of having done a number on it when she was flying like an ill-mannered pegasus.

 

"Sorry 'bout, uhh, that introduction. Not very properlike, was it?" She asked with a tired smile before losing it as she looked back through the doors. She then bent down and gave the fox her book back. "Here's yer book, sorry about that again. Anywho, Ah'm Applejack an'- wait, what do Ah remember?" She asked quizzically. She checked her hat and her noggin to make sure there weren't new bumps on it. Well, bumps aside from what could be expected after having slammed into a pillar, after all. "Uhh, should Ah remember anything in particular? Ah remember runnin' out of ingredients and headin' out ta get more, returnin', and then getting blasted. Why, should Ah rememeber something? Wouldn't be a shock if Ah had forgotten something..."