Three and a Half Mares

by SurprisePinkiePinkiePie

32: Cartastophe

"Err...Sweetheart, could we talk in private?"
She looked up and a part of me said to say it didn't matter, that it was just silly. But it does matter, it's not silly. This had gone on long enough.
"Why?" she asked.
"I'll explain when we're alone."
I trotted off, glancing back to see her shrug and follow me.
"Alright," I muttered. Where to be begin? "Look, I know this sounds crazy, but.....I'm sure there's something off about Patch."
"What do you mean?"
I shrugged. "It's hard to explain, but...well....don't you feel like there's something weird about her? And...well....she carried Clover and me for so long before she got tired......"
"Teddy, what are you trying to say?"
"Well.....Look, I don't know what this is, but I'm sure something's up with her and I've been sure ever since the tiger fight, and I want to make sure that you're safe."
She sighed. "I think you're being irrational."
Ugh, I knew she would say that. "Can't you tell? There's just something.....weird....about her-"
"Teddy, is this all based on a weird feeling? Do you feel the need to check your bedroom for three hours every time you feel like you forgot something?"
"No, but-"
"Has it occured to you that maybe this is just because a girl is better than you at soccer?"
"What? No!"
"Maybe you should go for a walk. I'm really truly sure it's nothing."
I rolled my eyes. "Well, I guess I should get more food. I'll go now."
I trotted off before she could argue. God dangit, now I'm stuck getting food, and that'll take forever, and I'll be gone all day so I won't get to talk to Sweetheart again because it takes so damn long- hey, look, I'm nearly there!
Okay, maybe it's not quite that long.
I trotted inside, then stopped at the door, glancing back outside. Something's weird about this place. Maybe Patch followed me? No, that's impossible. I looked at the full shelves and something pink caught my eye. I turned to where I thought it was and it was gone. Must have been a trick of the eye- hey, what's that noise?
Is somepony talking?
"I wish, I wish, I wish..."
I stared around. Nothing.
"Ember, stay still and don't make a noise!" whispered the voice. What a hypocrite! "I wish, I wish, I wish...."
A flash of pink light and I was galloping.

"Starlight, don't you think you ought to look at the road?"
The blue mare's words jerked Starlight back to reality and she pulled her head away from the shop she had just driven past.
"Do you think we should stop to steal from the shop?"
Sundance shook her head. "Once you get near Dream Valley, there's loads of food around, especially since Megan taught us to farm."
Starlight nodded, speeding up again and grinning. "How much further?"
"I don't know, I don't know how this 'kar' thing works."
"Right. Still, I've been going pretty fast, so it should only be- holy crap!"
She let go of the steering wheel in shock and stared out the window to see that the shop she had just driven past had become engulfed in pink light. She stared in shock as the shop got further and further away, and she was just about to turn around to investigate when she heard Bright Eyes's voice.
"Starligh-"
Crash.
Starlight was roughly brought back to reality as she felt herself being pulled forward. Everything went black for a few seconds, and then the car stopped.
She stared around, looking out the front window. The front of the car was smashed and crumpled in front of a tree. That was when she realized. Bright Eyes had told her to pay attention to the road, and she had been distracted, and now she had managed to crash it.
She turned to Sundance. The white mare was shaking, staring wide-eyed around her. She felt around with her front hooves and took her seatbelt off, moving around to look at the back seats. Bonbon was slumped against the window, apparently out cold. "A-Are you guys okay?"
Bright Eyes was sitting awkwardly against the window, one of her front legs resting on the other. "I-I-I think I broke my arm, I think I heard something crack...."
"Crap..." whispered Starlight. "I...I'm sorry, guys, this is all my fault!"
"Don't worry," assured Sundance. "Firefly and Medley are patrolling around Ponyland in case anypony needs help, since Firefly convinced herself she's a rescue team, I'll be able to call them down once they're close enough..."
"Right..." answered Starlight, pushing the door open and leaning over to help Sundance with the seatbelt before getting out and flinging the back doors open. Melody pushed Bonbon out before getting out herself and dragging the yellow mare along, while Bright Eyes awkwardly slid out onto the grass and sat down.
Starlight glanced back at the shop. No glowing pink anymore. Still, what had caused it. Her curiosity got the better of her. "How long until Firefly and Medley get here?"
Sundance shrugged. "I'm not sure..."
"Back in a second!"
And with that, she was off.

"Pink light- other ponies- something happened-"
"Slow down, Teddy!" yelled Sweetheart, grabbing her boyfriend's hoof.
"At the shop- there were other ponies but I didn't see them- there was this weird pink light...."
"Eh?" asked Patch, looking up. "Sounds cool, let's go!"
"Seriously?" choked Clover. "We can't just go without any sort of plan and hope for the best!"
"Why not?"
"Well," began Sweetheart. "We don't know who the other ponies are, or whether or not they're dangerous, or- you're about to gallop off, aren't you?"
Patch grinned, then galloped off. Sweetheart trotted after her while Teddy, rolling his eyes, grabbed Clover and followed them. "Patch!" yelled Sweetheart. "Don't you think we really truly need to think of a plan?"
"I've got a plan! First, the talking notepad pops up and starts singing about being creative. Then he pours black paint all over the clown painting. Collecting sticks, green is not a creative colour, blah blah blah, and before you know it the letters spell out DEATH and Red Guy's got a pony heart covered in glitter. Then they agree to never be creative again!"
"What?" choked Clover.
"What's your favourite idea?" sung Patch. "Mine is being creative!"
"Where'd you get the idea?"
Sweetheart sighed. "Teddy, don't encourage her!"
"You just have to think creatively!"
"Okay," decided Pinkie Pie, momentarily destroying all laws of time and space to annoy me. "That'th about ath much of the Don't Hug Me I'm Ssscared thong you can show before Fimfiction's copyright getth you reported!"
God dangit, she's right.
"I'm ninety per cent sure that doesn't count as a plan!" snapped Clover.
"Details, details!"
Before they knew it they were trotting inside. "Right," muttered Patch. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

Okay, maybe it was a little reckless. But now that Patch is gone, someone has to be stupidly impulsive!
When I got the store, it looked normal. So, I galloped in, grabbed a few things, and then I saw them.
Sweetheart. Patch. Clover. Teddy.
I galloped over to the window and clambered outisde, keenly watching through the glass. Clover slid down from Teddy's back and Patch started galloping around. I saw Sweetheart's head begin to turn my way and I ducked to the ground.
I know, I should have just let her see me. I could have- I should have- brought them back to the others, apologized for accusing them, and never distrusted them again, regardless of whether or not it turned out they were lying. But I didn't. I couldn't.
I had expected when I found them again, I would have to rescue them. That they would beg to come back, that we would have the power to say they couldn't until they owned up. I know it's mean and horrible to want that but....I wanted to know that we were right. That we were part of a team where everyone was important, that with half of us gone they would crumble. I...I guess I needed to be assured that I was, in fact, important.
But here they were. They were perfectly fine and, by the look on Patch's face, they were happy, they had a plan. Knowing Patch, the plan might have consisted of talking notepads and 'green is not a creative colour', but they're working towards something. They have a goal.
Us? We didn't want to go to Dream Valley, we didn't have a choice. And we had just gotten into a car crash because I was so stupid. If I talked to them now, we would be the ones begging for forgiveness, and they would be able to say no. Of course, they'd be too nice to abandon us when we needed it, but....they could have said no. And I don't think I would be able to take that.

I grinned, blowing my mane out of my eyes. I had my paint, which I totally didn't steal from a school, why would you think that? I had my paintbrush, which I again totally didn't steal from a school. I grabbed the brush and dipped it into the pink paint, starting to paint on the tree.
After a few minutes I found myself adding the last part: three spirals coming out of the main image, looking vaguely Celtic. I grinned, blowing my mane out of my eyes.
Okay, so maybe I'm not normally a graffiti artist, but a certain filly was talking about it. This is probably a dream, anyway, so who cares?
I blew my mane out of my eyes.

Author's Note:

The first part is Teddy’s POV and the fourth is Starlight’s

Comments

[Crazy the Clone]

First chapter is interesting, but I'm just curious about how close to canon you're sticking with this. I'll probably find out as I read, but Discord'a appearance in the first chapter, and the time these chapters were uploaded make me curious about what's happening.