Young Equestria Young Tension

by Josh Crapo

What Happened to Everyone

It may've seemed like everything was going back to normal when I got to school, but as I got to my usual corner, I thought Free Grip wouldn't notice me. But as he turned around to his desk, he froze. "Medium Praise?!? What're you doing here so early?"

"I come here at this time. None of my friends are here at this time, so I just hang here."

"Over in the corner of my classroom?" I nodded. "You could've just sat at a desk, I wouldn't mind."

"Thanks."

"No problem. By the way, how do you get here so early?"

"I go to bed early so I wake up early and smile at the moon. That's all I really need to get ready for school."

"You love the night, huh. Now that's something I'd like to hear. Other ponies may criticize such a thing, but this sounds especially interesting for a filly to love the night." Free Grip crossed his front hooves on his desk. I scratched the back of my head for my hoof in response.

"To be honest, I love both day and night. I heard Princess Luna was feeling unappreciated lately, so this would be the perfect opportunity to show that both times of day can be loved. I've been doing that since late April. But now, I have something else on my mind. What're we reviewing today and tomorrow?" After walking to my desk, I sat down.

"Just look on the board," Free Grip answered. I turned around to see what was written.

"The Crystal Resistance?" I looked at Free Grip. "So is that today's?"

"Yeah."

"So what's tomorrow?"

"Just a day at a time, Medium. One day at a time." Free Grip shook his head.

"Oh. Okay. Say, I haven't been able to fly since Monday. I've tried this morning when I first woke up, but even then, I wouldn't lift off."

"Well, I know a few pegasi that've said they were grounded for about two and a half decades as of now. Probably due to everything that happened at the Crystal Empire. It was a good thing the Princesses defeated King Sombra."

"King Sombra? As in the pony Mom told me who was formerly known as Sargent Sombra?" Free Grip nodded as I looked down on the floor. "I can't help but feel sorry for all those grounded pegasi. I wish I could do something about it."

"Me too Medium. Me too."

---

"Hey Medium. What gives?" I turned around in the hall to see my best friend right behind me. "You haven't hung out with in a while. You normally hang out with us almost every day."

"Sorry Millie. Life catching up to me is all."

"Oh, okay. Well, I hope it's going to look up in the end."

"Thanks Millie."

As I walked to the main entrance of the school, I turned around in surprise. "Wait a minute. I think I've noticed something from the previous times we hung out and what's been going on recently."

"You have?"

"Yeah. Firstly I've seen some bruises on you for about a little over month now. Then I remember you openly talking about your mother and our friends and teachers, but never mentioning your father. I'm wondering if you do have a father." I nodded with the fear that Millie is about to see what's been happening with my father. "Say, is there something you need to tell me?" I shook my head now. "Come on, we're best friends. You can tell me. I won't think anything negative about you." I gave in. I took a breath and a sigh before talking.

I started tearing up. "The truth is, that my bruises are from my father."

"Oh." I looked at Millie again, who this time looked at the floor coming up to me. "So, would that also explain your absence the other day?" I nodded with tears still in my eyes. Millie then proceeded to hug me. "I'm sorry it's happening to you, but you should never face this alone."

"I know. And it's a little harder to get around now that I've been grounded the past two days."

"Oh, just like a friend of Mom's." Millie put his front hooves back on the floor.

My eyes shot wide open with tears immediately disappearing. "Who's this friend of your mother's?"

"Life Seal."

"My mother?"

"I guess."

"Mom said that she's been grounded since she arrived at the Pegasus Khurbn."

"The what?"

"The Pegasus Khurbn."

"Where was that? And when was that?"

"This little 'camp' led by a resistance run by unicorns and earth ponies who still clung to their pre-windigo beliefs. It was during the time Sombra had the title of a sergeant, way before he had the title of a king."

"So what happened the day you weren't here in school?"

"I was levitated into the wall, had my wing slapped and had my tail yanked."

"Who did all that?"

I looked down on the floor now. "Dad."

"Your father's a unicorn?!?" I nodded.

"Would you believe me that he originally wanted me as a unicorn?"

"I wouldn't blame him if he wanted a filly unicorn or something like that, and thinking highly of your own kind is fine, but this is pre-windigo behavior getting in the way of your father's love for you we're dealing with. We're getting to royal pony sisters."

"That's what Ms. Spot suggested."

"Our gym teacher?" I nodded again.

"She said omitting Dad out of what's been happening was doing just as much damage as Dad was."

"Well, now's your chance to cut that damage in half. Let's talk with the sisters."

Millie starts to head out of the main entrance, until I stop him. "Wait. We might need to show what Dad looks like to Celestia and Luna. I'll meet you near the Tree of Harmony." Millie salutes in response then leaves. "I'm confident Mom's home anyway."

---

"Hello?!?"

"Medium. Where've you been?" Oh no, Daddy.

I gulped. "School."

"Well, I'm sure all your work's caught up then."

I sighed. "It has been for months on end now."

"Then what were you doing staying after school?" Daddy set down his saddlebags and took out a bottle of oiznic.

"Chatting with my best friend."

"Who would that be?"

"Millie Beginnings. I told him I'd meet him at the Tree of Harmony."

"Why would you want to go there?"

"Millie wanted to see what we were like when I first met him."

"Well, that picture was already taken."

"Oh, by who?"

"Your mother."

"Oh." I walked to my room to see the sleeping bag Polly Spot put in place of my old bed, only to be stopped by the sound of a crunch and the sting of my right hoof. I looked where the crunch came from and saw a glass bottle. What little liquid there was looked just like the oiznic Daddy was drinking. Then I looked at my right hoof, which now was filled with red near the tip. With just three hooves I limped over to Daddy and looked at him with tears in my angry eyes.

"What the hell do you want this time?" I showed Daddy my red hoof in response. Daddy facehoofed. "So what do you want me to do about it? Pour my drink on it? Take you to Celestia and Luna to see what they can do about it?"

I made myself fall on the floor, covering my eyes with my good hoof. "Anything it takes to heal my hoof!... That's what!... Absolutely anything... that'll do the job!" I sniffled as I spoke, to which my scalp suddenly stung, causing me to cover it with just my left hoof.

"Ready now?"

"Uh-huh." Suddenly, my left hoof started to lead my way, dragging me on the floor. I thought for sure I was going to get rug burn on the front of my back hooves the next day.

---

"It's in there pretty deep."

My right hoof stung again from all the glass shards being pulled out. "What happened to my right hoof?"

"Well, it has to be stitched."

I jumped at the word I repeated. "STITCHED?!?"

"Yes. The cuts are too deep to be bandaged alone. I promise you, it won't hurt your hoof anymore than it already has been. I also had the wings checked out. They looked..." I lost sound of Front Aid's voice. Then I woke up feeling sore in the right hoof. It wasn't stinging like it was when the glass was in it or when the glass was pulled out. I looked at it. All I saw was white.

"Where am I?"

"You haven't moved for a while there Medium. I had a nurse call over your mother, who was with another pony."

I turned over to my belly and saw Mom and Millie in front of me. "Who would leave an oiznic bottle on the floor in your room?!?"

"Daddy," I responded to Mom, who looked more shocked than anyone I've seen.

"That's it. That's the final straw! We're going to castle of the two sisters right now!"

"Hey don't worry about anything, I got this. But before we go..." Millie turned to me. "Hey Medium, do you know if there's more magic here since you arrived with your cut hoof?"

I nodded. "Everywhere I went I felt more magic surrounding me."

Millie turned to Mom now. "She wasn't just bleeding normally. She was shedding magic. How about the doctor?" In response to Millie, I teared up again. But I shook my head when the question was brought up. "How could he've missed it?"

"I don't have the slightest clue."

"Well, I definitely feel the magic in here. Maybe it's enough to teleport. Hold on, your eyes may sting." Suddenly, the magic I've been feeling drains right out. A sudden flash made my eyes hurt and I fell onto what should've been the hospital floor but was instead soil. As quickly as they hurt, the pain in my eyes disappeared. I opened them to see that we were in front of the sisters' castle.

Author's Note:

Just to note, this Millie doesn't have anything to do with the Millie mentioned in Should Equestria Be Home. Also, Spongebob reference.

How does a pony lose magic without Tirek involved?
The loss of magic can occur to a pony if a cut they obtain is deep enough to require stitching.