Popcorn

by Popcorn Pony

Chapter 3

Upon opening her eyes, she only saw darkness. She tried to move, but her movements were restricted by walls she could only feel. Strangely, the walls felt wooden, a prickly sensation she was very familiar with. An idea occurred to her...she placed her hooves to her front then pushed off the wall to her rear with her wings, creating a great deal of force. She heard a snapping sound then realized she was on the ground with a plank of wood beneath her.

As Pocornia stood up she noticed some writing on the plank of wood. It read “Made by Popcorn! For Popcorn!”

“Huh?” She whispered while looking at the words “What the...”

Pocornia looked around. A sense of sorrow made her heart feel heavy. Her eyes watered, tears running down her face as she saw gravestone after gravestone, spreading in all directions. White misty fog strung itself around the gravestones like fingers grasping at items of importance. She looked at some nearby trees and noticed a strange growth on their trunks. It looked like the tree’s trunks had grown spikes which pointed themselves in all directions.

A hoof clasped her shoulder from behind and forcibly turned her around. A blinding light from a lantern was held in front of her by an old gray wrinkly faced Stallion. His mane and facial hair was long, appearing unkept like it had not been washed in weeks. Clumps of unknown matter embedded itself with his mane and bushy beard.

“What are you doing here?” The Stallion shouted.

Pocornia offered no response, yet her body began to tense.

“You can’t be here!” The Stallion literally screamed.

Fearfully, Pocornia stepped back.

“You can’t be here!” The Stallion shouted again, as he kept advancing, Pocornia backing away.

Pocornia wanted to look away from the Stallion, but she could not keep her eyes off of his. They looked massive, filled with the flame of rage and fury. The Stallion approached and tried to grab her, but she bolted past him and ran as fast as she could.

Pocornia just kept running, passing many headstones with names she did not know etched into their surfaces. Her eyes leaped across countless headstones until she reached an open metal gate. She went through and ran onto a path leading towards a collection of trees like the ones she had seen in the graveyard. She kept running until she came to a small clearing, then laid down to catch her breath.

So many questions ran through her mind. Who was that old pony, where was she, where could she go that was safe? She sniffed the air, but something smelled, off, somehow...Like something had changed, unnaturally. Pocornia started to believe that nowhere in the forest was safe and she should get out as fast as she could.

A loud cracking sound ricocheted off the surfaces of the trees around Pocornia. She lifted her head and looked at where she thought the sound originated from, a group of bushes. She thought something was lurking behind them, patiently waiting for the right moment to step out, possibly to attack her. Upon hearing a throaty growl. She stood up and looked around for an escape route.

A strange fuzzy looking creature stepped out from the bushes. It walked upright, having the appearance of a great ape. The muscles on its veiny arms, legs, and body conveyed its strength to Pocornia. The tip of its snout was coal black as was the rest of its furry body. Large white teeth poked out over its lips. The beast glared at Pocornia with yellow bloodshot eyes, then growled loudly as two four-legged wolves of similar description walked up behind it.

“Werewolf...” Pocornia uttered.

Although Pocornia feared dogs in general. She kept a cool composer before the werewolf and his subordinates. She already knew how she was going to escape them. She jumped upward and flapped her wings as hard as she could, steadily rising higher until she was far above all the trees in the forest. “Stupid dogs!”, she mused.

Pocornia decided to fly as long as her wings would allow her. She was a Pegasus and as far as she knew she was the only animal capable of flight in the area, therefore, nothing could reach her. She did not understand why she had not thought of flying sooner, but she concluded that it was better late than never. She felt a brisk wind blow against her which caused the skin beneath her fur to tingle a bit. However, she could not enjoy the sensation because something below had caught her attention. All of the tree branches below were bending in the opposite direction. Pocornia thought that was weird.

Suddenly a long vine from one of the tree’s below whipped itself at Pocornia. She barely managed to dodge by doing a barrel roll. She did not know which tree it had come from, but she did see another vine about to whip itself at her. She dodged the incoming vine, but grew weary as more vines prepared to strike. She flew evasively, hearing the “wha’cha!” Sound the vines made as they whipped themselves at her. “Ahhh!” Pocornia screamed as one of the vines struck her arm, leaving a bloody red cut.

Another vine landed a strike on her left wing, but Pocornia kept flying. She thought she must have flown over a swamp, but she could not avoid the vines by flying higher as the wind would be too great for her to maintain control. All she could do was fly until the vines lost their reach.

A very persistent vine whipped itself around Pocornia’s leg as she flew, pulling her down towards the ground. Pocornia used all her strength, trying to resist the vines pull, but it would not release her. More vines whipped themselves against her body, creating more cuts. However, she managed to grab the vine holding her and placed it in her mouth. She bit down, separating herself. Although she was now free, the pain radiating from her wounds was too great for her to maintain flight. Consequently, Pocornia spun out of control until she landed head first in a body of murky water. The splash she made towered higher than would most dwellings, making the water ripple outward farther than she could see after having surfaced.

Pocornia coughed out large amounts of swamp water, murk which left a very bad taste in her mouth. She kept afloat and looked around for land, but stopped when she sighted a giant bullfrog in the distance. It had to have been at least three times her size, squatting only several feet away. Sitting on a pile of fallen tree logs, the frog looked at her strangely, as if it expected her to be there;..had always expected her to be there.

Without a moment's notice, the bullfrog leaped into the water, creating a splash that rivaled the one Pocornia made. She turned to swim away, kicking as fast as her legs would allow, but every time she looked over her shoulder, she saw the bullfrog catching up to her.

Suddenly the bullfrog stopped, opened its mouth and shot its tongue out at Pocornia. She felt the fleshy mass hit the back of her head, sticking to it like glue. The Bullfrog had trapped her within its mouth. Several times it tried to swallow her, but did not seem to want to complete the process. She kept kicking as the bullfrog approached land and gagged after having been hit in a sensitive spot. Involuntary or perhaps because it chose to, the bullfrog spat her out onto the ground then it looked at her staring for a moment, a slight smile behind its eyes then it leaped away.

Pocornia was covered from head to hoof in all sorts of disgusting matter. Stringy green plants from the swamp, yellow gunk from the bullfrog’s mouth and some other questionable substance. Blood flowed downward and mixed with the matter stuck to her body, creating a mushy mess matted to her turquoise fur. A thought crossed her mind, that what she had just been through gave her the appearance of one of the very swamp monsters trying to kill her. She tried to clean herself off by rolling around on a patch of grass, but it did not work.

Just when Pocornia thought the situation could not get any worse, it did. She saw the outlines of the werewolf and his followers far off in the distance. She could tell they were running towards her as their outlines only grew larger. Although she could start running and have a massive lead on them, she knew her body could not endure another escape attempt. Her muscles burned, her head ached and her throat felt bone dry. She had never felt so hopeless before...if a forest was where she was going to die then all she wanted at the last was a sip of clean water. But she would not get her wish, she would die with the mucky taste of swamp water in her mouth. She sat down, waiting for the trio of mutts to come to her.

The wolves stopped, just in-front of her. The werewolf kept creeping towards her, his eyes looking down as she sat quietly resigned, her apprehension clearly evident. He knelt down so he could get a closer look into Pocornia’s bright eyes. He saw her fear broiling, her eyes darting about as if she was trying to hide it from him.

“You're scared...I can tell.” The werewolf stated, almost growling.

Pocornia sat quietly, offering no response.

“Do you understand this nightmare?” The werewolf asked with a throaty snarl.

Pocornia continued to sit quietly, her lips quivering.

“What about the last nightmare you had...or the one before that?” The werewolf asked, reaching for Pocornia’s chin and lifting her gaze up to his.

“Does the pain you endure tell you anything?” The werewolf shouted, his powerful voice thrown back at him as it echoed off the nearby trees. “Cease your deviant behavior and tell me!”

Pocornia remained silent.

It became evident to the werewolf that in order for him to receive a response from Pocornia, he would have to try another approach. His hand latched onto Pocornia’s throat and lifted her off the ground. Defensively, Pocornia grabbed onto his wrist but quickly lost her grip as the werewolf tossed her back towards the smaller wolves. She landed with a thud and slid a few feet across the ground.

The werewolf barked an order at the smaller wolves and in response, they ran up to Pocornia and placed their paws on her limbs to hold her down. The werewolf then knelt down over Pocornia. Her frightened eyes looked back and forth at the wolves and their presumed pack leader. “What are you going to do to me?” She cried.

The werewolf placed a paw on Pocornia’s chest, the only uninjured part of her body. His claws caressed her skin, leaving precise cuts as he dragged his nails across her chest. “Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrghaaaaaaa!” The sheer sharpness of her scream silenced all other sounds associated with nature. No birds, bugs or other animals could be heard.

“What’s the matter, Popcorn?” The werewolf asked in a playful manner. “I thought you liked getting cut, after all, you did carve your name into your arm.”

“Th, that is.” Pocornia groaned mid-sentence, feeling the warmth of her own blood flow down her cold body. “Not my name anymore!” She yelled.

“Oh, really?” The werewolf bellowed.

Pocornia whimpered, sniffling at times.

“Your friends used to call you Popcorn!” The werewolf said. He then tilted his head backward, raising an eyebrow. “There’s an idea...” As Pocornia looked up at the werewolf it became evident to her that he knew something she didn’t and that troubling realization made her heart flutter.

The werewolf shoved the others off of Pocornia then grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder. “Come on Popcorn!” He yelled enthusiastically. “Let’s go see your friends!” The werewolf sprinted off like a track runner after the referee fired his gun into the sky, completely unhindered by Pocornia’s weight and her attempts to squirm free from his grasp. After some time had passed, Pocornia stopped fighting against the werewolf and watched the barbed trees fly by her as the werewolf ran. She had no idea where he was taking her, but assumed it would be awhile before she got there.

Pocornia was not sure how her formal friends fit into the events unfolding in front of her, but thinking about how they used to help her feel happy when she was having a bad day eased some of her tension. However, she knew they would not be in the mood to talk or joke around with her once they met. If anything, they would be angry with her for leaving them behind.

Comically, one of the wolves running behind her tripped. Pocornia chuckled “Watch where you're going you stupid dog!” She remarked.

“Shut up!” The werewolf shouted, “We are almost there!”

Pocornia looked over the werewolf’s shoulder and saw another clearing up ahead.

“What?” Pocornia asked, “My friends would not stand around in a forest.”

“One of them would...” The werewolf replied.

The werewolf leaped over a row of bushes and landed in the middle of an open glade. “Here we are.” The werewolf said as he let Pocornia roll off his shoulders, forcing her to the ground with a thud.

“Urf!” Pocornia groaned.

Impatiently, Pocornia threw herself onto her hooves and looked around. A few feet ahead of her stood the Dark Pony. Upon looking at him she felt a little light headed. She thought that was weird, but decided not to question it now.

“Come here...” The Dark Pony moaned.

“Can you speak normal for once?” Pocornia asked as she approached the Dark Pony. “Why do you always moan when you speak and what are you going to show me this time?”

The Dark pony waved his arm around for Pocornia to see.

“That’s your answer for everything!” Pocornia curtly replied.

The Dark Pony noticed the cuts and scrapes all over Pocornia. He took a long wheezy breath, then asked: “Did he cut you?”

Pocornia nodded.

“I thought I...” The Dark Pony drew a quick breath “Could trust him, but...I was wrong.”

“Wait, you told him to chase me?” Pocornia questioned.

The Dark Pony shook his head “No, I wanted him to... escort you to me, unharmed.”

“She kept running from me!” The werewolf growled, “I had to make her listen!”

“And you thought...scratching her was...the way to do it?” The Dark Pony asked.

Before the werewolf could respond, The Dark Pony pointed a hoof at him and from it lightning flashed, the long static streaks striking the Werewolf, and causing him to fall over and shake violently. Astonished by the Dark Pony’s display of power, the two wolves turned and fled from the scene, back into the forest.

“Alright, alright, alright you made your point!” Pocornia called out.

The Dark Pony paused electrocuting the werewolf and did nothing further to him. Together, he and Pocornia watched as the werewolf stumbled a few times before being able to stand up and flee back into the forest. Pocornia thought her eyes were deceiving her as she could not believe the frail and faceless Dark Pony could have easily overpowered that muscular werewolf.

“Popcorn!” The Dark Pony called out.

Pocornia bit her bottom lip, scowling at the Dark Pony.

“Can’t stay...must go, now!” The Dark Pony commanded.

“My name is not Popcorn!” Pocornia stated sternly. “And I have told you that more than once already!”

“Your name...” The Dark Pony replied.

“Is Pocornia!” Pocornia replied angrily squinting her eyes.

The Dark Pony stepped towards Pocornia, then grabbed her arm and held it up in front of her “That name is carved...into your flesh!”

Pocornia yanked her arm away from the Dark Pony “Don’t touch me!” Pocornia shouted, “That was a long time ago and it's not me anymore!”

“Enough...we need to go, now!” The Dark Pony commanded.

Pocornia shook her head in an exaggerated manner, then shouted “No!”

“You must see something...” The Dark pony replied.

“I said no!” Pocornia screamed, shaking her head even harder than before.

“Now!” The Dark Pony commanded once more.

“When you talk, you sound like the wind beneath a door!” Pocornia replied.

“Fine!” The Dark Pony shouted. “I’ll leave!” The Dark Pony tapped a hoof against Pocornia’s scratched chest. “You can protect yourself!”

Pocornia watched as The Dark Pony walked away. Unexpectedly, she heard a noise she could not identify. She looked behind her and saw a group of red eyes peering through the long row of bushes behind her. Certainly, whatever creatures lurked behind the bushes had bad intentions which meant that, consequently, it was in her best interest to have The Dark Pony with her.

“Wait!” Pocornia cried pleadingly.

The Dark Pony stopped then turned to face Pocornia.

“Please, Don’t leave me by myself!” Pocornia huffed then continued. “I’ll go with you, wherever you want me to go!”

The Dark Pony approached Pocornia then stopped, standing over her. He used his hoof to wipe a tear from her eye then held his hoof against one side of her face. “Come with me...see what I want to show you...and you’ll wake up soon.”

Pocornia nodded her head. But, was she dreaming?

The Dark Pony pointed a hoof at a collection of nearby trees. Black smoke flowed forth, coiling itself around the tree’s trunks. The bark on the trees began to peel back until they thinned so much, they looked like feeble toothpicks. An unnatural gust of wind snapped the toothpick trees. Then the broken wood disintegrated into fine dust, highlighting a newly formed path.

Together the two ponies walked down the path, which seemed to stretch on endlessly. They did not speak or look at each other as they moved, but from time to time Pocornia looked around just to be sure nothing was following them. Unexpectedly, a very bold creature stepped onto the path from behind a few trees, it’s appearance similar to a shaved sickly dog. It had no fur and the color of its skin was a mix of pink and ashy gray. Its eyes were a blood red color and white foam seeped from its mouth as it growled at the two ponies, baring its yellow teeth. Just as Pocornia was about to scream, The Dark Pony pointed its hoof at the creature and from it, bolts of lightning again flashed, crackling loudly as they electrified the morbid looking dog. The dog hit the ground, shaking violently like a squirmy worm. The thump of its heart ceased and the dog laid dead upon the path.

The Dark Pony could feel the fear in Pocornia’s eyes upon his back. He motioned for her to keep moving. “Quickly, we must continue!”

After a long while, Pocornia and the Dark Pony approached a warehouse-sized building. It was constructed of bricks and stood far above the canopy surrounding it. The Dark Pony pointed at a side door leading into the building. Then he and Pocornia entered. Immediately, Pocornia realized she was in a theater. She saw an enormous amount of chairs lined up in rows, all facing a stage on which, under a lit spotlight, stood a group of very familiar ponies. One was Vinyl Scratch, a white unicorn with spiky blue hair who preferred to act more like a tomboy than a typical feminine equine. Next to her stood Octavia Melody, who’s stressed facial expression made her seem uptight, as usual. Behind Octavia stood Photo Finish, who tended to be the eccentric member of the group. She wore an oddly designed two-piece dress. The top was Zebra striped and the bottom was a buttoned skirt. Around her neck hung her personal camera. Pocornia could not think of a time where she saw Photo Finish without her camera.

The Dark Pony pointed at the stage. “Go see your friends, Popcorn...”

Apprehensively, Pocornia walked towards the stage. Two more ponies emerged from behind the stage and walked up to the group. One pony was Coloratura, who preferred her nickname, RaRa and was most often seen wearing a happy smile on her face, making her the most positive member of the group. The color of her coat was a mix of blueish silver and her mane’s color was a lighter shade of black highlighted blue in some spots. The other pony was Songbird Serenade, and she had a knack for standing out amongst the crowd, probably due to the oversized pink bow she wore to hold her black and yellow mane together. However, part of her mane’s bangs still hung over her eyes. To this day, Pocornia had not been able to figure out how Songbird could walk without tripping or walking into something.

Pocornia stepped onto the stage, timidly looking down at the floorboards instead of at her friends. She stepped up to RaRa, who turned upon hearing Pocornia’s hoofsteps.

“Popcorn!” RaRa cried as she threw her hooves around Pocornia, hugging her tightly.

“Please don’t call me that anymore. I don’t like it.” Pocornia replied.

RaRa released Pocornia from her embrace then stepped back, giving Pocornia a confused look. “What, why?” She asked.

“I just don’t like it anymore, okay!” Pocornia aggressively replied.

“Hey, is Sapphire Shores with you?” Songbird Serenade asked.

“No.” Pocornia replied.

While Pocornia, Rara, and Songbird talked amongst each other, Vinyl Scratch and Octavia were exchanging messages through certain motions. Vinyl Scratch kept waving her hoof dismissively while shaking her head at Octavia and Octavia kept pointing her hoof at Popcorn.

“Enough!” Octavia shouted.

Every pony turned their attention to Octavia as she gave Pocornia a cold stare.

“I want to know why you did not come to the audition I set up for you. Do you know how many high profile ponies I had to sweet talk just so they would spend their Valuable time evaluating you!” Octavia roared “I looked like a low-class buffoon!”

“Don’t get your bow tie in a twist, Octavia!” Vinyl Scratch retorted. “Popcorn must have had a good reason.”

“Yes and besides, once I explained everything and showed them my pictures, Most of them understood the problem.” Photo Finish added.

“Gals, I think we have other things to worry about.” Songbird Serenade interjected.

RaRa turned to Pocornia and gave her a teary-eyed look. “Pocornia, we thought Sapphire Shores was with you, but if she isn’t then none of us know where she is.” The tone of RaRa’s voice reflecting concern. “We searched Sapphire’s home, but all of her...and your stuff was gone. We couldn’t find a sign of either of you.”

“I don’t know where she is. I left her home and went someplace else.” Pocornia replied.

“Someplace else?” RaRa asked.

Pocornia nodded.

“Mind telling us where that is?” RaRa asked.

Pocornia shook her head.

RaRa got an odd feeling in her stomach. She asked herself “Why would Pocornia not tell me everything?”, but before she could ask Pocornia another question, Octavia had stepped between them. She held her face just inches from Pocornia’s “Stop being coy and tell us what really happened between you two!”

“Alright, relax, sheesh!” Pocornia replied as she reared her head back. “I didn’t show up to the audition, Octavia...” The tone of Pocornia’s voice reflecting that of a parent talking down to an accusatory child. “Because me and Sapphire got into a huge fight about me subletting in her home.”

Unexpectedly, the spotlight lighting the stage went out submerging every pony in absolute darkness.

“Who turned out that light!” Pocornia roared.

“No pony move so you won’t fall off the stage.” Songbird warned.

Suddenly, the spotlight lighting the stage turned on illuminating every pony on stage, but their feeling of relief brought to them by the light was short lived. Every pony turned their eyes to the audience. Every single chair was occupied by albino ponies, the overpowering color of their red eyes locked upon the group of ponies on stage and their lips contorted into eerie toothy smiles.

Out of nowhere, The Dark Pony appeared behind Pocornia and wrapped his arms around her, one over her mouth and the other over her body. “You're not telling the truth, Popcorn!” He hissed.

Fearfully, Octavia stepped back, her mouth falling open as her lilac colored eyes met the Dark Pony’s textureless face. Vinyl Scratch and Songbird tried to rush towards Pocornia, but the Dark Pony had already levitated into the air with her. He hovered above the crowd. “Watch this...” The Dark Pony whispered into Pocornia’s ear.

The audience of albino ponies got up from their chairs and charged towards the stage, some of them climbing over chairs to reach the stage faster. Pocornia’s friends froze for a moment as they watched the horrific stampede coming towards them then they turned and ran backstage, running towards an exit.

“Hmmpppmurrr Ponyhmmmphville! Erfffmmmm” Pocornia shouted as the dark pony tried to keep his hoof over her mouth.

A black fog poured from underneath the robe The Dark Pony wore and engulfed him as he held Pocornia against her will. Together, they disappeared within the fog then reappeared above a grassy hill. Together they disappeared within the fog then reappeared above a grassy hill. The Dark Pony let go of Pocornia, allowing her to fall and hit the ground with a thud. He floated downward like a feather then landed in front of her.

“Why did you do that?” Pocornia asked.

“Popcorn...” The Dark Pony moaned “I am...a messenger.” The Dark Pony drew a long wheezy sounding breath. “You are not hearing the message!”

Out the corner of her eye, Pocornia saw a very large and familiar building. It was the home she and Sapphire Shores were living in before they had their last argument. “Why are we here?” Pocornia asked.

The Dark Pony lifted his hoof and pointed it at the house. “You will go there.” The Dark Pony said, “And watch your past transgressions.”

“What do you mean?” Pocornia asked pensively.

“This...” The Dark pony waved his hoof around. “Is all a shadow of...your memory.

Pocornia looked at the house then back at the Dark Pony. “You mean...a dream?”

The Dark Pony nodded then pointed toward one of the house’s windows “Go...”

Pocornia moved towards the house then looked inside through a window. Amazingly, she saw a transparent copy of herself walk into the kitchen. It felt weird...watching herself gather some ingredients then mix them together in a bowl. She knew all of the events that were about to take place. In a few seconds, the doorbell would ring.

The doorbell rang, loudly. Pocornia hastily plopped the plate of ingredients into the oven then ran to the door and opened it. On the other side stood Sapphire Shores. She sauntered into the hallway, Pocornia’s welcoming eyes on the attractive cream mare. Her gaze flowed down her ruffled white blouse, down her body, onto the shapely rump the corset provided, hidden by a crinoline petticoat with sky blue tulle.

“So I see you're still in uniform.” Pocornia said.

“Yeah, me and my back up dancers couldn’t change because Songbird’s girls took over the changing room before we could get in there.” Sapphire Shores let out a heavy sigh “Today was such a hard day for me.”

“Guess what!” Pocornia said cheerfully. “I’m making your favorite, Lasagna!” The tone of Pocornia’s voice sounded uplifting and happy.

Sapphire Shore’s eyes grew heavy. She blinked a few times, allowing the weight of her mascara to help her eyelids fall. “You work so hard around here...” Sapphire Shores said, her voice trailing off into near silence.

Pocornia tilted her head back. “Is something wrong?”

Sapphire Shores looked at Pocornia. Her eyes were baggy and dark underneath and the white of her eyes had streaks of red shooting out in all directions. It troubled Sapphire Shores to know she had to tell Pocornia the story she had been playing and replaying in her head since she left her studio. She decided it would be best to enjoy dinner first. “Yeah, everything’s fine.”

Pocornia tilted her head and pulled her lips in. “Are you sure?”

Sapphire Shores gave Pocornia another quick nod then sniffed the air. “That Lasagna smells so good. I can’t wait to eat some of it.”

At that point, Pocornia knew what was on Sapphire Shore’s mind. It was obvious to her, especially since she could not smell a whiff of lasagna in the air. Pocornia scrunched her face inward to convey her irritation. “You wanna talk about it?” Pocornia asked.

“Okay, Okay...” Sapphire Shores hung her head for a moment, then walked with Pocornia into the living room. Together, they sat down on an unappealing gray couch. Nervously, Sapphire Shores eyes went all around the room while she tapped her hooves together, occasionally biting her lip before her golden eyes made their way back to Pocornia’s orange eyes. She could see a mix of senses, concern, and affection, but also irritation and expectation.

“I don’t think this is going to work the way you want it to.” Sapphire Shores said.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Pocornia asked.

“I love you, I do, but...I don’t know if other ponies will take to that.” Sapphire Shores explained.

Pocornia assumed the direction of the conversation. She tilted her head back and grunted “Uggggh, what did your agent say?” She asked.

“I told him what you said, but he doesn’t want to take the risk. “ Sapphire Shores explained.

“Sapphire, he is a stallion. He can’t understand how we feel about each other!” Pocornia argued.

Sapphire Shores laid her hooves upon her lap. “No, but protecting my reputation as the pony of pop is his job. He knows what will and won’t hurt my reputation and if my reputation gets hurt, my albums won’t sell and no pony will want to see me on tour!” Sapphire huffed, “You have to understand that.”

Pocornia pointed her hoof at Sapphire Shores. “If you got on stage and told your fans who you really are, they would be inspired by you!” Pocornia forcefully stated, “And your fans would listen to you because you inspire them, not the media!”

“Pocornia, you don’t know that.” She replied, her tone uncharacteristically sounding soft and flimsy.

“Yes, I do. I’ve seen how they look at you. They think you're the greatest thing ever and if some controversy came of it, They would defend you.” Pocornia replied, “It's an important part of who you are!” Pocornia asserted rather aggressively.

“We’ve managed to keep our relationship a secret for this long. Why would you want to put our lives on display for everypony to see?” Sapphire Shores fired back.

“You won’t lose your status!” Pocornia screamed at the top of her lungs “I don’t understand you!” Pocornia slammed her hoof on the couch “I put so much time, effort and money into this house because you wanted to live someplace that’s away from everypony else so no pony could bother us! This house was awful before I fixed it and I did it all for you!” Pocornia roared.

Sapphire looked down at the floor with watery eyes. She felt so conflicted inside, desperately trying to rationalize her feelings for Pocornia against the need to preserve her career. Her career was her livelihood, all the ponies she had met because of it left impressions upon her.

“Well, if you won't go tell that agent of yours what’s what then I will!” Pocornia shouted.

Sapphire centered her gaze on Pocornia then yelled: “No you will not!”

As Pocornia made her way to the door. Sapphire ran up and grabbed her, just as she was walking through the doorway, trying to pull Pocornia back inside. Pocornia slipped out of Sapphire’s grasp then pushed her down to the ground.

“Don’t touch me!” Pocornia growled, her eyes narrowed, her lips in a snarl.

“Pocornia, what’s wrong with you!” Sapphire questioned.

Sapphire stood up. She sniffled many times, allowing her eyes to water, causing her mascara to flow down her face, creating black streak lines along her cream-colored fur. “We need to separate!”

“No!” Pocornia shouted, her pot of boiling emotions had spilled over thus her mind was no longer rational. Her anger pushed her closer and closer towards Sapphire as she backed away.

“Pocornia, Pocornia?” Sapphire cried, her heart racing. The look of rage and betrayal on Pocornia’s face made Sapphire feel afraid of Pocornia “Listen to me!”

Pocornia swung her arm outward and slapped Sapphire across the face. They looked at each other for a second as if they were exchanging silent words to one another then, Pocornia pushed Sapphire down onto her back. Defensively, Sapphire held her arms up to protect her face as Pocornia jumped on top, but Pocornia quickly broke her guard and pressed her hooves against Sapphire’s throat. “Popcorn, Stop!” Sapphire squealed.

“Don’t call me that!” Pocornia snarled.

Sapphire squirmed under Pocornia’s weight. “Stop!” Her eyes watered, tears flowing down her face as the pressure against her throat increased. “P...lease.” Sapphire tried to pull Pocornia’s hooves away from her, but Pocornia was too strong. “I’m...cuggh!” Sapphire choked as her throat closed.

“Don’t talk!” Pocornia replied.

Sapphire’s eyes locked wide open. She stopped moving, but the adrenaline rushing through Pocornia’s veins made her think that Sapphire was still trying to break free from her violent clutches. After a few minutes, she stood up and wiped the droplets of sweat rushing down her face with a cloth. Her mind had not restarted yet, but it guided her to the couch and she sat down, repeatedly breathing heavily. Confusion overtook her mind, making the simplest of thoughts seem like an overly complicated plan. She laid down for awhile, then got back up and returned to the kitchen. “Sapphire wake up, we need to talk!” Pocornia commanded.

Pocornia looked down at Sapphire’s motionless body then she reached for and filled a glass with cold water. She poured the glass on Sapphire’s head, but nothing happened. Pocornia hastily kneeled down and tried slapping Sapphire Shore’s awake. “Sapphire, wake up!” Pocornia yelled.

Pocornia’s eyes widened, mouth agape with terror. In a hurried manner, she picked Sapphire up and wrapped her in a roll of carpet. Afterwards, she threw her into the back of her own wagon. Pocornia hooked herself up to Sapphire’s wagon, then walked towards a nearby trail leading her into a forest. “I’ll Bury the body somewhere deep in the woods then move away!” Pocornia thought, fearfully screaming the words in her head. “What have I done?!”

Surprisingly, Pocornia appeared in her bedroom sprawled out on her mattress. Sunlight poked through her windows blinds. Cautiously she looked around her room then sat up. Deep remorse for what she had done weighed her down. It was like she had become heavy inside like there was not a single redeeming quality about her. Slowly, she wiped her watery eyes with a hoof, crying softly. “I’m sorry...I am so sorry.”

Author's Note:

Keep an eye out for a blog post. Hope people enjoyed this chapter. I had fun writing it. :D

Comments

[Skywriter]

Okay, I didn't see that coming.

[Popcorn Pony]

9066303
Didn't see what coming?

[Skywriter]

9067742
All the grimness!

[Popcorn Pony]

9067753
Ah, yeah...I took a very (Hot and cold) approach while planning this story and that will become more evident as more chapters are released.

[MagicPony]

Oh my god! Where to begin. I love this chapter so much!

All about the dream and the wild chase make little to no sense at the beginning (just like a real dream would, that part was fantastic!) all the way until the messenger, The Dark Pony, appears. Everything until the moment they arrived at the theater drags a bit more than necessary and feels kind of sluggish. In other words, the story transition from the forest to the theater was lackluster, but it's the only part that drops it in all the chapter.

This chapter escalates things so quickly (I didn't see that coming, and that's a good thing) and submit the events in a mysterious but practical way. It's all happening in her dreams/nightmares without her perceiving at the beginning and that's a great way to add dramatic tension. Her mind is pulling up all her emotions (her guilt, above all) and memories and they are kicking in and yelling at her "IT'S ME!".

I love the idea of having all the musician ponies in one place, but there was hardly any interaction between all of them and Pocornia.

Both Pocornia and Sapphire Shores acted so wrong about the issues of their relationship obstacles. Like, it made me feel like they didn't even cared for each other to begin with after rereading how they talked and expressed three times.

You would've handled the discussion between those two a little different, but maybe this is for the better, misunderstandings and conflicts makes for a more entertaining novel.

I was waiting for the emotional "What about us? What about our feelings? Don't they matter?... What does it matter to you?... Do I matter?" all while gently placing her wing on Sapphire's hoof.

“I put so much time, effort and money into this house because you wanted to live someplace that’s away from everypony else so no pony could bother us! This house was awful before I fixed it and I did it all for you!” Pocornia roared.

That's a really awful thing to say (maybe "for US" would've been more emotional than "for YOU" in that paragraph, I guess?) but it is understandable judging everything that's transpiring at that moment, it's natural that all her emotions are flailing wildly.

Bottom line, amazing work! I'll keep on reading every night. (Sorry for any misspellings. English is not my first language.)

[Popcorn Pony]

10907260
The feedback is much appreciated and I do see how the wording becomes a problem between Sapphire and Pocornia, but I can't really say what I want to say yet on that note.

The details about the way events all unfolded, I defintely do think that some of the earlier chapters in this novel were a bit wordy at times and there were a few moments where it dragged on. Obviously, that being a reflection of my lack of writing experience at the time. Later chapters do improve tho I am sure they too have other areas that need work. My hope is to go back and fix many of the errors I didn't catch in my editing phase at the time of upload after I finish the novel.

See, I'm trying to watch what I say because I really, really, really appreciate that you are taking the time to offer your feedback on the story...You are incredibly vocal and having someone share their perspective really helps me improve more than I ever could on my own. I don't want to comment on too many things because I don't want to inadvertantly give away a detail before you read it for yourself.

Again, thank you so much and I really look forward to reading your next piece of feedback.