The next morning, Sweetie woke up and once again prepared for the day. Her mind filled with Luna’s words, she could barely even focus on brushing her teeth. Brushing half her teeth and half her face, she focused on Luna’s words. Maybe she really was destined to be a miner. I mean, the princess herself told her to! It’s something she could do! She cleaned the toothpaste off her face, and then headed downstairs. Rarity turned to her as she came downstairs, a bright smile on her face.
“Good Morning, Darling!” Rarity said.
Sweetie walked into the kitchen, and Rarity’s smile quickly turned into a wince. She kept the grin up after, trying to pretend everything was normal. The half-mark wasn’t there, it was just a normal day.
“Sorry, I don’t have time to cook today, I’ve gotta get to work.” Rarity said.
“What’s the order?” Sweetie said.
“Nothing special. Just more dresses I’ve already designed,just need to fill inventory.” Rarity said.
Sweetie made up a plate of buttered hay toast and various fruit.
“So, uhm, anymore...mining today?” Rarity said, cocking her head, not quite sure how or even if she should bring it up.
“First I have to go talk to Scootaloo and Applebloom, Luna said she had to go talk to them too.” Sweetie said.
“Luna talked to you? When? And about what?” Rarity said.
“Last night, in my dreams. She said I should embrace this mark, because it’s something I can do.” Sweetie said.
“Well...she’s not entirely wrong. I want you to do something you love, but so far, you haven’t been able to find anything. If a cutie mark has shown up, it has to be your destiny, right?” Rarity said.
“I guess so.” Sweetie said.
“But she spoke to them too? Those girls could use some direction I suppose, but does that mean they got these marks too?” Rarity said.
“That’s what I’m gonna go find out.” Sweetie said.
“I have to go now, Sweetie. I’ve got to get to work on those dresses.” Rarity said.
Sweetie finished her breakfast and walked down to town square, where she was supposed to meet the others. She was a bit early, so she sat in the shade to escape the summer sun. It wasn’t long before Applebloom showed up, seeming similarly distraught.
“You too?” Sweetie asked.
“Huh?” Applebloom said.
“The marks.” Sweetie said.
“You have one too? What’s yours?” Applebloom said.
Sweetie turned her flank, showing her the half-pick.
“Here’s mine.” Applebloom said.
It was half of an apple-blossom, quite uncreative.
“I guess it’s fitting. But what does it mean?” Sweetie said.
“Something about me being destined to work on the farm, just like everyone else in the family.” Applebloom said, upset.
“Mine’s mining. I hate it.” Sweetie said.
“Ah’ll say, it’s dirty and boring.” Applebloom said.
“It’s not that. In fact, I like the work, I get this weird feeling that I’m doing something good when I picked up that pick. A sort of warm satisfaction.” Sweetie said.
“Then why do you hate it?” Applebloom said.
“Because I don’t want to do it! I want to do something that’s more fun! Excitement and adventure!” Sweetie said.
“But ah thought you liked it?” Applebloom said.
“I do, but it’s not fun. It feels more like it’s filling a need. Like eating a boring meal. It makes me stop feeling hungry, but I didn’t particularly enjoy it.” Sweetie said.
“I know what you mean. I’ve worked on the farm with AJ all the time, but just recently I feel like some sort of problem is going away when I do it. Like an itch I need to scratch.” Applebloom said.
“I wonder what Scoots will have to say.” Sweetie said.
The two of them waited a couple of minutes, Sweetie kicking her legs around, sitting beneath a tree in the center of town, and Applebloom just laying against the other side of it. Suddenly, Sweetie felt an odd urge again. Her eyes darted around the square, and she grabbed a rock from around the tree, and began to smash it as hard as she could into the ground.
“Sweetie, y’allright?” Applebloom said.
Sweetie paid no attention, focused on the stone. When it refused to break, she started to shake violently, unable to calm herself.
“Sweetie? Sweetie!” Applebloom said.
No response. She just kept on smashing the rock, until the shakes caused her to drop it.
“Somepony, please! My friend needs help!” Applebloom called out.
A stallion passing by ran over to help.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I don’t know, but she won’t listen to me, and she’s shaking!” Applebloom said
“I’ll go get a doctor.” he said.
“Thank you so much.” Applebloom said.
Sweetie continued shaking violently, but focused all her energy on the rock.
“Right. Something to do with that rock. You’re gonna be fine Sweetie, just try to stop shaking, please!” Applebloom said.
Sweetie’s shaking slowed a little, as her muscles started to tire. She started breathing incredibly quickly, and sweating heavily Applebloom felt herself start to shake as well, and fixated on the tree. She gave it a huge kick,and it shook back and forth, as she stopped shaking. It was about now that Scootaloo showed up, rushing towards Sweetie.
“What’s wrong? Sweetie?” Scootaloo said.
“It’s something to do with her mark, mine made me hit the tree.” Applebloom said.
“What’s hers?” Scootaloo said.
“Mining.” Applebloom said.
“There’s a craft shop down the street, they don’t have picks but I think they have chisels.” Scootaloo said.
Sweetie felt a coldness run down her, and her jaw clenched.
Right, I’ll go get one, you try and keep her calm.” Applebloom said.
Applebloom rushed off down to the shop, as Scootaloo tried her best to tell Sweetie it would be fine. The stallion arrived, with a doctor in tow.
“How can you help her?” the stallion asked.
“She keeps fixating on the rock, trying to smash it.” Scootaloo said.
“I’ve never seen this before, she has all the symptoms of sun dew withdrawal, but she’s clean.” the doctor said.
“Sun dew?” Scootaloo asked.
“An incredibly addictive substance found only on the highest of mountains, closest to the sun. Those who taste it say it cures all of their ailments and pains, but they suffer immensely painful and deadly withdrawals if they don’t continue to take it.” the doctor said.
“But how would Sweetie have come into contact with it?” Scootaloo asked.
“That’s just it, she didn’t. It leaves one’s tongue stained a bright gold permanently, and hers isn’t.” the doctor said.
Applebloom stormed into the craft shop, pushing past the line to checkout.
“There’s a line for a reason, you know.” the mare shop owner said.
“Sorry, but this is an emergency. I need to borrow a chisel, my friend needs it!”
“An emergency? I suppose you can borrow it.” she said, passing her one.
“Thank you ma’am.” Applebloom said, rushing back towards Sweetie.
Sweetie felt a bolt of pain run up her legs, followed by a constant burning. And yet she couldn’t help but make another grasp at the stone, holding it in her hooves once more.
“Sweetie, here!” Applebloom said, tossing her the chisel,
Sweetie immediately plunged it into the stone, taking off a big chunk, and easing her shakes and pains. She kept going until it was nothing but small pebbles, letting out a sigh of relief, closing her eyes and laying back down.
“Th-thank you.” Sweetie said, collapsing.
“We should get her to the hospital. Who knows what might happen next, and if she can move on her own right now it’ll be the safest time.
“Sweetie, can you stand?” Applebloom asked.
“Yeah.” Sweetie said, slowly getting up.
Suddenly, Sweetie felt all of her pains leave her, and could walk just fine.
“I feel fine now, I honestly don’t know what just happened.” Sweetie said.
“Still, we should keep you in the hospital for at least a night to be safe.” The doctor said.
“I’ll go ahead and leave now, I’m glad to see you’re okay.” the stallion said.
“Thank you for your help.” Applebloom said.
Applebloom went back to the store, and decided to pay for the chisel. She might need it around incase Sweetie has another attack. The four of them headed towards the hospital, where Sweetie was told to rest.
“So, Scootaloo, now that that craziness is over, what are those papers supposed to represent?” Applebloom asked.
Scootaloo had a half-mark of a stack of papers on her flank, with a pen writing on them.
“So those dreams about the bank office, they weren’t wrong. And I hate it!” Scootaloo said.
“So I’ve gotta farm, Sweetie has to mine, and you have to do...what?” Applebloom asked.
“Fill out paperwork.” Scootaloo said.
“How’d you find that one out?” Applebloom asked.
“With all those dreams I’d been having I decided to try it for myself, and filled out some old wonderbolt applications Rainbow had lying around. She has stacks of ‘em.” Scootaloo said, stomping particularly hard as they walked,
They arrived at the hospital, and Sweetie went to her room to lie down.
“I’ve sent a letter to your parents, explaining what happened. I’m having a mail carrier take it over now.” The doctor said.
“What did you tell them? Sweetie asked.
“That you started to shake violently in the middle of town.” the doctor said.
The doctor left the three of them alone, presumably with other business to attend to.
“So, it looks like we really are destined for this, huh.” Sweetie said.
“You experienced withdrawal firsthand, is it really that bad?” Applebloom said.
“I felt like I was gonna die. But as soon as I broke into the rock, it ended.” Sweetie said.
“But I don’t want to be a dumb accountant! I want to do something cool, like Rainbow!” Scootaloo said.
“I don’t think any of us want what we got.” Sweetie said.
“I’d have to be stuck on the farm my whole life.” Applebloom said.
“And mines?” Sweetie said.
“But what else can we do?” Scootaloo asked.
“I guess that for now we’ve got to keep going along with it, or else we’ll get these attacks.” Applebloom said.
There was a knock on the door. Sweetie figured it would be her parents, Rarity, or the doctor.
“Come in!” Sweetie said.
Instead, a pale brown stallion with a violet mane entered. His hair was a bit paler than Scootaloo’s, and much longer, covering a good portion of his face, hanging straight down to his shoulders. His face was soft, and gentle, or at least what little bit could be made out of it. He was very thin, and seemed rather weak. He wore a jacket and a weird sort of pants, which were quite baggy on him, and glasses a bit too small for his face. He seemed very overdressed, especially considering it was summer, and that it was acceptable to be nude in pony society. He had a surgical mask on as well, to protect him from any diseases in the hospital.
“I’m not infectious or anything.” Sweetie said.
“Oh, I know. But can’t be too safe, right?” he said.
“I guess not.” Sweetie said.
“You’re the girl who had the attack earlier today, right?” The stallion said.
“Yeah.” Sweetie said, eyeing him warily.
“I just wanted to come tell you I’m sorry for the pain you must have gone through, and wanted to see if you were okay. I brought you and your friends some gifts, as well, to help you feel better.” he said.
He handed them each bags containing various sweets and a card.
“Hope you get well soon.” he said, waving goodbye and leaving.
“Thanks!” Sweetie said, her suspicious eased by the gift of candy.
The stallion left just as suddenly as he entered, leaving them alone again.
“Well, that was weird.” Applebloom said.
“Who cares, he gave us free stuff! It’s all sealed, store bought stuff too, he didn’t do anything weird to it. He probably just saw a kid being taken to the hospital and felt bad.” Scootaloo said.
“I guess, but didn’t he seem...off? He just felt like some sort of weirdo.” Applebloom said.
“Hey, he brought us candy.” Scootaloo said, her mouth full of chocolates.
“I’ve gotta go with Scootaloo on this, free candy is free candy.” Sweetie said.
Sweetie opened the card, it was just one of the cheap get-well-soon cards most drug stores sell for a few bits. Inside was written “Hope you start feeling better”. In the very bottom of the bag, which Sweetie had not noticed until she moved the candy, was a small, white, rectangular cardboard box. “To open in private” was written in black ink on the top.
“Do you two have this weird box inside your bags too?” Sweetie asked.
“Yeah, says he want’s us to open it in private.” Sweetie said.
“I guess I’ll take a look inside.” Sweetie said, popping another chocolate into her mouth.
Inside was a folded up note, which had obviously been magically copied, which she opened. It read “To those of us who tread upon the edge of the path of fate, I offer respite. Respite from the pains of a world that has refused us. Respite from the oppression of the chains that bind us. Respite from all of the horror and hatred of our own existence. To my brothers and sisters in chains, I offer you peace from the urges and the pressures of the caste.” Beneath this, scrawled on with a quill, is written “Meet me at the train station if you wish to escape your “fate” and the pains that come with it. 11:00 AM Saturday.Bring no one, tell no one, or I won’t help. ” After reading, the girls all looked to each other in confusion. Scootaloo grabbed a medical form and began to fill it out as they talked.
“What is this guy talking about?” Scootaloo said.
“Something about a caste.” Sweetie said.
“What is that?” Scootaloo said.
“It’s when society is divided into hereditary classes.” Sweetie said.
“Don’t make me go for the easy joke, here, Mareiam Webster.” Scootaloo said.
“Just because I happen to know more words than you.” Sweetie said.
“So... are we gonna do what this guy says? He wants us to meet him tomorrow.” Applebloom said.
Applebloom and Sweetie stopped arguing and suddenly became very serious.
“He says he knows of a way to help us deal with our urges. That’s enough for me.” Applebloom said.
“But are we just going to trust a stranger like this?” Sweetie said.
“No more paperwork? I’m in.” Scootaloo said.
“I guess I’ll go if you two will. You’re the only ones I know that know what this is like, and my closest friends. And no more mining would be nice, too.” Sweetie said.
There was knocking on the door once more, Sweetie’s parents and Rarity had shown up.
“Come in!” Sweetie said, putting everything back in the bag, and sliding it beneath the bed. The others followed suit.
“We came as soon as we heard! Are you girls okay?” Mrs. Belle asked.
“We’re fine now.” Sweetie said.
“The doctor just said she needed to rest here under watch of doctors for the night.” Applebloom said.
“Did he say why it happened?” Mr. Belle asked.
“Something to do with our marks.” Sweetie said.
“Your marks? Maybe Luna was right when she said to embrace them.” Rarity said.
“Yeah, maybe.” Sweetie said.
“Well, I’m just glad you’re fine now.” Mrs. Belle said.
The Belle family stayed with the girls at the hospital for the night, and Sweetie ate her hospital dinner, and then went to sleep early, she was exhausted. The others fell asleep soon after, tired from the long, exhausting day.