//------------------------------// // Proper Impressions // Story: At Face Value // by Doctor D //------------------------------// “Hello there...” Twilight Sparkle sprung up with a gasp. She blinked and saw she was in her bed, in her home. A feeling of ease swept over her as she sank back into her bed. ‘Was… that just a dream? Funny, it felt so real.’ Twilight thought with a sigh. It was a strange dream, if it really was such. But what else could it be? She woke up in her bed for Celestia’s sake. ‘... Wait, isn’t the sun up high? Why am I in bed at-’ “Hi! You’re awake?” “Gah!” Twilight yelped as she fell off her bed. Then she got a face full of pink. “Gosh, you sure gave us a scare, miss Twilight.” Said a filly so pink it should be criminal. Kind of like in her dream. Exactly like in her dream. “... Coral?” Twilight asked from the floor. “Eeyup! That’s my name. Glad you remembered.” Coral said with a bright smile as Twilight got her bearings and stood up to face the filly standing on her bed. “Don’t sneak up on ponies like that!” Twilight berated the filly as she got her heart rate under control. Coral just giggled and blew a playful raspberry at Twilight. Then steps came from downstairs. “Come now, Coral. Don’t bother our host like that.” Twilight’s hairs stood up as a chill ran all over her body. That was the voice! The shaky whisper from her dream. “Aww, but it’s funny.” Coral shouted back as the steps got closer to the door. Twilight felt herself grow more tense. “That’s no excuse to play pranks on others.” The voice said as the door slowly creaked open. Halfway in stepped an exceptionally tall stallion with a grey coat and black mane. And that wide psychotic smirk and those eerie eyes. Just like in Twilight’s “dream”, this made Twilight’s blood run cold. “Oh, you are awake… Good.” The Stallion spoke and laughed unnervingly. Coral jumped off the bed and looked at the stallion. “Big bro, you took too long.” She said with a pouty look on her face. “Sorry, sorry.” The stallion said with another unnerving laugh. Then he looked at Twilight. “I apologise for the intrusion, but the door was unlocked so we just helped ourselves in… Umm...” He paused for a moment. “Why are you hiding behind the bed?” “No reason! Nope, none.” Twilight said quickly, indeed quivering behind the bed with only the top half of her head visible. “Hey, you still got a towel on your head!” Coral exclaimed “Oh? Sorry, I didn’t notice.” The stallion said, a bit surprised as he reached to take it off. “I hope you don’t mind that I helped myself to your shower.” Twilight was confused. This stallion was acting so polite and yet he looked so… so… Then something clicked in Twilight’s head. ‘Oh by Celestia, Twilight, you are reliving the Zecora scenario again.’ Twilight though as she composed herself. She stood up and walked a bit closer to the stallion. “Big bro, isn’t now the time for, you know...” Coral nudged her big brother with her hoof. He briefly looked down and then back at Twilight. “Oh, yes. Right.” He coughed into his hoof softly. “Sorry, I’ve forgotten to introduce ourselves properly. First, this is Coral, my baby sister.” He gestured at the filly by his side. “Hey, I’m not a baby!” Coral exclaimed and bucked the stallion’s foreleg a bit. He just laughed. “Sorry, sorry.” He coughed again and places his hoof on his chest. “And I am Grimdark Smiles, her older brother.” Her extended his slender hoof in Twilight’s direction. “It’s a… pleasure to meet you, miss Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight remembered the words in Shining Armor’s letter as she reached for Smiles’ hoof. You will know him when you see him. Smiles is… quite something. That’s all I’m going to say. Don’t want to ruin the surprise! ‘He knew! Why didn’the tell me?’ Twilight thought as her shaking hoof grabbed Smiles’. She was trying her hardest to look him in the face with a forced smile. He just kept smiling unnervingly. ‘Why couldn’t he tell me he was this scary!?’ Smiles just… smiled and shook Twilight’s hoof most politely. “No need to be so timid. I promise,” He laughed unnervingly. “I won’t bite.” Twilight did not scream, thank Celestia for that. She’d swear that sounded more like a threat than was most likely intended. However, Coral caught onto her nervous demeanor. “Big bro, she thinks you’re creepy.” She stated casually. Smiles immediately recoiled backwards in shock. “Y-you do? I- was it the bite joke? I’m sorry, so terribly sorry!” He muttered quickly while bowing his head down apologetically again and again. Twilight was just confused. One moment this stallion was the most scary thing she had ever seen and now he was more apologetic than Fluttershy. While Smile’s kept chanting ‘I’m sorry’, Coral spoke to Twilight. “Say it’s fine or he’ll miss dinner.” Twilight blinked and shook her head to clear her mind. “Uhh, yes. It’s okay… Smiles.” Smiles stopped chanting with his head lowered. He then looked up, his still wet mane hanging over his face, making him look even scarier than before. “Really?” He asked almost maliciously. Twilight gulped, doing all she could to mask how much in fear she was in. She put on the most horribly disguised fake grin. “Y-yes. All is perfectly fine!” Smiles stood up straight and sighed in relief. “Thank goodness! For a moment I thought I had done something improper.” He laughed a bit. “Shining would have my head if I did.” Twilight snapped out of her panic for a moment. “Oh yeah, Shiny mentioned you two were friends.” She said to herself. “Oh, yes. Shining and me go way back.” Smiles said. “We first met when we were first years in Canterlot High School.” He chuckled ominously. “Whenever I tried to say hi to him he had to go to the bathroom suddenly.” ‘Gee, I wonder why.’ Twilight snarked internally. “Shining was so funny back then.” Smiles said with a short laugh before turning to Coral. “Stay here with miss Twilight, okay? I’ll have to go tidy up a bit.” Coral saluted with a serious look. With a nod Smiles headed back downstairs. Twilight let out a breath she had been holding for a bit. Coral hopped up to her and looked up “Don’t worry. This happens all the time.” “I’m willing to believe that.” Twilight sighed before thinking out loud. “Can’t believe the first time I meet my brother’s friend was in jail.” “Yeah, that’s kind of a bummer to deal with.” Coral said casually and before Twilight could ask what she meant by that the filly just continued. “So, where do we sleep?” “... What?” Twilight asked hesitantly. Coral frowned. “Big bro said we’d stay here for a bit.” Twilight blinked as her gears turned, her expression turning into a panicked one. “... Oh gosh, I totally forgot! I haven’t organized the guest room, because I didn’t know when you were coming and kept putting it off!” She started pacing about rapidly around the room like a panicked rabbit. Coral just watched Twilight’s neurotics with a neutral expression. Twilight darted through the door. “I need to go, need to make some room and then clean up- oof!” Twilight crashed into something, sending both her and whatever she crashed into barreling down the stairs. She instinctively shut her eyes tight, but she noted how oddly painless the way down was. Finally hitting the floor of the lower floor, Twilight could feel her fall being cushioned. She opened her eyes as they were met with two wide open ones. The familiar eyes that sent shivers down her spine. “Hello.” Smiles said casually despite being under Twilight in a very embarrassing position, with both of their faces almost touching. Twilight in response quickly hopped off of him and backed off a few paces, just a bit too scared to blush. “I-I’m sorry, are y-you-” Twilight stuttered, partly flustered and partly frightened but was cut off. “I’m fine, miss Twilight.” Smiles stated. He stood up and dusted himself, looking none the worse for wear. “I’m sorry for bumping into you like that. I wasn’t really paying attention. My apologies.” Twilight raised a brow. Why was he apologizing when it was she that crashed into him? He seemed very sincere about it, even if his face never changed from that unbelievably frightening look. Smiles continued. “I also couldn’t help but overhear that the guest room isn’t tidied up, yes?” Twilight tried not to look at his face too much to keep a normal composure. “Well, yes. I… had neglected to do that because...” It did not help. Twilight could feel those eyes drilling into her, unblinking. “Because you didn’t know exactly when we would arrive. I heard.” Smiles cut in with a chuckle. “Shining never was one for specifics. Now, where is the guest room?” Twilight tensed up at the question and straightened her posture hastily. “Oh, uh, yes. I’ll go clear that out for you immediat-” She stopped suddenly as Smiles chuckled grimly. “You don’t need to fret so much, miss Twilight.” Smiles said, walking closer to the purple unicorn and placing a hoof on her shoulder, something that made her even tenser than before. But all that began to face as Smiles spoke up again. “I simply wished to know where it was so I could help you clean up. I mean, if you don’t mind.” The librarian could not help but think, and this time really think. She looked at Smiles’ face. Despite how unnaturally frightening he seemed and despite how creepy his way of speech was, behind those words he said were something she recognized. Kindness, something that made her think of her friend Fluttershy. She had noticed it before but only now was her brain really drawing parallels between this stallion and Fluttershy. It sort of made him look a bit less frightening in her eyes. ‘This pony really is nice, isn’t he?’ She though… Still, that face was just surreal. “Uhh… miss Twilight?” Smiles said sounding a bit embarrassed. “Why’re you looking at my big bro so intently? Do you like him?” Coral commented innocently, at some time walking between the two. Twilight, broken out of her thoughts, blushed a bit at the filly’s implication. She must have spaced out while thinking. “Huh? Umm, no!” She spoke before coughing into her hoof to change the subject. “The, uhh, guest room is over there.” She pointed at the door on the other side of the lower floor. “Alright. Thank you.” Smiles walked to the door and began to open it. It was then when Twilight remembered one important detail. “Wait, don’t open-” A loud crash ensued as all sorts of trash poured out from the door, completely engulfing Smiles. Twilight gasped loudly while Coral just looked at the whole thing with peculiar calm and neutrality. Twilight soon let out a sigh of relief as Smiles’ head popped out of the mess. “Hmm… I see what you meant by it needing to be tidied up.” He said calmly as if getting drowned in trash wasn’t a big deal. Smiles then casually dredged out of the trash heap easily and turned back to look at it. “There’s a lot here.” Twilight groaned internally about having forgotten that the guest room was where he stored all his useless things. Still, she was glad Smiles seemed okay. “Well, this isn’t going to clean itself.” Smiles said as he began sifting through the trash. “Miss Twilight, help me with this, please? Oh, and you too Coral.” “Yes, sir!” Coral saluted and got to work. Twilight just looked at the two siblings, so unnervingly different yet so close working together. She smiled before helping out herself. Maybe this wasn’t going to be as bad as she had feared. Twilight collapsed on her bed. The trio had spent the entire day clearing the guest room from junk. Twilight was actually a bit shocked to find a few of some books of hers that went missing ages ago. She was going to have a word with her assistant about this! The room was… smaller than Twilight had remembered. The only guest bed was small. Smiles had been very insistent that Coral take it. He slept on the floor. Twilight would expect that sort of minimal martyrdom from Fluttershy. The more she thought about, the more Smiles reminded her of her friend. It was like that cleaning was a good bonding moment, in a way. Twilight had gotten a better grasp with the two siblings. Coral was a filly full of energy and seemed really mature for her age. Smiles was, despite Twilight’s initial reaction, a really nice pony when you got over the fact he looks like a psychopath killer. ‘... Wow, this really is the Zecora scenario all over again… only a hundred times worse.’ Twilight confirmed her realization. She sighed, leaving the thinking for tomorrow. She pulled up the covers and thought of happy things. … … … “Hello there...” Twilight half whimpered, half groaned. How could she possibly sleep when images of his face keep popping up!? … This was going to be a long night.