//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 - Ghosts of the Past // Story: My Little Pony: The Fox of Everfree // by Valtyrian //------------------------------// Zecora sighed deeply as she walked with Fluttershy, the two mares carrying Kohaku to a bedroom in the large tree. The young fox lay on Zecora’s back with all four limbs hanging off her flanks. Despite being unconscious, he was still moving. His legs twitched and shifted about as if running toward, or away, from something. Had it not been for Fluttershy’s wings holding him in place, Kohaku would have fallen onto the floor. The shy mare couldn’t help but let out a small giggle when Kohaku started to chew on the tail end of Zecora’s mohawk. “Gak…” Was all the Zebra could say when the young fox tugged a little too hard. A swift swat of canary yellow feathers to his nose made him stop. “Oh, thank you. Carrying him during this time is always a chore. I’ll be glad when we get him through this door.” “Oh, it’s no problem,” Fluttershy said as she pushed on Kohaku’s side as he rolled a bit. “But, um, I have to ask, why did you want me to help?” Opening the door surrounded by a thick wall of leaves, Zecora looked over her shoulder. “You were the only choice that I could see, the others would not let him be,” Zecora stated as they walked into the small room. “Twilight, while he would not mind her getting closer, she would be designed to study him all over. Rainbow, that girl might make him blush even more. Particularly since earlier she flashed him her back door. As for Rarity, what more can be said. She is after all the reason I’m putting him to bed.” Nodding a few times, Fluttershy followed Zecora into the room. The room was small, but cozy. The floor was lined with a few bamboo mats, two of them positioned in the center with six more surrounding them. Along one wall to the left was a dresser, with a rolled futon beside it. Just opposite of the dresser was a small desk with a single drawer and an ink well, but no quills. Along the outside wall was an open picture window. Standing upright, just under the window, was a yellow marten. Her forelegs were crossed across her chest, and her foot tapped impatiently. A large blue eagle with white wings stood on the window sill, half rolling its eyes. “Oh my, I did not know he would be receiving guests,” Zecora said, stopping in her tracks. Fluttershy looked at the marten who seemed to be barking up a storm as she pointed at Kohaku. “Um, she wants to know if the marshmallow mare did this to him,” Fluttershy said to Zecora who only nodded slowly. “Are they his friends?” “Yes, he introduced me to them a few years back,” replied Zecora as she moved through the room. “This is Marigold, and the eagle is Skywings” “I see…” Leaning in to the female marten, Fluttershy smiled. “I... I’m Fluttershy, could you move please, so we can lay him to bed.” Marigold looked at Fluttershy. Giving the pegasus a quick sniff and nod, she dashed over to the futon mattress and unrolled it for the mares. After the mattress was ready, the two mares laid him onto it carefully. Marigold quickly covered him with a heavy blanket. Fluttershy watched as the marten fussed over Kohaku. Leaning in, she brushed her feathers along his forehead, moving aside a few strands of hair from his face. Her wing was quickly pushed away by Marigold who just barked repeatedly at Fluttershy. “Oh no. I... I just want to help,” Fluttershy said weakly as the marten continued to bark at her. “Mmm, what’s going on,” Kohaku muttered as he shifted and opened his eyes, staring up at the two mares, the marten, and the eagle leaning over him. Looking at Fluttershy, he blinked. “Silky? What are you doing here..” “U... um, I’m Fluttershy. We met downstairs earlier.” “Huh?” was all Kohaku could muster as he tried to get up, only for a striped hoof to push him back down. “Kohaku.” Zecora’s voice was firm as she kept her hoof on his shoulder. Her stern eyes bored directly into Kohaku’s. “You had one of your episodes that gave us all quite a fright. It was so bad, you will not be leaving this night.” Nodding, the young fox looked at his friend. “Marigold, what are you doing here?” The marten rolled her eyes as she barked and gestured at Kohaku. Moving about the room, she hopped back and forth. At one point she made an overly dramatic reaction before scrunching up her face a little. Running back up to Kohaku, she then pointed at Zecora and Fluttershy. “I see, you were worried about me being with Miss Rarity,” he said and reached up, touching Marigold’s soft fur. “Thanks. But what about your boys?” A few swift barks and a wave of her paw made him chuckle. “I see, you conned your sister into watching them.” His quick chuckle soon turned into rough coughing. “Uh, Miss Zecora. Could I have something to drink?” “Of course.” Zecora chuckled as she turned. “I’ll even add something to help you sleep peacefully.” Leaning to Zecora before she left, Fluttershy looked at her zebra friend. “He can talk to animals? How?” Smiling at Fluttershy, Zecora just shook her head. “I’ve never been entirely sure. I just know it’s a special gift of his. Watch him while I get him something with fizz,” with that the zebra closed the door behind her. Fluttershy watched Kohaku converse weakly with both the eagle and the marten. A soft smile crossed her lips as her interest in the boy peaked. “Oh… could I get a piece of paper and that inkwell, please…” Taking a slow deep breath, Kohaku pushed himself up into a seated position, looking to both Fluttershy and Marigold. “I need to write a letter.” His voice was slow and labored, interrupted occasionally by a hard cough. “Oh, yes of course,” Fluttershy said as she took the inkwell from the nearby desk with her teeth and brought it over. Marigold was far quicker as she opened the drawer to the desk and pulled out a sheet of paper. “You can use a feather of mine if you like, there are no quills.” Taking the ink and paper with his paws, he smiled up at Fluttershy. “Oh, that’s okay, I don’t use them anyway.” Unsheathing a black claw, he dipped it into the ink and started to write. Fluttershy took note that Kohaku’s writing consisted of symbols unknown to her. His paws moved from top to bottom, then right to left. After he was done he cleaned his claw on a scrap edge of paper and capped the inkwell. Rolling the letter up, he tied a small string around it. “Skywings, could you deliver this to Silky tonight please?” Kohaku asked, his eagle friend cawed in reply. “And take Marigold home. I already have one mother hen in Zecora, I don’t need two,” he said softly as the marten kissed his cheek and shook her head. Moving up, she curled upon a plush cushion and just watched him. “Oh, alright. Stay.” He gave in as Skywings took off into the night sky. “And what is going on in here, hmmm?” Zecora asked as she trotted into the room again, a small tray on her back with a glass that bubbled and fizzed. “Here you go, Kohaku. I put a powerful sleep aid in there, for deep dreamless sleep. By tomorrow you should be well enough to go home.” “Mmm, thanks, Zecora,” Kohaku said, taking the glass with both paws, and started to drink. Watching carefully, Zecora helped to tip the glass up with her hoof, so that Kohaku drank every last drop. After lowering her hoof back down, it knocked against the inkwell by the futon. Looking down, she raised an eyebrow questionably. “What is this doing here?” “Kohaku was just writing a letter to his friend,” Fluttershy said, grabbing the bottle and putting it back on the desk. “Why did you need to write a letter?” Zecora took the empty glass from Kohaku. She watched as his eyes took on a dreamy look. His head slowly dropped to his chest, only for him to swiftly lift it back up. Gently pushing on his withers, Zecora lowered his body down till he was lying flat on his back. “You never needed to before.” Yawning wide, Kohaku rolled over on his futon. As his vision blurred and became watery, he rested his head on the soft pillow. “I don’t want Sweetie Belle to worry when I don’t come home tonight….” Kohaku mumbled as he closed his eyes just before sleep took him. The two mares looked at Kohaku, their eyes wide with shock. Neither spoke as they turned to look at each other as a smile crossed their lips. Sweetie Belle was alive. ***** Sweetie Belle sat on the cliff edge by the raging waterfall, her eyes staring up at the highest part of the fall, particularly at the pair of trees that she had hung from weeks earlier. She groaned. She hated that view, a painful reminder of her accident. She did like one aspect of this waterfall though. When the light of the setting sun over the trees hit it just right, the entire waterfall looked to be made of liquid golden fire. It was during this time that Kohaku would leap from the top of the waterfall, his tails grabbing onto a vine as he bungee jumped down until his nose touched the water, the vine snapping him back up. Once he got a few feet above the water again he would let go of the vine, do a backward somersault and then swan dive into the lake. A sight that always made her heart pound and a flush come to her cheeks. Sweetie Belle waited, counting down the seconds. It wasn’t until the sun had moved down past the trees, and the water returned to normal that she stopped. A sound of multiple hooves behind her caused her to shift her attention. “He’s late…” Sweetie Belle whispered as she looked at Silky who simply nodded. “He’s never late. Why is he late?” She sighed deeply and lay down on the cliff. “I don’t know, Sweetie. It’s probably just a small delay,” Silky said as she looked up at the waterfall. “He and his friend up north must have gotten into another meaningful conversation. Or she cooked him dinner.” “Do you know who his friend is?” the filly asked as she looked up at Silky. “Nope. I do know she’s rather eccentric and a bit odd.” Silky chuckled. “That’s all he’ll say about her. He never even mentioned what kind of pony she is.” “He does like his secrets, doesn’t he,” Sweetie Belle mumbled as the two of them nodded in agreement and stood up. A sudden eagle cry from above caught their attention. “That’s Skywings. What is she doing here? She normally doesn’t come around till the weekend.” Silky lifted up one of her front legs and caught the large eagle. She took the scroll that was in the bird’s claw with her unicorn magic. “Thanks, dear. Help yourself to whatever fish you can find,” the spider-mare said as she lowered her leg. The eagle dove toward the lake. Snatching a bass with one claw, she took off into the sky again. “She usually delivers letters for Kohaku if he’s delayed up north.” Unrolling the note, Silky scanned its contents. Her face, which was previously cheerful, dropped like a sack of stones as she slumped down onto her rump. “Oh dear…” The scroll landed between her hooves. Sweetie Belle moved in to read the letter, but all she saw were symbols just like in almost all of Kohaku’s books. “Um, what does it say?” she asked, turning the paper, trying to figure out which way was up. “It’s a note from Kohaku, he had one of his… episodes. A rather nasty one too,” Silky explained. Looking at the filly’s confused look, the mare tried to put on a smile. “Let me explain. You haven't seen it yet, but Kohaku is subject to panic attacks. Anything can bring it on. A sound, a smell. A word or a phrase. Something that will pull him out of the present and into his troubled past.” She put a hoof on Sweetie Belle’s shoulder. “Sometimes the episodes aren't much. And he’s well again in a matter of moments. Then there are those rare times when he becomes completely incapacitated. Sadly it’s the latter, according to this note. He will not be returning tonight.” With a swift brush of her hoof she knocked the scroll into the lake, the paper skipping several times before finally sinking into the depths. Sweetie Belle didn’t say anything. She just watched the scroll sink into the waters before looking up at Silky. The spider-mare’s eyes were closed as a few tears streamed down her cheeks. It was after a few minutes of slow methodical breathing before Silky turned her gaze back to the filly. “Well, since Kohaku isn’t going to be coming home tonight, do you want to stay at my place? I’d hate to leave you all alone here,” Silky gave the filly a tender motherly smile and brushed the tears from her own eyes. “No, I’ll be okay. That little house kinda feels like home now.” Sweetie Belle smiled at her older friend. “It might be a little lonely tonight, but I can manage. It’s just one night after all, right? What could happen?” “Well okay. If you insist,” Silky said, giving her young friend a comforting hug. “You got plenty to eat. There’s lots to read. And you have a radio in the bedroom. You should be well set. Just get some rest, I’ll come by in the morning.” “Thanks, that will help,” Sweetie Belle said, embracing Silky in return. After saying their goodnights, the filly watched her friend trot down the path toward the village. As she stood there alone on the small cliff, she wanted to run after Silky and take her up on the offer. But as she saw the mare vanish from sight, Sweetie Belle groaned a little. What am I so scared of? I’ve spent nights alone before. This is no different. Turning around, she walked past the waterfall and onto a dark cobblestone pathway. Trotting toward the small house, she stopped at the doorway and looked around. From any other area, the sight before her would be nothing but dense lush trees and the side of a large stone wall. But from here she could see an open valley. Within that valley sat a town that was nearly the size of Ponyville, albeit most of it now lay in ruins. She just gazed at the town. At its center was a massive oak tree reaching nearly four hundred feet in the sky. Even from this distance she could see the red charm ribbons hanging from its base. Beyond the town towered an impressively large temple built into and atop a large hill. Letting out a sigh, she pushed open the door, making sure she locked it behind her. After a quick shower and a light meal, Sweetie Belle found herself standing at the foot of the large bed. Sighing deeply, she crawled up and lay out on Kohaku’s side. She hated to admit it, but she was going to miss him tonight. Pulling a pillow he used close, she clutched it with all four limbs. Her muzzle pushed into it, and she inhaled the ever-present scent of petrichor. That sweet earthy scent that Kohaku always had about him. It was always so much stronger after he showered and clung to anything he touched. Closing her eyes, she imagined him purring deeply next to her until sleep claimed her. ***** Sweetie Belle had been sleeping for only a few hours when a sudden door slam shook her awake. She shot up into a seated position. Clutching the blankets, she pulled them up against her chest. “Kohaku? Is that you?” she asked, looking about for any sign of movement. Giving her dry lips a light lick, she rubbed her eyes with a hoof, her sleepy vision quickly clearing. A bright light filtered in through the paper walls and cracks in the door from the living room. Odd, I’m sure I turned those lights off, she thought. Sweetie Belle started to get up to turn off the lights in the other room. Once standing, she looked at the door and froze in place. As she looked at the door, two shadows started to appear, both slowly walking toward the bedroom door. Even from this distance Sweetie Belle could make out their shapes. The first was most certainly a pony. Maybe Silky came back to check on me. That’s sweet of her, but unnecessary. Especially at this hour, she thought as she opened her mouth to call out to her friend. But her voice died in her throat as the shadow’s form became more noticable. It most certainly wasn’t Silky’s profile she was looking at, but another adult pony. A cold sweat dripped down her spine as she shifted her gaze to the other shadow, one of a very similar shape to Kohaku. She was about to call out to him when she noticed that the fox shadow had not three, but nine tails. Even through the walls she could hear their muffled voices. Watching them get closer and closer, Sweetie Belle used her magic to pile all the pillows around her. She lay as flat as she could among them, praying not to be noticed. The lanterns in the room suddenly came to life as the sliding door opened. Sweetie Belle trembled a little as the two strangers came strolling in. She wasn’t too comforted to know that the pony was an adult stallion. Her young body trembled under her mound of pillows. Looking at him, she had to admit that even from this angle, he was rather attractive. His long black mane flowed down his neck, pouring out from a large cone hat with a wide brim. She watched him move backwards, closer toward the bed, inching further and further away from the large fox strolling into the room. She even took notice of his muscular flank which was half hidden under a dark blue cloak that she had seen so many times. That’s Kohaku’s cloak… why is he wearing Kohaku’s cloak? Sweetie Belle thought as her eyes traced over to the large fox. Sweetie Belle looked at the large vixen before her. She seemed amazingly similar to Kohaku. She was so otherworldly beautiful, Sweetie’s own heart skipped a beat as she stared at this female. She had once been caught in a large thunderstorm with her sister and friends during a camping trip. The crash of the thunder shook her young body while the flash of lighting light the sky so brilliantly that the filly marveled at the sheer beauty of it. As she looked at this vixen, her body trembled the same way it did during that thunderstorm. Sweetie Belle watched carefully as the vixen moved closer to the male, storm blue eye sparking with intense lightning as the vixen circled around the stallion. Several of those long nine tails softly caressed his flank. Shifting uncomfortably, Sweetie Belle bit down on her lower lip more as the vixen licked hers hungrily. She looked on as her heart pounded hard. Who were these two, and why did they break into the house? She was about to scream aloud when she heard the pony speak. “Now, Stormy. Settle down,” pleaded the stallion as he backpedalled, doing his best to move away from the vixen. His eyes occasionally moved from hers to her shapely hips as her tails caressed his flank and backside. Gulping loudly, the unicorn stallion tried to move over to the side, only to trip over his own cloak. A loud giggle escaped the vixen’s lips, as he stumbled backwards and fell onto his back on top the bed. “You know how I feel about you, but we can’t do this. It’s too soon.” Sweetie Belle blinked at the sight before she widened her eyes. And within the span of that blink, the vixen had leaped forward and was now standing over the stallion, one of her large paws pressed gently against his chest. “Oh, Starry. We’ve been dating for well over a year now,” Stormy said gently. Sweetie Belle’s heart started to beat faster as she watched the pair. The vixen’s paw lovingly unhooked his cloak as a tail flipped the hat from his head. “Don’t you find me attractive? You can’t tell me you are still a virgin who’s afraid of a little intimacy.” “Well… no,” Starry said with a bit of a blush. Then blinked. “I... I mean no, I’m not a virgin. And you are very attractive… very very attractive, but my gods. If your father finds out we did something like this, I’ll lose something very important to me.” Stormy smiled and blinked at him softly. “Your apprenticeship?” “If I’m lucky.” Starry gulped nervously. Stormy giggled as she crawled up and half-straddled him. Sweetie Belle whimpered silently at the sight in front of her. “Don’t worry about daddy, he’s a teddy bear. Now, as for us. I’ve been patient long enough. Just lay back and let me take control. I’ve been eager to see if what they say about stallions is true,” the vixen said as she leaned in and kissed Starry deeply on the lips. “Um... hello... filly in the room!” Sweetie Belle shouted, pushing her head out of the pillows. Neither of them acted as if they heard her, or were even aware of her presence. Sweetie Belle, groaning loudly, closed her eyes and pulled the blankets up over her head. Minutes passed by slowly as the room became deathly quiet. Perking her ears up, she listened in carefully and heard nothing. No heavy breathing, no moaning, not even the slightest bit of sexy talk. Did they hear me? Are they waiting for me to come out? she thought to herself. With a light moan she pushed the blankets off of her head, only to discover the room was devoid of anyone but her. The door was closed, and all the lights were off. Pushing the blankets off, she got on all fours and slowly walked over to the edge of the bed. “What is going on? What the hell was that?” she asked herself as she looked around. She was about to shrug it all off as a dream when a sudden clash in the kitchen caught her attention. Gulping loudly, she slowly moved off the bed and trotted over to the open kitchen door. The lights were on. Peeking in, she saw Stormy standing in front of the stove. Sweetie Belle had watched Kohaku cook. He was good, but watching this vixen was on a whole other level. Stormy sat there on her haunches, one paw on the handle of Kohaku’s wok, the other paw holding a bamboo spoon. With quick movements she was moving the wok back and forth, the spoon circling round and round. Her nine tails spiraled about the kitchen. Two swiftly chopped various vegetables, the knife dancing in her tail as the other continued to move one vegetable after another into the blade. Another two mixed broth in large pots. The other tails held various spoons, each one quickly moving to her mouth for tasting, or adding spices to the meal she was preparing. “Mmm, something smells good,” a masculine voice said behind Sweetie Belle. As Stormy turned her head a little, her storm blue eyes narrowed. Swift as a lightning strike, a flat steel lid flung from one of her nine tails directly at the unicorn stallion’s head. It struck the door frame with such force that it left a slice in the wood. Starry barely had time to duck as the lid had also took several locks of his mane. “You are still angry,” he stated as he walked through Sweetie Belle and stood at the table. The vixen’s eyes sparked with lightning as she looked at him. “You think?” “Is it really that important?” Starry asked as he moved in closer, albeit a bit more cautiously. “Starswirl, how could you possibly ask that?” Her voice held a hint of anger and even more hurt. “This is one of the most important days in his life. And you are going to miss it? You know how he looks up to you.” Sweetie Belle’s eyes widened. She moved around and looked up at the stallion. His face was youthful and framed by that long mane. A black fuzz on his chin looked as if he was considering growing a beard, but hadn’t committed yet. Starswirl? echoed in her mind. “This is the naming ceremony. The day he earns his clan name,” Stormy continued, not giving the stallion a chance to reply. Her voice cracked as tears started to streak down her cheeks. “Tomorrow he will discover his element, the very driving force of his power. He will discover everything he is, who he might one day become. To us, this is as important as… as… as a pony earning their Cutie Mark.” “Oh, Kazumi,” Starswirl said as he moved and hugged the vixen tight as she broke down in tears. Putting his hoof under her chin, he lifted it up. “I... I guess I never thought of it like that. A naming ceremony, huh. Has any pony ever witnessed this before?” Kazumi smiled at Starswirl and just shook her head. “Never, outsiders are strictly forbidden. You have no idea the number of tails I had to pull. The promises I made to those old fossils just to get you invited,” she said, nuzzling his neck, which Sweetie Belle noticed had a red crescent-shaped scar now. “Then I’d be a real fool to miss it,” he said and kissed the vixen tenderly. Sweetie Belle watched on as she slowly moved in closer. She shakingly reached out with a hoof to lightly tap against Starswirl’s leg. As her hoof passed through his rear leg, Sweetie Belle’s eyes widened. The pair faded until she was alone. As the two vanished, the lights in the room dimmed, leaving her in the dark. Sweetie Belle shivered a little while looking about the room. Chewing on her lower lip, she carefully walked around the kitchen. She checked under the table, moving to and inspecting the stove, discovering that nothing was different from the night before. With a deep sigh she trotted over to the kitchen door and ran her hoof over the gouge in the wood. “So that’s how that got there. What is going on?” the filly whispered to herself as her hoof brushed over it. Gulping, she walked back into the bedroom, looking around in case anything had changed. “Kohaku, if this is some kind of joke, I’m not laughing.” Groaning loudly, Sweetie Belle rubbed her hoof against her head. Getting up, she walked back to the bedroom. Her head hung low as she closed her eyes and yawned. Just before she reached the bed, her ears perked up. A muffled song drifted from just beyond the living area of the house. “Oh, what now?” Sweetie Belle asked while stepping backwards. Sitting herself on the edge of the bed, she just watched the door. Go on, little one. You know you want too, a soft voice said in her ear. A cool breeze pushed on her back, ushering her to leave the bed and walk to the door. Taking a long deep breath, Sweetie Belle trotted toward the front door and opened it. The sudden flash of light flooding the darkened room forced the filly to close her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, the room was as bright as day. Walking outside, she saw it was still night, but the full moon shone almost with the brightness of the sun, bathing everything in brilliant shades of silver light. As she moved outside the house, her eyes widened. The town was alive, more alive than Ponyville ever was. Standing there on the doorstep, she watched as foxes of every shape and color dashed, and in some cases danced, about in joyful abandon. Young kits were whooping out as they zig-zagged between their parents’ legs. Adults chatted about the excitement of the day as they all rushed toward the center of the temple grounds. The grounds themselves had changed. The rundown old houses were restored to their full colorful glory. Walking through the crowd, Sweetie Belle noted that one thing was missing. The massive oak tree that towered in the center of everything. Where the tree had stood was a circle of thirteen stones, each one shimmering with a different color. She moved in closer, pushing her way past the various kitsunes all around her, until she was at the head of the crowd. Looking forward, she saw that at the center of the stones stood a much younger Kohaku. His voice raised in a song, the very song that she was following, as the color from each stone circled around him in a rainbow of power. Standing just outside of the stones, directly in front of Kohaku, were four fully grown vixens and one stallion, each one grinning with pride as they stared at the young green fox in front of them. The rainbow began to merge into bright forest green all around him. Reaching up with a paw, Kohaku slammed it down into the ground. From under that paw a tree sapling began to sprout upward, growing until it was as tall as the the young fox. As his song ended, Kohaku slumped to the ground, panting heavily. The four vixens looked to each other before nodding in agreement. Their voices in unison shouted a name to the heavens, which was repeated by every fox present. “Forestsong!” Before the image vanished, Sweetie Belle watched as Starswirl picked up the young Kohaku and was throwing him up in the air with excitement. No fox or pony for that matter was smiling as brightly as those two. Walking up to the tree, Sweetie Belle put her hoof on it. Kohaku never mentioned that he was the one who grew this great tree. Looking about the temple grounds, she sighed. She took note of the ruined houses again, all the abandoned and broken down walls. Many looked to have been destroyed by something powerful. Her head hurt from all the confusion. “Oh, Kohaku, what happened here…” she whispered, a little ashamed of not having asked that question before. The soft cool breeze soon pushed along her back again. The voice didn’t return, but she knew where it was drawing her. The massive abandoned temple just up ahead. Gulping loudly, Sweetie Belle started up the long set of stone stairs to the large double doors. As she stood there, Sweetie Belle remembered the day that Kohaku took her casts off and showed her around the temple grounds. “You can go anywhere you want here, Sweetie Belle. Just please don’t go up there,” Kohaku said with a sigh as he turned around. “What’s up there?” Sweetie Belle asked as she stared at the temple from the doorway of the small home they shared. “Ghosts…” was all he said as he walked back into the house, a tear streaming down his cheek. She never got much more out of him. Whenever she tried, he had always changed the subject. She never pressured him for answers, but now her curiosity was in full steam. She could feel something not only reaching out of the temple, but reaching for her specifically. Swallowing hard, Sweetie Belle pushed the large double doors, which were half open. With the doors now wide open, the soft inviting wind pushed her forward yet again. “Well, I’ve come this far,” she said to herself as she stood tall and trotted into the moonlight-illuminated halls beyond the door. **** Sweetie Belle slowly walked the long hallway, her hooves echoing on the marble floor, stopping as she reached the entrance to the great hall. Her eyes widened at the vast open space, a shiver running down her spine at how small she suddenly felt. Stepping along the red tiled floor, she followed it up to a large three-tier platform set along the back wall. The bright silver moonlight along the upper story windows illuminated seven jade thrones that sat on the platform. Sweetie Belle stood there, looking at them, reminded of Twilight’s castle. Each of the thrones looked to be tailored for the one who sat upon it, each with a different color of silk cushion. Her legs felt like they were on fire, this was the most exercise she had in weeks. In her heart she wanted to stop and lie down, but something whispering just behind her ear kept her moving, promising her rest at the end of her journey Struggling her way up the platforms, she looked sideways at the aqua blue and fire red colored cushions along the bottom and the black earth and storm grey upon the next level. Reaching the top-most tier, she found herself in front of two thrones of gold and silver. Groaning a little, she walked up and stood in front of the smallest jade throne set between the two larger ones. The cushion on it was a vibrant forest green with amber decorations. She collapsed on it, panting. As she lay there on the small throne, Sweetie Belle smiled as she pictured the image of a young Kohaku sitting there. Her heart beat faster as her hoof brushed along the cushion. Pushing herself up, she turned around and saw the of the same four vixens she saw earlier now lounging on the thrones on the lower tiers. In front of them was a large grouping of well-dressed male and female foxes, all dancing along the marble floors. You are almost there, little one, keep going. Just past the curtain, the voice said in her ear. “I wish you would tell me why I’m doing this!” Sweetie Belle shouted. When the voice didn’t answer back, she shook her head and with trembling legs stood up. Moaning a bit, she turned around and made her way to the curtains behind the thrones. Pushing past them, she found a large staircase leading upward. “Oh come on! More stairs!” she whined as her eyes looked up several stories. Whispering words that would have issued a heavy spanking, she started to climb, her legs trembling with each step. Reaching the top, she pushed through a thin silk curtain into a large two-story open living area. “Finally,” she said as she stepped onto the massive interlocking tatami mats that lined the whole room. Incense burning in braziers in each corner filled the room and Sweetie Belle’s nose with the scent of cherry blossoms. Looking around at the decor, a smile crossed her lips at seeing just how simple it was. Red bamboo cabinets lined one whole wall, some holding decorative plates, tea sets, and even weapons. Looking over to the other wall, she noticed hundreds of hoof-sized photos of various foxes set up like a massive tree. His family’s that big! I don’t even think the Apple family’s that large, Sweetie Belle thought as she flopped her rump down on one of the large cushions that took up the place of sofas. With a long deep sigh she lay there, squeezing the plush pillow with her limbs. Her weary eyes started to close when a loud voice echoing from the upper hallway shocked the sleep from her. “Get back here, you little three-tailed pain in the ass!” an angry female voice called out. Lifting her head up and pushing into a seated position, Sweetie Belle shifted her gaze up to the second floor. Running out of a door with a crimson flame on it was a pint-sized Kohaku laughing as loud as he could. A large red cotton towel was clutched in his tails, waving about like a flag. Within the span of a blink, a dripping wet crimson vixen came bursting through the door after him. Leaning back into the cushions, Sweetie Belle found herself up against the vixen she knew as Kazumi. Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she saw the vixen was lying comfortably on the same cushion she was, nuzzled affectionately against the flank of Starswirl. Turning her head to the opposite direction, she saw two more vixens, each one looked very much like Kazumi, save for the color and number of tails. Gulping a little, she watched as the the six-tailed black-grey vixen was holding a rock in her paws. Her voice hummed a pleasant melody as she used her dexterous digits to mold the stone as if it was clay. She lifted her head only slightly and looked at the commotion on the second floor. “I have five bits that says Kade catches him in ten minutes, Riko,” the dark vixen said as she went back to her work. “I’ll take that bet, Mitsuko, and raise you another five that says Kohaku evades her for at least fifteen,” the aqua blue vixen stated, never once looking up from her work. Sweetie Belle lay there and just watched Riko, her eyes open wide as her jaw dropped slightly. Each of the vixen’s four tails held several spools of silk of different colors and shades. As the spools spinned, strands no thicker than a single hair all converged down to special rings on the vixen’s paws. All of Riko’s claws knitted and purled so fast that the action was a blur as she weaved out the four foot wide sheet of patterned silk in front of her. It was midnight blue with pink cherry blossoms that shimmered in a way to create an illusion of movement. I think my sister would die of envy seeing skill of that caliber, Sweetie Belle thought to herself as she turned her head to look at the kimono she had on. The fabric was identical to what Riko was currently spinning. It wasn’t until Kohaku finally reached the bottom of the stairwell, launching himself by sliding down the banister and landing just shy of her hind legs that Sweetie Belle’s attention returned back to him and his sister. She watched as Kohaku and Kade climbed over every cushion in a desperate game of cat and mouse. Only Starswirl seemed to take any notice of the pair and was watching them with the same concern that she was. She wondered just how often this kind of thing happened as the other vixens didn’t seem overly concerned. Eyes still closed, Kazumi swiftly moved aside her small cup of tea with a paw before it was trampled. Mitsuko, without even looking up from her work, lifted a plate of rice crackers up and away from Kade’s paws. Finally Kohaku had slipped on a loose tassel and fell onto his back. His elder sister then leaped atop him and held him down with two of her tails. “Gotcha! Steal my towel, will you?” Kade said with a huff. “Maybe this will teach ya, you little rascal.” A devilish grin fixed on the vixen’s face as she lowered her head down and blew into his belly, making him wiggle side to side. As she continued to blow against his stomach, her digits tickled all up and down over her brother’s sides, making him laugh harder and harder until tears fell from his eyes. Just before the image vanished, Sweetie Belle watched Mitsuko toss Riko a pawful of bits. The scene she just saw made her heart ache harder than she ever thought it could. Getting up from the cushions, she looked around and sighed deeply. Alone again, why does this still surprise me, she thought and took a step, only to have her hoof bounce against something. Looking down, she saw a small child’s ball which rolled toward the specter of Kohaku that was still there. What the… Though now he was dressed in a green night shirt. Stopping the ball with his paw, he smiled up at Sweetie Belle. Her breathing got heavier as she just looked into those ghostly eyes devoid of color. Stepping back a bit, she watched as he bounced the ball with a paw, knocking it up to the second floor with a tail before moving in closer. Affectionately, the half-sized Kohaku moved in and brushed against her the way Opal always would, his purring echoing in her ears. How… how is this possible? He’s just an illusion… Sweetie Belle thought as her whole body trembled. Then again, Kazumi sure felt solid as I was lying there. She watched him move away from her and toward the staircase leading to the second floor. Kohaku stopped on the second step and looked over his shoulder. He tilted his head with a smile. “Alright, I’m coming. It’s what you want, isn’t it?” she asked between heavy breaths. Without a reply she followed Kohaku, who bounded up the stairs faster than she could. Sweetie Belle stopped dead in her tracks as he walked through a half opened door. Carved in the smooth wood was an oak tree with a treble clef in the leaves. Pushing open the door, she stepped inside to find the vision of Kohaku had vanished. To say that the room was a mess was an understatement. Toys and various books were tossed about everywhere. Drawers were open and clothing hung out of them. Smirking, she gave a little chuckle. Definitely the room of a little boy. Moving over to the bed, half the size of the one in Kohaku’s home, she found it all disheveled as if he had woken up in a hurry. Getting up onto to the bed, she heard a loud squeak. Blinking, she looked down and saw that she had stepped on a plush toy. Stifling a laugh, she lifted up the small pony doll with her magic and set it on the bed. Looking around, her eyes settled on a alcove at the head of the bed. In it stood a small pedestal with a child’s ball, forest green, but glowing with a faint amber light. She couldn’t take her eyes away from the small sphere which looked to be made of colored glass. The amber light within pulsed with an audible thump no louder than a heartbeat. As she got closer, the light from the sphere became more intense. Looking deeper inside of the light, she gasped and fell back on her haunches, her front hooves held in front of her mouth as her eyes went wide with shock. Within the sphere, curled in a fetal position was the half-sized Kohaku she saw earlier. Looking at him intently, she saw his body twitch back and forth. His eyes were closed tight as his front legs held onto his own chest. Even though she couldn’t see the tears, she knew he was crying. His mouth was moving, repeating the same voiceless word over and over. With a trembling hoof she reached out to touch the small crystal sphere, yearning to hold it to her heart. As her hoof came within a hair's width, an amber picture frame fell from the shelf above and struck her. “Ow!” she cried out as she looked down at her hoof. A small red mark was already forming on her creamy coat. With a sigh she looked back up at the sphere, which had lost the amber light and looked no different than any normal ball. Shrugging, she just turned to the picture. Picking it up from the bed, Sweetie Belle collapsed onto her belly and looked at it. It was a family portrait taken in the gardens of the large temple. Her hoof lightly traced down the picture. At the very front stood young Kohaku, surrounded by his sisters. Sweetie Belle’s hoof lightly taped on each one, counting. Riko and Kade were lying on their stomachs in front of him with Kazumi and Mitsuko sitting upright behind the trio. Each one of them were laughing and affectionately holding him with their tails. The scene in that picture pierced the filly’s heart. She reached to her chest and lightly held her hoof there. A soft painful moan escaped her lips as she bowed her head down and closed her eyes. Family, sisters, love, she had watched it all unfold in front of her. Even when they were angry with him, she saw how much Kohaku was beloved by his elder sisters. Letting the picture fall from her magic and onto the bed, she let out a soft whimper. Tears started to fall from her cheeks and splashed onto the picture’s glass cover. Only a few drops at first, but as the moments passed, the dam of emotions that had been built over the last month broke. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she cried harder than she ever had in her life, clutching the picture to her small chest. “Oh Rarity… I miss you, sister.” “That’s good. One should miss their family when they are seperated,” a soft melodic voice said beside Sweetie Belle. The soft touch of a tail tip along the side of her cheek brushed away her tears. “I’m glad to hear that your heart hasn’t become hardened to her.” Sweetie Belle shifted and looked up to see a semi-transparent seven foot vixen sitting next to her. Her fur was as dark as the night sky, highlighted with a swirling silver pattern covering her whole body. She knew that pattern, it matched Kohaku’s perfectly, only instead of leaves, it was stars. Looking up, the filly stared into the the adult’s eyes which were a brilliant liquid just like Kohaku’s. But instead of amber, these eyes were the color of pure moonlight. “Good evening, Sweetie Belle, would you please follow me?” the vixen said as she moved up toward the door. “Come along, little one, best leave the memories of this room alone.” “O-okay,” Sweetie Belle whispered as she got up again, her legs wobbling continuously. Once she settled herself, the filly trotted after the adult vixen. With the lights shimmering, she could see through the elder vixen. Sweetie Belle’s heart pounded almost as much as her head. Who was this vixen, and how did she know who she was? Almost as if to answer her thoughts, the vixen turned her head. “Your answers will come soon, just follow me.” Nodding slowly, Sweetie Belle left Kohaku’s room and turned left, following the adult. Quickly moving into a trot, she tried to keep up with the long strides the vixen was making. As they moved closer to a set of grand double doors at the end of the hallway, a door with a thunderbolt on it burst open. Stopping dead in her tracks, Sweetie Belle watched as Starswirl crawled out of the room as quickly as he could. Looking at him for a moment, a deep blush came to her cheeks. He was naked, his back covered with deep long scratches, similar to the ones she’d seen on her own sister some mornings, stretching from his shoulders down to his hips. Standing there with her eyes wide, she watched as his hooves dug into the wooden floor, trying to get out of the room. “Oh gods, help me.. She’s crazy,” Starswirl frantically called out. “Get back here, you!” Kazumi said, coming up behind him, and gripped his tail with a paw. “You vowed to make me howl for a week, now get in here and fulfill your mately duties!” “I take it back. I take it back!” he cried. As he was dragged back into the room, Starswirl grabbed the doorframe and tried valiantly to pull away from his mate. However, Kazumi yanked him back in without much effort. The large semi-transparent vixen pushed the door closed as she chuckled. “Best leave the lovebirds to their play, my dear. Follow me.” Nodding again, Sweetie Belle followed her to the grand double door. She blinked as the vixen literally walked through it. Gulping, she took a step forward and pushed the door open. Inside was the largest bedroom she had ever seen in her life. Kohaku’s little house could have fit inside of it with room to spare. The bed that the large vixen was lying on was almost twice the size of the one in Kohaku’s home and furnished with fine silk pillows and blankets. “Greetings, young miss. The mistress has been expecting you,” said a crimson vixen in a maid’s outfit. Sweetie Belle blinked as she looked at the one-tailed vixen. She was no taller than her own sister and looked to be just as old. The maid gave Sweetie Belle a polite smile and a little bow before turning and facing the massive vixen resting on the bed. The filly’s eyes widened, the mistress was the very vixen the filly had been following. “My Lady Kiyoko, Sweetie Belle has arrived,” the attendant said, bowing and remaining in that position. Sweetie Belle looked at the large vixen. She would have to guess that even Celestia would have had to look up just to look into her face. But the one thing that amazed the filly was that the vixen was no longer transparent. She now wore a long flowing kimono, depicting various images of the night sky. The designs flowed as if they were alive. “Thank you, Mika, you may leave us now,” Kiyoko said, nodding her head politely. She then turned her gaze to Sweetie Belle. “Oh yes, tell my daughters that I do not wish to be disturbed this night. Also, my husband will be arriving shortly, just let him pass.” “As you wish, my lady,” Mika said as she got up and walked out of the room. Sweetie Belle stood there with her mouth open. She looked at the closed door and then back over at Kiyoko. “I know you are confused, my dear. It’s only natural. Please come and lie down on the bed. Your legs have carried you far indeed. And they must be tired by now,” Kiyoko said lovingly. Sweetie Belle noticed that her voice had the authority that she only heard from Princess Twilight. But her tone was calming and inviting, not unlike that of her own mother. “Who... who are you?” she asked softly, moving up onto the bed, and collapsed on her belly. “Can you not guess who I am?” Kiyoko said as she wrapped a silk blanket over the small filly. Sweetie Belle looked at Kiyoko up and down slowly. If not for the color of her fur, Sweetie Belle would have sworn that she was looking at Kazumi. Kiyoko had a form that was shared among all four of Kohaku’s sisters. Looking at the pattern on her fur, she was once more reminded how well it replicated the body of her own son. Her liquid eyes held such warmth and wonder, They were very same eyes Sweetie Belle had been looking into every day for a month now. It can’t be, she thought. “You are his mom, but aren't you... He said you were...” “Dead? I certainly am, at least by your time, that is,” Kiyoko said, smiling warmly. Her tender paws caressed Sweetie Belle’s mane, half fussing over it like her mother and sister always did. “My time?” Sweetie Belle asked, looking up at the mother’s warm smile. “What do you mean by my time?” “Well, how to put this gently,” Kiyoko said calmly. “You aren't actually in your own ‘time zone’ anymore.” “Um, if I’m not, then… where am I?” “That’s going to take some explaining. But in simple terms, you are about twenty thousand years in your race’s past. Give or take a few centuries,” Kiyoko explained. “Twe...twe...twe.. wah…” Sweetie Belle stuttered out as she started to swoon. Closing her eyes, she flopped forward, passing out. Her head hit the vixen’s large foreleg. “Well, she certainly took that better than I thought she would.” Kiyoko giggled, still caressing Sweetie Belle’s mane.