2 days left before the storm
Olive woke up in a cold sweat today, raising some concern from her sister. When questioned about her dream, the pink filly couldn’t fully answer. All that survived were small images without any coherence to them. There was rain, Aurora and... the white giant.
“Forget it. It’s... it’s not really important.”
Olive spent more time in her bed, unable to muster the strength to leave unlike Apple Bloom who jumped out, brimming with energy. The unicorn wondered what was sapping her strength, her will to even start the day. Her eyes didn’t want to stay open for more than a second. All she knew, was that something was wrong with her. Fear? Couldn’t be, she’s not scared. Anxiety? Maybe, she felt a strange sensation in her stomach comparable to the one she felt during her presentation.
“Are ya comin’?”
Olive roused herself, her eyes half open. “Hm? Y-Yeah, in just a minute...”
Apple Bloom hesitantly left the bedroom, leaving the filly on her own.
No matter how hard she tried, the will to get out of bed wouldn’t come. The day ahead seemed so daunting. The energy to face it was lacking. There was so much to do, it felt simply impossible. Moreover, there was a lingering feeling of dread that loomed over her. It surely had something to do with her dream. She couldn’t remember, but its effect was clear as day. Whatever happened in there snatched away her strength.
Groaning, she rolled in bed and closed her eyes, hoping to find some inner peace. Decidedly, the only way to leave was to empty her mind. An old tune resurfaced as Olive tried to think of something that made her happy. But as always, she had no control over her memories. One memory brought another into her mind, and this one brought yet another and it continued until she was stuck in a deep rabbit hole.
I’ll make a beast out of myself
Gets rid of all the pain of being a pony!
Jolly Melody, she’s practically heard all his songs over and over, even the new ones he kept to himself. Although, she never understood the lyrics, not even to this day. Knowing how her father turned out, it was reasonable to say that she was better off not knowing. Now, the pink unicorn wondered if Applejack could sing like he did. Apple Bloom did say the crusaders once wrote and sang a song for a stage play in Ponyville. Or... maybe singing wasn’t as hard as she thought. Who knows, she could try to-
“Olive!”
Olive jerked awake, startled by the voice of her mother. She turned around nervously, wondering what was wrong.
“School’s startin’ in 15 minutes, sugar cube! Ya gotta hurry up!” Applejack said, pointing at the alarm clock. The small unicorn yelped and hopped out of bed, running down the stairs at light speed. “Sheesh, guess Ah should keep a better eye on ‘er in ta morning...”
During the small trip to Ponyville’s schoolhouse, Olive kept her head high, gazing at the clouds in the blue sky of the morning. She observed the pegasi moving the clouds around, rearranging them for this day. For some strange reason, she felt a bit of dread. The white clouds looked ominous to her. They were supposed to be grey or at least, that must have been how they appeared in whatever dream she had.
Overall, something just wasn’t right. Danger was the word she used to describe this sight. Maybe that was why she was so unwilling to get out of bed?
Anyhow, they arrived at school, bid their farewell to Applejack and joined their friends in the playground. Everypony was happy, well mostly of course. School wasn’t exactly beloved by all foals, but most ponies were having a good time. Olive seemed like the only one who wasn’t thrilled to be there at all. Somehow, the school felt dangerous to her. These thoughts were silly, she’d be the first to admit it, but nevertheless, they couldn’t be shaken off.
“Uh, Olive? Is something wrong?”
The pink filly roused herself, Sweetie Belle was showing some much-needed concern. The beautiful sparkle in her eyes helped to ease her worries.
“Is it about Diamond Tiara and Spoiled Rich?” Scootaloo asked. “I’m guessing you must have an idea in mind.”
She didn’t, sadly. Olive was no super genius with hundreds of back-up plan or whatnot. Worse still, she didn’t even have a plan A. The most she could think of was “spend the day with Diamond and Silver”, but that didn’t sound like a smart and well thought out plan.
Apple Bloom scratched her head, glancing over at the two rich fillies. “Are ya sure it’s a good idea?”
“...” Olive lowered her head, hiding her face behind her mane. “No... I have no plan at all.”
“Well, I mean...” Scootaloo paused, looking over at Sweetie Belle. “It did do a lot for Sweetie and me. Maybe it’ll work for Diamond as well?”
Apple Bloom smiled. “Yeah! Yer ta nicest filly Ah know. Surely ya can win over Diamond. It’s like yer superpower!”
“My superpower is winning ponies over? Does that mean I’m charismatic?”
“I’d rather view it as helping ponies overcome their personal struggles. Well that and your extreme affection. It’s, uh, really nice to hug you.” Scootaloo said, blushing slightly. “But don’t tell anypony else I said that.”
“If you want to spend the day with Diamond Tiara, then we’ll gladly help you!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed. “Because Cutie Mark Crusaders never let each other down.”
Olive’s eyes quickly darted to the two rich fillies basically acting as if they own the entire playground. The foals around were trotting out of their way, looking either frightened or angry but Diamond and Silver didn’t seem to care. As the pink unicorn theorised, it’s their wealth that dictates why they act this way.
Money is power, and that reflects in social interactions. The richer ponies were always the stronger one, just ask her father about it. Therefore, the easiest solution to win them over was to be rich. One problem, how can a filly like her get filthy rich? So, maybe that idea wasn’t that brilliant after all.
No, the best idea was to listen to what Care said yesterday. “Just be yourself” or something along this line. Olive trotted up to them, stopping briefly to announce her intentions to the crusaders.
Upon being noticed, the two spoiled fillies reacted just as expected. “Ugh, you again? What’s it going to be about this time?”
“Looks like somepony here loves to be the bearer of bad news!”
Olive blinked. More mean-spirited proclamations, more hatred, oh how much she had gotten used to it. Strangely, these words hurt a little more than she was expecting. Perhaps she was slowly forgetting what it felt like to be despised. “I’m not here to deliver bad news, I promise.”
Diamond Tiara raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. “Then what are you here for? To lick my hooves?”
“Or to beg for forgiveness?”
“Um, no.” Olive stated bluntly. “I’m here to become your friend.”
The two fillies blinked idly. “What? Friends? We don’t need your friendship. Not from a filly that lives in a barn and plays around in the mud.”
“I don’t like getting dirty.” The pink unicorn looked around the playground, noticing the odd fact that not a single foal is remotely near them. “Do you two have friends?”
Silver Spoon groaned. “What kind of question is that? Are you, like, blind or something?” She placed a hoof on her friend’s shoulder.
“No, I meant do you have any other friends?”
Diamond Tiara sighed in exasperation. “Why should we? Silver’s the only pony here who understands me because she’s from a rich family just like mine.”
Olive’s soft eyes threatened them with kindness. “You’re friends just because your parents are rich? Is this why you don’t want to be my friend?”
“Yeah, obviously. Gee, you’re such a slow learner.” Diamond growled. “Well, now that you’ve understand why we can’t be friends, scurry back to your cutie mark crybabies and let us play in peace.”
“I can’t. I don’t want to.” Olive’s bluntness further infuriated Diamond and Silver.
Her eyes nearly jumped out of their orbits. “What does that even mean?! You have got to be the most annoying and clingiest pony ever! Why can’t you understand that no means no.”
“I thought that no meant yes?”
Silver Spoon frowned and poked at the filly’s chest. “And you’re an idiot means that you’re an idiot. Get it?”
The pink unicorn once again showed very little reaction to that insult. “I th-”
“No, no, no. That’s... That’s enough. You’ve made yourself clear already.” Diamond blurted out in defeat. “If you stay with us for recess, will you leave us alone?”
“I want to be with you for the day.”
“Ok, fine. You stay with us for the day, promise you’ll leave us alone afterward. Is that good enough?”
Olive smiled, her endearing expression lighting up her eyes with joy. “That’s perfect! I’m your friend now!” she exclaimed, jumping around in glee.
Diamond gazed over her shoulder, making sure she wouldn’t see or hear this. Thankfully, she was nowhere in sight. “Not so loud, blank flank. Let’s keep this, uh, deal a secret, okay?”
Olive bobbed her head up and down, smiling with her eyes closed. They hated to admit it, but she was truly adorable. But... they couldn’t overlook the damage she’s done. Diamond rubbed her tiara, peeved.
And so, they trotted around the playground, chatting. Olive noticed the other foals were not too keen on playing with them at all. In fact, they avoided them entirely. “They don’t seem to like us.”
Diamond’s face darkened. “Oh, really? What made you come to that conclusion?”
Olive glanced over at another group of foals, observing their reactions. “They se-”
“Rhetorical question, blank flank. You’re not supposed to answer that.”
Now that was new. Olive has never heard of rhetorical questions before. Sounded like a difficult concept to grasp...
“But... that’s bad to be disliked!” She exclaimed. Her voice went soft. “It’s the worst thing ever.”
Diamond’s eye twitched. “There are... w-worst things than that.”
“Not that we expect a commoner like you to understand.” Silver Spoon puffed.
“I want to understand. That’s why I’m your friend.” Olive pushed, blocking the way of the two fillies. Her olive eyes had such a soothing feel to them. There was so much beauty in compassion.
“Already jumping to conclusions, I see...” Silver hissed. “You’d do well to not jump in our way.”
Diamond, however, seemed a bit more hesitant to shove the pink unicorn aside. Something was bugging her, but she couldn’t grasp what it was. “Y-You don’t put yourself in the way of the elite, Olive.”
Silver raised an eyebrow. “I think you meant to say, blank flank. Seriously, why did you show some respect for a little baby like her? She broke your tiara, remember? That’s like, unforgivable.”
Olive smiled, her tail waggling like a happy puppy. “You said my name! We’ve advanced to the next stage of friendship.”
Diamond Tiara groaned, stuck between another brat and the most annoyingly persistent filly in all Equestria.
Inside the schoolhouse, Heedful Care and Cheerilee were preparing the classes ahead. Today was announcing to be a long Thursday. There were so many things Cheerilee had to deal with, the pressure was starting to get to her. First, there was Spoiled Rich, that has always been a constant problem but then, Diamond Tiara and now, Olive. These three ponies were making it hard, too hard.
But what was pestering her wasn’t them, it was what Olive said yesterday. Jolly Melody, the name brought back many memories, both good and awful. A talented musician that captured the hearts of many in Equestria, only to then disappear eight years ago, never to be found.
“Are you alright, Cheerilee?”
The cerise mare didn’t answer, her gaze fixated on her desk. The ticking clock was the only source of sound in this empty classroom. Each of its tick only made the pressure worse.
“Something’s bothering you, I can tell.” The yellow pegasus trotted over to her side, taking a seat on a nearby chair. “It’ll do you some good to let it out.”
Cheerilee sighed, her head still lowered. “I knew Jolly Melody, before he vanished.”
“That goes without saying. Everypony’s heard of his music.”
The earth pony shook her head. “Not like that. I’ve seen him in pony. Talked to him even, multiple times.”
It was a long time ago. Almost a full decade when she was still studying in Canterlot. Her mane was frazzled, just like the new fashion trend took the world by storm. Of course, looking back at it, it was silly. She kept many good memories of that time, when she was still in high school, learning about teaching.
Her good friend Minuette was by her side one day, as they left the school. It was after a long and painful exam that took a lot of her energy.
“Wow, that has got to be the worst exam I think I’ve ever done.” a bit dramatic as always, she always said that every time an exam didn’t go so well.
“Aw, I’m sure it wasn’t that bad.” Cheerilee responded, fumbling her words a bit, courtesy of her braces.
“He he, still struggling to speak with these on?” Minuette was what you’d call an expert in braces and other dental machinations. In fact, she has it even worse than Cheerilee. She had to wear the entire headgear.
The young mare sighed. “Yeah, it also hurts too. I can only really eat hay right now. Feels like my teeth are made of glass.”
“Oh, you’ll get used to it. And when you do, the pain will go away.”
Their conversation ended shortly after a guitar was heard not too far from the school. A beautiful melody, accompanied by an even more beautiful voice gently tugged at their spirit, inviting them to check it out.
“Wow, who could be playing music at this time?” Minuette asked, gazing over at the pony playing the guitar on the bench.
Cheerilee’s eyes widened, filling with sparks as she recognised the stallion singing. A bright violet coat with an emerald-colored mane, and beautiful olive eyes to boot. He was the most handsome stallion in the region –no, in the whole wide world of Equestria. What was even prettier than his face was his voice. A voice that knew no limit to its range. Soft, yet deep and powerful when it needed to be. He was every mare’s dream. He was Jolly Melody.
He earned many adoring fans on his travels, but he always stopped at Canterlot to rest, his favorite city in all Equestria. He especially loved to sing at night, under the moon. On a nearby bench, a lavender unicorn smiled and bopped her head to the music, lulled by the stallion’s voice.
“It’s Jolly Melody!” she exclaimed, rushing over to him with Minuette in tow.
“Hey, wait up!”
Cheerilee stopped before the stallion. The violet unicorn opened an eye, gazing smoothly at her while he kept on singing, a knowing smile on his face. The cerise mare listened in pure admiration, feeling her cheeks grow warm with every high note he managed to reach. The song was beautiful, but he was even better.
Once he was done, Jolly Melody laughed. “Cheerilee! How’s it going? I see you’re still as ravishing as always.” He said with a sly smile on his face.
The cerise mare blushed, briefly looking away only to be reeled back in by his lovely eyes. “I-I, uh... doing good.”
“Splendid! I hope your friend is doing just as well.” His calm and relaxed posture made her forget about the difficult exam. Jolly Melody always made you forget about your anxieties when he was around.
Minuette giggled. “Thank you, but please tell us about your trip to Las Pegasus! How was it?”
The violet stallion slumped in the bench. “Quite the lovely city, but oh so excited. I barely got any time to relax and take in the scenery! There was, however the Lucky 38 that seemed rather fun... Honestly, I’ve been thinking about taking a short tour in Ponyville. That town seems really nice, especially with some of them apple ciders the Apples are selling. Have any of you lovely ladies been there?”
“W-Well, uh, n-no. But I’ve been thinking about going to there to become a, um, teacher one day.” Cheerilee stuttered, her cheeks still red.
“Teaching, huh? Why that sounds like a lovely job. I just know you have what it takes to be a great teacher!” Jolly Melody pulled on a few strings, enjoying the nice sound they made. “Oh, how about I teach you a little something in music?”
Minuette’s mouth opened wide. “Y-You mean, learn something from the greatest musician in Canterlot?”
Now, it was Jolly’s turn to be flustered. “Well, one can see it that way. I’m certainly proclaiming the be the peak of this art. I just know what I’m doing. Now then, do you know what’s the difference between a noise and a sound?”
The two teenage mares exchanged unknowing looks.
“You see...” Jolly kicked a nearby rock, letting it bounce on the floor. “This is a noise. It’s something you can hear, but doesn’t really inspire any emotions now does it? It’s a bit irritating on the ears if you ask me. It causes nothing but inconveniences to those who hear it.” The violet unicorn rubbed the strings of his guitar, letting its harmonious music echoed in the city. “Now that, that makes you feel something. This is a sound. Music is all about chaining and combining sound to create art.” With a relaxed smile, he played another song just for them. “And now, this one’s for you two as a token of my appreciation.”
“Y-Your appreciation?” Cheerilee blurted out. “Oh no no no, we totally don’t deserve that!”
The stallion chuckled. “Why not? Every time I go on tour, I always talk to big crowds and sign all sorts of contracts. It’s only here in Canterlot that I get to talk to lovely ponies like you, and just... have a good time. That’s the true reason why I play music. Now, let’s make some sounds, shall we?”
“For our next project, we’ll be doing a comic strip, everypony!” Another fun activity in class, how peculiar. For the students, it was like a dream come true. Rather than doing boring history or math lessons, they get to draw and make up stories for all to read.
The first idea Olive wandered to was the Power Ponies. “For this project, you’ll have to place yourselves in teams of three or four.” Three, she said? Say no more.
Olive went to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon but hesitated for a bit. They were allowed to be four, perhaps she could go with her friends on this one? And now, the thing this filly feared the most, making a difficult decision. Rarely did she ever had to make decisions, especially ones like that. Although it wasn’t a judgement call, it was still important to her and her friends.
She looked back at the Cutie Mark Crusaders, now in between them and the two rich fillies. Surely it was worth it to leave them be for the moment if it was to help Diamond, right? But still, she’ll never get the chance to do this project again if she does choose to go with Diamond and Silver. So many outcomes, so many factors to take in...
If only somepony could come in and tell her which was the right answer. But... what if there wasn’t a right and wrong answer? What if there are only two choices, neither one being better than the other? Olive shook her head furiously. None of this was getting her anywhere! She was still stuck in the middle of the class, unable to choose which team to go with.
“Hey, ‘sis. We understand ya want to help Diamond so...” Apple Bloom spoke, moving to her side. “go with ‘er. We know how much this matters to ya. Oh, and we’ll be seein’ each other at the clubhouse after school.”
Relieved, Olive gave a thankful smile, her conscience at ease. Now, to help Diamond out with her not-so helpful mother. “Ugh, you again, blank flank? Can’t you go bother somepony else?” As expected, she was met with some resistance on the part of Silver Spoon.
Diamond, however, just sighed and waved her friend off. “Forget it. She’s never going to stop unless we let her stay.”
“I’m persistent!” Olive giggled, taking a seat next to them. “Because I'm your friend now!”
Silver Spoon groaned, readjusting her glasses as she inched further from the filly. “What kind of criteria do you use to choose your friends?”
Olive opened her mouth to answer, but the first thing that came to mind probably wasn’t a good idea. Having problems with their family? Of course, she didn’t have to become friends with ponies that share a struggle similar to hers, but she couldn’t help to be drawn to them. It just felt wrong to watch them suffer and do nothing. “Because you seem like a nice pony.” Maybe on the inside there’s a soft heart waiting to be freed.
“O...kay.” Diamond was taken aback. That was the last thing she was expecting. Being shunned by the entire class didn’t really scream “nice pony” but somehow, this filly thought she was good. “If we do this project together, will you leave us alone?”
Olive blinked, gears turning in her head. “Sure! But we’ll still be friends, right?”
Diamond Tiara glanced at her friend, a tired look on her face. “See? Persistent.”
“I’ve been told it’s a virtue.” Olive informed, taking out her colored pencils. “I guess that means I’m virtuous.”
“Being annoying sure isn’t one.” Silver hissed, calmly reading the instructions for the project. “We need to start by crafting a scenario.” The pink unicorn’s eyes lit up. “You must have an idea, Diamond.”
“Hm?” Diamond Tiara roused herself, not certain if she’s heard her friend correctly. “Well, uh, I think I do.”
“Then tell us. I’m sure it’ll be great seeing as you’re the top of the class. The most popular pony in the whole school.”
The pink earth pony stared off in the distance, tired. The most popular pony in the whole school... that she was. So why was it starting to make her feel awful? It surely had to do with her grades, the persistent unicorn claiming to be her friend. Pressure was piling on her, and it was getting harder to handle it.
“Y-Yeah... I’ve got something.”
“It’s the story of a young girl, a princess living with her father, the king, and her mother, the queen. Every day, her parents send her down the castle with the peasants, to the nuns. They don’t have anypony else to send her to, so she has to stay with those below her in status. At first, it wasn’t so bad, all the foals loved her and called her the queen of the class. Even the nuns loved her despite not being the smartest. But then, as she spent more time in that class, she changed, and the queen was not pleased.
She told the princess that amongst peasants, she had to be better. A royal pony seeks no quarrel with peasants, a royal pony cannot be surpassed by a peasant, a royal pony cannot seek their friendship. After all, friends are meant to be equals, and she had no equal...”
Silver Spoon raised an eyebrow. “So? How does it end?”
“I don’t know...” Diamond sighed, her voice being but a whisper.
Silver Spoon observed the class. Some ponies already wrote down their story, and they haven’t landed on an idea yet. “That can’t be good. We need an ending to our comic if we want to get a good grade. Well, I meant an amazing grade as that’s what we’ll get.”
Olive timidly raised her hoof. “I-I might have an idea.”
“That so? Tell us about it.”
“Well... It’s the story of a young filly. Raised by merchant, she spent her whole life traveling Equestria with her father. Her father had a lot of friends, some nice than other but he himself wasn’t a very nice pony. Every day, he tried to teach the young filly how to be a merchant, but she couldn’t get it. She was so bad at it, that he eventually lost interest in her and stopped talking to her. The poor filly was all alone, until she found another pony her age with the merchants. It was a nice pegasus that also didn’t like to be with them. They were all so mean to them because they couldn’t be merchants.
So, one day, the pegasus told the young filly that they would escape and find a nicer pony to be their parents, because their father was becoming more and more violent. And, uh... they... th-they ran away in the forest, and that made the merchants very angry. They ran after the two ponies, chasing them in the woods until the young filly finally found a town, and a nice pony that wanted to be her parent. Sadly, she never saw her friend again... b-but she knew she would one day find her way in the forest, and come back.”
By the end of the story, Olive had hidden her face behind her mane, struggling to keep her voice in a consistent tone.
Silver Spoon stared her down for a while, before smirking. “That sounds good! What do you think, Diamond? Maybe we can use her story?” she leaned in her ear and whispered. “Maybe even change it so we can say it’s ours.”
Diamond Tiara blinked, her eyes softening up. She felt more attached to her own story, and Silver Spoon didn’t choose hers. Was it just because she couldn’t think of an ending? Was it just because there couldn’t be an end to it? “B-But what about mine? It was a good idea, I mean, we can always work together to figure out an ending.”
“I liked your story.” Olive stated, smiling.
The silver coated filly cocked her head back, perplexed. “Diamond, what’s wrong? You just seem a bit... unlike you. Normally, you would have listened to me because you’d see that her story is better an-”
“What’s wrong with mine?!” Diamond shouted, slamming a hoof down on the desk. “Was it just b-bad because I couldn’t think of an end? Did you just find it pitiful and p-pathetic while hers was better because it had a happy ending?! What’s wrong with stories that end badly?” Her outburst moved her to tears, something that not many foals got to see in their entire lives up to this point.
“Wh-What? No, I jus-”
“Silver, I-I just don’t know what to make of this anymore.”
Silver blanched. “O-Of what?”
Diamond Tiara lowered her tearful eyes, looking more tired than ever. “Our friendship. I never put much thought about it, but everything about it feels wrong! We’re friends only because our parents knew each other and placed us together! We didn’t even choose to become friends, we just did because they wanted us to be, because our family are the two richest families in Ponyville! Our friendship is just... i-is just...” She stopped to take her breath, and whispered the last word, “shallow.”
Silver Spoon’s heart stopped. Her eyes wide in horror and disbelief. The world came to a halt, everypony had their eyes on them, especially the teachers. In just one moment, Silver’s life tumbled down a deep, dark chasm. And now, she too was crying.
“No no no no...” Olive whispered, seeing the silver filly gallop out of the class in tears and Diamond Tiara hiding behind her hooves with tears dripping down from them. “I, this wasn’t supposed to happen.” D-Did I mess everything up again?
Nyark har har har! Oh, darling. You think just because a pony is mean, they can’t be sad? Here’s another lesson in psychology. Everypony has a weakness. Even the cruel and sadistic ponies can be beaten. All you need to do, is pull at the right heartstring. Then... you can watch them break.
Not much work was done on the comic since then. Silver didn’t want to return to class.
Another day passed by, another heartbreak happened, all because of her. The guilt was eating away at Olive. Diamond Tiara was silent for the rest of the class, sitting by her lonesome in front of the school’s porch, staring at the floorboards, her eyes empty of any feelings save for despair.
The sight alone made her want to cry. It’s all my fault. I ruined a friendship and this time, it’s for real!
The Cutie Mark Crusaders tried to best to console her, but nothing helped. It didn’t matter that she had such loving friends. Diamond Tiara didn’t have any, and she deserved to have one, but the one pony she cared for was gone and it was all because she told them this stupid story that was, in reality, all about her.
“I’m the worst pony ever...” she croaked, struggling to speak through her sobs. “I don’t deserve to have any friends.”
“Hey, now. Don’t lie to yerself.” Apple Bloom softly said. “Ya’ve made a mistake, and that’s okay. We all make terrible mistakes.”
Scootaloo chuckled weakly. “Trust me, Olive. We’ve made a lot of stupid mistakes.”
“And despite that, we’re still good friends.” Sweetie Belle finished. “True friendships never end because of one mistake. You can still set things right.”
“Sweetie Belle’s right.” Scootaloo affirmed with a soft smile. “You’ve made me feel better about myself because you understand what it’s like to be hurt. What Diamond needs right now, is somepony to talk to. Somepony to make her understand that it’s not too late.”
“And yer the only pony so far, beside Silver, that has shown ‘er what friendship is like.” Apple Bloom hugged her sister. “Ah don’t want to see ya give up, not when ya can still do somethin’ ‘bout it. So, go. She needs ya more than ‘ever.”
Olive approached the distraught filly, sitting beside her. The clouds swirled in the sky, obstructing the sun.
“Go away...” Diamond weakly ordered.
The pink unicorn eyed her woefully, hesitating to speak for a moment. “I won’t. I don’t think that’s what you need right now.”
Diamond Tiara’s muzzle pulled back, her body shaking with anger. “Then what?! What else could I need?! I want to be alone, b-because it’s your fault you ruined...” Her wrath was short-lived. “ruined my shallow friendship...” Her head lowered, back to staring at the floor. “I never had anything to begin with... didn’t I?”
“No, that’s not true! You have Silver Spoon.” Olive said, a hopeful tinge in her voice.
“You mean had.” Diamond muttered.
The pink filly shook her head, smiling softly. “You still have her. It takes more than that to destroy a friendship. You might think it was shallow, but that doesn’t mean you can’t fix it. If Silver really cares about you, she’ll listen.”
Diamond Tiara trembled, finally raising her tearful eyes filled with despair. “But what if she doesn’t listen! What if I do lose her?! What do I do?! Please, tell me...”
Olive’s smile did not falter, her soft eyes soothing Diamond’s anxiety. “Then you’ll still have me. I promise you’ll never be alone. As long as I’m here, you’ll always have a friend.”
The pink earth pony stared incredously, her mouth agape. “Wh...What?”
“I know you bullied me, insulted me and accidentally hurt me, but I don’t care. I forgive you because I was not much better anyway. I insulted your dad and made a fool of you. I understand if you’re still angry at me, but just know that I’m not leaving. I’d hate to leave a friend that’s hurt.” Olive’s eyes teared up too, unable to hold her emotions in anymore.
Awestruck, Diamond Tiara raised her hooves... and wrapped them around Olive, crying. She held on tightly, and her friend reciprocated the feeling.
Cheerilee opened the envelope that was “kindly” left by Spoiled Rich earlier that day. It contained all the bills she had to pay, with a helpful reminder that the rich mare was the only pony preventing her from being broke. She quickly closed the envelope, slumping down on her desk, defeated.
She still hasn’t made the decision to change Diamond’s grade, as it would go against everything she fought for. Not only that, but it wouldn’t help the poor filly in the long run. She feared what would happen to her once she moved up to high school. For that, she’d have to go to Canterlot, where the teachers are harder to bribe. That poor girl won’t be able to last a single session if she was cheated out of her education. Sure, she was a mean bully, but that didn’t mean she deserved this.
Sadly, it was either that or losing the job and there was no way she’d abandon all these wonderful foals.
“I see you’re still not feeling well. Is it about money again?” Care’s soft voice reached out.
“It’s always about money.” Cheerilee sighed. “There’s nothing I can do. Spoiled Rich is the only pony that allows me to keep my job here as a teacher. If it weren’t for her, I'd be somewhere else.”
Heedful Care frowned, glancing over the window. “No, I’m sure something can be done about this. I’ll try to find a way to pay you, for this school’s sake.” Cheerilee raised her head, worried. “Don’t worry about me, I’m not hurt for money. I just want you to know I won’t be doing this just for my patient. It’ll be for all the foals.”
“Come on, Care. I can’t let you overwork yourself just because of my own financial problems. I’d feel guilty if somepony were to ruin their lives just to keep me afloat.” Cheerilee blurted out, sounding defeated. “I’ll find a way, somehow.”
“I don’t care how much I work; I’ll keep this school open no matter what.” Heedful Care smiled softly. “Look out the window.”
Intrigued, Cheerilee did as she said. Outside, Olive was seen hugging Diamond Tiara. It was a shock for the cerise mare who never saw anypony really show much compassion to the bully. That was, the most beautiful thing she’s seen this week. A bullied filly embracing her bully.
“There are plenty of wonderful foals in Ponyville, especially this one. No matter the adversity, she pushes on and solves all her problem with love and kindness. The world isn’t as bleak as we think. There are pretty roses that makes us remember why this world is beautiful, but these roses also have thorns. They will fight back against those who tries to break them, and so will we.”
“Diamond, what are you doing?” A voice as cold as ice startled the two fillies. Towering over them, a bitter mare stared with disgust at the pink ponies below her, especially at the one she called daughter.
“Uh, mom I-”
“What did I say again about low-class ponies? Their ‘friendship’ is not worth the hassle for somepony as high up in the ladder as you.”
Olive stared in surprise at this bitter mare she’s overheard multiple times. She sounded like Diamond, only dialed up to eleven!
The pink earth pony lowered her ears. “... I’m sorry.”
Spoiled Rich, however, wasn’t quite done. “You come back to us with poor grades, you yell at the only pony worth being your friend and now you befriend troubled fillies like her? Diamond! Do you even listen to me at all when I speak? You’ll have a lot to answer to, young Rich. Come now, we’ll talk home.” With one hoof, she grabbed a hold of Diamond and dragged her away, right in front of Olive.
She was powerless before the bigger and stronger mare. All she could do, was watch in shock as this terrible mother trotted away with her friend. Something new sparked in her, an emotion she wasn’t familiar with, but it felt powerful, unyielding. Her cheeks puffed, her brows furrowed as she lowered her head, her furious gaze locked on Spoiled.
Her body burned, but not with shame, no. It burned with wrath. Then, a funny feeling tickled her head. Olive looked up, seeing an ominous emerald aura around her horn. She then placed her gaze back on Spoiled Rich.
Wait, what?!
She looked back at her horn, now glowing out of control. Olive yelped, poking at her horn in the vague hope that it would make it stop. She tapped and tapped until the aura disappeared. Sweat dripped down her face whilst she sat down. She was this close to letting the magic take over. This close to causing more damage than necessary. This close to kill a pony.
I have to solve this the way Aurora showed me. There's no place for anger.
And like Saddle Rager and a certain yellow pegasus, Olive knew that true heroes never resort to violence to solve a conflict. A true hero doesn’t need superpowers.
Atop the highest tower in Canterlot sat an alicorn. The princess of the night stared in her telescope, observing the entire city from her perch. A fun perk of being the lunar princess was a good nocturnal vision. The darkest corners of the capital were fully visible. No stallion could ever hide from her great eyesight. As princess of the night, the world under the moon belonged to her.
Her gaze followed all the foolhardy ponies wandering at night, mostly heading to their homes. If something were to happen to them, she’d swoop in and chase away the trouble. By now, she’d figured that tracking Anarchy down in the dreamscape was a lost cause. He and his goons are protected from her intrusions, somehow. Their dreams simply don’t exist. These ponies don’t dream, an impossibility that raised more questions for her.
Worst still, Looking Glass hasn’t reported anything major to her for a couple of days. Just a rumor that some of Canterlot’s elite are being blackmailed by the Anarchists. With each passing night, her stress increased. The storm was due in 2 days, time was running out. Anarchy was coming.
To make matters worse, he began to appear in some ponies’ dream. However, his appearance varied wildly from one dreamer to another. It’s what happens when an idea is planted in their minds. It begins to manifest itself into their dreams, taking on a form their subconscious constructed. Because of that phenomenon, even after a pony is long dead, they can still live on in some way, albeit not as the original one, just as a memory. But with the Nightmare, Anarchy could reach a point beyond death as a manifestation of a pony’s fear. Thus, the best way to deal with him is eternal imprisonment. That, or to banish the Nightmare from his soul. Two things that are not going to be easy.
Luna could never admit it to her subjects, but she was terrified. The midnight blue alicorn was the most knowledgeable pony in terms of the Nightmare and its inner workings. She knew just how dangerous it could be in the wrong hooves. The body matters none, it’s in the mind where it draws its power from. The darker the mind, the uglier the beast.
To think that this stallion alone caused so much damage to Equestria, and that was in the infant stage of his transformation.
They were in big trouble...
Her morbid thoughts were interrupted by the familiar clops of a majestic pony joining her in the tower.
“Tia, I suppose you’re just as worried as I am.”
Princess Celestia sighed. “Trust me, we’re not the only worried ponies in Canterlot. I’ve been bombarded by nobles asking all sorts of questions about the Anarchists. Many wanted to postpone the storm.”
Princess Luna kept her gaze on a lonely mare trotting down the streets of Canterlot. “I assume we can’t do that?”
“It’s just not possible, not within this time frame. Many farmers in Equestria are banking on this storm to help with their crops. We could have only postponed an important storm like that last week.”
“I see...” The mare Luna was observing stopped to stare at a wall. The words “24 hours left” were painted with blood.
Something told the alicorn it wasn’t just a threat to the passing citizens; it was a threat to royalty. She puffed, frowning as she peered back from the telescope. “And now he’s sending us threats. I-It seems like nopony is safe within our walls.”
Then, she heard a mare screaming in the distance. Startled, Luna leaned back in the telescope, returning to the position of the mare. The young pony was running away with terror in her eyes. Looking back at the bloody wall, the alicorn’s jaw dropped.
Anarchy was there, in the dark alley, staring into her soul with his jagged emerald eyes. Luna was horrified by the changes he suffered. The transformation had already reached its next stage and would soon attain its peak. The dark unicorn waved at her, before retreating to the shadows in the blink of an eye.
“Lulu?”
Luna backed away from the telescope. “Sister... it’s worse than I thought. The Nightmare is growing stronger. It’s going to be here, in a matter of days.”