Cliffhangers

by neutralmilk

Rating: teen
Tags: Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Trixie, Comedy, Twist, Random, Adventure, Slice of Life
Length: 3269

A collection of short stories putting the Ponies in perilous conditions. Will they make it through?

Everyone gets themselves into trouble at some point in life. Why should the ponies be any different? Watch (uh, read) as Twilight finds herself looking life over. As Twist is confronted by a dangerous beast in the Everfree Forrest. As the other ponies look their inner demons face-to-face and (maybe) fight back. LAUGH! CRY! WONDER IN AWE IF THE PONIES WILL MAKE IT THROUGH! Why? Don't know. Read anyway!

Published 2012-02-14 21:44:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-02-19 00:26:01 UTC

Twilight's Crisis

Twilight looked over the side of the cliff. PonyVille stood not far off from where she stood, precariously perched. The sun Celestia had so painstakingly raised in the sky was high above Twilights head as she peered on down.

She didn’t need to be down in the city she loved so dear to know what her friends and everypony were up to. Fluttershy, she knew, would be playing with Angel or helping some other defenseless creature with some bizarre problem. Twilight smirked as she recalled seeing Fluttershy cracking the bear’s neck that one time.

Applejack was surely with Big Macintosh and Granny Smith working on the orchard. Whether she was bucking down apples or preparing for the upcoming Zap Apple harvest, Twilight was sure her family was with her.

WOOSH!

A sudden blast of air came from behind her that pushed her forward toward the edge of the cliff. Twilight quickly regained her balance and stared into the sky. She saw Rainbow Dash flying straight as an arrow with a cone forming around her. Clearly, she was working on mastering the Sonic Rainboom again. Cheers came from the town below as a collection of ponies raced to follow Rainbows trajectory.

Rarity was clearly working on a new dress for somepony. The who and the what didn’t really matter at this time. Pinkie Pie, well Pinkie Pie, was probably off doing whatever it was she did. Twilight thought back to the day she followed Pinkie around, remembering watching her roll on the grass of the school yard. Twilight shook her head with a grin.

That pony’s crazy. She thought to herself.

She then thought about what she would normally be doing on such a fine summer day. Her smile had faded now as the image of books crossed her mind. Of course, Twilight would be reading or studying up on some new concept that she had been deprived of, such as slumber parties. She silently wished to be more adventurous and less of a bookworm but she couldn’t help it.

Now Twilight was angry. It was because of her reading that Nightmare Moon had been defeated! It was because of her strong will that Discord was vanquished yet again! But for all that work and for saving Equestria twice, she had received no recognition. At first, Twilight didn’t mind. But the thought was plaguing her recently.

Why don’t I deserve praise? Twilight found herself asking. She thought back to her friends in the town and how they were all famous for their own reasons. Applejack had her delicious cider! Fluttershy could handle any animal! Pinkie, well, was Pinkie! Rarity made the most beautiful dresses in Equestria and Rainbow Dash was just as good as the Wonderbolts (if not better). What did Twilight have?! BOOKS!

She remembered being called an “egghead” by Rainbow Dash in the hospital. She wished to be more adventurous. Wished.

The anger in her started to subside as she slowly walked forward to the edge of the cliff and stared down.

That’s a pretty big drop…

Twilight again glanced at her town and the dots that represented her friends. They were good friends. No, they were great friends. In fact the best she’d ever had. But if only she could be more like them…

Egghead!

The word echoed in her head once again. She wished to be like those ponies in PonyVille with their special talents. She wished she had become popular and praised in the town rather than ridiculed. She wished it didn’t come to this.
Twilight looked down one last time. A single tear dropped down her face. Then she jumped.

.... OR WAS IT

As Twilight careened down the cliff side, she began to scream. The sheer force of the fall made tears well in her eyes and stream out rapidly. This was all to be expected from jumping off of a massive cliff. The smile growing on her terrified face, however, was not.

Her heart was racing as she looked down to see the ground approaching rapidly. Ponyville was also getting bigger, and the dots began growing forms. Twilight stopped screaming and began laughing wildly as she tumbled in the air.
So this is what Rainbow Dash felt like doing her tricks! Twilight couldn’t get enough of the feeling of the wind blowing against her mane. The ground was closer now. The trees had formed and she was only a second or two from crashing into the dirt.

Sproiiiiing!!!!!!!

Twilight bounced off the trampoline she had placed on the ground and rocketed toward Ponyville. She was afraid on the cliff that she had messed up her math when plotting the drag of the wind. Luckily, she didn’t. Being an “egghead” had its advantages after all.

As she flew through the air, she spotted Rainbow Dash lying on a cloud. Twilight gave her a large smile and waved at her. Rainbow Dash looked up with awe and confusion as she accidently fell from the cloud and onto an apple tree, knocking apples onto Applejack.

Twilight laughed hard at the sight, as she continued sailing by the town. The ponies below her were looking up at her flying by and pointed in wonder. It didn’t matter how, but she was getting her recognition and popularity somehow!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

“PINKIE PIE! Stop it this instant!” Rarity shouted at her pink friend. Pinkie continued hopping around the white mare’s shop with her muddy hooves, blissfully unaware of the mess she was making. She was rambling on about a new cupcake recipe. Something that Rainbow Dash was going to have to help her with or something. When out of the blue a purple blur passed by the window.

Pinkie squealed in delight and confusion and dashed outside, Rarity trailing behind her, still enraged by the mess Pinkie made. Pinkie stared into the sky and saw Twilight Sparkle flying by, laughing and waving.

“Pinkie, what have I told you about bringing muddy hooves into my work room! You know…” Rarity began but stopped suddenly as she too saw the purple unicorn in the air getting smaller and smaller as she continued her (abnormally long due to plot points) journey across the sky. Pinkie Pie dashed off suddenly screaming about throwing a party first and then making her new cupcakes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twilight was now beginning to descend and was coming up to the edge of the Everfree Forrest where Fluttershy lived. She could see the quiet mare talking to Angel with an innocent look on her face. Twilight yelled out to her a greeting to which Fluttershy squeeked out in surprise and fled into her cottage. Angel, however, gave a small wave.

It was clear to Twilight now that the author of the story was making her flight last way to long so she use her magic to descend at a quicker rate. She began to plummet toward the ground again, this time with no smile. She was afraid, and rightfully so. The ground grew closer and closer until she landed safely upon a heap of mattresses and other soft things she also had set up. Her smile returned and it was clear to her that her wish to become adventurous did come true.

Whoopie. What an egghead.

Twist Meets the Headless Horse

Twist was horrified by the sight before her. The trees of the Everfree Forest stood before her, pointing wooden spears toward the night sky. She gulped loudly and began to sweat, even though the temperature was cold enough for her to see her labored breaths. She heard noises coming from the depths of the forest and began to shake.

Maybe this isn’t such a good idea... She began to reason with herself.

She was just a filly after all. She needed to get home for school in the morning! Yeah! The other’s wouldn’t think she chickened out if she justified herself properly. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon would just drop it! Twist turned around and decided to just return to her nice, warm bed. She knew deep down that the two prissy fillies wouldn’t believe her. She was just a scaredy cat like they had said.

Twist sighed and turned once more, back toward the ominous forest and attempted to scan for anything that might be lurking behind the trees.

“Ok, ok. I can do this.” She said trying to reassure herself. The small filly straightened her legs and stood up tall. “I am a brave filly!”

Twist maintained her “brave” (yet awkward) posture as she entered the dark woods to an uncertain fate. All she had to do now was…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Stay the night in the Everfree Forest!” Silver Spoon said to Twist, almost yelling now.

“Yeah!” Diamond Tiara agreed. “Do that and then we’ll totally let you hang out with us.”

Twist could hear the mockery in their voices but tried not to pay attention to it. This was a chance for her to finally hang out with the cool ponies after all. She slammed a hoof on the hardwood floor of the school and said: “I’ll do it!”

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon looked at each other and began to snicker now. “Just keep an eye out for the Headless Horse.”

“That’s just an old Mare’s tale!” Twist replied, sure of herself and her display of bravery. Her sister had told her about the story. It was all just a story told to scale young colts and fillies to keep them from wandering off into the woods. Right?

Silver Spoon got close to Twist now and said in a deeper voice, “A Mare’s tale? No, not at all. They say that the Headless Horse is stuck in the forest looking for wherever he lost his head.” She gestured dramatically to Twist who backed up shaking.

“He lost it a hundred years ago, his horn being the only thing that survived the accident. They say it floats above his vacant body, permanently glowing in searching for another head.” Twist was visibly frightened now.

Diamond Tiara walked up close, staring deeply into her eyes. “You know what? Your head just might fit!”

Twist gave out a yelp in fear to which the two prissy fillies laughed aloud to. They turned and left the school, leaving Twist alone and scared. Kind of like how she was at the moment in the forest. The only difference was that things were now much, much worse.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twist’s red mane was covered in prickly thorns and sharp leaves from the Pine trees she was maneuvering herself through. She had to find a nice clearing to stay in if she was to spend the night. Out of the corner of her eye she though she saw movement in the distance. She stopped dead in her tracks and began to breathe quickly.

An eerie blue glow slowly appeared from behind the trees in the distance in front of the scared filly who couldn’t do anything but stare in fright. She tried to run but it felt as if her hooves were stuck to the ground.

“It isn’t real…” she began to say to herself, desperately believing that she was right. “It isn’t real, it isn’t real! IT CAN'TBE REAL!” she said, screaming now. Twist watched as the blue glow got closer to her, getting brighter and brighter as it did.

She tried harder and finally got her legs to move. She dashed away from the clearing and hid behind a tree, breathing rapidly with sweat dripping down her face. She was safe… for now at least. She waited a few minutes and after seeing nothing, decided to leave the forest. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were not worth the trouble.

CRACK!

Twist stopped. The branch she had just trotted on had made a noise that seemed too loud. There was no way that sound had come from her. She looked around her and saw nothing but the darkness pervading through the foreboding trees. She heard nothing, not even the wind. She began to walk again, this time a bit more cautiously.

CRACK!

This time she knew the sound didn’t come from her. Twist stopped again as the fear sent her spine tingling. From her a right, the blue glow had appeared yet again. Twist screamed in terror and tried to run, only to see she was blocked off against a large group of trees. She was cornered.

As the blue glow got brighter, Twist felt as breathing became more difficult for her. She tried desperately to gasp for air; all while cowering at was surely her end. The light grew more intense as it came closer.

Twist struggled for oxygen, seeing the dark world before grow even blacker. The only thing she could see was that strange blue glow above her.

.... OR DOES SHE

With her last bit of strength, Twist desperately grabbed into her saddlebag searching for something. She pulled out an inhaler and took a long puff on it, instantly opening her lungs back up. The scare she had received definitely had put a toll on her. And the quick breathing probably didn’t help either. Or her asthma. She chose to blame the situation for her breathing problems, however.

Even though she was able to breathe now, the mysterious glow was coming closer, with Twist still facing what she felt to be imminent doom. As it stepped in front of Twist, the filly could see in the breaks of moonlight that the horn and its aura in fact belonged to a mare. With a head.

“Behold! I am the Great and Powerful Trixie!” the mare screamed, a random flash of fireworks going off behind her. Twist stopped cowering and stepped forward cautiously, one hoof at a time.

“Wait a minute. You mean you aren’t the Headless Horse?” she asked the midnight blue mare who stood before her.

“Certainly not! That’s just an old Mare’s tale.” Instead of fear, anger was now pouring through Twists small body.

“Then why did you try to scare me? Why chase me through the forest with that freaky blue light!” she belted, taking the offensive.

“You accuse the Great and Powerful Trixie of trying to scare you?! I’ve never heard of anything so… so…” She stopped and plopped down on the forest floor. “Aw, who am I kidding. I’m sorry kid. I heard a voice and wanted to check it out. I couldn’t see a thing out here so I thought to light the way with my horn.” Trixie gave a sheepish grin as she tried to get out of the mess she found herself in.

“Ok, but why didn’t you call out or anything?” Twist asked calming down slightly.

“Serious? The last thing I wanted to do was make a noise and find out I was following an Ursa Minor or something! I had to be sure. Besides, I made an appearance now, didn’t I?”

Trixie did have a point. Twist had calmed down now and began chatting with the lonesome Mare who kindly brought her back to the coach where she lived. Twist explained the reason for her venture into the Everfree Forest, as did Trixie. It went something like this:

Trixie ran out of Ponyville after the Ursa Minor incident and fled into the Everfree Forest, fearing that she would be followed by the angry ponyfolk. She was wrong, (big shock) and after a while decided to stay in the forest working on a new routine.

She felt bad for the ostracized (oh I love that word. Sounds like ostrich. Ha.) filly and came up with a plan to exact revenge on the cruel classmates. Trixie explained her idea and a smile stretched across both of their faces.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diamond Tiara and silver Spoon were enjoying their sleepover that exact night. They laughed over trivial things like boys, and other topics I know all too little about. That’s right, the author decided to break the fourth wall and present his opinions (uh, my opinions). Regardless, it had been a perfect night. The two were finishing up painting each other’s hooves and giving each other makeovers.

ZZZZZZp

The lights in the room went out as Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara looked at each other. They were frightened at the random event and quickly jumped to the bed in the room’s center. A loud thump was heard outside. The two quietly and slowly approached the window and looked down toward the ground. They saw nothing.

The two returned to the bed and began to shiver now in fear and confusion. The sound of a door opening and closing echoed through the house. “Mom? Dad?” Diamond Tiara called out, only then remembering that the two were out at one of Photo Finish’s fashion shows. Apparently the new face of fashion was this shy pegasi with a pink mane.

They heard the sound of hooves now climbing the stairs toward the room. The two ponies were horrified and hid under the sheets; meanwhile the doorknob began to turn. Finally, there was pure silence.

After a minute or so, Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara looked out from under the sheets. There was nothing there, just an open door. A wave of relief fell upon the two as they climbed out. Suddenly, they heard a creak behind them. They turned to find a headless horse, no THE Headless Horse standing before them, with its horn glowing a bright blue. The two screamed and galloped from the house as fast as they possibly could.

With that, the lights turned back on and Trixie’s head reappeared; the effects of the invisibility spell wearing off entirely. She began laughing as Twist came from behind her laughing equally as loud. Twist had gotten her payback and had gained a cool new friend. Trixie learned the value of being kind and had come to enjoy the company of the filly she had just met recently under shaky conditions. The two bro-hoofed and walked out of the house and into the cool night, laughing under the glowing moon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, the real Headless Horse stood at the edge of the forest and watched with an air of delight. He didn’t smile. Nope, cause he don’t got a head. Which sucks.

Ha. Ostrich.

A message from the author

Ooof, ok I really don't like doing this, but I thought I'd quickly update those who actually enjoy reading this story series. I'm currently working on a story called "The Trotting Dead" as some of you may already know. If not, check it out. It's pretty cool. I enjoy "Cliffhangers" far more, but that's just because it's my baby. (Awwwwwww)

So, I have good news and bad news. I have an epic idea for a new story. Something involving Fluttershy (if anyone can guess what it's about i'll let you read it early :P). The Mane 6 will be in it as well as some pleasant surprises. And I hope this will be the best one yet (yeah, out of three but still). This one may take a bit though. I hope to start writing it by Monday and have it uploaded/ complete by next weekend. In the meantime, if you have any ideas for stories or any characters you'd like to see in the future, don't hesitate to comment or message me.

Now for the bad news. Due to a rigorous college schedule, i'll be writing less for a while. Atleast until my senior seminar class calms down with its insane amount of paper work. Fret not! MLP: FiM is still (sadly) a priority. Weird, huh?

-

Ostrich-ized. ha.