33. Problem Solver
When Olive opened her eyes, she was somewhere else again. A snowy forest with nothing but the wind to keep her company. The sky was marvelous, such pretty colors. Green waves in the sky shined down on the white ground of the forest. It was cold, however, cold enough to make her shiver.
She’ll get a cold if she stays here any longer.
“Five seconds of love!”
Startled by the cheerful voice, Olive tried to turn around only to feel two warm hooves wrap around her, shielding her from the frost. This loving embrace, it appeased her. “It’s been a while, I’m happy to see you’re doing well.”
The filly’s eyes widened, her breaths stopping briefly. She remembered that happy voice from a darker time. She turned her head, slowly, and got a good look at the pony behind her. A yellow coat as beautiful as the sun and a blue mane as sparkly as the sea stood before her. Lo and behold, it was the mare that stayed by her side since the very beginning.
“Do you still recognise me?”
Olive mouth opened; a single whisper of disbelief escaped.
The older filly before her smiled. “Of course you still do. How else could you be so nice?”
“Au... Aurora!” Now, it was Olive’s turn to embrace the pegasus.
“I’m not leaving yet, Olive. I know you still need me.” The mare said with a bright and reassuring smile, the one smile Olive loved.
The pink unicorn didn’t know what to say. Instead, she held onto her former friend as hard as she could, tears streaming down her face. She sniffled as she let the loving embrace of the pegasus bring back the old memories she cherished.
“Despite everything that’s happened, you’re still showing kindness to others.” Aurora caressed the filly’s mane. “Before hatred, you must show love, but remember that not everypony deserves to be shown kindness. A good mare recognises those who are in need.”
Olive’s eyes met those of Aurora, the tears were making it hard for her to fully see the face of her friend. “B-But how can I know which pony I should help?”
Aurora gave her a reassuring smile and a pat on the head. “I can’t help you with that, it’s something you’ll learn as you go. What do you want to do now?”
Olive wiped her tears away only for more to come. “I-I want to help everypony I can, so that they’re not as sad as me. L-Like Diamond Tiara.” She croaked.
“Even if she bullies you, you’d still help her?”
The small unicorn nodded. “Hm hm...”
The pegasus brought her closer, sitting on the snow. “That’s a really nice thing to do! But... I don’t want you to forget you’re just as important as other ponies. Take good care of yourself, your happiness is just as important as theirs.” She placed a hoof on Olive’s face and lifted her frown. “I don’t want to see you frown ever again, okay? I want to see you smile.”
Olive smiled weakly. Placing her head on Aurora’s chest, she let the sound of her heartbeat soothe her troubled mind.
“You’ve made so much progress after I left you. You made many friends, found a new family that loves you, found a nice town that helps ponies in need. Olive... I’m so proud of you.” Aurora teared up.
The pink filly clutched harder. Fighting through her tears, she kept a thankful smile. “I love you, Aurora. I can't wait to see you again.”
“I love you too, my little Olive... and I'm sorry I can't be here for you.”
4 days left before the storm
Scootaloo woke up to a strange sound. It sounded like... quiet sobbing? It was happening so close to her; she could feel Olive’s breath in her ear. Confused, the pegasus slowly turned to see what was going on.
Her friend’s eyes were closed, but she was sobbing, a few tears streaming down her face. Worried, Scootaloo gently shook the unicorn to wake her up.
Olive’s eyes slowly opened, meeting those of Scootaloo.
“Is something wrong?” The orange filly asked.
“Hm?” Olive blinked. “What is it?”
Scootaloo raised an eyebrow. “Uh, y-you were crying in your sleep. Were you having a nightmare?” she asked, lifting her body from the pillow.
The pink unicorn stared at the ceiling for a moment. “I... I can’t remember, but it felt good and bad. It was, uh... somber?”
The young pegasus blinked. “Huh uh. Well, good for you, I guess?”
Olive giggled. “Good for me!”
After their breakfast, the two fillies waited for Applejack to take them to school. They were basically playing a game of Where’s Waldo, but with an orange mare in place of the titular man. When she finally came accompanied by Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, Olive bounced around in joy, rushing over to her.
“Mommy!” She rushed into the hooves of her mother, nuzzling against them.
Applejack smiled and nuzzled the pink unicorn. “Howdy, sugar cube. Ah see yer still excited to see me ‘gain.”
“It looks like you mean the world to her.” Sweetie Belle commented.
“You’re my world.” Olive mused.
Applejack. “Shucks, Ah don’t believe Ah deserve that kinda praise.”
“No, you’re the best pony ever!” The pink filly exclaimed, pressing her head harder into her coat. “With the best coat!”
The Cutie Mark Crusaders gushed over their youngest member’s infectious joy, though Scootaloo tried to hide it. She did let a quick smile slip in.
“Let’s save the nuzzling for later, girl. Ya don’t wanna be late for school.”
The trot to the school started off silent, which gave Olive some time to think about something that was bugging her for a while. Yesterday, Scootaloo vented about her parents which now made her realise, she didn’t see Sweetie Belle’s parents this Saturday. She didn’t even think for one moment about Applejack’s parents.
Granny Smith couldn’t be her mother, every Apple was referring to her as their grandmother. Were their parents like Scootaloo. Absent, bad?
“Hey, Sweetie Belle. Why didn’t I see your parents?” Olive asked in the only way that seemed natural to her, blunt as a baseball bat.
“Hm?” The white unicorn glanced at her in surprise. “That’s because they don’t live in Ponyville.” An answer that only raised more question to the pink foal.
“Why don’t they live in Ponyville with you?”
Sweetie Belle smiled sheepishly. “Actually, it should be the other way around. I chose to live with Rarity instead.”
“... why?”
“Because I didn’t want her to feel lonely, you know, being in Ponyville all by herself without her little sister.”
Olive’s eyes widened in awe.
“I don’t get it, Aurora. You always say you want to leave, but you’re still here.”
“That’s because if I did leave, you’d be all alone and I don’t want that. I promise you one day, we’ll leave together. Good ponies don’t abandon each other.”
Olive felt emotional, a shaky smile drew on her lip. “You’re a good pony, Sweetie Belle.”
“Huh?!” The white filly’s cheeks turned red.
Scootaloo chuckled. “Oh my, you’ve got Sweetie flustered.”
“Ah’ve never seen you react this strongly to a compliment.” Apple Bloom mentioned.
“Oh, w-well that’s because... um.” Sweetie Belle paused, slowly coming to the realisation that she had no concrete answer.
“She’s my best friend?” She glanced around her two friends. They didn’t look convinced.
Scootaloo threw her a sly smile. “So, what does that make us?”
Sweetie Belle’s eyes widened, a drop of sweating dripping down her forehead. “Uh...”
“What’s below best friend?” Olive asked, confused. “I’ve never heard of it.”
“It’s just friend, ‘sis.” Apple Bloom said. “But we were just teasin’ ‘er.”
The pink filly scratched the top of her head. “I have to learn how to tease, then.”
Applejack giggled at the front. “Ah’m sure ya already know how to do tha’, sugar cube!”
Olive went into an intense thinking session, trying to grasp the meaning of “teasing”, it took a while, but she eventually found the answer. “It’s making fun of somepony... but nicely?”
“E-yup. Ya’ve got it.”
Woah, I’m smart.
“Hey, wait a minute. I forgot to ask you about your parents.”
“Who?” Apple Bloom asked, only to notice that Olive was looking at her. The mood in the group changed abruptly. The one thing these four ponies have silently agreed on, is to never talk about Bright Mac and Pear Butter.
Applejack took the lead. “They were great parents. Fraid yer never goin’ to meet ‘em.”
Olive blinked. “Huh? Why not? Are they not in Ponyville like Sweetie Belle’s parents?”
Her mother took a deep breath, trying her best to remain composed. “Remember when Big Mac told ya we Apples went through our fair share of tragedies?”
Olive’s curious expression faded away, replaced by a concerned look in her beautiful green eyes.
“Ah’m guessin’ ya now know what it meant.”
The pink filly stopped trotting; her head lowered. She sniffled as her eyes teared up. “I’m sorry...” she croaked.
“Hey, sugar cube.” Applejack patted her daughter. “It’s okay, ya didn’t know. Nopony’s angry at ya for askin’. As an Apple, ya deserve to know.” She consoled solemnly. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t supress the memories of her parents. They flooded her mind and threatened to break her focus at a crucial moment.
“I’m really sorry...”
“Stop blamin’ yerself for this, alright? It ain’t yer fault, it ain’t anypony’s fault.” Applejack lifted the filly’s head, seeing her eye-to-eye and gave a warm smile. “Ah’m not angry, nopony is.”
Olive sniffled and wiped her tears away. “O-Okay... I won’t talk about it ever again.”
“It’s fine. Ah know yer hurt too, ya can always talk to me ‘bout it if yer comfortable.”
The pink foal finally smiled. “You’re the best mommy ever.” She raised her hooves up. “Five seconds of love?”
Applejack smiled back and accepted her hug. “Ah’m just tryin’ mah best, sugar cube.”
“Okay, everypony! Today we’ll be learning about griffons and their history!”
Olive’s first few days at school only included classes that weren’t about learning anything new. Today, was her first real class but it was thankfully about griffons, a specie she was already familiar with. Her father was rather fond of this carnivorous specie, and they were fond of him as well. The more she thought about griffons, the more she realised she hasn’t seen one ever since she left her father’s group.
However, what she was most concerned about were the feelings and thoughts of her peers. Last time she saw them, she was bawling her eyes out and bleeding over the playground. Her muzzle was still visibly injured, though much less than Friday. Olive had just removed the bandage on it, sensing how sensitive it was. Once again, she still nabbed a couple of looks from her classmates as she entered and even after she sat down. The only ponies eyeballing her that weren’t bothering the pink filly were the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Dinky Hooves.
While her initial goal was to talk to Cheerilee and Diamond Tiara about what happened Friday, Olive didn’t want to neglect Dinky too considering she was really nice to her. She could become her newest friend.
No griffons seem to live in Ponyville, much less visit this town. From what she’s heard, griffons live in their own land, away from ponies, so it’s no wonder why they’re so rare.
“Ugh, griffon history again? We’ve already had a class on this!” Diamond Tiara complained.
“Yeah, what else are we going to learn about?” Silver Spoon added.
Cheerilee supressed a sigh. “Griffon history, much like pony history, is very rich through its long existence. We barely scratched the surface last class. I’m sure you’ll find the rest more interesting.”
“Yeah, sounds interesting...” Diamond Tiara muttered.
The cerise mare kept a cheerful smile. “You should pay attention to this class, because it’ll be very important for the next exam. I know you’ve been having a harder time recently.”
The pink earth pony cringed. “My grades are still good enough for me.”
Olive kept her eyes locked on Diamond Tiara, remembering the conversation she overheard last Friday. Her grades aren’t good. That’s what her mom thinks. She noted it in her notebook.
Cheerilee really wanted to mention what her mother told her last Friday, but sadly, she couldn’t. It would be inappropriate to do so in front of the whole class. Good teachers don’t embarrass their students, so she had to leave it at that for now.
“Still, I wish only that everypony in this class passes with grades that satisfies them. The manuals have everything you need to know in them, but it’ll help if you write down some notes to help in your studies.”
Helpful to write down notes for studying. Olive wrote down in her notebook, catching the attention of Diamond.
The rich filly is known to hold powerful grudges. The fact that her new nemesis was writing with her mouth instead of using her magic sparked some nefarious bullying ideas in her brain. She’ll make Olive pay for humiliating her in front of the class.
Then, their eyes met. One pair filled with hate and anger, the other with innocent curiosity and concern. Diamond’s dislike intimated Olive somewhat, but it would take more than that to force the unicorn to back down from her mission.
“Olive, Diamond Tiara. The class is starting.” Miss Cheerilee announced, putting an end to their staring contest. “You should be paying attention to our next lecture on griffon history.”
From the back, Heedful Care watched the tension between the two fillies, frowning slightly. Looks like I’ll have to keep a close eye on Diamond Tiara as well.
The initial insurmountable intimidation of school started to dwindle for Olive. The more the class went on, the more comfortable she felt. Learning about griffon history was easier than she imagined. All she had to do was listen to Cheerilee, and note down the most important things. To think that all this time she formed an overly complicated idea of what school was. It’s true when they say you are your own biggest enemy.
Somepony lightly touched Olive’s shoulder, it was Sweetie Belle. She was holding a note in her mouth, passing it on to the pink unicorn. The white filly looked nervous, her cheeks a warm red. Confused, the little unicorn opened it and read its content.
Hey Olive,
I kept thinking about that night we spent together, and I was wondering if you would be willing to watch the stars again with me next weekend.
Olive turned around to face her. “Hm hm.” she said accompanied by a nod in case the answer wasn’t clear. Sweetie Belle smiled sheepishly, her cheeks turning a bright red. She seemed really excited to see the stars with her again. The pink filly found it fun for sure, but Sweetie appeared to like it even more than her, something Olive thought was impossible. She was the biggest fan of the night, right?
Miss Cheerilee saw her and while normally she would have called the student out for not paying attention, she didn’t want to push Olive on the spotlight like that. Instead, she kept her eyes on the filly in hopes that she would listen to the lecture, and she did.
So far, she’s been writing down notes non-stop. At least I know she’s taking her education seriously, unlike certain foals...
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were bored out of their minds. Silver had her face glued to her desk while Tiara stared at the ceiling, occasionally looking at Cheerilee as if it would make any difference.
The teacher’s joyful attitude faltered just a bit. I reckon if this keeps on going, I’ll be in big trouble. Spoiled’s going to come back to berate me for this and Diamond sure isn’t helping herself in any way.
Groaning, the mare trotted up to the two fillies. “Listen, I understand you find this class to be boring, but it’s no excuse to daydream instead of listening. Griffon history will be heavily featured in the next exam.”
Olive asked herself a million question in her head. Why do they find this class boring? If their grades aren’t good, then why aren’t they taking notes? Why are they not taking this seriously? Diamond and Silver’s thought process became alien to her, and it was bad. How can she help Diamond Tiara if she can’t understand her? She scribbled her wild theories in hopes to get a better understanding of the two fillies.
Okay, so... Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are rich. Their parents are rich, like mine. They’re both popular. Popular and rich...
Then, an eureka moment came in her mind. They think they’re too good for this class!
Anarchy’s lesson about rich ponies started to pay off. She had no idea why they’d even be thinking this way, but her father was a very knowledgeable stallion who was always right about everything, especially when it came to psychology. So, at least he wouldn’t have left her empty hoofed in her new life.
Now, it was just a matter of waiting for recess. Then, she can make amends with her and find out if something’s wrong... with her friend’s help of course. She’s too timid to do it by herself.
Another tap on her shoulder startled her.
“Oh, sorry.” Sweetie Belle whispered. “Somepony wanted to pass you a note.”
Olive took the note and unfolded it. This time, it was written by Dinky Hooves.
I was sad we didn’t get to play last Friday. After school, do you want to play with me?
The pink filly turned around to answer, but there was just one problem. Dinky wasn’t behind Sweetie Belle; she was a couple of seats away. There was no way she could answer without being noticed by Miss Cheerilee.
Heedful Care, who was sitting next to a foal who was struggling with his grades, noticed the small unicorn looking around like a periscope. She shot her a stern glare, forcing the filly to pay attention to the teacher.
They often say fight fire with fire. To answer Dinky, Olive will pass down a note. She flipped Dinky’s one around.
Yes, I want to play with you.
Olive stared at the note for a moment before adding and become your friend.
Now it was good enough to be passed. She’s not well initiated in this art form, but Sweetie was. She passed it over her shoulder and whispered, “Dinky Hooves”.
Sweetie Belle was surprised to see Olive already passing notes. With a confident smile, she gave her a subtle nod, her pretty eyes lighting up.
It felt great to have good friends to rely on.
“Now then, let’s talk about the slow decline of Griffonstone after the theft of the idol.” Cheerilee continued, uncharacteristically gazing at the clock impatiently. “As some of you may know, the idol was stolen after a cyclops named Arimaspi attacked the kingdom...”
“Why do we have griffons? It’s easy, dear... it’s desperation. You see, their kingdom was once pillaged by an ugly cyclops that stole their most precious idol. Soon after, Griffonstone went into ruins and the griffons there have fallen into depression. They’re desperate, you see. They seek a new idol, a being that can deliver them from misery. Princess Celestia is not going to do anything about them, because they’re not ponies.
Starting to understand? They follow me because I promised them greatness once we’ve overthrown monarchy. They’ve placed their faith in me, and that’s how you get griffons to do your bidding.
Ha! Like you’d even understand, you can’t even tell facial expressions apart! Oh, I wonder why my daughter turned out to be a stupid little girl.”
ponies griffons creatures will do anything for you if they’re desperate.
Olive enthusiastically jotted down this information, whilst imagining how such a beast would look like. She saw lots of monsters when she traveled with her father’s gang, though all were bested by him. The pink filly wondered why so many ponies feared these things. Sure, they often looked freaky, but if her father can take them on without any problem then, what’s to fear?
If she could be half as smart as him, then maybe she won’t have anything to fear anymore. Smart ponies are king as he often said.
On second thought, there were two monsters she was always afraid of, even if she could transform into a little genius. One was white as snow and the other, always hidden deep inside her psyche. Brains won’t do anything against them, but apart from these two, monsters are just meaner looking animals.
A yellow hoof quietly placing something on her desk caught her attention. Olive roused herself and saw Apple Bloom inching closer to her.
“Diamond’s pesterin’ me about this note.” The yellow pony whispered. “It can’t be anythin’ good.”
“Apple Bloom! Are you paying attention?” Cheerilee asked, irritated.
“N-no, Ah mean yes! Ah’m payin’ attention!” the filly squealed, getting back in place.
Olive’s problem detector went off again. She looked at Heedful Care to see how she reacted to this. There, on her face was a surprising expression. It was subtle, but the filly saw concern in her eyes.
Then, her eyes darted over to Cheerilee who continued on with her lecture. Olive lowered her gaze below the teacher’s eyes. Bags, there were bags under her eyes. The pink unicorn failed to notice before, but now it seemed like something was indeed off.
Cheerilee had trouble sleeping this weekend, that much can be deduced from this clue.
Olive then closely examined Diamond and Silver Spoon’s faces, making sure to not be spotted by either of them or by Cheerilee. No bags, so they were not worried about something. This felt strangely thrilling, our little filly here was playing detective. The only thing she wanted to know now was what’s going on with Diamond’s mother and their teacher.
Surely, if she figured it out, then the whole mystery could be laid to rest.
Oh, well, Olive opened the note when nopony was staring at her. As she read it, her eyes opened wide.
I hate you
The note remained there on her desk, crumbled in appearance. The blood red letters written on it struck a certain sense of dread in her. As slow as a snail, her eyes moved back to the pink frame of the bully.
Diamond’s face was dark, angry and spiteful. That’s when Olive noticed a detail that burnt her heart. The filly’s tiara was the exact same as Friday, only broken. Her namesake was fixed with simple duct tape, a scar of her own and she wasn’t happy about it.
For a brief moment, Olive sensed actual danger. Diamond was going to hurt her for sure the minute she’ll step outside. The pink unicorn hid her face behind her hooves, hoping that Diamond would look away. It took a while for the vengeful earth pony to stop staring.
The small unicorn wondered if words would even get through anymore. One thing was for sure, she wasn’t leaving the schoolhouse by herself.
“Okay, everypony; class is over!” Cheerilee finally announced a couple of minutes later. Every foal was about to jump out of their seat before their teacher added, “but before you leave, let me remind you of your homework.”
The class all threw a collected groan, slumping back in their seats. Only Olive kept a blank look.
“For next class, we’ll each present our family and their rich history!” The cerise mare briefly glanced over Olive. “For those who haven’t had the time to prepare, we’ll report it to next week.” The pink unicorn raised her hoof. “Yes, Olive?”
“I want to do it tomorrow.”
Cheerilee blinked, keeping her cheery smile while she processed the information. “A-Are you sure? It would be unfair considering you were probably not told about it.”
“Apple Bloom told me about the homework. I did it.”
“Well, in that case, you’ll be doing the presentation next class. I’m sure everypony here will be excited to hear your presentation.”
Heedful Care glanced around nervously. Oh... Um, that’s bad, isn’t it? What is she even going to say? Hopefully nothing that could traumatise the entire class.
“Now you can all go, my little ponies!”
The class emptied quickly, all left except for four ponies. Olive stayed in front of the teacher’s desk, hanging onto it with hooves, whilst her friends waited by the door.
“Uh, Olive? What are you doing?” Scootaloo asked.
“I want to talk to Cheerilee.”
The cerise mare put on a bright smile. “I’m right here, Olive! So, what do you want to ask me?”
“Um, I...” Olive paused, structuring her thoughts properly. She couldn’t quite remember why she even wanted to talk to her.
“I wanted to ask about... eh...”
Cheerilee’s smile slowly dropped, she kept her eyes on the curious filly.
Olive’s body heated up, her mind frantically trying to remember why she even came to her. Right as her cheeks reddened, she remembered. “Oh yeah! I wanted to ask you about Diamond Tiara’s mom!” She exclaimed with an innocent smile on her face.
Cheerilee’s eyes subtly widened. “Oh? What do you want to know about her, specifically?”
“I heard you talk with her Friday. It was something about Diamond Tiara’s grade being not good.” Olive explained much to the shock of the mare.
Cheerilee’s mouth hung half open for a solid second. “O-Olive! Eavesdropping is a bad thing! Some ponies want to talk in private, listening to their conversation is very impolite.” she sternly scolded.
Olive lowered her head and frowned. “O-Oh... I’m sorry, I was just curious.”
“It’s okay. Just remember to never eavesdrop again. Now, if there’s nothing else you wanted to talk about, I will leave.” Cheerilee rose out of her chair.
“No, wait! You didn’t answer my question!” Olive pleaded.
Miss Cheerilee bit her lip and sighed. She looked at the door where the Cutie Mark Crusaders waited, each looking mildly confused. “Okay, what is your question?”
“What’s going on with Diamond Tiara and her mom? Diamond looked a bit scared when she picked her up. Also, what’s going on between you and Diamond’s mom?”
Miss Cheerilee gritted her teeth nervously, gazing back at the CMC’s. “I know you mean well, Olive, but I can’t tell you anything. This is all very personal; I can’t talk about it openly. Everything’s fine, I assure you. You don’t have to worry about Diamond, I’m certain she’ll improve her grades in no time, but I appreciate your consideration!”
“But...” Cheerilee picked her saddlebag and left immediately, almost forgetting to tell them goodbye. Olive’s eyes stared at the open door, disappointed in herself for failing to be of any help. Something had to be wrong here, her guts were begging her to continue. Her head, however, was starting to have some doubts.
Maybe she was just imagining things. Maybe what she saw was normal. After all, she had no idea how this world worked.
“Huh, that was weird.” Sweetie Belle commented, catching the interest of the pink foal.
“Weird? Do you think something’s wrong?”
The three fillies exchanged looks. “Ah guess so. Ah mean, wasn’t it weird how she kept lookin’ at us three?”
Scootaloo winced. “Yeah, felt like we weren’t supposed to know about Spoiled Rich.”
“You girls think Miss Cheerilee is in trouble?” Sweetie Belle asked, worried.
“There’s only one way to know fo’ sure!” Apple Bloom said. “Cutie Mark Crusaders investigation!”
Olive yawned, her eyes feeling a little heavy. “Tomorrow... I’m tired.”
The Cutie Mark Crusaders stepped outside, basking in the fresh air. As expected, Dinky Hooves was waiting for Olive on a nearby swing. The violet unicorn jumped out of the swing and rushed to her, giddy by the sudden change in momentum.
“W-Woah... hey, Olive.” Dinky greeted, struggling to maintain herself in place. “Do you want to play with me?”
“Sure!” Olive answered enthusiastically. “I brought my friends to play too!” The pink unicorn introduced each of her friends to Dinky despite her already knowing all her classmates.
“Woah! So I get to make four new friends in just a day? Momma will be so proud of me when I tell her that!”
Scootaloo leaned in and whispered in Sweetie’s ear. “Huh, now that I think about it. Olive and Dinky do resemble each other.”
“I know right?” Sweetie whispered back. “This might be what perfection looks like.”
Apple Bloom snickered. “Mighty appreciate ta compliment fo’ mah little ‘sis. Hm, don’t ya have a type, Sweetie Belle?”
“H-Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” The white unicorn asked, flustered.
Olive turned around with a blank expression. “Hm?”
“I-It’s n-nothing!”
“Oh, okay.” Olive resumed her conversation with Dinky, much to the giggles of her friends.
“Come on, don’t be afraid to speak your heart out. We can keep a secret.” Scootaloo said, a sly smile forming on her face.
“Come on, girls. It’s not that, it’s just...” Sweetie glanced at Olive, admiring the filly’s chipper vibe, her determination. She remembered that night when they gazed at the stars. “I think she’s admirable, that’s all.”
“What did ya do that Saturday? Sounds to me like ya learned a lot ‘bout mah sister.” Apple Bloom asked.
Sweetie smiled sheepishly. “Well, uh, I did learn she loves music... and my music too, but I also learned that she loves to watch the stars.”
“Did you cuddle with her that night? You know, while watching the stars?” Scootaloo teased.
“Well, y-yeah!” Sweetie admitted. “But it’s not what you think! She just really, really, really loves hugs, all right? I know she hugged you too, Scootaloo.”
Scootaloo’s sly smile remained. “Know? Were you there that day?” she sneered.
“Well, no but...”
“I’m just messing with you!” The orange pegasus exclaimed, playfully punching her leg. “She did hug me multiple time. I guess she’s just a very affectionate filly.”
The Cutie Mark Crusaders looked back at Olive. As expected, she was hugging Dinky Hooves.
“Mighty affectionate indeed.” Apple Bloom smiled.
A pink and silver shape appeared in the corner of their eyes. “Oh oh...” the three said in unison. “Diamond Tiara alert.”
“Hey, I want a word with you.” The rich filly ordered.
Olive blinked, then a chipper smile appeared. “Of course!”
Diamond Tiara poked at her namesake and glared. “See that? That is my tiara. It’s the most precious thing I own.”
The pink unicorn sadly analysed it. “It’s... broken.”
“Oh wow! Good job there Sherlock! What gave it away, the duct tape?” Diamond glowered, digging her face into Olive’s.
The small unicorn backed away nervously. “I’m really sorry, Diamond. I never wanted to hurt you or break your tiara. I was just... hoping we could be friends.”
Diamond pulled back her nose in disgust. “Friends? With a lowly blank flank? A no name even? Do you even know who you’re talking to?”
“... Diamond Ti-”
The rose earth pony’s eyes practically turned red. “Stop being this damn stupid! I-”
“That’s enough!” Apple Bloom shouted. “She apologised for it, why can’t ya leave at tha’?”
Silver Spoon pushed the earth pony away. “Because apologising isn’t going to fix it, duh!”
“B-But your tiara is still there. You can still wear it.” Olive stuttered.
“And it won’t look as pretty as it once did!” Diamond glowered.
“Then why don’t you just get yourself a new and even better one?!” Scootaloo proposed.
“You don’t get it, do you, blank flank? This tiara means everything to me. It’s more than just a tiara, more than just my name. A simple minded, orphaned filly like you could never understand!”
Scootaloo’s face contorted into pure fury. “How dare yo-”
“Stop it!” Olive shouted, holding back the furious pegasus. “Why can’t we just talk it out calmly?” Her pupils shrinking to pinpricks.
“Oh, you’re one to talk, Miss Panic Attack.” Silver Spoon mocked, touching the filly right on her scar. “You know, out of all the ponies here, you should understand how Diamond feels.”
Olive glanced over her not-so ugly scar. “I-I know it seems really ugly, but sometimes, we just have to learn with it. As long as you have your tiara, I’ll be happy for you.”
Diamond Tiara gritted her teeth and hissed. “Way to go, Miss Goody Four Shoe. I feel all better now.” she turned around and trotted away with her friend.
“R-Really?”
“No, you idiot! You can’t take back what you did, and no words can ever fix your stupid mistake!”
“B-But I said I was really sorry!”
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon picked up the pace, soon going out of sight.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders watched on, still recovering from this heated confrontation.
“Uh, Olive? Are you alright?” Sweetie Belle asked softly.
Olive stayed there, tons of conflicting emotions swelling in her body. She closed her eyes tightly and pulled back her muzzle, letting out a muffled sound of anger. Her hooves stomped the ground angrily as she jumped in place. “Why is everypony trotting away from me when I just want to help?!”
The sun left the horizon, letting the beautiful moon faintly light up the night sky. Olive was exhausted from her big day at school. Maybe it was just her, but school was really mentally demanding for her. She had to multi-task all the time, taking notes on Cheerilee and Diamond Tiara, listening on the teacher’s lecture and passing notes around to other foals not to mention playing around the schoolyard with a very energetic unicorn. How her fellow classmates could even handle years of this was beyond her.
Her eyes were heavy, and her body added some extra weight for her poor legs to handle. She was so exhausted she could just crash on the floor and fall asleep right then and there. The little unicorn wondered if sleeping on the floor was even comfortable, not realising her thoughts started to make no sense whatsoever. The same sentences repeated, the same images flew, she was basically paralysed by her own mind, unable to move on to something else.
“Hey, sugar cube. Ah just wanted to congratulate ya on yer third day of school. Apple Bloom told me ya were getting' ta hang of it, ain’t it right?”
Everything in Olive’s head shut down, thank goodness Applejack was there to save her from this looping spiral of meaningless thoughts.
“Uh, y-yeah. I think I’m starting to understand how school works.” She responded, hiding her disappointment. Today was supposed to be the day she set everything right, but it didn’t happen. Everypony she talked to trotted away from her before she could even fix the problem. Olive felt like a failure.
Her mother smiled brightly. “Shoot! Ah knew ya were ready for it. See? It ain’t as scary as ya thought now, was it?”
Olive returned the smile, albeit weakly. “I guess I was just afraid of doing something new.”
“Aren’t we all? Ah know change is pretty frightenin’.”
The pink unicorn sighed. “It really is! But I think I’m getting better at, uh, change.”
“He he, that’s called ‘a-dap-ting’, sugar cube.” Applejack told her, making sure to pronounce the word out of her usual twang. “Ah knew ye’d be good at adaptin’.”
Olive yawned, her mouth stretching as wide as it possibly could. “It’s... pretty tiring too.”
The orange mare chuckled, massaging the filly’s back until she noticed something. “Oh my, yer pretty tense right now. May Ah help ya relax?”
The little unicorn blinked. “How are you going to do that?” she asked innocently.
Applejack applied a little more pressure on her hoof, pushing the filly down on her back, exposing her belly. Her daughter stared at her, her cute little eyes displaying some confusion. “How? With a little belly rub!” She rubbed the filly gently, reveling in her adorable giggles.
Olive folded her hooves and closed her eyes as she laughed, the sensation tickled but it was also pleasant. Very, very, pleasant. Now overwhelmed by the good sensations, her hind legs stretched out as far as they could followed by her back. Her little body sent another wave of goodness to her brain.
Next, it was her front legs. She lifted them above her head and stretched out as far as she could like a cat, her body shaking under the pull. After she was done stretching, she rolled over to the side, her mane covering her face and let Applejack continue her massage. The mare was incredible at it, more so than she imagined.
Apple Bloom came down the stairs. “Hey, Applejack, did ya see Oli-” She stopped before the adorable scene on display.
“Aw, aren’t ya feelin’ relaxed yet, sugar cube?” Applejack said, gushing at her daughter's cuteness.
Apple Bloom trotted over, gazing at the resting filly. “Yer givin’ ‘er massages?”
Applejack smiled. “E-yup, Ah feel like Ah’m pretty good at it too. Ah’m sure our little pony ‘ere would agree.”
“Maybe they should hire ya at the spa!” The yellow earth pony mused.
“Aw shucks, Ah can’t be THAT good!” Aj turned her attention back on the little pony. “Eh, Olive? Are ya there?”
No response came from the pink filly. Curious, Applejack leaned over and gently pushed away the foal’s white mane. Olive’s eyes were still closed, her mouth half open as she was taking in long and relaxed breaths. Adorable little sounds sometime came out of her small mouth. She was as graceful as an angel.
“Aww... She fell asleep.” Aj gushed.
“Still think yer not THAT good?” Apple Bloom teased.
“Okay, maybe Ah am.”
Stats
Page generated in 0.025 seconds
Total duration
1,130 users online
1,819,093 hits today, 1,872,792 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
More good
11743109
The fastest fucking reader in the planet is back, I see...
Man, are you like, the Flash or something?
First off, I love this story. However, something is really bothering me. I understand the age difference, but would Apple bloom not technically be Olive's AUNT!?!?!?
nice chapter
, im starting to dread that ominous countdown 
11743295
Yeah, didn't think much about it but that is indeed true and it's pretty hilarious.
11743321
Oh, you better be. That's going to be one hell of a storm!
11743327
Heh, good. Just wanted to make sure you were aware. The way it's set up now makes it sound like applebloom is applejack's kid. Which honestly, wouldn't be a bad canon.
11743521
Considering Apple Bloom and Olive are about the same age, it's not unreasonable to assume that AB would see Olive as her sister and Aj would see them as siblings, otherwise it'd be weird af.
I mean, could you imagine Applejack introducing her like "Hey Apple Bloom, that's yer niece right there!"
11743570
Yeah, that'd be hilarious.
11743381
I would have expected the show to mention it (even just in passing) if they had, though.
Good teachers aren’t doormats.