Crossing Anthology Two

The kitchen was dancing with excitement, Jonah and Princess Celestia laughed as they mixed and stirred ingredients. Cookie batter was flung and eaten by both of them, at one point they ran out of batter to actually bake. More was made and things became more serious, chocolate chips and nuts were thrown in. Finally the dough was placed on to a metal sheet and placed inside an oven to heat. Jonah and the Princess retired to the couch, accidently tripping over one another landing the Princess on top of Jonah. She immediately sat back up on the soft cushion;

“Woops! Sorry, hahaha!”

Jonah could barely control his laughter; he sat at the opposite end of the couch;

“Hahaha, it’s okay. Haha!”

Princess Celestia smiled as bright as the sun she lowered just hours ago;

“Oh, that brought me back to my days with my son.”

Jonah giggled a little, pleased to see the Princess so happy. Jonah took a pleasure in making the ones he held close to him happy, especially Cole. Jonah then caught the end of what the Princess just said;

“Wait, you have a son?”

“I had one. He was the most playful and happy little colt, in a way, you remind me a lot of him.”

“Really?”

“Yes, he always kept such an optimistic attitude and made others laugh. You also have his mullet, hmhm… with the exception of the ponytail on the back.”

Jonah put both hands to his hair, brushing his thick mullet back and poufing it up a bit. Princess Celestia asked Jonah;

“Have you always had that mullet?”

“Yeah, I put it up like this every day. I just love the shape, my brother had one like this when he was younger, then he started makin’ it pointier, like a crown almost.”

“What’s the story of that ponytail?”

Jonah gripped his ponytail;

“This has more emotional value to it; I’ve had this ever since someone very special gave it to me. When I was little, my parents left home for another two years after being home for only a week. I was alone to myself out in the street, and a girl came by. She gave me some good advice, and gave me the one of the cuffs on her trench coat. She told me to use it for my hair, sayin’ that it’d turn ridiculously long. I’ve been wearin’ it as a ponytail ever since. After that my brother and I ran away from home, and I never saw my parents again.”

Princess Celestia became concerned, realizing she was tapping into a sensitive memory. She confessed her own past to him;

“They must miss you both. I still miss my son, not a day goes by when I don’t think of him, and how he could have grown up, and what he would have become.”

Jonah realized what happened now, the Princess’s son died a long time ago. He did not want to continue the conversation, but he scooted closer to her and said;

“I’m so sorry; I shouldn’t have brought up what happened to me. I’m sorry…”

The Princess rested a hoof on Jonah’s back;

“No don’t be… I do miss him though, and I sometimes become upset, but I’m okay now. Are you okay, Jonah?”

Jonah took a moment to respond;

“I’m okay with everythin’ that happened, I moved on from that a long time ago. The only thin’ is… two years ago, my brother betrayed my team, and he tried to kill me and my friends and I haven’t seen him since then. I want to believe that my brother is okay now, and that he is tryin’ to become a better person, but… but… I’m sorry, everythin’ is too confusin’. When I first came here, I had these flashbacks of this really disturbin’ day from my childhood. It before my parents left home for the first time, it involved my brother. I put the pieces together from the flashbacks, and I came to a horrifyin’ conclusion about what happened that day, and finally realized what my brother tried to do to me back then. I think it transcends into what he tried to do two years ago.”

Princess Celestia sat there, letting Jonah pound his feelings into like a punching bag. Jonah concluded;

“I just don’t understand why I had those flashbacks, why then? Nothing changed except coming here.”

Princess Celestia breathed heavily;

“Maybe you miss your brother; maybe you’re only worried about him.”

“That’s what Cole told me, and I think you both could be right. But I can’t look for him, I’m probably the reason he betrayed our team in the first place. I dragged him through hell during those three years, I could tell that he hated every moment of traveling and fighting. I was the one who sent him off the edge.”

The Princess turned to Jonah and spoke to him with a serious tone;

“Do not say that, you are brave young man. It sounds to me that he left because he was a coward. You are the stronger one compared to him. You were able to put up with the senseless hardships that you and Cole faced, he wasn’t. You were able to handle the struggle and threats thrown by your opponent, and he wasn’t, he quit and you continued.”

Jonah felt uplifted, but only slightly. He replied;

“Thank you, Princess. But still, it doesn’t change my worries. I’ve been worried about a lot of things lately, Mina is missing, Halie has ‘at post trauma stress; I shouldn’t have to worry about my brother anymore. I should just be able to believe that he’s okay, and that he’s bettering himself. But those flashbacks, they’ve got me on edge. I don’t know what to do about it.”

“I’m sure things will become clear to you soon. I felt the same way years after I lost my son, I felt confused and unsure of myself, I realized later that it was my desire to be a mother again. A mother has her needs too… And the truth is, I still want to be a mother. I want to have the satisfaction of making a child happy, giving him a home, tucking him in at night, holding him, bathing him, playing with him… baking cookies with him…”

The Princess put a foreleg around Jonah. Jonah smelled the aroma of the heated cookie dough travel; he became tense from the Princess’s hints. He felt that his being there was tapping into the Princess’s thoughts too far. Jonah then understood why the Princess wanted him around, it made sense; comparing him to her deceased son, baking cookies for him, going on about her motherhood memories. He did not want to hurt the Princess, but even he knew that he could not be a son for the Princess. A ding interrupted the moment, Princess Celestia stood from the couch;

“Mmm! Cookies are done! Stay here; I’ll go get them.”

The Princess rushed to the kitchen, within a few moments she was back with a big plate of hot, fresh and delectable cookies. She said to Jonah;

“Let’s see how our project turned out, huh?”

Jonah reached for a cookie, then immediately dropped it when the melting chocolate chips scolded his fingers, he let out a yelp. The Princess grabbed Jonah’s hand to inspect;

“Oh no! I’m sorry I should have had us wait!”

The chocolate left a bright red mark on the tip of Jonah’s right index finger. Princess Celestia continued;

“Let’s get that under some cool water right away.”

“It’s okay, it doesn’t look bad.”

The Princess insisted;

“Don’t say that, now come on, sweetie.”

Jonah jumped at the Princess’s final word in that statement, he did not like where the situation was leading him to. Jonah was dragged off the couch to the kitchen area; the Princess ran his finger under some cool water. The water alleviated the burning sensation in Jonah’s finger, the Princess smiled and asked;

“There, better?”

Jonah said with a concerned voice;

“Yes, but Princess… Are you okay? You seem to be acting very strange right now…”

The Princess took a moment to respond;

“Why of course, I’m okay. Don’t worry.”

The two walked back to the couch. Jonah found himself on the couch alone; he looked over and saw that the Princess was standing still, head lowered. He wanted to help the Princess, but he had no choice other than to say;

“Princess, I’m very sorry for your loss. But I can’t be your son. I’m seventeen years old now; I’m pretty much an adult now.”

The Princess thought for a moment. She used her magic to turn the knob to the inner ring; the door opened and she looked up at Jonah and gave him a pleading look. Jonah understood the provocative alternative she had in mind, and said to her with stern words;

“There is no way… No, Princess… That wouldn’t even work…”

The Princess shut her eyes, she began to sob;

“Jonah… I’m so sorry! I must be going crazy; I can’t believe what I just attempted! I’m not okay, Jonah! I need help! All I want is to be a mother again, I miss my little boy! He had so much potential!”

Jonah did not know what to do, he only stood and watched. He was hesitant to provide physical comfort to her, afraid that it would only worsen her situation. Celestia sat on her floor and cried more;

“You must think I’m insane! I am aren’t I?”

Jonah said nothing, this out poor of emotion from the Princess made him think of his brother, how things were after he betrayed him, and the sadness he bottled up since then. Princess Celestia continued her cries;

“Just tell me the truth. Tell me I’ve lost my mind…”

Jonah forced himself to do something, anything. He ran to her and hugged her, his weight pushing Celestia backward. He nuzzled his head into her neck under her chin. He said to her;

“Princess, I believe you are a brave and strong person. But I think you suppress your emotions, I have the same problem… I hid my true feelings from my friends after my brother betrayed our team, I never allowed myself to feel any sadness or pain. That must be my problem…”

Jonah began to tear up; the Princess looked down at his face as it began to stream with tears, she stroked his shivering back. He spoke again;

“My suppressed feelings could be the reason why I had those flashbacks, and why they are bothering me so much. I think you’re experiencing it too.”

The Princess looked down at Jonah, she thought about what he said and smiled;

“Let’s go to sleep after we have these cookies. I want you to sleep with me in my bed, would you feel comfortable with that? All I need is for someone to hold me… Please?”

“Yes… I will.”

Jonah looked up, he noticed her smile, and he smiled back. They hugged each other a little tighter, before parting to the couch. After they dined on the desert they made together, they retired to the Princess’s royal bed. He was encased by the warm, furry coat of the sweet and caring Princess and for the first time in months, Jonah had a most peaceful sleep.

The next day:

Princess Celestia teleported Jonah back to Applejack’s barn. Halie and Cole stood outside on Applejack’s porch, waiting for them. When Jonah and the Princess appeared in front of the barn, Cole said to Halie;

“It’s time, Halie. Tell everyone else to come on out.”

Halie had recovered fully from the trauma brought on by the thunder; she smiled and said with great excitement;

“I’m on it!”

Halie ran into the barn as quick as she could run. Jonah and the Princess walked to Cole, Jonah said to Cole;

“Hey Cole, I trust it was a good night for you.”

Princess Celestia added to that;

“Halie seems a lot happier now.”

Cole smiled proudly;

“I know, and you’re not gonna believe what we have to announce now. Just wait for everyone else to come out.”

Moments later, Halie came out of the barn with Applejack, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie following her. The five ponies talked amongst themselves as they came out, Rainbow Dash was continuing a conversation from inside the barn;

“I don’t get Rarity; she came back from vacation a month ago and now she won’t even leave her house for food!”

Twilight explained to Rainbow Dash;

“I told you, Rarity didn’t find out about that shooting three months ago until last month. She’s horrified because of it.”

Applejack suggested;

“She’s known about it for a month now; I think it’s about past time for her to get a grip on herself. I sure hope she ain’t nothin’ like how Halie is.”

Twilight declined Applejack’s assumption;

“No, Rarity would have had to experience something traumatic in order for her to be like Halie.”

Fluttershy suggested;

“I think later today, we should ALL go over to try and help her out. Maybe introduce her to Jonah and Cole.”

Pinkie Pie bounced, and said;

“Yeah! And we can bake her a super delicious cake!”

Rainbow Dash looked over at Jonah, then replied to Pinkie’s suggestion;

“Yeah, but first!”

Rainbow Dash zipped through the air, appearing in front of Jonah within half a second;

“WE’VE still got some unfinished business!”

Jonah and Rainbow Dash raced each other many times during the previous three months; each race was a longer distance. Jonah was confused as to why Rainbow said that they had “unfinished” business, Rainbow beats Jonah each time. Unless it was to rub his face into the fact that she was faster than him. Jonah ignored and stepped around Rainbow Dash. Jonah proceeded to ask Cole;

“Okay, Cole. What’s up?”

Halie stepped beside Cole; they both put their arms around one another. The ponies had looks of excitement, ready to hear whatever good news was to come from the young couple. Suspense was high, a moment of whispering and giggling between Cole and Halie passed. Halie finally delivered the news she had been waiting so eagerly to share all day;

“… I’m pregnant!”

The crowd of friends was silent; smiles began to develop on the faces of the ponies. Princess Celestia smiled the most, feeling the utmost happiness for Halie and Cole’s future. Jonah was the only one who wasn’t truly smiling, he faked a grin. His false grin did not last, his breaths became heavy and rapid, his pupils shrunk, sweat rolled from the pores of his forehead; dampening his thick brunette hair. Everyone began clapping their hooves and cheering in happiness. Jonah stood there stiff as a board, unable to process what has happened. He felt guilty, his heart made him feel like he should be happy that his best friend was finally going to have a son or daughter to call his own. But at the same time his mind was in a cataclysmic state, wondering just how the hell can Cole, at his age be able to raise a child. Cole was still sixteen, same with Halie. Jonah shook back and forth, he stepped back slowly, he turned to a bush that stood next to the fence surrounding Applejack’s barn, and he allowed himself to fall back first into it.

A night of sorrow and revelations were met. Two lost and confused souls let a tremendous amount of weight roll off their shoulders in the form of tears. They found peace within themselves and let themselves fall asleep in each other’s arms, peace was found inside of Jonah’s mind. This peace was not to last, with Cole and Halie now expecting, Jonah has felt an even worse form fear possess him. It was fear for Cole’s future, Cole himself was still a child, and Jonah did not want to watch his best friend fall under the stress of parenthood while trying to stay on task with his mission. Jonah did not know what sort of affects being a father would have on Cole, but he still did not like where it was leading. The day brought forth a new type of fear; it was fear of the unknown.

On top of this happening, who is this “Rarity” character that had been mentioned so many times?