Chapters "For questions 1-15, solve each problem, choose the best answer from the choices provided, and fill in the corresponding circle on your answer sheet. For questions 16-20, solve the problem and enter your answer in the grid on the answer sheet. Please refer to the directions before question 16 on how to enter your answers in the grid. You may use any available space in your test booklet for scratch work...."
"What the heck are you doing?" A voice suddenly asked. It caused me to flinch and drop my workbook. I turn to face the owner of the voice to find my roommate, Julia.
"N-nothing, just catching up on some homework from last semester" I explain, holding up a textbook. She reads the cover before giving me a look.
"You do realize it's spring break right?" She questions. I answer by nodding "Then why the heck are you doing work? We have all of next week to catch up. Besides, there aren't any test when we get back"
"I just thought it would be a good idea to get-"
"-Get out for once? Well, I'm glad we're on the same page!" She exclaims happily while pulling me up from my chair.
"Wa-wait! I never said I was going to go anywhere!" I yell stumbling as she pulls me to her side of the room.
She pushes me down to sit on her bed before she goes over to her closet to flip through some of the many outfits she has. After many rejected dresses, skirts, and shirts she pulls something out with an 'Aha!'.
"Here, put this on while I do your hair and make-up!" She orders, tossing the dress on my head.
"H-hold on, Julia!" She ignores me as she looks around for a brush and make-up "Julia! I said I'm not going! Are you listening?"
"Hmm? All I heard was 'Julia!' 'I'm!' and 'Going!'. The rest was just a bunch of mumbles" She says while grinning wide. "Lighten up Lil', I'm just joking!"
"So I don't have to go out?" I ask hopefully.
"No, you're still coming"
I sigh loudly as my clothes are forcefully stripped from my body.
"Woah! Hey! I-I can get dressed by myself! JULIA!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I don't want to look hot! I want to go back to my room" I complain. I was hiding the lower half of my body behind a wall and I was pretty sure my face was burning red "I didn't even know dresses came this short"
It felt like my meek attempts at pulling the bottom of the dress down was making it shorter. After four more attempts, I gave up and continued to hide. I began to sweat even more than before when I saw a car pull up in front of us. The window rolled down and inside were four more people that looked our age.
"Hey, Jules. Ready to go?" The guy driving asked. Then his eyes shifted to me. "Who's your friend?"
"That's my roommate Lillian" She leans in as if she was keeping what she said a secret "She's never been to a party in her life"
The people in the car all gasped and looked at me horrified.
"That can't be true"
"No way!"
"How does she live!"
"Hey, kid!" A girl called out of the back window "Get over here! We're gonna make sure you never forget this night!"
"Um Julia, I-I still don't think I should tag along. I don't want to ruin your night of fun" I say slowly backing away from the car "You guys go ahead without me-"
Just suddenly grabs my arm and pushes me into the car. Once I gain my balance I sit up and try to open the door but a clicking sound indicates that the door had been locked. I whip my head around to face the driver as he smiles back at me.
"Sorry kid, What Julia says goes" He apologized
"Isn't this kidnapping though!? " I exclaim.
"Relax kid," A girl told me, placing her hand on my shoulder
"And stop calling me kid. I have a name!"
"Oh yeah, I guess we never did go over introductions. Guys, this is Lillian"
Julia gestures to the girl behind me.
"That's Candice but everyone calls her Candy"
"Whats up?" She greets.
"The guy driving is Ashton"
"Sup'"
"Don't fall for the cool guy act, he's actually a big softy" Candy whispers to me.
"I HEARD THAT!"
"The guy over there trying to not make eye contact is Grant," Julia says pointing to another boy who was facing the window. "Can you at least say hi?"
"...Hello"
"And the last girl here is Quinn" The girl who Julia was pointing at seemed to be glaring at me.
"Uh hi?" I say.
"Children shouldn't be allowed here," She says harshly. "She's only a first year"
"Hey don't be like that Quinn. Aren't I a first year too? and we get along" Julia says with a disappointed look.
"That's because you can't pass"
"Well you caught me there"
I sigh and lean back into the seat. This is going to be a long night, isn't it?
"We're here" I look out the window to see a large building with flashing lights emitting from it. People were outside lined up to go in and other people were coming out.
"Don't you have to be over twenty-one to go in?" I ask.
"Don't worry you're twenty-one...Is what we're going to say if they ask" Candy says slyly.
I awkwardly laugh at her joke but when no one else laughed I realized.
"Wait, you're serious?"
"Wait, you're not twenty-one!"
I jump to and turn to find someone standing there.
"Waititsnotwhatyouthinkicanexplainipromisjustdontsayanythin!-"
"Calm down Lillian" Ashton appears "I just wanted to play a little prank on you" He explains while laughing.
"That wasn't funny" I mumble while pouting.
"I just wanted to help you have fun that's all" I ignore his excuse and continue to pout. He frowns and sits next to me "Listen, it may not look like it but Julia really cares about you. In fact, she's actually worried"
"Why would she be worried?"
"She says you always stress yourself out with work and never relax. That can't be healthy" He leans his head into his hand and glances at where Julia was laughing and talking with the other three. "She's like a sister to us, and we hate to see her get upset. Even if it's for someone else's sake"
"I'm sorry" I apologized, turning my gaze to the floor.
"Hey now. Don't go making that face. We aren't blaming you so chin up" He says winking at me "Besides, Your one of us now too, so we don't want to see you upset either"
I can't help but smile at him as he stands up and reaches out for my hand. I take it and he leads me to the rest of the group.
"So you finally got the party pooper to join us? Good job Ash!" Julia praises him as she pulls him into a headlock and ruffles his hair.
"Argh! Not the hair!"
"Well aren't you a lady killer~" Candy teases as she nudges Ash's side.
"What are you talking about?" Ashton questions. He blushes when he realized. "That was- it's not- Really Candice!?"
"I don't think that was his intention Candy," I say also blushing "He was just helping me feel better"
"Oh, I see. So it was THAT kind of situation" Candy teases again.
"Candy!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"BEST. NIGHT. EVER!" Candy cheers as we speed down the road.
"Okay, I have to admit that was kind of fun" Grant mumbles.
"Kinda Grant?" Candy asked leaning closer to the quiet boy.
"Fine it was really fun," He says cracking a smile.
I laugh with everyone else. Tonight was actually fun. We danced, sang, laughed and talked. We just talked and talked and talked. About random topics and not about homework or studying. I looked at Julia who had her poked Quinn's leg from the front of the car. Quinn, of course, was still in a bit of a bad mood that I had to tag along. But one look at Julia made her smile too. It's weird that I never noticed before but Julia had a weird talent for lifting people's spirit. She did the same to Grant who actually started to chuckle.
"You finally see what I was talking about now, right kid?" Ash says turning his head from the window.
I nod before I realized something.
"Hey, how come you're not driving?" I asked while looking at Candy who took sharp turns.
"I had one too many tonight. Thought it would be best if someone else drove, but Candy's the only one with a driver's license" He explains holding his head.
"Don't you think we're going a bit too fast?" I ask.
"It's fine Lil I know what I'm doing," Candy says waving her hand.
"I still think you should slow-"
"I said it was fine-"
"CANDICE!" Quinn screamed.
Candy whipped her head back around the last thing I saw were headlights on a very large truck.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I groaned and tried to sit up but something was keeping me down. I tried to focus my eyes on what was lying on me but I couldn't. I tried again and when they did focus I wish they didn't. The car that we were previously in was tipped over on my legs. I started to scream out but my voice only came out as a whimper.
"J-Juli?" I whispered but I couldn't find her. I couldn't make anyone out in the dark.
"Quinn?, C-Candice? Grant?"I kept calling out names but no one answered. My eyes started watering. "A-ash? Anybody!"
"Lilly?"
"Candice!" I yell as I turn my head in the direction it came from. In the dark, I could see someone dragging themselves over. "Wait don't move you'll hurt yourself even more!"
"What's the point I'm already dying," She says with a bit of humor in her voice but it's faint and getting even fainter as she comes closer.
I wish I had the strength to cover my gaping mouth when I saw her condition. Her head and arms were bleeding and it looks like her face was burnt by the airbag and her leg was clearly broken.
"I-I'm sorry"
"Huh?"
"I said I'm sorry" She repeats while crying hysterically. "I'm so so so so so sorry!"
"Candy. It's not your fault-"
"IT IS! If I just listened to you and slow down we wouldn't have... And the others would be alive"
"You mean they all?..."
"I already checked. Quinn's head in the windshield, Grant stopped breathing the minute I found him, Ash's body is on the side of the road and Julia! She!- I- I'm so so sorry!" Her body is shaking like a leaf. I want to reach out but I can't get to her with the car on my legs.
"Candy it's okay. It wasn't your fault you hear me? Whoever was in that truck was in the wrong. It's not your fault. Please stop crying" I tell her but I'm starting to bawl myself. I hear her sniffle and stop. "Good girl. The truck is gone so someone must have reported it they had to of."
I reach my hand as far as I could.
"We're gonna wait together okay?" She places her hand in mine and nods "Don't let go of my hand. If I start to let go I want you to squeeze as hard as you can okay?"
"G-got it," She says with determination.
"No matter how long it takes I want you to stay with me until they come"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Candy?" I call her but there's no answer "Candy! Candy please answer me!"
"Huh?" She pops her head up" What's wrong Lilly?"
"You scared me. I thought you were gone" I say with a smile of relief but my tears were still falling.
"Oh sorry. I was...just a bit tired" Her voice was getting lighter and her sentences are slower and spaced out.
She won't make it.
"Oh, that's all!" I say with sudden optimism "Well if you were tired you should have just said so. Get some rest"
"Are you sure?" She asked.
"Yup. it's no problem. I'll...wake you up when someone finds us okay?" I give her my best smile.
"Alright I'll see you then," She says smiling back.
"Yup and we'll have to plan to meet up after this is all over okay!"
"Yeah" She lays her head down and drifts off.
My smile falls as I watch her face get softer and softer until it relaxes completely. She moves her lips a bit. My eyes widened and I just started crying on the spot.
"Thank you, Lilly,"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I still haven't let go of Candy's hand as I lay there. I'm going to join her soon anyway. But...
"I never wanted any of this to happen... I just wanted to have fun for once without having to worry about homework and test" I whisper to no one. "I-I'm not ready to die yet. I want to spend more time with them" I look up at the sky to see a star fly by.
"I just want one thing. Please give me...Give us all one more chance with life"
"Just one...one more chance"
As my breathing fades and my vision darkens I saw another shooting star. And another, and another, until the whole sky is filled with shooting stars as they cross each other.
Then it goes white.
"Wish Granted"
Author's Note
So new story... well it's more like a re-write/ Re-interpreted of my really old deleted story "Autumn Leaf" I think it went pretty well.
I hope this becomes a hit and people don't criticize me for not have ponies yet.
"AAAAHHH! " I scream while sitting up in my bed. Footsteps get closer to my room. Then the door flies open and Mom rushes in.
"Autumn! Are you okay? What happened?" She asks frantically checking me for injuries.
"I-I had a bad dream" I whimper "I dreamed that I died in a-a crash and the people there all died too a-and-"
"It's okay sweetheart you don't have to tell me if you don't want to remember." She pulls me into a hug and rubs my back as I cry "shhh, it was only a dream. I'm here"
I do nothing but cry and hold onto her. This is what mom does whenever I cry. She doesn't try to get me to stop crying like most parents do. She allows me to let out all of my feelings and all she does is listen when I need her too. That's just her nature: Gentle and kind.
Then again she is the element of kindness.
"What's with all these damn lights on. Doesn't anyone in here care that I have work tomorrow?" A gruff voice whines.
And he's not.
"I'm sorry dear," Mom apologized "Autumn just had a little scare that's all-"
"Again!?" He walks over and nudges mom out of the way so he's kneeling in front of me. "Listen, Autumn, You're a big girl now, almost ten years old, You can't wake up every damn night crying like a baby. Your mother and I need sleep!"
"But I-"
"No excuses. Now I want you to go back to bed and not one more sound tonight or I'm gonna!-"
"Case!" Mom yells completely out of character. She glares at him for a moment before forcing a smile "I think we're all a little tired now so why don't we just head off to bed?"
'Dad' gives me one last warning look before standing up and storming out. Mom watches him go and once he's out of sight she gives me a hug and a kiss before leaving too. I crawl back into bed and turn so I'm facing the window. That dream still isn't out of my head. It felt so real, or rather like a memory.
I wish I could ask Auntie Twilight to send a letter to Princess Luna but I don't want to bother either of them with something as silly as a nightmare. Maybe I'll ask Candy about it tomorrow.
Candy? That was one of the names of the people in my dream.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You know if you keep eating like that you're gonna be too heavy to ever learn to fly" Dad mumbles as he watched me place another pancake on my plate. I slowly put it back after he said that. And another.
"Dear, it isn't nice to comment on a lady's weight," Mom says as she places the pancake back on my plate. "I sounded a bit like Auntie Rarity didn't I?"
I nod while giggling. Dad glances at us before mumbling something to himself. Probably "Whatever" or "To hell with it" Like he always says.
"All I was saying is she needs to start flying soon or she'll end up like that crazy person who does nothing but scooter tricks" He spat.
"But it's her talent, Dad. Plus she does it at big events like the wonder bolt shows and other important events" I explain.
"If your going to have a useless talent like that then at least have a real job on the side. Something important like a lawyer" He says gesturing to his talent/cutie mark on his shoulder, A gold balance scale.
"I kind of like making medical creams and other things so maybe a pharmacist?" I suggest quietly.
"With a name like 'Autumn Crocus'? Yeah, good luck trying to get any customers. You can thank your mother for allowing a monster to name you" He says shifting his eyes to a picture on the wall. It was the one that mom took of me and Uncle Discord on my third birthday. I was smushing cake all over his face as he laughed.
"I thought it was a beautiful name," Mom says as she sat down.
"Until you found out it was the name of a poisonous flower" He takes a sip of his coffee only to find it empty. Instead of asking he just looked at mom and shook his cup. She sighs and stands up once again and takes his cup for him.
"You should get going sweetheart or you'll be late for the bus" Mom says from the kitchen. I look at the clock before stuffing the rest of my breakfast in my mouth and hopping out of my chair.
"Bye mom," I say as I open the door "...Dad"
With those words, I closed the door and ran down the dirt road. Behind me, I hear a pitter-patter of tiny paws on the ground and immediately knew who it was. I stop suddenly making the small creature up into my legs. I turn to face it to find my little fox cub friend.
"Sorry Khaos (Kaw-os) they don't allow animals in school," I say turning to him. His ears droop and he looks down. "But I guess if you stay quiet and in my bag, you can come" He perks up as I take my bookbag off and open it for him to jump in.
"Alright nice and snug?" He answers by rubbing his head into the extra sweater I brought in my bag "Good. Now let's go"
I continue to run until I got to the uneven paths. I usually fall when I run through these but I found a better way the other day. I conjure up my wings and crouch a bit.
Every Pegasus (At least what most would call us) has the ability to make their wings appear and disappear. It may seem useless but it is actually pretty helpful especially in the winter when you don't want to crush your wings underneath a coat or have holes in your jacket.
"It's gonna get a little bumpy now okay Kal?" I warn him. A shift in my bag lets me know he's ready. "Okay...Go!"
I jump as high as I can and open my wings as far as they can go. I feel myself gliding to the ground. When my feet touch the surface again I push my legs out even harder, launching myself even higher up. I'm higher than the trees now and I can hear the sound of people talk as I get closer. I continue this until I see the bustling town of Smallville.
"There's the bus stop!" I say. Then I start to panic when a familiar yellow vehicle shows up. "And there's the bus!"
How am I supposed to get down fast enough now? I Try flapping a bit but it's only making me fall straight down. Then someone crashes into my side. We both land in a cloud groaning in pain and trying to untangle from each other. White hair is on my face.
"Hey, don't you know this is a flying zone. You can't just tread in the middle of the sky like that!" The person exclaims. "Hey, I know you. You're the girl who poisoned Crystal Lace!"
"I d-didn't poison her. I told her that cream wasn't for her face" I say flustered. "besides I said I was sorry"
"Either way it was hilarious! Her face looked like a monkey's butt!" He said pressing his cheeks together "Like this but all red and sweaty"
I couldn't help but laugh at his joke.
"My name's Quicksilver. And I already know yours but you might as well tell me"
"I'm Autumn"
"Just Autumn?" He questions.
"Autumn C-Crocus"
"Aren't those poisonous flowers?" He says scratching his head in thought. "Well I still think it's cool"
"Thanks," I say "Wait. it supposed to be foggy today?"
As if the cloud was answering me it slowly faded out leaving me to fall to the ground. Before I made impact two arms wrapped around me.
"Gotcha!" Quicksilver says gently placing me on the ground "That was close"
"Thanks again. Oh no!" I quickly open my bag to find Kal upside down and looking very dizzy "Sorry Kal!"
"Is that a baby fox?" Silver asked slowly backing away.
"Yeah, his full name is Khaos but I call him Kal. Would you like to hold him?"
"N-no thanks, I'm...allergic," He says still backing away.
"Really?" I tilt my head in confusion "If you're just saying that cause you're nervous you don't have to be. Kal couldn't hurt a fly"
"W-well I can't cause...We have school!" He exclaims "That's right we missed the bus and now we're late!"
"Oh my goodness, you're right! We should get going" I bundle Kal back up in my sweater and place the bookbag on my back "Let's go!"
I start running with Silver flying ahead. We dodge through people and around the vendors in the square near the mayor's office. This would be a lot easier if Smallville was still, well 'small'. Over the years it grew into more of a city as technology and population grew. It wasn't as tall as Manehattan with all of the skyscrapers but it was certainly wider than before. Then again, I was only three when all of the expansions started.
"There it is! It looks like they didn't even start yet" Silver says as he looks ahead. "Everyone's still going inside"
"If they close the doors we'll have to wait for someone to see us then they'll call our parents," I say back. I really don't want to get a lecture from my father because I'm late. Or worse; Mom's store.
Suddenly Silver hooked his arms under mine, lifting me off of the ground. Ahead I can see the teachers starting to close the door. Silver speeds up and right before they close completely we slip in crashing to the floor. Everyone still in the halls along with our teachers has their jaws dropped. Then the principal shows up.
"Hi, Mrs. Cheerilee" Silver greets her with a nervous smile from being under her stern gaze.
"A-are we late?"
She doesn't say anything.
"We are?" He questions.
Silence.
"Would you like...an apple?"
...
"We're in trouble"
"This is your third strike Quicksilver. I've already told you several times to come earlier" Mrs. Cheerilee scolds. Then she turns to me "And you Autumn. I expected more from you. What happened today?"
"Hey, how come you didn't ask me why I'm late?!" Silver exclaims.
"I'm sorry Ma'am. I left my home late and missed the bus. It won't happen again" I apologize, bowing my head "but please don't call my parents"
"It's fine as long as it doesn't happen again." She places her hand on my shoulder "You can head to lunch now"
I nod before exiting the office. Silver sighs in relief before standing to leave too but Mrs. Cheerilee cleared her throat.
"I expect you, however, to make your way over to detention"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So everything is good now? No punishment?" Candy questions with a mouth full of her sandwich.
"No, I just have to make sure it doesn't happen again" I pick at my salad with a fork. "But I'm still afraid that someone is going to tell my parents. It sucks having a mom who everyone knows"
"I can't really agree since my mom is starting to know everyone here and in canterlot. Her next stop is Appleloosa!" She exclaims. Then she puts on a serious face "I know it's not just the whole being late thing that's bothering you today. You can talk to me"
"How did you know?"
"Just a hunch," She says happily "And your my best friend. I know you like the back of my hand. Wait when did I get this sticker" She stares at her knuckles before smiling and waving her hands "Just kidding!"
I hesitate a bit before answering "I had...a nightmare last night"
"You too!" She exclaims. "I had a scary dream too"
"Really?"
"Yeah, only it wasn't my usual bad dream with a giant cake chasing me," She looks down at the table "It was a whole lot scarier. I...was with a bunch of friends and I did something horrible. and after that, everyone including me died. I couldn't stop crying when I woke up for some reason. I knew it was a dream but I couldn't help missing everyone"
"By any chance...Was it a car cra-"
BRRRIIIING!
"Ah, that's the recess bell" She tossed her remaining garbage into a nearby garbage bin "Race Ya to the swings!"
She took off without warning. "Hey wait, Candy!"
I rush through the doors to catch up with her but I accidentally ran into someone.
"Ow! Hey, watch it!" They yelled angrily. "Oh it's just the flightless blank flank"
Recognizing the voice I looked up hesitantly. "Hello...Crystal"
In front of me stood the princess of the school, Crystal Lace, and her two followers Rosey and Posey the twins. Suddenly someone stood in front of me.
"Hiya Lacy!" Candy says excitedly "Hows it been? Your face is looking a lot better than last time I saw you. Well granted the last time I saw you your mom had to bring you to the hospital cause you couldn't see anything when your face was all puffy and red. But I'm glad you came back in time for fall festival tonight!"
"..." Crystal didn't say anything. Instead, she just pushed Candy out of the way and turned her attention back to me.
"You're lucky my daddy isn't here. If he was he would have sent you to the dungeons in canterlot" She said flipping her dark purple hair in my face. "For all, I know that could have been an attempt assassination. And trying to kill a princess is an automatic death sentence"
"Yeah, that's right!" Rosey echoed.
"Prince Blueblood would track you down!" Followed Posey.
I looked around and saw a big crowd of other kids watching with shocked and nervous looks. They were whispering and glancing at one another but none dared to speak loud enough for Crystal to hear them.
"Technically, you aren't royalty"
Everyone gasped.
"Who said that!" Crystal whipped her head around, Her green eyes blazing.
"It was me" A boy stepped out of the crowd. He fixed the glasses that were falling off of his face as he walked up to Crystal. He had a book floating next to him in a blue aura.
"Nebula. You always have something to say don't you?" She mumbled angrily.
"Of course I do," He said closing the book "It's insulting to hear you flaunt a power you don't have. Especially in front of me, The one who does and works hard to uphold the image that comes with it"
"Did you not hear what she just said?" Rosey steps forward.
"Prince Blueblood is her dad. That makes her a princess!" Posey says stepping next to her sister.
"But Blueblood isn't really a prince. It's nothing more than a title given to him by Princess Celestia" He paces around her before stopping in front of her face "It only makes sense since he isn't even royalty by blood. Pretty Ironic considering his name"
"Of course he is! He's the Princess's nephew!"
"And who would be his mother? Princess Celestia only has one sister, The same sister who was gone for a thousand years and only returned thirteen years ago." He fixes his glasses again "Maybe Princess Luna had a secret child and froze him for a thousand years until Celestia found and unfroze him. Or maybe there's a third sister nobody knows about" Sarcasm is practically dripping from his words.
"Shut up!" Crystal yells angrily. "So what if it's a title. Who cares? He's still considered the princesses' nephew, I'm still his daughter and I still have the title of princess. My daddy told me so!"
"Was that before or after the divorce?"
Once again a chorus of gasps and whispers flooded the crowd this time I joined in. Crystal's face grew redder and redder. It wasn't from embarrassment; it was pure burning anger.
"Y-you, you!" She shuddered "ARGGGH!" She screamed so loud it felt like the ground shook.
She took off with the twins chasing after her. Everyone else slowly dispersed too and went back to doing whatever they were doing before this scene. Candy helped me up off of the ground and we both slowly inch towards Nebula.
"H-hey are you okay?" I asked.
"Why wouldn't I be? Aren't you the one who was getting bullied?" He asked sarcastically.
"Yeah but I just wanted to know cause you usually don't talk to...well anyone really and suddenly you just stand up to Crystal" I fidget with my fingers as I speak.
"I was getting sick of her whining and the way she used her dad's 'title' for her little games" He picked up his abandoned bag.
"Yeah but that was super mean! You didn't have to bring up her parents in front of everyone!" Candy exclaimed.
"I didn't mean to make her run off like that. I just wanted her to see how tired everyone was getting with her, and possibly make her shut up for once. I guess it kind of worked" He smirked a bit "Making her runaway was a bonus"
"Still I don't think that was the way to do it?" I say quietly.
"I guess I did go a little too far" He sighs, his head drops a bit "I guess I'm not as good as my mom at this whole friendship thing"
"Wait. You want friends?" Candy questions. I elbow her in the side.
"No, not really" He replies with no resentment causing me and Candy to look at him confused "I've been reading some of my mother's old study reports on magic and I stumbled across her old friendship studies. There was a letter to the princess about standing up to bullies and I thought today would be a good day to test it out. Guess I failed somewhat."
He walks away without another word leaving me and Candy to stand there still confused.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's Note
After a long break from typing, I'm back with another chapter. Tell me what you guys think of the pictures and If I should keep adding them.
Next chapter: "Something's not right..."
"That was..." Candy started.
"Pretty intense" I finish.
We were walking towards Sugar cube corner for an after school snack as we talked about today's...event. Kal was happily jogging next us, glad to be out of my stuffy bag. The morning rush has slowed down since well...this morning, and it was a lot easier to wind around the crowds and through the market areas. Up ahead was Sugar cube corner. a bell rang as we walked in.
"Just a minuuuuuute!" The high pitched voice of Candy's mom called.
As we sat down a pink blur flashed in front of us as said person was standing in front of us with a notepad in her hand.\
"Back for another candy cupcake Candy? And nice to see you again Autty!" She hugs us both with a big smile on her face "So what'll it be?"
"I'll have a pumpkin pie sundae" I order.
"Three candy cupcakes please!" Candy says excitedly.
"Three whole cupcakes? I'm not sure about that Candy, don't you remember what happened last time you ate more than two?" Pinkie says with a concerned look.
"I only had a stomach ache cause I had three slices of cake after!" Candy jumps out of her seat and kneels in a begging position. "Pleeeeeeeeeaaaaaassssseeee Mommy!"
"Alright," She sighs and writes the order down.
Kal nudges my arm with his nose and looks up at me with pleading eyes.
"Do you have mixed berries?" I asked.
"Of course," She writes it down "And one bowl of berries for little Kal"
After waiting for a bit we got our sweets. We ate as we chatted about today.
"I can't believe Mrs. Clover gave us a take home quiz, Before a weekend! And tonight is the fall festival!" Candy complaints.
"You know how Mrs. Clover can be. She just doesn't believe in breaks" I sigh. "I wonder if Crystal got the homework. I didn't see her after lunch"
"That's because she went home, her mom came for her"
"What!?" I exclaim "I didn't know she was that upset"
"Well Nebula did kinda announce to everyone in our grade that her parents were breaking up. Soon it'll be all over town considering her dad is a prince getting dumped by a lady from Ponyville" Candy explains.
"Ponyville?" I question.
"Well we have a lot of horses here and it has a nice ring to it don't you think?" She asked.
"Anyway," I say changing the subject "I still feel bad. Should we...go check on her?"
"Hmmm...No thanks!" Candy says with a smile.
"Why not?"
"Even though what Nebula said was mean I still think the things she does to you is meaner" Candy shakes her head while moving on to her next cupcake "Remember that time at summer camp when she had to be your partner for canoeing and she caught a ride with the twins and left you in the middle of the pond without your paddles. You could have drowned if counselor Apple Bloom didn't see you"
"I was in a boat, So I couldn't have drowned"
"What about that time she threw your book of herbs into the everfree forest that time her mom went to your house for tea. You could have died out there!"
"It was my fault for going after a dusty old book anyway" I shrug my shoulders as I ate another spoon I ice cream. Candy groans and facepalmed.
"Sometimes your kindness is frustrating"
"I wouldn't call it being kind. Just forgiving" I finish my last bite of ice cream before picking my bag up along with Kal, "I think I should head home now. The festival starts in a few hours"
"I walk you home!" Candy stuffs the remaining cupcake in her mouth and picks up her back too "I'll see you at the festival mom!"
We leave the bakery and walk all the way to the more quieter roads near the edge of the everfree forest. I see my house up ahead. Wait something's not right. I also see...a white car.
"Oh no" I groan.
"What is it?" Candy squints her eyes to see the car before they widen. "This can't be good"
"I guess I'll see you later then?" I asked sadly.
"Yeah. I'll come by later so we can walk to the festival together" Candy says putting her hand on my shoulder.
"I think it would be best If I just met you there" SHe nods before leaving.
I open the door to my home and immediately I can smell the strong fancy perfume.
"It's so embarrassing to know that even a ten-year-old knows about it. Poor little Crystal was completely mortified. It was so bad that I had to pick her up from school early" The familiar voice said.
"Oh dear, is Crystal okay?" Mom asked.
"She was upset at first but she was okay once we got home. But I don't think she would want to go to the festival tonight"
A door slamming shut behind me caused me to nearly jump out of my skin. I turned to see my dad standing there with his arms crossed.
"Autumn is that you?" Mom asked.
Dad pulls me into the living room and sat me right in the middle of Mom and Mrs- er Ms. Rarity.
"So I heard you were late this morning?" Dad question. I can practically feel the holes burning into my back.
"It was an accident! I didn't mean to miss the bus!" I quickly explain.
"Mrs. Cheerilee already told us what happened. It alright" Mom says calmly. "But that isn't all that happened today. is it?"
I start sweating as I looked at Ms. Rarity. "There was an argument between Prince Nebula and Crystal"
" Is that all?" Mom asked."Cause Rarity told me that Crystal said you were involved"
"What? I didn't say anything to her at all" I say confused.
"She told me that you were the one who started it and you also got Nebula involved" Rarity explained.
So that was Crystal's Idea. To get me in trouble as an outlet for her anger towards Nebula.
"That's- I- What?" I didn't know what to say. I couldn't tell her that Crystal was bullying me That would create problems for both of our moms and they might end up having an argument and they won't talk to each other anymore. They're the elements of harmony, and if they stop being friends then it might cause the whole world to be thrown off balance. And it would be all my fault!
"Well, Autumn?" Mom pressed.
"I...I'm sorry. I was annoyed because I missed the bus and got in trouble and I accidentally took it out on Crystal. Nebula thought Crystal was being mean so he stepped in" I say bowing my head a bit "It was just a misunderstanding"
"At least we know the truth now. Next time just talk to someone instead of taking it out on others" Rarity sighed.
"I think you should apologize to Crystal" Mom suggests.
"I'll make sure to see her tomorrow," I say heading upstairs.
"You could just do it right now. She's upstairs in your room" Mom called after me. My eyes got wide as I stared at my door. "I was waiting for you to come home so I can explain what's going on for the next few weeks"
I hesitate before opening my room door.
"Look who's finally here"
Author's Note
So that's that. Not a cliffhanger but it didn't exactly end on a "Satisfying" level.
Next time: "Something's definitely not right"
"A MONTH?!" I shout in disbelief. "She's going to stay here for a month?!"
"It's just until her mother finalizes the divorce in canterlot. The poor dear is already upset about it, why add salt to the wound by bringing her along?" Mom says softly as she sets up the small folding bed next to mine. "Besides, I think it'll be a good chance to settle any arguments you had today. Won't it be fun to have a friend here to play with every day?"
"I have plenty of friends," I say gesturing to Kal. He tilts his head and looks up at us.
"That's true but how about someone your age...and species? No offense Kal" Mom quickly states while patting his little head.
I glance away from her in thought. I don't want to tell her the real reason for not wanting Crystal to stay here, But I'm not sure if I could deal with her here for a month. Being bullied by her at school was easy cause it was only for a few hours every weekday. But to see her every day, Monday-Sunday, twenty-four hours each day for a month! My sanity won't last a week.
"But," I put on a fake bashful look "Can't she stay in a different room. I'm a little too shy to share a room with her. How else am I going to change clothes and stuff?"
"Oh dear, I guess that would be a problem," Mom thinks for a moment before folding the bed back up "I guess I could clear out the storage room for while"
"Oh, it's okay Mrs. Shy," A sudden over polite voice says. In the doorway stood Crystal herself with her oversized luggage "I'll make sure not to look or leave the room whenever Autumn needs to change. I don't want to put you through all that trouble to make room for me"
"It's no trouble at all!" Mom says kindly.
"But I insist! I'm a little too shy myself to stay in a room all by myself anyway. I would much more comfortable with Autumn nearby" Crystal says lightly nudging mom out the door before stopping to give her the best puppy eyes she can muster "I'm not used to sleeping without my mother and father next to me. So I thought Autumn could help"
"Alright then, I wouldn't want you uncomfortable" Mom puts the bed back without noticing me waving my hands and mouthing 'NO' at her. "I'll let you girls get comfortable"
With that, she leaves. I slump on my bed and bury my face in my pillows. Kal nudges my arm with his nose and pushes himself into my arms. Something he does when he meets a threat.
"What is that, a dog?" Crystal questions while taking down my pictures and placing her posters up.
"He's a fox. His name is Khaos. My uncle gave him to me on my birthday two years ago" I explain with my head in my pillow.
"Just keep that thing away from my stuff," She says slapping another one of her posters on the wall. "If I find even one tooth mark on my shoes it's lights out!" She does a cutting action with her finger to her neck causing Kal to hide in my sweater this time.
"Stop scaring him," I say annoyed.
"Why should I? I was honestly fine with going with my mother to canterlot and you ruined it for me. Now I have to stay here!" She says pointing a rolled up poster at me. "Becuase of you and that jerk Nebula, I was so embarrassed I had to fake cry my way home. Now my mother thinks I'm sad because of the divorce"
I sit up and stare at her.
"What? What are you looking at?" She asked.
"Are...You really not sad?"
"I'm more mad than sad cause I have to stay here-"
"No, I mean about your parents splitting," I say. She looks taken back by the question. Her shoulders loosen and drop a bit before they perk up again.
"What kind of question is that?" She spat "Of course I'm sad. I never got that pony I always wanted from my daddy!" She crosses her arms.
"But now you'll never see him again. Doesn't that part bother you at all?"
"What's with all the stupid questions? Are you really trying to 'Connect' with me right now." She glares at me "It's not gonna work. I still think you're a psychotic weirdo with no friends and a weird obsession with poison!"
My face goes red with anger as I stand up.
"What's your problem with me anyway? If you hate me so much why didn't you just take the other room?"
"Cause it's a storage room. the place is probably crawling with mice and dust" She smirks and looks me in the eye "Besides Since I blame you for my being here, I'll be taking over your room and making your life a living Tartarus for the next thirty days"
I pick Kal up and run out of the room, slamming the door on my way out. Then I jump down the stairs and out of the house. I keep going all the way to the edge of the forest where I turn and head to a different clearing. There I find a tree and in the tree is a tree house.
When I get inside I place Kal down on a pillow and stand in the middle of the tree house for a bit. Then I angrily kick an old doll and it hits the wall.
"It's all your fault, My daddy is a prince, ponies blah blah blah" I imitate Crystal and even do a few hair flips after my sentences. I kick another toy and it hits the same wall. "She's so..."
I pull my foot back again and let it go.
"ANNOYING!"
I kick the object and it rolls a few inches, or centimeters. Then a sharp, stinging pain shoots up my leg.
"OW!" I howl in pain as I roll around on the floor. "I guess...I deserved that"
Note to self: no more playing soccer in the tree house.
I look at what I kicked....
A ball...of paper?
I picked it up and it was surprisingly light.
"What the?" I uncrumpled it to find a letter.
Dear My beloved niece, Happy eighth birthday! It's amazing how fast time flies. It feels like just yesterday I was turning your rattles into tap dancing rattle snakes. Interesting how that turned out considering snakes don't have feet. I'm sorry that I can't be there all the time anymore since your father told your mother how 'Uncomfortable' he felt with me around all the time, And I don't want you to be lonely, so I'm giving you a friend as loving as your mother. His name is Khaos. He was born a few months ago so he is still a little pup. He's gonna need you to take care of him. Love, Uncle Dizzy
P.S- Do you think paper can peel?
I Immediately feel better after reading. It really has been a while since Uncle Dizzy came to visit. It felt like it has been thousands of years.
I re-read the last part and laugh. It's just like uncle Dizzy to ask random questions. As If I was trying to humor him I pick at the ends of the paper. Then to my surprise, the paper began to pull apart like it was a sticker coming off of the paper. The two pieces fall to the ground.
"Huh?" I pick them up and glance over them. One side had the letter and the other had a short sentence. Under it said 'read out loud'. "is this a...spell?"
My heart starts to pound as I place down the original letter and stand up in the middle of the tree house. Then I began to read.
"For those who want the truth revealed, open hearts and secrets unsealed. From now until it's now again, after which the memory ends. " I finish reading and look around.
"Nothing happened," I say a bit disappointed. I drop the letter and turn to look at Kal. "Come on Kal. It's getting late we should get ready for-"
I look but there is no one there. Kal was gone.
"Kal?" I look around "Kal, where did you go?"
I looked under the small tables and chairs, on the shelves, and under some of the abandoned toys. I started to panic as I looked through the windows and around again before my eyes landed on the open door. There's no way he could have gotten down. He's a fox pup he can't climb!
I leap through the door and attempt to land on the grass below, but everything started to slowly wash away like paint in the rain. I was left falling, or rather floating in nowhere until I was in an unknown place. It was like a study/bedroom. There were books piled on shelves and paper filled with work everywhere.
I continued to look around before I noticed that I was not alone. Next to me, at a desk was a young woman. She had plain brown hair and dull brown eyes. She seemed to be focused on the work in front of her. She read her work out loud.
"For questions 1-15, solve each problem, choose the best answer from the choices provided, and fill in the corresponding circle on your answer sheet. For questions 16-20, solve the problem and enter your answer in the grid on the answer sheet. Please refer to the directions before question 16 on how to enter your answers in the grid. You may use any available space in your test booklet for scratch work...."
Her voice sounds so familiar. Like mine but...older.
My thoughts were cut off by another person, a taller blonde girl sneaking up behind her. They stop behind the woman and look over her shoulder and narrowing their eyes at the book.
"What the heck are you doing?" The blonde asked
"N-nothing, just catching up on some homework from last semester" The shorter brunette answered
"You do realize it's spring break right?" The brunette nodded "Then why the heck are you doing work? We have all of next week to catch up. Besides, there aren't any test when we get back"
"I just thought it would be a good idea to get-"
"-Get out for once? Well, I'm glad we're on the same page!" The blonde pulled the brunette away and the scene washes away again.
"What was that. I don't understand! Where am I!" I call out hoping someone would answer "Why am I here?"
Then something appeared that I wasn't expecting. And I really wanted it to go away.
It was night and there was smoke coming from behind a few trees. I walked around it and found something so horrifyingly familiar to me.
It was a car tipped over with smoke coming from it. There was blood everywhere and four lumps in the ground that I can only imagine as bodies. But under and next to the car were two. I walked closer to see the same brunette from before and a red head. But the red head wasn't moving at all. Not even breathing.
Then the one under the car gasped and breathed heavily for a second causing me to flinch. Then she whispered something.
"I just want one thing. Please give me...Give us all one more chance with life"
"Just one...one more chance"
She took one last breath before closing her eyes. I felt tears running down my face as her shaking body stopped moving. I looked over the other bodies and began crying harder.
"Someone please come help them!" I call out " SOMEBODY! ANYBODY! please, they need help!"
Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw a bright light appear. And out of that bright light stood a person. But not just a person it was my Uncle.
The whole thing fades out again just as Dizzy walked over to the brunette and touched her forehead causing her own body to fade out into dust.
I was left to float in nothingness again as I cried. "Why do I have to see this? What is this anyway!"
"No, no this isn't going to work" I heard someone say. I turned to see my uncle standing in a room.
In front of him was the brunette. But her dull brown eyes were even duller and it looked like she could barely stand up straight.
"All that work to get them and THIS is what I get. I need partners in chaos not zombies of chaos!" He slams his hands on the table in front of him. I flinch at his anger. I've never seen him like that.
"Back to the lab I guess" He groans and with a wave of his hand, the brunette disappears into dust again. The cloud of dust flows into a bottle and he sticks it into his pocket.
Again the scene fades away.
More scenes began to flicker past me. It was so fast you would have thought I couldn't catch them but... I did somehow. My uncle being turned to stone by the princesses, six little bottles sitting abandoned in a house floating in a world of chaos, years passing by, My mother getting her cutie mark, meeting her friends, becoming an element of harmony, freeing princess Luna from her anger, Defeating Uncle and trapping him for a second time, then freeing him again this time to change his ways, Many other foes defeated, and years passing, my mom marrying my dad and all the time spent with her friends. It was all flowing into my head. Then It stopped and only one scene remained.
"Typhon. Something, not even the elements can defeat" Princess Celestia stood in front of her sister. Behind her was some kind of circle on the floor. "The signs are all pointing towards his return"
"How much time do we have?" Luna asked concerned.
"Not enough. we have seventeen years at most but not even thirty will be able to save us."
"Then what should we do? Should we warn Twilight and her friends? Let them prepare?" Luna asked.
"It won't help. The elements are for disharmony. They aren't for raw power. The same way that only love works on changelings and the light from the crystal empire on Sombra, Typhon will require a different kind of weapon. One that we do not have"
"So what? Do we just give up and die? That isn't the Celestia I know!" Luna shouts angrily "We should go out there and fight him ourselves"
"We would die"
"We would die to protect our subjects!"
"We wouldn't be protecting them by leaving them behind to fight a losing battle," Celestia says calmly while placing her hand on her younger sister's shoulder.
"We could always try the elements. We won't know anything without trying" Luna suggests.
"Never..." Celestia whispers. "I would never send Twilight and the rest out there unless I knew for a fact that they would come back alive"
They both go silent for a while.
"We don't have a choice Tia," Luna says turning away from her sister.
"I know we don't...but let them live for a while longer. Twilight had just gotten married and she's already thinking of a family. Let her have this please" Celestia's eyes water. "When the time comes we will have a decision"
I hold my hands over my mouth in shock. I can't believe it. The princesses are going to sacrifice... My mom.
A sudden cracking sound brings me out of my shock as I turn to see Uncle Dizzy standing there with his teeth clenched and his hand on one of the pillars. Despite his anger, he stayed hidden from the princesses and turned away as he teleported away. I'm suddenly back in the chaotic house as I watched Uncle Dizzy slam open a door behind his couch and walk down non-existent stairs.
At the bottom was a dark room with empty shelves and bottles. He opens up a hole in the door at the and takes out a huge case. He unlocked it with one of his horns and takes out a smaller case. He unlocks that one and takes out the smaller one inside. This process continues until he reaches a small box the size of his hand. he opens the box and inside sits six small vials.
He then sits at the desk at the end of the mysterious basement. Hesitantly he opens them and sits for a moment. He glances at the picture on his desk. It was of him and mom years before at a gala. With confidence, he cracks his knuckles.
"Let's get to work"
The scene fades out and only vague images of Uncle Dizzy over different people as he drops the contents of the vials into the air around them and even on them as they slept. He eventually reaches my mom. He stands by watching with a face that looks almost like...disgust as he watches my mom laugh and talks with my father. With a scowl, he does the same to her without them noticing.
Everything is gone now and I am back in my room. Or rather how my room used to be, with a crib in the corner.
Uncle Dizzy stood over the crib. Looking down at a little me as I speak gibberish and reach up for him. He smiles and picks me up. And with a guilty look on his face, he places me back down and gives me a stuffed version of him.
"I'm sorry"
And back to black everything goes.
I'm still so confused. I saw some strange lady's death, Basically the history of my uncle and my mom, and I heard something about a threat against Equestria. But...
"What does any of this have to do with me?"I ask out loud.
"It has everything to do with you," A voice says.
I turn to find what looks like a window, and on the other side was the brunette woman.
"Who are you?" I ask.
She starts to laugh."That's a rather strange question to ask. How about you answer me first? Who is that?" She points behind me.
I turn again to find a mirror. Inside of it was a reflection of me.
"That's me"
"You just answered your own question," The brunette said.
"Huh?"
"That's right," Another voice says.
I turn to the mirror again to find my reflection speaking back to me.
"I-I still don't get it," I say again. "How is my reflection talking back?"
"I'm not your reflection. She is" The 'other' I pointed back at the brunette.
I turn again slowly and looked up at the brunette. She copied my movements. "What...is this?" The brunette copied my lip movements too, as her facial expression morphed into fear and confusion. The same look I had.
"See?" Other me said.
"Then what are you?" I asked turning my head again.
"I'm the child your mother never had. Merely an empty shell stuck in the back of your head" She taps her own head.
The brunette still copied my movements as I sunk to the ground.
"Looks like you finally solved the puzzle." She said stepping out of the mirror frame and kneeling next to me "Can you tell me what's wrong Autumn?"
"I-I'm not.."
"What was that?" She leans in "You're not what?"
"I'm not A-Autumn. That's n-not my name" I stutter as tears fall down my face. I bury my face into my hands.
"Who are you then?"
...
"I'm Lillian"
Author's Note
Next Chapter: What could I do?...
BTW: I'm sorry If Discord is a bit OOC here I'll try my best to put him back into character
"So she hasn't moved since she came back?" I heard Candy whisper to my mom as they both stood in the doorway of my room. I had my back turned, but I know it's the two of them there.
"No. I have no idea what happened to her. One minute she rushes out of the house, and the next, I find her here in bed, not talking to me or her father" It goes quiet for a moment. I can almost see the look on my mothers face. The way she holds her hands together under her chin when she's worried, and the sad look on her face."Please Candy, can you talk to her. I'm sure she just needs her best friend here with her"
"Leave it to me, Mrs. Shy!" Candy says with a confident tone. The door closes and I immediately feel someone jump and land on the end of my bed. "Hey, Autty. You know if you mope around for too long you're going to miss the festival"
"I'm not moping around, I'm moping in bed..." I mumble into the sheets as she crawls around so she can see my face.
"Same thing silly. Why are you upset? Did something happen?" She asked, tilting her head.
I open my mouth to answer her before I shut it again. I can't just tell her what happened, I barely know what happened myself. I'm not who I thought I was for the last ten years of my life? How would I just blurt that out to someone?
'I'm actually some strange creature from another world, wow I feel so much better now'
"If only it was that easy to explain..."
"If what was easy?" Candy questions.
I cover my face even more as I blush from embarrassment. I can't even tell when I'm speaking out loud, how am I going to keep this a secret?
I look back at Candy to see her scowling at me.
"What?" I ask.
"Are you keeping something from me?" She asked, still mad.
S-shoot!
"W-w-what makes you say that?" I stutter nervously as I sweat, "I would never lie to you Candy"
Her eyes narrowed even more.
" Now you're telling double-lies!? I don't understand you anymore Autumn!" She says pointing a finger accusingly at me.
"I mean it, I'm not hiding anything!" I say sitting up while holding my hands up defensively.
"Triple-lie!"
"Really Candy-"
"Quadruple-lie!"
"I'm okay now, Really!-"
"Five- um? 'Whatever comes after quadruple'-lie!"
"Candy!-"
"Should I keep counting!?"
I start to argue again but instead, I sigh in defeat.
"Fine, you caught me" I groan, "You know, you should be a lawyer or something"
"Hmph!" She smiles triumphantly and crosses her arms,"Now! Tell me what's really going on. And I want the whole truth and nothing but the truth!"
"Alright I will, but you have to promise not to freak out, and don't tell anyone, and promise to still be my friend after," She nods and crosses a finger over her chest. "Good."
I take a deep breath. And explain everything.
"I'm not really Autumn, Or at least I don't think I am. I was born here, and I've only known this life, but apparently, I used to someone else...before I died. it had something to do with my uncle Discord and the princesses. And some demon named Typhon who's trying to take over the world, but I'm not sure how he's involved with me," I trail off and glance to the side in thought before looked back at Candy, "My name used to be Lilian, and I died in a car accident with five other people. That's all I really know, or understand since I basically got a vision of my whole...two lives up until now. I-I don't really know who I am. I c-can't even tell if I'm Lilian or Autumn anymore." Tears start to run down my face.
I avoid looking directly at Candy as I wiped the tears from my eyes. When I do look up she has a blank look on her face, and her mouth is agape as if she was in shock.
"I'm sorry Candy. I didn't mean to..." I almost reached out to hug her, but I hesitantly brought my arms back. "Sorry"
I turn to walk out of the room, but a hand grabbed mine and pulled me back.
"W-wait Lilly!"
Instantly, I whipped my head back around just as Candy shouted that. She pulls me back to face her as she studied my face.
"I-is it...are you sure? Are you Lillian?!" She asked hastily. I nodded and she smiled, "I knew it...I had a feeling...That I didn't come here alone!"
"Candy?"
"Yes, it's me! It's me, Lilly, I'm Candice!" She hugs me tightly, "I found you! I really did it"
I hear her sobbing into my shoulder as we both slump to the ground. She cries as she mumbles "I found you, Finally" over and over again.
"Candy...I... you kept the promise" I start crying too.
"Mhm!" Candy hums, she pulls away from the hug and smiles brightly.
"Yup. it's no problem. I'll...wake you up when someone finds us okay?" I give her my best smile.
"Alright I'll see you then," She says smiling back.
"Yup and we'll have to plan to meet up after this is all over okay!"
"Yeah"
"Yeah I did"
Author's Note
And I'm back...again I'm sorry for taking so many breaks. But here you go, another chapter.Next Chapter: What about the others?
"So..." I start.
"What now?" Candy finishes.
We were sitting at my kitchen table, drinking two mugs of hot chocolate and glancing at the door every so often to make sure no one was listening in on our conversation. We had finished our little reunion and now the serious discussion was taking place.
"Well, we can put together what we do know for now until we get a chance to speak to my uncle," I suggest, "What we already know is that we come from a world where magic doesn't exist. So it can't be on the same planet"
"It might not even be the same universe, Everything seemed so dull. It looked like a nightmare," Candy leans her chin on the table and sticks her tongue out in a disgusted manner.
"But we can't deny the fact that it's familiar," I hold my head in confusion, "Even now, I'm getting all these images and memories of people and places I didn't know before. What are we anyway, reincarnations?"
"Probably. I mean, we were definitely born here. We look just like our parents, so we couldn't have just shown up"
"And..." I pause hesitantly, "What about the others?"
"The others?" Candy questions.
"The other people with us. Julia, Ash, Quinn, And Grant. They definitely came with us, but how will we know who they are. They might not even be in this town, or even Equestria"
"I don't...know" Candy sighs.
I swirl the remaining bit of chocolate at the bottom of my cup in thought. I really wish we can ask uncle Discord about this, but no one knows how to get to whatever realm he created.
"We have to find them and figure out why we're here" I state as I stand up with my empty cup to clean it.
"Where should we even start?" Candy asks handing me her own mug.
"Here in town of course. But, it might take a while, who knows how many people we have to look through"
Candy thinks for a moment before she has an idea.
"My mom! She knows everyone in town!" She exclaims.
"But that doesn't really help us. Even if she does know everyone we still won't know who-"
"My mom is the best party planner in town. I know she invited everyone to the festival tonight, and no one can pass up a Pinkie party!" She jumps up into the chair, "if we go to the festival and call out for our friends, I'm sure we can find someone!"
"Candy that's brilliant! Not only does that save us time but we could avoid revealing who we are!"
"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go" Candy leaps off if the chair a pulls me out the door.
The door slams shut behind us and Kal runs into it.
"Sorry Kal" I apologize opening the door to let him out.
~~~~~~~~~
"Wow Candy, you were right. It looks like the whole town is here" I say impressed with the size of the crowd in front of us.
Lights were strung up on each tree and balloons we're attached to every bench and table. Different fall theme foods were on a table, and in the middle of everything was a stage with a familiar duo playing music.
"Mom really went all out for this one. She even got Vinyl and Octavia to show up from Manehatten"
I stare in awe before shaking my head and putting on a determined look.
"No time to sight see. We have to start looking around" I pull her away from the stage.
"But its Vitavi duo!"
~~~~~~
3rd person
The spirit of Chaos himself, Was sitting in his chaotic home, planning his next outlet of chaos when he suddenly got a chill down his spine.
"Right on schedule, Tyophon" He says to himself as he prepares to leave.
At the same time in Canterlot, Princess Celestial jumped out of her sleep, startled by something.
"Luna!"
"What is it sister?" The younger princess called.
"It's here! It Smallville!" The sun princess climbs out of her bed.
"Should we prepare the royal knights or call Twilight to protect the citizens" Luna asked quickly following her sister.
"There's no time we have to go now" Celestial charges up her magic and in a flash of bright light the sisters were gone.
~~~~~~~
Autumn pulls her friend away from the stage. As she was walking she didn't notice the pair of red eyes watching her from the shadows.
It leaped out over her, and there stood the Guardian of Tartarus.
"Is that, Cerberus?"
"Yeah looks like the pup escaped again"
"Again? Isn't that dangerous?"
Autumn heard the story of how her mother had met the protector of tartarus and help bring him back. But she can't help but sweat nervously as the three headed dog stared her down.
"Uh, A-Autumn. Is it just me or does he look angry?" Candy whispers.
"It's n-not just you"
"Okay, but why does it look like he's looking at us?"
"I. Don't. Know" Autumn replies slowly as if a single breath sounded out of place the dog would attack.
"Cerberus!" A small voice calls out.
"Mom?" Autumn says confused turning her head.
The element of kindness hovers in front of the dog's face with a smile.
"Did you leave your spot again? You know what could happen if you do that" Shy says in the kindest voice she can muster. When the dog doesn't respond she lands on the ground in front of him with a look of concern.
"Cerberus? Are you okay?" She touches his front paw.
"Fluttershy!" Twilight calls out.
Autumn didn't even have time to blink before she saw a black paw swing down to strike her mother.
"Mom!"
"Mom! Mom! Answer me please!" Autumn holds onto her mother's hand while calling out to her, hoping that she gets a sign that she's okay.
"Autumn!, we have to get out of here!" Candy yells at her friend.
Cerberus stood over the three, growling and snarling at them.
"I don't get it. Why is Cerberus acting this way?" Twilight questions as she looks for a way to get her friend to safety.
"I could explain it but I doubt she would want me to." A voice answers her.
Something pink and sticky is beneath Cerberus's paws, keeping him trapped in place. Discord appears next to Autumn.
"Uncle Discord? How-" Autumn starts before she is cut off by a bright light.
"Please do not worry everyone," Celestia says in a soothing voice, "we will take care of this incident and you can continue your festivities"
Luna has the three-headed dog in a large cage if magic, keeping him trapped inside.
"Princess Celestia," Twilight says greeting her former mentor. "What's going on? Do you know why Cerberus was acting this way?"
"Yes, I do. I could explain it but first, someone else has some explaining to do" She states look in Discord's direction.
Or at least where he used to be.
Autumn's POV
"Why'd you bring us here?" Candy asks uncle discord after we appear in what looks like an abandoned castle.
"Because we needed a place to talk without having Celestia or those other pesky elements listening," He says.
I look around and noticed that we left my mom behind.
"What about mom? She's hurt I need to get back to her!" I panic.
"She'll be fine. She's tougher than she looks. Plus she has her friends with her" Uncle smiles, "I came all this way to see you, can't you give your favorite uncle a smile?" He pulls a bouquet of Autumn crocuses from behind him. "I don't recommend touching them directly"
"Are you going to tell us the truth about our past?" I asked ignoring his attempt to make me smile.
"Yes of course. That is part of why I'm here" He sighs and throws the flowers away. "Ask away"
"Why did you save us?" I ask.
"I needed a new way to bring chaos into Equestria, and you and your friends needed another chance to live," He explains. "You said so yourself before you died. If you became my chaotic minions it would have been a win-win. But the experiments failed"
I thought back to what myself as Lillian said in our last breath.
"But, that was thousands of years ago. How come you still brought us back?" Candy chimes in.
Uncle looks away from us as if he was trying to avoid the question.
"I'm sure you saw it while you were in the spell, Autumn"
"Huh?" I tilt my head in confusion before I turn to Candy, "did you really not see it, Candy?" I ask her.
"See what?"
"The spell. I read an enchantment and-"
"Only you had that chance," Uncle says cutting me off. "No one else saw it"
"Only... Me?" I point to myself, "but, how did you know who you were Candy?"
"I didn't know until you brought it up. When you told me that you were someone else, and you were having the same dreams that I was. I kinda just...put two and two together" She explains.
"But why me? Why didn't you show Candy the same thing I saw?" I asked him.
"I don't know how to explain it but," Uncle says "you never died"
"What do you mean? I saw myself die. I was on the side of the road-"
"You were on the side of the road dying. Not dead but you were dying," Uncle cuts me off again, "when I got there everyone else was already gone. But you were unconscious"
"That still doesn't explain anything! Why am I different?"
"When the others died and came back they 'restarted'. They had no clue or sign of being different from anyone else" He gestures to Candy who was standing to the side obviously trying to process everything. "And you didn't have to restart. Because you never died. When you were younger what was your nickname?"
"What does this have to do with anything? I don't remember it!" I say getting frustrated with his words.
"I know you remember. What is it?"
"It was... Lillypad", I say quietly.
"And what was your old name?"
"It was-" I answer in an angry tone, about to start yelling again. But my angry voice became quiet when I realized what he was talking about.
"You refused to be called anything else but Lilly. You couldn't understand that your name was Autumn because you could still remember your old life. But as you grew older you started to rewrite your own memories. And pushed the old ones to the side, writing them off as simple dreams," He explains "because of this I thought you would be the best choice for the memories. Since you still have some of your own leftover"
I hold my head as if I was having a headache. This is all too much, I still don't understand why this is happening to us.
"You still didn't answer Candy's question. Why are we here?" My frown kept getting bigger.
"It...Was an idiotic idea. I'm sure you already saw what happened to Cerberus was not normal," We nod, "that was Typhon's doing"
"Typhon?" Candy questions.
"He's the threat that the Princesses were worried about right?" I asked "I heard about it in the memories"
"That's right"
~~~~~3rd person
"Typhon doesn't agree with the ways Celestia chooses to rule" Luna explains to four of the elements in front of her. With Fluttershy unconscious and Rarity in canterlot
"So Discord wasn't the one behind Cerberus?," Dash questions.
"Discord may be a bit of a troublemaker, but he wouldn't do anything to hurt others... Anymore," Celestia says, mumbling the last part.
"Who is Typhon exactly?" Applejack asks.
"Typhon is...or was an alicorn." Luna says, " In fact, we grew up together. You could say that he's family"
"He was your brother?" Twilight asks.
"Yes, he was, thousands of years ago, when many alicorns roamed, our mother and father found him abandoned near a small village. His parents had left him behind to die. So our parents raised him one of their own," Celestia let a small smile through as she spoke, "Back then his name was Constel, named after the word Constellations. He was such a sweet child. He used to protect Luna where ever she went and followed after me because he wanted to 'be like his older sister', " Her smile turned into a frown, "I couldn't understand how he grew to be such a dark and dictatorial being"
"What...happened?" Applejack asked hesitantly.
"Because he wasn't our true blooded brother, he wasn't given a royal title. He was fine with it, as long as me and Luna were successful in protecting our subjects and upholding our names. But, after instances like Tirek, Discord and Sombra, he began to question our place as leaders. He decided that we needed to be more forceful and rule with an iron fist." Celestia explained.
"He wanted us to strike fear in everyone," Luna added bitterly.
"We said no of course, and he respected our decision, disappointedly, but he didn't push it. Well, until..."
"What?" Pinkie pressed.
"I became nightmare moon," Luna answered.
"After the night I had to banish Luna, Constel became furious"
"This is exactly why I wanted to do things my way!" Constel growled angrily, "if we had shown them that we deserve respect and gratitude then Luna wouldn't have..."
He trailed off and glared at the ground. Celestia who was bandaged up from fighting her sister walked over to him to place a hand on his shoulder.
"Brother I-"
"You what? Are you sorry? Sorry for not listening to me? Why don't you tell that to Luna!" He smacks her hand away from him.
They stood there in silence, Celestia too shocked to respond and Constel too angry to speak.
"You should have let her do it"
"What?" Celestia questions.
"Luna, you should have let her have her eternal darkness. Let her show them that she has just as much power as you do. That way she would have calmed down and the subjects would trip over themselves just to bow at her feet"
"It isn't right. We don't want them to fear us. We're supposed to protect them. What you're suggesting is a dictatorship. That's not what Equestria is"
"Is that why you refuse to call yourself a queen. Are you afraid of scaring your little 'children'?" When he doesn't get a response he forces a laugh knowingly, "I get it now. This kingdom, this country is your makeshift family. You felt so lonely when father and mother died that you decided to take an entire country in as your children, with you as their caring and kind mother"
"That's not true! You and Luna are-"
"Just another part of the world you want to protect your children from. That's why you neglected Luna's feelings and allowed them to boil over to the point where you have to banish your own sister to the moon she loved so dearly"
"Constel-"
"Save it I don't want to listen to your excuses! Don't you see, you betrayed your family, but it doesn't matter, it's not like your my real sister-"
SMACK!
Constel's face was jerked to the side as Celestia's hand collided with it. His cheek burned red and his face was full of shock.
"Go to your room. That's an order" Celestia says forcefully.
"Didn't you hear me? You are not my sister you don't have the right to-"
"That's an order as the princess" She restates. She kept her eyes straight ahead as he walks past her, "we shall never speak of this again"
He stops walking but doesn't turn as he answers.
"Right..."
"After that, he didn't speak to me for weeks. I thought it would blow over like our usual arguments. But it didn't" Celestia looks up and sighs, "It just got worse. He started lashing out at everyone, and he would refuse to come out of his room for days at a time. I thought he was just grieving over Luna's banishment, but...he was actually planning"
"Planning? What was he planning?", Twilight questions.
"To overthrow me," Celestia says grimly, "His own older sister, He wanted to defeat me and take over Equestria. He learned nearly every forbidden spell he could. Life creation spells, The darkness spells that Nightmare moon used, Even some spells that could drain the life out of anyone he wishes. The most effective one was the spell that allows the user to create life"
"How effective?"
"Cerberus is one of his creations," the others gasp, "Cerberus isn't even the most powerful. In fact, he's the weakest"
"If he's the weakest, then there's more of them?!" Pinkie exclaims.
"Now that I think about it, The name Typhon sounds familiar," Everyone turns their attention to Twilight, "I read a book on mythology and different creatures and demons. If I'm correct then...We're in serious trouble"
Twilight rushes to a bookshelf and pulls out a book. She flips through the pages and stops on a page, sweat rolls down her face as she silently gasps.
"What is it Twilight?" Dash asked.
Twilight turns the book around to show a drawing of what looks like a human wearing a mask with horns coming out of it and two sets of bat wings coming out of his back.
"Typhon, the father of all monsters"
Author's Note
This chapter contained OOC discord.
Wow, this took a while to write. Hopefully, you liked it.
Next chapter: "The prince is gone"
"So, Typhon was Celestia and Luna's younger brother?" Candy asked.
"Yes, I didn't know him for too long myself, but they were pretty close. Honestly, I was shocked when I found out that he ran away not too long after Luna became nightmare moon. The last I've heard of him was something about The Forsaken land" Uncle explained as he pulls out a map (from nowhere) with a question mark in the center, "No one knows where it is though. I heard he built his own kingdom there for Equestrians or anyone who grew tired of their peaceful way of living"
"Why would anyone want to get rid of peace?" Candy scratches her head.
"Peace could be boring sometimes," He threw the map away, and laid back in the air," Having a bit of chaos in your life keeps the sanity...sane I guess"
"I'm pretty sure you aren't using those words right"
"Who says?"
"Logic!"
"Where's the fun in logic?"
"I guess you have a point"
"None of that matters!" I snapped, I turn to my uncle with a serious look, "What does any of this have to do with us? You haven't explained why we are alive yet"
Discord sighs and Sits in front of us, "This might take a while to explain...So I'll just be blunt. You and your friends are here to fight Typhon in the element's place"
Crickets chirp and the old castle howels as the wind blows through. It was so quiet that a pin can drop and you would hear it.
"WE WHAT?! " Candy shouts in disbelief.
"I can't fight!" I shout right after her.
"We're going to die!"
"What made you think the two of us could beat a demon lord?"
"We're going to die!"
"This is unbelievable"
"Did I mention that we're going to die?"
Suddenly, zippers appear on our mouths.
"Calm down. I guess I'll have to explain after all," Uncle shrugs, "As you already know, you were born from chaos. I used a couple of very powerful spells to bring you back from the dead, in Autumn's case, out of a vegetative state,"
I hold my arm with my hand in an attempt to hide my visible chills.
"While normal children are born from...Well, I'll let your parents explain that part some other time," He rubs the back of his neck in thought, "You two and your friends were re-born from magic. In simpler terms, you're artificial beings created from chaos magic"
"So, we have magic even though we're not unicorns!?" Candy asked excitedly, after unzipping her mouth.
"Not exactly. It's more like, you are the magic" He explains, "Your heart its self is like a container and center of the magic in your bodies and your lives. Basically, you're immortal as long as your heart isn't completely destroyed. Bleeding out, Brain damage, falling off of a cliff, drowning, suffocation, All of these common deaths aren't possible for you. Though it may cause some kind of damage without being fixed immediately"
"So, How do we fight Typhon exactly?" I asked after unzipping my own mouth, "You said he supposedly has over a hundred different types of dark creatures right?"
"Let's not jump that far ahead, There is something else you two need to do for now," He says.
"What's that?"
"Find the rest of your friends"
"Why can't you just tell us who they are? Do we really have that much time to waste?" I ask.
"Relax, you have at least another five to six years before Typhon makes his big move," Uncle says and a large timer appears next to him,"Besides, with everything that's going on now, I doubt the princesses will let me roam freely for a while"
"Are you going to be in trouble?" My face changes to one full of concern.
"Not much," he crosses his arms, "But some people have trust issues. Aren't I always honest and good?"
I smile at his joke, suddenly feeling a bit more calm about my situation.
"Well, I'll see you later. Good luck," He pats my head before disappearing.
"Good luck to you too" I mumble back.
"Wait!" Candy exclaims, "How do we get back to town?"
The wind howls throughout the empty, dark castle in the middle of the everfree forest.
We both sigh.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next day
I sit at the table of my kitchen, writing down a list of names in my notebook.
Grant Quinn Ashton Julia
"What are you doing up so early?" Mom asked, suddenly appearing in the doorway.
I jump slightly and quickly shoved the notebook into my bag.
"Nothing. Should you be up? You were hit pretty bad yesterday" I glance at her leg wrapped in bandages.
"I'm fine, It's just a little sprain" She smiles softly and makes her way into the kitchen. She watches as I grab my bag and boots, "Isn't school canceled today?"
"It is, But Candy and I have a...project to do so we're going to meet up at the park" I hastily explain as I struggle to pull my shoes on.
"Is today really such a good idea. After everything that happened last night, I'm not so sure-"
"It'll be fine mom," I assure her after zipping up my sweater, "I promise"
"Alright then, have fun," She says hesitantly.
"We will!" I leave the house and head towards town. Because, there's no school today, there are many kids walking around. Most of the adults still have work, while the remaining ones are helping to repair what Cerberus crashed last night. This should make it somewhat easier to look for the others.
I stop near the center of town and sat on a nearby bench. I pulled out my notebook from before. I have no idea where to start. I know the names and how old everyone should be, but I have no idea how to look for them. What if they aren't even the same gender? Would they look similar to their old bodies?
"Hey, Autty!" Candy shouts as she rushes up to me, "Sorry I was so late, It took forever to get- what are you looking at?"
I didn't even realize that I had been staring at her so intently. It's still blurry, but I can remember how Candy used to look. Dyed red hair, freckles, and big hazel eyes.
"Hey, Candy?"
"Yeah?"
"Have you ever had freckles?"
"Hmm, Nope, not that I remember. Why?" She gasped and held her cheeks, "Do I still have sprinkles on my cheeks? How embarrassing"
I laugh and look back down at my book, "You are definitely Candice. You may look different now, but I'd remember that personality anywhere"
"Does that mean we can find our friends?" She asked.
"Yeah, I just don't know where to start-" I cut myself off. I spot non-other than the young prince himself.
"What's wrong? " Candy questions as she follows my gaze, "Is that Nebula?"
He had a bag on his back, It looked heavy, almost like he was carrying rocks, and his coat was so long it nearly covers his feet. Some stopped to wave to him, however, he seemed like he had something important on his mind. I've never seen him look so out of it.
"Where do you think he's going? I wonder what he's carrying. We don't have school so..." Candy tilts her head in thought.
"Let's go," I say as I grab and pull her along.
~~~~~~
After following the prince for thirty minutes, he stops in front of a lake near the outskirts of town. We hid behind a tree, close enough to see him clearly. He stops and drops his bag on the ground, the heavy item inside made a loud sound as it fell.
He takes his coat off revealing his lack of a shirt and swims trunks. He then steps closer to the water.
"Is he going swimming?" Candy whispers, "It's cold out today"
"Shhh, he might hear us"
He is visibly cold when the water touches his feet, but he brushes it off just as quickly. turning to face his bag, he opens it and pulls out the heavy object. A pair of weights attached to a chain. He sits and attaches the chain to his leg before returning to the water.
"What is he doing?" Candy questions.
"I don't know" I whisper. What could someone do with weights at a lake?
Wait a minute.
"Wait!" I call out, giving away our hiding spot.
It was too late though, Nebula had already dived under. The weight should be pulling him down to the bottom of the lake, so far that you can barely get there just by swimming.
"Candy! Go get the princess!" I tell her, she comes out of her shocked state and nods before running away.
Candy is fast but not fast enough, it could be too late by the time she gets someone. I rush over to the lake and removed my coat and shoes. Then I swiftly dove into the water. At the bottom I see Nebula, his face is pained, probably from the cold water and the lack of air in his lungs. He wasn't too far down luckily.
I reach him and attempted to pull him up. When he sees me his eyes go wide and he shakes his head.
'No? Does he want to die?!' I think to myself.
He attempts to push me away, but his energy is dropping. He goes limp, allowing me to get a grip on him, but the weight continues to pull us both down. I pull on the chain, desperate to free him, but there's no way I can break it.
Suddenly a blue aura appears over the chain, and it breaks. I look back at Nebula, in time to see his eyes close again. I thank him in my head as I pull him to the surface. I gasp for air as we emerge from the water. Dragging his body to the shore, I notice that Nebula was not breathing.
"Oh no" I gasp, "Please Nebula, open your eyes!"
I do my best to perform CPR, I tilt his head back, push down on his chest and even mouth to mouth, to no avail.
I place my ear on his chest. There's not even a heartbeat and his skin is cold and pale. It's too late. The prince is gone.
"Why would you do that?" I mumble as my eyes fill with tears, "What happened? What were you thinking?"
"I was going to ask you the same," A voice says.
I look up to find Nebula's eyes meeting mine. I jumped away in shock as he struggles to sit up. I only came back when he hunched over and began to cough. I quickly move to help him up.
"Thank god you're alive. I thought-"
"Are you stupid?" He asks harshly, glaring directly at me "You could have died! Why would you dive into the water like that?"
"Me?" I ask in disbelief, "You're the one who tied a chain to his leg and tried to go swimming. In fall no less!"
"I had it under control. It was for an experiment" He says as he takes deep breaths, attempting to get more air than water in his lungs. He nearly falls over again but I catch him, letting his body rest against mine.
"Your heart wasn't even beating and your skin is as cold as ice. How are you even alive?" I touch his back, attempting to help him despite my agitated mood. When I touched him, however, my eyes widened in shock, "It's still not beating"
"I could say the same to you," He says, his face in the same expression.
"Y-Your not..." I shudder as I step back, "We're-"
"Nebula!" princess Twilight rushes up to us, with Candy following behind.
"Oh my god, what happened?" Twilight cries as she grabs Nebula and pulls him into a hug, "Your freezing! Where is your coat?"
"I'm fine. I just wanted to collect some of the plants from the lake for a project. I guess Candy and Autumn saw me and got the wrong idea" He lies. He turns to me and Candy with a smile, "Sorry for scaring you like that"
"Um...it's okay?" Candy responds.
"Yeah?" I follow.
"Thanks for looking after him," The princess says, "But why are you all wet Autumn?"
"Oh, I uh-"
"After I told her what I was doing she offered to help. She knows a lot about plants," He says, cutting me off, " Why don't you come help me with my experiment later. I'll explain how it works"
"Actually we have to-" Candy starts. I cut her off by covering her mouth with my hand.
"Sure, we'll see you then" I reply.
He nods and leaves with his mother. Candy looks back and forth between us just as confused as me.
"Did I miss something?" She asks.
I place my hand over my heart. Sure enough, it was beating.
"Yeah. A lot"
Author's Note
Woo!
I'm back from writer's block! Hooray!
Let's celebrate with two updates today! (Internal cringe at that horrible rhyming)
Next chapter: "This wasn't the first time "
Author's Note
Just in case some of you get confused, I'll give you a rundown of my version of Equestria:
Every creature (Excluding the normal animals) has a human-like form. Ponies are now called Equestrians that are in three different types:
The pegasi, who have wings that are typically hidden. Their magic is used to walk on clouds and use the air around them for flight (E.g- Rainbow Dash is one of the most skilled because of her ability to change the space around her so delicately that she can cut through the sound barrier without whiplash and other repercussions for moving that fast)
The Magic users/ Casters (formerly Unicorns), Who have the most magic out of the three and can use it in any way they want.
And The Groundkeepers/ Earth user (Formerly Earth ponies), Who are known for their lack of ability or flexibility with their magic since they typically use it for things like growing crops or strength.
There is also the Royalty (AKA Alicorns)
Other creatures like Griffons, Yacks, changelings, hippogriffs, and bat ponies (who are now just called nocturnals) are also in human form but with their respectable traits (Bat wings, Insect wings, slitted eyes, eagle wings) Dragons, however, are still in the form of dragons, but some can have both forms when they are younger but they grow out of it at a certain age, these types of dragons are called drakes.
So that's basically the basics of the Equestria in this book. As for why I chose it to be this way, It was because the original idea was to have Autumn (and the rest) to keep her memories when she reincarnated. But I didn't want to do the typical "Oh no~ I'm a pony now. I'll have to learn how to walk and pick stuff up and why I have to eat hay and not mistake 'Fillydelphia' for ' 'Philadelphia' (That last one was a stretch)", and all that junk.
I guess I could have gone with the normal Equestria since I didn't choose that idea...oh well.
Chapter 10
Candy and I make our way to the castle after I explained everything. We were on our way to meet up with Nebula who wanted to talk to us.
"Are you sure you're okay Autumn?" Candy turns to ask me in concern, "Maybe we should stop by the hospital?"
"I'm fine Candy. At least I think so" I reply while checking my own heart, "I don't think this is something we can bring up at the hospital. What would the doctors think if I show up saying that I died?" I laugh it off.
Candy doesn't look convinced, "If you say so"
We walk up to the giant crystal doors. I've never been to the castle by myself, I usually go with my mom, so I was unsure if I should knock or ring some kind of special doorbell. I ignore these thoughts and simply went up to the door and raised my hand to knock. Before I could, however, the door opened.
"Good, you actually came" Nebula sighs after opening the door, "Come in"
We slowly stepped into the giant building, "Thanks for inviting us" I say to him.
"Honestly, you're helping me, so I should thank you" Nebula explains, closing the door and leading us through the halls, "I'm sure you are just as confused as me"
"Confused? not really. Freaked out? Very!" Candy exclaims. Nebula turns to her before addressing me.
"No offense but why is she here? I think this is something that should be kept between us" He continues walking.
"I'll explain that after"
Finally, after many winding halls and many confusing doors, we stop at our destination, the study. Nebula opens the door and closes it behind us.
"So, what do you need to tell us?" I ask.
"You should sit down first." He suggests, "This is a little confusing"
We do as he instructs as he picks up many books and a few vials of strange liquid.
"For starters. I just wanted to say that I am in no way suicidal," He states, "But this isn't the first time"
"First time? for what?" Candy asks.
"My first time dying," He says.
"S-so, you killed yourself before?" I shakingly ask.
Nebula hesitates to answer, "Its the first of many, but I only noticed it last week" He hands me a file, "These are my medical files, my mother has been collecting them for years"
I open up the file and read the papers.
Nebula age 5- broken arm from jumping off his bed Nebula age 6- Minor head injury from slipping on ice Nebula age 6- A rather large rash on his b-
The paper is snatched away from me before I could finish reading it. Nebula clears his throat.
"These don't really matter," He fixes his glasses before pointing to the last few pages, "Start from nine years old"
"You were really clumsy when you were younger" Candy whistles. She somehow got the paper back and was reading its contents, "How did that rash even get there...and there?"
He snatches the paper once again. I continue reading where he told me too.
Nebula age nine- Fallen out of a large tree. Remained unconscious for a long period of times before waking up. Nebula age nine- Major head injury, including bleeding. Remained unconscious for 24 hours Nebula age ten- Allergic reaction to strawberries. Lost consciousness from lack of air.
And the list got even worse from there. I began to notice Xs on some of the more serious injuries.
"I see you noticed," Nebula says as he holds Candy back from reading about his younger self, "The ones with Xs next to them are the most important ones here"
"So, does that mean?" I hesitate to answer.
"Yes, those are all the times that I have died," He reveals, causing even Candy to go still, "I'm not completely sure, but most of those times where I lost consciousness I definitely should not have survived. And I didn't"
"So you already died-" I stop to count the list, "-four times. Five times if you include this morning"
"Actually, make it ten" He adds.
"What?"
"Those are only the ones that have been reported or witnessed" He walks over to another shelf and pulls out a book, "These are the ones that I have collected myself"
July 27th- A few weeks ago I've fallen from the top shelf of my study while getting a book. The fall was at least twenty to twenty-five feet directly on my head. After years of multiple concussions and major head injuries, I should have died. And yet I lived. Further research is needed.
August 2nd- I've taken multiple doses of sleeping pills and I've come in contact with multiple different poisonous plants. I've passed out a few times but I'm still alive. Conclusion: Immunity to poison
September 18th- I haven't eaten since the eighteenth of August. It has been an entire month since then. Enduring the hunger pains was not an easy task and hiding it from my mother wasn't either but I managed. Conclusion: Cannot die from malnutrition, hunger, or dehydration
September 20th- A crushed windpi-
"I've read enough," My voice cracked when I said this as I closed the book and shoved it back into his arms.
"What did it say?" Candy asks.
"Why..." I start, "Why did you do all of that to yourself? You said you weren't suicidal, but you still tried all of those things, and put yourself in so much pain, and for what?!"
Candy flinched at my sudden outburst, but Nebula stayed indifferent.
"I fail to understand why you're getting so upset," He says, sounding like some kind of robot.
"What is wrong with you?" I glare at him, "Do you want to die that badly?"
"I told you I'm not suicidal"
"Then what would you have done if you actually died?"
"What could I have done, I'd be dead"
"Aren't you hurt, or even scared?"
"I don't know, maybe"
I step back in shock, "You- what?"
"When I was younger I was diagnosed with SPD (Schizoid personality disorder)" He explains, "It means I have trouble feeling or even showing most if any emotions. So please forgive me If I'm not sobbing while telling you about my horrible experiences with death"
"You say that but I clearly heard the sarcasm in your voice," Candy says from the side.
Nebula glances at her before looking back at me, "You haven't explained why she's here yet"
"Oh yeah. I almost forgot," I clear my throat, "We have the answers you've been looking for"
The young prince lifts his head a bit, showing a bit of interest, "Continue"
"You might not believe us right away, and it may be hard to believe at all-"
"-We were from another world, from different bodies, and different names and everything, except my name. We died there and now we're here and we have to fight a guy named Typhon with our weird-kinda-zombie bodies" Candy cuts in.
"..." Nebula didn't say anything.
"Candy!" I hissed at her, "We were supposed to explain in a way where he can understand, not make it sound like some kind of fantasy story!"
"But It would have taken foreverrrr~" She whines, "This way is a lot faster"
"But he's never going to believe us now-"
"Alright, I believe you," He says suddenly, standing up from his seat.
" "What?" " Candy and I say in unison.
"I said I believe you," He repeats, "What do we do now?"
"Well that was easy" Candy deadpans.
"Wait, why do you believe us. I mean it's good that you do, but you're just going to believe us like that?" I tilt my head.
"To be honest, I thought there was something weird about you" He gestures to me.
"Me?"
"You're a pegasus, your mom is a pegasus and your dad is a pegasus too" He puts his hand under his chin, "But you have a lot of magic in you. And it's not the usual pegasus magic, it's like a Caster but still different"
"That's like what your uncle said" Candy whispers to me.
"We've already found out about that too, but I'll explain it in better detail later," I pick my bag up, "I hope it'll be this easy for the others too"
"I doubt it, the other three don't seem to have the kind of understanding that I do," Nebula says as he puts away his books.
I sigh before I realize something, "Wait a second!" I grab Nebula's arm, "You said the other three, does that mean you have your memories?"
"No," He says plainly, "Your story sounds a lot like I dream I used to have" He puts another book on the shelf in front of him, "Living in someone else's body, dying and then coming back as who we are now. It's not uncommon to have dreams about a lost memory"
If he remembers the dream too, then that means the rest have to of had the same dream, which means that they know who they are but they just think it was a dream! This is-
"This is great!" Candy exclaims.
"Are we thinking about the same thing, Candy?" I ask while beaming. I knew I couldn't be the only one who thought of-
"You have all six volumes of 'The great dessert race', all the way up to volume six 'The sun, sand, and giant sugar crystals' !" She holds up a book, "You have to let me borrow this!"
I facepalm
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. 3rd person Twilight's castle
"And, you're sure there are no survivors? Not a single one?" Twilight holds her head in shock.
"Trixie and I searched everywhere. The entire cave system was empty" Starlight explains.
"Only..." Trixie starts but hesitates. Starlight places a hand on her shoulder in encouragement, "We found their nest, but... "
"But what?" Rainbow pressed.
"Every last egg has been destroyed. Some of them with f-fully developed c-children-"
"It's okay Trixie, you don't have to explain anymore," Twilight says cutting the poor woman off.
"What's happening?" Starlight asks as she holds her dear friend, "We just saw Thorax and the changelings last week, and they were perfectly fine!"
"It's nothing you need to worry about right now. We'll handle this" AJ reassures them.
"Yeah, I'm sure Thorax saved them all. He's probably just hiding out somewhere!" Rainbow exclaims.
Trixie and Starlight don't look convinced, but they still nodded their heads, "Alright, we'll leave the rest to you then"
They turn to leave.
"Wait" Twilight stands from her seat, "make sure you keep this information a secret for now"
"We will" Starlight responds.
"Also," Twilight starts grimly, "keep your heads low for a bit. Just until things blow over"
The two give her a concerned look but agreed before taking their leave.
"So much for not making them worry" Rainbow sighed, "Why did ya have to tell them to keep their heads low' ? That's gonna make them worry even more"
"While we don't want anyone to panic, we want to make sure they're safe" Twilight explained, "First first the prisoners of Tartarus and now even the changelings. This is a whole species we're talking about. To be able to wipe them all out just like that?"
"We already know who did this." Applejack said grimly, "We should be stopping him before it's too late!"
"I agree with AJ. We should get him before he has time to prepare for us!" Rainbow argued.
"The princesses strictly told us to wait for their instructions, so that's all we're going to do for now" Twilight stood from her throne.
"Aren't you a princess too?! You should decide what the best move to make is" Rainbow insisted as she stood as well.
"And I decided...that waiting is the best thing to do right now" The princess crossed her arms, "I trust Princess Celestia. She knows more about Typhon than we do. She knows more than anyone for that matter, so if she says waiting is the best thing to do, then I trust her completely" Twilight turns her back to them as she leaves the map room.
"Do you really trust her?"
Twilight turns around sharply to face Applejack, "What do you mean?"
Aj doesn't look at Twilight, "I'm just sayin'...After bein' an element, facing so many foes, and even becoming a princess, does Princess Celestia really tell you everything?"
Twilight couldn't respond. She was at a loss for words as she struggled to speak, "I- Of course she does! Why wouldn't she?"
"If we think back to the very beginnin', She completely disregarded nightmare moon's return, knowin' that the stories were true, and she still got captured, and for what? Did she ever explain that?"
"W-well" Twi stuttered.
"What about that time she sent us to the crystal empire. We could have been enslaved by Sombra or even killed if spike didn't come with us, and even that's a stretch" Rainbow added.
"Ooh ooh, what about the wedding? That was fun!" Pinkie jumped in cheerfully, but it was clear that she was trying to lift the tension in the room.
"You mean when Celestia didn't believe that Cadence was a changeling?" Rainbow raised an eyebrow.
"None of you guys believed me," Twilight added.
"We believed that Cadence was actin' strange, but we couldn't have guessed that she was a giant shapeshiftin' bug" AJ deadpanned.
"You would think if she knows what changelings are and she had even the tiniest bit of trust in you, she could have figured out the truth on her own" Rainbow thought out loud.
Twilight looks Aj in the eyes and looks over her group of friends. The rest of them avoided eye contact.
"So...you all think Celestia is hiding something? Or she's clumsy? is that what you're trying to say?" Twilight questions harshly.
No one answers.
AJ walked up to a frustrated Twilight and placed her hand on her shoulder, "Listen Twi, all we're trying to prove is that, even if she's a princess, your teacher, and has more experience, not every choice she makes is the best one. And we think you should start makin' your own choices. The whole world is at stake here, just...make sure you understand that any choice you make will affect everyone"
With that, AJ, Rainbow, and Pinkie left the room, leaving just Twilight and Fluttershy, who hasn't said a word in the whole discussion.
Twilight glance at Fluttershy from across the room. The shy woman kept her gaze on her lap.
"I haven't heard what you had to say," Twilight says, breaking the silence as she sits down across from her shy friend, "What do you think of Celestia's plan?"
Fluttershy kept her mouth shut for a few moments, "I...I think about Autumn every day, every hour, and every second. I...think about her smile and how her cheeks become red when she laughs or cries"
Fluttershy smiles as she speaks, "Ever since she was born, she was always on my mind. I think about how she can be timid and scared like me and stubborn like her father. And...when it comes to making decisions, I think of her" Shy looks up at Twilight, "I'm sure its the same for you about Nebula. Just like every parent. I always think of how the choices I make can affect her, and it's scary sometimes. But...whether it's the right choice or not, It's always mine to make"
Shy takes Twilight's hands, "Think about Nebula, your friends, ponyville, and everyone else you care about when you decide. It doesn't matter If it's the princesses idea because, in the end, you will have made that choice"
Twilight didn't realize it herself but she had started to tear up while she listened to Fluttershy. When Shy noticed she became flustered, "Oh my gosh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you upset!"
Twilight laughed as she wiped her face, "No, it's alright, I'm not upset" She leaned forward and gave her friend a hug, "Thank you Fluttershy, I needed to hear that"
"I know what to do now"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Autumn's POV outside of Ponyville schoolhouse
"Did you finish it?" Candy bounced over to Nebula and looked over his shoulder. On the picnic table in front of him was an essay, "Oooh, that's a lot of writing"
Nebula handed the paper to me so I could read it. It was a speech about our school, but when I got to the bottom, it changed into something more. Candy read from over my shoulder before throwing her arms around Nebula.
"Nebby, you're a genius!" Candy exclaims as she hugs him.
"Nebby?" He questions as he pushes her off.
"Are you sure this essay is good enough for the ceremony?" I ask.
Nebula nods, "My speeches are always chosen for important assemblies. There's no doubt"
Every fall, our school holds an entrance ceremony for all the grades. A representative from each grade must read a speech to their peers about moving onto the next grade, fifth grade being the most important one considering that we're in our last year of elementary school. It was sort of like passing the baton off to the younger students. So far, Nebula has always been our grade leader, since we were in first grade.
"I hope you're not trying to run for grade leader again" A familiar obnoxious voice cuts in.
Crystal (and her twin followers of course) walks up to us, "We all know that it's going to be me this year"
"Yeah, last year she would have won if Nebula's mom hadn't shown up. She totally showed up because she knew everyone would kiss up to her and vote for Nebula" Rosey pointed at Nebula.
"And Crystal has won sub-leader every year too, she's bound to win this time!" Posey announces.
There were a few moments of silence before Nebula turned back to his speech on the table, "Maybe I could tweak it a bit. Add a few jokes here and there?"
"Nah you're not the type for jokes, "Candy waved her hand in a dismissing manner.
"Something motivational could work" I added.
"Oh well, I'll finish it later. Let's go" Nebula stands and walks away with us in tow.
The trio of bullies dropped their jaws at our sudden attitude, "Hey! Don't ignore us!" Crystal exclaimed angrily.
"Oh sorry, were you just saying something?" Nebula asked, "We have more important things we need to discuss, I hope you don't mind"
Crystal grits her teeth, "Fine. Just you watch 'your highness', This time you're going to lose"
"I'll be waiting" Nebula responded, still walking while they argued.
After she walks away, he sighs, "At least she's done bullying you" he looks up at me.
"Oh yeah, I just noticed! She doesn't even look at you anymore Autumn!" Candy thinks out loud as she jumps up on the fence we were walking by.
I try to remember the last time Crystal said anything mean to me but I only remember the first argument she and Nebula had. Is Nebula fighting with Crystal on purpose? To keep her distracted from me?
I suddenly get a warm feeling in my chest. To know that Nebula is actually standing up for me is-
Nebula stretches his arms and sighs again, "Why is she so upset with me anyway? I didn't do anything to her. Why doesn't she just go mess with someone else?"
"You embarrassed her in front of the whole school last week, remember?" Candy pointed out.
Nebula raises an eyebrow, "I did? Why would I do that?"
"Nevermind" I sigh.
"What was that Autumn?" Candy asks.
"Uh, I was just wondering when Uncle Discord was coming back, I still need to tell him that we found Nebula" I change the subject. We walk over a raised road that looks over a small forest of apple trees.
"Discord was the one who brought us here, correct?" Nebula asks.
"Yeah, he went to our world and scooped us up after we died" Candy explains enthusiastically before calming down and sheepishly smiling at me, "Well, almost all of us"
"It's okay Candy, I think I used to it already, " Say confidently.
Suddenly, Candy slips off of the fence and tumbles down the side of the cliff into a tree. She hits it head first. I watch in horror as she lays still for a bit before looking up with a cheesy smile. That fall should have definitely killed her.
"Oops, my bad" She rubs her bleeding head with a smile still on her face.
"Nevermind, I don't think I'll ever get used to this"
I honestly hope I never do.
3rd Person POV Castle of friendship
Princess Twilight Sparkle held many pages of paper in her hands, looking over them multiple times. She had a satisfied look on her face. Her friends meanwhile looked confused as they glanced between their friend and each other.
"Um, Twilight?" Pinkie hesitantly called out, "What did you need?"
"Huh?" Twilight said, finally looking up from her papers.
"You called us here remember," Rarity, who was called all the way back from Canterlot, said.
"Oh, well..." She started hesitantly, "I would like to start by saying that I was thinking about what all of you were saying earlier"
They got quiet. Aj was the first to speak next, "About that, we're sorry for-"
"You were right"
"I understand If yer still mad but It was my faul- Wait, what?"
"I thought about what you said, and I think you're right, no, I know you were right" Twilight stated, "It's time for me to stop being a student and to be a real leader"
Twilight glances at Fluttershy who gave her a reassuring smile in response, "I graduated from being Celestia's student when I became a princess, but I was still too afraid to do any kind of royal duties without waiting for instructions" Twilight looks down, "I still appreciate everything Celestia has done and helped me with up to now, and I still respect her just as much as I did before, but It's time that I made my own decisions. I'm not just another one of her knights, I'm a fellow princess who should do more than just sit around and wait for an order"
"Does that mean?" Rainbow sits up eagerly.
Twilight nods, "We're taking the fight to Typhon before he brings it to us"
"YES!" Rainbow exclaims, jumping from her seat and doing a few flips in the air.
"Are you absolutely sure this is what you want Twi? We don't want to pressure you into makin' any hasty decisions" Aj says.
"Yes, I am sure. All of your opinions are important to me too. I'm not going to force you guys into following me either, So I should be asking. Are you guys sure you want to follow me? This could be dangerous, In fact, for the first time, I'm not even sure of what outcome this could have, You guys could be putting your lives on the line"
"Pfft! Please, what do you think we've been doing for the past few years? Playing tag with every dangerous villain in Equestria?" Rainbow scoffs, "Of course I'm in!"
"I've got a family I need to protect. Mah life is the first thing that I'm willin' to lose when it comes to them" Aj states.
"My divorce has been clouding my head for a while. But, I can't afford to think about it now when something like this is happening. I'll follow you for as long as you need me to" Rarity places her hand on Twilight's shoulder.
"If Typhon takes over, then that means sugar cube corner can't exist! We have to stop him before he gets to it!" Pinkie exclaims.
"I'm sure he wouldn't care about a pastry shop but whatever" Rainbow shrugs.
Everyone glances at Fluttershy. She looks up at everyone's concerned looks, knowing what they were thinking.
But to their surprise, she stood up with a determined look, "Every time we had to save Equestria, I always cried and said no. But that's going to change now, There's too much at stake for me to become a crybaby"
She puts her hand on her chest, "Right now, my heart is telling me that this isn't something I should cry about. I'm in"
Everyone beams and sighs in relief, "So it's settled then. What's the first thing we need to do?"
Twilight wipes away the tears of joy she had and placed the papers from earlier down on the table in a display, " Becuase Typhon's kingdom is in the unknown parts of the undiscovered west, we can't exactly go up to his front door. But, we do know that he has been after the villains who have put Equestria in danger. The changelings, Terek, and every other past foe that was in Tartarus are the ones he has already gotten to"
"That leaves, Nightmare moon, Sombra, Cozy Glo and... Discord" Pinkie list off.
"It's safe to say that Luna is safe considering her and Typhon's history, " Rainbow says.
"Cozy Glo has been off the map since she was released seven years ago and no has heard from Discord since last week" Pinkie rests her chin in her hands before pointing at Fluttershy, "Unless you've seen him recently"
"No, I haven't seen him at all," She places a hand on her cheek and smiles, "I think he might be hiding from us for a while. After the whole Cerberus incident, he might be a bit hurt that we all accused him so easily" She giggles.
"Of all times for him to get petty" Rarity crosses her arms.
"He can be such a big brat sometimes. Now's not the time for him to go into hiding!" Rainbow exclaims.
"What about Sombra?" Twilight brought up.
The others give her a confused look, "Sombra is practically scattered across the frozen north" Rainbow explains.
"Yeah, he kinda went 'Kaboom' after the crystal heart charged up" Pinkie adds.
"Not exactly" Twilight smiles as she points to her crown, "Relics like the elements and the crystal heart are the same. While the elements are one of the most powerful weapons Equestria has, they don't kill, they restore"
"Restore?" Rainbow asked.
Twilight took off her crown and stared at it, despite the physical element no longer being there, "When Celestia used them on Luna, they imprisoned her on the moon and when we used them they banished the darkness from her heart. It's the same with discord, the elements turned him to stone, but he didn't die. There's nothing harmonic about killing" She put the crown back on and faced the group, "I can imagine it's the same with the crystal heart, it is an element too after all"
"It is?" Rarity questioned this time.
"It works the same as our elements. The only difference is that it is powered by love instead of friendship" Twilight places her hand under her chin in a thinking manner, "If my theory is right, then Sombra, the entity of hate and power himself is simply, disabled for now. They do still have his horn in their museum right. As a way of remembering how the one thousand year war with him ended"
Applejack's eyes widen, "Twilight...you aren't thinkin' of doin' what I think yer gonna do, right?"
Twilight doesn't say anything.
"Are you crazy? We're supposed to be protectin' Equestria!" AJ exclaims, "If we bring Sombra back, who knows what'll happen"
"What?!" The other four exclaim.
Twilight had a grim expression, "I know it sounds crazy, and it's the complete opposite of what we represent. So, I'm going to ask again: Can you all put your faith in me, even if you know I might screw up and even if it sounds wrong, can you do that?"
One by one, each of them hesitently nodded, "We're with you"
"Thank you girls, I promise, I won't let you down"
Author's Note
Merry Christmas everyone!
Sorry this chapter was a little uneventful despite the time it took to write it. A lot has happened in my life recently that has prevented me from continuing this story. And I was planning to quit but, when I post a new chapter and I see even one comment or 10 or so views within the same day, it really gives me the courage to continue.
It's my dream and goal to finish a story, whether it be this one or some of the others I've written. And I would like to just give a special Christmas thanks to everyone who has supported me.
So...Thank you all.
Autumn's POV
The grade president election day
"Just a second" Candy hums for the thousandth time.
She continuously works her fingers through Nebula's hair, gelling it down. Meanwhile I straightened his tie.
"Thank you for helping me, but I would have been fine without the gel" he stands uncomfortably stiff. I guess he's not used to others being this close to him.
"Nonsense " Candy says in English (was that a BNHA reference?), "You have to make a good impression on everyone. You're running against Crystal, the queen of the school, if she can scare a few students into voting for her, she'll win!"
"I don't think it's that serious Candy" I say, "Sure Crystal might be intimidating, but I'm sure she can't manipulate that many people. Can she?"
"A hand full? Yes, I'll give her that much," Nebula chimes in, "When she's being rational, she's very persuasive and cunning. She tried to convince me earlier to give up, and it seemed like it would work is she tried it on someone else. It's a shame that someone with a talent for speaking has to be borderline dictating"
I furrow my eyebrows as I finished fixing Nebula's tie, "Do you think, Typhon is like that?"
"Hm?" "Huh?" Nebula and Candy sharply look up with shocked looks. We haven't discussed Typhon at all since we first learned of him, so me bringing him up all of a sudden must have surprised them.
"I was just thinking. It's not like he's some mindless monster. He was royalty, the closest person to a prince and a government official" I step back after finishing the tie, "I was just wondering if destroying equestria is really what he wants"
Nebula picked up his speech, "Its hard to say. We have no way of knowing. It's not like any of us have any experience with villains, much less how they think"
"Yeah, it's kinda weird how just a few weeks ago, we were normal kids, and now we're getting ready to protect equestria by giving a speech to our elementary school" Candy looks at us and laughs hesitantly.
We stare at her blankly for a moment before Nebula spoke, "Well, now our plan sounds stupid"
Candy and I burst into laughter.
"We will now be starting the 5th grade presidential speeches" We hear Principal Cheerilee announce.
"Well you better get out there," I say to Nebula, "good luck"
"Knock em dead Nebby!" Candy roughly ruffles his hair, ruining the work she just did, "oops"
"Its fine, I'll just use this" He pulls out a certain starry hair pin and uses it to hold his hair back.
"You still have it? After all this time?" I ask.
"It comes in handy" he shrugs and heads for the stage.
I smile and turn to Candy "Let's go find a seat"
"What was that all about?" She asks as she looks back and forth between Nebula and I.
"I'll tell you later" I pull her along to the auditorium, "Anyway, this will be the fifth year that Crystal has been elected for this. After so many tries you would think that she would give up"
"Nuh uh, not Crystal Lace. She would try to pull dirty tricks by now" Candy crossed her arms.
"Which is exactly why we should keep an eye out. She could try to sabotage Nebula's speech" We spot some open seats near the back, "Let's sit back here. If anything goes wrong with the stage, or someone gets up, we can spot it right away"
"Right" Candy looks over the huge crowd with wide eyes, "I think the whole 5th grade is here. This will make thinks very easy"
I shake my head, "Its a start, but it would be better if the whole school was here. That's why Nebula has to win this part and at least get to the finals"
I scan the stage once again, but I only see Nebula.
"Do you think Crystal is late?" I ask.
"Hopefully, if she takes to long to get here, then she'll be skipped" Candy puts her hands behind her head, "It'll make things easier"
"But still. She said that she was going to beat Nebula this year. And she sounded sure too, so, why would she be late when this is so important?" I tap my fingers on my chair anxiously.
"Wait, isn't that her right there?" Candy sits up and points down to the front of the row of chairs. Rosey and Posey sat one chair length away from each other, leaving one empty seat between them. Then, a familiar head of purple hair sits between them.
"What is she doing?" I ask.
"Maybe she gave up after all?" Candy suggests.
I continue to stare at Crystal. As if she felt my eyes studying her, she turns and meets my eyes before waving. It doesn't seem sarcastic or Ill intended.
"No, she couldn't have," I whisper back to Candy, " Crystal would do everything in her power to ruin anyone who stands up to her, it's why I or anyone else for that matter, never did"
She suddenly stands up, and makes her way to us, " Hey girls, mind if i sit with you?"
She asked in such a genuine way, that it almost frightened me, "No, not at all?" I answered, but it sounded more like a question.
She smiles and takes a seat, "Listen I just wanted to apologize for how I've been acting and how I've treated you. You see, I never hated you guys, and I don't know why I acted like I did"
We started at her with wide eyes, ignoring Cheerilee talking and only listening to her apologies.
"I know I did a lot of mean things and i embarrassed you a lot, and so many more things that i can't even count" she looks back up at the stage, watching as Nebula settled into his chair, "I called you guys dumb and stupid but you're actually very smart"
"I'm sorry I'm late!" A voice calls out. Another student runs onto the stage and takes Crystal's place.
"Unlike your friend up there. You guys understand who's more superior and you respect me much more than he does" she scoffs her false smile disappearing.
I get a glimpse of the real Crystal as she spoke and panicked. I stood up and looked at the stage.
"I can't stand him. He thinks he can just embarrass me, and dethrone me. Trying to become a normal person after hiding out in a hole"
The girl on the stage went up to the podium first and began to speak.
"It would have been much better if he just stayed in that damn hole" Crystal spat, her voice becoming much more venomous.
I grab her shoulders and slightly shake her, "What's going on?! What did you do?!"
"What's wrong with you Crystal? You're starting to look scary" Candy shrunk away to Crystal.
It was true, she didn't have the usual upset look. She looked much more horrifying than usual.
This girl on stage finished her speech and everyone erupted into applause. I can see the worried look on Nebula's face. I thought it was the speech that had him worried at first, but I realized that it wasn't worry, it was pain.
Cheerlilee called him up the the stands next.
"I've had enough of him, it's time for him to go back down to hell," Crystal smirked, "He just needed someone to pull him back down"
Suddenly a loud crashing sound occurred, when I looked up, Nebula wasn't there except for a hole where he once stood.
Everyone gasped and yelled when it happened, but Candy and I were in too much shock to respond. So Crystal did for us.
"Nebula!" She yells as she shoved my hands off of her and head towards the stage.
Not before giving me a smug look.
"Autumn" my mother calls, "Are you ready to go?"
I gather a few more flowers from the garden before meeting up with her by the front gate. I nod solemnly as she places her hand on my shoulder. Crystal is beside her, but I don't look at her at all. She looks indifferent to the situation as if it had nothing to do with her at all.
Two days ago
"Nebula!" Crystal fakes her worried shout as she heads towards the stage. Pegasi rush into the hole to get Nebula out as the crowd gasps and nervously chatter, wondering if the young prince was ok.
Candy and I are too frozen to move, but once we saw Crystal making her way to the stage, anger fueled our movements as we run to the stage as well. By the time we got onto the stage, Crystal was already there pulling Nebula out. He's conscious luckily but it's clear that he's too hurt to get up by himself.
"Nebula!" I shout as a push past Crystal and kneel beside him.
Principle Cheerilee also kneels beside him, "Are you alright dear?"
"I'm fine. It's just a few cuts" he looks over his arms only to find a few cuts and bruises, "I don't think anything is broken"
"That's good" Candy sighs in relief.
"Are you okay young prince?" Crystal asks sweetly.
A sudden burning anger filled my veins as my face turned red. I grab Crystal by her shirt collar and pull her back, away from Nebula.
"You did this, didn't you!?" I tell at her.
"Autumn!" Candy exclaims, shocked by my action.
"Answer me!" I yank the spoiled brat closer and look her in the eyes.
"Of course not! How would I even make him fall?" Crystal wasn't smiling, but I can hear her sarcastic smug voice as she spoke, "This stage is pretty old, Autumn. Accidents happen"
I clench my teeth together and very uncharacteristically of me, I raise a fist ready to hit the girl.
"Stop!" Mrs. Cheerilee grabs my hand and separates the two of us. She turns her attention to me with a look of disbelief, "Autumn Crocus! I would never expect you to behave like this"
"She was the one who did this. She made the stage collapse when Nebula went on!" I exclaim.
"Noteworthy went on before Nebula! So how could I have decided when the stage fell!" Crystal argued back.
"You have magic! You could have used it to make it fall!"
"The stage broke from the inside you dodo! How can I use magic on something I can't see!?"
"How do you even know it broke on the inside! You could have-"
"Enough!" Cheerilee cuts us off, "we will continue this discussion after we've treated Nebula"
"But-"
"Autumn" Nebula calls out, "It's fine"
"But, Nebula. You know what she-"
Nebula, who still hasn't moved from his position, shook his head. I clenched my fist but, I let it go.
"Can you stand up?" The school nurse, who has finally arrived, asked Nebula as she helps him get into a sitting position.
"I would, but it feels like my body isn't responding" Nebula grimaced as he used his bruised arm to push himself up to sit.
"Do you feel any pain anywhere else on your body?" She asked.
"No, just my arms and head. My legs feel...okay" He trails off.
The nurse looks at Cheerilee concerned, "we should probably call an ambulance just to make sure"
Candy's eyes widen, "an ambulance?"
I begin to panic too. What if the hospital finds something in him that has to do with our past? And when about X-rays of his heart. Will it look like a heart or a magic container?
"A-Are you sure the hospital is necessary? He said it's just a few cuts right?" I stumble over my words, trying not to sound suspicious.
"It'll be fine Autumn. Trust me" Nebula assures me.
I hesitate but nod, "Alright"
Present
It's been two days since Nebula has been in the hospital and I haven't heard anything from him.
The school took my claim about Crystal seriously, I guess it's the perk of being a behaved student, but in the end, they came to the conclusion that it was just an unfortunate accident. The boards under the stage had torn, the second Nebula went up to the podium, causing it to fall down.
I still argued back, so they had to explain that if the board was deliberately cut, it would be a clean smooth cut. But the pieces of the board they found were ragged, like they had bent and then broken.
I glance over at Crystal who was on my mom's other side. She had no expression on her face, which is unusual since she always has an annoyed look.
We walked into the hospital's lobby and to the front desk.
"We're here to see Nebula" my mom says.
The lady at the desk looked through some papers before looking up and pointing down a hallway, "Fourth door on your left"
"Thank you" my mother says politely.
"No problem. The princess is here as well. She hasn't left her son's side for a minute," the nurse looks apologetically at my mom,"I'm sorry to ask you this, but do you think you can convince her to go home tonight? We aren't supposed to have night visitors"
My mom smiles kindly back, "I'll see what I can say"
Crystal sits down on one of the waiting room chairs. My mom tilts her head as her slightly, "you're not coming in with us?"
"No thanks, I'd rather not go see a loser like him" she turns her head up.
Even though I already knew that Crystal always said things like that, it still shocked me that she would say them in front of an adult. She always acts like an angel in front of adults.
"W-well, Alright then. We won't take long" my mom, obviously caught off guard, stutters as she lead me down the hall we were directed to.
We found the room Nebula was in and headed inside. Nebula was sitting up on the hospital bed reading a book and princess Twilight sat in a chair by his side. Her eyes looked a little puffy, like she was crying.
"Fluttershy, thank you for visiting. It's nice to see you too Autumn" she greeted us.
"Its nice to see you too princess" I slightly bow my head formally.
Even though my mom and princess Twilight have been friends for a long time, but I still get nervous when I'm around her.
"Please. No need to be so formal" she smiles sheepishly. She turns to Nebula, "Now why don't you say hello to Autumn too, Nebula"
Nebula looks up from his book and nods.
"That's not a hello" Twilight sighs, but let's it go, "Why don't we talk in the hallway Fluttershy. I have something important to talk to everyone else about, but since you're here I'll let you hear it first"
"No problem" My mom puts her bouquet of flowers in a vase next to the bed, "Feel better Nebula"
"I will thank you" Nebula responds as she and princess Twilight leave.
It's quiet for a moment before I awkwardly clear my throat, "what are you reading?" I ask.
Nebula sighs and closes the book before tossing it aside, "No idea. My glasses broke when I fell, so I can't see much right now"
"That must be tough, I guess it's a good thing I brought flowers instead of books" I joke.
Nebula didn't respond to that.
"Sorry"
"It's okay"
It goes quiet again. I want to ask him a question but I struggle to come up with the words.
"You want to know what happened while I was here right?" Nebula aksed.
"U-uh, yeah"
"Well, you had nothing to worry about. They didn't find anything about us. Well, maybe they did and they just didn't want to focus on it. They had something more important to look at"
"More important?" I question.
"My condition"
I felt my blood run cold, "what happened?"
"Back then, when the nurse at the school was asking me if I was okay. I told her that my arms were bruised but they weren't broken" he shows me his slightly bandaged arms, "My legs were in seriously bad shape though. I had a huge gash down the side, which is probably going to leave a scar"
"But, scars aren't too bad right?" I ask hopefully.
"No but I didn't feel it"
"You what?"
"I couldn't feel my legs. I can't move them" he finally said.
"A-are you paralyzed?" I ask.
"Yeah, I could be like this for a while. I'm sure if I just end my life now, I can wake up just fine" He says nonchalantly.
I hold back my opinions on this. I don't like the idea of him taking his life in such little consideration, even if we don't really die. But, I can't tell him that he should just be in a wheel chair for the rest of his life.
"I would do it right now," He says, bringing my attention back, "But, that would alert the doctors. It would be a strange miracle if I was suddenly healed, days after the incident. So, I'll wait"
I sigh in relief. Knowing Nebula, if he could, he would slit his own throat with a scalpel right now without hesitation.
"By the way Nebula. On stage, before you fell, it looked like you were in pain. What happened?" I ask.
"Oh that" he took a flower from the bouquet I gave him and held it out in his hand. His dark blue aura covered it and it slowly levitated off his hand, it shook like it was having trouble staying afloat though, "My magic was forcefully halted. It looks like whoever set up the stage incident really put some thought into it. I couldn't use my magic to save myself"
I place my hand under my chin, "Forcefully stopping someone's magic, without a physical bracelet? Is that even possible"
"Yeah it is. It'll take years of practice and strong control over your magic, but it's possible" Nebula confirms.
"Is Crystal even capable of that?"
"I don't think it was Crystal" Nebula says.
I sigh and hang my head a bit, "So you even think I'm crazy?"
"I never said that" Nebula cleans up the flowers on his lap and places them in an empty vase on his nightstand, though he drops a few because of his sight, "I don't think it was Crystal because she's not capable. Something else has to be apart of this"
"'Something' not 'someone'?" I tilt my head.
"No student should be skilled enough to use that kind of spell. And there aren't any adults in the school capable of that spell either. The only ones who can cast such spells are those who have magic as a talent like my mother or Starlight, and neither of them were at the school" Nebula counts two fingers, "Nor would they do something like this. In fact, I don't think any adult in town would want to permanently disable a child. Which is why I think the only answer would be the same kind of being that Cerberus is. Something that Typhon created is in this town, discreetly doing things to ruin our chances of preparing for him"
My heart beats harder and my blood runs cold. Something else is in this town, and we haven't even seen it?
"I suggest you watch out for things that are out of the ordinary. Perhaps, a new face in town, incidents that haven't happened before, or maybe someone acting differently" Nebula shrugs, "If you don't see anything, then this whole accident was exactly that; an accident"
"How can you even dismiss it like that? You're the one who came up with this theory, shouldn't you be more worried?" I ask.
"Whatever makes you feel better. Right now, you're looking to place the blame on Crystal too much without thinking about the bigger threat," He crosses his arms, "Our problems are much bigger then some schoolyard bully. Ignore her until we can figure this out"
"So, you think she's innocent?"
"Innocent until proven guilty to be exact"
I bite my lip to prevent lashing out again. Just thinking about how Crystal can get away with something this big is making my blood boil. But I'll be quiet for now.
"Alright. I'll see what I can find"
Nebula nods before sighing, "Well, sorry to kick you out so suddenly but, without my glasses you're just a red blob and it's making my eyes hurt. I'll see you when I get out of here"
I giggle, brushing off his somewhat impolite farewell, "I'll see you at school then"
I head towards the door, but it opens before I touch the knob. The princess and my mom walk in.
"You're ready to go, Autumn?" My mom asks when she sees me standing by the door.
"Yeah," I turn to the princess and bow my head slightly, "Have a nice day Princess. I hope Nebula makes a fast recovery"
The princess gives me a smile, "No need to be so formal" she places a hand on my shoulder, "Thanks for looking after Nebula. He should be back in school by Monday"
"That's good" My mom sighs in relief, "Goodbye Nebula"
Nebula simply raises his hand slightly from his position on his side facing away from us.
My mom and I leave the hospital room and walk silently down the hallway. My mom breaks the silence a moment after.
"I'm going to be going to the Crystal empire this weekend, so it'll just be you, Crystal, and your father this weekend" She announces.
Nebula was right, something evil was going on here.
Please don't hate me for this...
Author's Note
So I honestly have no idea on how to place a character description in my chapters so I'll just be putting pictures from Google of what the characters look like here and there but since I forgot to place one for Autumn and Silver since I missed my chance. And I am TRULY trying to not make these characters look like a bad/overpowered OC with odd colors or different colored eyes etc. etc... So If they look dull to you I'm sorry.
I made this chapter for a picture of what they basically look like. (I won't bother with Case, Autumn's father) If it's a background character then I will just type. But for main characters, there will be a picture. Okay, enjoy the rest.
(Hopefully this doesn't get taken down because it isn't a real chapter
Please don't hate me for this...
