The PAYN

by GeekySonic

Rating: mature
Tags: Science Fiction, Crossover, Dark, Drama, Mystery
Length: 5846

Normal life ends in Ponyville when all the adults mysteriously disappear.

The school day was the same as ever for the Cutie Mark Crusaders. The same, that is, right up until Miss Cheerilee just disappeared. Was it an illusion? A practical joke? Then where did the Princess go? The Mayor? The farmers? The marketponies?

Everypony is gone, except for all of the children. At first, it seems kinda cool. No adults to tell you what to do. No rules, no bedtime, no chores. But then, things start to go wrong.

Food begins to run out. Animals start to mutate. Some children begin to change. Ponyville will never be the same after this.

(Gone x MLP crossover)

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2017-02-06 19:23:25 UTC

The Poof

The scratching of chalk on the chalkboard came to an abrupt stop, followed by a soft clatter on the wooden floor. Scootaloo's ear twitched at the lack of speaking in front of the room. She groggily raised her head, looking around her. Sweetie Belle sat in the desk to her right, sitting up with a curious expression on her face. Apple Bloom, on the other side, was likewise turning her head to search the room.

"Where did Miss Cheerilee go?" Sweetie Belle asked. Nopony responded. The other foals cautiously pushed out from their desks, trotting over to the front desk.

"She's not hiding under her desk." Snips observed.

"Is there a trap door?" Somepony asked.

"Maybe Trixie's giving a surprise performance." A filly offered. The children milled around aimlessly, wondering what on earth was going on. They were alone.

"Come on!" Scootaloo nodded at her friends. "We may as well go outside."

"Uh, I think we should stay put." Apple Bloom balked. Scootaloo ignored her, racing for the front door. She burst into the afternoon sunlight. With nothing else to do, the other children followed her. Scootaloo turned to sweep her vision across the schoolyard. It was empty, save for the foals.

"...Weird."

"Scootaloo!" Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom trotted up to their Pegasus friend. She waved at them.

"Sup guys?"

"Scoots, doesn't this feel... wrong?" Apple Bloom asked nervously.

Scootaloo wrinkled her nose. "Wrong? How?"

Apple Bloom gaped at her. "Miss Cheerilee's gone. Shouldn't we go get somepony?"

"She probably just slipped out while we weren't looking to go snog Big Mac or something." Scootaloo said dismissively.

"No, she didn't, Scootaloo," Sweetie Belle swallowed. "I watched. She just... disappeared."

"Well, then somepony teleported her. Duh."

"This was different," Sweetie Belle insisted. "No burst of magic, no sound of energy, no flash of light. It was like, she just disappeared. Poof. Gone."

"You guys are so paranoid." Scootaloo snickered. She bounded over to her scooter, fitting her helmet on her head. "Get in the wagon; let's go to Sweet Apple Acres."

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle exchanged looks, before following their little orange compatriot. With a kick, Scootaloo was off, towing the wagon behind her. The trio remained silent as they rode. In a few short minutes, they arrived at the fenceline.

"Uh, I don't see Big Mac out in the field." Apple Bloom spoke in a worried tone.

"I told you, he's probably with Cheerilee," Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Come on, let's just go get Applejack." She hauled them closer to the barn. Apple Bloom hopped out, trotting around to the front.

"Sis? Sis, are you there?" Apple Bloom called out. When she received no answer, she turned to give a panicked look at her friends.

"Maybe she's taking a break?" Sweetie Belle tried to smile reassuringly. Applejack never took breaks.

"Or maybe she's in the orchard?" Scootaloo groaned impatiently. Apple Bloom raced past them in the direction of the apple trees.

"Applejack? Applejack!" Apple Bloom began shouting. She stopped, panting slightly. Nopony came.

"Applejack! Granny!" Apple Bloom turned, galloping at full speed to the farmhouse. She burst through the front door, clambering into the kitchen. Her friends watched, eyes widening as Apple Bloom's calling turned into desperate screaming. "Applejack! Big Mac! Granny!"

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo waited silently. After a few minutes, Apple Bloom walked stiffly out from where she had burst in.

"It's... it's empty."

Scootaloo grimaced slightly. "They... they must be in town."

"Wh-what if they're not?" Sweetie Belle asked timidly.

"They're in town!" Scootaloo snapped. She stopped when her friends flinched at her raising her voice, then facehoofed. "Ugh, I'm sorry, guys. Look, it's nothing, okay? Come on. We'll go to town, and I guarantee you that we'll find them."

~~~

"Does this look like nothin' to you?!" Now it was Apple Bloom's turn to yell. The marketplace was abandoned, every booth left open and unpacked. All the vendors had mysteriously vanished. The CMC discovered several other children wandering aimlessly, hesitantly snooping around. Apple Bloom rounded on Scootaloo upon their arrival.

"Hey, what are you getting mad at me for?" Scootaloo asked defensively.

"You said my family would be here!"

"This isn't my fault!"

"What's goin' on?"

"I don't know!"

"Guys!" Sweetie Belle shouted over her friends' bickering. "We aren't getting anything done standing here yelling at each other!"

Apple Bloom's ears drooped. "... I'm sorry. I'm just worried."

"Me too," Scootaloo sighed. "What if, Rainbow Dash is just playing a prank?" Her eyes lit up at the idea. "Yeah, a big, good prank to scare us. She probably thinks we're wetting ourselves right now!"

"That'd be one heck of a prank." They heard somepony else say. The girls turned to look at Dinky Doo, who was calmly approaching them. She looked slightly frazzled, but relatively composed. "But I don't think my mom would be in on it. I checked, too. She's not home. I even looked for Doc, but he's gone, too."

The Crusaders considered this.

"Whoa, idea!" Scootaloo grinned. "What if this is all one big surprise for your birthday, Dinky?"

Dinky Doo looked shocked at the idea. "Really? Would the whole town show up at a party for me?"

Sweetie Belle took to the suggestion. "Yeah, Pinkie Pie's done things kinda like this before."

"Well, wouldn't my family tell me?" Apple Bloom piped up.

"Not if they thought you might blurt something out and ruin the surprise." Scootaloo nickered. Apple Bloom looked slightly offended at the remark, but said nothing.

"Well, gosh, I guess it would be pretty cool if Mom went out of her way to throw such a big party for me," Dinky began to blush. "I mean, none of my birthdays have ever been really big parties. Maybe she's been saving up?"

"That sounds like a good explanation," Sweetie Belle nodded approvingly. "I mean, you only turn sixteen once. Oh yeah, Happy Birthday, Dinky."

"Thank you." Dinky's face flushed.

Scootaloo rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "So, what do we do? They have to come out eventually."

Apple Bloom pondered for a second. "My best guess is Sugarcube Corner. Maybe we can catch Pinkie and find out where everypony--"

A piercing scream interrupted the small Earth Pony mid-sentence. The girls jerked their heads in the direction of the sound. Without a moment's hesitation, they galloped over the edge of the village. A gaggle of foals crowded in the middle of the dirt road.

"We're trapped!"

"Let us out!"

"Why can't we get out?"

The girls all slowed down. As they drew nearer, the clear road was replaced by a solid gray wall. Nothing significant about it. Just a wall. The closer they got, the more consistent it appeared. It stretched on in both directions as far as the eye could see.

"What the...?" Scootaloo breathed. She pushed her way into the crowd, right up to the big gray thing. It went far up into the sky, right up until it faded into the sky itself. Hesitantly, she raised a hoof to touch it. She recoiled instantly on contact. It hurt!

Not a burn, shock, freeze, or anything describable. Just pain.

"What's going on?" She screamed at nopony in particular.

"It's an illusion!" Sweetie Belle called out. She trotted up to her, squeezing past the other frightened children. "It only appears up close. When you get far away, it just disappears."

"But what is it?" Scootaloo groaned. Sweetie Belle brought up a foreleg to brush its surface. "Don't touch it!" She ogled at Scootaloo's outburst. "It... hurts."

With a second thought, Sweetie Belle drew her hoof back. "...Maybe it's Discord's work."

"Unless he up and turned evil again, and I don't so," Apple Bloom commented.

Dinky nosed her way over to the Crusaders. "Whoa. That's freaky."

The girls all slumped. Behind them, the children still murmured in hushed, tense voices. Sweetie Belle smiled apologetically. "Sorry Dinky, I guess this isn't a birthday surprise."

Dinky shrugged. "It was a long-shot. Right now, I'm just concerned about finding my Mom. She wouldn't leave me for anything, so something must have took--"

The girls all gasped. The others screamed in shock. Dinky must have shared the fate of everypony else that was missing, because in a split second, she was standing there, and the next, she was gone.

The Dome

A dome. All the way around Ponyville. It encased the village along with a span of land all the way down to Sweet Apple Acres. The center appeared to be just over the Everfree Forest, though nopony thought to investigate for themselves. Then there was the fact that it was completely invisible until you got right up in front of it.

Of course, this is something that the children may have come to understand and accept, had not one of their ranks simply blipped from existence.

"Where is Dinky?"

"Where did the dome come from?"

"Where are our parents?"

The schoolhouse was now packed. What was meant for a score of ponies at a time was absolutely filled, with foals spilling out the front door. They shouted and pounded their hooves, demanding answers from the guardian that wasn't there.

"Everypony, shut up!" Scootaloo shouted over the mob. The terrified clamor quelled into a soft muttering. All eyes, all fearful eyes, were on Scootaloo. "Okay. Uh... first thing's first: this looks pretty bad."

"No duh!" A boy snarked.

"But we just have to keep calm. Everypony who went missing is going to realize what happened, and they're gonna bust us out."

"How do you know that?" Another child asked.

"Because, I just do," Scootaloo affirmed. "Don't forget: the Elements of Harmony, the Princess of Friendship, and the freaking God of Chaos were all in Ponyville when this happened. They know where we are."

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle smiled proudly at Scootaloo's lead. The children seemed slightly assured, now.

"That doesn't explain what happened to Dinky Doo." Silver Spoon pointed out. At this, worried expressions returned to many faces.

"That..." Scootaloo sighed, rubbing her temple. "I don't know. She poofed about an hour after everypony else did. Maybe that has some significance."

"It was her Birthday..." Sweetie Belle murmured morosely.

Scootaloo tapped a hoof on Miss Cheerilee's desk. "Look, I'm scared for Dinky, just like all of you. But we can't worry about her right now. We have to assume she's with everypony that poofed; in that case, she's safe. We need to focus on whether or not more ponies are going to poof. Until that happens, just... go home."

"And do what?"

Scootaloo shook her head. "Whatever you want to do."

A few boys exchanged looks, then bumped hooves. One young filly blubbered out. "B-but, my mommy and daddy are gone."

"I know. We'll just have to make do without them."

~~~

"That was a nice job up there, Scoots!" Apple Bloom grinned.

"Yeah, you're a natural leader!" Sweetie Belle agreed.

Scootaloo smiled gratefully. "Thanks guys. Honestly, I think I was ready to run with those guys right off a cliff, I'm so scared!"

The girls laughed at this, perhaps a little too much. As they shared a giggle, a pink Pegasus filly drifted slowly down to meet them.

"Hey. I followed the wall as far as I could, like you asked me. Both ends meet on the other side of the Everfree Forest."

"Did you go through it?" Scootaloo asked. She shook her head, her face reddening in embarrassment. "It's okay. Thank you, Strawberry."

The filly nodded in acknowledgement, then softly flattered back towards Ponyville.

"So, what next, Crusaders?" Sweetie Belle asked. Scootaloo sighed.

"I guess find out what happened. And why kids are the only ones here. Do either of you know how to conduct an investigation?"

Apple Bloom thought quietly. "Huh... well, let's think about this for a minute. Big dome, wide open land, nopony but kids... What if this is a scientific experiment?"

"What?" Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo echoed each other.

"An experiment. Maybe, some big fancy stallion decided he wanted to know how kids would survive on their own. Take the adults out of a suitable town, and bam! Perfect population sample."

"... I think you spent way too much time with Zecora." Scootaloo shook her head. "Rainbow Dash would never allow that."

"Well, I'm just spitballin' here." Apple Bloom huffed.

"It's a good theory, Apple Bloom." Sweetie Belle patted her back.

Apple Bloom smiled at this, but she jumped when a loud crash filled the air.

"Geez, what in the hay?"

The Crusaders galloped over to investigate yet again a mysterious sound. The crash, they discovered, came from a building in inner Ponyville. A trio of colts were standing outside, laughing in glee as they hurled loose trash at it while another looked on in despair.

"Hey!" Scootaloo whipped one of the boys around to face her. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Whatever I want to." He smirked. Scootaloo gaped in disbelief. The fourth colt, an orange Earth Pony, ducked as a discarded bottle was thrown through the window, shattering it further.

"Please, don't vandalize the dance studio!" He pleaded.

"Or what?" A Unicorn colt sneered. "Are you gonna tell on us?"

"Or I'm gonna bash your face in!" Apple Bloom steamed. She charged to do just that, but Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo had the foresight to wrap their hooves around her midsection. The boys backed away, but weren't quite shaken.

"Oh yeah, hayseed? You're not my mom."

"Dang straight! So I don't have to feel bad about beating your rump red!" The colt gave an amused glance at his backside. "...Redder."

"Whatever," He nodded at his cohorts. "Come on, guys." With that, they bolted, turning a corner and disappearing Celestia-knows-where.

"Yeah, you better run!" Sweetie Belle shouted.

Apple Bloom shrugged free from her friends' hold, then trotted over to the pouting colt. "You okay, Double T?"

Tender Taps nodded slowly. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

Apple Bloom sat down next to him. "You don't look it."

Tender Taps sighed. "I don't know. I just... I don't know why those guys did this."

"They're jerks," Apple Bloom said simply. "They think they can take advantage of this for as long as they can and not face the music." She scoffed.

"...Yeah."

Apple Bloom scratched her mane awkwardly. "So, you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah," Tender Taps smiled at last. "Thanks. I... I think I should clean this up. You can go back to what you were doing with your friends."

"Okay," Apple Bloom rose to her hooves. "I'll see you later?"

Tender Taps nodded. "Yeah. Definitely."

Apple Bloom waved, then turned around. She came to a stop when she found her friends giving her the googly eyes.

"You two are just so cute!" Sweetie Belle whispered.

Apple Bloom felt the blood rushing to her face. "Yeah, yeah."

"You know, speaking of taking advantage of the situation," Scootaloo wiggled her eyebrows. "There's nopony really stopping you from, say, going on a date with Tender Taps."

"Oh for-- shut up."

~~~

Tender Taps carefully picked up the broken bottle with his teeth. He groaned in exasperation when it began to drip.

Wine. Just my luck.

He tossed the bottle into the trash can, then made his way to the closet where the broom was stored. He retrieved it, then turned back to the shattered glass spilled across the floor. Suddenly, he felt his hoof slide out from underneath him.

Tender Taps yelped as he slipped into the air. He realized with terror that he was directly over the spread of shards. He screamed as he came down with a thud. He shook, hooves masking his face. Curiously, he felt nothing.

Slowly, he rolled up and peeked at his coat. Not a scratch. He should be shredded! Tender Taps scuttled to his hooves, panting. What had saved him? He had fallen on a floor littered with sharp bits of glass, and he felt like he had just flopped on a bouncy castle.

Tender Taps raised a hoof. He stared at it in close consideration. His eyes then landed on a particularly nasty shard. It was long, jagged, and screamed for Celestia's sake, don't step on me!

Tender Taps stared at it for a long time. Then he shut his eyes. With a yell, he brought his hoof down. It made a cracking sound when it hit. After a period of silence, he cracked one eye open to look.

His hoof was still intact, not the remotest sign of a paper cut. The glass, however, was reduced to powder underneath.

"...Interesting."

First Signs

Five days after The Poof...

Lemon Drop pursed her lips as she wandered the aisle. Most of the food in her house had already gone by fairly quickly. Everything left was either canned vegetables or Dad's alcohol. The grocery store was beginning to smell a little stale. She decided that she'd better grab as much fresh produce and bread as she could before it went bad.

To her dismay, much of the fresh stuff was left out in the open, untouched. Candy wrappers, plastic food containers, and packages were littered across the linoleum floor. Lemon poked through the browning lettuce, grabbing any heads that looked halfway decent. The bread, fortunately, seemed to fair better at least. The loaves were a bit stiffer than usual, but nothing harmful, so Lemon took three of them. Casting a look around (she still had the uneasy feeling that she was doing something wrong), Lemon silently grabbed a bundle of cookies as well.

Lemon toted her basket in her mouth, barely lifting it off the ground. She managed to get it all the way to the counter. A group of children were playing nearby, coming in from the marketplace. Lemon fished out a hooffull of bits and tossed them on the counter; they were immediately swiped away. She watched a pair of boys giggling as they scribbled on the counter with permanent markers.

Lemon Drop frowned, but she didn't say anything. Her ear perked when she heard voices rise behind her.

"Come on, Tamale, it's mine! I found it first!"

"You want it, shorty? Come get it!"

Lemon turned her head. A small crowd gathered to watch a creamy-colored Pegasus with a short brown mane reached to retrieve a small bag of grapes from a red Earth Pony colt. He easily held back the Pegasus with one hoof, smirking as the younger boy grunted with effort.

"There's plenty of food in here, Tamale! Why do you gotta always take it from me?"

"Because it's fun." Tamale laughed.

Lemon Drop shook her head disdainfully, but remained where she was. The Pegasus began to shake.

"I said, give... it... back!" He roared unexpectedly. The taunting children suddenly leaped back, shrieking in terror. Some of them frantically scratched at their eyes or coat. Lemon Drop cocked her head in confusion. The Pegasus looked equally puzzled. He then turned his head, and his eyes met Lemon's.

And then everything erupted into rushing fire and spiders poured out of every imaginable crevice and they were eating her and Sweet Celestia, please save me!!!

"Wait, wait! I'm sorry!"

Just like that, it was over. Lemon Drop trembled, the image branded into her memory. How... what? Lemon's basket had fallen to the floor, its contents spilling out.

"I'm sorry, it was an accident! I didn't think it would work!" The Pegasus trotted over. Lemon squeaked, scrambling to get away.

"Stay away!"

"I-I'm sorry! Please, just--"

"Stay away!" Lemon Drop screamed as she bolted for the door. She burst outside, sobbing as she galloped as fast as she could.

~~~

Apple Bloom grunted as her kick landed. The apple tree gave a shiver, and a few apples mercifully fell down. Apple Bloom scowled. She wouldn't get much of the orchard harvested in time at this rate. Sweetie Bell watched from beside the barn, keeping one eye on the Cake twins as they played.

"Do you need any help?" Sweetie Belle asked.

Apple Bloom wiped her forehead. "Nah. Just keep watchin' the babies." She exhaled as she went back to work. She continued to buck at the apple trees, to varying degrees of success. She tried to mimic Applejack's fluid motion, but the fact of the matter is that her sister never got around to teaching her the proper way to buck apple trees. After a couple more hours, Apple Bloom sat down in the dirt.

She sighed, hanging her head. If she didn't get all of these apples within the next week...

"Hey, Apple Bloom!"

Her ear twitched when she heard Tender Taps' voice. Apple Bloom smiled as she saw him trotting up to meet her.

"Hi, Taps."

Tender Taps looked around, as if nervous that somepony else might be watching him. "Apple Bloom, something happened."

Apple Bloom slouched. "Did somepony screw around in the market again?"

"What? Oh. Uh, yes, Scootaloo's taking care of it right now. But that's not what I meant."

"Oh," Apple Bloom grimaced. Poor Scootaloo. She practically became the whole town's mother overnight. "Well, what else happened, then?"

Tender Taps bit his lip. "Uh... okay, look: you know how Earth Ponies are strong, right? Like, that's their magical connection to the earth?" Apple Bloom nodded. "Well, something happened to me. It's... it's not Earth Pony magic. I... I don't know how to explain it."

Apple Bloom chuckled. "Why don't you show it?" She gestured to the vast orchard. Tender Taps looked at her hesitantly. Then he slowly approached an apple tree. Apple Bloom smiled to assure him. With a nervous titter, Tender Taps leaned forward, then raised his hind legs.

Which smashed into the apple tree behind him, ripping it away from its trunk, causing it to topple over.

Apple Bloom's jaw dropped. "Holy sh--" Her eyes shifted back to Tender Taps, who was reddening slightly. "...Shoot. I was gonna say shoot." She galloped over to him. "How in the hay did you do that?"

Tender Taps rubbed his head. "I don't know. A few days ago, I just became... strong."

"That is amazing!" Apple Bloom gushed. Her eyes widened in realization. "T, you could help me with the orchard!" Tender Taps gave her a curious look. "Well, maybe if you just like, give 'em a nudge."

Tender Taps laughed, and Apple Bloom joined in. When it died down, He nodded. "Yeah, I'd love to help out." He oofed as Apple Bloom pulled him into a tight hug with one foreleg. "Uh, you're welcome?"

Apple Bloom's smiled grew. "Thanks, big guy." After three solid Mississippi's, she pulled away. Tender Taps coughed as he looked down at his hooves; she was giving him the I "like" like you look.

"So... um, I guess we better get to work."

Apple Bloom nodded. "...Eeyup."

~~~

Scootaloo breathed heavily out of her mouth. These kids were going to be the end of her if they didn't get their act together. Ever since her mini-speech at the schoolhouse, everypony came to her for help and advice.

My brother won't share the video game! My hamster went missing! Somepony knocked a hole through my front door!

Yeah, the problems were starting to get a little more severe. There were still occasional non-issues that popped up, though. Like the one she just had to take care of at the grocery store. Honestly, some kid shot fire and sent spiders to attack some ponies? The versions differed slightly between the kids. But it was nuts all the same. And a waste of time. Those dumb airheads probably just got into a little baggie of shrooms they found in their parents' room.

Scootaloo came to a stop at Sweet Apple Acres. She staggered off of her scooter, stretching slowly. Hopefully Apple Bloom got more work done than she had.

"Hey, Apple Bloom!" She called whilst yawning.

"Over here!" Apple Bloom answered from within the orchard. Scootaloo followed the sound of her voice, trudging as she went. She gave a puzzled look at an odd bunch of fallen apple trees.

"Hey. Has that always been there?" Scootaloo pointed at the pile. Apple Bloom giggled.

"It took Tender Taps a few tries to get the right method."

"Huh?"

"I'll explain it inside. Come on. Sweetie Belle cooked dinner while we were working."

"Sweetie Belle? Cooking? We don't have any enemies to poison, do we?"

The two girls giggled as they retreated to the farmhouse. The orchard became deathly quiet when they left. The sun set, and it remained still and empty for the longest time. The day died and relaxed voices from the nearby farm fell. And the stillness left the orchard, as the earthen ground shifted only the slightest bit.

Coming of Age

Twilight read the article with as much volume in her voice as she could muster.

"Day seventeen after the mysterious appearance of the Dome, and all attempts to breach have proven to be otherwise fruitless. The Elements of Harmony have had no effect on it. No technological mechanism or Unicorn sorcery has worked. Not even the magic of our beloved Princesses has prevailed. Discord himself has attempted to reach into the dome, but only commented that where the space Ponyville should exist in reality is quote, "evading him".

"World leaders are gathering in Canterlot to discuss the Ponyville Anamoly, while thousands gathered there to support the families with loved ones presumed still inside. The only ponies not currently accounted for are merely children. It is suspected that Dark Magic had a role in creating the Dome, and it is rumored that several wizards were sent to Tartarus to interrogate prisoners there.

"What goes on inside that curious opaque globe is unknown, but we can only pray that the children of Ponyville are getting along without their parents."

She set the newspaper down on the table. Her friends were practically falling apart before her eyes. Applejack sat still as a statue while Pinkie Pie and Rarity bawled into each of her shoulders. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy huddled together, both of them looking as though they wished they could disappear.

"Girls... I'm sure they're fine." Twilight tried to smile reassuringly. "We'll get them back."

"When?" Rainbow Dash muttered.

"Eventually."

"What about right now?" Rainbow snapped. "Who's taking care of them right now?"

"They'll be fine, Rainbow," Applejack said thickly. "They ain't babies, they can take care of themselves."

"Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake are babies." Pinkie Pie sniffled.

Applejack's ears folded back. "Look, sugarcube. Somepony will take care of them. We raised good families in Ponyville, they know to look out for each other."

"And they will," Twilight nodded. "They just have to manage until we can open the Dome. I promise, we are working nonstop on getting those foals out."

"Even Cadence?" Fluttershy asked quietly.

"Yes, even Cadence. Tirelessly," Twilight sighed, then rubbed an eye. "We will get them back, girls. I promise."

~~~

"I don't know what to do. Usually, my dad fixes plumbing and stuff like that." Bagpipe gave an apologetic shrug.

Scootaloo sighed, then waved her off. "It's fine, I'll get Snails to fix it. He doesn't mind poo water." Bagpipe nodded, then awkwardly backed out of the office. Scootaloo slumped over Mayor Mare's desk. Was this the kind of stuff she had to put up with? Managing clogged toilets, burnt out light bulbs, and little brothers that stayed up past bedtime?

It was driving Scootaloo nuts. It was then that Tender Taps, the new local beefcake, came in, hopefully with something better to distract her with.

"Hey, Scootaloo. I finished up that tally for you. Everypony left in Ponyville. We have a total of three hundred and twelve foals running around, and that includes all the littles."

"Three hundred and twelve," Scootaloo repeated with a groan. "Three hundred and twelve mouths to feed. Who would have thought that we'd run low on food so fast?"

Tender Taps rubbed his mane. "There's something else," He trotted closer, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Some kids got a rumor started that everypony Poofs when they turn sixteen."

"What?"

"I know, I know. But you said to look out for anything that could be relevant, and..." He looked over his shoulder to make sure nopony else was there. "I looked over the list. Twice. Nopony is over sixteen. Dinky Poofed on her sixteenth birthday. Coincidence?"

Scootaloo flopped back in Mayor Mare's chair. If everypony Poofs eventually, then what? She licked her lips. "Who... who turns next?"

Tender Taps fetched a scroll from his saddlebag. "If I remember correctly, a filly named Silver Spoon."

"...Sweet Celestia."

~~~

"An explosion?" Apple Bloom gaped.

"Yeah, I'm telling you, it came from the Crystal Castle!" The foal pointed urgently.

Apple Bloom shook her head in dismay. "Golly... Okay, I'll take a look as soon as I can. You should go to your home. And tell everypony you see to do the same." The boy nodded, then pelted off.

Apple Bloom looked in the direction of the castle as she continued to the daycare. Nothing looked wrong, and there was no smoke. Maybe somepony set off a firecracker or something. Apple Bloom pushed open the door to the daycare, and was greeted by the sound of fussing children. Sweetie Belle was in the center of the room, softly singing a lullaby to distract the children.

"Hi, Sweetie Belle. I brought ya all the diapers and oatmeal we could round up."

Sweetie Belle looked up, her face brightening. "Oh, thank you so much! I was getting a little low over here." She hummed as she levitated the packages out of the wagon. Apple Bloom cast a look around. She counted over two dozen infants.

"Are you taking care of all of these babies on your own?"

Sweetie Belle nodded. "It's not so bad. Better I take care of them instead of their siblings just leaving them in their cribs," her face soured. "Somepony did that, too. Poor little Arcade was left alone for a whole day, and nopony checked on him! That's why I asked Scootaloo to organize a search to make sure that no littles were left abandoned."

"...Some kids just left their siblings here?" Apple Bloom asked solemnly.

Sweetie Belle nodded. "It's fine. If they can't bother to feed their own family for a day, then they shouldn't have that responsibility."

"Ponies gotta learn, eventually," Apple Bloom pointed out. "Honestly, I wish Scootaloo would let me corral those troublemakers and send 'em to the orchard. More work would get done and she wouldn't have to worry about a broken window every ten minutes."

Sweetie Belle gave a half-smile. "We're doing alright, Apple Bloom. If Rarity and Applejack could see us, they'd be proud of everything we've done already."

"Which is keep the town from collapsing in on itself?"

"Yup!"

Apple Bloom sighed. "Speaking of, I got an explosion to check out."

"An explosion?" Sweetie Belle's eyes widened.

"In the Castle. Probably one of Twilight’s potions that some numbskull knocked over."

Sweetie Belle cocked her head. "Wasn't Twilight’s Castle searched already?"

Apple Bloom grinned sheepishly. "No. It felt kinda wrong poking into Twilight’s place. But I guess I have to, now."

"Well, be careful." Sweetie Belle cautioned as Apple Bloom turned back out the door.

"I will!"

Sweetie Belle returned her attention to the foals sprawled out across the blankets on the floor. "My goodness, how terrible of me!" She cried out, feigning despair. "I stopped singing for thirty seconds. I just never pay any attention to any of you, do I?" With a light roll of her eyes, Sweetie Belle resumed the lullaby, and Apple Bloom strained to listen as she drew farther away.

Silent night, Starry night,

All is calm, All is bright,

'Round the forest, parents and young...

~~~

Featherweight looked around nervously as he grabbed the bucket. He was alone, so it seemed. He tugged the wooden pail away from the well, and carefully began to pour it into his pot. Suddenly, he heard rapid hoofsteps behind him.

Featherweight whipped around and pictured feral Timberwolves. The red colt came to an immediate halt, balling up as he screamed. Featherweight chuckled in disbelief.

"I knew you'd try to get me," his laughter turned more confident. "I knew it!" Featherweight bent down and gave a mocking pouty face. "What's the matter, hot stuff? Not so tough now, are you?"

He pictured a flood of eels swarming Tamale, whose screams grew louder. Featherweight leaned down next to his ear. "Try it again, and I'll make you see even worse." Under normal circumstances, Tamale would have laughed at Featherweight's threat, but now he nodded fiercely, begging for it to stop.

"Good."

~~~

Silver Spoon gazed at Scootaloo in shock. "Me? You think I'm going to Poof?"

Scootaloo nodded, unable to think of something helpful to say.

Diamond Tiara scoffed. "Her birthday is today, genius. She obviously hasn't Poofed." Silver Spoon looked relieved to hear that.

"Dinky didn't Poof until later in the day." That erased Silver Spoon's relief.

"Yeah, well, what if the stupid Dome just didn't realize she was sixteen yet? What if it made a mistake?"

"Please, do not raise your voice," Scootaloo hissed. "I don't need more about this getting out. And besides, that's a pretty odd mistake for it to make, don't you think?"

Diamond Tiara scrunched her nose. "Silver Spoon isn't going anywhere. She isn't Poofing. Just watch."

"Um, can I interject?" Tender Taps raised a hoof. "When we had Snips and Snails search the hospital for records on everypony, they found copies of birth certificates."

Diamond Tiara raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"And... Dinky Poofed at 2:43 PM." Tender Taps trotted over to one of the filing cabinets and pulled out a paper. He offered it to Silver Spoon, who hesitantly accepted it. She gulped as she began to read it.

"Oh... Oh my."

Diamond Tiara shoved Tender Taps away to look at it. Her face froze as she read the line under Silver Spoon's name.

Born October 3rd, 992, *9:18 AM.***

Silver Spoon trembled as she looked at the clock. 9:16.

"I'm... I'm gonna--"

"No!" Diamond Tiara shouted. "You're... you're all being paranoid! Silver's not gonna Poof!"

Silver Spoon physically flinched as the minute hand moved forward. "I don't wanna die," She whimpered. Silver Spoon latched onto Diamond Tiara. "I don't wanna die!"

Scootaloo desperately tried to shush the wailing girl. Tender Taps cringed as he peeked outside. Ponies were nearing, drawn by the noise. His ear perked at the sound of Apple Bloom's voice.

"Y'all won't believe what I found!"

She burst in with a loopy grin on her face, the stopped when she saw Silver Spoon clutching Diamond Tiara. Several children slithered in behind her to take in the scene.

"What in the hay is goin' on?"

"I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die! I don't wan--"

Diamond Tiara yelped as she fell over, no longer leaning into Silver Spoon's body. Everypony stared in horror, while Diamond Tiara looked around in confusion. It was then that the truth hit them.

Everypony Poofs.