Chatterjoy skipped happily to Wordplay's house. In her mouth she held a stack of papers, and today the purple unicorn had promised to proofread her fanfiction. "I hope Wordplay likes it!" Chatterjoy thought happily, as she arrived at her destination and knocked on the door to her friend's house.
"Coming!" Wordplay exclaimed. Hooves walking briskly on the wood sounded through the house, and an unlocking sound, as Wordplay opened the door to her home. "Hello Chatterjoy! What can I do for you today?" Chatterjoy ruffled the papers in front of her friend's face. "Oh yes, that's right, I said I would proofread your fanfiction. Well! Let's see what you have," Wordplay said grabbing the papers with her magic.
Chatterjoy followed her friend happily in the house. Another set of hooves sounded in the house, as a light gray mare with a silver mane and tail appeared. Her eyes were a bright blue, and she was also a unicorn with a storm cloud and star quill in the shape of the moon upon her flank. "Who's this?" the new mare asked.
"This is my friend Chatterjoy," Wordplay replied, looking up from the fanfiction, "Chatterjoy, this is Stormy Night. She is a fellow writer." Stormy Night nodded at Chatterjoy but didn't give the pegasus much regard.
"Are you done proofreading my work?" she asked. Wordplay absentmindedly shook her head no, as her eyes scanned over Chatterjoy's work. "You promised. I only have two weeks to be here. Just reminding you that I don't have the time to laze around."
The mare while talking had gotten between Chatterjoy and Wordplay. "Well, that is true," Wordplay said setting down Chatterjoy's work, "But I had promised Chatterjoy that I would proofread her work for her."
"My writing is my life not some silly fanfiction about some little filly's favorite TV show," Stormy Night replied hotly and lightly stamping her hoof on the floor for emphasis. Wordplay chewed her lip in uncertainty.
"It's okay Wordplay! I'm not going anywhere! You can read her's first!" Chatterjoy replied happily, putting back the book she had taken off the shelf earlier. 'The Great Coltsby' was not her favorite book though the purple unicorn had loved the book to death and had once bored the Tartarus out of the pegasus with an analysis of it.
"Alright then," Wordplay replied with a smile and a roll of her eyes. She returned to her work of proofreading Stormy Night's book. Her eyes concentrating on the papers before her.
Chatterjoy extended her leg in almost a comedic fashion to get herself closer to the gray mare. "So," Chatterjoy drawled, "What's your favorite book? Mine is actually a series. It's called Warriors! It's about these cats that live in Clans, and there are actually many different sequel series for it, but the first one is actually about this one house cat named Rusty, and he joins a Clan, but there is this big bad cat whose name I won't say because spoilers! No pony likes spoilers. Well, I like spoilers. It actually makes me more interested in it! What do you think of spoilers? Do you like them?"
Stormy Night had already left the pegasus to her rambling and was currently reading the very book that Chatterjoy had put back into the shelf. Chatterjoy slowly raised her head above Stormy Night's shoulder, "I don't care much for 'The Great Coltsby.' It was really boring, and I didn't really understand what was happening."
"I'm trying to read Chatterbox," Stormy Night replied, slightly irritated at the pegasus. Chatterjoy's wings drooped and skimmed the ground.
"It's Chatterjoy," the mare replied evenly as she looked at the gray mare out of the corner of her eye. The pegasus didn't like it when ponies called her Chatterbox. She had never known that it was an actual term for a pony who talked a lot, instead she figured that other ponies were making fun of her name. "I'm not a box. I am clearly a pegasus."
"Whatever," Stormy Night replied, distracted by the book she was reading. Chatterjoy puffed up her cheeks. It was not 'whatever' it was supposed to be an apology.
"It's supposed to be sorry," Chatterjoy replied a little more hotly than she would have liked.
"Give it a rest C.J.! Stormy Night is reading. Why don't you go out and play somewhere? Come back sometime this afternoon," Wordplay suggested, looking over her shoulder to stair at the pair. Chatterjoy once again puffed up her cheeks, but the purple unicorn never saw it, as she had gotten back to work.
Chatterjoy ruffled her wings in irritation as she walked out the door. "Go play, she said," Chatterjoy muttered darkly, "What am I a filly?" The mare lightly kicked a rock that was in her way. She kept her head low and focused on the rock. She didn't realize that she had made it all the way to Sweet Apple Acres.
Her ears perked when she heard screaming. Three fillies suddenly appeared in her vision, as they ran across the fields playing some kind of game. It was the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Chatterjoy's ears folded backwards, as she wished to do the same thing with her own friends. Would it hurt to play as a pirate? Maybe pretend to be dragons? Does it hurt to play as a foal?
Dark thoughts of what her friends and more importantly what Wordplay would say to those suggestions. "Play as a pirate? Chatterjoy I don't have time for this. My chapter is almost due to my editor. I also have to edit another author's work. Dragons? How can I be one. I don't have wings Chatterjoy. I just don't have the time. Playing is for foals Chatterjoy. We are grown mares. We don't do that stuff anymore."
Tears began to well up in the pegasus' eyes. She quickly wiped them away and began to slowly walk back to Wordplay's house. Surely, she was done with Stormy Night's work. Then maybe Chatterjoy and Wordplay could hang out again!
The pegasus's dreams were soon crushed. Stormy Night was still with Wordplay. The unicorns had apparently finished the activities they were doing when Chatterjoy had left. Honestly! She had only been gone for five minutes! She thought that Wordplay was busy. She puffed her cheeks and cleared her throat to get their attention.
"Nice to know that once I leave fun begins," Chatterjoy hissed, "I would have left sooner, if that meant you two could party and play." She glared at the unicorns, and her stance was rigid. Once or twice her tail flicked in anger.
"Calm down Chatterjoy!" Wordplay giggled, "You've been gone most of the afternoon. I don't know where you went, but you must have been having fun to have been out this long! I didn't want to disturb you!" The purple unicorn patted the seat next to her encouragingly. "Why don't you eat something? You're always grumpy when you're hungry."
Stormy Night scoffed and muttered something under her breath. Chatterjoy didn't know what she said, but the pegasus guessed that the author had made a comment about her being a filly. Apparently, Wordplay had heard the comment and giggled behind her hoof. Chatterjoy folded her ears back and huffed. What was the saying Jazzy kept telling her? Oh yes.
Kill them with kindness. She planned to do that to the letter. Maybe add her own touches.
Chatterjoy laughed with the two unicorns. After she had eaten some food, she became much nicer, and her grudge with Stormy Night was pushed into the back of her mind.
"Well, Chatterjoy it's been fun, but you should head home. I imagine Filler is quite worried for you." Wordplay managed to say after catching her breath from her most recent laugh. Chatterjoy's face fell, and she glanced over at Stormy Night.
"Doesn't she have to leave too?"
"I am staying with Wordplay. We were also planning a sleepover tonight. Have a safe trip home in the dark," Stormy Night replied for Wordplay.
Sleepover? Chatterjoy thought hurt. I thought sleepovers were parties with multiple ponies? The pegasus didn't voice those opinions aloud, but she quickly got out of her seat and left the house. Obviously, she was not invited or wanted. She quietly closed the door behind her and walked the road to her home.
It was around midnight, when the white mare returned to her cloud. Filler was lying in his bed, and the absence of his red glowing eyes told Chatterjoy that he was doing that restful sleep thing called meditating. He often advised her to do it as well. To calm her mind. She was calm! She was in control. It was silly of the skeleton to even suggest such a thing.
But if she was calm, why were their tears silently streaming down her face. It had taken Chatterjoy a while to realize that these drops of sorrow had been falling from her face for a while. There were dried tears on her face fur, and it took a while for Chatterjoy to finally bring her hoof to her eyes and wipe them away.
She was lying in her bed and still the tears would not stop. She rubbed her eyes sore, wondering why they wouldn't stop. She wasn't injured anywhere. Her feelings were definitely not hurt. Why would they be hurt? Nothing had happened to make them hurt anyway. Chatterjoy deduced that the pain was coming from her heart and she laid her hoof over her chest and put pressure down. Surely this would stop the pain that was clearly emanating from her life organ.
Right? Other than that she was having a heart attack. Surely, that was what was wrong. She had never had a heart attack before so she couldn't be sure, but that had to be the only explanation. She would see the doctor tomorrow. A doctor could always find what was wrong.
~XXXX~
"I'm sorry miss Chatterjoy, but there is nothing wrong with you," the doctor said, removing his stethoscope, "You're fit as a fiddle! I have never seen a healthier heart than yours. Despite the fact that I know your diet, I would question how, but you always run to and fro, so it's no longer that much of a surprise."
Chatterjoy wanted to question the doctor on how a fiddle could be fit, but a more pressing matter escaped her mouth, "Then what is wrong with me? I know my heart hurts. I feel it! I still feel it!"
The doctor could only shrug, "I don't know. All I know is that you are a very healthy pony."
Chatterjoy sighed, as she exited the office. The doctor was of no help. Her ears perked when she heard her name. Across the road was Wordplay and Stormy Night. Her heart hurt even more when she noticed the gray mare next to her friend. "Are you okay? You rarely see the doctor," Wordplay asked.
"Just a checkup," Chatterjoy replied, "He said I was as fit as a fiddle, though I don't understand how fiddles can be fit." She slightly glared when her friend looked at the gray mare, and they both began to giggle behind their hooves. Chatterjoy's tail flicked twice. "Would you like to hang out Wordplay?"
"Can't. I promised Stormy Night that I would do things with her," Wordplay announced. She waved a good bye to the pegasus, and the two unicorns left. The pain in Chatterjoy's heart began to get worse.
~XXXX~
"Maybe I'm allergic to Stormy Night?"
"No way Chatterjoy. You can't be allergic to another pony," Filler replied turning the page of the newspaper he was reading.
"Then how come my heart hurts? The doctor said I was fit as a fiddle, though I still have no idea how fiddles can be fit. Maybe they mean they fit in the case. In that case, I would hope my heart would fit inside my chest. What would happen if your heart didn't fit inside your chest?"
"You're probably just jealous," Filler said, after Chatterjoy's random rant had been finished. The pegasus' tail flicked once. "I urge you to meditate and if all else fails you can just get over it."
"How do I do that?" Chatterjoy asked, her head in one of her hooves. It couldn't be that she was jealous. Chatterjoy didn't get these feelings. She's supposed to be the embodiment of laughter. The epitome of smiles! What would she say to her dear mother? What would her mother say?
"She would probably tell you to build a bridge and get over it with laughter and smiles," Filler answered monotonously and flipping another page to his newspaper.
Chatterjoy either didn't mind the fact that the skeleton answered a question she thought to herself or she ignored it. "How do I even build a bridge? I'm not a construction worker? Besides, I don't need a bridge to get to Stormy Night. She doesn't even live across any river ways." At this point Filler began to ignore the pegasus. "Don't ignore me! You're supposed to listen to my distresses! Be there for me! You know. Lend an ear. How can you possibly understand what I'm going through!"
Filler looked up from the newspaper and gave Chatterjoy a look of seriously, I have feelings too. "You haven't been the only one to get jealous. Just talk to Wordplay and Stormy Night. Who knows, maybe you two will become great friends." Chatterjoy hadn't listened and was already walking off. "Ugh, she'll figure it out. She always does."
~XXXX~
Chatterjoy had just been walking around. She was actually going to try to talk to Wordplay about her feelings, but she needed a plan. An instruction of action. A note card! Chatterjoy walked past Sugarcube corner and managed to glance in its direction to see Wordplay and Stormy Night chatting. The pegasus grinned widely and was going to scare Wordplay. Get the wool over her eyes.
Chatterjoy fluttered silently over Wordplay. She would drop down and scare the unicorn senseless. It would be funny! Her legs twitched and Chatterjoy licked her dry lips. Just a little longer, and Wordplay would have become her prey. "She's so dumb! How do you stand it Wordplay? Honestly, I don't understand."
Chatterjoy froze in her tracks. Her brain began to rapidly think. She. Chatterjoy was a she. Dumb. That was a word Chatterjoy was familiar with, especially when aimed at herself. Chatterjoy listened for Wordplay's response. "You just got to breath through it. I agree wholeheartedly that she cannot be...pleasant to be around. I've just learned to smile and nod."
She wasn't pleasant to be around? Have her friends been lying to her? Maybe, she did talk too much. Her plan of surprise foiled and lost, Chatterjoy flew off back to her house. Filler was now doing some household chores. "Hey Filler, am I pleasant to be around? Do I talk too much?"
Filler completely engrossed into his work replied half-hearted, "Most of the time, and I guess?" Chatterjoy bit her lip and walked quickly into her room. "Chatterjoy?" Filler looked up but shrugged and went back to work dusting off a lamp. Before the skeleton knew what happened, the cloud suddenly dropped and water began to steadily pour from the ceiling, and the cloud he was standing on became wet, and he lifted a hoof to see it soaked with water. The clouds around him had become a dark and ominous gray. "Uh, Chatterjoy? The house is raining!"
He received no answer. "Uh, Chatterjoy?" Finally, the pegasus opened her cloud door. Tears steadily streaming down her face. Her jaw was tense and Filler could see a tiny bit of blood escaping her lips. "Oh, honey," Filler said in a fatherly tone, "I'm sorry. I wasn't entirely paying attention. The skeleton pulled the pegasus into a hug. Before he knew it, Chatterjoy bawled into his chest bone. The house also exploded into a rainstorm.
When the pegasus finished crying the house returned to normal and rose to its normal height. Filler made Chatterjoy a nice cup of chamomile tea. She still sniffled. "Open wide," Filler instructed. The pegasus opened her mouth to show the skeleton a large mark on her tongue where Chatterjoy bit it so hard it bled. "How did you bite your tongue?" He asked. He had an idea, but it was best to let Chatterjoy answer.
"Well, I talk to much. I can't talk without a tongue. I thought I'd try to bite it off," Chatterjoy hiccuped, "It didn't work." Filler gave the mare a stern look.
"Chatterjoy, you can't go trying to bite your tongue off," He continued to wipe off the tears from her face.
"Well, I figured that one of these days I would be able to do it," Chatterjoy admitted, her eyes watering up again. Filler looked aghast.
"You've tried to do this before?" He asked with concern. Chatterjoy never struck him as the kind to give herself bodily harm.
"Yeah, when the colts at school used to bully me," Chatterjoy explained, as she shakily took a sip of the tea, hissing as it stung her injured tongue, "I also tried to rip my feathers out one day, when they made fun of me that I couldn't fly yet. It would give me an excuse on why I haven't. Mom caught me pulling them out. There was also the time that I tried to iron my hair down, when the colts were making fun of me for having a poofy mane and tail. I ended up burning the ends of my hairs. My parents were freaking out when they thought there was a fire, and how I might of burned myself."
Filler looked at Chatterjoy with worry, "Chatterjoy, you can't just hurt yourself, when ponies when make fun of you." Chatterjoy looked at Filler her eyes brimming with one word. "You gotta stand up for yourself. Surely, you managed to overcome them?"
"In a way," Chatterjoy replied. Filler was going to ask her what she meant, but the look that Chatterjoy was giving the contents of her mug made the skeleton think otherwise.
"I'm going to go to the store okay? Find something for your tongue." Filler gave one last look to the pegasus who seemed to still be in her own little world. He would actually be the one to talk to Wordplay later. Find out what was really going on. Now that Chatterjoy had tried to hurt herself, it was clear that he needed to get involved.
Chatterjoy finished packing her saddlebags. She would head to Appleloosa. She heard they were looking for teachers. She didn't want her friends to know though. If they asked the ticket giver outer, then he would be able to tell them where she went. She would fly there. It would be a few days, so she packed enough food for the trip. Luna doll was tucked safely into her saddlebags as well. She would give the house to Filler. No reason to leave him homeless. First stop, the Apples and then the school. She would have to resign.
~XXXX~
"Quitin'?" Applejack asked worriedly. Chatterjoy had been hired to water the plants with her pegasus abilities.
"Yes Ma'am. I'm moving on. Sorry for the late notice. I'm sure Miss Rainbow Dash would be happy to work for you," Chatterjoy replied.
Applejack gave the pegasus a searching look, "Okay then. There will always be a spot here for ya, if ya decide to come back." The orange earth pony gave the pegasus a short hug and waved her off.
"I see," Cheerilee hummed, "It was pleasure doing business with you. I know Applebloom is going to be so heartbroken. Just so you know, we always have a need for tutors here. If I may ask, where are you going?"
Chatterjoy looked uncomfortable for a moment. "Just around. I don't know yet," she lied. Cheerilee gave a dubious look but didn't press any further.
Now that she had quit all her jobs, it was time for her to hit the skies. With a silent whoosh, the pegasus was high above the clouds and heading the direction she thought Appleloosa was in.
"Chatterjoy!" Filler called out happily, "I admit I was skeptical about the store having anything for an injured tongue, but they surprised me. Ton-grow! Who would have thought? Of course it sounds like it can grow your tongue back, and they advertise that, but lets not put that to the test. Let's just heal it." Filler began to feel a coldness creep into his empty chest cavity. "Chatterjoy?" he walked to her room and opened it. Nothing was there besides a note. He read it. It was just the rights to the property.
"Is Chatterjoy just going out somewhere?" he wondered. He looked around. Nothing was wrong with the room. Everything seemed to be in place. Well, except the Luna doll. It wasn't there. It wasn't there! Faster than a train, Filler zipped out of the house and ran straight to Wordplay's. He knocked so hard he was afraid the door would fall down.
"Hold on already!" a voice called from within. A gray unicorn opened the door. Her eyes widened when she saw Filler.
"Good evening madam. Is Wordplay home?" He asked politely trying not to seem as scary as he looked. His hollow voice didn't help matters.
"S-skeleton!" Stormy Night screeched. She promptly fainted and Wordplay had come down the stairs.
"Filler? What brings you here?" she asked. She seemed to get worried when it sounded like the skeleton was about to hyperventilate. If he still had his lungs of course. "Calm down," she commanded, "What has happened?"
"I should ask you," he voice echoed, it sounded very angry. Wordplay gave a confused look. "Chatterjoy came to me crying. She said she overheard you saying that she is only pleasant sometimes, and she talks too much. She tried to bite her tongue off." Wordplay gasped and Stormy Night came round. She gave the skeleton a wide berth, and at the request of the purple unicorn to give them some private time went upstairs.
"I was talking about an editor. How did she hear this?" Wordplay asked worriedly, "And is her tongue okay? Though I doubt you would have come here tonight just to tell me this."
"Chatterjoy is gone!"
"Maybe she went to clear her head?"
"You don't understand. The doll is gone."
Wordplay paled, "The doll is gone?" It was common knowledge that if the doll went missing, something was going to happen, or the pegasus herself was gone. She never left the doll alone for more than a few days. If even that. "Where could she have gone? Did she leave a note?"
"No," Filler replied his voice now even lower, "She just left the property rights."
"Not good," Wordplay hissed. She began pacing about her home. Filler gave her a look of confusion. "If she gave you the property rights, she doesn't plan on coming back." The day was still young, and the two began to set off. "I'll check the school and ask Miss Cheerilee. You go see Applejack!" The two then split off.
"Yeah, she quit just this afternoon," Applejack answered, "Seemed mighty upset too. I didn't pry. I figured this would be the time for her to set herself straight, and to come to terms with whatever happened. Didn't even ask where she was goin' either. She'll be back. Trust me on this one. I've done this before mehself."
Filler thanked Applejack and began to walk towards the school house. Wordplay was already walking up the path with a worried look. Filler asked her what she found out, and he shared with her what he knew. "Great," Wordplay huffed, "We don't know where she's gone."
"We could try the train station?" Filler suggested, and Wordplay nodded and swiftly headed to the station.
"Have you seen a white pegasus with a red scarf and some saddlebags?"
"Nope. Sorry," the worker answered.
"She must have flown out of town. Maybe back to her hometown?" Filler proposed.
"I agree. You should go to Cloudsdale immediately and bring her home," Wordplay announced. She turned to walk back to her house.
"Hold it!" Filler called out blocking the unicorn's path. "Why do I have to go?"
"Why not?" Wordplay asked, "I have to help Stormy Night."
"And that's the problem," Filler answered stamping his hoof into the ground. Wordplay gave a confused look. "She was feeling jealous of you and your friend. She even went to the doctor to figure out why her heart hurt." Wordplay made a noise, as she remembered seeing the pegasus walk out of the hospital. She suddenly felt bad for not prying further. "You need to go and clear up this misunderstanding to her. You have to find her, before she hurts herself. Plus, I don't know how her family would react to me. Not to mention the town."
Wordplay sighed but nodded. "You're right." She headed towards the castle to ask Twilight for a charm or spell, so she could walk on the clouds.
~XXXX~
"Chatterjoy's gone and you think she went back to Cloudsdale?" Twilight repeated. Wordplay nodded, and the Princess sighed. She gave the purple unicorn a pendant. "I read about charming the cloud walking spell onto objects to effect the wearer. It was invented by a pegasus actually. Her name isn't listed, but I sure would like to meet her. As long as you wear that pendant, you can walk on clouds for as long as you like."
With a thanks and determination, Wordplay headed back to her house. Stormy Night griped about having to leave early. "Have you even finished proofreading my book?" Wordplay nodded her confirmation.
"Yes, days ago remember," Wordplay said, "Its been fun, but my friend needs me. I need to make this right. I'll visit you in Canterlot soon okay?" Stormy Night huffed loudly, her bags already packed. "Besides, we'll be sharing a train ride for part of the way."
"If she's at home, why not just leave her to it?"
"I'll explain later," Wordplay said, getting slightly annoyed.
~XXXX~
The two unicorns were now grumpily riding the train. Wordplay had explained how Chatterjoy had managed to eavesdrop on what they were saying and thought they were talking about her, and how she tried to bite her tongue off. The sun had managed to flee behind the mountains. Wordplay would have to find a hotel, when she got into Cloudsdale. She would also have to contact Jazzy or Filler and get Chatterjoy's address. The one thing she had overlooked.
"Canterlot!" The trainmen yelled. Stormy Night silently sat up and grabbed her luggage. With barely a goodbye the unicorns parted ways. Wordplay sighed. She was failing at the friend thing it seemed like.
~XXXX~
Chatterjoy began to get the feeling that she was going the wrong way, when the land turned volcanic. She was supposed to be heading to the southwest. It seemed, she had gone southeast. The land below her was dark and red. Dry air lifted her, and it was hard to keep low. Her wings strained at the abuse. Red sand littered the ground and scattered as she landed.
"Should I turn around?" she asked herself out loud. "No, better this way. Now I can finally be away from all of that." She began to walk in the same direction she had been flying. The sky was now completely black, and the pegasus managed to find a cave for shelter. She pulled out an apple and began to munch slowly on it. Her tongue still hurt, and it stung as the juice touched it.
"Who dares to sleep in my cave!" a voice roared. A giant spider revealed itself, and Chatterjoy looked up at him. The spider concentrated all eight of his eyes on her. "Well, now I guess I can't complain, when a meal makes itself so available for me!" He opened his mouth wide to devour Chatterjoy.
Unmoving, Chatterjoy spoke, "Go ahead. You'd be putting me out of my misery." The spider nearly choked on his own surprise. "I talk to much, I'm unpleasant to be around, and I'm stupid," Chatterjoy spat out, "You'd be doing the world a favor." The spider just blinked in confusion.
"Way to ruin a moment," he huffed. He curled his legs to lay next to the considerably tiny pony. "You seriously okay if you got eaten?"
"How am I going to regret it?" Chatterjoy shrugged, "What am I going to say as I'm dissolving in your stomach. 'Oh hey! This was a bad idea!'" Chatterjoy smashed her apple core angrily. She didn't stop stomping the ground until the entire core had been demolished, and all its remnants effectively now part of the red sand.
"Whoa, I thought I had problems," the spider said surprised, "What's eaten ya?"
"You are. I've eaten my last meal. You can eat me now," Chatterjoy replied nonchalantly. She set her saddlebags on the side of the cave and pulled out her Luna doll and hugged it close to her. "Can you just promise me you'll take care of my doll?" She then set down the doll by her bags and turned it to face the wall. "Don't look Luna doll. It might get ugly."
The spider watched the pegasus with interest. "I'm not going to eat you. A sad morsel like yourself will give me indigestion," he replied. "Besides what I meant, is what has you feeling so bad?"
Chatterjoy's eyes welled up, and she told the spider the entire story. At the end of it, the spider was patting the pegasus on the back. "There, there," he said soothingly. "My name is Gogara," he said kindly. He began to gather the many branches that littered the cave floor and began to build a fire. "I used to get picked on by my family all time."
"Really?" Chatterjoy sniffled and attempting to wipe her eyes.
"Oh yeah. When you have like fifty brothers and sisters pickings are tough," Gogara explained, "Let's not even talk about living conditions." The spider began to launch into a story about his life. He always wanted to dance. Tap dance to be precise. His siblings always picked on him for choosing such a career. "Instead I got stuck being the monster in the cave. I haven't even gotten close to reaching my quota yet. I'm short three hundred," he complained.
"My brother has always been there for me," Chatterjoy muttered fondly, "But being the oldest, I can't come back to him crying because my feelings got hurt." She twirled the mug that Gogara had given her.
"What's his name?" the spider asked curiously. He had pulled out a board game and began to set the pieces up.
~XXXX~
"Can I help you?" a unicorn grunted at Wordplay. The purple unicorn looked exhausted. After getting impatient waiting for a reply from her friends for Chatterjoy's address, she went searching the town. She tried talking to this unicorn. He had a white coat just like Chatterjoy's. The only thing that made him different was that he had a blonde yellow mane and tail with a creamy white stripe going through his mane. His eyes were a deep blue, that were currently being used to glare Wordplay into oblivion. He wore a pendant with the cloud walking charm engraved on it as well. His cutie mark was what Wordplay recognized to be the game controller's triangle button.
"I was just wondering if you've heard of a pegasus named Chatterjoy. She has a white coat like yours and-" Wordplay was then interrupted by a long snort of sneering laughter from the stallion.
"Heard of a pegasus named Chatterjoy," he snorted, he smirked down at the mare, "Gee the name sounds familiar. I wonder where I've heard it before." The stallion seemed to show no signs of telling Wordplay anything. The purple unicorn was starting to get impatient.
"Listen, it's important. I need to find her family's house. Can you take me there or not?" she asked impatiently. The stallion stopped laughing long enough to gauge his fellow unicorn. He seemed to be searching her for a reason not to.
"Why should I? It's the pegasus' business," he almost seemed to spat out, "Who are you anyway. Maybe I should pass on a message?"
Wordplay huffed and stomped her foot, "I'm a friend of hers. That's all you need to know." The stallion huffed and flicked his tail at her as he walked away. "Wait! Where are you going?"
"All I need to know, a donkey's behind," the white unicorn hissed, "If that's all you got, then I won't show you!"
"Please sir! I need to talk to her!" Wordplay begged. She cantered in front of the stallion's path. Her eyes were full of despair, "Please sir. I need to speak with her. It's important!" The stallion finally seemed to deem the mare worthy.
"Follow me," he said. He had gone to an uncaring tone, as if he was just getting paid to do this. Wordplay watched where they were going carefully. She had been led to a cozy little cloud home. Not a poor house, but neither was it a rich one. The stallion pulled out a key from his saddlebag and unlocked the house. Wordplay never understood how that worked. It was made from clouds for crying out loud.
"I'm home!" the stallion called out. He didn't get an answer, but he tossed his saddlebag onto the cloud couch and began to take out the games from within.
"I thought you were taking me to Chatterjoy's family home?" she asked suspiciously. She was charging her horn up to fight, if she needed to. The stallion didn't care about what Wordplay was doing. He just kept fiddling with the games. The purple unicorn huffed but glanced around. She noticed a picture. There were four ponies in it.
Two mares and two stallions. One was easily recognizable as a young Chatterjoy. She had her cutie mark. She was currently waving at the camera from a top a young colt that looked like the stallion. The colt in the picture didn't have his cutie mark yet. The older stallion in the picture was also a unicorn just like the colt. He was the odd one out. He had a brown coat with a black mane and tail with a silver stripe running through his mane and moustache with the same blue eyes as the colt. He had a white treble clef cutie mark. The last member of the photo was a pegasus mare. She looked exactly like Chatterjoy except her mane and tail were tamer, and she had a red puzzle piece cutie mark.
"I did take you to where you wanted to be," the stallion said suddenly, drawing Wordplay's attention away from the photo, "I'm sorry to disappoint you though, my sister isn't here."
Wordplay's jaw dropped.
~XXXX~
"One, two, one, two, three," Chatterjoy chanted, showing the spider how to dance. "There you go Gogara! Now you're getting the hang of it!" Chatterjoy was currently showing a tap dance to the spider and teaching him.
"Thank you for being so patient with me," he said, taking a break, "I know I haven't been the fastest learner."
"Oh hush!" Chatterjoy said cheerfully, "You're doing a fine job! It'll take more than three days to learn a dance!" She then proceeded to show the spider how the dance went again. The spider nodded and began to try and copy the pegasus' movements.
"Alright, close your eyes," the spider instructed gleefully. They had now stopped their practice, and Chatterjoy closed her eyes, but it was hard for her to stay still. She was too excited. She felt the movement of the spider, as he walked around and heard the rustling of him looking for something. Before long, Chatterjoy felt something cold and metallic touch her neck. "You can open them now," he finally said.
Chatterjoy opened her eyes to notice a dog tag necklace draped over her neck. Instead of words, a picture of her and Gogara were engraved on it. On the back it read To Chatterjoy
Chatterjoy's eyes welled up and she flew to Gogara's head and hugged him, "Oh thank you! I love it! It's so gorgeous!" The pegasus began to spout out a string of thank yous and complements.
It had only been a few days since that fateful encounter, but the pair had managed to grow close together. Now, was the time for Chatterjoy to leave. Gogara would have to return to his job of eating those that trespassed into his cave, though he promised Chatterjoy that she would be welcome anytime. He directed Chatterjoy to an oasis that was a few days away from his cave. He was sure the pegasus would be fine there. She would also be able to find some more food. her saddlebags were now filled with moss, though it wasn't as tasty, it would suffice.
Chatterjoy waved good-bye one final time before she took off in the direction Gogara had pointed. She hummed sadly, as she left his presence. It would be a long few days flight. She already missed the big spider greatly. For a moment, she thought about her friends back in Ponyville, but she shook her head. She doubted they were giving her a second thought.
~XXXX~
"You did what!?" the stallion yelled. He had earlier introduced himself as Game Tap, and his parents were currently shopping for groceries. "Do you even know the implications of what you have done? Do you? This is serious stuff! Oh, if I didn't need you to apologize, I would have done...some bad stuff to you. Oh Celestia! This is bad. This is really bad, and it's all your fault! Do you know what this means I have to do?" He glared at the mare who was now looking very apologetic. She shook her head no. "This means I have to track her! Do you know how hard it is to track her? Oh Celestia! I can guarantee you, those that can solve Rubik Cubes can't even figure it out. You are so lucky, I know her."
During his rant he had pulled out a quill, some ink pots, and a map of Equestria and it's outlying regions. "Tracking Chatterjoy is like trying to predict accurately where every piece of confetti would fall on the floor, after being thrown into the air with a shifting wind!" He never fully addressed Wordplay and just kept ranting and talking to himself. "Distracting me, I was preparing for a Pokemari tournament. That is serious stuff, but no you had to go and chase my sister away." As he talked he x'd out certain cities.
He'd put an x on Ponyville, Canterlot, Baltimare, San Fransicolt, the Crystal Empire, and Cloudsdale. "Um, why are you putting x's on those cities? How do we know that she won't go there?" At this moment in time Game Tap had pulled out job bulletins from the smaller towns of Appleloosa, Trottingham, and Horseshoe Bay. He began to underline certain jobs offers. Then crossed out on the map both Trottingham and the bay. "Please answer me," Wordplay pleaded. Game Tap muttered to himself and with a nod crossed off the last town, Appleloosa, though he did circle it. Ultimately he circled the badlands and put a nicely drawn picture of Chatterjoy's cutie mark on it.
He finally decided to share his tracking of his sister in full detail with Wordplay, "If you were her friend, you would know she doesn't like big towns. That gets rid of a majority of these towns. On top of that, if she came to Cloudsdale she would have come to us. She hasn't, so she isn't here. Lastly, Chatterjoy was a tutor, and a weather patrol pony. She would look for jobs with similar things. Trottingham is only looking for police mares and stallions. Horseshoe Bay is only looking for life guards, waitresses, and doctors. Appleloosa is the only one hiring for both a weather patrol pony and a teacher."
Wordplay seemed to follow the stallion so far, "Then why cross it out and circle the badlands?" Game Tap smiled and seemed to be really proud of himself. He chuckled to himself till Wordplay cleared her throat.
"Simple. You told me she didn't take the train. That means she flew, which also means that she would go in the opposite direction from where she needed to go. Leaving only the badlands," he answered this time seriously. He began to pull out things that reminded Wordplay of Colt Scouts. Now that she really looked at the house, there were lots of pictures of him gaining rewards and badges. Chatterjoy too seemed to be a part of many of these activities.
"Chatterjoy was in Colt Scouts? I thought it was colts only?" Wordplay asked curiously, as the stallion began to efficiently pack his saddlebags. When he was done he flipped Wordplay's over and dumped out her contents. "What are you doing!" she screamed.
"Sister, was with me when I did those things, and she was much better at it. That is the reason on why I think she is still alive. I'm also making sure that you are packed and ready for an expedition. As a pegasus, my sister can cross a considerably large amount of land in a single day. We'll have to keep up a fast pace to catch up to her."
Wordplay looked skeptical but she let the other unicorn continue. It wasn't long before both were packed for a long expedition. "We'll head back to Ponyville and walk along the Everfree Forest. That'll be the fastest way," Game Tap explained. He opened the door and ushered Wordplay out. It was fortunate that his parents didn't show up at that time. Game Tap explained that his father would be jumping to conclusions. Apparently, his father had been dying to give the talk to the significant others of his children, but they never found any interests.
Wordplay gave a secretive smile, as she thought about Filler and Chatterjoy. Though Star Gazer, a pony Wordplay would rather forget would always comment about Necrophilia. Fortunately, it went right above Chatterjoy's head. Personally, the unicorn thought they were perfect for each other. Jazzy agreed with her too. Filler was so down to earth. Perfect for a free spirit like Chatterjoy.
It wasn't long before the train the two were riding had hit Ponyville. Game Tap took a deep breath and began to head southeast.
~XXXX~
It didn't take all that much time for Chatterjoy to reach the oasis. It wasn't all that big, but it had a lot of familiar fruits. She had been surviving on moss for most of the trip. Chatterjoy gave a big grin and began to stuff what looked like peaches into her mouth. She chewed enthusiastically, while she would pack a peach, she would eat two of them. It wasn't long before she began to be weighed down by the fruits in her bag.
Not far from the peach grove was the water spring that gave all the plants around the needed liquid of life. She dropped her saddlebags and began to drink greedily at the spring. Water had never tasted so good! Chatterjoy gave a sigh of bliss and sat down on the sand. Her ears caught the sound of rushing water, and she decided to check it out. A waterfall stood crashing down into a much bigger lake. The oasis proved to be a tad bit larger than Gogara had anticipated.
Chatterjoy walked closer to the waterfall to get a better look. "That is so awesome!" she yelled to the rushing water. Her voice was overpowered by the crashes of the waterfall, and she giggled. She turned back to her little spring that now that she thought about it was quite close to the waterfall. She grabbed her saddlebags and began to search for some shelter. She followed the river upstream that fed the waterfall. Near the bank was a cave. It looked like it was carved from the rushing water at one point, but the water had now changed course. Grinning, Chatterjoy skipped into the cavern.
It wasn't all that big, but it would work. In no time, Chatterjoy would have the cave looking like home! Chatterjoy unpacked her saddlebags. She laid all the fruits that she had gathered into one corner of the cave. She then dug a pit into the earth and put some of the moss in the bottom. Finally, she took out the Luna doll and placed her a top of the bags. "I'll be back Luna. I got to go get some wood!"
Chatterjoy then went into the surrounding foliage and began to harvest twigs and branches. "Oh hello there mini Gogara!" Chatterjoy exclaimed suddenly. She was staring at a black spider with a glowing star pattern on it's back. The spider looked up at the pegasus with mild curiosity before it went back to building its web. Chatterjoy left it alone and went to other gathering spots.
Later that night, Chatterjoy sat by the fire she had started. She had already made a bed using twigs tied together tightly for stability, then a layer of moss and leaves to give the mattress some cushion. A pile of feathers were gathered in the corner so they wouldn't blow away. They were all the feathers that Chatterjoy had preened off of herself. She took a peach and began to munch happily. She had gotten quite a bit done today.
~XXXX~
Wordplay looked exhausted. The duo had run from timber wolves and other such beasts for a majority of their journey. It had almost been a week, and they had just now made it to the red sands of the bad lands. "Ugh, how far could she have gotten! Watch Game Tap, we scour the land and then find out she's in Appleloosa. I will make you rue the day, you put me through this!"
Game Tap who looked just as ragged but was not a panting hot mess ignored the mare. He was searching the skies then began to move forward again. "Quite complaining! We wouldn't be in this mess in the first place if it weren't for you!" The stallion had also gotten quite grumpier since then. Wordplay huffed.
"Yeah, except your sister was the one that actually jumped to conclusions," she muttered bitterly. Once she got a hold of the pegasus she was going to give her a piece of her mind.
Game Tap suddenly stopped and pointed to a cavern up ahead. "We'll take shelter there," he said. His voice left no room for argument. He began to already climb up to the cavern without waiting for Wordplay's opinion.
"Why? We've still got plenty of time before the sunset," she said, "Besides what if we find something unpleasant in there?" She began to shake, as she thought of the different eight legged creatures that could be roaming the cavern menacingly. "You know like giant spiders! They love the caverns of the bad lands. I've read it in a book."
Game Tap huffed, "Legends are legends. No giant spiders exist! Now hurry up. A dust storm will be coming soon. I don't want to be caught in that." He trotted into the cavern with purpose as he set down his bags and began to make camp. That was when he noticed something. The cave didn't get much wind, and that was why they were still clear as day and untouched. Hoof prints. "Wordplay! You might want to see this!"
Wordplay panted into the cavern. Her bags were heavy, and she was hungry. She dropped her equipment and dragged herself to see what Game Tap was pointing at. "Hoof prints. You don't think they belong to Chatterjoy do they? Surely, by now they would have blown off. Unless we're closer to finding her than we thought."
"No wind probably, or you're right we are getting close," Game Tap muttered to his fellow unicorn, "Either way we are on the right track. We'll find Chatterjoy in no time!" He began to make a fire using his magic to gather the materials and light it. He pulled out an apple and began to eat. He would be meeting his sister soon.
"Hey! Stop breathing on me!" Wordplay suddenly yelled at Game Tap. The stallion turned to glare at her and tell her that how could he possibly be breathing on her from such a long distance, when he saw eight menacing eyes glaring from the darkness. he whimpered and pointed behind Wordplay.
"S-s-s-s-spider!" he yelled finally standing up. Wordplay froze and slowly turned to find herself face to pincers with the spider. Her front legs locked and her hind legs gave way causing her to sit down hard onto the ground, as she stared in paralyzing fear to the arachnid. Her eyes were nothing but pinpricks and her ears folded back in terror.
She was going to die. She knew it. She was going to be eaten by a giant spider, and no one would ever remember her body. She would become nothing in the wind of the bad lands. "Chatterjoy! I'm going to haunt you!" Wordplay managed to choke out, as the spider's fangs came upon her. Nothing happened. Game Tap had been yelling for Wordplay to run, but now he stood stock still, as the spider backed away from the purple unicorn still cowering in fear, her eyes closed and waiting for the inevitable.
She peeked an eye open to see why she wasn't feeling the pain of being eaten. The spider was looking down at her with a glare. "Did you say Chatterjoy?" he asked. He then drew his face up close to the petrified unicorn.
"Y-yes s-sir," she stuttered weakly. Black lined at the edge of her vision, as she stared into the spider's eight eyes.
"How do you know her?" he interrogated. Wordplay never answered, because she fainted. The spider growled and turned his fearsome head towards Game Tap, who glared in equal volume. "You will answer my questions. How do you know Chatterjoy, and who are you ponies?" He slowly prowled to the defiant unicorn, despite all the odds stood tall, though his knees did quiver, as the giant spider approached him.
"My name is Game Tap. The other unicorn that just passed out is Wordplay," he answered in a voice trying to keep calm and not squeal like a little filly, "Chatterjoy is my sister and her friend. I've come to retrieve her. Wordplay has come to apologize. It was all a big misunderstanding." The spider glared harder at the unicorn, when he heard the name Wordplay.
"Chatterjoy told me everything," he said slowly, "How her friends betrayed her, and how she couldn't face you. While I trust you, honored brother, I do not trust the false one." Game Tap seemed to become less scared. Leave it to his sister to befriend even the most scary of monsters. "Honored brother, you are welcome into my cavern, but the purple one must go. I will not have such bad tasting vermin polluting my cavern."
Game Tap slowly followed the spider inside. "I'm sorry sir," he said politely, "But Wordplay must stay. I admit she may not have done the smartest things, but she is here to apologize to my sister. I've put her to the test. She has followed me for days to find my sister. We could have taken a hot air balloon or something much easier, but she hiked with me for days to find Chatterjoy. Wordplay is worthy."
The spider listened intently before he spoke, "Very well honored brother. Wordplay may stay." Game Tap sighed in relief, but then sighed in annoyance as the purple unicorn showed no signs of waking anytime soon.
"How did my sister come across you Mister," Game Tap asked soon afterwords.
"Gogara," the spider replied, "She, like you two sought shelter in my cave. I was going to eat her, and she accepted her fate." The storm that the stallion had predicted was now going full force and outside looked nothing but a red wall of pelting sand bullets. "I decided I couldn't each such sad prey. She then told me everything that happened. Hearing your story, I guess it would be a misunderstanding. Unfortunate, though I know she could survive the trip, the two of you are another matter."
"Trip?"
"Aye," the spider said looking intently at Game Tap, "I pointed her in the direction of an oasis. It is a few days trip from here. She probably made it there faster with her ability of flight, you will probably take longer due to you small stature, but that is not all. The Sand Wurm patrols the land that way. He stops at the oasis, as he does not like the green, and he eats those that cross his dunes. Chatterjoy being a flyer will be fine. His jaws cannot get close to those in the air, but you land walkers will be fodder."
Game Tap did not look happy about this. "Is there a way to avoid the Sand Wurm?" Gogara nodded. "Then how do we do it? We need to get to that oasis!"
"You must go into the Dried Fire Mountain Caverns. Their tunnels will lead you to the oasis and keep you away from the Sand Wurm. The only problem is that you will have to deal with my brethren. They will not be as kind as I. You will be much better off facing the Sand Wurm."
Game Tap made a noise. It managed to startle Wordplay awake. "Please don't eat me!" she screamed sitting up.
"Gogara here has told me where we should search next," Game Tap explained ignoring the cries of fear from Wordplay. She seemed to ignore him as well, as she watched the spider with a wary gaze.
"Gogara? The thing has a name!" she hissed pointing at the spider. Gogara managed to look offended. Game Tap seriously thought the spider was going to change his mind and actually eat Wordplay.
"Yes I do," he spat, "And this thing just told your friend here how to find Chatterjoy." He looked angry and he managed a huff and crossed the first pair of his legs in an angry gesture. "The thanks I get. If anything, I shouldn't have said. With a friend like you, I would have done Chatterjoy a favor and not have told you." He turned away from the purple unicorn, "The storm will soon settle. The both of you will be on your way the moment it does."
As Gogara predicted, the storm was beginning to settle. Wordplay and Game Tap hurriedly made their way out of the cavern in fear that the spider would eat them should they dawdle.
~XXXX~
Chatterjoy had soon made the cave into a wonderful living space. The pegasus while investigating the surrounding woods had managed to find silk worms. They were very kind to get rid of much of their silk in exchange for the fruits that Chatterjoy supplied them. She had managed to establish trade with them, and often at times the worms would make things from their silk. Chatterjoy just had to make sure she brought many different fruits to keep them happy and healthy.
Because the trade was going so well with the silk worms, Chatterjoy now had all the feathers she had gathered sown into a silk case, making a comfortable mattress. She now no longer needed the makeshift wilderness one. The pegasus was currently saving her new pile of feathers to have them make a pillow for her. Currently the silk worms were offering to make Chatterjoy some curtains for the entrance to her cave, so she could have some privacy and shelter from wind. They would take from her twenty cactus thorns and ten different fruits.
The fruits were the easy part. The cactus thorns not so much. The cacti grew near the red sands where that monster lived. Chatterjoy had glimpsed more of the monster, than she admitted she wanted too, though she was certain they could eventually become friends. In fact, she planned to talk to him soon enough.
This was how Chatterjoy found herself staring out at the red sands, seeing the movement of the giant monster. It finally revealed himself a few miles out and was coming closer. The pegasus stood her ground and allowed the monster to come closer and closer. It rose itself from the red sands spreading the grounded rock everywhere. Chatterjoy looked up and opened her mouth.
The pegasus skipped happily to the silk worms' grove. "I've returned!" she announced. The silk worms looked up from their work to see Chatterjoy covered in cactus thorns.
"By the Great Worm Chatterjoy! What in the seven wonders happened to you!" said one of them, inching her way closer to the pegasus. She began to delicately pull the thorns out from Chatterjoy's body. Welts of blood littered her coat where the thorns had been plucked.
"Well," she began happily barely noticing, "I was carefully picking the thorns, so I could gather twenty of them for you, but it was taking so long! I decided the fastest way would be to jump in and get right to work!" Some of the worms gasped and others put their heads into their many stubby legs. "It stung for a bit, but it worked!"
The same worm crawled up to Chatterjoy's face, and she jumped onto her snout. "Don't you ever do that again!" she scolded, "We all care for you Chatterjoy. It has been a long time since we've had a visitor, but you mustn't harm yourself!"
Chatterjoy looked away and folded her ears back while scuffing the ground nervously. A friend had once told her the same thing. "It won't happen again," she said quietly. She suddenly perked up almost causing the silk worm on her nose to fly off, "I also got your assorted fruits!" She pulled out the bag and presented the fruits to the worms.
The worms began to mutter happily. "Well, look at you!" the silk worm on her nose exclaimed happily, "We'll have your curtains up and made by tomorrow morning!" She then jumped off and crawled away. Many of the other worms began to work on actually making the curtains. Chatterjoy waved good-bye and then headed back to her cave. She made a quick detour to the edge of the red sands.
She saw nothing, so she shrugged and went back to her cave humming happily.
"Sand wurm," Wordplay grunted, "I don't see anything that looks like a sand wurm." The two had been marching across the sands for a few days now. Game Tap constantly stopped to examine the dunes. Wordplay had let her guard down, but the stallion was sure the wurm was close by. "He hasn't attacked us yet. He won't now."
"Don't be so sure," Game Tap said in a low almost frightened voice. Wordplay was going to snap at him to tell him he was being a worry wart, and how stupid he was to have trusted a spider, but he pointed his hoof in the direction they were initially heading, and that was when Wordplay saw it.
Only its fin was raised above the ground. The fin was almost the color of the sand, but the fin disappeared and before the two ponies realized the wurm came back up in a storm of sand. It had sprang out of the ground like a geyser its long snake body exposed for the world to see. It looked almost like a dragon except it lacked wings and feet. Its snout was elongated like a crocodiles, and it was filled with rows upon rows of teeth. It opened its mouth as it was coming down to earth to engulf the pair.
"Run!" Game Tap roared and pushed the petrified Wordplay into action. The two ponied barely managed to escape the jaws that almost swallowed them. The sand slipped under their hooves as they ran up a dune. The monster was now submerged again into the sand with only its fin protruding. "Don't stop!" the stallion bellowed, as the mare stopped to catch her breath at the top of the dune.
Wordplay started up again and she let gravity do most of the work, as she ran down the dune. Game Tap was now much farther ahead than she was. At this rate, Wordplay knew she was going to die. All to resolve a stupid misunderstanding. She wasn't paying attention, and her hoof slipped on the sand causing her to tumble down the rest of the way. She faintly heard Game Tap calling to her. Probably trying to encourage her.
The purple unicorn opened her eyes and tried to quickly get up. She felt Game Tap's muzzle lifting her up. He had come back to help her. The sand wurm then came bursting from the dune his mouth wide open to devour them. Wordplay gathered her magic and teleported both Game Tap and herself a few meters away leaving the monster confused. The two unicorns didn't miss a beat and galloped as fast as they could to try and reach the oasis.
The rumbling of moving sand got louder and both the panting unicorns knew the sand wurm had gotten over its confusion and was once again pursuing them. Its fin got between them forcing the unicorns to be separated. It reared half its body from the sand and glared at the upturned unicorns. It gave a might roar.
"Wordplay!" Game Tap called to the unicorn though he was still looking at the glaring form of the monster. Wordplay dared to look at Game Tap. "I'll distract it. You head to the oasis! You must find Chatterjoy!" He then looked back at Wordplay before he gave a mighty yell and called the wurm towards him. The monster lunged at him, before Wordplay could even object to the idiotic plan. She closed her eyes and began to gallop towards the oasis that was now coming into view. She faintly heard the roars and thrashes of the monster and she prayed to Celestia that Game Tap would be all right.
Wordplay crossed into the green, panting. She turned around and faced the red sands. She squinted her eyes to find the form of Game Tap, but unlike in the books where he would now gallop heroically into view, it didn't happen. Wordplay choked back tears. How was she to now explain to Chatterjoy that her brother had died. Game Tap told her to find his sister. She would, but now she doubted even the pegasus could reconcile with her. With a heavy heart the tired unicorn headed deeper into the green.
Wordplay spotted a spring and without a moment to spare dropped the bags and began to guzzle the water greedily. Water never tasted so good! When she was satisfied, she swiveled her ears as she caught the sound of rushing water. Leaving her stuff, she followed the sound to see the glorious waterfall that Chatterjoy herself had even come across. Her curiosity getting the better of her and ignoring the searing ache in her legs, she followed the river upstream. The sight that followed made her heart skip a beat.
Chatterjoy was fluttering near the edge of a cave. She was currently attempting to figure out how to set the cloth in front of the cave without having it drop. Wordplay forgetting that Chatterjoy was still quite angry with her, but the joy of finding her was too much for her to resist the yell of happiness, "Chatterjoy!" She galloped to the pegasus who had turned to hear her name being called, and the beautiful curtain fell onto the ground in her surprise.
"Chatterjoy," Wordplay panted slowing down her gallop until it was just a trot, her smile still wide. Chatterjoy did not return the smile neither did she speak. "We've been looking for you!" Chatterjoy raised an eyebrow and quickly looked around the cave to make sure no one else jumped out at her. "What's wrong?" Wordplay asked frowning.
"You're not supposed to be here," Chatterjoy said evenly, as she flew a little bit farther away from the cave. She gave a look of distrust into the woods and around the rocks in case they tried to take her back to Equestria by force.
"Why not, we came back to get you," Wordplay asked confused, and she too looked around to see what Chatterjoy might be wary of, "What are you looking for?"
"You said 'we'," Chatterjoy responded glaring down at the purple unicorn, "'We' is plural. Where are the others. I only see you? Do you plan to take me by force? Are you the decoy? Is Star Gazer hiding in the rocks or the trees? Where is Jazzy Mellows? Is she waiting to pounce somewhere? What about Filler? Or maybe Godwin? Golden Silence? The Princess?" Chatterjoy was now at eye level with the unicorn and glaring her straight into the eye while interrogating her.
Wordplay suddenly remembered that she was no longer a 'we'. Game Tap had died to distract the sand wurm. Her mouth went dry as she tried to find the words to explain to the suspicious pegasus. "Well, Chatterjoy you see. It has been a long journey," Wordplay began to mutter, "I-I misspoke. It's just me." Chatterjoy gave her a look of disbelief. "Can I come in Chatterjoy?" The pegasus seemed to think about it, but sighed and landed extending a hoof of invitation.
Wordplay nodded completely forgetting about the supplies she left back at the spring. Chatterjoy grabbed her Luna doll and held it close to her while giving the unicorn distrusting looks. "Chatterjoy, the truth is that I came with your brother," she explained. Her heart twisted at what she was about to say. Chatterjoy gave a look of horror, but didn't say anything as she miraculously waited for the unicorn to finish. "He died distracting a sand wurm. It's a big mon-"
Wordplay was interrupted by a Luna doll in the face, "Chatterjoy knows what a sand wurm is. She isn't stupid like you would believe, she says." Chatterjoy made the doll move, as if she were talking. Chatterjoy herself still glaring at the unicorn. The doll began to shake again, as Chatterjoy made it once again look like the doll was speaking, "She also doesn't believe that her brother died from a sand wurm. Besides Gill has a gently heart, she says." Chatterjoy now moved the doll closer to her heart.
"Gill?" Wordplay repeated, "Gill? Chatterjoy! I'm not joking! This 'Gill' attacked us in the middle of the red sands! Game Tap distracted him, so I could barely escape with my life!" Chatterjoy had puffed up her cheeks and didn't look Wordplay in the eyes. "Look at me Chatterjoy! Listen to me!" Wordplay bellowed angrily at the pegasus who was now holding the Luna doll so tightly Wordplay was sure the eyes were going to pop off.
Chatterjoy whispered urgently into the doll's ears before thrusting the snout of the doll into Wordplay's own snout, "No you listen! Game Tap is alive, and you're a terrible for pony for saying bad stuff about me and then lying about how my brother is dead! She says." Wordplay at this moment getting fed up of the doll being the mediator and the frustration of Game Tap's death rising, she grasped the doll in her magic and with all the force she could muster threw it out of the cave. A splash was heard as the doll fell into the running river.
A look of horror passed through both Chatterjoy's face and her own. "Chatterjoy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-" but the unicorn never got to finish the sentence, as the pegasus ran past her. She took to the air and searched for the doll. She spotted it heading for the waterfall and with a cry dove after it. "Chatterjoy! You can't! The waterfall!" Chatterjoy didn't listen and as the doll fell, Chatterjoy grabbed it. She was not so lucky herself to avoid the pounds of pressure of water coating her wings and dragging her down to the waiting pool beneath.
Wordplay now hoarse from all the yelling was now running down to the basin. Small rocks clambered down as she skidded to keep herself from falling too fast, but going at a fast pace herself to get to Chatterjoy. She called the pegasus' name, but there was no answer. Chatterjoy hadn't surfaced either. "Chatterjoy!" Wordplay yelled her voice nearly gone.
"What happened?" a deep voice asked as hooves pounded behind her. There in front of her was a sight she never thought she would see again. A very red sand covered Game Tap stood behind her glaring. Before Game Tap could ask his question again, Wordplay cried out.
"Chatterjoy fell in!"
"What? She can't swim!"
Wordplay was stunned. She looked at the scared face of the white stallion. She took a deep breath, and before Game Tap could react she had plunged into the water. She swam close to the waterfall and dove. The basin wasn't very deep, but it was deep enough. Chatterjoy was clearly seen stuck on a rock, and her ankle wedged at an uncomfortable angle. She was holding onto the doll with dear life that Wordplay quickly noticed was fading. As the unicorn swam closer, Chatterjoy's grip on the doll vanished completely and it sank to the bottom of the floor.
Bubbles of air were escaping Chatterjoy's mouth and her eyes were glazed over as she stared up at the glittering surface. With a grunt of her own, causing a torrent of bubbles, Wordplay started her magic and grabbed the doll and the rock. She moved the rock from Chatterjoy's ankle. The pegasus was slowly beginning to rise to the surface. Wordplay began to push her up rapidly the doll still held in her magic.
In a giant splash the two emerged. Wordplay had maneuvered herself to get underneath Chatterjoy to keep the barely conscious mare above water. "Help!" she gurgled with a mouth full of water. The stallion then splashed knee deep into the water and levitated his sister onto the sand. He then left the purple unicorn to get herself out of the basin as he began to compress Chatterjoy's chest. It wasn't long before the pegasus threw up water and coughing.
He blurry vision cleared to show Game Tap staring down at her with concern. "Game Tap?" she said weakly, "You're alive! I knew Wordplay was lying, she said Gill ate you. Gill wouldn't eat you. He loves playing tag with ponies. He just gets a little too excited." Game Tap laughed weakly and lifted his sister to give her hug. The drowsy pegasus looked confused as she felt his tears. "Why are you crying, tag isn't so bad. I like playing tag," she coughed out weakly.
"Don't you ever run away from home again!" he scolded choking on his own tears, "I was so worried about you. When Wordplay said you ran off, because of a misunderstanding, I was just so worried! What would mom and dad do, if they found out you died!" Chatterjoy could only weakly look at the mane of her brother as it shook with his sobs. Slowly and tiredly the pegasus wrapped her forelegs around her brother. It wasn't long before she joined the stallion in his rain of tears.
"I'm sorry!" she cried weakly, "I won't do it again!" They rocked each other comfortingly and Wordplay could only watch the two siblings reunite. She thought of her own sister.
"Luna? Where is my Luna doll?" Chatterjoy managed to get away from her brother's grasp and was about to dive back into the water before Wordplay stopped her. She held the mostly dry Luna doll in front of her.
"Chatterjoy," she started slowly, as the pegasus grabbed the doll and stared at her, "I'm sorry. It was a misunderstanding that day. I was talking about an editor. Not you. I could never say anything bad about you. Your innocence is good for the soul." Chatterjoy continued to stare at the unicorn. "Thank you Chatterjoy," Wordplay said finally after choking down her own sobs of relief.
"For what? Not talking about my feelings of jealousy, then misunderstanding a conversation I eavesdropped on, and then finally almost getting everypony here seriously hurt?" Chatterjoy asked blinking her tired eyes. Wordplay and Game Tap let out a chuckle.
"No," Wordplay said after a while, "Thank you for teaching me that I shouldn't say things like that about anypony. Not only can a pony misunderstand who I'm talking about, but they can get seriously hurt. What if my editor had heard me. What if she reacted the same way you did? I heard about what you did to your tongue after you overheard us. That could have been my editor. Chatterjoy, the thing is, I shouldn't have said those things whether or not they were about you. I should have given you more attention. You taught me this."
Chatterjoy then gave a big smile, "I think I'm ready to go home."
"I think we all are," Game Tap said walking up.
"Oh yeah, how did you find us?" Wordplay asked looking up at Game Tap now that she had the time to ask the question, and the pegasus was not currently drowning.
"You left your bags at a spring. I then followed your hoof prints all the way down here," Game Tap explained.
"Oh. Okay," Wordplay said sheepishly, "I think I'm ready to go now too."
~XXXX~
The three friends took a few days to recuperate. They were mostly worried about Chatterjoy, as she almost drowned. She seemed to be as fit as a fiddle though and carried on her merry way. They had to of course say good-bye to the silk worms with a promise from Chatterjoy that they would visit soon. In turn the silk worms promised that they would keep Chatterjoy's cavern tidy until she would return.
Chatterjoy formally introduced the sand wurm to her friends. The pegasus had managed to convince Gill to let them ride him all the way to Gogara's cave. The trip back seemed to be going twice as fast. The wurm managed to get the three ponies to Gogara's cave within a day. The spider had welcomed them with opened legs. He had managed to make two more dog tags for Chatterjoy's friends. They spent the night in his cave, before he offered to take them to the Everfree forest.
Riding on his back the three ponies managed to make it to the edge of the forest in a day's time. The set up camp, and the next morning Gogara waved them off before heading back to his own cave.
Chatterjoy skipped ahead of the two unicorns merrily. It wasn't long before Ponyville came within sight. The three exhausted ponies gave a sigh in relief and raced each other to the village. Chatterjoy has easily gotten the win, as she had cheated and flew.
Filler had been pacing in front of Princess Twilight's home. The Princess herself was trying to soothe the distraught skeleton. Spike held his head within his claws but jumped up excitedly, when he saw the three ponies. Wordplay returned the pendant, and Filler introduced himself to Game Tap. The latter giving an appraising look, before grunting with satisfaction.
Chatterjoy was busy doing somersaults around the group and making noises. Filler scolded the pegasus and hugged her ferociously. Wordplay looked at the horrified Game Tap and rose her eye brows in victory and gave a knowing smirk. Game Tap grumbled and glared at the skeleton.
Chatterjoy was then rehired, and Filler returned to her the property rights. Game Tap stayed a few days and had written a letter to their parents. Things were starting to get back to normal.
"T-That's a-all folks!"
"Who are you talking to Chatterjoy, and why are you stuttering?"
"Confidential! And because I can!"
Author's Note
Whoo! Done! I've put in quite the many references in this story, see if you can name them all.
I hope you enjoyed it!
