It seemed like it had been an eternity, but yet, it had only been a minute.....
"H-he.....he's not back yet...." muttered Fluttershy, as she began to shake from what that possibly meant.
"Give him time, Flutters," said Rainbow Dash, patting Fluttershy on the small of her back. "Must be a shock for him to be in a whole 'nother world again."
"Not ta mention the fact tha' the lil' fellers' now surrounded bah his own kind again....humans, ain't it?" Applejack asked, tilting her head curiously at Twilight, believing her giant brain was the one to consult about this type of thing.
Twilight nodded solemnly. "That's correct. That universe in there does harness humans. They looked weird to me, as would they to anypony who had never seen one before....but to Toby, they must have at least SOME form of familiarity, even though he HAS been in contact with mostly nothing but ponies for the past two years."
"That's true, darling," Rarity spoke up. "At least he is in there with his own kind now, and not some horrific beast that could tear him APART!" She added that last line a bit too dramatic for Fluttershy's taste, as she whimpered in distress.
"Th-.....that doesn't make me feel any less tense!" Fluttershy replied, shivering. She hadn't been this scared since the whole Chrysalis fiasco last year. The night Toby was foalnapped, she tossed and turned all night, not getting any sleep as a result, and she even neglected to feed her critters in the morning. Only the loud rumbling of Angel's stomach at 5:00 P.M. reminded her that there was more to worry about than just her terror-filled conundrum.
"I'm sure he'll be out in a matter of seconds, Flutters!" Rainbow said, putting on a brave face with that ultra fake smile of hers. She wouldn't admit it, but she too was worried about now.
"Y-....yeah...." Fluttershy replied, just staring at the mirror. It said nothing. Not a word. But still, Fluttershy could FEEL it mocking her and glaring her down with its alluring, mischievous smirk. It was invisible to all others, but Fluttershy could see it clear as day. She thought she heard cackles around her, as well.
Fluttershy began breathing heavily. Each time she huffed and puffed, she thought back to every time she tucked Toby in at night....every harmonic melody that escaped her lips, and entered his ears. She wondered if she would ever have that opportunity again. To sing, to hug, to kiss, to laugh....
To love.
Pinkie Pie noticed this, and out of the goodness of her naturally good heart, she hopped over to Fluttershy in order to give her some much needed happiness.
"Awww....don't huff and puff, Fluttershy!" She said, wrapping at the moment, the extremely, emotionally fragile pegasus in what would normally be a breathtaking hug. Fluttershy's breath had already been taken away from her, however, so that did not phase her. "And DON'T you blow down the house yet! Your son is the most BRAVEST colt I've ever met in my LIFE! And when he comes back, where all going to have the BIGGEST party I've EVER thrown! It'll be the "Toby Got His Locket Back And We're So Happy He Got His Locket Back So Hey Let's Have A Party To Celebrate Toby Getting His Locket Back Because It's Great That He Got His Locket Back" PARTY!" Pinkie finished off her locket filled monologue with a squee. Naturally.
Everypony else just rolled their eyes. Rainbow Dash sometimes wondered if Pinkie had an industrial sized Hot Air Balloon stuck up her rectum to administer that amount of air per day.
"I still don't think you're helping, Pinkie...." Spike whispered into the pink one's ear.
Pinkie's ears drooped slightly, but she wasn't convinced, so she looked at Fluttershy's face to see if Spike's words were true.
The look on Fluttershy's face gave Pinkie her answer, as her ears drooped all the way down, playing tag with the sides of her temple all the while.
"T-toby l-l-l-l...loved...p-p-p...parties....."
Sweetie Belle rose an eyebrow in confusion. "It's not THAT cold in here..."
"SHUSH!" Rarity replied, glaring her sister down for her smart-aleck remark.
"She's sad, Sweeteh Belle..." Apple Bloom whispered with a frown.
Sweetie gasped. "Oh!" The curly filly then, too, frowned in realization.
Fluttershy began to sob, as her son had now not been in her arms for five whole minutes. She could only have imagined what had happened by now. His locket must have been lone gone, and he had went on an extensive search for it. Fluttershy KNEW he wouldn't return until he had found it....that's what made her panic the most. "Wh-...what if he NEVER finds it? Especially before the three days are up?! Then he'll be there for 30 MOONS! I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE MY BABY BEING GONE FOR A QUARTER OF A MOON!"
Fluttershy's sobbing dispersed a bit as she felt another hoof on her back. She looked up to see the small, subtle smile of Cadance.
"Have faith in Toby, Fluttershy. Do not give up on him so easily. He has been through more than any of us could have imagined. He has the biggest heart that I have ever encountered-and hey, I should know about hearts....." Cadance said with a giggle, looking at her flank as the crystal heart sparkled in return. Fluttershy wiped a hoof along her eyes as Cadance continued.
"He loves you. I can tell....I sense the aura of love the most every time you two are around. That type of love isn't artificial. It comes from within....deep, DEEP within, where I've never seen love come from before."
"But remember, Fluttershy," Twilight spoke up. "He does not only love YOU....but his biological mother, as well. That locket means the WORLD to him. It's a piece of him for evermore, as is she. He wouldn't just let that slip away....he wants both of the most loving, nurturing mares he's ever met at the same time. One without the other, just wouldn't be enough."
Cadance nodded. "Both of Toby's mother's love are coming at him full strength all at once. He will go for the obvious love first. The love that made him into the boy he is today. But then, the most powerful and beaming love, yours....will guide him back home to you. For that reason, you must wait...."
"Not trying to get chewed out, honey," Shining Armor spoke up. "That WAS beautiful, but it also may have been the cheesiest thing I have ever heard...." Scootaloo's nods could be heard all the way from the back of the room, but the young filly still had slight tears in her eyes, as did everypony else. Shining Armor threw on an awkward grin as his wife glared at him.
"And you just HAD to ruin the moment, didn't you?" Twilight chastised her brother. Shining Armor scratched the back of his neck.
"Pfffttt. Boys do not get love as much as us mares," Cadance said, eyeing Shining Armor out of the corner of her peripheral vision. "But Toby is different. You just allow your love to burn forever, and he will never have a reason to go." Cadance finished off her speech by giving Fluttershy a warm embrace, which Fluttershy returned.
Spike sniffled, and nudged Twilight in her side. When Twilight turned towards him, Spike pointed at a scroll sticking out in Twilight's bag (just in case the Princess had left Canterlot and needed to be reached immediately.) Twilight used her magic to levitate the scroll into Spike's waiting claws, knowing full well what he intended to do with it. She was not shocked when she heard Spike, releasing his snot and mucus into the paper, and then handing it to Pinkie Pie for the brand new snot museum she had planned to open in the coming century. Pinkie grimaced at this, but when she put the wet tissue into a Hoofloc bag, and zipped it up, she perked up once again, as her collection was growing in size.
Twilight would've normally thought that was a waste of good scrolls, but Cadance's speech was definitely a tear-jerker. She was surprised she hadn't run out of scrolls by now.
"Th....thank you, Princess Cadance." Fluttershy said, giving the princess a genuine smile of thanks this time.
"No need to thank me, Fluttershy," Cadance returned the smile. "It's my duty as the Princess of Love to make sure you don't run out of the necessary ingredients for it. Trust, peace, harmony, tranquility, hope.....six certain OTHER elements," she winked at 6 ponies in the room in particular, and those six ponies all smiled in response.
Shining Armor, proud of his wife, put a foreleg around her, kissing her on the check.
"Now, we'd hate to leave at a time like this," Cadance said. "But it would benefit if Princess Luna and Princess Celestia knew about this before anypony else does. We'll be back in a quick moment." Shining Armor waved goodbye, as Cadance motioned for him to follow her, and when they were out the door, she thumped him in the back of his head.
"Ow! What was that for, babe?" Shining Armor questioned, trying to shake the cobwebs. For the Princess of Love, his wife could sure pack a punch.
"For spilling your negativity all over my speech," Cadance admitted with furrowed eyebrows. "I'll never be able to clean that up.....I improvised the whole thing, too!"
Meanwhile.....
Toby began to groan, as he opened his eyes to nothing but fuzziness. He held his hands in front of his face, and realized he could see them, but not as good as he could before....
Wh-....what's wrong?" He thought. "Did going through that portal make my eyes worse?"
Toby decided to reach for his face, and he gasped when he realized that he couldn't feel his glasses.
OH NO! The young boy began panicking. He now had TWO lost items to worry about. His priceless locket, and his glasses worth a hefty price. My glasses! I can't see without my glasses! Toby began checking the ground by moving his hands all around in all directions. The quicker he could find his glasses, the quicker he could find his locket, and get back to his loving family. He missed them already, but he WOULD be strong for THEM.
Although his eyesight was not even close to average, Toby's hearing was above average, as he could hear two figures approaching him at a brisk pace. He stopped his search to look up, and he saw two blurry figures: one was a blurry pale magenta, and the other a blurry bluish gray. Two of Toby's favorite colors! As they were right in front of him, Toby thought they looked familiar. Well, their manes, at least; that's all he could really see.
"Are you, like, looking for these?" One of the blurry figures asked. Toby could barely see the magenta one's mouth move, so he guessed it was....her? It HAS to be a girl. She sounds like a girl. Toby thought. He nodded in response, too timid to say anything. Combined with the eerie familiarity in not only this....girl's voice, and her mane, and the fact that while Toby couldn't see too well, he could tell he was in a new world. He could even hear a few cars pass by....something he hadn't heard in two years.
He heard both the blurry magenta and blurry bluish gray figures snicker, and the magenta one put his glasses on for him. As Toby adjusted them, he fell onto his back in shock. If he was standing up, he would have fell over. The figures shared confused glances at this.
What was once the blurry pale magenta figure, was now, at least from Toby's point of view, a complete copy of Diamond Tiara. But with hands.....and feet. She was wearing a gold colored jacket embezzled with tiny white diamond designs, a plain skirt with a white belt, with black leggings under the skirt, a white bracelet around her left arm, and gold heeled boots with both white fur and white soles. An amethyst gem adorned each of her boots on top of a black strap on each boot, and yet another amethyst, in the form of a necklace was around Diamond Tiara's neck. Finally, she had a hair clip nestled in between the lavender and white stripes of her hair...in the shape of a diamond tiara.
Makes....se-sense.... Toby thought to himself, as he examined the girl next to her. Once again, Toby couldn't believe what he saw. It was an exact incarnation of Silver Spoon....but still, with hands and feet.
This human version of Silver Spoon was wearing her usual teal eyeglasses, with her hair tied into a ponytail with a pink hairband, her teal pearl necklace around her neck, a purple and pink dress, with the purple making up the blouse, and the pink making up the skirt. The blouse also had a....silver spoon imprinted onto it. She also, like Diamond Tiara, wore heeled boots with a teal bow on each boot, and a teal splotch near where the toes would go, all being topped off with white soles on the bottom.
"D-d-...Diamond Tiara? Si-si....Silverspoon???" Toby blurted out, in awe that two of his best filly friends were here with him. But is it really THEM? Auntie Twilight did say this world was weird....I guess I'll find out when they talk to me.
"Heh. So you know us, huh?" Diamond Tiara asked, leaning down to meet eye level with Toby. "That's weird."
"Yeah, we've like, never seen you here," Silver Spoon added, crossing her arms.
Toby then frowned. I guess they really aren't the Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara I know.....how can this happen, then? Toby was so confused, but decided it would not be wise to ask questions. The girls might just laugh at him for asking a dumb question like, "Why do you girls look like ponies?"
"Ummm...like, why do you keep staring at us?" Diamond Tiara asked.
"Yeah. We, like, know we're REALLY pretty and all, but now you're just acting like a little creep," Silver Spoon said with a snort.
"I-....I'm...." Toby didn't really know what to say. This had all happened so fast. New world, and new versions of two ponies he could call two of his best friends, and new fears....fears of these two being mean to him. They were already sounding like they were going to be.
"Stop stuttering!" Silver Spoon cried, grimacing. "It adds to your CREEPINEEESSS."
Diamond Tiara giggled in a snobbish way. "Yeah, are those glasses, like, squeezing your nasal cavity too hard?"
"I'm pretty sure it's his nostrils, Diamond Tiara," Silver Spoon corrected.
"Ummm...NO. Glasses don't go around your nostrils, Silver Spoon. It's his nasal cavity." Diamond Tiara gave Silver Spoon the stink eye, and Silver Spoon put her arms up in defeat.
"Sorry, sorry. Like, you are right, Diamond Tiara!" Silver Spoon said with what seemed like fake excitement. Diamond Tiara didn't seem to catch it, though. "You're like....so smart!"
Diamond Tiara flipped her mane as her ego was taken on vacation to Jamaica while being treated to a hearty, expensive steak dinner afterward. "Of COURSE I aaaaammmm....I ONLY got a C in Health...that's like, BETTER than a D," Diamond Tiara then gave Silver Spoon a good old fashioned butt bump.
"G-girls...?" Toby suddenly spoke, catching the girls attention from their usual arrogant spiels. "I-...I just have to find something very important to me, so if you could just..." He gulped. "L-...let me go, I'll never have to see you again..." Toby hoped they would just move out of his way before they started being jerks to him again. That would only end in him crying....like the first time Diamond Tiara made fun of him.
Diamond Tiara began a hearty fit of laughter, as Silver Spoon joined her a few seconds later. That minused Toby's hope to just move on by a few handfuls of percents.
"Like, why are you in such a hurry, shrimp?" Diamond Tiara chastised. "Are we hurting your little WITTLE feewings?" Diamond Tiara clasped her hands together, and pressed them against a cheek in fake regret.
"Yeah, like....we can help you look for your missing spine, if that's what you're looking for!" Silver Spoon teased, grinning at Diamond Tiara for her nastiness seal of approval.
She got a thumbs up and a chortle from Diamond in response. "Nice one, Silver Spoon!" She then turned back to Toby, whose only emotion at this point was sadness. He wished he could just....go home.
"Awwww....don't cwwwwyyyyy!" Diamond Tiara put a hand to her mouth in fake surprise. "We're just kidding with ya! No, like, seriously....what are you looking for, barbie doll? Me and 'Spoon'll help you!"
Toby sniffled. "Y-...you will?"
Diamond Tiara and Silverspoon nodded with what looked like actual, helpful smiles, as a halo appeared above their heads.
"Like, of course! We're, like, SOOOOO nice!" Silver Spoon said, nudging Diamond Tiara, like she knew something Toby didn't.
Diamond Tiara winked at Silver Spoon. "Oh, of COURSE! In fact...let's start right now. There's about an hour until school stars. That's all the time we need to find your thing, wittle guy...."
"First, though," Silver Spoon said. "I don't think you'll be needing those glasses of yours for this..." Without consent of Toby's approval, Silver Spoon yanked Toby's glasses off of his face, hurting the top of his ears more than it should have. The right side of his glasses, to Toby's dismay, lacerated his right ear, opening up a small cut that would bleed soon if he was not given medical attention.
"W-..wait!" Toby shyly cried. "PLEASE...I NEED those, girls!"
"No, no...it's fine!" Diamond Tiara reassured. "This is, like, essential to finding whatever it is you're looking for. WE'LL be your seeing eyes. Right, 'Spoon?"
"That's right, Diamond," Silver Spoon replied. "Besides, if you want our help, you have to play by our rules. Understand?"
Toby just simply nodded, still hanging on to a small sliver of faith that these girls were legitimately interested in helping him. B-besides...h-how could things get any worse?
Diamond Tiara decided to put on Toby's glasses for whatever reason. "Wow....these, like, are sucky glasses. You try 'em on, 'Spoon."
Silver Spoon put them on, but not before taking her own off, and couldn't help but agree with Diamond. "Like, you're right, Diamond....they don't help my vision what....sooo...evveeerrrr. And if they don't help mine, there's no WAY they'd help YOURS, kiddo...."
Toby forgot about about the all important locket for a moment, as Silver Spoon dropped his glasses on the ground. Toby couldn't see clearly, but he was positive that Silver Spoon dropped them purposely.
Diamond Tiara gasped. "Spoon! You're, like, such a klutz! Here, let me help you pick tho-"
Diamond Tiara's sentence was disrupted by a loud CRACK. Not only had one frame of Toby's glasses been cracked, but so too....had his spirits.
"Like, OH MY GOOODD, Diamond!" Silver Spoon gasped even louder. "I CAN'T believe, you, like just DID that!"
"It was an accident! Like, wooooooowwwww....I did NOT expect that to happen!" Diamond Tiara couldn't hold on to this facade any longer. She started laughing up a storm, as did Silver Spoon.
Toby couldn't hold in it any longer, either. He let his tears flow...swiftly and without control.
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon heard the quiet sobs of the young boy, but that didn't stop their laughing. In fact, it ENHANCED it.
"Woowwww....that, like, sucks for you, barbie doll!" Diamond Tiara screeched through her laughter.
"Yeah....we might as well, like, finish the job." Silver Spoon licked her lips, as she and Diamond each put one foot up in the air.
Diamond began the countdown.
"3....."
Toby wanted to do something, but he couldn't. He was in a state of reverse-euphoria. He could only watch in shock in despair.
"2....."
The tears had stopped for a moment, but after Toby had time to process what was going to happen, he just let them flow again.
"1....."
"NNNNNNNNN...OOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!" Toby finally shouted, just as the two nasty girls began crumbling the not-cracked parts of Toby's glasses with their expensive boots. Diamond Tiara never thought she would have to use her daddy's money like THIS, but this was a rare occurrence. Never had a child been so...EASY to heckle.
Toby's glasses continued to be stomped to smithereens, as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon had nothing but maniacal grins on their faces while they were doing it. Toby would not stop screaming "NO!", in the off chance the mean girls would stop trying to play Dance Dance Revolution all over his glasses. He would also bawl his little eyes out as they continued to stomp. You could've filled a miniature Nile River with all of his tears. Still, his attempts were futile....the glasses were clearly not even wearable at this point, but the two princess wannabees were not done yet. They stomped for what seemed like an eternity inside of an eternity.
"HEY!" All of a sudden, an unknown voice called out, as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon gasped, knowing they didn't have much time, as Toby's savior was now running to them.
Diamond Tiara quickly pulled something out of one of her pockets, and chucked the object right at Toby's head. While things were blurry for Toby, he still could tell something was hurling towards his cranium, so he was able to duck at the last second. Toby then used the Tornado drill technique, as he laid on his knees with his hands over his head. Just in case the girls wanted to throw anything else at him.
"We had that the entire time!" Diamond Tiara yelled, as her and Silver Spoon began to run off. "It was just so fun smashing your glasses that we forgot to tell!"
"Yeah! And, that lady in that locket, is...like...UGLY!" Silver Spoon added, as she and Diamond Tiara were now out of reach of Toby's savior.
W-...wait! Toby thought. My...my LOCKET?!?! He began to search behind him this time, but with all of his effort, he just could NOT find it. I-...it's gone! AGAIN!!!!! He then went back to sobbing, although much more silent this time, as his hero tried to catch her breath.
"Y-....you.....little brats!" The hero called out, but Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara would not be able to hear her. For two spoiled brats, they ran fairly fast. "Wait until I....get me...hands on....you!"
Toby was not paying attention to the unknown hero. All he could tell was that it had the voice of a female. He didn't want to even try to look at her, though. He just wanted to crawl up into a ball and freeze. It was the beginning of January, and while it wasn't cold out today, it seemed like the best substitute instead of dealing with all of his pain right now.
Toby was caught off guard, and jumped, when the lady put a hand on his chin. Toby also caught her off guard, as well.
"Whoa. Easy there, little guy....I'm not like those two prissies." Toby could tell, now that this lady was right in his face, that she had some very odd hair. It was like someone squirted a bunch of ketchup and mustard in it. Toby thought it looked pretty cool, though.
Toby wiped some snot off with the sleeve of his red jacket, as he looked into the eyes of the lady. They were a shade of cyan.
"Th-...thank you for saving me..." With Toby's big heart, it would hurt him even more if he didn't thank the lady.
She chuckled. "No problem, kiddo. I HATE bullies. Now, tell me," the lady put Toby's obliterated glasses over his face. Only a few chunks of glass were intact on each frame. "Can you see out of these AT ALL?"
Toby immediately shook his head. "N-no..."
Toby could hear a slight growl and a mumble of "Crap," from the lady. He had only hear his dad use a word like that, although his words were much, MUCH worse, and skinned Toby's virgin ears the first time he yelled words like that at him. "I'm SO sorry I didn't get here sooner, kiddo.....I would've stomped on those snobs like they stomped on your glasses!" The lady gritted her teeth in annoyance that she did not make it to Toby's aid in time. "I had just got done walking the Kindergartners to school, and I figured I'd inspect around back here since there's about an hour left until school starts."
"W-wow.....that's very nice of you," Toby complimented with a small smile.
The lady chuckled once again. "Thanks. Just...trying to make up for lost time..."
I wonder what she means by that... Toby thought, but he figured he wouldn't ask.
"When I saw Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon stomping on your glasses....I....I.....!" The lady inhaled, and took a deep breath in a fit to not boil up in front of Toby. "I ran as fast as I could.....they've done some nasty things, but THAT won the award for Despicable Act of the Year!"
Toby couldn't help but laugh at the lady's endearing demeanor. She seemed so nice.
"Hey, so....I believe this, belongs to you...." Toby's heart nearly jumped out of his throat as he saw the lady open up and inspect the locket. "Wow....don't listen to what that lint-ball Silver Spoon says...your mom is BEAUTIFUL."
Toby smiled. "T-...thank you!" The lady grinned back, as she looped the locket around Toby's neck. The locket that Toby lost his glasses for.....was it worth it? Absolutely.
Toby caressed the locket in his hand, as his mouth was still wide open. He did the only reasonable thing.
The wrapped his arms around the nice lady, and pulled her close in a hug that could warm anybody up on a January day.
The lady at first seemed shocked by this gesture, like she hadn't had many hugs in her lifetime, but she still returned the hug with a beaming smile.
"I.....I just...c-can't thank you enough!" Toby cried out in happiness as he continued to hut the lady.
The lady laughed in response. "I caught it when Diamond Tiara threw it over your head, like the horrible shot she is. I'm just doing what I wish someone else would do if I lost something as sacred as this seems to you. So....yeah, don't mention it."
"W-....what about my glasses?" Toby was content with life right now, but he still needed to see.
The lady sighed. "We'll go get you some new ones....lucky for you, the school just opened up an Eye Care center last year." Toby sighed another breath of relief at this development. "They'll test you to see what kind of frames you need. They have all kinds of pairs you can try on, but...it may take a few days to get them in..."
"B-but....I can't wait a few d-days.....I have to be able to see!" Toby replied.
"I know, I know. I can't imagine what you're going through right now, but the best things in life, come to those who wait!"
Toby suddenly gasped. "M-...mommy always tells me that...."
"Really?" The lady asked. Toby nodded. "Awww....well, it's true, little guy. Come on, let's get you inside. Don't want your eyesight being fuzzy anymore than it has to!" The nice lady helped Toby up, but stopped the drill as she saw a few drops of blood fall to the ground.
"Oh craaa.....ummm...no, no, no, no, no!" The lady chose her words wisely, as she cuffed her hands over Toby's ear to see how much blood was coming out. She then took a sigh of relief. "Alright, little buddy....you scared me there for a minute!"
"I...I didn't know I was bleeding!" Toby cried, the sight of his own blood making him a little sick.
"It's going to be fine, kiddo. It's not so bad. Looks like we'll have to take you to Nurse Redheart before we go to the eye center. Alright?"
"N-....nurse Redheart?" Toby asked, yet another name that rang bells in his head. He remembered Nurse Redheart was the nurse who treated him while he was in the hospital after Chrysalis had foalnapped him.
The lady nodded. "Oh yeah! She's the best. I'm surprised she hasn't found a cure for cancer yet, really." The lady chuckled, grabbing Toby's hand. "Don't worry, buddy. She'll fix you up as good as new!"
Toby nodded, still feeling safe when he was around this very nice lady. "O-...okay. Ummm....is it okay if I ask....what is your name?"
The lady giggled. "I thought you'd NEVER ask. My name is Sunset Shimmer..."