Whisper

by Warren Hutch

Chapter 1

As the last trailing notes of Pinkie Pie's trombone went silent over the devastated village of Ponyville, the pink and magenta mare's five best friends approached her tentatively. With a nod of satisfaction she laid her instrument aside and dusted off her hooves.

Applejack called out to her in a tremulous voice. "Wh-whut in tarnation was all that about, Pinkie?"

The pink pony turned to face them, her bright blue eyes darting about the gnawed wreckage of the town center. Shellshocked ponies were just beginning to poke their heads out and examine their surroundings.

She gave a curt little nod. "Checkin' for stragglers. I'd say Ponyville is all clear of parasprites."

Twilight Sparkle was still boggling that Pinkie knew exactly what they were dealing with and how to stop them, but part of her mind, the part that had come to understand that she was far from an encyclopedia of all knowledge, told her she'd lived in Ponyville too long to be surprised by anything the hyperactive party pony did, said, or knew about. Still, the academic in her wanted answers. "How did you know about parasprites, Pinkie Pie?"

Pinkie gave her a wistful yet knowing look. "Well, the Pie family didn't always run a rock farm, Twilight."

At this Applejack gave a little shudder, looking in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres. Fluttershy sidled up beside her and laid a hoof on her shoulder. "Um... It's okay, Applejack. At least Twilight's spell kept them from eating all your apple trees."

The lavender unicorn hung her head. "Yeah, but most of Ponyville is in ruins because of me. I'm so sorry, everypony."

The group of close friends turned as a shaken voice called out to them. "W-would you care to explain what you mean by that, Twilight Sparkle?"

A distinguished older mare with a scroll for a cutie mark was approaching at the head of a group of townsponies, her aura of authority somewhat diminished by the disheveled state of her grey mane and the large bite that had been taken out of her tie.

Twilight stepped forward hesitantly, digging a hoof on the cobblestones. "Well, you see Ms. Mayor, I tried to stop those creatures from eating all the food in town with a simple dieting spell, but all it did was make them ravenous for anything that wasn't food. I have no idea how it could have backfired so spectacularly."

Her voice cracked as a tear started to flow down her cheek. "All this destruction is my fault, and... and I understand if you all want me to leave Ponyville." At this a gasp went up from all the ponies in earshot, particularly Twilight's close friends.

Fluttershy stepped forward with wings flared and an uncharacteristic passion in her voice. "Twilight, NO!"

Her voice dropped in volume as she slouched behind her flowing pink locks, suddenly self conscious again. "Um... I'm sorry. I mean.. If... if anypony should be banished it... it should be me! I brought the first parasprite into town, and then kept one when we were trying to get rid of them and started the whole thing over again. I'm really so, so sorry."

Rainbow Dash stepped up, her multicolored mane bristling and her tail hiked angrily. "That's not your fault, Fluttershy. You didn't know what those little creeps could do, or how fast they multiplied. It was a dumb mistake, sure, but not worth getting chased out of town over."

She turned and cast an aggressive scowl at the growing crowd of stunned ponies around them. "And if anypony tries, they're gonna have to get through me."

Applejack joined her at the forefront, shoving her cowpony hat forward at a pugnacious angle. "And me too, I reckon."

The Mayor raised a hoof and cleared her throat. "Ladies, please. Nopony is talking about running anypony out of town." She looked around the devastated town square with a nervous twitch fluttering her right eye. "This whole situation was completely out of anypony's control. I'm sure even the Princess herself would be hard pressed to..."

At this, the tan coated official suddenly stiffened, her eyes shrinking to pinpricks. "Holy Horseapples! The PRINCESS! She's going to be here any minute now!" The older mare's legs went rigid like the legs of a sawhorse, and she began to breathe at a faster and faster pace as a murmur of alarm went through the crowd.

Twilight hurriedly stepped forward and laid a calming hoof on the panicked Mayor's shoulder. "Don't worry, Mayor. My friends and I met Princess Celestia just as she arrived at the edge of town. She had to cancel her visit because of a similar infestation in Fillydelphia. She didn't see anything." The unicorn gave her a weak smile and a shrug. "Hey, she thought Pinkie leading the creatures out of town was a parade in her honor. She actually seemed quite pleased with us."

Applejack rolled her eyes. "Yeah, and if'n y'all believe that then I got some prime farmland t'sell ya in Froggy Bottom Bog." She gave her lavender friend an earnest look. " Celestia ain't no foal. She knew whut was goin' on, and she was bein' nice about it."

Twilight cast the honest farm pony a "you're not helping" glare and continued. "Well, regardless, things are smoothed over with the Princess. That's the least of our worries right now."

The Mayor's breathing softened and her legs wobbled a bit. She let out a sigh of relief, rubbing a throbbing temple with a hoof. She cast a fond look at Twilight after she'd regained her composure. "Well, just chalk it up to another time you and your friends have saved us, Twilight Sparkle."

The grey maned earth pony reached up and took the lavender mare's hoof in her own. "Our memories aren't so short here in Ponyville, girls. We still owe you a lot for all the other times you've saved us. Nightmare Moon, the snoring dragon, that terrible incident with the ursa. Even if you did make some mistakes, the fact that there was a town here in the first place for those horrible little creatures to dine on is thanks to you."

Twilight began to tear up in earnest, a fragile smile playing across her face. She lunged forward and took the startled Mayor into a hug that she held for a long time as her five best friends beamed with joy and relief.

Just as the older mare was beginning to squirm uncomfortably in the unicorn's embrace, Twilight disengaged and spoke up to the crowd. "Thank you, everypony! Oh, thank you! I promise to do everything I can to help fix things. Even if you don't trust me to use my magic, I'll pull wagons and hammer nails with my hooves if that's what's needed."

Applejack nodded and stood proud beside her friend. "It'll take a lotta work, but there ain't nothin' we can't put right if we put our backs into it. You got the Apple family's support soon as I can get the word out. And thanks to Twilight there's still plenty o' vittles in town t' keep us all goin' strong."

Rainbow Dash drew herself up as well. "Right. And I'll make sure the weather patrol reschedules any rain until after everypony's roofs are fixed."

The blonde farm pony cast her a look, and leaned in to mutter in her friend's ear. "Uh... Now hang on there just a minute, Rainbow..."

The rainbow pegasus rolled her eyes, replying in a low voice edged with annoyance. "Okay, only over the houses, all right? We'll make sure the crops get watered on time. Chillax, AJ."

Swept up in the swell of enthusiasm that was beginning to rise from the crowd, Rarity stepped up. "This is the perfect chance to beautify the town. Oh, Ponyville will be ever so much more charming once we've finished. Ponies will come from miles around just to visit and spend time here."

Pinkie Pie hopped forward with a wide grin. "Ooh! And just think of the party we can throw once we're done fixing everything up. A big celebration after a job well done is one of the bestest kinds of party there is!"

They all turned and looked at Fluttershy, who kind of shrank back with a little squeak and gave a nervous nod. She raised a hoof and waved it tentatively. "Yay Ponyville. woo hoo..."

At this, the Mayor took her cue, drawing herself up and standing proudly beside Celestia's prized student and her five friends. "They're right, everypony! We've got our work cut out for us, but I'm sure with the Elements of Harmony on our side, we can do it. Now come on, we've got to get organized and assess the damage, then we can start planning out the reconstruction. I'll be convening a general meeting at the town hall in..."

She was cut off by a loud creaking followed by a thunderous crash in the center of town. Her right eye started twitching again as she cleared her throat and continued. "... I'll be convening a general meeting in the central square next to where the town hall... used to be. After... After I go lie down somewhere for a little while. S-see you there, everypony."

***

As the crowd dispersed to look to their homes and businesses, most of the ponies ignored a rather nondescript unicorn mare who stood a little ways off from Twilight and her friends, staring at them as they hugged one another. Her coat was a neutral, middle value grey, her lank mane and tail a faded beige. Her face and figure were rather plain and unremarkable. She wore a drab brown skirt and a khaki traveller's cloak with a cheap set of panniers underneath.

Bottomless rage boiled in her muddy brown eyes, her teeth grinding against one another just as her hooves ground into the cobblestones on the street. A hot tear rolled down her cheek, as her voice came out a tiny, strained whisper. "It's not f-fair. They should be running you out of town on a rail! They should be making you into a tar and feather pegasus and launching you toward the swamp with a catapult. The Princess should be banishing you, then throwing you into a dungeon in the place she banished you to, with a cockatrice and a bunch of incontinent pigeons for cellmates."

The faintest ripple of magic surrounded her blunt horn as she pulled up her hood up and turned to stomp away. "I hate you, Twilight Sparkle. You and all your little friends too."

The fuming stranger had failed to properly account for the exact number of friends currently clustered around the lavender unicorn, however, and when she came about she found herself staring into the limpid blue eyes of an earth pony mare seemingly composed of 50% cotton candy and 70% manic energy.

Pinkie gave a little hop. "HI!"

The drab stranger let out a tiny squeak of alarm and stumbled backwards as the pink mare pressed her affable assault. "I don't think I've ever seen you in Ponyville before, which means you're new because I know everypony in town and I'd probably remember you if I'd seen you before but I haven't seen you before so unless you've been following me and my friends around all day skulking behind hedges and peeking around corners then you probably just showed up."

Her grin widened. "I almost didn't spot you just now but lucky for both of us I did so I came over to say hi and sorry about all the mess but we just had the whole town half eaten by little bugs so I'm afraid any party I throw to welcome you is gonna be a little low key as in okey dokey low key until we make sure Sugar Cube Corner is structurally sound enough for line dancing although I guess we could put up some support posts and have a sock hop and that wouldn't make the rafters shake so much but better safe than sorry I guess and not as many ponies like to wear socks as you'd think even though they're awfully cute, especially on Princess Luna but she doesn't come to parties very often that I know about. In fact, I haven't seen hide nor hair of her for a whole season now. Maybe I could get Twilight to have Spike send an invitation if you really wanted her to come."

She shrugged. "If not I suppose we could do without the dancing and still have some cake and maybe play some board games on a folding table in the town square. Ooh! If we hold it in the town square we could have square dancing, which is super fun even though I don't always remember which way to turn when they call out doe see doe, you wouldn't know which direction that is, would you?"

The grey unicorn's left eye began to twitch, and she stammered in an almost inaudible voice tinged with panic. "Um... I d-don't know and I really have to be going now so if you'll excuse me."

She turned and made to walk away, but let out another squeak as she found herself blocked by Pinkie's startling reappearance in front of her, a slightly pouting look on her face. "Aw, but you've only just arrived in Ponyville as far as I know and the least we can do is give you a big Ponyville welcome."

At this, the plain unicorn's expression darkened, and her faint voice became briefly tinged with sarcasm."Oh, I've had as big a welcome as Ponyville can dish out, thanks."

The nervousness reasserted itself as she again sought to end the conversation and walk off. "I'm just passing through, don't mind me-EEK!" She found Pinkie standing in front of her again.

The vibrant pink mare cocked her head to the side with a thoughtful expression on her face. "Wow, that's super cryptic and it sounds like you probably don't mean it at all in the way I mean a big Ponyville welcome, which involves at least twenty pounds of cake, ten gallons of punch, and a conga line which is the only definition I know or at least the only definition that ought to be in the dictionary if you looked up "Ponyville welcome", although to simplify things they probably should just put the address for Sugar Cube Corner care of Pinkamena "Pinkie" Pie, which is me, by the way, although only my family ever calls me Pinkamena. My friends call me Pinkie which is what you can call me too 'cos I wanna be your friend but I don't believe I caught YOUR name yet." She fluttered her eyelashes expectantly.

The drab mare's eyes began darting around for a way to escape, as she heard hoofsteps behind her. "Um... My name's not important. I really should be l-leaving right now."

The pink mare let out a giggle. "That's silly. Everypony's name is important. How else do you get your mail delivered? I'd never get all my invitations to all my parties out on time if I had to guess who I was sending them to. Although that gives me an interesting idea..."

The grey stranger flinched as Rainbow Dash's sandy voice called out. "Hey Pinkie, who's your new friend?"

Pinkie glanced over at the multicolored pegasus. "She hasn't told me her name yet."

Applejack's voice sounded out nearby as well, causing the strange mare's panic to rise as she began to feel hemmed in. The farm pony spoke with a chiding tone. "Now Pink, y'need t' back off n' give the gal some breathin' room. Give her a chance to get a word in edgewise."

Rarity spoke up, too close for the plain unicorn's comfort. "Indeed, it's not polite to dominate the conversation. We've spoken about this before. Well, I've tried to speak to you about it but we always end up being diverted into a conversation about paragliding or cheese danish or something."

Pinkie replied to her friends with a slightly wounded tone. "I was just getting to her turn to speak if you silly fillies wouldn't keep interrupting. She's hard enough to hear as it is." She raised a hoof to the reticent stranger with a bow of her frizzy magenta maned head. "Over to you, Miss or Mrs..."

The drab unicorn bunched her shoulders and let out a squeak of rage. "Whisper. I go by the name Whisper. Now leave me alone you freak!"

With that, she reared and attempted to wheel away from Pinkie and break out of the small circle her friends had formed as curiosity had drawn them in. Her shoddily made panniers came loose and fell down around her feet, breaking open and spilling out their contents as the straps tangled around her back hooves and sent her toppling to the ground. She landed on the hard cobblestones with enough force to knock the wind out of her.

Instantly, the six mares who had accosted her rushed forward to help as she lay dazed and gasping for breath, her legs kicking and flailing awkwardly. Twilight and Applejack helped her up to a sitting position as the lavender unicorn apologized profusely. "Sorry! Sorry! I'm so sorry. Pinkie's a nice pony. Really! But she gets a little too enthusiastic sometimes. Well... all the time, really. Are you all right? I hope you're not hurt."

The strange mare shook her head to clear it, and turned a glare that would burn through a castle wall towards her fellow unicorn. "That's hilarious coming from YOU, Twilight Sparkle." She hissed with a voice as soft as a breeze but dripping with venom.

Taken aback, Twilight blinked at her. "Do... do I know you?"

The drab unicorn's response was drowned out by Fluttershy's voice. "Um... Is... Is that a parasprite in that jar?"

The butter colored pegasus' gaze was fixed on a small glass bell jar that had fallen out of the stranger's panniers and rolled a short distance away. A tiny, globular brown shape flitted around inside on a blur of gossamer wings, staring out through the glass with wide faceted green eyes and an eager little smile on its face.

With a panicked expression the mare who called herself Whisper reached out with her magic to snatch up the jar but found it held immobile in a much stronger purple aura. She recoiled, eyes wide with terror, stammering in her tiny voice. "W-wait... I... It's not what you think."

Twilight Sparkle floated the imprisoned parasprite over between them with a furrowed brow. "Frankly, Miss, I'm not sure what to make of this. What are you doing with this in your bag?"

Whisper recoiled as the gazes of Rainbow Dash and Applejack became hard and suspicious. Rarity arched an eyebrow and pursed her lips, while Twilight's expression was coldly analytical, like a detective trying to unravel a mystery. Pinkie Pie's face was pinched in mild disgust as she stared at the little creature happily buzzing about in its container. Even Fluttershy wore a look of wariness, from what could be seen of her face behind the impenetrable curtain of her long mane.

The drab mare cast about wildly, her watery brown eyes widening in fear. A snarl contorted her face as she hissed at them. "You'll never take me alive, you horrible monsters!"

A bloom of dusty tan smoke blinded them all, followed by the sound of scrambling hooves on pavement.

Comments

[SuperChaosKG]

Lulamoon, what are you doing now?

[Lurks-no-More]

Resorting to far-fetched schemes of adorably ravenous vengeance now, are we?