I know I was the one who more or less put it into motion, but I was still nervous about my “coming out party”, if I was feeling fancy. I didn’t even know if I’d be expected to show my face right away, but it felt like something that was more or less necessary at this point.
We waited a bit before heading out, letting the townsponies settle into town hall before we got close. Twilight was kind of stressing about the last minute “presentation” that would have to be given, she had nothing prepared about how to announce my existence to the town. Luckily, she and Luna were swapping notes on the way, while Spike listened in from Twilight’s back.
I had been keeping an eye out for any stragglers, not wanting to surprise anyone. Applejack and Big Mac were on either side of me, doing the same from what I could tell. Apple Bloom was snug by my side, and I kept looking down to make sure I wouldn’t accidentally step on her hooves.
“The way she was actin’…” she started, her ears down. “I think it might’ve been my fault those pictures got taken. It must have been that no good…Diamond Tiara!”
“Who?” She knew who took those pictures of me?
“One of the fillies at school who’s always teasin’ me, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.” She was annoyed now. “She was pickin’ on Sweet Wheat and we got into it about…well, you. She was sayin’ how you were a monster and anypony who thought you weren’t was…well it wasn’t nice. We were talkin’ to Sweet Wheat at recess and she must’ve been snoopin’ on us. I don’t know why that filly can’t just let anypony be!”
Outed by a bully. I grimaced. I thought that would only happen to me once in my life. But, here we are.
“It’s not your fault.” I shrugged. “I’m not a fan of losing the advantage here, but it was bound to happen sooner or later. I just hope I can pull this thing off.”
“We.” Applejack corrected me, smiling. “We’ll pull this thing off, together.”
“Eyyup.” Big Mac nodded, not taking his eyes off the trail.
“Right.” I sighed, smiling back.
Even if this meeting goes south…at least I won’t be in hiding anymore. I tried to reason with myself. I can go anywhere, provided I don’t cause a panic. I could go pet animals at Fluttershy’s again or say hi to Rarity and drop off her payment in person. I don’t know what Rainbow’s doing, but she seems like she’s warming up to me.
And Pinkie and I could actually hang out like she wants to. That made me smile a little. And we could do the whole Nightmare Night/Halloween-type thing she was so excited about.
That is…if I don’t end up causing a panic wherever I go.
“I really hope this works.”
I could hear ponies mulling around town hall from outside, there was a lot of talking from what I could hear. I wondered just how many ponies lived in this town, and how many were like the ones that showed up this morning. Big Mac wished us good luck with a nod and went in through the main entrance, Apple Bloom in tow. The rest of us made our entrance through the back and ended up in the “backstage” area behind a dark magenta curtain.
Also behind that curtain were some familiar faces.
“Lottie Dottie!” Pinkie saw me and went in for a hug and I hugged her back. “I was making an extra batch of cinnamon roles and ponies started coming here, and they said there was a meeting about the paper but Mr. Cake doesn’t start reading it usually until lunch and I wanted to-”
“Hey, it’s fine.” I stopped her, scratching behind her ear. It seemed to simmer all her nervous energy. “I had help, and everything worked out, more or less.”
Rainbow Dash was up in a nearby rafter looking on guard, and Fluttershy was peeking through the curtains, shaking slightly.
“How bad is it?” I asked. She noticed me finally, looking grim.
“The whole town is out there…” she said in a near whisper, her legs shaking slightly.
“Yeah…” I knew that much. “Do they seem…angry, scared, what?”
“Um…” she looked out again, searching the sea of faces. “Mostly…confused? I don’t think a lot of them know why they’re here.”
“Well, they’re about to get a clue, I suppose.” Applejack sighed.
Luna came up to me, looking determined.
“It is time.” She nodded, putting a comforting hoof on my shoulder. “It would be best to remain here until we have thoroughly prepared the citizens.”
“I’m in no rush.” I half-laughed, partly wondering if it was too late to back out. I stepped back so they could make their entrance. The curtain parted and I stood as far back as I could. Pinkie gave me one last nudge to my side with hers before joining the rest of them.
Spike stood next to me, nudging me too.
“Hey don’t worry.” He told me with a smile. “They’ve got this.”
“I know.” I smiled back. “Thanks for staying back here with me.”
“No problem.”
Luna stood at the front of the group, and a hush fell over the crowd as she addressed them.
“Ponyville.” She projected her voice, and every single pony in the room’s ears stood straight up. “I would like to thank you for your attendance today, as there is an important matter to discuss.”
The room was silent, and she looked around, giving them a dramatic pause to make sure she had their attention.
“There is a serious threat to Ponyville in our midst.”
There were gasps and cries, and my heart was hammering away in my chest.
What the heck is she doing…No, calm down. This is part of her pitch. Just relax.
“Those of you who travel to and from Ponyville might have noticed the crystal spell barrier surrounding the forested area on the trail to Canterlot.” There were some nods and flickers of understanding. “It has been put there for the safety of the citizens of this town, and any creature who may pass nearby.”
Her voice carried over the crowd, and it was once again silent. She looked out with stern, commanding eyes.
“I must address what was on the front page of this morning’s Ponyville Chronicle.” She produced the paper with her magic, presenting it for them all to see. More sounds of unease and fear. “Citizens of Ponyville! Please know that yes! This creature does exist!”
The noise level doubled, and ponies were talking all at once before Luna held up a hoof, silencing them once again.
“But know this!” she rolled up the paper once again, poofing it away. She stood taller, and she shouted out over the crowd, stomping a hoof for good measure.
“This creature is not the threat I speak of!”
There was confusion, fear and panic.
“What?”
“What do you mean, Princess?”
“Something worse than that monster?”
“NAY!” she shouted again, and the room died down, if only a little. “The creature poses no threat to the citizens of Ponyville, or to any creature in Equestria! She is, in fact, the key to helping us face the threat I spoke of!”
Ponies didn’t know what to say to that, and the confusion was quickly turning into disbelief.
“I will explain everything, but please…” she bowed her head to the crowd, taking them aback, Twilight too by the looks of it. “…hear these words and know them to be true.”
She stepped aside, and Twilight recovered from her shock and coughing awkwardly into a hoof, took Luna’s place at the front of the stage.
“Hello everypony.” She nodded, her wings fluttering against her sides. “I will start by telling you that just as Luna said, things are not as they seem lately.”
Her ears went down, and she took a deep breath.
“As many of you might have heard, not too long ago, one of our own encountered a creature in the forest just outside of town.” Ponies were still listening, and a lot of eyes had shifted across the room. I looked along with them and saw her. Roseluck was between the two mares from this morning, looking terrified to be here. “My friends and I decided to investigate, to make sure that no harm would come to anypony.”
“We didn’t find a creature…” she stood taller for the next part. “But with further research, I discovered something….”
“Over the course of the last fifty years or so…there have been documented cases of foals disappearing in those woods without a trace. Five foals that we know of.”
It was so loud after that. Ponies gasping and shouting over each other, horrified adults and the sounds of their scared kids. Twilight spoke up again to get back to it.
“I know! I was very upset when I learned of it!” she smiled gently. “But! New evidence suggests that they weren’t truly gone! Just…misplaced.”
“With time, research, and a firsthoof account…” she made sure she had their attention. “It was discovered that there is a kind of portal, deep in those woods, to another world.”
“What??”
“Another world? Impossible!”
“This is crazy!”
“Please, everypony!” she pleaded. “I know it’s a lot to take in! But it’s good news! A portal means that the foals might be safe and sound, just far from home! In fact…”
She smiled, tearing up a bit.
“We know one of them is!”
That got their attention again. Ponies settled just enough for Twilight to speak again.
“Some of our older residents might remember two young fillies who disappeared around fifty years ago. There was Sugar Maple, a young Earth Pony filly, and Silver Maple, her twin Unicorn sister.”
Ponies all over the room turned to their older neighbors, who puzzled at the announcement. Some of their eyes widened and they spoke up over the crowd.
“Yes! Yes, I remember!” an older, bald earth pony stallion spoke up. He was bluish grey and wore a big red, polka dotted bow tie. “Scarlet Maple’s daughters! They just…up and disappeared in the night!”
“You found one of them!?” A little pinkish-purple earth pony mare with red, cats-eye glasses on a chain called out. “After all these years…oh thank the stars!”
“It was discovered that Sugar Maple went through the portal and ended up in another world.” Ponies were listening intently, enraptured with the possibilities in this story. “She was unable to return to Equestria, but she made a life for herself on the other side! She met her special somepony and had foals of her own! And her grandfoals grew up before her eyes!”
She was telling the truth, but she was putting some sentimentality into it, making the audience connect with a pony that most of them had never met.
“But, on the other side of the portal, she wasn’t a pony anymore.” She told them. “By some unknown magic, she was transformed into a creature from that world, so she could live among them peacefully. Her foals and her grandfoals were hybrids, but they looked like the creatures of their own world.”
She was getting closer and closer to where I came into the story. My hands were shaking, and the only thing calming me down was the fact that Twilight and Luna had really done a great job explaining everything so far. I could feel Spike tapping my leg. I looked down to see him offering a hand up to me. I sighed, smiling a little. A nice gesture from a sweet kid. I took it in my hand and the shaking died down.
“Now, how exactly the portal works is still a mystery, a mystery I am currently trying to solve. But it isn’t a one-way door. Fifty years after Sugar Maple went through, somepony else found the portal by accident and made their way to Equestria.”
Ponies were talking again. I groaned under my breath, my nerves twisting away in my guts. Spike gently patted my hand with his other claw.
“The one who found the portal was none other than Sugar Maple’s own granddaughter.” She announced, and the crowd was murmuring, still hooked on the tale. “She is a hybrid. She is part pony and a citizen of Equestria by birthright. She is the first of her kind to travel to Equestria and has been made their ambassador. We were waiting for the right moment to introduce her to all of you, but there were…extenuating circumstances.”
“But please understand.” She called out to the crowd with sad eyes. “She looks different than any of you, but she would ever harm anypony. She’s scared and she only wishes to stay here until she can go back home.”
“She’s hard-working, but a little down on herself.” Applejack added, nodding and glancing at me with a smile.
“She’s…understanding.” Fluttershy said in a surprisingly audible voice, her legs still shaking. “She’s…she’s strong!” she shouted before diving behind Rarity.
“She is caring.” Rarity smiled at the cowering Fluttershy before glancing my way. She had a warm smile for me too. “She deserves love and kindness like any other creature.”
My heart clenched in my chest. I breathed in a shaky sigh, smiling back.
“She’s…just a little bit dorky.” Rainbow Dash shrugged, hovering above the rest of her friends. “But she wants to do right by ponies. She’s good in my book.”
Pinkie smiled so big and bright, it was almost hard to look at. She looked at all her friends with such affection and warmth. She turned to me with the same smile, not taking her eyes off me when she spoke.
“She’s sweet! And she likes ponies with her whole heart.” She looked giddy, like she wanted to hug me but wasn’t going to leave the stage just yet. “I’m really happy that she’s my friend!”
I was overwhelmed by all their words. I wasn’t really a happy crier but I did have to wipe at my eyes. Spike squeezed my hand, smiling up at me, looking a little teary-eyed himself.
I don’t care if any of these ponies are scared or hate me. I thought, feeling so much lighter. If these guys are my only friends in the world, I’ll be more than okay with that.
“We’ve all gotten to know her.” Twilight beamed at the kind words of her friends. “And we want all of you to get to know her too. So please, I know the ponies of this town are capable of kindness and understanding. We want you to meet her.”
I think that might be my cue.
At first my legs wouldn’t move. My hands were still shaking and it felt like I couldn’t breathe. Despite how well I thought everything was going, I was still anxious. Not to mention I hadn’t had to do anything in front of such a huge crowd in…ever maybe?
Pinkie saw my nerves and came to me.
“It’s okay Lottie Dottie.” She smiled, pushing her head into my hand. “Let’s do it together.”
My nerves were bubbling over, but I wanted this. I asked for this. It was all for the best. And she was by my side.
“Yeah…” I swallowed, jumping into it before I changed my mind. “Thank you.”
I gave Spike’s claws one last squeeze, and he gave me a wink and a thumbs-up. He ducked behind the curtain and reappeared by Luna’s side.
I took a deep breath and held it, taking a step, my hand never leaving Pinkie’s poofy mane. I kept moving, too nervous to slow down or I’d stop. Once we got into view of the stage, there were still a few gasps, but I shoved them out of my head.
It’s fine. Just do your best, that’s all anyone can ask.
I got to the front and faced the crowd, my stomach doing flips. I met their eyes and I could see a lot of different emotions. Confusion, fear, and a few repulsed looks…that didn’t feel great. Even Roseluck was just staring, still afraid but she wasn’t running and screaming.
None of them were.
“Uh…” I cleared my throat. “Thanks.” I looked at the ponies and a dragon, feeling lighter while my eyes were off the crowd. “Thanks…for all the nice things you said. Really.”
I turned back to the crowd, and Pinkie leaned up against my side, literally and figuratively supporting me through this.
“It’s…It’s nice to formally meet all of you.” I smiled weakly, waving a little. “Folks call me Lottie.”
The crowd was mostly silent, save for some murmuring. A lot of them were calm but I could tell that some of them were very afraid, the actual sight of me overpowering all the kind words.
“I know this is…weird.” I scratched at my arm, trying to maintain eye contact with hundreds of eyes. “I just…I think I have a few things to say and if I don’t get them out now I never will so…here goes.”
I breathed in deep, giving it a shot.
“I know I’m…a lot different from you, looks wise.” I shrugged, my skin crawling from all this attention. “And to be honest, when I first got here, I was weirded out too. I didn’t know anything about this world or the creatures that lived in it. I was…y’know, “the other”. And you were my other and-Wait, hang on…let me start over.”
“I…” I steadied my shaking hand on Pinkie’s head, and she gave me a comforting look. “I was really scared. Of everything but…in particular…”
“I was scared of myself.”
That got some attention, even from the ones behind me on stage.
“I was afraid of…being something terrifying, of making any of you so scared that you’d…I don’t know, chase me? Scold me or worse? I thought the worst of you right away and I’m sorry.”
They looked around at each other, confused and anxious.
“I was afraid of…being one of you.” I admitted. “Even if it’s only so much of me I was scared of what it meant. It made me realize that you weren’t some scary “other”, or even cute, cuddly otherworldly aliens. You’re just…people-er…living, breathing, feeling beings. And no offense but I’m…kind of terrified of…others. Of the things they can do or say. And being more than one thing was…kind of overwhelming. It made me even more different than I’d ever been. And being different has never really…been a great thing for me…”
“And…I was afraid of…being myself. Or at least…showing the worst parts of me.” I shrugged, avoiding their eyes. “I’m stubborn. And mopey. Sometimes I take other people’s…ponies’ feelings for granted. I’ve got a temper sometimes, when I get poked fun at. And sometimes I assume the worst of folks…maybe so they can’t hurt me first.”
I looked at them again, trying to be sincere.
“I don’t want to scare…anypony, and I don’t want to pass up any more…” I looked at the creatures behind me. “Any more friendships I might make because I’m too scared of whatever to make them happen. So, here’s the honest truth.”
I stood up straight, my nerves still twisting away inside me but I shoved it down.
“My name is Charlotte Jacqueline Petrou. I’m twenty-one years old. I’m one-quarter pony on my Dad’s side, and I would never, ever hurt any creature. And if anypony has any questions about me, all they have to do is ask. I promise to do right by all of you.”
There was a beat of silence before Pinkie bounced up to my eye level.
“Oooh! Lottie Dottie! You should do a Pinkie Promise!”
“Uh…” I slowly and confusedly raised a pinky. “But you don’t have…what?”
“Like this!” She did some movements while smiling and saying, “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Finishing with tapping her closed eye with her hoof.
“Uh…” It was kind of…silly in this high stake first contact-type situation, but she seemed like she was for real. “Okay. I Pinkie Promise. Cross my heart and…hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” I finished with a hand over one eye, still feeling really silly, but the effect was almost immediate.
The crowd was lighter and talking amongst themselves casually.
“Well…If Pinkie says she’s okay.”
“I wonder if Pinkie Promises work on it?”
“I don’t know…this is just too weird.”
“But Pinkie’s promises are like magic. She’ll find you anywhere!”
“If the Princesses are okay with everything…”
“Yeah, at least everything is under control.”
“Look at her! She’s so tall!”
I laughed a little, ponies really seemed to really be hung up on my height. Even with the less than comforting comments I was picking up every now and then, I was feeling better.
I started hearing some questions from the crowd, and I looked at Luna and Twilight.
“The mandatory part of the meeting is concluded, those of you who have business to return to are more than welcome to leave.” Luna announced and a lot of ponies were ready to go.
“Those of you with questions are more than welcome to stay and we will answer them to the best of our ability.” Twilight added, looking to me to make sure I was willing to keep my word. I nodded, sitting on the stair leading to the stage to be more eye-level with them.
I got a few takers right away, the first being a small colt with his mom tucking him under her wing protectively. But he just looked up at me with big eyes.
“I’m sorry, he wouldn’t leave without talking to you…” his mom was nervous, barely meeting my eye. I told her it was fine.
“Um…do you see in the dark? My friend from school thinks you can but I don’t think so cause you don’t have the weird eyes.” He asked, his ears up and alert for an answer. I smiled, eyeing the line that was already forming.
“No, I can’t.” I smiled, and it looked like it eased his mom’s fears a little. “What else do you want to know?”
There were a lot of questions, a lot of them from curious foals, and seeing me interact with them made their parents breathe a little easier. There were some ponies who preferred to direct their questions to either Luna or Twilight, but I didn’t take it personally. But there were a few of them who tried to ask very “politely” just how long I was expected to be in town. And they answered the ruder ones with all the grace you’d expect of a princess, but they were firm with making sure I wasn’t referred to as an “it”. Pinkie was by my side the whole time, introducing me to all the ponies she knew.
“They’re just fingernails.” I showed them to a filly with wide eyes. “They can’t scratch anything very hard.”
“Oh…what are they for then?” she asked.
“Well, if I get an itch I can scratch it. And sometimes I can put colored paint on them and make them look pretty.”
“Ooh!” she bounced, excited. “What kinds of colors?”
“Sweetheart, I think other ponies want to ask questions too.” Her mother just looked mom-tired instead of nervous now. “Sorry, she’s at that age where it’s just questions about every little thing.”
“It’s no trouble.” I smiled. “I’ve got cousins about her age and they’re the same way.”
“I have to admit, I only heard vague rumors about you. Or…what ponies thought you could be, and I was concerned.” She looked down at the floor. “But meeting you, you seem like a perfectly nice young mare.”
“I try.” I laughed,
“Okay, say goodbye sweetheart.” She told her foal, turning to leave past the line.
“Bye-bye Lottie and Pinkie Pie!” the filly laughed, waving. We both waved back and I smiled. How could every tiny pony foal be so cute?
The next in line was…not a pony. Two not ponies. They looked more like donkeys.
“Ooh!” Pinkie bounced in her seat. “Bluey, these are my friends Matilda and Cranky! Hi you two!”
“Hello there!” The lady donkey smiled. Her friend Cranky lived up to his name, he seemed not as happy to be here. I was kind of nervous, but every time his eyes wandered to Matilda, they softened a little. I think this donkey was smitten. “It’s nice to meet you, dear Charlotte. Just as Pinkie said, I’m Matilda, and this is my fiancé Cranky.”
“Very nice to meet you both.” I told her, kind of taken aback by her very human name. But…Cranky? She offered her hoof and I shook it.
“I just wanna say that I…well, I really understood what you were talking about up there.” She patted my hand with her hoof, smiling gently at me.
“Oh?” I wondered which part, or if she was just being polite.
“Most ponies don’t know this, I don’t correct them if they get it wrong since it doesn’t really bother me any.” She let go of my hand, still smiling. “But they can’t really tell the difference anyway. See, it really spoke to me, when you shared how being two things made you feel. My father was a donkey, but my mother was a pony. I’m actually a mule.”
“Oh.” I repeated myself dumbly. The thought of such a…normal-er hybrid hadn’t really crossed my mind. “You’re a hybrid too.”
“Mm-hmm.” She nodded. “I grew up being two things too, and never really belonging in either place. I wasn’t colorful or magical, and I never ended up getting a cutie mark so ponies didn’t really think of me as one of them. And to a donkey with a sharp eye, they could tell I wasn’t a full-blooded jenny. Being both and neither, “more than one thing” like you said, I understand.”
I thought about my own feelings, and wondered if this was…a chance? A chance to talk about this subject with someone with firsthand experience?
“Was…” I started, considering my words. “Was it hard? Being around ponies?”
“Well…” she could tell I was nervous about this, so her words were kind and sincere. “It was hard at first, being something that nopony else around could understand being. I used to wish I could just be one or the other. But I thought about everything that being two things meant to me. I loved my father and his culture and stories, and I loved my mother and her big pony family, and the home we had in Equestria. To wish to shut away either part of me was like…throwing away that love.”
“I learned to love being two things, both a pony and a donkey.” She smiled, putting a hoof to her chest. “But I also learned to love the one creature I am together. And I learned to let others love me for who I am.” She nuzzled Cranky’s face, and he just melted. Pinkie “awwwed” at the display and he rolled his eyes but didn’t stop returning the affection.
“I…” I scratched at my cheek, considering her words. “I never really thought of it like that. I guess I never took any time to think about about what it means to be a pony, or a hybrid, beyond the physical stuff. I have a whole other culture to me that I don’t know anything about.”
“Well, you’ve got good friends to help you.” She laughed. She and her fiancé said their goodbyes to Pinkie and me. We met a few more friendly faces and curious foals with questions. An insane number of those questions ended up being “Do you eat ponies?” but I didn’t pay it much mind. Sweet Wheat even waited in line with her moms and her baby sister. They were very nice and Sweet Wheat was happy to see me back on my feet. We chatted for a minute or so before they had to go, but the filly made me promise we’d see each other again soon.
My line was shorter than the princess line, so I wasn’t surprised that the end of it came well before theirs. I was surprised by the ponies who I saw though.
Still pressed between her two friends slowly approached a familiar face.
“Roseluck!” Pinkie seemed happy to see her. “Daisy and Lily too!”
Roseluck smiled gently at her, still very visibly shaken. Her friends comforted her, whispering reassurances.
“It’s okay Rosie.” The green haired one, Daisy maybe judging by her cutie mark, talked quietly to her.
“You don’t have to do this.” Lily said, putting a forelimb around her back. “We can just go.”
“…It’s…it’s okay.” She finally spoke. My nerves at being face to face with her again were nowhere near as bad as when I saw her at the party Pinkie threw. But I was still pretty worked up. She stepped out from between her friends, looking at me intensely with every step.
“What was your name again?” she asked, speaking up.
“Lottie.” At the sound of my voice, I could see the fur on her back stand on end just a tiny bit. She closed her eyes and breathed, and it simmered down.
“Maybe…maybe this was all just a misunderstanding.” She sighed, but her tone was still a tiny bit defensive. “Maybe you are just some lost creature. Maybe you’re not quite as scary as I remember you being…”
She sat down, suddenly looking very tired.
“If it is all true…” her eyes were tearing up a little, and she blinked it away. “…if it is, then I caused you a lot of trouble. Trouble you didn’t deserve…I was just so scared…I’m always so scared! I’m sorry!”
She was really torn up about this. I felt bad for her, but I didn’t know what to say. Her friends looked like they wanted to come up and comfort her some more, but she must’ve told them not to.
I thought back to meeting Roseluck. The very first pony I ever saw. Aside from all of the confusion and mystery I found myself working through that day, when I saw her out in those woods…
“To be honest, Roseluck…” I hoped the words came out the way I wanted. “When I saw you out in those woods…I was pretty scared too.”
Her eyes went so wide and she blinked owlishly. Her tears stopped and she put a hoof to her chest.
“…Me?” she said under her breath. “You…were scared of me?”
“Yup.” I nodded. “Terrified.”
Her lip quivered and for a spilt second thought she was going to start crying again. But, to everyone’s surprise, she sputtered and laughed, holding her sides.
“Me! The biggest fraidy-pony in town! Scaring anypony!” she was almost in hysterics, but I could tell she was really relieved. She’d been holding everything in for a while and it was coming out with her laughter. Her friends looked concerned, but happy that their friend was feeling better. Pinkie was giggling too, leaning against me for support while she just laughed away.
“I’d never seen a pony before!” I told her, trying not to laugh too. “Cut me some slack!”
“Sorry!” she pressed her mouth closed to keep the laughter in but she was still smiling really hard. “Sorry, I just…the thought of somepony being afraid of me! Oh! Oh no, I shouldn’t start again, sorry.”
“So…are we good?” I asked, smiling awkwardly. She held in another laugh, nodding.
“Yes, we’re good.” She grinned. “Oh! I feel so light now! So much better, like a million bits!”
She and her friends said goodbye and went off towards the doors to Town Hall. A lot of ponies in the princesses’ line watched them go, probably having seen the whole thing.
Pinkie hugged me around my shoulders, giggling.
“You did it!” she laughed, nuzzling the side of my head. I smiled, suddenly feeling very drained. It was hard to believe I was such a social recluse back home with how many conversations I’d had since I got here. I hugged back with one arm, leaning my head on hers.
“Oh, right!” she pulled away, sitting next to me. “Dashie said you had something that was bothering you, and that I should ask you about it myself?”
I froze, turning back to look at Rainbow Dash. She was talking to Applejack, oblivious of what she’d done.
No, no…You’re supposed to be talking about things. You took the first step by just…interacting “normally” with Pinkie again, but how long until you start feeling self-conscious again? Knowing you, not too long. Just get it over with.
“Yeah, um…” I looked around. Still way too many ponies. “Let’s…go someplace else. Just us.”
We passed a few ponies on our journey outside of Town Hall, some waved at Pinkie, some stared, and only one or two walked in the opposite direction avoiding eye contact.
It’s a start.
There was a little grassy hill not too far from Town Hall, and there was nobody else around.
“Pinkie?”
She smiled, waiting for me to keep talking. I tried to put my thoughts in order, trying to figure out how not to sound like a weirdo.
“You know…how after I got my body back…I was like, petting you? Scratching behind your ears? That kind of stuff?”
“Sure do!” she smiled.
“And it…was okay? It wasn’t like…weird or anything?”
“Hm?” she looked confused. “What do you mean weird?”
“Like…It wasn’t too…familiar? Or, did you feel like I was being weird with you? Like I was…doing something kind of…demeaning?”
Pinkie thought for a moment, looking unusually pensive.
“Well…If I’d asked you to stop, would you?”
“Of course!” I put my hands up in front of me, struck by the question.
“Then I’m fine! I don’t mind ponies who care about me showing it! Silly filly.” She waved a hoof, dismissing the idea.
I did hold a certain affection for Pinkie, I could admit that. It wasn’t unreasonable for her to think that I did all that just because I liked her in a friend way. Which I did.
“Buuuut…” she pondered, tapping a hoof to her temple. “I might’ve imagined it…but it felt like you stopped, just for a bit. But now you do it again. Are you still feeling weird about us being different or the same?”
“I’m…doing better, I guess…” I told her the half-truth. I was coming around to the idea that I technically wasn’t completely human, and that I had a pony grandma waiting back home. “It’s just…” she looked at me, her big blue eyes shining with anticipation.
“Before that…we were two different creatures. I was a human and you were a pony. And that was fine. I pet you because, sure I liked you and you were sweet to me. But also because you’re…so cute and fluffy.” I laughed.
“Aww, shucks Lottie Dottie.” She waved a hoof at me, sticking her tongue out.
“No, I mean…I…” my cheeks were warm but I shook it off. “I couldn’t…pet another human like that. I don’t show people…affection like that. It’s too embarrassing. Some people can but I don’t. So now that we’re…the same, kind of, petting and touching seems like…like hugging or holding hands. Hooves? Do ponies hold hooves?”
“Sometimes.” she said, pondering again. “So now that we’re kinda sorta the same, it’s less like petting something you find cute, and more like…being sweet to somepony?”
“More or less…”
She thought to herself again, tipping her head from side to side and her mane bouncing to-and-fro. She suddenly snapped to an upright sitting position and tapped her hooves together.
“Okay!”
“Okay?”
“Okay!”
I wasn’t sure what she meant by that. I just kind of looked at her expecting some further thoughts on the matter but she just hopped up and stood in front of me.
“Lottie?”
“Uh…yeah?”
“I’m glad you told me about what was bothering you.” She smiled, offering a hoof to help me up. I took it, and she did so with ease. “It lets me know that you’re okay.”
For the second time that day, her kind words were getting to me. I wasn’t gonna be all down on myself anymore and say that I wasn’t worth being nice to, but in the nicest way, I still felt like I didn’t deserve a friend like her.
“…Piiinnkiiie!” I almost whined, overcome with emotion again. I scooped her up, hugging her and listening to her giggle fit. “You’re so nice! I wanna…”
I held her out in front of me, giving her a determined look.
“I’m gonna do something nice for you!” I told her, trying to let out this happy spell before my usual self-consciousness took hold of me. “You’ve done so many nice things for me! You’re a good friend! And I want to be a good friend back.”
Oof, there it was. I realized how long I’d been holding her up and nervously put her down, taking a deep breath.
“You are a good friend Lottie Dottie!” she smiled. “But I won’t mind a bit if you want to think of a way to show it. I’ll like anything you’d do!”
Twilight was trying to be patient with the ponies in line. Almost all of them wanted reassurance that Lottie wasn’t going to go wild and attack anypony or questioning her pony heritage since she didn’t look the part. Luna didn’t mind being the sterner half to this line of questioning, stating the facts in a way that left no room for objection.
“Lottie is a pony hybrid.” Twilight said for what had to be the dozenth time. “She has no intention of hurting her own kind.”
“Yeah…” the stallion in front of her didn’t look convinced. “But I’m just saying-”
“If there are no further questions.” Luna injected herself into the conversation, smiling patiently at the pony but it didn’t reach her eyes. “We bid you good day, sir.”
He looked like he wanted to get his two bits in, but it was a pretty solid exit Luna had given him. He nodded, bowing a little, and headed for the door.
There were still plenty of ponies in line, but Twilight noticed Lottie and Pinkie had finished already and were gone. She wondered where they had gotten off to but decided that they could use the break.
“Next.” Luna called to the line. Surprisingly, Ditzy Doo trotted up from the line with her daughter Dinky in tow. Twilight couldn’t imagine the sweet mare to have any problems with Lottie.
“Hello Princesses!” she smiled, her eyes not quite looking in the same direction as usual. Dinky smiled up at them too. “I uh…had a question.”
“Yes, of course.” Twilight smiled back. “Go right ahead.”
“Well…my family’s lived in Ponyville for a while…and it was a while before I was born. But I had a second cousin…or something like that. But she went missing a long time ago.” She frowned, looking down at her hooves. “Her name was Loopty Loop, she was a little unicorn. I’ve been thinking about Loopty more often since Dinky was born, and now you’re talking about…all those foals.”
“Oh yes.” Twilight hadn’t forgotten the names of the foals she’d seen in the old newspapers. “I didn’t know she was your relative, but I’ve read about her in my research.”
“Do…” Dizty looked like she didn’t want to get too excited. “Do you really think…that Loopty could be safe? Somewhere else? All grown up and happy?”
Twilight herself had been so relieved when she’d had the same thought for all of the missing foals. But without any actual proof of their well-being, it really was just a guess. Anything in the world could’ve happened to any of those foals, the forest just happened to be the common denominator. Could something terrible really have happened to them?
No. If there was even a slight chance that Lottie could go back to her own world and find any of them, alive and well, she had to have hope.
They all disappeared without a trace. Ponies just don’t do that every day! She thought, feeling lighter.
“I do.” Twilight told her, smiling gently at Ditzy and her daughter. “I have faith that she’s okay. Same goes for the other foals.”
Ditzy Doo thanked them both for their time, putting Dinky on her back before making her exit.
“That was a kind thing to say, Twilight Sparkle.” Luna told her, looking at the mare and filly trotting away. “We have faith that you will get Lottie home to find them, my sister and I both.”
“It’s possible, there’s no doubt.” She watched them go too. “Sugar Maple crossed over somehow. If it was done once, it can be done again.”
She dreaded the thought of going back to those woods to further examine the land. The trip in there to find Lottie after she fled the hospital was frightening. She had felt the weakened magic back then, how much stronger had it become since? She had overpowered the vines once, even though they were partly distracted and it took everything out of her. But the thought of a spell or some little idiosyncrasy she might have missed that could bring Lottie home had been hounding her thoughts lately.
Could the vines even be defeated? If she somehow disrupted the magic in them, could it possibly permanently disable the portal? Or was there a chance the vines and the portal had nothing to do with one another?
I’ll find a way. She felt determined. I’ll do everything in my power as a Princess and Lottie’s friend to get her back home.
Hauling gems all the way from Canterlot was never his favorite part of the job, but Rare Find knew it was the simplest option for a small business. If he shipped them on the train, not only would they have to wait to mine so much more to cover the train expenses, but his family would lose that “delivered by hoof” prospect of their business that ponies who bought from them had come to expect. He couldn’t ensure quality of gems that left his sight at any time, anything from a delivery schedule mix-up to unforeseen train mishaps could lessen their quality and cost him and his family a bundle.
“Too bad Mom and Dad didn’t have more kids.” He laughed to himself. “Then maybe one of my siblings would be doing this part and I could stick to mining.”
Mining was hard work too, of course. But it was his passion, the thing that truly made him happy and brought him peace. Every other part of the business was just necessary busy work.
He was coming up on the large patch of woodlands he passed every time he came down this road, and for a moment he remember something that happened on his last delivery.
“I wonder if that mare found what she was looking for?” he thought out loud. “Cornflower…she seemed a little flighty. Or it could’ve been some kind of head injury…I hope she was fine after that.”
Once he was at the edge of those woods, he noticed something that’d never been there before.
“Are those…crystal lanterns?” he wondered, spying the new structures along the tree line. “You think they would’ve put them along the road for travelers at night…”
Out of the corner of his eye. He thought he spotted movement deep in the forest past the trees.
“Huh. Could be something I don’t want to meet.” He half-laughed, picking up the pace a little. “I should speed it up anyway, shouldn’t have stopped for lunch in Neighton…”
He sighed, his voice sounding so odd in the empty open air.
“I should stop talking to myself.” He sighed, trotting down the trail. “Strange meeting aside, it was kind of nice to have a traveling companion for once. Haven’t had one since Mom was the one delivering and I was just her apprentice. Maybe I should get a pet.”
He thought about his work schedule, and how he was a young stallion with his parents nagging him about finding somepony to carry on the business with.
“Or maybe a special somepony...” He quickly shook the thought from his head. “Ugh, Mom would go nuts, scare anypony off with talk of marriage and foals. And Dad’s so critical, anypony who couldn’t haul a full load of gems wouldn’t be marriage material in his eyes. Unless they’re a bookkeeper, he’s been wanting to hoist that job onto somepony for forever.”
The silence was so awkward.
“A parrot could keep me good, chatty company…”
As Rare Find passed the woods, still thinking out loud to himself, he was too busy to notice that the thing that had caught his eye earlier had made its way towards the trail, stopping at the invisible barrier created by the crystals. The writhing, angry mass of vines pressed against it, being held back with no effort on the barrier’s part.
It had been fixed since the last time creatures wandered inside the forests’ reaches. The vines tightened their grip around the nearby tree trunks, almost pensive.
The vines retreated back to where they’d sprouted after that large source of magic had shredded them from the inside. Time meant little to any kind of flora, but every day the sun’s energy fed into the growing plants. Bit by bit, and the forests’ own magic was replenishing. How strong would it have to be to find a way past this new obstacle? How long until they were at their full strength?
How long until another creature traveled into the depths?