Letters from Ponyville Community College

by MLRNitevision

High School Sweethearts

Dear Nitevision,

After ten long years, my child has returned! I’m so happy to hear that you’ve come to finish your schooling at PCC! The Tavern simply hasn’t been the same without my son, listening to stories from travelers and locals until he fell asleep…
I’ve kept your little basket out on the counter. Do you remember how you used to play in the Everfree Forest with your friends the Crusaders? Lyra and Sweetie Drops stopped by the Tavern yesterday. We spent hours talking about the adventures you had at their house when the Tavern was too noisy for you to sleep. Sweetie Drops promised to come see you at the college once you’ve gotten settled in. I hope you’ll come see me soon!

Your loving mother,

Berry Punch.

---

Nitevision was nearly buzzing with excitement. He hadn’t seen his friends in a decade, and now, they were all attending the same school! The Bat pony simply HAD to see them all, starting with the Crusaders. Nitevision looked around, watching ponies as they wandered around the campus on their first day. His ears perked up as a familiar female voice drifted on the breeze over to where he stood. Could it possibly be? After all these years, the Bat could still recognize the voice of Sweetie Belle. He broke into a grin as he saw the mare standing nearby, speaking with an Earth Pony and a Unicorn.

“Scootaloo! Apple Bloom! Look who it is!” The Unicorn gasped as she caught sight of the Bat pony. She raced over and embraced the stallion. Nitevision laughed happily as the other Crusaders followed.

“Hey guys. I’m back!” He chuckled. “You guys got your Cutie Marks!” The three nodded together.

“Isn’t it great?” Scootaloo asked, posing in such a way that her Cutie Mark was perfectly visible. “They all look the same, yet their totally different!”

“What’s your mark, Nite?” Apple Bloom teased. “Or have you not gotten it yet?” Nitevision unfolded his bat-like wings, in order to display his own Cutie Mark.

“It’s a Bat, just like me!” He explained gleefully. “Hey! Have you met my friend?” The Bat said, changing the subject. Behind him, a red Unicorn approached slowly.

“Hey. I’m Fire Alloy. Nitevision’s…friend.” Fire Alloy wasn’t particularly proud of the fact that he was a companion of Nitevision’s.

“Pleased to meet ya! I’m Apple Bloom. Nite an’ I are old friends.” The yellow Earth Pony said.

“Speaking of old friends…did you guys hear that Twist is attending here?” Scootaloo shivered. Apple Bloom visibly paled.

“Why is that a bad thing?” Fire Alloy asked, noting Scootaloo and Apple Bloom’s reaction to this news.

“Well…you see…” Apple Bloom stuttered.

“Back in the day, Apple Bloom was Twist’s first official friend. Ever since then, Twist kind of…grew on Apple Bloom. Something about the way Apple Bloom took her in, Twist kind of fell in love with her.” Sweetie Belle explained. “We tried to be friends with her too, but she was pretty over protective of Apple Bloom. By that I mean she didn’t let anyone else be her friend. All of Apple Bloom’s time had to spent with Twist. Finally, it got to the point where Twist was full on stalking her. We had to pretend Apple Bloom moved away to get Twist to stop going to her house in the middle of the night and…well, Twist always called it ‘Checking on her’, but I always thought peering through some pony’s window while they slept was creepy. Twist moved away almost a month later. This is the first time I’ve seen her since she left Ponyville eight years ago. Apparently she’s come back, since she found out Apple Bloom’s attending the college here.”

“That sums up my reason for being here quite nicely.” Twist said from behind the ring of ponies. “It couldn’t possibly be because I’m pursuing my chemistry major?” Apple Bloom nearly screamed.

“What do you want Twist?” Fire Alloy snapped. Twist’s smile sent shivers down Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom’s spines. Scootaloo and Fire Alloy both grew defensive, and Nitevision was distracted by a teal balloon that drifted past.

“You know who I am I see.” Twist chuckled.

“I know a lot more than THAT.” The Unicorn snarled.

“So what do you know about me? My awesome personality? The fact that I am credited with the discovery of the Love Poison? Or perhaps the fact that I am the one who discovered the Poison’s twin, the Love Potion?” She scoffed. Fire Alloy’s mouth opened, then closed. “What’s the matter? Speechless?” The fiery red Unicorn growled.

“Love Poison, you say?” He snapped. “What use do you have for something called a POISON?” Twist nearly shrieked with laughter at the question.

“Oh, no, no, no” She cackled. “The Poison wasn’t for me. It was for Apple Bloom.” Fire Alloy’s hooves shot out from his sides, wrapping around the mare’s throat.

“You were going to POISON Apple Bloom?” He growled, teeth bared. Twist groaned in frustration.

“NO, Apple Bloom wanted the Love Poison years ago, to set two ponies up on Hearts and Hooves day.” She spat. “I figured this level of stupidity would come from your BAT friend, but a Unicorn like you should be…smarter, I guess.” Fire Alloy tightened his grip on the mare’s neck, squeezing tighter and tighter until Apple Bloom swatted his hooves.

“Well don’t KILL her!” She whispered. Fire Alloy let his hooves fall to his sides once more, visibly relaxing.

“You came to the rescue. You’re my hero, Apple Bloom!” Twist said in a mocking voice. “How can I ever repay you? How about a date?” Scootaloo exchanged glances with Nitevision and Fire Alloy, and mouthed the words ‘See what I mean?’ Nitevision nodded.

“Sorry, Twist. I’m…taken.” Apple Bloom said, faking sorrow.

“WHAT?” Twist roared. “Who would DARE take my Apple Bloom from me?” Apple Bloom swallowed nervously, looking around for a suitable stallion, who wouldn’t raise suspicions or ask questions. Nitevision, she knew, was in love with Sweetie Belle. Perhaps…Fire Alloy? He had proven he could defend himself…

“I’m dating Fire Alloy. We’ve been together for a week.” Her eyes darted from Fire Alloy to Twist, then back to Fire Alloy.

“WHAT?” Twist shouted.

“WHAT?” Fire Alloy repeated.

‘Just help me out.’ Apple Bloom mouthed. Fire Alloy nodded.

“Well,” Twist spat. “This isn’t I over!” She shouted as she turned and walked away. Nitevision turned around at the sound of Twist’s shouting.

“Did I miss something?” The Bat asked in confusion. Sweetie Belle simply patted his shoulder.

---

The windows of the Chemistry Lab were covered by blankets. Twist raced back and forth, grabbing beakers and syringes. She laughed maniacally as she poured two chemicals into an empty beaker, and set it out over an open flame. The mixture bubbled for a moment, then turned pink. Twist breathed in through her nose, allowing the smoke from the liquid to curl in through her nose. Her eyes glazed over for a moment, pink and purple stripes traveling up and down her eyes for am moment, before they subsided.

“Love Potion is perfect! It’s exactly what I need!” She chuckled. “Apple Bloom will have no choice but to focus on me, and me alone! This is perfect!” She paused for a moment, and watched the liquid bubble for a moment. “Hm. Something’s wrong. I need to test this little potion on some pony before I use it on my love…but, who can I trick into taking this little concoction…I don’t want to hurt the lovely Earth Pony that my heart desires…” Twist cast a casual glance out the window, observing the mass of ponies as they went about their business. She could hear a mare shouting, and recognized the voice immediately. Pumpkin Cake was voicing another of her protests against baking. There was literally only one pony he knew that actually LISTENED to the mare’s speeches…

---

Nitevision sat on the grass, his tail wrapped comfortably around his legs, wings folded neatly against his back. He stood two hoof lengths from Pumpkin Cake’s makeshift stage, listening to her protests. Other ponies began to gather nearby, but none of them cared about what the mare was saying.

“Down with Dairy!” Pumpkin Cake shouted.

“Give it up Pumpkin Cake!” Snails yelled. “No pony cares about your little protests!” The crowd of ponies laughed. Feeling support from the group of ponies surrounding him, Snails grinned. He reached into his saddle bag and produced a pie. He positioned it on his hoof, and hurled it. The pie sailed through the air, rotating twice, then hit it’s target. Whipped cream and cherry filling dipped down Pumpkin Cake’s face. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she listened to all of the ponies roaring with laughter at her misfortune. She ran off the stage, tripped and fell, drawing more and more laughter. Nitevision rushed to her side as the mare rolled onto her back.

“Nitevision,” she cried. “You’re the best friend a pony could have.” Her body shook from her sobbing. The Bat proceeded to lick the pastry off of the mare’s face, causing her to giggle In between her sobs. “You always know how to calm me down, and make me feel better.” Once he had finished cleaning the mare’s face, he offered her a hoof. She stood up, brushed herself off, and pulled him into a hug.

“Feel better?” He asked. She nodded, clearing one final tear from her cheek, and looked at him. “Y-you want to go get lunch?” She asked. He nodded slowly. His first priority in life was to make sure his friends were feeling alright. It was a skill he had picked up from Pinkie Pie from his days in Ponyville. Pumpkin Cake smiled warmly.

“This is why you’ve always been my best friend.” Nitevision said. “Because I know how to cheer you up!” He grinned at the Earth Pony, who nodded, and smiled back.

“Come on,” She said. “I’m getting hungry.” The pair walked off towards the lunchroom.

---

Twist watched happily, shadows crisscrossing her face. Nitevision would be the perfect pony to deliver Pumpkin Cake right into her hooves. She trusted him, and he, well, Nitevision was an absolute moron. Now there was only the matter of HOW she was going to lure the mare into her trap. Twist paced back and forth, considering her options.

‘Perhaps if she were to be invited to a party? No…that wouldn’t work…maybe…if I wrote her a letter,’ Twist pondered. An evil grin spread across the Earth Pony’s face as she thought about this option. ‘Yes…a letter would be perfect! But…what would the subject be? Maybe if I pretend to be a supporter of her pathetic rights rally” The mare snickered as she grabbed a sheet of paper and a quill.
Dear Pumpkin Cake,

At the current time, I am unavailable to reveal my identity, but rest assured I am a supporter of your protests. It is a wonderful thing you are doing, and I wish to meet you in person. Please come to the Chemistry Lab tomorrow at noon.

Your friend and Ally.

Twist snickered as she slipped the sheet of paper into an envelope, and began to consider how best to go about getting the letter to Nitevision. If she simply walked up and handed it to him, he would recognize the mare immediately, and suspect a trap. Perhaps, if she were to say, drop it in front of him, being the good Samaritan that he was, he would simply take it to her. That would be perfect. Twist looked over at the hooded cloak that hung over a chair near the door. She slipped on the robe, then left the room, envelope in hoof. The Earth Pony walked away, without noticing that the door hadn’t fully closed. Featherweight watched her from the hall in silence. There wasn’t supposed to be a chemistry class for the rest of the day, so what was Twist doing in the lab?

This, he decided, was something worth investigating further. He hungered for knowledge, thirsted for answers. As a reporter, Featherweight felt the urge to dig up a story here. If there was something going on here, and he discovered it, it would be front page material. It was foolproof, but he first needed to investigate. The door to the lab had been left open, tempting the Pegasus. There simply HAD to be something there. Why else would Twist leave the room wearing a hood? The door creaked open, and Featherweight stepped in. It appeared to him that in her haste to further her plan, Twist had carelessly left a vial of pink liquid lying on the table. Featherweight couldn’t be sure what it was, but he knew it couldn’t be anything good.

“I need to report this to the authorities!” He said to himself. A crooked grin spread across his face as an idea occurred to him. ‘Or…I can keep it to myself, and when this thing inevitably evolves into a problem, I can get to the bottom of this, and make it into a front page story. I would be famous! Writers would come for miles across Equestria just to read my stories. All of my childhood dreams would come true!’ He thought. Featherweight decided he would let this go, if only for now. All that was left to do now was to lay in wait. The Pegasus gripped his camera tighter, and slipped out of the lab. He had a lot to process, and determined he would need a partner. Fortunately for him, he knew just the stallion.

---

Fire Alloy was walking around the school with Apple Bloom, enjoying the crisp fall air.

“Tell me more about the big city!” Apple Bloom said excitedly. Fire Alloy chuckled.

“I’ve told you nearly everything about Whinnieappolis, what more could you want to know?” He asked. “It wasn’t all that exciting. I just came back to study welding, so I can open my own business.”

“That’s really cool!” Apple Bloom beamed. “Is that your plan for after college?” Fire Alloy looked off into the distance for a moment, then nodded slowly with a sigh.

“I suppose that would be a fair assumption.” He replied, knowing what was going to happen next, regardless of if he asked or not.

“I want to run my own apple farm down in Appleloosa!” She said with a grin. Fire Alloy stopped suddenly, to ponder something the mare had just said.

“What a coincidence…” Fire Alloy said casually, “I was thinking I could use my blacksmithing skills to fix…”

“Farm equipment!” The pair said at the same time. Apple Bloom grinned.

“Maybe we really SHOULD date!” She said happily. “Seein’ as we have so much in common!”

Fire Alloy chuckled, unaware of just how serious the mare was. Neither Earth Pony nor Unicorn noticed the glowing eyes that watched them from beneath a dark hood, a few steps away from where they stood.

‘If she’s considering dating him…’ Twist thought as she watched them walking along the sidewalk that ringed the campus. ‘Then I need to hurry. I can’t afford to advance the Potion to the testing phase right now…I need to find Nitevision. Now if I were a Bat Pony…I would be…’ Twist tapped her chin with her hoof. ‘The cafeteria! Of course! I need to go find him.’

---

Nitevision sat across from Pumpkin Cake as the pair wolfed down their lunch. The Bat Pony smiled at his companion, then cocked his head to one side.

“What is it Nitevision?” Pumpkin Cake asked as she swallowed the final bite of her lunch. The Bat didn’t answer. His attention was captivated by a pony he seemingly had never seen before. “Nitevision?” She asked again, waving a hoof in front of his face. He shook his head.

“Nothing, sorry.” He said as he absent mindedly stood up, and walked over to the pony in the hood.

“Where are you going?” She asked. Once more, the Bat didn’t answer. He seemed to be under some sort of a spell. Noticing him, the hooded pony turned and ran, purposefully dropping the letter from her bag. Nitevision picked it up in his teeth, and raced after her.

“Hey!” He said, his words distorted by his teeth, which were clamped down on the envelope. The hooded mare didn’t stop, so Nitevision took flight, soaring after her. He easily overcame the mare, and landed in front of here. Twist dug her hooves into the ground and slid to a stop.
“You dropped this.” Nitevision said, leaving the letter at her feet. Twist had to bite her lip to keep from snapping at him, and revealing her identity. Instead of speaking, she simply nodded. The Bat Pony walked back to his place across from Pumpkin Cake, and sat down.

“Sorry about that,” he said. “She dropped something, I was giving it back to her.” He looked up again, just in time to see the envelope once more fall from her bag, and drift to the ground. Nitevision raced over to it, and once more picked it up. This time however, he noticed the name on the envelope, and decided not to return it until he discovered who the letter was intended for. Behind his goggles, his eyes crossed in an attempt to read the address. Pumpkin Cake wandered over to see what he was doing.

“What’s that?” She asked, looking at the letter. Nitevision shrugged, letting the letter drift slowly to the ground.

“What’s that word?” He asked pointing at the first word on the envelope.

“To.” Pumpkin Cake read aloud.

“Uh huh. What does that say?” He asked, pointing at the second word.

“Pumpkin.” The mare replied.

“Uh huh. What about that one?” He asked pointing at the final word on the envelope.

“Cake.” She said.

“What does that mean?” Nitevision asked.

“It means the letter is for me.” Pumpkin Cake said in surprise. The Bat pony reached his head down, gripping the letter in his teeth, then stood back up. Pumpkin Cake giggled as she bit down on the opposite side of the envelope, and Nitevision let go. The Earth Pony opened the letter, and read it over, before folding the sheet of paper, and slipping it back into the envelope.

“I have to get going.” Pumpkin Cake said. “I’ll catch up with you later.” Nitevision nodded and embraced the mare. He never suspected that this would be the last time he would see his friend for a very long time.

Dear Mom,

College is awesome! It’s great to be home. I’m glad to hear the Tavern doing well. You’ll never guess who I saw today! Pumpkin Cake, AND the Crusaders! It’s awesome! Oh, Twist is here too. I guess I’m happy to see her again, too. I’m looking forward to seeing you again after so long!

I’ll visit soon!

Nitevision

Comments

[MLRNitevision]

Hi guys! FanFic Author <MLR>Nitevision here.
I got an email from a reader that pointed out a couple of plot details that were irrelevant or out of place. I'm fixing them now, so please bear with me! Chapter 3 is coming soon.
~Nite V.