“Seems you’ve discovered why ponies still live with alicorns,” Second Sight said later that day as the group sat in her home. After the incident in the garden, Twilight’s legs were numb and trembling, so Flash carried her back to the old mare’s house with Pinkie and Spike close behind them. The two foals Flash and Rainbow’s team had saved were still sleeping in Second Sight’s room, so they moved downstairs to talk.

“Huh?” Twilight asked. She was still distracted by Rainbow’s outburst, but her natural curiosity let her to latch onto the old mare’s words.

“Dearie, have you ever wondered why, after three thousand years, us normal ponies still live with alicorns, even after they do so much to us? Why there’s never been a rebellion or a group that tried to go and make their own city without alicorn oversight until we did?” Second Sight asked. “It’s because of that taint you pulled up out of the earth. It infects the land almost everywhere. It makes it almost impossible for earth ponies to call on the magic of the planet. Growing crops is almost impossible, and even once healthy plants can become toxic to those who depend on them for food.

“That little trick you pulled is one I’ve seen Thorn use many times,” Second Sight continued with a small, odd smile. “She would often come to our farm to make sure ‘we were working hard enough,’ but with my magic eyes I could see what she was really doing. She would pull up the taint as she walked, making sure the farm would stay clean of that foul sludge. Not sure why she kept that little fact a secret, but I digress.”

“So that’s why ponies still live with alicorns,” Spike said.

“Righto, little one,” the old mare said, winking at the dragon through the cloth. “We need them to clean the land so earth ponies can grow our food. And even if the land is cleaned, that stuff just seeps back in from elsewhere. It’s like a mosquito bite. You can scratch it to stop the itching, but it will always be itchy again. That’s what started us living with alicorns. The horrible attitude and punishments came later. Now, it’s almost impossible for us to leave.”

She looked up at the ceiling. “The only reason we can grow food here is, ironically enough, the natural plants in Everfree.”

“How so?” Flash asked.

“The plants here, like poison joke, actually don’t persevere through the dark magic – they need it to survive. The more taint in a region of the forest, like near the edge of the miasma, the more unusual plants grow there. It can actually leaves parts of the land clean enough for us to grow things without every crop becoming toxic. For example, this area used to be covered in a poison-spewing plant called venenum. But as the plant fed off the corrupted magic, the levels of said magic became so low that venenum could no longer survive here, so it’s seeds moved outwards in a circular pattern and left an area of low corruption. Granted, the land’s not anywhere near perfect, but it’s good enough for us to work without fear.”

“But does that mean that all the plants Twilight helped will get sick again?” Pinkie asked.

“Maybe,” Second Sight said, turning to look at Twilight. “What you did was different than what Thorn did. I could see you expelling the taint. And then a magic I’ve never seen before came and not only destroyed it, but it left some of itself all over the farm.”

“The Element of Magic,” Twilight said, looking down at the gem on her necklace. “After I got sick, it shot out a beam of light that destroyed the taint. But you say it changed the farm?”

“Not really changed, just left a bit of itself there. No idea what it’ll do, but maybe it will give me a place to look that not covered in black.”

“You can see the taint?” Spike asked.

“Yep. Ever since I got my sight back, I could see that nasty stuff. It’s like a tar that covers the ground and plants. Even on Thorn’s farm, I could still see it, although not nearly as much as I do now. Truth be told, I hope one day to see what the world looks like without that stuff everywhere.” Second Sight sighed, and the movement beneath the cloth implied that she was closing her eyes.

“By the way, dearie, you’ve seem extra distracted today. A gem for your thoughts?” she asked, turning to Twilight and raising an eyebrow.

“I’m just…what Rainbow said…”

Second Sight sighed. “Try not to let it get to you, honey. We’re all different in some ways, but what matters is that we all work together now that we’re here.”

“But no one will work with me, and she was RIGHT,” Twilight yelled, standing up and starting to pace. “I’m NOT like anyone here! Even if I was still a unicorn, I wouldn’t be able to compare myself to these other ponies! Heck, I would have never even found the village because I would never have a reason to run away! Everypony here has had horrible things happen to them and I can’t understand them because I barely have any experience I can use to sympathize with them!”

Twilight would have continued trying to wear a grove in the floor if Second Sight hadn’t stood up and booped her on the nose, causing her to startle and go cross-eyed.

“You sure do seem to miss the most obvious answers,” Second Sight said, chuckling. “Though I’m guessing your continuous reading may have something to do with that.”

“Huh?” Twilight replied, confused. Twilight could see Second Sight roll her eyes.

“If you really think your so different because you lived an easier life, then ask us about ours,” the old mare said gently. “Learn what it’s like living under an oppressive alicorn, what everyone else has gone through and why they chose to run away. Like you said, we all have stories of things alicorns have done to us, so maybe if you listen to them, you can get a sense what most normal ponies live through on a daily basis. Think of it like research,” she added slyly, chuckling again as Twilight’s eyes lit up in realization.

“In fact, why don’t I tell you my story first?”

Pinkie pulled a bag of popcorn, still hot and buttery, out of her mane. Flash groaned in confusion and annoyance, and Second Sight laughed. She guided Twilight back to her seat before climbing back into her own chair and taking a deep breath.

“I told you I lost my eyes as a punishment, but I never really told you why I was being punished. I was only ten when it happened, so I didn’t have my cutie mark yet. My mother was a Keeper, and I had a keen interest in becoming one as well. As a Keeper in training, I had full access to the library and spent a lot of my free time reading.” She smiled at Twilight. “Not as much as you, dearie, but quite a lot.

“As I continued to read and learn, I also began to practice magic. I was so good that I was soon performing full-blown spells – three years earlier than I probably should have. A consequence of my strong power, I guess. I felt like I could do anything, learn any spell or create any rune. Nothing got in the way of my learning. But I had a, uh, a small problem.

“While my mom was a Keeper, my dad was a farmer and had a tendency to complain about Thorn – not that it was uncommon. But most ponies kept their complaints hidden, and my dad had been caught complaining to Thorn’s face after she baited him into it, and had received a punishment. It was surprisingly light, or, at least, light by Thorn’s standards. Anyway, she never forgot this little blunder of his, so my talent of magic most likely caused her paranoia to go through the roof. That, or she thought that hurting me could be used as revenge against my father. I could never tell.

“One day in the library, I found an unmarked book one of the tables, just sitting there, which Thorn NEVER allowed. Curious, I opened it, but I didn’t even read a single line before two Butlers jumped me and pinned we down. They put a magic restraint on me and dragged me to the dungeon without a word.

“It turns out the book was a trap by Thorn.”

“A trap?” Spike asked.

“She left it there for me, knowing I would find it and then she could use it as evidence against me. She also probably figured it would be a good way to indirectly get back at my father.

“I was terrified. They left me in that cell all night with no food or water and then they dragged me to the center of town the next day. They pulled me onto a stage in front of everyone, and Thorn began to give the most horseapples speech I had ever heard. Apparently, I had ‘stolen’ a book on dark magic that belonged to her, and was going to use it to overthrow her, poison the crops, become an alicorn myself, all this nonsensical manure that was no way true. Her only evidence was the Butlers that caught me opening the book, but it was clear that they were probably the ones to put it out in the first place.

“The audience she had no doubt forced to attend shared my thoughts. I could tell just by looking at their faces. But what could they do? They were just as trapped as I was. After her ranting, Thorn gave me my sentence. She sliced my horn off so far down the shaft that it would never regrow. It…was the most painful thing I had ever experienced.” As she spoke, her voice began to crack. “It hurt so much I couldn’t even feel her using fire to cauterize the wound. But that wasn’t even the worst of it.

“She forced my eyes open and summoned bright magic beams into my eyes, destroying my retinas. It hurt just as much as the loss of my horn, both physically and because I thought I would never be able to read again. Even without my horn I could still use rune magic, but without my eyes…

At this point, Second Sight had to stop her story and take a deep breath, lifting the cloth slightly to let the tears drain out. Pinkie offered her some popcorn while Twilight offered for them to continue later. Second Sight, after taking a minute to compose herself, said she could continue and gratefully accepted the popcorn from Pinkie.

“I was so broken-hearted that the rest of that day was a blur. I think they carried me back to my cell, but I can’t be sure since soon after I was moved to one of her ‘special’ farms. That’s where she had the most troublesome or the impaired ponies work. The troublesome ones work longer hours, the impaired ones just do anything that might be useful. I think her logic was something about not getting food if we didn’t grow it ourselves, but it’s not like I can get into the head of a crazy alicorn any better than you can.

“I was lost. Lost in a sea of black that used to be a world of color and shapes. I was nearly helpless, and my only solace was that, being blind, I was given all the boring, repetitive jobs since I couldn’t be trusted with the harder ones. It didn’t really help though. I cried so much I wondered if I would still be able to cry when it finally stopped hurting, or if I would run out of tears.”

“I was like this for a month. A month of nothing but blackness, the ground beneath my hooves, and the harsh words of the farm’s master telling us to work every day. I thought it would never end, that it couldn’t get worse. But then the magic sickness came…

“At first I thought it was just a stomach bug, but then I had trouble walking, and another mare told me that my vomit was glowing. It got so bad that I was transferred to the main medical building of Thorn’s property.

“Thorn has a medical building?” Spike asked.

“I know what you’re thinking – why would she have one for her ponies if she’s so…Thorn?” Second Sight asked with a bitter smile. “A sick pony can’t carry out her orders. It wasn’t as terrible as it could have been though, and my friend Feather Duster was able to see me secretly.

“She had a tendency to snoop around, and apparently she found out I had little chance of recovery, which the doctors wouldn’t tell me for risk of me falling into depression even further. As a maid to Thorn, Dusty had full access to her home, and she offered to try and find a book that could cure me. I refused her offer, as I didn’t want anyone else to get hurt, but she ignored me.” The old mare laughed. “Such a great friend, if a bit lacking in self preservation.

“The rest is like I told you before. She found out what was causing me to be sick, told me about burning magic off in throughout my body, something we never learned because Thorn didn’t want us to know for some reason, so on and so forth. I forced my magic into my eyes because the highly-fevered me thought it was a good idea. It worked, which was an utter miracle.

I did it at night when the doctors weren’t around, but nothing happened. Disheartened, I went to sleep, but kept the magic flowing right up until I lost consciousness. When I woke up the next morning, I realized my magic was still being forced into my eyes. Tentatively, I opened them and… and…”

Second Sight began to tear up again, but this time she wore a smile that put Pinkie’s to shame. “I could see. And not just the room, I could see MAGIC. It was a rainbow of colors flowing in every direction and way, between ponies or just on its own. It was everywhere, in everything. It was the happiest moment of my whole life. I was so happy I nearly gave myself away when the doctors came in. I thought it best not to let it be known that I could see, or esls Thorn might try to ‘correct’ that.

“I got better, and I went back to the farm. Once I realized that my eyes were starting to dissolve, I tied a scrap of cloth around my face so no one would see them changing. Thankfully no pony ever questioned it. I lived like this for the next forty years or so.

“Things, for the most part, were uneventful in that time. Occasionally Dusty would sneak out and see me, though she would need to break into the cellar that we were kept in at night to actually talk to me. She would also occasionally steal a book for me, some of which I still have. Good thing that ding-dong in charge of the farm never bothered to inspect the cellar. But other than that, my life was rather predictable and boring.

“It only really changed when little Fluttershy showed up on the farm.” Second Sight’s smile fell. “Poor dearie, she was such a mess when they threw her down in the cellar with us the first night. I’ll let her go into more detail when she tells you her story, but she failed her flight test, yet, instead of letting her crash into the ground, Rainbow Dash saved her at the last second.

“Whoa,” Spike said.

“Whoa indeed, youngin. The speed and precision needed to save her from such a height would have made her a fierce pegasus warrior, but she hated Thorn with a passion, and let everypony know that, even Thorn herself. So as punishment for interfering in the test, Rainbow was to loose one wing and Fluttershy was to loose both, as ‘a pegasus that can’t fly is better off confined to the earth,’ as that psycho put it. Not sure why I was brought to view this little event seeing as she thought I was BLIND, but I digress.”

“Is it ok for you to be telling their stories like this?” Flash asked.

“Everyone already knows the basics of their stories. I’m just telling you what they told me so you can ask them without saying anything hurtful. Plus, it gives you another look into how life was on Thorn’s property.

“Rainbow’s constant gripes against Thorn actually helped her save Fluttershy. From what they told me, Rainbow taunted Thorn into a bet, saying she could loose both her wings and not cry out in pain. If she won, Fluttershy would get to keep her wings. If she lost, Thorn got to make an example of her in front of everypony. Suffice to say, Rainbow won.

“Thorn did let Fluttershy keep her wings, but still threw her onto our farm with wing restraints. The poor dear was hysterical when she arrived and wouldn’t tell anypony what happened. The only thing we could tell was that she blamed herself, and that was because she muttered in her sleep. It was only a week later that she actually began to talk to all of us.

“About three days after her joining us, a mole accidently buried into the cellar. Rather than leave, it seemed to take an unusual interest in our dear Fluttershy. The next day, we caught her talking to the chickens, and they were listening! It was at the end of that week that she discovered her cutie mark and finally realized her true talent was working with animals. It was because of the animals on the farm that she finally opened up to us.

“Well, that and a little of my excellent comedy skills. I was the first one to get her to smile, and that was well worth the effort, let me tell you.

“Anyway, while we helped her realize that Rainbow’s injuries weren’t her fault, the farm owner suddenly became much more aggressive. He worked us harder, longer, and gave us less food. He even had me work in the fields, knowing I would fail. I had to fail or risk him realizing I could see.

“It got so bad that some of the other were dropping from exhaustion right there in the field. By the end of the second week, Fluttershy had begun doing something I could barely imagine surviving. She started giving those who were the worst off part, or even all of her food. Heck, sometimes she would give one pony a part of her rations and another the rest of it without telling the other that she already shared. It…it hurt her, but she didn’t care so long as it made us all feel better.”

Second Sight shook her head, the tears returning.

“By the end of the month, the lack of food and hard working conditions had left her as nothing more than skin and bones. She was so thin I…I was sure she wouldn’t make it. But then Rainbow Dash showed up in the middle of the night, wearing a Butler’s suit and carrying those six knives. She broke us out, pulled Fluttershy onto her back, and led us all the way to freedom. She also tied the farm owner to a tree and covered him in honey and feathers. Guess he shouldn’t have tried to stop us.

“Anyway, we escaped into the forest, made sure Fluttershy started eating, found Fluffy, then Applejack, Big Mac, and Applebloom, and eventually set up the village.”

“And that’s how Equestria was made!” Pinkie finished, causing everyone but Second Sight to stare at her in confusion.

“Exactly,” Second Sight said with a nod, a completely serious expression on her face. But when Twilight facehooved, it fell away and she snickered.

“I’m not even gonna ask,” Twilight muttered, before regaining her composure. “But if all of that happened, how did you get your cutie mark?”

“Surprisingly enough, it appeared the moment I could see again. It was quite the nice surprise, let me tell you. I open my eyes, could see the world again, then felt a little tingle on my flank and turn to see my cutie mark appear. Second Sight indeed.”

“Still, that’s one heck of a story,” Twilight said, shivering slightly. “I knew she was evil, but that… that makes my Canterlot story look like nothing.”

“Is that kind of cruelty… common? Among alicorns at least?” Spike asked.

Second Sight just shrugged. “It all depends. I’d estimate…1 in 7 are horrible, maybe more.”

“Yikes.”

“Should we had Pinkie tell her story now?” Flash asked. No one noticed Pinkie’s smile falling slightly.

“That’s Pinkie’s decision, and Twilight’s as to whether or not she wants to hear her story,” Second Sight said. “But why don’t we go get some food first? Story telling makes me hungrier then Pinkie on a cupcake binge.” She winked at the pink mare through the cloth. Pinkie nodded in agreement and dashed upstairs to start making food.

While she was cooking, the soft cadence of hooves could be heard from Second Sight’s room. Turning to see what it was the group watched as the two rescued foals wandered into the room. The colt was limping ever so slightly, but it didn’t look too serious. The wide, blue eyes scanned the room, but immediately froze upon seeing Twilight. Neither one moved, which gave Second Sight the perfect opportunity to scoop them into her forelegs.

“Hello there,” she said, smiling softly at the two confused and scared foals. “My name is Second Sight and I’ll be looking after you two for a while. Don’t worry, bed times are not enforced and all deserts are allowed,” she said with a chuckle, causing the two of them blink in confusion more than fear.

“Incoming,” Pinkie yelled, just in time to flip a pancake into the air. It arched high before landing perfectly on Twilight’s head and speared her horn.

“EEP!” Twilight cried, flinching and looking up at the offending bit of food. The kitchen was silent for about ten seconds before everyone save Twilight burst out laughing. Even the foals couldn’t help but giggle at the deadpan stare Twilight was giving them all.

“Hehehe, ya see dearies?” Second Sight said with a smile, “She’s not a mean alicorn like Thorn. She’s a silly alicorn that loves pancakes. Why, I bet she sometimes dreams she IS a pancake!” The foals only giggled harder while Twilight just sighed and pulled the pancake off her head, only for pinkie to gulp it down three seconds later.

“Now I’m sure your both hungry,” Second Sight said, sitting back down with the foals in her lap. “But before you eat, I need you to tell me your names. I can’t just call you Mrs. Pancake and Mr. Pancake, as funny as that would be,” she said, winking through the cloth.

The foals looked a bit nervous at first, but as soon as Second Sight mentioned the nicknames, they giggled more and began to relax.

“I-I’m Silver Wind,” the filly said.

“A-and I’m Sturdy Oak,” the colt continued, before both of their stomachs rumbled.

“That’ll do,” Second Sight said with a smirk. “Pinkie, I need twenty pancakes, on the double.

“Yes captain!” Pinkie cried with enthusiasm before she began working even faster. Unsurprisingly, the foals had a voracious hunger and devoured anything in front of them. While they still clung to Second Sight and would occasionally send unsure glances at Twilight and Spike (having never seen a dragon before), they were far more relaxed than they had been when they entered the room.

After they had finished eating more than half the food, they quickly fell asleep again in Second Sight’s lap.

“Pinkie, would you tell me your story?” Twilight asked.

“Okie dokie lokie,” Pinkie said, nodding slightly. She took a deep breath.

“I grew up under Lady Obsidian, who owned a rock farm. There, we farmed rocks either to use as building material or to grow gems inside them. It was really boring and gloomy there. Nopony ever seemed to smile. And I mean EVER. I almost didn’t know what a smile was.” She said, surprising everyone save Second Sight.

The fact that such a happy pony with such huge smiles didn’t even know what they were sounded almost impossible. Pinkie continued. “It wasn’t until a huge rainbow explosion cleared away the sky that I felt truly happy, so much so that I stayed up all night preparing a party for my family for our day off.

“It was the first time I ever saw them smile, and I realized that smiling was the greatest thing in the world, so I decided to try and make as many other ponies smile as I could. That’s when my cutie mark appeared. But Obsidian didn’t like that. She wanted everyone to be sad and mopey, so she said ‘no more parties’ and locked me up for a bit. Buuuuuut she didn’t take my spoon, so I was able to dig my way out since the cell was made of dirt, and I escaped to freedom before she could catch me.

“The end.”

Flash, Spike and Twilight just stared at her. Not only was this story far shorter than one they would normally expect from the bubbly mare, but it also lacked details. About almost everything. They looked at each other in concern before turning back to the pink mare.

“Umm… Pinkie?” Twilight asked nervously. “Is that really all of it?”

“Yep.”

“Do you think we could get a few more details?”

Silence.

“Pinkie?”

“Please don’t ask for more.”

Twilight blinked. Pinkie’s voice was smaller than she had ever heard it, smaller than any voice she had ever heard ever. Pinkie’s always-present joy was gone, and her mane had somehow deflated. Tears were beginning to build in her eyes.

“I…I don’t wanna think about that place anymore. I-I just want to be happy. Please don’t make me relive it.”

“You…you don’t have to tell us,” Twilight said, reaching over and patting her shoulder uncertainly. “It’s up to you to decide how much you want to tell us. We won’t force you.”

“Thank you,” Pinkie said, smiling waveringly.

“Glad I don’t need to teach you that lesson,” Second Sight said, nodding in approval and reaching into a cupboard. She pulled out a pink cake, causing Pinkie to start drooling, her sadness forgotten. “Never force a pony to say things they don’t want to. Some memories are just to painful to be brought up again.”

“Is there anyone in particular we should avoid?” Flash asked, eying Pinkie cut everypony a slice of the cake before devouring the rest herself. “Also…”

“Sugar helps her forget,” Second Sight said softly. “It brightens her mood and helps her focus on the present, rather than the past. As for who to avoid, I’d say Applejack.”

“Is this because she still doesn’t trust Twilight?” Spike asked.

“No, it’s because ever her brother doesn’t know the full story.” Second Sight said, surprising the others, except the still distracted Pinkie. “Her lady takes ponies away from their families at a young age, and trains them to be Butlers. I don’t know the specifics, but I do know that Applejack was taken for nearly two years, and when she escaped, it was the day she was supposed to have graduated and become a full Butler.

“Her sword? Apparently it was supposed to be her graduation weapon. She told me she keeps it as a reminder, but as to what, I haven’t the faintest idea.”

“But even Big Mac doesn’t know?” Flash asked.

“Nope. He’s never managed to get the story out of her, even after almost twelve years. Maybe it’s just too painful for her.”

‘Twelve years, and still she doesn’t talk about it?’ Twilight thought, gently reaching for the scar on her neck. ‘Maybe we have more in common than she thinks…’

Author's Note

Whew, oh boy. I am lucky my phone serves as a mobile hotspot. I am on vacation right now, and the wifi is horrible (as per usual). Good news, I still am able to post this (I hope it goes through).

In other news, I hope I did this correctly. I feel like this chapter was a bit difficult to write, but I think I was able to make it understandable and believable. Any advice is welcome, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Also, Pinkie's story will be explored much more in Act 2. No spoilers though

Next time: Getting to know the village