//------------------------------// // S2EP6 Obligatory Update // Story: Discovering Friendship // by Saro0fdemonz //------------------------------// "I dunno Princess...seems like an awfully dangerous thing to leave lying around." Daring sighed, hands on her hips. "As much as I hate to admit it, we lack the time to go searching for it. We can only hope it turns up in the hands of someone who doesn't know what it can do." Celestia spoke up. "What about the teaching job? Should I go back?" Daring wondered, Celestia shook her head. "That man, The Doctor, I feel we should leave things in his hands for now. I need your eyes elsewhere...from the shadows if possible." Celestia explained. Daring Do simply shrugged. "If thats what you want Princess..." "I'd rather you enjoy doing what you do best. But..." "Yea yea, a bit short on hands as of late. I appreciate the work, not every adventure of mine is worthy of a book." "Ahem, Nyx, these are my friends, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle." Scootaloo grinned, stepping to the side as she introduced her friends. "It's nice to meet you Nyx!" Sweetie Belle said with a wave. "Happy t' meet ya!" Applebloom said, holding out her hand. Nyx blinked, hesitating before grabbing it, gasping as Applebloom shook her. She clenched her eyes shut, quickly grabbing her glasses and yanking her hand away "U-Um t-thank you! It's nice to meet all of you too um...Applebloom, Sweetie Belle..." Nyx nodded to them, wrapping her arms around herself and turning her gaze away from them. They didn't notice her eyes did they? "So, what do ya'll do fer fun Nyx?" Applebloom wondered. "Fun?" Nyx asked in turn, confused. "Oh boy..." Scootaloo sighed. The speedster tapped her chin, running out of the room for a moment, only to return with a stack of cards and a board game tucked under her arm. "Guess we'll just have to teach her." Scootaloo smirked. "I call the penny whistle!" Sweetie Belle cheered, helping Scootaloo set up the board. "I don't understand...you don't think I'm...strange?" Nyx asked "Well I think you're pretty weird Nyx, buuut I'm kinda weird too, so it's cool. Whats strange is you dunno how to have fun, and we're gonna fix that. Now, what piece do you want?" Scootaloo chuckled, placing the pieces in front of her. Nyx froze, looking at all of them. "Um...this one is fine I guess..." she mumbled, picking up a soldier and placing it on the board. "Huh, no one ever picks the Knight. Should be a good game." Scootaloo smiled. Nyx panicked for a moment, until she saw that smile. There was just something about it that calmed her fears, that told her everything was going to be okay. As she looked at the others she found the same smile, Sweetie Belle had a gentler smile, while Applebloom wore a genuine welcoming smile. Scootaloo's seemed a bit cocky, but genuine all the same. She couldn't help but smile as well. "Alright, I'll go first!" Scootaloo cheered, drawing a card from the pile. Nyx felt a shiver run up her spine as the lights dimmed, but a quick glance to her left revealed it was Sweetie Belle. "Hehe...sorry, we uh, kinda have a thing for the dramatic effect." Sweetie Belle admitted. Nyx shook her head and turned back to Scootaloo. The Skyborn cleared her throat and read off the card. "Your journey begins five paces north where a rumbling draws your attention. Do you seek it out, or avoid it?" Scootaloo tapped her chin, looking at her pegasus piece on the board. "Hm...I'm going in!" she declared. She glanced at the card for the page number for her choice, flipping the book open and clearing her throat. "You push through the bushes in search of the sound, amazed to find a spring! Gain three defense tokens. Heck yea!" Scootaloo cheered, placing three of the tokens in front of herself. Applebloom was next, drawing a card and letting out a chuckle. "Terra smiles upon ya, move 10 paces and receive 5 defense tokens." Applebloom set the card down, moving her potted plant to the given space and grabbing her tokens. "Alright Nyx, draw a card." Scootaloo told her. Nyx nodded, grabbing a card and tensing up as the words seemed to jump at her. she dropped the card, scrambling backwards away from the board game. "Whoa! whats wrong?" Scootaloo asked, reaching for the card. She sighed and shook her head. "That's rotten luck...'You are attacked by the Nightmare, lose 1 defense token and draw again or Lose a turn.'" Scootaloo grabbed one of her own tokens, placing it back into the pile. "Here, just draw again." Scootaloo smiled. "I-I don't understand..." Nyx shook in place, her head hurting as the word Nightmare echoed again and again. She didn't know what it meant, but...it scared her, more than anything, more than being trapped in the thorn bush all alone, more than being screamed at by Rainbow, more than upsetting Twilight. "Not all the cards are good things, sometimes bad things happen. But you're new, so I defended you with my pegasus for this turn. Huh, actually the Knight has the ability to defend itself, but it has a 5 turn cool down. Oh well, I already used the token heh, anyway, we'll help you out Nyx, it's what friends do." Scootaloo said with the same cocky grin. "I thought we were all going against each other to win..." Nyx mumbled, confused. "Pfft, sure, one of us is trying to win, but that doesn't mean everyone else has to lose." Scootaloo argued. "That's right! It's possible for every player to reach the end and win together." Sweetie Belle tossed in. "We've only managed it once though, ain't really that easy with a lot o' th' stuff bein' random like th' cards and dice. But with luck, our abilities, and keeping each other safe, we can do it!" Applebloom nodded. Nyx looked down at her Knight, now aware of his ability to defend. "Can I use my Knights power to protect someone else like you protected me?" Nyx asked. "Yea, but you have to wait 5 of that persons turns before you can use it again." Scootaloo answered. Nyx gave a nod, reaching for the deck. "Let's beat this then...together" "YEA!" "Welcome back" the cloaked woman said softly. Twilight blinked, looking around and finding herself in an empty void save for her and the woman. "I fell asleep?" Twilight thought aloud. "Why would you have to be asleep to see me? Perhaps you are daydreaming, or maybe this is reality and THAT is the dream." the woman mused, looking out into the void. "What do you want from me?" Twilight demanded. The woman sighed, crossing her arms. "I can't answer that. But you'll figure it out, you Sparkles always do, it's in your blood." the woman chuckled as she vanished. Twilight found herself staring at her ceiling, Nyx snoring softly against her side and wrapped up between her arm and blanket. She smiled slightly, rolling on to her side and wrapping both arms around her. "They are going to find her Twilight, it's only a matter of time." the cloaked woman smirked in front of her. Twilight screamed as she rolled off the couch, groaning in pain as she stumbled her way into the waking world. She took a quick look around, her magic sparking to life long enough to test reality. On the floor next to her was a stack of books, knocked over in her panic. Before she knew it, three little girls were by her side, the game forgotten. She let out a sigh, giving them a smile "S-Sorry about that. I guess I dozed off..." she chuckled nervously. She froze as Sweetie Belle grabbed her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Rarity always tells me not to hide my nightmares, because they will only get worse until I face them. If they are hiding behind fear, then they only get stronger, but when you face them with friends, they lose that strength and eventually go away." she said with a soft smile. Twilight swallowed the lump in her throat. "I um...t-that's really good advice Sweetie Belle. But I don't think its really something to tell to little girls..." "Well at least tell Rainbow about it, I mean, you guys are a thing right? Isn't she supposed to be there for all that mushy stuff you need?" Scootaloo argued. Twilight felt her cheeks burn. How were a bunch of kids telling her what to do? "W-When Rainbow gets back I'll talk to her, okay?" Twilight assured them. She waited until they all nodded agreement to stand and dust herself off. "So, what have the four of you been up to?" Twilight wondered. "Oh! Our game!" Sweetie Belle gasped, rushing back to the board game. Scootaloo and Applebloom moved to follow, pausing when they found Nyx rooted to the spot. "Uh, Nyx? Ya'll comin'?" Applebloom asked. "Huh? OH! Right um...I'll be there in just a second." Nyx did her best to smile. "Alright, we'll just plan around your turn til you get back." Scootaloo grinned, chasing after Sweetie Belle. Applebloom stayed back however, crossing her arms. Something was bothering Nyx, that much anyone could tell, or at least Applebloom noticed. She glanced between Nyx and Twilight for a moment and gave a nod. "Hey Nyx." Applebloom spoke up. Nyx turned just in time to be hugged by the Gaian. "Ah want ya t' remember that we're here for ya if ya need us. Doesn't matter fer what, jus' know that friends look out fer each other, kay?" Applebloom said softly. Nyx hesitantly returned the hug, confused as Applebloom made her way back to the boardgame. She looked up at Twilight who seemed lost in thought. "T-Twilight?" she stammered, snapping the Magian out of her daze. Twilight quickly knelt down to her eye level, letting out a squeek as Nyx hugged her. "Nyx you're shaking...is everything okay?" Twilight asked. Nyx took a slow breath and shook her head. "I-I don't know. I feel like this is my fault..." Nyx answered, hanging her head. Twilight hugged her tightly. "Don't ever think that Nyx. We'll figure all of this out, okay?" "Okay...I um...should probably get back to the game huh?" "Yea...have fun" Twilight smiled, tensing up as Rainbow marched in out of a fading rainstorm. "You leave clouds alone for TEN minutes and everything goes to shit." Rainbow grumbled, peeling her shirt off and ringing it out onto the porch. She kicked the door shut, slinging the shirt over her shoulder and smiling over at Twilight. Nyx glanced at Rainbow before making her way back to the board game in the other room. "Everything alright?" Rainbow asked, her smile fading a bit. "Yea um...Not really...Rainbow do you remember that Nightmare I had?" Twilight gulped. Rainbow was by her side in an instant. "Twilight, whatever is going on, you can tell me...you know that right?" Rainbow said softly. Twilight nodded, taking a slow breath "I know, I just...don't know how to explain it..." she shuddered. "I don't care if it doesn't make sense, just...talk, kay?" Rainbow smiled. Twilight nodded, taking a shaky breath. "There's this woman...dressed in a brown cloak and standing in a void. She knows who I am but I don't know her. She keeps talking in riddles and never answers me...she usually casts me out into the void and I fall until I wake up. But I'm not really awake, she's there waiting for me...telling me...." Twilight wrapped her arms around herself, tears stinging her eyes "What am I going to do?" Twilight whimpered, eyes wide as Rainbow pulled her into a hug. "You're going to remember that you've got friends Twilight. Friends who are willing to do anything for you. Heck, we followed you into Everfree, believed in you against Nightmare Moon AND Discord. But even someone as strong as you needs help Twi', and that's what we're here for." Rainbow spoke softly, but there was still power behind her words. Twilight slowly hooked her arms around her friend, burying her face in the hollow of her neck and letting all the held back tears free. From the other room, four girls watched with growing curiosity. "Is she gonna be okay?" Sweetie Belle wondered quietly. "Of course she is. Rainbow's got this." Scootaloo boasted with a grin. "Fer once, ah think Scoots is right." Applebloom giggled. Nyx stayed silent however, glancing at the three girls and then back to Rainbow and Twilight. Was everything really going to be okay? Was it her fault Twilight was in so much pain? "Heh, ah know that look." Applebloom's voice broke her thoughts. Nyx blinked, looking at the Gaian. "W-What?" Nyx panicked, her hand going to her glasses to ensure they hadn't slipped any. "Follow me." Applebloom whispered, grabbing Nyx by the hand and leading the way out the front door. Scootaloo moved to follow, gasping as Sweetie Belle clung to her arm and shook her head. "The heck Belle?" Scootaloo demanded under her breath. "They need to talk alone a-and um..." "Oh I get it, you just want to be alone." Scootaloo deadpanned. Sweetie nodded guiltily, leaving Scootaloo to sigh and sit with the clingy vampire. It wasn't so bad though. "A-Appebloom! where are we going?" Nyx asked, unable to hide the panic in her voice. "Yer hurtin', ain't ya Nyx?" Applebloom asked, ignoring the question. Nyx tensed up, relaxing slightly as Applebloom flashed a smile over her shoulder. "Miss Twilight is hurtin' and ya'll think it's cause of you. Ah bet she told ya not t' worry 'bout it." Applebloom chuckled, still dragging Nyx by the hand. "H-How...?" "Ah know th' feelin'. Fer th' longest time, ah thought ah was all alone. Applejack an Macintosh always took care o' me, but it jus' wasn't enough. Ah loved em with everythin' ah had, but it weren't the same. Ah wanted my momma an papa." Applebloom answered. She let go of Nyx's hand, putting her hands on her hips as she looked up at the stars. Nyx took a look around, finding that Applebloom had led her to a park. Applebloom grabbed a swing, nodding to another. Nyx waited a moment, watching as the Gaian climbed into her chosen seat, taking the other for herself. "Applejack was always workin' so hard t' make things right fer me. Funny 'nough she turned out t' be my momma in th' end. Ah somehow always knew, but ah jus' didn't really understand til she came out an said it. Still though..." Applebloom looked down at the ground and then to Nyx. "Sometimes adults have problems too, jus' like us kids. An it ain't really no ones fault. Knowin' that, its still hard t' accept that them hurtin' ain't cause o' somethin' we did. Adults hurt sometimes, it's life. All ya can do is be there for em like how Rainbow is there for Twilight now." Applebloom smiled, kicking the ground a little to give her some lift, gently leaning forward to push herself along the swing. Nyx mimicked the movement, unable to keep a smile from touching her lips. "So what you are saying is...it's not my fault she's hurting? And that she's going to be okay?" Nyx asked. "Now yer gettin' it! 'Course it ain't always as simple as that. Hurt don't just go away, but people get better all th' same. Twilight'll get better too. It's okay t' worry 'bout her, but don't go blamin' yerself or get too worked up 'bout it." Applebloom chuckled, throwing herself forward off the swing and landing perfectly in the grass. Nyx gulped, furrowing her brow and flinging herself from the swing, flailing in the air and gasping as her feet hit the ground unbalanced, causing her to stumble and eventually faceplant into the grass. Applebloom snickered and helped her friend to her feet. "Guess ya'll don't get much practice in whatever faraway place ya come from huh?" Applebloom joked. Nyx sighed and shook her head, blinking as she noticed a weight missing from the bridge of her nose. Applebloom locked eyes with her and in that moment she panicked, clenching her eyes shut tight and pulling away from the Gaian. Twilight was going to be furious with her! Not only had she snuck out without saying anything, but now someone had seen her eyes! "Oh wow, ya'll got eyes like Spike!" Applebloom gasped. Nyx peeked at the Gaian from between her fingers, finding her standing there holding her glasses. She peered through them, her own eyes shifting to a light blue. "Huh, so ya got magicky glasses? Ah mean, ah know people act strange 'round Spike cause he's a dragon an all that. Are you one too?" Applebloom wondered, holding out the glasses to her. Nyx didn't know what to say, taking the glasses and putting them back on. "No I...I don't know what I am..." Nyx admitted, wrapping her arms around herself. Applebloom crossed her arms and gave a nod. "Well that makes two of us." she chuckled. Nyx blinked, gasping as Chaos swirled around the Gaian in front of her. It was only for a split second, but it was enough to make a point. "Ah ain't really s'pose t' be doin' this kind of thing. Applejack an Pinkie Pie told me Chaos ain't th' friendliest type o' magic an bein' a Gaian ah could get in a lot of trouble if someone saw me usin' it." Applebloom explained, holding out her hand. "But ah think it's only fair, since ah saw somethin' ah shouldn't have. So now you know my secret an ah know yers." She winked. Nyx stammered and slammed her mouth shut, accepting her hand. "You won't tell anyone?" Nyx asked. "'Course ah won't. But ya'll can't tell anyone either." Applebloom giggled. "Deal" "What do you think they are talkin' about?" Scootaloo wondered, leaning against a shelf, Sweetie Belle's head in her lap. The Magian shrugged. "I dunno...come to think of it, we don't really know much about either of them. And Applebloom has been acting kinda weird lately." Sweetie Belle mumbled. "Well she was talking about that Chill thing. Maybe she felt somethin'?" Scootaloo mused "But why wouldn't she tell us? And besides, she normally sneezes or something." "Hey, if its any of our business she'll tell us. I'm not really too worried about it." Scootaloo shrugged, glancing past the doorway and seeing Rainbow and Twilight chatting. She glanced down at Sweetie Belle who had begun to doze off in her lap and let out a sigh. "That's not a bed Belle..." Scootaloo mumbled with a small smile. "So, you know her, but don't?" Rainbow asked, sitting across from Twilight on the floor. The Magian toying with a pair of Rubix Cubes to ease her nerves. "I don't know. Maybe my mother knows something...She said 'You'll figure it out, you Sparkles always do.' She had to be talking about SOMEONE in my family line." Twilight sighed, setting down one solved cube and moving to the next, Rainbow jumbling up the previous one. "Do you think your mom is gonna give you any straight answers though? Not to be rude or anything, but she's been hiding this from you since before you were born. Even if it was for the best." Rainbow pointed out. "I know...that's why I haven't tried asking her, and why I haven't told Spike. I just feel...like it's something that I have to figure out on my own. Maybe she's testing me...but why?" Twilight sighed, setting down the cube and glancing at Rainbow who was still jumbling the other. "Who knows? Magic is weird. I mean, all that psycho whatchamacallit stuff I went through as a kid in my own head? Sounds an awful lot like the same shit." Rainbow held out the cube, satisfied with its randomness. "...Then...maybe..." Twilight stared at the cube for a moment, slowly twisting one side back and forth. "Maybe that's what I need..." she murmured, setting the cube down and taking a slow breath. "Twilight? What are you..." Rainbow began, eyes wide as the Magian snapped her fingers, the cube fidgeting between them. "...The hell did you just do?" Rainbow breathed. "Chaos...that was...Chaos..." Twilight gasped. "The hell do you mean?! What are you doing messing around with Chaos?!" Rainbow yelled, causing Twilight to flinch. "Calm down! It was just an experiment! I just needed to know..." "BULLSHIT! Just needed to know isn't a damn excuse you can use around me Twilight!" Rainbow continued to yell, blinking as Scootaloo hopped on her back, throwing her arms around her. "STOP FIGHTING!" She yelled, Sweetie Belle hiding around the corner and watching. Rainbow sucked in a slow breath, exhaling sharply through her nose and glaring at Twilight for a moment. "We aren't...fighting, just..." "Not speaking properly..." Twilight tossed in to save Rainbow from drowning. "Yea..." Rainbow sighed, standing as Scootaloo stepped back. Without a word she marched out the door, slamming it behind her on the way out. Twilight kept her gaze on the pair of Rubix Cubes in front of her, both of them solved. She said I would figure it out...Is Chaos the answer? It doesn't make sense, and nothing she said made sense...Maybe I'm just grasping at straws... "Twilight?" Scootaloo asked, snapping her out of her daze. "I'm sorry Scootaloo, I'm just...oh who am I kidding...I'm not okay right now Scootaloo and I just need some time to think. So does Rainbow...t-that's why she left, so that we wouldn't yell again. I'm sure she'll be back as soon as she cools off and we can discuss things like adults. Okay?" Twilight smiled. Scootaloo stared at her for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Alright, if you say so. I think we're just gonna hit the sack." she chuckled, grabbing Sweetie Belle's hand and leading her to her bedroom. "Right...goodnight." Twilight made her way into the other room, staring at the empty space. Where was Nyx?! "Oh isn't it just lovely Applejack?" Rarity gushed. The pair sat atop Applejacks' roof on a pair of lawn chair's. Rarity's was far more lavish of course, with cushions and a cup holder and a seat warmer; But Applejack still counted it as a date. She had to make up for the last one not even happening. "Sure is Sugarcube. Th' stars always look best after th' rain. Sure was nice o' Rainbow t' clear up th' clouds fer us. Ah'll have t' set aside some Cider t' thank her with." Applejack chuckled, blinking as Rarity climbed into her lap. "Heh, what happened t' needin' yer cushions?" she teased. "Your lap is far more comfortable than any cushion and far more romantic I would say." Rarity winked. Applejack felt her breath catch in her throat as the moonlight caught the Magian's face perfectly, illuminating every little painstaking detail of the prim and proper woman's' daily routine. Applejack wasn't really one to care for make-up or the like, thus Rarity had done her best to wear as little as possible around her, having a more natural appearance which the farmer seemed to love. But she still kept up with her herbal baths and weekly spa visits. "Ah ain't really th' romantic type, but can't say ah'm against this." Applejack murmured, snaking an arm around the fashionista and causing her to squeal as she buried her face in the hollow of her neck, placing teasing kisses against her skin. "EEEE! You're terrible!" Rarity squeaked, unable to hide her smile. "Ah try darlin'." Applejack chuckled, leaning back in her chair. Rarity let out a sigh, resting her head on Applejacks shoulder. "I'm not making you uncomfortable am I? Oh! I forgot about your injuries!" Rarity squeaked, standing up and gasping as the farmer tugged her back down. "Ya'll ain't hurtin' nothin. 'Sides, this is cozy. It's nice t' jus...relax fer once." Applejack said with a smile. Rarity gave a nod, curling up in Applejacks lap. "Ya know, it's s'pose t' get pretty cold out. Might have t' go curl up in bed..." Applejack murmured with a smirk. Rarity rolled her eyes, tapping the farmers nose "As I said, you're terrible. Bed. Now." "Yes ma'am!" Inhale. Hold. Exhale. It was a small ritual meant to calm the nerves, and usually it worked. But not now. Not in this darkness. In this same darkness he had been useless. Would another attack come? Who would they target next? Rainbow, due to her mutations? Or even Scootaloo who was following in her footsteps. Or maybe they would go after Twilight again, or even the Nightmare Armor. "She was sure of it and I have no reason to doubt her. She sensed the presence of Nightmare Moon." Spike sighed. "What do we do?" Vinyl wondered. "That's the problem...there's nothing we really can do. We can watch and wait..." "But if we wait too long we're screwed. What about that kid?" Vinyl demanded. "She's strange...and they are lying to protect her from us." "Why? We're the freakin good guys here, we are risking our asses to keep them alive, so why hide from us?" Vinyl continued. "Because they aren't hiding from us." Spike chuckled, glancing at the vampire. Vinyl stared at him for a moment, utterly confused. "The Princess'? Well shit, now I'm even more confused." Vinyl sighed. "Yea...me too. Me too..." Inhale...Hold...Exhale. "Now what? We just continue to sit on our hands and wait for shit to hit the fan?" "Yes. We are the clean up crew after all." "And this is our mess, right. Well...call if you need me boss man." Vinyl mumbled, vanishing from view. Spike glanced over his shoulder at the dimly lit cottage behind him. Inside, a Skyborn hummed a soft tune, her hair down and freshly brushed and a smile touching her lips as she glanced out the window and spotted him. It was strange...someone being so happy to see him these days. Maybe he could enjoy it. He watched as Fluttershy vanished out of view, a pie in her hands. He turned toward the cottage, his hands in his jean pockets and let out a sigh. "I'm getting too old for this..."