Chapter 10
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I yawn as I walk out of my room and head downstairs. Upon entering the kitchen, I see Sweetie Belle.
However, the moment she sees me, she moves to leave.
“Espera, para,” I say, moving to block her path. “Sweetie, why do you keep avoiding me?”
It’s been a couples days since our little jungle adventure. Rarity’s planning on heading for Canterlot today, meaning the movie’s events are just over a week away.
However, that’s not what has my attention right now.
Ever since that day, it’s become clear to me that Sweetie Belle has been doing everything she can to avoid being near me.
She didn’t even stay here at Rarity til last night. The Crusaders had conveniently decided to have several sleepovers at each other’s houses, so she’d been away every night.
Now, I wouldn’t have thought that odd, expect every time Rarity and I encountered her over those days, while her fellow Crusaders, especially Scootaloo, had bene happy to chat, Sweetie had always had some excuse as to why she had to go, more often than not telling the other two she’d meet up with them later.
Sweetie stops in place, looking at me with… worry.
“Sweetie Belle, what is going on?!” I demand, making sure to not slip into Spanish so I don’t have to translate and so my determination to get an answer as fully emphasized. “Why do you not want to be around me?”
Sweetie glances around, as if trying to find an exit.
I frown. “Sweetie, don’t make me use this,” I nod down to the Wishing Crystal around my neck. “Don’t make me wish for you to tell me. I don’t want to force you.”
I do realize that’s a bit contradictive, as I’m technically doing just that, but I mean I don’t want to magically force her… not that I’m even sure the Wishing Crystal would grant that wish, one, because of how spotty it has been with what wishes it will and will not grant, but two, because I don’t think it would grant a wish that would be distressful to another living being like that.
There’s silence between us as we stand there, myself between her and the doorway, arms outstretched, her glancing around for any away of out of it.
“Enough.”
We both go rigid at that stern tone and look behind me to see Rarity standing there, giving us both a disapproving look.
I quickly move away from the doorway, wilting a little as the alabaster unicorn walks through, glancing between the two of us.
“Dora,” I wince as I’m the first addressed, “you should have just asked me about this. And Sweetie Belle,” her sisters wilts just as much, “this has gone on long enough. Dora has only been with us a few days and done everything she can to be friends with you. I will not tolerate you ignoring and avoiding her like this any further.”
Wait, Rarity had noticed it too? Then again, she does have a very keen eye (when the writers are not making her completely inept, anyway), so why wouldn’t she have noticed.
Sweetie glances between her sister and me. After several minutes of silence and Rarity’s staring, she speaks.
“You didn’t see her on the train, Rarity!” she points at me… and now I’m confused. The train? The one that brought us back to Ponyville? What about me on the train? “It was creepy. She was smiling as if she was… I dunno what! It was just really, really creepy!”
Rarity glances at me, but I just shrug and shake my head. I don’t know what she’s talking about any more than her own big sister.
“When exactly did this happen on the train?” Rarity asks, an eyebrow raised. “If Dora herself doesn’t know, how can she explain?”
Sweetie blinks, looking confused, before glaring at me. “How can you not know?! You said…” she growls. “I don’t know what you meant, but you said… How did it go again?!”
She stomps her hoof on the ground, grinding her teth.
I glance at Rarity, feeling even more confused. Even Opal, who’s now joined us, is glancing from the filly to myself in bewilderment.
“You said… Mi cerebro… se está rein… iciando para…encajar en un… conoci… miento previ… amente desc… onocido que… redefine mi comprensión de… los árboles… gene… alóg… icos de ponis y son ramificaciones… serias de lo que pensé que… sabía todo este tiempo,” Sweetie says slowly, her strained face showing she struggling to remember and pronounce the words she’s saying.
I go over her words, before blinking. “Well, yeah, my brain was rebooting because learning Scootaloo and Daring Do are actually related changed my whole understanding of her family tree and what that actually means regarding everything I knew about said ponies.” I rub the back of my neck. “I dunno what about that freaked you out and I apologize if it did, but it was such a shock to my system. It changed everything I thought I knew about Scootaloo, so it was a lot to take in at once.”
Sweetie blinks. “Wait. That’s what made you act that way? You were surprised Scootaloo is related to Daring Do?”
“Well, yeah,” I shrug. “I mean, I knew her parents were explorers, but I’d never have thought Mane Goodall and Daring Do were related. I mean, I see it now, easily, but the idea hadn’t ever occurred to me til Scootaloo dropped it on me so suddenly and it overloaded me as to how that sounded insane, but also made so much sense.”
“In which case, if you’re holding Dora’s shocked reaction against her like that, might I remind you of a certain filly who had a similar reaction when she thought a griffon had gotten a Cutie Mark?” Rarity asks.
Sweetie blinks before severely blushing… my eyes have whirled onto Rarity.
Wait, what?! The events of The Fault in Our Cutie Marks has already happened?! But… but that’s late season six and we’re not even out of season five.
I just…
I slump against the wall, a hand on my head. The amounts of episode events happening out of the sequence they should is going to do my head in.
I need the movie events to start and go away so I can get home before my brain explodes from early episode event overload.
“Dora? Dora!”
I’m yanked from my inner trainwreck and shake my head, blinking, before I see Rarity looking to me as she stands next to her sister.
“Sweetie Belle, do you have something you want to say to Dora?” the older sister asks, nudging the filly.
Sweetie Belle looks down, clearly looking uncomfortable. “I’m… I’m sorry have I’ve acted, Dora.” She sighs, looking away. “Rarity’s right. Considering everything, I shouldn’t have treated you that why. I should’ve asked what was wrong instead of trying to ignore you and assuming the worst. Can you forgive me?”
I blink for several moments, glancing between the two.
Finally, what she said actually process and I blink, shaking my head and nodding, leading to the younger of the sisters to give me a confused look.
“Está bien, Sweetie. Te perdono. I said it’s okay and I forgive you,” I have to translate when I see the confused look grow.
Sweetie blinks, before smiling.
“Good,” Rarity says firmly, looking between the two of us. “Now that that’s settled, come along, you two. We the train to Canterlot leaves soon.”
“Wait, we’re both going?” we ask in unison, before glancing at each other.
Rarity nods. “Indeed. Since Sweetie can’t stay with mother and father til after the festival, she’ll need to come with me, same as you, Dora. Come now.”
Sweetie and I glance at each, before both looking down at my sleepwear.
“Can I at least get dressed first?”
Rarity pauses, glancing back at me, before blinking and blushes. “Oh, um, yes. My apologies, Dora.”
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“How did a day feel like a year?!” Sweetie groans as we walk out of the hotel room.
“It wasn’t even a day. It was half,” I say, arms folded, slightly anxious.
When we’d arrived in Canterlot, it had been mid-afternoon. Rarity had gotten Sweetie and myself to settle into the room at the Golden Horseshoe Hotel.
It’s a pretty fancy place, a bit fancy than I like, to be honest, not that we really saw much.
The two of us had actually been rather tired by the time we arrived, so we’d just stayed in the room, barely even got a glimpse of the hotel itself.
Thankfully, this had also meant very few ponies had gotten to see me, and those that had hadn’t seen me long enough for a good look. Gave me time to really prep myself for when Canterlot gets its first look at me.
I’m wearing light-blue jeans and a yellow t-shirt underneath a pink, long-sleeve jacket, pink sneakers and a violet hairband with a flower jewel like the one on Dora’s normal bracelet.
Hey, if I’m going out into Canterlot, I’m gonna look good doing it.
We walk passed the concierge, him only giving me a raised eyebrow as we pass.
We follow the directions on a small map Rarity left us until we reach a stage, the one I recognize from the movie as where Songbird Serenade is going to be performing.
As we get near, I can see Coco Pommel and Sassy Saddles speaking with Rarity, who’s levitating a large sheet of paper and pointing to various parts of it.
“Oh, my! What a style!”
Sweetie and I freeze in place as a stallion is just suddenly in front of it. I blink, before I realize I recognize the dark-bluish grey unicorn before us.
It’s Fashion Plate of Cosmare Magazine… and he’s looking at me.
Uh oh.
He quickly moves around me, paying close attention to my clothes. “The blending of the colours, the fitting, the tone it’s speaks. Oh, you, madam, look amazing. To whom am I speaking?” he take my hand, seeming only slightly confused when he notices my fingers, before kissing it like a gentlemen.
Despite how polite that is technically, alarm bells are going off in my head like crazy.
“I-I-I-I’m Dora and I’m only eight!” I blurt frantically as I put my hands up.
At once, his expression goes from exuberant to puzzled, then confused, uncertain, to shock and worry.
“Oh my goodness! I am so sorry! I mean, I assumed from your size, I— I didn’t mean— Oh, Sweet Celestia, what must you be thinking of me?!”
Our little… meeting, I guess is the best word to use her, seem to grab Rarity and the other two’s attention and they come over.
“Is something the matter, Fashion?” the alabaster unicorn asks, concerned.
At once, the stallion looks to her, his eyes pleading for forgiveness. “Please, Rarity, I swear I didn’t realize this was the child you were talking about. I saw her attire and assumed she was older because of her size, completely forgetting what you’d mentioned earlier and I completely gave her the wrong impression! Please, forgive me!”
He pretty much throws himself at her hooves.
Rarity is just blinking in confusion, before she glances at the two of us for an explanation.
Sweetie and I both blush, looking away… not really sure what to say.
After a few moments, Rarity smiles gently, nodding and leans down, helping the stallion back up. “Nothing to forgive, Fashion. It was a simple mistake. No harm done.”
His whole body deflates from relief, as Rarity moves forward and turns to Sassy and Coco. “Sassy Saddles, Coco Pommel, you’ve already met my sister, Sweetie Belle.”
“Hi,” Sweetie blushes a little, waving.
“And this is the girl I was telling you about,” she continues, indicating to me. “Meet Dora the Explorer.”
I deadpan at her. Did you really have to introduce me with the full title, Rarity?
The other two mares look to me, before smiling.
“A pleasure to meet you, Miss Dora,” Sassy says energetically. “Rarity has told us much about you. That attire is quite fitting.”
“It does suit you very well,” Coco says, before blushing. “Though, I’m sure you’d look cuter in a dress.”
I puff out my cheeks, looking away. You’re not wrong but… come on, Coco.
“Now,” Rarity says, levitating her sheet of paper back up, “I hope you don’t mind Dora, but we could use your hands to aid us with a bit of the work here.”
I shrug. I’m not fussed about getting a bit hands on with stuff.
Before we can do anything, however, a loud yell comes from somewhere nearby.
“Get that beast!” a snooty voice I don’t recognize, but am easily able to identify as one of the elite of Canterlot yells.
Without even thinking, I start running.
I round a corner to see five Earth Ponies and three pegasi chasing after something. I don’t see it right away because it’s hidden in the shadow, before something bright red catches my eye. A very familiar red!
“Boots?” I cry.
The shape they’re chasing after stops in the shadows, glancing around, before turning its head in my direction.
“Boots, over here!” I yell, waving.
This, of course, also grabs the attention of the ponies chasing the shape and, upon seeing me, their eyes widen.
“What kind of a hairless ape is that?!” one shouts.
“Dora?” the shocked voice of a character I know says, before, with joy in its tone, it repeats, “DORA!”
Quickly the shape moves through the shadows, leaping and swinging along the banners and polls of the Canterlot buildings, before coming into the light to reveal the light-blue, red wellies wearing monkey that is Dora’s best friend, Boots.
He quickly swing and leaps around, before launching from a particular poll and colliding with me.
“Dora!” he cries in a mixture of joy, relief and worry. “I found you! I found you!” He looks up at me with confusion and worry. “Dora, where are we? What is this place? How’d we get here? Where is everyone? Why do these ponies act like a monkey talking is weird? What…? Dora, what’s wrong?”
I stare down at the little monkey looking up at me for guidance… my heart breaking. Boots thinks I’m his Dora. He doesn’t know he’s in a world Dora normally could never have gotten to and, frankly, I’m not even sure she did.
Sure, the Bobos and Swiper seem to be here… but I don’t think anyone else but them, Boots and my body are from his world, not even his parents are here.
He’s all alone and has seen who he thinks is his best friend.
The fact he sounds like the second version of him only makes it more heartbreaking.
“Dora, do you know this… talking monkey?” Rarity’s voice asks from somewhere behind me, but I’m not paying attention.
I slowly put my arms around the monkey and hold him close, trying and failing to hide the pain from my face, but making sure he can’t see it.
The Doctor was right. A hug is just a way to hide your face.
“I’m sorry, Boots,” I say, hating the sadness and hurt I hear in my voice, knowing what it will do. “I’m so, so sorry.”
“Dora, what… why are you hugging me like this?” Boots asks, first confused, before a little hurt enters his voice as he seems to start to catch on. “Wh-why do you sound so sad? Why does your hug… feel sad? I… Dora, I don’t like it.” His voice breaks. “Don’t… don’t be sad. Why… where are you sad?”
I just hold him as he starts to shudder, before he starts sobbing, myself unable to stop the tears flowing from my own eyes.
This is so cruel. Why did this have to happen to Boots? He’s not even seven. He doesn’t deserve this.
We just stay that way, the elite ponies from before even having stopped, sensing the situation.
Everypony just stays where they are, watching as I hold the sobbing monkey, my tears falling to the ground to join his.