Ponyville was always moving during the day. Ponies talking, the few monsters that the Mane Six had to battle, the galloping of hooves, and Pinkie's almost endless talking were heard everyday. Skittles Twist found that she could sometimes sleep through out the noise. Then again she could sleep through anything, it was her mind that kept her awake.
She had no sleeping schedule. Instead of sleeping at night like the others, she would get tired at random parts of the day. She took this chance to catch up on the sleep she had missed. But on most nights, she would wake up or not be able go to sleep at all. So she would get up and take a walk. It was one of the few things that could calm her. She enjoyed the quiet while she could.
So as Skittles Twist layed in her bed, her eyes were wide opened and mind full of ideas, thoughts, and memories, she started tossing and turning.
"Go to sleep." She told herself. She closed her eyes for a moment.
A few minutes later she was still awake, in the same position as before.
"Ugh! Go to sleep!" She snapped. She flipped to her back angrily.
A few minutes later she opened her eyes again.
"UGH! WHY CAN'T I GO THE BUCK TO SLEEP?" Skittles yelled. She sat up for a moment and checked the time.
It was nearly four in the morning.
"Gah, buck it." Skittles muttered.
She lifted herself off her bed and went downstairs.
In her living room, was a duck sleeping in a small basket with a pillow. His beak was tucked underneath his wing.
Skittles smiled at the duck remembering the time she had gotten him at Fluttershy's cottage.
A few days ago.
Skittle was sitting in Fluttershy's backyard, animals surrounding her with smiling faces.
"I don't know if I'm ready for a pet Flutters." Skittles told the yellow pony. "I'm not exactly the responsible type."
"Oh I'm sure you are. You said you wanted a pet." Fluttershy said. "Besides, you take care of Ozzie very well." She was referring to Skittles's stuffed animal.
"Eh, I guess so. But-" Skittles suddenly gasped and pointed. "OMIGOSH!!! A TAP DANCING DUCK!!!" She zipped over to where a duck was tap dancing.
"This is amazing!" Skittles squealed. She pet the duck's back. "Why didn't you tell me you had an awesome duck?"
"Well, I thought you would want something easy to take care of. Like a dog or a cat." Fluttershy said.
"Oh no, I'll take this little guy. Hmm....what's a good name? Oh! You can be Richard!" Skittles grinned.
Richard quaked at his new name.
"So, d'you have like a bed for him? And some duck food?" Skittles asked.
Fluttershy nodded. She lead them inside and gave her a small bed and a bag of food.
"Thanks so much Fluttershy. I'll keep ya updated." Skittle Twist told the pony as she walked out of her house with the pet supplies and her new pet.
"You're welcome!"
Now.
"This is what happens when you wake up in the middle of the night. This always happens." Skittles mumbled angrily as she opened the front door.
Her face immediately calmed as she looked outside at bright moon and stars.
"Wow." Skittles breathed softly. "Great job Luna."
Skittles stepped outside. She looked around and so no pony.
"Ugh." Skittles sighed in disgust and lowered her head. She began walking around.
"Huh, I guess I've explored every part of Ponyville....." Skittles said to herself. She looked at the Everfree Forest, just a little ways off. "I guess I could go in there."
She began trotting happily toward the forest.
......
Inside, she looked at the old trees and the creepy eyes staring at her.
"Owls maybe?" She reassured herself.
The pony came to some trees. A beautiful blue moss glowed, covering the trees completely. Birds with colorful glossy feathers chirped a joyful tune.
"Awesome." Skittles commented with a grin.
As she walked deeper, a fog appeared so thick that she could not see in front of her.
"Uhh...." Skittles said. Her ears pricked up when she heard a growl. Skittles stopped in her tracks.
"Helllloooo?" She said nervously. She sniffed and a gruesome smell filled her nostrils. Skittles covered her nose with her hooves.
"What is that smell?" Skittles asked herself. "Ugh, that stinks."
All of a sudden a timber wolf appeared out of no where. His mouth filled with drool as he looked the pony with a greedy look.
"Great, now this guy wants to eat me." Skittles said sarcastically. "Better start running." She said as she turned around and bounded away.
She turned around and saw that the timberwolf was following her, his jaws snapping. Skittles frowned and looked in front of her. She was coming up to a tree with a large whole in it. She would be able to squeeze through with the timberwolf getting stuck in the tree.
Skittles grinned. "C'mon ya loser! You're slower then a slug!" She called back to the timberwolf.
He ran faster, but so did she.
"Almost....there..." She said as she neared the tree. She was just about to jump through when she heard a clanging.
"What the?" Skittles stopped and looked back at the timberwolf. He was wimpering and covering his ears.
The fog had cleared a bit and Skittles saw a strange figure appear. It was a zebra with a frying pan. She was banging the frying pan on the Forrest's floor. The timberwolf whimpered more and more as she came nearer, and finally it ran away wimpering.
The zebra set down the frying pan and looked at Skittle Twist with a kind smile.
"Hello my dear pony friend, I am glad that I saved another from their end. I'm Zecora the zebra as you can see, and I live out in these woods with no one but me." Zecora introduced herself then gestured to her house.
"Oh, I'm Skittle Twist. Thanks fer savin' me." Skittles replied.
"My pleasure Skittle Twist, but why are out here where you'll be missed?" Zecora asked.
"Oh that. Yeah I was having trouble sleeping. It's normal fer me." Skittles rolled her eyes with a smile.
"Maybe I have something to help. A potion that won't even make you yelp." Zecora said as she lead Skittles to her house.
Once inside, Skittles looked at the zebra's decorations and supplies layed around the room. Zecora started gathering ingredients for Skittle Twist's potion.
"There's some permanent effects that might help you improve. But I do not want you to miss your groove. There is only positives you see, so that you will turn out more like the others and me." Zecora said.
"What are the effects?" Skittles asked. Zecora held up an old piece of paper.
"Positive solutions: A mixture that will get rid of any strange part of a pony, whether mentally or physically, making them into your average pony." Skittles read. She looked at Zecora. "What does that mean?"
"You will no longer have a problem with your bravery and fears. And your eye color will be as normal as your ears. No more perfect memories of your past, for your photographic memory won't last. With out a strange dark side there will no longer be a reason to hide." Zecora explained.
Skittles frowned. "Are you saying that my photographic memory or the fact that my eye colors are different are a bad thing? Why what's wrong with them? That's like me not saying 'Beep beep beep!' Isn't there another way to make me sleep better?" Skittles said sadly.
"You do not have to this if you wish, I will give you time since there is too much ready on your dish." Zecora said.
"How do you know about me?" Skittles asked the zebra.
"I know that you hurt, but I do not know your past. But know this, the memories will not always last." Zecora said.
"Okay Zecora. I'll think about it. I guess I am pretty different. I'll come back with an answer soon." Skittle Twist nodded at her then let herself out.
.....
As she was walking back, Skittles heard a fluttering sound.
"Ah! Is it that weird wolf again? No no," Skits reassured herself and shook her head. "That sounds like a bird or something."
The pony searched for the source of the noise, and saw a bat flying around.
"Oh, I was wrong, it's a bat." Skittles said.
The bat spotted her and flew up to her. It grinned, revealing two sharp teeth.
"Oh, yer wanna those fruit bats that Fluttershy was talking about." Skittles told the bat.
The bat suddenly flew off and came back with a dark blue feather. It shimmered in the moonlight.
"Oh, thanks." Skittles took the feather from the bat and tucked it behind her ear. "I have another like this that I found. I think it belongs to Princess Luna. Well pardon me, but I'm just trying to get back to Ponyville." The pony walked around it then continued on her way.
As Skittles still heard the flapping sound, she looked back and saw that the bat was following her.
"Okay fine, follow me. I've never had a stalker that's a bat." Skittles said as she kept walking.
The bat followed her all the way to the edge of the forest.
"Alright, see ya." Skittles said as the bat saluted to her and flew off into the night towards the forest.
Mrs. Cake opened the door to the Sugarcube Corner when she saw Skittle Twist standing right in front of the door. The purple mare, who had a frown on her lips, now was smiling at Mrs. Cake as she opened the door.
"Skittles dear, you got up mighty early." Mrs. Cake said as she let Skittles come inside.
"Oh, yeah." Skittles chuckled nervously as she sat at a stool in front of the counter. "I guess I wanted to be the first pony here. I'll take a chocolate shake with extra chocolate. The sweeter the better."
"Coming right up." Mrs. Cake said as she started making the shake.
"Is Pinkie around? I kinda hafta talk to her." Skittles asked as Mrs. Cake finished the shake and handed it to her.
"Oh yes. She's getting ready for her big day. She gets to run the shop today by herself, besides Applejack, who is selling her cider and apple desserts. I just hope they do okay alone." Mrs. Cake said worriedly.
Skittles winked at her. "Don't worry I'll be here for a while ta keep an eye on her." Skittles said and took a sip of her shake.
Just then Pinkie came bounding downstairs.
"Hi girls! I'm ready for my big day Mrs. Cake!" Pinkie said with a huge grin.
"Howdy y'all!" Applejack called as she came through the door hauling large boxes of her apple treats.
"Oh good, Applejack is here." Mrs. Cake said.
"Hiya AJ, Pinks." Skittles nodded at the ponies. Applejack was setting up her apple stand, filled with delicious treats and cider.
"Thanks fer lettin' me sell my apples here Mrs. Cake." Applejack told the baker when she was finished.
"No problem. Now if you'll excuse me girls, I have my errands to run. Good luck!" Mrs. Cake waved as she went out the door. They waved her good bye.
As the baker and farmer set up for the day, Skittles watched them intently. She new that were hardly ever busy in the morning, so that they could spend a little extra time getting the shop ready for the day.
When they finished, Skittles took a sip of her shake.
"So guys, I want your opinion on something." She said to them.
"What 'bout?" Applejack asked.
So Skittles explained to them about meeting Zecora and her offer. But Skittles left out the fact that the zebra saved her from a timberwolf and that she was taking a walk in the middle of the night.
"What? But your eyes aren't a bad thing." Pinkie said when she was finished.
"And the fact that ya can 'member everythin' perfectly comes in handy. I'm mean you remember everythin' about everypony." Applejack said.
"Yeah," Skittles frowned and swirled her shake with the straw. "But would you want to remember everything? Your nightmares, your mistakes, all the embarrassing moments, why and who hates you. Every fight you had with your family and friends." Skittles looked at the window outside. Although it was a sunny day, Skittles saw a vision of herself as a filly, crying on a bench in the rain in the middle of the night.
Skittles looked back at her shake, and started slowly mixing it again. Applejack and Pinkie Pie exchanged worried looks. They both new that there was something strang about the purple mare sitting in front of them. She had an entire life that they could only try to figure out for themselves. The mare was often the first one up in the morning. A few times she could be nowhere to be found, only to turn up in the strangest places. Like on a faraway hill, or underneath a park bench.
Applejack had once found in her a large apple tree, having no idea how she climbed up to the branches. The branch was strong enough for her to lay down with ease. She had watched the sun come up, and had smiled sadly when the sunlight glistened on the apples and through the green leaves.
Skittle Twist was.....different. And everypony in Ponyville knew that.
"I guess, but you could also remember the happy times. Like the time you got Richard, and then I helped you build a pond for him. And that time you came to Ponyville and met all of us. Wasn't that fun Skits?" Pinkie asked.
Skittles have a small smile and nodded. "Eeyup." She said, sounding like Big Macintosh.
Just then a few ponies came in. It was now lunch time, and ponies liked to add something sweet to their lunch. Sugarcube corner became very busy, with Pinkie taking orders and serving cupcakes and other treats, and Applejack talking about Sweet Apple Acres.
While Pinkie was taking orders, she quickly handed another shake to Skittles, knowing she would want another one. The purple pony took with a smile and a nodd.
When the crowd had taken care of, both workers turned back to Skittles, only to find that she was gone. Only her first empty shake dish and the bits to pay her shakes remained.
........
"Hello? Is anyone there?" Skittles looked around and found herself in incomplete utter darkness. Suddenly she was surrounded by mirrors, a nasty looking reflection of herself in each one.
"Hello?" Skittles called again. Her reflections laughed at her.
"Whatcha gonna do scaredy cat?" One said.
"She's just going go to cry to her parents. Or what's left of them." Said another.
"Stop it! Stop it!" Skittles cried. She backed up but found more mirrors behind her. She quickly moved to the middle and huddled.
Her reflections only laughed at her more, causing Skittles to start crying.
"Stop it! Stop it! It's not my fault! It's not my fault! I didn't mean to!" Skittles sobbed. "I'm sorry for being different! I'm sorry! It's not my fault....I didn't mean to...."
She continued to sob as her reflections continued to laugh and point at her.
Skittles gasped and sat up violently in her bed. Her mattress was damp from sweat. She wiped her fore head and found that her head was moist too.
Skittles continued to sit there for a moment, catching her breath. After a few minutes, she changed her bedding and went downstairs. She tip toed past Richard quietly and then slipped outside into the cool night air. The pony took a deep breath, gazing at the sky, then started walking.
She walked into the park and took a seat on a park bench. Fireflies buzzed before her. She watched them swirl and dance. When she was a filly, she had though they were little star fairies, coming to grant her wish. Often she close her eyes, scrunch her nose, and wish. Wish for more sleep, a more beautiful night then tonight's, that she would get along with everyone, that one day everyting would be okay, or that she could meet the Night Princess herself. Now, as Skittles sat on the bench, she closed her eyes and scrunched her nose. There were too many things to wish for tonight, so she picked one. Please, let me make the right desicion. Even if I don't agree, or even if no pony else will agree, please just make it the right desicion.
When the pony opened her eyes, she saw the same bat from nights before. She smiled at kindly, and it smiled back, her fangs showing in the moonlight.
"Back here again I see." Skittles told her. "I was about to take a walk. I guess you can come with." The pony got up and started walking. The bat followed her, and a after a few minutes she started tugging on Skittle Twist's ear.
"Huh? Wanna show me somethin?" She said to the bat. "Alright."
The bat grinned and flew ahead of her. Every few minutes, the bat would check to see if the pony was coming.
"I'm comin' I'm comin'." Skittles said. "Sheesh."
After ten minutes of walking, they came to a large field of brown flowers. They seems to go on forever.
"Yeah? What about it?" Skittles said.
The bat tugged on her mane and lead Skittles to the very edge of the field. She pointed at the flowers with her winged claw.
"Want me ta smell 'em?" Skittles asked. She slowly touched her nose to one, and it suddenly gave a beautiful light blue glow.
"Oh my Luna." Skittles said, her eyes getting as big as wagon wheels. She touched another gently, and the flower lit up with the same glow. Skittles giggled and ran her hoof through a patch. Then she started jumping in the entire field.
"This is amazing!" She told the bat as she dances around. "Thank you so much for showing me this! I wish I could show the others....but they're all asleep." Skittles frowned for a minute, then suddenly started smiling again. "Ah well, more fer me!" She giggled and started running, doing summersaults and cart wheels. She did flower angels and jumped all around as the field began glowing everywhere. Skittles scooped up a bunch of flowers and tossed them in the air. "This is great!" She announced as she flopped onto her back.
......
Skittle Twist woke up and rubbed her head. She looked around and saw that she was surrounded by bright yellow flowers.
Sunflowers.
