There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.
--Maya Angelou
~*~*~
The towering buildings of Manehattan were dark like caves, as all lights within the rooms and windows were off. The only sources of light was the looming moon above and the hanging streetlights below. The normally bustling streets were silent tonight as not a single soul was out. It was so quiet that the mere sound of a newspaper caught in an updraft echoed throughout the streets. Other than that, the area was calm.
CLIP!
CLOP!
CLIP!
CLOP!
Off in the distance, the sounds of heavy breathing along with hooves clicking against the concrete pavement could be heard approaching. The sounds grew louder and louder as the source of the noise appeared.
A little earth filly that looked no more than ten was running for her life. Her violet-colored face was drenched in sweat; her heart was pounding like the roar of a jackhammer; and her eyes were filled with fear.
She couldn’t slow down now. She just couldn’t!
The filly was running as fast as her little hooves could carry her. Not daring to look back. Too afraid that the first thing she saw would be her last.
Although she dared not look, she knew they were near. The sounds behind her were enough to tell how close they were.
Their sickening sounds of hissing hunger; the loud droning sound of their wings flapping; their horrible shrieks of anger and longing that would’ve given the toughest guard in Canterlot an uneasy shiver. Fighting past the tears that were forming in her dry eyes, the child looked for anything that could aid in escaping her captors.
At the corner of her eye, she could make out a gap in the buildings she was running by approaching. If she took it, she might be able to lose them inside. The alleys of this city were long and went in multiple directions. However, they also frequently went in directions that led to dead ends. It would either lead her to freedom or a gruesome end. Not seeing any other options, she took a chance and went for it.
Turning the corner, she made a tight turn into the back alleys, cutting past discarded trash bins and litter along the way. The more she traveled further into the dark alleyways, the more the sounds started to fade.
Soon, the only noises she heard were the sounds of her breathing as her pursuers seemed to vanish. Despite thinking she lost them, the young filly still refused to stop. She just kept running further and further, turning every corner she found in what felt like an endless maze of alleyways. Praying each turn would lead her somewhere, anywhere, safer.
When she felt like there was no exit in sight, she finally came to a complete stop, left gaping in utter horror. Towering before her was blank bricked wall. In other words: A dead end.
“Dinner time...”
The growls, the hisses; all the horrible sounds she thought she’d outrun resumed. Only this time, they were closer, and growing closer still. Every hair in her blonde mane and tail stood up as her whole body started to shiver. Fear enveloped her as she slowly turned around to the nightmare that found her.
A full gang of hungry changelings converged on the young filly. Each one salivated with anticipation as they moved in for the kill.
The little girl with nowhere to go stepped back as far as she could manage until she was pressed against the wall. She was too scared to call for help. Her voice was as stiff as ice.
The drooling changelings moved in, licking their lips with longing. Their dripping razor-sharp fangs were now just inches from the child’s face. She could practically count every sharp tooth in the creatures’ mouths.
The little pony shut her eyes, not daring to look at what would happen next. All she could do was wait for the end.
So there she waited. And waited.
And waited…
Not that she was in a hurry or anything, but what was taking them so long? Were they toying with her? Did they lose their appetite?
Peeping an eye open she braved it and decided to solve this mystery. She saw the changelings all looking up, each wearing a look of shock and terror that was similar to her own just a few seconds ago. Following their gazes, the young pony found the reason for their sudden halt.
A tall figure shrouded by shadow stood at the top of the brick wall, staring down at the intimidated gang. The child couldn’t make out whom it was, but from what she could see in the dark, the figure had a long slender horn at the tip of her head. Meaning the stranger was unicorn, but what followed afterward proved this theory invalid.
The tall mare leapt from the wall as her long majestic wings glided her safely to the ground. Landing with perfect grace, the unknown mare stood up as she towered over the gang of changelings. The changelings immediately started backing away. Though they outnumbered her, the insects did not like their chances.
Standing in her light, the young pony could now make out the unknown savior that stood before her. There were many clues to tell who she was, but the biggest reveal was the moon shaped cutie mark on her flank and the dark starry mane that flowed majestically. It was none other than the Princess of the Night.
Princess Luna.
Raising a hoof towards the timid changelings, Luna’s voice boomed with radiance and force as she shouted in the Royal Canterlot Voice, “Begone foul creatures! Return to the shadows from whence you came!”
As if obeying, the changelings hissed in irritation before they evaporated into a rolling black fog as they were consumed by the shadows. Leaving nothing behind.
The filly was left with her mouth hanging agape. She was shocked, confused, and terrified by what was going on, which is why she flinched when Luna turned to her.
“Fear not little one,” the Princess of the Night assured as she cautiously approached the frightened child. “No one is going to hurt you.”
Despite Luna’s words, the little pony was still shaken with confusion. “B-But…” she stuttered, shaking her head. None of this was making any sense. She didn’t even know how this nightmare even started.
The child gave a silent gasp as Luna embraced her with a friendly hug. Looking up at the older mare, she was met with a tender smile. A smile that said everything was going to be okay.
“Tis all right, dear,” Luna said soothingly as she calmed the child. “This is all merely a dream. When you awake, you will be safe and sound at home.”
“A… dream?” the filly repeated in disbelief.
As if answering her, Luna reached out to the wall behind her. When her hoof made contact with it, the bricks responded with a ripple effect, almost like it was made of water.
As strange as it was, the child believed her. It all made sense in a way. However, there was still just one thing that didn’t add up.
“Miss Luna,” the child asked while still trying to sound polite to her royal hero. “If this is a dream? Then where are you?”
Before Luna could answer the buildings surrounding them soon started to melt into the ground. Even the concrete they stood on started to deform around them. The young pony now found herself alone, with Luna nowhere in sight. The child cried out for the princess as the darkness soon enveloped her.
And then there was nothing but silence and darkness.
“Honey, are you okay?”
As her eyes opened, the young filly found herself back in her room, safe in her bed with her concerned mother standing by her. Her mother asked if she was okay, stating she could hear her tossing and turning in the other room.
Instead of answering, she greeted her mother with a warm hug, one she happily returned. As weird as it sounded, the little pony felt fine. Better, actually.
After her mother kissed her on the forehead they said their goodnights as the tired filly went back to bed. Resting comfortably in her blanket, the youngling shut her eyes. Dream or not her mind felt clear, calm even. Like she could now fall asleep with peace of mind. And she had her Princess of the Night to thank for that. Whether it was some form of ancient alicorn magic or something, her visit did something to calm her fears. But there was still one thing that left her mind troubled: Whatever became of her savior?
Back in Canterlot, within the royal castle, the lunar goddess known as Princess Luna sat straight and still in her cushioned seat. Her glowing eyes indicating she was deep in meditation.
Standing on guard next to her were two of Luna’s personal Shadow Guards. Two bat-winged stallions wearing their purple decorated armor that fitted their affiliation and loyalty to the Princess of the Night.
Ordinarily, Luna preferred being alone, especially in her room of all places, but the process to enter into another’s dream left the alicorn vulnerable. A process she only recently returned to. For her safety, added security meant stationary guards had to remain posted to protect her person when she was on duty. And this task was one of her many duties.
The guards snapped their gazes toward the door when a knock was heard. Their alertness was for naught though when the voice of the castle’s other resident princess was heard.
“Luna? Sister are you here?” Celestia asked as she walked in. A box of some kind could be seen hidden under her wing.
Hearing her sister’s voice calling for her returned Luna’s mind to the land of the wake as she awakened from her meditation. Seeing her sister walking, Luna decided to clear the room.
“Guards,” Luna requested firmly, yet politely, “leave us.” Obeying her wish, the two lowered their heads in bow as they took their leave.
Sure that the two of them were alone, Celestia revealed the present she held underneath her wing. Bringing it into her sister’s light, Luna immediately recognized the familiar box of treats her sister had taken from her today. A new box unopened and wrapped in a decorative bow.
“What’s this?” Luna asked, her brow raised as she examined the thoughtfully wrapped item. “An apology for earlier?”
“Think of it as,” Celestia replied back with a smile, “no hard feelings?”
Luna scoffed in response as she placed the item on the nearby desk behind her. Not that she was trying to be rude or anything; she simply took her job seriously, and had no time for these interruptions or her sister’s jokes.
“You should be resting, sister. I have the night well guarded.”
“I can see,” Celestia noted. “Have there been many nightmares lately?”
Luna’s body stiffened, but she remained still and calm where she sat. Although she didn’t answer, her silence was enough for her older sister to know.
“How many?”
Lowering her head, Luna could only answer, “Too many. I doubt you need to guess what most of them have featured.”
The dejected mare released a sigh as she stared out the window, spotting the moon outside. “Even now, I’ve only managed to quell the nightmares between here and Manehatten. I have yet to even touch upon the dreams for those of Cloudsdale or Ponyville yet.”
“I see.” Celestia nodded, her sad features a dead ringer for her younger sibling’s expression. “I feared our subjects would be troubled.”
“They aren’t the only ones.”
Celestia paused as she took in Luna’s new look, filled with only one emotion: concern. “Sister, what’s troubling you?”
Luna’s older sister was known to play a joke or two on her every now and then, but her recent jokes had been more frequent and a bit over the top, even for her. Her most recent one this afternoon felt a little forced. Usually, her sister would admit to the joke and end it there, but she kept it going. She didn’t look for a more adult answer and instead acted with a more humorous solution.
Not that Luna minded. She would expect no less from the previous bearer of the Element of Laughter. However, there was a difference between using humor to keep oneself amused and down to earth, and using it to take one’s mind off an issue.
So, either Celestia was trying to get back at Luna for something she did, or she was trying to distract herself from something that troubled her.
“What’s she planning?” Celestia asked after a long silence.
Luna blinked, slightly taken aback by her sister’s vague question. “I’m sorry?”
“The Queen,” Celestia answered bluntly while she stared out the window in contemplation. “What’s her next move?”
“You believe she plans to retaliate?” Luna tilted her head, still trying to better understand her sister’s words.
“A good leader always has a contingency plan,” Celestia said. “She must’ve taken time to plan out her first attack. Why wouldn’t she have a backup?”
Luna was still only getting one side of this conversation. “You're worried about what she’s planning?”
“No.” Celestia shook her head. “That’s not it.”
“Then what is it?”
“I’m worried that so far we’ve seen nothing!” Celestia snapped, making her little sister wince in response.
“The guards haven’t found a single thing, despite added security. No sightings have been reported from any of our subjects.” With each word Celestia spoke, she cautiously approached Luna, sounding more and more heated. “We’ve heard absolutely nothing!”
“Did you ever stop to think that this could be a good thing?” Luna noted in hopes of calming her sister. “Perhaps this means we have won?”
Celestia sighed in defeat as she turned her back to her sister. “You don’t know her like I do, Luna. Twilight and I may have only had the pleasure of her presence for a day, but I believe we got a good understanding of the Queen’s personality.”
The wise sun goddess’s eyes closed as memories from not so long ago flooded back to her. Though she spent most of it sealed away in a crystallized cocoon, she had a good view of the leader behind the nightmare. Her sickly mane, her slender form, her slim teeth, her cold wicked eyes, and her cruel – yet silly – laugh.
“She’s crafty, deceitful, cold, meticulous, but most and perhaps worst of all, she’s patient.”
Luna remained quiet as she let Celestia continue. There was nothing she could do as of now but listen to her sister vent.
“She’s dreamed since she was a child of having Equestria. She said so herself.” A small hint of a smile crossed Celestia’s face as she giggled slightly. “Or rather sang.” The smile did not last however.
“If she waited so long to attack now, how long will she wait again?”
There was nothing worse than an opponent who was patient. Patience was usually a virtue, but this is what bothered Celestia the most. She almost expected retaliation the next day, hence why she asked Twilight and the others to remain in Canterlot for the two extra days. But after no sightings were reported to them she and Luna were left with no choice but to tighten security, at the military’s orders however.
She wasn’t the only one beaten that day. Her army was caught off guard and easily defeated. Since then, much of the guard and militia of Canterlot had been looking for payback. Hence why the scouting parties they’ve sent out have been gone so long. The high Generals in charge have ordered no stone unturned until all settlements in Equestria have been checked.
As much as she disliked such methods, Celestia was inclined to follow if it meant putting this nightmare to a rest. She just wished there were better alternatives.
It also made her wonder: How long would her homeland stay like this? How long would she have to wait until the dark queen made her move? Another week? A year? A century? A small part of her almost wished something would happen. Just so she could make sure the nightmare was finished and her land could return to its original state.
Seeing her sister acting so timid like this was upsetting to Luna. She needed to say something. On duty or not, she had an obligation as a sister.
“Perchance the insect queen is injured?” Luna offered, trying her best to sound optimistic. “I imagine landing on a hard stone surface from breakneck speeds to be not pleasant.”
Celestia remained silent, her attention and stillness unwavering. Failing that Luna still pushed on.
An amused smile formed as an idea came to her. A joke would lighten Celestia’s mood. It always did.
“Perhaps we got lucky and she landed on her head? The trauma probably knocked some sense into her?” Luna quietly chuckled to herself hoping to hear her sister join her.
Silence.
Seeing the hard, leering glare her older sister was giving her showed she was in no mood to joke.
“Too graphic?” Luna smiled nervously.
Celestia just sighed at her sister’s second – and rather poor – attempt at humor. She was grateful for Luna’s attempt, but jokes on her part wasn’t going to help this issue. Then again calling what she said a ‘joke’ was being courteous. Luna always did have a unique sense of humor.
Giving up on humor, Luna relied on one final thing she had: her honesty. “Maybe there’s more going on in the colony than we realize?”
“Hmm?” Celestia paused. Now that thought got her attention. It was quite a multifaceted question, and would require some thought.
“Don’t forget,” Luna continued, knowing Celestia was lending her an ear, “her subjects stood to gain something as well. This failure affects them as much as her.”
Nodding along, Celestia’s thoughts turned from the schemer behind the attack to the battalion that carried it out. Maybe something had happened within the colony that was giving the Queen pause? A leader is almost nothing without a legion to lead.
“Alas, dear sister”, Luna relented, “this is all merely theoretical. We do not understand how their society functions.” The mere thought of the despicable creatures that terrified her homeland was enough to make her glower. “If you can even call it one at all.”
“Indeed,” Celestia agreed, shaking her head. While the thought made her little sister angry, it made her feel sad. While she understood Chrysalis for the most part, her ‘subjects’ in question were a different story. She pitied them in a way.
“How is it that all that separates our two lands is one big, decrepit forest, and yet we know as much about them as we do about dragons?” she voiced.
“That’s not completely true, sister,” Luna rebutted. “I’ve heard word of this professor who claims to have braved the forest and ventured to the outer lands.”
“What was the name?” Luna tapped her chin as she tried remembering the stallion’s name. “Professor something.... something... Mcfabricator, I believe?”
As vague an answer as it was, that last name Celestia knew. “Yes, I’ve heard, and I’ve already read his findings. Which is why I doubt they’ll be of use to anypony.”
“What do you mean, sister?”
A chuckle escaped Celestia. It was the first real sign of sincere optimism she had shown since walking in. “Luna, if you’d read his article, you would see that he clearly--”
“Princess Celestia?”
The room then became silent as a familiar unicorn entered the room. It was none other than Celestia’s personal student, the one who held the title as the Element Bearer of Magic: Twilight Sparkle.
“I hope I’m not intruding.” Despite knowing the two Princesses well, Twilight still acted humble in their presence.
Celestia nodded to Luna, quietly motioning for her to remain silent about their little chat. Understanding her reasons, Luna nodded in agreement.
Facing Twilight, she greeted her student with a fresh smile. “Its alright, Twilight. Your presence is welcomed.” Accepting her greeting, Twilight approached the duo, a short stack of papers floated behind her.
As she came into their view, Luna made note of Twilight’s rather distressing appearance. Her mane was a mess; she had small bags forming under her eyes, and despite her friendly gaze, she appeared as if she could fall asleep any minute. All the more reason Luna felt the need to voice her concern.
“You look tired, Miss Twilight. Perhaps you should seek rest?” Luna noted while trying to be polite and concerning.
Twilight quickly straightened up, doing her best to appear professional all the while silently cursing herself for forgetting to fix up her mane before she bothered the Princesses. It almost made her wonder what else she forgot.
“I can’t; I’ve been up all day categorizing last week’s damage costs and bit transactions into different categories.”
Both Luna and Celestia blinked in unison. Said last week's reports took a total of Canterlot’s finest business minds to tally. The process took a total of three days despite their combined intellect, and an extra two days for Celestia to read through and sign. Yet Twilight read and sorted them all in a day.
“All of them?” Luna asked.
“Absolutely,” Twilight answered with an almost smug smile, feeling proud of herself. She was never one to show off, but she took credit when credit was due. “It wasn’t easy, but I managed to put each document into a different category of cost, date, word count, and ink color.”
Despite the unnecessary groups, Celestia was still proud of her student’s orderliness. “Impressive, Twilight; well done. But why are you here, then?”
Returning to the reason she came here, Twilight brought the paper stack into view, shuffling a few as she levitated them over. “Because now that I’ve finished categorizing them, I have to double check to ensure each document was categorized into their proper category.”
Despite hundreds of years of accumulated knowledge and experience, it took Celestia’s wise mind a few moments to deduce where Twilight was going with this.
Which is why when she finally did, she immediately gulped as Twilight turned to her. “And being that you’re the one who signed them, Princess, I believe you deserve to be there to look at each one with me. With the two of us working together, we should be finished at about... four I think.”
What Twilight saw as a privilege, Celestia and Luna saw as a nightmare. However, they did their best to mask their horror, especially Celestia.
“Um… Twilight?” she asked trying to divert the conversation. “Don’t you think its time you sent that letter to your friends?”
“Letter?” Twilight asked before piecing together what she forgot. “My letter!”
How could she forget? Probably because she didn’t have her number one assistant there to create her daily checklist, the same assistant who by now was probably getting ready for his bedtime, so she needed to hurry.
“I can’t believe I forgot to write it! Thank you so much, Celestia!” After excusing herself, Twilight galloped off.
Sure that her sister’s student was out of earshot, Luna turned to Celestia. “Sister, although Twilight is wise a student and a loyal friend, I do find her to be a little… peculiar.”
“Peculiar?” Celestia repeated with shock. “Why whatever do you mean?” Sure, Twilight was a bit too orderly and she did tend to overstress, but peculiar? It seemed a little harsh.
“I’m back,” Twilight called as she returned, letter in hand, or magic in this case.
Taking the letter from Twilight, Celestia looked with slight awe at the well-written letter. “You wrote this just now?”
“Mm hmm.” Twilight replied with a smile along with a nod. “Doubled checked it and everything.”
Thinking about it now, maybe her sister wasn’t too far off. Whatever the case Celestia sent the letter off as it disappeared into an aurora of magic.
“Now lets get to those reports,” Twilight said as she headed for the door, but not before she realized she had intruded on what could’ve been an important meeting between two Princesses.
“I’m sorry! After you and Princess Luna have finished speaking of course,” she said as she blushed, feeling embarrassed for herself over how much of a fool she was making of herself tonight.
Celestia silently breathed a breath of relief, feeling like she just dodged an assassin’s magic bolt. That is, until Luna stepped in.
“Tis alright Twilight. I believe my sister and I have said enough.” Shutting her eyes, Luna took a deep breath as she prepared to return to her meditation. Even though her eyes looked closed, Luna still cracked one eye open to see Celestia’s miffed eyes staring straight through her.
“Now if you two would kindly leave I will return to my duties.” Again, she was not trying to be rude, but Luna just felt like she had taken enough time from her work for the moment. That, and she couldn’t resist seeing the look on her older sister’s face.
Twilight more than happily obliged, trotting out with a skip in her step while Celestia followed from behind like she was in a prison lineup. Just before she left, the elder sister’s eye caught the box of treats Luna had left on the desk. Surely her little sister wouldn’t mind if she took one?
Or a couple?
Casually inching her way over, she very nonchalantly reached for the box.
“Don’t. Even. Think about it.” Luna warned.
It seemed she did mind. Defeated, Celestia led herself out, but not before she looked back toward her sister. “Luna…”
“You are not going to guilt me into giving you one of my chocolates, sister.”
“Thanks.”
Shocked by that answer Luna broke her concentration as she spun her head toward her sister. Celestia gave Luna a smile goodbye before she stepped out.
Although it was short, Celestia was thankful for the talk she had with her sister. While she was still concerned, it was sometimes good to vent. However, for this act of leaving her with Twilight, she was going to have to pay her little sister back tomorrow. Perhaps by leaving a rubber spider in her bathtub? Better yet, a real one.
Once Celestia was gone, the guards kindly shut the door behind her as they returned to their previous positions.
Luna sighed to herself, trying to fight the small bit of stress that tried to nibble at her conscious. While her sister was indeed troubled, Luna hoped spending time with her favorite student would help relieve some of that tension. Granted spending hours doing nothing but reading reports she already signed was probably not the ideal choice.
Still, with all distractions now out of the way, Luna could finally return to her meditation, and with it return to her busying task. A task that proved more daunting each day for the young princess.
Entering another’s dream, that was easy. Finding the solution for them, a fair enough challenge for the knowledgeable mare. No, what made it difficult was knowing that somewhere in Equestria, there was another subject of hers she missed. Perhaps a tired traveler who was lost in a deserted mine, maybe a starving artist whose mind was clouded with pain and wanting, or maybe a little colt that only needed a friend.
Like her illustrious orb that hung over the skies of Equestria, Luna was only one object looking out for its people. Despite being as wise and powerful as it was, there was one quality the moon had over her: it didn’t have to worry about its limits. Luna couldn’t help every troubled mind in Equestria. But for her subjects, and for her sister’s relief, she was going to try.
After many stress-filled hours of work, Spike had finally managed to reorganize what was left of the shelf the terrible trio managed to ruin and return it to the organized fashion that Twilight was accustomed too.
Moaning to himself, the baby dragon collapsed onto the rug, wanting to do nothing but lay there until he fell asleep.
As he laid there in silence, Spike’s mind wandered as he recounted today’s events. It started with him waking up and making a gem-filled muffin. Said muffin left a large mess of glass on the floor. He cleaned up said mess. Three fillies came over and threatened him before taking a collection of Twilight’s favorite books and leaving behind another mess for him to clean, and then he spent the remainder of his day fixing said mess while constantly rearranging the shelf until he was satisfied with it.
The hours he spent taking books out and putting books back should be enough to show just how tedious the simple task became to him. Either Spike was more bored than he realized, or Twilight’s habits were starting to rub off on him.
So all in all, it was the most excitement he’d seen since coming back to Ponyville.
“Yay…” Spike cheered with Fluttershy’s level of optimism.
When Twilight told him she was going to leave the library in his care, Spike was overjoyed. He was going to have the whole place to himself, which meant no writing letters, no making lists, no checking lists, and no double-checking checklists. He got his own time off.
The first few days were great at first, but after a while the young dragon started to notice the lack of activity. Fairly few ponies came to visit. Twilight’s home or not, it was still a library. They usually got visitors from time to time. Lately, though, most ponies in town stayed home.
Other than Cheerilee and the crusaders, the only ponies he’d seen as of late was Rarity and Pinkie Pie. Rarity said she was just checking in on him, but Spike knew she was missing him because she dug him. Well, that’s what he believed at least.
Pinkie Pie, on the other hand, came over to ask him if he could be her ‘taste subject’ in a test she was doing. Spike didn’t even ask, he just politely declined and sent the hyperactive pony on her merry way. As interesting as it sounded, he knew anything involving Pinkie Pie and testing would not end well.
At least there was the presentation to look forward to, though he didn’t have much planned other than sharing his life story. It kept Fluttershy entertained when he told her. So naturally if a colorful story could entertain a young adult then it most definitely would have the same effect on children. Right?
Drawing his eyes over to Pee Wee’s nest, Spike found the little guy had already nodded off, so there was no need for a goodnight hug; although it would’ve been more for him than Pee Wee. Spike was accustomed to goodnight hugs by then. Usually from Twilight, or in recent cases Pee Wee; however, he didn’t want to wake the little bird up, so that was out. And the only other awake resident was an owl who was fairly busy cleaning his wing, so that was out of the question as well. Not to mention Spike thought hugging an owl would be weird.
With no one to say goodnight to, the tuckered dragon picked himself off the floor and decided to just drag himself to the bed. That was, until he felt a twist in his stomach, like something was about to erupt from inside him. His cheeks started to puff as he began to feel the pressure building up within. This could only be leading to one thing.
Releasing a loud burp, a flame escaped his mouth as a scroll magically appeared before dropping to the floor. This left the tired dragon scratching his scaly head in confusion. He and Twilight never received letters this late at night. Unraveling the scroll, Spike’s eyes scanned across the letter, doing his best to hold back a yawn as he read.
Like lightning from the blackest cloud striking the earth, a new wave of excitement shot through the dragon as the letter brought a grin to his face. The letter had a lot of fancy words about the state of Canterlot, and how much she missed everyone, regular Twilight stuff. But the last few words before her signature were what excited the dragon:
I plan on returning home by this Saturday.
Love you all,
Twilight
“YES!” Spike cheered, startling Owlowiscious and waking Pee Wee in the process. The overexcited dragon barely noticed, though, as he was far too overjoyed. This letter was the best news he’d heard since coming back. Things were finally going back to normal! Well as normal as this land is with its ‘unique’ inhabitants. Twilight was coming home!
And then Spike stopped, his eyes now wide with shock.
Twilight was coming home. To the library, while her favorite books were in the care of the three Cutie Mark Crusaders. The same crusaders she specifically created a new rule for. The same rule he knowingly broke. And he had no idea when the three were planning on returning said books.
“Oh no. Oh man. This is not good!” Fear. No not fear, absolute terror overtook Spike as he started pacing around the room in a panic similar to what Twilight would do.
Owlowiscious and Pee Wee’s eyes followed Spike as he traced around the room, babbling on about failing Twilight, to her being upset, to the crusaders being accident-prone, and at one point his train of thought went into some tangent on ‘how do ponies read with hooves only’?
Finally Spike managed to calm himself down as he tried to figure out a solution to his big dilemma.
“Okay, Spike, just think. What would Twilight do?”
Flip out and blow things completely out of proportion. He did that already, so what would she follow up with?
Spike turned to the incomplete shelf of books, then to the crumpled letter he held within his claw. Furrowing his brow, he clenched it with renewed determination. He knew what he had to do... what had to be done.
“I gotta get those books back.”
If Twilight was coming back, then she was coming back to a clean and fully shelved library. Readied by her ever faithful and above else favorite assistant. And no one was going to stop him. Or in this case: No filly.
Scootaloo rode through the streets of Ponyville as the area started getting darker and darker. The buildings she started to pass showed no light within them, meaning most ponies were off to bed by now. The yawn that escaped her was a clear enough sign to indicate it was way past her bedtime. Thankfully, she was almost home, but she still had to concentrate on the path ahead of her; she didn’t want a repeat of what happened this morning.
Veering into an alleyway, the path led the brave filly into a more deserted part of town. While Ponyville was a family village, it was not without its closed shops and deserted buildings. This was usually the type of area most residents in town avoided or didn’t talk about, which was okay with Scootaloo. No ponies around meant no one was there so see her as she headed home.
To some fillies and colts, traveling through such a deserted area so late at night would be frightening, but Scootaloo didn’t mind. She knew the area well enough to know what to avoid and what to stay near. She’d even played around in some of the empty buildings before. Under the cover of daylight of course.
Skidding to a complete stop, the young pony reached her journey’s end. Before her stood a two story building no bigger than Sugarcube Corner. The decaying paint and weathered wood were enough indication to show the building’s age. The final proof of the building’s decrepit state was the old sign that sat posted out front, hammered into the ground at a slant due to one of its wooden supports giving out. The passage of time along with the weather had taken its toll on the lettering to the point where the original name was forever gone, but the last word was enough specify what this building was: ORPHANAGE.
It wasn’t much, but it was home to Scootaloo.
Hiding her trusty scooter behind the bushes, the tired pony detached her scooter from the wagon containing the apples she ‘borrowed’ along with the unknown book she also ‘borrowed’ and headed inside, pulling the wagon behind her.
Shutting the door ever so quietly, the orange filly made a beeline for the stairs. After what happened today, all she wanted to do was just crawl into bed, eat an apple or two, then drift off to sleep and forget about her troubles.
“Hello, Scootaloo.” The familiar withered voice from this morning called out to her cheerily.
It seemed that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon as she came to a stop. Turning toward the kitchen, Scootaloo saw that seated in the same spot as this morning was an elder mare with a coat as white as a snowflake, but a mane as blue as the ocean waves. Her cutie mark was an image of two magnifying glasses overlaying each other.
It was also Scootaloo’s caretaker, trustful guardian, and original owner of the orphanage she knew as:
“Hello, Mother Keen Eye,” Scootaloo answered half-heartedly.
Her old eyes trained on the teacup in front of her, the elder pony retained a relaxed expression despite Scootaloo’s answer. “How was your day, dearie?” she asked.
“Fine, could’ve gone better,” Scootaloo quickly answered, trying to end this conversation without coming off as rude. “Look I know we usually talk every time I come home, but right now I’m not in the mood.”
“If you didn’t want to talk, I wouldn’t be here now, would I?” Keen Eye noted, still acting like this was just a regular friendly conversation to her.
“Whatever.” Scootaloo scoffed as she turned tail for the stairs. She would’ve left right then and there if it weren’t for what her guardian had to say next.
“Your new friend is quite the fighter.”
Every hair on the back of Scootaloo’s mane stood up like ice. She felt the same cold chill running through as when she looked the timberwolf in the mouth.
How does she--?
“Do that?” Keen Eye interjected, finally turning too Scootaloo, her positive demeanor surprisingly no worse for wear.
Trying to keep her cool, Scootaloo tried to avoid eye contact. “I was going for ‘know’ that, but that works too.” Her eyes narrowed into a scowl as she crossed her forelegs while making a childish pout. “And he’s not my friend.”
The older mare scoffed playfully at her ward’s words. “Well with that attitude, he isn’t going to be.”
“He’s a changeling,” Scootaloo returned, trying to be the serious one here. “I figured you of all ponies would understand.”
There was a short delay as Mother Keen Eye stared at Scootaloo. “Now why is that?” she asked. Something in her tone made the little pegasus think that the old mare already knew the answer, but was waiting for Scootaloo to say it aloud.
“Because you…” Scootaloo stopped herself before her thoughts went any further, “… never mind. Forget it.”
The older mare’s demeanor shifted. She lowered head, shaking it somberly as she gave a sad sigh. That was clearly not the answer she was hoping for. “Scootaloo, must you continue to be like this?”
The young flyer’s eye twitched a little as she still refused to look her elder in the eye. “I’m not listening to this.”
“Scootaloo, tell me: what do you think you’re doing right now?”
Scootaloo blinked in surprise to the rather strange question. “Talking to you?” she answered facing her halfway now.
“Like you were back in the forest?” Mother Keen Eye rebutted matter-of-factly.
Though she remained still, Scootaloo started to feel her heartbeat increase in rhythm. “How do you--?”
Without so much as an answer, Keen Eye’s only response was proud smile.
“Well… everypony has their own voice of reason,” Scootaloo said in her defense. She started to show a little smile. “You’re cool like that.”
“Yes,” Mother Keen Eye said while nodding. Though she smiled too, there was an undertone of gloom to her voice. “Yes I was.”
Scootaloo’s smile began to wane; she’d had enough. She promised herself she wasn’t going to talk about this with nopony, and she meant it. “I’m leaving.”
“Scootaloo, you can’t keep the truth inside forever. It’s not healthy.”
“I did so this long!” Scootaloo threw the wagon handle to the ground in a fit, her anger now reaching its boiling point. “Then that THING came along and made it difficult.”
“No,” Keen Eye relented. “He came along and made you think about it again. Made you feel what you’ve been trying to ignore. What you’ve been trying keep inside.”
“Stop it,” Scootaloo snapped.
“Scootaloo…”
“I said stop it!”
“If you didn’t want to talk, then I wouldn’t be here, dear.”
“Well then leave!” Scootaloo practically screamed. Throwing her forelegs over her head, the upset filly shut her eyes as tight as she could, mustering all strength to fight back the tears and force back the awful thoughts that kept barging their way to the front of her mind.
The last thing she heard out of Keen Eye was a sigh of grief.
After catching her breath and returning to her senses, Scootaloo felt the thumping in her chest start to steady. Sadly, it was only then the foolish child realized the error of her harsh words.
“I’m sorry--”
When she opened her eyes, Scootaloo saw that Mother Keen Eye was gone, but her teacup still remained where it was.
Not bothering to think where her guardian went, Scootaloo quickly grabbed the wagon handle and headed upstairs. Despite the wheels making the task difficult, she made it up with no problem.
Making her way into the short hallway, Scootaloo saw one of the windows she past was gathering dust again. She’d clean it tomorrow; she was too tired to care.
The hallway had a total of three doors. Two were ajar, while one was closed. Heading toward the one at the far end Scootaloo passed by the other two doors, feeling a cold shiver run down her back as she passed the one with the closed door.
Nudging the door fully open, Scootaloo entered a large and wide room full of empty bunk beds. Scootaloo located hers in the farthest corner of the room. A bunk bed where the bottom bunk was surrounded by assortments of drawings and items from her crusades with her friends.
Sitting on her bed Scootaloo reached under her bunk and pulled out a small box. She opened it as she placed the book and apples inside with the other assorted contents and trinkets she kept in it. She’d eat tomorrow; she didn’t feel hungry anymore. Besides, she needed something for lunch tomorrow. Plus she could read whatever book she took with her then. As for Family Appreciation Day, she’d figure something out later.
Putting the small box back under her bunk, Scootaloo crawled under her only blanket as she rested her head on a single stitched pillow. It wasn’t much, but it was cozy enough. Looking around the room Scootaloo gave a sigh as she noted the empty beds all around her. There were a lot of times where she would pretend the other beds were only empty because the other kids were off playing without her. Or maybe they were just playing a prank and at any moment they were going to jump out and surprise her.
But the truth of the matter was they were empty because the children were long gone. Where too? Scootaloo didn’t know, nor did she care. She had Mother Keen Eye to look after her, so she wasn’t alone.
It wasn’t the perfect life, and it wasn’t much. No it wasn’t much indeed. But it was hers and only hers to bear. That didn’t make it easier, however. There was still the pain it gave her. She didn’t know what hurt more: Being an orphan, or being the only orphan in the whole orphanage.
That and…
In retaliation, Scootaloo slapped herself. Hard.
Come on! Stop thinking those thoughts! Think positive! Find the bright side!
Scootaloo bit her bottom lip as she strained to find said ‘bright side.’
There was a small plus: she got to choose her own bunk. The one she picked in the corner had her facing the window nearby. Scootaloo liked it because it offered a pleasant view of the outside world. From there, she could see the back hills outside of Ponyville, fireflies dancing in the tall grass, and the moon orbiting above it all right from the comforts of her bed. It was all kind of peaceful in a way.
Peaceful enough that it distracted Scootaloo long enough for lethargy to settle in as her eyelids grew heavy. Within a few seconds, she was out like a light.
Dead Ringer didn’t know how much time had passed since he started moon gazing, but the loud yawn he released in response told him he had been up long enough. Returning to his original sleeping position, the tired changeling rested on the hardwood floor, trying to relax.
It wasn’t his body he was trying to relax though; it was his restless mind. While the sightseeing had entertained him for a while, it did little to distract him from issues gnawing at his mind.
In just two days since he’d come back to this unknown land, he’d been attacked and almost killed twice! And all while near the Everfree Forest no less.
A small bead of sweat traveled down his cheek. He was feeling worry, the emotion of fear and uneasiness. He was worried by not knowing what the future held for him here. Would he heal and at last leave this place with something to take home? Or would he instead meet his end here?
And if he did, what would become of his people? He was one of the few soldier class ranked changelings the drones trusted, after all. Just what was happening there since the invasion?
Each question just led to another, and with it added another problem for the curious warrior to process. But as questions were asked, time started to pass. And soon, Dead Ringer’s breathing slowed as his heavy eyelids started to close. Soon the restless changeling finally gave in and at last fell asleep. His final thoughts, however, were still of home.
Home, where the Changeling race survived. Home, where Queen Chrysalis ruled over all. Home, where her mighty gothic castle of carved stone blending seamlessly into the natural rock stood at the top of the colony in the center of the great canyon. The same castle where a ‘unique’ courier was just given his orders, and was being escorted by one of Chrysalis’s personal guards.
“You heard what her majesty said, Courier,” said a gruff yet at the same time high-pitched voice.
“Yes! Yes! Scatty understands!” the Courier answered fearfully though still trying to sound grateful. The last thing he wanted was to anger one of the Queen’s scary guards.
As the large metal doors opened to the surrounding badlands, Scatty was suddenly struck with a heavy blow from behind before he was sent flying out the door and into the ground, landing face first in the dirt.
“Then go. And do not return until you bring her what she asked.”
Rubbing his hurting mouth, Scatty noticed something strange about one of his front fangs. One of them was now shorter than the other.
In a frenzy, he fearfully inspected his teeth and felt one of them now had a chip in it. Looking at the ground, he found the remains of his tooth. It was left completely in shards, now just pieces of clutter that littered the area of the hard canyon rock. Turning around, he saw the guard that pushed him still standing there in the doorway.
Scratch that; he didn’t see him. The lack of light inside the palace – that being no light whatsoever – had the guard completely masked in darkness. What Scatty saw were the piercing eyes of the guard that pushed him leering at him as he waited for the messenger to depart from the Queen’s palace grounds.
Smiling back awkwardly, Scatty quickly dusted himself off before flying off, still feeling the guard’s eyes trained on him as he flew high into the air.
Looking down at the surface of his home, Scatty strained his mind into gear as he tried to work out a plan on what to do next. A part of him wanted to tell Reflection what was going on. After all, she was the current high-ranking leader in charge. For now, at least; but another part of him wanted to follow what the Queen demanded, fearful of what awaited him if he kept her waiting. The pain in his mouth only added to that fear.
And another part wanted to eat a water beetle. He didn’t know why that factored in. Maybe he was just hungry, and water beetles did have a delightful crunch to them.
Whatever he was going to do, he had to do it fast. Time was short, and so was the Queen’s patience. After all, today was a big day. After a week of complete silence, Queen Chrysalis had at last spoken. And Scatty was to be her messenger, and deliver to her several changelings who, as she put it:
“Will steer our colony back on the path to its future.”