MLD: Through Timeby NerdzChaptersNightmaresA Filly's CrushCupcake DisasterNightmaresThe first time she fell asleep around him, they’d been in his office. He had been sitting at his desk, and she’d been on a couch against the wall, waiting for him to finish some paperwork so that they could leave for a date. Over the course of a few minutes, she had begun yawning and her eyes and ears drooped lower and lower. By the time he looked up from his work to tell her he was ready to go, she’d fallen sideways on the arm of the couch. Her back legs and tail were curled up as if protecting her stomach. Her left foreleg was used as a pillow, and the right one was tucked underneath her chin. He almost felt bad about waking her up. The second time was only a day or so later. She came into the office carrying her bag of art supplies. “Lady has Sci over for a study date.” she’d told him, “They’re currently arguing over some Starswirl The Bearded quote, and I can’t concentrate, and this piece needs to be turned in by Monday. Mind if I work in here?” He of course had nodded and gestured to the couch. She plopped down and pulled her sketchpad and a pencil from her bag with her magic, but she used her mouth to draw. He’d commented on that once, and she had replied that it was simply a force of habit. This time, she lasted nearly an hour before she fell asleep. He jumped when he heard her sketchpad hit the floor, and smiled softly when he saw her curled up in the same position as before. She fell asleep in his office a lot after that, and each time she came in she looked more and more exhausted. It got to the point where, some days, she barely made it to the couch before she was out, always subconsciously curling into the same position. He began to wonder if she subconsciously was trying to protect her stomach. The thought worried him. The third time she walked deliriously into his office and fell onto the couch, out in seconds, he resolved to ask her roommate about it. As luck would have it, he ran into her in the hallway later that same day. “She made me promise not to tell you,” Lady sighed, “but I’m starting to get worried myself. She hasn’t really slept in a while. Her nightmares’ve been getting worse-” “Nightmares?” Will asked, “Do these nightmares happen often?” Lady gave a sad smile. “We all have them. You don’t grow up on the Isle and not have nightmares. Usually only once or twice a week, but she can’t seem to get more than one or two hours a night, and then she’s up the rest of the night.” Lady sighed, “I’ve tried to talk to her, but she won’t even tell me what they’re about. And Sci and I can’t study in his dorm because his neighbor is in a band and holds practice in his room, and if we’re not in mine, it’s because the debate club is meeting right outside the window. She can’t even get a nap most days, unless she’s with you.” The next time she stepped in his office, he stood up, grabbing his papers, and steered her out of the room and down the hall to his dorm room. “My bed’s a lot more comfortable than the couch.” “No, I’m okay, really.” she protested. “It’s alright. Lady told me that your room is usually too noisy during the day, and I don’t have a roommate. Perks of being royalty” he smiled warmly. She cast a longing glance at the fluffy pillows. “Are you sure?” “Yeah, I don’t mind.” he gestured at a small desk in the corner of the room, “I’ll even work in here and keep you company.” She finally relented and was out before her head even touched a pillow. He smiled simpathetically and used his bagic to pull the covers up to her shoulder. He then made his way over to the desk, settling into his work. Every few minutes he’d raise his head to look at her, studying her face, ready to wake her at any sign of a nightmare. But the sign never came. He’d expected the usual, thrashing or whimpering at least. That wasn’t the case with her, however. She was asleep, seemingly peaceful in one moment, then jerking awake with a gasp the next. Did that mean she’d had nightmares around him before, and he just hadn’t noticed? The thought made him feel sick. Once she was awake, like with Lady, she refused to say anything about a dream. This was the routine the next few days. She’d fall asleep in his bed, and he’d study her, teaching himself to recognise her night terrors. He figured out eventually that she’d tense up slightly, and her jaw would tighten, but the information was practically useless. The change was so subtle that he didn’t realize what was happening until seconds before she jerked herself awake. Until, finally, five days into this new routine, she tensed up, but didn’t wake. For the first time, she rolled over, as if she was trying to wake up, but couldn’t escape whatever terrors that plagued her mind. He hurried over to the filly, leaning down next to her and gently brushing a lock of purple mane from her eyes. “Nyx, wake up. It’s just a nightmare. Wake up.” At his words she jolted awake. She met his eyes for a second, then forcfully looked away, pulling herself into a sitting position against the headboard. He crawled onto the bed next to her and wrapped a foreleg around her shoulders. He didn’t speak; he didn’t press her to tell him. He didn’t have to. “She used to lock me in a box.” she said quietly, earning a jolt from the colt. “What?!” he asked, horrified. “Nightmare. When I really got her mad, she’d lock me in a box. Well, I guess it was more a chest than a box, but still.” she drew a shuddering breath, “The first time, it was because I was clumsy. I don’t even remember what I tripped over, but it must’ve been something sharp. It cut me when I fell on it.” she rubbed idly at her right foreleg, and he could see a long, thin scar beneath her coat. “She...she punished you because you tripped?” “I ‘should’ve been watching where I was going.’” she mimicked Nightmare’s cold, cruel voice. “How old were you?” She shrugged. “Three, four maybe.” He tightened his grip around her shoulders. “The worst time, I had gotten jumped on my way home. Never figured out who it was. They ripped my clothes, stole everything they could get off me, and beat me pretty bad. I’d never seen her so angry. She couldn’t believe I’d been stupid enough to let myself get caught.” she swallowed thickly, “I couldn’t even fit in there anymore, not really. I couldn’t tell how much time was passing while I was in there, but when I got out, Shade told me I’d been gone for almost two months.” He couldn’t hide his sharp intake of breath as he stared at her, wide-eyed. She shifted a bit against him, adjusting her left wing. “This still hurts sometimes. It was so cramped in there, I doubt it ever healed properly.” “When did that happen?” “She let me out a month or two before you brought me and the others over from the Isle.” His jaw tightened as he fought tears. “I was looking for something in my closet a few weeks ago, and the door shut behind me. I wasn’t even in the dark that long, but for a split second, I was back in that chest.” her chest heaved with the effort to keep the tears already welled in her eyes from falling, “I keep dreaming about i-it.” her voice cracked and she turned and buried her face in his chest. He wrapped his other foreleg around her, holding her tightly. “I promise you, nothing even remotely like what she did will ever happen to you again. I won’t let you be trapped like that.” “...Will?” “Yeah?” “Don’t let go of me, okay?” He wrapped his wings around her tightly, completely surrounding her in a comforting embrace before lowering them both into a lying position as she started silently sobbing. “Wouldn’t dream of it.” Author's Note So, this wasn't announced anywhere, unless you count a blog post from God knows how long ago about how I wanted to do a series of one-shots in the MLD universe. Well, here it is. This thought popped into my head while working on Aftermath and refused to go away, so I wrote it a one a.m. I hope you're proud. There's no schedule to this. Title is subject to change. Also, there's probably not going to be any cover art. Unless someone want's to draw fanart. Then I might use that. You know the drill. I love comments. They cure writer's block! A Filly's CrushThe sweet smell of blooming apple trees washed over the Changeling teen as Sweet Apple Acres: Home for Wayward Souls came into view ahead of her. Lady Bug would be spending her Spring break with her coltfriend, Scifresh Doubloon, his family, and her sisters, as she had done her Fall and Winter breaks. Unlike the previous times, she made the journey to the farm alone. Sci had to stay behind at their school, Canterlot High, another day as he had volunteered to give a tour to a group of middle-schoolers who were interested in attending the boarding school starting in their freshman year. The Changeling offered to stay behind with him, but the colt insisted that she go on and see her sisters, promising that he’d turn up the next day. So Saturday evening found the teen making her way up the path to the large farmhouse, saddlebags laden with a week's worth of necessities. Her raven mane was pulled up into a messy ponytail, done hastily before the train pulled into Ponyville Station. To combat the slight chill still lingering in the air, she wore a light red plaid flannel she’d pilfered from her coltfriend. Approaching the house, she opened the front door and stepped into the warm, homey living room. “Larva, is that you, sugarcube?” a voice called from the kitchen. “No, ma’am!” the filly called back, making her way toward the voice, “It’s Lady!” “Ah! Glad yer here! Mind givin’ me a hoof with dinner?” “Mhm!” Lady entered the kitchen and set her saddlebags by the door, then moved to the sink and washed her hooves. She turned to the orange mare leaning over and stirring a pot simmering on the stove. “Where’s Pupa?” “Upstairs, takin’ a nap. Best not wake her up just yet, she can get a mite cranky if she ain’t had enough sleep.” The filly chuckled. “Oh yes, I’ve experienced that a few times!” “Know how to make biscuits?” the mare asked, earning a negative head shake, “‘S’alright, Ah’ll talk ya through it. Never bothered to write it down,” she laughed, tapping at her head, “‘s’all up here!” Lady set to work as the mare instructed her in measuring out and mixing the dry ingredients. As she mixed and rolled the dough, she talked about her rather uneventful train ride into Ponyville, and how school had been going since the last time she’d visited. The filly always enjoyed talking with Applejack; it was nice to have a motherly figure take an interest in her life. “Have you given any thought to what you wanna do after school?” the mare asked. The Changeling hesitated, cutting out pieces of dough and placing them on a baking sheet. “Yes,” she began, “yeah, teachers have been wanting us to look into studying for the E.C.T., and looking into colleges and stuff.” “Well that sounds interestin’.” Lady shrugged. “I suppose.” she said nonchalantly. “Any idea where you wanna go?” “I’d like to see more of thing kingdom, so somewhere far off I think. Trottingham sounds nice.” From the living room came the sound of the door opening. “Applejack! I’m home!” Lady’s ears perked up at the sound of her sister’s voice. “In here!” she called back. “Lady!” the younger Changeling burst through the door and enveloped her sister in a bone crushing hug. The teen laughed and returned the hug with the same enthusiasm. “How was school?” “Good! We didn’t do much today, but Ms. Cheerilee still gave us homework.” Larva made a face. Applejack gave the girls a motherly smile. “Ye’ll have to do it in the livin’ room. Pupa’s asleep upstairs, an’ Ah need the table. Think you can get it done before dinner?” “No ma’am, most of it’s math.” “Well, Ah still wanna see some good progress on it, okay?” The filly nodded and turned to the other Changeling. “Can you help me, Lady?” “Sure.” the girl replied, “Go on and get started, I just need to get the biscuits in the oven.” “Okay!” the filly responded, skipping back into the living room. Lady chuckled, a grin forming at how much happier the little girl seemed, before turning to the oven. She let out a sigh, realizing she forgot to preheat it. She flared her magic to twist the knob to the right temperature and leaned back against the table, patiently waiting for the oven to heat. The older mare glanced at the door to the front room before speaking in a lowered voice. “Care fer a bit ‘a gossip?” “Always.” “Ah’ve noticed Larva actin’ a bit,” she paused, searching for the right word, “odd, let’s say.” Lady tilted her head curiously. “How so?” she asked. “Oh, skippin’ ‘round, rather than walk-in’ or runnin’. Hummin’ along to some tune only she seems to know.” Applejack grinned slyly, “Not to mention what’s left of what she doodles on her homework and tries to erase before Ah check it: L plus P, in a little heart.” A massive grin broke across Lady’s face. Her little sister’s first crush. “Any idea who it is?” “She mentioned a few school friends, but never by name.” The teen’s smile faded. “That’d be Mother’s doing. The Island is a small place; everypony knows everypony by name, and she was very particular about who we associated with. Larva grew up watching Mother interrogate me left and right about who I’d talked to and what we talked about. She kept to herself mostly, but it’s no wonder she won’t talk about her friends.” The dull thunk of Applejack kicking a cabinet startled the girl. “Ah got half a mind to march down there and wring that witch’s neck, treating foals that way, her own foals!” the mare growled viscously, before promptly turning on her heel, walking over to Lady and wrapping her in a hug. Despite her visible anger, her touch was warm and welcoming. Her voice softened to a motherly tone, though the filly could still hear the hardness she tried to conceal behind it. “Sugarcube, Ah promise you, ‘slong as Ah’m around, ain’t nopony gonna hurt you, any of you, ever again.” Lady allowed herself a small smile. She returned the hug. Her head laid upon the older mare’s chest, she felt vulnerable, yet protected and loved. After a few moments, Applejack pulled away, rubbing at her eyes. “Alright, Ah’ve taken up enough of your time. Git on and help your sister.” The teen nodded and slipped from the room. Her eyes landed on the filly sat on the floor in between the couch and the coffee table, saddlebags slumped next to her, with several papers and pencils spread out upon the table’s wooden surface. Her face was screwed up in concentration as she tried to spark her horn to life and pick up one of the pencils. The pencil twitched a bit and rose about an inch in the air before dropping. The filly scowled and swore under her breath. Lady raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?” she said sternly. Larva jumped, startled, and smiled sheepishly. “Sorry!” she squeaked out. The teen made her way over and plopped down on the couch behind her sister. “You want to concentrate, but not too hard. Don’t just want it to lift, picture in your head what you want it to do. Try again.” The filly licked her lips and looked back at the pencil. This time, the pencil lifted into the air and she was able to write her name before her magic fizzled again. Lady frowned. Had not using her magic growing up stunted Larva’s growth? She herself had gone longer without it and she was fine. She shook the thought away, resolving to bring it up with Applejack after dinner. Maybe she could make an appointment with the Changeling doctor she’s found for Pupa. “Good job!” she praised enthusiastically, hiding her worries, “Rest your magic for a bit, you don’t want a headache.” she earned a nod and leaned over her sister’s shoulder, “So what’s first?” Larva stuck her tongue out at the paper. “Double digit multiplication.” “Do you know how to do that?” The filly puffed up indignantly. “Of course I know how to do that!” Both girls read over the first problem: Thirty-five times thirty-two. The filly picked up her pencil with her teeth and copied the problem on her a separate piece of paper, then worked through the steps she’d been taught. “One thousand, one hundred twenty!” she glanced up, “right?” Lady hummed an affirmation and her sister moved onto the next problem. This went on for a few minutes, quiet apart from the pencil scratchings and Lady correcting and explaining how to do other problems every now and then. The teen had moved down on the floor next to the filly to guide her through a few example problems when she realized she was having trouble multiplying fractions. She was halfway through explaining a third example problem when she realized the filly wasn’t paying attention. The younger Changeling was staring at her paper, but her eyes were unfocused blank, her pencil idly scribbling on her paper. Lady leaned over. The girl had doodled the same thing Applejack had described: ‘L + P’ in a little heart. She grinned mischievously. “Who’s ‘P’?” she teased. Larva jumped and dropped the pencil, hastily trying to cover up the sketch. “No one!” she squeaked. Lady raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile playing on her lips. The filly shifted under her gaze. She hesitated before saying, “You wouldn’t like it if I told you…” The teen’s smile dropped. “Honey, your first crush is nothing to be ashamed of.” “It’s not a crush!” her sister squealed, a hint of panic in her voice, “I don’t like… It’s not like…” Tears welled in her eyes, spilling over. “Oh, Lady, mom would be so angry if she found out!” she wailed, throwing herself against her sister. Lady tucked her sister’s head under her chin. She lifted them both onto the couch and levitated a blanket over them both, gently rocking the filly. “Shh, honey, Mother can’t hurt us anymore.” The kitchen door opened quietly and Applejack poked her head out, giving them a questioning look. Lady gestured back to the kitchen. She could handle this. The mare nodded and backed away. “What happened, baby?” she asked several minutes later when the girl had calmed down. Larva sat up and tugged the blanket tighter around her. Lady was struck briefly at how young the girl looked. “Promise you won’t get mad?” she whispered. Lady nodded. The filly took a deep breath. “It’s...it’s a-a...filly.” she stuttered. The teen’s eyes widened for a moment before she laughed in relief. “Oh, baby, is that all?” she hugged her sister, “Honey, there’s nothing wrong with that.” The filly returned the hug. “You’re not disappointed?” “Of course not! It doesn’t matter if you like fillies, or colts, or both, or neither.” “But mom…” “Is old fashioned, stubborn, and bigoted.” Lady stated firmly, “And has no say over you anymore.” Larva bit her lip and stared at her hooves. A smile began creeping on her face. “Her name’s Peony.” she whispered, her smile growing, “She’s my best friend.” Lady smiled warmly. She gestured toward the papers on the table, indicating for them to get back to work. “Tell me about her.” The Changelings spent the rest of their time before dinner doing math problems, Larva describing the pink-coated peach-color-curly-haired earth pony that captured her heart. Author's Note I hurt my characters too much, so I decided to pursue this fluffy idea I had before I started on the next parody (which is coming soon, I promise!) Hope you enjoyed some sweet sister bonding! Cupcake DisasterHoofsteps echoed down the hallway. The filly, coat as dark as the shadow she cast, moved quickly despite being laden with bulging saddlebags. She turned down a corridor, passing door after identical door before stopping in front of one near the end of the hall. She pushed open the door, stepping into the room and flicking on a light. She moved to a corner of the room, near a window, and deposited her bags on the floor, a muffled thunk sounding as it hit the ground. Her horn sparked before erupting into a blue aura. She sent part of her magic to a closet set in the wall. She opened the door and removed a blank canvas from the dark interior, which she levitated onto the wooden stand before her. While she did that, another portion of her magic went to a cupboard where it arranged a large selection of materials into a bucket, which was levitated to her side. Finished with the setup, the filly directed her attention to her bags. Using her still-lit magic, she unbuckled the clasp holding the right side closed. She reached her magic inside the now-opened bag and removed a long coat that once had been a dull, sickly yellow color, but had since been stained with an array of selections from the color spectrum. Donning the coat to protect her purple tank top, she then opened the other side of the bag. She removed a silver thermos and twisted off the lid, lifting the canister to her lips and taking a slow sip. She set the thermos at her feet after screwing the lid back on and returned her attention to the left side of the bag. She peered over its contents, a small array of unhealthy treats, eventually selecting a serving-size bag of chips. She tore open the bag and popped a few of the salted potato slices into her mouth before setting the bag so that it leaned against her thermos. She turned again to the right side of her bag. She pulled out a small black cellphone and a tangled pair of white earbuds. She grumbled her frustration as she twisted the wires in her magic to undo the knots. Once that mundane task had been completed, she put a bud in her right ear and plugged the headphones into the audio jack. She opened her music app, selected a playlist titled “Creativity”, and put it on shuffle before dropping the phone into a pocket on the front of her coat to protect it. She reached her magic into her bag a final time and pulled out a thick notebook. She flipped a few pages in and lifted her thermos to take another drink while she read over the notes she’d made. She set the thermos back on the floor and propped the notebook where she could easily refer to it as she worked. Finally satisfied with her workspace, the filly turned to her supplies and used part of her magic to levitate a large acrylic palette at her side, while a smaller portion of her aura pulled a black band from her hoof and used it to tie her long lilac mane into a messy ponytail. She glanced at her notes again and levitated a tube of purple paint over the palette before squeezing out a sizable amount onto the smooth surface. Deciding the color was too dark, she repeated the procedure with a tube of white paint. Next, she lifted a paintbrush in her aura and used it to mix the colors until she had a pleasant shade of pale purple. She took the end of the brush between her teeth, old habits die hard, after all, and proceeded to coat the canvas with the color. She pulled away after a few minutes and ran her gaze over the canvas, checking for areas she’d missed. The filly gave a satisfied nod once she was certain the entire surface had been changed from white to purple and glanced around her workspace. Her eyes landed on the empty cup in her supply bucket, causing her to groan and mentally chastise herself. Her magic split, taking the brush from her mouth and lifting the cup. While her mouth moved along to the lyrics of the song playing through her earbuds as she silently sang, she levitated the cup over to a sink near the door, filling it up, and bringing it back towards herself. She dropped the brush into the water and set the cup on the floor, taking care to place it far enough away that she wouldn’t accidentally tip it over. She turned back to the canvas, and after giving it a bit of thought, she used her magic to dry the paint so she could continue, rather than wait the hours it would’ve taken to dry naturally. “Nyx! There you are!” The dark filly turned to the door to find a dark-maned filly standing in the doorway. She wore a batter-stained apron that tied around her neck and waist. Her pale blue face was speckled in white; flour maybe? The Alicorn used her magic to take her phone from her pocket pause her music and take the buds out of her ears. “Where else would I be?” she answered, wrapping her earbuds around the phone and slipping the whole thing back into her pocket. She glanced back at her notes, a pencil levitated before the canvas. She began to sketch on the dried paint, careful to make the lines dark enough for her to see, but not pressing down hard enough to scratch off the background paint. “I need your help!” The newcomer groaned. “What’s up?” Nyx turned away from the canvas, giving her full attention to the other girl. “I messed up. I messed up so, so bad!” The filly felt her heart drop. “What happened?” she asked, her voice wavering slightly. “This!” the blue filly stepped fully into the room to reveal a silver tray balanced on her back. Five tiny cakes were arranged neatly on the tray. Nyx let out the breath she didn’t realize she was holding. She cocked her head in confusion. “You made...cupcakes?” The filly sighed. “Miss Cake, the Home Ec. teacher, you know her right? Short, yellow coat, orange mane, smells like a pumpkin spice latte?” the girl waited for a nod of confirmation before continuing, “She assigned for us to bake something tonight for homework, and I tried to make cupcakes, but I accidentally used salt instead of sugar and-” “Woah, salt?” the darker filly struggled to suppress her laughter. “Gosh, Lady, how did you manage that?” The Changeling blushed. “My mind was...elsewhere.” Nyx smirked. “‘Elsewhere’ wouldn’t happen to be located with, I don’t know, a blonde colt who wears a cowpony hat, would it?” she teased. “Anyway,” Lady Bug ignored her roommate’s jabs, “I didn’t realize what I had done until after I had finished decorating them and tried one, and I don’t have time to make more today because I happen to have a date tonight.” The Alicorn sighed laughingly and shook her head, turning back to her sketching. “Lady, only you could manage this.” The blue filly gave a dejected sigh and poked at one of the cakes with her hoof. “I’m usually good at baking too. I had the best teacher on the Isle. Scarab made the best cakes.” she let her mind wander to childhood days spent baking with one of the few Changelings who had stayed loyal to her mother after the disaster that was the Canterlot Siege. “You remember him, don’t you? He made the cakes for my birthday every year.” Nyx’s smirk faded to a sad smile. “I wouldn’t know; I was never invited.” she turned to her friend, pencil frozen in place barely touching the surface of the canvas. “We weren’t exactly friends back then, remember?” “That wasn’t my fault!” the Changeling defended, “I wanted to invite you, but you know how my mother was.” The Alicorn raised a hoof to shush the filly. “I know, but that’s a story for another time.” she lowered her hoof, moving to put away the pencil. She lifted her supply bucket and set it on the edge of the counter at her side. She then turned her attention fully on her roommate. “So what exactly do you need me for?” “Well like I said, I’m going on a date tonight, and I doubt I’ll have time when I get back to bake, so I was wondering if you could help me out with a spell?” the blue filly used her magic to hold the tray up to her friend’s face. Nyx used her hoof to push the floating tray away. She raised her eyebrow. “You want me to help you cheat,” she stated bluntly. “Nope, nuh uh, we’re trying to be good, remember?” The tray inched closer. “Yeah...but, helping out a friend with her homework is being good…” A deep sigh escaped the dark Alicorn. She leaned her head back away from the salty cakes. “If I help you, will you A, cut the melodramatics. B, get this tray out of my face,” she pushed the tray again, earning a sheepish smile from the blue filly, “And C, let me get back to work?” she waved her hoof towards her unfinished painting, wincing slightly when the tip of her hoof smacked against her supply bucket, knocking it closer to the edge. The Changeling nodded quickly. “Yes! Yes, totally, definitely. Thank you,” she gushed. Nyx squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. It wouldn’t be too difficult, a simple transformation spell. She couldn’t actually turn the salt into sugar, but what she could do was rearrange the flavor compound and make it sweet. It’s not perfect, and it wouldn’t taste quite the same, but it wouldn’t be noticeable enough for anypony to suspect something. She took the tray in her magic. She closed her eyes, beginning her spell. Lady grinned as she watched. A loud thump broke through the quiet, causing both mares to jump. Startled, Nyx’s magic cut off at her horn, causing the tray to crash to the floor with a metallic clang. The girls looked to the side where Nyx’s supply bucket had toppled over the edge of the counter, its contents now scattered across the floor. Lady sighed, turning to pick up the tray. She froze, a gasp caught in her throat. The cakes swelled until they looked as if they were about to burst. Panicking, the Changeling flared her horn, gripped the tray in her magic, levitated it rapidly towards the door, and chucked the whole thing into the hallway. They heard the metal scraping as the tray slid along the floor. Lady turned to see her friend giving her a confused look. “They were getting bigger! I thought they were going to-” a muted, gooey-sounding blast sounded from the hallway. Nyx pressed a hoof to the base of her horn. “I didn’t finish the spell.” she groaned, “Know what happens when a spell isn’t completed? Not what you wanted to happen, and it usually results in-” A very angry looking filly in a pastel red blouse and cream-colored skirt stepped into the room. Her face and mane were coated in frosting, sprinkles, and crumbs. Her yellow hoof tapped angrily at the floor. Nyx sighed. “Explosions.” Author's Note I’m really sorry, but there’s no way I’ll get the new ‘It’s Going Down’ chapter out before the end of the day. I was sick a lot this month, plus I have my new job, and in the wake of my nephew’s birth, I completely forgot I hadn’t updated this month until it was too late. To make up for that, I’m posting the first (and only) Wicked World short I’ve parodized to Through Time. I don’t know if I’ll ever write the others, but if I do, I’ll move that chapter. If I don’t, it stays where it is. See this blog post for more information.
NightmaresThe first time she fell asleep around him, they’d been in his office. He had been sitting at his desk, and she’d been on a couch against the wall, waiting for him to finish some paperwork so that they could leave for a date. Over the course of a few minutes, she had begun yawning and her eyes and ears drooped lower and lower. By the time he looked up from his work to tell her he was ready to go, she’d fallen sideways on the arm of the couch. Her back legs and tail were curled up as if protecting her stomach. Her left foreleg was used as a pillow, and the right one was tucked underneath her chin. He almost felt bad about waking her up. The second time was only a day or so later. She came into the office carrying her bag of art supplies. “Lady has Sci over for a study date.” she’d told him, “They’re currently arguing over some Starswirl The Bearded quote, and I can’t concentrate, and this piece needs to be turned in by Monday. Mind if I work in here?” He of course had nodded and gestured to the couch. She plopped down and pulled her sketchpad and a pencil from her bag with her magic, but she used her mouth to draw. He’d commented on that once, and she had replied that it was simply a force of habit. This time, she lasted nearly an hour before she fell asleep. He jumped when he heard her sketchpad hit the floor, and smiled softly when he saw her curled up in the same position as before. She fell asleep in his office a lot after that, and each time she came in she looked more and more exhausted. It got to the point where, some days, she barely made it to the couch before she was out, always subconsciously curling into the same position. He began to wonder if she subconsciously was trying to protect her stomach. The thought worried him. The third time she walked deliriously into his office and fell onto the couch, out in seconds, he resolved to ask her roommate about it. As luck would have it, he ran into her in the hallway later that same day. “She made me promise not to tell you,” Lady sighed, “but I’m starting to get worried myself. She hasn’t really slept in a while. Her nightmares’ve been getting worse-” “Nightmares?” Will asked, “Do these nightmares happen often?” Lady gave a sad smile. “We all have them. You don’t grow up on the Isle and not have nightmares. Usually only once or twice a week, but she can’t seem to get more than one or two hours a night, and then she’s up the rest of the night.” Lady sighed, “I’ve tried to talk to her, but she won’t even tell me what they’re about. And Sci and I can’t study in his dorm because his neighbor is in a band and holds practice in his room, and if we’re not in mine, it’s because the debate club is meeting right outside the window. She can’t even get a nap most days, unless she’s with you.” The next time she stepped in his office, he stood up, grabbing his papers, and steered her out of the room and down the hall to his dorm room. “My bed’s a lot more comfortable than the couch.” “No, I’m okay, really.” she protested. “It’s alright. Lady told me that your room is usually too noisy during the day, and I don’t have a roommate. Perks of being royalty” he smiled warmly. She cast a longing glance at the fluffy pillows. “Are you sure?” “Yeah, I don’t mind.” he gestured at a small desk in the corner of the room, “I’ll even work in here and keep you company.” She finally relented and was out before her head even touched a pillow. He smiled simpathetically and used his bagic to pull the covers up to her shoulder. He then made his way over to the desk, settling into his work. Every few minutes he’d raise his head to look at her, studying her face, ready to wake her at any sign of a nightmare. But the sign never came. He’d expected the usual, thrashing or whimpering at least. That wasn’t the case with her, however. She was asleep, seemingly peaceful in one moment, then jerking awake with a gasp the next. Did that mean she’d had nightmares around him before, and he just hadn’t noticed? The thought made him feel sick. Once she was awake, like with Lady, she refused to say anything about a dream. This was the routine the next few days. She’d fall asleep in his bed, and he’d study her, teaching himself to recognise her night terrors. He figured out eventually that she’d tense up slightly, and her jaw would tighten, but the information was practically useless. The change was so subtle that he didn’t realize what was happening until seconds before she jerked herself awake. Until, finally, five days into this new routine, she tensed up, but didn’t wake. For the first time, she rolled over, as if she was trying to wake up, but couldn’t escape whatever terrors that plagued her mind. He hurried over to the filly, leaning down next to her and gently brushing a lock of purple mane from her eyes. “Nyx, wake up. It’s just a nightmare. Wake up.” At his words she jolted awake. She met his eyes for a second, then forcfully looked away, pulling herself into a sitting position against the headboard. He crawled onto the bed next to her and wrapped a foreleg around her shoulders. He didn’t speak; he didn’t press her to tell him. He didn’t have to. “She used to lock me in a box.” she said quietly, earning a jolt from the colt. “What?!” he asked, horrified. “Nightmare. When I really got her mad, she’d lock me in a box. Well, I guess it was more a chest than a box, but still.” she drew a shuddering breath, “The first time, it was because I was clumsy. I don’t even remember what I tripped over, but it must’ve been something sharp. It cut me when I fell on it.” she rubbed idly at her right foreleg, and he could see a long, thin scar beneath her coat. “She...she punished you because you tripped?” “I ‘should’ve been watching where I was going.’” she mimicked Nightmare’s cold, cruel voice. “How old were you?” She shrugged. “Three, four maybe.” He tightened his grip around her shoulders. “The worst time, I had gotten jumped on my way home. Never figured out who it was. They ripped my clothes, stole everything they could get off me, and beat me pretty bad. I’d never seen her so angry. She couldn’t believe I’d been stupid enough to let myself get caught.” she swallowed thickly, “I couldn’t even fit in there anymore, not really. I couldn’t tell how much time was passing while I was in there, but when I got out, Shade told me I’d been gone for almost two months.” He couldn’t hide his sharp intake of breath as he stared at her, wide-eyed. She shifted a bit against him, adjusting her left wing. “This still hurts sometimes. It was so cramped in there, I doubt it ever healed properly.” “When did that happen?” “She let me out a month or two before you brought me and the others over from the Isle.” His jaw tightened as he fought tears. “I was looking for something in my closet a few weeks ago, and the door shut behind me. I wasn’t even in the dark that long, but for a split second, I was back in that chest.” her chest heaved with the effort to keep the tears already welled in her eyes from falling, “I keep dreaming about i-it.” her voice cracked and she turned and buried her face in his chest. He wrapped his other foreleg around her, holding her tightly. “I promise you, nothing even remotely like what she did will ever happen to you again. I won’t let you be trapped like that.” “...Will?” “Yeah?” “Don’t let go of me, okay?” He wrapped his wings around her tightly, completely surrounding her in a comforting embrace before lowering them both into a lying position as she started silently sobbing. “Wouldn’t dream of it.” Author's Note So, this wasn't announced anywhere, unless you count a blog post from God knows how long ago about how I wanted to do a series of one-shots in the MLD universe. Well, here it is. This thought popped into my head while working on Aftermath and refused to go away, so I wrote it a one a.m. I hope you're proud. There's no schedule to this. Title is subject to change. Also, there's probably not going to be any cover art. Unless someone want's to draw fanart. Then I might use that. You know the drill. I love comments. They cure writer's block!
A Filly's CrushThe sweet smell of blooming apple trees washed over the Changeling teen as Sweet Apple Acres: Home for Wayward Souls came into view ahead of her. Lady Bug would be spending her Spring break with her coltfriend, Scifresh Doubloon, his family, and her sisters, as she had done her Fall and Winter breaks. Unlike the previous times, she made the journey to the farm alone. Sci had to stay behind at their school, Canterlot High, another day as he had volunteered to give a tour to a group of middle-schoolers who were interested in attending the boarding school starting in their freshman year. The Changeling offered to stay behind with him, but the colt insisted that she go on and see her sisters, promising that he’d turn up the next day. So Saturday evening found the teen making her way up the path to the large farmhouse, saddlebags laden with a week's worth of necessities. Her raven mane was pulled up into a messy ponytail, done hastily before the train pulled into Ponyville Station. To combat the slight chill still lingering in the air, she wore a light red plaid flannel she’d pilfered from her coltfriend. Approaching the house, she opened the front door and stepped into the warm, homey living room. “Larva, is that you, sugarcube?” a voice called from the kitchen. “No, ma’am!” the filly called back, making her way toward the voice, “It’s Lady!” “Ah! Glad yer here! Mind givin’ me a hoof with dinner?” “Mhm!” Lady entered the kitchen and set her saddlebags by the door, then moved to the sink and washed her hooves. She turned to the orange mare leaning over and stirring a pot simmering on the stove. “Where’s Pupa?” “Upstairs, takin’ a nap. Best not wake her up just yet, she can get a mite cranky if she ain’t had enough sleep.” The filly chuckled. “Oh yes, I’ve experienced that a few times!” “Know how to make biscuits?” the mare asked, earning a negative head shake, “‘S’alright, Ah’ll talk ya through it. Never bothered to write it down,” she laughed, tapping at her head, “‘s’all up here!” Lady set to work as the mare instructed her in measuring out and mixing the dry ingredients. As she mixed and rolled the dough, she talked about her rather uneventful train ride into Ponyville, and how school had been going since the last time she’d visited. The filly always enjoyed talking with Applejack; it was nice to have a motherly figure take an interest in her life. “Have you given any thought to what you wanna do after school?” the mare asked. The Changeling hesitated, cutting out pieces of dough and placing them on a baking sheet. “Yes,” she began, “yeah, teachers have been wanting us to look into studying for the E.C.T., and looking into colleges and stuff.” “Well that sounds interestin’.” Lady shrugged. “I suppose.” she said nonchalantly. “Any idea where you wanna go?” “I’d like to see more of thing kingdom, so somewhere far off I think. Trottingham sounds nice.” From the living room came the sound of the door opening. “Applejack! I’m home!” Lady’s ears perked up at the sound of her sister’s voice. “In here!” she called back. “Lady!” the younger Changeling burst through the door and enveloped her sister in a bone crushing hug. The teen laughed and returned the hug with the same enthusiasm. “How was school?” “Good! We didn’t do much today, but Ms. Cheerilee still gave us homework.” Larva made a face. Applejack gave the girls a motherly smile. “Ye’ll have to do it in the livin’ room. Pupa’s asleep upstairs, an’ Ah need the table. Think you can get it done before dinner?” “No ma’am, most of it’s math.” “Well, Ah still wanna see some good progress on it, okay?” The filly nodded and turned to the other Changeling. “Can you help me, Lady?” “Sure.” the girl replied, “Go on and get started, I just need to get the biscuits in the oven.” “Okay!” the filly responded, skipping back into the living room. Lady chuckled, a grin forming at how much happier the little girl seemed, before turning to the oven. She let out a sigh, realizing she forgot to preheat it. She flared her magic to twist the knob to the right temperature and leaned back against the table, patiently waiting for the oven to heat. The older mare glanced at the door to the front room before speaking in a lowered voice. “Care fer a bit ‘a gossip?” “Always.” “Ah’ve noticed Larva actin’ a bit,” she paused, searching for the right word, “odd, let’s say.” Lady tilted her head curiously. “How so?” she asked. “Oh, skippin’ ‘round, rather than walk-in’ or runnin’. Hummin’ along to some tune only she seems to know.” Applejack grinned slyly, “Not to mention what’s left of what she doodles on her homework and tries to erase before Ah check it: L plus P, in a little heart.” A massive grin broke across Lady’s face. Her little sister’s first crush. “Any idea who it is?” “She mentioned a few school friends, but never by name.” The teen’s smile faded. “That’d be Mother’s doing. The Island is a small place; everypony knows everypony by name, and she was very particular about who we associated with. Larva grew up watching Mother interrogate me left and right about who I’d talked to and what we talked about. She kept to herself mostly, but it’s no wonder she won’t talk about her friends.” The dull thunk of Applejack kicking a cabinet startled the girl. “Ah got half a mind to march down there and wring that witch’s neck, treating foals that way, her own foals!” the mare growled viscously, before promptly turning on her heel, walking over to Lady and wrapping her in a hug. Despite her visible anger, her touch was warm and welcoming. Her voice softened to a motherly tone, though the filly could still hear the hardness she tried to conceal behind it. “Sugarcube, Ah promise you, ‘slong as Ah’m around, ain’t nopony gonna hurt you, any of you, ever again.” Lady allowed herself a small smile. She returned the hug. Her head laid upon the older mare’s chest, she felt vulnerable, yet protected and loved. After a few moments, Applejack pulled away, rubbing at her eyes. “Alright, Ah’ve taken up enough of your time. Git on and help your sister.” The teen nodded and slipped from the room. Her eyes landed on the filly sat on the floor in between the couch and the coffee table, saddlebags slumped next to her, with several papers and pencils spread out upon the table’s wooden surface. Her face was screwed up in concentration as she tried to spark her horn to life and pick up one of the pencils. The pencil twitched a bit and rose about an inch in the air before dropping. The filly scowled and swore under her breath. Lady raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?” she said sternly. Larva jumped, startled, and smiled sheepishly. “Sorry!” she squeaked out. The teen made her way over and plopped down on the couch behind her sister. “You want to concentrate, but not too hard. Don’t just want it to lift, picture in your head what you want it to do. Try again.” The filly licked her lips and looked back at the pencil. This time, the pencil lifted into the air and she was able to write her name before her magic fizzled again. Lady frowned. Had not using her magic growing up stunted Larva’s growth? She herself had gone longer without it and she was fine. She shook the thought away, resolving to bring it up with Applejack after dinner. Maybe she could make an appointment with the Changeling doctor she’s found for Pupa. “Good job!” she praised enthusiastically, hiding her worries, “Rest your magic for a bit, you don’t want a headache.” she earned a nod and leaned over her sister’s shoulder, “So what’s first?” Larva stuck her tongue out at the paper. “Double digit multiplication.” “Do you know how to do that?” The filly puffed up indignantly. “Of course I know how to do that!” Both girls read over the first problem: Thirty-five times thirty-two. The filly picked up her pencil with her teeth and copied the problem on her a separate piece of paper, then worked through the steps she’d been taught. “One thousand, one hundred twenty!” she glanced up, “right?” Lady hummed an affirmation and her sister moved onto the next problem. This went on for a few minutes, quiet apart from the pencil scratchings and Lady correcting and explaining how to do other problems every now and then. The teen had moved down on the floor next to the filly to guide her through a few example problems when she realized she was having trouble multiplying fractions. She was halfway through explaining a third example problem when she realized the filly wasn’t paying attention. The younger Changeling was staring at her paper, but her eyes were unfocused blank, her pencil idly scribbling on her paper. Lady leaned over. The girl had doodled the same thing Applejack had described: ‘L + P’ in a little heart. She grinned mischievously. “Who’s ‘P’?” she teased. Larva jumped and dropped the pencil, hastily trying to cover up the sketch. “No one!” she squeaked. Lady raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile playing on her lips. The filly shifted under her gaze. She hesitated before saying, “You wouldn’t like it if I told you…” The teen’s smile dropped. “Honey, your first crush is nothing to be ashamed of.” “It’s not a crush!” her sister squealed, a hint of panic in her voice, “I don’t like… It’s not like…” Tears welled in her eyes, spilling over. “Oh, Lady, mom would be so angry if she found out!” she wailed, throwing herself against her sister. Lady tucked her sister’s head under her chin. She lifted them both onto the couch and levitated a blanket over them both, gently rocking the filly. “Shh, honey, Mother can’t hurt us anymore.” The kitchen door opened quietly and Applejack poked her head out, giving them a questioning look. Lady gestured back to the kitchen. She could handle this. The mare nodded and backed away. “What happened, baby?” she asked several minutes later when the girl had calmed down. Larva sat up and tugged the blanket tighter around her. Lady was struck briefly at how young the girl looked. “Promise you won’t get mad?” she whispered. Lady nodded. The filly took a deep breath. “It’s...it’s a-a...filly.” she stuttered. The teen’s eyes widened for a moment before she laughed in relief. “Oh, baby, is that all?” she hugged her sister, “Honey, there’s nothing wrong with that.” The filly returned the hug. “You’re not disappointed?” “Of course not! It doesn’t matter if you like fillies, or colts, or both, or neither.” “But mom…” “Is old fashioned, stubborn, and bigoted.” Lady stated firmly, “And has no say over you anymore.” Larva bit her lip and stared at her hooves. A smile began creeping on her face. “Her name’s Peony.” she whispered, her smile growing, “She’s my best friend.” Lady smiled warmly. She gestured toward the papers on the table, indicating for them to get back to work. “Tell me about her.” The Changelings spent the rest of their time before dinner doing math problems, Larva describing the pink-coated peach-color-curly-haired earth pony that captured her heart. Author's Note I hurt my characters too much, so I decided to pursue this fluffy idea I had before I started on the next parody (which is coming soon, I promise!) Hope you enjoyed some sweet sister bonding!
Cupcake DisasterHoofsteps echoed down the hallway. The filly, coat as dark as the shadow she cast, moved quickly despite being laden with bulging saddlebags. She turned down a corridor, passing door after identical door before stopping in front of one near the end of the hall. She pushed open the door, stepping into the room and flicking on a light. She moved to a corner of the room, near a window, and deposited her bags on the floor, a muffled thunk sounding as it hit the ground. Her horn sparked before erupting into a blue aura. She sent part of her magic to a closet set in the wall. She opened the door and removed a blank canvas from the dark interior, which she levitated onto the wooden stand before her. While she did that, another portion of her magic went to a cupboard where it arranged a large selection of materials into a bucket, which was levitated to her side. Finished with the setup, the filly directed her attention to her bags. Using her still-lit magic, she unbuckled the clasp holding the right side closed. She reached her magic inside the now-opened bag and removed a long coat that once had been a dull, sickly yellow color, but had since been stained with an array of selections from the color spectrum. Donning the coat to protect her purple tank top, she then opened the other side of the bag. She removed a silver thermos and twisted off the lid, lifting the canister to her lips and taking a slow sip. She set the thermos at her feet after screwing the lid back on and returned her attention to the left side of the bag. She peered over its contents, a small array of unhealthy treats, eventually selecting a serving-size bag of chips. She tore open the bag and popped a few of the salted potato slices into her mouth before setting the bag so that it leaned against her thermos. She turned again to the right side of her bag. She pulled out a small black cellphone and a tangled pair of white earbuds. She grumbled her frustration as she twisted the wires in her magic to undo the knots. Once that mundane task had been completed, she put a bud in her right ear and plugged the headphones into the audio jack. She opened her music app, selected a playlist titled “Creativity”, and put it on shuffle before dropping the phone into a pocket on the front of her coat to protect it. She reached her magic into her bag a final time and pulled out a thick notebook. She flipped a few pages in and lifted her thermos to take another drink while she read over the notes she’d made. She set the thermos back on the floor and propped the notebook where she could easily refer to it as she worked. Finally satisfied with her workspace, the filly turned to her supplies and used part of her magic to levitate a large acrylic palette at her side, while a smaller portion of her aura pulled a black band from her hoof and used it to tie her long lilac mane into a messy ponytail. She glanced at her notes again and levitated a tube of purple paint over the palette before squeezing out a sizable amount onto the smooth surface. Deciding the color was too dark, she repeated the procedure with a tube of white paint. Next, she lifted a paintbrush in her aura and used it to mix the colors until she had a pleasant shade of pale purple. She took the end of the brush between her teeth, old habits die hard, after all, and proceeded to coat the canvas with the color. She pulled away after a few minutes and ran her gaze over the canvas, checking for areas she’d missed. The filly gave a satisfied nod once she was certain the entire surface had been changed from white to purple and glanced around her workspace. Her eyes landed on the empty cup in her supply bucket, causing her to groan and mentally chastise herself. Her magic split, taking the brush from her mouth and lifting the cup. While her mouth moved along to the lyrics of the song playing through her earbuds as she silently sang, she levitated the cup over to a sink near the door, filling it up, and bringing it back towards herself. She dropped the brush into the water and set the cup on the floor, taking care to place it far enough away that she wouldn’t accidentally tip it over. She turned back to the canvas, and after giving it a bit of thought, she used her magic to dry the paint so she could continue, rather than wait the hours it would’ve taken to dry naturally. “Nyx! There you are!” The dark filly turned to the door to find a dark-maned filly standing in the doorway. She wore a batter-stained apron that tied around her neck and waist. Her pale blue face was speckled in white; flour maybe? The Alicorn used her magic to take her phone from her pocket pause her music and take the buds out of her ears. “Where else would I be?” she answered, wrapping her earbuds around the phone and slipping the whole thing back into her pocket. She glanced back at her notes, a pencil levitated before the canvas. She began to sketch on the dried paint, careful to make the lines dark enough for her to see, but not pressing down hard enough to scratch off the background paint. “I need your help!” The newcomer groaned. “What’s up?” Nyx turned away from the canvas, giving her full attention to the other girl. “I messed up. I messed up so, so bad!” The filly felt her heart drop. “What happened?” she asked, her voice wavering slightly. “This!” the blue filly stepped fully into the room to reveal a silver tray balanced on her back. Five tiny cakes were arranged neatly on the tray. Nyx let out the breath she didn’t realize she was holding. She cocked her head in confusion. “You made...cupcakes?” The filly sighed. “Miss Cake, the Home Ec. teacher, you know her right? Short, yellow coat, orange mane, smells like a pumpkin spice latte?” the girl waited for a nod of confirmation before continuing, “She assigned for us to bake something tonight for homework, and I tried to make cupcakes, but I accidentally used salt instead of sugar and-” “Woah, salt?” the darker filly struggled to suppress her laughter. “Gosh, Lady, how did you manage that?” The Changeling blushed. “My mind was...elsewhere.” Nyx smirked. “‘Elsewhere’ wouldn’t happen to be located with, I don’t know, a blonde colt who wears a cowpony hat, would it?” she teased. “Anyway,” Lady Bug ignored her roommate’s jabs, “I didn’t realize what I had done until after I had finished decorating them and tried one, and I don’t have time to make more today because I happen to have a date tonight.” The Alicorn sighed laughingly and shook her head, turning back to her sketching. “Lady, only you could manage this.” The blue filly gave a dejected sigh and poked at one of the cakes with her hoof. “I’m usually good at baking too. I had the best teacher on the Isle. Scarab made the best cakes.” she let her mind wander to childhood days spent baking with one of the few Changelings who had stayed loyal to her mother after the disaster that was the Canterlot Siege. “You remember him, don’t you? He made the cakes for my birthday every year.” Nyx’s smirk faded to a sad smile. “I wouldn’t know; I was never invited.” she turned to her friend, pencil frozen in place barely touching the surface of the canvas. “We weren’t exactly friends back then, remember?” “That wasn’t my fault!” the Changeling defended, “I wanted to invite you, but you know how my mother was.” The Alicorn raised a hoof to shush the filly. “I know, but that’s a story for another time.” she lowered her hoof, moving to put away the pencil. She lifted her supply bucket and set it on the edge of the counter at her side. She then turned her attention fully on her roommate. “So what exactly do you need me for?” “Well like I said, I’m going on a date tonight, and I doubt I’ll have time when I get back to bake, so I was wondering if you could help me out with a spell?” the blue filly used her magic to hold the tray up to her friend’s face. Nyx used her hoof to push the floating tray away. She raised her eyebrow. “You want me to help you cheat,” she stated bluntly. “Nope, nuh uh, we’re trying to be good, remember?” The tray inched closer. “Yeah...but, helping out a friend with her homework is being good…” A deep sigh escaped the dark Alicorn. She leaned her head back away from the salty cakes. “If I help you, will you A, cut the melodramatics. B, get this tray out of my face,” she pushed the tray again, earning a sheepish smile from the blue filly, “And C, let me get back to work?” she waved her hoof towards her unfinished painting, wincing slightly when the tip of her hoof smacked against her supply bucket, knocking it closer to the edge. The Changeling nodded quickly. “Yes! Yes, totally, definitely. Thank you,” she gushed. Nyx squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. It wouldn’t be too difficult, a simple transformation spell. She couldn’t actually turn the salt into sugar, but what she could do was rearrange the flavor compound and make it sweet. It’s not perfect, and it wouldn’t taste quite the same, but it wouldn’t be noticeable enough for anypony to suspect something. She took the tray in her magic. She closed her eyes, beginning her spell. Lady grinned as she watched. A loud thump broke through the quiet, causing both mares to jump. Startled, Nyx’s magic cut off at her horn, causing the tray to crash to the floor with a metallic clang. The girls looked to the side where Nyx’s supply bucket had toppled over the edge of the counter, its contents now scattered across the floor. Lady sighed, turning to pick up the tray. She froze, a gasp caught in her throat. The cakes swelled until they looked as if they were about to burst. Panicking, the Changeling flared her horn, gripped the tray in her magic, levitated it rapidly towards the door, and chucked the whole thing into the hallway. They heard the metal scraping as the tray slid along the floor. Lady turned to see her friend giving her a confused look. “They were getting bigger! I thought they were going to-” a muted, gooey-sounding blast sounded from the hallway. Nyx pressed a hoof to the base of her horn. “I didn’t finish the spell.” she groaned, “Know what happens when a spell isn’t completed? Not what you wanted to happen, and it usually results in-” A very angry looking filly in a pastel red blouse and cream-colored skirt stepped into the room. Her face and mane were coated in frosting, sprinkles, and crumbs. Her yellow hoof tapped angrily at the floor. Nyx sighed. “Explosions.” Author's Note I’m really sorry, but there’s no way I’ll get the new ‘It’s Going Down’ chapter out before the end of the day. I was sick a lot this month, plus I have my new job, and in the wake of my nephew’s birth, I completely forgot I hadn’t updated this month until it was too late. To make up for that, I’m posting the first (and only) Wicked World short I’ve parodized to Through Time. I don’t know if I’ll ever write the others, but if I do, I’ll move that chapter. If I don’t, it stays where it is. See this blog post for more information.
