And You Thought That Was The End
WARNING
I HIGHLY recomend you go back and read this story if you haven't already. This is the sequel to Darkest Secrets, and a lot of the context relies heavily on that story.
“I’m sorry Dawn Shimmer, but there’s nothing I can do… Ponyville’s spoken, they think I’m a monster.”
Dawn gazed up into Ample Bromley's deep cerulean eyes. She felt lost in their blanketing embrace, like a sea captain in the midst of a storm in the Coltlantic Ocean.
“But… but Bromley...”
“No Dawn, I can’t. If I stay, you’ll never be able to get your Neigh-Bell Peace prize. Besides, there is no way Princess Astra will let me stay.”
“Bromley, we can change things, we… we can get them to understand wh-“
Ample Bromley pressed Dawn against his chest. He wished nothing more than to stay and live the rest of his days with her, but society begged to differ. No, instead he was forced to flee his home for a crime he did not commit.
“You know I love you more than anything. I wish that we could be together, but we can’t... at least not for now. However, I promise you that as long as the sun shall rise, I will return for you.”
A cool midnight breeze tussled Dawn’s mane as a solitary tear rolled down her face. Bromley placed a gentle departing kiss on her lips before turning towards the horizon.
“I will be waiting for you Bromley,” replied Dawn, “Every night and every day until you return.”
Bromley shut his eyes as a cluster of torches became visible at the base of their sentimental knoll. It had been almost a week since he had confessed his undying love to her at this exact spot, and it seemed to be insidiously fitting that it was the same place they were to be torn apart.
Bromley did not turn around, but instead continued to stare off into the nothingness of the great oblivion above them. Angry taunts and demands from the quickly approaching mob assaulted the silence the doomed couple had been enjoying. As they’re cries of bloodlust drew closer, Bromley muttered a single phrase in response to his lovers comment before disappearing into the night.
“I know.”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Big Macintosh grunted as his pen flew across the desk for the umpteenth time. He couldn’t get the last paragraph right, no matter how many times he rewrote it. Maybe it was the difference in creative aura, after all there was a reason why he had chosen the mining shack. Not only was it secluded, but there was also something surprisingly inspiring about the place.
Light streamed through the crack in his room’s window-curtain as he slumped against the desk. While a lack inspiration played a key role in his writer’s block, Mac knew that the real reason was lack of motivation. He had gotten Applejack to swear to not tell anypony about his passion for writing romance, but she was a terrible liar. Sooner or later one of her friends would get curious, and she would spill the beans.
The pen no longer spoke to him in its creative tongue. In fact, it had been silent since the moment Applejack stepped into his studio. Now it just sat dormant, and his mind sat empty. There was nothing inspiring him to write.
As the early morning rooster began to crow, Big Mac thumped his head against the desk. He wouldn’t be surprised if Granny Smith and Applebloom had already heard about his secret from Applejack and were waiting downstairs. Raising his head from the desk, he walked towards the curtains and placed a hoof on their shielding fabric. His mind froze as a sense of dread flooded over him. Big Mac threw open the blinds with a sigh, and accepted the fate of the coming day.
******
On the other side of Ponyville, covered in a pile of boxes, books and other miscellaneous objects was a very haggard Twilight Sparkle. She had spent the entire night searching. Every single box, shelf and cupboard had been stripped bare in the hopes that it might yield some clue as to where it was.
Twilight half-heartedly kicked at a cardboard box in hopes that the object she had been searching for might magically appear. However, the only thing that her efforts uncovered was another copy of her favorite novel written by her favorite anonymous author, Cerulean Skies. Twilight sighed and scooped the book from the floor, letting what little comfort it held seep into her mind. A sappy romance novel was all it was--well at least to the naked eye. Underneath the blossoming metaphors and personification was an intricate fairy tale of love and passion. The book veered drastically away from her usual intellectual readings, but to Twilight, it had a deeper impact.
She pressed the book to her chest and shut her eyes. Late nights spent with a box of tissues and a tub of icecream as the barrel chested protagonist fought gallantly over his lover’s unconscious body flooded her mind. It wasn’t often that a book’s contents were able to make her cry, this novel broke that trend. She wished more than anything the author was not anonymous so she could pass on her compliments.
Twilight attempted to draw some consolation from the novel’s memory. However, her efforts were interrupted by a streak of light that blinded her thoughts.
The morning sunbeams were about as welcomed as a bad cough, and she hastily side stepped out of the daylight. Twilight pressed the book to her chest instinctively, but was rudely reminded that its sharp corners were not as comforting as soft velvet ears.
Defeated, she cleared a spot in the middle of the library’s floor and plopped onto her haunches. Sleep deprivation and frustration set in as she began to cry. It had been so long since she had last seen her Ms.Smartypants doll, and while it might seem silly to any other pony, she felt as if she had lost a friend.
Where are you? She thought to herself over and over.
Twilight’s lament was interrupted by an obnoxiously upbeat voice.
“Morning Twilight,” greated Spike yawning, “What a great night’s sle--”
Silence filled the air as Spike’s voice petered out when he noticed the massive mess Twilight had made. The main floor of the library, which he had cleaned the previous afternoon, looked as if it had been turned upside down. Books lay strewn about in places that made him wonder, how in the hay... and in the apex of all the mess was Twilight.
“W-what happened in here?” he stammered.
Twilight wiped a tear from her cheek and did her best recompose herself.
“Morning Spike, just ummmm...” Her thoughts trailed off as she looked around and realised the extent of her search, “Just, uhhh, redecorating.”
Spike glared at Twilight as if trying to tell her that there was no way he believed what she had said. Yet, when he looked at her in the sea of books, boxes, pens and papers, he couldn’t help but laugh.
"You look absolutely ridiculous!” he blurted out.
While Twilight had done her best to keep her emotions in check with Spike around, something about his obliviousness kicked her in the chest.
“Thanks Spike,” she stated in a flatly.
In an instant the laughter stopped and Spike’s high spirits plummeted.
“Sorry Twilight, did I put Spells and Potions of the Paleoponic Era in the Equestrial Revolution section again?”
“No, no... it’s just... I can’t find Ms.Smartypants anywhere. I looked for her all night and I still can’t find her.”
Spike was slightly stunned by her comment, but managed to find enough functioning thought to reply.
“Ms.Smartypants? As in your stuffed animal Ms.Smartypants? Twilight, is that the reason you made such a mess? It’s just a stuffed animal?”
The atmosphere turned brittle as Spike instantly realised he’d hit a nerve. Twilight’s brow furrowed as she glared at her assistant from across the room.
“Just a stuffed animal? Just a stuffed animal? Ms.Smartypants is not just a stuffed animal, she is my stuffed animal! You of all ponies should know that she is quite possibly my most cherished possession-”
“I’m uhhh, I’m not a pony Twilig-”
“Shush, I’m not done being angry!”
Twilight attempted to continue her rant, however Spike’s intervention had broken her flow. Before long she found herself rapidly changing emotional gears.
"My mom gave me Ms.Smartypants when I was just a filly in magic school. I used to get so worried about studying I sometimes wouldn’t be able to sleep.”
Hollow hoofsteps bounced off the walls of the library as Twilight navigated through the carnage left in her wake, and started placing books back on their shelves.
“She gave her to me and said, “Twilight, no matter what you do or where you go, there will always be moments when you’ll be faced with stress. Sometimes, you feel like you could just scream. Sometimes, the best thing to do is take a step back and breath. When times like that happen, hug Ms.Smartypants and no matter what, she’ll make it better.””
“Sorry, Twilight... I didn’t know.”
“It’s okay, Spike, there is no way you could have... Every time I have trouble sleeping, I always grab Ms.Smartypants and cuddle up to her. No matter what I’d always fall asleep.”
Spike nervously rubbed his hands together before making his way towards Twilight and helping her clean up.
“When was the last time you saw it, err... um... her?
“Remember when I was stressing out about missing my weekly friendship report?”
“That long ago?”
Twilight sighed and rested her head against the oak book case. “Yes, that long ago. I could have sworn I brought her home, but I guess, seeing the destruction of the library, I didn’t.”
The loud thud of Twilight’s rump landing on the floor hit home. Spike found himself regretting his oblivious, hurtful comments more and more as she began to cry.
“I just don’t know what happened to her,” Twilight wailed.
Confused with what to do next, Spike stopped shelving books and thought for a moment. “Well who was the last person you saw her with on that day?”
Twilight sniffled and wiped her nose. “I... I think it was Big Macintosh.”
“Applejack’s usually in the market about this time, why don’t you go ask her if Mac still has it?”
“I don’t know Spike. I don’t think Big Mac is the kinda pony who would steal anything, let alone a doll.”
Spike sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Well, it’s not like you’ve got much of a choice. I mean you’ve pretty much destroyed all my hard work from last night, and turned up nothing.”
A sheepish grin snuck onto Twilight’s face as she glanced around the room. “Sorry.”
Spike tried to be frustrated with his caretaker, but her emotional status crippled his stance. “It’s fine, just go and find your doll.” Spike sighed as he realised just what he had enlisted himself for. “If it’ll keep you from destroying the library,” he continued, “I want it back just as bad as you do.”
“Thanks, Spike.” replied Twilight, a genuine smile starting to grow.
Her assistant sighed and went to place another book on the shelf, but was almost swept off his feet when it was wrenched from his grasp.
“I’ll take that one with me if you don’t mind,” interrupted Twilight as it hovered over her head. She didn’t want Spike to know the real reason she took the book. The fact is, It was more of a stand in for her missing doll than a good read. “It’s one of my favorites, and I feel like reading it again.”
Spike shrugged, dusted himself off and turned back to the chaotic mess of the room behind him as the door slammed shut.
“I guess you couldn’t take a couple more with you could you? Make my job a whole lot easier.” he muttered under his breath.
******
“Wait, so let me get this straight... this ain’t the first book you’ve written?”
Big Macintosh nodded glumly as Applejack paced back and forth across the kitchen. She stopped and stared at him, a slightly amused expression on her face.
“Well?”
Mac looked up and raised an eyebrow.
“What was it?”
“I don’t wanna talk about it.”
Applejack laughed as she took a step closer to her big brother.
“Listen here. I know a lot of things that are much worse than you writin’ a silly romance novel. Tellin’ me what you’ve written ain’t gonna do no harm.”
Going against the warning klaxons sounding off in his head, Big Mac sighed and agreed to his sister's request. He stood up from behind the kitchen table and walked towards the bookshelf in the living room, his sister on his heels. Never once did he think that he would ever have to do this. Without saying a word, Big Mac ran his hoof across the many bindings and covers of the books on the shelf. He paused for a second before tenderly grasping a light blue spine and turning it over in his hooves.
Applejack yanked the book from her brother’s hooves. She flipped the cover open and gasped at the title of the novel.
“Mac... you wrote Cerulean Skies?”
A loud grunt was the only form of acknowledgment Applejack received.
“Mac... Cerulean Skies is an Equestria Post Bestseller! How could you not know?”
Big Macintosh’s eyes widened in shock. He never knew that one of his stories could ever become famous. Equestria Post was quite possibly the most prestigious literature organisation in all of Celestia’s kingdom.
“I... I... I need to go lay down.”
Big Mac left his sister to mull the fact that her brother was an award-winning novelist, and ascended the staircase. He stumbled through his bedroom door in a daze before flopping down head first onto his bed.
Equestrian Post Bestseller... but... but how?
It was unfathomable that such a thing could happen, and Mac couldn’t help but feel somewhat lost. He rolled over onto his back and pondered what to do. Maybe, just maybe, everypony wouldn’t laugh at him? Maybe they would praise him? No, this wouldn’t change anything. They would still feel the same way regardless of him being an Equestria Post Bestseller. His thoughts were interrupted by a muffled knocking at the door.
Mac’s ears perked up and he listened as the sound of a familiar voice became audible.
“Hey Twilight, how ya doin’?”
“Good, I guess. I haven’t been sleeping well lately”
Panic set in as Big Mac began to pace back and forth across the expanse of his bedroom. What was she doing here? Did she find out about his secret? Or worse... what if she found out that his novels were about him and her?
“I tried to find you in the market this morning, but you weren’t there.”
“Yeah, I wasn’t able to make it down this morning. The cart’s all busted up after Apple Bloom... well let’s just leave it at busted up.”
Macintosh’s mind was going a mile a minute. What was he going to do? What if she was there for him? He briskly turned and marched up to his desk.
“Hey uhh, Twilight, is... is that a copy of Cerulean Skies?”
“Yeah, it’s, uhhh, it’s a good book; romantic.”
Things had quickly gone from bad to worse. Big Mac gulped as the most recent knowledge wafted up the stairs. With seconds to spare, he used what little rational thought he had left to formulate an escape plan. This was it. This was the moment things changed forever.
“Say, Applejack... have you seen Big Mac? I have some questions I need to ask him.”
Big Mac placed his foreleg on the opposite side of his desk and in one fluid movement, scooped everything into his saddle bag.
“Yeah, I think he’s upstairs, in his room. He had to lie down for a bit, he wasn’t feeling well.”
“Oh no! Is it okay if I go up and talk to him?”
“Shouldn’t be a problem, sugarcube.”
The sound of hoofsteps creeping closer towards the foot of stairs sent shivers down his spine. It was now or never. He had to leave now. He had to escape.
Twilight’s footsteps grew louder as the stairs creaked beneath her weight.
“Twilight, just be careful okay? He’s in a mood.”
Big Macintosh frantically surveyed the room, looking for a possible exit. He certainly was not about to come face to face Twilight, so the hallway was not an option. He held his breath as she stopped just outside his door.
“Sure thing, Applejack.”
His eyes fixed themselves on his window as the doorknob began to turn. Big Mac flung himself at the window, but froze as a grey blur streaked past in his peripherals.
Ms.Smartypants.
Big Mac couldn’t leave any evidence behind that linked him to Twilight. Just before his window of opportunity closed, he grabbed the stuffed animal and shoved it into his saddle bag. The door creaked open and a gentle knocking resonated through the room.
“Big Macintosh? You in here?”
Just as Twilight was poking her head through into the room, a cacophony of splintering wood and shattering glass flooded the room. Big Mac landed on the roof outside his window with a loud thud, before sliding down the shingles less gracefully than intended. He rolled off the roof and onto the ground as Twilight ran to the window to see if he was alright. Mac swiftly picked himself up and broke into a gallop. There was nothing left for him there, his reputation had been tarnished. Twilight cried out to Mac as he disappeared into a rising dust cloud. This was the last time he would ever see his home; he could never return.