The past few months had been quite the odd time for Maud. She had come out of a closet that she didn’t even know she was so deep in, and had found herself a girlfriend. She was a wreck most of the time when it came to talking to her about things besides rocks and mining. She hadn’t brought it up with her sisters, or her mother. She wouldn’t tell her father. Ever.
As she sat out on the Pie family’s porch and looked out into the star filled sky, she wondered about the next steps in her life. It was way too early to think about marriage, despite what Starlight Glimmer had told her. Her being disconnected from the majority of society and running a dictatorship could really mess with someone’s way of thinking.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she pulled it out, looking at it. A message from Maisey. “The girls at the club miss you.” A picture of her and the girls at ‘The Hidden Side’ was attached. They all were all flashing various symbols at the lens, while wearing the most late night but also winter ready clothes possible. The rock farmer cracked a smile at that. It was still a regular spot for them to visit and just chat with everyone and have a good time.
She saw that there were also a few texts from Pinkie would couldn’t make it up to the farm this time due to the sudden storms and heavily frozen rails. A ton of pictures of the food she had baked, her and her friends in sweaters, eggnog, the whole Hearth’s Warming shebang. There was also a photo of her with the Apple family, showing shared family pride.
“...You’re hiding something from us.” Marble Pie said, looking at her sister from behind the entrance to the porch. She rarely ever said much of anything to anyone except for when she was with her sisters. And even then, that had it’s own set of rules.
“What makes you think that?” Maud asked, her voice trying not to show any signs of nervousness.
“I saw you out here late last night. You’ve never really called anyone in that town before when you visit.” The youngest of the Pie sister said as she took a seat next to her. “…Are you scared of what will happen if you tell?”
“.…I am.” Maud confessed, looking down. “I am…doing something against our traditions.”
“Oh…you don’t have to say it.” The other girl said, looking down as well with her sister. Both their legs awkwardly swung from the edge of the porch, kicking around the remains of a few big chunks of rock that had been left from the morning’s work. “…I hope I can meet them soon.”
“I hope so too.” Maud said, thinking about how she probably wasn’t even close to being out of the closet yet. In all honesty, she wasn’t even close to being a real girlfriend yet. “Come on, we should get back in. I’ll help you with the desserts.”
“Mm-hmm.” And with that, Marble was back to her normal way of conversation. As they walked back in, Maud turned her head back to look at the sky. Something…looked off about it. Another heavy storm most likely. Hopefully, it wouldn’t bring anything too damaging with it.
---
“Hm…” Rainbow Dash huffed to herself as she looked out the window of the Apple Family farm and out into a vacant field.
“Ah, I knew I’d find you somewhere.” Fluttershy said as she hugged Dash from behind. “It’s not like you to duck out of a snowball fight for no good reason. Are you tired? Do you want to head home?” She asked, looking at her.
“Heh, nah. I was totally winning that thing. I thought I’d get out and let the others go against each other.” Dash said, chucking and kissing her softly. “Just…just been thinking. About that.” She tapped on the glass, pointing at seemingly a single but rather large black cloud floating over the field.
“Huh? That cloud? What’s wrong with it?” Fluttershy asked, curious.
“Well, think about it. A single black cloud, floating above a desolate field with seemingly nothing in it. Nothing from reports or files say there’s anything planned for that area.“ RD explained, seeming rather into this topic. “We’d just remove it, but we can’t find the proper paperwork for thing. Databases say it exists, but we can’t find the actual files for it digitally or physically.”
“Oh..my. I never thought I’d hear you talk about this kind of thing with such conviction, Rainbow.” The pink haired woman said, nuzzling her more.
“Weather is my job after all. To be awesome, I gotta know all the routines and locations and files needed so that I can get the job done well.” The rainbow haired flyer said, looking back out. “Also, it’s just so strange. Over this one patch of area that no farming family seems to own, far from any plants or trees or crops….seemingly no actual activity in it. Just. Waiting.” She looked out at it. Though her thought was broken when a snowball hit her in the back of the head.
“E-eep! Surprise Ambush! Surprise Ambush!” Fluttershy shouted as she raised her hands up in an attempt to defend herself from the incoming flurry.
“We got you before you could plan anything dangerous, Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie Pie shouted, a small tin full of snowballs at her side.
“Hey, either of you two wreck anything and you’ll be severely punished!” Applejack shouted from the bottom of the stairs, “Snowball fight or not, I ain’t gonna let you throw stuff around inside!”
“So that’s how you wanna play it, huh?” Rainbow asked, smirking. She leaned back against the window as it opened. “You heard her! Let’s take this back outside!” She took a leaning dive out of the window, only to zoom up into the air with a few somersaults and landing back on her feet.
“Rainbow Dash is back in guys!” Pinkie shouted at the others playing, before being hit with scooped up remains of the snow she had thrown.
“Got you.” Fluttershy happily said, giggling to herself. She watched as Pinkie giggled back and took a running jump turned cannonball, or as Pinkie shouted, ‘Snowball!’ into the thick white snow below.
“A-ack! Same side, same side!” Twilight called out to the party maker, quickly wiping snow from her face.
“Sorry Twilight! Didn’t want to run down the stairs and get AJ’s carpet all wet and dirty. And if Rainbow Dash can leave out the window, so can I!” Pinkie explained, helping wipe her off.
“You know, you’ve really been overworking yourself these past few weeks. It’s ok to calm down and take a break. Hearth’s Warming is over. Save some of it for when Maud comes back.” Twilight said, scooping up some snow and clumping it into a ball.
“I really want to! But I’ve been so busy with helping out around Sugarcube Corner and baking and everything! I feel so guilty for not going up with Maud, but she insisted that she go first and get everything ready at home and then the trains close! I’ve been making so many treats for when she comes back as well as wrapping my gifts for her.” Pinkie was a master of double tasking, tossing a few snow balls from the tin. “Oh, Twilight! Look! I’m using this cinnamon roll tin to hold these snow balls, pretty genius, huh?”
“That’s actually pretty clever.” The princess of friendship said, tossing her snowball hoping it would hit. “You know, snowballs sounds like a pretty good dessert treat. Maybe a round cinnamon roll covered in white chocolate?”
“Holy Moly! I love it! That’s genius!” Pinkie said, the idea visualizing in her head. “Oh, I should-” Before she could finish, a snowball hit her right in the face.
“You know, when I said that I didn’t want in on this little snow charade, I meant it!” Rarity shouted, snow covering her top. “But since none of you want to listen to your good old friend Rarity, it seems that I’m going to have to show you what happens when you don’t listen!” Rage was in her voice, and she didn’t look like she was going to calm down. “Sweetie Belle! Now is the time for another great sister bonding moment!”
“H…hooray?” Sweetie was both confused and scared.
“Twilight, are we going to die?” Pinkie asked, looking at the princess.
“I’m not entirely sure about us…but Rainbow Dash probably is.”
“Don’t worry Dashie! I won’t let you die today! Temporary truce!” Pinkie said, bolting off towards Dash as Twilight giggled. She was happy to see that Pinkie was finally just relaxing and having fun for once. It was clear she was feeling guilty over not going up to the rock farm. It also was fear over the response to her sister coming out up there. Twilight was just worried what would happen when she reached burn out state.
---
“Something is wrong.” Princess Luna said, sitting on her bed. “I can feel it.”
“And what, prey tell, is wrong?”
“I…do not fully know. But..the cosmos, space itself…there is something wrong. I must warn sister.” The princess of the night said, getting up and walking to the door.
“So that she can ignore it? Send Twilight off to deal with it?”
“I…She does not just dismiss issues like that! Especially not one that could be so potentially big!” Luna said, pacing back and forth. “Space is damaged. I can fix it..but, something had to have caused it. It is big..”
“Then fix it before things get worse. Be a humble little hero that I know you are. If things truly are so bad, others would have noticed by now. And what even could have caused it?”
“I…I think it was that dark energy…from months ago. The one that Celestia just brushed off and said was Twilight’s territory. I fear that more may have happened that night than what I saw.” Luna was sweating now, running out to the door. She someone resting their chin on her head as her hands were slowly taken. “You did not tell me..you would come here tonight.”
“I will make this quick. It is clear you need help in focusing on closing this up. And I am just the one to help.”
“I would like that very much, but…do stay a while.” The princess of the night said, her hands slowly glowing as they raised up slowly.
“Just focus on that spot you wish to fix.”
“Yes...” As the princess of the night closed her eyes, her body began to shake. “I see it. It is a tear in space and time…luckily, I can fix it. It will just take time.” She stumbled back into the figures arms.
“Come. Come. Get some rest. It still some time before night comes. You wear yourself out too often.”
“You…you are far too kind…but, I am curious about what could have caused such events to lead to a large amount of dark energy to tear space and time like that?” She asked, walking back to her bed.
“Call me crazy…but didn’t Celestia say that one of Twilight’s friends had discovered they’re gay? Maybe that had something to do with it.”
“Are you implying that someone coming out can cause such a destructive force?”
“Probably will when it comes to us.”
“We shall deal with that when we get there.” The princess of the night got back into her bed and closed her eyes, the worry inside her not as heavy now that she knew she wasn’t alone in room any more.
Not many people noticed the tear. It was so very, very far from normal eyes, and not even a telescope could see it without the help of an ultra powerful lens. Though…that wasn’t all true. A few pairs of eyes had seen it, but did not see how truly dangerous it was.
Seemingly no one knew that the expansion of the tear was caused not by the actions of the Voodoo Queen. Her use of energy and power merely opened it. What expanded it was the use of a seemingly unknown spell by Twilight Sparkle. She had no idea what the spell was. She simply needed something to protect Pinkie. It was almost like she had gotten a boost from an unseen ally. But one that did quite some damage on a greater scale.
One person was aware of it, but he wasn’t going to tell anyone. At least not yet. He wanted to keep it to himself for now. Why not have just a bit of fun first?
---
DAY: ??? (It’s something over 2000 probably.)
She pulled herself out of bed, getting up and doing her morning stretches. Hair must have puffed up in the night since there were a few random strands in her bed. The morning was rather quiet. She was both used to it, yet also still felt uneasy from it. When getting up, she could never place why at first, but then it would always come to her.
“S-someone please help me!” A voice shouted from the other room.
That’s when she she felt more…at home. She walked out, and was standing in the middle of her home that she had taken residence in over the past few years. It was like a multitude of rooms from her old place all mashed together into one. It’s composition would change every once in a while, so even if she attempted to make a layout of the place it would likely change the next day. The only things that were constant were her room and the bathroom. They were separate and for the most part, layouts were the same.
“H-hey you! Can you come over here and help me? P-please!” The voice called out to her. Female. One she didn’t recognize. That was new. She walked over and looked at them. “H-hurry, before whoever did this comes back!” Sweat was pouring down their face as they struggled in their restraints.
“...Minuette?”She asked, looking up at the restrained woman. “…Just a second, I need to check something.” She walked over to a counter in what could be seen as the kitchen. There was a small slip of paper right in the center, blank. She picked it up and flipped it over. ‘24’ was scribbled on in thick black numbering. “..Huh.” She said, putting the thing back down and walking over to the restrained woman.
Her hands looked like they were asleep, so no need for worry on that end of things. Her hair had the white and blue stripes. This was her alright. “Alright, listen. Normally I would have this whole thing planned out…but, you’re getting me a bit off track. I’ll take a shower and then we can get back to this ok?”
“Y-you’re just going to leave me here?! W--what if someone else comes in?” The dentist asked, shaking in her restraints. “W-why can’t I use my magic?!”
“Well, if someone else came in here that’d be it’s own thing. I’ve been here over five years. Maybe six or seven. And as for the magic thing, that’s just a numbing agent that should work for a good few hours. Helps me not have to break your hands for the same effect.” She explained, before waving and walking to the bathroom.
She slowly pulled off her clothes and folded them. She was taking her time to think about what had been going on the past few minutes. She was used to a surprise or twist in things, but this was..a bit too much. She could have sworn she had pulled her number out as well. She was the only dentist in town and if she went missing… “The steam will help me get back into the swing of things.”
The water started to spray, hitting the floor and sounding like rain. She took a calming deep breath before stepping into the spray. The water was one of the few things in this place that always felt..real. It was always warm, never cold, and was at just the right pressure. Besides the sound of the water, she was silent. Thinking about everything that led to this point. She wondered how much things had changed outside of her room. About how people were doing. She had that dream again last night. Each time it felt like it would last longer and longer, whether it be by a single second or a minute. She would never want to wake up. She took a few steps forward to get the soap.
“I’d be careful in the shower if I was you, darling. One slip and your brain is spilling into the water and down the drain!” A voice said from behind her causing her to stand up straight. She felt her own breathing tighten as a pair of hands grabbed her chest from behind. “What’s the matter, my sweet? Did you miss-”
She grabbed the shower valve and cranked it up in an instant, blasting herself with scalding hot water. She screamed loudly and after a few seconds, turned off the water. The presence behind her was gone. She quickly got out and dried off, heading into her room. She was silent again as she slowly walked to her bed and got on her knees, resting her head against the covers. She took a few minutes to take a few slow, deep breaths. She slowly regained herself.
She walked over to her drawer. Nothing too complex for the bottoms. She didn’t want to get anything on her more fancy clothes after all. Walking over to the closet, she saw that it had become walk in, with clothes and costumes of all kind on both sides. At the end of the room sat two outfits that she hadn’t made. No, they were made for her. One was a multicolored abomination, with a note attached reading ‘Life is a Party’ in red ink. She knew it ink due to the fact that there was no sign of any of it running. She also knew there was a necklace of bones and a skull mask Inside if she opened it up. It was a garish little thing, that had worn only once out of pure boredom. It could work in a theatrical piece, she had to admit that.
The second piece was a suit. A suit that she had worn once as well, but this one wasn’t nearly extravagant. The thing had been forced onto her, and she hated wearing the damned thing. The thing would mess with her mind, forcing her to be apart of that damned woman’s story, part of her sick game. Made her think that SHE was her only true friend. She hated her. Everything about her. And that damned woman was the only one who just wouldn’t fucking die-
She stopped herself. She was getting overly angry again. She took a few more deep breaths before ripping the thing from the wall and tossing it to the ground, stomping on it a few times. A note was hanging from the hook.
‘I dream of you, always my dear.
-Mommy’
She stomped on the suit again. “That’s for bringing me back just for your own fantasies.” She said, before tossing on a faded pink top. She headed back into the main room, seeing Minuette was still in place. That was a relief to her at least. “So, want some breakfast?”
“Y-you’re offering me breakfast before you do something to me…?” Minuette asked, shaking still.
“I mean…yeah. It’s not like we’re at my real place. The past few years, the sense of urgency within me to do this has slowly gone down. Mostly because it’s usually the same people that I work on again, and again and again.” She explained, walking to the fridge and pulling out a few apples and peanut butter. She then pulled out orange juice, and a bottle of vodka. “I have a whole process to this thing. You want any vodka now? I know it’s early, but still. No use in following normal rules here.” She got four glasses from a nearby cupboard, filling two up with OJ and two with vodka. “I could make you a screwdriver. Pretty sure I got all the stuff for it.”
“N-no thanks…” The dentist said, slowly looking down. “Just…OJ please.”
“Alright. You’ll probably have a thing of vodka sooner or later. It helps when the numbing agents aren’t enough. Though, you probably have seen that happen with some of your patients before, right?” She asked, cutting up the apples and covering them in peanut butter. She brought them and the drinks over to her guest, placing them on a small table. “I know it’s humiliating, but I’m going to feed you. Can’t risk having you try anything. Even when you you think you have your enemy cornered…they can still surprise you.” She raised the juice up to Minuette’s mouth, slowly pouring it down her throat. “There we go. Good girl. Nice and healthy orange juice and apple slices for you.” She said, putting a few in her mouth before going to enjoy her share of the meal.
“Why did you pour two cups of vodka…?”
“Oh! You noticed that! You’re making me enjoy this, it feels so new and fresh.” She said, eating more. “One of those is for me.”
“You drink while you work?”
“Oh, God no. Risk messing things up? This place resets every night, but even then I hate seeing things get messy. Even one drink could dull my body during a vital part. That cup is there in case things get really bad in my head.” She explained.
“O-oh?” The fear in the dentist’s voice rose again. “H…how bad does it get?”
“Not as bad as the ones from when I was back in the real world, I’ll tell you that.” She said, patting the girl’s cheek. “How about some music? How’s that sound to you? I mean, I don’t really sing anymore..that was the old me. But, you know, I still like to dance and it can help lighten up the mood. Or, I could see if we have any canvases. Painting is a great way to let out any stress you have in you.”
“W-why are you being so nice to me? Aren’t you going to kill me…?”
“It’s me trying to emulate the old days…though I really don’t have the energy to even come close to it. Sorry if it seems so…half-assed.”She said, walking back to the kitchen and getting a drink of water. “I honestly don’t know what to do with you. You’re…unique to this place. And, I don’t know how I’m supposed to deal with it. Also, you’re triggering all kinds of weird things to happen with me, so I don’t know what-” She stopped. Her legs started to tremble as she lurched forward, using the counter for support. “E…early today…” She moaned, her body in tremendous pain as her body temperature rose heavily.
“Come on dweeb, you really think I’m gonna be scared of you? You’re just a little hyper freak.”
“Let me go now, before I really show you how hard I’ve been working out!”
“I could kill you right here…save so many people…but…you’re still my friend. Stay down. I’m getting help.”
“You…ok? Do you wanna come in talk about what’s been going on?”
“...I think they’re going to kill me, sooner or later. I’m too much of a let down…”
“She left cause none of us were good enough for her…I wasn’t good enough for her, I never will be!”
“..I…I…why’d you kill her? I thought you were besties, that we were friends…”
Voices surged through her head as she took a few steps forward. She felt her stomach. Warm blood spilling from the slash there. Just need to get the drink. Her legs now felt like lead as she forced herself forwards. The room around her slowly morphing into the thick, maze like trees of the forest.
“My word…you need HELP…”
She cringed to herself knowing that woman was probably watching. Or worse, that damn doll abomination.
“Just….be back soon alright?”
With that, she grabbed the glass and raised it to her lips, drinking down all the burning horrid liquor in one go. She was panting as she looked around, things were seemingly back to normal. The wound in her lower half now gone as it should be.
tumblrbot asked: ‘WHERE WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO VISIT ON YOUR HOME PLANET?’
She froze up. She looked around, just Minuette, looking at her. She looked rather freaked out from what just happened…but unaware of the question asked. Something was happening…the dream she had had a few months back…that was a sign, wasn’t it.
“...I can’t leave this room. Ever.”
Shit.
---
Maud slowly got up and walked to the shower. The Pie family didn’t have new technology or any smart devices, but they had the essentials. For a while, when she was young people used to tease her and her big sister by acting like they were a bunch of smelly trash dumps that played with rocks. Playing with kids outside of the community could be hard at times.
The warm water hit her skin and she thought about Maisey. She remembered that girl had walked in on her while showering and being…somewhat taken back by seeing how truly ‘toned’ she was.
She remembered that Maisey had asked to share the shower with her, before undressing and getting in. She didn’t really do anything to clean herself. She just pulled Maud close and rested her head on her back. She seemed happy doing this, so Maud didn’t really say anything. Maisey did tell her one thing near the end of it though.
---
“Hey Maud?”
“Yes, Maisey?”
“I love you.”
---
After washing and getting changed, she checked the time. It was around 2 in the morning. To most people they would go back to sleep, but for Maud, it was somewhat normal for her. Even as a child, she found herself waking up at weird times and not being able to fall back under.
She saw that there were no bars for her phone, so she pulled on her coat and headed outside. Usually she could find a random signal or so out near the front but it was still empty. Walking off of the porch and to the front gates of the farm made her see that clouds in the area covered up the moon. There was still visibility, but tonight wasn’t a pale beauty light.
The Hearth’s Warming lights and decorations from a few years ago were gone. Those had only been bought for the Apple Family’s visit. The second they and Pinkie were out of sight, the girls had been ordered to take it all down. Maud had the feeling that her father didn’t like their possible extended family so much.
She continued to walk, looking for any signals there were, but still there was nothing. She’d be worried about getting too far from the farm without telling anyone…but, she had a few hours before Limestone was up and doing her morning work. Going on night walks was somewhat normal for her, but she hadn’t done it while on the farm in such a long while. As she walked off, down one of the roads leading up to the farm, she failed to notice that someone had been watching them from the bedroom window, curious as to why their sister was heading out so late at night.
She walked through the barely illuminated dark for a while, knowing she was getting somewhere as she started to see street lamps again. They gave off a heavy orange glow to them, the kind that could only really be seen on a night like this. They got closer and closer as she saw a small town. This surprised her as she didn’t remember a place like this one at all from her years of living on the farm..but maybe she was just remembering wrong.
As she walked in the orange glow of the light, she could see that this was a smaller town. Along the lines of what Ponyville seemed to be before Twilight’s castle showed up. Walking directly under one of the lights, she felt weird. It was if there should be rain falling right under it. Standing in it’s orange illumination, and looking out into the rest of the town, she could see there was no one else around. No drunks, no midnight joggers, no random cars passing by. Just her, and a line of window shops. There were a few seeming larger buildings in the back, but even they seemed empty. “…” Maud looked at her phone. Still no signals yet. She had to keep walking.
Her footsteps seemed to echo on the pavement as she passed by the stores. Taking a look in through the windows, she could see the feint outline of clothes folded up on racks, candles and meditation sticks, small toys and joke gifts, boxes filled with fridge magnets for various jokes and settings. All closed, with only the glow of the lamps giving hints as to what they are.
Maud could see that apartments were above a few stores, with balconies looking out onto the street. No lights were on in any of them. No TVs left on, no late night browsing sessions. She was just out, and alone. But in the distance, she could see the slight glow of a light set lower to the ground. She went closer, seeing a sign for a pub, with stairs leading down into it. There was a bit of a relief at that. She walked down the stairs, coming into the building.
Going in the door, she could see there were stairs that seemed to head upstairs, leading to some kind of gallery. For the moment, she walked into the pub. It had a nice warm glow too it, with everything giving off that inviting polished wooden feel. The place…was seemingly empty. “Hello there. You new around these parts?” A voice asked, causing Maud to almost jump. A woman was standing behind the bar counter. She had short white hair.It wasn’t old white, but more the natural white that Trixie had in her hair.
“Do you have wifi? I need to make a call.” Maud said, looking at the woman.
“We do. Just, we like it if you also buy a drink afterwards. Our way of having them stay a while.” The bartender said, smiling.
“Thank you.” Maud said as she dialed Maisey’s number. She picked up almost instantly.
“A bit later than normal to calling. Something up?” Maisey asked while laying back in her bed, the night creeping in through her window.
“Signal was no good on the farm tonight. Had to go for a walk. Were you about to head to bed?”
“Eh, even if it was, I’d still answer for you. Sleep for me can be hard in this place.” The waitress said, looking around her room. “Condo life can be surprisingly sleepless at times.”
“Once the train starts back up, I’ll be there for you.” Maud said, walking around, looking more at everything there was to see. The warm polished wood had a seemingly orange tint to them, thanks to the lights from above. It was so calm, and cozy.
“Well, if Pinkie lets you anyways. She’s been baking tons of welcome back treats and sweets for you, though she gives them to me when the date on them isn’t right.” Maisey chuckled at this. “We’re having a desert feast when you get back.”
“Is it cold in the condo?” The miner asked, noticing there was a small stage near what ssumed was the back of the bar. Looked perfect for a stand up routine or band. Would definitely help bring life into this place.
“My mother makes sure these places are perfect for staying in all day if the weather truly gets extreme enough. I’m just glad you aren’t stuck freezing cold in the caves.” Maisey said, her blankets feeling much warmer as she thought about Maud’s home in a huge, hollow cave.
“I still miss you. Hearth’s Warming with you was so important.” Maud said, sighing slightly.
“We’ll have a late holiday, how about that?” The waitress said, smiling to herself.
“Sounds good to me.” Maud said, a slight smile crossing her face for a brief time as well. “I’ll call again tomorrow. I love you.”
“Love you too Maud.” Maisey said, hanging up.
“Rare to see some non-residents around here.” The bartender said, already leaning on the wall behind her. “What can I get you?”
“Just a simple white soda mixed with something weak. I’m gonna be walking home soon.” Maud said, taking a seat. “Mind if I ask what’s going on upstairs?”
“Oh, that? It’s a public art gallery. Open all night I think. That or someone really likes keeping all the lights on all night.” The bartender explained, pouring up the drink. “Nothing too deep or anything. Mostly simple stuff.” She placed the drink in front of her customer.
“I’ll check it out before I go. But, where is everybody? It’s odd to see any city so empty and devoid of life.” The rock miner asked, taking a sip. The white soda felt good, like it was just what she needed at the moment.
“Eh, this place usually doesn’t like to be out at night. Paranoid of beasts and creatures walking the streets. Some say they’ve seen Ursa Majors, horrific half fused changelings, and even some skin walkers.”
“You believe them?” Maud asked, drinking more.
“With everything that’s gone on in this crazy world, it’s possible. But sometimes keeping a sense of doubt is the most optimistic thing there is.” The bartender said, chucking.
“Sometimes you don’t need to show emotions to show how truly happy you are.” The rock farmer found comfort in sharing this. It was easy to talk to people when it was in a one on one format. “A friend of mine thinks I don’t like the magic because I don’t burst out in excitement. That I’m just another critic.”
“You’re friends with her?” The bartender softly chuckled, asking.
“She’s nice when you get to know her.” The farmer simply replied.
“My name’s Ozmanda Lula, nice to meet you, Miss..”
“I’m Maud Pie. People call me Maud.” Her deadpan form was returning. She had been slipping in and out of it for a while, obviously thanks to the girlfriend and all the new things that came with that. It could also be a side effect of being a rather snarky puppet for a performer who never get her pay.
“Well Maud, can I offer you up the rest of the white soda before you head back out?” Ozmanda asked, putting the can on the table.
“Alright.” Maud replied, taking it and chugging. “Does it get lonely, out here?”
“Yeah. It can be. I can only walk up to the art gallery so many times before it just gets too reptitive. At least it gets changed some what regularly.” The bartender said. “I’m not the kind of woman who would willingly stay up late for ghosts or demons. The whispers of the deceased and scratches from cursed creatures are not something I want to put up with. I’d rather hear drunken rants and have burn marks from the bath water being too hot.” She pulled down one of her sleeves, the skin looking a bit worse for wear from an obvious miscalculation.
"Understandable." Maud said, putting some bits on the table. "This place is nice. I might come back sometime."
"We're always open to those in need, Maud." The bartender smiled as she said this. "Come in whenever you want."
Maud nodded, walking to the doors and heading up the stairs. Looking around, she various art pieces all spread out. It was one of those spacious art galleries, the kind that many would host the fancy parties at. The walls were all a basic, lined wood patter, with various landscape pieces being the most common theme.
There were sprawling hills, creeks near the trees in autumn, and foggy mountain tops. There were also a few less...happy ones. Abandoned and desolate looking cities, ashes and statues right out of a volcanic eruption, and a figure standing on a boat, arm outstretched.
Maud felt a sense of unease, being in the middle of this all with no one else around. Not even boulder. She felt like she was the only one left around when she looked closely at the pics, even the happy ones.
She knew that she needed to head back, the moon could only be out so long and chores started early. She headed back down. She took a quick glance into the bar. Ozmanda was at a table, back to her and seemingly drinking herself. Driving away the cause of this while being all on her lonesome, wiping tears from her eyes as she suffered the painful silence.
The rock farmer wanted to say something comforting, but she was just another stranger. She didn't know what to say...but then she shook her head. If her little sister had taught her anything, it was that reaching out to someone in need was the best way to not only show you were a friend...but just a good person in general. "Hey." She said, walking towards her. "Are you ok?"
The bar tender turned her head, rubbing her eyes. "Huh? Oh, Maud. You shouldn't worry about me. I'll just keep you here longer than you need." She said, chuckling. "I'm fine. I'm fine. It's just...I guess, the isolation at night, it can get to a person."
"I see." Maud sat across from her, her face still so ever blank and deadpan. "Well, I don't know how long I'll be staying near by, but if I'm still here tomorrow, I can stop by and chat."
"Oh, you're too kind. Don't really have much to chat about, well, not much positive anyways. But..thanks anyways. I hope you come by." Lula smiled, looking down. She was reflecting on things. "Oh, before you go..."
"Yes?"
"This place is always open to you. Just in case...life doesn't seem to like you. And you just need a getaway." The smile on her face showed that she knew what she was talking about.
"...Alright," Maud said, getting up and walking out. She reflected on the fact that she was out on her family farm...alone. She thought about why she intentionally chose to let that happen. She walked through the streets once more, silent and thinking.
As Ozmanda watched her customer's shoes walk past the window, she chuckled to herself as she went to her shelf of drinks and grabbed one of the bigger bottles. She took a swig, before pouring it over her head. It soaked her upper half in its surprisingly strong scent. "I hope the water isn't too hot this time." She said, eyes looking ahead to a blank space.
"Get home safe, Maud." She pulled out a book of matches, sparking one. "Once more, from the top."
---
Anonymous asked: Why did you stop answering questions?!
"No no no..." She was staggering about, looking quite like a drunkard. "Damn it, why does this stuff always happen to me?!" She held her head, groaning.
"A-Are you ok...?" Minuette asked, obviously even more terrified and scared for her life.
"No...not really. I mean, do I look like I'm ok in any aspect?!" She groaned, suddenly lurching forwards. She hit the ground stomach first, causing her to moan in pain.
VisceralJackal asked: well well well, looks like little miss killer finally is paying for her crimes. The time for forgiveness has passed and clearly you're getting what you deserve.
"Oh good....everyone's back from the ask days...hooray...." She tried to sarcastically laugh, but that just made her ribs hurt. “Don’t you people…have anything better to do…than pester a dead..ask blog?”
The dentist only trembled in her remains, her face looking like it was likely to burst out into tears very soon. “P-please just let me go, and I can get you help! I know people!”
“Just..just shut up. Please just shut up for now, that’s all I ask…” She leaned back on the kitchen counter. She saw that the record player was still going. The music playing, she was feeling so overwhelmed by all of it.
Vineyskeletal asked: tell me a joke
“Who even tells jokes anymore?! Look at me, look at all of this! There’s your joke! Hahaha!” She screamed, clutching her head as the voices surged, growing louder and louder as she struggled forwards once more. After a few steps, she tripped and fell into the record player, crashing to the floor with it.
As she fell, she could swear she hear someone laughing.
---
Maud walked back to the house, trying to be as silent as possible. She took off her shoes before she slowly stepped onto the porch, her footsteps no longer audible. As she started to reach out for the door, she knew she was being watched. “…I wanted to get up early for some morning walks.”
“Yeah, and that’s obviously why you went away from the farm and didn’t just walk around the grounds.” Limestone said, glaring. “I’m the eldest Maud, don’t think you can lie to me like that.” She walked up to her sister. “So, what’s so important that you had to leave the farm while everyone else was asleep? Does it have to do with Pinkie? If it’s about my birthday, tell her again that I just want a few slices of cake, that’s all.”
“It was nothing. I couldn’t sleep. I’m going to go back to bed for just a bit before getting to work. Maybe you shou-” Maud was cut-off as her sister got up close and started patting her down. “You know I’m not comfortable when you do this.”
“Yeah, well, can’t have you bringing anything that could ruin the rocks, now can we?” Limestone wasn’t looking up at her sister’s face as she searched, feeling up one of her side pockets before reaching in. “I will not have another rock lice issue…what’s this?” She yanked out Maud’s phone, looking at this. “…Why the hell do you have this on you? This isn’t allowed here, you know that.”
“I don’t use it on the farm. I must have forgotten I had it on me when getting on the train for here.” Maud was staying firm in what she was saying, her blank stare clashing with Limestone’s glare. “My bad.”
“You’re lying. You’re lying. You’re lying!” Limestone’s temper was rising. “Stop lying to me, Maud! I’m the eldest!”
Maud simply sighed, taking the phone back and putting it back in her pocket. “You want to yell at me…let’s get away from the house. You don’t want to wake up anyone else this early.” She started heading to the farm entrance, her sister following behind.
“Does this have anything to do with Mud-”
“Finish that name and I will break Holder’s Boulder into pieces.” Maud’s fist clenched up as they reached the front gate.
“People like him are more and more reason why you should realize that moving to that town was a terrible idea. They corrupt your views on things and make you consider degenerate ideas.” Limestone then sighed looking out to the direction of the train station. “What the hell is so important to you that you need to leave the farm in secret, huh? Is this another one of those hidden collections of yours? Are you hiding another diary from me? Are you in another one of those propaganda classes?”
“My wanting to get a higher education was not me learning propaganda. There’s so much more to rocks that fascinate me. So much more that I want to see, to feel…to hold close to me, my beautiful…blue…Mai..” Maud cut herself off, blushing for a split second. “My beautiful blue May. It’s a companion rock for Boulder that I found.”
“...What the hell are you keeping from me?!” The eldest Pie sister clearly wasn’t having it, growing more and more angry by the second. It wasn’t even that she knew Maud was lying, it was more she was assuming it, and was locked on said assumption.
“I told you, I just went for a walk. I forgot I had my cell on me. You can ask me again and again, and I’ll keep telling you the truth…but I guess you don’t like saying you’re wrong about something, do you?” Maud finally snapped back at her sister, huffing.
“What did you just say to me?!” Limestone yelled back. There was no stopping it, an argument was going to happen, no matter what.
---
She finally pulled herself off the ground as she opened her eyes. Her chest stung slightly from the fall, but nothing major. The record play was set back up, now only playing the crackles of vinyl. “…Huh.” She wasn’t used to things resetting during a simple blackout, but then again things weren’t really normal at the moment either.
“You feeling better?” Minuette asked, looking down at her. Her face wasn’t showing any signs of fear anymore. “You sure were out for a long time…but I guess you’re used to that, huh?”
“...Hmph. I’ll make this quick so that I can be done with this day.” She said, turning her back on the dentist and going to one of the cupboards. She pulled out her tray of instruments and tools, all looking so nice and clean. She turned back around, putting it on the table as she grabbed a scalpel and walked over. “I think I’ll start with the vocal chords. Not in the mood to deal with screams.”
Minuette smiled at her. “You know, people used to call me Colgate. Back when you were still around, anyways.” Her hair…was different. There were three stripes in it now.
“What..? I…your name…I’ve automatically been saying Minuette. What..what is going on..?” She held the blade tighter, unsure of what would come next.
“I thought you were more ready for the unexpected. After all, the restraints are now metal, instead of rope right? No more needing to worry about those pesky knots, right?” The dentist was laughing, her hair colors changing. Each strip was now a different color and her face slowly changing. “And that’s why you would lock the doors too right? So that even your closest of friends couldn’t get out.”
She backed up, bumping into the table. “No no no…Just shut up. Just shut up and let me do this!”
“Aw, what’s wrong? I thought you were used to this, after all isn’t it normally your friends that show up in these restraints? Or…am I a rare occasion?” Rainbow Dash asked, the smirk on her face growing. “But hey…speaking of knots…” With one strong yank, she broke free of the metal restraints. They fell to the ground with clangs as she started walking towards her kidnapper.
“S-stay back, Dashie! I’ll take a big swing right at you if you don’t get back!” She said, before falling onto the table causing her tools to scatter all over the floor. The hard metal hitting her back caused her to groan as she could no longer mover much at all.
“You know…you could have just kindly asked me to stay back, and I would’ve!” Dash laughed, shaking her head. “I’m up for a friendly chat, though this scenery could definitely use a bit of a pick me up.” Dash then snapper her fingers.
The next thing she knew, she was back on her feet, and a new record was on. The whole place was now cleaned up, with a small tray of cupcakes in the center. Each one had a different color to it, each one distinct from the other.
“Now isn’t this much better? I really brought things back to life, if I do say so myself.” A man said, sitting at the opposite end of the table. He had on a brown suit that seemed to be made out of different materials. He began to stroke his chin as he listened to the music. “Ah, Discordant Dystopia, such a classic yet underrated piece.” He said, listening to the music as he gave off a wide smile. She saw there was one long and sharp tooth that stuck out among the row of pearly white.
“W…what…what the hell are you?” She asked, looking at him. She couldn’t keep her cool even if she tried in a situation like this.
“Ooo, I like the use of what. Shows you know that this stranger isn’t a normal being.” The stranger said, thinking. “You know, I don’t really know myself as to what I am. A concept given form, I guess” He said, moving around in his seat.
“...Do you have a name?” She asked, her breathing calming a bit.
“Oh, that I do have! Many, actually! I’ve been around for quite some time.” He reached into a breast pocked on his shirt, pulling out a card and handing it to her. It’s pattern looked like scales. “My card.”
‘Discord - Being of Chaos. Reformed(?)’
“I had to write on the name part. Some times people call me Discord, others Baphomet, Azazel, Krampus, all that good stuff. Never liked Lucifer though. That’s just not who I am, and I don’t think he would like me being called that.” He said, going off on a tangent while smiling.
“W..Why the question mark at the end?” She looked up at him. It was hard to tell what he was joking about and what he was serious about.
“It’s hard to see if a concept like chaos is truly good or evil. I no longer wish to do..truly malicious things all the time, but I cannot help it if some of my actions wind up being more…cruel.” He explained, snapping as the room was now upside down, with her falling onto the ceiling with a grunt, while he and everything on the table stayed in place. He looked down at her. “Had a bit of a problem with things like this when I was brought back again as well. Just be glad you don’t have any gravy boats.”
“...What is it that you want, exactly?” She said, pulling herself back up again.
“Well, that’s quite a simple thing. I want to help you. You see, I’ve been aware of you for quite some time. Just getting to this place was rather difficult though, to my surprise.” He started walking above her, his well made shoes sticking to the floor. “I could’ve helped deal with a minor little king when he came into town…but you took more precedence.”
“And why is that exactly?”
“Because. I want to help you. You shouldn’t be stuck in a purgatory state! You should be out doing things! Maybe not what you used to do, but still doing things!” He exclaimed, snapping as she was back on the ground again. “I understand what it’s like, being trapped away from the public for such a long time. And it’s clear you’ve missed quite a lot while you were gone. I think it’s about time we brought you back to the real world. Time for you to finally leave your room.”
“You’re…taking me home? Can..can I finally see-” She started, feeling the tears welling up in her eyes as the thought came to her.
“Oh. Oh no, not yet. We can’t let you head home just yet. You’d just go back to your old ways, and all those bad thoughts would come flooding in, like a broken dam. No, instead…I’m going to take you somewhere much more up to date on things, a world that’s much more..main.”
“No! You can’t just do that to me! And what if I run into that universe’s me then, huh?!” The anger and overwhelming emotions were taking hold. She no longer felt scared in this man’s presence. “I’m willing to just..stay here, alright?! What’s the point in bringing back something that’s done it’s purpose?” It sucked to admit it, but she was probably better off just staying in that room.
“Oh, but I can. I was once like you. Thinking I was resigned to my fate, and that it would be no good for me to come back. But then when I did…I was able to help in things. And it’s not like you were entirely gone, now were you?” He asked, smirking “Better I take you to a place where that woman can’t easily get to you.”
“...Even so, what about my other question? The second I run into your me, they’ll freak out.” She said, shaking her head at every offer that seemed tempting.
“Oh, don’t worry about her for now. She’s off on her own special friendship mission.” Discord said, smiling.
---
“Wow, I can’t believe the map needed me to go through that glowing door! I wonder what the friendship problem is!” Pinkie said, walking down the halls of the castle. She was a bit surprised that walking through a glowing white door only seemed to lead back to the castle hallways, but hey, what did she know about glowing doors right?
She could hear muffled arguments up ahead as she walked to the main door. “Uh oh. Looks like someone’s in a super grumpy mood! Nothing a good ol’ Pinkie Party can’t at least calm down!” She said, opening the door as she walked in with a big smile on her face. “Have no fear everybody, Pinkie Pie is here to help calm things down with a surprise party just for you!” She exclaimed before looking around the room.
Everypony at the table looked at her, with expressions of confusion and anger. Pinkie’s angry glare at Twilight shifted to the new pony that had entered, one that looked almost exactly like her. “A missed mirror pool clone! Get her!”
“No no no wait, the map sent me-” Human Pinkie then realized as she was tackled by five ponies that maybe she shouldn’t have taken Discord’s word about the map needing her, but..by the looks of things, she was still needed here anyways. “I don’t know how ponies work! Tell me the rules before we wrestle!”
---
“She’ll be gone for at least 30 or so moons. You’ll fit in just fine.” Discord said, going to a wall and opening a door that hadn’t been there before. “Sorry if things are a bit cold when you first get there. A bit of a delay in things, should be fixed shortly there after though.”
She looked out of the frame, seeing only what seemed to be a rather large and far off wall of white. “…Even if you do force me to go, I’ll just tell everyone who I am, and act erratic. They’ll realize I’m a danger!”
“Oh, I have my ways of making sure that doesn’t happen. Now, the only really major things I should tell you is that Twilight gotten a new role besides Celestia’s student, and there have been some minor changes around town. I’m sure you can pick up on the rest quickly.” He smiled as she then realized that what was the floor was now the wall. “To speak in terms more your era…Ladies and Gentlemen, fasten your seat-belts.”
She went flying out of the door, so high up in the sky and hurtling to the ground below at rather high speeds. The wind was whipping past her as memories of events flashed by her eyes at high speeds. She was going fast…really, really fast. Her eyes widened as she realized why she was being dropped from so high up. The cone was already forming around her and tightening up as she got close and closer to the ground. “No no no no no no no!” She screamed as the pink cone started to spark, causing her to brace for what was coming next.
Boom.
---
“You’ve never been able to take in the fact that sometimes you can be wrong.” Maud said, as she and her sister circled each other. “I get that being the eldest means you have responsibilities placed on you and it can be hard at times, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make mistakes.”
“I don’t make mistakes! You’re the one leaving the farm, bringing things like cellphones here and sneaking off in the middle of the night!” Limestone responded, basically stomping her feet with every step. “Is this what you do now adays?! Just suspicious things cause you don’t miss your old life? First Pinkie leaves home and now you, but with you..it’s like you’re squandering every chance you get!”
“...What is that supposed to mean?” Maud asked, looking down.
“Look at Pinkie. She works with a princess, is basically running her own job, is an element of harmony! Yeah, she’s the odd one out in most aspects of this family, but at least she’s doing something! You…you just go to poetry slams, you weren’t one of the ones that helped that magician stop the Changeling’s Queen, and the only guy that you’ve ever brought home was…” Limestone stopped herself and took a deep breath. “No…no, that wasn’t you fault. Sorry…It’s just…it’s like you left home, but you have done nothing the time you’ve been away.”
“I…now have a motivator to try and make things even better for myself. I enjoy..the smaller quiet life, and now I…I have..” Before Maud could finish her sentences, a large boom sounded across the sky, with a tremor following after for a few seconds. It wasn’t even a major one, but it still sent the two to their backs on the ground.
After the tremors stopped a few seconds later, the sound of the train whistle could be heard. “Get home, make sure Pinkie’s safe. I’ve got the farm under control. Stay safe, sis.” Limestone said, the anger in her face being replaced with a determined look.
“Right. We’ll try to be back back here some time soon.” Maud said, bolting off for the train. The two knew when to put aside personal problems, but they didn’t really know how to fully address them either.
Meanwhile, Ozmanda slowly walked up from her bar, seeing the remains of what she assumed to be the rainboom in the sky. She pulled out a flask from her pocket and drank. “Huh…I wonder what summer season will bring.”
---
“W-woah! Was…was that you or me?” Dash asked, looking down. She wiped the sweat from her forehead.
“I wish I could go that fast..but I think it came from outside, maybe..?” Fluttershy posited, panting and trying to get back to normal. “I…think I might’ve pulled a muscle..or all of them..”
“Heh, wouldn’t surprise me. Let me just see what that was and then I’ll get us some drinks.” Dash said, pulling herself up and walking to the window. She took a look outside and gasped. “The cloud! Something’s happened at the cloud!” She said, hurriedly tossing on her underwear and some pants.
Fluttershy sat up, resting against the wall. “O-oh! Just give me a second to get back to normal and get dressed. I wanna see what happened with you!”
“Right, right. Just gotta…” Dash dashed to the cottage’s living room to try and get her shirts, but then all of a sudden, the sun in all it’s bright glory shone in from the windows, temporarily blinding the speedster. “Gah! I can’t see!” She shouted, before running smack into a wall and falling to the ground.
“Rainbow!” Fluttershy leaped out of bed, no longer feeling sore. “That didn’t sound good! I-I think you broke your nose!” She started to run towards her injured lover.
Dash held up a hand, making her stop. “Take it off first. Put it back under the bed.”
“Dash. You’re bleeding. I’m not going to stop and take off-”
“I don’t need the others judging me on what brand I buy for this kinda stuff…please…just put it away, I’ve dealt with broken noses before and we need to get to the cloud.” Dash said, trying to look as sympathetic as possible, even with her nose bleeding from the impact.
The element of kindness took a deep sigh before properly getting undressed and grabbing a few tissues, walking over to her fellow element. “I love you, but you really need to be more careful even when dealing with emergencies.” She said, noting that the darkness of the moon had returned.
“Sorry, sorry…But hey, you sticking with me through all my dumbass moments must mean something, right?” Rainbow asked, looking at her.
Fluttershy nodded, softly kissing her. “I wouldn’t have you any other way. Perhaps just not as injured all the time.” She said, wiping away the blood and putting a bandage over it. “We’ll get it looked at when morning actually starts.” She helped her up as they got dressed properly and headed to the door. As they headed out into the cold snowy night, towards the Apple Family Farm, they held hands. “I love you, Rainbow Dash.”
“Love you too, Fluttershy. Nothing’s gonna change that.” Dash said as they hopped on her bike and sped off towards the farm.
---
The boom sent Celestia hurtling out of her dream and back into bed as she shot up. “Oh no, I overslept again, didn’t I?!” She shouted, jumping out of bed and running out and down the halls. She still had her sleep mask half on along with her pajamas as she burst onto the royal balcony, causing her sister to jump. “Don’t worry Luna, I got can fix this! Wakey wakey Equestria!”
“Sister no!” Luna shouted, but she was too late, as she watched her older sister raise the sun rather quickly, causing the full brightness of an afternoon to cover the land suddenly. “My eyes! My eyes!” The princess of the night screamed, temporarily unable to see from the sudden change in lighting.
“Sorry about the morning lateness everyone! Royal wine can do that to you!” The Princess shouted out at the now complaining and grumbling citizens of Canterlot. “I’m a good princess!”
“SISTER IT IS STILL LATE AT NIGHT! PUT THE SUN BACK IN PLACE!” Luna shouted, using the royal Canterlot voice. It took her sister a few seconds to put things together as she then slowly moved the sun back, the sky growing dark once more.
The princess of the sun blinked a few times as she adjusted to the darkness. “…So, what was the boom? Was it an attack?”
Luna simply shook her head, pointing to what seemed to be remnants of something over Ponyville. “It seems that a shooting star or perhaps a comet entered the atmosphere, going fast enough to create a powerful sonic boom. Luckily, it looks like no one was hurt from it.”
Celestia sighed in relief, chuckling slightly. “Oh thank goodness. I was worried for a second that I had slept through another catastrophic event.” She said, getting up. “Welp, guess that means it’s back to bed for me. Perhaps a few slices of early morning cake and ice cream. Care to join me, dear sister?”
The younger sister shrugged, following. “I could do with something to help get over the now dozens and dozens of eye floaters I’m now seeing when I blink. Blackberry cake would certainly help.”
---
She hit the ground with a surprisingly soft thud on the ground, or at least it was soft compared to the massive boom that she had caused by going so fast. The fact that her body wasn’t in extreme pain was also a miracle as well. “Gotta…gotta get somewhere warm…” She said, slowly getting up and walking through the snow. Her body felt sluggish in the thick snow, forcing her to take slow steps. Then the sound of a shotgun ringing out however made her realize that the snow wasn’t so heavy after all.
“Granny!” Applejack shouted down the hall, struggling to get on a pair of pants in the middle of all this chaos. “Ya can’t just shoot out in the dark! What if it’s Twilight or someone coming to visit?!”
“Ah, phooey!” Granny Smith replied, looking out at the cloud. “If yer hoping fer some apple crisps, we’re fresh out! No pickin’ the trees either!” She shouted, seeing a figure bolting off in the distance. “I ain’t taking no visitors this late at night!”
Applejack burst into the room, running over to stop her granny from getting them into any kind of legal trouble. “Granny Smith, what did I say about dealing with possible thieves?”
The old woman thought for a few seconds. “Uh..let you deal with em, and hold down the fort just in case?”
The farmer nodded. “Exactly. I don’t know what the boom was either, but that don’t mean it’s open season. I’m going to go deal with whatever that was. You stay here and help protect the house, alright?”
The old woman nodded as Applejack slowly took the gun out of her hands. “Granny shoot anybody?” Big Mac asked as he walked into the room, Applejack handing the weapon to him.
“Thankfully, not this time.” AJ said, heading for the stairs. “Keep everyone here safe. Be back as soon as I can.” She threw on her jacket, heading through the snow to the cloud. The winter season was always a middling one for her. She knew that bad things were always bound to happen the most during it, and this was giving her the proof she needed. As she approached the spot, she shielded her eyes as out of nowhere, the sun was suddenly in the sky for a few long seconds. “Yep..winter don’t bring much good to things.” She said when it finally went dark.
“Oh, I must agree.” Discord said as he walked around the spot. He was currently in a cop uniform, setting up yellow tape. “It can get oh so cold, it can make things just stop. Cars, roads, brains, progress, all of it, gone.”
Applejack walked with him, sighing. “My whole gut’s telling me you got something to do with this, but normally ya ain’t so…explosive.”
“Oh, why thank you Applejack. Your trust in me truly shows how we’ve come in friendship. I’m truly sorry for this waking you up. I purchased this spot of land so that if anything were to happen, you and your family wouldn’t fret about who to deal with if there was damage.” To prove he was telling the truth, he pulled out an official signed document from his pocket, handing it to her. “You look nice into those winter clothes.” He said, before quickly snapping.
“Uh..thanks. Win-” There was a brief flash of light. “Summer clothes feel real comfy, though nothing really feels good when the weather gets all sticky.” The farmer said, standing on the grass. “Paperwork looks real. I’m just glad it seems no one was hurt. Nor was there any property damage. Last thing we need is work on the barn during a heatwave.”
The two where then illuminated by headlights as Rainbow Dash came speeding to a stop in front of the two. “Yo, anything super big craters or anything round here?” She said, getting off and looking at the spot. Fluttershy got off behind her as well.
“Don’t seem to be anything. Might’ve been someone else out here, but..” Applejack then pointed at Discord, “He’s out here looking at what that might’ve been as well…can I ask about what happened to your nose there, Sugarcube?”
“She was in a rush to get dressed and then the sun came up right in her eyes.” Fluttershy explained. “We’re gonna take her to a doctor to get it checked out as soon as possible.”
“Ah, Fluttershy! I do hope the boom did not interrupt any important dreams you might have been having.” Discord said, smiling as he walked over to her.
“Oh, no it’s fine. How about we get some coffee and tea while they continue to look for something?” Fluttershy smiled at Dash, giving her a slight nod. The creature of chaos took her hand as he snapped, teleporting them away to his home.
“So, you think he’s got something to do with whatever happened?” Dash asked, looking at Applejack as they walked around the area under the cloud.
“Oh, he definitely does, and clearly he don’t want us to know what’s up.” The farmer said, looking around more. “I saw another figure running away from this spot when I first looked out here. Couldn’t tell who it was, but it definitely wasn’t him.”
Dash sighed, looking a bit disappointed. “With all this chaos going on, whoever it was probably is already back in town blending into the crowd. Calling it now, she’ll want us to meet at the castle for breakfast.”
Applejack chuckled. “I’m gonna say at that breakfast place Rarity loves. They got all kindas breakfast stuff there, and endless coffee. Got a feeling I’ll be needed that.” They both chuckled as Fluttershy and Discord came back with a small tray of pastries as well as a pot of coffee.
Meanwhile, the rest of the town was unsure of what to do. No one was sure if there was anything else was going to come, and with the sun temporarily coming up for a few long seconds…it was clear something wasn’t right. Many were looking to the friendship castle in the hopes that it would get them the answers that they needed, but for now…it stayed unlit, no signs of any word coming from the princess of friendship.
She was able to easily sneak through thanks to so many people being out and worried. Not being noticed while out in public was a luxury she craved. She could hear the murmurs and the whispers, and was genuinely surprised by how scared a few of these people actually were. She saw a few familiar faces and figures, but she couldn’t risk to stop and get a better look at them, not in this environment or with this much fear and tension.
As she saw the familiar outline of Sugarcube Corner came into view, she saw the lights in the front of the store were on. She cussed to herself as she quickly made her way to the back, staying out of sight. She could see the windows to her bedroom were open, it’s just she’d need a boost to get up there without much noise. The only problem was, there was no sign of any boxes or bins that could be used to reach the height she needed. “…Alright…what’s the trick? This is all just a giant puzzle or something like that right? My first test for something I didn’t event want-”
“Hey! Are you alright?” A voice called out to her as she turned her head. She didn’t know who the figure was. “It’s Maisey! Are you..alright?” They asked as they got closer, their roller skates seeming to stand out in the still present dark.
“O-oh, I’m fine. Just…took a tumble out of the window. The boom really got me all messed up in the covers and the window was open…so, you know..?” She was clearly trying hard to make an explanation or excuse or anything that could work with this girl.
“Ouch…just…ouch. At least it looks like nothing’s broken?” Maisey asked, trying to be helpful as she looked her over. “Do you need me to get you anything? Do you think we should tell the others?”
“Nah…it’s nothing too bad, and with all this going on, we don’t need to freak them out even more you know? That’s why I don’t want to go in round front either. C..can you just help me up into the window again?” She tried hard to not gulp, hoping that somehow this would work.
“Sure. You have a strange view on things, but hey, if it helps you be you, I won’t complain.” Maisey said, chuckling slightly. “Hey, before I help you..I need to tell you something about..” She then stopped herself, thinking about whether or not she wanted to bring up the topic in her head. “Actually, never mind. We can talk about it more when the morning properly comes.”
“Alright. Thanks again, Mazey.” She said, climbing up the other girl’s back to the window and getting in, before shutting the window.
“Jeez, never really seen her hair like that…” Maisey said, sighing before her cell started to ring. She quickly pulled it out and looked at the caller. “Maud! Oh thank Celestia you’re alright, I wanted to call sooner but my parents wanted to make sure I was alright and I didn’t know to hang up without worrying them!” There a bit less tension in the air for Maisey, as she quickly skated to the train station, ready to wait however long she needed to greet her lover when she got off the train.
Inside Sugarcube Corner, she hit the ground with a small thud as she picked herself up. Looking around in the slightly illuminated dark, she was able to see that the layout of the room was similar to her old one as well. Her bed was just a few steps away, but she felt the need to check in one something first. She slowly made her way out of the room and down the hall, walking into the bathroom.
She turned on the light and looked at herself in the mirror, silently watching herself. She was there, in all her glory, hair flat and deflated, with it ending in a sharp cut line. She ran her hands through it. Still so impossibly soft somehow. She just watched herself for what felt like an hour or so, even though really it was only a few minutes. The realization was finally hitting her square in the face. She was alive.
Pinkamena Diane Pie was alive.
“Welcome Back.” A voice said behind her, before turning off the light, leaving her once again in total darkness.
---
The sun properly came up a few hours later, with the daylight covering a mostly half asleep land. Many just decided to take the day off or sleep in. As Twilight walked her way through the castle’s main room, she was just happy that she could find a few breakfast places open. She saw that Trixie and Starlight Glimmer were eating at the table, both looking like they hadn’t slept either.
“Morning, you two.” Twilight said as she walked up to them.
“Morning…” Starlight said, looking into her pancakes with eyes like she was seeing the most inviting pillow ever.
“Mmphm…” Trixie spat out, her mouth full of toaster waffles. She then proceeded to drink the bottle of syrup to help get them all down.
“Word of advice, don’t sleep in the pancakes. Just gets syrup and stuff in your hair and all over your face.” The Princess said, helping Starlight’s head back up. “…Did the map call someone last night? There seems to be residue energy on it…” She said, running her hand over the crystal table.
“Maybe it has something to do with that horrible boom from last night…It cracked all of Trixie’s windows and now she has to get them replaced!” The magician said, finally swallowing her food. “The least they could do was break, but no, they have to be these web like ones.”
“We’ll be looking into whatever that was last night, and we’ll probably need both of your help, but for now..sleep in. Enjoy the extra snuggle time.” Twilight said, giggling as she walked out. “And wake up Spike when you get the chance, he somehow slept through all of last night, and we’re probably gonna need his help too.”
“Yeah…snuggle…” Starlight said as rested her head on the table, her magic levitating Trixie towards her, both drifting back into slumber.
The princess of friendship smiled again as she walked down the calm town streets. At least the weather was nice and warm today. As she walked by Sugarcube Corner, she stopped and looked up at the window into Pinkie’s room for a few seconds. She had been completely quiet the whole night. No calls, no frantic pacing around the castle, no nothing. Not even any texts worrying about how she had made seven cakes fueled purely by anxiety. Had she finally hit a wall..had she entered into burnout?
“I should really…” Twilight wanted to head in and walk with the party planner..but she didn’t want to just barge in. What if she was asleep, or super sick and just needed time to properly get better? She really wanted to make sure that she was there for her friend. Even though Pinkie had forgiven her for her outbursts and actions during the Storm King’s take over..she still felt like she had a lot to make up.
“Twilight, darling!” Rarity calling out to her broke the princess’s train of thought. “I am so glad we are going to ‘Crepes and Cream’ for breakfast with the others. Some proper pastries and chai will do wonders in getting me the energy I need for this day.”
“Oh, yeah, that does sound good. I just hope that Pinkie’s doing well…” Twilight said as they continued their walk to the breakfast place.
“While I must admit it is odd to not have my phone blow up with a series of nonsense texts, I have a good feeling that nothing major has happened to her. And if something is wrong, we’ll do our best to help.” Rarity said, patting her on the back as they reached their destination.
They saw one of the many Apple family trucks pulled into the parking lot, Applejack herself talking into her own phone in the car. “Yeah, I can give ya a tour of the orchard, take ya down to the cellar. More than happy meet up as soon as possible for you. I’ll get a few crates ready in advance.” She said, smiling as she hung up and got out.
“Someone seems to have met a new potential distributor.” Rarity said as the farming girl walked into the restaurant, greeted by the smells of freshly baked treats and breakfasts.
Applejack chuckled, pulling her hat back. “Summer brings more heat, more heat means more drinks, more drinks equals more sales. Apple Business is good Business.” She explained, being led to a slightly larger table with the other two. “Rainbow Dash is gonna be a bit late. Needs to get something checked out.”
“It’s nothing serious is it?” Twilight asked, looking concerned.
“Don’t get too worried bout it. Just broken nose, nothing new for a girl like her.”
Twilight sighed in relief as all three picked up their menus. Soon after, both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash walked in, with Rainbow’s nose being covered while it healed. “Hey, before either of you two ask, I broke it trying to help Fluttershy out of her house. The boom sealed her door in shut pretty tight.”
Applejack kept herself from laughing at this, as she went back to her menu. “If it’s possible, can I just have the biggest cup you have here filled with coffee? And I’ll just take the eggs.”
Rarity watched her order. “I’m just going to guess and say that you didn’t get much sleep last night.” She said to the farmer, seeing the slight bags under her eyes. “And I’ll have the strawberry drizzle crepes with a nice hot chai please.”
“Had to spend most of the night calming down all the spooked animals, then I had to clean up a few cracked bottles in the cellar, and then by that point it was near sunrise so I got to work on picking and bucking the apples. Ain’t no rest for the hardworking I guess.”
“Oh, do I know the feeling. I had to spend a good hour or so trying to calm Opalescence down. Not even a thunderstorm scared her as much as this. And then I couldn’t get back to sleep so I decided to work on some of my bigger orders and then that became trying to plan out my summer style…” The fashionista said before sipping down her drink as it was placed in front of her.
Twilight was busy placing out a few notes she had written hours earlier, each of them with their own separate theories. “Alright, to ease into things I’m going to start with some of the more implausible theories I came up with. Oh, and I’ll have the extra fluffy waffles with blueberries on the side, and the cottage cheese. And I’ll just take your iced tea.” She ordered, giving her waitress the menu. “This sounds so impossible, I know..but what do you think about that boom being some form of rainboom?”
Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight with a stare of trying to tell if she was serious or not. “Sonic Rainbooms aren’t easy to do Twilight. I mean, they are for me now, but not everyone is lucky enough to be me, ya know?” She said, cockily smiling. “I’ll have the morning workout plate with a protein banana smoothie to drink. But anyways, getting to such a high speed and being able to maintain it. It’s not something you can just do. If it was, you’d probably have done it by now.”
“I know, I’ve just been writing down any kind of possibilities. With all that we’ve been through, you never know, right?” The princess said, going through other ideas. She looked at the end of the table. Still no Pinkie.
“Maybe she’s in a long call with Maud.” Fluttershy said, noticing the despair in Twilight’s face. “The past few months have been such a big turn of events for her, maybe she just needs time to de-stress. Tree Hugger has de-stress sessions all the time.” She gave a reassuring smile to her. “And I’ll just have the pancakes with chocolate milk on the side.”
“What, you mean all that alternative medicine stuff?” Rainbow Dash started, but was shot down by Fluttershy’s glare.
“She doesn't use it as a replacement to actual medicine,” Fluttershy explained, "And de-stress sessions can be a lot of things. Meditation, yoga, art therapy.."
As the group was more focused on discussing the cause of last night, they didn’t notice someone join the table until the menu was already up, covering their face. Mumbling could be heard as the new addition to the table looked through the menu.
“Morning Pinkie. You sleep ok?” Applejack asked, filling up her cup with more coffee.
“Is Maud alright? I hope that your family’s rock farm is doing fine as well.” Rarity said, taking a bite from her crepe.
“If something’s up or you need help with something, you can tell us, Pinkie.” Twilight said, watching her with concern. Had she never been here before? Is that why ordering was taking so long?
“With last night’s chaos, we understand if you just needed sometime to take care of yourself.” Fluttershy said, giving another warm smile in the hopes that she would see it.
Pinkie was just still mumbling to herself, menu covering her face as waitress approached.
“Hey, Pinks. The waitress is here, not like you to be the last one to anything. Or not explain what’s going on with us.” Rainbow Dash said, walking down to her and pulling down the menu. Her eyes widened as she took a step back. “W-woah!”
Pinkie looked up at the waitress. “I’ll take your big breakfast platter, with like..a whole pitcher of white soda if that’s alright.” She said, giving a weak smile. Her usual bright pink attire was replaced with a more lighter yet also darker short sleeved hoodie. Her hair was flat, ending in a sharp line
“Pinkie..?” Twilight asked nervously, watching her friend’s clearly anxious body language.
“Sorry I was late, slept in…alarm clock was busted so I had to rush here. Didn’t get a real chance to take in everything so I got lost a lot..” Pinkie said, fingers drumming against the counter. “My bad guys-” She looked up as Rainbow Dash put a hand on her shoulder.
“Pinkie, it’s alright. Promise.” Dash said, noticing the more anxious attitude too. She gave her a wide smile. “Sometimes a girl sleeps in. Not their fault.”
Pinkie just looked up at her, seeing the broken nose. “D-Dashie…your nose…I..” She started to tear up as she got to her knees. “Oh Dashie….I…I…” She started crying, being pulled into the hug by her bestie.
“Hey, hey. It’s nothing major. Just gotta let it heal and it’ll be back to normal. It’s all cause of me anyways. You weren’t even there when it happened!” Dash said, trying to help her get back to normal.
“Oh Pinkie…We’re always here for you if you’re feeling too pressured or stress. T-that’s what a good friend is for, right?” Twilight said, walking up to them. “Oh, who am I kidding, I’ve been a real bad friend to you at times, Pinkie! I’m sorry!” The princess of friendship said, starting to cry herself and hugging her clearly depressed friend.
“Oh Pinkie…you should’ve said something!” Rarity joined the group hug, crying as well.
“Ah shoot…family’s always gonna be there for family, right, Pinkie? Sweet Apple Acres always open for when ya need some place to come to.” Applejack said, patting Pinkie on the back. “Being as honest as I can be when I say, it’s gonna be alright, no matter what the issue is.”
Dash looked over at Fluttershy, and the two nodded at each other. “I’ll go get some tissues for everyone. Pinkie, your friends are always gonna help you. We promise.” Fluttershy said, giving her a quick hug before going off near the back of the restaurant.
Dash and Pinkie looked each other in the eyes again. “Pinkie Pie, don’t be so sad. It’ll be alright. We’re here for you, and there’s no way in the world we’re going anywhere.”
Pinkie gave a weak smile again before looking down at the ground, more tears flowing down her face as she felt a cellphone in her pocket vibrate. She pulled it out, looking at it. “Uh..can you guys get my food in a box when it comes? I have to get to the station soon.” She asked, Applejack nodding.
“O-oh, let me come with! Maud might need some help with her bags if she has a lot with her.” Twilight requested, smiling as Pinkie nodded, the two heading for the door.
“Twilight..can you do something for me? It’d be really nice if you did.” Pinkie asked, looking at her as they walked back out into the sunlight.
“Anything need, Pinkie.” The princess said, smiling at her.
“Call me Pinkamena.”
---
Maisey got to her feet as she watched the train pull into the station, a few scattered passengers getting off near the front. She looked around, not seeing Maud. “…Maud?” She asked aloud, not hearing a reply. All of a sudden, she was quickly lifted off her feet and into the air for a few seconds.
“Surprise.” Maud said, her deadpan and calm voice bringing the biggest smile to her girlfriend’s face. She softly lowered her, only to then be kissed long and lovingly. She made sure to kiss back. “I missed you, Maisey.”
The skating waitress nuzzled against her, holding her tight. “I missed you more than anything, Maud. I’m so happy you’re safe.” She didn’t want to moment to end as they held each other close in the station for a few seconds, silently happy. “So, how about I make you some food at the dinner. Anything you could think of. Pancakes, eggs, oatmeal, chicken and waffles, burgers, heck if you asked for lobster and steak I would do it!”
“Thanks. Pancakes sound good.” Maud said, a slight smile creeping up her face again as they looked out at the town in the beautiful blue sky. “I really am so lucky to have you, Maisey.”
Maisey just laughed as started to head out. “I’m luckier to have you. You make me feel like I finally can see that my life is gonna be just fine, no matter what happens.” They slowly but happily held each others hand, feeling the cool breeze on their skin. “I love you, Maud Pie.”
“I love you too, Maisey Blue.” Maud said, fully smiling now. This was gonna be a fun summer.