The beaten-down baseball was tossed into the air before returning back down into Gallop's hoof. The young earth pony stared at the red-and-white bullseye target with squinted eyes. Without breaking contact with the object in front of him, Gallop tossed the ball up in the air and waited for it to come down again.
A growl snarled out of his lips, like a defensive dog besieged by an intruder. A pause went on for a while until he eventually tossed the ball up again. Another pause occurred, followed by another toss. The seconds that went on throughout Gallop tossing the ball up and down felt like minutes to you as you watched on in boredom, and you were certain that those behind you felt the same with the few yarns your ears caught.
"Hey, buddy! I'm pretty sure other people have a better throwing leg than you! Why don't you give them a shot?!?"
The snubbing comment came from a chubby green-blue unicorn stallion right in front of Gallop. The older stallion himself was situated in a glass-encased dunk tank and seemed to be very jovial. Sitting relaxed in his suspended, feetless chair, the unicorn flashed a smile that did little to ease the younger stallion's tension.
"Come on, pretty boy!"
With that last insult came the long-waited shot. Propelled by Gallop's leg, the ball shot out of his hoof and spiraled toward the bullseye attached to the dunk tank. You, along with the neighboring crowd of creatures, kept track of the sphere, waiting to see the end of its destination.
To everycreatures' disappointment, the ball did not have a triumphal sendoff. Its end came in the form of bouncing off the surface of the bullseye, falling to the ground, and rolling in the grass for a brief moment before coming to a halt. A chorus of groans sang from the crowd near you, while you yourself stared at the ball with a blank expression. Given by the haughty laughter from the dunk tank, there was at least one person that was cheerful.
"That's three in a row, mate!" the unicorn exclaimed, clapping his hooves together. "Pay up!"
Grumbling, Gallop hunched down to shake off his saddlebags. Digging around, he eventually pulled out a coin pouch and used his teeth to pull open the string entrance. Just then, a light purple glow encased the pouch, drawing out three bits and floating them away from Gallop's direction. The coins eventually ended up in the hooves of a lanky, amber unicorn mare with a long neck, a green mane, and a cutiemark of a snail.
"Thanks for the bits, Gallop," the mare said. "I gotta say, Snips, this dunk tank idea of yours is really pulling off." The mare floated the money into a glass jar on a table next to the dunk tank.
"Yep!" the unicorn shouted from behind the glass. "The whole gist is that we get some sweet bits while our lovely customers here have a chance to let out their frustrations."
The amber unicorn rose a confused eyebrow. "But nocreature put you in the water, yet."
"That's true, but they probably don't want to hurt me too much. After all, I'm not the reason they're mad all the time."
"But you did say some real nasty stuff lately."
With little consideration, Snips shrugged. "I'm just trying to give them some motivation, is all, Glitter."
The perplexity on the mare's face melted away into a satisfied smile. "Oh. That makes sense."
While the two unicorns chatted away, Gallop returned to both you and Georgia with a lowly disposition. With a lowered head and a grumpy scowl, the earth pony sat down between the two of you.
"Those two rigged that bullseye," he complained. "I'm sure of it."
"The only thing I'm certain of is how crappy your leg is if you couldn't get him in the water --- even after you hit the target two times."
"That's not the case here. I've known these two since we were in primary school. They're always up to some sort of scheme or stupid plan, especially that Snips. I just gotta wait for someone to expose them, then they can give back all the money they took."
Georgia rolled her eyes. "It's not like they have half of Ponyville coming to the tank. If you look at the jar right now, not many creatures showed up since the festival started. I could barely buy textbooks with that much cash. Let's just let it go."
Gallop crossed his forelegs. "I guess. I'm just gonna drive myself crazy with them. Let's head---"
"Um..., excuse me?"
A little voice from behind caught all three of your attention. Turning around, you spot a small, brown griffon with red eyes sitting down on the ground, staring back at you with a humble and hesitant gaze. Though a familiar and rather innocent creature, you were surprised to see him, knowing that you and the others had forgotten about him.
"What's up, Garrick?" Georgia asked with a smile.
The young griffon slowly approached the three of you with some hesitation. Stopping, Garrick twiddled his talontips together as he stared at the ground below.
"I like to give it a try," he said softly. "If that's okay."
The request was quite surprising to you, as well as the other two. Though a sophomore like you, Garrick was still a child with a tendency towards reservedness and quietness. For him to make a choice in putting somecreature in an embarrassing situation on purpose was something that you would never have expected from him.
"You talking about the dunk tank?" Gallop asked, despite it being obvious.
The little griffon nodded his head, finally meeting his eye with the three of you.
"I'm not so sure about this,' Georgia added. "I don't want you wasting all your bits on nothing, especially if Gallop is right about those two."
For a moment the elder griffon's dissuasion seemed to do its effect, as Garrick lowered his face again with a doubtful expression, but he quickly regained his composure and looked up at Georgia.
"I'm certain. There's this move that I want to try out again, and it'll only cost me one bit if I get it wrong. I just need to try it one time."
Georgia hesitated from answering immediately as she went over Garrick's words in her head. You personally hoped that she would be able to persuade him to just let it go and save his bits for some snacks or carnival rides. But luck was once again not on your side.
Georgia relented, letting out a sigh. "I guess one bit wouldn't hurt. But just remember that your folks aren't gonna give you any more money than they already do."
A white, beamy smile grew from the younger griffon's mouth. "Yes!" Taking a coin from the pouch tied around his neck, Garrick floated in the air and buzzed toward the dunk tank. The sight of the cheerful child managed to lower your already damaged spirit, as well as chip away at your patience.
An hour here is more than enough, you thought to yourself. I need to get out of here soon.
"If I had a hard time with that tank, I doubt he'll do any better," Gallop proclaimed.
Georgia shrugged. "Maybe. But I'll give him a chance. It took a bit to convince him to come out here. Last year he just stayed at the dorms."
"What kind of move was he talking about, exactly? Do you have any clue?"
"Nope, but I think he's been hanging out with some kids that are into the Wonderbolts. I think they may be a part of the Rainbow Dash Fan Club."
The little griffon stopped in front of Glitter and Snips, who paused their conversation.
"Well, hello there, squirt," Snips greeted behind the glass. "Whatcha doin'?"
Garrick held out his claw to reveal the golden coin laying in his palm. "One bit for one throw, please."
Both unicorns glanced at each other with perplexed looks before returning their eyes to the younger creature.
"Uh, don't you want to use three bits, instead?" Glitter asked. "You know --- just in case you get the first throw wrong?"
Garrick shook his head, betraying no lack of confidence. "One try should be enough."
Though not understanding the griffon's reasoning, Glitter levitated the coin out of his claw and into the jar on the nearby table. Snips, however, began to laugh out loud as his partner levitated a ball over to Garrick.
"Really, squirt? Just one throw? You can't be that afraid of big ol' me, can ya? I'm sure I'm not like those monsters under your bed that'll come and try to eat you at night! HA!"
Throughout Snips' laughing streak, Garrick was able to keep it all together and neither lashed out in anger nor rushed to defend himself --- a detail that you found yourself respecting the little griffon for. With an annoyed scowl, Garrick floated off the ground to place some distance between him and the dunk tank, before turning around and stretching out the arm that gripped the ball.
Staring at the bullseye ahead, Garrick took several relaxed, deep breaths that lifted his chest up and down. Once he was done, he began to spin horizontally while in midair, something that did not seem to impress you that much, as he seemed to be going at a below-average speed. However, as the seconds passed on, you noticed a change beginning to occur --- or rather several changes.
At first you could see the outline of Garrick's body like his legs, torso, and head, but by now he had become a swirling mess of brown colors. As the griffon spun around, the blades of grass below him began to blow away in the opposite direction, unable to withstand the winds beating down on them. Eventually, the spinning got so intense that you could hear the small howling of wind and saw thin jets of air encircle him. You looked around to the spot the reactions of everycreature else, and so far most of the crowd, including Georgia and Gallop, were enchanted by the young griffon's act.
You managed to look back just in time to see the griffon's final part. Still spinning, Garrick managed to launch himself straight up into the air, not too far up, but just enough to allow him to fly backward in an arch or "U" formation. Once he was back near his original position, the little griffon stopped spinning and threw the ball directly at the bullseye.
A loud, clunky noise was generated when the ball slammed into the bullseye's center, causing it to fold in on itself. Snips, enthralled by Garrick's performance like everycreature else, shook his head once he realized what had just happened.
"Oh, n---" were the only words that came out of the unicorn's mouth before he was submerged into the tank's cold water. It took a while, as most of the crowd were still stunned by what transpired, but eventually, a loud cheer rang out, though you opted to stay silent.
Without warning, many in the crowd rushed over to Garrick to either shake his claw or roughly play with his hair in a display of affection. When they were all done, they hurried around Glitter and held up their hooves, paws, or claws while demanding their money back. Nervous and backed into a corner, Glitter used her magic to levitate the money jar and open it up.
"Ok, folks," she said, giving three bits back to each creature. "Don't worry. A promise is a promise."
When everycreature was done congratulating Garrick, Gallop and Georgia went over to greet the young griffon, while you stayed back. With all three of your classmates distracted, you looked around for an opening to make your escape. You wanted to pick the right spot and time to move out so that you would not get caught. As you searched, you listened in on the others talking in excitement.
"How'd you do something like that?!?" Gallop asked Garrick with a big grin on his face.
"Yeah, man," Georgia added in. "Did you learn that move from one of your friends? I don't remember you ever telling me about anything like that."
With a bashful blush, the young griffon stared down at the ground as he floated and twiddled with his fingers again. "Yeah. There's this pegasus name Sunfeather in the Rainbow Dash club. He's huge into the Wonderbolts, and he taught me this technique that cadets have to learn when throwing clouds puffs or lightning bolts."
Gallop patted Garrick on the back. "Well, you that ball you threw was definitely a lightning bolt. I'm glad you gave that dolt what he was asking for. And I guess I was right about the bullseye being rigged if that's what it took to send him in."
Garrick looked up and greeted the earth pony with a smile. "Thanks. Is it okay if we can head somewhere else? I'm actually getting a bit hungry."
"Sure, dude," Georgia said, nudging her little companion. "Let's get that one bit of yours, first."
You gazed back in time to spot your three classmates heading over to the dunk tank booth --- having done nothing to get your attention or call you over. Not knowing how long it would take for them to realize your absence, you quicken your search for an exit, darting you eyes in all directions. Eventually, you spot an opening where you could blend in with a dense crowd to get away from the others.
You made your first move --- moving a leg forward as you plan to head toward your destination. But before you could take a second step, you feel two gripping claws on your forelegs and find yourself being lifted up to your hindlegs.
"Huh, almost forgot about you," Georgia said. She turned the two of you around and floated you over to where Gallop and Garrick were. "Come on, you. We're gonna get some grub."
A thousand protests ran through your head as you were carried off to the dunk tank like a toddler --- from a complaint about your hooves hurting to an untrue fact about your hatred for high-processed festival food. The idea of even wriggling out of the griffon's grasp seemed like something you were willing to follow through with. Yet, a small voice in your head told you that you were not getting out of this, and that any resistance would cause more problem for you down the road.
The griffon let go of you once you two reached the other pair. Glitter Shell was able to pry herself from the bombarding crowd so that she could give Garrick his one bit back, along with a tiny slip of paper. As the four of you headed away from the dunk tank, you yourself were able to catch a single sentence from a soaking-wet Snips, who had found his way back to his seat above the water.
"I could have sworn I tighten that thing good enough," he mumbled.
If you were a righteously angry pony, you would have informed everycreature around of the stallion's deception, and he definitely would have gotten a well-deserved shaming. But the idea of revealing this trick was far from your mind, as your concerns laid somewhere else.
"So, what'd you get?" Gallop asked Garrick, eyeing the slip in the griffon's grasp.
Garrick stretched the slip between both claws and read the words on it.
"It's a 200 bit coupon for the Fondue Palace in Canterlot," he said. "I'm not really big on cheese, though. I'm not sure about going."
The news made Gallop lick and smack his lips. "Well, if that's the case, then I don't mind taking that from you. Hopefully, I---"
"Now, hold on, you bottomless pit," Georgia intervened, before turning her attention to Garrick. "Don't just give stuff to others just because you might not want it. You gotta see if there's any good reason to keep it. Let's see if the restaurant has anytime else on their menu, then" --- she glared at Gallop --- "you can make up your mind."
"Oh," Garrick said. "Well, I guess."
Gallop was able to brush off Georgia's stare with a smile. "So, [Y/N] --- how do you feel about going to Canterlot for a stroll after visiting the Fondue Palace?"
Keeping your eyes to the front, you answered, "It wouldn't be much of a surprise to me."
You could hear the disappointment in his voice after he sighed while behind you. "Right, I forgot. But still, it would be nice to go to Restaurant Row and chow down on some good dining. I mean, the places might be too fancy --- and expensive --- but the food's gotta be worth it."
"Well, for now we're stuck with junk food here," Georgia added. "And with your job, I doubt you'll be going to Restaurant Row soon. For now, how about we try to find the Sugarcube Corner stall?"
"Ooo! Could I get some creampuffs and a cookie? Please?" Garrick pleaded with his fellow griffon, ambushing her with his beady red eyes.
"Well, I guess I can let you can get a little bit of sugar in your system. Just try to keep any hyperactivity to a minimum."
None of you knew exactly where the stall was, as Li'l Cheese failed to mentioned that during his visit yesterday, but the fairgrounds were not that big here, so it would not take that long for you to spot it out somewhere. As the other three chatted away, your mind took this walk as an opportunity to rewind through the tapes of its memories.
Because of the Grateful Festival, classes were cut in half today, which left you with enough time to roam through the town when school was over. Though not a studious student, your classes and homework kept you occupied through most of the week, so you only had a few hours each week to really explore Ponyville.
This small, yet relevant, town was not as big or diverse as your home was, but it still had some features that you admired as you roamed around it these past months.
You often found solace in the peaceful, rustic ambience of Sweet Apple Acres, with its bountiful fields and hills of luscious apple trees. Though you were not granted admission into the deeper acres, the Apple Family still allowed you and other villagers the privilege of hanging around the entrances of the farm in order to enjoy the surrounding nature.
Sugarcube Corner was also a pleasant place to visit (as long as... they weren't around). The bakery held a wide variety of sweets for you to munch down on when you had time after school. You have never been one to have a sweet tooth of any kind, but with the absence of parents or guardians to keep an eye on you, you suddenly found yourself spending a lot of your money buying chocolate-covered strawberries, peppermint-flavored pretzels, orange-glazed muffins, caramel popcorn, and so on.
The movie theater and the arcade were also good spots to hang around when not busy, but today you decided to head over to Sweet Feather Sanctuary to clear your head. The Element of Kindness, who was usually around the premises to administer to the animals, was not present at moment, neither was her companion, the renowned Lord of Chaos. The only staff present when you arrived were Sandbar and few student volunteers.
Not really relaxed with the sanctuary, you decided to leave, and your journey caused you to end up at the fairgrounds where the Grateful Festival was held. The festival, which happens at the end of autumn and days before the snowfall of winter began, came about less than a year after the founding of Equestria. Before the coldest season of the year arrived, ponies would receive gifts, food, and labor from each other by doing quick favors or by winning cunning games.
From what you can recall from your limited knowledge of your country's history, the purpose of the Grateful Festival was so that those with more would give to those in need without expecting any payment in return, and that those with less would learn to be grateful to those who provide for them by helping said providers. Despite being held only once a year, the holiday was meant to strengthen bonds --- especially as the three pony races had just united.
The festival seemed a stimulating sight from afar, with its mishmash collection of booths, stages, and amusement rides, so you decided to take a short amount of time out of your day to check it out. Just out of curiosity. There was so much going on that you could only recall two events that stood out to you. One was a stage event where the owner of the bowling alley would give away free pizzas for half a year to any young creature who could clean the most bowling pins before time ran out. And the other was a small, closed-off section of the field where Dr. Fauna would award whoever got the most exercise in with their animal companion a coupon for several free spa sessions.
Not really interested in the ordeals going on, you decided you saw enough and wanted to go back to the dorms. But just before you could reach the boundaries of the fairgrounds, you heard two familiar voices behind you before two sets of hooves and claws grabbed a whole of you.
Georgia and Gallop had been the ones to greet you, with Garrick in the background watching your forced participation in the festival. Their domineering presence and insistence that you should not "miss out on the fun" prevented you from speaking up.
And that's how you got stuck with your three classmates for the rest of the day. But at least you were going to a place that might be able to clear the stress clouding your mind --- at least for a little bit.
After some traveling, the four of you managed to spot a pink booth far off to the left that held at the top a sign of a pink cupcake with a blue wrapper. Inside the booth were a yellow unicorn mare with a blue bow in her orange mane and a very familiar yellow foal with poofy pink hair. As she levitated a brown paper bag to one of the creatures in front of her, the unicorn spotted you four coming at her. With a big smile, she waved, with only Gallop, Georgia, and Garrick returning back the gesture.
"Hey, guys!" the unicorn greeted, keeping her big smile. She then levitated a few bits from the customer she gave the bag to before accepting the next one. As the line in front of the unicorn was shorter than the one Li'l Cheese had to deal with, you all get behind the two creatures that arrived before you.
When the first customer finished his order of strawberry scones with a peach milkshake, the unicorn returned her attention to you.
"So, how's it been for you guys?" she asked.
"It's been all right, Pumpkin," Gallop said, waving a hoof away in a dismissive way.
Pumpkin giggled, using her magic to float a few scones into a paper bag. "That's good to know. But you guys must've been busy the past few weeks. It's been a while since I saw you at Sugarcube Corner."
"Well, that's what happens when midterms get in the way," Georgia said plainly. "Fun is kinda a second priority."
Pumpkin gasped, though not in a horrific way. "I thought you were done with midterms. Silly me. That makes a lot of sense now."
"Milkshake's done," said a soft voice from behind Pumpkin.
The unicorn turned around to grasp a clear plastic cup with her magic, along with a straw that she inserted. Having given the ordered items to the pony in front of her, Pumpkin gratefully took the customer's bits and gave a polite farewell. She then urged the next customer, a diamond dog, forward, who ordered six doughnuts and a cherry-flavored crepe.
As Pumpkin wrapped the doughnuts in plastic, Garrick floated up to look inside the booth.
"Hey there, Mackie," the young griffon greeted with a wave.
After hearing the sound of something clanging onto something else, you saw the head of a purple colt with freckles and a short orange mane pop out from the booth's opening in between Pumpkin and Li'l Cheese. At the sight of the floating griffon, the earth pony revealed a small smile.
"Hey, Gar," he said with a soft voice. "How's school?"
The griffon's own smile grew a bit bigger. "Well, the tests are kind of kicking my butt, but I should make it out okay. How did the last fall harvest go?"
"It went well. Me, pa, and my aunties got a whole workload done last week. Ah'm gonna be helping ma make some pies and strudels for the winter sales when I get back home."
Pumpkin giggled. "Well, it's nice that you two are getting to chat, but I still need you to keep an eye on heating that crepe right, Mackie."
The purple colt's ears perked up. "Oh, right! Sorry, Pumpkin!"
And just like that, you saw the colt disappear behind the scenes again.
The colt, Little Mac, also known as Mackie, was a friend of Li'l Cheese and Garrick, and was a pony you sometimes met during your trips to Sweet Apple Acres. He was the nephew of both the Element of Honesty and your honesty class teacher, and was known to be as gentle and soft-spoken as his stoic giant of a father. Outside of the farm, you would spot him at the market selling apple-derived treats with his unicorn mother, who often spoke up about how her son had taken the time to craft such delicious food to passersbys.
Pumpkin Cake was another pony that you had gotten to know outside of school. It made sense that you saw her a lot as she was a worker at Sugarcube Corner, which used to be owned by her parents before they retired a while back. The creamy-yellow unicorn was very nice to you, greeting you with a supposedly heartfelt welcome each time she saw you arrive. She appeared to have a very patient disposition, as you rarely if ever saw her get upset when rush-hour customers or unsuspected circumstances overwhelmed her.
You remember at one visit while with Luster, Gallop, and River Song that the latter two had teased you about Pumpkin having "feelings" for you due to how you got a few extra peanut butter cups from her that day. Personally, you did not think much of it as more than a simple mistake.
Pumpkin's pegasus twin brother, Pound Cake, was also another pony that you had a few interactions with. He was very polite and talkative like his sister, but unlike her he had a limited amount of patience and often said obscene things that Pumpkin would lightly scold him for. But unlike Gallop --- luckily --- he was not too much to handle when you had to encounter him.
So in a way, you had a life outside of school, with Li'l Cheese, Little Mac, Pumpkin Cake, and Pound Cake being your weekly acquaintances. You only hoped that those four would not seek to make your relationships with them any more serious than you wanted them to remain.
"So, you sell any of those macaroons, Cheezie?" Gallop chuckled. "I'm sure they blew some creatures away."
"Sure thing!" Li'l Cheese exclaimed. "I warned them like I did yesterday, but they still got taken by surprise when they bit into them."
"He's been really pushy about selling them to whoever came," Pumpkin interjected. "But he was doing it in a businesspony manner."
The yellow unicorn turned around and looked down, presumably at Little Mac. The next thing she did was levitate a red-colored crepe with whip cream and cherries into an aluminum foil container with a plastic top before handing it over to the diamond dog. In return, the customer handed over a few bits and left with his items.
With the last customer gone, the four of you move up to face Pumpkin Cake.
"Like a businesspony, huh?" Gallop asked. "Well, assertiveness is a good quality for running a place. You gotta let others know how you want things. If you keep that attitude up, you'll be running the Corner in no time."
You saw Georgia roll her eyes. "Cheezie, maybe don't take that advice too close to heart," she warned. "If you're too pushy you might turn away some customers, instead."
"Well, that'll be a while before it happens," Li'l Cheese said. "I'm fine with mom and dad running things for now."
"So...," Pumpkin said, "what can I get you four? Are you all paying separately?"
Gallop, who was the first in line, nodded and pulled out his own bag of bits. "I'll have two cherry-filled donuts and some caramel chews."
"Warm donuts or regular?"
"Regular. I'm a bit too hungry to wait another minute or two."
In one fluid moment, Pumpkin floated a few bits from Gallop's bag into a money jar, and along with that placed two doughnuts and some caramel squares into their own separate bags. She handed them over to Gallop, who decided to sit at a nearby bench to enjoy his snack. With him gone, Georgia and Garrick went up.
"Hey, [Y/N]!" Li'l Cheese shouted. "There's nocreature in this line anymore. You can come up here!"
You hesitated for a moment, wondering if the colt would seek to ambush you with a long-winded conversation as you waited for your treats. Regardless of what your mind was thinking, your stomach had the strongest will in the end when it rumbled and sent ripples throughout your abdomen.
Looking around to make sure that nocreature would beat you to it, you made your way to the other line of the booth and before the beaming yellow colt.
"So, what can I get you?" he asked with genuine excitement in his voice. "You want any more of those macaroons?"
"Um...," you started to say. "Actually, I just want---"
"Come to think of it, you actually didn't try one now that I remember. How about a strawberry cheesecake one? Or are you more into vanilla bean? Or vanilla in general?"
"I don't know if I---"
Li'l Cheese's green eyes sparkled. "OH! What about the breakfast mix?!? Gallop really liked that one! It has a combo of eggs, hay bacon, pancakes, and plant sausage! That should be enough to fill---"
You coughed. Loudly. Loud enough for Li'l Cheese and the others at the booth to look at you with concern and confusion, with Li'l Cheese being more of the former.
"Are you okay?" he asked sincerely. You saw that his smile was replaced with a frown, and for a moment you felt bad for doing what you did.
"Yeah," you answered. "I'm good. It's just... something was in my throat, is all. But it's good now."
"Oh. Okay." The worry on the colt's face went away, and slowly his cheerful attitude came back. "Well, we have some juices and milkshakes if you need them."
"Sure. I'll have a mint chocolate chip milkshake with some creampuffs and one orange-glazed muffin."
The colt nodded before disappearing into the background. "Coming right up."
It took less than two minutes, but you were finally given your treats from Li'l Cheese --- all brought together in a plastic bag for you to carry within your teeth. Once you paid with the appropriate bits, you decided to head over to the table where Gallop had went to. By now, Garrick and Georgia were also there eating their own sweets. You first thought of sneaking away to eat back at the school, but you knew that you would likely be caught. Not to mention that you were too hungry to wait for less than an hour before eating.
You take your seat next to Georgia and Garrick, with Gallop eating his donuts and caramel squares on the other side. You yourself got out your muffin, box of creampuffs, and styrofoam milkshake cup and started to pop some creampuffs into your mouth. As you enjoyed the rich, milky texture of the baked spheres, you tuned in to the conversation going on with the others.
"So, where are we going after this?" Georgia asked after she finished chowing down on a bite of her pastry. "We still got a few hours left until we have to head back to school. Anycreature have any games in mind we missed?"
Gallop, taking a break from his eating, decided to mention something. "I think Button is giving away free tickets for five months to whoever can beat him at Stable Rangers XIII in under five minutes. Then there's Blossom Valley with her gardening contest, but I don't remember what the prize is exactly. And we could always try to go to the musical chairs competition that Indie Harp is doing. I think she's offering free tickets to the Fusion Concert that Vinyl---"
"Ugh!" Georgia interrupted with a groan. "We need to do something exciting. We're all pent up from our exams, not to mention the fact that we still got one more to go. I just don't think that a speed round of Trivia Trot and a dunk-tank session is enough to unwind us. There has to be something else."
Putting down his cupcake, topped with blue icing and sprinkles, Garrick meekly spoke up. "Um, we could always try some rides."
As you went on you eat your orange muffin, Gallop and Georgia stared at Garrick.
"What kind of rides?" Gallop asked.
"Well, there's a small drop tower that we can see from over here. And then we could go to some bumper cars if they have them. I also think there's a pendulum or gravitron that I heard some classmates talk about near the end of the fairgrounds."
Georgia took another bite out of her pastry and swallowed "Hmm. Maybe we could do the pendulum and the drop tower. I'm not really big on bumper cars, and I'm not confident that you can handle a gravitron yet. Especially after just eating."
Gallop raised an offended eyebrow. "Hey!" he exclaimed. "I don't have a thing against bumper cars. And I could always make sure Gar has help with handling a gravitron."
Georgia scoffed. "And how exactly would you help him? By cleaning up his puke with a few napkins he brought?"
The younger griffon brought his head down. "I wouldn't puke," he said quietly, which was still loud enough to bother Georgia.
"I didn't mean it like a bad thing, Gar," she assured with a pat on his back. "It's just that you're still too young. Your stomach might not handle it. And I didn't really say no. Let's just eat first and then we can think about where to go."
From there, your three classmates went on to discuss other subjects, mostly related to school. Though you tried your best to block them out with your own separate thoughts, your ears did catch stray nuggets of information --- such as what they thought would be tested on the laughter midterm and how the school's buckball team would do with their next game.
Eventually, as you finished your muffin and went on to consume your milkshake and remaining creampuffs, you managed to find some form of solace amongst the talking, like a construction worker getting used to the loud noises around them days after their arrival. If things could stay like this, with them not bothering you, perhaps you would not mind staying with them for the rest of the day.
"Hey, guys!"
A familiar voice took you out of your concentration, and you turn to your left to look past Georgia and Garrick. Passing by several booths, four creatures were coming your way --- and you recognized all of them.
At the front was Luster Dawn, the one who greeted you, wearing her signature saddlebags as she levitated a notebook in front of her. Behind the pink unicorn were River Song and Yelena. The kirin was levitating both a soda cup and a carrot dog in a bun, taking her time to take a bite or sip when possible. The yak herself was simply traveling in her usual attire.
But it was the fourth creature that really got your attention in comparison to the former three.
And not in a good way.
The sight of her caused your eyes to bulge wide as if you were one of those toys that enlarge when squeezed.
Your mouth was left agape as if your mandible would soon fall off, and your eyelids blinked rapidly in an attempt to fully understand who was before you.
Your vision was not mistaken.
Her pink coat, her enormous pink poofy mane and tail littered with various items...
It was definitely her.
Approaching was a mare who you have been good at avoiding for months ever since you had learned of how overwhelming and spontaneous she was. Despite being a renowned Equestrian hero, as the Element of Laughter, this earth pony was not somecreature that you emulated. She instead appeared before you like a harbinger of annoyances, confusion, and discomfort to come.
Immediately, memories of her came rushing through your mind like a catastrophic flood through a village. The excessive, nonstop chattering, the unannounced bouts of ludicrous laughter, and the lack of personal space filled your sight as you stared at the group coming at you. The recollection of those very events made your poor body as stiff as a cadaver --- or rather as a possum playing dead.
No... No. Not her.
Garrick, Gallop, and Georgia, however, were not as jaded as you, for the sight of the pink mare brought them all to bright, childlike smiles.
"Hey, Lust!" the older griffon cheered with a wave.
Gallop nearly got up out of his seat as he stared at the group. "Is that... Mrs. Pinkie Pie?"
Georgia squinted her eyes. "Yeah. I think it is. I wonder why she's with them."
Luster, River Song, and Yelena had made their way to your table, with River Song sitting next to Garrick while the other two sat beside Gallop on the other side. Pinkie Pie herself went over to the Sugarcube Corner booth, and while you prayed that meant she was not coming over here, you kept a discreet eye on her just in case as you hesitantly resumed your drinking.
"So, how's it been for you girls?" Gallop asked. "You've been enjoying the fairgrounds?"
"Yak's been very good with games here," Yelena proclaimed happily. "Yak even won a few prizes from nice creatures."
"What did you get?" Garrick asked with curious wonder in his voice.
While small talk broke out throughout the table, you tuned your ears to what was happening over at the booth.
After waiting in line for some time, Pinkie Pie reached the front and looked up at Li'l Cheese, who was still at his station. When the colt realized who was facing him, he paused his activities and welcomed his mother with a smile.
"Hi, mom!" the colt shouted with a frantic wave.
Though you could not catch a glimpse of the mare's face, you heard a giggle come out of her.
"Hi there, Cheezie. How's my sugarbean doing?"
"Good so far! The sales have been going up. I even managed to sell a few macaroons!"
"Oh! Well that's good to hear. I know you worked very hard with them, so it's great to know there's a payoff." The pink mare turned her head over to her left. "Hiya, Pumpkin. Hello, Mackie."
The yellow unicorn shot her usual smile. "Hi, Aunt Pinkie!"
You could not see him, but Little Mac made a response as well.
"Hello, ma'am."
"How're your parents doing, Pump? Are they here? I really couldn't tell with all creatures running around."
Pumpkin shook her head. "They're back home. Momma said her head wasn't feeling so well."
"Awwh," PInkie Pie said with a bit of disappointment. "Well, tell her to get well, and that I recommended that. And where's Pound Cake?"
Though keeping her usual disposition, the unicorn rolled her eyes. "Probably hanging out with the boys, again. Either that or somewhere in Cloudsdale. I think he said he might catch a movie there."
Suddenly, Li'l Cheese got in between the two of them. "Is there anything you need, mom?" he asked cheerfully.
Instead of being annoyed, the two mares giggled.
"It's fine, Cheezie," Pinkie assured. "I already had a bit to eat before coming here." She reached over and ruffled the colt's similiar pink mane. "I just wanted to check up on you. But I need to have a chat with your friends over there."
Her head tilt over to the table nearly made your heart skip a beat. Not wanting to catch her attention, you looked back down at your milkshake and heavily sucked your straw.
Please don't notice me. Please don't notice me...
Your lack of focus on Pinkie Pie brought your senses back to the events transpiring adjacent to you, and you tuned into the conversations your classmates were having.
"So why was Mrs. Pie with you guys?" Gallop asked Luster.
The pink unicorn smiled. "We didn't really mean to meet her, but when she saw us she wanted to know how school was. So we got into a bit of a discussion about our classes and favorite projects, and then the subject of midterms came up and we mentioned how those turned out. When I stated how we were trying to figure out how to pull through with our laughter midterm, Mrs. Pie was kind enough to offer some advice."
"So we decided to come over here to get the good scoop," River Song chimed in. "It makes sense, since she's the Element of Laughter, and she used to be a laughter professor."
"So that's what that floating notepad was for," Georgia said.
Before anything else could be added from your classmates, you heard Pinkie Pie's voice calling to all of you.
"Hey-ya, folks!"
Though you kept your head down, the upper edge of your vision could spot a pink object moving along the side of the table where Yelena, Luster, and Gallop were.
"Do you mind if squeeze in between you two?" the pink mare asked.
"Sure thing, ma'am," Luster said.
In a short moment with a few grunts, Pinkie Pie managed to sit down between Luster and Gallop. "It's a very nice day out today. In just a few more days winter will be here, and suddenly it'll be all ---" she suddenly wrapped her forelegs around herself "--- brrrrr!, if you know what I mean. Haha! So how have you been, Gallop?"
The stallion was caught off guard a bit. "Me? Oh, well, um...," he stammered. "Well, classes have been good, so far. I'm a bit stressed out over the midterms, but hey, I made it past my freshman year, so this shouldn't be any different."
Pinkie Pie grinned. "Well, just keep up that can-do attitude, mister. I'm sure you'll end up alright. " She turned her attention over to your side of the table. "And how have things been with you, Georgia?"
"It's been fine, ma'am," the griffon said with confidence. "Just keeping up with my lessons and guitar practice, and making sure that this little one doesn't get into any danger."
"And how have you been... Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot your name, little one."
"Garrick," the younger griffon said with much patience.
"Garrick!" Pinkie exclaimed with a bit of a snort. "Well, Garrick, I hope you really stay out of trouble. You need to keep your nose in those books, got it?"
The little griffon nodded. "Understood."
"So, [Y/N], how has your day been?"
The call of your name catches you off-guard, but you should have expected that you would catch her attention eventually. You were a bit surprised that she even remembered your name, given your few, though memorable, moments together.
At first, you thought about simply ignoring her, but that would just cause a weird scene, and the last thing you wanted was to draw more attention to yourself. It was just best to acknowledge her a little.
You lifted your gaze from the table surface and stared at Pinkie Pie with a plain expression. The pink mare simply smiled back at you with her light blue eyes that held a childlike amazement to them, despite the bags underneath that betrayed her age. You waited for her to make another statement, but she simply kept her calm grin on.
Being nearly in front of her, you could make out a finer description of the mare than you could when she was afar. Her poofy pink mane must have been two or three feet tall and inside of it was a mess of confetti, a cinnamon bun, and for some reason a rubber duck. You had no doubt that her tail was in a similar state, as she always had a disorganized appearance whenever you met her.
"It's been good, ma'am," you finally say, keeping your stoic mask on. "Thank you for asking."
Despite it being a simple statement, your collection of words was enough to raise the mare's cheeks up into a smile as her eyes twinkled.
"Good? Well, I hope the next day will be better than 'good," the mare said. "Every day should be more than just average in my opinion. Life's just too darn short, after all. I hope you get to do something that really brightens your mood like the sun."
Her enthusiasm was something a bit too much for you, and you had to nearly contain yourself from rolling your eyes or exhaling a moody huff.
"Thank you, ma'am," was all you could give her before returning to your drink. Luckily for you, your simple awareness of her presence was enough to let her leave you alone and focus her concentration elsewhere. As long as it was not directed at you, you did not mind how much she chatted. It was something you could block out.
"Well, Luster," Pinkie Pie began to say, "are you ready for my lecture?"
With a glowing notebook and pen floating right beside her, the pink unicorn nodded her head with focus painted on her face.
"Well, it's not a long lecture. And even though I'm not a teacher anymore, I still have to make sure that I don't help you too much, especially if Silverstream doesn't want you to get too much outside assistance. But I'm sure a little advice wouldn't hurt. Can you just remind me what the purpose of the midterm is?"
River Song was the one to speak up. "We're supposed to do something nice for another creature, or group of creatures. It has to be something that, like, lifts their spirits up and makes their day."
"'Makes their day'..." The pink mare tapped her chin and looked up into the air. "Let me just reach into my noggin and see if I can pull something out."
Seconds passed by as the older pony went through the files in her mind. While you were certain that the others were anticipating a quick answer, especially Luster, you yourself did not mind the autumn silence, despite the fact that you could hear festival-goers all around you.
Finally, Pinkie Pie's ears perked up at a revelation, and a gasp left her mouth. "Oh! I got it! If there's anything I'm allowed to tell you, it's that if you really want to make somecreature have a good time, all you should do is remember the good moments you had with your friends and try to replicate them with that swell stranger!"
Gallop was a bit confused, as evident by the tone of his voice. "So all we have to do is do things with them that I already do with my friends? That seems basic. We've learned that already."
Pinkie Pie rolled her eyes, but in an amusing way. "Well, of course when you put it like that it sounds simple. But it's more complicated than that. You don't have to do exactly the same stuff you would do with your friends with this stranger. What I mean is this: think about what made your moments with your friends special and try to replicate that same feeling with a newcomer."
While the other students, excluding you, seemed unable to fully grasp the mare's point, Luster's pondering face indicated that she felt otherwise.
"So what you're saying," she said, "is that we need to remember the core lessons we learned with the moments we had together as friends and try to pass on those lessons to any creature we try to help out?"
Excited, Pinkie Pie clapped her hooves together at the solving of this great mystery. "That's exactly what I meant! So just brainstorm away and think of anything you learned from your times together! Especially if those morals lifted your spirits."
"Okay. Well, I'm guessing these can't just be ordinary moments," Georgia said. "Does anycreature know a time when we had fun together and learned something memorable?"
The table became quiet again as the students pondered on what to say next. You yourself would perhaps contribute if there was anything you could offer, but you have not been with this group long enough to even have any good memories. But it was always possible for you to mention...
[...]
This was such a fun thing to do! I'm glad you suggested it. I would have been bored all day!...
[...]
You mentally shook the thought away, blinking your eyes rapidly while doing so.
You were never meant to think about that.
Eventually, a hesitant voice broke through the silence.
"If friends are okay with yak speaking," Yelena said, holding up a nervous hoof, "yak has a past moment to suggest."
The students all shot glances at each other until River Song spoke. "Sure, Yelena. Shoot away."
Being the center of attention now, the yak tapped her hooves on the table surface as she sought the words to say.
"Do friends remember when we were visiting Princess Flurry Heart in the Crystal Empire, and then she got kidnapped by Mivznagar, the evil witch doctor?"
A few of the students nodded. "Yeah," Georgia answered.
Yelena continued. "Well, after we had that big fight to save the princess and beat Mivznagar, we went to a nearby yak town for the night before taking her home. Mivznagar was causing trouble for the yaks, and when they learned we defeated him, they held a krilvinda on our behalf."
"A krilvinda?" Gallop said. "That sounds very familiar. I think I learned about it last year in a global culture class."
"A krilvinda is a traditional yak celebration that happens after a great evil has been vanquished," Luster answered in a matter-of-fact tone. "Usually, the evil is defeated by yak who was seeking to protect their village or neighbors."
"Pony is right," Yelena assured. "After we told the village chief about Mivznagar, the village sought to honor us for our deed. The elders braided our manes and tails, food for special occasions was cooked on our behalf, games were played, calfs wanted to see us, and music filled the air as we danced."
By now, you had finished your drink, and along with that the rest of the food you bought from the stall. You gave a quick look at your classmates and saw that they were all staring at each other with warm smiles. Seeing as this happened a year before you arrived, you could not join in on the recollection.
"I remember that night!" Gallop exclaimed. "Man, it was nice getting a big old welcome party after the mess we went through to save Flurry."
"The food was definitely something," Georgia said. "I never knew that I would get a craving for bronze potatoes filled with leeks, mushrooms, and goat cheese."
River Song giggled. "Those braids were a bit cute. Maybe I should have held onto them a bit longer. I really like yours, Yelena. You too, Luster."
A faint blush bloomed on Luster's cheeks. "Really?" she asked, taken aback as she lightly brushed her mane.
The kirin nodded. "Yep. Those pigtails with those winter flowers inside of them made you look so cute! I wish we brought a camera with us. Even though, of course, saving Flurry was a bigger priority. But still --- you looked so cute!"
"They had a few fun games, too," Gallop said. "I can't remember what this one was called, but I had a blast trying to get to the finish line with a calf on my back while dodging snowballs."
Georgia chuckled, trying her best not to cough on her remaining pastry. "I think you totally washed that competition. I remember your coming to the food tent all defeated with snow covering your grumpy mug."
Yelena laughed softly. "Yak thinks that one snowball that you knocked you out was mine."
Georgia, River, Yelena, and even Garrick, laughed at the revelation, while Gallop was left to himself to slightly brood. Luster herself was focused on scribbling on her notepad, but you could see her lips form a faint grin.
[...]
Damn. That was a blast [Y/N]! Did you see how Circuit got tossed into the ball pit? We need to come back next year!
[...]
You shake your head, though not too much to draw any attention to you. You blink rapidly again, and you begin to squirm in your seat, as if the space below you was poking into your skin. Gulping, you look around to see if anycreature is aware of your discomfort, but instead they were too immersed in their laughter and memories.
To your surprise, Pinkie Pie was rather quiet during your classmates' conversation, only staring at the students with a calm and controlled smile. Perhaps things will go well if she continued to keep up this demeanor.
"Well, that's definitely a good memory," Pinkie Pie said once the talks went down. "But can anycreature tell me what you learned having spent time with the yaks? Something that maybe you want your special stranger to learn when you make their day?"
The cheer died down a bit around the table as your classmates pondered on the question --- their smiles replaced with contemplating frowns. Eventually, the pink unicorn raised her hoof as if they were all still in class.
"Yes, Luster?" Pinkie Pie said.
"Given that this all happened during the early half of my freshman year, our visit to the yak village was the first instance in which I interacted with a foreign culture firsthand. At least foreign from my perspective. I knew very little about the yaks at the time besides some extra studying I did at unicorn school, but a personal encounter with their culture that night helped me to appreciate how different they lived their lives from those back home."
Satisfied, the pink mare gave her approval with a nod, at which point Luster scribbled in her notepad again as the elder pony talked.
"That's good, Luster. I've been to Yakyakistan many times in the past, and I've even brought some students on trips every couple of years. But no matter how often I visited, I always learned something new about the yaks that I've come to admire.
So if you go out of your way to find somecreature that isn't used to Equestria, show them what they could appreciate from being in a new place. There are plenty of those who could use a helpful introduction to some good ole' Equestrian culture."
"Well, that was a fun reminder!" Gallop exclaimed. "Does anycreature have any other memories to work on?"
This time, it did not take long for somecreature to come up with a proposal, as River Song instantly raised up her hoof and began shouting: "Oh! Oh! Oh!"
"Yeah, River?" asked Gallop.
Excitement shot out of the kirin's radiant purple eyes like laser beams while a broad smile stretched across her cheeks. Barely able to hold it all inside, she began to ramble.
"Ok. So, do you guys remember how last year after we all met that the faculty decided to host a haunted house theme event for the whole school on Nightmare Night? We had an extra two free days just to get the whole school set up. Like, I think half of the town was going to be there, so we really had to make a good effort in scaring the heck out of them."
"Yeah, I remember that," Luster said, while the other looked on at the kirin.
"Well, while other groups chose to work on scary costumes or decorate the rooms in cobwebs and skeletons, the five of us told the principal that we wanted to work on traps and practical effects. We even got Li'l Cheese to loan us his party cannon and silly goop. Don't you guys remember all the work we did?"
Georgia was the first to respond, snapping her talons. "Yeah! I remember, too! I brought some storm clouds into the hallways to hide in while I made some thunder and lightning. I even chased a few creatures away into some traps." The griffon chuckled. "Man, I know I should feel bad, but it was really funny cornering that one student with rainwater. Luckily, he didn't hold it against me."
"Yak thinks your plan was okay," Yelena said. "But yak also thinks that my idea was a tiny, bit okay, as well. Creatures seemed really shaken with yak's booming voice when they could not see yak in the shadows. The things yak said were very haunting. Taunting creatures with being eaten and never found again makes for a good scare."
"Yeah, practical effects are nice and all, but they don't compare to all the traps me and River orchestrated," Gallop said with confident smugness. "Dropping these huge curtains to separate groups and then ambushing them with goo balls and silly string was a big step-up from what faculty originally planned."
Georgia laughed again. "Yeah, I saw how you pelted everycreature from above. I think you were a bit over-zealous with how you went for some of the younger creatures, though."
"Hey! Hey! Don't forget about me!" River Song urged. "I did my part, too! It was my idea to use my magic to chase creatures with floating ghosts that were on fire! I really wanted to use real fire, but of course, that was a safety hazard and Headmare Starlight wouldn't let me do that. But, I'm so glad that Luster showed me a spell to use fake fire, instead!"
The pink unicorn looked up from her writing. "Don't mention it," she said calmly.
"Still, it would have been nice if you could have persuaded the principals into using some of the Everfree animals for our scares," Gallop said. "I'm sure you would have had it under control with your magic."
Luster scowled. "Don't forget that it was thanks to me that the headmare and vice-headstallion even accepted most of our proposals. And they only agreed once they posted a warning of what would happen outside the school entrance. I'm sure a warning about live, dangerous animals would have turned away most attendees."
Unamused, Gallop sighed. "Well, you at least could have participated. It was nice of you to cloak us in that invisibility spell, and even set up some of the traps, but that's all you did."
The unicorn shrugged. "I didn't really feel like it. Pranking creatures to that degree isn't for me. Being an observer and making sure things run smoothly is more in line with what I'm meant to do."
"Like a puppet-master?" Yelena asked.
"No. More like ... a conductor."
"Either way," Georgia said. "I'm glad that you got the school to go along with our ideas, girl. Despite how chaotic and scary we made that night, people were very thrilled with the experience for the next few days."
"Yeah!" shouted River Song. "I kept hearing talks about it non-stop during lunchtime. I even got a few compliments about my fire ghosts. What about you, Garrick? I can't remember seeing you in any of the halls. Were you there to enjoy it?"
The little griffon shook his head. "No. I don't like being scared, especially on Nightmare Night. I just stayed in my room. But when I went to the Rainbow Dash fan club, everycreature that went was talking about how scared they were, but in a good way, I think. I think they liked all the noise and effects and everything else."
Gallop chuckled, regaining his smugness. "Well, if we impressed more youngsters than we did scare them, I say we did a pretty good job that night."
Seeing a slight shadow loom over to your side of the table, you lift you eyes to see Gallop leaning over the surface to smile at you.
"I wish you were there, [Y/N]," he said, staring you down with those green eyes of his. "I'm sure you would have liked it. I think you're into that paranormal, supernatural stuff, right?"
[...]
I think some of the class liked the project, even if they still think we're a bunch of losers. It definitely made Mr. Burnwater's class more exciting than usual. We should do another one like this.
Okay. It's official. You get the drinks and junk food. I'll bring the music and decorations. I just know that she's gonna love this. It doesn't matter what they said about her at lunch. We think she's all that. And that's the end of it.
We got a long way to go, but if we keep saving and doing more around the block, we can go to Power Ponypalooza this spring break.... Of course my uncle is okay with us going with him. You all just have to convince the rest of your folks to let him take all of us to Seaddle... It's a shot we need to take. We need to live our lives, after all.
[...]
With a wincing gasp, you twist your head to the right and look down at the ground, avoiding Gallop's gaze. A foreign pressure squeezed at your lungs, forcing you to make heavy, yet hushed breaths. You put a hoof to your chest in an attempt to calm yourself, but your heartbeat seemed to stay on a rapid course that it suddenly took just now. Even breathing through your nose with clenched teeth did nothing to alleviate your anxiety.
As you tapped your right hind hoof against the ground, you hoped that you could sequester your behavior from the others, even though unknown to you, Gallop had shot a confused glare at Georgia, who was also aware of your sudden conduct.
After staying quiet for some time, Pinkie Pie giggled.
"Well, those all sound like very fun stories. There's nothing like a good Nightmare Night scare to jolt your body awake, and there's no doubt those party-goers really enjoyed being spooked. But what did you learn from that night? What made that night a thrill for everycreature?"
"Eh. I'm gonna give it a shot and say that teamwork had something to do with it," Gallop commented. "You know: working together to make the night as scary as possible. Is that it?"
"E-xact-ly! Now, when I was a bit younger, I used to plan out parties by myself, and I did a good job building a reputation as the town's to-go party-planner. But once I got more friends and got hitched, I learned all sorts of new ways to make creatures happy just by working with others! Two or more heads are always better than one, and all those heads together in the same room are sure to come up with some way of making somecreature's day!"
"Hold up," Georgia warned. "I just pulled another memory out of my skull."
"And what would that be, Georgia?" Pinkie Pie asked. No one
"This all happened just this summer, so nocreature should have forgotten about this."
River Song gasped. "Are you talking about the Dragon Lands?!?" she asked with a squeal of excitement. "Oh, I know exactly what you're gonna bring up!"
"Well hold on a minute," the griffon requested. "Don't spoil it for Mrs. Pie. Anyway, me, Luster, River, Gallop, and Yelena decided that our summer project would be to write an essay of our time in the Dragon Lands for one month. We had a good time there, learning about the culture, taking interviews and photos of the place, this and that. But by the end of the month, something bad had happened."
Pinkie Pie frowned. "I don't remember hearing Ember say anything about a whoopsie in the Dragon Lands."
"I guess it wasn't a big deal for her to tell you, but there was an outbreak of the stony pox in the capital. They were able to get most of it under control, even making sure that most of the dragon eggs were protected, but that's were the bad new comes in. At least two dozen eggs were infected, and if nothing was done about it, the eggs would never hatch. Luckily, there was a way to save them. There was a special volcano in the middle of the country, one that had magic lava, and it had been used before to cure illnesses.
"All the dragons had to do was get the eggs to the grounds of the volcano and have them hatch over there. But there was this other problem --- most of the adult dragons were sick, including the princess. Even if she got extra help from the other villages, it would take too long for them to reach the volcano before it was too late for the eggs. The capital was the closest one. So with a few of the adults not out of commission, we all decided to chip in and go on the journey, too.
"Well, that was very nice of you all," Pinkie Pie said with a proud grin.
The griffon smiled back. "Thanks. But things only get worse from there. On the way to the volcano, we got ambushed by a couple of rocs. You know --- the big birds that chase after molting dragons. We were in the air, but when they attacked we had to get to the ground so we wouldn't drop the eggs."
Shocked, Pinkie Pie placed her hooves over her mouth. "Goodness!" she cried out, worry evident in her voice. "I can't believe you all were in so much danger!"
Unbothered, Georgia waved away the mare's concerns with her claw. "We all turned out okay. Barely a scratch on any of us. No need to be upset, ma'am."
Pinkie Pie was not convinced. "But you must have been scared out of your minds! How did you even escape the rocs?"
Luster groaned, prying herself away from her writing. "It was my idea," she declared with melancholy. "But I was really hesitant about it. We had some spices and incense with us that we meant to bring back home. Having done my research on rocs, I knew that they were attracted to power scents. So I had a plan to get them off our back."
"Which was to dose all of our non-essentials in spice and incense once we reached the ground," Gallop interjected, unamused. "Which included all of our notes, photos, collected antiques, so on and so on. Even though it was her idea, I had to hold her back from going back to get some of the stuff back."
"I was afraid of us losing half of our grade," Luster retorted, though she had a defeated attitude. "All that studying just... gone. But still, I can't get any kind of grade if I'm inside the belly of a beast."
"So that's how you all got to the volcano grounds?" Pinkie Pie asked.
Satisfied, Georgia nodded. "Yep. We went to the volcano and stayed there a few days until the eggs hatched. All healthy and without any problems. We took a different route than the one before, but after a while we got back to the princess. She and others were so stoked to see that the hatchlings were okay that they threw a huge celebration for us!"
"Luckily, she also promised to send a letter back to the school explaining why we lost most of our project material," Luster added, still a bit sore from the memory.
"And how do you think that experience relates to how you should treat this midterm, Georgia?" Pinkie Pie asked, curious to see where the griffon was about to go.
Prepping herself, Georgia cleared her throat with a cough. "Well, obviously, sometimes when you want to make somecreature happy, you might need to sacrifice something personal so you can give them that happiness. That sacrifice can be money, time, service --- anything, really. That's just what friends do for each other. They sacrifice their time to brighten up the days of those in their life. They don't just think about themselves and only what they want."
[...]
It's just a few months away, but we got to start planning for this soon. The school needs to know we matter, too.
Okay. So you're doing the painting, [Y/N]. I think you got a bit of an artist in you, so I know you can handle this. You can't mess this up.
You want to bring him in this?... I don't know. He doesn't seem into this stuff... Well, I guess we can at least give him a chance... Effects? I'll think on it.
[...]
A sudden pain twisted in your stomach as if a blade had been plunged into the organ. By sheer instinct, you wrap your forelegs around your abdomen and grind your teeth together as one would do with two sheets of sandpaper. This new twinge only doubled your misery, as your lungs were still forcing you to make desperate gasps for air. Soon. nausea was flooding your mind and senses, causing your vision to shift and stretch and change like a funhouse mirror.
Unlike before, nocreature was aware of your dilemma. Everyone was too focused on Pinkie Pie's words of inspiration.
"That's very good, Georgia!" the pink mare proclaimed with an endearing glee in her voice that pained your hearing. "Sometimes you have to lose something in order to gain something else! If you really, and I mean really, want to blast a potential friend away, you have to spend as time and effort as you can in making sure that they experience everything and anything possible! That way they'll want to stay with you!"
[...]
Alright, guys. It's show time! Let's do this and kick some butt!
Hey. I don't remember that being there before. [Y/N], did you put that there? I thought---
[...]
"If you can make at least one friend just through this midterm, then I can say for certain that you'll definitely get the best grade possible. Once they see how far you'll go for them, they just won't stop thinking about you! You'll be on their mind 24/7, because who would want to forget a creature so willing to put others before themselves?"
[...]
[Y/N], what did you do?
[...]
It was automatic.
Spontaneous.
An instinctive knee-jerk that you had no control over.
You got out of your seat and started running.
Running away from the table and from the Sugarcube Corner booth. Going in the opposite direction of the path you, Gallop, Georgia, and Garrick had taken, you tried your best to avoid colliding with the various creatures in your way, though you failed to prevent yourself from bumping into two or three members of the crowd.
As you dashed past booths, games, rides, and befuddled onlookers, your fear-driven brain pushed you to keep moving on, to not stop for any creature or any reason until you got back to your dorm room.
Ever since your classmates forced you to stay in the fairgrounds, going back to the school was always on your mind, but you felt you had to keep an appearance to make others happy. Now, after becoming more and more agitated and restless, you had reached your breaking point. Nothing would satisfy you more than a good rest in your bed.
Eventually, your galloping took you to the edge of the fairgrounds, as evident by the lack of a festival setting. You stopped in your tracks, nearly skidding across the ground. Looking around, you tried to find out where you should go next, having forgotten how you entered the field. To your far right, you spot creatures coming through a wooden arched entryway.
With salvation ahead of you, you could have made a quick trot out of the entrance and headed back to the school. Going around the town would take about an hour, but it was better than spending another minute here. Yet, to your surprise, you sat down on the grass floor and simply stared at the arch and those either arriving late or leaving the festival.
Time was something that you failed to keep track of, and it was only now that you saw that the sun had gone down halfway across the horizon. The rose-pink sky above was a soothing sight to your nerves, and the thin white strips of clouds up above floated in such a manner that you wish you could go to sleep on them. All of this calming lull was enough to get you to evaluate the state of your body.
Your lungs and heart had been restored to their usual rhythms, as you could tell when you rested a hoof on your chest and felt a steady beat. The sharp pain in your stomach was absent now, and your vision was clear and free of any illusions. Aside from the running, you no longer needed to take deep breaths of air.
But your mind was another story.
Despite the sky calming you down, you were still bombarded by thoughts of anxiety and paranoia. You felt as if a shadow was looming over you, and that if you even neglected to check your back every other second, then that shadow would consume you and pull you down into an inescapable void.
And then there were those thoughts --- swarming around your brain like gnats or locusts to fruit left out in the summer heat. Sticking to your like glue, their whispers scratched and clawed their way through your ear canals, and they were so loud to you that you swore that others should hear these voices coming out of your head.
[...]
What have you done, you little bastard?!? ARE YOU THAT DUMB?!?
[...]
You clasped your hooves over your ears, sparing everycreature else of your thoughts. With eyes shut tight, you rocked back and forth, hoping to ease your mind and end the voices. But they kept coming. They always kept coming back.
[...]
Well, kid. I've never seen a screw-up this bad before.
[...]
You wished you had wings to fly up away into the atmosphere, or a horn that would teleport you as far north of the Crystal Mountains as possible. Anything that would have ended your torment, you would have taken it.
[...]
You're just a walking accident, and now you've brought everyone else down with you. I hope you're proud of yourself.
[...]
A single call of your name brought you out of your despondency, and you turned around to face the source of the voice.
Galloping towards you was Luster. The pink unicorn's orange and yellow mane covered half of her face as she took a brisk pace, but you could guess that she was feeling very concerned and confused.
Sadly for her, you were not in the mood to answer any of her questions.
Standing up on all four hooves, you made your way to the arch, turning your back on her. You did not feel like running, especially if she was here to see you flee from her in such an embarrassing scene. Besides, your legs were too worn out from galloping before. As an unathletic pony, it would take some time for your body to regain its stamina.
She would just have to settle with talking to a brick wall.
"[Y/N]!" Luster shouted. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" You could hear the mare's galloping come to a stop, meaning that she was right behind you.
"I'm completely fine," you said plainly. But you knew that would not be enough for her.
"Fine? I'm sorry, but you're not fine. A fine pony wouldn't have just bolted from their friends out of nowhere. What's happening with you?"
Why does she think we're friends?
"My stomach's been bothering me, is all. I just need some rest at the school."
You felt a presence to your right and look over to see Luster trotting besides you.
"I don't believe that," she said with determination on her face. "Georgia and Gallop told me you've been acting all closed off ever since you came to the festival with them. Is something up?"
She was half right. You never wanted to be with anycreature today, or any other day for that matter, but your body really has been kicking itself for some reason you could not understand.
You pushed air out of your nostrils. "I'm fine. Really. I just don't feel like staying."
"But this is the first time you've been with us outside of school. You shouldn't miss out on an opportunity to hang out with your friends and relax."
We're not friends. We're just study partners.
"I thought you all were listening to Mrs. Pie for the next midterm?" you mentioned. "That sounds like schoolwork."
"Well, that was just for a few minutes. After she was done, we were gonna hang out a bit more and see what we could do together. I'm pretty sure it would be very fun if you joined in. Maybe you might have some fun suggestions."
Doubtful, you chuckled. "Me? I'm not so sure that I would make things exciting," you scoffed. "Since when have I ever been the go-to pony for fun? If anything, I'm like the exact opposite of a court jester."
Luster frowned. "Don't say that about yourself. I'm certain you have it in you to make things exciting for anyone you meet."
"That's not what I've been hearing around school."
The unicorn winced, knowing that you had a point.
"Okay," she admitted. "Perhaps I forgot some of the topics discussed around the school when it comes to you. But, to be honest and objective, you can be described as a bit fearful of friendship."
You bit your bottom lip. "I'm not afraid of friendship."
"Well, maybe you don't shriek in fear at the sight of two or more creatures getting along, but I have noticed you possess a tendency to withdraw yourself from situations where you could positively engage with others."
You didn't reply back, hoping that the brick wall prophecy would come true and that this analytical pony would leave.
"I mean, most of your interactions with Professor Smolder involve you being lightly scolded for not putting in the effort to give somecreature a genuine compliment. And I do mean that when I say she's lightly scolding you, so don't think she's being hard on you."
Luster's efforts to shame you into giving her an answer did nothing more than irritate you. You bit your lip again and rolled your eyes at her feeble attempt to cause something to leave your lips. You were even certain that she got the message when you heard a sigh from her, hoping it was a sign of defeat and of retreat, but instead you heard more from the unicorn.
"You know, it's been three months since you been at the school. Between those three months, we've had so many events that you didn't show up to --- or even tried to show up to. We've had a group fair and a few sports games that would have helped you relax after classes. Gallop sent you an invitation to the Running of the Leaves and even saved a reservation for you. And even Georgia and River spent a week trying to see if you would help them with Nightmare Night. I was so excited to see you here today because I thought it meant you were actually starting to make connections, but now it seems like you don't even want to be here at all."
Princesses above! What will it take for you to leave me alone?!? I don't have to be involved in every little thing!
You quicken your steps, though you were still too hesitant to make a full sprint and make a coward out of yourself. Your upper and lower teeth grind against their counterparts as you try to ignore what Luster had just said. You did not even keep an eye on her, centering your gaze squarely and solely on the arch, which was nearly a few yards away.
"I understand that with what happened at home you might want to avoid being around creatures. You might even be afraid of making friends because of how they would only see you for your past. But Ponyville isn't the kind of place to ---"
You paused.
Not only in terms of you stopping your body when you were just a few feet from the entrance, but also mentally.
Time froze in place like a photograph. The birds, the floating clouds, the moving blades of grass and leaves, the steps of creatures all around you --- if they were moving your vision did not pick up on it.
Even the sound of laughter and thrill in the air was absent, replaced by complete silence.
The only thing you could hear were the voices.
[...]
We'll never recover from this. It's all ruined, thanks to you!
Hey, look. It's that little idiot. You know, the one everycreature is talking about.
What's wrong? You don't have anyone to sit with... Good. Maybe that'll teach you something.
You think I want to talk to you? I won't even be here for long because of you. Get the message and leave, before I send you a harsher one.
That's what you deserve. Don't leave the floor until we're gone. And I'm taking this, too.
[...]
"[Y/N]? Are you okay?"
By now Luster Dawn was in front of you, waving a hoof near your gaped face to see if you would respond. While the action did break you out of your daze, you made no noise or sudden movements as the two of you ponies stared at each other.
"Oh, gosh. I'm so sorry," Luster apologized. "I didn't even think to ask you if you wanted to talk about that. You don't have to if it still bothers you."
You furrowed your eyebrows at the mare, and not in a good way. Automatically, and with no control of the circumstances, your body began to react hostile toward the pony in front of you, as if she was an invasive threat to an animal. The corner of your mouth twitched in a pulsating manner, displaying your gritted teeth. Breaths of air escaped through your nostirls in a way similar to that of a tempermental bull, causing your torso and neck to move up and down.
The pink unicorn was also aware of this sudden change, and her eyes widen in surprise.
Fortunately for the both of you, there was no desire to hurt her raging inside of you. But her mention of your past was enough to set you off, especially with how patronizing she sounded. At this point, you did not care how she would take it, even if it meant you could no longer take part in her little study group.
You just wanted to give her a piece of your mind.
As you take a step towards her to get closer, you put a single hoof down on the ground. Suddenly, you hear a large boom echo throughout the air. Confused, you look down below at your hoof to examine it. You knew that you were angry, but you did not think that you stepped on the ground with such force to create such a loud noise.
It was then that you realized it.
There was no other sound that you could hear.
The air was completely dead.
Unlike before, you knew that you were not fazing out of reality.
This was real.
Looking away from your hoof, you see that nearly every creature around you, Luster included, had stopped where they were to look at something beyond the boundaries of the fairgrounds. Soon, your own eyes laid on the very sight that had caused the festival atmosphere to die out.
Beyond the entrance, on a hill far away, was a train that laid still on the railroad tracks. But only the upper half of the train remained on the tracks. The lower half of the locomotive had been blasted off, with those train cars having fallen down the hill, some on top of each other. At the end of the upper half, a large billow of charcoal-black smoke rose up into the air and mixed in with the clouds above.
"Dear Celestia," a creature in the crowd gasped. "Someone needs to do something! There's creatures trapped in---"
A terrible, deafening noise rang out for all to hear, and in an instance, you clasp your hooves over your ears to block out the regrettable sound. The noise was like the shrieking of nails against a chalkboard but somehow amplified five times over to encompass the entire fairgrounds. It shook your bones and caused your hairs to stand up. It was as if what you were hearing was a toxin coursing through your body, trying to shut down all of your systems.
As the shriek went on, you could see that Luster and the others were also afflicted, with some creatures kneeling to the ground with tight faces as they plugged in their ears.
Eventually, the offensive sound died down, and it seemed that that was it. You continued to look on at the train, wondering what would happen to the unfortunate passengers if help did not come in time. Would some volunteers from the town or the Wonderbolts up in Cloudsdale come to rescue the wounded? That was what you were thinking.
And it was then that you saw it.
Despite how big and dark and black the smoke from the train was, through the cloud, you spotted a silhouette. But it wasn't the silhouette of a regular-sized creature who might have been a passenger on board. This shadow was huge, nearly the size of one of the train cars, and its body was morbidly shaped unlike any kind of creature you knew. The sight of it was enough for you to take a step back.
"L-Luster," you stammered, barely able to hide your fright. "We need to---"
Another scream fills the air. Though this one was less pain-inducing than the previous one, it still struck fear into your chest and sped the beat of your heart.
With wide, terror-filled eyes, you watch as a pair of enormous wings emerged from the smoke, and soon after the head of a monster with eyes that prey upon the attendees of the festival.