"Please come out, please...!" Frost asked shyly as the six ponies continued looking for The Terror.
"She couldn't have run off. It just doesn't feel right... This is too random." Tacitus concluded.
"Then, what did happen?" Thunder asked the other unicorn.
"I'm not entirely sure, but I do theorize that she might've done something with our friends that went into the mirror." He sighed.
"But, I already said- nothing's happened to the mirror since they went in. Wouldn't she need to, eh, I dunno... Get inside of it, or at least have it in her hooves or magic to at least control it?" Shadow stated.
"You do bring up a rather interesting point." Tacitus replied.
The windows were still hidden by the dark curtains Mocha had placed for Nightmare Night. Daffodil took a curtain in one of her hooves, and pulled it open on one side. The sky was black, and the Nightmare Nighters had gone to sleep. The moon was high in the sky, and stars shined. Daffodil turned back to the group. Her eyes looked up at the wall clock, and she said, "It just occurred to me, that we have been up... All night. Look, even though it's dim in here, we can see- our eyes have adjusted. And, not to mention- it's a little past three a.m. already."
"Whoa, cool! I didn't realize it either!" Charming Thunder exclaimed, smiling.
"Yeeeeeah! Nightmare-Night-All-Nighter!" Breeze shouted, flying into the air with her hooves above her head. Grabbing two blue Pompoms from out of nowhere, she began to wave them around.
Rolling his eyes, Thunder grabbed her tail with his magic and pulled her down.
"This is bad... The sun is going to rise at, what- six? That gives us three hours!" Tacitus said.
"Let's all just-" Frost began.
"Our friends are gone, The Terror is missing- what's next? Eternal night? Did Nightmare Moon come back, even after her reformation?!" Tacitus panicked.
"Calm down there, professor- Let's just take this one step at a time, ok? One small trot after the other." Daffodil smiled, "That first trot is to stay calm. We could all use that one."
Looking around her, Daffodil noticed everypony was following her idea. She continued, "The next little trot, little step- it's to listen to our leader. Eclipse put Frost in charge, so let's listen to her. In a way, we're all leaders. But for right now, let's get organized and listen to Frost."
"Well... I was going to suggest earlier, that we all just focus on finding The Terror. That's all we can do- we can't go in the mirror, and we can't get our friends out of it. The only way to fix things right is if we find the one that put them in there." With that, the group of friends began searching again.
The Terror peeked up from behind the sofa. Sitting in the middle of the room, she hadn't moved. Her whole body was transparent, and she altered herself to not be physical, therefore causing her to become a complete ghost; the ponies walked through her unknowingly. She looked down at the ground sadly. She looked back up, and glanced over to the mirror. "What did I do...?" She thought.
Suddenly, the mirror began to glow green. "W-whoa!" Shadow exclaimed. Out of fright and surprise, he dropped it onto the ground. His five friends gathered around and looked at the mirror. Scurrying to pick it back up, Shadow held it in his grasp tightly. A blinding white light began to emerge out of the mirror, and was quickly filling the room.
However, seconds later, the room was dark again. Everypony was quiet. Then, in the center of the room, a dim yellow light began to shine. The yellow light came from Vanilla Mocha's horn. As her magic got brighter, Tacitus and Thunder began to glow their blue lights as well.
Surrounding Mocha was Paradise, Galaxy, Garfield, Eclipse, and Quillton. Daffodil ran to turn on the lights, and the magical light calmed down. Everypony smiled widely, glad that they were reunited. "Thunder!" Galaxy exclaimed, running over to the unicorn.
"Hey there, Paradise!" Tacitus smiled softly.
"Hello, Frost, and Daffodil, and Breeze- dearies." Quillton said.
"Welcome back, Eclipse!" Shadow greeted.
"Hello, food!" Garfield exclaimed, running into the kitchen.
"Mocha!" Daffodil shouted, smiling. Vanilla smiled back, and trotted up to hug her. Before the group knew it, they were all hugging.
"This is weird." Breeze said after a few moments of hugs.
"Agreed." Quillton added.
The friends let go, and stepped back. "Mocha... How exactly did you manage to get us out?" Galaxy asked his 'sister'.
"I took lessons at Magic School. I learned one about overriding dark magic, and another about teleporting home. I used both at the same time... But, it... Feels weird right now." She sat down, putting her hoof to her head.
"That was a lot of magic, sweetie. You probably just have a headache now." Eclipse said as he sat down next to her.
"Maybe..." Vanilla replied.
The Terror couldn't take it any longer. She turned back into a physical, visible pony. Hiding behind the sofa, she peeked over to continue to spy on the twelve friends.
Paradise Oasis glanced over, and noticed The Terror. Trotting up to her, The Terror ducked... As if she was scared. Paradise forced a small smile, and extended her hoof. The Terror sat up, and then Paradise wrapped her hooves around her in a hug. "Thanks for letting us get Mocha back." She whispered.
The Terror stood there awkwardly. She had never been hugged in her life. "Um... You're welcome?"
Paradise let go and began to walk back to the ground when she stopped and turned back around. Looking back, she noticed that The Terror had sat back down. "Come on, join in the fun. It's all ok now." Oasis smiled.
The Terror looked back up at the pegasus. "Well... Alright." Sighing, she stood up. The two creatures walked back into the center of the room.
The Terror caught sight of Vanilla Mocha, and froze. Gulping, she stepped forward nervously. She tapped Mocha on the shoulder from behind.
Vanilla turned her head to face The Terror. She jumped back a little, scared.
"It's ok, 'Nilla." Paradise said.
"She's changed. And... She's back!" Frost smiled.
"I'm sorry...for doing that... That thing..." The Terror mumbled.
"It's alright, no harm done." Mocha forced a smile. She honestly had no idea what she just said.
"Wait a minute!" Breeze exclaimed. "The Terror- The Terror! Terror tried to trap Mocha into being her slave, she sent us on a journey into a volcano with a hot- I mean crazy tour guide- for a gem that served nopony any purpose at all-"
"Eclipse broke the mirror with it," Garfield interjected.
"Yeah, that- and then she throws half of our friends into the mirror- then disappears, and wants to come back and be redeemed?!" The bat mare continued.
"You... Do have a few points." Frost said quietly.
"She's a Changeling! I don't care how sad her story is- who knows if it's even real?!" Breeze finished.
"I'll prove it to you!" The Terror replied. At once, tears fell from her eyes as she took on the heavy dark magic. The green mist filled the coffee shop. Within moments, she was in her original body- a half white, half transparent holed skin, black buggy wings, green pony-like eyes, a black and white striped mane and tail, and no cutiemark. Long, watery tears ran down her face.
"This... Is who I am. Breeze, you were right... I am an evil Changeling. I have no heart... All I am is an enemy that shouldn't be here, asking for redemption." She said, closing her eyes shut.
"Yes..." Vanilla said. Everypony looked at her. "Yes, you're a Changeling. Yes, your species is our enemy. Yes, Breeze was right about that. But not about those other things. No, you're not evil, no, you have a heart, and no- If you ask for forgiveness... You'll get it."
The Terror looked up at Mocha. "...what?" She asked in puzzlement.
"I don't know everything that my friends went through tonight. But I do remember being sent to that dark, drippy place. My heart sank, and I felt like I was a slave to my own fears. Every thought I had related to my home, my friends- and only after about an hour my memory had been gone because I had forgotten so early on what my home was. But it's not the blueprint that makes the house stand up, you see. That's only the plan. It's the walls you make it with that determine whether or not it'll stand against the rain, the snow- are they strong walls, or weak, moldy walls? Are they clean and filled with insulation, or are they dirty and infested with bugs?"
"I still don't get it." The Terror said.
"Yeah... Mocha, what are you trying to get to?" Eclipse asked.
"Dearie... You're not making any sense." Quillton added.
"I think I understand," Paradise said, "'Nilla's saying that the walls of a house are like the friends of a group. If you don't have good friends, the walls won't stay up- and vice versa. Right...?"
Mocha nodded in response.
"But, Vanilla... I thought we were all good friends." Galaxy looked at her sadly.
"Hmm? We all are..." She glanced up at The Terror, "Say, why don't you move? Pack up your things, and find a new house, with a new blueprint. Build up some new walls." Mocha smiled.
The Terror looked around at the crowd of ponies... And Garfield. She looked down at the orange cat, who looked back up at her. The Terror's green eyes scanned the room. She looked at Garfield, then Galaxy, Quillton, Eclipse, Daffodil, Shadow, Tacitus, Paradise, Thunder, Breeze, and Frosted. Sighing, she turned her attention back to Mocha.
"Mind if I ask you something...?" The Terror asked.
"Not at all, go ahead." Vanilla Mocha replied. The rest of the friends looked to The Terror in interest.
Looking around at all of Mocha's friends, whom were all friends with each other, her face beamed with happiness. Smiling, she sang, "I had a little question, just a small question at the time...
This 'little' thing got to me and- it wasn't right.
How was I so mistaken to not see it right away?
The light was shining on me, as bright as dayyyy-
I've seen you go through many things tonight,
And the answer to my question was clear-
You don't have to be the same to be a friend,
you don't have to be alike to like-
I grew up believing that all I could give was nervousness and strife,
All my life I was kept in solitude, and I thought I was better-
When they made me feel low, I thrived to be high!
And now I see there's no such thing
As long as there's true friends by your side!
I'll forget my past, make my new name known,
Make everything how it should be!
I won't be The Terror, I'll be fresh and new,
Full of clar-rity!
Though... I have yet another question, but this time it's not small.
I want to ask you this, ask you all..." She looked around the room once more, "W-Would you forgive me, and accept my f-friendship?"
The twelve friends looked at her in awe. She was asking to be forgiven? She wanted friends? She was sorry?
Daffodil smiled. "I'm okay with it."
"Me too." Frost agreed.
"I am too, two!" Thunder added.
"I guess that makes me, 'I am three'." Galaxy replied.
The group looked at Breeze. "Welcome to the herd, Terror!" The bat mare smiled.
"You... You mean it?" The Terror asked.
"Heck, I walked in these doors last night thinking that I was going to have to tolerate one of Mocha's lame parties again... Watch a cheesy Nightmare Night movie, keep it all G-rated fun... But naw, you threw us on an epic adventure into an exploding volcano, we rode a dragon's back, we explored a train at night-not to mention we met a super cool demon fighter- and you also sent half of us into an alternate dimension! This was, like, the best Nightmare Night party ever!" Breeze flew into the air and did a backflip. "Yeeeah!"
"Dearie, you were just complaining about it minutes ago." Quillton raised an eyebrow.
"I was just surprised at her wanting to change so fast." Breeze replied.
"But... Those things weren't meant to be good things." The Terror said quietly.
"That might have been the original intention- but I think things have turned around." Daffodil smiled.
"Like she said," Tacitus glanced at Vanilla, "Just get a new blueprint, and you'll have newer, better, stronger walls up in no time."
"Hey, a word of advice: make the walls out a gingerbread, and put candy and icing on the outside of the house..." Garfield said.
The Terror chuckled. Shadow tapped on her shoulder. The changeling turned towards him. "Yes?"
"What happens with the mirror?" He asked as he held it up in his bat wing.
"Oh, hmm... I don't need it anymore. Sure, I used the magic from the Thaumaturgy Gemstone to create a portal to the other world I created..." The Terror looked at the room once more. Her eyes met the eyes of the others, and right then she knew what was going to happen. Smiling, she took it in her magic. Putting it on the ground, The Terror lay it upside down- the backside facing up. She smashed it from the back, and glass could be heard shattering against the floor.
"That... That wasn't my home." The Terror said softly. Another blinding white light filled the room as her changeling skin began to glow. It was also beginning to transform- the holes along her legs were beginning to slowly close, and the opacity in her fur was getting thicker and thicker. She became whiter- as white as snow. The light made it impossible for the group of various friends to see what was going on.
"What's... Happening?" Frost asked quietly.
"L-look!" Thunder exclaimed with a smile. Everyone of the friends looked at The Terror.
The light was dying down, and now they could see that her coat had zero transparency: it had no holes, no clearness... It was full. Her mane and tail grew longer, and was white with a few thick black stripes. Her wings and horn had shed off; she had transformed into an earth pony. Her newly colored hazel eyes softly twinkled as she smiled warmly.
"I think you just got your cutiemark," Paradise gasped, "You discovered your talent!"
"But... Changelings don't have cutiemarks..." The Terror replied quietly.
"I don't think you're a Changeling anymore." Eclipse smiled.
The Terror looked down. It was true: a small symbol seemed to be embedded into her fur. It was a heart-shaped icon. The left side was colored black, and the right side was outlined in black, to represent the color white. "I think... I think it's because I learned that difference doesn't mean inequality..." She smiled, "And that anypony can be friends with anyone, no matter how different on the outside they are!" She picked up Garfield with her new hooves and hugged him.
"Oof..." Garfield mumbled.
Sitting the cat down, she looked at the rest of the ponies. "I feel so... Good."
"That's great, Terror!" Breeze exclaimed.
The Terror sighed. "That's the only thing... My name..."
"Hmm... Why don't you get a new name?" Galaxy suggested.
"Great idea, Nebula! But... What will it be?" Tacitus asked.
"What about 'Streak'?" Frost replied, "Because of your mane."
"I personally like 'Hazel'- like her eyes." Charming Thunder said.
"No, no... She looks more like a 'Crystal'." Daffodil suggested.
"Those names all sound good, really... But I don't know." The Terror said.
"What kind of name do you want, dearie?" Quillton Brooks asked.
"Something kind of like my old name. I was terrible, I created insecurities and fear. But now I am different... I have happiness, and joy-"
"Joy! That's it! That'll be your name!" Paradise Oasis exclaimed.
"Joy- I like that name." Shadow smiled.
"You know what? Me too." Joy smiled back.
~~~
The sun pierced in through the windows of the coffee shop. The thirteen friends just finished watching the Headless Horse film, and were tired from staying up all night long. Mocha stood behind the counter serving coffee and other beverages to the few of her friends that were determined to stay awake.
"I'm gonna need this today until I can nap," Paradise Oasis said tiredly as Vanilla hoofed her a Hot Chocolate. Looking into the cup, she smiled. "Jacked with cinnamon, hmm? Thanks!"
Mocha smiled back. "Thought it'd help you like coffee helps me- knowing you like cinnamon and all."
Breeze, whom sat beside Paradise, sat down her mug. "More Coco, please."
"Hot chocolate? You... Just had cider." Vanilla questioned.
"There's actually some still in here. I wanna mix 'em." Breeze grinned.
"Ew..." Mocha didn't want to let her friend down. She hesitated, and yet poured in a little bit of chocolate drink into the half full mug of cider. Breeze gulped it down.
"Don't batponies have the ability to stay awake at night without getting tired?" Tacitus asked. He, too, sat across from Mocha on the other side of the counter.
"Yeah... But who doesn't like cider and chocolate?" Breeze exhaled sitting down her empty cup.
Tacitus opened his mouth to speak, but closed it, deciding it was best to just let Breeze be Breeze.
Only a few hoofsteps away in the shop sat Eclipse, Thunder, and Shadow. They sat at one of the haunted-looking tables in the café part of the building.
Vanilla never wanted her shop to look like... A shop. She wanted everypony that stepped hoof inside to feel at home. The left side from the door was covered in tables and kitchen. The right side was set like a house- large windows on the walls, a TV mounted between the windows, and a large sectional sofa separating the two sides. On the back wall between the couch and television was the door to the back room, which was normally locked due to employee access only.
"I haven't had this much fun in what seems like years," Thunder told his new friends, "But I hate that I'm tired. How can you bats go all day awake, then all night? Wouldn't you need to sleep during the day?"
Eclipse chuckled. "Yeah, we get tired. Speaking of which, I'm going to nap later."
"I slept yesterday, I actually feel fine." Shadow added.
Across the room at another table, the two time travelers shared their thoughts on the universe that they had traveled to. "I don't quite understand how she made it... I mean, how could she have gotten ahold of such power to create another world?" Nebula questioned.
"I wonder if the Thaumaturgy Gemstone has more magic than we thought..." Quillton pondered.
Galaxy Nebula looked up at him.
Quillton Brooks smiled. "Allow me to rephrase that. I wonder if the amulet has more magic than we thought it did, dearie."
"You and that word!" Galaxy laughed.
On the other side of the cafe, Daffodil Spark, Frost, Garfield, and Joy sat on the sofa.
"Is... This how I do it?" Joy asked nervously as she stood up. She extended her hoof towards Daffodil. "H-hello, nice to meet you. I'm Joy..."
Daffodil smiled softly and reached out to proceed shaking Joy's hoof. "I'm Daffodil Spark. Pleasure to meet you."
"Um... Not to be picky, but... You stuttered." Frost pointed out quietly.
"Oh... Let me retry. Hello, nice to meet you... My name is Joy..."
Garfield tapped Joy's shoulder. "Here's some friend advice. Make friends that are vegan, vegetarian, picky, on diets, and people that tend to skip meals."
"Why?" Joy asked the orange cat.
"Because, whatever food they don't eat, you can get for yourself." The cat smiled sheepishly.
Joy giggled at his reply.
"Woah, the sun- it's rising already?" Frost asked as the rays of yellow light made its way into the building.
"We've been in here for hours. How about we all take a walk outside? That'd really wake us up." Tacitus suggested.
"Eh... I don't care much for sunlight. But, what's to lose? I don't want to stay in here all alone." Shadow Wing smiled. Joy trotted up beside him with a smile on her face.
Vanilla Mocha opened the door to her cafe and watched her friends gallop outside. She followed behind them, watching. The sun was high, the birds were singing, and the sky was clear. In the distance young fillies and colts played a game, and not too far down the street a couple walked slowly. Animals scurried, and autumn leaves covered the ground. Mocha smiled and let out a sigh of relief. Today was going to be a good day. She trotted up beside her friends.
Joy smiled widely. She was surrounded by friends of all different sizes, races, species, colors, genders, and personalities. She glanced back at the coffee shop where everything had started. Then, Joy's newly colored hazel eyes illuminated bright green, and glowed once more.