Nightmare Dove Arc

"Hey Star!"

Starburst jolted awake on her leafy perch atop one of the park's larger oaks. Below her, the park seemed to resume in its activities from whence she had left it, with only two or three ponies absent. She checked about, but found no pony in her general vicinity.

"Star-burrrrrsst!"

No one below, no one behind, no one abo--

"Starburst!"

A light blue head shot out from the leaves overhead. Starburst nearly fell as she swayed backwards and smacked her head against the trunk. Cotton Candy hung upside down from some unseen branch, her wavy white and pink mane swaying left and right as she bobbed softly up and down. "Found ya!" she cried triumphantly. Her jubilant grin, however, evaporated as she noticed Starburst rubbing behind her head. "Oh, sorry. You okay?" She nimbly descended from her trapeze and balanced her way to Starburst. Starburst slowed in her rubbing, concentrating on one spot.

"Yeah, I think so," she said. Candy pointed at Starburst's head.

"Lower," she gently commanded. Starburst huffed, then, after looking away, lowered her head. Candy leaned in and began parting the dark blue hair, checking for any sign of bruising. She took her time in the process, concern deeply plaguing her Spring yellow eyes.

"Star... Are you okay?"

Starburst silently ran her eyes along the branch.

"You've been so... jumpy, these past few days," Candy continued. "It makes it hard for a girl to prank her best friend, you know?"

Starburst looked to the lower half of the trunk. She breathed a half breath. "Is--" she almost started. She caught herself, about to utter the words: Is Dove back? Bringing Dove up out of the blue like that... Candy would surely ask her why, and it wouldn't take her long to put it all together, knowing her. She might even have to tell her about that night. Would--would Dove be okay with that? N-No; if she's hurting herself, somepony has to know. But, that look she gave her... so pained, so ashamed. Somepony else finding out might embarrass her, pressure her into never returning. Would Dove rather she waited? Let her wait for Dove's return and then talk to her personally about it? What would Dove want?

"Is," Starburst stammered on. "Is the back of my head alright?"

Candy's widened eyes softened, and she returned to her usual, exuberant smile. "Yep!" she cried, straightening Starburst's hair before removing her hooves and allowing her to lift her head. "Your head's A-O-Kay! Your heart, on the other hoof," she pointed a hoof to Starburst's chest. "Remains ever-a-mystery. I'll unravel it soon enough though, mark my words! I will decipher this debacle and will not rest until I have extradited the enigma obfuscating your paralyzing predicament! In the mean time though, wanna head over to Apple Acres? I heard Del's baking a humongo apple cake that's supposed to be scrum-diddly-umcious!"

"Baked, you mean to say," came a raw country accent. Below them, the light orange Golden Delicous approached from beyond the nearby wooden bench, carrying a fragrant picnic basket atop a plaid blanket draped across his back. With a light nudge of his muzzle, he opened the basket's latch, revealing a plethora of elegantly stacked pastries. "Along with a couple apple fritters, apple turnovers, and an apple pie for good measure." He closed the latch, then looked back up to Starburst with a weak, half-smile. "Figured ya might enjoy a little picnic, if ya don't mind me assumin' too much. Everypony else thought it was a good idea too."

He turned his gaze to the neighboring hill, their four remaining friends framed like colorful silhouettes against the calm afternoon sky. The purple one waved to them, to which Candy boisterously waved back. Starburst's frown lightened, and she rose from her perch.

The plaid blanket fit the comfortable stitching pedigree the Apple family heirlooms are famous for. Starburst chewed another slice of apple pie, holding the plate with one hoof and a complimentary fork in the other while she sat atop the homely cloth. Prism Bolt flew overhead, with everypony below eating their food in varying degrees of elegance. Candy shoved a slice of pie in her face, making a series of slurping noises before removing the plate to reveal a macabre masterpiece of apple slices and cinnamon sauce, somehow perfectly symmetrical across opposite sides of her nose. Starburst stifled a giggle, followed by Turquoise Blitz, who paused mid pie cut to look. He pivoted his head to the blonde unicorn mare resting beneath his right wing, whispering into her ear before pulling away to share in her laughter. Crystal Clarity grinned contently, gently levitating a small forkful of cake into her mouth, then, nearly choking on it as a dark blue body swooped low behind her, sending her otherwise stylish short hair into a frenzy.

"K-Kegh!" she coughed. She tightened a hoof-claw and raised it angrily to the sky. "Prism Bolt!"

Prism performed a fanciful aerial loop before soaring down the casually slanted hillside. Claire stared bitterly after him, before returning to her dignified poise and wiping her muzzle clean with a levitated napkin. "He's certainly energetic today," she said, angrily carving herself another forkful. Del watched the routine with a slight grin. "I reckon he's just excited is all. Not three days ago he won that best young fliers award, and for the past two I think he's just been bedrestin'. His wing was sprained pretty bad in all that excitement."

"Well," Claire hoitily began, refusing to look away from her cake. "That's the consequence of training so ardently in just a week's span after years of simply lazing about." She took another bite of her cake, chewing it intently. A sudden light breeze fell over her, prompting her vision up.

"So, I can have an entire apple turnover, right?" Prism Bolt asked, floating over the opened basket. Del reached in and presented one to him.

"Yep! You can help yourself," Del responded.

Claire pulled her fork from her mouth. "Prism Bolt," she addressed, nonchalantly poking another forkful as she gazed at him. She raised it to her mouth and began chewing, her eyes closed in a dignified manner. "Picnics are supposed to be calm, peaceful affairs. That is to say, not involving any sort of brazen, life-endangering, hair-ruining stunts. Just a relaxing time to spend among friends."

"Pfft! Life endangering?" Prism laughed, mouth half-full of apple turnover. He quickly chewed then swallowed it down. "Claire, I think you forget who you're talking to here. First of all, I'm the best young flier in all of Equestria!" His wings fanned out and gradually rose him upward. "Second, the son of two famous Wonderbolts!" He rose higher. "And third, the performer of the sonic rainboom!" He rose, high to the tree branches. "You really think a couple of flips are gonna hurt me?! I'm on top of the world! I'm like a--"

A slice of pie splattered across his face. As it gradually slid down his placid expression, Claire smiled tenaciously, her fork pointed out like a discharged catapult. "Oops, my apologies," she said mischievously. "My hoof must have slipped."

Starburst broke out into laughing, seconded by Del, Turquoise and Annie, who could recognize a pie splatter when she heard one. Candy pivoted her face up toward Prism. "Hey! Prism!" she started, waving him down. "You've got something on your face!"

Prism looked back at her, her own face a clown-like pastiche of apple glaze. He chuckled, then snorted, then broke out into full on laughter with the rest of the group.

"There y'all are!" called a voice. Del turned his head, finding his mother, as well as her friends, ascending the grassy slope. Twilight and Rainbow quickly flew up, landing themselves beside their respective children. Quickly wrapping her hooves around Starburst, Twilight gripped her and embraced her in a tight hug. Starburst's expression above Twilight's shoulder remained stunned a moment, then grew to troubled curiosity. "M-Mom? Is--is something wrong?"

Twilight pulled back, still holding Starburst's shoulders, and presented her a reassuring yet troubled smile. "Yes, but hopefully not for long. I think we--"

Rainbow tugged on Prim's ear. "What did I tell you about flying today?!" she shouted, dragging him to the ground. "When I said you could go out for a picnic, you were supposed to lay down with everyone else. That wing isn't gonna heal properly if you don't rest it!"

Pinkie Pie hopped to Candy's side, reaching a hoof across her shoulder and pressing her cheek against Candy's apple glazed forehead. Rarity sat herself between Claire and Anthea, raising a hoof to rest against Claire's shoulder as Fluttershy kneeled down to Anthea's eye level. "Um, Turquoise," Fluttershy said, turning to the green hybrid. "Could you give us a moment? We won't be long." Turquoise nodded blankly and, after unwrapping his wing from around Anthea, walked around to his own mother, who placed her free hoof on his shoulder as well. Anthea rose to a stand before the yellow and pink blur she knew as her mom. "What's happening?" she questioned.

"We got a message from Canterlot a little while ago," Fluttershy stated. "Princess Celestial and Luna want us to come to the castle straight away. Something terrible has happened!"

"What?" Anthea hurriedly asked. Fluttershy looked around skittishly, then briefly inhaled, before leaning slightly forward to speak. Her motion, however, was cut off by Starburst's sudden expulsion.

"Manehattan has what!?" the orange pegasus shouted incredulously. The other parents shared their expressions, having just gotten to that part. Starburst dropped herself from her mother's hooves and collapsed to the ground, her hooves shakily covering her head. "But, Dove's there! She said she'd be there three days ago!" Her friends looked back to their mothers, who hurried to tell the details. Twilight leaned down and began stroking the back of Starburst's mane.

"I'm sorry, Star..." Twilight soothed. In contrast to her voice, her face was a troubled contortion of unpleasant truths. "But Dove--We think she..."

"Princess!" cried an authoritative voice. A group of guards rushed up the hill, their center leader quickly trotting to Twilight. "We must leave now. These matters are of the utmost urgency."

Twilight's gaze turned from the guard and back to Starburst. Her eyes were damp and disillusioned, staring out at nothing. Twilight gripped her daughter's shoulders and lifted her into a second embrace. "I have to go now," she said, rubbing her cheek against Starburst's. "But you won't be alone. You have your friends. And your cousins. They're going to be staying down her for a while, by the way."

Starburst blinked her way back to reality, then looked back to the squad of guards, noticing two new ponies now walking out from around them. "Sorry we took so long," called the white, anatomically anarchic stallion. "Nidra wouldn't leave until the guards had managed to cram all her luggage inside. And unpack it. And set the rugs correctly." The black, bat-winged mare raised her chin indignantly. "Well forgive me for actually having standards!"

Starburst gaped at her cousins--as did her friends. Atop Nidra's head, beyond her blue mane and below her ears, her horn no longer protruded. Illusion's twin horns no longer ornamented his jet black hair either. Both their manes simply flowed unparted down their flat foreheads. Illusion waved a tepid paw. "Hey guys! Long time no see!"