12 days left before the storm
Twilight Sparkle rummaged through her books, determined to find one about the art of combat. A small mess slowly formed in her library. Piles of books appearing left and right as she didn’t bother to place them back, not until she found what she sought.
Mango’s teachings were great, but clearly, he didn’t tell her everything about the art of fighting. Throwing too many things at once was a bad way to teach a beginner how to master an art, Twilight understood that, but the alicorn simply couldn’t resist the urge to learn more. As a princess, she must follow her peers’s hoofsteps. A princess must be wise, elegant and most importantly, be able to reassure her subjects in dangerous situations.
After making a mess of her home, Twilight finally landed on a book that would teach her the many techniques of hoof-to-hoof combat, or close quarter combat as it called it. “Bingo!” Using magic, she replaced each individual book back to its rightful place, settling down on her table to devour the book’s content.
She barely noticed Spike heading downstair with a few cleaning accessories. “I’m going to fix the mess downstairs.” he grumbled, displeased to be left with such a tedious chore to complete.
“Thanks, Spike.” Twilight absentmindedly said, her eyes glued to the manual before her. She began her interesting reading, marveling at the many ways simple legs and hooves could be used to fight. Judo, karate, kung fu, all the many forms of combat were present here, in these simple pages.
As for Spike, his jaw nearly hit the floor when he got to observe the extent of the damages caused by Olive’s stressful transformation. Broken shards of glass and destroyed machinery lied everywhere, accompanied by a nice patch of burnt wood for good measure. Distraught, he stared at his broom. He remained fixated on the object for a while, wondering how a small broom was going to clean this mess. The answer came to mind rather quickly; it won’t. The baby dragon was going to need a bigger broom.
“Oh come on, why does it always have to be me?” He glowered, kicking the broom down in frustration. “It’s going to take, like, ages to clean this up! Why can’t I get any help for this?”
An owl soon flew to his side. “Hey, Owlowiscious. You coming to help me?” He said with a sheepish smile. “I could use a hand over here.”
The owl observed the sorry state of the basement, shocked himself by the damage. He howled back at the baby dragon, nodding. “Hoo, hoo!”
“Thanks, buddy!” Spike smiled, offering him the broom. “You should start by sweeping this cor- Blrgh!” His stomach rumbled; his cheeks swelled as he leaned over. This uncomfortable feeling could only mean one thing. With a powerful burp, green fire shot out of his mouth and from the flames came a letter.
Twilight’s reading was soon interrupted by Spike’s frantic screams. “Twilight! Twilight! There’s a letter from princess-”
The alicorn roused herself, almost falling out of her seat. “Princess Celestia?!”
“No, it’s princess Lun-?!” Twilight’s magic engulfed the letter, pulling it towards her. Spike was unfortunately not fast enough to let go and was dragged in the air, smashing into the wall behind the alicorn.
The princess of friendship nervously opened the letter and began to read it.
Dear Twilight Sparkle,
It has come to my attention that trouble is brewing inside Canterlot. A stallion has been murdered inside his own store. Normally I wouldn’t alert you to a simple crime, but Looking Glass has been adamant that this murder was perpetrated by Anarchy. Considering your involvement in Olive’s therapy, I believed it was best to keep you informed of everything surrounding this vile unicorn who seeks only to harm our subject. As a princess, your subjects will look up to you in times of need. Stay alert, young Sparkle; Ponyville is dangerously close to Canterlot. I hope nothing bad happens to any of you.
Princess Luna.
Twilight stared blankly at the letter, the fur on her neck raising. Things weren’t progressing in the right direction. Out of all the cities Anarchy could have been spotted in, it had to be Canterlot. This means her friends could be in danger anytime!
“Oh, but Princess Luna could be in danger too, considering she got hurt. Th-That would also mean that Princess Celestia is at risk! Maybe I should tell them to increase security in-”
Twilight rambled on, nervously pacing around the library. Spike, for his part, was slowly getting back up, his back still hurting from the impact. Once the pain diminished to a more tolerable state, he stared at the alicorn manic ramblings he liked to call “Twilighting.”.
“Uh, Twilight?” He said, hoping to get her to stop.
It did. Twilight rushed; her face practically glued to his. “Yes, Spike? What is it? More news from Princess Luna?”
“No, none of that.” Spike responded, pushing the mare’s face away. “I just wanted to remind you that you have dinner with your friends like, uh, right now.” The baby dragon pointed at the clock.
Twilight looked back, her face contorting in an expression of pure shock. “Right now?! Oh, sweet Celestia, I’m going to be late!” She sprinted out of the library, leaving behind a cloud of dust in her shape.
“Huh, I never stopped to question how that was possible.”
Sitting at a lovely table outside of Café Hay, the rest of the Elements of Harmony waited for Twilight to arrive, wondering why it was taking her so long.
The howls of the wind quieted down, eventually slowing down to just a breeze. The beautiful view they had from up here at least gave them something to look at while they were waiting for the alicorn. The colorful buildings of Ponyville really shined through when looked at as a unit. There truly was no town in Equestria more peaceful than this one.
“It’s been an eternity and no sign of her! Oh, woe is me. I had to temporarily close the boutique for this dinner!” Rarity exclaimed dramatically.
Applejack was having none of the unicorn's drama queen act. “Rarity, it’s only five minutes. It ain’t ta end of the world.”
Rainbow Dash’s stomach complained loudly. “Ugh! Why can’t we at least order something in the meantime? I’m starving!”
“I am not surprised you know so little of proper manners.” Rarity quipped in utter disappointment. “We do not eat until all of us are here, it’s called being polite.”
The cerulean pegasus grumbled, staring impatiently at the Golden Oak in the distance.
Pinkie Pie stared nervously at her pocket watch; her gaze completely focused on the hands of the clock moving about. Her legs were repeatedly tapping the floor, sweat dripped down her face. Eventually, she couldn’t take it anymore. “Twilight’s abandoned us! I have to go find her!” The pink pony shouted just before she jumped over the table and took off galloping, nearly getting Rarity to fall from her seat. Her search was cut short when a lavender alicorn came running at her. “Ooh! Found her, girls!”
Twilight stopped to catch her breath. “Hey... Girls. I’m... sorry I... arrived late.” she managed to say in between her deep breaths. Weakly, she trotted over to her seat and sat down, relieved to finally be done galloping. The others noticed her black eye, but preferred to not ask about it for now.
“Finally! We can order!” Dash roared, brutally opening the menu. A waiter came to their table to kindly pour some water in their glasses. After a few short minutes of choosing their meal, the six friends could finally enjoy a nice discussion without any worries of being interrupted.
“Kept us waiting, huh?” Applejack quipped, smirking at the distracted alicorn. “What was it this time? Oh, let me guess, a letter from Princess Celestia?”
Twilight smiled sheepishly. “Kinda... It was actually a letter from Princess Luna of all ponies. That’s probably the first time she ever sent me a letter.”
“Wow.” Fluttershy exclaimed, admiration shining through her cyan eyes. “What did she say in that letter, um, if you don’t mind sharing.”
“Was it something good?” Rarity’s eyes widened. “Or something bad?!”
The princess of friendship chuckled nervously. “Oh, um, he he...it leaned more towards the bad.” The five mares stared at her; their ears fully perked up. Twilight solemnly described the content of the letters, the terrible murder in Canterlot and the potential threat of Anarchy being around. Most of her friends didn’t react much when hearing the name of the accursed stallion, except for Applejack who’s jaw nearly dropped.
The earth pony only thought of Olive in that moment. An awkward silence reigned at their table following Twilight’s speech. The six mares exchanged uncertain glances, remaining quiet.
“Well, um.” Rarity finally said, stammering as she tried to think of a topic. “H-How about that filly, Applejack? You never got the chance to tell us about her.” The beautiful fashionista asked, leaning close to the earth pony. “Come on, we’re all dying to hear it.”
“Oh, well, sh-she's a nice kid.” Applejack responded, not knowing where to start. “Uh, a little troubled too, but Ah can understand considerin’ what she’s gone through. Ah don’t know if yer aware of tha’, but Ah found ‘er bleedin’ out near the Everfree Forest.”
“Aw, the poor thing.” Fluttershy commented, almost feeling like she was about to cry. She only thought the filly she escorted earlier that day was an orphan, but to hear such troubling news made her rethink about that fateful meeting.
“Oh, sweet Heaven!” Rarity exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock. “What happened to her?”
Applejack took off her hat, clutching it tightly into her hooves. “Ah’m not certain, but Ah know Ah heard some ponies runnin’ straight into the forest when Ah found Olive.”
“She was assaulted?!” Pinkie Pie’s jaw dropped, thinking back to her failed musical number. Had she known the filly nearly died a couple of days ago, she never would have done such a thing. Facehoofing herself for making such a bad mistake, Pinkie’s smile disappeared.
“Yeah, Lookin’ Glass confirmed it.” Applejack regretfully informed. “The fella suspects it was the ponies who raised ‘er who did it.”
Rainbow Dash frowned. “Oh, now that’s just messed up!” She brought her hooves down on the table, shaking with anger. “If I ever find these monsters! I’ll give them something to run from!”
Fluttershy leaned closer to Applejack, her eyes on the verge of tears. “She’s safe now, isn’t she?”
“Don’t worry, Fluttershy.” The orange mare responded, her confidant smile reassuring the pegasus. “Us Apples won’t let anypony hurt ‘er ever again. She’s safe with us.”
Twilight frowned. “You should still be careful. We know Anarchy’s in Canterlot, and that’s sadly not too far from Ponyville. All of us should be cautious.”
“We should be fine!” Rainbow Dash confidently affirmed, hovering above ground thanks to her wings. “Aj said Looking Glass was working with Luna. This stallion’s a national hero who stopped the evil Crimson Mask. These two together are totally going to kick that Anarchy guy’s flank!”
“I’m sure they will, Dash.” Twilight assured. “but I’m still worried nonetheless. When I flew to Canterlot, I spoke with Luna and saw one of her legs bandaged up. From what I could tell, the wound was pretty bad.”
Rarity nearly spat her water. “Goodness gracious! Princess Luna was hurt? B-By who?”
Twilight raised a hoof to her chin. “I’m guessing most likely Anarchy.” She paused for a moment, trying to see if another villain could come to mind. “I don’t see who else could hurt a princess that badly without making a scene. Whoever did this wasn’t looking for attention, which can’t be said for any of the foes we’ve encountered so far.”
The other mares clenched their teeth, exchanging worried glances between each other.
“That’s really bad, but can we talk about Olive again?” Pinkie asked, smiling almost sheepishly. “I want to know what she’s like.”
“Oh yes, please do, darling.” Rarity insisted. “That’ll lighten up the mood.”
Applejack put her hat back on, taking on a more cheerful tone. “Ah mentioned she was a real nice kid, but, uh, she’s also kinda weird.” Her friends blinked, confused by that last word.
“Weird?” Pinkie questioned, getting up in her face. “Like Pinkie level weird, or just weird weird?”
“Uh, n-normal weird?” Applejack hesitantly responded. “Ah took ‘er to a toy store and told ‘er she could buy whatever she wanted. All she took was a stick with Saddle Rager’s head on it.” With her hooves, she approximated the toy’s length.
“Sounds like a lame toy.” Rainbow Dash quipped with a smirk.
“That ain’t ta weird part, Rainbow. Nah, ta weird part was how she ‘played’ with it.” Applejack gingerly described the filly pacing around the living room with the stick sometime in her mouth, other times held tightly in her fetlock.
Pinkie Pie opened her mouth, ready to give her crazy theory on the matter. The five other mares turned their attention to her. “Meh, I got nothing.” she shrugged, slumping back in her seat.
“That’s definitely out of the ordinary for a filly.” Twilight began. “Maybe there’s something else about her that we still don’t know. In any case, if you take her to Heedful Care, you might get some answers.”
Applejack “Yeah, that’s what Ah was thinkin’. Speakin’ of which, Olive’s supposed to start her therapy later today.”
Rarity smiled. “That’s wonderful to hear, darling. This filly is in dire need of help.”
“Ah can see that. She hates bein’ alone more than anythin’.” Applejack explained. “So much that she even left Sweet Apple Acre on ‘er own and got lost in Ponyville.” The earth pony leaned towards Fluttershy, placing a hoof around the pegasus’s shoulder. “But Fluttershy ‘ere was kind enough to bring ‘er back home.”
Twilight couldn’t help but crack a smile. “Aw, that’s very nice of you, Fluttershy.”
The yellow pegasus’s cheeks turned red, embarrassed by all the compliments she was being bombarded with. “Oh, you guys... it was nothing.”
“It sure as hay wasn’t!” Applejack refuted. “Ah was worried sick back there. If ya didn’t help ‘er, Ah sure would have had a heart attack!”
“No need to be so humble about it. C’mon, just have a little pride for once.” Rainbow Dash teased.
“With how my day went, I’m sure Fluttershy has more pride in her than I do currently.” Twilight sighed.
Rarity couldn’t hold it in anymore. The princess’s black eye raised too many questions in the fashionista’s head. “Twilight, if you don’t mind; could you please tell us how you got this?” she asked, pointing at the alicorn’s eye.
“Oh th-that?” Twilight covered her black eye with a hoof, smiling sheepishly. “It’s, uh...” Gazing over at Applejack and Rainbow Dash, she knew there was no way out of this one. As embarrassing as it is, she has to tell the truth. So, she explained everything from the start. How she was told by Doctor Hoof to figure out a reason behind the hospital’s broken bathroom incident, her first test with Olive as well as the filly’s monstrous transformation. Lastly, she spoke about how she got her flank kicked by a foal.
“...And that’s how I got a black eye. Satisfied yet?” she sighed.
Rarity’s jaw dropped, Pinkie stopped bouncing, Fluttershy turned pale, Applejack glared ever so slightly at her, and Rainbow Dash snickered.
“Twilight got her flank kicked by a filly!” she busted into tears of laughter.
“That only happened because I was holding back!” Twilight vigorously said. “I didn’t want to hurt an innocent filly!”
One of the waiters arrived, carrying on his back their plates. The discussion soon came to an end as the mares enjoyed a nice meal under the summer sun. They didn’t have much time left, each had a busy schedule today, especially Applejack who had to juggle her work on the farm and her duty as a foster mother. Once they were done, the orange mare was just about ready to leave when Pinkie stopped her.
“Hey Applejack! Do you remember when I talked to you about the welcome to Ponyville party I wanted to throw down for Olive?” she joyfully asked, giving her a big smile of pure enthusiasm.
“Yeah Ah do. What about it?”
Hopping over to the earth pony, Pinkie Pie took out a birthday card and slid it under Aj’s hat. “It’s happening super duper soon! It’s just gonna be the six of us, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders and it’s gonna be so much fun. We’re gonna drink lemonade, play games and-”
“Ah get the point, Pinkie.” Applejack interupted. “Ah suppose Ah should give this, uh...” She took out the card from under her hat and took a good look at it. “...card to Olive, huh?”
“Exactly! Be seeing you at the party then!” Pinkie hopped away before Applejack could even tell her “See ya.”
But before the mare could attend the party with her daughter, she had to take the filly to a therapist, and that was scheduled 10 minutes from now. Let’s take things slowly, sugar cube. One step at a time...
Inside Sweet Apple Acre, Olive stared solemnly at her new favorite toy, the Saddle Rager one. The beautiful, sweet and kind mare she met earlier that day still stuck within her mind. No matter what, her thoughts always diverged back to her, Fluttershy. A pony that reminded her so much of her comic book idol.
She kept thinking about their meeting, about how she met her new hero. Sure, Applejack was still her biggest hero for doing so much for her, but there’s just something about Fluttershy that stopped Olive from ever moving on to different thoughts. The sky dropped an angel just for her, to guide her back to safety. Surely, there must be more to this... right?
“Hey, sugar cube, it’s time to go.”
Heedful Care’s office is about what you’d expect coming from a therapist who’s specialised in dealing with troubled foals. The walls are all painted with bright and lively colors. They are also adorned with many cute drawings of her previous patients often depicting them being happy after meeting her. Toys sat on the right of her desk, mostly to help foals in dealing with these sessions that are often taxing on their mental states. Small pillows rested near these toys to offer foals a comfortable seat. You could tell simply from looking at her office that she adored her job.
Right as they entered, the counselor greeted them with a bright yet restrained smile. “Hi there, so happy you could come today!”
Olive slightly opened her mouth and tilted her head to the side, remembering her as the pegasus from the hospital. Last time made her feel like she was being interrogated, but with Aj at her side, maybe this session will go better.
“And so am Ah! Ah figured mah little sugar cube had some things to get off ‘er chest.”
Confused, Olive rubbed her belly, wondering what she was supposed to get off exactly. Heedful Care giggled at the filly’s adorable confusion. “It’s a figure of speech. What she meant by ‘getting some things off your chest’ is that you surely want to tell us some things that are hurting you.”
“Nothing’s hurting me right now.” The little unicorn responded abruptly, knowing all too well it wasn’t the case. The two mares weren’t convinced either and understandably so. Since she first got here a week ago, she cried and had a panic attack at least once each day. Olive knew she wasn’t feeling well at all, that she had problems. The only problem is that facing them was a scary and daunting task for her. If only she could be happy without having to confront anything, that’ll be just great.
“Aw, sugar cube, there’s no need to lie.” Applejack reassured. “We’re ‘ere to help ya, to make ya feel better. Just give Care a chance.”
Pointing at the toys, Heedful Care smiled. “You can play with the toys here if you’re feeling anxious. That’s what they’re here for!” She said, winking at the unicorn.
Hesitant, Olive trotted towards the toys. The counselor noticed something peculiar about her walk. Despite suffering from a broken leg, the filly was moving as if there was nothing wrong. Applejack didn’t even seem to notice. Or maybe, she’s already aware of this and isn’t paying any mind to it. Either case, she’ll ask her when this is over.
“So, how’s your pain? Not too bad, I hope?” She asked.
Olive shook her body a bit before shaking her head. “It’s fine. I’m not hurt.”
The pegasus took a closer look at the unicorn. All her bandages were gone, all except for the one around her body. It’s perfectly white, dry. Not a single red stain on it. She turned to ask Applejack about it. “How are her injuries healing?”
“It’s all healed now.” Applejack responded, much to Care’s shock.
“All healed? Even her broken leg?”
“It ain’t broken anymore.” Right after she answered, the orange mare noticed it was indeed out of the ordinary. The pegasus must still not be aware of the filly’s darker side.
“O...kay.” Heedful Care noted something down, mildly confused. “But if her injuries all healed then, why does she still have a bandage wrapped around her body?”
“Oh, that one?” Applejack looked at the filly minding her own business with the toys. “She insisted on keepin’ it. There’s a nasty scar on ‘er body and she hates it. Ah can understand why; it ain’t pretty.”
Noting it down on her notebook, the pegasus nodded. “I see...” Turning her attention back to the filly, Care cleared her throat to get the unicorn’s attention. “It’s been a few days since you’ve left Ponyville General Hospital with Miss Applejack. So tell me; how has your time with her been so far? What have you two been up to?”
“It’s been great!” Olive answered, “Her house is super nice! My new sister and her friends are really cool, and they’ve even got this cool hidden clubhouse. Mommy took me around Ponyville and bought me a Saddler Rager toy. We ate a hayburger together and...”
The counselor listened intently to the filly’s joyful answer, finding herself smiling. “Well, it’s good to know that you’re happy here, really. That makes us happy too.”
“Aw yeah! She seems to be getting' along well with mah sister’s friend too!” Applejack added, “They were super happy when they learned she had a blank flank just like ‘em!”
“You’ve made friends too?” Heedful Care said with a big smile on her face. “That’s wonderful, dear!”
Olive giggled, her bright smile warming Aj’s heart.
“Friends are really important; they are ponies you can always count on when you’re in need.” Now it was time for the big question, Care braced herself for whatever might come from it. “Did you have any friends before coming to Ponyville?”
The filly’s expression immediately darkened. “...yes.” she muttered. “Only one.”
Applejack sat next to her daughter, gently caressing her head.
The counselor took a deep breath. “Can you tell me more about her?”
Olive remained silent, staring blankly at the wall. “Her name was Aurora; she was the only pony who liked me.”
Cold stainless steel reigned over these dark caverns. Sharpened blades striking the cutting boards with impressive strength. There was so much meat in there, something ponies don’t eat, except for those who chose to diverge from their normal diet. A turquoise pegasus sweated, struggling to prepare the meat for everypony. There would be diamond dogs and griffons present too, which only meant more work for him.
To make matters worse, he was tasked with keeping an eye on the two fillies. One old enough to at the very least go to the bathroom by herself. The other was too young for him to tolerate. At her age, she was still practically a baby.
Chopping more meat, he felt his hooves tiring, his muscles aching. Cutting meat is much harder than he thought. This rusty old cleaver just isn’t doing it.
The foal crawled around, curiously staring at the tall pegasus before her, an innocent smile plastered on her face. “Fafa!” She slowly made her way towards the hard-working stallion, unaware of how stressed out he was.
“No! Don’t go near him!” The voice of a filly cried out, but it was too late.
The baby tugged on the stallion’s legs, trying to get his attention. Smashing his cleaver down on the board, Blaze started her down. He was seeing red. “Get your filthy hooves off me, you little shit!” He raised one of his legs and bucked the foal right in her flank. The poor baby was sent flying a couple of feet, landing face first on the ground before being picked up in the hooves of the older filly. “Take her somewhere else where she won’t disturb me, and do it now!”
Aurora nodded. “Y-Yes, sir.” Olive began to cry. Blood dripped down her injured nose as her cries intensified. The young filly tried her best to calm her down, holding her tightly in a hug. “Shh, it’s okay. I-I'm here.”
Blaze covered his irritated ears. “Didn’t you hear me? I can’t stand all this damn noise! Go away!”
Aurora complied, taking Olive far away from him. Now on their own, she could calm her down. The young pegasus hugged the small unicorn and caressed her mane. “It’s over, he won’t hurt you anymore.”
Olive kept on crying, more blood dripping down her busted nose. Eventually, the foal’s pain got to her. “He won’t hurt you anymore.” She croaked.
“So, she was older than you, but still young enough to be considered a filly, right?”
Olive nodded sadly. “She was here ever since I was a baby. She always took good care of me.”
Heedful Care took a look at her notes of their previous meeting, noticing something interesting. “Last time we met, you told me you didn’t have a mother. Am I to assume Aurora was the one who raised you?”
Olive curled up, shame shining through her eyes. “I... I lied.”
“Sweetie, it’s okay. I get that it’s hard to talk about certain things. Nopony here is judging you for it.” The counselor reassured. “That said, do you remember your mother?”
“I never met her.” Olive mourned. “I just knew I had one, but I was too young to remember.”
“That’s unfortunate.” Care said, “I can see why you were so happy to live with Applejack.”
Applejack gave her daughter a thankful smile, and she smile back, albeit weakly.
“Okay, so now I’d like to know more about your friend. Was she one of these ponies’s daughter, or a filly who’s been taken in by force?”
“The second... I think.” Olive never heard anything about Aurora’s family despite being with her for years.
Applejack’s eyes winced, of course monsters like Anarchy would do such a thing. She could only imagine how that filly’s parents must have felt to suddenly lose their daughter forever. The earth pony could only hope that such a tragedy would never happen to her family, ever.
“I’m curious, you just mentioned something about a turquoise pegasus. Are there any notable ponies you wish to speak of other than your, um, father?”
The unicorn looked back at the toys she was playing with as more painful memories resurfaced.
“I’m gonna getcha! I’m gonna getcha!”
Inside the ruins of what was once a lively town, two fillies ran around giggling. Galloping across puddles of water, jumping over large rocks, climbing up broken stairs and rolling in the dead grass, they didn’t let the current situation ruin their fun.
After all, everypony left them alone for a while, although they could still feel their gaze resting upon them, not that it bothered them much. These ponies were not going to stop their games any time soon.
“Gotcha!” Aurora pounced on Olive, giving her the biggest hug she’s ever received up to this point. “You cannot escape the teddy bear! Now prepare for five whole seconds of love!” she said, giggling at her cheesiness.
“Wah... five seconds of wove.” Olive affectionally said, struggling to pronounce her words correctly.
“Yes, love!” Aurora confirmed, picking the foal up in her hooves. She lifted her as high as possible. “Now, it’s your turn to be the teddy bear!”
The small foal laughed. “Te...Tedday!”
Setting Olive down, the young pegasus began to ran, with the unicorn in tow. Their game was short lived, however, when thundering hoofsteps caught their attention. The earth was shaking with each step taken, a behemoth was coming their way.
Olive wrapped her hooves around Aurora’s legs, whimpering. Out of the forest came a giant stallion with a pearly white coat and a crimson plumber’s cap resting on his head. To say that he was muscular would be an understatement.
“Holy shit, what the hay is that?!” a mare screamed, falling on her flank.
The giant earth pony stopped to look at her and grinned. “A rookie, you could say.” he said in a Spanish accent.
Blaze trotted to the scene, smiling once he noticed the behemoth. He looked rather surprised, but not as much as the other ponies. “Oh gee, you sure got big. I’m guessing it went well?”
The white stallion chuckled, admiring his biceps. “Better than I could have ever imagined. I feel alive, unbreakable, reborn.” He lifted his cap and examined it carefully. “No longer will these mestizos push me around. From now on, I am Strong Hoof.”
“A... giant you say?” Heedful Care wasn’t sure if every word this filly spoke was to be believed. Foals often have a big imagination, and it could be reasonable to assume that this stallion was only giant because Olive was smaller back then.
“The biggest and meanest pony I’ve ever met.” Olive added. “He never liked me.” Rubbing her bandage, a wave of discomfort overtook her.
“I see...” She did mention a certain Mister Strong Hoof that called her a witch in Spanish. “Care to tell me more about this Strong Hoof?”
Olive cringed at the mere mention of his name. That nasty scar on her body, it’s all thanks to him. “He was always with my daddy... Daddy really liked him.”
Applejack braced herself for another horror story of a foal being abused. With Olive, these stories were all too plentiful. It was starting to become sickening to just hear it. Care also seemed to share the same opinion, judging by her cringed expression.
“Do you know why he didn’t like you?” The pegasus asked the little filly.
“He always told me I was disgusting.” Olive croaked. She looked down at her hooves. “He was right...”
Discord, if there were any words to describe the current situation it was discord. Ponies were being flung everywhere, blood painting the rocky walls of the ruined buildings. The quiet sounds of the forest were being drowned out by terrified screams and enraged roars. Just a little out of the chaos, two stallions stood idly.
It was Anarchy and Strong Hoof, overlooking the massacre unfolding before them. A pink pony with a gaping maw viciously attacked anypony in its vicinity, smacking them with elongated hooves coming out of its jaw.
“What the hay is going on?! What’s happened to your filly?” Strong Hoof shouted, sweat dripping off his face. “She’s killing everypony!”
Anarchy, on his part, didn’t seem all that concerned. Mainly curious as to how it happened. “Hm, I suppose we can chalk it up to a little mishap in our previous ritual. That power was supposed to be mine, but I guess it can wait for now.”
“Shouldn’t you do something about this?” Strong Hoof pressed; his eyes unable to look away from the massacre. “She’s reducing our numbers greatly!”
“Nah, I think I’ll sit this one out.” The dark unicorn pulled out a bag of popcorn. “You should too, ‘cause we’re not going to gain much from besting my monstrous darling!”
Distraught, the white stallion dropped on his flank, shaking the ground around them. “So, w-we're just going to have to live with this thing? Just hoping that it’s not going to return?”
Anarchy cackled. “You worry too much, it’s just a filly! My filly! I’ll break her kneecaps if the need ever arises, but for now; let’s just enjoy the show.” A mare’s head flew above them, splattering against a nearby tree. Strong Hoof ducked out of fear while his boss simply laughed.
“Besides, some of them have betrayed me... you know the price to pay for betrayal.” He grinned. “Let me hear them scream.”
“You’re not disgustin’! Don’t let ‘em talk down to ya like tha'!” Applejack placed her hooves on Olive’s shoulder, a determined and comforting glint in her eyes. “Ah think yer beautiful.”
“So do I.” Heedful Care gingerly added, briefly stepping out of her chair. “There are some ponies out there who are simply mean. They’ll try their best to drag you down and make you feel like you’re worthless. Don’t ever listen to them, you of all ponies should know your true worth.”
Olive lowered her head, considering the words of the two kind mares. Despite what they just said, she couldn’t help but agree with Strong Hoof on some level. There was a ghastly side to her, one that always hurt ponies whenever it would come out. It was difficult to control, difficult to contain and magic was the one thing that could free it from its slumber. “Okay...”
“Well,” The pegasus sat back in her chair. “I believe that covers most of what I had to say. Before we end this, Miss Applejack, I would like to know if there have been any difficulties so far with raising Olive.”
Applejack roused herself. “Oh? Well, there have been some problems encountered down ta line.” she admitted.
“Really? Tell me about them.”
The earth pony started by explaining the incident with Pinkie Pie, the uneasiness Olive felt when she first saw Bulk Bicep and lastly, the fight at the Everfree Forest with Twilight. The counselor’s eyes widened, and her pupils shrunk as Applejack explained what little she witnessed from that fight.
“A... Are you for real? She turned into a...” Heedful Care briefly glanced over at the filly who looked away from them out of shame. “Well, you know what I mean.”
“Ah’m afraid that’s ta honest truth.” Applejack nodded. “Didn’t ya hear about ta incident at Ponyville General Hospital?”
“I did. I just believed it was caused by a magic surge, which is rare but certainly possible in foals with a special affinity to magic.”
Olive’s tail awkwardly swayed from side-to-side, trying her best to ignore the mare’s speaking as she concentrated all her attention on her toys, and the story she was trying to create.
The two ponies continued their discussion, to which the unicorn now paid no mind to. Many thoughts swirled in her head, Anarchy, Strong Hoof, Aurora, the evil within her, all came to clog her thinking as much as possible. Even inside this paradise of a town, her past life still haunted her, dragged her down and wouldn’t let her move on. The one thing Olive truly lacked right now... was closure.
Her father was still on the loose alongside Strong Hoof, the monster within her lives on and she still hasn't seen Aurora since then. Maybe none of these things will ever be solved. It sucks, but at this point, even being here is a blessing in of itself. The first blessing she’s ever had.
Heedful Care read her notes thoroughly before smiling warmly. "I can send in a search party for Aurora. Maybe we'll find her or at least something that can point us in her direction."
Olive didn't seem to have heard her, so Applejack wrapped a hoof around the filly's body and gazed in her beautiful eyes. "Did you 'ear that? We're gonna find yer friend and bring 'er to Ponyville with us."
Yes, Aurora's still out there. They'll find her eventually.
Once the session ended, Applejack took her back home. On their way, they noticed the sun was already starting to set, albeit slower than usual. Olive stared at the rising moon, feeling disturbed for some reason she couldn’t yet grasp. The filly had a bad feeling about this night, like something terrible was on the verge of unfolding.
The unicorn stared at the royal castle resting atop the mountain, her chest tightening as her hooves began to get sweaty. In that moment, she only wished that Aj would pick up the pace.
Daddy was coming out to play.
Under the now ominous light of the moon, five ponies trotted around a seemingly empty field, looking for tracks left by carriages. They searched the area under a floating orb of light casted by Looking Glass.
The great detective eventually found a clue left on the ground. “Tracks, and it’s leading towards the mountain.” he said coldly to his comrades. “Follow them, but make sure to keep your distance; we need to remain as hidden as possible.”
The five detectives followed the tracks, each being on edge. The darkness of the night coupled with the floating orb of light practically made them a sitting duck. Without that light, they wouldn’t be able to see anything, so it’s not like they had any other choice.
The snapping of a tree branch made them all stop dead in their tracks. “Somepony’s coming!” whispered one of the detectives.
“I’ll send the orb to them.” Looking Glass announced, letting the orb fly towards the source of the noise.
A panicked mare jumped out of the darkness, panting. Her body was growing weaker by the seconds, the heavy bags under her eyes showing a lack of rest and the limp wings around her side swung to the beat of her walk.
Blossomforth stopped moving to examine the strange orb, dread filling her soul as the light blinded her. Around the small, illuminated circle was nothing but darkness. “Wh-Who’s there?” She asked, her voice hitching.
A pair of hooves approached her, nearly giving her a heart attack. “Don’t be afraid, we’re from the Canterlot Bureau of Investigation. We have come to investigate a dangerous payload sent to Canterlot.” Out of the blackness came a dark blue stallion in a fancy business suit. His amber eyes were somewhat cold, but not malicious in the slightest. He threw the most comforting smile he could at her, although it was a bit weak.
“L-Looking Glass...” Blossomforth muttered, recognising the visage of the heroic detective that defeated the Crimson Mask. Her eyes began to water, her lips curled into a relieved smile. “I-I’m saved!” She limped towards the unicorn, falling into his embrace as he caught her just before she hit the ground.
Looking Glass took a closer look at her wings, frowning. “Do not worry, one of my comrades will escort you to the nearest hospital.”
The mare cried tears of joy. Her hooves wrapping around the detective in desperate need of comfort. “Th-Thank you!” she managed to say through her broken voice. “Thank you...”
“Everything will be alright. We’re here.” Looking Glass reassured. “We-” A drop of water landed on his muzzle. Confused, the unicorn looked at the sky. It was now greyer than before. It was filled with dark clouds. Strange considering the sky was perfectly clear when they left.
More rain fell, slowly intensifying as an ominous sound came from beyond the tracks leading to the mountain, laughter. The laughter turned into cackling as Tartarus poured down on them, lightning now striking the Equestrian grounds.
“What in the hay is going on?! The weather team didn’t announce a storm tonight!” One of the detectives exclaimed, panicking.
“It’s a spell.” Looking Glass grunted, desperately trying to keep it together. “An alicorn level spell. Only one unicorn right now could cast such powerful magic.”
Lightning struck once more, revealing the dark form of a unicorn cackling on the hills above them. “Fillies and gentlecolts! Welcome to the tutorial level!”