Mary Trottings is a unicorn filly in Bridlewood and she makes an interesting new friend...
Mary Trottings is a unicorn foal living in Bridlewood. She has a dark green coat, an orangish-red mane and tail, done into pigtails, and slightly lighter shaded orange eyes with no cutie mark. She's a bit of an introvert and much prefers to be alone and by herself. She also hangs out at an abandoned house after school sometimes and today was just one such day in the fall, as the leaves rustled on the forest floor and there was nothing else to do in town... But she didn't expect to meet another pony there...
It was after school in Bridlewood and as usual, I didn’t feel much like going home. So, I trotted out to the old house on the edge of town, where I like to go to sometimes, instead!
It was abandoned and there’s no power, but it wasn’t awful. It was a single story house with a big foyer in the front and a hallway leading to two back bedrooms and a third bedroom on the left side of the building… The windows were actually intact though and the door was never locked. Honestly, I don’t think anypony knows about it?
So I trotted down the path and I smelled the crisp afternoon forest air and stared up at the hot blistering sun above…
The sun sucks! I think to myself before trudging further along the path…
Oh, my name is Mary Trottings! Should probably also mention that?
Yeah, I’m a unicorn! My coat is dark green, while my mane and tail are a reddish-blond color and I don’t have my cutie mark yet… My eyes are a slightly more orange color than my mane…
The teasing about my cutie mark never bothered me, oddly enough. Other ponies are gonna be awful no matter what, so it really doesn’t matter what they pick to tease me about because there will always be something! Honestly, it’s much better to be alone…
And so, that’s the way I always was! Alone and by myself! That way, there’s nopony to hurt me!
This was before I met her, obviously!
Now, you’re probably wondering exactly who her, is, right?
Well, it’s my friend Alice and I haven’t met her yet! Hang on, we’re getting there!
I trotted up to the front door and then, started circling around the back of the forest house, as it sat there in the patchy sunlight, underneath the tree cover and I knew I wanted to get to the far side of the house, away from town, because the fence on the other side kept me from entering!
Uh, the back entrance is less depressing…
Anyway, I trotted around the building and I heard something from the window…
Probably a raccoon or squirrel? I think to myself as I continue trotting and ready to make another right turn to go around to the backdoor.
I trot to the backdoor and I couldn’t help but notice that it was open partially! Could’ve sworn I shut that? I think to myself as I trot inside…
“What? Who’s there?” I hear a feminine voice say from the kitchen, to my right…
I adjust my gaze in that direction, “Uh, my name is Mary! Mary Trottings and I won’t hurt you! Come out!”
Then, she came out from behind the wall, separating the outer foyer from the kitchen and I saw her for the first time…
She had a reddish purple coat with blue eyes and a very unique mane-style. It was wavy and white with aquamarine highlights and was braided around her ears and she had a unique curved horn which I had never seen before! She wore a black vest and her cutie mark was two blue flames on either side of a single reddish purple diamond shape… She stared at me, “And you are?”
My eyes widen, “Oh, my name’s Mary! Mary Trottings and I go to Bridlewood Elementary!”
She smiles, “Well, nice to meet you Mary! My name is Alice Hoofler and this house is abandoned. You should leave!”
“I come here all the time, Alice! Also, why are you here?”
She sighs, “Well, if you must know, I needed to get away, and so I came here!”
I frown, “Why here?”
“What do you mean?” Her left eyebrow raises.
I nod, “Well, you could go anywhere you wanted to go! Why an abandoned house on the edge of Bridlewood?”
She smiles, “Who would suspect?”
“Okay, you make a point!”
Her view lowers, “And I could ask you the same question Mary! Why here?”
“Well, it’s quiet, nopony really comes here or bothers me, and it’s better than going straight home after class!”
She frowns, “Do you like being alone Mary?”
I nod again, “Usually! Other ponies just tease you and hurt you! It’s best to be alone, I think… “
Her right eyebrow raises, “Is that so?”
I nod a third time, “Oh, yes Alice! Other ponies are mean and cruel!”
Her eyes widen, “Oh? Tell me something Mary! Do you believe that I’ll be mean and cruel?”
I eye this other unicorn carefully as I didn’t think about that, “Uh, maybe?”
She suddenly smiles and laughs a sort of regal laugh full of power and guffaw, “You are very interesting Mary! I like you!”
I frown, “You do?”
She stares at me with a big grin on her muzzle, “Yes, Mary! I do!”
I widen my eyes in horror at this prospect, “W-why?”
She sighs, “Well, you have a unique perspective, I’ll admit! And I adore your mane!”
That comment makes me smile, “Oh? Well, I like yours too, Alice! I love the braids around your ears!”
She smiles back, “Thank you! And your piggy tails are adorable!”
I giggle slightly, “Stop it!”
She continues to smile at me, “So, I take it you go to school locally?”
I nod yet again, “Oh, yes ma’am! At Bridlewood Elementary!”
“And how are your grades?”
I frown when I suddenly realize that outside of my mother, nopony has ever asked me that, “Oh, well they’re wonderful! I never had any problems in school! Uh, that was never the problem!”
She frowns and raises her muzzle, “Oh? And just what is the problem then, my dear?”
“Well, I don’t like the other students so much. They’re all mean and I never know what to say to them.”
Her right eyebrow raises, “And yet, you had no problems talking with me?”
I look at her carefully, “Well, uh, you’re different and this is different!”
Her brow normalizes, “Because I’m not a foal and we aren’t in an elementary school?”
My eyes widen when I see my way out, “Yeah! That must be it!” and I nod. “Right! I mean, you’re kinda old to be a student!”
She giggles again, “Indeed!” before her face normalizes. “So, what do you usually do here Mary?”
“Well, I got some coloring books and I also have a few novels I like to read! But uh, since you’re here, I guess we could do something else?”
Her eyes widen, “Well, how about this then! It’s a nice brisk autumn day out and the sun is shining! Why don’t we take a walk together in the forest?”
I look at her carefully and consider this in my mind… Take a walk alone in the forest with a pony I don’t know! What could go wrong? And then, I smile at her, “Sure Alice! Uh, which way do you wanna go?”
<*****>
We both trot further into the woods with Alice at my right… Deeper in the woods like this though, the sun isn’t so bad and it’s cool underneath the shade of the trees.
She stares at me from the right, “So, you don’t want to go straight home after class?”
I turn my head, “Oh, no Alice! There’s not a lot to do there, and my mom is at work until about eight at night anyway! I’m on my own!”
She turns her head back forward, “Is that so?”
“Alice, you never did tell me why you were in that house?”
Her neck turns to me as we both trot along the forested path, “Didn’t I though?”
I frown, “Um, not exactly no. You never told me what you were trying to get away from?”
Her blue eyes widen, “Oh, EVERYTHING! UGH!”
My eyes widen as well, “What?”
She stares back me, “I live in a castle and I’m uh, more or less all by myself… It gets very lonely there, and while I have uh, a roommate, I rarely see her because she’s always out…”
“Oh, neat! A castle! Uh, where is it?”
“It’s on the coastline north of Maretime Bay! Perhaps I’ll show you one day?”
I smile, “I’d like that Alice!”
And as we both trotted into a clearing, I suddenly became aware of a gray earth stallion standing by the left side of the road. He had a pair of scars going across his right eye and a wicked grin on his face as he widened both his yellow eyes and shouted, “I am Malar, the necromancer and welcome to your doom!” he lowers his gaze while continuing to smile and his wavy brown mane flew in the breeze, “You two have the honor of being my first victims!” before throwing his right forehoof to point at us. “ATTACK!”
And from the right side of the road, I see three rotting corpse ponies galloping at us!
The brown rotted flesh barely hung from their bones and I saw their teeth and empty eye sockets on the skulls above their frames as they all opened their mouths and screamed to attack as the air grew foul and putrid!
By this point, I’m almost frozen in fear, although I do see Alice at my right roll her eyes and I heard her say in an almost disappointed tone, “Seriously? Is that the best you got?” before she turned her head towards the approaching zombie ponies from roughly 20 feet away and I saw her horn glow a violet-blue color before a bolt of bluish energy flies towards the skeletal ponies and blasts them all to pieces!
The air grew even more foul as zombie parts and rotted organs soon filled the sky…
Malar stared at her in shock, although he had no time to react before Alice turned to stare at him and made her curved violet horn glow and cause him to launch into the air far away from us as he screamed in terror from his new situation!
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!”
We both see him fly into the distance…
Alice turns her head right towards me again, “Are you alright?”
I blink and turn to face her, “Y-yeah! Thanks Alice! I uh, was in big trouble there and wasn’t sure what I was gonna do?”
Alice smiles, “Well, fear not Mary! I will not let anything bad befall my new friend!”
I glare at her when everything that’s been going on suddenly starts to solidify within my mind… “F-friend?”
So, I knock on Hitch’s door, RAP RAP RAP RAP! Before opening it up and trotting in to see Hitch there, wearing a blue taffeta sun dress with floral print and a blond wig!
I pay this no mind as I trot towards the window while saying, “S’cuse me Hitch! I left my Friendship Journal in here and I was gonna read some more of that tonight!” before stopping just shy of the sill, grabbing the purple book in my mouth and turning around…
Hitch turns his neck right to look at me and I then notice that he’s wearing lipstick and blush as he says, “Oh, that’s okay Sunny! Just take it and be on your way!”
I smile with the tome in my teeth and say from between them, “No problem!” and turn to begin trotting back out the door from which I came…
I trot out to the hallway and shut the door with my right hind hoof and begin trotting towards the other side of the Crystal Brighthouse…
Hitch was wearing a sun dress, a red wig, and makeup, I think to myself as I continue trotting and this new information searches in my mind for some sort of connection…
I trot back to my study where I set the journal down onto my desk. I breathe in through my nose slowly and deeply before exhaling and turning to trot back to the other end of the Brighthouse…
I reach the room again and open the door to trot inside just in time to see Hitch, sitting on his haunches before a pink vanity mirror, about to apply some eye shadow to his eyes by using his forehooves…
I began to wonder how he learned to do that so fast before saying to him bluntly, “You’re dressed like a mare!”
He gets done putting purple shadow on his left eye when he says to me without moving his face, “Yeah, well, Sparky was abducted by aliens, so what are you gonna do?”
I widen my eyes as I’m suddenly not sure I heard him right? “Uh, what Hitch?”
He finally turns his neck right to stare at me and his eyes widen and I admire the job he did on applying the shadow, “Aliens! A flying saucer just came out of space and I saw a big eerie light come out of the center and Sparky just levitated up into the spaceship and then, it flew off! I don’t know where they took my baby dragon!”
I frown at the spectacle of the frantic gender-swapped stallion, “Um, so uh, this is how you’re coping?”
He blinks, “Uh, what do you mean?”
I gulp, “Well, I mean the dress, wig, and makeup and everything?”
His eyes widen, “Uh, I’ve always dressed this way, Sunny?”
I widen my eyes at this, “Uh, okay Hitch! I need to go see Izzy now!” before turning to trot to the other side of the Brighthouse…
<*****>
So I trotted up to the same abandoned house in the woods as before… I heard my hooves trudging through the heavy leaves on the forest floor and it’s obvious nopony really comes out here…
I notice the brown door is slightly ajar, and that makes me wonder if Alice is around?
“Alice?” I call out.
“In here, Mary! I found something!”
My eyes widen when I wonder what that could be and I use my magick to open the front door and trot in…
“Mary! The closet!” I hear Alice say and I turn my head right to see she’s wearing the same black vest as before and I turn and trot her direction…
“What did you find?”
I trot closer to see that she’s got her blue eyes affixed to a glowing necklace, floating in the air inside the closet.
I get nearer and see that it’s a strange black necklace! It has a peculiar pony design up top which features a pony with a horn and wings! I know I’ve heard of that sort of pony before? “Uh, what is it?”
“It looks like a necklace! What do you think of it Mary?”
I frown at the ugly thing… Now, I have no idea why I did what just did… I grabbed the necklace in my green magical glow and pulled it to my neck…
CLACK! Went the clasp behind my neck as I felt a strange surge of power go through my body!
It’s strange, but I could’ve sworn I felt something latching onto my spirit when Alice stared at me with wide eyes, “Why did you do that?”
I blink, “I uh, I don’t know? But um, uh,” I stare up at her and smile…” how does it look?”
“It looks fine, but you don’t know what that necklace is or what it does! You shouldn’t tamper with magick like that!”
“Oh come on! This house isn’t that old! No way could a magical trinket or knickknack be in here!”
She frowns, “I hope you’re right…”
I continue smiling at her, “Of course I am! I’m always right!”
<*****>
So I was standing there, using my blue magick to work the paintbrush on my right! I stared at my easel and thought I really needed more blue! This painting should be blue! Blue to the max!
There’s strange electronic house music dancing around in my head now as Sunny opens the door behind me and frantically explains, “Sparky’s been abducted by aliens!”
I look down to lower the paintbrush to the bucket of painty water on my right and turn to stare at her, “Well, have you checked the closet? A lot of times, I think aliens took something when it was just in the closet the whole time!”
Sunny widens her eyes, “This is serious! He’s cross-dressing now!”
I incredulously respond, “WHAT?” and I suddenly notice the stallion behind her wearing a red wig and dress down the hallway and say, “Oh, so that’s what the dress is about!” and widen my eyes. “Lookin’ good Hitch!”
“What are we gonna do, Izzy?”
I stare back at her, “Well, unless the aliens bring him back, all we can do is comfort Hitch?”
We both hear a masculine voice from behind Sunny scream at us, “I’m fine! Everything is just fine! There’s nothing wrong right now!”
Sunny widens her eyes, “Right! I’ll go talk to him!”
I blink, nod, and respond, “And I’ll make tea!”
<*****>
I walked next to Alice deeper into the woods and craned my neck left to her, “So uh, it’s hot right now! Why are we taking another walk?” as my new necklace gently clacked against my neck…
She breathes in through her nostrils and turns to stare at me and smiles, “AH! Isn’t the fresh air wonderful and don’t you just adore the birds chirping?”
“Nature sucks!”
She guffaws, “Oh, come now sweet Mary! Surely you can think of something here to appreciate?”
I frown when I think she’s so odd… No other unicorn has been so zesty for life as this before? “Are you okay, Alice?”
She smiles down at me, “Why wouldn’t I be, sweet Mary?”
Suddenly, I notice a roc in the air behind Alice! I notice it aiming it’s claws as it begins to dive towards her and without hesitation, I send a BOLT of green energy towards the bird of prey and cause it to explode!
I think I smell charred bird in the air when Alice looks over her shoulder and asks me loudly, “WHAT WAS THAT?”
I blink, “I uh, there was a big bird and I uh, I shot it out of the sky for you, but uh, I uh…”
She turns to me and furrows her brow with interest, “You WHAT Mary?”
I blink again as I’m still astonished with my blood now surging through my four limbs, “I’ve NEVER done anything like that before! Where did I get this power?”
Her brow loosens somewhat, “You didn’t have that power before the necklace… Clearly, it was indeed magical!”
I blink again in amazement as I just barely get my legs to stop trembling, “N-no Alice! I shouldn’t have this! I really shouldn’t have this!”
She smiles, “Nonsense, Mary! Keep it! Consider it as a gift from me!” she pridefully raises her neck haughtily. “I have plenty of power already, you see!”
I frown when I think about what she just gave me… “Are you sure?”
She nods, “Positive! Consider it an insurance policy should another roc or other dangerous creature cross your path!”
I smile when I just think about the amazing gift my new best friend just gave me! “Thank you so much Alice!”
<*****>
As I see Izzy there sipping her raspberry tea with her magick, she then sets the cup down on her plate and causes it to stop glowing, and then stares directly at Hitch, still wearing his dress and wig, “Now Hitch, we’ve gotten you to understand that Sparky is gone, yes?”
He blinks and nods solemnly, “I-I think so? Um, you’re sure there’s NOTHING we can do? I mean, isn’t there a way to contact the aliens or?”
Izzy smiles gravely back to him, “We’ve already been over this three times, Hitch! There’s nothing we can do!”
Hitch nods back soberly, “R-right… I sure am gonna miss that little guy!”
“I’m sure we all are Hitch, but after we’ve grieved…”
Hitch cuts her off, “There will be a time of moving on?”
Izzy smiles, “Now you’re getting it!”
“Um,” Hitch continues, “c-can I keep wearing the dress and wig? U-um,” he smiles. “I like it!”
Izzy beams back at the stallion, “If that’s what it takes, then sure!”
Hitch blinks, “Well, I uh, this whole Sparky thing just made me start doing this and um, well…”
“You like dressing like a girl!”
“W-well, yeah!” He smiles nervously…
<*****>
I nervously frown up at the hot magenta alicorn as she furrows her brow, “What do you mean, Sparky was abducted by aliens?” as she stares down at me while furrowing her brow in irritation.
I gulp, “W-well, it wasn’t my fault this time, Opaline! According to Hitch, aliens just came down and took him away!”
She sighs as she raises her view, “Well, you’re actually right Misty… There’ll be no punishment, this time, as this had nothing to do with you…” she turns and begins trotting away from me. “Clearly, we’ll need a new strategy now!”
I’ll admit that while I can barely believe it myself, the dragon is definitely not there! I searched all over while flying around and invisible… I then think of that miserable failure Misty and how she could’ve stopped this whole thing if she had only gotten me the dragon sooner, when I had actually asked for it!
I stared down at the sniveling coward and furrowed my brow in righteous anger! “Misty, you twit! Now, we need a new plan, all because of your failure to get Sparky when I wanted you too!”
She widens her olive eyes to me and backs away timidly with an aghast look on her muzzle, “I’m SO SORRY Opaline! I swear, I have no idea how any of this happened?”
I sighed and looked down at the miserable wretch… It’s so strange, but I could feel the irritation draining from me at that moment as I stared down at her, cowering before me as she squatted halfway down on her puny legs and gazed up at me with those wide afraid eyes and quivering muzzle… I don’t know why I said this, “Misty! I-it’s not your fault… I don’t blame you…”
Her eyes widen even further as she continues to squat in what I presume is fear from me, “W-what Opaline?”
I frown as I can’t let her see me weak, either! “Misty, go back to your room!” I blink and am not sure why I add. “And make yourself something from the kitchen! I still need you alive, after all!”
Her bottom lip trembled as she stared up at me with enormous pupils, “O-Opaline? Will y-you be okay?”
My eyes widen when I suddenly wonder why she of all ponies would ask me that? “Yes, Misty! I’ll be fine! Now scuttle off! Go away and don’t come back unless I call you!”
<*****>
I straighten my wings at my side and gaze at the tan stallion across the table from me… He was wearing a green floral print dress and I’ll admit, it did go well with the strange red half-bun style wig he had on his head… I finally state what’s on my mind, “You’re wearing a dress!”
Hitch blinks and nods, “Well, yeah!”
I ask the obvious question, “Why are you wearing a dress?”
He sighs and stares at me while saying, “Well, they told me in therapy that this is my way of coping with Sparky being gone… “
I frown, “So, it’s just something you do around the house now? I mean, I don’t think you go out like that, right?”
He frowns back, “Well, not yet! Uh, “he looks down and smiles, “I was kinda thinking about going to the Hunky Cowpony like this, though?”
I widen my eyes while straightening my mouth, “What’s the Hunky Cowpony?”
His own pupils enlarge, “That’s Maretime Bay’s best gay bar! You don’t know about that Zipp?”
“Why would I know about that?”
He frowns while staring at me intently, “Well, aren’t you uh, you know?”
“What?”
“Gay?”
I roll my eyes, “Okay, why does everypony always just assume I’m a lesbian?”
He frowns while keeping his gaze on me, “Wait! You’re not a lesbian?”
I stare back at the dress-wearing stallion, “NO!”
“Oh, wow!”
“Why do you think I’m gay?”
He blinks, “Well uh, you know…”
My eyes widen again, “What?”
“Well, I mean, the fauxhawk mane and the athletic stuff…”
“Tomboys exist too!”
He blinks, “Yeah, but you’re kinda hardcore, don’t you think?”
“So, what? Do I need to start wearing dresses too now?”
His eyes widen, “Well, I didn’t mean it like that!”
I furrow my brow, “Is that why you’re wearing dresses? To offset my lack of girly energy?”
“Well, Sparky was uh…”
I widen my eyes, blink, and nod, “Oh, right! I’m-I’m so sorry!”
He sighs and wistfully stares off to the right, “N-no! It’s okay! I’m getting used to being without him now…”
“But you’re gonna keep wearing the dresses?”
He turns his gaze back to me, “Of course!”
<*****>
I sat there as the red fire alicorn hugged me in her forehooves… I think my eyes are wide right now? I’m not sure? She says to me, “I am so terribly sorry I was so hard on you earlier, Misty! You need to understand that I just wanted you to be your best!”
“I uh, okay! But why are you now hugging me?” I manage to ask out while encased in her iron grip.
She squeezes even tighter! “Because you need to know that I support you now, Misty darling!”
“Y-you do?” I ask as I feel my eyes about to burst from my skull!
She releases me to stand at the foot of my bed again, as I sat there staring at her on my haunches, “Why, of course Misty! Why wouldn’t I?”
I sigh and stare up at her before thinking carefully on what I want to say to her, “W-well, earlier you were talking about how worthless I was and criticizing me for not getting Sparky sooner! And now, Sparky is gone and I just feel awful over how much I failed you!”
She stares into my eyes and smiles, “Yes, I know Misty! That’s why I needed to check on you to make sure you’re okay!”
I frown at this, “Okay, but…are you alright Opaline?”
She nods, “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Well, Sparky is gone and you need a new evil plan and I failed you and…”
“You did nothing of the sort, Misty! If anything, the fault is mine for not guiding and directing you properly!”
My eyes widen, “Opaline! Why aren’t you criticizing and berating me?”
She frowns, “Why would I do that?”
I furrow my brow, “Because I failed you, yet again! You should be yelling at me, b-but you’re not!”
“I don’t understand?”
“That makes two of us, Opaline!”
Her own brow furrows, “Misty, you are confined to your quarters until you learn to accept love! I’ll be back soon with a sandwich you may have for dinner!”
I stared at the serious looking fire alicorn as she stared deep into me with those olive green pupils of hers, “W-why are you doing this?”
“Doing what Misty?” She asks both haughtily and inquisitively.
I look at the alicorn as she demanded an explanation, “B-being nice?”
“Have I not always been considerate of you Misty?”
As I stared at her wide eyes as she asked me that, I suddenly decided that I shouldn’t argue with that, “U-um, yes! Of course Opaline! You’ve always been n-nice to me!” and then I smile…
She smiles and nods, “Excellent! Now come here Misty! I shall give you one more loving hug before leaving you to your confinement! Would you like a book from my collection?”
I blankly stared at the confusing red pony… Before reluctantly getting off the bed and trotting a few paces to her only to embraced in yet another tight hug!
<*****>
I stared at the blue unicorn on my right as I sat in class and he stared back at me with that smug expression on his face…
I don’t know what he’s thinking, but it’s probably not good?
The white unicorn mare at the front of the room speaks up in her audible feminine voice, startling me out of my stupor, “Mary! Would you like to solve the problem, please?”
I trot up to the blackboard to see a problem on it… I frown as I pick up the chalk with my magick and levitate it to my right to begin scrawling on the board…
I stare at the problem and think hard… Before writing my answer underneath the bar…
The teacher smiles and says, “You were close Mary, but you forgot to carry the two!”
I hear that blue unicorn snickering…
I stare at him and use my magick to force his left forehoof to grow pink and smack him right in the face! “Why did you hit yourself?” I ask with a big grin on my face!
He stares at me with his eyes, now blue on the left and says, “You made me hit myself!”
“No I didn’t!” I say before forcing his hoof to glow pink and smack him in the face again!
He stares at me with a black and blue right eye before the teacher barks at me, “Mary! Leave Hoofster Horns alone and go to the principle’s office this instant!”
I turn my head left towards her and gulp…
<*****>
The green unicorn filly stared up at me with her orange mane and smiled, “So anyway, that’s why I was late today! They gave me detention for beating up that twit in class! Totally worth it though!”
I frown at this interesting new bit of information, “Interesting! Now, Mary! You need to understand two things here! First off, while your reasoning is sound, your methods need improving!”
She frowns, “Methods?”
I then turn my muzzle into a wicked grin as it dawns on me that I might be able to use these new character traits? “Yes, sweet Mary! You must learn to be more cunning and bide your time before taking action against those who have wronged you!”
Her orange eyes widened with curiosity, “So I shouldn’t attack right then and there?”
“No, Mary! Not out in the open where the teacher can see! Your revenge will be far more devastating if you take your time about it!” I raise my chin and fade my smile, “Probably during recess, or maybe after class would’ve been a better time to strike!” before lowering my view at the timid young unicorn filly and smiling once more, “Now Mary! I have somepony you should meet!”
