I burst out of the classroom ahead of everypony else only seconds after the bell rang. I muttered a few sheepish apologies when my bulging saddlebags occasionally clipped somepony as I galloped past them. I forced myself to slow down only within sight of my locker. "You're not doing yourself any favors," I muttered to myself.
I glanced down the hallway. My last class of the day placed me close to the exercise field for the earth ponies and unicorns and the air track field for the pegasi. Way too many colts passed by for my liking. Sometimes other fillies hung out here, and I could just blend in. Other times ... not so much.
A pair of earth pony colts started by, chatting to one another. I took a deep breath and steadfastly ignored them. As I transferred books from my saddlebags, I heard their conversation halt and their hoof-falls slow as they passed. My heart raced as I fully expected at least one of them to start talking to me.
Neither did. I dared to glance at them as they departed. They had resumed talking and didn't spare me another look.
I sighed. Maybe I was being a little too paranoid. As a human, I had been no raving beauty by any means, but boys had paid some attention to me. I had no idea how "attractive" I was considered as a pony and didn't want to ask.
I promptly forgot about my relationship woes when I realized my count of books going in and out of my locker was off by one. I frowned and levitated four text books before me when there should have been five. My textbook for my Arcane Theorems class was missing.
"Oh, ponyfeathers!" I groaned as my gaze darted between saddlebags and locker. "Where is it?!"
"Hey, Candy!" a familiar cry startled me. "Looking for this?"
I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw a yellow-coated unicorn filly with purple hair and a similarly colored gemstone as her cutie mark trot over to me, levitating the missing textbook before her. "Sunny! Thank you!"
Sunny Sapphire smiled as she transferred the book to me. "I saw you drop it as you left your last class, but you'd taken off like a manticore was on your tail before I could call out to you."
I blushed faintly. I glanced towards where the pair of colts had gone. "I had other things on my mind."
"I would've brought it to you sooner, but, well ..." She also glanced down the hall. "I wanted to hold back just in case ... you know."
I raised an eyebrow as I closed my locker. "No, I don't know."
Sunny rolled her eyes. "In case one of them wanted to ask you out."
I groaned. "Sunny, that's the last thing I want. I thought I explained this to you."
She stepped closer. "You did, I just ... well, I wanted to see you socialize a little more, that's all."
I smirked. "Like we're doing now?"
Sunny laughed. "You know what I mean, wise-flank."
I had met Sunny on the first day of school, and we had clicked right away. We had one thing in common: she was a transplant from a big city (Baltimare in her case) and we both felt out of our element in a tiny town. She hadn't batted an eye when I described my origins, though I left out much of the drama. She was admittedly more outgoing than I was, and I had some vague hope it would rub off on me somehow.
"You know, Candy," Sunny said in that sort of lofty voice that I would usually expect to hear from Mom right before a lecture. "Dating doesn't necessarily have to lead to romance."
"I just don't want to give somepony the wrong idea," I said. "I don't want to disappoint them if they do want it, and I can't give it to them. Maybe I never will be able to, I have no idea."
"But how do you know if you don't try?"
Sunny meant well. Even with all my explanations, to her I was still more like a pony new to socializing with others her age rather than still getting used to being a pony in the first place.
Sunny looked thoughtful. "I have an idea."
I rolled my eyes. "Uh-oh."
"No, really, this is a good one, I promise!"
"You mean like the idea you had in chemistry class to use that spell to speed up the reaction and do the exercise in half the time?"
Sunny blushed. "Well, that spell works perfectly well in cooking."
"Yes, but this was chemistry."
Sunny tossed her mane. "Cooking is a form of chemistry, I'll have you know. The result really wasn't that bad."
"The mixture exploded," I deadpanned. "It took us the rest of the day to get the pink polka-dots out of our fur."
"Well, this doesn't involve volatile chemicals."
"Thank Celestia for that. What is it?"
Sunny smiled. "My little brother got his cutie mark a few days ago."
That statement didn't bother me as much as perhaps I thought it would before school started. Other than a few odd looks, I really didn't get much razzing about being a blank-flank. "Bet he must be happy about that."
"Won't shut up about it. He's been bouncing about the house so much I'm surprised he hasn't lost most of his feathers."
I tilted my head. "Feathers? Your brother is a pegasus?"
"Yep. Dad's a unicorn, but Mom's a pegasus." She sighed. "That's how we wound up here in the sticks. Mom got a spot on the Ponyville weather team. She's been looking for ages to get some training time under Rainbow Dash. Anyway, his cuteceañera is this Saturday." Sunny smirked. "Maybe stuffing some cake in his mouth will shut him up for a bit."
"Um, okay, so what does this have to do with your idea?" I asked.
"I'm inviting you to come, silly!"
"Oh."
"A few colts I know from school will be there," said Sunny. "You can get to know them without the whole dating thing hanging over you."
I ran a hoof through my mane and glanced to the side. "Well ..."
"Oh, no, I know that look! You're going to come up with some lame excuse not to go."
"Well, no!" I said. "I mean ... it's not lame."
Sunny sighed.
"I've just been working in the boutique a lot, and--"
"Then you deserve to take a break," said Sunny. "Come on, please? I'm sorry I'm harping on this, but you're a really cool pony to be around. I think a lot of other ponies want to be your friend, and not just to date you."
I wasn't convinced that a change in venue would rein in the boys, but maybe with enough adults around they would feel less inclined to hit on me. "Well ... okay."
Sunny drew me into a hug. "Thank you! You really won't regret this, Candy, I promise."
So was I really getting worked up over nothing?
That question popped into my mind as I meandered by the cafe that Mom liked to frequent as I headed home. I had glanced at the patrons sitting in the open-air part of the establishment and spotted Dr. Whooves and Roseluck at a table together.
I frowned slightly at the memory it triggered. Summer Wind had asked me out a few days ago. I had politely turned him down, and he had seemed to take it well. He had claimed he wanted to remain friends, but was he just holding out hope I'd change my mind? Why did I insist on worrying about it?
I glanced at the Doctor and Roseluck again. Were they leaning a little closer to each other than they were just a few moments ago? Or were my worries coloring my perceptions? Maybe the whole romance thing was freaking me out so much that I saw it where it wasn't, whether in school or a random couple at a cafe.
"There you are, Candy!"
Even as I heard Pinkie's voice, my gaze lingered. Roseluck apparently said something that made the Doctor look a bit like he had that day in the marketplace where he so very badly tried to cover up his interest in the flower pony. He smiled nervously at Roseluck as I turned and trotted away from the cafe. "Hey, Pinkie, what's up?"
Pinkie Pie quickly fell into bouncing step alongside me. "I got a liiitle favor to ask of you."
I gave her a wary look. "Uh, so long as it's not sampling those weird cilantro cinnamon whatever-it-was you were toting this morning as I left for school. I saw what happened to the mailpony."
Pinkie smiled. "Oh, no worries! I tossed those cupcakes. Um, in more ways than one. Anyway, Twilight wanted me to tell you to come see her in the castle later. Cherry wants to talk to you."
I tilted my head. "And Cherry doesn't want me to meet her at the farm?"
"Hmm, yeah, that is kinda strange," said Pinkie. "But maybe Twilight wants to talk to you, too."
I had not spoken with Cherry very much since I started school. Regardless of the venue, this would be my chance to prove her wrong about us drifting apart. I tried to quell any fears about what she may have to tell me; she could just want to catch up as well. "Okay, yeah, I'll head over there."
"And that's where the favor comes in," said Pinkie. "I want you to help me corner her and get her to agree to let me do a Welcome to Ponyville-Equestria-Being-A-Pony party!"
I smirked. "Well, I'll try, but when she gets her head set on something, it's hard to change her mind. She was never much for parties."
"Aww, I bet you could get her to do it!"
"We'll see. You want to head over right now?"
"Oh, no, not yet," Pinkie said. "You've got to go to the boutique first."
I tilted my head. "I do?"
She smiled. "Yep!"
"Why?"
"Oh ... no reason."
I raised an eyebrow.
Pinkie giggled. "I mean, it's not like Rarity has some awesome news or something. Nope, nothing like that at all."
I relaxed. At first I thought she was going to tell me that yet another weird disaster was about to befall Ponyville that I really didn't need to worry about but would be pulled into anyway.
The boutique was not far from there. As we entered, I started to call out, "Mom, I'm h--"
Mom rushed up to me. "Candy! I have absolutely fabulous news! I got it! I finally got it!" She cantered in place. "Oh, I am so excited!!"
"Yeah, I can tell," I said with a grin. "Just what is it you got?"
Her horn glowed, and she whipped a letter from the counter with a proud smile. "Only the most perfect location in all of Canterlot for a new boutique."
My eyes widened. "No way!"
"Yes, way!" said Pinkie, giggling.
"You've been waiting for that forever," I declared. "Wow, Mom, that's great!"
"Even better!" said Pinkie. "The rest of us girls are going to Canterlot with her to help with the opening."
Mom gasped. "You are??"
"Yep! Twilight thought it would be a way to show you our support."
"Oh, my stars, thank you!" Mom gushed. "And that gives me the perfect idea for a dress to inaugurate the new store. I do hope Twilight will consent to model it for me. Candy, I really wish I could take you, but with you having started school--"
I waved a hoof. "You're fine. Somepony has to stay behind and mind the store."
Mom gave me a wary look. "Well, yes, but you absolutely cannot neglect your schoolwork. Open the store for only two or three hours each day after school, and just take orders. Don't try to run yourself ragged even with the alterations and patching."
I rolled my eyes. "I won't, I promise." I paused. "And, um, I'll open it on weekends so--"
"Nonsense," Mom declared as she set the letter back on the counter. "You're to keep the store closed on the weekends."
"Er, what?"
Mom smiled. "I have no intention of cutting into your free time with your friends."
There went my excuse to avoid going to the party Sunny invited me to. "Are you sure? That's kinda a lot of lost business."
Mom stepped up to me. "I'm not hurting for cash at all. Considering I'm financing this with that bonus I received for doing Sapphire Shores' ensemble, I have a comfortable cushion."
Cherry wasn't the only one who couldn't be deterred when she was determined to have her way. Then again, I could have said the same thing about myself, which is why I turned to Pinkie and said, "But if you're going to be gone, who's going to be running the party on Saturday?"
"What is this?" Mom asked.
Pinkie smiled. "A cuteceañera for Humming Wing, little brother of Candy's friend Sunny."
"Oh, well, Pinkie, if you have a party to manage, you should tend to that," Mom said. "As much as I would love having all of you with me in Canterlot--"
Pinkie waved a hoof. "No problem! Mrs. Cake is handling that party anyway."
I managed not to sigh.
"And good thing Candy doesn't have to mind the store on weekends, so now she won't have to miss it," Pinkie chirped.
I blinked. "Wait, how ... how did you know I was going?"
"Because Sunny invited you of course, you silly-filly!"
"But how did you ... um ... never mind."
Mom placed a hoof on my shoulder. "Please, Candy, enjoy yourself at the party and don't concern yourself with the boutique."
Easier said than done, on both counts.
I entered the castle nearly at a canter as if in a subconscious ploy to distance myself from Pinkie as she went on and on about the party Saturday, yet she still bounced along beside me. "And then when I was helping Mrs. Cake with some of the planning, I accidentally jostled a bowl of melted chocolate and almost got it all over my fur, and we laughed because it reminded us of that time right before I started working there when I was just another customer, and I had dropped something in the store that I really really needed but didn't realize it was missing until they were closed, so I snuck into the place that night to find it, but I tipped a whole vat of chocolate over myself which hardened around me and trapped me kinda like the way the Elements turned Discord to stone, except it was chocolate, which was good because when they freed me the next morning, I could eat the chocolate, since stone would've probably not been as tasty."
I stopped and stared at her.
Pinkie smiled. "Yes?"
"How the hay did you do that all in one breath??" I cried.
Before Pinkie could reply, Twilight voice rose from further inside. "Candy? Pinkie? We're in the council room."
I trotted forward, happy to leave this one-sided conversation behind. As I stepped into the chamber, I saw Twilight seated on her throne, looking over the activated Cutie Map. She lifted her gaze and smiled. "Hello, Candy. Glad you could make it. I know you've been busy with school lately. I hope it's been going okay for you."
While I listened to Twilight speak, my eyes roamed around the chamber and came to rest on Cherry standing just off to the side of the table. Next to her stood an earth pony stallion with light red fur and dusky red-orange hair whom I had not remembered meeting before. She remained strangely silent, her lips drawn into a faint smile but a subdued look in her eyes. "Um, yeah, it's been fine," I said in a distracted voice. "Cherry?"
Cherry's smile widened slightly. "Hello, Candy."
The stallion smiled at me. "It's good to see you again."
I tilted my head. "Do I know you?"
"I'm Kevin, Miss Swirl."
"Oh. But ... why are you like this?"
Cherry stepped up to me. "I'll explain in a moment." I tried to ignore the growing sense of dread that welled up as she pulled me into a hug. "How have you been? I haven't talked to you in a while."
I sighed as I drew back from the embrace slightly, giving Kevin a nervous glance. "I'm really sorry about that, Cherry, I just--"
She lifted a hoof and shook her head. "No, it's fine. I'm not upset."
"Well ... maybe I am."
"You really shouldn't be," said Cherry. "It's what I said before. You have new interests and new friends."
I rubbed a hoof through my mane. "Well, yeah, I'm trying."
Cherry gave me a concerned look.
Pinkie Pie trotted around my side. "She's going to a party this weekend that her friend invited--" She suddenly leapt into the air with a huge gasp, her eyes wide, and she hung there in defiance of gravity for a full three seconds before falling back down on her hooves. "Cherry! You got your cutie mark?!"
I stumbled back a step and stared at Cherry, my ears flattening, my mouth dropping open but no words coming to me. Cherry simply turned her side towards me.
The old expression was "a picture is worth a thousand words," but a cutie mark was several orders of magnitude beyond. I stared at hers with a strange mixture of cheer, jealousy, and dread. The depth of that symbol could not be overstated. In that one picture, her life's path had been laid out before her, and all she needed to do was follow it. My mind raced with what exactly it could mean: a silhouette of a pony faced a silhouette of a changeling, each carrying in their hooves one half of a broken heart which they had fit together.
Pinkie bounced up and down. "Woo-hoo! Now I get to do her cuteceañera, too!"
Cherry gave Pinkie a forlorn look before turning back to me. "I'm sorry you couldn't be here to see it. It happened this morning. I didn't expect it myself."
I heard a clop of hooves as Twilight left her throne. "None of us did, but it just means that Cherry made the right decision."
I swallowed hard. "J-just what decision did you make? Or can I guess?"
Cherry shook her head. "No. No more guessing. I've made you do enough of that. Candy, I want ... I need to help the changelings more directly, and I can't do that here in Ponyville."
My throat threatened to close up, and I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting the urge to cry or protest. I tried to be better than that. I tried to be more mature than that.
"Kevin has told me that--"
"Th-this is goodbye, isn't it?" I blurted in a shaky voice, my eyes misting.
"Wait, what?" said Pinkie in a small voice. "Goodbye? Cherry, you're ... y-you're going away?"
"Cherry, why?!" I cried. "Why do you have to do this?!"
"Please, everypony," said Twilight as she stepped up to the Cutie Map. "This has been a difficult decision for her. Please hear her out."
I didn't want to. All I wanted to do was see her back at Sweet Apple Acres, safe and sound, always there whenever I needed her. I again quelled another protest. Here Cherry was trying to be open and honest with me about what she wanted to do, and I was the one stopping her. I took another deep breath and nodded, not trusting my voice.
"Kevin tells me that there are more changelings like him," said Cherry. "Disaffected or exiled who don't want anything to do with Chrysalis anymore."
Kevin stepped up to us. "We want to find them and start a new hive. We hope we can find a new Queen, one that will want to work with ponies rather than use them."
"Okay, fine, but what does this have to do with you, Cherry?" I demanded. "Why do you have to be involved?"
Cherry smiled. "Remember when you were so surprised when I knew you were having trouble accepting what Wun had done? It seems I've inherited some of Wun's ability to sense emotions. Twilight has helped me confirm that it's the only changeling power I actually have, but I want to put it to good use."
Twilight's horn glowed, and a small sparkle of light detached itself, hovering over the Cutie Map. "I located a set of caves in an out-of-the-way area. There's a small town of mostly earth ponies nearby. They're pretty far removed from Canterlot, and news is slow to reach them. They have a lot less chance of outright rejecting the idea of changelings in their midst. They're also pretty far from the badlands, so less chance of Chrysalis trying to influence them."
"I want to be the liaison between ponies of that town and the new changeling hive," said Cherry. Her eyes glistened. "C-Candy, this ... this has been a very hard decision to make, but when my cutie mark appeared--"
"I-I know," I said in a choked voice. "I understand."
"Do you?"
I stepped over to the map. The tiny town Twilight had magically marked sat very far from Ponyville. I let out a ragged breath that threatened to turn into a sob. "What difference does it make?" I said in a tiny voice.
"It makes all the difference to me," said Cherry. "I want your blessing, Candy."
I whirled around, my ears flattening. "My blessing??"
"I want to make it very clear. I don't need your blessing. But I want it. Dearly. I want you to support me, even if only in your thoughts."
I swallowed hard. Tears welled up in my eyes despite every attempt to hold them back. I suddenly didn't want Cherry to see me like this, as if I were trying to use my emotions to hold her here.
"I don't know how much this will help, Miss Swirl," said Kevin. "I know how you felt about changelings when we first met, but I'm going to stick with your friend always and help keep her safe. I realized that I can't just keep hiding and hope things will get better between ponies and changelings. I have to do something."
I shuddered. That last bit sounded a lot like what Cherry had told me during the shared dream. "Cherry, h-how soon do you have to go? Do we have any more time together at all?"
"We want to leave by this evening," Cherry said.
I sighed. "Well, that gives us some time. But why so soon?"
Cherry averted her eyes for a moment. "Maybe this is foolish of me, but I didn't want a drawn-out goodbye. I know you too well. You'd try to convince me to stay, and I want to spare either of us that pain."
Yeah, she did know me too well. I likely would have done just that.
Pinkie's hair deflated slightly. "You mean I'm not going to get to do any of your parties?"
Cherry smiled. "Can I take a raincheck on that, Pinkie?"
"D-does that mean you'll come back?" I said in a strained voice, unable to stop the tears from blurring my vision.
Cherry turned to me, her own eyes misting. "I'll try, but I don't know when. I have to be honest with you ... I'm a little scared."
"So am I!" I cried. "I-I mean ... scared for you."
"No, that's not what you meant."
I wiped an eye with the back of a hoof. "You and your s-stupid emotion-sensing."
Cherry pulled me into a tight hug, and I didn't want to let go. I wanted to hold her until she changed her mind. Except all I had to do was glance at her cutie mark to know that was impossible. I could no more expect that than I could ask Mom to stop caring about fashion, or Fluttershy to abandon her animals, or Luna to stop raising the moon and entering dreams.
"It's dumb, I know," I said in a quavering voice. "I've done without you before, I can do it again."
"And you don't even need me anymore."
"You're wrong. I do." I sighed. "But I shouldn't."
Cherry gently broke off the embrace. "I think for too long you've believed I had to be your only friend."
I rolled my eyes. "Oh, don't be silly. Look at Twilight and Pinkie here, and all the others!"
"You know what I mean," said Cherry with a tiny smile. "They're much older than you."
"Hey!" Pinkie cried. "I'm not that old."
Twilight chuckled. "I'm sure she didn't mean it that way, Pinkie."
"No, she didn't," I said in a forlorn voice. "But I do know what she means."
"And they initiated it," said Cherry. "I was told you have a friend at school named Sunny Sapphire. She approached you first, didn't she?"
I sighed and said not a word. I didn't have to, she could sense my answer in my emotions.
"Remember, when we became friends, you sought me out," said Cherry. "Well before you actually 'needed' me as a friend. You initiated it, despite feeling so nervous and overwhelmed."
I smiled weakly. "And another thing comes full circle, I guess, huh?"
Cherry gave me a sympathetic look. "I take it school has been kind of overwhelming?"
"That's an understatement," I muttered. "But I'm beginning to think some of it is my own fault. Seriously, Equestria needs a 'Friendship for Dummies' book or something!"
Both Cherry and Pinkie laughed. Twilight gave them a mystified look.
"Oo, maybe Twilight can write it!" Pinkie said.
"Pinkie, why would I want to write a book with such an ... insulting title?" said Twilight.
Now Cherry, Pinkie, and myself laughed. Even Kevin smiled, though perhaps he was just reacting to Twilight's increasingly perplexed look.
"I'll explain it to you later, Twilight." I turned to Cherry. "Cherry, I ... I'm really going to miss you, but if you feel you need to do this, then ... I-I wish you luck with it."
Cherry slowly smiled. "Does that mean ...?"
"Yes," I said. "You have my blessing."
Tears welled up in Cherry's eyes as she hugged me again. "I'll never, ever forget you, Candy. You were a wonderful friend across two worlds."
"H-hey, that was supposed to be my line about you," I said in a shaky voice. "And don't you dare think you're going to get away with not sending me a letter or something now and then."
"I promise, I'll send you something as soon as I can, and we can write to each other."
I heard Pinkie sniffle as I drew back from the embrace. I managed a tiny smirk. "And here I've been trying to figure out my own talent, and you get your cutie mark first, you big stinker."
Cherry laughed. "I honestly wasn't trying to, it just sort of happened that way."
I supposed I was partially responsible for her calling. I had been adamant about seeing her live again, and I had been the one to bring Wuntusix along to the confrontation with Sevfivtoo. I wasn't one to believe in fate, but I did wonder if perhaps everything had transpired for a reason. It was likely beyond my meager comprehension.
Twilight craned her neck. "Um, Pinkie, what are you doing?"
The rest of us turned. Speaking of things beyond comprehension, Pinkie was wandering around the periphery of the room, alternately hopping in place, tapping the wall with her hoof, or examining some minute facet of the crystalline columns. "I'm trying to find one of the hidden party cannons!"
I blinked. "Er ... hidden what?"
"If I can't throw a party for Cherry, I want to at least give her some sort of send-off!"
I looked at Twilight. "Is she serious?"
Twilight chuckled. "Actually, yes, she is. It's ... a bit of a long story. And, Pinkie? She is going to get a send-off. Applejack already knows about this, and she's going to fetch the other girls and meet us at the train station later today."
I turned to Cherry. "You can take a train to this town?"
"Only as far as Appleloosa," said Cherry. "But Applejack is writing a letter that I'm going to take with me and contact her relatives there. They'll be able to help me arrange some transportation."
"And just so you know, Candy," said Twilight. "I've already contacted Princess Celestia about this. She thinks this is a good idea, and that means she can likely help if things get really tough." She smiled. "I thought you'd want to know so you don't worry quite as much about your friend."
I smiled. "Thank you, I really appreciate that."
Twilight glanced to the side. "She, ah, also wants me to relay something to Spoiled Rich. She's, um, being summoned to an audience with the Princess. It seems Princess Celestia is ... um ... disappointed with her recent petitions."
Cherry raised a hoof to her muzzle. "Oh, my."
I snorted. "Hah! I'd love to be there for that!"
"We better get going," said Twilight. "Cherry wants to say goodbye to some other friends she made in town before we head to the train station."
"Are you coming along, Candy?" said Cherry as she fell into step with the others, Kevin trotting alongside her.
I smiled and fell into step with her. "Of course, I am. I mean ... yeah, this ... this is hard, but I want the same thing for you that you always wanted for me: to be happy."
Cherry smiled and paused to give me a hug. My hind legs stumbled as I was pulled into it, one rear hoof coming down a bit hard ...
... and in a sudden burst of air and a sound like a party noisemaker, streamers and confetti choked the air and rained down on us.
"Yay, you found one!" Pinkie cried as she bounced over to us to join the hug, her hair poofing back out fully. "I'm happy now, too!"
We all laughed as we headed out of the room.
Apple Bloom stepped up to Cherry on the train platform. "On behalf of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, I wanna congrat'late ya on earnin' yer cutie mark!"
Sweetie Belle's ears drooped. "Even if you have to leave."
Scootaloo sighed. "And go so far away."
Cherry's eyes glistened as she sat before the three fillies. She wrapped her forelegs around them, drawing them into a hug that made my eyes mist. "Thank you so very much. You were all so sweet towards me."
"Can ya tell us one thing?" Apple Bloom said in a hopeful voice even as she wiped a tear from her eye. "Did we help?"
"Did anything we did help you figure out what you wanted to do?" asked Sweetie Belle.
"All we ever wanted to do was help," said Scootaloo.
Cherry hugged them tighter. "I believe you did. I'm never going to forget any of you."
"An' yer gonna write," said Applejack. "Like Candy wants ya to, right?"
Cherry looked up and grinned. "Would I lie to you?"
Applejack laughed. "Now don't ferget what I told ya. You jus' take that there letter I wrote for ya and give it ta Braeburn. He'll take it from there."
Cherry released the Crusaders and stood. "I won't forget."
"I do wish there were more time to give you a proper ensemble, darling," said Mom.
"Uh, Rares?" Rainbow Dash said. "She's gonna be in the boondocks of the boondocks. I don't think they're gonna care about her fashions."
"She don't need more than what we provided her," said Applejack. "Some sturdy clothes ta protect her against dust storms."
Mom sighed. "Yes, I suppose she'll have to make do with the 'classic hobo' look."
Both Cherry and I giggled.
"Cherry?" came Fluttershy's soft voice. "Remember what I told you about the kind of animals you might come across in the wilderness. You shouldn't have any problems if you know how deal with them kindly."
I couldn't help but smile as I watched Cherry and Fluttershy. They really were so much alike in many ways. Back when the emotional wound of Michelle's death was still so raw, Fluttershy's presence could sometimes be as upsetting as it could be soothing. Those days were behind me now; I would look upon Fluttershy and remember only the good times I had with Cherry.
Rainbow suddenly flew up to Kevin. She hesitated, her eyes darting towards Twilight for a moment as she rubbed a hoof through her mane. "So, um ... Kevin ... uh ... I'm not great with this sort of thing ..."
Kevin gave her an inquisitive look. "What sort of thing, Miss Dash?"
"Just, um ... well, I wanted to say I'm sorry."
"Sorry? For what?"
Rainbow sighed. "For things maybe I kinda sorta thought and said about changelings."
"Oh, that," said Kevin in casual voice. "Really, you don't need to, I--"
"No, I totally do!" Rainbow cried.
"But not to me."
"But I don't know any other changelings. And, well ... it would really make me feel better if you would accept it. Please?"
Kevin slowly smiled. "If it means this much to you, then, yes, I accept it."
Rainbow smiled. "Thanks. Oh, but that doesn't mean I won't buck your flank if I find out you haven't taken good care of Cherry." She winked.
Kevin chuckled. "Rest assured, Miss Dash, I will see to her safety." He cast an affectionate look at Cherry. "After all, we're friends, and that's what friends do."
I flinched when a sudden shout came from the train. "All aboard!!"
Cherry's gaze flicked towards the train as she stood alongside Kevin. "We have to go! Thank you, everypony, I've never felt more welcomed than when I came to Ponyville."
She turned to me. I swallowed hard as my throat threatened to close up, but I raced up to her anyway and drew her into one last hug. "I love you, Cherry. That will never change."
Cherry took a breath, and I heard it catch. "I love you, too, Candy. Please, take care of yourself. And make some friends!"
"I will." I smiled as I drew back. "Goodbye, Cherry. For now."
"Goodbye, Candy," said Cherry in almost a whisper. "For now."
She and Kevin waved one last time before boarding the train. The train whistle blew, and I simply stared as the engine chugged and lurched forward. I took a deep breath and tried to retain my composure. It lasted until the final car pulled away from the station. Tears spilled silently down my cheeks as Mom and Sweetie Belle hugged me.
"I-I'm okay," I whispered. "Just ..."
I couldn't get the words out. This meant much more than simply seeing a dear friend leave. Her departure had just closed one part of my life and opened a new one. My last ties with the past had finally been cut, and in a way that left me hopeful rather than bereft.
I wiped my eyes. Mom gave me a concerned look, but I smiled and touched my hoof to hers. I would talk to her about this later, when my feelings had settled, but I wanted to convey to her I was okay.
I really was. This experience had helped me. Cherry had found a way to fit in. That's all I wanted now, that's all I needed, and then I would be happy with my life here. Starting school had done everything to remind me of the opposite, and it brought back the fear that somehow I was defective as a pony, that maybe I never would find my own purpose.
Cherry proved me wrong. If she could do it, so could I. I owed it to her to at least try.
"Thank you, Cherry," I whispered as the train faded into the distance. "For everything."
I would like to see that too!
Damn... That was a surprise, Cherry getting her cutie mark, but also touching because of what she's doing
Is it bad I want to ship Luna and Candy? YOU JUST HAD TO RUIN IT WITH YOUR AUNT NONSENSE!
A nice little update, very much slice of life in this.
I've been trying to figure out why I don't like Cherry and I think I finally know why. She's a fatalist, or at least has some fatalistic tendencies, and I have never jived well with that type of person. I honestly think this is a good thing though, Candy needs some good friends who are not so depressing as Cherry is.
7475713 lived or jived?
Take that Spoiled Rich!
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Not happy with that outcome at all.
Frankly, the entire story has been setting up a Cherry/Candy ship. I realize that no romance was intended but that's what happened. Then all of a sudden the very obvious ship was torn apart. I really don't know what to think about that, though it's leaning a bit towards not liking it. Don't get me wrong I still like the story and will continue reading it but I just feel you tore away a point people probably were seeing.
7475836
Yes, there is a a ship between Cherry and Candy, right from the start.
It's called friendship.
7475771 you can say that again. I'd love to be a fly on the wall for that meeting. Only thing better would be if the meeting was also with Luna, then they'd probably still be able to hear at least one side of the conversation all the way in Ponyville.
7475871 Yes, but it's always seemed more to me and, possibly, others. I'm probably reading too much into it and expecting to much but eh, I feel my point still stands.
7475836 I'm not sure where you were getting that.
7475882 Thank you for showing that I was seeing something that no one else saw *Cries in corner* Jk
7475877
I understand, I was simply clarifying where I was coming from. I tried to portray a friendship that was deep enough that they felt no qualms about admitting a love for each other that was not necessarily a romantic love. Candy's love for Cherry is more like that of a younger sister to an older one, or sometimes a daughter to a mother. I believe I mentioned in a previous chapter that Candy even looked to her as a surrogate mother for a time.
But thank you for your original comment. I do indeed see how it could have been taken as something else even if that was not what I had intended.
Aaaaahhhhh. The Slice of life is strong with this one. Also, Take that Spoiled Rich!!!!
7475896 No problem. It probably came from expectations based on other stories that if two characters care about each other they have romantic feelings for each other. I realize that isnt true for every story but it does appear in a lot of stories.
I have to say, I really hate Cherry. Rather, the sort of person Cherry is. She's one of those: I've made a decision, and you don't like it. But I demand you be satisfied with it because I've made it.
Cannot stand people like that. For all that she 'wants to help others', she's the sort that's least suited to do it. Glad she's gone.
Given how crazy you went with the foreshadowing for this...
I'm just very very surprised by the "we leave today", in universe, it sounds stupid. They don't have any reason to leave rigth away except being harsh with the people they are calling friend. And abandonning said friend in time of need.
Hopefully Candy can enjoy the party and make more friends. It is sad to see Cherry go but she got one heck of a cutie mark that will go along way in helping with any reconciliation.
Step one: rewrite Changeling biology. There can be no healthy relationship between two species where one is a niche predator of the other. Even if specific individuals can manage a relationship, the biological imperatives of the predator will force some form of domination over the prey. The cultural ramifications will inevitably lead to war, and that's the best case scenario. Genocide is far more probable.
Admit it, everyone tried to say it all in one breath at least once.
Another sweet chapter, and a new beginning for Candy Swirl!
7476264 depends what they need. I don't remember this story or mlp it self saying if taking emotions is permanent. Like they can't refill that said emotion. If the 'giver' can then whats the problem, I would do it. Its either feeling, pride or whatever over survival of a spieces. I know which I would choose.
7476488 I know what I would choose too. It's the right choice, the moral choice, and it's not the same as yours.
You ever give blood? You'll make more easy enough. The excess isn't really doing you much good, and there's a huge demand. It's the nice thing to do, might save a life.
Now picture that any day you might find that a random stranger siphoned you for a pint when you weren't paying attention. He doesn't care if you wanted to, he probably doesn't know your name, and he probably doesn't care if you've "donated" recently. After all, he needs it more than you.
There are problems when a group of people need something that comes from the bodies of other people. When the need is so obviously dire and the one that needs is capable of taking, you get into a huge ethical morass.
What's the line between feeding and assault? A nation cannot afford to be so generous with the safety of its citizens. No such line exists.
ASG2012 you beautiful bastard. Hitting full force with the feels.
7475952 Wouldn't say I downright hate her, but I have to agree. She's been getting on my nerves since she showed up the first time. Even now she was being cryptic again, demanding Candy figure it out on her own instead of just telling her what is abundantly clear will be a blow to Candy. I can't stand tendencies like that in a person.
Let's make my friend all worried and anxious to increase the effect of my fateful decision. Oh and I've got a cutiemark too (that I could have told you about, but why ruin the emotional impact)... well, yes.
Glad she's gone. Candy doesn't need her, quite the opposite in fact.
That out of the way: wonderful, wonderful slice of life with school and Sunny! I could read about this stuff forever.
Did Twilight just send Cherry and Kevin to Equality village =??? cave system check,
out of the way check,
mostly earth ponies check,
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I have to admit that I am rather stunned and dismayed at this reaction. Do I need to rewrite this scene?
7476685
No.
7476738 Maybe just change it from leaving today to "leaving in x time" the a time skip then the actual departure?
Maybe add a scene with Cherry showing her brand new cutie mark to her friend rather then just keeping in secret.
The kind of mistake Cherry made is typical from depressed peoples, but the story doesn't acknowledge that. It's like she made perfectly rational and correct choices. Including that idea of being a spokeperson for a group of changellings that may not exist (Kevin migth not convince any other changelling to join him), facing a lot of pressure, most likely rejection from the ponies of her new town, being in a unknown environment and without any real friend, she don't know Kevin at this point. Sound like a bad idea if she really is suffering from depression/anxiety disorder.
7476738
Alright, I'll pick this apart. Please don't hate me.
Cherry is in the room, but only 'reveals' herself when Candy asks, making a little surprise entrance.
Hiding the cutie mark, which in itself would be a sweet little surprise, were it not for it being a real mark of destiny that, were it revealed right now, would make the following scene much shorter, unambiguous and to the point. Cherry going for mystery and drama, exactly like while still in the pendant.
Foreboding, also more of 'Cherry knows best.'
Cherry goes off on a friendship tangent and then gets annoyed when Candy follows.
Yes?
Yeees?
YES?
Boom. Finally.
You know, the thing my cutiemark stands for and which I could have explained right at the beginning without the suspense and riling you up to the point of despair.
My sentiment exactly. Also: blessing for what?!
Yes? That, uhm, isn't a very nice thing to say to a friend by the way.
Yes? Also: setting up guilt trip.
Oh come on! Your friend is already distressed and you're playing mind games with her now? You're setting her up to look...
...immature, which will launch her into self-depreciation immediately. And you know her too well to not see that coming.
Twilight likes a good mystery as much as anyone. the mystery that needn't be one if that cutiemark had been revealed from the get go.
Dramatic entry of mystery stranger who really could have been there from the start, which would have made it abundantly clear what this is all about, thereby freeing up the short time left before the train leaves to do some actual explaining and saying goodbye to a friend on a noble mission.
Disguised, of course. Being up-front went out of style a while ago with everything related to Cherry.
Yes?
Finally. When Keving spoke about needing a new queen I almost... no, not going there.
Dear Cherry, this is rich, even for you. Revealing your cutiemark like some artwork at a public event for maximum drama and emotional impact is... oh well, not overly surprising, considering who's doing it.
***
Just to make this clear: this is nicely written with real emotional impact... it just doesn't come across as you seem to have intended (and I'm speaking for me, mind you, not for all your other readers). I'd actually have commended you for keeping all your characters in character, especially Cherry. Because she's been this cryptic since the very beginning and has always pushed Candy's buttons expertly. As I said, she was getting on my nerves since the very beginning and I kept hoping for Candy to stand up to her and tell her to stuff the whole theatrical and patronizing act.
I'm not criticizing your story or even this chapter! I just really dislike one of the characters that has been utterly consistent in its to me annoying character development. Cherry is very well written and others will love her, I just really don't.
So, an essay later... no, there's no need to rewrite. The emotional connection between the characters is there, it's all believable and written in your usual great style. This turning into a kind of cinema sins wasn't intended btw, it just did.
Sin counter for this chapter is 19 by the way. Sentence: stay in top favourites. *ding*
7476862 Throwing in my own two cents, I read something a bit different into the same sequence of exchanges. Namely, we've seen the same pattern again and again in the story. The author is exceedingly fond of cliffhangers and keeping the audience in suspense, hiding even obvious plans from the reader until the last possible moment. For the most part it works, but every once in a while you get a scene like this. This chapter was very much like the time Chrysalis thought Candy was giving her the pendant. The multiple chapters of Candy gearing up to face Sevfivtoo followed the same pattern at a slower, grander scale. It happens again and again, whether it makes sense to any of the characters involved or not. You can even see the pattern repeating in micro in this single scene, first with Cherry's plan and then with her Cutie Mark.
What I read was the normal characterization of everypony involved bowing to the literary demand to milk a dramatic moment for everything it was worth.
The part about not needing the blessing was good though. It's harsh, but it's something Rachel needed. She's been thinking of Michelle too much as an attachment to her own life to really process her as a person whose goals and wants and needs could be expressed in a way that don't directly include her. Denying her the option to deny Cherry the option to leave is a big step in forcing her to break that feeling and rebuild it into something healthy for both of them. Likewise, Cherry not giving Candy that option is healthy for her to build her own identity up after playing Kenobi to Candy for so long.
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7476750
Thank you very much for the candid and detailed feedback. While I was trying to build up some suspense and drama, it's possible that I had gone a bit overboard with it. This is telling me that this scene indeed needs a rewrite, as it did not come across as I had wanted. I will likely wait until I hear some more feedback on it before I start, however.
Rewriting the scene will not change the plot, so I can do this without affecting how the rest of the story goes. Unlike before, I won't unpublish the chapter but simply edit it in place and make a note about it in the chapter title and on my blog.
Thank you again. While it can be frustrating sometimes to have to take a do-over, it just helps make me a better writer overall.
7477054 I don't know about drama, but the suspense was mostly long dead as far as I am concerned, we had a lot of foreshadowing for this, a very explicit chapter's title...
In the end I think it killed some of the drama for me and thinking back on it, all the theatrical, -hiding kevin and the cutie mark- feel more histrionic then dramatic.
7477025
It does have a bit of the 'Sweety is a changeling' bit to it, true enough, but it's not on a chapter level but with the characters this time. That's why I commented on the characters' actions (specially Cherry of course) and not on the writing. It is the same pattern but I thought it fit the character... until the Author said it wasn't intended as such.
I agree that both Candy and Cherry need that break, it was the wording I had an issue with.
7477054
You're well on your way.
Good Chapter, waiting for the talk between Celestia and Spoiled.
The End?
7476738 No, because this is Cherry's character. She's been doing this from the first time she appeared in the story. Changing the scene won't help, because it's who she is. She's made a decision and she expects everyone else to be happy with it, without any concern for their feelings. It's not: I understand your concerns, but I've made my decision. It's: I've made my decision, so your concerns are invalid.
This makes an absolutely perfect contrast to Rarity as you've established her. She attempts to make decisions, but is flexible and willing to change them, or go completely in a different direction if it's presented as an alternative course. But if she decides to stand by a decision, she's willing to explain why.
In short: Cherry= Because I said so. Rarity= Here are my reasons.
7477557
No, this is not quite the end.
7477588
Nicely put.
Rewriting this scene too much might actually make Cherry ooc.
7477588
I am going to rewrite part of the scene, not to change who Cherry is, but to fix the issue of the false drama that several readers pointed out, so the gist of the scene will remain. I did indeed intend to portray Cherry as a contrast to Rarity (maybe not directly so, but it sort of worked out that way). I had wanted readers to disagree with her but not hate her. She wasn't supposed to be an antagonist. Apparently, some readers do hate her, and that's the part that's disappointing. I will just have to learn how to write such a character better in the future.
7477645
Or it could be some character growth on her part, which I think is needed here. The more I look at what I wrote, the more over-the-top the induced intrigue seems even by Cherry's standards.
In other words, you are running away my dear
Much better as a scene. The emotion wasn't drawn-out, it wasn't over the top and Cherry is still behaving like herself.
I do hope you are going to give her some growth if you keep the story going, migth as well make it useful to your characters.
Much better.
Aaaaand... character development. Yes please and thank you. Truer words were never spoken by Cherry.
The contrast between the original and the edit is extreme, but I guess when you haven't read the first version of this chapter, then the character growth is believable. After all, quite a bit of time has gone by between the last and this chapter and maybe Cherry found some time for introspection. Also, being cryptic, evasive and generally impossible to pin down or get an honest answer from is, well, not the best way to gain favour with Applejack.
So the element of honesty obviously bucked some sense into her.
Thanks for dropping all the staged drama in favour of an emotional meeting, I think it's very good now. Cherry still annoys me a little, which I was a bit worried that she wouldn't. So it's more of a good luck now than a good riddance.
A side-effect of your edit: there's a handsome disguised changeling side by side with a pretty changeling pony hybrid talking about finding a new queen. All aboard the train to Appleloosa.
And then Cherry is never heard from again, and we find out later that the town killed all the Changelings and burned her at the stake for being a changeling witch.
7477659 Don't write to make everyone like a character. Not only does it not work, but inspiring such hatred is the sign of a strongly written character. For example, I hated Trixie's sister in Getting Back on your Hooves. The same for the villain in Besides the Will of Evil. Just because some people don't like a character isn't a sign that it's a bad character.
I dislike Cherry because every scene she's in, turns her into a focus character. She becomes the complete center of attention, in a story that's supposed to be about Candy.
This chapter in a nutshell
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I ship KevinDash.