“It’s really coming down,” Sunshine said warily as the girls stared at the skylight opening. A storm raged outside the mountain, but Starlight had cast a spell that ensured that the wind, cold and rain didn’t enter their home. The sky seemed to vibrate as the rain plinked against the magical barrier.
Despite the unyielding strength of the spell, the eight-year-old Glimmers couldn’t help but stare in fear and apprehension. Well, all except one. “This is so cool!” Prism cheered, leaping up and hovering in the air for a few seconds. “When’s the last time we had a thunder storm like THIS?”
“T-too soon if you ask m-me,” Buttercup said tremulously from under her hooves. She was hiding halfway under the couch, occasionally risking a peak at the skylight before squeaking and hiding again.
“Aww, scaredy hooves!”
“I am n-not!”
“Girls, you have nothing to fear,” Starlight called from the kitchen. “And nothing to get excited about,” she added, frowning at Prism. “It will pass eventually.”
“Yes,” Moonlight said slowly. “It’s nothing but a simple atmospheric disturbance.” She gulped but managed to keep her dignified composure. “Nothing to worry about.”
Prism raised an eyebrow. “How do you know all that?”
Moonlight’s eyes shifted around. “I... heard it.”
“From who?”
“Mother, of course.”
“She never described it like that before.”
“Well maybe you weren’t there, Prism.”
Just then, a clap of thunder boomed throughout the sky, and the lights flickered briefly before going out completely. Screams filled the air, and Starlight rushed into the Livingroom, careful not to run into anyone. “It’s alright,” she assured, lighting up her horn. A soft blue glow filled the room, revealing her face.
“Gaah!” Pearl giggled at the spooky shadows casting over their mother’s face. As Starlight rolled her eyes, Buttercup zoomed out from under the couch and clung to her tightly, shaking like a leaf. Sapphire did the same, cuddling up to Starlight with anxious eyes.
Moonlight, Prism and Sunshine were too proud to seek comfort from Starlight openly, but they inched closer to her, keeping a reasonable distance. “It’s alright now,” she repeated, giving Buttercup’s head a comforting pat. “It’s just the electricity. I’ll have it fixed after the storm passes.”
“B-B-But it’s still so…dark…” Buttercup shivered, burying her face into Starlight’s chest. “And the thunder’s so loud!”
Pearl bounced up to Buttercup and patted her back. “Don’t worry, Buttercup! Thunder isn’t so bad! It only gets loud because Storm Wendigos are probably playing bowling in the sky! They’re knocking down cloud pins, that’s all!”
Buttercup peeked out an eye. “R-Really?”
“Yeah! They’re actually really nice Storm Wendigos. They don’t mean to play so loud. They’re just having a good time!”
BOOM!
“See?” Pearl said as the girls jumped. “Right there, that was a strike!”
“W-Well, I wish they’d play somewhere else,” Buttercup shuddered, hiding her face again.
Pearl’s face twisted in worry as she watched her sister fret over the storm. Glancing around at the others, the scared look in their eyes weren’t too far off from Buttercup’s; even Prism was shaking slightly in the eerie blue darkness. The pink pony sat there for a moment, rubbing her chin. Then she gasped, a big smile on her face. “I know~!”
She popped up next to one of the walls and held up her hooves. “Look, everypony!”
Starlight’s jaw dropped as four silhouettes of Storm Wendigos appeared on the wall. With the help of the light from Starlight’s aura, Pearl cast shadows along the wall, and made one of the Storm Wendigos roll a bowling ball across the alley. The little Glimmers gasped out as the bowl knocked over all the pins.
Starlight’s shrunken pupils darted over to Pearl’s hooves, but they seemed normal as can be. “How are you doing that?”
“Do what?” Pearl asked, making the crowd of Wendigos dance from all the points they received.
“THAT! The way you…it’s not poss…oh, never mind.” Pearl shrugged and turned back to her shadows while Starlight murmured something along the lines of ‘eight years’ and ‘shouldn’t be surprised anymore’, but no one was paying attention. Moonlight, Prism, Sunshine, and even Sapphire slowly departed from Starlight and marveled at the shadow puppets on the wall.
“See? The Wendigos are just having a big ol’ party!” Buttercup peeked out from Starlight’s chest and blinked up at the wall.
“Not very logical, Pearlie.” Moonlight stated but smiled as one of the Wendigos tripped on its own hooves and slid across the aisle, spinning like a top.
“Who cares about logic!” Prism said, her bravado returning. “This is awesome!”
“Look at that one!” Sunshine grinned, pointing. One Wendigo went to roll its bowling ball, but forgot to release it. The girls burst out in laughter as both Wendigo and bowling ball slid across the wall. Even Buttercup giggled and pulled away from Starlight a bit.
“Ooh, Pearl, can you show me how to do that?” Sapphire asked.
“Sure! Here. First you take your hoof and hold it up just like this…”
Before long, Sapphire was casting shadows of her own, though not as good as Pearl’s. Still, it didn’t stop the girls from oohing and ahing at the beautiful butterfly floating across the wall. All at once, the sisters begged Pearl for shadow puppet lessons, and Pearl happily complied. From then on, time seemed to fly by with squeals of laughter and dancing puppets.
Before they knew it, it was already time for bed, much to the girls’ dismay. “Can we turn the lights off again tomorrow?” Buttercup asked as she settled into bed. “I, um…I liked making birds appear on the wall.”
“Yeah!” Prism said, boxing her hooves. “I wanna have a rematch with Sunshine’s Wendigo. It was a total foul!”
“I won, and you know it,” Sunshine said smugly, mimicking Prism’s boxing moves.
“Not very lady-like,” Starlight sing-songed, and the two dropped their hooves and rested their heads with as much sophistication as they could muster. “But yes, we can do it again if you would like. It was…fun.” She smiled and nuzzled Buttercup. “Goodnight, starlings.”
“Wait a minute,” Moonlight said, sitting up and glancing around. “Where’s Pearl?”
“Probably still in the bathroom,” Sapphire yawned, closing her eyes. “I told her not to have that fifth helping of broccoli soup.”
“I’ll get her,” Starlight chuckled, crossing over to the door. “Goodnight, my dears.”
“Goodnight, Mother,” the girls chorused.
After Starlight closed the door, she went over to the bathroom door with a knowing look. As she lifted a hoof to knock, a small sound from the other side stopped her. Brow furrowing, Starlight pressed her ear to the door to make sure she was hearing it right. “Pearl? Are…are you crying?”
The sounds stopped, followed by a sniffle. “No.”
Frowning, Starlight unlocked the door with her magic and poked her head inside. Pearl was curled up under the sink, her eyes red and puffy. Starlight opened the door further and stepped inside. “Why Pearl, what’s the matter? You were laughing and having a good time just a minute ago. Does your tummy hurt from all the broccoli soup?”
Pearl shook her head.
With a brief look of distaste, Starlight settled onto the bathroom floor, so she could be at eyelevel with Pearl. “Then why are you crying?”
“I didn’t mean to cry,” Pearl said with a weak smile, wiping at her nose. “I just needed a moment.”
“A moment?” Starlight’s horn lit up, and a piece of toilet paper tore off the roll before making its way to Pearl’s nose. Pearl batted at Starlight’s aura as the ply scrubbed against her nose.
“I don’t like storms either. I…I was scared too.” She turned her head in shame. “But I couldn’t let the others know that.”
Starlight tossed the ply into a nearby wastebasket and gave her daughter a perplexed look. “Why ever not? Everypony was scared. Prism won’t admit it herself, but when the lights went out, I’m quite certain that I heard her scream with the rest of you. Nopony would blame you for being a little bit frightened. I’m surprised—you’ve never been one to worry what the others thought of you.”
“I’m not hiding it for me,” Pearl said, shaking her head. “It’s for them!”
“Them?”
“Yes, them! When I saw the looks on their faces, I had to do something. I had to make them laugh. I couldn’t stand watching them scared like that. But I can’t make anypony laugh if I’m all frowny-face. The only way to make them happy is making them see that I’m happy. And it worked.”
Thunder rumbled outside, and Pearl whimpered a little. Starlight smiled and pulled Pearl close to her. “But it didn’t work for you, did it?”
“M-making shadow puppets was r-really fun,” Pearl said with a brief smile. “B-but I guess I’m still spooked. Just a little.”
“Oh, Pearl,” Starlight said, hugging her. “You’ve done a wonderful thing tonight. All you had to do was be there, and everypony’s faces lit up with laughter. When I put your sisters to bed, they didn’t even mention the storm once. Not even Buttercup.”
Pearl looked up with wide eyes. “Really?”
“Mhm. But you know, it’s okay to be scared. I know you feel like you need to make others happy, and it’s a great need. But you mustn’t be afraid of fearing. It’s like what I’m trying to teach Prism and Sunshine. Fear is an emotion. And when we try and repress our emotions, it’s actually worse. All those feelings can jumble up inside us and make a mess.”
Pearl rubbed at her tummy. “Like too much broccoli soup?”
Starlight laughed. “Something like that. For instance, I fear for the ponies of Equestria and how blind they are to cutie marks. Would it do me or anypony else any good if I simply forced that fear down and went about my way instead of trying to make a difference?”
“No, Momma.”
“Precisely. And once we deal with fear in a healthy way, we can find our way back to our more pleasant emotions. Something infectious and good—like the joy we can bring to other ponies, Pearl. When we smile, it makes others feel good about themselves. It lets others know that we love and care about them. If every pony were to take the time to make each other happy instead of angry or upset, the world could be a much better place.”
A smile spread across Pearl’s face. “You really think I could help make a difference in Equestria?”
“Of course! I believe in all of you girls. You do me proud already. Now come on. Let’s get you to bed.”
Pearl nodded and climbed onto Starlight’s back, resting her head on her shoulder as they left the bathroom. Thunder rumbled, but Pearl only looked a touch annoyed now. “Those Wendigos are really causing a fracus up there.”
“Let them play a little while longer,” Starlight chuckled. “Their mother will call them back for bedtime before you know it.”
Pearl smiled and wrapped her hooves around Starlight’s soft, warm neck.
Dear Pound and Pumpkin,
I can’t explain it. Well, except for the fact that I can’t talk. Ha ha, get it? Wow that was terrible
I know it might worry you and your parents that I can’t really talk to you, but I can’t really bring myself to. It’s like some part of my brain completely shut down or something.
Oh, wait, that sounds scary. Scratch that. It’s more like somepony threw a giant cinder block on my tongue. Weird, huh? Anyway, you get the picture. Despite that, it can’t stop me from communicating with you guys, and that’s why I wrote you this letter. Nice, right? So now THAT’S out of the way…
Wow, wow, wow, you two grew up fast! It seems like it was just yesterday when I threw you your first month-aversary party! We had the best times together, us three! Remember when I first baby sat you? You guys were a hoof full! TWO hoof fulls, maybe even three! If I close my eyes, I can still feel the sticky flour in my mane!
I was actually planning to call it quits when the day was over, but then you two went all adorable on me and said my name in your sleep. I knew I was a gonner then. I was your official foalsitter from then on. Well, up until, at least. But you remember, right?
On second thought, you probably wouldn’t. You were just babies after all. You probably don’t even remember me either, huh?
Well…that’s alright. We actually did meet one time! We were thirteen (Although technically the rest of us were in our mid-thirties, but whatever), and we all hung out at Cranberry. You showed us around, bought us cupcakes, and we watched Misty Lakes preform! I bet you remember that! It was pretty funny that we ran into you guys of all ponies. Well, not ha ha funny, just funny funny. Well, maybe a little ha ha. It depends on who you ask, I guess.
I’m sorry that I missed so many of your month-aversaries. I would have loved to watch you guys blow out all those candles. But now that I’m here, I get to plan all the rest of your birthdays and celebrations if you want! Won’t that be fun?
You might not understand all that’s happening right now, but…just know that I love you guys so much. You might not remember me, but I still think of you like a little brother and sister. And it’s gonna be okay.
Oh, and pleased to officially meet you!
XOXO, Pinkie Pie
Pound and Pumpkin stared at the letter for a few more moments before looking at each other. Across the room, their parents sat with Pinkie on her bed, talking to her in soft, tender voices. Occasionally, they would stroke her mane, or give her loving touches on her cheek. For the twins, it was strange, no, bizarre seeing their parents interact with somepony else like this.
It was all so emotional, almost to the point when Pound and Pumpkin felt like they were intruding on something precious. But all three had insisted they stay, so they remained seated.
Pumpkin fiddled with her long braid down the side of her neck and glanced over at her brother. Eventually, she caught his wandering gaze, and he turned away, shaking his head. The letter folded neatly in his hooves and was set gingerly aside.
“…. wonderful kids, both graduated school just last year,” Cup Cake was saying. “You would have been so proud of them.”
Carrot turned around and reached out a hoof. “Pound, Pumpkin, don’t you wanna come closer?” Their father was smiling, but his eyes were still misty, causing them to fidget in their seats.
“Um…we’re cool, Dad, we don’t wanna intrude,” Pumpkin said, keeping her eyes off Pinkie.
Pinkie Pie shook her head and eagerly gestured her hooves.
“Nonsense,” Cup Cake said, speaking for her. “Come, join us. You don’t remember, but Pinkie has always loved you like family, even from the day I announced that I was expecting!”
Pinkie giggled silently at that. She made a dancing motion and pointed at Cup’s stomach. “Oh, yes, dearie. I remember my ‘Having a foal’ party. And the one after that when we realized it was more than one foal.”
Their parents chuckled at the memory, and Pound dropped his head. “Come on now, kids, it’s alright,” Carrot said kindly.
“No, Dad,” Pound murmured from under his mane. “It’s not okay.” Ignoring the confused stares, he stood up and locked eyes with his old foalsitter. “Pearl…I mean, Miss Pie…I’m sorry. All this,” he gestured to their environment, “this isn’t right. We don’t deserve to be here. It’s not our place, and there’s no use in pretending that it is.” He bit his lip and his eyes dropped to the floor. “I’m sorry.”
Pound turned and fled the room, paying no heed to the voices calling his name.
As he ran down the hall, his saw colorful blurs of other family members in separate rooms out of his peripheral. his breath hitched in his throat when he saw Rarity leaning against a frail-looking stallion. Her eyes widened, and her lips began to form his name, but he was already gone.
He almost made it to the elevator when two spears crossed in his path. Pound skidded to a halt and glared up at the guards.
“I need off this floor,” he said curtly.
Two pairs of eyes blinked at him, nether showing signs of yielding.
Pound gritted his teeth and stomped his hoof. “I said I need off this floor! I don’t belong here, let me out!”
The guards remained silent, and Pound got in their faces as much as their spears would allow. Cold, hard metal pressed up against his chest. “Either you move out of my way, or I’ll make you move out of my way. Don’t think I can’t. You know how many sacks of flour I lift at the bakery? Tons!”
“Pound!” a voice squawked from behind, pulling him back. “What’s wrong with you?”
“I’m getting off this floor, Pumpkin! I don’t care who these boneheads are!”
Pumpkin tightened her grip on Pound’s shoulder. “Well, you might wanna reconsider, ‘cause those ‘boneheads’ work for the Princess. Well—maybe, I dunno. Whoever’s still in charge.” She flashed the guards a nervous grin. “I-Ignore him, he’s, he’s not feeling well.”
“I’m healthier than all of you put together!” Pound growled as Pumpkin grabbed hold of him with her aura and lifted him off the floor. His hooves windmillled uselessly in the air as he was carried away. “This isn’t over!”
“Um, yeah, it is,” Pumpkin said, marching him back down the way they came. “You could’ve gotten into some serious trouble back there! Do you know what they could have done to you?”
“Oh, they wouldn’t have done anything,” Pound said dismissively. “They think they’re all big and tough, but we all know that it’s Discord who gets things done around here.”
“Oh. My gosh. Shut up,” Pumpkin hissed. She trotted into the waiting area corner, away from the hospital rooms. “You can’t just talk like that, Pound! You wouldn’t survive a day in a dungeon! Look at you, you’re a complete cinnamon roll!”
Pound flapped his wings as hard as he could, but he couldn’t escape Pumpkin’s aura. “Put me down!”
“Not till you calm down. You’re making a scene, something that these ponies really don’t need right now.”
Pound slowly stopped struggling and took a short breath. “Fine,” he muttered.
Pumpkin gave him a long look, eyebrow raised. “Are you cool?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m cool.”
“Are you sure.”
“Pumpkin, I’m cool.”
“Alright. But you know that I can catch you faster than you can fly away, right?”
For the first time in hours, Pound smiled. “I know.”
Pumpkin returned the smile and set him down, releasing her hold. “There. Now what did you run off for?”
A shadow passed over Pound’s face. “We could have ended this five years ago. You know that, don’t you?”
Pumpkin’s grin faded, and her head lowered. “…Yeah.”
A pair of hooves hooked around their necks, and a pony rose up from between them. The twins jumped, and Pumpkin almost swore. “Whoa! M-Miss Pie!” Pound exclaimed.
“Where did you even come from?” Pumpkin asked, her eyes darting this way and that.
Pinkie Pie simply smiled and released them, holding up a piece of paper.
I convinced your parents to stay in the room. Wanna chat?
The twins shared a look. “Um…sure?” Pumpkin said, knitting her eyebrows. Pinkie beamed and bounced onto one of the waiting couches before patting the spots on either side of her.
The teenagers obeyed, with Pound hopping up on her left, and Pumpkin to her right.
The pink earth pony gave the two a questioning look.
“Well…Mis Pie—”
Pinkie shook her head sharply and mouthed the word Pinkie.
“Oh. I mean, Pinkie…we should have recognized you from the start. We could have had you all back home years ago. Instead, we…we practically handed you back to that mare.”
“Mhm,” Pumpkin assented, nodding solemnly.
Pinkie’s eyes widened, and she wildly shook her head again. She pointed to the two of them and folded her forehooves, making a rocking motion.
“I know, I know that we were foals,” Pound said distractedly, hopping down from the couch. He walked over to Pumpkin, and Pinkie turned to face them both. “But that’s no excuse, especially for Pumpkin and me.”
“It’s true,” Pumpkin said quietly. “You have to understand, Miss Pi—Pinkie. We’ve been told about you our entire lives. We’ve learned about all your struggles and triumphs in school, and ponies visit your memorials all the time. But for Pound and me, it was different. Mom and Dad told us the more personal stories. Stories about you, as a tenant. The trouble you got into, the happiness that you brought.” She smiled faintly. “My favorite story was the one where you ate Princess Celestia’s cupcake, and Dad had to drag you off.”
Pound allowed himself a small smile. “Mine’s the one when you chucked all the cakes at Princess Twilight’s assistant when he turned into a full-sized dragon. Our parents came home to a missing roof.”
Pinkie’s mouth twisted into something that resembled a smirk and a grimace at the same time.
“We’ve seen the murals, we’ve watched the plays, and we’ve heard all the stories. The Princesses honored you every year, and your portraits hang on the walls at home. Yet we couldn’t tell that our old foalsitter was standing right next to us.”
Pinkie reached out a hoof, but Pound pulled away in shame. “I knew, I knew there was something familiar about you guys, but I couldn’t put my hoof on it. I couldn’t, because…because…when I got older, I…didn’t care as much.”
Pumpkin reached up and put a hoof on his shoulder. “You…the memory of you was always in the background, but most of our focus was on other things. School, friends, crushes, our favorite bands. Eventually, we grew tired of the stories, and opted out of visiting your memorials with our parents.” Her ears flattened against her head. “By the time we were thirteen, you were just…an old bedtime story. It sounds so stupid now. If only we had—”
Pinkie put a hoof to Pumpkin’s mouth. Then, she lifted Pumpkin’s chin and held up her own as an example. She looked over at Pound and gestured for him to do the same.
After a moment, Pound held his head up, swallowing.
Pinkie gave them a comforting, yet bold grin.
The twins stared at her, and they couldn’t help but grin back. “Okay, Pinkie,” Pound said, nodding. “Okay.”
Pinkie crawled forward and enveloped the twins in a tender group hug. As Pound and Pumpkin hugged her back, a warm sense of familiarity rose up within them. This kind of embrace, so full of love and comfort…they felt it before. Somewhere, maybe far off in a dream, they had felt it. They automatically nuzzled their old foalsitter, burying their faces into her pink fluffy mane.
It was then when the twins felt an inexplicable sense of love and grief at the same time. With shiny eyes, they glanced at each other over Pinkie’s mane and smiled. For the first time, it was established that perhaps they did, in fact, belong here.
Starlight and Sunburst roused, sitting straight up. At first, Starlight had no idea what woke her up, but a distant voice made them scramble to their hooves.
“….over where it’s thickest…” the voice faded in and out, but it sounded like it was nearing closer. The trees rustled under heavy footsteps.
“That doesn’t sound like dragons,” Starlight whispered. In a panic, Sunburst quickly started to gather his belongings. “Sunburst, there’s no time!” She leapt over and clung to him, her horn glowing. “I’m gonna teleport us away.”
“W-Wait, just hold on a min—where are you teleporting?”
“Away from here!”
Two more voices emerged from behind the trees. “What’s behind there?”
Sunburst tried to wriggle out of Starlight’s grasp, but she refused to let go, either out of stubbornness or fear. Maybe both.
“Starlight, please. If you’re going to do it don’t go South. Anywhere but south!”
“B-But I can’t go the other way, that’s where I came from! I’d be spotted for sure!”
“Starlight, I’m begging you. If you’re going south, then let me go. I’m not going back, I can’t go back!” Starlight looked at Sunburst and was shocked to see that his face had paled. His blue eyes were filled with absolute terror. “Please.”
The weeping willow leaves flung apart, and the silhouettes of three guards came into view. “Halt!” one shouted as they drew their weapons. “Halt in the name of the Princess!”
Starlight’s horn flared, and the two disappeared in a flash of blue light.
“Are you planning some sort of…party?” Nurse Sweetheart asked, peering down at the list Pinkie gave her.
Pinkie shook her head and threw her up her hooves in a big gesture. Nurse Sweetheart glanced around. “Ohh, I see. It is pretty gloomy around here, isn’t it? But I don’t know if Doctor Horse would go for it. With the rest of the families arriving soon and all.” She paused, a thought coming to her. “Unless…are you planning on doing this for the families?”
Pinkie gave her a look that said bingo!
“Well, it would be nice for them to come here to a more pleasant-looking atmosphere. I suppose a little color here and there would be nice. But nothing wild or crazy, right? Nothing that would be ill-fitting?”
Pinkie shook her head, dismissing it.
“Ah, okay, something more cheerful, but subtle. Well, I’ll take this under consideration, but I don’t know about Dr. Horse. It would take some convincing.” She smiled and petted Pinkie’s mane. When they first arrived, Nurse Sweetheart would stay away from them as often as possible, but now she seemed to be warming up to them, Pinkie especially. “We’ll see what we can do. Visiting time is almost up, and you girls need your rest. Why don’t you run along and spend a little more time with the Cakes while you have time?”
Pinkie nodded and hugged her before Nurse Sweetheart left.
Just then, a nearby window shattered, and a medium-sized brick sailed through the air. Shards of glass scattered in all directions, and the brick slid across the floor until it reached Pinkie’s hooves.
A cold, breeze blew in from the window, and Pinkie looked down at the brick. She knew she should be screaming, but all she could do was stare blankly. But that was okay, since Nurse Sweetheart was already taking care of that for her.