//------------------------------// // When You Leave Us // Story: Episode 2: The Return to Flatts // by mr lovecolt //------------------------------// Celestia’s sun peaked over the horizon, and rays of sunlight made their way through the lands of Equestria. In the sky, the blackness of Luna’s night ebbed away to make room for the light blue of Celestia’s day. The space in between the two filled with orange, pink, and red hues, and each color bled into one another. As the sunlight travelled through the land, the shadows of the night stretched and faded until they disappeared. In Ponyville, the streets were still silent. The only movements this early in the morning came from the café and bakery in the center of town, Sugarcube corner. Tufts of smoke billowed from the chimney, and as the door opened, Pinkie Pie emerged with a set of tablecloths in her hoof. She moved in between the three tables that lined the small garden in front of the building and held her free hoof towards the three tables. “Okay Pinkie,” she said to herself, “Let’s get this on the first try.” Pinkie Pie lifted her head and threw the three tablecloths into the air. As they fell back down, they all opened and then fluttered down onto the tables. Pinkie Pie moved forward and inspected each setting. “Not even a wrinkle,” she continued, “Pinkie Pie, you are amazing.” Pinkie Pie continued back into the building and emerged with three vases and a bouquet of flowers. Before she threw them into the air, however, she paused to consider the bouquet in front of her; she held in her hoof orange tiger lilies, red gerbera daisies, and pink celestial roses. She took a moment to sniff each flower. She had gotten this shipment of flowers from the flower girls a few days ago, and this was her last set of bouquets. Pinkie Pie sighed into the petals of each flower to get their scent and turned towards the sky. As she looked on, she noticed that the hues of the sky matched the bouquet perfectly. Celestia, Pinkie Pie prayed, please guide Lily, Daisy, and Rose safely to Elysia. She watched as the different colors disappeared and left behind the soft blue of the morning. As she turned back to the tables, Pinkie Pie decided to set each table up one at a time. After speaking with Mayor Mare, she and the girls had decided to wait a day before the town learned of the fates of the three because they weren’t sure how to tell the town about the deaths of the three girls. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy had learned that Nurse Tenderheart overheard the rumor that the three had been killed by a timberwolf, and so they felt it was best to use that story. Applejack wanted none of it and felt it was more important to be honest with the townsponies as to what happened. Rainbow Dash argued that she didn’t want her friends’ deaths to be lied about as a simple timberwolf attack; she felt it was a disservice to their memories. Rarity and Twilight Sparkle argued that if the town knew what had truly happened, they may try to blame Edger for what had happened, as well. In the end, Mayor Mare agreed that the timberwolf story was the safest story to use. Rather than print it in the newspapers, Mayor Mare told the girls that she would have a public service this afternoon, followed by a town hall meeting to discuss the timberwolf issue so that the townsponies felt empowered. Pinkie Pie made her way back into Sugarcube Corner and scratched the side of her head. Her scalp beneath the bandage where her right ear used to be itched, and Pinkie Pie hoped that she would be able to remove the bandage soon. The smell of her confections filled her nostrils, and Pinkie Pie made her way into the kitchen. She pulled a batch of brownies out of the oven and set them on the table to cool for a moment. She wasn’t into the mood to make anything extravagant today. Besides, if her Pinkie senses were correct, the townsponies wouldn’t be in the mood for sweets today. Pinkie Pie pulled a knife out of the drawer and slowly began to cut the single piece of confection apart. She pulled each piece away, and the main part grew smaller and smaller, but she continued to slice at each piece. Pinkie Pie lost herself in the monotony of the cutting. A hoof beat against the front door. Pinkie Pie shook her head and looked down at the table. The brownie that was once before her had now become a mess of broken brownie pieces. She popped a piece into her mouth and carried the rest to the trashcan. She left the kitchen and opened the front door. “Good morning, Pinkie.” “Morning, Ditzy,” Pinkie Pie forced a smile on her face. “What brings you to Sugarcube Corner so early?” “What happened to your ear?” Ditzy asked as her good eye focused on the bandage. “It’s a long story.” Pinkie Pie replied. “Nurse Tenderheart told me there were timberwolf attacks.” Ditzy said as she shuddered, “So, is it true?” Pinkie Pie quickly turned away from the grey mare and to the front stand, where she pulled out a small chocolate chip muffin. Ditzy forgot about her question and fluttered to the stand. Pinkie watched as Ditzy shuffled through her saddlebag for the bits, but Pinkie Pie held out her hoof. “Don’t worry,” Pinkie Pie said, “Think of it as a loyal customer discount.” “Oh, Pinkie,” Ditzy blushed as she continued to shuffle through her saddlebag, “Thanks. I’m here to deliver a letter to you, by the way.” Ditzy pulled a letter from her saddlebag and gave it to Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie looked at the letter for a moment and noticed that the envelope was aged and there were water stains on it. “Ditzy,” Pinkie Pie asked, “Did the ponies at the post office forget this letter? It looks really old.” “No,” Ditzy shook her head, “We all wondered why it looked like that, too. It arrived just yesterday evening like this. It may have gotten lost somewhere else. Since it looked like that, we thought it best to deliver it to you as fast as we could.” Pinkie Pie held the letter in her hooves for another moment. The edges of the envelope were frayed, and the lining on the back where the adhesive was had yellowed. The part of the envelope that confused her was to whom it had been addressed. In the center of the envelope were three lines – PINKAMINA DIANE PIE, PONYVILLE, EQUESTRIA. The part that made her breath stop, however, was the single word written on the top left corner – FLATTS. She looked up and saw that Ditzy still stood in front of her, as though she was curious as to the contents of the letter, as well. Pinkie Pie set the envelope to the side and made her way to the front door. “Ditzy,” Pinkie Pie said, “Thank you so much for bringing me the letter.” “Pinkie?” Ditzy asked. “Yes, Ditzy?” “I, um, I want you to know that if you want to talk to somepony, I’m here.” “Oh silly,” Pinkie Pie said, “I talk to everypony.” “I-” Ditzy started to speak but stopped herself. “You’re right, Pinkie. I’ll go now. I have more mail to deliver.” Pinkie Pie watched as Ditzy slowly made her way to the door. Ditzy’s good eye looked straight ahead, but her other eye slowly fell to the ground. Pinkie Pie raised her hoof to her ear and then realized what Ditzy truly meant. She rushed over and wrapped her hooves around Ditzy, who simply raised a hoof to her back in response. “You’re going to be fine, Pinkie.” “The other ponies aren’t going to treat me any differently, are they?” “Oh silly,” Ditzy replied, mimicking Pinkie’s own statement, “Everypony already knows you’re different.” Pinkie Pie and Ditzy laughed together for a moment before Ditzy prepared her wings for flight. Pinkie Pie didn’t notice the look Ditzy gave her as she closed the door, but Ditzy steadied her breath and then took off. Pinkie Pie looked across the room at the envelope on the front stand. She rushed over to it and ripped it open. Her eyes scanned the contents. Pinkie Pie looked from the letter and made her way back into the kitchen. The clock on the oven clicked over to six-thirty. If she moved quickly enough, she could catch the train to Dodge Junction. She could be back home by late afternoon. ***** The floorboards of the front porch creaked under Applejack’s steps as she closed the front door of her homestead in Sweet Apple Acres. To her right, some chickens clucked, and she nodded as Applebloom emerged from the chicken coop with a bucket of eggs. In the distance, Applejack saw the form of her brother in the morning light as he reared back and struck his hind hooves into a tree. She smiled as she watched all of the apples fall into the baskets. Inside, Applejack could smell the aromas of Grannie Smith’s cooking as she started on the Macintosh apple pies that were popular this time of year. Applejack’s smile faded as she looked in the distance towards Fluttershy’s cottage. She closed her eyes and made her way off of the porch. Applejack moved her attention up to the errant cloud that hovered over Sweet Apple Acres. It was already nearing seven o’clock in the morning. “What in tarnation are y’all doin’ up there?” Applejack yelled. She reached back to throw an apple that had fallen to the ground the night before. The apple flew through the cloud but then it hit something solid. “Ow,” the cloud hissed, “Watch it with that hoof of yours.” “What are y’all doin’ just sleepin’?” Applejack said as the frown turned into a grimace. “I was just waiting for you.” Rainbow Dash's voice behind the cloud said. “I didn’t realize how long I had been waiting.” “We gotta get over to Fluttershy’s cottage to help get her to therapy.” “Okay, okay,” Rainbow Dash said as she emerged from the cloud, “I’m up.” Rainbow Dash kicked the cloud and it disappeared. She flew to the ground so that she could walk with Applejack. Nopony spoke until they left the gates of Sweet Apple Acres. “Are you still angry about last night?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Sure as shoot I am,” Applejack replied, “Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy I’m upset about, but they’re all alive, so it’ll be up to them to decide to tell the truth. But the flower girls…” “What if the real threat is still out there?” Rainbow Dash cut her off, “What if he’s just waiting until the right time to attack again?” “Now R.D.,” Applejack said, “I trust Twilight that she says that Edger whatever pony didn’t kill’em. Besides, Twilight told us Princess Luna took him back to Canterlot for some reason.” “But how can we get the townsponies to prepare for a threat if they don’t even know what the real threat is? You heard the mayor, she’s just going to have a town hall meeting about timberwolf control. And I swear if this all turns into us having shifts at Ponyville patrol duty, then all bets are off.” “I wouldn’t worry about that,” Applejack assured her friend, “Princess Luna assured us that whatever controlled Edger was gone.” The two ponies passed by the Ponyville Clock Tower just as it rang seven o’clock. They knew they had to get Fluttershy to therapy by eight o'clock. Rainbow Dash was proud of her friend and at how she had managed to get herself out of bed, even after such a horrific accident. Rainbow Dash turned around to look at her wings. She splayed them out for a moment and admired how they matched the sky. She shuddered at the thought of losing her own wings. Applejack coughed beside her. “Thinkin’ of Soarin again?” Rainbow Dash blushed and closed her wings again. They continued on their way. “No,” Rainbow Dash said, “I was just thinking about how brave Fluttershy is being with all of this.” “Fluttershy’s a lot braver than she thinks.” Applejack commented, “I just hope that we can at least convince her of it.” The two ponies crossed the small bridge just in front of Fluttershy’s house just as a small breeze blew behind them from the Everfree Forest. The wind wrapped around the two and sent the hair from their manes and tails flying. They moved faster until they reached the front door and pounded on it relentlessly until it opened. Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked around but couldn’t see Fluttershy. “Fluttershy, where are-” Rainbow Dash started to call, but stopped when she felt something thud against her hoof. Angel thumped loudly against Rainbow Dash and then sprinted upstairs. Rainbow Dash and Applejack turned to one another and followed the bunny. Angel stood at Fluttershy’s door and scratched at it. Applejack looked at the bottom of the door and could tell from the scratches that Angel had tried to get in all morning. Applejack turned the knob and opened the door. The two ponies gagged at the smell. “No,” Rainbow Dash whispered as she held her hoof up to her nose. The only thing that Applejack and Rainbow Dash could see was the tuft of pink hair that lay on the floor from behind the bed. Angel hid behind Rainbow Dash’s hoof, and only moved with each step the two ponies took. With each step, the ponies’ hooves grew heavier and heavier, as though they willed the bodies to which they belonged to stop moving. “She just slipped,” Rainbow Dash muttered to herself, “Yeah, she just slipped. We just need to wake her up.” Applejack had stopped moving, and Angel had taken safety behind her instead since Rainbow Dash had started to move again. Applejack slowly reached up to her head, removed her Stetson hat, and moved it to her chest. “AJ, what are you doing?” Rainbow Dash said as she made her way to the bed, “She just slipped and fell, that’s it.” Applejack could hear Rainbow Dash’s voice waver as she moved to the edge of the bed. She watched as Rainbow Dash’s eyes grew wide and her body trembled. Rainbow Dash squinted as she looked down, and her neck muscles tightened. Her head moved in a combination of nods and shakes and she finally lowered her body to the floor. Applejack still hadn’t moved enough to see what Rainbow Dash could see, and from the soft whispers and the sound of her feathers as they trembled, she wasn’t sure if she would ever want to see it. Angel buried his head into Applejack’s fore hoof. It was a few minutes later that Rainbow Dash stood up. She turned to Applejack. Her eyes had grown darker, and she stared blankly for a few minutes at Applejack, but Applejack wasn’t even sure if Rainbow Dash even saw her. “Get the others.” Rainbow Dash said. ***** A tray of food levitated beside Sergeant Lighthoof as he descended the stairs into the lower dungeons of Canterlot Castle. As befitting his name, his hooves left no sound as they trotted against the stone steps. He continued his descent towards the one prisoner that it contained. Of all the stupid assignments, Sergeant Lighthoof thought, I get assigned to some kid who said something stupid to the Princess and sent her into a temper tantrum. Sergeant Lighthoof would never say such a thing out loud, especially not to Princess Luna’s face. Not after he witnessed firsthoof what could happen if he made her angry. Who gets arrested for blasphemy nowadays, he thought to himself as he reached his destination. He had always thought that Luna was a bit off, but he bet that it must have been from her thousand-year isolation on the moon. Sergeant Lighthoof chuckled to himself as he remembered the story he had read a few weeks ago. He and some of his other enlisted friends had gotten a good laugh at how the author had described Princess Luna. Sergeant Lightfoot composed himself and made his way down the hallway. If only that Poeny guy really knew how crazy she was, Sergeant Lighthoof laughed to himself as he reached the door in question. He pressed his ear against the door to listen if the prisoner was awake yet. He backed away and knocked on the door. “Hey kid,” Sergeant Lighthoof bellowed out in a deep voice, “Get up.” He pressed his ear against the door again. Still nothing. “Kid, I got your breakfast.” Sergeant Lighthoof sighed. The poor kid was probably just scared out of his mind. He was probably dared to say something to Princess Luna about her stay on the moon. The kid was probably just stupid, but didn’t deserve being down here, in the cell designed to separate the prisoner completely from the outside world. Sergeant Lighthoof worried that this poor kid would be scared to be outspoken about anything again. Sergeant Lighthoof wondered why they couldn’t have placed him in one of the standard cells with bars that he could see through instead of this cell with a magically enhanced door. He set the food down in front of the door and began to talk freely to the prisoner on the other side. “Listen, kid,” Sergeant Lighthoof began, “I don’t know what you said, or why you said it, but I’m sure if you offer to apologize to Princess Luna, I’m sure she’ll release you from all of the charges of blasphemy… and… insurrectional speech.” Sergeant Lighthoof couldn’t help but laugh a little at the last part of the sentence. “Seriously, kid, don’t make this harder on yourself than it has to be. Just open the hatch, we’ll get you some breakfast, and then we can straighten this whole thing out. What do you say?” Sergeant Lighthoof took a few steps back and waited for the food hatch to open. He waited a few more minutes, but when nothing happened, he scowled. The silence behind the door began to rival his own hooves. “Kid, don’t make me open the door.” Sergeant Lighthoof sighed, “You know there will just be more charged added.” The silence continued. Sergeant Lighthoof levitated the food tray to the side to the door and then reached for his keys. He turned the lock and opened the door as he prepared himself for a fight with an unruly and frightened kid. But when he looked around, he saw nothing. His attention turned from the sides of the cell to the floor. Sergeant Lighthoof’s eyes traced the pattern that had been traced on the floor. He saw the circle at what he thought must have been the top of the image with a line that drew down until it reached a small curlicue at the end. He moved to see the ‘x’ that had been placed in the middle with five lines that extended from each edge. A small yellow feather rest in the center of the image, and Sergeant Lighthoof shuddered when he saw that it was covered in blood. The entire drawing had been made with blood. The sound of the metal door closing behind him shook Sergeant Lighthoof from his investigation, and he ran to reach it before the door closed with him inside of it. He skidded to the door and reached his hoof out just in time to stop the heavy metal from slamming closed. Instead, it slammed on his hoof. “Sweet Mother of Celestia!” Sergeant Lighthoof growled and clenched his teeth as other explicatives flew from his mouth. Stupid kid. He moved from the cell to the hallway again. He was not going to let some unicorn kid get the best of him. He glanced from side to side, but saw nothing. The stairs at the end of the hall were still empty, and Sergeant Lighthoof knew that there was no way the kid could have gotten there that quickly. He decided to look in each of the other cells to see where he had hidden himself, but before he could move, the torches at the furthest end of the hall went out, followed by the next, then the next, until Sergeant Lighthoof was finally in darkness. “Kid,” He growled, “You’re really doing something stupid right now.” Sergeant Lighthoof could still see the light from the floor above the staircase, and that was how he saw it. He wasn’t sure if he really saw something, however. He squinted and wondered if it had just been a trick of light. It was as though the air in front of him was bent, or as though he looked out through a bubble. Sergeant Lighthoof felt something bite at his skin, and he yelled and flashed a bolt of bright light into the air. He looked around and began to shake. All around him were dark black ponies, but they didn’t seem to move. Their faces were blank, so he couldn’t tell if they looked at him. He began to sneak around each one towards the staircase, but every few steps he took, one of the shadowy ponies tilted its head towards him. Sergeant Lighthoof made it a few more steps, but the light from his horn began to shimmer. A moment later, one of the shadowy ponies reached out and threw him across the room, through the cell door he had opened, and back into the cell. Sergeant Lighthoof watched as the light from his horn flickered on and off and the shadowy ponies edged closer and closer to him. He reached out to curl onto the floor as tears fell down his face. His hoof brushed against the drawing, and a moment later, the fires in the torches lit again, and the shadowy ponies were gone. Sergeant Lighthoof looked down at the drawing he had destroyed, shuddered, and ran towards the staircase once again. Maybe Princess Luna isn’t as crazy as we thought, Sergeant Lighthoof thought, or maybe I’m just as crazy as she is.