Puzzle Buried Under the Mistletoe
Bright white snowflakes danced their calm, soothing act around the multitudes of multi-colored ponies, who too danced in tandem with them. Around and around did those happy, grinning foals play; the flakes brought them a chilling, yet peaceful love. Some dived into their fluffy collected goodness, while others defended themselves from the onslaught of those white compacted spheres. Happy bright smiles were all around. Hearth’s Warming cheer was here.
On the other hoof, one pony was not part of the holiday spirit. Her forelegs flailed as she toppled over and landed face first into the snow. She quickly popped her head out of the large mound and shook herself off. The earth pony of brown and red with a nice, green scarf adorning her neck sat in the snow, sighed and turned her attention to the plethora of snow beside her. On top of it laid a sign saying ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders’, but the now snapped board was in shambles. She groaned. The dream of having met her cousin’s promise started to look a bit impossible.
“Watch out!”
“Hu-umph!”
The poor pony’s face met the snowy paradise once again with a harsh pain stinging her neck. She whimpered as the pain coursed through her for a brief moment, before it faded away. She sighed and rubbed the spot with her hoof. The snow, freezing temperatures, and having nothing else to cover herself but a lone measly scarf left her saddened and hurt.
She got up and rubbed her eyes. She hated today and she didn’t want to waste it here.
“Good riddance!” she heard a voice call to her, followed by a chorus of laughter, but she ignored it. No time was to be spent on ponies like her. The pony mentioned was her coltfriend’s ex, a vicious unicorn filly of pink and blue. She looked innocent on the outside, but on the inside she was pure evil. This filly wanted revenge on the poor earth pony for sabotaging their relationship, but she never could get it.
Not to mention all these other foals should know how much the poor earth pony hated this weather. She’d been here for years and when the snow drops, all she wanted to do was relax and think about herself. This was her time to be selfish; her time to be Babs Seed.
She began her melancholy walk: hoof by hoof on the cold, harsh cobblestone path. Each step she took was one she thought was her last. She stomped on the ground, packing the snow into its many cracks. Babs Seed was frustrated. The possibilities, the endless possibilities; she thought of those: wishing that she wasn’t being rid of her identity, hoping that her family wasn’t going to leave her again on another business trip without giving her a simple kiss on the cheek, and saving the day that she would see her mother’s bemused, yet delighted and wholehearted face again without her father’s tense hatred for her. She definitely thought of those.
Her life wasn’t bad though despite of those endless possibilities. She had friends, well, in Ponyville that is. Majority of the ones she had here were more like shells of friends then the real ones. She was a country filly with a silly city accent influencing her; no one thought she was interesting because of it. She had blended in with society well. Even though time had passed her by, she had been trying to keep her dream alive. She wanted the Cutie Mark Crusaders of Manehatten to go off with a bang. Unfortunately, not even her acquaintances would support her. She had no one except one colt who supported the cause. She had one other pony who supported her the most. If she had to label him, he would be the best one she ever had. She would even say she loved him.
“Babsy!”
Her ears perk up as she turned around to see her love run towards her, carrying what looked like a big rose in his maw. She was about to tilt her head when she saw him fall flat on his face. She gasped and trotted over to him, her hooves clicking and clacking against the stone pavement. Within seconds, Babs arrived to the scene, her eyes focused on her coltfriend’s tail, which was cut back for some reason.
“Burnsy?”
The colt popped his head out from underneath the snow trap. “Yeah?”
She giggled. “Just making sure you’re okay,” she said with a smile before offering her hoof. “Get up.”
He smirked and grabbed his fillyfriend’s hoof. After dusting himself off, he turned his attention to her and planted a light kiss on her cheek. “Thanks Babsy.”
She became redder than an apple. Everytime he said it she would blush. It’s not her fault, she loved being praised or complimented by the ones she loved. “It’s no p-problem,” she tried to say nonchalantly, but her blush grew as her aforementioned love grabbed her forehoof.
“Come on, Babs!” he said with his smile. “Let’s get out of the cold!”
She was about to say okay when he tugged on her forehoof. She began to laugh while her coltfriend groaned. She smiled and walked with her love. This is what they would do. There were no time for words. It was just her and Burnsy. He was her escape. That’s how it was supposed to be.
She didn’t expect it to be so soon.
Houses on the outskirts of Manehatten were large. They made anyone who stood below seem like an ant. It was tragic, considering ponies are not the size of ants, however; this marked the signs of growth in pony technology: an era where the usage of metal in construction would rise. Of course, Babs Seed didn’t care about all that, she had more important matters to attend to… like her coltfriend, who stood beside her with his forehoof wrapped tightly around hers. Together they stood in front of Burnsy’s colossal old mansion. He smiled at her and let go of her hoof. “Let’s go in, Babsy.”
Babs Seed nodded slowly and waited for a brief moment to see him walk in alone with a smug smirk on his face. She tilted her head. He never looked at her like that; it brought an uncomfortable shiver down her spine. She gazed at the dark entry: not a single light was on and her coltfriend was nowhere to be found.
With trepidation, the filly walked in, her eyes shifted back and forth between the inviting, yet dark wide opening and the gargoyles that were placed above it. The wolf to her left, the ape to the right; they stared at her with their beady stone eyes. Babs Seed could’ve sworn she saw the wolf’s eyes change color. They weren’t supposed to be red.
She skedaddled from the creepy front porch and into the dark abyss, her eyes continued their unsure shifting as she walked. Babs Seed couldn’t think, her mind was raffling off lottery numbers for a lifetime supply of apples by the second. She couldn’t stop thinking about something jumping out from behind her and ending her. She couldn’t stop thinking…
“Boo.”
Babs Seed screamed as loud as possible while in mid-spin, her eyes wide as saucers. Behind her was her coltfriend, who was laughing heartily at his well-planned prank. She growled viciously and gathered herself from the harsh, cold wooden floor. “You monster!”
The colt stopped his obnoxious laughter to see Babs Seed approach him, her eyes full of a distinct green fire. “M-monster?”
If she wasn’t angry at him, that stutter would’ve made Babs hold him tight, but this was not the case. Anger inside of her boiled. She needed a release. Why not take it out on him?
“You scared me!” she shouted in his face.
He rolled his eyes. “That’s the whole point, Babsy.”
Of course, it would be the point to him. “I can understand that, but not right now!”
The colt chuckled as he looked for something, but Babs couldn’t figure out what it was. That is, until she saw him move to the nearby wall and flip what looked to be a white metal switch. In a blinding flash, the white light filled the room, however; it wasn’t normal. Babs Seed knew this all to well as her ears were ringing and her mind was still thinking at a hundred miles a minute; something was extremely wrong.
She looked to her left. Her coltfriend wasn’t there.
She looked to her right. All that was there was an old, bothersome drawer she lugged in with Burnsy, a knife, and a brown box. She sighed. Where did he go?
Her thoughts of him were thrashed as a loud, blood-curdling scream emitted from above her followed by an even louder thud. “Babsy!”
She ignored him. He was doing it again! There was no reason to fall into his trap. She had to stick it to him. “I’m not falling for your tricks, Burnsy!”
“This isn’t a trick!” She heard in reply, before his voice was muffled. All she heard was one final thud before it drew to a long, painful silence. She sighed. He must be telling the truth, otherwise there wouldn’t be a thud like that.
“I’m coming up!” Babs Seed yelled and trotted up the stairs. In a few seconds, she reached the second floor without even breaking a sweat. She sighed and craned her neck around the corner. It was always right, in her mind, to look both ways before crossing into traffic. Most ponies died without taking these extra steps. She’s watched every horror movie in Equestria with Applebloom, which bothered her because that pony has more movies than even Twilight, the Princess of Friendship and Movies, does.
She shivered as a cold breeze entered from the window behind her. Turning to see the shattered remains of the glass, Babs Seed gulped and returned her sights to the hallway. There was no turning back now. She had to do this.
She took a hard right and noticed the long, barely lit hallway. A hanging fixture swung back and forth, the light dangling from the unfinished work. Some doors were dangling off their hinges, while others were shattered and smashed, their edges sharper than any old kitchen knife. She withheld her gasp as a large brown spider traveled above her, stopping just above the conjunction down the hall. She couldn’t believe her eyes. How could Burnsy live in here?
Babs Seed walked down the hallway, her eyes shifted to every open doorway she passed. They were all dark, empty; a void resided within them. She too felt their emptiness, something that she never felt before. Something so hollow, yet so full; a new experience for a young filly like her to behold. Yet, this wasn’t all that was there: a clickety-clack of another pony’s hooves entered her eardrums, and the traveler above her left its place, intent shifted on another, more suitable area.
Babs Seed felt a bit anxious, her body shook as she took another look into another dark room. She was very alone, and all the rooms confused her. They looked and seemed the same, but they all had their own place and own frilly lace around each window sill. She couldn’t get it; this house was not what she thought.
A noise to her left,
Another to her right,
Her ears perked up,
Her face full of fright.
Babs Seed panicked, another hoof step sounded; she didn’t know where to go in this forsaken house. Eyes set forward, she took a last, yet snap decision and raced into another room; the door shut tight and locked in place. Now in the dark, Babs Seed had to find the switch, or she will be stuck in this dreaded stitch. With the itch of desire and a determined, confident look, she mustered the courage to search the room. She fought the darkness and attempted to find the white lucky switch, yet to her disbelief, she couldn’t find it. Where could it be?
Babs Seed bumped into an object, a wooden one, she thought.
“What do we have here?” she muttered to herself as she shoved it aside with ease. She gasped as a cool rush of air came through. A vent?
Curiosity peaked, she crouched and shimmied in, knowing that the switch would not be found. She continued on her journey in search for her coltfriend.
She felt the cool rush pass by her, sending a chilling sensation down her back. Each time she made a move it gave her a bit of proof that the wind wasn’t for her existence. The chills began to make her feel a bit numb. Her hooves were unable to be felt, her face chilled; probably red if she had looked into a mirror, and the darkness still present, no light to be found. She didn’t know where it would be lead, but thankfully she didn’t have to worry about direction, the vent only gave her one way to go: forward.
Shimmied she did as time passed by, making her way up to the next flight. Of course she did not know, that her destination was above until she saw the light at the end of the tunnel. Happy to find it, she scurried out of the pipes and into the light she went. Unfortunately she did not remember that there was another occupant in the home, the one who took her colt and love of her life, that still existed. She let out a sigh of relief. At least she did not make any loud noises when she departed the vent.
If her luck was anything to go off, then she would be horrible as the vent’s panel fell to the wooden oak floor. Her ears perked up at the sound of pitter-patter from the metal impacting the wood. It echoed loudly and ringed in her eardrums; she had jinxed herself, and she was not happy. She almost gasped but withheld it when the sounds of that possible occupant entered her midst. She swore she saw a shadow, but it could be her imagination. Yet it still felt wrong to be in this hall.
So she walked, and walked, and walked some more, searching far and wide for her mi amore. Door after door she opened and closed, a dark void was in all of those. She was confused, puzzled, wearing a bemused look; they were all the same! Where was her Burnsy?
A clue she needed, some sort of sign. Babs Seed needed it desperately. She walked in the final hallway on that floor, and her voice was finally heard. A room she never figured would give her a clue. The room was unlike any other: blue interior with a large white stripe on each wall. A star with a circle was on the right, and on the left was a mirror copy. However; the ones that formed the room were not all the same. The far southern wall had a star in a triangle. The eye centered in the middle of the symbol made Babs Seed cock her head. She didn’t know what that symbol meant. Could it be a clue?
She went up to it, staring at it in awe, but what she did not watch for was where she took her steps. Step by step the creaking was louder and by the time she stood in front of it, a crumbly noise shouted. She gasped and finally looked below, a letter of white crunched by her hoof. She moved hers and brought it to her face. In the dim light provided by the dusty fluorescent bulb, she began to read:
Decipher this message to find your colt.
On the third floor, you will find a room; a room of two that should be of one. Make sure that is true, for if it isn’t, life will be ended for you.
After that, enter through the gates for your reward. He will be pinned above the concrete floor. But be careful! He is protected by a nice neat guard, just make sure he is not an annoying bard.
Babs Seed sighed. A riddle in a mansion? Wasn’t this Burnsy’s home and not some random rich stallion’s place?
Her thoughts of plenty were derailed in a flash, as a sudden noise slashed her past. Babs Seed gasped and turned around, a tall shadow presented itself outside the doorway. She didn’t know what to do, a sudden fright entered her spirit. She was okay until now; the panic settling in. A fruitful attempt to run out would be deadly, Babs Seed knew; horror movies told her a lot.
“What do I do?” she muttered to herself and she decided to quickly shut the door, locking it in place. The shadowy figure bashed the door, but it did not budge. Babs immediately began her search for an exit. There had to be another way out. A vent of some sort? Where could I go?
She hoped for another vent, but instead found none. She panicked and looked to the window sill. The exit was clear: she had to go out of the room and onto the roof. She slowly walked to the window, apprehension replacing her fear of what was outside the door. A chilling cold air whisked in the room, her mane moving with it. It rested gently around her neck as she peered out. The view was beautiful for a second floor spot. Babs could see beyond the trees, a bit of wind played over their tops and they swayed slightly in the breeze. She smiled for a moment, forgetting of that previous stranger who stood outside her door. She jumped over the sill and walked out of it. The roof welcomed her hooves, the slight little ledge was all she was given.
Apparently the room she was in had an overhang which protected the sun from beating down on the poor ponies below, who would be resting or enjoying the great outdoors during the summer months. She imagined having a nice cool glass of apple juice with her cousin, the two laughing and talking about all sorts of weird things they did so far. Of course, that’s what they always did when they were at the Apple Family Reunion, which made Babs smile. She wished she did that earlier with her cuz, but it was not possible for she had hurt her favorite cousin’s feelings the first time they met.
A sudden beating on the door to the room shattered her friendly illusion, making her desire to scurry up the roof a real possibility. Its slanted configuration of light blue roof shingles at an irregular decline made it hard for Babs Seed to climb, however; she was not foreign to any sort of challenge. If the odds were against her, the filly was more likely to succeed. After all, she is an Apple, not an Orange.
Babs Seed smirked and began her ascent as she took the challenge head-on without thinking first. Her hooves tried to grip on the surface, but she was having trouble keeping afoot even on it. For some reason, somepony thought a slip and slide was a perfect option for the juncture between the second and third floor. She cursed under her breath and continued her struggle. She had to get up there; or that shadow will be at her neck!
One foot, two foot, three foot, four; she continued her ascent at a steady pace. Her eyes fixated on the goal of getting up this roof, a window above open and through. If she could only get up there, then maybe she could get to that window sill and solve this complicated riddle. She brought herself together and pieced one final push, using all her energy to climb up the roof.
The final push helped her make it through, collapsing right in that really small room. It was filled with light, yet it was a depressing sight. Everything was broken, nothing was in tact. The dresser was demolished, the chairs and table were too; not even the bed she saw could survive the destruction. The poor furniture all snapped and destroyed on top of this very hideous flooring choice of a dull grey, or so Babs thought. As she walked on the grey carpet, she saw it change to a bright red. The wooden furniture grew together and mended to their true forms of pine, oak, and all different kinds. She was shocked, frozen in place. The filly couldn’t figure out what this mansion wanted. It was broken, then new; a stealer of coltfriends, and now wanting to give her love back. It reminded her of a certain somepony from back home, but she had a hard time pinning that pony’s name. She’ll have to resolve that later. Right now, finding Burnsy was on top of her very important list.
She took a deep breath and opened the large, dusty pine door and she was welcomed to a new fresh hallway of turquoise and white. She was astonished. The decorator of this house was absolutely terrible. The critical thought that she had made her giggle. I could do a better job at this! Who did this house?
The thoughts circulated in and about her mind. There was no telling of who this belonged to. She told Burnsy to take her to his house, but she realized something. Did he ever say it was his?
“No,” she muttered, shaking her head as she walked forward. He didn’t tell her it was his. So was this house truly Burnsy’s?
The filly reluctantly trotted on down the hallway. She zigzagged down it and even weaved through the multiple objects that laid ahead of her. Every object she saw was broken and like the aforementioned room, they all came to life again, brand new. It was like she was a miracle worker or an excellent repairpony. She didn’t even have to lift a hoof to repair anything! She felt alive with this new power. It was crazy.
“I hope this doesn’t end,” she said with a smile gracing her lips. This wasn’t a normal occurrence. It was supernatural and uplifting, at least to Babs Seed it was.
“Babsy!” the familiar outcry of her colt sounded, which made Babs turn her head to the voice’s call. She screamed, “Where are you!”
The voice responded, “In here!” before being muffled by the sounds of intense struggle.
Babs Seed cantered down the hall to where the voice sounded last. She gathered herself and burst through the door with blazing speed, shattering the old blue door with ease. The remnants of the door stayed in place, the hinges still connected to the frame. She smiled and assessed the damage. Definitely a lot of splinters.
She smiled and observed her surroundings. Dark black curtains rested upon the only window in the room, flowing in the breeze, while the white padded couch sat simply to the right, away from them. In the middle of the room was a table set beside a equidistant one from it with chairs surrounding both pieces. Two separated little walls blocked her view of what was behind them, however; judging by how the room was laid out; she could deduce that the room was—
“It’s the same…” she said beneath her breath. Her mouth was agape, astonished at how well the room was set up. There were some obvious differences: a cake rested upon the table on her left, while a rose on her right. Beside her a yellow vase sat with only five of them in its container. She sat up and rose to check out the other side. Her hunch was right, there were only six in the same yellow one. Across the room stood a large cabinet full of valuable china and silverware of different colors. Red, green, blue were the variants and did they shine in the light provided by the classical bronze chandelier’s candles. Babs Seed noticed something very different about the other; the order of which they appeared was slightly different. Instead of red, green, and blue, the dishes were organized in a colorful array of blue, red, and green. The swap made Babs Seed uncomfortable, her eye twitched in annoyance as her OCD began to kick in. She couldn’t sit still with all these errors in front of her. Yet, there was another thing that wasn’t in the other room. A note was placed above the wooden floor. Babs Seed walked over to the note and pulled it with her teeth. She sputtered it out, the note landing straight in her hooves. She flipped it over and began to read the text.
Remember your note, and make it rote.
“Make it rote?” Babs Seed began, a bemused grin replacing her once agape expression. “What the hay does that mean?”
She stopped and remembered back to the letter. Her mind worked diligently, deciphering the message.
On the third floor, you will find a room; a room of two that should be of one.
“Of one,” she whispered, her gaze hovered over each piece of the room. It was a puzzle, without a doubt. Babs wasn’t stupid. A little bit slower was what she would say, but her teachers had something extremely different from hers. She was on top of the class, nudging those who couldn’t complete a simple sentence right out of the competition. Unfortunately, they called her a ‘nerd’, but she didn’t care. It was all about winning and it didn’t matter what environment it was in.
Just like this one.
Babs Seed glanced at the note one last time before setting it aside, the note gently floated to the floor. She began her work hastily, shifting china and silverware into proper positions, putting a rose in the vase of five, eating the cake placed on the table and cleaning the crumbs with it, and making sure the tables and chairs were equal in amount and position. Babs Seed wiped her brow with her forehoof, a sweat dollop flew on the table. She quickly cleaned it off with that same hoof, wiping it out of existence. She smiled and noticed that her work was done. It was the same on both sides.
But nothing had happened. Didn’t it say that I would get my reward?
A sigh emitted from her as she checked both sides of the room. It looked the same. Everything was in place. The china and silverware cabinets were in the proper order of red, green, and blue; the vases both had six roses a piece; the cake tasted wonderful in Bab’s opinion, her stomach rumbled in agreement; and the tables and chairs were in the same positions. She looked at the couch and realized her blunder. The couch was on the correct side but on the other there was none.
“Where did the couch go?” she said in alarm. “And where am I goin’ find a couch of the same color in this here mansion?”
The filly sighed as she noticed the door on the other side of the room. Maybe I should go through there?
She clip-clopped her way over to the door and turned the heavy knob. About halfway, the doorknob stopped and stayed in place. Locked.
Cursing underneath her breath the filly did, and she strode away from the door, thinking of her other options. I could go back outside. The option seemed plausible, but Babs Seed remembered a particular line in the letter that made her afraid of it.
Make sure that is true, for if it isn’t, life will be ended for you.
“Make sure that is true, for if it isn’t…” Babs Seed paused for a moment, her eyes became wide. “...life will be ended for you?”
The sheer thought of the phrase made her shudder and close her eyes in fear of what could happen. She could walk out there and be nabbed by that shadowy pony, or she could fall to her death and never be heard from again. The possibilities are endless; she didn’t want to die!
Babs Seed began to hyperventilate, kneeling to the floor. Her anxiety was attacking her, her breathing began to slow. She felt like she was about to pass out, but she knew she couldn’t. She had to find Burnsy.
Calming down with the teaching of the Zen-like meditation skills that her cousin Apple Bloom taught her, Babs Seed stood up, wobbled a bit, and approached the door. She opened it slightly, but swiftly closed it as the shadow’s hoof was clawing at the air. She slammed it and cut off the shadow’s hoof. She heard it screech in pain, while she watched the dismembered hoof vanish into thin air but she couldn’t stop there. She locked the door just in the nick of time before the shadow bashed it. This made her yelp and tumble to the hard wooden floor. She whimpered, a bruise forming on her foreleg. She bit her lip and stood on all fours, bearing the pain that the bruise carried.
Outside is not an option. She looked around the room again. Then what do I have?
She searched…
...and searched…
...and searched…
...but nothing was there.
“Where could it be?” Babs Seed hollered. She felt lost and alone. The hopes of finding her love were slowly diminishing. She needed to find that couch or she’ll be stuck in this mansion or worse...
“So if it isn’t anywhere that I moved… then where can it be?” she muttered to herself.
She looked at the note. Could it possibly… She flipped it over and the front side of it glared at her. A red button appeared on it, tempting Babs to press it. She caved in to the button, pressing it. In turn, a second white couch appeared into the room, which caused the floor to crumble beneath her.
“Oh Nelly!” she yelled as she jumped onto the table and closed her eyes. She hoped that she would not die, she hadn’t even said goodbye to her friends and family. “I don’t want to die!”
She waited for the fall of her life, but it never came. Babs opened her eyes and realized that she was still alive, the floor beneath the table was in tact. She looked near the door and noticed the other furniture that she shifted was still there, but the floor around them were gone. She took a look down at what used to be the floor, now a pit of shards of wood and what appeared to be the rest of the first floor. She shivered. If I fall…
Babs Seed turned her attention to her objective, untouched by the decimation of the room. Her brow furrowed, her eyes half-lidded; she was ready. With her determined war face, she cried her battle cry and jumped across the objects. One by one the pieces fell as she landed on them. When she landed on the final piece, it did not budge. She panted with a smile on her face. Thank Celestia for an apple placemat. She opened the door with ease for the knob finally gave way. She looked around the room.
“My reward is a note?” Babs Seed said, her eyes attracted to the white parchment that was pinned just above the concrete floor. She swiftly grabbed it with her hoof and began to read:
Do not turn around, for if you do, you are mine.
She wanted to turn around so bad, but she stayed in place, her eyes continuing to surf through the text.
I have left your reward near you to your right, but you mustn’t turn your head. If you do, you are mine.
Babs Seed locked her head in place, her hooves raising up to read the rest of the paper.
But one thing you must know is once you grab your reward, you have *five** seconds to live.*
She gasped. She didn’t want to fight anything. After all, she didn’t have much experience in fighting anything except a timberwolf, but if she had to fight for her life, she would.
Good luck.
She tossed the paper aside and kept herself in place. She only saw what was in front of her: a few white clouds and a nice view of Equestria outside the window sill, a part of the purple curtains, and the metal frame of the window. She walked forward, her eyes scanning the area. To her right she saw a desk with nothing on it except…
…a knife!
A sharp blade rested on its side. If she could grab it, she could stab the shadow and get Burnsy back.
She darted her gaze to the left and it too had a desk, but on it laid a more complicated piece of equipment. Something large, round, and had a pin on it. She couldn’t figure out what it was. It was definitely not something she could recognize.
Babs Seed sighed and stood near the blade. There was no doubt she would not try the one on the left. She didn’t know how to use it and she couldn’t risk the consequence of her dying for trying something new.
She looked down, grabbed it, and began to count to three.
One…
She heard a few hoofsteps from behind her.
...two…
She felt something breathe down her neck.
...three!
Babs Seed spun around and stabbed the shadow with all of her might.
She turned and saw the face of the shadow as it shrieked in pain. She couldn’t believe her eyes.
Babs Seed dropped the knife, the metal clinking against the solid concrete floor. Her mouth agape as her hoof stayed in place and the red coated it in full.
She couldn’t get the ringing out of her head.
It was dead.
Babs Seed stood at the foot of a grave, its presentation so symbolic and pristine. It was chiseled by the best craftspony in all of Equestria, his hoof crafted this majestic piece in honor of the victim. She knew she had won, but not without a price. A stab to the heart, both mentally and physically.
The mental wound was in her head. She couldn’t get the view of the shadow out of her mind. The echoing, blood-curdling, spine-tingling stinging that engraved itself in the very depths of her long-term memory continued to replay in her mind. The facial expressions the shadow made could only be expressed by the emotion they carried: pain, suffering, defeat, regret, and the inevitable knowing of death as their eyes stayed wide open, realizing it was finished for them.
This was not all, for the physical action of their death made her want to scream. She held that knife, the thick small shank that pierced the shadow’s heart. It fell to the ground soon after, and she didn’t know what to do. She was distraught, hurt, and feeling like the worst pony ever. Even though she defeated the shadow, she didn’t feel so triumphant. She thought of herself as a murderer, a horrible killer of all who walked Equestria’s grounds.
Yet, it wasn’t true until she yelled the shadow’s name.
Burnsy!
She got her wish. She got to be with the colt she loved. Yet, here she was, paying her respects to the one she wished she could marry when she was older. Now he lied here, buried under the mound of dirt she gave him. That’s all she could do.
Or could I?
She smiled and laid a mistletoe right on his grave, one he gave her from her last Hearth’s Warming. The little small mistletoe stayed in place, a bit of dirt gently placed over it to make sure the wind did not take it. She wanted it to stay, it was really his anyway.
“Thank you, Burnsy,” she began, her eyes gravitating towards his gravestone. “Thank you for everything.”
She smiled once last time and walked away, she didn’t want to be here for when the snow was on it’s way. The day had been saved, but she still felt terrible.
Babs Seed will look at this day and wonder if she could have ever changed a thing. Of course she could have and Burnsy might have been alive. He could have been carrying her in his forelegs over the threshold. All she needed to have done was said to go to her house for the night.
Yet she couldn’t have delayed the inevitable. She still would’ve gone to his house regardless of her decision she made.
She just wished it wasn’t so soon.
