Not All Is Set In Stone

by Tails_155

The Quest For a True Home

The three stretch and get ready for the trip back. They make their way out, in time to encounter a bear made of pure diamond.

"Get back!" Apple Bloom pushes the others back. The bear starts walking toward her. She cowers backward, but the bear only sniffs her, and nuzzles her hoof. Apple Bloom stares, startled. She rubs the bear's nose and the bear gives a strange coo. The bear stands up and wanders off.

"What the hay was that all about?" Scootaloo stares at Apple Bloom.

"I have no clue..."

The two have a relatively uneventful return over the next two days, with most creatures giving them no mind, or occasionally approaching curious. Eventually, they become comfortable around the creatures, who appeared fully harmless, regardless of how intimidating they seemed.

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Featherweight stretches and gets to his hooves. He looks around, the sunlight creeps through the edges of the door, and he can tell a couple of others are laying awake. He whispers "Everypony ready for the lights, yet?"

"Ten minutes."

How come everypony talks in minutes? We have no clue what time it is. "'Kay." Habit, I guess.

After a few minutes heads to a flashlight and it flickers and the bulb pops. Featherweight jumps, everyone gets to their hooves.

"Welp. That one's no good for now."

He goes to the others and lights up the area.

"What's the plan for the day?" Rumble turns to Featherweight.

"Pip suggested we just take it easy. We have enough food for today. After today, though, we need to see if anypony else is out there. I mean we know there are other students in the class.

"A couple I'd rather not find." Pipsqueak chuckles.

Featherweight halfheartedly chuckles.

"Aw, come on, I wasn't serious."

"Anyway, we uh... if there are others out there, we need... we need to find them. At the very least we need to make sure everypony we can find is okay where they are."

"How will we do that?"

"We'll start in one area and go house to house until we reach the center of town. I'll work on a plan. I got paper and stuff last night. Everypony just take 'the day off,' sort of."

"How is everypony feeling?" Dinky interrupts.

Lily steps forward. "Yeah, if you guys need to talk... I think we all could let some frustration out.

The group spends hours and hours talking, crying, playing games, and reminiscing.

"I mean. I-I really don't want to bring e-everypony down but--" Pipsqueak fumbles a bit.

"You won't." Lily smiles.

"I've been pretending this... this whole time. I've been acting all perky and eager, but frankly, I'm terrified."

"I understand that." Spike nods. "I mean you heard how worried I am about Twilight."

"It's just so weird coming from a playground world where you get bullied for looking weak. Now we kind of... need these moments, because... well, we'll all go bonkers if we don't."

"Yeah, yeah, I get that." Rumble nods.

"But I wonder, deep down, what happens if I never see my parents again? I love my parents." He sighs and fights back tears, his tough side not wanting to give in. "And S-Sweetie Belle. I know you don't know her Lily, but... Sweetie Belle is the kindest filly I've ever met. She is always there when I am having a tough day. She is amazing." A bit of a twinkle shines in his eyes. "I worry that she's out there and things might have gone wrong. What if they weren't... able to do what they went to do?"

A lump fills up Featherweight's throat.

"They'll be fine. I told you all, yesterday." Dinky smiles, setting a hoof on Pipsqueak's shoulder. "They're the best for the job that I can think of, whatever it is. They deal with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon better than anypony I know, and they have tried and struggled with so many things, and they still haven't gotten their cutie marks. They stay happy, and even when they come in with bruises and bandages from accidents, they don't let it beat them. They're going to be just fine." At least I hope so. "Besides, they have each other, too!"

About an hour passes and they get to Featherweight's turn. He waited patiently for his turn, and once it arrived, he was a bit startled. He'd already planned out what he was going to say, and it all collapsed into a single phrase of denial.

"I-I-I'm fine."

"Come on, this is what today is for. Just let it all out."

"No, really... I just... don't worry about it."

"Uh..." Spike tilts his head surprised. "I think we all know after yesterday night that you're not okay."

"We're not moving on until you tell us. You need to let go as much as the rest of us." Lily insists.

"Look, there's a lot going on. Some I don't really even want to talk about."

"Like what?"

"I just said I don't want to talk about it."

"Is this about your parents?" Rumble blurts out, then immediately recoils, realizing what he said.

Featherweight clams up. "S-sort of. But... just... yeah... I just don't want to talk about it, okay?"

"Come on. We're not going to pick on you. We are in this together." Lily nods.

"Duh, yeah." Snails smiles.

"Yeah, what are we gonna say?" Snips chuckles.

"Th-this doesn't just end here. I know you guys outside here. This isn't some vacation. There's a real world out there. I have... bits of my life I'd really rather some ponies not know."

Lily groans. "Okay, fine. What can you talk about? Just, come on. We all saw you last night. Something is going on in there."

"Well... I... I miss my dad... I miss my teacher... I miss Scootaloo... I miss the... the weekends when we'd--you know... we'd all go to Sugarcube Corner, or we'd go to the market... or the playground..." His eyes well up. "I just want life back like it was. I'm... I'm scared. I'm-I-I don't want to insult you guys... but I'm kind of lonely... Like, lonelier than I was when I used to stay home all the time. I just... I want... life back."

Everyone stares, silent. Nopony knows what to say.

"Sorry."

"Featherweight. You don't need to feel lonely."

"No, not like that kind of lonely. Like... don't you guys feel that? That feeling? It's not like... regular loneliness. It's hard to explain. Haven't you ever been with friends you kind of know, and you're all having fun, but you feel... like you don't fit in, even though... oh, I don't know how to explain it."

"You fit in here!"

"That's what I mean. I can't even think of the words. I just... can we move on?"

"Fine. Fine." Lily half-smiles, her heart heavy.

"I guess that leaves me and you two?" Rumble says, turning to Dinky and Lily.

"Yeah."

"Okay. Well. You guys all know I try to be a tough colt, but I really feel... so scared right now. The other day when those cats almost got me, I was really scared. I still wake up every couple of hours and look at the door. I don't want to be asleep if something happens. I..." He trembles. "I guess I'd rather it be me..."

"Don't talk like that. Nothing is going to happen."

"Do you know that?"

"Well..."

"Look, part of why I act so tough is because I'm constantly worrying about what could be happening. We have one wood door protecting us from whatever is out there. We've been lucky so far, but it's only been a couple of days. We can't stay like this forever, and none of us are tough enough to take those things on."

He gets up and begins pacing with nervous energy.

"I keep thinking, 'well, what if something does find us? What do we do?' Or 'What if we run out of food? What do we do in the winter?' Are any of us even farmers?"

"Things will get better before the winter." Dinky gives an optimistic grin. She walks up to Rumble and pats his back. He stops pacing for a minute, blushing.

"A-a-uh-again. You don't know that. What if it doesn't? What if we have to figure out how to take care of these foals and we run out of milk? What do we do? We're just foals ourselves! We're not really ready for this."

"You... really have thought about this a lot."

"Yes. A lot. Even when I was carrying Pipsqueak or collecting cherries I was thinking about everything else that could go wrong. I thought about where all you guys were. When yo were crossing the street and those big crystal things were there, I was just thinking 'what if they get caught and I'm all the way over here?' You guys are my closest friends, right now. I hope you guys stay my friends, but... I'm really worried about all of you, now."

Lily smiles. "When we get out of this, I'll make sure I have your addresses, so I can write to you all. I'll make sure I can visit again, if at all possible."

"Sounds like a plan." Rumble smiles. "But first we have to make sure we get to that point. I'll probably always be worrying. I just do. At school I worry about my grades. Sure, I'm usually fine and all... but--look I'm getting off track. Just... I worry about everything. I pretend to be fine, like all of us seem to, but I'm just as scared as all of you."

"We can all get through this together." Dinky smiles. A few moments of introspection fall over the group.

"Well... I guess it's your turn."

"Oh... uh... hmm... well... you guys all kinda said what all worries me, except this... I mean Rumble kind of hit on it. We've all kind of been stuck together as a little family-away-from-family, and I don't want this to be the only time we ever spend together. I mean I have some friends, but I always like new friends, and I don't want this to be a 'we have to' type thing... I mean I really... like spending time with all of you."

Everyone smiles. Pipsqueak chuckles. "We spend time together all the time, you don't have to worry about me."

"Yeah... don't worry about it. I think after this, we all know a bit more about each other." Rumble continues. "I'd be happy to hang out at school or after school or whatever."

Featherweight silently nods.

"Well, that's really all I have been thinking about. I would love to be friends with all of you. Don't be afraid to say 'hi,' whenever we get out of this." A few moments of waiting, and Dinky turns to Lily. "And, that leaves you!"

"Ah, uh... well, I mean, if we ever get out of this, I just hate that I'll have to move so far away, again. I have found real friends in all of you, and I live so far away. I'll look forward to it if I get to visit, but I have made better friends with all of you than I have made with anypony at home. I really miss my parents, but that's about all of home that I do miss. I really like spending time with all of you. I promise I'll write, and I hope you all write back." She tears up a bit.

"You have to have friends back home."

"I mean, I have friends at school, but I don't have like... friends friends. I don't hang out with anypony. I go home, or to work with Mom, and that's about it. I'm pretty... quiet, usually."

Snips and Truffle chuckle and look to Featherweight. "We know somepony like that!" Snips grins. Featherweight blushes.

"I'll write back." Featherweight smiles. Everyone around the room agrees. Lily smiles, wiping a tear from her left eye.

"Other than that, I mostly just have been worrying about these two. I don't know if any of the rest of you have taken care of little foals, so, since I kind of know how to do that, I've been focused on them. Sorry if I haven't seemed... the most chatty."

"Don't worry, you're doing a great job, and it's a tough job. I don't know if anypony else here has, either. I know I haven't." Dinky nods.

"T-thanks" Lily smiles.

The light through the cracks begins to fade. The crowd has a nostalgic melancholy. Everypony senses a desire for how things were, but they don't want to lose the ties they've made. They all struggle to fall asleep that night.

"I just hope you all don't forget me." Lily speaks up, as flashlights shut off.

"Don't you worry about that." Dinky smiles. "I'll write you first thing the day you leave, so when you get back, you'll have a letter waiting! You'll have to come visit us at school when all this clears up."

"Will do."