Life is not always Magical
Twilight carefully moved to a new bush. She had come to terms with Pinkie Pie’s Pinkie sense, but now she only meant to observe and record different behaviors associated with different events. Already, her tail has twitched and a baby bird fell out of its nest. The combo, double ear twinge, rump shake, and brief teeth clattering, meant free ice cream at Cream and Sugar’s stand.
Pinkie pranced through the park with glee when a new sense occurred. Twilight’s never seen it before. She contacted Applejack earlier about the different, common Pinkie senses, but this was not on the list. The pink pony’s mane and tail suddenly went flat then sprung back to its inflated form. However, it wasn’t as poofy as usual; some intermediate between Pinkie’s bouncy style and her miserable style. Pinkie stood frozen for a moment. Out of nowhere, she pulled out a little calendar. Her pupils enlarged dramatically as a high pitched inhale was taken. She disappeared in a puff of dust. Twilight ran after the dust trail. She had to know what this meant!
Twilight ducked her head a little as her ears flattened. She had followed Pinkie to a dead section of the Everfree Forest that stuck out from the rest. Being a unicorn, she could sense a lack of life in this area and thus lack of magic. There were no animals, beasts, or lively plants; strange for the enchanted woods. Despite the fog, the Pinkie seemed to know where she was going; almost as though she was being lead by something strong like a spell. Twilight could follow because Pinkie’s bright, pink coat was laughably distinguishable with the obscuring mist. They twisted and turned through the dead, spindly trees like a maze. As Twilight followed, she saw something odd happening to her friend. Her hair was flattening and puffing slowly up and down like a living creature. Its ‘breaths’ were slower than any animal Twilight had seen, even asleep.
Pinkie stopped and looked out into the distance. Her eyes were bright, but sad. Sadness was a rare emotion she displayed. Before Twilight could get closer, Pinkie took in a big breath.
“I've come to visit!” She yelled. The words she chose were ones she used to fill others with joy, but the tone was pained. “I promised I would and I’m here! I know we can’t celebrate together, but I’m…” She paused, not for a breath though. “I’m happy to see you all.” Twilight came a little closer, but still out of Pinkie’s sight. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!” She called out. What was she doing? Before Twilight could reveal herself, a gust of wind blew away the fog. The unicorn froze. Dozens of tombstones came into sight; at least sixty. Some had flowers; dead, alive, or fake in front of their grave. Others were barren. A hoof full of graves were chipped or very eroded. In a panic, she walked backwards into one. She shrieked and turned around. Just another grave. “Here Lies Sky Runner: Beloved Friend and Son: 2002-2010” Traditionally on pony graves, the pony’s cutie mark is engraved too. But at eight years old, would he even have one? Did he live his short life without knowing its purpose?
“Twilight,” The voice belonged to Pinkamina Diane Pie, but not the tone. Her face was grim, but her eyes were as curious and loving as always. “Do you know some pony here?”
“I-I…no” Twilight answered fearfully.
“Leave,” She said with no remorse. “This is a party you’re not invited to.”
Twilight ran.
She ran and ran and ran.
What in the name of Equestria was that?! Were those all of Pinkie’s friends or relatives buried there?! That can’t be! There were so many graves and-!!
She shook her head. She needed to distract herself. Get it off her mind for a little. Twilight Sparkle made it back to Ponyville trying to focus on everything small; leaf colors, leaf shapes, cloud shapes, rock shapes, Pinkie’s mane. No! No sadness! It’s all okay! Distractions, distractions…
Twilight’s wandering led her face first into a tree; an apple tree specifically. Applejack! Applejack could tell her what was up with Pinkie and maybe get it off her mind. She trotted merrily to Sweet Apple Acres. Trees bore bright red apples perfect for the many foods that were apple related. Hundreds of them stood proud and tall from the Apple’s honest, hard labor over the generations. They greeted her kindly as Twilight walked through. No pony seemed to be around; no Applejack, Granny Smith, Apple Bloom, or Big Macintosh. They had to be around somewhere. A small noise was caught by Twilight’s ears. She sprinted in that direction with a smile. Applejack was in the back of the orchard harvesting! That’s all.
That wasn’t all. The Apples were sitting in front of a fruitless tree. All had their heads bowed and hats removed. Twilight stood behind them.
“Mom, daddy.” Applejack started. “It’s apple buck season so we thought we’d visit as we always do. We know your spirits live in these trees and help them grow to the very best. We know that every sweet bite we and our customers eat has some of your infinite love in it, but…” A whimper of sadness jumped out of the mare’s mouth. “Some days are harder than others. Sometimes hard work isn’t enough, but we always manage. May Celestia and Luna let you rest until next spring.” She sniffled. “Do you have anything to say, Big Mac?”
“Eenope.” He answered with pain in his voice.
“Momma, Daddy,” Apple Bloom started. “Ah didn’t know you so well, but if what Applejack says is true, then Ah can’t thank you enough for what ya’ll do for me even when you didn’t raise me really.”
“Hush Apple Bloom!” Granny yelled. “They may not ‘ve seen your first steps or heard your first words, but never say they didn’t raise you! We all have a piece of them two inside us and inside every tree here! Through us, they raised you with all the love they could give. Through the trees, they fed you and taught you lessons no pony can tell with a voice!” The old mare sighed. “They’ve raised you more than you know. Don’t forget that.” The filly nodded.
Twilight ran again.
The Apples too?! She ducked her head as she galloped through the apple trees. She felt as though the trees had eyes and spirits and were watching her. An outsider wasn’t supposed to be here. Those eyes felt hard on her back as she ran.
Maybe some pony else could help her. Maybe some pony else was having some adventure and was waiting for her to jump in! Yeah! Rainbow Dash was usually in some predicament and needed her wisdom! A rainbow mane flashed in her eye as she approached the edge of Ponyville.
“Shut up!” Rainbow Dash had her front legs lowered, head down, back heightened, and her wings wide spread; nature’s way of scaring the opponent. This opponent stood tall and had a grim look on his face. He was a pegasus too with a pastel blue coat and a white mane and tail. His head was raised high condescendingly. The green pupils seemed to barely register the mare’s existence. “Why are you bothering me now?!”
“Because he’s dead now!” The pegasus roared. “Dad died yesterday! I only came back to tell you! There’s no other reason I’d visit a freak like you, Prism!”
“My name is Rainbow Dash!” She barked back. The older pony grabbed her shoulders and threw her into a nearby tree.
“Rainbow!” Twilight could no longer watch. She ran to her friend’s side. “Are you okay?”
“I’m…fine.” Rainbow got back on her feet in agony. She didn’t look at her friend; too focused on the stallion. “Get out of here Twilight, this is between me and Jet Wind.” Jet Wind stomped to Rainbow getting right in her face with a violent look in his eyes.
“Everything was dandy until you were born! You killed our mother and now our father!” Jet punched her in the jaw. She fell in the dirt with a light sprinkle of blood.
“Stop this!” Twilight stood between the bully and Rainbow. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I won’t let you hurt my friends!” She cowered lowly when he scowled.
“You don’t know? Prism here killed our mother during birth! Dad raised me and Prism, but it was too much to handle. He started drinking and hurting us. It all started when that bastard foal was born so I demanded she leave. She kept coming back and coming back no matter how much dad and I hit her.”
“It’s not my fault!” Rainbow cried. “I was a part of that family!”
“And we wish you weren’t!” Jet barked back. “Finally, I decided to tie her to a tree and leave her. I was happy, but dad hasn’t been the same since mom died. He finally died of alcohol poisoning after drinking his pain away!” He screamed at Rainbow.
“I nearly died of starvation!” Rainbow yelled. “I lived on the streets! I ate off the ground! I had to get a job when I was eight! I even changed my name to try and forget that hell hole!”
“That doesn’t change what you’ve done you bitch!” He jumped up and returned to beating his sister.
Twilight couldn’t move.
She heard her friend getting beaten, but she was frozen. She was scared. Twilight had never met or heard of Rainbow’s parents. The unicorn had no clue she was a self-made orphan and an abused child. Why didn’t she say anything? How could she hide these things? Did she know the Element of Loyalty? It was all happening so fast.
A tug on the tail took her out of her trance. Twilight turned still in shock. Rainbow was beaten; looking at her made Twilight want to wince in pain. Her back leg was bent in the wrong ways. Her hair; trashed and some torn out. The blood mixed into a sickly purple which considered infecting the rest of her coat. She lifted her head and looked at her friend with a black eye.
“Twilight…I need a hospital.”
After the horrifying experience of taking her broken friend to the hospital, she walked into Fluttershy. Twilight hugged her intensely.
“Oh Fluttershy! It’s so good to see you! I’ve had a really uncomfortable day.” The yellow pony breathed again.
“Uh Twilight, your mane is a little messed up. That usually means something’s wrong. So, tell me about your uncomfortable day.” Fluttershy said quietly as Twilight stroked her mane down with no success; not like it mattered at the time. The purple pony explained what she had seen as she visited her friends. Fluttershy nodded with an understanding look.
“…then after they took her away on a gurney, I just had to get out, you know? Then I ran into you.”
“I see, you’re a little traumatized of everyone’s problems. I was too at first. But every pony has problems they must face from time to time. Maybe you should go home and read children’s fairytales; those always cheer up my mood.” Fluttershy said.
“Okay,” Twilight said with great relief. “Thank you Fluttershy.” The mare started to trot away, but froze. It was nibbling at the back of her mind and would not stop. “Hey Fluttershy?”
“Yes?” The mare said kindly.
“Do you have any of…these kinds of problems?” She asked as a new lock of mane frizzed out of place. Fluttershy hid her face with her mane.
“Do you really want to know?” Twilight nodded. The shy pegasus sighed. “After I got my cutie mark, I became worried about my parents. I still had trouble flying so I sent a letter to Cloudsdale. I told them about my cutie mark and where to find me. I spent a few nights sleeping in the same place on the edge of the forest until the mail mare returned. My parents sent me a letter asking I stay here on the ground since I’m a worthless pegasus.” Twilight’s eyes enlarged with sadness. “So the ponies of Ponyville made me a little house around where I was sleeping. A year later, I flew back home just to visit. I looked through the window and my parents were holding a flight trophy with excitement and hugging my younger sister, Spitfire. In the time I was gone, they completely forgot me. The pictures of me were no where to be seen and I left without talking to them.
Now, my parents loved me and never beat me. But I could tell I wasn’t wanted. Before the pegasus race, they over-encouraged me to face my fears and tried to teach me to fly earlier than when other pegasi fly. It only made me more afraid. One day, I heard them talking about me. They wanted a talented pegasus for a daughter. They wanted some pony better I guess and I wasn’t so great.” Fluttershy smiled through her tears, not that Twilight could see past her mane. “But because of that, I made a lot of good friends here on the ground.” Fluttershy trotted off. “Bye Twilight, Angel needs a bunny bath today whether she likes it or not. Oh, and please don’t tell Rainbow Dash I know Spitfire personally.”
Finding the story awkward, personal, and traumatic, Twilight walked through Ponyville. She looked up warily with a kind of twitch in her movements. Twilight wasn’t sure what she was looking for. Precipitation? Clouds? Other downcast ponies? Whatever it was, it wasn’t there. Where was it?! Other ponies were smiling and laughing as usual. The sky was fairly clear aside from delightfully puffy clouds here and there. Her eyes darted around looking for…it! In a mad haze of emotion, she trotted around manically. The colorful citizens of Ponyville gave her worried looks and confused stares. Finally, one concerned pony stopped her with a light shoulder grab. The unicorn whipped her head to the interrupting pony. It was Lyra.
“Are you okay Twilight? You look a little sick or something.” Twilight looked around. Ponies were staring and whispering to each other.
“I’m…I’m fine.” Twilight stuttered. “I’m just a little overwhelmed is all. Have you ever had a friend you knew really well, but then you saw this side of them that was so different and upsetting?” The purple mare didn’t think she’d get a real response, but Lyra was known for being as strange as Pinkie Pie at the correct times. It was a gamble this would be one of them.
“Every pony has problems that can be…overwhelming. These problems make us into the ponies we are today. When you bang your head on a ceiling, you learn to duck. When a pony is faced with a problem, especially one that cannot be fixed by any sort of means, it changes them. It hurts them. But it makes us who we are. The pony that emerges when the tears have dried and the bandages removed may not be the exact same pony that they were before, but a stronger pony.” Lyra sighed. “What matters most Twilight is that you stay their friend and allow them to be themselves whether it’s the pony they’ve become or the pony they were. Don’t let pain separate you from good friends.” Lyra smiled and patted her head.
“Lyra! The music shop’s still hiring!” A cream colored earth pony yelled.
“Seriously!?” Lyra shouted back.
“Yeah! Come on!” Bon-Bon yelled.
“Sorry Twilight, I gotta go!” Then the lyre mare ran as fast as she could with her friend at her side.
“Twilight!” Some pony shouted. It was Rarity. She looked like she was in some serious distress. “I need your help!”
“What is it?” Twilight asked still stunned by Lyra’s advice. She didn’t look well. Her curly, well kept mane was tattered and her white, pristine coat was dirtied; but that didn’t seem to be the problem.
“I can’t find Sweetie Belle!!” Rarity screamed. “We were at the park and I saw a customer wearing a lovely scarf and complimented her and then she was gone! I looked all around in a panic but couldn’t find her! I’ve been running through Ponyville searching!” Rarity flung herself on Twilight and cried. “I’m so scared Twilight! I think she’s been foal-napped because I checked her friends, the edge of Everfree, Applejack’s barn, the Cutie Mark Crusader clubhouse, my boutique, the marketplace, the park again-” She broke out in sobs. “I don’t know what to do!” She wailed.
“It’ll be okay Rarity.” Twilight wasn’t sure if that’d be true. “Have you informed the police?”
“Yes!” She sobbed. “They said they’re searching, but I’m just so scared! I’m the worst sister ever!” Twilight thought. It was what Lyra said; a problem that can’t be fixed. There was nothing Twilight could do really. If the cops’ tracking spells weren’t finding Sweetie Belle, why would hers? She could do nothing. Wait, she could console Rarity. It was small and admittedly unhelpful in finding the lost sister, but being there and being a friend to her, it was the only thing and most important thing Twilight could do.
“It’s okay Rarity. You’re not alone.”
Dear Princess Celestia,
Today I learned there are problems that can’t be fixed simply. There are also problems that shape a ponies’ personality and overall behaviors permanently. Some don’t show this change until a particular situation occurs. Others are more obviously changed. Just today I had to help Rarity remain calm when a pony foal-napped her little sister Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle was found after a six hour search. We’re not sure what’s happened exactly since she hasn’t spoken much since her capture. All we do know is her wounds are very minor. Rarity is still very upset, but she appreciates her sister a lot more now. She and Sweetie Belle will never be the same, but my love for them as my friends remain. Ponies grieve, endure, or block these fragile emotions in different ways. Some, like Rarity, need a shoulder to cry on and some prefer to think alone for the time being. The most important thing to do is respect their feelings, be there when and if they need it, and let them open up on their terms if they ever open up. To summarize, I learned that being a true friend means dealing with the baggage they carry and not judging them for it. They are still the pony you befriended.
Your Faithful Student,
Twilight Sparkle
Celestia sighed. Her student was so young and naïve. Every pony has a story behind them. Some get stronger from it and others do not. Her pupil was lucky to get such strong hearted friends that care so much for her and vice versa. Some ponies do not become better from an event. Some are simply too broken to repair. A cracked mirror can be fixed, but that crack will always make it worse, not better. Celestia began writing a reply when some pony knocked.
“Sister?” Luna asked shyly.
“Yes?”
“Are you busy?” Celestia stood and smiled.
“I am never too busy for you, sister.” Luna smiled back and walked in.
“We wanted to talk to you about…about some stuff. It is so easy to allow doubt and some days are better than others.” Tears welled in her eyes. “We…I need reassurance sister.” Celestia hugged her. “I know it still bothers you…but it is about the moon and it is fine if you do not-”
“It’s okay Luna. Please, talk as much as you’d like. You’ve been so quiet lately; it worries me sometimes.” Luna fell apart and sobbed on her sister’s wings and mane. “I’ll always be here little sister and you’ll always be here too. I love you Luna and I promise nothing will force us apart like that again.”
“But,” She sniffled. “What *sniff* what if I get sent to the moon again somehow? What if I’m banished off the Earth again?”
“Then I’ll banish myself to the moon too.”
“What about Equestria?” Celestia thought for a moment.
“Equestria will survive.” They smiled as Celestia ruffled Luna’s mane. “It survived without us for one thousand years, it can survive without us for one thousand more.”
“What if it’s longer than one thousand years?”
“Then I’ll banish some entertainment with us. Do not fret my sweet sister. As I said before, I will let nothing separate us again.”