A black alicorn filly is woken up by the sound of thunder. “Huh? Wha?” she is startled awake. She yawns and gets out of bed. She goes over to the window and sees that it is pouring down rain. “Aww, man! We were supposed to go skydiving today!”
“Nyx are you awake?” A voice calls.
“Yeah, I’m up!” The filly calls back. She runs down the stairs and skids to a stop in the kitchen. “Mmmm, pancakes!” She licks her lips.
“I made them with blueberries, just the way you like them,” a light violet alicorn says.
“Thanks Mom,” Nyx says.
All of a sudden they hear a huge crash. Abandoning their breakfast, they race to the main part of the library. When they enter, they see that the door has been turned into splinters, and three fillies are piled in a heap.
“Uhhhhggg....” The fillies groan and tumble off of each other.
“Hi guys!” Nyx cries.
“Hi, Nyx,” the orange Pegasus filly says.
“What happened?” Nyx asks her.
“Well, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle wanted a ride here, so I towed them behind me in the old wagon, but I tried to stop too late and we crashed through the door,” the orange filly chuckles, clearly embarrassed.
“It’s okay, Scoots, everypony makes mistakes,” Nyx says.
“Ah’l fix the door fer ya, Twiligh’,” the yellow filly offers.
“Uh, no thanks Applebloom,” Twilight says, “I’ll have your brother do it later.”
“But Twiligh, mah special talent is fixin’ stuff,” Applebloom tells her.
“I know, Applebloom, but what about the other Crusaders? You want to help them get their cutie marks, right?” Twilight looks at her.
“Yeah, remember, the other Cutie Mark Crusaders are already at the club house,” Sweetie Belle says.
“Aw, Ah fergot ‘bout dat,” Applebloom says.
※ ※ ※
Nyx follows Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo into the club house. She looks around and sees that everypony is there already. She sees Flitter, Pipsqueak, Hawkeye, Willow, Zavier, Twist, Dinky, Rumble, Ziggy, Zixon, Moonbeam, and Rocky. Flitter is a changeling; Pipsqueak, Applebloom, and Twist are Earth-Ponies; Hawkeye is a Gryphon; Willow and Moonbeam are Thestrals; Zavier, Zixon, and Ziggy are Zebras; Dinky and Sweetie Belle are Unicorns; Rumble, Firework, and Scootaloo are Pegasi; and Rocky is a Diamond-Dog Pup.
Wait… Nyx looks again. Yeah... Where is Firework? “Um… Hey guys, where is Firework?” Nyx asks.
“Oh…um… She wanted to go to the Everfree forest, but we didn’t,” Rumble says.
“Yeah,” Dinky agrees, “She said she would go without us, then.”
“Oh, no!” Sweetie Belle cries.
“‘Oh, no’ is right,” Scootaloo says, “We've gotta find her!”
“CUTIE MARK CRUSADER RESCUERS!” they all cry.
※ ※ ※
They all stood outside the Everfree forest. “Do ya think it’s safe?” Scootaloo asks. “Of course it is safe; just stay on the path way,” Zixon says. “We do live here, after all; Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall,” Zavier says, agreeing with his sister. “O-okay if you say so…” Scootaloo says.
※ ※ ※
Firework trots along the trail in the Everfree forest. This place ain't scary at all, the rest of the Crusaders are just too chicken. She smiles; this place is really pretty in its own way. She jumps as a twig cracks.
“Hey, who’s following me?” she snaps. Her eyes widen and she steps back; two eyes are peering out from the shadows. “Who are you?” Firework asks.
“I’m Mixup,” the eyes say.
It sounds like a filly. “Mixed up about what?” Firework asks.
“No,” the eyes giggle, “My name is Mixup.”
Firework thinks for a moment, and then asks, “Why are you named Mixup?”
Mixup looks down and takes a deep breath. “Why don’t I just show you,” she says.
“Um...okay,” Firework says slowly.
“Okay, but you gotta promise not to scream or run away,” Mixup tells her.
“Um…okay?” Firework says. Why would I do either of those things?
“Okay…” Mixup says. She steps out of the shadows. Firework can’t help it, she screams.
※ ※ ※
The Cutie Mark Crusaders walk through the Everfree forest.
“Oh, we’ll never find Firework,” Rocky whines.
“Yeah, she could be anywhere,” Moonbeam says.
Nyx goes over to them. “Do you think that we would give up looking for you?” she asks.
“Well, no,” Rocky admits, “but Moonbeam is right, Firework could—” He is cut off by a scream.
“That sounds like Firework!” Sweetie Belle cries.
“Let’s go find her!” Nyx shouts as she runs off.
They run in the direction the scream came from, but skid to a stop as something bolts past them.
“What was that?!” Scootaloo cries. Everypony turns to look at Moonbeam and Willow.
“It wasn't Firework, but I’m pretty sure it was frightened off by her scream,” Moonbeam says. As if on cue, Firework comes into view.
“Wait, I-I didn't mean to!” she shouts.
“Firework!” Scootaloo calls to her.
Firework looks over. “Oh, hi,” she says, “I thought you guys were too scared to come.”
Rumble looks down. “Well, we didn't want to, but we couldn't let you be here alone,” he admitted.
“Yeah, and we heard you scream,” Nyx says, “What happened?”
Firework looks down at the ground. “I screamed because I was startled, not because I was scared or hurt,” she says guiltily.
“What startled you?” Hawkeye asks.
“Well, I don’t know what it’s called,” Firework admitted, “but I know what it was.”
Nyx thinks for a moment. “Did it run off after you screamed?”
Firework nods and says, “It ran this way and I tried to catch up, but then you guys stopped me.” Moonbeam looks in the direction the thing they saw earlier disappeared.
“Well, if it came this way,” Applebloom says, “Le’s go an’ find it!” With Moonbeam and Willow leading the way, they all chased after the creature that had run past them earlier.
※ ※ ※
Mixup curls up into a ball.
“Oh, I knew she would be afraid of me,” she sighs. “All of my life, everywhere I go, I find nopony who is even a little bit like me. I’m just…just a freak.” Mixup drifts off to sleep only to jolt awake at the sound of voices.
“It’s gotta be here somewhere,” says one voice, Mixup recognizes it as the filly who screamed because of her.
“Ah jus’ know it ran pas us back where we met up with you,” says somepony else.
“I think thith ith a lothd cauth, I mean, I think we would haf found id by now if id wend thith way,” says another voice.
“I agree with Twist,” A third unknown voice says, “If it came this way, we should have found it, I think it went somewhere else.”
Somepony sighs. “What Dinky says, it seems to be true; we may not find, what ran past you.”
“Zixon, I know we might not find the thing that startled me, I just hope we can…I want to apologies.” the filly she met sighs.
Huh? She said she wants to apologies, does that mean she wasn't scared? Mixup creeps out from her hiding spot and watches the group of walk past. What are those? I know there are fillies and colts, but there are others, too… She notices that one looks like a giant bug crossed with a pony, one is a gryphon, two are Thestrals, and three look like ponies with stripes. Then there is an odd one that she has no idea what it is.
Mixup crawls out of her hiding spot and runs after the group, only to crash head-first into a tree.
“Ow!” she yelps, rubbing her head with her paw.
※ ※ ※
Willow looks around; they have made a complete circle, and found nothing.
“Okay,” he says, “I think it’s safe to say, we—”
“Ow!” A voice yelps.
“Who was that?” Sweetie Belle asks.
“Ah dun’ know,” Applebloom says quietly, “but it came from behind us.” They all turn to see who had cried out, and see a shadow.
“Mixup?” Firework calls out, “Is that you?”
The shadow moves, and they can clearly see two violet eyes.
“I-I…Yes, It’s me,” The shadow says.
“Look, I wanted to apologies for freaking out about you before,” Firework says, moving toward Mixup, “I just didn't expect, well, you.”
“Wha’ is she talkin’ ‘bout?” Applebloom asks Nyx.
“I don’t know, but whatever she’s talking about,” Nyx whispers, “I think we’re about to find out! Look!” Nyx points to where Firework had been talking to the shadow, who they now know is named Mixup. Firework was busy trying to coax her out of the shadows.
Mixup is walking as slowly as she could, the filly she had met before was walking next to her.
“Hey,” Mixup says, “I never caught your name.”
The orange filly stops. “Huh, I guess I never did introduce myself. My name’s Firework; and I am Scootaloo’s half-sister.”
Mixup thinks about this; then looks at the group in front of them. “Is Scootaloo the orange filly with the magenta mane?” Mixup asks.
“Yup, and she is the bestest sister in all of Equestria!” Firework grins.
“Well, you two could be twins,” Mixup notes.
“Yup, and other than our cutie marks,” Firework motions to her blank flank, “We would be!”
“Come on!” Rocky yips, “I don’t wanna be here longer than I have to!”
Firework zooms over to him. “You're gonna be here as long as it takes for Mixup to come out of her shell!” she snaps, narrowing her eyes at him.
“Okay, okay, easy Firework, I didn't mean it, heh, heh…” he laughed nervously. Firework glares at him and flies back over to Mixup.
“It’s okay, Mixup,” Firework tells her, “Rocky may be grumpy, but he wouldn't even hurt a Parasprite.”
Mixup nods and slowly steps out of the shadows. “H-hi, please don’t be scared, I won’t hurt you,” she says timidly.
Flitter buzzes over to Mixup. “I see why they call you ‘Mixup’,” she says plainly, “You really are ‘mixed up’.”
Scootaloo stares at Mixup. ‘Well, I don’t know what it’s called, but I know what it was.’ Well, of course she knows what Mixup is; she recognizes Mixup’s likeness to Discord! Mixup—is a Draconicus!