//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: Finding the Elements // Story: Acceptance // by Meatabex //------------------------------// Finally, we had made it to the treehouse. “Here we... are,” Doctor Whooves said, confused, and I turned to see him and Derpy, a few paces away, pointing towards the library. The door had been smashed open. As we moved closer to get a better peek inside, I could see piles of books, knocked to the floor. “Get off of me!” I heard a child-like voice say from inside. “SPIKE!” I heard in response. Walking in, I could barely distinguish the dragon with a sobbing Rarity lying on top of him. “I’m so sorry!” she wailed. Her voice was scratchy, whinier almost, a sound produced as she tried to talk through her crying. “You saved my life!” “I...did?” Spike said, bewildered. Meanwhile, a few piles of books away, a pony I guessed to be Mr. Cake was in a similar situation. “I was so worried!” Mrs. Cake bawled above Mr. Cake’s thin structured body. “How did you forget I was going to return the cookbooks I borrowed for Pound and Pumpkin?” he asked, upset, and slightly perplexed. As they embraced each other on the floor, Vinyl and Octavia looked at each other, and smiled. Lyra teared up slowly, raising a tissue that she had taken from Bonbon’s resigning hooves to dry her watering eyes. “It would be nice if you could get off,” Mr. Cake wheezed from his position. Mrs. Cake chuckled nervously, and removed herself from her husband. “Thank you so much, Derpy,” she thanked, standing up from Mr. Cake’s crushed body. “I wouldn’t know what to do without Mr. Cake, we would lose the shop, and...” She stopped, realizing we were all staring strangely at the pair. “Thank you,” Mr. Cake said finally, embarrassed slightly by their public display of affection. Octavia and Vinyl, who were standing by the door, made room for them as they departed. As soon as they left, Vinyl chuckled a bit more. “Remind us of anypony, Octavia?” she winked. “Not one pony,” Octavia blushed. “I haven’t the slightest clue.” “Uh, somepony, a little *ack* help here, please?” someone choked, and I realized Spike was asphyxiating. He was busy trying to get Rarity off of him, wiggling his arms and legs, and trying to squeeze out of her tight hug. Lyra and I pulled the sobbing beauty off of the dragon, and pulled her onto a chair, where she sat and sniffled. “Spike, are you ok?” I asked. He replied by wiping sweat off his brow. “Yeah,” he groaned, clutching the spines on his back. “My back aches. I must’ve slept for a long time.” He looked at Rarity, and then back at me, concerned. “Why’s Rarity so upset?” “Wait a minute...” I looked at the baby dragon. “Are you saying you slept...” “All day and all night.” He replied, albeit a little worried. “Actually, please don’t tell Twilight! She thinks I’ve been organizing books while she’s gone!” As he looked around the room, we fell silent. “Twilight’s not here...” Lyra said slowly. “What?” he said, shocked. “Then what’s Rarity doing here?” “Rarity?” Lyra and I turned to her. She looked up at us. “Perhaps you should explain.” She nodded quickly, but could only make hysterical blubbering sounds. I sighed. “Basically,” I tried to start, “things didn’t go down as planned.” -------- As we told her story to the dragon, his scales slowly drooped. As we finished, he almost seemed to be struggling, trying to contain his despair. “But...but...” Spike muttered, “it can’t be true! Twilight always makes it through everything she does! If she hasn’t, she would at least be able to send me a letter from Canterlot!” “That’s just the thing,” Rarity sighed. “Canterlot has been compromised.” “What?” everyone gasped. “I beg you to think logically!” she groaned. “If whatever was here affected me beyond my control, then it must’ve affected princess Celestia. That’s the only way the castle grounds could possibly be covered in fog!” As soon as the words left her mouth, several ponies started yelling at once. “NOT TRUE!” “NOT PRINCESS CELESTIA!” “I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THIS NONSENSE!” “Dude, that makes no sense. She’s stronger than that.” “DEAR CELESTIA! WHATEVER WILL WE DO?!?” “THEN WHO’S CONTROLLING THE SUN?” “Wait a sec!” I yelled. They stopped. “Princess Celestia controls the sun?” “Uh, duh!” Vinyl snorted. “Where have you been?” “Not here,” I stuttered, “I mean, around. Never mind, the point is, look at the sun!” We shuffled outside to look to the sun. There was nothing seemingly different about it. It floated above the town in a noontime position, sitting there as if nothing was wrong. “Well, what about it?” Scratch asked slowly. Octavia shook her head condescendingly. “What Leafwing here is trying to say,” the cellist explained, “is that if the Princess was really in danger, the sun should be functioning slightly differently.” “Spike, what time is it?” Bonbon asked thoughtfully. Spike put a hand to his chin, as though to think for a second, and then ran back into the library. We followed him until he reached a nearby store room. As soon as he had shut the door, a series of banging noises and what sounded like yelping, screeching, and howling ensued. After a few moments, he emerged, carrying a white rabbit. As he kicked the door closed with a back leg, he collapsed to the floor, evidently exhausted. “I... had to... take care of... everypony’s... pets... while... they were... gone...” he wheezed. “Wait, is Opalescence in there?” Rarity asked. Spike barely gave a nod with the strength he had, and Rarity opened the door once again, and her horn glowed. Out of the door flew a fat white cat. As it levitated closer to her, it slowed down, and I could make out a purple bow on the top of her head and a similarly colored collar, inset with beautiful sapphires. “OPAL!” Rarity squealed, and embraced her pet. As we watched her attempt to hug her scratching cat, the white rabbit stood there, looking unamused. “Wow...” Lyra said cautiously, as if to voice the opinions of the whole group, “that’s a nice... pet you have there, Rarity...” “She’s simply a darling,” Rarity grinned, and the cat batted angrily at her styled mane. “Angel...” Spike took his time to sit up from his collapsed position. “Can you... get... the time...?” “Why does Angel have a watch?” Bonbon asked. “Well, Fluttershy is always late for some kind of errand or other,” Spike explained, “and it’s up to Angel to keep her in check.” The bunny shook his coat. Out tumbled a simple pocket watch. Looking at it, he quickly handed it over to Spike, who turned it over to read it. I was perplexed. Where did the watch come from? “Where’d you get that from?” I asked. “From his coat,” Derpy replied happily. “At least, that’s where I keep all of my things!” “Yeah,” Bonbon added, “At least, small things. I guess it’s different for you pegasi, with your wings and all. Derpy may be an exception.” “Actually, dude,” Highlight said, “I keep my things in my coat too...” I started to feel nervous. They can store things in their coat? How is that even possible? And how come I can’t do it? The longer I thought about it, the longer I realized I didn’t have much to carry in the first place. At least, for now. When the situation called for it, it would be likely that I would need to know how to do this. But for now, it only seemed to reinforce the fact that I was awkward in my body.   “Huh?” Lyra asked, confused, “then where does Leafwing-” “It’s 5:30 P.M.” Spike announced, luckily interrupting their discovery of my obvious lack of pony know-how. “Wait,” Doctor Whooves asked, “the sun is still at noon-time. Are you sure your watch isn’t acting up?” The bunny, or Angel, as it were, scratched his ear with his hind leg, and then put his front feet up to his shoulders, as if to shrug. Then it pulled another pocket watch out, this one with a slightly less ornate design. “Yup, his spare reads the same,” Spike repeated. “It’s supposed to be near evening!” “It can’t be,” Bonbon whispered. “If Celestia can’t control the sun...” “We’re in for trouble,” Scratch finished, gulping. We all sat silent for a beat. Then... “Alright, I’m heading home,” Vinyl yawned. “Me too,” Bonbon agreed, and they began to leave. I was confused. “What’s... going on?” I asked. “Oh, we’re just gonna wait out the storm,” Lyra said. “Wait until the other ponies figure it out.” And with that, most of the ponies shuffled out of the room, leaving a befuddled Rarity, Spike, Doctor Whooves, Highlight, and me, as if nothing had happened. “Huh?” I was confused. “What happened?” I asked. “Dude, they’re leaving, obviously,” Highlight said calmly, without change of vocal inflection. “WHAT?!?” I raged. “WE’RE IN FOR TROUBLE, AND THEY’RE LEAVING?!?!” I quickly bolted my way out of the library to follow them. “STOP IT!” ALL OF YOU!!!” I screamed. Everypony looked at me strangely, and they all stopped walking. “What is it?” Lyra asked. “Just... what is wrong with all of you?” I demanded. “Wrong with us?” Vinyl snorted. “We didn’t do anything!” “EXACTLY!” I yelled, frustrated. “I’m not sure I follow,” Bonbon said, perturbed. “Are none of you guys worried about Twilight?” I asked, worried even more. “Uhh, no,” Vinyl answered. “Or Rainbow?” I continued. “Or Fluttershy? Or Pinkie Pie? Or Applejack?” “Not really, to be honest,” Lyra replied. “Frankly,” Octavia shrugged, “that band of silly ponies always get through to,” she stopped to change voice, as though mimicking another, “save the day.” “Frankly?” Derpy laughed. “Why not Charlie?” “Or Bob?” Highlight added. We stared at her strangely, and then I continued. “Really?” I questioned. They nodded their heads. “So then explain why Rarity is here, separated from the rest of the group.” “Well,” Bonbon tried to answer. “When Discord came around, they were divided for a time.” “Yea,” Vinyl continued. “Ponyville has gone through much worse than some monster.” “But they weren’t here this time,” I explained. “I don’t even know how we stopped that thing.” “Well, there’s certainly some sort of reasoning behind it,” Octavia tried to argue. “If I might add something to the conversation,” we turned to hear Doctor Whooves talk. “I believe it would be a prudent idea to visit Princess Celestia.” I put a hoof up to my face in dismay. “This brings me to the next point,” I muttered, pointing a hoof at the sun, still hovering directly above us. “Does anypony here remember that there’s something wrong with the sun, which the Princess supposedly controls?!?” “Oh...” Derpy mumbled. “We gotta do something!” I finished, flailing my front legs in frustration, breathing deeply, trying to calm myself down. “But why?” Lyra asked. “We never do anything. We’re in the background of the real action, per se. Most of the time, we just avoid trouble.” “Leafwing has a point, guys,” Bonbon argued, and I was taken aback, stunned by her taking my side. The others seemed to share the same surprise, and turned to listen to her. “We can’t just stand aside and let Equestria fall into ruin.” “But how?” Octavia said, indolent. “We don’t even know where to start!” “Yeah!” Scratch added. “We’re not anything special! We’re just... regular ponies.” “At least,” Bonbon said, “all of us... except you, Leafwing.” “What?” I exclaimed, startled by her statement. “You guys are all special!” “You’re the one with the freakish magic,” Scratch pointed at my chest. “You’re not even a unicorn!” “Dude,” Highlight said. “She’s right.” “At the end of the day,” Lyra sighed, “we’re nothing. We just tag along for the ride. We’re just...background ponies.” The others looked to the ground. I couldn’t tell if it was self-pity, lethargy, or cowardice, but I couldn’t take it anymore. I was tired of nopony taking responsibility. I stamped a hoof on the ground, causing all of them to look up. “Not anymore,” I stared each of them in the eyes. “We’re going to rescue Equestria. And we’re going to do it together. Whatever Twilight and her friends can do, so can we. And we have to. We’re their only hope.” “But how?” Octavia echoed her previous statement. “We don’t even know where to start!” “I have an idea,” a voice said, and we turned to see Spike, who had followed us out of the library. “And it just might work.” ----- “The Elements of Harmony?” Lyra whispered for the hundredth time. “Yes!” Spike grumbled. “Now stop saying that!” “Oh! Sorry.” Lyra apologized. He opened a large yellow tome, encrusted with dust and dirt. As he flipped the ornate cover open, a puff of dust left the pages, causing Lyra to cough. “Careful with the pages,” Spike warned. “Some of them are really old, Twilight tells me.” “You should be more careful with handling that piece of dust around living beings!” Octavia muttered. “It’s a health hazard, if you ask me.” Spike ignored the cellist and continued flipping pages. Inside were many inscriptions that I guessed to be “Equestrian,” or whatever language ponies used to write with. On closer inspection, however, it looked to be an ornate version of English. “Anyways,” Spike cleared his throat before continuing, “the spirits of the Elements are currently ‘residing’ within six ponies. Those would be Twilight and her best friends: Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity, who is here now. Each represents a different element. Pinkie Pie’s is laughter-” “No doubt about that,” Vinyl chuckled, elbowing Octavia. “-Fluttershy’s is kindness, Applejack’s is honesty, Rainbow Dash’s is loyalty, Rarity’s is-” “Generosity,” Rarity finished for the dragon. “and Twilight’s is magic. She’s always had a knack for it.” “So how does this help us?” Bonbon asked, raising an eyebrow. “The last time that something terrible had happened in Equestria,” Spike explained, “they used the elements to defeat the bad guys. Like Discord and Nightmare Moon.” “I remember Discord!” Derpy spread her wings, and flew straight up into the air. “There was chocolate rain everywhere!” She flailed her arms around as if to simulate the supposed tasty precipitation. “The exploding chocolate glass was funny dude,” Highlight added, and the other ponies looked at her with confused expressions. She slunk back slightly, and I could feel her humiliation, even though she didn’t show it. “Anyways,” I decided to break the unpleasant silence up, “how do we use the elements?” “I’m not sure if you can...” Spike pointed to the book. “It looks like the energies of the elements, wherever they are, are ‘bound,’ whatever that means, to their ‘representatives’ or something. I don’t know what these big words mean, I’m just reading them from the book.” “Basically,” Rarity interpreted, “nopony other than me can represent generosity.” “Well then,” Octavia muttered. “We are out of luck. We can’t even hope to defeat them without the elements!” “That’s the thing,” Rarity elucidated. “If you were able to rescue me, then you could rescue the others!” “But where do we even go?” Scratch asked impatiently. “I mean, it was dumb luck that we rescued you, let alone survived whatever happened here, but where would the others be?” “Somewhere evil looking,” Lyra suggested. “At least, like Ponyville before Leafwing did her magic spell of awesomeness!” I shrunk back. Why did they continue to praise me for something I didn’t do? “Hey, dudes,” Highlight pointed. “The Everfree forest is pretty evil looking.” “The Everfree?” we all said simultaneously. “Yes!” the Doctor agreed. “It did seem darker than usual. We should go and investigate.” “Not the Everfree!” Spike shuddered. “It’s... dangerous!” “And how do we even know if they’re there?” Derpy asked. “Easy,” Bonbon explained. “Ponyville was covered in a dense black cloud. If we can find one in the Everfree, then maybe another element will be hiding there.” I shuddered as I thought about the fog, and how quickly the ponies were able to figure out about how it functioned. At least, they now knew it as well as I did, and that scared me for some reason. “It’s a risky plan,” Lyra murmured, concerned. “And it will be difficult to spot the difference between the fog and the forest itself,” the doctor added. “Well, it’s a risk that we need to take,” Bonbon retorted. Octavia stomped a hoof on the ground. “We must save Equestria! For Princess Celestia!” “Well, if scaredy cat Tavi is going for it, I will!” Vinyl Scratch chuckled as Octavia huffed in displeasure. “Me too,” Lyra added. “Well, it’s settled,” Spike announced proudly. “You guys are officially... ‘The Element Gatherers!’” “What?” Derpy asked, confused, echoing the sentiments of the bewildered ponies around her. “Well,” Spike thought for a second, “I need a name for your group... I mean, they call Twilight’s group of friends the Elements of Harmony.” “Well,” Bonbon said flatly. “That’s because they are the elements of harmony.” “Oh, yeah.” Spike scratched his chin. “Fighters for Friendship?” “Uh, no way,” Vinyl Scratch dismissed. “Waaay too cheesy. Try something awesome, like my stage name, DJ PON-3!” All at once, several ponies began suggesting names. “The Terrific Six?” Lyra beamed, until somepony asked how many were in the group. “The Mystical Mares?” Octavia suggested, “Plus a Doctor?” “The Doctor?” Whooves tried. “Plus the mares?” “The Muffin Crusaders!” Derpy smiled brightly, although no one payed attention.  “Dude, how about The Midnight Bloody Reapers?” Ponies stopped, bewildered by Highlight’s suggestion. “Uh, no...” Bonbon said slowly. “Well,” Scratch suggested slowly, “if they’re the Elements of Harmony, maybe... we could be... the Elements of Awesomeness!” All of us seemed pretty content, except Octavia, who frowned. “We cannot use that as a group name!” Octavia shrilled. “We should use something more...representative of the group.” “Are you saying you’re not awesome dude?” Highlight said. Octavia sputtered. “I was simply saying... we do not have to use... this...” “Well, we all are pretty awesome,” Bonbon giggled. “I agree,” I said quickly, not wanting to prolong the discussion. “it’s a working name, and we can discuss it later, but we have to go now. The longer we wait, the more in danger the elements are in.” The others nodded in agreement. “Fine,” Tavi scowled. “But it’s a working name.” ----- “Why are we doing this again?” Octavia’s teeth clattered together as we ventured deeper into the forest. “So we can ‘save Equestria,’ if I remember clearly?” Vinyl Scratch grinned slyly. We had decided the first plan of action was to visit Fluttershy’s cottage, which was on the edge of the forest. We didn’t quite know where it was, though, and we were finding it increasingly difficult to navigate the terrain. “Oof!” Bonbon stumbled on a root. She fell face first onto the ground, and we chuckled as Lyra tried to pull her out of the dirt. “My mane is dirty!” Bonbon grumbled, as she got onto her feet. “I can only deal with so much in one day. Ugh!” “Why didn’t we just ask Rarity for directions?” Octavia groaned. Rarity and Spike had elected to stay, Spike since he was a baby dragon, and he needed his sleep. Rarity stayed to help repair the damages done to Ponyville, not to mention caring for the pets with Spike. She agreed to make sure that when the other elements of harmony returned, she would make sure they stayed put until we had found them all. “I forgot to...” I replied, frustrated at my stupidity. “Maybe we should go back and ask first...” “It’s too late,” the Doctor sighed. “There’s no way we’ll be able to back now.” “Why’s that?” Lyra asked, now scared. “Are we lost? We’re lost, aren’t we.” We were lost. “I’m afraid so,” Whooves replied sadly. “Even though I know these forests better than the lot of you, I’m afraid my knowledge only extends so far. I’m sorry ladies, but I’m no good.” As soon as he had finished talking, a loud crashing noise erupted from above. A yellow maned pegasus smashed into the ground nearby, releasing a cloud of smoke. Dusting herself off quickly with her wings, she trotted up to us. “Hey guys!” Derpy grinned. “It’s really fun to fly up over the forest! I can see everything!” “Really?” the doctor sighed with relief. “Well, did you see any clouds of smoke or something?” “Actually,” Derpy answered, “I see two!” “Two?” a murmur spread throughout the group. “Yeah!” Derpy beamed. “One is covering Fluttershy’s cottage, and the other one’s around some broken castle thing.” “Let’s split up, dudes,” Highlight suggested. “That way, we’ll be able to cover more ground.” “She’s right,” Scratch said. “Hopefully we’ll be able to find our ways back.” “And Highlight, Leafie, and me can fly above the canopy!” Derpy added. “So we can direct you when we see something interesting, and find each other when we’re lost!” As she mentioned me, I tucked my wings in more. I almost forgot I was a pegasus. “And Scratch and I can light the way with our horns!” Lyra continued. “Ok then, dudes, each group needs a pegasus and a unicorn,” Highlight ordered. “The Doctor, Derpy, Vinyl, and Octavia, you head in that direction, towards the castle. Leafwing, Lyra, Bonbon, and me are going to Fluttershy’s. Once you find the element, we get back to the library as soon as possible. Got that, dudes?” We all nodded. ----- “Wow, I didn’t know you had organizing skills!” Bonbon said, still struck by how eloquently Highlight had set up the groups. “Dude, there’s a lot you don’t know about me...” she replied quietly. We stopped talking after that. Heading straight towards a slowly darkening trail, I started thinking again. We were headed towards Fluttershy’s cottage, but I had no idea what to expect there. Would Fluttershy be trapped inside a monster shell as well? And how could I defeat her? Would the same circumstances allow me to stop another one of those creatures, even though I still had no clue as to how and what had happened in Ponyville? The questions bore into my mind until they were all I could think about. I wracked my mind, trying to figure out any reasonable answers to the conundrums haunting me. “The cloud...” Highlight said suddenly. “We’re here.” “This is scary...” Lyra squeaked. “Do we have to do this?” “We have to...” Bonbon replied, scared as well, but trying not to show it. Lyra slunk behind Bonbon, head down. “Get out from under there, dude!” Highlight growled. “No!” Lyra cried. “I’m not taking orders! Especially not from you!” Bonbon and me exchanged confused glances. “What do you mean?” Bonbon asked. “I don’t trust her!” Lyra shoved her head under her hooves, and shook uncontrollably. “Lyra, we can’t see if you’re hiding behind Bonbon!” I coaxed. “You gotta light the way!” A whimpering response was all I could get from Lyra. “Ugh! Just! Go!” Bonbon was now pushing Lyra in front with her head. “You! Can! Do! This!” Bonbon was pushing so hard, and her hooves so firmly secured to the ground that dirt began to give. “Dude, the cottage is right there,” Highlight said, pointing. She was right. The cottage was a small one, barely with two floors, and an extensive garden covering the lawn. A tiny river flowed under a small bridge. I thought about Fluttershy, and imagined it would probably be beautiful, if only the fog hadn’t made it seem so dark and gloomy. A rusty fence was slowly decaying, and the cottage had taken on a sinister personality of sorts, contorted tiles covering the roof and the chimney twisted like a spiral. More smoke and fog billowed out from the top, and I could only assume something evil was lurking inside. Muahahahahahahaha... an ominous voice echoed. I realized the voice was inside my head. Lyra screamed, and Bonbon cowered. Highlight stared into the blackness surrounding the cottage. I guessed they had heard it too. “Dude, who are you?” Highlight muttered in her monotone voice, but I could feel panic emanating from her. You seek the Element of Kindness, do you not? Well, let us have a little game, and see if you can prove your worth... A cloud slowly rose from the ground, starting to cover Highlight, who had now started to flail her legs about. “Dudes...” she said calmly, but I could feel waves of panic and fear coming from her. “Highlight!” Bonbon yelled. I flexed my wings, and slammed my body into the fog with full force, but nothing gave. I bounced off, and crashed into Lyra, who shrieked she could only watch. The cloud was changing her. As Highlight began to levitate, I could see her wings slowly dissipate into wisps of smoke, and she screamed in agony. She threw her head back and forth, struggling against the cloud, and her hair was flipping uncontrollably. Her left eye suddenly opened, glowing red. It was strangely the first time I had seen her left eye, and I realized her mane had covered the eye previously. Another scream erupted from her as something slowly protruded out of her head, and then she disappeared from view as the cloud consumed her. “No!!!” I screamed. “What have you done with her?” Bonbon yelled. You think that I did anything to her? Simpleminded mare, I merely instigated what exists inside of her, what has existed inside of her for far too long to be contained... “What do you mean?!?” Lyra covered her eyes in fright. You’ll see. You’ll see... Silence, once again. There were no animal noises, which were present even after we had entered the fog. “We have to go in,” I finally declared. “Are you kidding me?” Lyra replied. “It’s so... scary...” “We have to go in,” I repeated with more determination, more for my own confidence than hers. She whimpered, and remained glued to the ground, shaking. “Hey, think of it this way, Lyra,” Bonbon knelt beside her. “Once we get rid of the cloud, it will be beautiful. Just like Ponyville. Remember?” “I... I just... I don’t know...” Lyra whispered. “The only way to find out is through that door...” I pointed. The door to the cottage was eerily open, as if to welcome us in. “Let’s go,” Bonbon ordered. “I’ll... stay.... here... guard... exit...” Lyra managed to say, and then went silent. Bonbon and I walked towards the house cautiously, making sure not to make much noise. As we reached the small bridge, something plowed into both of us, and we both screamed. Looking up, we saw... Lyra. “I thought I saw something move out there...” She quivered on the front step. “Ok, let’s go then,” Bonbon said, worried. “The longer we wait, the more danger Highlight could be in.” She then turned to me, and pointed with a shaky hoof into the darkness of the house. “Uh, you first, Leafwing.” The others stood back, cowering a good few feet away from the door. They expected me to be brave... I took a deep breath, and slowly peeked into the house. My heart beat like a drum, and I could barely discern any other sound. My hooves grew sweaty as my anxiety set in. A silhouette of what looked like a unicorn lay in the center of the room. It was too dark to see, but I could tell it was no monster. Or was it... “Uh, hello?” I asked carefully. “Hello there, Leafwing,” the unicorn replied mischievously, and I felt a tingle of discomfort spread down my backbone. Suddenly, a green light, floating in the center of the room, illuminated her body, and I recognized her... “Highlight!” I gasped, “it’s you!” She turned to face me. “Yes, it’s me,” she cackled, and I knew something wasn’t right. “Your wings, your hair,” it seemed that the coloration of her mane had reversed, so that her dark inner hair had switched places with her bleached blond hair that had previously been on the outside, “you have a horn...” “Yes, what about it?” she laughed some more, and my gut solidified. She had never laughed before, in fact, she had always talked in a monotone like voice, full of torpor. Never like this. This was different... It was fully expressing the emotions that were radiating from her... and the emotions were disturbing. I noticed her left eye was bloodred, and her right eye was hidden from view by her mane, much like her left eye had before the transformation... “We’re gonna find a way to change you back,” I stammered, however I stepped back through the doorway slowly. “Why would I want to go back?” she guffawed, and I shrunk back slightly. “My whole life I have been trying to express myself... my feelings...” she rose to her tallest height, standing. “What’s going on, Leaf?” Bonbon asked from outside the house. “...and now I have the ability to do as I please!” With that, Highlight lowered her horn, and charged. My heart skipped a beat. “Ahh!” I screamed, and jumped aside barely quickly enough to let her slide by and slam into a mailbox. “Get her!” Bonbon screamed, and jumped onto her back, trying to subdue the crazed pony. “Stop, Highlight!” I pleaded. “You’re going to hurt someone!” Highlight bucked Bonbon off. The Earth pony skidded across the ground, and slid right next to Lyra. Shaking her head to toss a few stray hairs out of the way, Highlight roared, “MY NAME IS SHADOW STAR, AND I FINALLY ARISE!!!!” “Oh no!” Lyra cried. “It’s her! Run!” “Her?” Bonbon and I said quizzically. Highlight, or Shadow, as she now called herself, raised her horn. A condensed ball of energy accumulated at the tip of the horn. “MOVE!” Lyra screamed, and pushed me out of the way, just as Shadow released her bolt of magic. It smashed into the wall of the cottage, and broke, revealing a gash in the wall, smeared in soot and ashes. “Hide,” Lyra insisted, and dove behind a bush. Numb from my near-death experience, I could only watch as Bonbon got to her feet again. “Highlight, or Shadow, whoever you are, take this!” Bonbon charged towards Highlight, or Shadow, and struck her on the side. Reeling around to recover from the blow, Shadow once again concentrated on her horn, and Bonbon was levitated off of the ground. “Let! Me! Go!” “TOO LATE!” Shadow roared pugnaciously, and the horn brightened slightly. Bonbon, now unable to control her floating body, crashed to the floor, dazing her, and rendering her unconscious. “NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!” At first, I thought I heard it coming from my mouth, but instead, a furious Lyra screamed out from her hiding place. Jumping from behind the bush, she stood above Bonbon’s tenuous body. “And what do you think you’ll do, Lyra Heartstrings?” Shadow disparaged. “You were too late to save your friend.” “Not. Yet.” Lyra had somehow changed from a timorous pony into an intrepid unicorn in a blink of an eye. I gawked as she planted each hoof into the ground belligerently. Shadow Star growled. “Do you remember the first time we dueled, Lyra?” Shadow Star reminisced. “You! You’re not Highlight!” Lyra yelled, with some sort of realization dawning upon her. “Of course, you silly filly,” Shadow answered condescendingly. “Huh?” I managed to say. Now, I was so confused. Did they know each other? I faintly remembered their exchange when I introduced them. ----- “A friend,” I quickly breathed. “Her name’s Highlight.” “Oh, her...” Lyra muttered. “You!” Highlight growled. “Dude, not this dude...” ----- So they did have a history. “You’re her... other side, it seems,” Lyra figured. “Her... dormant side.” “You win the memory game,” Shadow cackled. “The prize is death.” “Well, I’m not taking that prize, ” Lyra said through clenched teeth. “I’ve changed. I’ve gotten better.” “YOU INSOLENT BRAT!” Shadow screamed. “PREPARE TO DIE!” Before I knew what was going on, both of their horns shone brightly. Lyra’s horn fired a single powerful line of magic towards Shadow Star, who had fired her own. The two clashed in the center, and an explosion of flowing energy flared out at the connective point. “I’ve been... practicing,” Lyra winced slightly as she concentrated, “and... this time... you’re in for it...” Slowly, I could see Lyra’s bright cyan beam was beating Shadow Star’s namesake colored dark magic back quickly. I could feel her becoming more and more distressed by the second, and she braced her hooves in the ground in a feeble attempt to fight back. “WHAT...?” the black unicorn shrieked as she struggled. “THIS CAN’T... BE POSSIBLE!!!” “You. Hurt. My. Best. Friend.” Lyra grunted, and put more force into the beam with each word, until she was shouting. “You. Do. NOT. HURT! MY! FRIENDS!” As I grew increasingly confused, Lyra’s beam finally connected with Shadow’s horn. A huge explosion of light dazzled my eyes, and I threw my legs up to block the light from possibly blinding me. A sonorous bang sounded off, followed by a shrill voice in distress. “NOOO...” a slowly dying scream echoed, and then, as the bright light faded, I could see Shadow Star lying on the floor several feet away from where she once stood, surrounded by a pile of ashes. The house no longer glowed the eerie greenish hue as it had once. “I’ll take care of Bonbon,” Lyra said sternly. “You go and check on her.” I decided not to question her suddenly dominant attitude, and walked over to the soot covered Shadow. Except she looked different once again. The explosion must have done something to her mane, as it had once again switched the inside coloration with the outside, making the bleached color stand out more strongly than that of the dark blue. Her right eye twitched, and I realized her left one was once again covered by her mane. Standing back slightly, I gasped as her horn slowly dissolved in a bright flash, and wing-shaped planes of light materialized on her sides. I blinked, and her wings had returned. I was more interested in her left eye though. It seemed now it was more than coincidence that her mane was covering her left eye. Lyra knew it too. In fact, Lyra knew more than me about her, it seemed. As I lifted her mane to peek at the eye, a hoof smacked my arm away. “HAY!” I quickly turned to see her bright blue right eye stare at me. “Dude, don’t touch that.” I instinctively jumped back, afraid that Shadow Star would make a reappearance. “It’s a little late for that eye,” Lyra murmured. “Oh no...” Shadow said glumly. “Did I...” “Your other side appeared, Highlight,” Lyra finished. “I’m so sorry.” “Wha- what?” I tried to speak cohesively. “What’s going on?!?” “Ugh, that’s what I want to know...” I glanced at Bonbon, who was struggling to gain consciousness again. “Apparently,” Lyra grunted as she pulled Bonbon to her feet, “Highlight has an alter ego. I fought her before, in the past, but I couldn’t tell the difference between the two until now. I should’ve known that, I knew they were different.” I was baffled. If Lyra had just made the discovery, then... “Why didn’t you tell me this before?!?” I yelled at Lyra. “I still don’t get anything and you’re only making things confusing!” “Dude, I’m Highlight,” Shadow, or Highlight, started. She looked at Bonbon, who was rubbing her temples with her hooves, trying to recover from what probably was a concussion. “Please, tell us what’s going on, Highlight,” I grumbled. “Or should I say, Shadow Star?” Highlight stood up, and stumbled toward us. “How do we know you’re not Shadow?” I demanded. “Dude,” Highlight said with apathy, but I felt as though she was pleading to me. “You just have to trust me.” Her truthfulness astounded me. Although her voice could not reflect what kinds of feelings I was receiving from her, her eye almost could. I could feel that she was as close to showing her emotions as she ever could. Her right eye twitched slightly, and her pupil dilated quickly. “I trust you.” I finally said. “What? Why, dude?” Highlight seemed surprised, although her voice didn’t reflect it. “Because you sound... truthful,” I replied. “Dude, I sound... the same... whatever I say,” Highlight whispered, almost as if to prove something to herself. “No, but I can feel you,” I said. She scrutinized me carefully. “What do you mean, dude?” she asked. “That’s kinda weird...” “Not like that!” I giggled before seriously responding. “I just know how you’re feeling... even if you can’t show it.” Highlight looked at me differently. I could see her feelings of confusion, relief, and then more confusion. “I believe her,” Lyra stepped forward. “And that means I believe you.” We both looked at each other, and then nodded to Highlight. Almost immediately she began flooding my senses with happiness, sadness, grief and cheer, relief and guilt, almost as though she had released a dam of emotion, held back only by time. “Woah, stop it,” I said shakily, and realized I had stumbled back a few steps. “That’s way too much at once...” “Dude... I... I... I don’t understand...” she whispered. “Me neither...” I replied. “It could help if you explained who this Shadow Star is.” Highlight nodded. Before she could start talking, though, the mind-voice returned. And it did not sound happy. FOALS! YOU DARE ATTEMPT TO DISTURB FEAR’S MASTER PLAN! YOU SHALL BE PUNISHED!!! “Punished?” Bonbon squeaked. “Master plan?” I shook in fright. “What master plan?” “Into the house!” Lyra yelled, and we all quickly entered the cottage. Lyra illuminated the room with her glowing horn as Highlight slammed the doors, but shadows began pouring in through the cracks and windows of the building. “Oh no,” Lyra shrunk back, and I could see her recessive side return slightly. “I don’t think we can explain Highlight right now. We have to stop this thing before it-” “AHHHH!!!” We turned to see Bonbon screaming. A cloud had begun to form around her, just like how it had around Highlight. “What are you doing to me?” Bonbon screeched. “Are you going to... change me too?” No. It would be too much of a waste of energy for that. Instead, I’ll just kill you. “SOMEPONY HELP!” she screamed. The cloud had snatched her hooves up, and was slowly crawling up her fetlocks. As I looked down, I realized the same was happening to me, and Lyra, and Highlight. “We can’t get out!” I discovered, struggling against the vice-like grip of the shadows. They were cold, and I imagined that the fog would likely kill by hypothermia. “Well, it looks like we’re screwed,” Bonbon said, voice quavering. “No!” I yelled. “There’s got to be a way... out...” There is no escape. Goodnight, my little ponies. You’re in for a little chill... the voice chortled, and then ended. “No no no no no no no no...” Bonbon moaned. “Leafwing! Do something!” “I...I...I can’t...” I replied, crestfallen. “I don’t even know how to...” “Ugh, dude,” Highlight sighed. “This sucks...” “Highlight!” Lyra called out from her cloud, surprisingly calm. “I just want you to know... I’m sorry!” “Sorry for what, dude?” Highlight was also calm, almost sounding bored, but I could tell she was fearful. “For... for being so mean to you...” she replied. “I should’ve known she wasn’t you.” “But, Shadow is me,” Highlight called back. The fog was now climbing up to near my flanks, and I tried unsuccessfully to move my legs. It can’t end like this, I thought. Not like this... what about the others? “What are you guys talking about?!?” Bonbon yelled. We ignored her. “You’re not Shadow right now...” Lyra cried, now more desperate. The light from her horn enhanced her scared expression. “I... I should have been nicer to you...” “Well, it’s ok, dude,” Highlight shrugged, at least, as well as she could as the shadows wrapped near her shoulders. The fog had reached a similar location for me, and I sneezed. The cold would soon freeze us if we couldn’t do anything. Which was feeling more and more like the case... “I... forgive you,” Highlight said softly. I could see a tear leave her eye. A similar wetness came from my eyes. Lyra smiled slightly, sadly, as her light gave out. Even with no light, I could hear tears dropping from her eyes as they smattered against the hardwood floor. It was becoming harder to breathe, and it wasn’t only because I was becoming emotional. The fog had reached my chest, and I could tell it was also affecting the others. Soon, all the things Lyra and Highlight had wanted to tell me would never be told. And, everything I wanted to tell them, I couldn’t. Wouldn’t be able to in a few seconds. “Well, we’ll never know about each other’s secrets, will we...” I moped sullenly, expressing my thoughts. “It’s ok,” Lyra replied warmly, “like I said before, it’s all in the past.” “Dudes,” Highlight said, “it’s probably best this way anyway...” Lyra could no longer face Highlight, as the fog constricted her, and stared straight at Bonbon, who was in a similar situation facing Lyra. “Bonbon,” Lyra managed to gasp, “in case we don’t make it out...” “We won’t,” Bonbon choked, and puddles formed under her eyes. She struggled to stop from bawling entirely. Lyra’s mane started to freeze up. It was soon impossible to see, and I found my eyes were filled with tears as well. The shadows were now moving slothfully, as if to torture us. The fog reached my ears, and I was slowly losing the ability to hear. “I... I love you...” Lyra whimpered. “I love you too...” Bonbon whispered back. “Leaf,” I tried to turn my head to look at Highlight, who could now only weeze out noises that I could barely make out as words. “We’re good, right?” “Yes,” I replied with the last of my breath, as the shadows covered my eyes and ears, freezing my tears solid. “We’re good.” The fog finally reached the top of my head, and I could no longer see, or hear, or feel. The numbing of the ice was too powerful, and I began to lose focus as the lack of oxygen permeated my brain. I strangely felt at peace. I was going to die. I was going to die. Suddenly, a dull thud. A crackle. A larger crackle. A snapping sound. A larger snapping sound. The shadows were breaking! I could see. I could hear. I could breathe. Even as I gasped for air, I watched the others as chips of shadow broke off from the others’ icy prisons. I was going to live. “What’s... going... on?” Bonbon yelled. “Are we... dead?” “No...” Lyra responded, “I think... we’re getting out...” “But how?” I heard Highlight’s voice ask, but as she spoke, I noticed a strangely shaped fire burning bright pink above Lyra’s horn. It almost looked like a heart... “Is that...” Bonbon gasped. “I see it,” Lyra returned the shocked expression. “But I don’t believe it...” “What is it?” I asked. “What is it doing?” “I thought the Fire of Friendship was just an old mare’s tale,” Bonbon said in awe. “But if it’s true...” “Dude, it’s getting us out of here,” Highlight could now move her legs, and kicked away the remaining splinters of fog, which roiled into puffs of smoke and drifted away. Observing her, I realized the layer surrounding me was also weak, and I pressed against it, finally smashing through. “Woah!” Bonbon shrieked as she fell to the floor. I did the same, and coughed. As I shivered on the ground, I realized I was still very cold. “Careful,” Lyra warned. “We’re all still close to freezing to death. Stay close to me.” We all complied, and crawled our way to Lyra and her magical flame. I had no idea what it was, but if it could help us break out of the shadows, it was our best bet. It took all of my strength to lift a hoof, but I wasn’t strong enough, and slowly fell back down onto the floor, groaning in pain as the cold overtook me. “Dude.” I looked up. Highlight was offering her hoof for support. There was something subtly different about her, not quite as drastic as her change to her supposed alter ego. Then I pinpointed it. It was her smile. It was very small, barely noticeable, but I could see it. And I could feel it. Hoisting me up, we limped together to where Lyra was standing, and heaved a sigh of relief together. The shadows seemed angry, but weren’t giving up yet. Even as the fire burned, swoops of darkness attacked the purple fire, and there was a noticeable heat loss. “What’s g-g-going on...?” Bonbon asked, chattering her teeth. “I d-d-d-d-don’t know...” Lyra replied. “Why is it going away?” “D-d-dude, w-we c-can’t af-f-f-ford to lose it,” Highlight chattered her teeth. It was cruel. Just as we were saved by this magical “Fire of Friendship,” it had turned its back on us. Soon, we would be all but frozen again, and... wait a second... Fire of Friendship... Fire of Friendship? “Wait. D-d-did you s-s-say the ‘F-f-fire of F-f-friendship?’” I asked. They quickly nodded. “Maybe we h-h-have to... be n-n-nice to each other or something?” I suggested. Bonbon and Lyra gasped. “You’re right!” Bonbon exclaimed, and seemed to recite parts of some song. “As long as it burns, we will not drift apart, but the converse is true! In order to keep it burning, we have to stay together!” And so we huddled close to the flame. Bonbon and Lyra apologized to Highlight and me, for everything bad they had thought about us, or had done to us. I told them how great friends they were. And the whole time, the fire continued to expand, blocking off the attacks from the cloud. “Hey Lyra,” I asked at one point, “since when were you a super amazing warlock unicorn?” At the thought of her being a powerful mare, we all giggled. Even after she had displayed her amazing magical capabilities, she still seemed like the same timid and caring pony we knew. “Since I was small,” Lyra explained. “Let’s just say I used to duel with other unicorns for sport. Unfortunately, I never made it big, and so I never thought I would ever have to use it again.” “Really?” Bonbon asked. “I never knew you were that competitive!” “Yeah, well...” Lyra blushed, “I was supposedly really talented back at Magic Academy. I don’t like to show it, though.” It was an interesting explanation, but I had a nagging feeling that something wasn’t being told. I decided to keep it to myself for now. I would probably find out sooner or later, if she was hiding anything. So we resumed talking. I noticed that Highlight was a little isolated from conversation, and so I focused most of my topics on her. Soon, I realized I was the only one talking to Highlight. “And I remember when you saved me... huh?” I looked at Lyra and Bonbon, who were sitting closer and closer together. As they looked to each other, they could not move away. One glance at both of them and even a normal pony could tell what they were going to do. “Hey, Lyra...” Bonbon whispered into her ear. “I should have done this years ago...” Their lips slowly collided. Unfortunately, due to my strange sixth sense, their emotions slammed into me like a jackhammer. Longing and lust penetrated my body until I started to feel similarly, even as I tried to block off the feelings. “Mmmmmmmmmm...” as they kissed, the fire began to burn more brightly, as if witnessing the passion, and more of the black veil began to lift, and I could see the place beautifying dramatically. “I love you.” Lyra mewed breathlessly. “I love you too.” Bonbon moaned, and they kissed again. Warmth rippled off of their bodies, and began to penetrate even the corners of the house. The inside of the house began to shine with bright hues indicating that life had returned to the area. Despite all my resistance, watching them inadvertently made me think about him, and how our kiss went. Although I didn’t want to, I began to analyze how large the increments of feeling were coming from the couple. It seemed passionate enough, Whooves and me, but they...they were in a whole new level. I started to question if making out in the bathroom was the right thing to do. Then again, we didn’t just barely survive a life-and-death situation, unlike them. Wow. Was I really thinking this way? I could tell their feelings were already starting to influence my thoughts, and soon would affect my actions if I kept observing them. Trying to distract my thoughts from the doctor (and the kissing couple), I looked at Highlight. She was shivering slightly, but her face showed no visible change in attitude. She remained cool as far as I could see, although something told me she was feeling warm inside. “Hey Highlight,” I crawled closer to her. “You mind telling me all of your dirty little secrets now that we’re still alive?” I giggled at that last thought as a wave of affection slammed into me from the side. Lyra and Bonbon were still going strong. And, my talent for picking up on emotions was starting to affect my speech. Great. I felt slight amusement from her, and then... a strange feeling. I couldn’t quite put a finger, or rather, a hoof on it. It was an warm emotion, much like how I had experienced with Doctor Whooves. It was almost affection. I didn’t know who it was directed at, but I guessed that Lyra and Bonbon’s (ongoing) moment had also affected her, possibly deeper than it had affected me. “Dude, you know just as much as I do...” she mumbled. “That you have an alter ego...?” I asked. “Named Shadow Star?” “She only seems to appear when someone or something forces open my left eye, dude,” Highlight said. “She’s like my polar opposite, dude. She plays evil tricks and hurts anypony around her. And she can... do what I can’t...” she said, hinting at her lack of the ability to... express herself. I tried to imagine that. I couldn’t. It was impossible to think of being unable to change one’s tone of voice, to show one’s feelings. Now that I had thought about it, being awkward was nowhere close to being isolated. I couldn’t bear to live as Highlight. I was surprised at her willpower to keep living, after so many years of silence. I thought back to when we trapped in the fog... when she said it was probably better that way... she was about to give up... give up on her miserable life... “I mean, dude, I try,” Highlight said. “I try so hard. I can’t smile. I can’t frown. I can’t laugh. I put piercings in me so I force myself to cry, but I still couldn’t get myself to show anything.” That gave me a new perspective on the various rings that donned her skin. If that was why she had them put in... I was struck by more feelings of lust and passion from Lyra and Bonbon, and tried to shrug them off, with no avail. This was almost as bad as the poison joke. No. It was worse. The passion and want was building up in my system, and I wanted something to dump all my feelings on. No. I needed something. “I’m... so sorry,” I comforted, trying to ignore the pressure building up behind my resistance to pounce on Highlight. “You’ve had to live through this... your whole life?” “Yeah, dude,” Highlight said, and tears rolled out of her right eye. Her voice, however, refused to shake. “You’re the first pony that’s ever... understood me...” Waves of grief and despair washed out of her system, and into mine. I could tell she had given up on the prospect of anypony understanding her, until she had met me. “Well, there’s a first for everything,” I chuckled nervously, but I felt awful. As I felt her pain penetrate me, I started to cry. Life was unfair for her. I felt so ashamed to be who I was when someone was suffering... This whole time, I was constantly taking in more powerful emotions from Lyra and Bonbon, and I was slowly losing my self control. More feelings of passion hit me from the kissing, and coupled with the feelings Highlight was assaulting me with, my walls of resistance crumbled, and my primal instincts kicked in. “Welp.” Must. Find. Object of affection. “Dude? Are you ok?” The only object in front of me was Highlight. Poor Highlight. Nopony ever understood her... she deserved somepony’s attention... I couldn’t hold back anymore. Before I knew it, my lips were locked with hers. My wings protruded out of my back, but I didn’t care. I wanted Highlight. I needed Highlight. Unfortunately, my plan backfired. All of the feelings of lust and passion only seemed to multiply as I kissed her. I brought my front legs over her head to drag her closer to me. My tongue lapped at her cheek and teeth as if it were the cure to my illness. I hated the kiss and I loved it. I wished I had never done it, and I wished it could happen a million times over. I wanted it to stop, and I wanted it to last forever. My mind went blank. I didn’t think of anything. Couldn’t. The only thing in my mind was Highlight. Highlight and me. Both of us, ashamed of ourselves for who we were, struggling against our... disorders. Why were we like this? “Dude...back off...” I didn’t realize we had stopped until I opened my eyes. I had been kissing air. Highlight had shoved me off. “I’m sorry...but you and the Doctor...” I just realized. The Doctor and me. What have I done? All of my feelings for Highlight instantly dissipated as I thought about him. I betrayed him. “Oh no...” I started to cry. “What have I done?” I covered my face with my hooves. I kissed Highlight. I just kissed Highlight. I was so ashamed. Why? Why did I do it? I possibly ruined our friendship! I probably forced her to hate me for the rest of eternity! It wasn’t what I had really wanted...and I didn’t like her... I didn’t think so, at least... besides, I had done something I was never supposed to do. I was a mare, after all... wasn’t I? I froze again. I was starting to believe I was a pony. This was bad. This was beyond bad. Not only that, I was starting to believe I was a mare. And I was getting feelings I had never gotten before. This was wrong. If this was how being female was like, with constant mood swings and secret relationships, then I hated it. I hated being a mare. I hated being so awkward. And I hated being so dependent on other ponies. “I’m a mess...” I cried. I had gone from remorseful to friendly to passionate to depressed in a matter of minutes. Was this really who I was? Some bipolar pony? I desperately tried to cling to my human memories, which seemed so distant now. How simple life as a boy seemed, without complicated social situations, and the only people I had to deal with were my parents... not that I missed them...  Why was I this way? Why- I suddenly felt a pair of hooves encircle my body. I looked at her, alarmed at first. And then, I slowly hugged her back. “I promise,” Highlight whispered, “I won’t tell him.” I started to cry into her shoulder. Even as I tried to regain control of my voice, I could feel more emotions coming from Lyra and Bonbon, who I would be yelling at if I didn’t feel so ashamed... “I can’t control... what I feel from...” I couldn’t finish, my head jerked violently as another choked cry escaped my lips. Highlight took a look at the couple, who were still going strong, and nodded slowly. “I know what you mean,” she soothed, and I hiccuped slightly. “It’s ok...” I collapsed in her hooves. They felt so secure, so... welcoming. I felt better. Although being a pony was tough, and emotionally tolling, my friends had so far helped me through everything. I reconsidered my thoughts on being a mare. I had never had friends as a human. At least, no friends that were like me... “I just... I don’t... I don’t know what I’m doing...” I wiped tears with my hooves. “Me neither...” Highlight replied, “you were my first kiss.” We sat there for a while, hugging. I felt better, but as I let go, I found she had not. Her head hung over my shoulders, as if they were helping her bear the weight of the world. A single drop of water landed on my back, and I realized it was a teardrop. She had started crying. I patted her on the back, whispering that it was going to be ok. After we had separated, she remained in the same position for a few seconds before suddenly realizing she had stopped. “Are you ok?” I asked. “I’m still really sorry for... kissing you...” “Dude, that’s all fine,” she replied. “It’s...something else...” “Oh... well, what is it?” I asked. “Dude...” she stared at the ground. “Lyra and I had... an attack, before.” Highlight stated, but I knew she felt guilty about it. “Oh,” I started to fit the pieces together. “You turned to your other side... you became Shadow...” “Yes,” Highlight replied. “And I tried my hardest to fight against it, dude. I tried...” “You’re fine now,” I hushed. “Lyra knows. We know. You’re not a bad pony, Highlight.” “But dude,” Highlight said. Her feelings turned to worry. “What about if I turn into her again?” “Well,” I thought about it for a moment. “If you change, we’ll deal with it later. Now, you’re just the Highlight we all love and know, and that’s good enough.” She went silent for a second. “You mean it?” Highlight murmured. Her lips quivered slightly, and I could barely see another smile emerge from her tight lips. “Thank you.” As we reconciled, a loud fiery noise emanated from the flame. We turned to watch the fire begin to burn even brighter. Soon it could not be contained, and hovered up the chimney. I followed it out, and watched as the purple flame ascended to above the house. It swelled to an enormous size, almost bigger than the cottage, and then inexplicably exploded with a BANG! I closed my eyes too late, and the heart was burned into my retinas. I couldn’t see for a few seconds, and blinked rapidly to regain my vision. As soon as the image left, I gaped at the sight. It was as though a giant purple firework exploded, as magenta sparks and embers sparkled out from the dazzling spectacle that once was a heart shaped flame. Sunlight pierced through the clouds, removing the fog lingering in the air. Embers all over the ground absorbed what little had remained of the black clouds, and then faded, leaving no trace of either substance. The sun had reappeared. It was shining from the noon-time position, although I knew could be anytime now. It didn’t change the fact, however, that the color had returned to the cottage and the surrounding land. The river now held a bright blue glow as it passed under the bridge, and the gardens were lush green, dotted with splotches of beautiful red, purple, and yellow. I could smell the flowers, and I could feel a warm breeze coming in from beyond the garden. The sounds of birds chirping signified that the place had finally restored. It also reminded me that Fluttershy had mentioned something about animals. She cared for them, didn’t she...? The only darkness remaining floated inches above the bridge, but dissipated as I stepped closer, revealing a brightly colored yellow pegasus with long flowing pink hair... “Fluttershy?” I asked the mare. As her eyes opened slowly, she looked up, and squealed.