The EverFree Colt

by TheIrisianPrincess

Rating: teen
Tags: Mystery, Slice of Life, Drama, Alternate Universe
Length: 5443

This story follows that of an amnesiac colt.

A young colt wakes up in the EverFree Forest with no memory of his life. While he searches for answers about his past, a mysterious zebra named Zed and his pegasus assistant Flower comes into Ponyville, claiming that they know how to give earth ponies the ability to use magic.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2014-03-05 05:50:06 UTC

I woke up in the forest

          Light is the only thing I remember. A flash of light and suddenly, I wake up here, in the darkness. I try desperately to remember anything, anything at all. But, alas, I only remember light.

          Maybe I could get a better understanding of my surroundings. I look around and peer into the blank vastness around me. I find myself in a forest. The silence creeps up on me like a pack of… something. I really don’t remember enough to make such comparisons. Can I walk? I carefully place my four hooves below me. Wait, I have four hooves? Cool. Well, I place my four hooves below my body. I almost buckled down by my weight, but for some reason I could stand, albeit a bit shaky. I look at what I presumably call my tail, which was yarn-like and black. I felt my mane: a scraggly mess with plenty of knots. I assume it was black, like my tail, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out differently.

          I have to make sure. Is there a way for me to look at myself? Maybe I could find a reflection. I notice a rumbling noise nearby. Against my better judgment, I trot over to the mysterious white noise and notice a river passing through. My throat was particularly dry and I have, for some reason, a strong urge to dip my muzzle into the water and guzzle it down. So, I went over to do exactly that, and I’m amazed at how quickly everything changed for the better. My throat was no longer sore, my head didn’t hurt, and I notice that I could see myself in the river.

          This river had answered most of my wishes and was most definitely a blessing. A blessing from what, I don’t know. I don’t even know if there are others of my kind or even if there’s anything outside of this forest. But, at least I know now that I have black hair. I move away from the river that had been so kind to me, only to hear another rumbling sound. Instead of it coming from far away, this one felt a bit more internal. Was there a river inside my body?

          Suddenly, I felt a jab to my stomach and fell to the ground. Did I invoke the wrath of the river when I abandoned it? I obviously must have, if the river decided to curse me like this. I try to get up, but I could barely walk.

          “Hey…” Cool. I can talk.

          “Please… forgive me… I didn’t mean to offend,” I whisper to the river. I got no response. Now, the river had filled me with so much of its curse that it was coming out of my eyes. I don’t understand. Maybe if I return to the river, we could patch things up. I stand up, only for me to fall back down again. My eyes were closing ever so slowly.

          Then a really heavy object trips over me, jolting me awake.

          “Ow!” I complain. Strange, why would I immediately say that after getting hurt?

          “Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to!”

          Hey, I’m not the only… whatever I am… that can talk.

          “I didn’t see you there! Please say something!”

          I realize that I had to say something to calm this frantic creature.

          “You should probably leave before you invoke the wrath of the river.”

          “The wrath of the river?”

          “Yes, but it may be too late for that,” I lift my head up to look at the thing I was talking to. She looks sort of like me, except with yellow fur and a pink mane. She is sort of strange. Not because she seems to have a much kinder visage than I do. No, the reason why she’s so strange was because she’s huge, or at least bigger than I am. Forget invoking the wrath of the river, I don’t want to invoke the wrath of this creature.

          Then, through some twisted sense of fate and irony, the strange rumbling noise came forth from my stomach.

          “Oh my. You sound hungry,” she said. “Don’t worry. I brought along an apple for you to eat."

          She fishes into her bag and brings out a strange red object.

          “I was originally going to eat it myself, but it seems like you need it more than me,” she tells me.

          I looked at the strange red object and I sniff it. I ask her what it was and she looks somewhat surprised.

          “It’s an apple. Do you not know what an apple is?”

          “Really, I don’t know who I am.”

          She nods with what I assume to be understanding. She turns to me and tells me that I’ll feel better when I eat the apple. When I tell her I don’t know how, she demonstrates for me. I copy her and found that the apple was one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten. Granted, it’s the only thing I remember eating.

          “Is there more?” I ask.

          She makes a strange and repetitive noise at that point.

          “What was that?!”

          “Oh, I laughed.”

          “That was scary, please don’t.”

          “Oh, I’m sorry,” she looks to the floor. “Do you want me to take you back to my cottage? It’s getting late.”

          I’m not aware of the concept of ‘late’, but it sounds terrible. So, I nod- why did I do that? - and she carries me on her back.

          “I’m Fluttershy, by the way.”

          Fluttershies must be the ones with wings. I wonder what I am. Before I could think further on the matter, my eyes began to close and I was enveloped with an overpowering, yet relaxing, darkness.

          When I woke up, I find myself in the most comfortable place I’ve ever been in. It’s so soft and warm! The Fluttershy isn’t sitting next to me, so I wonder if I imagined her. I crawl out of the comfort and fell to the floor, which was certainly not comfortable.

          “Ow!” I scream, obviously loud enough for the Fluttershy to notice me and fly up to my room to check on me.

          “Oh my, are you okay? Let me see. Are you hurt?” she spoke at a pace I could barely keep up with.

          “It hurts a bit…” I wince. Actually, I’m not lying. My shoulder really did hurt. The Fluttershy pulls me into a tight embrace with her wing and gently kisses the damaged area. At first, I was confused and tried to pull away. I mean, being constricted and having a wound touched directly by anything seems like they would hurt, but for some reason, there was a joy in my stomach that made me instantly feel better. I guess the river decided to bless me again. Or maybe it was evil and the Fluttershy decided to protect me from that insidious river.

          “Are you hungry?” she asks, separating from our embrace. Come to think of it, my stomach did hurt a bit like before, but not as much.

          “Yeah, I am.”

          “Good, I’ll make us both a salad,” she allows me to leave first as she closes the door to my room behind us.

    It took a while for her to finish the salad and I spent a considerable amount of time asking about the animals that the Fluttershy takes care of. Unfortunately, she really couldn’t refuse to answer my questions, so a five minute salad took about forty.

          The salad is one of the most delicious things I ever put into my mouth. Not as good as the apple, but enough to keep me satisfied. I was done far before the Fluttershy was finished with half of hers. I smile at her and… I sort of laugh. Now I could see why anyone would do that and I felt bad about telling the Fluttershy not to laugh earlier, just because it scared me. She didn’t seem all too angry about it, though.

          I look around. The walls were decorated like the forest where I came from, but instead of a enveloping darkness, it was more nurturing, like the Fluttershy and that soft place I woke up in. I felt a jolt of surprise, when she asked me if I had any questions.

          “Where am I?”

          “My home. I live near the edge of the EverFree Forest. It’s that place you woke up in. I was out to gather some herbs, but I tripped over you and that’s how I found you.”

          “Are there others like us or are we alone?”

          “There are millions of us.”

          My eyes widened in shock, “But, how am I supposed to meet all of them?”

          “You don’t have to be friends with all of them, only a few.”

          I sigh. Alright, it’s time to ask the big question.

          “What are we?”

          “We’re ponies.”

          So, that’s what we’re called.

          “Specifically, you’re an earth pony. I’m a pegasus. And there are also unicorns. Unicorns have a horn on their heads, which they use for magic. Pegasus ponies have wings that allow them to fly and manipulate the weather. Earth ponies have neither, but they have a special connection to the ground.”

          “Wait, I thought you were a Fluttershy.”

          She giggles. “No, my name is Fluttershy and I’m a pegasus. Everypony has a name that differentiates them from everypony else. Do you understand?”

          “Yeah,” I answer. She wasn’t the Fluttershy, she was simply Fluttershy. I still had some questions, though.

          “Wait, what’s all this about magic, flying, manipulating the weather, and special connections?”

          Fluttershy sighs, “Please, bear with me. I’m not exactly an expert on magic or the earth pony’s special connection with dirt or even flying or weather manipulation.”

          “But, you’re a pegasus. Didn’t you say they were good at flying and weather manipulation?”

          “It’s not quite that simple,” she admits. “I’m actually a very weak flier. My friend, Rainbow Dash, is a much better flier than I am and she’s also really great at weather manipulation.”

          “What’s weather manipulation?”

          She briefly explained what it is and I’m actually pretty confused for the most part. Apparently, there’s this thing called the weather, which I don’t understand at all, and pegasus ponies can control it. Fluttershy didn’t tell me a lot of information, but I don’t mind that. Well, I wish she could tell me more, but I know she can’t. I feel a bit conflicted. She asks me if I have any other questions.

    “I feel like sleeping,” I answer, despite having woken up only recently.

    “Oh, you’re tired? Alright, I’ll get you up to bed.”

    I trail behind her as we both make our way up the stairs. Then, I notice something a bit peculiar.

    “What are those things right there?” I ask, pointing a hoof to indicate a strange marking on Fluttershy’s flank.

    “Oh, that? That’s my cutie mark.”

    “Cutie mark?”

    “Yes. I could explain it, but you seem really… tired, and it’ll take a while.”

    I nod.

    “So, if it’s alright with you, I could tell you about it tomorrow?” she smiles sheepishly.

    “Yeah… kinda tired,” I yawn.

    I climbed into bed and Fluttershy tucked me in. I yawn again. As I got cozy, Fluttershy kisses me on my forehead, said good night, turns off the light, walks out, and closes the door. I was just about to fall right to sleep when...

Tap tap tap tap…

    My head shoots up. What was that noise? It stops for a while, only for it to start up again.

Tap tap tap tap…

    I look around and I think I see something off the corner of my eye. It’s far too dark for me to know what it was and I’m starting to worry a bit. A strange form scuffles across the floor like some sort of pony-eating monster. I notice a beating noise coming from within me. I’m no longer afraid of the river, because I could break that curse with simple food, but I have no idea how to stop that thumping noise from inside my chest. My breathing seems to be getting heavier as well. I’m too afraid to scream, because I am worried that…

Tap tap tap tap…

    … I am worried that the monster would eat me before Fluttershy would get here. So, I keep my mouth shut and hope the monster would go away.

Tap tap tap tap…

    The monster’s not going away, is it? Water streams out of my eyes and my stomach feels a little quaky. I should’ve known this was the work of the river. The monster could be a physical manifestation of the river itself or one of its subordinates or… or worse still: the river’s superior. I had been afraid already, but this new information took my fear for the worse. I make a decision, hoping that nothing bad happens to me in the process. I scream out for Fluttershy to come help me.

    “Fluttershy!” I scream.

    I hear some trotting, as Fluttershy comes closer and closer to my room.

Tap tap tap tap…

    There’s that noise again. This time, it seems a bit closer, like it was right next to my bed. The door opened ever so slightly, revealing a sliver of light from outside the room. Fluttershy flies over to my bed and asks what’s wrong.

    “I keep hearing this strange tapping noises and I got scared, so I wanted you to come up here and protect me, please?” I tell her.

Tap tap tap tap…

    “There it is!” I whisper to her.

    Fluttershy peers to the other side of the bed, to the location of the monster. She places herself down to there, only to come back up with a small, white, and angry-looking animal.

    “Angel Bunny!” she said. “What are you doing here? Were you getting impatient?”

    Angel nods, then glares at me. I felt as though he stared into my subconscious. I ask Fluttershy what that creature is and she tells me that it’s a rabbit, named Angel, and that the noise I heard was him tapping his foot. Fluttershy tells me that Angel wants to eat, so she’ll whip him up something quick and will be back to check on me later. I ask her to leave the door open and she obliges. As she walks out the door, I lay back down into what I now know is called a bed. I look up at the ceiling, but I feel a little disappointed at it being dull.

    Anyway, Fluttershy returned with a few lettuce leaves in her mane and she asks if I need anything else.

    “Can you stay? I don’t feel safe at all,” I ask. She nods and lies down on the bed. I curl up next to her. Her warm embrace envelopes me as I fall into a nostalgic deep sleep.

    When I woke up, I find myself between Fluttershy’s hooves. I’m a little sleepy, but I got a nasty surprise when my head hit a small puddle of drool emitting from Fluttershy’s mouth. Her leg twitched and hit me in my hoof. I sneak out from her embrace and walk out the door only to find me face to face with my tormentor from last night: Angel Bunny.

    “Hi, Angel Bunny!” I tell him. “How are you today?”

    The rabbit looks at me quizzically and kicks me with his foot. Then, he hops away like nothing happened. Surprisingly, it didn’t hurt all that much. Maybe it’s because he’s such a small creature. I hear footsteps coming from upstairs and I turn to see Fluttershy dragging herself out from the room. She looks at me, confused.

    “Did you have any dreams last night?” she asks me.

    “What are those?” I ask back.

    “Did you imagine anything while you were asleep?”

    “No,” I answer.

    “Weird. You kept whispering last night. I thought you were having a nightmare.”

    Now, I’m not exactly sure what a nightmare is, but I don’t remember anything from when I was asleep, other than the fact that there was nothing. I just fell asleep and woke up in what felt like five seconds. She looks at me a bit puzzled, then tells me something I did not expect to hear.

    “I’m sorry,” she said. No, that wasn’t what I didn’t expect out of her. It’s what she’s apologizing for that took me by surprise. “You can’t… stay here.” She looks down at her hooves.

    “What? Why?” I ask her.

    “I only have one bed and I could barely get any sleep,” she explains. She thought for a while before continuing, “Besides, I have a friend that has plenty of room, so if we can ask nicely, I’m sure you can stay with her.”

    “But I like you!”

    “Don’t worry. Apple Jack is a really nice pony. I’m sure she’ll take you in. Her sister is actually a filly your age and I’m sure you two will get along.” I look more than a little disappointed, until Fluttershy tells me that she works on an apple farm. Not wanting to seem excited, I very gracefully accept her terms and decide to live with Apple Jack. She smiles, then seems to remember something important.

    “I’ll go make us some breakfast and I can explain to you what a cutie mark is.”

    Oh yeah, with all that was happening last night, I had forgotten about cutie marks. I follow her down to the kitchen, where she puts together a salad for the both of us. While she does this, she briefly explains the concept of a special talent and the symbolism surrounding a cutie mark. She even touched a bit on the concept of destiny. I pretend to understand. We silently ate our breakfast together.

We decide to explore Ponyville today. Fluttershy told me to wait, while she fed her animals. I pass the time by playing with my hooves, then my mane. Eventually, I got bored enough that I walked out the door to search for Fluttershy. I look to my left, only to see a small town in the distance, then I look to my right, only to see a large expanse of forest. I scanned the area for any sign of Fluttershy, only to find her feeding some… I think they’re called otters. I run up to her to tell her I was bored.

    “Oh, sorry,” she apologizes. “Tell you what, after I’m done feeding these ferrets…”

    So, that’s what they’re called.

    “... and Mr and Mrs Turtle, I’ll take you into town to meet with Apple Jack. I’m almost done.”

    I nod, but decide to follow her. She finishes pretty quickly and ties a saddle bag to herself. She tells me to keep close to her while we were in Ponyville. We pass near a place called Sugarcube Corner, where a pink earth pony saw me with Fluttershy. Fluttershy smiled at her and that pony hops away in excitement.

    “Who was that?” I ask.

    “Pinkie Pie. She’s a friend.” Fluttershy smiles as we pass by a giant crystal tree. I look at the tree and ask her what it’s doing there.

    “That’s Princess Twilight's castle. It’s a place with all sorts of books and knowledge. Maybe we can visit her some time in the future.”

    “ That sound ni-” I stop in my tracks and stare towards Twilight’s castle. For some reason, I feel a sense of dread and apprehension. I nudge Fluttershy to move forward from that castle. I can’t place my hoof on it, but I distrust that place.

    We continue to walk, passing by what Fluttershy called a ‘spa’, her friend Rarity’s house called Carousel Boutique, and the Town Hall. She briefly explained what all these things were used for. For one, I wouldn’t mind using one of those spas. The way that Fluttershy talked about them made it seem like one of the greatest things in the world. As for Carousel Boutique, I didn’t admit it to Fluttershy, but I really had no idea what clothes were. And, I think I get the overall idea of the Town Hall.

    My thoughts were interrupted by the sudden smell of delicious apples. Oh, those apples are so good. They are a light within an expanse of harrowing darkness.

    “Alright,” Fluttershy spoke. “This is Sweet Apple Acres. Now, I’m going to see if Apple Jack has a spare room.”

    “Kay,” I answer. I stand at the precipice of the apple tree expanse. Unlike the wild and untamed nature of the EverFree Forest, this place had more of a structure to it, which made it feel calm and somewhat nurturing, albeit a bit boring.

    “Apple Jack,” Fluttershy whispered loud enough for me to barely hear her.

    “Fluttershy,” I scoff. “I’m sure your whispering is so loud, it’d wake up half the town.” Later on, I learn about the concept of sarcasm from a certain pink filly, and I find it funny that I figured out the concept before then. Fluttershy caught on, smiled coyly, and approached the door to relatively large house. Well, not as large as Carousel Boutique, but bigger than Fluttershy’s cottage. Fluttershy barely tapped on the door.

    “Hold your horses. I’m coming Fluttershy,” I hear an accented pony from within the confines of the house.

    “How did she know it was you?”

    “I have a distinctive knock.”

    The door opens and I find myself face-to-face with an orange earth pony wearing some sort of hat.

    “Hey, Flutter-” she pauses to take a look at me. “Huh. I reckon I’ve never seen you around these parts. Where you from, li’l colt?”

    “The forest,” I answer.

    “The… forest?”

    “That’s what I said.”

    “Apple Jack,” Fluttershy interrupted. “Can we talk for a bit? I need to ask you for a really big favor and I’m really hoping that you… wouldn’t mind.”

    “Sure Fluttershy,” answered the farm pony. “What do you need?”

    “Alright then.” Fluttershy turns to me, “Now, stay here while I talk to Apple Jack.” I nod at the request and stay put. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, so I began to play with my hair.

    “You want me to what?!”

    “I know it’s very sudden, but…”

    “But nothing!” said Apple Jack. “Did you think that this colt might have parents? Didn’t you bother looking for information at Town Hall? I mean, you had to pass by it, so…” Apple Jack paused, lowered her tone, and told her that none of it was her fault and that no harm was done. Apple Jack even offers to help take me to Town Hall with her. Fluttershy doesn’t seem to agree and wants to take me to Town Hall herself. Eventually, they came to a consensus that they both take me.

    All three of us trot over to the direction of the Town Hall. I lean next to Fluttershy and listen to her breathe. I sway with the rhythmic sounds even though I constantly bump into her. She tells me that I should converse with Apple Jack while we walk, while rubbing a sore spot on her side.

    “Hey, Apple Jack!” I said.

    “Oh, uhh, hi?” she seems pleasantly surprised that I went to talk to her. “Umm… how are you liking Ponyville so far?”

    “Oh, it’s great!” I stop to think for a bit. “Well, I think. I mean, I’ve barely been here anyway, so I wouldn’t know. Well, so far it’s good and it’s definitely better than the forest and that stupid river.”

    “River? Did you fall into the river?”

    “No…” I answer, worrying about the prospects of the river consuming me, instead of me consuming the river. “Anyway, um, what do you do on an apple farm?”

    “Various things. We have to plant apple seeds, tenderly take care of the saplings until they grow up to become huge trees, and once the apples are ready to be harvested, we buck them off and sell them on market. There’s more to it than that, but that’s the gist of it.” I didn’t comprehend most of that, but I wasn’t going to let her know that, so I just nod like I understood.

    “We’re here!” Fluttershy smiles, as I look up at the towering colossus that she called Town Hall. Last time we passed by this place, it was pleasantly in the distance. Now, being much closer, I could see it for the monstrosity that it was, dwarfing both Fluttershy and Apple Jack.

    “Come on, we have to go in,” said Apple Jack.

    “Uhh… I…” I hesitate. Realizing that I didn’t want to be left alone I do end up agreeing. I hope I don’t regret this.

    The interior of Town Hall is fairly empty with only a few ponies running around. Fluttershy explains to me that since it’s early in the morning, only a few ponies are actually awake. I nod and we meet with the receptionist. Fluttershy stops in her tracks and nudges Apple Jack to go on ahead of her. She sighs and greets the receptionist.

    “Hey, I was wondering if anyone knows who this li’l colt here is,” said Apple Jack. “Fluttershy here found him in the forest and he doesn’t seem to remember anything. So, um, if you’d like to help us, that’d be great.”

    The receptionist just looked at us and after what felt like far too long, she finally said, “I’ll get the mayor. She has access to the town archives.”

    She picked up a strange object which Fluttershy tells me is a telephone. “Hello? Mayor? Some ponies would like to see you in your office. Uh huh. Alright. I’ll tell them.”

    She looks at us and says, “It’ll be just a few minutes. Wait here until she’s ready to talk. You’ll have to explain to the mayor yourself about what you want to talk about, alright?”

    “We understand, right Fluttershy?” Fluttershy nods.

    A few minutes apparently means half-an-hour and in that time, more and more ponies showed up. I saw pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies trotting back and forth, doing whatever it was they were doing. It bored me to no end. Absolutely no one there was my size. In fact, I don’t think I’ve seen anypony my size at all. Maybe I’m the only one?

    A stallion and three mares walk up to us to say hello. The stallion was a brown earth pony with an hourglass cutie mark, while the mares were a blue unicorn who also had an hourglass cutie mark, a blonde pegasus with a bubble cutie mark, and an off-white and red-haired earth pony with a rose cutie mark.

    “Hello. How are you today?” asked the stallion. “Haven’t seen you since the cider contest, Apple Jack.”

    “Oh, hey Time Turner. Listen, we’re awful busy.”

    The blue unicorn spoke up, “Well, it seems like you’re just waiting around like we are. So, I think having a little conversation while we wait is perfectly okay.”

    “Aren't you supposed to be at work?” Apple Jack asked Time Turner. “You know, away from us?”

    “Come on, Apple Jack,” said Time Turner. “I don’t mean any harm. It’s just that I like to surround myself with other ponies and having the same group of friends can get tiring, but I don’t want to get rid of the friends I currently have, so I just make more friends. You get it, right?"

Apple Jack just stares at him with nothing but contempt while Fluttershy purposefully tries to make herself smaller. I don't get it. I hate being small, so why would she try to do that to herself?

"Stop it, Time Turner," said one of the mares.

"Why Roseluck?"

"It's obvious to anypony with a brain that you're bothering them."

"I don't mean any harm, Rose."

"I get that, but this is the third time this week you've tried to pull something like this and it's getting really annoying."

The pegasus spoke up. "Ye- yeah! Ro- rose has a poi- point."

"See? Even the idiot agrees with me."

"Hey!" spoke the mare. "I'm n- no idiot! I just stu- stutter... a lot. Be- besides, Ro- rose is ri- right. It's obvi- viously th- that this ri- right here are a lo- lovely lesbian co- couple waiting to ado- pt this co- colt."

"What?" whispered Fluttershy.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I hadn't realized," bowed Time Turner. "We'll leave you be and congratulations on the adoption."

They turn and walk away from us. That was... interesting to say the least. Anyway, Fluttershy spoke up.

"I can't believe they thought we were a couple."

"Well, considering how we're two mares with a colt going into a government office, it does seem like it."

I stop listening to them as they continue talking about adoption and other nonsense. I let my eyes wander around, notice Time Turner going into the mayor's office, and I tell Fluttershy and Apple Jack what I saw. I mean, it's not fair that he gets to go in before us. They tell me he works here or something, so apparently he's allowed to do that.

They called us in to meet with the mayor and the two mares lead me into the office.

“Congratulations!” I hear the moment we walk into the office.

“What?” asks Apple Jack.

The mayor just smiles at us. “When Time Turner told me you two were adopting, I just felt absolutely ecstatic. You know how the orphanages are always overrun. I’m so glad there are so many same-sex couples like yourself who are just waiting and waiting for a chance to adopt.”

“But, we’re not…” began Apple Jack.

“Oh yes!” interrupted Fluttershy. “Apple Jack and I are so totally in love.”

“Fluttershy.”

“We have been waiting so long to adopt the little one for so long. It’s been very long. And long it has been.” She wraps her hoof around Apple Jack.

“Fluttershy. What are you doing?” asks Apple Jack while Fluttershy pulls her closer.

“Can’t you see how much we are completely in love and we’re both ready to care for this colt. Because we’re in love.”

“Seriously, Fluttershy.”

Time Turner spoke up. “Mayor, you can see how they’re both really desperate for a child. Maybe we can get the adoption papers ready?”

“Already ahead of you, Mr. Turner,” said the mayor as she leads herself to a cabinet. She pulls out two papers. “Now then, you two, sign these papers and this lovely couple can be a lovely family.”

“Umm… can I speak with Fluttershy for a bit?” asks Apple Jack.

“Of course you may,” answers the mayor. Apple Jack tells me to wait here and so I stay. They walk right outside the room and I can’t really hear them, but that doesn’t matter. The mayor speaks up.

“So, do you like your new mommies?”

“They’re okay,” I answer. I barely have an idea of what she’s talking about.

“You don’t seem too happy.”

“I’m fine,” I smile. “See? I can even laugh.” I try to laugh, but it sounded… fake. Like I wasn’t even trying. The mayor and Time Turner both did a much more authentic laugh in response. It made me feel somewhat jealous of them and their laughing abilities, considering how they’re boring government workers. I feel bored and I strain to hear what my Apple Jack and Fluttershy were talking about.

“Look, I just don’t understand what you’re doing.”

“Please, Apple Jack, just pretend. It’s not that hard. I mean, you heard what she said about the orphanages. They’re overcrowded. Would you really want to send him there?”

“I suppose not,” she answers.

“Exactly.”

“But I can’t go on pretending like we’re lovers. It doesn’t… feel right.”

“But… sending him to an orphanage doesn’t seem right either.”

“I know that. I really don’t know what to do.”

“Then, don’t pretend,” says Fluttershy. “But, just go with it. You don’t have to be all lovey-dovey or anything, but keep in mind, we’re doing this for this colt.”

“Why do you care so much? You just met him.”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Well, keep your promise to ask Pinkie Pie if she knows him.”

“Don’t worry. I will.”

They both walk in.

“So, what were you two talking about?” asks Time Turner.

“Oh, uh,” began Apple Jack. “Private stuff. Yeah, private… um… stuff.”

“I see,” says the mayor. “Anyway, are you two ready?”

They both nod, but Fluttershy is a bit more enthusiastic. They both sign their names and the adoption was made official. Fluttershy takes me by her wing and whispers to me, “You’re part of our family, now.”

When I hear that, I gave her a smile.