Friendship is Magic: A Change of Destinies

Chapter Two: Unexpected

Soon enough, I got to the park and found the tree where Orange was sitting. She waved me over with a smile.

“Hey there, slowpoke! Come on, park your flank.”

With a dull thud, I sat and turned to watch the sunset with her. Orange had found a pretty good seat for it.

I took a moment to catch my breath. “So, what should we do?”

“Well, I hate to be a downer, but I’m kind of wiped after the mail route. Can we just sit here for a little while?”

“Works for me.”

If I was going to ask her out, this seemed like a good place to do it. I glanced over at Orange. I don’t know what it was, but there was something different about her tonight. She was looking out at the horizon with a lovely, serene smile, and her eyes were at the perfect angle to have the colours of the sunset reflected in them.

“Beautiful, huh?”

“Yeah.” I mumbled absentmindedly.

Her smile grew a little larger, and she looked over at me. Our eyes met, and we both clued in to what had just happened. I coughed and quickly looked away, hoping she wouldn’t notice any colour in my cheeks.

Smooth, Mystic. Real smooth.

She coughed lightly to lessen the awkwardness a bit. “So, uh, how did it go with your parents?”

I was still so out of it that I had to think for a minute. “Oh yeah, that. They didn’t seem too bothered by the fact that I failed the Magical Aptitude Test, but they started acting oddly when I mentioned leaving town. Like they know something I don’t.”

“You think it’s important?” she asked with a slight frown.

“It has to be, for them to act like that suddenly. But they didn’t say no to your idea. They just said that they needed some time to think about it and that I should just relax and have fun tonight.”

“That sounds like a good idea. Sorry if I’m being a bit of a drag.”

“Never,” I said with a gentle smile. “I think some quiet is just what we need.”

She returned the smile, then looked back out at the sunset.

Neither of us said anything for a little while. We both seemed content to watch as the last traces of orange and yellow finally disappeared from the sky.

It might have been my imagination, but I could have sworn I caught her glancing my way a few times, as if she had something to say.

Once the stars started to come out, the time had come. We’d have to head home soon.

Now or never.

I started thinking of ways to broach the subject when I glanced at Orange, only to find her a hoof’s width away from my face.

I was proud of myself. I jumped only a little.

Okay, maybe a lot, and I might have fallen into some bushes, but it was startling! I had forgotten how quiet she can be.

She giggled at her own little prank, and it must have been contagious, because soon the both of us were laughing.

“So,” I said as I managed to contain the last of my laughter. “Before you scared me half to death, was there something you were going to say?”

Her cheerful expression quickly faded back into unease. She took a deep breath and visibly relaxed a bit. “Look, Mystic, I need you to be honest with me for a moment.”

That hurt a little. I had never been dishonest with her for as long as we had known each other. I hadn’t told her about my deformities, since only my parents and I knew about them, but I didn’t think that counted as dishonesty. Plus, she probably had her own secrets. Why would somepony so awesome move to a small village in the middle of the forest and befriend a weirdo like me?

“Of course,” I answered.

“I mean really honest,” she pressed. “Did you mean what you said earlier?”

Well, the conversation had been started for me. I’d have to roll with it. “You mean the thing with the sunset? Yeah, I did. Is that weird at all, considering we’re the same colours?”

She showed a hint of confusion for a split second, then made a small grin. “Only you would think of stuff like that, Mystic. Why now, though? You’ve never complimented me like that before. Not that I mind.”

“I, uh… I just thought you should know.”

Orange cocked her head to the side in amusement. “Your father told you to ask me out, didn’t he?”

“Yeah, how’d you guess?” I asked in mild shock.

“Remember last week when I came to visit, and you were studying? Well, right before your dad went to get you from your room, we had a little talk. He may have implied that you were interested in me, and that we would make a great couple.”

I could see him doing that. As much as I loved my Dad, he tended to meddle my social life. It wasn’t all bad; he had helped me make friends with a few ponies around town when I was younger, including Starsong. Now, it felt like he wanted to manage my social life, what little I had of one. “Sorry. If it makes you feel any better, it’s not the first time he’s done that kind of thing.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it.” Orange said with a smile. “Dads will be dads. Besides, I didn’t really pay it any mind. You’re a really honest pony, and I figured that if you actually felt that way, you’d tell me, or at least make it painfully obvious.”

Was I really that transparent?

“Which brings me to my next question,” she continued. “Do you actually feel that way about me?”

My stomach twisted up in a sailor’s knot.

“I… I don’t know. I wish I could give you a straight answer.”

Her gentle smile faltered ever so slightly.

“As for romantic stuff, I’ve never really thought about it. With anypony. I’ve just never considered the possibility. But when my dad mentioned it, I started really thinking about how awesome you are. You’re an amazing pony, Orange, and regardless of what happens, I’m lucky to have you as my friend. But if you really want to know how I feel, I thought about us being closer, and it was nice. It gave me a warm feeling. I don’t know what would happen if we started going out, but I’d like to find out.”

I tried to search her expression for some hint of a reaction, but it was unreadable.

The thought that I might have messed up came creeping in, unwanted. I tried to push it away, but the longer she sat there, the more the thought came back. It had been only a couple of seconds, but it felt like much longer.

“Mystic… you know you’re a sweetheart, right?”

Before I could say anything else, she wrapped her forehooves around me in a tight hug. I did the same and gently squeezed her back.

“I hate to spoil the moment,” I whispered. “But I’m not too sure what’s supposed to happen next.”

She gently withdrew from the hug with a small giggle. “Okay, now that, I saw coming, you dork. So how about we go for dinner at the cafe tomorrow?”

Time seemed to slow for a moment as I truly realized what was happening. I would be going on a date with Orange Spear.

“I’d love to,” I said. “We should probably start heading home soon, though. I’m supposed to be back before midnight.”

“Oh, my! We’d better hurry, then!” Orange said with mock concern. “Wouldn’t want you to miss your bedtime and get in trouble with Mommy and Daddy.”

“Oh, har-dee-har. Laugh it up, silly,” I rolled my eyes as she giggled. “Do you want me to walk you home?”

“Sure, some company would be nice, though it’s usually… uh-oh.”

Her smile slowly faded as she leaned forward a little to look past me. I followed her gaze and saw three ponies in the distance, heading our way. Normally, I wouldn’t worry; there were always a few ponies wandering around the park. But these ponies weren’t wandering. They were headed straight for us, and at a steady pace, too.

As they continued to cross the park, I could better see who they were. Two of the ponies were unicorn stallions, and they were both flanking a larger golden-yellow earth stallion. I recognized the unicorns from school, though I couldn’t quite recall their names; suffice it to say, they weren’t the nicest of ponies. As for the earth pony, I had run into him around town a few times before, but we had never really talked long enough for me to get his name.

“Maybe we should get out of here, Mystic,” Orange whispered nervously.

“Something wrong?”

“I… I don’t know, I just have a bad feeling about this,” she said, gazing solemnly at the ground.

The seconds seemed to drag on as the colts got closer and closer. Soon enough, they reached us, and the earth pony spoke first.

“Well, howdy, Mystic! Fancy runnin’ into you here. Who’s this lovely young mare?” he asked, gesturing at Orange.

“My name’s Orange Spear,” Orange said quietly, sounding a little annoyed. “I deliver your mail every morning.”

“So ya do,” the large colt said with a sly grin. “Pleased to meetcha, Orange. Mah name’s Golden Apple, and this here’s Moonbeam and Redwood.” He gestured to the unicorn colts on either side of him. “Tell me, Orange, do ya take outgoing mail, too?”

“Of course. You can bring it to the post office, or just give it to me, and I’ll take it.”

Moonbeam and Redwood snickered, prompting Orange to raise an eyebrow.

“What’s so funny?” she asked.

“Oh, don’t mind them. They’re just being immature,” Golden chuckled. “But next time y’all come by the farm, you should come see me. Ah got a big ol’ package for ya!” He gave a seductive wink as his friends fell over in laughter.

“Charming as always, Golden,” Orange sighed as she rolled her eyes. “What do you guys want?”

“Why do we have to want something?” he huffed. “Can’t we just walk around and talk to our friends?”

“As bored as you might be,” I said, “I don’t think you guys would come all the way out here just to deliver a crude pick-up line.”

“Well, ah thought it was good, anyways. But you’re right. Down to business, then. Ya see, Moonbeam and Redwood here were jus’ telling me that ya didn’t do very well on that magic test thingy today.”

I nodded solemnly. I had almost forgotten that.

“And, as ah’m sure ya know,” Golden continued, “it’s kinda hard fer unicorns who don’t do well on it to find work.”

I was aware of the fact, almost painfully so, though I had always liked to think that I could still find some sort of work in town. I was pretty good at using my hooves to do things, you know, what with the lack of magic.

“That’s true,” I said, “but I’ll find something eventually. There’s got to be a few jobs around town that don’t require magic.”

“Yeah, but even then, they wouldn’t hire you,” Moonbeam sneered. “If they didn’t need magic, they would hire a pegasus or an earth pony, not a broken unicorn like you.”

Broken.

No matter how many times I heard that word or others like it, it always stung a little.

“Hey, that’s uncalled for!” Orange snarled and put a hoof on my shoulder.

“Maybe, but that doesn’t make it any less true.”

“But that’s why we’re here, Mystic,” Golden interjected. “Ah thought I would help ya out and offer you a job at mah family’s farm.”

I blinked a few times in surprise and suddenly felt a small pang of guilt. I had been convinced that he was here just to try and get a rise out of me, and here he was offering me a job.

“Oh, uh… thanks. I appreciate that,” I managed finally. “What’s the job, if I might ask?”

“Well, I figure it’s perfect for ya! Ya see, mah brother and I have been busy making repairs to some stuff around the farm, like the old scarecrow, so we haven’t had time to watch the field as much as we should. You know, to scare off pests and varmints and such. Ah figure you could do that pretty well.”

“Wait… you want me to be a scarecrow?”

“Yeah, but we’d pay ya 2 bits an hour fer yer troubles.”

Is it sad that I actually considered doing it for a minute? I mean, sure it was a humiliating, low-paying job, but it was still something. Something to do while I found a better job.

But was it worth my self-respect? I sighed and made my decision.

“Sorry Golden, but I’d rather not. I appreciate the offer, though.”

“Aw, c’mon Mystic,” Golden said with a cheesy pout. “How can ya know ya won’t like it if ya haven’t even tried it?”

“I think it’s pretty safe to say that I won’t like standing out in a field for hours on end, yelling at various pests.”

“Jus’ give it a chance!” Golden raised his voice.

“Hey! He said no. Can’t you take a hint?” Orange spoke over him.

Suddenly, I felt a warm, fuzzy feeling all over and found myself in Moonbeam’s magic, slowly rising towards the tree branches overhead.

“Hey, put me down!” I said as I flailed my hooves in an attempt to grab onto something.

“Put him down, Moonbeam, or I’ll- eep!” Redwood had levitated Orange and was holding her away from me and Moonbeam.

I had reached the lowest, thickest branch of the tree and started moving backwards, towards the trunk. The sudden pricking of the branch sliding between my fur and my jacket caused me to yelp in pain.

“Now, y’all can come down from there once you’ve made some scarecrow faces for us.”

I had no intention of doing anything for them, certainly not after all this-

rrrrriiiiIIIIPPP

My pupils shrank to pinpricks as I slowly turned my head around. The branch was poking through my jacket in some places, causing it to rip even more.

That was not good.

I frantically made as many different faces as I could think of, hoping that one would be a scarecrow face, but that only caused Golden, Moonbeam, and Redwood to break out laughing. Orange was struggling against Redwood’s magic, but to no avail.

“Okay, guys. I’ve made the faces, you’ve had some fun,” I said as I felt the fabric start to tear even more. “Now can you please let-”

RRRRIIIIIIPPPPPP

My jacket tore front to back, causing me to flip over as I fell and hit the ground head first.

My vision went black, and my ears rang.

As everything started to come back into focus, I could see colored blurs moving around me, and I heard whispering. I couldn’t make out much, but I heard a few fragments.

“…………..are those ………?”

“………..……changeling?”

“……… because….……..changelings….…….…both wings and a horn.”

“Should……….get the guards……..deal with it?”

“………….think it’s waking up.”

“RUN!!!!!”

I tried to get up and yell for them to wait, but I was still woozy.

I blinked a few more times as I stood up, and the world came back into clear focus. Golden, Moonbeam, and Redwood were running off towards town, screaming all the way like frightened foals. Some small part of me enjoyed seeing that.

I looked around frantically for Orange, only to be met with a hoof to the face from the side that sent me back to the ground, face-down and in pain.

Suddenly, a pair of hooves pressed down on my back, keeping me pinned.

“Where is he?” a voice growled from above.

“What?” I sputtered.

“What did you do with the real Mystic, changeling?” The voice growled again, the hooves pushed harder on my back and ground my face into the dirt.

“I’m noff a changeleng, fank you fery mufch.”

“That’s what a changeling would say,” the voice faded to a sad whisper and a small sniffle. “I knew this was too good to be true.”

“Juff let me upf for a minute anfd left me efksplain.”

“Fine, but you’d better not try anything.” The pressure on my shoulders eased up a little but was still firm. I could raise my head from the dirt and look around a little, but not much else. Good enough. I squirmed and turned my head to look up. Orange stood over me, still holding me down, with a look of pure anger. If I didn’t know her so well, I might have missed the wet spots on her cheeks.

“Look, I’m not a changeling, really. What can I say to convince you?”

“Tell me how we first met.”

“I was walking home from school when you came over, said you were new in town and asked how to get to the post office. Afterwards, you thanked me and said you really liked the colours of my mane and coat. It took me twenty minutes to get it.”

She stayed silent for a moment.

“Would it help if I mentioned the fact that, occasionally, you like to put on a nice dress and go around your house pretending you’re a royal?”

After another moment of silence, she took her hooves off of me and stepped back. I slowly stood up and turned to face her. She didn’t seem as hostile, but her expression was a mix of confusion, anger and fear, and somehow that felt even worse to me.

“I guess I’ve got some explaining to do, eh?”

She nodded quietly.

“I promise I will, but those guys are probably going to be here with the guards soon. I need to hide somewhere. How about I explain on the way to my house?”

“I’ll meet you there. I just need to stop by my place.”

“Alright,” I said with a small grin.

She smiled a little in return, though it was a pained smile. As she took off in the direction of the village, I sighed and picked up my torn jacket off the ground. After slinging it over my back, I started galloping as quickly as my legs would carry me.

In just a few minutes, I was in front of my house, panting and gasping for breath. I almost knocked the door off its hinges as I rushed inside.

“MOM! DAD! Where are you?” I called frantically.

The sound of cup shattering came from the kitchen, and Mom immediately came stumbling into the living room in a panic.

“What’s the mat- Oh my goodness! What happened to you, dear?!”

“Nothing good. Where’s Dad?” I wheezed.

“I’m over here, son,” Dad called as he came down the stairs. “What’s with all the commotio-”

He froze when he saw me and my torn jacket. The look in his eyes said that he knew exactly what had happened. Before I could say a word, he lit up his horn and closed all the curtains on the windows.

“How did it happen?” He asked quietly with a blank expression.

Once I had caught my breath, we sat down in the living room, and I told them all about what had happened with the colts at the park. They pretty much sat quietly through the whole thing, only asking the occasional question.

“So, they ran off to get the guard,” Dad said as he looked over at Mom. “That doesn’t leave us much time.”

Mom sighed and then turned to me, looking over my bruises. “Are you okay at least, dear? Sounds like you took quite a tumble.”

“I’ll be fine,” I replied, “But it’s just that, well… Orange had asked me out to dinner just before they showed up.”

“Wait, she asked you out? How wonderf… Oh, honey,” she said quietly, rubbing my back with her hoof. “What did she say when she saw them?”

“Well, she thought I was a changeling, too. It was tense for a few minutes until I convinced her it was really me. She said she would meet me here so I could explain. But… what if she took the chance to run and never talk to me again?

“I wouldn’t blame her if that’s the case,” I added as I wiped a tear from my eye. “It’s all these stupid things’ fault! If I didn’t have them, I wouldn’t have had to hide anything from Orange and everypony else. Why couldn’t I have been born without them?”

“Now, Mystic, you can’t think like that!” Mom gently chided. “You may not like them, but those deformities make you unique. They make you who you are, and your father and I love you for who you are. As for Orange, well, we don’t know her as well as you do, but from what we’ve seen, she’s a great mare who wouldn’t just up and desert you.”

There was a sudden knock on the door. Mom immediately pushed me off the couch and onto the floor, muffling my protests with a hoof over my mouth.

Dad got up and opened the door just a crack. I wasn’t in the best position to see or hear what he was saying, but his tone seemed calm. Finally, he opened the door fully, and in walked Orange with a box on her back. She seemed quite nervous, and never took her eyes off my parents.

Dad nodded to Mom, who then looked down at me.

“Can you go to your room, please? Your father and I need to talk to Orange,” she whispered.

“Okay, I guess,” I said. “When will you tell me what’s really going on?”

A look of uncertainty flashed across her face.

“I-I don’t know. Just, please trust that we know what’s best for you, alright?”

I nodded quietly and then went up to my room. Probably the best place I could have been at that moment. I loved my room and all the little things about it; it was the place where I could be alone and focus on studying.

My room was a look at who I was, and it fit me perfectly.

It had a small window looking out over the village, where I had spent so much time simply thinking.

It had my bookshelves on the back wall, where I kept every book I read.

It had my bed, which had always kept me comfy whether I was sleeping, reading, or just thinking.

And it had my tattered and worn old teddy bear, which I still considered my oldest and dearest friend, and was laid carefully on the pillow.

Looking around, I suddenly realized that my room was one thing I did not want to change.

I moved over to the window and sat in the moonlight. The peacefulness of the world outside helped to ease my mind a little. The muffled conversation from downstairs had only made me more nervous. What were they talking about? Would I get a chance to explain everything to Orange?

I hoped so; I didn’t like the thought of her not wanting to see me again, especially after tonight. What if my family and I had to leave town because of this?

There was a soft knock on the bedroom door before it slowly opened. Orange came in, the box still on her back, her eyes never quite meeting mine.

“Hey,” she said quietly.

“Hey.”

She set the box on the floor and then went to sit on my bed, looking around awkwardly.

“Look, I’m sorry you had to find out this way,” I finally said. “I would have told you eventually, but it’s just that…”

She cut me off with a wave of her hoof. “It’s alright, Mystic. Your parents told me about your deformities. I may not like it, but I can understand why you would hide them.”

“So, you believe I’m not a changeling?”

“It took some time, but yes, I believe you. I started wondering what you actually were on the way here. Even if you were something else, this is all just a big shock. I mean, I thought I knew you better.”

“You do,” I insisted. “I don’t have some alternate personality or anything. The only thing I’ve ever kept to myself was my deformities.”

She smiled slightly. “Well, that’s a little reassuring. Oh, and by the way…”

Getting up off the bed, Orange came over to me and whacked me in the shoulder with her hoof.

“Ow! What was that for?” I moaned, rubbing my shoulder.

“Your parents told me what you said. You thought I would just run away?! What kind of mare do you think I am?”

“I…I’m sorry, okay? I tend to overthink things sometimes.”

“Sometimes?” she said with a sarcastic grin. “When aren’t you overthinking things? Look, all you need to know is that I stand up for my friends! Especially the ones that call me beautiful.”

“I just wish I didn’t have these stupid things. They only cause trouble.”

Her gaze narrowed. “First, don’t call any part of you stupid. Whatever those things are, they’re a part of you. I like you for who you are, and that means all of you.”

“I…I don’t know what to say. If it helps, I’m sorry about tonight. I was going to tell you eventually, I swear.”

“You’ve got nothing to be sorry about, Mystic,” she said with a smile, putting a hoof on my cheek. “Sure, there was a… let’s call it a surprise, but at least one good thing came out of it.”

“Does that mean you’d still want to go out with me?” I asked while looking down and tracing circles on the floor with my hoof.

“Of course!” Orange said. “I meant what I said earlier, and very little could change my mind. Now we just have to wait until this all-”

The door to my room opened and my Mom peered in.

“Sorry to interrupt you two,” she said quickly, “but I need you to do something, Mystic. Pack some things for a trip.”

I tried to remind her that my jacket was torn, but before I could say anything, she closed the door and went downstairs.

“A trip? I can pack some things, but I can’t very well go out without my jacket,” I said, casting a worried glance around the room.

“About that…” Orange moved her box up onto the bed and nudged the top off with her muzzle. “Come check this out.”

Inside the box was a brand-new jacket! With its dark blue fabric and silver accents, it was so much better than the one I had been wearing. And my favourite colour to boot!

“Oh, thank you! It’s perfect!” I said, pulling her into a tight embrace.

“Hey, it’s no big deal. I was actually saving it for your birthday, but things change, right?”

“Actually, it is a big deal. I felt… well, exposed without it. So, thank you. Really.”

I tried on the jacket and noticed right away that it fit like a glove. Not that I was complaining or anything, but I made a mental note to ask Orange how she got my measurements without me noticing.

As I moved around the room, putting various things into my saddlebags, I noticed her gazing worriedly out the window.

“Uh, Mystic, you might wanna see this…” Orange said.

I looked out the window myself, and at first, I had no idea what she was talking about, but then I saw it. A mass of lights slowly coming up the path from town. That was definitely not a good sign.

“We need to tell my parents. Come on!” I opened the door to find total darkness, and we cautiously went down the stairs.

“Mom? Dad?” I called out quietly. “What’s going on?”

“We’re over here!” Mom whispered loudly, opening the curtains a little to shed moonlight on her and Dad. “Did you pack your things?”

“Yes, but what’s going on? Where are we going?”

“Come into the kitchen.”

Not having much choice, I did as she asked, with Orange staying close to me. The kitchen had no light except a small candle glowing on the table.

“We don’t have much time,” she started. “Do you remember the place in the Everfree Forest where we go to gather berries and herbs?”

It was a fair walk from home, but I remembered it quite well. “Yes, but-”

‘“Take the path on the other side of that clearing. Eventually, you’ll get to a town called Ponyville. Once you’re there, find a couple of ponies named Cup Cake and Carrot Cake. Tell them who you are, and they’ll help you out. Just hide with them until this all blows over.”

“Wait, aren’t you coming?” I asked.

“No, we aren’t. Your father and I have to stay here, sweetie. This is something you must do on your own.”

“I’ll go with him!” Orange blurted out. I smiled at her, but Mom shook her head.

“I’m sorry, but you can’t. It would only make things worse.”

“But why?” she asked desperately. “You can’t seriously expect him to go through the Everfree Forest by himself!”

Mom sighed and gazed at the floor. “I don’t like it either but think of it logically. The village thinks he’s a changeling. If he simply disappears, then everypony might just assume they scared him off for good and get back to business as usual. If any or all of us go with him, the townsfolk might think he kidnapped us or worse, and will likely search much longer and more aggressively.”

Orange blinked for a couple of moments and then turned to face me. “She’s right. As much as it pains me to say it, this might be your best chance at getting out of this.”

I nodded grimly. I had never been in the Everfree Forest alone before, and the thought of it sent a chill down my spine, but it needed to be done if I was to have any hope of getting things back to normal.

“Alright,” I said finally. “Just let me get something first.”

I dashed from the kitchen and up to my room, noting my father keeping an eye out the window with a grim frown. I took one final look around my room and grabbed an old necklace from my nightstand, tucking it into my saddle bag. Orange had given it to me shortly after we first met.

If I was going alone into a forest that was filled with all kinds of scary and dangerous things, I wanted something comforting with me.

Taking a quick look out my bedroom window, I saw that the angry mob was only a few minutes away at best, so I bolted down the stairs and back into the kitchen. The mood was a mix of emotions, none of them positive.

Dad slipped a sealed letter across the kitchen table to me.

“This has everything you need to know,” he said. “But don’t open it yet. You’ll know when the time is right. Oh, and you’ll probably need these.” He tossed me a bag of bits.

“Understood, and thank you,” I replied with a solemn nod.

“Son… I don’t know when we’ll see you again. I just want you to know that no matter what happens, we’re proud of you.”

“And we’ll always love you, so much,” Mom added, tearing up.

They pulled me in for a group hug, and I squeezed both of them as much as I could. Tears clouded my eyes, and I tried to savour the moment as much as I could. No telling when I’d get another chance.

“I love you both so much. I don’t know what’ll happen once I’m gone, but, please, just… stay safe however you can. I promise I’ll come back soon.”

“We’ll try, son,” Dad said quietly. “Now, say what you need to say to Orange and get going. There isn’t much time.”

Orange opened the back door carefully and peered out. She whispered that it was all clear and then headed outside.

Stopping at the doorway, I looked back and shared a smile with my parents before quietly closing the door.

“I thought you weren’t coming, Orange,” I whispered to her as we cantered away from the house and towards the edge of the Everfree Forest.

“I’ll walk you to the edge of the forest, then double back and head home. If I’m lucky, nopony will notice.”

Not far away, the sound of many angry ponies filled the air. I looked back to see them surrounding my house and thought about my parents. I didn’t think anything bad was going to happen to them. Then again, I hadn’t thought Orange would ask me out, and I also hadn’t thought anypony would see my deformities.

Soon enough, Orange and I stood at the edge of the forest.

“So,” she said quietly, “I guess this is it.”

I took a couple steps forward and turned back to face her.

Before I could get a word out, she flew forward, tackled me backwards, and fell with me to the ground with a muffled WHUMPF. As I came to my senses, I tried to voice my protest, but Orange had me locked in a crushing embrace.

For what seemed like a long while, we simply stayed like that. She had buried her face in the jacket and her long, brown mane had flopped all around, even mixing with my own. She was also shaking a little, so I brought a hoof up to gently stroke her mane, and her bear hug loosened a bit.

“Sorry. I…I just…” she stammered.

“It’s alright. I needed that, too.”

“I’m worried about this. I don’t like being in the dark, and I don’t think you do, either.”

The truth was, I was just as worried as she was. But I didn’t want to leave her with more reason to. I had to be collected, even if I didn’t feel it.

“It’s true we don’t have a lot of options right now. I promise, I’ll see you soon, just as quickly as I can. Don’t want to be late for a first date, after all.”

We both chuckled at that and got up off the ground

She put a hoof on my cheek, and I put one on hers. We shared one more moment together, then hugged and quickly went our separate ways. Neither of us liked long, drawn-out goodbyes.

As I entered the Everfree Forest, I took one last look out over Hoofington. The majestic dark blue of the night sky was only disrupted by the orange and yellow glow from the mob searching the area around my home.

I sighed and then continued into the forest. From what looked to be ahead of me, it was a good thing the path was easy to follow…

____________________________________________

Present

____________________________________________

I finally looked down from the riveting night sky and gazed around the clearing. I had made plenty of memories coming here with my parents each summer. It was our little getaway, a place where I could take off my jacket and run around, play in the stream.

Hard to believe everything was normal this morning. Feels like a whole other life.

I knew I couldn’t stay here for the whole night, but it was tempting. The familiarity of this place offered some comfort, however scant.

“Hello.”

I screamed at the sound of the voice and jumped a bit, which caused me to wobble and roll down the small hill. Fortunately, my saddlebags had gotten caught on my jacket and came down the hill with me. In a flash, I had everything re-buckled and was ready to run, but something stopped me.

There had been no hostility, nothing other than a soft female voice. My curiosity piqued, I slowly crept around the hill, trying to find the source of the voice.

On the opposite side stood a cloaked and hooded pony with only a light blue muzzle visible.

“My, you do startle easily, don’t you?” The mysterious pony asked with a small chuckle.

“Sorry,” I said sheepishly. “I just wasn’t expecting to find anypony else out here at this time of night. If you don’t mind me asking, who are you?”

“Not at all,” she said. “My name is Chrysanthemum.”

She drew back her hood, revealing bright green eyes and a neatly-kept, long, golden mane. Her long, slender muzzle revealed she was a fully grown mare.

“You caused quite a stir in town tonight, Mystic.”

I was surprised. “How do you know my name? Do I know you?”

“No, but I know you,” she said as she approached me. She was taller than me, but not terribly so.

She gestured to the small hill I had been sitting on. “Come, sit with me for a moment. There’s much to discuss.”

She went and sat at the top of the hill, and though I was a little nervous, something made me want to follow.

“I’ll answer your most obvious question first: Why am I here?” she said as I sat down beside her. “You’re different, Mystic. Deep down, you’ve always known it.”

She smiled gently. “I’ve been sort of watching over you for a while. Without my intervention, your deformities would have been discovered years ago.”

“So where were you tonight?!” I asked bluntly, instantly regretting my tone.

Her smile quickly turned to a frown. “I am no miracle worker, Mystic. I have kept you hidden until now, but those colts were beyond my influence. That’s why I’m here. I wish to help you set things back to normal.”

“That’s…very nice of you,” I replied. “I would welcome any help you have to offer. Sorry about the outburst.”

“It’s alright,” she said, patting my back. “I know you’re a little confused right now.”

“So, what would you have me do?”

“Just be careful. Hoofington would have likely put out an alert through their guard station, and there are ponies in Ponyville who dislike changelings even more than the ponies who chased you out of town tonight. Also, be careful whom you trust and what you say. I know that’s going to be difficult for you, but many ponies you meet will have their own agendas. I don’t want you to get caught up in anything more than you have to.”

I had figured I would need to be careful, but not this much. Was she trying to make me paranoid or something?

“You won’t be alone,” she added. “I’ll find you whenever you need help or advice.”

“So, just be more cautious than usual? I think I can handle that,” I chuckled. “Anything else?”

“Yes, get some sleep. You’ve got a big day tomorrow.”

“Sleep? Out here?”

“I shall keep watch. You have my word that no harm shall come to you.”

“Alright, well I guess a short nap couldn’t hurt…” I said with a short yawn.

I took off my saddlebags and jacket, laid down, and tried to get comfortable. As it turned out, the grass in the Everfree Forest was quite soft.

Something was draped over me. I looked up to see Chrysanthemum covering me with her surprisingly warm cloak.

“Thanks,” I mumbled, more and more drowsy. She smiled and said something to me, but I couldn’t make it out. I laid my head on the grass and soon enough drifted off to sleep.

Author's Note

Hey, everyone! For those of you who have stuck around, thank you for being so patient! I've been dealing with burnout over the last year, and things are slowly but surely getting better. Rest assured, I'll be quickening the pace of chapter upload. I'll also be finishing the illustrations for both chapters pretty soon and getting those placed in.

I hope you enjoy this second chapter! There's still plenty more to come.