Bones - Act 3

by TheCreativeFormat

Rating: mature
Tags: Dark, Death, Thriller, Original Character, Horror, Profanity, Gore, Violence, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 8767

Another Act. Another piece to the puzzle.

The journal has been scanned several times. By the information received by the results, there is a clear indication that the author had a wide range of notes and papers inside of the journal itself. Some of these are clearly seen by the outlines of pieces of paper and all that. Whereas others, like the small stains of dried-up glue, are clear signs of this result. Another thing that was seen was the burnt marks on the journal itself. Compared to the state of the pages, these burnt marks are very hard and difficult to notice.
However, the main result received this day was the discovery of what the black substance was. Under analysis, it appeared to be made by the combination of fur, blood, and a mysterious version of black dye. The black dye is better impeccable than any original version of it. More detail on what its strength and weakness are is definitely required. So far, the details that are provided are wrapping up this mystery together but the characters present in the journal are still around. Despite our pleas, there is no clear sign on if they have any recollection of the mysterious author. So far now, we only know the obvious and general details. More research is REQUIRED.
P.s. There it is again. The feeling of fear that so many of us have noticed now. All of us have at this point. It doesn't feel right. I feel like resigning from this. I don't think that whatever is noticing us while we do research on this journal is friendly. Even the confident researchers have had their confidence disappear now and then. It's just a couple more pages. After that, we'll all be done. I hope this all ends soon. But the main thing that scares me is that there are two new noises that I hear every night. The growling of a group of creatures and the sound of rattling chains.

Published 2021-10-15 16:50:00 UTC
Last updated 2021-10-15 16:50:00 UTC

Act 3: The Reunion and the New Arrivals

Author's Note

(Hi There. It’s me TheCreativeFormat, and I must say that this was not supposed to happen lol. If you are one of the 6-8 people who read this act before the other two were published because of my stupidity and because of how long I anticipated the submission by the moderators, then good job. Your reward is this note. And if you are going to ask why more people viewed then that is me and the moderators. Yeah I know there are around 5-7 of them but trust me, I believe this is common with making fanfics. I’m sorry if this confuses you but below this note, I have made a paragraph explaining what happened more clearly. Another thing to say is that you weren’t supposed to do that. Perhaps it was your curiosity or something that made you view this. Or was it perhaps the fact you wanted a head start? Either way, I don’t blame any of you. APART FROM ONE. The one who gave the act a dislike and presumably the one who commented to me. To that I say… thank you. Thanks for showing how stupid I am when doing this and also thank you for the criticism. It makes this better. However, the main problem is my mental state. It has been damaged in such a way that it is completely shattered. And like every massive Youtuber or fandom ever when they receive criticism… I or they punish thee who dare do it. Your punishment is to say goodbye to the rating system with the whole fanfic. So I will never see that one dislike ever again. Nah I am just joking, it’ll be there soon, starting from the first act. I’ll start bringing it back at the start of next year at the earliest so get ready for that or not. I am not exaggerating over this and making it a big deal out of receiving criticism. So because of this mistake, I have done this fanfiction in order this time so we don’t have to gloss over this or something ever again.

^^^^^^^ For those who read Bones – Act 3 early ^^^^^^^^^

For the ones who have no idea what I am writing about well here is what happened. I have submitted both Bones Act 1 and Act 2 many days before I submitted Act 3. You see it wasn’t there for a while because of my stupidity in reading the rules and also the changes from the original work. Plus the moderation system isn’t kind to stories that are well, have a warning next to it (a sign of how stupid I am) and so I had to wait for Bones Act 1 and Act 2 to be submitted. During that time, I thought it wouldn’t be a problem if I released this act to be submitted whilst I waited for the other acts to be published, so the other two would appear first before it was successfully submitted. What could go wrong? Well, everything. It took a record-shattering 5 days for me to find the error of my brilliance and I still can’t believe I was that dumb. Still, the reason why that was, is that Bones Act 3 was released BEFORE Bones Act 1 and Act 2 were submitted so that is why I have made both of these notes. Yeah, you can tell me how stupid I am in the comments for me or something but there will be no telling me in the rating system for Bones Act 1 and Act 2 along with Act 3 because I have gotten rid of it. But before you start moaning about it or if you know what I’ll say next, yeah I’m bringing the rating system back next year. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy Bones. It is just that it won’t be seen every time you enter the website. Still, let’s just ignore this mistake and laugh about it or something. Or nag me about it for the rest of my life. Either way, I have revoked the submission so it is no longer there. Technically, you along with everyone else can’t see it anymore. I got rid of it. Well, the submission that is. I haven’t deleted it because I am not that dumb. And for those who did read it or viewed it… YOU’LL STILL BE CONFUSED ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING AS WELL BECAUSE YOU HAVEN’T READ THE OTHER ACTS. AS I SAID, YOU HAVE TO READ THE OTHER ACTS SO YOU CAN UNDERSTAND THIS ONE. Do you hear that? That is the sound of my cleverness and not my stupidity popping onto this note. Okay, last thing… let’s make this quick. I have found the format I have made for this act along with others' work. The writing and all that. So these acts should be released quickly and easily now, just like Act 3. Okay definitely the last thing, you have to wait for the other two beginning acts first. In terms, I did expect that if one of the moderators would read the act he or she would say: oh yeah what about the other ones, but no. Instead, it was: Hey this is pretty cool. Let me just ignore the original author’s note and submit it without realizing that the previous acts were not released. Again I am not criticizing the moderators. Can you just be more careful with the title and what the author’s note implies next time or something? Thank you.

^^^^^^^^ For those who have no clue what I am writing about ^^^^^^^^^

Now with that out of the way, we can all just laugh about it. I know this note is trailing off or something. But what can I do about it? I am literally on my path whilst writing this and I can write anything without anyone nagging me. See, I am very smart when it comes to this and know the right things to say to all of you…. I think. Another thing to say is that I do hope you are enjoying Bones so far. I am relatively new when it comes to this so thanks for appreciating or reading about our Bonely pony. It does mean a lot to me. A couple of last things to address because this note has been going on for a while now is that: I will be not joining any groups at all on this site. I know people say it is awesome but to reduce the amount of competition or “glory” that many people may have if I join one (I.E. a group rambling on that I have joined their group to others and all that), I will not be accepting any invites to any specific group. I made this story to bring some nostalgia back from the past and not as a carver for me to join any group that people want me to join or do anything I don’t want to do on this site or with others. I hope you understand why I have made this choice. The last thing to say is that many of you might be asking: why couldn’t you put this on a blog post? Well, the thing is, is that I prefer doing this instead of making a blog post so people can see it in the specific Act which had the incident so all of you can understand more clearly what happened previously. And if you are still confused, just take your time and read this note slowly so you can understand what happened more clearly. Right, I do believe that is it… all of the mistakes have been learned from me and I have done possibly the largest author note for this story and hell this site even. That could be a positive from this mistake. Arguably, making a very long author’s note ;) Still, enjoy act 3 and I will see all of you soon in the next author’s note. Have fun and goodbye. – TheCreativeFormat)

Act 3: The Reunion and the New Arrivals

Introduction: After finishing the entries in the journal, I put the journal away and pondered on what I said. Somepony Scientific and her friends. Hmmm. I guess I would have to wait until she came back again. I went over to my suit and put it on. All of it still fitted like a glove, even with my new wings. I knew that I shouldn’t have lied to Sweetie Belle about where I got the food or drinks from but I couldn’t risk letting her know the truth. I hoped in the future that when she finds out that, she would still be my friend. Besides that, my magic was starting to expand and grow stronger due to the last presentation I witnessed. I have to be wary of it. I’ll make sure I don’t fly off the deep end again. Alas, I did have to play the waiting game for her to return. I just hope that she knew what she was doing. I didn’t want any other ponies freaking out on what I looked like. After a while, I could still smell the faint scent of burnt paper, and at that point,

I said: “Oh for buck's sake, I wonder how long it would be for her to return?” I guess I had to wait and see. It shouldn’t take that long, right? I mean there weren’t a lot of ponies in Equestria nowadays, was there? Well, from her account anyway. I guess I am being impatient. I let out a deep breath. All I had to do was wait and see what will happen.

The Doctor and the Derp: 3 weeks. It took her that long to return. I waited for so long for her return that I even considered heading into ponyville to find out what she was doing. Luckily, she arrived before I decided to carry out that idea. I remember hearing 2 faint voices from the entrance of the cave. One of them, of course, was Sweetie Belle. The other one had a very British accent to it. The kind where you would think that the pony was so stereotypically British that the pony would carry a cup of tea wherever he goes.

I heard Sweetie Belle’s voice say: “Hey, I’m back! I brought somepony who I think could help you with your look. You can come on out if you want” Slowly, I wondered out of the shadows and into the light of the cave’s entrance. My coat and mane glistening in the sunshine. I looked at the newcomer and I could say by what he looked like, he was very interested in science. He had a dark brown mane and tail, along with a light brown coat. He had a bowtie around his neck and he had what seemed to be an hourglass for his cutie mark.

He looked at me in shock and he said: “Great Whickering Stallions, you seem mighty different from any other pony here. No wonder, Sweetie Belle told me that my knowledge would be extremely useful in this predicament.”

He studied my coat and wings and Sweetie Belle said: “Is there any way you can help him at all or something due to his changes?”

“No, my dear, it looks like this was entirely natural. I think the only way to remove this newly formed coat is to get rid of it.”

He glanced at me with a saddened look and I said: “Don’t try it, it is very painful to remove this new look from me. By the way, you are new here so can you tell me your name?”

“Ah, surprised we didn’t get there first, my name is Dr. Hooves. And you are?”

“Bones”.

“Bones hey, what a lovely name for a new pony in Ponyville.” I heard movements behind them and I immediately pushed him aside. Another pony was with their team. She had a completely yellow mane and tail with a grey color for her coat. She had what seemed to be a collection of bubbles on her side.

She looked at me in shock and immediately started to run into the cave and knocked me aside. She ran to one of the dunes and she hid behind it.

I got up and looked at Sweetie Belle: “Who’s this then?” She replied,

“Well when I found Dr. Hooves, she was accompanying him so both I and Dr. Hooves had told her to stay.”

“I guess she didn’t listen.” I approached her and she immediately ran to another dune to hide behind.

“Look, I am not going to hurt you.” Ignoring my claim, she flew upwards and grasped on a dune above my head.

“Stop acting so derpy, I am not going to hurt you!” I said that statement again and when I was about to say it for the third time,

Dr. Hooves intervened and said: “You need to call her by her real name.”

“Then what is her real name?”

“You already said it.”

“What, her name is: stop acting so-”

“No, her name is Derpy” “Oh right.” With her name noted down,

I went to her and said: “Stop acting so clumsy, Derpy”. As soon as I finished the sentence, she let go of the dune and landed on a pile… on top of me. After a while, we both were on our 4 hooves and I then said:

“well with that out of the way, I consider telling you what I am doing here and what has happened before we both met. That way you won’t act completely naïve would we?” With a nod from Dr. Hooves and a shake from Derpy, I began telling them my story. During the time I was telling them, I ignored the hints and information of my dreams and the magic parts as well and solely focused on the not-so-suspicious changes of myself. After a while, I got out the basket of treats and immediately Derpy headed straight for me. She collided with me and after a while, she picked herself up. She got a lemon-flavored muffin from the basket and trotted back to her original position. After dusting myself off and laughing about it, I put the basket in the center. Continuing, I told about where I got the basket from and also why Sweetie Belle knew about me. When I was done, they exchanged their stories on what had happened in ponyville, and sooner or later, we were all done. I let out a deep breath and said:

“I think that’s enough for a while, don’t you agree?”

“Quite so, I guess me and Derpy better get going. Allonsy.” He walked to the entrance and Derpy flew alongside him.

“Wait!!” Both turned around and I said: “Can you please tell no-one I’m here. I just don’t prefer being heavily noticed at this point.”

They both agreed on that compromise and they then walked – or flew off in Derpy’s perspective – and I was alone with Sweetie Belle again.

I looked down at her and said: “That wasn’t bad at all was it?” She nodded her head and I went on with:

“It did take you a while to do this, but I guess that is just my impatience.”

She looked at me and replied with: “What’s next then? Who else do you want to see and talk to?” I pondered that question and then I answered with:

“What about those other two you were with?”

“You mean the other crusaders?”

“Yeah, those others. I’m sure that it would be another successful experience like today.” I could see that she was thinking about it and then she said:

“I’ll do it. I think that we might see you tomorrow then as we always walk together like a trio or as a group.” After discussing the times and the events we would talk about, Sweetie Belle, walked off out into the entrance. After saying our goodbyes, she went off and I trotted to the stone replica of my room again. After a long day of talking and gossiping about past events, the sun was starting to dip over the horizon. I heard the sounds of the night: the hooting of an owl and the sound of crickets chirping in the night. I laid my head on the pillow and started to do another training course by the creatures of my dreams. Surprisingly, there was no pit at all, I guess that test was completed and done. As soon as I was done, I just hoped that with these new changes upon seeing new ponies, I would finally end up back in ponyville and back into the embrace of my parent’s hooves.

The Trio of Crusaders: I woke again after another night of tedious training to the sounds of voices from outside. I could hear them arguing and yikkering on why they were brought out here so early. I heard one of them had a country-like accent and another one had a confident tone, which was very similar to Rainbow Dash.

I heard them arrive at the entrance of the cave and I heard Sweetie Belle say: “Hello… I’ve brought the other crusaders with me today. Can you show them that this isn’t a big waste of time?” I heard the other two crusaders snicker and taunt Sweetie Belle, completely thrilled by the fact they were forced here so early. After a quick glimpse around the corner, I saw the same 2 fillies that accompanied Sweetie Belle from that dare she took so long ago. One of them was Scootaloo while the other one was unknown to me. She had a light yellow coat with a lightish red mane and tail. The distinctive feature was the pink bow on top of her head and the country accent that I heard from earlier. I presume they were both bothered by this stroll into a cave that is so far from Ponyville. With consideration,

I took a couple of steps and said: “Oh hello there. I see you were true to your word.”

The two looked at where that voice came from and saw me. I couldn’t blame how shocked they were upon seeing me. I guess it was the coat and darkish red mane that gave it to them. Or it could’ve been the orange and blue pupils of my eyes that made it so unnerving. I guess the creepiest thing is that I appeared out of nowhere. Immediately, they started to back off, away from me, until I heard Sweetie Belle say:

“It’s alright, he isn’t going to hurt you. He’s my new friend”. I strolled over to the two scared fillies and said:

“It’s true. I am her new friend so why don’t we have a nice chat and know each other then.” With that, both I and Sweetie Belle said the stories of my past and why I was here. Again we both excluded the nightmares and magic elements of the stories. As soon as we were up to date, I then offered them the chance to tell me their stories. Trembling, they began their own stories, and soon enough, we were all done.

“See, there isn’t a reason to be scared of me. Have you told them my name? No. Alright, my name is bones.” I raised a hoove for them to shake and after a while, they shook my hoove.

“Right, I suggest that you tell me your names. Don’t worry I am not going to do anything with it. It’s just general knowledge.” The orange-coated filly said Scootaloo while the other filly said AppleBloom.

“Nice names, I guess we are finished then.”

I ushered them towards the entrance until I heard Sweetie Belle say: “There is something that I have to tell you.”

I turned my head and said: “What is it?”

“You know Dr. Hooves. Well, he says that his lab is the perfect place for you in Ponyville.”

“How far away is it?”

“It’s not that far from the town’s center but it is quite a journey from here.”

“I guess I’ll prepare myself then”

“Right now?”

“Well yeah, I don’t think I want to be in this cave any longer. I just find it more aggravating than brilliant if I ever remember this place. Still, that place would be 20% better than here, that’s for sure”. With that, I packed up everything that remained in the cave. I put the papers and suit inside the mailing bag and carried the basket of muffins in my mouth.

I then said: “Stand back!” I put the basket down and my horn lit up. The basket ignited into flames and it disappeared into a puff of smoke.

I then said: “Let’s get moving. And if you are going to ask, I prefer having the free will to speak instead of muffling everything I say”. With that, both I and the Cutie Mark Crusaders walked off, back to Ponyville. The journey wasn’t that long but I do remember a lot of conversations from the two new fillies I had met. The first conversation was about how long I stayed in that cave. After saying two decades, they wondered why I looked like I was 16 years old due to how long I was in that cave in the first place. To be honest, that is a question I didn’t know the answer to. That cave had a lot of magic, I presumed, so it explained why this whole time situation happened anyway. Still, I couldn’t put my hoove on it but I do think that there might have been 2 or 3 magic spells cast on that place. In the end, I told them that I had to live with what I look like now. I couldn’t think of any type of explanation so it had to be a vague answer. But, on the brighter side, I didn’t have to go back there ever again so that was a bonus. Another conversation we had was based on why I said it was aggravating to remember the cave anyway. Both I and Sweetie Belle knew that answer, but we promised that we wouldn’t talk about it to anypony. I said that I had recurring nightmares but that was how far I went with the whole references to those experiences. One of the last conversations was on the appearance of myself. They questioned why I didn’t have any cutie marks. I told them that I didn’t have one at all. And similar to Sweetie Belle, they started to panic. After calming them down, they told me that they didn’t have any before. But when they found their purpose, they did. They said that one day, I would probably get it but they didn’t clarify how long it would be for me to have it.

Finally, I could see the castle in the distance and after a quick run, I saw the town again. It was bustling like usual. I saw different ponies playing and walking around.

I could then feel a hoove on my side and I heard: “there is his house”. I looked in the general direction she was pointing at and I saw what seemed to be a house out of a fictional movie. It had different types of gears and machinery clinging to the sides of the house. Its door was painted blue and I saw a white knocker on it.

I nodded and said: “How am I going to get there without being spotted?”

They looked at each other and said: “We have our way of getting from place to place.” Sweetie Belle came over and told me if I had a shrinking spell on me. I nodded and started to use my magic to shrink myself. I heard a booming voice say:

“That’s enough” and I was picked up by Sweetie Belle. It was like I was the length of a kitten and before long they put me into a small bag. I could see from the gaps in the bag that I was on Scootaloo’s back. I heard the sound of something clicking and suddenly the bag went up a couple of feet.

“Are you ready, bones?! Cause this will be intense!” As soon as Scootaloo said that I crashed into the side of the bag and immediately was thrown everywhere. Despite my pleas and miniature screams for her to slow down and stop, it was no use. After a couple of seconds of me being flown around like clothes in a washing machine inside the bag, the ride completely stopped. I could hear both Sweetie Belle and AppleBloom laughing at what has happened. They knocked on the door and I heard the Doctor’s voice. He opened the door and said:

“Ah, all of you are here without a scratch. Where is Bones? Is he with you?”

They picked up the bag off of Scootaloo’s flank and I was shown to the doctor.

“Ah. Bones there you are. What happened? Did you shrink by embarrassment or something” He laughed at his joke and they took me in

“You’re just in time, I have prepared the lab for your arrival.” I tried climbing out of the bag but failed and slipped onto the bag’s bottom. Scootaloo then tipped the bag on its head and I fell out. I then used the shrinking spell and I enlarged myself back to normal. I looked at the Cutie Mark Crusaders and saw that Scootaloo had a bicycle helmet on her head and a scooter beside her hooves.

I then said dizzily: “never… do… that AGAIN!!” I collapsed on the floor and after being husked up by the crusaders, I finally saw that I was in the Lab. Oh, what a sight. It was a scientist's dream come true. All the machinery and all the fantastic inventions that only a genius would come up with were here. It was a glorious metallic sight, accompanied by the sounds of gears and steam. It brought me back to that other lab that I went to a little bit. I got out my belongings and I started to place them in my newly centered home. After placing everything correctly, I heard a door open and I saw Dr. Hooves appear.

“Ah, you have already set yourself here then Bones. We’ll discuss the plans with the crusaders tomorrow then.”

“TOMORROW! What are you talking about, there is a lot I need to do, and –” I fell to the ground groggily. “Yeah alright, I now see what you mean.” After preparing my bed with the blanket and pillow provided by the doctor, I set myself ready for another good night of sleep. I hoped that nothing would have changed with my dreams because I was here now. Hopefully, those creatures in my dreams would be alright with the new change of setting. Unfortunately, I was greeted by an old friend when I drifted off to sleep. An old and “familiar” friend of mine.

The Dream: I woke up on a black and red checkered floor. Around me were complete darkness and the sound of snarls from above. I looked up and saw that there was a cage above me, with the bottom part completely opened. I then noticed 4 other cages as well. I flew up to one and I was surprised to see that I wasn’t alone in here. The one I flew up seemed to have another skeleton inside it. A skeleton with a blue jacket and white/black shorts. I rattled the cage with my hoove to get its attention and I jumped back in horror. The skeleton had blood dripping down its eyes and it also had two red pupils which followed where I was going. His eyes were completely black and his clothes were covered in blood and dust. He snarled at me and immediately pulled a skeletal hand through the metal bars. It then screamed and I heard the sound of the others in the 3 other cages. One of them seemed to be a hedgehog-looking humanoid with a white glowing pupil with a black void in one of his eyes. Apart from that, he looked perfectly normal. Another cage had what seemed to be a darkened robot inside of it. It never spoke or said anything, it just glared at me with those hateful eyes. I found all 3 of them pretty unnerving. I heard the most movement from the last cage. I got to it and looked inside.

Screaming, I backed away from it. The cage slowly opened and the creature fell to the floor. Its fur was completely white with black bones covering its body. It grinned at me with an elongated face and said:

“It’s a surprise to say that I wasn’t expecting you to be here” It let out a laugh and it approached me. The other three above me looked down at the spectacle below them and one of them laughed. It was the skeleton in the cage. His eyes were completely red with blood tearing down his eyes.

It opened its mouth and said: “This looks fun. Why don’t we become a part of this party?” The other two looked at him with confusion and before long, the skeleton tried to force his way out of the cage. But after a couple of attempts, the cage lit up with a white glow and I heard his scream. I saw that he was covered in black now and that some parts of his clothes were burning. It let out an angered shriek and fell to the floor.

The robot in the cage opened its mouth and let out a mechanical laugh, whilst the other one shook his head in disapproval. The hedgehog hybrid then said:

“Don’t be ridiculous, there is no way we are going to leave this place unless we’re shown to the public”. The skeleton looked at him in anger and then acceptance. What are they talking about? While I was hearing the interaction, a hoove came over my neck and pulled me upwards. It then forced my head forward to Inverted and then he whispered to me:

“I know what I said. One of us is a villain here and it isn’t based on what you did recently. When you do become acknowledged just remember that I will be waiting for you if you show them what happens inside your head”. It let out a laugh and I was thrust upwards to the last cage with the robot inside of it. Its eyes looked down at me and it let out a mechanical grin. Its hands landed on both sides of my head and I looked forward. The last thing I saw before my head was torn off my body was the smile of my duplicate. A smile of pure havoc. I heard the quick snaps of bones breaking and I woke up in a sweat. I was back in the lab, thank god. I didn’t see any cages or that inverted creature of myself.

Slowly, I picked myself up and opened the door to get out of the lab. I went to the bathroom quietly and splashed water over my face. I couldn’t describe that feeling from what happened in my dream. I couldn’t understand what those 3 were. What were those other things in the cages? They didn’t look friendly at all. Hmmm, this certainly is a new place to talk about. The most surprising thing about that dream was my inverted version of myself. He didn’t even look like a pony anymore. I presume he must be more desperate. I couldn’t put my hoove on it. There were so many questions but so little evidence to answer them. I guess I have to consider that this would be a new place to worry about. Despite the fact that this place was deemed highly dangerous, this was the first and only visit to it. I never returned there and this part of the journal is the only thing that references it. Even now, I do think that it was torn from my mind after I had that dream, and ever since I didn’t go back there because of it. However, those creatures I saw would not just appear trapped in these cages but would appear when I needed help. But that is for later. Don’t get your hopes up that this wouldn’t be the only time I saw them.

The Muffin Thief: I didn’t quit my stealing habit when I was in the lab. Now and then I would wander out and steal some food and drinks from the nearby pubs and bakeries near the Doctor’s house. Of course, I would be found out eventually. It was the natural process of theft. The consequences of your actions would appear after a long time. I remember it all clearly. The doctor was buying food and drinks for me. It didn’t sound suspicious but the other ponies soon grasped on the idea that something was up. One day, while I was in the lab, the Doctor gave me a newspaper to read and pointed at the main header.

I read it and said: “Oh they think of me as a muffin thief. That’s cute”

The doctor replied with: “This is serious my friend. What will happen if they found out you’re here?”

I shook my head and said: “No one is going to find out. It will be perfectly fine. Trust me.” However, we both knew that the doctor’s rapid care for me was going to be a warning sign for the future. Reading through the rest of the newspaper, I saw that Pinkie Pie was leading the hunt for the thief. Huh, very obvious on why she was leading the hunt.

Eventually, because of the Doctor’s kindness, they had a funny feeling that something was up. I remembered hearing the doctor from upstairs, talking with a large number of ponies. I quickly grasped all the things I had and put them in a place where they wouldn’t find them: in a large box. I then made 4 chains and clamps out of my magic and hung myself up. I then used my magic to make them grey and black. That way, I looked like a stereotypical model of the pony’s skeletal system. As soon as I heard the door open, 20 ponies trotted or flew into the lab. They searched everywhere. At some point, they were checking under the box of my belongings, but luckily, they didn’t look into the box. I then saw some of them eye me in surprise. I heard the doctor say that it was a model of the skeletal system of a pony and how that even scientists had a model of a ponies internal systems. The excuse was accepted by the ponies and they moved on. I then saw Pinkie Pie look completely unhappy that they didn’t capture the Muffin Thief at all and soon they all left. I got rid of the chains and clamps with my magic and I landed on the floor lightly, I walked up to the entrance of the lab and went into the main part of the house. I saw Dr. Hooves with a look of exhaustion on his face and then he noticed me.

“Ah, thank god they didn’t notice you at all majorly.” I nodded and said:

“Well, at least they won’t be bothering us at all. Still, we need to be more care-”

“AHA, FOUND YOU!!!”

I looked at one of the pieces of furniture and saw Pinkie Pie behind it. DAMMIT. I should have known that hyperactive pony would try to hide to find me. I walked right into her hooves, like a complete buffoon.

I quickly said: “GOT TO GO!” and ran straight towards the door. Dumbly and immediately, I put on my suit because I thought it would hide my identity. Unfortunately, the only thing it did was make me more suspicious than ever. Another thing that happened was that I broke the door by its hinges with my magic to escape from the doctor’s house. Even with Dr. Hoove’s dismay upon breaking the door, I ran out of the house in a panic. I could then hear Pinkie Pie’s voice while running away from her. I could then hear more ponies accompanying her. This was a terrible idea!! I was being chased by so many ponies that the only sound I could hear was their panting and their hooves moving on the ground. I was about to approach a bridge until I was knocked to the ground by one of the ponies. It was Rainbow Dash. Dizzily, I noticed the other ponies approaching us, so I had to think of something quickly. Despite her bickering about who I was and all of that, I was solely thinking of an object to get her off me. I saw that a metal rod was starting to form out of my magic. NO!!! That was going to break her bones if I hit her with that. The rod then enrolled itself into a large blanket and I nodded in approval. I then used my magic to throw the blanket over her head and I saw her struggling to get the blanket off.

Without warning, I ran away from her and went over the bridge. I thought that I could get away from them. But unfortunately, I remembered being knocked out by something so fragile. I was about to get to another bridge until a magic bubble suddenly formed around me. I was running so quickly, so I didn’t have the time to react to it. I smashed my head against the side of the bubble with a groan and I heard the sound of fabric tearing itself apart. I fell to the ground and I saw the whole town flip upside down. The last thing I saw, before I fell unconscious was the large number of ponies approaching the magic bubble that I was in. I guess that I was caught now. Whelp, this will be fun when I wake up.

The Reunion: Awaking by the sound of various ponies around me, I opened my eyes. Every part of me ached and there seemed to be a large sense of pain on one side of my face. I could feel hooves on me where they were trying to take off the suit. Despite their best attempts, they won’t take it off at all. Only I knew how to take it off. After my sight improved, I saw around 4 ponies on me, all with gear and weapons on their fur. I realize they were royal guards.

I said: “Get off me!” and I pushed them out of the way. I got up, aching on all sides, and looked around the area. I was in a massive castle and by the looks of things, I was in the throne room. On both sides, stained glass and decorative walls were placed. Looking to my left and right, I saw different ponies eyeing the muffin thief that was caught, and looking behind me, I saw a massive wooden door that cut off the rest of the castle. To my shock, all the ponies that I met before this event were at the far end, all nervous and presumably scared of what will happen next. However, the agonizing pain on my face distracted me and altered my attention. I felt where the pain was and I felt what seemed to be a wet piece of fabric. When I hit that magic bubble, the fabric must have caved in and torn a cut into my face. Brilliant. I could then hear two voices ahead of me and I turned in that direction. The blood in my veins ran cold. Queen Celestia and Princess Luna. Even after all those events I was told and happened; they appeared unscathed. “Of course they are you, idiot, they’re immortal: aren’t they?” I thought.

But as soon as I was surprised by seeing them again, I was forced forward to them. Both didn’t know who I was and both didn’t know what happened to me. I then saw two other ponies appear to the side of Queen Celestia; I’d presume they must have been the other two rulers I faintly know of thanks to Sweetie Belle.

“Take off your suit” ordered Queen Celestia. I knew that there was a lot of explaining to do but I did as she said. Very slowly, I took off the first side of the mask on my head, the one without the wound. When I took it off fully, I hear a collective gasp from the audience. Even the royal ponies were shocked by what they saw. I then did the other side. I knew how painful it would be, even before I did it. As soon as the mask got to where the pain was emitting from, as soon as it came off, I yelled out in pain. I put a hoove over the massive cut on my cheek and felt what seemed to be the fabric in the wound. With a steady hoove, I pulled out each piece of blood-stained fabric until the wound was clean. The pain was unbearable to deal with. As soon as I was done, one side of my face was completely covered in blood. I felt blood seeping from the wound and I place pressure over the cut with one of my front hooves. Despite the pain on my face, I took off the rest of the suit and placed it to my left. All the ponies were silent.

I didn’t hear anything until Queen Celestia broke the silence. “Who are you?” I looked at her with a surprised look. How can she forget about me? I knew the answer as soon as I thought of that question. She forgot about me. Along with Princess Luna. Both had forgotten me. I don’t blame them, I looked so different from who I was many decades ago anyway. I then thought of an answer to that question. I then had an idea and said the last thing I told my parents before leaving them. They were confused at first until that confusion was replaced by shock. They knew now, after all those years, who I was.

Princess Luna said: “It can’t be” and Queen Celestia looked at me with a puzzled look. She said my original name: Blue and at that point, I said my new name:

“It isn’t blue. It’s Bones now. I’m not surprised you forgot about me. After all, it has been like 20 years since I last saw both of you.” All the ponies in the room were confused and questioning each other. Who was this new pony? How does Queen Celestia know him? So many questions with no answers.

I then broke the noise and said: “Have they returned yet? My parents?” Both Queen Celestia and Princess Luna’s faces crumbled into a look of horror. All the ponies fell silent and they awaited their answer, even the new rulers I had faintly know were looking at them with concerned looks.

Celestia looked at me with sadness and replied: “No, they haven’t” My heart skipped a beat when she said that.

“After all those years, they haven’t returned? Are you telling me that there hasn’t been a letter or anything from them?” Celestia shook her head to say yes but she then said:

“So you are admitting that you are the muffin thief?” The blood on the side of my cheek started to move faster and I said:

“Does it matter if I stole food? Look if you were me, you would do what I had to do. I had nothing left in terms of food and drink so I stole food to survive. It is as basic as that. And lastly, I do think that you are also changing the subject matter intentionally”. The ponies around me were shocked when I said that. I guess no pony ever stood up to Queen Celestia like that at all. I heard some familiar voices behind me but I ignored them.

“Tell us then, where did you get this behavior from and also what has happened since we last met if you think that changing the subject is rude.” Queen Celestia stated.

My horn lit up red and I said: “Why don’t I tell you about it in the form of mine and my parent’s words.” The mailing bag appeared beside the suit and with the blood-stained hoove, I opened it up. I pulled out 2 pieces from the bag. The letter and the journal I wrote in.

“This may take a while and I know not many of you like hearing stories at this urgent matter, but if you want to know the truth, all of you have to listen”. I read what I put down in the journal and also read what was in the letter. Of course, I did ignore the parts about my dreams so it was a very quick and shortened story. I knew that there might have been some errors but to be honest, this was based on what I knew at the time, and plus I was being forced to do so anyway. At the point when I referenced the crusaders and Dr. Hooves plus Derpy, there was a large gasp from everypony present.

I saw that some of them were arguing about why they didn’t tell anypony at all about my presence. I counterargued that I told them not to tell anypony at all about myself. All 5 of them agreed with that statement. Despite the objections, I continued. I then got to the end of the notes I put down and I continued about the events that weren’t written down. I guess I have to do a lot when I write in the journal again, even with my current state.

After I was done, Queen Celestia said: “can you show us your magic.” With a nod, my horn lit up and the room was filled with fireworks and confetti, to the pony's surprise and wonder.

After my demonstration, I said: “do you have the replica of the map they provided you with?” Queen Celestia looked at me with confusion but I continued: “You know the replica that they gave you, about their journey and all that. I remember them making a replica to give to you before they went. I wondered if you have it.”

She continued that confused look and then she said: “Ah yes, I remember now. Princess Twilight. Please bring your friends into the attic of the castle, I might have left in there. If it isn’t there you may need to check the library” I looked behind and saw a group of ponies leaving the room apart from two of them. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. A couple of seconds later Sweetie Belle decided to join them, even with their surprisement.

Sweetie Belle said: “Are you alright. I’m sorry that they weren’t here at all.”

I nodded and said: “I’ll find them. I hope.” I looked upward and saw that Fluttershy was holding a bandage and a white cotton piece to help with my wound. I took the pieces, said “Thank you” and applied them to the cut. The whiteness of the cotton piece was soon turning red but on the brighter side, it would at least stop the bleeding.

“I hope that you are alright. It's just that, I don’t like seeing a pony injured at all.” Said Fluttershy quietly

“it’s nothing, I've been dealt worse but anyway thanks for the help,” I replied to her statement. She walked into the entrance and I then saw Pinkie Pie next to me. It was a record-breaking 9 seconds of her constant talking which forced me to snap.

After those seconds were up I then said: “Alright, alright. Are you going to tell me the history of Equestria or are you going to tell me that I am new around here? Because the truth is, I already know that.”

But that ordered her to go on for 5 more seconds and then I ordered: “ENOUGH! Can you, in the kindest way I can put it, go with your friends and find that replica of the map so you can at least help me instead of being hyperactive and annoying around me?”

With a nod, she jumped up and down out of the door and she left to find the map with the rest of her group.

I went down and whispered to Sweetie Belle: “I almost miss the other versions of her in my dreams” She looked at me with shock and I winked at her and said: “I said almost.” After a while, they came back with a couple of paper maps.

“Right, put them on the ground and I’ll sort them out.” I went to the pile and flung each one that wasn’t made by my parents over my head. “Okay found it.” I picked up the replica of the map and said: “Hello old memories”

I heard one of the ponies say: “Are you sure that is the one?”

I replied with “Yes, I was with them when they were making it. It has everything they made on it.” I looked around and saw a crowd was surrounding the map and I grabbed it from their sights.

I then approached Queen Celestia and said: “We have the map so now we need to do the journey presented on it.”

“Are you going to do it on your own?” questioned Queen Celestia.

“That is the plan but I’m not sure if anypony would like to come along with me.” As soon as I said that, a couple of ponies were about to approach me and I said: “anypony I know and spoke to!” I saw their faces frown but I pushed past them. I approached the crusaders, Derpy and Dr. Hooves, and said; “you know me better than everypony here. So I am asking you this, do you want to help me with this *quest* of mine”.

Their faces turned into shock but Sweetie Belle said: “yes, I’ll help”. The others joined her and I said: “whelp the team is set. I’ll give you a couple of days to prepare but I hope you are ready for a long journey”.

They then ran out of the castle and I smiled. I wiped the cotton piece on the side of my head and I saw that the blood from the cut was all gone. The shock from the other ponies was temporary but it was soon replaced with applause and commendations. The last pony to thank me was Twilight Sparkle.

She said: “Good luck Bones. I hope you and the others will be fine on this journey of yours. Oh yeah, you might need this.” She lifted her hooves and showed me the map on it. I must have dropped it.

“Thanks, I better get going”

I heard her say: “Good luck” and the claps from the ponies behind me as I ran off to the exit of the castle. This was going to be an adventure of a lifetime. I flew to Dr. Hoove’s house and prepared myself for the journey ahead. I put the mailing bag on the floor and sorted out my belongings. After 6 days, we were all set and we approached the entrance of Ponyville the map stated was the starting point. I saw that all of the ponies were waving goodbye and saying farewell. I looked at the five of them, with bags and backpacks on them and I said:

“I will promise you that they will be fine. We will be back in a couple of weeks, I’ll see all of you later.” With that said, we trotted off to the same path my parents took decades before. The only moving force was the determination to find them and the embrace that I didn’t feel for oh so long. However, this is my last entry for the journal. I may update this journal at any point but we are starting to approach the first area. I’ll write soon if we find anything but for now, this is the last part of my journal. So in conclusion, this Is Bones, signing out.

End of Act 3