Chapter 8
Heritage
“Spike,” Twilight Sparkle called as candle lights burned on every wall, casting of a steady, comforting, heatless glow around the library’s otherwise darkened interior. “Do you know where I put Star Swirl the Bearded’s Tome of Most Ancient Scripts? I just had it! Now, I can’t find anywhere.”
It was mid-afternoon, and the Book and Branches library had changed little since Rarity and Applejack’s visit. The curtains were still drawn, the welcoming mat remained absent, the window that Rarity had pried open remained ajar, the front door was locked, and above all, the ‘closed’ sign, with its bright red letters, was turned up, telling every visitor, in no uncertain terms, that the library was in fact closed.
“I see it.” The sharp eyed baby dragon replied. “Just wait for me to get the ladder. You really shouldn’t shelve books out of view if you going to need it again.”
It was in moments like these, during the scattered hours when Wisp slept, that Twilight Sparkle could indulge in her own private interest. And what interested her most at the moment was a parchment that lay stretched out under her snout. It had arrived in the heavy envelope that accompanied Wisp. It was this parchment, rather than Chrysalis’s short letter, that had filled most of the envelope’s contents
The parchment was old and it was massive. Its straight edges overflowed a table that could comfortably seat ten ponies and their books. However, the parchment was also wafer-thin, as if it were woven from morning dew and sunshine. The entire thing reeked of magic, old, unusual magic.
Spike arrived with a heavy book between his claws. “Twilight,” he began almost casually. “We can’t keep the library closed much longer.”
“Didn’t you send my letter to the Mayor? I did emphasise personal family crisis.”
“I’ve done that.” Spike fidgeted, he knew that despite a royal edict that gave Twilight wide latitude to commandeer Ponyville’s public library for her home and residence, she still had to nominally serve as the village librarian. A pony simply could not close a public amenity without informing the village major. There were rules for these sorts of things.
“Three days is the limit for library closure. It’s been a week! Mayor Mayor Mayor is almost certainly going to demand that you reopen the library.” Spike paused as he cringed from saying ‘Mayor’ three times in succession. Not for the first time, he pondered if a pony could legally change her name, and what cruel parents would have named their child ‘Mayor Mayor.’ Did a pony’s name correspond to her lot in life?
Spike shook his head. Some things could never be answered. “You know how peculiar she is about the library’s management.” He warned.
Spike was indeed correct. The only reason that the dutiful mayor of Ponyville was not besieging their door was because she was tied up in a family crisis of her own, in the form of a mare, five years her senior, whom she reluctantly called her step-mother. Mayor Mayor only began to understand the depth of her sorrows when she realised her father, Quill Filing, a former Nutter, in the professionally sense, at least until he lost his love for almond farming, and the cause of much grief in her life, had never divorced his second wife, despite her unexplained if appreciated disappearance
None of this was known to Twilight Sparkle, and it wouldn’t have helped her sanity if she did. “Just one more day, Spike. Shining Armour’s coming tomorrow,” she reassured with the confidence she didn’t have. There was little more she could do but wait, and so she waited for Spike to nod his head in reluctant acceptance.
Twilight Sparkle returned to the parchment, the means she kept her mind occupied for the past week, and away from the worrying, volatile mess she had on her hooves. Despite Nurse Redheart’s advice, she still hadn’t a plan to approach Cadance with news of Wisp. Twilight quickly shook her head as if to rid the worrying thought from her mind. She would speak with her brother first, Cadance was his true love, and he might know how best to approach her. This moment at least, was for science and discovery.
There were writings on the parchment. However, the Changeling Script, as she had begun to call it, was unlike any script used by Ponykind from the modern era to the Classical Period. After three days of discontinuous study, the most she could afford given Wisp’s near constant nursing, Twilight had found a partial match to the Changeling script in inscriptions recorded by Splinny the Elder, a famed author and naturalist of the Classical era.
The inscriptions were discovered in the ruins of PomPie an ancient mountain city on the foothills of Amon Amarth, Mountain of Fate as it was known by the locals. Splinny’s chronicles of the excavation were chilling in their vividness. PomPie and her citizens had been entombed under a falling ash cloud. Most had been Flutter Ponies, although Earth Ponies numbered significantly amongst its citizens.
The death of so many Flutter Ponies spurred Twilight to take a second look at High Flutter, the modern written language of the Flutter Ponies. The PomPie inscriptions were again a partial match. High Flutter and the Changeling language shared a common root.
Twilight rested her head on her hoof and started rubbing her forehead with the other. Her horn ached. That was as far as her investigation went. Ponyville’s library didn’t have many examples of High Flutter, certainly not enough to build a translation. It was a minor miracle that a country library even had books that mentioned Flutter Ponies, let alone carried examples of their language. Flutter Ponies were isolationist. They kept to their mountain valleys and rarely, if ever, interacted with the wider pony society. Someday she was going to have a chat with Mayor Mayor Mayor and find out how the Book and Branches library acquired its eclectic collection
A translation for the moment was out of reach, barring the unlikely event that Chrysalis offered a helping hoof. But even if she did offer, it was a hoof that Twilight had every intention of slapping away. She would never accept anything from that mare. Regardless, a translation wasn’t essential anyway, Twilight already knew what she had in her hoof. The massive parchment was a genealogy record. This much was obvious because at the very end of this great list of portraits of mares and stallions was a cutie mark and image she knew all too well. It was her brother.
As strange as it appeared, Changelings and ponies had this one thing in common. Every mare kept a copy of their herd’s genealogy, but the originals were always passed from mother to eldest daughter. This ancient parchment under her hoof was one such original. Its magic was old, and perhaps the most precious heirloom that any mother could give to her eldest daughter.
Twilight Sparkle’s snout twisted into an angry frown. Chrysalis had formally added her big brother as her mate, the stallion who had fathered her offspring. It was a tacit claim of her brother by Chrysalis in lieu of a formal marriage certificate. Her blood flushed with anger. How dare that thieving, evil mare do that to her brother? Hadn’t she done enough?
Not for the first time Twilight Sparkle was tempted, sorely tempted, to set the document ablaze. The parchment reeked of protective magic, but her power was considerable. It would have been a simple matter to overwhelm the parchment’s defences with her own magic. In one fiery gesture, she could destroy something precious to that evil mare, and hurt her just as she did her brother.
Twilight Sparkle glared at the parchment until her eyes moved to the last name on the record, Wisp, her niece. Once again, as she done so many times this week, she stopped herself and shook her head.
‘No,’ Twilight told herself and put her hoof down.
As much as she hated Chrysalis, she could not destroy the parchment. Chrysalis had given the parchment to Wisp. It was a sacred link between mother and daughter. Twilight Sparkle knew in her heart of hearts, she couldn’t stand in the way of that. In a very real sense, this gesture showed Chrysalis did love the foal she gave birth too. She was acknowledging Wisp as her daughter, her eldest daughter. Twilight couldn’t take that away from her niece. It was probably the only good thing the evil mare had done in her life.
Twilight sighed.
On more practical matters, the loss of her genealogy record would saddle Wisp with the stigma of unknown parentage. It would be an admission that Wisp’s mother didn’t care for her and that she had been abandoned. Or worse, that her mother was of such poor breeding that her line didn’t warrant any records to begin with. Neither was true. Her brother was a stallion of good stock and good character, and given his position as Captain of the Guard, was arguably the most powerful Unicorn stallion alive in Canterlot. While her mother was a Changeling queen… which had to count for something.
She moved her hoof off of her brother’s place on Wisp’s pedigree chart. It would remain intact for Wisp’s sake. That motion brought her hoof to the one spot on the chart she had wilfully avoided looking at. It was the spot beside her brother. The spot occupied by Wisp’s mother. Reluctantly, yet at the same time driven by terrible curiosity, Twilight glanced at the entry opposite her brother.
The mare that looked out of the picture was rail thin. Her cheeks were sunken. Her skin was drawn taunt over her frame. She was the thinnest pony Twilight Sparkle had ever seen, any less weight and ribs would have shown. Chrysalis was thinner in this picture than her appearance during the wedding. This was a portrait of a mare that had endured much hardship in her life. Yet something continued to shine through, even in this small portrait. Her eyes were bright and alert. They gleamed with a spirit that was unbowed and still defiant. She stood proudly as if nothing, not even fate or famine would ever break her back. She seemed almost regal.
Twilight Sparkle stopped herself angrily. ’Regal?’ She berated herself for thinking such a thing. Such a pose didn’t suite a thief and rapist. How could she describe a pony that had raped her brother anything other than evil.
As for her cutie mark… She didn’t remember seeing Chrysalis’s cutie mark during the wedding. Everypony… no… every Changeling she fought bore the same featureless black coats. It was a disturbing recollection, as much as seeing a pony without a face. Realistically, Changelings had to have cutie marks. Could Changelings hide their cutie marks?
Twilight glared at the parchment. She expected something twisted and evil for Chrysalis’s cutie mark, maybe a pony skull or perhaps a broken heart. If she was truthful to herself, she hoped to see something to justify the way she felt about the mare, even if she had to explain to a tearful niece years from now, that her mother was an irredeemably bad pony.
Instead, Twilight Sparkle found a shield over a field of hearts. ‘Shocked,’ couldn’t encompass how she felt.
There have been many books written on interpretations of cuties marks, from simple records of cutie marks and their respective owner’s interpretations, to exoteric comparative analysis of ponies with similar marks. Twilight Sparkle knew because she had read them all as young filly. Cutie marks were a reflection of a pony’s soul writ large upon their haunches. They appeared when a pony discovered a defining characteristic that encompassed themselves, a pony’s special talent as it was often called by the laypony.
The meaning of a cutie mark was not always literal, nor was the meaning always easy to interpret. Sometimes the meaning of a cutie mark was obscure, known only to the pony who carried it. Other times the general meaning was obvious, even if the subtle specifics were known only to the pony who carried the mark.
Hearts and a shield.
‘Chrysalis’ special talent was love and protecting ponies?’ Twilight Sparkle didn’t know what to make of that. She couldn’t believe it. How could such an evil pony’s special talent be anything but the ruin of other ponies’ happiness?
“She’s got to be lying.”
Twilight felt foolish even as she finished the sentence. What was the point of lying about your cutie mark? What could Chrysalis possibly gain from such a lie? Twilight Sparkle reluctantly admitted that there was none. A cutie mark was always a personal thing.
Curious again, Twilight Sparkle began to trace Wisp’s ancestry, first to her grandmother, a portrait of a thin mare with the same black coat, but oddly, with a warm smile on her lips. While Chrysalis had eyes that there were fiercely defiant, the eyes of Wisp’s grandmother held a tired, broken expression. She looked like a pony that had been carrying a weight on her back that was far too heavy for far too long.
Twilight lingered for a moment at the portrait. Including Wisp, this was three generations of half-starved mares. Grandmother, mother, and daughter, they were not just any mares. They were the Queens and Crown Princess of the Changelings. She couldn’t imagine Princess Celestia being so emaciated. What did that mean? What did that mean for the common Changeling?
I’m just feeding my people. Chrysalis’s declaration from the height of the invasion echoed back to her.
She moved to Wisp great grandmother and then further back to the many mares and their mates who were Wisp’s ancestors. Twilight Sparkle knew what she was beginning to do, she couldn’t and wouldn’t sympathise. A pony may pity a pride of hungry manticores, but that didn’t give her the right feed an entire herd to the creatures to sate their hunger.
Changelings were monsters. Love stealing predators. Monsters in pony form which were alien with their insect wings and crooked horns. Monsters that were close enough to Unicorns, as close as Earth Ponies and Pegasi, that they could have foals together. Her thoughts turned to niece, sleeping in her bed upstairs. It wasn’t love that she felt, Twilight was certain. However the smile Wisp gave her every time she woke up made her smile in return. She hadn’t noticed that until Spike pointed it out, but it was obvious now; Wisp recognised her. Her niece’s eyes were bright and alert whenever she was in the room. Wisp seemed so interested when she read out loud to her. Wisp wasn’t hers, but this was how she imagined her own foal would be if she had one.
Wisp had to be the exception. There were so many physical differences Twilight Sparkle could list. Wisp didn’t have holes in her hoof or wing. Her coat colour wasn’t black and her horn didn’t look like it had chucks torn from it. Surely malnutrition couldn’t account for all those differences, could it? Wisp looked like a regular… well she didn’t look like a regular anything, Twilight mused.
Twilight cracked a grin. Maybe she could still find some Wonderglue and glue on a fake horn onto her niece, at least until she learned how to take the form of a unicorn.
Twilight Sparkle glanced at the parchment again. The entire pedigree of Wisp was there to be seen. It stretched back hundreds of generations. House Honeydew was a very old house, far older than her own. Portraits of mares and stallions posed alongside illustration of their Cutie Marks with what must be their names spelled out beneath. A short description was attached to each mare.
“A description of each Queen’s reign?” Twilight wondered.
She couldn’t read the Changeling Script, but she could understand their cutie marks. A few had stars as their cutie mark, the generally accepted symbol for magic or ponies with an astronomical bent. Others of Wisp distant grandmares had compasses, the symbol of explorers or leaders who found the way for the herd. Many by far had variants of Chrysalis’ shield and hearts.
There were no monster ponies in Wisp’s pedigree, not in their heart of hearts. Wisp’s grandmares were leaders and protectors, but they were Changelings. How could the cutie marks they bore be so unnervingly normal?
** *** **
“Oh me, oh my. Oh me, oh my.”
Rainbow Dash descended upon the odd sight of a butter yellow Pegasus flying around in circles outside Ponyville’s library. Futtershy was barely a foot above the ground, but it was flight all the same.
“Whoa, there Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash called out for her friend to stop.
“Oh, Rainbow Dash. You startled me.”
“What’s got you troubled?”
“Oh it’s terrible, you see.” Fluttershy cried. “I borrowed six books from the library three weeks ago and when I wanted to return them four days ago, I found the library closed. I waited outside for Twilight to open the library, but she never did. I kept coming back each afternoon, but the library was always closed and today is the due date!” Fluttershy squeaked.
“Well, at least you didn’t wait outside the library for hours every day for the last four days. That would have been a total waste of time.”
Fluttershy turned her head away in shame.
“You didn’t.” Rainbow Dash rubbed her head. The Pegasus mare was about to say something about being more assertive until she remember the episode with the motivational speaker. Iron Bill? Iron Will? Iron something or the other. That bull’s assertiveness class turned Fluttershy into the biggest meannie in Ponyville ever, at least according to Pinkie Pie.
“Her sign seemed so fierce and forceful,” the gentle Pegasus trembled. “The letters were an angry bright red. I didn’t dare knock. I was afraid Twilight would come out and shout at me.”
“Ur… yeah.” Dash replied, although she was doubtful that Twilight would shout at anypony, let alone sweet Fluttershy.
“The books were so heavy. I couldn’t carry them anymore. I was hoping to ask Twilight not to fine me since I couldn’t bring them with me today.”
Rainbow Dash didn’t know if a fine of twelve bits was something of a financial strain. Fluttershy’s job wasn’t much to speak about; she was Ponyville’s sole Park Ranger. It wasn’t a luxurious life, but a pony could live on that wage and maybe raise a small family. However, Fluttershy did spend an awful lot of her bits feeding her many animal friends, which in Dash’s mind were simply sponging off Fluttershy’s good nature. That Angel bunny had an entire warren of offspring.
“Well, if Twilight closed the library, she can’t justifiably fine you for late returns.” Rainbow Dash reasoned with rare insight into Ponyville’s library rules, thanks to Daring Doo and her many adventures with the resulting late fees. “I’m sure it says that somewhere. If you’re worried about the bits I can cover the fine for you.” Dash assured her long-time friend.
“It’s not the bits. I’ve just never been late before… it’s not right.”
“Well…” Rainbow Dash didn’t know what to say to that.
“Would you mind sitting with me?” The butter yellow pony asked.
’Seriously? In the sun?’ Dash was less that ecstatic at the prospect.
“I have a better idea,” Rainbow Dash replied and threw her wings wide as she flew up into the library’s canopy. “I was planning on going on my own, but I’m sure Twilight won’t mind two of her best friends stopping over for a visit
“The door is shut. The library is closed.” Fluttershy yelled skywards, in a soft gentle voice.
“We’re Pegasi and I know of an open window” Dash somehow heard Fluttershy’s shout. “And what’s a window but another door for us? Come on!”
** *** **
“Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy softly mewed as she eyes darted around her.
The cyan mare opposite her extended a hoof and pushed open a certain window on the library’s third floor, situated near the balcony where Twilight kept her telescope. Repeated collision by a certain blue mare that would not be named had actually knocked this window loose from its frame. Now whether locked or not, the entire window and its frame could pivot open for any Pegasus or Pegasi to enter.
“Are you going to ask if it’s morally right to barge into the home of a friend?”
Fluttershy was silent for a moment as she meekly followed Rainbow Dash’s lead and stepped into Twilight’s library. “I was meaning to ask, why are you carrying a camera? They are quite expensive.” She paused and cast a worried glance to the window she had just entered. Oh why did she follow Rainbow Dash like mindless herd animal? “But that’s a good question too, if you don’t mind me asking.” Fluttershy sounded worried, understandably so.
Dash chuckled uneasily, she did make a promise to Rarity. “The camera? I’m trying to take a picture of a foal.”
“Who has a foal?” Fluttershy was surprised, surprised enough to forget her previous train of thought entirely. “When was it born?”
“About a week ago. It’s supposed to be some big secret. I’m not supposed to tell, but if you follow me you can see her for yourself.” Dash declared in a hushed tone and trotted down a set of stairs to the second floor where Twilight Sparkle had her bedroom.
The door was ajar and brave Rainbow Dash plodded into the bedroom hoping to find the ugly which was Twilight’s foal. She found the foal by the slow rise and fall of restful breathing and a small, left fore hoof sticking out from under a large blanket upon Twilight’s bed. Now with her discovery insight, Rainbow Dash was suddenly noticeably less eager with the entire expedition.
“Don’t think of Dr Noteworthy,” she muttered plainly to herself. Her pleas didn’t help and her imagination kept conjuring vivid horrors unabated. “Buck Rarity for being such a descriptive story teller!”
The Unicorn’s vivid description of a one-eyed cyclops pony would not stop tormenting her. Rainbow Dash’s hoof touched the blanket and the motion beneath it tensed. In that moment Dash knew, just knew, that Twilight’s horrifying mutant foal was suddenly aware of her presence. Dash swallowed hard, her insides trembling as she steadied herself for the horrifying half pony face she just knew lurked beneath the purple blanket. Before she could regret it, Dash yanked off the blanket. A few things happened simultaneously. The blanket flew off the bed, Dash snapped her eyes shut and hit the camera button, Wisp woke up, and a bright camera flash flooded the room.
Most foals faced with such shock would have immediately started crying. Wisp however, was a good natured foal and a tad more passive than most. So she took the whole surprise reasonably well and stayed still, blinking until the stars vanished from her eyes.
Rainbow Dash stared at the foal that stared back at her. Wisp smiled, and tried to reach out to touch the rainbow coloured mane with a fore hoof.
Rainbow Dash blinked.
She wasn’t much of a fashion conscious mare, but even she knew ugly when she saw it, and it wasn’t the foal sitting in front of her. It was as if somepony had cut a hole in a rucksack and stuffed a foal through it, leaving only a head and a pair of fore hooves sticking out. Only Twilight Sparkle could have owned such an unattractive, even repugnant looking, vest. Dash deduced this, not because a week old foal was about as prepared to do her own shopping as Applejack her taxes, but rather the presence of button on the vest. Only Unicorns would have invented such deviously impractical things as buttons.
’How did Twilight expect her daughter to walk around in that… thing?’ She wondered; the vest was so big that it covered most of the foal’s body and tail.
’Can’t be healthy. A foal needs to be able to walk and run.’
“Why are you staring at her like that?” Fluttershy asked demurely.
It was enough to start Rainbow Dash laughing. “Rarity’s got me and Applejack all riled up with some story that Wisp looked like some kind of one-eyed cyclops pony.” Dash admitted with a chuckle.
“She looks quite pretty,” Fluttershy observed. “In my opinion I mean,” She added in a tiny voice.
’Buck that!’ Fluttershy couldn’t have made a greater understatement.
’She’s beautiful!’
Rainbow Dash let her gaze settle on the smiling foal, who was watched them in turn. Twilight’s daughter wasn’t just a pretty foal. Wisp was gorgeous, despite the hideous, oversized vest she was forced to wear. Other pony breeds may have held to different standards of beauty, but to Pegasi, it was as if an evening star had descended from the sky to nestle itself on the sheets of Twilight Sparkle’s bed. Her brilliance was matched only by the magical glitter of her bright greenish-blue eyes, a colour Rainbow Dash had never seen before in a pony.
Such poetic language was something uncommon to a mare like Rainbow Dash, but nothing less would capture the flawless beauty of Wisp’s features. Dash wouldn’t have been surprised if Princess Celestia had personally granted a blessing to Twilight’s daughter so that she would be the fairest mortal pony born to Equestria.
“You’re supposed to be hideous.” Rainbow Dash replied with a touch of amusement. On reflection, such a boon wasn’t that far-fetched. Twilight was Princess Celestia’s personal student. It could have been a gift from mentor to favourite student’s first daughter.
“Her horn is smooth,” Fluttershy pointed out. “I wonder if Rarity found her unattractive because of that?”
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, not really surprised at the mole hill turned mountain. What did horn shape matter? It was still a pointy thing on top the foal’s forehead. “It must be a unicorn thing,” Dash replied
Pegasi too had their hang ups and that came in the form of their wings. Differences that were glaringly obvious to any Pegasus, and caused teenage Pegasi sleepless nights, went unseen by every other breed. Ground ponies didn’t seem to get it if your primary feathers were offset by a hair span. Dash wasn’t sure about the details. Unicorns in general didn’t talk much about their horns, even if they were on their foreheads for every pony to see. They got all funny and strange the moment you brought up horns.
‘Talk about ignoring the elephant in the room,’ Dash rolled her eyes.
Nonetheless, Rainbow Dash got the gist of it. Like many things in life, bigger meant better, and nopony better demonstrated the power of a large horn than Princess Celestia, whose massive horn was as long as pony was tall at her withers. Even Twilight’s horn was longer than average.
’So yeah, big horn means more magic.’ Dash wondered what all the blushing and pussyfooting was about. That meant there was only one thing to say as she regarded the foal on the bed.
“Kiddo, you are going to be one magical pony when you grow up,” Dash regarded the horn on foal’s forehead. The beginning of a large horn was already obvious, even on such a young foal. Rainbow Dash wasn’t too surprised. Twilight Sparkle was the most powerful unicorn in a thousand years, while Shining Armour was the most powerful stallion alive. “Just don’t do anything freaky while I’m taking more photos of you,” she hastily added
Wisp didn’t cooperate and pulled her head under her giant vest like a like tortoise into its shell. It was cute, but it didn’t amuse Rainbow Dash or help her take pictures.
“Hey, Fluttershy can you hold her a second while I take pictures.”
Wisp found herself being lifted off the bed. The young foal didn’t make it easy for Rainbow Dash to photograph her. She kept wiggling and turning her head this way and that, as if to avoid giving Dash the clear photo she wanted.
“Do you think you can get her to hold still for a moment?”
Fluttershy knew just such a trick. She held her tongue to the roof her mouth and made a sharp clicking sound. She then waved her hoof in front of the young foal. Both sound and sight caught the foal’s attention. Her ears swivelled forward at the sound and Wisp gazed at the soft yellow hoof with her big, harlequin blue eyes as if perplex by the sight.
Dash grinned at the foal’s bewildered expression. It was such an intense stare, as if she was examining a hoof for her very first time. It was dorky, dorky and adorable at the same time. “Yup, you’re an adorkable little thing aren’t you?” Dash insisted as snapped a photo. “Your Aunt Rainbow is going to make sure you get out of the library at lot more. You don’t want to be a shut-in like your mom.”
Wisp turned her head towards Dash at the sound of camera’s click and flash. Her turquoise blue mane trailed behind her as she moved. The light caught Wisp just so and from behind the camera lens, Rainbow Dash knew she had liquid gold on her hooves. The camera flashed, once, twice, it was perfect. This foal could pose like one of Photo Finish’s models. Not that Rainbow Dash would ever admit to looking at such glamour magazines.
After four of five photos, Wisp seemed to tire. She opened her mouth wide in a toothless yawn, then suddenly jerked forward to clamp her mouth onto Fluttershy’s fore hoof.
“That’s not the milk bottle you’re looking for,” Rainbow Dash laughed as the small foal began to suckle noisy. “Bit of a greedy thing, aren’t you? Twilight must be sore.”
“I…- I don’t mind.” Fluttershy replied. “It’s only a bit ticklish. She doesn’t have teeth yet.”
The sound grew as the young foal redoubled her efforts, doubtlessly growing frustrated that she couldn’t get any milk. It was a horrible trick to play on a foal so young. Fluttershy tried to move her hoof.
She couldn’t.
It was as if her hoof had been caught in a vice. The sucking sound grew louder. Fluttershy knew that couldn’t be right. A newborn foal couldn’t be that strong. She wasted precious moments in confusion, during which the sucking sound had built upon itself until it became one continuous, horrible din that drowned out the room around her. There wasn’t even time to panic as it roared around her was like a plunger, going over and over again, relentlessly dragging the warm air out the library with the sound of a death rattle.
The library’s floor fell away from under her hooves, dissipating like a poorly made cloud under too much weight. There was only blue sky above her. Her pupils shrank to pin pricks. She was so high up. The clouds around her were filled with filly and colt, her classmates from Flight Camp.
Nopony noticed her fall.
Nopony noticed her as everypony was too busy watching Rainbow Dash race against those three bullies she had challenged.
She couldn’t fly!
She was scared.
“Help,” she shouted, but her voice wouldn’t penetrate the roar of wind that filled her ears and rushed over her body.
’No pony cared.’
She was plunging to her death in full view of everypony. The cloud deck was getting farther and farther away. No pony came to rescue her.
’No pony loved her.’
Despair filled her throat as she knew she was going to die on the scary ground far below. Nopony was going to rescue her because nopony would miss her, not even her own disappointed mother, High Commander Flutter Storm.
Fluttershy screamed.
Honeydew Wisp let go of Fluttershy’s hoof. The three week old foal yawned in the endearing manner that only newborn foals could. Wisp smacked her lips and cuddled up against Fluttershy’s racing heart. The beating sound of Fluttershy’s heart lured the Changeling foal to sleep.
Reality once again reasserted itself. Fluttershy was gasping in many small sharp breaths. “What happened to me?”
“Well, you sort of went rigid. I thought maybe you were having a fit or something.” Rainbow Dash glanced anxiously between Fluttershy and Twilight’s tyke. The newborn foal was rubbing her head against Fluttershy’s chest while she closed her eyes to sleep
“I…” What was she just thinking? Fluttershy couldn’t remember, the memory of the sucking noise had already become vague and uncertain. All that was left was a feeling. “I felt strange, as if I wasn’t loved and would never be loved again.” She shuddered. “A filly was screaming.”
“No filly was screaming, Fluttershy.” Rainbow Dash glanced anxiously at Fluttershy again. The other mare looked pale, more than her usual light butter yellow. It was as though Fluttershy was coming down with a bad bout of flu.
“I’m cold." She whispered as she held limply to Wisp. It was a chill that went deeper than her skin. It was a cold that burrowed inside her chest…into her soul.
“Let’s get out of here.” Rainbow Dash picked Wisp from Fluttershy’s fore hooves and placed the young foal back onto Twilight’s bed.
“Who is she?” Fluttershy finally asked. Her whisper was so quietly that it may have just been a thought.
“Her name is Wisp. Twilight Wisp,” Dash answered. The foal was once again asleep. She had a contented cherub smile on her face
Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash didn’t speak again until they reached Rarity’s boutique.
** *** **