Chapter 7
Apple Bloom
"Y-you guys are alive?" Apple Bloom stuttered.
The CMC had thought of the twins a few weeks after the curse had been set. Guessing that the reason they had survived the curse because of their lack of Creative-Marks, they tried to compile a list of other people they knew in Peoplesville who hadn't received their marks yet. The twins were on that list.
When they went to Sugarcube Corner to search for them, however, they couldn't be found. The girls eventually just came to the conclusion and thought the worse—that since the twins were babies, they had probably died from the lack of parental care. Their search in finding other kids who survived hadn't gone well either.
"Yes," Pumpkin Cake finally answered. She nervously tucked a strand of her red hair behind her ear. "We've survived."
"How?" Scootaloo asked.
The twins and Scootaloo walked into the library. Scootaloo sat on the floor, Apple Bloom beside her, while the twins nervously hovered in front of them. Pound Cake flew up and sat on top of one of the book cases. Pumpkin Cake nervously fidgeted under the bookcase, and avoided eye contact with Scootaloo and Apple Bloom.
"At first, in our younger years, it was because of my magic," Pumpkin said slowly. "Pound Cake and I were slightly mischievous babies. I was always sneaking us extra snacks and bottles with my magic. As we grew up, we slowly began to realize that something was wrong. Our parents were frozen and never woke up. Pinkie Pie was frozen out in the streets. We thought we were the last two people in the world."
"We mostly stayed in the bakery, because we were afraid that whatever froze everybody was going to come back for us," Pound Cake said. "I would fly down to the kitchen to get supplies or snacks, and I always flew because then it wouldn't make footprints in the dust."
"We set up base in the attic and watched over the town from there," Pumpkin Cake continued.
"Didn't you ever see us visiting our relatives and friends?" Apple Bloom asked. Pumpkin Cake nodded shyly.
"We don't know who you are though," she said quietly, "So we were afraid to approach you. For all we knew, you were a bunch of bad people who cursed Earthica. We thought maybe you visited the six in the town centre so much, because you liked to gloat over them, like they're special or something."
"No, we've been looking for a cure the past thirteen years," Apple Bloom said. "I'm Applejack's sister. That's why I visit her so much."
"And Sweetie Belle—our third friend—she is Rarity's sister. Rarity and Applejack are two of Pinkie's dear friends. They're holders the Elements of Harmony too," Scootaloo explained.
"What are the Elements of Harmony?" Pound Cake asked. Scootaloo face-palmed and Apple Bloom sighed.
"You guys are what, twelve, thirteen?" Apple Bloom asked.
"We'll be thirteen in a month or so," Pumpkin Cake said.
"The Elements of Harmony is a force that keeps the world at peace. It can imprison darkness and evil. It essentially keeps harmony," Apple Bloom said, not quite sure how to better explain it.
"Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie are representatives of the Elements of Harmony, and that is why they wield the power. So yes, they are special, but we don't visit them to gloat over them. They're dear friends and family to us—and we need to find a way to wake them up," Scootaloo said, "because if whatever froze everyone comes back or is still out there, only the Elements of Harmony can defeat it."
"How can you be so sure? If these Elements could defeat whatever did this, why is everyone frozen? Wouldn't their power have worked the first time?" Pound Cake asked.
Apple Bloom open and closed her mouth. She turned and gave Scootaloo a look. For some odd reason, that was a thought that hadn't occurred to her before. Pound Cake was right.
"We should be trying to identify what kind of creature did this and how we can defeat it without the Elements," Apple Bloom said. Scootaloo sighed.
"You don't know what did this?" Pumpkin Cake asked.
"No, we don't. We've been searching, but haven't been able to find anything. We've searched nearly every book, looking for something, anything that has to do with a sleeping curse and what kind of force or creature could be behind it," Apple Bloom explained. "Our friend Sweetie Belle went to Central City to see if she could find something there."
"What's Central City?" Pound Cake asked.
"It's the capital of Earthica," Scootaloo said.
"How did you three survive?" Pumpkin Cake asked.
"We're not sure; it's still a mystery. But we think it had something to do with us not having our Creative-Marks at the time," Apple Bloom explained, "which would also account for why you two weren't put to sleep either. We have another friend, an older woman named Zecora, who survived as well. But that's because she lives in the Everfree Forest, which has magical properties that can't be recorded or explained."
"Well..." Pumpkin Cake said slowly. She stepped away from the bookcase she had been leaning on and turned towards the books. "Why don't Pound Cake and I help you search through the books. A pair of fresh eyes might help find something you may have overlooked."
"That would be extreeeemely helpful," Scootaloo said.
"Ok, let's get started then. This pile of books on the floor here were ones that Sweetie Belle had pulled aside to look at. Maybe you and Pound Cake can look through these, and Scootaloo and I will start to sweep the shelves for others that might be helpful," Apple Bloom said.
"Ok," Pumpkin Cake said, eager to help. She took a book off of the pile.
"You know, I just have to ask; how did you guys learn to talk? I mean, you were just babies when you were frozen, and you haven't had any contact except for with each other the past thirteen years. I'm just surprised you didn't make up your own language, and instead know English," Apple Bloom said.
"Oh, we developed our own twin language, but that was when our parents were still alive," Pumpkin Cake said, "But I can understand where your curiosity comes from. It was a hard process, but... and now this is going to sound strange, but I could remember a lot of things from when Pinkie Pie would babysit us. We both remembered how to say her name, but I would also just remember some of the random chitchat she would say. I think it had to do with my magic, being able to replay things over in my mind. Pound Cake couldn't remember as much as I could, but he was more agile than I was. I guess depending on the kind of person you are, you have different strengths and weaknesses as a child growing up."
"Pumpkin Cake would remember phrases that Pinkie would say, and then she would take a book and try to fit the words that Pinkie said, onto the words on the page. That's essentially how she did it. And then she taught me," Pound Cake said.
"That's remarkable," Apple Bloom said.
"What kind of human is your other friend?" Pumpkin Cake asked.
"She's a Magik like you; I'm sure she'd love to show you some spells when she comes back," Apple Bloom said.
"Yeah, that'd be nice. I'm good at really simple stuff, but without having any guidance or even spell books, I only have absolute basic magic skills," Pumpkin Cake said.
"And maybe you and I could fly together sometime Scootaloo! I'm sure you have some sweet moves," Pound Cake said, still sitting on top of the bookcase.
Apple Bloom glanced towards Scootaloo. Scootaloo was avoiding her eye and staring fixatedly at a spot on the bookshelf. She cleared her voice and quietly spoke.
"Actually Pound Cake, I can't fly."
"Oh..." he said softly. He paused for a second. "Why not?"
"We're not sure. It's another mystery," Apple Bloom said.
"Well, maybe we'll find some books that can solve that too!" Pumpkin Cake said. She looked at Scootaloo optimistically. Scootaloo gave her a small smile. Apple Bloom could tell it was fake.
"Come down here and help me look through these books Pound Cake," Pumpkin Cake said.
"Sure, one sec; you guys know that there's a small bookshelf built into the wall up here?" he said.
"What?" Apple Bloom said.
She dropped the book she was holding and tried to move backwards, so that she could see the top of the bookshelf Pound Cake was sitting on.
"We can't see that far up," Scootaloo said, as she stood beside Apple Bloom.
"Yeah, there's only about twenty or so books up here; they're all really dusty," Pound Cake said.
They heard him blow the dust off and he sneezed.
"What are the titles? Anything that might be useful?" Apple Bloom asked.
"I don't see anything about creatures or curses up here... but there's one about flying! You might want to look at it Scootaloo, maybe there are some answers in here for you," he said. "Hold on a sec, it's stuck."
"Maybe they're packed too tightly together in the shelf; try taking one off of the end to make more room," Apple Bloom suggested.
"Ok," Pound Cake said.
Suddenly, the ground began to rumble. The floor beneath Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Pumpkin Cake began to shake. The centre of the room began to vibrate and the floor began to move.
"Watch out!" Scootaloo said, as she pulled Pumpkin Cake closer to the edge, away from the centre.
The ground beneath them rumbled and turned. After a few minutes, all went still.
"Pound Cake... what did you do?" Pumpkin Cake whispered.
"I-I just took the end book out of the case, like you said," he whispered, his eyes peering over top of the bookshelf he was on.
There, in the centre of the room, the ground had turned and twisted away to reveal a set of spiraling stairs that lead down into the darkness beneath the library.