"Lilly?"
The young captain looked up into the worried eyes of her sister.
"Lilly, are you alright?"
With a sigh, the elder twin looked away. Lifting a hoof from the floor, she circled it over her chest. 'Sorry,' she sighed.
Catstitch frowned. "Ye words, sis."
Captain Feathers opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Again her hooves and wings moved, too rapid for anyone but her sister to understand.
"Lil! Ah neigh gunna just allow ye'self ta just wallow in your pity. Come on, it nigh more than the other stuff that ya attack ere' day."
Lilly looked away again, signing something, this time slower, but still unknown to everypony else.
"Lil', they neigh can understand ye. Yer' just gunna havva' use yer lips. Ya' know, talk?"
With a shake of her head, the pink pegasus collapsed onto the floor, hiding her face in her hooves, completely defeated.
Cat sighed, "Oh sis, not this!"
"Maybe a song will help!" Pinkie suggested.
Lady Stitch's face brightened. "Why dinna' I think of that?"
Pinkie opened her mouth to sing. "Neigh," Cat said, stopping her, "There be but one song that will pull her out of this 'n.
“Grandpa was a farm'n stallion,
He worked with mules turn the land,
He raised his family on love and though sometimes we had it rough,
Grandpa always had a plan.
“He kept a barrel by the house,
To catch the rain as it fell down,
Grandma used it every day to wash and clean and did pray,
That the well would not run out. No.
“Cuz she knew when she fell on hard times
She couldn't hang her head and quit.
The beauty of the rain is knowing what to do with it.
“So let it rain,
Let it pour down again,
Let it rain,
And fill the barrel again.
Prepare to make the heavens cry,
So the barrel won't run dry,
Open up the sky and feel it pour.”
As each line went by, Lilly slowly pulled herself out of her wallowing. Cat wasn't as strong of a singer as Lilly was, but she didn't have a bad voice either. That last line they even sang together.
“When I feel that life's not fair.”
Lilly started on her own.
“And I've had more than my share,
Heaven help me not complain,
To see the sunshine in the rain,
And not to drown in my despair.”
"That's right," Cat whispered. "Because when I fall on hard times, I can't hang my head and quit."
"The beauty of the rain is knowing what to do with it," Lilly finished, no longer singing the lyrics, but quoting them slowly to herself. "Thanks sis for the reminder." She took a deep breath. “I’ve been acting like a foal, haven’t I?”
“Ta’ put it lightly,” Cat said, helping her still-shaky sibling to stand. “Alright, what happened? Yer as shaky as a leaf on a Fall day.”
“Steady missed,” Lilly stated. “Perfect routine, then the last bit he completely missed.” A tone of annoyance hinted in her voice. “But that’s neither here nor there. I deserved it.” Closing her eyes, Lilly visibly pulled herself together. “Alright, back to the topic at hoof. First off, Soarin, Steady will need some help with the task he’s doing. Report to town hall.”
Soarin looked hesitant.
“It’s important, Commander.”
Soarin looked curious.
“Steady will explain,” Lilly said, her voice taking on a level of authority to it.
“Alright Captain,” Soarin said, “See you later?”
“You guys are due at The Center for a team talk. So I’d expect it,” Lilly stated with a smirk.
Soarin laughed, “Good luck getting Spitfire there.”
“I have my ways,” Lilly replied.
“That you do,” Soarin stated knowingly.
“Scoot, Soar’, and enjoy your vacation and bro time.” The young captain smiled. “It’s not easy keeping ladies happy. I should know, I am one.”
Soarin couldn’t help but laugh, “That you are, Captain Feathers, and they have been extra troublesome these past couple of weeks.”
“Huh,” she mused. “I’ll just have to invite Williwaw along next time I come by.”
“They haven’t been that bad!” Soarin defended.
Lilly flashed him an impish smile. “Probably not, but I know Fleet and her-”
“Don’t remind me! You know Fleet ranted the next five weeks after the last joint meeting with the Midnight Flyers!” Soarin shivered. “If you ask me, she’s creepy!”
Captain Feathers shrugged. “If you say so, Soarin. However, since I’ve known her my entire life, I think the creeps have worn off.”
“Well, I’ve got to get going. Steady doesn’t like it when ponies are tardy,” Soarin stated.
“No joke!” Lilly replied. “I think that’s the only thing that keeps order in Bravo.”
“Wouldn’t surprise me. Thank you, Captain, for the show.”
Lilly glared. “Scoot!”
Once he was gone, Lilly turned to Spike. “Alright kid, I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced; I’m Lilly.”
“Spike,” Spike answered. “I’m Twilight’s number one assistant.”
“You sound like my brother,” she giggled. “That is, when we go out shopping. Alright, I hate to do this to you, but what we will be discussing is for mare ears only. I’m sure with living with gals ya have been exposed to way more than most colts your age. However, I’d prefer to keep this simple.”
Spike nodded. “I understand. I’ll be in the kitchen baking. Fluttershy, do you need me to take Angel so he doesn’t cause problems?”
Fluttershy looked hesitant. “I don’t know, Spike—”
“If you need him,” Lilly said. “You can always call. He seems like a capable dragon.”
“It’s not Spike I’m worried about,” Fluttershy said. “Angel can be picky.”
“Ah, he’s one of them. Flutterfly, you’ve got to quit spoiling your pets!” Lilly scolded with a chuckle.
“I know. He’s not as bad as he used to be.”
“The only thing harder than starting a habit is breaking one.” Lilly nodded knowingly.
Fluttershy nodded, retrieving the little white ball of fuzz.
Lilly walked over to the glowering rabbit. “Listen bro, you go nicely and help Spike with what needs done, and I’ll sing you a song I learned about rabbits.”
Angel glared.
“It was written for a rabbit I knew when I was little,” Lilly cooed.
Angel thumped.
Lilly thumped back and glared down at him.
Angel tried to hop up on Lilly’s head.
With a duck, a roll, and a thunk, Angel Bunny found himself caught inside Lilly’s left wing pressed tightly against her body. “Really? This? I’ve worked with animals my entire life. Now I know you know how to behave. So, why don’t you be a good bunny and do what you are told? Then again, I could always send you with Discord.”
Angel glared at the mismatched beast, who was filing his one straggly tooth while hanging by his tail from the curtain rod. Angel then erupted from the room, disappearing in a second. Almost instantly, he reappeared and dragged poor Spike out with him.
“Hey! Help!” Spike called as he and the rabbit disappeared.
“Maybe Spike could use a bro day. I’d love to see what he could add to the Persimmon Pirates,” Lilly mused.
“The Laddy would probably find himself in Zap’s workshop discussing gems,” Catstitch said.
“I think Spike would enjoy that,” Twilight said.
“Who knows with my brother?” Lilly giggled, “They should get along well enough, if Zap doesn’t go into ‘absent minded professor’ mode. He could find himself being analyzed.”
Twilight nodded. “Spike is used to it. Can’t say I’m not the studious type.”
“Well then, one day, either you guys would have to come up to the Nest, or I could bring my brother down,” Lilly said. “Now let’s get on with it.” she then turned on Discord. “Alright, Crazy Insanity, you might not be equine, but you are most definitely male.”
“Who, me?” Discord asked, acting innocent and still filing away at that tooth.
Lilly glared. “Listen up, and listen close. I’ve had enough of your shenanigans for a lifetime.”
The draconequus frowned. “Whatever did I do to you?”
“You know very well,” Cat said, her demeanor darkening.
“You have one of two options,” Lilly stated. “You may either be an ice statue for the duration of the afternoon, or you can leave.”
“Such a hard choice,” Discord sighed flippantly.
Somewhere in the room there was a gasp, but Lilly paid it no mind. “Cat, contact Glitter. It looks like we’ll have to do this the hard way.”
“Oh, but Motivation,” Discord cooed. “I know our past hasn’t been the brightest.”
“That is a mild way of putting it. If you even THINK about doing that again...” Lilly growled. “You’ve not answered my question.”
Discord glanced over at Cat, who already had her massaging book out, an eyebrow raised as if to ask if she really had to use that method of persuasion.
“I just remembered,” Discord said. “I’ve got-” he paused, looking uneasy. “Brownies cooking. Yes, brownies in Fluttershy’s oven, so I must be going.” With a snap of his fingers, he vanished.
Lilly shook her head snickering to herself. “Oh brother.”
“Ice statue?” Twilight asked.
Lilly shrugged. “What about?”
“You threatened Discord with an ice statue,” Fluttershy said.
Captain Feathers sighed. “It’s a long story, and I’ll get to it,” she sighed, her eyes going to the open window. “A very long story.”
“Well Sugarcube, we ain’t goin’ nowhere.”
Catstitch cringed. “Anywhere!” she hissed under her breath.
“Nowhere,” Lilly shot back quietly. “Where to begin? I guess after school ended. Ya know, I didn’t expect to leave that school, graduate, teach, all that and still be a blank flank. I remember hiding in the closet hoping I’d end up with one of those special Midnight Flyer, glow-in-the-dark Cutie Marks. Of course, even in the dark, there was nothing.
“So, when I finished school and went home that summer, I felt... lost.” She chewed on her lower lip. “I guess that is the only way to describe it. Ma was pregnant with Water Jewel, Grandpa had his heart attack, Memaw was losing her memory, and Sony, my foal sitter, was suddenly dating a-” She made a face. “Colt. It was a weird time for me—really weird. I was changing. The world was changing. My grandmother had taken on the care of a Wolf Foal. Translation: a foal that had been left in the hills because their family either didn’t want them or couldn’t take care of them. As I said, it was weird. I came home to discover that I no longer fit in either mold.
“From that point I tried to just do my own thing, but like always, my grandmother had other ideas. It was stuck in her head that all of us fillies would learn the basic levels of embroidery and lady-like stuff. I was frustrated enough as it was, but after Mistro, one of our male cousins ended up trying to correct me. He thought he knew everything. Watching isn’t doing. I understand it in principle; I just don’t have the ability to do it. So when she came back, I... Actually, I’m not sure exactly how it happened, but I ended up yelling at her, accusing her of pampering him and being unreasonable with the rest of us, throwing my sampler—if you can call it that; it was more of a tangled knot of threads—at her, and after screaming a few more insults, left the house in a rage.”
A thick silence went around the room. Lilly gulped. “I’m not proud of that night. I still don’t know how I got stuck in her grasp to begin with. I think I was practicing some spelling. I never was very good at that.” A sly, but sad grin crossed her face. “After all, I’m a pegasus, not a unicorn. It’s kinda hard to cast them.”
Catstitch whacked her. “Lilly! Bad joke! Spelling, as in words! How they work!”
“I still think it’s a unicorn thing,” Lilly protested. “Anyways, the next morning I had the honored duty of... dusting the bookshelves. I’m still trying to figure out—”
Catstitch dared Lilly to continue with her eyes giving her a look that said, “Don’t you dare.”
The elder twin smiled. “...who did the crime.”
Catstitch facehoofed. “Lassy! Neigh more with the bad jokes!”
Rarity tittered, Applejack smiled, Pinkie Pie started rolling on the floor, and Twilight looked confused. “Who did the crime? What?” the alicorn questioned.
“If I have to spains it, it won’t be funny,” Lilly replied. “Anyways, that’s when the little charge came over and mom left in a hurry. Next thing we knew, they had called a carrier from the nearby town, and Grammy was being airlifted to the hospital. The next afternoon, she died of systemic failure. We still don’t know why or how.
“I guess deep down I feel responsible. If I hadn’t of... ya know... acted out, I guess I feel as though... she would have fought harder. I’ll never know. When I heard the news I was at first upset. Then when everyone else started crying, I got sick of it quick. A phantom doesn’t cry. We don’t cry when we are hurt, or when somepony else is hurt, or even in death. Emotion is something you have to conquer or let it conquer you. That is what I was taught as a child. So, when everypony else was crying their eyes out, I set to work. At that time, I don’t think I knew if I was upset or not. I simply worked. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“Ah get it,” Applejack said, “Ah kinda do the same thing.”
“Your ponies frown on crying?” Twilight asked, “That seems a bit far-fetched.”
“We are a proud and strong group, the mountain pegasi, or the phantoms. They have for centuries been known for their strength of will and their apparent coldness,” Lilly explained. “What they don’t know is we are more vulnerable than anypony else—especially me. Don’t ask, I’ll get to it later. I lasted for about two weeks till the comfort and the distant family disappeared. Suddenly, I got to be the whipping colt. If anything went wrong, I and a few others got blamed. Tempers flared, and we were just a hair’s breadth from a civil war. Deciding that the best thing to do would be to take myself out of that equation, I grabbed my knife and cloak and left. I didn’t need anything else. I was one with the wind, sky, and the land. I was a trained phantom, and trained by not only Equestria’s finest, but the phantoms’ finest as well. I needed nothing and nopony, and I was on the go.
“I stayed away from towns and other ponies as much as I could during that time. For the most part, it was easy: duck here, dive-”
“She was gone for about three months,” Catstitch interrupted. “By the time we even found out she was missing, she’d already been gone for a good 12 hours. With the way the wind was blowing and the rain was pouring... let’s just say Lilly knew how to disappear so as not to be found. However, when we did find her—” Cat’s face hardened. “Or, more exactly, Celestia got a report from a mare who knew somepony who had heard rumor that a strange pegasus had been found by a local zebra. The pony had been attacked by timber wolves in the Everfree forest. Sister, I’m still trying to figure out what you were thinking.”
“I was thinking, ‘SNAKE!!! Oh no... WOLF!’ ”
Catstitch again facehooved. “I mean running away to begin with! Then getting caught by a Timberwolf?”
“Haven’t you been listening?” Lilly said, “And the reason I got caught was because I had let a snake, a little issue, blind me of the bigger issue. I’ve had close calls before. I’m not a rookie when it comes to living in the wild and on its terms. To be blunt, I got caught unaware and paid for it. If Zecora hadn’t come along when she did, I’d be a goner.”
“ZECORA?!” the whole group gasped.
“You know her?” Lilly asked, “Charming mare. In fact, I’ve been known to speak in rhyme when with her I spend much time. But that adventure is not for now, it’s time to get back to... Um...” The pink pegasus suddenly looked at a loss. “Seems I spoke without thinking, and besides ‘cow,’ which doesn’t work, I don’t know how I’m going to end the rhyme. Anywho, back to the story,” Lilly said. She glanced quickly from face to face, chuckling quietly at the look of astonishment and amusement on the faces of the Harmony Mares.
“I don’t remember much of those next couple of weeks. You don’t get attacked by a pack of those brutes and be on your top game the next day. Most of my scars come from that encounter.”
Rainbow Dash looked pained. “You were in our back yard, hurt-”
“Dash,” Lilly interrupted. “I didn’t want to be found. I didn’t want you guys to see me weak, helpless! I was always so strong! That’s the only side I ever want anypony else to see.”
“Ah get ya there.” Applejack nodded knowingly.
“Sometimes,” stated Lilly in a hushed tone. “You don’t get that luxury.”
Rainbow Dash turned away, looking thoughtful for once.
“As I said,” Captain Feathers continued. “Most of those weeks I don’t exactly remember. Sometime in there I got brought home, my baby sister Water Jewel was born, then that cart accident where I almost lost ma, Water Jewel, and my brother when the cliff gave way and they fell nearly fifty feet into the ravine. After that, one of my aunts, my dad’s second brother’s wife, whose eldest daughter has autism- Well, that aunt we discovered had cancer.”
“I, at that point, still wasn’t quite myself. I had regained most of my ability to work again. Flight wasn’t hard, but moving hurt when you are as slashed up as I got. My aunt needed another mare to help while she underwent treatment. Breeze, at that point in time, she needed constant care. And being a Pegasus herself, it was hard for just anypony to take that role. I was chosen.”
Lilly took a deep breath before continuing. “I cared for Breeze for the next six months. Using every ounce of knowledge I had in training, and teaching I’d gained from school to teach her how to walk, talk, and eventually fly. I had help, that’s actually when I discovered The Center, for Breeze had lessons there every Thursday morning. It’s how I met Steady. The first few weeks I found a corner and just sat during the lessons. At that time, I was still rather withdrawn. Three months in complete isolation does that to you. It takes time to get used to the ‘noise’ again.”
“Eventually though, I started reaching out. It started with me just listening to the lessons. Really it was just a more advanced form of formation flying. Which is what I had majored in during school. I think my first question was ‘why is the sand in the arena only 4 inches deep, when regulation states it has to be six?’”
“And what did they say darling?” Rarity asked concerned.
“The reason the regulation says six inches, is for a cushioning factor. Since we treat the sand with a chemical compound we are able to have less sand, but it does the same amount of work.” Lilly answered. “I learned a lot, and eventually signed on as a volunteer-”
“Captain,” Rainbow Dash asked, “Are you ever going to get to the part where you got into our situation?”
“Aye,” Catstitch said, “She will, she’s buildin’ towards it. Understand lass, all this went inta’ Lilly’s... event.”
“Sure did,” Lilly confirmed. “Nearing the end of those six months, After Breeze’s mom finally had the surgery she needed and it was just me taking Breeze to the lessons, I managed to teach Breeze basic levels of reading. So, when we got there, I decided to show Breeze’s teacher, Mrs. Victory Lap, her progress. Breeze got to the bottom of that first page and, voila!” Lilly pointed to her cutiemark, a gray cutout of a pegasus flying in a field of stars. “I knew immediately the Flight Therapy Center Windy Wings was where I was supposed to be.”
“Like any smart pony would do—or any named Lilly Motivational Feathers—as soon as I had my uniform and was named as ‘in training,’ I put my nose to the grindstone. As my aunt was able to take on Breeze’s care more and more, I spent that time at the center learning the ropes. Within the first month, I’d brushed up on my training and had my level one certification. Three more months and I had passed level two. Steady and I became one of the lower teams and we worked as a duo team while I earned level three. By this point, summer was coming round and as most schools do, we were winding down classes for a much-needed rest. Or, that’s what everypony else was doing.
“Me... not so much. I still had a lot to prove, and more I was trying to hide from. So when Captain Comet ordered me home for two weeks... I didn’t take it well. I’d blown through the program, and I’ll admit now, I needed the rest.”
“Sounds like it, darling. In how much time did this all take place again?” Rarity asked.
“About two and a half years,” Lilly stated.
“And I thought a lot happened to us,” Applejack said.
“Well, in one year,” Pinkie began, “We met and saved Luna, fought Discord, became the best of best friends, saved a wedding, destroyed an evil king, and turned Twilight into a mark on the floor.”
“Not to mention Tirek,”Catstitch reminded, “And’a that be just the high points. On both stories, this isn’t taking inta account the other, more minor issues we faced, minor being compared to being nearly killed by a Timberwolf or attacked by a queen who wanted to eat your love and leave you all wrapped up like a caterpillar.”
“Moving on,” Lilly said. “We do have a time limit here. As it is, you know we will be late. But honestly, those princesses are just going to do something they aren’t used to anymore: wait.”
The look on Twilight’s face at Lilly’s clear disregard to royalty was priceless. She flashed an impish grin at her sister, which was met by a very disapproving glare. “I reluctantly went home,” she continued, “I don’t think I really had much to do over that school year I was there. I didn’t care to. It was so busy, so crazy insane that... I didn’t want to. Home reminded me of so much. And I didn’t want to... deal with it. I poured myself into my work, ignored even Celestia’s summons that entire year.
“Now, just because it’d been two years since Grammy’s untimely departure didn’t mean we were any closer to becoming whole again. The family was still in shambles. She had been the glue that held us together, as well as the wedge that drove us apart. I’m still not sure how she did it. So with her gone, we had to learn to work our disagreements out without her help.” Lilly sighed, looking to her sister. “I came home late that Friday evening to my room completely moved around. Nothing was where I had it. I can’t say I handled it well. Glitter was off on royal business, so that just left the two of us to hammer it out. It was Thursday of the following week when after yet another argument I stomped out into the woods to blow off steam.
“Around our family farm, The Eagle’s Nest, we have this trail. Normally it is used for watching the area when the sheep are in the valley rather than the neighboring one. The summer before we had had a bad drought.”
“Drought?” Rainbow Dash piped up.
“How can there be droughts in Equestria? Don’t the pegisi control the rain?” Applejack asked.
Lilly sighed, “Years ago, three hundred round about, we had this war. A bad war between tribes. By the time the war was over, there were not enough pegasi to actually keep the weather under control. Even now, after so long, there are still so few pegasi that... Everypony, as soon as we learn to fly, we are expected to join in and help with the weather. I was four the first time I had cloud bashing duty.”
“Cloud bashing, or pushin’ lass?” Catstitch asked slyly.
“Cat, at this point in the story, it’s best not to press your luck,” Lilly snapped.
Twilight looked perplexed. “How bad is it?”
With a sigh, the young captain looked the alicorn in the eye. “Bad. Better than it was when the battle of the Loch was over. That was the final battle. Neither side won, by the way; we were down to only a couple thousand pegasi, about double the number of bat-ponies, but we dealt a blow to ourselves that we still feel.”
“Maybe we can help,” Fluttershy stated.
“I’ll see,” Captain Feathers said hesitantly, “It’s just, it is a completely different world up there. I’m way different than my tribe. But I’ll think it over, talk to the princesses, and who knows? You just might get to. Anyways, back to the story.
“Along either side for the entire stretch of that trail we had problems with dead and dying trees. Sad is the only way I can ever describe the way it looked. At one point there was this old... I’m not sure what type of tree. It’s more bush than anything—tiny leaves, thorns, always full of ants, very smooth bark. And in that tree there had been several vines along the top branches connecting it to several other trees. Normal little pests, but plain and simple pests. The tree beside it had been taken down, permitting a big ol’ whopper to hang there. As I ran, it would ride so that I’d run into it before I’d even see it. Third thunk between the eyes, and my already furious temperament flared big time. I flew up, found the first sprig I could and took off yanking it free. Then I flew higher and grabbed another vine.
“By the time I was finished, there was not a vine left on that tree.” Lilly exhaled slowly, “It was wonderful. I’d never felt so defumed in such a long time as I did at that moment. I was sore, but not too sore. A good sore, the sore, I always liked and appreciated.” With a roll of her eyes, she shook her head. “But I only deceived myself.”
“It didn’t end well,” Twilight stated.
“Aye,” Catstitch replied.
“I was a fool,” Lilly spat. “I deceived myself and became a burden to my family again. I hated being a burden. I hated being still, but that isn’t yet, don’t get ahead of me. I’m telling this story.”
“Oh really? I thought the author was,” Pinkie piped up.
Lilly flashed the pink party pony a flat look. “Really? Then tell her to quit interrupting me, I don’t appreciate it.”
“Alright. Cowie, you can quit interrupting now!” Pinkie called.
The smack of hooves against skulls echoed around the room.
“Alright then, I won’t ask if you are being serious, because I’d never get a straight answer if I did,” Lilly stated.
Pinkie opened her mouth.
“Spare us Pinkie, our time is limited. Now where was I? Oh yes. Well, the following day,” Captain Feathers continued , “When I woke up, I knew something was wrong. I felt like I had to throw up, but there was nothing to throw up. Like I had a bubble that wouldn’t go away. I had reading to catch up on, so I chose to take a lazy day on the B.R.A.T. diet just to be safe. About halfway through the day I started to perk up, so I actually tried to do a bit of work, then opted to go lay down again, trying to pretend I was all better. You see, that next day was Persimmon family reunion. That was the one time of the year I actually got to see some of those relatives, so I wasn’t about to miss out. Believe me, despite everything that happened, I don’t regret going for a second. Over the next year, one of my cousins passed. That was the last time I could have seen her.”
“Lied ta get what ya wanted?” Applejack stated.
“To put it plainly,” Lilly replied. “The next morning I felt much better. A day off my feet and resting had done a world of good. I managed to get everything ready and together for the potluck, then we were in the cart and ready to go.”
“The Persimmon family reunion always takes place on the north side of Mount Pleasant on Aunt Moo-Moo’s farm. It’s nearly a two-hour cart drive from where my family lives in Eagle Valley. Also, I should note, is in the middle of nowhere; the next thing that even resembles a town is another two and a half hours in the other direction. The trip there wasn’t anything too big. I opted, since I hadn’t been feeling well, to ride in the cart instead of my normal scouting ahead, or, as it actually was, flying laps. I normally could fly it in about 25 minutes. I know Williwaw can do it in about 15, so I’ll figure Dash can do it in about 12 if she wanted to, just to give you guys an idea for the distance.”
Rainbow Dash looked smug. “Really? Ya’ think?”
“The reason it takes so long on hoof is because these are mountains we are dealing with. Not flatland like you guys have around here. It takes longer,” Lilly explained.
“Got it,” Dash said.
Captain Feathers nodded. “So we finally got to the party. Really, I had a great time. Good food... even if I did get ahold of the wrong stuffing. That. Was. AWFUL!” She made a face. “Every year I grab the wrong one. Every year, it’s just as bad as it was the last time I had it. One of these days, I’ll ignore that broccoli stuffing.”
Chuckling to herself, Lilly shook her head. “I remember great Aunt ‘Hats’... or that’s what I call her. I know she is my great, great grandmother’s youngest sister, just a tad younger than our great grandmother, but what you always remember about her is that great, big purple hat with the red ribbon! I can’t wait to get old enough to get away with wearing those hats. Then there was cousin Pat ‘de Beat who is a ground security officer. Joe the Joker, Nurse Gail... who died protecting a patient from a mad pony that next fall...”
Catstitch frowned. “It be a pity how many have forgotten.”
“It didn’t matter to them,” Lilly said, “In five years, Discord, Luna, Tirek, Chrysalis... Even now, ponies who were not affected, have already forgotten. To remember what it is to live in faith... isn’t faith. Because out of practice, it goes away.”
“But they caused so much damage?” Twilight stated.
“Indeed. But how often do you think about, say, kindergarten? Or problems you had when you were that age? Scraped knees? Bumped heads? Chipped horns? Eventually, it all is just buried in the sands of time. Even what seemed the most important will just disappear under a veil of dust.”
All was silent for several seconds. Lilly permitted it to sink in before continuing. “So, there were actually many ponies there. I remember Aunt Faithful didn’t go—I don’t remember why. Sony was... my cousin and former foalsitter. Despite everything, I had a great time. With one exception. You see, just because I was feeling better, it did not mean my pain was gone. And no matter how hard I tried to hide it, it still was bothering me. By the end of the afternoon, I was hardly moving. Sony was catching on. So in one final bout of defense... I carried my baby sister to the cart.”
Applejack cringed. “Ouch. Not smart.”
“No, but I can be stubborn when I have something to prove, and everypony was, by that point, worried,” Lilly stated. “If I’m showing my pain, something is wrong. Very wrong.”
“Sounds like somepony else!” Rarity cooed.
“Rares!” Applejack growled.
Catstitch chuckled, “As Papaw used ta’ say, ‘Stubbornness, like any habit, be hard ta break. And since it’s the reason most habits are hard ta break, it’s probably the hardest ta break.’ ”
“And like insanity, it doesn’t run in the family—it settles in and sticks like goo!” Lilly finished, glaring.
That won a couple of chuckles from the group.
“True,” Applejack snorted.
“Stubbornness. If it wasn’t for that little detail, I think that next leg would have been easier,” Lilly stated. “The ride home, was... painful, to put it simply. Mountain roads are not known for being smooth. Many a pony has broken a wagon wheel and been stranded in those mountains. However, not on that path in the last hundred years. We made it home safely with only one stop at Peachy Keen Orchards for a half hour to pick a bushel to take home.” The elder twin glared at the younger. “And now that I think of it, I want peach cobbler! I know you were there yesterday!”
“And with the Squash Beetles, I couldna’ bring ya any,” Catstitch replied.
For a second, Lilly pouted. “And thus the ball bounces,” she sighed longingly. “Anyways, we got home. I don’t remember getting home; I only remember pain, and boy howdy did I hurt.” She slurred, “I remember trying to get out of the wagon... then getting carried to Aunt Faithful’s house.
“Aunt Faithful’s talent is in the natural remedies. And I know there are some that don’t work. However, more often they are just oversold snake oils, like that apple juice and bay leaves remedy that came through these parts a while back. I remember studying that after I heard about the Flim Flam stuff a while back that they tried to sell. Apples have important trace minerals and have a chemical in them that will turn off the part of your brain that says you are hungry. Unless you are like mom and me and it works in reverse. Bay leaves... that has a slew of uses, including coughs, drawing out poison from a sting, helping boost your digestive tract, among other things. It’s not that bay leaves can’t do it, but it’s not a cure-all. Neither does it cure fast. The Flim Flam brothers were just once again guilty of overselling their product, then not doing a good job producing said product.”
Applejack looked skeptical. “Really?”
“I’m not justifying what they did. I’m quite furious about it. Glitter dealt very harshly with them once she found out. But I want to defend the bay leaf. It’s a good herb, but as all herbs, you can’t just live on it, and it’s not a cure-all.
“Personally, however, I’d rather go to a pony like Zecora than some doctor unless it’s serious. There does come a point where the herbs end and the medical field begins. Anyways, my aunt is an herbalist, a certified one, and so my mom, since she is only about fifty feet from our house, took me over there.
“Aunt Faithful is much like Pinkie in the fact that she... has ESP. She just always seems to know things that are impossible to know. It’s quite weird. She and I have never been close, Mistro being her eldest son and my relationship with him being the way it is. As I said, I don’t remember much. Every jolt was like daggers—”
“I remember,” Cat stated, “When we finally figured out what was wrong. Lilly was so tight, then Aunt Faithful pulled out her blend Mineral Blue. She sat that beside her and she was out.”
“Mineral Blue?” Twilight asked.
Lilly sighed, “Let’s see if I can remember what’s in it: wintergreen... blue—I want to say basil, but I know that’s wrong.”
“Hey Twilight, maybe you should give her what Zecora gave us to give Applejack,” Rarity suggested.
Twilight retrieved it from the shelf. After a long wiff, Lilly nodded. “Basically, but something is off in it.”
“Aunt Faithful added white fur to it to help you relax and breathe,” Catstitch stated.
“She did?” Lilly asked.
Catstitch’s eyebrows went up. “You didn’t know that?”
“No!” Lilly said, “I don’t exactly remember being awake for it either.”
“Do you remember that bath?” Cat said. “She wasn’t in the water with that blend five minutes before she had broken out head to hoof in the worst rash ever.”
“And you guys always wanted to know why I hate baths! Showers, sure, but there is something in those tubs that doesn’t like me. Now. Can. We. Move. ON! Sis, you can consider yourself clobbered!” Lilly glared.
Catstitch’s chuckling stopped immediately. “Sorry sis. I’m pretty sure Lil’ doesn’t remember the next few days. It took us forever to find a bed she could get to that wasn’t too hard, too soft, or didn’t have lumps!”
“It wasn’t that bad, I just don’t like hard beds,” Lilly stated.
“My point!” Catstitch stated.
“FINALLY!” Dash exclaimed. “See? I’m not alone!”
“I personally think it’s just pegasi,” Lilly said. “We don’t like sleeping on rocks or hay. We are so used to fluffy clouds that everything else is just—”
“Weird,” Rainbow Dash finished.
“My point!” Lilly spouted. “See sis?”
Catstitch chuckled, “I be a fruity Earth Pony; I’m neigh about ta judge ya feather brains.”
“Hey!” Lilly growled.
“Alright, break it up,” Applejack said, “Do ya two always bicker like this?”
“Yes,” they said together. “Not that either one of us mean to.”
“It’s either we speak with one voice or opposite voices. It’s kinda weird,” Lilly finished. “Anyways, I don’t remember that week well.”
“You read and slept most of it and yelled at us if we bumped you in any way,” Catstitch summarized. “And after we had a week of Baby Lilly Feathers, she swung the opposite direction and spent the whole rest of the next three weeks trying to kill herself going behind our backs doing things.”
“I wasn’t that bad,” Lilly stated.
“Let me supply the list of broken objects: one cast iron skillet cracked in half, a glass crock pot that you dropped while going up stairs, one casserole dish that you exploded after setting it straight out of the oven into a sink of ice water, two mixing bowls, three melted tablecloths—must I go on?”
“Well, there was also two windows and a feather pillow... and an oil bottle I dropped,” Lilly stated.
“How did ya break the cast iron skillet?” Applejack asked.
“Yeah! Those don’t break easy. Unless you… you didn’t—?!” Pinkie was suddenly in Lilly’s face. “You didn’t—!”
“I turned on the heat, then forgot to check, then froze it after heating it to red hot. I panicked. I also burned my hoof pretty bad. I’m a kitchen jinx. I always have been.”
“My point is that Lilly was as stubborn as the day is long. If we were the slightest bit late, and she got the slightest bit hungry, she’d hobble into the kitchen and find something herself.”
“It was only just the next room!” defended the elder twin.
“Ya still dunna supposed ta be in there!” Catstitch griped.
“If you guys had actually fed me on time!” Lilly scolded.
“If you had just been patient,” Cat fired back.
“GIRLS!” Fluttershy reminded.
“I side with Lilly on this one,” Rainbow said, “When you are hungry, don’t argue.”
Cat looked a bit miffed. “Well, so went the first four weeks. She went from nothing to basically back to normal. She still was slow on stairs, but that just meant we could catch up when she decided to do something without telling us first. Then, at the beginning of week five she disappeared again. Without warning, and without a trace, Lil’ was gone.”