You Shared its Magic With Me (Part One)
My Little Higurashi: Friendship is Madness
First Arc
I used to wonder what friendship could be, until you shared its magic with me...
Ponyville! I was going back to Ponyville! I was so intoxicated with excitement that I nearly swooned out of the golden chariot separating me from a deadly fall. One of the two pegasi pulling the chariot cast a vaguely concerned glance my way before turning back to his navigation of the sky. Pushing my delirious happiness to the back of my mind, I mustered a peek over the lip of the chariot; below, there was nothing but a forest, covered partly with fog. Yes, this was the Ponyville I knew and loved: nothing around for miles except the neighboring Everfree Forest which separated it from the more populated segments of Equestria. It was ironic, in hindsight, that I had tried to seek complete isolation in the royal city of Canterlot when the rural Ponyville had been waiting for me all along.
Now, of course, isolation was the last thing I wanted.
As the pegasus pilots began to swoop lower, circling Ponyville in their gradual descent, I was able to make out the vague shape of a great pink balloon approaching us out of the fog. I grinned, shaking my head in what would have been disbelief were I not already acquainted with the mare piloting the hot-air balloon. Of course she would. Pinkie Pie always found a way.
The balloon floated closer, and now I could spot the pink pony within waving emphatically. "Twilight Sparkle!" she called. I was reminded of how adorably innocent her voice was. What a happy, happy little pony. "Twiliiiight!"
The same pegasus who had eyed me when I almost fell out of the chariot grunted in annoyance, doing his best to ignore Pinkie's antics. I waved back, and the flight's descent continued as normal... until I actually fell out of the chariot.
Or, rather, I was swept off of my feet and into the air by a pony-sized multihued blur. There was a terrifying moment of free-fall before the rainbow bolt swooped back and took hold of me by the forehoof. I glared up, still trembling with fear; being a show-off was aggravating enough, but did Rainbow Dash really have to pull such dangerous stunts? "Welcome home, egghead!" the pegasus giggled, tossing back her multicolored mane. She smirked down at me, reveling in the fact that she held my fate in her hooves. Not that she would ever let her friends down, of course, but for Rainbow Dash, it was the thrill of victory that kept her energized. "Come to hang around with us some more?"
Pinkie Pie's balloon floated by, and the earth pony giggled, more at life in general than at our specific situation. "You came to greet Twilight, too, Dashie?"
"Yep!" Rainbow Dash spoke to Pinkie, but she was still grinning at me. "The other two wanted to come, but neither of them are pegasi. I could have carried them up here, but I thought it might be kinda risky what with me heroically catching Twilight Sparkle mid-fall!"
Meanwhile, the two pegasi that had been flying me to Ponyville watched the three of us, looking decidedly unamused. Eventually, one of the royal guards rolled his eyes and shrugged at the other; with that they flew back to Canterlot, assuming that their work with me was finished. It may have been somewhat unprofessional, but then, I had just left their care without a word, and my need for their help was gone, so the point was more or less moot.
"You know," I said dryly to the weatherpony keeping me aloft. "I'm not sure an action counts as 'heroic' is the problem was your fault in the first place."
"Ah..." Rainbow Dash tried to shrug, but her legs were currently occupied with grasping my hoof, so it came off as more of a lazy shimmy. "Whatever. Hey, I noticed you haven't greeted me yet! I do something to piss you off?" She raised an eyebrow, grinning with mock-innocence.
I stifled a giggle, trying to maintain a straight face. "Hello, Rainbow Dash. Now will you put me down? I'm beginning to contract acrophobia."
"You're started to whatty what-now?" queried the pegasus, dumping me unceremoniously into the basket of Pinkie's balloon. The pink pony attached herself to me almost immediately, wrapping her forelegs around me in a tight hug. I returned the gesture the best I could in the cramped circumstances.
"Contract acrophobia. Become afraid of heights, essentially."
"Oh. Well, why didn't you just say that?" Rainbow crossed her forelegs, ascending lazily until she was level with the top of the balloon Pinkie and I were floating in. At this point, she knocked on the hot-air balloon with one of her free hooves, calling, "Pinkie! You ready to bring this thing down?"
I had a sudden terrible feeling, as if Rainbow were about to endanger my life once again. "Pinkie!" I took hold of her shoulders, speaking hurriedly. "For Celestia's sake, don't let her--"
"Okey-dokey-lokey! I'm ready!" interrupted the party planner cheerfully.
Rainbow Dash backed away from the balloon, and I started to breathe a sigh of relief. Then she whipped around and bolted into the billowing canvas. Pinkie and I both watched in horror as the balloon keeping us aloft exploded into a shower of scraps, popping with a great multicolored exhale of smoke. Dash laughed; we screamed. And then we fell.
"Rainbow Dash," I growled, desperately trying to smooth out my windblown mane. The three of us were taking shelter under the shade of the oak tree that also served as my combination library/home, Pinkie Pie still shaking from the fall. "I keep telling you this: rescuing us afterwards does not make sending us plummeting to an untimely end okay!"
The pegasus smirked. After our misadventures in the skies, even she had her wings folded and her hooves planted firmly on the ground. "Whatting to a whatty end?"
"Plummeting to an--" I caught sight of her expression. "Ugh! We could have been in real danger, there!"
"Actually, we weren't," intervened Pinkie Pie, grinning despite the terrified spasms that continued to wrack her body. "If we were, my tail woulda' been twitching!"
I opened my mouth to point out the lack of logic in my statement, but was interrupted before I could even begin by the high-pitched cry of a filly galloping towards us. "Twilight Sparkle! You're here!" I smiled, recognizing the voice immediately. It was Applebloom, of course, and now that I was looking her way I could see the quieter Sweetie Belle following her at a slower pace.
Applebloom was an earth pony filly, plucky and mischievous with a laid-back country drawl. From the outside, she appeared to be a prickly, precociously cynical little foal; yet this exterior was in contrast with the innocence lying in her emerald-green eyes. Sweetie Belle, an elegant white unicorn, was composed in the exact opposite manner. When I first met her, I mistook her for a childish filly, airheaded even. Now, I knew better.
The red-maned filly hoofed right up to me before stopping short, her face suddenly contorting into a stern frown. The enormous bow in her mane made it awfully difficult to take this seriously. "Now, Twilight Sparkle, what did ya think you were doin' leavin' us like that? I was so bored!" she moaned.
"Applebloom!" shrieked Sweetie Belle, appalled. The farmpony only gave her a blank look, ignorant of her offense. The unicorn sighed before explaining, a forehoof resting melodramatically against her head. "You're being rude to Twilight! She couldn't help having to leave, could she? If my sister were here, she'd be in shock at your behavior!"
Applebloom rolled her eyes. "And if mah sister was here, she wouldn't give a care, now would she? But she ain't, so forget it!" she snapped.
Sweetie Belle winced; she was such a sweet filly that I didn't imagine she was accustomed to being addressed in that tone. Still, being friends with Applebloom meant you had to get used to it; I had stopped being rendered speechless by Applebloom's insults weeks ago.
In the interest of preventing conflict I turned to Applebloom, swallowing my pride. "I'm sorry, girls. I shouldn't have left you, but I'm back now. And I don't plan to leave again for a long time!"
The small earth pony perked up again, and again I caught sight of the sweet innocence in her eyes. Applebloom could be something of a brat sometimes (As could Sweetie, though at a far smaller frequency) but, all in all, she was difficult to hate. "Well..." she began, angling her gaze away from me. "I guess you're forgiven, then. I guess."
I stifled a chuckle. In the old days, I couldn't stand foals. They were dirty and immature and they always ruined all of my carefully-crafted plans. But, well... something had changed when I moved to Ponyville. Something I couldn't quite put my hoof on, and yet I was grateful for it regardless.
Pinkie Pie stepped in between Applebloom and I, her eyes shining with excitement. I knew what that meant. "You know what this calls for?" she asked teasingly, wearing a grin so large I swore I could see each of her teeth.
I raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess--a party?"
The hyperactive mare nodded enthusiastically. "A party!"
The five of us were in Sugarcube Corner, the local bakery and Pinkie Pie's home. Rainbow Dash and Applebloom danced to an upbeat tune, Dash exercising her wings with flying tricks--loop-de-loops and midair spins--while Applebloom displayed impressive skills on the floor. Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie scarfed down cupcakes, and Sweetie Belle and I sat peacefully of to the side of the room, snacking on petit-fours and drinking hot chocolate.
Sugarcube Corner was an unusual building, with a large room that Pinkie used as a partying hall hidden behind the living quarters and bakery. Mind wandering, I expressed my interest in the design of the place to Sweetie Belle, who cast me a confused look. Noticing her surprise, I tried my best to explain the concept to the filly: "See, usually buildings have rooms built for a purpose, like living rooms and kitchens. But this place was built long before Pinkie Pie came along and started throwing parties, and yet still it has this extra--"
"No," Sweetie cut me off, shaking her head. "I know what you mean. But this room does have another purpose. It's where we hold to Moon Festival every Nightmare Night!"
"Moon Festival?" I tilted my head to the side, already fascinated by Ponyville's unique cultural traditions. "You mean, on the Nightmare Night where everypony hands out candy to foals?"
The curly-haired filly nodded. "Except, there's more to it here in Ponyville. After we get our candy, we have to sacrifice two pieces each to Nightmare Moon--to keep her from sacrificing us, see?" she explained seriously. Ah, innocence; it may have been scary, but I had to admit that it had been fun as a filly, back when I believed in the mare in the moon and all of those old mares' tales. Not wanting to burst Sweetie Belle's bubble, I tried to maintain a straight face as she continued. "The spell trapping Nightmare Moon in the sky is weakest on Nightmare Night, so we have to make her happy or else she'll eat us!"
Sounded an awful lot like some parents wanted a share of their foals' candy. A creative way of getting some, certainly. "So this is where you leave the candy for her?" I queried.
"Oh, no--somepony always leaves it at the statue of Nightmare Moon out by the Everfree Forest! But then everypony comes back to Sugarcube Corner, and we hold the Moon Festival. It's like a celebration, see? Because we survived another year!" Sweetie Belle finished her story, smiling despite her allegations that the whole of Ponyville was in danger of death.
I had to admit that this was a bit more morbid than the stories behind most holidays, but I'd certainly heard worse. Besides, Sweetie, at least, seemed to enjoy it! "Sounds fun," I ventured, and the filly nodded in agreement. "So, Nightmare Night's coming up soon, isn't it?"
"Yep!" Pinkie Pie materialized between us, apparently having heard our conversation. "In just two weeks! And I can't wait! You're bringing the candy to Nightmare Moon this year, aren't you, Sweetie Belle?"
Sweetie blushed, staring at her hot cocoa sheepishly. "Yeah, but it's only because Rarity wouldn't leave Mayor Mare alone until she gave me the title. I didn't even want to do it."
I glanced from Sweetie to Pinkie and back. "Bringing candy to Nightmare Moon?" I echoed. "Is that a big deal?"
Sweetie Belle shook her head, but before she could protest, Pinkie Pie cried, "Yeah! It's not just a big deal, it's a super-mega-huge deal! Only one foal gets to approach the statue each year. I never got the part..." Pinkie hung her head, only to pop back into shape the moment I reached out a hoof to comfort her. "But Rainbow Dash has! Didn't you, Dashie?"
The pegasus froze mid-moonwalk at the mention of her name; Applebloom proceeded to run face-first into her back hoof before glaring over at us as if it were somehow my fault. "What've I done?" queried Rainbow Dash, gliding across the room to meet Sweetie, Pinkie and I.
"Brought candy to the Nightmare Moon statue on Nightmare Night?" I didn't mean for it to sound like a question, but it did anyway. Back in Canterlot, we just dressed up in costumes and ate candy on Nightmare Night; all of this "Nightmare Moon" and "Moon Festival" talk was entirely foreign to me.
"Oh," Rainbow Dash relaxed, crossing her forehooves behind her head. "Yeah, but that was when I was just a filly. It wasn't all that special. I just dumped a bag of candy at the foot of the statue, is all."
"No way!" Pinkie huffed, forcing her way past Rainbow Dash and towards the room's exit. She silenced the radio with a kick before turning to glare at each of us in turn. "Now you're just being ridiculous! Nightmare Night is important, guys! There's candy!" With that, she exited the party room, her hopping method of transportation completely at odds with her angry outburst.
There was a moment of confused silence before I addressed Rainbow Dash worriedly. "Did I say something wrong?"
The multicolored-maned pegasus didn't look worried; she was still leaning back in mid-air, her wings flapping lazily. "Nah; I did. Pinkie Pie's really into that whole 'Moon Festival' thing. She just moved to Ponyville last year. But me? I've lived here my whole life. I don't really care any more."
"Should..." I took a tentative step towards the doorway Pinkie Pie had stomped out of. "Should we go after her?"
Rainbow Dash waved a hoof dismissively. "Nah. She's fine. She just likes to overreact, is all. She'll be back to normal tomorrow."
Despite Dash's reassurances, I couldn't help but remain concerned for my pink friend. Pinkie Pie was a happy pony, and I couldn't imagine she might be upset by something as small as a disregard for her favorite holiday. Had one of us said something else to offend her? Combing back through all of my statements since arriving in Ponyville, I couldn't imagine what. Hours earlier I had been, quite literally, walking on air with glee. Now I didn't know how I felt.
You Shared its Magic With Me (Part Two)
My Little Higurashi: Friendship is Madness
First Arc
Despite my reservations, things seemed to turn back to normal as days went by, Pinkie Pie arriving at my home a day after the party with a cupcake in her hoof and a smile on her face. She didn't mention her outburst, and neither did I; I was just glad that she was okay. Rainbow Dash's prediction proved true as we settled back into our usual schedule: Pinkie Pie joked and threw parties, Rainbow Dash performed tricks in the air and provided the group with a healthy degree of snark, Applebloom played pranks and acted the downer, Sweetie Belle counteracted her pessimism with sweet innocence, and I was there to deadpan my way through each of their antics. Life was good.
Of course, every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and it seems that the universe's reaction to my happiness was to curse me with influenza. I wasn't deathly ill by a long shot, but the disease did hamper my ability to meet with my friends, and I found myself spending more and more time locked up in the library, sneezing my way through tissue after tissue. But, at least my friends were happy. Especially--
"Twilight Sparkle," called a high-pitched voice to my right, waking me. My head ached, my vision was blurry, and an unfinished letter to Princess Celestia lay on the desk in front of me, covered in what I could only assume was my own saliva. I grimaced and sent the paper floating over to the trash bin; I had to stop staying up so late or I'd never get anything done in the daytime!
"Yes?" I croaked, turning towards the intruder. Well, "intruder" was a bit much; if I hadn't have been able to recognize her by her voice, the puffy mane and cheerful blue eyes would have tipped me off to her identity immediately. Pinkie Pie grinned, oblivious to my grogginess and overall exhaustion. "What's up, Pinkie?"
"Oh, I just realized I hadn't talked to you in, like, forever!"
I wiped my eyes with a hoof and cast a skeptical glance her way as my eyesight returned. "I've only been home sick for three days," I reminded her.
Pinkie Pie hopped closer to me; I could smell her candy-flavored breath as she examined me. Before I had time to wonder why I was making observations on the exact scent of my friend's breath, she cried, "Oh, I know, and it's just been awful! Three whole days without you, Twilight! Three! Whole! Days!"
I shuffled away, a bit uncomfortable at our proximity. "Look, Pinkie Pie, I don't want to infect you or anything, so--"
"Also!" cried Pinkie, disregarding any advice I may have had for her. "This is the library, right? I need a cookbook!"
My ears perked up; ill or not, I had a passion for bookkeeping. Were I not the Princess's researcher, I imagine I would have been happy as a librarian. "Oh, a cookbook? We have plenty of those!" I ventured a few steps towards the nonfiction section of the treehouse, beckoning Pinkie Pie with my tail. "What kind do you need?"
The party pony bounced up behind me, gaze jumping from spine to spine as she read the titles of the books under my care. "Oh, I need some recipes for candy or maybe even pastries..." Her blue eyes gleamed as she caught sight of Discordant Desserts, a cookbook that seemed to detail recipes involving chocolate. "Ooh! Fudge! I'll take that one!"
I nodded, using my telekinesis to extract the book from my carefully-organized shelf and float it on over to her. "What do you need it for?" I queried, trying to make conversation.
"I'm making treats for Nightmare Night!" she announced happily, her tail wagging like a dog's as she flipped through the cookbook. "It's coming up soon, ya' know!"
I sneezed, and was immediately thankful for the spare moment I had been given to plan my reply. Pinkie's mention of Nightmare Night had reminded me of her outburst at my welcoming party, and suddenly I was terrified of upsetting her again. Even if Rainbow Dash had waved the episode off, I couldn't help but worry for Pinkie Pie's happiness. Finally sensing that the time for my reply was at hand, I took the safe route: "It is, isn't it?"
Not the most intelligent sentence ever spoken, but she seemed satisfied.
"Uh-huh! I just can't wait!" Pinkie looked ready to gush some more, but she stopped short and placed a forehoof on her chin thoughtfully, as if rethinking her plans. I tried not to giggle at how ridiculous she looked in that pose. Eventually, the pink mare placed all four hooves back on the ground and shot me another dazzling grin. "Oh, Twilight! I just had the best idea!"
I smiled back nervously, thankful that I hadn't found another way to offend her. The idea of Pinkie Pie being angry or depressed just seemed... wrong to me. "Oh yeah?" I replied, raising one eyebrow in mock-disbelief. "What's that, Pinkie?"
She jabbed a hoof in my chest; I doubled over in a coughing fit. Oblivious, she was still smiling as I managed to recover from her forceful idea-sharing. "You, Twilight! You should come help me get ingredients! You need to get out more, anyways!"
I sighed, picking myself up off of the wooden floor I had just collapsed upon. My throat felt rough again and I had to clear my throat several times before my voice lost its sudden cold-addld edge. "Pinkie Pie, I'm sick, remember? I really don't think I should go outside; it could worsen my symptoms or even mean I'll infect the other ponies of Ponyville!" I looked at her pleadingly, wondering what in Equestria it had been that had made my heart skip a beat and my breathing grow shallow when she had entered. She was cute, sure, but her energy could be... daunting--especially to a shut-in like me. "I'd love to go to the grocery store with you, Pinkie, but I just don't think it's best, okay?"
And that was how I ended up being dragged to Sweet Apple Acres.
Sweet Apple Acres was a large apple orchard on the outskirts of Ponyville, not too far from the Everfree Forest I had passed over on my chariot ride here. I had heard of it, of course--apparently it was owned by Applebloom's family, though only she and her grandmother lived there now--but had never actually visited the sprawling farm until now. Having to keep up with Pinkie's bouncing gait, I didn't have very long to sightsee, but still had to take a few moments to collect myself after stepping through the quaint wooden gate.
The first thing that struck me was the grass; it was just so green. The turf was perfectly mowed, each blade at the same exact height, and not one was even slightly yellowed. I would have assumed the grass was fake if I hadn't been able to feel the dew brushing by my hooves as I walked. To one sight was the orchard itself, nothing but a textured sea of green dotted occasionally with the bright red of an apple. On the other side was a large wooden barn, painted red and donning a decorative mural of an apple on its frontmost wall, above the barn doors. I loved the library, but for just a moment I envied Applebloom for living in such an idyllic place. By Celestia, it looked like it was straight out of a picture book!
"C'mon, Twilight!" giggled Pinkie Pie from the orchard, peeking out from behind an apple tree mischievously. "I've got something to show you!"
I shook my head to clear it before cantering after her, the both of us rushing down on of the perfectly straight rows of the orchard. As we ran, I could see her noticeably glancing back every couple of minutes, only to speed up her gait afterwards. Were we racing? I just couldn't quite tell. "W-Wait up!" I stammered, out of breath. We were galloping now, and I found myself wondering exactly how long the orchard extended. Surely we had already traveled a mile or maybe even two!
Now Pinkie wasn't even looking back before increasing her speed, turning from a clearly running pony into an indistinct blur of pink. She could probably outrun Rainbow Dash if she wanted to, I realized. I looked down, at the ground rushing past underneath my hooves, and tried to increase my speed to match, but I just couldn't keep up. As she pulled further and further away from me, my stomach began to develop a sharp ache, until I was forced to stop.
I tripped over my own forelegs, collapsing on the perfect grass in a fit of coughing. I stared after her blearily, but now she wasn't even visible. I hoped she noticed my absence soon, but didn't count on it; when Pinkie Pie got her mind set on something, she didn't stop to check on anypony else in her pursuit of it. Her outburst at my welcoming party was a prime example of that trait.
"Uuugh..." I groaned, picking myself up off of the ground unsteadily. Why did I have to think of that again? Now I wasn't just worrying for my own poor, diseased body, but for Pinkie Pie's poor emotions as well. I was surrounded by nothing but apple trees; I couldn't even tell the direction in which Pinkie Pie had run off, much less the direction from which I had come. It dawned on me slowly that I was lost.
I groaned again, sitting down on my back legs. As much as I loved Ponyville, I had to admit that this would have never happened in Canterlot. There, even if I couldn't find a friendly face to point me home, there was always my assistant, Spike. He was immature, which I supposed came along with being an infant in dragon years, but he was always reliable, and I knew he cared about me. And I cared about him, too, of course. I was the closest thing to a family member he had and, oh, why hadn't he come to Ponyville with me? Why did he have to stay back with Princess Celestia in Canterlot? I gazed downward, tracing circles in the ground with my hoof. I had never had many friends before coming here, and I thought it was because I simply didn't want friends, but... was it possible that they didn't want me? I sighed, cursing my introverted nature.
"Twilight?" The voice was male, a bit rough, yet nearly as high-pitched as Pinkie Pie's... Okay, perhaps not that high, but at Rainbow Dash's level at least-- My ears shot upward, and I whipped around in the direction the voice had come from. That voice wasn't just remarkable because of its timbre; it was remarkable because I knew that voice!
"Spike!" I cried, forgetting all about my illness as I leapt forward to wrap the tiny scaled creature in a tight hug. He chuckled, returning the gesture. "Spike! Oh, how in Equestria did you get here?!"
"Same as you," he replied. "By chariot!" I released him, and he grinned, emerald eyes glinting. "So how've you been doing, Twi?"
"Not bad." I decided it best not to mention the Nightmare Night-related shenanigans with Pinkie Pie yet--at least not until I actually understood what was going on. "Well, I have a cold, but I'll be all right. One of my friends just arrived to cheer me up, actually!" If I could only find her... I gave the trees another quick scan, but didn't see any trace of pink.
Spike raised a scaly eyebrow. "'Friends?'" he parroted, incredulous. "You have friends?"
It was perfectly logical for him to be suspicious of this claim, especially considering my antisocial behavior back in Canterlot, but I couldn't help but feel insulted regardless. "Well, yes," I snapped, my tone of voice sprouting barbs. "I'm not nearly as socially useless as you might think, Spike. I am capable of making friends when I'd like to."
His words had hit a nerve, and I was about to turn my back on the young dragon when he called after me pleadingly: "Hey, wait, Twi! I didn't mean it like that! I mean, you know I'm your friend!"
I glared back at Spike, who was looking down and twiddling his dewclaws nervously. "Then what did you mean it like, hm?"
"I just... I dunno," he said, and I was prepared to walk out right there until he continued hurriedly. "It's just... I've heard about what goes on in Ponyville, right? It was probably pretty judgmental of me--Hey, look, I just used that word in a sentence! 'Judgmental!'" he laughed nervously. "But anyways, I guess I just thought all of the ponies here would be--y'know--crazy."
I had a vision of Pinkie Pie, but pushed it away as I turned back around to face him. "'Crazy?'" I repeated with disbelief. "What in Equestria would make you think that all of the ponies here are crazy?"
Spike managed to go pale, even behind his scales. "You haven't heard?" Earlier he had sounded nervous; now he just sounded scared.
I tried to remove the edge from my voice, but it crept up nonetheless. "Heard what?" It was ridiculous, I knew, but I had the crazy thought that perhaps what he was referring to had to do with--
"It happens every Nightmare Night," he began. Inwardly, I shrieked with frustration. Outwardly, I said nothing, and slowly he continued. "It was first reported on a few years ago, but since then the royal guards have looked in on it, and it seems like it's actually been going on since even before that. There was just, like... a cover-up."
"A cover-up of what?!" I snapped. His head flew up, and as soon as I saw the look in his eyes I felt awful for startling him. Quieter, I repeated, "A cover-up of what?"
Spike avoided my gaze, wringing his hands. "Murder," he explained quietly.
