Pinkie Pie had always thought it was a shame that Nightmare Night only really got started at the end of the day, it made the buildup feel so much longer! And nothing was spooky fun in the daylight! But now that she knew Princess Luna had a good time with everypony, and ponies were out and about enjoying her night like she'd always wanted, she tried extra hard to be patient.
She and the Cakes spent the morning selling and baking sweet treats. Lyra even stopped by to pick up some cupcakes for her and Bon Bon’s party tonight.
“And you’re sure Lottie’s coming too?” she asked, floating the box of treats in her magic as she plopped he bits on the counter.
“Yep!” Pinkie smiled, taking Lyra’s payment. “We’re gonna have fun a couple other places first, but we’ll be there later tonight! Promise!”
“Good! ‘Cause I made sure everypony I invited was okay with her coming just in case.” Lyra added, her ears going down. “I’d hate it if she had a bad time just because of somepony being a jerk to her like that.”
“Aww, you didn’t hafta go through all that trouble.” Pinkie showed a sadder smile at the thought. “Lottie’s tough like that. I wish more ponies were nicer to her, but she keeps saying she doesn’t mind it as much as we think it does. Hay, I think it bothers me more sometimes than it does her…”
They both seemed to have the same unsaid thoughts on that; Does she really not care? Or is she just acting tough so her friends won’t be sad?
“We talked about it the other night when we went out, but I still couldn’t figure out how she really feels about it all.” Pinkie explained with a sigh.
“Hm…” Lyra seemed down, but shook it off, trying to change the subject and lighten the mood. “So, you went out with Lottie? What’d you guys do?”
“Oh it was so much fun!” Pinkie bounced on her hooves, leaning on the counter and putting her front hooves under her chin, reminiscing about that night. “We went to a nice restaurant and then we got some ice cream! After that we saw that new movie at the theater, Strangers in Addition, it was so cute and funny! Then we went for a nice walk in the park and had a long talk by the lake!”
“You two did all that?” Lyra asked, smiling at the dreamy expression on Pinkie’s face.
“Mm hmm! Lottie even got all dressed up!” she smiled even wider. “She looked so pretty! And she gave me a hair clip so we matched! I loved it so much!”
“Uh…Pinkie Pie?” Lyra was picking up on something that she wasn’t sure how to approach, currently. “Are you and Lottie…?”
Pinkie could only keep smiling, tilting her head at the leading non-question. Lyra scratched the back of her neck, wondering what and what not to say here.
“I mean…you know…” she tried to lead again, but by the look on her friend’s face, it wasn’t getting through. “Are the two of you…a thing?”
“A thing?” Pinkie tilted her head the other way. “What kind of a thing?”
“No, I meant like…No, you know what? It doesn’t matter.” She decided to be mature about it this. “I don’t like it when ponies get all in my business about Bon Bon and me, so I won’t do it to anypony else.”
“What?” Pinkie was really curious now. “What does this “thing” thing gotta do with Bluey and me?”
“Nnnope.” Lyra turned for the door, sounding an awful lot like the eldest Apple sibling. “This is me, walking away, being a grown mare about it. See you two tonight!”
Now Pinkie was super-duper confused. What could Lyra have been trying to ask?
She puzzled and puzzled over it for most of the day, but it never did make any sense. She supposed that it didn’t really matter, but it never really left her thoughts.
I had been told by Applejack that Fluttershy didn’t celebrate Nightmare Night and spent it cooped up in her cottage with her animal friends, and as tame as the scares seemed coming from cute little ponies, I could see the skittish pony just not enjoying herself at all. I did have a feeling that she’d like my choice of costume though, unlike the rest of these…cretins.
“So…I don’t get it.” Apple Bloom tilted her head at me. “What are you again? Some kind of spy cat?”
“No I’m…” I gestured at my costume; a black, skintight suit I’d sewed with a little help from Rarity, the black cat ears sitting atop my head and the tail attached to my belt. I gave more vague gestures to my makeshift grappling hook and the little black mask around my eyes. Not to mention my big ol’ cat paw gloves and the boots Rarity made me. “I’m a cat burglar. It’s like…black cats are Haloweeny-er…They’re a classic holiday costume. And it’s kind of a play on words?”
“What’s a cat burglar?” she asked, genuinely confused. I sighed again, having the creeping feeling that I’d be explaining this more than a few times tonight.
“It’s someone who robs from places by climbing up buildings, rooftop jumping, balcony skulking, the works…Look, I…I was just gonna be a black cat but then I had some spare time and…It was stupid, I’ll just-”
“No, it’s a great costume!” she rushed to reassure me, smiling. “I just needed a hint, that’s all. Promise.”
I wasn’t feeling very reassured, but the fact that a literal child felt the need to comfort me, a grown adult, made me shake it off. I had my dignity, to some extent.
Curse my love of a certain feline-themed anti-hero. I could’ve just been a cat, damnit…
“Alright. And you’re…” It was just a little pink dress with a black stripe, white socks and little black mary janes on each hoof. And her usual red bow was now pink too. “Like a little…ballerina? Or somethin’? Sorry, I know you already explained it to me but it slipped my mind.”
“I’m a super-pony!” she laughed, spinning around for me to see. “Sugar, spice and everythin’ nice! Usin’ their ultra-superpowers, Blossom!” she leaned in whispering “That’s me. Bubbles! That’s Sweetie Belle, and Buttercup! That’s Scootaloo, have dedicated their lives to fightin’ crime! And the forces of evil!”
She bounced around, doing some punches and kicks in the air, and I smiled at her enthusiasm.
“Spike let me borrow the comic book and now me and the CMC are hooked! They’re only little fillies but they take down all the bad guys all on their own! And Blossom even wears a bow like mine! It’s the best comic book I ever did read!”
“Sounds cool.” I genuinely thought that too. “I wish my world had a comic or something like that.”
We went downstairs to meet with the rest of the Apple family, who were really in the swing of things. Applejack looked like a robot of some kind, with some thick material painted into a suit of metal and a silver funnel on her head like a strange party hat. Big Mac was dressed like a lumberjack, complete with a fake beard, a red flannel shirt and a black beanie over his bright orange hair. At his waist was a belt with a small ax clipped into a holster, completing the look. Granny Smith was done up like a classic witch with a big pointy hat and a raggedy-looking black dress.
“Well hey there!” Granny Smith laughed. “I didn’t know we were doin’ a themed costume here, Lottie!”
“Black cat and a witch. Yes. Clever.” I sighed, dropping it already. “Everybody looks great.” I smiled, meaning what I’d said.
“I think the gals went all out this year.” Applejack told me as everyone shuffled out the door. “Hm. I think…with that mask, are you supposed to be some kind of…robber?”
“Close enough.” I shrugged my shoulders. “A burglar that sneaks around, stealthy like a cat. Seriously, how does cat burglar not translate here? Do ponies not…rob other ponies?”
“Oh, there’s plenty of that.” She shrugged. “More in the city than here, mind you, but I ain’t never heard the term you’re usin’.”
“Outstanding.” I was really trying not to pout, after I went through the trouble of sewing my own costume. I’d even found some a big, dull three-pronged hook out in the barn and tied it to a rope to make my own grappling hook to sit on my hip with my utility belt. It wasn’t sharp enough to hurt anyone or poke me through my costume, so it was the perfect prop. “Do you know how hard it was to make this tail and not accidentally use magic? Or these ears? Or these kitty paw gloves??”
“Oh, the thing Granny taught you paid off, did it?” she laughed. “Don’t worry, maybe your reference is just…y’know, lost on me and the family. Plenty of ponies in town to see tonight.”
“I guess.” I shrugged again. If push came to shove I could always lose the mask and grappling hook. Even if it pained me to see my effort gone to waste.
“Speaking of Twilight.” She continued. “Spike said that she was hot on the trail of somethin’ and she might not come out tonight. We all tried to get her to take a break, but she was pretty darn stubborn. Kept sayin’ she was this close!” she told me, putting her front hooves mere millimeters from each other before walking again. “So maybe we can stop by after the festival wraps up and bring her somethin’ and make her take a break.”
I felt bad that even on a holiday, even if it was a weird Halloween rip-off, Twilight was hard at work because of me. But I couldn’t help that my heart was beating a little bit faster at the idea of her having some kind of breakthrough. Hopefully, she wasn’t just exaggerating, but she didn’t seem like the type to do something like that.
“I’ll be sure to come with you then.” I told her. “It’s only right, me being the reason she’s so busy.”
Before Applejack could protest, I spoke up again.
“I know, she’s busy helping me because she’s my friend and I shouldn’t feel like it’s my fault she’s not going out, which I don’t.” I clarified. “I wanted to check up on her anyway, just checking up on a friend. And being polite, for politeness’ sake.”
She smiled brightly at me, glad to see I wasn’t down on myself for once. And I really wasn’t. According to Pinkie and our other friends, Twilight had always been the type to go all out on things like this. The fact that this time I was the subject of her “study session” was just coincidental. Plus, if she really was close, I was a bit excited (with reasonable expectations, of course) to see what she was up to.
“I’m headin’ out!” I announced to the family half-jokingly, Apple Bloom speeding past me and out the door.
“Have a nice time, Miss Blue!” Granny called after me, Applejack laughing at the air of familiarity. All of us talking like I was a normal member of the family.
“I will.” I smiled, making my way to Sugarcube Corner to pick up Pinkie.
Somehow, Diamond Tiara had made it.
She had gone a whole, long miserable week without so much as a snarky comment or a bad word about anypony, even if she was extremely tempted. Between Apple Bloom’s sudden condescending attitude towards her when she realized that Diamond wouldn’t say anything back, or the others in her class getting on her case about the monster, she’d almost snapped several times over the course of the worst week of her young life. But she had stayed strong. And she had a few ideas about a little bit of sweet comeuppance for that stupid little blank flank farm filly nopony.
But they would have to wait until morning, at the very earliest. Randolph had finished getting her ready in her costume and she’d wasted no time grabbing her candy bag and telling her parents she was going out.
“Well, don’t you look just stunning.” Her father smiled warmly. She gave a twirl, showing off the costume she’d earned for her night out. It was a draped white dress of the finest fabrics, much like one would find on an old Roanin statue of a classical maiden. Her mane was adorned with a golden wreath of leaves, made from real gold instead of her usual tiara. She had a golden bag with a ruby-red drawstring to carry her candy in, just small enough to get a decent amount of candy without upsetting her mother. She’d still make sure to pack it to the brim and hide the excess upon getting home.
“Thank you, Daddy.” She beamed, really laying the charm on thick. This was the make or break moment. “May I go and join Silver Spoon for our fun night out now?”
“You’ve been on your best behavior.” He nodded. “You can go, and try to have fun, sweetheart.”
“I will, Daddy.” She beamed, batting her lashes a little, juts for good measure. “Are you and Mother still going to Good Grace’s party at her villa with Silver Spoon’s parents?”
“That’s right. Your mother already went ahead, but I’ll walk with you to their house to meet up with young Silver Spoon.”
She tried not to let the disappointment show on her face. Her mother hadn’t stuck around to see her in her costume, to tell her that she looked like a beautiful young mare. It stung, just a bit, but she shook it off. A grown mare doesn’t pout like a silly little foal.
“Okay.” She smiled back, doing her best to keep her voice even. “I’d like that very much.”
Her father smiled again, putting the finishing touches on his own costume. He was wearing a long-tailed dark blue coat with a white chest and golden-tasseled bits on his withers. He pinned a metal to his barrel and put on a rather silly-looking curved hat.
“That’s a nice…costume.” She tried to be genuine, and as dapper as the costume made him look, she had no idea who or what he was supposed to be.
“It’s a historical costume.” He smiled knowingly at her. “I’m the former Emperor of Fancy, Neighpoleon. Your mother’s going as his wife Empress Flow Serene.”
“I wish I could’ve seen it.” She let her happy mask slip just a bit, and Filthy Rich noticed.
“Tell you what.” He tilted her chin up. “I’ll bring you back a slice of cake from the party if you’re ready for bed by the time we get home. Deal?”
“…Deal.” She felt like smiling again. Diamond Tiara and her father were out the door soon after.
“Oh my gosh!” Silver Spoon cried out at the sight of her best friend. “Your costume is, like, amazing DT!”
“Isn’t it?” she beamed, giving her mane a toss back. “And you look so good! Your costume turned out so well!”
Silver Spoon was a retro black flapper dress with a gold trim, complete with a headband adorned with a pluming black feather. She had a small clutch purse on a strap to her side for candy and her glasses tonight were in a gold frame to match. Their costume’s color schemes complimented each other nicely, just as they’d planned. They’d be the best-looking duo of young, high-society mares in town that night.
They said their goodbyes to their parents and were out into the streets of Ponyville, hitting all the wealthier houses in Diamond’s neighborhood first.
I’d gotten word through Applejack that Pinkie wanted me to pick her up from Sugarcube Corner, and then we would meet up with the others. The older Apples were split up between hayrides and running some kind of spooky corn maze, Apple Bloom had long since split off to do some proper trick-or-treating with the other Crusaders. I hadn’t seen any of our other friends yet, but I was kind of looking forward to seeing their costumes. Mr. and Mrs. Cake were in the doorway, a big bowl of candy by their side. And seeing the four Cakes together, their costume was pretty cute. Mr. and Mrs. Cake were both dressed as graham crackers, Pound was happily roughhousing with his sister as a chocolate candy, while little Pumpkin looked absolutely adorable as a chubby little marshmallow.
“You all look great.” I smiled, waiting until their group of trick-or-treaters to trot off to come to the doorway.
“Oh, thank you!” Carrot Cake grinned, both parents scooped up their kids and squishing together for a group hug. The little ponies squealed, wriggling away finally with a giggle from Mrs. Cake.
“They’re a little shy tonight…” Mr. Cake started, looking really proud of himself. “But there’s…s’more where that came from!”
The two lost it at his dad joke, or at least…a joke that came from a dad, as I shook my head with a smile.
“Is Pinkie ready to go?” I asked them, already trying to forget that wordplay.
“I haven’t checked on her in a bit.” Mrs. Cake told me, coming down from her laughing fit. “She’s been acting a bit oddly lately. But you’re welcome to go up and get her, dear.”
“Thanks.” I squeezed past them, making my way to the stairs. It was a little odd, Pinkie had seemed so excited to go out just the other day. I’d figured we would’ve already been downstairs and hallway out the door by now. I got to her room at the top of the stairs and knocked for politeness’ sake.
“Pinkie?” I called for her. “You almost ready to go?”
As I was debating opening the door myself, wondering whether going in anyway would be bad considering she could be getting dressed, but then remembering ponies were always naked…then in the same thought going back to I wouldn’t like it if someone did the same to me, the door opened.
Pinkie was quite the sight, with an ice pack sitting atop her head like an oversized beret, a thermometer in her mouth and a knitted shawl around her shoulders and draped down her back. Her eyes looked tired and she let out a deep, raspy cough, swaying slightly on her hooves.
“Geez, Pinkie!” I crouched, reaching for her forehead to feel for her temperature. “Are you gonna be alright? Are you sick?”
“No no…” she muttered, coughing loudly into her hoof again. “I’m just…a little horse.”
I frowned, squinting at her in disbelief as her sickly face morphed into one that screamed ‘Get it?? HUH????’
“Terrible.” I shook my head, standing up. “Just terrible.”
“Lottie Dottie!!” she, looking much better, launched herself into my arms, and I sighed. “Did I get cha? Huh? Did I?”
“Sure did, Pinkie.” I shook my head again, trying hard to subdue a smile. I wasn’t mad, of course, but this girl was too much sometimes. “You did a good job on your costume.”
“It’s a pun and a costume! A punstume!” she smiled, and I rightfully feared that I’d be hearing said pun all night. She reached up and touched my ears, the cat ones, to be more specific. “Your costume is great! You make such a cute kitty!”
“Cat. Burglar.” I sighed, confirming my worst fears, not even embarrassed or happy at being called cute. At all.
Pinkie seemed to realize how close her face was to mine and got uncharacteristically self-conscious. She’d never been one to care about personal space, at least as long as I’d know her.
“Everything good, Pinkie?” I asked her, wondering what was up. She just nodded, covering her face with her hooves and giggling to herself. I narrowed my eyes at her, wondering if she was seriously not feeling well and this was more than a bit. What would a sick Pinkie Pie even look like? Sneezing confetti and getting covered in polka dots, probably.
“Alright then, if you’re sure.” I shrugged it off. We had a lot of stops to make tonight. I was going to tag along for some good ol’ fashioned trick-or-treating, or at least stand by while Pinkie did. Then, we’d hit the carnival style games on the streets, and round out the evening by stopping by a party being thrown by that pair of ponies I met at Town Hall, Lyra and Bon Bon.
I hoped that everything would go smoothly.
The night had been a huge success for Apple Bloom and her friends. Most of the adults handing out candy thought their group costume was not only adorable, but worth a couple extra pieces of candy. Some fellow comic book fans, kids and adults alike had even recognized who they were supposed to be, getting a good laugh from everypony. They pulled off to the side of the street, their bags starting to weight them down.
“I wonder how much I should leave for Nightmare Moon?” Apple Bloom asked as she looked down into her candy bag. “We got a really good haul this year…you think we could get away with a third of it?”
“I guess.” Scootaloo shrugged. “Hey, what do you guys think the grown-ups do with the candy anyway? I mean, they wouldn’t just leave it out in the woods, right?”
“Now that I’m getting to be a “grown-up young mare”, Rarity let me in on it.” Sweetie smiled, looking proud of that. “She said it’s different for every town, what they do with the candy. But in Ponyville, some of the adults take it up to the hospital for the sick foals who can’t go trick-or-treating. That’s why I’m leaving half of mine this year for “Nightmare Moon”.” She giggled.
“Well dang.” Apple Bloom hung her head low. “Now I feel like a right rotten apple, talking about “a third of it”. I’ll leave half too!”
“Me three!” Scootaloo chimed in. “I’ll even give away the caramel coco-nutters I got!”
“Really?” Apple smiled knowingly at her friend. “You’re gonna give away every last piece of your favorite candy that Bon Bon only makes once a year? Who are ya, and what have ya done with Scootaloo?”
“Hey!” she objected to her friend’s laughter. She looked into her candy bag with obvious despair, but shook it off quickly with a determined look. “No. If I only get them once a year, then so do the sick foals. I don’t mind.”
“Well that’s mighty kind of you, Scoots!” Apple Bloom beamed at her friend’s generosity. “C’mon, the others have got to be at the statue by now. I wish Luna was here this year, so we could get a good scare again!”
Sure enough, a few of their classmates were just leaving after dropping off their offerings. Apple Bloom wondered how many of them knew the truth about the candy by now? She’d make sure to keep it to herself, the real little ones should still get to believe for a little while longer. But the younger ones were long in bed by now, just leaving some older fillies and colts around. But despite the dispersing group, a couple of ponies remained.
Sure enough, it happened to be two familiar fillies standing over the pile. Something about it seemed off. If she didn’t know any better, she’d swear that the two of them were circling the candy like a couple of vultures.
“Diamond Tiara, what in tarnation are you and Silver Spoon doing?” she sighed. Their heads shot up, and Diamond Tiara’s eyes held their usual amount of attitude for the three of them.
“Like, not that’s it’s any of your business.” Silver Spoon started, covering for her friend like she’d been doing all week. “We gave some of ours but our bags can only, like, hold so much candy. We were just looking to see if anypony gave away anything really good that we missed.”
“You can’t!” Sweetie Belle cried out. “That candy’s not for you!”
“Oh please, what’s going to happen?” Diamond muttered under her breath, just loud enough for them to hear. “Are you afraid that big, bad Nightmare Moon is gonna come gobble us up? Didn’t know you cared.” She smirked.
“For your information, Diamond Tiara…” Apple Bloom spoke up, not really caring about spoiling the holiday magic of two sour fillies like them. “The grown-ups give that candy to the sick foals over at Ponyville General. You’re literally taking candy from foals now!”
Silver Spoon’s eyes widened behind her new golden glasses, looking from the fillies to the pile of candy, shrinking back a bit. “I…I didn’t know that.” She whispered, looking guilty.
But Diamond, it seemed, did not hold the same opinion.
“Look, blank flanks.” She sighed, her eyes dark with anger. “I’ve had a long, hard week, and I’ve been doing my best to stay on my father’s good side. I stayed away from you for that long. Tonight was my night to just go out and have some fun, show off my costume, and spend time with Silver Spoon. Some random foals aren’t going to miss one or two pieces of candy. So hurry up, leave yours, and take a hike.”
Her friends gave their own looks of contempt for the spoiled filly, and even Silver Spoon looked torn on how to respond. But Apple Bloom stood firm. She remembered what Lottie had told her about bullies and didn’t back down. She took a strong step towards the filly, who was still looting thought the pile.
“Diamond Tiara!” she shouted warningly. The filly didn’t pay her any mind. “You leave that candy alone or so help me, I’ll make you sorry!”
“Oh, I’m so scared.” She laughed, not even looking up. This lit a fire under Apple Bloom and she quickly lost her patience.
“Diamond Tiara! You…you…self-centered, no-good little brat!”
Everything went still, and nopony said anything. Her friends gave her looks that silently said, “Are you sure about this?” and “We’ll stand by you, but don’t get too crazy”.
The filly in question slowly raised her head to look at her, her eyes wide with disbelief.
“…Excuse me?” she said, barely loud enough to hear.
“I will not!” she shouted back. “What in the wide, wide world of Equestria is wrong with you!? You have everything in the world, everything you could possibly want, and you still gotta be so nasty to everypony around you! What happened to make you such a spoiled little princess? Did one of your butlers not come to your beck and call quick enough this morning? Did your Daddy buy you the wrong new dress, imported all the way from Fancy? Did your momma not love you enough??”
Diamond Tiara visibly flinched. For just a moment, Apple Bloom felt good being the aggressor for once. But the feeling quickly faded. Maybe she was too harsh. But something about how the bully was looking at her now was…off. She wasn’t put down by her words.
She was angry.
“Alright…” she started, laughing strangely. Silver Spoon looked at her friend with fearful, sympathetic eyes, but didn’t move. “Alright. Alright.”
She stepped closer to Apple Bloom slowly, something rolling off of her so strongly that the air was thick with it. She looked the farm filly dead in the eye, still advancing.
“Let’s talk, you and I.” she said, an odd smile on her face. “Let’s talk about how you think you know me. Well guess what, Apple Bloom? I. Know. You.”
Apple Bloom took a step back at her tone, but Diamond Tiara quickly closed the gap.
“You’re a down-home, country farm filly who thinks she’s all sunshine and goodness, but deep down, you can be just as nasty as anypony else. You think because my family’s rich, that somehow makes me meaner than anypony else with a bad word about you? You’re a lowlife nopony whose opinion matters less than anypony else’s.”
She tried to speak up for herself, but Diamond wouldn’t let her. Her friends, even Silver Spoon, all were seemingly too stunned by the scene to say anything.
“Everypony in town knows about the three of you, what you really are.” She sneered, turning to Sweetie Belle. “A dull, drab, talentless little filly who’s always going to be outshined by her perfect older sister in every way.”
Sweetie shrunk back under her words as Diamond turned her unusually calm demeanor to Scootaloo.
“A ground-bound loser whose parents are away more than Sweetie Belle’s. They love their work more than anything else. If it isn’t true, then where are they? Oh, that’s right.” She looked right into her eyes. “Anywhere else but with you.”
The usually confident pegasus filly’s eyes were starting to fill with tears. She scrubbed them away but couldn’t say anything back, afraid her voice would give away how hurt she was.
“Hey!” Apple Bloom found her voice again. “Don’t you talk to them like that!”
“And poor Apple Bloom.” She didn’t even slow down. She was still walking towards her. “The things I’ve heard about you.”
Apple Bloom’s heart was pounding, she was actually scared of what Diamond might throw her way.
“I leave you alone and you still want to get in my business? Fine.” She narrowed her eyes. “Let’s talk about how you think you’re so much better than me. I may have everything in the world, but my mother doesn’t love me? Is that where you want to go!?”
Apple Bloom had never seen Diamond Tiara like this. She didn’t mean to hit such a sore spot, even if she’d been trying to hurt the filly.
“Okay! Let’s run with that logic for a bit!” she shouted, her voice getting more and more angry. “My mother never looks at me unless it’s to say how I’m looking chubby lately, or that I need to stop embarrassing her with the way I walk or talk or eat or laugh! My mother never tells me she’s proud of me, just how I need to do even better next time. My mother never has a kind word or a smile for me, unless my father or somepony more important than her is in the room! My mother has never said the words “I love you” to me, not once since I can remember!”
Apple Bloom could see tears in her eyes, but the filly wasn’t finished yet.
“My mother doesn’t love me!” she laughed loudly, the sound scaring her a little. “Congratulations! You hit the nail on the head! You figured out why Diamond Tiara is such a big, bad bully! But you know what!?”
Apple Bloom felt her heart clench. The anger slowly died down in Diamond Tiara’s eyes and she leaned in close, her voice calm again. A scary kind of calm.
“At least I have a mother.”
There was a chorus of gasps. Apple Bloom couldn’t stop the tears from coming. With a choked sob, her sight was getting blurry as she turned and ran to be anywhere but here.
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo couldn’t believe what they’d just heard. No matter how nasty Diamond Tiara’s bullying had ever been, she’d never, ever gone there.
“You!” Scootaloo’s wings buzzed at her sides, sounding as angry as she was. “I don’t care how you talk to me! You don’t ever, EVER say that to her!”
“You take it BACK!” Sweetie Belle screamed at her, crying for her friend. “You take it back NOW!!”
But Diamond Tiara just sat there in the dirt, unusually calm. The sight of it only made the fillies angrier.
“I’m gonna go find her!” Scootaloo told her friend, running off in the same direction Apple Bloom had. Sweetie Belle could feel her face warm with sadness and rage.
“I’m…I don’t care if I’m the biggest tattle tale in the world you…you nasty, evil little filly!! I’m telling my sister what you said, and then I’m gonna go find my friends! I hope…I hope you’re happy!”
Everything was quiet with the three of them gone. Silver Spoon could barely believe what she’d just witnessed. She knew how her best friend hurt because of how her mother treated her, it was the deepest, darkest secret she’d every shared, at a sleepover years ago. But to say what she’d said…
Diamond’s back was to her where she sat, so still Silver Spoon wasn’t sure she was even aware of her anymore. She slowly, carefully went to her friend’s side, sitting beside her. She was too calm, it was scaring her.
“Diamond?” she said softly. Her friend just stared up to the starry sky. “…She shouldn’t have said that.”
“Hm.” Diamond could only hum back.
“But…you…” She struggled with the words, needing to say something but not wanting to lose her. “…I’m sorry DT, but…you, like, went way too far.”
She was silent, but Silver could see a change. She was starting to tear up, the expression of emotion making Silver relax just a bit. She’d been afraid her best friend was broken.
“…I know.” She whispered, staring off in the direction Apple Bloom had ran off. Her withers were hitching, her body hunching over.
“It’s going to be okay.” Silver Spoon told her, gently rubbing her back. She’d started to shake. After a few long beats, Diamond spoke again.
“Do you…hate me?” she was shivering violently now. “…like Mother does?”
“No.” she assured her, shaking her head and pulling the shaking filly close.
Diamond Tiara was sobbing against her as Silver Spoon hugged her close.
“Diamond.” She told her calmly. “I know you don’t want to but…I think it’s time to like, talk to your dad.”
She could only cry, loud and ugly like she’d never cried before in her life. For her loyal friend sticking by a rotten filly like her. For the mother who she could finally admit didn’t love her. For her father and the family she might soon be tearing apart…if he believed her.
And for Apple Bloom.
She had regretted her words instantly. She hoped the filly would listen to her apology, even if she didn’t deserve to be forgiven. But this wasn’t about the pity she could get, or to lessen the anger everypony would have towards her; it was about taking back the worst words she’d ever said. And hopefully repairing the heart of the filly who didn’t deserve such hurt.
She’d realized it before. Before her mother had come and changed her mind. She knew Apple Bloom was happy, despite all of the things life had thrown at her. So Diamond’s own unhappiness only seemed all that worse around the filly, even though her life was “better”.
It wasn’t their fault she always felt so miserable, least of all Apple Bloom. Or even Sweetie Belle or Scootaloo, they all deserved an apology she could hopefully give them soon.
Silver Spoon let her cry for a while, knowing all the things Diamond had said would come back to get her soon. But Silver would stand by her, even if it was hard. She knew her best friend could change. The thing that hurt her the most was out in the open now, and there was nothing to do now but try.
Rarity had had a wonderful night thus far, showing off her costume and having a great time with her favorite young dragon. He’d gotten the night off from Twilight’s latest study session, leaving Owlowiscious as her assistant for the time being. As much as they both wanted her to come along as well, it was hard to argue when she was working towards such a noble goal.
“Your costume is really beautiful, Rarity!” Spike clasped his claws together, staring at her adoringly as he so often did.
“I am the cunning and beguiling master thief, Scarlet Palomino!” she said with a dramatic swish of her bright red trench coat. “I discovered her serial of novellas this spring and I knew I just had to bring her to life!”
“Oh cool!” Spike smiled, dazzled by his not-so-secret crush. “My costume’s from a series of pulp novels too! Though I got the design from the comic spin-off…”
He pulled out a prop rapier he’d procured to complete the costume and held it to the sky, striking what he hoped was a manly pose.
“I am…Perro!” he announced, rolling his “R”s a little. “The masked diamond dog vigilante who fights for the innocent and the common folk against tyranny and corruption!”
“Oh!” Rarity was full-on in character now. “So the brave Perro has come to thwart my latest series of capers, has he?”
“I won’t let you get away with it, you no-good crook!” he swished the sword dauntingly before getting into the pose he’d seen the canine hero take before a fight.
They both broke out into giggles before he gave chase. They played at a hero chasing a villain for a few streets before Spike stopped in his tracks.
“Do you hear that?” he looked around, wondering if he’d imagined it.
“Hear what?” Rarity strained her ears, lifting her hat a bit to get better range.
“Rarrriiittyyyy!”
Sure enough, she could hear a familiar voice somewhere…
“Where is that coming fr-” before she could wonder any longer, something small but firm barreled into her and she let out a very unladylike “OOF!”
“Sweetie Belle!” she straightened her hat. “Whatever is the matter? I thought you were out with your friends?”
Sweetie pulled away with tears in her eyes, and alarm bells were going off in Rarity’s head.
“Oh my…” she pulled a hoofkerchief from her pocket, wiping at her sister’s eyes. “Please, what has you so upset?”
“It’s Apple Bloom!” she cried, suddenly looking angry. “Diamond Tiara...that rotten filly said the most horrible thing to her and she just took off! Scootaloo went after her, but I had to tell somepony, she can’t get away with it this time!”
It was unusual for her sister and the other Crusaders to come to adults when it came to the schoolyard teasing, so whatever had transpired must have been especially awful.
And when Spike and herself heard what exactly the Rich heiress had said to their mutual friend, it hit hard.
“That!” Spike’s claws shook at his sides, and even though he knew he shouldn’t, he bared his fangs. “That little-How could she!!”
Rarity was furious, no question. But she’d have to be the adult here, luckily for that little-
No, keep your head, Rarity. She thought to herself. Be responsible and don’t start crafting a vendetta against a child.
“I’m proud of you for coming to me with this, Sweetie.” She assured her sister, dabbing at her eyes again. “We’ll have a talk with her father, don’t worry about that. But first, we need to make sure poor Apple Bloom is alright. Where is-”
Just as she thought it, another third of their trio ran into view, but not the one she was currently concerned with. She was panting, and she had a hopeless look on her face.
“I lost her!” she shouted, running up to the group, very much out of breath. “She ducked past the game stalls and then I got caught in the crowd! She could be anywhere by now!!”
More alarm bells. Surely, she couldn’t get too lost…
It was like getting slapped in the face when she remembered. The woods. The foals.
“Twilight’s barrier…” she tried to reason with herself, but she couldn’t shake off the feeling of dread.
“Spike, I need you to take the girls to Fluttershy’s cottage. She won’t let anypony in, so you know where the spare key is.” She said firmly, leaving little room for argument, but unfortunately, these two had one. “No buts! I know you both are very worried, but please! Listen to me!”
She brought the two of them close.
“If something has happened, we will be helpless if it happens to the two of you as well. Twilight had enough trouble rescuing one pony last time, we can’t afford to lose time rescuing more than one filly tonight.”
They wanted to protest, of course they wanted to protect their friend. But before they could even try, Rarity turned her attention back to Spike.
“I am counting on you to protect them and get them someplace safe.” She stated simply, and Spike nodded with a salute, barely covering up his worried expression. Then she was off, running to get the rest of her friends and figure out if there really was any danger here.
The barrier should hold. She tried to reason with herself. But…Charlotte broke it easily enough, strange magic or no… In this case, the only choice was to be safe than sorry. Because they would be VERY sorry if what had happened to all those other foals happened to one of their own.
She could only hope there wasn’t any reason to worry at all.
Apple Bloom could only keep running. She’d dropped her bag of candy back where it all went down but she didn’t care anymore.
She always tried to be a happy filly, for her family’s sake. For her own sake. But that didn’t stop her from getting overwhelmed by the thought of her broken family sometimes.
She hated thinking of it like that, being broken. Like her big brother and sister, like Granny Smith weren’t enough to make a “real” family, a complete one. Like no matter how much they loved each other, it would never be enough. But sometimes it felt like that.
Diamond Tiara…she felt a burning hate for that awful filly, sitting in her chest, making it hard to breathe. How could she talk about it like it barely even mattered? Like it wasn’t even a big deal? In her heart, all she could do was cry and keep running.
She really didn’t know much about the spoiled filly, in all reality. She really did feel like a rotten apple, even if she still felt so much hurt. Apple Bloom never would have called her out about her mother had she known how much hurt was there. She couldn’t even imagine having somepony who was supposed to love you and just…didn’t. Even if she’d wanted to get back at her for all the bullying, all the teasing, it just…wasn’t worth it.
Her legs slowed their pace, just a little. How long had she been running? Her lungs were burning as they tried to take in too much of the cold night air at once. She had just…kept running. Where was she now?
It was just a lone, empty trail, with woods on one side of the path. She couldn’t see any buildings or houses, she’d definitely gone too far away.
She stopped completely, trying to catch her breath through her tears. The sobs got quieter as she looked around, trying to figure out how she’d gotten so turned around.
“I didn’t…mean to go so far…” she was doing her best to calm down. “Applejack and Big Mac…they’re gonna be awful sore if I’m not back before the night’s over…”
She turned straight around, hoping that following her own hoofprints would get her back straight away.
But then…something felt off.
Her ears stood straight up, swiveling about, trying to pinpoint what she was hearing. It was so faint, but it was there.
It sounded like…crying?
“Hello?” she called out. Her voice rang out into the night, just a bit. But as she listened, the sound was just clear enough to make out.
“Hello? Is somepony there?” she called out again. “Are you alright?”
But it was still just on the edge of her senses. Just far enough and quiet enough for it to stick with her.
She went against all better instincts and followed the sound. At least, she thought she was following it. But the farther she went towards the woods, the quieter the rest of the world got.
She wondered just how far in this sound was coming from. Something nagged at the back of her mind, trying to remind her why she shouldn’t be here, but it was just muddled enough to fall short of wanting to follow the sound.
“Are you alright?” she called out once more. “What are you doin’ out here…in the woods?”
Is that what was clawing in her mind? Something about…the woods. The woods…why shouldn’t she be in the woods? It was escaping her, the faint sobbing all that she could think about. She stopped at a thicker area of trees, something catching her eye.
There were dug holes, about six hooves apart, surrounding the tree line. Something had been here, something she knew, but she couldn’t pin down the thought.
Then suddenly, the crying got louder. It was sharper, no longer muddled by the sounds of the night around her. She had the distinct thought in her head that for some reason…she shouldn’t be here. Something…something about…foals?
help
She heard the word so clearly, it could’ve been right in her ears. The voice was small, delicate. Heck, danger or not, whatever she was remembering, there was somepony in there. Somepony who was just as sad and scared as she was.
She had to do something. Without another thought, she stepped over the line of holes and made her way deeper into the woods.
The carnival games were a lot like what had been at the county fair every year back home, albeit more spooky-themed. And I used to go to those things every year since I was like five, so I was kind of cleaning house.
So far, I’d won a box of specialty candy at the ring toss, a pair of novelty googly eye glasses from the pop the balloon game, and I’d totally ruined some pony’s day at the dunk tank. It took a few tries but once I got over the thrill of winning I felt bad for them. They waved me off, saying it was bound to have happened sooner or later, but still…
“You’re really good!” Pinkie praised me, bouncing alongside me as we looked for another game. She’d won a few things too, but whatever level of prize she got she always asked for the equivalent in candy. She popped another piece into her mouth and chewed happily as we walked.
“Thanks.” I smiled, feeling bashful at the praise. We stopped at the water shooter game, the target being to hit the mouth of what looked like a pony with a fish tail.
“Oh wow!” Pinkie looked up at the prizes, pointing one of them out. “Look at the cute alligator! It looks just like Gummy!”
It had his coloring, from what I remembered of the little guy, but this thing was the size of a large dog, hanging above the game operator’s head.
“Do you want it?” I asked, not thinking twice about it.
“Oh, I’d love to take that big guy home!” she smiled. I sat down on the stool, surprised when a stallion dressed like a vampire plopped down on the one next to me. He seemed just as surprised, if a little put off, to be playing with someone (or something) like me.
“Umm…” a mare next to him dressed up like a pirate looked a little spooked of me. “Sweetheart, maybe we should…play something else?”
Pinkie looked a little down when she said it, and I felt bad. We’d gotten through trick-or-treating without any incident since I stood far enough away from the houses, but no such luck here. The stallion seemed a bit put-off too, but in a much more openly hostile way.
“This’ll be a piece of cake, hun.” He bragged to her, not taking his eyes off me. “It’s not like this thing has any clue what it’s doing. No sweat.”
Maybe he was just showing off for his girlfriend, but the comment set something off in me. I didn’t even care about being called a thing, but saying he’d beat me? Nope, nuh-uh, not happening.
“Well, buckle up, “Sweetheart”!” I mocked, pointing a thumb at my chest. “’Cause this thing’s gonna wipe the floor with you!”
He turned red, gritting his teeth while I paid him no mind. I faced forward to the controls, realizing they were different from the ones back home. It was one big button on the right, and four smaller buttons on the left. I guessed thumb-based triggers on a nozzle would be a bit trickier for ponies, wouldn’t they?
“Lottie Dottie…are you sure about this?” Pinkie asked, her ears drooping.
“Uh…yeah!” I smiled, hiding my hesitation with a bit of bravado. “I got this!”
“Oh, we’ve got ourselves a competition!” The mare running the game announced. “Rules are best two out of three, and no physically touching your opponent to throw them off, or I’ll ban you, got it?”
“Like anypony would touch that willingly.” He snickered. Pinkie seemed to puff up at his words, but I just laughed.
“You gonna talk all day, or are you gonna play?” I shot back, and we both hunched over the game, ready to start.
The bell sounded off for the first round, and the mare flipped a switch to start the water streams. It took me a second to figure out the buttons on the left were directional controls and how to get them where I wanted them to go, and I held down the other button to make my nozzle spray the whole time. The spray wandered when you weren’t telling it where to go, adding an extra level of difficulty where aim would normally come into play, but I eventually got it on the mark. Unfortunately, “Sweatheart” had it down much quicker than I did and was racking up the points while I was still maneuvering. I swore under my beath, the first round going to him.
“This is almost too easy.” He smiled at his girlfriend, and while she still looked nervous, she blushed and giggled at him.
“Next round’s mine, bloodsucker!” I taunted, and he grinned back.
“Big talk!” he laughed, and it made my blood boil. Everything reset and the second round kicked off with a bell.
I was much more on top of it this time, quickly getting it under control and hitting the mark. My stream hit the mer-pony’s bullseye for just a tiny bit longer than the other guy, and it was enough to win the round.
I sighed, the momentary adrenaline wearing on me as I realized the last round would be a toss-up. It was anyone’s game but I was in it to win it.
“You did it Lottie!”
“The last round’s a doozy, folks!” the mare announced. “Your target might be tired of getting shot at. I wouldn’t be surprised if they give you a bit more of a challenge in this round!”
We both seemed surprised by that, but the carnie mare didn't give us any time to sort out her words.
“And…GO!”
True to her warning, the merponies with the targets on their middles swirled around in an almost hypnotizing motion. It threw the both of us off, but we both seemed to get into the swing of it before too long.
“Ack! No!!” I shouted, losing the rhythm of the swirling for a moment, losing time while the stallion next to me kept in near-perfect sync. He saw me flailing from the corner of his eye and laughed.
“Where’s all that fire gone, “Lottie Dottie”? he laughed mockingly.
And I’m ashamed to admit it, but I kind of snapped on him.
“Nobody calls me that but her!!” I shouted, slamming down on the water button and spooking him a bit. He actually whinnied and lost his hold on the buttons for a second. But it was long enough to put me in the lead and keep me there. The final round ended with me getting the higher score, and the mare sounded my victory.
“We got a winner, folks!” she smiled, leaning over the game and grabbing my hand with her hoof, holding it up in the air like this was a serious victory.
“No fair!” he shouted, pointing at me. “She pulled that cheap stunt, I definitely would’ve won!”
“You’re right.”
It seemed to throw him off, hearing me say that. His posture got a lot less hostile and he listened to me talk.
“I didn’t mean to lose my head and scare you.” I told him, feeling ashamed for even accidentally using ponies’ fear of me to win. “I promise it wasn’t some cheap move, I just get…carried away with stuff like this.”
“Oh um…” he searched for what to say, looking at his girlfriend. “I get it…I’m…sorry for calling you a thing…and for calling you “Lottie D-”…I mean, that nickname. I was just trying to act tough.”
“It’s cool, I started it, calling you “sweetheart”.” I admitted, feeling kind of ashamed of how childish I'd been acting. “If you want a rematch or like…the prize, I understand. You totally could’ve beat me!”
“Oh! Uh…nah. That’s…cool of you though.” He rubbed at the back of his neck, seeming like he really meant it. We laughed a little before he hopped down off the stool, his girlfriend seeming smitten with the stallion who would sincerely apologize rather than the tough guy act. She waved when she left, seeming less afraid now. Pinkie seemed thrilled that everything had ended amicably, smiling her head off.
“That was big of you!” the mare laughed. “And your score’s pretty decent too! What’ll it be, hun?”
I looked to Pinkie, who still bounced and tilted her head towards the same prize.
“The alligator, ma’am.” I told her, and the mare handed Pinkie “Gummy 2”, as she affectionately called him the rest of the night.
“Thank you!” she nuzzled the prize, looking up at me with literal sparkles in her eyes. “I love him so much!!”
She spun around with him, leaping up into the air and planting a kiss on my cheek again. I could feel my face burning, but seeing her snuggle that big reptile made it easy to chalk up as her being grateful. I turned away and took a deep breath, letting it roll on over me, no sweat.
No sweat…
“You’re welcome.” I smiled back, walking with her to the other games down the main street.
“Bluey!” she smiled shrewdly, poking me in my side as we walked. “You’re kind of competitive, ain’t cha?”
“You’ve learned my terrible secret.” I joked, throwing myself into a somber pose, the back of my hand on my forehead. She laughed at my dramatics, hugging onto the prize I won her.
She saw an uglier side to me and still stuck around. I thought. Who could ask for a better friend?
I sighed to myself, unconsciously rubbing my cheek where she’d kissed me. This pony’ll be the death of me…
Apple Bloom could swear she was getting closer. She still heard the crying, every now and then. But whenever she called out, nopony would directly answer her.
But she didn’t feel afraid. She was out in the woods…dangerous woods, but she just…couldn’t remember why they were so dangerous. But even with all that, she felt…
Safe. Like she was being swept up in a big, comforting hug from somepony who loved her.
“Is…” she started, feeling a little off. “Is somepony…where are you?”
here
I’m here
“Where?” she desperately called out. She wanted to help them, keep them safe. Be with them. Her own voice sounded…kind of quieter somehow.
here
right here
nopony
nopony understands
She turned her head in one swift motion, her ears perked. And right there, just past a few more trees, was somepony. She went to them, no hesitation. No fear. No recollection of the danger.
It was a clearing, the trees on all sides forming a tall ring around the two of them. She looked at the other creature in the clearing with her. It was a pony, a little filly, who had to be her age. They even had the same coat color.
“Are you okay?” she asked, her voice almost smothered by the air around them. But it didn’t bother her. Why didn’t it bother her? All that mattered was this filly.
they don’t understand
it hurts
it hurts so much sometimes
“What does?” she asked, sitting next to her. Like they’d been friends forever. Like this all made perfect sense.
it hurts
they’re gone
“It’s okay.” Her voice was tender, comforting. She reached out to the filly, only to stop short. Why shouldn’t…couldn’t she touch? But the other yellow filly raised her head, with her bright red mane, and a big bow…
It was her. Another Apple Bloom was looking back at her, but something was different.
I miss them
it hurts
She had no eyes.
Big cavernous holes where her eyes should’ve been. They were overflowing with tears, just pouring out as she sobbed quietly. But…
Apple Bloom didn’t mind. Or maybe…she didn’t notice?
“Who do you miss?” she asked, but she felt like she already knew the answer, somehow.
Momma The other Apple Bloom told her, her voice creeping into her ears.
Daddy
it hurts
it hurts without them.
“It’s okay…” she hung her head, trying not to cry again, but she was failing. “I miss my momma and daddy too. A lot…”
I can’t… the Other Apple Bloom said.
I can’t…
remember their faces.
Apple Bloom’s heart hurt. She knew how she felt. Her family never talked about it, what had happened to them. Sometimes, if everypony was just having a bad day, they would pull out the family photo albums and just…remember. Remember what they’d lost and the good memories they had.
But that’s all Apple Bloom had. Photos. She was just too little when they passed away. And it just hurt too much to talk about, for her family. Sometimes, she had to pull out the photos on her own, just to reassure herself that she wasn’t forgetting their faces.
She knew this hurt. It was so familiar.
“I know…” she cried, her tears landing in the grass under them.
I miss them so much. She said.
where are they?
where did they go?
It was like the Other her was begging Apple Bloom for an answer.
“I don’t know. Nopony knows…” she started crying harder. “Granny…Granny said we’ll see each other again someday. Sometime, real far into the future.”
But this only seemed to make the Other her even more upset. Which in turn made Apple Bloom more upset.
but…
I wanna see them
“I know…” she really did.
I wanna see them now
everypony else got to see them
got to know them
why not me?
“I know…” the tears wouldn’t stop.
I don’t wanna be lonely
I don’t wanna be all alone anymore
will you
stay with me?
Her head shot up, her vision blurry from tears. But Other her was staring right at her, her own tears having stopped.
Something was happening. All around her, strange but…familiar orbs of light floated around the two of them, and Apple Bloom could’ve sworn she’d seen…something like this before.
stay
“Stay?” she asked. The Other Apple Bloom reached out for her, hugging her. At first, she didn’t feel anything, like she wasn’t even there. But then, something was slowly creeping around her, grabbing her tight.
But it felt so nice. Hugged by the Other her, she could feel her eyes getting heavy. Everything was warm, and quiet, and…perfect.
“I…” she said, trying to wipe her tears away. “I’ll stay with ya. As long as you need me to.”
She just wanted to…protect this filly, this Other her. Like she wish somepony would protect her right now. Everything just…felt right.
Like if she just did what she wanted, everything would be fine.
stay here… Other Apple Bloom smiled, whispering in her ear.
stay here
with us
“Us?” she asked, drifting off. Her eyes were too heavy, but she could still see the lights, all around them. They were dancing.
no more hurt She said, and her words were so sweet.
no more hurt
no more sadness
no more mean little fillies
no more ponies telling you how sorry they are
sorry that your family’s incomplete
“…Promise?” she yawned, her tears finally stopping.
promise
The last thing Apple Bloom saw as her world floated away was the Other her grabbing her tight, smiling. Only…the little pony was gone…and…plants? Vines, hugging…grabbing her tightly where the Other filly should be. But she couldn’t keep her eyes open. As the ground split beneath them, she drifted off the that sweet voice, telling her:
everything will be okay
Unbeknownst to the ever studious Twilight, the orb of light that had been taking up residence on top of her bookshelves rippled ever so slightly, slipping over to the window to look in the direction of the forest. It sat on the window sill for a while, looking out into the night.
It had happened again.
This party was pretty tame, like a lot of pony parties I’d been to so far in my life. Not like I was expecting to get shit-faced surrounded by pastel pony-folk. It was fun enough, getting to talk to some ponies who weren’t all squirrely around me. Most of the ponies here were really nice or just minded their own business. I wondered if the two hostesses had taken me into account when inviting people to their party, or if they just coincidentally had friends who were cool with me coming. It didn’t really matter, at the end of the day.
Plus, the punch was good.
The room was crowded, and a couple of ponies had come up to me willingly and started a light conversation.
“So…you’re a burgler who steals cats?” the one dressed up as a ghost asked, and I hadn’t figured out who she was yet, or if I even knew her regardless.
“No...” I sighed, seriously regretting not ditching the thief part of my costume right about then. “Just…follow my logic here.”
As I tried explaining it for the millionth time that night, I could spot Pinkie from where I was making her rounds and greeting everyone she knew at the party, which was everyone present.
I hope she’s having fun. I thought. This is exactly her kind of party.
Pinkie Pie had been reluctant to drop off her candy and Gummy 2 back at Sugarcube corner before they came to the party, she’d really wanted to show him off! But it was kinda crowded here, and Gummy 2 wouldn’t have left much room on the dancefloor that was Lyra and Bon Bon’s living room.
She spotted a familiar trio amongst the sea of other ponies she also knew and went to say hello.
“Daisy! Lily! Roseluck!” she bounced on up to them. “Great costumes! It’s good to see you three!”
The three were sporting cute costumes, wearing matching blazers and skirts, with tall socks too. Daisy’s outfit was in greens, Lily in yellows and Roseluck in reds. The three had croquet mallets at their sides in the same colors.
“Thank you!” Roseluck blushed, smiling at the compliment. “We just saw the musical these are from and fell in love with the costume design. Three mares named after a flower? It’s like they made the show just for us!”
“I like your costume too!” Daisy told her. “I really thought you were sick, but I got it. You’re a little horse, huh?”
They all laughed at the joke, and Pinkie was giddy that her choice of punstume could make ponies smile and laugh like she’d wanted!
“Lottie’s costume is cute too!” Lily smiled, and they all looked back to see the human talking to a couple of ponies. She seemed much more open then she had been in even the last few days. From far away, the group watched Lottie lean down and let the pony dressed as a ghost touch her kitty ears. The ghost pony laughed sweetly, and Lottie just smiled at her.
Something about this tiny interaction…bothered Pinkie. Sure, it made her smile to see Lottie having fun with ponies who might have, just a little while ago, been scared of her. Thought of her as a tall tale, a monster in the shadows. But some odd feeling, something she’d never felt before, bubbled to the surface and made her feel…
Sad. Kind of mad, but not at Lottie Dottie. It made her feel…small. Like she wanted to go to Bluey right away and be in her world again. But that would be rude, right? Walking away from the conversation she was in and interrupting another? Would Lottie get mad at her for breaking things up? The thought was so awful…her friend being mad at her.
“You…you think it’s cute?” she couldn’t hide the confusion and…worry? In her voice. The trio picked up on it right away, looking between each other.
“Uh…I mean-” Lily tried to recover. But Roseluck swooped in, saving her.
“Don’t you think she looks cute, Pinkie?” she smiled gently, putting a hoof on the pink pony’s shoulder.
“Of course I do!” She smiled back, the bad feeling still worrying away at her. They all watched the ghost pony keep laughing and giggling away, and Daisy leaned over to Lily, trying to be stealthy.
“Do you think that Carrot Top has a thing for Lottie?” she whispered, finally identifying the costumed mare.
“There it is again!” Pinkie spoke up, no such luck on the two going unheard. “A thing! I keep hearing about “a thing” today!”
They could see how confused Pinkie was, and decided then and there to listen to their friend’s troubles.
“…Can you girls help me figure something out?” she asked them, and they all agreed, nodding away. “Lyra said something funny at Sugarcube corner this morning and I can’t figure out what she meant. I’m super-duper stumped!”
“What did she say?” Lily asked, wondering what Lyra could’ve mentioned that put pinkie in such a state.
“She asked me if Lottie and me were “a thing”.” She told them, getting all worked up. “Then she wouldn’t tell me what she meant by that! But now I hear it again! A thing! A thing!! I don’t know what anypony’s talking about and it’s bugging me like crazy!!”
“Pinkie Pie, breathe…” Daisy tried to settle the pony, knowing she was prone to getting over-excited. “We didn’t mean to upset you, and I’m sure Lyra was just curious.”
“Yeah…” Roseluck smiled, putting a hoof on her shoulder. “When ponies ask you if you and somepony…er, some creature are “a thing”, they’re asking if…”
“They want to know if you’re a couple.” Lily finished, sensing her friend’s nerves.
The words hit Pinkie in a strange way.
“A…a couple?” she asked.
“Mm-hm.” Roseluck nodded. “Lyra probably realized she was asking something kind of…complicated and decided to back off. You know, to be polite.”
Pinkie tried to wrap her head around the words. Lyra, Daisy, Lily and Roseluck…they all wondered if…
They were wondering if Lottie Dottie was her special somepony.
The answer was no, and she opened her mouth to say just that, but something about that didn’t seem…quite right.
They weren’t a couple. They didn’t do the things that ponies in that kind of relationship did. She didn’t know much about romance or dating, but she knew that she and Bluey were friends. Just friends, even if they were really close.
Pinkie Pie had lots of friends. And lots of different kinds of friends. She had pen pals, friends who liked the same kinds of music, friends who liked to party and those who didn’t. Friends who she saw in the market and friends she saw every day. She even had a few best friends, and a best sister friend too.
She’d had the thought a few times lately, that Lottie was a different kind of friend. But she couldn’t quite put her hoof on why; what exactly made Lottie different? Special?
Whenever they were together, she couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. When they were apart, she was all Pinkie could think about. Lottie made her happy, in a way that nopony else really could.
Lottie Dottie used to be a little grumpy and stiff, but the more they got to know each other, the longer Pinkie stuck around and showed her friend that she really cared, she had changed. She was sweet, and thoughtful, and she made Pinkie feel so…appreciated.
It was strange to put it that way, but that’s how she felt. Lottie Dottie was so unfamiliar with other creatures being kind to her that whenever Pinkie did something nice, she could tell Lottie really valued her. She didn’t solely rely on Pinkie to be happy, but in her own words, she’d told her how she’d felt.
“Pinkamena Diane Pie!” She’d smiled, her warm hands on Pinkie’s face. “You make me happy!”
Pinkie stared at her friend from across Lyra and Bon Bon’s living room, the moment from their night out playing over and over in her head.
“What’s the difference?” she asked the three.
“Huh?” Daisy asked.
“The difference?” Roseluck followed.
“The difference…" she asked, not taking her eyes off of Lottie. "...The difference between being friends and being a couple?”
The three felt the serious air about the resident party pony, not used to hearing it from her. It made them uneasy, but they felt some sense of…responsibility. They had been the ones to help clarify her thoughts, if they left her hanging here, they might damage…whatever the relationship between the two was.
“Sometimes…” Lily started, subtly glancing over at Daisy. “Sometimes it’s when you want to be something…more than friends.”
“Sometimes, it’s when you can’t get somepony out of your head.” Daisy added, feeling a little embarrassed as she tried not to turn her gaze to Lily.
“It’s not always like…wanting kisses and nuzzles and hoof-holding.” Roseluck felt her cheeks heating up, thinking of her own romantic feelings for a certain stallion right in this very room. The enthusiastic earth pony stallion with pension for invention, currently dressed as a strange-looking robot. “But…it can be.”
Pinkie seemed to be thinking things over, her eyes still never wandering from the only human in the room. Lottie finally seemed to noticed her friend all but staring at her, offering a shy wave and a bright but unsure smile. Pinkie smiled and waved back, turning to the ponies who’d helped her that Nightmare Night.
“…Okay.” She finally said, a bashful smile on her face.
“Okay?” the trio echoed back, curious.
“Okay.”
And that was that. Pinkie was off to see Lottie, while Daisy, Lily and Roseluck could only speculate what she was thinking.
“Do you think we helped?” Lily asked her friends. They all seemed torn on the subject.
“Maybe.” Daisy shrugged, pulling her croquet mallet close to her. “Is it just me, or do both of you hope that nopony ever asks us for relationship advice ever again?”
“Oh, absolutely.” Roseluck sighed, her legs suddenly feeling very wobbly.
Though the three had barely talked to Pinkie Pie about the subject, the thought of being partially responsible for however this would turn out was almost too much to consider. If it went badly and Pinkie and/or Lottie got their hearts broken, they couldn’t help but like they didn’t do enough, or that they should’ve said something different.
“C’mon, let’s get some punch.” Lily suggested, getting a relieved sigh from her closest friends.
Twilight couldn’t believe her eyes. Just like that, she’d found it! She’d found how she would see into the past, to see how the Maple twins had crossed over! At least, if everything went smoothly from here on out.
“Spike! Spike come here! I think I’ve got it!”
The library was silent. She slapped her hoof to her temple, angrily reminding herself that Spike had gone out tonight. She grabbed the winning book and a fresh scroll. And as she flew out the front door, she was unaware of the presence currently hitching a ride with her, nestled lightly under one of her wings. It needed to go where she was headed, and it couldn’t travel anywhere on it’s own.
Twilight needed Zecora.
She knew tonight, the zebra mare would be someplace close by…The statue? Maybe with Mayor Mare? She ran through the streets, so close! She was so close!
There! Zecora was there, with Mayor Mare in the Town Square, along with several other adults. But that didn’t slow Twilight down. With her magic, she parted the crowd, not stopping for apologies, but made a mental note to do it later.
“Zecora! Hi, I don’t know if you’re busy, but I have something really important to ask you and I needed to tell you as soon as possible-”
“Princess!”
“-and I know you’re an expert on potions, especially ones that ponies aren’t familiar with and made with particular ingredients so-”
“Princess Twilight!”
“Huh? What?” Mayor Mare was trying to get her attention. “Oh, I’m sorry, that was rude of me. Was I interrupting something?”
“Princess, we’ve…we’ve got reports of a missing foal.” Her voice was grim. “Somepony was just about to go and get you. This is a search party.”
She looked around at the ponies in the group, noticing their worried faces.
“Who-”
“Apple Bloom.” The Mayor rightfully cut her off. “Applejack and Big McIntosh went out ahead already, along with some of your friends.”
She didn’t want to believe it. This was exactly what she had feared. But before she could do anything, she’d have to confirm her deepest fears.
“You all should sweep the town and surrounding areas anyway, just in case.” She took charge without meaning to, but nopony was arguing. “Zecora, I need you to stay here, I might need your help with something, but I hope I’m wrong. Please.”
“Dear Princess, I shall stand my ground.” Zecora nodded, her face stern. “And pray the young Apple is safe and sound.”
Twilight nodded, very thankful, before gathering her magic and teleporting quite a ways away, not knowing she was currently teleporting two beings.
She was at the edge of the forest, but she wasn’t alone. Just as Mayor Mare had said, her friends were already on the search, and they turned to her.
“Twilight!” Rarity looked thoroughly scared. “Rainbow Dash just left to go get you!”
“Mayor Mare told me the basics.” She tried to remain calm. “Is there any sign of her here?”
“Twilight!” It caught her off guard, Big Macintosh calling out for her from the tree line, she spun around to see him and Applejack there, the latter beating away at something. But it wasn’t her brother’s field of protection crystals. It was something else entirely.
The vines. They had encompasses the trees, wrapping wildly around the bark, thick and unyielding.
“I tried to move them with my magic Twilight, but they would not budge!” Rarity cried out. “And Rainbow Dash tried for a while to breach the overhead of trees, but it was too thick! No matter how many branches she broke, more took their place, even stronger!”
She couldn’t think of what to say. She knew that the vines, the forest were resistant to magic, but even physical attacks were failing? She ran to the Apples, fearing the worst.
“She can’t…I can’t…” Big Mac panted. Applejack was still bucking away at the trees, trying desperately to break through, turning and trying to tear at the vines with her teeth to little result.
The crystals were gone, the only sign that they’d been there were fresh holes were they once stood.
“I don’t understand…” she’d double checked the wards herself, nothing short of her own magical power level should’ve been able to move those. Even Lottie’s own unique magical properties only weakened the barrier itself by draining the crystals. She put her thoughts back to more urgent matters. “Is she…What about the other Crusaders? Are they missing too? What happened?”
“Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo are being safeguarded in Fluttershy’s cottage, Spike is there too, doing his best to keep everypony calm, the dear. He’s doing quite well, seeing as they’re very understandably shaken…” Rarity answered her, looking fearful. “But he’s also there to help Fluttershy stop them from sneaking back out. Apple Bloom was driven off crying by those awful bullying fillies tonight. Scootaloo tried to keep up with her, but she lost her trail. Sweetie Belle came and found Spike and I right away. Applejack and Big Macintosh came straight here. We didn’t want to think the worst but…” she looked at the sealed off woods with a face full of dread.
“She’s fine!” Applejack shouted back at her, still trying to make her way in. “I just have to get to her! Help me, Twilight!!”
Twilight knew that her magic would only slow the vines down, it would take everything she had to even destroy a few of them. But who could even guess at how many layers were blocking their path, along with thick, solid tree trunks.
“Blast it Twi!” she cried out, turning to show her face. It was reddened, messy with tears, her voice betraying her hurt. “Give it a good magic thumpin’ and get my baby sister out of there!”
“Applejack, we have to-”
“Have to nothin’!” she shouted back. Twilight knew she was hurting. “You get her out of there, I don’t care what it takes!”
“I will, I promise!” she tried to get through to her. She wouldn’t tell her to calm down, that wouldn’t be fair. But she would fix this, she had to. “I need help.”
“Help?” Applejack was breathing heavy from her assault on the trees. Her legs were shaking under her. “Okay…okay yeah, help. How!? What do you need!?”
“I need Zecora.” She told her gathering friends. “In my research I read about a potion the Zebrican tribes use to preserve their oral history. If she can make it, it will tell us what is actually going on in there, what’s the cause of all of this. Once we know, I can figure out how best to get in there.”
“Consarn it, Twilight!” Applejack looked skeptical, growing more anxious by the minute. “Do we really have time for all of that?”
“We don’t have a lot of options.” She admitted. “If I just blast my way in, I might not have enough magic left to deal with what’s inside.”
“Okay…” Applejack wiped at her eyes, looking determined. “Okay.”
Rainbow Dash zipped back overhead, followed by her familiar colorful contrail.
“You’re already here!” she was just a tiny bit out of breath. Maybe the panic was getting to her too. “Twilight, did they already tell you-”
“I’m up to speed.” She nodded. “I need you to go get Lottie! She might be able to weaken the vines for me to get through!”
Rainbow quickly nodded before zipping off again. Twilight turned to her friends again gathering her thoughts.
“I’m going to pop back to town and ask for Zecora’s help. I’ll teleport us back here as soon as we’re ready. You all should stay here in case anything changes, and stay away from it for now. If one of you gets grabbed, I might not be able to help two ponies at once.”
They all nodded, though Applejack still looked on with so many burning emotions.
“We’ll get her out, Applejack.” Twilight touched a hoof to her friend’s cheek, still damp with tears. “I promise.”
“I know…” she started crying again. “I know.”
Big Mac pulled his sister into a hug before Twilight teleported back to town. She’d wanted to use the potion to see what had sent Sugar Maple to Lottie’s world, but now she’d have to focus on using it for finding a way to fight the vines properly and get Apple Bloom back unharmed. There was the possibility that the two events weren’t mutually exclusive. But she had to first hope that Zecora could even do what she needed first.
If she went into the woods blind, there was a distinct possibility that neither of them would be coming back out. Or whoever ended up coming in with her. It would take a lot to keep Applejack and Big Macintosh from wanting to come in with her. And Lottie would possibly be guiding her if they could even break through.
When. She corrected herself. When we break through.
The Cakes had made a lot of extra treats for the night, and I was all too happy to help them even things out. Pinkie was sorting through her candy, choosing what to give to the twins and picking out what to give as an “offering”. The whole thing still sounded crazy to me, but Pinkie said that Luna was more than okay with it all. Mr. Cake was putting the twins to bed upstairs and everything was pretty quiet, save for some enthusiastic candy-munching from Pinkie every now and then.
The party had actually been a lot of fun. There weren’t a ton of ponies there, and everyone there was actually pretty nice to me. Lyra had talked with me for a while, asking me stuff about what my world was like. Apparently, when she was still in school in Canterlot, she had been studying to be an ambassador to non-pony lands before she fell in love with playing the lyre. She still loved to ask about other cultures and what my species was like, and even told me a lot about other species on this planet. I now knew more about “Diamond Dog” culture than I’d ever asked to, and the fact that this world had tall, sentient dogs was barely a surprise to me at that point. She was offering to tell me all about Griffins and Minotaurs when Bon Bon called her away.
She’d apologized for letting me get cornered, but I told her that I really didn’t mind. It really was an interesting talk we’d had and I’d learned a lot. She seemed happy that I’d sincerely listened to her friend and even offered me some special candies she only made once a year. Pinkie’s baking still won out for “the best thing I’d eaten in Equestria”, but Bon Bon’s treats were a very close second. Eating it made me feel so happy that it made me wonder if Bon Bon had the same kind of “cooking” magic that Granny Smith (and to an extent, I) did.
Pinkie had a great time too, from what I could tell. She’d spent a lot of time making the rounds and chatting ponies up, reminding me of her claim of “knowing everypony in town”. At first it was hard to believe, but the more I got to know Pinkie, the easier it was to believe the claim to be true. We spent some time together, but Pinkie had acted…kind of strangely after talking with ponies.
She was still happy and bubbly like usual, but she seemed…oddly quiet. Sometimes she’d open her mouth to say something, then just hum to herself, her tail wagging just a little under her costume’s quilt. She seemed happy enough, so I kept my thoughts to myself, at least until later.
We’d gone back to Sugarcube Corner to sort through Pinkie’s candy, just enjoying more time together. Pinkie had taken off her costume, and I had shed the ears, tail and gloves from mine. The base catsuit was comfortable enough, I’d made sure it was, but it wasn’t something I would’ve worn any other day of the year.
“That’s odd.” Mrs. Cake was at the door, looking out onto the street. “The trick-or-treaters stopped early this year. Nopony’s out and about.”
“Maybe…they all went to bed early?” Pinkie guessed, but she didn’t sound too sure.
“Hmm…” was her simple response. But she shrugged and went back towards the kitchen, just in time for Rainbow Dash to come crashing through the door. She spun out, slamming into where Pinkie and I were sitting. When I was rightside-up again, Rainbow was standing on top of my chest. The blow to my body felt worse than it actually was, but it still hurt.
She knocked the wind outta me… I tried to say, but ended up only thinking. She was dressed as some kind of…turtle? A shell around her middle and wearing a red bandana mask over her eyes, some prop pronged weapons in her belt. I would’ve laughed if I’d been able to say anything.
“Dashie?” Pinkie asked, only to be cut off before she could ask what was going on.
“Lottie!” Rainbow looked like a far cry from her earlier prankish mood. “Apple Bloom’s out in those woods! Your woods! She’s missing!”
My blood ran cold, many visions of fillies being pulled into the ground flooding my mind again. Pinkie gasped in horror, along with a startled Mrs. Cake. I made to pick Rainbow up off of me so I could breathe again, but she was too heavy. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. With my breathing labored I was starting to feel the phantom sensation of vines at my throat, but I shook it off, trying to sit up. There wasn’t any use to panicking now. Rainbow finally got off of me and I took a deep breath.
“We gotta go!” Rainbow was panicking, and I sat up, needing just a minute for the spasms below my ribs to stop, Rainbow apologizing while Pinkie rubbed my back in little circles. As soon as I could breathe again the three of us were out the door.
The three of us took to the streets of Ponyville in the dark of the night. Just as Mrs. Cake had said, there weren’t any ponies around despite how crowded it had been not even a half hour ago. Pinkie was surprisingly fast, even next to Rainbow Dash. I was the odd human out, slowing them down. I was never very fast to begin with, but compared to these two it was making me look like I wasn’t even trying to keep up.
“She’s too big for me to fly with!” Rainbow called out. “Pinkie, can you-”
But she was already on it, apparently. Pinkie ducked her whole body under me in one swift motion, and suddenly I was sitting side saddle (pardon the term) on the back of the pink pony. My face burned in a mix of indignity and embarrassment, but this was not the time. I was too big for this ride, so to speak, it was like a grown adult trying to ride a large dog, size-wise. But Pinkie didn’t even slow down.
Earth pony strength saves the day, I guess.
“Thanks!” I called to her over the sounds of her thudding hooves and Rainbow’s wings. She smiled up at me, before rearing up suddenly and shifting into pony-hyperdrive. I wrapped my arms around her neck and tried not to fall off, but the ride turned out to be surprisingly smooth. The normally 15 minute walk turned into a 5-minute sprint/fly.
I saw the others huddled around the tree line, talking amongst themselves in hushed, worried tones. I could only hope everything was alright.
“This potion on its own gives one insight into the unknown.” Zecora said, grinding the herbs inside the mortar with the pestle held in her fetlock. “Used by my tribe for many centuries untold, but with magic is worth its weight in gold.”
“The book I found from the Canterlot archives said that it can be used to see into the past.” Twilight was pacing Zecora’s hut, too unsettled to be still. “I don’t know how far back to go. Will this be a problem?”
“More powerful magic gives one more powerful sight.” She answered, combing the ground herbs in a wooden bowl with plants that Twilight didn’t recognize. “As an alicorn, as far as you need you will see this night.”
“Good. Good…” she’d learned to trust in magic she didn’t understand a long time ago, in cases with both Zecora and Pinkie. But this was literally a last ditch effort. If this potion couldn’t show her how to beat the forest magic, she feared that all hope would be lost.
Then, she thought of Lottie, and her original intent for the potion. “I…I hate to ask, since you’re being so generous to make this in the first place but…do you have enough to make more?”
Zecora was still for a second before continuing her work, looking around her hut with hurried eyes.
“Rare plants from my homeland are in short supply.” She said, her voice riddled with doubt. “To say that I could…would be a lie.”
Twilight didn’t want to explain, to make Zecora feel guiltier than she herself felt. So she didn’t go into further detail, not right now.
Zecora silently worked, pouring a now pink liquid into a strange-looking beaker, much like one she would see in her own lab. It was adorned with golden ends, decorated with animal heads with ruby red eyes. Zecora held the beaker in her hooves and spoke in a language that Twilight recognized roughly as Farasi, from what little she could comprehend. When she was finished, the potion fizzled into a purple shade and settled.
“It is done. Go forth this night.” She said to Twilight sternly. “It is ready to drink when changed from purple to white.”
“Thank you Zecora.” She couldn’t contain herself as she hugged Zecora. Zecora hugged her back, letting Twilight take it in her magic. “We should hurry back. Do you mind if we teleport?”
“In our pace we should not roam.” She nodded with a determined look. “We must bring young Apple Bloom home.”
In a flash of bright magic, Twilight suddenly appeared, along with a zebra I’d never seen.
“Zecora!” Applejack shouted, looking a bit better. I’d heard her mention that name before, but I’d never seen the new face in person until then. “Did you do it? Did you get what you need?”
“She did it.” Twilight confirmed to the group, holding up a weird-looking liquid. “With this, we’ll be able to see into the past, and get a look at whatever’s behind this odd magic. Then, we’ll know how to fight against it.”
Twilight looked to me, a strange, worried look on her face.
“This was what I was researching.” She explained, her ears drooping. “I was going to use it to see how the foals crossed over. If the two events aren’t connected…”
A look spread across the faces of the ponies around me, and one zebra. I realized what she meant. By her tone, if she used it now, she couldn’t use it for me. Pinkie leaned against my side, and Applejack kicked the ground in frustration.
“Twilight.” I clenched my fists. “I don’t care about that right now.”
She blinked her big lavender eyes, the look on her face hard for me to place.
“I don’t care how long it takes me to get home.” I told her, and I meant it. “I know you won’t stop trying. Right now, Apple Bloom needs this a hell of a lot more than I do.”
I felt a pony slam into my side, a weeping Applejack had thrown her forelegs around me. Big Mac’s head bumped into the middle of my back, similarly weeping. Soon it was a group hug with all but Twilight and the newly arrived Zecora.
“I promise.” Twilight wiped at her eyes. “If I have to go to Farasi myself for those plants, I’ll get you home. I swear it, and…and-”
“Drink it together, share the sight.” Zecora cut her off, and the following rhyme scheme threw me off. “Perhaps…find an answer to more than one plight. Focus your magic and open your minds, let the truth reveal itself in kind.”
Before I could ask why she was rhyming, Twilight stared at the vial with grim determination. It floated in front of her in her magic, the light slowly changing color with her strained focus. It went from the familiar, soft magenta to a sickly looking purple and green, occasional sparks of black shooting from her horn. Before I could ask about that either, she shot off a beam of magic at it, the potion crackling with black static before bubbling a little and fading to white.
She was panting a little, but she seemed to have gotten expected results. In her normal magic, she conjured two glasses, pushing one to me. Normally, I’d object to putting unknown magic into my body, but again, this wasn’t about me.
“Take a drink, picture your goal.” Zecora said warningly. “And remember, you are in control.”
Twilight poured the potion between the glasses, just enough for two. She held hers out for a “here goes nothing” toast. I clinked my glass to hers and we held them up, taking a few sips at the same time. I held onto my glass tightly as I felt myself slipping out of reality, my vision going white.
The last thing I felt was Pinkie, her hoof still held tight in my hand.
I came to I don't know how much later, gasping for breath. The vision was still fresh in my mind, and it had spared no details. How Sugar and Silver entered the woods, where they’d gone, how they got there. Everything was so confusing and impossible, but it seemed…
“Lottie?” Applejack looked up at me expectantly. “What did you see?”
“I’m…” How to even start. “I don’t know…It all went by so fast…and I still don’t really understand magic stuff all that well…”
“When Twi comes to, you can run it by her.” Applejack nodded, tuning to her still white-eyed friend. “She’ll know what it all meant…she has to.”
Twilight was still caught in her vision, I couldn’t imagine what she was seeing. If it was the same thing I’d seen, she’d know what I knew and then some. Our friends were crowded around her, waiting to see what they’d learn from her. Save for Pinkie, still holding onto me.
“I’m fine now, Pinkie.” I smiled, trying to settle her nerves.
“Okay.” She smiled back, peeking over to the other potion-taker here. “Don’t move a muscle, Bluey! I’m gonna go make sure Twilight’s alright too.”
She hugged my side so quick and tight that it almost knocked me over. I watched her and Applejack join the rest of our friends to watch over Twilight while I collected my thoughts.
The things I'd seen in the vision...I was trying to put the pieces together but things weren't making sense. If what I'd seen was true...then...
I remembered what the me from my dream said to me…the things she whispered when I was feeling my lowest, when she told me everything I both did and didn’t want to hear.
Come back
Back to me
We can be together again
I’ll never let you go
I love you
Eyes widening, everything made sense. All the little pieces from everything I’d learned since before I even came here were falling into place…it made me wonder why I never saw it before now.
I looked around at them all…all the ponies, the people I’d come to trust with everything. The fear and panic on their faces, how worried and uncertain they were about how to make everything right.
If there was one thing I felt bad about, it was lying to Applejack.
While I didn’t really understand what I’d seen in the vision, I knew what it meant. As much as someone like me could anyway. And when I saw it, I knew what I had to do. Maybe this was the right thing to do, or maybe I was walking into a trap. Either way, this was something only I could do, and if I didn’t do it, I don’t think I could ever forgive myself.
If I'd told them what I was planning, they never would've let me go.
I reached out and touched the vines, and though I couldn’t see any difference in them, I could feel something under the tips of my fingers.
That same magic. I could feel some of it flowing into me, but not enough to make a difference. This forest had eons of endless magic at its disposal; I could stand here, sponging it up all night long and barely make a dent. I just didn’t have that much magic to begin with.
But what I did have…was what this forest wanted.
I closed my eyes, remembering baking with Granny Smith, how it felt to use my magic on purpose. I felt the wisp of energy swirl in my lungs with every breath. I felt how it rose to my mouth and into the air when I finally spoke.
“You can hear me, can’t you?” I asked, feeling the air around me change. It was quiet and still, and by the looks of my friends I was the only one immersed in it. “Let me in, and I’ll give you what you want.”
Creeping silently, the vines started to curl themselves back, leaving a space just big enough for me to pass through.
“Lottie Dottie?”
With a look behind me, I saw that Pinkie was staring on with her big blue eyes. She trotted closer, her steps hesitant and unsure. I turned, holding her face in my hands. I wondered how long she’d been watching. She leaned into my touch, and I gave her a sad smile.
“No matter where she is, I’m gonna go get her.” I told my closest friend, someone I would hopefully see again soon. By now, our friends had noticed what was going on and weren’t sure what they were looking at. Applejack and Big Mac tried to come for the opening, wanting so bad to rush in and save their sister, but before they could even reach me they were cut off.
The vines had grown massive, the long tendrils sprouting sharp, angry thorns that covered every inch of the living plant life. They swung about at the ponies trying to make their way to stop me, but damn if they didn’t keep bucking and fighting their way through.
Twilight was still in the depths of her vision, tears spilling from her glowing eyes. Rarity used impressive magic to keep any vines away from her. When they barely reacted to raw magic, she used her energy as a buffer to bat the vines away from the two of them. I’d never seen her look so fierce.
Rainbow Dash tried to fly to stop me, but the vines snapped at the air like whips, trying to grab her legs or her wings and ground her. She kept on fighting them though, dancing around the thorns like it was nothing. She was a brave one, that was for sure.
Applejack and Big Mac were strong ponies, and they seemed like the biggest threat to the vines since they fought with raw strength instead of magic. Big Mac held his costume’s ax in his teeth, swinging it at the approaching vines to fend them off from his sister. The vines snatched it from him, lifting him off the ground before he let go, flinging it into the ground as he fell to the dirt. The siblings made it closer to me than anypony else trying to make their way over, so the vines fought them harder.
I’d have to be quick. If any of them got seriously hurt trying to stop me, I’d never forgive myself. I let go of Pinkie and stepped into the trees, watching them close up as she watched me, seemingly frozen in place. She seemed to snap out of it, reaching out for me with a sad, longing look.
“Lott-”
The vines closed themselves off, separating me from the rest of the world.
I was completely alone. My heart ached a little at the last sight I saw outside these woods, but I had to be here. I didn’t know exactly what was in store for me, but there was a chance something would go wrong.
“I was gonna leave her at some point…” I sighed, turning towards the deeper forest. “Rip off the band aid and all that.”
If I was the only one who didn’t make it back out, I would still consider it a happy ending. More vines parted for me, instilling in my mind that the forest wanted me here. With a heavy sigh I stepped further into the trees, wondering if this would be enough.
If I could save Apple Bloom.
She was young, and sweet, and kind; She didn’t deserve the fate I’d seen in my vision. If it was a choice between her or me, I’d pick her every time. And I couldn’t imagine anyone else making the opposite choice.
“I don’t belong here anyway.” I reasoned with myself, trudging through the darkness. The closed off forest left little room for any moonlight to creep in. It was still and quiet, like it always had been, and for the first time since I came to Equestria, I felt truly and utterly alone.
“It’s for the best.”