You’re such an eejit...

Hugging my legs to my chest, I rested my head on my knees and stared blankly ahead. Beneath me, the wooden cart jostled about, the wheels determined to hit every rock and crack on the way down. Each bump caused the contents of the wagon—including me—to shift about.

Carl didn’t seem to mind though.

The old goat just hummed happily to himself as he trundled along, pulling the cart behind him down the narrow path. His cloven hooves and natural dexterity was the only thing that kept us from tumbling off the edge of the cliff and down into the nothingness below.

Trying to ignore the dizzying drop just inches away from the wheels, I focused instead on the countryside that was spread out before us. It was early in the morning, and the grasslands sparkled with the morning dew. The sun slowly rose higher into the sky, painting the hills below a fiery orange. Clouds—floating lazily on the wind—were lit up like puffs of fire. Birds swooped across the sea of grass, snapping up the insects that were becoming more active as the sunlight grew.

Everything was beginning to wake and greet the new day happily.

Well, everything except me.

You’re such a feckin’ eejit...

Biting on the inside of my cheek, I glared down at the floor of the cart, even as the edges of my vision blurred slightly. I didn’t manage to get any more sleep last night, what with the thousands of thoughts that swirled about inside my head.

After running from the castle, I had spent the rest of the night shacked up in Carl’s, well... shack. He had been surprised to see me, but kind enough to invite me in and give me a place to rest. I figured it was the best place to hide, seeing as I hadn’t ever told anyone where the old goat lived… in accordance with his wishes, of course. That made his home—located in a small ravine in the cliff’s beneath Canterlot—the perfect hiding place.

And hiding I was, much to my shame.

There was no other way to put it. I was hiding from my problems yet again. It seemed to be something I was doing a lot more lately, but I couldn’t help it. I knew that if I had headed home, Celestia would have probably been waiting for me… and I couldn’t face her. Not yet. Not after what I had overheard.

Especially after what I had overheard…

My head twinged and I winced. Lifting my hands, I massaged my temples, trying to fight back a headache. The effects of my hangover, while not as bad as it had been earlier, were still present. Still a constant reminder of what had happened last night… before everything went to shit. The date, the bar, the trip back to the castle… it had all been going so well.

And then… the conversation.

My heart squeezed slightly at the memory of the conversation, but no tears came. I was done crying. It was all I seemed to do in this place: cry and make a fool out of myself. I was twenty-two years old. I shouldn’t have been acting like a child, but I couldn’t help my eccentric emotions. They were a part of me. They were the reason my sisters used to refer to me—accurately—as the crybaby of the family.

But no more. I had promised myself some time in the night, that I wouldn’t cry anymore. I would be stronger than that. My emotions would no longer get the better of me.

As for the ‘making a fool out of myself’ part, well… one step at a time.

Plus, I’m pretty sure I did a good job of that last night, seeing as I ran away from both Celestia and Luna as they were trying to talk to me.

Thinking back to the parts of the conversation I had heard, I sighed softly. Part of me knew that there was more to this whole thing, but it had been drowned out last night by the part of me that was tired of getting my hopes up. I should have known that it would never have worked out between one of the Equestrian Princesses and I… but I had foolishly held onto the hope that things would be alright.

I had been upset at first, but the longer I thought about it, the more I realized that I didn’t really blame Celestia for stringing me along. Sure, it had hurt when I learned it, but it made sense. She was a princess—the co-ruler of one of the largest countries in the world—and she had an image she needed to maintain. There were standards that needed to be followed no doubt… and I’m fairly sure that being in a relationship with an alien was not part of them. Still, it probably helped boost her standings to pity-date the weird, one-of-a-kind freak; made her seem more loving and caring and understanding.

I just… I just wish that I wasn’t said freak that had to have her heart broken in the process.

…

Well, on the bright side… I can at least say that I dated Celestia, even if it was short lived. Not many creatures can claim that, right?

And what was the old saying? You’d never know unless you’ve tried? It’s better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all? Well, I tried. It might have failed horribly, but at least I tried… so I can definitely cross that off my bucket list and move on with my life now.

R-right?

…

Oh, who the feck was I kidding? Loneliness was a constant companion for me in this world, one I wanted so desperately to be rid of.

“Maybe I’ll actually give Fluttershy a chance,” I muttered under my breath, only to shiver a moment later at the thought.

Carl paused, causing the cart to shift about suddenly. He glanced over his shoulder. “Eh? What did you say, monkey girl?”

“Nothing, Carl,” I called out. “Just talking to myself… again… like last time.” I was silent for a moment, staring out across the slow-passing countryside. “Hey, uh… Carl?”

“Ee-yeah?”

“Thanks again. You know, for letting me crash at your place last night,” I mumbled.

“Oh, that?” He let out a bleating laugh before beginning to pull the cart again. “Think nothing of it, Nora. Y’all looked like ya’d gone down the mountain the wrong way round. Couldn’t let a good friend stay out all night, lookin’ like that. My mother would never let me rest if that happened!”

“I… I wasn’t that bad, was I?” I asked, running a hand through my messy tangle of hair. I didn’t get a chance to shower yet, and as such, I winced at the grimy, greasy feeling that coated my fingers. “Eeeewwww.” My hair was all mussed up, looking more chaotic than normal. It also probably didn’t help my overall appearance that my clothing was wrinkled, and I most likely had dark bags under my bloodshot eyes. I was just glad I didn’t put any makeup on for the date, or I’d have that to deal with too.

“So, ya ever gonna tell me why ya showed up at my place in the middle of the night?” Carl called back as he rounded a bend in the path. Several pebbles tumbled off the side of the cliff, and I could hear them clattering down the side of the mountain.

“Don’t wanna talk about it,” I muttered as I tried and failed to straighten out my hair. Giving up, I went back to hugging my legs.

Carl glanced back at me again before shrugging. “Fair enough. Just know, I’m always here with an ear if ya want to talk.”

I gave him a small smile but didn’t say anything else.

With that, we both lapsed into silence.

...

Gradually, the mountain pass began to widen, and the path started to level out. Steep cliff faces warped into gracefully-sloping foothills, and the cart stopped jostling about so much. Grassy hills, covered in various flowers of different shapes and colors, seemed to glow in the morning sunlight as we trundled along. The bird chirped happily—their bellies now full—as they flitted about through the air, enjoying the autumn morning. The air had a bit of a nip to it, but my sweater and long socks made it fairly comfortable.

As we made our way along, Carl continued to whistle softly to himself. He shambled along, pulling me and the cart along as if we weighed nothing. Although, given the contents of said cart, it actually wasn’t that big of a surprise that he was able to pull us along so easily; I was probably the heaviest thing present.

His banjo sat in a corner, propped up against several large jugs with some form of liquid inside. I can only assume it was water or something, although one of the jugs had a flame with an ‘x’ across it. A pile of blankets rested along the back of the cart, rolled up and stacked on top of one another. I was currently using those as a backrest.

We moved through the foothills of Canterlot Mountain quickly, heading east towards Ponyville. The little hamlet was still a good ways away, but we were in no hurry. Carl moved along at a steady pace, and before long, we were near enough to see that most of the town had been decorated for the Fall Festival.

Banners and flags hung between buildings, colored red, yellow, orange, and brown. Stands and stalls were erected around the outskirt of the town, along with a variety of games and activities. A giant bounce house castle had been erected in the fields just outside of town.

Ponies were already beginning to mill about the stalls, and the laughter of foals could be heard faintly on the wind. Pegasi gathered on low-hanging clouds, watching the activity below with curiosity as they chatted with one another.

As Carl and his cart rolled up, the ponies gave him curious looks. A few of them gave the old goat friendly waves, but for the most part, they left him to his own devices. He moved through the rows of stands, heading towards an open area out near the open plains that divided Ponyville from the Everfree Forest.

At the edge of the fairgrounds, he stopped and, with a single deft movement, unlatched himself from the cart’s harness.

“There we are,” he said as he gave himself a good shake. Adjusting his glasses, he glanced up at the clock tower in the distance. “Right on time too!”

I pushed myself up and stretched before jumping down off the cart. Or rather, I tried to jump, but ended up stumbling instead when it became clear that my leg had fallen asleep some time ago without my noticing. Holding onto the side of the wagon, I worked on getting some feeling back in the limb.

Carl shambled around to the back of the cart and began to work on unloading it.

I watched him unroll one of the blankets across the grass. “So… what are you doing anyway? Setting up a stall or something?” I glanced at the jugs. “You selling something?”

“A stall? Me?” he laughed. “Oh no, monkey girl! I ain’t got anythin’ to sell. Oh no, that ain’t me.” He continued to chuckle to himself as he rolled a barrel off the back of the cart. “No, no. I’m just here to watch the fair, enjoy the food, bask in the sun, and play some tunes on my here banjo.” He paused his unloading and waggled his eyebrows at me. “And, if a certain zebra mare happens to wander out of the Everfree today, well… that would just be fine with me. I’m hopin’ to meet up with her sometime today.”

“Well, good luck to ya, ya horny old goat,” I said before walking up to the barrel. Upon cracking it open and seeing that it did indeed have water inside, I splashed some on my face. A shiver ran down my spine at the coldness of the liquid.

It did the trick though.

Running a wet hand through my hair in another attempt to untangle, I sighed softly before turning back to Carl. “I hate to jump and run, but I need to go. Thanks again for the ride, Carl, and I’ll catch you later?”

The old goat stopped what he was doing—a blanket draped over his horns—to give me a wave. “I’ll be here. Don’t be a stranger, monkey girl. Ya hear?”

“Yeah, yeah,” I mumbled, waving back over my shoulder as I headed off into the crowd. A few ponies glanced at me as I walked by, but the majority of them were too focused on setting up their stall or blanket or game stand to give me much trouble.

Without a real plan in mind, I wandered aimlessly through the crowded streets, my hands in my sweater pocket. I browsed the wares that were already on display, but I wasn’t really paying attention to what I was seeing. My mind was elsewhere, across the field, up the mountain, and in Canterlot to be exact.

I should probably talk with Celestia sooner rather than later, I mused dejectedly as I eyed a pair of hoofmade vases with prancing foals painted on them. As much as I wasn’t looking forward to the conversation that would arise, it was probably for the best to get it over with before it festered into something worse.

Plus, if she did dump me, I could start looking for dates again!

…

Yeah, right.

Still, it was a good excuse to go drinking again. Hopefully, Green Sleeves didn’t give away my spot at the bar while I was gone.

Eventually, I concluded that I’d return to Canterlot after the Fall Festival and face the music. Until then, I was going to try and enjoy myself. I didn’t get a chance to see the festival last year, seeing as I had arrived on the first day and spent the remainder of the event in the hospital as they attempted to get the water out of my lungs.

This year though, I could finally see what all the hype was about.

My stomach growled loudly, pulling me back from memory lane. Realize that I still hadn’t eaten anything since last night—and that had been mostly alcoholic drinks—I decided that grabbing a bite to eat was in order. Heading for the marketplace, I hoped to find a food stall that was set up. Sadly, it didn’t appear that any were, but Sugarcube Corner was open, so I ducked inside the giant gingerbread house.

The bell above the door chimed softly as I entered, and I only managed to take a couple of steps before a soft gasp came from my right. Before I could turn to see what had happened, a yellow-and-pink blur latched onto my arm, nearly sending me to the floor in the process.

“Oh my goodness! Nora, you’re back!” Fluttershy nuzzled my shoulder enthusiastically as she continued to hug my arm. Her wings fluttered happily by her sides. “I was sooo worried you wouldn’t make it back in time for the festival. Oh, that would have been just awful!”

“H-hey, Flutters,” I said tiredly, trying to shake Fluttershy off. After a moment, she got the hint and detached herself from my arm and instead took up position right beside my leg—like a large, colorful puppy.

Glancing around, I saw the other girls were present as well, all seated in one of the circular booths in the corner. A box of doughnuts laid open on the table in front of them, and I eyed them hungrily.

“Hey, girls. How’s it going?” I asked as I approached the table.

“I was about to ask you the same thing, darling!” Rarity said, giving me a horrified look. “You look positively terr—er, that is to say, you look a little… ragged. Whatever happened?”

“Wha… oh!” I ran my hand through my still damp hair. “Uh, early morning train ride.” Rarity looked like she didn’t believe the answer, but I quickly changed the subject by pointing at the doughnuts. “Hey, can I have one of those? I didn’t get any breakfast before leaving Canterlot.”

“Of course you can!” Twilight chirped, pushing the box towards me. “We’ve already had our fill, and Spike doesn’t like these flavors, so the rest is all yours!”

My mouth watering, I descended on the box and quickly snatched up a double-chocolate one with white sprinkles. I took a bite, and moan escaped my lips as the rich flavor flooded my mouth, chasing off the lingering aftertaste of alcohol still present from last night.

“So good,” I mumbled out from around my mouthful.

“We were just getting ready to head out, actually,” Twilight said as I took another bite, “but we can most certainly wait for you to finish eating if you’d like.”

“No, o’m good,” I said quickly, trying not to spray crumbs everywhere. I swallowed before continuing. “I can eat and walk at the same time. That’s no problem for me.” Reaching down, I grabbed a several more of the sugary treats out of the box.

Munching happily away at the doughnuts, I followed after the girls as they made their way outside, Twilight and Rarity in the lead. Fluttershy stuck close to my leg, every so often brushing her wing against my sock.

By the time we reached the main market, I had finished off the double-chocolate and was starting on a powdered one. More ponies had arrived in the short time I had been inside, and they chatted happily with one another as they wandered slowly out towards the fields where many colorful tents were being erected.

Much more than I had originally pictured.

Eyeing the new tents curiously, I licked my fingers clean of white powder. “So, how many activities are there going to be anyways? I don’t want to miss out on anything, but I didn’t realize this event was going to be so… big.”

“Well, of course it’s a big event!” Twilight said, glancing back over her shoulder. “It’s the transition between Summer and Fall. In the Spring, we have Winter Wrap Up, and its counterpart in the Fall is the Running of the Leaves. Don’t worry, though,” she added, “there’s plenty of time to do everything, so you won't’ miss out.”

“Yeah!” Pinkie giggled, bouncing around the group. “Nopony wants to miss out on having fun, so the festival is spread out across several long, fun-filled days! Today is just the casual games, mostly so that the foals can win prizes and have something to do while all the grown-ups are busy being boring and talking, but then tomorrow are the competitive games like tug-of-war and the water balloon fight and the Iron Pony competition, and then, on the third day—” she halts suddenly, and a dream look cross her face.

“The potluck,” she finishes, her tongue lolling from her mouth.

“So, today is just playing the booth games?” I asked as I take a bite out of the last pastry—a cream-filled eclair with chocolate drizzled on top.

“Oh no, not yet, darling,” Rarity chimed in. “The games and such happen in the afternoon. Before that though, the Fall Festival starts off with the Running of the Leaves.”

“Running of the Leaves,” I mumbled around a mouthful of cream. “Is that where you run through White Tail Woods to make the leaves fall off of trees?”

“Eeyup!” Applejack nodded sagely. “After all, this whole thang started out as a community lunch after the runnin’, with the few ponies that lived out here gettin’ together to share what little food they had before the fall harvest started. They only introduced the games for the foals, to keep ‘em from gettin’ bored. And then, as more and more ponies settled down here, the Festival came to be. Nowadays, it’s more party than chore though, but we still have the Running of the Leaves first, to keep with tradition.”

“And speaking of keeping with traditions, I’m going to beat you again this year!” Rainbow boasted, her chest puffing out.

Applejack gave her a deadpanned look. “We tied last year, Rainbow, and you know it.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Rainbow said, waving a hoof about, “but that one doesn’t count, cause we got distracted by other things.”

“You mean trying to trick each other into failing? “Rarity asked, an eyebrow raised. Both Applejack and Rainbow acted as if they hadn’t heard her.

“I’m not entirely sure how all you ponies running through the forest is supposed to knock all the leaves off of the trees,” I said, “but it sounds interesting enough.”

“Yeah!” Pinkie cheered, doing a quick flip through the air. “It’s a super-duper way to start the festival! Everypony gets to work up an appetite, and then they get to eat and play games! Oh, oh! And I get to do the commentary for the race!” She suddenly froze in mid-jump, her eyes widening. “Ohmygosh! I almost forgot! I need to go get Spike and get the balloon ready! Bye girls!”

In a burst of dust, she was gone.

“Riiight,” I said slowly as I watched the Pinkie-shaped dust cloud slowly settle. “So, where does the race thing start exactly?”

“The starting line is out by the east trail of White Tail Woods, by the old fountain of the mare with a spear,” Twilight said. “You know where that is, right?”

I scratched my chin. “I think so. Isn’t that out near where you found me last year?”

“That’s the place! In fact...” Twilight trailed off and looked towards the clock tower in the distance. “It should be starting in about an hour or so. We should start heading over.” This caused Rainbow to perk up.

“Yeah!” she whooped. “Got to go get a good spot on the starting line!” Twirling through the air, she blew Applejack’s hat off before zipping off towards the far end of town.

“Hey!” Applejack grabbed her hat off the ground and slapped it back on her head. “Why you no good…” She took off after Rainbow Dash, weaving her way through the crowd of ponies as she chased after the rainbow trail. The two of them quickly disappeared into the distance.

“I suppose we should go after them,” Rarity sigh, shaking her head. “Really, those two get a little too competitive sometimes.”

“Oh, come on, Rarity,” Twilight said with a smile. “It’s all in good fun. So long as they don’t drag others into it again this year.”

Rarity hummed softly. “I suppose.” They started to walk off, with Fluttershy falling in step behind them.

I made to follow as well, only to pause when a faint noise reached my ears. It sounded almost like someone calling out my name, but the din from the surrounding crowd made it hard to be sure. After a few seconds though, I heard it again, louder and much clearer. “Ms. O’Malley!” Using my height, I peered over the crowd as I tried to identify the speaker, only to freeze upon identifying them.

A familiar-looking unicorn was making her way through the crowd. Her white coat—pristine despite the dirt roads she was traveling on—practically sparkled in the morning sunlight. Long locks of light blue hair fell about her shoulders, a white streak accenting her mane.

I stared at ‘Majestic Sky’ in horror. Oh feck… not now! What’s she doing here?! Luckily, she hadn’t noticed me yet, and I quickly ducked down before slipping behind a nearby empty stall. She was slowly heading this way though, so I had to think of something fast. Maybe… maybe I can just… yeah, that might work.

Just as I was about to put my plan into action, I was pulled from my thoughts by Twilight calling back to me. “Nora? Are you coming?”

Checking to make sure Majestic hadn’t heard her, I gave my friends a weak smile. “Uh, actually… I’m gonna go stop by my gaff, first. Need a new change of clothes.” I plucked at my wrinkled sweater and skirt as I spoke. While it might have been an excuse to go hide until the race started, my clothing did have a certain, musty odor to it—almost like stale beer and sweat.

Twilight blinked. “Oh, well, I guess we’ll meet you down there?”

“Do you need me to go with you, Nora?” Fluttershy asked eagerly.

“Naw, I got it,” I said. “I’ll just meet you lasses down by the starting line.”

Fluttershy’s ears fell against her head. “Oh… okay…” Turning, she and the others continued their way towards the woods. I, on the other hand, shoved the last bit of eclair into my mouth before ducking down a nearby alleyway. Keeping to the shadows, I made my way towards the edge of town, intent on making a beeline for my gaff as soon as I got the chance.

Maybe if I was fast enough, I could get a shower in as well.

~ ~ ~ ~ > > < < ~ ~ ~ ~

There was excitement in the air as the runners began to gather behind the chalk line that was drawn across the road. A large banner hung over the starting line, and colored flags lined the tree branches and light posts.

Dozens of ponies were gathered on the hills on either side of the path. Blankets were laid out for the watchers—those that were too young, too old, or had some injury that prevented comfortable movement. They cheered from the sidelines, rooting for their friends and family.

As everyone warmed up and got ready, I stood off to the side, beneath the low-hanging branches of a tree. Eyeing the crowd, I fidgeted nervously with the piece of paper that had been taped to my shirt by a coordinator earlier. The number ‘17’ was written on it in large, black letters. The ponies that were running had numbers as well, the paper stuck to their butts, right over the cutie marks.

My eyes drifted over the growing crowd, searching for any familiar faces. Through the sea of colorful bodies, I could just barely make out Applejack and Rainbow at the front of the crowd. They were talking to one another, and even though I couldn’t hear what was being said, by their body language, I could easily guess that they were still trash talking each other. Twilight was in there somewhere as well, but I had lost her amongst the crowd a while ago. Rarity and Fluttershy were easier to find, given that they both were off to the side, beneath a colorful umbrella that Rarity had procured from… somewhere. Pinkie was up in the hot air balloon that was floating high overhead.

They weren’t the ones I was keeping an eye out for though.

So far I hadn’t seen hide nor hair of Majestic Skies, but I figured she was still out there somewhere. I just had to avoid her until after the race was over, then I might be ready to talk.

Maybe…

Not really…

...

“Ah, feck,” I mumbled, running a hand through my hair. “Just bite the bullet, you eejit.” Thinking over it for a moment longer, I resolved to find Majestic Skies—or Celestia, or whatever she was calling herself—after the race and we’d talk then. Hopefully, the Running of the Leaves would help me get my thoughts in order.

I was pulled from my musing by Pinkie’s voice blaring out from high above through a megaphone. “Racers! Please take your positions!” Excited murmuring broke out as ponies began to jostle about the starting line.

Pushing off of the tree, I moved to join the masses. I took my place near the back, out of the way of the main runners. A pudgy mare by the name of Lemon Hearts smiled at me as I stop beside her. She doesn’t have time to say anything though before Pinkie speaks out again. “Alright, ponies! Are… you… ready?!”

A cheer comes up from the crowd.

“Get set!”

Over the eager chittering of the crowd, I pick up someone faintly calling my name. Thankfully, she still sounded quite a ways away, so I just ignored it and focused instead on what was in front of me.

From high above came the final shout. “Go!”

Right off the bat, it became painfully obvious just how out of my league I was. Rainbow, Applejack, and a handful of other front runners were already disappearing into the tree line in a cloud of dust. That was to be expected though, but the biggest blow to my pride was the fact that even some of the more… hefty ponies were outpacing me.

Still, I pushed on, heading further into White Tail Woods, following behind the herd of ponies that were slowly leaving me in the dust. I didn’t really mind though, as it was a relatively warm day, and it felt nice in the shade of the trees. A gentle breeze was blowing, stirring the leaves that had already been knocked from the branches above.

Before long, I found myself running alone, the final few stragglers ahead of me having disappeared over a hill with the rest of the herd. A quick glance over my shoulder showed that there were no ponies behind me either—I was all alone.

It wasn’t much to worry about, though. Unlike the Everfree Forest, White Tail Woods was actually rather tame. The only thing you really had to worry about were bears, and Fluttershy had conditioned most of them to never be overly aggressive unless provoked. If I kept to the path, I should be fine.

I slowed my pace to a light jog, a small smile touching my lips as I observed my surroundings. My heart twinged as a wave of nostalgia washed over me. The cool weather, the gentle breeze, the rocky path—it reminded me so much of home. Granted, there were some big differences—the shapes of the leaves were different from the rowan trees back on Earth, the air didn’t have the faint hint of sea salt to it, and there was no overcast skies or chilly mist blocking out the sun.

Still, the similarities were enough that if I closed my eyes right now, I could almost picture myself back in Ireland. It was there in my mind—out walking in the woods behind Uncle’s shack, raiding any raspberry patch I came across, skirting around the murky lough while watching the fish jump at skimming bugs.

If I just imagined hard enough, I could almost hear my sister calling me back for brunch—

“Nora.”

At the sound of my name, I stumbled, nearly falling over but managing to catch myself before I ate dirt. I glanced around, trying to find the speaker. Did… did one of the ponies fall behind?. Unable to see any ponies nearby, I called out, “H-hello? Is anyone there?”

No reply came, and my confusion grew. I could have sworn I heard someone speak. Although, it could have just been my imagination; I could have some pretty vivid daydreams if I got distracted enough.

Glancing around one last time, I shrugged and was just about to start running again when…

“Nora.”

This time I was sure someone spoke. It was soft, almost like a breeze whispering through the leaves, but I still heard it. Spinning slowly around in a circle, I called out again. “Hello? Who’s there?” Despite the weirdness of the situation, I felt no fear. Only mild curiosity, and… something else.

A familiar feeling that I couldn’t quite place.

An eagerness I could not explain.

“Nora.”

My heart fluttered as the voice spoke for the third time, and my gaze was drawn to a point slightly off the path. There was a small gap in the treeline, and a faint shimmering light was playing through the underbrush. And there was something else, something almost musical in nature. It caught my attention and drew me in. Something… something was calling to me.

I barely noticed when my feet started moving by themselves. Dazed, I stepped off the path and pushed my way through the gap in the hedge of bushes. Branches and thorns scratched and bit at my skin and clothing, but I hardly felt them. After a brief struggling with a particularly thick branch that snagged my hair, I was free.

A small clearing opened up on the other side of the bushes. A small pond dominated the area, the waters filled with various water plants, reeds, and lilypads. On the far shore was a rocky outcrop that crept of into the trees again. Several small waterfalls cascaded down the mossy rock face to splash down into the murky water below. All around the edge of the clearing, the branches of the trees grew inwards, creating a nature roof of reds and oranges and browns. There was a small gap in the center of the canopy, through which a beam of golden sunlight streamed down.

And there, standing in the center of the sunbeam…

“Nora.” Her white coat glinted in the sunlight, glowing with an unearthly sheen and making everything else seem faded and gray in comparison. Vibrant strands of blues and greens and pinks fluttered weightless in an unseen breeze, the hairs sparkling with a magical beauty that could not be surpassed by any mortal means. Magenta eyes, filled with warmth and love, twinkled as she watched me, a soft smile upon her full lips.

From the edge of the clearing, I gaped in silence, unable to speak.

A light giggle escaped her. Slowly, her wings spread wide, the sunlight playing off of each ivory feather as though they were made of glass. “Nora, come.”

I obeyed almost instantly, her angelic voice washing over my ears like soothing waves. On trembling legs, I staggered forward, unable to take my eyes off of the sight of perfection before me.

As I drew nearer, my vision blurred. It took me a moment to realize that I was crying.

Gentle wingtips brushed my cheeks. “Oh, child. Why do you cry?”

“How… how could I have ever thought that someone like you could have been with someone like me?” I croaked out. Her appearance now drove that point home more painfully clear than ever before. Here she was, a goddess in the flesh… and I was just a scruffy, lost girl, so very far from home.

Said goddess cooed softly, brushing more of my tears away with her wings. “Cry not, little one. There is no need for such sadness.”

I reached up to wipe my eyes with the sleeve of my sweater, and she quickly pulled her feathers away. Despite my best efforts though, the tears kept coming.

“S-sorry, I can’t,” I mumbled.

“Nora.” I glanced up, and through my bleary gaze, I saw her give me a warm smile as her wings splay wide again. “Come here, little one.”

I yearned to go to her; to be lost within the confines of the feathery embrace. But I knew I shouldn’t. It would just make the pain of what was to come all the harsher. If I allowed myself even a tiny bit of hope, the heartbreak would be even worse…

“Come, child.”

The words were like honey, and her wings were so inviting. I bit my lip, trying to keep my control, but the temptation was too much. If I only had one chance, one last chance to feel the velvety coat of the Goddess of the Sun, then I just had to take it.

I took a shaky step forward… and then another.

Her smile turned into a smirk. “That’s it, my child. Come to me.”

I took another step, only to pause when a noise reached my ears. It sounded faint and muffled, as though someone was shouting at me from underwater. I couldn’t hear what was being said, but suddenly, the world felt… off. There was a buzzing in my head that I hadn’t noticed before.

The white mass before me twitched, and her eyes flicked up to something behind me. She said something, but the words were lost to me. A reply was given, and I started to turn to see who she was talking to, but I was stopped. “Come, my child. Come.”

Almost instinctively, I moved forward again.

The muffled voice returned, shouting something even louder than before. It sounded… familiar, and brought with it a pain in my chest. I tried to look away from the goddess before me, to look back at whoever was causing my heart to ache. But I couldn’t—my eyes were fixed on the hypnotic ones before me.

“Come to me now!”

Everything seemed to fade. Behind me, the voice was still shouting, calling out to me, but nothing else mattered at the moment except for the perfect being before me. If I could just reach out… if I could just touch her… everything would be fine.

With one final step, I was beside her. My arms wrapped around her neck, and fur brushed against my cheek. It was slicker than I had been expecting and a lot mustier too. I didn’t care though. I just buried my face in her chest, a content smile on my face.

The smile remained even as her wings closed in around me, enveloping me completely.

There was a loud cry, and suddenly, with a hard yank, my world became water and darkness.

~ ~ ~ ~ > > < < ~ ~ ~ ~

The following is a record of the events that transpired in White Tail Woods, as described by Her Royal Highness, Princess Celestia.

-=-=-=-

“Ms. O’Malley!”

My shout echoed around the woods as I galloped down the well-worn path. Leaves fluttered in the wind around me, and several times one or two almost landed upon my face. Still, I pushed on, gasping for breath as I fought off a growing cramp in my side. Nearly five decades have passed since I’d last been this active, and it was clear that despite all the trotting I did around the palace—up and down those long, winding staircases—I was horrendously out of shape.

Years of sitting around and over-indulging my sweet tooth probably didn’t help the fact either.

My old dietitian would be horrified if she saw the state I was now in.

Rounding a bend in the path, I almost slipped on a pile of leaves, still slick with morning moisture. It took some awkward hoof work to save myself, and even then I almost ended up in an undignified position afterward.

Despite being smaller in this form, I was decidedly less graceful. Yes, I could have probably returned to my alicorn form and settled this with ease, but I didn’t want to cause more distress for Ms. O’Malley than I already had. It would probably be less stressful to deal with ‘Majestic Skies’ in public than ‘Celestia’.

Plus, it would nearly impossible to do this as Celestia, given that Twilight was in town. I was looking for some peace and quiet for this, not a parade.

Although, it probably would have been easier to find the source of my search if I was Celestia.

I had spent most of the morning searching for her. Granted, that was after my sister had spent a while beating me over the head with her wings. My first instinct was to check the train station, as she was probably heading for home, but besides a few late night-early morning riders, there was a distinct lack of a human in the Canterlot train station.

My second choice was her home, and, hoping to arrive before she could lock herself inside, I had teleported there shortly after checking the train station. Sadly, that had turned out to be a bust as well, for, despite the fact I sat out upon her porch until it was time to raise my sun, I saw no sign of Ms. O’Malley returning to her abode.

Thus began my search of Ponyville.

It had completely slipped my mind that it was also the start of the Fall Festival.

You’d think that finding a human—a being that stands about twice as tall as most ponies—in a crowd would be easy. Oddly enough, it’s not. Either that or Ms. O’Malley is exceptionally good at not being seen when she wants to be. Either way, I was unable to locate her before the beginning of the Running of the Leaves.

It was only by luck that I happened to see her before she slipped into the treeline. I most certainly could have teleported to her or used a spell to close the distance, but there had been too many ponies around, cheering on the runners. I’m certain I got some strange looks as I raced into the woods way behind the main herd, but nopony seemed to really care.

Now, I just had to catch up to the running human. Which shouldn’t be too hard, given that I believe she has informed me in the past that we ponies are faster than her… although what she lacks in speed, supposedly her race makes up for in stamina. It didn’t matter though; I had to catch up with her, not outrun her.

Rounding another bend, I was just about to attempt to gain some ground on a straight-looking section of the path when a shiver suddenly ran down my spine. I slide to a stop and began to look around. Something felt off—the wind had a bit more chill to it, the birdsong that had filled the air earlier was now muted and distant, and there was the scent of magic in the air.

The scent of Ould Magick.

Horn sparking, I peered cautiously around at my surroundings. It felt… oddly familiar, yet I couldn’t put my hoof on why. Nothing was out of place and everything looked normal at first glance, but then my gaze landed on a ragged hole that had been torn into the underbrush just off of the path. The air seemed to shiver around the hole, and my horn itched just looking at it.

“What in Equestria?” I breathed, brow furrowing in confusion. Quizzically, I prodded the haze with my magic, only to wince at the sensation. It most definitely was Ould Magick, but that didn’t make sense. There shouldn’t be anything within these woods that had such power.

Neigh, there shouldn’t be anything in Equestria that used it.

Eyeing the shimmering haze for a moment, I steeled myself. The situation with Ms. O’Malley would wait; I needed to figure out what was going on here.

I started forward, only to stop again when I finally realized why this place felt so familiar.

“It… it can’t be,” I breathed.

Taking a step back, I eyed the hole in the brush. It was an unnatural shape, with old broken branches and cracked trunks. The edges of the foliage were starting to grow back in to cover the hole, but the original destruction was still clearly visible, if somewhat weathered. For all intents and purposes, it appeared as though something had desperately clawed its way through the thorn bushes some time ago.

Something about twice as large as a pony.

My eyes widened. “Ms. O’Malley!” Jumping forward, I charged into the underbrush. Thorns and branches tore at my coat, and for a moment the distortion of Ould Magick shoved me back, but with an extra burst of magic, I forced my way through.

Stumbling out of the vegetation, I gasped as a numbing chill washed over my coat. I could feel something trying to cloud my sense, but a quick dispersal spell put an end to that. Head cleared, I glanced around the area frantically. There, standing in front of a dark pond with her back to me, was Ms. O’Malley… and standing in front of her was—

“This does not concern you, pony.”

From the depths of the water, the twisted being loomed. Its skin was black and leathery, and laid stretched thin over its skeletal frame. Water weeds were woven into its mane, which was the color of swamp mud and dripping wet. Empty silver eyes glared back at me as its lips pulled back, revealing sharp, crooked teeth.

“Leave… now…” the creature hissed.

Ms. O’Malley started to turn to look at me, but the creature suddenly gurgled something and she stopped. From the brief glance I got of her face though, I could see her eyes were glazed over and blackened water leaked from the edges like tears. She moved closer to the abomination.

My own eyes narrowed. “Release your glamour on her, beast.”

“Stay out of this, pony, and I might let you live,” the creature hissed.

With a snort, I dropped my disguise, my wings unfurling in all their glory.

“I will not ask again,” I said coldly. “Release the human at once.”

The creature flinched back before blinking. It stared at me for a moment before gurgling out. “She is not one of your ponies. Why should you care about her?”

“She…” I hesitated for a moment. “She is… precious to me.”

“She is not yours,” the creature growled. “She belongs to me. She is mine! I will not be denied my prey a second time!” Twisting about, she snarled something at Ms. O’Malley, who stumbled forward towards it.

Alarmed, I called out. “Ms. O’Malley! No!” Lightning up my horn, I began channeling the magic necessary to grab her, but it was too late. With one last step, she collapsed against the creature’s chest, embracing it.

Almost immediately, the beast’s mane sprung to live. The wet strands twisted around Ms. O’Malley’s arms and chest like snakes, holding her firmly in place. They pulled her closer, and the creature’s skin seemed to almost mold around her.

With a cackling cry, the abomination reared up, taking the trapped human with it. “You lose, pony! Now I can feed!” Crowing happily, the creature twisted about and dove beneath the waves, taking Ms. O’Malley with it in a torrent of water and bubbles.

Letting out a nicker of rage, I plunged into the water after them.

Author's Note

Sorry this took so long to update. I was reading through the old chapters and disliked the quality, so I almost went back to rewrite them, but then decided that I should probably finish it completely before rewriting anything.

Anyways, here's another chapter, brought to you by sleep deprivation and booooooze!