• Published 11th Apr 2012
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PonyFall: Onward Valiant Crusaders - Fullmetal Pony



A man finds 3 familiar girls one day

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魔法少女スイティ☆ベル

Smack!

I first heard the noise a few feet away from the guest house. It was faint, but it still pricked up my ears. The noise was low outside, but that just meant it was all the louder inside the guest house. I kept quiet as I darted forward, the sound from the house and my own heartbeat were enough companions for me.

Apple Bloom trailed behind me, matching my pace. The panic on her face had diminished when she’d spotted me outside of the main house. She stayed silent and had only uttered a single word when I caught up to her. “Help.”

The closer we got to the guest house, the more smacks I heard. It wasn’t the sound of a door closing shut, but that didn’t alleviate my anxiety. I swung the door to the guest house open and stepped inside. This time, the smell of vomit wasn’t in the air, but it would have been welcomed compared to the current site.

The inside of the guest house was the aftermath of an earthquake, if an earthquake only effected books. The TV, the old workout equipment, and the desks were still upright, but the latter was covered in books. The shelves over the desks jiggled, and every few seconds a book would pull itself out and fall to the ground.

I’d never experienced an earthquake, but I knew that there should have been much greater damage. The books were the only things moving. I blinked and more books smacked into the desk and ground. It sent a shiver up my spine. I knew there were books falling of their own accord, but... That’s not how it works.

It wasn’t a thought, but some prick at the back of my mind, a tightening in my stomach. The more I watched the books, the more the feeling intensified. I managed to pull myself away from the shelves and over to Scootaloo. She was shivering in a corner formed by the bed and a wall, looking even worse off than I was. “Scootaloo, what’s wrong?”

“N-n-nothing!” Scootaloo shook. She raised up a trembling hand and pointed to the bathroom “J-just g-go help S-s-sweetie!”

I wasted no time and lunged into the bathroom. A clean smell that I couldn’t pinpoint filled the air, but it did sting my nose. Sweetie was there just like the night before, curled up by the toilet. This time, her hands were clenched around her head. It wasn’t her hands that brought me into a cold sweat, but the faint glow that encircled her forehead. “Sweetie!”

“Rarity! You have to get mommy! Please get mommy!” Sweetie writhed on the floor and continued clutching her head. Outside the bathroom, more books fell at a faster frequency than before.

“Sweetie, it’s me, John.” I got on my knees and leaned forward to put a hand on her shoulder. The air grew thicker the further out my hand went, like humidity without the heat or water, leaving only pressure. It took actual effort to lay my hand on her and even then it felt like I’d be repelled at any instant.

Sweetie bolted upright when my hand made contact with her shoulder. She used one arm to prop herself up, but kept one hand pressed to her head. Her eyes were scrunched up with pain and confusion. “John? You have to get my mommy! Get Rarity! Please!”

“Sweetie...” The words caught in my throat. I’d said variations of them hundreds of times by now, but saying them to a sick desperate child was different. I clenched my fist and coughed up the words. “Sweetie, I can’t. Just tell me what’s wrong. I can help.”

“No you can’t!” A whole collection of books fell from the shelves and the light in the bathroom flickered. Sweetie fell at me and grasped my t-shirt tight around the collar. “Please! Mommy knew what was wrong with Rarity when this happened to her! Find her!”

“Sweetie, calm down!” I yelled in a voice that betrayed my words. “I can help!”

“You don’t have a horn!” Sweetie screamed back. Her whole body spasmed and her hold loosened on my shirt. Her hands raced back to her head as she struggled to stay upright. My hand darted out to her side and kept her steady. Fresh tears trailed down her face and snot turned her nose bright red. “Mommy helped Rarity when her horn hurt!”

“This happened to Rarity?” I rasped. Gears turned in my brain and churned out possibilities.

“Yes,” Sweetie sobbed, “her horn hurt her when she was little and she was sick too, but mommy made her feel better. That’s... that’s why you have to find her.”

“Do you know any other unicorns this has happened to?” This question came even raspier than before. The gears were getting more specific in my head. I knew this situation: confusion, odd body functions, parental help; the symptoms were lining up and making me sweat more.

“I do,” came Apple Bloom’s voice from behind me. She was at the door watching everything unfold. She crept forward and gently laid her hands on Sweetie but kept her eyes on me. “Snails once got sick a while back and had to take a week offa school. When he got back, he was way taller and his voice was funny. He didn’t mention his horn though, he actually turned a little red when anypony mentioned it.”

“Oh.” The cold sweat on my face was now joined by a slight red tinge on my cheeks. All the pieces had lined up to give me one hell of a problem. I’d thought I’d never have to deal with this for at least another twenty-five years. I still recalled all the talks, the horribly dated videos, and the awkwardness that had hung over all of it. Now magic had been added to the mix just to add more chaos to this madness. Somehow, the next words out of my mouth were even harder to say, despite that I’d heard them thousands of times. “S-sweetie, you’ll be fine, you’re just... growing up.”

“What?” both Sweetie and Apple Bloom screamed.

Apple Bloom was on me in an instant. She forcefully grasped collar and shook my head back and forth, making my eyes swim for a second. “Growin up doesn’t hurt! How can ya say that about Sweetie?”

“It’s the only thing I can think of,” I gasped. Apple Bloom held quite a grip on my collar. I could feel calloused palms through my shirt’s fabric. “Listen, everyone... everypony has a time when they grow up really fast. That’s what happened to Snails!”

Apple Bloom let go and I slid to the ground. I caught my breath while the room turned silent. Apple Bloom clenched her fists and shook her head at the ground. “Granny sometimes talked about growin’ up too. She said ya get a bad fever that makes ya act all funny. Applejack or Big Macintosh would always tell her to be quiet though... I’m sorry if I hurt ya.”

“You were just worried about Sweetie.” I pushed myself back and tenderly reached a hand out to Sweetie’s forehead. The glow was still there and touching it sent a tingle up my arm like I’d been lightly shocked. Sweetie’s head was warm to the touch and the longer I kept my hand there, the more the tingling feeling increased until it felt like my hand was asleep. I retracted my hand after a few seconds, flexed it, and feeling returned to it. “She does feel a little warm, but if what you said about Snails is true, she’ll be fine.”

“R-really?” Sweetie stuttered. The glow on her head dimmed a little. “But it hurts.”

“Growth spurts can always be a little painful,” I explained. “You’ll get through it though. You’re a Crusader, right?”

Sweetie teared up again and clumsily wiped at her eyes with her hands. “Yeah... I am.”

The glow fully disappeared from Sweetie’s head. Her body waved and fell onto Apple Bloom, who in turn lost her balance and flopped onto the floor. Sweetie was out like a light and peacefully snoring. Apple Bloom and I both exhaled deeply at the same time.

“Is she really gonna be okay?” Apple Bloom asked.

“If it’s just a magical growth spurt, it should just be a natural part of any unicorn’s life,” I conjectured while I pushed myself off the ground and out of the bathroom. Apple Bloom chucked Sweetie’s limp arm over her back and followed after me. “Take her over to the bed, you all need some rest.”

Scootaloo looked up at us when we reached the bed. Her expression was pale in the light of the guest house and her eyes were tiny pinpricks. She jumped up when she saw Apple Bloom carrying Sweetie and rushed to their side. She looked back and forth between her friends and me. “Is she better?”

“From the sound of it, yes,” I half-lied while I pulled back the sheets and helped get Sweetie onto the bed. “Sweetie is just going through a bit of a rough patch right now, but she’ll pull through.”

“Can we get her some medicine?” asked Scootaloo.

I pulled the covers over Sweetie and stepped back. She just looked looked like a normal girl save for her hair color. Sleep had already melted away the fear and confusion on her face. “This isn’t something medicine can fix.”

I sighed and looked back at the mess of books Sweetie’s episode had created. “I’m gonna go clean the books up. Can you two just stay by Sweetie’s side while I clean up?”

“Are ya sure ya don’t need any help?” asked Apple Bloom.

I picked up the first of many books and placed it back on the shelf. It didn’t matter where it went, but getting things back in order was for the best. “Nah, you two being close to Sweetie is probably for the best right now. Things will be confusing for her and she’ll need you to get her through it.”

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo nodded and I returned back to my work. The books were all dull things that mainly related to law. A parental guide to puberty and growing up would be a welcome find, but even such a discovery didn’t give me much hope. There were no books on magic, especially ones that actually dealt with magical growth spurts in unicorns turned into humans.

I reached for what was probably the tenth or eleventh book in the pile and glanced at the title: Business Communication in the Electronic Age. The title screamed dated, but it also sparked an idea in my brain. I don’t have any books, but I do have ponies.

I put the book back down on the desk and went over to the bed. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom stared at me when I smiled down at them. “I know how we can help Sweetie.”

“How?” they both asked.

“We all know a certain pony that can fix any problem no matter what it is.” I reached down into my pockets and pulled out my phone. “I think talking with Pinkie and Fluttershy will help make all of us feel better too.”

“Of course!” Apple Bloom was smiling now too. “Why didn’t I think of that? Pinkie will know for sure what to do and Fluttershy is great friends with Rarity. I’m sure they’ll be able to help.”

“That’s what I’m counting on.” I pulled up my recent call history and scrolled down until I found Doug’s number. I pressed the number and the ringtone filled the air.

“Vicky?” Doug’s voice was a quiet shell of what I remembered of it. Shoot, I probably called in the middle of the night.

“Um, Doug? Sorry if it’s a bad time, but it’s John.” I glanced over at the Crusaders. Sweetie was still peacefully asleep but Apple Bloom and Scootaloo appeared to be holding their breaths. “Listen, I’m kinda having a... oh lord, a parental emergency with Sweetie and I could really use some help.”

Silence greeted me on the other end of the line. Feet padded against the ground and wind whipped through the air in the background. After a few moments of listening, I chose to speak up. “Doug, if you can hear me, I really need yours, Pinkie’s, and Fluttershy’s help right now. Sweetie needs somepony to talk to about things and I need to know how to deal with her.”

The line stayed quiet for a little bit. I clenched the phone tighter in frustration. Doug’s voice finally returned when I was just getting ready to end the call. “What happened to her?”

“She’s...” I glanced back at Sweetie. I didn’t need a mirror to feel the flush on my cheeks or the weight of awkwardness on my back. “Well, she’s going through a magical growth spurt... I think. It’s already changed her hair back to normal, turned a tile into a plant, and made my guest house a disaster zo—”

“Sweetie’s done magic?” Doug whispered, cutting me off.

“Yes, but it’s unfocused, she can’t reign it in,” I nervously replied. “Please, can you ask Pinkie and Fluttershy to help? I don’t want her to hurt herself.”

“No!” Doug growled suddenly. The violent change in volume made me thrust my phone away from my head for a second. He was quiet for a moment, then continued in a softer tone. “No, not Fluttershy. Maybe Pinkie... but... no.” Doug’s voice became distant. He didn’t sound like he was focussed on the call anymore. “She’s dealing with too much... barely holding on.”

Doug’s words and the shaking in his voice quickened my own heart. Oh god, what if this is affecting all the ponies? Before I could say something, Doug’s voice refocused on the call. “How bad is it?”

“A-aside from what I said before...” I took a moment to gulp. “She’s got a bit of a temperature, bad headaches, and nausea that either comes up as magic or just throw-up. Apple Bloom said Snails went through something similar, so a magical growth spurt was the only thing I could think off... but if Pinkie and Fluttershy are under the weather too...” The words choked in my throat. “Doug, they aren’t all getting sick are they?”

“No, it’s fine,” Doug hastily replied. “They’re not sick but...”

I exhaled and the girls took that as a sign that they could breathe again too. I mentally slapped myself for saying such things in front of the Crusaders. I’d have a lot of apologizing to do after this call. “That’s a relief, so that makes Sweetie going through a growth spurt all the more likely. This happened to Rarity too, which is why I was hoping I could talk to Fluttershy since she and Rarity were close friends.” On the show at least.

The line once more went quiet for a few seconds. “We... can’t. Look, Pinkie and Fluttershy... we’ve got our own problems right now. I’m sorry, but I don’t have an answer for you, mate. Just...” Doug paused for a moment. “Just stick together. That’s all you can do.”

“Wait Doug! I need...”

“I’m sorry.” The line clicked off.

“... help,” I stuttered.

I pulled the phone away from my ear and dejectedly stared at it. Rage billowed up in me and the phone turned into a useless hunk of plastic and circuits. Crushing the damn thing sounded like a really good idea right now. I sunk my hand tighter around it and got ready to chuck it at the wall.

“John... is he gonna help?” Apple Bloom looked at me with soft shaking eyes. Scootaloo said nothing, but her eyes were the same.

I gritted my teeth and let it all go, my phone clunked to the ground. I shuffled over to the chair by the bed and slumped into it. I’d done runs that had left me less drained. My eyes lazily drifted up to Sweetie, at least I didn’t have to look her in the eye when I talked. “I don’t know. I think I caught him at a bad time.” That was putting it lightly.

“Oh...” Apple Bloom sighed. “What are we gonna do then?”

I rested my left arm over my knee and clenched it tight. For the girls’ sake, I needed to power through this. “We’re going to deal with this. I won’t let Sweetie hurt herself because Doug and I did nothing. We’re not completely in the dark about this.” I held up my clenched fist and raised a three fingers. “We know three things. Sweetie’s magic comes in bursts that sicken her, it's tied to her emotionaly, and it tires her out.”

“What do all those things mean?” asked Scootaloo.

“The most important thing is that magic takes energy.” I gestured a hand over to Sweetie, who was still sound asleep. “It’s just another part of the body, which means it can be trained.”

Apple Bloom’s head twisted back and forth between me and Sweetie. “How are we gonna do that?”

I ran a hand through my hair and thought for a moment. I snapped my fingers when I stumbled upon an idea. “We’ll try and get her to move stuff, small stuff. Hopefully, that’ll be all it takes to get this mess sorted out.”

“What... what if it’s not?” Scootaloo quivered.

“I’d prefer not to think that way,” I coldly replied before putting on a false smile. “Now then, I think we’ve all had a rough night. What say we get some sleep?”

“Can you stay here?” asked Scootaloo before hastily adding, “for Sweetie! I-I don’t want her to be scared if she wakes up.”

“She’s got you two at her sides, but I’ll stay.” Scootaloo’s shaking hadn’t gotten past me. “Don’t worry, Sweetie’s in the clear for now. Rest, we’ll all need strength for tomorrow and the next day.”

“Okay,” said Apple Bloom and Scootaloo at the same time. They clambered onto the bed and under the covers. Apple Bloom took up the middle of the bed with Sweetie to her left. Scootaloo went to the right side of the bed and curled up with her back to me.

I stayed by the bed, resisting the temptation to turn off the light. Instead, I leaned back and kept watch over the Crusaders. I chuckled a little when an old song and memory came to my head. They were both from so early in my childhood that they felt primordial. Christ, eighteen years old and I’m thinking of ways to help children sleep. Heh, and mom said she’d kill me if I had kids before I married. Well, at least she knew her lullaby songs.

I never had a voice for singing so I hummed instead. It was a little annoying that I couldn’t remember the name of the song, but even after all these years, I still remembered the melody. Soft, incredibly soft, the sort of sound that would calm anything down. My throat ached and my lips were numb by the time I turned off the lights and fell onto my own bed.