The calming embrace of sleep swept over the group of friends, yet, stirring deep within them was that same magic of before. It rested deep within them, bar Sunny, but for all they knew whatever swept over them left no lingering effects.
The day's events were intense and downright unbelievable, yet this was reality as they all rested together in a room bearing five Elements of Harmony. Six friends faced the mystery of five gems. The Elements were not themselves—dull and lacked their magic, but also held endless questions and a sea of history. Still, even with the intense day, the group of friends slept peacefully. Not a snore or even much movement was found, all resting in a serene slumber. Though, as they lay there in peace, the room still rumbled with sound.
Each Element stirred, subtly, as if something was trying to break free—to communicate. Something desperate to help.
Desperate to save.
Izzy grumbled to herself, having roused herself from slumber. Groggily blinking in an effort to shake off the blurriness from her vision, she forced herself to rise to her hooves. Her sight not returning fast enough to her liking, she gave up and simply rubbed her eyes until all was clear again. An immediate sense of confusion swept over her, as she surveyed her surroundings and found nothing familiar to her.
She found herself standing in a field, barren and dusty, with only varying rocks scattered around—spotting across the entire land as far as the eye could see. It was a gloomy and depressed setting, one that would even push her away from her usual chipper self.
There was a lack of fun, a lack of creativity, a lack of laughter—just the sound of howling wind and small pebbles being pushed in its tow. A sense of panic washed over her. She hadn’t a clue where she was, when she was, or how she got there. Taking a step forward, her eyes widened.
To her it felt as if she was moving through a very light, yet noticeable, body of water. Her limbs felt slight resistance, everything around her bubbly and masked in an uncanny aura. Glancing up into the sky caused her to tilt her head curiously. An array of balloons flew higher and higher into the sky, all sporting one of two colors—blue, or yellow.
Hehehe~
Izzy’s ear twitched, her attention snapping down as a booming, playful laugh echoed throughout the area. What met her eyes was a building. Decorated quite similarly to a gingerbread house; the structure looked like it’d have been something of her own creation. Strangely enough, balloons of the same two colors were tied to its windows and roof.
Izzy couldn’t help but smirk, trotting closer to the building. She couldn’t help it, as it just seemed so welcoming. It was as if it was doing what it could to entice her, to comfort her. Growing ever closer, she was soon welcomed by the sight of a banner above the front door strung up between two poles.
She chuckled again, starting to find herself feeling a warmth radiating over her. A sense of glee, a need and desire to just simply laugh. Looking over the banner, she eyed it carefully and curiously, enthralled by the approach whomever made it had.
Did it look normal? Not at all. Practical? Probably not.
But it was definitely creative.
An assortment of silhouettes, slightly discolored and impossible to make out clearly dotted the sides. Each had a distinct color to them, ranging from white to cyan, an interesting choice of palette—at least in Izzy’s mind. Still, she found a sense of comfort in these painted figures, the pink one especially. That one simply made her giggle, from the odd, goofy smile that was plastered on it, to its bubbly hair. Yet as she drew closer, a knot formed in her chest as she made out more of the image.
Laying in the middle, towering, menacing, and scowling—was a large, winged purple figure.
It was hard to make out. Whatever it was, it seemed angry, and worst of all it seemed to be looking right through her. Its ire wasn’t directed towards her, but that giddy laughter she had just been releasing hastily morphed into shock. Sparking from the painted, purple figure, magic surged out of it, igniting the banner and engulfing it in flames.
The welcoming figures on the banner burnt away, the entire thing turning to ash in moments. That same howling wind from before swept their remnants up, taking them into the air and up to the endless sky. Izzy watched them for a moment, feeling peace at their departure. She didn’t know why, but she managed one more laugh before a sudden, unknown sense of despair swept over her.
Fighting against her trepidation, Izzy forced herself to look down and there she saw that one part of the banner survived—that purple silhouette. It didn’t get caught in the wind, even with nothing holding it down, almost as if shackled to the earth through invisible, unseen binds. She looked deeply at it, trying to decipher it, but before her eyes she saw it begin to warp. It shifted, grew, and became all the more unfamiliar, as if it was already a faltering representation of a pony that only grew worse with each passing moment.
Please, help her. Make her smile.
Izzy jumped in place, stumbling back. A bubbly, high-pitched voice echoed through the air, akin to that laughter from before, but this time deeply layered in sorrow. What filled her with a sense of joy and laughter, now sent her thoughts racing. She couldn’t pinpoint where it had come from, what with it echoing everywhere, but she hastily turned her attention back to the building.
Its front door swung open, the sounds of cheers, chatter, and music surging out as it did. It was like a party was going on inside, but what Izzy saw through the doorway smothered any interest she had in attending.
A pink silhouette, the same one from before, stared back. It was impossible to make out its features, its form all too faded and impossible to determine. It was certainly more detailed, at least in shape, but she still had no clue what she was facing.
Bubbly hair rested on the silhouettes head, and whatever it was was only a few inches taller than her. From its shape, it looked to be a pony. She couldn’t make out any shapes of wings or horns, so she chalked it up to being an earth pony. Though, her thoughts derailed once more as the same voice echoed out again.
We can’t help her. I can’t make her laugh.
It was clear to Izzy now who and not what the silhouette was. Whoever they were, they were the source of the voice.
“Help…who?” Izzy asked, hesitantly taking a step towards the aspect. “Also, are you talking into my mind like some sort of telepathy thing, or is your voice, like, coming from all over?”
Try as she might, Izzy couldn’t move, the ability seemingly locked away from her. It wasn’t that she couldn’t move her body–she could, given how one hoof of hers moved in front of the other–only she failed to make any traction. Izzy broke into a full trot, yet she got no closer to the building.
“Whoa,” she said, coming to a halt. “Freaaaky.”
The pony before her raised her foreleg and pointed. It was barely visible, but Izzy could still find the ability to follow where they were pointing.
Right at the painting of that purple creature.
It had since morphed, turned into this uncanny, indecipherable creation. Whoever or whatever it once represented had been torn apart, warped into some awful caricature of its previous form.
She needs to smile again. Give her laughter. Give her joy.
Izzy shot her attention back towards the silhouette, only to find nothing there. The building was gone, the field was gone, the figure was gone, and even the world around her faded away. She felt like she was falling, hurtling through the air at who knows what speed, but even then, she heard that voice from before one last time.
Another chorus of laughter. Friendly, and comforting—as if it was trying to calm her. It didn’t take her long to piece it together. As more and more of her senses began to fade, a darkness surging forward, it became clear to her she was facing a dream. Those giggles continued, and what felt like a warm hug embraced her. She could’ve sworn she saw the figure from before for a moment in the distance, throwing her a wide, welcoming smile. She found herself, even in what felt like a perpetual fall, giggling. That pony filled her heart up with sunshine, replacing that knot in her chest from the purple figure.
The one they had asked her to help.
She’d ponder on it, but unconsciousness was fast approaching, the dream she waded in falling apart. That warm hug she felt left her, as the last thing she felt capable of doing was smirking.
Whoever that silhouette was, they truly did know how to make a pony smile, and her sense of fun inspired Izzy with an abundance of creative ideas.
Pipp shifted in her bed, the side of her head resting comfortably on her pillow as she breathed over its soft fabric. A fresh, lovely fragrance of roses met her sinuses, the aroma being enough to stir her awake. She knew the perfumes and scents that filled her bed, many of which she created or endorsed herself, but none of them were roses.
Her eyes shooting open, she found herself in a bed, but at quick glance it was clearly not her own. Regal, elegant, and beautifully crafted pillars held up a canopy woven from a glorious silk thread. The pillows were artistic and designed with flair, yet still as soft and comfortable as she could dream.
As she could dream…
She rose from the bed and curiously glanced around. Wherever she was, it wasn’t the Brighthouse, already adding to the growing list of questions and concerns. She had had only a hooful of lucid dreams in her years, but it was too early for her to tell if she was within the realm of consciousness or sleep.
Feeling it would be downright criminal to ruin the bed’s pristine state, Pipp did her best to carefully slip out from its covers. Once all four hooves were on the ground, she pursed her lip and began to explore the unfamiliar room she was in. To her side, a nightstand that perfectly complemented the bed, and on it was a single strand of silk string. Affixed to the nearby wall stood a wooden rack, its shelves filled with an entire assortment of spooled threads, each a different color of the rainbow.
Pipp couldn’t help but be drawn to the materials. She pulled some from the shelves, clutching them in her hooves as her eyes filled with wonder. Never in her life had she seen such beautiful pieces of fabric—eclipsing even the most incredible works of her family’s palace. A part of her yearned to keep it, to stow it away and use it for a possible new outfit for a performance, but she rolled her eyes at herself for entertaining the thought. So far, even if it felt different than the other times she had realized she was dreaming, she was still dreaming. Still, though, feeling the fabric in her hooves gave her cause to scrunch her muzzle in concern.
It felt very, very real.
Doing her best to swallow the lump in her throat from her likely irrational fears, Pipp carefully stowed the silk away and continued to explore her surroundings. Moments later Pipp gave a startled jump when she turned and thought she saw ponies staring at her, only to then realize it was merely a small group of mannequins bunched up on the other side of the room. Some were barren, and others were, once she had calmed her racing heart enough for her to notice, adorned in the most gorgeous dresses she had ever seen.
A pink one, designed with what Pipp could only assume were sweets in mind, being it had patches shaped like candy corn lining the hip of it, was the first to grab her attention. It spoke a lot of things to her, but she couldn’t pinpoint what exactly. Nightmare Night, perhaps?
She glanced to the side, seeing yet another unique, but absolutely beautiful, ensemble. A mix of green and brown, with an apple brooch connecting its collar; this dress was a far step away from the first, but it also felt like it belonged with it. She couldn’t tell what exactly the dress was meant to convey, after all, she had an ear for music not an eye for fashion, but it still was clearly made with phenomenal precision.
The third one was the most colorful, yet also somewhat simplistic too. The skirt was a rainbow, with each color carefully woven into it all the way down to cloud-esque puffs at its hem. A set of golden shoes matched with a golden leaf crown around the mannequin's ears. A small necklace with a charm that looked like grapes finished the outfit off. Once more, Pipp was rather stumped on the kind of pony that would wear this. Possibly somepony regal, soft, and mellow, yet also knows how to always dress in style.
Shrugging her thoughts off, she moved to the next mannequin. A mostly green number, with a singular yellow and blue flower design each near the hem of the skirt. This fourth dress was down to earth and sweet. Its shoes were green, and the neckpiece on it was the same shade, though it was brought together by a large, blue butterfly design. A matching butterfly rested on its ear, coming together to make an outfit Pipp could get a rough idea of. It had to be nature related, surely, otherwise she’d even mock herself for being so deaf to literal dreamlike fashion.
Her eyes widened as she saw the next dress—one that spoke to her entirely. A pink and yellow skirt met her eyes, emblazoned in various gemstones to highlight the colors it afforded, all carefully structured and put together to make a curling, beautiful bottom piece of the outfit. On the upper half, things got more simple, with a unique, purple-red colored scarf-like piece tied together around the neck. A golden necklace, gemstone earring, a few golden studs, and a glamorous tiara were the accessories to the ensemble, and each and every bit of it resonated with Pipp.
She didn’t know much of the other dresses so far, but whoever this divine outfit was for certainly had an immense sense of confidence—a trait she herself valued deeply.
Beaming to herself as she drank in the glorious dress’ design, her smile faltered as something caught her attention from the corner of her eye. Isolated alone, away from the other dresses, was one last getup. Pipp couldn’t figure what she was looking at all too well—as the dress was torn apart, even rotting away in certain areas.
From what little she could determine of it, It looked like stars were meant to dot the faded, mangled blue skirt near the bottom of it, connecting to a shredded cape-like saddle for the back and neck. The crystal slippers it had were shattered, laying in a pile of rubble at the mannequin’s hooves.
The sight made Pipp’s stomach churn, an immense sense of unease sweeping over her as she began to backpedal away from it.
Find her.
The pegasus gasped, finding her flank bumping into something as a ghostly, regal voice boomed through the room. Whirling around, her vision was entirely taken up by a massive, towering rock. Stumbling back, her eyes only widened as she saw she was no longer in the cozy workroom from before, but was now on the edge of a cliff in the open.
Utterly bewildered, she inhaled sharply in surprise as the rock began to crack. Bit by bit, a fissure formed in it, crawling up until it reached the top. A thunderous boom rang out before Pipp’s vision was filled with an array of glistening colors. Shielding her eyes, she squinted, jaw dropping at the beauty that met her.
A massive collection of stunning, shining gems laid in a huge pile within the shattered halves of the rock. She took an enthusiastic step forward, before the voice from before caught her off-guard.
She’s lost without us—a beautiful soul needing to be found.
Every single gem suddenly filled with something—or rather, somepony. It was impossible to make out what they looked like, with the gem warping their visage perfectly, but Pipp could make out the bare minimum details. What looked like a pony, with a purple mane and white coat, shimmered within the gemstones.
None of us wanted to leave her. None of us knew this would happen.
A chorus of the same voice pleaded, desperation littering every single part of their cries. The mere tone of the voice filled Pipp with unease, but the presence of whatever figure was within the gems also held a sense of trust to it.
You need to find her. You need to seek her out.
“Find w-who exactly?” Pipp questioned, looking between the stones. “Do you have their number, or their Ponygram, or something? Who are you? What’s going on?!”
The figure, still laying within the gems, pointed behind Pipp, an intense sense of sorrow washing over her as she did. Only when the pegasus looked back did her gut sink. There, teetering over the other edge of the cliff, was that same, mangled dress from before.
My friend.
“But who the hay is she!? And you didn’t answer who you—woah!”
She once again nearly had a heart attack as the gems burst out and shot skyward, only to then hurtle back and slam into each other in a bright array of color. The ground beneath Pipp began to shake, the earth below her crumbling into a sea of nothingness. She knew it was a dream, but a burning sense of terror ran through her as she began to lose her footing. She looked over her shoulder, seeing the mannequin wielding the dress tumble into an endless abyss, before her eyes widened as a white foreleg beside her pointed toward it and trailed downwards.
The sheer white aspect stood before her. It had no clear features, bar the same colors as the one in the gems—which Pipp could only assume was the same entity. Her terror didn’t calm, but in a sudden, swift motion, the shroud presented her with a bright, red gemstone.
Off of some instinct, Pipp reached out to it. Hovering in the air without her wings even flapping, she carefully took it from the pony. Immediately, a sense of calm swept over her. Intense relief bringing her pounding heart to a steady, slower rhythm. The shroud faded away, and soon after she found herself in a free fall. Still, she felt as calm as before, holding the gemstone to her chest. Whatever it had in it, it let her know she was safe.
Even if it was a dream, that pony she saw had been generous enough to spare her what seemed like the only escape from the dread that was sweeping in, and it gave her the confidence to face the abyss of a dream’s end.
What felt like a frosty breeze running over her coat forced Zipp to groan with discomfort, the clamor of a crowd ushering her to shoot straight up. Her back shivered as the cool chill of what she lay upon became clearer, her eyes fluttering open to see the metal slab she was on. The excited cries met her ears again, pushing her to get up and see what the commotion was about.
She had to shield her eyes as the sun beamed down upon her, its rays warm yet strong. She blinked wildly, desperate to clear her vision and get a handle on what was going on. Succeeding in her endeavor, she looked around, jaw going slack in shock as she did.
She was at some kind of…performance? There was an abundance of indecipherable figures on the bleachers she realized she had been seemingly sleeping on. Though their facial features were impossible to make out, they all were clearly wearing merchandise and memorabilia from something called ‘The Wonderbolts’. The name immediately ignited a spark in her mind, her familiarity with it stemming from her exploration of some of Zephyr Heights’ more ancient areas.
Instinctively, she went to grab her notepad from under her wing, only to find there was nothing there. Pursing her lip, she nearly jumped as the crowd, without warning, cheered out excitedly. Following their vision, she looked up into the sky, seeing an entire team of pegasi beginning some kind of spectacle.
The first two pegasi dived down, filling Zipp with a sense of childlike awe as she watched. She couldn’t tell what they looked like, but she could see the incredible stunts they began performing. Loops, barrel rolls, cloud tricks and more—an abundance of maneuvers she wished she could perform.
The first two pegasi landed directly in front of her, kicking up a large amount of cloud and artificial turf. Clenching her eyes, making sure to not get any of the substances in them, Zipp coughed lightly as the dust settled. Though, as she opened her eyes, she saw the crowd had disappeared, and to her side only one figure remained.
A pink one, with notably poofy hair was quite literally vibrating in her seat. Though the pony made no noise, it was clear she was cheering, exclaiming and parading around a flag with some rainbow-maned pony on it. She had an intense amount of energy to her, literally jumping in her seat as the performers did their tricks and stunts. Her enthusiasm, even while mute, was enthralling, and Zipp could only assume whoever she was supporting was lucky to have her there.
Two more pegasi dove down, doing an entirely new routine, landing in similar fashion of the previous ones. Dust was kicked up again, and as Zipp cleared her vision and looked around, the pink figure was gone, now replaced by an orange one.
Zipp looked the ghostly pony up and down. She was an earth pony, that much was clear, and she seemed to be wearing some kind of hat. She remained rather calm in her seat, far more tame than the pink one from before, but Zipp could sense a bit of eagerness in the mare. Still, she seemed calm, cool, and collected, only holding onto her hat as another performer flew just over their heads. The aura she gave off was one of maturity, understanding, and forwardness—a welcome feeling on all ends.
Two more performers went, more dust was kicked up, and her companion changed once more.
A yellow phantom sat to her left now, sitting with far less confidence than the previous pony, and much less enthusiasm as the first. Still, she seemed to perk up with each pegasus performer’s take-off, only to recoil one she saw the trail they left behind. She kept glancing down at a shirt she wore, the same as all the rest—that rainbow-maned figure on each of them so far. She was quickly piecing together that these ponies might’ve been a group, and perhaps that character on their shirts was a friend of theirs that was in the show. The yellow figure hid behind her mane, faltering back as the two currently flying pegasi neared the end of their routine.
Another set of pegasi landed, and the dust forced yet another change.
This time, she was met with a white one. They seemed to be holding something with their magic, making it incredibly easy for Zipp to identify them as a unicorn. The mare was wearing an incredibly over the top sun hat, decorated in an abundance of colors and gems. She did have the same rainbow pony memorabilia as the previous two did, but her’s seemed custom made—as if she tailored it to suit her own needs. She was watching the show like the rest, but seemed to often take a moment to look herself over. Suddenly however, she perked up excitedly, calling to an invisible companion or two and pointing towards the sky.
As the next group of ponies landed, Zipp found herself surrounded by all four of the figures at once, all lasering their focus on the clouds above. They seemed tense, excited, but tense—so much so even the pink one sat still. Zipp followed their line of sight, forced to have a hoof shield her sight from the sun as she saw what they were focusing on.
Standing at the edge of the platform, was not two pegasi as it had been so far, but rather a single mare by herself. Zipp was quick to note the cyan color of the pony, but more importantly, she noted the rainbow streaks in their mane—the same ones the pony on the figures’ shirts had.
The rainbow-maned figure spread her wings, and in the single moment Zipp blinked, she had already taken off and dove down. The figures around her began to cheer, as she sat there in sheer awe of the incredible speed the mare had in her. She weaved through hoops, swirled around clouds, and dodged around pillars with blinding haste, leaving a radiant rainbow trail behind her as she did. The stunts she was performing were getting progressively more insane, with her flying between moving, flaming hoops and active thunderclouds.
Whoever that pegasus, she just radiated an aura of courage, facing every death-defying stunt like it was second nature. Zipp could see how passionate and supportive the figure’s friends were, with them all jumping passionately and waving their hooves in the air. They were caring friends from the looks of it, which made Zipp only assume the cyan bullet whizzing through the air was just as loyal to them.
You need to snap her out of it! Please!
A scratchy, warped voice shouted from nowhere, booming out with intensity in all directions. It pushed away the clouds, made storm clouds in the distance give off thunder and lightning, caused the bleachers to tremble, and it carried with it an absurd amount of worry and desperation.
The cyan figure began to soar in a straight line into the sky, accelerating upwards at a blinding pace. Upon nearing what appeared to be the show’s closing crescendo, the figures beside Zipp, much to her confusion, began to fade away.
It’s our fault…my fault! I shouldn’t have left her.
The figure in the sky seemed to be struggling, fighting some internal battle as she soared higher and higher. The voice sounded pained, even like it was choking up now with its words.
You can make things right. You can save her. You have to.
The figure paused in the sky, a speck in Zipp’s vision.
“Make what right?” Zipp asked, frantically looking around. “Fix who?”
The cyan speck in the sky suddenly began to fly straight down, barreling towards the earth below with unimaginable speed. Zipp tensed up seeing the stunt, worry running wild as she saw the pegasus grow ever closer to the ground. She was going too fast! She’ll crash! There’s no way she, or anypony for that matter, could possibly survive...
As she let her thoughts consume her, she felt herself get pushed back by an intense burst of air. Gasping, Zipp held on to her seat as wind whirled around her, her eyes widening to the size of dinner plates as she was graced with the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.
A massive, flowing array of color surged through the air, a meteoric boom sounding out as the rainbow burst flew outward. The source of the sonic boom, who Zipp had to assume was the figure, had a more intense, constant trail of color following her. They made an impossible 90 degree turn, going from barreling toward the ground to barreling straight at her.
Make her spirit right.
In sync with one another, the figure phased straight through Zipp’s chest as the rainbow circle in the sky began to get sucked back, the color and beauty of it draining rapidly until it faded into nothingness. Zipp gasped, having held her breath and braced herself for what she thought was an oncoming impact, but her confusion morphed to concern in moments. All around her, the world itself slowly became devoid of color, the wonder of the spectacle from moments ago being turned into an inverse effect—now filling her with worry. The ground tumbled away as it turned gray and dark, empty of emotion and empty of purpose.
As everything around her faded away, Zipp still felt okay, but an intense, overwhelming sense of fear overtook her as she felt something looming behind her. She hadn’t a clue what had her feeling like she did, but hesitantly she slowly turned to look over her shoulder, her eyes shrinking to pinpricks as she did.
A towering, menacing figure stood tall behind her, glaring down at her with radiating eyes of sheer, raw rage and sorrow. She was massive, and carried an aura that made Zipp nearly quiver in place. She’d have screamed, scrambled away if she had anywhere to go, but had no need to, as the rainbow-maned figure from before landed in front of the towering ghost—standing between her and Zipp.
Be brave.
The cyan figure looked up to the giant pony, raising a foreleg and gently caressing their cheek. It seemed for a moment that the being calmed, leaning into the pegasus’ hoof and smiling down at her—at least that’s what it seemed like to Zipp. A long, lingering moment of silence swept over the area, before the smaller pony looked back at her and nodded.
You have to be to save her.
In that instant, Zipp began to fall. Her wings were locked to her sides, seeing the two figures fading away as they stared at one another. Whoever, or whatever, the massive figure was, seemed to respect or even love the pegasus’ bravery. That pegasus protected Zipp, but they seemed to want to protect the other phantom as well. It puzzled her mind, casting a sea of questions into the depths of her thoughts, but she had little time to think about it as the dream itself was beginning to end. She unknowingly had moments left to deduce what she had just experienced, but in the last few seconds before unconsciousness claimed her, Zipp could only think about one thing.
Courage was one thing that figure had, but it seemed she was undyingly loyal, especially to the ones she loved—even if they were broken and torn apart.
A sweet, fruity scent wafted into Hitch’s nose, easily making his mouth water as he was jostled awake by something hitting him in the head. Shaking himself off, the stallion rubbed at the back of his neck and smacked his lips together, then surveyed his surroundings. He had expected to see the familiar interior of the Crystal Brighthouse, but what met him instead was a sea of trees—apple trees. After looking to and fro in extreme confusion, Hitch spotted one of the fruity treats lying before him and decided to pick it up. Deeming it the likely perpetrator of what forced his rude awakening, he shrugged and casually tossed it behind him.
He got up to his hooves and spun around in place. As he had worried, there was nothing but trees in every direction. Instincts told him to be worried, but, wanting to know what was going on, he shoved those thoughts aside and made room for logical reasoning. A sheriff was always insightful, and he had to look at the situation from all angles.
“Let’s see…last thing I was doing was getting ready to sleep and…”
He paused, blinking wildly. Almost facehoofing himself, he found the most logical explanation for his situation. A dream, sure, an incredibly realistic one, but a dream nonetheless. With that sorted, Hitch shrugged and began a leisurely trott through the orchard, deciding to explore this new realm he was in.
The trees around him were full-grown, that much was for certain seeing as there wasn’t anything else to see, but more notably they were extremely healthy. Whoever cared for them truly…well, cared, as there wasn’t a single one of them that seemed even the slightest bit unhealthy. He had the temptation to buck one of the trees and hopefully earn a ripe, tasty treat, but his nature as a respectful, thoughtful sheriff pushed him away from the notion. Dream or no, taking things that weren’t his went against his morals.
Moving beneath the leafy canopy of the cast apple-forest, Hitch wondered if there’d be any end to it all. Minutes went by, and still, just more trees. Some tall, some short, but all bearing the same fruit no matter what. He couldn’t pinpoint why he’d be dreaming of apples. He hadn’t had a craving for any as of late, heck, they didn’t even rank within his top five favorite fruit.
Number one was dragon fruit, however much that seemed biased.
Only when he found an actual change of scenery up ahead did his thoughts finally shift. Fueled by both his curiosity to find a new area and eagerness to escape the endless apple trees, Hitch hurried forward, only to then come to a sudden stop. Standing right at the entrance of the clearing stood a set of apple trees, all separated at an equal distance from one another, but were also wholly unique and distinct from the next.
It was at that point that Hitch’s investigative instincts kicked in, the stallion soon finding himself moseying over towards the nearest of the new trees. The first thing he noticed was that its bark was of a lighter shade, with flowers sprouting all around it on the earth below. Vines trailed up its side, fading away once they met the overhanging canopy of pink leaves. He didn’t know if apple trees could even adorn such leaves, but he didn’t care to question it. It was a dream, after all. Upon its branches were also small, quietly singing wind chimes, as well as a hoof-full of bird houses. The apples on it shimmered with color, and before his very eyes one snapped from a branch and fell straight into his hooves.
Hitch was conflicted. He had promised himself to not munch on any of the fruits in the orchard, though something deep down told him it was okay. After a moment of silent deliberation, Hitch came to a decision and ended up bringing the red morsel to his maw, then bit down onto it with a satisfying crunch. After a few mouthwatering chews, Hitch paused, as it didn’t taste anything like a usual apple. Hints of what he expected were there, but layered beneath it lied a soft, butterscotch flavor. The mixture seemed a touch odd, but regardless it brought a warmth to him. After scarfing down the remnants of the snack, a gust of wind swept over him, almost as if he were being ushered along to the next tree.
He obliged, licking his lips clean and trotting towards the second. This one was incredibly unique—and definitely fit the bill of a dreamlike sight. An array of colors filled its trunk, lining the wood in streaming, flowing rainbows from top to bottom. The leaves themselves were shaped like small lightning bolts, almost looking as if electricity was dancing over them. Unlike the previous tree, with its soft spoken, subtle ornaments, this tree was decorated in hanging medals. It was an incredibly odd choice of decoration, immediately throwing Hitch off. Before he could think on it any longer, however, he jumped back as an apple from high up suddenly shot down like a bullet and partially embedded itself into the ground below.
It seemed undamaged, bar the fact that it was literally sparking with electricity. Hitch would’ve moved past it, but he felt as if something was urging him to give it a try—daring him even. Not one to often put down a challenge, even if it was one he made up to himself in his head, he cracked his neck and scooped up the rainbow-colored fruit. Wincing a bit as its sparks danced over his hoof, he brought the oddity to his lips, taking a large chunk out of it as he bit down. Immediately, he was met with an electrifying sensation, dancing over his tongue and lips like a bunch of pop rocks. An incredibly subtle flavor of apple was there, but it twisted and dived alongside a wave of other fruity tastes. Oranges, pineapples, and more all met his palette, all of which culminated with an unexpected hint of spice.
Sadly, though, no dragon fruit.
Letting that fact slide, Hitch quickly downed the rest of it, finding the apple’s taste surprisingly enticing. Politely, the sheriff gave the tree a nod of acknowledgement before moving on. He knew it was an inanimate object, but still, manners were important to him—and, strangely enough, these trees had an odd sense of soul to them.
Moving to the next, he had to shield his eyes. The sun reflected off an abundance of gems ingrained into the trunk of the trees, creating a beautiful, yet blinding, lightshow. Thankfully, the sun above was masked by a cloud, sparing his eyes and allowing him to look the tree up and down. Just like its trunk, the tree had decorations embellished with gemstones. Sapphires, rubies, amethysts, and more, all strewn up in carefully designed and planned ornaments. The leaves themselves sparkled with brilliance, a divine aura emanating from them. The apples held a similar beauty, and Hitch was able to see it up close as one fell right into his hooves.
Following the trend he had been on thus far, he brought the natural delight to his mouth. As he made his first bite, he shuddered with awe. A divine, fine, and almost royal flavor met him. As with all the others, it did have a taste of apples to it, but it was drowned in flavors of fine wine and pastries. The sensation dancing on his taste buds was what he could only imagine as the flavor of the high life, something only the top of the top could savor.
He carefully finished off the apple, treating it with the elegance and respect it deserved. Politely whipping his muzzle, unsure as to what drove him to behave in such a way, he failed to hide his smirk as he moved toward the tree beside him. Balloons hung over its branches and piñatas dangled below, mixing in with the swirly, random shapes and sizes of the leaves around them. Candy was strewn across the ground, all carefully wrapped and still in solid condition. Though the idea of sampling one of the sweets was tempting, Hitch was all too confused by the apples on this tree.
They didn’t hang normally, as in, they literally stuck out as if they were on a straight stick. Only when one fell from the branches did he realize he was right—they were on a stick. Caramel apples, carefully glazed in their delectable coating with a stick protruding out the back for grasping. It was uncanny, but dreams always held such things, and they certainly did fit the vibe the tree was giving off. Failing to hold himself back, Hitch hastily bit down on the fruit, finding himself feeling nearly giddy as he did. Sweet, sweet, and sweet —that’s the only thing he could describe the flavor as. The caramel was salty but oh so rich, the natural flavor of apples mixing in with it harmoniously, but the taste of various candies sweeping over the whole thing made it seem downright funny—in the best way possible.
Gulping down the remaining bits of the apple, praying he wouldn’t find himself having a dream realm based sugar rush, he hustled over to the next tree, pausing in front of it. Looking up in sheer awe, eyes filled with wonder, he saw what had to be the most impressive, healthiest, sturdiest, and downright perfect apple tree he had ever laid his eyes upon.
That’s all it was—just an apple tree. No fancy ornaments, no odd leaves, no random apple colors or gimmicks. Just a plain, old-fashioned apple tree. But, regardless of what seemed to be normal, Hitch knew full well this tree was something to be loved, to be cherished.
She needs her family.
Hitch’s eyes went wide, whirling around as a voice echoed through the orchard. A strong gust of wind swept through the field, shaking the trees and filling the air with the sound of leaves being jostled.
“H-hello?” he asked, looking in every direction. “Is anypony there? I…I don’t mean to be trespassing if I am!”
Hitch felt his nerves picking up. He wasn’t so much scared of the other pony as he was betraying his stances as a sheriff. Trespassing, or rather committing a crime, was something he dreaded the idea of. Frantically surveying the area before him, he was snapped out of her anxious state by an apple hitting his head hard.
“Agh!” he yelped, wincing and rubbing the back of his head. “What the hay is with things hitting my head lately…”
He eyed the troublesome fruit, quickly dismissing his ire towards it as he looked at it with childlike wonder. Perfectly curved, beautifully red, shining just right, and without a single blemish on it—it was the picture perfect apple. An intense hunger found him soon after, throwing aside any sense of fulfillment the previous fruits gave him. Putting two and two together, and finding his nerves suddenly pushed away, he raised the apple to his mouth and eagerly sank his teeth into it.
His eyes went wide as dinner plates, his entire body felt invigorated, and his every nerve danced with energy as he tasted the apple. The crunch was satisfying, it was seeping with delicious juices, and the flavor in of itself was beyond his wildest dreams—even when he was in a literal dream. There was no way to describe beyond sheer perfection. Every single factor of it was exactly what one would yearn for when biting into the common fruits, so incredible in fact, that he could even imagine himself eating one or two of them every day for as long as he lived without ever getting tired of the taste.
Her friends are her family. We’re her family. Ah’m her family.
Having been happily munching away at his apple, Hitch paused his meal as raised a brow. The voice definitely was clear, but it sounded ghostly. Whoever it was, they were talking about somepony.
“Who’s her?” he asked, gulping down the last bits of his snack and trying to sound as polite as he could. “If it makes up for me eating all these apples, I’d be happy to help you out with whatever - er - whoever you’re talking about!”
He nearly jumped as the trees around him began to ignite one by one. Engulfed in flames, each gorgeous tree began to break and fall, slamming into the ground below with a thunderous boom each. The fire spread rapidly, consuming more and more of the orchard as the seconds passed, the trees themselves falling to the blaze even faster. Ash caked the ground, each tree leaving no sign of their former glory beyond their scorched remains.
She needs us. We promised her we’d be together again. Ah promised her we’d be together again.
Hitch whirled around to face the set of trees he’d sampled before. “Okay! Who the hay is -“
Ah never lie.
His words were silenced, as the gorgeous trees from before were replaced by one, gargantuan oak one. Broken windows were in the sides, a mangled door half open at the front and the top of it blown to bits as if it was struck by a meteor. It was no apple tree, it barely seemed like a tree at all—more like a home.
Especially to a friend like her.
Hitch felt his chest twist into a knot, immediately beginning to cower back as a figure blasted the ruined front door into pieces. Creeping out of it, barely distinguishable as a silhouette of a pony, a menacing, towering purple figure stepped out of the firey depths of the oak tree. It took short steps towards him, each one shaking the world around him, causing the realm itself to collapse into an endless void.
He didn’t know what to do. Whether to run, hide, or fight—but his options were quickly becoming limited. More and more of the world fell into the abyss, and before he knew it he was on a singular, remaining patch of land, with the figure. He gulped, staring into the hopeless, hollowed eyes of the pony, feeling a sense of dread and anguish consuming his entire being.
“W-wait! What’s…what’s going on?! This is way too real to - ah!”
Before he could finish his plea, he found himself yanked to the side. With a rope tightened around his chest, he was sent careening through the air, landing on a small patch of earth further away from the creature. Opening his eyes, fearful of what would meet him, he felt immense relief. A sense of hospitality washed over him, a feeling of protection, as an orange visage of a mare looked down at him. She reached a hoof out, somehow making physical contact with him and lifting him up. She looked straight at him, eyeing him up and down before nodding her head. She swiftly turned away, facing off against the massive beast of purple in the distance.
Y’all gotta snap some sense into her since we can’t anymore.
With that last quip, carrying with it both sorrow and snappiness, Hitch felt the ground under him give way. Plummeting downwards, nothing but a void below him, he snuck a look up, seeing the orange mare and purple figure both fading away on their own.
Whoever that pony was, he let their messages sink in. They themself said they never lie, and he felt obliged to give them the benefit of the doubt. The voice’s parting words were a bit blunt, but that fit with the whole honesty message they pushed upon themself. But, beyond that, she had shown him immense kindness, snatching him away from whatever fate awaited him if that figure had reached him.
Feeling his own sense of self wavering, sleepiness finding him quickly, he managed to lick his lips one last time as he recalled the delicious taste of those apples.
Misty grumbled to herself, annoyed and bothered at the feeling of being pulled from her deep slumber. Rolling onto her back, she let out a deep sigh.
“Huff! That was the best night’s rest I’ve had in…” she trailed off furrowing her brow, “ages…?
Scanning the area before her, Misty was met with flowers as far as the eye could see. Growing in a peaceful, serene field, the only thing that disturbed them was the occasional gust of wind. An abundance of soft, yet pleasant, smells wafted off them, filling Misty with a sense of delight.
“Well…this is nicer than everything around Opaline’s castle.” She rose to her hooves, pursing her lip. “Hello? Is anypony here?”
She was met with no response, as her ears folded back. Even with how quaint and beautiful the area she was in was, she didn’t know where she was either. There weren’t any fields like this near Maretime Bay, so even if she had some sudden, absurd stint of sleepwalking she shouldn't be here—wherever here was.
Sheepishly, she began to trot through the meadow. Sitting around wouldn’t solve anything, even if she deeply wanted to, so traversing the unknown area was her best bet. Moving through the field, she took time to gaze upon the various flora surrounding her. Marigolds, hydrangeas, white roses, azaleas, and brilliant, bountiful patches of daisies were dotted all throughout the grass. Oddly enough, the occasional lilac popped up, but each and every one of them looked withered away.
Bark!
Having stopped to literally smell the roses, Misty’s eyes went wide as she heard a bellow cry from a dog behind her. Whirling around, fear driving her, her heart skipped a beat as all she saw was the creature charging at her.
“W-wait! G-get away - wah!”
Tackled to the ground, bracing for the worst, and fully expecting a savage bite on her foreleg, an immense sense of relief overcame her as she felt the dog happily licking her. Her calmed sigh quickly morphed into a sea of giggles, as she playfully and gently pushed the mutt off of her. Sitting up on her haunches, she tilted her head.
“Oh, you’re friendly!” She laughed again as the dog went in for another lick. “Heh! No more! No more! I don’t wanna be covered in slobber!” She struggled to contain her giggles, reaching out and petting her furry companion. “Opaline would never let me keep a dog in the castle…”
Woof!
A chipper bark from the pup was the only response she got, forcing her to roll her eyes and chuckle once again. “What are you doing all the way out here? Don’t you have an owner?”
She guided her hoof down the dog’s neck, finding what she was hoping for—a collar. Carefully trailing along it, she managed to feel something cold and metallic near the front, which she could only assume was a tag. Lifting it, her curiosity only furthered.
Emblazoned on the tag wasn’t a name, address, or even number—just a symbol of three apples and nothing more. It was a carefully designed piece however. Custom colored to be orange, notably similar to the collar it was attached to, and even had a tree-like shape building up along the edges of it. Misty was careful to look the up and down, ensuring she wasn’t somehow missing the dog’s owner’s name.
“Okay, that’s a little weird but - ow!”
A solid thunk rang out as her head was struck, sending a tinge of pain through her. Instinctively rubbing the back of her head, she hurriedly whirled her attention around to make sure she wasn’t being attacked.
And to her knowledge, a flying tortoise wasn’t all too much of a threat.
Yawning in midair, blinking extremely slowly, was exactly that—a flying tortoise. Given some kind of odd contraption, he was hovering in mid-air lazily, swaying left and right as he slowly smacked his lips together. Misty wasn’t entirely sure what to make of him, but so far, her day was only getting weirder.
“Y’know, the flying animals I know already come with wings…” she mumbled, wiping a tear away from her eye as the tortoise landed on the ground.
As she did with the dog, she inspected her scaly visitor. He didn’t have a collar, not that she expected one, but the device on his back did have some kind of marking etched into it. Near the strap, a jagged, colorful rainbow lightning bolt spawned from a white cloud, creating a dynamic design. Just like the dog's, his only indicator of belonging to somepony else was the odd marking he adorned.
“Are these cutie marks?” she asked, recoiling back a portion as the tortoise nuzzled her. “Huh, I thought Hitch was the one that’s good with animals…”
She patted his shell gently, smiling down at his soft gaze. She couldn’t imagine the kind of pony who’d own such a critter, perhaps somepony who liked to take things slow and think over each and every decision meticulously.
Misty perked up, feeling something soft and wet gnawing on her other foreleg. Looking down curiously, she gasped as she was met with a small alligator. The reptile was biting down on her, but to her surprise not even the slightest bit of pain found her. Lifting her leg up towards her face, her surprise now replaced by confusion, she was shocked to see the lack of any teeth on him.
“So…are you trying to eat me or is this your way of playing?” Misty snickered, lowering her leg and putting the gator back on the ground.
Connected with the earth once more, he let go of her leg, standing still and blinking each eye out of sync. One closed and the other followed a second or two after, making his appearance all the more dopey, yet also oddly endearing. Though, as she eyed the creature, she became suddenly aware of a small string of confetti wrapped around his tail.
Intrigued, she tugged on the string, seeing a design of three balloons dotting it from end to end. It was creative, yet, just like the others, gave her absolutely nothing to work off of. Still, with each new companion making things all the more odd, accompanied with her still being in this otherworldly field of flowers, Misty was slowly beginning to piece things together.
“Waaaait…is this one of those weird lucid dream thingies I read about.” She looked around pouting. “No mirrors to check.” She stuck her tongue out, pushing her hoof against the other. “Hooves aren’t going through each other…” She raised them up to her nose, pinching it. “And I can’t breathe through my nose if I do this!” She rolled her eyes, feeling foolish for her own testing. “I think that’s all the stuff that book said to check if - ouch!”
She yelped with pain, wincing and pulling her foreleg away as she received a sharp, quick scratch against it. Cracking an eye open, nursing her now grazed limb, the sound of a feral, enraged hiss buzzed in her ear. With her fur fluffed up and angrily glaring over at her, a cat stood on edge.
“Agh…what the hay was that for!” she grumbled, childishly sucking on her the spot of her leg that was injured. “But…I guess you aren’t supposed to feel pain in a normal dream—if this even is one.”
She earned nothing more than a seething hiss again. Rolling her eyes, seeing the animals around her also giving an unamused look to the cat, she slowly and very carefully extended her forehoof.
“I’m not mad though! Uhm…do you want some pets? Cats like those, right?” She moved her leg out further, her hoof looming inches from the feline’s face. “At least I think so…”
The cat sharpened her gaze, slowly bringing her nose to Misty’s hoof. Taking a moment, she sniffed the mare, as if she was testing her. After a few moments, she slowly began to run herself along Misty’s leg, letting out a soft purr as she did.
Misty smiled down at the feline, relieved she managed to avoid being scratched again. She could feel the cat’s body vibrating subtly from its purring, all while it ran its soft, fluffy fur along her own. Seeing the other animals had calmed as well, she slowly reached down to inspect the collar on the critter.
Thankfully the cat didn’t mind her inspection, all too busy lavishing in running its body along her other hoof. Searching along the collar, Misty didn’t find a tag, but rather a gem. Carefully designed with glittering diamonds inside of if, three of them to be exact, was an intricate piece of jewelry. It had been designed with a glamorous eye for beauty, and even though Misty wasn’t all too familiar with jewelry, even she knew just how divine this piece looked.
Eyes wide as the shining diamonds reflected in them, Misty was pulled from her awe as something tugged the back of her mane.
“Agh! Okay! Getting a little tired of getting hurt by -“ She looked to her side, cutting herself off. “A…bunny?”
Tapping its foot against the ground, a small, snow-white bunny looked up at her. His gaze held both annoyance and concern, as his arms were crossed together impatiently. He seemed to look around rapidly, going from her, to the animals nearby, and off into the distance.
“Are you okay?” Misty asked, leaning down and bringing her muzzle level to his face. “Do you want a carrot or something? I don’t have one but maybe we could find one?”
The bunny rolled his eyes, scoffing audibly before facepalming.
“Well…that was a bit rude,” she grumbled, frowning at him.
Looking him up and down, she noticed the small necklace he wore. It wasn’t a collar like the cat or dog had, ranging loosely around him, but it did have a small charm at the end of it. Eyeing it up, she noticed the design of pink butterflies on it, a much softer image than the attitude than the bunny seemed to carry.
Suddenly, he lunged out, grabbing onto her face and squeezing her cheeks. She blinked, wholly confused by what he was doing, as she attempted to make out the flurry of squeaks and squeals he was yelling at her.
“I…I don’t know what you’re trying to say!” she exclaimed, trying to pull away from his grasp and finding it shockingly strong.
She is suffering.
The echoing, soft voice surprised Misty enough to allow herself to be freed from the rabbit's grasp, frantically looking left and right.
“Who said that?!”
Hoo!
Each animal around her began to slowly backpedal, as Misty raised a brow and turned to look behind her. Hovering in the air, flapping its wings, was an owl. From the looks of it, there was no collar, or any identifying symbol to show ownership, so she was quick to assume the bird was actually wild.
“Uh, hi? How are you, Mr. Owl?”
Hooo!
The hoo that escaped the owl was a matter deeper and more menacing, making Misty backpedal. “S-sorry! Did I say something wrong?”
She needs to be heard.
That same echoing voice rang out, making Misty spin in circles and look up into the sky, trying to find the source of it. “Who needs to be heard? Where are you? Who are you?”
She’s still here.
Misty blinked wildly, looking down and seeing each of the previous animals she met looking straight at the owl. She took a moment, piecing two and two together, turning once more to focus on the bird and tilting her head.
“But…this is a boy owl, isn’t it? How could it be who you’re talking about?”
Hoo! Hoo!
Misty tapped her hoof against her chin, trying to decipher what exactly was going on. Thinking to herself for a moment, she perked up, eyeing the amulet that rested around her neck.
“Pffft, duh! Of course she’ll know! Opaline knows everything!”
…
The sound of wind halted, the noise of rustling flowers ceased, and the chatter of the animals around her faded away entirely. All around her, the flowers began to wither, crumbling away into dust. Looking back, she saw the animals that were with her had faded away, nothing more than dying grass and flowers in their wake. Immediately, Misty felt an immense sense of dread, shuddering intensely as she glanced up.
Her.
A screeching, harrowing voice boomed, as Misty’s eyes met the same owl from before, but it was far more menacing. Eyes shifted to pitch black, a purple hue slowly creeping into them, the owl hovered in the air, not needed to flap its wings any longer.
With fear quickly beginning to take over, Misty backpedaled several feet, sweat running down her forehead as she nervously chuckled to herself. Though, her panicked laughs quickly began to shift to terrified mumblings, as the owl stirred.
Its wings deformed, its neck cracked, and its entire body seemed to surge outward. A hellish sound of cracking and twisting forced Misty to cover her ears and close her eyes, dreading every aspect of what was happening around her. The muffled sound of the noise began to gradually fade away, giving her the slight confidence needed to crack her eyes open and peek upwards.
She immediately regretted the decision, seeing a towering, purple figure looming over her. Every bit of the creature doused her in a sense of hatred and rage—all feeling as if it were directed at her. Her heart began to pound, her hair stood on end, and her breathing picked up as fear swiftly consumed her.
You need to relax. I know how you feel. Breathe.
Misty gasped, feeling something caressing her cheek, before in a brilliant array of light, a smaller, yellow figure appeared before her. It held her face gently, and although it had no distinguishable features, she felt almost certain it was smiling at her. From the looks of it, the figure was a mare, and her words did bring a wave of calmness over Misty. Feeling the thumping in her chest return to normal, her breathing doing the same, she managed to smile.
“Who…are you?”
You need to help her. She’s suffering. She doesn’t know.
The purple figure’s aura slowly began to lessen in intensity, as it gradually shrank.
“I’m…I’m not sure what’s going on! Is it because I mentioned Opa -“
The figure covered her mouth, ceasing her words entirely.
Please, just focus on showing her you care. Give her kindness. She lost us. She needs to be understood.
“Who is she though? Who are you?! Who’s us!?” Misty blurted.
She received no answer, as the figure turned to face the purple one, staring it down as it reached a size similar to her own. The two entities silently stared at one another, not uttering a word. Misty was desperate to figure out what was going on, but, as the earth itself began to crumble away, panic returned.
Watching bits of the field fall into an endless void, she frantically moved left and right. Trying to find a safe place, her options rapidly dwindling as the earth fell away and began centering in on her, she froze suddenly. As if called upon, she looked up, seeing the yellow figure glancing back at her.
You’ll be okay.
And she began to fall.
No wind, no sound, and, most importantly, no fear found Misty as she tumbled into the bottomless nothingness that awaited her. A sense of serenity and understanding filled her, grateful that that entity seemed to offer her kindness. She knew little of it, Opaline being the furthest thing from that concept , but she knew that whoever that figure was had a strong grasp on it.
Falling further, she sighed. It was for certain a dream, but she’d have panicked if it weren’t for the entity. She gave her the best gift possible at the time to avoid this dream morphing into a nightmare. She didn’t only offer Misty kindness, but she understood her emotions—she gave her empathy.
Sunny‘s eyes shot wide open, her voice screaming out in pain as she was ripped from her slumber by an overwhelming burning sensation. She shook herself off, frantically beating at her own fur thinking she was on fire. She writhed and rolled, desperately trying to find an escape from this sudden agony, before letting out an exasperated gasp as the pain faded as quickly as it appeared.
She wiped tears from her eyes, wincing as the phantom pains of whatever had struck her danced on her nerves for a few waning moments. Shivering, finding herself doused in a wave of terror, she shakily inspected herself. Her coat was fine. Not singed, not even damaged, but everything in her body told her something was wrong. An immense sensation of impending doom was coupled with an overwhelming urge to run, but there was nowhere to go.
Darkness—that was all that met her. On all sides of her, a void with no end, and she sat on that same void. The nothingness of her setting contrasted with the coursing anxieties welling within her. Her breathing picked up, her heart raced, and sweat ran down her forehead as she looked around desperately.
“Hello?! W-where am I?? Anypony?! Please?! Help!”
Her cries echoed through the oblivion, bouncing back to her even louder and layered in rage, making her ears ache from their intensity. Stumbling backwards, her breath faltered, mind unclear and unsteady.
You have to run from her.
A chorus of voices rang out from all sides of Sunny, before she whirled around and felt her heart stop entirely.
Looming over her, magic flowing through its horn as tears streamed down its cheeks, was a terrifying, gruesome purple creature.
You don’t belong.
A shrieking, deafening wail cried out, causing the entire world to shake from its weight. Sunny clenched her eyes shut, covering her ears in a desperate attempt to silence the terrifying voice. She dared to risk a glance, to creak her eyes open for a split second to see what the monster before her was doing.
I don’t belong.
Her blood ran cold as she saw it dive towards her, screaming with unfiltered malice.
Magic doesn't belong.
And then, everything felt as cold as ice.
Friendship doesn’t belong.
Before the burning returned.