If Anyone Can Fear
By Dark Blue Dreamer
This story is a work of fan fiction based on My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, which is owned by Hasbro, Inc. The author claims no ownership over the official characters and settings presented here, and any resemblance of the original characters to real persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
Orange Blossom tucked herself beneath a huge overturned flower pot and hid to catch her breath, trembling. Flecks of foamed sweat sprinkled her pale orange coat, her damp white mane dangling to obscure the wide green eyes which darted back and forth opposite the swivel of her ears. Her lungs burned for air, but she dared not make a sound as she sucked in breath to cool them, almost choking on the thick earthy scent of the dirt remaining in the pot combined with the lingering sour scent of her own fear.
The day had begun so wonderfully, too.
She had been at the biggest park in Canterlot, enjoying lunch with Mommy and Daddy beneath the statue of The Caregiver. A regal, beautiful pegasus mare whose outstretched wings sheltered pony and animal alike. It was so lifelike that Orange Blossom would imagine the statue taking on the yellow coat and pink mane of the Lady of Kindness from the stories and descending from the pedestal to give her a hug and teach her how to talk to squirrels. It was her most favorite place in all of Equestria.
The sky had been clear, and Orange Blossom had been enjoying the best apple pie she had ever had, sitting with her family beneath the shade of the Caregiver's wings. No apple treat was better than the ones made by her distant cousins, who lived a quick train ride away in nearby Ponyville. The pie had been made fresh that morning by those same cousins as a farewell present before they'd had to return home. The Farewell Pie was a tradition for Blossom and her family to remember them by.
Then everything went wrong.
Darkness had rolled in quickly. Not the night, for the sun was still in the sky, but rather it was as though the sun had been turned down like a lamp. In moments, the world was as dark as the shade beneath the Caregiver's wings. The shade itself had become darker than a moonless night. Mommy had pulled Orange Blossom in closely while every pony in the park had looked fearfully up at the sky. Clouds had appeared, angry and spitting lightning, gathering thickly to block out what remained of the sun.
Then the screaming began. Distant at first, but closer and closer as Orange Blossom had clung to her mother. Daddy had stood up and looked around for the danger, but there was none to see. Not at first. Without warning, a family that had been having a picnic just on the other side of the statue began to scream and yell, and though Orange Blossom twisted her head around to see what the danger was, all she had seen was every pony running away or curling up in terror. It had made Blossom afraid just from not being able to see the danger.
Daddy screamed next, a blood-curdling "Honey, RUN!" before he descended into gibbering and begging. Mommy had already begun to run, but Blossom couldn't hold on due to the wild gallop and fell off as Mommy dodged around a tree. Tears had filled her eyes as she screamed for her mother, but her cries went unheard amidst the terrified noises of dozens of other ponies. Mommy was swallowed up by the darkness, a cloying miasma of shadow hiding the world around her like a thick fog, rising from the grass as if belched forth from the ground itself.
Losing her parents in the darkness was bad, and being unable to see was worse, and then shapes had begun moving in the shadows. Strange, frightening shapes that she just knew were dangerous and wanted to eat her. One, looking like a griffon, had gotten close enough to snarl at her and Orange Blossom had scrambled to her hooves and run off, wailing in terror, blinded by her tears.
Nowhere she'd run had been safe from the things in the shadows.
She'd tried hiding, but things would find her hiding spots and make horrible noises until she burst forth screaming and running away again. Running didn't help either, because things would leap out at her and make her trip and fall or veer away only to run into things. Nose bleeding and legs wobbly, she had just about given up and let the terrors in the fog eat her when she'd stumbled upon something that shook her world so badly that for a moment she'd forgotten to be afraid.
In the middle of a street she had turned down was a Princess. Not just any Princess, but the Ponies' Princess. Known throughout the land as the friendliest and most approachable Princess in Equestria, a pony who would play with foals and teach them about the special magic unique to each one. A pony who could face down dragons and save entire towns from disasters. The one pony Orange Blossom knew was the bravest and strongest in all the land.
That Princess was crumpled on the ground, hiding her head beneath her wings such that only her horn could be seen, trembling and crying in terror just like every pony else. In the miasma of fear the Princess' purple coat looked almost black, but the faintly-glowing pink and purple stripes in her glittering dark mane and tail were unmistakable. Her Cutie Mark was similarly hard to miss, the purple star surrounded by smaller white stars also faintly glowing in the dark. Every foal knew that Mark, because it meant wisdom and safety. Shadowy things swirled thickly above her and stalked menacingly around her, predators searching for the best angle to pounce from but confidently biding their time, yet the Princess did nothing but whimper just like Orange Blossom had in her last attempt at hiding.
Even a Princess could be afraid. Orange Blossom's thoughts had frozen on that epiphany. Despair had clawed at her throat, because if the darkness and shadows had beaten even the strongest and best Princess, what could a little filly do? Something had felt like it was choking her, a sob of despair stuck in her throat, but something else spoke up at the same time and caught hold of her sinking hopes.
If even a Princess could be afraid, then that meant that a Princess wasn't so different from any other pony, was she? It had been a strange thought for her, but it made a certain degree of sense. No pony ever said the Princess was ever afraid, but what if she was? What if facing a dragon really was terrifying, but the Princess did it anyway? A story like that had bubbled up in Orange Blossom's memory, but the details escaped her. What was important was the point of that story, and it had reminded her of something that helped her when she was afraid. Maybe it could help the Princess, too.
And so Orange Blossom had run away from the Princess, not in fear, but towards home.
Of course, the shadows would not be conquered so easily, and Orange Blossom had found herself once again running and hiding from things that relentlessly hunted her through the dark fog. They tried to chase her from her path, but she was clever and every time she made a run for it, she got closer to her home.
Which brought her here, catching her breath beneath the large terracotta pot she had pulled over herself. She was hiding from a thing that looked like a pony-sized cat with strange black tentacles on its back like an octopus might have. Her home was on the other side of the hedge, accessible through a filly-sized hole just on the other side of the gazebo that held her hiding place.
A feral snarl preceded something heavy hitting the pot, sending a fresh jolt of fear down Orange Blossom's spine and making her hind legs feel like water balloons. Another hit seemed to shift the entire pot sideways, and the filly gathered herself. Without waiting for the third strike, she shoved her fore-hooves upwards and to the side, throwing the flower pot away. She didn't even look to see where the huge panther was, she just ran for the gap in the hedge. An ear-splitting yowl made her heart seize up and she almost tripped in her run, but her aim was sure and in moments she had slipped through the hedge. She could have sworn she felt the cat-thing's paw rip her tail off, but a terrified glance back showed her tail to be attached and whole, merely filthy from all the dirt she had dragged it through.
Now she was in her backyard, and the two-story house that she lived in with Mommy and Daddy rose before her, sinister in the fearful fog. Every haunted house story she'd ever heard came back to her and her eyes darted from window to window as she thought she saw ghosts and ghouls peeking out at her from behind the curtains. She had to make it to her room, then she would be safe.
The yard itself was no better than the house. No longer was it coated in the comforting green of a well-kept lawn, but rather filled with filly-eating flowers that swayed in a breeze she couldn't feel. Thorny stalks supported tooth-filled mouths like sunflowers crossed with flytraps, all lorded over by the single orange tree her parents kept in the back yard. The tree's branches flexed and reached like long, leafy claws while the oranges themselves snarled and snapped at the air blindly. Orange Blossom took several deep breaths to steady herself, bit her lip as she traced a path through the fanged flowers with her eyes, then bolted at a full run for the back door of her house.
The door slammed open, and then closed again as she kicked it shut, flattening herself against it to hold it closed. The back door was always unlocked, and that fact had saved her life today. She had sworn that she felt those flower teeth raking along her flanks as she'd run, but a quick look over herself showed that she was uninjured. She breathed a sigh of relief; she had been fast enough. Now she was inside her house and could go upstairs to her room, and safety.
The back door led directly into the kitchen, and though Orange Blossom cringed at first at what she might see, nothing leaped out at her nor did any of the furniture try to eat her. Even the ice box, which she had once had nightmares about, remained ordinary and in its proper place. The tiled floor clicked beneath her hooves, much too loudly for her tastes but the world outside of the house had gone silent. Inside the house was just as quiet, in fact.
Too quiet, it turned out. Just as Orange Blossom reached the stairs leading to the second floor where her room was she felt the floor lurch beneath her. Screaming in fear she leaped upwards and grabbed hold of the bannister lining one side of the staircase, hauling herself off the floor. Below, the floorboards at the foot of the stairs had opened up in a great, churning maw that gaped at her and hissed angrily at her escape. The wood had splintered and torn to form long, deadly fangs that gnashed and ground against each other with a sound like the creaky old stairs at her grandmother's home.
The bannister itself began to move, slowly drawing her downwards towards the maw. Screaming again, Orange Blossom dropped down to the stairs themselves and began to run up them, though they too began to move downwards, trying to make her tumble into the waiting jaws of the house below. She pushed herself faster, running harder and harder, and while she put distance between herself and the doom at the base of the stairs the second floor landing seemed to stretch farther and farther away from her, as if the staircase was being pulled out like taffy. She put on one last burst of speed as she felt her legs tire, threatening to give out and send her to her fate. Suddenly, the stairs before her disappeared and she went tumbling headfirst into the wall at the top of the landing.
Everything went still for another moment, the stairs no longer moving. The darkness had followed her into the house, though, and now she could no longer see the ground floor from where she was. She gasped a few relieved breaths into her lungs and then lifted her head to look at the door of her room, causing her breathing to stop cold.
There, just before the open door to her room, was the head and neck of a dragon with scales blacker than midnight. The rest of the dragon stretched off down the hall towards her parents' room and out of sight, while beyond the dragon's head her room was illuminated like an oasis of light in a desert of shadow. The miasma around her swirled and roiled, but seemed like it could not enter her room. Orange Blossom almost cried in frustration. Safety was there, but there was a DRAGON in the way.
The dragon appeared to be sleeping, however, giving her one chance and one chance only. She would have to get past it and into her room before it could wake up and devour her. A part of her wanted to just run and hide again. Another was glad she had nothing left in her bladder to lose. It would be safer to just stay here, or better yet try to hide in the linen closet halfway down the hall, but that wasn't why she was here. She HAD to get to her room, and so she swallowed the lump in her throat and slowly rose to her hooves.
Carefully she crept forward, gently setting one hoof at a time on the floor, wincing every time a floorboard creaked beneath her weight. She made it half-way down the hall when a particularly loud creak made the dragon snort and shift, forcing her to freeze in place. A blood-red tongue flicked out from the dragon's mouth as it smacked its lips, then slowly lowered its head again and went back to sleep. After dozens of beats of her racing heart, Orange Blossom moved her hoof off to the side and settled her weight on a less vocal part of the floor.
Miraculously, the movement of the dragon's head had opened up a small gap in its guard. If she could move quickly enough, she could get to the safety of her room before the dragon even knew she was there. It was her best chance, and so she pushed down the panic that had been with her since escaping the stairs and with a deep breath, she ran for it.
Half-way to the dragon her clattering hooves had awoken it, but she pressed on. An evil red snake's eye opened up along the side of its head and glared at her, and the dragon's lips curled back to reveal glistening white teeth as big as her head. Closing her eyes and trailing tears, she surged forward as the head lifted to roar at her, diving through her doorway and into her room.
The instant she crossed the threshold, everything went silent. She didn't waste any time leaping onto her bed and grabbing the one thing that could protect her: her doll. She twisted around on her bed and put her doll between the door and herself, looking fearfully back at the dragon, expecting it to follow her in and try to eat her.
Except the dragon wasn't there. There was only the hallway, still churning with the dark fog that permeated the city. It stopped at the door of her room, unable to pass through as though held back by an invisible wall. Orange Blossom sobbed and hugged her doll close again, squeezing it tightly, grateful for its protection.
Orange Blossom had received the doll from her grandmother when she was a lot younger. Ragged and patchwork, with rounded grey legs and mismatched buttons for eyes, her grandmother had said it would keep her safe. Grandmother had been right. Orange Blossom slowly relaxed her hold and lifted the doll up to look into its button eyes, then used one hoof to pet over the thick strands of coarse black hair that made up the mane and tail. Her doll didn't have a cutie mark, just like her, but did wear faded blue shorts with white dots like her great-grandmother’s bathing suit. The pants were ridiculous and the stitching was coming loose around the tail, but it still made her smile.
The doll had been patched and repaired for generations, but loved by every pony young and old who had possessed it. In the frightening artificial darkness, the doll seemed to shine with a light that could not be suppressed, and in Orange Blossom's room a bastion of peace existed where fear could not tread. The doll was her best friend, who never judged her and was always there at night to keep the scary things away, and who would listen about her nightmares and never said she was silly or childish for being afraid of them.
What Orange Blossom couldn't know was that she wasn't the first who'd sought comfort and solace from the doll's unconditional regard. Indeed, over the years, the doll had absorbed the love of its owners and caretakers, as well as its purpose: to drive back the darkness and banish fear. Generation after generation, passing from pony in need to pony in need, until the love and affection of the foals it comforted and even some of the adults who sought its embrace ignited a magic of its own.
It was a long time spent with her friend before Orange Blossom's terror had finally receded. She didn't know how long, with the sun hidden by the dark clouds outside, but she knew in her heart it was too long. She wasn't the only one who was afraid. Taking her doll in her mouth, she hopped off of her bed and boldly strode out into the hallway.
The miasma that had dogged her steps getting here burned away like dry tinder before an open flame. Nothing could hurt her while she had her friend with her, and Orange Blossom glared out at the dark fog, challenging it to come after her, to scare her and send its horrible beasts at her.
It could not.
Returning to the Princess was trivial, for now that she and her doll were together they were unstoppable, and Orange Blossom galloped through the streets of Canterlot with single-minded purpose. She was afraid, still, yes. She could still see things prowling at the edges of her vision, but she was surrounded by a bubble of light that the fog couldn't penetrate. She could still hear the screams and whimpers of other ponies out in the darkness, but there was one pony she had to help first.
The Princess was where Orange Blossom had left her, though she had moved into a corner between two buildings and was curled up even more tightly than before. Blossom could hear soft pleading and quiet sobs coming from the great mare, and she hoped that she wasn't too late. Regardless, she ran up to the Princess, and took her doll out of her mouth and into her hooves, holding it out.
"Here," Orange Blossom said softly. That single word brought the Princess' head up, and wet magenta irises met her own emerald ones. "When I'm scared, she helps me."
"Who’s there? Who are… Smarty Pants?" the Princess asked breathlessly, disbelieving eyes focusing slowly on the doll in Blossom's hooves.
"Oh, you two know each other? She's been my friend since I was little and I hold her close when I’m scared or lonely," Blossom said innocently. She looked shyly up at the Princess who had taken the doll in her own hooves and was hugging her tightly.
"She was my doll, my friend, when I was a filly," the Princess replied with a quiet smile. Gone was the tension and despair that had haunted her muzzle and eyes, and her ears slowly relaxed atop her head. Orange Blossom’s heart warmed at the words and the knowledge that she’d reunited old friends, and watched the tears staining the Princess’ face slowly dry.
"It's okay to be afraid, Princess," Orange Blossom said firmly, voice becoming serious as she put a hoof on the Princess’ leg. "I was very afraid too, but I knew that if I could get to my friend, I'd be okay. And since she's your friend, you'll be okay too."
"Yes," the Princess said softly, her gaze becoming unfocused. "Friends do make everything less scary. I'm Twilight Sparkle, but I think you know that. What is your name?"
"I'm Orange Blossom!" Blossom replied with a weak but strengthening smile, and she moved up to hug the Princess as best she could.
"A beautiful name, Orange Blossom. Would you be my friend, so I don’t have to be afraid anymore?" the Princess asked softly.
"Uh-huh!" the filly replied quickly, her smile touching her eyes now. The bubble of light around them became stronger, pushing the darkness back even further. “We gotta stick together to be safe.”
"Thank you, Orange Blossom," the Princess said, sniffling and rubbing her nose on the forearm of her left leg. Blossom couldn't help but giggle a little at a Princess with a runny nose. After a moment, the Princess giggled as well, then she stood up and spread her wings out. Blossom stepped back and gazed up at her in awe. The Princess was literally glowing.
"My new friend," the Princess declared in a warm but powerful voice that meant Important Things were going to be said. Blossom found herself standing up straight, ears perking attentively.
"Orange Blossom," the Princess said again, turning her head to smile warmly down at the filly, "there are still ponies out there that need help. I'm going to go and find the one responsible for this and stop them. But I'll need your help to rescue the other ponies who are trapped in their fears out there."
The Princess lifted Smarty Pants up in a glowing purple aura of magic, then floated the doll back to Orange Blossom, who grasped it firmly.
"I won't need her now, thanks to you. Take her with you, and together you two can help make others safe. Can you do that for me, my friend?"
Orange Blossom did not agree right away, her eyes going wide and her hooves tightening around her doll at the request the Princess had made. There were a lot of ponies out there in the darkness… and the darkness still held frightening things. But she had overcome her fear, and helped the Princess beat hers, so maybe she could do that. Orange Blossom nodded once, trying to stand tall and be brave for her Princess. Her new friend.
"Good. I'll come find you when this is all over, and we'll have ice cream, okay?" the Princess said with a wink. Orange Blossom broke into a grin and nodded again. Satisfied, the Princess turned to face the darkness, her lips pressed together stoically and eyes narrowed. Blossom saw her throat bob slightly as she swallowed though, and she understood. Anyone could be afraid, but that meant that anyone could be brave.
The Princess beat her wings powerfully and rose up into the darkness, surrounded by a brilliant light that the creatures of fear dissolved against. Orange Blossom nuzzled her doll firmly for a moment, then looked out at the mist clawing impotently against her own bubble of light.
"C'mon, Miss Smarty Pants," she said, voice strengthening in confidence, "ponies need us. Let's go to the park and help Mommy and Daddy first."
