//------------------------------// // Mistakes // Story: How my Little Brother Became an Alicorn // by WiseFireCracker //------------------------------// I stared intently into my bowl of cereals, my favorites even. I wanted to think of this terrible situation with at least some sort of positive attitude to give me the strength to go on. It’s the small things that matter. But those were also Tom’s favorite cereals. I was getting so sick of this. At every turn, around every corner, there was something that existed to remind me of Tom. No, not sick of it, just… saddened. I could not despise the reminders of my little brother. I could not. They grounded me in this reality… Ah, what was I saying? I had somehow convinced myself that my little brother had been magicked into a TV show. How could I be remotely grounded in reality? Not that much, I thought while crossing a fifth item on the list. It had been three days now, since I had first tried Tom’s methods of getting into Equestria. None had borne any result and every line across that list was a stab at my heart. Every failure was one step closer to losing Tom indefinitely. Today, however, my unease was only partially due to my failures. Saturday. That meant a new episode. I had no idea what would happen, but my guts were twisted by pure dread. It could not be anything good. W-with any luck, Tom would be there, but nowhere near the main plot. Just a background character. The second worse scenario would be a complete and extremely nauseating plot where he would steal the whole show and basically make all the Mane Six completely irrelevant. That would probably take the fandom by storm and unleash hell. However, there was one thing that I know would kill me if it happened. No presence at all. The character, absent from every angle, no matter how you look at it. If it came to that, not knowing if he was safe, not knowing if he was still alive when I had been given a chance at seeing him… I’d break down. I knew I would. Just because the possibility he’d… he’d… It was too horrible to consider… Mom and Dad were both home, which was a rather rare sight these days. They weren’t talking much, which was unfortunately a lot less rare. Nobody really had the heart for conversations nowadays. We just shared a house; we weren’t a real family anymore. H-heck, I couldn’t look Mom straight in the eyes anymore, mostly because one of us would look away too quickly. With each new occasion to apologize we missed, we grew apart a bit more. Soon, I wouldn’t be able to remain in the same room as her. Shame and anger would keep me from trying. I would hazard it would be the same with Mom. Ignoring the tasteless cereals in my mouth, I finished the whole bowl mechanically, like a robot whose commands insisted he eat. I couldn’t be bothered to try and talk to them this morning. I just went ahead and locked myself in my bedroom. Once inside, my eyes fell on my alarm clock. It won’t be too long now… With a disheartened sigh, I sat down and prepared myself to watch the newest episode. -- The chats were frantic. I had tried visiting them, but whenever the discussion turned toward Tom, I… I just closed it down faster than they could start arguing. It was painful, like a blow to the guts, to witness all this hatred directed at my little brother. Part of me screamed, demanded, that I remained and argue all day long if need be, but, deep down, I knew this would be pointless. If I was going to waste my energy, it could at least be about trying methods from Tom’s list. So far, the Tooth Fairy had given very little result. It seemed like punching a tooth off my mouth was not good enough for that damn fairy. Astral projections? Not worth talking about. I had however managed my first lucid dream last night. … I… I’d never try that method again. Never. Simply thinking back on it was physically painful. The real-life equivalent of that would have been a kick to the groin. I had gotten to see Tom. It had been him, his face, his mannerism, his… his voice and his tics. Everything was exactly like I had remembered. That was why it had been so hard. It had been a dream and it had all vanished in the morning. Waking up had never felt this heartbreaking before. Yet I could not do anything else than forge ahead and try something else. I had a job to do and I would; nothing would stop me from achieving my goal. That was what it meant to be a big brother. Tom, you’re getting the chewing out of a lifetime once we are done hugging the life out of you. I can’t guarantee you won’t be getting both at once! -- In Ponyville, the habitants were rather worried. For days now, the self-proclaimed most awesome colt in Equestria had roamed through the streets, doing anything and mostly everything he wanted. Some officers had tried to get him to behave, but once he had started calling the authority of the Princess of the Sun herself, they had not insisted very hard. If rumors were to be believed, the colt was Celestia’s secret student… or… a relative. While these conclusions were uncertain at the moment, they both reinforce the idea that the young alicorn’s behavior was, at least, justified. Princess Twilight Sparkle had simply asked the citizens of Ponyville to indulge him until a decree had been issued from Canterlot. If she was to be believed, it would arrive within the next few days. So, merchants gritted their teeth together when Blade Darkblaze helped himself to some of their products and the passerby listened patiently whenever he recounted extraordinary adventures they doubted were real. Though the magical power he displayed was sufficient for them to hold onto their skepticism. Just in case. The sun of their blessed princess shining strongly over their head, the ponies simply hoped it would not be one of those days, when the bearers of the Elements of Harmony would somehow wind up getting in trouble. They hoped. -- ~ I used to wonder what friendship could be. ~ I took a deep breath. The theme song was playing, filling my room with its cheesy and catchy melody. Contrarily to my habits, I did not hum or whistle. No, really, who’d expect me to? Mom would probably slap me again for the sin of making a happy sound. …The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth. Perhaps I was just putting too much importance in this. I-I just… With a sigh, I shook my head and resolved not to think about this anymore. Besides, the episode was starting. According to the material leaked a month ago, this one should focus on Pinkie Pie. However, what seemed to be more worrying was the fact that all these info had been taken down… following last week’s episode. Oh Tom, even in another world, you wreck everything by being you. And cruel as that thought was, it remained the truth. He was a little timed-bomb, waiting for the moment to go off on a hyperactive tangent. Woe was the one that had no patience and triggered him. Anyway… episode. The opening sequence had been about Pinkie running out of supplies for a party. Simple, clean, efficient. One or two great visual gags in a short amount of time. So far, so good. Now, the pink mare was running down the streets, or zipping them down, as her shape remained at most a blur. This went on for a few seconds, enough to leave an impression on the background ponies. Speaking of which… Derpy sighted, take out the champagne. She was here to stay. The enthusiasm died down rather quickly. Why do I bother? “Rarity! You have to help me!” Pinkie popped out of her friend’s gem chest. “GAH!” Her voice dropped down an octave or two, as she usually did when truly angry and dramatic. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” “I’m sorry, Rarity! I was just doing a party for Gummy and he bit down on a cupcake and I told him it was no big deal, but then I realized I was out of cupcakes and streamers AND balloons, which brought the party to an end prematurely, which is REALLY bad, and I went to Pokey’s shop and he’s out of supplies too, so I don’t know what I’m going to do!” “Well, calming down would do you good, dear,” Rarity deadpanned, pushing her friend off of her. “But I can’t!” Pinkie threw her front legs upward. “What if somepony needs a party and I can’t give them because I’m out of my party goodies?!” For a second, Rarity certainly did not look very impressed, but, as I expected and hoped, she simply sighed and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “It’s that bad?” Pinkie vigorously nodded. “Can you help me, please, please, please?” “Well, the answer to that is obvious, isn’t it?” The prim and proper unicorn smirked. “Sweetie Belle?” she called loudly. P-please, no siblings dynamics… just… please… “Sis?” A cute little filly ran down the stairs, her face smudged with colored paint. “Oh my, wash your face this instant!” Rarity said with disgust. “What? How could you have known?!” Sweetie gaped in disbelief. “It matters not! Clean your face and then I will let you watch over the Boutique until my return.” “For real?” The filly jumped up and down, shaking with excitement. “Yes.” Her big sister smiled at the endearing antics. “We should not be gone too long, but I expect you to stay in the boutique and watch for customers. If anypony wants to make an order, just take a note in my book. You do remember how?” “Of course!” Sweetie grinned. “Then I believe we are set, Pinkie.” “Oh, thanks Rarity! I really needed your help!” “Think nothing of it, darling.” The unicorn gave her mane a small shake, with a discreet smile lingering on her lips. You could always tell that Rarity loves giving, even if only her help, to others. With that, the two friends left Carousel Boutique. “Had you made any plans? A party that is already scheduled, maybe?” “Oh, I had Big Mac’s birthday party coming in three days, but since there will be a few Apples there, I’ll need a lot more stuff than usual. Luckily, with you here, nothing bad can happen.” Just then, as they were walking away, a very loud crash was heard and Rarity’s shop actually distorted in the way only cartoony buildings can. What followed were an indignant scream and a cat’s hissing. Both mares stopped dead in their track, eyes wide. Then, Rarity crouched slightly and her eyes narrowed on Pinkie, who had suddenly started giving her friend her biggest and shiniest sheepish smile. “Sorry?” “Let’s us not waste time.” -- He was flying. Of all the awesome things that he could do now, this was really really on his top three. It was so much fun, he could dive and loop and do all these crazy stunts he had seen on TV whenever he watched Dad’s shows. Scootaloo hated him because, as she put it, he was a show-off, which was totally untrue! He was NOT a show-off! He was just really really great at flying and magic! What was wrong with that?! Not submitting to his desire to pout (so uncool!), the little alicorn flapped his wings harder, accelerating. In just a few seconds, he was outside the skirts of Ponyville, or, more accurately, at the very edge of the town. There, two mares standing on the deck of the train station caught his attention. Since one of his favorites was part of the duo, Blade Darkblaze chose to dive, not noticing the faint glow given off by his cape. In a matter of seconds, he had landed right next to two bearers of the Elements of Harmony. “Hey girls! Whatcha doing?!” he asked, excitedly, because, for once, something fun might happen. In his mind, Ponyville had never been so… boring. Nothing ever happened. “Oh, hi Bladey!” Pinkie greeted him with a cheer. “Hello, Blade.” Rarity nodded, though her smile seemed quite stiff. It puzzled him and made his heart ache a little. Sam often wore that kind of expression when he talked about ponies with him. But, hey, if Sam would always play with him and listen and be nice whenever he smiled like that, it had to mean Rarity would be nice too, right? Eh, perhaps she wasn’t so bad after all, even if she was too froo-frooey. “We were about to make a small trip to Canterlot to get party supplies. You know, so I can throw a party in case of emergencies!” Pinkie continued. “Oh, that’s so cool!” He bounced, eyes shining with stars. “Can I come with you?” Being on the receiving of such a gaze so often, Rarity found it easy to resist. “I’m afraid we cannot afford to look after you all day, Blade.” “Oh, but I’ll make myself super tiny, you won’t even notice.” At that, the unicorn had to fight very hard not to roll her eyes. She knew an empty promise when she heard one. That would be about as likely as Sweetie Belle not disintegrating food to make dinner. “We simply cannot accept this kind of responsibility.” She shook her head. “Awwwww!” The colt hung his head low, ears drooping. Unfortunately, while Rarity had learned to fight the charms of small and cute creatures, Pinkie Pie on the other hand was vulnerable to his plea. “Oooooh, are you sure sure sure we could not use another hoof in Canterlot?” she asked her friend, pressing her hooves together as if praying. Moved by an instinct all little kids had, Blade zipped to her side and imitated her posture. Now Rarity was faced by two sets of adorable puppy eyes. For a second, her heart faltered. Then… “No.” “WHAT? NO FAIR!” “Frankly, Blade, we are very thankful for your generous offer,” she acknowledged with a nod. “But I very much doubt our searches for supplies will end faster if you follow us.” “Hey! I can do plenty to help!” The little alicorn boasted, puffing his chest arrogantly. “In fact, I can even end the problem right now!” Somewhere, in another universe, one could hear an older brother banging his head against a wall. Words were muttered, but the gist resembled ‘Of all the way to phrase it…’. While Pinkie Pie looked positively excited at such a prospect – except for the part of her that was aching for a road trip –, her friend had much bigger reserves. “I-I’m sure you could-” “I CAN!” Blade jumped, glaring at the unicorn. “In fact, I’ll show you! Sam always says it’s the best way to shut someone up!” “Sam?” Pinkie Pie tilted her head. “Who’s that? Is that a friend? Ooooh, should I prepare a welcoming party? But I don’t have anything to throw a party with! Which is why-” “Darling?” Rarity cleared her throat, stopping her friend’s babbling at an early stage. “He’s not listening.” Indeed, the colt’s eyes were closed and his mouth moved silently. “Ooooh, magic.” Pinkie turned around, twisting only her neck. The little alicorn’s horn briefly glowed a deep blue, before the mares were both blinded by a cloud of smoke. A second later, he could hear them both coughing, which was followed by a small comment about special effects. When the smoke dissipated, Pinkie’s eyes fell on a mountain of colorful objects of all forms. Her lips stretched and stretched upwards, even as she started shaking in excitement. Jumping from behind the obstacle, Blade landed right in front of Rarity. With an arrogant grin, he stood on his hind legs and leaned on a piñata. “Told you I could.” “Wooohooo! You’re the best!” Pinkie yelled, diving headfirst into what appeared to be a bunch of streamers. “Alright, I will admit that this is a rather impressive display,” Rarity conceded, looking at the towering party supplies with apprehension. “Just a question though…” “Shoot!” The colt waved a hoof, as if telling her ‘bring it’. “Are all alicorns able to create objects out of thin air?” “Huh…” He blinked, unsure of both the question’s goal and what his answer should be. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but creation magic has never been seen in a millennia.” “H-how should I know?! And what’s your point?!” He stumbled, with his more aggressive gesture making him lose balance. Now embarrassed, the colt was more defensive than ever. “That what’s Pinkie wanted! And if you don’t like it, t-then… well, Pinkie should not share them with you!” “Oh dear, this is not what I mean.” The fashionista rolled her eyes. “The reason I asked is simple. If this is not creation magic, then where did you get those items?!” His eyes widened almost comically and his fur could not hide a luminescent blush. He looked very much like a deer caught in headlights. “Huh… I... I…” To his stammering words, Rarity replied only with a sigh. “Pinkie, dear?” “Yes?” she asked, popping out of a cake. “It appears we will need to make the trip after all, if only to pay for all these stolen goods.” She waved at the mountain Pinkie was part of. “HEY!” “Stolen?” the party pony repeated, her mane deflating. The heartbroken look she sent her little friend’s way made him shrink on himself. No arrogance could be found in his body language anymore. One could almost feel sorry for him, if he wasn’t responsible for the whole mess in the first place. “Can you at least tell us of their provenance?” Rarity insisted, looking quite irritated. “T-they’re… I dunno…” “Oh perfect, we also need to go hunt for any store that suddenly lost party material. Now this trip is definitely going to take long enough for Sweetie Belle to destroy my boutique.” “I… I could go help her?” The foal proposed half-heartedly. “…No.” Rarity shook her head, with an air of finality. “B-but…” “No,” she repeated. “You have done enough.” “I… I…” The colt’s eyes started to fill with tears. “FINE!” he yelled, startling the two mares with his outburst. “SEE IF I CARE!” Without losing a beat, Blade took off in a blast of air, leaving a trail of blue behind him. Rarity sighed. “Foals…” -- Fifteen minutes later, and I could still not believe my eyes. Eh, of course I could. Wow, that had been one painful episode to watch. Had I made the comment to Eric, he would have agreed, saying that Blade’s intervention had derailed an otherwise sound plot into a forced and shoehorned appearance that had other characters left with his messes to clean up. Frankly? I would have to agree. If so much hadn’t been at stake, I would have rather watched what looked like a promising episode. Instead, I had been stabbed inches away from my heart with a rusty carving knife. Sam always says it’s the best way to shut someone up! Sam always says it’s the best… Sam always says… Sam… SAM! It was Tom! IT WAS HIM! All my doubts were gone. Every fiber of my being had screamed and begged for me to reach into the screen and pull Tom out. My hand had gone to the window separating us... and my heart almost stopped beating when all I felt was a cold and smooth surface. “No…” I had whispered. “P-please!” This was too hard. “PLEASE!” I pushed. I pushed again, I tried to reach, I stood up and forced a hand against the screen, harder, I poked and tried and tried and tried, as if I could just pick him up and get him back. Pointless… So pointless… The sadness reached my heart and I let out a sob. Then… another… My vision started to blur… My breathing became shallow… This was too HARD! I… I could not last much longer like this. “Tom…” I whispered, reeling back and staring. I could not care less about whatever program was playing now. I could not care less. The colors were so bright, so cheerful. It was sickening. It was a mockery of my tragedy, a… a-an insult! The frustration that had been building for so long suddenly exploded. Without even realizing it, I leaned toward the ground, my eyes never leaving the target of my anger. My hands fell and closed onto the first object they could. Without a second thought, listening purely to that beast inside, my arm made a circular motion and I flung a shoe at my own TV. It made a resounding breaking noise, which doubtlessly traveled through the house. Surely enough, steps could be heard in the next few seconds, and my door started shaking under repeated bangs. “Sammy! Sammy, open up!” My dad asked, voice shaking with fear. “I heard something break! Are you alright? SAMMY!” No… not alright.