//------------------------------//
// The Man In The Iron Mask 
// Story: One In A Million 
// by ocalhoun 
//------------------------------//

iver Star slammed the door to our room with a crash as she stormed out, very nearly catching the hem of the elaborate gown she had put so much effort into complaining about this morning. With any luck, though, that would be the end of having to deal with her for the day.
Whisper kept staring at the door long after I turned away. “Wath it jutht me, or did she theem like she wath in a better mood than uthual?”
I stopped in my tracks and raised an eyebrow in Whisper's direction. “Better mood? Better?” I shook my head. “Did you see how much she complained about the dress?”
“A lot leth than she normally would. It'h a big event!”
I still looked at her with a skeptical eye, but she had known River for a lot longer than me, after all. “Aw, who cares. It doesn't matter.”
Whisper stared at me, slack-jawed. I could tell that not caring about River's moods was a foreign concept for her.
“Anyway, I'd better get going if I'm gonna get breakfast before I go.”
“You're not gonna wear anything thpecial?” Whisper cocked her head to the side.
“Of course not.”– I laughed. –“I didn't even bring anything!”
Whisper blinked, then looked over at her suitcase and back to me. “Oh... Well, I gueth I won't either.”
I started to question that, but then I just shrugged it off as unimportant. I had bigger and better things to think about. “Well, I'm off. See you at the fair,” I called behind me as I opened the door.
“Hey!” Whisper trailed close behind. “Wait up!”





The staggering opulence of Canterlot's buildings towered around me as I made my way to the carnival. Like Missus Primrose had ordered us all to, I stuck close to the pony in front of me, a pink and blue filly I hadn't talked to before. I gaped at the ornate buildings all around me, still unused to the grandeur of Canterlot's golden spires.
“Oh! We are gonna have tho much fun!” Whisper skipped along right behind me. “Watcha wanna do firtht? Ferith wheel? The gameth?” Her face lit up. “Ooh! Ooh! What about the water thlide? I heard there wath gonna be a water thlide!”
Wait. Did she...? “You're talking like you're planning to spend the whole day with–”
“Alright my little ponies!” Miss Honeydown called out from the back of the line. “We're almost there! Now, before you all go in, I want to remind you that I'll be waiting at the entrance if anypony needs help. Missus Primrose and Headmaster Herald Dust will be roaming around the fairgrounds, too, keeping an eye on everypony.” Her voice grew even more upbeat. “And remember, don't split off until after you pass the gates at the entrance. But mostly, have fun!”
As I rounded the next corner, the carnival finally came into view. A huge crowd of ponies milled around a pair of streamer-bedecked flagpoles. Most of them looked to be well-to-do Canterlot natives, all dressed up and with their noses held high, but more than a few sported styles that clearly marked them as being from out of town. The head of our line was already burrowing into the crowd, and before I knew it, I slipped into the crush of ponies all around, too. Beyond the babble of ponies around me, I could catch a few bouncing notes of music from inside. Despite all the disturbances surrounding me, I could smell a whiff of deep-fried carnival food. Hardly even realizing it, I picked up my pace.
As soon as I passed through the colorful gates, a cluster of my fellow students engulfed me. Although some of them immediately took off into the fairgrounds, many of them stayed, either in indecision about what to do first or, like me, looking for their friends.
Whisper jumped up next to me, uncharacteristically forward in her excitement. “Okay, Thcootaloo, where should we go? How about–”
“Scootaloo! There you are! I've been looking everywhere.” Even when excited, Whisper's voice was easily drowned out by Ruby Shine's shout. “So, ready to go?”
“You bet!” I'd been looking forward to this for a long time now, and for more reasons than one. “Let's go get some–”
“Wait...” Whisper rushed up and blocked my path. “Ruby ith coming with uth? Are you thure that's thuch a good idea?”
I winced. I never told her about Ruby, of course, but I had never promised to hang out with her either. “Uh, well... actually, he's just coming with me.”
Her mouth dropped open and heartbreak tore through her eyes. Even her ears drooped down. “I... I'm not invited?”
“Well”– I blushed as I smiled toward Ruby –“it's kind of a date.”
“And three would be sort of a crowd.” Ruby's addition was a little more blunt than I would have liked, but maybe that was necessary to get the point across.
“Oh, uh... well, thorry... I didn't mean to...” Whisper dropped her head down and looked away. She sighed before turning back to me with a resolute stare. “Good luck, Thcootaloo. Have fun today.” Her sharp glance at Ruby was so quick I almost missed it, but I could tell she wasn't happy with the colt.
“Come on, Scootaloo, let's get out there before all the queues fill up!”
I shook off Whisper's disappointment. In my rush to keep up with Ruby, I scarcely even noticed her still standing there, pining after me. I rushed down the crowded lane between food vendors, struggling to catch up as the rich smells from all around me buffeted me almost as roughly as the ponies I dodged around.
Finally, I caught up to him. “Where are we... going in such... a hurry... anyway?” I panted, straining to catch my breath.
“The Cyclotron,” he replied, still running along. “It's the biggest, baddest thrill ride in all of Equestria, and I want to get there before the line gets too long.”
Now that sounded promising! What a way to start the day off with a bang! I trailed Ruby in a mad dash through the crowds around the food vendors' stalls. Beyond those sprawled the midway rides in their gaudy colors. More than a few of them were obviously too tame for a pony as cool as myself, but some of them looked like a blast. Still, we were on a mission; we had no time to waste on these little filly rides.
As we neared the back of the fairgrounds, the crowds thinned out and I finally caught a glimpse of our goal. The top of the Cyclotron rose above the few rides still in the way; its nested green rings already spun in a dizzying display. We followed the curved path around the last few rides, and there it loomed in all its majesty. Ring after ring nested inside each other, each spinning in a different way, and the center ring housed a bunch of covered cars with ponies inside. The innermost ring could have been mistaken for a futuristic ferris wheel, if it wasn't busy spinning around every axis at once.
My jaw dropped. This ride was awesome! It more than lived up to the hype Ruby told me, and even better, the line wasn't even very long yet, maybe only a dozen ponies in it so far. I gave Ruby a huge smile. His idea to skip ahead to this ride had been perfect!
He nodded towards the entrance, and we rushed up into the line. We both had to strain and stand on the tips of our hooves to get by the 'you must be this tall to ride' sign, and though the attendant raised an eyebrow at us, she didn't stop us.
“Two bits each, please,” she droned, looking right through us like we weren't even there.
My heart sank. Of course the carnival wouldn't be free. I was a fool to think otherwise. I hadn't brought any money though. I didn't have any, to be honest. I never had. It looked like I wasn't going to have such a great time here after all.
“Here you are.” Ruby tossed four shiny coins up to the attendant, who then waved us through.
I looked over at Ruby in gratitude and surprise. I hadn't expected this kind of treatment. “Oh my gosh! Thank you so much!”
“Eh, it's nothing, really.”
“It's a big deal to me!” I squealed. “I wouldn't have gotten to ride if it wasn't for you.”
“Well, that's just the way you're supposed to treat a lady.” He shrugged.
I smiled and glanced away, but inwardly I felt a warm thrill. Nopony had ever called me a 'lady' before, and I liked it. It even made the constant drumming whine of the ride's machinery seem to slow and change pitch... Wait. No, that was... “The ride is slowing down!” I cried out. “It'll be our turn soon!”
Ruby just smirked as he watched me bounce in excitement.
A few more ponies filed in behind us as the Cyclotron ground to a halt. When it finally stopped, all the rings lined up together and made it look like just one big disk. It sure was more impressive when it was moving though! The disk began rotating slowly as a ramp raised up and ponies began methodically loading and unloading from the ride's cars.
Seeing that made me even more grateful for Ruby's advice on coming here first.
Thanks to his planning, though, we were already working our way to the front. In just moments, the ponies ahead of us stepped into their car, and the next one rolled around to us. It was finally time!
I could hardly contain myself as I followed Ruby into the car, our hooves clacking against its brightly painted steel deck. The door closed with an intimidating clang, and we had to strap ourselves into a spartan wooden seat that had obvious wear marks, but I didn't care about any of that. I couldn't wait for the ride to finally start. Only one more car behind ours still needed to be filled, and as we stopped to wait, already tilting upwards, I was glad that we wouldn't have to wait it out hanging upside down like some of the poor ponies above us.
The last car's door slammed shut with a harsh clank, and the ride was finally ready to go. A padded bar shoved itself down onto our laps to hold us down, and the whirring of the ride's machinery came to life. The ride began with the inner ring just spinning by itself, a simple loop like I'd done many times before. Quickly, though, it became more interesting. One by one, the other rings started to spin and turn as well, and the car swirled around in all kinds of ways.
As much as I might have liked to play up my bravado, it got pretty intense. I screamed right along with all the other ponies on the ride, and as the machine pressed us together against the side of the car, I reveled in the feeling of Ruby's warm fur pressing against me. The ride whirled on, twisting around in every direction, and I rode through every spiral and turn, screaming my heart out and squeezing Ruby close.
Just as I began to feel the dizziness I should have expected from having my world spin in every direction at once, the sounds of the ride's machinery began to wind down. As the car's mad tumble slowed, I let go of Ruby with a wince. I didn't want to let go, but my excuse to keep holding on rapidly whirred to a halt.
When the ride finally stopped, I realized just how dizzy it had made me. Even though we weren't moving, my head still spun.
Ruby looked over at me and giggled a little, probably at the faces I was making, but I didn't blame him; I knew I must have looked like a wreck. “You're cute when your eyes are all wobbly,” he said with another giggle.
A clang from one of the ride's doors resounded behind us, and then the wheel lurched forward a short distance. Of course. They were loading and unloading again. After another lurch, our car pointed straight up, and my stomach gave a lurch of its own. I paled in the sudden realization that we would have to go all the way around before we could get off. Another turn of the wheel left us in an awkward almost-inverted position, and my abused sense of equilibrium gave another vehement complaint.
I knew I wanted to stay strong and in control, especially in front of Ruby, but as the ride clicked around to put us totally upside-down and all my blood rushed to my head, I was far from sure that I would be able to.
Ruby just smiled at me and threw his hoof over my shoulder, as if he knew exactly what I needed.
As the ride lurched around again, putting us in the most awkward orientation yet, I truly was grateful for Ruby's firm grip on me. It did make me feel safer and more secure.
After a couple more lurching turns, we were in a much more tolerable position, almost at the bottom of the wheel again, and almost right side up again. Still, though, I made no move to brush Ruby's hoof off of me. It felt warm and fuzzy and firm at the same time, and he squeezed me just enough to hold me tight without being uncomfortable.
When our car finally made it to the bottom though, we did have to let go of each other. The restraining bar lifted and the door opened. With a sigh, I let Ruby's hoof slip away from me and unbuckled my safety belt. It was a shame we had to stop now, but after all, the day was only beginning.
I wobbled a little as I stepped out of the ride, but I managed to put on a brave face.
“Well, I don't suppose now is such a great time to try riding it again, is it?” Ruby pointed to the line in front of the ride – it stretched far longer than it had when we arrived. I couldn't see the end of it. It didn't bother me, though. I didn't think my stomach could take another round of the Cyclotron just yet.
Once again, I was glad Ruby had come up with the idea of coming here first. “Okay, what next then?”
“Well,”– he looked back over toward the food booths –“how about getting a snack?”
My stomach gave another tumultuous complaint. No, I definitely needed some time to recover from the Cyclotron before getting any heavy, fried carnival food. “Nah, I'm not hungry,” I lied, “I had a big breakfast.” I looked around for some alternative distraction that would give my insides a chance to settle down. A bit further down the path was just the thing. “Ooh, look, a funhouse! Let's go!”
I didn't wait for Ruby and I took off towards it, but before I got far, he shrugged and ran to catch up.
There was hardly any line for the funhouse at all, and as we rushed in, Ruby again paid the fare – one bit each this time. Where would I have been without him? As soon as we got through the entrance, we passed through a tall arch into a maze of clear glass walls and mirrors.
“Aw, brilliant!” Ruby cried out, “Race you to the other side!”
“A race?” A smug grin broke out on my face. “You are so on!”
I rushed on towards what I thought was an open path, only to smash right into a clear wall. I shook my head to clear away the stars as I picked myself up, and I searched around for Ruby Shine. He wasn't behind me, so he must have taken a different route.
In just a moment, I spotted him off to my left... running directly towards me! I winced, waiting for the impact, but it never came. Instead, he turned in the direction of the wall I had just run into, impossibly going right through it before disappearing. I had just been looking at his reflection, I realized.
I set off into the maze again, more carefully this time. I wasn't going to win this by rushing blindly ahead, after all. As I probed my way through the corners and false dead ends, a gratifying thud reverberated through the maze. Ruby must have hit something. Now I didn't feel so bad about it.
Ahead, I spotted the exit of the maze, but I stopped short when I noticed the glass wall in between me and it. Ruby, though, had a straight shot at the exit now, I could see.
There was only one way left I was going to win this, I knew. I focused my magic, flapped my wings furiously, and thought about nothing except being right there at the finish line.
With a purple flash, I appeared at the maze's exit. I wasted no time in stepping across the line. “I win!”
Ruby crossed the line only a moment behind me. “Hey, no fair! You used magic!”
“Silly!” I laughed. “Everypony knows pegasus ponies can't do magic!”
He shook his head, but he couldn't stop himself from joining in with my laughter. “You're mad, you know that? Completely mad.” With a shrug, he rushed back further into the funhouse. “Come on then. Let's see what else is in here.”
We trotted on into the next room, a staircase that, either through an optical illusion or some magic I couldn't sense, looked like it led downwards when it actually led upwards.
After navigating those tricky, colorful stairs, we came to a circular room where the whole floor spun and turned around in different brightly colored pieces. We laughed and stumbled our way through, stumbling right into each other more than once.
To finally get to the other side, I even hopped up and made a very respectable long jump on my wings.
Ruby stomped a hoof down as he finally caught up. “Aw, come on! You're cheating again?”
“Yep!” I laughed and stuck my tongue out at him.
Shaking his head, he followed me through the next doorway.
The next room held a collection of oddly-shaped mirrors. I wasn't sure what to do, but Ruby rushed right up to one and waved me over.
As soon as I walked up, I saw what it was about. Our reflections stood there gaping back at us, but with tiny bodies and enormous heads.
I laughed as Ruby tried making some silly faces, sticking his tongue out and crossing his eyes.
At the next mirror, we both looked tiny. Maybe it was made for full grown ponies? That gave me an idea though. I jumped up and hovered on my wings for a moment, and just for that little moment, my reflection dwarfed Ruby's.
We both broke out laughing as I came down. “So you think you're a big pony now, do you?” he joked, pushing me to the side.
“The biggest!” I laughed back and hopped over to the next mirror. “Ooh! Look at this one!”
We stopped in front of mirrors that made us look tall, and ones that made us look thin; we stopped at ones that made us look fat and ones that made us look short.
Before long, though, we made our way to a door that shone with real sunlight, and we found the way out of the funhouse.
I stopped for a moment, blinking in the brightness.
“Ready to go and get some snacks now?” Ruby's eyes didn't seem to be faring any better in the abrupt light.
My stomach had calmed down completely while in the funhouse without me even noticing, I realized. “Sure!”
I followed Ruby back through the fairgrounds, working my way through the mumbling crowd and around the bright, noisy rides. Before long, we made it to the other side of the kaleidoscope of color and sound to our goal – the food stands.
Again, a multitude of sweet and savory scents all clamored for recognition at the same time, from dozens of different booths and all the different foods being carried by the ponies around me.
“So, what do you feel like having?” Ruby asked.
I looked around, at a loss with this bonanza of choices. It looked like a pony could get just about anything here – especially if she wanted it deep fried, on a stick, or both. After a moment, I spotted an amazing funnel cake with chocolate and banana slices on it in the hooves of a grey unicorn mare. I ran up to her and asked, “'Scuse me, where'd you get that?”
The mare rolled her eyes, looking annoyed to have been asked, but she pointed a hoof at a tall white booth, one of the last in the line.
I shouted a quick “Thank you!” as I ran back over to Ruby. I waved him along and continued on through the crush of the crowd until I reached the booth I was looking for.
Pictures of delicious-looking funnel cakes adorned its tall white façade, and a chubby blue earth pony sat just inside. She started a whirlwind of banter as soon as she saw us coming. “Why step right up, little ones! My name's Blueberry, and right here I've got the tip-top, very best funnel cakes in this whole fair – in all of Equestria, some say! We've got your good ol' powdered sugar, but why stop there?” She winked at us. “'Cause we've got strawberries and cream, bananas and chocolate, and even apple cinnamon, made with apples from Sweet Apple Acres. Also the best in Equestria!”
Though I would never dare admit it where Apple Bloom could hear me, I'd tasted more than enough of her family's apples in my lifetime. “I'll take a strawberry one, please.”
“And a banana for me – it's my favourite,” Ruby added in from beside me.
“Sure thing!” She disappeared into the back of the booth for a moment, but soon came back and dropped two little paper plates down on the well-worn counter. “That'll be nine bits, please.”
Nine bits for a couple snacks? I coughed at the exorbitant price.
Ruby, though, just tossed the coins onto the counter and smoothly picked up our cakes with his steady telekinetic grip.
“Showoff,” I jibed.
Ruby laughed and led me through the thick crowd again, carefully weaving his way towards a small cluster of picnic tables tucked away to the side of the path.
We reached the little break area soon enough, and we even found an empty table – a lucky break, given how crowded the spot was.
I sat down next to Ruby, grateful to have found a table, even if it did have a few streaks of mustard on it.
Ruby grinned over at me, and my strawberry and cream funnel cake floated over, setting itself down in front of me. He wasted no time digging into his own, breaking pieces off directly with his magic.
I didn't have nearly good enough fine control over my levitation to attempt that. Instead, I stuck to using the flimsy plastic fork that came with my dish. Someday, maybe, I'd be able to eat the way Ruby was, but for now, I dug in with the fork, breaking off a few pieces of the tangled string of fried dough and making sure that I got plenty of strawberry and whipped cream topping along with it. My funnel cake, I had to admit, tasted wonderful – the sweet and tart strawberries mixed with the rich cream and fluffy cake just perfectly.
“Woah, Scootaloo, you have got to try this!” Apparently, Ruby enjoyed his, too. A bite of his funnel cake floated up in front of me.
Without hesitation, I jumped up and snatched it right out of the air with one chomp. His banana cake was sweeter and smoother, but it didn't have the tart strawberry kick that mine did. “Ooh, try mine!” I said, as soon as I finished the bite.
His eyes closed in bliss as he took a sample of my cake. “I have to admit, Scootaloo, you sure made a perfect choice of where to eat!”
I smiled, swimming in the warm praise. A day this wonderful was the last thing I would have expected just a couple days ago. Now, here I was sharing a great time with a cute colt. Cookie had been right – all I needed to do was to stay open to making new friends where I least expected, and everything would turn out fine.





I stepped off of the swinging ship ride for the fourth time, still just as enthusiastic about it as the first time. It looked pretty simple and dull from a distance, but it was actually really fun, especially the times when we managed to snag a seat at the front or the back. I was just about to run around to the end of the line again when Ruby stopped me.
“It'll be getting dark soon. You want to check out some of the games before we go?”
I stood still, conflicted for a moment, before deciding. “Sure. I don't want to miss out!”
“Well, crack on then – let's go!” He cantered off toward the game boards, smiling back at me as he ran.
I took off in hot pursuit. “So, which one first?”





“Come on, Scootaloo, you can do it!”
I drew my hoof back and squinted my eyes, aiming my last little Cadance dart at the row of moving crystal hearts in front of me. With a grunt, I let fly. The little alicorn-shaped dart flew straight and true – right in between two of the heart-shaped balloons.
Ruby fell silent. I couldn't see or hear it with him behind me, but I was sure he sighed.
I growled in frustration. That was the fourth time so far I'd missed with all three throws! How was that even possible? The only reason I'd come to this booth – it seemed to be modeled after the story of how Shining Armor threw his wife to save the Crystal Empire – was to get one of the little stuffed Spike dolls they gave out as prizes. It would be fun to show the baby dragon a toy of himself when I went back home... Only I couldn't seem to win one! “Ugh! Why does every game in this carnival have to be rigged?”
“Now don't fret there, little feathered filly, and don't despair,” the bright yellow mare manning the booth said, never losing her over-wide smile for even a moment. “I can assure you this humble game of luck and skill is one hundred percent entirely clean and fair!”
I rolled my eyes. Of course the mare in charge would say that.
Ruby stepped up next to me. “Let me have a go at it. I've always been clever with my hooves.”
“You think you can?” I asked as he tossed yet another two bits on the counter.
He just scooped up the Cadance darts the mare handed him and shot me a confident grin. Taking careful aim, he cocked his hoof back, readying for his first throw.
The first dart flew fast and high, sailing clear over the row of balloons.
Ruby winced. “Heh, these buggers fly better than I expected. Don't worry, I'll get the next one – right in the centre!” Without even seeming to aim, he launched the next dart. It shot straight through the center of a heart-shaped balloon; the popping sound echoed from the booth and through the clamor of the crowd behind us.
It was the most beautiful sound I'd heard all day. I jumped over and wrapped my hooves around Ruby, shouting, “You did it! You did it!”
Again, the smile never left the face of the mare behind the counter, not even for a moment. “There you go! What a throw! Straight and true – that means a prize for you!” She swept one of the little Spike dolls down off the wall next to her and plopped it onto the counter. “But you don't have to go away”– she looked straight at me –“care for another play?”
“Not today!” I swept up the prize, laughing at my imitation of her rhyme. I turned to Ruby. “It's gonna get dark soon, and I'm hungry after all these games.”
“Yeah!” His eyes looked oddly distant for a moment, but he recovered quickly. “How about some ice cream?”
“Totally! Let's go!” This time I ran ahead, with Ruby barely able to keep up. I skittered back and forth through the thick crowds and used my natural agility to my advantage. “Come on, slowpoke!” I looked back and laughed at how far behind Ruby already was. I did slow my pace just a little though; I didn't want to lose him entirely, after all.





I'd nearly made it through to the front of the line of ponies at the ice cream stand by the time Ruby caught up, wheezing and panting. “Ha... how can you... be... so fast?” he asked, still catching his breath. He looked around at where he was. “Huh... well at least... we don't have to queue for long.”
I laughed. “You don't, anyway, slowpoke.”
Before I could say anything else, the ponies ahead of us in the line walked away, happily carrying ice cream cones. A very big, very round, very white stallion waved us up to the counter. “Ha ha, what can I get for you two littles?” He waved his hoof toward the tall pictorial menu on the yellow wall next to him.
I looked over the different pictures for a moment; it didn't take me long to decide. “Rainbow sherbet, please!”
“Ha ho, good choice! And you, lad?”
Ruby stared at the different pictures for a while longer than I had. “Cherry flavoured,” he decided, finally.
The big stallion moved faster than his bulk suggested, and our two ice cream cones appeared on the counter in short order.
Ruby tossed six bits onto the counter before the rotund stallion even asked for it, once again paying my way.
“Heh he, thank you, good little sir, and enjoy!”
As we stepped away, Ruby holding both of our treats in his magical glow, I could already hear the big stallion welcoming his next customers; it was hardly a quiet voice, after all.
I couldn't wait to take a bite of mine. “Oh, I think I see an open table over there!” I cried out to Ruby, pointing my hoof. “Come on, let's go!”
“Hm, no. I have someplace a bit more special in mind – follow me!” Ruby took off through the crowd, still holding both ice cream cones.
“Hey! Come back!” I chased after him, steadily gaining on his short red tail as I trailed it through the crowd.
I caught him just as we reached the low wall at the edge of the fairgrounds.
Just as I was about to pounce, he turned towards me and offered me my cone. “Here's your sherbet, Scootaloo. I thought this might be a nice place to stop when I spotted it earlier.”
As I glanced around, I saw he was definitely right. The crowd was thin here, just little isolated groups of ponies wandering around, and between two show tents that seemed to already be closed for the evening, a stone bench waited with a big rose bush behind it in full bloom. “Wow,” I said, “this is a nice place.”
“Well come on, then. Let's not give our ice cream time to melt!” Ruby hurried over to the bench and took a seat.
I grabbed my cone out of his hooves as soon as I sat down next to him, and bit into the colorful dessert. The sudden mix of all six flavors lit me up just like I hoped it would, and I sighed in satisfaction, dropping the little Spike doll down next to me and settling in.
As I looked out over the fair, though, I could see the sky already beginning to take on an amber tinge. The day, and our time at the fair, would be coming to an end soon. I took another bite of sherbet, silently wishing it didn't have to end, but then I looked around me.
One by one, the lights of the fair flickered on, the muffled cries and conversations of the ponies around grew more subdued, and the sky developed into a magnificent sunset. I had my ice cream, and I was sitting on a nice isolated bench with a cute, generous colt. No, I didn't want to waste this moment by only thinking about how it would end.
So, I enjoyed it. I watched the slow, colorful sunset, and I savored my even more colorful sherbet. I breathed in the cool evening air and edged maybe just a little too close to the warm colt beside me.
I watched Ruby Shine finish the last of his ice cream cone. I followed suit, enjoying even the last little crunchy bits.
The sun was on its way down now, and the sky edged its way from orange to dark red. We should, perhaps, have been heading back into the fair for a last few minutes. Or maybe even heading back – all the rides' lights were twinkling now. I didn't make any move to get up, though, and neither did Ruby.
“Ruby?” I inched a tiny bit closer.
“Yeah, Scootaloo?”
“Thank you for taking me out like this. It really means a lot to me.”
He chuckled. “It's no big deal, honestly.”
“It's a big deal to me!” I put a hoof on his shoulder. “Because, well, ever since I lost my parents, I've been alone way too much.” I looked down at the trampled grass under our feet. “It means a lot to have a real friend.”
Any sign of mirth was gone from his face now. He looked me right in the eyes. “You don't have to be alone.”
My breath was taken away, and I didn't know what to say. Without even realizing it, I leaned in a little closer.
He slowly leaned in, too, leaving only the tiniest gap between our faces.
My heart raced as I realized what was happening, and I could hardly breathe. I couldn't believe I was about to get my very first kiss! I closed my eyes and edged even further toward Ruby, closing the gap. I leaned in further, nervous anticipation burning inside me for the moment of contact, but still I wasn't quite there. I couldn't take the tension anymore. I thrust myself forward to close the rest of the gap.
The contact I had been waiting for never came. Off balance and confused, I flailed my hooves in the air for a moment before crashing into the cold stone of the bench. Before I could even come to terms with what happened, I slipped from my awkward perch and flopped down hard on the sparse grass below.
Ruby's laughter cut through me more cruelly than the impact with the bench had. “Did you see that, River? She totally thought I was going to snog her! You were right – she does fancy me!”





My heart froze into a solid block of ice when I looked up from my spot on the ground to see River Star and Lilly Pearl trotting out from behind the rosebush with big smiles on their faces.
Pearl let out a sharp, cackling laugh. “And did you see the way she fell flat on her face?”
“I know, right?” River joined in with a derisive chuckle. “I knew my plan was good, but I didn't expect it to be that good!” She gave Ruby a peck on the cheek. “Nice job. You're officially off the hook.”
I turned and looked over to Ruby, letting all the pain of betrayal show in my eyes. “Plan?”
He laughed again, slicing my heart. “Of course. You didn't really think that I would be interested in a little chav like you, did you? It was River Star who came up with the idea to see just how thick and gullible you really were... By the way, thanks for the spending money, River.”
My eyes wavered as I looked back and forth between all the cruel, mocking faces around me, but I forced the tears back, fighting them off. I had to be strong. I couldn't give them that satisfaction. I stood up, trembling but strong, and I wiped the dust and grass from my face. I wanted to face them down, to tell them what kind of monsters they were, but I didn't dare say anything for the fear that I'd lose control and end up sobbing in front of them.
After a moment of silently staring down their laughter, my legs trembling with rage and heartbreak, I did the only thing left to me. I turned and ran, leaving my tormentors behind me and leaving the little stuffed Spike doll forgotten on the stone bench.





I ran through the fairground crowds, jostling and crashing through the other ponies thanks to my blurry eyes. I didn't care about any of it anymore. All the bright, colored lights and cheerful voices around me just emphasized how truly alone I was. None of them noticed my pain, and not one of them cared to ask me what was wrong.
As I neared the entrance, I spotted Night Whisper sitting alone on another stone bench. How long had she been there? She reached out to me as I ran by, but I didn't stop. I couldn't stop, not here. I couldn't stop until this carnival and all the tainted memories in it were far behind me.