//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: Tears for the Pearl // by The Lord Thunder //------------------------------// Pearl had so much fun at Funland Equestria that she was still smiling when she stepped inside the Castle of Friendship that evening. “Welcome back, Pearl,” Twilight said. “How’d it go?” “Great! I haven’t had that much fun in a long time,” Pearl said. “I knew you would. Pinkie has that effect on ponies. I trust you’re feeling more comfortable around us now?” It was a thought Pearl hadn’t considered until Twilight brought it up. “Come to think of it, yeah.” Twilight responded with a smile. “Like I said, Pinkie Pie’s great at breaking the ice. Applejack dropped by while you were gone. She was wondering if you’d be willing to spend the day with her tomorrow.” Pearl had been skeptical only that morning, but the fun and laughter she'd experienced with Pinkie Pie had pulled Pearl out of her shell. She felt happier than she'd ever felt since leaving home, and it occurred to her that maybe Twilight knew exactly what she was doing. “Sure.” “Okay, I’ll go let her know. Feel free to look around the castle – you’re a welcome guest. If you need anything, just let Starlight, Spike or me know.” “Actually, I can’t remember where my room is. Could I bother you to show me where it is again?” Starlight laughed and beckoned to Pearl. “I can show you.” Pearl flattened her ears. “Are you laughing at me?” “Oh, no, no, no. I’m laughing at myself. It took me forever to find my way around this place.” Starlight led the way down the hall, half-turning toward Pearl. “How do you like it here so far?” “It’s been better than I thought it would be. I think I’ll be okay for the night.” Jawline tightening, Starlight cleared her throat as they continued. “I know you’ve had a hard time lately. Maybe you feel like your life’s spiraling out of control and you’ve done things you’re not proud of, even if you didn’t have control over it. It’s like a trap you can’t escape from.” “Yeah, that about sums it up. How did you know?” “I think I’ve been there once. Twilight helped me escape that trap, even if we didn’t start out on friendly terms. If you give her a chance, I’m sure she’ll help you, too. And if you need somepony to talk to, you can come to me. I can relate to you, in a way.” Pearl smiled at her as they reached the door to her room. “Thanks, Starlight. I’ll keep that in mind. Actually, I’m not that tired yet. I think I’ll look around a bit.” “Sure. Just ask if you need help getting back here.” Soon Pearl was on the move and came across a huge door at the end of the hall. Curious, she opened the door to find a large room, in the middle of it a big table with a round map of Equestria. An instant later, she stopped and stared – before her was a huge battlefield, populated by strange soldiers shaped like cards, and in the middle was Spike dressed as a wizard, a large stallion dressed as a knight and a strange, misshapen creature whose origin she could only guess at. The phalanx of soldiers was about to charge, but when Spike saw Pearl he greeted her and everything paused. Pearl walked in, suddenly wearing a cloak and a sword belt. “What’s all this?” Pearl asked, glancing around the room in confusion. “Oh, sorry,” Spike said. “I should’ve told you, this area’s sort of private on our guys’ night out. You’re welcome to join us though. The big stallion here’s Big Mac, Applejack’s brother, and that’s Discord.” “A good idea, Spike,” Discord said, wearing an archer’s costume. “We of the noble band of heroes are always glad to have guests.” “Eeyup,” Big Mac said. “That’s very kind, but I wouldn’t want to get in the way,” Pearl said. “I would like to watch, though. It looks like fun.” Spike snapped his fingers. “Hey Discord! You know all sorts of things, so maybe you could help Pearl here to figure out what’s wrong with her and find her real family.” Discord looked Pearl over for a long pause and then shook his head. “Sorry, I can’t help her.” Spike looked up at him, confused. “You can’t? Why not?” Discord started to vanish into vapor, along with the battlefield. “It would take too long to explain. Let’s just say it’s outside my influence. It’s sad, I know, but sometimes the saddest moments end up the happiest.” Pearl blinked, trying to wrap her mind around what she'd just seen. “Some help he was,” Spike said, the room back to normal now and its occupants' costumes gone. Only the large map of Equestria remained. "You can never figure that guy out." Big Mac shook his head. “Nope.” “Sounds like he’s forbidden to help or something,” Pearl said. He sure was strange. Wonder what kind of creature he was... “Yeah, or something,” Spike added. “You never know with Discord. But you said you like Power Ponies, right? Come on, I’ll show you my comic collection. I even have Iron Mare #1.” Pearl giggled as she looked down on the almost harmless-looking Spike. "So much for those scary dragon stories my parents always used to tell me, eh?" “How many dragons have you met?” Spike asked as stepped out into the hallway and led Pearl to the library. Big Mac walked past them and headed down the stairs, offering only a quick "goodnight," to Spike. “Well, you’re the first.” Spike’s smiled. “We dragons are kind of like comic books. You can’t really tell what we’re all about until you look past the cover and see what’s inside.” Pearl flattened her ears, frowning from both the shame and because she could relate, knowing the terror that lurked behind her own cover. “I think I know what you mean. Sorry, Spike.” Shrugging, Spike waved it away. “Don’t worry about it.” As they continued on towards the library, Pearl changed the subject back to comic books. "Hey, can I see Iron Mare #1? I've always wanted to read it, but it's so rare." "Sure!" Spike said. "I've already read it five times."