Chapter 2
Testing
The next morning, Spark was looking all over for Inn. Inn would sometimes hide, or just sleep in odd places. He would have to track her down. An annoying game of hide and seek, with only one willing participant. “Inn, Inn dear where are you?” her dad called, not expecting and answer, or if there was, not a loud one. “Inn Cog Neato, if you do not show yourself this minute I will ground you!” he huffed, getting tired of trying find her for the past half hour or so.
Spark made his way to the attic, it was rare for him to find her here, but you never know. The little white pony was sad so often that it was hard to tell if there was anything new bothering her. Depression for her was as common as a pony having a cutie mark. Increases in this depression were not easy to see, as the correlation of her going to the attic when she felt her worse was the only indication.
Sure enough, Spark found her in the attic, curled into a ball sleeping in the corner. “Inn, time to get up. Food!” he said trying to get her to wake up. She climbed hesitantly to her hooves and looked around in confusion. Her eyes came into focus as she remembered what happened last night. She darted up, huffing, and looked around frantically. Spark stared at her for a little bit. Eventually he said, “Don’t worry honey, it was just a dream. Come on, some breakfast will make it all better.”
Inn could not feel the mane anymore, so maybe it was all a dream. Her dad would have reacted if she had had a mane. There may not even be a Feather. But... why was she in the attic?
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When Inn entered the kitchen to see what was being made for breakfast, she could hear her parents talking.
“She seemed spooked, not at all like normal. Do you think that there is any way that Feather could have done something?” asked Spark in a low whisper.
“Well, she seemed so nice. Then again, she also seemed to take a liking to Inn quite fast.”
“That could be her nice character, or something sinister, dear,” Spark quickly replied to Chrysanthemum’s thoughts.
“That could be said about Inn this morning too.”
They stood there for a few minutes thinking.
“Perhaps we should just watch their reactions, it should help at least a little,” Chrysanthemum said.
“I agree, we should try and keep them apart though. We don’t want any funny business.”
The two continued to whisper, not noticing the little filly walk past them. So it wasn’t a dream after all? So did Feather have her mane back? Had she even lost it in the first place? Only one way to find out. Inn walked into the dining room, and saw Feather. All of Feather. This was good but still confusing. All it did was bring up more fears in the little filly’s mind of what had happened last night.
Slowly Inn took a seat, getting ready for breakfast. Feather looked at Inn with happy anxious eyes. This was another attempt to bring a smile to Inn’s face. Feather had been sitting at the end of the table. Inn selected a chair that was as far away from Feather as Possible. It was like a dart through Feather’s heart. This was a sign that Inn did not trust the mare, and it would be that much harder to make the little filly smile.
The Neatos were shocked to see that their daughter was already at the table, the had not even heard her come down the stairs. The look of utter fear was gone from Inn’s face, replaced instead with a more normal level of fear and sadness. All though they hated the feelings that Inn felt all the time, it was nice to see her back to normal. On the other end of things, was a very happy looking Feather. She may have just been a happy pony, or there was something going on. The parents were still unnerved by this.
Spark and Chrysanthemum entered, accompanied by several serving plates that glowed slightly as they floated, held aloft by the two unicorns' magic . Seating themselves on either side of Feather.
As they began to eat, Feather asks, “So little pony, What were you doing last night? You were making quite a bit of noise. I began to think that you where getting scared of the dark, and was about to come and help you. But then I heard you dart off. Zoom!” She gestues the last bit with her food on the fork.
Fearing to say the truth, Inn fibs, “Yes, I-I-I got scared of, the d-d-dark.” Spark and chrysanthemum looked at each other. Since when was Inn afraid of the dark?
Feather swallows her next bite. She laughs kindly in response. “Ah, I should have helped you back there. Sorry sweetie.”
“I-i-it’s okay. I made it,” Inn said quickly.
With some of that laugh in her voice still, “Well, did you get back quickly? It may have been a bit less dark outside, but it was still pretty dark.”
“Yes, when did you get back?” chrysanthemum asked.
The smile on Feather’s face dimmed greatly. “You don’t pay attention to your filly?” her tone becoming more serious.
Everypony looked at Feather.
“It is hard to keep an eye on her. She always sneaks in or out. And last night she did not use the front door, or at least not that we could see.” Spark said with a calm but saddened voice.
“That's Right, and last night, she did not even sleep in her bed. Spark found her in the attic. She will do that Sometimes,” Chrysanthemum had the same tone as her husband.
Feather was confused, was it the parents or the child that was not being a good family member? Her face reflected this confusion, and there was silence at the table. Inn just sat there eating. The whole time, just eating. After she finished her plate she finally spoke, braking the awkward silence. “Ah, ah, ah, thanks for the food. And... and... do you think that me and... Ms. Feather can go to... her room when she is done?” Inn said with an unusual amount of confidence, but without lifting her head. The other three just looked at each other in amazement.
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The two ponies get to room 213, Feather’s room. With Feather in the lead this time, Inn had noticed the wings that where on Feather’s back. It was more common to find Earth ponies in Trottingham, but there are some pegasi and Unicorns in town. The only Unicorns that Inn had seen, were her mom and dad.
The wings where tucked in, and did not seem all that great, but if they where anything like her eyes, mane and tail, they would be a splendid sight. The little filly now wished to see the wings. Her curiosity was getting the best of her. Once inside, there was silence.
“Did you want to ask me something little pony?” asked Feather. Breaking the silence.
“Ya, ha... ya, but um, I got a new question to, ask first. I just, n-n-n-noticed that you are a pegasus, so, ah, can I see your wings? I don’t see to many pegasususes. p-pegasi. pegasisters?”
This got Feather’s attention. She wanted to see her wings, and that wasn't all. This was a new question, so Inn had only just noticed the big wings on her back. “It's pegasi, Little Pony, and it’s no problem.”
The wings opened, and Feather saw something change. A different expression on Inn’s face, something that did not involve fear or sadness. Amazement.
It was not a smile, but was something. It was enough to make Feather happy, her smile grew. But then, “How fast can you fly? Do you do most of your traveling in the air? How long can you fly?” bounced the little white filly, with no stuttering or pausing... and with a a great big smile on her face.
Feather was overjoyed by this, she quickly went to hug the filly catching her mid bounce. “Oh, little filly, I’m so glad to see you smile! You seemed so sad and frightened that I had just wanted to see you smile once. I could not just let you sulk and shake, you needed to smile too. I’ll answer you other questions later, but what did you want to ask before those came to mind?” asked Feather, as she set the filly down.
Inn’s enthusiasm quickly vanished, being replaced by fear. Feather began to think that the way Inn was speaking, with such 'courage,' was just the best she could do to act strong. This must be serious. “Ah, ya, I ah, wanted, to ask, you some, thing...” started Inn.
Feather replied with an encouraging smile, “Yes, I know. It’s okay, I won't be upset.” Inn was having a hard time looking at Feather, she tried, but just ended up looking at the floor again.
“Ah, ah, ya, okay. I, ah, I, ah, was wondering, did you, loose, some, thing, last, night?” Inn asked haltingly. She was barley able to ask, her frightened nature trying to stop her, but a little voice told her to go on and say it.
The question seemed to confuse Feather. Lose what, and how would Inn know of something had been lost? “No dear, not that I am aware of.”
Inn was relieved to hear this, she was still scared but not nearly as much as before. “So-so-so it was all, a dream? You didn’t loose your... mane?”
Feather was taken aback by the question. Lose her mane? She has her mane. Quickly the mare regained her composure and answered with a chuckle, “Yes, it was all a dream. See, I have my mane right here.” Feather began bouncing her mane with one of her hooves.
The little filly swiftly added, “Towards the end of the dream, you got you mane back,”
This was a big deal to Inn, but not to Feather. It was all just a dream, and a little filly was just scared. “Well if I got it back, then it is okay with me!” said Feather with a great big smile.
“O-okay. If, you say so,” said Inn, with little confidence.
“Do you want to know how fast I can fly now!?” asked Feather, with a happy eager tone. A big smile and bouncing was the answer from Inn.
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The little Inn believed that the truth was said from Feather about the vanishing mane, but she was not certain. So to try and test if she can get her mane without making Feather’s mane going away, Inn sat waiting at the attic window, mirror at hoof, until Feather appeared to be alone.
A moment came, and the little pony did the only thing she could thing of... think back to last night, in as much detail as possible. She remembered that it was very dark. And even though her coat did have a nice brilliant shine, The low light from the windows cast creepy shadows on the... everything, which made the vibrant blue look scary to Inn. The legs look so long, but that might just be due to the height difference.
WAIT! This is all suppose to be about the mane, but thinking of EVERY LAST DETAIL. Inn tried to change her train of thought to just the mane. How red and shiny it was. Even looking at it right now, in the sunlight, the wind blowing through it, it shines bright, giving it a nice bright red hue..
“Eek,” Inn winced. She felt it. The tingling feeling on her neck. A mane. She goes to look down, only to be confused. It seems like the mirror has moved. Gotten lower, but it can’t of gotten lower than the floor. As she pays attention to her reflection, and sees a blue coated filly with long legs and red mane staring back at her. Quickly she looks back at Feather. She is all there. And again looks into the mirror, only to see a bizarre mix of the herself and the pegasus. Pegasus, pegasus, that’s right! Wings and a tail, does she have those?
A quick look, followed by disappointment. No wings, no tail. Not even Feather’s cutie mark.
Now what?
How does she go back?